BOOK ONE

LIBERATION

CHAPTER TWO

ALLIES AND RIVALS

COMING to is always a bumpy journey. Navid's transition between sleep and sentience was filled with confused memories, as blurred shapes danced in his vision and muffled sounds reached his ears. His recovering mind tried to identify them, but doing so with accuracy was impossible. He could tell they were voices and faces, but associating them with names was too much to ask, especially as his senses started functioning again and his awareness of the present became prevalent. The memories dissipated into the recesses of his brain, waiting for their next opportunity to contact him. The sensorial input from his physical surroundings claimed his attention, and he was now more mindful of where he was. He could feel he was on a bed, lying down on his stomach. His shoulder was a bit sore, but was back in place. He remembered the injuries he'd sustained, especially the burn on his back. But it didn't hurt. Instead of feeling the rough touch of fabric, there was a pleasant sensation there, a cold wave that felt soothing.

Opening his eyes required concentrated effort. When he did, he realized he was in a hospital room. With his senses now working again, he noticed he wasn't alone. Someone was behind him, standing right next to his bed, and they were doing something to him. Who was that? A low moan escaped from his throat and he moved his arm slightly, which was enough to startle the stranger, who didn't suspect he was awake. It was as if an invisible bucket had been poured, because Navid's whole upper body, as well as his bed sheets and the floor, were instantly soaked with water that seemed to have materialized out of thin air.

"For Yue's sake, you scared me! How long have you been awake?" said the boy that was there with him, his voice squeaking in surprise. Turning his neck to face him, Navid saw a young man, probably as young as himself. Was he a doctor? The tag he wore didn't have his picture, only a word. Healer. He was a Waterbender, working on Navid's burn.

"S-Sorry, I…" Navid replied. Speaking coherent sentences was still a bit hard.

"No, actually, I'm sorry," the healer interrupted. "You're just waking up, you must be pretty confused. I got scared and I drenched you. Let me fix that."

The elongated motions he did with his arms made the water come to life. Ignoring gravity, the liquid floated away from the surfaces that had absorbed it, hovering in midair until the healer gently conducted it into a nearby empty bucket. It lasted only a few seconds, but Navid had never seen anyone waterbending before, so the scene was a surreal experience to him, like a waking dream. The sheets, the floor and his own body were now completely dry, like nothing happened. Bending may not be the same as magic, but it certainly looked like it.

"There. That's better," the healer said. "Sorry about that. My name's Karnuk."

Regaining control of his limbs, Navid managed to sit up on the bed, turning toward the other boy. "Hi. I'm Navid," he said, shaking his hand. Now more fully aware, Navid noticed Karnuk's casual, teenage outfit. The light blue hoodie and the grey sweatpants looked nothing like a hospital uniform, and they probably weren't. His dark skin, even more so than Navid's, clearly revealed his polar background and accentuated the vivid blue colour of his eyes. "Sorry I scared you."

"Don't worry about it," he replied. "I probably shouldn't have freaked out the way I did," he added with a light chuckle that made him seem even younger.

"It's alright," Navid said. His curiosity made him ask: "Are you a… doctor?"

"What? Me? No," Karnuk answered with an unassuming smile. "Us, healers, we just help the doctors. They tell us which patients to attend to and we do it. I'm trying to become a waterbending master, and I need the extra credit, you know?", he explained. There was a certain enthusiasm in the way he talked, as though he had just described having the time of his life. "I'm a little too young to be a doctor," he finished with another brief laugh. "But I'm almost done with your back, should I finish and then I'll go tell everyone you're up?"

Right, his back. It wasn't burning, but it still felt different, Navid being strangely aware of the skin there. "Yeah, sure," Navid said, lying down again, this time turning his neck toward the healer so he could see him bending. A swift, fluid gesture from his hand was all it took for the water to move again, forming a transparent floating sphere. And then the glow came. A blue, celestial light began emanating from the bubble, which the healer then split in two, covering both his hands in illuminated gloves that he then touched Navid's back with. Although he wasn't feeling any more immediate pain, the touch of the water was still relieving, sending welcome cold shock waves throughout his body.

