A/N: Hello, I'm finally back! Long story short, I took a big break because I'm expecting (yay!) and I was dreadfully ill for a hot minute. Also, I was stuck on Part 2 of this fic. Finally sat down and hashed it out in the last couple of weeks, so I feel confident to start posting Part 1 while I polish the rest.

If you've been following Koko's story, her next fic (Duet) will be posted alongside this one as they run concurrently for a while. Chapters will be posted in the order they're meant to be read; for anyone reading both after the fact, it's recommended to read the first half of DoM2 first. Feel free to drop me a message if you'd like a list of the """ideal""" reading order lol.

A sudden and extremely grating noise woke Saph from a shallow sleep. She sat up on the small cot next to her parents' bed and looked around frantically. The safe feeling that had settled in her bones upon arriving in Oldtown evaporated in a second.

"What is that?!" she choked out, heart thudding in her chest.

"Sounds like…some kind of alarm," Jojin said. "Maybe they're just testing it…?" But he didn't sound sure of that at all.

His theory was quickly killed by a voice coming from outside. "Attention residents of Oldtown: Please remain in your homes with the windows and doors locked. This is not a drill." There was an inhuman, metallic crackle to it, which only made it all the more disturbing.

Oh, Spirits, they've found me…! The blue sages found me here! And I don't have my bending back yet! Saph's whole body started trembling and she scrambled up onto the bed to cling to her father's solid form.

The door suddenly flew open and she nearly screamed before the room's dim light revealed Lia running into the room.

"Mommy, I scared!" she whimpered as she climbed up on the bed and crawled across everyone's legs to get to Mara, who was awake but had yet to say anything.

"Everyone just wait here," Jojin said. "I'm gonna see if I can find out what's going on."

"No, don't leave!" Saph begged, holding on tighter. "They said to stay inside!"

"I'm just going upstairs to talk to the Beifongs. Don't worry."

Scared as she was, Saph went straight to the window once he'd left. She had to know what was happening. Had to know if coming here had put her family and everyone else in danger.

The road, lit only by street lamps—little pools that left deep shadows where they didn't meet—was eerily empty. That horrible alarm was unending and the warning message repeated on a loop. There would be no sleep or rest until both were gone.

If I was a real Avatar, I'd be able to help. I'd be the first person people looked to. Instead, I'm stuck in here. Terrified. No bending. Just a liability.

Saph wondered where Koko was. Probably in the thick of whatever danger threatened Oldtown. Were there enemies in the city now? Another army of blue sages? As much as she didn't want to know the answer in case it was true, she couldn't stop searching for signs of them.

Suddenly, the entire building shook and rattled. The tremor wasn't especially strong and only lasted for a moment, but it threatened to snap her already frayed nerves.

Earthbenders…?

"Get away from the window," Mara said in a shaky voice.

But Saph was transfixed, still scanning the streets for any movement outside, heart pounding wildly as a few more weak quakes rattled the room. "I need to know–"

"You're not going to fight anyone! You don't need to know anything. You need to come back here and wait and stay safe."

The desperate fervor in her voice was enough to make Saph finally turn her head and look at the shadowy forms of her mother and sister in bed.

"You can't shut me away from the world forever." Another, quieter voice in her head said, But wouldn't it be better to stay hidden away, safe and protected?

"Do you actually want to go out there and fight?!" Mara was angry now and Lia started crying in her arms. The noise was pitiful, barely audible over the alarm. "You're fifteen. You're untrained. And you can't even bend right now! Don't be an idiot."

The happy feelings from the last few days—the relief of being with her family again—had made Saph forget how much her mother could frustrate her. But…there was something else now. Something she could finally understand.

"I wish you hadn't taught me to be so afraid all the time," she said dejectedly, letting the curtain fall back. But she didn't move away from the window. "Of course I don't want to go out there. I'd only get in the way."

"My fear is justified," Mara said in a restrained voice, full of anguish and bitterness. "You know that."

Saph nearly jumped out of her skin when the front door opened and closed again. "D–Dad?"

"Yeah, it's just me." He appeared in the open doorway of the bedroom. "They don't know anything. They've been trying to get through to Zhu Li but I guess she's not taking any calls."

"What about Nani and Koko?"

