Alright, since Chapter 5 was the shortest yet, I decided to post up Chapter 6 today as well. Still not my idea or my stuff.
Chapter Six
Mako and Roland walked towards Narook's Seaweed Noodlery. "I mean, it wasn't your fault. She kissed you." Mako said as the two men walked towards the door.
"How do you know?" Roland asked.
"Heh, about that. Our window overlooks the balcony y'all were on. Just sayin." Mako pushed the door opened. "Morning, Narook. My brother here?" The old man behind the counter pointed to the same booth Bolin was in the night before.
"Thanks." The two of the walked over to Bolin who was slumped over a bowl of noodles.
"Can you get drunk on noodles?" Roland asked, prodding Bolin with his finger.
Mako shrugged and shook Bolin. "Come on. Wake up. We're taking you home, bro."
Bolin's head swayed as he lifted it from the bowl. He pointed an accusing finger at Roland and shouted, "Why is HE here!" With that, his head hit the table. Roland suppressed a smile. He knew that Bolin had liked Korra and he had probably helped crush the poor guys spirit, but this was pretty hilarious.
"Because he is your friend, and I am your brother." Mako replied sternly, but with compassion.
Bolin shook his head into the table. "He's no friend of mine. He is a friend betrayer!"
"You're a mess and we've got the biggest match of our lives tonight." Mako sighed. He looked to Roland. "Let's go." And the two reached for Bolin.
Bolin swatted Roland's hand away. "No! I'm not going anywhere with you, you traitor!"
"Guess we're going to have to do this the hard way…" Roland said. And with that, he grabbed Bolin and threw him onto his shoulder.
"Nooooo! Why?" Bolin cried.
The walk back was actually quite amusing for Mako and Roland. Bolin on the other hand threw a fit the entire time.
"Told you dating a teammate was a bad idea." Mako reminded Bolin.
"You're a bad idea!" Bolin shouted back. He started kicking and thrashing about. "Put me down! Put me down!" Roland simply tightened his hold a little more.
"Mako, Are you mad at Korra at all?" Roland asked as Bolin continued to kick and beat on his back. The blows were nothing impressive, and he just allowed them to glance off.
"Yes, but only because she led Bolin on to some extent." Roland nodded and was thankful for that. "I just hope this doesn't affect our match tonight."
The match came far too fast. As soon as the bell was wrung, all three Fire Ferrets were beaten back by the buzzard wasps. Bolin took a hit to the gut that caused him to start to vomit profusely over the side of the ring because of all the noodles he had eaten. It seemed they weren't working well and it just wasn't going their way. At the end of round one, it already seemed lost.
The second round kicked off and Bolin was the first to go over. Korra was fouled and Mako was busy trying to not get hit himself. As the round wrapped up, the Fire Ferrets were giving up hope.
"Well I guess there's always next year." Mako mumbled.
Korra shot him a look. "Come on! We still have a chance, even if it is a slim one!"
"We were playing; we don't even deserve to be in the finals." Bolin muttered back.
Korra looked at the two brothers. "Look, if we don't pull together and work as a team, we'll never forgive ourselves."
Mako sighed again as he started towards the starting line. "Let's just get this over with."
Bolin followed muttering. "The sooner the better."
As the bell sounded, all three of the Buzzard Wasps targeted Bolin. An earth disk managed to land a solid hit in his shoulder which dislocated it and rendered it useless. Bolin's cry of pain distracted Mako for a moment.
"Bolin?" Mako shouted. He was started to go to his brothers' aid when a blast of fire hit him and knocked him off the field.
"Ah crap…" Bolin muttered as he fought on with his one good arm. He managed to throw a disk or two before a one-two combo of water and earth knocked him off the arena as well.
Mako helped Bolin out of the water, being careful to avoid the bad shoulder. "Are you okay? How's your shoulder?" He asked as the two of them walked to the elevator.
Bolin looked at it. "Ahh, it's messed up pretty bad. But I think I'll be all right. Are we... gonna be all right?"
