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 Nine: Kuvira and Ren
Ren packed a bag as everyone slept. She grabbed her glider and woke Hope. The two snuck out of the temple and to the ferry. On the ferry ride to Republic City they slept so they would be rested for their trip. Once they were in Republic City Ren guided Hope to a food cart. She paid the merchant for the food and fed Hope. The two soon took off towards Zaofu without another trace. It had been a long trip but as the two got closer Hope slowed down. Ren grabbed a treat out of her bag for Hope for running so far. Ren saw that the domes were still up. She expected them to be up considering the sun was just beginning to peak. Wing and Yun were now in charge of Zaofu. Opal didn't want the responsibility and wanted to be with air nation. She also didn't want to take Bolin from Mako. Kuvira was already in charge of the Earth Republic so Baatar Jr. Didn't want tack on even more on their plate. Huan was highly involved in his art so he wasn't very interested. Wei was in the Fire Republic with Ajala. She had become a representative a few years ago. Ren looked down at the ground as she thought about how so much has change. No one acted the same. They were still close and visited from time to time but it was always official business or something else. Ren just felt that things weren't the same as they were when she was younger. She was at the domes and looked them. She got off of Hope's back before she took a deep breath and got into a good stance to bend the domes down. Ren put all her energy into moving the domes down but they didn't move. She concentrated harder before she tried to pull the domes down again. When they still didn't budge she decided to use the avatar state. Ren entered the avatar state and began to bend the domes down for the day. When the domes were finally down Ren left the avatar state and collapsed. Hope laid on the ground so Ren could pull herself up. Once on Hope's back the large cat started to run to the Beifong home. Su, Kuvira, Wing, Yun, and both Baatars ran out to see why the domes were already coming down. When they saw Hope running with Ren on her back, they knew that she had taken the domes herself. Hope stopped in front of Kuvira with Ren still laying on her back. Kuvira grabbed her as Su grabbed her bag and Hope followed. The three went into Ren's guest room so she could rest. After Kuvira situated Ren in bed she shook her head. She already knew that no one knew she was here. Kuvira and Su walked out of the room letting Hope and Ren rest. A few hours later Ren woke up to find everyone outside. She slowly walked out as she yawned. Kuvira was the first to notice her presence. She didn't even turn around but she still spoke.
"You know you shouldn't use the avatar state for stupid things. You can't tell me that you didn't use it to pull the domes down because I know better than that. Ren, you know better than that. You know what the avatar state is for so stop playing with it like it is a toy," Kuvira said.
"Ren, I hope you didn't run away again. What are you doing here? I hope you let at least one person know you were coming or a note. If not, that wasn't very wise because if something happened to you no one would no where to start to look. Ren you have been making a lot of mistakes lately. I know I have no room to talk but Ren you are supposed to keep balance," Su said.
Ren flashed back to the Spirit World and the group that stood in front of her. All she heard was them tell her how she was making mistakes and how stupid she was. She shook her head to see everyone looking at her. She wasn't a child anymore so why was everyone treating her like a child. She felt her eyes start to water and she started to cry. Everyone looked at her with a concerned look now. They didn't think what they said would make her cry but here she stood crying. Su took a step towards Ren but Ren used her earthbending to move Su away from her. Ty tried to walk near her thinking Ren would let him come near her. Ren used her airbending to get on top of one of the buildings. Kuvira sighed as she pinched her nose. She was not in the mood for an emotional avatar. She launched herself in the air after Ren. When she saw Ren she trapped her legs in the ground before walking over. Kuvira grabbed Ren's arm, making her look up. Ren still had tears in her eyes but Kuvira wasn't in the mood for them. She sighed as she wiped the tears out of Ren's eyes.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Kuvira asked.
"It doesn't matter no one will care. They will just think it is stupid like me. I want to be left alone Kuvira. I need to think," Ren said.
