A/N: You guyyyyys this is the second to last chapter of Canon before I can go crazy with creative freedom and I am EXCITED.
So, this and the next chapter will probably be the longest in the series, because there's OC stuff I have to shove into here too and the two episodes are already SO packed with content! Also, something I thought of while I wrote this chapter- are we all ignoring the fact that Tenzin had a prison cell in his attic? what do you think he used that for? are we all assuming Amon put it in? what if he... didn't? And he found the attic like that? xD
Thank you again for the likes/follows/ reviews! It means so much to me. 3
Liltorgy: Don't apologize! life is crazy, you get to this whenever you can. It'll be here for you. :) Also I'm like... really excited for you to see my plans for Kona. Sweet angel baby boy is going to become so much more wholesome soon. SO MUCH MORE WHOLESOME. Much love to you, my loyal reviewer. you inspire me. 3
Enjoy, you guys!
•Fourteen•
Sikenna smiled to herself as she leaned back in her chair next to Asami. The boys, meaning Kona and Bolin, were sparring off in the corner safely tucked away from any flammable tent homes. Earth and Fire flung back and forth between the two at incredible speed. Sikenna's blue eyes bounced back and forth between the two, and burst out into a hearty laughter when Bolin pinged Kona in the forehead with a small rock.
"Shut up, Kenna!" Kona spat out at his sister, unamused by her laughter. He rubbed his forehead with one hand and shot a ball of flames at her with the other with a small grunt. Sikenna kicked her foot out to meet the flames, cutting through it with her effortlessly. The flame fizzled out and she smirked victoriously at him. Kona scowled and rolled his eyes, turning back to Bolin. He nodded and squatted low into a stance.
"Again. And no cheap shots!" Kona demanded.
"It's wild how you two bend at each other like that." Asami said next to her, bewildered. Sikenna turned her head towards the girl and smiled.
"It's not very powerful, we never intend to hurt." She shrugged and turned back to the sparring boys in front of her.
"We've been doing it for so long we know when to expect it. We wouldn't send a shot we knew the other couldn't avoid."
"I don't think it's necessarily bad," Asami corrected herself.
"I've just… never seen benders use it so frivolously, I guess. It's different to see it being used for fun instead of purpose."
Sikenna smiled proudly at Kona as he sent a particularly impressive combo at Bolin, knocking him back with a loud yelp.
"It didn't start out that way. When we first found out we were benders, we were constantly fighting with it. Regular sibling fights became even more destructive. My mom was should have gotten a medal for dealing with us so gracefully." Sikenna laughed at the memories that flipped through her mind.
"Kona's like having another Bolin around, I can only imagine what he was like when he was younger." Asami laughed, her eyes on the sparring boys as well.
"He was a pain in the ass." Sikenna giggled, then turned towards Asami.
"I noticed you two have gotten closer lately." Sikenna asked her, wiggling her eyebrows at the girl. Asami's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
"What?! No- it's not like that!" She defended herself as Sikenna threw her head back, laughing at her reaction.
Asami blushed, embarrassed, and looked back to the benders still sparring in front of them.
"He's sweet, but I have the Mako and Korra thing to deal with, I'm not about to drag someone else into it."
"Ah, yes. The Mako and Korra debacle." Sikenna nodded slowly as she spoke like a scholar. Then, she scrunched her nose and furrowed her eyebrows.
"How do you plan on dealing with that?"
Asami sighed deeply and shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I'm not sure, really. It's pretty dealt with already, isn't it? It's just unsaid." Asami's face fell into a frown.
"Here's the thing, Asami." Sikenna said to her softly.
"Mako's an idiot." She said bluntly, putting her hand on her shoulder. Asami looked up at her, shocked, but laughed lightly.
"Don't get me wrong, I love the guy. But he's an idiot for going about this the way he did, and I'm sorry you had to be a part of him learning how to not be an idiot." Sikenna dropped her hand from Asami's shoulder after a gentle pat and turned to see Bolin and Kona walking towards them. With a smirk, Sikenna shifted her eyes back to Asami.
"You can spend the day oogling Prince Iroh with me."
"General Iroh, Kenna. And can you stop? He's here to help us, not be your eye candy." Kona scolded his sister, annoyed with the way she had consistently been mentioning the Royal.
"He's still our Prince, either name works. And I wont stop, I'm excited. It's not my fault he looks the way he does. Personally, I blame Fire Lord Zuko, but feel free to take it up with Fire Lord Izumi." Sikenna smiled knowingly at her brother and he rolled his eyes, mockingly parroting the last bit of her sentence. Fire Lord Izumi, though fair and a good leader, was an intimidating woman to face.
"What's the deal with you and general Iroh anyway?" Bolin breathed heavily, resting his hands on his hips with a brow raised at her. Sikenna sighed peacefully and looked up at the ceiling.
"He's dreamy." She answered simply. And honestly, that really was the allure. Growing up, Iroh had been the prince all the little girls in the Fire Nation pictured when their mother's told them tales and legends of Princes saving Princesses.
"Give her a break, she's not the only one I've heard that from." Asami defended Sikenna with a smile.
"She's obnoxious." Kona said to Asami earnestly. Asami looked at him and felt the corner of her lips tug into a smirk. She quickly looked over to Sikenna to hide it.
"I've heard he has a very soothing voice."
"It's comparable to a lullaby." Sikenna answered her quickly, nodding.
"Man," Bolin interjected, deciding to change the subject.
"Mako and Korra have been gone for a while, huh?"
Asami's face fell again and she looked down at her feet sadly. Sikenna noticed and narrowed her eyes at Bolin, slyly nodding her head to Asami to show Bolin what he did. Bolin grimaced and cleared his throat.
"I'm sure they'll be back any minute, I mean. That's, that's what I meant." He corrected himself awkwardly, bringing a hand to rub the back of his neck. Sikenna and Kona rolled their eyes at Bolin and tried to bring the conversation to something else quickly. Kenna broke out into constructive criticism of Kona's sparring, who did not take it as constructive at all, and the two quickly started bickering. Bolin and Asami decided to distract themselves with Pabu while they waited for them to be done.
"They're back." Kona broke from the argument to announce to the group. Sikenna looked over her shoulder to see Mako and Korra entering the camp from a sewer tunnel in full stolen equalist suits. She sighed when she saw Asami lead the way over to them with determination before she followed.
"You two were gone a while." Asami said accusingly at the pair. Mako narrowed his eyes slightly at her, annoyed with her tone.
"We were doing reconnaissance."
"Whatever." Asami mumbled, looking away. Kona met her eyes and smiled reassuringly at her. Asami attempted to smile back at him, but he nodded in understanding.
Gommu, the kind man who welcomed them to the sewer community, seemingly appeared from nowhere, stepping in between the two groups of teens.
"Welcome back! Hope you worked up an appetite, 'cause dinner is served." He hummed to himself and turned back to the fire he used to cook for them for the past few days. Sikenna scrunched up her nose at the thought of more street gruel as everyone turned to follow Gommu. Mako chuckled when he saw Sikenna's face. She looked over at him with her brows raised.
