Dear Readers,

So here is the first chapter. If you are just finding my stories then I strongly recommend reading the first two stories "Burning Flame" and "Burning Spirit", otherwise this first chapter will be extremely confusing. Thanks to everyone who did read the previous stories and are still reading. Also thanks so much for your reviews, follows, and support. I hope you enjoy the final book of Amber's story and journey.

Thanks,

Faithy Waithy

AND ON WITH THE STORY!

Kale POV

Walking down the steel hall of the Fire Nation ship I was on, I crossed my arms as I felt a chill run through me. Being on this ship made me almost feel claustrophobic, and I wished more than anything to be off of it. The few candles lining the wall beside me barely did anything to ease my discomfort. Walking past another steel door, I listened to the only sound which happened to be my boots hitting the steel floor. Reaching my hand against the wall, I touched the fabric of a tapestry that hung beside me, and let my hand slide across the symbol of the Fire Nation. If I could fire bend, I would've burst the tapestry into flames right then and there.

I had no respect for the Fire Nation anymore… It had taken everything from me. The Fire Nation killed my father, forced my brother into hiding, and now had hurt the one girl I loved. The thought made me tighten my fists in fury.

A steel door ahead of me opened, and I looked up to see Katara coming out of the room with exhausted blue eyes. She wore her water tribe shirt and trousers, and her water tribe choker was still around her neck. She carried in her hand a bowl of water, and I could tell she was weary and tired.

As I approached her, I asked trying to keep my voice leveled and hold back my pain, "How is she?"

Katara looked up at me with surprise, and I saw her frown when she saw it was me. "Kale, I thought I told you to go get some sleep. You won't be any help to us if you're not rested."

We both stopped in the hall, Katara now looking at me with worry in those kind blue eyes. Crossing my arms, I said with a leveled voice, "I did sleep. Ask Sokka. He'll confirm it."

"Five hours doesn't count. Stop being stubborn and go back to bed. You know as much as I do that Amber would want you to sleep, instead of worrying at her side like you've been doing these last four weeks," Katara said, and she was almost scolding me.

Rolling my eyes, I looked away from her penetrating gaze. "You've been doing the same thing… Besides, I like giving her company. It's not like there's anything else to do on this ship."

"Fine Kale… I'm too tired to argue," Katara then began to walk by, but when she got beside me she stopped. Placing a comforting hand on my weak and weary shoulder she said, "I've done all I can for her, Kale. She's alive, and her wound is healing day by day. Her heart is steady and breathings finally normal. Obviously the spirits are keeping her alive, because someone else wouldn't have been able to survive this long. We have nothing to fear, Kale. She'll wake up soon. She's the strongest person I know."

Then Katara walked off, and I stood in the hall hanging my head in exhaustion. Shutting my eyes, I tried hard to push back my worries and pain. I really hoped Katara was right about her waking up. I missed her so much.

With a hard breath, I walked toward the steel door Katara had just opened and went inside. Stepping into the room, I found the two candles on the wall had been replaced while I was sleeping. The room was still as quiet as ever, and the only sound I heard was my breathing and Amber's.

In the room I had just entered, there was a large queen bed, a wooden chair, a table against the wall with a bowl of water and a rag, and there were fire nation insignia's carved on the walls. The room used to belong to the admiral that had been in charge of the ship. After we captured the ship and threw the admiral overboard, we decided this room would be the best place to put Amber.

Walking over to the large bed in the room, I headed over to the familiar wooden chair seated beside it. As I got closer to the bed, I looked at Amber's state with agony. She was lying on the bed motionless, her body covered by a large red blanket Sokka had managed to find in a storage box. Her black hair was hanging over her pale face, and I reached my hand to brush the hair back from her eye. She made no response to my hand brushing against her skin, and I wished she had. Her skin was so cold, even though blood flowed through her. It was almost like her body was here, but she wasn't.

Sighing, I pulled the wooden chair closer to the bed and sat down. Amber's eyes were closed like they had been for the last four weeks. Her breathing was still a little slower than normal, but at least she was breathing.

Amber had saved Aang's life four weeks ago. She somehow had known Azula was going to strike Aang with lightning, because just as the lightning struck Aang, Amber raced into the crossfire and took the brunt of the attack. Aang had been knocked unconscious, and he woke up only a week after the attack. He had a wound on his chest where the lightening had hit him, but it was small compared to Amber's. Amber had actually stopped breathing, and her wound had been deep. If Katara hadn't had that special water she received from the spirit oasis back at the North Pole, then Amber most likely would've died.

