AMS

GRIEF AND LIES

Due to being more spiritual, and the fact he considered himself an Air Nomad and practiced the culture for as long as he could remember, Quey was definitely a lot more patient than most people, including Tenzin, the master himself. But his Great Grandmother and Great Aunt Lin were proving to be very difficult people, at least in the first half of his earthbending training, which only lasted a week. He was now able to successfully send boulders bigger than his father flying. Everytime he improved, Toph closed her eyes and nodded approvingly. He didn't know why or how, but everytime she did that, it would cause the largest, goofiest grin to appear on his face.

"Good. You can successfully move and stop boulders, and you can now stay in your horse stance for more than five hours. Now, on to move to something else. I'm going to teach you how to use your other senses for earthbending. Yes, I know you have your sight, but this technique saved Aang's butt when he decided to leave his back open to the Firelord. Anyone got any blindfolds?" asked Toph, not bothering to turn around to look at Mako, Bolin, Opal, Asami, Suyin, and Suyin's other kids.

Mako took off his new scarf and handed it to Lin who wrapped it around Quey's head, covering his eyes.

"Now, can you see anything through the blindfold? Or is everything completely covered?" asked Toph, turning to Quey.

"Everything is cut off," he replied with a thumbs up and then he awkwardly dropped it.

"Good. Bataar Jr, hand him your metal baseball bat," ordered Toph.

"What?! But! It's just the prototype," begged Bataar Jr.

"Either you hand it to him or I take it. Which will it be?" she asked, smirking while slowly losing her patience with him.

Sighing in defeat, Bataar Jr. handed Quey the bat carefully.

"Just...be careful with it," he said, moping.

"How can he be careful with it?" Toph asked, raising a brow. "He's going to be using it to hit rocks that pop up!"

That just made Bataar Jr. groan and bury his face in his hands.

"Chin up, bro. You can always make another, better and improved one!" encouraged Opal.

The thought of making a better one got Bataar Jr.'s hopes up again and he decided to watch Quey's training resume.

"So, why didn't you teach me siesmic sense before this?" asked Quey.

"Because this will help you learn siesmic sense. Now, stay focused Twinkle Toes," taunted Toph who waved at Lin.

Lin, understanding, started making earth pop out here and there at random. It was like whack a mole, but to train earthbending. Toph had expected Quey to do what Aang did and begin by swinging randomly. Instead, she was impressed that Quey stood still, using his ears to listen to where the earth was popping up. Then out of nowhere, using the metal bat in his hands, swung and destroyed nearly every earth pillar that shot up.

"You're very good at listening and waiting," complimented Toph, smiling a bit.

"Guess it comes with being an airbender first," replied Quey, smiling cockily.

"Hmm, I guess so. Now, on to the next lessons!"

A few more days passed and Quey mastered the beginning and intermediate levels of earthbending.

"Now, you're not a true master yet, but you really should start learning metalbending next before you have to leave. But what you do know in earthbending would be enough to take down other Ozai's," said Toph.

"I just can't believe that in that short time, he got ripped," said Bataar Jr., his eyes popping out of his head at Quey's rippling muscles.

"Once he learns metalbending, he should have a metalbending match with me, just like Korra did when she was taught!" shouted Wing.

"Do I have to spar with Bolin again?" teased Wei.

"I can actually bend metal now so I'll be more of a challenge," smiled Bolin.

Wei smirked, "But you're still no where near my level!"

"Better than no level," shrugged Bolin.

Quey was stretching his sore muscles, still blindfolded.

"Uh Quey? You know you can take the blindfold off, right?" Wei brought to Quey's attention the blindfold still over his eyes.

"You do realize I can not only feel it but I see constant red," snarkily replied Quey, making his Uncle embarrassed. "I just felt it necessary to stretch before anything else."

Once he finished stretching, he brought his hand to his face and slipped off the still tied at the end and tossed it to Mako who caught it with ease, frowning at the knot as he worked it out.

"What, you think we're starting metalbending training right now? Dinner's ready, and I'm hungry and tired!" complained Toph in a moody, sharp tone.

