A/N: Shoutout to my two reviewers! I see you and I love you. I can't respond to one because it appears to be a guest? account, but I wanted to answer your question. "Do other people know that Mako is Kiriko and Anisa's bio dad?" The answer is...kind of? It's not a secret, but it's not publicized, either. The 'extended family' knows, and they don't go to any drastic lengths to keep it from the general public. However, it's not common knowledge outside of Kiriko's circle of family/friends.


For three years in a row, Kiriko made it onto the main crew for the New Year's Gala Tura Tura performance. No longer did her fellow dancers look at her with disdain. If anyone new came in and gave her a hard time, there was always someone at her shoulder to back her up.

"I think they just see me as the little sister they all collectively adopted," she said to Raniq while they were hanging out at her house one weekend afternoon. Varrick and Zhu Li were both out, while Nik was at practice for whatever sport was going on at the moment. It was the perfect time to get caught up on all the neglected homework.

"Well, that's a good thing, right?"

"I dunno…" Kiriko took a moment to scribble down a paragraph for her essay on Earth Kingdom economics. It wasn't going well. "I know they're all older, but I wish they didn't see me as a little kid or feel like they need to fight my battles for me. I'm tall for my age, and strong. Why can't I just start puberty already? Ugh. Is that too much to ask?"

"It'll come."

The essay was abandoned in favor of ranting. "I'm fourteen! This isn't normal!"

Raniq just shrugged. "Everyone's different."

"Ugh, I hear that enough from the doctors. It doesn't make me feel any better."

"Speaking of doctors…"

She had a strange look on her face. Sadness and guilt and regret. It made Kiriko's stomach drop and she swallowed hard.

"What…?"

"I was accepted into the midwifery program at Zaofu. I think– I think I'm going to do it. It starts the first week of the new year."

A pang of disappointment shot through Kiriko's chest, but it was overpowered by relief. "Spirits, Raniq. Don't scare me like that. I thought something awful had happened. This is what you want! It's a good thing!"

"Yeah. Yeah, it is. I just-" She let out a little embarrassed chuckle. "I'm sensitive, okay? And I'll really miss you. Spirits, you know how much I want to escape from my stressful family and be independent, but it'll also be really hard leaving all this behind. My whole life. Everything's gonna change. It's a little scary."

"But you spend a lot of time in Zaofu. It's not like you don't know anyone there. The Beifongs are practically extended family for you. And anyways, I can come visit all the time. Starting next summer, I'll be able to ride the train by myself."

That did seem to cheer her up a bit. "True. Though I guess I probably won't see much of you during pro-bending season, huh? How in the world are you going to manage practice and rehearsals next year?"

"I'll figure it out." Kiriko sighed and tried to refocus on her essay. "That's a problem for future me."

"If you had to give up one, which would it be?"

She'd posed the question to herself before and, although it would be disappointing, the choice wasn't difficult. "Dancing."

"Really? Huh. I'm surprised. You've put so much work into it."

"I've always wanted to be a pro-bender. Next year I can finally join the open-class league. I've been waiting for this my whole life. Doing the Tura Tura is great, but I don't want to be a professional dancer. Dancing is just a hobby for me, not a career."

Raniq laughed softly. "It's not like you need to make money. You're set for life. You can do whatever you want."

"You're one to talk. Anyway, that's why pro-bending makes sense. I can focus on being the best without worrying that a loss will make me homeless." She scowled at her paper. "What's Gaipan's primary export? I thought it was soybeans but now I'm second-guessing myself…"

"I wouldn't have a clue. I took that class three years ago."

Kiriko reached in her bag for the thick textbook that would have the information. "For once I'd be grateful to have Nik here with his freakish memory."

Raniq rolled her eyes, though there seemed to be a hint of jealousy lurking in there. Her own relatively high intelligence was constantly overshadowed by her little brother's emerging genius, which he rarely put to good use. He probably would've graduated by now if he actually applied himself.

"In order for him to remember something, he must first learn it. Don't be so sure he'd know the answer."

