-:-


Book 1: Redemption
Chapter 5: Hero


To say the day had been confusing and eventful would be an understatement. Taifeng stopped by during his lunch break to bring Lei all the news she had missed.

He had a hand in his pocket as he leaned against the wall and sipped his tea. "My dad's gonna have to let you back in the next few days whether he wants to or not. Thanks to this morning's threat to the pro-bending finals on top of the Equalists' rise in activity, we really need all the manpower we can get."

Lei grinned, hoping his predictions came true soon.

After a moment, she asked, "What came of that threat? I thought it was canceled, but—according to Jin—it's still on."

"Apparently, the Fire Ferrets barged in on a private council meeting to make sure the finals happened," he began before laughing somewhat. "Beifong came in too and offered for the Elite to protect the stadium since your armor is impervious to chi-blocking attacks. The council took it, and the finals are back on."

The metalbender nodded to herself. "Will there be other officers there too?"

"Not many. She doesn't want us to be at risk," the nonbender explained before flashing her a smirk. "I'll be patrolling where I can, though. I'll make sure you're safe." He finished with a wink.

She snickered before dramatically holding her hand to her heart. "Oh, my hero~!"

He laughed before playfully nudging the younger teen. Looking down, his joy faded. His grin morphed into a frown before he sighed. Lei raised an eyebrow as she tilted her head slightly.

Taifeng turned to her with an uncharacteristically serious expression. "You should still bring something to protect yourself with—just in case."

Her smile faded for a moment before returning with force as she playfully elbowed him. "I'll be careful—don't you worry."

-:-

Later that night, cheers erupted through the pro-bending arena as Lei's small group took their seats in the middle of a section that was eye-level to the playing field—Tahno certainly didn't skimp on the luxuries for his girlfriend. Jin and her friend, Miksa, were to one side of Lei while Haku took his place on the other. The earthbender shifted her weapon pouches slightly toward her thighs so she could comfortably sit. As Jin and her friend jovially chatted about the coming match, Lei looked around the arena. With all the excitement in the air, the only reminder of Amon's threat were the Elite officers stationed at each entrance.

Shiro Shinobi's voice rang out over the speakers, "The anticipation is palpable as we are just moments away from the Championship match. Will the Wolfbats' ferocity help them repeat as champs or will the underdog Fire Ferrets serve up a surprising bowl of smack-down soup?"

Lei turned to Haku, who smiled somewhat nervously as he admitted, "The atmosphere is incredible. I'm actually excited to see how this works—I only hope I can figure it out."

She flashed him an encouraging grin. "You'll be fine, Haku. If you have any questions, just ask, okay?"

A man rose from below the field on the middle circle, microphone in hand. "Introducing the challengers, the Future Industries Fire Ferrets!"

Out came Mako, Bolin, and Avatar Korra as they waved to the crowd. When the team reached the playing field, Pabu did a handstand and a few tricks that the young earthbender must have taught him. There was a short applause before the spotlight faded.

"And their opponents: the three-time defending champions, the White Falls Wolfbats!"

The spotlights landed on three costumed men on the opposite side as they posed and howled. Fireworks went off around the stadium to celebrate the champions as their fans went wild. Jin joined in the howl as she stood, while Miksa cried tears of joy. The front man stepped forward and dramatically threw off his mask and cape, dropping them into the waters below.

Lei leaned toward Haku and explained, "That's Tahno, Jin's boyfriend. I think Miksa is dating one of those other guys too."

When the teams were lined up, Shiro Shinobi began. "The champs and challengers face off at the center line. And here we go!"

The bell rang and the match began. All was going fairly in an excited and seemingly evenly-matched game. Jin excitedly cheered as the Wolfbats pushed Korra and Mako into the next zone. When Lei turned, she saw something spark in Haku's concentrated gaze, his eyes rapidly following the action as he deciphered the rules.

Lei enthusiastically cheered for the Fire Ferrets before flashing her sister a smirk. Jin gave her a competitive grin before cheering even louder for the Wolfbats.

"The waterbenders slug it out, looking evenly matched. Tahno gets a little too worked-up and unleashes a deluge on Bolin that will certainly elicit a foul…"

The earthbender was knocked all the way to zone three, but the buzzer sounded and the Wolfbats advanced.

