A/N: Hello people! I am updating and it feels amazing even though I should really be working on my homework but hey, screw it. You guys are a lot nicer than my teachers anyhow. Anyway, hope you enjoy. Review please!
Disclaimer: I own nothing, but maybe one day when aliens discover Earth they may attribute all of ALOK's genuis to me on a fluke. Until then, I only own the OC's.
Previously on Events Unexpected…
Before the crack of dawn, a girl and her snow white polar bear-dog set out on the dusty trail. A few hours later, a disgruntled firebender awoke and roused her entourage. The canvas of the balloon was filled with the heated particles of the mixtures of the elements found amongst the air, bouncing wildly with the added kinetic energy of the firebender punching blue flames into the iron coal container. A battalion of metalbenders, amongst them a tall serious looking woman, set out from the bustling metropolis.
"You may be able to ignore this travesty Master," Inzei snarled, "but this is about the honor of my nation and the safety of one of its citizens. I will not sit here and wait for a city police force to attempt to rescue my heir and representative. This is a matter of the Fire Nation and as its leader; I will take responsibility for Princess Kaji's wellbeing… and that of my councilwoman."
"If I may be so bold as to request that I accompany you, Fire Lord Inzei," Izuru motioned to herself.
"I shall come too then," Katara interjected.
Kaji was at least a good few weeks ahead of the Fire Lord and his small fleet. Now all that was left was to wait and observe.
The frozen wastelands stretched before them as far as the eye could see and beyond. The pale horizon held barely a contrast between the pasty clouds that covered all above the ice and the tundra itself. The ship chugged along lazily through the mists and fog, blending completely with the chalky environment. Kaji stood at the helm, impatiently awaiting their arrival at the small compound located, strategically, a few miles away from the capital city of the Northern Water Tribe. It was far enough away to be obscure to the guard- which happened to have become less astute after seven decades of peace despite the Tribe's continued distrust of the rest of the world- and yet no one would think to look so close to such a central location for a hideout of people not wishing to be found. There was also the added bonus of the misconception that Aroostook had chosen the spot to conveniently keep in touch with the main governing body whilst keeping his prisoners in check. As for the ship itself, they had traded in the older one for one of a better camouflage and more extensive prisoner quarters in order to secretly and securely cross the border between the sea and the glistening polar continent. Kaji had of course been chained to the procession of the other councilmen and women as they were, rudely, escorted aboard the new vessel. She was still somewhat surprised and disappointed at how docile they had been. She did not need complications, but a show of strength would have been appreciated. Instead those old crones had done nothing other than sniffle and shuffle into their new cages. The doors had been bolted and barred and it had been the end. It was currently three days after their swift departure from the small Earth Kingdom dock.
On the other hand, Kaji had enjoyed the news that Izuru had attached herself to the Fire Lord's entourage. Inzei's hot temper had been expertly veiled during her stay at the capital; however, Azula had taught her how to pick out the finest detail. The minute ticks he would get when exasperated by a particularly irritating senator or businessman were enough of an indication. The water witch's presence had been an unforeseen hiccup, something that was increasingly bothering the Princess. Katara had proven to be a worthwhile opponent, even if the woman was not aware of the game quite yet. She had a certain perception about people. Thinking back to some of the stories she had heard about the younger version of the waterbender, Kaji couldn't help but question the statement slightly. The Jet incident did not inspire much in confidence with Katara's abilities. Perhaps it was the age that had sharpened them. A counterintuitive evolution as most senses dulled in times of peace and senility.
Golden eyes snapped back to the snowy carpet on the underside of the glass dome, convex from where she was standing. The small, ice-covered concrete building she was looking for came into view on the far right side of her vision. She did not turn to it, rather waited for the airship to adjust its course until it was central. They descended quickly, landing in a flurry of little flakes. Alone they may have been unique, but clumped together Kaji was unimpressed by their uniformity. As the chill hit her and pervaded her body, all she wanted to do was burn the entire overgrown iceberg until it was nothing but the barren rock beneath.
"Keep the prisoners on board for now," Kaji ordered. "I must speak to Alistair. Guard them well."
