"This is stupid. We've been to this thing a hundred times." Mako stood in a corner with his arms folded into his chest with a deep frown.
"Yeah, but Korra never has." Bolin had always enjoyed these festivals. He couldn't believe there had been a time when the nation had been so divided.
"The closest thing we've ever had to a festival is the right of passage for young water tribe men: and that's ice dodging."
"Hiroshi invited us. It would be rude not to come." Korra nodded in agreement with Bolin. Secretly she was excited to see something so diverse and different from where she came from. Korra stepped into her room to change. She hated formal occasions. If it was a cultural festival couldn't she just wear her traditional water gear? No: Hiroshi had specifically told them to dress up. She blew air out of her mouth. She took her out of its high pony and balled it into a bun close to the nape of her neck. Her bangs fell very lightly into her face. She slipped into a blue halter with traditional beads and feathers at the knot that connected the fabric together. Her chest was very lightly exposed. A sapphire skirt draped delicately to the floor. It covered her boots. Maybe no one would notice. She walked out to a very astonished Mako and Bolin. She smirked at them.
"The first one that makes a comment is getting their ass kicked." They bowed respectfully, which earned them each a punch in the arm, and headed out the door.
The cultural festival was an enormous crowd of cheering and bright lights. Everywhere the crew looked, there was brightly displayed costumes of revered spirits, or fireworks in the colors of green, red, and blue. Korra noticed that there were more fire and earth elements here than water. A lot of funny masks were donned on children's faces. Food varied from flaming fire flakes from the fire nation to freshly brewed sea prunes of the water tribe. A pagoda in the center of the festival announced that there would be a performance by the Qua Ling brothers.
"Who are the Qua Ling brothers?" Korra asked.
"Never heard of 'em."
"Ah! There you are! I've been searching everywhere." The group looked up to see the broad smile of Hiroshi. He was about middle height, the same age as Korra, and had gleaming black eyes. He bowed to them politely.
"So glad to see you could make it. Please join me as I give you a tour of the festival." They walked with Hiroshi into the sea of people. 'This guy's pushy,' Korra couldn't help but think.
"You're from the Earth Kingdom, right?" Hiroshi gave Mako his signature smile.
"Yes. My family grew up in the UR. It's so interesting to see all the diversity."
"Look, there's La, the Ocean Spirit." Korra spotted a big costume of the koi fish that took several people to control. She had heard stories that her past life, Aang, had actually transformed into that exact spirit. Hiroshi led them to different booths set up depicting the different elements. Finally they found their way to the stage.
"You guys are in for a treat," Hiroshi smiled at them. "The Qua Ling brothers are the best circus act in UR."
"I've never heard of them." Mako scowled at the stage.
"Oh, they are new! I'm certain you will love them." The lanterns that were lit began to dim and thirteen members tromped onto the stage each dressed up in a signature green suit. They bowed to the crowd, which let out a small whoop of excitement.
"If they're brothers, why are there so many?"
"The two members who founded the group are actually related." The show started and each started with a fabulous flip through the air landing on another member. This continued for several minutes. Korra was surprised but wasn't impressed. Where was the bending? If this was a cultural festival, then why weren't any of the members doing nothing but flipping. Korra turned around to point this out to Mako and Bolin but they weren't there. Suddenly a sharp pain shot through her left arm and she felt it go numb. Korra fell to the ground wondering where the attack came from but felt another jab to her back. She tried to shoot a flame but her entire body was trembling. Korra's eyes scanned the crowd for Mako or Bolin. They weren't there. She shouted for help. Her voice came out in only a small whimper. Even Hiroshi was gone. The last thing she saw before completely submerging into unconsciousness was the Qua Ling Brothers flipping around the stage. They multiplied then disappeared completely.
Korra's eyes opened to a world none like she had ever seen before. Everything stretched far away and she could see creatures of all kinds wandering about. She shot up wondering who had attacked her and why. She tried to shoot a fire ball to her right but nothing came out. Korra was suddenly very frightened. Who were these people so powerful that they could take away her bending and transport into another world entirely. A blue light came flying towards her. Korra's first instinct was to bend at the unidentified object. Of course nothing happened. It buzzed around her head for several minutes until finally she gave in and followed it. Deeper she delved into the world, the stranger it became. The creatures became larger and the environment for rugged. The blue light led her to the base of a tree and sank into the ground.
