Chapter 18

Sota panted as he wiped the sweat from his brow, bending it away to join the pond water on the ground he'd been using to practice that morning. The early morning sun glowed over him as it slowly rose, keeping him warm as he performed his morning bending route to warm the muscles in his body, and to relax the one in his head.

Ever since the fight between he and Jun, Sota hadn't seen much of either her or Mai-Ling. After the night of the incident, the two couldn't be convinced to go anywhere that they knew the other was going, and everyone agreed it was best they be kept apart until something could be figured out.

Unfortunately, it didn't appear to be going very well as it was now going on a week and the finals were tonight.

Sota had replayed that confrontation in his head so many times that he had lost count by the end of the second day. And yet, his mind seemed to remain restless as her words kept replaying.

"You deserved to be alone!"

A rush of water shot up as Sota bent it to his will, creating a water whip. His adrenaline was coursing faster with each second as his anger and frustration built, and Sota released it all in one swift "CRACK!" as he snapped the whip, making sure to freeze the tip just before impact.

The water splashed as it dropped back into the pond, while the large boulder adjacent to Sota was riddled with cracks and small holes of varying size. Sota hunched over to catch his break, more sweat dripping off his face as the beaded ends of his locked hair hung on his shoulders.

"You're getting better," Jinora said, walking up to and sitting on a bench nearby to the training field. She was still in her pajamas, having just grabbed her robe to come find him where she knew he'd be.

"Thanks," Sota said, removing his workout tunic. The light blue material was soaked in his sweat, as was the under shirt he wore. Steam came off him from the cool morning air, and Sota could feel the chill immediately, but ignored it. This was nothing for him and Korra compared to the South Pole, even with the remnants of snow and ice on the ground.

"How long have you been up?"

"A bit before sunrise," he replied, clearing up the water from around the area and putting it back from where he's moved it.

"Couldn't sleep?"

"Not really."

"Was it another bad dream?"

"Something like that."

"Do you wanna talk about it?" she asked, watching as he walked over to his bag, picking up the scroll he had been studying off the ground and rolling it back up.

"There's nothing to talk about."

"So you say," Jinora muttered under her breath as she looked away unhappily. Sota rolled his eyes at this while putting the scroll away.

"Something bothering you, Nora?" he asked, turning to look at her. Jinora could feel the vein in her head throbbing as she gave him an unhappy side glance.

"Well, my "best friend", or so he calls himself, has been a brooding, angsty pain for quite some time now. Well, more than usual, I suppose. It especially irks me when he only gives me short answers, and I just simply do not know what to do about it," she said sarcastically, turning back to the annoyed look on his face with a fake smile and asking, "Got any advice for me?"

"…You think the air quote thing is clever just because you're an airbender, don't you," he asked, ignoring the question.

"Do not change the subject," she said, standing and walking up to him, though her features soften. "Seriously, are you ok? And I mean, really, ok?"

Sota slumped his shoulders and shook his head. "No, I'm not. I keep hearing Jun's words in my head. Maybe she was right."

"Sota, no. Jun isn't right," Jinora replied. "You didn't deserve what happened to you or to be treated that way."

"Nora…I was gonna bloodbend," Sota admitted reluctantly.

Jinora brought her hand to her mouth as she gasped, looking at him in shock. "Sota! What's wrong with you? You know bloodbending was outlawed. By MY grandparents."

"I know. Now do you still think she was wrong?"

"I do, actually," she said, surprising him while putting her hand down. "You said you were going to, but you didn't did you?"

"Well, no, but-"

"And what stopped you?"

Sota paused to look at her in confusion. "Because it's wrong?"

"Exactly! Because you're not a bad person, Sota. Just because you have the ability to hurt someone doesn't make you bad; how you use it does. And you've never used bloodbending to intentionally hurt someone."

"I've never helped anyone with it either," he countered, beginning to walk back toward the living quarters. Jinora walked by his side as he continued and said, "When Bolin and I were captured, I tried to use it to set us free."

"I remember. You said it didn't work."

"Exactly. The one time I used it successfully was to hurt someone and get back at them. The one time I failed to was when I tried to use it to help and do something good."

"That still doesn't make you a bad person."