"These look like Firebender burns," Karnuk then said. "How did you get these?"

The question made Navid remember the attack. It had been so sudden, so unexpected, so jarring. Not only did two complete strangers know that he was the Avatar, that was also the reason they wanted to kill him. Navid knew that his role would entail heavy responsibilities, but the thought that people might want him dead because of it hadn't crossed his mind. What had he done to deserve that?

"It's okay if you don't wanna talk," Karnuk said, his question having been ignored.

"Sorry," Navid replied. "I kinda got caught up in a huge fight," he then said, not sure how much he could tell.

"That much I could figure," he joked. He made conversation like nothing unusual was happening. Healing seemed to come naturally to him, like an everyday occurrence that had nothing extraordinary about it. Navid begged to differ. "Are you from around here?"

"Not really. I'm new in town. I'm from Omashu."

"Cool! I've never been there, but I think my parents have. I'm not from Republic City either, I moved here like a year ago. I'm from the Northern Water Tribe."

Although Navid was perfectly aware that there were millennial civilizations living on the Earth's poles, it still seemed bizarre to him. He absolutely hated cold weather, he couldn't imagine why someone would call them home.

"Why did you move?" Navid asked, keeping the small talk going.

"Uh… because of my dad's work," Karnuk answered with a brief midsentence pause, like he was thinking. Navid worried he'd asked another inappropriate question. "What about you?"

"Oh, I came here to learn f…" he panicked, realizing he was about to say 'firebending'. The water had gotten him so relaxed he almost told his healer he was the Avatar. "F… ph… philosophy," he lied. "I'm a philosophy major."

"Wow, alright…" Karnuk replied, apparently buying the lie. Navid hoped he wouldn't ask any additional questions, because he didn't know the first thing about philosophy. "Well, I'm done," he thankfully said. The blue glow ended and he once again poured the water into the bucket. "Let me go tell everyone that you're up. It was nice meeting you, Navid," he said, the two shaking hands one last time.

"Likewise," he answered as the healer smiled and left. The water in the bucket looked perfectly normal, like it hadn't been floating and glowing a minute ago. Getting up from the bed, Navid walked toward a small mirror on the other side of the room. Twisting his body, he tried to get a look at his back. The burn marks were there, although he suspected they would be looking much uglier if it wasn't for Karnuk. Fortunately, it didn't hurt. Navid saw one of his shirts on a chair and put it on. The one he was wearing on the day of the attack was probably ruined beyond repair. He sighed. He really liked that one.

The door opened, and the familiar faces of Lengyun, Alima, and Mako walked in. His master immediately hugged him.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "How's your back?"

"I'm fine, I think," Navid answered. "My back doesn't hurt anymore."

"Are you sure you should be up?" Alima asked. "Don't you wanna lie down?"

"No, thanks. I'm okay, really. Did any of you get hurt?"

"We're fine," Mako replied. "It's you we're worried about."

"I woke up a few minutes ago, when the healer was working on my burn. It doesn't hurt anymore," he explained. After a brief pause, he asked the question that was really bothering him: "What happened? Who were those people?"

"Did you hear them say anything?" Alima asked.

"Well, they all knew I'm the Avatar," he said. "And they said they wanted me to save the Fire Nation. Right before trying to kill me. What did they mean by that? That doesn't make any sense."

"You don't have to worry about them anymore, okay? We'll handle that," Alima said, frustrating him. How was he supposed to not worry?

"Alima, that's a little too much to ask, isn't it?" Mako said, as if reading Navid's mind. "We can't expect him to just ignore what happened." Turning to him, the elder continued: "You see, it's a long story, but it has to do with..."

"Uncle, stop!" Alima exclaimed, sounding rude for the first time ever since Navid had met her. He thought she wasn't used to being disobeyed. "Navid's focus is on learning the elements right now. We shouldn't preoccupy him with any other topics."

