Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender in any shape or form.
They arrived in a small island a little away from the crescent volcanic one a day later. Aang had recovered remarkably fast despite being woken up so abruptly but he was still able to airbend with no trouble. He dispersed the cloud hiding the flying bison gracefully, ignoring Sokka's protest on being quiet.
Sokka scouted the area besides the cave quickly, only observing a few of the wildlife birds around and crossed his arms. "Great job with the cloud camo, but next time, let's disguise ourselves as the kind of cloud that knows how to keep its mouth shut."
Ameya hopped off of Appa, brushing her hair away from her face and watched Sokka survey the abundance of rocks again.
"Yeah, we wouldn't want a bird to hear us chatting up there and turn us in," Toph replied sarcastically.
"Hey, we're in enemy territory," Sokka pointed to the four toucan puffins above his head, "Those are enemy birds."
One of the birds jumped onto his full hair of head and screeches. Everyone but Sokka laughed as he attempted to be stealthy, rushing into the cave to warn off any possible enemies. Ameya wondered if Sokka was always this wary but judging by how lax everyone else was, this was probably normal.
"Well, this is it. This is how we'll be living until the invasion begins," he began, "Hiding in cave after cave after cave after cave…"
"Sokka, we don't need to become cave people. What we need is some new clothes," Katara reasoned with her brother.
"Yeah, blending in is better than hiding out. If we get Fire Nation disguises, we would be just as safe as we would be hiding in a cave," Aang suggested excitedly and Ameya nodded in agreement.
"You'll be surprised at how easily you can fool others with the right clothes and proper etiquette," Ameya piped up; blending in was her forte after all.
"Plus, they have real food out there. Does anyone want to sit in the dirt and eat cave hoppers?" Toph punched the cave wall and dozens of pale cave hoppers jumped out. Momo dived in to hunt them, successfully catching one and ate it.
"Looks like we got outvoted, sport. Let's get some new clothes." Sokka sighed in defeat and they all left the cave, leaving Appa behind to rest and hide.
They found rows of clothes being hung to dry over a natural steam vents, all in a variety shade of red and dark colors. It was quite lucky for them to come across such a large quantity of clothes—and only one person to watch over but he was heavily asleep.
"C'mon, this should be easy." Ameya stood up.
"I don't know about this. These clothes belong to somebody." Aang stated uneasily and she glanced at him briefly. She wondered if he was still upset about their previous conversation from before but did not dwell on it, only offering a small smile.
"Don't worry; they're doing us a favor by leaving these clothes out." She made the first move to the clothesline, flipping through a few of the silk fabric to replace her worn out Earth Kingdom ones.
"I call the silk robe!" Katara exclaimed excitedly, jumping after Ameya to grab a few outfit.
"But if it's essential to our survival...then I call the suit!" She heard Aang give in and smiled as he flipped through the clotheslines as well.
It wasn't long until everyone donned on normal Fire Nation clothes. Ameya changed behind the rock with Katara, helping the younger girl tie her hair up in a familiar topknot she had seen everyone else wore before. Her own hair was too short to be tied up but Ameya preferred it that way.
"It's better to leave your hair loose like this," Ameya commented lightly, brushing Katara's brown locks from tangles, "It's much prettier too."
"Do you miss yours?" Katara blurted out and blushed when she felt the older girl's gaze on the back of her head.
"No," sharp and simple, "It's better this way." Ameya smiled at her own handiwork and gently patted Katara. "I still need to change. You go ahead first."
Katara left without a word, joining the rest of the gang. Ameya shook off the familiarity of the situation, her hand reaching up to mingle with the black hair. Yue had played with it before and if Ameya was truthful, she did miss her long hair. But playing with Katara's was enough for her, it made her feel more connected to them—like an older sister.
She shed the green clothes from her body and tugged the red, sleeveless top over her chest. It was trimmed in gold lining; stopping just above her stomach similar to Katara's. She put on the dark khakis and then the red skirt over her pants, lined with the same gold as her top. There was a pile of black clothes Ameya had managed to snag as well, lying next to the Earth Kingdom ones she discarded earlier. She quietly stuffed the black outfit into the bag, ignoring how incomplete it looked without a mask.