"Maybe not. But what it does do is tell me something about myself," he said, stopping on the path. Jinora stopped as well, concerned as Sota looked at her and said, "It's my anger."

"Your anger?" Jinora asked.

"When I bloodbent Urroq, it wasn't because I was afraid. I wasn't afraid when I started fighting him. I was angry. And I kept getting angry…until it happened. When I was with Bolin, I wasn't angry. I was scared."

"But it also wasn't a full moon. Your bending wasn't strong enough," she disagreed.

"And when we ran into the Wolfbats, there wasn't one either. But I still felt like I could do it. Or at the very least was willing to try. Because I was angry."

"You also learned you can freeze water over your body and the end of your water whip because you were angry. What about that?" She asked, crossing her arms. Sota stared at her, no answer coming to him, so she continued. "You've used your anger in a productive way too. Believe me, Sota, you are a good person and it's not your anger that makes you do things. It's your love and protectiveness. You're a caring person, even to those who probably don't deserve it."

She paused, feeling a few tears coming to her eyes. Wiping them away, Jinora smiled as she said, "You've always had me and Korra, but then you found Mai-Ling and Jun. And you've been so much happier and alive here. It's understandable that you'd want to protect that feeling, those people. And that doesn't make you a bad person."

Sota had no idea when they had started, but he could feel the tears that were falling yet made no move to wipe them from his eyes.

"Do you really think I can convince them that even though I'm a bloodbender, that I'm not a bad person?" he asked quietly. "That…I'm not some kinda monster?"

"You're not a monster and you don't have to try to convince them. It's like my dad says, "Actions speak louder than words,". Just be yourself, like you always have been," she said, her eyes now dry. With a gentle wave, a small breeze blew through, drying his face as well.

Sota gave her a half smile. "Thanks, Nora. I appreciate the pep talk."

"You're welcome. Come on," she said, proceeding inside with him. "We've only got about an hour more of peace before everyone else wakes up. Let's go see if my mom needs help with breakfast."

"We're only offering to try and sneak more food, aren't we?" he asked with a chuckle and a shake of his head as he followed her lead.

After breakfast, Korra prepared to head out to practice, stopping to ask if he'd like to tag along. Sota was hesitant, but when Korra showed him a stack of papers in her bag, Sota was more than happy to join.

He sat quietly in his chair, watching from the table. The radio was on, big band music playing from the speaker while Pabbu laid between he and it. Sota stroked his fur a bit, trying not to disturb him as the team ran their drills, destroying the papers that they hung from a clothesline.

Each was a different picture of Tahno, and each was shredded to bits by one of the ferrets. Sota had even gotten to take his frustration out on some, and as he watched Korra and the guys group up, he actually thought he was starting to feel excited again.

"Man, I got a good feeling about tonight. I don't care if we are the underdogs. We can take those pompous Wolfbats," Korra said as she grabbed a towel.

"It's going to be our toughest match ever, but I think you're right," Mako agreed as he took his training helmet off and smiled.

Bolin, just as enthusiastic, ran up and threw his arm around Mako, pitching up his voice to sounds like Shiro Shinobi, and said, "Introducing your new champs, the fantastic Fire Ferrets!"

"You guys are gonna dominate those jerks for sure," Sota said as he got to his feet and walked over to the group. The sound of crackling got their attention as the radio's pleasant music broadcast was interrupted and cut short.

"Good morning, citizens of Republic City," a voice said, startling Pabbu and causing him to leap up and way from the radio. As he landed and ran toward them, Sota crouched down, laying his palm flat to allow the scared creature to scurry up onto his shoulders. He could feel Pabbu's shaking, making him feel worse about his own as his hands twitched at his sides.

"Amon…" he mumbled, staring at the radio in wide eyed fear as if he were expecting Amon to spring forth from it.

"I hope you all enjoyed last night's pro-bending match, because it will be the last," he declared as Mako and Bolin joined Korra as she stood behind Sota, none looking too pleased. "It's time for this city to stop worshiping bending athletes as if they were heroes. I am calling on the council to shut down the bending arena and cancel the finals, or else there will be severe consequences."

"That guy's got some nerve," Bolin said as the broadcast cut off.

