Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Korra. This story is non-profit.
"Ah!" Zuko bolted upright with a start. He was just in a dream involving a dragon, a young, boy and… his sister Azula. It all happened so fast, Zuko couldn't recall what exactly happened or begin to guess if it was a vision of hallucination.
Whipping the comforter from himself, he sat up, retrieved his slippers, and briskly walked towards the balcony window. Thankfully, it wasn't raining so Zuko opened the doors and stepped out onto the wide balcony. It was large enough for his dragon, Druk, to reside and still be close by to her master. That dream was too real… Zuko thought as he rubbed his neck and took in the view of the garden. It took a moment, but Zuko finally calmed down and gained a clear head. It was then he noticed he was alone, Druk was nowhere in sight. If she wasn't on the balcony, she could be seen wandering the garden at odd times in the night.
"Druk… Druk!" Zuko called out. It was unlike her to leave while Zuko was sleeping. Approaching the railing, Zuko peered over to see if she had been resting on the patio terrace. Without warning, Zuko was sent stumbling backwards. Druk had flown from below and almost took off Zuko's head had he not evaded. "Druk!" Zuko was about to scold his mount but he paused as he watched Druk fly erratically.
"Druk!"
"Zuko!"
The Fire Lord spun in place to face the intruder. His eyes widened when he saw who it was.
"Uncle!" Zuko hadn't seen him in years. Not because Iroh didn't care, but because Zuko requested of his uncle to retire in the Spirit World until one day, Zuko would join him. "I apologize, but I need to help Druk calm down-"
"Zuko, how your dragon is acting and why I'm here is no coincidence." Iroh spoke with a grim tone. Despite the concern for his dragon, Iroh saw that he had his nephew's complete attention. "Your dragon, Druk, is only reacting to the return of his species to the World of Living."
"Returned? Uncle, Druk was the last dragon egg Ran and Shaw entrusted to me. There shouldn't be any other dragons in the world."
"Zuko, this dragon is a spirit, one that has escaped the Spirit World and seeks to wreak havoc if left unchecked…" Iroh saw the confusion written on Zuko's face, so he gestured for the both of them to sit before he began his tale.
When Iroh was done, Druk had calmed down some time during the story and had settled on the balcony. Somehow, Iroh's presence had a calming effect on those in proximity. Turning to Zuko, Iroh mentioned, "You will need the aid of the Avatar, Zuko. Korra is the only one that knows how to use energy-bending left in this world. And I hope with this early warning, you will be able to act before it is too late…" Iroh began fading from Zuko's bedroom. "Goodbye, nephew. Until we meet again…"
"Goodbye, Uncle."
Iroh was gone.
Zuko moved to his closet and got dressed. He couldn't wait for morning; he needed to act now to take advantage of Iroh's warning. When Zuko finished, he opened his door and addressed the sentry across the hall. "Send word to my generals; I'm enacting an emergency meeting at once!"
The sentry straightened from his post. "Sir!"
"And inform the agents in Republic City to prepare for my arrival. Dismissed!"
"Yes, sir!"
-Apprentice+
When Mako came downstairs, he expected Korra to be sprawled all over the couch, her appearance a mess. It was the usual state he found her in whenever she slept over. But to his surprise, she was already awake, playing with Pabu.
"Morning-Ahem, morning." Mako voice sounded gruff so early in the morning. He had to clear it when Korra jumped at the sound.
"Morning yourself, boogey-man." Korra returned the greeting with a tease.
"Ha ha." Mako went to the kitchen and started getting ingredients for breakfast. "What's got you up so early?" Mako poured a mix into the bowl and started stirring. He gave her a questioning glance from the island counter. "Normally, you'd be a slumbering she-beast until breakfast is done."
Korra stopped playing and fixed Mako with a dull look at his comment. "I'm not that bad in the morning…" Korra's jaw set at the exaggerated incredulous look Mako sent her way. Korra mustered a dry laugh. "Ha ha. You see 'this'; I'm only laughing 'cause you let me sleep here."
"No, you're laughing 'cause I'm making breakfast." Mako corrected, laying some meat on the frying pan.
Before she could retort, Bolin had made his way down with a yawn. "Morning, married couple… Arguing first thing in the morning, I hear." Bolin got a pillow to the face for his remark. He laughed before suddenly hurling it right back onto Korra's face.
