Is anyone still reading the fic? Anyway, here it is...
We are to blame
The firbender rat was again on Alco hands, captured once his sister had renounced to him. The boy had gave up after throwing two punches.
Alco went to check him one more time, seven whole days without incident seemed to good to be capturing the rat, from the same moment he had gripped the boy collarshirt, Alco had feared he would atempt another escape or maybe the rat sister or the Avatar could come to his rescue.
He didn't made the mistake of resting until he had carried the boy over Lord Piet fortress, being careful of not leaving any trace. This wasn't the same place than before, so not even the rat sister would find them. Not her nor the parents of the children of the villages.
The firebender was on a different cell that the rest of the sacrifices, one small and without windows. A dark place where he would be unable to bend if the anti-bend drug didn't work or wore off. It was not good idea to give the drug to a sick child but the rat only needed to survive the next week and then die on the promising day.
The kid opened his eyes lazily but he didn't move from his spot on the bed, his feet barely touching the ground.
"So this is the runaway" an old voice said behind of Alco, almost making the captain to jump outside his skin, Lord Piet walked inside the cell and smiled at the boy, then grabbed the white face with force, and keep holding for a long time, as if he were contemplating what to do. Finally Lord Piet gave a strong slap and grabbed the boy hair with fury "You caused a lot of problems...you almost ruined it all! Stupid dammed Fire rat! Dammed rat! You!
The boy stared with empty eyes at some distant point, didn't even scream after the abuse. Lord Piet laughed humorless and pushed the boy against the bed, disgust on his eldery factions.
"Don't worry...soon you will atone for your sins" he said as he leaved the room. Alco himself felt mad at the gal of the firebender, but knew that there was so much the boy could handle.
Alco closed the door and leaved the boy in complete darkness.
.
.
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Mako hated being a kid, he did.
Everyone was bigger and meaner. Always wanting to use Mako, but that changed when he grew up. Adults couldn't be abused, not the same ways as kids. Not as if they weren't persons.
But he was a child again, one that had been captured by crazy men that hurted him, drugged him and were planning to use him for a sacrifice. It would not be that bad if Mako were their only victim, but they were planing of using children, ones young and full of a future ahead.
A part of him hoped that Kuvira or the Avatar would go and rescue the kids, help them to go to safety, to their houses. Safe at the arms of their family.
He blinked a few times trying to get used to darkness, a shiver roamed all his back and he hugged himself in an useless try to get warmer. Being sick was the worst part of everything for the firbender. His mind wandered to toughs about death and his days on the streets.
He pondered if he would die due the sickness, the same was that Old Lunky, the pick-pocker of Piandoa Street. Poor child, four days of fever and at the five was demential talking about flying horses and next he was being carried away to be buried on the common pit. He had been 17, twice taller than 10 years old Mako and had gift him bread a lot of times. (And once stolen medicines for a group of sick childs, among then Mako and Bolin. He did that a lot and the doctor had to close his office)
Old Lunky, robber and saviour, it had no sense on the world that someone that made his life by stealing all the yuans of people would be so kind. So he had to die, and Mako could only wonder why had Old Lunky helped him to learn how to tie his shoes. If he hadn't, then it would have hurt less when his snarky voice faded away on the streets.
The first week Mako and other child marked the place where Old-Lunky passed away, his name wrote with solemnity. But that place was long go, no one cared about a tomb of a no-one in the first rebuilding of the city, much less after the destruction of almost all.
No one remembered Old Lunky, even his criminal record destroyed. That was the fate that was awaiting for the firebender too, dying feeling cold and completely alone.
The firebender layed on the bed, looking at the black roof, he didn't had his fire or any light.
Mako had stealed a lot, from Korra, Asami and especially Bolin. From the girls each other, from his brother his parents. From everyone else, Mako probably had took without noticing.
And so he bit his lips and though it was fair, on some sense, it was fair.
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.