"You think the Council will give in?" Mako asked Korra as she turned to them.

"I'm not waiting to find out. We need to get to City Hall," she said, running off to get dressed. Mako and Bolin followed to do the same, Pabbu hopping off Sota's shoulder to follow Bolin and leaving the waterbender alone. Closing his eyes, Sota clenched his fists; why was everything going so wrong? And why was he so scared?

Sota decided it was best not to dwell on it and headed straight for the door to catch up with the others. They were right and they needed to get to the Council before the decision was already made.

Korra shoved the doors open as the four of them made their way into the Council chambers. Mako and Bolin flanked her on either side while Sota, shaking his head at his sister's brashness once again, followed behind. The Counil Members looked at the four with disapproval, and Tenzin stood to address them.

"Korra, you shouldn't be here. This is a closed meeting," he said.

"As the Avatar and a pro-bending player, I have a right to be heard. You can't cancel the finals," she stated as they marched forward, stopping before them.

"I know winning the championship means a lot to you. But as far as I'm concerned, we need to shut the arena down."

Sota looked up, saddened at Tenzin's words as Korra asked the other members, "What about the rest of you? Tarrlok, there's no way you're backing down from Amon, right?"

"Actually," the man in question said, getting to his feet as well, "Tenzin and I agree for once."

"The Council is unanimous. We're closing the arena," Tenzin said.

"No!" Mako protested.

"You can't!" Bolin agreed.

"Please, Tenzin!" Sota begged.

"I-I don't understand," Korra said, baffled as she asked Tarrlok, "I thought you, of all people, would take a stand against Amon."

"While I am still committed to bringing that lunatic to justice, I will not put innocent lives at stake just so you and your friends can play a game," he stated, looking down his nose at them as he placed his hands behind his back.

"Pro-bending might only be a game to you, but think of what it means to the city!" Mako retorted as he stepped forward. "Right now, the arena is the one place where benders and nonbenders gather together ... in-in peace! To watch benders ..."

"Beat each other up! In peace!" Bolin added on, opening his arms wide and declaring, "It's an inspiration to everyone!"

Sota facepalmed in disbelief from what he was hearing, now certain that their case was blown, while Tarrlok patronizingly said, "I appreciate your naive idealism, but you're ignoring the reality of the situation."

"The reality is if you close the arena, you let Amon win!" Korra declared, the boys all agreeing with her.

"I'm sorry, but our decision has been made. This meeting is adjourned," Tarrlok said in finality as he raised his gavel to bring the meeting to an end. He was stopped as a metal cable swiveling through the air past them all before striking the head from the gavel in his hand.

Everyone gasped, turning to the entrance to see Chief Lin Beifong as she retracted her cable, saying, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with the Avatar."

"I wouldn't believe she said either if I hadn't just heard it come from her mouth with my own ears," Sota mumbled to Bolin while Korra and Tarrlok confirmed what she had said again.

"I expected this kind of cut-and-run response from Tenzin," she stated, the man looking unimpressed at the jab at him, "But the rest of you? Come on, show a little more backbone. It's time that the benders of this city displayed some strength and unity against these Equalists."

"We must prevent the conflict between benders and nonbenders from escalating into all-out war," Tenzin said back as Tarrlok thought for a moment. "The council is not changing its position, Lin."

"Now just a moment, Tenzin," he said, holding a hand out to stop him while turning back to the group. "Let us hear what our esteemed Chief of Police has in mind."

"If you keep the arena open, my metalbenders and I will provide extra security during the championship match," Lin said, having made her way to the front during Tenzin's refusal. Her hands were behind her back, a standard pose Sota had come to recognize with the Police. "There's no better force to deal with the chi-blockers. Our armor is impervious to their attacks."

"Are you saying that you will personally take responsibility for the safety of the spectators in the arena?" Tarrlok asked, receiving an unpleased look of suspicion from both Tenzin and Sota. The way Tarrlok asked that didn't sit right with him, and as far as he was concerned, the Councilman was completely untrustworthy.

"I guarantee it."

"It is hard to argue with Chief Beifong's track record," he said, turning back to the other members. "If she is confident her elite officers can protect the arena, then she has my support. I am changing my vote."

