Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender in any shape or form.
Ameya could barely contain her grimace as Aang played around in the muddy river with Momo, calling out the lemur and hiding underwater. It was playful and refreshing to see him act like the child he was meant to be but the endless mucky water they were currently stuck in brought a frown to her face.
"Aang, you should get out before you get sick," she warned on top of Appa, leaning over to the side to see him airbend upwards to them.
"Hey guys, I think this river's polluted," Aang noted, airbending the muck away from himself but onto the rest of them on the saddle. Ameya winced as the dirt splashed onto her and twitched again when it was blown away. She brushed her disorderly hair down from the sudden air current while untangling some knots along the way.
"Well that explains why I can't catch a fish around here, because normally my fishing skills are off the hook!" Sokka joked from behind, holding up his empty fish hook proudly, "Get it? Like a fishing hook?"
"Too bad your skills aren't on the hook," Toph countered and they burst into laughter as Sokka pouted.
"It looks like we'll need to go somewhere else to get food assuming that'll fit into Sokka's master schedule," Katara eyed the unraveled scroll wearily, the one Sokka had been keeping track for the past few days to ensure their route to meet up with the Water Tribe before the invasion.
Ameya tuned them out, staring at the muddy water distractedly. It wasn't often for her to offer her opinion of the situation; she was just traveling along with them. Months ago, Ameya had wondered what it would be like to travel with the Avatar and his companions. Now that she was actually here, it felt different from what she expected.
She had always preferred solitude, getting close to others would only result in getting hurt in the end. That was a lesson she had learned all too well now but in her rage and suffering, they were the ones that ended up distracting her from despair.
Aang's lightheartedness was refreshing. Sokka's jokes were uplifting. Toph's bluntness and witty banter was stirring. Katara's kindness was welcoming.
But she could still not shake off her doubts completely; she merely pushed it away from thought. It was easy for her to blend into the background, only speaking when necessary but offered nothing more. The black outfit was still hidden in her bag, something she has yet to don again but if the situation arises, Ameya will.
She decided she'll be their silent protector. After all, she was one of the oldest amongst them. Sokka had also taken that role—despite his playfulness and sarcasm, he was very punctual with their schedule and kept track of all their resources. He was more than just a leader of the group; he was an older brother too.
Ameya can see how they managed to get this far in the journey. They have all protected each other and stuck by each other. When Aang ran away from the cruiser, she saw how worried they had been and chased after him—leaving behind their father just to be with Aang. They had a bond stronger than most family and yet she can't help but wonder…where does she fit in all of this?
"Ameya, stop spacing out!"
She turned towards Sokka's voice. All of them were waiting near the cliff side, waiting for her arrival. A small smile graced her lips and she met up with them, brushing a lock of hair from her cheek.
"Sorry."
It was easier to pretend now. Smiling was natural for her, whether it was faked or not. The only thing she can do now is push away her doubts, push away her lone travels before, and push away the thoughts of gold eyes. Ameya had always been good at pretending and with enough time and practice, one day it would not be pretend anymore.
The stealth outfit was still somewhere in the back of her mind, taunting, waiting.
"I don't feel anything. Where is the village?" Toph asked, dim green eyes unseeing beyond the water.
"It's in the middle of the river!" Sokka pointed towards the floating houses above the polluted river.
"Sure is! My name's Dock. Mind if I ask who you are?" They turned towards the strange new voice, staring below at an elder man with an orange hat on top of his head.
Ameya stepped up. "We're from the Earth Kingdom colonies. We're hoping to stop by for some food in the village."
"Wow...colonials. Hop on, I give you ride in the town," Dock accepted her explanation with ease, returning the smile the young woman offered and they took their spots upon the small raft.
"Why do you guys live on the river?" Katara asked curiously, surveying the village ahead.
"Because we're a fishing town. At least that's how it was before the factory moved in." They noticed a factory to their side along the cliff, "Army makes their metal there. Moved in a few years ago and started gunking up our river. Now our little village is struggling to survive," Dock explained sullenly.
