Hey readers! Welcome to my first story, and thanks for clicking on that link. I'm trying my best here to work fanfiction, so excuse any mistakes or anything confusing. If you notice I missed something while "editing" a chapter, please tell me in a review and I'll try to fix it. Thank you!

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Ayano

Being the messenger is harder than you'd think.

I hadn't slept more than an hour in two days, and I hadn't had a lot of time to stop and rest, or eat. I left a warring city to come to a peaceful town, and it seemed that every cozy home I passed with a light on in the kitchen rubbed my face in it. I hurried through the dark streets, trying to keep Scout as dry as possible, ducking my head beneath my hood in the pouring rain. I guess if I was watching where I was going, I wouldn't have run in to anyone, but you wouldn't think someone would be on a pleasant evening stroll in the pouring rain at ten at night.

The man turned to me and mumbled a quick apology through his fur-trimmed hood, and I noticed a small dog in his arms. I hugged Scout tighter to me and mumbled, "sorry," back as quick as I could. He turned to leave, but before he could get out of ear shot, I yelled out to him. "Hey!" I shouted.

He stopped and turned, but I could see that he wanted me to get on with it. I yelled over the rain, "Do you know the way to the Hokage's tower?"

His shoulders dropped. "It's on the other side of town."

I sighed. "Okay, thanks," I said, and turned to start towards it.

There was a pause as I rushed towards a small cover, and took a few seconds to rest, and dry Scout off. "Hey! Wait a second," the kid was jogging towards me, and he stopped under the cover with me. He pulled his hood a little away from his face. "Let me take you to the tower, it'll suck to look for it in this rain," he offered.

I glanced down at Scout, my a-little-bigger-than-a-puppy puppy, and back at the man in front of me. "Sure," I said.

He led me across the relatively small town to the pale tower with a light shining in a room on the uppermost floor. Under the covered entrance, I looked at the dark-haired kid I'd followed here. "Thanks, uh..," I started.

He glanced at me. "Kiba," he supplied.

"Thanks, Kiba."

"No problem..,"

"Ayano."

"Ayano."

I didn't know what to do, so there were a few seconds where Kiba and I just awkwardly stood there, a bit close for comfort because we were both trying to avoid getting any wetter than we already were. "You know," Kiba started, "She doesn't really like dogs in her place." He nodded to Scout, who had either fallen asleep in my arms or was trying to become one with my sweatshirt.

"Oh, um..," I looked around for a safe place to hide him.

"I could watch him," Kiba volunteered, almost eagerly.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I love dogs," he smiled.

I gave him a long look. If there was one thing I loved more than Republic City, the reason I was in Konoha, it was Scout. "I could wait outside her office door," he offered, obviously sensing my hesitation.

I hesitated one more time, and then tipped the sleeping dog into his arms. Kiba took Scout with a care akin to holding his own child, and I couldn't help but smile. "Her office is upstairs," he said, nodding his head towards the building. "Come on."

He led me through the front door, and we made the trek up the stairs to her office. Kiba knocked twice on her door, and a few seconds later, she opened the door wide and stood tall staring us down. She looked tired, like she was carrying a city on her shoulders. "Inuzuka," she greet him with a nod, and he nodded back. I found myself amazed that she could successfully run Konoha and still know individual citizens. "What can I do for you?" she asked.

I stepped up. "Tsunade," I said, searching her face for recognition and finding it immediately.

"Ayano," she spoke. "It's been a while."

"Can we talk?"

Tsunade nodded and stepped aside for me to enter her office. I glanced back at Kiba holding Scout before following Tsunade back to her desk.

Tsunade went to take her seat behind her desk and collected some papers together. "What can I help you with, Ayano?"

"Republic City is under attack."

Kiba

Tsunade left the door ajar, so it was easy for me to hear the hushed yet hurried conversation of the girl whose dog I'd offered to watch, Ayano, and my town's Hokage, Tsunade.

"Republic city is under attack," Ayano said. There was a pause after that. I thought back to my early school days where all I really remember doing was absent mindedly petting Akamaru while staring out the window, longing to simply hop out of it and play amongst the trees. I don't remember hearing anything about any place called Republic City.

The shock showed obviously in Tsunade's voice when she spoke. "When?"