Bolin ducked behind the couch before Korra could retaliate; only for the Avatar to vault over the couch, armed with more couch cushions. A pillow fight ensued and Pabu was elected the referee.
When it really started getting rowdy, Mako started shaking his head as he placed breakfast on the dining table-
"Ah!"
Mako dropped the plate on the table and bolted to the living room only to see Korra writhing on the carpet floor, clutching her lower back. Bolin was mortified, thinking he'd just broken a fine china set. "I didn't mean to-
"Korra!"
Bolin turned to see Asami in the doorway; she had just unlocked it with her spare key and came in to see Korra on the floor in pain. Without hesitation, she rushed to Korra's side and tried to get Korra to tell her where the pain was originating from.
Bolin didn't even get another round of apologies out when Mako suddenly rounded onto him.
"What did you do, Bo?!" Mako was close to pummeling his brother for being too rough with Korra so soon after she recovered.
"Shut up!" Korra yelled over the others. She was madder at herself for yelping in pain in the first place than she was at them for causing a ruckus. Spirits, overreaction, much? Her back ached; it wasn't like her arm just got lobbed off or anything. Korra moved to stand, swatting the hands offering to help away and made her way to the dining table, grumbling all the way. When she sat herself down, she waited for the others to eventually join before she started herself. She didn't make eye contact with anyone as she fixed her plate.
After a whole five minutes of silence. Korra knew she was the one to blame for the somber mood. Korra started, "Sorry about that whole 'Ah, my hip', guys…" Korra tried to play off the cry of pain from earlier. "But it doesn't erase the fact that you totally got owned by an old lady, Bolin!" Korra gave an unconvincing laugh.
Her friends saw what she was trying to do and wordlessly decided what they needed to do. Bolin turned to Korra with a pitiful expression. "Korra, I'm sorry…"
Korra had sat there frozen. She thought Bolin was about to call her out on her bluff-
"You must've taken too many cushions to the head, 'because I was obviously ahead by three points!" Bolin's face morphed from serious to a wide grin. Then the table burst into laughing.
"Eh…" Korra sat there stunned until she snapped out of it and gave each of them a weak glare. It wasn't long before she joined in the laughter. "Puh-leeze. There's no way you won!"
"Ahem- sore loser- cough!" Bolin muttered, but Korra heard it and gave him a playful smack.
Mako raised his voice to stop the incoming rematch. "Alright, alright! There's only one way to know for sure who won. Pabu?"
All eyes turned to the red panda that waddled towards the middle of the table. Pabu's tail hovered over Korra's hand and then over Bolin's.
After a moment of bated silence, the fluffy tail rested on…
Korra's hand.
Korra threw her arms into the air and let out a, "Whoo!"
Bolin fell from his chair and screamed to the ceiling, "Pabu! Why have you forsaken your dear old Papa?!"
Mako and Asami laughed at Bolin's antics. When the mood sobered, Asami got Bolin to help her with the dishes.
When Korra's arms fell to her sides, she let out a small yawn and tried to rub the remaining sleep from her eyes. It didn't go unnoticed by Mako, though.
"How'd you sleep last night, Korra?"
"Fine." Korra supplied with a short answer, she was hoping Mako wouldn't make a big deal about it when 'you know who' was in the next room.
"You sure- What?" Mako pressed, but stopped when Korra gave him a pointed stare before peering towards the kitchen.
Asami had peeked out of the kitchen when she heard the two whispering. "What's up?" Asami looked from Korra, who clearly wasn't going to speak first, to Mako, who was trying not to annoy Korra any more than he inadvertently had done so already. "Someone is going to tell me or else…" Asami started cracking her knuckles. Korra snorted at the threat but saw Mako wince.
By now, Bolin and Pabu had leaned over to see what was going on. Bolin shook her head at Korra and made the 'you're gonna get it now' motion with his hands.
Korra quickly gave Mako a signal to say nothing- too late. Mako broke first and sputtered, "I was just asking if she got enough sleep last night; she looked tired…"
Some detective.
