A/N: Hello! It has been so long, almost a week. I apologize (seems I've been doing that a lot lately). I blame school and Math Analysis. It is fun, but sooo time consuming. I also have to go to my dad's for two weekends in a row so this Saturday is officially not a fanfiction workday. I promise I will work on the next installment soon. Review so I can feel the love and not think my life is a waste.
Disclaimer: Same as ever. Don't sue me, I have no money.
Previously on Events Unexpected…
Korra looked down at her chest then. Just as the spirit had said, a thin, barely visible red thread stretched its way into obscurity among all of the gases and clouds surrounding the area. The string continued on to the North. The uniformity of the uninhabited lands around her was broken by the façade of a simple 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 stairs leading down to the cellar were simple enough to find. Within the chamber below, Korra saw the four prison cells.
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.
As if on cue, the two golden eyes snapped open.
"So it was you," Kaji sighed. "I knew it would be you."
Naga's paws pounded against the poofy coalition of recently fallen snow. The prints left behind were quickly covered by a myriad of small crystals as they settled down in a gentle fashion. Korra's breath came out as a white cloud, contrasting only in its relative solidity in comparison to the thinner veil of ice that hung in the air in lattices so small that no human eye could make them out. The wind rushing into her lungs with each intake of air, stinging her lungs as would a thousand needles. Naga too, had taken to filling her body with oxygen through her nose instead of her mouth. The polar bear-dog's fur disappeared into the similarly colored environment, hiding her from the sight of most. Korra, in contrast, silently admonished her foul luck in not being able to procure something less visible than her varying shades of blue. The jacket she had donned was at least light, rimmed with white fur around the hood and sleeve opening. Her pants were of a similar placid hue. Unfortunately, the scarf she had put on, to cover the majority of her face, and the gloves and boots that protected her appendages from the weather were indigo and black respectively.
The only demonstration of movement was the bunching of muscles underneath her. Had she stayed static, Korra knew that the landscape would look a mirror image of the dynamic one they traversed. All there was to see for miles was open, white, stillness and wilderness. The passage of time was also a tell-tale sign that she was not lost within a void. They had left late in the afternoon and travelled through the night; it being early morning at the moment. The days were growing shorter with the oncoming change of seasons. The animals had all begun their descent into dormant slumber that came with the ending of autumn and the onslaught of the subzero winter months on top of the world. The miles ran on and on as one. Just as Korra was beginning to doubt her intuition and spirit-induced guidance, her eyes fell upon the unfamiliar spectacle of stone amidst the stagnant ice and snow.
"Easy Naga," Korra whispered into the ear of her animal. To anyone else, her voice was carried away by the sudden cruel wind that blew in a southward direction. Naga's teeth bared themselves from under her raised lips. She sensed something; a malignant smell of many bodies lying in wait for something.
"Keep downwind of them girl. Lead me to the nearest one," Korra patted Naga lovingly. She knew that being on the animal at that point was only folly. She would be too conspicuous and restricted in her bending. Gritting her teeth, Korra moved to get undone from her saddle. Her legs had been frozen into place against the animal's mighty heaving sides. The clumps of snow were raked off by her clumsy, half-frozen hands until she was able to kick the rest off. Once she was on the ground, Naga shook the rest in a quick spasm of her spine. Placing her large black nose to the ground, them sticking it into the air, the polar bear-dog turned to the right and began to growl. Korra nodded in understanding. The first sentry was close.
Stalking, as low to the ground as she could manage without losing the necessary speed for a surprise attack, Korra began to creep toward the direction of the danger lurking in the snow. Her back was hunched, her knees bent so they were hitting her chest every time her boot hit the frozen tundra beneath her. Her hands were in constant movement, swinging for balance and brushing fingertips against the ground to keep feeling in her fingers. The inner fire she could always feel was heating her core, spreading from her chest through her major arteries into her legs and arms.
The lump was nearly indiscernible. It could have been an outcropping of rock covered in the infinite blanket that enveloped the entire landscape. That is, it could have been had it not moved ever so slightly. He was lying on his stomach, a gun- hunting rifle- positioned before him, resting on his right shoulder. His eyes moved repeatedly from the long-range scope on the top of the weapon to either side of him in an attempt to cover all blind spots. Korra, ever the impulsive one, barely thought to provide herself with some cover in time before his sharp eyes moved over to her. A second soon enough it was, for to him, she was nothing but a flurry of ice that had been wrenched from the ground in a flurry of air. In the moment where he turned away from her to observe his other flank, Korra pounced. Her hands found the top of his neck and the underside of his chin, both of which she wrenched violently in opposite directions until she heard the click that came with the slight dislocation of the spinal cord. It wasn't enough to kill him; meant more for incapacitation. He would not be waking up for a good few hours.
Korra gave a small whistle, something that was to be lost to all ears but the most sensitive. As expected, her faithful companion came trotting toward her from where she had left her. Systematically, the two teammates located and brought down another five men. Korra was beginning to get the distinct tingle of anxiety that came with too many easy victories in too short a time.
Naga's nose finally told them that the area had been secured and it was safe to proceed to the outpost. It lay about one hundred yards or so away from them, their position now north of the structure. Korra could see some sort of contraption, blanketed by a white tarp, standing about twenty feet away from the settlement. She smiled at her luck and made a dash for it. The voices only registered after she was halfway to the thing, leaving her no option but to get a quick burst of speed through a minor usage of firebending and slide under the giant tent.
