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Book One

REVOLUTION

Chapter I

DREAMS OF TOMORROW

"Only justice will bring peace"

Avatar Kyoshi


...

It was a regular, good old night in Republic City, the metropolis that had become a symbol of hope to the world. A symbol that a conflict like the One-Hundred Year War could never happen again. Avatar Aang had used up his entire life cycle to make that dream a reality.

Sadly though, when his untimely death became public knowledge, things changed for the worst. There was an almost instant transformation in the climate and it was not one related to he weather, sadly so for all who suffered because of it.

Simply put, his death offered opportunities for the wicked and the corrupt. After all, the Avatar would most likely be absent for at least fifteen to twenty years, depending on how fast the new one could be found and trained to serve his or her duty to the world. They exploited this opportunity to the fullest.

Not too soon after Aang had been laid to rest a different atmosphere came to be between the two most prominent groups of people living in the new multicultural haven of peace that had been the late Avatar's greatest life achievement.

There was the minority group in the benders and on the other side were the numerically superior group, the non-benders. It's easy to see which of the two would most likely become the dominant side. In history nonbenders had always been on the receiving end of abuse. A bender has abilities that make the average non-bender submissive by nature. You just can't compete with a dude who spits fire from his fists, chucks gallons of waters at you, or can make the ground you stand on tremble.

In history usually most other benders had been faced with the same problems and there was a sort of balance in the divide between the rich and poor. Republic City was supposed to be a sanctuary where there was equal opportunity for all, no matter if they were benders or not.

Sadly for Aang's vision for the city, even before he passed away, there had been signs that not everything was well within that ancient divide. The balance of power and money tilted more heavily towards one scale of the population, and when he was taken from the world, it got really out of hand. In the following years it only caused small and insignificant frictions, but in recent years it had become more clear than ever before to the non-benders who had the real opportunities in Republic City, and it certainly wasn't them. Eyes were opening slowly.

A movement came to exist which advocated equal rights for non-benders, claiming that if the bender leadership of the city, the representatives of the four nations, who all happened to be benders, by the way, did not change their approach, then it was the task and duty of every non-bender to seize equality for themselves, by force if need be.

It was the birth of the Equalist movement.

Non-benders had never been taken seriously enough anymore after Sokka to have a representative on the leading council, so why should they owe any allegiance to the powermongering benders who only seemed to be serving the interest of their respective nations?

History had it's nonbender icons sure, but they were few and far between nonexistent. Usually their stories were still overshadowed by the benders who fought beside them.

It was time for a new generation to take charge, one that didn't look at themselves as too weak to take on the powerful. The age of bending had to come to an end if there was to be any chance for a better life. A mountainous task, sure, but not impossible due to the ever increasing technological advancements of society that could elevate a non-bender to be as powerful as a bender.

The Equalist movement stated clearly towards all who wanted to hear them out that it considered the four elements to be a power far too dangerous to leave into the hands of humans, declaring it to be unnatural and too dangerous. It had no place anymore in a civilized society anymore.

That fortunate night in Republic City would mark the official start of that new area. After days, months, years of planning... it was finally time to kick-start a revolution unseen in recorded history. No more soothing words, only hard and steadfast action could save the non-bender community from oppression and non-representation. The world of bending would be forced to face these changes or be destroyed along with them.

...

Manager POV

The manager of the football team stood on the sidelines of he pitch, his right hand covering his mouth as he tried to come up with the solution to win the game he was coaching. He caressed his stubble in deep thought as he watched the ball being passed around between his central defenders.

The two substitutions he had made so far hadn't delivered the hoped improvements, none of them had made the impact he wanted them to make. It was infuriating to be so poor, and at a home game at that too.

The opposing side had been keeping his team on the home team's side of the pitch for most of the match, pressing them firmly up against their goal, crossing in one ball after the other to their long players, hoping for decent heading chances.

Not even a good scolding from him during half-time had inspired anyone to do better and to try to take back the initiative. His players looked real lacklustre out there, as if they were missing their sparkplug. It seemed like there was only one way the greatest amateur football club of Republic City was walking away from the pitch that night with a victory, and that was by bringing on the best player of the team, a winger by the name of Rokoyu Fire.