"Just three days ago. Lin sent me here before she left with Avatar Korra and her friends to stop some incoming ships run by the Equalists. Last I heard, they were waiting for a fleet of ships to assist them via General Iroh."

My mind raced to consider all the information she had just dumped onto Tsunade's desk – the attack, she was sent, she somehow came from a city I'd never heard of in three days, and did I hear her say something about the Avatar?

Konoha was one of the small towns that didn't really get affected when Avatar Aang was discovered. Short of working conditions improving and our freedom earned, nothing had really changed, or so I read in history books. There were a number of towns and cities Aang had passed through on his journey – Konoha was simply not one of them. So what was this mysterious Ayano doing here, of all places?

"What did Lin think Konoha could do?" Tsunade asked, voicing my thoughts almost exactly.

"I was hoping you might know that," Ayano muttered.

A pause, and I heard more papers being shuffled.

"Please, " Ayano said, and I heard the squeak of a chair and assumed she had leaned forward. "You can't just give up on us. Republic City needs your help."

"Ayano, we don't have an army, we don't have war weapons. We don't have the means to help you."

"Lin's bending was taken from her."

Bending. I stared down at my hands, remembering the envy I had felt when we learned about bending in school. To be able to move earth or water with just my hands sounded so cool.

"Lin's bending was taken away? How is that possible?"

"The Equalists have a leader named Amon, who's figured out how to take people's bending away. No one knows how. He says he's.. Cleansing people of their impurities."

I stared at the floor and shook my head.

"Is there any way you can help us?"

There was a pause. A long pause. A pregnant pause, even. This lady must have been three months late.

"..We can pull something together."

Ayano

Tsunade led me out of her office after our talk, and I was glad she did. Any more talking of Lin or Tenzin or Korra or the invasion would have reduced me to tears. Once I stepped out of the office, I almost fell against Scout, seeking a comfort I didn't have here, and one that was going to be difficult to find at home. Kiba handed Scout, who had woken up while I was in the office, to me, and I let him hop onto the floor and kept him close.

"You should stay here while I gather up our forces. Get some rest," she handed me a piece of folded paper that was clipped together with a small paper clip. "Stay at the hotel around the corner. Give them that note, you should be able to stay for free with it. Inuzuka," she addressed Kiba, who looked up from the floor. "Take her there."

He nodded once and started down the hallway he'd led me through, his small dog hopping out of his jacket and trotting beside him. I glanced up at Tsunade and tried for a smile. "Thank you, Tsunade," I said.

The Hokage nodded, but said nothing. I turned and followed Kiba outside, trotting a little to catch up with him and his small dog. Once at the top of the stairs, I glanced out the window that at opposite the flight of stairs. "It stopped raining," I said, glancing at Kiba.

He glanced up out the window and nodded once. "Yeah," he answered.

"I'm sure I can find my way to the hotel," I said once we left the tower and ventured into the misty night.

"It's fine, I can take you there," Kiba said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

I watched the ground as I walked behind him for a few minutes, focusing on keeping Scout from wandering and thinking about Tsunade's general mood when we had talked. For some reason, I thought she would jump at the chance to help Republic City.

"So," Kiba piped up suddenly, and I looked up to see if we were at the hotel. We weren't.

"Yeah?" I answered.

"Where's Republic City?"

I smirked to myself. "So you were listening," I said, kicking a pebble into a small puddle on the street.

"Well I was standing right outside the doorway, like I promised," he said with a joking twang in his voice.

I chuckled a little. "It's in the shores of Yue Bay, in the Earth Kingdom," I answered. "It was founded by Avatar Aang and Firelord Zuko almost right after the Hundred Year War ended."

"So why have I never heard of it?"

"Do you pay attention in school?"

He paused. "Not really."

I smiled. I felt like I hadn't laughed in a really long time.

We took a turn and Kiba stopped at the door of a small, warmly lit building. "We're here," he said, pulling his hood down and looking at me.

I dug around for the note Tsunade had given me. "Thanks," I said. "Sorry I pulled you out in the middle of a rain storm."

He shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

I smiled and clicked at Scout, who ran for the door. I turned to Kiba before following him. "It was.. Really nice to meet you," I said.

He smiled and threw me a wave. "It was really nice to meet you too," And he took off down the street, his dog trotting alongside him.