Author's Note: Hope everyone is staying safe and lazing around like responsible people. Kind of funny how introverts are now seen as the epitome of responsibility. What a world we live in…

Phoenix Rising

Chapter 2

Elemental World

Everyone was in a state of disarray. It was right after when Jinora found a letter on the dining table

Went off to… find myself. Will be back whenever. - Ikki

Ikki had now been missing for a whole week. The entire family as well as friends were scouring every part of the city.

"Ikki!" Korra, the twenty-seven year old Avatar, called out. "Ikki!"

"Ikki!" Jinora and her two younger brothers hollered. "Where are you!?"

Mako quickly approached them. "Anything?"

"Nothing." Bolin, Mako's younger brother, replied. "She's not in the city, I searched everywhere."

"Where could she be?" Opal, Bolin's girlfriend, spoke up.

Asami Sato stood at Korra's side. "I looked up my contacts. They got nothing. It's like she just vanished. Anything from Chief Beifong?"

Mako shook his head. "She had her metalbenders scour the city. Nothing."

"No!" Jinora cried out. "We have to keep searching!"

"Sis." Meelo placed a hand on Jinora's shoulder. "We'll find her."

"I should have seen it coming."

Korra pursed her lips. "Jinora, there was no way you could have seen this."

"You don't understand." the airbender spoke. "Ever since Ikki got her mastery tattoos, she's been acting strange."

Meelo furrowed his brows. "Now that you mention it…"

The others followed suit. Ikki had indeed been acting strange. Almost distant towards her family. Opal was among their closest friends and got along well with Ikki. But even she noticed the dark cloud that loomed over the younger sister. Like… envy…

Before Harmonic Convergence, Opal was a non-bender. The rest of her siblings were aside from Baatar were all Earthbenders. She knew the feeling. What Ikki was feeling is something similar. She was there during the day she got her mastery tattoos.

"I think I know why she left." Opal spoke up.

When they all got back to Air Temple Island, Jinora was beyond devastated. Her face was stained by the dried tears after having cried out hysterically. Luckily, her boyfriend Kai was there for her. But she was a mess, muttering about being a terrible older sister and how she should have seen it. When Tenzin and Pema, the airbenders' parents, were informed of this, they were just as devastated. Pema ran back into the next room and wept while Tenzin got on his knees and bowed his head, letting tears fall out of his eyes.

As the night went on, Korra and Asami just stayed with the family. Opal stepped out for some fresh air with Bolin in tow.

"I should really count myself blessed that I never ended up like that." she muttered.

Bolin let out a sigh as he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. "You won't get any argument from me, babe."

"I just hope Ikki is alright."

Bolin smiled and kissed her. "She's a tough girl, Opal. She can handle herself."

~oOo~

One Month Later

Earth

Washington DC

Asher's Safehouse

Ikki could not help but feel saddened at the state of what was once a beautiful city. She saw cars that looked far more advanced all over the streets, all abandoned and ruined by the elements. She was told that a hurricane had passed through a few months back. The safehouse they came from is in a part of the city called Foggy Bottom in what used to be the Department of State, right next to the former headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Calling it an underground safehouse would be an insult to it. It was more like a basement of a panic bunker that had never been used until Asher found it and established it as his home. He had to teach himself to fix up all the amenities like running water for a bathroom with a filtration system that took him weeks to perfect as well as power, the latter was the easier one since the building had reinforced solar panels and windmills. The place even had a secret tunnel system that was connected to the old CIA headquarters. The other work he did to the place was sealing off the upper entrances by caving them in using cement and concrete. It was located in a tough neighborhood after all.

She could not help but admire the agent. He was extremely resourceful. And in some strange way, she liked the home he made for himself.

She sat there on the roof of the building with the agent whom was taking a look at the streets below. Even after having been here for a month, the despair she felt for this city was immeasurable.

"New York City is in even worse shape." the agent told her. "Large part of lower Manhattan is covered in mud after the hurricane. And the Dark Zone in Central Park… world's largest mass grave. The first victims of the Green Poison after the morgues were overflowing were sent there."

Ikki felt sick to her stomach upon hearing that. "It horrifies me that you could talk about so casually."

"I was there when it all began." he muttered. "When I answered the call, when I was activated. We thought we could contain it. We were wrong. I saw a lot of innocents die when the city turned into a warzone. I saw how humanity quickly devolved into savagery. What's worse is that the world used to be home to just roughly over eight billion people. Three and a half billion is all that remains."

