The next morning, they all left the underground and headed to the tunnels to search for General Iroh since today was the day he was coming.
"Coast is clear," As they left the tunnel, they noticed the dreary foggy morning salute them as they climbed up the stairs.
Aylin felt an ominous feeling in the air that set her on edge. It was so empty and foggy. They kneeled as Bolin held the telescope out to Yue Bay to see the ships that should be coming in at any moment.
"Once the United Forces arrive, we need to be ready to help in any way we can." Korra said anxiously.
"They're here." Mako said as everyone quickly turned to see several ships breaking through the fog as they came closer to them.
"Whoops!"
"Wait a second, where are the equalists air ships?" Korra asked as Mako grabbed the microscope from Bolin as he rushed to the end, lifting the telescope to see into the foggy street across from them.
"I don't see any mechatanks either."
Suddenly, they looked out as they heard explosions hitting the ships and Korra immediately reacted by jumping into the water and helping them.
"Be careful!" Mako yelled as he clung to the rails tightly.
They heard a whirring sound from above and saw several airplanes heading straight to the ships.
"Where does Hiroshi find the time to keep inventing new evil machines?" Bolin asked almost in shock.
Aylin felt something was off as they watched the ships being destroyed. She tensed as she felt a presence behind her. She only had a second to turn before she a covered face rush to her.
She twirled around to step out of the way and gasped as she saw several chi blockers coming straight at them. Her gasp caught the attention of everyone as they turned and saw her duck and dodge the chi blocker attacks.
Mako and Bolin immediately reacted by using their bending to defeat the chi blocker while Asami was using her hand to hand combat to fight against the chi blockers.
One of the chi blockers that Aylin was fighting was forcing to step back as they swung their electrified ropes in each hand to throw at her. The chi blocker released it straight at her just as Aylin used the water in Yue Bay to create a water pinwheel and spinning it vertically around herself to deflect the ropes and have them fall at her feet before dropping the water pinwheel into water whip to back the chi blockers up.
Aylin was constantly switching her bending to create pinwheels, whips, ice shields and domes to create water jets to strike the chi blockers switching them constantly the more the chi blockers came. But she was intent on driving them back that the sound a pained grunt from Bolin had her break her concentration for several seconds to turn and see Bolin fall to the ground as the rope twirled around him and electrified him.
"Bolin!" She yelled alongside Mako just as he too fell on the ground with a rope electrifying him alongside Asami. She made a move to help but yelled as a rope twirled around her waist, ensnaring her arms to them, forcing the water she was manipulating earlier to fall at a puddle on her feet.
The force of the rope as it hit her forced her back and slip just as it electrified, causing her to fall over the rail.
"AYLIN!" She heard Bolin yell just as she hit the cold water. She gasped before clamping her mouth shut so that no water fell inside her lungs but her air was running out and she could not move her arms as she sank deeper in to the water, her hair floating past her as she grunted, trying to free herself from the binds but her lungs were shriveling up and she wanted air and the cold wasn't helping. The cold was stabbing her everywhere like knives and she was shivering and whimpering, trying desperately to get free.
The more she struggled, the faster her limited air supply was being used up. Black spots popped up in her vision as her heart began to pound painfully and her lungs were screaming for air and she had to bite her lip so her mouth wouldn't open up.
But she knew that she would open her mouth whether she wanted to or not because her brain was telling her body to get air before she died. She struggled now, starting to panic, sending out muffled grunts as she fought against the rope so she could get an ounce of precious air in her body by creating a bubble.
She was struggling so hard and panicking that she didn't the moon spirit hovering over her with a glow that caused her to think if she was hallucinating.
"Let me help you."
No. Aylin would not give up, not yet. She could do this. She just needed to get away but she was sinking now, her lungs shrinking, her throat working to her mouth to get her to open up and breathe as her heart pounded now, causing her to wince in pain.
"Please."
Not a full moon, Aylin said in her mind as she twisted and turned but to no avail. She was already drowning and her mouth was already opening up without her control.
"You'll die."
She didn't want to die but she would not hurt innocent people while under the Moon Spirit's influence.
"Please. Let me help you. Bolin is getting hurt as we speak."
Aylin froze as she heard what the moon spirit said. Bolin. Bolin was getting hurt and she was here, sinking down to the bottom with seconds before she drank in a lungful of water as her body began to fight her for air.
She didn't know what to do. Bolin was hurt but she was stuck, useless in this water unless she let the moon spirit enter her with her permission and saved them.
But at what cost?
Bolin. Bolin. Bolin. Images of Bolin were exploding all over her mind as began to lose feeling in her body and bubbles escaped her nose and into the air above them. She needed to help him. She needed to save him and she could only do that if she accepted the intrusion of the moon spirit.
Would she hurt Bolin more as she was controlled by the moon spirit?
"You have exactly 5 seconds before you drown. What is your choice?"
One.
Could she do this?
Two
Will it kill everyone around her if she chose this?
Three
Should she do this?
Four
Bolin. She had to save Bolin. But at what cost?
Five.
Yes, she thought just as her mouth opened and water came streaming into her mouth and nose.
Water. So much water.
Something. She needed to do something. Anything. Because someone needed her. Wanted her. But who?
