Disclaimer: I do not own the Avatar world, that is all owned by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.
—
Chapter 16
Beifong
"Benji…"
"Benji!" The leader of the Resistance tearfully repeated, taking a shaky step forward while Yulan whispered a faintdisbelieving 'no'' in the background. His vibrant green eyes bore into Wikilow's. The Avatar however, kept a vacant expression on his face. Only tilting his head slightly.
"Are you referring to me, Mr. Beifong?" He dully asked.
"Benji…" Bara Beifong said once more, eyes beginning to blur. "I…I thought…I thought you." He tried to say but a stutter overtook his voice.
"Huh? Wikilow, you know each other?" Elsi asked, looking between the two of them.
"And what's with the 'Benji' thing?" Arlo pointed out.
"I do not know." Wikilow blankly responded. "You are mistaken, Mr. Beifong. My name is Wikilow." He impassively corrected. The gleam in Bara's misty eyes visibly diminished at his words. But, it soon rebounded with a stubborn force driving behind it.
"Do you remember me? Uncle Bara, ring any bells?" The Resistance leader practically pleaded, gesturing to himself, as if attempting to trigger some sort of memory in Wikilow. The young man in turn simply gave him an empty stare.
"Apologies, Mr. Beifong. I do not recognize you. You are likely mistaking me for a different person." The Avatar cooly said back, oblivious to the extent of Bara's distress.
"No…no no no no no." Bara rapidly muttered. "I know it's you, Benji." The Resistance leader confidently stated, persistent and unyielding in his claim. Bara quickly approached Wikilow, who tensed and got into a fighting position. Around the cave, other rebels prepared to attack him. Sounds of protests immediately erupted from Elsi and Arlo. Gale leaped off Elsi's shoulder and into the air above.
"My name is Wikilow-" The young man tried to repeat.
"Cousin…Benji?" Yulan quietly questioned with wide bulging eyes, a few steps away from the group. Her posture was slack as she stared at him.
"Stand down!" Bara ordered to the rebels. "They're not our enemies!" The older man bellowed. To which they readily lowered their stances and weapons. Though Wikilow would've contested that. Despite the current complications. He still desired to turn the disruptive and illegal organization in.
Wikilow was the only one who didn't visibly lower their guard.
All eyes were on him, suspicious and on edge.
"Wait! So how do you know each other?" Arlo loudly questioned, exasperated.
"I do not-" Wikilow began before Bara answered.
"Benji's my nephew. We're family." He firmly stated, a hard look on Wikilow.
"Incorrect, Mr. Beifong. I do not have any known blood relations." The Avatar corrected with the same emotionless gaze. Bara's facial features crumpled at his statement.
"Wikilow…" Elsi softly said to him, moving to stand between the two men. After a lengthy pause, he finally eased his stance but remained alert. "Mr. Beifong. You have to understand that this is really hard to believe." She gently explained, a sympathetic expression on her face.
Bara deflated at that, before his face suddenly lit up. An idea appearing in his mind.
"I can prove it." The Resistance leader stated, taking a few steps back. "Follow me." He called out, motioning with his hand as he began walking off to a different part of the cave system. Yulan eagerly followed while Arlo took a few steps forward but unsurely looked back at his two companions. Wikilow calmly scanned the cave, noting the keen focus on them from the other rebels.
"We should avoid causing any more disruptions or unneeded attention at the moment. Our current position is already unfavourable due to my appearance." He droned while walking forward past Arlo. The trio and Gale who had comfortably settled onto Elsi's shoulder once more, soon caught up with the Beifong's in what was presumably Bara's humble quarters. The man in question was shakily sorting through a small box.
"Yes, here it is!" Bara quietly cheered, turning to face the group.
The older man moved to stand beside Wikilow. Shoving a small framed photo in the young man's expressionless face. However, Wikilow's eyes slightly widened in reaction at the photo.
It depicted two people, quite clearly related. One was an unfamiliar older woman who greatly resembled Bara. The other was a young boy, possibly her child. The woman had a warm, motherly smile on her face as she held the boy who appeared to be waving to someone.
