Chapter 15

"So…." Korra said as she ate her breakfast. Sota looked at her, confused as his chopsticks lingered in his mouth, before jumping back as Korra pointed hers at him. "How are things going with Mai-Ling? You ask her out yet?"

"W-What?" Sota stuttered, dropping his utensils. Jinora and Ikki, who were also at the table with the two, giggled at the sudden embarrassment he felt as well as at the glare they received from him. Turning back to his sister and picking up his chopsticks, Sota replied, "I don't know what you're talking about, Korra."

"Uh huh, sure you don't, little brother. Is that why anytime you have them over, you're practically glued to her side while Jinora and Jun make fun of you both behind your backs?"

"You've been making fun of me behind my back?" He asked Jinora in shock. "That's seriously messed up, Nora."

"Well, maybe just a little bit. It's mostly Jun who does and I just don't stop her," Jinora said playfully.

"Well, you can't pin that on me!" Sota said to Korra.

"I disagree," Jinora spoke up. "It's your fault for not noticing because you're so busy crushing on Mai-Ling."

"You know, I don't have to sit here and take this," Sota said, getting to his feet and making his way to the doorway. He stopped to turn back and added, "You'd better hurry up, Korra, if you don't wanna be late for your Pro-Bending practice."

"Yeah, I'll be just another minute," she agreed, watching him walk out of the room before shaking her head and finishing her food.

"Why is Sota all weird about Mai-Ling?" Ikki asked the two older girls.

"It's because he doesn't want anyone to know he likes her, and he's really shy about it. I'm just giving him a hard time because I think it's kinda cute."

"I bet she would say yes if he could get the guts to ask her if she likes him," Jinora said.

"You think so?" Korra asked, putting her chopsticks down.

"I do. And I'm not the only one who does. Jun think's the same thing about Mai-Ling."

"Well, maybe we can find a way to get them together!" Ikki said excitedly.

"Easy there, Ikki," Korra said before making her way to the door. Turning she said, "If those two are meant to get together, then we should let them figure it out on their own."

From up in the bleachers of the training room, Sota, Jun and Mai-Ling watched as the Fire Ferrets practiced rigorously for the upcoming match. They had all been beyond excited that the Ferrets were going to be in the tournament, and to see their team so hard at work only added to that excitement.

"Man, they're really hitting it hard today," Sota said as he leaned on the railing. Mai-Ling sat on it next to him, swinging her legs back and forth, while Jun rested her elbows on the rail and squatted on his opposite side.

"I'll say. If they keep this up, they'll blow everyone away with their Fiery Ferret spirit," Mai-Ling joked. Jun groaned as she looked to her friend.

"You seriously just let that pun come out of your mouth?" Jun asked, receiving a tongue stuck out at her as a response. Ignoring her and Sota, who of course found it to be funny, Jun turned back to the Ferrets. "Don't get too excited, you guys. We can't forget that the Ferrets are the newbie team on the Probending scene."

"That's true," Sota agreed as the two of them also looked back at the team. "That means a lot of the other teams are way more experienced and tougher."

"That's right. Which means they're gonna need to be razor sharp and focused if they wanna win."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But I can't help it. They look so good down there and this could be their big break," Sota said as the team huddled together. "Plus, Probending is just so cool."

"I still can't believe you'd never seen a real Probending match before you moved here," Mai-Ling said, turning to him. "Didn't they have a league or let you guys play it in school back in the South Pole?"

"Nope," Sota answered as he looked at the two as they listened. "The only earth and firebenders in the South Pole are the White Lotus. I didn't really get to interact with them enough to ask them about it because I was usually busy with my waterbending training with Master Katara."

"Wait, you mean that you were trained in waterbending by THE Master Katara?" Mai-Ling asked in shock.

"That's right. Korra and I both were. I didn't get to fully finish my training, though she did give me some bending scrolls to study with."

"Whoa. I can't believe how nonchalant you are about this," Jun said. "I can't imagine what it would be like to be in a class taught by one of the heroes of the 100 Year War!"

