A/N: I'm not usually in the habit of writing fanfictions that revolve solely around OCs, but for this project it was necessary. A dozen or so authors on the KF forum came together to contribute to this project, which was started by Kataangled, who came up with the idea of benders taking the iniative to go to Amon to have their bending removed willingly. A number of writers, myself included, were interested in the idea and got involved, thus leading to the production of "The Equalist Anthology of Conversion Testimonies" which consists of over ten volumes. The cover for the Anthology was designed by the wonderfully talented seluna (Krystalin on DeviantArt) and I highly recommend checking out the amazing cover she drew for the Anthology; besides drawing this cover, she's drawn some lovely ATLA/LoK pieces that deserve to be recognized. ^^ Since the site doesn't allow links within stories, I've posted the link for seluna's art piece for this project on my profile. It was an honor to work with everyone and be inlcuded in this project, so a special thank you to Kataangled, Av, Glitch, MasterFirebender84, puenboy, guyw1tn0nam3, Light-Eco-Sage, A6, quidditchchick, Sailor_Tenchi, Snows of Yester-Year, Opaul, and seluna, without whom this project wouldn't be possible. ^-^
This particular fic is rather long, so I've split it into three parts which, hopefully, makes it easier to read. This story, along with several other volumes in the Anthology have been completed, so if anyone would like to read the others, they are available on the KF Forum to read in full and will be posted here (if possible) by the authors when completed. I really hope everyone enjoys this volume and the others that have/will be published. The authors, myself included, spent a great deal of time and put a lot of effort into this project, so I hope our efforts paid off. Enjoy! :)
Disclaimer: The Legend of Korra belongs to Mike and Bryan. And I snuck in an Abe Lincoln quote as well, so I can't take credit for that. ^^
The Equalist Anthology of Conversion Testimonies
Volume VII: Broken Dreams
"Waterbending practice again?"
Keera paused in the entryway of the house and looked up to find her twin sister poking her head out of the window of her room and smiling. A gentle breeze was ruffling Kairi's tousled brown hair and the moonlight made it gleam.
"What's it to you?" Keera demanded, smiling and sweeping a strand of her hair behind her face.
Kairi rolled her green eyes. "Just get inside before Mom and Dad find out you snuck out again."
Keera stifled a laugh and made a move for the door, but her sister stopped her.
"It's locked," Kairi informed her, dangling the key that Keera had forgotten to take with her, from her finger. "You'll have to come in the hard way."
"You could just toss me the key," Keera pointed out, laughing.
"I could," Kairi consented, grinning. "But where's the fun in that?"
Muttering under her breath, Keera hoisted herself up the old tree that stood on their tiny plot of land. An old branch extended just outside Kairi's room and as little girls, they would often sneak out of the house that way, but it had been a while since Keera had entered the house like that; she usually had a key for the front door with her. Still, the climb was relatively easy and she was standing in Kairi's room two minutes later.
"You're going to get caught one of these days," Kairi said, closing the window and turning to face her sister. Keera tucked a strand of her raven hair behind her ear and grinned.
"You know Mom and Dad never check on us. And Ling sleeps like a baby anyway," she said, referring to their younger brother.
"I don't know why you sneak out every night to play with water," Kairi teased. "Do you even get anything done?"
"It's waterbending," Keera corrected, heading for the door. "And yes, I do."
Kairi crawled into her bed and threw her blanket over her head. "Benders," she huffed. "Whatever. Good night."
"'Night," Keera whispered, making her way to her room. Thankfully, her parents weren't in the habit of checking on their kids in the middle of the night, so Keera never faced problems when she snuck out to waterbend. It seemed silly to think her parents would fall for the old pillow-under-the-bed-sheet trick, but as she slipped into her room, it was clear her parents hadn't even bothered to check on her. Everything was as it had been and Keera stifled a laugh, slipping out of her bending uniform and into her nightgown. It had been a long day, but despite how tired she was, she couldn't fall asleep. So, she sat on her bed, gazing out the window.