Ameya frowned once they reached the Jang Hui village. Everywhere they turned was ailing civilians, looking thinner than healthily acceptable and others were even lying on the wood sick. No one was spared from the rough treatment; children and elders spotted the same empty gaze and sunken stomachs.
It reminded her of her childhood self.
"Look at this place. It's so sad…" Katara spoke softly, "We have to do something to help."
"No, we can't waste our time here. We have a bigger mission that we need to stay focused on. These people are on their own," Sokka shot down immediately, walking away from Katara.
"These people are starving! But you'd turn your back on them? How can you be so cold and heartless?"
Toph, Aang, and Ameya watched quietly as the siblings bicker. While Ameya does want to help the starving village, there was not a lot they can do to assist when they were on a budget. The polluted water has no fish to offer and medicine was scarce as it was. They do not have a lot to begin with and the invasion draws closer with each passing day.
"I'm not turning my back, I'm just being realistic. We can't go around helping every rinky-dink town we wander into. We'll be helping them all by taking out the Fire Lord," Toph immediately covered Sokka's mouth when Aang guided her to them, mediating between the two Water Tribe siblings.
"Hey, loud mouths! Maybe we should be a little quieter when we talk about 'taking out the Fire Lord'," Toph frowned, letting her hand drop from Sokka's mouth.
"Come on, Katara, be reasonable about this. You know our mission has to come first," Sokka reasoned again, softer this time.
"I guess so…" she finally agreed.
"Let's just get what we need and go," Aang smiled to the dishearten girl and she returned it softly.
Ameya stayed back as Aang began to converse with a poorly disguised Dock, calling himself 'Xu' now for running the shop. She tuned them out again, surveying the village with thin lips at how sullen everyone appears. She nearly jumped when a small boy ran towards her, his small fingers clutching her skirt pleadingly.
"Can you spare some food?" He begged pitifully and Ameya tensed.
Katara kneeled down next to him and the older girl wondered when she had appeared. She unraveled the wrapped fish they just purchased, giving one to the young boy sadly.
"I wish I could help more," Katara smiled as he bowed and left running towards a sick woman lying under the canopy of the straw hut.
Ameya looked away, following the rest of them back to their campsite.
It was nighttime when Sokka suggested the plan for the next day. Ameya said nothing when the group bickered again; Toph refusing to wake up early and Sokka keep cutting down the time of their schedule. In the end, they had decided to follow along with Sokka's plan and slept early, dreading the next day.
Ameya stayed up quietly, leaving the comfort of Appa's fur and dug through her small travel pack. Her fingers brushed upon the soft material of the black silk, hesitating just for one second before taking it along.
It might not be a lot but as Ameya changed into her stealth outfit, she realized she could make a difference. Instead of always stealing for herself—she would be wearing this outfit to help others for once. This village was deprived of everything; what was once a flourishing village turned into a desolate shadow of its former glory. It was the Fire Nation's fault—it would only be fair she decided to take back what was once theirs.
Her hands instinctively reached for her side, pausing when there was no mask waiting for her and she settled for wrapping the black cloth over her lower face instead.
"Ameya…?"
She froze, glancing behind her to see a worried Katara. She could have sworn they were all asleep—why was Katara awake? A sigh escaped her lips and she looked away.
"Go back to sleep, Katara," she said quietly, tying the belt around her waist tighter.
"Why are you—? Are you going to help the villagers?" Her voice turned hopeful, stepping closer to the short hair woman excitedly, "That's what I plan to do too!"
Ameya's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and finally noticed Katara had wrapped herself around a purple cloak. How did the younger girl even deduce she was going to help the village or not? Her gear warrant no appeal to it, rather, she looked like a common thief.
But Katara believed in her—they never knew she was a thief in the first place.
Something twisted in Ameya's stomach uncomfortably at that notion.