"Uh, actually, it wasn't a class," Sota said, noticing the confused looks on their faces at his answer. "Korra trained under her because she's the Avatar and water is the first element in her cycle. Because of that, I basically grew up around her and she's been like a grandma to me and Korra. She even treats us just like she does Jinora and the others."

"Wow, it sounds like you've known Jinora and her family for a really long time," Mai-Ling said, her excitement dying down. Sota looked at her in confusion while Jun rolled her eyes behind him.

"Well, yeah. Practically our whole lives. Before I met you guys, she and Korra were my only friends."

"You have no friends back home?" Jun asked as she stood to her feet. "Not gonna lie, that's actually pretty hard to believe Water-boy."

"Uh, well, it's true," Sota said, now feeling slight uncomfortable. "A lot of the kids there don't really…. like me."

"Why do you think that?" Mai-Ling asked. Sota could feel a nervous sweat build on the back of his neck at the question. He hadn't meant to say that much about his past, and now that he had, what was he supposed to tell them?

How was he supposed to explain to them that people down there hated him because they feared him?

After the incident with the Bloodbending, Sota immediately was transferred under Katara's care for the remainder of his training. Unfortunately, that didn't save him much from the sneers and hatred he received from others.

The word had spread around the village about the fight between he and Urroq rather quickly, and most seemed to not care or blamed it on boys just being boys and rough housing. Sota was thankful for that, however, all the kids and teens in the village grew to distrust him and despise him.

Sota would often go out of his way to avoid them because the last thing he wanted was to get into another fight, something they would often threaten him with. Some would even attack him from a distance with water or snow, though they would run if he so much as turned toward them, blocked it, or raised his hands as if ready to bend.

He knew that most of them would not confront him directly, but that didn't stop the rejected feeling he had whenever he walked through the city. Though he eventually had learned to ignore it, Sota had grown anxious whenever too much attention was on him, often freezing up or going into a panic. Sota hated the feeling and when he came to Republic City, he swore he would get past it and leave that part of him behind.

Sota swallowed the nerves he had, and prepared to respond, though he had no idea what he was gonna say, when the doors to the training room opened up. Asami walked in, pushing a kart with packages. She stopped and pulled out a white and red jacket, before conversing with the others and making a few romantic gestures with Mako.

"Ok, that just seems unnecessary," Jun said in disgust. Asami and Mako stood back up and she turned to the three.

"Hey guys, Mako and I are leaving for our lunch date so if you still want that ride home, grab your jackets and get a move on."

"Coming!" Mai-Ling called back before turning back to Sota. Smiling, she said, "Raincheck?"

"Raincheck," he said with a smile back. The three had grown rather close quickly and had decided on this as their special goodbye phrase. Sota especially liked it because to him, it felt like a promise that they would be together again. Turning to Jun, he asked, "Raincheck?"

"Raincheck," she said back with a smirk. "Make sure you two get back here early so we can get you the all access to the booth."

"Sounds like a plan," he said, waving to the two of them as they climbed down the latter and made their way to Asami and Mako. As they passed through the doors, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had once again avoided having to tell them the truth, but Sota knew it was only a matter of time before they learned the truth about what he did.

"And as soon as they do, they'll hate or fear me, just like everyone else," Sota thought to himself as he climbed down the ladder. His mood had been soured slightly, though he tried to ignore it as he walked up to Korra and Bolin.

"Uh…I gotta head back to the Air Temple to train with Tenzin. See ya!" Korra said, grabbing Sota's arm and yanking him as she ran off toward the doors. "Come on, Sota. You need to practice your bending too. Plus, there should be plenty of snow for you to use by now."

Sota tried to keep up as best he could, wondering why his sister was in such a rush to get home and why she was so suddenly excited for Airbending training.

Jun and Mai-Ling looked out the window leisurely as they sat in the back of the car, bundled in their winter jackets. While Jun's looked like Asami's normal dress jacket, it, in addition to being extra warm, had tan fur at the cuffs to keep her warm. Mai-Ling's jacket was a dark burgundy with black fur around the cuffs, neck, and bottom.

