At long last I'm back, and I've got a brand new chapter!
I know it's been a while. I'm still working my way through partial writers block, and I've started using a different method of writing new chapters. With any luck it will help my update faster, so fingers crossed. Whatever happens though I want to thank all for reading, reviewing and having enough patience to follow me this far, and I promise you I have no intention of abandoning this story. I will see this story through to the end.
Any way enough from me. I own nothing but the plot and oc's. Everything else belongs to some other lucky son of a Yokai. Now that the disclaimer is out of the way; on with chapter 31.
31: The Face Stealer
"I must say I'm surprised. After all these years I was beginning to think humanity had forgotten me." Koh said smoothly as his glowing orange eyes, which mere moments ago had belonged to Jaeger, now burned into Jinora's.
An eerie chill ran down her spine as the face stealer's dark and ancient voice slithered through her ears as she watched his large centipede like body swayed back and forth.
Clasping her hands behind her back to keep them from shaking she adopted a blank expression, concealing any and all emotion. While her heart was threatening to burst from her chest; she quickly recalled everything she knew about individual spirits, and of the hundreds she'd read about Koh was definitely one of the most dangerous.
Malicious and cunning; Koh was the son of an ancient spirit known as the Mother of Faces. Koh himself was a great spirit, no a great Yokai with the ability to steal the face of anyone or anything. It didn't matter if you were human, an animal, or even another spirit, if he saw even a flicker of emotion he would steal your face without a hesitation. To this day no one knows his true name, as Koh the face stealer was the name he'd chosen for himself, and suffice to say it was a name he enjoys living up to.
Careful not to show any emotion Jinora watched as Koh glanced back at the lethargic Jaeger before looking her over curiously. "Well this is quite a surprise. It is so rare that I get any visitors, especially ones thoughtful enough to bring a gift. So what brings you to Tartarus Jinora of the air nomads?"
Surprised Jinora's emotionless mask nearly cracked. "You know who I am?" She asked.
Jaeger's crescent moon grin grew wider as Koh smiled. "I make a habit of keeping track of those close to the Avatar, just in case they need to be taught a lesson."
"Like Avatar Kuruk?" she asked, remembering Koh's history with the previous water tribe Avatar.
Koh's eyes narrowed, but he nodded with a reminiscent smile. "Yes; his arrogance was unbecoming of an Avatar. Stealing the face of his blushing bride to be was meant to teach him humility. Better he learn from a concerned spirit such as myself, rather than by getting ground into the dirt by his enemies while the balance of the world is on the line." He commented of handedly as he shifted his face to that of a female Noh mask with a white face, red lips, and grey eye markings. According to her father's stories it was one of his favorites.
"You mean like Avatar Korra?" Jinora asked calmly while choking down her anger.
The face stealer chuckled. "Avatars born of the water tribes have been rather lacking for the last two cycles. First an arrogant brute from the northern tribe, and then a spoiled brat from the southern tribe. Tell me does it just eat you up inside to see your grandfather's legacy squandered by such an unworthy successor?"
"Korra is a worthy successor," Jinora stated firmly but emotionlessly although she cringed internally as his words mirrored the ones from her nightmare. "It's true that she's made mistakes. She has fallen and failed time and again, and each time she has grown stronger, and wiser. She has saved the world countless times and proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is not only an excellent Avatar, but a worthy successor."
"That's debatable," Koh said with a smirk before his face shifted to that of a fearsome baboon and he screeched in her face. He was trying to get a reaction from her. Just one shred of emotion on her face was all he needed. This was a much more dangerous game than the one she'd been playing with Jaeger, and Koh was definitely a pro.
It wasn't easy, but her self control was that of a master air bender, and like Aang before her she kept her emotionless mask in place. "As much as I'd like to debate the quality of Avatars with you I really must be going now."
Turning around she made to leave only to find herself trapped. She had been so focused on Koh's faces, and keeping emotions from showing through that she hadn't noticed his body moving to surround her.
"So soon?" Koh asked as his face shifted back to the Noh. "I was rather enjoying our conversation, and besides; it's been quite some time since I added a child's face to my collection."
Elsewhere in the icy depths of Mako's soul the Dark Avatar himself walked alone across the snow covered Kiyoshi Bridge looking out over Yue Bay which was completely iced over. Like every other time he'd woken up in his spirit world it was snowing. The city was still frozen, and the sky was covered in dark storm clouds that would roar with thunder while a massive bolt of lightning would crack across the heavens.
"Is it too much to ask to go one day without a near death experience?" Mako asked aloud as he watched the arctic storm reflect his own fury.
"It is when you allow yourself to serve as the universe's designated punching bag." He heard Vaatu say after he caught a flash of red light out of the corner of his eye.
Fists clenching in anger Mako turned around only to be struck with a powerful fire blast in the chest, knocking back against the metal guard rail.
