Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender.
Chapter Thirteen: Homebound
The frustrated Prince looked down on the sleeping girl that now occupied Cassidy's old room. She was still clutching the necklace in her hand, which rested by her peaceful face. He moved a stray hair away from her face and sighed, folding his arms. What in Sozen's name did I do wrong last night. He wondered, sitting on the bed beside her. He placed a hand on her warm cheek and stroked the skin with his fingertips. It wasn't half as soft as Cassidy's face had been, but it held a bit of roughness to it, symbolizing her tough spirit. He chuckled to himself, remembering her firey soul. It did draw a lot of attention, because even as her temper and passion flared, it was calmed and soothed like water as the occasional peaceful words spilled from her lips. Amber drew in a soft breath, feeling someone touch her skin tenderly. She smiled in her sleep and took the hand in her own, snuggling her cheek against it. She must have realized it was an actual person and she started awake.
"What time is it!" she almost shouted. He laughed, leaning toward her. She backed away and repeated her question.
"It is about an hour before noon time, why?" he asked, confused by the look of panic in her eyes. She jumped off the bed and snatched some training clothes, changing behind the small curtain and stumbling out towards the door. She opened it and was about to flee to find Aang when Zuko's angry voice filtered through the doorway.
"Do I mean so little to you that you ignore me as if I were some kind of peasant!" he growled angrily, rising and casting an angry glare at her. She snatched his hand and pulled him along with her.
"You have to listen to Aang explain." she stopped, breathless. There was a look of infinate sadness in her eyes that frightened the Prince.
"Explain... what?" She stomped her foot and grabbed his arm as she took off again.
"Where is Aang at?" she demanded a soldier. He looked clueless for a moment. "The Avatar!" Then his face lit with recognition and he directed them to the deck. Aang, Katara and Sokka were waiting for her there, along Uncle Iroh and a few close crew members. The Prince saw sad looks on his Uncle's face as he looked at Amber. Zuko stared at her.
"What is going on?" he shouted angrily. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Zuko, I'm leaving your world." she said softly, touching his arm. He looked clueless. She struggled, letting a frustrated cry out. "I don't come from your world! I don't live in a village, I live in a whole other world, Zuko!" The Prince was stunned into silence. "I have to return at noon today, which is less than an hour away."
Amber bit down on her trembling lip, fighting the tears that threatened to spill over.
"Prince Zuko," his unlce began quietly, "Amber is from a different place. Things are not the same here, and her world is in great need of her. Avatar Kyoshi will be coming to retreive her, and escort her back to her own world so she can bring harmony back to the people in her life."
The Prince no longer looked confused, and had hidden his emotions behind a scowl that was all too familiar. Amber realized this wall of defense going up and looked at Zuko in pity.
"Please Zuko, don't do this." she pleaded. A voice suddenly interrupted her. The Avatars of all centuries were speaking through Aang as his eyes began to glow the brilliant blue.
"It is time." his voice boomed, a thousand different voices calling out as one. The Prince's eyes filled with panic as the Avatar floated toward her. The moment it touched her shoulder her head shot up and her eyes glowed the same white-blue light came through her eyes. Zuko couldn't lose her. He sprang forward and snatched her hand, and his vision suddenly faded. He shook his head, and realized he was floating in a mass of white mist. He saw a figure looming ahead and fought his way toward it. It was Amber, her gentle blue eyes looking tenderly on his.
"Zuko, I'm so sorry." her lips didn't move, but he heard the words perfectly clearly.
"Please, don't leave me." he whimpered, taking her hand and placing it on his head. She took his face into her palms and laid a gentle kiss on the scar that had been so irrelavent during the last few weeks she had enjoyed with him. His eyes were closed in bliss.
"Please, don't go." he repeated, rising beside her. Her eyes filled with sadness.
"I have no choice Zuko." she answered, the sadness in her voice emanating through her eyes. They brightened a bit. "But I do promise that one day I will return. Kyoshi promised me."
Zuko took her face and leaned his forehead to her's gently.
"When?" his voice echoed softly.
"I don't know." she answered. Her body was begginning to dissolve in the mist.
"I will wait for you!" his voice called as he planted a gentle parting kiss on her lips, then curled her fingers around the betrothel necklace. She let a tear slide down her cheek as she finally vanished from sight. He called for her as his sight once again went black.
Prince Zuko sat straight up on the deck, panting hard.
"Where is she?" he said hoarsely. His Uncle dismissed the crew around him quickly as he took his nephew into his arms and helped him stand.
"She has gone." he answered softly, trying to ease his nephew's pain.
"And the Avatar and his friends?" he asked, running a palm down the right side of his face.
"They dissapeared with you in the light. There is no trace of them, Prince Zuko."