Wikilow recognized the boy in the photo. He had often seen that same boy when he was younger. Had seen that boy in pictures and files accompanied by long blocks of information.
It was him.
His mind tried to justify the photo. The resemblance was definitely uncanny. But, it was possible that it was simply a coincidence. That he and the boy just closely resembled each other. He remembered the time when he had appeared that young. Wikilow had been in the Dai Li. However, a part of him didn't want to deny it. A part of him knew that it was real, that it truly was him.
Even if it looked so wrong. So out of place. So unlike him. The boy in the photo was… happy. His green eyes were energetic, bright, and full of life. A joyful smile was plastered on his face. An expression Wikilow had never had on his own face. It looked so unlike him, unlike Wikilow.
Out of the corner of his eye Bara pointed to the boy. Specifically, the spot above the boy's right eye, where a small scar was visible.
"You still have the scar." Bara quietly observed, reaching his hand out to trace the line. Wikilow backed away from the contact. Though he raised his own hand to feel the mark. The Dai Li had told him that the scar had been a training accident, from an earlier memory he no longer recalled. Wikilow believed them without question, like he always had.
"So, are you really related?" Elsi asked, interrupting the silence that ensued. The Avatar turned to face her and Arlo, whose eyes were curious yet concerned for him. He slowly nodded, face neutral.
"You're actually a Beifong?" Arlo breathed out, shocked.
"It appears so…" Wikilow replied, keeping his composure intact despite the unprecedented revelation.
"Your name is Benji Beifong. My sister, Mina Beifong's son. And my nephew." Bara happily answered, a tear in his eye while putting his hand on Wikilow's shoulder. " I thought you were dead!" The older man cried as he pulled him into a hug. Wikilow did not react at the action, nor did he return the sentiment at first. When Bara released him he shook the Avatar a little. "We should celebrate. We'll talk during lunch!" He said before gleefully rushing off.
Wikilow was left with an oddly uncomfortable feeling. He was confused, which he rarely was. Benji… Beifong he had been called.
The name felt so very wrong.
—
After a few hours, they were all seated in the largest innermost cave in the mountain. Most of the rebels were grouped together as they indulged themselves in various foods and dishes.
Wikilow was silent as he warily ate. Food was food after all. It would be inefficient to turn down free nutrients. Elsi and Arlo were beside him while Bara and Yulan sat across a small wooden table. It was incredibly loud around them, a wandering pair of eyes often lingering on the group. Arlo and Elsi partook in occasional small talk with the two Beifong. Gale was happily snacking further down next to Elsi. But, most of the attention was unfortunately on Wikilow.
"Do you remember when… That time…" They tried to ask. Some memory apparently, of a time he couldn't remember. That became clear quickly, to their apparent disappointment. After going over all of the new information he had learned, he asked a question of his own.
"What is my… mother's… current status?" The Avatar asked, silencing the entire table. Yulan got a devastated look on her face, not meeting anyone's eyes. Bara was similar, before taking a deep breath.
"Dead." He barely whispered, so quiet it was a wonder anyone heard. After a long pause, he decided to elaborate, feeling as if he owed it to Wikilow to explain. "You, Mina and Jun, your father, went on a small vacation closer to the ocean. No one but the family knew… they were supposed to be safe. And then those- those sickos raided the area… and killed them both." Bara continued, tearing up.
"The Dai Li…the stupid Dai Li told us that you all died. They only ever returned Mina and Jun's bodies. But they said that your corpse was so gruesome, that they already disposed of it!" The older man practically yelled, eyes squeezed shut while he put his shaking hand on his forehead. "We were suspicious. We knew something was up but we couldn't do anything… they kept a close eye on us for months. And then…" Bara went, looking up to stare at Wikilow's uniform. As if he had finally realized he was wearing it.
"It was obviously too late."
Wikilow blinked as he took the information in. There was a faint ripple of feeling within him, but he couldn't place it. Like it was buried under a mountain. Elsi and Arlo looked sympathetic, but he figured it would be most appropriate for him to speak.
"I apologize." He said, arms at his side.
