AMS

MEETING THE STUDENTS

Tarnok's adopted parents hugged him before he got on a boat, and they wished him the best of luck.

"Bye mom. Bye dad. I guess I'll be living with the great Varrick and the wonderful Zhu Li. I can't wait to meet their daughter. A fellow blood bender who uses her gift for medical purposes. I feel like she will be a main key to winning against the other blood benders," said Tarnok.

"I always knew you would have to leave home someday, but I thought I would get more time with you. Please write when you can," pleaded his adopted mom.

Tarnok nodded. His adopted dad ruffled his hair and smiled proudly at him, making Tarnok smile back and have a determined expression on his face as he turned and walked towards his destiny. Tarnok was going to learn from Saika, and Saika was going to learn from him. Together, there will be nothing they can't do.

Tarnok just stared at Saika disbelievingly as she stared back at him, wrinkling her nose.

"So. You're Tarnok?" she asked.

He had no idea why they were all staring at him like he was a nasty mold on their wall. It was making him nervous. He nodded as he sat his stuff down.

"Yeah. I've been able to blood bend since I was two, but I taught myself how to blood bend painlessly by the age of six. I can now water bend and blood bend with my mind painlessly, which I perfected at the age of eight. I'm nine now, and above the mastery level in my element. I'm sorry but, why are you all staring at me like that? I don't like it," asked Tarnok.

Varrick and Zhu Li blinked and stepped back.

"Sorry kid it's just, you have Avatar Korra's eyes, and her skin tone. But, you also have thick eyebrows like the old councilman, Tarrlok, as well as his hair," Varrick said, placing his fingertips on his forehead.

Tarnok raised an eyebrow.

"I have features of Avatar Korra and an old councilman member?" he asked.

Saika looked at the picture she found in Tarnok's bag of stuff.

"You don't look like these people at all," she murmured.

Tarnok took the picture back, looking at the three of them. Just a picture perfect photo of him and his family, or so he thought. He looked closer, and noticed that both of his parents had lighter skin tones than him, and both of their eye colors were of a lighter blue than his deep ocean pools.

"Wait. I can definitely see that maybe I'm not related to my... but, there's no way I'm the son of the previous Avatar and an old councilman! My real parents are out there somewhere. Maybe they just couldn't afford to keep me," Tarnok tried to reason.

Varrick got closer, inspecting him more.

"I have an idea!" he suddenly boomed.

"W-what's that?" stuttered Tarnok.

"Well, I found one of Korra's hair tie thingies which has a strand of her hair in it. If you give me a strand of your hair, I can run some DNA tests and find out if you are her son or not. How about it?" he asked.

"I guess there's no harm in giving you a piece of my hair. Sure," shrugged Tarnok. He wouldn't say it, but he really wanted to know if he really is the previous Avatar's son.

"Wait!" shouted Tarnok.

"Yes?" asked Varrick, turning around.

"Do you have Tarrlok's DNA too?" asked Tarnok.

"Hmm. Well, his whole body blew up in a boat explosion so it's not like I can go looking for his body. But his house has been untouched! Maybe I can go snooping in there and find something DNA worthy. I'm not making any promises. This is a long shot. If I can't find any DNA in his house, I'll try looking in his old office. But let me tell you something, if you are Korra's kid, it's practically a given you're also related to Tarrlok. Everyone else might be fooled, but when Korra got away from Tarrlok and disappeared for ten months, I immediately knew she had given birth to a baby somewhere because of him. Because if she wasn't preggers, she would have stayed in Republic City and help fight against Amon! She was a fierce gal, always wanting to immediately put the bad guys in their place," said Varrick.

Zhu Li pressed her glasses up on her face.

"Yes, I still remember when our Saika was born. Korra took her on an air ball ride and Saika loved it," smiled Zhu Li.

"Wow. She sounds like she was amazing," added Tarnok.

Saika smiled sadly.

"She was amazing. She prevented the world from ten thousand years of darkness by battling the chaotic force of pure evil. That giant monster set my mom and dad free from their prison. I wasn't with them, of course. But they got me from my grandma's house. I was ten at the time," responded Saika.

