Drinor
patreon
A Spirit of Elements Chapter 23 (Spirit of Competition)
🕑 Added 2022-08-02 05:13:00 +0000 UTC"What do you want, brat?" The Kyuubi demanded the moment the blonde was in front of him.
"Is there any way for you to get out of this place?" Naruto questioned, getting straight to the point; he didn't want to waste time. He had thought long and hard, and if there was a way for him to get out, he would do it as long as that meant that he wouldn't lose control ever again.
Kyuubi narrowed his eyes at the brat; a part of him wanted to tell him how to do it; once the gate was opened, he would kill the fool or just let him die on his own.
But a smaller part of him didn't want that, he wanted freedom, but there was no reason to rush this; people of this world would never be able to seal him into someone else after the brat died. Sure, perhaps he could get free right now, but why rush? He still remembered what his parents did to keep this brat alive.
Kyuubi remembered both of his parents jumping willingly without hesitation to stop his claw from killing the brat, and he remembered Kushina surviving through extreme pain to make sure her little brat would be safe, it reminded him of his own father, and he hated it. And he knew he had a debt to pay; if it weren't for Kushina, that masked Uchiha who pretended to be Madara would one day come after him with his bloody Sharingan.
With that thought on his mind, Kyuubi turned his attention back to the brat. "You want to free me?! Well, hate to say it, brat, but it can't be done," Kyuubi spoke before resting his head against his paws, hoping to fall asleep, but the sound of footsteps approaching made him open his right eye.
"Impossible! Why?" Naruto asked; he was angry but kept his voice low.
"Because it is if I'm released from you. You will...die shortly after," Kyuubi reluctantly said before closing his eye again.
Naruto gasped, hearing that made his hand instinctively touch his stomach; he felt as if his stomach was turned upside down.
"I would die! I see. I'm... I'm really sorry. I can't free you," Naruto said with sincere sadness that caught the Kyuubi off guard. Opening his eye, he looked at the brat again.
He still couldn't believe the brat felt bad about that; he expected him to feel bad for himself but not me.
He wanted to ask why he would feel bad but said nothing as Naruto disappeared, leaving Kyuubi alone with his thoughts.
I'm... I'm really sorry. I can't free you, Kyuubi thought, repeating the words in his head, sounding strange to him. As he closed his eyes to sleep, he had one thought in his head.
He's a little similar to you, isn't he?!
One Week Later - Pro-bending Arena
It had been a week since he returned from the South Pole, and everything had been slowly going back to normal; with the help of his family and especially Asami, he slowly returned back to his usual self. It was still a bit hard to think about his homeland, but he didn't allow himself to be bothered by it.
Right now, Naruto was in the locker room watching the Fire-Ferrets game against the Rabaroos. From the start of the match, it was rather clear that it was very one-sided. The Fire-Ferrets were attacking, dodging, and countering like there was no tomorrow. Naruto also noticed how pumped up Korra was. She was moving and waterbending so fast that Naruto honestly thought she could have played against the Rabaroos alone and still end the match with a victory for the Fire-Ferrets.
Eventually, the Fire-Ferrets won the match with three consecutive rounds in their favor. The crowd cheered as they made their way back to the locker room, waving goodbye to the spectators.
'I wonder why Korra played so well.' Naruto thought thoughtfully; perhaps something or someone had made her happy.
When Mako, Bolin, and Korra entered the room, Mako was the first to talk. "Man, that was incredible!" he shouted with unusual joy for someone as broody as himself.
"I know, right? If we keep it up like this, we'll surely win the tournament!" Korra exclaimed excitedly as she took off her helmet. Things couldn't get any better for her. First, her team won their first tournament match showing prowess, passion, and skill. And she could ask Naruto for a date; she hoped it would go well.
"The Fire-Ferrets are practically champions already!" Bolin said while pumping his fists in glory.
"Be careful, Bolin; this was only our first match. We can't get too confident, or it might cost us the tournament." Mako said to the earthbender. "Though I'll admit this is one heck of a start," he said with a smirk. Turning around, he faced Korra. "I gotta' say Korra; you were probably the wildest of us out there. I've never seen you play like that before."
