Chapter Eight: Homeward Bound
His kitchen table needed to be replaced.
Mako casually tossed aside the broken pieces of what had once been his dining table before lighting it on fire. The table, along with several chairs, had been the innocent victims of his fiery fury when he'd awoken and discovered that not only had Korra left, but she had used energy bending on him as well. He had been outraged and had taken his frustration out on the furniture until he had calmed down enough to realise that burning down his residence would only further agitate his current mood.
He'd gone out to his training area then and as a result, several training dummies now needed to be replaced as well.
He still couldn't believe the audacity she had had in energy bending him. Even worse, he had allowed himself to lack the caution. Fucking hell, he was lucky she hadn't decided to drag his ass all the way to Republic City with her.
Once Mako had calmed down, he had understood why Korra had done what she had. He himself had been unable to picture the scene of her leaving. She would have probably cried and he would have probable made it worse by appearing distant and disconnected—which he honestly wasn't. He didn't know what he would have done, but it was probable that it wouldn't have been something that was good for either of them.
Three times he found himself on the edge of his property that faced the direction of his former hometown, but each time he turned around. It wouldn't do either of them any good if he went after her. After all, she had her life as the Avatar to deal with and he…
His life was here, alone and devoid of any long-term plans for the future.
Yes. As much as it galled him to admit, Korra had done the right thing. Their story was finished—finally.
He would be content with the memories.
It was a three-day journey back to Republic City. Again, Korra experienced the sardonic sensation of how close the two of them had been all these years and wondered at how she'd never thought to go looking for him where he was.
She didn't allow herself those three days. Thanks to being the Avatar and her extreme amount of stamina, Korra managed to cut that time in half. She pushed herself hard, ignoring the screams of exhaustion from her tired muscles. It was dangerous for her to stop, not only because she would risk bumping into some of Kuvira's forces but because a part of her was afraid Mako might come after her. She made sure to travel on an unbeaten path, covering her tracks the way she was had been taught to. He might not follow her, but she wasn't going to take the risk.
She was more than halfway back when the pain in her heart finally struck her. She was already sore from traveling at such a fast pace, but the overwhelming emotions nearly crippled her. She had to repeatedly remind herself that she was the Avatar and that as the Avatar she not only fought past pain, but embraced it as well.
By the time the lights of Republic City came into view, Korra was feeling exceptionally raw. She was so focused on them that she didn't notice the person behind her.
Until it was too late.
She shrieked as she was tackled from behind and her feet slipped from underneath her. There was a rush of movements as she and her assailant wrestled each other to the ground and through hazy eyes, she noticed a blur of black hair.
Finally, her breath was knocked out of her entirely as she landed hard on the ground, the young man responsible for having done so, looming above her, his hands firm on her shoulders.
She blinked rapidly, taking in the black hair, the green eyes. Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest, pain swirling in the pit of her stomach.
He spoke.
"Avatar Korra, you should really pay more attention." Kai's grin was extremely smug.
Korra couldn't hold it back any longer. Everything she had been feeling, all the emotions she had been forced to hold back, finally exploded.
And thus, with a confused and increasingly worried Kai sitting on top of her, she cried and cried like she'd never cried before.
Lin Beifong looked at the young woman standing in front of her desk, a frown on her face. She noted the redness of Korra's eyes and the puffiness of her cheeks and her frown hardened.
She eyed the report on her desk, taking in the perfectly neat handwriting. Everything was laid out flawlessly, as was the norm when it came to the Avatar's mission reports.
"So the mission was completed, you had to heal yourself and then you decided to take a vacation—something I've had to force you to do all these years," Beifong summarised crisply.
"Yes." Beifong wasn't deaf to the crack in the young Avatar's voice.
She leaned forward, propping her chin on her cupped hands. "Korra," she began, her tone firm, "what is not in this report that you should tell me?"
At that, Korra lifted her gaze from the floor to meet the familiar green gaze that she had come to admire. She swallowed hard and cleared her throat. "Lin…" She licked her dry lips. "I—please. Not yet."/pp
One perfectly shaped grey brow shot up. In a softer voice, she asked, "Will this—whatever you're keeping from me—endanger this city and it's citizens?"
"No." She didn't hesitate.