Shrugging off the phantom pain from the attack he looked up to see Vaatu in the form of Baatar Jr dressed in his earth empire uniform rather than his eighteen year old self. "Is there a particular reason, or did I just go out of style?" he asked with a cold glare before lashing out with a bolt of lightning.
"I warned you detective, and now you have crossed the line." Vaatu growled as he narrowly side stepped the bolt, and began circling to the right.
Amber eyes narrowed Mako followed the dark spirit's lead. "You are hardly one to talk about crossing lines." he said as they began circling each other.
The two halves of the Dark Avatar circled silently with only the wind, and the crunching of snow beneath their feet to fill the silence until finally Vaatu jabbed left releasing another fire blast.
With electricity arcing around his body Mako retaliated in turn. Back and forth they dueled with lightning clashing against fire in a horrific display of power. The smell of smoke and ozone soon filled the icy air as empty vehicles that were parked randomly along the bridge burned from getting caught in the cross fire.
For several minutes the battle raged, with them narrowly evading each other's attacks, and returning fire. This carried on until Mako spotted an opening in his opponent's chaotic barrage. Spinning to the side to avoid a fire blast; he fired another lightning bolt, only this time aimed at Vaatu's feet.
Vaatu was by far one of the most dangerous fighters he'd ever seen, but as the chaos spirit himself had admitted he was no schemer. Vaatu relied primarily on sheer fire power to hammer down his opponents much like a combustion bender would, forsaking any concept of strategy in favor of a relentless barrage.
While definitely dangerous it also made him predictable to some extent. By aiming at Vaatu's feet Mako new that instead of dodging to the side like with a direct attack; the dark spirit would react on instinct, and leap back.
When Vaatu did just that; Mako lashed out with another lightning bolt which caught Vaatu in the chest, and slammed him back into one of the various Sato mobiles parked along the length of the bridge.
"You tried to drop her. You would have let her die." Mako snarled as he glared down at his other half, and recalled everything that transpired before his return to his inner spirit world.
He recalled the thrill of flying through the air, the anticipation of entering the fabled library of Wan Shi Tong and finally getting some answers. He remembered the shock of the gravity suddenly reversing itself, feeling the age old instincts of fight or flight.
He remembered it all, but what burned at the fore front of his mind was Kuvira. How she held onto them for dear life. He had sensed her fear, and felt it morph into terror as Vaatu's hold on her loosened. That was when he'd wrested control from Vaatu, and put everything he'd learned about crashing from the air benders into practice. Personally he counted it as a success considering they were all still alive.
Looking up Vaatu's crimson eyes flared in anger. "You may be a fool, but do not take me for one. I can feel your attraction to her, and as I've feared it's beginning to blind you."
Standing up Vaatu continued to glare as he brushed the snow from his green uniform. "You two are getting closer, and you've forgotten what she is. Kuvira is a rogue whose only loyalty is to herself. I'll tolerate that chatter box you call sister, I'll even show mercy every now and again, but I refuse to just stand by and allow you to risk our life for hers."
Mako's amber eyes flared orange. "First of all it's not our life it's mine, and I've already wasted enough of it serving as, how you put it; Lin's pawn, Raiko's puppet, and Korra's fool. I am not about to let you dictate how I live 'my' life now." He snarled.
"Your life, but my freedom," Vaatu snapped as twin flames ignited in his hands. "If you die that's it for you, but for me odds are I wind up trapped inside Raava again for the next ten thousand years."
Suddenly the chaos spirit thrust both hands forward releasing a massive fire blast at nearly point blank range. Caught off guard the resulting explosion sent Mako flying backwards through the metal guard rail, and off the bridge.
Being in spirit form he didn't suffer any actual injuries, but he still felt the pain of the burns and at least twelve broken bones, most of them being in his spine, and the phantom pain kept him stunned as he plummeted towards the frozen bay below. After several seconds of freefall he fought down the pain, and opened his eyes to see the ground once again approaching him at high speed.
Groaning in pain he forced his body to act as he released powerful jets of flame from his feet, and from his hands to stabilize his flight. It took considerable effort, but he managed to arrest his fall thirty feet above the ice.
With a sigh of relief Mako turned his icy glare upwards only to see the front end of a bus seconds before it slammed into him, and crashed into the ice below.
Back up on the bridge Vaatu looked down at his handy work with an amused smirk before shifting into his spirit form in a flash of crimson light, and gliding down on the arctic winds to the crash site where the bus stood vertical on top of the ice and Mako.
"Not easy to fly with a few hundred pounds of metal weighing you down is it detective?" Vaatu asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he morphed back into Baatar.
Looking up and down at the bus he'd pushed off the bridge Vaatu sighed. "With any luck that drove some sense through your thick skull." He said while circling the bus once before stepping forward and pushing against the roof.
With a metallic groan the bus tipped over and landed on its wheels. Turning his attention to the small crater Vaatu scowled upon finding crushed glass from the windshield and the mangled front bumper instead of his human side.
