Actions

Work Header

Forever

Summary:

After an extended vacation with the love of her life, Asami Sato, Avatar Korra returns to Republic City to find it in the middle of a crisis, with many of its poorer neighborhoods still in ruins and triad activity on the rise in the aftermath of Kuvira's attack. Meanwhile, mummified corpses have begun popping up all over, prompting Team Avatar to investigate as a mysterious and otherworldly threat sets its sights on the people of Republic City.

Chapter 1: All Good Things

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Title 

 

Book Five
Chi

Chapter 1
All Good Things

 

It was as beautiful a morning as the Southern Water Tribe had ever seen. The scent of chimney smoke filled the air, and the seas were as calm as the sky was clear. A golden glow had washed across the endless white, and freshly fallen snow blanketed the tops of rustic southern homes, glimmering brightly in the morning sun.

It was here, in this sleepy southern town, that a young woman was beginning to stir. It was her first day back from an extended vacation, and she had been hoping to get more sleep than this. Unfortunately for her, however, she happened to be facing her bedroom window, her eyes fluttering open to the sunlight filtering in on her face.

The young woman rolled over with a groan. She hated mornings. But when her eyes had caught sight of the woman sleeping next to her, she immediately began to reconsider. There, lying next to her in her bed, the most beautiful, intelligent, and powerful woman in all the world was watching her with a smile. Her raven hair was awash in the morning glow, looking like a halo around her. Korra's heart skipped a beat at the sight.

“Good morning, Korra.”

She'd barely woken up, and already Korra was smiling. She could definitely get used to mornings if they were all like this.

“Good morning, Asami.” She groggily replied, a bit less graceful than she’d have liked. Waking up to Asami was nothing new by now, but every time still felt like the first time to her. Well rested and happy, Korra took a deep breath in through her nose and sat up in her bed. She stretched her arms above her head with a yawn and quickly took stock of her surroundings.

She seemed a little surprised at first as she saw she wasn't in the Spirit World anymore, but her bedroom. It was just as she had left it a couple weeks ago, not a paper or a possession out of place. As she looked back to Asami, she noticed she was still in her regular clothes, and as she checked herself, Korra noted she was as well. She couldn’t seem to remember why, though. The previous night’s events were still coming back to her as she shook off her morning haze.

“We’re home?”

“We are.” Asami smiled, crawling over to join her girlfriend on her side of the bed. Sitting up, Asami hung her arms limply around her Avatar’s shoulders and folded them into a loose hug, planting a small kiss on her cheek as she did. “We came back last night through the Spirit Portal, remember?”

Korra hummed. Had they? It was all kind of a blur.

“You must still be pretty tired.” Asami laughed.

“Yeah, I’ve never been the most alert person in the mornings...”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Asami teased, earning herself a playful sleepy elbowing from Korra. “Hey, I think it’s cute!” She defended.

“Yeah, well, I’m not cute, I’m a bad-ass.” Korra insisted.

“Whatever you say, cutiepie.” Asami countered. Korra just harrumphed. Pet names like that weren’t really her style. The second kiss she got after it certainly was, though.

For a couple of moments, the two sat there just like that, basking in the other’s presence. Neither really wanted to move or start the day, knowing that their vacation had come to an end, but they also couldn’t put it off forever. It took a few moments, but eventually, Korra had woken up enough to appear visibly alert. Letting out another yawn, she rested her head against Asami's.

"I really don't want to get up."

“Neither do I." Asami admitted. "Do you remember what happened last night now?” Asami asked.

“Well, I remember coming out to my parents.”

Asami laughed. “That was awkward.”

“Yeah, but, it went pretty well, all things considered.” Korra smiled. “Besides, I think my mom already knew, somehow. Friggin’… psychic mother-daughter bond, or something.” She shrugged. It was either that, or she'd gone through her discarded attempts at letters, but Korra was giving her the benefit of the doubt here.

“I guess it did, yeah. I'm still not looking forward going through it again when we get back to Republic City, assuming we make our relationship public.”

“Didn’t we already have this discussion back in the Spirit World?”

“Oh, right,” Asami blushed, remembering now. “Sorry, I guess I’m still a little tired too.”

Korra laughed. “Now who’s cute?”

“Still you~” Asami teased. Korra shook her head, then leaned in to kiss her girlfriend’s lips. The first real kiss of the day was always a special one, so she was sure to make it count, and even more sure to leave Asami wanting just a little bit more.

“No fair, I was just getting into it,” Asami complained.

“Don’t worry, there’s plenty of hours left in the day for that.”

Asami just gave her a pout in response, almost convincing her to let her have another. Almost. Instead, she just sighed.

“I’ve gotten too used to this.” Korra said.

“To what?”

“Just… us. To waking up and having you there next to me. To mumbling half-asleep and having you giggling like an idiot at me. To me, the Avatar, waking up looking like something the cat-owl dragged in, while you look as beautiful as ever,” And there went that giggle she was talking about. Korra loved that giggle. “Just… all of this, I guess. Vacation mode.”

“So I take it you’re not that excited to get back to Republic City then, huh?”

Korra shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong, Republic City is like home to me now, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Korra began, setting aside any fears or reservations Asami may have had about having Korra stay behind at the south pole again. “But, once we’re back… not only is it back to work, but, it’s back to home, for both of us. Me, on Air Temple Island, and you, all the way back at your estate. I’m gonna miss these mornings of ours.”

“Yeah...” Asami trailed, looking down.

“I haven’t been this happy in a long time.” Korra reassured her, holding onto Asami’s hands. “These last two weeks together have been perfect. Thank you.” At this, Asami smiled again, giving Korra another peck on the cheek. The Avatar smiled, blushing.

“You know… about going back home, I was actually thinking-”

Before Asami could finish her sentence, she found herself interrupted by the arrival of Korra’s mother, Senna, knocking twice on the bedroom door and then peeking her head into the room.

“I thought I heard talking. Good morning, you two!” Senna greeted from the doorway.

“Good morning,” Asami greeted sheepishly. Korra furrowed her brow.

“Can’t you at least wait for me to answer before you come in? What if we were, you know,” Korra suggested, about to make a motion with her hands that earned her an elbow from her girlfriend. “Ow!”

“Shh!” Asami begged. Senna laughed and shook her head.

“I was just about to get you two up for breakfast, come on.” She beckoned, dismissing her daughter’s statement and heading back into the living room, leaving the bedroom door open behind her. She could already smell it from here, the scent of her favorite meal wafting its way into Korra's room. Her mouth was already beginning to water. It felt like it'd been forever since she’d had a home-cooked meal.

“Oh man, Asami, you’re going to love this,” Korra said with excitement, rushing off of her bed. “I’ve been dying to get you to try some real Southern Water Tribe cooking, this is going to be great!” She exclaimed, still holding onto her girlfriend’s hand and begging for her to get up so that they could eat. Asami laughed at Korra's gusto, climbing out of bed after her and joining her on the walk to Korra's living room.

 

*** *** *** *** *** ***

 

Putting down her bowl, Asami bowed, thanking Senna for the meal. She hadn’t asked for seconds in a long time. She could see why Korra was so excited, now.

“See? What’d I tell you?” Korra asked, eager to hear Asami’s reaction.

“You were right, that was good. But, Senna, where did you find the time to make a stew? It’s so early,” Asami remarked.

“Oh, I had that cooking all night while we slept. I knew when you and Korra arrived and told us the news that I had to make something special.” Korra’s mother replied, taking Asami’s bowl and placing it in the sink with her own.

“I’ll say. Were those carrots I tasted in there? I didn’t think you could grow those all the way out here...”

Senna laughed. “Well, we can’t, but when your husband’s the chief, it’s a little easier to get your hands on imports.”

Upon hearing himself being mentioned, Korra’s father, Tonraq, looked up from his bowl, now well into his third bowl along with his daughter. The two of them appeared to have been engaged in something of a race. He and Korra had been scarfing down stew like it was their first meal in months. Hearing no followup though, he returned to the race, intent on beating his daughter this time.

“I’m so sorry you have to see this, it can be pretty horrifying sometimes,” Senna joked.

“Believe me, after spending a couple weeks alone with your daughter, I know .” Asami laughed.

“Hey, I’m not that bad! Usually,” Korra meekly defended. Asami just stuck her tongue out at her.

Finishing their bowls, as Korra asked for yet another, Tonraq looked dejected, unable to fit any more in his stomach. She had to have been on her fourth or fifth round by now. If Senna had intended for Korra take some of the stew home with her, there wouldn’t be much left to do that with. Waving the white flag, Korra grinned, slamming her bowl down with a pronounced thud and throwing up her arms, basking in her own glory.

“Tastes good. Tastes like victory.” She declared.

“Yeah, yeah, rub it in why don’t you,”

Korra laughed triumphantly.

“I’ve never seen anybody eat that much octopus that quickly,” Asami remarked.

“Yeah, well, like I said, this is my favorite meal. I could honestly eat more if I really wanted to, but I’m afraid you’d get sick.”

“You’re afraid I’d get sick?” Asami laughed. “I think that’s enough for now, though, yeah,” She agreed. Korra shrugged.

“So, when did you two get together, if you don’t mind my asking?” Tonraq spoke up, changing the subject.

“Hmm… I guess it was right after Varrick and Zhu Li’s wedding?” Korra supposed, putting a finger to her chin in thought. “We’d always been great friends, but, pretty much that whole time after I got back to the city was like a tipping point, I guess.”

“I think it was bound to happen sooner or later.” Asami added on. Korra nodded in agreement.

“We just… click.”

Korra’s parents smiled.

“So how was the Spirit World, then?” Senna followed up.

“Oh, it was wonderful,” Asami swooned.

“Two straight weeks of paradise.” Korra tacked on. “It was very...”

“Spirity.” Asami finished. Korra laughed.

“Yeah, spirity, that about sums it up.” She joked.

“I see...” Tonraq hummed, his glance shifting over to Asami. “Well, I couldn’t be more pleased. If I’m being honest, I’ve always preferred you over that Mako kid. Not that there’s anything wrong with him, he’s just kind of...”

“Boring?” Korra asked.

“A stick in the mud?” Asami compounded.

“Something like that,” Tonraq laughed. “I think you two will be very happy together.”

“So do I.” Korra smiled, sharing a brief glance with Asami. “I was honestly a little afraid how you guys were going to react when I told you. I mean, it’s not exactly…”

“It’s perfectly fine, Korra,” Senna assured. “Love is love, right?”

“We support you 100%, no matter who you’re with.” Tonraq agreed. “So long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters to us.”

Getting up from the table, Korra immediately went to hug both of her parents, feeling more thankful than ever to have them in her life. It was a sight that caught Asami off guard. Before she realized it, a tear had formed in her eye. She wiped it away quickly, hoping nobody had noticed, but Korra had.

“Asami? Is everything alright?” Korra asked, concern set in her face. Asami smiled, nodding.

“Yeah, don’t worry, everything’s fine, it just...” Asami paused, looking over at Tonraq and Senna. “The way you are with your parents, it kind of reminds me how things used to be with my family, before my mom died.” She explained. Korra frowned. “I know we just got together and all, but I just… I never thought I’d get the chance to be a part of something like this again.”

“Well, you’ll always be welcomed as a part of this family, Asami. I can promise you that.” Tonraq confirmed. Senna nodded in agreement, and Korra gave Asami a smile, one she quickly returned. Approaching the two girls, Korra’s parents embraced the both of them in another hug, and for a moment, Asami felt as though this could be her home, too.

“Thank you.” Asami whispered. Korra kissed her on her cheek, and the hug came to an end.

After breakfast, Korra and Asami enjoyed the rest of the morning with Korra’s parents. They told stories of when Korra was young, such as how she and Naga became friends, or all the stunts that Korra pulled during her training and her day-to-day life, while Korra and Asami told the two of their time together in the Spirit World, and moments together in Republic City. The last time Korra was here, she wasn’t in the best condition to be relaying stories, so a lot of this felt overdue.

It was a peaceful morning, all things considered – a small extension to their vacation together. With every passing moment, Asami felt more at home, and Korra couldn’t be happier. She was a little afraid Asami might not like it too much in the south, given how different it was from Republic City. This was her first time here without any business obligations to tend to. Thankfully, as Asami would go on to assure her, there was nowhere else she’d rather be right now. Korra was glad she was enjoying it here.

Eventually, the sharing of stories came to an end, and the group segued into politics – an unavoidable pitfall for Korra, considering she was essentially a world leader. This much was a little out of Asami’s depth, but she listened to Korra and Tonraq talk about their respective duties and the state of the world with intent. They’d been out of the loop for two weeks, so there was a lot of catching up to do. Korra couldn’t just keep goofing off forever.

“So, what about the Earth Kingdom territories and Kuvira, then?” Korra asked. At the mention of her name, Asami’s expression sunk a little. Expecting as much, Korra looked back in her girlfriend’s direction, but she assured her she was okay – this was part of her job description. Noting this, Senna offered Asami to help her in the kitchen, and the two left Korra and Tonraq to their discussion.

“Ah… well, things have actually been pretty calm since you and Asami left. Prince Wu’s plan to dissolve the monarchy has gone off without a hitch so far, and Izumi, Tenzin, and your cousins have been helping out where they can. There’s a lot of work left to be done, but nobody’s expecting any real resistance. As for Kuvira...” Tonraq sighed.

“Her trial is still ongoing. Thankfully, it's been progressing pretty smoothly since she was taken into custody. There’ve been some isolated pockets of resistance from remaining supporters, but nothing major so far. Predictably, the press has been making one heck of a spectacle out of it all, though. There’s no doubt that she's guilty, but, the nature of her sentence is still up in the air, from what I’ve heard.” He concluded.

“I see… honestly, I hope they don’t go too hard on her.” Korra said, prompting her father to raise an eyebrow. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, what she did was bad, and she should definitely be punished for it, but, I think she should be allowed to learn from her mistakes, too. I know there’s probably a lot of people calling for her head right now, but I don’t think she’s entirely beyond redemption.”

“Huh. That’s a very mature way to look at it.” Tonraq replied. “Sometimes I forget how much you’ve grown. But it’s honestly an honor to be able to talk to you like this. Not only as your father, but, as a fellow world leader, as well.” Though, Korra’s role went a bit beyond his, of course, being that she was the Avatar. Still, she nodded in agreement – it was nice.

“Given that the Water Tribes were never really all that affected by the whole Kuvira fiasco, I don’t really have much to say on the matter one way or another. But, if that’s how you feel, then I think you should see if you can’t take part in her trial. I’m sure that the Avatar’s opinion will be taken into consideration during sentencing.”

“Yeah… I think I just might.” Korra smiled.

It was around this time that Senna and Asami finished up in the kitchen, reentering the living room as Korra and Tonraq wrapped things up. Overhearing Korra’s confirmation of wanting to take part in Kuvira’s trial, Asami spoke up.

“If that’s the case, then we should probably get going tonight or tomorrow. I need to go check up on my company, anyway.” Asami said, taking a seat next to her girlfriend, who greeted her with a peck on the cheek.

“That’s right… doesn’t Future Industries hold contracts with the United Republic for the city’s infrastructure? It’d never even crossed my mind… has anything even been rebuilt since we left?” Korra asked, beginning to get a little panicked.

“Don’t worry about it, I already prepared for all of this in advance before I left,” Asami assured her. “I’ve told you about Ravi before, right?”

Korra thought for a moment. “He’s the guy who runs a few of your factories, right? The one you’ve known since you were a kid?”

Asami nodded. “I left him in charge of the company before I left. He’s actually the reason why I was a little late that day, if you remember that?”

“Oh yeah...” Korra remembered. Well, that was one mystery solved, she guessed. “Phew. Well, that’s why you’re the CEO and I’m the Avatar, I guess. I kind of just left a note for Tenzin, told my parents where I was going, and left.” Korra shrugged. Asami laughed. She made it sound so easy. “Anyway, I think I’d like to head out tomorrow and just spend the rest of the day here, if you’re okay with that? It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve been home, and I’d love to give you a proper tour if you’re up for it.”

“Sounds perfect.” Asami smiled. “Thank you again for the meal.” She directed to her girlfriend’s parents, bowing. Tonraq and Senna just pulled her and Korra into another hug.

“Of course.” Senna said.

“If you’re ever down this way, don’t be a stranger – we’d love to have you over.” Tonraq assured Asami. “That goes for you, too, little missy. Now that there’s a new Spirit Portal open, I hope you come to visit us a little more often.” He directed at Korra.

“I plan on it.” Korra replied.

“Okay, well, we’ll let you two get going then,” Senna said, smiling. “Have fun!”

“We will!” Korra called, running for the door with Asami’s hand in hers, pulling her along for the ride. She was still getting used to that.

As soon as the two of them stepped outside, Korra and Asami both were greeted by the familiar crunch of heavy paws in the snow as Naga came barreling toward them, full steam ahead.

“Naga!!!” Korra cried out with glee, arms wide open to embrace her best friend.

“Oh no...” Asami winced, fully aware of what was coming next as she and her girlfriend were knocked down into the snow by the overeager polar bear dog. While Korra rubbed Naga’s face, Asami found her face being covered in dog slobber as she was greeted the only way Naga knew how. “I missed you too, Naga,” She managed to get out.

“Oh, I’m so glad to see you!” Korra chirped. Asking for her to let them back up, Korra helped Asami to her feet and then hopped up onto Naga’s back, motioning with her head for Asami to follow along. “We’re taking the Polar Bear Dog Express today.” She smiled. Asami shook her head, smiling, holding out a hand so that Korra could help her up on Naga’s back, too.

Korra scratched Naga behind the ears while Asami wrapped her arms around her Avatar’s waist, planting a small kiss on her right cheek.

“Ready when you are.” Asami confirmed.

“Then we’re off!” Korra announced, directing Naga to take her and Asami into the village. Today was going to be a good day.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

Meanwhile, in Republic City...

A young, dark haired man made his way through the bustling city streets, as alive as they’d ever been even despite their somewhat cluttered state of disrepair and reconstruction. It’d been three weeks since Kuvira’s attack, two weeks since his two best friends left for an impromptu Spirit Vacation, and two days since his little ‘vacation’ had – thankfully – come to an end. And he couldn’t be happier for it. As of today, Republic City’s ace detective, Mako, was officially back on the beat!

It'd taken a while, but after some intense healing and rehabilitation, Mako’s arm was back in usable condition. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done about the scarring and his skin was still a little tender, so he had elected to wear gloves until he completely finished healing. Combined with the long sleeves of his RCPD uniform, you wouldn’t be able to tell just by looking at him that there was anything wrong; though, he was cautioned to take it easy while Firebending for at least another couple of weeks.

As he made his way to his new place of work, Mako went over the most recent events in his head, making sure he was up to date on everything he would be having to deal with.

Essentially, with the city still recovering from Kuvira, there had been an increase in crimes of all kinds – especially triad activities – which ultimately meant more work for the struggling police force. In order to try and keep up with this recent rise in criminal activity, a lot of former detectives and officers had elected to temporarily come out of retirement and lend a hand, and many more were being hired off the street and being taught the ins-and-outs as quickly as possible.

To do this, a lot of former retirees and veterans of the force – like Mako – were being saddled with partners who functioned more like apprentices, foregoing the usual training for what essentially amounted to on-the-job training alongside their more experienced counterparts. He couldn’t say that he was exactly pleased to hear the news, but he understood why the decision was made.

Despite all this, he was glad to be back. Besides, how bad could it really be? Maybe having a new partner to take under his wing would be fun. He just hoped they weren’t too wet behind the ears.

Rounding the last corner and arriving at his destination, Mako took a moment to take in the sight of the new RCPD headquarters. Along with City Hall, the police station was one of the first buildings in the city to be relocated, rebuilt, and expanded on, with more and larger rooms being added on in anticipation of a larger police force. There were even a couple levels below ground for the holding cells and coroner’s office, so far as he knew, which ultimately meant less travel for all involved.

