Archive of Our Own

Kobeni loves her car.

It’s a spiffy little thing, spring green like a beetle and so, so smooth. She keeps it in mint condition, lovingly washing off the accumulated dust at the end of every week. 

She named it Persephone, because she bought it in the springtime. 

After twenty long years of being stifled, forced to work and work and work so her stupid brother could go to college, she’d finally had enough. When Kobeni had moved away, the relief had been almost overwhelming, choking in her throat. She was alone; she was free.

Kobeni was so, so lonely.

And then she’d bought her car, her precious Persephone, and she wasn’t alone any longer. The rational part of her knows that she’s still very much alone. It’s just a car, at the end of the day. It feels like an old friend, though. She talks to it, sometimes, and she can delude herself that the car is talking back, in radio static and little squeaks.

(Turns out the squeaks were from a mouse trapped in the hood—at least she figured that out before the mouse died.)

Today, she drives through the city, humming along to the song on the radio and tapping idly at the steering wheel. Traffic isn’t bad today, and the weather is nice. Life is—

Fireballs are flying through the air ahead, and she slams on the brakes. “GOD! What the hell, what the hell, what the hell!”

She almost can’t believe her eyes; there’s a whole chase happening between what looks like fire nation soldiers—fire nation soldiers! Oh no! And they’re chasing—is that the new Avatar?? 

It is—he’s a scruffy looking boy, accompanied by a wild-looking girl and a black-haired man. 

Kobeni’s first mistake is not turning around right there and driving away. Despite her terror, she’s too fascinated by the sight. Through the open windows, she can hear every word of what’s being said. The fire nation soldiers are screaming, calling someone a traitor to the homeland and a dirty spy who must be punished for their crimes.

The Avatar turns to the girl and says loudly, “HEY, they’re after you? What the hell!”

“Tis not a problem!” She declares confidently. “I’ll kill them all, for I am POWER!”

The girl—Power, apparently—is cut off with a yelp by the black-haired man, who’s grabbed both her and the Avatar. 

“We’re outnumbered, idiots!” He yells. “Retreat!”

They’re running right towards Kobeni, and then it happens; Kobeni accidentally makes eye contact with Power, and the girl makes a sudden beeline for her car. 

“Oh, fuck!” Kobeni yelps. She needs to hit the gas but her foot won’t move, and the girl is coming closer, dragging her companions with her. In what seems like only a second, Power’s fist is punching through the window. 

A spray of glass goes everywhere, and Kobeni screams, closing her eyes instinctively. When she opens them, it’s like a series of disjointed images.

Power, in the passenger seat, leering at her with shocking golden eyes.

The Avatar in the back, grumbling something about “No fair I want shotgun”.

Also in the back, the black-haired man, with a guilty expression. “I am so sorry about this,” he says. “Please drive away from here.”

It’s like a part of Kobeni is still used to mindlessly following orders. She hates it, she doesn’t want to listen, but her foot’s on the gas and the car is making a U-turn before she can even process what’s going on.

Power is cackling like a madwoman, a feral glint in those bright eyes. Kobeni can’t help the trembling in her frame, or the stupid whimpers that escape her mouth. Somehow she knows that she’s sitting next to a violent, unpredictable person. A killer. 

“Do you fear me, mortal?”

Kobeni’s hands tighten around the wheel. She wishes she could just ignore the question, but it wouldn’t be wise. “Y-yes.”

Power grins widely, exposing sharp canines. “Most excellent! At last, someone with sense.”

“Power,” the black-haired man snaps. “Shut the hell up. This is a civilian.”

Kobeni didn’t expect Power to listen to the man, but surprisingly she does, slumping back into her seat with an irritated little tch .

“I think we’ve lost them,” the man says, “but can you take a left at the next turn and then keep going for a while? We’ll be out of your hair soon, I promise.”

“I-I don’t even know your name,” she manages.

“Of course,” he says instantly. “My name is Aki Hayakawa. This dunce is Denji.”

“Don’t call me a dunce, man!” Denji cries. “I’m the fuckin’ Avatar!”

In the rearview mirror, Aki cuffs him lightly on the head. “Unfortunately, those two things are not mutually exclusive.”

Denji makes a sound of wounded confusion, and the smallest smile flashes across Aki’s face.

Kobeni refocuses on the road, adjusting her sweaty hands on the wheel. Seeing those two interact, she’s inexplicably reminded of her own interactions with her little sisters, and it sends a jolt of pain through her chest. She hopes they’re doing okay. She’s been avoiding any contact with her family like the plague, but she gets along well with most of her sisters, and they must feel like she’s abandoned them. 

Maybe I should reach out —

There are people in the road . Kobeni slams on the brakes for the second time today. 

“ More fire nation?” Denji says in disbelief. “Man, these guys don’t quit! Can we just kill them, Aki? They’re just grunts, bet we can handle em’ easy.”

Anything Aki might have said is drowned out by Power, who yells, “Why did you stop, fool? I am taking the wheel!”