"Don't apologize. It wasn't your fault, it was those… those… monsters… and the Dai Li." Bara said back, spitting the organization's name out like poison. "Actually…" The Resistance leader went, calming himself down. "Do you know, have any idea on why they recruited you? The Dai Li have that huge training system after all. They don't recruit just any random kid. Even if you are a Beifong, they would've blackmailed us into submission long ago." He prodded.
"Blackmail?" Arlo interrupted, tilting his head.
"They know we're involved somehow… but the Beifong family is still majorly influential and provide various services and goods to the Earth States. They can't just wipe us out in the middle of the night." Yulan explained in a dark tone. "They could've revealed that you were in their custody and threatened to kill you if we acted out of line." She finished, fists clenched.
"Because they wanted Benji Beifong dead on all accounts. It would've been beneficial, but they wanted a clean slate to work with." Wikilow thought to himself. "It might be problematic to tell them of my status as the Avatar. However, it might be able to deter them from continuing their resistance efforts." He realized, as despite their lack of effort, there were little rumours of Wikilow.
"The reason the Dai Li recruited me as a child is because… I am the Avatar." Wikilow stated, dropping the bomb. Elsi and Arlo stared at him, dumbfounded he had revealed it. Gale looked up, around, then returned to eating. Seconds passed before Yulan and Bara explosively reacted.
"YOU'RE THE AVATAR?!" Both shouted, the entire cave simultaneously quietening down. All focus was on them.
"Correct." Wikilow simply responded, making a small flame and twister in his hands to prove his point. But, before he could suggest dissolving the resistance… Bara promptly fainted, falling to the hard cave ground.
Perhaps his suggestion would have to wait.
—
Wikilow sat against the wall of one of the caves. Having escaped the eccentric clutches of the rebels after revealing he was the Avatar. Bara was taken to his room to rest. The Resistance leader would be fine with some rest. He had not foreseen the physical consequences that would result from his actions. Unfortunately his plan would have to wait until Bara had woken up.
The Avatar was thinking over the day, specifically the events that unfolded after Bara fainted. However, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed throughout the cave and he paused. Prepared to face more rebels and move to a different location. But, it turned out he didn't need to.
"Elsi." Wikilow politely greeted as she joined him on the ground.
"Hey." She said back with a small friendly smile. "Sorry, we got separated in the crowd. Took me a while to find you." Elsi gently stated. Gale was gone, most likely hanging out in one of the cave's higher nooks and crannies.
"Do you know where Arlo is currently located?" Wikilow dryly questioned.
"Sorry, but I don't. We lost track of each other." The air bender explained with a shake of her head.
"Understood." The Avatar curtly replied, facing the opposite wall.
"Are you okay?" Elsi asked, concerned.
"I am in a physically acceptable condition." He answered in monotone, making Elsi sigh.
"Mentally?" She prodded. Wikilow blinked, not responding at first.
"…I have many things to think about. I feel, conflicted." He stated.
"That's understandable. Suddenly learning you had an entire family and all." Elsi replied.
"It is, more complicated than that. Many more factors have arisen that I have yet to analyze." Wikilow clarified, lowering his head ever so slightly.
"Huh?" Elsi went, tilting her head. After another pause, Wikilow explained.
—
*Flashback* About an hour after Bara fainted…
After checking up on her father, Yulan hunted down Wikilow. The young man had been hiding from rebels, but she dragged him away to show him more of the base. The Beifong girl reattempted to bring up old memories. But was visibly disheartened to hear Wikilow's lack of feeling or response. Eventually, she led him to one of the storage areas, where multiple people were working about. She led him to an older man who was counting things with a clipboard.
"Cousin Bo!" Yulan cheerfully greeted, Wikilow by her side.
"Hey, Yulan." The older man said back with a smile. His eyes landed on Wikilow and momentarily froze, body stiffening before easing. "Are you…?" He slowly asked, eyes flashing to Yulan.
"Yup! It's Benji alright!" She enthusiastically informed. Wikilow tried to correct the girl before Bo interrupted.