Inside it was a small zeppelin, almost as small as a hot air balloon but not quite. It was not the same one that had taken Kaji and the others from the Sato Estate, but zeppelins were easily interchangeable and it was obvious that the particular one was chosen for its camouflage. The sheet that protected it from the harsh conditions of the outside was held down by pegs hammered into the hard compact ice. Thankfully, it provided for the perfect cover for the Avatar as she waited for the men patrolling the inner perimeter of the house to leave.
Quiet ensued shortly as the men rounded the eastern corner and disappeared from the detection of Korra's auditory organs. She turned to inspect the machine behind her. It could easily fit Kaji and herself, along with anyone else Korra was able to salvage from their iron prisons if all went well. Naga could also curl up on the deck as long as she kept herself small. Going toward the door she found, to her utmost delight, that the door was unlocked and well oiled. The hinges barely made a sound as she pulled them askew.
The inside was cold, indicating that the transport had not been used for a few days, but no longer than a week as the ice had not yet hardened within the various nooks and crannies. There were about five rooms with three bunks each for the crew. Three other rooms held one central bed in each; Korra curiously counted the captain and Aroostook wondering who the third could be for. Moving past them, she moved into the bridge room. The wheel was secured with a metal rod attached in such a way as to prevent any sort of maneuvering. The device was held together with a key hole in the middle; presumably the key would split the rod in two allowing it to be removed. Three-quarters of the room were glass, leaving a great periphery for any sort of obstacles that the airship might face. Korra liked that.
Moving back into the interior, she passed a heavy-looking steel door to her right. She tried to turn the knob with her hand to no avail. It was definitely locked, not giving as would something simply stuck. Korra huffed in frustration but left it alone. There would be no benefit to breaking it open and alerting every person in a ten-mile radius that she was there. The last section of the craft that she had not been to was a rusted gateway in the back. Predictably, it led into the engine room. Piles of coal lay next to the opened furnace. The thick gate that would close it had been left ajar and creaked ever so slightly as the hinges moved it back and forth despite there being no wind.
The coal and hearth were intriguing and fortunate for the young Avatar, but her eyes had fallen on something presumably much more valuable to her. In a corner, far from the reach of a wayward spark or flyaway ember, sat three boxes of minor explosives. Korra's smile was one that would set many a pyromaniac to shame. Grabbing two handfuls, she rushed out of the zeppelin. She made sure that every door was left open for convenience in the escape part of her grand plan. The grand plan that she was still making up as she went along.
Lying down against the cold earth, she pulled the tarp up ever so slightly to peer under the frayed edge. The coast seemed clear of any spectators. Still, the setup of the explosives was better done under the buffer of the material, keeping her away from prying eyes and keeping the gunpowder away from any moisture clinging to the air. Korra brought out a few of the small- cherry bombs?- black balls she had placed in her pockets. Lighting about five of them, she scurried out from under the canvas and threw them as hard as she could into one of the second-story windows. The glass shattered under the combined velocity and hardness of the external shell of the bombs. Satisfactory loud crackles and pops sounded from inside before a greater explosion rocked the entire earth. The quake was large enough to even unbalance Korra standing where she was. Her eyes brightened as she realized that she had hit the armory. Shouts and frenzied voices sounded from every corner of the settlement as well as outside. Korra quickly combined her earthbending and her waterbending to dig a small burrow for herself. Her seismic sense felt the footsteps thundering above her and around her. She moved her hands in short thrusts and arcs as she dug her tunnel deeper into the stone surrounding her. The blackness was only slightly disconcerting, alleviated by the faint outlines of people still running over her. Turning her focus in front of herself, Korra moved toward the relative position of the basement in the house. She was somewhat worried about the lack of pulses, attributing it to the lack of direct contact between her and the walls of the building. What met her advances was something that complicated her plan a bit. The walls were made of a sort of material that did not yield whatsoever to her bending. Grunting in frustration, the Avatar gave the smooth wall a fierce punch enwrapped in flames. All it accomplished was jarring her knuckles and breaking the thin layer of skin over the bones.
Cursing Korra moved back toward the surface. Her patience expended, and the images of Kaji's limp form waiting for her in the claustrophobic holding under the floorboards of the concrete block spurred her to recklessly erupt from her cover in the midst of a group of men that had crowded around the front entrance. Their looks of bewilderment turned to ferocious scowls as their minds came to the conclusion that she was an enemy. Her fist connected with the first man before he could even move a finger. Korra's leg spun in an arch of fire before her first victim even fell in an unconscious heap on the ground. The back of her foot was caught in a block by a large muscular man with long braided hair and tanned skin. Korra did not let her momentum die down, instead retracing the path of her failed attack and sweeping a woman coming at her from behind. The body crashed to the floor, tripping another pursuer. A fifth man was actually able to grab her in a bear hug and lift her into the air. The burly man before her looked about ready to deliver a punch that would probably equal the impact of a small meteorite had it hit her. Instead, it went sailing over her and the man ensnaring her as his legs gave out. A scream came from him as he released Korra to roll over and clutch at his bleeding claves. The tendons had been severed cleanly by five ice daggers that lay embedded in the side of the building. Korra questioned it not, propelling herself back on her arms and then shooting both of her legs into the chest of the overextended dark man stumbling over her. He staggered back, but was able to keep his footing. A streak of pale blonde hair and white clothing flashed past Korra's crouched form. Before she could even blink, the man's thick neck burst into a fountain of red. His body dropped to the ground, lifeless, as his blood gushed out of the slit artery, pulsing onto the ground with each failing tremor in his heart.