"They couldn't reach them either, but Nani's probably busy at the medical center and I'll bet Koko's out helping with whatever's going on." He crossed the room to stand behind Saph at the window and put his hands on her shoulders to give them a reassuring squeeze. "I'm sure everything's fine. This city has good security. And it has Koko," he added with a laugh. "Bending or not, no one's getting past her without a good fight."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of: a 'good fight'. What– What if something happens to her and I'm not there to…" Saph trailed off, unsure if she'd even be able to trigger the Avatar state again, especially right now. The first time had felt like a lucky fluke. Her hands began to tremble at the thought of that memory. Blue sages… Koko dying…

"The best healers in the world are here, should anything bad happen. Don't worry."

She turned to bury her face in his shoulder and hugged him tightly. She wanted to believe him. Wished she was a little kid again, when everything was simple and everything Dad said was Absolute Truth.

"Let's go sit down, huh?" he suggested after a minute or so. "We can all camp out in bed until the alarm stops."

"And do what?" Saph asked obstinately. "Not like we can sleep."

"Maybe we can come up with a game?"

But she shook her head. "I want to watch out the window."

"Saph–" Mara began.

"Please, Mom. I just– Please."

When Saph got no response, she pulled back the curtain again and resumed her watch. Her father remained at her back—warm and solid, a pillar of strength to lean on—and they peered out into the darkness together.

For how long that went on, she wasn't sure. Nothing changed. Nothing happened. They just stood there. Waiting. Watching. It was maddening, listening to the blaring sound of the alarm and the warning message that played on an endless loop.

"Stay in your homes…"

"This is not a drill…"

Over and over again until Saph finally pressed her hands over her ears in frustration. Not that it helped. She reached into her pocket to worry the stone that she never stopped carrying around. Zenya's simple but special gift from so long ago. That didn't help either, not like it usually did.

Anything would be better than this. Even danger.

And just when she'd almost worked up the nerve to run out the front door, if for no other reason than to do something, the noise stopped. Forcefully silenced. What did that mean? Was it a good thing, or…?

"Well, whatever it is must be over," Jojin said, relief in his voice despite the confident assurances from earlier. "See? Nothing to worry about."

But Saph was still concerned. What had happened out there? Not knowing was making her crazy. The minutes passed slowly. Silence was almost worse. What was happening?

"Saph, why don't we all go back to bed?"

"You go. I'm gonna stay here for a while longer." I don't trust this eerie calm.

Jojin didn't answer. Instead, he collected Lia and spoke soft words to her as he carried her out of the room. Saph stayed by the window, not really scared anymore. Her mood had slipped into despondency.

I'm so useless. Something happened and I didn't help anyone. I wasn't even there at all! Will anyone even bother to tell me what happened? Will Koko come here?

Convinced that she would, Saph stayed by the window for quite some time until movement outside caught her eye. "I see someone!" she exclaimed. "Coming this way!"

She pressed her forehead to the glass, straining to see. It looked like a group of about ten people striding purposefully down the quiet street. One of them was significantly shorter than the others. A child? That didn't seem right…

"Wait a second…" Saph murmured, mostly to herself. Her fist clenched around the stone. "Is that– Is that Zenya?" It all made sense now and she laughed. Everything was okay.

Without giving it a moment's thought, she dashed from the room.

"Where are you going?!" Mara called. "Come back!"

But Saph ignored her, already unlocking the front door. She sped down the hallway of the apartment complex, down the stairs, out the main door, and into the road. The group was closer now; Zenya spotted her and instantly broke away from the others to run over. Saph wasn't quite expecting to get knocked down, but obviously, Zenya was happy to see her.

"Spirits, it's only been a few days!" she said with a laugh, struggling to disentangle herself and get back on her feet. "Were you worried about me or something?"

Zenya just beamed at her from the ground, now sitting cross-legged and apparently perfectly content. It was like she was making a statement: 'I'm here now and no one's going to move me.' Her hands were saying all kinds of things and Saph wished she could recognize more than one or two words.

"Saph! What are you doing out here?! That alarm was not a joke!" Koko's sharp voice said at the same moment that Jojin caught up, though he said nothing.