Ameya was adjusting her red gloves when she met up with the rest of them, pausing slightly when she noticed their eyes were on her. She arched a thin brow at their silence, wondering if she looked unappealing. She knew her hair must be unruly and they haven't had a decent shower in a while but there was no reason for them to openly stare.
"What?" Ameya asked wearily, feeling nervous under their gaze.
"N-nothing! You look—different, that's all. Did you always have such a killer body—"
Katara smacked Sokka before he can continue and Ameya raised one hand to cover her exposed stomach.
"I think what my brother is trying to say—you look nice, Ameya," Katara smiled apologetically to the older girl.
She knew she was not bad looking; Ameya always wore clothes that hid her figure. The top was a little too tight around her assets and her pale legs were exposed for once in a very long time. A light blush brushed upon her cheeks and she turned away awkwardly. This wasn't much different from Katara—the younger girl had a nice figure too and was wearing almost the same outfit!
But then again, Aang was blushing at Katara and Sokka was just confused in that moment. She knew he absolutely did not feel any romantic attraction towards her.
"Well I think we all look great!" Toph exclaimed and that was enough to break the tension. Ameya smiled in appreciation and her hand dropped from her stomach.
They made their way towards town. No one stopped them or sent them questioning gazes. They walked through the town casually, stopping by a small jewelry stand to replace their usual accessories. Katara purchased a red and gold necklace after hiding her Water Tribe pendant, Toph choose a gold headband, and Sokka picked a small Fire Nation headpiece for his topknot.
Ameya did not purchase anything. Her high collar was enough to hide her blue ribbon with the Jia De ring still wrapped around her neck. She wondered if she truly would have been able to discard her past if things had worked out in Ba Sing Se—would she have been able to give up the remaining piece of her old home?
The Dai Li would have never let her go; especially since they knew she received the ring from an unknown source. Ameya would have not been able to live peacefully at Ba Sing Se unless the government would to be completely reformed—if the Fire Nation had not taken over.
It was only a childish wish in the first place.
She ignored those thoughts, following Aang and the others quietly.
"Oh, we're going to a meat place?"
Ameya looked up to a meat restaurant, glancing over to Aang's hesitation.
"Come on, Aang, everyone here eats meat. Even the meat," Sokka pointed to a hippo cow a few feet away, devouring the piece of meat with ease.
"You guys go ahead. I'll just get some lettuce out of the garbage." Ameya arched a brow at Aang's suggestion and lingered behind even when everyone else went into the restaurant. The younger boy looked at her curiously and their eyes met for once since their reunion.
"I just don't want any misunderstanding between us," she began evenly, "Back at the ship, I did not regret what I said…but if my presence here may be…uncomfortable to you, I will leave."
Aang's brows pinched together in confusion, staring at the young woman with her arms crossed almost defensively. He heard the hesitation in her voice and the distance look in her eyes and wondered why Ameya appears different lately—and it was not just her hair that changed.
"There's no need for that, you were only trying to help." He sent a bright smile her way and she felt herself ease into his kindness. "To be honest I'm glad you're here, you have no idea how long we've been looking."
She tilted her head curiously. "Why—"
"It's over. We caught you."
They turned towards three soldiers who approached them, body tensing as they scanned them over. Ameya forced herself to relax, silently observing the situation.
"Who, me?" Aang asked nervously, their conversation forgotten.
"It couldn't be more obvious that you don't belong here. Next time you play hooky, you might wanna take off your school uniform." The male soldier said before turning towards Ameya with a frown, "You weren't encouraging him were you?"
"Of course not," she faked a smile as always, "My little brother can be stubborn at times. Now run along, Kuzon; let these nice people escort you to school."
Aang looked at her helplessly as they led him away, wondering how Ameya could lie so easily and use his old friend's name as an alias. Of course it had been natural for her but she hoped Aang would be able to keep the façade up while in school.
She entered the restaurant shortly, spotting Sokka eating vigorously at the plate of meat in front of him while Katara stared on with plain disgust. Toph seemed to be enjoying herself as well, munching on the skewers two at a time.
"What took so long? Was Twinkle Toes unable to find a garbage can?" Toph greeted as soon as Ameya sat down.
She sipped the tea in front of her calmly. "No, he was just sent to school."
Sokka immediately stopped eating and Katara gaped at her.
"School?!"
Ameya raised a finger to her lips, looking around them to make sure the other customers were not listening to their conversation. They caught onto her glances and followed suit, lowering their voices but still in shock at the revelation.