"Honestly, I can't even blame him for that. I'm so sick of school. I wish I was graduating with you this year."

She glanced up from her paper to study her friend instead and let the moment of envy bloom for a moment. Raniq was a grown woman now. She wasn't fit, but not fat either. She wasn't especially pretty, but she had kind eyes and a warm smile that always made people feel at ease around her. And she was an amazing healer. Kiriko admired her so much and really was going to miss her being just a quick drive away.

"What?" Raniq asked. Her chin was propped up on her fist and she wore a small, curious smile.

"I was just thinking about you leaving. Starting a brand new life in Zaofu. Part of me wants what you have. To not be a skinny, flat-chested kid anymore, and be able to do all the things I want to do. And another part of me wants us both to be kids again. Life was simpler a few years ago."

"Speak for yourself…" She glanced sideways and sighed, though there was still a bit of wry amusement in her weary expression.

"Well, then five or six years ago. I dunno. You get me, though. Right?"

"Sure. We always want what's just out of reach. Something we used to have, or dream of having one day."

"You don't have to tell me your dreams for the future," Kiriko said with a crooked smile, "because I already know them: midwifing, marriage, sex, and babies."

A faint tinge of pink appeared on Raniq's cheeks, though her impish expression didn't match. "Not necessarily in that order."

"And I'm sure you'll tell me all about it, even if I beg you not to."

She let out a brash laugh. "Depends on how old you are. In a couple years, sure. You'll get any juicy details I have to share. For now, nah. I could tell you things about Hunir and Zira that would make your hair curl, but I won't."

"Raniq!" Kiriko exclaimed, scandalized. And yet, curious too. "What do you know? How do you know it? No graphic details, please."

"I'll never reveal my sources. But let's just say that Fire Lord Rina was not happy to discover that her heir is 'involved' with someone who's not Fire Nation, even if he is a Beifong."

"Are they gonna get married?"

"I think they've only been together for half a year, maybe. It could just be youthful curiosity. Zira is very responsible and dedicated to her duty as crown princess. I doubt she'd shake up royal tradition by letting things get serious enough for marriage."

"Can you imagine?" Kiriko said with a laugh. "It would be in the papers for months."

"Yes, I'm sure Rina would be thrilled," Raniq said with a wry twist to her mouth.

As much fun as it was to gossip, Kiriko was a little worried that the conversation would get stuck on boys and relationships and romance—things she had zero interest in. Besides that, she really needed to finish her homework.

"Okay, stop distracting me. You're supposed to be helping me get caught up, remember? Most of this is due tomorrow."

"Alright, alright. Let me read what you've got so far."


For weeks, Kiriko dreaded a painful goodbye. Dreaded watching her best friend get on a train and wave through the window until she was out of sight.

But that wasn't at all how it happened.

"I had no idea you had so much stuff."

"Neither did I," Raniq said with a laugh. "I keep filling boxes but the piles never seem to get any smaller."

School was out for the year, though autumn still stubbornly clung to the city. It wasn't nearly cold enough for snow; Kiriko didn't even need her coat.

At the moment, she was standing next to a sizable pile of luggage and boxes that were stacked in the foyer of Raniq's rather ostentatious home.

"How are you getting all of this over there?"

"Well, our staff is going to drive it to the train station and load it into one of the cargo bays. Gran promised to enlist some help for when we get there."

It turned out that 'some help' was Opal, Bolin, Wei, Valen, Nik—the last of whom did very little actual helping—and a truck. Suyin was there, too, coordinating and looking after little Raj, who was three and almost too energetic for his old grandmother to handle. She actually had a spool of metal cable strapped around her waist to reel him back in whenever he got the urge to run off.

"That's so clever, Gran!" Kiriko said, peeking over the box she carried. "Just like the police in Republic City!"

"The irony isn't lost on me," Suyin mused with a wry laugh.

"What do you mean?"

"Ah, never mind. But I did this with my own kids, too. Well, mostly just the twins."

"I remember!" Wei said. He glanced at Kiriko with a smirk. "Joke was on her when we started metalbending at age five."