Republic City at night was strangely silent. This particular sector of the city hadn't seen nightlife in a good, long while, but Keera enjoyed staying up all the same. As a waterbender, it wasn't uncommon for her to spend the whole night up watching the occasional airship float past as she gazed out the window. Back home, in the South Pole, the nights were almost always still and the only sound to be heard was that of the ocean waves lapping against the shore or the cries of some far off colony of turtle-seals. But here in Republic City, there was always something going on, even if this sector was quiet. Keera sighed and moved to the window-seat, resting her forehead against the pane. She missed the South Pole and, though she'd been living in Republic City for a decade (since she was eight), she still hadn't gotten used to it. Everything was so different and she missed her friends back in the Southern Water Tribe. But since her family's relocation, she knew the possibility of going back was slim and with the secret she carried, it became even slimmer. Unconsciously sighing again, Keera dozed off, dreaming of the rolling ice plains of the South Pole and the soothing sound of the sea.
Mornings were arguably Keera's least favorite part of the day. She was up and ready by dawn and the first one out of the house for work. Her family lived in a modest little house and, though they weren't poor, they needed the money. Keera and Kairi had been working since they were fifteen and their brother Ling had started working with their father at thirteen. Neither of them, save for Ling, liked their job but they weren't about to pass up an opportunity to earn money for the family. So every morning, at the crack of dawn, the twins would leave for work. Today, however, Keera was left to walk alone. Normally, she and Kairi would walk part of the way together before going their separate ways, but Kairi had told her she was working the night shift at her job for the week, so Keera had no one to keep her company as she walked.
"At least one of us gets to sleep in," the waterbender muttered, watching a solitary bird nest upon a lamp post.
Unbeknownst to her, however, Kairi had slipped out of the house and was on her way to one of Republic City's less reputable sectors.
As a nonbender, Kairi had never appreciated bending the way Keera had, but had learned to live with it. Her mother was a waterbender, her father an earthbender, and Keera was the only bender of the three children. In spite of that, Keera had never been the favorite; if anything, their parents had doted on Kairi and their younger brother Ling the most, not that Keera had been loved any less. But Kairi had never regretted not being able to bend and had never resented her sister's ability. In fact, since their relocation to Republic City, Kairi had been helping Keera sneak out at night to practice her waterbending. But things were a little more complicated now.
It was no secret among Kairi, her family, and her close friends, that the young eighteen year old nonbender supported the Equalist movement. She and Keera had been eight year olds when they moved to the city and enrolled in one of its finest schools and right away it was evident that benders had a slight advantage over nonbenders. Being competitive by nature, Kairi had done everything she could to ensure that she was just as good a fighter as Keera and had learned several styles of martial arts as well as chi-blocking. In the school, Kairi had seen nothing of the oppression the Equalist supporters preached about (mostly because benders and nonbenders got along very well), but as she grew older, the signs became clearer. Her father, though he was a bender himself, supported the Equalist movement and though he didn't agree with their methods, often encouraged Kairi to do whatever she could to help bring equality to the city. But, it wasn't until recently that Kairi had joined an underground chapter of the movement. Her father had always said the Equalists would do better to strive for equality in less violent ways than ridding the world of benders, but Kairi thought differently. She didn't approve of all their methods either, but she did think bending was a nuisance and the world would be better off without it. At the very least, Kairi was convinced that the bending triads should've been taken out, especially since Yuan, the young firebender she had fallen in love with, had been forced to join a triad to pay off his family's debt. Things hadn't turned out well, for he had severed all ties with Kairi temporarily to keep her safe and when she next heard about him, the Equalists had robbed him of his bending and had condemned him to death, albeit unknowingly; his own triad had killed him upon discovering he was useless, so as to ensure the safety of their secrets. Since then, Kairi had been determined to help bring down the bending triads. And thus, she found herself on the outskirts of the city, stealing through the early morning darkness towards an abandoned little house.
The house was empty as it always was when Kairi entered. Making her way past the old kitchen and the sitting room, she slipped into the cellar, taking the stairs two at a time before coming to stop at the far wall. She pressed her hand against a slab of stone and the wall slid back to reveal a secret passageway and she descended into the secret room where several other members had already assembled.
"Glad you made it," a young woman said, laughing at Kairi. Her hazel eyes were twinkling and her lips were turned up in a smile. "I thought you'd miss this one."
"I almost did," Kairi admitted. "I told my parents I was running some errands for my boss, which isn't a complete lie. But I did have to lie to Keera."
