Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender in any shape or form.
Everyone was restless on the night of the first day. The navy had seized their attack hours ago, knowing full well of the waterbender's power drawn from the moon.
Ameya had separated from Aang, Katara, and Yue earlier. She wanted to be useful somehow, whether it be patrolling the city or training on her bending. She felt too fidgety to sleep and wanted to keep her mind occupied, body moving.
But it still cannot keep her doubts away.
What is she doing here in the middle of a war? Why had she not run away yet? She was not a soldier, not a hero, not—anyone important.
Yet when she heard the news of the Fire Navy heading towards the North Pole, she threw all her rationality aside and came back knowing she would participate in it. Why is she hesitating now?
"I'm just one kid."
Aang's words had snapped something in her. It reminded her of how she used to be-helpless and hopeless—a child with no home, no purpose. She is just a girl, a thief; a nobody. She would not be written down in history or remembered by anyone.
"There is a big decision you must make in the near future. It may either mend or break the ones you hold close but it is necessary for the good of the world."
The fortuneteller's words floated in her mind. Why was that popping up now? Is it because of the critical situation they are in? Maybe there was a chance for her—maybe she could still make something for herself.
The image of Yue, Aang, Katara, and Sokka appeared in her mind. She had somehow rekindled her friendship with Yue and made allies with the Avatar and his companions. This was not something she had expected a month ago but it made her feel a little hopeful.
Maybe—if they won this battle, she may not have to run away anymore.
"Ameya!"
Her eyes shot up to look at Yue, running towards her with pale hair flying wildly behind with a soft amber glow. Ameya faintly wondered when the sun had begun to rise and how she had managed to spend almost the whole night awake.
"Aang is in trouble! S-someone appeared in the Spirit Oasis while Aang went into the Spirit World! Katara is fighting him now but—I-I have to get help!" Yue explained frantically, her eyes wide with worry and arms flailing in all direction.
Her own blue eyes widen at the explanation, looking towards the direction Yue had pointed to not long ago. "Go get Sokka; I will go back up Katara."
They separated immediately.
Ameya dashed through the wooden door, barely had the time to admire the green grass and colorful flowers and settled on a blue figure lying on the floor. She ran towards Katara directly, dropped besides the younger girl and held her in her arms, scanning her for injuries. Who had been strong enough to knock her down surrounded by her own element?
The girl stirred and in a moment shot up, sapphire eyes looking around desperately before settling on Ameya.
"Aang! Where—he—Ameya!" She clutched her shirt tightly, unshed tears brimming in her eyes. "Zuko was here—and he took Aang! He took him right out from under me!"
Ameya barely registered Sokka and Yue's arrival as she held the crying girl, her body frozen. Zuko was here—he had somehow managed to get all the way to the North Pole and took the Avatar.
"I can't believe I lost him," Katara cried and Ameya absentmindedly patted her head.
"You did everything you could, and now we need to do everything we can to get him back. Zuko can't have gotten far. We'll find him. Aang's gonna be fine." Sokka took charge instantly, his hands tightening the reins on Appa.
"Okay," Katara wiped her tears away, muttering a quick apology to the older girl but she merely smiled weakly in response.
"I'll stay here and patrol the area—in case Aang comes back," Ameya stated, "Take care of each other out there."
Sokka nodded, "We will. Appa, yip yip."
The three of them took off on Appa, leaving Ameya and Momo behind at the oasis. Once they disappeared, Ameya sunk to the ground again and let out a frustrated shout.
Clearly—what has she been doing? Wasting time mulling over her own weakness? Pakku had instructed her to help Aang and yet—she was not even there with Katara to defend against Zuko!
And Zuko—he wasn't supposed to be here! Wasn't he forbidden to join the Fire Navy attack? What about Iroh? She knew she was reckless but Zuko was absolutely insane if had managed to get this far.
Momo flew around her shoulders, his large green eyes staring at icy blue ones in confusion. She let out another sigh, adjusting her hair bun and stood up boldly.
No more. She can't be swayed by her own emotions again.
"I'll be back, Momo. Zuko may or may not be hiding here still."
With a new resolve, she ran out of the Spirit Oasis and checked the surrounding areas.
The icy caves and buildings were empty and did not provide much cover for anyone to hide but she checked it regardless. She wandered the vast land, avoiding the creatures that were sleeping peacefully then moved to the next location. Her heart pounded loudly against her chest with each passing hour, failing to find the firebending prince and the Avatar.