The thought made me sick.

After Katara and I had managed to drag Aang and Amber to the waterfall back at Ba Sing Se in the crystal catacombs we were in, Katara used her water bending to lift us out of the deep cavern below the earth into the sunlight. The others were already waiting for us when we somehow got back to the palace courtyard, and when we managed to pull Aang and Amber onto Appa's back we took off. We escaped Ba Sing Se with the Earth King, and later we dumped him in the wild where he decided to live his life with his pet bear Bosco. When he was gone, we then flew to Chameleon Bay where we found the Southern Water Tribe warriors and Chief Hakoda.

At Chameleon Bay we spent a week doing all we could to strategize about the war with Sokka and Katara's dad, while at the same time mend Amber's wound and try to make her comfortable. As we were there I spoke with Chief Hakoda for the first time ever. When he found out I was Amber's boyfriend, he was a bit taken off guard and wasn't sure how to feel about it. He warmed up to me though, seeing I was a good kid and really cared about his adoptive daughter.

Aang woke up only a week after we arrived at Chameleon Bay, and when he heard what happened to Amber he immediately blamed himself. We kept reassuring him that she would be fine and it wasn't his fault, but he was a stubborn kid.

At the end of our first week at Chameleon Bay, the water tribe warriors under Chief Hakoda had managed to capture a giant Fire Nation vessel, and we decided it would be a perfect cover for getting into the Fire Nation. As the water tribe warriors filled the giant ship with enough supplies to last us for months, we discussed what we should do with Amber. We eventually decided to move her as carefully as we could. She had been bleeding pretty badly from the lightning strike, and her whole chest was covered with bandages. Sokka and I managed to move Amber from the tent she was staying in onto the ship by taking turns carrying her. When we finally had her safely on the ship, we set off toward the Fire Nation.

It had been a very long last few weeks, and in them I had only left Amber's side for only five hours at a time. I was scared if I did leave her for longer, then she truly would disappear from my life.

Leaning back against my chair, I let out a hard and tired sigh. Pulling the purple stone Amber had given me when we were children out of my pants pocket I held the stone tightly in my hand. It wasn't warm or glowing, even when Amber was right here in front of me alive. That's what told me she wasn't really here. At least her spirit wasn't really here.

Amber's body was here, and it was healing, but I had a feeling deep down that her spirit was trapped. She'd always told me how she feared Huo would rip her spirit from her body one day and keep her in the spirit world. If Amber was in the spirit world, then I prayed to the spirits they would bring her back to me. They had no right keeping her from me. Even if she was a spirit, she was also a human.

Reaching my hand over to her face, I brushed my hand across her cheek and then leaned forward saying, "Come on Amber… Wake up. Please… I need you." Tears slid down my cheeks again. I'd been crying so much in these last few weeks. "I know what's happening… You're trapped in the spirit world. I can feel it. Please, Amber… Keep fighting. Find a way back to us. I lost you once in the past. Don't let me lose you again." She made no response, no movement, or not even a sign that she had heard. Her breathing remained the same as it was, and I pulled my hand away knowing it was pointless.

If her spirit wasn't in her body, then she definitely wouldn't hear me.

Sighing, I brushed my hand through her hair just wishing she'd come back to me. "Please come back soon. I miss you…"

An hour or two passed, and I was just beginning to drift to sleep. My head was pillowed by my arms as I leaned forward and rested on the bed. However, a knock on the door sounded, and immediately I jumped and sat up straight looking over at the room's entrance.

Sokka opened the door and entered, and in his hand was a plate of steamed fish. He wore his water tribe shirt underneath fire nation training armor, and some dark trousers. He had his brown hair still tied back in a ponytail like always. His face was guarded trying to keep his strong warrior look, but I knew he was terribly worried about his sister.

Walking over to me, he said, "Katara told me to bring you some dinner. You should eat. We all need our strength."

Nodding, I rubbed my face trying to brush the exhaustion away. Sokka placed the fish on the table in the room, and then he walked over to Amber. His eyes softened as he stared down at his unconscious little sister. "Has anything changed?" he asked.

Shaking my head, I answered, "Same as yesterday… Her breathing's still slow, and she still isn't responsive."