Eyes narrowed suspiciously Vaatu moved around the bus to the doors. Before he could move to force them open, the doors quickly snapped open.
"My turn." Mako said with a triumphant smirk, and electricity sparking around his extended middle and pointer fingers.
Crimson eyes widening is surprise Vaatu was unable to evade before taking a lightning bolt directly to the face, and dissipating in an explosion of red energy particles.
Shrugging off the remaining phantom pain Mako stood from the driver seat, and exited the bus.
"Are you done yet?" Mako asked as the crimson energy particles swirled through the air before condensing back into Vaatu once again in the form of Kuvira's former fiancée glaring hatefully right back at him.
"Oh we are far from done Mako." He replied as his burning crimson gaze locked with cold amber. "But we'll have to finish our debate later; I can sense a powerful spirit approaching. It's one thing to risk your life protecting those you love Mako, but just as I am bound to your soul my freedom is tethered to your survival. Your will may be strong enough to restrain me for now, but I will not allow you to sacrifice yourself for someone who wouldn't do the same for you."
"I trust her." Mako stated, his glare growing colder.
Vaatu merely shook his head. "So did Baatar." He said before disappearing in a flash of crimson, and the frozen world around Mako faded into oblivion.
"Don't be dead. Don't be dead. Don't be dead. Don't be dead. Is he dead? Oh spirits please don't let him be dead!"
"Ikki!"
Ikki paused in here panicking, and turned to see Kuvira seated on the floor with Mako's head cradled in her lap, and leveling a stern glare at her. "He's alive. Calm down."
Taking a deep breath the young air bender did as she was told. "Is he gonna be okay?" She asked timidly after a moment.
Seeing the fear in her eyes, and hearing the obvious worry in her voice Kuvira's gaze softened, and she turned her attention to the unconscious Dark Avatar. "He hit his head pretty hard. I can't sense any broken bones, but I won't be able to determine if there is anything more serious until he wakes up."
With a tired sigh Ikki moved to sit next to Kuvira. Seeing her own worry mirrored in the older woman's emerald eyes, she quickly turned her attention to Mako watching his scarred chest rise and fall with every even breath.
"What happened?" she asked as the silence began to draw on.
The metal bender sighed. "As far as I can tell the gravity reversed itself once we entered the main chamber."
"Yeah I felt that too." Ikki confirmed solemnly.
The metal bender nodded "After the reversal I'm not entirely sure what happened. I don't like to admit it and if you tell anyone I'll deny it, but flying up here I was scared. With no control and no connection to the earth; I was afraid, and when I felt Vaatu's hold on me loosen I just froze up. All I remember after that is thinking they were going to drop me, and looking back on it now I can't exactly blame them. We were falling at high speed, and for fire benders maneuvering during flight is difficult enough without a passenger. With me in his arms there was no way he could have arrested our fall, and the crash would have killed us both. Letting me go would have been the most logical thing to do." Kuvira said before she fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.
Seeing the perplexed look on her face as she looked down at Mako; Ikki tried to think of something to say.
"He would never let you go."
"What?" Kuvira asked snapping back to reality. Glancing down at the air nomad she was surprised to see a serious look on her face as she continued to watch the unconscious lightning bender.
"He would never let you go," She repeated looking up at her with her big grey eyes. "Vaatu might have. Actually on second thought; considering he wanted to tie me to a tree and leave me in the woods I'm pretty sure he'd have dropped you, but Mako would never do that to you or anyone. Dark Avatar or not he's still a hero at heart, and besides he obviously likes you too much to let anything bad happen to you."
Kuvira was about to remind the girl once again that she and Mako were not in any sort of relationship, but hesitated, her curiosity getting the better of her. "How do you figure?"
"How do I figure what?" Ikki asked obliviously.
After glancing down to make sure Mako was still unconscious Kuvira sighed. "How do you figure that he likes me? We've told you a hundred times that we are not dating and explained why as logically as possible, but you keep insinuating otherwise. Where are we getting our signals crossed?"
"Well for one thing you two don't practice what you preach." Ikki said dismissively with a shrug.
Kuvira scowled. "What?" She asked in a way that commanded a full answer with more respect.
Picking up on the metal bender's tone Ikki sat up straighter, and turned to face her. "You guys say that you're not a couple, or that you're not into each other, but everything else you guys do says otherwise. Ever since we left Ayeon's oasis you and Mako have been talking almost as much as me. It took us two days to get here, and in those two days with you I've seen Mako laugh and smile more than he has in a whole year. Heck up until I saw you two together I didn't think you could laugh, or smile."
"That's because I'm not the great uniter anymore." Kuvira said thoughtfully as she processed everything the surprisingly observant air bender had said. "I have no army to command, no civil wars to quell, and no empire to rule. Ever since Vaatu freed me and I joined team 'Dark' Avatar I haven't given it any real thought, but I guess being here with you and Mako, without the world watching my every move I've been able to just be me. The real me."