"What's so funny cheeseball?" She grinned at him. Mako rolled his eyes and tossed a small, greasy paper bag to her. Sikenna gasped with a bright smile as she caught it, instantly knowing what it was.
"Fire flakes!" She said with excitement, her eyes staring down at the bag in her hands with disbelief. Mako smiled to himself as he watched her. He choked on a breath in surprise and his eyes went wide when he had to catch Sikenna, throwing her arms around his neck into a tight embrace.
"You're the best. Thank you." She said in his ear as she hugged him. Mako felt himself shiver as her breath tickled his ear but ignored it, wrapping an arm around her waisted to hug her back with a laugh.
"It's just fire flakes." He said when she pulled away from him.
"It's dinner that's not street gruel." She said with a laugh, reaching into the bag to take a few. She tossed one to Mako, who caught it in his mouth, before popping a flake into her own mouth, nodding her head towards the boiling pot at camp where everyone was gathered.
"Come on, let's not give Asami another reason to be suspicious." She smirked at him teasingly. Mako rolled his eyes and shoved her shoulder before starting towards the group.
"Shut up. Or I'll take the fire flakes." He smirked with his back turned towards her. Sikenna gasped dramatically right as Mako heard the bag crinkle from her protective grasp.
•¥•
Later that night.
"Hey." Mako sighed, walking up to his sleeping bag still next to Sikenna's. She had her back against the wall with her legs stretched out, crossed at the ankles as she munched happily on the fire flakes. She had sneakily given her gruel to Lotus, who was currently laid on her back asleep beside her owner.
"Hey." She answered him after swallowing her food.
"Waited until everyone was asleep to eat them?" Mako laughed as he sat next to her.
"Didn't want to share." Sikenna stated matter of factly, reaching back into the bag for more. Mako put his hand out for some with a smirk. She rolled her eyes at him, but smiled, dumping a bunch into his open palm. Mako smiled victoriously and popped the flakes into his mouth.
"Get to think about what you were going to say to Asami today?" Sikenna asked after a few moments. Mako sighed and rested his head back against the wall.
"Not really." He admitted quietly. Sikenna nodded and tilted the bag of flakes towards him. Mako eyed the bag for a few moments, making Kenna shake it in encouragement before he reached in for more.
"She told me today she thinks it's pretty dealt with already, just unsaid." Mako almost choked on his flakes and looked over at her, startled.
"She what?"
Sikenna smiled at him apologetically before explaining.
"She knows you two are breaking up. Or, did break up, or whatever you two are. You both just need to come out and say it."
Mako stayed silent, thinking about what she just told him. Asami was right, of course, but what would he actually say to her about it? He wasn't good at stuff like this. Bolin thought he was always so suave, especially with the ladies, but the truth was that Mako was terrible with them. Evidence being the last few days. Weeks, really.
"You have to do it, Mako." Kenna's voice cut through his thoughts, and his eyes locked onto hers. She spoke softly, but assertive.
"None of you deserve this mess, especially Asami. So just end it."
Mako sighed, defeated. He knew she was right, and he was being a baby about taking care of an issue he caused.
"How do I say it to her without hurting her more?" He asked, shifting his eyes to Kenna while keeping his head straight.
"Pretty sure that ship sailed, Mako. Literally anything you say to her to end the relationship is going to be less painful than knowing you and Korra kissed during the tournament she paid for you guys to be in."
Mako winced at her blunt words. But again, she was right. His eyes travelled across the room to Korra, sitting up against Naga in thought. He smiled to himself as he watched her facial expressions match her thoughts.
"I just don't want to do anymore damage." He said to Kenna quietly. She sighed and followed his gaze.
"My method only works about half the time, but it's the only advice I have." Sikenna laughed lightly.
"And what method is that, Sensei?" Mako chuckled out with a smirk. Sikenna rolled her eyes and flicked the side of his head playfully.
"It'll come to you when you go to say it." She answered him. Mako blinked at her a few times.
"Kenna that's the first terrible advice you've ever given me."
"I said it only worked half the time! It came with a disclaimer!" She furrowed her brows at him, annoyed by him laughing at her as she defended herself.
"Look," she started once Mako had stopped laughing at her expense.
"Every time I tried to think of what I would say to someone, it never worked out. Or, I would get in my own head about preparing this big speech, and then scare myself out of doing it. So I stopped thinking about it, and just started doing it. Sometimes it backfires, but it always got it done, even if it wasn't as gracefully as I wanted it to be. But Kona was always there for me when it backfired, and Bolin and I will be there for you if it does, too." Sikenna leaned back against the wall again as she finished, resting her temple against the wall, her eyes on Mako.
"What? Kona won't be there for me, too?" Mako asked with a knowing grin. Sikenna laughed and shook her head.
"I'm pretty sure he's on Asami's side with this one."
Mako chuckled and looked back at Korra. He watched her fidget with her fingers for a few silent moments.
"You should try it, though." Sikenna said encouragingly from beside him. Mako felt confidence building in his chest at her words, his eyes still locked on Korra across the room. He sat up straighter as the confidence built in his chest more. He licked his lips, turning back to Kenna.
"I'll try it out. Be right back." He said, getting to his feet.
"Wait, what? Right now?" Sikenna blinked in shock as Mako started heading over to Korra instead of Asami's sleeping form.
"Mako that's not what I meant!" She hissed at him. Mako didn't answer, he continued walking towards Korra, his posture held high with courage. Sikenna sighed loudly into the air, frustrated with her firebending friend.
Sikenna watched them from across the room. The talk was quick, but she could see her advice had worked a bit, even if it was directed towards the wrong girl. Korra blushed and looked down at her lap as Mako spoke to her and Sikenna scrunched up her nose involuntarily. Then, her eyes shot open wide and she sat up straight, taking her back off the wall. Mako leaned towards Korra, his head tilted to the side slightly. Korra seemed to take a few inches towards his face herself, and for a moment it looked like they were going to kiss right there. With Asami feet from them, facing their direction in her sleeping bag. Sikenna sighed a big sigh of relief when Korra quickly turned her head away from Mako to stop them from kissing. She scowled at the Mako as he walked back towards their sleeping bags, suddenly feeling like she didn't want to be around him. That was not what she told him to do, that was not why she gave him the advice she did. She was trying to help Asami, and he almost made the mess bigger than it already was under advice she had given him. Sikenna was honestly disgusted, and didn't want to yell at him and wake everyone up. She stood to her feet and marched forward, deciding a walk to cool herself down before speaking to him again was the best option.
"Well, it almost worked. Better than anything el- where are you going?" Mako asked her as she walked past him, grabbing her bicep to stop her and make her turn. Sikenna felt her whole body warm with anger at his touch and ripped her arm away from him, narrowing her eyes. Mako's eyes went wide with surprise when he saw the look on her face.
"That is not what I meant. You almost kissed her." Sikenna hissed through her teeth and took another step closer to Mako angrily.
"Asami is sleeping right there," she pointed to Asami's sleeping bag.