Sokka sighed, then reached his hand out and stroked his little sister's hair, probably wishing she would respond. "Come on Amber… Wake up," he begged, and I could tell he cared for his adoptive sister more than anything. "We need you." She didn't respond, and Sokka pulled his hand away with defeat knowing it would do no good. For a second I could've sworn I saw a tear try to come out of Sokka's eye.

The room fell silent as we both went into our own train of thoughts. Sokka was probably blaming himself as much as I was. He was her older brother, and he probably felt like he had failed in protecting her. It was the same feelings I had. I'd promised to protect her, and I let her slip right through my fingers. If I had known what Amber was about to do, I would've surely tried to stop her.

Sokka must've noticed I was blaming myself as much as him. "Hey Kale… You know there was nothing you could've done, right?" Sokka asked, looking over at me with guarded eyes.

Nodding, I said weakly, "I just wish I could've done something. I wish I had known what she was going to do. I might've been able to stop her."

Sokka let out a hard breath. "She's so stubborn. She always puts others before herself first." He then closed his eyes hard, and I could tell he was trying not to break down. "I can't believe this happened… I swore to mom I'd look out and protect Amber. I should've been there. Maybe I could've-"

"Just as you told me Sokka... you couldn't have done anything," I interrupted, my voice sounding pained. "When Amber's set on doing something, nothing stops her. She must've known Azula was going to fire at Aang and she jumped in the way to save him."

Sokka tightened his fists to hold in his pain some more. "I wish she'd just wake up… The wait is the worst part."

Frowning, I said, "She's trapped… But I know she won't give up until she's free."

"What do you mean trapped?" Sokka asked looking at me with question.

Immediately I wanted to kick myself. Sokka would never believe me if I told him what I knew. "Nothing… Never mind..."

Sokka shot me a suspicious look, but he said nothing else as he looked back at his sister. Sighing, I looked back at Amber and said in my head, "Don't give up Amber… Please come back to us."

Amber POV

Rushing through the golden hall of the massive building I was in, I searched wildly for a way out. My bare feet hit the perfectly smooth marble floor beneath me, but I could not feel the stone on my feet. My spirit glowed as I rushed down the hall that never seemed to end, and though I knew I was breathing hard from my run, my heart did not pulse because I did not have one. My human body was somewhere else, and at the moment all I happened to be was spirit.

"Amber! Running won't help you!" Huo shouted, and I swiftly glanced back to see he was standing at the beginning of the hallway and looked amused by my attempt to escape. His gold eyes watched my movements and his fire red hair fell over his eyes a bit as he watched me. The man, who appeared in his early twenties but could have been older than the human world itself, began to walk down the hall toward me. He wore a pair of black trousers, a fire red t-shirt, and he was barefoot. Now that I thought about it I wore a long shoulder strap fire red dress that trailed to my ankles. Guess when a person goes to the spirit world, they get a makeover.

Looking away from Huo now, I returned to racing through the never ending building. There had to be a way out. Where was Roku when I needed him?

It felt like I'd been running through this building for ages. A while ago I'd appeared in Huo's massive throne room. He told me that I was pretty much dead in the human world and there was no point going back. I told him he should just shut his pie hole and tell me how to get back. He responded to my snide comment by saying, "There is no way back." After he said that, I knew he was lying, and so I turned and ran.

Rushing around the corner that I finally managed to reach, I turned the corner sharply only to run smack dab into Huo. He grabbed my shoulders as I stumbled back with his hands, and I gasped when I looked up into his gold eyes. "You honestly think you can out run me? I'm the spirit of fire," he said, as if it were obvious.

Yanking from Huo, I cried, "What do you want from me?! Just let me go!" My breathing was hard, even though I had a feeling if I stopped breathing nothing bad would happen.

"Go where? I already told you that your body is barely worth going back to," he said, and I could see he didn't understand why I was fighting him so much.

"I'm not staying here! You can't make me," I shouted, getting pretty annoyed with this spirit dude.

He frowned when he saw the anger flash across my face. "Let's go back to the main room and talk. Standing in the hall isn't the most comfortable setting."

"No! I'm not going anywhere with you! Let me go back, Huo!" I ordered.

He grabbed my shoulders harder and I winced from his touch. Then he leaned forward saying, "Why? What do you have to go back to? A life of pain, sadness, anger, regret, and hate is all you'll find in the human world. Here you can be happy. I can give you anything you want."

I tried to pull from his hold, but he tightened his grip. "Okay. If you can give me whatever I want, then I want to go back to the human world," I spat.

