Avatar Mimi: Darkness and Light

(Title is a placeholder)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Friendship/Dark, maybe some Romance

Summary: AU. Police officer Mako pulls a broken girl out of a rundown apartment in Republic City. 16 year old Mimi has been isolated her whole life and her bending suppressed by her parents, but now she's discovered to be the long-lost Avatar. TW: abuse, depression, suicide

Notes: Takes place in Republic City 70 years after the events of ATLA. Korra, Mako, Bolin, and Asami are three years older than they are in the original Legend of Korra. In this story, Mimi is the avatar instead of Korra and the Equalist Movement is on the rise. All of the love drama that happened in the original series happened here, and in this story Korra and Asami have already confessed their feelings to each other and started dating.

I only watched the first two episodes of season 2 and missed an episode here and there in seasons 3 and 4 so please bear with me! I'm trying to be as in character as I can! Also I never write romance so let me know if anything is super off...the only pairing confirmed right now is Asami/Korra right now anyway. Maaaybe will do Mako/OC? (Let me know after chapter 2 if that sounds like a good idea...)

This first chapter might be weird because I wrote it in first person POV and then changed it to third person, but I hope it turned out okay...I wrote this story on a whim so I'm still figuring a lot of things out.

Please let me know what you think and I hope you enjoy the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Korra or the ATLA Universe. Also that song that Mimi sings is from Shadow the Hedgehog, Chosen One. I don't own that either!

[Mimi's thoughts are in italics only in chapter 1, not in the prologue.]

Prologue

"Mimi, take this to your mother." Mimi's father placed a mug onto the discolored kitchen counter that no amount of cleaning would ever fix. The five year old girl climbed onto a stool to reach the mug, and carefully stepped off after she secured it. Making sure not to spill even a drop, she stepped through the corridor towards her parent's room in the small apartment.

She didn't want to disappoint them. Not again. She didn't want to leave this family like the others. She didn't want them to throw her away. Even though she was only five, she could read the glances that the adults who took her in always made. Sometimes she'd even hear it.

Such a dumb child.

Such a clumsy child.

She took one more step, but the mug accidentally shook a little bit. She gasped as the liquid inside splashed outside.

Shedidn'twanttodisappointthemshedidn'twanttodisappointthemshedidn'twanttodisappointthem-

Without thinking about it, she moved the mug to her left hand and clenched her right hand into a fist, imagining her new parents screaming at her when they found out that some of the tea fell on the floor. But before her eyes, the small amount of liquid stopped midair.

In wonder, she moved her hand and focused her eyes on the tan liquid. The liquid moved up as she moved her hand up, and she waved it in a half circle movement so that it swirled back towards the cup, and joined the rest of the tea.

A visible sigh later, and a small smile to herself that she fixed the problem all by herself, she took a step forward and looked up again. To see her mother in front of her with a look of shock and disgust on her face.

Her mother raised her hand, and in a deliberate motion slapped the girl as hard as she could. The mug crashed to the floor, breaking into pieces. The tea that Mimi tried so hard to save seeped into the wood.

She could see the look of pure disappointment and regret about adopting her on her mother's face through her blurred tearful vision.

And later, she could make out muffled raised voices while she was locked in her room. They were fighting about her. They were fighting because of her.

...Why couldn't she ever do anything right?

She would change...She would be everything they wanted her to be. So they wouldn't give her away, she'd be perfect.

Chapter One:

The room was quiet. Mimi's mother and father haven't visited for hours. It's been longer and longer in between visits these days. From her spot on the cold metal floor, all she could see through the metal bars was the wooden bedroom door. It's been a long time since she could go through it whenever she wanted to. Mimi wondered what her reflection looked like now.. She wondered when the next time her mother would come for a singing lesson. Those lessons were the only time she was allowed out of the cage.

I want to be normal. I want to be normal so that I can make them proud of me. I don't want to scare them. I don't want them to think I'm a monster.

She didn't know what bending was, but her parents were convinced that she could do it. Her father once told her that they are very sad because a bender killed someone they loved very much. Mimi was sure it was the girl they had pictures of in the livingroom. The pictures have been there longer than her. The girl was really pretty. She had long straight black hair that looked just like Mimi's mother and she looked very pale just like her, too.

Mimi didn't look anything like her parents. Her hair was brown and wavy, and her skin was darker than theirs, a light shade of brown.

I wonder when they'll come again.

I'm so lonely here.

And it's so cold.

The curtains were drawn. She wasn't able to tell if it was day or night anymore. She used to be able to distinguish the difference, but now it always looked dark.

Mimi started to shiver and outstretched the palm of her hand. A flame sprung forth from it, and she curled her legs and kept it close to warm herself. It was a very small flame, like that of a match. She used to to be able to make it as big as a campfire, but she felt weaker and weaker everyday.

The bedroom door squeaked open, and her mother appeared. "It's time for your singing lessons, darling-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Even though Mimi was tired, the scream terrified her. She tensed up and kept repeating the word 'no.' He mother left the room for a moment and then returned, and the next thing the girl heard was the familiar sound of the key turning when the cage door opens. Her arm was grabbed painfully, and Mimi cringed as the flame disappeared. She missed the warmth.

I deserve it. I'm not being a good daughter. I'm supposed to love her but she scares me. Father scares me too. I'm so glad he's at work right now.

Tears were falling down her face again. She wondered at the the sensation. Since everyday was exactly the same, how was she able to always cry about it? She was sick of crying.

