Chapter 26:

I was running. Running from what I didn't know, just running for dear life. My breathing was fast and heavy. I stopped. My body wouldn't allow me to go any further. No, it wasn't my body but my mind as if an invisible block was in front of me. On one side me and on the other side a dark, faintly outlined figure.

Now I get it. I wasn't running away. I was running towards something or someone. I fell to my knees in tears. The air was hot here, stifling almost.

"Help me!" I yelled. The figured faded away as a thick fog filled the empty space around and between us. I laid out on the ground. By now the air was so hot and so thin I was aware my time was running to short. I closed my eyes.

I felt air, cool air immediately after I closed my eyes. The fresh air helped me breathe regularly again. I opened my eyes and the fog had cleared. The dark clouds in the sky were slowly pulling away from each other and revealing the bright sun to shine on the once dark scene.

I hesitantly got to my feet. Some random gust of wind blew me back down. I got up again and stepped forward and every time I did the air pushed me back. This was ridiculous. Wind is never this strong or this rude. The sunlight was damn near blinding. It created a stupid glare against anything ahead of me. A cloud came and covered a little corner of the sun. I saw him, a short boy with no hair.

He was young but why was he bald? He was wearing orange and yellow robes. He held some sort of staff. I couldn't make out his face but I could make out the blue pigments on both of his hands, perhaps a tattoo.

"Hey. Boy. Thank you!" I yelled out. "Who are you?"

He put his head down in reply. Suddenly his eyes lit up with blue light. A blue orb was forming around him and engulfing me in it too. I couldn't move. I could only allow my body to be picked up by the immense spiral of air forming in the center of the blue orb. His kid could do all of this without moving even a finger. He possessed amazing power.

"Please don't kill me." I called out, not caring which direction I was screaming in The spiraling wind died down and dropped me back down to the ground. The boy was maybe three feet away. He landed on his feet and when his eyes stopped glowing his whole body collapsed on the invisible ground.

I ran to him. Part of me was still afraid. In all honesty I don't know why I ran to him. For some reason I felt I had to. We were connected in some strange way. I knelt over top of him and first checked his pulse. He was alive.

"Kid. Wake up." I spoke up. He grunted. I touched the tattoo on the top of his head. It was a blue arrow. In that moment I felt a shock wave being sent through me. Electricity was running all throughout my small body. I pulled my hand back two minutes later. Looking down at my palm I saw a word carved in a blue color against my skin, the same color as the child's tattoo. The word read: SHIMU.

"Shimu." I read the word aloud and the four letters seeped into my skin so I could not see them anymore. Okay this kid had to wake up now. What the hell was happening?

I shook him frantically, hoping to wake him up. Nothing. He laid there, his eyes shut tight like he was in a very deep sleep.

"Please wake up!"

"He's not going to wake up anytime soon." A male voice came from behind me. The man was at least 3 years older than me. He had blue eyes and very dark, blue-looking hair that came to the middle of his back. He had a well-developed beard starting to grow on his chin but his mustache was very well-defined. His skin was darker than mine but not as dark as my fathers, almost a caramel color. We shared eye contact for a few moments.

"You look familiar." I said. He smiled. He reminded me of my brother. The same dimples, the same height, the same eyes, the big and bright smile.

"Hm. So do you. You aren't so much of a little girl anymore Ice Princess."

It was him! Cain! He was the only one allowed to call me anything close to princess. I get off my knees and pounded my body into his chest, wrapping my arms around him in a reunited embrace.

He kissed my forehead and pushed me back so we could talk.

"Quite the woman you are. If you weren't my sister I'd mmmmmm. Enough said."

"This mean you're alive right?"

"This means you need me."

"What?"

"You've reached crossroads my dear. It will no longer be about what you want or how you feel or even your image, but only about the common good. Your destiny is more than clear now. It's up to you to choose the right path."

"Wait!" I turned around to look at the boy, still dormant. "What about him?"

"He isn't going to awaken for you now. Destiny has a few more things in store for you until he returns to us."

"Who is he?"

"You tell me Princess. This is your dream. I'm trying to figure things out just like you."

"Wait! Help! I don't understand!" I screamed while placing a hand against my forehead.

"All will make sense in time. I have to go Sister. Don't give up on me now. We'll meet later on." Cain started walking away. "You're going to make me so proud."

"Cain wait!" I ran after him and tried to grab his arm. My hand went straight through him. "Don't leave me again! Stay!"

I fell to my knees again, facing the sleeping boy. My eyes were probably glassy by now.

"You stupid boy! Why the hell are you here? You probably don't have a care in the world. How long are you going sleep while people are here suffering?" I let out a sigh in frustration. "I'm sorry."

"No. I'm sorry." The voice of a young boy echoed all around me. I jumped. It wasn't the boy on the ground. He was still unconscious. Who said that?

The fog was coming back.

~/~

I woke up more confused than I had started with. I never dreamed before so why start now? Destiny. That seems like the word of the day. Destiny is something I make right? Right now I only can envision myself going down one path and that path is with Zuko. What other path could there be?

I flipped over and look towards Zuko. He was smiling. I want him to stay like that. I want to stay with him period. Destiny will have to take a moment to wait until Zuko says he doesn't want me anymore. I'll stay as long as he wants me.

"Princess!" someone called from the hall. Lee was standing in the doorway. I unwrapped the blanket from my body and stood up to get out of the bed.

"Yugoda was just wondering if you were still here." he spoke softly. I nodded. I must have had a strange look on my face because he asked me what was wrong.

"Nothing."

"Besides our conversation before what's on your mind?" Lee leaned against the doorway. "I'm not leaving until you tell me. Is it Zuko? Are you worried he won't make it?"

"Zuko is included in the problem of my destiny."

"Destiny? Destiny isn't something that you can know for sure. I'm the prime example of that."

"That's just it. Cain told me that he knows I'm destined to make him proud, through what's inside of me I will help someone else awaken."

"Cain? You talk to-"

"I dreamed of him or well maybe he came into my dream."

"Well who are you supposed to awaken?"

"Some boy. He was so powerful Lee. He had some sort of special power with the wind and had these strange tattoos all over in the shape of arrows."

"I don't know Crystal. I would say it was just a stress induced dream but since Cain was in it I think it's important to figure out what it means, especially since it involves something so valuable like your destiny. Maybe understanding your dream will help make decisions easier." And with that Lee left the room.

If there was one person who could understand things of this nature it had to be my father. To be Chief you have to have a very high connection to the spiritual world as well as a high spiritual understanding. Before ascending to the thrown each qualifying Chief must go on a spiritual hiatus in themselves. That means solid meditation for a long period of time, more than two days. Some men reach spiritual solace in three weeks and others five months. My father awakened on the day of the Tide Awakening, when the moon was highest and brightest. He had been meditating for a year and three months. Proving he was more than ready enough to be Chief.

I would go to him. I would go to him hoping he would be the one to understand this destiny and whether it would be with or without Zuko.

Author's Note: All done :)!

Question To Readers: What do you think Crystal's destiny is? Basically I'm asking when she goes to her father to ask for the spirit reading what will he tell her?

Btw (HINT): Shimu is the female equivilant to a Sifu. For example think of Sifu Hotman AKA Sifu Zuko if you still don't know what a Shimu is!

~Bre~