The men nodded. Most were of the Tribes, one or the other, and were accustomed to the weather. Their clothes were light in comparison to the Earth Kingdom natives and Kaji herself. They were to be the ones who would be most suited for all things to do with protection and fighting whilst they remained in the ice lands. Three took up posts outside of the airship. The rest were either inside or became part of the seven that escorted their leader into the holding post. Karak followed close behind Kaji, giving her cursory glances every now and then as though trying to assess her mood.
"If you have something to say, say it. Use your tongue or I'll have it cut off as it serves no purpose," Kaji growled quietly, her temples throbbing in annoyance.
To further her bad mood, the impudent man chuckled. Karak's eyes glistened with unbridled mirth as he spoke in a hushed whisper, "I do not doubt you my Lady. I was merely trying to figure out if you are still upset with me."
"You have done nothing to warrant my wrath since our last little… encounter. I am not one to hold a grudge," Kaji replied evenly.
"Ah, that is good to hear. My worries have been abated," Karak made an exaggerated sigh, as though something heavy had been lifted from his dark shoulders. The tanned skin rippled and expanded under the tight parka he was wearing before loosening again.
"Do not get too comfortable lest you forget the lesson," Kaji warned. They had reached the front gate and their banter ceased as she stepped forth and assertively pounded on the hunk of plaster and stone.
"Princess, we have been expecting you," a tall bark-skinned man stood with his arms crossed in front of the entrance that had revealed itself with the opening of the door. His long light brown hair fell in a mixture of braids and free tangles over the massive shoulders and bulging biceps, hiding the penetrating dark indigo eyes.
"I would have hoped that your security had been better than this, Alistair," Kaji chided. Her signature smirk had left in the wake of a critical scowl. "What if it had not been me?"
"My spies informed me of your presence. Rest assured that if it had not been you who had stepped out of that airship, you would have been dead.
Kaji's grin reappeared across her ruddy complexion. The blasted cold had dilated all of the damned blood vessels in her face staining her cheeks a cherry hue. She had picked out the hidden waterbenders lying in wait for them only a few feet before reaching the door. The only giveaway had been a brief flicker of movement across the usually static surroundings. Approvingly she placed a gloved hand on the large bare forearm of the man before her. "Yes, I must learn not to doubt you."
A booming laugh broke out from his barrel-sized chest. Alistair grabbed the unwitting firebender into a crushing embrace saying, "Not doubt? You would not be Kaji without that innate skepticism of yours."
"Unhand me barbarous fool," Kaji growled, her voice completely muffled by a mouthful of fur that adorned the cut-off sleeves against which she was being pressed. Louder she barked, "I have arrangements to discuss."
"Of course. Your formality is just as atrocious as your sarcasm."
Alistair moved aside and allowed the small party into the fire lit room beyond. The building held few windows, and those were only big enough to allow for snipers or long-range gunmen to aim and shoot out of. Therefore, despite it being quite light outside, the interior of the structure needed twenty-four hour illumination. Electricity had still not replaced the popular kerosene or whale-oil lamps that hung on every wall. Kaji felt the prickling sensation of warmth flooding into her numbed appendages. She cursed to herself that if she lost a toe the entire Arctic Circle would have hell to pay. Luckily for both, she was soon able to fully flex all ten of the digits inside of her fur-lined boots.
"Are the cells ready?" Kaji inquired, sitting on one of the three ratty sofas that had been placed by the large fireplace to the far right of the room. The rest of the place was mostly empty, doors leading into the adjacent rooms and staircases leading to the top floor and the basement.
"Yep. Are you sure you want to be in them though? I mean, if you think that it was cold outside…" Alistair shivered reflexively just thinking about the dismally cramped cellar that had been converted into a makeshift dungeon.
"I," Kaji couldn't help her expression darkening at the prospect of not having any heat for however long she would be kept down there, "will do what I must to keep up all pretenses."
"Very well then. Any other orders?" Alistair looked down in concern at the nineteen year-old girl in front of him. She was so young and small in comparison to him, but her eyes made his insides churn with barely concealed apprehension. He did not want to see the girl hurt; on the other hand he liked his skin on his body and not strewn on the ground as a welcome mat under her feet.