Seeing the introspective look on Kuvira's face Ikki gave her a warm smile. "I like the real you." She said causing the metal bender to smile back.
"And I'm pretty sure Mako does too." Ikki added, her smile widening into a smug grin at seeing the metal bender's cheeks turn red.
While Kuvira glanced away trying to hide her blush, Ikki turned her attention to the library around them. Hundreds of shelves filled to the brim with books, scrolls, and dust surrounded them on all sides. The glow stones stationed along the walls provided only enough illumination to fill the aisles and corridors with shadows, as well as reveal countless rows of more books and scrolls stretching as far as she could see.
"This place is even bigger then I imagined." Ikki commented.
Kuvira nodded. "When Mako and I crashed I got a pretty good 'look' at this place with my seismic sense. It was more of a glance actually, but I saw that this is just one of nearly three dozen floors. Each level stretches for nearly three miles going from east wing to west, and two miles north to south. From here I can sense dozens of passageways and corridors. I've heard many stories and legends about this library, and I can honestly say Ikki that the legends don't do this place justice."
Nodding silently in agreement Ikki paused as her grey eyes settled on a stone mural depicting a massive owl with its wings outstretched, and talons bared. "How long do you think it will take for Ayeon to find us?"
"Too long as far as Vaatu is concerned." Mako said surprising them both as he suddenly sat up right, and looked them over. "Are you two alright? How long was I out?"
"You were out for eleven minutes, and fifty-eight seconds." Ikki said earning surprised looks from the two older benders. "What; I was really worried okay."
With an affectionate smile Mako pulled her in for a hug which she eagerly returned.
"We're fine Mako, but you need to take it easy. You hit your head pretty hard, so I want you to take things slowly." Kuvira said; relived that he was awake.
"Is that an order, or a suggestion?" Mako asked her with a playful smirk.
Meeting his smirk with an amused smile; Kuvira quickly flicked him in the forehead causing him flinch back and wince in pain. "It doesn't matter, because you are going to listen to me either way. You don't have any broken bones, but I'm worried you might have a concussion."
"Thanks for the diagnosis, but I'm fine. I've just got a headache that doesn't go by the name Vaatu for once." Mako said standing shakily to his feet.
He nearly lost his balance for a second, but Kuvira quickly grabbed his arm to steady him. Helping him keep his balance they took in the library around them. Dozens of shelves surrounded them on all sides filled with books, scrolls, and dust stretched from floor to ceiling. The glow stones affixed on the walls provided enough illumination to reveal countless rows of books stretching beyond the ones before them.
"Following the tree branches Ayeon is most likely to get in on one of the lower floors. If we're going to meet him, we had better get moving." Mako said turning to one of the shadow filled corridors leading out of the chamber.
"What about Wan Shi Tong?" Ikki asked following after them.
Glancing back at her Mako's amber eyes flared crimson. "Don't worry child. He'll find us soon enough."
The dark corridors were silent as Ayeon made his way into the library. With Kuvira's bag on his back the climb had been arduous, but as he'd told the others it was nothing he couldn't handle. For him scaling the gargantuan tree had been child's play, and running along the branches had even been fun. The only part that had made him nervous was when he had to leap through the open air to reach the main doorway.
He almost didn't make it, but fortunately for him he'd been able to snag one of the many vines that now covered most of the library's exterior. Climbing along the vines he was able to make his way inside only for the gravity to reverse itself. Had it not been for his quick reflexes he would have crashed into the floor like some drunken air bender.
After picking himself up and looking around for any more surprises, he found that he was alone, and so decided to start looking for Ikki and the others.
Hallway after hallway, staircase after staircase he found no sign of anyone. No scent, no voices, not even an energy signature. He was completely alone. At least until he reached the stair case leading to the third floor.
"What are you doing here?"
"Woah!" Ayeon yelped in surprise, not expecting to be addressed in an empty stairway.
"Who's there?" He demanded whirling around, but finding himself still alone. "Great, now I'm hearing things. Thank you so very much Icky." He muttered to himself.
Turning to continue on his way he was met by a pair of big purple eyes inches away from his. "Boo."
Startled Ayeon screamed, tripped backwards, and tumbled down the stairs before landing hard on his furry backside.
As laughter filled the air; the aye-aye spirit glared up at the top of the stairs to see a large fox spirit smiling down at him with amusement flashing in her purple eyes. She was about the size of a polar bear dog with snowy white fur covering most of her body, except for her feet, the tips of her ears and the ends of her nine tails which were jet black. She also wore a messenger bag draped over her front shoulder.
"Stop laughing at me! Who are you?" Ayeon demanded angrily.
With some effort the female fox spirit gained control of her laughter, before shaking her head in amusement. "Who is Icky?" She asked curiously.
"I asked you a question fox." Ayeon stated angrily.
