Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender in any shape or form.
Four days.
The invasion will take place in four days.
Ameya's reunion with him may be in just four days.
Four days was just too soon and yet passing by not soon enough and she wonders if it was the nerves screaming within her or her own mind keeping her awake at night.
Either way, it seems like she was not the only one having trouble sleeping. Everyone else but her and Aang had gone to sleep as soon as they arrived on the uninhabited island in the Fire Nation. Once Katara had notified them that they had arrived four days ahead of schedule, it set Aang's anxiety and Ameya's worries ablaze.
It wasn't even an hour later when Aang woke up almost screaming. Everyone else had been dead asleep since they had arrived on the island past midnight but Ameya was accustomed to odd sleeping habits and light noises. She sat up as soon as Aang did and followed him a few feet away.
"Oh—sorry, Ameya. Did I wake you?" Aang whispered the moment he noticed she was besides him.
"No," she wasn't asleep in the first place. The young woman scanned him over, noticing his twitchy fingers and offered a half smile. "C'mon, I'll help you train."
Aang let out a small sigh, glad he was not alone and followed her down the cliff to where water was abundant. It helped that Aang had earthbended them a path to walk down; the cliffs were too dangerous to simply jump off of.
The training was slow, nothing flashy or extravagant; just going through the basics of push and pull of the waves. It had calmed Ameya down, if only a little, for the rhythm of waterbending had a therapeutic effect on her heart. It appears to have comforted Aang too, for he seems less shaky than when they first began.
She had stopped training about two hours in. Ameya reasoned that they should at least try to get some sleep again before they start heading back to their campsite. The sun was barely rising when they settled back into their makeshift bed. Ameya lied on the soft grass and instantly fell asleep.
It did not feel like she had rested at all when she was rudely awakened by a loud thumping near her. Icy eyes opened to see Katara, Toph, and Sokka had woken up too, gathering around a still training Aang, punching a tall tree repeatedly.
Ameya frowned; didn't she tell him to get some rest? Why was he still awake? Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she stood up and followed the rest of them to confront Aang.
"Hey. How long have you been up?" Katara questions as soon as she was close.
"A couple hours. I got a lot more skills to refine if I'm gonna fight Ozai," Aang replied with the same vigor in training.
"You know, there is such a thing as overtraining," Katara tried again.
Aang slammed his fist into the trunk and the recoil sent a shiver down his whole body. He collapsed on his back, groaning softly when all the leaves from the trees fell on him. Ameya stared at him with an arched brow, none of them saying anything until Aang crawls out of the leaves.
"You don't get it, do you? My form is bad, I'm sloppy, and I still don't know any firebending. Not even the basics!" His eyebrow twitched at his last remark and Katara brings his raised hand down with a nervous smile.
"That's okay, Aang. The eclipse will block off firebending anyway. You don't need to know it." Sokka spoke up from his lying position near them, "Plus, it's a stupid element."
Ameya looked off to the side at the mention of firebending, forcing unwanted thoughts away from her mind as quickly as possible.
"Okay, well I still have to work on everything else. I better spend the whole day training."
Aang waved off and in a second, he was riding his air scooter away, off to train some more. Katara looked at Ameya almost expectantly but the older girl turned away, heading back to where she had been laying.
"I'm going back to bed."
Four days.
Zuko may have acknowledged his feelings for the thief but he never spoke of it again. Mai had come to accept that he was, in his own way, coping by completely ignoring his feelings again but at least he was not playing with her heart. So she was fine when he hung out in her home, both lazing on separate couches but spoke like old friends.
"Tell me, if you could have anything you want right now, what would it be?" Zuko mused quietly, staring at the red tiled ceiling and thinking of one thing (person) he would want.
Mai's gaze shifted to him from her book, a brow arched in his direction and played along. "Hm... A big fancy fruit tart, with rose petals on top."
Zuko glanced at her, a smirk on his pale lips and Mai thought her heart stopped. "You know, being a prince and all, I might just be able to make that happen."
She chuckled, looking back down on her book to stop the heat from rushing to her cheeks. "That would be impressive."
Zuko ordered the servants to bring what she requested; lying back down on the couch once they left. He was still quiet afterwards, his golden gaze focusing on the tiles again.
"Are you happy, Prince Zuko?"
"I guess there's some nice perks that come with being royalty," Mai smiled but her lips turned downwards when she turned the question back to him. "What would you want?"
