.
.
.
.
The next morning, Korra was already out on the deck, petting Naga's head while her dragon birds friends surrounded her. Her father walked out to check up on her.
"How you feeling?" He asked, knowing that the whole Unalaq situation was still very fresh. But Korra looked fine, physically at least.
"I'm okay, dad. I'm just worried, what if Raiko doesn't help?"
"He's known you for years, I'm sure once he understand what's at stake he will do everything he can to help the tribe. It's a part of my history too. your grandmother was born and raised there, as was my uncle."
"If the war doesn't stop more dark spirits will be victimized to the negative outcomes. I've seen what they're going through. It was terrible."
The two of them heard Bolin's voice calling out to them, "Hey, guys! Republic City off the port bow!" he shouted while looking at the city through his telescope. However, he had it backwards. He turned around to se his brother, to which looked to be a few feet away due to how Bolin was holding the object.
"Hey, bro! How'd ya sleep?" once he lowered the telescope, he saw his brother was right in front of him, with a very exhausted look on his face. "Wow! What happened to you?"
"I don't know." he replied, rubbing the back of his neck with his hair a complete mess. "I feel like I slept inside an oven and my throat is killing me." he rubbed his neck, though his voice didn't sound raspy to signify his pain.
"Really? You sound fine to me."
The next person to walk out was Asami, who flipped her hair as she approached them. "Morning, sweetie!" Bolin happily greeted.
"Whatever."
To his, and Mako's, surprise, Asami just walked right pass them, not even bothering to smile or give Bolin a kiss on the cheek. This was very unlike her. Bolin quickly rushed over to her, "Hey, Asami I think you forgot to say good morning."
"No, I didn't." she responded bluntly, which was very, very unlike her.
"Well, did ya sleep well?"
"Never better." the heiress took out her little hand mirror and looked at herself vainly. It almost seemed as if the sweet, compassionate Asami he knew was replaced by some stoic and uninterested diva. She spotted Bolin's reflection in the mirror, narrowed her eyes at him and walked away towards Korra and Tenzin.
"So, what's the plan here again?" she asked the two, using a tone that was very unlike herself.
"We ask Raiko to send troops to the south so we can stop Unalaq. I told you this yesterday, remember?" Korra was also a bit startled by her friend's strange attitude. Normally, she's cheerful in the morning and ready to assist in anything. But today, it was almost as if she barely cared.
"I meant for my company." Asami stated, placing her hand on her chest, signaling to herself, "Now that my vacation's over I need to bust up some sales. In case you forgot, the mecha tanks aren't selling as they should."
Korra arched an eyebrow, "Are you feeling okay? This isn't really like you."
"Hate to break it to you, Kors, but you're not the only one with problems." she turned away with a flip of her hair, making Korra even more confused.
"It's probably the stress." Tenzin said to reassure his daughter.
"Yeah…probably."
Varrick's boat stopped at the docks of Republic City, where Lin Beifong was already awaiting for them. Word of the civil war had spread fast and now practically everyone in the city was aware of the situation at hand. The woman approached the Avatar, who stood beside her father.
"You leave for a few days and all heck breaks loose." she said to the young Avatar.
"Aunt Lin, I can explain." Korra took in a deep breath before confessing, "I found my uncle at the south pole, who turned out to be Chief Unalaq of the north and at first things were going great but then there was this dark spirit that attacked the ball and tore up my dress and then I opened a spirit portal and my uncle turned out to be a lier and tried to get my dad arrested, I busted him out and now we need to speak with Raiko or else both my uncle and the dark spirits are going to destroy the south!"
She took in a large deep inhale after speaking so rapidly. Lin wasn't that surprised, after all this kid had to confess to being in trouble before in the past. Only now she was older enough to take responsibility for them, unlike when she was younger.
Tenzin addressed to his childhood friend, "Lin, we need to speak with Raiko immediately. It's urgent."
"Raiko canceled any potential meetings for today. There's going to be a Southern Water Tribe peace march tonight and I need to be there so things don't get out of hand." he turned to the firebender who stepped forward before her. "Mako, I'm going to need you back on the beat."
"I'm all yours, chief." he replied, still having his throat soar.
"I'm going too." Korra said, "The south needs to know that the Avatar is on their side against the northern invaders."
Lin didn't like the sound of that. "Great. That should calm them down." she said sarcastically.
"I'm not sure if that is a wise idea." said Tenzin to his daughter.
"What?!"
"Having you there bluntly supporting one side might make matters worse. You should at least try to seem neutral."
"I'm not neutral! Unalaq's forces invaded the south and we need to stop them!"
"I understand your frustration, but you can't let your personal feelings towards your uncle cloud your better judgment. It's high time we all started listening to our heads from here on out."
Korra sighed in defeat. "Alright."
However, Asami then began to ponder on the situation for a moment. Her rosy red lips shifted into a sneaky grin. "You know what, I think Korra should go to the peach march." she said, speaking in her old tone once again. "Maybe instead of just siding with one of the tribes she can give a little speech to the public. Get everybody to listen to reason. After all, the Avatar is suppose to help keep the peace, what better way than to speak up against this animosity, am I right?"
"She is good at giving speeches." said Jinora, "Maybe it would be good for her to speak up. Somebody has to."
Tenzin thought about this for a moment. He still believed it was risky, but maybe it was worth a try. If they could ease the tensions here in the city maybe that itself could help them.
Mako, on the other hand, wasn't so sure. "I don't know, Asami. I think Tenzin might have the right-Ah!" he suddenly felt something in his throat. He gripped his neck, taking a few steps back, coughing loudly
"Mako, are you okay?!" Korra asked with worry.
He had randomly started coughing, as if the words themselves had made him choke. He cleared up, finally feeling better and swallowed an invisible object within his neck. "Yeah. I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" Lin asked with concern, "If you're feeling sick-"
"No! No, I'm okay. If Korra's going to that peace march then I need to be there too."
Asami, simply shrugged, "Whatever. I've got to go check on my factory." she walked off, roughly bumping into Korra's shoulder as she did. She didn't bother to say goodbye to anybody. At all. The others watched her leave, all looking on with confused expressions.
"What is up with her?" Varrick asked.
Korra was about to reply that she didn't know, but then remembered what her father said. She needed to listen to her head now and not her feelings. "We've got more important things to focus on right now. I'm going to find out more about this peace march."