"And I asked you a question lemur." The fox spirit fired right back with an arrogant smirk as she made her way down the steps to join him on the landing.
"I am an aye-aye!" he snapped angrily.
"And I am Sakuya; the right hand of Muramasa." The fox spirit stated with authority; her purple eyes narrowing.
"Muramasa," Ayeon whispered; his yellow eyes widening in surprise. "You serve the great Yokai of war? Then that would make you,"
"A Yokai." Sakuya answered with a smirk.
"But that doesn't make any sense. You don't have the energy signature of a Yokai." Ayeon said disbelievingly.
"What energy signature?" Sakuya asked, her serious look giving way to a playful smile.
Brow furrowing in confusion Ayeon closed his eyes and focused his senses. All around him he could sense the ambient spiritual energy of the library. By concentrating hard enough he could barely sense Vaatu somewhere on the uppermost level, as well as another powerful energy signature rapidly making its way towards his master. However while he could sense faintly sense the others, he could feel no trace of Sakuya's energy even though she was barely three feet away from him.
Seeing the surprised look in his yellow eyes Sakuya chuckled. "I may not be exceptionally strong like Fenris or be able to turn myself invisible like Jaeger, but I am among the cleverest of my kind and I can hide my aura completely. After all one does not become the eyes and ears of war personified without possessing a few talents. Now tell me interloper; who are you, and why are you here?"
As she spoke Sakuya's purple eyes began to glow, and Ayeon found himself able to sense her energy. Her aura was darker than his own and only slightly more powerful. She was definitely a minor Yokai, albeit one with considerable rank much like himself in a way.
Realizing who and what he was dealing with Ayeon took a deep breath and clenched his fists tightly. He held both in for several seconds before loosening his grip, and releasing a tired sigh allowing the breath he'd been holding to slip away along with most of his irritation. Vaatu chose him to serve as his right hand, and he would not disappoint his master by acting like a temperamental fool.
"My name is Ayeon, and Icky is my master's human ward. She along with her elder brother and his mate are accompanying me here on business.
"A human?" Sakuya asked, her playful demeanor giving way to surprise. "You brought humans into Wan Shi Tong's library? Where are they now?"
"Somewhere on the upper floors I believe. They flew in from below through the tallest spire. I took the long way around with the supplies."
The fox Yokai relaxed slightly at his answer. "So these humans are air nomads? Alright then then that's not so bad. For a second there I thought"
"One."
"One? One what?" Sakuya asked, annoyed at being interrupted."
Seeing the purple eyed vixen scowl in confusion brought a smirk to Ayeon's face. "Only Icky is an air tosser. Kuvira is an earth tosser, and her mate Mako is a fire tosser."
Rather than asking further questions like he expected Sakuya suddenly turned, and shot up the stairs at high speed.
"Hey wait! Where are you going?" Ayeon called out as he took off after the fox Yokai.
"Your humans; we need to find them quickly, before Wan Shi Tong does." She called back over her shoulder as she continued sprinting up staircases, and across landings only to repeat the process over and over again as they reached each new floor. "Interloping spirits like us are one thing, but humans are a different matter entirely. Your humans are in danger."
"Why and why would you even care?" he asked putting everything he had into trying to keep up with the nine tailed fox. Running on all four legs Sakuya was faster than him, and with Kuvira's bag strapped to his back it took everything he had not to be left behind completely.
"Something has happened in the human world to cause the balance of power to shift from light to dark. You light spirits may not have noticed it, but we Yokai have and my master wants to know what caused it. I came here looking for answers, but if anyone would know what happened it would be your humans. However as clever as I am I cannot get answers from corpses. The last time fire tossers set foot in this library an entire section was reduced to ashes. Suffice to say if Wan Shi Tong sees so much as a spark he will slaughter your humans on sight."
"Then we need to hurry." Ayeon said tossing Kuvira's bag aside. "If Wan Shi Tong attacks them my master will take that as a challenge."
"Who is your master anyway?" Sakuya asked, glancing back to see Ayeon catching up to her without the heavy bag on his back.
Seeing the genuine curiosity in her purple eyes as she looked back at him; Ayeon smirked. "He's the one who shifted the balance."
As conflict brewed in the spirit library; tension filled the air of Tartarus as Jinora kept company with the face stealer himself.
"Jaeger's claws were inches away from tearing me apart. Looking passed him I saw Bosco holding him back with all his might. From the look in his eyes I could tell he couldn't hold Jaeger back for long, and he knew it too. He yelled for me to run, and I scrambled further back into the nether roots. I thought I could crawl through the roots and out the other side, but in my panic I forgot about the portal, and I fell through. Of course it didn't take Jaeger very long to follow me down here, and I was soon being chased through the fog until I found myself trapped with your tree at my back, a sheer cliff on either side of me, and Jaeger bearing down on me. I was about to die. That's when you intervened, and now here we are. You with a new face in your impressive collection, and me trying not to become a part of it."
