The Girl After

Chapter 17

"I didn't realise you were so close with the general," Asami pointed out as we followed Korra to whomever she claimed could send the message. "Why don't you ever talk about your life before Republic City? You never share anything about your life in the Fire Nation."

"There's nothing to talk about," I said plainly. "I was there, now I'm here."

Bolin frowned. "I don't even know about your past, Nani, and I've known you for years! Why are you hiding things from us? We're your friends."

"Drop it," I demanded. "I don't want to talk about it."

Just then, the group stopped. We stood behind a raggedy looking hobo, who needed very little convincing from Korra, as he plugged in two wires. "And who is the recipient of this top secret message?" He asked.

"Commander Bumi," Iroh said with hands folded behind his back, "Second Division of The United Forces."

"Tenzin's brother?" Korra asked.

"Yes," he nodded. "A bit of a wild man—"

I interjected, "The man threw me in a lake to teach me how to swim when I was seven!"

"—but the bravest commander you'll ever meet."

Almost offended, I added, "I nearly drowned, Iroh!"

He opened his mouth once again but stopped when the hobo announced that the telegraph was ready. The hobo pressed buttons repeatedly as Iroh delivered his message:

Fleet ambushed and destroyed by Equalist aircraft. Retreat to Red Sand Island until my signal. Do not approach the city until you receive the all clear.

"Now comes the hard part," Iroh said moments later as we all circled a map of the city. "We need to ground those aircrafts. Otherwise, Bumi's fleet will never be able to retake the city."

"That isn't the hard part," I said with a shake of my head. "I know those things in and out. We can get them down with little trouble. We need to focus on figuring out where they come from."

Iroh looked up from the map, and I quickly regretted my comment. His eyebrows were furrowed with suspicion. "How do you know?" He asked. I averted my eyes. Guilt washed over me as I looked down. "Leinani, look at me," Iroh demanded. "Look at me." When I finally complied, he asked again, "How do you know?"

My voice came out softly. "I... I'm responsible for their invention. I helped the Equalists arm themselves."

His eyes widened — whether they were filled with anger or shock, I'll never know; perhaps it was both. His jaw was clenched.

"Don't be upset with her, General," Korra said in my defense, much to my surprise. "Hiroshi Sato forced her into it. She's helping us fix this."

Iroh's eyes were locked on mine. "We will talk about this later," he said warningly.

Mako, desperate to refocus, pointed to the upper left area of yhe map and gained everyone's attention. "They flew from this direction. The airfield," his finger glided across the map to the mountains, "must be somewhere in the mountain range."

"Get ready," Iroh said. "We leave at dawn."

"Wait," Korra blurted before everyone could leave. She hesitated and took a breath. She looked down solemnly, "I'm sorry, but I'm not going with you tomorrow. I'm sick and tired of hiding from Amon. It's time I face him."

Iroh frowned. "That's not a good plan. We need to stick together."

Korra flailed her arm angrily. "I'm not waiting for him to hunt me down! My gut tells me that it's time to end this — on my terms."

"Don't be foolish," I argued. "If you go in there by yourself, Amon will probably be waiting for you."

Iroh frowned, looking from me to the Avatar. "Korra, this isn't a mission you should be handling alone."

"She won't be." Mako caught everyone's attention as he walked towards Korra. I looked ever at Asami and caught a glimpse of surprise. "I'm going with you."

"You don't have to do that," Korra replied, worried.

"Yes," Mako said, "I do."

Asami looked down with saddened eyes. I brushed her hair from her face and a soft smile, but she didn't look at me. What was happening with her and Mako? I wished she would talk to me about what was bothering her, but I suppose I didn't deserve that. After everything I had done, I had no right to expect her to confide in me.

Iroh brought his hand to his chin, deep in thought. "My grandfather would respect the Avatar's instinct... So will I."

"Then I guess we'd better get to work," Bolin concluded. With that, everyone was dismissed.

Everyone except me.

Iroh had held me back, like a teacher keeping a troublesome student after class. With arms folded, he frowned down at me. "Explain everything, Leinani," he ordered. "Right now."

I lifted myself up so that I was sitting on the table, pushing the map a bit. "I guess I should've known that Sato was bad news," I said. "I mean, he had asked if I was a bender. It should've been a dead giveaway."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked. Iroh's expression softened, only slightly, as he fought to remain stern.

"So I could let you down again?" My voice cracked. I could feel myself nearing the cusp of tears, but I refused. "I didn't want to be the problematic one anymore." I looked down, fiddling with my fingernails. "I just wanted you to be proud of me, Iroh. That's why I'm helping the Avatar and her friends. It's what Gran Gran would do. It's what your grandfather did. I'm making up for my decisions."

Iroh sighed. His angry facade had since been washed away. He lifted my chin and looked down at me. "I couldn't be more proud of you right now," he said quietly. "I've been speaking with Saki, and she's had such high hopes for you. She knew — we all knew — that you would somehow find your way off of the path you were on."

"I... I wouldn't quite say that I'm off of that path," I said, looking away in embarrassment.

"Why?" Iroh asked, suspicious again. "What else did you do?"

My cheeks burned with a blush. I could feel my face reddening. "Well... I may or may not have gotten frisky with a girl's boyfriend... on multiple occasions... and fought her."

At this news, he choked.