She’s in Kobeni’s space before Kobeni can move or blink. It’s all she can do to keep breathing at this point, with Power’s teeth so close to her neck.

Kobeni is reminded that she has bigger problems as Power slams on the gas, and as they rush towards the soldiers Power laughs and laughs and laughs.

It’s like one of those nightmares where Kobeni can’t move; she’s helpless to do anything. She closes her eyes and waits for death.

She hears a sickening series of thuds as Persephone plows right through the group of soldiers. With how fast they’re going, it takes a while for the car to come to a stop.

Kobeni opens her eyes when they’ve stopped moving. Impossibly, Power is still laughing —hasn’t she run out of air by now?

“ Fuck , Power!” Aki hisses. “You killed—I don’t know how many of them!”

Finally, Power stops laughing. “Tis the point , is it not?” She pouts, folding her arms belligerently like a child. “They’re the enemy.”

“Yes, but we’re supposed to be laying low—forget it,” Aki says, shaking his head. “We’ll finish them off and then get the hell out of this town.”

“Aye-aye, Cap’n!” Denji says, giving a salute. Power is already jumping out, and he goes to follow her, then pauses, looking back. “Thanks for the ride, ma’am!”

Kobeni doesn’t know how to respond to that—she isn’t here willingly—but he’s already gone. Only Aki remains, looking at her gravely.

“I’m sorry about everything,” he says, seeming genuine. “Power is very difficult to control—you don’t need excuses. I have no money to give you for repairs, at the moment. I promise, someday I will repay you for your assistance.”

He falls silent but doesn’t leave. Kobeni realizes he must be waiting for a response, and she gathers her tattered thoughts, if only to make him go. “Um. Thank you…?”

Aki bows his head gracefully and then gets out, leaving Kobeni at last alone in the car. 

Through the blood-splattered windshield, she can see Power decimating the remaining soldiers with strange pink fire, while Denji is earth bending. He’s not that good, truthfully; his rocks are going everywhere, like he can’t aim. Power is hit several times, though she hardly seems to notice, too caught up in the carnage.

All the soldiers are dead by the time Aki has reached them, and he gives an approving sort of nod, before seeming to tell Denji off—probably for his terrible aim.

They’re running off now. Kobeni watches them go, feeling shaky and cold. The only people around now are all dead. Oh god, is she going to be blamed for that? 

Kobeni almost has a heart attack before she works herself down from the throes of panic. She’s a non bender, and most of the soldiers were killed by bending of some sort. The ones that weren’t, well, she wasn’t driving. It’s pretty clear Kobeni was a victim here, right? 

She closes her eyes, dead tired all of a sudden. Today started off so well, too…

“I’m sorry, Persephone,” she whispers. Her poor, poor car.

💥💥🥬💥💥

It took her two months to scrape up the money for repairs, and another couple of weeks for the repairs to be carried out, but eventually Persephone was whole once more.

Looking at her car now, Kobeni could scarcely believe the whole affair happened. She was content to pretend that it was all a horrible dream.

She enjoys the luxury of driving to the market for the first time in months, windows down to let in the gentle summer wind. Luck is truly on her side today; Kobeni is able to get a parking spot right by her stall, which makes unpacking so much easier.

It’s not like cabbages are heavy, but she’s got a lot of them to sell, and it’s nice not having to lug the crates for a block or two. Kobeni arranges the cabbages in their usual pyramid, and then she settles back to wait for the market to open.

Business is booming; in less than an hour, she’s sold half a dozen cabbages. Kobeni can’t stop smiling. Finally, her life is back on track.

And then a person falls from the sky at high speed— right onto her cabbages . They roll everywhere, getting in the dirt. They’re—they’re ruined .

“No, nonono NO!”

“Uh…sorry about that,” a soft voice says.

Kobeni looks down to see the…man? The man who ruined her cabbages by flying into them at high speed. His features are soft, feminine. He has shoulder-length red hair and white wings. Wait, wings?

She gapes at the feathered wings that extend from his back. It’s an impossibility, though looking at them makes her remember old stories, the kind told around campfires. Tall tales.

“Are you an air bender?” She blurts, wincing a second later at her tactlessness. The air benders are gone, killed. If any remain, they don’t advertise their existence.

The man who looks like an angel rises slowly to his feet. He takes the time to dust himself off and then looks at her almost curiously. “...Yes.” He digs through his pockets and takes out four gold coins, holding them out to Kobeni. “Here. To make up for the cabbages.”

“I–I can’t take that!” She stammers. “It’s way too much!”

He looks at her steadily, still holding out the coins. “Yes you can. It’s not just for the cabbages—Aki told me about you. Apparently they wrecked your car? Anyway, just take it.”

Aki…really remembered. He didn’t just say something to make himself feel better. Numbly, she takes the coins from the man and carefully puts them in her coin purse. 

“Thank you,” she says. “Or tell Aki thanks for me, I suppose—you’re friends with him?”