Saph sheepishly glanced first at her father, who gave her a reproving look, and then at Koko, who appeared to have just rolled out of bed—barefoot and wearing only shorts and an undershirt, her long hair hanging loose and messy. Saph hadn't even realized she was there at first.

"The alarm had already stopped when I came outside," she explained while a man approached Zenya and convinced her to get up. Several confused seconds passed before Saph registered with a jolt that it was Valen, his hair and beard now trimmed up smartly. He looked a lot younger than before. "Then I saw her. I knew there wasn't any danger."

"It was impulsive and reckless," Koko grumbled, though there wasn't any force behind the rebuke. Mainly, she just seemed tired.

"Yes, it was," Jojin agreed. The look in his eyes told Saph that she was going to be in trouble when they went back inside.

"Sorry…" she muttered without much sincerity. What had she done that was so bad? Weren't Avatars supposed to be bold and take risks?

He smirked and shook his head knowingly, then turned to introduce himself to Valen. "Saph's told me a lot about you and Zenya. I appreciate you looking after her on your travels."

"Don't mention it."

"Alright, everyone inside," Koko said before he could continue. "I'd like to go back to bed at some point tonight."

"They're staying here?" Saph asked as they headed back to the apartment building, though they left the complement of officers behind.

"For now, at least. With Wei and Kian."

"Who?"

"Zenya's grandparents. All the Beifongs went back to their old names. You met Wei as 'Lang' in Jupa."

"Oh." If she was being honest, Saph barely remembered. There were so many of them. "But what happened? What was the alarm for?"

Koko made a sound of weary frustration. "Zenya got her bending back and decided she didn't want to stay outside. She destroyed the train. And the tracks. And the tunnel..."

The perpetrator herself appeared to be unaffected by Koko's criticism. Or unaware of it, which was more likely. She strode along calmly at Saph's side while Valen chatted quietly with Jojin.

"I guess she must've been able to see the whole city with seismic sense, huh?" Saph realized, thinking aloud.

"No, she couldn't," Koko said. "The cavern and tunnel are lined with a special synthetic material that prevents that. The only weakness is the entrance. She must've been paying attention when the door opened to let someone into the tunnel."

Saph turned to Zenya with a wry smile. "You don't even know how much trouble you've caused. And you still got what you wanted. I wish life was always like that."

"She's only getting her way because it's easier for everyone else. She's too destructive. It's a problem, but one that doesn't have a good solution at the moment." Koko shot a quick, inscrutable glance over at Valen, who either didn't notice or pretended not to.

"You can't really blame her," Saph said. "I'm sure this is all very confusing and frightening for her."

"Yeah, sure. She looks terrified."

Saph chuckled at the sarcasm, but her good mood ended the second they reached the top of the stairs and found Mara there with her arms crossed and a furious light in her eyes.

"What were you thinking?!" she yelled, wildly gesticulating now. "Running outside like that! Have you lost your mind?!"

"Sorry…" Saph muttered insincerely again. She made a huge effort not to roll her eyes...and failed miserably. On some level, she did understand her mother's worry, but that didn't make getting yelled at any easier—especially in front of everyone else—and she searched for a way to change the subject. "This is Zenya. She's the reason for the alarm."

Mara glanced over at her warily; she already knew about Zenya from Saph's story. "And you still brought her in here after all that?" The critical question was directed at Koko. "What if she brings the building down?"

Koko frowned and opened her mouth, but Valen answered first.

"She won't," he said firmly with a stubborn set to his jaw.

Mara's attention shifted to him, skepticism written all over her face. It would take more than a simple assurance from him to earn her trust.

A brief, silent argument between Valen and Zenya ensued when they reached the door to the apartment. Clearly, she didn't want to be separated from Saph again, but whatever he said with his hands seemed to convince her.

'Goodnight,' Saph signed, hoping she was remembering it right. But it earned her a shy smile from Zenya, so it must've been okay.

The silence that shrouded Saph and her parents as they headed inside their apartment told her that her earlier suspicion was correct: She was in trouble.

Mara rounded on her with angry tears in her eyes. "I know you think you're all grown up now, but you're not. I don't care if you're the Avatar. You're still my child. You don't get to just do whatever you want. You had your little adventure, but now you're home again and it's time we laid down some ground rules."