Varrick went on to run the DNA tests while Saika showed Tarnok around the house.

"So this is my room, no boys allowed. Your room is down the hall here. It's been set up for you already," pointed out Saika.

"Okay, thanks for the tour Miss Saika Moon," Tarnok bowed and left for his room.

Saika followed after him as she watched him unpack his belongings and set things where they were to go. She noticed he only had enough space to bring three other outfits in his suitcase. She frowned when he unpacked a polar bear dog fur rug.

"No wonder he didn't have enough space for other clothing items," she thought distastfully.

He then took out a family portrait of him and his adopted parents, and she looked at it again, really noticing the differences between him and the people now more than before. Her stomach turned for him. Pretty soon Varrick came running down the hall and into Tarnok's new room, startling only Tarnok. Saika was like her mom, chill about his antics.

"Is everything alright, sir?" asked Tarnok.

Varrick had his goggles and stained lab coat on, and he was sweating and breathing heavily due to the running he did.

"I got the test result of the DNA samples. You're Avatar Korra's son!" shouted Varrick, widening his legs and arms for dramatic effect.

Tarnok couldn't believe what he was hearing, nor did he want to believe it. All his life, he called one woman "mom" and one man "dad". He never thought that those words would be a lie to him. He remembered something Varrick said.

"If you turn out to be her son, it's practically guaranteed you're Tarrlok's son as well, given your ability and the timing of it all."

He grabbed the picture of him smiling with his adopted parents, and his gut wrenched and eyes spilled tears. He covered his mouth and used the picture to cover his crying face. His fath- no. The man always told him it wasn't manly for a man to cry or show weakness. The man always had to be brave, fearless, and above all, have feelings of steel. But a man was allowed to show love to the woman he cares about.

"Kid, it's going to be alright. You're nothing like Tarrlok. You're more like Korra if anything, and you have her eyes!" Varrick said, feeling guilty and trying to cheer Tarnok up.

Varrick was kicking himself in the rear end, wishing he could rewind time and just know to shut up and let the kid think these people were his real parents.

"But if it wasn't me, someone else would have told him they don't look related, then someone else, and someone else until he would have eventually came to me to get answers anyway. But what if I lied and said him and those people are related? Ah who am I kidding, I can't live with myself if I lie to a kid about their parents," Varrick thought to himself.

"Guys, people claiming to be bloodbenders and master waterbenders, wanting to learn bloodbending, are showing up. It seems your mover worked for advertisement, honey," Zhu Li said as she came down the hall.

Tarnok psychically bended his tears away, steadied his breathing, and controlled his heart rate before standing up and putting the picture back where he set it. It was time for him to be a man, so he stood tall, puffed his chest out, and walked out to meet these water and novice bloodbenders so he and Saika can teach them. If only it was going to be as easy as that. There were only three kids and one adult who showed up.

"Hello, my name is Saika Moon. I am not yet a master bloodbender, but I am good enough to know how to use it for healing and other medical purposes. Tarnok here, can use bloodbending at will. At any time, of any day, and the full moon literally cannot make his bending any more powerful than it already is. He will be teaching all of us how to bloodbend without the full moon. Do you know why we're doing this?" asked Saika when she finished introductions.

They all scratched their heads as they thought back to the mover that advertised the training.

"Uh, was it to just train others? Because the mover didn't say anything or show anything else other than bloodbending training for good people," asked one of the kids.

Tarnok stepped forward, his hands behind his back. He was standing tall like his uncle had once done under the guise of Amon.

"I wish this was all training for the fun of it. But it's not. The fact is, Ba Sing Se has been taken over by evil bloodbenders, and if the Avatar was born there, then the new one was born in the Fire Nation. I'm afraid that these bloodbenders will strike every other part of the Earth Kingdom until there are no more earthbenders, and then attack the Fire Nation, and eventually, the Air Nation that was just recently refilled with airbenders. Us good bloodbenders need to unite, learn how to master the ability, and take down these evil bloodbenders for the new Avatar's sake, whoever and wherever they are. I can psychically bloodbend and waterbend. I can teach all of you, though it will take some years for you all to learn how to bloodbend without the full moon," explained Tarnok.