An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Mako looked at Navid with an expression he couldn't decipher, stroking his chin. Alima's face was reddened and her breathing audible. Obviously, she felt very strongly about this, and he didn't know her well enough to guess why. Lengyun intervened:

"Look, there's going to be plenty of time to talk about this later. The doctor said we could leave after the healer was done, so why don't we just go home and rest? Fortunately, nothing serious happened."

"About that," Alima said. "I don't think he should go back to the manor. Clearly someone dangerous knows he's there." Her habit of talking about Navid in the third person while he was in the room was getting bothersome. "Lengyun, would you take him to your apartment? Is it alright if he stays with you?"

Finally, some good news, Navid thought. He would love to stay with Lengyun. Being in Avatar Korra's old house was weird, like a perpetual déjà vu he couldn't shake off. When his master nodded in agreement, he celebrated internally. Alima then asked Lengyun to take Navid to his apartment directly, without stopping by the manor, explaining she would get her driver to bring his bags over. No one disagreed. Someone came in with some papers to sign and Alima took care of it.

"She's got a point," Mako then said, while she was busy. "Now's not a good time. Go home, and take the rest of the day off. You've got class tomorrow. Firebending class."

Navid briefly thought about the irony of learning the element that had just been used to hurt him. There's that global perspective Avatars are supposed to have. With the paperwork taken care of, Alima and Mako said goodbye to Navid, the latter with a hug and the former with no physical contact. Lengyun took Navid to his car and the two headed to his apartment.

-/-/-

SLEEPING ended up being rather difficult. His back didn't appreciate being touched by any kind of fabric, forcing Navid to spend the night lying on his stomach with his head turned to the side so he wouldn't suffocate on the pillow. His neck woke up sore. These were not ideal conditions for his first bending class of a foreign element. His back was oversensitive, his shoulder was still weird and now his neck wanted to stay still. Fantastic.

When Lengyun knocked on the door, Navid was already up. He opened it and his former teacher asked how he was.

"Not gonna lie, I've felt better," he replied. "But I'm up for it."

"I've made you breakfast," Lengyun said.

Navid followed him into the kitchen. His apartment was bigger than Navid's home back in Omashu, but it was thankfully much, much smaller than Alima's mansion. The manor felt oppressive, the power of Avatar Korra's name weighing down on him in every room. Lengyun's place seemed more like a home. It wasn't messy, but it wasn't pristine, either. It had just the right balance between tidiness and disorder. The front door led into the living room, which was adjacent to the kitchen. A short hallway gave access to four doors: one for the bathroom, one for Lengyun's bedroom, one for the guest bedroom that Navid now occupied, and a fourth one he hadn't noticed the night before.

"What room is this?" Navid asked.

"Oh, that's just… where I keep some old junk," Lengyun said, opening the door.

When Navid saw what was inside, he turned to the Earthbender in disbelief. "Way to downplay it! That's not what 'old junk' means!"

"Eh…" Lengyun said, shrugging. A piece of furniture in the middle of the room held not one, not two, but five trophies. Approaching them, Navid examined the inscriptions that read: Sabre-Tooth Moose Lions: Pro-bending Champions. The year was different in each of the trophies, arranged by Lengyun chronologically. Navid knew his teacher was a former star athlete, but it hadn't struck him just how victorious he had been.

"I can't believe you've won five of these. In a row. Man, you were good!" Navid exclaimed.

"Thanks. It's an all-time record my team set, you know," Lengyun replied, playfully bragging.

"How old were you when you won these?"

"I was 19 when we won the first one and 23 when we won the last. Can't believe it's been seven years already since we stopped."

"Why did you stop?" Navid asked. "Your team, I mean. You guys had won five in a row, couldn't you have won more?"

Lengyun's face changed a little. "Maybe, but my teammates had other plans. Our Waterbender, Varka, got pregnant that year and had to stop playing."

"Why didn't you and your other teammate find someone else, then?"

"Eh, it's a long story," Lengyun said. "Aren't you hungry? Tea's getting cold." Navid understood that he wanted to change the subject and respected that.