"Four and a half billion people dead." she whispered in horror.

"In a matter of months." he quietly growled. "That bastard Amherst designed the virus to burn out in that many months. He knew what he was doing. I was disappointed when I found him dead in his own lab, killed by his own creation. I wanted to find him alive so that I could snuff the fucker out myself."

The anger in his voice, though low, was great. Even she agreed that a man such as Gordon Amherst did not deserve to live. It was terrible of her to think such thoughts given that she is an Air Nomad but… how does one forgive a man who has practically committed global genocide that made what the Fire Nation did during the Hundred Year War look tame in comparison?

Asher sat down and rested his assault rifle on his lap. "The Division's original job was to save what remains and ensure continuity of government. Our own government disavowed us in the end so now we're just another warring faction to them. And save what remains? We can barely do that. Our numbers are so few. So all we can do now is help out wherever we can and survive. The old world is gone."

"Asher…" she muttered. She had no idea what to say.

"Your worlds sounds nice." he told her. "I wouldn't mind taking a good look at Republic City. Would be nice to see a city that isn't dead. That portal is there so..."

"I might just take you there." she said with a warm smile as she sat down beside him and took his hand. "You'll love Republic City."

"I don't doubt that."

"Look for the silver lining, Asher." she advised him. "Even in dark times, there's always a silver lining. When you took me to see the settlements the other day… I saw a silver lining. You're right, your nation is gone but the people are not. That means you still have something to protect."

"I know." he muttered. "But I still can't help but think if I could have done more."

"You did enough. My grandmother once told me to never dwell in the past, always look towards the future."

"Wise woman. But you… you're incredible."

Her cheeks reddened at the agent's praise and simply smiled at him. There was something about this serene moment between them that felt right to her.

"You give yourself too little credit, Ash." she whispered.

~oOo~

Few Days Later

While Ikki cannot take lives, she can certainly save them. She did what she could during her stay here since she knew the basics of healing thanks to her grandmother and aunt Kya. She was no waterbender like them but she knew enough. The wounded civilian militia needed tending so she did that while Asher did the heavy lifting, engaging enemy combatants with ruthless precision.

Today was a pack of Hyenas hoping to get the jump on a group of refugees coming in from the north. They were luckily just in the area when the shooting started. Ikki got the work and used her airbending before tending to the wounded civilians, a few of them children.

Asher got to work. The only thing Ikki could describe was that it was like seeing a whole different person the moment he donned that mask.

"Oh shit!" one of the Hyena fighters screamed. "It's a Divisi-urgh!"

Ikki saw how Asher drew his ax and embedded into the Hyena's chin, sending him up and thrown back down to the ground. In quick succession, he went back into cover and fired his assault rifle. The unfortunate Hyenas caught in the open were put down. He then deployed a cluster seeker mine and watched as it rolled towards the remaining Hyenas. What happened next were explosions going off with the remaining enemy combatants dropping dead.

"Clear!" Asher announced.

"Woah!" one of the children spoke in awe. "A real Division agent!"

"He's so cool!" another child spoke then turned to Ikki. "Are you an agent too?"

"No." Ikki shook her head as she smiled at them. "Just a friend who is helping. And… there."

"Thank you." the injured child said who got her knee scraped from falling.

"We'll escort you all to the White House." Asher told the refugees. "The city is still dangerous and I don't know if the settlements will take you all in. They're packed as it is."

"Where will we go?" one of the refugees asked.

"My guess is the base in the Tidal Basin." he said. "There's enough supplies there for you all. They'll see if they can arrange safe passage south if you guys wanna keep going. I hear the promised land is further down south. But if you like, we can sure use extra hands in Tidal Basin. The Division is stretched thin as it is. I'm sure you heard about our lovable President Ellis."

"He's no president!" another refugee cried out. "His army of mercs just kept shooting at civilian settlements. They're the reason why we're here."

"Alright, follow us."

~oOo~

White House – Division Base of Operations

Also formally known as the DC Chapter, it is home to some of the strongest and most well-equipped agents. They were the ones who took on Black Tusk head on and won, taking tech salvaged from their former base of operations and strongholds. This was only the second time Ikki has been to this place, the former home of the President of the United States until the betrayal.

