Authors Note: This one took a bit longer than I thought it would take. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avatar world, that is all owned by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

Chapter 26

Fireworks

Arlo was in the process of writing up new computer blueprints. He had been given the task of replicating Hark's design. There was already a blueprint on the computer, which Hark had called a laptop. But, the fire bender desired to make a few personal adjustments, for games, leading to a few tweaks. It was a privilege enough to have been made the laptop's owner. However, as he dragged a pencil across the paper, a dozen other designs scattered around him. Arlo found he couldn't focus.

The fire bender was caught in the middle of his friends' dilemmas. Both of whom were avoiding him like he was tent ridden. Elsi was more obvious, flat out leaving the area when he or Wikilow entered. While the former only talked to him when necessary. To say Arlo was beyond frustrated was an understatement.

"This entire thing is stupid!" He muttered, both to the Wikilow drama and his newest blueprint. Tapping a random tune on his desk, Arlo dragged a hand across his face.

"Still stuck, Weird Hair?" Yulan asked, moving beside him.

"Yup…" Arlo replied with a sigh. The Beifong girl nodded, tapping her goggles. It was evident to those who knew the trio that something had come up between them. Strangely, the only one willing to talk was Arlo of all people. When asked about it, the fire bender could only state the drama as the cause. Being in much the same position as onlookers.

"Yulan! We brought him over!" One of the holding area guards called from outside the workshop.

"Bring him in!" She yelled back from over her shoulder. "That… should be Hark." Yulan informed, taking a deep but hopeful breath in. The Resistance was planning a huge operation that would come in few weeks time. It was especially big as it would begin what would hopefully be their last push. Many groups were being sent out to the surrounding states. But most were staying for a takeover of Kang City. As such, they were busier than ever in preparation. And the engineering department needed some more hands on deck.

Hark slowly entered the workshop as if he were a stranger. The former engineer saw old friends that looked at him with feelings of disappointment to scorn. Hark nodded, accepting the atmosphere. No one could bring themselves to say anything to the traitor. Except Yulan…

"Okay guys! I know probably everyone here doesn't like it! But we need the help and Hark's here now! Let's all just grin and bear it for the next few weeks!" The goggle wearing girl announced, to which the engineers begrudgingly returned to their own devices. Yulan whispered something to Hark before leading him to Arlo's station. Throwing a stack of weapon designs into Hark's arms, Yulan turned to Arlo.

"You know what to do. Make sure he doesn't do anything shady." She halfheartedly ordered, then sharply looked to Hark. "And you. Do. Not. Mess. This. Up." Yulan threatened, a dark aura surrounding her. Hark stood his ground and nodded, glancing at Arlo and beginning assembly of the prints. Satisfied, the Beifong girl moved back to her own desk.

An awkward silence enveloped the two fire benders. Arlo would occasionally type something on the laptop while sketching while Hark mechanically put parts together.

"…Laptop's cool." Arlo complimented, breaking the silence. Hark temporarily stopped his repetitive process to face him.

"…Thanks, I guess." The traitor slowly replied, before resuming. Arlo inwardly sighed. He hadn't been expecting much, since his last meeting with Hark had been, tense. The cirque searched his mind for conversation topics. Having to withhold certain information for safety reasons. "…What? Not so talkative now, are you?" Hark casually prodded, though he silently appreciated the lack of conversation.

"Sorry, dude. But yeah, I'd rather not talk right now." Arlo apologized, doodling. "Lot's going on after all. Which makes those two's problems timing plain unlucky." The fire bender thought. "Actually, there's no need to worry, Arlo! They'll make up eventually… definitely!" He optimistically told himself, perking up. The clinking of parts from Hark caught his interest. The traitor was assembling some sort of gun, without ammunition of course. A small spark from the weapon's tip caused Arlo eye's to narrow, but an idea began to brew in his head. "A quick side project should help clear my head." Arlo thought, clearing his station.