RC Dragon Flats relied heavily on his creativity. Too heavily for his taste, but what else could be done?

As the opposing side recovered the ball and passed the ball around between their fullbacks, the manager turned around and slowly walked past his lads sitting on the bench, coming to a stop near the last figure.

A young man sat slumped in his comfy dug-out seat, keeping his unfocused eyes only half on the game, snuggled deeply in his thick raincoat with the hood over his head. It wasn't as if the manager hadn't noticed the complete disregard for the game this young player had displayed, but again, what could be done about that? If he wasn't playing, Rokoyu was a sore sight for eyes.

He was in his late teens, closing in on that magical age of twenty years old. You wouldn't really make much of him, bit on the skinny side, not too much muscle, but boy was he fast and strong when he needed to be. Not forgetting that magical right foot that could sweep in a free kick with such a nice curve it made any football fan squeal in joy.

"Fire!" the manager cried out, kicking softly against Rokoyu's left boot.

Rokoyu's eyes perched up and he pulled back his hood, that same uninterested look still etched on his face. Their eyes met and the shared looks confirmed the animosity between the two once more.

When they got along, the team could achieve great things, but when they were in disagreement about something, it usually affect the entire team. The true Achilles heel of RC Dragon Flats.

"Yeah? What can I do for you today, coach?" Rokoyu murmured with a monotone voice

"Let me make this very clear. You may be one of the best players on this team, and right now..." the coach scowled at him as he swallowed his pride. "... I might really need your handy work, but this concession on my part will not give you the right to show up late for practice almost every bloody time. This has been a formal warning, Rokoyu. Keep up your disrespectful behaviour towards me and I'll bench you again the next game, permanently that time. You're a grown up now for spirit's sake. This isn't the under sixteen category anymore!"

Rokoyu shrugged his shoulders. "I'll take your valuable life advice into consideration, coach."

"Good to hear, now lift your bony ass up and get out there. Win me this game Rokoyu. Do whatever you want with the team tactics and formation."

Rokoyu just stared at him, his amber eyes not wavering away from the manager. A deep sigh erupted from the already irritated man. Why did things always have to be so damn difficult with this lad? Couldnt he just listen to him for once without being a hardass about it? Rokoyu obviously wanted to hear the magic words and wasn't going to do anything for the manager as long as he didn't hear them.

"Please Rokoyu..." the manager grinned his teeth and walked back embarrassed to his place near the side line "... you'll substitute Yang on the left wing. He's out of breath."

...

Rokoyu POV

A smirk grew on Rokoyu's lips. It was his show now, and boy, did he like to set the stadium on fire if he could help it. Not literary of course.

"That's more like it coach. So yes, I'll substitute Yang for you." He said as he got up from his seat and removed the raincoat and jogging suit he wore over his game kit. He scratched his stubble, pretending he had all the time in the world and shambled towards the edge of the dug-out, not lifting his feet.

He tapped the board guy on the shoulder that he was going to come into the game and the fourth ref checked the studs under his boots, clearing him for the game. The board guy wrote down both player's numbers as per instruction from the manager and waited for the game to be put on hold to announce the switch.

The eight thousand strong crowd that had shown up for the game noticed Rokoyu was coming on and started chanting his shirt number:

"Forty-four! Forty-four! Forty-four!"

He loved it when the crowd did that for him, made him feel really appreciated and loved. He looked over his shoulder at the main grandstand of the modest football ground and spotted the two faces he was looking for. His sister and uncle both nodded enthusiastically and started chanting and singing along with the rest of the crowd. That smirk grew even larger now.

He was going to show those Sporting Xiang players what he was all about.

When a foul was committed against a Xiang player the referee halted the game. One of the assistant referees held up his flag and indicated a substitution was requested by the home team. The main referee held his hand out towards the dug-out and allowed it to happen. The board guy held his sign up high and showed it around. Yang acknowledged his playtime was over and started clapping towards the crowd as he slogged from the pitch, thanking them for the support. The stadium announcer came through the public address system as well for final confirmation.

"Substitution in the eighty first minute for your RC Dragon Flats, Number forty-four, Team captain Rokoyu Fire will replace number nine, Yang."