Saph let out a frustrated groan. "I'm almost sixteen! In some cultures, that's an adult! And Nani and Koko said I was old enough to make my own choices!"

"Neither of them is your mother! I am! And your training will last at least until you're eighteen. After that, I guess I can't stop you from going off and getting yourself killed–" Her voice cracked and she paused to take a shaky breath. "Until then, what we say goes."

As she often did during these arguments, Saph looked to her father for help. It was a pointless compulsion; her parents almost always backed each other up even when she knew they disagreed with each other.

"Sorry, Saph," he said in a commiserating tone. "I'm with Mom on this one. Your safety is the most important thing in the world. Not just to us, but to everyone else, too."

"Don't you think you're both overreacting just a little? Nothing happened! There was no danger!"

"You didn't know that!" Mara shot back in a shrill but restrained voice, advancing forward with her index finger slicing the air. "And there have to be consequences when you do crap like this. Otherwise, you'll never learn."

"Right." Saph let out a brash laugh. "What are you gonna do? Banish me to my room? Oh wait, I don't have one! Keep me from seeing my friends? Well, Shylo's gonna teach me airbending, and good luck keeping Zenya away from me. That already worked out really well. What else is there? Make me live on bread and water? I'm used to bland meals from all the traveling. My life is going to be filled with nothing but training for the foreseeable future, so I don't have any free time for you to take away. And when that's over, I'll have countless responsibilities and expectations heaped on me. So go ahead. Do your worst."

She tried to remember all those times in the last few months that she'd ached to see her mother again. All the moments of wishing she'd appreciated her old life and not taken it for granted. It was harder now, to see it that way. The afterglow of their reunion was gone and stark reality had returned.

Mara looked like she was gearing up for another tirade, but at the last moment, her shoulders slumped. All that was left in her eyes was despair and fatigue. Somehow, it was worse than the anger.

"It's late," she said quietly. "We can deal with this tomorrow."

And so Saph found herself back on her little cot, trying to find sleep again. She could no longer feel that naive, idealistic sensation that everything would be perfect from now on. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw that look on her mother's face. The defeat.

I just want you to be proud of me, she thought, unable to verbalize it. I don't want to be a disappointment.

The gavel made a hollow thud as it knocked three times on the large, round table. Saph thought the sound felt ominous, briefly echoing in the tense silence before abruptly dying.

"The Council is now in session," Zhu Li said as she returned to her seat. In the chairs on either side of her were two men and two women. "Thank you all for being here on such short notice. I'd like to officially welcome young Avatar Sapphire–" There, she paused and made eye contact, the corners of her mouth twitching up. "Though I'm told you prefer Saph."

All eyes turned to Saph and she shrunk in on herself. Jojin, sitting at the chair on her left, squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. A few chairs away was Koko, leaning back with her arms crossed; she looked more bored than anything else. The only other person in the room that Saph knew was her mother, seated at her right hand. Mara was upright and stiff, her gaze fixated on a spot in the middle of the table.

"Do you have anything you'd like to say, Saph?" Zhu Li asked.

"Er–" Her cheeks went red from the attention the question garnered. "No thanks."

"Very well. Let's get started. We're here today to discuss two things: First, the status of this city as a safe haven, and second, the best way to proceed with the Avatar's training and future deployment."

Saph hated hearing herself referred to that way. Like an object. A tool. A nameless weapon. She didn't think Zhu Li meant anything offensive by it, but that didn't make it any easier to hear.

A man with a long, drooping mustache briefly lifted his hand. All eyes turned to him expectantly. "Regarding the first topic, it's now quite clear that we've become complacent with our current security. A child managed to break in unassisted, and I can't say I'm impressed with the response time of the police force."

"It was an isolated incident," a woman with flowing silver hair said. She seemed somehow ageless, both youthful and wizened. "Nothing like this has ever happened in the decade since the city's founding. She's a bender of extraordinary ability, due in no small part to her lineage, I'm sure."

"Alleged lineage," another woman interjected. She had what looked like a permanently sour face, like she'd been sucking on a lemon for the last few years.

"Don't be daft," a truly ancient and shriveled old man said to her. Purple age spots on his exposed skin put Saph in mind of a moldy prune. "She's the spitting image of Toph Beifong. The first one, I mean."