"…Or apparently not."

Outrage sparked from the Fire Ferrets and some of the audience—even Haku seemed disturbed—but the referee ushered for play to continue.

"And the Wolfbats advance despite Tahno exceeding the waterbending time limit—a QUESTIONABLE call by the officials."

Bolin jumped to avoid an earth disk shot at his feet, but he landed on a slippery new ground and was hit again, knocking him into the pool.

"Looks like Tahno snuck in an illegal icing move, but once again there's no call. I don't know what match the refs are watching, but it's OBVIOUSLY not this one."

Mako and Korra were quickly knocked into zone three, and as the firebender stepped in front to block a fire blast, the pair were inundated and thrown over the edge.

"IT'S A KNOCKOUT! The Wolfbats win the championship for a fourth year in a row."

Jin and Miksa screamed and jumped for their team as the Wolfbats turned and waved to the crowd.

"HOLD ON A SECOND, FOLKS! Scratch that. The Ferrets are still alive, but just barely."

Mako was flung back onto the field and blasted Tahno. The waterbender whipped around and glared at his opponent, who boxed in placed and tauntingly winked as the bell signaled the end of the round.

Lei's eyes went wide and her mouth agape as she turned to Haku. "Wow, did you see that? She threw him onto the field—with one arm! That was incredible!"

He nodded, a small grin on his lips. "She's strong."

Jin pursed her lips. "She is—I'll admit—but she's not strong enough to beat Tahno!"

Lei playfully got in her sister's face. "In your dreams! We're gonna kick your butts. Underdogs for the win!"

Round two was filled with more cheating from the Wolfbats with everything from ice to headshots, but the Fire Ferrets toughed it out. When the final buzzer rang, there was one player in each zone, ending in a tie. The Fire Ferrets won the coin toss for the tie-breaker and chose water.

Korra and Tahno stepped onto the inner circle, which was raised above the field as the players took their stances. He taunted the Avatar into attacking first, but she faked him out and easily knocked him off the ring. Jin went wide-eyed, frozen in shock as the Avatar taunted Tahno back.

"One round a piece. Who wants it more?"

Round three was immediately tense with both teams going all out. Tahno stepped behind his teammate for a moment before hitting all three Fire Ferrets with headshots, knocking them from zone one all the way into the pool below.

"Oh, this has gone TOO far. That water had ROCKS in it!"

The referee called the knockout, and therefore the match, resulting in an uproar of cheers and boos from the crowd as the Wolfbats waved to their fans from their end of the field. Jin was leaping for joy with Miksa as they screamed for their team. As Lei turned to look, she noticed sparks of electricity around the exits—where the Elite were stationed.

Time seemed to slow as her eyes widened: it was an attack.

There were a few seconds of sparks coming from the pool on the challengers' side of the field, likely taking out the Fire Ferrets, and—in turn—the Avatar. Lei jumped to her feet as she looked around in horror. A few moments passed before she thought to kick off her boots and scope the area with seismic sense. She needed to make sure the other officers survived the attack.

Every Elite officer was down around the arena, but they were still breathing—what she had to focus on now were the assailants coming toward the crowd. Her eyes flashed open as she glanced to her group. Haku furrowed his brows as the metalbender handed him her shoes, but before she could take further action, the masked attackers moved to keep the crowd hostage, wielding strange electrified gloves. Screams rang out through the arena as the rest of the audience caught on.

Amon and his officers rose from the center of the field and the Wolfbats turned in horror. They fought back as the Equalist leader advanced, but were effortlessly taken out by his henchmen, their wrists and ankles tied by ropes.

The Equalist in front of Lei's section glanced back to the stage. She had to do something!

Tahno was forced to his knees, his arms held apart as Amon stood menacingly in front of him.

Lei leaned in toward Haku and instructed in a low voice, "If you find an opening to get out, take the way we came in, but hang a right just before the main exit. You'll be able to escape unseen from there. Drag Jin if you need to—just get out safely."

He hesitated for a moment before putting a hand on hers. "Be careful."

She nodded and launched herself over the people in front of her, toward the Equalist threatening the section. Mid-jump, she sent a barrage of needles at Amon. He effortlessly dodged them all as she landed on the railing. The masked man faced Lei for a few moments before returning to business. She narrowed her eyes and glanced back just in time to dodge the incoming attack from the Equalist, swinging under the railing and kicking him in the jaw, knocking him over the edge and into the water below.