'Ameya', his mind whispered but his mouth replies, "I already have what I want."
The dark haired beauty resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his vacant tone. Zuko may have acknowledged his feelings but he was in no way acting upon it. Not that Mai was complaining, she'd rather not have this mysterious girl reunite with Zuko, but his depressing mood was worse than her own.
"Well, I guess you would be with the all-day war meeting coming up," Mai shifted the subject to something else.
Zuko bolted up from his position on the couch, eyebrow furrowing at her comment. "War meeting? What are you talking about?"
She looked upwards, surprise in topaz eyes at his change of mood. "Azula mentioned something. I-I assumed you were going, too."
The prince looked away, a frown on his handsome face. "I guess I wasn't invited."
Two days.
She dreamt of him last night.
It had been brief, only a glimmer of old memories with his hand caressing her cheek, a brush upon her lips, and the corner of his lips curling upward with breathtaking gold eyes. Ameya woke up with a pounding heartache, breathing the morning air deeply to calm her nerves and ignored the wetness in her eyes.
Ameya berated her mind for the unwanted 'nightmare' and cursed even more when she could not seem to forget even when she was awake. She had busied herself initially by observing Aang's antics but it did not keep her own troubles at bay. However, the Avatar seems to be faring worse off than she had been and even with his friend's help, they were not able to calm his anxiety.
Ameya watched Aang practically yell at Sokka to learn how to rock climb because of a nightmare he had. Aang prevented Toph from drinking water and continued to ramble on about Katara's hair being her downfall. Katara attempted to ease his worries, if only temporarily, for Aang to calm down but he was pacing around while twiddling his fingers, dark rings becoming more evident under his eyes.
"It's like every time I think about how stressed I am, I just end up more stressed. I'm like a big growing snowball of nerves," Aang twitched, not once stopping in movement.
"Of course you are. That's 'cause you gotta fight the Fire Lord, the baddest man on the planet. And you better win or we're all done for."
Ameya threw a pebble at Sokka's head, causing a hiss to emit from the older boy and Katara frowned.
"Sokka! You're not helping!"
"What? It's true. That's the deal. He knows it," Sokka rubbed the back of his head, a pout on his lips before returning to hammer the armor piece he's been working on for Appa.
Katara watched with worried eyes once the young airbender began to shiver despite the warm summer heat and approached him gently.
"You know what, I've got just the thing! Get ready to be de-stressified!"
Katara led Aang away, leaving the three of them off on their own. Sokka continued to work on his armor and Toph was lazing around on Appa. Ameya stretched, feeling sore despite getting a full night of rest and stood up.
"I'm going down to train some more."
Sokka arched a brow at her. "Aren't you overtraining too?"
Ameya shrugged and smiled reassuringly. "I know my limits," and left.
She made her way towards the stone path Aang had made nights before. Once she was at a height she was certain she would not die from, Ameya dove into the water. Her body was met with cold waves, sinking into the bottom for a moment before she swam upwards.
Rather than training, maybe she just wanted to do something—anything—to distract herself. The water was refreshing compared to the humid heat and she was not afraid of any sea creatures that may be around. She can easily waterbend herself out of trouble if it comes to it.
The only trouble Ameya cannot prevent was her own nightmare. It had been easy to forget during the travels but now that they actually had time to stop and relax, she realized that it was actually happening. The invasion plan, her participation in this war, her reunion with—
Ameya sunk into the water, drowning out the memories and thoughts and concentrated on waterbending a whirlpool under her. Her waterbending was improving at least, that she was proud of. Master Xiao always did say she had potential and Ameya realized now she did too—she only needed a push and that was enough for her to force herself to be better.
Funny what heartbreak can do to a teenage girl.
"Zuko, it's just a dumb meeting. Who cares?"
Mai approached the brooding prince who was staring out the window at the buildings before him.
"I don't."
"Well, good. You shouldn't. I mean, why would you even want to go? Just think about how things went the last meeting you went to."
Zuko sighed. He knew he shouldn't be so worked up about missing a war meeting, they were sent to Ember Island because of one before. But this time, Azula was invited—and he wasn't. That didn't make sense. He's back now—he's being treated like a prince again—he has everything again and yet—
"I know."
"You know what will make you feel better?" She set a hand upon his shoulder, "Ordering some servants around. I might be hungry for a whole tray of fruit tarts. And maybe a little palanquin ride around town. Double time."