"And you almost kissed Korra again without breaking up with her. I thought you said you didn't want to hurt her anymore than you already have? I thought you said you didn't want to do anymore damage?!" She spat at him. Mako sighed in defeat as guilt settled into his stomach.
"I'm sorry. I-" he tried to speak, but Kenna interrupted him.
"I'm not the one you need to apologize to, you idiot! I'm going for a walk. Don't follow me." Sikenna said, turning on her heel.
"Kenna, wait! Where are you going?" He said to her, following her anyway.
"I said don't follow me." She answered him sharply.
"It's not safe to go far on your own right now. Our brothers will kill me if something happens to you."
Sikenna scoffed and turned to face him, walking backwards as she did.
"What? Scared another mess is going to be your fault?"
Mako stopped in his tracks and looked at her, shocked.
"Kenna-"
"Eat shit, Mako." She interrupted him again, turning on her heel and walking away from him. Mako sighed and brought a hand to the back of his neck as he watched her go. Guilt rose from his stomach into his chest. He wanted to follow her, he wanted to make sure she didn't get into any trouble. But he knew Kenna enough now to know that wasn't a good idea. He had heard enough stories from Kona about what she did when she felt like her wishes weren't respected, and decided his best bet would to sit by their sleeping bags until she got back.
Sikenna huffed angrily as she walked, kicking small rocks as she went. She tried her best to be understanding of the situation, and be a good friend to everyone involved so that the group of friends she had come to care so much for didn't fall apart. But watching that was hard. She didn't want Asami to be hurt anymore, or worse, give her a reason to resent benders and turn on them in her anger. Seeing Mako almost kiss Korra made her feel sick to her stomach. She had watched plenty of guys she knew back on Ember Island being sleaze balls, some of them even being her friends, so she didn't understand why she felt some hurt for herself, too. She decided to chalk it up to him using her advice to be a pig, and ignored the voice in her head that told her to dissect it further. Her anger rose in her again as she played through the events. She swore under her breath and flexed her fingers to control the warmth travelling down her arms.
A loud, familiar jovial laugh reached her ears and Sikenna froze, the warmth in her arms threatening to break free instantly receding. Her face twisted in confusion and she found herself walking towards the sound before she realized it. She peaked around a tent to another camp within the community and gasped. Around the fire, surrounded by happy, joking people who laughed as if there wasn't a war going on at all, sat Nero, with a pretty brunette on his lap. The girl giggled and twirled his hair affectionately as she watched the people laughing and joking. Nero held her to his lap tightly, as if desperate to never let her go. Sikenna felt her throat tighten as she fought the tears that threatened to spill.
Obviously, she left Nero. She shouldn't be upset by this. But with how she felt in this moment, Sikenna realized she had held on hope that he would smarten up, straighten himself out and try again. He had, after all, said he would. It had only been a couple weeks and here he was, wrapped around another girl. Her chest tightened and she took a step back from the tent she was peaking around. About two weeks- that's all it took for him to replace her. That's all it took for him to forget everything they had gone through together. And here she was, missing him. Fighting with her brother about him, defending him whenever Kona tried to show her who Nero really was. Hoping he was okay, that he survived this, that she wouldn't have to hear that he was dead. The last time she saw him he had stopped her and Kona from being arrested, he called her gorgeous. He was pulling out all the stops, doing everything he knew made her weak at the knees for him. A blue spark tickled her finger tips without her realizing it, her anger and hurt sneaking up on her before she could control herself. This caught the attention of a few people around the fire, including Nero and the girl on his lap. Sikenna took a sharp breath and spun into the shadows, trying to stay as quiet as possible, hopeful they didn't see her, specifically. She heard a sigh by the fire.
"Come on out, Kenna." Nero's voice called out. Sikenna swore under her breath, but didn't move.
"Kenna, I know it's you." He said, his voice dripping with confidence. He sounded pleased that it was her, and that he knew it was her. She felt her stomach twist into an uncomfortable knot and tried to control her breathing.
"Kenna, don't be shy. That's not like you." His voice was nearer now, and he was getting cockier. Everything in her wanted to face him, light his tent on fire, teach him a lesson for messing with her emotions. But Gommu had been kind to them, and was rather proud that fights didn't break out down there like they did on the surface, and she wasn't about to be the one to break the streak. She turned quickly and jogged back to the campsite, still fighting the tears that welled up in her eyes.
The shadows on the walls from the campfires told her she had been gone from camp for about an hour. Korra was asleep now, curled up peacefully on Naga. Sikenna hoped Mako had fallen asleep too, not wanting to deal with him after what she just saw and the current state of her heart. But, she had no such luck. As soon as she got close to the sleeping bags, Mako jumped to his feet. Kenna turned her face away to quickly wipe the tears on her cheeks.
"Kenna, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to- what's wrong?" Mako asked, noticing her tear stained cheeks.
"What happened?" Mako rushed to her and reached to grab her shoulders, but she took a step back from his grasp.
"Go to bed, Mako." She said, keeping her eyes on the floor to her side.
"What? No. Kenna... what happened?" He said, taking another step forward. She put her hand up in front of her to stop him.
"I just want to go to bed, Mako. Please." She closed her eyes tight to fight back another wave of tears.
"Did something happen? Did somebody hurt you?" Mako asked, his voice turning into the classic Mako protection timbre.
"I'm going to bed. You should too." She ignored him, walking past him to her sleeping bag. Mako stared at the back of her head as she did, watching her settle down into her sleeping bag. He took a few deep breaths to re-center himself before sitting next to her.
"You can talk to me." He assured her softly. His hand went to go move a piece of hair from her face like he had done back at city hall after Tarrlok attacked them, but stopped himself. Kenna sighed with her eyes closed.
"It's nothing. Go to sleep." She tried again.
"It's not nothing, Kenna. Talk to me."
"You have enough problems to deal with. You don't need mine." She said to him coldly, turning away from him. Mako sighed and waited a few moments before sliding into his sleeping bag himself. He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, wondering what could have happened during her walk. He felt his chest tighten when he thought of how she looked walking up to him, he never wanted to see her that upset again. Kenna was strong, so far, she was always the one that could get everyone to see how great they were, and was always the one to get them to think clearly. The overwhelming sense of protection and anger at himself for not being there for her when something happened clawed at his chest. He rolled on his side to face her back, thinking about what to say.
"You'll know what to say when you go to say it." Kenna's words from earlier echoed in his head. Taking a deep breath, Mako spoke.
"I'm sorry if I had anything to do with getting you so upset. You're right, I was a dick earlier, I shouldn't have done that."
There were a few moments of silence before Kenna rolled over to the opposite side, facing Mako. He sighed internally, relieved she had acknowledged him and could make eye contact with him again.
"That's not why I'm upset. But you are a dick for earlier, you shouldn't have done that, and you need to fix this. Because Mako- it's so hard to see someone you care about, caring about someone else the way you want them to care about you." Her blue eyes started to fill again, and she blinked them away. Mako furrowed his brows when she spoke, wondering where that could have come from.