On a new print, the cirque quickly sketched a new project. One that wouldn't take too much time. Besides, he was ahead of schedule anyways. Wordlessly, Arlo snatched some gunpowder out of a barrel, turning it in his hand.

"This'll be fun. Thank you, Hark." The cirque thought, going over the blueprints of a rocket. Then he looked toward Hark's forlorn face. After thinking it over, Arlo decided to throw the guy a bone. "…Oh… by the way…" Arlo started in a teasing tone. Hark paused, glancing at him. "I changed the password, dude." Arlo whispered. He'd have some fun with it as well.

"I-uh-uh-" Hark stammered, his face a light pink.

"I have become the ultimate wingman, eh?" The ex cirque quietly joked, smiling to himself. Hark speedily hid his face from view.

"That's in the past…I lost my chance the moment I got exposed as-you know!" The traitor dismissed with a scoff. Arlo hummed, discreetly observing Yulan at her own station.

"I sincerely doubt that, dude." The cirque happily muttered, a slight whistle to him. Noting that every so often, Yulan would look over to them. Hark looked up, which made the goggle wearing girl instantly snap her head away.Arlo mentally laughed. Getting back to work, he imagined scenarios where he could put the rockets to good use. "…When this is over, it'll make for a nice event." Arlo thought. "Elsi, Wikilow, Yulan, I owe them a lot."

Elsi paced up and down a small wooden platform in one of the empty caves. Her mind lingered on her dilemma, Gale watching from a small post. She froze at the sound of footsteps entering. She quietly hugged against the cave's wall, hoping they would leave. Her luck wouldn't have it however. As the stranger audibly began climbing the ladder up to the platform. The air bender forced herself to relax as they climbed aboard. Though, the stranger's identity surprised her.

"Mr. Beifong?" Elsi asked, confused as to why the Resistance leader was present.

"Hello, Elsi. I've been looking for you." Bara warmly greeted, leaning against a separate post next to Gale.

"Oh, what for?" The air bender questioned, holding her arm.

"Nothing much. I just want to talk to you about a few things." The Resistance leader explained expectantly. "I'm sure you can guess what, right?" He apologetically added. She shyly nodded in response, resigned. Had it been Arlo she would've immediately fled. "Sorry, it's not really my business to be asking. But, has something come up between you, Wikilow, and Arlo?" Bara questioned.

"…Kind of, but Arlo's not involved." Elsi truthfully replied, looking down.

"Is it the drama going around about Wikilow?" Bara asked, getting to the point.

"No! It's not that!" The air bender quickly retorted, before lowering her head once more. "It's well… complicated… but it's not Wikilow's fault in any way…" Elsi quietly stated, saying no more. A long silence followed. Neither of them spoke as Bara took a step away, looking out the cave floor below. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his own family photo from before.

"…You remind me of my sister… Wikilow's mother." Bara stated, a distant look in his eyes. Elsi's eyes widened at his words, but she didn't move. Gale flew across to her shoulder, nestling in her hair. He glanced at Elsi again, lost in his memories. "Zaofu kids are a freakishly sheltered bunch these days, it's rare that we leave the city. Mina was… annoyingly shy growing up. But, she had her moments sometimes." Bara stated with a humourless chuckle. "The last time I saw ever saw her, Jun, and Benji… it went poorly…" The Resistance leader continued.

*Flashback*

"What did you want to talk about, sis?" A younger Bara casually asked. Mina had her hair tied a tight siblings were alone in the room. A large rectangular window looking over Zaofu.

"Jun and I are planning a quick trip out of Zaofu for the Summer. We were wondering if you and your family would like to come along." Mina Beifong pleasantly asked, a little regretful that her husband was with Benji. Bara blinked, before vigorously shaking his head.

"Out? Like where out?" Bara questioned.

"Well ti depends on how many are going? I heard Kang City was nice this time of year." Mina softly informed, taking a seat.

"Kang City!" He shouted.

"Okay! We won't do Kang City then, Bara!" She quickly backed down. "But, do you guys want to come?" She repeated.