As the group—minus Nik, who was goofing off—unloaded everything from the truck into Raniq's little apartment, Kiriko thought about what Wei had said. Suyin had five grown kids: a non-bender, three earthbenders, and one airbender. Out of her nine grandkids, there was only one earthbender and one airbender. The rest were non-benders, though Raj was still young enough to be a mystery.

Everyone talked about 'strong Beifong genes', and yet there was only one person in the youngest generation who was continuing the Beifong legacy of metalbending. And Shein didn't even like metalbending. He wanted to be a lavabender like his dad and, according to Nik, spent most of his free time trying.

Something cold and wet suddenly slid down Kiriko's back. The box in her arms fell to the ground and she whipped around with a shriek to locate her attacker, who was cackling as he ran away.

"You sonofabitch, you get back here!" she screamed. Her long legs leapt after him, but he was tall enough now that she had trouble keeping up.

The chase led them through an otherwise quiet suburb where old people meandered with canes and young parents pushed strollers. Kiriko paid them no attention. All she cared about was catching Nik and giving him a good ass-whooping. The little cretin was overdue for one.

He darted into a side street and Kiriko cut through the outdoor seating area of a cafe to head him off.

The door opened.

A man with a tray of drinks stepped out.

There was no time to slow down.

"AHHH!"

CRASH

It didn't hurt, thanks to the adrenaline coursing through her body, but Kiriko was certainly aware of the hot liquid soaking through her shirt. After a moment of confusion, she disentangled herself from the poor waiter and brushed herself off.

"Uh…sorry. Are you okay?"

He was a young man and, after a couple of winces and groans, got to his feet. "Yeah. Don't worry about it, kid. You're not burned are you?"

It was then that she finally felt it. Her entire chest began to ache and she had the sudden urge to rip her shirt off. With trembling hands, she pulled at the wet fabric to get it off her skin.

Her eyes began to well up with tears, both from pain and fear, and she took off at a run on wobbly knees. The cool air rushing past her did help a little, but she was more scared now about permanent scarring.

Everything had already been carried in when she reached Raniq's apartment; they were all clustered in the small kitchen enjoying drinks and snacks.

"Oh, there you are–" Raniq began, though she cut off with a worried frown. "What happened? You're bleeding!"

Kiriko brushed the tears from her eyes and glanced down at her knee, which was, in fact, bloodied. "I ran into someone and got hot drinks spilled on me," she managed through gasping breaths. "It burns."

The words were not even fully out of her mouth by the time Raniq had gotten up and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to lead her into the bedroom.

"Here, sit down. Let me have a look." She gently peeled off Kiriko's shirt and covered the skin in soothing cool water. "Well, it's not so bad. Don't worry. I can heal this in about ten, fifteen minutes. Now tell me—what in the world were you doing?"

"Nik put an ice cube down my shirt! I was gonna kick his ass but I ran into someone coming out of a cafe."

Raniq clucked her tongue. "When will you learn that it's better to just ignore him?"

"Easy for you to say. You don't even live in the same city as him anymore!"

"Please. You know he spends almost as much time here as he does at home. I'm sure I'll find him bumming around my place all the time, eating all my food and making a mess–"

As if on cue, there was a muffled voice saying, "Nik, don't–", followed by the bedroom door flying open. Unfortunately, Kiriko was facing that door, fully exposed from the waist up.

She screeched and snatched up the closest thing to cover herself, which was a pillow. "NIK! GET OUT OF HERE!"

He froze, wide-eyed, while everyone else behind him glanced away with embarrassment. "Er… My bad…"

Raniq stalked over and slammed the door shut. "Sorry," she said to Kiriko. "There aren't any locks because it's a one-bedroom apartment. Why don't you sit on the other side, facing the wall, so I can finish."

Once situated, the pillow fell into her lap and she just hung her head. Numb. Raniq healed her in silence. All Kiriko could do was stare down at the water on her chest. As if she didn't already hate the way that part of her body looked, now it was an angry, blotchy red.

"Is it gonna scar?" she mumbled.

"No, don't worry. You'll be good as new."