"I must admit child you are quite the story teller. That was definitely the most interesting tale I've heard in over a century." Koh admitted after taking a moment to process Jinora's tale.
"Interesting enough to not steal my face?" Jinora asked hopefully, but being careful to keep her face free of expression.
Shifting back to his Noh face Koh smiled at the young air nomad. "Nice try Jinora. You're good, but not that good."
Keeping the disappointment from showing on her face Jinora looked around trying yet again to find a way out. For the last hour the great Yokai had held her captive, shifting from face to face trying everything to provoke an emotional reaction so he could steal her face. Unlike Jaeger though he was patient, and to her surprise he actually played fair.
Koh engaged her in conversation. She had read how he was a cunning, malicious spirit, and she didn't doubt that for a second, but for some reason he remained civil with her. He said nothing cruel and he didn't try messing with her head. He merely asked her questions about simple things like her training, her home, her family, anything to distract her before trying to scare her with the face of a beast, or spirit; each more frightening than the last.
This went on for the better part of an hour, and she had yet to give in. Before long he asked her why she was in the spirit world, and how she had come to his domain which was actually located on the edge of Tartarus.
During her tale Koh had provided no openings that she could use to escape. There was no way she was getting out of there on her own.
"I must admit Jinora I am impressed. Very few have managed to face me for this long. Your grandfather would be proud." Koh said with a smirk.
"Thank you." She said emotionlessly.
"That being said I will make you a deal. I will let you go free, if you can give me one good reason to do so."
Struggling to keep the surprise from her face Jinora quickly racked her brain for an answer only to draw a blank. What possible reason could she give that Koh the face stealer, a great Yokai would accept?
Seeing that she was drawing a blank Koh's face shifted to Jaeger's complete with its signature crescent moon grin. "Nothing? Come now surely a smart girl like you can come up with one good reason."
As she made to answer him someone else spoke first.
"How about a threat. It's been my experience that a good reason is often synonymous a decent threat."
Eyes widening in surprise Koh whirled around to face the speaker, and in doing so allowed Jinora to slip away from the Face Stealer so that his centipede like body no longer surrounded her.
There was still nowhere for her to go of course. With Koh's lair at her back and sheer cliffs on either side; the only way to escape was past the Face Stealer and the new arrival.
"Well now aren't I the popular one today. I must admit this is quite an unexpected surprise," She heard Koh say amusedly.
Turning around She was surprised to see a young woman standing before the great Yokai. She appeared no older than sixteen dressed in a style of fire nation armor that hadn't been seen in nearly a hundred years, and never outside the royal family. The girl had light skin with jet black hair done up in a traditional fire nation topknot. Long bangs framed her beautiful face which held intelligent golden eyes.
For a moment the woman easily held Koh's stare before suddenly raising a hand fan between her face and Koh's. With the Yokai's view of her blocked she turned to Jinora with an almost predatory smirk. "It's Jinora right?" she asked.
Receiving an affirmative nod the woman's smirk disappeared as she clicked her fan shut to reveal a scowling Koh.
"Now that's just cheating," He complained as he moved back, and coiled around himself like a snake, before turning back to Jinora. "However a threat from an air nomad is definitely something I'd like to see."
"Air nomads aren't exactly known for threats." Jinora stated trying to not let her growing fear reveal itself.
"And that's what will make this so interesting." Koh said with growing excitement. "If by some miracle you do present me with a good enough reason not to add your face to my collection, then at least I'll have quite the tale to tell."
"I can hear it now; The Legend of Jinora." The golden eyed girl said giving her a conspiratorial wink as she hid a self satisfied smirk behind her fan.
Whether or not it was meant to encourage her; it only made Jinora all the more nervous. Between the almost predatory gleam in Koh's eyes, and the fact that this mysterious girl appeared to be on friendly terms with the face stealer of all spirits; she felt what little hope she had at finding her little sister begin to fade.
"Well come on then. Give him reason why he shouldn't add your pretty face to his collection, so we can leave already." The girl prompted, snapping her fan shut impatiently. "The longer this takes the further away your little sister gets, and the more likely she is to get eaten or something worse."
Startled by what the golden eyed girl said; Jinora said the first thing that came to mind.
"You could do it out of the goodness of your heart." She offered weakly.
Koh and the mysterious girl just stared at her silently until the girl flicked open her fan to shield her face, and they both burst into almost maniacal laughter.
Jinora barely stopped herself from scowling at the two as Koh shifted through several faces in tandem while laughing until he stopped at his Noh face, and if the fact that the girl was on friendly terms with a Yokai didn't make her question her sanity; the way she laughed definitely succeeded.
After several moments of laughing at her expense the two stopped as suddenly as they began when the girl snapped her fan shut as her face returned to a blank, emotionless stare. "Ha ha you're hilarious. Now come on peasant; from what my uncle tells me you are a smart girl. Surely you can think of something to say that can make the infamous face stealer tremble in fear."