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Kuvira wanted two things: save the Earth Kingdom and money to do it. That was the only reason why she decided to participate in a dangerous battles done in the underworld of a small city, one that she knew was destroyed by a radical group about 40 years before she was born. Everyone on the city shamed for their economical-political ties with the Fire Nation. For what Kuvira was concerned the people on the city were only traitors to her country and all their fellow citizens. And still her people.
She took a sip of water and watched the arena, a big square with ground of earth, two days more it would be the championship and Kuvira would have to figth against the biggest scam of the Earth Kingdom. A woman that had sided against her country in every turn, aiding the Avatar and the dammed Fire Lord without thinking it.
The metalbender knew defeating Toph Beifong wouldn't be easy with her handicapped powers, the Beifong was an expert in waiting and Kuvira was more the one that finished her battles fast after the attacker made a wrong move.
"Are you fine miss?" A tanned man with yellow teeth asked from behind Kuvira and she knew it was time to leave, she didn't even bother to answer the man, if he felt as trying something the metalbender would know what to do.
The sun was bright on the sky and there wasn't no avatar at view. If she was right on her history lessons she would meet the Avatar in a few days at the Arena. And she had a plan.
It was easy, defeat Toph, make herself the Avatar teacher and obliterate the Fire Nation on the day of the Black Sun using the Avatar State and the unknown skill of metalbending. After that victory, took over the Earth Kingdom by removing the puppet King and his advisors, if a 14 years old fire princess could so would the 23 years old Great Uniter
A group of children ran pass her and the metalbender felt the familiar pang of sadness that followed her every time she remembered Mako. She tried to not think about him or the future of where both came, the memories simply deprived her of sleep and made her want to punch people.
On the last days, she had finally remembered who was Mako, the bodyguard of Wu and rumor runned that the prince's lover (as if!), had the boduguard not being brother of Bolin (the useless betrayer) she would have kidnapped him, the obvious hostage that Raiko would use to control Wu. Mako had been just a simple piece that Kuvira had wanted to control but was unable to and so she moved on her plans, even if it sorted her that Raiko had that pawn at his disposal.
Kuvira clenched her teeth, Mako wasn't a toy, he was kind and had a childish sense of of humor, and so many people had used him. That had probably make him decide it was his fate to never be loved. Days ago, when he was on her mind a small boy with cold, the only thing the metalbender was certain was that Mako self-love needed an adjustment, it was so low he had asked to be left behind at his death on the cave, so she wanted to fix that, along with his fear of abandonment.
Those were things she knew since first day, after all reading people was an skill that had served her to manipulate and break others, as she had done with Mako at the end.
She almost slipped at that memory, the way that he had screamed and cried. He had attacked her first so Kuvira trow at his face his lack of love. He had deserved it but at the same time she couldn't stop the guilty that weighed on her chest when she recalled everything.
The streets began to get emptier, and in Kuvira mind they looked lonelier and sad. She looked at the twilight, she had been walking aimlessly during a lot of time thinking about something as nonsensical as the firebender.
She keep looking at the sky, a treacherous part of her mind pondered if Battar would come as he did before, in another time, grabbing her from behind and resting his head on her shoulder, making the negative feelings vanish as if he had casted a spell.
He wouldn't come, because she had killed him.
Why did the Avatar kidnapped him? Why had she made him betray Kuvira? Why did he asked to give up on everyone dreams? But his faults and the ones of the Avatar were nothing compared to Kuvira foolishnes in surrending herself against the lazy Avatar.
And Kuvira was back at square one of self-loathing, blaming the Avatar and getting mad about everything. She had heard about depression but now she finally understood it, it was her own mind against herself and it was a terrible enemy because she couldn't beat her brain on a fisical battle... If time-travel was possible maybe there was a way to beat up her mind (alter-ego).
She laughed at the idea, it was silly and something that just proved how deep on the hole she was.
"So you are the runt wanting to play with the big-guys" a joyful voice asked from behind Kuvira and the metalbender failed to suppress a small yell, the person laughed with the freedom of a child "I was wanting to see you"
Kuvira watched the kid, her clothes were of fancy material, her bangs almost covered her eyes, the girl was barefoot and had a wicked smile. Toph Beifong style hadn't changed even 70 years later (or before?), and Kuvira was not pleased to meet her, she still wanted to bury the old-woman for sabotaging the Earth Empire and this was testing her patience.