"Are you alright?" a stranger's voice asked her. A familiar looking man held out his hand to her. She didn't trust him enough to take it, but nodded to him as a sign of thanks. "They're in the basement of the building. I stole the keys from a guard that was running to check on the explosion. I can guess that you were the cause of that?"
Korra glanced to both sides of her, knowing that more of the assassins and mercenaries would be coming and fast. She then turned to the man talking to her. His blue eyes shined in urgency, in his hand- free since she hadn't taken it- hung a ring of keys.
"Who are you?" Korra asked. More yelling reached them and she added, "Tell me as we're getting there."
She then grabbed the keys and sprinted into the open doorway. The small scrap of paper that held the schematics of the floors had been stored in her head- due to many hours of doing nothing on a rickety old sailing vessel. The stairway had been locked, but it was not a problem to undo.
"I am Karak," the strange man helping her was saying as they flew down the stones carved into steps. A waterbender snapped a water whip at them. Korra dodged to her left, her arm hitting the wall while Karak took to the right. Their adversary was felled by a block of stone catapulted into his chest and three sets of daggers pinning his uniform to the opposing wall. "I was sent to Republic City by my employer who had a hunch about the Water Tribe Chief's intentions in sending Aroostook as the new councilman."
They had reached the bottom. Three men and a woman were waiting for them; the guards that had come down as a precautionary force. Korra jumped and performed a spinning arc kick that hit between two of the waterbenders. Their 'octopus tentacles' blocked the brunt of the movement, but it still held enough concussive force to floor them. Karak quickly dispatched them with his own waterbending. He then sent the other two enemies flying with two well-placed punches to their solar plexuses.
"I was under cover as a conductor on the night of the attack," he finished over the groans of the people lying in various states of pain around them. Korra nodded as she remembered his outlandish hair color amongst the musicians on that long ago night.
"Enough of that though," Karak interjected. "Let's get these people out of here."
Kaji was miserable. No that wasn't the right word; she was fucking cold and hungry and catatonic and a multitude of other unpleasant things. She appreciated the efforts that Korra had gone through to save her; to come first before any of the metalbenders or the Fire Lord. She really had appreciated the sentiment. Still, having to sit for an entire three and a half weeks in a literal refrigerator did not make it easy for her to be grateful. The door to her personal frozen hell was opened with ease, indicating to her that Korra had managed to get the keys. Her mind was on virtual shutdown mode though, so all she could register were minute details. She saw blurry shapes, felt warmth wrap around her as well as indescribable pain in her chest. Whether it was from the chains biting into her open wounds or the reunion with her beloved, she could not tell. Her hands were freed then, dropping limply to her sides and leaving her to lean against the frigid bindings wrapped around her body. She didn't know that her vocal chords still worked until she was crying out in agony. Korra hastily propped Kaji back up against the wall while giving Karak the keys to unbind the rest of her. When the firebender was fully freed, Korra grabbed her thin, cadaverously cold frame and cradled Kaji against her warm chest. The Princess scooted herself deeper into the embrace, though it was all she had the energy to accomplish. It was enough for the moment.
Karak looked down at the two girls with curiosity. He had never really seen a relationship between two women before though he had heard tell of such things. Kaji's hostility made more sense in light of the information. Clearing his throat, he put on his best concerned voice and addressed the kneeling Avatar, "I do not mean to interrupt, but there are others we must save as well."
Korra hated that he was right. She hadn't thought about how she was going to drag four bodies out of the holding and into the airship. She almost face-palmed herself when she thought about the blasted thing. The remaining men could have taken it and Aroostook- if he was even still there- and left already.
"I need to catch Aroostook," Karak added as though he had read her mind. "I leave them to you until I find him. When I have him in irons I will come back for you."
Korra was about to glare at the man and tell him how stupid the idea of splitting up was, but he was already stooping to grab four shackles from the floor and racing up to the main floor. Rolling her eyes in frustration, Korra looked back down at the frail firebender in her arms. She had no idea how the girl had not procured frostbite with how scantly she was clothed. The thin blanket afforded to her was crumpled on the floor and about the same temperature as the room itself. The dress that was the only material covering Kaji was torn in multiple places and covered none of her extremities. Kaji clung to her with as much ferocity as her bony fingers were able to, making tears slip through Korra's clenched eyelids when she had to put her down in order to get to the other prisoners. The blanket did little to make up for the loss in warmth and the firebender instinctively curled into the fetal position to hold in as much as possible. Most was relinquished to the ravenous air around her anyway.
Korra sprinted to each of the boxes, unlocking the doors and speeding to the next. She didn't know if she had enough nerve to look within them quite yet. The bloodcurdling state in which she had found her lover was already breaking down the thin aegis of calm she had placed around herself in preparation for their reunion. Seeing three others in similar positions would do her no good.