"I wasn't referring to that side of her family. I maintain that the rest is still in question. There's no way to verify it."

"We all saw the records from the resort where she was born. That's verification enough."

"Valen could be lying. She could be–"

"Might we stay on topic?" Zhu Li said sharply. "Her lineage hardly matters. There is no crown, and no throne. She's just a girl."

"A very powerful girl," Moldy Prune said with a pointed nod. "Lineage aside, the fact remains that she's revealed a weakness in our defenses. And I must question the wisdom of keeping her here. She's clearly volatile and has already caused incredible damage to our infrastructure."

Silver Hair scoffed and shook her head. "That's a bit dramatic, don't you think? The city is fine and the train will be up and running within the week."

"And how is the girl to be disciplined so that she knows there are consequences for behaving that way, hm?" Lemon Face asked her. "From what I understand, she's severely intellectually disabled."

"Enough of this," Zhu Li interrupted. "Forget about Zenya. Valen has promised that she won't cause any more trouble."

"How can he make those promises after what happened? He obviously can't control her. They should never have been approved for residency, and especially so quickly."

The back and forth was beginning to stress Saph out. 'Intellectually disabled'? Was Zenya going to be sent away? Remembering what Droopy Mustache had done at the start of the meeting, she tentatively raised her hand off the table, though she half-hoped no one would notice.

"Avatar Saph," Zhu Li said formally when she caught sight of the gesture. "You have something to add?"

"Um– I've spent some time with her. She's really smart, she just has a hard time expressing herself. Once you figure out what she wants, it's not too hard to keep her calm and happy. I don't think she'll do anything bad now that she's here. She never had any friends before and I think she was just scared something had happened to me…"

They were all looking at her now and she hated it. Only her father met her eyes with a smile, warm and encouraging. Saph reluctantly turned to glance at her mother, hoping for some silent support, but saw only a complicated and inscrutable expression.

"Thank you for your input," Zhu Li said finally. "Your assessment will be taken into consideration. Moving on."

Silver hair nodded. "Yes. We must discuss the fact that an army of blue sages is now aware of the Avatar's existence, as well as what she looks like."

"It'll take them some time to organize en masse, I imagine," Droopy Mustache said matter-of-factly. "Though of course, we must prepare for the possibility that, in their efforts to find the Avatar, knowledge of the city's existence may get out."

Saph's stomach sank with dread. Between that grim theory and Zenya so easily breaking in, this place didn't feel as safe as it had before. What Koko said next only made it worse.

"You're naive, all of you. Sitting here in your fancy clothes, sheltered from the world, with your heads in the sand. Do you honestly believe they haven't heard about the city?"

Her words caused an uproar. Several people started talking at once.

"What do you know?!"

"Have they said something to you?!

"Why haven't you spoken of this before?!"

That was all Saph could make out; the rest blended together into a murky word soup. Finally, Zhu Li snatched up the gavel and slammed it on the table several times until everyone went quiet.

"Explain yourself, Koko."

"I don't know anything," she replied coldly. "Do you have any idea how careful I have to be? Many of them would recognize me as a traitor. I avoid them as much as possible. What I'm trying to say to you is that every single person you let into this city is a loose end. A weakness in the chain. There's no way that someone hasn't leaked information, even if just accidentally."

"Why haven't you ever expressed this sentiment before?" Silver Hair asked, her brow furrowed with deep concern.

"I didn't think it needed to be said. Isn't it obvious? The city's strength doesn't come from secrecy, but from inaccessibility and a united force protecting it. That's why it hasn't been attacked. But you can bet that someone will guess Saph is here now. And we need to be ready for them when they come. It'll take time—months at least, maybe longer—but they will come."

A deep silence filled the room once her little speech was over. Saph wanted to cry; a glance at Mara said she was in a similar boat, her hands clenching the fabric of her pants.

Finally, Zhu Li nodded. "Then we need to make sure we're ready." Her gaze shifted to Saph. "We need to make sure the Avatar is ready."

"A simple matter, it seems to me," Droopy Mustache said. He smiled and nodded at Saph affably, though it made her feel like a child for some reason. "She will be assigned masters and complete her training within the safety of the city."

Yeah… Simple, she thought bitterly. Easy for you to say.

