Heck week Day one, Republic City.
Authors Notes: I apologize if there are grammatical errors, or if this story is really awful. Its been a while since I've written fan fiction, and I've never written for The Legend Of Korra before, so hopefully this isn't as bad as my first fan fiction…
Summery: Yakone Takes Tarrlok and Noatak to the city that they will one day conquer in his name. The two brothers are forced to stay in the city for an entire week, much to Noatak's dismay. This story is basically Noatak's first day in Republic City.
The sun beat down on the rode, causing the black stone to crack and burn. A dry gust of wind lapped at the three travelers, offering them no relief from the scorching heat. A rank odor of rotten fruit and sewer filled the stagnant air with an awful taste. Despite how uncomfortable the journey was, Noatak continued to press on. The fourteen year old knew that complaining would only get him in trouble; unfortunately his brother wasn't so wise.
"Are we there yet?" The eleven year old whined.
"For the last time Tarrlok, we arrive when I say we have arrived!" Yakone snarled.
Tarrlok flinched away from his father, but quickly continued walking. Noatak simply stared ahead and rolled his eyes. Protecting his younger brother had become quite tedious, and secretly he was hoping that Tarrlok would start blood bending properly so that their father would give them both a much needed break.
A sensation of bitterness filled Noatak when he remembered his brother's failure to blood bend. Yakone had punished them both because of that failure, and that had put up a dangerous rift between the two brothers.
"We're here." Yakone spoke suddenly, jolting Noatak out of his thoughts.
Noatak glanced up from the road, and gasped in disgust at what he saw. The buildings that the family had come across were run down and battered. Puddles of sewer and other wastes lined the battered buildings. Spider-Rats darted through the area leaving there own waste, and picking up scraps of food. Noatak's stomach churned violently at the wretched odor.
"This is Republic City?" Noatak spat. He couldn't believe that his father had dragged him all the way from the Northern Water Tribe just to see some run down buildings.
"Of course not you idiot, this is just the outskirts of the city!"
"Then why are we here?" Noatak questioned warily. The vile scents were starting to make him feel light headed and nauseous.
"I can't enter the city, the citizens may recognize me, but you and your brother will be allowed in to the city. I will stay here and you will return to me at night."
"W-why can't you come with us?" Tarrlok stammered.
Yakone walked up to his youngest son, and grabbed him roughly by throat, the old man then proceeded to shake the young water bender.
"Have you heard nothing of what I said? If I am caught in the city, I will be arrested again!" with those words, Yakone hurled Tarrlok to the dirty stone floor.
"If you're so scared of being arrested," Noatak snapped furiously, "Then why did you bring us here!"
Noatak was fully braced for his father to hit him, and yet, nothing happened. A loud hacking sound burst from Yakone's throat, and Noatak was frightened that his father was choking.
"Dad…" Noatak said hesitantly. The fourteen year didn't particularly care for his father, but the thought of watching a member of his family choke to death sickened him.
The wheezing sound stopped abruptly, and Yakone smirked at his son.
"Smart boy…" Yakone praised, "I took you here so you could familiarize yourself with the city that you and your brother will one day lead."
His father's words struck him like a ton of bricks. His father still desired him and Tarrlok to be his tools for revenge. The realization made Noatak even more resentful of this city.
"So we're going to spend an entire weak here?" Noatak asked, trying to keep his disgust out of his tone.
"Yes." Yakone replied. "You two explore the city while I set up camp."
"Good riddance." Noatak grumbled under his breath. The water bender roughly grabbed his younger brother by the wrist, and started dragging the eleven year old farther in to the city.
"OW! Noa stop that hurts!" Tarrlok complained.
Noatak released his younger brother, and let him fall to the floor.
"Ooof! Hey!" Tarrlok snarled.
"Get up; we're going to be stuck in the city all day every day for a whole week, so we might as well try to find something to occupy ourselves." Noatak grumbled.
The fourteen year old was already in a foul mood, and the heat didn't make it any better. He missed the cold air, and the fresh smell of ice. He wanted to be back home where the morning light reflecting off of snow would wake him. Noatak clenched his fists to stop them from trembling.
"Noatak, you could try to enjoy your time here, like you said, we're stuck here for a week, and besides, its not everyday that we get to visit other places in the world."
"Well what if I don't want to explore other places in the world?" Noatak snapped, his voice shaking slightly.
Tarrlok simply shook his head. "Come on, we have a whole city to explore." The young boy said in an unenthusiastic tone.
The two boys sat in a booth inside of a noodle shop. Tarrlok was happily slurping up his bowl of noodles, but Noatak could barely bring himself to take a bite. The thought of eating Water Tribe food only made him more homesick. Noatak sighed miserably, and twirled his fork around the noodles.