"There's bound to be food somewhere and the people are sick. If you can maybe heal some of them, I can find some food." Well, it would be helpful if Katara decided to assist too.
"How do you plan to do that?" She asked curiously and Ameya's eyes wandered to the factory awhile away.
"I have my ways."
The village was bustling with happiness the next day they went in town.
Appa had somehow managed to get sick overnight, his tongue was coated in an odd purple color and Katara refused to meet Ameya's curious gaze. Aang asked if either of the healers can help the aching bison but Katara suggested for some medicine in town and Ameya wordlessly agreed.
Children were playing along the boardwalk happily and the civilians were actively moving around. It was completely different from the depressive state the people were in the day before and Katara smiled widely at Ameya, a knowing smile flashing by them.
When they met up with Xu again, he explained of the town miracle to them, presenting a small statue of a beautiful woman with a large hat and flowing robes. They all believed the miracle work was done by their spirit, The Painted Lady, and Ameya saw the idea forming in Katara's eyes as she looked the statue over.
There was no medicine to be purchased; all of it belonged to the Fire Nation as well. A frown marred her lips and said nothing when Katara suggested staying another night for Appa to recover.
It was night once more when Ameya caught Katara hiding by the river, the purple cloak and a large straw hat in her hands. Her sapphire eyes lit up at the sight of Ameya, almost holding the clothes to her expectantly.
"I won't."
Katara faltered; she hadn't suggested anything yet. Ameya reached down to pluck a few red flowers from the ground.
"That is not my role to play," she approached Katara slowly, crushing the red flowers in her hand and mixed it with a spray of water in a bowl. The paint mixed wonderfully in the small bowl and Ameya adjusted the purple hood to cover the younger girl's lush brown hair. "You know what you must do."
Katara's eyes softened and wrapped the cloak around her small body. She tensed when Ameya began to paint designs over her face, not meeting her deep blue eyes and focused on placing the red marks she remembered from the statue.
The younger girl could not help but think how striking Ameya's eyes looked just then, light and soft against the moonlight with dark hair framing her face. Katara knew Ameya was beautiful, she thought The Painted Lady would fit her image more but the older girl refused. And Katara had wanted to help the village—more than anyone and once she put the hat over her head, she knew she can.
"You're not coming this time?" Katara scanned Ameya over, realizing she was not wearing the black outfit from the night before.
"You know this is only temporary," Katara flinched at the truth of her words and turned away, "But I'll keep your secret…if you can teach me how to create fog."
A small smile was on her lips and Katara nodded her head. They stood by the river and the waterbending master began to demonstrate, breathing in deeply then exhaling. Ameya picked it up naturally, gently maneuvering the cloud to her will and paved a path for Katara.
"You know you could be considered a master yourself. I'm sure you can do more if you believe in yourself," Katara suggested quietly, remembering Ameya's lack of confidence in the Northern Water Tribe.
"Ah, I'll keep that in mind next time." Ameya motioned for Katara towards the village, "Run along now."
Katara did just as she was told, floating over towards the village gracefully and Ameya watched from behind. She knew her role in this story; she had always been the one in the shadows. Katara would be the one to help the village; she was the perfect one to ignite hope in others again. Ameya was—never will be—that type; she has tainted her own hands far too often.
It may not be a lot but she hoped to offer some type of guidance for the younger ones.
Somehow, it reminded her of Lu Jie. The older woman had always tried to steer her away from the rough combatant of swordsmanship; her hands were always precise and tender when applying paint over her own face and to Ameya's young one. She always admired how strong yet gentle Lu Jie was in her own way; she wondered if she can be that type of support to Katara as well.
Even after Katara left, Ameya sat by the water quietly. Sleep has eluded her again, as it always has been the past few weeks, and in the stillness of the night did Ameya reflect. Daytime kept her distracted with Sokka's antics, Toph's sarcasm, and Aang's liveliness but at night, no one could keep her memories at bay.