He leaned even closer, and I could almost see fire in his eyes. "That's not what I meant."

"Why are you doing this to me? What about the mission you and Roku had me on? Does that not matter anymore?" I asked, still trying to pull from his hold. He was stronger than I thought he would be.

He frowned, and then he released me. When I was free I immediately stepped back as far as I could. To my shock a wall appeared behind me and my back hit. Where did the wall come from? What happened to the hall? That's when it hit me. The halls were changing. That's why it had felt like I'd been running for so long before. Huo was somehow changing the halls and trapping me.

"How did you do that?!" I asked, looking at the spirit with terror.

He almost laughed when he saw my terror. "I made this place, Amber. If I made it, then why shouldn't I be able to make it do as I wish?" My eyes widened, and Huo sighed heavily. He stepped forward, and I squished myself against the stone wall even more. "You're in the spirit world, Amber. This place is not like the human world you know. If you stay here though, I can show you all the beautiful and magical things about it."

"I've seen enough," I snapped. Then I said, "You didn't answer my earlier question! What about the mission?"

Huo smirked. "I think the young Avatar can take care of it now. You've helped enough. In the beginning Roku and I had planned for you and Aang to stop your father, but now I've decided the avatar can handle it on his own."

"He almost died!" I cried. "That's not handling it well!"

When I said this, I could see it annoyed Huo. "So I have to send you back because the Avatar's too weak?"

Narrowing my eyes, I snapped, "That's not what I said!" Then I crossed my arms. "What I meant to say, is that it's my destiny to help Aang defeat my father. You and Roku said so yourselves, so I don't get why you're going back on your plans now. Are you desperate and lonely or something? If you are then I'm sure there are tons of other girls in the human world that will faun over you! I'm not one of them!"

He was taken aback by what I said, and I could tell he wasn't really sure how to respond.

Stepping forward with irritation, I lit a flame in my hand and snapped, "I'm going back! You can't keep me here! I'll never be happy here!"

Huo scowled at my defiance, and then he turned walking away. "You're not leaving," he hissed, walking down the hall in front of him. "Stop being so difficult." A large golden door was at the end, which opened by itself as he stepped inside. Scowling, I cut my flame off, and I followed him down the hall not really having anywhere else to go. There was a dead end behind me.

Walking through the door Huo had gone through, I found I was back in his large throne like room and he was back on his flaming seat. He had a flame in the air which he was twirling with his finger. He looked kind of sad, and I almost felt bad for him. Then I remembered he wasn't letting me go back, and all the sympathy vanished.

Walking up to him, I noticed he didn't even look my way as I walked across the marble floor that I suddenly noticed had fire symbols sketched in the stone. Looking back up, I saw his gold eyes were watching me once again.

"Look Huo," I said, stepping right up to the throne and crossing my arms. "I appreciate everything you've done for me in the past. If it wasn't for you I would've died at childbirth. I know I owe you thanks for that... However, you have to realize that I have a family waiting for me down there. I have a boyfriend who I plan on marrying one day in the future. I want to live a human life, and I want to be happy living it. What is it going to take for you to send me back?"

Huo stopped his flame and said with an even voice, "There's only one thing I want."

"Okay… What?" I asked. "Anything!"

He smiled, and I was almost afraid at what he would say next. "Your eternal servitude."

I scowled and wished I could take back my 'anything'. "What! Why the heck would I agree to that? That's not letting me live a normal human life!"

Huo stood easily, saying, "Oh, Amber… Silly Amber… I am offering you a normal human life." He stepped up to me and I saw amusement in his eyes. "You'd of course get to live in the human world again. I'll let you live like any other human, grow old, die happy. Of course I'd let you keep your abilities, seeing that if I took them away you'd die on the spot. The only reason you are alive is because of the strength I gave your human body. When your time does truly come to an end in the human world though, then your spirit will immediately come back here where you will be for the rest of eternity."

My eyes widened as I took in everything Huo had said. I'd get to live a human life, but I'd still be connected to him. Then when I died years from now, I'd have no choice but to work for Huo in the spirit world. Was an afterlife of servitude truly worth a human life?

"I know what you're thinking… A human life is so small compared to eternity, but that's all I'm willing to offer. You'll get to be with your family, with that Fire Nation boy, and you'll even get to keep your powers. You'll get to live a long life in the human world like you want. It's a sweet bargain in my eyes," Huo said.

