Revelations of a Runaway

5. The Spirit of Competition

Korra had been going back to practise for a few days now. Every day she asked if I wanted to go with her. Of course, I did, but Uncle Tenzin had been laying on the chores, something I've never had to do, in the hopes that I'd give up and go home. Little did he know, I actually didn't mind chores.

I knew the Pro-Bending championship was coming up, and I really wanted to be there for Korra. I'd only seen her in action once for a brief moment. This was something that was important to her.

So I did chores after chores in between task force raids which we now took on carefully and refused to comment to the press afterwards since Korra's previous blow-up almost cost her her bending, and every other day Uncle Tenzin trained me.

Now, he knew I wasn't a bender, but he said that Grandmother had been right to say that I moved like an airbender. He told me that getting the movements down better could help me protect myself if I was going to stay in the city.

Overall, I wasn't sure what would happen with me staying. Uncle Tenzin had written Mother immediately after I was found out, and today we'd received a reply. But I was too afraid to read her letter. Instead, I handed it off to Uncle Tenzin immdediately and told him to not read it aloud. Pacing the room as he skimmed through her words, I let my mind wander through the possibilities of what she would say.

Finally, Uncle Tenzin said, "Well, she isn't surprised that this is where you are. In fact, she basically already knew, and she figures that you will return home once you are ready. She loves you and wants you to be careful."

"She knew?" I asked in disbelief.

"Well," Aunt Pema started. "Mothers know everything... MELO, GET OUT OF THE PIE. THAT IS FOR DINNER TONIGHT, YOUNG MAN!"

I jumped at her sudden explosion, and Melo's disappointed sigh echoed down the hall.

"See?" Aunt Pema smiled and continued folding clothes fresh off the line and using her bulging belly as a tabletop for smaller things like dish rags.

Korra walked in then in her pro-bending training gear. "You coming, Zuri?"

"Go," Uncle Tenzin told me. "You've made a couple friends that probably want to see you. Go on."

So I did.

In the arena's training area, I read a book as the three Fire Ferrets fired attacks at each other. They kept going for what seemed like hours, and occasionally I'd peak up at Mako and think about the drama that I just knew we'd see in the future. Right now he was with Asami Sato. And it didn't look like they were going to break up any time soon. Then there was Korra's undying love for him. And me? I wasn't sure what I felt, but there was something in the way he moved that made my heart skip a beat. There was no way things would end happily.

Finally, they stopped for the day, and I was looking forward to doing something with Korra since we've hardly hung out since I'd come.

"It's been great having you at so many back-to-back practises, Korra," Mako said, taking off his helmet.

"Feels good to be back! Although Tarrlock isn't too happy about my leave of absence," Korra told him.

Yeah, I thought. He probably couldn't be more than happy to be rid of me though. A nonbender wasn't exactly welcome in a task force fighting against a nonbender rebellion. I felt like all of them saw me as a spy. Who could blame them though?

"Hey, you joined the Fire Ferrets before you joined his task force," Bolin said, with a tinge of jealousy in his voice. I stood up then and walked half way over.