Mako hung his head. "I don't really know. You and I will get on, we always do."
Bolin smiled. "Yeah, we're brothers till the end… Girls."
"Yeah, I'm just not sure how Korra will fit in to all of this. Maybe next year we'll just find another water bender." As the elevator rose, the two brothers were shocked to see Korra dodging every shot the Buzzard Wasps threw at her.
Korra side stepped a blast of fire and dodged another water earth one-two combo like the one that had gotten Bolin. As she dipped and dodged, the three Buzzard Wasps accendently lined themselves up for a solid shot. Korra launched a massive blast of water that managed to knock all three off the ring, winning the round for the fire ferrets! "Did you see that?" Bolin mumbled.
"Yeah, I guess we're still in this." He looked at Bolin. "I know you like Korra and all, but you need to get this resolved before the finals."
Bolin nodded as Korra walked into the locker room. "We won!" She shouted.
Bolin nodded. "Well, you won. Thanks for not giving up on the team."
"We never would have made it this far without you. I owe you. Big time." Mako said.
Korra smiled shyly. "You're welcome. So... I know things are confusing right now, but I hope we can all still be friends."
Bolin stood up and the three were almost in a huddle. "Of course we can. If you want to kiss super soldier boy, that's your call." Korra smiled. "I still say I'm better looking." Korra grabbed both brothers in an embrace.
"Ow! Shoulder! SHOULDER!" Bolin cried in agony.
"Sorry." Korra said, releasing her hold. "Let me look at that." She sat Bolin down and peeled back his shirt."
Just then, the Wolf Bats entered the locker room. Tahno entered last with a look of disgust on his face. "Oof, you boys smell something in here?" He looked at his two teammates. "Wait, I know what that is. Yeah, that's the scent of losers."
Korra bowed up to him. "I hope we see you in the finals. Then we'll know who the losers really are."
"Oh, I'm peeing my pants here… no little boyfriend to stand up for you I see." Tahno looked around the room once more just to be sure.
"I can handle myself just fine!" Korra shouted as Roland and Asami entered the room.
"Do I need to beat someone for you Korra?" Roland asked glaring at Tahno.
"He was just leaving… but even if he wasn't, I'd have to say you need to get in line." Korra sneered at him as he walked out.
Tahno flicked his hair as the Wolf Bats entered the arena and prepared to fight.
"Great job!" Asami shouted as she embraced Mako. "What a comeback, Korra. I've never seen a hat trick like that."
"Yeah Korra, that was really good. I thought you three were out for sure." Roland laughed.
"Thanks Asami! But- if it hadn't been for you and your father, we wouldn't have had the chance to play. So thank you." As Korra finished, she just glared at Roland for a moment for thinking she was done for.
"Uh, if everyone's done with the little "thank you" party, I need some medical attention over here." Bolin cried.
"Ooh, let me help!" Korra said as she placed both hands on Bolin's shoulder. It looked rather squared and was already bruising from the impact of the stone disk.
"Owww! Gah! Haven't you hurt me enough, woman?" Bolin hissed as he tried to shrug Korra away.
"Relax. You know I'm a healer."
"Yeah I do, but look how Roland turned out… ohh that feels good." Bolin sighed and relaxed as the southing water hit his shoulder.
"Bolin, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, but I really do like Roland. You're gonna find a great girl though."
"Ahh, I'll be all right." Bolin shrugged with his good arm. "Like I said, if you want to go kiss and then maybe even go out with super soldier boy, you can. I'll be here looking good and acting charming if you need me though."
"I think your shoulder is dislocated from the impact," Korra glanced at Roland as he walked around behind Bolin. "we're going to need to take you to a doctor to get it set back in the socket."
"That's fine, I can handle" The joint made a wet shhnick as Roland pushed it back into place. "AHH!" Bolin grabbed his arm and coddled it with his good hand. "What'd you do that for?"
Roland shrugged "Basic first aid. You just have to slip the ball back into its socket. It can be bad if you tense for it though."