Going to the kitchen, the two shared a nice cup of mixed berries tea with bread and cheese. If he had stayed at Alima's, the breakfast would have probably been a seven-course meal or something. This was much better. But Navid was curious about his new teacher.

"So… um… this guy that's gonna teach me? Takashi? What's he like?"

Sighing and rolling his eyes, Lengyun said: "He's a good Firebender. Don't know what he's like as a teacher, though." Navid had never seen Lengyun like this.

"Okay. Why do you hate him?" Navid asked directly. Their relationship allowed him to talk that way. He knew Lengyun didn't mind. But this time, he seemed to take exception.

"I don't hate him, who told you that?"

"Well, you didn't want him to teach me and when I mentioned him just now, you rolled your eyes so far back you probably saw your own brain."

"That doesn't mean I hate him. I just think he's… a sketchy dude."

"I have no idea how to interpret that. This guy's gonna be my teacher, you're scaring me."

"Don't worry, okay? The training should be fine. He's not a bad guy, he's just… sketchy, I don't know what else to say," he replied, getting up and going to the sink to wash the cups.

"How do you know each other?"

"We met when we were your age. Alima and great-uncle Mako chose him just because he's known us for a while. He also knows my parents and great-parents..."

"Why does he know your whole family?"

Lengyun paused. Turning around to face Navid, he said: "Look, what I think of the guy doesn't matter, right? If you get along with him, that's fine. If you don't, that's okay, too, just tell us and we'll find you a new teacher."

"You sound like you're hoping for the latter option."

"I'm not! All I'm saying is, don't expect him to be as cool as me, alright?" he said, hoping a joke would put an end to the conversation. "He's gonna be here any minute, is your backpack ready?" Before Navid had the time to reply, the doorbell rang. "Ugh, I forgot how punctual he is," Lengyun said, looking at his wristwatch. Navid knew there was something he wasn't telling him, but he'd have to find out more later.

When Lengyun headed to the door to open it, Navid didn't know what to expect. Lengyun had painted a negative portrait of Takashi, so he had adjusted his expectations accordingly. He had spent more time with Lengyun than anyone else over the previous year, so he trusted his judgment. The door swung open and revealed his new master.

A little taller but less stocky than Lengyun, Takashi smiled broadly as soon as he saw them. He wore a plain white shirt with short sleeves and pants the colour of wine that had the logo of the United Forces on the right leg, a little above the knee. His wavy black hair was combed to the side, its curves well defined and orderly. His gold-coloured eyes seemed to smile with him. Sketchy wasn't the word Navid would have used to describe him. "Hello, Lengyun! It's so good to see you again. How are you?", he said, wrapping his arms around him in a friendly hug Navid was not expecting. Apparently, Lengyun's reservations about him weren't reciprocated.

"Good," Lengyun replied with significantly less enthusiasm and hugging him with only one hand, the other one still holding the doorknob. "Thanks for coming."

"Don't mention it," Takashi said, letting go. Navid noticed there was a very small streak of grey hair near his forehead. The absence of a topknot made it clear that he was from the United Republic and not the Fire Nation. But he seemed friendly and polite, which was a positive surprise, after Lengyun's unflattering description.

The Earthbender gestured him to come in and closed the door. "Takashi, this is Avatar Navid."

"It's an honour to meet you, Avatar," the Firebender said, stretching his arm to shake his hand.

"You too. I'm looking forward to learning from you," he answered.

"Alright," Lengyun said, interrupting. "Everyone knows everyone, so we can go."

Takashi was a little surprised. "Oh, you're… coming with us?" Navid didn't even know that.

"Yeah," Lengyun replied. "Is that a problem?"

"Not at all," Takashi said, a little uncomfortable, starting to pick up on Lengyun's distaste for him.