Honestly, though, it looked even bigger than he thought it’d be; he kinda hoped he wouldn’t get lost.

Finished gawking, Mako climbed up the marble steps and passed through the double doors. As soon as he entered, he was met by a much larger crowd than he ever could've expected, one comprised of Metalbending officers, beat cops, and other low-ranking law enforcement officials.

Phones were ringing off the hook and papers were shuffling from desk to desk, a constant stream of officers entering and exiting the building passing him by to his right and left, some of them with criminals in tow. He’d heard that a lot of Metalbenders from Zaofu had elected to temporarily join the force until the city was in a more stable condition, but he never expected this many to have signed up for the job.

There were a lot of faces here that he didn’t recognize, and it wasn’t just because he hadn’t worked here in a while. A lot of these people were clearly out-of-towners. Along with all of the newbies and veterans from before his time, he could hardly see any familiar faces in the chaos that surrounded him.

“Home sweet home…?” He asked, looking around the room for his desk, which he assumed would be unmanned – an assumption which didn’t gel with any of the over 50 in this room alone.

“Mako, there you are! Took you long enough to get here.”

Finally, a familiar voice. Immediately snapping to attention, Mako turned to face the Chief of Police, Lin Beifong, an eager smile on his face.

“Detective Mako, reporting for duty, ma’am.” He greeted with a salute. “I’ve gotta say, I knew we were getting some new recruits, but I didn’t expect things to be so… lively .”

“Welcome to your new norm, detective. Your desk is on the second floor with all the others.” Lin said as she signed a stack of papers that had just been presented to her by a nearby officer, only to be presented another one as soon as she’d passed it off.

“Um… ‘all the others’?” Mako asked.

“Detectives,” Lin clarified, signing off on the second report. “We’ve got a lot more of them now. Veterans, mostly.” She continued to explain. Mako was surprised, but in a good way this time. Maybe this meant the workload would be a little more evenly distributed this time around. “Your new partner is already up there waiting for you. He just finished with his psych eval and basic training today.”

So even if they weren't doing the usual amount of training, they weren't sending new recruits in completely blind and unscreened, it seemed. Still, at the rate at which he’d heard they were being approved, Mako couldn't help but be a little concerned. Now that he saw how much of a mess things were down here, he was beginning to worry if maybe this partner thing was a bad idea. Rather than voice any of this though, Mako decided to keep this to himself.

“I understand ma’am. Anything else?”

“Yeah, your first case is already on your desk. I’m just gonna warn you now, it’s a weird one, and a little outside your element.” Lin remarked. Mako looked confused. Outside his element? “But the fact of the matter is, we’re still pretty understaffed for everything that’s going on right now, and I know for a fact that you’re one of the best I’ve got. It may not be what you’re used to, but I trust you to get it done right and to get it done quick.”

“Of course, ma’am. I’ll see to it that it’s resolved as soon as possible.” Mako assured in a dutiful tone, receiving a simple nod from Chief Beifong in response, which he took as his cue to get going.

Making his way to the elevator, as soon as the doors closed in front of him, he let out an exhausted sigh. Just standing in that room took a lot out of him. He really hoped the second floor wasn’t as crowded as the first, because if it was, he honestly had no idea how he was going to get any work done. Thankfully, when the doors opened a couple of moments later, he could immediately tell that it was not.

Though he could still hear sounds of construction coming from further back in the building, the area he would now be calling his office appeared to be more-or-less finished, save for a missing light fixture here and there, or some unpainted walls near the elevator. While a couple of phones were ringing here, too, in comparison to the floor below, it may as well have been dead quiet.

While he’d countered over 50 desks down below, there were less than half of that up here. There were 12 on each side of the room, and including his own, a little over a quarter were unoccupied. The way they were organized left a wide open area in the middle of the room which led from the elevator behind him to the Chief’s office directly in front, separated from the detectives with a frosted glass door and window, far and away from the hustle and bustle down below. Now this, he could work with.

And speaking of working with...

Spotting his nameplate on one of the desks closest to Lin’s office, Mako found a rather familiar face sitting behind it, fiddling around with the drawers and occasionally looking up to scan the room, as if he were waiting for somebody. Mako knew exactly who that was. He just really hoped he wasn’t here for the reason he thought he was.

“...Bolin? Why are you at my desk?” He asked, a hand on his hip as he looked accusingly in Bolin’s direction.

Perking up at the sound of his brother’s voice, Bolin immediately stood up and gave Mako a salute. “Surprise!!! Junior Detective in training Bolin reporting for duty, sir!”

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me...” Mako groaned, putting his hand to his forehead. Admittedly, Bolin didn’t look bad in uniform, but... “Seriously? You’re my new partner?”

“Yeah, isn’t it great!?” Bolin responded, immediately breaking from his previous military-like stand to attention.

“Now, I know what you’re thinking: since when has Bolin been all about police work? Well, let me tell you, Mako, my time in the army has changed me. I’m a new man! A better man! When I was working for Kuvira, I thought I was doing the right thing and actually helping people. It turned out that I wasn’t, but here, I can actually do some good and help Republic City get back on its feet in the process – and with my brother, no less! This is gonna be GREAT!” Bolin reaffirmed, practically shouting with excitement.

Well, so much for that calmer atmosphere Mako was looking forward to.

“Well, this is certainly… unexpected.” Mako replied, scratching the back of his head.

“The best things in life are often the most unexpected.” Bolin recited with a finger in the air, nodding sagely at the end. Mako just rolled his eyes and sighed, motioning for Bolin to move so he could take a seat at his desk. Bolin took a seat at the opposite end, pushing a folder that was on his side of the desk over so it was in front of Mako, instead.

“Li-I mean, Chief Beifong, told me to just stay here and read over the report while I waited for you. Apparently, a body was found outside of a home in the old Downtown area, maybe a dozen blocks or so from the new Spirit Portal. She wants us to go look into it.” Bolin explained.

“...Really? This is the ‘weird case’ she told me about? A body in the slums?” Mako asked. “That part of town isn’t exactly the most stable right now, this isn’t anything out of the ordinary out there. What’s she want me investigating this for?”

Bolin shrugged, making a sound roughly equatable to an ‘I don’t know’, leaving it to Mako to find out for himself. Sighing, the Firebending detective opened the folder and began scanning the pages, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

“Oh yeah, she also told me to tell you once you’re done reading the report to head down to the morgue. Oh! And to take me with you. Something about on-the-job training? I dunno, sounds like fun to me!” Bolin said with some excitement.

“‘Fun’? I don’t think you’re taking this job seriously enough, Bolin. There’s nothing ‘fun’ about this.” Mako scolded.

Continuing to read the file, it wasn’t until he got to the end that Chief Beifong’s comment finally made sense, Mako’s eyes going wide. Hurriedly, he flipped through the pages of the document back to the beginning, double-checking to make sure he didn’t misread something. He hadn’t.

“...Bolin, are you sure that this is right?” Mako asked. Bolin shrugged.

“Well, that’s the file Lin gave to me, so, I guess so? I dunno, I wasn’t the one who wrote it. Why, what’s wrong?” He asked. Mako’s eyes narrowed. Maybe this was going to be a weird one after all. He was just going to have to see for himself.

“...Come on. We’re heading down to the morgue. It seems you and me are gonna be working homicide today.” Closing the file and taking it with him, Mako immediately made off for the elevator while Bolin just sat there for a moment, registering the situation.

“Wait… homicide? As in, murder?” Bolin asked. Somehow, even after reading over that report himself, it hadn’t exactly clicked for him that that was what he was going to be investigating until just now.

Realizing by now that his brother had gone on without him, Bolin shook his head, snapping back to reality and stumbling over himself and his and his brother’s desk as he ran out of the office in pursuit.

“Mako! Hey! Wait for me!” He called. He could already tell this was going to be a long day.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

“Now that is how you end a vacation.” Korra sighed, falling back into a soft mound of snow behind her, exhausted.

She’d heard the expression ‘Time flies when you’re having fun’ before, but, it’d never applied to her quite like this. Maybe it was because she was heading back to Republic City tomorrow, or because she’d spent the whole day hanging out around town with Asami, but as the sun set over the water, she had to say, she was pretty sad to see it go.

“You’re better at snowball fights than I thought.” Korra mentioned with a laugh, glancing over at the panting raven-haired girl to her left. Asami looked to be maybe twice as exhausted as Korra was, but also several times more triumphant, a wide smile on both of their faces as she rolled over in their mound to face her girlfriend to her right.

The both of them were a total mess, disheveled and with bits of slowly melting snow all over both of their clothes, their faces beet red with both happiness and exhaustion. Not even a minute and a half prior, the two of them were engaged in the snowball fight to end all snowball fights, a teasing toss by Korra inadvertently starting a war of wintry attrition that she was amazed she’d actually lost.

I mean, really, how does a Waterbender lose a snowball fight? Not that she was complaining, of course – that was the most fun she’d had in ages – but still! It wasn’t right!

“I know right? Who’d have thought I’d be able to beat the Avatar? What a pushover~” Asami teased.

“In a snowball fight!!” Korra rushed to correct her, a little embarrassed. “Enjoy it while it lasts, Sato. Next time? You’re mine.” Korra warned playfully in response.

“Oh, is that so? Well, we’ll just have to see about that~” Asami teased once more, brimming with confidence.

While the two of them shared a laugh, Naga raised her head from behind a larger snow mound maybe a dozen or so feet away from them, cautiously checking to see if the coast was finally clear. Seeing the two girls now lying calmly in the snow together, the polar bear dog got up and walked to be closer to the both of them, curling up and lying down a couple of feet to Korra’s right, staring out over the sea. The look in her eye was the look of one who had seen things.

“Aw, I’m sorry Naga, did we get you in the crossfire?” Korra asked, sensing her pet’s mild frustration. “Ah, the cost of war is just too high, even if it’s a snowball war...” She joked. Asami shook her head. This girl…

Reaching out with her gloved hand, Asami grabbed Korra’s, holding onto it tightly and looking up at the sky as the sunlight began to fade and the recently restored southern lights took their place. Sighing with contentment, Asami watched while they danced along across the sky, the orange hues of the setting sun giving way to a mix of dark blue and green, the first couple of stars just starting to come into view.

For a couple of minutes, the two of them laid there, just like that, watching the sky and taking in each other’s company, neither daring to say whatever may have been on their mind. Neither of them wanted this day to end, but both of them knew it was only a matter of time now. Soon, they’d be back in the city, and from there, back to work.

“I really don’t want this to end.” Korra finally spoke up. Asami turned her head to look at her.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you know… this. Us.” Korra attempted to clarify, only serving to confuse Asami more.

“You make it sound like we’re never going to see each other again.” Asami replied. “...You’re not breaking up with me, are you?”

“What? No! No, of course not – trust me, I love you way too much to break up with you, that’s not it at all,” Korra clarified further, immediately easing Asami’s mind. She didn’t think so, but… she had to be sure.

“I just mean… I don’t know, I’m greedy. I don’t want this vacation to end. I want to spend every day with you, like we have been. These last couple of weeks have been some of the best of my life. I know they don’t really make up for 3 years of lost time, but it’s a start. And… I’m kinda hoping… …I dunno.” As Korra talked, she never once turned her head to look at Asami, instead keeping her eyes affixed to the sky above, trying to find the right words to say.

“I guess… what I’m saying is,” Korra paused, taking a deep breath and steeling herself for what was to come. Finally, she turned her head, meeting Asami’s gaze with her own. “I want to live with you.” She announced. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, no matter how I end up doing that. Whether it be as your friend, or your girlfriend, or… your fiancee… …or your wife…” Korra bit her lip. Wow, this was awkward.

Asami’s eyes were intense, urging Korra to continue. She wasn’t going to say anything until she was sure that Korra was done. But, instead of continuing, Korra sighed, closing her eyes and sitting up, catching Asami by surprise.

“Korra…?” She asked, also sitting up, only to find that her girlfriend was now digging through her coat pockets for something she’d tucked away earlier on. Whatever she was looking for, it seemed to have Korra so flustered, she couldn’t remember what pocket she’d put it in. Then, suddenly, Korra stopped, a very ‘aha!’ look on her face. She’d found it. Taking a deep breath, Korra finally continued.

“I, uh… I made this a couple days ago, in the Spirit World… I just, wasn’t sure when I was going to give it to you until today. I was thinking of holding off a little longer, like, maybe this is too soon… shit, I’m sure it’s too soon, but, knowing that everything’s going to be going back to normal soon and that we’re going to be more busy than ever with the city and the Earth Kingdom and all of that stuff, I thought… maybe… maybe now wouldn’t be such a bad time after all,” The Avatar prefaced.

“Korra, you’re rambling.” Asami teased.

“Right, sorry,” Korra blushed.

“Anyway, um, I guess the easiest way to say it is just to explain it. For the Water Tribes, it’s custom that, when two people are betrothed to one another, one of them carves a necklace for the other, as an expression of their love and as a sign to others that they're promised to somebody else. Normally, it’s the guy who makes one and gives it to his bride-to-be, but, we’re both girls, so I figured, since I’m the one with the Water Tribe background...” Korra looked away.

Korra was blushing harder than she had since she and Asami had shared their first kiss. It wasn’t lost on her how crazy this was – they’d only officially been together for a couple of weeks, and already she was talking about moving in together, and betrothal necklaces, but… even still…

Opening her hand, Korra revealed to Asami the necklace she had created, carved from a stone she had taken back from the Spirit World. Etched into the rock, she appeared to have carved the shape of a gear rising from the ocean, a symbol meant to represent the two of them together.

Accepting the necklace into her hands, Asami was silent, just holding onto it and staring at it for a moment. This was really happening, wasn’t it? Korra was serious. There was no mistaking that look in her eyes. This was a betrothal necklace. Korra was giving her a betrothal necklace. Though on the inside her mind was racing, and she felt as if her hands were shaking, on the outside, she was actually remarkably composed. So composed, in fact, it was actually setting Korra a little on edge. She didn’t just make a mistake, did she?

“…It’s too soon, isn’t it,” Korra blurted out, her face growing even redder. “Damn it, we’ve only been together two weeks… what was I thinking? It doesn’t even look that great. I mean, what do I think I am, some sort of artist?” She complained, already having started to beat herself up.

“…Korra,” Asami half-whispered. Korra didn’t seem to hear her.

“Please tell me I didn’t just ruin this for you. I don’t mean to take things too fast, I just… all those years away, the letters, the pining, the way you cared for me after Zaheer… it feels like we’ve been together so much longer, so, I don’t know, I guess I just thought that-”

“Korra.” Asami repeated, louder this time. Korra stopped talking immediately, looking Asami in the eyes. Korra almost seemed to be on the brink of tears. Now that just wouldn’t do. Placing her hand beneath her girlfriend’s chin, Asami leaned in close, staring deep into her eyes as she spoke. “You talk too much.” She said, gently pulling Korra in for a kiss. Suddenly, Korra didn’t seem to be such a nervous wreck anymore.

“I-I… that was...” Korra stammered, not really sure how to react.

“Shhh.” Asami hushed. “The answer is yes.”

“...What?”

“I accept your betrothal necklace. I'll be your fiancee.” Asami smiled. “I'll marry you.” She promised. Korra just sat there, her eyes wide and jaw hanging open.

“You… you what?” Korra asked. Asami laughed.

“It doesn’t have to be right now. In fact, it definitely shouldn’t be right now. It’s way too soon, you’re right about that,” Asami confirmed, causing Korra’s heart to sink just a little bit. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t still promise myself to you. I feel the same way you do. I feel like… even if we never really said it, in a way, we’ve been together longer than just a couple of weeks.” Asami said.

“You do?”

Asami nodded. “But this is still new for us. It’d be a good idea if we waited a bit before we actually, you know, tie the knot.” Asami said with a blush. “But that’s what the necklace is all about, right? It’s a promise. A promise that we’ll always be together, and that, when the right time comes…”

“Y-Yeah,” Korra confirmed. “I figured… things are gonna be crazy these next couple of months… couple of years, even. Republic City is expanding, your company is growing faster than ever, and who even knows what’s going to happen with all the Earth Kingdom territories, but…” Korra paused for a moment. Asami waited for her to continue.

“Whatever happens, I want it to happen with you and me. I want you to know I love you, and I’ll always come back to you, even if our jobs take us far apart for a while. So… that’s kind of what the necklace is about. This way, when everything’s over and done with, and things are stable again, if we still love each other… this way, I can make you mine. Forever.” She stumbled to explain. Asami just smiled, kissing her again.

“Well, you know what they say. ‘All good things come to those that wait’, right?” Asami replied, the remark combined with her kiss prompting Korra to blush even harder.

“I love you, Korra.”

“I love you too, Asami.”

Sharing one more kiss with one another, while it was shorter in duration than the first one, the feeling behind it was no less intense. Slowly pulling away, Asami laughed beneath her breath, trying on the necklace for the first time.

“Um, what do you think of it, by the way?” Korra asked.

“I think it’s beautiful. Thank you, Korra.” Asami replied. “So… how do I look?” She asked.

Korra didn’t even have to think about how to reply to that. For once, she felt like she knew exactly what to say.

“Snazzy.”

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

Back in Republic City, Mako and Bolin had made their way down to the second basement of the new police precinct and entered the city morgue. They were now following the medical examiner down the hall. While Mako appeared to be all business, re-reading the document while he walked, Bolin was looking around with an uneasy look on his face. He immediately didn’t like it here.

In a way, the M.E.’s demeanor wasn’t exactly helping the situation, either. He was a wordy fellow with thick, horn-rimmed glasses and thinning hair, somebody whose personality was the total opposite of what you’d expect from a guy who made a career of carving up dead people - legally, of course. Ever since the two of them stepped off of the elevator and started walking down the unusually long hall, he was prattling on and on about one thing or another, so much so that even Bolin had almost entirely tuned out.

“...but sadly, I never did see Gou again, after that. Oh, the things I would have done differently… ah! Here we are! Exam room number 5. It would appear we have arrived at our destination at last, my good fellows!” The doctor finally announced, drawing Mako’s attention away from the report and back to reality.

Entering the room, while the M.E. grabbed his coat from the rack just inside, and Mako held the report underneath his good arm, Bolin scanned the room. Though he tried, he couldn’t help but stare at the tools on the tray across from the examination table that the body bag was on.

“Sorry for making you track me down like that, things have been quite hectic lately, but I did enjoy our little chat on the way back down here! It’s not often a man like me gets to reminisce with the living, you know.” The M.E. informed. “Anyway, I must say officer Mako, in all my 15 years here with the precinct, I’ve never seen a body quite like this one. Let me just warn you now, you may find its appearance to be rather… disturbing.”

“Detective,” Mako corrected. “And don’t worry, Dr. Lou. I think we can stomach it.” He assured, nudging Bolin back to attention with his elbow.

“Oh, right, sorry, uh… yeah! What Mako said.” Bolin nodded. Mako sighed.

“Very well then, as you wish.” Dr. Lou replied.

Unzipping the body bag, what greeted the brothers looked less like a fresh corpse and more like an ancient mummy, its flesh dry and shriveled and its eyes absent from its sockets. It looked as though all of its blood and bodily fluids had been drained away, which, as it happened, was exactly what was described in the report.

It was almost as though the body had been stowed away for some time and simply left at the scene, but, according to an incident report included in the file, a suspect wearing clothes matching the description of the victim’s had been seen lurking around that area shortly beforehand. Furthermore, there was the additional detail of a report of illegal bending by the owner of the house outside of which the body was found.

No matter how Mako looked at it, nothing about the body or the circumstances surrounding it made much sense. But, they didn’t really have much to go off of to start with. He was beginning to see why the Chief had warned him in advance about this one, though, and why she seemed to want it wrapped up quickly. Once word got out, people would start asking questions, and if the police couldn’t give them answers… well, the last thing they needed was a panic right now.

“…Oh. Oh spirits. That is… wow. That is just horrible . It looks like a raisin, only… people shaped… … oh,” Bolin sputtered out, clearly taken aback by the body in the bag and immediately looking away. “Wow, that is just… wow.”