"None. Continue as planned. You know what to do depending on which one of our lucky opponents reaches us first, yes?"
"Yes Princess."
Without further words spoken, Kaji begrudgingly exited the comfortable heat of the building and returned to the metallic depths of her flying machine. Her expensive furs were removed and burned-replaced with a tattered version of the dress she had worn to the festival almost a month ago, the biting iron shackles claimed her fine wrists and ankles, and the final touch of a few well-placed bruises and cuts courtesy of Karak prepared her for her convergence with the other prisoners. She wished that her cheeks were a bit hollower from lack of nourishment or sleep, but alas she had to work with what she had. The others came in a line; first hobbled the Earth Kingdom man, then the firebender, Kaji herself, and the Southern Water Tribesman as the rear. A smiling Aroostook followed them, guarded by five men.
"Wait, wait. Stop them," his deep voice was an abomination of its former self. Frigid with black humor, laced in venom, and grinning maniacally before the ragged assortment of delegates, he beckoned to one of the men escorting him. "Let's have a bit of fun with them before locking them up like the rabid dogs they are. Drag them across the ice to the holding cells."
The man hesitated only a moment, afraid to look at the
firebender among the others; his true mistress. He would not be the one to reveal her elaborate scheme, but he also did not want to be charred into an unrecognizable clump of ashes if he did what Aroostook wanted.
"Did you not hear me man?" Aroostook questioned dangerously.
The poor waterbender finally gave in and quickly glanced at Kaji for affirmation. Her head tilted down ever so slightly and he had his answer. He bowed his head to the Northerner before strutting over to the assemblage of prisoners. He roughly kicked the backs of their knees until they were kneeling on the ground. They were then grabbed by the hair or scalp and pushed onto the ground; the crunch of the hardened ice crystals beneath their faces and bodies was soon replaced by a stinging, sogginess that only made the wind cooler. The iron links became taut as a particularly large earthbender began to pull their bodies toward the small two-story building. Kaji gritted her teeth, hating how well Izuru's brainwashing worked. The man was a complete monster, exactly per her orders. There was no time for regret now though, so she clenched her jaw and tried to ignore the wetness of the blood that was starting to leak out of her torn skin.
The cells in the cellar were honestly just iron boxes, tall enough vertically to keep a person standing. In width, they were just enough to fit a man's shoulders and leave some room for breathing. Kaji's smaller form afforded her more movement; that was until they chained her. She did not want to be afforded any accommodation. Her arms were bound over her head, attached to the slab of metal behind her. Large chords wrapped around her chest in an 'x' pattern, cutting into the already tender flesh. Lastly, her legs were secured in a similar manner to her hands, against the brazen iron behind her. Kaji's arms and most of her legs were bare to the elements, though she was thrown a rather thin blanket. The others got them too so the gesture did not to appear as favoritism. The man before her had his face hidden by a thick scarf to ward off the sickeningly chill air that flooded every crevice of the place. His eyes were the last thing the Fire Princess saw before the heavy cage was sealed and the only opening was a small sliver that would provide her with oxygen. It was not the perfect, or even desirable, place to be, but somehow she had a feeling that Korra was not far away and she could not afford to have her conspiracy unveiled to the girl.
Korra stood against the railing of the small steamer as it chugged along the choppy waves of the northern sea. She had been lucky enough to find someone willing to take her across the ocean so close to the middle of fall. To be honest, it might as well have been winter already up there. The leaves had been so green, but three weeks heading into the cooler regions of the globe had them turning amber, crimson, and gold before her very eyes. She could only believe that the spirits were guiding Naga's feet because there was no other way that it would have been possible for the polar bear-dog to have made the distance in the five weeks that she had. To have run across the entirety of the Earth Kingdom was no small feat after all. The toll was evident in the way the poor animal was lounging on the deck of the rickety vessel. Naga hadn't had enough energy to even crack open an eyeball and they had been out on the water for eight days now.