Four frosty grey doors lay open, their contents still hidden behind the doors' reach from where Korra was standing. Kaji's prone form tucked itself in further, the last vestiges of Korra's body against hers slipping out of her; impossible to hold in as with sand or water. Korra took a series of short gulps of the cold air until her lungs hurt from the molecular ice particles hitting her bronchioles. She then moved to the first cell to her left. The man within was, if possible, even paler than Kaji had been. His clothes had once been green and yellow- signifying his Earth Kingdom origin- but were at that point nothing more than differing shades of beige because of the water washing away the dyes and the friction that came from that water freezing into the cloth. Black hair that had once been braided carefully and ornamented with finery hung around him in tangled waves, reaching past his scrawny face and bony shoulders. His lips were cracked, his face cut, and his bare chest had multiple scars on top of an area that was purely muscle with no skin whatsoever. There was no blood, only a dark splotch on the floor beneath his shackled feet that showed where the life-water had spilled out of him. The wounds had been frozen shut as the liquid cooled and clung to him. It was perhaps the only thing keeping him alive at the moment. Korra placed a hand on the pulse-point under his prominent chin. Yes, he lived yet. Afraid of what it would do to his open chest, Korra decided not to take him down just yet. She moved quickly to the cell opposite of his-the adjacent one having been Kaji's. The person within that one was probably the best looking of those so far. His white hair ringed a central bald spot that was a prominent gibbon moon. His eyes snapped open at her touch, gazing as though at her and through her at the same time.
"Thank the Spirits," he murmured, "they have come to end this agony."
The waterbender then lost consciousness, his limp body dragging down his chains until they snapped into a taut line. Korra unbound his feet then hands, making sure to catch him and lay him gently upon the ground. His shallow breathes were loud and ragged, but much stronger than the Earth Kingdom man and even Kaji.
The final door unveiled a short, stocky Fire Nation woman. Her greying hair hung against her sagging cheeks and throat. Her eyes were open, staring out into nothing as her lips moved with unspoken words. Whether they were prayers or the ravings of one gone insane with hypothermia and malnutrition, it was impossible to tell. Once freed, Korra returned to the last remaining captive still bound to his little ice box. She held no delusions that it would be easy to save the man. Even the most experienced healer would have difficulty closing up the wound and there would be extensive irreparable muscle damage. Still, Korra melted two chunks of ice by her feet and sheathed her hands in glowing ethereal liquid. The water slipped up and down the pinkish strands of tissue, bringing back a thin layer of dermis, then covering that with an even smaller layer of epidermal cells. The areas covered by the crisscrossed chains remained untouched as Korra did not wish to risk having the skin fuse with the metal. Another sweep thickened both layers of premature skin cells ever so slightly. Korra moved her fingers against the smooth new skin, testing its durability and flexibility. Her nails easily broke the membrane, much as friction could tear worn clothing. The layers hung in strands where she had perforated them. Korra huffed in frustration and increasing desperation. The man moaned and adjusted his hands in their cuffs. The raw skin broke in a few places but there was no blood in sight. That worried the Avatar; she knew that the lack of circulation and the weakening of the heart were to blame mostly; however there was also the fact that he had lost so much blood already.
Giving up on the hope that she could heal him whilst hanging, Korra unfastened his bindings slowly. She was careful to wrap her arms around his waist and shoulder, completely avoiding the chest area. Just as she was centering her balance to keep herself from falling and dropping her fragile burden, Karak returned. His face was flushed from exertion and his arms held a few cuts and bruises, but otherwise he seemed fit. He moved quickly down the stone steps to come and stand before her.
"The airship they had is ready for flight. I'll carry him and the rest up. You stay here and make sure no one else comes," Karak's tone was rushed and frantic. Korra was about to protest, noting that it was much more dangerous to have him go up undefended and at a disadvantage with a body slung over him, but the man simply shook his head and motioned in a way that conveyed 'I know what I am doing.' Korra shrugged and watched as he ascended out of her sight. Keeping alert, the chocolate-skinned girl moved to crouch in a defensive position that allowed her to nestle into the now unconscious Fire Nation Princess curled up on the icy floor.
Karak worked quickly, moving each person with a gentleness that never detracted from his speed. Once he had returned the third time, Korra simply took Kaji into her arms and followed him. His face darkened when her arms wrapped themselves around the bony back and weak knees, but he said nothing. Kaji herself had no complaints, nestling into the crook of Korra's neck and shoulder as though they were two pieces of the same puzzle finally coming to fit together once more.
The airship awaited their arrival outside. It was unfettered; the ropes that had held it secure to the icy tundra were stowed neatly to the side of the entranceway. Korra blew a shrill whistle, looking north to see her giant pet rushing to them. Karak nervously stepped back, out of the way of the massive animal. Naga sniffed at him and made a low growl before Korra hushed her and pointed toward the vehicle. Whining, the polar bear-dog obediently entered. The door leading into the ship was too small forcing the creature to curl up along the narrow corridor running between the wall and railing. Inside, Karak led Korra into one of the rooms- the barracks of three crew members that no doubt were sleeping in the snow at the moment. Two of the beds were filled with the older men. Karak placed the Fire Nation councilwoman in the remaining bunk. Korra had turned away after noticing the lack of room for her own rescue, instead opting to look for one of the solitary bedrooms she had seen before. The downy comforter felt heavenly on the fatigued icicle arms of the sleeping firebender. Even with the extra heat, Kaji still yearned for the feeling of Korra surrounding her in a protective coat.
