Revelations of a Runaway

2. The Revelation

"Invitation?" The man at the door asked me. So I pulled out the flyer with a big sigh. I was exhausted because I sort of ended up on the benches again last night. "The Revelation is upon us, Sister."

I walked past the man quickly. He was pretty big and scary, so I didn't think I wanted to make conversation with him. Inside there was a large and noisy crowd watching the dark stage closely. A lot of them were whispering about what would happen tonight. None of them knew for sure, and I was starting to get nervous about the whole thing. Needless to say, I lingered towards the back of the room.

It didn't get started for a while, but when it did, I was instantly glad that I'd come. As Amon rose from the ground onto the stage and the lights brightened, a line of men was lead onto the stage as well. And at the very end was one of Korra's pro-bending teammates. I thought it was anyway. I didn't get a good look at them, but I was pretty certain. Either way, he seemed terrified. I had to help him before something bad happened to him, but how?

One by one, the line of men faced Amon. And their bending was taken away - permanently. It was an awful thing to do, even I knew that. How could these Equalists have no compassion for these benders? Sure, it wasn't difficult to live without bending. Being a non-bender wasn't a curse or a hardship. But to someone who has spent their life as a bender, someone whose bending had become a part of them - it was the cruellest fate imaginable.

My heart beat sped up, and my mind raced. What could I do? Finally, the pro-bender was the only one left in the line, and he stood before the masked Equalist.

 I took a few steps forward. There was so many people there. There wasn't much I could do. But I wasn't afraid of Amon. There wasn't anything he could take from me. I headed towards the stage frantically, but just as I got there an explosion shook the building. Steam poured in, and I couldn't see anything. The people around me ran away screaming. I didn't scream, but I did join them in running.

After a minute, I hit a wall and start feeling around. Somehow, I was right beside a door way. Maybe I was a little lucky after all.

I took the hallway slowly at first but picked up speed as the steam thinned. That's when I found myself outside on a balcony where a man stood. He had a mask on and two poles in his hand that pulsed with electricity. His back was to me. He jumped off of the balcony suddenly. Running over to the edge, I saw him fighting with two others: the pro-bender from inside and his teammate/brother. And it wasn't going in there favor.

I launched myself forward off the ledge and hit the ground in front of the Equalist with a thud. I smiled. I'd caught him off guard. I lunged at him before he got the chance to attack. My arms moved quickly, hitting the vital pressure points across his body. I knew he was finished when the poles he held lost their electric charge and hit the ground. But there were more of them coming.

Then Korra came. She and Naga jetted around the corner towards us. I glanced behind me. The two guys were conscious but not quite recovered. Reaching down, I grabbed them both by their belts and tossed them at Korra when she reached me. Then I started running behind her and jumped on Naga's back. There wasn't much room, but Naga seemed to be unhindered by our collective weight. We just had to hold on.

"Mako... I love you!" The previously captured bender said as he grabbed his brother.

"Alright, Bolin. Get off me already." Bolin put Mako back on the ground after a moment and moved on to hug Korra. Surprisingly, I was next in the hug line-up.

"I don't know you! But you're my best friend now!"

"Zuri," Korra said about that time. "What are you doing here?"

I replied in the same tone she used, one that sounded like I wasn't her best friend, "Korra, I came to visit. But if you're not happy to see me then I'll be going back home. Tell Uncle Tenzin I send my love."

"No!" Bolin screamed in my face as he grabbed my shoulders.. "You can't leave! I have to repay you. You helped save me!"

"Please stop shaking me? All I did was throw you."

Bolin let me go then, and I turned to face Korra as she said, "I didn't mean that I wasn't glad to see you. I am! But the city is dangerous right now! I can't protect you."

"I don't need protection, Korra. The Equalists are angry with benders. They won't bother me. It's you who needs protecting." I crossed my arms and gave her the look. "Besides, I'm more than capable of looking after myself. But the fact that you even said that only makes the Equalists' claims seem even more appropriate."

"Look," she said, obviously getting angry with me. "You know I didn't mean it like that. It's just that I want to protect you. Because I feel like I'm supposed to protect everyone. It's in the job description..."

It was silent for a moment. The two bending brothers glanced between us nervously. They'd obviously seen Korra's fiery side, and they were probably really confused at the moment.

"'Being the Avatar isn't a job.' That's what Grandfather told me when I asked him, before he died, why he'd gotten the job to be the Avatar."

"I should be getting back to Tenzin's," Korra said after a second moment of silence. "Are you coming?"

"You're joking, right? I've been here for two days. If I were going to see Uncle Tenzin, I would have already done it."

"Oh," Korra said. "I suppose he's not to know that you're here?"

I nodded.

"Where are you staying?" She asked suspiciously. I didn't want to say, but I did.

"Park benches? Although, this morning one man offered to share his park bush."

To my general shock, Korra laughed at me. She literally fell to the ground in laughing fits. After a while, she was finally able to calm down. But she stayed on her back. "Forgive me! I'd never imagined a Fire Nation princess sleeping on a bench... But I'm glad I have the mental image now. It's hilarious."

"No, it's not," Bolin said in a completely different tone than his hyperactive one before. "You can stay with us. Right, Mako? I'll sleep on the couch, so you can have my room."

Mako let out a exasperated sigh. "Sure, whatever."

"Well, your highness, there you have it!" Bolin said, back to his usual demeanor.

"Don't call me 'your highness' or anything like that. I'm not a princess. Well, I am, but I'm not." I'd obviously confused Mako and Bolin both. "It's a long story. One that I'm not willing to go into right now. And I can't stay with you."

"Of course, you can!" Bolin grabbed my shoulders again. His peppy attitude was a little annoying, but I liked it.

"Okay, but only because you insist... And also because you mentioned a bed."

"Perfect! Well, we'll be seeing you tomorrow, Korra, old buddy, old pal. Gotta get Zuri here home and settled in." Bolin hopped next to me and extended his arm out for me to take, but I just stared at him a little while.

"Are you real?" I asked slowly. Bolin found that hilarious apparently. "I wasn't kidding."

"Don't worry, Zuri. Sometimes, I ask the same thing," Mako said. At first I thought he was being friendly to me, which would be surprising since he hasn't seem very friendly the whole time. In reality, he was just taking a jab at Bolin. Then he smiled a little at his brother. They were close, I could tell.

Sighing, I took Bolin's arm and let him lead me "home." I thought I could get used to the special-ish treatment if it continued. But I had a feeling that it was only because he wanted to repay me or whatever.

I looked back at Korra as she hopped up and landed on Naga with a solemn look on her face. Besides what I'd given her to think about, she also got the wonderful pleasure of conveying tonight's events to Uncle Tenzin. I imagined the part about Amon being an energybender would throw him into spasms. He has always been uptight. Maybe Korra's fire would loosen him up a bit. It did me.

"Korra!" I yelled as I pulled Bolin to a stop. "I missed you!"

She threw her hand in the air as she rode off on Naga. I knew what she meant. She had missed me, too. And we were still best friends.

At least, I could sleep with some peace of mind tonight. Not to mention comfortably.