Navid was beginning to get second-hand embarrassment from the way Lengyun was acting. He was being quite rude. Thankfully, the phone rang and interrupted the awkwardness. While Lengyun answered it, Takashi asked Navid about Omashu, about his family, if he had any siblings, if he'd had some time off after finishing his earthbending training. He commended him for being able to bend metal, too, as that was a rare skill, and expressed his certainty that he would adapt just fine to the new element. The friendliness and warmth in his voice made a good impression, his praise sounded sincere and his questions, genuine. Lengyun, however, came back from the phone call looking a little disappointed.

"Anything wrong?" Navid asked.

"No, it's just that I won't be able to go with you guys after all," he explained. "Alima needs me to go help her with something."

"What a shame," Takashi politely said. "Will you tell her I said hi?"

"Will do," Lengyun answered with as much niceness as he could pretend. "Navid, is that alright?" he asked, to which the teenager nodded.

"I'll have him back by six," Takashi said. "Sharp. Don't worry about us, we'll be fine."

Lengyun exhaled and gave a half nod. "Have a good class," he said, opening the door so they could leave. There was no goodbye hug. He stood under the doorframe, with arms firmly crossed and a huge frown on his face, until Takashi and Navid turned the hall.

-/-/-

AS usual, Alima's logic made perfect sense.

"Think about it, it's the only explanation," she said. "Someone who works here has to have facilitated their entry. Knowing the kind of person the Fire Lord is, I don't think international espionage is beneath him at all."

Mako and Lengyun looked at each other. She had called them there to share her theory on Navid's attackers. And it was a concerning one.

"Alima, dear, if you really think there is a Fire Nation spy infiltrated in your staff, don't you think it's time to get the police involved?" Mako asked.

"Absolutely not," she replied. "Otherwise we'd have to tell them who they're targeting, and we can't have that. Navid's identity has to remain secret until he learns all four elements."

"But if there are spies here, the secret is already out, isn't it? The Fire Lord must have been told already," Mako insisted. "Alima, we may end up worsening an already complicated political mess. The situation in the Fire Nation is the kind of thing it takes an Avatar to solve."

"He's not ready yet," she shot back.

"How long do you think we can deprive the world of the Avatar? It's been 17 years and look how much of an impact his absence causes," Mako answered.

"I'm not getting him involved," Alima replied firmly, meeting the elder's eyes with no hesitation.

Sensing the tension, Lengyun intervened: "What do you need us to do?"

"We can find out who the spy is. I've told all my staff that I need to update their registers to comply with a new law the President passed. I've scheduled interviews with all of them. It's the perfect cover to ask them about place of origin, backgrounds, etc. If we catch someone in contradiction, we'll know it's them."

"I think it's risky," Mako said.

"I agree," she replied bluntly, "that's why I asked Lengyun to be here. By the way, how was it this morning? Did Takashi show up to pick up Navid?"

"Yeah, he did," Lengyun answered. "Lovely to have him in my home again," he said, the sarcasm almost palpable.

"Would you stop that?" Alima said, shaking her head. "No one's asking you to be best buddies with him, we just asked him to teach Navid to bend fire. Since… Naoki can't," she added, looking at Mako. "Uncle, I…" she stopped, calculating her next words. "I understand how badly you want to see the situation in the Fire Nation resolved. We all miss her. But I can't disrespect my mother's wish."

"I understand that," he said. "But I'm 92. I feel like I'm running out of time to see her again."

-/-/-

"I THINK Auntie Maimai saw you," Zarya told Sora after he sneaked into her bedroom and she closed the door.

"So? Who cares about her?" he replied.

He had a point. At first, Zarya was paranoid that the other employees would see the two of them together and become suspicious. Until Sora reminded her that the truth would probably be the last theory to occur to them. Being the target of rumours and whispers did bother Zarya, but it was a lot better than the alternative. And besides, it's not like they were entirely off mark.

"Did you get the memo?" he asked her.

"Yeah. What's with these interviews? I didn't hear of any new laws."

"She made the whole thing up. I think she suspects someone in the house let Reimi and Aoki in."

"How? How does she know?"