"Oh come on Noa, you have to eat something." Tarrlok mumbled around his mouthful of noodles.
"I'm not hungry…" Noatak sighed in response. To farther express his lack of appetite, the fourteen year old shoved his still full bowl in to the center of the table.
Tarrlok stared at his older brother in concern. Noatak had been acting strangely ever since they began their journey to republic city. He would get annoyed at the stupidest things, and he was suffering from insomnia lately.
"What's wrong Noatak? You usually love Water Tribe noodles…"
"I just don't feel like eating, that's all!" Noatak spat defensively.
"I don't believe you." Tarrlok stated bluntly, his voice taking on a sharp edge. "You've been in a foul mood ever since we left home; you haven't been sleeping or eating recently…"
Noatak turned away from his brother, unable to come up with a clever response.
"I'm really worried about you…." Tarrlok continued in a softer tone of voice, "You're my best friend as well as my older brother, I want you to be okay." The child's voice quivered slightly as he finished speaking and his eyes began to grow misty.
"I'm sorry." Noatak said, not even understanding what he was apologizing for.
Tarrlok hastily wiped his eyes, and shoved a forkful of noodles in to his mouth.
"If you're finished, then we can leave now." Noatak said.
"You should eat your noodles first." Tarrlok suggested.
"You can have them." Noatak replied.
Tarrlok hesitated for a moment before eating the noodles; a pang of guilt tore at his gut as he ate his brother's lunch. Noatak simply watched his brother eat, ignoring the gurgling in his own stomach. Once the younger boy had finished both bowls of noodles, the two boys departed from the noodle shop.
Tarrlok ran through the soft grass of Republic Cit Park, and laughed when he fell down. The scent of Fire Lilies and other exotic flowers gently tickled the young boy's nose, and made him feel light headed and happy. It had been so long since he felt so happy and free, so long since he felt he had nothing to fear. The only thing that upset him now was that his brother wasn't happy here.
"Noatak!" Tarrlok called as he scrambled over to the bench where his older brother sat, "Come play with me."
Noatak fixed a cold glare on his younger sibling. "I'm too old to play such childish games Tarrlok!" Noatak scolded, "If father could see you now, he would snap your bones in half!"
Tarrlok flinched and walked away from his brother, chills beginning to run down his spine. Noatak was right; his father would break his bones. The young boy remembered a time when he was seven years old. He had refused to Blood Bend a wolf, so as punishment his father had struck him multiple times in the ribs until one broke.
He had told his mother that he had fallen off the edge of the mountain he was hunting on. It sickened him how easily his mother believed the lie, and he spent the rest of the night in agony. He couldn't fall asleep do to the pain, and he was afraid that he would stop breathing in his sleep anyway.
Tarrlok sighed miserably, and took a seat in the grass. The eleven year old fiddled with the blades of grass, watching in slight amusement as drops of dew flew off of them. Do to a lack of anything better to do, Tarrlok started to bend the dew off of the grass, and drink it. Once the dew lost its entertainment value, Tarrlok resorted to bending mud.
Tarrlok had no idea how much time had past, but he suddenly had the strongest desire to return back to camp.
"Is it time to go home yet?" Tarrlok whined.
"No… we're stranded here for a whole week." Noatak muttered bitterly.
Irritation filled Tarrlok as he realized his mistake, and he couldn't stop himself from snapping at his brother.
"You know what I mean!"
Noatak glared at his brother, and flicked his eyes upward. Without warning Tarrlok suddenly rose in to the air. The child's stomach lurched violently, and his veins felt like they were on fire. Tarrlok gnashed his teeth together to prevent him from screaming in agony. His heart pounded rapidly, and sweat trickled from his brow. Soon Noatak released his brother, and watched in satisfaction as Tarrlok hit the ground.
"Next time you'll leave me alone when I tell you to!" Noatak snapped.
Tarrlok continued to rest on the ground and gasp for breath. His stomach was still churning, and his heart pounded, but the fire in his veins was slowly dying out. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he uttered a grief stricken whimper. The older brother who he looked up to his entire life had blood bent him, his hero had just tried to kill him.
The thought seemed so surreal, and yet the pain in his gut assured him that this really happened. Tarrlok shakily rose to his feet, and staggered away. Sobs wormed their way out of his throat, and tears stung his eyes. He was dimly aware of various citizens asking if he was alright, but he ignored them all. The physical pain was slowly dying, but emotional torment continued to gnaw at him.