"I'll be back to see you," Korra whispered into her ear, knowing that she was being heard if only subconsciously. "I promise."
Stepping out and softly closing the heavy metallic door, Korra moved toward the boiler room. Karak was coming up the opposite direction. He nodded at her indicated intentions of starting up the engine. He then continued into the control room, grabbing the steering wheel and preparing for their departure. The lock fell at his feet with a clang that resounded in the empty glass room. Korra piled the coal into the oven-like contraption then ignited it. The massive pipes cracked and groaned as the hot air rushed through them, melting off the vestiges of dormancy from the frozen bowels of the airship. The balloon filled quickly, rising much as the full moon on a cloudless night. The currents sweeping past the desolate land caught them and hurtled them into the unforgiving sky. Karak wrestled with the wheel, driving them against the current pushing north. He was able to relax only after the course had been set. His hands released their tension, lying as supports for the wheel under his fingers, keeping them true to the south. He looked around and behind him before slipping a miniscule piece of parchment out from the inside of his sleeve. It was still curled in the shape of the leg of the hawk that had delivered it to them the night previous. Rereading the contents he smirked and turned the wheel so as to adjust their trajectory to match perfectly with the proposed location written on the parchment.
Korra sat next to her firebender. She played with the damp locks that splayed against the pillows, fanning out in black waves of satin. Kaji's cheeks were slowly returning to their usual pale pink hue and her breathing was coming in the perfect rhythm of one who was at peace in their dreams. The older girl groaned and turned to bury her face into the contours of the younger, causing Korra to smile. Her hands moved from stroking the wild hair to grasping at the pale arms that had been flung over her lap. Her back was resting comfortably against the bed's headboard, a small pillow keeping Korra's back and the wood separated. Her dark eyelids dipped down before she fluttered them open again. She hadn't let the fatigue come over her until then. In truth she hadn't slept for more than twenty-four hours and the exhaustion was taking its toll. No matter how bravely she fought against it, sleep was becoming an increasingly overwhelming foe. Slumping down next to the girl clinging to her, Korra allowed herself to drift off to the thrum of the airship's fans.
What felt like only seconds later, Korra was being jostled awake by someone's large hands. Her eyes opened halfway, allowing the light to gradually pour into her retina and for her cones to overtake her rods. Blonde hair and navy eyes caught her attention. She had to think for a second before her new comrade registered in her memory. His shakes became more forceful until she had to push him off to keep her head from swimming.
"What?" Korra groaned. Her muscles felt leaden and sore. Her eyes moved longingly to the soft mattress and the person still sleeping contently in it. The room's only window cast large shadows past the window pane. It must have been nearing dusk by the position of the sun in the lower western hemisphere.
"I didn't want to risk going into the capital of the Northern Water Tribe so I started heading toward the Earth Kingdom," Karak began. His pause slightly annoyed Korra who did not want to expend any extra energy thinking.
"And," she prompted.
"There are Fire Nation ships coming toward us. It's a minor fleet but the ship at the forefront is definitely an imperial one. They aren't allowed to leave a certain perimeter around the island unless sanctioned by Republic City and the Fire Lord."
"Inzei?" Korra asked bewildered. His presence was not expected, especially that close. It must have meant that he had found out about the ploy to take the councilmen and Kaji.
"I signaled for permission to land but they won't give me the go-ahead without some show that I'm not a hostile. A show from the Avatar would be convincing enough I should think…"
"Say no more," Korra moved off of the bed and stretched her arms over her head. "I'll be right there."
Karak stepped aside to give the girl space as she made her way onto the railing outside of the ship. His eyes flickered to the dormant body of the Fire Nation Princess lying in the bed. His fingers twitched to form six shiruken-shaped daggers. How easy it would have been to lodge them into the supple flesh of the breast, moving up and down in perfect harmony. How his hands yearned to run along the sides of her neck and feel the heat pumping against him before he drew a line of red along the artery. The thoughts lasted for only a second before he turned away and moved toward the control room. It would not do to have the woman wake and find him staring at her. He had learned his lesson well the time before. When it came to Kaji, no matter what shape she happened to be in, he was no match.
The frigid air slipped over Korra's exposed skin and burrowed into her clothing but she paid it no attention. The ships below were massive, stretching for a mile. Well, that was a hyperbole, but not an extreme one. Korra flexed each of her hands and the digits before moving her arms into two arcs and sending plumes of red fire into the sky. Before the flames were able to diminish, she moved some water from the remaining clumps of snow and ice on the deck, forming silky waves by her sides. Shooting her arms out, the streams were compelled to twirl around the fading embers of the pyrotechnic display. As a final precaution, Korra moved the clouds, lazily flowing around them into two large spirals to either side of the aircraft with before clearing them away. A flare shot out from the front ship, popping in a patch of sky beyond them before disappearing in a thin line of smoke. The ship underneath Korra's feet lurched and took on a descending course. Naga yelped in surprise and dug her paws into the walkway to keep from sliding forward. The Avatar hurried to the engine room to control the outlet of steam as they neared the massive war machine.