Lin rolled her eyes since all Toph did was yell at everybody and nod her head when Quey did something right throughout the week, but didn't say anything as her old mother shuffled on towards the dining hall, everyone else joining her. At the table, everyone was busy eating the fantastic food made by the once-pirate-now-turned-chef. Quey was having a hard time eating though, as thoughts of not being strong enough to save the earthbenders as well as his adopted parents flittered across his mind, making him feel grief for all the ones that were murdered in the most brutal ways possible. By being bloodbended. It wasn't their time yet. Tears fell into Quey's food, and he tried not to make any crying sounds since everyone else was too busy chatting it up with each other lively, not paying any attention to Quey. That was fine with him. He didn't want attention right now. Not when he was grieving. Not when he felt so useless as the new Avatar.

"If I had known I was the Avatar sooner, maybe I could have at least learned another element to stand up against the bloodbenders," he thought to himself bitterly.

He tried to put more food into his mouth, but he felt sick once his tongue hit the food and he squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed the food. Then Quey shuddered as he sighed.

"Maybe I shouldn't be the Avatar. I already failed, so I don't deserve the role. I'll just hide somewhere so someone else can play Avatar," Quey thought. "That's right. I don't have to be the Avatar."

The lie he told himself suddenly took the weight off his shoulders. The only person to have noticed Quey crying was Toph, but she didn't say anything. She knew Quey took after her a bit in not wanting to be bothered when crying. Especially not from people you barely know. So she closed her eyes and ate her food in silence as her great grandson on the other side of the table suffered silently. After dinner, Quey's tears had already dried up, although his eyes looked red, puffy, and baggy.

"Whoa, Quey, are you okay?" Bolin asked, placing a concerned hand on Quey's shoulder.

Quey shrugged his hand off and managed a weak smile.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Quey lied.

Again, Toph said nothing as Quey shoved past a confused Bolin and a concerned looking Opal. Quey made it to the guest room he had been staying in and shut the door behind him, sighing.

"I'm so tired. Hey! Since I'm not the Avatar anymore, I can stop trying to contact Korra, and I can stop my training," he told himself out loud, smiling as he went to the bed and cuddled up in the blankets.

In no time, he drifted off to sleep. Usually, he dreams in black and white. So when his dream came in a sepia color, he was confused. Even more confused that he was able to react to his dream at all since he normally would be forced to go with the flow and think he was in the dream itself. But he felt part of it somehow. Suddenly, a tall man in a white mask appeared on a stage in front of a crowd, a bunch of masked people behind him.

"Amon?" he thought. He then realized with horror that he was having a vision from his past life. He tried to wake up, to not face the harsh reality of who he is, but to no avail. He was stuck. He had to watch what happens.

"When I was a boy, a firebender struck my family down in front of me. Then, he took my face. I've been forced to hide behind the mask ever since then," spoke Amon into a microphone.

Quey suddenly felt bad for Amon, er, Noatak.

"Is that how he got his scars? That's so sad... But then, why was he attacking benders, and now earthbenders if he has a problem with the firebenders?" asked Quey as he remembered reading the newspaper with Noatak as Amon in it. The one newspaper his adopted parents left behind. The newspaper had said Amon, aka Noatak, was a deadly criminal who used bloodbending to take away bending.

"That's a lie, Amon!" shouted a strong, female voice.

Quey looked over and saw two Equalists standing on a balcony, one pointing down at Amon. It thoroughly confused Quey until the one took off her mask, revealing herself to be Korra.

"Or should I say Noatak?"

Quey looked back to Noatak to try and see how he would react, but frowned that no body language was made. Any and all body language was made behind the mask.

"Want us to handle this, Amon?" the Lieutenant asked Amon to which he held up his hand to him.

"The Avatar will not harm any of you. Let us hear what she has to say," calmly but loudly spoke Amon.

Quey was surprised to see how calm and collected Noatak was at this point and turned back to Korra who turned her attention to the crowd of nonbenders.

"Amon isn't who he says he is! Amon's real name is Noatak, he's from the Northern Water Tribe, his father was Yakone, and his brother is Councilman Tarrlok! I don't know how, but he uses bloodbending to take away bending! Amon is a waterbender!" shouted Korra all the while pointing her finger at Amon who still, shockingly, did not stir the slightest under pressure.

