"This is the worst!" Mako sighed, pulling on the metal bars of the door that was keeping him and Skye from getting back to their friends. The two of them had been trapped there overnight and well into the current day. They didn't really know much about how they got there, they remembered falling asleep in Appa's saddle and waking up in some sort of prison.
"Don't worry Mako, I'm sure Aang is on his way here to rescue us right now!" Though the sweet girl was in what seemed to be a hopeless predicament she was still holding onto the little spark of hope within her that told her Aang would make sure she was alright.
"Or Korra is." Mako sighed. "I really hope she isn't stupid enough to try and save us herself. These people won't hesitate to really hurt her." Skye moved to sit down beside Mako.
"She wouldn't be stupid for doing that, she'd be just like Aang... selfless, brave, and strong." Skye smiled thinking of her Avatar, she had never met anyone as perfect as him before. She laughed lightly realizing this must be how the young boy felt about the little Avatar. "You must really care about her…" She sighed. Mako sighed too.
"I just love her too much to be the reason she could potentially get hurt. These equalists are up to something. I don't know what, but taking us here to trap Aang or Korra is pretty sketchy."
"True. I don't think Aang would let Korra get hurt though and it's the same the other way around." Skye was about to continue talking when one of the guards came up to their door, unlocking it.
"Let's go!" He ordered, waiting for them to get out of their cell.
"Where are you taking us?!" Skye demanded, always keeping herself between the guard and Mako, that way the young boy wasn't in any immediate danger.
"We're taking you back to your friends." The guard sneered, chaining Skye and Mako together by handcuffing their wrists together. The evil man got Skye and Mako all the way to one of the airships before they heard Korra's screams.
"Korra!" Mako screamed, lunging for the door. Skye didn't hesitate to follow with him, but before they could make it outside the door was sealed shut. The pair watched in horror as Korra tried defending herself. There wasn't anything they could do to help her as the ship took off.
...
"Come on Avatar Korra! We thought you'd make this more of a challenge for us!" A few of the men sneered throwing earth, water, and fire at her, after they'd had their fun they chi blocked the small girl. Korra wasn't experienced enough to be able to fight all of them alone without her bending, she was beaten up until she was broken down. That's when a masked figure stepped out from the shadows.
"Hello Avatar." The figure was tall and slender, arms folded neatly behind them. Korra was too out of breath to move as the person got closer, leaning inches away from her face. "Pathetic girl! How stupid could you have been coming here?"
"You said you'd hurt Skye and Mako if didn't come!" Korra reminded the mysterious person, trying to pick herself up. Behind the mask a hideous cackle sounded and the figure raised their arm. "Guards! Take her to the holding chamber!"
"The holding what?!" Korra shrieked as two men took her by the arms, dragging her to a dark room deep within the building they were hiding out in. Her wrists and ankles were attached to thick chains that she couldn't break no matter how she pulled and tugged at them. It was hours later before she had company again. The masked figure walked into the room, pushing a little metal cart in front of them.
"Let's have a little chat." The figure said, taking off the mask to reveal that it was in fact a woman behind all of this.
"Who are you?" Korra asked, trying to figure out what was going on her. The woman shook her head, disgusted by the little Avatar.
"My name is Kuaza and I am the person who is going to return balance to the world!" The woman's eyes twinkled with the pleasure of being so powerful when Korra started tugging at her restraints again. "Relax. I'll let you go just as soon as we take of one little thing."
"What thing?" Korra asked, the feeling of terror rising up in her chest. Kuaza let out half a laugh, lifting the cover of the cart she'd brought in with her revealing a syringe filled with a dark amber substance.
"There can only be one Avatar in order for the world to be balance." Kuaza shrugged. "Don't take it personal that I chose to take your bending away, it was simply because I assumed you would be easier to capture and restrain than Aang." Kuaza picked up the needle, flicking it. "Turns out I was right."