"Mina, I don't think a vacation is a good idea. I mean, who knows what could happen?" Bara doubted, pacing the room.

"Like what, Bara? " Mina asked with a small laugh at her brother's protectiveness.

"Well, you could be attacked! Or kidnapped by the Dai Li!" Bara brought up, completely serious. However, he stopped when Mina loudly sighed at the latter remark. "What?" He questioned.

"…That's another thing I wanted to discuss, Bara. You're going to take over for Dad soon. And you'll need to acknowledge that our parents are wrong about a lot of things." Mina gently chided.

"What are you saying?" Her brother questioned, eyes narrowing. She faltered a bit, but stood her ground.

"Some of the things they said about the Dai Li are a bit extreme, don't you think?" Mina elaborated, standing up.

"Mina, you haven't even seen what those monsters have done!" Bara shouted, though was quickly shushed by her in turn.

"…And you have, Bara? No one in the family has left Zaofu in years! We all need a breather, outside!" Mina argued, pointing out the window. She was showing some spine. But, Mina quickly calmed herself down, raising her hands high. "I understand and respect if you do not want to join us." She stated, moving to exit the room. However, Bara stepped in front of her.

"You three are not leaving. I'm sorry, but it's for your own good." He stubbornly tried to warn, but Mina calmly sidestepped him.

"That's not your decision, Bara." She sternly replied, hand on the door. Her brother roughly grabbed Mina'a shoulder, spinning her around. She yelped, stepping to the side. "Bara-" She tried to defuse but was interrupted.

"I just want to protect you!" Bara angrily shouted. Mina was quiet for a good minute, then she snapped.

"…Like how you wanted to 'protect' me as kids by never letting me do anything? Like how wanted to 'protect' me from Jun by beating him up during school? Like how you and our parents micromanaged my own wedding? We're not kids anymore, Bara! We're adults who can make our own decisions!" Mina yelled, moving to the door again.

"Hold on! We're not done!" Bara yelled, grabbing Mina's wrists, this time.

"BARA!" Mina screamed, trying to wrangle herself loose from her brother's tight grip. Little did they know, a younger Yulan was listening in on the other side of the door. Though she was too young to grasp the matter. Bara and Mina's fight could be heard throughout the entire house. "LET ME GO!" Mina had furiously screamed, all traces of her usual shy nature gone. It was nearly half a hour later when Mina stumbled out of the room, clutching her wrist with tears streaking her face. "I HATE YOU!" Mina yelled as she left. A stunned Bara fell to his knees inside, staring at his hands in horror.

Mina, Jun, and Benji left Zaofu that same night.

*Flashback End*

"I regret so many things I did and said that night. Things I never got to take back…" Bara whispered, replaying the memory in his head. He had hurt her in so many ways. Mina and Jun never travelled to Kang City, they went somewhere the Beifong family would never look. When he heard that his dear sister was murdered with her family, something inside him broke. Bara joined Bo's family in the Resistance, hatred for the Dai Li renewed in full force. Maybe that was why he moved their operations to Kang City. Mina had been right, it was nice in the Summer.

"I…" Elsi started but closed her mouth. She didn't know what to say. Bara stalked toward the ladder and began his descent. Before leaving, the Resistance leader met her eyes. He said a single sentence to Elsi.

"Talk to him. You never know if it'll be the last time you ever get to."

It truly wasn't the rumours about Wikilow and sleeper agents. On that day Elsi had wanted to say that Wikilow was not being influenced by anyone. That he made his own choices. That he was his own person. However, Elsi had realized that it wasn't true. The Avatar was being influenced, had decisions being made for him. By the Resistance and herself.

How different was things from Wikilow's point of view? He, without question still went on assignments that were assigned to him. How much were her attempts of moral teachings really affecting him? Had she ever got through to Wikilow? Or would they be cast aside like some tool that had lost its use if…if she died.

