I do not own any of the original Legend of Korra characters.
Finding A Home
Sado cracked an eye open, staring up at the sun. Shockingly, he hadn't been able to find a place to stay. Even all of the inns were full. So, instead, he had slept in an alleyway. He sighed, standing and dusting himself off, walking into the street and looking around. He needed a job. He needed a place to stay. And he needed new clothes. He also probably needed a shower, but that would have to wait until he had a place to stay and clothes.
He sighed as he reached the market, ignoring the rumbling in his stomach. He kept walking through the market, eventually reaching the arena where the pro bending matchers were held. He walked over to it, pushing the door open and walking inside, reaching the stands and the arena in minutes, finding it was empty. He smiled as he stared at the arena. He had seen a match once, and loved it. It wasn't the usual style of bending, considering that instead of the standard strikes and stances the benders in the matches stayed light on their feet and dodged almost more than blocked, but he liked it anyway, and he'd love to compete. If only he could find a team to join. And a job. And a house. And clothes. He sighed, turning and walking into the hallways outside the stands, following them for a ways before reaching a gym where the competitors would practice. He couldn't, of course. Even if he were a competitor. He'd burn the arena to the ground in a confined space, even one as large as the gym. Finally, he found a bathroom and hesitated. He sighed. Whatever pride he had would have to wait until he was clean.
"Hello?" He called out opening the door. "Anyone here?"
When he didn't get a response, he walked to the shower and quickly cleaned himself up as best he could with just water, then dried himself with his firebending and got dressed again, leaving the bathroom as fast as he could, stopping as he met a two guys wearing red and white pro bending uniforms.
"You're pro benders," Sado said.
"Uh, yeah," the taller, thinner one said. "I'm Mako, this is my brother Bolin. We're the Fire Ferrets. Or at least, two of the three."
"Nice to meet you," Bolin smiled.
He was only about half a head shorter than Mako, and not fat, just with a stockier build.
"Hey," Sado said. "I'm Sado."
"How'd you get in here?" Mako asked. "Fans and spectators aren't allowed in until closer to the match."
"The door was open," Sado said. "I didn't realize that was a rule."
"Usually," Bolin said. "You a bender?"
"Yeah," Sado nodded. "I'm a firebender."
"No kidding," Mako said. "Bolin, we've got to go."
"Oh alright, fine," Bolin said. "Sorry man. We gotta go. And you might want to get out of here before security catches you."
"Yeah, thanks," Sado said as they walked away. "I guess...I should start job hunting."
He turned, walking back out of the building the way he had come in and headed to the factory district. They always needed workers, right? Or the power plant could always use firebenders. He'd never bended lightning before, but he was sure he could learn. He picked up every other technique he had been taught quickly. That was about the only perk to being his Grandfather's descendent was that he was a naturally gifted firebender. He reached the power plant, deciding to start with something he knew he could do, as long as he learned to bend lightning. He opened the door, walking over to the nearest person not shooting lightning.
"Excuse me, I'd like to apply for a job," Sado said.
"Sorry, we're not hiring," the man said. "We just filled up the last spot."
"I see," Sado said. "Alright. Thanks anyway."
Sado left, heading to the factory, only to be told they were only hiring earthbenders. He couldn't get a job at a restaurant because they only wanted non-benders. And he couldn't get a job helping out at the orphanage because they only wanted waterbenders, specifically healers. Sado sighed, walking down the street again, his stomach rumbling loudly. He was so hungry. He hadn't eaten since before he'd been discharged. But what little money he had he needed to get a place to stay. He sighed, finding a hotel and walked up to the door, pushing it open.
The guy at the receptionist desk turned the page on his newspaper, not even bothering to look up. "We're full."
"Completely?" Sado asked. "Please, I need a place to stay. Just for tonight."
"Full," the man repeated.
Sado sighed, walking back outside and making his way to another hotel, and then another. However, at each place he visited, it was the same story. Full. No rooms available. Finally, he sighed, reaching a park and sitting down, his stomach complaining painfully.
"I know, I know," Sado said. "Trust me, I want to feed you. But my money's for a place to stay, so just calm down."
He sighed. His only real idea was Lin. He didn't like her, and she didn't like him. But she was family, and he had no other alternatives. Except maybe Air Temple Island. He snorted in amusement at the thought. They'd never accept him. Aang's children or not, they wouldn't accept him. They hadn't even been there for his father's funeral. Just like Lin. He sighed. He supposed Tenzin would be better than Lin. If only because he would ignore Sado rather than treating him like a criminal just for breathing.
He walked through the city to the shore, then sighed, beginning to swim, since he couldn't pay for the ferry until he knew he wouldn't have to pay Tenzin for rent, or food. He'd only spoken to Tenzin once, when Tenzin had come to him and his father's house. And Tenzin had only spoken to him long enough to tell him to leave the room and let the adults talk, which then turned into an argument that Sado was pretty sure had something to do with his grandfather. Finally, Sado forced himself back to the present as he reached the island, walking out of the water and using his flames to dry himself, then starting up the path toward the temple. He had barely made it two hundred meters, however, before several White Lotus members dropped onto the path around him, all preparing to attack with one form of bending or another.
"Oh for fuck's sake," Sado said, rolling his eyes. "I'm Sado Beifong. I'm here to talk to Tenzin."
"Fine," one of them said. "But we're keeping an eye on you."
"Why does everyone keep treating me like a criminal?" Sado grumbled, shoving the White Lotus member in front of him out of the way and walking the rest of the way up the path, knocking on the door of Tenzin's house when he arrived.
After a moment, Jinora opened the door, smiling up at him. "Hi. I'm Jinora. Are you here to see my dad?"