"It's so hard. And it hurts so much. Please, don't make Asami watch it anymore." A single tear fell from the outside corner of her eye onto her arm. Mako reached forward and rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.
"I won't. I promise. I'll take care of it." He promised her, and he meant it. She nodded and sniffed, as if sucking back in all of her emotions.
"Tomorrow. You have to do it tomorrow. You have no idea how much this hurts." Her tears started back up again, and this time they flowed freely before she could stop it. And that's when Mako realized. She must have run into Nero, or saw him with someone else. He looked at Kenna crying and wondered if Asami had been like this, alone, with no one to comfort her. Mako gulped, but nodded, and scooted on his side closer to her.
"I will. Tomorrow." He assured her. Sikenna tried to smile through her tears as she nodded, but another sob escaped her before she could stop it.
"Come here." Mako said softly, pulling her towards him. They both scooched closer to each other in their sleeping bags, and Kenna found herself sobbing into Mako's shoulder as he hugged her, one arm rubbing her back softly.
Mako laid like that for a while, furious with whatever it was she saw. Eventually, her sobs lessened, and her breathing leveled out as she fell asleep from crying. Mako frowned and rested his chin on her head as he convinced himself not to go out and find Nero's camp. He didn't know what he would do when he found him, but he knew it wasn't good. He was tired of seeing Kenna get hurt over him, and angry that he was able to break Kenna, one of the most stubborn and strong people he had ever met, into a mess of tears until she fell asleep. Soon enough Kenna shifted in his arms and rolled onto her back, allowing Mako to unwrap himself from her. The last thing either of them needed was for Korra or Asami to see them cuddled together in the morning, even if it was just for comfort. He looked over at the now sleeping girl and smiled at how peaceful she looked, letting his eyes flutter shut.
•¥•
The next Morning.
A giggle of excitement escaped Sikenna's lips as Mako stepped out from the opening of the sewer tunnel, motioning for them to follow. They we're currently heading to the spot they had picked to wait for General Iroh to show up, and Sikenna had been a giddy mess about it all morning. It was an easy distraction from her current emotional well being, and she had decided focusing on seeing Prince Iroh was better than sulking about and messing up the plans they had made for literal war.
Mako would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed with Kenna's ability to switch off her emotions like that. It did concern him, though. He knew from experience that wasn't healthy, and didn't want Kenna to bottle things up like that. He frowned as he watched her wrestle the spy glass out of Bolin's hands playfully, as if she hadn't cried herself to sleep last night.
"Once the United Forces arrive," Korra spoke, causing Mako to break his gaze from Kenna
"We need to be ready to help in any way we can."
"Trust me, I plan to be. In any way, that I can." Sikenna said suggestively. Kona scrunched his nose up in disgust, looking just like his sister as he did.
"Gross, Kenna. I don't want to hear that." He said to her.
"Don't care." Sikenna said matter of factly.
"You're really all about this guy, huh?" Korra laughed out lightly. Sikenna shrugged and kept her eye out on the sea with the spy glass.
"You'll get it when you see him." She said with a grin.
"See anything yet?" Asami asked Kenna softly, who just shook her head. Then, a few moments later she gasped, seeing the bow of a ship appear through the fog.
"They're here!" Mako said, seeing the same thing.
"Hey! Bolin!" Sikenna pouted as Bolin took the spyglass back from her. In his haste to look through it he turned it backwards, looking through the wrong end.
"Whoops." He said, flipping the spy glass around the proper way.
"Wait a second... where are the Equalist airships?" Korra asked a moment later, looking around the skies. Sikenna pulled her eyes from the united nations fleet emerging from the fog to the sky, searching for a sign of an airship. But there were none.
"What?" She breathed, keeping her eyes upward. Mako snatched the spy glass from Bolin and looked to the shore of Republic City.
"I don't see any mecha tanks, either." He looked over at Korra, concern evident on his sharp features. Korra looked back at the fleet, just as confused. Sikenna could feel something was wrong. The air around them held the same energy as the day of the bombing. Her hand wandered for Kona's arm, her eyes back on the fleet of ships.
"Kona. Kona do you feel that?" She asked him. She had never heard her own voice sound so small before.
"Yeah." Kona nodded, taking in a shaky breath.
"Yeah, I feel it."
"Shit." Sikenna breathed out, terror rising within her.
BOOM.
"OH, SHIT!" Kona yelled, taking a step back in shock with everyone else. One of the ships rocked with the explosion, smoke started to rise from the point of impact. But they hadn't seen anything.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Sikenna gasped as ships started getting hit, still from something unseen.
"Are they coming from below?!" Sikenna asked her shocked group of friends.
"They have to be." Mako said quietly.
"Spirits, Hiroshi. Busy boy." Bolin said softly with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood in typical Bolin style.
BOOM. BOOM.
Sikenna winced as she saw a ship that had been previously hit get struck again, and started to sink.
"Korra!" Mako shouted. Kenna turned to look just in time to see Korra leaping off the platform into the water below. They ran to the railing to look for her.
"Oh look at me I'm the Avatar let's just GIVE MY FRIENDS A HEART ATTACK!" Kona shouted over the railing as Korra emerged over by the ships.
Just then, they heard a new sound. This sound was unlike anything they had ever heard. Their heads whipped around the sky wildly as they searched for the source of the deep, loud buzzing that pierced their ears.
"What now?!" Mako said as he searched the sky through the spy glass.
"There!" Kona pointed towards a group a sky scrapers of Republic City. Sikenna squinted as she looked where he was pointing.
"What is that?!" She asked, astonished by what she saw. Big, metal birds that buzzed loudly rounded the sky scrapers.
"Oh, No." Mako muttered. Asami stormed over to him and ripped the spyglass out of his hands to look through it herself. She gasped and took a step back, lowering the spy glass in shock. Kona appeared at her side and looked through it himself, but there was no need. An entire fleet of the metal birds flew around the sky scrapers and headed towards the bay.
"Where does Hiroshi find the time to keep inventing new evil machines?!" Bolin shouted angrily.
Asami shook her head as she watched her father's creation fly out towards the fleet of war ships sent to save them.
"He mentioned the idea to me, but he said it was for commercial use. To bring people back and forth from places quicker."
One of the birds flew over a ship and dropped something from it's undercarriage. The familiar whistle of a bomb shot shivers up Sikenna's spine before it collided into the ship.
She gasped loudly as it instantly started sinking, bringing her hand to cover her mouth in horror.
"And he didn't mention that!" Asami said, staring at the destroyed ship with wide eyes.
"Kona. Prince Iroh." Sikenna turned to look at her brother, and his eyes went wide.
"Shit." Part of their Royal Family, their Fire Lord's son, Lord Zuko's grandson, the Prince they had grown up adoring, knowing he would some day be their Fire Lord, was on those ships and he was being attacked. They might watch the heir to the throne of their home nation die today.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Bombs from the birds kept dropping onto their targeted ships. Fire cannons from the remaining ships sent fire flying through the air at the metal birds. Some got hit, spiraling into the sea of the bay, others dodged the flames in elaborate maneuvers. Men flew from the deck of the ships into the water on impact from a dropped bomb. Water, Earth, and Fire flew into the air towards the metal birds. Sikenna watched everything silently, too shocked and scared to do much of anything else but watch on with horror.