Quey, despite being afraid of Noatak, had to hand it to him. The Lieutenant looked at Amon questioningly.

"Amon? What is this?" he asked him.

But still, Amon did not visibly shake.

"You're desperate. Making up stories about me won't help you, Avatar. But if you want proof of my story, I will show you the truth," said Amon calmly as he pulled back his hood and undid the mask's strings, sliding it off his face to reveal his scar.

Quey had to do a double take. The scar on his face from back then looked a lot different than the one Quey had seen him with when he was in Ba Sing Se. Why was that? Scars don't just change! He looked back to Korra and Mako who were both shocked to see the scar on Noatak's face. Korra then backed up.

"Let's get out of here," she said to Mako.

By this point, Noatak had put the mask back on his face.

"I wouldn't go just yet if I were you. You'll miss the main event," evenly spoke Noatak, making Korra and Mako stop and turn around to see what he was talking about when suddenly, Tenzin and the airbending kids appeared all tied up and gagged.

The sight of his fellow Air Nomads, tied up and gagged like that, made Quey's heart sink for them. He wanted to be able to reach into the past and free them himself until he remembered that Noatak was right there on that stage.

"No. They got away! We saw them get away!" Korra said to Mako who looked just as horrified.

"Tonight, I will rid the world of airbending. Forever!" announced Noatak, his arms spread wide open as the crowd roared with cheers and applause.

Korra and Mako ran onto the walls while firebending their way over to the stage. Once they landed on the stage both of them started their relentless fire attacks against Amon and the Equalists. Quey shook his head.

"That style of fighting is too easy to dodge," he tsked to himself as he watched Korra duck out of the fight to release Tenzin and the kids.

Tenzin then helped in the fight, blasting the Equalists and then Noatak off the stage as they then made a break for it. The nonbenders had long since ran out of the building for safety. Quey sighed. Leave it to Tenzin and his traditional airbending to successfully blow back the enemies. If Tenzin had done air punches, the enemy would have surely been able to dodge the airbending. But one thing scared Quey for all of them.

"Noatak doesn't bloodbend in front of the people following him. They all think he's someone without bending, but someone who can take away bending. Once everyone is away from his followers, Noatak will no doubt bloodbend them all," thought Quey, not wanting to see that happen.

Korra and Mako ran into the old gym to hide from Noatak. Noatak heard the gym door close behind him, so he turned around and went into the gym. Quey had seen where Korra and Mako had hid, so he knew exactly where they were. He just prayed that Noatak didn't find them, that instead, they ambushed Noatak right then and there. Noatak stopped in front of where Korra was hiding, leaving Quey breathless, until Noatak walked past her. Korra sighed in relief, but was then ripped out from her hiding spot by Noatak, as well as Mako. Quey cringed as he remembered the feeling of being bloodbent. Not a pleasant feeling at all. Noatak walked up behind Korra as he held her still with his bloodbending grip.

"No!" Korra shouted angrily.

"What the heck?! She can't lose her bending! Something happens soon, right?" yelled Quey.

Korra silently freaked out as Noatak brought his thumb down onto her forehead, taking away her bending. When Korra tried to bend at Noatak but failed, Quey's heart dropped to his stomach.

"How is she supposed to beat him now?" he wondered.

Right when he thought Mako was going to get his bending taken too, Mako surprised both Quey and Noatak by electrocuting him, sending Noatak flying against the wall. Mako stood up, still sort of unsteady from being bloodbent, but still fired fire blasts to cover Noatak in debris. Quey sadly looked over to where the Lieutenant lie, and Quey was sure Noatak had killed the man. The grief set in again, only stronger this time as he remembered the sound of the people he called mom and dad be killed. Mako was running with Korra in his arms, panic on his features. It was so odd to Quey since he met his Uncle who was so snarky and confident. The panic on his face didn't bode well for him.

"Mako...my bending..." weakly said Korra as Mako continued to run.

"Don't worry! Everything will be fine. We just need to get out of here," Mako tried his best to reassure the broken Korra in his arms until something, or someone, stopped Mako from running any further and was forced to drop Korra on the hard floor.