"Thanks for nothing," she huffed. Suddenly a shadowy figure rose from the bark. He looked a lot like Tenzin, only he had no hair at all. His tattoos were very much the same. He bowed to her. Korra was too startled to do anything.
"Hello Korra. Do you know who I am?"
"N-no."
"I'm your past life, Aang. I brought you here to tell you that you are in grave danger and must think differently than before to keep you and your friends alive."
"They have Mako and Bolin?"
"Yes."
"Who attacked me?" She was growing more infuriated by the minute. Were they too much of a coward to fight man to man?
"Korra, you must keep a level head. Raw power alone will not defeat them." Korra studied Aang more closely. He had deep wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, indicating that he had lived a long life.
"What was it like for you as the Avatar?"
"It was very hard," he sighed. "I didn't do near as well as you are doing Korra. For that I envy you."
"But you have a statue in your honor. People must have loved you."
"They loved me after the war was over. I leave you with these words Korra: think like a mad genius. And say hi to Tenzen for me." With that he disappeared back into the ground.
"I will," Korra muttered, "if I make it out alive."
Mako watched Korra's eyes glow knowing she was in the Avatar state. He wished she come out of it soon. He glanced at Bolin beside him who was slumped to the ground knocked out cold. They didn't even bother tying them up. Mako nor Bolin could not bend. The entire Hiroshi charade had been an act. He was an Equalist and Hell bent on killing them all. He could kill Mako if he wished. But he better not lay a finger on Korra or Bolin. The only problem was that if they killed Korra while she was in the Avatar state, there would never be another Avatar…
Mako watched helplessly as the Equalists dragged Korra's unconscious body into a sitting position and began pummeling her arms and legs. Black and purple bruises ran up and down her body as if she were a human punching bag. The Equalists no-nonsense fighters who wore gas like masks over their faces and dark green suit. He struggled to move his limbs but it were as if they had become blocks of lead. The Equalists were a new group that had popped up and before, Mako had felt no need to feel worried. Now he realized that he had highly overestimated them. Chi-blockers; he wanted to spit on the ground with disgust. They were nothing but cowards. Cowards with a power to take away his bending… He looked over at Bolin who was still slumped on the ground out cold.
"Bolin," he whispered. "Bolin, you need to wake up." One of the Equalists heard him and advanced.
"Hey, you, quiet!" Mako could see his boiling expression in the yellow goggles.
"What is all this for?" His voice came out like a croak. "Now that you have us, what do you plan to do?" The man turned around and shook his head. He continued to work on Korra. To Mako's horror, ropes were being tied around her neck. The man cupped her lovely face into his hand, studied it, and then slung it aside.
"Hey, she's not a piece of trash!" That comment earned him a swift kick in the ribs. He doubled over in pain. He retched.
Come on Korra, he thought. Wake up.
Korra felt the weirdest sensation over her body. Her arms and legs ached as if she had been in a two hour training fight with Mako and Bolin. A tightness came over her neck. For some reason she was still in the Avatar State. She had thought for sure after her talk with Aang she would be transported back to the real world. Why His Almighty-Monkness couldn't even offer her a way out of here! If there was a door, it wasn't easy to find. She walked until she came upon what looked to be a very relaxed baboon.
"Hey I need your-
"Go away!"
"But my friends are in-
"GO away!"
"LISTEN TO ME!" She shouted. This was becoming very irritating.
"Can't you see I'm meditating here? You are messing up my chakras."
"Your what now?" She shook her head. "Look never mind! My friends are in serious trouble and in less I get out of here, they'll probably die!"
"Not my problem." She huffed with irritation. Korra spotted a stone nearby and picked it up. She chunked it at the monkey, who screeched angrily and scampered off. She plopped down on the rock with her head cupped in her hands. Some Avatar she was. She couldn't even find her way out of the Avatar State and save her friends. Suddenly she felt something rub against her leg. Korra looked down into the yellow eyes of a wolf.
"Are you going to tell me you need to meditate too?" The wolf didn't answer. Instead she nodded her head forward and began walking away. Korra took that as "Follow me." So she did. It was becoming her best chance at escaping this place.
Twenty minutes later, Mako was relieved to look over and see Bolin stirring. He called out to him until he raised his head lazily.
"Ung. Where are we?" Mako made sure to check to see if they were watching before answering.
"We've been captured by the Equalists. We're in grave danger."
"Wait, so we're not at the party anymore?"
"No. That's where we were ambushed."