Kuvira looked at Ren for a moment with a sympathetic look. She released Ren before she pulled her close. Ren sobbed as Kuvira hugged her. Kuvira shook her head and wondered what had happened. When Ren had finally stopped crying Kuvira looked at her. Ren sighed and jumped down to Hope. The Beifongs looked at Ren who had red eyes. Ren looked at them but didn't say a word. Ty ran over to her and grabbed her hand. He started to pull her towards the power disc court. Ty pointed at the court and Ren knew he wanted to play. She saw a vision of Lord Zuko, Toph her great grandparents and Grandpa Tenzin. Lord Zuko walked up to her and she heard the word stupid as he touched her. She was so focus on the images that she never realized she used her firebending. She burned Ty's hand but was still so focused on the imaged. She heard the words you knew better and started to airbend. Ty was knocked to the ground. The words disappointment came from all of them. Ren started to bend all of the elements before she snapped back to reality. She saw Baatar Jr and Kuvira crouched near Ty who was crying. She saw him holding his hand and she looked at her own hand. She looked at the Beifong family before she took off. She ran to her spare room and locked the door. She didn't know what was happening. She felt like she lost control of her bending. She heard a knock at the door but didn't answer. The knocking continued, but she just stood there. Ren looked at her hands before the person knocked again. Ren saw the metal in her room start to move. She tried to calm herself but the metal still flew against the wall. The door flew open not long after the crash. Kuvira, Su, and Wing stood in the doorway, looking at Ren. Ren turned around to face the three, looking up from her hands with tears in her eyes.
"What is happening to me? Why is my bending so out of control?" Ren asked.
Kuvira sighed as she walked into the room. There was now an explanation had just happened at the power disc court. She grabbed Ren's hands and put them down. She brought Ren to the bed and made her sit down. Ren was Kuvira's best friend and she was very concerned with whatever was going on with her. Kuvira placed her hand on Ren's forehead to see if she was warm. Ren saw her great Grandpa Aang standing behind Kuvira. She started to airbend and Kuvira fell to the ground. Kuvira smiled at Ren from the ground before she stood. Ren tried to stay away from the three but Kuvira walked over to her. She wasn't going to give on Ren. Ren never gave up on her so she wasn't going to give up on Ren. Kuvira placed her hand on Ren's hand and smiled. She helped Ren lay in her bed before she walked out with Su and Wing. After she shut the door she turned around, showing the two her concerned look. The two looked at her for a moment before she spoke.
"I'm extremely concerned. I know she didn't tell anyone she came here because she has a history of leaving and not telling people. That's just Ren. Her bending is off and she doesn't have a fever. There is no reason for any of this but it is happening anyway. We have to help her somehow. She won't be able to defeat Aki and Azula this way. I'm going to contact someone from Air Temple Island," Kuvira said.
The three looked at Ren's door for a moment before they quickly left. Kuvira walked into the room where she could use the phone to contact Air Temple Island. She sat down and stared at the phone for a while. She had no clue what she was going to tell them. She knew Ren was okay but was she really okay Kuvira thought to herself. Kuvira started to reach for the phone before she pulled back. She didn't understand what she was waiting for. She had to let them know Ren was here and safe. She picked up the phone and when one of the acolytes answered she asked for Jinora, Kai, or Sky. She waited for a while until she heard someone pick up. She took a deep breath hoping Jinora was not the one on the other end. She would hate to give Jinora news like this. When she heard Kai's voice she sighed.
"Hello, Kuvira what is wrong? One of the acolytes said that you had to speak with me right away," Kai said.
"Kai, Ren is in Zaofu. She isn't herself at all. She is crying over nothing and running away from things. She used the avatar state to bring the domes this morning. She knows it isn't a toy so that shocked me. I didn't think she would do something like that. She has absolutely no control of her bending. She is Physically safe here but mentally and emotionally that is a different story. Kai, I am very concerned about her. She will be here until someone comes for her," Kuvira said.
There was a brief pause before Kai responded. "We will be there by tomorrow morning. Please keep a very close eye on her we don't need her running away again. I'm going to have Kya go get spirit water to see if that will do anything," Kai said.