The airship touched onto the polished deck of the imperial battleship with as much finesse as it could muster with the prevailing winds sweeping the evening ocean. Men scurried quickly to fasten the flying machine to the 'ground' before it was torn up in a surprise gale. Naga was the first out, bounding out in a large leap and landing gracefully by the front of the zeppelin. As the door opened, Korra could see a mass of soldiers crowding the plank in a tight half circle. They were all positioned defensively, not willing to take any chances despite her earlier demonstration. She was the first to go down, walking with her hands lifted in the air and her head held high. The men looked to each other before moving aside to let their leader make his way to her. The tall shadowy figure was instantly recognizable as the ruler of the Land of the Kindling Flame. Korra made a short bow, hastening the formalities so that the persons in need of medical attention were allowed to get it.
"Avatar Korra," Inzei beamed. "I did not expect to meet you here at the zenith of the world."
"Nor I you Fire Lord," Korra replied. "I located the prisoners and have them in my vessel along with a man who helped me rescue them. They are in need of medical attention as soon as possible-"
"Say no more," Inzei motioned to his guard. "Take the wounded to the infirmary and have them looked after."
"Yes My Lord," the men said in unison before getting to their appointed tasks.
"The perpetrator, Aroostook, has also been detained," Inzei's eyes went up to meet the unknown voice coming from above them. Remaining at the top of the vessel, Karak was leaning against one of the support beams that had been extended as the gangway had been lowered.
"This is the man who aided you?" Inzei inquired, his voice low enough so only Korra could hear it.
"That's him," Korra affirmed.
"Very well. Bring him down and we will put him in the brig until we have returned to Republic City," Inzei answered Karak's implied question.
Karak returned into the depths of the zeppelin to retrieve the fugitive representative. Inzei followed him with his eyes, unsure as to whether he could be trusted. His musing was cut short by a jovial cry coming from behind him. Korra and he both turned to see an excited Katara running out of the central tower. Her steps showed no sign of age and her crushing hug was not one of a fragile old woman. Korra had to pat the woman lovingly on the shoulder to motion that air was still necessary, even for an Avatar, before she was released.
"We were worried sick about you," Katara admonished. Her tone was anything but condemning however and the effect was lost. Inzei's eyebrows rose at the comment. He had not been aware that the Avatar had gone off without Tenzin's approval. In fact the airbender had made it sound like quite the opposite. In the end it really did not concern him though, so he returned his attention to the gurneys being brought into the airship and- more importantly- the state of their occupants as they were brought back. His chest deflated with relief as he saw Kaji being taken down. She looked horrible… but by far better than he had been expecting. He did not know when he had started to care about his 'niece' yet the tension he had felt when he had found out about her abduction was unmistakable. Looking upon the frail girl then, brought forth all of his fatherly instincts.
Korra could have cared less about Aroostook at the moment so she decided to accompany Katara to the infirmary. The wise waterbender was by far the best healer in the world. She had graciously accepted the duty of reviving the breathing corpses that were the councilmen of Republic City. In fact, Katara had established a microcosm despotism over the rest of the medical staff on the ship. She immediately took the Earth Kingdom citizen into intensive care and left strict instructions for the rest. Korra was allowed to do as she pleased as long as she kept out of the way of the flustered doctors and nurses running around to fetch supplies for the feisty Water Tribe woman. The Avatar had taken a chair by the bed where Kaji was lying. She hadn't awoken since that morning, not that Korra could blame her. Lacking in company, she contented herself with slipping her hand over Kaji's and watching the last rays of the sun vanish beneath the sea. If she unfocused her eyes enough, it looked almost like the sky and ocean knit together in a small burst of green and yellow before turning back into two separate entities.
The lanterns were turned on, illuminating the ships sailing ever north. Inzei was relieved that his primary objective had been met. Still, he wished to contact the Northern Water tribe Chief as soon as possible to straighten out the discrepancies of the entire drama. The man below, Aroostook, had confessed to nothing, but had also kept from denying anything. That left no progress and a disgruntled Fire Lord craving answers. He had sought out an audience with the 'under cover' man. The waterbender known as Karak had yet to appear, but Inzei had been informed that he had gone below deck to oversee the prisoner. It was not unexpected that it would take a bit longer to climb from the bottom floor to the top of the control tower.
The door leading into his study was opened by a butler. His servant bowed to the man who entered, then closed the door after entering as well. Karak bowed to the royal before him, grimacing at the gesture. He quickly pulled on a fake smile for the Fire Lord before taking the offered seat at the opposite end of the table currently inhabited by Inzei.
"You wished to speak to me Fire Lord Inzei," Karak stated.
"I did," Inzei confirmed.
Korra was dozing again when she felt Kaji shift beneath her sheets. The younger girl had been leaning her head against the soft fabric of the sheets adorning the white hospital bed so the movement was felt easily against her tired arms. Korra raised her head to rest her chin against her forearms, expecting to see her lover still in fitful slumber. She immediately shot up when she saw that Kaji was, in fact, awake and had pushed herself up to rest her back against the iron backboard of the rickety furniture.
"You're awake!" Korra exclaimed. Kaji, surprised to hear Korra's voice so close to her, turned to look down at the dark girl.
"It appears that I am," she yawned into her hand before settling her lips into a smile. Korra had come to sit beside Kaji- who had scooted over to provide some more space. Throwing caution and shyness to the wind, Korra tugged her lover into a tight hug. The suppressed tears she had held in for so long poured out uninhibited. Kaji gazed in wonderment at the sobbing figure of the most powerful individual in the immediate solar system. The fact that anyone was crying over her was a new notion for the young firebender and she found that the same warm liquid was beginning to fill the back of her eyelids as well. She held the salty water at bay by leaning into Korra's shaking shoulder, taking in the fragrance she had not smelled in an eternity. Korra's sobs eventually subsided leaving them comfortably holding onto one another in silence.