Korra launched into the air in an enormous water spout. She shot some water into the air and froze it, creating a sharp pillar of ice that caught a metal bird. It went spiraling towards the sea, catching a part of it's wing on Korra's water spout, breaking it. Korra fell from the air towards the sea and everyone gasped in unison. They searched the choppy waters where she fell for a moment to make sure she resurfaced, when a torpedo came flying through the water's surface into the air, colliding with a bird successfully. Sikenna cheered loudly, Kona released a breath as she did.
"We probably should have known she would have been okay falling into the water, huh?" Bolin said thoughtfully.
"Being the Avatar, and all. And from Southern Water Tribe." He finished, tapping his chin in thought.
Sikenna gasped loudly a moment later, pointing to the crows nest of General Iroh's ship.
"That's Prince Iroh! It has to be!"
"How can you tell that's general Iroh?" Bolin drawled sarcastically at Kenna. She looked towards him with her blue eyes sharp.
"He's my Prince, Bolin. I'll call him that until he tells me otherwise. And, because I know how he fights. Those combo's are his-" Sikenna had turned back to the crows next to prove her point right when she saw it. A torpedo flew right at the crows nest and it exploded.
"No!" Sikenna and Kona shouted together, gripping the railing. Terror ran through her once more. Did she just watch him die? Did it actually happen?
"Did you see if he fell?!" Sikenna shouted to Kona, who shook his head furiously.
"No. No I couldn't see anything!" Kona said as his breathing started to become heavy. His hand went to his head messing up his bun and he took several steps back, his eyes on the cement under his feet.
"No no no. This is bad. This is so bad. Kenna-" he looked to his sister for comfort but she was busy staring out into the water with her own panic. A small, dainty hand touched his arm softly and his blue eyes met with Asami's green ones.
"It's going to be okay." She said to him softly. Kona nodded and relaxed his shoulders. Yeah, it was going to be okay. Right? This is General Iroh they were talking about here. Fire Lord Zuko's grandson, he had to have taught Prince Iroh something to survive this… right?
Sikenna's sharp gasp from the railing caught his attention again and he pulled his eyes away from Asami's.
"Look! Just there!" Kona ran over next to her and practically slammed against the railing with his stomach, his eyes searching for what she was pointing at.
"It's Korra!" Kona said to them all with a smile. The others ran to the railing now to see.
"She's got Prince Iroh! Oh, thank the spirit's." She breathed, finally letting her shoulders relax. Korra shot her hand in front of her and Waterbended her and Iroh back to the platform with her waiting friends. They scrambled to get them up and out of the water, being especially careful with the already hurt Prince. Sikenna hugged Korra tightly as soon as she stood on the platform.
"Thank you. You have no idea what it would have done to the fire nation if we had lost him." She said into Korra's ear as she hugged her. Korra chuckled, but hugged her back.
•¥•
Back at Camp.
Sikenna sighed dreamily, leaning against Bolin's shoulder as she stared at Iroh sitting on a crate, his arm bare as Korra healed him.
"I was prepared to deal with Sato's mecha tanks, but not these new high-speed aircraft." Iroh said as he sat on the crate while Korra healed him. Gosh was he pretty.
"I know." Korra said, moving her glowing blue water over Iroh's shoulder. He winced as she did and Korra looked at him apologetically.
"Every time we think we have an advantage, Amon outsmarts us." She grumbled, her tone annoyed.
"No matter what our plan is, he always has a better one." Bolin said, just as annoyed as Korra.
"It's like he can read our mind." Kona added with a nod, his arms crossed over his broad chest.
"Amon is winning so far, but we're not out of the fight yet." Iroh said with determination. Sikenna found herself sighing again.
"I like this man's confidence!" Bolin said happily, reinvigorated by Iroh's words.
"Me, too." Sikenna said in an airy, barely audible voice. Mako caught it and raised an eyebrow at her.
"So, how are we not out of the fight?" Bolin asked. Iroh stood and grabbed his shoulder, looking at the group of teenagers with a fire in his eyes that Kona and Sikenna knew well.
"A second wave of reinforcements is on the way, but I need to warn them."
All three boys stood straighter at hearing this news as Iroh turned to Korra.
"Do you still have a way to get a message out?" His deep, husky voice sent shivers up Sikenna's spine. Wow. What a man. Korra smiled brightly at him.
"I know just the man for the job. Follow me." She said, turning to go find Gommu.
Sikenna found herself staring at Iroh's shoulders as he walked next to Korra, discussing plans as they headed towards Gommu. A sharp elbow pierced her side and she jumped, looking at the source. Asami smiled knowingly at her.
"Wipe that smile off your face, you look like a dork." She giggled out. Sikenna blushed and grabbed at the tips of her hair to keep her hands busy.
"I can't help it."
She grabbed Asami's arm suddenly and stopped her, just long enough so they fell to the back of the group.
"What did I tell you, though? Eh?" Sikenna said to Asami with a wide smile.
"Oh, you were absolutely right." Asami admitted. The two giggled like two girlfriends gossiping about boys without a war going on around them, and it was nice. Asami couldn't remember the last time she was able to do this, and Kenna was the perfect friend for it.
"Did you see that shoulder definition?" Sikenna dropped her jaw at Asami to show her amazement.
"The man just almost died, can you not?" Kona whispered back to them. Asami covered her mouth to hide a smirk while Kenna stuck her tongue out at her brother.
"Fun killer." She spat in a whisper.
"Weirdo." He whispered back harshly.
"Buzz kill."
"I am the buzz!" Kona said, offended. Asami laughed, catching Mako's attention, quickly killing her good mood. She looked away with a scowl and tucked a hair behind her ear sheepishly.
"Gommu!" Korra called to the man happily, trotting over to him.
"Ah! Avatar Korra!" Gommu said, bowing deeply to Korra as she stood before him.
"What can I do for you today?"
Korra looked uncomfortable with his bow and blushed.
"Uh, alright. We need to send a message. Can you help us?"
"A secured line, preferably." Iroh interjected.
"It's top secret information. Amon can't get his hands on it."
Gommu smiled and walked over to a tent, calling them to follow him in. He sat down at a table and cracked his fingers as the teen's surrounded him.
"And who is the recipient of this top secret message?" Gommu asked cheerfully.
"Commander Bumi." Iroh said, and Sikenna couldn't help the palm of her hand meeting her face. Not Bumi.
"Second division of the United Forces." He finished his address to Gommu.
"Tenzin's brother?" Korra asked, shocked.
"Yes, bit of a wild man, but the bravest commander you'll ever meet." Iroh answered her. Sikenna dropped her hand from her face to meet Mako's eyes. She mouthed out the words 'bit of a wild man' mockingly and leaned towards Mako to whisper to him. He leaned down so she could meet his ear with a grin, amused by her lack of height.