"I think she used a method called 'not being an idiot', it's pretty good," he joked as Zarya pinched him. Not the time or the place. "Seriously, she knows that no one outside her circle knows that tall guy is the Avatar, so the only way would be if someone was expecting a 17-year-old from the Earth Kingdom to show up one day, which is exactly what we've been doing. You gotta hand it to the lady, she's smart."

"I guess…" Zarya said. The previous year had felt like an unending wait. When their boss's friend had shown up with a teenage 'friend' of theirs from the 'south' that 'would be staying there for a while', there was no doubt in hers or Sora's mind who he was. "What are we gonna do?"

"We stick to the plan. They made us memorize fake birthplaces and relatives' names for a reason, right? Well, this is it. Go over your backstory. And when she asks, answer what's in there. I'll do the same." He didn't seem concerned, which Zarya appreciated. "Hey," he said, "we're gonna be fine. We'll be back home soon."

"I know," she said, trying to sound certain, trying to feel certain.

Except she knew something he didn't. Which was why she could never be as confident as he was. In the dim light of her room, his dark brown eyes and his black hair were impossible to see in detail, but he somehow still looked handsome. Approaching her, he held her cheeks and kissed her forehead. She hugged him, pressing her head against his shoulder. He smelled nice. She had to break away from this embrace immediately. The more time she spent with him, the more her resolve to do what she had to waned. "Go back. To your position. I have some work to do, too."

"Hang on, let me tell you an idea I had," he replied. "I think I can bring up the princess in the conversation." Zarya's eyes widened in concern. He explained: "I know what you're thinking, she's never gonna tell the gatekeeper where she is, but maybe, if we plant the thought in her mind, she'll double check if she's fine. And we can follow the trail."

It could work. She knew that they needed to find out where the princess was, and so far, they had exactly zero leads. "Do you think you can do that without raising suspicion?"

"Yeah, because my background story includes me having family in the Fire Nation that I don't get to see," he explained. "How's this for a sad face?" he asked, putting on his best fake trembling lips. How he managed to keep his sense of humour was a mystery to Zarya. She felt as though the stress was eating her alive, the constant acting sapping all her energy. She thought she was lucky to have Sora there. "Okay, I'll go now," he said. "Good luck," he added, before very gently pulling her chin up and leaning in for a kiss. A few seconds of heaven before it was back to work. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take.

She opened the door and checked the hallway first, and then he left, heading back out to his position. If his plan worked and they found out the location of the princess, that would mean her mission would have to be fulfilled soon. She needed the Avatar and the princess, too, but not for the same reason he needed them. She knew she couldn't fail. Her family was waiting for her. So was his. She rued the day she'd allowed himself to fall for him. Drawing a deep breath and asking the spirits for a calm heart, she also headed back to work.

-/-/-

"WELCOME to the Academy of the Republic," Takashi said. Stepping out of the car, Navid saw the words 共和國科學院 on the front of the building, shining under the sunlight. "The only bending school in the world for all four elements," his teacher then added. "I've reserved a space for us. Shall we?" he asked, leading the way as Navid followed him.

The gymnasium Takashi took him to had everything they needed: proper equipment, bending gear, etc. The place was big. Navid wondered how much the paying students forked out in order to learn their elements there. Back in Omashu, Alima was footing quite a hefty bill so he and Lengyun could practise with the discretion they needed in the best bending school in town. Here, privacy was equally important. No one could be around to see a guy with green eyes being taught to bend fire.

"What do you think?" Takashi asked.

"It's awesome. I can't believe I'll get to learn here," Navid said.

"You won't have to worry about anyone barging in. It's not that uncommon for people to reserve a space for private classes," his teacher explained. Then, picking up some gear from a nearby bench, he added: "And this right here is for you. This is what you'll wear for your firebending lessons."

He should have probably seen it coming, but the outfit was red from head to toe. Not a very popular colour where he was from. Lengyun had told him once that Avatars aren't supposed to be overly attached to any of the nations, not even the one they were born in. If it was customary to learn firebending in red clothes, then so be it. He headed to the locker room in order to change while Takashi waited for him.

