Kira sat out on a doc watching fire works go off in hornor of Lexi's return... But sadness filled the minds and hearts of Team Avatar. The earthbender sighed and looked up as Jake came up and sat next to him looking into the water.
"Some celebration, huh Jake?" he asked looking at his son. Jake's face held the usual blank stare as he watched the colorful fire show go on.
"Sure it is..." Jake mumbled, not particularly showing any cheerful emotion.
"This is sick, people are all happy cause one girl came home so she can be forced to get married... Do they even care that someone was killed?"
"Most of the people here didn't know him... And because my father is close to the fire lord and there is not crowned princess, but only a crowned prince, I've always been treated as if I was actually a princess... It isn't their fault." Lexi said glaring, "It's not wise to speak ill of the fire nation... While in the fire nation".
Kira sighed and looked down. "I know, sorry. Its just hard right now, never in my life would I have expected any of this to happen... I only want the best for my son..." Jake glanced at his father, but then looked away, trying to absorb what has happened in the last couple days.
"I can have a boat ready for you guys tomorrow... I won't be leaving with you"
"Are you sure? Your lightbending is the only thing that can stop darkbenders... It would be safer if you could help protect us, but I guess your father wants you to stay here..." Kira said looking down.
"No..I have to protect my nation from what ever this i-" lexi was cut off by her father walking over to the group
"Do you need my daughter that badly"
"Her lightbending is so amazing... She would make a great general of the fire nation navy, and if the darkbenders are after Jake, we wouldn't stand a chance..." Kira said standing up
"Lexi..."
"Yes father.."
"Go with them"
"But father.."
"Go, they need you... it is my fault you ran away, I kept you locked up for too long.. so go" he said hugging her.
"Thank you father" she said watching her father walk off with her mother.
Kira got up and smiled, looked back at Jake, wondering what was going on in his mind. Jake had been silent, like usual, but his eyes were distant, gazing off in a whole other world.
"uhvatar I hope you realize I'm not done whooping you into shape yet"
He instantly tore away from his thoughts and then smiled at her. "Yeah, well... You shouldn't be. I may be good, but I still need your help after all this."
Jake was about to say something else when cinos bolted past Lexi and tackled him into the water. He had no time to react other than look wildly at Cinos' speeding form. Once they dove into the water, he began mock fighting with the blue beast after they rose on the water. Cinos dog paddled around playfully and barked.
Kira laughed at the large wolf-cat and smiled. Cinos always had good timing...
Jake splashed some water at the beast before he got back on the dock, dripping wet from head to toe.
"its like looking at a kid that was forced to take a bath" lexi laughed while Jake glared at her doubled over form, seemingly unamused by her humor.
"Well, lets go inside, im getting a little hungry, how about you guys?" Kira asked. Cinos barked excitedly.
"You're always hungry you big blue mouth!" Kira laughed.
Jake ruffled some of Cinos' fur on his muzzle, and gestured for him to follow them. Everyone walked back up to the house. Mikey was sitting up in a tree, He had a blank look but shook his head when he saw the others.
"Come Mikey, food time,"
The waterbender jumped out of the tree right away.
"Mikey are you okay..." Lexi asked walking next to him..
"Yes, I'm alright, just getting over the crazy day... I just feel bad cause I could have done something for Kerugarn..."
"It's not your fault Mikey, nun of us could do anything to help," Kira said.
"After all that I don't think I would have wanted someone to heal me either... But he is with the spirits now so he is doing better then he would alive in prison" lexi said patting mikey's shoulder.
"I know," Mikey whipered.
"Don't beat yourself up about it..."
"I wont..."
Cinos stayed close to Jake while they went into the house. Jake silently thanked Cinos for his company, feeling that if he were by himself, even with the group, he would feel alone.
"I'm sorry you all had to see that though..." Lexi said looking down before going inside and walking to her room.. Kira sighed and looked at her mom and dad scratching his head.
"You guys wouldn't mind lending some food and shelter would you?"
"you can stay here till you guys are ready to leave" Lexi said before closing her door.
"Thanks Lexi," Mikey said, "Food please, my stomach is eating itself..."
"In the kitchen"
Mikey looked at her mom and dad and walked off.