The man shrugs. “Something like that…my name’s Angel, by the way.”

“THERE YOU ARE!”

The yelling is oddly familiar, and Kobeni sees why a moment later; it’s Denji. The Avatar, though it’s hard to think of him as such when he’s so…juvenile.

“Your control still sucks,” Angel informs him. “You weren’t supposed to launch me that far.”

Denji scowls. “I’m still new to air bending! I’m getting better aren’t I?”

“Slightly,” Angel says. “I suppose.”

“You’re worse than Aki,” Denji groans, and then he finally notices Kobeni. “Oh, hey! Car girl.”

“My name is Kobeni ,” she says, louder than she meant to. “I was hoping we would never meet again.” Where is this boldness coming from?

Denji looks almost stricken—it’s weird. “Ah man…another chick who hates me. Why do all the girls hate me? I’m pretty fuckin’ cool you know!”

Kobeni clenches her trembling hands into fists. “Everytime you show up, you ruin my life!”

“Isn’t that kind of—”

A loud and horrible CRUNCH makes the world stop. Kobeni turns slowly to see Power perched catlike atop her car— her car . The roof is crumpled from the impact.

“BEHOLD!” She bellows. “I AM HERE!”

The world is still. Everything is silent, frozen in a delicate second.

“Muh–muh—my car! My car !”

Power laughs, just once, the sound sharp as a knife—and Kobeni loses it.

She’s never moved this fast before, never known she was capable of moving like this. Distance is nothing, time is nothing. Kobeni is on the hood behind Power now, holding her trusty switchblade against the girl’s throat.

One twitch and the blade will draw blood, but Kobeni’s hand is unerringly still. She stares at it uncomprehendingly; is that really her hand? She doesn’t think so. Kobeni’s hands are never still. They’re always trembling just slightly, it seems. She’d be a terrible surgeon.

Except here she is now, her knife nearly touching Power’s skin, ready to slice it open.

“Well!” Power says brightly, breaking the dead quiet. “She has hidden teeth, I see!” Power grins, and Kobeni knows it’s directed towards her even though Power can’t move enough to turn her head. “What’re you waiting for? Don’t have the nerve?”

At least her casual mockery knocks some sense back into Kobeni. She feels like herself again, and her hand starts trembling finely. Before she nicks Power on accident, Kobeni steps back, and tucks away her knife.

Meeting Power’s eyes feels like staring at death; Kobeni does it anyway. “I-I’m not a killer,” she says. “Unlike you.”

Power’s eyes become dull—she hadn’t realized they were extra bright until they’re back to normal. “Boring,” she sighs. “And I thought you were cool for a second!”

Kobeni blinks dumbly at her. “What?”

“Never mind!” Power sings, and she leaps neatly to the ground. “Denji! Let’s go have some fun before Aki shows up!”

“Yeah!”

The two of them run off, vanishing among the market crowds in just a moment. Now it’s just Kobeni, still sitting on top of her car (which she’ll have to get fixed, again ) and Angel, looking up at her with an unreadable expression.

“You move quite fast for a human,” he says.

She shrugs. “I guess.” 

Kobeni just…feels so tired. She’s going to have to sort through her cabbages, probably throw out most of them. And then later, deal with her car. Kobeni loves Persephone, but is it even worth having a car if it just keeps getting wrecked?

“Sorry about your car.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” she says, though she can’t say the words with any conviction. If Aki and Angel are the strange sort-of guardians to Power and Denji that they seem to be, then indirectly it is a little his fault, for not teaching her to behave better.

That’s a stupid way to think, though. She knows that. Power is old enough that she should know better. If she was still here, Kobeni might give her a lecture— not that she’d listen .

Angel just shakes his head. “Still…take this.” He passes her three more gold coins, and after a moment’s hesitation she takes it.

“How are you getting all this money?” Kobeni asks without thinking.

“Ah…” Angel looks a little sheepish. “We may have…stolen it. Don’t worry about it, we only steal from really terrible people.”

Honestly, she didn’t know what she was expecting. “Okay.” She slips the (stolen) money into her coin purse and resolves not to think too hard about it. 

“It’s been nice meeting you, Kobeni,” Angel says, lifting a hand in farewell.

Car and cabbages aside, Kobeni mostly feels the same. She is several gold coins richer than she was this morning, and that mostly makes up for it.

“Thank you for paying me back,” she says. “Oh, tell Aki thanks for me.”

Angel smiles briefly. “I will.”

Then he leaves, probably to chase after Denji and Power, who are no doubt causing havoc somewhere in the market. Hopefully he’ll catch up to them before any other cars are wrecked.

Although looking at it now, Persephone isn’t too badly damaged. A little dented, sure, but compared to last time, it’s not so bad. Maybe it’s a matter of perspective.

When she drives home that evening, despite everything, Kobeni is full of the feeling that everything is going to be alright. Her car will be okay, and so will she.