"What? When did you start having trouble sleeping, Korra?" Asami set down the soapy gloves and briskly walked over to where Korra sat, feeling her forehead. A thousand ailments started buzzing in Asami's mind. Before she left the Temple, Tenzin wanted her to check if Korra had pushed herself so hard, if she had gotten an infection. Asami flinched as she felt a jolt when her hand made contact with Korra's forehead. Unbeknownst to the Sato heir, it was actually the water on her hands that produced the shock from Korra's skin. Neither of the women knew of how unstable Korra's lightning became since she found out last night.
Korra swatted her hands away from her face. "Asami, it's nothing, I just had a bad dream last night." Korra wanted to keep it like that. She didn't want her friends to think she still got nightmares at her age.
"Korra…" Asami started, but Korra wasn't having any of it.
Asami might have the brothers cowed, but it'd take a lot more to get her to spill her guts. Korra raised a brow, awaiting what sort of threat Asami would try with her. To her surprise, Asami sat down and let out a long sigh.
"I've been trying really hard not to become the big bad nurse since you got hurt, Korra… But, Spirits! You're not making it easy!" Asami suddenly raised her voice, causing Pabu to retreat into Bolin's shirt. Korra paled; all signs of stubbornness gone. "When are you going to stop acting like… like… A freakin' brat!"
Mako and Bolin tried to escape the tension-filled room quietly-
"Sit down!" Asami shouted, scowling at them. After the sound of their rushed seating, she turned her gaze back to Korra. "We…" Asami regarded the brothers and herself. "…Are your friends. We want nothing more than for you to get better! But we can't help you if you don't let us, understand?" When Asami received a nod, she continued. "Now what's got you so worked up you can't sleep?"
Korra should've just told Asami about her nightmare then and there, but she kept a tight lip. She had to think of a plausible lie to appease her for now.
Asami saw the gears working in Korra's head, probably thinking of telling her anything other than the blatant truth. "It's Zaheer, isn't it?"
Korra's mind stopped processing when she uttered that man's name. With a willpower rivaling Vaatu, Korra willed her body not to start shaking. Korra had to look at anything other than Asami's assuming face at the moment so she meekly turned to the brothers and regretted it. If looks could kill, Mako's darkened features could be described as murderous. Bolin had the worst case of guilt on his face that Korra had ever seen. Looking down at her hands, Korra wanted nothing more than to tell them the truth-
"It's settled, then. I'm going over to the prison… And I'm gonna kill him."
Korra turned to Mako. She didn't like that tone of voice in the slightest. It sounded too much like the cold ruthlessness Amon spoke with often. Not a moment after his announcement, he pushed back to stand and headed directly towards the door of the apartment. Korra's heart stilled in her chest when Asami and Bolin followed right after, their next objective clear.
It had gone too far now. Korra wanted to get up and forcefully stop them from going on a suicide mission. She couldn't even defeat him and she was the Avatar. Korra was captured, beaten, poisoned, and almost died from fighting that bastard. If they somehow got to Zaheer, they would die. And it would be all Korra's fault.
"NO!" Korra cried, instantly making everyone freeze and turn back towards her. Her head was bowed and her fists were clenched for all they were worth. "I'm…" Korra muttered, her face was wet from the tears falling freely down her face.
Mako, Asami, and Bolin's faces were close to her own, filled with concern and worry. Bolin took her fists into his hands and loosened them up. Mako wiped the tears from her face. Asami came from behind with her arms wrapped around Korra's shoulders. The group stayed like that as Korra finally let her traumatic experiences vent from her body.
Eventually, Korra had calmed down and asked that everyone sit back down.
When everyone took their seat once more, Korra let out a long sigh before clapping her face, rousing herself from the tension of earlier. Soon after, she finally told them about her nightmare. "…And then the dragon reared its head back shot lightning at me… That's when I woke up."
There were mixed reactions amongst her friends; Bolin looked ready to faint, the gears in Mako's head started turning as he thought deeply about it, whereas Asami immediately reached over and gave Korra a good smack. "Owuh! Asami!"
"We almost killed ourselves because you didn't want us to know you had a nightmare?! Are you serious?!"
Korra pouted and rubbed her arm. "Didn't want you to think I still got nightmares at my age-"
"You experienced a nightmare a year ago, Korra. I'd be more worried if you only sulked around all this time instead of having nightmares as well. I thought you would snap at any moment and go mental…" Asami trailed off as she got up and walked into the kitchen. Coming back with a rag full of ice, Asami handed it to Korra, "Here, ya big baby." A smile on the girl's face.