Korra scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "Yeah, well, I was pretty excited before the game, so I kinda' took advantage of that."
"Really? I'm curious about what were you so excited about?" Naruto asked, revealing his presence that had been unnoticed so far due to the team's euphoria for their victory.
"Naruto!" Korra shouted, running towards her friend and hugging him. Normally it would have been embarrassing for her to hug Naruto so tightly in the sight of Mako and Bolin, but she was too excited to care. "Did you see our game?" she asked as she let go.
"Of course I did. You guys were awesome tonight." Naruto congratulated Korra and the bending brothers. "I wonder what got you energetic today. Is it a lucky charm, perhaps?" he asked curiously. Korra looked at the ground and started blushing a cute shade of pink.
Bolin heard that last comment. "A lucky charm? Is that why Korra played so good? Because if that's the case, do you think you could give me and Mako one?"
Hearing that, Korra was trying very hard not to laugh; how could she explain to them why she was pumped up to win this match. Before the other three knew it, Korra was laughing out loud.
When it finally died down, the Avatar wiped her tears away as she looked at Mako and Bolin, who were staring at her, confused out of their minds. "Believe me, Bolin, if I gave you and Mako one of my lucky charms, you would probably never want to see me again."
The male members of the Fire-Ferrets didn't quite know what to make of what just happened but decided to shrug it off.
Korra thought this was the perfect moment to ask Naruto out, grabbing his hand; Naruto was about to ask her, 'What is she doing?' when she led him a bit further away from the others, Mako knew what was happening right away, while Bolin was even more confused.
"Hey, Naruto," Korra said shyly. Naruto noticed that she looked a little strange. A little... hesitant for some reason.
"I have to be honest, Korra, you did a wonderful job today," he said; the Avatar blushed at his compliment.
"Thanks." 'Ok, Korra, this is your chance to let him know.' "Soooo... What are you doing?"
'Damn it!'
"Oh, nothing, just waiting for you to say whatever that you want to say," Naruto replied with a cheeky smile.
"Mmh, I see." 'Come on, Korra, say it!'
"Is there something wrong, Korra? You look a little... well..."
Korra realized how strange she was acting and snapped out of it. "Me? No, I'm fine. It's just that I've been thinking for a while now." she said as she took a step forward towards Naruto, who was now paying her full attention.
"Thinking about what?"
Before she began, Korra took a deep breath. "Well, we have known each other for some time now, aaaaand..." she trailed off.
"Aaaaaand?" Naruto asked, dreading that she might say what he thought she might say.
"And I had this idea that... well, if you don't mind... It's a little hard to say, but... I've been thinking that-" Korra nervously started to say before Naruto interrupted her.
"Korra, are you alr-"
"LookIreallylikeyouandIthoughtweshouldgooutsometime," Korra said all at once, unable to resist the tension that was inside her.
"... Sorry, but what was that?"
Korra took another deep breath and started blushing. "I really like you, and I thought we should go out sometime." She mumbled, looking away.
Mako was not surprised; she had understood that Korra liked Naruto, but that wasn't the case for Bolin; he saw his little brother's face going paler, his jaw falling on the floor. Falling in love is so troublesome, he thought; now he understood why he wasn't bothering himself with finding a girl yet.
Naruto was taken aback by her confession; he felt his heart beating faster, remembering how much he liked her before he understood that he loved Asami, someone who was always there since he knew her and didn't laugh at his face when he first asked her on a date, the blonde knew if Korra had asked him a few years ago, he would have said yes, but he still remembered how she laughed, it had hurt more than he could have imagined, and now Korra was asking him on a date made him relive that night all over again. With a deep breath, hoping to calm himself.
"I'm sorry, but I can't, Korra; I'm with Asami now," Naruto spoke firmly, his voice void of emotions; the avatar looked down; she should have known that she had thrown her chance away, and Korra felt her eyes tearing up, but she quickly whipped them away when they all heard footsteps approaching. That was when Asami entered the room.