"I'll go get Cinos dried off, I'm sure you don't want the smell of wet wolf-cat in your house," Kira said to Lexi's parents.
Lexi's mother smiled while setting the table.
Mikey walked in with the others and looked around, "These are nice."
"Thank you help yourselves to whatever" Lexi's mother said before taking a plate of food to lexi.
"oh I forgot there are vegetarian options as well " Lexis mother said cleaning up the kitchen.
"Thank you so much." Kira said looking and the spred. Mikey was looking out the window while he ate some red bean soup.
"You're welcome dear" she replied walking . Cinos walked in and sat under the table at Jake's feet. Lexi came in and started making tea. Mikey smiled a little and looked under the table.
"Alright, what's with you Cinos, not beggin' for food?"
Lexi took her tea and walked out of the room. Cinos looked at Mikey with his head resting on his paws. His tail thumped on the floor a little as if to act all innocent.
"Please keep him under control I don't want mother to have to clean up a lot"
"I'm sure he'll behave for Jake..." Kira said. "He knows better than to misbehave inside a nice house." At that comment, Jake gave a certain look to Cinos, which yelled 'Knock it off, or else' to prove it. Cinos rolled over and wagged his tail with a yawn, meaning he'd behave.
After they all at dinner they each went to the bedrooms to lay down in. Jake looking up at the ceiling, lost in thought. Cinos came up and jumped onto to bed next to him. He thought he was a lap pet, but he didn't know he was too big to be a lap pet. Jake, being jolted awake from his trance, shot a humorous look at Cinos.
The wolf-cat purred and closed his eyes, kneading on the pillow like a pup-kit. Jake pet him and fell into a 'rock hard' sleep.
Jake stood in a clearing. To what he could see it just outside Republic City.
"It's good to finally meet you..." came a voice. The Avatar turned and saw Korra sitting near by.
"Korra...?"
"This is a dream, Jake. Yes, this is where we come when our minds are clear, and able to meditate on the things we have seen,"
"Well... now that I'm here, I have a question. That boy, Kerugarn... When we met, he told me you killed his family. Was that something the darkbenders told him just to make him hate us more?"
Korra nodded. "The information they gave him was a planted lie. The darkbenders wanted his full allegiance."
"Are there others like him?" Jake asked. Korra shrugged and looked around.
"I know that there are many of them. But what is pushing them to work so hard for a fate they would never see coming."
Jake turned his head.
"A darkbender is created through a painful sad loss, or an angry vengeful event in the benders life. The pain is amplified and it grows unsteadily. All that sadness and emotion puts a tax on the darkbenders heart. Their lifespan gets cut in half... At most, a darkbender will only live five or six years..."
Jake seemed a little disheartened at this fact. "What if they were changed?"
"That is a mystery, because no bender has been able to lightbend till now"
"So, does that mean Lexi is the first?"
"Yes the fire bender is the first to learn what would otherwise would take perhaps many lifetimes to master"
"What about the av- err, me... Can I do anything to help Lexi through all of this?"
"Young avatar you must master firebending, but at the same time the firebender must learn to be able to lightbend, in conflicts that are not personal to her aswell. Learn from each other and perhaps one day avatar you might learn lightbending"
Jake nodded in obedience. All of a sudden, his made-up world had shifted and faded away until he finally woke up.
"Wakey wakey uhvatar we've arrived in Republic City... so get up!" Lexi said through the door to the boys cabin before going to wake the other girls. Jake groaned, pulled his pillow out from under him and pushed it on his face, not feeling like getting up right now.
"If I have to come in there and get you up myself I WILL" Lexi said leaning against the door.
"All right, fine! Spirits..." He muttered, muffled by his pillow. "You don't have to be bitchy about it." Jake hobbled over to the door after he'd gotten ready, still half-asleep.
"Mornin' love, you have training to do, its time you start on the more challenging stuff" Lexi said patting the avatar's head before walking off. Jake gave her a sneer before reluctantly following, waking up along the way.
"Don't look at me like that I could have woken you up when it was still dark" Lexi said leaning against one of the sides of the ship. "Show me what you magically learned while I was out of the picture, "thrill me"
He took one of his fire stances and breathed deeply before he started showing her the attacks he used on the mummy-man.
