A/N: It's back! I've had this chapter half done for ages, and now that finals are over, I was finally able to finish it. Enjoy! Thank you for following this story! I'd really appreciate reviews to know what you think! :)
Chapter 12: A Day of Questioning
Ed gulped, his eyes darting from his scribbled notes to the imposing temple towering above him.
Naga wined and licked his cheeks.
"Easy, girl…"
Ed pushed her off.
Ed gulped half in fear, half annoyance as she panted inches from his face. Korra had forbade him from going to the Fire Sage's temple without the huge lug of a dog…thing. With two of the three firebenders on lose, none of them wanted the others to go out without protection.
Like with their stay in Ba Sing Se, Tenzin called every five minutes but without Pema on the other line to calm him down (she was occasionally a part of these phone calls, usually in the form of snatching the phone from her husband).
He also insisted on extra protection, so after the events of the previous day, nobody was alone.
Yesterday…
Korra charged at the young man, pushed away his weak attempt at burning her, and wrestled his arm behind his body. Al, panting, withdrew his sword and mopped his brow.
"That was so cool." Korra smiled triumphantly, eying the sword Al made on the spot.
"You too." Al grinned charmingly, nearly collapsing from the taxing sprint and alchemy.
"Korra, he didn't hurt you, did he?"
Mako ran to them.
"No, I'm fine." Korra gave him a reassuring look. "Help me with him, okay?"
Mako took his other arm, forcing him to the ground harder.
"Al!" Ed sprinted toward his brother.
Nichi relented on his fire wall to let him pass.
"Guards! Seize him!" Iroh commanded harshly, as Ed made absolutely sure Al was alright.
Meanwhile, Winry and Asami were making headway with the bomb. Asami slowly examined every wire and gently instructed Winry and consulted with her.
"Cut this blue one, okay, Winry?"
"Got it. This white one, then, and we have this in the bag."
She snapped the wire soundly with the wire cutters she had so wisely brought. The device chugged, buzzed, and shut down.
"Yes!" Asami celebrated. The two girls high-fived and hugged.
"Are we geniuses or what?" Winry cheered.
"Definitely geniuses. Though the yellow wire going into the blue socket tripped me up. Leave it to my father to design something that infuriating."
Iroh and the guards marched the culprit passed the two girls. He didn't resist, or curse, or try to escape. He just looked sadly at his thwarted method of terrorism.
"I can't thank you all enough." Iroh sighed in relief as the guards hauled the man away. "Avatar Korra, after the royal guards take care of the formalities and paperwork, you have my permission to interrogate the prisoner as you see fit. Now that we know there is more than one firebender involved, it seems likely this young man is one of the Triple Threats seen at the first scene and that the third is in on it too. I want you to find those other men."
"You can count on us." Mako's brow knitted.
Ed could see he was sick of the frequency his girlfriend was almost dying lately.
"Prince, if you need additional support, the Fire Sages would be more than happy. Protecting the Avatar is our job, no matter what part of the cycle they are at." Nichi bowed to Iroh. He winked slyly to Ed. "And, young master, if you are stuck deciphering these notes feel free to call on me tomorrow. I'm afraid the Fire Temple is out of the way, but I'm sure you can manage it."
"I think it's best none of us go anywhere alone." Korra said. "Ed, if you go, Naga's coming to. I think I'll be entertaining some guests again." She added, looking at where the young man had been carried off.
"Looks like it's just you and me, dog." Ed pat Naga's nose and glared slightly as her drool splashed his head and flattened his antennae. "I just hope your master's having an okay time of it."
Naga barked loudly in answer and bounded up the temple stairs. Ed followed her, clutching his notes tightly.
Inside the temple was a maze of small corridors housing priest cells. He weaved through the temple like a practice gate and found no one.
Ed's footsteps echoed anciently in the temple's palace sized foyer. There were decorations with a sun motif everywhere: murals, sculptures, carvings…
Like the royal palace there were rows and rows of portraits, only there, instead of past Fire Lords, there were past Fire Nation Avatars. Ed gulped, looking into the eyes of Avatar Roku who seemed to watch over his reincarnation's friend.
Suddenly a cell door opened, almost smacking Ed.
"Would you watch it, you could kill a guy!"
"I'm so sorry, young man!"
A sage, much younger than Nichi with an obviously still growing beard, and a simpler red robe, stared at the temple visitor in confusion and embarrassment.
"Can I help you?"
"I'm looking for Master Nichi…he said if I visited him here, he'd help me with something…"
"Oh! Yes! I should've known, your hair…not…not that it's not a good color…"
"Th…thanks…"
Ed twisted his ponytail. Obviously, he never admitted it, but he was a bit vain about his hair.
"I'm Hoshi, by the way." The sage introduced himself. "I was just initiated."
"You must be glad to have that over with…" Ed commented, guessing it was as rigorous as being accepted as a State Alchemist.
"Oh, I am. Even if I won't live to see a Fire nation Avatar…"
"Hoshi, who are speaking with…?"
A grey bearded sage with his nose in a book rounded the corner, greeting his fellow sage.
It was Nichi.
"Why, I didn't expect you so soon, young master."
The old man pulled rusty spectacles from his robes and began flipping through the books Ed had brought, dust fanning out in the sunlight everywhere. A triumphant smirk graced his wise face.
"I think we can work with this." He concluded. "I'm at least positive what a third of the elements correspond to."
"Really?" Ed shouted excitedly, perking up.