Behind Mako was Noatak, bloodbending him into the ceiling and then the walls to weaken Mako.

"I'm impressed. No one's been able to get the better of me. It's almost a shame to take the bending of someone so talented. Almost," deeply said Noatak, his voice sounding amused yet sadistic at the last word.

Noatak, knowing better now, turned Mako around on his knees so that he wouldn't be able to shock him again. Korra got herself up off the ground to see Noatak raise his hand, about to bring it to Mako's forehead. Panic spread on Korra's face as she brought her fist back.

"NO!" Korra shouted as she punched the air, causing Noatak to fly backwards.

Quey's mouth dropped open.

"How did she?" Quey asked himself.

Noatak looked up in shock.

"Impossible," he growled.

Korra looked down at her hand in disbelief.

"I can airbend?" Finding her determination to stop Noatak again, she stood tall, clenching her open hand into a fist before proudly exclaiming, "I can airbend!"

Suddenly fueled by her desire to stop Noatak, she started punching and slapping the air, all which made Quey wince. There was just no form in her airbending, and it was sad.

"Surely Master Tenzin taught her how to flow like the leaf and the proper forms of airbending," he thought to himself before wincing at yet another air slap. She was just lucky Noatak didn't have the room in the hallway to dodge her lame attacks. He groaned loudly when Noatak started bloodbending her again. But she surprised Quey and Noatak yet again when she began to lift her foot defiantly.

"No...you...DON'T!" she yelled, kicking air at Noatak which sent him flying out the window and into the water.

The nonbenders that fled the rally from before were outside, and they all turned to look into the water as they heard a splash. Murmuring as to who it could have been, they see a mask float up to the surface and begin booing Korra, calling her an evil Avatar. Quey was thoroughly upset with these people. Granted, Korra lost her other bending, but she unlocked her airbending and defeated Amon! Seconds later though, Noatak sprung up from the water, his lower half covered by the swirling water vortex he's bending as he hacked and coughed, catching his breath.

"The scar's gone? It was just a fake? Is he just wearing makeup now then?" Quey suddenly wondered.

Noatak glared over at Korra before diving into the water and swimming away, dodging Mako's fire blasts. The memory switched to show Katara come out of a healing room where Korra was still in, and announced she did everything she could but could not restore Korra's bending, much to everyone's dismay.

"She still has airbending, but her connection to the other elements has been severed," Katara finished explaining to the group.

Korra then came out, face emotionless.

"It's going to be okay," Korra's father said.

"No. It's not," she replied, pushing past them, grabbing her coat as she headed out the door.

Mako followed after her. Quey could only wonder how Korra was going to get her bending back.

"Did she ever get it back? Or was she just stuck with airbending?" he wondered.

"Korra, wait!" Mako called after her. Korra stopped.

"Go away," Korra said bitterly.

"I will. But I just want to tell you that I'm here for you," said Mako.

Quey smiled.

"Well, at least I now know I can definitely trust Uncle Mako," he thought happily.

"No. I mean go away. Back to Republic City," snapped Korra.

Mako made a confused expression mixed with hurt.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I'm not the Avatar anymore. You don't have to do me any favors," glared Korra as she then turned to continue walking.

Mako put a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't care if you're the Avatar or not! Look, when Tarrlok abducted you, I was going crazy. I realized something," Mako said as he got closer, cradling her cheek. "I love you."

Quey cringed.

"I swear if they kiss I'm gonna barf," Quey said, sticking his tongue out.

Korra began tearing up.

"I can't," she sobbed, running onto Naga and taking off, leaving a rejected Mako behind her.

Quey felt bad for his uncle, but he was glad they didn't kiss. Naga and Korra appeared near a cliff and Korra dismounted, walking towards the edge of the cliff, looking down. Quey felt so bad for her. A tear fell down Korra's face and down the cliff, into the water. She then broke down in sobbing tears, folding her arms around her knees as she buried her face in her knees, shaking as she cried. Aang appeared near Korra then, and Quey's eyes widened.

"Go away, Tenzin. I just wanna be left alone," sobbed Korra.