Kuvira let Kai know she understood. She got up and walked over to Ren's room, opening the door. She found her fast asleep and smiled. She turned around and screamed a bit as Baatar Jr scared her. He laughed a bit as she hit him. Ty ran up to the two and stuck his hand up to them. He smiled as he showed them the bandages. The medical center had given him green bandages which made him happy. The three looked at Ren's door when they heard her scream. Kuvira opened the door to see Ren sitting up in bed breathing heavily. Ren climbed out of bed and pushed past the three. She started to look for a place away from everyone. When she found one she sat down in the lotus position. She tried to meditate to see if something was off with her body that she could fix. She couldn't sense anything. She started to concentrate harder and she found herself in the Spirit World. She stood and walked through wondering what she was doing there. She saw Iroh and Zuko talking in the distance with her great grandparents. She hid behind a tree, but her great Gran-Gran Tylee turned around. Ren hid her whole body behind the tree and Tylee turned back around. Aang sighed before he spoke.
"Ren, we know you are there so just come over already. Hiding behind things and listening to conversations is very rude," he said.
Ren stepped out from behind the tree and made her way to the group. Aang looked down at her with a disappointed look which only made Ren look at the ground. When she finally looked at the group, they were all looking at her. She had no clue what to tell them or what they would say to her. She finally decided it was her turn to talk to the group. They had lectured her the last time she saw her so now she was going to tell them what was what. Lord Zuko went to talk but she cut him off.
"No, you are all going to listen to me this time. I know what Azula did. I have read about her. I have read so much about all of you I felt like I was there helping you and I'm not talking about me being great Grandpa Aang. She has perfected Aki's firebending but none of that matters. The reason why it doesn't matter is because I'm going to take them both down like I've taken everyone down before. I can't believe you doubted me or that you would ever doubt me. It isn't just me you know. I do have people helping me. You all screwed up in your lifetime too. Great Grandpa Aang, you ran away which led your whole nation to be wiped out. Great Gran-Gran Katara, you learned to bloodbend and used it. You even told me stories. Great Gran-Gran Tylee, you worked with Azula. Lord Zuko, you betrayed your uncle, worked with the fire nation, and tried to kill capture my great grandfather. The list goes on for quite a bit. Iroh, you I don't know what to say really because I can't think of anything at the moment. You are all worried about pointing out my flaws that you forgot about your own. You are like your children. You have lost complete faith in me with the taking down Azula thing," Ren said.
The group looked at Ren for a moment before Katara let go of Aang'a hand and walked over to Ren. She slapped Ren in the face, leaving a hand print across her face. Ren lost her temper and shoved the woman to the ground. Aang ran over to Katara to make sure she was okay. She assured Aang she was fine before he stood. Ren heard her name and felt someone touch her. She opened her eyes and took a deep breath before she sighed. She saw Kuvira and Su crouched down in front of her. Ren thought about how she was truly feeling. Su looked at Kuvira and nodded before she walked away. Kuvira sat down, crossing her legs. Ren wondered if Kuvira wanted her to talk or if Ren was supposed to listen to her. Kuvira continued to stare at Ren which made Ren slightly uncomfortable. Ren pulled her legs close to her and placed her arms on her knees.
"Kuvira, things are different. Ever since Grandpa Tenzin died everything is different. Everyone is saying they are too busy for me. I need help but if no one has time how can they help me? Then everyone doubts me. No one wants to help, give ideas or anything but when I mess up, I get lectures or no one wants to talk to me. Sometimes I get worse than that. I just don't get it anymore. It was like Grandpa Tenzin died then poof screw you Ren do this on your own. Everyone gets to be with their family all the time but they have seem to have forgotten that I may want to spend time with my son. I just don't get it. Please as my best friend explain this to me," Ren said looking at Kuvira.
"Ren, I don't know what to say. I really can't answer what you want me to answer. Maybe things have changed after Tenzin's death because so many people were close with him. Take your relationship with him for example. It was a special bond that could never be broken, not even by death. I remember when you ran into a burning building to find him and he taught you so many things as a child. Now imagine how your mother, aunt, and uncles feel. To them you might just be a reminder right now. Aki killed him and that is very hard for all of us. Now what I'm about to say is not a lecture but I'm going to say it. You brought Azula out of the Spirit World and everyone is lecturing you because she is extremely strong. Now imagine how difficult you made things for yourself. Everyone is worried about you and the balance of the world. I hope that helped a little. If not then I don't know what you want to hear because I'm not going to sugar coat it," Kuvira said.