The girl bristled at the waterbender's name. "So what?"
"Mei-Li, you can't keep acting like this. Keera's my sister."
"So?"
Kairi took a box from her friend and placed it on the floor. "What did she ever do to you?"
Mei-Li frowned. "It's just…"
"It's because she's a bender, isn't it?"
Mei-Li sighed and bent down to open a crate. "It's complicated," she said, narrowing her eyes and glaring at the floor.
Kairi frowned. "No, it isn't. You just don't like her because she's a bender and your brother's in love with her; you don't like her because he does."
"Chang's an idiot anyway," Mei-Li said. "I don't know what he sees in her."
"Mei-Li…"
"Look, you're either with benders or against them," she said, tucking a strand of her brown hair behind her ears and narrowing her eyes at Kairi. "You have to pick, Kairi."
"No, I don't," was Kairi's response.
Mei-Li didn't say anything and opened another crate.
"So, what exactly are these for?" Kairi wondered, holding up a giant mechanized glove.
Mei-Li shrugged and stuffed one into her bag, before handing one to Kairi to keep. "Rumor has it Amon's planning something big. The other chapters have been given all sorts of new equipment to take down benders."
"You think he'll really be able to get rid of bending?"
"Probably. I mean, these weapons are top-notch. Mr. Sato helped finance and build them, or so I'm told. Either way, with these, we can take down benders for good."
"But he won't be able to get rid of everyone's bending," Kairi objected. "I mean, there's bound to be people who resist and try to escape and stuff."
"If he can't take their bending away, he might just kill them. I don't know."
"Kill them?" Kairi repeated, incredulously. "You really think he'd do that?"
Mei-Li shrugged. "Hard to say. Who knows?"
Kairi bit her lip, her mind working furiously. She'd only seen Amon once, at an Equalist rally, and he hadn't interacted much with the various underground chapters for her to really know what he would and wouldn't do. But she sincerely hoped he wasn't the type to kill those who didn't join forces with him or resist him because she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, Keera never would. Waterbending was everything to Keera; she had even claimed once that she would choose her bending over her family ("it's complicated").
"So, what if someone would rather die than have their bending taken away?" Kairi wondered, opening another crate and handing some devices to be sorted and put away to another member.
"I told you, I really don't know," Mei-Li said. "Amon might just kill them or he might not. It's hard to say. Although, if a bender probably willingly gave up their bending…" She broke off laughing. "Listen to me. A bender willingly giving up their bending? I must be out of my mind. No bender would. It's like my parents always say: the only good bender is a dead one."
"But what if one did?" Kairi said, ignoring the last remark. "What if a bender asked to have their bending taken away? Would Amon do it?"
"Oh, he'd do it, alright," a burly man said, nodding at Kairi. "Last week, one of them power plant workers came running to Amon begging to have his bending taken away. Wouldn't say why, but he did say it was a curse and asked to have it taken away and Amon did."
"Whatever happened to the man?" Kairi wondered.
"Amon let him go. Chap couldn't find a job, so he works for the Equalists now. He's been helping Mr. Sato out with various jobs."
"Then I guess it's possible after all," Mei-Li said. "Now if only there was a bender who'd submit willingly. Wouldn't that be great?"
But Kairi wasn't paying attention. Her mind was occupied with other matters and she was in a pensive mood all day long. The thought of Amon killing those who didn't submit scared her. She knew for a fact Keera would never give up her bending, even if it cost her her family. Keera had always been a bright girl and she wasn't stupid by any means, so Kairi never understood how her sister could say such a thing. The subject had only been broached once, long ago, but she knew Keera had meant it. Having Keera willingly give up her bending would probably require nothing short of a miracle. If what Mei-Li said was true, then Amon would no doubt dispose of the waterbender. But Kairi hoped for her sister's sake, that it wouldn't come down to that. She couldn't imagine life without Keera and though she believed in the Equalist movement, she had no desire to lose her sister to its leader. If such a thing were to happen, where Amon would give orders to eliminate those who resisted him, there had to be a way to save her family. Kairi wasn't too worried about her parents; her father was already a supporter and would probably willingly give up his bending if it was a choice between life and death, and her mother hardly used her waterbending anymore. In any case, she was a docile sort of woman and easily persuaded so if the situation became a reality, she could be easily persuaded to give up her bending. Keera was the only problem, and what to do with her plagued Kairi all day long.