Her thoughts were muddled and confused as her vision cleared. She was in the water. Explosions were muffled as she felt herself come alive. Something that couldn't happen because she was drowning in here.
She felt different. Not in control of herself. She blinked as something in front of her became muddled but clearer. An image of a green eyed boy who was being dragged as he fought and screamed and kicked as he yelled out towards the water, searching for something. He seemed frantic and angry and upset.
Aylin felt a crack in her armor, a light in the dark as she finally understood what was going on. She was drowning but the moon spirit had saved her and now was in control of her body but no. She wasn't. Not completely.
She was sharing the power and it was draining her but someone was hurting Bolin and she did not accept that. No one hurt her Bolin. Absolutely no one. She didn't care who it was or where it was happening but she wasnot going to let Bolin get hurt.
For the first time ever, she surrendered and letting the moon spirit be in charge, letting her emotions of Bolin push her into action. Her eyes closed and sprang open as the moon spirit took control over Aylin's body. Her eyes began to glow.
The moon spirit let the water around their shared body freeze the rope and have their arms move to break it off of them. She felt the anger of Aylin turning into rage as their thoughts turned to Bolin. The moon spirit lifted Aylin's arms and began to turn their body into a circle as the water around them began to follow the movement and began to create a water sprout, lifting the moon spirit up and out of the water. Her eyes glowed white as her gaze fell upon the chi blockers and the trio.
The green eyed boy was looking at her, mouth gaping, eyes wide with worry and pain. The anger turned to rage as she saw the pain in the boy's eyes. She switched her gaze to the chi blockers who seemed frozen before they snapped out of it and headed towards her.
Make them pay.
She let her fingers cover themselves in water from the air before turning the water into ice and shoot them at the chi blockers, cutting through their armor and drawing blood. They kept coming but that did not deter the moon spirit. While still in her watersprout, she created a water whip in each hand and threw the end at three chi blockers at a time in each whip before tossing them to Yue Bay.
A rope was coming to her face and she sliced it in the middle with water from the air before freezing two more chi blockers on the ground. Quickly she froze the ropes around Bolin, Mako, and Asami before curling her hand into a fist which caused the ice to break the rope which shattered into frozen pieces.
Three more chi blockers were left and the moon spirit bloodbent them.
And she relished it.
"You have done enough damage. Especially to the boy this girl loves." She tightened her hold and the chi blockers grunted and moaned in pain.
"Leave them alone and never come back or I will kill you." She tightened her hold, her control touching just the edges of their organs and heart, showing them how serious she was and she could smell the fear seeping out of their bodies.
"Leave these people alone."
Make them pay.
"Aylin!"
"Bolin, stop!" Mako yelled but Bolin ignored him as he walked straight up to Aylin, whose eyes were glowing white and her body was filled with rage.
"Snap out of it! This isn't you!" He yelled up to her, the water sprout supporting her as the air coming from them was ruffling his clothes and hair.
"Stay out of this!" She said, in a voice that was hers and not hers.
"Please, Aylin. You know that you wouldn't do this." Bolin said, trying to get her to come back.
"They hurt you. She did not want them to hurt you." She said and Bolin frowned.
"Aylin, snap out of it. You have to let them go. You'll kill them."
The moon spirit looked towards the chi blockers who were struggling and groaning in pain against her bloodbending hold.
"I don't care." She said and Bolin shook his head.
"Aylin, wake up. Please. This is enough. You'll hurt yourself. I can't see you like this, knowing you're not that girl I first laid eyes on."
The moon spirit felt Aylin begin to stir inside of their shared body and began to tremble with trying to gain control.
"Aylin, this is the moon spirit talking not you. I know you. You're my girlfriend. I know you so well. I know about the scar on your right shoulder, I know about your childhood, I know about what happened to your parents, I know about that frown you get when you're thinking. You turn red when you're upset or angry. You like it when I blow in your ear, you hate being tickled around your waist. I know you. I know that you wouldn't want to do this."
"Bolin..." Aylin murmured inside her body but the words did not escape her lips since the moon spirit was trying to gain control but failing.
"Please Aylin. I don't want you to do this anymore. You'll live with this regret for the rest of your life if you continue. I don't want you to be hurting. I want you to be happy and well because I love you."
She froze inside her body and the air itself seemed to still with his declaration.
"You hear me, Aylin?! I love you. I fell in love with you. I want to be a part of your life forever. I want to wake up with you on my mind and fall asleep with my mind on you, with you right beside me. I want you to be a part of my family, Aylin and maybe one day, create one of our own. I love you." He was nearly yelling but everyone heard the passion in his voice.
"Please, I want you to stop this. For me, at least. You need to wake up and gain control of yourself. Please. I don't want to lose you like I lost my parents. Please. I love you."
Something inside Aylin broke and a dam was set began to fall as the water sprout began to lower her body down to the ground in front of him as the glow in her eyes began to return to normal. The moon spirit began to recede from her body as the chi blockers fell down and ran away.
Her feet touched the ground as the glow dissipated completely and the water returned to Yue Bay. Aylin smiled, feeling so exhausted and tired and sore that she only had time to register the hope and relief in Bolin's eyes before she sighed as she passed out and felt his arms grab her right before she hit the ground and fell into a world of darkness.
Review Please!