"Bumi is crazy. It's not a bad idea to call him, but he's so obnoxious sometimes." Mako chuckled and stood back to his full height as Kenna leaned back into a regular stance.
"Ready, sir." Gommu said obediently. His fingers moved across the keys of the telegraph quickly as Iroh spoke.
"Fleet ambushed and destroyed by Equalist aircraft. Retreat to Red Sand Island until my signal. Do not approach city until you receive the all clear." He dictated to the man. Gommu finished up and sent the telegraph. Iroh looked down at him warmly.
"Thank you. You wouldn't happen to have a map of Republic City lying around, would you?" Iroh asked hopefully. Gommu smiled wide again, just happy to be of some help, and reached for a rolled up piece of paper, handing it to Iroh.
"Of course I do. We got everything down here!" He laughed animatedly. He moved the telegraph off the table for Iroh to lay the map out on, and he spoke again, this time, to the group as they all gathered around him and the map.
"Now comes the hard part. We need to ground those aircrafts. Otherwise, Bumi's fleet would never be able to retake the city."
Sikenna's eyes scanned the map, searching for where on the map the skyscrapers would have been.
"They flew in from this direction. The airfield must be somewhere over this mountain range." Mako said with conviction, pointing to the map. Sikenna smiled up at him, ignoring the swirling feeling in her chest as she watched him take charge next to her Nation's Prince.
"Everyone get ready, we leave at dawn." Iroh said with a nod. He turned to Gommu to thank him again, and Gommu bowed happily.
Sikenna followed Mako and Iroh out of the tent.
"Wait." Korra said from behind them. Everyone stopped and turned, looking back at her in confusion.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not going with you tomorrow." She said to them. And the way she said it, you could tell it was final, that she had made the decision.
"What?!" Mako spat worriedly.
"Why not?!" Asami asked, shocked.
"I'm sick and tired of hiding from Amon. It's time I face him." Korra answered, her fist balled to her side.
"That's not a good plan. We need to stick together." Iroh tried to talk some sense into the Avatar, but Korra shook her head.
"I'm not waiting for him to hunt me down. My guts tell me it's time to end this, on my terms."
"Korra, this is not a mission you should be handling alone." Iroh argued, and he was right. Sikenna felt a lump in her throat, knowing what was coming next.
"She won't be." Mako said, walking to stand next to Korra. Asami watched him walk to her in surprise and worry.
"I'm going with you." He said to Korra. And there it was. Exactly what Sikenna knew was coming.
"You don't have to do that." Korra said, looking at him with concern.
"Yes. I do." He said back to her, and his meaning was clear. He had to go with her, or he wouldn't be able to focus on anything else. Sikenna's mouth started moving before she realized what she was doing.
"I'm going with you, too." She said, taking a step towards them. Kona reached forward and grabbed her wrist to stop her, but she slipped out of it and stood on Korra's other side.
"Kenna-" Korra began to argue with her, but Sikenna glared at her sharply. Korra closed her mouth and nodded, realizing it wasn't worth the fight.
"Hmm…" Iroh began, his hand on his chin in thought.
"My grandfather would respect the Avatar's instinct." He dropped his hand and looked at Korra with confidence.
"So will I."
Korra nodded to him in thanks, and they all walked back to their camp.
Sikenna pulled Mako to the side once they reached the camp.
"Did you do it yet?" She asked him in a whisper, referring to breaking up with Asami.
"No, not yet. When have I had the time to?" Mako sighed at Kenna's narrowed eyes.
"I'll try to get her alone after dinner tonight and do it then. Okay?"
"After the display back there, you better." Kenna said to him, poking him hard in the chest. Mako rolled his eyes and swatted her hand away, turning to walk back to the group. Kenna walked next to him quietly.
"Are you alright?" He asked her. Kenna almost jumped at the question.
"What? Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" She asked him with furrowed brows. Mako raised his own at hers.
"Uh, so, we're not talking about you crying yourself to sleep last night?" He asked her.
"What are you even talking about?" Kenna asked him, trying to look genuinely confused.
"Okay, hot shot. Drop the act." He said to her with a smirk as he rolled his eyes.. Kenna rolled her eyes back at him and crossed her arms in front of her.
"I don't want to talk about it."
"You sure?" He asked her.
"Sure as sure can get." She said with a sigh, wishing he hadn't even asked her. The thoughts from last night started intruding her mind again and she locked her jaw.
"Okay. Well. I'm here, if you need me." He said to her.
"Kin! Let's go spar!" Bolin waved to her from across the fire. Kenna smiled brightly at him. Even though they hadn't talked much all day, he could tell she was tense, and knew sparring was the perfect way to burn off some of her steam. He really was the perfect best friend.
"Be right there!" She called over to him.
"Tell you what, Koko." Kenna grinned as she moved her shoulder to dodge his hand. Her grin turned into a smirk and she looked at him teasingly, a single sharp brow raised at him as she walked backwards towards Bolin.
"You break up with Asami, and maybe I'll tell you."
Mako smiled as he watched her, thoroughly enjoying her sassiness.
"Maybe?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Maybe." She repeated with a wink. She smirked at him again and turned around, running off to meet with Bolin to spar. Mako bit his lip as he watched her, resisting the strange, sudden urge he got to chase after her.
•¥•
That night.
"Hey, Kenna. Can we talk?" Kona said to his sister seriously, interrupting her laughter from a particularly funny joke Iroh had made.
"Get it, Kona? LEAF me alone!" She repeated the punchline back to him between laughs, not wanting to talk to Kona about the one thing he had been bothering her with all night.
"Kin." He said, his face serious and stern. Kenna stopped her laughter and rolled her eyes at him.
"Fine." She said, standing quickly from her crate around the fire and stalking off. Kona followed her, annoyed by her attitude.
"Look I'm just trying to look out for you." He said to her back as she walked. Once she was a few feet away from the group she turned with her arms crossed over her chest, her face turned into a scowl.
"Go ahead and repeat your speech again so I can give you the same answer."
"Why are you acting like this?! Because I'm worried about you?!" He said to her, throwing his arms out to his sides.
"I'm going to be with the Avatar, Kona! What's the worst that could happen?" She asked him, already exhausted by the conversation.
"Yes! An Avatar that hasn't gone into the Avatar state yet, Kenna! One that has a more important job to do than to protect you! At least if you're with us, Bolin and I can do it!"
"We used to split up for things all the time back home. Why is it a big deal now?!" She asked him with big, questioning eyes.
"Because this isn't getting things back from the neighbor's house! This is war! This is Amon!" He argued with her. Kona licked his lips and switched his standing position, pointing a finger at her.
"And I know you, Kin. I know that you'll throw yourself in front of Korra or Mako if it means saving them. It's that kind of selfishness that makes me worry!"
Sikenna scrunched her brows together, properly angry now.
"Selfish?! What about that is selfish?!" She seethed.
"Because of me Sikenna!" He said desperately to her.
"What about you?!" She asked him angrily. Kona brought his hands to his hair and grunted, frustrated.