"That's right," Sado nodded. "May I come in?"
"Sure," Jinora smiled, stepping out of the way and allowing him through the door. "Dad, there's some guy here to see you!"
"Who is it?" Tenzin asked, stepping into the room and stopping. "Oh, Sado. What are you doing here?"
"Nice to see you too, Tenzin," Sado said. "I need a place to stay. Just for a few days, until I can get my feet under me. I won't burn anything, or bother your family. I just need...I just...need a place to stay."
"Sado!" Tenzin's wife, Pema, smiled, stepping into the room. "It's so good to see you!"
She rushed over as fast as her pregnancy would allow and gave him a hug, Sado smiling and hugging her back. She was probably the only one left in the family that he actually liked. Or would actually consider family, since she really wasn't his family, as he had no relation to Tenzin.
"What can we help you with?" Pema smiled.
"I just need somewhere to stay until I can get my feet under me," Sado said. "I won't be any trouble, I swear."
"Oh, it's no trouble at all!" Pema beamed. "You're welcome to stay."
"Now just a minute Pema," Tenzin said. "You know what he's like!"
"Tenzin, he's staying," Pema said.
"He's a menace!" Tenzin said.
"He's alone," Pema said. "Who else does he have if not us? His parents are gone. No one knows where Toph even is. Who does that leave? Lin? His aunt who shipped him off to the military the day after his father's funeral because she didn't want to have to deal with him?"
"We could send him to Suyin," Tenzin said.
"I was told i had to live in Republic City," Sado said. "General Iroh's words. Apparently the decision of the Fire Lord."
Tenzin sighed. "He's not staying here. He destroys everything he touches. He always has."
"He's a firebender!" Pema said. "His father died before he could teach him to control it properly, and then he was sent to the military and trained to fight with it!"
"It's fine, Pema," Sado sighed finally. "You don't have to fight over it. I'll just go."
He turned toward the door, and Pema gave Tenzin a pointed look. Tenzin sighed.
"Wait," Tenzin said, then sighed. "You're welcome to stay."
"Yeah, right," Sado snorted, opening the door but looking back at Tenzin. "I think I'll be happier living out of a gutter. Sorry for having bothered you Tenzin. It won't happen again."
Then, he left, closing the door behind himself. Pema turned to Tenzin instantly.
"Go get him!" Pema said. "He has no one else. Go get him right now."
Tenzin sighed but nodded, leaving and catching up to Sado partway down the path. "Sado wait. We want you to stay with us. I'm sorry for being rude."
"And yet now you're lying," Sado said, stopping and turning around. "You don't want me staying here. Pema does. You just feel guilty for refusing to help someone who has nothing, and you should. Or maybe you're finally feeling guilty for not showing up to my father, your friend's funeral. Or for never being there for him during life, when it was all he could do to afford to keep me fed from day to day. Or when he literally worked himself to death at the age of thirty. Maybe you just want to ease your guilty conscience about that. But whatever it is, I'm not helping you stop feeling guilty about your own actions. I'm going to leave and pretend this never happened. And then you can go back to pretending I don't exist. After all, the Air Nomads can do no wrong, right? You're all the absolute pinnacle of morality or whatever?" Sado snorted. "Right. Well, have a nice day. Have fun with your family."
Then, Sado turned, continuing down the path, only to stop as Korra, the Avatar, and also the girl that had saved his life, landed in front of him, grinning.
"What are you doing here?" Korra asked.
"I was just leaving," Sado said. "I overstayed my welcome by saying hello."
He stepped around her but she caught his arm.
"You don't have anywhere to stay, do you?" Korra asked. "That's why you're here."
"There's always places to stay," Sado said. "If nothing else, there's always a gutter to crawl into."
"You can't live in the gutter," Korra said. "What are you going to do if you leave here? Ask Lin if you can stay there? You said she's your aunt right?"
"Hardly," Sado said. "She's just the woman that decided she'd rather ship me off to the Fire Nation military academy for the rest of my life than take care of me after my father died."
"Then stay here," Korra said. "I'm sure Tenzin would be happy for you to stay."
"Yeah, so happy he and Pema got into an argument about it," Sado said, turning and looking back at Tenzin again. "But it's fine. I wouldn't want to intrude."
He turned to leave again, pulling his arm out of Korra's grip, only for Tenzin to catch his shoulder.
"Do you remember the day we met?" Tenzin asked.
"What, the day you told me to get out of the room so you could yell at my father?" Sado asked. "Yeah, I remember."
"Do you know what the argument was about?" Tenzin asked.
"No, I wasn't in the room, remember?" Sado asked, scathingly.
"Your grandfather had seen so much potential in you, and so much of himself, that he was afraid you had also inherited his condition," Tenzin said.
"Well, I didn't," Sado said. "I got off Scott free on that one. I didn't die by the age of fifteen. Whoop-di-fuckin-do."
"Your grandfather had wanted your father to train you in control more than anything else, but your father never had the time," Tenzin continued.
"And whose fault is that!?" Sado snapped.
Tenzin sighed. "Your father asked me to train you to control your bending. I refused because I believed it was not the place of an airbender to teach a firebender to bend."
"Great," Sado said. "Another perfect example of my family being treated like criminals and outcasts among the people everyone said were supposed to be friends."
"I want to train you," Tenzin said. "I was wrong to refuse. I want to help you."
"No, you don't," Sado said. "Like I said before, you just want to stop feeling guilty."
"Sado," Korra said. "Stay. It may not be for a perfect reason, and it may not be what you want, but you need a place to stay, and you need food."
Sado sighed. "Fine. Whatever."
Tenzin nodded and turned, walking back up the incline, Sado and Korra following.
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