Korra's nerves were too jittery to allow her to get even a wink of sleep. It had been a total of six weeks since she had left Republic City. Six weeks that Kaji had been gone. Six weeks that she was in the hands of some madman, or the like. Korra shut her eyes to regain some composure before she broke down into sobs again. She had been getting better about stemming the waterworks over the past few days- there was no need for the captain to start asking questions- but she was still a wreck on the inside. A worried, lonely, overly energetic wreck with nothing to do. Not for the first time did Korra debate as to whether she should bend the currents to turn the sluggish vessel into a new-age speedboat. The idea died almost as soon as she came back to it. There was no use in expending what little she had left before even hitting the Northern Water Tribe. And once she did, she still had no fucking clue where to start looking.
It was melancholically funny that she didn't even feel any excitement in coming 'home.' She hadn't been away for all that long if she was going to be honest. Had it been a year? Certainly. Probably. Maybe. It didn't matter.
"Port is in sight Miss," the short, balding little fisherman came up behind her. She gave an embarrassed little squeak at his sudden materialization out of nowhere.
"Th-thank you," Korra mustered out between chattering teeth. I seriously need to relax, she mused before walking over to the catatonic figure of her pet.
"Come on Naga, time to get up," Korra yelled into the dog's ear whilst pushing at the behemoth shoulder. There was no response to any of her efforts. "Come on you big mutt! We have to go!"
Naga grumbled and turned over so that she was out of Korra's arm's reach. The Avatar grumbled and moved forward, not ready to capitulate yet. She gave the animal an affectionate, if not a tad bit rough, kick against the heaving side. An annoyed whine was her only answer, but a few minutes later, Naga was attempting to lift herself up. In the case of the overworked polar bear-dog, fifth time was the charm.
"Good girl," Korra cooed. Naga grumbled but accepted the apologetic ear rub with grace. "I promise I won't ride you for another few hours 'kay? I still have to figure out where I'm going to start looking for Kaji anyway."
It was a rather daunting prospect.
The Northern Water Tribe had not been changed much over the past seventy years. The great wall had been repaired by the waterbenders to its former glory before the Fire Nation's siege, though it still paled in comparison to the glacial walls surrounding three quarters of the city. The barrier would be split to allow the commercial vessels access to the small docks, made entirely of ice, which led up to the small fishing houses. The buildings had also been made entirely of ice as was custom. Oil lanterns hung, extinguished in the midday sunlight, from small holsters embedded into the solid walls. Above Korra's small form, the rings of the central city stacked atop each other until they came to their zenith: The formidable and beautiful ice palace. The home of the Water Tribe Chief and his family. Korra scrunched her nose in suppressed laughter when she remembered the fussy and awkward Prince Yun. She wondered if she would run into him, secretly begging Tui and La that she did not.
The boat's captain bid her luck in her travels, taking the last bit of money that she had stowed away in her saddle bags. The rest of the journey would have to be made with all of her survival instincts at maximum. She looked back at the castle rising over the heads of all who lived in the capital. She couldn't seek held from the Chief as that would alert Tenzin of where she was. Tenzin could already be there as well, or Lin, or anybody else who could keep her from her mission. No, the royals of the Tribe were out. With no other informants, and no way to ask around without bringing in unwanted attention to herself, Korra was forced to rely on the only method left for her. She would have to go into the Spirit World and seek aide from the previous Avatars or any other entity willing to help her.
Seeking a secluded place where she wouldn't be disturbed, Korra decided on a little teashop hidden between two taller buildings close to where she had been let off. There were enough patrons there to hide her presence from onlookers, but not too many where she would be hard pressed for concentration. She quickly scrounged out a copper coin from one of her many pockets and pouches, glad that she had enough to actually purchase something. She would have been somewhat depressed if she had been kicked out for not being able to pay.
The steaming cup filled with deep amber liquid was beautifully warm against her hands. Korra didn't want to admit it, but she was finding that acclimatizing back to the frigidity of the Northern Water Tribe was a bit more difficult than habituating herself to the humid heat of Republic City had been. Soon though, she was lost to her own thoughts; leaving her body in the confines of the small corner of the quaint little house while her spirit ascended into the reaches of the world only she could access.