The mockery and sarcasm in the girl's voice caused something to snap in Jinora as she remained silent, just staring at the two. She no longer had to fight to keep her face free of emotion, because she felt nothing. Once again her fate was in the hands of a spirit intent on toying with her, and the fact that he were rubbing her face in it was the last straw. Like a dam breaking; her fear gave way to all the frustration, indignation, and anger she'd managed to choke down up to that point.
"All my life I was taught to honor and respect the spirits, but if this is the game you want to play then fine. You will stand aside and allow me to continue my search with 'my face' still in 'my' possession, or you will suffer the wrath of the Dark Avatar." Jinora said calmly as her hands clenched into fists.
The girl's eyes widened slightly in surprise, and Koh chuckled in amusement. "You think I'm afraid of Raava?" he asked.
"No and it wouldn't really matter if you were, because I'm not threatening you with Raava." Jinora replied allowing a small smirk to spread across her lips. "I'm threatening you with Vaatu."
Being counted among the most ancient of spirits Koh had heard, seen, and done many things, and up until now he'd thought life had run out of surprises. At least ones that could render him speechless as the young air nomad standing before him had just done.
The girl had been in his company for hours, and in that entire time she had not presented a single shred of emotion for him to exploit. Out of respect for her grandfather Avatar Aang he'd refrained from tormenting her mentally or emotionally. Instead he'd put her to the test using misdirection, distraction, and surprise. In trying to scare her he'd used the faces of the fiercest beasts and most horrendous of creatures in his collection, and yet her self control never wavered not even once.
As surprising as it was the air bender had earned his respect, and yet after everything he'd thrown at her she was now looking him in the eye and smirking at him.
Now normally this wouldn't have even fazed him. He'd had plenty of victims yield to desperation or anger, and just give in to him. However it was what she had said that kept him from claiming her face right then and there.
"I beg your pardon?" he asked, eyes narrowing dangerously.
Throwing caution to the wind Jinora's smirk grew into an all out smile that even Ikki would be proud of. "Oh you heard me. Vaatu. V. A. A. T. U. Vaatu; the grand spirit of chaos and darkness, as well as the first, and father of all Yokai. I'm certain you both know of him, but what you might not know is that I am number three on his list after Raava and Korra, and as of several days ago he was resurrected and successfully merged with a human host who also happens to be my surrogate big brother. Between how protective Mako is of his family, and how upset Vaatu would be at having his chance at vengeance stolen from him; there isn't a doubt in my mind that your name will go straight to the top of both their lists."
Growing bolder with each word Jinora began moving closer. "Now I have been more than patient and respectful, but between Jaeger hunting me for the last few days and being held here against my will; I have had it! My little sister needs and I'll be damned if I'm going to waste anymore time playing sadistic games with you Yokai. So go ahead and steal my face, but I'm warning you. If you do Mako and Vaatu will find out, and they will come for you Koh. It won't matter where you go, or how far you run, because you cannot hide from them. They will hunt you down, they will find you, and they will take everything from you. Even now I can hear you screaming as they take your faces from you one by one until your entire collection is nothing but ashes, and you are left as faceless worm groveling in the dirt like so many of your victims were. So there; how's that for a threat?" she demanded as she came to stand before Koh with barely six inches between her face and his.
Rather than answer her; the face stealer remained silent, his dark calculating eyes staring coldly into hers.
Even the mystery girl didn't dare to say a word as she hid most of her face behind her fan, leaving only her golden orbs exposed as she watched the two intently.
The tense silence carried on for several minutes, and with each passing second Jinora's fury inspired adrenaline rush faded away bit by bit until finally the logical part of her brain which sounded surprisingly like Ikki said "Oooooh you are in so much trouble."
"I must admit that was probably the most serious threat I've ever heard." Koh finally stated calmly; seconds before Jinora's confidant façade could fall apart. "However severity only makes up half a threat."
Dark eyes narrowing dangerously Koh drew even closer leaving barely an inch between their faces. "The other half is credibility. Do you really expect me to believe that Vaatu has not only returned as a Dark Avatar, but that he would actually avenge you?"
Jinora shrugged. "Avenge me? No. It would be more along the lines of taking revenge on you for taking his revenge on me. Whether or not you believe me it doesn't matter because this is going to end one of two ways. You can play it safe and let me leave peacefully, or you can steal my face and find out the hard way just how honest I really am."
Drifting back like a snake about to strike Koh cocked his head to the side and eyed her warily, before turning to the mysterious fire nation girl. "You're a pretty good liar yourself Azula. What do you think?"
"Azula?" Jinora said staring at the former princess of the fire nation in shock.