"Congratulation, guys, you were amazing out there!" she exclaimed; when her green eyes went to her favorite blonde, she immediately noticed that there was something wrong, hugged Naruto close, who hugged her back tightly, his head on her hair, savoring her aroma, ignoring the defeated looking Avatar who was looking at the ground.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Fire-Ferrets number two fan," Mako said to her with a playful smile, hoping it would make the gloomy atmosphere go away.
Asami rolled her eyes. "Oh, hush you. You're just jealous because I'm dating the best Bender in the city." she jokingly retorted.
"Ready for the date, sweetie?" Naruto asked, finally smiling at her, kissing her on the lips in front of everyone, much to her surprise, not that she had anything against it.
"Of course, Naruto," Asami said softly, her green eyes filled with love.
Seeing their teammate's mood, Mako approached Korra, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"Korra, how about we three go to a restaurant to eat? We know the perfect place; they serve amazing noodles," Mako suggested, not wanting anyone on his team to feel terrible, especially after a Win; he was kind, like the leader of the Fire Ferrets, it was his job to take care of his team.
Korra managed a smile. "Sure, just let me go change, and I'm ready," she said as she made her way to the ladies' room.
As Korra left the room, Naruto noticed Bolin sitting alone on one of the benches. "Hey Bolin, you alright?" Naruto asked, concerned.
When Bolin showed his face, Naruto looked at him and was honestly unnerved. His eye was twitching, he looked paler than usual, and he had a twisted, almost psychotic smile on his face. He was breathing heavily, and Naruto could have sworn a thick vein grew in his right temple when he addressed him. "Me? I'm fine. I feel perfect. More than perfect. Why do you ask?" he responded with a shaky thumbs up.
"Hmmm, nothing. Just checking on you." Naruto said as he now faced Mako. "What's going on with Bolin?" he whispered to the firebender.
Mako sighed sadly. "Don't worry about him; I'll talk with him when we get home. Good luck on your date with Asami."
Outside the Arena
"We're having dinner at my favorite restaurant. It's not too far from here. Believe me when I tell you they serve the best food in all of Republic City." Bolin said cheerfully, trying to ignore the fact that his chances of dating Korra were pretty slim, if nonexistent.
"Sounds great," she said as they began to walk alongside them.
On the way to the restaurant, Korra, Bolin, and Mako talked about life in general. Bolin would listen to her and answer with jokes and compliments to her, as well as more serious answers when the topic they were talking about demanded it. Korra found herself enjoying the conversation she was having with them. Up to this point, they had never talked like this.
When they finally arrived at the restaurant, Korra found out it was none other than Rom-Tom's. She remembered when Naruto told her about this place the night, he found out about the 'Brawl-Out' tournament. As they entered, Korra was surprised by how warm and cozy the place was. It wasn't too big nor too small, just the perfect size.
The decorations were nothing fancy, but they certainly were interesting. A waitress quickly greeted them. They were guided to an empty table in the corner of the room, where they sat down. The waitress handed them the menus and said she would come back shortly to take their orders.
Mako looked at Korra and smiled. "So Korra, what do you think of this place so far?"
"I gotta say, it's really nice. I can see why you like it." Korra responded.
The firebender chuckled. "I'm glad you like it. You know, I'm really happy to do this. I don't think I can remember the last time I have hung out like this. It feels good to just relax for a while."
"Yeah, I definitely needed a break from all this Avatar stuff. Right now, I just wanna take it easy and have a good time." the Avatar said with a smile.
The waitress came back and took their orders. Korra ordered typical water tribe food while Bolin and Mako asked for the Komodo special they were so fond of. The waitress took off and came back 15 minutes later with the food. Now, when Korra tasted her food, she practically moaned in pleasure. When Naruto told her this place served the best food in Republic City, she thought he was exaggerating a bit. But now she realized... that it was an understatement! This had to be the best food she had ever tasted in all of her life, hands down, but the thought of her favorite blonde brought sadness to her heart.
Twenty minutes and three bowls of noodles later...