“He told us it was going to be disturbing.” Mako chastised. “Besides, the file clearly stated that it was mummy-like in appearance, you should’ve been prepared for this. Did you even read the report?”

“...I skimmed it,” Bolin shamefully replied. Mako facepalmed.

“Whatever. I don’t have time for this right now. Next time, make sure you have a better idea of what you’re getting yourself into.” He scolded, turning his attention back to Dr. Lou. “I know it was already written in the report, but I have to ask, do you have any idea how old the body is? It may have shown up today, but it hardly looks new.”

“Yes, yes, it’s actually quite fresh, despite all appearances to the contrary. I thought maybe it had been dug up or something, but it shows no signs of decay, even despite its rather… degraded appearance. It was a perfect, almost instant mummification, and it appears to be fairly recent, as some of the flesh still hasn’t completely dried up yet. It was almost as though something came up and just sucked the life right out of him, the poor soul.” Dr. Lou explained, shaking his head.

“I see… do you have any idea what could have caused this, then?” Again, the M.E. just shook his head.

“No, I’m afraid not. Maybe a Waterbender would be capable of something like this, if they were feeling especially vicious, but, this seems more in line with what a Bloodbender might be capable of doing to me, and we’re at least a week away from the next full moon.”

Bloodbending? Mako sure hoped not. He’d had his fill of Bloodbenders already.

“But even then,” Dr. Lou continued. “I would expect some sort of trace to be left behind. But here, there’s nothing. It’s really quite perplexing, I’ve never seen anything quite like it before.”

Mako sighed. Well, it certainly was ‘weird’. Though, looking at it now first-hand, ‘horrifying’ seemed the more apt description. Giving the doctor the go ahead to zip it back up and place the body back in storage, Bolin quickly interrupted.

“Wait!” He cried out, grabbing the doctor’s arm. Mako sighed.

“What is it now, Bolin?” Mako asked, clearly annoyed.

“I think I saw something,” Bolin announced, noting that neither of them had pointed it out yet. “What is that? On its face?” He asked, pointing.

Mako and the M.E. were confused. On its face…? The young detective tilted his head, leaning in to take a closer look but unable to see anything.

“…What are you talking about? There’s nothing there.” Mako retorted.

The doctor, however, was intrigued by the new officer’s assertion, deciding to take a closer look with a magnifying glass and an extra light. While Mako may not have seen it, the professional certainly had. It was slight, but… it was there. He was shocked Bolin had noticed it when he’d completely missed it before, himself.

“Well I’ll be,” Dr. Lou began. “You have good eyes, my boy; there appears to be some minor discoloration around the facial area, though I can’t quite make out what it is or what could have caused it. The skin is far too shriveled up.” Dr. Lou rubbed his chin, thinking to himself for a moment.

“Wait… what?” Mako leaned in for an even closer look, trying to see if he could see any discoloration, now that he knew what he was looking for. But no, everything seemed… oh. Well. What do you know.

There, from around the subject’s mouth and all the way up to his forehead, an irregularly shaped, slight discoloration had appeared. What’s more, the skin around the face in and around the discoloration appeared to be a little more dry than the rest. It almost looked like it was starting to flake off, if only a little bit. Still, it was barely noticeable. Mako was impressed that Bolin had seen it at all.

“I believe I may be able to get a better look if I can manage to re-hydrate the skin… I’ll see what I can do and perform a second examination. I’ll be sure to look for more signs of discoloration this time, too. I’ll phone you with my findings as soon as I can.” He concluded.

“Huh… wow. Good job, Bolin. I never even noticed that.” Mako congratulated, genuinely surprised to have missed something, and even more surprised Bolin picked it up before he did.

“It’s okay bro. Even though looking at this thing creeps me out, these are the sacrifices we must make while protecting and serving. Perhaps you are just too stoic for your own good, and somewhere beneath that ice cold Firebender veneer of yours, there is a terrified, screaming child, wanting nothing more than to look away.” Bolin posited somewhat poetically, earning a glare from his brother.

“Don’t push it.”

“Sorry,”

“Well, anyway, I don’t think we’re going to find anything else here right now. Thank you for your time, Dr. Lou.” Mako bowed.

“My pleasure, detectives.” The doctor bowed back.

“Let’s go, Bolin,” Mako said, loosely motioning for him to follow as he jotted down another note into the file and turned to leave the room.

“Mako? Wait up! Now where are we going?” Bolin asked.

“Home. It’s getting late.” Mako replied, stopping in front of the elevator to finish his notes and close the file. “First thing tomorrow morning though, we should head back to the scene of the crime to investigate. Seems you and I have got a bona fide mystery on our hands.”

“Yeah… mystery… great…” Bolin trailed. Mako raised an eyebrow.

“Is something wrong?”

“I dunno, I just… I didn’t think this was how my first day of being a cop would go. I thought I was going to be out on the streets, chasing down shoplifters and beating up bad guys and stuff. You know, protecting the peace, like a real life mover! Not holed up in some basement staring at creepy mummies.”

Mako shook his head. As he thought, Bolin hadn’t really thought this whole thing through before joining up.

“Well, that’s part of being a cop too, Bolin. Sometimes, bad guys kill people, and sometimes, they do it in some really nasty ways. Either way, it’s up to us to figure out who did it and why and to put a stop to them before they kill again. I’m not really used to this kind of case myself, I’ve never worked homicide before, but these things happen and sometimes you get wrapped up in them whether you want to be or not.” Mako explained. Bolin was silent.

“Besides, nothing about this seems right to me. We may be dealing with something more than a simple murder, here. Consider this a chance to keep the peace by tracking down whoever did this before they do it again. Killers with an m.o. this specific usually strike more than once.”

“Yeah… I guess you’re right. If this is part of the job too, then, I’m just gonna have to suck it up and deal with it.” Bolin sighed.

“Exactly. Lin put us on this case for a reason. I’m sure she has faith in our abilities – both of us.”

The look on Bolin’s face said otherwise.

“Yeeeaaahh, right, about that,” Bolin nervously trailed, rubbing the back of his head. “Actually, Lin was initially against me joining the force, she didn’t think I had what it takes and basically laughed me out of her office when I applied. Raiko was the one who put in a good word for me and got her to give me a chance. I guess that, combined with the time I helped her and Opal free Su and everyone from Kuvira-”

“Waitwaitwaitwaitwawait – Raiko? What does he have to do with any of this?” Mako asked. That guy was the reason he got stuck with Prince Wu for 3 years. He was really starting to piss Mako off.

“Welllll, remember that time Varrick tried to kidnap him and you tried to warn everyone but you were in jail because Varrick had set you up and nobody believed you? Apparently, he remembered that and told Lin to give me a chance.”

So that was it… now that Mako thought about it, it made a lot of sense. He knew Lin wouldn’t have given Bolin a chance without some sort of outside factor. He thought maybe she’d seen something in him, but… well, maybe she did? The answer was likely somewhere closer to the middle, he reckoned.

“But! I did pass basic training, so hey! Like you said, this is my chance, and I’m gonna take it! No more Bolin: The Goofball – from now on, there is only Bolin: The Cop!” Bolin announced. Mako shook his head.

“Yeah, a really goofy cop.” Mako teased with a smirk.

“Pssh,” Bolin hand-waived. “You’ll see.” He assured.

Again, Mako shook his head. Then, suddenly, he was down on his knees, the sound of the file under his arm hitting the floor grabbing Bolin’s attention.

“Gah!” Mako cried out, grabbing on to his left arm, a sharp pain shooting up along its length.

“Mako!” Bolin yelped, immediately getting down to see if he was alright. But Mako didn’t reply, his grip on his arm tightening. It felt as though every muscle was involuntarily twitching, as if his skin was on fire. Compounded with its already tender nature following his injury, the agony he was feeling was immense, and it showed. A cold sweat overtook him and his teeth threatened to break under the amount of pressure he was putting them in, clenching down hard.

“Mako, what’s wrong!?” Bolin asked.

Finally, after a couple more seconds, the pain had subsided, disappearing just as quickly as it’d appeared. To Mako, it felt like an eternity. Panting heavily, he unclenched his teeth and loosened the grip on his arm, trying to get his bearings. The look in his eyes said this was something he was used to.

“I’m okay,” He said, raising his hand from his arm to his forehead instead. Another headache. They always seemed to follow attacks like these.

“No, you’re not. You just collapsed out of nowhere!”

“I said I’m fine, okay?” Mako reassured. “This just… happens, sometimes. It has for a while now.” Bolin still wasn’t buying it.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

“I don’t know, it wasn’t important.” Mako said, rising back to his feet. “I’m sorry if I scared you. Since you’ve been staying with Opal, you haven’t really seen me during an attack. This was a bad one, though...”

Bolin hugged his brother, careful not to put too much pressure on his bad arm. “Have you told a doctor?” He asked.

“They think it’s just nerve damage from the lightning feedback.” Mako explained. “But if you ask me, I… well, I don’t know. Never mind.” Okay, well, Bolin wasn’t going to ignore that .

“You what? Come on Mako, don’t leave me hanging here. This is important!” Bolin stressed.

“It’s stupid.” Mako replied. Bolin pressed on.

Mako ,”

“Okay, fine! Fine,” Mako relented, putting up his hands. “I know it’s ridiculous, and it doesn’t make any sense, but… every time my arm starts acting up like that, something bad ends up happening.” He explained. Bolin raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?”

“The doctor says it’s probably just a coincidence, that I’m overthinking it. Maybe I’m a little clumsy after an attack, because I’m trying to reorient myself. Maybe my reflexes are a little slower than they used to be, and I haven’t adjusted yet. But. Every time it acts up, I or somebody nearby me ends up getting hurt.” Mako said.

“...And you said that’s the worst one you’ve ever had?” Bolin asked. Mako was silent, but the look on his face said enough. Bolin gulped. “Does that mean…?”

“I don’t know.” Mako interrupted, shaking his head.

“But suddenly, I think I’m starting to get a bad feeling about this case.”

Notes:

If you feel like you're experiencing deja vu, you may have read the original version of this story once before, which has now since been abandoned and orphaned. Basically, it was a mess, and I wanted to finish it, but I also wanted to improve it. I consider it now something of a rough draft, and this version to be the 'true' Forever.

I first started writing this story *right* after the finale back in 2014, so this has been a long time in development, and I actually ended up calling quite a few things that ended up happening in Turf Wars. But, since this was written long before it was announced, it is only canon compliant up until the comics. Everything else is gonna be a whole new adventure.

I really, *really* hope you enjoy everything I have in store for you guys - this has been a long time coming!

Also, HUGE thanks to tumblr user l-a-l-o-u for making the gorgeous poster for this story! It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen,,,

Chapter 2: Reconstruction

Summary:

Korra and Asami are going back to Republic City! While the newly betrothed lovers enjoy what little's left of their vacation, Mako and Bolin's investigation begins in earnest. Returning to the scene of the crime, the brothers hope to find some clue as to the identity of their victim, or their killer.

Chapter Text

Book Five
Chi

Chapter Two
Reconstruction


The following day, Korra and Asami were dressed and ready to go.

Asami had phoned ahead for one of her ships to come pick them up the night before, and the two of them had broken the news of their betrothal to Korra’s parents as soon as they got home. Not that the necklace didn’t make that clear enough already. But, they had received their blessing, though they did show a little concern that maybe they were rushing things. Once Korra had assured them that they didn’t plan to run off and get married for another few years though, they were a little more understanding.

Packing the last of her bags and hugging her parents goodbye, Korra saddled up on Naga, pulling Asami up right behind her.

“Next stop, the harbor!” Korra announced, setting off with one final wave goodbye to her parents. Then once they’d faded into the distance and the two of them were well into the thick of the Southern Water Tribe, Korra decided to pop a question that’d been bugging her since the night before.

“You know, not that I’m complaining, since it means I get to spend a little more time alone with you and all, but,” Korra began, glancing back at the girl who had her arms wrapped around her waist. “Why did you call for a Future Industries ship? We probably could’ve made better time taking the Spirit Portals.” She asked.

“Well, my company didn’t stop working just because I wasn’t there, you know. This gives them a little extra time to prepare for my arrival and put together a briefing so I’m up-to-date on all our projects around the city.” She explained rather matter-of-factually, almost catching Korra by surprise. Not that it was any secret that Asami was the more practical one between the two of them, but still.

“Huh. That makes sense.” Korra supposed. Asami giggled.

“Yeah, but I also did it because I wanted to make our vacation just a little bit longer.” She admitted.

“Great minds think alike, huh?” Korra asked, laughing. “I’ve gotta say though, I’m a little excited to get back. I’ve really missed Republic City.”

“Yeah, me too,” Asami agreed. “Not that I’m looking forward to the mountain of paperwork and projects I’m gonna have to review, but, I am excited to get back to city planning. Ravi’s good too, and he and I agree on a lot of things philosophically and design-wise, but nothing beats climbing into the driver’s seat yourself and drawing up a new map.” She swooned. Korra laughed again.

“Whatever you say, Sato.” She replied. “I know it’s only been a couple weeks, but it feels like a lifetime. I wonder how much has changed?” She thought aloud.

“Well, it has only been a couple of weeks, I doubt anything that drastic has happened.” Asami reasoned.

“Mm… yeah, I guess you’re probably right.” Korra agreed. “I think as soon as we get back to the city, I’m gonna go to Air Temple Island and collect all of my things from my old room,” she went on to announce.

After solidifying their betrothal, the two of them had decided that Korra would be moving in to the Sato Estate, with Asami. It was big and a little lonely for her to be there on her own now, especially now that Mako and Bolin’s family had moved out with the rest of the city’s refugees, electing to return to the Earth Kingdom territories.

“While I go and do that, you can go check on your company and we can meet up again later to see Mako and Bolin.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Asami agreed. “I’ll meet you on the island, so don’t feel like you have to go looking for me; I’m sure you and Tenzin will have a lot to talk about. You’re probably the first Avatar to ever spend so much time at once in the Spirit World.”

“That… is a good point actually.” Korra said. “Well, either way, I can’t wait.”

“Yeah… it’s gonna be good to be back home.”

“Republic City, here we come!” Korra announced.

Reaching the edge of the harbor now, Korra and Asami climbed off of Naga’s back, leaving what little luggage they had on her saddle as they led her along behind them. From there, it wasn’t that far of a walk to make it to Asami’s ship, and in no time, the three of them had made it aboard. As the vessel started its journey back to the shores of the United Republic, Korra couldn’t help but take one last look at her hometown behind her, before it faded completely from view.

Standing here, watching it shrink off into the distance, she felt like she was 17 again, heading out on her own to Republic City for the very first time. Although, to be fair, she was a stowaway back then. Actually, come to think of it, she was on one of Asami’s ships back then, too, wasn’t she? Or at least, one of her company’s ships. It was almost poetic, in a way.

As the southern ice disappeared over the horizon, Korra could feel it, somewhere deep down inside of her. She wasn’t sure where it was coming from or how she knew, but she did – this was going to be one hell of an adventure.


*** *** *** *** *** *** ***


That’s right folks, you heard it here first! World-famous mover star Ryuuki Ayatsurishi is coming to Republic City to premiere his new film! A dramatic tale of murder, mystery and romance, ‘The Dancing Dragons’ promises to change the mover industry forever! And, as if that weren’t exciting enough, we here at the Republic City Chronicler have managed to snag an exclusive radio interview with the man of many roles himself! Mr. Ayatsurishi, tell us, what’s it like being back in Republic City for the first time since Kuvira’s devastating attack?”

Please, Chun, call me Ryuuki. She’s a little worse for wear, but there’s still nowhere else I’d rather be than Republic City. After all, it was this city that gave me the opportunity to become the man I am today. I owe my entire fortune and career to this city and its people for giving me the chance to follow my dreams, so for that reason, I’ve decided not only to premiere my new film here free of charge to whoever may want to see it, but to also donate a large sum of my own money to help out with the reconstruction efforts.”

Are you serious!?”

I am. It’s not much, but it’s the least I can do to help a city that helped me. I believe that movers are art and that art can change the world, and I hope that by donating some of the money I’ve made from my movers, I can help be a part of that change. On top of that, this city’s been through so much, I feel a free mover and a bit of celebration could be just what it needs to help take its mind off its troubles – just for a little bit.”

Incredible! You heard it here first, folks! Truly, you are a generous man, Ryuuki – Republic City thanks you from the bottom of her heart!”

And I thank her.”

Now, I’ve come to learn that your mover actually takes its name from a lesser-known Firebending form. It’s no secret that you yourself are quite the talented Firebender, so tell us, have you ever practiced this ancient ‘dance’ yourself? How does its title relate to your new mover?”

Haha, no, I’m afraid it’s not one of the forms I ever got to practice, though I’m definitely gonna give it a go now if I can ever get the chance. As for how it relates to the mover, ‘The Dancing Dragons’ tells the story of a torrid love affair between two Firebending-”

*CLICK!*

“Ah, Mako, hey! I was listening to that! It was just getting to the good part, too!” Bolin cried, sitting on the passenger side of an RCPD cruiser. “Movers have come such a long way since the days of Nuktuk… *sniff*”

“Yeah, well, you can read about it in the paper and relive your glory days later. We’re here.” Mako replied, opening the door and climbing out of the Satomobile.

Bolin huffed. “They’re not my ‘glory days’, Mako; I’m not some washed-up has-been. I could easily get back into the business anytime I wanted! I’ve just been busy,” The former mover star defended, his voice lowering slightly at the mention of having been busy. Mako shook his head.

“Whatever you say, Bolin.”

Taking a moment to look around, Mako could feel his heart sink. It’d been a long time since he’d been to Dragon Flats and things had changed, a lot. He tried not to come to the more run-down parts of the city like this unless he absolutely had to, and when he did, he tried not to take it all in, but something about today made that difficult. This was never considered a particularly safe or affluent area even before Kuvira’s attack, but now?

This part of the city was messy, broken down, crime-ridden – there wasn’t a single house without some sort of damage to it, no shop without some boarded up windows and a broken facade, not a single family that wasn’t struggling to get by.

There were areas of the city that were largely unaffected, sure – plenty of them. But there was only so much space to go around and more displaced people than the city could accommodate. Expansion, while progressing quicker than anybody ever could’ve imagined, was still going to take time. But it was no secret that the city was putting more effort into expansion than reconstruction, especially when it came to the more lower-class neighborhoods like this.

It pissed Mako off to think about for too long. He may not have been the biggest fan of movers, but part of him hoped that what that Ryuuki guy said was true, and he was donating some of his money specifically for the sake of reconstruction. Heck, even Varrick was throwing some money this way, though he, too, was more interested in expansion than anything. Where did that leave the people here who had nowhere else to go?

“Yo, Mako, are you okay?” Bolin asked, noting that his brother had fallen silent. “...Is it your arm again?”

“What...? Oh, no, sorry. I’m fine. I was just thinking about how terrible all of this is. This used to be such a beautiful city, but now...” Mako sighed, shaking his head. “Kuvira will have to pay for what she’s done. Not just to this city, but every city.”

Bolin fell silent after this, a look of guilt on his face. No matter how much he may have wanted to take it back, he was still part of that.

“I’m sorry.” Bolin said. “I’m sure she’ll get the punishment she deserves.”

Mako moved on. “Let’s go. I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to.” Bolin quickly followed behind.

Taking a look around while they walked, Bolin, too, took in the sad state of things around here. Places close to the old Downtown like this one were some of the worst-off and most overcrowded, by both humans and spirits. Though, strangely, he couldn’t see any spirits out on the streets today – an unusual sight ever since that portal had opened. He made a quick note of this in his notepad, but immediately shrugged it off. Mako was more important right now.

“You know, you should have Korra take a look at your arm when she gets back from her vacation. She’s actually a pretty good healer! Maybe she can figure out why it’s bothering you and–”

“This should be the place.” Mako interrupted. Bolin seemed a little hurt.