The Equalists from the two nearest sections rushed the metalbender on either side as Amon finished the job and pushed the Wolfbats into the pool. He calmly took the microphone and commented on how desperate the benders were to save such bullies like themselves.

Lei gripped the railing as she accused, "Coward!"

Amon moved into his full warning speech as both Equalists were upon her. Lei narrowly avoided their attacks by pressing against the railing. As their hands passed her face, she grabbed an arm and forced the attackers together. They didn't electrocute each other, but the force was enough to daze them for a moment.

No matter her success, more Equalists kept piling in. Lei fought back as hard as she could, yet she knew she wouldn't make it out of this one—but this whole quarter of the audience would. Time slowed as she locked eyes with Haku and glanced to the exit. He tensed and nodded slightly before taking charge and getting everyone in the section to escape.

Lei couldn't bear to look at Jin as the Equalists closed the gap over their fallen comrades. They overwhelmed her, landing multiple gloves on her person. She let out a primal scream as electricity surged through her body, burning her nerves until she blacked out.

-:-

The building had fully evacuated after the explosion, but one man raced inside against the tides as soon as his paralysis faded. Taifeng's footsteps echoed in the hallways as he ran to Lei's last known location. He skidded on the marble floors as he made a sharp turn into the seating area and frantically glanced around.

"Lei!" His voice echoed through the empty arena with no answer.

He tensed and scoured the bleachers until he spotted a body lying near the railing.

His eyes went wide as he let out a breathless, "No…"

Before he could think, he was rushing across the seats, barely keeping up until he dropped to the floor beside her. The tips of her long hair were singed, a spot on her sleeve was charred, and she had a burn mark on her bare foot. He hesitated as he reached out before pulling her limp body into his trembling arms. Taifeng gently pressed his fingers to Lei's neck, holding his breath until he felt the beat of her pulse.

She was still alive.

She wasn't killed like her father was.

"Y-You idiot," he whispered, aimed at more than just one, as he watched droplets fall to her cheek.

Taking a deep breath and holding in his bursting emotions, the nonbender wiped his eyes and stuck his other arm beneath his best friend's legs before lifting her up and carrying her out of the building.

-:-

Lei groaned, her body aching as she slowly opened her eyes and rolled onto her side. As she looked around, she found herself lying on a mat in a the corner of a large tent somewhere. Taifeng was sitting nearby with his arms folded and his eyes narrowed at the ground. The brunette furrowed her eyebrows for a moment before she flashed to a fuzzy memory of the older teen carrying her, presumably away from the arena.

As her focus returned to the present, she held her head and weakly pushed herself into a sitting position. Her best friend simply closed his eyes and pursed his lips as he took a deep breath, refusing to look up. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped as someone else approached.

Her eyes went wide as they landed on the chief.

Lin's arms were folded as she told them, "I heard what happened, Lei. You acted like a true officer out there: you were quick, decisive, and did everything in your power to protect the people when the rest of us couldn't. You reminded me of Shang."

Tears pricked in the corners of her eyes as she proudly beamed. "Thank you."

To the side, Taifeng tightened his grip on his arms.

Lin put a hand on her hip as she got to the point. "Republic City is at war—we'll need as much help as we can get to stop these Equalists. I'm letting you back into the program as soon as you heal."

"Yes!" Lei pumped her fist in the air. "You won't regret this, Chief!"

After the chief left, Lei excitedly turned to Taifeng, "You were right!"

He opened his eyes and scoffed.

She narrowed her eyes and leaned back. "What's your problem?"

"I can't believe how stupid you were!" he burst, throwing his arms up. "You knew they could electrocute you, but you still had to go and play the hero."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "I had to do something!"

"You should've at least tried to think it through before jumping out there and fighting the Equalists alone!"

Green eyes glared at blue as she snapped, "I was trying to stop Amon from taking their bending, and when that didn't work, I was causing a distraction for the others!"

"You could've done that without almost sacrificing yourself like an idiot!" he roared.

She scowled. "Well, what would you have done, Mister 'High and Mighty'?"

He clawed at his hair. "I would've waited and got people out when it was actually safe!"