It was the same thought plaguing her mind as she made her way home that evening. The sky overhead was slowly changing colors and the sun was beginning to set as Kairi walked through the Park slowly, watching the people she passed. She had told her parents not to expect her home until dinner and she had some time before she had to go home yet, so she decided to walk to clear her mind. And it seemed to be working, until she stumbled across Keera and Chang in the park, sitting by one of its numerous ponds and chatting. They couldn't see her from where she was, but she could see and hear them.
"Will you come over for dinner tonight?" Chang was asking.
Kairi smiled and silently cheered. She liked Chang. He was a handsome young man, smart, funny and extremely kind. He always brought something for her whenever he visited Keera, even if was something small, like a flower, and he got along very well with the rest of their family. He had a warm personality and it was very hard to dislike him; Ling had been determined to hate him since he started spending time with Keera, but after a week, he had given up. The first time Kairi had seen Chang had been the first time Mei-Li had walked to her house; he hadn't wanted his little sister walking alone and walked with her, more for company's sake than to protect her. That was the first time he had seen Keera too and it must have been love at first sight because he'd been mesmerized by the young waterbender and it wasn't long before they'd become a couple. Keera saw him nearly every day and it wasn't long before Kairi and her younger brother placed bets as to when she'd get engaged. Kairi hoped her sister would accept the dinner invitation (and secretly wished it would be followed by a proposal from Chang), but Keera's words drove the idea out of her mind.
"I shouldn't," Keera said, sighing and tossing a pebble into the pond. It skimmed the surface of the pond before dropping in and causing ripples in the water. "Your parents…"
Kairi frowned. It was well known that Chang's parents were the old-fashioned sort; she'd heard it often enough from Mei-Li. They were an arrogant couple, both nonbenders, whose only goal was to see their children married to nonbenders so as to keep the family bloodline "pure." According to Mei-Li, they'd made a fuss when Chang had revealed his love for Keera, but hadn't stopped him from dating her. Mei-Li, however, had told her that they'd already planned an arranged marriage, something practically unheard of these days, to an Earth Kingdom girl and Kairi sincerely hoped it wasn't true. She'd already lost the love of her life, but she saw no reason Keera should too. In any case, she was hoping that Chang's parents would change their mind after they saw Keera, but it didn't seem like a meeting was going to happen.
"Don't worry about my parents," Chang said, lacing his fingers with hers. "They'll love you."
Keera just smiled wistfully. "Maybe some other time. I have to go home now though." And giving him a quick kiss, she was gone. Kairi followed her, but Keera was too lost in thought and took no notice of her until she had entered the house.
"You're back?" She asked. "I thought you were working the night shift at your job."
"Change of plans," Kairi lied. "I have a couple of days off."
"Really?" Keera asked, grinning. "So do I."
"Y-you do?"
Keera nodded. "Our manager was injured by Equalists chi blockers this afternoon. I heard he's lost his bending and he's gone to see the healers. It looks like I'm out of a job until he gets things straightened out."
"Oh."
"You wouldn't mind telling Amon to go easy on us working people, would you?" Keera joked as she slipped into her place at the dinner table.
Kairi laughed sheepishly. "I'll see what I can do. Did you see Chang today?"
An odd expression worked its way across Keera's face and her blue eyes lost their twinkle. "I did," She replied, glancing down at her food and picking at it. Kairi noticed the faintest blush on her face and said no more until after dinner when she and Keera were perched high in the branches of the old tree on their property and staring out at the darkened waters of Yue Bay. Their house wasn't all that close to the harbors, but the Bay was visible from where they sat in the tree. Miles away, the lights of Air Temple Island twinkled erratically like stars amid a sea of inky blackness and the statue of Avatar Aang towered over the Bay like a guardian of the night. Keera sighed and stared at the massive statue in the distance.
"What do you think Avatar Aang would say now, if he saw the city like this?" Keera wondered.
Kairi shrugged. "Hard to say. He probably wouldn't be too happy to see all his hard work go to waste."
Keera just hummed in reply.
"She's here you know," the waterbender said, suddenly.
"Who is?"
"Korra. Avatar Korra."