"So it really is you huh? Do you remember me? The incredible beyond fantastic Cousin Bo?" The older man rushed out with a fast energetic pace. Wikilow tilted his head before denying any recollection. Cousin Bo's smile faltered. "Ah, well… I'm sure you'll remember us soon enough, Benji." He forced out. "Are what the other guys saying true? That you're really the Avatar?" Cousin Bo continued, regaining his energetic persona.
"It is correct." Wikilow affirmed impassively.
"Avatar Benji…" Cousin Bo snickered, proceeding to grab Wikilow's hand for a handshake without warning. "I look forward-" He tried to say before Wikilow on instinct jerked out of the hold and backed up.
The room went completely silent.
A hurt and uneasy look flickered through the Beifong's eyes before Cousin Bo coughed. "I… uh, sorry about that, Benji." He muttered apologetically, trying to lower the rising tension. Before Wikilow could respond Yulan cut in.
"Yeah, you need time to shake the Dai Li's influence off. We understand, Benji." She confidently stated.
"I do not-" The Avatar tried to say before Yulan continued.
"Anyways, I got tons more stuff to show you! Come on!" Yulan informed, motioning to one of the tunnels. Wikilow blinked, not doing anything for a few seconds. Before curtly nodding and following her.
Cousin Bo watched the two leave with a nervous expression, specifically Wikilow. However, the older man quickly shook himself out of it, a smile plastering his face once more.
Wikilow followed Yulan through the various caves in silence. Their shadows disappearing and bouncing off the walls. Yulan hummed a small joyful tune as they ventured forward. Merging with their footsteps, a cacophony surrounding them.
"You are uneasy around me. You and Bo." Wikilow dryly noted, shattering the silence. Yulan froze, turning around slightly, shadow quivering behind her.
"What, no-" She hastily tried to deny.
"I've been trained to recognize certain behavioural patterns. You're uneasy around me." Wikilow firmly reiterated. Yulan made a noise of protest that died in her throat. Loudly sighing, she visibly deflated. As if physically hurt by the comment.
"…Fine, yeah you got me. Sorry Benji, it's just… you're so, different now. But I know I'm just being impatient and stuff. Like I said, you'll shake it off with time." Yulan abashedly explained.
"I see." Wikilow blandly retorted. "I'm in no way like Benji-" He tried to explain before Yulan cut him off again.
"Besides cousin, there's definitely some things that haven't changed with you. Like… like… peaches!" She excitedly exclaimed. putting her hands together.
"Peaches" Wikilow repeated, tilting his head.
"Yeah, we loved them as a kid. I don't remember a day when we weren't eating them!" Yulan went, scurrying up ahead. Wikilow after a short pause followed her intrigued. They entered a busy area of the cave that served as the kitchen. More rebels hurried about, casting him curious yet cautious glances. Yulan stalked up to one of the crates and pulled out two ripe peaches. Licking her lips she returned to Wikilow and handed him one.
"Whatcha waiting for, Benji? Dig in!" Yulan told him expectantly, taking a huge bite out of her own. Wikilow blinked, before expeditiously consuming the fruit. Throwing the pit away, he looked back and observed Yulan staring at him, her own half eaten peach still in hand. "That was… quick…" She awkwardly noted.
"It's most efficient." Wikilow stoically replied.
"Well, what about taste?" Yulan hurriedly pressed. Before answering, Wikilow recalled his conversation about food with Elsi at the festival. Thinking it over, he decided to skip to the inevitable point the conversation would reach.
"Taste is irrelevant to me." The Avatar swiftly informed. Yulan's eyes widened, an odd look fluttering behind them.
"But… but surely you must still prefer some things over others! Benji you love peaches!" Yulan fervently insisted, taking a desperate step closer to him.
"My priority is based off whatever can provide the most useful nutritional value. I have no feelings in regards to peaches or taste." Wikilow coldly remarked, expression unchanging. Yulan's face twisted as she stepped back, taking the information in.
"But… Benji loves peaches…" She despairingly whispered, raising her head high though her form shook. Suddenly she spun away to not face him. "I… I got to go… See-see you later Benji…" Yulan uttered.
And she was gone before Wikilow could respond.
*Flashback End*
—
"I believe I upset her." Wikilow quietly confided.