Yang arrived at the dug-out and gave Rokoyu a high five. "They've been pushing us around the whole game." He breathed heavily. "Please, make it stop."

"No problem, you know me. You played well Yang. Get some well deserved rest buddy."

As another reserve handed Yang a bottle of cold water Rokoyu tapped him one final time on the shoulder and jogged onto the pitch with the roar of the crowd urging him on. Akira, the striker of the team, met him halfway towards their own penalty box and offered him the captain's armband.

"It's yours Rokoyu, you know that." Akira remarked and smiled as he pulled it around Rokoyu's upper-arm, flicking the Velcro clasp in place.

The other players also found their way to him as he gathered them near their goal.

"What's it going to be skipper?" Tong, the goalkeeper asked.

"All right guys listen up, we're going to change things up around here. We're ditching the 4-4-2 in favour of a 5-3-2, got it?"

Kazuki, a central defensive midfielder furrowed his brows. "I thought the coach brought you on to play more offensively? Now you want to play with five at the back? Odd choice if you ask me."

"He gave me free roam in terms of formation and tactics." Rokoyu smiled broadly. "And that is also exactly what the opponent thinks we'll be doing. They believe with me in the game that we'll try and press high up on the pitch, but we are going to think outside of the box here, so listen up." he had a brief look over his shoulder at the opposition. "Kazuki, you'll drop back from midfield and take up position in between the two central defenders as a sweeper. Souma, Souta and Sota. You fine gents will be playing left, central and right midfield respectively. I'll join Akira up front as a second striker on the left hand side."

Everyone stared at him with distrust. They were very obviously not sold on the idea. Surely them must have seen his intent by now.

"Guys..." Rokoyu mumbled dismayed. "I've been a player for this team since the under eight category. Have you ever known me to be an idiot when it comes to football tactics?"

Tong shook his head. "He's right, come one guys! Let's just give it a shot. If it doesn't work the defensive work will at least help us keep a point before the home crowd."

Everyone nodded and the huddle broke apart. They moved towards their designated spots and the new formation took form. The referee blew his whistle and the game was launched again. The opposing team took their free kick and whipped the ball into the box, but found no player to head it in.

The Dragons had much more control over the game from then on, with five players playing at the back the other team was faced with a well organised defence that barely left any space to move into. However winning the ball back didn't seem easy for the Dragons either, and because of that they suffered loss of possession almost every time they narrowly touched the ball. As such the barrage of crosses and corners kept them firmly hanging on their side of the field.

It was what Rokoyu had expected. It would only take one good tackle and loss of possession for Xiang and he was going to go onto the counter like it was his last one ever. His legs were super fresh compared to those Xiang players, who had been hammering into their defence all night long. He was sure none of them had enough left in the tank to hold onto him once he got launched.

The game went on for a while and the draw looked like it would be the ultimate conclusion when the announcer made it clear something needed to happen fast or else it would end in a nil-nil draw.

"Extra time for tonight's match, two minutes."

As if on cue, just as a Xiang players tried to pass the ball off to another player Kazuki went in for a bold tackle and succeeded in talking the player down, having touched the ball first made it a legal move. It rolled right into the feet of Souta who quickly passed it through to his brother Souma. Every dragon player realized it was now or never. All midfielders charged forward with Rokoyu and Akira leading the pack, finding only the two central defenders before them. Those two turned way too slow on their axle as Souma passed the sweetest through ball between the massive gap they left. Rokoyu and Akira ran past the defenders into a sea of open space as if those guys were standing still.

Immediately the crowd oohed in surprise, erupting in a cheer for the break-out opportunity that could make or break the game.

Akira picked up the ball and went to the right, Rokoyu took the left side. The crowd went mad as they watched the first realistic chance for their team open up before their very eyes. The Xiang keeper however wasn't fazed and stayed nicely on his line in the middle of the goal, his eyes darting from left to right from Akira back to Rokoyu.

Suddenly Akira yelped as he misstepped and sprained his ankle. His last action before he slumped to the ground was to tip the ball towards Rokoyu with the last of his strength, who gratefully took the ball on his left foot and continued the charge, entering the Penalty area.