Kiriko sniffled and wiped her nose. "Sorry I ruined your move-in day."

"Oh, stop it. If anyone's to blame, it's Nik. As per usual. Anyway, nothing's ruined. I'll get you patched up like I always do, Miss Accident Prone, and we'll all go have lunch. And then, if you're feeling really helpful, you can help me unpack."


"Where does this go?"

Raniq glanced over with a distracted frown. "Uh… I guess just put it on the kitchen table for now. In the 'miscellaneous decor' pile. Spirits, where am I going to put all this stuff…?"

Although they'd already been at it for three hours, very little progress had been made. Kiriko got up and headed for the kitchen, which was only about five steps away. The apartment was nice, but tiny. That was how Zaofu worked. No amount of money or influence would buy privileges; they had to be earned through loyalty and dedication over time.

"Are you sure you're gonna be alright here?" she asked Raniq with a hint of sarcasm. "I know how you like your comfort. You're not used to living like this. Why didn't you just move into one of Gran's guest houses?"

"I don't want any special treatment. I want the people I work with to respect me. Anyway, this place isn't bad. It's just small. I can adapt."

I'll believe it when I see it…

Just as Kiriko set the decorative wooden carving on the table, the door crashed open to admit Nik and Valen. They were quite the contrasting duo these days: The first was a wiry 13-year-old with a voice that cracked more often than not, while the other was a stocky 16-year-old who was almost fully into manhood. Physically, anyway. Certainly not mentally.

"Have you not learned your lesson about knocking?" Kiriko demanded, hands on her hips.

"Calm down. We just want a glass of water."

"Hey, Kiriko," Valen said, receiving only an annoyed grunt in response.

"And you can relax," Nik continued. "I didn't see anything."

All the blood rushed to her face. How dare he bring that up! "Liar!"

"I'm not lying! Really! I didn't see anything because there was nothing to see!" He burst out laughing; even Valen hid a chuckle—badly—behind a cough. "It was like looking at a little boy."

"I DO NOT LOOK LIKE A BOY!"

Kiriko was sure smoke was coming out of her ears. Fortunately, Raniq intervened before the rage could manifest as actual fire.

"Get out of my apartment! Now!"

"Alright, alright. Sheesh. C'mon, Valen. We're obviously not welcome here."

Valen turned around to walk backward as they left. "For what it's worth, I don't think you look like a boy. Just a kid. Nothin' wrong with that."

Kiriko picked up the first thing her hand found—which was the carving from before—and threw it at him. Both boys laughed as they ran away, unfazed by her fury.

"Don't listen to them," Raniq said. "They're just idiots. I know you'll set them straight one day. Give it a few years. They won't know what hit them."


"Are you nervous?"

"Nope," Kiriko lied.

Anisa grunted. "Well, I am."

She swallowed hard and pulled at her collar. Kiriko felt a little bad for her; anxiety affected them differently. Anisa was unfortunate to be the kind of person who felt physically ill from nerves.

Kiriko, on the other hand, was pumped full of adrenaline. This wasn't like when she'd had to audition for the Tura Tura dance team for the first time. Here, she was fully in her element—literally! Bending was her greatest passion and most refined skill. Nerves were all part of the experience, but she was confident.

"I'm a little nervous," she admitted, just for Anisa's sake. "But I'm sure we have nothing to worry about. We're probably better than pretty much everyone here."

The words were spoken as she looked around the gym—one of many at the pro-bending arena. This one was currently being used for tryouts for the open-class league. Benders of all ages fifteen and up, but mostly teenagers, littered the space, busy with their own stretches and warm-ups.

Movement at the door drew her attention. It was a short, petite woman in unassuming, neutral-colored clothes, and Kiriko was about to return her attention to warming up when the woman spoke.

"Everyone listen up!" her shockingly loud voice called. It created a sudden hush and stillness. "I'm Tuso. I run the open-class league. If you're not here to try out for a team, you're in the wrong place."

No one moved.