Ren looked at her knees before she looked at her best friend. Kuvira smiled at her as she helped her up. Ren and Kuvira started to walk towards the Beifong's home when she heard her name. She turned around to see Ty running over to her. Ren looked down to see his hand was wrapped in bandages. He started to pull her with him and Kuvira shrugged when Ren looked back. Ty pulled Ren into her guest room and over to the desk. He handed her a small wooden box. Ren raised her eyebrow before she opened it, revealing herbs. Ren moved the box up to her nose to take a sniff but when she smelled it she knew what it was. She shut the box and ushered Ty out of the room. She opened the box one more time to make sure that she wasn't mistaking the herbs, but her eyes and nose didn't fool her. She shut the box again, thinking what to do next. She opened the door and looked for Su and Kuvira, box in hand. She found Kuvira first which made her grab her arm hard. She started to drag her with as she looked for Su. When she found her she tossed Kuvira in Su's direction. She held the box up as she gave them both a look. Both women looked at the ground before looking at the woman before them.
"What is this shit? Wait, don't answer that because I already know the answer to that. How could you both do this to me?!" Ren screamed which made Bataar Jr, Baatar Sr, and Wing run in the room. "I don't need this. This is for people with phycological problems and I do not have those. I trusted that I could come here for help, or advice not for you to try and give me herbs. I'm not crazy!"
"Ren, taking those herbs doesn't mean you are crazy. I take herbs to deal with what happened from when Kuvira attacked then the war a few years ago. Ren, I take herbs for a few other things. Kuvira takes them, Baatar Jr, Wing, Opal, your parents, Lin, and even Iroh. Herbs are used for different types of things. People take them to sleep, to help get pregnant, or like me I take them because I have problems from the war and it helps keep me calm. Ren, your body is probably catching up to you after all these years. You have kept balance for so long and you're probably pushing every traumatic event you went through somewhere in your brain. You need to do something because it is affecting your judgment," Su said.
"I'm not taking the damn herbs," Ren said lighting the box on fire.
Kuvira sighed as she walked out of the room. She was so ready for them to come for Ren already. That night at dinner Ren looked at her plate, placing her hand over her mouth. Everyone looked at her as she ran out of the room. Kuvira and Su raised an eyebrow at each other. Ren ran to her room, locking the door behind her. She heard Azula and Aki's voice mocking her. It made her head hurt so bad that it was making her sick. She grabbed her trash can and began to vomit. Ren looked up to see Azula standing in front of her, making her jump. Ren started to vomit again. When she was finished, she set the trash can down and wiped her mouth. She walked back to the dining area to find everyone looking at her. She took her seat and began to eat before she felt someone kick her leg. She looked at Kuvira who was looking at her over her soup. Ren smiled at Kuvira before she turned her attention back to her meal. When Ren was finished with her meal she walked to her room, locking the door behind her. Ren laid in her bed, closing her eyes. Ren quickly fell asleep, but her dreams weren't pleasant. Kuvira heard Ren talking through the door but knew she was alone in her room. When Kuvira went to open the door but she noticed it was locked. When she unlocked it she saw Ren talking in her sleep. Kuvira saw Baatar Jr, Baatar Sr and Su walking down the hall. She got their attention and told them to come quickly as Ren continued to talk in her sleep. When the three arrived the four watched Ren talk in her sleep.
"Kuvira, please don't... Don't do this. Kuvira, please... Think of what you're doing..." Ren trailed off.