"What is it Korra?" a kind looking monk with the blue arrow markings of the air nomads asked her as soon as she made her presence known to her past lives.
""Aang, I didn't expect to find you so soon," Korra stuttered. "I- I know it's been a while…"
"It has, but that is nothing to worry about. I am not offended by your wish to be left to your own thoughts. I had the same feelings many times throughout my life," the kind-hearted man beckoned for her to come closer to him. "Now tell me, what is it you wish to ask me?"
"I- I need to find someone. I don't know where they are or how I'm supposed to get there. I don't know anything really. Is there any way that I can locate he- the person I'm looking for through the Spirit World?"
"Such matters are a little beyond me. I would know how to take you to a place in a matter of seconds or to locate a needle within a haystack the size of the Earth Kingdom, but if you do not know where the place is or what the needle looks like, it becomes complicated."
"There has to be some way to do it though?" Korra prodded. She had run out of options. She knew that she could always start sweeping every square mile of the continent, but that was not a plausible solution at the moment.
Avatar Aang's face scrunched up in concentration. He looked at the disparaged look Korra was giving him, pleading with him for something she could use. His eyes lit up with an idea before quickly deepening into an expression of something like fear.
"What is it?" Korra hadn't missed the exchange of feelings flitting across his visage. "You know something don't you?"
"I do not know how to help you Korra," her face fell until Aang continued, "but I know someone who might."
"Who!?" Korra was ecstatic.
"Koh, the Faceless One. When I came to the Northern Water Tribe in search of answers about Zhao's mission, it was he who told me about Tui and La's mortal forms. If there is a way to find your missing person, Koh would know of it," Aang stated after some hesitation.
"He is very dangerous Korra," he continued when he saw that determined face that he knew so well as one of his own when he was a boy. "You must show no emotion when confronting him. He is the Face Stealer for a reason. You must be cautious when approaching him."
"Where is he?" Korra asked. She could feel the talons of fear sink into the lower part of her gut, but she also felt the throb of hope pulsing through her heart and blood. If Koh was the one who had the answers, then she would go to him.
"He is under an ancient tree within the depths of the Spirit World. I will take you, but I can go no further than the entrance."
"Let's go then," Korra clenched her fingers into fists, knowing that her resolve was slipping with each passing breath.
Aang nodded and shifted his shape into one of a very large, very fuzzy flying lemur. His ears twitched with worry as the young girl clambered up onto his back. Korra herself was barely containing her laughter at the airbender's animal spirit. She knew that Roku was a dragon and Kyoshi had probably been something likewise as formidable. To be a giant lemur was, well, quite frankly embarrassing. Still, she held her tongue, not wishing to offend the only person who was able to take her to Koh's lair.
They flew at a speed that was only possible within the inner circles of the Spirit World. Only those most disciplined could reach their marked destinations in mere minutes. Aang was the epitome of disciplined and made it in seconds. The gnarled roots that twined around each other looked like the arthritic fingers of some malevolent being that had warped so much as to be indiscernible from each other. The rank swampy atmosphere held a yellowish, sulphuric pigmentation. It was enough to send chills down Korra's backbone. Her legs were shaky and she held herself steady by grasping at the fur of Aang's animal form.
"He is within," was all the previous Avatar said as he converted back into his human form. He looked down at Korra, noticing the tremors running through her. Korra bit down on her lower lip to keep it from quivering. She collected all of her thoughts in one breath, surprised that the smell was as fresh as any alpine air. Her mind cleared and her facial muscles relaxed into a mask of apathy. It would be her only aegis against Koh's wiles and she could not afford to let it slip.
Letting go of Aang's sleeve, Korra entered the cavernous maw that was the entrance into the heart of the oak. Within, it was dark and dank. The heavy air began to press into her lungs, causing her to want to cough in order to expel the excess water buildup. Korra stubbornly suppressed the urge, afraid any movement of her jaw would cause her to lose herself to the villainous spirit lurking within.
"Koh?" she said, her voice in the same tone as Kaji's tended to get whenever she was talking to anyone she didn't want to associate with.