He turned away from Mai's suggestions, focusing on the moon hanging above instead. She was trying, Mai really was, but it was hard to get through to Zuko's brooding once he began. Her hand dropped, a frown gracing her lips at his lack of focus and turned away.
Mai knew he was thinking of her again; Zuko always did whenever he stared at the moon. Even when most of the clouds had blocked his view and only the edge of the crescent can be seen, Zuko was focused intently on the bright orb hanging in the sky. Mai could not bring his attention back on her and with a restrained click of her tongue, she turned towards the couch and resumed where she had left off in her book.
If you were here…what would you do, Ameya?
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
They all woke up to the sound of Aang screaming. Everyone jumped at the screams of the Avatar and Ameya clutched her sword tightly. At the sight of no attack, she relaxed just the slightest and watched with tired eyes when they realized Aang just had another nightmare.
Katara's yoga session with him did not help. Sokka's attempt at therapy did not help. Toph's back massage with earthen pillars did not help. Nothing seems to have worked for Aang to help him relax and they all but Ameya had tried to ease his troubles. She wasn't sure herself if there was much she can do besides training with Aang but it seems he cannot even walk without swaying now.
"What happened, Aang?" Katara was by his side immediately; Sokka, Toph, and Ameya not far behind.
Aang wrapped his bare arms around his knees tightly. "It's the nightmares. They just get worse and worse."
"Looks like it's time for another…" Sokka put on his beard, "therapy session."
"No. That won't help. Nothing helps. There's only one thing I can do! I'm going to stay awake straight through to the invasion!"
Sokka gaped at Aang, Katara's brow creased, Toph crossed her arms with a shake of her head, and Ameya sighed. She instructed them to get back to bed; at least some of them should get some rest while they can. There was only one day left before the invasion—they have no time to waste.
Ameya fell asleep after the rest of them did but in her dreams, she wished she stayed awake instead.
Dark brown hair, pale fingers, happy golden eyes—it was almost a replica of her previous dream but this time, he was not looking at her. There was the dark hair woman beside him again, tall and beautiful with long silky hair and elegant red robes. The two happy couple shared a kiss and when they directed their gazes towards her, Ameya felt herself fall deeper into darkness when angry gold glared at her.
She woke up with a gasp, scanning her surroundings to find only herself awake. Everyone else was deep asleep—all except Aang who was nowhere in sight. Ameya raised one hand to her heart, feeling the rapid drumming of her chest and closed her eyes, preventing the tears from spilling. With shaky steps, she stood up; there was no way she can fall back asleep now.
Aang was pacing back and forth along the edge of the cliff away from the campsite, forcing himself to stay awake throughout the night. There was only one day left before the invasion—he couldn't spend the rest of the time sleeping and dreaming of ridiculous nightmares that may hinder his focus.
"So what's really bothering you?"
Aang nearly jumped off at the sound of her voice, looking backwards to see Ameya's lone figure approaching. He gaped at her as if the answer was not clear enough.
"Besides the whole 'defeat the Fire Lord' thing; it's more than that, isn't it?"
He stared at her with incredulous grey eyes, rubbing them once to make sure it really was Ameya talking to him. When the young woman before him took a seat on the cliff, Aang followed her movement too. This was really Ameya, right? But why did she feel different? And was the moonlight playing tricks on him or do her eyes appear to be more bloodshot than normal?
"I have to defeat him and save the whole world or else it would be like a repeat of Ba Sing Se or like one hundred years ago when I disappeared right before the Air Nomads were attacked," Aang rambled quickly, his hands moving rapidly despite his sitting posture.
"You're not facing this alone."
"Sometimes, I think I should! The Avatar is supposed to bring balance to the world—it is my responsibility. Everything is riding upon my shoulders and I—I—I'm…scared…!" He finally admits, clutching his head in his hands and closing his eyes from the night.
Ameya's eyes softened at him, remembering the same sense of helplessness she felt back in the Northern Water Tribe while staring at his huddled form.
"I'm just one kid."
It's cruel, it's unforgivable. They were just children and yet were entrusted with a great responsibility they never wanted. Aang was strong, Ameya knew for a fact that he was, but he was also still a child that needs guidance and she prays to whichever Spirits listening she may offer some type of consolation for him. But she felt just as lost and hopeless too—she cannot even help her own troubles.
"It's okay to admit you're scared," Aang peeked at her with one eye, "There are times when I would be, too."