"I don't want to be your Dai Li." Elsi finally confided in Wikilow soon after speaking with Bara. She had asked the Avatar to meet her in the empty cave, sitting over the platform's edge. "I don't want to write some set of instructions that mean nothing to you besides facts that need to be followed." The air bender explained. "Feelings… emotion…" Elsi quietly stated.

"But yeah, that's why I've been avoiding you guys. People… need to feel things to truly live. Not just survive, but live…and I'm worried I can't show you that. I'm sorry, Wikilow." Elsi stated, face falling. Wikilow tilted her head, before nodding again.

"An apology is not necessary." He informed, face blank. But inside he felt something open, something warm. He felt relief. "I had concerns about you no longer wanting to accompany me." Wikilow explained.

"Of course not!" Elsi instantly dismissed. Things returning back to normal, well as normal as they could. Suddenly, the two could hear some sort of whizzing and shouts from below. "Do… you hear Arlo?" Elsi asked, receiving the affirmative. "No, no, no, no?" She muttered, confused. The whizzing got louder, and louder, like it was rushing toward them. Looking up, they saw a bright light charging down the tunnels.

Wikilow and Elsi jumped out of the way of a barrage of rockets. The other side of the platform and a part of the cave collapsing. When the dust cleared, a rough tunnel leading out of the mountain was formed. The tunnel the rockets came from being wrecked as well.

"La's fins…" Elsi whispered, hearing the enraged yells from Yulan below.

"I'll block it off." Wikilow stated, already making his way up the tunnel.

"I'm coming!" Elsi coughed, following behind. Especially after hearing a particular set of curses from below. Luckily, it appeared that the rockets didn't disturb any of the other caves, leading directly to the mountainside. A small grassy ledge greeted them at the top. A cool breeze flew past them. "Whoa…" Elsi breathed out, enchanted by the sight before her.

"Do you see something of notice?" Wikilow asked, tilting his head at her reaction. He followed Elsi's gaze upwards, where a kaleidoscope of colours illuminated the night sky. The Avatar didn't observe anything noteworthy.

"That's… beautiful…" Elsi whispered in awe at the firework show. Wikilow opened his mouth for them to get back on track, but closed it instead. The air bender took a step closer, colour reflecting in her eyes. She was mesmerized. Wikilow stood next to her, looking up at the firework display. If Elsi seemed to like it, then there must've been something special about the scene. In the end, he concluded it was another illogical moment.

But it wasn't bad for something illogical.

Wikilow felt his chest, something light stirred inside him. Even though they had an urgent task to complete, it didn't seem to matter in that moment. The only thing that seemed to matter was him and Elsi, standing side by side in the night. Watching the sky together. He was feeling, something, what was it?

He had felt this feeling before, somewhere, he tried to think. And like that, WIkilow remembered. He remembered two people holding him, faces and voices long forgotten, though he didn't know who they were, he remembered the feeling, the same feeling he felt now.

What had it been called, excitement? Warmth? Good? Ha… Hap… Happiness, yes, that's what it was.

"I… I am happy… with you… ." Wikilow quietly and softly said, hand in hers.

"Wikilow?" Elsi whispered, surprised, turning towards him as he stared at her.

"I am happy… to be with you… Elsi." He said again, the edges of his mouth curled upwards slightly. He couldn't stop it, but it felt, right. Elsi's eye's widened, as she took the words in, before getting slightly misty. "Are you alright?" Wikilow asked her, associating tears with sadness or distress.

"No… no I'm fine." Elsi waved off, using her free hand to wipe her glistening eyes. "It's just… well… I'm happy with you too." She replied with a wobbly smile, grasping her pendent with a voice full of emotion. She leaned into him, as the fireworks shone bright above.

Why couldn't that moment last forever? Why did everything have to go wrong?

Authors Note: Some clarification, I would think that the Beifong family in Zaofu wouldn't have incriminating physical evidence like videos lying around. So that would explain why Mina was a bit naive about the world. Rockets probably don't act like that, as in bouncing through the tunnels and then drilling through a bunch of rock. But, for story sake they were a fluke bunch that happened to work.

Next chapter, until then!