Beifong looked at her long and hard. Korra was a part of the small group of people she considered family. Blood didn't make a relationship—the strength and the commitment of a person did. But more importantly, Korra was the Avatar; In an environment filled with both physical and political danger, there were few whom Beifong could really, truly trust and Korra was one of them. Beifong would never question her loyalty, nor would she ever believe that the young woman would purposely place any of the cities in the United Republic in danger.
She let out a heavy sigh. "Fine then—come to me when you're ready. And don't forget the trust I've placed in you," she added in a warning tone. She went on, "You're off the roster until further notice. Consider this as me extending your vacation since you haven't taken one in five years."
Korra let out a sigh herself, relief flooding through her. She didn't bother protesting the break. She was bone-tired and she knew she could really use it. She gave the Head of Police a respectful nod before turning to leave the office.
"One more thing," Beifong called out just as she twisted the doorknob, causing her shoulders to stiffen slightly.
"Varrick took Bolin off for one of their 'mens only weekends,'" Beifong sneered, picturing the kind of things Varrick probably had in mind. "They won't be back until the end of the week."
Korra relaxed, understanding exactly what the Chief of Police was telling her.
She had a few days' grace to recuperate and make sure that by the time Bolin returned, he wouldn't suspect anything amiss about her.
"Thank you, Lin," Korra said and then she left.
Korra slept for two days with no interruption, waking up only when it was necessary. On the second night, when her emotions felt as if they were too heavy to bear and she just couldn't stop thinking of Mako, wondering what he was doing, if he was eating well, if he thought of her at all, she took the same sleeping medication Katara had given het to use during those first few months after her run in with Zaheer and the Red Lotus. Korra was met with an oblivion of darkness.
She woke up the next morning to a loud pounding. For a moment, she thought it was due to the drug but when she heard the front door of her apartment being practically torn open, she knew it wasn't.
She only managed to put on a nightshirt before Bolin stormed into her apartment, full of happy exclamations, with a more sedate Kai following close behind him. They refused her offer of breakfast and Nolin pestered her incessantly to join them at Narook's. She threw them out of her bedroom, slammed the door in Bolin's face when he made to follow her to the bathroom and ordered Kai to keep an eye on her adored earth bending friend while she took a long, hot shower.
Forty minutes later the three of them were seated at Narook's, which had expanded over the years; Korra suspected most of the restaurant's fortune owed its thanks of Bolin's pocket. She and Kai enjoyed their noodles while Bolin slurped through his second bowl. The three of them chattered among themselves, sometimes speaking above each other though highly aware of the other's words. This had become a normal scene for them throughout the years, their close relationship forged from trust and a genuine fondness for one another.
"Hey, hey Kor!" Bolin all but shouted. He'd always used the affectionate title when he'd had the chance and she had come to appreciate the fact that he did. It made her feel normal. "Beifong said you were on vacation—I told her I didn't believe her."
"It's true, Bolin. There was a nice town at the east border and I just thought I needed a break," Korra bent the truth.
"You should have asked us to come along. I would have dragged Meelo, Ikki and Jinora along, too. We haven't been on a 'life changing field trip' in years!"
Korra smiled softly. "I just needed some alone time."
Bolin grumbled, though he wasn't really angry. "Did you have a nice time then?" he wanted to know.
Korra paused for a moment as amber eyes and a soft small that was painfully endearing flashed through her mind. "It was one of the best times of my life," she finally answered her best friend.
On her other side, Kai shot her a curious look. While she had never sworn him to secrecy about her crying the other day, he hadn't told anyone about it. It was something good friends did, he had learned, keeping each other's secrets without being told to do so.
"That's nice, Kor. I'm happy for you. You should definitely take us there one day."
Korra's breath hitched and she was thankful that neither of the boys had noticed. She looked at Bolin and gave him an affectionate smile. "Maybe someday," she promised, hoping she could.
After they finished watching Bolin devour his sixth bowl of noodles, he declared that he needed to go to the market to buy a few things. Kai agreed to tag along, but Korra passed on Bolin's offer for her to also tag along, stating that she needed to go to the city hall and check in with the Council Members.
"Eh, but you're on vacation! You shouldn't have to work!"