Now it was just him and this ruddy keeper who happened to be no slouch either. The guy was thirty-one years old and boasted over twenty years of experience. You couldn't possibly fool him even if you tried. Any other keeper would have come out of his goal to close the distance and make the shot angle more difficult, but not this one. He stayed on his line and was ready for a cat-like save. His speciality.

Rokoyu quickly cut back to his right foot in an effort to try and put him off, but the keeper only twitched ever so slightly to the right. Rokoyu grabbed that miniscule chance and switched again, kicking the ball to the left with as much finesse as his worst foot allowed him. The ball at first seemed to go nowhere but suddenly it curled back down right towards the top left corner of the goal. The entire stadium held its breath as they watched the ball go. No way this was going to go wrong now, surely that had won it?

Out of nowhere however the goalkeeper made up for his small mistake and reached as far as he could with his long arms. He tipped the leather high up into the air.

Saves like that really were his speciality.

The crowd gasped in disappointment, but not Rokoyu. His eyes were still on the ball which was accidently rebounding right back down to where he happend to be standing. The central defenders had almost caught up with him and the goalkeeper had fallen to the ground after stretching himself out that far. If Rokoyu didn't take this gold opportunity he would lose face in the entire neighbourhood.

He jumped up as high as he could with his long legs and headed the ball right into the back of the goal with force.

Immediately he took off like the wind for the main grandstand behind the goal, which hosted the standing area for the hardcore supporters of the club. They named it the spion kop for a reason.

He jumped up onto the billboards and pumped his fists furiously into the air as a massive roar erupted from the stands all around the pitch. His teammates joined him and threw themselves at him standing behind him.

Goalkeeper Tong also arrived with a limping Akira, who supported himself on the tall goalkeeper.

Rokoyu held out his hand towards his striker and helped him up onto the billboards, raising Akira's arm high into the air as a thanks for that wonderful pass. The spectators went even more nuts and the cups of beer they had been holding were sent flying through the air.

Behind them the referee looked at his pocket watch and decided those two extra-time minutes were long gone and blew his whistle, signalling the end of the match. But that definitely did not end the party these fans were no doubt going to throw in celebration of a sensational victory.

...

About an hour later Rokoyu sat in a packed diner not too far away from the stadium grounds, his jet-black hair still glistening from that refreshing shower he took after being laurelled with beer by those insane fans.

He sat next to the window on his own while his sister and uncle sat across from him. Outside the people still waved at him as they spotted him sitting in the diner. The smell of three bowls of some of the finest noodles filling his nostrils.

Football was a pretty big thing amongst nonbenders. It was the only sport they could realistically do without having to master one of the elements. As such major interest from the general population limited itself to the group that played it.

The league was officially organised by a governing body, financed with city funds and only sixteen teams were a part of it. Fourteen from the boroughs of Republic City, and two from the great city of Yu Dao down south. It was still dwarfed by pro-bending however, a sport sadly admired by benders and nonbenders alike.

Inside the diner there was a lot of ruckus as young and old enjoyed a meal or drink to celebrate the win. Most were respectful enough and left Rokoyu and his family alone. They knew a person had his privacy on the outside of the stadium and they respected that. It was the nonbender way of doing things. Humility before self-gain.

Besides, the kids that were staring at him from a distance knew well enough they were going to get an autograph once he left the diner, so they respectfully bided their time.

"You know..." his sister caught his attention away from the outside world. "... it's mad isn't it? Here you are being admired by all these people and yet tomorrow the only thing mentioned about it in the press, will be a minute box in the back of the sports section. No interviews, no analysis, nothing, just a couple of team names and a result. I bet most benders don't have the faintest clue how big it is around here."

Daskana Fire might be his sister by blood, but you couldn't tell that from the outset. They were totally different in appearance. In hindsight they had grown to be the spitting image of the people that had birthed them. He looked a lot like his father, she like her mother. What a nice way to balance them out.

She had blue eyes, his were amber. The colour of their skin didn't exactly match either. His was paler in comparison to the more dark nature of hers, showcasing clear Fire Nation and Water Tribe heritage respectively. Their heights were worlds apart as well. In fact she was a full two heads shorter than him. Character wise they were ironically often fire and water reincarnated. When they stood next to each other you really wouldn't say in any way they were brother and sister.