Korra took the ice and stuck her tongue out at Asami, chuckling with her. Then Korra turned to Bolin, who had been quiet the whole time, and gave him a worried stare. "Bolin, what's wrong? You're pale."
Tearing himself from his thoughts, Mako glanced at his brother along with the girls. "What's up, bro-"
"Spirits…" Bolin whispered softly, his eyes as wide as plates and skin pale as a ghost. "It's the same dragon… The one I saw flying near the Air Temple!"
"Aw, Bo! Not that nonsense again!"
"But it's true! You heard Korra just now, didn't you?!"
"Dragons are dead, Bo! Have been for centuries… Korra probably just had a weird- Uh, Avatar dream, vision, or something!"
"But I saw it, I know I did!"
"You probably thought you saw it with your junk food-induced illusions! Like Pabu turning into a prosti-"
"You said you'd never bring that up!" Bolin yelled before Mako finished, jumping to his feet and tackling his brother for good measure. "You swore!"
Korra and Asami shared a look, even more confused as the brother's argued and antics. Instead of intervening, the two decided to task themselves with the dishes. It would be awhile until they stopped fighting.
About a half hour later, Korra and Asami were in the living room- Korra catching Asami up on what transpired yesterday with Zion- when Mako and Bolin, both sporting bruises and scratches joined them. The two sat in the furniture furthest from the other to which Korra and Asami ignored.
"Now that you two are all tuckered out…" Korra started, earning a scowl from the pair, "Bolin, what did you mean by there being a dragon flying over the Temple?"
"I meant that I actually saw a dragon flying by the Temple…" Bolin confirmed, sticking his tongue out at Mako when the brother snorted. "There was a flash of lightning and then it was gone."
"Yep, conveniently before anyone could see it…" Mako commented.
Bolin got ready for another round but Korra held up her hand. "Alright, you two. It's not like I don't believe you, Bolin, but that's a matter for another time…" Korra turned to Mako. "Have you given any thought to what I told you last night?"
"What, the kid with blue fire?" Mako furrowed his brows. "Are you sure you saw that right? I mean… there hasn't been a blue fire-bender since Fire Lord Zuko's wacko sister."
"Fire Lord Zuko has a sister?" Was the collective response of everyone else.
Mako raised a brow at their reaction, but digressed. "Yeah, and I don't blame you for not knowing. That information isn't exactly available to the public. As a matter of fact, it used to be a cardinal sin if anyone mentioned it in the Fire Nation some time ago." Mako informed them in case they ever meet Zuko again. "But nowadays, Zuko gets a little nostalgic at the mention of Azula."
"Oh…" The three responded. Asami got back on topic though. "Back to blue fire-bending; was that practice banned as well?"
Mako's expression darkened. "Not exactly; blue fire-bending is more of a hereditary gene. Only some descendants of Asger, not only the first fire-bender to wield blue fire but also an Avatar, can use it as well…" Mako trailed off, hoping the line of questioning wouldn't delve any deeper.
"What is it, Mako?" It was Korra's turn to notice the subtle changes in expressions.
Mako wanted to cut off then, but he digressed. He wouldn't risk the conversation blowing up like it had with Korra. "It's just that… people who have blue fire-bending almost always turn out having mental issues. Severe mental issues… It, well, causes their spirit to act erratically thus morphing their bending to that of blue-fire."
Korra took the information in with worry. "Almost always?"
"Yeah, there's usually a traumatic event happening in their childhood that fuels the descent to mental health, though."
Korra's heart sank at that last part as she thought of Zion and his uncle. Korra hoped the boy was only living with his uncle, not that his parents were permanently out of the picture.
"But there is hope…" Mako followed quickly when he saw Korra's downcast face. His friend's face gained some more color. "If the person has a clear aspiration, a dream to work towards, they may be able to live a relatively normal life. Also, friends… True friends to be by their side as well." Mako said, giving Korra a smile of reassurance. "No matter what."
Korra returned it with an even bigger smile despite herself. For now, Zion wasn't lost… there was still hope. Korra paused, questioning why she cared so much; she had just met him yesterday.
"Well, what are we doing sitting around here? Let's go befriend him before he goes crazy!"
