Just Like the Good Old Days
Hey! I'm at college, but I'm back. Once again, I don't own Legend of Korra.
Blessing or Curse?
Noatak's POV:
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I hoped that I would blink and this would all disappear. But no, there it was, the mask I had worn what now seems to have been a lifetime ago. It was the same mask, painted on a large banner that hung over the stand where a man was yelling about the Equalist movement. I must be in a nightmare, how was this even possible if I had been Amon? Something was wrong, so very wrong. Tarrlok seemed just as shocked as I was; we shared a look of fear and confusion that, thankfully, went unnoticed by Korra who had decided to confront the protestor.
"What are you talking about?" She demanded. "Bending is the coolest thing in the world."
I had a feeling that wouldn't go down well with the protestor.
"Oh yeah?" The man replied. "Let me guess, you're a Bender."
"Yeah, I am." Korra answered proudly.
"Then I bet you'd just love to knock me off this platform with some Waterbending, huh?"
"I'm seriously thinking about it."
That would definitely not go well. The protestor used it as an example of Benders abusing their power. I fully expected Korra to go into a rage and resort to using her Bending, I guess some of my old prejudices are still there, but instead she just turned Naga around and the three of us left. Korra really impressed me by choosing to back down; I think that even I wouldn't have been able to control my temper if I had been provoked like that. But nevertheless, something weird was happening and I didn't like it. How could there still be an Amon if I never became that person? Then it hit me, the worst possible scenario. The spirits hadn't sent me and Tarrlok back in time as an act of mercy, they had done it as a way to punish us; they had given us a new life, a life we had only ever dreamed of having, and then they throw us right back into witnessing our past crimes to remind us that we really don't belong in Korra's life like we wished we did. This is not our blessing, but our curse.
Tarrlok's POV:
After that shocking encounter with the Equalist protestor, that I'm sure Noatak was just as shocked about as I was, we soon ran into more trouble. As we were making our way to Air Temple Island, some thugs from the Triple Threat Triad started threatening a shopkeeper. Korra was not about to let those men get away with what they were doing.
"Or else what, hoodlum?" Korra interrupted the leader of the three men as he was in the middle of delivering his threat. The three men turned to look at her and began laughing; Noatak and I quickly stepped behind her in support.
"Since you three are obviously fresh off the boat, let me explain a few things." The leader replied. "You're in Triple Threat Triad territory, and we're about to put you in the hospital."
I snickered at the men; they obviously had no clue who they were dealing with.
"You're the only ones who are going to need a hospital." I said.
"And for your sake," Korra added, "I hope there's one nearby."
"Who do you think you are?" The leader demanded.
Korra waved me and Noatak back; she could handle this one herself.
"Why don't you come and find out."
It never gets old, seeing Korra take down a bunch of bad guys single-handedly, it's one of the many things I admire about her, how she never backs down and gives her all in a fight. Unfortunately, the Metalbender cops weren't as impressed as I was. I remembered in that other life that Korra had been arrested on her first day, and it seemed that Noatak and I would be sharing the experience with her. So the three of us were involved in an attempt to outrun the authorities on Naga, only to be captured and wind up in Chief Bei Fong's interrogation office.
"Let's see," Chief Bei Fong said as she began to read off our offences, "multiple counts of destruction of private and city property, not to mention evading arrest." She turned to me and Noatak. "Aiding and abetting." She slammed her clipboard down in front of us. "You kids are in a whole mess of trouble."
"But there were some thugs threatening a helpless shopkeeper." Korra protested. "I had to-"
"Can it! You should have called the police and stayed out of the way."
"But I couldn't just sit by and do nothing; it's my duty to help people. You see, I'm the Avatar."
I could tell that Noatak had been tense throughout the duration of these events. I'm sure he had thought, in the past at least, that Korra never really took her role as Avatar seriously, that it had all been just a way for her to lord over other people, and now he was feeling guilty that he had thought that way about her. I guess you really can't judge someone until you walk a mile in their shoes, and we've walked more than a mile.
"Oh, I am well aware of who you are." Chief Bei Fong continued. "And your Avatar title might impress some people, but not me."
"Alright, fine, then I'd like to talk to whoever's in charge."
"Korra, I think we are talking to the person in charge." Noatak spoke up; he'd been very quiet until that point.
"Your little friend is correct." The Chief responded. "I'm Chief Bei Fong."
"Wait, Bei Fong? As in Lin Bei Fong?" Korra inquired. "You're Toph's daughter."
"What of it?"
"Well then, why are you treating me and my friends like we're criminals? Avatar Aang and your mother were friends. They saved the world together."
"That's ancient history, and it's got diddly-squat to do with the mess that you three are in now. You can't just waltz in here and dole out vigilante justice like you own the place."
Just then, a visitor was announced. In walked Tenzin, I'd never thought I'd see the day when I'd be happy to see him. He, on the other hand, looked none too pleased.
"Master Tenzin." Noatak greeted him with his usual air of respect.
"We kinda got a little sidetracked on our way to see you." Korra stated.
Tenzin managed to get us out of trouble, but at the price of making sure we would be heading back to the South Pole. We came all this way and now we were heading back to where we started? It was outrageous, and I couldn't understand why Noatak wasn't protesting as much as Korra and I both were. I guess he was still freaked out by the fact that the Equalists and Amon exist in this reality. I haven't quite figured out how that worked, but I'm sure it will come to me eventually.
Noatak's POV:
I was still in shock from what I had seen earlier, perhaps that's why I wasn't so upset about Tenzin sending us back to the South Pole, I just couldn't deal with this right now. I remembered how Korra had called me a coward in that other life when she challenged me to a dual, and perhaps I am a coward. I've never really faced my problems; I've always run away because I was too frightened to deal with the issues that plague me. That's probably the biggest difference between me and Korra; I choose not to face my problems and try and find a way around them, she takes the initiative and charges at things head-on, both figuratively and literally.
When Tenzin changed his mind, I wasn't sure how to feel about it, until Korra pulled all of us into a group hug. The hope and desire to promote change in Republic City simply radiated off of her. I knew that we were needed here, not just Korra, but all of us. I remembered her speech to Republic City as clearly as the time I first heard it, it was strange to think that in my old hideout I was currently listening to the girl standing at that podium over the radio, making plans to destroy her. I know that I can't tell Korra anything about the future, for three reasons; one, she would probably think I had gone nuts, two, it could disrupt the order of time as we know it, and three, she needs to learn these things for herself without interference, that is the hardest reason of all for me to comply with. For now, Tarrlok and I will wait and watch, we won't allow anyone to hurt her, not even us.
Yes, finally done with this chapter! Took forever! Please review.