Raising his hand he asked, "Who else is with me?". Everyone watched as the members all raised their hands in agreement, save for Tenzin who could only turn his head and shake it in disappointment.

With that settled, Tarrlok declared that the Arena would stay open, elating a cheer and thank you from Korra and her team before wishing both they and Chief Beifong good luck. Sota watched the small smirk on Tarrlok's face as he exited, and he suddenly didn't feel so sure about this.

"A word please, Lin," Tenzin asked, drawing Sota's attention as he and the Chief made their way toward the exit. As the two walked down the aisle, something caught his eye up in the balcony. Looking closer, Sota shook his head, and said nothing as he separated from the others, heading for a flight of stairs in the back that led to the second floor.

As he reached the upper floor, he came to the top of the small set of steps. Sota climbed down, heading to the front before leaning over the railing to look over the now empty chambers while Mai-Ling did the same next to him.

"Hey," he said simply, not really sure what to say at the moment.

"Hey," she said back, turning to look at him. "I heard everything down there."

"Did you now?" he asked, giving a small smirk as he turned to look at her as well. He stared into her gold eyes, asking, "And how exactly did you get in here?"

"You know, you'd be surprised how lax security is around here," she joked. "Maybe Chief Beifong's already got her people on the job at the Arena."

"Uh huh," he said sarcastically. Not believing her for a second, he asked, "Window or Vent?"

"First the front door," she corrected, holding up her right hand and counting on each finger. "From there, it was a matter of finding a way into the chamber. Normally, that's the hard part, but since I already knew there was another set of stairs in the back of the building, all I had to do was get there without getting caught. You'd be surprised how few people actually look up or notice anything other then the floor when they're in a rush."

"I see," he said as the two laughed. "So, what brings you to this part of the city? Or did you come to join the Avatar's protest?"

"Well…if I'm being honest, I actually came looking for you," she said, turning to look away as a small blush started to color her cheeks. "I was worried after you told us about what happened with Amon before."

Sota could feel his own cheeks heating up and turned to look the opposite way. "Oh, really?" Sota asked, clearing his throat as he did. "That was really nice of you. I appreciate it." He paused, contemplating before asking, "How is she?"

Mai-Ling didn't need to ask who he was referring to, the missing third of their trio not being there, leaving the two feeling incomplete, making him feeling guilty.

"Quiet," Mai-Ling answered, looking back out below, both their faces returning to normal. "She hasn't been very talkative this week."

"Well, that's nothing new, right? Unless it's a jab at one of us, Jun's not exactly a massive talker."

"True. But she's been quiet even for her. I'm worried about her," she said before turning to him and saying, "I'm worried about you too. I worried about all of us."

"To be honest, so am I," he admitted, looking to his hand. It wasn't shaking at the moment; how could the same hands that shake at the very mention of Amon's name, be the same ones that could cause someone so much pain? Closing his eyes to dispel the thoughts, he added, "But we have to believe in the metalbending police. Korra was right; if they closed the Arena, Amon wins without us even putting up a fight."

"Well, I guess that settles that," she said, standing up right. Sota did as well, preparing to, no doubt, split up. The two hugged, and as she pulled back, she asked, "You're gonna be there tonight, right?"

"You know it," he confirmed, their eyes locking, mesmerizing the two. Sota could feel his pulse starting to quicken and the blood rush to his face again, making him suddenly feel hot as the two remained connected in their hug, now holding each other.

The smiles had slipped from their faces, and Sota could almost feel an unknown force drawing him in. As he head drew closer to hears, both started to lean in...

"SOTA?" a loud voice echoed in the chamber.

"AH!" the two pre-teens shouted, jumping apart at the sudden interruption. Both gasped as their hearts beat furiously, while the source of the noise continued to walk up the center aisle below.

"You in here? We gotta go," Korra said, looking around but seeing no sign of him. Sota, leaning on the railing, glared at his sister, but had no time to contemplate how he's get back at her as Mai-Ling suddenly jerked upward in the direction of the stairs.

"I-I should get going," she said stiffly, almost as if in a panic, before rushing up the stairs to the balcony door entrance, calling out, "Raincheck!"