He raised his head, staring at her with open mouth. There's no way that's possible, he thought. Ameya had always been strong. She always face the danger head on—just like back in the Spirits Oasis ready to give her life up or back when they were fighting Combustion Man, her arms outstretched and shielding him away from harm.
Aang let out a loud laugh, shaking his head as if finding the joke funny. "You're kidding, there's no way you'll be afraid!"
The side of her lips quirked up but it did not resemble a smile. "But I am…even now."
Aang barely caught onto the whisper, furrowing his brows in process her words. "Why?"
Because she was scared to see him again, she was scared to see his stunning eyes glaring at her as if she was dirt and she had meant nothing to him when all Ameya wanted was for him to stay. She was scared for their next fated meeting—scared that he was confident in his decision with the tall beauty next to him as lovers.
"I thought we were talking about your fears?"
The Avatar groaned, "I don't want to think about it."
Ameya hummed, "Then…how about what happens after the war? Once the world is peaceful again, what would you do?"
He grinned just then, grey eyes dimming in a far away thought as he stared at the night sky. "I'm going to confess to Katara." He flopped on his back, swayed by the wind and the flutter of his heart and stared at the stars above. "Once the war is over…I'll be happy…with her…"
He had decided long ago, this would be what he wanted. His love, his happiness, every selfish desire he wants—he pushed away for focusing on the war. The fear of unable to activate the Avatar State still haunts him but Aang pushed it away from his mind, finding comfort in the future instead.
"Then…how about using that reason to overcome your fear?"
Aang hummed, closing his eyes in bliss at that thought. "I can…try."
The safety of the world, his freedom to pursue his love, Katara's love; it was encouraging him to stay strong. But it was hard to keep the doubts away when Aang knew there was a slim chance at succession—at his survival. Besides the possibility of failing the invasion, what if in the end, Katara would not return his feelings?
He sits up again, his face thoughtful as he stared at Ameya's blue eyes staring intently on the moon. He wonders what she was thinking of in this moment, why was she even still awake? Despite traveling together for almost a month together, Aang realized he did not know much about her.
"Ameya? Have you been in love?"
It felt like a wall had jumped out in front of him; the warm summer wind had changed to a brisk winter chill instead. Ameya was still not looking at him but her body tensed; blue eyes turned icy cold and her head dipped low.
"Why…do you ask?"
His brows furrowed in confusion again, as if trying to decipher her quiet words and tense gestures. "Because…I think—no, I know I am in love but—what if…Katara doesn't feel the same?"
Her shoulders slumped down just the slightest and she brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek.
"I don't think I'm the right person to talk about love with." Aang opened his mouth for questions but she silenced him by continuing, "Love is a two-sided coin. You can't force it upon someone just because you wished for it…but when they do return your feelings, it'll feel like the whole world is worth fighting for."
There was a fondness in her tone Aang had heard but also a bitter underling and he wonders again if it was Ameya talking to him, or someone entirely different. His brows furrowed again, creasing together in confusion to decipher her quiet words.
"Then, you have been in love?" He repeated the question again, trying to register her long sentence through clouded eyes and rattled mind.
Ameya smiled and yet Aang can't help but wonder why her smile seems to show more tears than happiness and he wonders if he was imagining things again.
"Go to sleep, young Avatar."
Aang yawned, allowing her soft voice to lull him to sleep and thought that Katara was right. Ameya does have a way with words; her therapy session helped more than Sokka ever could.
But he was thrown into another nightmare again; nightmare of facing the Fire Lord alone and watching Toph, Sokka, and Katara fall out of his reach. He was plunged into icy water and he sees the Fire Nation Prince with glaring gold eyes and from a distance, Aang hears crying.
He wakes up at dawn, wondering why in his delusional dream, Ameya was crying with her hand stretched in Zuko's direction.
"During the meeting, I was the perfect prince. The son my father wanted. But I wasn't me."
Returning to the Fire Nation was what he had dreamt of since his banishment. Zuko had everything back—everything he desired but he knew deep down, it wasn't true. The war meeting had opened his eyes officially; hearing the future plans of destruction spoken by his own father was a slap in reality.
Iroh's voice was reminding him to choose good, reminding him of a greater destiny than 'capturing the Avatar'. He had been chasing after shadows and dreams and now that he had returned, now that he has everything within his grasp, it was not enough because he finally realized it was not right.