I hung my head, wondering what I should do. Then a thought hit me. If I accepted Huo's deal, then maybe I'd find a way in the future to break my connection to Huo for good. Maybe if I could buy myself more time, I'd have a chance of finding a way to be free. It was a risk, but I was willing to take it.

If it meant getting to see Kale and the others again, I'd do anything.

"Fine," I said. Crossing my arms, I said with a leveled tone. "I'll accept your offer. You just have to promise that you won't ever yank my spirit from my body again until I am truly dead in the human world. I don't want to come back to the spirit world until I really have to."

Huo was amused by my request, but I could see he accepted my wish. "Very well… I promise on a spirits honor I won't bring your spirit here until the time is right."

I felt relieved by his acceptance. At least I wouldn't have to worry about that anymore. "So we have a deal?" I asked.

He nodded. "We have a deal."

He held his hand out, as if to shake on it. Taking his hand, I once again gasped as I felt a surge of power shoot through me. This connection between Huo and I still made me uneasy, but I knew I'd try to find a way to break it. After I defeated my father, I'd search for answers no matter how long it would take.

"But…" he said, and I suddenly looked at him with terror. I hated 'buts' so much. "You have to find your own way to your body."

"What!" I cried, yanking from his hand. "We have a deal!"

Huo smirked. "I promised I'd let you go back to the human world. I never said I'd put you back myself."

Scowling, I snapped, "Fine! I'll find my way back! I don't need your help!" Turning on my heel, I began to walk toward the entrance to the giant throne room. The flames died as I approached, and I assumed that was Huo's way of saying I could leave.

"Good luck… Watch out for my neighbors while you're leaving. They'll eat anything," Huo said, trying to scare me. Turning my head, I glared daggers at him. He smirked at my annoyance, then said, "See you soon beautiful."

Turning again, I walked out of his throne room through the large door that had once been engulfed in flames. Huo wouldn't see me again. I'd find a way to never have to see that spirit ever again.

Stepping through the throne room's massive entrance, I was surprised to find I had stepped outside into a strange world and not into a hall. There was almost a barren desert like setting in front of me, but in the distance I saw the edge of a forest. Around me there were large rocky caves where I heard strange noises inside. There was no wind, and the lighting around me was almost white. Looking up, I saw in the sky strange animal like creatures flying above. Actually, some of them didn't look like animals but strange glowing orbs. There wasn't a cloud or sun in the white sky, and that made me a bit uneasy.

Looking back, I was expecting to see a giant palace behind me. To my terror I saw nothing. There was nothing but flat desert. Huo had somehow made his palace disappear. Now, I was officially alone in the spirit world, and I had a bad feeling it wouldn't be easy getting to my body.

Starting to walk across the desert floor, I kept my eyes alert as I searched for anything that might pop out and try to eat me. From what I knew about the spirit world, the spirits in it were not always nice. Aang had met one spirit named Koh, who liked to steal faces. Another time there was a spirit named Hei Bai who got angry at the Fire Nation and destroyed a village in the human world. I had to stay alert and on my toes.

Something suddenly flew past me, and I gasped jumping back as I searched for the thing that had blurred past. It could've been a mad hungry spirit. To my surprise though, I saw something very small on the ground in front of me. Slowly, I walked over to the creature that couldn't have been any bigger than my two fists put together. To my utter amazement, on the ground in front of me, I saw a small turtle duck.

My eyes widened as I stared at the familiar animal, and I saw it's beady black eyes were looking right at me. There was something different about this turtle duck compared to one in the human world. It almost seemed to have strange symbols on its shell, and a glow illuminated around its body.

It looked up at me, and I stared down at it with curiosity. "Um… Hi there little fella. You wouldn't happen to know how I can get back to my body?"

The little turtle duck quacked at me, and then it began to waddle forward. At first I wasn't sure what to do, and so I stood where I was not sure if I should follow. The turtle duck looked back a moment later though, and I saw it stare at me once more.

"Are you going to take me?" I asked.

It quacked again, and then began to walk forward once more. I couldn't believe I was about to follow a turtle duck across the desert, but deciding it was the only thing I had to go on at the moment, I decided there was nothing to lose.