It took a moment until it sunk in how that sounded out loud and Bolin's eyes widened. "Nonono… That's not what I meant-"
"It's fine, Bo, we get it." Asami shook his head at him. "But I agree, let's go find him and see if he's okay."
"Yeah, his uncle owns a café downtown. We should check there first-"
"I can't." Mako interrupted her, rubbed the back of his neck. He let out a sigh when all eyes zeroed in on him. "Guys, I got work at the precinct… A stack of reports up to the ceiling…" Mako trailed off, letting out a groan at the reminder.
"Too bad, that's gonna have to wait until we find Zion." Korra told him, ignoring his reasons.
Bolin tried for another approach, "Think of it as your duty as a policeman to find a child and assess his mental health as a detective!"
Ignoring Korra's refusal of his refusal, Mako entertained Bolin's idea. It would give him a chance to put off the paper-work AND he'd be able to finally wear his brand-new detective uniform. "Hmm…"
But it was Asami that sealed the deal by throwing his quote right back into his face. "Need 'true friends to stay by their side… no matter what'." Evil? Yes. Effective? Also, yes.
Mako deflated, "I'll go get changed so we can find the brat…"
-Apprentice+
The gang ended up going back to Kaizer's Cafe to question Zion. On the way, Bolin brings back the subject of what happen the other night. Mako groans which makes Korra and Asami confused but they otherwise listen to what Bolin says. By the end of it, Korra looks nervous (the dragon from her dream and the same dragon Bolin just explained seemed to be connected).
-Apprentice+
When Korra and her friends finally find Zion, the boy is sneaking out of city limits into a forested area. Deciding to the follow him, Team Avatar trail Zion until they're led to a rundown tree house. Opting to stay out of site, Korra suddenly sees Zion sitting down in front of the tree and starts to talk to no one in particular.
"Hey, Lightning, I managed to get you some leftover baked goods from my uncle's kitchen. We ran out of bear-claws, though, sorry. I know those are your favorites..."
Korra and her friends saw that Zion was met with silence. As Zion continued to verse with no one in the forest, it became apparent that they boy was lonely.
"Spirits, this kid needs to get some friends..." Mako muttered before he was elbowed by Asami. "What? You can't tell me this is sad to watch!" Mako hissed, rubbing his arm.
"Don't be an ass. We don't know this kid's situation!"
"And the old flames reignite…" Bolin muttered to himself, trying not to let the two hear his comment.
"Shut up, Bolin!" Asami and Mako stopped fighting when Korra looking at them as if they were children.
"Will you two shut up! You're blowing our cover-"
"Who's there?!" Zion had gotten up and was standing nervously.
Korra raised a brow. Why would someone who could bend blue fire be nervous?
Unbeknownst to Korra, Zion was nervous due to the fact that his friend was nearby and he really, really didn't like strangers.
It was then that Team Avatar made themselves known to Zion, stepping from out of the bushes. Korra lead the group due to her knowing Zion. "Hey, kiddo."
"Avatar Korra, hey!" Zion's face went from nervous to excitement quickly. Without a thought, he gave her a slight bow. "Sorry for bugging you the other day to hang out…" Zion rose and sheepishly recalled the memory.
Korra waved the apology away. "It's fine, Zion. I'm glad I found you; let me introduce you to my friends!" Korra pointed her shoulder. "The goofy one is Bolin, the nagging one is Asami, and the prince of brooding, there, is Mako."
Korra's friends set their jaws at their introductions. "And this moron is someone the Avatar…" Asami made introductions for Korra. "I'm as surprised as you are, kid… I'm Asami Sato, nice to meet you." Asami offered her hand.
"Bolin's name, carrying the team is my game!" Bolin offered his fist to Zion to dap.
"Mako. And that's all you need to know, brat." Mako greeted. He had to keep an eye on the kid. Not only could he bend the infamous blue fire, but Korra seemed to like him. Mako didn't trust such a threat so early unlike the Avatar. "Don't do anything to cause me to mistrust you and we'll get along fine…"
Before he could introduce himself, Zion made a face before suddenly sneezing. On Mako. But what made everyone else yelp was the burst of fire that happened the moment Zion sneezed.
