Wishes and Weapons
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer nor The Legend of Korra. They belong to Whedon and Bryke, respectively.
Chapter One: Not in Kansas
There was a pounding in her head that thrummed to the beat of her heart. Her eardrums were pierced by the sound of thousands of tiny bells ringing. Her skin felt sensitive and stung. Her body ached as if it had been pulled in a million directions at once, and she felt her stomach churning, warning her of its current vomit potential.
In a flash her mind was flooded with images: the school gym, a demon who looked as though she'd tried to scrub her face off, words spoken in a guttural, ancient language, and a blinding blue-white light. She felt two large hands wrap around her upper arms and immediately opened her eyes. Shooting up, she kicked the hands' owner square in the chest, then rolled forward and pinned him down. Wide, terrified green eyes stared up at her. Innocent human eyes. Before she could speak however, her movements caught up with her stomach, and vomiting was no longer a potential threat but an actuality. She quickly slid off the boy and found a box to empty her stomach into.
Once she had finished, she slowly turned around and slumped against a nearby wall. She lolled her head back to take in the room. It was obviously a gym, though very far from being the one in her school. It was much smaller, and there wasn't much in it except for a large net that was strung up from floor to ceiling, some balls and green discs, and a ladder that led up to an opening in the ceiling. Her eyes eventually came to rest on the boy she'd attacked. He was still on the ground, but had rolled onto his stomach and was staring at her anxiously. He had unruly black hair, pale skin, and was wearing a jumpsuit that looked like a 1970's NASCAR driver's castoff. He was definitely human though, as far as she could tell.
"Are you alright?" she asked as she slowly pushed herself away from the wall, her muscles aching in protest.
The boy just continued to stare at her for a moment. He then looked around him as if trying to find the person she was talking to. When he realized it was him he let out a meek, "Y-yeah. Are you?"
"Peachy," she replied with a smirk. She flinched slightly as the movement on her face caused her a twinge of pain. Her face must've gotten cut up. "Sorry about all that. I...had a rough night." She laughed softly then looked up at him seriously. "It is over, right? The night, I mean. It's morning?"
The boy nodded slowly, looking at her as if she'd just asked him if he knew the way to Candy Mountain.
This isn't working, she thought with a frown. Carefully, she got to her feet and walked toward the boy, offering a hand to him. Tentatively, he accepted it and stood up.
"I think we started off on the wrong foot." She smiled brightly at him, still holding his hand. "I'm Buffy."
"Bolin." He smiled in return. "So...uh...what were you doing last night exactly?"
She dropped his hand. "Well, I was working out. That's kind of what people do in a gym." She chuckled nervously.
"You must've been working out hard then." He bent down to her, scrutinizing the cuts and bruises on her face. "Really hard."
"I'm really klutzy."
"I live right upstairs and I don't remember hearing anything last night..."
Buffy's mind raced as she tried to come up with a plausible excuse, but none came to her. She watched him warily as he straightened up and grinned.
"Well that just proves it," he said, almost triumphantly. "I can sleep through anything."
Buffy found herself laughing hysterically at this, more out of relief rather than its humor value. Bolin seemed thoroughly pleased with himself all the same.
"She's awake," another black haired boy said, sounding mildly surprised, as he entered the gym. He had an Angel-esque broody face.
"Who?" A brown skinned girl with dark brown hair wandered in after the boy, much more surprised than the boy to see Buffy.
"This is Buffy." Bolin wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Buffy shifted uncomfortably under his arm. "Mako and I found her passed out on the gym floor this morning." He placed a hand on the side of his mouth, shielding it from Buffy, and leaned forward to whisper, "She's a little clumsy." He straightened up again and smiled at Buffy sympathetically. "Buffy, this is my brother Mako and our friend, Korra. You know, the Avatar." He said the last part nonchalantly, but with a hint of "you-should-totally-know-who-this-is-and-be-very-impressed."
Buffy nodded and tried to appear awed. "Wow! Korra the Avatar! It's an...honor."
Korra smiled. "It's nice to meet you, too. So, what team are you on, Buffy?"
"Team?" Buffy furrowed her brow.
"Your pro-bending team?" Mako clarified, though not without condescension. "You are on a team, aren't you?"
When Buffy's confused expression only deepened and became slightly angry, Mako groaned. "Another Tahno fangirl. Great."
"Why would one of Tahno's fangirls come into the gym in the middle of the night, seriously injure themselves, and pass out?" Bolin asked, looking at Buffy.
"Pretty Boy must've brought her here. They were probably drunk and he let her hurt herself for his own entertainment. When she passed out, he left." Korra's face reddened with rage.
"What I don't understand is how all of this happened without me hearing it." Mako also looked at Buffy. She was cornered. They were all looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to explain herself.
"Well, I..." She gave a sigh of frustration. "I didn't hurt myself in the gym. I was in a fight and...and I woke up here. I'm...not from around here. I have no idea where I am, or who any of you are, or what pro-bending is. I'm having a kind of Wizard of Oz moment. Minus the tacky red shoes. I just need to find the...person I was fighting and I'll be on my way home." At least, I hope it's that easy.