Following the turtle duck for what felt like miles, I kept alert the whole time making sure no spirits popped up and got me. There were a few scary looking spirits every now and then, one even looking like a half man half rhino, but none of them made any move toward me. After what felt like forever of walking through the desert, I was surprised when we finally reached the edge of the deep green forest I'd originally seen. It was farther than it had appeared when I first got into the desert. The turtle duck stopped at the forest edge, and then looked up at me quacking again. Looking at him in confusion, I asked, "This way?"

The turtle duck nodded it's head and then flew off back the way it came. Watching the little guy go, I was amazed as it disappeared into the bright white sky. "Um… thanks," I weakly said, not really glad to be alone again. Sighing, I turned and was about to step into the forest, but to my shock someone stood in front of me.

Screaming, I jumped back and felt my foot trip over a rock. Falling to the ground, I winced from the fall actually feeling my butt ache from the crash. A laugh sounded, and I looked up in surprise to see someone I thought I'd never see again.

Someone I hadn't seen since I was six years old.

"Lu Ten…?"

My older cousin smiled down at me, his gold eyes amused at my shock. His black hair was up in a topknot still, and I saw he was wearing a fine red shirt and some nice black pants. His feet were in some black boots. His spirit looked like he had looked in the human world nine years ago. He was twenty something, tall and lean, and he smiled down at me with relief. He looked strong, and I assumed that was because he had fought many battles when he was alive.

"Hey… I'm glad Pip found you before the other spirits did. That little guy always comes through when I need him," my cousin said, then held his hand out to me. My eyes stared at my cousin's hand with amazement. My cousin who had died in battle, was right in front of me.

"Lu Ten?" I asked again.

He chuckled. "What's wrong cuz… You look like you're seeing a ghost?"

Narrowing my eyes, I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up to my feet. Then I asked pulling my hand away, "Is it really you, or is this some kind of trick?"

He smiled with kindness. "I should be asking you the same thing. Last time I saw you, you were six and a little shrimp. Now you're only a few inches shorter than me. Time flies when you're dead I guess."

His words made me wince. How long had I been dead for? Was there even a body left to go to?

"How did you know I was here?" I asked, my mind shooting wildly with questions. "Did you sense me or something?"

He calmly answered, "Roku sent me. He's a little busy right now, so he sent me in his place. We actually had trouble locating your spirit, because Huo was somehow hiding you. As soon as you stepped out of Huo's palace though Pip sensed you. I sent my friend to go lead you to me."

"Pip?" I asked. "You mean the little turtle duck?"

He nodded. "He's been my pal for a while now. There are some spirits here you can't trust and should stay away from, but others turn out to be great company." He then turned saying, "Come on… We better get a move on if we're going to return you to your body." He started to walk into the forest, and I followed him though I wasn't sure if I should. Crossing my arms, I stepped at my cousin's heel as he headed deeper and deeper into the forest.

"So, my body is okay?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes. Your sister Katara managed to heal you enough so your body wouldn't die. Roku's been keeping your body in a sort of frozen state so you don't starve or dehydrate. I'm not going to lie to you Amber… When you return to your body it will be painful. Your wound was deep, and it still hasn't healed completely."

Sighing, I hung my head at the thought of being in such a state. My family, Aang, Toph, and Kale were probably worried sick. "Thanks for the heads up," I whispered softly.

Looking back up, I tried to distract my mind and took in the scene around me. The trees around us stretched almost fifty feet in the air, and there were strange creatures scuttling across the forest floor. Strange plants stuck up around us, and I actually saw some really pretty flowers that seemed to actually light up the forest floor like candles. There were also large plants that looked like they could eat me, and so I stayed as far from them as I could.

"So what is Roku doing that has him so busy?" I asked, trying to make small talk and ease my worries.

Lu Ten glanced back at me, then said as he continued to walk down the forest path, "It's the avatar… since Aang was hit by Azula's lightening Roku hasn't been able to connect to him. Aang was in the avatar state when he was struck, and because of that Roku's having difficulty finding a way to reconnect to him."

"So… Aang can't go into the avatar state?" I asked, not liking where this was going.

My cousin shook his head. "I guess not."

Well that couldn't be good.

Suddenly we arrived at a sort of pond, and I gasped when I saw where I was. It was the same body of water I'd appeared at a long time ago, when Huo had first brought me to the spirit world. Looking around, I saw the jungle of roots and felt the warm ground on my bare feet. Why was I back here? Was this the portal to the human world or something?

"I know this place," I said. "I was here before. Huo brought me to this place one day when I was asleep."

