Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Korra or Avatar the Last Airbender. I only own my own characters and ideas
Book four Peace Chapter two: Aki's Betrayal
It had been weeks since anyone had seen Aki, or even heard from her. Everyone had expressed their concerns with Ren about the issue. Ren told them she had more important issues than Aki throwing a tantrum. She said if Aki didn't want to talk to anyone then she wasn't making an effort to look for her. Ren was worried about the traids working together, and who was helping them. Roku told her something, but she wasn't seeing it. The box slipped out of her hands, and fell to the ground. Kai looked back at her with a box in his hand. Ren and Sky were moving off of the Island to Republic City. They had agreed to stay in the city half the week and on the island the other half.
"Ren, are you alright?" Kai asked.
"I would be slightly better if I knew what Roku was trying to tell me. Then I had to make a deal that I would spend half a week every week on the island. I'm an adult that no one is letting become independent. Let's not forget everyone wants me to go look for Aki," Ren said.
Kai looked at her with half a smile before they continued to carry the boxes to the ferry. Kai could tell Ren was becoming very stressed. Ren was staying up late if not all night when she did come home. She would fall asleep at the table, or working with the police force. When they would train Ren would easily be knocked down. Kai thought about how Ren had only walked in the door a few hours before they started to move boxes. After all the boxes were loaded onto the ferry Ren walked up to the courtyard. Everyone came into the courtyard to tell Ren goodbye. Ren looked at Iroh for a moment, then Sky. She walked over to Iroh, and made him sit.
"Uncle Iroh, I will try to look for Aki. I think she doesn't want to be found, but I will try. I cannot give her all my time though. I'm sorry," Ren said.
Iroh looked at Ren with a smile. Honora, and Izumi looked at each other then Ren. Ren grabbed her glider before she hugged everyone. She took off in the direction of the Fire Republic. Ren knew the Fire Republic was once Aki's home. She thought maybe Aki went back to the Fire Republic to find answers. Ren had a massive headache from thinking about what she said to Aki. Ren was so caught up on her thoughts that she almost flew into a ball of fire. Ren weaved away from the flames and toward the ground. Ren looked around, but couldn't get a good look at which direction the flames were coming from. She knew if she didn't find the source of the flame she wouldn't last long. Ren punched the ground as hard as she could, hoping her enemy would reveal themselves.
Ren's attacker flew in the air, and she used her cables to pull them into the ground. When the attacker got up Ren's jaw dropped. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know if she was suppose to attack in defense or let her go. Ren stood there looking at Aki wondering what to do. She dodged Aki's fire blast, but fell to the ground. Aki had a small flame over her hand, and was standing in front of Ren. Ren shifted the ground beneath Aki, and sent an air blast. Ren grabbed her glider, and took off as fast as she could. She turned her head to see Aki shooting flames at her. She avoided them as she quickly got away from Aki. When Ren was no longer near Aki she landed on a building. She stood there for a moment as she tried to grasp what had just happened. Aki had attacked her unprovoked. She had no clue what she was going to tell anyone. She opened her glider, and made her way for the island.
Ren landed on the island, and slowly walked through the courtyard. She still had no idea what she was going to tell anyone. She was thankful that dinner would be a distraction for right now. Ren ran into Sesi who looked at her for a moment. Ren looked at her for a moment before she walked into the dining area. Everyone looked at her for a while, and Ren wondered how long she could keep it from them. She wiped her face, and she found soot on her face. She held her head high, but still told no one about what Aki had done. She sat down at the table with a smile on her face, but on the inside, she was worried. She sat there, eating her rice, but she could feel eyes on her. She looked around the table to see everyone staring at her. She swallowed in the rice that was in her mouth as she thought about her next words. She looked at Izumi, Honora, Iroh, and his children before she sighed.
"It's Aki. Aki is the one who puts us in danger. She betrayed us. She attacked me for no reason. I was going to try to bring her back, but she wouldn't even let me talk. She tried to shoot me out of the sky. Then when I froze she was still willing to take me down. She didn't attack me like when she would help me train. She attacked me with pure hatred as if she wanted me to die. She may be the new threat. She wants the avatar dead, and I keep balance," Ren said.