It was better though, slightly, and Ameya took that time to slowly practice her waterbending, distracting herself from her memories. She had improved a lot since the beginning; she knew what the basics were and can freeze the water easily. But there was anger within her every time she tried, reminding her of all the times she failed and her hands trembled each time.
She knew it was not the proper way to bend. Every time she had gotten angry, the waves around her shook uncontrollably. There were times she had not meant to freeze the water and by the time she realized it, the ice had broken into pieces.
The ice she produced was weak; fragile; delicate.
Ameya wondered if it was her state of mind. She was still able to bend without hindering her companions and had not caused harm to others. She decided to keep this secret to herself. It was because she's still unstable so she must harden her heart.
Forget, ignore, move on.
She cannot allow her emotions to run wild anymore.
They stopped by town the next day again. Appa was still recovering from his 'illness' and when Ameya glanced over at Katara, the younger girl merely smiled sheepishly. She shook her head, keeping quiet once more to observe the happy village again.
Sokka and Aang conversed with Xu, asking for more food to purchase and the shop keeper happily obliged. She noticed the villagers raising a large statue of The Painted Lady and Katara followed her gaze, a bright smile on her lips.
"Can you believe how much an entire village can be affected by one lady—I mean...spirit?" She fixed her blunder swiftly.
"Well, I hope she returns every night. Otherwise this place would go right back to the way it was," Sokka spoke the inevitable truth.
Katara's eye twitched. "Why would you say that? Look how much better off these people are."
"Yeah, now, but without her they wouldn't be able to fend for themselves. If she really wanted to help, she would use her spirit magic to blow up that factory," Sokka joked, moving his arms wildly and making odd noises.
Ameya crossed her arms, her voice soft only for Katara to hear. "It's only temporary," she repeated once more and saw Katara tense besides her.
"Spirit magic doesn't work that way, Sokka. It's more like…" Aang followed Sokka's mocking movements with his own rendition of spirit power. Both boys joked around and swung their arms around each other, oblivious to the two waterbender's secretive glances.
On the third night, Katara did not see Ameya waiting for her. She hid a pile of hay in her sleeping bag, noticing that Ameya was sleeping soundly against Appa's fur, and snuck off. The young girl wore the purple cloak confidently, marking her face in the red paint Ameya had done before.
There was a shuffle of footsteps and Ameya heard Aang waking up. Her own eyes peeked open, noticing the poorly disguised sleeping bag of Katara and quietly wore her black outfit, chasing after the Avatar and The Painted Lady.
She knew what Katara was planning—she recognized the idea forming in her mind earlier and knew she was plotting something. But Katara wasn't serious about destroying the factory—was she? Ameya followed regardless, she must confirm it herself.
Aang chased after Katara quickly, both oblivious to the third person following them. She skated over the water in the trail Aang left behind, lagging behind to conceal her presence and stopped only when they did. She hid amongst the rocks, listening to their conversation with half interest.
The Avatar was smarter than he appeared, figuring out who the disguised lady was after a simple exchange of words. Ameya leaned back against the rock, slightly surprised Katara did not reveal her own hand in delaying their travels.
"I can't believe you lied to everyone, so you could help these people," Aang stated incredulously.
"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have…" Katara admitted.
"No, I think it's great! You're like a secret hero!" Aang's eyes shined with admiration and Katara felt herself relax at his support. Aang always did have a way with assuring her decisions to be correct.
"Well, if you wanna help, there's one more thing I have to do."
"Let me guess, destroying a Fire Nation factory?"
Both of the benders jumped at the third voice, turning around to see Ameya emerging from the rocks. A thin brow was arched accusingly in their direction and both young ones looked almost guilty to be discovered.
"I'm not here to stop you," they relaxed at her words, eyes lighting up to gain her approval, "But you must be ready to accept the consequences after."
Katara nodded confidently. "Yes, I know. Getting rid of this factory is the only way to help these people permanently."
"Well, I guess I can't stop you," Ameya shrugged but her eyes were light, a small smile on her pale lips as she masked the bottom half of her face with the black cloth. "Let's go."