Now it serves as the home of the Division in this region where they conduct military and relief operations.

"We only do relief operations when we're able to." Manny Ortega told the airbender. "But as for your world… why haven't you gone back? You're free to leave whenever you want, you know. We're not trying to keep you here."

Ikki gave the man a sad smile. "I have my reasons, Manny. Besides, I made new friends here."

The Division's coordinator chuckled. "That you have, young lady. I gotta say, your… airbending is something we've never seen before."

Ikki laughed. "And I find it crazy that bending never existed here. It's just…"

"Crazy?"

"Yeah."

"Well we appreciate the help you're giving us." Manny said with a smile on his face. "Kindhearted people are at a premium nowadays. It's survival of the fittest in this new frontier."

"I know." she muttered. "I can't imagine if that happened to my world."

"Thank God it didn't then."

"Yeah…"

"Listen uh…" Manny scratched the back of his neck. "We're thinking of establishing relations with your people. While we do have food supplies to last us a few years… we're gonna need to find a more stable method in getting and producing food. And with the number of refugees coming in…"

"We will help." Ikki blurted out. "We Air Nomads cannot turn away those in need."

"I wouldn't exactly call us needy." Alani's voice came in as she entered the room. "But we have to start thinking ahead if we're going to survive this new age. I've already briefed Asher on this and give the friendship you two share, it would be best if he came back to Republic City with you."

In her mind, she was jumping with joy. She will actually get to show Asher her home. And maybe… just maybe…

"I won't let you down." she declared. "I'll get you help."

"Thank you."

Ikki had immediately gone down to rejoin Asher. Manny and Alani were smirking.

Manny shook his head in amusement and folded his arms. Then a grin appeared. "She has it bad for him, doesn't she?"

"Mhmm." Alani nodded. "Clear as day."

But Manny noticed that Alani felt a little bothered by it all. She wanted to go with them.

~oOo~

Asher was stocking up on ammo and loading up his empty magazines and storing them in his pouches and backpack. He was going for a full loadout for this trip so that means bringing extra ammo and a few provisions.

"We can regularly send you supplies and ammo with the transport warhounds." a technician said. "Shouldn't be hard once you establish a beacon. Our base in the Pentagon will be handle it."

Asher simply nodded and finished packing.

"Hey."

He smiled and tuned to see Ikki. "Hey yourself. So I guess they told you, huh?"

She nodded. "I guess a month away from my family should be good enough. When do we head out?"

"Tomorrow at first light." he informed. "So we'll get some rest at my place first and then head out at dawn. I know where the portal is. We'll bring a warhound to act as a delivery unit between worlds. Besides, it's the best way for me to keep me stocked up on ammo."

"I see." she dragged, slowly nodding.

"Right, shall we go?"

She bobbed her head excitedly, smiling once more as she followed the agent out.

~oOo~

Asher's Safehouse

Ikki actually decided to make dinner. Asher tried to insist that he should but the young woman was quite adamant. It wasn't anything special, just baked beans and eggs. It had become her favorite dish in this world. Being an Air Nomad, she is a vegetarian but is permitted to consume dairy products and eggs but with tomatoes this time. She appreciated the fact that Asher respected her way of life.

Another favorite are granola bars but that's also common in her world. What she never had until she arrived here were chocolate coated granola bars.

"No complaint here." Asher said as he grabbed a plate. "Baked beans are a North American staple. You actually got the recipe for the sauce too."

"It wasn't that hard." Ikki stated. "Maybe I can introduce this to my home."

"Go for it."

Then they ate their dinner, chatting happily about Republic City. Ikki talked about her friends like the Avatar, Asami, Mako, Bolin and Opal. After finishing their meal and cleaning the dishes, they sat on the couch with some tea.

"I know this might be a touchy subject but… what about your family? You never spoke about them."

Ikki hesitated for a moment. "Well… there's my father Tenzin, the son of the previous Avatar. Then there's my mother Pema. Jinora is the oldest, and then me, after that is Meelo and Rohan. Jinora is the prodigy added with the fact that she's naturally attuned to the Spirit World, which was where I actually wanted to go, not here. Meelo does his own thing and Rohan sort of does the same thing."

"But your older sister?"