"I pretty much hate you right now." Bolin hissed. He had his eyes screwed shut from the pain. Korra reached down and applied more healing water to the injury, dissipating the pain quickly.
"Thanks." Bolin sighed.
Korra looked up as the announcer shouted over the loud speaker. "And your winners, the Wolf Bats!"
"What, how can it be over already?" Mako pushed Asami away and ran to the edge of the locker room. Korra walked up next to him and they saw the opposing team being helped away, most of them injured.
The Wolf Bats left through the other locker room, but the Fire Ferrets were already thinking of what needed to be done.
Mako looked at his team mates. "Get a good night sleep, and be ready to train tomorrow. Roland, I'd like you there as well to help." Roland nodded and they all went their separate ways.
It only took the two a few minutes to return to the Temple as paddling was much slower than water bending. It was nearly midnight when Roland entered their room. Korra had gone off for a quick shower.
Roland took off the brown jacket he had bought and then his shirt in silence and folded them both neatly next to his bed. The jacket was great to keep the light snow off, but the shirt was starting to become worn with a few small holes appearing. "Guess I'll need to find some new clothes soon." He muttered to himself. He also kicked off the shoes Mako had given him and then pulled his sheet back and laid down. He rolled over and saw Korra walk in. Her hair was still soaking wet and she seemed exhausted. "Don't you usually bend the water out of your hair?" Roland inquired.
Korra shook her head to clear it, which sent small water droplets all over the room. She looked at him. "Yeah, I guess I just have a lot on my mind." She proceeded to bend the water out of her hair and toss it out the window before she flopped back onto her bed.
"No kidding." Roland held up his hand and started counting fingers. "You have the tournament finals tomorrow. You are still dealing with Amon, we have a good bit more to go over, especially with what you missed the last few days, and you still can't air bend."
"Thanks for reminding me." Korra huffed.
"Eh, you'll be fine. Only one of them can kill you." Roland rolled onto his other side, facing away from Korra.
"Yeah…" Korra mumbled again. She was already nearly asleep.
"Hey Korra…"
She lifted her arm up under her to look at him. "Hmm?"
"You did do really well tonight." Roland laid back on his bed. "And you looked good doing it."
Korra smiled weakly. "Thanks…" She managed before she dropped her head back into the pillow.
"Just get through tomorrow and everything should smooth out a bit." When Roland didn't hear a response, he correctly assumed that the Avatar was already asleep and choose to do so himself.
Seven Hours Later
Morning came far too early for the Avatar, but Roland was already wide awake. Korra rolled herself out of bed and stretched before heading to the dining room for breakfast. She was probably late, but today, she could care less. When she entered the room, Roland was talking with Jinora about one of his engagements.
"So why didn't you shoot the girl?" Jinora asked quietly but with excitement.
Roland looked up and saw Korra come in. "I don't really know. Now that I think about it, she looked a bit like Korra, although I never would have known it at the time."
Korra sat down next to the two of them and listened as she ate. "Roland was telling me about when he was injured. They were with the OBSE's attacking a floating space rock that was a base! Roland was sneaking around and was about to blow up some of the incursionists, I think their like equalists, when he saw a girl that looked like you and he didn't shoot her." Jinora rattled off the tale in mere seconds.
"Sounds riveting." Korra smiled. "Who are the OBSE's?"
Roland grinned. "It is the Oh Dee Ess Tee's." He corrected. "Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. Men who fall from orbit straight into the battlefield."
Korra nodded, the concept of dropping from orbit was completely foreign to her. "So what happened next?" She sipped from a glass of tea as Roland continued.
"Well, I had placed charges in order to blow the shack because it held the gate controls. As I went in, I slotted two incursionists, but a third one spun on me but didn't shoot. I was already set to fire, but for some reason she distracted me. I chose to leave her alone. I turned my weapon and walked towards the door way."
"How did you get injured, Roland?" Jinora asked with some sympathy in her tone.