The trio made their way to the factory quickly. They snuck in without delay, Ameya leading the two with careful movements and elegant grace that the two young ones can't help but wonder if she had done this before. She said nothing to confirm their suspicions, arriving at the heart of the factory where lava and metal were abundant.
They got to work immediately. Aang turned over the hanging metal full of lava excitedly, Katara cut the metal hooks with her waterbending, and Ameya stopped the flow of water in the pipes, causing it to burst within. Aang continued to cause disturbance with his earthbending and both waterbenders sent a huge wave of water to crash through the factory, flooding and cooling the lava workspace.
An explosion shook through the factory and with a satisfied smile; the three of them ran away from the scene. Katara shed of her disguise and Ameya took off her stealth outfit, hiding it somewhere with the purple cloak to reclaim later.
It was dawn when they reached the campsite. Aang was making some exaggerated explosion sounds and while Katara had initially laughed, they quieted down, hoping the others would not notice their disappearance.
Unfortunately for them, Sokka was already waiting with a displeased frown on his face, glaring at the three suspects and revealing the secret they thought they hid well. Ameya wondered since when did Sokka found out—he really was more cunning than he appears.
"Katara, what you did put our whole mission in jeopardy. We're leaving right now!" Sokka berated like an enduring brother and strict leader, causing his sister to follow obediently. Aang followed quietly, "And how long did you know about this?"
"Hey, I just found out this morning!" Aang dashed away from the irritated Sokka and he turned his accusing gaze to Ameya next.
"What about you?"
She walked by him calmly, "The beginning."
Sokka looked like he wanted more to say but she slipped past him, cleaning up her pile of work then to help Katara with hers. The younger girl had a frown on her face, stuffing the clothes into their travel pack with restrained anger. Ameya gently set her hand over Katara's tanned ones, calming the younger girl silently and continued to pack.
There was a buzzing sound below them and they glanced towards it, heading over to the cliff to see a few jet skis heading towards the village.
"What's going on?" Toph asked in slight panic.
"Fire Nation soldiers are heading toward the village!" Aang explained briefly and Ameya's icy eyes narrowed to determine how many soldiers there were.
"What did you do?" Sokka demanded from Katara, angry blue eyes directed to his sister.
"I kind of destroyed their factory," Katara admitted.
"You what?!" Sokka turned to Ameya accusingly, "And you knew all along?! You know when you joined our gang I kind of hoped you would help maintain the chaos—not create it!"
Ameya frowned, ignoring the way his sharp words cut through her confidence.
"It was your idea, Sokka! Don't blame Ameya!" Katara defended heatedly.
He turned back to Katara. "I was joking! I also said to use spirit magic and made funny noises! Did you even think this through? The army is gonna blame the villagers! They're headed there right now to get revenge!"
"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Katara wondered if this was what Ameya meant by consequences but cannot find herself to regret her choices.
"Leave! Do nothing!"
Katara tensed. "No, I will never, ever turn my back on people who need me! I'm going down to that village, and I am gonna do whatever I can."
She stood up to walk away from them but Sokka moved to stop her. Ameya, Aang, and Toph watch silently as Sokka offered his help—he may not care for the villagers but he cared for his sister. Ameya felt touched at their sibling fight yet reconciliation afterwards, wondering what it would be like to have someone berate her actions yet still stuck with her in the end.
Ameya felt almost envious of the sibling love, saying nothing when Aang wiped away his tears at the touching moment.
"It's not over yet, the village is still in trouble."
They turned towards Ameya's commanding tone, her eyes sharp at the distant village. She walked past them, Sokka's words ringing in her ears. If he wanted her to help since the beginning, all he had to do was ask. She had been staying off to the side because she did not want to impose on them. Clearly, Ameya had been wrong.
Sokka noticed her clenched fist and felt guilty at his accusation earlier. He could practically hear Yue chiding him for hurting her sister and moved to confront her.