"Have you seen her?" Kairi wondered, glancing at her sister.
"Once," Keera admitted, plaiting her long hair and tossing her braid over her shoulder.
"Did she recognize you?"
"I don't think she saw me."
"Oh," was all Kairi said. They'd only met the Avatar once, a long time ago in the South Pole. They'd been sent outside to play when they'd stumbled upon the six year old Avatar. Of course, they hadn't the slightest idea who she was and she'd simply introduced herself as Korra, mentioning nothing about being the Avatar. Keera had taken it upon herself to include her in their play and they'd been having a wonderful snowball fight until the White Lotus sentries showed up and reprimanded Korra for sneaking away from the compound. Saying they had been shocked to discover her true identity was an understatement but they hadn't had much time to confront her about it, before she was led back to the training compound. That was the last the twins had seen of her.
"How are you holding up?" Keera asked, suddenly. "I know today mustn't have been an easy day for you."
Kairi's green eyes flicked to her sister and widened in surprise. "You remembered? I didn't think anyone did. I hardly remembered until you mentioned it just now; I've been trying to forget."
"Murder isn't easy to forget."
"No," Kairi agreed. "It isn't." She was silent for a while before speaking. "I miss him."
"I know you do," Keera replied, softly. "But, if it's any consolation to you, you know that he loved you." Kairi said nothing and Keera spoke again in a few minutes. "Would you have married him?"
"You mean if that waterbender hadn't killed him?" Kairi asked bitterly, remembering how the bender had hurt and suffocated Yuan in front of her before tossing his corpse to her. For a moment, her green eyes seemed to glow with hate, but then they dulled and she sighed. "In a heartbeat, if he had asked. If Yuan were still alive, I'd have done anything for him." She unconsciously sighed again. Thinking about Yuan was never easy; all she could remember was the way his amber eyes shone and the way he smiled at her as his blood stained her clothes and he whispered his last words. I love you, Kairi.
"It'd have been hard," Keera said. "Marrying a bender."
"What makes you say that?"
"The Equalists aren't exactly making it easy."
"The Equalists? What about benders? Are the benders making anything easy?"
"No."
"Then why are you blaming us?"
Keera regarded her sister with a quizzical expression. "So," she said, drawing up her knees and wrapping her arms around them. "You've chosen a side, then? You're one of them?"
"What?"
"An Equalist."
"I…guess," Kairi replied.
"A house divided cannot stand," Keera quoted, sagely.
Kairi groaned. "Not you too. Look, not everyone has to pick a side, you know?"
"They will, soon enough. The tension's already escalated."
"Keera…"
"What do you do at your secret meetings?"
Kairi shrugged. "Nothing really. Just sort stuff out and talk."
"Amon hasn't ordered you to take away anyone's bending?"
"He doesn't interact with us much. We're one of the smaller chapters."
"Oh. So…have you ever taken away someone's bending?"
"No, but I've seen people do it."
"Do you like it?" The waterbender asked, quietly.
"Like what?"
"Being an Equalist, taking a person's bending away."
"I haven't done any of that."
"But you will, eventually…right?"
"If I have to, then I will."
Keera averted her gaze. "Be careful. You don't know what you're doing."
"I can handle myself, thank you very much."
"I meant if you take a bender's bending away. It's worse to condemn them to live a life without bending than to kill them."
"What? That's not true."
"You don't understand," Keera said, looking down. "Not everyone feels the same way about losing their bending. Bending is like second nature for most benders. If you take that away, you've condemned them. Some might actually prefer to be killed than to lose their bending…like me."
Kairi inhaled sharply. "Why on earth would you…?"
"You don't understand," Keera said.
"Because you won't let me," Kairi replied, sighing. "If you'd only tell me why…"
"I can't," Keera insisted. "Trust me." She clambered down the tree without another word and headed off for the far end of the estate.
"Where are you going?" Kairi wondered.
"Waterbending practice," Keera said tiredly, hoisting herself over the wall that ran along the estate. She paused on the ledge and turned to look at Kairi, who noticed the waterbender suddenly looked a lot paler. "I'll be back soon." And with a wave, Keera jumped down and disappeared from sight.