My cousin had turned now and looked at me with almost sympathy. "You've truly been through a lot in your life. You were taken away from us and thought to be dead. You were beaten by Zhao and almost killed. You had to watch your own water tribe mom die right in front of your eyes. And now you're going through all of this with the war and Huo. I wish there was something I could do to help more."

Immediately I ignored the part about my mom not wanting to bring back painful memories. Smiling weakly, I said, "You have helped, Lu Ten. You're helping me get back to my body. That's more than I could ever ask of you."

He nodded, and suddenly I was pulled into his arms. He hugged me close to him, and with a sigh I hugged him back. It felt nice seeing my cousin again. "Do me a favor… When you see my dad, tell him I love him and am proud of what he's doing."

Nodding, I said softly, "I definitely will."

He then pulled away. "To get back to your body, all you have to do is step into the water and concentrate. You'll need to focus on nothing but your body in the human world."

Now I began to panic, afraid I'd not be able to do it. "What if I can't?" I asked, not wanting to be trapped here forever.

Lu Ten touched my shoulder reassuringly. "You can. You're one of the strongest girls I know, Amber. You just have to believe in yourself."

Nodding, I watched as he took his hand from my shoulder and backed up. As he backed away, I asked, "Hey, Lu Ten… I'm just curious. Do you miss the human world?"

He looked at me for a moment, and I could see his gold eyes soften as he thought over the words to say. With a weak smile, he said, "I don't necessarily miss the world, but I do miss the people. You know… I'm glad you were actually alive in the end. When I got here, I never expected to hear my cousin was alive and with the Southern Water Tribe. I've heard stories all about your travels with your family and friends."

Now I smiled. "So spirits gossip too?"

Lu Ten chuckled. "Well we have to keep up to date with the human world. It's not like there's a lot of excitement here."

Nodding, I turned and looked at the water knowing I had to go back. Glancing back at Lu Ten, I said sincerely, "It was really good seeing you."

He nodded. "You too, Amber." As I turned and began to walk toward the water, I heard Lu Ten say, "End this war once and for all."

Looking back at him, I promised, "I will."

Then stepping into the water, I prepared to head back to the human world. The warm liquid that just went up to my ankles, almost seemed to glow around me as I stood in the small pond. Glancing back at the spot I had left Lu Ten, I saw he was no longer there. "Bye, Lu Ten," I whispered. Then looking back at the pond, I stared down at my reflection hoping this would really work.

Closing my eyes, I thought of nothing but my body in the human world. As I closed my eyes, I felt the liquid that was only at my ankles begin to creep up the rest of my spirit. Trying to remain calm, I continued to concentrate on nothing but my human body.

No matter what I was getting back. Nothing was going to stop me.

Pain suddenly shot through me, and I gasped as I felt my whole body convulse. It felt like lightning was once again coursing through my body. Screaming, I tried to open my eyes but I couldn't. All I could see was darkness, but I felt the pain. It was like a knife was stabbing into my chest. My screams stopped suddenly, and I felt my throat tighten as I tried to breath. Was my spirit returning to my body now?

A loud pounding suddenly rang in my ears, and I felt something in my chest pounding weakly. My chest was burning, and I felt tears slide down my cheeks as I felt the pain. Trying to breathe, I finally managed to control my mouth and nose, and air filled inside my body. As I tried to take control of my body once more, I began to notice how heavy my muscles felt. How long had I been out? I felt like I hadn't moved my muscles in weeks.

With as much strength as I could, I opened my eyes and tried to get a bearing of my surroundings. As my eyes began to focus, and my brain started working again, I started to center on what was around me. Looking around the dimly lit room I was in, I saw two candles dancing on the wall. Beside me I noticed a wooden chair, but it was empty. A blanket was draped over my weak body, and I felt my head cushioned by a pillow. The room I was in almost seemed to sway and I wondered if maybe I was on a ship.

Looking over at the walls, I wondered if maybe I was on an earth kingdom ship or something. I had no clue what happened after I was shot by Azula, so anything was possible. Looking at the wall though, I knew an earth kingdom ship was not the case. Hanging down the steel wall, and stretching almost five feet tall and three feet wide, I saw with utter horror a bright red tapestry. On the tapestry was a black sketch of the Fire Nation insignia. The flame outline sent dread through me.

I was on a Fire Nation ship!

A/N: So that's the first chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed Amber's trip through the spirit world. The next chapter will start to follow the TV series again. Hope you liked it!