"Ahhhhh, that was the best meal ever!" Korra shouted as she rubbed her belly.
"I told you this place was the best," Mako said with a smirk. "Do you think you have room for dessert?"
"Mhhhhhhh, that is tempting," Korra responded humorously. Then something caught her eye. "Hey Mako, what's that guy's deal?" she asked, pointing to a certain individual.
Mako and Bolin turned their heads back and saw a guy with two girls, one on each of his arms, followed by two other guys. The guy Korra pointed at had the weirdest haircut Mako had ever seen in his life, as all of his purple hair was inclined towards the right part of his face. He had pale skin and a disturbing smile that went along with glaring eyes. All in all, he basically was the living definition of creepy. "It's Tahno and the Wolfbats, Pro-bending champs for the last three years," Mako said, narrowing his eyes.
"Why is he looking at us?" Korra asked with a dirty face, still looking at Tahno.
"Beats me."
Tahno then made his way to Mako, Bolin, and Korra, followed by his two nameless teammates. Instead of talking right away, he stood there just smirking in a way that could unnerve anyone just by looking at him. After a minute of awkward silence, Bolin decided to figure out what that guy wanted.
"Is there a reason why you are staring at us like that, or are you just plain weird?"
The purple-haired weirdo chuckled a bit before starting to talk. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the Fire-Ferrets chick and her bodyguards. Tell me, how did a couple of amateurs lucked their way into the tournament?"
"What I would like to know is how you expect me to take you seriously with that haircut." Mako retorted, earning a chuckle from Korra.
The Wolfbats waterbender stared at Mako for a moment with his eye slightly twitching but regained his cool. He then approached Korra with and leaned very close.
"You know, if you really want to learn how a real pro bends, I could give you some private lessons," he whispered.
Korra stood up and got right in front of his face. "You wanna go toe-to-toe with me, pretty boy?" she challenged.
"Go for it; I'll give you the first shot." Tahno cockily responded.
But Mako had already figured out Tahno's intentions. If she hurt him, the Fire-Ferrets would be automatically disqualified. "Korra, don't touch him. If you do, you along with us will be kicked out of the tournament." Mako warned her as he stood up and made some space between them.
Suddenly Naga came inside before jumping on top of Tahno, who screamed like a little girl when the polar bear roared on his face with her large bear teeth.
"We might be fire ferrets, but Naga is not. I would advise for you to get lost," Korra threatened before gesturing for Naga to back away from him.
Tahno glared angrily at Korra, who didn't feel threatened at all. He scoffed and left the restaurant, trying his best not to feel humiliated, which he miserably failed at.
And so the rest of the dinner went on without further interruptions. Mako, Bolin, and Korra chatted for a long time, laughing and enjoying themselves.
Eventually, they decided to finish dinner and take a walk. When Mako paid for the food, they left Rom-Tom's and made their way to Republic City's Central Park.
As they arrived, Bolin saw a small ice cream post and bought a strawberry ice cream for Korra and a raspberry one for himself, none for Mako, who rolled his eyes before ordering one for himself.
The trio visited some of the city's most famous attractions and sightseeings before calling it a night. It was getting late, and they felt it was time to return to the island.
"It was a good day, Korra; take care of yourself," Mako said, walking away, Bolin said the same thing, but the Avatar girl could tell something was bothering him, but eventually, he just walked away awkwardly, looking down.
"See you later, guys," Korra shouted at her friends; turning around, she started walking towards the air temple; now that she was alone again, her mind suddenly remembered Naruto, not knowing what to do right now.
Mako and Bolin's Apartment
"Bolin, for the last time, please get over it!" Mako shouted in frustration.
"No! I can't get over it, I don't want to get over it, and I'll never get over it!" Bolin shouted back from the couch as he continued to cry overdramatically.
Mako sighed. He knew that it would eventually come to this. Bolin had his heart broken because of a silly crush he had on Korra, a very one-sided crush. Now, he had to deal with his brother's childish antics for the rest of the night and probably for the rest of the week if he was lucky. To make things worse, they had another game coming soon, and Bolin was in no psychological condition to play at his fullest.