Zuko's eyes searched the sky one last time for the young woman and the Avatar that had taken her away from him. Seeing nothing but a vast blue sky, he turned and headed below deck.
"Uncle, drop Zhao and Cassidy off at the nearest port. I want them chained and dropped into shallow waters. I will be resting in my quarters. Alert me for any sign of the Avatar." he growled over his shoulder. When he arrived at his bedchamber, he stopped before his bed and ran a hand over the silk sheets where she had been laying. He sighed, stripped his armour and changed into pajama pants as he climbed into the towsled bedsheets. He breathed in the scent that she had left there as his last words echoed through his mind. I will wait for you...
Amber's eyes shot open and her body tensed, sitting straight up in the white hospital bed. Dizziness overtook her and she had to close her eyes and lie back down again with a groan.
"She's awake!" she heard a familiar voice shout. She peeled one of her closed eyes open and saw her mother leap up and rush over to the bed. "Baby? Are you okay? Honey, can you answer me?" Amber groaned again, feeling agony in her chest.
"Mmnn" she could only manage.
She opened her heavy eyelids and felt a bandage across the side of
her head and the tight brace over her chest. Her mother stroked her
cheek softly.
"It's okay, sweetie, I have you now. It's
alright." she cooed. Amber moaned again and pathetically waved
her hand away from her fussing mother.
"Mom... I'm... fine." she finally managed. "I'm... just a little... tired... is all."
Her mother, overjoyed to hear her speak, shouted to the family right outside the room. Her father, who didn't look all that great, stumbled in on a broken leg and an arm in a cast with a smile plastered all over his face. Her younger brother seemed to have bore the least side effects of the crash that seemed like months ago, having a few bruises and one or two stitches in he left temple. He was also grinning at her.
"What..." she paused, trying to spit out the last word with her thick tongue, " happened?"
"Well, when we got into that crash with the other little red car, you were knocked out cold. The doctors said you had a pretty bad concussion, and a day after that diagnosis, well... Honey, you slipped into a coma." her mother said gently. Amber coughed and looked around.
"I meant... what happend to Prince Zuko?" she asked, lolling her head around the room. "What about Uncle Iroh and Aang and Katara and Sokka?" Her mother blinked her eyes in confusion, then felt her forhead.
"Hun, are you feeling alright?" her mother asked gently. Amber pushed her hand away, finally finding her tongue wasn't as fat as it was moments earlier.
"But the ship?" she said, sitting up again, grimacing against the pain. "It couldn't have been a dream... It was all so... real" she murmred. A doctor suddenly rushed into the room and smiled at her.
"So how is our coma patient doing?" the kind gray haired man asked. His glasses covered a pair of soft brown eyes and a slightly tanned wrinkly face.
"Doc, how long was I out." she said before her mother could comment on her ramblings. He smiled gently.
"You were out for about two weeks." he said calmly. Amber shook her head and fought off another vicious wave of dizziness. The doctor spoke up.
"I think she's had enough excitment for today. I strongly suggest we let her rest and get her head back on straight." He said with a wink in her direction. She nodded in appreciation and tried to return her mother and father's hugs.
"We'll see you in a few hours." they assured her.
She smiled and felt a warm fuzzy feeling envelope her. Then she remembered something.
"Doctor, what happened to Cassidy?" She asked, the realization suddenly hitting her. The doctor looked confused at first, but then a sad smile crossed his lips.
"I'm sorry, she didn't survive the crash. The impact killed her instantly." he said quietly.When she remembered Zuko's face twisting in pain as she faded away, she wanted to cry at the sudden chill it left. Settling deep into the comfortable pillows, she tried to close her eyes to sleep when she felt something in under her palm. She lifted her palm and there, on the white hospital sheets sat the betrothel necklace. Amber's eyes welled with tears of joy at the sight of it, knowing the dream was real. She clutched it tightly in her weak fingers and brought it up to chest. She closed her eyes, letting the happy drops roll down her face as she slept, remembering Kyoshi's promise. I will return...
Author's note: AAAAHHHHHHHHH! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! The end has finally come! And I know you all just hate me for the cliffie . DO NOT PANIC! The epilogue will come shortly after this! I promise completely and totally that this finnally will knock your socks off! To Jenae: I am sooo sorry it had to end like this. dodges the bullets Jenae is shooting at me- Please just hold on a for a few, and I swear to you, your finnally, blow you away, kick butt, whatever you want to call it!
As for the rest of you fans, which there have to be at least one or two! I promise the same to you! runs w/ giggles as angry mob shouts, throwing torches and pitchforks... COOKIES! Steellilly! I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU ACTUALLY TRANSLATED THAT! YES, that is correct, cookies to you... Eye of the wolf, who the devil is Oli? Love yall Godsspiker!