Ignoring the air bender's incredulous look; Azula snapped her fan shut and stood up straight with her hands clasped behind her back, and her face as emotionless as a statue. "If she's not telling the truth then she is as good at lying as me, and for the record no one is as good a liar as I am. Either way I think you two are now playing a game of dragon chicken, and she's just wagered her face against your entire collection. Whether or not she's lying, are you really willing to risk your entire collection for just one face? No offense, but it's not even that good of a face what with those dopey brown eyes, that tacky hair style, and that ridiculous arrow tattoo. Seriously do those things come in any other color besides sky blue?"
"No." Jinora said leveling a death glare at the deceased princess, before looking up at Koh who was still watching her intently. "So which is it Koh, Safe or sorry?"
The second the words left her mouth she was viciously slammed into the ground just barely biting back a scream as she slowly opened her eyes to find herself pinned to the ground by Koh's massive centipede like body. With his main body hovering over her prone form at least half a dozen insectoid legs positioned on either side of her, ensuring that there was no way for her to move, let alone escape. In fact he seemed to be applying so much pressure that she could actually hear the stone cracking where he stood.
While his body held her in place, it was his eyes that captivated her. He was still wearing his Noh face, but with barely an inch between his face and hers; she had no choice but to stare into its eyes were no longer human. They were glowing crimson.
"You have spirit Jinora and I admire that, but now you're pushing it. " Koh whispered dangerously as his eyes burned into hers. "You wandered blindly into my domain like a sparrow fly into a spider viper's web. You've remained in my presence longer than any other human in centuries. I gave you an impossible task and you completed it in ten seconds with a smile on your face. Now I look into your eyes, and where once is saw nothing I now see all your fears laid bare. I could take your face right now. I should take your face right now."
"But you won't." Jinora whispered so only Koh could hear.
"No I won't, and do you know why?" he asked.
Jinora shook her head, while her heart was once again threatening to burst from her chest it was beating so fast.
"Because unlike your pathetic excuse for an Avatar; I do not rely on luck for survival. When I was born my mother taught me two very important things; my name, and that survival and fear walk hand in hand. She knew I would grow into a powerful Yokai feared by many, but just to make sure I didn't do anything foolish; she made sure that I knew my place in the hierarchy, and understood the chain of fear. Men fear Yokai, Yokai fear Raava, Raava fears Vaatu, and Vaatu fears nothing. While the time where Raava's ire was something to be feared has long since passed; Vaatu's wrath remains one of the few things that can still strike fear into the heart of every Yokai."
"Vaatu is the first of us; the father of all Yokai." Koh said as the crimson in his eyes slowly faded until she was once again met with the Noh's piercing black gaze. "And after all what child doesn't fear their father's wrath?"
"So you will let me go?" She asked cautiously, her hope beginning to return.
"I will." The face stealer said with a small nod. "But first I want to show you something. You said Vaatu would strip away my collection one by one until he left me as nothing more than a faceless worm groveling in the dirt. Is this what you had in mind?"
The opening that held Koh's face 'blinked' shut, and after a few seconds slowly opened back up. After several hours in the face stealer's company; Jinora had thought she'd seen it all. However what she saw now caused her heart to skip several beats.
When she had said faceless worm, she had been thinking a blank slate like Jaeger and all of Koh's other victims. Instead what she saw was something that she had thought only existed in her darkest nightmares.
Where there had once been one of a thousand different faces from Koh's collection there was not a blank slate like she'd expected. There were no eyes, ears, or a nose. There was only a wide gapping maw filled with needle like teeth. They were arranged in a perfect circle with the teeth splaying outward like a Venus fly trap. After the first row came another, and another, row after row of needle like teeth reaching outward ready to rip away her face.
"This is my true form and the last thing my victims ever see." Koh said, his voice seeming to echo from the depths of his dark fang filled gullet. "You may leave, but know this. If I find out you are lying, and Vaatu hasn't returned, that your 'threat' holds now weight; I will come for not only you Jinora, but your entire family, and no one not even your precious Avatar will be able to protect you. Do I make myself clear?"
Jinora nodded slowly in understanding, and Koh shifted back to his Noh face. "Good. In that case I hope you find your sister, and please give Vaatu my regards." Koh said with a vicious grin, before disappearing in a blur of motion.
Bolting upright Jinora saw the end of Koh's tail disappear inside his subterranean lair, leaving her alone.
"Damn; and they call me crazy."
Almost alone.
Didn't see that coming did you? One of the hardest parts of writing this one was Koh. I remember him being one of the most interesting characters from the last air bender. In an effort to get his character right I went back and re watched a few episodes, and read what little there was about him on the wiki. All in all I hope I at least did him justice. Oh and as for Koh's true 'face' think the kraken from pirates of the Caribbean 2 right before it ate jack sparrow. As for Azula what, how, and why will all be explained in time. Sooner rather than later, I promise.
Anyway thank you for reading, and please leave a comment, or even better a review. knowing what you guys think means a lot, and really helps me to power through writers block. Until next time then stay tuned for chapter 32.
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