Everyone looked at her for a moment. Honora nudged Izumi before she motioned for her to follow her to the courtyard. Ren noticed the sisters acting a bit funny. Everyone was trying to ask her questions, but she was focused on Honora and Izumi. When Honora, and Izumi left for the courtyard Ren excused herself from the table. Everyone tried to ask her questions, but she told them she needed to do something quickly. She walked out to see the sisters quietly arguing. Ren raised an eyebrow as she watched the sisters argue.
"Izumi, I told you we should have never brought Aki into the royal family. We banished my daughter so why would we bring her granddaughter into the picture? You know why we banished her. We had to know something would go wrong at some point. Someone is bound to find out the family secret. It won't just be you, me, and daddy anymore. We should have left her where she was," Honora said.
"Honora, it was bad enough you left your granddaughter grow up with your daughter after what she did. I was not going to let Aki grow up with that woman. She did not change one bit. The only reason Aki's mother gave her to us is because she was young and scared. You know that your daughter taught her we were bad people," Izumi said.
Ren cleared her throat, and the sisters turned to look at her. She could tell they looked surprised to see her. She shifted her weight, and crossed her arms. Why did it not surprise her that once again secrets were being kept? Ren looked at the two, waiting for them to tell her what was going on. Izumi looked at Honora for a moment before she looked at Ren. They didn't even know how they would tell Ren. Ren was starting to become inpatient as she waited for answers. Honora sighed, and looked at Ren.
"Aki is my great granddaughter. My daughter Kiran was a banished princess. She wanted Izumi to do exactly what Aang had stopped. She wanted Izumi to declare war only she wanted them all dead. She wanted only firebenders. Even if they were a non-bender she wanted them gone. She was constantly attacking staff that couldn't firebend. Izumi refused of course, and my daughter didn't like the answer. A few days later she tried to kill my sister. We had to make the decision. We decided to spare her life, and banish her. We watched her from a distance to make sure there were no problems. Occasionally we had to send in the guards, but very few times. She later had a daughter Ela. Ela was a strong firebender, but like her mother like to cause mischief. It was a different kind of problem, but she was still a problem. She became pregnant with Aki early, and Izumi thought maybe we should take the baby from the household. We convinced this young girl not to tell a soul, and that we would find a good family for her baby. We told Iroh, and Korra we had a child for them, but never told them where she came from. The only people to know everything is Izumi, daddy and myself. Well now you do. Ren, you cannot tell anyone. It would hurt so many people," Honora said.
Ren put her hands of her mouth, and looked at the two. She tried to absorb what they said to her. She pointed at them, but had to walk away. For over twenty years they were lying to everyone, and keeping a secret. She couldn't believe it. Izumi called her name, but Ren couldn't stand to hear what they had to say. She walked into the dining area, hoping they would stop. She heard them continued to call her name as she entered the dining area. She started to grind her teeth together. Everyone looked at Ren as she stormed around the table to her spot. They then looked at Izumi, and Honora. Everyone could see the tension between the group. Ren bawled her first as she tried to keep her calm. She took a deep breath as she dug her nails into her skin slightly. Izumi wanted Ren to say something. They wanted her to say anything at this point. Ren pointed at them again, but couldn't find the words. Sky touched Ren's arm, but she pulled away.
"How can you justify what you did? Did you not think of the impact it could have on others? You two are so fucking selfish it is unbelievable. Now I know the answer to my questions earlier. I can't believe you two. I would expect that kind of thing from Lin and Su, but not you two. You two disappoint me," Ren said.
"Ren, wait we can explain," Izumi said.
"How? How can you explain what you did?" Ren asked.
"We...We did what we thought was best for our nation. For the avatar. For our family. Ren, you should understand that. No one could have predicted what happened. Please try to understand," Honora said.