Mako felt his eye twitch in irritation. His new freshly-clean uniform he received from his promotion now had a steaming hot mess of mucus all over the front of it. "This kid only has one living relative, right? Should be relatively easy to make him disappear…"
Bolin had a feeling he would have to hold his brother back from retaliating. "Mako, I'm sure it was an accident…"
The hem of his jacket was singed and upon closer observation, his beloved scarf had been damaged as well. "Just got a body last night that fits his description…"
Asami smacked Mako upside the head. "Oh come on! This little spaz just ruined my uniform… by sneezing!" Mako hissed at her. But Asami regarded Zion, who looked very embarrassed. Glancing at the kid, he scowled at his true expression. When Asami wasn't looking, Zion made a mocking face directed at Mako.
With a huff, Mako backed off. For now. He wouldn't outright murder the kid… not with so many witnesses, one being the Avatar to boot. "Wipe your nose, kid." Mako chided Zion, but when no one was looking, a flash of electricity surged around Mako's frame. A ghost of a smile came when Zion got bug-eyed.
Bolin was about to ask why his brother was smirking, but Korra clapped her hands together and announced, "So, now that the potential homicide is out of the way, what are we doing out here in this perfectly secluded murder setting, Zion?"
Rolling her eyes at Korra's exaggeration, Asami turned to Zion. "Why are you out here, anyway?"
"Talking to yourself like some mental case, no less…" Mako muttered, causing his brother to let out a stifled snicker. But before Asami could reprimand the brothers, a sound came from above and all excluding Zion flinched.
Team Avatar instantly got into a defensive formation, keeping Zion in the middle, facing their backs. Scanning the area, the group couldn't pinpoint where the sound originated from. Until it came again, sounding like nothing less of a screech from a creature that has been supposedly extinct for centuries. Looking to the skies, Team Avatar paled when they witnessed a portal ripping the sky open and two dragons came diving out of it.
"What the f-"
The downwind from their massive wings forced the team to the ground, unable to overcome the sudden air pressure. "Gah!" Was the collective response. Korra was the first to act. With some difficulty, she manipulated the air around them to ease the pressure off. It worked alright, but then the earth threw everyone back onto the ground in a heap. Korra was brought to her knees but managed to slam her fist into the earth, diminishing the quake. With her hands full, Korra willed herself to turn her head and see if her friends were alright. Glancing at a newly formed crater, Korra's eyes widened. There were two dragons, in a huge death-match, and Zion was running headlong into the fray.
"Zion!"
Korra blinked. She didn't say a word just now. Korra moved to stand and turned to see her friends doing the same. They were looking at her with the same bemused expression. Who said that? No way…
"Zion, stay back!" The ebony-scaled dragon roared at the boy as he neared closer to the skirmish. It let out a pained screech when its opponent wrapped their jaw around its neck.
"Lightning!" Zion jumped into the air above the crater's edge, shooting a stream of his distinct fire-bending at the opposing bronze dragon. But the blast merely phased through the beast, leaving Zion falling into the stick of it with nothing to show for it.
Finally getting over their initial shock, Team Avatar jumped into action.
Korra ran after Zion, her friends close behind. It was when Korra was about to jump into the crater, a massive jolt from her back hindered her and sent her stumbling forward. Korra cursed as the pain racked throughout her body. Mako was the closest and knelt down to assess her state. "Korra stay down, we'll get Zion and retreat!" Mako yelled over the fight between dragons.
"No, we need to-"
"Korra, those are dragons and that kids' attack didn't have any effect! If you're still too injured to move too much, we'd be crushed within seconds!"
Korra couldn't deny that. The only logical explanation why Zion's attack didn't do anything was because the two beasts were probably spirits. And she was in no condition to calmly energy-bend them back to their realms. Another shock from her spine and Korra relented, "Ugh, fine! We'll retreat for now."
Nodding, Mako started lifting Korra up and resting her arm around his shoulder. "Asami, help me with Korra! Bolin, get that kid and immediately run after us!" Mako shouted at the two as the battle progressed and grew louder. Asami nodded, moving to slip Korra's other arm on her shoulder.
Bolin gave Mako a thumbs up running up to the edge of the crater. Bringing his foot down to the ground, his action caused seismic echo to sound off to his senses. Locating Zion wasn't very hard when they were only two other bodies… Dragons, no less. Bolin had to focus for a moment, but then he stomped his foot once again and a platform with one stunned kid came from out of the crater. With the velocity the pillar shot up, Zion was sent flying into the sky before falling into Bolin's arms.