Unfamiliar with the layout of the building, it wasn't long before Navid made a wrong turn at one of the corridors and got lost trying to find a locker room. When he eventually found one, he thought it was probably not the one nearest to where he was, but whatever. Going inside, he changed into his new gear and looked at himself in the mirror. The fabrics were very unlike what he was used to, and he deduced that the reason was that they couldn't be flammable. The protective pads on his elbows and knees were white, contrasting vividly with the flame-coloured tone of the shirt and the pants. He thought it looked cool, although it was strange seeing himself in those clothes. This would be his uniform for the next months, maybe even the next year. Unless someone kills you first, said a dark corner of his mind.

He was shaking off the thought when a real voice behind him got him back to reality:

"Navid?"

The voice was familiar, but he didn't recognize it until he turned in its direction. And saw the healer from the hospital standing there.

"Oh… hi," Navid said, struggling to find words. "Karnuk, right? What a surprise!"

"I didn't know you studied here!" he said, the same joviality from the previous day in his voice. "So do I! This is where I train my waterbending!"

That explained the wet hair and the swimming trunks. Navid cursed himself for getting lost and ending up in the locker room dedicated to the students of another element entirely. Before he could think of a good excuse to leave, Karnuk furrowed his brows and said, pointing a confused finger to him:

"Why are you wearing firebending gear? I thought you said you were from Omashu." Navid was certain his brain was melting out of his ears as it worked at full capacity to come up with a believable lie.

"I'm not from Omashu... I lied. I'm sorry," Navid said.

"Oh, okay... Why?" Karnuk then asked.

"Because I... felt like it." He was really bad at this. "I'm actually from the Fire Nation, as you can see."

"Really? That's what you're going with?" Karnuk replied. "Everyone knows that's impossible, those freaks don't let anyone out. Now what I don't understand is why a guy from the Earth Kingdom would be learning fireb..." He stopped cold in his tracks. "Holy Tui, are you the Avat..."

"Don't say that!" Navid said as he jumped forward to cover Karnuk's mouth with one hand while bending the metallic knob to close the door with the other.

Ridding himself of Navid's hand, Karnuk replied: "You totally are, though, right? There's no way you're not, right? Right? I mean, right?"

"Yes," Navid replied, whispering. "I'm the A… You're right."

"Damn," he said, no longer shouting. If that was the impact the A-word caused on people, Navid didn't like it. He felt that Karnuk was looking at him like an alien. "I can't believe I got to heal the Avatar. I'm gonna get so much extra credit when I tell that to my teachers."

"No, please, you can't. It's a secret, no one can know that it's me, alright?"

"A secret? Why?"

"Well, because I'm not done training yet, as you can see," Navid replied, reproducing what he'd been told by Alima.

"Bummer. But if you've got three elements to learn, why are you wasting time studying philosophy?" Karnuk asked. Unmet with a reply, he slowly got it. "Oh, dude, you didn't come to study philosophy, you came to study firebending because you're the Avatar! Aw, that's so cool!"

"Please don't tell anyone, okay? I really wasn't supposed to let people find out."

"I won't. Promise. Water Tribe honour. But you have to promise me that you'll let me teach you some waterbending moves."

Navid knew there was a right order to learn the elements and that it existed for a very good spiritual reason and thus wasn't meant to be broken. But he also wanted Karnuk to keep his mouth shut, so he conceded. "Sure, of course. I guess we go to the same school in a way, we'll probably see each other a lot."

"Yeah!" he said, celebrating to himself. "I can't believe I go to the same school as the Avatar!" The door was opened by a few other students who came into the locker room and Navid was positively surprised by how quickly Karnuk bit his tongue. "See you tomorrow, then, classmate," he said, with a purposefully funny inflection on the last word that Navid couldn't help but smile at.

"Didn't you come here to change?" Navid pointed out, since Karnuk was headed for the door.

"Oh, right..." Karnuk replied, doing his pathetic best to sound casual now other people were within earshot. "I forgot what I came here to do," he said, laughing at himself as he entered one of the stalls.