"Well, this girl ended up firing anyway. My armor would have stopped it just fine, however, one of her bullets hit the explosive charge, detonating it and almost killing me." Roland paused to think. "Jonah butted heads with some people to get me extracted."
Jinora thought for a moment "He was your friend right?"
"Yes, he was." Roland dipped his head momentarily out of sadness, but looked back up quickly. "I'll tell you all about him sometime. If you'd like, that is."
Jinora's face lit up with excitement. "I can't wait! Listening to a real person is so much better than just reading it!" Jinora stood, bowed, and left the room.
"I can't really picture you not killing someone." Korra said after a moment's pause.
Roland shrugged. "I'm still not really sure why I didn't, but you live and learn."
Korra finished the last bite of her breakfast. "You ready to go?"
"Yeah…" Roland stood and thought for a moment, then shook his head to clear it and turned to leave.
Korra was right behind him. "What's on your mind?" She asked as she walked next to him.
"Last time someone asked me that, I nearly died." Roland said almost coldly as they walked down the steps to the dock.
"What do you mean?" Korra asked.
"Jonah asked me that right before we were ambushed on our last mission. He asked if I was ready to go, and I replied with 'yeah, this place is dead anyway.' No sooner could I finish than I got stabbed through the back and then I awoke here."
"Hmm, then I guess you'd better be thankful." She said wryly.
"Yeah, I got to meet Bolin." Roland smiled. "He's a laugh a minute."
Korra just glared at Roland for a moment and they walked in silence down to the boat.
"I was kidding you know." Roland said as he climbed into the boat.
Korra pushed them off using her bending and started towards the Arena. "I know." Korra said playfully. "We should talk, about us."
Roland thought for a moment. "Okay. Why did you kiss me the other night?" Korra hadn't expected him to ask her that question. And she wasn't really sure she had an answer to it. Her bottom lip pouted out, and she quickly turned her head away from him and focused on bending them through the water. Roland just sat there but when she didn't say anything for a while, his patience gave out. "You're the one who wanted to talk, so why aren't you talking?" He asked.
"I don't know." Korra said flatly, looking off into the ocean.
"Korra, why did you kiss me?" He asked almost angrily.
Korra's eyes flashed toward his instantly followed quickly by her head and entire body facing him. "Because I'm falling in love with you!" She shouted as a tower of water erupted beside the boat.
It was silent for a moment after that. Neither one of them moved, they just stayed there, keeping their eyes locked to one another for far much longer than was comfortable for Korra. The boat continued with its momentum, but it was slowly coming to a stop. It hurt her to look at his face, let alone look him in his eyes when he showed her such an expression of confusion. She turned away again and sighed as she started to bend again. "It was a spontaneous decision. I didn't know what else to do. I'm not good with this kind of stuff; I don't know how to go about it. But you were being so forceful in trying to keep me safe from Tahno, even though he wasn't really even a threat. You've been training me, and you saved me from Amon and his men. It all just was making… my heart move." Korra took in a deep breath and let if back out slowly. "So I followed it. And I felt if just for that moment, I didn't want to hold myself back from you anymore."
Roland stood up and took her in an embrace. "Korra, I can promise you are better at this than me." He spoke into her ear like he had back at Tarrlok's party. "All I have ever known is a life of kill or be killed. The thought of settling down, having a job, having a girlfriend, heck, having friends to begin with is completely new to me." Korra pushed back a bit to face him. He had his hands on her arms as the boat swayed back and forth slightly from the waves. "The reason Jonah and I did so well together in combat was because we communicated. I don't doubt for a second we can do great if we do the same."
"So, can we try a do over?" Korra asked kind of sheepishly and with that Roland pulled her in and kissed her. It was a short kiss, but it communicated what couldn't be said with words.
"There's no need." Roland said as he released her arms. "The past is the past, even if it was only minutes ago. All we can worry about is the future." Korra smiled at him almost shyly. "And your future involves blasting me with water, but we're going to be late if we don't move it."