The kids and adult's faces all turned grim and they each tried to pry the doors open but to no avail.

"Sorry guys! But my security system is up and it's set to five years time! During which you all better get your training in so you can help save the world! Don't you all want to be remembered in the history books of future generations to come and be known for using bloodbending to save the world and its Avatar? Man! I sure wish I was in your shoes!" enthusiastically shouted Varrick with his goggles still over his blue eyes that now shone with excitement.

"You don't have to worry about a thing while you're here training. Tarnok's ability lets him feel heart beats and other organ functions. If anyone somehow makes it through our security, Tarnok can easily guide them out. If one of you hurts yourself badly in practice, Saika can guide Tarnok in how to use his bloodbending to heal any or all of you effectively. Varrick will be here, drawing up invasion plans for when the time comes, and I will be helping him while I cook the meals and serve the drinks. It will be too much fun for you guys that you might end up forgetting about the evil bloodbenders. By the time you remember, you'll already be ready for them," smiled Zhu Li.

The kids and adult relaxed and untangled themselves from each other.

"From here on out, to ensure you all can at least bloodbend without the full moon, you all will need to train ten hours a day, every day, for the next five years. That's just to make sure you can bloodbend without the full moon. Once we save the world from the bloodbenders, you can always come back to further your training," said Tarnok.

He looked at the clock and sighed, wishing it was early sunrise. But it was the opposite. The sun was beginning to set. He remembered he brought a calendar with him and smiled at the thought of being able to keep track of the next few months they had left in this year. Sighing, he turned to his new bloodbending students.

"Well, before we get ready for dinner, how about you all introduce yourselves. I want your name, age, and favorite thing. Go," said Tarnok, pointing at the person on the far left of the group.

"Un! My name is Umi, I'm three, and my favorite thing is soap bubbles!" introduced Umi, the youngest of the group.

Tarnok and Saika nodded, smiling.

"My name is Ritoy, I'm seven, and my favorite thing is sushi," said Ritoy, drooling just thinking about raw fish.

Tarnok winced and Saika almost drooled herself.

"My name is Veena, I'm twelve, and my favorite thing is puppets," said Veena, popping gum in her mouth while she twirled a finger around one of her violet locks.

"Ugh. Just like that dreadful Hama all up in those history books," inwardly thought Tarnok as he shuddered.

Saika nodded like she understood that to be a completely normal hobby for someone with bloodbending abilities.

"Uh, my name is Bean. I'm eighteen, and my favorite thing is knitting. I only just started bloodbending, so I'm really new," introduced Bean.

Tarnok gave Bean a quizzical look. Bean looked very ambiguous, so he couldn't tell if Bean was male or female.

"Bean, sorry for my rudeness, but are you a boy or a girl?" asked Tarnok.

Bean blushed and crouched down a bit from embarrassment.

"Ah, i-it's okay. Mother always told me I needed to look more like my gender. I'm a girl. I just wear really baggy clothes all the time," explained Bean.

Tarnok nodded.

"So is Bean your real name? Or is that a nickname? I haven't met anyone else with the name before," asked Saika.

"It's my birth name! M-my parents were sort of odd balls back in the day, hehe."

Saika smiled and Tarnok rolled his eyes.

"Guess being odd runs in the family," he thought to himself. "Pathetic. Well, when we're done with her, she will look more feminine and be powerful."

Zhu Li came back in the room, wearing her frilly sea green apron she loves so much.

"Dinner is ready everyone. Please, go wash your face and hands and come sit at the table," said Zhu Li.

"My mom makes the best meals. You are all in for a treat for the next five years," winked Saika as she made her way up the stairs to the bathroom where the blood and soon to be bloodbenders followed her.

At the table, Tarnok just realized he still doesn't know how far into bloodbending these people are.

"So Umi, what all are you able to bloodbend without problem?" asked Tarnok, eating another piece of meat.

"I'm really good at controlling rats and the small mice! But, anything bigger, and I have trouble controlling it fully," answered Umi, stuffing more meat into her mouth before moaning blissfully due to the taste of the meat.

Tarnok nodded. "And what about you, Ritoy?"

Ritoy blushed.