"Come on, darling," said her mother impatiently, dabbing at her daughter's eyes with a handkerchief. Mimi was seated on a wooden stool in the livingroom wearing a red velvet dress that her mother had assisted her with. She needed help to put it on because her legs were in so much pain that it was difficult to move them. Her mother held up a mirror in front of Mimi's face to show her the result.

Her wavy brown hair was tied neatly into a bun, and her mother styled it with an elaborate rose hairpiece. She sniffled as she looked at the mirror, brown eyes blinked back tears.

It didn't look pretty. The red color of the dress reminded her of the blood it was hiding. She breathed hard, even though she know her mother would get annoyed. Her hands and feet were tied with rope so she couldn't do any bending.

It hurts.

Everything hurts.

"You look beautiful, just like a star. So act like it." Then, under her breath, she continued, "Lilly never gave me this much trouble." Mimi never met Lilly, but she knew it must have been the girl in the pictures that her parents lost. "Now start from the top!"

She tried her best to sing, but it was never as good as her mother wanted it to be. She wished this Lilly was here, doing her own lessons, going for her own dreams. But then she wouldn't have her mother, or father, or anyone.

Her singing sounded just like screams to her, repeating over and over, sounding more raspy every time. Her voice wasn't that loud, so she had to keep repeating every verse until her mother was pleased with the sound.

Finally, back behind the metal bars, she wondered what her dream was. She swirled her arms to make the drinking water from the bowl move and started singing in a low voice, so no one could hear. 'Wish I may, wish I might, be someone else tonight. Sometimes I wish I was never born at all.'

She let the water bubble she created float in the air, before it popped, and heard her voice sing back at her.

And then she felt guilty. That bubble trick made her feel better, to let her thoughts out somehow, but it was what her parents hated. She was locked up right now because they wanted her to forget bending, not learn how to do it more.

Why can't I listen?

Why am I such a bad daughter?

Their visits were rare now, but each one had become worse than the last. Her legs never recovered fully. She had become used to seeing smeared red all over her body.

What difference would it make...if everything was over?

If maybe the next time her father hit her, she blacked out and never woke up again.

I wish I wasn't here.

I wish I wasn't alive.

She barely had the strength to sip from her water bowl.

I'm such a failure of a daughter.

I should just die. It would be easier for me. It would be easier for them.

She could barely make a flame anymore.

She used to have dreams of a man with blue tattoos over his body and a shaved head teaching her movements and stances. It was because of him that she learned how to make a flame, and because of him she could make a breeze and move water around. The dreams were always short but now they didn't appear anymore at all. Seeing him used to make her feel peaceful. Now she was even more scared, alone, and weaker than ever, and even something her mind made up to make her feel better had left..

She wondered if her parents came to see her when they were having a bad day. Maybe they hoped every single day that she was not a monster bender anymore, but every single time they were disappointed.

She heard the door opening. With all her strength, she pushed her body up against the metal bars behind her so that she could sit up. This time, both her parents came inside the room. Her mother smiled at her, but it didn't reach her eyes.

It was dark and Mimi could only see them from the light in the hallway. Her mother's eyes looked blood red to her, but it was probably because she saw that color in everything now.

A crushing fear rushed through her. She didn't want them to hurt her.

I don't want them to hurt me. I want to die. I don't want them to hurt me.

I want to die. I want to die. I want to die-

I don't want them to hurt me-

The key in the lock turned, and the cage door opened. Her mother reached for her. Suddenly, a vision of the man with the blue tattoos flashed in the girl's mind and she felt a strong urge not to let her parents hurt her. She screamed a protest in the loudest voice she had ever screamed in her whole life and tried her best to do a stance that would make a gust of air to push her mother back.

Her mother's face twisted and became scarier than she had ever seen it. "That's it! That's it!" she screamed. Mimi felt a sharp pain from the back of her head. Her mother dragged her by the hair to the kitchen, with her father close behind. "I've had it with you!" She was crying now, just like Mimi was.

Her mother reached into the kitchen drawer and let go of her daughter's hair. Without the support, Mimi fell onto the floor.

After searching through the utensils, her mother picked up a kitchen knife. Mimi's vision blurred. "NONONONONONO" she screamed, but was slapped with the blunt edge of the knife. Searing pain ran through her head.

"SHUT UP! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" Mimi heard her screaming and then saw her looking at her husband. "It was a mistake. We never should have adopted her. How-how could we harbor a bender? A monster?"

"Stella..." Her father closed his hand over her mother's free one.

Maybe he will stop her. Maybe Father still loves me.

"A bender killed our Lilly. What-what were we thinking,Chen? A bender can never be family." She laughed and it sounded scary, twisted. Mimi's vision was blurry and she struggled to maintain consciousness. "But I found a way to fix it. If we chop her arms and legs off, she can't bend anymore. Then she can finally be the daughter Lilly can be. Then we can love her."

No. She can't. NO. NO NO NO NONO.

"No, Stella." He shook head. Please stop her, Father. She's crazy. Please don't let her hurt me. "If we do that, how will she become a performer? Who will see her if she has no arms and legs?"

Her heart dropped again. Her father didn't care, either.

Her mother's eyes sparkle, the way it always did when she had an idea. "That's fine. She'll just make records and we can sell them. The records are popular with folks these days."

"Yes, that's true honey. You take the arms, I'll do the legs."

"It won't take long, Mimi, hold still now," said her mother.

"NO!" Mimi screamed loudly as the knife touched her skin, and then her mind went totally blank.