Tarrlok had no idea where he was now, nor did he care. He just wanted to be alone. The child had no clue how long he had been curled up by the dumpster he was at, but the feeling of a warm hand on his shoulder caught his attention.
"Noatak…" Tarrlok choked out.
Part of him hoped that his brother had come to find him, but another part of him prayed that Noatak wasn't anywhere near him.
"Who?" a strange voice asked.
Tarrlok tilted his head up to see a bald man looking down at him. The stranger wore a simple orange robe, and had a blue arrow trailing down his head. The man appeared to be in his late twenties.
"M-my-My brother…" Tarrlok whimpered.
The eleven year old curled in on himself, trying to make himself as small as possible.
"Where did you last see him?" The man asked.
"Park." Tarrlok choked out.
"I won't hurt you." The stranger whispered soothingly as he approached Tarrlok. The stranger grabbed Tarrlok's hand gently, and pulled him to his feet.
"What's your name?" The stranger asked.
"Tarrlok."
"My name is Tenzin."
Tarrlok didn't reply, he simply followed Tenzin in to the park. When the duo arrived, Tarrlok noticed that his brother was talking to a woman who appeared to be in her twenties.
"…And then he just disappeared!" Tarrlok overheard his brother say. The eleven year old was shocked when he heard how shaky Noatak's voice was.
"My mother will be able to find him," The woman said with a hint of pride, "She is the chief of police after all."
"Find who?" Tarrlok interjected. He had no clue why his brother seemed so nervous.
"Tarrlok!" Noatak gasped, he ran up to his brother, and then stopped cold.
"Looks like we don't have to alert the police after all." The woman said with a faint smile, "Bye Noatak." With the being said, the woman left.
"If you two are alright, I should be going as well." Tenzin said.
"Thank you for bringing my brother back to me sir!" Noatak exclaimed gratefully.
Tenzin nodded his head in acknowledgement, and then walked away.
"Where have you been?" Noatak asked Tarrlok, "You've been gone for three whole hours."
"I was gone that long?" Tarrlok replied, slightly shocked at how long he had wallowed in self pity.
"Yes." Noatak replied tensely.
"I'm sorry."
Noatak didn't acknowledge his brother's apology; instead he just marched out of the park.
The two brothers had returned to the noodle shop for dinner, and now sat with a full bowl of noodles in front of them. Neither of the brother's were particularly hungry though….
Noatak swirled his fork around his noodles, basking in relief at the fact that this day was almost over. He felt a painful ache in his chest as he realized that he had to tolerate six more days in this city. Noatak felt his eyes begin to mist over at the thought of home, and he angrily blinked the tears away. There was no way he was going to risk letting his father see him like this.
"If you're not hungry we can go…" Tarrlok said suddenly.
"Fine, let's get out of here." Noatak mumbled bitterly.
The two brothers wandered out of the shop until they came across a dark ally. Disgust filled Noatak as he watched spider-rats scurry about, and saw a small boy rummaging through a dumpster.
"We should leave." Tarrlok mumbled.
Noatak was about to reply when he saw black flakes falling from the sky. A strange urge came over the fourteen year old, and he darted toward the flakes and stuck his tongue out. He remembered the times when he was younger, when he was allowed to eat the frozen flakes. The snow had always melted on his tongue, and numbed it. Yet, even when his tongue was numb, he could always taste the freshness.
All these thoughts and memories prevented the boy from questioning why the snow was black. When the black flake landed on his tongue, a burst of shock ran through Noatak. There was no freshness in the flake, no sweet water to numb his tongue, instead the flake seemed to burn his tongue, and made him retch and gag.
The black flake slithered down his throat, and caused it to burn. Noatak continued to retch, until finally he vomited up the flake and a mouthful of bile. Noatak's hands began to tremble, and his eyes watered. His stomach tossed and turned, and his mouth felt dry and bitter. The fourteen year old suddenly realized in horror that he had eaten ashes. The thought humiliated him, and made him feel even more ill.
"HAHAHAHA! You ate ashes, dirty, dry ashes; if you were hungry you could have eaten noodles!" Tarrlok giggled.
Noatak cast a hate filled glare at his younger brother, but the child's laughter did not cease.
"Wait till we get home and I tell mom you ate ashes!"
Noatak felt his heart clench as he once again thought about home.
"Ashes, Ashes we all fall down!" Tarrlok sang, collapsing on the ground in a fit of laughter.
"ENOUGH!" Noatak roared. "Enough…." He whimpered.
"You don't have to snap at me!" Tarrlok snarled.
Noatak tried to glare at his younger brother, but his eyes were misting over again.
"Come on Tarrlok, we should return to camp now, its getting late." Noatak spat as he watched the sun begin to set.