“Wow. You know, for a Firebender, you can be pretty cold sometimes. If you don’t want to talk about something then just say so.” Bolin harrumphed, crossing his arms. His brother didn’t respond.

While Bolin hung back by the police tape which had cordoned off the part of the street where the body was found, Mako took the lead and knocked on the pop-marked wooden door of the Che residence. At first, there was no response. Mako knocked again. But it wasn’t until the third knock that somebody finally answered.

“I told you thugs before, whatever it is you want, we ain’t got any!” Came the voice from beyond the door.

“Um, Mr. Che? This is Detective Mako, from the RCPD. I’m here to follow up on the events of the other night. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions?”

“What? A cop? Ugh, even worse! I told you everything I know already, so go away!” Mr. Che shouted in reply. Clearly, he was not a man who wanted to be disturbed.

“Sir, please, it’ll only take a minute. I was just hoping you could–”

“I said no!” Mr. Che interrupted. “Now please, go away! The last thing my family needs right now is to be seen talking to the fuzz!”

Mako sighed. Today was going to be a long one, wasn’t it?

“Well, it looks like we’re on our own with this one, Bo.” He complained, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Bolin frowned. “Wow… people are really scared around here, aren’t they?”

“Can you blame them? Not even the RCPD likes coming around here anymore, the Triple Threats basically run this place. He probably thinks the body is gang related and that if he’s seen talking to the cops, they’ll come pay him a visit. And the worst part is he’s probably right.”

Bolin frowned. That just didn’t seem right. Bringing his finger and thumb to his chin in thought, it wasn’t long before he had a new idea. If talking to them as a cop wasn’t going to work, then maybe…

“Here, let me give it a shot,” Bolin requested, cracking his knuckles and pushing past Mako to get to the door.

“Bolin, wait,” But it was too late – by the time he tried to stop him, Bolin had already knocked on the door.

Mako sighed again. “Great, now he’s going to be uncooperative and angry.”

“Now what!? I thought I told you guys to go away!” The man behind the door shouted again, audibly more upset than before. But Bolin persisted.

“Sir? Hi, I’m Bolin, I’m new,” Bolin began. “See, this is actually my first case, and my partner and I could really use your help. I’m sure you saw that body we took away yesterday, right? Man, that thing was creepy, huh? I felt like I was gonna be sick just looking at it. Anyway, I don’t know about you, but I wanna find whoever it is that can do that and get them off of the streets as quickly as possible, but in order to do that, we really need your help. Right now, you’re the best lead we’ve got.”

Really? That was his plan? Mako rolled his eyes. “Bolin, let’s just go.” He suggested, but Bolin refused to budge. He was about ready to pull him back to the car by force, when suddenly, Mr. Che elected to answer.

“...Did you say your name was Bolin?” He asked. “Now, why does that sound so familiar...”

“You might know me better as Nuktuk: Hero of the South? I also used to be a Pro Bender for a while there – the one and only Earthbender of the spectacular Fire Ferrets! Well, unless you count the Avatar. Technically, she was a Waterbender, but being the Avatar she could bend all four elements so she was technically an Earthbender, too, so I guess I wasn't the ONLY Earthbender of the Fire Ferrets, but–”

“Did you just say Nuktuk?”

“...Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me.” Mako facepalmed.

Much to his chagrin, the door finally opened. Standing there in the doorway was a man with a thick mustache who appeared to be in his mid-to-late 40s, his family huddled together behind him. From what Mako and Bolin could see, this included a wife and a daughter of about 10. The look on the man and his daughter’s faces said it all.

“I don’t believe this...” Mako groaned.

“IT IS YOU!” Mr. Che cried, his daughter excitedly pushing past him and practically screaming when she saw Bolin’s face. When she pulled him into a hug, the man apologized, pulling her away and vigorously shaking Bolin’s hand. Meanwhile, his wife watched from the doorway, shaking her head. It seemed Mr. Che was feeling a lot more hospitable now.

“Why didn’t you say so before? My daughter and I are huge fans of your movers! Nuktuk: Hero of the South, defender of all that is right and sworn enemy of the evil Unalaq!” Mr. Che recited with a laugh. “Man, whatever happened to you? Why would you join the police?”

“It’s a long story sir, but basically, I just felt like I wasn’t doing everything I could’ve been. I wanted to be a real hero, a real Nuktuk, so I thought, what better way to do that then to follow in my brother’s footsteps and join the police?” Bolin confidently replied. “Like I said before, we could really use your help here. This is my first case, but it has us completely stumped, so if there’s anything you think you could tell us, anything at all, I’d really, really appreciate it.”

“For you? Of course, anything you need!” Mr. Che replied. His daughter held onto his arm.

“See, Mako? This is what happens when you act less like a sourpuss and more like a regular person,” Bolin claimed.

“No, this is what happens when you used to be famous.” Mako disagreed.

“Used to be?” Bolin, Mr. Che and his daughter all asked in unison.

“Never mind.” Mako relented, deciding to remain silent from here on.

“Right! So, if you could walk us through what happened one more time?” Bolin asked, pulling out his pen and notepad.

“Of course. Like I told the other detectives, sometime late at night, around 1AM maybe, my family and I were woken up by flashing lights and what sounded like fighting coming from outside. The triads are constantly fighting over territory these days, so we thought maybe it was another turf war, but something just felt… off.” Mr. Che described. Bolin raised an eyebrow.

“Off?”

“I don’t know how to describe it other than I had this really sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, and the air around me felt really, really heavy. All of my hair was standing on end. Then there was a flash of bright light and everything just stopped, and the feeling went away. After things had quieted down for a couple of minutes, I took a look outside the window, but it was too dark to see. I assumed whatever was going on was over now and whoever was out there had run off, so we went back to sleep.”

“I see… hmm...” Bolin hummed, jotting down a couple of notes. Something he said seemed to have caught his interest, but for now, he wanted to let the man finish. “So when did you find the body, then?” He asked.

“That would be yesterday morning.” Mr. Che recalled, his expression becoming more grave. “I was checking the house to see if any damaged had been done when I found it. Most horrible thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I’m just glad my daughter didn’t see it.” The little girl’s grip on his arm tightened. She could tell her father was upset and it seemed to have her a little on edge, something Bolin immediately took note of.

“Don’t worry,” He reassured her, lowering himself down to her level. “Whatever happened here, it’s not gonna happen again. Officer Bolin and his partner Grumpy the Firebender are on the case now.” He half-joked, earning him a small smile. “Now, these lights you saw, can you remember what color they were?”

“The lights?” Mr. Che asked.

Bolin nodded. “Something you said got me thinking, but I need to know what color they were to be sure.”

“Hmm… I think they were white.” Mr. Che nodded. His daughter, however, disagreed.

“No, no, they were blue, like the sky, but really, really bright.” She insisted.

“Oh? Well, maybe… they were so bright, they seemed white to me, but my eyes aren’t what they used to be.”

It was then that Bolin had an ‘aha’ moment, his face perking up. Hurriedly, he scribbled something down into his notebook which he promptly underlined, twice. He knew exactly what that was. “That sounds like Lightningbending to me.” He claimed. That immediately caught Mako’s attention.

“My brother here can bend lightning too, so I’m familiar with the feeling. The bright lights, the colors, the sickening feeling – it sounds exactly like a Lightningbender. It can be really unsettling if you’ve never really been around it before; all of your hairs stand up and the air feels really heavy, and awful. It’s a lot of energy to be around.” Bolin explained.

“He’s not wrong.” Mako agreed. “But if you were inside the building while everything was happening, then whoever it was must’ve been throwing around a heck of a lot of lightning for you to feel it from so far away.”

“Maybe our victim was the Lightningbender?” Bolin suggested. Mr. Che nodded.

“That would make more sense. The body I found looked more… mummified than burned.” He shuddered.

“Either way, whether they were the victim or the attacker, it gives us a place to start.” Bolin smiled. “Thank you so much for your help. I know we kind of hounded you into coming out here.”

“Nonsense! Anything for the mighty Nuktuk.” Mr. Che smiled back. Suddenly, Bolin remembered.

“Oh, right! You two are fans, yeah? I might technically be on the clock right now, but since I'm here, how would you like an autograph, anyway?”

The man and his daughter didn’t even have to say anything. Her scream of glee was answer enough. Jumping up and down excitedly, she ran back inside only to come back out a moment later with a Nuktuk poster in hand. “It’s my most prized possession,” She announced, happily handing it over to Bolin to sign. “Just make it out to Li Li, your biggest fan!”

“And Wang Ping, too!” Mr. Che hurriedly tacked on.

Nodding, Bolin did as requested, throwing in a few extra words of encouragement (from Nuktuk, of course) and a second signature alongside his own (also from Nuktuk). Taking back the poster, the girl squeaked, running back inside to show her mom while her father shook his head.

“Thank you. Things have been really hard since Kuvira happened. I haven’t seen her smile like that in so long.” He said, once again shaking Bolin’s hand.

“No, thank you – you two have helped us out a lot. I wish you guys good luck!” He cheered, saying his goodbyes to the family of three.

“I can’t believe Nuktuk just got us a lead.” Mako complained. “I really hope you don’t let this go to your head.”

“Mako, please. I’m a professional.” Bolin replied, throwing back his hair and strutting confidently back to the cruiser.

Mako could only sigh. It seemed he was right after all. Today was going to be a long day.


*** *** *** *** *** *** ***


Basking in the noonday sun, Korra stood atop the deck of her new fiancee’s ship. She was leaned up against the railing, watching with a smile while spirits and fish alike skipped along the water’s surface all around. Closing her eyes, she made sure to take it all in. The breeze on her skin, the scent of the ocean, the sound of the waves – if there was one thing she missed about her life in the south pole, it would be this. Sailing.

The last time she’d done it, she was completely alone, albeit by choice. She thought it was what she needed at the time, and in a way, it was. It was the beginning of a lot of traveling on her part, but by the end of it all, she supposed she found what she was looking for. It was the start of the path that led her back to to peace, and balance, and most importantly of all, to Asami.

“Fiancees, huh…?” She thought aloud, opening her eyes. “We’ve come a long way, haven’t we Naga?” She asked, addressing the polar bear dog curled up on the deck behind her. Naga raised an ear in response. “To think, not even a year ago I was wondering if I’d ever be the Avatar I used to be, and now–”

“And now you’re the greatest Avatar of all time.” Asami interrupted, coming up behind her. Korra just laughed.

“I’m flattered you think so, but I think I’m gonna be a little humble this time and disagree.” She replied. First time for everything, she supposed.

Asami smiled, leaning in and giving her fiancee a kiss. “I thought I might find you up here. Clearing your head?”

“Something like that. Being stuck in that ship all day was getting a little gloomy for me.” Korra explained.

“I figured it might. I just got done talking to the captain, he says we should reach Republic City by tomorrow afternoon.” Asami took a spot on the railing next to Korra.

“That soon, huh? I kinda wish you called for a slower ship.” Korra half-joked, prompting a giggle out of her fiancee. “I was just thinking of the last time I went sailing before you showed up.”

“I don’t think you’ve told me about that.”

“It was a little over 6 months ago, when I told my parents I’d be coming to Republic City. I got close to returning, but… I just wasn’t ready.” Korra frowned. She still felt a little guilty about that. “I still wasn’t in the best place back then, but I was trying. I wanted so badly for things to just be normal again, to be back with you and everybody else. But in the end I ran away.”

“It’s okay. I can’t imagine how you must’ve been feeling at the time.”

“Mm. I guess it was a good thing that I ran, though. If I hadn’t, I probably never would’ve met Toph and gotten the last of the poison out or anything. I wouldn’t have started the journey that led me here, to you.” Korra smiled. Asami smiled, too. “It’s funny how things work out sometimes. What seems so horrible at the time can sometimes seem so important in retrospect, like… like… like a stepping stone to something bigger and better than what you had before.”

“That sounds like something Iroh would say.” Asami teased. Korra laughed.

“He kinda rubs off on you after a while.” Korra remarked, reminiscing about their time with him. Her smile grew wider. “I still can’t believe you actually beat him at Pai Sho. The look on his face was priceless.”

“Like I said before, daughter of an evil genius~” Asami basked, flipping her hair for show. Korra loved it when she did that.

“Hot.” Korra remarked, staring intently and with a rather suggestive look on her face. Asami elbowed her gently, causing her to laugh. “Everything's changing so much lately, but for once, I couldn't be more excited. Tomorrow's going to be a great day, I can feel it.”

“Yeah. Me too.” Asami smiled. “So… the sun’s gonna be setting soon, and we've still got a night and a morning to ourselves before our vacation is officially over. Wanna head back down below deck and see if we can't make the most of it?” She asked with eyebrows raised, eliciting a knowing grin from Korra in response.

“Girl, you just read my mind. Bet you I can make it back downstairs before you can.” She wagered, the same grin that was on her face making it's way over to Asami's.

“Oh, you are so on.”


*** *** *** *** *** *** ***


As the sun set over the Republic City skyline, Mako let loose a tired yawn. As he’d suspected, it’d been a long day. He just didn’t think it’d be such a boring one.

After returning from the Che residence, all that awaited the two brothers was studying and paperwork. While Bolin elected to take care of the latter, Mako took care of the former, digging through book after book of registered Lightningbenders and cross referencing them with missing persons reports or criminals known to hang out in the Dragon Flats area. It was a long, tedious process, but it had to be done. Bolin had scored them their first solid lead and somebody had to follow up on it.

Of course, all of this work was assuming their victim was even a registered bender in the first place, and doubly assuming that they were the one to bend lightning at the time of the attack. It was entirely possible that they were an unregistered immigrant or a previously uncaptured triad goon, or even just some random Zhou who neglected to register his abilities with the United Republic. While Lightningbending was more common now than it was 100 years ago, it was still fairly uncommon and, more importantly, controlled.

Given the current state of the body, matching faces was impossible, and not every name in his books had a photo ID attached. But, using the estimated height and weight before death of their victim, he could, theoretically, narrow down the list a bit. Theoretically being the operative word. So far, he’d had no luck.

Looking up from his books, he found a not-so-neatly stack of papers filled out and ready to go, and his brother’s sleeping face drooling on top of them. Rolling his eyes, he figured it was up to him to wake him up before he ruined them all.

“Bolin. Hey, Bolin,” Mako began, shaking his brother. Reluctantly, Bolin stirred.

“Huh? What? I'm awake, chief...” Bolin mumbled, stretching out his arms with a yawn. “...Oh, Mako. What’s up? Did you find our guy?”

“No, not yet. But hey, it’s been a long day. Why don’t you head back to your apartment and get some sleep? I’ll stay behind and finish up here tonight. We’re still waiting on that call from Dr. Lou, anyway.” Mako suggested. Bolin shook his head.

“No, no, it’s fine, I can stay a little while longer,” Bolin claimed between yawns. “It’s not like I have anything to do until later, anyway. I’m taking Opal out to dinner at 8; one of our favorite restaurants just reopened this week and I promised her I’d take her tonight. But until then, I’m all for a little bit of overtime!”

“Uh, Bolin? It IS later. It’s almost 8 right now.” Mako wasn’t sure if there were words that could adequately describe the look of sheer terror that overtook Bolin’s face in that moment, and quite frankly, neither am I.

It was the kind of look you’d see on somebody walking in on somebody doing something that shouldn’t be walked in on. The kind of look you’d expect an ant to make as it realized it was about to be crushed by a boot. The kind of look you make upon discovering that 100,000 angry hornets have made a nest in your bedroom and you’re allergic to hornet stings. It was that kind of look.

“OHHHHHH CRAP. Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap!” Bolin cursed, pulling at his hair as he jumped up from his seat and ran in place, looking around the room for an exit. “I can NOT miss another date, Opal's ready to kill me as it is! Sorry Mako, looks like I'm not gonna be able to help tonightaftERALLGOODLUCK!!!” And with that, Bolin dashed out of the room at supersonic speeds, leaving the detective alone with his list of benders.

With his brother gone, Mako leaned back and stretched, letting loose another tired yawn. Much as he may have wanted to follow in Bolin’s footsteps and get out of here, he didn’t have such a convenient excuse he could justify it to himself with. Working overtime was kind of his thing, anyway. Like the officers always joked, Mako was practically married to that desk of his.

After a moment more of silence, Mako sat back up straight and prepared to get back to work. These names weren’t going to cross-reference themselves, he thought. But just as soon as he’d returned to the books, as if on cue, the phone on Mako’s desk began to ring . Picking it up almost immediately, he thanked the spirits for saving him from more reading.

“Hello? …Oh! Dr. Lou! So you figured it out? …I see. …Okay, got it, I’m on my way down.” With the message he’d been waiting for finally received, Mako hung up the phone. Picking up the file on his desk, he walked across to the elevator and headed down to the morgue. With any luck, this would be the break in the case he’d been hoping for.

Arriving at the morgue about a minute and a half after hanging up the phone, Mako walked out into a long, dimly lit hall. He passed by a number of dark, empty rooms before coming up on the one he was looking for – Room #5 – which also appeared to be the only one currently in use. Either this place was a little understaffed, or Dr. Lou was as much a fan of overtime as Mako was.

“Ah, detective Mako my boy, you move quickly ,” Dr. Lou greeted with a laugh, looking up from his desk and motioning for him to come in. “No partner, today?” He asked.

“‘Fraid not, prior engagement.” Mako replied.

“Mm, shame, but I guess we can’t all be married to our work.” Dr. Lou mused.

“So you said I might actually be able to identify the body now?”

“Ah, yes, I’ve managed to re-hydrate it somewhat; it looks more like a floater than a mummy now. It’s not perfect, but, it’s better than what we had before, I suppose.” The M.E. replied, accompanying Mako to the examination table. In front of them was a much different, but still rather disturbing body. It wasn’t something Mako wanted to spend any extended amount of time looking at, in fear it’d find him in his dreams.

“With any luck, this will be good enough a reconstruction to identify the poor soul. As you can see, the discoloration your partner noticed last time is a lot more well-defined now, as well. As it happens, it’s–”

“A hand print?” Mako interrupted. Dr. Lou nodded. It was a little distorted still, but there was no mistaking that shape. “So he was burned, then?”

“Aha, now that’s where this becomes interesting,” The doctor smiled. Mako raised an eyebrow, turning from the body to Dr. Lou alone. “It looks like a burn, but it’s not! There is no heat damage to the epidermis as one would expect to find, none at all! If I were to compare it to anything, it would be more akin to a tattoo than a burn, but there is also no ink in the skin whatsoever. It’s really quite the mystery what caused it, but it’s plain as day what it is. Whoever did this, I haven’t the slightest clue how.”

Answer one question, open the door to another. Great. And here Mako was hoping for the key to cracking the case.

“You’re just lucky that I’m a Waterbender, my boy! I’m not sure an ordinary person would’ve been able to re-hydrate him like this otherwise. Though I have to admit, I’m rather surprised how well it turned out, all things considered.”

It wasn’t a terribly uncommon trait to have in the medical field, Mako supposed. He did wonder why someone with healing abilities like Dr. Lou would choose to surround himself with dead patients rather than living ones, but Mako wasn’t here to pry into the man’s personal life. So, returning his focus to the body, he – somewhat reluctantly – took a closer look at the man’s face.

Suddenly, he thought he recognized him and double checked his list. It was difficult to gauge details like age with the condition he was in, but he was recognizable enough that after a couple of seconds, he’d matched the face on their victim to a face from his registration book.

“Two-Faced Kazuo...” Mako announced.

“Whom?” Dr. Lou inquired.

“He was an enforcer for the Triple Threats, and a pretty high-ranking one at that.” Mako identified with confidence. “After having read through his file earlier, I’m almost surprised somebody managed to kill him. He took down a lot of cops and fellow gang members alike in his time, thus the name. There aren’t many people who’d want to mess with him.”