"Well, I've never ever been able to bloodbend before. My brother and little sister can do it, but they've never been able to teach me how. I want to learn, so I can finally fit in with them and be noticed and praised by our mum and dad," explained Ritoy before quickly adding, "But I'm already a master waterbender! I'm a real prodigy."

Tarnok nodded before smiling at him. "Since you're a prodigy, then, with the right teachings, you can pick it up more quickly than anyone else who already knows how to bloodbend. When I find a way to teach you properly, you might master it completely before the five years is up."

Ritoy beamed at that news and the confidence in his new master. He couldn't help but stand and bow.

"Hai! I'll make you proud. Sensei!"

He sat back down and ate the food with more gusto than before, making Tarnok smile again.

"Veena? What about you?"

Veena's uncovered eye looked up at Tarnok. She huffed her hair out of her other eye but the hair fell back down in front of it.

"You can't bloodbend yet either?" he asked.

Playing with the food on her plate, she cleared her throat.

"I can bloodbend. But, I can't yet control really big and tall people and animals. Small and mediums, I can control with little to no resistance from them, but any bigger and I mess up. I've only tried to bloodbend a really tall, bulky adult man once, and he was walking away with no problem. If he hadn't told me he was getting the police, I would be in jail right now, and he would still be alive. So, I used bloodbending to rupture his heart," she said, her voice breaking at the last sentence. She sniffed and wiped her eyes while everyone at the table was silent.

She stood up, and made a fist of determination.

"It was never my intention to use my bending to harm others! I... I want to learn control so I don't mess up again. I want to give bloodbending a good name because...well, it's a really freakin awesome power to have! And it shouldn't have a bad name," Veena finished, breathing heavily before calming herself down and sitting back down.

Tarnok put his hands together. He felt bad for this poor girl who felt she was forced to use her gift for murder. She was only trying to learn, and that guy, instead of walking away or offering to help her, he was just going to put her away simply because she was trying to learn and expand her power. Not for evil, but for the sake of learning. She did what she felt she had to to survive.

"Well, Veena, while you are here, you will be safe. No one here judges you for what you did, nor will we hold it against you. From here on out, you are our student, and it will be my duty to teach you control, and then power, and then more control," promised Tarnok.

Veena glanced up at him then back down at her plate, put meat into her mouth, and smiled a tiny bit.

"And Bean? Let me guess. You're a master waterbender who wants to learn bloodbending for, say, self protection?" guessed Tarnok.

Bean shakily smiled but then the smile disappeared and she shakily shook her head.

"Oh no," Bean said, her voice quivering. "My reason is very similar to Veena's here, but on a much larger scale."

Veena and the others looked over at Bean, eyes wide and wanting to know more. Bean was a bean pole, very frail looking, and looked like she couldn't hurt a fly even if she tried. Tarnok furrowed his brows.

"Maybe that's why she is such a nervous wreck then," he thought.

"Please elaborate," urged Saika.

Bean stopped shaking, furrowed her brows, and suddenly it was like she was a completely different person.

"A whole army attacked my small village in the outskirts of the Southern Tribe. I tried using my normal waterbending against them since normally, I can only bloodbend up to two people at once. My parents, and my best friend's child was murdered, and so many others. I snapped, saw red, and when I woke up, the whole army was covered in puddles of their own blood. The very people that used to greet me everyday like I was an old friend cowered in fear away from me. I asked them what happened, and some of the little kids called me a monster," explained Bean, going back to wringing her hands and quivering.

Tarnok's and everyone else's eyes were widened, especially Veena's before Veena stood and had the most excited look on her face.

"Eeehhhh?! You unconsciously killed a whole army using bloodbending?! Bean, you're so awesome! Hey!" she yelled, Bean looking over at Veena's outstretched hand. "Let's learn control together!"

For the first time, Bean actually smiled genuinely as she took the girl's hand.

"Yeah. I look forward to learning with you!" cried Bean.

"Wow. Our students sure are interesting people. Aren't they, Tarnok?" Saika asked, smiling.

Tarnok rolled his eyes at her question. It was obvious from the get go that they were interesting, it was just not in the way Tarnok ever expected.