Korra chuckled and resumed bending and they were at the Arena in only a few minutes. They ran down the halls to the gym and joined Mako and Bolin for practice. They did the same thing they did before, where Roland was the target against the Fire Ferrets. However, through the extra training they had done, the Ferrets were landing quite a few more hits.
"Alright, I'm done." Roland sighed after nearly thirty minutes of being attacked by the elements. He shook off as much of the water as he could, but his suit still looked terrible. It was wet, covered in dust, singed in a few places, and was already ripping.
Mako jogged over to his bag and removed something. "That's fine, we have some targets." He held up pictures of Tahno and Korra grinned ear to ear.
"We'll, put them up!" She shouted. Bolin turned the radio on, and soon the three were pelting Tahno's face with earth, water, and fire.
When they were almost out of targets, Korra took off her helmet. "Man, I got a good feeling about tonight. I don't care if we are the underdogs. We can take those pompous Wolfbats."
Mako also removed his helmet. "It's going to be our toughest match ever, but I think you're right."
"Introducing your new champs, the fantastic Fire Ferrets!" Bolin shouted in his announcer voice.
The nearby radio crackled and Amon's voice came over it. Everyone looked up in alarm and Roland drew his pistol out of habit. "Good morning, citizens of the Republic City. This… is Amon. I hoped you all enjoyed last night's pro-bending match because it will be the last." Roland and Bolin walked up to the radio. "It's time for this city to stop worshiping bending athletes as if they were heroes. I am calling on the council to shut down the bending arena and cancel the finals or else there will be severe consequences." All eyes turned to Korra.
"That guy's got some nerve." Bolin sighed.
"Think the council will give in?" Roland asked Korra.
"I'm not waiting to find out. We need to get to City Hall!"
The four of them arrived at city hall and Korra led the way as they burst into the chamber. Before Korra could even speak, Tenzin jumped up from his chair. "Korra, you shouldn't be here. This is a closed meeting."
"As the Avatar and a pro-bending player, I have to right to be heard. You can't cancel the finals." Korra took a stance similar to an earth bending stance, showing that she would not be moved.
"I know winning the championship means a lot to you. But as far as I'm concerned, we need to shut the arena down." Tenzin said firmly.
"What about the rest of you?" Korra looked at the other four members of the council. "Tarrlok, there's no way you're backing down from Amon, right?"
Tarrlok also stood. "Actually, Tenzin and I agree…. for once."
"The council is unanimous. We're closing the arena." Tenzin spoke with authority.
"No!" Mako shouted, stepping forward a bit.
"You can't!" Bolin echoed his brother.
Korra looked at Tarrlok. "I-I don't understand. I thought you, of all people, would take a stand against Amon."
Tarrlok dipped his head for a moment before he spoke. "While I am still committed to bringing that lunatic to justice, I will not put innocent lives at stake just so you and your friends can play a game"
"Pro-bending might only be a game to you," Mako shouted "but think of what it means to the city! Right now the arena is the one place where benders and non-benders gather together... in-in peace! To watch benders..."
"Beat each other up! In peace! It's an inspiration to everyone!" Bolin cut in.
Tarrlok sighed, realizing how difficult it would be to get the Avatar and the two brothers to leave. "I appreciate your naive idealism, but you're ignoring the reality of the situation"
"The reality is if you close the arena, you let Amon win!" Korra cried in exasperation.
"Yes, exactly what she said! Yes!" Bolin pumped his first in the air as if he had won the argument.
Roland had simply stood there the entire time. "I agree with Korra." Roland stepped forward a bit towards the council. "Couldn't you use this as a trap for Amon? He would be foolish to attack if he thought he could be captured."
"While I respect your opinion, soldier, I am still not sure if I can trust you." Tarrlok picked up a small wooden hammer. "I'm sorry, but our decision has been made. This meeting is adjourned." As he started to slam the hammer down, a cable shot out of the corner and smashed the hammer in two.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with the Avatar." Lin Bei Fong walked out of the corner of the room as her cable slid back into its housing on her back.