Suffice it to say, he wasn’t somebody that Mako was going to shed any tears over. Still, he had to wonder who would – or even could – have taken him down? He was pretty well-known on the streets according to his file, and crossing the Triple Threats typically wasn’t good for a person’s health. The way he saw it, this was most likely either a crime of opportunity and somebody had managed to catch him off guard, or the work of a rival gang.

The only thing that didn’t track was the way he was killed. It was just too abnormal, even for the Triads – it wasn’t like anything he’d ever seen before. As the doctor had explained earlier, it was always possible that this was just some horrifying new form of Waterbending, but it seemed to be closer to Bloodbending in execution. But that wasn’t something just anybody could do, and virtually no one could do it without a full moon.

Unless Yakone happened to have had some more kids running around that nobody knew about, a Bloodbender probably didn’t do this. Besides, it didn’t track with the other information he knew from reading over the autopsy report. Whatever did this had drained him of more than just blood, it had drained him of everything. Every drop of liquid in his body was gone. Even his internal organs were shriveled up and dry.

If Mako  was being perfectly honest, this didn’t seem like bending at all. It almost seemed… inhuman .

“...Doctor, during your second examination, did you come across anything that might be able to help explain what did this to him?” Mako asked.

“Well, no, but... I did notice something a little strange when I was trying to circulate the water through his body.”

“Strange? Strange how?”

Dr. Lou turned around, removing his thick, round glasses to look Mako directly in the eye, the look on his face markedly more serious than it was before. So it was that kind of strange. “Put simply, detective, this man has absolutely no chi left in him whatsoever.”

“Now, I know what you’re thinking – why would a dead man have any chi? But chi doesn’t just suddenly disappear when you die. It’s stored in all of your muscles, bones, energy pathways, your internal organs – it leaves your body gradually as it decays. Unless somebody has been dead for a couple of months – which I can assure you, this man was not – then normally, you’d expect to find something . But this man has none. It’s almost as if it were drained from him along with every fluid in his body, and for that, I have no explanation.”

The look on Mako's face became decidedly more grim. Bending that could remove chi? Was that even possible? The more he heard, the more he began to side with his gut on this one. This did not seem human.

“...You don't think...” Mako began, considering his options carefully before he asked the question. “You don’t think a spirit could have done this, do you?”

Dr. Lou remained silent. This was not a normal death. The virtual mummification was one thing, but to completely drain a body of chi? There was no bender that could do that. This was, quite simply, beyond him.

“That... detective... is something you're going to have to figure out for yourself.” The M.E. slowly replied, putting his glasses back on. “I’m afraid I’ve done all I can with Mr. Kazuo here. I don’t think his body has any more secrets to be divulged. I will be returning it to storage and submitting my report to Chief Beifong in the morning.” He announced, putting the body away before grabbing his hat and coat. It seemed that while Mako continued to stand there considering the possibilities, the M.E. was preparing to leave the morgue.

Dr. Lou shook his head, sighing. “You should go home and get a good night’s sleep tonight, my boy! Doctor’s orders.” He said. “Whatever happened here, I get the feeling you’re going to want to go at it at 100%. You can ask the Chief for my number should another body like this one present itself, but for now, I’m going home. Goodnight, detective.”

With that, Dr. Lou gave a short bow and left the room; he’d seen all that he needed to see for one night. But Mako lingered for a couple moments longer. If this really was because of some sort of spirit, then Korra sure picked one heck of a time to disappear on vacation.

Letting loose an annoyed sigh, Mako rubbed the bridge of his nose. The doctor was right. He'd been at this all day; a little relaxation couldn't hurt. All he could do now was hope whatever did this to Kazuo, it wouldn’t do it again. Because if it really was what he thought it was, no police force in the world could possibly apprehend it.

Chapter 3: Pomp and Circumstance

Summary:

After a lone meeting with Dr. Lou, Mako has come up with a shocking theory as to the identity of the killer in his and Bolin's mysterious 'Mummy Maker' investigation! Meanwhile, Korra and Asami return to Republic City and are immediately bombarded by the press, while Varrick has begun inviting friends and colleagues to a major mover premiere!

Chapter Text

Book Five
Chi

Chapter Three
Pomp and Circumstance

 

The following morning, in Republic City’s rapidly expanding business district, a tall, dark skinned man sat behind a desk beneath which he could barely fit his knees. His frame was far too large for what had clearly been designed with somebody else in mind, but he made do. On closer inspection, the nameplate on his desk read ‘Asami Sato, CEO’. But this man clearly wasn’t Asami Sato.

His name was Ravi, and he was the acting CEO of Future Industries while its rightful head was taking a well deserved break. Just by looking around, it was apparent that this room wasn’t his own, and it wasn’t just because of the desk. Personal effects of Asami lay everywhere, primarily in the form of unfinished concepts and meticulously drawn-up blueprints. Combined with the occasional picture or two, he looked how he felt – a stranger in somebody else's home.

This wasn’t to say he didn’t appreciate the room’s décor, however. Asami always did have a thing for reds. The color was adorning the lush carpet below and painting the walls in paler shades, and Ravi blended right in. His hair was an uncommon shade of red that he’d swear up and down to be natural, and his eyes, a striking forest green. Suffice it to say, with his height to top it off, he was not somebody you would easily lose in a crowd.

All around him, the sounds of construction raged. Unlike many buildings in Republic City, Future Industries Tower still stood after Kuvira’s attack. This wasn’t to say it escaped the battle unscathed, however. Considerable damage had been done to its foundations and internal structure, and its facade was now a little worse for wear; it simply wasn’t built with earthquakes in mind. But that was what that battle had essentially subjected it to with every heavy footfall of that giant mecha suit.

Thankfully, Zaofu’s decision to help rebuild Republic City meant that there was a surplus of Metalbenders at the ready, and it hadn’t been long before the building was safe to enter again. While he’d only had the chance to use this office these last couple of days, he’d gradually begun making himself at home.

Where Asami’s designs would’ve once been spread across her desk, there were now only documents that it was his job to review. A case of cigars could be seen to the left, and a chunk of what appeared to be meteorite was situated on a pedestal nearby. Sitting on the right of the desk, a folder bearing the name of Varrick Global Industries sat at the top of a small pile.

Whether he liked it or not, Ravi was a very busy man. It came as no surprise then that he’d be in the middle of signing another contract when a knock at the door had caught his attention.

“Mr. Ravi, sir,” Built like a twig, a man whose voice did not match his appearance walked into the room. He was Asami’s – and for now, Ravi’s – personal secretary, Li Wei. “I’ve just received word from Captain Hayato. Ms. Sato and the Avatar will be back by late afternoon today.”

Ravi smiled. As expected from their fastest ship. “That’s good news. Thank you, Li Wei.”

The secretary bowed and then left the room.

Picking up his meteorite, Ravi leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and studying the rock with his hands. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate Asami’s faith in him, but this was just not his kind of job. He was happy to hear she was returning. He was less happy, however, to hear another knock at his door and a distressed Li Wei begging whoever was knocking not to enter the room.

“Ravi! Good to see you! How’ve you been!?”

Entering the office uninvited and entirely unannounced was Sir Varrick of the Southern Water Tribe. And just when Ravi thought he was going to get a little rest, too.

‘Typical Varrick’ , Ravi thought. A sigh escaped his lips as he sat back up in his chair to meet his new business partner face-to-face.

“Ah, Varrick, hello. I wasn’t expecting you.” Ravi calmly welcomed. Varrick didn’t really seem to be paying that much attention. Instead, his focus was on the temporary CEO’s new office space. It’d been a long time since Varrick had been in this room, and he couldn’t help but take a peek at what its rightful owner had been designing in her spare time.

“Nobody expects me, kid, not even me. All part of the Varrick experience!” He  announced, briefly investigating one of Asami’s concepts and then haphazardly tossing it behind him. Thankfully, his new wife, Zhu Li, was there to catch it and neatly put it back where it was before it hit the ground.

“I’m so sorry for the intrusion,” She apologized.

“Nonsense, Ravi loves me!” Varrick insisted. “I see they finally gave you the keys to the kingdom, huh? This is much nicer than that dingy closet you were in last time I swung by. It suits you!”

“Thank you…  I think? But it’s only temporary.” Ravi reminded him. “So, Mr. Varrick, what can Future Industries do for you today?”

“Hm?” Varrick appeared confused. That’s right – he totally forgot to mention why he was here.

“Oh, no, actually, it’s what I can do for you! See, I’ve got some primo seats lined up for the premiere of that new mover they were talking about on the news, so I’m inviting a bunch of people and making a night out of it! We’ve all been working our butts off lately building and rebuilding this city, so I figured, why not take a night off, relax, enjoy some quality entertainment?” Varrick exuberantly described. “I’m telling you Ravi, this Ryuuki kid’s a talent like I’ve never seen. it’s like he was BORN TO LIE!”

While Varrick’s… eccentricities, may have caught Ravi off guard in the past, he’d since grown accustomed to them. As such, he remained completely unflappable, calmly replying to Varrick’s less-than-calm invitation.

“Well, thank you for thinking of me, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to decline. I’ve just received word that Ms. Sato will be returning to us this afternoon, and there’s a lot to be done before she arrives.” Ravi described. Not that a mover didn’t sound nice, but there was just too much to be done. Honestly, he wondered where Varrick found the time for it. Though, his business practices were a little unorthodox. Sometimes he wondered if the rumors of him having a platypus bear on his board of directors were true.

“Oh, Asami’s coming back? That’s great news!” Varrick celebrated, picking his teeth in a mirror. “The premiere isn’t for another couple of days, so that should be enough time to get things in order, no? In fact, invite Ms. Sato and the Avatar for me when they get back! I’ve already lined up the President and his wife, might as well go for the whole shebang of Republic City’s leaders, eh? Though I guess that means I should go see if that stick-in-the-mud Tenzin is up for it, too...”

“Oh, a couple of days from now? That would be better...” Ravi thought aloud. “I’ll pass along your invitation and let you know what they say. Perhaps we can work something out.”

“GREAT!” Varrick shouted, an almost inhumanly wide smile on his face. “I’m looking forward to it! Now to go invite Bolin. He used to be part of the movers, he should definitely be up for it! Zhu Li, we’re off!” ...And just like that, as immediately as he’d arrived, Varrick was gone. But at least his wife was a little bit more polite, staying behind a moment longer.

“I’m sorry again for the intrusion. I really hope you can make it. It would be wonderful to have you, Korra, and Asami join us, Ravi.”

“I’d be delighted to attend.”

Zhu Li smiled, bowing once and then turning to follow her husband. Surprisingly, he seemed to be waiting for her just outside the door, as opposed to dashing off without her like he normally would have. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same?

Left alone with his thoughts once more, the sounds of construction began filtering back into Ravi’s awareness. Varrick always did have a tendency to be the loudest thing in a room. Still, those visits of his always were ‘fun’, he supposed. He just wished this one hadn’t cut into his scheduled break time.

“Well, so much for that nap.” He complained, reluctantly returning to work.


*** *** *** *** *** *** ***


Back at his apartment, a freshly showered, freshly shaven and mostly dressed Mako prepared himself a simple plate of buttered toast for breakfast. While in the past he would’ve cooked something more substantial for two, with Bolin moved in to his own apartment with Opal, Mako saw no need to not be his happily bland self. A radio in the corner was tuned to a local jazz station and the paper was set out on the table in front of his couch, waiting for him to sit down with his food.

Last he’d checked the paper, if the current rate of work continued, it was estimated that the current Republic City Reconstruction & Expansion Plan would be completed within the space of a year. It was a long time for people like Wang Ping and Li Li to have to struggle for no good reason, he thought. While ‘reconstruction’ may have been publicly on the city’s agenda, privately, it didn’t seem to be one of the United Public’s primary concerns right now.

It was frustrating, to say the least. If they kept focusing on expansion at the expense of reconstruction, it could potentially end up dragging things out an extra 6 months, at least. Maybe if more effort was spent rebuilding what the city already had, things would be less crime-ridden and hectic than they were. If only Raiko thought the same. That guy was just holding this city back, Mako thought.

Taking a bite of toast, Mako sat down and took a look at the paper’s headlines . This quickly revealed itself to be a bad idea. The headline read, “Strange Body Found in Dragon Flats Leaves Police Stumped!” Mako just sighed. How did the press even find out about… oh, who was he kidding. With all the new recruits lately, it wasn’t that big a surprise somebody had leaked the details to the Chronicler. That didn’t make it any less annoying, though. The Chief was going to tear him a new one for this.

At least the second top story was a little better: “Avatar and Future Industries CEO Picked Up from South Pole”. Given his most recent theories regarding his current case, Mako couldn’t help but feel some relief at seeing Korra was due to return.

“Took her long enough.” He thought aloud. He’d be lying if he said he wasn't feeling a little anxious too, though. It’d been two weeks without a word. She never even told him she was leaving, let alone where she was going or who she was going with. He had to hear the news secondhand. Right when he thought the two of them were on good terms again, too.

Suddenly, a knock at the door tore his attention away from the newspaper. Who would be bothering him this early, he wondered? Opening the door, he found his brother already dressed in full uniform waiting for him outside.

“Morning, Mako!” Bolin chirped, letting himself in.

“Bolin? What are you doing here?” Mako asked, closing the door behind him.

“Just thought I’d drop by, say hi, see how you were doing. You seemed pretty upset yesterday, so I wanted to make sure everything was alright before we headed to work!”

Mako smiled. That was actually pretty thoughtful of him. “Thanks, Bo. Everything’s fine. I’ve just been under a lot of stress lately is all.” He claimed, formally inviting his brother into his apartment by offering him a seat. Bolin politely declined the offer, reminding Mako they were going to be late. Checking the time, Mako saw his brother was right.  He reached for his gloves and grabbed his uniform’s coat from the rack.

“So how was your date?” Mako asked, heading for the door and motioning for his brother to follow. They could talk along the way.

Bolin smiled. “Oh, it was great! We’ve been slowly getting back to how things were before Kuvira. I feel like such an idiot for everything that happened.” He sighed.

“You’re not an idiot, Bolin. You’re a little eccentric, sure, but so is Varrick, and he’s one of the most successful men in the world. Of course, you actually have a moral compass.” Mako quipped.

Bolin waved his hand at Mako’s insinuation. “Oh, Varrick’s not so bad! He’s made some mistakes in the past, yeah, but he’s been changing a lot lately! Ever since he saw what Kuvira was doing with his technology he’s been like a whole different guy. You should give him another chance.”

“Eh, maybe. He has been working pretty hard to help out with the city lately. Still, I can’t help but feel like there’s some sort of ulterior motive at play whenever it comes to that guy.” Mako shrugged.

“See? He’s not so bad!” Bolin insisted. Mako wasn’t so sure, but he wasn’t going to fight him on it. Opening the door to his Satomobile, he immediately hopped into the driver’s seat before his brother could protest. He had to admit, though, it was a lot cleaner than Bolin kept his.

“I’ll drive,” Mako announced.

“But you always drive!” Bolin groaned. But Mako had already started the car. “Ugh, fine. Did you make any progress on our case after I ran out on you last night? I really wanted to help out, but, you know.”

“Yeah. Victim’s Two-Faced Kazuo, an enforcer for the Triple Threats. The discoloration you saw turned out to be a handprint, but we have no clue what caused it. It doesn’t seem to be consistent with a burn or any form of bending, as far as Dr. Lou can tell.”

“Wow. Somebody offed a Triple Threat right smack dab in the middle of their territory? We might not have to catch this guy after all. They’ll probably get to him long before we do.” Bolin half-joked, his face becoming a little more serious when he noticed Mako’s own. “...What’s wrong?”

“I dunno. Something about this case just feels wrong. Looking at that body again… I don’t know. Dr. Lou mentioned something else last night, about Kazuo’s chi. Something had drained it along with every fluid in his body. I’m starting to think this may have been some sort of spirit attack.”

Bolin frowned. “Are you sure?” He asked. “Lin’s not gonna be happy about that.”

“I know, but, the facts are the facts, and so far, everything’s pointing to whatever did this not being human.” Mako sighed.

“Well, good thing Korra and Asami are coming back today, then!” Bolin reminded, immediately smiling again. “Gosh, I’ve missed those two.”

Mako meanwhile seemed a little less certain. “Yeah, I guess.”

“You guess? …Did something happen between you guys again?” Bolin pressed. Mako wasn’t really sure how to answer.

“I don’t even know anymore.” He admitted. “All I know is, she picked the worst possible time to disappear for two weeks without telling anybody. This city really needed her. Both of them.”

“Oh come on, they deserved a little break.” Bolin insisted.

“Yeah, well, I don’t think right after a major attack was the best time.”

Bolin wasn’t really sure what to say, and before he could really think of anything, they had arrived.

The two silently made their way through the new precinct, heading upstairs through the detectives’ area and straight to Lin’s office. They figured it best to give her their latest findings in-person. Just as Bolin had warned, however, she was not happy to hear what they had to say.

“You think my suspect is a WHAT ?”

“A… a spirit, ma’am.” Mako repeated meekly, feeling as though he’d just swallowed a wood frog. He completely expected an “I told you so” face from his brother, but quite frankly, a pissed off Beifong was as terrifying a concept to Bolin as it was Mako. Maybe even more-so, in fact.

“…I know it's an unorthodox theory, but if you read Dr. Lou's report, I just can't see a human as being able to do this to somebody. I mean, ripping out all of his bodily fluids is one thing, but his chi, too? The only thing I can think of that might be able to do that would be a spirit.” Mako tentatively explained.

Lin sighed. “Great, this is the last thing I need… the Avatar’s on vacation, crime’s through the roof, the triads are gutsier than ever, and Raiko’s breathing down my neck expecting me to do something about all of it yesterday .” She rubbed her temples. “Now you’re telling me I have to deal with some sort of renegade spirit, too? You better be damn sure about this. The press is already having a field day with your case. They’ve dubbed it the ‘Mummy Maker’ case.”

Mako and Bolin shared a look. ‘The Mummy Maker’? It did have kind of a nice ring to it, but...

“I think Mako might actually be onto something, Chief,” Bolin spoke up with some trepidation. “Normally, Dragon Flats is crawling with spirits, it has been ever since the North and South Spirit Portals were opened – even more since the city portal opened. But when we were down there yesterday, I didn’t see any, anywhere. It was almost as if something had scared them all off. I don’t think there’s a bender on earth who can do that other than the Avatar, but, maybe a corrupted spirit could?”

It was a good point, but that didn’t mean Lin had to like it.

“Okay, let’s say you’re right. Let’s say we have some sort of psycho spirit going on a killing spree in Republic City. Just what do you propose we do about that, hm? Throw it into spirit prison? Shove it back through the Spirit Portal? It’ll get out of anything we put it in and our bending won’t mean diddly squat against them.” Lin warned.

“...Spree?” Mako asked. Lin slid a newspaper across her desk, the same one Mako had been looking at back at his apartment. He hadn’t had the chance to read the full story and had assumed the attached photo was of the body they’d found the other day. It wasn’t. This one also appeared to have been found in Dragon Flats.

Lin sighed. “Look, the Avatar’s coming back today. I want you to bring her in on this investigation as soon as that ship of hers reaches shore, capiche? If you’re right about this, then I don’t think my benders are going to be of much use to you. But I’m not just going to sit on my ass all day, either. I’m doubling patrols in Dragon Flats tonight on the off chance that this isn’t a spirit. You two just make sure you come back with the Avatar tonight, and we’ll put together a plan to track this thing down.”

“Oh, and Bolin,” Lin continued, the Earthbender gulping loudly on hearing his name mentioned. “I heard about what you did yesterday, and that you were the one who found that discoloration the day before. You did good work. I’m impressed.”

“Uh… thanks, Chief…” Bolin supposed, looking over at Mako. His older brother just gave him a smile and a nod.

When the tow had turned to walk away, Lin suddenly interjected one last time. “Oh yeah, one more thing before you two go. About the Avatar,” She began, almost having forgotten. “President Raiko caught wind of her return, too. He’s insisting on making it some big event and is having some of my Metalbenders provide security. I’ll add you two to the team so you can get to her right away. Don’t take no for an answer.” She warned. “Okay, dismissed.”