She bit her lip, frowning in frustration and headed back once she had ran through the whole citadel. Momo greeted her as soon as she arrived and grew disappointed when she came back alone. Appa had not returned yet as well and she looked up towards the night sky, hoping for them to suddenly appear with Aang, safe and sound.
A noise from the entrance caught her attention and she took a step towards it—was it them? Her blood froze at the sight of an aged man stepped through with four Fire Nation soldiers in mask. How did they get here—when did they infiltrate the citadel?!
"Who are you?!" Ameya demanded, glaring at the red uniforms.
"You don't know me? Shame; you will soon," Zhao smirked confidently, "So this is where the Spirits are hiding. And only one little girl to guard them? This is too easy."
Spirits? Who—she glanced at the pond, finally noticing the white and black koi fish swimming around each other. Her brows furrowed in confusion; there was no way those fish were the spirits…could it? She steeled herself regardless and took a battle stance, sending Momo away to hide.
"You won't get to them," Ameya narrowed her eyes at the soldiers. It was five against one—four against one if the one in charge decides to not fight.
"Get her."
The soldiers moved as soon as Zhao commanded. Two of them ran towards her while the other two stayed back, bending a stream of fire in her direction. She raised her arms, flicking them to the side as a wave of water extinguished the fire.
As soon as the steam dissipated, the other two soldiers closed in on her, throwing punches aimed for her head. She parried and blocked the blows, avoiding the fire bursting from their fists and kicked one in the chest. Ameya had no time to plan, no time for strategy as she avoided another fire attack from the two soldiers in the back providing support.
Confidence, confidence, confidence; she repeated in her mind, bending the water to her will and froze one of the soldiers to the wall. The other soldier kicked her in the back and she cried out in pain, falling forward and landed a few feet away. She wasted no time to get up, ignoring her aching back and sent a wave of water towards the soldier that just kicked her.
That soldier fell in to the water with a splash and the ones hanging back began to advance on her. They continued to send fire her way, forcing her to dodge or block the flames with water and gave her no time to counter. Ameya screamed again when one of them had punched her in the stomach and the other forced her on her knees, bringing her hands behind her back and restricting her movements.
The other soldier had gotten out of the water already and helped the one frozen on the wall off. Ameya was severely outmatched and powerless; she had no hope to win and glared at the admiral boldly.
Zhao smirked down at her pitiful form, making his way to the pond confidently. He grabbed the white koi fish from the water, stuffing it in the bag and raised it.
"Watch closely little girl and remember my name for I will become a legend now! The Fire Nation will, for generations, tell stories about the great Zhao, who darkened the moon. They will call me, Zhao the Conqueror, Zhao the Moon Slayer, Zhao the Invincible!" Her eyes widen as Momo appeared beyond the shrubbery, attacking the man in the face in the middle of his speech, "Ugh... Get it off! Get it off!"
"Ameya!" She turned towards the sound of Aang's voice that had arrived on Appa with Katara and Sokka. Relief filled her heart to see him safe and smiled weakly at them despite her imprisoned state. "Let them go!"
Zhao looked between the struggling fish and the trapped girl, a slow smirk emerging on his face.
"Tell me Avatar, which one would you rather save?"
Her heart sank and she turned towards Aang desperately, noticing that they had began to lower their weapons.
"Don't hesitate! Save the Moon Spirit!"
"Quiet!" Zhao let out a small puff of fire in her direction. Ameya flinched, not saying another word and the grip on her wrist tightens.
"Stop—Zhao you can't kill the Moon Spirit and you can't kill an innocent girl for it. Destroying the moon won't hurt just the Water Tribe. It will hurt everyone, including you. Without the moon, everything would fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world." Aang reasoned compassionately, looking between Ameya and Zhao.
Katara and Sokka stayed behind nervously, looking at the trapped woman in worry.
"He is right Zhao," Iroh's voice filled the oasis as they turned towards the general in surprise. Although Ameya was prepared to fight him if she did see him, she hadn't realized he would be on their side.
"General Iroh, why am I not surprised to discover your treachery?" Zhao had appeared almost nonchalant to see him there.
"I'm no traitor, Zhao, the Fire Nation needs the moon, too; we all depend on the balance. Whatever you do to that spirit or girl I'll unleash on you ten-fold. Let them go, now!"
