Title: First Time
Summary: Ruka leaves the house for a while to calm down, but instead finds herself falling for pro-bending.
I should really be updating and working on my Kuro fics, but I borrowed a friend's LOK OC to do this. She enjoyed it, so I decided to share. We both spend the entire time Korra's on chattering away to each other on the phone. Drives my dad and her roomies crazy! Well, hope you guys enjoy this little quickie oneshot. First time dabbling in LOK fics, and even ATLA to be honest.
The toe of Ruka's boot kicked at a pebble as she walked along the nearly empty streets of Republic City. Her gaze was only on that little pebble as the small stone bounced in front of her as she walked. She wasn't trying to keep it in front of her. It just happened to stay there until it gave up and bounced in the middle of the street.
With the pebble gone she stopped to think of what to do. She could head to the park. With the pro-bending tournament going on, it was bound to be empty. Everyone the teenager knew would be watching with excitement, waiting to find out the victor of the tournament. Her father often left the radio on to listen to the matches, but to her it was background noise as she, the unofficial 'second mother' to her five siblings, helped take care of them.
Her parents, and her five siblings, were the reason she found herself wandering around with no one to talk to, no company but a small rock, and endless thoughts racing through her head. She was growing tired of it. Her parents expected her, as the oldest, to watch out for her brothers and sisters as they worked to support the family. Ruka wanted time to herself, to be the teenager she was.
Lost in thought, she did not realize she had walked to the pro-bending arena until the roar of the crowd stopped her in mid-step. She turned to the arena, her blue eyes curious. If anything, the tournament could take her mind off being the responsible one of the bunch for a while.
She stepped inside the arena, sure she would find the event sold out and be sent on her way. There was no indication that the arena was a full house, but just from what she could see in the doorway, it was packed. She looked around for someone selling tickets but spotted no one. Surely no one would mind if Ruka took a peek. She would pay as soon as she found someone in charge.
Ruka felt her mouth drop open in awe. The crowd itself was enough to take her breath away. Many people were on their feet, cheering and screaming for their favorite team. On the playing field, one team was left with a firebender and a waterbender while the other team had all three members left. Ruka watched as the firebender for the whole team was sent over the edge of the playing field and into the water below. The entire thing made little sense to her, someone who knew nothing about the sport, but she was mesmerized. Ruka found herself wanting to cheer as the Kolau Komodo Rhinos were announced the winners, even though she wasn't sure how they won in the first place.
She sighed softly as the announcer called for the next teams. She was so engrossed that Ruka did not hear the footsteps approaching her.
"I know that face, don't you boys?"
Ruka jumped in surprise, then turned around, ready to defend herself to anyone who could possibly throw her out of the arena. Instead she found herself facing a pro-bending team clad in shades of black and grey. The waterbender walked over to her and correctly said, "This is your first time watching a match, isn't it?"
"Yes," she admitted softly. She looked from him to his teammates, then back again. He was clearly the leader of the team, the other two benders seemed to be waiting for him to lead them out onto the field. "How could you tell?" she asked before she could stop herself.
He cupped her chin in his gloved hand and smiled at her. Ruka, to her displeasure, found herself blushing as she looked directly at his pale face, framed by dark, wavy hair. Ignoring her question, he said, "There's only one thing you need to know about pro-bending. That would be keep your eyes on me." He winked before releasing her chin and leading his teammates out to a mixture of cheers and boos.
Ruka found herself peering through the door again, this time watching the White Falls Wolfbats dominate the Ba Sing Se Badgermoles. She smiled to herself, her cheeks still red. She felt somewhat ashamed, for now she realized that the sport, and the players, were worth more attention than she had ever given it. After that first match, Ruka made sure she never missed another.