"…Yeah, it definitely sounds like you did, Wikilow." Elsi agreed after a short pause.
"The Beifong family insists on calling me Benji as well. I have yet to correct them." The Avatar further explained, looking straight ahead, studying the lines of scattered crates and rocks.
"Aren't they your family? I mean, you're a Beifong and all." Elsi asked.
"I suppose." He dryly responded.
"…They haven't seen you since you were a little kid. I guess they just can't see you've changed. They've missed you after so long." She gently explained, hands in her lap.
"They miss Benji Beifong… not Wikilow." The Avatar quickly shot back. Stunning Elsi, the silence weighed down on them before she responded.
"Wikilow…" Elsi began before he uncharacteristically interrupted.
"I would rather not upset them for the time being…" He went, his voice for once having a hint of… something. His face for a brief moment lost its mask of indifference. Before it returned in full force, overtaking him. "…So my position in discouraging their resistance efforts would be favourable. Yet the situation appears more complicated then I initially predicted." Wikilow coldly continued, stretching his arms out.
"… Really?" She said back doubtfully. But before the air bender could elaborate a sudden voice echoed from the cave's tunnels. Quickly increasing in volume. "Huh? Is something going on?" Elsi wondered, standing up with Wikilow.
"Most likely." He answered, moving further to investigate with Elsi following behind.
Navigating through the various tunnels, they followed the source of the noise until they reached the area before the cave's entrance. The entrance had just been closed up again. And they could see that the person causing all the ruckus was a single scout in the middle. Tired and panting, the male scout was in a state of disarray as they sputtered. Whatever they were saying was certainly drawing in the other rebels.
"What'd I miss that's got everyone so worked up?" Someone beside them asked, turning the duo found it was their missing fire bender.
"Arlo!" Both exclaimed.
"Where were you?" Elsi prodded as they got closer to the scout.
"After we split up… I sort of got distracted." Arlo admitted, looking away while whistling a random tune. Though, they could't hear due to the noise of the crowd around them.
"What were you distracted by?" Wikilow questioned, tilting his head.
"Oh… machine stuff that Hark was showing me." The fire bender clarified. Reaching the centre of the crowd where the scout was located, a loud voice cut through the noise.
"What's going on here?" An awake Bara Beifong demanded as the crowd parted to let him through. It was clear he had just awoken, as his appearance was dishevelled and he groggily stumbled once or twice. Yulan, Bo and Hark were close behind him as he walked up to the scout.
"Sir… Dai Li… attack…" The scout tiredly reported through pants.
"What about the Dai Li?" Bo asked, alarmed as was everyone else.
And so the scout explained through tired effort, how they overheard the Dai Li planning a raid on one of the Resistance's main bases. With multiple direct units being planned to attack it.
"The base won't be able to defend themselves against that many agents." Yulan shouted, though she shot a nervous glance at Wikilow afterwards.
"This is fine, we'll just go over and lend our support to the base during the raid. Then we'll move operations once the Dai Li are downed." Bara decided, motioning to the present rebels.
"Do you think we can take them?" Bo asked with his hands on his hips, uncertain.
"Of course we can. We've done it before and we'll do it again!" Bara confidently announced, to the approval of the rebel crowd. "Besides…" He trailed off, finding Wikilow in the crowd and sending him a sure grin. "We have the Avatar on our side! The moment the Dai Li see that, they'll turn around running like there's no tomorrow!" The elder Beifong yelled as the attention shifted to Wikilow.
"Now would be the ideal time to discourage their efforts. While many of their numbers are watching." The Avatar thought in turn, taking a small obscure breath. He took a large step forward towards the Beifong family and Hark. Elsi noticed this and quickly figured out his intentions.
"Wikilow wait-" She tried to say before he started speaking.
"I won't be fighting." Wikilow loudly denied, expressionless. The crowd gasped, growing silent as faces of shock and disbelief replaced their confidence. The Beifong family in particular, went stiff as a statue before Bara moved to fully face him.
"…Excuse me?" The Resistance leader quietly asked.
"I won't be fighting for the Resistance." Wikilow repeated in the same tone.