"What the fuck would I do without you, Kenna?! How do I live in a world without you in it if something happens?!" He choked out to her, his voice hoarse from the strain of holding back proof of his voice cracking with emotion. Kenna's face relaxed and she stared at him, shocked.
"If I'm not there to stop it? To stop you? I haven't spent an iota of my life without you being the one absolute constant. Spirits, even before life! Before I took my first breath you were still there, next to me, growing inside mom. If I lose you, I don't know what I'll do."
Sikenna blinked at her brother. Out of all the arguments today they had over this topic, that was the first time he ever told her why he was so upset about her decision. Before now, she always took it as him being over dramatic. They had been apart tons of times, even during this war! She thought he was being ridiculous. But this was it. This was end game, Korra was looking to end this, and he was right. There was no doubt in her mind that she would throw herself in front of Korra and Mako, or any of them, if it meant protecting them. She understood now why such a selfless act could feel selfish to him, because she would feel the same way. She would be proud of her brother for protecting those he loved, but in the back of her mind she would, in a way, resent him for it. For taking him away from her, knowing how much she needed him. The thought didn't even cross her mind that he needed her just as much.
She looked at his matching blue eyes, watery with emotion. Kona barely cried, at least not in front of people, since their mom died. She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. He hugged her just as tightly the moment she made contact and he let out of small, almost unnoticeable sob into her hair.
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was volunteering until I was already talking. It just feels like the right thing to do." She pulled away from him, keeping her hands planted firmly on his shoulders. She sniffed some tears back and looked at him, making sure he was making eye contact.
"And you going with them is the right thing to do, too. The more people they have at the airfield to sabotage the air craft, the quicker you all can get back and help us beat Amon. Right?" Sikenna said with another sniff. Kona nodded and took in a deep breath to try and calm himself down.
"I'll be okay. We will be okay. And we both won't sacrifice ourselves, because we have each other to still take care of. I'll be careful. Deal?" Sikenna stuck her hand out to shake on it, but Kona waved it away and hugged her again. Sikenna laughed lightly, but hugged him back when he squeezed tighter.
•¥•
The next morning.
Big, almond shaped eyes glared into the back of Mako's head as he slid on his stolen equalist outfit the next morning. He sighed and looked over his shoulder at the owner of the glaring eyes.
"Stop looking at me like that." he said, turning back around to fasten the front of the outfit closed.
"You promised you would do it yesterday." Sikenna stated coldly.
"Yes. I did, after dinner." Mako turned towards her now that he was fully dressed.
"And every time I tried to talk to her after dinner, someone needed something, or Asami was avoiding me." He explained as he reached for his shoes.
"Oh, someone needed something, huh?" Kenna raised a brow at him knowingly. He looked at her like she was out of her mind.
"It wasn't just Korra! Kona kept me busy for well over an hour sparring, giving me brotherly talks about protecting you too and not just Korra. And! And- Korra and I did need to go up to the surface, because we needed to get an outfit for you." He said confidently, as if that answered everything and he had won the battle.
"I could have gone up with Korra." She argued. She wasn't surprised that's what Kona spent his time sparring with Mako doing, and decided to ignore that little tidbit. Mako's shoulders slumped in defeat and he pouted. Kenna smirked victoriously at him and shook her hair behind her shoulder. Mako gulped and focused on keeping his eyes on her face instead of the tight equalist suit.
"I'll get to it. I promi-" He began, but Kenna put a hand up to stop him.
"Don't say it. Just do it. What if something happens? You need to clear this up. Asami deserves closure and to know where she stands with you." She turned away from him then, with a shake of her head. Mako's face fell as he watched her walk away, knowing she was right, once again.
Sikenna walked up to Korra and offered her a nervous smile.
"How're you feeling, Avatar?" She asked with a laugh. Korra smiled at her, appreciating that Kenna always tried to keep it light hearted until she absolutely needed to get serious.
"I'm good. Nervous, but good. I'm ready to end this." Korra said confidently, taking a deep breath and straightening her back with a nod.
"That's my girl." Kenna laughed, putting her hand on Korra's shoulder.
"Let's end this, then. Two strong, determined women on their way to- oh there he is." Kenna smiled sarcastically at Mako as he approached the two girls. He rolled his eyes, but ignored her as Korra laughed.
"Let's go say goodbye before we split." Mako said, nodding his head over his shoulder. Kenna took a deep breath and nodded quickly following the two over. Bolin met Mako in a hug while Korra went to go wish Asami and Iroh good luck.
"Don't be an idiot." Kona said to Kenna when she was finished.
"And no super selfless acts unless absolutely unavoidable." Kenna nodded, throwing her pinky finger towards him. Kona wrapped his pinky around hers and smiled at her, pulling her into a tight hug.
"Love you, Kin. Be smart, be safe, make good choices." Kenna smiled into the hug and answered him before pulling away.
"Love you too, Kona. You try to do those things too. Just come back."
She looked at him with watery eyes and smiled before turning to say goodbye to everyone else, hoping it wasn't the last time she saw him.
Bolin picked her up into a big bear hug and Kenna squealed, laughing as he spun her around. He put her feet on the ground, but didn't let her go, and planted a kiss on the side of her head with a loud 'Mwah!'
"Please be super duper safe and watch out for Korra and Mako but definitely take care of yourself too, okay? Because we have victory noodles to eat and I'll be so mad if I have to have sad noodles before I convince you breakfast noodles are a thing." He said in one breath. Kenna turned her face up at him, her eyes narrowed, face serious.
"Breakfast noodles will never be a thing."
"They already are." He whispered to her. Sikenna laughed loudly and Bolin smiled wide, happy to hear some laughter in the tense morning. He pulled her head onto his chest and squeezed her again.
"Make sure Lotus is safe for me." She mumbled into his shirt.
"I will. I'll see you when we get home, Kin."
"I'll see you when we get home, Bo."
He let her go and went back to his group with a sad smile on his face.
Sikenna had pulled Asami into a hug after the tall woman said good luck to Korra, and told her to kick some equalist ass for her. Asami had laughed and promised her she would, even joking that she would use 'this is for Kenna.' for a tagline for one of them. She had bowed low to Prince Iroh in a traditional fire nation bow, who told her to cut the crap with a chuckle, and they wished each other luck with a nod. Sikenna had made her way back to Korra, about to ask her if she was ready when she head Mako's voice call out to Asami.
"I'm sorry things got so messed up between us, but whatever happens today, I want you to know how much I care about you."
Sikenna smiled to herself and turned to Korra, asking her if she was ready. She didn't need to hear Asami's response, this was a private moment. She just wanted to make sure Mako took care of his business before they headed out to end the war.
•¥•
Turns out, sneaking onto air temple island was a lot easier than you would think, as long as you had a few stolen equalist outfits and a girl who's explored the island to its absolute fullest. At first, the island sounded empty, and Sikenna was sure that Amon knew they were coming and they were walking into an ambush. Then they saw him. Amon, boarding an airship, a couple of cronies following behind them.