Navid sighed. The biggest secret in the world had just been revealed by accident. He hoped he had handled it well. Alima would kill him if she found out. Heading back to where he was supposed to be, Takashi kindly asked what took him so long, politely pointing out that there was another locker room much, much closer. Navid shrugged. "Oops," he said.

-/-/-

"THAT will be all, Sora, thank you," Alima Sato said, ending her interview.

"Are you sure you don't need anything else, ma'am?" he asked, in his friendliest tone. Answering her questions hadn't been hard. His disguise had been very carefully designed, all the details of his fake background thoroughly inspected to make sure none of them contradicted another. She had simply asked where he was born, his parents' names, how long he'd lived in Republic City, previous jobs… Basic stuff. He could go on and on. But she was satisfied.

"Yes, I'm sure. Thank you for coming," she said.

"You're welcome," he replied. Smiling at both her and at Lengyun, who had stood by the window behind her desk the whole time, certainly acting as a security guard, he asked, in the friendliest way he could: "By the way, ma'am, what about that guest of yours that needed to be taken to the hospital the day before yesterday? Is he okay?"

"Oh," she said, "he is, fortunately. We got him to the hospital and he's doing great."

"If you ask me, it's a shame what those people do," he said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, I saw him when you were carrying him out. He got burned, didn't he? I assume it was people from the Fire Nation. I know because my mom is from the Fire Nation, like I told you, and when I was little she always told me and my brother to be careful with those purists. She said to stay away from them because they had ruined her country," he explained, replicating the lies those foreigners liked to tell. He could see in their faces that they were falling for it. "And the worst is that they forced the princess to leave. My mom always prayed that the spirits would protect her from them, wherever she is." He didn't miss the glance that Alima and Lengyun exchanged. That was all he needed. "And I'm glad to hear your friend is alright, ma'am. If you'll excuse me."

"Of course, Sora, thank you again for coming."

When he left, closing the wooden doors of Alima's study behind him, he instantly pulled out a glass cup from his pocket. Back home, they had been taught to use whatever resources they had, however simple they may be, to get their job done. It didn't matter in the slightest that rudimentary methods were less glamorous, as long as they worked. All to bring justice to the Fire Nation. Placing the cup on the door and pushing his ear against it, he heard what they said inside.

"We didn't even consider that," Lengyun said. "We just assumed they were only after Navid. It's very possible that they're after the princess, too."

"How didn't I think of that?" Alima said, concern in her voice. "I'm gonna try to contact Akiko." The mention of the usurper's name got Sora excited. He just needed a location.

"Are you thinking of going there? Don't do that. You could be followed," Lengyun said.

Damn it, Sora thought. That was exactly his plan. If this didn't work, he didn't know how else he could find out where she'd been hiding for the past 17 years. He looked up and down the hallway, hoping that no one would walk past. It would be really hard to explain why he was eavesdropping on the boss's office.

"You're right. I can't go there, it's too risky. But maybe I can contact her from here," Alima replied.

"There are phones where she is?" Lengyun asked, revealing that he didn't know the location. The Sato lady was the only person who could give Sora what he wanted. He crossed his fingers, hoping she would give it away.

"Yes, of course there are. I didn't send her to the middle of the desert," she said, ruling out one possibility. "She's in the United Republic, just in a small town." That was a start, but Sora wanted more.

"Alone?" Lengyun asked.

"No, she has someone protecting her, I made sure of that." She sighed. After a prolonged pause that almost made Sora lose hope, she said: "Time to pay Xueshan a call."

Bingo. Xueshan was the name of a town in the north of the country, near the Earth Kingdom border. Sora got up as quietly as possible and headed back to work. Just a few more hours until his shift ended, then he could contact Reiki and Aomi and send them on their way to get rid of the usurper. He couldn't wait to tell Zarya, either. Their mission would be over soon, and they'd go back home. They'd be heroes.

"Long live the Fire Nation, " he thought to himself.