The moment was broken by Kaji. She couldn't help but feel guilty about making Korra worry so much over her, especially since she had been the mastermind behind the entire masquerade. That and it was about time to finish the first stage of her plans. Trying to find a good conversation starter, she settled with "So tell me how my dashing knight in silver armor came to save me. Hypothermia makes the details somewhat blurry."
Her attempts were greatly rewarded with Korra's soft laughter. Their eyes met before Korra went to lean against Kaji's collarbone. The Fire Princess was aching greatly but she was not about to let Korra know it. It would be too much for her if she lost the comforting contact now.
"It wasn't easy. I started going up toward the Northern Water Tribe the same night as when they took you. The Earth Kingdom is so big! It took forever to get to the ports. Then I caught a boat-"
Korra continued describing her traversing of the choppy seas on the small fisherman's boat while Kaji listened to the sound of her voice. At times the words didn't even make sense to her, but she ignored that, focusing in on the way Korra enunciated every syllable and put emphasis on the parts she was especially excited about. Korra, on her part, skipped over her experiences in the Spirit World. She was leaving it for a later time, she reasoned. It was simply not something she wished to discuss when she was in such high spirits after having her lover back. Kaji's eyebrows drew together at Korra's mention of Karak's aide in the rescue.
"Who came to help you?" she interrupted Korra's vivid detailing of the fight against the plethora of men by the front entrance to the compound.
"Karak," Korra replied hesitantly. Kaji's tone didn't sound happy about her luck in finding a comrade. "He has white-ish blonde hair and blue eyes. He said he was sent to investigate Aroostook by a member of Chief Satren's council."
Korra felt a weight sink into the pit of her stomach at the look of pure horror spreading over Kaji's face. Her hands tightened their grip around Kaji's forearms, which were in turn wrapped around her torso. The golden eyes flickered around them as though expecting a hidden assassin to jump out of nowhere and attack them.
"Where is he now Korra?" Kaji asked. Her voice was flat, something even more frightening than if it had been panicky.
"I-I don't know. The last I heard, he was interrogating Aroostook with the other firebenders."
Before Korra even had a chance to move, Kaji was up and running out of the medical ward. The firebender was silently thankful for the change of clothes into a plain white tunic with matching pants that reached to her knees. Her feet and arms were bare but the heat of the ship kept her warm enough. She peeked behind her to see Korra following on her heels. She sped up just a little to ensure that the Avatar kept close without overtaking her.
Korra marveled at how someone who had been bedridden not even twelve hours ago could suddenly dash away at the speed of a deer- antelope. Kaji wove in and around the corners of the Fire Nation naval ship as though she had been born on it. The stairs were taken three or four at a time with no concern over broken ankles or sprained legs. As they reached the lower levels, the heat began to drop off as well. The girls' breath could be seen in plumes of mist as they sprinted forward along the grey and red corridors.
Kaji finally rounded a corridor and stopped dead in her tracks. Korra nearly collided with her due to the abruptness of the conclusion of her movements.
"Wha-" Korra was about to inquire when her eyes fell upon the scene before them. The brig was a thin corridor with about ten holding cells. Every door was closed except for one that lay swinging in and out with the sway of the vessel against the waves outside. The dank floor was covered in a mixture of salt water and a darker liquid. The ruddy reddish brown splotches were interrupted only by the bodies that were their source. At least five Fire Nation soldiers lay in differing positions of death. Some were propped against the wall, their head bashed into the steel behind them. Others had deep puncture marks in their necks, faces, chests, and other portions of their major body cavities. Within the cell that had been thrown open, there lay a very familiar coat of fur.
"What happened?" Korra moved to wrap her hand around one of the bars of a prison to steady herself.
"We have to get to Inzei," Kaji stated. The panic was clearly evident that time. "Now."
The two girls raced back the way they had come. Kaji took the main stairwell, wrapping itself around the center of the ship into the control tower and bridge that lay above. The trip still took a good fifteen minutes despite their best efforts. Kaji shot through the final doors barring them from the top story of the seafaring mode of transportation. Her breathes came in short pants, her lungs burning from the oxygen that came and went too quickly to be completely harnessed. Korra came to stand beside her.
The hallway was empty except for two rooms: the bridge and Inzei's personal dining room and makeshift study. Kaji burst through the room on her left, coming to realize that she had been mistaken in her guess. The captain and a few sailors looked to her as though her hair was on fire.
"Come with me," she ordered. "The Fire Lord may be in need of assistance."