The creek was a little ways from the house and Keera was there in no time. A gentle breeze was whispering unintelligibly and a crescent moon hung low in the night sky flecked with stars. Keera spent a few minutes watching the stars before gazing at her reflection in the water. Kneeling down by the bank, she scooped up some water and gently rubbed away the make up on her face. When she was done, the reflection of a peaky, tired girl stared back at her. She hated that she had to conceal herself with make-up, but there was no other way to hide how pale she was becoming. She couldn't afford to let her secret out now, not after she'd been keeping it for all these years, just as her mother had instructed.
"I thought I might find you out here."
All thoughts of the secret forgotten, Keera whirled around to find Chang standing behind her. His green eyes were twinkling and he was smiling as he stared at the waterbender bathed in the silver moonlight with strands of her raven black hair blowing in the wind.
"You found me," Keera said simply, smiling a little.
"I missed you," Chang admitted. "Even though I saw you a few hours ago."
Keera simply laughed as he slipped his hand into hers.
"Were you waterbending?" Chang asked, glancing at her.
Keera shook her head and tucked a strand of her hair back into her braid. "No. I was…"
She stopped before she gave too much away. For a moment, Chang didn't say anything. Suddenly, he took both her hands in his and turned her to face him.
"Are you okay, Keera? You look tired."
"Fine," she replied, dismissively. Chang looked less than convinced, but didn't press her on the subject.
"Nice night, isn't it?"
Keera nodded, wordlessly.
"Where's Kairi?"
"Home. I didn't ask her to come because I didn't think she'd be in the mood seeing as how today is…"
"The day Yuan died," Chang finished, frowning. "Oh."
Chang had only met Yuan once, but he'd liked the young firebender who, with his amber eyes, jet black hair and upbeat attitude, reminded him much of his deceased childhood friend. Yuan had moved to Republic City from the Fire Nation when he was sixteen to try out for a pro-bending team and it had been at the arena that Chang had met him. Yuan had been on his way out and Chang had just finished talking to the manager about a prospective job when they'd met. They'd exchanged pleasantries and engaged in small talk before realizing that they both knew the twins and Chang had looked forward to getting to know the young firebender better. But the next time he asked after him, Keera had revealed he'd joined a bending triad to pay off debts and been murdered after losing his bending. It wasn't something Chang liked to think about.
"Is Kairi okay?"
"She seems okay," Keera answered. "She misses him, but she's much better than last year; she was a wreck then and getting her to do anything was a chore."
"Oh. I'm so sorry," Chang said.
"I am too," Keera admitted. "I liked Yuan and he and Kairi were perfect together. I really think he was going to ask her to marry him."
"Would she have said yes?"
Keera nodded. "She told me she would have."
"Would you have said yes?"
"If Yuan asked me to marry him? What…?"
"Not Yuan, silly," he said, a ghost of a smile playing across his lips. "Me."
Keera quirked an eyebrow. "What?"
"Marry me?" He wondered, his lips ghosting over hers as he slipped a betrothal necklace into her hand. Keera's eyes widened and she stared down at the necklace reposing in her palm. The cool stone with the Water Tribe insignia seemed to burn into her hand and she quickly handed it back to Chang, turning away and crossing her arms.
"I can't," she replied hollowly, forcing back her tears.
Chang looked thunderstruck. "Why not?"
"I just can't; I can't explain. It's better this way, Chang. Trust me."
And giving him a quick kiss, she ran off in the direction of the house.
By the time she returned home, everyone had gone upstairs save for Kairi who was just getting off the phone with Mei-Li. She looked up as she heard the front door shut and gasped when she saw Keera's pale form trudging through the entryway into the sitting room.
"Keera, what on earth happened to you?" She demanded, springing out of her seat and rushing over to her sister. "Are you alright? What's wrong?"
"I'm fine," Keera sighed. "Really, I am."
"Have you seen yourself? You look like a spirit."
"Don't worry about me."
Kairi frowned, but didn't push her on the subject. "I just got off the phone with Mei-Li. Apparently, Amon has something big planned to get rid of benders. Promise me you won't sneak out at night anymore to practice waterbending?"
Keera's blue eyes widened with surprise and she looked at her sister. "What? No!"
"Keera, if the Equalists find you…"
"They won't find me," she snapped. "No one ever does."
"You don't know that."
"I've been sneaking out for the past ten years to practice."