At least she looked a bit like their uncle Noatak who was their uncle in the maternal line, so she had that going for her. Not so much luck for him however.

"You know why." he sighed deeply in response to her comments. "Pro-bending is the game to invest in. You also can't move past the fact that the Dragon Flats is the only borough in town that has the highest disparity in numbers between nonbenders and benders. You guys never come along for away games and I can tell you that the other teams don't have the same support or accommodations as we do. Eight thousand people? that's a unique thing in nonbender football. I count myself lucky I can bring at least a little bit of joy to all these people every time we play here at home. We're not even professionals, but they still treat us as such."

"The club could stand to pay you more for it. I know, it's only a hobby to have some fun on the side with and all that, but still..." she countered.

"Daskana, if the city didn't subsidise the association, I wouldn't even be paid half." He stuffed another chockfull of noodles in his mouth, speaking with a mouthful. "Nonbenders easily earn a thousand Yuans for a victory, half if they lose. Here I am, playing for the richest football club of them all and I get a premium of seventy-five Yuans per match, regardless if I win or lose."

"Life sucks balls if you're not a freak." she affirmed, stuffing a chunk full of noodles down the drain.

"Honestly I don't even care about the money aspect. It's the principle that matters. Any idiot can see that we are being treated like shit and more people are joining us every day in thinking like that." Rokoyu tapped his finger matter-of-factly on the table.

They both turned to look at their uncle who was staring out of the window, his noodles untouched. It looked like he was far removed from the conversation. Off course it was well possible he had been listening in despite seeming uninterested, he tended not to let anything get passed him.

"Hey uncle? Got an opinion on the matter?" Daskana inquired as she gently nudged him.

He looked at them both and just smiled. Daskana and Rokoyu shared a quick look before leaning in closer. There was something on his mind, they could tell from the way he was looking at them.

"What date is it?" he asked and Rokoyu instantly realized what this was about, he too had noticed it that morning when he looked at the calendar, but had never intended to make much fuss about it.

"The first of September of the year 170 AG, and right now its..." he pulled out his father's silver pocket watch with a golden dragon engraved on the back from the inside of his jacket. "... very close to midnight."

"Exactly. Do you remember what happed on this day, around the same hour, three years ago?" Noatak chuckled bemused.

"I'm not going to say it in public where everyone can hear us, but basically, that is the night you asked me to help you with our little science project, which frankly, isn't that little anymore." Rokoyu affirmed with a chuckle of his own. "Spirits where has the time gone?"

Noatak put his arm around his niece's neck and pulled her closer to him. "I'm so glad seeing how far you've both come. The both of your have grown so strong before my very eyes. You Rokoyu, a leader of men, a brilliantly young lawyer, You Daskana, a strong warrior and the damn best secretary I've ever seen. Nobody can type as fast and faultless like you. Don't think of yourself as being lower as your brother, you're equally brilliant."

"Exactly, without your help Sato would lose himself in his own office." Rokoyu added equally impressed. " I think your job might actually be more important to the company then mine."

Daskana closed her eyes and pouted her lips, showering herself with her hands. "Yes, I enjoy praise. I did not tell you to stop."

"What I'm really trying to say kids, is that, when I took you guys in, I was constantly in fear of having a panic attack over that decision. I've always been on my own and suddenly I had two angsty teenagers in my apartment, but as it turned out, your parents had already done a wonderful job in raising you." Noatak let out a bemused laugh. "Yes, occasionally you can't stand each other, but that's why you are siblings. You've always done what I asked, worked hard, wrung yourself into all kinds bends to make stuff work when it was hard. I couldn't be more proud of the two people sitting here, mature and ready to take on this world."

"Jeez, you're being awfully poetic tonight." Daskana observed as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I like seeing this side of my uncle again instead of that other more autocratic guy who seems like he has his own head up his backside."

Rokoyu was quick to add in his own praise.

"What my dear sister is trying to say uncle, is that we're both very grateful for everything you've done for us. If you hadn't been there to take custody, we'd have ended up in foster care and I assure you, I would probably be digging coal at Future Industries right now instead of practicing pattente law for the company. I prefer how things have turned out, that's for sure."