"It's not work, Bolin," Korra laughed. "I'm off missions and my 'Avatar duties', but no one said I can't go and visit, check up on things."
"Workaholic!" Bolin accused good-naturedly. "I'm telling Beifong!"
"I dare you—I have more stories about you!" she retorted as she waved at them over her shoulder.
As she walked the familiar path to city hall, Korra looked around to see that no one was following her. Confirming this, she reverted off the path and went on a different route.
Soon, her surroundings grew more and more dilapidated until she entered an area of the city that was relatively uninhabited, save for rodents and small spirit animals. Finally, the sight of the cracked blue roof that covered what had once been Bolin and Mako's home came into view.
She increased her pace.
Two weeks after Korra's return to Republic City, she came to the decision to visit a certain prison, located in Omashu.
As Korra stood in front of the looming doors guarded by two White Lotus Sentries, she couldn't help but to feel a small sense of uncertainty creeping from behind the closed doors.
It wasn't her first time here; The Avatar being among the three members of Republic City council that had an all-access pass to the place; Tenzin, Lin and herself. After regaining her composure she made her way to the large gates, asking to be allowed into the vicinity. After a few minutes she followed one of the sentries through a series of hidden doors until she finally came upon the secret basement that housed the worst kind of criminal she had ever come across—a high-standing villian.
Four more sentries guarded the spacious cell and she knew there were others that she couldn't see.
One of them nodded at her, his voice muffled by the mask he wore. "Avatar Korra. Is there a problem?"
She shook her head. "I just have a few questions for him. Is he awake?"
"Yes. He just finished his dinner."
"Good. I'll call you when I'm ready to leave."
"Very well." Again, there were a series of heavy, locked doors before she finally reached her destination, a relatively large room that had all the basic amenities a person would need to stay for an indefinite period of time. Her eyes turquoise instantly found the person she was there to see. He was slouched in one of the armchairs next to a bookshelf, his old eyes straining to read a faded book. He looked up when he heard her enter, a dry smile on his stern face.
"Ah, it's the wielder of all elements."
She stiffened at the nickname, but as usual, she didn't allow it to bother her. She closed the door firmly behind her, glancing over her shoulder to ensure complete privacy. Once she was certain no one would come barging in, she again returned her attention to the old man.
Many believed that Zaheer had perished along with his aborted attempt at a revolution during the country's last enemy invasion all those years ago, believing that he had been killed by herself for trying to take end the Avatar cycle. Korra had never had the strength to rectify this mistaken belief because she'd felt it was better for the people to believe that such a heinous person was no longer among the living. Of course she, along with only a handful of people, knew otherwise. Zaheer was kept under heavy lock and key, weakened and sedated, and barred from any contact whatsoever with the outside world. He was fed, clothed, entertained and occasionally questioned to reveal crucial information. Korra had requested to be one of the healers entrusted to make sure he was kept alive, therefore she had visited him often.
"Hello, Zaheer," she returned his greeting. She'd never placed any honorable suffix to his name, knowing that it galled him. She walked over to the other side of the room and placed her medical bag on a small table. As she withdrew a small tube of medicine, she casually stated, "I have a few questions for you today."
"Oh? What makes you think I'm willing to share any information with you?"
"Oh. You don't have to be willing to share it with me." After a short pause she continued, "There's something you should know about me Zaheer; I always get what I want." There was an intensity in the silence that filled the space between them, as Zaheer stared at Korra and she stared back at him, purposely revealing all she felt for him in her eyes.
He didn't react much. The only thing that gave him away, the only thing that told her she had shocked him, was the flicker of his brown eyes. "It's about that fire bender boy and his brother isn't it?" he said raspily while cocking his head as he turned his body towards her. "What do you want to know?"
Her smile was cold, devoid of any warmth. She would not tell him how she had first found out that he, along with Ghazan, P'li and Ming Hua had tortured both Bolin and Mako into revealing things about her Avatar powers. About how Mako had muttered the devastating words in his fever, displaying how the event had affected him all these years. She would not give Zaheer the satisfaction of knowing that he had tormented another living person beyond the initial torture.