"You do?" Tarrlok raised his eyebrow in a questioning manner.
"Yeah…. You do?" Korra asked.
Roland leaned over to Mako. "Who's she?" he whispered.
"The chief of police." Mako replied curtly.
"I expected this kind of cut-and-run response from Tenzin." Lin said as she looked at Tenzin. "But the rest of you? Come on, show a little more backbone. It's time the benders of this city displayed some strength and unity against these Equalists."
"We must prevent the conflict between benders and non-benders from escalating into all-out war!" Tenzin stepped closer to her. "The council is not changing its position, Lin."
"Now just a moment, Tenzin. Let us hear what our esteemed Chief of Police has in mind." Tarrlok smiled in a political way as he motioned for the Chief of Republic City Police to continue.
"If you keep the arena open, my metalbenders and I will provide extra security during the championship match. There's no better force to deal with the chi-blockers. Our armor is impervious to their attacks." Lin smiled slightly at the end of her sentence.
Tarrlok stroked his chin. "Are you saying that you will personally take responsibility for the safety of the spectators in the arena?"
"I guarantee it." Lin said flatly.
"It is hard to argue with Chief Beifong's track record." Tarrlok turned to face the council. If she is confident her elite officers can protect the arena, then she has my support. I am changing my vote." Tarrlok raised his hand to show he was voting. "Who else is with me?" The other three council members also raised their hands, leaving Tenzin with his down. "The arena stays open. Good luck in the finals."
The three fire ferrets cheered and thanked Tarrlok, but Roland wasn't in a very excited mood. This was still likely going to resolve in several deaths. HE just wanted to make sure that it was not his own or his friends.
Tarrlok turned to face Lin. "And good luck to you, Chief Beifong." With that Tarrlok bowed and left the room.
Tenzin walked up to Lin and leaned his head over to say something. The two turned and left the room. Korra was too busy planning with Mako to pay much attention. "So, we need to head back and get ready. The match is only a few hours away!"
Mako, Roland, and Bolin turned to leave. "I'll be there in a second. I want to thank Chief Beifong." Korra walked in the direction they had gone.
The three guys nodded and made their own way out as Korra located Tenzin and Lin. As she approached, Lin threw her hands up in the air and shouted. "Do what you want! It's not like I've ever been able to stop you before."
Korra walked up. "Excuse me, Chief Beifong. I wanted to thank you for your help," Lin completely igonored her and started to walk off. "it.. really.. means a lot..." Korra sighed and looked at Tenzin. "What is her deal? Even when she's on my side, she's against me!"
"I've known Lin since we were children, she's always been" Tenzin paused to find the right word. "... challenging."
"What did your father do to make her hate the Avatar so much?" Korra asked.
Tenzin shrugged. "My father and Lin got along famously. I'm afraid her issues...are with me."
"Wait a second..." Korra gasped. "it all makes sense now! You and Beifong, Beifong and you. You two were a couple!"She exclaimed with glee having figured out Tenzin's mystery woman.
At first Tenzin was too shocked to reply. "What! How-? Where did you get that idea?"
"Ha! Your wife gave me the idea. She said she and another girl both liked you. I never would have pictured her though."
"Criminy! I'll have to have a word with her." Tenzin turned to leave.
"So, Pema stole you from Beifong." Korra did kind of wonder what could have happened. "I'm surprised our "esteemed Chief of Police" didn't throw her in jail."
"Oh, she tried. Anyway, Pema didn't steal me, Lin and I had been growing apart for some time. We both had different goals in li..." Tenzin came to a sudden realization as he reminisced. "Why am I even telling you this? It all happened a long time ago and we've moved passed it."Korra shrugged in response, but her grin was still there. "Anyway, this is none of your business!" Tenzin turned to walk away.
"See you at home, Mr. Heartbreaker!" Korra waved after him, and then she turned to find the guys and maybe get in one more practice before the game.
So, the last two chapters have set us up for the first major fight, and hopefully, it is going to be a good one.