"Good... You are too stiff though, loosen up to stay one step ahead of your enemy, because if you have to stop to go into each stance you are as good as dead" Lexi said showing him how to be more fluid with his transitions between attacks. "Its like a dance uhvatar"
Jake relaxed his body and tried to copy her movements, taking her analogy and trying to make use out of it.
"Better. Try using your fire to cut through and block mine." Lexi said sending waves of blue fire at him. Jake had sliced through some of her fire with his own orange blazes and putting up a sort of fiery shield against her other blue waves.
"Well, well, well, looks like someone's learning today." Lexi said sending a combination of kicks and punches of blue flames not exactly going easy on Jake. He had some trouble through her attacks, managing to stand his ground, but he refused to allow her sight of his struggles. Lexi ran at him putting her foot against his chest.
"Looks like you're stuck, Jakers" Lexi said laughing.
Jake looked at her with confusion, but then shook his head. "Okay, okay..."
"You're giving up..." Lexi questioned moving her other leg behind his feet quietly.
"Not exactly." He trailed off, shifting so that he wouldn't get tripped by the lightbender. "I just know when I'm beat." He shrugged. Lexi used her foot to push him against a wall.
"Remember this avatar, if I can get you in this postion then anyone can, and if a darkbender gets you stuck you're screwed" Lexi said putting her foot on the ground. "Other than that your progress is much better now"
"Thanks... I guess?" He said unsurely. Lexi nodded opening her hand glaring at the blue fire.
"What happened to my fire... yesterday I'm unbeatable but now... was that just a fluke..."
"No, I don't think it was."
"Then why do I feel weaker since my fire is only blue again..."
"... I'm not really sure. Maybe you need to be in a certain state of mind...?"
"hmph... white fire... I don't have time for childish stories..." Lexi said looking out at the city.
"You do if you want to beat those darkbenders." Jake retorted. "You're the only lightbender in existence; I would think that by that fact alone, you could try a little bit harder with your white fire."
"Do you realize I've been up since it was dark trying to make my fire white... Maybe the spirits don't think I'm the right person for the job... Maybe it should be the avatar"
"No!" Then he backtracked. "I mean, not yet. The spirits definitely chose you as a lightbender... you just have to learn how to use your power outside of your... personal problems."
"... Outside my own problems," Lexi said closing her eyes breathing slowly. Lexi opened her hand as a blue flame flicker with specks of white. She sat there clearing her mind of all the selfish reasons she wanted the white fire back, she instead focused on the thought of protect team avatar from the darkbenders, the blue flame grew slowly losing its bright blue color to a white inferno.
Mikey walked over yawning. He looked at jake and blinked a little, "How's that training going?"
Jake smirked back. "Good for me. Great for her."
"Avatar I never said stop practicing I don't hear you practicing" Lexi said glancing at him. Mikey grinned and pat him on the shoulder.
"Enjoy your fire and air training jake, cause once we get to the south pole, we're getting up before the sun does..." he said walking off.
"Mikey why are you even up this early?" Lexi said pointing at the sun that was just beginning to rise.
"Cinos woke me up. Since I couldn't fall back asleep I decided to get up..."
"I see," Lexi said looking at the white fire dancing I'm her hand, "Do you suppose it would be possible to be a darkbender but not evil...?" Lexi asked really to no one in particular.
"I don't think so..." Mikey said sitting down. "When I saw Kerugarn come back, he was all shaky and looked weak, I think darkbending eats away at your body,"
"It does." Jake said.
"Even if I get rid of the darkness what then, do they live..."
"They should, if you save them in time. Last night, I had a dream... Korra was there, she told me everything I needed to know about darkbenders, and the deadly fate that awaits them."
"What if the good in the person's heart is enough to keep them from being swallowed by the darkness... Are they still the enemy?"
"Darkbenders are made through sadness and painful memories, the darkness amplifies that and makes their anger the center of their lives, I guess to make the obey this dark master of theirs. No matter what, even if there is good, it's not there till the darkness is taken out by the light..."
Mikey tilt his head and closed his eyes... "Yea, you lost me there Jake, actually you lost me at 'blah blah blah..."