Mako and Asami had been dropped off at the restaurant and so the driver was now headed back to the Sato estate to drop the two preteens off before he'd return for them.

"You know, if you're not gonna get it together and tell him you like him, then you should probably get that jealousy thing under control," Jun said, still looking out the window.

Mai-Ling whipped her head around, a look of shock on her face as it slowly turned red. "What are you talking about? I don't have a jealousy thing."

"Oh, don't give me that," Jun said before rolling her green eyes to point them at her friend. "Every time he even remotely mentions a certain airbender, you get your panties in a twist and get all mad and passive aggressive."

"I do not!" Mai-Ling said, refusing to look Jun in the eyes. Biting her lip, she pulled at her collar and then asked, "Is it getting a bit warm in here?"

"No, that's just the feeling of the blood rushing to your face, you liar," Jun said with a smirk.

"Well…so what if I do?" Mai-Ling argued back, finally looking at her as her face did indeed turn more red.

"How's about you get the rocks to tell him that you like him? Because if not, then you can't keep getting mad at her just for existing in his life. Which, if you forgot, she was a part of first."

"Say's you."

"Excuse me?" Jun asked in disbelief. "What kind of answer is that?"

"The mind your own business kind," she replied, turning away from her.

"Ugh, you are such a baby, you know that?" Jun declared, turning back to the window.

The two were silent as the ride continued, but eventually, Mai-Ling spoke up.

"Hey, Jun," Mai-Ling said, her face returning to its normal shade. Her friend didn't speak, though she did turn to look at her. "Why…do you think Sota doesn't have any friends back in the South Pole?"

"Who knows. We never got an answer on that."

"Do you really believe it?"

"Do you?"

"Well…not really. Sota's such a nice guy, and he's funny and just fun to be around. I can't imagine someone not wanting to be his friend," she admitted as her golden eyes stared in Jun's. "What do you think?"

"I have to admit, I agree with you. It's hard to believe that someone could not like him. He's a bit of a goofball, but he's sincere and genuine from what he's shown us."

"You think he's hiding something?"

"He could be, but I can't imagine what. But it's probably best not to pry. If there is something, I'm sure he'll tell us when he's ready. Just like you'll have to."

"Yeah," Mai-Ling said, turning to look back out the window as they pulled up to the front door. "I suppose you're right."

The Sun gave off a beautiful orange glow in the distance as a light snow peppered Air Temple Island. The nearby gazebo was lit as Korra, Sota, Ikki and Jinora refilled the lemur feeders.

Sota loved that the winter had finally come to the city, especially with all the snow. He hadn't realized it, but he had been missing the snow for a while, and so with it finally coming, he really felt right at home. Grabbing the next basket from Jinora, her lifted it up to Korra as she stood on the ladder and dumped the fruit.

"So," Jinora said inquisitively, "how's it going with the tall, dreamy firebender boy? You've been spending a lot of time together lately."

"Ooo, yeah! Tell us about the magical romance," Ikki said, zipping around Korra excitedly as she stepped off the ladder.

"What?" Korra asked with a disbelieving laugh. "Listen to you two. I-I'm not interested in Mako or any romantic stuff."

"Yeah, right. Next, you're gonna expect us to believe Naga doesn't snore in her sleep when she over eats," Sota said with a roll of his eyes.

"I'm sorry, what was that Mister "Oh, be careful, Mai-Ling. Let me move the snow to make sure there's no ice,"?" Korra shot back with a grin as Sota began blushing. "Yeah, I thought so."

"That's nothing! I'm just being a good friend!" Sota protested, face very red. "Mai-Ling and I are just friends."

"And like I said, Mako and I are just friends. Besides, he's all into that prissy, beautiful, elegant, rich girl…" Korra replied, suddenly feeling a bit down as she thought about how much Mako liked Asami. Quickly playing it off, she said, "But let's just pretend for a second I am interested in him. What would I do?"

"Ooh! I just read a historical saga where the heroine fell in love with the enemy general's son, who's supposed to marry the princess. You should do what she did!" Jinora said.