"But you called me here," said Aang.

Korra's head flew up as she looked up at her predecessor and smiled, standing up.

"Aang."

"You're finally connected with your spiritual self," smiled Aang.

Quey was smiling too.

"How?" asked Korra.

"When we hit our lowest point, we are open, to the greatest change," explained Aang as the other past Avatars appeared behind him. Quey was feeling something in his chest, though he couldn't explain it. Tenzin had already explained that the connection to Aang and the past Avatars other than Korra had been severed, so being able to see the past Avatars through a memory of Korra's was really nice. Korra, smiling, closed her eyes as Aang placed a thumb on her forehead. Aang and the past Avatars all glowed as they restored Korra's bending, and then they all disappeared. Quey watched Korra for a while. She just had her eyes closed. When she opened them, Quey smiled brightly again. Korra, in the Avatar State, bended an air vortex around her, lifting her off the ground as she then bent an air ring, a fire ring, an earth ring away from her, and then lifted the water up over the cliff. Setting her feet back on the ground her eyes stopped glowing and she ran into Mako's arms, kissing him, and saying she loved him too. Quey, even though he was happy for her, he now gagged at the kissing. Then Quey opened his eyes and sat up.

"Alright Korra I see how it is. Don't come to me when I actively seek you, but come to me when I stop searching? I've heard about how infuriating you used to be to some people, and now I see why. But what was that vision supposed to tell me? That Noatak's a bloodbender? Because I already knew that," Quey said, scowling at Korra forcing him to face the reality of being the Avatar.

Then Quey remembered seeing Noatak's scar disappear, and wondered why that was. Then he shook his head.

"Nope! I don't care, Korra! I'm not the Avatar, and I'm not going to dwell on Noatak!" proudly declared Quey as he opened the window and went for a long walk around Zaofu. He managed to stay away from everyone throughout the whole day, and snuck into the kitchen when everyone was asleep to take food to his room and eat. Toph always knew where he was, and reassured everyone he was still in Zaofu, safe and sound. The reason she didn't tell anyone where she "saw" him was because she knew, using his airbending, he would just change direction in an instant. So rather than wasting her breath, she left it up to the spirits to tell Quey to knock it off. At the end of the day, Toph told everyone to give Quey his space.

"He's the Avatar. Just like Aang did, he will go through some spirit world journey and come back to us," Toph had told them all irritably as she cracked her back.

"But Korra didn't go through spirit world journeys and she ended up in trouble a lot!" yelled Mako, remembering how many times Korra had to be saved.

Toph had laughed at them.

"Unlike Korra, Quey is spiritual like Aang was! Because of that, the spirits will find it much easier to guide him than they did with Korra. She wasn't a very spiritual Avatar. I know because I was in the swamp, watching everything happen," Toph said, laughing.

"I just don't understand why he's hiding from us. Until he comes out of hiding, we'll keep the domes on," said Suyin to Kuvira who nodded in response. Now he was in his room, eating food he had stolen. It wasn't anything new to him. When he was left with food you have to cook, he went out and stole snack-able food. After all, no one thought to teach a toddler how to cook. Quey gasped as he heard his door slide open and immediately hid the food and took a fighting stance, but dropped it when he saw Mako. He saw Mako's panicked face in his mind again, and he blinked the vision away.

"Hey trouble maker," said Mako seriously. It unnerved Quey. Mako usually smirked when he said things. But this time, he was serious. Quey didn't say anything. He had newfound respect for Mako, and it was all because of the fact he's the Avatar. If he wasn't the Avatar, he never would have been able to see that vision.

"Can we talk?" asked Mako, still not smiling or showing anything other than a cold stare.

Quey understood why Mako was being serious with him. He had gone through so much stress with Korra, and now here he was, dealing with more stress from her reincarnation. Quey didn't want to cause anymore unnecessary stress to him, so he nodded, sitting back down and taking the food back out to eat.

"Glad to see you didn't go hungry at least," sighed Mako before sitting down next to Quey, his hand on his cheek as he just silently watched Quey eat for a minute as he collected the words in his head.

Quey silently offered some food to Mako but Mako shook his head.