"Ameya—I…"
She turned towards him then, a pleasant smile on her pale lips. "We don't have time for this, Sokka. The sooner we're done, the sooner we can leave right? Katara, go put on your Painted Lady gear. Aang, go support her. Toph, I'm sure you and Appa can create some background sound for our spirit's arrival."
Ameya turned sharply away from them, heading towards the river alone. Toph whistled behind them and Katara patted the stunned Sokka's shoulder compassionately.
"You're still bad with the ladies," Katara sighed and Aang nodded his head in agreement.
"Boy you really pissed her off," Toph muttered and went off to find Appa.
The gang separated to their respective roles. Ameya arrived at the edge of the river, widening her stance and brought her hands up. She breathed in deeply and exhaled, raising her arms in the process. A giant cloud appeared in front of her, fogging up the majority of the lake and she repeated the process a few more times. There was a slight chill to the cloud, her anger rolling off of her in the form of the heavy fog.
Forget, ignore, move on.
They watched as Katara defended against the Fire Nation soldiers perfectly. Ameya merely bended the fog to surround the younger girl, creating an eerie atmosphere to the bewitching spirit. Aang had provided heavy support with his airbending, Katara had trusted him completely so. It was slightly surprising for Ameya to witness their absolute trust with each other's life—something Ameya never experienced herself.
Sokka helped ferry her and Toph to the village as soon as the soldiers left. He was sending her concerning looks, his own anger quelled but Ameya refused to meet his gaze. She sat upright, icy eyes forward to the villagers singing praises to the disguised Katara.
Until the paint washed off and they realized she had been fooling them this whole time. Ameya tensed as soon as the crowd began to close in on Katara, stopping in front of her with raised hands. It was her fault for encouraging the younger girl in the first place—she cannot allow Katara to be blamed for her mistakes.
"Maybe she is a waterbender, but she was just trying to help you. Because of her, that factory won't be polluting your river, and the army is gone. You should be down on your knees thanking her!"
It was Sokka that spoke instead, his strong frame shielding the two girls from the villagers. Her arms lowered slowly and Katara stepped forward, her initial fear replaced with courage. She felt brave knowing her friends were by her side; she must accept the consequences that follow.
"Sokka, it's okay. I shouldn't have acted like someone I wasn't, and I shouldn't have tricked you. But I felt like I had to do something. It doesn't matter if the Painted Lady is real or not. Because your problems are real, and this river is real. You can't wait around for someone to help you. You have to help yourself."
"She's right, but what should we do?" Dock asked curiously.
"Maybe we can clean the river!" Toph popped up from beyond the crowd, altering her voice lower to the suggestion.
Ameya relaxed as the villagers began to accept the idea. After a few more exchanges between Dock and Aang about the old man's disguises, they began to clean the river. Ameya helped with Katara separating the water from the polluted river while Aang and Toph bend the grim away.
It took a whole day for them to clear the water. Buckets and vats of water and dirt filled them and dozens of boat ferried the grim away. By the time they were done, the benders were exhausted of their power and the moon was shining brightly below them. Sokka said they will stay one more night if only for rest and that was enough for the youngest ones to instantly fall asleep.
Ameya stayed by the water on a small cliff, her gaze focused on the moon reflected from the now clean water. As always, it hung beautifully and brightly above them, silently watching over her.
Fog began to gather around the lake again and she glanced down, seeing the lone figure of Katara kneeling besides the water. Her eyes widen as a hauntingly beautiful form emerged from the fog, a ghostly white figure with flowing robes was staring down at the young waterbender.
"Thank you."
Her divine voice traveled to them and she began to float backwards. Before the spirit disappeared, Ameya thought she saw her nod in her direction as well.
Author's Notes:
Does it look like Ameya is very wishy-washy at the moment? Yeah, she kinda is. It's just a bit difficult for her to adjust and she doesn't trust often—oops? But this is just the beginning; Book 3 is going to be long.
Reviews are well loved!