"That sounds terrible! Why didn't you stop him?" Sokka asked in hush whispers, his food forgotten.
"There were Fire Nation guards; we can't jeopardize our cover already. Just wait a day, see what he says." Ameya pacified, taking a skewer and eating it nonchalantly.
They sighed but agreed nonetheless.
It was nighttime when Aang returned back to the cave.
Sokka had been pacing back and forth within, listing possible scenarios that may warrant the Avatar's arrest. Katara was staring at the opening of the cave every few seconds, hoping for the airbender's arrival. School had ended hours ago—there should be no reason for Aang to be late. Maybe Ameya did make a mistake for sending him off; her fingers twisted her skirt anxiously.
They all relaxed at the sight of his return—safe and sound. But mud caked his uniform and face and Aang began to explain what had happened in school and some of his new friends invited him out to play. He appeared almost—happy to have gone and wanted to go again the next day.
"Aang, I'm trying to be mature and not immediately shoot down your idea, but it sounds...really terrible," Sokka deadpanned.
"Yeah, we got our outfits. What do you need to go to school for?" Toph asked from her spot next to the waterbenders.
"Every minute I'm in that classroom, I'm learning new things about the Fire Nation. I already have a picture of Fire Lord Ozai," he held up a picture of an older man, "And here's one that I made out of noodles!"
Sokka studied the picture with interest, "Impressive, I admit, but I still think it's too dangerous." He turned to Ameya accusingly then, "I still can't believe you let him go!"
"Sokka, it wasn't Ameya's fault! She handled the soldiers naturally!" Aang defended and Ameya's eyes softened at the young Avatar, "Besides, if I don't go I guess we'll never find out about the secret river then. It goes right to the Fire Lord's palace. We were supposed to learn about it in class tomorrow."
"Hmm, I am a fan of secret rivers...fine, let's stay a few more days." Sokka finally agreed.
Aang ran off happily, "Flamey-o, hotman!"
"Flamey-o?" Sokka looked at Katara in confusion but the other girl shrugged in response.
Ameya shook her head and stood up, following the young Avatar. There was a conversation she wanted to finish and found him by the water, washing off the mud from his face. He noticed her presence then, smiling the same as always and she nodded in greeting.
"So, before we were interrupted, can you tell me why you guys were looking for me?" She asked straight to the point, crossing her arms once more against the night air.
Aang paused, recalling the conversation from earlier today and his smile dropped. Did no one tell her of Yue's passing yet? Did he make a mistake by saying something unnecessary? He made a promise though—he can't back down now.
"U-um well you see—back at the Northern Water Tribe…you left without telling us why. We thought something bad had happened—and Yue…"
Ameya tensed, why was everyone bringing up Yue lately? She knew the princess had passed already but not completely gone—not when the Moon Spirit herself had comforted her weeks ago.
"I know," Aang flinched at her sharp tone. "I know what happened," she repeated softer this time, noticing his discomfort, "And I'm okay. Just focus on your own worries now."
Aang should feel relieved at her smile but somehow he couldn't. She felt distant, different from when she arrived back at the North Pole and from the other times they briefly met. The Fire Nation Prince flashed before his mind and the two times Aang saw the two teenagers together followed right after.
Ameya was with them during the crystal catacombs. She didn't follow them after Aang had arrived with Iroh to save Katara—they didn't even realize she was there too. He had passed out during the battle and when he woke up, Ameya was in the ship with them…completely different from before.
He decided this was something he must ask Katara later. She was the other one who may know what happened and although Aang should not be nosy in other people's business, he was curious during the time he was unconscious. He was just trying to find out what he had missed, Aang reasoned, he wasn't intentionally snooping in her life.
So when he met up with Katara privately later in the night, he was surprised to feel her hug him abruptly, a deep blush covering his cheeks at their close proximity.
"Oh thank goodness you understood—I knew you would!"
Katara began to let out everything she had been silently keeping quiet about. Sokka would not discuss with her about Ameya, Toph was straight out of the question. She knew Aang would understand—he was always mindful of others and Katara only hoped they can help the young woman cope.
"She…and Zuko?!" Aang barely registered the implied relationship of Katara's explanation, his mind swirling in confusion again at the thought of the two unlikely people together.