"What about Hiroshi? What about Korra?" Mako pointed his head in the direction of where Korra was.
"Oh, man this is bad." Bolin struggled to move but suffered the same symptoms as his brother.
"How are we-
Suddenly everyone stopped. They formed to lines on the left and right sides as a man clad in dark robes strode forward. He had on a creepy mask that barely exposed his eyes and had a big, red circle painted on the middle of his forehead.
"Who's that?" Bolin whispered. Mako wasn't sure but he knew that it wasn't good. The man exuded a powerful aura that swept over everyone and made itself known. When he spoke, it was the deepest voice Mako had ever heard.
"So my cohorts, you've finally captured the Avatar." The men all shouted "yes" in unison.
"Well done." He stalked over to Korra and examined her. "I don't see why people of this age choose to revere such a scrawny little girl. I don't know why they choose to let a person above them hound all the glory when in the end they would be nothing without their precious bending." He laughed.
"Man built the United Republic. They did not use fire, water, or earth! And yet they hold a cultural festival that puts benders up on pedestals." Mako didn't like where this was going.
"Men," he barked. They saluted and stood at attention. "While you were there did you see any booths displaying warrior artifacts?" They shook their head.
"Of course not. But we will soon change that. Without an Avatar, these people have no one to look up to. They have no one to solve their problems. If there were to be no more Avatar, then there would cease to be no more benders." The men all shouted with pure glee.
"I foresee a war coming; a war between benders and nonbenders." He made a whistling noise and someone suddenly appeared over Korra. Mako looked more closely. It was Hiroshi. He held a knife against her throat awaiting an order from his leader.
"This is the first step. With that cut, you see how her eyes glow don't you? I, Amon, declare that the Avatar will cease to exist!" Everyone cheered. Mako and Bolin watched with horror as a small cut appeared on Korra's brown skin.
Korra suddenly collapsed. The wolf pawed at her willing her to move but she couldn't. Korra felt as if all the life had been drained out of her. Why did her throat hurt so much? Her eyes closed. The wolf pawed and howled. "Somebody please help me," she whispered
Korra didn't know if she was dying. It sure felt like she was. The pain in her throat grew more severe until she could see nothing but white spots dancing about. Suddenly everything was hazy and she was face to face with a line of people she had never seen before. They flew past her, some blurry, some picture perfect clear. The weird part was that she knew these people. She HAD been these people. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she watched millions of past Avatars fly past her. Finally only one faced her and she knew him immediately. It was Avatar Aang. He smiled at her and bowed.
"Go, Korra. Go and face your destiny. I know you can do it because you have done it a thousand times before."
The tears came harder now and she knew it was time to face her destiny. She bowed to the wise air bender and whispered a silent 'thank you.' Now she had a job to do…
Mako struggled against his limbs, trying so hard to make them move. Yet they wouldn't. The cut in Korra's neck was getting deeper and blood was flowing down her blue shirt, staining it with a color he would never forget. He looked away knowing that he had failed her. That's when he heard the snapping of the ropes. Hiroshi was blown back with such force against a wall that the brick cracked and tumbled down on top of him. And there stood Korra in full Avatar state mode. Her hair was whipping back and forth with the force of her hurricane swirling around her. Her eyes burned blue with intensity. Every time an Equalist would try to come in range and take a jab at her, he would be swatted away with just a bat of her left hand.
"Stop her, you fools!" Amon had recovered from his shock and charged at Korra with ten men at his back side. The lackeys closed in around her and Mako was sure she was done for, but she spun around in a complete 360 degree turn kicking her feet this way and that, knocking some men square in the face sending them flying on their butts. She launched herself in the air grabbing onto to some metal chains pulling them down, ceiling and all, as if she did that sort of thing every day. Tons of rock rained down upon the Equalists. They screamed and ran for the door trying not to get crushed as if they were ants. Only two Equalists stood their ground: Amon and Hiroshi. Amon smirked at her.
"You'd be nothing without that Avatar state! You're half dead now!" A maniacal sound came gurgling up from his throat as he lunged at her. Mako knew he was right. Korra was only this powerful because she was endowed with the power of a million Avatars.
"Bolin we need to help."