Something flashed behind her and then above. She kept her eyes straight ahead of her, refusing to acknowledge the need to flee from the forsaken place. A crackle of twigs and dead branches to her right made her pause. She knew he was there, looking, waiting. She would wait for him as well.
The duel of silence and intimidation stretched for what seemed like hours but could have easily been minutes or seconds before the hideous things reared itself out of its crevice. Korra fought back the revulsion that was crawling up her throat along with the contents of her stomach at the sight of the massive, centipede body of the resident of the tree. The shiny black exoskeleton was moist with small droplets of water, making it even sicklier in appearance. The underside was a dark green, broken by beige legs that stuck out like sharp projections of rock or bone. Within a red, muscular oval in the center of the head was a white face. It was obviously that of a female Noh mask, complete with dark vermillion lips, large eye circles and two small ovular ebony eyebrows high on the forehead. It was smiling in a creepy way, sort of like a predator and yet not. Definitely more ominous than any predator in the animal kingdom.
"Ah, yet another Avatar here to test their prowess against me," Koh's voice was slimy, just like his body. It stuck to the walls surrounding them, dripping in the sap coming from the breaks in the bark and in the droplets of water sliding along the rough branches and trunk.
"I want you to locate something for me," Korra stated plainly. The sooner it was over, the sooner she could leave.
"Yes, that Kaji girl. She really is a wonder. Oh how I wish I could acquire her face," the centipede thing rubbed its pincer together in a show of delight. The spiked tail curled back in on itself and then smacked into the ground with a resounding slap. "If I help you, what do I get in return?"
"I don't kick your giant bug ass is what you get," the threat didn't sound quite as menacing when said in a monotone, but Korra couldn't afford any other octave.
"Oh? I'm sorry if I do not quake in fear," Koh laughed. The sound was akin to the grating of nails against a chalkboard. "How about we play a game instead? A wager really. I will tell you how to find the firebender, but you have to come back here to me when I call upon you. Then, I will tell you the terms of the bet."
Korra did not like the way that the thing talked to her, the way its pasty face contorted into a distortion of glee with each syllable. She could see no other option available to her though. The longer she stayed, the more chance it had of overwhelming her, not to mention that she had no idea how she was supposed to fight something like the ancient spirit. All she had left was to acquiesce to its demands.
"I agree. Now tell me where Kaji is."
Koh's smile, if possible, grew even wider. It was to the point that it was splitting the Noh mask in two. "That is a very wise decision Avatar. Very well. When you leave this place, you will see a faint red cord that goes from your heart into the horizon. Follow it and it will lead you to the Fire Princess. Take note of the way for you will have to return to you physical body in order to reach her."
"Thank you," Kaji spun around to go. She was almost out into the placid artificial 'sunlight' that marked the outside world when she heard a whisper from behind her. The thing's face was so close to her that she could feel the rancid gusts of air coming from its mouth on her ear.
"Be careful of that girl. I may be the master of faces, but she is not very far behind. What you may think you see may be a mirage created for you by her ploys."
Korra doubled her pace until she was running through the opening in the twisted brambles around her. Her face collided with the soft material of Aang's clothing. She gripped at it and began to shake, all of the pent up fear and relief bursting forth. The man's arms wrapped around her trembling form, waiting out the waves of panic that washed over her.
Korra rubbed at her swollen eyes, puffy with the remaining tears that streaked down her cheeks. She smiled reassuringly at his questioning gaze. The silver eyes that looked down at her with such caring and selflessness made her want to just stay within his safe embrace. Unfortunately, she had prior engagements that kept her from forgetting herself in the Spirit World.
"Did you find what you needed?" Aang inquired. His tone was gentle, but earnest. He wanted to be informed of Koh's message.
"Yeah, I did," Korra smiled. It was small and not at all secure, but it was a start.
"Good, at least you didn't go in for nothing. What did he want in exchange?"
"He… I don't know. He just said that he would call on me one day for a wager of some sort. I… I had to agree. I didn't know how long I was going to hold out there," Korra suppressed the sobs that were resurfacing.
"Koh is not someone to underestimate. Whatever this wager is, it will not be a benevolent thing. Be wary Korra. Keep your heart strong in preparation for your next meeting."