A silence followed. Buffy looked around at the trio. Korra's big blue eyes were unreadable. Mako's eyebrows were knitted together and he was frowning in concentration. Bolin was looking at her with something akin to empathy. It was Korra who broke the silence.
"Was it an Equalist?"
Buffy blinked. "A what?"
"Someone who's against bending," Bolin explained.
What is with this obsession with bending? "Oh, uh, yeah! It was a female Equalist. She has a serious skin condition. Her face is wrinkly with red lines all over it. Kind of like scars. Seen her around?"
"No, they usually wear masks." Korra stepped further into the room, looking at Buffy doubtfully. "So this Equalist kidnapped you and brought you here?"
Buffy nodded. "Where exactly is 'here'?"
"Republic City!" Bolin exclaimed excitedly. When Buffy failed to share in his enthusiasm, he slumped. "The...capitol of the URN...?"
Buffy squinted as if trying to read the answer on Bolin's face. "Urn...?"
Mako planted his face in his palm. "The United Republic of Nations."
It took all of Buffy's willpower to ignore him. "Oh, of course! Republic City. I've totally heard of it before." Where the hell did that demon send me?
"Where are you from?" Mako picked his head up to stare intently at her. His eyes seemed to glow in the shadows he was standing in-bright and intense, but angst-ridden and unreadable. Must've bought the same 'Brooding and Lurking for Dummies' book as Angel.
She crossed her arms. "Somewhere really far away."
"What's it called?" he challenged.
Obviously the demon had brought her into some sort of other world. She'd seen Back to the Future (albeit against her will), she knew she shouldn't tell them too much about herself until she could determine where exactly she was; she didn't know how it would affect things. As if they'd ever heard of California. Buffy hadn't ever been very good at geography, but she was pretty certain that there was no such place as the United Republic of Nations. In her universe, at least. She just needed to find the demon and then get out of here as soon as possible. Her friends were probably freaking out, and she had no idea what they were going to tell her mother...
"Look, I don't have time for this." She walked toward the gym doors. "So if you haven't seen the wrinkly girl, I'll be on my way."
"But where are you going to stay?" Bolin called out to her. "This city can be a scary place when you don't know your way around." Buffy stopped walking and turned to look at him. There was something very sad in his eyes as he said this. Buffy smiled kindly at him.
"I'll be fine. I'm a big girl. Don't forget, I kicked your butt back there."
"Well, you just...caught me off guard." He blushed. "But seriously, you can't-"
"I'll see you around, Bolin." She gave him a brief wave before spinning on her heel and walking out of the gym.
"She was...different." Korra crossed her arms.
Bolin pouted, staring at the doors for a few moments before Korra threw a waterball at him.
…
Find a library. Do the research thing. Find the demon. Kick its wrinkly ass. Go home. Buffy had been repeating this list to herself over and over again as she wandered down the busy streets. The idea of searching through dozens of dusty old books didn't motivate her as much as the idea of fighting the demon. She imagined that scene most vividly, as well as her return home, and those thoughts fueled her determination to find the library. The only problem was that she had no idea where to find said library. This place was like New York City...but way more Asian...and way more 1930s. Buffy still couldn't get over the cars they had-one kick from her and she was pretty sure they would fall completely apart.
And the clothing! Some of the outfits she saw definitely should have been left in the closets from whence they came, but overall she found them to be beautiful. From the vibrant reds to the earthy greens, the silks to the cottons, Buffy itched to go into one of the small shops just to try on something. She had more important things to do though. Shopping would, unfortunately, have to wait.
She was torn from her thoughts by a shrill cry. Rounding a corner, she found a slender man and a brown-skinned boy of no more than eight years old. The boy was dirty and wearing very worn clothing. He was covered in scrapes and newly forming bruises. He crouched against the wall of the building behind him, his eyes closed tightly, whimpering. The man was finely dressed and wearing a look of intense disgust as he stared at the boy.
"You owe me your life, filthy Street Rat!" the man spat. "Now tell me what you saw!"
The boy shook his head violently, tears rolling down his cheeks. The man growled and stamped hard on the ground. It was as if he'd hit an eject button; the cement beneath the eight year old rose up sharply, sending him flying into the air. Buffy caught him easily, staring at the man in rage. She softened her expression as she looked at the boy in her arms.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
The boy blinked at her, his eyes wide and frightened, before he burst into tears and twisted out of her arms. Without another look at her, he began running away. Buffy saw movement out of the corner of her eye and sent a roundhouse kick at the man, sending him tumbling to the ground in surprise.
"This isn't your fight, little girl," the man growled.
"It is now." Buffy got into a defensive stance.