"Can't we watch the sunset?" Tarrlok complained.
"No!" Noatak snapped in response.
"Jerk." Tarrlok grumbled.
The sky was pitch black by the time the two boys made it back to camp. Noatak was hoping he would be allowed to sleep without speaking to his father first; unfortunately, his father was waiting for them.
"So, what did you learn about the city?" Yakone asked in his sinister voice.
"It's full of ashes!" Tarrlok giggled.
"Anything useful?" Yakone growled.
"There are alleys where we can ambush people." Noatak said, knowing that this was what his father wanted to hear.
"Excellent, did you befriend anyone?"
"Of high position…." Noatak concluded bitterly in his mind. He knew that his father was only using him and Tarrlok as spies, so that he could know the perfect attack points in the city.
"We're your sons, not your tools for revenge!" Noatak wanted to scream, years of punishment kept him silent though.
"Oh we befriended the daughter of the chief of police!" Tarrlok exclaimed in excitement.
"You idiot!" Noatak's mind wailed.
Yakone's eyes widened suddenly, and he glared harshly at Noatak.
"Blood Bend your brother Noatak!" Yakone commanded harshly.
The abruptness of the request made Noatak hesitate, but when he saw the look on his father's face, he knew he had no choice.
Noatak looked at Tarrlok, and felt his heart lurch when he saw the look of fear in his brother's eyes.
"I won't do it…." Noatak yearned to say, but he knew he was only deluding himself. He was his father's slave.
"Forgive me brother." Noatak thought as he manipulated his brother's blood.
Noatak pulled Tarrlok's spine backwards until the boy's neck touched the floor. Tarrlok groaned and whimpered, but Noatak continued to bend him. Noatak heated the blood inside his brother's body until he screamed; he then pulled some blood up through Tarrlok's throat, and made him retch on to the ground.
Noatak levitated Tarrlok in to the air, and slammed him in to the ground, this process repeated until Yakone ordered him to stop.
"Turn in for the night boy." Yakone commanded, "You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow."
Noatak hastily ran to a mattress, and collapsed on top of it. His heart pounded rapidly, and his head ached. The worst feeling though was the memory of how his brother's blood felt.
As the night wore on, and Yakone slept, Noatak found his mind wandering back to his home. Once again he yearned for the ice, and the feeling of cold air. The fresh scent of the ocean, and the taste of snow. Noatak let out a gasp of pain as he remembered his home, and his eyes began to sting.
Since his father was asleep, Noatak finally allowed himself the chance to release his emotions. Silent tears rolled down his face, and his breath came in shuddering gasps. Noatak felt as if a part of his spirit had died. He was far away from everything he had known, and his ability to bend blood was weakening. Blood bending his brother had left him feeling ill and exhausted.
"I'll never take it for granted again." Noatak mumbled as he thought about his home.
The fourteen year old flinched as he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"It's just me Noa." Tarrlok whispered.
"What do you want?"
"I could hear you crying."
Just great, his brother had caught him sniveling like an infant. The thought caused his face and stomach to burn.
"We're brothers." Tarrlok sighed impatiently, "You don't have to hide anything from me."
"I miss home alright! Out here I feel so…. Disconnected from the world, I can't feel my connection to the moon, I can't blood bend easily."
"Seems to me you can blood bend perfectly." Tarrlok grumbled dryly.
"You don't get it! If I loose my ability to blood bend here, then dad will kill me!" Noatak whispered, his voice quivering with rage.
"Dad won't kill you, he needs you." Tarrlok scoffed.
Noatak turned away from his brother, and grumbled under his breath. Hot tears fell from his stinging eyes, and his chest clenched.
Tarrlok could see how much pain his brother was in. the eleven year old didn't understand the force of his brother's emotions, but he knew that the older boy was suffering. An incredibly rash idea came to Tarrlok's mind. It was probably suicide, but Tarrlok couldn't think of anyway else to comfort his brother. The eleven year old quickly wrapped his arms around his brother, and pulled himself closer to him.
Noatak stiffened slightly, but slowly relaxed in his brother's embrace.
"I'm sorry that you're hurting and there's nothing I can do for you Noa." Tarrlok whispered sincerely.
Noatak didn't reply, he simply wrapped his arms around his little brother. Tarrlok raised one of his hands up, and bent the tears off of his brother's face. A faint smile bloomed on Noatak's face.
"Thanks Tarrlok, and I'm sorry that I blood bent you."
"I forgive you." Tarrlok replied.
With those words, the brothers broke apart, and fell asleep side by side.
Authors Note: Sorry for how OOC the characters act, like I said, I've never written about these characters before, so please cut me some slack.