Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Korra, nor did I steal the name Kai from season 3.
The group decided on a battle strategy that would take place in two days, and would happen at the old bending school that was too destroyed to be rebuilt after Min Chang's attack nine years ago. He had apparently made it his hide out. They had silently studied the facility from the trees and the bushes that were not too far but not too close to the building. They had figured out the security pattern, where Min Chang kept his kidnapped victims, and where, exactly, he was keeping Asami. Now, all that needed to be done was double-check the plan to make sure it was fool-proof.
That's what Azule, Mako, and Tenzin were doing at the café that Kai walked into with Troy and Dimitri. The café was a small shack like building made out of bamboo and had a roof made out of dried palm tree leaves. It wasn't very pretty on the inside, because it wasn't decorated, but it had lots of tables. It was there to serve juice and fruit to people, not to look nice though, and on Orta Island, that's all that really mattered when it came to food and drinks.
Just as Kai had gotten up to the counter to order, Bei Fong came storming into the café looking irritable and slightly unnerved. Kai knew that that meant that whatever was on the piece of paper she had scrunched up in her hand was pretty bad if it had Bei Fong actually looking somewhat scared. Bolin and Korra walked through the door soon after Bei Fong wheezing and panting as if they had run after the woman as soon as she stormed out of Troy's door.
Kai quickly walked over to Bolin and Korra, Troy and Dimitri following her. "What happened?" she asked the two.
"Will you tell her Bolin," Korra asked, "I'm going to make sure nothing bad happens."
"Min Chang sent a letter specifically to Bei Fong." Bolin told her.
"And?" Kai asked. Bolin worried his lip nervously, and Kai caught herself watching the action for longer than probably seemed normal.
"We aren't sure," Bolin told her after a few moments, "We heard mutterings and broken fragments along the line of 'my mother' and 'messing with the Bei Fong family' and something about a daughter being given up. We couldn't make heads or tails of it, but we're worried. We've never seen Bei Fong actually look–"
"Worried, and I hate to admit it, a tiny bit scared." Kai finished for him. She didn't like the way Bei Fong was actually looking hurt. Not to say that Kai thought the woman was an emotionless rock, but she was strong enough to keep the unnecessary emotions locked up. She was the strongest woman Kai knew, she wasn't supposed to look like that! Kai felt a deeper rage than she already had at Min Chang bubble up inside her, and to try and control it she brought her fist into the wall in front of her.
"Oh my god," Bolin rushed to take her fist into his hands, "Are you ok?" Truth be told, Kai didn't feel much pain from the punch. It didn't do much damage to the building either.
"I- I'm fine," she stuttered out, trying to reign in her emotions. "Let's go see what Bei Fong is telling them." Bolin looked at her unconvinced, but nodded and followed her.
"What did the letter say, exactly, that makes you want to move this forward sooner so badly?" Tenzin was asking Bei Fong as Kai and Bolin got to them.
Bei Fong tightened her fist around the letter, "He has my mother." She whispered hoarsely, looking green. Tenzin's face paled, Troy, Azule, and Dimitri's brows furrowed, Korra and Mako looked angry, and Kai couldn't help but feel sick from the anger and sadness that was brewing up inside her.
Bolin's reaction though, came off as a little more than just insensitive. He, being his oblivious self, blurted out, "Toph's still alive?" Bei Fong's glare at the boy had him shrinking back, and then he was wincing in pain.
"What was that for?" He whined as Kai pulled her fist away from his arm.
"Could you be any more insensitive?" she hissed quietly in his ear. He hung his head, his lip sticking out in a pout. If the situation was less dire than it had become, Kai might've smiled at how cute the look was, but is wasn't and she felt kind of embarrassed about thinking thoughts like that.
"How are we going to change the plan?" Kai heard Mako ask.
"We don't have enough time to figure it out from spying on his hide out again." Tenzin spoke reason.
"Then when Kai and I go to get Asami," Troy spoke, "We try and fi–"
"That won't work," Azule cut him off, "Where they're keeping Asami would be too easy for her to escape from. My father probably has her in a more secure containment area, an area where she wouldn't be able to reach any form of earth or metal."
"Like the koi pond deck," Dimitri spoke, jogging a piece of Kai's memory.
"I could kiss you right now," Kai spoke excitedly moving so she could see the layout they had of the training school before it had been burned. Dimitri grinned brightly with expectance. Kai's face fell into a glare, "but I won't because you're a conceited, sexist chunk of slop in a boar-q-pine sty." She then turned back to the map.
"What's so significant about the koi pond deck, Kai?" Troy asked confused. He knew the pond had been important for the waterbenders; it was water, but Kai was an earthbender, and an outstanding one at that. The koi pond deck was a pond surrounded completely by a wooden deck that extended out a little over the pond.
"Do you remember that time when we were seven and you fell in because Shanti got jealous of you so she made you slip?" Kai asked him.
"Yeah," Troy muttered embarrassedly.
"And then Master Adao opened that hatch that led into a room underneath the deck that led out onto the sliver of beach there was that surrounded it."
"Yeah," Troy replied.
"That room is made completely out of wood, isn't it?"
A switch apparently went off in Troy's head, because his eyes lit up in understand. "That could be where he's keeping her."
"That's very plausible," Azule confirmed Kai's idea. "It's the only area in the school that's not made out of any form of stone."
"But couldn't she sense if there was sand outside the door?" Bolin asked.
"The seismic sense she uses is cut off when she's not standing on some form of earth." Bei Fong explained.
"Oh," Bolin muttered embarrassed that he hadn't known that about the woman he'd held as his idol since he was old enough to understand her story.
"The question now is: how do we get in?" Korra asked.
"Kai," Troy spoke. The dark haired girl turned to her old friend. "You and the chief should go. You're probably the only one who still remembers exactly where the hatch is."
"Who'll go with you to get Asami, then?" Tenzin asked.
"I will," Azule spoke.
"No," Mako objected, "Asami gets jealous easily, he should take me or Dimitri with him."
X
"I'll take Dimitri," Troy decided, "No offense man, but you're her ex-boyfriend, it'll look weird."
Mako shook his head, waving off Troy's words, "Don't mention it, you're probably right."
"The koi pond is equal distance from all entrances, because it's at the center of the facility." Kai pointed to where it was on the map, "So we take the West Entrance where there's the least security, Troy and Dimitri will take the East Entrance because it's closest to where they're keeping Asami in one of the old practice rooms. Mako and Bolin will take the South Entrance, and Korra, Tenzin, and Azule – wait." Kai paused and looked to her old friend, "I don't want your dad seeing you first thing."
Kai turned to Mako and Bolin, "Do one of you guys mind switching with Azule?"
"I'll switch with her," Bolin offered. Kai nodded.
"That means, Mako and Azule will take the South Entrance, and Korra, Tenzin, and Bolin will take the North Entrance. Am I missing anyone or anything?" Kai asked the group.
"Yeah," a familiar voice came from behind Kai, "Me." Kai turned around and saw her Uncle Destan standing behind her.
A/N: Sorry it's been so long, guys. I'm on my school's color guard, and band camp started a couple of weeks ago, so I've been up at my school every morning at 7 and there until 4, with an 1 1/2 for lunch in between, and then back up at the school at 6 and there until 9, for the past four weeks. Also, actual school started this past week. So, it's been pretty hectic and I haven't had much time to update.
Here's an update now, though, and I hope you enjoy it. Also, I know the last couple of chapters have been a little slow and filler-ish, but they're building up to something action- and bending-packed, I promise.