"No! Please!" Korra struggled with all her might, when that didn't work she tried triggering the Avatar State, but she was still chi blocked. Kuaza just shook her head and walked around so she was behind Korra. "Aang!" Korra screeched though she knew he wasn't there. She tensed up as her shirt was torn to expose her back. "Someone help!"
"The more you struggle, the more it hurts!" Kuaza told her, stabbing the needle into Korra's back, letting the concentrated amounts of the chi blocking poison flow into Korra's chi path. The tiny Avatar screamed out in pain, the liquid burned inside of her, she could already feel herself being ripped away from the Avatar Spirit. "There! All done." Kuaza exclaimed coming around to face the front of Korra.
"What did you do to me!" Korra cried, clenching her fists against the pain. Kuaza laughed and unlocked the shackles that were now holding Korra upright.
"I took your bending." The evil woman explained. Korra gasped in horror, trying to perform the simplest of bending tricks when she realized she didn't even feel the blocked pressure she had when she'd tried to bend before she fell to her knees.
"I thought only an Avatar could take away a person's bending." Korra cried, trying to hang on to hope. Kuaza laughed in her face.
"Oh honey, you thought wrong. Now get out of here!" As soon as the evil woman left the room the guards who had dragged her in here in the first place came to take her back out.
"Don't be too upset." One told her, feigning sympathy. "The world needs pathetic non benders like you to keep the balance."
"Aang isn't going to let you get away with this!" Korra growled as they loaded her up onto an airship. The two men laughed.
"There's nothing Aang can do! We already got away with it." The second guard laughed, pushing Korra into a seat.
…
"Aang!" Skye yelled, running up to the Avatar. The airbender was shocked to see her, but didn't have a chance to get a word in before she had her arms wrapped around her, large tears spilling down her cheeks. "Aang, I'm so sorry!"
"Skye…" The Avatar wrapped her up in his arms, holding her for a little while so she could calm down. It was a long time before he saw her beautiful honey-brown eyes peer up at him, they were rimmed red with tears.
"What happened?" He asked gently, rubbing her arms softly. "Are you alright?" Skye nodded.
"I'm fine." She sniffled, fresh tears starting to fall. "Korra traded herself to get me and Mako back!" Once the words were out the girl turned into a puddle of tears. "Oh, this is all my fault! Aang, I'm so sorry!" She kept repeating, the image of Korra being beaten kept playing over and over in her mind. Aang didn't know what to say. He was beyond thrilled that Skye was back, but he felt a huge void in his heart where his sister should be.
"Skye, it's okay. I'm not mad at you, this isn't your fault." Aang hugged her close to him. "We're going to find her and everything's going to be okay." Skye let Aang hold her for a little while before she pulled away.
"The… the little firebender… Mako." Skye shook her head. "He's beside himself. The others are trying to talk to him, but nothing they're saying is doing anything to help. Aang, he loves that girl more than life itself. He would do anything to protect her." A deep blush colored her cheeks. "He loves her like I love you. You make me feel safe. You fill a part of me that felt empty before I met you… I know feels that emptiness now. We need to find Korra before it's too late."
"Skye." Aang couldn't help but smile, he knew exactly what Skye meant about a void being filled when she was with him. Aang felt like Skye brought love and fun and happiness back into his life. He shook his head, cupping Skye's cheek as he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers just for a moment. He couldn't believe how easy it was for her to make him feel better. If she wasn't here Aang knew he'd just be miserable about his sister getting taken, but now he knew he had to fight for more than just that, Korra deserved to feel how he did when he was with Skye.
"Aang!" The girl exclaimed, shocked and very pleased by the kiss.
"I love you Skye. I promise I will not rest until I find Korra and bring her back safely."
A/N: Really sorry if this one seemed shorter or rushed, I have to leave for camp in 20 minutes and I only had an hour to write this before I left. Review anyway please? The more reviews I get, the more inspired I am to post more chapters faster.