"Look, I get it. You're sad because Korra and likes Naruto. But I told you she liked him as more than just a friend. Believe me; it's for the best." Mako said in an attempt to comfort his younger brother.
"For the best!? How can it be for the best!?" Bolin cried once more.
"It's for the best because teammates shouldn't date each other. We have worked so much to get to where we are, and dating Korra was simply not a good idea."
Bolin grabbed a tissue and cleaned his nose before talking. "But... But... But it's just not fair! Naruto gets Korra; he also gets Asami, Bolin gets... nothing!"
"Life is not fair, Brother. We both know that." Mako said with a sad look before turning back to normal as he sat next to Bolin. "Besides, not only did Korra like Naruto, but she was also the one who asked him out. If you would have asked Korra out on a date, she would've said no, and things would've gotten weird between you guys. Would you have liked that?"
The earthbender looked at the ground before mumbling something.
"Well, would you?" Mako insisted.
"... No." Bolin reluctantly muttered. "It's just that I really thought I could've had a relationship with her. I guess I was wrong," he said before letting out a big, depressive sigh. Then, he grabbed his Fire Ferret mascot and started petting it. "At this rate, I'll end up dating Pabu."
After hearing his brother's statement, Mako couldn't help it. Unwillingly, he let out a small chuckle which he immediately tried to cover with his hand. Unfortunately, Bolin heard it.
"You laughed!" Bolin shouted accusingly.
"What? I did not-"
"Yes, you did! Not even my brother takes me seriously!" Bolin declared before going back to crying. Just this time, much louder and much more ridiculous than before.
Mako stood up from the couch and sighed out of frustration. 'Why do I get to deal with all this drama?'
Tomorrow
Naruto and the Fire-Ferrets were in the locker room before the match against the Boar-q-pines.
As the Pro-bending team was getting ready, Naruto was pondering about what Korra said yesterday, he had tried so hard to forget her words, but he couldn't; thankfully, Asami had been the whole day with him to help; she knew that it was a problem with Korra, she tried her best to confront him, both visited his favorite place in the city, spending time together, and flying with Sozu; eventually Naruto was able to go back to normal. How come fate loves to play with my feelings? First, I find out that I come from a different world now Korra reawakes something I have been trying to forget for a long time now, but despite that, he knew he loved Asami.
He wondered if he should ask Pema what to do about this situation.
When the match started, both teams appeared to be tied. However, Naruto noticed that Bolin was way off his game. He seemed so distracted and unmotivated that it was like watching an amateur on his first match. His accuracy was slacking, and his shots didn't have a lot of force or power behind them, something very 'un-Bolin' like. Mako and Korra were doing just fine, but Bolin was barely able to keep up with them.
'It's like he's going Hasook or something.' Naruto said to himself.
Fortunately, the Fire-Ferrets were able to pull it out and get away with the victory. But even then, Bolin didn't seem so thrilled. When they reached the locker room, Korra was the first to pipe up. "That was close," she said while breathing hard, taking her helmet off.
She then turned to face the earthbender of the group, who was sitting all alone in one corner of the room. "Hey Bolin, are you alright? You were really unstable out there." Korra asked, concerned.
"M-Me? Yeah, sorry, I just... I just have a lot on my mind right now." Bolin responded, not really sure of himself.
"Mako, Korra, could you please give Bolin and me a minute alone?" Naruto asked out loud.
Mako stared at Naruto suspiciously. "What for?"
"We need to discuss something very important and private."
The firebender thought about it for a minute. He supposed Naruto was already aware of Bolin's feelings toward Korra and how sad he was now that she liked him. Mako liked Naruto enough and didn't mind having him around, but Bolin was his little brother. If the two of them happened to start a fight, he wouldn't hesitate to take Bolin's side. Even so, he decided to trust the Airbender and let the pair talk privately. He nodded and gestured Korra to leave with him. Korra seemed suspicious but decided to go with the flow. She could always interrogate Naruto later.