The man jumped to his feet and made a swift motion with his fists. A large chunk of rock went hurtling toward Buffy but she managed to dodge it at the last second. She ran forward to be within kicking distance of him, and just as she'd lifted her left leg, the man motioned lightning quick with his hands. The pavement Buffy had been standing on rose up her right leg and froze just before it reached her knee. Buffy's left leg came down immediately and she began pulling on her right, trying, in vain, to free it.
"This is why you should keep your nose out of other peoples' business." He reached out to nudge her chin with his knuckles. Buffy grabbed onto the man's wrist and squeezed. The man cried out in pain and dropped to his knees.
"I don't know what kind of demon you are, and personally, I don't care," she said flippantly. "But you get your stupid rocks off me. Now."
The man raised a shaky hand and made a small motion. The rocks surrounding Buffy's leg crumbled away. She let go of the man's wrist, but seized him by his shirt front, lifting him a few inches off the ground.
"One more thing: I'm looking for another demon. She's about this high, red hair, has seriously scarred skin, and the ability to transport people to other worlds. Sound familiar?"
"Wh-what are you talking about?" the man whimpered.
"Hey! Put the man down, Princess!" someone called out.
Buffy turned to see two men approaching. Both of them were finely dressed in what Buffy henceforth referred to as 'Total Sleazebag Style.'
"Just put him down," the taller one said. "Wouldn't want to see a pretty thing like you get hurt." He looked over at his friend who flashed her a wicked smile as a flame appeared above his right hand.
Buffy groaned. "I'm kind of in a hurry, so can we skip the pre-fight harassment?"
The man laughed. "You want to fight us?" He shook his head. "You're not gonna fight us."
Buffy raised an eyebrow. "I'm not going to fight you because..."
"Because in order to fight, you'd have to have a chance at winning. You got no chance, Sweetheart. It's three on one."
Buffy appeared thoughtful for a moment, seeming to contemplate this statement. Without warning, she full-force punched the demon she was holding, rendering him unconscious. She dropped him to the ground, and he crumpled up like a ragdoll.
"I think my chances are improving." She smirked.
Tall Man narrowed his eyes and nodded at Fire Man. Fire Man began rapidly sending fire blasts Buffy's way, while Tall Man called forth a stream of water from a nearby fountain, which he began using like a whip. Buffy ducked and jumped as she tried to run out of their firing range. A large flame burned its way across Buffy's shoulder. She cried out in pain but didn't stop running. She was just about out when she was pulled back by the stream of water Tall Man was manipulating. When she hit the ground, the water around her middle turned into ice. The two men approached her.
"What should we do with her?" Fire Man asked in a gravelly voice, bending over Buffy.
"I have a few ideas." Tall Man chuckled darkly.
Buffy put her hands on her ice brace and pushed. Fire Man laughed and placed his hands over hers.
"You're not getting out of this, Baby," he murmured. He heated up his hands, running them up and down Buffy's. Her skin began to feel hypersensitive and tingled, warning her of the pain she would feel if she didn't remove the heat source soon. Buffy felt the ice melting, soaking her shirt. She squirmed some more against the ice, inviting Fire Man to apply more heat to her hands. She grit her teeth to hold back the cry of pain that wanted to escape her mouth.
It all seemed to happen in a single flash of movement: Buffy kicked Fire Man in the groin, he fell on top of her, she smashed the melting ice with a single punch, hit Fire Man in the head with a chunk of ice, pushed him off her, jumped up, backflipped, and kicked Tall Man across the jaw.
She looked around at the three unconscious bodies lying on the ground around her. She saw sharp movement in her peripheral vision and quickly turned. It was the boy who the first demon was attacking. He tentatively walked toward her, playing with the buttons on his ripped and dirty shirt nervously. His big blue eyes never wavered from staring into hers.
"You-you're not a bender," he stated.
Comprehension dawned on Buffy's expression. "Those guys were bending?"
The boy nodded, looking slightly confused.
She knelt down to be at eye-level with the boy. "Are you a Bender?"
The boy shook his head emphatically. "I hate Benders."
"I don't blame you." She moved to stand, hissing as pain shot through her body.
"You need help." The boy grabbed her hand and began pulling her down the street, making Buffy cry out as the movement made her burned shoulder scream with pain.
"I'll be all right," she said unconvincingly as she withdrew her hand from the boy's. "I just need to find a library. Can-you do know what a library is, right? A place with lots of books? Most of them smell like your grandparents' attic?"
The boy blinked. "I'll take you there."
The first man Buffy knocked out groaned and began shifting around. Buffy heard the swish and squeal that one associates with a self-retracting tape measure being pulled out of its holder. It echoed down the street.
"Metalbenders!" the boy exclaimed in a whisper. "We have to get out of here!"
He grabbed Buffy's hand once more and pulled her back the way she'd come. Just before they rounded the corner, she looked behind to see two people, covered in metal bodysuits and using thick metal strings to crawl up the street. The boy gave her arm a sharp tug and she followed, chased by the shouts of "It was that girl! Didn't you see her? What kind of police are you?"