"Tell me!" Korra said excitedly while Ikki and Sota looked on in interest as well.

"She rode a dragon into battle and burned down the entire country," Jinora explained, not even noticing Korra frown in confusion while Sota snickered from trying to hold in his laughter. "Then she jumped into a volcano. It was so romantic!"

That was the last straw for Sota as his laughter finally got the better of him, causing him to hunch over as his stomach hurt from the hysterics. Ikki and Korra ignored him, looking at Jinora in displeasure.

"Uh…" Korra said, trying to think of how to nicely tell her that was a terrible idea.

"No, no, no!" Ikki cried out as she stomped her foot. Everyone's eyes were on her, including Sota, who was slowly getting his laughter under control. "The best way to win a boy's heart is to brew a love potion of rainbows and sunsets that makes true lovers sprout wings and fly into a magical castle in the sky, where they get married and eat clouds with spoons and use stars as ice cubes in their moonlight punch. Forever and ever and ever!" She finished rapidly while giving a twirl that lifted her off the ground with her airbending.

Korra watched as she slowly descended back to the ground, saying, "The volcano is starting to make more sense to me now," while also trying to ignore Sota who was now holding his sides on the ground as he rolled around the snow in laughter. A second laugh came, grabbing the attention of the three girls who turned to the path to see Pema, who was giggling as well.

"Oh, hey, Pema," Korra said, waving awkwardly. "Uh, how long were you standing there?"

"Long enough," she said. "But trust me, I know what you're going through. Years ago, I was in the exact the same situation, with Tenzin."

"Daddy was in love with someone else before you?" Ikki asked in surprise as Pema walked up to them.

"That's right."

"So, what did you do?" Korra asked.

"Well, for the longest time, I did nothing. I was so shy and scared of rejection, but watching my soulmate spend his life with the wrong woman became too painful. So, I hung my chin out there and I confessed my love to Tenzin. And the rest is history," Pema said, placing her hands together.

"Wow…" the girls said dreamily while Sota, still laying in the snow, looked to the sky in thought as a few of the flakes fell onto him.

The Stadium was lit like a homing beacon as the crowd made their way around it, both inside and out. From finding their seats to the snack stands and bathrooms, everyone moved about with excited energy.

Shiro Shinobi, the voice of Probending to everyone in Republic City, sat in the announcer's booth with his mic pointed and ready as the crowd waited in anticipation for the match to start.

"Folks, after a year of waiting, the Pro-bending Championship is finally here. Tonight is the first set of matches in our single elimination sixteen team bracket. And I gotta tell ya, these are the most tenacious and talented bending trios this arena has ever seen," he declared, receiving an excited cheer from the crowd.

From up in the booth, Sota, Mai-Ling, Jun and Asami cheered in anticipation of the team to take the stage. Pabu, who wanted to get a good seat, was seated carefully on the railing in front of Mai-Ling, who had been asked by Bolin to "be sure Pabu's got a good view. I wanna make him proud!"

"This is gonna be awesome!" Sota said, turning to his friends with a huge smile on his face. "And it's nice to know I can actually enjoy the match from here this time without getting into trouble."

"Oh, will you let that go already?" Jun replied, receiving a teasing grin from him.

"Sorry, I forget that it's only funny when you make fun of someone, right?"

"And don't you forget it, Water-boy."

"Cool it you two," Mai-Ling said, holding out another hand full of Fire Flakes for Pabu to eat. Turning back to the arena below, she stated,"They're getting started!"

The lights dimmed as the platforms extended from both ends, presenting their players who were bathing in the spotlight.

"Introducing our first team, the Future Industries Fire Ferrets," the announcer said as the Avatar and her teammates waved and flexed to the cheering crowd. The three kids jumped up in their seats as well, cheering loudly. The announcer quickly turned, pointing to the team opposite them, and said, "And their opponents, the Red Sands Rabaroos!"

The crowd gave just as loud a cheer for the Rabaroos as they had for the Ferrets who finished their preparations and faced off at the starting line. As the bell rung out, all players attacked, setting off a small explosion that forced them all back into their respective zones.