"So, what, we go around what might as well be killing darkbenders? What makes us better than them if that is what we must do?" Lexi said crossing her arms.
"What if lightbending doesn't kill them though? Remember? You didn't kill Kerugarn, that Okain jerk did."
"You think I was sure it wouldn't kill him, I had no idea what it could of done even with the minimal amount of power that I used... What if does kill them? That makes me just as bad..."
"Lexi..." Mikey said. "We don't know much of anything about the lightbending, but if it does kill them... Don't you think their suffering would end?"
"Their lives are cut in half, so they would die even if we didn't stop them. Okain is going around, taking innocent people who are suffering and turning them into monsters." Jake commented. "Stop beating yourself up about the darkbenders."
"So that makes it okay for me to possibly end their lives...?"
"If I was a darkbender, I'd beg you to put me down..." Mikey said.
"Why am I the only person in the world whose job it is to do this...? Come on, let's go check out the city. Make sure the others are up." Lexi said getting up and walking off the ship.
Cinos ran out from the cabins with a large brown bag in his teeth and a ranting fire nation guard running after him. Jake screamed internally at the sight, staring at Cinos with wide eyes. The wolf-cat ran over and sat behind jake with the bag and tore it open, letting millions of bone shaped treats fall out. Jake barked commands at Cinos, berating him and yelled threats if he didn't stop his bad behavior.
Cinos made wide sad eyes and wilted his ears, making that sad whining sound.
Mikey picked up the bag and the treats, "Is this like pet food or something?" he said as he looked at the firebender.
"I was told to take them to the mens cabin so the Avatar could give his pet treats when he wanted, but I found the pet and was jumped." the guard said. Jake glared at Cinos. The blue ball of fuzz wilted his ears more. Jake sighed, rolling his eyes at the creature.
"As long as you behave the rest of the day... Go for it." Jake told him as he was applying pressure to his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
"Well then don't eat them all Cinos," Mikey said looking at Jake after 'throwing Cinos a bone', "Headache? I can fix those"
"No, it's fine. Just a small thing, nothing unbearable..." He replied, squinting his eyes shut.
Mikey bent out few small beads of water, quickly applying them to one side of Jake's neck and swiftly moving them around to the other side and across his forehead and back into his water bag. Jake quickly opened his eyes and his breath hitched when he realized Mikey was right in front of him with his watery touch.
"Sorry, just want you to be able to train without any distractions like a mere headache"
"I- um- yeah. Thanks..." Jake said, taking a step back, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"No problem... If anyone has a complaint of muscle pain, just give me a holler, I know all the pressure points in the body and how to soothe them. Here, I know, Jake, want me to take Cinos out for a walk? I'll get him to work off that crazy energy so you can train, 'cause Lexi looks like she's going to set your ass on fire."
He chuckled as he glanced at Lexi. "Sure. If you can handle his hyperactivity, he's all yours."
"I swear, the chances of someone accidentally getting thrown off a boat are raising awfully high and we wouldn't want anyone getting hurt... right uhvatar?"
Jake shrugged and looked at her as if to say "I don't give a turtleduck's ass, but okay."
" You don't.. Oh we shall see" lexi said walking over to the avatar. "I'm not scared to drown the avatar... so keep pushing it hotshot" Jake just scoffed and looked down at her. "You wanna end up face down in a body of water keep on then," Lexi said pushing past the avatar. Even so, he gave her a mocking face behind her back and silently jeered.
Cinos perked his ears up and growled at Lexi. Lexi looked at the beast with a 'come-at-me-bro' face. "Come on cinos lets go!" Mikey said running up and waving a treat in his face and taking off with Cinos following him. Jake shook his head as his 'vicious guard wolf-cat' ran off with his silly antics.
"Guys, isn't it a little too early in the morning to be flirting?" Alexa said yawning.
He shot Alexa an odd look, and replied "Well, tell her that." She must've just gotten up.
"Stop flirting back then." Alexa said stretching.
His whole body flinched with irritation when he heard 'Flirting'. "We aren't even- Okay, anyway... Do you know what time it is?"
"Time to stop standing around on a boat..."
Jake sighed. "All right. Fair enough. I need to take a break from her anyway." He huffed as he walked away.
"Lexi, don't throw the fireball!"