Ren walked away from everyone. She walked into her room that her, and Sky had on the island. She shut the door, and walked over to the bed. She plopped down before she laid back. Was Honora, right? Did she have to be more understanding or was Honora trying to make what she did seem like no big deal? The door slid open, and Tenzin walked in. He smiled at Ren as he shut the door. She moved over so he could sit on the bed with her. After he sat down Ren looked up at him, hoping he would have something to say. He only looked back at her with a smile on his face. Ren hugged him because she had no clue what to do. Aki could have found out the family secret. Ren had to find her, and stop her. Ren stood up, and walked out of the room. She walked into the dining area and grabbed her glider. She started to walk into the courtyard, and everyone followed her. She opened her glider but before she took off Lee stopped her. She tried to push him aside, but he stopped her again. Ren looked at all of them, deciding if she needed help or not. She took a deep breath, and laughed a little. She looked at her team with a smile.
"What are you guys waiting for? An invitation? I'm not giving you one, so let's go find Aki. She had her fun, and now it is time to bring her down," Ren said.
Gopan shook his head at Ren as he chuckled. Sesi smiled at Ren. Asha, and Lee high-fived each other. Sky grabbed her waist before he hugged her. The group made their way for the ferry, and Hope came running down after them. Ren laughed when the armadillo lion jumped over all of them. Jinora watched as her two children went to try and save the world again. Ren leaned against the railing as the ferry took them to the city. She thought about what Honora and Izumi had said to her. What if not telling anyone about Aki was for the best? Sesi cleared her throat, snapping her out of her thoughts. Ren thought about how Sesi had no clue about Aki. Ren had to think of a plan that didn't involve telling Aki. She felt eyes on her, but she didn't know what to tell anyone. She continued to lean against the railing until they got to the city. She didn't even know where to start looking. She knew they probably shouldn't split up, but if it found Aki they had to. She tried to think of all the possible pair ups she could do. She looked at the group and knew she wasn't going to be able to be with Sky on this one. She knew she would need Sesi, and Lee would need Sky. She would pair Gopan and Asha together. Hope would go with Asha and Gopan.
"Sky, you're going to go with Lee. Don't argue about it. It will be better that way. Sesi you are with me. Gopan you and Asha are together. You two are going to take Hope with you. She will make sure nothing happens. Try to bring Aki back peacefully, but if you have to fight. I want her back at the island alive. Everyone be careful," Ren said.
Sky looked back at Ren as he and Lee left. He saw that she distracted. He knew something was bothering her, but she wanted them to find Aki. Sky hoped if anyone found Aki it would be Lee and himself. Ren looked so distracted Sky wondered if she could actually fight. Ren watched Lee, and Sky leave to go search for Aki. She hoped they didn't find Aki. Aki wasn't going to go easy on them. She didn't even want Asha, and Gopan to find them. Aki wouldn't even take it easy on them. She felt Sesi's eyes on her, but didn't really feel like talking. Ren stared at Sesi for a moment, thinking about what Izumi and Honora had told her. It all made sense now. Aki was a powerful firebender because she was in the actual bloodline. She felt Sesi touch her arm, making her jump a bit. Sesi gave Ren a look, but Ren still wasn't going to tell her what was wrong. Ren felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She swung her arm around Sesi's stomach, and turned them both around. She sent an air blast, and waited for Aki to come out. A few fire balls came toward Ren and Sesi, but Aki still hid. Sesi made a shield out of ice, but she and Ren were still knocked back. Aki jumped out, sending the strongest fire blast she could. Ren formed a barrier of earth around her and Sesi. The two women felt the heat, and started to sweat as Aki continued to blast the barrier with fire.
Ren collapsed the ground under the two, hoping it would get some of the heat off of them. They hit the ground under them with a thud, both breathing hard. Sesi felt Ren start to breathe heavier than she was earlier. Sesi took the water from one of her pouches, and tried to cool Ren down. Ren tried to stand, but fell against the narrow opening they had. Sesi grabbed her hand, trying to pull her up. Sesi had no clue what she was doing. She wasn't an earthbender, and the only person that could earthbend them out was extremely weak. Aki was out there waiting for her chance to attack again. The groups didn't know their location, and even if they did they wouldn't know that they were underground. Sesi grabbed Ren, hoping she could find some way to make her cables work. Sesi started to shake Ren to keep her awake. Ren stared at Sesi for a moment, but when she blinked she saw Korra behind Sesi. Ren blinked again, and Korra was gone. Ren looked up to see the barrier she built. She would either have to airbend or use her cables to get her and Sesi there. Ren opened the barrier, quickly grabbing Sesi so she could airbend the two up the narrow opening. When they got out they both prepared to fight Aki. Aki sent a fire ball at Ren, knocking her to the ground.