His brother shot him a 'duh' look. "Of course we need to help! But I kinda can't move here." Mako huffed in frustration. He tried harder to move his limbs but it was like they were blocks weighing him down. He thought back to all those hours that he'd watched Tenzen meditate. Maybe there was something more to it than just inner peace? Mako closed his eyes and tried to block out everything around him. He imagined that this situation was dissolving. Soon a calming sensation settled over him. He imagined that he was moving his arms, his legs. He saw himself sparring with Korra and how he could always manage to beat her with just a tiny move that she wouldn't expect. He felt a smile creep across his face. She was so hot headed. She was so ho-
"Dude, you're moving!" Bolin's words startled him out of his concentration. His brother was right. Mako found his arms to not be so heavy.
"How'd you do that?" Mako paid him no attention. He ran into the heart of the battle. Korra was growing weaker by the second. Amon was pounding the shit out of her, yet she kept swinging her fists at him. Sometimes she would land in a lucky shot and Amon would stagger backwards. Mako tried to tackle him but he was thrown to the ground. He looked up at the angered face of Hiroshi.
"You're not messing this up for us!" He almost hit Mako in the throat but he managed to flip him on his back. Mako pinned him with all his body weight. He drew back a fist and hit him square in the face. Blood gushed from his mouth and nostrils. His head flopped to the side like a limp noodle. Mako didn't know if he was dead or alive. At this point he didn't care. He was more concerned about Korra. Her hurricane was losing steam. Amon was closing in. Right before he lunged at the monster, Korra threw a metal chain that she held in her hand. It wrapped itself around Amon's throat, cutting off his air. He crumpled to the ground unconscious. So did Korra. Her eyes returned to their normal sapphire blue and she buckled to her knees. Mako caught her before she could hit the ground. He cradled her to his chest and scooped her up. All the pain and anger welled up in his throat but he forced it down. "Save it for later," he told himself. "We're not out of the woods yet." He walked over to Bolin, who was just gaping at him. Mako grabbed him by his shirt collar and half dragged him out the door.
They made it all the way back to the cultural festival until they collapsed with exhaustion. Bolin had finally recovered the use of his limbs. Korra had still not woken up. The entire festival stopped as they fell to the ground.
"We need help!" Someone in the crowd yelled.
"Take them to Asami. She's the best healer in United Republic." They heard nothing after that. Everything went black.
Mako woke up with a beautiful woman standing over him. She had brilliant blue eyes and long brown hair.
"Korra," he whispered. He heard tinkling laughter.
"I'm not Korra. I'm Asami." Mako's vision cleared and his face heated up. This woman looked nothing like Korra. She had green eyes and long black hair. He took in his surroundings and found that they were in a candle lit room with several cots lining the walls. He saw Bolin in one of the beds with bandages wrapped around him. Asami followed his gaze.
"Your brother only sustained minor damage to his chi. He should be fine after a good sleep." As if right on cue, Bolin let out a massive snore. Asami giggled.
"Who are you?" His voice came out in a hoarse whisper.
"I'm a healer. You're in one of the medical places in UR." Her face grew darker. "Some people don't agree with me using the more traditional methods." He looked around at the cots but didn't see what his eyes most wanted to find.
"What about Korra?" He was almost afraid to ask.
"She's in a solitary room. She sustained a lot of damage. She lost massive amounts of blood."
"Where is she?"
"I don't thin-
"I said where is she!" Asami held up her hands in a placating gesture and pointed to a door right across from theirs. Mako tore out of his bed and into the room. He almost passed out from the sight. Korra was as pale as a spirit. Her clothes were so bloody that they had to be cut off her body and thrown in the garbage. Bandages were wrapped around her chest and neck. Her hair stuck to her face from dried blood and sweat. One of her hands dangled off the bed. Mako took it gently and sat down beside her. He pushed back her hair so he could see her face. It was a yellowish color from all the hits she had endured. Mako rubbed his cheek against her satiny skin.
"I failed you. For that I will never forgive myself." All the pain, guilt, and anger suddenly overwhelmed him and his body heaved. Tears slipped from his eyes and onto her bruised and bloodied hands. He stayed just like that for several minutes until he felt something rub against his face. Mako opened his eyes and stared into Korra's brilliant sapphire irises.
"You idiot," she whispered. She flashed him a weak smile.
He nodded. "I failed you." She gave him a weak slap upside the head and gave him one of her signature smirks.
"No, you idiot, I'm supposed to say that. I failed you."
"Korra, as long as you're alive, you could never fail me." She pulled his head and laid it against her chest. He listened to her heartbeat for the longest time, making sure it would not stop. Only when he was reassured that it wouldn't, did he finally close his eyes.