With that, everyone started walking away from the boat, while Varrick turned to his assistant, who was carrying all of his bags. "And I am dying for a pedicure!" he tapped his assistance nose, to which she did not respond, and continued on their way. Bolin was the only one who stayed behind.
"So, uh, what should I be doing?" he asked, not entirely certain as to what purpose he could play in all of this.
"I don't know, Bolin." Mako spoke up, rather harshly, "Figure something out." the firebender stopped for a moment, shocked at what he had just said. He gripped his throat, feeling a strange sensation after the words left his mouth. Why would he say such a thing to his own brother who only wanted to help? What got into him? First Asami was acting cold and mean, and now he was saying harsh things to his own brother? Just what exactly was happening?
But, like all the others, Mako focused on the big picture and concentrated on the peace march that night. Varrick felt sympathy for the young man, who looked completely distraught at his friends ignoring him. The rich man wrapped his arm around his shoulder.
"Say, kid! Have you ever seen Republic City at night?"
"Sure, I live here."
"Have you really seen it?"
"Uh…I guess not?"
"That's what I thought. Come on!"
(~)
Back at the royal palace, Unalaq was looking over a map alongside another man who pointed to a specific area on the image. "We've received word that the rebels are hiding out here in the hills outside of town." he said.
"Leave them." Unalaq ordered, "They are of no threat to us up there. Increase security around the spirit portal. Keeping it safe is our number one priority."
"Yes, sir." the man bowed before the chief before walking out the door, opening them to see the royal children before him. As scary looking as they both were, Eska was even more trifling, what with her ruined makeup and over the top wedding outfit. The man politely walked away, cringing at the sight of the unruly princess. The twins entered the room, standing before their father.
"I ned you too to go after the Avatar and bring her back to me. She is the only one who can open the northern spirit portal." he ordered them.
Desna looked at his father in confusion, "But father you told Korra-"
"I told Korra what I thought she needed to hear."
Eska's eyes narrowed in a deathly manner, her anger billing from beneath the bowels of her soul. "I'll find her. She stole my husband."
"I need her alive." Unalaq stated, already familiar with his daughter's aggressive, and somewhat sadistic, form or vengeance.
Much to her dismay, she complied. "Very well. I still don't see why you still need her. Her father is free and she will clearly never trust you again."
"Good. I will need her heart to be filled with anger and hatred. And with what Yuki gave her friends, I believe that goal will be far easier than we thought."
(~)
That night, Korra made her way through the peace march while ridding on Naga. Police officers were scattered around the area keeping surveillance. Police tape separated the crowd from the road as varios people of southern descendant peacefully walked across the town, carrying signs that had the words "peace" written on them and carrying candles, shaped like lotus flowers, illuminating their bodies.
Korra wasn't technically a part of the march, but rather walked only on the side, between the people of the north and south. The northerners booed and yelled at the southerners while Korra tried to keep her calm. This simple gesture was suppose to mean that she was being neutral. She wore a long dark blue hooded cape with fur lining, not wanting to flaunt her status in front of everybody. That and she still felt ashamed about what had happened. She tolerated their booing, yelling and cursing. Hopefully, once she spoke to everyone, things would calm down. She hoped.
The march would stop at the Water Tribe cultural center, where Korra would speak to everyone. The place held a statue of her late great-uncle, Sokka. She looked up at him, the stone structure never did capture his supposed humorous spirit from his youth which her family always said he had.
Mako kept his word and maintained a close eye on the happening around the area. He swore he would protect Korra at all cost. He observed from his spot as Korra too on top of a podium, still wearing her hood, and stood before the microphone. She took in a slow deep breath before removing her hood, revealing her long white hair that still astonished many who saw it, and tonight was no exception. While many were already familiar with her abnormally colored hair, others were only now seeing Korra in person for the first time and were quite astonished by this. Realizing she had their attention, she spoke.
"Let me begin by saying, I'm truly sorry for everything that had been happening. Many of you claim this was my fault, and I won't deny that. However, I am grateful you have given me a chance to explain myself. You see, I can't choose either one of your sides because…I'm from both."
Several people gasped at the revelation, though they were more silent gasps and were hardly heard. The streets were never this silent before.
"I was originally born in the south pole before my birth parents…passed on." she couldn't reveal how they died. It was still too hard to swallow. "But, originally, my parents were from the north. And my father, was Chief Unalaq's brother. I am his niece."
This more, the gasped sounded a bit louder and a few people slowly grew angry.
"I had not known this until a few days prior. I was excited to meet him, but he wasn't who I expected. I fell for his lies and now I'm paying the price for it. Only now, so are you. But, I assure you, fighting one another isn't going to help at all."
As she spoke, Mako heard something from behind him. He spun round and spotted two men running away. "Hey! Stop!" he ordered, "Republic City police!"
One of the men took something from his pocket, Mako didn't get a good view on what it was before the criminal ran off, making a turn at a building. The young cop ran after him but quickly stopped once the building beside him suddenly exploded in a fiery inferno.
The flame were aiming at Mako, who swiftly used his firebending to make his way through, but even he couldn't stop what happened next.
The entire Water Tribe Cultural center's walls were blown to bits by the flames that erupted from within. Dark smoke and amber came out, engulfing the area with its blaze.
The police led people away from the scene, many of whom were devastated to witness a piece of their history be destroyed before their eyes. The statue of Korra's deceased great-uncle had become a victim of the outcome as well. Pieces of the building flew out, landing hard on the ground, nearly missing various bystanders, and one chance aimed at the statue, knocking it down from its pedestal. People screamed in terror as they ran away, the statue smashing into the ground, missing the crowd that managed to escape the terrible fate of being crushed underneath it.
The sight broke Korra's heart. Another piece of her family's past was being destroyed. This was just like what happened with the iceberg where Katara found Aang.
She was too stunned to move, Lin had to rush in and grab her to safety before more pieces of the building crumbled, smashing the podium where she stood. The two women rolled down onto the ground, Lin shielded Korra protectively with her arms, and the young Avatar began to weep.
Mako continued to run after the two men, unleashing his fire to subdue them, but one of them revealed himself to be a firebender as well. He maneuvered the attacks but Mako managed to knock him down, dropping whatever it was he was holding before jumping into the car with his associate and the two drove off into the night.
Mako walked over towards the object and picked it up. It looked like some kind of remote control with an antenna sticking out of it. This must have been what was used to cause the explosion.