Ozai did not love him. Maybe he never did. The gaping rift within the family—the rift Zuko feels within himself could not be mended. It was far more broken than he imagined and within that rift, someone else decided to occupy it then.
Someone—her—with teasing remarks and innocent smiles with crystal clear eyes that he could drown in if given the chance again. Someone—Ameya—who made him feel like he belonged more than he ever did the past month in the Fire Nation.
She had been with him—alongside with Iroh, trying to guide him to the correct path and Zuko hadn't realized how foolish he was until now. It was almost laughable at how he could almost still hear her little questions and remarks despite not seeing her for over a month. It was probably pathetic that he never once stopped thinking about her no matter how hard he pushed it away.
"My Prince."
"I was wrong; we're not that different."
"Giving up is never your forte, Zuko—you're a survivor too; a stubborn, headstrong, reckless idiot that endures everything thrown at you and come out stronger."
"Let's go on a date tomorrow."
"Zuko…please, stay."
With me.
This hundred year war—he will help end it. The war had been nothing but destructive to everyone except the Fire Nation. The Air Nomads were extinct—with the exception of the Avatar. The Water Tribe had dwindled in power. The Earth Kingdom was under their control by fear.
The war had brought nothing but pain and suffering to everyone outside the Fire Nation. Orphaning children and creating soldiers and Zuko realized he had just been a pawn the whole time.
But not anymore.
He will right what was wrong.
He will stand up against his father for once; he will not cower or hide.
Zuko will break his uncle out of prison and together they will find the Avatar because he knows for a fact that he is alive. He will find Ameya again and apologize because he is wholeheartedly regretting his past mistakes and he can only pray she will give him a second chance.
His golden eyes focused on the moon, bright and beautiful and he imagines her icy gaze as soft and warm and filled with love at him.
Wait for me, Ameya. Just a little longer. I'll be there this time.
I promise.
Tomorrow, they will face the Fire Nation.
But first, they must aid the Avatar by putting him to bed. Ameya thought she almost succeeded but nightmare still haunts him and with tired eyes, she requested Katara, Sokka, and Toph for help. They came up with a plan to create a comfortable bed for Aang, sheering the wool off of the koala sheep and laying it on a wide, flat surface.
Aang refused to sleep again and Toph groaned at the hard work spent on the makeshift bed. With gentle coaxing and a few more refusals from Aang, Katara stepped up.
"Listen, you've been training for this since the day we met. I've seen your progress. You're smart, brave, and strong enough," she put her arms around Aang, almost hugging the smaller boy and Ameya watched with a gentle smile at the exchange. Aang would have nothing to worry about after this war, she thought.
"You really think so?"
They nodded.
"We all do. You can do this. You're ready," Sokka confirmed.
"You're the man, Twinkle Toes!" Toph encouraged.
"We believe in you, Aang, so believe in yourself," Ameya added.
Aang smiled. "Thanks, guys." He let out a yawn then. Katara help guide him to the bed and he sat on it comfortably. "You know what? I think I am ready."
He fell asleep almost instantly and Katara took a step back. They walked a few steps away from the bed before Toph threw her hands up.
"Finally! Now it's our turn for some uninterrupted sleep!"
"Shhh! We don't want to wake him!" Katara whispered, holding one finger up to her lips.
They glanced behind them, hoping the noise would not distract his slumber and luckily the airbender stayed asleep. A sigh of relief left their lips and they settled down on the grass a few feet away.
"Let's try and get some rest, too." Ameya instructed and with silent agreements, the three fell asleep.
She stayed up just a little longer; staring at the twinkling stars above and prayed for no nightmares and a successful invasion. Ameya will be strong; she will stay strong because she has people she must protect now. She knows what she must do, what it feels like to have a purpose.
Tomorrow…if I see you tomorrow, there will be no mercy.
Author's Note:
I'M….SO EXCITED. ALSO I'M SO SORRY IT'S CHEESY BUT I CANNOT RESIST. I'm a hopeless romantic.
Aang and Ameya do not have enough bonding time and I AM SO GLAD THEY DID! I love writing the last half of this chapter—because besides following the storyline, I get to incorporate what I've been wanting to for so long.
Reviews are much appreciated! Did you guys like the contrast between Ameya and Zuko in this chapter?
Quick note: I might…not update next week. The next chapter was where I started my hiatus from writing Avatar for about 3 months now. I'll still try to finish the series of course but…I've been focusing more on my BTS story so I'm sorry about that!