"He started it! But in all seriousness, I've heard there is supposed to be an underground branch of the darkbender nation here... What should we do...?" Lexi asked blowing the fire in her hand out.
"Who knows," Kira said walking in. He stretched and sat near the rail. " Maybe we should wait for Mikey to come back with the big blue mouth..."
"I'm gonna find out who this master is." Lexi said turning to walk off the boat.
"Be careful then..." Kira said.
"I'll be fine, maybe the group should split up and see what we can find out. It's a big city, so we may as well see if the rumors are true..."
"What rumors?" Trixie had popped in unexpectedly. They could never really tell when she was around until she actually spoke up.
"I was out this morning and overheard a few people talking about an underground nation... I assume of darkbenders..."
"An underground nation?" Trixie echoed, tilting her head.
"Yes.. by now the news of darkbending would have spread to at least to the earth kingdom... They would have to go under ground" lexi said leaning against the rail, "especially if that mummy guy told them about my lightbending..."
"I bet they're scared silly," Kira said looking out at the city, "I have a bad feeling we may find answers we don't want to find..."
"I say we split up and see what we can find out... I'd be willing to bet that they are in the old hideouts of the equalists.." Lexi said looking at the group.
"What if they have some of the equalist technology...?" Trixie asked quietly. "They might overpower us in that aspect..."
"I ain't scared of a few crazy people. Besides, I can take their dark bending..."
"You can do it on your own now?" Trixie seemed excited now.
"Yes... now I guess we should figure out groups..."
"Just don't put Jake and Lexi together... nothing will get done." Alexa said sitting on the rail.
"Besides.. we need to find out as much as possible..." Lexi said.
The airbender seemed to teeter-totter herself on the balls and heels of her feet, like a kid in anticipation. "So... how should we infiltrate their underground camps?"
"Simple. There's six of us, two teams go under; the other team stays above ground looking for suspicious behavior, stuff like that."
Trixie nodded and gave something like a silly fake salute.
"The only problem is, who is on what team?" Lexi said.
"I can stay above ground. You know, with my airbending and stuff."
"I'll stay above ground" Alexa said.
"That just leave me Mikey kira and... the other person," lexi said. "Wonderful..."
Trixie laughed a little. "As long as you and Jake don't start messing around down there, it'll be fine."
"Who said we were on the same team?"
"Oh, I just assumed... Well... um..." Trixie was in need a dark, seven-foot deep, escape hole; badly. "Hey look, Jake's coming back!" she shouted, abruptly pointing at him.
"Well, isn't that just dandy..."
Jake raised a brow at Trixie's excitement. "What's all the commotion?"
"We're going to see what's up with these darkbenders," Lexi answered coldly. "We're trying to decide up the other two teams."
Jake shot her a small glare, but calmed himself before he would get off track. "Okay, so, what? Who's on what team?"
"Trixie and I are on a team, and are staying above ground" Alexa said
Mikey interrupted and yelled "I'm above ground!" rushing back with Cinos on his tail.
"Mikey, we already decided who's above ground." Lexi said sending a silent prayer that she didn't end up with the avatar.
"But I have to be above ground. I can't just work with my water pouch alone. There might be a chance of more water nearby if I'm above ground!" Mikey pouted, catching his breath while Cinos screeched to a halt behind him.
"We can't send a non bender and an airbender underground. Plus, there's water underground."
"Not a lot."
Trixie agreed with Lexi. "Yeah, umm... I need to be above ground too. Air doesn't really like to be manipulated underground..."
Alexa agreed, "I can't see in the dark..."
Trixie then suggested with a soft smile "Why don't we do this; Mikey, Alexa, and I can be up above while you, Jake, and Kira can go underground?" Trying to hide her diabolical little genius sidefrom showing. "Jake and Kira can help out a lot with their earthbending."
"But... I... Damn it, fine, whatever." Lexi said crossing her arms. "Any objections..." lexi asked.
Trixie shook her head and gave a grin that seemed all too wicked for Lexi, but it didn't seem like the others noticed.
"Let's go." lexi said walking past the two 'innocent girls ", "I'm on to you guys..." Lexi whispered threateningly before walking off the boat.
Trixie smiled at Alexa and then followed the group.