After recuperating from her shock, Korra began using the water of the fountain in front of the building to extinguish the flames. Her sadness now being replaced by anger. Her first suspects were people of the northern side, most likely the fanatics.
Mako rushed over to see if she was alright, but she looked so furious. "Korra, are you okay?"
"Do I look okay?!" she snapped, "I knew people from the north didn't like me but I didn't think some of them would go this far!"
"I saw a firebender running away from the blast. The north may not be responsible for this."
"I'm not blaming the entire flock for one black sheep." she said, using one of her father's old metaphors.
The firefighters came by and Korra rushed over to assist them, leaving Mako to wonder who could have done this? Could it be possible that somebody from the north hired those men? Or was there something else going on?
While all of the chaos was going on, a mysterious cloaked figure smiled at the scene. This was looking good for her.
(~)
While his friends were all off doing what they needed to do, Bolin was invited by Varrick to a pro-bending match a the arena. With Bolin's team out of the tournament, he couldn't play. The young man wore the tux Asami gave him and was rather amazed to see so many cameras flashing before his eyes, while Varrick seemed to be soaking it all up like the rich man that he was.
"Wow." said the earthbender, "Usually when I see flashing lights like this is because I got hit in the head with a rock."
"Being famous is like getting hit with a rock all the time." he smiled and waved at the adoring public until he noticed that his friend was looking gloomy. He immediately felt sympathy for him. "Cheer up buddy, I'm sure everything will be alright with you and your lady."
"You really think so?"
"Of course I do! I know love when I see it and you two have got it. Big time!"
"Thanks. Maybe I could use some time to relax after all of this."
"That's the spirit!"
The two made their way into the arena where Varrick reserved a v.i.p seat for them on a balcony. One of the fans on the bleachers spotted the familiar green yes young man and shouted, "Look, it's Bolin!"
Bolin himself was very surprised when the entire stadium began chanting his name. Being one of the city's most famous pro-bending star he had quite the reputation. Apparently, no longer being able to play this season didn't mean he still wasn't adored. Still, all of their admiration couldn't fill the hole he felt in his heart without Asami or any of his friends and family to share it with. Still, he gave them what they wanted and waved with a big smile on his face and flexed his muscles.
"Folks that cheer your hearing is for local favorite, Bolin of the Fire Ferrets!" the voice of Shiro Shinobi spoke through the microphone, "Let's see if we can get a quick interview. Bolin!"
He turned his head to see Shiro only a few seats away. He complied and walked over and sat down in front of a second microphone.
"Bolin, the Fire Ferrets are out for the season, how have been spending your time lately?"
"Well, I took a trip south for the Glacier Spirits Festival, had some trouble in paradise when a princess tried to come between me and my girlfriend, was briefly-thank goodness-engaged to her before I ran off, then I got accidentally involved in a civil war…"
He briefly stopped once he noticed the audience looking at him with confusion, disinterest and concern. He knew he needed to liven things up or he would ruin the night for them.
"But there's nowhere I'd rather be than pro-bending night in Republic City! Am I right people?!" he grabbed the mic and spoke with such charisma and enthusiasm, completely dying down the previously bleak atmosphere. The audience cheered with glee and Bolin stood up, pointing his finger up into the air while shouting, "Republic City!"
"Bolin, we've missed seeing you in the ring." said Shiro.
"Well, I definitely don't miss getting hit with things all the time." Bolin answered, sitting back down more relaxed than before.
"Well, many of us have been wondering, how are things going with you and the lovely Asami Sato of Future Industries? We've heard you two are quite the lovesick couple." he said with a knowing wink, making Bolin blush.
"Oh yeah, Asami's amazing. I mean, she's so smart and loyal and brave and she's never afraid to say what she thinks, and she believes in me like no one else does. Though, since we got back she's started acting different. I don't get why, I thought things were going great now, but It's like I don't even know her anymore…."
Once again, the mood was becoming dead. He grabbed the mic once more, stood up and shouted with joy at the crowd.
"But seeing all of these fans here tonight is enough to lift up my spirits! Am I right, people?! You're the greatest fans in the world! Give it up for the fans!"
Varrick was incredibly impressed by this. Bolin was a natural at getting folks all happy and joyful. "Look how these people love you, kid!" he said while placing a hand on Bolin's shoulder once the interview ended.
"Whenever I get confused I just say "Republic City" or "Fans' and then everybody cheers."
"You know, have you ever considered a career in acting? I think you'd be pretty good at it."
"Acting? Nah, I don't think it's my kind of thing. Honestly, I was thinking maybe I could become an engineer like Asami." his spirits dropped once again, remembering his girlfriend.
Seeing him sad made Varrick sad. And he hatted being sad. So, he would make sure his new pal would feel better about himself.
(~)
The next morning, Korra, Tenzin and Varrcik went early in the morning to meet up with Raiko. Korra was rather nervous to say the least. This whole time she had tried to keep herself levelheaded and composed. She needed to do this for the people of the north, her family was still there along with numerous other families as well.
"I hope Raiko listens to us."
"Don't worry, Korra." said her father.
"You've got nothing to worry about, snowflake." said Varrick, giving her a new nickname, "I was a big contributor to his election campaign. Him and the other guy, gotta head your bets."
Once they walked in, they received a warm greeting from the president, who was already very familiar with the three of them. "Master Tenzin, Varrick, Avatar Korra, so good to see you all again."
"Good to see you too, Raiko." Korra greeted him politely, "I'm sorry to intrude on you like this but I really need to talk to you."
"Step into my office." he said, leading them into the room. Korra took a seat facing Raiko while Tenzin stood beside her and Varrick sat on the other couch next to them.
"What can I do for you all?"
"I think you're already aware of Chief Unala's troops invading the southern water tribe, taking it by force. We need you to send the United Forces to help."
"I'm very concerned about what is happening down there." said Raiko, speaking in a serious tone, "But I don't think it's the Republic's place to interfere with internal water tribe maters."
"I understand what you mean," said the Avatar, "But believe me, there is more at stake here than you realize."
"Besides, the Republic is already involved in this conflict." said Varrick, "There was an explosion at the Water Tribe Cultural Center last night."
"My daughter was nearly killed." Tenzin stated, "He framed me for a crime I didn't commit and rigged a trial in order to keep me locked up. He illegally bribed a judge."