She pursed her lips. "I don't want to hate her. She's been nothing but a good sister to me despite me being the annoying one. She's the golden child of the family, the true legacy to Avatar Aang. Even when I got my mastery tattoos, they all still looked at her while I continued to live in her shadow."

"And so you decided to make the trip."

She nodded. "Yeah, I did."

"I guess I can relate in a way." he muttered, garnering the airbender's attention. "My younger brother was always better at everything. I was born into a pretty rich family with all that formal shit. I was heir. But that was taken away from me. What's worse was that my girlfriend left me for him. I should have fuckin' seen it coming but I didn't want to believe it. So I ran away. That's how I met Alani. She had that smile when she gave me her hand. I took it. She practically raised me. I then wanted to be like her so I joined the army. Never looked back since. I was just a stray dog who no one wanted until she did. Don't get me wrong, I will always be grateful for what she did but… All I know now is that I became a monster who disguises himself as some superhero."

"You're no monster." she said, taking his hand.

"And how do you know that?" he asked, looking skeptic.

"You could have left me in that tunnel."

Unconsciously, their fingers intertwined and her head rested on his shoulder. Words were no longer needed to be said.

~oOo~

Elemental World

Air Temple Island

The home of the family of the Avatar's youngest son was normally lively, but after more than month of having a member of the family missing, it was gloomy. Jinora had just collapsed from exhaustion from the search.

"Anything?" Pema asked.

Tenzin sadly shook his head. "The Earth Kingdom and Zaofu have seen nothing. I even contacted the air temples. They found nothing."

"Where could she be?" the woman asked. "I should have..."

"No." Tenzin muttered. "This is my fault. I was the one who should have seen it. It was my responsibility as not only the one who taught her but as her father. I am making the same mistake my father did with me and my siblings. She always had a harder time when it came to training. I found her last time she decided to run away. But now…"

Pema grabbed her husband's arm and rested her head on it. "When we find her, we will all gather and have a long family talk. It's long overdue."

"We will."

~oOo~

Republic City

"Mom, dad!" Korra laughed as she hugged her parents at the docks. "What are you two doing here?"

"Business for the tribe." Tonraq, her father, said.

"But it was also a way to see how you were doing." her mother Senna added, kissing her daughter's cheek. "We missed you."

"I was going to come visit next month." Korra informed them. "I wanted to surprise you. I guess I'll have to plan another surprise."

"We also heard about Ikki." Tonraq told the Avatar. "Master Katara and Kya were worried."

"That's why I traveled with them." Kya, Aang and Katara's only daughter, spoke as she gave Korra a hug. "My mother wanted to come but she's not getting any younger."

"We've searched everywhere." Korra said with a low voice. "It's like she just decided to vanish. Tenzin and Pema are trying their best and Jinora… she's a mess. She just collapsed from exhaustion. Seeing all this…" she looked at her parents with teary eyes. "Made me remember."

Senna's body quivered as she gave her daughter another hug, crying with her. "Oh Korra…"

Tonraq didn't fare any better as he joined in on the hug. "I miss her too. Every day."

Kya held her arm and looked on in sadness. It was a dark day for the Avatar's family. The day they lost a member of their family, someone very dear. The Red Lotus came and attempted to kidnap Korra because she happened to be the Avatar. Though the Red Lotus was defeated, the attack resulted in the death of an innocent bystander.

The death of that innocent bystander caused the family great grief. Tonraq had become overprotective of Korra ever since. The White Lotus was no better as they refused to let her out of the compound. Korra became more determined to become the Avatar at the time despite not knowing what exactly happened. All she knew was that she was the target and she still blames herself. Her older sister died protecting her.

It was a dark day for the family.

~oOo~

Next Day

Earth

Asher and Ikki were now at the portal, the very spot the airbender was found, with them is a Warhound carrying large bags packed with the agent's gear. Right before them is the light with vines, forming an arch of what used to be part of a sewer system before it was caved in from the hurricane months ago.

"Here we are." Ikki spoke as she took a deep breath. "I am going home."

"You ready for this?" Asher asked her.

"I think so." she replied. "What about you?"

"I am."

"Alright." she exhaled as she took the agent's hand. "Let's do this."

Author's Note: And there we have it for this chapter.

As you can see, I am no longer making chapters absurdly long like some others do. I found out that making long chapters takes a toll on my psyche. Then I read that regular novels have an average of 3000-5000 words each on chapters. Tried that method and it's working.