~Celestial Bodies~

2.5

[2.5]

Kidnappings

Korra left with a scoff and a few curses under her breath, leaving Rae by herself to stare at the night sky.

Letting out a shaky breath, the woman sunk on the bench with trembling limbs. Her whole body felt like it was on fire, her legs couldn't support her anymore, her palms were stinging with constant pain.

But her moment of silence was short lived. When she rose her head, having heard a small shriek in front of her, her blurry vision was met with a ball of white hair, just like hers. She had to blink a few times before Akeno's clear face appeared in her visual field.

"I see its starting," he whispered with raised eyebrows. His eyed pierced Rae's green ones with an intensity so great that she decided to ignore, for her own sanity.

"What are you doing here?" asked the woman, looking at him with wide eyes.

The man gave her a lopsided smile, "I'm really sorry to interrupt your... free time, but there is a pretty interesting fight going to happen in the next few minutes that you might want to be part of," he said, grinning. Rae frowned and placed her heard in her hands.

"What do you mean?" she whispered.

"Well, you see," he started again, "as we speak, a group of men are infiltrating Unalaq's sleeping quarters to kidnap him. Also, the Avatar is probably going to arrive there in about six minutes and, you know how she is... she's probably going to knock the guys out."

Rae rose to her feet as quickly as she could and expressed her confusion with a frown. For a moment, she wanted to just let it happen, but her past life had other plans.

Akeno only nodded, "I should also say that as much as you don't like Unalaq, the kidnapping or death of a world leader will do no good yet."

The young Guardian sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. After a long sigh, she left in a hurry, leaving Akeno and the dragon spirit alone. The small creature shrieked before it sore through the airs, following Rae closely.

When she arrived in front of the building where Unalaq was staying, she stopped in front of the door. The dragon spirit landed on her shoulder, making her slightly flinch. She didn't make any movement to get rid of the creature, only took silent steps towards the building.

Steadily, she let her metal fans slip in her hands and squeezed them hard. When she heard voices, she approached them as fast as she could. When she saw Korra, she sighed. As much as she wanted to be mad at the young Avatar, it always seemed impossible for Rae.

The Avatar's body froze when she saw Rae standing only a few feet away from her. The kidnappers used this opportunity to send a wave of water at Korra. Rae's eyes widened and she ran to the girl, shielding her from the blast with the strong metal of her fans.

"Not now," muttered Rae when she saw the teenager's questioning look. Both turned towards the wall of ice. Both women punched through it, changing the state of the water to ensure a clear passage.

They both ran after the men, Korra using her Waterbending to slide down the stairs easier. The group didn't notice Rae. When they started to fight Korra, the woman saw from the corner of her eyes the man carrying Unalaq escape.

When Rae went to help Korra, the Avatar shook her head. Rae cursed under her breath and forced her legs to carry her to the yard of the building. As she entered the wide space, she saw Unalaq's kidnapper. She rose her arms and froze the water on the ground, making him slip and fall, letting go of the northern chief. Rae rose the water around her and froze it around his body.

As she approached him, she heard Korra's hurried footsteps. With a sigh, she let the kidnapper in the avatar's hands. Advancing towards the chief, she crouched next to his waking body. She extended her arm and, with her pinkie finger careful not to touch him too much, tapped his shoulder.

"Are you alright, Chief?" she said as the man sat down, his face looking at Korra. No words were exchanged between the two.

"Great then," Rae muttered with an eye roll, noting that Unalaq didn't even acknowledge her presence.

She rose to her feet and stepped away from them. As she was walking out of the building, a group of guards, followed by Iroh, ran towards her.

"What happened here?" asked the one leading the group.

Rae, with a bored expression, shrugged and continued to walk away. "Ask the Avatar," she said, passing them without stopping, "She's inside."

As she passed Iroh, the man grabbed her hand, making her feet freeze. She turned to look at him and he was already looking at her with worried eyes.

"What happened in there?" he asked.

Rae took a deep breath and looped away. "You should go in," she whispered, waving her head towards the building, "They might need you... I'll be waiting for you here."

The general nodded and slowly walked in the building, looking at Rae the whole time. When he had completely disappeared, she sighed and walked to one of the walls, sliding down until she sat on the cold ground.

It didn't last long until she felt the presence of the tall spirit in front of her.

"Well, it certainly went as predicted," he said, clasping his hands together. His dementor was like one of a child's. His eyes sprinkled with amusement and the smile plastered on his face showed how entertaining the fight was.

However, Rae was lost in her thoughts. "What did you mean," she started with a dreamy voice, "by 'yet'?"

The spirit's smile dropped, and he raised his eyebrows with a questioning look. Rae looked up at the man with a deep frown. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it before any words could escape.

Finally, she slowly stated, "you said, 'the kidnapping or death of a world leader will do no good... yet'... What did you mean by that?"

"That is something you will find out in time," said the spirit. He closed his eyes and sighed, "trust yourself, Rae, even if it means not trusting the ones you should."

With those last words, Akeno disappeared, leaving the woman alone. She sat in silence, debating on the spirit's previous phrases. It was only when she felt movement of her shoulder that she escaped her dazed state. She didn't move at first. But, after a few moments of silence and immobility, she turned her head to the right and started at the bulky eyed creature on her shoulder.

She raised her hand and brought it to the creature. The dragon spirit hopped on it, moving around until he was comfortable in her palm, and fell asleep in a matter of seconds.

With a sigh, Rae let her head fall, and brough the spirit closer to her body.

The situation between herself and Korra, between the North and the South, between Korra and Unalaq and her father, it all started to worry her now. But what her mind seemed to slip into when rest finally washed upon her, was her dear grandmother, and her ever growing resemblance to her.