"Raincheck…" Sota called after her, though he doubted she heard as she vanished. His mood deflated at her rushed exit, stewing on this dejectedly as he made his own way down. As he reached the main floor, he made his way to Korra.

"There you are," she said though her smile dropped at the look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"I don't really wanna talk about it," he said, downtrodden as he put his hands in his pockets. "You ready?"

"Sure. Tenzin's waiting for us in the hall," she said, placing a hand on his upper back and beginning to lead him away. "Where'd you run off to, anyway?"

"Uh, I just went looking for the bathroom," he lied as they passed through the doors, Tenzin indeed waiting for them in the hall though not looking much happier himself. "Something wrong, Tenzin?"

"It's nothing," the airbending master said. Korra, however, only seemed to get happier as she produced a mischievous grin.

"Well, maybe I can help lift that mood of yours, little brother," she said looking to Tenzin. "So, you'll never believe the gossip that I just learned involving Tenzin and, our esteemed Chief Beifong."

"Korra, please, can we not make more of a big deal out of this then we already have?" Tenzin asked, bringing a hand to his forehead in embarrassment.

"But, Tenzin, I think Sota has a right to know that the reason Chief Beifong is so hostile toward us isn't because she doesn't like me, but…because YOU broke up with her!"

"No!" Sota said in absolute shock as he turned to the older man again. "You, and Beifong?"

"Yes. Lin and I used to date," Tenzin confirmed with a sigh.

"So SHE was the woman that Pema stole you from!? How'd that happen!?"

"Wai-wha- How do you know about that!?" he asked, fumbling over his words.

"Your wife, of course," Korra confirmed with a sneak smile.

"Criminy! I'll have to have a word with her…"

"Considering Beifong's passion for locking people up, I'm shocked that Pema isn't in jail as we speak," Sota said.

"Oh, she tried," Tenzin said, slipping into the memory. "And, Pema didn't steal me, Lin and I had been growing apart for some time. We both had different goals in li- Why am I even telling you this? It all happened a long time ago and we've moved passed it."

"Yeah, and I'm 400 foot tall, purple platypus bea-"

"Really? You're using that old one?" Korra said, rolling her eyes.

"What? It gets the point across pretty effectively," her brother protested as he crossed his arms.

"If you say so. Welp, we better get a move on, aye Mr. Heartbreaker?" she joked, patting Tenzin as she passed him and chuckled down the hall. Tenzin sighed, preparing to follow after, when he was stopped by the call of his name.

"Hey, Tenzin?" Sota called. The older man turned, a quizzical look on his face. "Can I…ask you something?"

"Of course, Sota. Is there something troubling you?" He asked, walking up to the boy and kneeling to his eye level. "You know you can tell me anything."

"When-or…I guess…what…no," Sota stammered as he tried to collect his thoughts. Taking a deep breath, he asked, "How…did you know that Pema was… interested in you? I mean, she told us, but-"

"You're unsure of your situation," Tenzin guessed, receiving a nod from him. Tenzin gave him a warm smile as he stood to his full height once more. "Let me ask you this Sota; do you think that this girl likes you?"

"To be honest, I'm not really sure," he said, looking to the floor. "I've never had a crush on someone before and I've never had someone have one on me, so this is all kinda new territory."

"Love can be quite the challenge, and navigating it is no easy thing," Tenzin admitted. Sota looked up at him, unsure of himself even more at first, but noticed that the smile hadn't left Tenzin's face. "But, when you finally do, it's a feeling like no other. For me…well, I guess it was when Pema finally told me how she felt.

"She's must have told me thousands of times how nervous and unsure of herself she was; but that's not what I saw. She showed me a different side of her, a passionate side that I never knew was there. She had so much passion and resolve, even while she struggled, and the more time I spent with her, the more that passion seemed to grow like a fire mixing with the wind. And I still see that fire every day when I look into her eyes."

Sota said nothing as he took Tenzin's words in. His attention was broken as Tenzin places a hand around his shoulders and started to lead him away, finishing by saying, "You're young, and you may have many loves in your life. But you'll know she's the one because her fire will be brighter then any other you've ever seen."

To be continued…