"They'll hurt you, Keera. They'll kill you if they want."
"It wouldn't make a difference," she muttered, glaring at the floor. Kairi didn't hear her.
"I'll tell Mom and Dad if I have to," Kairi threatened. "Ever since we moved here, you've picked up all these weird habits like sneaking out to practice bending, making excuses like Mom doesn't want you to practice waterbending, and being secretive. I put up with it long enough. If you don't stop…"
Keera, if it was possible, became paler. For a split second, Kairi thought her sister might faint but Keera did nothing of the sort. Her blue eyes, once full of life but now dull, stared back at Kairi as if trying to see how far she'd really go.
"Promise me you won't sneak out," Kairi tried again.
Keera turned away. "I can't," she said, slipping up to her room. "I'm sorry."
Kairi sank back down and sighed. Keera was stubborn and once her mind was made up, there was no changing it. But Kairi was scared. Mei-Li had been so happy on the phone, rambling about how Amon's plans would bring equality in a matter of days and how the bending establishment would fall, but she knew Keera would kill herself before she gave up her waterbending. She didn't want it to come to that, but Keera's odd behavior lately had convinced her that her sister would actually do it, rather than lose her bending.
"That girl is going to kill herself one of these days," Kairi muttered, turning off the lamps and heading up to her room. She stopped at the closed door of Keera's room and was mildly surprised to hear the muffled sounds of crying. She knocked on the door and heard shuffling on the other side, before Keera opened it.
"Are you okay?" Kairi asked again, stepping into her sister's room and closing the door behind her so no one else would overhear.
"Stop asking. I'm fine."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Kairi didn't look convinced. "I know you're lying."
"So?"
Kairi didn't say anything, but changed the subject instead. "So, um… Mei-Li told me something."
"What?" Keera asked dully, sitting on her bed and drawing her knees up. Kairi sat down on the window seat and absently twirled a strand of her hair.
"She said Chang snuck out of the house to see you."
Keera nodded. Kairi beamed and went to take a seat by her.
"So," she said, smiling at the waterbender. "Let me see it."
"See what?" Keera asked, taken aback.
"Your betrothal necklace, silly. Chang did propose to you, didn't he? I mean, he must have by now."
"W-what?" Keera stammered, blushing. "He did not.""
"Liar," Kairi laughed. "He did. I know he did."
"He…might have," Keera admitted, shifting her gaze to the floor.
"Can I see your betrothal necklace?" Kairi pleaded.
Keera simply turned away and hung her head.
"You turned him down?" Kairi gasped. "Keera…"
"It's better this way," the waterbender said.
"Why? How?"
"Chang's parents would never accept me, for one thing and…"
"Is that why you turned him down?" Kairi wondered. "Because his parents don't like benders?"
"No, that's not…"
"Forget it." Kairi stood up and made her way to the door, pausing in the entryway. "I really hope you think about what you're doing, Keera." And with a sigh and a shake of her head, she was out the door.
Keera slept fitfully that night, but Kairi hardly slept at all. She was awake, and spent the majority of the night listening to her sister's muffled sobs across the hall. Something had to be done; of that, Kairi was certain. But the question was, what could she do? The Equalist movement would soon crack down on benders and there was a good chance Keera could join the ranks of benders who lost their lives to the movement, if the rumor Mei-Li had told her about Amon killing those who didn't comply was true. But Kairi couldn't- wouldn't- let that happen. And then there was the proposal. Why Keera had turned down Chang's proposal was beyond her, but it seemed like Keera was afraid of Chang's parents not accepting her. It was well known they had no intentions of having either Chang or Mei-Li marry a bender, but it wasn't like Keera, who was normally unaffected by that sort of thing, to suddenly be worried about it. So Kairi spent the night up staring up at her ceiling and pondering until dawn. As soon as the first ray of sunshine spilled past the horizon, Kairi got dressed and snuck out of her room and made her way to the den, quietly dialing a number on the telephone.
A sleepy voice answered. "Hello?"
"It's Kairi," she whispered. "I need your help."
"With what?"
"Keera."
"What about her?"
"I think I figured out a way to help her."
"What're you going to do?"
"I was thinking of taking her to meet the boss so he can do what…he does."
The voice on the other end perked up. "Oh, are you really going to do it?"