"I assure you, we are doing everything we can to bring the people responsible for the explosion to justice, and I'm sorry for what happened to you, but unless you have concrete evidence to support you I'm afraid there is really nothing I can do. Unalaq is the royal leader of the water tribe."
"Just because he's chief doesn't make him a good leader." Korra stated, "He's taking the southerners their civil rights. But there is more to this than just a war between the tribes."
"What are you talking about."
"This may be hard to explain, but there are supernatural forces involved as well. Unalaq tricked me into opening a spirit portal that was suppose to stop dark spirits from attacking the south, only it didn't and now it seems the war is only increasing the darkness and turning these spirits into monsters."
Raiko shook his head in disbelief, "Wait a minute, spirits? Are you serious?"
"I know it's hard to believe but it's the truth. Sir, if we don't do something there won't be anything else left in the south pole at all."
"Korra, I understand when you're young it's hard to keep perspective, but sending the troops is something I just can't do at this moment. I promise I will work with Unalaq and the south for a diplomatic solution."
"In any other circumstance that would be the right course of action." said Korra, "But it's not going to help here." Korra stated as she stood up, "Unalaq is a lying, manipulative man and no doubt he will work a way around anything to get what he wants and if he can't he'll take it by force."
"Raiko, please reconsider." Tenzin begged, but at this point there was no convincing Raiko.
"I'm sorry, but I stand by my decision. This meeting is over."
Korra's fists and teeth clenched in anger, her eyes narrowed in a way Raiko had never seen before. It was infuriating that Unalaq was getting away with this, he didn't deserve to be a leader, not with how he had shown her just the kind of ruler he truly was. But, there was nothing she could do. This feeling of helplessness was infuriating for her. She promised her father she would keep herself under control but at this point she couldn't anymore. First the Cultural Center blows up, endangering thousands of people, and now Raiko, the man who's nephews she babysat, wouldn't even take her words into consideration. He didn't seem to trust her own judgement, even though he had known her for years. And her own passive father couldn't argue with him either. Along with that, the memory that her grandmother, aunt and uncle were still there in enemy territory only made matters worse. Her anger, her emotions were reaching its boiling point. She couldn't contain her feelings for much longer.
With a powerful angry roar, Korra kicked with her leg, creating a powerful gust of wind that knocked Raiko's desk over, destroying his fine china in the process. Tenzin and Raiko stepped a few feet away from the angry Avatar, who panted in anger. Varrick stood up in shock at what had happened.
Once she cooled down Korra took a moment to collect her thoughts. She had just lost control, and she flipped over a desk in such a destructive manner. She herself was shocked that she had done such a disrespectful thing.
"Korra!" Tenzin shouted at his daughter in disappointment. Once she looked at him with her eyes filled with regret, he reeled back. "Korra, I didn't mean-" before he could continue, Korra ran out of the office, shielding her tears of embarrassment.
Varrick whistled, "Well, that could have gone better."
(~)
Mako knew he needed to figure out who was behind the bombing, he couldn't stop the war at the south, but he could do his part in helping Korra solve this, maybe find some clue as to how they can stop this war. It was mainly hopeful thinking but he had this strong urge to help in any way he could. He was interrupted by his thoughts due to a knock at the door. He opened it and Korra quickly rushed in, wrapping her arms around him, weeping.
"Korra, what happened?"
"Raiko's not going to help."
"What? Why?"
"I tried explaining everything to him but he still said no. Then I got mad and flipped his desk over and…" she covered her face in shame, "I can't believe I blew up like that."
"No offense, but you always blow up when you're mad."
"Not like this. And not in front of an elected official. I don't know what came over me. I just got so mad! It was like he didn't even care!"
Mako wanted to say something to ease her pain, but for some reason he found he couldn't. His voice got caught in his throat, like what he wanted to say the most he couldn't.
"It's not fair. Unalaq is doing whatever the heck he wants to my people, getting away with it and when I try to do something about it it blows up in my face! Literally, last night." she sighed, crossing her arms, turning away from Mako, too shocked up to look him in the eye at this moment, "That building was made in honor of my great-uncle. Seeing his statue being destroyed like it was a piece of garbage, it was exactly like when I saw that spirit vandalize the iceberg where Aang came out of, or when that guy said I would never truly be a part of Aang's family and that I wasn't a full blood southerner. All I wanted was to reconnected with a lost part of the family I never knew, and now it seems more like everything I've ever known, everything I have ever loved is being taken from me. Unalaq betrayed me, he had my father arrested, people are suffering because of me, I'm doing all I can to save them and yet it feels like I'm I can't do anything."
"You can't."
Korra was taken by his blunt answer. "What?"
"You can't do anything. Raiko made his choice, there's nothing you can do about it."
"What? How can you say that? Don't you know what's at stake here?"
"Yeah, I do. I also know that the president can't send his people to fight in a war that has nothing to do with them."
"Okay, I get that but you've seen what Unalaq is capable of, or did you forget?"
"No, I didn't. I also didn't forget that you were the one who opened the spirit portal which led to him bringing his troops in the first place."
"Are you saying it's all my fault?"
"Isn't that what you've been saying all this time? That it's your fault? You're the one who trusted Unalaq to begin with now you're paying the consequences."
Korra was completely shocked by this. She knew Mako was known for telling everyone the truth, even if it was hard, but the way he was speaking to her just wasn't the same as before.
"What's wrong with you? You've never spoken to me like this before."
"I was caught up in the romance, but since we came back I've been seeing things a lot more clearly. This is your mess to clean, not mine."
"I can't believe you're turning on me like this!"
"I'm not turning on anybody, I'm doing my job!"
"Well, excuse me officer, don't let me stand in the way of you writing tickets, I'm just trying to save lives here!"
"Well, you wouldn't have to if you didn't keep messing things up all the time!"
"You know what? Coming here was a mistake!" she opened the door and ran out as quickly as she could. First Raiko and now Mako. This was just not her day.
Once Korra was gone, Mako gripped his throat, coughing roughly as if he almost couldn't breath. He got down on one knee, leaning against the sofa as his throat began to glow yellow once more. He was perfectly aware of the things he had just said to Korra, only…he didn't mean any of them.
It was like his voice was saying things his heart didn't mean. This didn't make any sense, when he wanted to tell her the truth he couldn't, and instead he could only say horrible things to her that weren't helping the situation. Something just wasn't right, it wasn't.