Everyone looked at Kuvira then back at Ren. Ren tossed and turned until she fell out of bed. She sat up and saw Kuvira. Kuvira walked into the room and Ren ran over to her. Ren hugged Kuvira as she thought about the dream she just had. Kuvira looked at Su as she ran her fingers through Ren's hair. Kuvira guided Ren back to her bed before she walked out of the room. She soon returned with blankets and a pillow. Everyone looked at Kuvira as she laid on the floor next to Ren's bed. She shrugged as she covered herself and went to sleep. The three shook their heads at Ren and Kuvira. The three went to bed, closing the door behind them. Later that night Kuvira felt Ren kick her feet so she looked up. She saw Ren walking out of the room but when she called her she didn't turn around. Ren walked past Su's room, giving Kuvira a chance to get Su to help get Ren. Kuvira stuck her head in and woke Su, telling her to follow her. They all walked past Wing's room and Kuvira woke him as well. The three followed Ren until they were at a guard station. Ren walked in past all the guards until she was at the back of the building. The three looked at Ren with a confused look until she used her earthbending to reveal a tunnel. Ren walked down the stairs, using her firebending to light the way. When they reached the end of the tunnel Kuvira, Su, and Wing looked at each other, then Ren. They looked at the maps all over the wall with different colored dots everywhere. Ren started to fall to the ground and Wing ran to catch her. He crouched down as Ren continued to sleep. Su placed her hand on the map of Zaofu, trying to figure out how this could have happened. Ren started to groan and touch her head. The three turned their attention to her as she started to wake up. Ren looked around the room as she propped herself up. She gave them a confused look before she got up to touch the map.
"How did we get down here? How do you even know about this place?" Ren asked.
"Wait, you know where we are? Have you been here before?" Kuvira asked.
"Yes, I am the one who built it. I made it when I was younger. I would chart where everyone hid during hide and seek no matter where we played. I have Air Temple Island, the water tribes, Republic City, Zaofu, and what was once the Royal palace. I have me, Sky, Gopan, Lee, Sesi, Asha, and... Aki" Ren said grabbing a few maps.
She started to run up the stairs with the maps still in hand. The three tried to keep up with her but were falling behind. Once they were all up the stairs Ren closed the entrance and continued to run back to the Beifong home. Ren turned a corner and started to slide. She bumped into the wall and continued to run towards Su's office. Baatar Sr and Baatar Jr poked their heads out to see if everything was okay but the three shrugged as they tried to catch up to Ren. Ren started to put the maps up and put pins at the spots that had been Aki's hiding spots. When everyone finally caught up to Ren, they saw her putting pins in certain spots. Ren tried to calculate the probability that Aki was in any of those spots. Ren started to scribble on the paper when she felt a hand on her arm. She looked up to see Su smiling at her. Ren tried to do the math one more time when she heard someone clear their throat. She looked in the doorway to see Sky standing there. She stood with a smile on her face. He walked over to the map and placed his hand on it. Ren looked at him for a minute, trying to figure out what was different. Ren looked at Kuvira and she could tell that Kuvira sensed something was wrong too.
"Thirty percent. There is a thirty percent chance we will find Aki this way. Ren, you can't keep doing this. You can't run off every time something gets bad anymore. We have a son. I'm the chief of police. I can't drop everything and come looking for you like when we were younger. You need to grow up. Act like the avatar the world needs. You are making some stupid mistakes and it is going to cost you your family one day. Kuvira, you need to tell her this because she sure as hell isn't listening to me. I don't even have to look at her to know that," Sky said.
Ren looked at Kuvira who stood there silently. Kuvira looked at the ground before she looked back at Ren. Ren walked over to Sky, smacking him in the face. He stood there with his hand on his face, looking at Ren. Everyone in the room looked at the two. Ren looked back at Kuvira one last time before she walked out. She heard Kuvira call her name but she never turned around. Ren walked over to the power disc court where she sat. She heard footsteps and turned around. She saw Kuvira standing there with a smile. Ren stared at her for a moment and wondered if she truly needed someone to tell her the truth. Ren walked over to Kuvira and stood in front of her. Kuvira placed a hand on Ren's shoulder as she continued to smile at her. Ren gave her a half smile before Kuvira spoke.
"You know Ren, Sky is only half right. You can't run off all the time when things get hard anymore. You are an adult with adult responsibilities. His math was a bit off though. It was actually forty-five percent. You do act grown up and he should be trying to help you. I will try to help you more even with my Earth Republic duty. I wish you would have spoken with me sooner about how you felt. I'm your best friend and I will always be there for you. Dumb mistakes or smart ones," Kuvira said with a smile.
"Thank you. I truly appreciate it. Kuvira, I think I will take those herbs now. You guys are right when you said they only help me and that it doesn't make me crazy. I make me crazy to be honest" Ren said, hugging her.