“Well, leave it to Raiko to over-complicate things yet again.” Mako complained upon leaving the room, walking back to his desk with Bolin in tow.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I highly doubt whatever media circus he has in mind is what Korra’s looking forward to immediately after coming home. And quite frankly, I don’t want to be a part of it.” Mako groaned. Bolin disagreed.

“Oh come on, President Raiko isn’t that bad,”

“Bolin, please. I can admire the fact that you only see the best in people, but you weren’t the one attached at the hip to a whiny prince because of him. He doesn’t really care what other people think or have to say, he just wants to do whatever’s going to earn him the most political points.”

Bolin wasn’t really sure how to respond to that. His brother may have had a point.

“Come on. We need to find whoever’s leading Raiko’s security and let them know we’re joining in.” Mako said.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***


“You know, somehow, I didn’t expect there to be so many people. I don't know what I was thinking.”

And just like that, any hopes that she may have had of a nice, quiet return to Republic City with her new fiancee were dashed with one quick look toward the city's Southern Harbor. A crowd of hundreds were gathered by the pier already, anxiously awaiting the two girls’ return, and the sight made Korra’s heart sink.

Korra was standing next to Naga and Asami atop the deck of their ship, and she could already hear the cheering from there. Was her return really that big of a deal? Given how many people had gathered, she imagined the press were probably at the front of the crowd. Korra wasn’t sure she was ready to be assaulted by dozens of questions she had no intention of answering. They were the last people she wanted to deal with right now.

“And here I was hoping for a day or two to settle in.” Korra groaned. Asami placed a comforting hand on her fiancee’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I guess news of me contacting my company got out.”

“No, no, it’s fine, you don’t have to apologize.” Korra sighed, kissing Asami on the cheek. “I probably should’ve expected this. This is my fault, really.”

Spirits, they were probably going to be asking her about Asami, weren’t they? How they just up and disappeared into the Spirit World together? And for two weeks, no less. She wondered, how many rumors had cropped up since she’d left? That was going to be awkward.

“I just hope they aren’t too critical of you.” Asami hoped, speaking of Korra. “Deciding to leave right after the dust settled like that.”

“Eh, I’m used to it,” Korra shrugged off. “It’s you I’m more worried about. I’ve never been very popular, but you’re different. They’re probably going to be pretty critical about you running off with the Avatar instead of rebuilding the city. It’s like they forget that we’re human, or something.” She sighed. She probably wasn’t too far off. “I just hope they don’t ask about, you know, us,”

Asami laughed. “Don’t worry about it, I know how to handle the press. We don’t have to answer anything we don’t have to, and anything else? Just let them talk. They’d probably be right, anyway~” Asami winked, causing Korra’s cheeks to immediately become flushed. Hardly!

“Yeah, well, whether they are or not, I’d like some amount of privacy, thank you,” Korra somewhat awkwardly replied, defending her position. “But oh well. If it comes to that, then I guess I’ll just have to get a little rough with them and help them see it my way.” She concluded with a self-assured grin, pounding her fist into her hand.

“My hero,” Asami swooned.

Normally, she’d advise her fiancee against threatening the press, but she couldn’t say she disagreed with her this time. Asami felt bad already for the first paparazzi to inevitably try to sneak onto the Sato Estate after Korra moved in. They were probably going to be learning the meaning of fear shortly thereafter, and how to walk again shortly after that.

With the tension of the situation successfully diffused, the girls were as ready as they’d ever be. As their ship neared the pier, the cheering grew louder and louder. In a way, Korra could feel it pumping her up more and more, at first biting her lip, but then smiling wider and wider. She’d actually kind of missed this, come to think of it.

Finally, they had arrived. Holding on to her fiancee’s hand, Korra helped her up onto Naga’s back and the three of them walked off together.

The clicks and whines of shutters and flashbulbs filled the air, cameras going off all around them, while the two of them smiled and waved from atop Naga’s back. The large polar bear dog appeared to be a little upset by all of the lights and the noise, but she was keeping her cool. Unsurprisingly, the reporters gathered near the front were already trying to ask questions, but it was impossible to hear them over the cheers.

As much as Korra wished she could’ve had a nice quiet walk back into town, she had to admit she was still rather flattered to see so many people welcoming her back. She wasn’t sure she’d ever really get used to receiving this kind of treatment from people, especially with her track record. She honestly kind of liked it. It was a nice little confidence booster.

Upon reaching the crowd, it became clear that the city had prepared for their arrival in advance. A path roughly the width of the pier had been carved through the center of those gathered by red velvet ropes, and Metalbending officers were stationed at both ends. Two were by the docks, nodding a hello as Korra and Asami passed them by, with another two further in, keeping the crowd at bay.

At the end of the path were a stage and a podium. Whoever set this up was fully expecting a press conference whether they wanted to give one or not, and they both had a sneaking suspicion who. There was only one man who would make this big a spectacle out of something like this.

And there, waiting for them a couple dozen feet in front of the stage, was exactly who they expected. President Raiko was waving hello. What was more unexpected were Mako and Bolin standing at attention by his side. Korra and Asami shared a confused look. Reaching the end of the path that’d been provided for them, Korra’s smile and tone became a little more awkward as she addressed the one responsible for this crowd.

“President Raiko,” She greeted, still sitting atop Naga. “I didn’t expect to see you here… or all these people, for that matter. I take it this was all your idea?” She commented, trying not to sound too displeased or accusatory.

“Avatar Korra, Ms. Sato,” Raiko greeted back. “I hope I wasn’t being too presumptuous, here. I figured the two of you would want to put together a press conference post-haste and formally announce your return.” He smiled, hands folded behind his back. Cameras continued to go off all around them. Korra and Asami just tried to maintain their smiles as to not send the wrong message, but Raiko could sense their unease.

Noting the press all around them, he walked forward to shake Korra’s hand. In reality, however, it was a gesture meant so he could lean in to elaborate a bit further.

“To be perfectly honest with you two, things have been fairly unstable in Republic City as of late. As soon as it got out that you two were coming back, people immediately started talking. Between the aftershocks of Kuvira, the rebuilding of the city, the threat of the triads, and all the other crazy stuff going on these days, the people could really use a little pomp and circumstance right about now. What better way to do that than the triumphant return of their Avatar and the head of the company who helped shape their city?”

Well, when he put it that way… Korra and Asami exchanged another look. They supposed he had a point. If things really were as bad as he made it seem, then maybe their return was a big deal after all. Maybe things were worse off than they’d initially assumed.

“Well, I guess you’re right,” Korra conceded, turning back to the elected leader of the United Republic. “I didn't know things were so unstable right now, I was kind of hoping that with Kuvira out of the picture, you guys would be able to handle the rest.” She explained.

“We’re managing, I suppose, but recovery will take time.” The President replied. “In the meantime, however, a proper welcome back celebration and a quick round of Q&A is sure to boost morale.”

Checking that Asami was okay with the idea too, Korra nodded in agreement, sealing the deal. President Raiko smiled and turned around, leading the two girls and the polar bear dog the rest of the way to the stage. Korra took this as a chance to talk to Mako and Bolin before everything started, her and Asami still atop Naga’s back.

“What are you two doing here? Did Raiko drag you into this, too?” Korra asked. The look on Mako’s face said it all. “Ugh. I’m sorry you have to be part of this.”

“Me too.” Mako sighed.

“It’s good to see you two again, though!” Bolin happily chimed, eliciting a smile from both Korra and Asami.

“It’s good to see you again, too, Bolin,” Asami replied. “And you too, Mako.”

“How is your arm doing?” Korra asked. Mako grew a bit distant.

“You might not wanna ask about that, he’s been a little broody lately,” Bolin replied.

Korra frowned. Before she could ask for details on why, the President had begun speaking.

“Ladies and gentlemen of Republic City, I’m pleased to announce that the head of Future Industries, Ms. Asami Sato, and our Avatar, Korra, have officially returned!”

The cheering grew louder at the sound of Raiko’s words, the two ladies on the polar bear dog awkwardly smiling and waving hello. They were situated to the President and his security’s left while he spoke.

“It’s been a long two weeks since the two of them left for their own, personal reasons, but now they are back to help guide our fair city to even greater heights! Today is a day of celebration!” Raiko announced. “But you’re not here to listen to me ramble on. Without any further ado,”

Raiko stepped  away so that the ladies could speak. Korra and Asami finally got down from Naga’s back. Korra was the first to hop down, scratching Naga behind the ear as she did, and then Asami. Korra gently took hold of her hand as her fiancee climbed down, and the two of them approached the podium together. Naga instinctively went to wait behind the stage for them.

After a brief deliberation, it was decided between them that Korra would speak  first. She (reluctantly) shook the President’s hand and approached the podium with some hesitation, surrounded by Asami and Raiko.

“Heh, hello, everybody. And here I was hoping for a more discreet return. I can’t really say I was expecting to be holding a press conference today, but I’m glad to be back in Republic City.” Korra awkwardly introduced into the mic, readjusting to talking to such a large crowd. “Alright then, let’s get this show on the road!” She announced, her trademark lopsided grin adorning her face.

Unsurprisingly, the press were quick to oblige, firing of a steady stream of questions in her direction.

“Avatar Korra! Is it true that you’ve spent the last two weeks in the Spirit World?”

“Will you be taking part in Kuvira's trial?”

“Do you have any plans to help out with the reconstruction of Republic City?”

“Are you going to be doing anything about the recent rise in triad activity?”

“Why did you leave with Future Industries' Ms. Sato alone? Are the rumors true that you two have become more than ‘just friends’?”

Well that last one was sure to the point. President Raiko raised an eyebrow at the insinuation, sparing a glance in the two’s direction. Korra just tried to pretend she didn’t hear it. She could get to that when she got to that. Right now, the other four questions seemed much more important. Though more kept flooding in, most of them were variations on those five and the rest weren’t even worth acknowledging. She’d already made up her mind what she was willing to answer or not beforehand.

“Well, to begin, yes, I will be taking part in Kuvira’s trial. I’ve been giving it some thought lately, and there are a few things I’d like to say and propose that I’ll be announcing at a later date. And yes, I also plan to help out with the city as much as possible. If this means taking care of some triads along the way, then so be it.” Korra opened, addressing what she deemed to be the most important questions first and foremost.

“As for where I’ve been these last couple weeks – yes, I have been vacationing in the Spirit World. After everything that’s happened to me these last three years, I felt like I needed a break, and Asami was feeling the same way. So the two of us decided to just go for it and left some trustworthy people in charge while we were gone. But I think I’ll let Asami explain that part for herself.”

Not wanting to go into things much more in fear of completely derailing the event with the confirmation or denial of completely true rumors of romance, Korra stepped away from the microphone. The moment either one of them addressed their relationship, the press wouldn’t want to talk about anything else. Ignoring any follow up questions that may have been addressed to her, Korra allowed Asami to take over, taking her former position to her fiancee’s right.

Before Asami could say anything, the reporters were already asking questions.

“Ms. Sato! Will Ravi be maintaining control of Future Industries for the remainder of the city expansion and reconstruction plan?”

“Is it true that Varrick Global Industries and Future Industries are in talks to merge again?”

“Will you be overseeing the creation of a new city park, or will you be restoring Avatar Korra Park, now located near the new Spirit Portal?”

“Do you have any plans to move forward with Spirit Energy technology?”

“Why did you leave Republic City when it was most in need of your company's help?”

That last question made Korra wince. She was afraid that somebody was going to ask her something like that. But the smile on Asami’s face never wavered, not even for an instant.

“What’s important is that Future Industries never left Republic City and continued to help it grow and rebuild, regardless of whether or not I was here to personally oversee that.” Asami began, addressing the harshest question right off the bat. “While I went and took a well-deserved vacation with my friend, I was sure to put my best man in charge in my stead, ensuring that our philosophy of harmoniously bending nature with technology was applied to everything we did.”

“But no. Ravi will not be maintaining control of Future Industries. I fully expect to be back in the driver’s seat by the end of the week – much to his relief, I’m sure.” She laughed. He always did prefer the role of a worker to a leader, even if he was great at both.

“With all that being said though, no, there is not going to be any merger with Varrick Global Industries. Nor will we be looking into Spirit Energy technology any further anytime soon. After Kuvira’s misappropriation of the technology showed us all the potential dangers of its misuse, I think it may be a better idea to leave the power of the spirits to the spirits. However, I would be delighted to help design a new city park and to see Avatar Korra Park returned to its former glory. I’m sure it’ll make a wonderful place to observe the Spirit Portal in the future.” Asami concluded.

And that took care of that. Or, it would have, if it weren’t for one particularly observant reporter near the front launching the question that brought the event to a screeching halt just as soon as Asami had finished.

“Ms. Sato, is that a Water Tribe betrothal necklace around your neck?”

Well. Crap.

“Uh...” The previously professional and composed Asami simply stood there, blindsided by the completely correct insinuation of the question being directed at her. She had completely forgotten to take it off before leaving the ship. The President gave Asami and the Avatar a look while Korra just stood there, completely petrified. Bolin’s jaw had dropped to the floor and Mako looked like he was about to have a stroke, completely unsure how to process that information.

After two weeks alone together, Asami had expected one or two questions about the nature of hers and Korra’s relationship, but that was a bit more direct than she’d anticipated. But she only had herself to blame, and she knew it. This was a pretty damning piece of evidence.

“...Um...” Asami was struggling and everyone could tell. She had no clue how to answer that. It looked like it was time for Korra to step in and save the day.

“No comment. ANYWAY, we actually have some really important stuff we need to tend to right now, so yeah, it was nice seeing everybody out here but we’ve really gotta go,” Korra hurriedly excused, leaning in to the microphone. Grabbing hold of Asami’s hand, she immediately ran off the stage and toward Naga. “Asami, let’s go!!”

Realizing the two of them were about to make a run for it, Mako shook off the shock of the situation and reached out to stop them, but it was too late. “Korra, wait!” He yelled in vain. She’d already pulled Asami off the stage with her and jumped onto Naga’s back.

“Sorry Mako, we can talk later; gotta go, bye!!!” Korra promised, delivering a light kick to Naga’s side to let her know it was time to run . This probably didn’t look much better than directly answering the question would’ve, but she also knew that if they didn’t leave now, the press would never let them go. Not with a story like that to sink their teeth into. Besides, they really did have things they needed to be doing right now.

Dashing through the streets in a slobbering white blur, Korra and Asami disappeared into the distance, the crowd they left behind erupting into an uproar over the implications. President Raiko kind of just stood there in shock, momentarily reaching out in the girls’ direction before he stopped to think about just what’d just happened. How do you even recover from something like that…?

Bolin put a hand on Mako’s shoulder. “There, there, Mako. So your exes are engaged now, I’m sure it’s nothing against you personally! I think we should be happy for them!” He suggested, completely misreading the situation. Mako didn’t even dignify that statement with a proper response.

“The chief is going to kill us for this. You know that, right?” Mako asked.

Meanwhile, galloping through the city full speed ahead, all that Korra and Asami could do was laugh at the absurdity of the situation. The sight of a giant white polar bear dog weaving around and jumping over cars confused many an onlooker as they ran as far as possible from the Republic City harbor, laughing up a storm all the while. It was bad enough that they were completely blindsided like that, but the way that Korra had responded to it was just priceless .

“Well that certainly could’ve gone better.” Korra struggled to get out between laughs, almost doubled over on Naga’s back. Asami was once again hanging onto her waist for support whilst caught in a similar position.

“You think?” Asami replied, tears forming in her eyes as she laughed so hard it actually started to hurt. “I guess that answers that then, huh?”

“Yeah, they’re gonna to have a field day with this one.” Korra continued, wiping dry her eyes as her laughter began to subside. “Ah well, at least we don't have to go out and awkwardly confirm it ourselves now.” She joked.

“Tell me about it. I was actually wondering how we were going to put this out there, or if we were just gonna let them figure it out for themselves. But this. This was better than anything I could've imagined. I freaking love you.” While Korra may have been able to control her laughing, Asami was still going strong. This whole thing was simply hilarious to her.

After another good minute or so of laughter, she finally began calming down, at least for the most part. Letting out a contented sigh, she limply let her body lay into Korra's as she continued to hang onto her, smiling. By far, that was the best press conference she’d ever had the honor of taking part in.

“So, considering Naga and I are your drivers right now…” Korra began, a knowing grin on her face. “Where to next, Ms. Sato?”

“I guess now we go take care of what we said we were going to take care of,” Asami replied, wiping the last of the tears from her eyes. “Just drop me off at Future Industries Tower, I can take it from there. Meanwhile, you can go see Tenzin and collect your things from Air Temple Island. Might as well tell him about us as well since he’s just going to find out one way or another now.” She chuckled.

Korra just shook her head. She couldn’t believe she’d actually just done that. Tomorrow's paper was certainly going to be an interesting one.

“Of course, Ms. Sato, as you wish.” She facetiously replied, playing the role of chauffeur. Directing Naga where to go, she continued her charge through the city unimpeded, heading directly for Future Industries Tower.


*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

Meanwhile, several dozen kilometers off of the coast of the United Republic…

A familiar wooden prison surrounding a particularly powerful prisoner bustled with an unusual amount of activity. The guards who were currently stationed there appeared to be listening to the radio, responding rather loudly to the press conference that was currently being broadcast.

I told you ,” One of the voices cheered. “I knew there was something else going on with those two.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.” Another replied, obviously less-enthused.

“I’m just glad that the Avatar’s back, maybe she can do something about those freaky-ass murders back home.” A third guard supposed.

All the while, the prisoner at the center of the platform, cordoned off by a wooden cage, listened with a blank look in her eyes. According to the news, it’d already been two weeks since Korra left. That meant it’d been three since her defeat, then. But somehow, to her, it felt like she’d been here much, much longer than that.

Her name was Kuvira, and she was a shell of her former self.

While her trial dragged on and on for week after week, she personally found the whole thing to be rather unnecessary. It was more of a chore than anything else. In her mind, she already knew what the verdict would be.

She was a very special kind of ‘villain,’ the kind of which examples were made. She had a whole nation – or former nation, as it were – calling for her head, and she knew that if that coward Raiko and the other world leaders got their way, they were going to let them have it. After everything she’d done, to her, it was the only logical conclusion.

She’d assumed her life was forfeit the moment she surrendered, but in that moment, she also knew she’d been in the wrong. She knew what she’d done, and for that reason, she felt no injustice in what she believed to be her impending doom. While she was sure that at least Tenzin would try and spare her her life, Kuvira wasn’t sure she even wanted to live it. Not anymore. If this cage was all she had left, she’d be perfectly fine with the alternative.

While Kuvira sulked, the two guards stationed in front of her cage continued talking about the news. At least they were less annoying than the three by the radio. They were usually more informative, too. Kuvira felt like she’d never know what was going on out there anymore if it weren’t for these two.

“So the Avatar and Asami Sato are a thing now. That’s neat, I guess.” The first of them shrugged. “Apparently the two of them were in the Spirit World together.”

“So that’s where they’d run off to? Good for them. After everything that happened, I’m sure they needed a little break. Our guest here really put them through the wringer, huh?” The second inquired.

“Yeah. I think I heard something about her wanting to weigh in on her trial? Bit of a waste of time if you ask me, though. I think this one’s about as good as dead at this point. We won’t have to be standing out here for very much longer.” The first one concluded with a laugh.

The second seemed a little shocked at his companion’s demeanor. “Don’t you think that’s a little harsh? They didn’t even give Zaheer the death sentence, and he killed the Earth Queen.”

The first shook his head. “That was different. Zaheer was an anarchic terrorist, and the entire Air Nation was speaking out against the death penalty at the time. I hear not even the Avatar wanted to kill him. After that, what could they do? But this is different, this is political.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean reelection is coming up and Raiko knows he’s going to lose. He looked weak in front of the whole of the United Republic and almost surrendered the country to Kuvira. He’s going to use the death penalty councilman Tarrlok snuck in a few years back to try and seem like a tougher, more dependable leader.”