(~)
Asami was walking along the docks doing what she didn't normally do on such a daily basis…admire herself in the mirror. For most of the day, she had her eyes glued to the reflection in the tiny mirror in her hand. She was startled when Korra roughly walked by her, not acknowledging her presence due to her own problems. Asami nearly dropped her mirror and narrowed her eyes at the Avatar.
"Hey! In a hurry, much?"
Korra finally shook from her thoughts and turn to see her friend. "Asami! Oh, thank goodness. I've been having the worse day I could really use some good company."
"I figured you'd be off with your boyfriend." she said while looking back at herself in the mirror.
"Don't even mention him." Korra said with scorn, "He's the last person I want to think about right now." she then took full notice of the way Asami was admiring herself in the mirror. In all the years Korra had known Asami, she had never known herself to be so vain. "Uh, are you feeling okay?"
"Never better. So, what brings you here?"
"I have to talk to Varrick. Maybe he can help me with this whole war deal."
"Funny, I was just about to talk with him too." she walked pass Korra, roughly hitting her shoulder with her best friend's who looked at her in confusion.
"What is with everybody today?"
(~)
The two girls walked up the stairs of Varrick expensive boat. Korra was behind Asami, who was still hypnotized by her own image in the reflective surface. She was so busy admiring herself that she didn't see the arrow coming at her. Korra reacted quickly and grabbed her friend's arm, saving her from getting shot when the arrow hit the target board.
They both turned to see Varrick, who was blindfolded and holding a bow and arrow in hand. Bolin had shown to be worried for the two girls but was now relieved to see they were okay. Varrick removed his blindfold and greeted the two guests, "Oh, hello! Sorry about that, I'm still learning how to shoot an arrow blindfolded."
Korra growled angrily and snatched the weapon from the man's hand, took an arrow and shot a bullseye onto the target, which in turn went straight through Varrick's arrow, surprising him so much that his jaw dropped. Korra sighed in relief before handing him back the weapons.
"Thanks. I needed that."
"How did you learn to to do that?" Varrick asked, rather impressed.
"My Uncle Bumi taught me but that's not why I'm here. We can't wait for the president to act. We need those troops now."
"And my company is about to go under." said Asami, "I have to find a way to make some sales, pronto."
"Right, okay, got it." Varrick was more than happy to assist, "Idea storm! Go get the supplies!" he said to his assistant who did just that. "You're about to get an inside look at how Varrick Global Industries stands at the forefront of imagination innovation, or-Imagivation! That's trademark, pal!"
Zhu Li came by rather quickly with a contraption with a poll and a pair of strange looking shoes. He took a plate of red chilly peppers and his face turned red, "Brian works requires increased circulation. Okay, let's do this!" his face became redder and Zhu Li placed a pair of strange shoes while he hung upside-down on a pole. Ideas began swarming around his mind like crazy. Korra and Bolin both shared confused glances while Asami simply rolled her eyes, uncaring.
"Okay, here come the ideas. Fast and furious!" Varrick's face became redder as he voiced out the ideas, "Pink…mint…lemon…tea…radio…for…pets…uh, hand shoes….seashell…neckless…talking…teapots!" he stopped for a brief moment before speaking calmly, "Hold on a tick. We don't need the president to go to the South. We just need the troops. Let's go straight to them!"
"You mean, go behind Raiko's back and get the troops down there?"
"No, I'm saying we dress in a drags and do the hula-of course I mean get the troops down there without Raiko knowing!"
"How am I suppose to do that?"
"Don't you know General Iroh?" Asami reminded her, "Just ask him. After all, his grandpa and Aang use to be best friends back when. You're practically family, he'll do the solid. Didn't you say you needed the troops pronto?"
Korra pondered, "He is the best option, not to mention he can come up with a calculative way to sneak troops into the borders without anyone knowing. Give us a better fighting chance."
"A man on the inside, perfect!" Varrick turned to Asami, "And you need to sell some mecha tanks! Okay, I've got a good one-"
"Let me stop you right there." Asami interrupted him with her hand up to his face before turning to her friend, "Maybe there's something we can do that will help both of us. I could send my mecha tanks up north to help with the fight against the northern invaders. I'll be making money and I'll helping my best friend in the whole world."
"I'm not so sure, Sami." Korra confessed, "Won't mechas kind of ruin the element of surprise?"
"We'll send them as a plan B precaution with the troops. After all, we'll need all the help we can get, right? Not only with Unalaq being a threat but so will the dark spirits if things get worse. Isn't that what you said?"
The heiress did make a good point. Time was running out, Korra could feel it somehow. Something was going to happen even if she didn't know what. She had a sinking feeling her uncle would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.
"It's going to be pretty risky, but I'm willing to try if you will."
"It'll be crazy and risky." said Varrick before smiling, "But I like crazy and risky!" he got himself back upwards and panted a bit. "Okay, so we're all agreed, right?"
"Right." Korra responded, "But, remember, we can't bluntly attack the north once the troops get there. I'll talk to Iroh and we can discuss a game plan."
Asami sighed, "Whatever, if you need me I'll be checking inventory back at the factory." he readied to leave until Bolin tried stopped her.
"Asami, wait!"
"Talk latter!" she responded before walking out, leaving poor Bolin devastated. Korra placed her hand on his shoulder for comfort.
Everything just seemed completely topsy turvy today. Even with Iroh assisting, Korra still didn't feel at ease. At all.
(~)
Mako was trying everything he could to figure out not only who was to blame for the bombing but also why he had spoken the way he did to Korra before. He looked at himself in the mirror.
"Okay, you can do this. Just say it." he told himself. He opened his mouth to say something, "I…love..K-K-" there it was again, that lunge in his throat that kept him from saying what his heart was saying.
The door opened and Bolin flopped himself face first onto the couch. "I'm sad." he said, his voice muffled underneath the pillow.
Mako walked out, still gripping his throat, "What happened?" he asked, his voice sounding rather raspy.
"I don't know what I did. Asami won't talk to me and I have no idea why. What did I do? Did I forget her birthday? No, that can't be it? An anniversary? No, that's not for another three months. What could it be?"
"I don't know, but it's none of my business." Mako replied, however he knew that was whatever that was happening to him working on his voice again.
Bolin sat upright, "What do you mean, none of your business? Help me out! You and Korra seem to be doing fine why can't-" he noticed his brother was still gripping his neck, apparently struggling to say something but couldn't. "Are you okay? Got something in your throat?"