The Rabarroos rebounded quickly and sent a volley of attacks at the Ferrets. Korra threw a ball of water, stopping a fireball before jumping into a handstand to cartwheeling from her spot to avoid a second one, as well as two earth disk and water that had been thrown.

As she landed in the center, another disk came her way, but it was destroyed in an instant by a fire ball, courtesy of Mako who was just to the left of her. He quickly dodged a fireball as well while Korra rebounded to launch another attack, and Bolin sent another disk at the Rabarroos.

"What an explosive opening volley! Both teams quickly recover and unleash a barrage of bending! I am astonished with the level of improvement displayed here by the Fire Ferrets. No wonder the Avatar has been absent from the papers lately. She's obviously had her nose to the grindstone in the gym," Shiro said as Adi, the opposing firebender, barely had time to cover her head from Korra's water attack, only to be nailed dead center by Bolin's earth disk.

The force of the hit knocked her back two whole zones as the crowd cheered and the buzzer rang. The ref waved, signaling the center line to turn green, this being the sign that the Fire Ferrets had permission to advance forward.

"The Ferrets advance into Rabaroo territory and are holding nothing back," Shiro continued as everyone watched them attack the middle zone of their opponent's side. A shot of water narrowly missed Mako as he threw a three-fireball combo before dropping to the ground in a dodge. "Nice sprawl there by Mako. Bolin strikes, Ula dodges," he stated as the earthbender jumped away from his attack. She quickly threw her guard up, attempting to block Mako's fireball.

As she braced herself, she soon found herself crashing into her waterbending teammate before both got struck with another disk. The Rabaroos laid on the ground as the buzzer echoed and the crowd gave an enthusiastic roar. "And all three Rabaroos are down! The Fire Ferrets easily take round one!"

"Let's go!" Sota cheered along with Mai-Ling. "Way to go, guys!"

"What a way to start off the match!" Mai-Ling added.

"Let's just hope they can keep it up. It would suck if they burnt themselves out too soon," Jun said, though she was smiling as well.

"I don't think you have to worry about that," Asami said from behind them. "From what Mako told me, the team's been feeling better then ever. I have no doubt in my mind that they'll pull it off.

The bell echoed, and the crowd cheered once more as the players reset. Once ready, the announcer declared, "Round Two!"

The Rabaroos were hot on the attack, ready to redeem themselves.

"The Rabaroos are looking for payback and they go straight after Bolin," Shiro said, watching as the red clad earthbender brought up an earth disk to protect against an oncoming water attack. Thankfully, Korra was able to jump in front to help guard. "Korra comes to his defense and water-whacks Umi back into zone two!"

The waterbender tumbled back past her captain who was throwing a volley of fireballs at the Ferrets. Mako was quick on his feet, using his fire to kick out and destroy another disk that came toward him, while twisting to evade a second one. Bolin rolled forward, dodging a few attacks before dropping low to one knee and sending more disk flying.

"The Ferrets are on fire tonight and they win round two," Shiro declared.

Everyone cheered and waited in anticipation. This was it; all they needed was one more round and they won their first tournament match! Sota, Mai-Ling and Jun could barely contain their excitement!

With the strike of the bell once more, round three began.

"With the Rabaroos down two rounds they'll need a knockout to win, and with the way the Fire Ferrets are playing I don't see that happening," Shiro commented. The Rabaroos were quick to try to get the jump on them, but it was becoming quickly obvious that this wasn't going to happen.

Ula felt the intense impact as she was struck in the gut with an earth disk, sending her tumbling backwards into Zone 2. Bolin quickly jumped back, Mako swiftly backing him up by kicking fire over his head. The hit was effective as two of the Rabaroos were now in the same second zone.

"These Ferrets are working together like a well-oiled bending machine," Shiro complimented as Korra sent a series of watery jabs at her opponents. Bolin followed with disk after disk, striking Ula and making her bounce back. "Bolin passes Adi back into zone two and the Ferrets get the green light to advance."