"But she never once mentioned him again. Ameya won't tell anyone what has happened and you should have seen her back on the ship—you should have seen how much she was forcing herself to train and waterbend—and her hair!" Katara spilled out hurriedly; keeping her voice above the minimum to prevent wandering ears from listening in.
"You don't think…they were…in lo—"
"No, no, no. T-that's not possible! He's the enemy!" Katara interrupted, ignoring her own suspicions from forming.
"R-right," Aang agreed hesitantly, "…How is she now?"
"She's…doing better since you've woken up," the young waterbender whispered, "We're all glad you're awake."
His grey eyes softened at her shy gaze and felt his heart drum rapidly against his chest. "Y-yeah, me too."
Zuko liked sunsets. It was the only time of day he realized he did not associate the thief with.
Night had become haunted to him; the memories of their time spent together under the moon would invade his mind every time he stared at the orb hanging above. And during the day, he would be reminded of her every time he sees the blue sky.
It was unnerving. It was distracting.
So yes, Zuko preferred the sunset over any other time of day.
"Orange is such an awful color," Mai spoke up from beside him and he glanced her way. Her head was resting comfortingly on his shoulder and a small chuckle left his lips at her dry comment.
The more time he spent with her, the less he thought of the thief. Zuko found himself being drawn to Mai more—she was completely different from—
"You're so beautiful when you hate the world."
"I don't hate you," she muttered softly.
"I don't hate you too."
He leaned down to kiss her, more bold from their previous attempts before and his eyes closed in bliss. But he still sees the orange sunset and the Firelight Fountain from Ba Sing Se. Wide blue eyes, silky black hair, the lanterns lit up around them and casting an orange and yellow glow on her robes—
"Ahem." Zuko pulled away to glare at the intruder with more intensity than necessary, "Zuko, could I have a word with you?"
"Can't you see we're busy?" He turned to kiss Mai again; slightly guilty he had not been as invested in the kiss originally.
"Oh Mai, Ty Lee need your help untangling her braid." Azula tried again, glowering at the two sitting down.
Mai stood up to leave then, leaving the two royal siblings to converse. Zuko could merely stare at the setting sun with a frown, barely paying mind to Azula and realized that in the end, he disliked the sunset too.
"That settles it! No more school for you, young man!"
Ameya leaned back on the rock from her position next to Toph, staring at Sokka's fake beard in wonder. How did he even get that in the first place?
Aang had somehow managed to get in trouble with the school, causing him to bring his 'parents' to have a meeting with the Headmaster. At first, they wanted Ameya to play as the mother but she already took the role of the sister—it would be wise to not risk any suspicion if the guards from before were to see her at the academy.
But now that the Water Tribe siblings have returned with the Avatar, she wondered how badly the meeting had been.
"I'm not ready to leave yet. I'm having fun for once, just being a normal kid. You don't know what it's like, Sokka. You get to be normal all the time." Aang reasoned and Toph laughed. "Listen guys, those kids at school are the future of the Fire Nation. If we want to change this place for the better, we need to show them a little taste of freedom."
"That's true," Ameya spoke up quietly, "They'll only grow up believing in Fire Nation propaganda and lies."
"What could you possibly do for a country of depraved little fire monsters?" Sokka asked in disbelief.
"I'm gonna throw them," Aang paused dramatically, stomping his feet around, "a secret dance party!"
They could practically hear the cave hoppers chirping and Sokka fuming at the awkward silence passing over them.
"Go to your room!"
Ameya bit back the smile as Sokka pointed to the end of a cave in a deep tone, playing the role of the father perfectly. In the end, everyone decided to follow the Avatar's wishes for a dance party. Ameya thought it was fun; she had not been to a festival in a while and although this is far from one, the ambience candle lights and dancing would be close enough.
She helped freeze some water into little cups while Katara bends the water in the ice fountain to flow down elegantly. Toph earthbends a stage of rocks for the band—she can't believe there was even going to be a band—and Sokka was spreading out the candles around the cave.
"I can't believe we're having a dance party. It seems so...silly." Sokka calmed down eventually.
"Don't think of it as a dance party, but as a cultural event celebrating the art of fancy footwork!" Aang began to dance again and Ameya laughed lightly at his movements.
"Maybe your new nickname should be 'Fancy Feet' instead," she offered teasingly.