"Right. Just in case anyone doesn't know how this works: After tryouts, you'll either be placed on a team or put on the reserve list. If you're placed on a team, you may not switch. All placements are final. If you don't like your teammates, suck it up. Or not. You know where the door is. All teams will be assigned a practice rotation based on the work and school schedules you submitted. If, for some reason, you haven't done that, make sure you get it to the office by 5:00 pm today. Uniform fees are due by the first of the month. Any questions?"

The information had rushed from her mouth like water spilling over a dam that was about to burst. Her gaze swept over Kiriko and Anisa, lingering only for a second before it continued on. No one said anything.

"If any of you here think you'll get special treatment because of who you are or who you know, you can forget it. We pride ourselves on fairness in the open-class league. World-class may be full of politics and nepotism, but that shit doesn't fly here."

Kiriko wasn't entirely sure what she was talking about, but she had a feeling it was directed at her and Anisa. Other people must've thought so, too because she caught several furtive glances.

"Let's get started. Earthbenders, back right corner. Firebenders, back left. Waterbenders, front right. Airbenders, front left. C'mon people, sense of urgency! Hop to it!"

The next three hours were some of the most grueling Kiriko had experienced—and that was saying something. Fortunately, she was used to extreme workouts from her dance rehearsals, but it was clear that most of the other people there weren't entirely prepared for it. Anisa was certainly struggling before it was over.

They were all grouped together at one point, being assigned different, random partners to spar with every few minutes. When Anisa appeared in front of her, Kiriko could see that she was on the verge of tears.

"Hey. Sis. Buck up."

"It's so hard," Anisa choked out, struggling for air. "I'm not— as in shape— as you."

"You can do it."

Usually, Anisa was quite competitive when they sparred. What she lacked in work ethic, she made up for with natural talent. But right now, there was little fight left in her.

"You better not give up," Kiriko said as she executed a weakened attack that was only just barely deflected.

In Anisa's defense, at least half of the others in the room were crouched down at any given moment, just for a quick breather. When they took water breaks, some lay face down on the floor. A few had already run out of the room with their hands over their mouths and returned looking distinctly pale. Or not come back at all.

Somehow, Anisa got through it. Kiriko herself was dead tired by the end, the muscles of her tall but still-childlike body screaming for mercy.

"Alright, you lot," Tuso announced to those who had survived. "The results will be posted in the lobby by the end of next week. If you make it on a team, report back here the following morning at 8:00 am sharp."

She left without another word but no one else moved for a while.

"Remind me again why I'm doing this…" Anisa muttered, sprawled flat on her back.

"What? I thought you wanted to do pro-bending?"

"Ugh… I do. I did. I didn't think it would be like joining the military. I thought it would be fun."

"It will be," Kiriko asserted. "Once we're on a team, it'll be tons of fun. I bet we'll be undefeatable."

"What makes you think they're gonna put us on the same team?"

That simple question rattled around Kiriko's head for days. It hadn't even occurred to her, which she realized was dumb. And when the moment of truth finally rolled around, they both hurried over to the pro-bending arena as soon as school let out.

The results must've already been up for hours because there were only a few other people there. Kiriko ran her finger down the list, searching for her name. There was no fear that it wouldn't be there, but her stomach squirmed with anticipation all the same.

Wombat Snakes

Tullo Desi

Amarai Natsuko

Kiriko Sato

Pham Ho

"I'm over here," Anisa said. "The Gorilla Bats. Told you we wouldn't be on the same team."

"Oh well… I guess it doesn't really matter. We spar all the time. Playing against each other won't be much different than that."

"Yeah, except if you win, you're gonna be a smug asshole for months."

Kiriko laughed. "Well, then I guess you better get to practicing."

"Ugh…"


When Kiriko compared her practice schedule with dance rehearsals the next day, she was dismayed.

"I've got three overlaps!" she complained. "How am I supposed to pick which one to go to?"

"You knew this might happen," Asami said while she cut up vegetables. It was something of a hobby of hers. Once every week or so, she took it upon herself to cook dinner.

Kiriko preferred it when their chef cooked.

"I thought the whole point of open-class, and submitting our schedules, was so that people busy with work and school could participate?"