Kairi hummed in affirmation. "I am. It's the only thing I can do to help her."
"You sure about this? A lot could go wrong; I mean, this is Keera we're talking about."
"Trust me. I have everything covered."
"If you're sure," the voice on the other end replied. "See you in a bit then."
"Thanks," Kairi said, gratefully. "I owe you."
The line on the other end went dead and Kairi hung up. Casting a quick glance at her surroundings, she slipped out of the house and into the backyard. Behind the house, hidden deep within the giant rose bushes her mother had planted, was a metallic glove infused with a small device that was capable to rendering a bender unconscious, long enough for their bending to be taken away. Since she had taken one from the last meeting she had attended, she had spent a lot of time pondering just how it would come in handy, but her late night musings had given her an idea.
"Kairi? What're you doing?"
Kairi spun around to find Keera standing behind her, with a puzzled expression on her face. She was fiddling with the end of her plait and her bare feet were wiggling in the damp grass. She looked years older suddenly and something seemed off about her, but Kairi couldn't put her finger on it. But she dismissed the thought from her mind and answered her sister.
"Nothing," She replied, quickly. Keera raised an eyebrow. "What're you doing?"
"I saw you sneak out of the house," Keera replied.
"I wasn't sneaking out," her sister lied. "I just couldn't sleep, so I came out here."
"And what were you planning on doing?" Keera wondered, smiling.
"I don't know. But now that you're awake, would you like to spar with me?"
"I'm not awake," Keera corrected. "And it's too early to spar for me. Waterbender, remember? I like the night best."
Kairi rolled her eyes. "Come on," she pleaded. "It'll be fun."
Keera sighed. "Alright. But if I'm too sleepy to be a good sparring partner, don't say I didn't warn you."
Kairi simply laughed and took a stance, her sister following suit. She hated that she was using Keera's drowsiness to her advantage, but she consoled herself with the thought that what she was doing would help Keera and that it was for Keera's own good.
"How long are we going to have to spar?" Keera wondered, ducking as Kairi tried to hit her pressure points.
Kairi shrugged and jumped out of the way as Keera's water whip hurtled towards her.
"It's way too early," Keera said, yawning and failing to move as Kairi hit her. Her water whip fell to the ground and she shot a playful glare at her sister. "No fair! How am I supposed to spar with you if you keep using your chi-blocking?"
"Oh, like you're helpless without your bending," Kairi retorted, laughing.
Keera grinned, dodging Kairi's blows and sending her sister reeling backwards into the rose bush with a simple waterbending move.
Looks like Sifu Katara was right, Keera thought, smiling to herself. The basics do come in handy.
"Not bad," Kairi said, brushing some leaves off her and grinning at her sister. Keera took a step back when she noticed a strange metallic object on Kairi's arm.
"What is that?" She asked, warily. "And where did you get it?"
Kairi simply held it up. "New equipment we get to try out."
"What does it do?" Keera demanded.
"Enhances our chi-blocking and lets us undo it," Kairi lied.
"Really?"
Kairi nodded. "Look." Without warning, she hit Keera, effectively blocking her chi paths. "Now try and waterbend."
Keera did as she was told, but was unable to summon water from the air. Her hands moved, but no water came.
"Wow," Keera said. "Looks like it really does work. Now can you undo it? I'd really like to be able to waterbend."
Kairi looked down at the contraption and then back up at Keera, a strange expression on her face.
"I can't."
"What do you mean you can't?" The waterbender demanded, taking a step back.
"I…can't," Kairi said, unable to meet her sister's gaze.
Keera blinked and took another step back. She knew her sister was up to something the minute she saw her sneak out. She just never figured it would be this. But, Kairi was standing before her with a small, sad, yet oddly sinister smile and there was no mistaking her intentions. How had it come to this?
"I'm really sorry," Kairi whispered. Keera gaped as she saw the glowing blue orb in the center pulse and before she had time to react, she felt a sharp pain lance through her. The ground rose up to meet her and Kairi flinched as Keera's form crumpled to the ground. The last thing Keera saw was Kairi's worried expression and the last thing she heard was Kairi's stammered apology before she slipped into unconsciousness.
Thanks for reading! I'll have the next part up soon. :)
~Cassidy Alice