The firebender took a pen an paper from the counter and began writing something down for his brother, since he couldn't seem to say the right things now.
Bolin arched an eyebrow as he read the words out loud, "You think there's something wrong with your voice?"
Mako nodded his head, pointing at his neck while Bolin read more of the note, "Whenever you try to say something you really mean you say the opposite?"
Mako nodded once more, not even daring to speak.
"And you said some terrible things to Korra and now she's mad at you?"
Mako nodded once more, this time a bit more relieved his brother could get what was happening to him.
"And you've been spending the rest of the afternoon trying to figure it out?"
The oldest brother nodded again.
"And you think I'm the best brother in the world and you're gonna buy me a car?"
Mako arched an eyebrow, that was not what the note said at all.
"Sorry, worth a try. Okay, so somehow, no matter how hard you try you just can't say the words you feel?"
Mako nodded and wrote something else on another piece of paper, asking how Korra was doing.
"Oh, about that, great news! Varrick came up with a plan for Korra to get Iroh to help her send troops to the south without Raiko ever even knowing!"
Mako's jaw dropped, he knew that was a much to risky idea.
Seeing this, Bolin straightened the whole thing out, "Oh, no, no, don't worry! She's going to talk to him about coming up with a plan to sneak the troops into the borders and meet up with Kya and Bumi before attacking. If you ask me, that's pretty smart. The south gets its troops and there won't be a crazy out of control war, it's more of a sneak attack."
Hearing this gave Mako a bit more ease. It was still risky to do this without Raiko's permission, but the plan itself was a clever one, at least there wouldn't be an all out war upon arriving. Korra could be incredibly smart at times. He was so proud.
"So, did you have any luck figuring out who bombed the cultural center?" Bolin asked. Mako sadly shook his head while his brother examined the book of criminals Mako was just reading up on. Bolin flipped a page and Mako immediately spotted the guy he saw the other night. He smiled happily before taking the book. He found the guy. He hugged his brother in gratitude before running off to speak with Lin about what he had found.
"Glad I could help!" Bolin shouted as his brother ran out.
(~)
Mako didn't even care what would happen, he would just communicate with Lin the same way he did with Bolin. He'll just say he had a sore throat. He was already in his uniform once he entered the hallways of the Police Headquarters. This was his chance to help Korra, make up for what happened. He was just about to walk into Lin's office until he heard the voice of Raiko coming from inside. He stopped his hand, reaching for the knob, and listened attentively.
"How did this cultural center attack happen right under your nose?! And why haven't you arrested the northerners responsible?"
"We're working on it sir." Lin responded.
"Well work harder! If you don't get me results soon I'm going to find someone who can."
Mako heard footsteps and stepped back once the door opened and Raiko spotted him. The young firebender stood straight and dignified before the president. The older man read the name on his uniform's badge.
"Mako, is it? I've heard some good things about you. You've made some big Triad busts for a rookie."
Mako couldn't dare to say the words out loud so instead he nodded his head in gratitude.
"You're also a very close friend to the Avatar, am I right?"
Mako nodded his head once again, already feeling a bit nervous.
"I'm concerned that she might be getting a bit…well, emotionally unstable about this civil wars deal. I fear she's allowing her personal feelings cloud her better judgment."
Mako wanted so badly to say something in defense, but he knew if he tried he would say the wrong thing. It would be best to keep silent.
"I'm also worried she might be getting some bad advice from Varrick. You wouldn't happen to know if she had done anything drastic that could compromise the security of Republic City, would you officer?"
Mako shook his head in 'no'.
"Let me remind you that you've sworn an oath. You're a man of the law before anything else."
Mako nodded his head in agreement. The man was right, he did take an oath. Still, should be reveal the truth? Maybe if he could talk to Korra again, or write to her, then maybe they could work on something together. At this moment, he was torn between his conscience an his heart.
The young man's silence convinced Raiko he was either hiding something he wasn't sure he should, or if he really didn't have anything to hide.
"Well, keep up the good work." he said before leaving the young man. Mako sighed in relief, glad that that part was over. He never knew not saying anything could be so hard.
But, his relief didn't last for very long.
"Wait. There's something you should know." Mako's eyes widened. What was happening? Now his own mouth was betraying him? It was too late to turn back, he now had Raiko's undivided attention.
"What do you know?"
Mako tried to control himself but found he just couldn't. His mouth and voice were working against him. His back was turned to the president, his expression horrified, while gripping his neck. He tried to cover his mouth but the sensation somehow manipulated his hand as well, preventing him from doing so. His body was stiff as he spoke.
"Korra's planing on sending troops to attack the south without you knowing. She got General Iroh in on it too. I tried to talk her out of it but she wouldn't listen. She even threatened me if I said anything. She's gone completely mad."
His body finally relaxed once the last word left his mouth. He was completely horrified by what he said, he wasn't even saying the whole truth!
"Thank you for that information, officer." said the President before walking away, leaving a very devastated firebender behind.
What had he done?
(~)
He knew he needed to do something before it was too late. He rode his bike to the docks, where a navy ship stood, no doubt it was Iroh's. His heart started beating fast, he feared he was too late. Thankfully, he spotted Korra arrive on Naga's back. She hadn't spoken to Raiko yet. This was his chance. He removed his helmet and ran up to greet her.
"Korra!"
Hearing his voice, the young Avatar narrowed her eyes at him while Naga growled. "I don't want to talk to you!" she said sternly.
"No, wait, Korra let me explain!"
"Explain what? You've already made it clear how you feel about me so why bother reminding me?"
"That's not-" once again, he couldn't say what he needed to say. Knowing this would happen he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her.
"What's this?" she asked looking at the note. She began reading it, looking on with curiosity, "You can't talk? Seriously?" Mako gestured her to keep reading but she was already getting impatient, "Look, I don't have time for this. I need to talk to Iroh about something important."
But as she tried to make her way to the boat, Mako stepped in her way. "Mako, what is wrong with you? You really think one flimsy little note is enough to make up for it? I trusted you with my heart and you just stomped on it! If you really want me to listen, then show me how you really feel."