Kaji did not wait for them to do as she commanded. Her hand grabbed for the handle of the opposing room, jiggling it to find that it was locked. Growling in fury she swept her leg in a fiery arch and collided the heel with the center of the metallic rectangle. The hinges tore loose from their holdings and the entryway was cleared. Kaji burst in, followed by Korra and a scattering of the crew members. Within, Inzei had been pinned against the wall by his robes with a sharp icicle dagger pressed against his throat by a broad-shouldered man with pepper colored hair. Beside him, leaning casually against a chair, stood a fair-haired youth picking his teeth with a smaller version of the daggers embedded into the walls and held in the other man's hand. Kaji had overestimated her own stamina; her legs twisted in on themselves under the weight they could no longer support. This left her leaning against one of the walls to her right, allowing Korra to come to stand in the middle of the doorway. Aroostook turned first and was greeted with a flash of orange fire. He recoiled screaming as the flames licked at his face. The noise seemingly awakened Karak. He slid underneath the next wave of flame being shot at him. The room was small and held a disadvantage for the sweeping movement necessary for firebending, giving him an edge. His slide ended with a roll and a kick toward the girl standing at the doorway. Korra sidestepped easily and grabbed his leg in a lock. He twisted out by slamming a wall of water into her via his other leg. Landing in a push-up, Karak shot himself over the table to land on his legs. He turned and assessed the situation. Kaji was picking herself up from where she had fallen against the room's border. She wouldn't harm him extensively until the job was done but there was no guarantee that the other would offer him the same courtesy. Korra was recovering quickly from his attack giving him even less time to think. Aroostook- their original murderer- was a worthless heap of burned flesh and pained moaning. The Fire Lord was beginning to pick himself off of the daggers pinning him down. Karak's arms drew upon the water from a small skin he had slung over his hip. The stream converted into a whip and struck out toward the Avatar reaching for Kaji. The hardened tip hit against the girl's cheek, cutting into the flesh and causing her to recoil away from his mistress. The whip was quickly vaporized by a flicker of flame from said person before she hurtled herself toward him. He saw that he had been cornered. Kaji's eyes said it all. It was either he completed the mission or he died in the prolonged agony of those charred by the blue flame. He had no intention of letting the latter occur.
Korra's eyes widened as the world stopped turning. Every detail of their surroundings became as clear as those seen through a microscopic lens. Kaji's body burst over the table with her fire propelling her under her feet. She was frozen mid leap, stretching her clawed hands toward the waterbending man. His hands had pulled back into his hip, bringing his water whip with them. The tiniest hint of ice was beginning to appear on the very tip of the segmented liquid. In the corner, Aroostook was clutching at the bloody hole by his face where his ear had been melted into the side of his head. The blood had been instantly cauterized so his hands were as clean as before it had happened. His screams echoed in prolonged moans. Inzei had gotten his hand free from one of the daggers but his elbow was still immovable at the moment. His head was turned in concentration toward the next restraint, almost willing it to release him.
Time renewed its course in such a manner as to appear to have fast-forwarded instead of becoming normal. It was as though Korra had only blinked and the entire fate of the earth had been upturned. More screams joined in with Aroostook's. Kaji had reached Karak and his body had gone rigid before convulsing in a series of flailing movements. During her acrobatic jump over the dining table, Kaji had summoned up her lightening and, as her pointer and middle fingers made contact with Karak's body, the torrent of electricity had jettisoned itself into his body. The agony lasted for barely a second before he collapsed lifelessly to the ground. The surprise and betrayal in his eyes was evident only to one and she was anything but remorseful. Kaji's triumphant smirk soon dropped into a look of disbelief as she turned to look at the form of the Fire Lord. Inzei's bronze eyes that had held the internal warmth of his fire were dull and cold. His head hung down, droplets of blood coming from his mouth in a waterfall of red. Korra turned to see the last heave of the man's breast before he ceased moving, the ice shards sticking out of the mass of red at the front of his tunic were nearly invisible in the darkening fabric. The shrieks had died down into an ethereal silence. No one dare to move, to think, to breathe. If they had, then it would have been real. The moment would have happened and the Fire Lord would be dead.
"For the Water Tribe!" the moment was shattered by Aroostook's proclamation before he ran at Kaji with a steel dagger. The firebender didn't seem to see him, her eyes not leaving the lifeless body of her ruler. The blade flashed dangerously before it descended upon her stricken form. Kaji acted on pure instinct when she moved to the side of the strike and brought the arm holding the weapon in a sweeping movement until it buried itself deeply into Aroostook's stomach. His eyes dilated then constricted with the unexpected turn of events. The men watching the proceedings were brought out of their stupor with his gurgling chokes as he tried to dispel the liquid rushing into his lungs.
"Restrain him!" someone called. Ten hands took a hold of the man and dragged him away from their new Fire Lord. With Aroostook gone, Kaji had lost her support and fell on her knees in the pile of blood and bile that had fallen to the carpeted floor. Her entire body was numb; an effect of using lightening so soon as an attack but it served her purpose to play it off as emotional damage. Korra came to kneel beside her and took her into her arms. Kaji gripped at her sleeve, rocking into her soft body. The small trickling guilt of making Korra frightened on behalf of her was more difficult to quell than she thought it would be.
"Oh my Spirits," a voice came from the doorway. Both girls looked up to see Master Katara standing in the hallway looking in.
"Inzei's dead," Korra was able to croak out while Kaji just hid her face in her shoulder.
P.S: Apparently my little indicators of time gaps do not show up on my mobile and I haven't checked whether they do on the regular sight so I apologize if they get to be confusing. Any errors are a product of my insomnia. Writing this made me realize that I cannot live anywhere outside of SoCal because any temperature below 70 F is too cold for me. Karak reminds me of Zevran. The sneaky bastard just betrayed me so I sorta took my anger out on my OC. It's like I killed him twice (in the game and the story). I still like him though and it makes me sad deep deep down. Enough rambling. Review por favor!