She narrowed her eyes. "Waiting wasn't an option."

"It always is!" Taifeng's voice was shaking as he confessed, "I ran inside when I saw Jin out there without you, and when I found you unconscious like that, I thought you were dead."

Lei's shoulders drooped as she knitted her brows together. "Taifeng…"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before forcing a smile to hide his anguish.

The older teen ruffled her hair, his voice hoarse. "You have to be more careful."

She frowned and reached out, but he pulled away.

"I'm still on-duty. I have to go."

He turned and left without further explanation. Haku passed by the nonbender, tossing a curious glance over his shoulder before making his way to Lei. She weakly smiled and waved as he bridged the gap between them. The waterbender sat down in front of her and gently pulled her feet into his lap before drawing water from the pouch on his shoulder and onto his hands.

He explained, "My mother is having me heal smaller injuries so she and the other professionals can focus on the more advanced cases."

The brunette only nodded. "Thanks..."

He glanced away, his cheeks growing darker. "Anything for you."

Lei tensed as the water enveloped her burned foot, but along with the telltale glow and hum of his healing hands came the immediate soothing feeling. Releasing a breath, she relaxed, but frowned and looked to the side.

"Lei!" Jin's strained voice silenced him as Lei watched her stomp over. "Never do that again." Tears streamed down her face. "Don't you ever do that to me again!"

The metalbender furrowed her eyebrows as she argued, "That's a promise I can't make. My job is dangerous, Jin, and you have to accept that. Someone has to protect Republic City from people like them."

"Enough, both of you!" their mother's voice commanded as she returned.

Lei furrowed her brows before realizing that she was likely there with the rest of the medical staff.

Ping took her eldest daughter's hand and stroked her arm. "Jin, sweetheart, you need to rest. You're still in shock. Everything's going to be okay."

She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Tahno was asking for you," Ping softly told her. "Do you want to see him? I can ask him to wait too."

Jin wiped her eyes and sniffled. "No, I need to see him."

Ping led her away as Lei released an exasperated groan. Haku frowned slightly as he glanced between his neighbors.

He returned the water to its pouch and started to wrap his patient's feet. "I did what I could, but your feet will be sore the next few days. Try to stay off them as much as you can." As he finished, he asked, "Do you have any feeling in your toes?"

Lei pursed her lips as she assessed the damage. "No… Not a lot, anyway."

"I expected as much." His gaze trailed downward again as he wrapped his warm hands around the tips of her feet, eliciting an involuntary wince from her at the sudden heat. "With winter so near and being just off the bay, the temperatures are very low. You're at a greater risk for frost bite in this kind of environment."

She let out a sigh. "Yeah… They should really make shoes for the everyday metalbender—with those retractable soles like our uniforms. It'd be a lot easier than taking off my shoes every time something happens when I'm off-duty."

Haku nodded slightly, and a silence swallowed the pair for a while, neither seeming particularly willing to talk.

"Lei... are you alright?"

She let out a huff. "First Taifeng and now Jin. Why can't they understand why I did it? And, sure, it sorta makes sense that Jin wouldn't with what happened to our dad, but it's so weird that Taifeng got so touchy about it." She sighed. "I've never seen him like this."

He waited a few moments before offering, "While I don't know Taifeng, by the way you speak of him, it's likely that he's just worried for you and is having trouble coping with it. Truth be told, I often find myself worrying about you as well."

Lei frowned. "Well, you understand, right? I mean, you wouldn't have led the others out otherwise."

Haku gazed into her eyes, his soft blue irises somewhat sad as he explained, "In my studies, the best course of action is that which benefits the many over the few. I feared what could happen to you, but I knew that I couldn't let your fate—whatever should happen—be in vain..." He looked down. "Even then, it hurt so much to leave you behind. If something worse had happened to you... I don't know if I could cope with my decision."

The pair fell silent again as Lei frowned and furrowed her eyebrows, lost in thought.


Review Response:

Wanderstar: Lin agrees with you on Lei deserving to come back (as you can now see,) but this won't be the last of her troubles (where would all the fun be without it?) And you may be right in some sense regarding romance. You'll have to find out ;D (In the far future, though. This book focuses on Lei's personal growth more than anything, but Book 2 onward will answer your questions~!)