Bolin gave the kid an once-over for any injures before high-tailing it after his friends. When Zion started thrashing and struggling to get out of his grasp, Bolin held even tighter. "Knock it off, kid. There's no way we could fight a spirit dragon, two I might add, without Korra!"
"But, I can't leave Lightning! He needs help fighting Miruk!"
That's Lightning?! The same 'Lightning' Zion was speaking to earlier?! Bolin's eyes widened at the revelation but he didn't stop. While the news was shocking, Bolin still needed to get as far away as possible-
"Whatever happens to me, don't let Zion come to the Spirit World!"
Bolin almost tripped over his own feet. Slowing to a jog, Bolin turned back to see the ebony dragon, Lightning, staring at him from a distance. The eye contact was brief but Bolin felt that the message echo in his head. Only in his head, though. It felt like Lightning was just in his head when he delivered the message. Bolin tried to bring the connection back up, but Lightning was suddenly snatched back into the fight in the crater.
With the warning in mind, Bolin resumed running despite Zion's struggles. Later, when they were safe, Bolin would have to ask Zion who Miruk was and how he happened to meet Lightning.
-Apprentice+
Back at Kaizer's Café, it was becoming dusk and Team Avatar needed to discuss what to do with Zion while said boy was still away in the restroom.
"I don't think Lightning is coming back anytime soon…" Bolin commented and everyone at the table nodded in agreement. The memory of the fierce battle between Lightning and the mysterious dragon spirit fresh in their minds. The thought was even more enforced by what Bolin told them about Lightning's warning.
"And I don't Zion would be safe unsupervised." Asami voiced her concerns. It wasn't that Zion's uncle was to blame for the boy running off to Spirits knows where all the time. Just that Kaizer may have given Zion too much freedom for a teenager his age.
"Yeah, he needs to be guarded until we find out more…" Korra nodded in agreement. She peered up at the brothers, "Hey, can you guys let him crash at your place for a while?"
"No." Mako flat-out denied the notion.
Korra gave him a frown at his immature refusal. It didn't slip past her how Zion and Mako really felt about each other. "Mako, he's in trouble…"
"No, Korra, I have work all day and Bolin usually leaves for the boot camp most days out of the week." Mako elaborated, causing Korra to give him an apologetic smile for assuming something it was something else. "Besides, bringing a teenager to sleep over with two grown men is weird. I doubt Zion's uncle would go along with it…" Mako added.
"Yeah, and if someone from the force saw Mako bringing a little boy into his home at night… Whew talk about- Owuh!" Bolin's arm was swatted by Asami. Mako got up to go to the bathroom to check on Zion, reaching out to smack his brother upside the head as well.
Speaking of Asami, Korra turned to ask her. But Asami held up her hand. "Sorry, but I can't. If I'm not at the Temple helping Pema, I'm at my company trying to bring it back to glory."
Korra rubbed her face. It looked like she would have to bring Zion back to the Temple with her. The Avatar only hoped the two resident parents wouldn't be too mad at the prospect of raising yet another teenager under their roof. "I guess, Zion is coming with me-"
Mako pushed and pardoned himself back to the booth his friends were at and shouted, "He wasn't in the bathroom!"
"What?!" Korra started.
"Zion's gone!" Mako reiterated.
Before Team Avatar could think of their next move, a commotion had started near the entrance. Jumping to their seats, in hopes that it had something to do with Zion, the group pardoned themselves through the crowd and froze in their footsteps.
Fire Lord Zuko of the Fire Nation was standing in the doorway of the café. And if it was any indication of his sudden arrival by his grim face, he had come with bad news.
Zuko held up his hand and the café silenced immediately. "Avatar Korra, I've come to you because I require your help with hunting and capturing a spirit dragon that has escaped the Spirit World."
"Escaped?" Was the only thing Korra said, still too stunned by the turn of events.
"Yes. My most trusted informant believes that this dragon is allied with Vaatu and has escaped custody of the Spirit World's law authorities."
"Ugh, what else could go wrong-" Korra slapped a hand over her mouth, else she jinx a meteor shower raining from above.