Sesi made a water whip and grabbed Aki. Ren pushed herself up, and sent an air blast at Aki. They watched as Aki fell to the ground. Ren jumped up in time to miss an attack from Aki. Ren sent her cables at Aki's feet, throwing her in the air. Sesi sent water spikes at Aki, but Aki melted them. Aki sent fire balls at Sesi, and Ren used her earthbending to protect her. Ren used her waterbending to grab Aki, slamming her into an empty building. Ren stood there, trying to catch her breath. Aki sent a fireball at Ren, but before it could knock Ren down Ren kicked it. Sesi and Aki watched as the flame disappeared. Aki growled as she sent another fire ball at Ren. Ren punched it, making the fire ball disappear. Aki started to grind her teeth. Aki ran toward Sesi, but Ren used her airbending to get ahead of her. Aki moved around Ren, and tried to kick Sesi. Sesi grabbed Aki's leg, but Aki sent a flame out of her foot. Sesi let go of Aki and touched the side of her face. Ren used her metal cables to throw Aki away from Sesi. Sesi made water tentacles, hitting Aki repeatedly. Aki eventually got away from Sesi, and ran away from the two. Sesi was going to follow her, but Ren stuck her arm against her to tell her to stay. The two watched as Aki ran away.
Sesi pushed Ren, but Ren knew they were both very weak. Ren grabbed Sesi's arm to try and stay up. Sesi looked at Ren for a moment before Ren slid against her. Sesi gabbed Ren's arm, and placed it over her shoulders. Sesi felt Ren's weight instantly. Ren and Sesi started to walk until Ren could no longer walk. Ren fell to the ground and Sesi picked her up. Sesi started to walk, hoping she would run into one of the groups. Sesi soon started to feel Ren get even heavier. She then heard Gopan, and Asha yell for her. She dropped to her knees, letting go of Ren. Gopan and Asha ran over to the women to check on their condition. Sky and Lee soon arrived to see the two women on the ground. The two women were breathing heavily, and stayed on the ground. Gopan grabbed Sesi and Sky grabbed Ren. They all ran toward the docks trying to get back to the island as fast as possible. When they got on the ferry Sky took water out of Yue Bay and placed it against Sesi's cheek. When Sky pulled the water off he was very shocked to see that Sesi had a very light mark where she was burned. He didn't think it was going to scar at all. Ren had been placed against the wall. Sky and Gopan placed Ren and Sesi on Hope's back. Lee told her to run up to courtyard as fast as she could. The men tried to catch up to Hope, but she was already in the courtyard.
Tenzin, Jinora, Kai, Iroh, the Beifong sisters, Izumi, Honora, Kya, and Bumi were in the courtyard when Hope came running up. They all stood up in shock seeing the women laying across Hope's shell. Iroh ran over to Sesi, lifting her head, a bit. He saw that she had a light pink spot on her face, and he knew she had been burnt. He gently placed her head down and sent a fire ball at the wall. Kai ran to grab Ren as she started to fall off of Hope's back. He looked down at her then the stairs. He saw the men run up, breathing heavily.
"Dad. Kai. We are so sorry. We all split up and Sesi was with Ren. They found Aki, and it must have been one hell of a fight for them both to end up like this. All we know is Sesi was carrying Ren then she collapsed in front of us. They are really going to need us," Gopan said.
Iroh grabbed Sesi off of Hope's back and started to take her to the healing rooms. Kai made his way to the healing rooms with Ren. Kya soon followed the group hoping something could be done. Everyone stood in the courtyard hoping that Ren and Sesi would be okay.
(Author's Note: Yes Aki total betrayed them. I am super excited for this book and I hope to get you guys too. I hope you liked the chapter. Let me know what you thought)