“Do you really think so?”

The first guard shrugged. “Who knows for sure. That’s just what I read in the paper. But it makes a lot of sense to me, and honestly? I won’t be shedding any tears if it happens.”

By this point, Kuvira had stopped listening.  For the first time in a while, she felt a spark of something deep inside of her, something she’d almost forgotten about. If what that guard had said was true, than Korra was due to take part in her trial.

For the first time in weeks, Kuvira smiled.

Things had just gotten a lot more interesting.

Chapter 4: Welcome Back to Republic City

Summary:

As Asami settles back in to life as the CEO of Future Industries, Korra prepares to move off of Air Temple Island and into the Sato Estate! Meanwhile, Mako and Bolin's ongoing investigation into the Mummy Maker case is interrupted by a surprise visit from Varrick!

Chapter Text

Book Five
Chi

Chapter Four
Welcome Back to Republic City

 

Entering her newly refurbished building with a smile, Asami made her way through the lobby of Future Industries Tower. It’d changed a lot in the short time she’d been gone. It seemed Ravi had used the recent renovations as an excuse to put some of those ‘beautification’ suggestions of his into place while she couldn’t say no. She was kind of glad she couldn’t have though, seeing how it all looked in-person; he’d really given it his all.

Metal sculptures courtesy of Huan Beifong now decorated the lobby and the halls, alongside an abundance of potted trees and hanging plants interspersed in-between. Combined with the spirit vine-shaped columns and the lush, green ivy clutched to the sides of the 2nd floor balcony, it all made the place seem a lot more alive than it had in the past.

Granite, marble, and sandstone were the materials of choice for the lobby and halls, and green-blue crystals were the primary means of illumination. While a skylight was impossible, the windows had been expanded to let more light into the lobby. Along with the plant life, the additional natural light gave the building a more organic look and feel. It was something Asami had always talked about, but never got around to actually doing. She was thankful to Ravi for remembering that.

A new fountain had been installed outside, and inside, four small waterfalls trickled enchantingly in the lobby. They emptied into small pools filled with a variety of fish, while the waterfalls themselves obscured murals somewhat abstractly depicting what looked to be both spirits and machines. Even the air smelled more crisp, and fresh, as though she were standing outside. It looked less like another office building and more like a work of art, honestly.

“Wow. Maybe I should let Ravi design more of the city after all.” Asami marveled. Knowing Ravi, the rest of the building had been updated to match this new aesthetic. She couldn’t wait to find out for sure.

Making her way to the elevator, she stepped through the large brass doors. Setting off for the top floor, she was surprised at the speed with which she got there. Had he added an express elevator, too? By now she had to wonder how much all of this had costed her company. She was looking forward to seeing the top floor, but once the doors opened, she was a little disappointed. Save for the addition of some new plants, the floor appeared to have been just the way Asami left it. She was sure if he had more time, Ravi would’ve had his way up here, too, though.

This floor was pretty much entirely hers. There was a private workshop for some of her smaller projects and her office, but those were the only two things of note. There was, however, a small reception area between the hall and her office where her secretary, Li Wei, waited for her with a smile on his face.

“Welcome back Ms. Sato,” He greeted. Asami smiled. “Ravi’s been expecting you. He’s waiting for you in your office.”

“Thank you, Li Wei. How've you been?”

"Just fine, Ms. Sato."

Entering her office without so much as a knock, she found Ravi putting together the last of his things in a box when her sudden arrival caught his attention. “Asami!” He greeted, stopping what he was doing and walking over to give Asami a hug. “It’s good to have you back. This place hasn’t been the same without you.”

"Ravi!" She greeted back with a smile, returning the hug. "It's good to be back."

“I’ve been trying to keep everything on track, just like you asked. I hope you liked the renovations.” Ravi continued, walking now to a small counter against the wall to pour the two of them some fresh tea. Asami sat down at a small table by a couch and waited.

“I love it! I’m assuming you designed it all yourself?” Asami asked. As she’d expected of him, Ravi nodded. It was one of his more understated talents. She really should put them to good use more often. “I saw a few of the new buildings on my way down here. Makes sense the business district would be one of the first to be expanded. You sure seem to have been keeping busy.” She took a sip of tea.

“As have you, from the looks of things. I like your new necklace.” Ravi noted, taking a sip of his tea with a knowing grin that almost caused Asami to choke on hers. That was the second time today, she really should’ve put it away. “I had a feeling there was a bit more to your trip than some simple R&R. I’m happy for you.”

“T-Thank you,” Asami blushed. “Nice as they’ve been, these last two weeks have been pretty busy for me too. Just, not in a stressful way. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to come back.”

Ravi laughed. “Sorry, but this was never meant to be permanent. To be honest, I can’t wait to get back to work in the factories. I haven’t used my hands for anything but signing papers for too long.”

“Right… sorry about sticking you behind a desk so suddenly like that. You’re a fantastic manager, but I know this sort of work isn’t your cup of tea.”

“Yes, you know I would rather work on the assembly lines.”

Asami nodded. “Well, luckily for you I’m ready to jump back behind the wheel whenever. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

“Not as much as you may think. Varrick Global Industries has been helping out quite a bit, so the city wasn’t entirely dependent on Future Industries this time around. It means a little less profit, yes, but also a little less workload. I left some notes on your desk for you that lay everything out in detail.”

“Thank you, again.”

“Of course. Just, please don’t ask me to do this again.” Ravi half-joked, the two of them sharing a laugh.

“So, anything interesting happen while I was gone? That aren’t business-related, that is.” Asami clarified.

“Well, I finally learned to Metalbend.” Ravi announced. Asami’s face lit up immediately.

“Really?!” She asked. The large man nodded.

“I figured while we have so many temporary Metalbenders on loan from Zaofu, now would be the perfect time to learn. Once it clicked, the rest of it came to me pretty easily.” Ravi described.

“I’m so happy for you, I know you’ve been wanting to Metalbend for years now.” It came as no surprise given how he was. It should make his job in the factories that much more interesting.

“Thank you.” Ravi smiled. “Aside from that, the only other thing of note would be that Varrick stopped by today.”

Asami groaned. “Raviiii, I said no work, please,”

“Oh, no, no, this was a social visit.” He corrected with a laugh. “He wanted to invite me to a mover premiere tomorrow night and asked me to extend an invitation to you and Korra, as well.”

Asami’s face lit up. “Oh, that sounds great! I’m sure Korra would love to come, too. I’ve been wanting to take her to see one for years now.” She reminisced.

She wouldn’t say she was as big a fan as Bolin, but she’d kept an eye on the mover industry from the very beginning. When Korra was away and she was swamped with work renovating the city the first time around, attending movers had become a favorite activity of hers. It was a great way to let the stress melt away and lose herself in something of another life for a little while. It’d helped her through some pretty dark days. She swore, if Korra wasn’t a fan of them already, she was going to make her one.

“I look forward to seeing you there.” Ravi smiled, finishing his tea and then rising up from his seat. “If you need me, I’ll be with the rest of the Metalbenders helping to finish renovations outside. I’ve been pretty eager to see how my new abilities measure up in practice.” He said, grabbing the box of his things and heading for the door.

“Good luck!” Asami wished. Ravi nodded, smiling, and then exited the room.

Alone again in her office, Asami sighed. Not with frustration or relief, but contentment. It was good to be home. Finishing her tea, she got up and walked to the large window behind her desk, looking down at the city below. She’d missed this place a lot more than she’d thought. After soaking in the sight for a moment, she turned around to face her desk.

She briefly looked over the papers Ravi had left for her. Much of it was what she’d expected, but she was finding it hard to focus, her eyes being drawn to a photograph in a frame that Ravi had left on her desk. Putting down the papers, she smiled and picked up the photograph instead. She thought she’d lost that years ago.

It featured a very young Asami – easily no more than 8 or 9 years old at the time – who was happily climbing over the seat of a fresh-off-the-line Satomobile. Next to her, a teenage boy of about 16 or 17 was smiling and leaning over the seat beside hers. It was Ravi. Outside of the car, her father was standing with a solemn smile on his face, his hand resting on its hood. It was a scene that took her back.

“I guess he never did realize you were a bender, huh...” She thought aloud. If he had, she doubted Hiroshi would’ve hired Ravi off the streets as quickly as he did. She was glad he didn’t know. She’d practically grown up in her father’s factories, and some of her fondest childhood memories were of exploring them. She loved to watch Satomobiles get put together piece by piece. Almost as much as she loved getting herself into trouble Ravi would have to help her get out of.

Looking back on the last couple weeks, she supposed not much had really changed on that front.

Putting down the photograph, Asami took a brief look up at the clock and then got to work. She had a couple hours to kill before she and Korra met up at Tenzin’s. It was time to start catching up.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

Air Temple Island. Even though it’d only been a couple of weeks, it felt as though it’d been a lifetime since Korra was last here. Exiting the ferry with Naga close behind, she had nary a moment to relax before she was accosted by a group of excited Airbenders. Korra smiled, recognizing the three immediately.

“KORRA’S BACK!” Ikki cried, rushing down from the hill she’d been impatiently waiting on.

Naga’s tail began to wag, the pup looking up and starting to shuffle about excitedly. It seemed Korra wasn’t the only one who was happy to be back. Ikki was quickly joined by Jinora and Meelo, the two forming up behind her as they all glided down to meet Korra. They showed no signs of stopping the closer they got, and she was ultimately tackled in an overeager group hug. Thankfully, Naga had her back though, catching her so she wouldn’t fall and curling around the four to expand the hug even further.

“So how was the Spirit World? Did you and Asami get lost? Is that why you were gone for two weeks three days four hours and seventeen minutes? Did you get to see Iroh again? Did you turn into a kid again? How was the fruit there? Does the Spirit World even have fruit? Why do I smell cinnamon?” Ikki asked in her typical rapid fire approach. Korra laughed. Some things never changed.

“I expected status reports, soldier!” Meelo huffed, only half-joking at best by Korra’s estimation. This was probably the closest she’d be getting to a ‘welcome back’ from him.

“Welcome back, Korra. We really missed you.” Jinora greeted simply, the welcome bit of calm in the storm of the air siblings.

“Thank you, Jinora. I really missed you guys too.” Korra began to reply, starting with the simplest of them to address. Jinora smiled in response. Now for Meelo.

“And I’m sorry, Commander. I was caught up in reconnaissance and never got the chance to report back. Besides, it’s kind of hard to keep in touch from behind enemy lines.” Korra reported. Meelo thought for a moment, but then gave Korra a nod. That answer would suffice.

“And as for your questions, Ikki… amazing, a few times, not really, yes, once or twice, good, lots of it, and reasons.” While ‘reasons’ wasn’t exactly an answer as far as Ikki was concerned, she was willing to let it slide, if only because her father had arrived before she could push any further.

“Welcome back, Korra.” Tenzin stated simply. A smile was on his face as he walked down the pier to meet her. Korra’s smile widened at the sight of him.

“Tenzin!” Korra called, running up and catching the old master by surprise with a hug, just as the kids had surprised her a moment earlier. “It’s so good to see you again, I have so much I want to tell you about the spirit world.”

“It’s good to see you again too, Korra. There’s a lot I want to hear. But first of all, how was your vacation?” Tenzin asked, returning her hug.

“Oh man, it was great! I had a lot of fun and it was really relaxing; it was exactly what we needed. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had this little stress.” Korra gushed. Tenzin smiled. That was good to hear. The looks on their faces made it obvious that Ikki and Jinora wanted to know more, but Meelo seemed less than enthusiastic at the prospect.

“Oh please, what’s so fun about the spirit world? There’s no action! What did you even do for two weeks, meditate?” Meelo scoffed.

Korra laughed. It was a valid question for somebody like him, not that she couldn’t relate. She loved to be where the action was, too. She’d just had more than enough of it for a little while was all.

“Oh, you know. I explored the spirit world, befriended some spirits, ran for my life from some other spirits, lost to Iroh at Pai Sho, made out with Asami, got betrothed – typical vacation stuff.” Korra shrugged.

Jinora immediately put her hands to her mouth and looked like she was about ready to scream. The look in her eye was one of happiness and excitement, whereas Tenzin and Meelo looked on with shock. Ikki, however, was the most excited of all.

“I KNEW IT!” Ikki exclaimed, leaping a few feet into the air in celebration. “I TOLD you guys there was something going on between them!” She grinned, pointing at Meelo and her father. Jinora was the only one who ever seemed to believe her.

Speaking of Jinora, she was also the first of the four to actually congratulate Korra. “Korraaaa!!! You two are so perfect for each other, you have to tell me more about your vacation now!” She squeed, pulling her into another tight hug.. Korra laughed. There’d be plenty of time for that later.

“Wow. That’s… wow. I’m really happy for you. Congratulations, Korra.” Tenzin replied. What else could he even say? Her and Asami was one thing, but betrothed?

“Yeeeaaahhh… that was kind of a thing that happened,” Korra awkwardly replied, rubbing the back of her neck. The smile on her face was more nervous than anything now. “Can’t be afraid to mix it up sometimes, right?” She quoted.

“A sentiment Avatar Kiyoshi would’ve agreed with, I’m sure.” Tenzin smiled. Korra chuckled. She knew the stories. “But I have to ask, betrothal? So soon? Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for you two, but that’s a pretty big step to take so early on.” He said, hoping he wouldn’t offend her. But Korra understood, nodding.

“My parents reacted the same way, but don’t worry. It’s not like we’re running off and getting married tomorrow or anything like that. We’re gonna hold off for a little while, see how things go, but it feels like we’ve been together a whole lot longer than we have. I really think she’s the one. But things are gonna be pretty hectic for us these next couple years, so the whole betrothal thing is kind of like a promise to each other more than anything. For when we’re ready, you know?”

Tenzin still seemed a little unsure, but at least she wasn’t doing anything reckless. He supposed that was enough for now. “Very well. I just wanted to make sure you thought this through, and it seems you have. I wish you two the best of luck.” He replied. Korra gave him another hug.

“Where is Asami? I thought you two were coming back together,” Tenzin asked, looking over Korra’s shoulder to see if maybe he’d missed her behind Naga.

“Oh, well, we did, but I dropped her off at Future Industries. She’s going to be here in an hour and a half or so, say hello and catch up a bit before we go looking for Mako and Bolin.” Korra explained. “I saw a lot of the city on my way over here today. It’s a little worse for wear, but I’m surprised how much better it looks already. Republic City sure works quick.”

“That’s because we’ve been helping out a lot, too!” Ikki proclaimed, a proud smile on her face. “The Air Nation’s been working with Zaofu to help out with construction, especially in the really bad neighborhoods. A lot of people from surrounding cities have joined in, too!” She explained. Korra nodded. So there was basically an army of benders helping out. It made sense why things were moving so quickly, then.

“Indeed. We’ve had our fair share of problems too, however. I just found out the Triads have been interfering with our relief efforts in the poorer neighborhoods, where their hold is the strongest. We’ve been doing our best to work around them, but it’s getting harder every day. I’m afraid at this point it’s only a matter of time before we’re forced into a direct confrontation with them.” Tenzin sighed.

“Wow… President Raiko told me things have been pretty bad with them lately, but I had no idea they were that bad. Do you think maybe I should step in? See if I can’t help out in some way?” Korra asked.

“You spoke with President Raiko?” Tenzin asked, a little surprised.

“Yeah, he had this whole impromptu press conference set up for us at the pier and everything. I probably should’ve expected it, in retrospect. He tried to make it into this big event, but that didn’t… exactly… work out,” Korra laughed nervously.

Tenzin shook his head. “I don’t know why I’m surprised, that man is a politician through-and-through. But yes, your help would be much appreciated, Korra. We’ve done alright so far, but Republic City needs its Avatar back.”

“There you guys are. I was just about to start working on dinner and wanted some help in the kitchen. Bumi said something about expecting guests?” Came the voice, Pema descending the stairs to the pier to round up her family. “…Korra? Is that you?” She asked, just now noticing the large polar bear dog wagging its tail behind her kids and the young Avatar beside her husband. “Welcome back, dear. Looks like Bumi was right.” She shrugged, the least surprised or excited person to see Korra back today.

To be honest, Korra was a little disappointed. She was starting to really enjoy watching people’s reactions.

“Bumi said what now?” Tenzin asked. He really hoped he wasn’t inviting his old war buddies over again.

“Well, more specifically, he said Bum-Ju said to expect company, but I honestly can’t tell if he can understand that spirit or if he just makes things up all the time.” Pema corrected.

“I guess word’s gotten around with the spirits, too.” Korra grinned. “I’d be happy to help you out in the kitchen if you want?” She offered. Hoping they could get some spirit world stories out of her in the process, Ikki and Jinora also leapt at the opportunity.

“Just please don’t let Bumi help out again,” Tenzin begged. “I’d like to have vegetables that aren’t inexplicably charred, this time. I swear, that man could set a soup on fire. He may be an Airbender, but he could’ve been a world-class Firebender.”

Pema laughed. “Whatever you say, dear.” Motioning for her group of helpers to come along, she started the trek back to the temple, Tenzin, Meelo and Naga all following close behind. “It’s good to have you back, Korra. This place hasn’t been the same without you.” She mentioned off-hand as they reached the top of the hill.

“…Oh. Uh. Actually, I’m… not staying.” Korra replied, the group coming to a momentary stop.

“What do you mean?” Jinora asked, clearly disappointed. Ikki and Meelo seemed similarly dejected at the notion.

“I actually just came to gather my things and see how everyone’s been doing. I’m going to be moving in with Asami tonight.” Korra explained.

“…Asami?” Pema asked.

“Right, we’re, uh, kind of a couple now.” She explained briefly. No need to keep dragging it out every time, she may as well just say it.

“They’re betrothed.” Tenzin added on.

“Really? Huh. Well, it’s about time. That girl’s been pining for you for years.” Pema smiled. Korra and Tenzin shared a look. Apparently this was old news to her. “Oh, don’t look so surprised – the acolytes talk, you know, and Ikki raised quite the convincing argument.” She remarked, looking in her youngest daughter’s direction as she spoke.

“I’ve also seen how Asami looks at you. She practically built this city in your image while you were recovering in the south pole. I was beginning to wonder if she was ever going to say anything to you. Glad to see everything worked itself out.”

Korra was a little embarrassed. “I hadn’t really noticed that before, but, now that you mention it...” Well she certainly felt a little dumb now. “Apparently we fell for each other around the same time, after Zaheer. Though when I really think about it, I think maybe I was hitting on her a little before then, too. I just feel bad about making her wait so long.”

“Oh, don’t worry so much about it. What’s important is that you two are together now, not how long it took for it to happen. I’m sure she couldn’t be happier either way.” Pema reassured.

“Yeah!” Ikki agreed. “When you’re meant to be together, it doesn’t matter how long it takes. All that matters is that you true love always wins out in the end.”

Korra smiled. “You guys are right. Thanks.”

“Still, I’m going to be sad to see you go.” Jinora frowned. “We really missed you. It felt like we just got you back.”

“I’m sorry you guys. But I’ll still come over to visit as often as I can, I promise.” Korra assured. It was something, they supposed. “Now let’s stop standing around and go get started on dinner!” She announced, ushering the group onward.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

Later that afternoon, back at the precinct, a very defeated Mako and Bolin emerged from the Chief’s office, their heads hung low. To say that she was upset would be an understatement. After letting them have it for what felt like an eternity, Chief Beifong released them back into the precinct and relegated them to desk duty. They had been told under no uncertain terms to have Korra on board with their case by the morning ‘or else’, and neither of them wanted to find out what that referred to.

Sitting down quietly at their desk, the brothers retreated back to the safety of their case. They had a lot to catch up on. Earlier that day, a new body was discovered along the edges of Dragon Flats. Unlike before, there were no witnesses to the event, meaning they had even less information to go on, but that wasn’t to say that they didn’t have any.