"And we're both going to make sure we'll be firmly by your side once things kick into action uncle." Daskana said as she placed a gentle kiss on his check. "We've got your back, from now until the end."

"Thank you kids, now let's finish our meals. I want the both of you to be in bed on time tonight. There's a high chance something might come up tomorrow. It's about that thing we discussed last Friday."

"Oh goodie, time for some action. It's been how long now since we put that propaganda banner on the front of City Hall?" Daskana proudly boasted as she continued to eat.

"Three weeks." Rokoyu confirmed as he too dug back into his noodles.

They ate out their bowls of noodles and allowed themselves a single celebratory beer afterwards. Noatak paid for the meal and Rokoyu held word. He placed an autograph on any piece of paper, bag or shirt those kids held out to him and patted them on the head for it, urging them to stay in school. Whatever that still meant these days.

They soon left the diner behind and were well on their way home when they stopped next to a deserted alley. Rokoyu and Daskana always hated this part of their matchday out.

"Well, I'm afraid this is my stop." Noatak said as he held out his arms towards his nephew and niece. Both of them walked into the hug and leaned into him.

"You know you don't have to sleep down there every night, right? Your apartment is there if you want it. Just hang around for a day or two." Rokoyu said as they broke away again. "Give yourself a normal night for once."

Noatak shook his head. "Can't Rokoyu, I must lead twenty-four seven now. Too many people are counting on me to be there if a situation arises. It's gotten too big to leave unattended at any time. These occasional football matches of yours are my only leisure. I'm grateful enough we've managed to keep these little moments to ourselves. It binds us."

Rokoyu's faced turned a bit sour. "Things have really become serious, haven't they?"

"Yeah, we've become a problem for the establishment rather than a couple of lunatics screaming into the void. Now, go, both of you. I want you to sleep in tomorrow. It's rare enough for you guys to get a day off from work. Don't let tomorrow's work ruin it completely for you." Noatak waved as he moved into the darkness of the alley. "Enjoy these times kids. I've got a sneaky suspicion things might only get even more serious from now on. Report for duty at three in the afternoon and we can discuss the upcoming operation. Goodnight."

Rokoyu and Daskana waved after him until he lifted a drain cover and disappeared. They were soon on their way again, both having a burning desire visible in their eyes as they walked next to each other, Noatak's words still ringing in their ears. The time for revenge was nearing, ever so slowly, but inevitable either way, they had always known this.

Finally vengeance would be theirs. The benders were going to pay for everything.


AN: Big surprise everyone. I have finally returned to re-launch The Equalist!

More than a year ago I begun my rewrite of my OC's story but never ended up finding the time to continue. I suddenly found myself in a very difficult place, both mentally and health wise and it took me a long time to recover. I just didn't have the energy or commitment anymore to make continue the story. It just started rusting away on my hard drive and I even started feeling guilty about it, because I feel like I really had the potential here to write a decent OC story within the story of the Legend of Korra.

My first attempt never ended up being what I wanted it, but I felt like my rewrite took things in the right direction, so that's what I continued on to finally push though with the re-launch.

The story I have in mind is a lot more plain and confines itself to the cannon more, not in the sense of just sticking fully to the original work, that's not what I am about, but rather cutting away the many of my previous decisions that made my OC sound like some over emo-dramatic shrimp who couldn't keep his life on the rail even if he tried. And let's face it. He was a Gary-Stu and I want to avoid that.

I'm not saying this won't contain some of that, be real, you need a character that's a bit more than just a face in the crowd, but he's a lot more strict to himself this time around. Not every possible power is going to be bunched into him.

I'd like to welcome back any previous readers and ask them not to spoil anything they might think will happen again. Just so that the new readers can enjoy the story on their own.

For the new guys, this is an M-rated story because there will be violent moments, but also moments of tender love making. Be well aware of this.

You know the drill ladies and gents.

I do not own the Legend of Korra. Full credit goes to the respective owners and creators of that amazing show! Don't forget to review or comment! Really, leave that comment, it always helps. If you spot any gramatical or spelling errors that stick out to much to your liking, do not hesitate to PM me, I will correct them.