"There's normal busy, and then there's you . I'm sure they did their best to avoid conflicts, but they have to work around other people's schedules, too."

Anisa walked in and picked up an apple to munch on. "Just skip rehearsal. You've been doing it for four years. Surely you know it well enough by now to miss a couple days."

"Shows what you know," Kiriko sneered. "The choreography is different every year, genius."

"Fine, skip pro-bending practice, then. Get beat. See if I care."

In the end, Kiriko had to compromise by missing one practice and two rehearsals.

"Don't worry, kid," one of her fellow dancers said with an encouraging, yet slightly condescending, pat on her shoulder. "I know you'll catch up."

Others weren't so understanding. "And what happens next year? You'll go out for world-class, right?"

"Of course. I'll have my own team, most likely, and I'll be able to make my own schedule."

"My brother is a member of the Wolfbats. Their training schedule is nuts. Good luck with that," she added sarcastically.

"You're not terrible at this, I'll give you that," Atani said. She was one of the other firebenders and tended to be kind of a stuck-up bitch. Over the years, Kiriko had managed to earn her reluctant, grudging respect. "And you have a knack for teaching the alternates as they come in. But let's be real, here. You still stick out like a sore thumb. Maybe you can take a few years off to do pro-bending and then come back when once you've gotten through puberty."

Kiriko made a face at her; she was used to the way Atani talked—not just to her, but everyone else, too. Some would occasionally comment on her elegant, buxom figure; others—but only women—made snide remarks that betrayed their jealousy. By all evidence, she delighted in both kinds of attention.

"Don't listen to her," Ula said quietly after she'd walked away. "You don't stick out that much. You're already taller than me. I doubt anyone in the audience is paying close enough attention to notice a difference."

"Doesn't stop people here from teasing me…"

"You're fifteen, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it took me about four years after starting my period before I had my adult figure."

At that, Kiriko threw back her head and groaned dramatically. The well-meant words of encouragement only made her despair even more. "Great, thanks."

"What?" Ula furrowed her eyebrows for a second but seemed to realize her mistake quickly. "Oh– Have you not started yet…? Sorry, I just assumed. Hey, look on the bright side: You have an extra few years to enjoy not having to deal with the hassle. No need to be so eager to grow up. It's not all it's cracked up to be."


"The Wombat Snakes advance into enemy territory!" the announcer called. "Looks like this might be a quick, decisive victory for them!"

Kiriko looked across the ring at her sister, who was visibly frustrated. However good Anisa was, it didn't do much to offset the much lower skill level of her teammates. Well, the earthbender was good. Really good. But the others…not so much.

Anisa's team had already lost two matches this season. If they lost this one, they'd be out of the running for the tournament. Kiriko was painfully aware of it. But what could she do? Lose on purpose? Her own teammates, who were fortunately all very dedicated and pretty decent, would never forgive her.

Besides that, she didn't want to lose.

She had to win.

She had to be the best.

Anisa will get over it…

The end came not long after that. Once she took out the earthbender, the others seemed to give up.

"The Wombat Spiders win round two, and the match!" the announcer cried, much more enthusiastic than he had any right to be. His voice didn't match the brief smattering of applause that was too far away and came from too few people. It couldn't compare to the reception from dancing at the New Year's Gala, but Kiriko knew this was just a necessary stepping stone to better things.

Normally, only Korra or Asami came to the matches—whichever one of them could get away from their many responsibilities. Occasionally, it was neither. Today, though, they were both there, as were Mako and Bolin, the latter of whom loved pro-bending. Even Raniq had come over from Zaofu. And the five of them probably made more noise than everyone else combined.

Kiriko thought it was darkly humorous that they cheered for her win, which was also Anisa's defeat. She knew it would be the same if their positions were flipped, but a pang of guilt shot through her chest, anyway.

When they met up afterward, Anisa was more serene than expected. "I'm kind of relieved it's over," she explained. "Now I can get back to my social life."

It soon became very clear what she meant. Not a week later, Kiriko caught her kissing a boy at school. Making out, actually. In the girls' locker room!