"…How could you not? It's the Dai Li." Bara questioned, as if the name was all the reason he needed to raise arms. Behind him Hark looked suspicious, while Yulan and Bo had dark, hurt expressions on their faces.
"What problem do you have with the Dai Li?" Wikilow droned on. Elsi and Arlo tried to gesture for him to stop to no avail. With those words, shock and disbelief turned to anger.
"What problem? WHAT PROBLEM!? The Dai Li are evil, no good corrupt scum! That's the problem!" The rebels all around him furiously answered.
"The Dai Li are by no means evil. Though you may disagree with their methods of operation. That's hardly a reason to openly resist them. The Dai Li bring peace and order to the world. Your Resistance merely disrupts that." Wikilow continued, unaffected.
Anger turned to horrified.
"I …I thought you left the Dai Li! He- he was lying, wasn't he!" Hark harshly accused, stepping forward.
"Hey wait a second! That's the truth-" Arlo defended, coming forward as well.
"And- and how do we know that's not-not a lie?" Hark darkly questioned, fists clenched and face red with anger. Before the fire bender could argue Wikilow spoke again.
"Just because I am no longer associated with the Dai Li, does not mean I disagree with them." The Avatar stated. Immediately afterwards Bara charged towards him until he was right in front of Wikilow's face.
"Benji… that is enough." The older man roughly ordered.
"My name is-"
"Beifongs fight for what's right. Not go and agree with the very same evil we're fighting against."
"The Dai Li-"
"Benji Beifong! My nephew is not some emotionless Dai Li puppet agent!"
"Snap out of it!"
"Benji!"
"That's the Dai Li talking, not you!"
"Benji!"
"This isn't you!"
"BENJI!"
"Benji Beifong…" Echoed from the Beifong family, suffocating him. It was as if intangible claws were trying to pry into Wikilow and rip some resemblance of someone long gone from him. He had completed his goal, yet somehow it didn't feel right. Something was nagging inside Wikilow, a feeling he was unaccustomed to. The constant noise didn't help, serving only to increase the room's tension.
Wikilow was confused.
Wikilow needed to think.
However, reason and logic seemed to leave him in that moment.
For some reason, the thought of staying in the Resistance's base any longer felt unbearable. Wikilow took a step back.
"Wikilow?" Both Elsi and Arlo asked concerned from beside him. The noises didn't go down, only increased.
"BENJI!" They screamed.
Another step.
"My name is Wikilow."
Before he could stop himself, he fled.
—
"Wikilow!" Elsi and Arlo called out, alarmed for their friend as he fled out the cave and into the open.
"Benji!" The Beifong family called out, remnants of horrified anger turning to shock and disbelief. Everyone was still.
A single moment passed before Arlo without hesitation leaped forward and began chasing Wikilow down. Elsi, too, began hurriedly making her way to the exit, Gale silently flying down to join her when she heard a soft, so very soft that it was barely a whisper behind her.
"Benji…" Someone or all from the Beifong family went, it didn't matter who it was though.
Elsi stopped. Just before the exit, just as the rays of light covered her form she turned around. The sudden rustle had got some movement back into the rebel crowd, who began moving about, some even went to close the entrance back up. Gale hovered just under, curiously watching. The Beifong family stood still, fixated by the entrance, trying to process what had just occurred.
And Elsi snapped.
"…His name… is Wikilow." The air bender quietly told them, arms by her side. Though a million thoughts raced through her head, they all seemed to coalesce into one single thread that ran through her mind and coursed through her body.
"…No… Benji…" Yulan this time tried to say, tears in her desperate green eyes as she fell to her knees.
"HIS NAME IS WIKILOW, ALRIGHT!" Elsi angrily screamed for him.
The family made noises of protests.
"Wikilow didn't even know he had a family until recently. Wikilow hasn't been Benji Beifong for a long time! He's a different person now! And you need to understand and accept that! Or you might lose your family again!" Elsi berated with a passion she didn't know she had, didn't know where it came from.
And with that Elsi spun around to follow Arlo and Wikilow, leaving the family silent.
—