"Yes. Between the two of us, we can crack the rest in no time."
"Four of us, Mr. Nichi!"
Al was hauling a mountain of books down the hall way.
"Brother! There you are! This temple's a maze, I swear I had an easier time getting around Father's layer…"
"At least nothing's trying to kill you." Mei, with just as many books ,piped up behind him flatly.
"Guys, what…?" Ed gaped.
"Naga came back for us!" Mei explained cheerfully.
"No, I mean…"
Al dumped his books in Hoshi's hands and clapped his brother on the shoulder.
"Hey, why would I want to do this without you, Brother? We make a good team."
Ed clasped his arm, silently communicating his gratitude.
"Let's get started, shall we, then, young master?" Nichi interrupted, already scribbling notes and leading them to his study.
Miles away, Korra also gulped down intimidation upon arrival to an imposing piece of architecture. The tall prison tower in the Fire Nation Capital stared down on herself, Mako, Bolin, Asami, and General Iroh.
"The boy is up there." Iroh stated calmly.
The made their way steadily to a cell door halfway up. Inside, the boy looked as haggard as he did yesterday, and as desperate.
A guard unlocked the door and Korra opened the squeaky hinges.
"Hey there." She shut the door and sat down on a stool. "Would you tell me your name?"
"…Kaede."
"Kaede. Why did you try to hurt all those people?" She asked as gently as possible.
"Bender rule is wrong." He answered with conviction. "And yes, that means you." He glared at her with suspicion.
"But, aren't you a bender yourself?"
"That doesn't mean I like it!" He burstout.
"What?"
"It's not like I asked to be able to…to burn people!" He cried. "I was born with it."
"But's it's a gift!" Korra argued with as much conviction, echoing something Katara always told her.
Kaede laughed hollowly.
"Sure, a gift. Tell, me, Avatar. Do you enjoy having the world on your shoulders? Having to be a certain thing from the time you were born?"
"I…of course I like being the Avatar." Korra faltered, feeling the same discomfort she felt when Tarrlok suggested they were the same.
"Bending did that. If bending didn't exist, you would have an normal life."
She had never thought of it that way.
"And it isn't fair it gives people privilege. The Fire Nation's been ruled by Firebenders, always. Tell me, is that right?"
Korra nodded toward the door.
"You see those two guys over there?"
Mako and Bolin were rigid by the door, ready to burst in and attack Kaede at any moment.
"The older one's a firebender. The younger one's an earthbender. Their folks died when they were kids, and they grew up homeless. I wouldn't say they got the best deal in the world, for being benders."
"And…" She continued. "It doesn't seem like you have ether. You were a Triple Threat, yeah?"
"Mn."
"You mentioned…burning. Did…somethig happen?"
Kaede's face darkedned. "I'm…not a skilled bender."
"I noticed" Korra joked.
"When I was little, I…I couldn't control my fire so good. I would wave my arms, or sneeze, and it would come out without my meaning to. I…hurt a lot of people. One night, I sneezed or something in my sleep and the house went up in flames. My brothers and sisters and I made it but…my parents didn't."
"Oh spirits, that's horrible." Korra whispered.
Mako flinched beyond the cell, recognizing his own hardships in this scared youth.
"After that, I had to join the Triple Threats to feed the six of us. I'm not good, but firebending's all I got, y'know? Only, I had to hurt more people when I was in the gang. So, no, Avatar Korra. I don't like bending."
"And your buddies feel the same way?"
"They do. That's why we're working together."
"Kaede, I need you to tell me where Nobu is and who and where the last of you is."
Kaede's eyes widened. "You know Nobu?"
"We had him caught but he escaped."
Kaede looked relieved.
"Kaede…you don't want to hurt anybody, do you?"
"…No, I don't. But people will be hurt if we don't stop benders…"
"More people will if you continue this, Kaede. Please."
He was silent.
"Can you at least tell me the name of your other friend?" She pressed.
More silence. And then…
"…Akio."
"Huh?"
"Our leader. He's Akio. But I won't tell you where he is!" Kaede clarified. "I don't want to get him or Nobu cooped up here with me."
Though execution had not been implemented for treason since the War in the Fire Nation, the firebenders faced at least life imprisonment, if not execution on the grounds of attempted murder.
"That's okay." Korra grinned. "We have the best tracker in the world on our side."
Now she just had to get Naga back from Ed.
"Thanks, Kaede. And…I'm really sorry. About what happened to you."
"…Me too." He breathed.
"Great job in their Korra." Iroh praised.
Mako looked at her in admiration at how maturely she had conducted the interrogation; no punches, no swearing, and no threats of the Avatar State.
"Yeah, this is great progress!" he exclaimed. "Now we know a bit about why their doing this and we even have a name to go on."
"And, most importantly, that Akio is the ringleader." Iroh added.
"We don't have Naga though." Bolin pointed out hysterically. "That Akio guy could be Spirits know where! Now we have to rely on my nose, and let me tel l ya guys it's not that good!"
"Calm down, doof." Korra said lightly boffing his chest. "We just have to go to the Fire Sage Temple and get her.
She raced eagerly down the stairwell, nearly tripping a few times.
"Careful, Korra! Geez…" Mako called, trudging after his reckless girlfriend. As everyone else went down the stairs too, he paused to look at the boy in the cell, now on the stool, his hands clasped, his head down.
Mako felt eerily as though he was looking at himself. Tearing his eyes from him, he ran toward the stairwell, praying Naga could find the other firebenders who wanted Korra dead.