Once they were gone, Naruto took a sit next to Bolin. "Ok, Bolin, what's really happening to you?"
Bolin sighed. "It's not something you'd like to know."
"It's because you like Korra, isn't it?"
Hearing those words, Bolin started panicking. He considered Naruto a friend, and he didn't want to screw things up even more. Was he jealous? Yes, but that didn't mean he would take out his frustrations on him. That wouldn't be fair. That was not how he was. Instead of replying, Bolin just lowered his head down in shame.
"I am concerned about you. I know you're sad about Korra not liking you back, but there is something more important you should be a lot more worried about."
The earthbender narrowed his eyes. "What, the tournament?"
Naruto shook his head. "No, it's not the tournament. It's you, Bolin."
Now Bolin was confused. "Me?"
"Yes, you," Naruto said seriously. Realizing that Bolin wasn't following him, he decided to elaborate. "If you keep going on with that sad attitude you've been having, everything will look gloomy to you. Eventually, you'll lose something very precious for me, Korra, your brother, and anyone who gets to know you."
"Something very precious? What do you mean? What do I have that is very precious?" the earthbender questioned. All of his grief and hopelessness was now replaced with a genuine curiosity for Naruto's words. "Wait, I think I get it now!"
"... You do?"
"Yeah, it's Pabu, right? If he keeps seeing me all sad, he won't recognize me anymore and could abandon me." Bolin said in a detective fashion.
...
'Must... not... facepalm.' Naruto thought after hearing Bolin's brilliant deduction. "No, Bolin, I'm not talking about Pabu," he said before continuing. "Look, do you know what it is that I, Korra, and Mako like the most about you? It's the way you look at life. Even after all you've been through, you're still able to smile and to see the good side of things when no one else can. Even if you're a little immature at times, your cheery and up-going attitude makes up for it big time. And even if you're sad, I know that you're capable of standing up once again and being there when we need you." Naruto said as another idea was forged inside his head. "Bolin, do you care about Mako?"
Bolin looked at him as if he had just asked if he was an earthbender. "Of course I do! He's my big bro."
"And you know he had to be strong for you when you were both growing up, right?"
"Yeah, he has always been there for me when I needed him."
"Well, this time, he needs you to be strong. I don't know Mako that much but what I do know is that he's been through hardships no one should ever experience. He needs you to be strong now because he has been for a long time. And how do you get strong? By overcoming your sadness and going back to your normal self." Naruto finished.
The Fire-Ferrets earthbender heard every word Naruto said. He was right. This time, Mako needed him to be strong just like he had been since they were kids, and by the sacred fur of Pabu was he going to be strong. "You're right; he needs me."
Naruto smiled. "That's what I'm talking about. Tell you what? Next time you find yourself a girl you like, tell me, and I'll coach your way into her heart. Sounds good?"
"For real? In that case, you've got yourself a deal, good sir!" Bolin loudly proclaimed.
"Good. Now let's get out of here. Mako and Korra are probably getting worried." Naruto said. Bolin nodded, and both of them exited the locker room. When they were outside, they saw Mako and Korra waiting for them. "It's ok, guys, we're done."
Mako looked at his brother right away. Bolin wasn't crying, sobbing, or even sulking. Instead, he was... smiling? It wasn't a particularly giant smile or anything, but it was definitely a Bolin smile. This surprised the firebender quite a bit. He knew better than anyone that cheering up his brother was no easy task. 'Did he drugged my brother or something?' he thought.
"About time you finished. What were you guys talking about anyways?" Korra asked. She also noticed how Bolin seemed way more normal than before the game. Whatever Naruto said to him, it looked like it worked.
"Oh, nothing, just guy's stuff. Right Bolin?" Naruto said dismissingly, a grin on his face.
"Yup. Just guy's stuff." Bolin replied, copying Naruto's action.
Korra didn't bother asking, but when her blue eyes made contact with Naruto's ocean blue eyes, he looked away almost instantly; despite being a brief glance, Korra could see the pain in his eyes that made her feel worse.
What am I supposed to do?