The situation was symilar as the one with Mako: she didn't want to attack a child out of nowhere, for much despicable that they had been, or would be.
Finally she decided to address the impertinent child in front of her.
"Go away!" Kuvira ordered as she waved her hand, and walked away. This was not the moment to defeat the Beifong. The plan was doing it on the pit and the middle of the streets were definitely not a place for two high benders to brawl.
Except the girl didn't care about collateral damage as much as Kuvira.
The ground beneath Kuvira shifted fastly and the metalbender had to jump to get away from a small hole that the blind girl had made. Beifong found her sneak attack funny and smirked at Kuvira.
The metalbender blinked, feeling the rage build up. Unlike Republic City the place they were was completely Earth Kingdom, even in the past. She wasn't the kind of person that destroyed something that she was supposed to protect when there was another alternative as waiting.
And what about Mako? Kuvira mind whispered out of nowhere, she could have waited for him to calm down... She had promised to protect him...and he had attacked her without warning... As had Toph.
Suddenly Kuvira was throwing small rocks at Toph, some did hit but the girl was enough good to banish inside the ground, to an unseen place.
Kuvira looked at the houses at every side of the street, knowing well that bending to much would destroy them. She closed her eyes waiting for the right moment.
Republic City was on ruins, a wasteland due Kuvira actions. Streets, hospitals and schools oblirated to dust. Why had she played that game? The Avatar game was impossible to win. No one could be most destructive and powerful than the Avatar. The metalbender felt the iron taste on her tongue and Bataar voice asked her once again to go back and live together.
"Why?" A child asked and Kuvira knew she was losing her mind, that everything was just on her mind and that the boy wasn't there, so she stepped strongly and attacked.
Toph was so certain of her ventage, of her power, that she had not imagined that Kuvira could connect an attack, direct to the gut. But now she knew, and if her eyebrows were a sign, then she would take this seriously.
.
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It felt as an eternity, but thanks to the tracking skills of Zuko (Sokka had not been happy), they had finally found the town where Kuvira was in. She would had something of her brother and then they would use Jun help to track him.
That had been Sokka plan.
They were above the town, Zuko was crossing his arms and Sokka was gripping his boomerang.
"Why are you helping us?" Katar asked. It was something that Aang had wanted to ask since the beginning, but he was afraid that the Prince would be broken out of his chant once he had to do more than following clues on a messy girl with a braid that might or not killed bandits.
"They said they had one 'of my kind', someone young!" Zuko gestured wildly with his hands, a hint of exasperation on his voice "After this...you all are done for!" He pointed a menacing finger.
Aang chuckled a little, Sokka gripped his boomerang more and Katara made a face between amusement and reprobation.
On the young airbender mind they were on their way to be friends.
No far away a cloud of dust went up, and Aang knew they had found her. For the first time everything seemed to be going good.
Kuvira couldn't believe her luck, the Avatar had come to her (and Toph). He had asked her if she had something of Mako, because the stupid had been kidnapped again (he deserved it for betraying Kuvira)
The metalbender gave them his old purple clothes and was asked to go alongside them.
It was true that Toph and the Fire Lord Zuko weren't on the metalbender plan, but if she went and helped them, and something happened to Mako, then everything would work fine for Kuvira. She would have the Avatar, two talented benders and a genius no-bender at her side. And at any moment she could dispose of the Fire Lord if he couldn't be used as a puppet.
"So we are going to rescue -this- brother?" Toph asked happily to Avatar Aang.
"Yes" the bald monk answered solemnly "Don't worry Kuvira, we will rescue your brother, trust us"
Kuvira was wiser to be fooled by the false compassion of the Avatar twice.
"I do" she said with a practiced sad smile. They were hers to use for her plan. All of them.
...
Will ccontinue (probably)