"There's Amon." Korra pointed out.
"We need to get into the temple. Then, when he returns…" Mako started, and Kenna finished the sentence for him.
"We ambush him."
The three nodded to each other as Amon's airship pulled away from the island and snuck onto the main strip leading up to the entrance of the temple.
"What are you three doing here?" A voice from behind them asked. The trio stopped in their tracks and turned on their heel to look at that man, only to see Amon's right hand man- mustache guy.
"Uh, we were just transferred." Mako answered the man quickly.
"Well, you're getting transferred again. Amon wants extra security at the arena today."
"The arena? For what?" Mako asked him, confused. Kenna could have slapped him when he asked the question. They we're supposed to be equalist, they were supposed to know.
"The rally. You should've been briefed about this." The Lieutenant said with a tilt of his head. Kenna could feel her arms warming as she prepared to fight him, sure he was onto them because of Mako's slip up. Korra bowed to the man, bringing his attention to her.
"We'll be there, sir."
The lieutenant nodded at them and walked away towards the dock. Korra leaned over to the two and muttered to them quickly.
"I know another way in. Come on." She said, pulling them behind some bushes. Kenna's hand found the back of Mako's head as they crouched behind a bush, waiting for Korra to find the way inside she was talking about. Mako flinched and looked over at her, his brows furrowed.
"What was that for?!" He asked her as he rubbed the spot on his head.
"The arEna? For whAt?" She mocked him in a dopey tone.
"Are you kidding me right now?! At least pretend to be an equalist so we don't get killed!"
"Guys. Come on." Korra interrupted their fight and lifted a wooden panel off the wall and climbing in. Mako and Kenna followed behind her as quietly as they could, careful not to bring any attention to them.
When they entered the room the tunnel connected too, they looked around for any sign of life around them, but the temple was quiet as a mouserat. You couldn't hear a footstep or any voices anywhere.
"Let's hide in the attic." Mako cut through the silence, pointing up to a hatch in the ceiling above him. Kenna stood at the bottom of the ladder that would bring them to the attic to keep watch as the other two climbed up, then followed behind them. She had just slid her butt onto the floor from the hatch when Mako spoke, making her freeze.
"Uh, we're not alone up here."
Sikenna jumped to her feet, ready to fight, when she saw the person he was talking about behind bars.
"Is that…" Kenna asked out loud, narrowing her eyes at the man. Korra took a step towards the cell.
"... Tarrlok?" She said to the man, shocked to see him here. The three of them took off their masks now that they were safe and looked at the man in the cell. His hair, usually put together in classic Water Tribe pony tails, was falling over his face in a greasy mess. It was the exact opposite of the pompous figure they had known before.
"I don't suppose you're here to rescue me." He stated more than asked, already knowing the answer. Kenna couldn't help but laugh at the idea of doing such a thing. Mako glared at her scoldingly, still mad about the slap from earlier.
"We had no idea you were here. Are there other prisoners on the island?" Korra asked him, looking around the attic as if she were looking for more cells.
"No, I'm the only one." He sad emotionlessly. Kenna scoffed and shifted her weight onto one hip.
"Lucky us." She said sarcastically. Mako turned to her to scold her again but he stopped when he saw her smirk. Something told him to just let her be.
"And what makes you so special?" Korra asked him, clearly suspicious.
"I'm Amon's brother." The three of them gasped, eyes going wide, and he continued.
"Amon is from the Northern Water Tribe. He's a waterbender and a bloodbender, just like I was." He explained to them through their shock, looking up at them as he finished.
"What?!" Korra asked, surprised by the mass of information thrown at her in 4 short sentences.
Sikenna locked her jaw and rolled her tongue over her teeth, trying to keep her temper down and mouth shut. This was the first time she had seen him since he kidnapped Korra and blood bent them until they passed out, and she was angry. Angrier than she had expected, honestly, so she stayed where she was behind them and tried to focus on her breathing.
Don't be an idiot.
Kona's voice played over and over in her head as she calmed herself down. It took a few moments, but she was able to focus back on the conversation before she missed too much.
"How did your brother end up becoming Amon?" Korra asked Tarrlok softly.
"It all began with my father…" Tarrlok began, and Kenna sighed dramatically, deciding to sit instead of stand. This was going to be a long story, she could tell by the way he started it.
And it was. Tarrlok told them all about Amon, or rather, Noatak. He told them about their father, and how abusive he was to them, forcing them to learn Bloodbending without a full moon on animals, and eventually, each other. To be truthful, it was a heart wrenching story, and Kenna did feel for the man and understood why he was the way he was- but she remembered the feeling of being blood bent, and shivered. She remembered the feeling of dread, the tension in the air, and the look on Mako's face when he kidnapped Korra, and she didn't care that he apologized to Korra. She wasn't able to forgive that easy, and had Korra not been around, Kenna probably would have done something stupid.
"How in the world do we beat him?" Korra asked, sounding terrified.
"We can't. Any attack we throw at him, he'll redirect with his mind. That's how he's been able to challenge any bender."
"Nice outlook Mako. Great way to boost the group morale." Kenna scoffed at him from her spot on the floor. Mako looked down at her with a scowl, sick of her attitude, but Korra stopped her pacing and spoke to them before he could say anything to her about it.
"So much for our ambush. If we stay here, we're toast. But there's another way to beat him."
Sikenna raised an eyebrow at her questioningly, as did Mako.
"How?" He asked, not convinced. Korra seemed to be getting excited as her idea formed.
"This whole time, Amon has been one step ahead of us. But finally we have the advantage. We know the truth about him. If we expose him as a bender in front of all his supporters…"
Mako's smile crept onto his handsome face as her idea dawned on him. Sikenna caught on too and jumped to her feet with a smile, her good mood suddenly back.
"...At the rally…" Mako said, his smile only growing. Korra pointed to him and nodded enthusiastically.
"...We could take away his true power!" Kenna added, excited at the idea. Korra pointed another finger at Kenna and nodded like she had done to Mako just moments before.
"And undermine this whole revolution!" Mako practically shouted. This was the most excited Kenna had ever heard him and it made her smile widen, finding his energy contagious. Korra turned over her shoulder to Tarrlok with a smile.
"Thank you, for your help."
Kenna rolled her eyes and started climbing down the ladder. Mako went to go next when Korra caught his attention.
"We can't just leave him here." She said sadly. Kenna scoffed in disbelief.
"We absolutely can." She said to her friend, raising both eyebrows at her.
"Go." Tarrlok said. The trio looked back over at him, surprised by his selflessness.
"Amon can't know anyone spoke with me." He stepped forward and grabbed the cell bars, his greasy hair still draping over his face.
"Defeat him. Put an end to this sad story."
Sikenna rolled her eyes at his dramatics and climbed down the ladder, waiting for the other two to come down.
"So… to the rally, then?" She asked them, pointing a thumb over her shoulder.
"To the rally." Korra nodded, a determined glint in her eye once again as she slid her mask over her head. The other two pulled theirs on as well and took a deep breath, following Korra outside.