"I still prefer Twinkle Toes," Toph piped up but froze, feeling the change in the earth with her seismic sense. "They're coming! Everyone stop bending."
Aang moved to hide Appa and Ameya finished a few more cups. She went to sit down on a makeshift table Toph had bended earlier and the rest joined her.
They watch with mild curiosity as dozens of Fire Nation children entered their cave. Aang was explaining to them about dancing with the band playing upbeat music in the background. The students were hesitant but with Aang's encouragement and swift movements, it wasn't long until they began to move too.
"Who knew Twinkle Toes could dance?" Toph commented in amusement and Ameya nodded in agreement.
Aang hopped over to a girl on the side, inviting her to dance with him and began to sway from side to side.
"Wow, they look pretty good together." Sokka observed, oblivious to his sister's discomfort.
"Eh, if that's what you like…" Katara looked away but Ameya caught onto her thinly concealed envy.
It wasn't long before Aang ran over to them, his grey eyes focused intently on Katara and Ameya hid the smile behind her hand, watching the two young ones before her. Aang offered his hand to her; the request was obvious with his gesture.
"I don't know, Aang. These shoes aren't really right for dancing, and I-I'm not sure that I know how to—"
"Take my hand," he smiled brightly. Ameya patted Katara's back, almost pushing her to stand up and the younger girl did.
"Okay," she smiled at the Avatar and Ameya watched with a knowing smile as the two began to dance—or rather, spar with each other. They moved around each other in harmony, stepping by each other and flipping around with grace.
"I think they look better together," Ameya voiced and smirked at Sokka's open mouth, still in his 'Wang Fire' disguise. "It's natural to worry for your little ones growing up but they're in good hands, Papa." She patted his shoulder teasingly before turning to Toph. "Let's dance."
She didn't allow Toph to protest, dragging the smaller girl onto the side of the dance floor and began to move with the music.
"You're kidding right—I don't dance!" Toph raised her arms in disbelief but Ameya caught onto her hands, swaying it from side to side lightly.
"But you know how. Let loose for once, we don't get this opportunity often," she smiled and beamed in happiness when the younger girl begrudgingly follow her movement.
Toph only muttered comments about Ameya's pushiness, catching fleeting words like 'stupid legs' and 'who even invented dancing' and that was enough for Ameya to laugh and forget her worries for a moment.
Toph did not mention her willingness to join in the fiasco was because it was the first time the other girl had decided to let loose herself. But for now, she found herself smiling along as the two of them moved to the sway of the music, dancing with no care in the world.
The peaceful moment was interrupted when the Headmaster and a few soldiers entered the cave. Ameya and Toph separated immediately, sensing the approaching danger and Sokka moved to join up with them. Aang ran and hid amongst the crowd as they began to search for him but with the help of the students, they managed to escape the cave.
Ameya hopped onto Appa's head, holding the reins in her hand for once and willed the sky bison to fly. He flew with no delay and she led them away from the island, flying higher into the night.
"We're safe Sokka, you can take off the mustache now," Katara spoke to her brother.
"Oh, no I can't. It's permanently glued to my skin," Sokka refused, stroking his beard snootily.
"Way to go, dancy pants. I think you really did help those kids, you taught them to be free," Toph praised and Ameya glanced behind, eyes softening at the group.
"I don't know, it was just a dance party, that's all," Aang replied modestly.
"Well, that was some dance party, Aang," Katara moved to kiss his cheek and Ameya watched in amusement as they both blushed. Katara settled back almost shyly and Aang's happy grin never left his lips.
Sokka began to clap slowly, "Flamey-o sir, flamey-o."
Ameya laughed lightly, relieved that Sokka did not reject the blooming romance and focused back on steering Appa.
It was nice to have the Avatar back. It was nice for them to accept her so easily. Even with her initial hesitation in the beginning, Ameya enjoys the time they spent together. It was different from always traveling alone and she realized that with them here, maybe she can slowly move on.
Author's Notes:
No—I am absolutely not going to make Sokka fall in love with Ameya or vice versa. No unnecessary love triangles for Ameya. I do like Katara and Aang together and I don't dislike any character so I would not bash on them. I just hope to capture their perspective and emotions as accurate as possible. I will still write glimpses of Zuko in the story as well so you can see his own development.
Reviews are much appreciated!