"Did you know that element of Air is the most powerful element among all elements? Did you know that when The Avatar utilises the Avatar state, that the wrath felt from their bending is beyond anything imaginable. My bending is devastatingly powerful—very, very devastating. If I felt so inclined, I could perhaps bend these bricks into rubble or burn this fortress into ashes, or even better, end your life the way you had intended to end mine; by air bending the very breath out of my lungs. Oh, yes, Zaheer—I could do any number of those things, and a heck of a lot more. In fact, I'm in the mood to give a little demonstration of the power that I posess." She began air bend, forcing Zaheer's mouth open, and continuing to draw the oxygen out from his lungs. "Did you use this on either of those boys?"
The old man choked. "Those boys gave a good fight; desperate times called for desperate measures Korra. The Earth Bender was the weaker of the two— but that fire bender boy, even with the three of us pressuring him, he resisted everything we threw at him. This—" he pointed to the small stream of air escaping his mouth "—was used as a last resort."
Korra's fist clenched. "You're more of a monster that I thought you were," she hissed, fury underlining her words.
"You upset I did the same to you as I did your lover?" he asked, a sneer tilting his lips at the mention of Lin.
"You will never again use that ability of yours, Zaheer." She snapped.
Zaheer threw back his head and chuckled mirthlessly. "I don't need to. I've achieved what I wanted to. I always knew someone would come to kill me for my part in the downfall of the United Republic. I never imagined it would be the half-baked Avatar though. I must admit I'm surprised you're able to bend at all after all that mecury we used on you. The Red Lotus underestimated you, Korra. I underestimated you. I suppose I won't have the opportunity to do the same thing again, will I?"
"You supposed right." Korra studied him, noting his weakened state—something she and her drugs were partly responsible of. But unlike him, she wouldn't underestimate him. "Are you going to fight me?" she asked. She would welcome the attempt.
"I'll make better use of your time than the bending brothers made of mine." he shot back.
She didn't answer him, resisting the urge to crush his lungs with her air bending skills. With every word that escaped his lips, Korra could feel her pent up rage slowly coming to a boil. She took several steps towards him, like a predator stalking an easy prey. There was a tang of fear in her tongue, but she embraced it. Being fearless was stupid; fear was good—it made a person cautious.
Zaheer met her head on, climbing to his feet on shaky legs. "You would really kill an old, helpless man?"
"Why not?" she growled. "You and the Red Lotus have as good as killed a young man. He is not living but simply existing."
"They will punish you for this."
She shrugged. "Perhaps. But perhaps not. Who will care anyway? People already think you're dead. Besides, I'm a healer. I've spent hours in autopsy rooms—I know how to kill you in ways that seem natural. I've done it before—I even did it with the Elders."
"You would have made a wonderful Red Lotus member," Zaheer said. Much to her disgust, there was genuine admiration in the old man's tone.
"It's a pity I'm the Avatar, sworn to providing peace and balance to world." she retorted. Slowly, so that he was fully aware of how she planned to end his life, she retracted the oxygen from his lungs at a faster pace. "I won't lie—it will be painful. How unfortunate that you won't be able to scream."
To his credit, he did try to fight, but he was too weak and she was too strong. She subdued him easily, effectively cutting off his ability to speak let alone scream with her air bending.
She looked at him for long minutes, seeing the fear that had finally crept into his withered face. This would be a mark against her soul, but she didn't care. She wouldn't have come as far as she had not only as the Avatar but as a bender if she were the sort of person who worried about mortal sins and the like. Theirs was a world that would always be in shades of grey. Right was never completely right and wrong would always be questionable.
She pictured Bolin, trying desperately to keep any of the Red Lotus members from harming him or his older brother. She pictured Mako, burdened and haunted by the dreadful memories of having been tortured because of her.
She would avenge them. She would punish him for them. She would give them the justice they deserved.
She wasn't doing this as The Avatar. She was doing this as Korra.
She raised her hand and by doing pulled the last ceric of oxygen that had remained in the villains lungs.
Well that was morbid. I had difficulty writing the end scene, but I believe it's what Korra would do if anyone she loved or cared for were harmed. Korra is an extremely protective and selfless character so it felt right in her ending the life of a person who, both in the actual series, and suggestively throughout this story, has caused so much pain and harm.