"I had a large dinner, so I'm still full," said Mako.

Quey nodded, putting the food down.

"I know you're Korra's reincarnation and all, but can you not be as childish as she was? I could tell from the moment I met you that you're more than just a child now, so the behavior today was just unacceptable. It's a good thing Toph was here to tell us you were fine. If she hadn't, all of us would have grey in our hair by this point. In this very city, Korra was murdered by the Red Lotus. We found out through interrogating them who let them into the city, so it's safe here again, but it didn't stop us from worrying our heads off," Mako finally said, raising his voice on certain words.

"I had a vision," Quey finally said after minutes of silence, which stopped Mako in his tracks.

"When?" he asked.

"Last night. I'm so upset that I couldn't save the people of Ba Sing Se. I feel like I already failed as the Avatar. So, last night, I decided I wouldn't be the Avatar, and that I would openly avoid everyone until they opened the domes, and I was able to fall asleep without trouble. Then, I saw Noatak as Amon. I saw him show his fake scar, saw you and Korra free Tenzin and his kids, saw Noatak kill the Lieutenant, saw Noatak take Korra's bending. I saw everything up to when Korra got her bending back from Aang. I am still very upset with Korra for reminding me I am the Avatar. I've been searching for her spirit for a while and came up with nothing, Mako! Then, when I decide to give up, she comes to me like there's no problem," huffed Quey as he stuffed a handful of seaweed chips into his mouth.

Mako smiled for the first time since he got to his room.

"Korra was always bad at timing," chuckled Mako as he fondly remembered the kiss he and Korra shared shortly after he saw her in the Avatar State for the first time.

"Yeah I saw that part too," groaned Quey, knowing what the look on Mako's face meant.

Mako blushed, then laughed it away, patting Quey on the back.

"But that vision helped me learn to be able to trust you with my life," Quey said, voice small.

Mako looked at Quey with wide eyes.

"You trust me now?" he asked.

Mako felt warm but felt sad for Bolin since his little bro is the father of the Avatar. He narrowed his eyebrows in seriousness.

"Take it from me. Trust your father, Bolin, too. He is a lot more sweet and genuine than I am," said Mako.

Quey looked at Mako and sighed.

"I need to see concrete proof before I just trust him. Who knows. Maybe I'll have another vision tonight and see something with him in it," shrugged Quey as he rolled up the now empty bag and opened the box of cookies.

"Hmm. I won't force you to trust him. But please show up for your metalbending training tomorrow," sighed Mako.

"I still don't feel I should be the Avatar," frowned Quey.

"Are you ashamed that you couldn't save them?" asked Mako, sitting back down to help Quey.

"No. I don't feel ashamed. I'm just grieving over them all. It wasn't right. I should have done something," frowned Quey as a tear escaped his eye and he rubbed it away.

Mako nodded in understanding. How many times had Mako felt grief whenever he saw people die on the streets either from hunger or from street fights? Too many times to count.

"When Bo and I grew up on the streets, I constantly felt an immense pressure in my chest due to the grief I felt whenever I saw other people in the street die. I felt like if I had shown up with food to feed the starving, they would have lived. If I wasn't scared, always sheltering Bo from the harsh realities, then I could have helped many people fight the bullies and get away scot free. But you know what I learned on the streets?" asked Mako.

Quey looked up at Mako, adoration in his eyes, and he shook his head no.

"I learned that their death wasn't my fault. Sure. It might not have been their time yet, and it was cruel and unusual, but you can't change the past. Accept that the earthbenders were killed by the bloodbenders, and accept the reality that you are the Avatar. One day, you will avenge their death anyway. Once you learn all the elements that is," explained Mako.

Quey breathed in and out. His air chakra and sound chakra both opened at once. He opened his eyes and gave his uncle Mako a hug. It was a little weaker than Korra's hugs, but they were still pretty strong. Mako smiled and pat his head gently before tucking Quey in.

"Good night, Avatar Quey," whispered Mako before leaving the room.

A loud yawn escaped from Quey's mouth, his eyes squinting together as he tried to stay awake to say good night.

"Good night...Uncle Mmmmako," mumbled Quey as sleep over took him.