"I will, thank you Aang," Korra promised. She looked down at her chest then. Just as the spirit had said, a thin, barely visible red tread stretched its way into obscurity among all of the gases and clouds surrounding the area.
"I see you have the red string of fate connecting you two. It is a powerful bond Korra," Aang said sagely.
"I guess I'll just have to follow it and see where it leads me won't I?" Korra took a hold of the tiny strand, hoping that by touch she would not lose it.
"Call upon me if you need any help," Aang offered before disappearing and leaving the newest Avatar to walk along the path assigned to her by her Ariadne's thread.
Korra found herself walking through the spectral equivalents of the houses of the Water Tribe capital. She had no idea how she had suddenly gotten there after having been in the swamp only moments before. Still, she didn't need to remember that. This was the part that was important now.
Two elevator systems had been put into place that crawled up the mighty glacial bulwark. One ran from the left of the city, the other from the right. Both could easily be unhooked and made unusable in times of invasion, but also acted as evacuation platforms as well. Korra brought down the lever, marveling at how speedily the mechanism shot her up toward the beginning of the snowy wastes.
The string continued on to the North. Korra's feet began to hit the ground with increased velocity and fervor until she was running. She had no landmarks or points of distinction with which to gauge her progress, yet she had a feeling that she would not get lost. The uniformity of the uninhabited lands around her was broken by the façade of a simply boxy building. The concrete was certainly a variation to the usual ice houses, but it was definitely more secure. Korra slipped through the door, not worrying about walls in her astral form. The rooms were exactly as they had been on the scrap of paper that she still had back with her body. The stairs leading down to the cellar were simple enough to find. Within the chamber below, Korra saw the four prison cells. They reminded her of Tarrlok's betrayal and her kidnapping. The images in her mind made her cringe. The string pointed to the one at the end of the row to her left. Korra reached for the handle, embedded into the door and undoubtedly bolted shut. Her fingers slipped through the metal as though it were water. Within she was met with a sight that caused her stomach to fold in on itself. Kaji was hanging from her hands, drenched in her own blood that had caked over her skin and dried. Her lips were blue and her face was that of a ghost. Her hair was laced with ice crystals, sticking out in hard locks or plastered to her face. Her breathes were shallow and held the only signs of life.
"Kaji," Korra murmured. Her hands reached out to cup the girl's frozen cheeks. She didn't expect a reaction, but the sheer lack of heat, especially from the firebender, was alarming.
"Kaji," Korra choked out once more. She knew that she would not be heard. She knew. Still, she couldn't just leave without a sign, a hint of the former fire held within the skin of the beautiful girl in front of her.
As if on cue, the two golden eyes snapped open. Korra backed away slightly- still keeping her hands on Kaji's face- unsure as to whether Kaji actually saw her or if it was simply a coincidence. The intensity of the two eyes on her made Korra think that it was something more than a fluke. Kaji tilted her head into Korra's hands, first to the right, then left. Korra gulped down her tears. She did not want Kaji, if the girl could in fact see her, to witness her crying. She had to be strong.
"I will find you," Korra promised after a while. It was painful to take her hands away from the forlorn figure of the Princess. Korra's only simile to describe the experience was as though half off her spirit was being ripped away from her to stay with the girl in the sub-zero dungeon. "I will find you."
Racing back to her body, Korra let herself fill the empty shell that had been her physical form. Her tea had long since cooled into icy sugar-water. She grabbed her jacket from where she had flung it on the seat and ran through the door. Naga was waiting expectantly for her. Korra gave the polar bear-dog a hug before mounting her and spurring her toward the massive elevators.
To the North, Kaji's eyes stared at the metal door in front of her as though she could rip apart the veil of the Spirit World with her thoughts alone. She had known that Korra had been there. She hadn't actually seen her, but the touch she had felt, the presence was unmistakable.
"So it was you," she sighed. "I knew it would be you."
P.S. Ariadne was the woman who gave Theseus the ball of yarn to guide him through the minotaur's maze, just fyi for those who didn't get the reference. Next chapter Korra and Kaji are reunited! Hope to write it soon. Reviews help motivate me.