"There's more to a well-rounded Avatar education than bending," Silver Hair said with a reproving shake of her head.

Moldy Prune nodded fervently. "Agreed. Lest we repeat the mistakes the White Lotus made with Avatar Korra."

Out of the corner of her eye, Saph noticed Koko stiffen in her chair, though she said nothing.

"What exactly are you suggesting?" Lemon Face asked.

The old man spread his mottled hands on the table, though they shook slightly. "In times of peace, young Avatars-in-training would travel the world to learn about its peoples. To experience their ways of life and learn diplom–"

Mara suddenly slapped the table. Everyone jumped and looked at her in shock, except Koko, who merely cocked an eyebrow.

"This is not a time of peace!" Mara exclaimed, her voice high and shrill.

"Perhaps not," Silver Hair agreed, "but it's only a matter of time before rumor spreads that the Avatar has been found, and we would do well to see the people rally around her."

Saph was reminded of what Jinora had said: To cure the world of fear, give the people hope.

"She's not a tool of war for you to pass around!" Mara snapped. "You have no right to make these decisions for her! Without even asking me? Her mother?!"

Droopy Mustache ran a hand through his hair and fixed her with a stern but faintly sympathetic look. "Actually, we do have that right, per the agreement you signed when you were given residency here. It was only out of courtesy that we allowed you to attend this meeting."

Saph winced; she could feel the barely contained rage rippling off of Mara, whose weak reading skills had always been a sore spot. Saph learned from an early age not to bring it up. It was, in fact, very unlikely that Mara had been able to fully understand that kind of document.

She turned to Jojin angrily. "Did you know?" she seethed.

All color drained from his face. The sight was bizarre and unsettling; they bickered all the time, but this felt…different.

"We'll talk about it later," he said softly.

"Oh, yes. We will."

There was a poison in her voice that made Saph sick to her stomach. This wasn't right at all. Everything was falling apart.

"You've been suspiciously quiet on the matter," Lemon Face said, her level gaze focused on Koko. "What say you, Protector?" The word held a hefty weight, like a title. That capital 'P' came through clearly in her voice—and with a sharp air of scorn.

Koko actually looked taken aback, which was unusual for her. But before she could answer the question, Zhu Li tsked with annoyance.

"We agreed to discuss that with her privately."

Somehow, Lemon Face managed to look both abashed and petulant simultaneously, though she said nothing. After a frustrated sigh, Zhu Li turned back to Koko.

"We voted on it this morning. Unless you have any objections?"

"No, of course not. I accept."

"I'm not sure why you're surprised. You're the natural choice, and we've discussed this before, you and I."

The others looked at her sideways but said nothing. Saph couldn't help but feel like she wasn't quite grasping what was going on here. Actually, she'd felt like that for most of the meeting. It seemed odd that they'd even invited her in the first place. Clearly, none of them saw a respected peer when they looked at her.

"As I'm sure you're aware," Silver Hair said to Koko, "any final decisions regarding the Avatar will ultimately lie with us, but your recommendations will carry the heaviest weight."

"You have got to be kidding me!" Mara shrieked. "You're giving her the power to decide what happens to my daughter?! I can't– This– This is ridiculous!"

Saph finally saw something she'd never picked up on before. The way her mom and Koko were staring each other down spoke volumes. Now she understood why she hadn't met Koko when she was younger.

"Mara," Koko said, more calmly than expected. "I know this is hard for you, and I promise I'll take your concerns into consideration, but haven't you seen the changes in Saph as a result of the last few months? Ido was right about Korra. She was sheltered for too long and it was a mistake. Both she and the rest of the world suffered more than necessary as a result."

Mara was literally shaking. Words seemed to fail her and she shot to her feet. Her chair clattered to the floor violently, loud in the silence that followed Koko's words. A moment later, she stormed out of the room. Jojin stood, went over to whisper something in Koko's ear—to which she gave a short nod—and then hurried away.

Saph couldn't help but feel indignant on her mother's behalf—and maybe a little for herself, as well—despite the fact that she knew Koko was right. "Is anyone going to ask me what I want?" she asked in a quavering voice.

All eyes fell on her, but it was Koko's gaze that held her.

"What do you want?"