Again, he was dreaming in sepia.

"Another vision already?" Quey asked, scratching his head.

There was a man behind bars in a wooden area. Noatak came up the stairs as Quey was trying to figure out who the man behind the bars was.

"Noatak," said Tarrlok.

Quey gasped.

"This man knows Noatak?" he thought.

"Brother. Sorry I had to do what I did to you," apologized Noatak.

"Brother?! Is this guy out there somewhere? Is he with Noatak in Ba Sing Se and I just didn't see him?" he yelled at himself.

Tarrlok sighed.

"Our father put us on this path. It was in fate for us to collide," replied Tarrlok.

Noatak opened Tarrlok's cell door.

"Leave with me now. We have a second chance. You're all I have left. I can't lose you too," said Noatak in a tone Quey never heard him speak in before.

The scene switched to show Noatak driving a speed boat with Tarrlok sitting in the back, staring at Noatak.

"The two of us together again! There's nothing we can't do," proudly bellowed Noatak.

"Yes Noatak," dully replied Tarrlok, his face expressionless.

"Noatak...I had almost forgotten the sound of my own name," softly said Noatak.

Quey's brows were furrowed. There was no way Korra was showing him this since she couldn't have seen this happen. Then it dawned on Quey that some spirit was showing him this. He noticed Tarrlok looking between Noatak and the Equalist gloves in the boat before he grabbed one and put it on his hand and undid a lid, placing the gloved hand over it.

"It will be just like the good old days," promised Tarrlok, closing his eyes.

Quey's eyes widened as Noatak cried one tear before the boat exploded. When the smoke cleared, Noatak was laying in the water, missing an arm, and his whole body was torn and burned from the explosion.

"Oh my gosh," hissed out Quey.

Tarrlok's body pieces rose to the surface and Quey felt himself go sick and limp at the scattered body pieces. Noatak opened his eyes, wincing and then yelling in physical as well as emotional pain. Another speed boat, this one having a couple in it, came by and stopped. The woman gasped as she took in the gruesome scene before her. Noatak's Amon clothing had been completely torn, except for the piece covering his genitals.

"Hold on, sir! I got you!" shouted the man as he hoisted Noatak onto his boat.

"Thank...you," groaned Noatak.

The man was Earth Kingdom and his wife was Northern Water Tribe.

"Please...take me to the Northern Water Tribe. I can heal myself once I get back home," rasped Noatak.

"Are you sure? You don't look like you can do anything for yourself," asked the man.

"I'm sure. Just take me home. I'll do the rest," rasped out Noatak, this time more urgently.

The man nodded and started up the boat. Noatak's psychic bending was so subtle, that no one except for Quey picked up on the fact that Noatak was speeding up the boat.

Just as Noatak instructed them to do, they laid him down into the ice and snow and went back out in their boat. As soon as they left, Noatak used the snow to carry him back home to where he and his brother grew up. The hut was empty still. Quey watched with narrowed eyes as Noatak used waterbending to open the door to the hut, and close it once the snow brought him inside. Once the door was shut, he psychically bent the water from the faucet to run over his wounds. The water glowed, indicating he was healing himself with his mind. No doubt Noatak used bloodbending to heal any internal bleeding. Soon, Noatak was squeezing his hands together and wiggling his feet, bending his elbows and knees before standing up completely. Once he stood up, he closed his eyes and shook his head.

"The idiot could have still been alive if I remembered to get rid of those Equalist weapons. I should have known he wouldn't be in the right state of mind for a while after taking his bending! Most benders I took their bending from were suicidal! Ugh, stupid stupid stupid!" yelled Noatak.

Noatak looked over into a broken, full length mirror and stopped yelling. He cautiously walked closer and his eyes widened at the sight of all his scars. He chuckled bitterly before going into his old parents' room and putting on Yakone's old clothes. They fit him perfectly now.

"Time to start over," Noatak said darkly, looking at himself in the reflection.

Quey woke up the next morning, eyes wide with what he saw.

"So, that's what happened," Quey quietly told himself.

"Quey!" shouted a woman's voice.

He got up to get ready for the day, and he then headed downstairs for breakfast.