She had never seen Iroh so angry before and could not tell if she was relieved or worried that they were discussing her life on the line with the Moon Spirit. She knew it was no competition at all—they have to save Tui no matter what but only if Zhao had planned to follow through with his deal.
"From what I'm hearing, you want to save the Moon Spirit more," Zhao looked thoughtful as he switched his gaze between the bag and Ameya.
"But killing her won't prove anything!" Aang exclaimed. Katara clutched Sokka's shirt anxiously and Yue peeked from above Appa to look at Ameya helplessly.
"I am a man of my word. You all have clearly chosen the Moon Spirit," Ameya found it suspicious at how relaxed he sounded, her heart pounding against her chest rapidly. It would be okay, she thought, if her sacrifice meant for the moon's survival.
"No—"
"Yes. They chose the Moon Spirit so let it go," Ameya glared at the man, pushing her fear away.
Zhao eyed the girl with a frown at her defiant gaze. Slowly, he set the bag back into the pond, Tui rushing to freedom to reunite with La. He stalked towards Ameya, his hand burning with fire with every step and glared down at her with menace.
"Any last words?"
"Zhao—stop!"
"May the Spirits condemn you," and she offered a smile to him, the same, pleasant yet mocking smile.
Something changed in his amber eyes and Ameya watched as he raised his hand. She steeled herself, bracing herself for the attack but froze when he redirected a wave of fire into the pond. Their eyes widen as the small body of Tui floated up, unmoving.
The moon darkens and disappeared from the world.
"You never intended to uphold the deal!" She shouted, struggling against her hold.
"Your life is worthless compared to the Moon Spirits'," Zhao glowered.
Iroh attacked the soldiers relentlessly. He freed Ameya from her captures in a few seconds and defeated the four she had so much trouble with in a minute. Zhao had escaped during the commotion and Katara ran to Ameya's side, checking for major injuries and was relieved to see none.
She quickly reassured the younger girl she was fine but their attention was focused on the dead body of Tui and La circling it frantically. Ameya and Katara felt their waterbending weaken, like part of them had disappeared along with the Moon Spirit.
"There's no hope now, it's over." Yue said sorrowfully, leaning into Sokka's arms.
"No, it's not over."
Their eyes widen as they stared onto Aang, his eyes and tattoos glowing a bright white. Ameya felt a shiver go down her spine at his voice—his young, sweet voice was melded in with the previous incarnations and the energy she felt from him was beyond her imagination.
He stepped into the lake and Katara moved to him but Iroh stopped her. They watched in stun silence as La circled Aang and he disappeared into the pond. The surrounding water of the oasis glowed a bright blue and rose to form a giant water figure with a koi head—Aang commanding its movement from the middle.
Ameya's heart pounded against her chest to see—to experience the power from the Avatar. This is who Aang is—this is the power he welds. She had always seen him as just a twelve year old boy since their first meeting—and even when he had came back from taking down a dozen Fire Navy ships, he was still a boy in her eyes.
But as she stared at the giant spirit creature defending the city, she realized that Aang is the Avatar—and he can save the world.
And she felt, hopeful.
"I'm going after him." Ameya was determined, "It—it was my fault that Zhao got his way and he may still be here."
She gave them no time to reply as she ran after Aang. Zhao had left a while ago but there may be a chance she can catch up. She attempted to waterbend an ice slide but when nothing moved, she knew her bending was gone. Ameya ignored the distress in her heart and continued to run.
She leaped from the bridges to the floor, taking stairs three at a time and ignored the small injuries she sustained. The blue glow from the spirit fusion was in front of the city, defending against the dozen of Fire Navy ships stationed for attack.
She continued her search for Zhao, not able to find him anywhere nearby but it did not deter her. Ameya ran, searching for the Fire Nation admiral that destroyed the moon.
From her position from a bridge, she saw the glowing spirit had stopped its attack and the moon returned, brightening the night sky. It set a small figure on top of the outer wall and she faintly realized it to be Aang. Her feet moved in his direction but stopped when she saw fire blasting from the corner of her eye.
It had to be Zhao, she thought, running in that path instead.
Ameya arrived as soon as the Ocean Spirit appeared on the bridge, forming a shape of a hand and swallowing the admiral in its hold. She barely recognized Zuko to be on the bridge too, his arm outstretched towards Zhao. The man refused the prince's hand, looking away haughtily and let himself be consumed by the spirit.
The ice beneath Zuko began to crumble and she dashed forward when she saw him fall, grabbing his hand at the last second. Zuko's eyes widen to see his savior, his body dangling from the bridge and was only helped by the thief he least expect to see.