The crowd cheered as they knew this match was over. Shiro confirmed this as he declared, "The Rabaroos are just fighting to stay on their feet at this point. Out goes Adi, and Ula, and Umi!"

The bell rang out, ending the match as the announcer said, "All three rounds go to the Future Industries Fire Ferrets, who win the opening match of the tournament!"

The Ferrets cheered to the crowd as their three biggest fans cheered right back.

"They did it! They actually pulled it off!" Mai-Ling said enthusiastically.

"Let's go congratulate them," Asami suggested as she stood up. Pabu quickly ran up her arm, perching himself around her shoulders.

"Hey, don't forget your purse, Sami," Mai-Ling said, handing it to her before grabbing Sota's hand. The boy barely had time to blush before he started getting dragged toward the door. As they pasted Jun, he quickly grabbed her, receiving a yelp of surprise as she was pulled along with them, leaving a very confused Asami to follow.

The kids reached the locker room and platform well before Asami, and didn't bother knocking as they entered. Sota turned to see his sister standing near a locker, a sad look on her face, but before he could say anything, Asami walked in, congratulating them.

"Congratulations, guys! You were amazing out there," she said, walking up to Mako while Pabu hopped off her shoulder. She followed it with a kiss, not noticing the sad look pass between Korra and Mako. However, Sota did, and concluded that Korra had likely told Mako how she felt and had gotten rejected.

He said nothing as he walked up to Korra, giving her a sad smile and saying, "Congrats on the win out there. You were really great with sticking your chin out."

Korra gave a sad smile, but sad nothing as Bolin finished his excited convo with Mai-Ling and Jun and walked up to Korra.

"So, Korra, I was thinking, you and me, we could go get some dinner together. Sort of a date, situation," the earthbender said. Sota could feel the awkwardness starting to build and made a quick exit across the room to his friends, both of which had devious grins on their faces.

"Oh, I don't like those looks. That usually means trouble," Sota said as he stopped in front of them.

"10 yuans that she says yes," Jun bet in a whisper.

Sota looked at her in disbelief, stating also in a whisper, "You can't be serious? Why would I take a bet like that?"

"Ooh, is that the cold outside, or are you just scared with all that shivering, Water-boy?" Jun taunted, receiving a glare from him.

"What's there to be scared of? It doesn't make any sense to take a bet like that when I already know the answer. I'm trying to save you money because I promise you, my sister is completely blind to the fact he likes her. Why would you wanna bet she would actually agree to-"

"You know what? I could use some fun. Okay. Sure!" Korra said, agreeing enthusiastically. Sota turned, jaw dropping in shock while Jun swore and groaned under her breath.

"Damn it, I was so close to making easy to use money for dinner. Why do you have to talk and think so much, Sota?" Jun complained.

"You know, if you needed money, you could just ask. Though, I hate to break it to you, but I'm broke this week too," Sota admitted.

"Hey, you guys wanna follow them?" Mai-Ling whispered with the same devious grin on her face.

"I think I'll have to raincheck that one. I'm not that interested in my sister's love life."

"Yeah, hard pass on that. That sounds pretty boring, and I could find better things to do. Like getting food at home now, since Sota decided it was smart to walk around without any money," Jun said, crossing her arms.

"Um, excuse me, but aren't you ALSO walking around without any money, Jun?" he retorted.

"Focus guys!" Mai-Ling whispered loudly to get their attention again. "Trust me, it will be plenty fun. We get a chance to see blooming love firsthand…"

"Or watch it crash like a burning airship," Jun said, receiving an annoyed look from her friend. "Seriously, why are you so obsessed with love stories?"

"Because love is the strongest force in the universe. And that's a fact," Mai-Ling declared, crossing her arms. Sota blushed as he gave a nervous chuckle while Jun just rolled her eyes. But before she could say anything else, Mai-Ling spoke again, asking "What if I make it worth your while?"

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

Mai-Ling grinned as she pulled her left vest lapel back, revealing a pocket that was stuffed with stacks of yauns that were in bundles. The two other kids stared at her in stunned silence as she stated, "Now, about that raincheck…"

To be continued…