"Do you mind?" Anisa drawled, though she seemed a tad flustered. The guy hanging off of her didn't even acknowledge Kiriko's presence.

"Good grief, I'll just go change in the bathroom."

After that, she didn't see much of her sister until the championship tournament. It took place a week before the world-class tournament and wasn't nearly as well-attended. Mostly, it was just the friends and families of those participating, plus the occasional scout recruiting for world-class teams.

Anisa came to the finals match—which was kind of a surprise—with her latest boyfriend on her arm. Kiriko thought he was the third or fourth one. It was hard to keep track.

"Wow, you're actually here. Thought you didn't care about pro-bending anymore."

Anisa poked her arm and chuckled. "'Course I came. Gotta see my little sister kick everyone's butts."

"Little sister?"

"Well, I am older."

"By a month!" But her indignation was quickly replaced with suspicion. "Are you– Are you drunk?"

Anisa leaned over and put her finger over her lips. "Shhhh," she said in a loud whisper. "Don't tell Mom and Mama."

Her boyfriend—whatever his name was; Kiriko didn't know or care—snickered and pulled her upright by wrapping his arm tightly around her waist.

"You're a bad influence on her," Kiriko said to him with a scowl.

"Don't be so sure it's not the other way around."

Fortunately, that conversation was quickly forgotten once she put her gear on and stepped out onto the arena stage. Bright lights. The golden dome aglow like a burning sky. It was her favorite place to be. She could easily imagine a packed stadium, everyone holding their breath to see who would emerge victorious.

The finals match didn't long at all. Kiriko was at the top of her game and her teammates had accepted her as their captain long ago. They trusted her, listened to her. The first round felt like a warm-up to assess the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents; the second round ended with the entirety of the other team sent splashing into the water below.

"It's a knockout! The Wombat Snakes win the championship tournament! And what a win that was! I think we'll be seeing some of these talented young things in the big leagues next year!"

They all went out for a celebratory dinner afterward—Asami, Korra, Mako, Raniq, and Bolin. Kiriko was relieved to see that Anisa had lost her hanger-on and sobered up, though both things seemed to be having a detrimental effect on her mood.

"To Kiriko," Bolin toasted. "And to the first of many championship wins."

There was a murmured agreement while they all clinked their glasses. Kiriko took a sip of her sake, which she'd been allowed for this special occasion. It wasn't the first time she'd tasted alcohol, but it was the first full glass she'd had.

She didn't like it at all.

Anisa, on the other hand, downed hers in one breath.

"Whoa, slow down there," Mako said with an awkward laugh.

"It's not that strong." She sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. "I can't believe you guys didn't let Yao come."

"We told you," Asami said in a voice that spoke of barely-kept patience. "This is a family dinner."

"Raniq's here."

Kiriko scowled at her when she saw Raniq's hurt expression. "She is family. Way more than any of your little boyfriends will ever be."

"Ugh, I just meant–" Anisa groaned and rolled her eyes. "Never mind."

Awkward silence descended on the group. Eyes darted around uncomfortably while Raniq simply stared at her lap, downcast. Kiriko looked at Bolin for help. He was a master at diffusing tension.

"Hey, did you all see that move Kiriko did, when she knocked out the earthbender?" he said suddenly with a very silly reenactment of her arm movements. "I swear, you must've gotten that from watching old videos of my pro-bending days."

Kiriko felt her cheeks flush as a sheepish grin spread across her face. "I changed it a little, for firebending."

The others laughed—even Anisa smirked—and the rest of the night flowed smoothly through the meal and dessert afterward. By the time they left the restaurant, Kiriko was exhausted. Korra came to her rescue when she stumbled, and they walked toward the cars with most of Kiriko's weight being supported by a strong arm. It made her feel like a little kid, but she didn't care. She was full, sleepy, and happy. It felt nice to held. To be cared for.

Just before she got in the car, she turned around to say goodbye to Raniq, who had hung back a little with Anisa. They said a few unheard words to each other, then hugged briefly. Kiriko smiled. All was well in her world.