Ameya pulled him up with great difficulty, tossing him to the ground and then glared at him.
"What are you doing?!" He was taken aback by her angry tone, "You shouldn't be here! You need to go."
Zuko blink; barely registering her words and only stared at the young woman in astonishment. It was then he noticed Ameya completely. Her hair had been pulled back with a blue ribbon, her old neutral color clothes replaced by a blue dress. She was wearing Water Tribe colors and clothes. She is a Water Tribe member—and that completely stunned him.
He gripped her wrist to make sure she was real—that he was not imagining things. Zuko had heard the conversation in the oasis earlier but had not believed it. He could not see—could not believe Zhao had tried to pit her life with the Moon Spirit's. He had managed to get away before anyone noticed but as he stared at her wide icy eyes, he felt the undeniable feeling in his heart that he was relieved she is alive.
"You—too," he stood up, ignoring her baffled expression and pulled her up.
"What are you—? I'm perfectly fine here. You need to go before the Water Tribe notices you! If it weren't for Iroh I swear I would turn you in myself for capturing Aang."
His eyes turned cold at the mention of the Avatar and felt the anger rushing back in him. He said nothing as he pulled her along, ignoring her protests and his own rationality.
"Are you kidnapping me again?! Are you kidding me! I don't even have your dagger anymore—what is the point in this?" Ameya was beyond confused, beyond frustrated at him.
Zuko turned towards her sharply and she felt her voice hitch in her throat at his blazing gold eyes. She felt uncomfortable with the way he scanned her over from top to bottom then settling on her icy orbs. She could not detect the emotions on his face, it was nothing like anger but she felt small under his criticizing gaze.
"You don't belong here."
He stated that in such a quiet, certain tone that allowed no room for rebuttal. The painstaking feeling in her heart she ignored before had appeared again, stabbing her confidence and decision.
When Katara had assured her before, Ameya almost believed it to be true. She wanted, so bad, to believe it. For so long she felt out of place in the world and when she was taken in by Xiao and Lu Jie, she thought she found her home.
But that was ripped from her and left her struggling to run north. The Northern Water Tribe was cold and only Yue had welcomed her initially but she knew this was not her home. Even if she was a waterbender—even if she looked like one, Ameya could still not find her place to fit in.
And now, on her second return, she almost thought she could stay. She values Katara's opinion, she could help Yue rebuild the city, she knew Arnook accepted her and yet why?
Why did Zuko's words outweigh the rest?
He's right, Ameya thought, I don't belong anywhere.
Maybe she had known all along of the answer. Maybe she had known and refused to believe the truth. Her head spun with that realization. As if accepting her fate, she closed her eyes. She was just so tired, so torn from all the insecurities and uncertainties that she allowed herself to fall.
Zuko nearly fell when he felt her body tumble forward. He turned around just in time to catch her, her body limp in his arms. His eyes widen, settling on her face and noticed the deep dark circles under her closed eyes. When did she last sleep?
He could just leave her here. He had no obligation to bring her in the first place. She said she was safe in the Water Tribe yet that only angered him. Why should he care what happens to this woman or not?
She saved you.
The voice that sounded suspiciously like Iroh's whispered to him. It was true; she did save him not just once now and although Zuko was sure he would not die from the fall at the bridge, he was certain he did not want to fall into the freezing cold water.
And—he is relieved to see her again—even if he had least expected to see her in the North Pole. So he did not mind—there was still a chance for him.
A chance for what?
Zuko faltered. A chance for an apology? Or a chance for gratitude? He could not pinpoint it himself but as he sat there with her in his arms, he knew he could not leave her here.
This is not where she belongs. She does not fit the Water Tribe garbs; she is not the type to be tied down by Water Tribe traditions. She is a free spirit—doing whatever she pleases whenever she pleases just like their first meetings.
Or maybe you're just taking her away from her home.
Zuko pushed that voice away and stood up with Ameya in his arms.
I am doing her a favor, Zuko reasoned, this is the right choice.
Author's Note:
Thank you all for reading and reviewing! It honestly helps boost my morale a lot and I love all the messages you guys send on my Tumblr. Go to toomuchpineapples on Tumblr for doodles or if you just want to chat!
Special shout out to SkyBridges for creating a lovely playlist of The Fated Meetings! The link is available on my Tumblr as well because it's hard to put links here aha
Reviews are always loved!