She was right, a hand written note wouldn't be enough to convince her. So, instead, he showed her. He took her hand and placed it over his own heart. For a moment, Korra was relaxed, feeling the soft rhythm of his beating heart against her palm, if she didn't know any better she could have sworn it was beating even faster. She could hear her own heart, beating in perfect sync with his. This gesture didn't require words for her to understand. Now she did.
Anything else he had said, it didn't match what she was feeling against his chest right now. His eyes looked at her with the same admiration they always did. He caressed her cheek with his free hand and the two leaned in, closing their eyes until their lips made contact. Korra wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss, as did he. This was the Mako she knew, whoever the other guy was didn't exist at this moment. Once the kiss ended, she smiled. She had her answer. Mako wanted so badly to tell her the truth but he knew he still couldn't.
"Am I interrupting anything?" Iroh asked from his ship, smiling down at the two teenagers who started to blush.
Korra removed a stray strand of hair before looking back at Mako, "We'll talk later, okay? I promise."
Mako nodded his head in a agreement, happy that she was no longer angry with him as she walked up to greet her old friend. But while they were on the ship, Mako began to feel his throat glow once more, but even more astonishing, a strange golden mist began to leave his now wide open mouth. Before long, that thing in his throat was literally pulled right out of his mouth, a glowing object that fell to the ground. The golden mist disappeared and the object was revealed to be a pile of dark goop and disappeared completely before his eyes. Mako touched his neck once more, he hoped this time he could say the words.
"I…love…Korra." he gasped as he stood up and repeated the sentence, "I love Korra. I love Korra! Yes!" he was so happy, he could finally say the words he wanted to say. However, this moment was cut short when Raiko appeared. "Oh, no." he rushed over in an attempt to explain everything, "Mr. President, I need to tell you something!"
"You've already told me everything I needed to know, my boy. The city thanks you."
"No, you don't understand! I didn't tell you the whole truth."
"So, Korra is not planing on sending troops to the south behind my back, is she?"
"No! Well…it's complicated."
"Did she or didn't she?"
"It's not what you think. If you would just listen-"
"I've already heard enough." he made his way towards the ship, where Korra and Iroh had already come up with a plan to help the south.
"So, do you think you guys can do it?" she asked hopefully.
Iroh pondered for a moment, "It's still a very risky move, but I think we can managed. I will have my strongest men at your disposal, I would be honored to assist you in dethroning this wicked man."
Korra smiled in relief, "Thank you, so much!" she was so glad that things were finally coming around. But it all came crashing down once she heard a familiar voice form behind her.
"Swapping old war stories, are we?" Raiko asked as he walked towards the two, not looking at all happy.
"Mr. President!" Iroh saluted the man,
"I hope you're not planning to take any military action without an order from your commander and chief."
"Of course not, sir."
"Good. Because if a single vessel leaves this harbor without my say so you'll be court marshaled. Am I clear?"
"Crystal, sir."
Raiko turned to Korra, who did not look too happy with the change of plans. "Korra, I expected better from you. I can't believe you would go behind my back like this. Not to mention, threatening an officer to keep your dirty little secret?"
"Threatened? What are you talking about? I haven't threatened anyone!"
"Your friend Mako says otherwise."
Korra was stunned to hear this. "What?…No. He wouldn't."
"He told me himself. Better watch your back young lady, I will not hesitate to put you on probation if you try anything else."
With that, Raiko left and Korra saw Mako arrive. Nothing was making any sense, who could Mako say such a thing? It wasn't like him.
"Korra, please let me explain."
"Explain why you keep stabbing me in the back? Why did you tell him such a thing? You know me better than that! Or at least I thought you did."
"Korra, it's not what you think." he tried to reach out for her, but she shoved him aside.
"No! Stay away from me! I never want to speak to you again. Ever!"
The two men watched sadly as the woman rushed out of the ship, not looking back. Mako turned to Iroh, already looking angrily at him. "Iroh, it's not like that at all. You have to believe me."
"There are a lot of ways for a man to loose his honor." said the prince, "One of them is possessing a lying tongue. Get off my ship, officer."
Mako sadly complied.
(~)
Korra went to the only person she could talk to at this point. She just hoped she wasn't too busy. Once she arrived at the factory, she was relieved to see her best friend there. She surprised her with a hug.
"Hey! What's with the hugging?"
"Asami, I need to talk to somebody and you're the only person who-"
"Who what? Takes pity on you?"
Korra quickly removed herself from the heiress. "What?" she asked, her voice cracking. This couldn't be happening again.
"Korra, in case you haven't noticed I'm supper busy and I can't deal with your pity party right now."
"Pity party? What is wrong with everybody?!"
"Maybe it's not everybody, but you." Asami bluntly stated.
Korra's patience was wearing thin at this point. "Asami, if you don't stop talking like that I swear I'm going to-"
"Oh, why must everything be so violent with you? Besides, I thought you had other things to think about. I'd hate to be responsible for the death of an entire nation, wouldn't you agree?"
"That's not fair! Unalaq-"
"Unalaq this, Unalaq that, sing a different tune, will you? Tell me, who's really to blame for this whole war anyways because, I'm telling you, I don't think it was your uncle."
Korra's eyes closed shut as tears rolled down her eyes.
"That's right, it was you. You trusted your uncle, you wanted to believe him, you glanced over everything he did, do you deny that?"
"No."
"Do you deny you disrespected the President of the United Republic?"
"No, but-"
"Then that clinches it. Your fault this war is going on, your fault everybody's suffering. You're in big trouble this time Korra, only now daddy won't be able to save you. And now everyone knows why."
"How can you say these things? You're not the Asami I know!"
"You're right, I've finally woken up. Maybe it's high time you did too."
"So you're not going to help me?"
"I'm helping my company. Who cares if these tanks get used or not, so long as they get sold."
"I can't believe you would do this!"
"Want some friendly advice? Grow. Up."
This was all Korra could take. She couldn't talk to anybody right now. She had to leave. And so she did, while Asami simply smiled in satisfaction as she did.
(~)
Korra rode Naga across the city, she made the polar bear dog run and run across the streets. She was feeling so terrible.
Flower gleam and glow
Let your power shine
Make the clock reverse
Bring back what once was mine
She began chanting the words in hopes of calming down.
Let my flesh not be torn
Let this blood leave no stain
When they beat me
Let me feel no pain
Let my bones never break
And however they try
To destroy it
Let hope never die
Let hope never die!
She got Naga to swim all the way across the bay towards Air Temple Island. The dragon birds observed her. Worried, they flew towards her to try and help her. The young woman was walking around the grassy fields of the island, chanting to herself.
Heal what has been hurt
Change the fate's design
Save what has been lost
Bring back what once was-what once was-
Uh!
What good is this chanting?
I don't even know what I'm saying!
I don't even know which prayer I ought to pray
What's going on here?
My heart feels like it's bleeding
One more disaster I can add
To my generous
Supply!…..
As she looked beyond the horizon, everything dawned on her like a tidal wave. Since she got back, every attempt of doing the right thing came crashing down upon her. Now, her best friend and the man she loved were against her, the president was against her, she couldn't even imagine how her father must have felt when she flipped over Raiko's desk. She looked down at her hands, was Asami right? Was all of this due to her obliviousness and desperate attempt to have more to her family? Had she not gone to Unalaq would none of this ever happened? So far, the signs pointed to 'yes'.
No good deed goes unpunished
No act of charity goes unresented
No good deed goes unpunished
That's my new creed
My road of good intentions led to where such roads always lead
No good deed
Goes unpunished!
….Father….
…Asami…
…Mako…
…MAKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
One question haunts and hurst
Too much, too much to mention
Was I really seeking good
Or just seeking attention?
Is that all good deeds are when looked at with an ice cold eye?
If that's all good deeds are maybe that's
The reason why!
No good deed goes unpunished!
All helpful urges should be circumvented
No good deed goes unpunished!
Sure, I meant well
Well, look at what well-meant did!
All right, enough, so be it!
So be it, then…
She stood onto the ledge of a cliff, looking down at the ocean while her hair bellowed against the wind. However, something terrible was happening. A small piece of her once snow white hair…was turning ebony.
She realized that maybe she no longer belonged anywhere here anymore. She was not a southerner, not a northerner, not an Air Acolyte, not Asami's best friend, no longer the girl Raiko admired, not Mako's…whatever she was to him. Her family was at risk, her family that wasn't even hers. Her uncle didn't love her the way he should have. The more she opened her heart, the more she cared for everyone around her, even those who didn't deserve it, she kept getting hurt. It happened already with Amon. Maybe this was all a sign. Tenzin was right about one thing, she needed to start listening to her head.
So, from this point on. She was closing her heart in her quest to right the wrongs that had happened. She would do them because they were right, not because of emotional attachments.
Let all of us be agreed
I don't belong here
Since I could not succeed
Aang, to be like you
I promise no more masks
Will I attempt to wear again!
Ever again!
No old me…
Will I be…
Again!
Ignoring the dragon birds' protests, Korra leaped onto the speedboat and drove away from the island, but not before tossing away the comb Mako had given to her back at the south pole. The object managed to land onto the wooden port of the island, sliding to a halt. Korra didn't want the dragon birds to come with her, nor Naga, or anybody. This was her mission, she would not be endangering anybody else. But the seven birds would not have this. They would accompany the Avatar, whether she wanted them to or not.
It didn't take long for Korra to reach the Mo Ce Sea, she made sure not to think about the pain in her heart, or the tears that escaped her eyes, she just wiped them away, her expression blank. She had not noticed that new dark strand of hair that appeared. It wan't even dark brown like it use to be, it was pitch black.
Korra felt a sudden bump against the boat. She looked back and noticed her two royal cousins attacking her with waterbending attacks, while ridding water skies.
"You ruined my wedding!" Eska shouted, enraged at the Avatar for taking away her future prince. She threw a stream of water at Korra, which she dodged with her boat. Using her own bending, she destroyed their jet skis, but they began gilding on the water to catch up to her.
"No one steals my Bolin!" Eska shouted in anger, creating a powerful wave form underneath her to destroy Korra's speedboat and throw her overboard. Underwater, Korra emerged from a waterspout and began attacking her cousins with her fire blasts, while avoiding their waterbending attacks. Eska managed to knock Korra off but she quickly regained balance with an airspout before jumping on another waterspout.
The dragon birds finally caught up with her, the speedboat was far faster than their wings but not enough they couldn't' eventually catch up. They were shocked to see the battle.
Korra bended a water dome, trapping her cousins, but Eska and Desna shielded themselves from the water before they noticed a green glow coming from underwater, bellow them. The twins looked at one another and retreated, much to Korra's surprise as she slowly began descending.
However, the waters began to rise and before her was a large dark spirit with long snake-like tentacles. Its size knocked Korra off of her waterspout and she sunk down. She opened her eyes, entering the Avatar State and re-emerged in another waterspout. She began bending the water around her in an attempt to purify the spirit the same way her uncle did, but it had no effect. The spirit prepared to head underwater, but re-emerged at the last minute and proceeded to devour Korra.
The dragon birds speeded down, in a desperate attempt to save her. Only Twilight, Rainbow and Sunset managed to reach her in time once Korra futilely firebended at the beat's mouth before being swallowed whole and dragged into the water.
The rest of the dragon birds were devastated to see this. Their friends had been devoured.
Eska and Desna witnessed the entire incident before leaving. The Avatar….
Was dead.
(~)
Jinora heard chirping at her window, waking her up. She saw the dragon birds frantically chirping as if something had happened. Jinora rushed to her sister's room and was shocked to find it empty, not even her bed looked like someone had been in it. She rushed to her parent's room in a hurry.
"Korra's gone!"
"What?" Tenzin and Pema immediately woke up at their daughter's news. The two rushed outside to the deck, where they noticed the speedboat missing, and Naga laying there as if waiting for someone to arrive but never did. Tenzin called out her name,
"KORRA!"
No answer. His foot hit something and he looked down at the wooden plank, finding the comb Mako had given to Korra. The father caressed the accessory in his hand.
"No…"
Pema was devastated. Their daughter was gone, and they had no idea where she could be. She weeped into her husband's chest as Jinora pressed her hands together.
"Merciful Light, hear our prayer. Watch over the Avatar."
(~)
Okay, I know that song isn't from Disney and I broke my own rules here but…that song was just too good to pass up! Besides, I don't think there's any other song that could fit with the tone I was going for here.
I payed a little tribute to "Mermako" here *wink, wink* and this chapter was mainly based on season 4 of Once Upon a Time, where they were teasing Emma would become dark.
Also, while I was writing this, I was reminded of, once again, why this was my least favorite episode in the ENTIRE SERIES!
Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this. God bless, *kiss kiss*