After finding the body, Dr. Lou was called in to immediately perform an autopsy. Just like Kazuo, the victim had been left with a discoloration in the shape of a hand around their face and all of their bodily fluids drained. Also like Kazuo, they were left completely without chi, as well. Unfortunately however, even after completing his re-hydration procedure, the face of the victim wasn’t one that anybody immediately recognized this time around.

On a hunch, Mako and Bolin elected to search through every file they had on known triad members and affiliates, but to no avail. Whoever or whatever was doing this then, they probably weren’t doing it to upset the gangs. While this ruled out the possibility of some sort of vigilante (human or otherwise), it didn’t do much to get them any closer to solving the case.

Left without a pattern, a witnesses, or even any confirmation as to whether or not their victim was a bender, there was little the brothers could do to narrow down the search. In the end, they just commissioned the police sketch artist and ordered fliers to be distributed around the neighborhood. With any luck, somebody would come forward and identify the body. But until then, the two of them felt as though they’d hit a wall. It was almost as if the more this case evolved, the less solvable it became.

“This week just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it?” Mako said with a sigh. He wasn’t expecting much of an answer.

His brother was slumped over in his chair across from him, bored, staring at a clock on the opposite wall. He didn’t think it was possible to feel this tired from looking through some files. “Well, at least Korra and Asami are back, right? That’s nice,”

“Yeah, I guess.” The look on Mako’s face was telling. He had mixed feelings about that topic, but it wasn’t something he really wanted to talk about right now.

But with a lack of anything else to do for the moment, Bolin pressed on regardless. “Oh come on, Mako, why’ve you gotta be like that? They’re our friends, right? I don’t know why you’re not happy about this.” And if he were being honest, his brother’s continued deflections were starting to make him a little upset.

“It’s complicated,” Mako insisted. “And it’s not because my exes are dating each other.”

“Not just because of that, or not because of that at all?”

“To be honest, Bo, it’s none of your business.” Mako snapped.

Bolin frowned. “Geez, fine. Brood all you want, then.”

“I am not brooding.”

“Mm, you kind of are, but whatever. Lin was pretty clear we’ve gotta track Korra down tonight anyway, so if you wanna save all this up for some big emotional moment with her, fine, but I’m here for you too, bro.” Bolin reminded.

Mako looked down. Maybe he had a point.

“Honestly, if I were Lin, I’d probably give her a day or two to settle back in before throwing her into another city-saving scenario, but–”

“No, Lin’s right. This thing has killed 2 people in 3 days and we have no idea when it’s going to strike again. If Korra isn’t ready to get back into things, then she shouldn’t be coming back at all.” Mako interrupted. He seemed to be interrupting his brother a lot these days. It was something else that was starting to leave Bolin a little upset.

Still, while he found his last words to be fairly harsh, Bolin supposed Mako had a point. It didn’t mean he couldn’t feel bad about it, though. Especially after hearing that they were apparently engaged, now? Now that really came out of left field. Or, it would have if he hadn’t been reading all of those gossip columns, anyway; people had been speculating about them for weeks now. As much as Bolin may have wanted to talk about it with Mako, though, he was beginning to think it wasn’t such a good idea.

Thankfully, before things got any more awkward between the two of them, a saving grace entered the room.

“Aha! Bolin! There you are!” Varrick shouted.

Every detective in the precinct momentarily looked up from their desks as soon as he entered the room, thanking the spirits that he wasn’t their problem. Mako, meanwhile, held his head in his hands. He suddenly wished he could be anywhere but here, right now, in this moment.

“I’d almost given up looking for you! I figured I’d just go invite Lin next and see if I couldn’t get back to you later, but lo and behold, you’re sitting here in the very station I built for her! What’s the matter, bailing your brother out of jail again?” Varrick asked, leaning in and semi-whispering that last part into Bolin’s ear. Mako’s eye twitched.

“I’m right here, you know. In a police uniform. As a detective. Working on a case.” Mako seethed, not that Varrick seemed to be paying him any mind. Why did he even bother?

“Varrick!” Bolin greeted exuberantly, though maybe not quite as exuberantly as Varrick had greeted him. “I actually work here now, can you believe it? My brother and I are partners now, it’s great!”

“No kidding? Good for you! I always knew you were destined for great things, Nuktuk was just the beginning!”

“Aw, thanks V,” Bolin sniffed, wiping a tear from his eye. “Anyway, what’s up? You mentioned something about inviting Lin somewhere?”

“Right! You’ve heard about that Ryuuki Ayosushi-or-whatever guy, right? Well, as it happens, I’ve got some sweet VIP balcony seats for that premiere of his tomorrow night, so I’ve been inviting all of Republic City’s toppest of top brass to come along! Along with a few friends, of course. That’s why I was looking for you, I know how much you love movers. So what do you say, are you in?” Varrick asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Are you kidding me? Of course I'm in! Do you know how long it's been since I've been to a premiere!?”

Mako knew this one! “Since he got me arrested.” He reminded with some frustration, raising his hand to be sure he got their attention.

Bolin’s face sunk a little. Well, that was awkward. He’d kinda forgotten about that.

But Varrick insisted. “Bah, bygones! I'm a changed man, and I've put the past behind me! Personally, I think you could stand to do the same, Mako. In fact, why don't you come along too? I’ve even arranged for Korra and Asami to be there; it can be just like old times!”

And just what kind of ‘old times’ was Varrick referring to? While Mako remained suspicious, Bolin just grew more excited.

“Ah, that's a great idea! Come on Mako, what do you say? It’ll be great!”

“What? No, I hate movers, you know that. Why are you inviting me?” Varrick and Bolin both gasped. Did he seriously just say that!?

“Mako, language! You know we don’t use that word with movers here!! This is an H-word-free zone!!!” Bolin proclaimed.

Mako sighed. Why did everything in his life have to constantly conspire to make him miserable?

“What’s with all this racket out here!?” Lin yelled, the door to her office nearly swinging off of its hinges as she stepped angrily into the detective’s office. Everybody in the room save for Varrick and Bolin shrunk a little as soon as she started talking. Looking around the room, she came to find that Varrick had invited himself in. Again. Because of course he did. And since when did he of all people willingly walk into police stations, anyway? Last she heard, he claimed they gave him a rash.

“Ah, Lin, there you are! Perfect! I was just about to come in and invite you, too! I’ve got some great seats for the premiere of ‘The Dancing Dragons’ tomorrow, and all of Republic City’s big shots are gonna be there! You want in? You look like a hard-working woman who could use a break!” Unbeknownst to Varrick, flattery wouldn’t get him anywhere.

“Oh, that thing. I'm already going, though not to just sit on my ass and relax like you are. Somebody's got to handle security, and given how big this thing's going to be, I've been assigned to handle it personally.” Lin waved, completely uninterested in Varrick’s offer and even less interested in attending a mover. But it was what it was.

“Oh, well that was easy!” Varrick exclaimed. “Now all I have to do is hope Korra and Asami get my message and we can get this show on the road! VIP treatment, here we come!” Varrick shouted, left arm raised, his index finger pointing to the heavens.

“Whatever.” Mako huffed. “You guys have fun, I'm going to try and get some work done. I still have a killer to catch, and who knows how long that’s going to take, Korra or no Korra.”

“Not so fast, Mako,” Lin interjected, catching the Firebender by surprise. “Now that I think about it, I could actually use a guy like you out there. You've got good eyes.”

“But, Chief, the case,” Mako insisted.

“You mean the one I asked you to bring the Avatar in on?” Lin asked. Mako shrunk. The whole point in having him bring her in was so she could help them wrap this up quicker, tell them if it was a spirit or not. “All the more reason for you to come with me.” She insisted.

“We still don’t know anything about how this creep chooses their victims, or whether or not they’re even human. A big event like this might just attract them. I’d rest a lot easier having the Avatar and you there with me in case anything goes wrong.” On that note, Lin would now be making sure at least Korra attended that premiere no matter what, now. Mako wasn’t really being left with much of a choice.

“Okay, okay, fine, I’ll go. Geez.” Mako complained. “It’s gonna be at the Pro Bending Arena, right? It’s been a while, but I still know that place like the back of my hand. I’ll make sure we get everything covered.”

Lin gave a nod.

“YES!” Bolin yelled, jumping up from his chair. “Oh man, this is going to be the greatest night ever!” He exclaimed, pulling the three of them – Mako, Lin and Varrick – into a rather uncomfortable group hug.

Mako shoved Varrick off of him and tried desperately to wiggle his way out of it. Sometimes he couldn't help but question his choice of company, especially over these last couple of months. He just hoped tomorrow night wouldn’t be as much of a disaster as he was afraid it’d be.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

“...And that’s how I managed to save an entire fleet with nothing more than three penguins, a broken radio, and an old toothbrush!” Bumi exclaimed, finishing yet another long-winded and far-fetched war story, much to the relief of those gathered.

A couple of hours had passed since Korra arrived back on Air Temple Island, and dinner was well underway. After many stories were told and catching up was done, the extended family of Avatar and Airbenders were simply enjoying what time they had left together. Asami was due from work any time now.

“…Right. So, how is your dinner, Korra?” Tenzin asked, hoping to the spirits to avoid another Bumi story.

“Just as good as I remembered. Pema always did make the best rice and dumplings. I’m happy I was able to help out this time, maybe now I can make them for Asami someday.” Korra replied. “It’s nice to be able to eat an actual meal again. Between my mom’s octopus stew and this, I don’t think I’d mind never seeing another spirit fruit in my life.” She complained with a laugh.

“You and me both.”

Korra’s head whipped around the instant she heard that voice, a smile on her face. She knew that voice like the back of her hand. “Asami!” She enthused, jumping up from the table to give her fiancee a hug. “When did you get here?”

“Just now. An acolyte told me you were waiting for me here, so here I am.” Asami smiled, giving Korra a peck on the cheek. She waved hello to the kids across the table and greeted the adults, taking a seat next to Korra at the table. Korra quickly fetched her a plate.

“We made sure to make plenty of extra, so feel free to help yourself. Pema insisted I take some of it with me when I move into your place tonight.”

“So you told them?” Asami asked. Korra nodded. No wonder Jinora and Ikki couldn’t stop giggling as soon as she showed up. Those two probably had all sorts of gossip by now.

“Yeah, though it turned out I didn’t have to. It seems Ikki’s been spreading rumors ever since we left.” Korra laughed, coming back from the kitchen.

“Not just me, all of the newspapers, too!”

“I think you mean tabloids,” Tenzin corrected.

Ikki shrugged. “Same thing. And is it still a rumor if it’s true? I’ve just been telling it like it is all along!”

Asami laughed. “Probably not. But yes, you called it, Ikki.” Though, it wasn’t like they made it very subtle by walking into the sunset like that or anything.

“Korra told us a whole bunch of stories about you two in the spirit world together when she was helping to make dinner. Is it true you got turned into a little girl for a day?” Jinora asked, wanting to doubly confirm the story before writing it down in her journal.

Asami gave Korra a shocked and somewhat embarrassed look, elbowing her lightly. “You told them about that?!”

“What, it was a good story!” Korra claimed.

“Yeah, well, I bet you didn’t tell them about that time you mistook a hornet’s nest for fruit.” Asami rebuffed. This time Korra was the embarrassed one.

“You know what, let’s just not talk about the spirit world right now,” Korra decided. Asami shook her head. That was fine by her, though Ikki and Jinora seemed a little disappointed. Meelo, meanwhile, was completely uninterested. Rather than eating his food, he appeared to be making a self-portrait out of it, and it was taking up all of his attention at the moment.

“So, where’s Kai, Opal, Ryu and all the others? I thought they’d be here on the island with you guys, but I didn’t see any other Airbenders around on my way over here.” Asami wondered. There were plenty of acolytes, but that was it.

“Well, Ryu’s still giving tours of the spirit wilds, but almost everybody else is helping out with construction and relief efforts in the city right now.” Tenzin replied.

“The wilds still exist?” Korra asked.

Tenzin nodded. “They were pretty decimated after Kuvira’s weapon exploded, but they’ve really only expanded into surrounding neighborhoods. The crater around the portal has also started growing back fairly quickly. It shouldn’t be long before the whole place is full of trees and spirit vines again.”

“Geez, poor Ryu. I bet he was hoping for more of a break from tour duty than this.” Korra laughed.

“I bet that’s not the job he had in mind when he became an Airbender.” Asami mentioned, assuming he actually wanted a job in the first place. Which he didn’t, of course.

“Yes, well, everybody has their talents,” Tenzin defended. Truthfully, he just didn’t like dealing with the kid. He tended to like making things a lot more difficult than they needed to be. Korra meanwhile just rolled her eyes at the ‘talents’ remark, well aware of Tenzin’s true intentions in assigning him to tour duty. She honestly couldn’t blame him, though.

“So, I assume you’ll start packing as soon as you two finish eating?” Pema asked, lightly scolding Rohan for playing with his food in a much less constructive way than his older brother.

“I’m not sure who’s the messier eater, Bumi or Rohan.” Tenzin thought aloud.

On hearing his name mentioned, Bumi immediately looked up from his bowl, a mess of rice in his beard and clothes. “Hm?”

Ignoring all of that, Asami nodded to Pema’s question. “That’d probably be for the best. It’s going to take a little bit to settle in, and we’re both still a little tired from the trip.”

“Yeah, I think I might actually turn in early for once.” Korra remarked between bites. She was actually kind of looking forward to it.

“If you’re moving in with Asami, does this mean I can have your room?” Ikki asked, trying to make the best of the situation.

“I think that one’s up to your dad, but why not?” Korra laughed. She figured Ikki was looking to get away from her sister a bit more.

“Well, you brought a lot of spirit to this place, Korra. Guess it’s gonna be up to Bum-Ju, Meelo and I again to liven this place up a bit from now on!” Bumi cut in, eliciting a thumbs up from the distracted Meelo across the table. He still seemed to be hard at work on his latest masterpiece. Tenzin meanwhile could already feel a migraine coming on from the thought of Bumi’s attempts at ‘livening up the place’.

“Y’know, I’m almost sad I won’t be able to see that. Good luck, Tenzin.” Korra teased. Tenzin groaned in response. The Avatar turned her attention to Meelo now, curious why he wasn’t eating. “Do you hate my cooking that much, Meelo? You’ve been surprisingly quiet all dinner and you haven’t eaten any of your food yet.”

“That’s because while all you guys have been telling silly stories and eating, I’ve been working on my latest masterpiece.” Meelo replied, putting the finishing touches on the food in his bowl and then lifting it to show Korra. It was a 100% perfect 3D replica of his face made entirely out of rice. “It’s beautiful because of its impermanence, and also because it’s me. And now I get to eat it!” He grinned, finally allowing himself to dig in. Pema sighed.

“…‘Beautiful because of its impermanence’? I think somebody’s been spending too much time with Huan…” Jinora groaned, rolling her eyes. Korra and Asami shared a laugh. If there were ever somebody who personified pretentiousness, it’d be that guy.

“I guess you guys have a little artist on your hands, huh?” Asami asked. This was the first she’d seen of it, personally.

“That’s nothing, you should’ve seen the portrait he drew of Korra back when we were searching the Earth Kingdom for her.” Ikki said. Asami raised an eyebrow. A portrait of Korra?

“Ladies, please! There is no benefit in basking in the glory of the past, it distracts from the now!” Meelo declared. Jinora dragged her hand down her face, receiving a sympathetic look from her father. It seemed Meelo was her Bumi. Once again, Korra and Asami laughed.

Looking up at the clock on the wall, Korra figured it was about time to wrap things up. They had packing to do and some brothers to track down and catch up with before their day was officially done.

Rising from the table, Korra bowed. “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me. You’ve all been like a second family to me, and I don’t know where I’d be today without you.” She said, primarily addressing Pema, Tenzin and the kids, though she’d elicited some sniffles from Bumi as well.

“It’s been an honor, Avatar Korra.” Tenzin smiled. The kids all got up from the table and gave her one last big hug while they still could. Hugging them back, it was eventually time for her to get going.

“This was an amazing dinner, but Asami and I should probably start packing now. It’s getting a bit late.” Korra sighed. Asami nodded in agreement. “You brought one of your boats here, right, Asami? It may be easier if we just use that to get back.”

“Actually, I took a public ferry. I thought it’d be easier if we just borrowed a sky bison; the estate is pretty far inland, so even if I brought one of my boats, it'd just be more work for Naga.”

“Good point. I hadn’t thought about that.”

“Well if it’s a sky bison you need, I’d be happy to lend you a hand with Oogi for a little while.” Tenzin stepped in, receiving a thankful nod from the two in response.

“That'd be perfect, thank you.” Korra said.

“Of course. I'll go let the acolytes know that you're leaving and have them bring Oogi over to the women's dormitories; they can help you load up his saddle.” Tenzin offered, rising from the table to do just that.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

Putting the last of her belongings into a box and handing it to Asami, Korra took one last look around her old room and sighed. There were a lot of memories in this room. She was going to miss this place. In the end, it didn’t take that long to gather up all of her stuff.

The Air Nation was never big on material possessions and, truth be told, neither was Korra for the most part. Most of what she kept was sentimental in some way. But for her, it all held value. All that was left to do now was to fly back to Asami’s place, put her boxes in her room, and then head back out to look for Mako and Bolin.

Korra still felt bad about ditching them at the pier like they did; it looked like they really wanted to talk to her about something. Thankfully, the two brothers showed up and saved her the trouble, their shift at the precinct finally over.

“Korra! Asami!” Bolin called, waving excitedly as he ran across the courtyard to greet his two friends. Mako was walking some distance behind him at a more leisurely place, his hands tucked into his pockets. Bolin slowed down when he reached the bison. “I thought I’d find you here, Korra, but Asami, shouldn't you be at work?”

Asami chuckled. “Hi, Bolin. One of the perks of being CEO is you get to make your own schedule.” Asami explained.

“Ah, Bolin! Mako!” Korra greeted, another smile finding its way to her face. As Mako arrived, she quickly ran up and pulled the two of them into a hug, Bolin accepting it eagerly whereas Mako seemed a little awkward. “I missed you guys so much.”

Mako winced a little, pulling out of the hug and holding onto his arm. Korra immediately apologized, having forgotten he was so badly injured. “I’ll be fine,” He assured simply.

“We thought we’d have to go look for you guys once we finished up here, so this actually saves us a lot of trouble.” Asami mentioned, giving Bolin a hug of her own. She also offered Mako a hug, who accepted it with some trepidation. She was careful not to put any pressure on his arm. “It’s good to see you two again.”

“It’s good to see you again, too! You’re never gonna believe what we’ve been up to lately, it’s actually part of the reason why we’re here. But that can wait! First, a heartwarming reunion for Team Avatar.” Bolin grinned. Mako just kept his hands sunk into his pockets, trying his best to avoid eye contact. He didn’t really want to be here right now and it showed.

“Mako, is everything alright?” Asami asked, noting his unease. Mako flashed an unconvincing smile.

“Yeah, of course! It’s good to have you two back. It hasn’t been the same without you.” He said, trying his best to play it cool. But neither Korra or Asami were buying it. Growing suspicious, Korra shared a look with Asami before glancing back at Mako, non-verbally pressuring him to say whatever it was that was bothering him.

“Oh, don’t mind him. He’s just a little upset you guys ran off without telling anybody. I don’t really mind it, but Gloomy Gong over here apparently likes to take everything personally.” Bolin shrugged, giving the two a ‘What can you do?’ sort of look while Mako shot him a glare that could freeze a volcano.

“…Oh.” Korra responded, looking back to Asami. This time, she seemed a bit more concerned. She had kind of skipped over telling them where she was going, hadn’t she? And Asami had too, from the looks of it. She didn’t think it’d be that big of a deal, though. “Um… sorry about that,” She awkwardly apologized. “It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing, you know? We told who we needed to so things wouldn’t fall apart without us and then kind of just. Went for it.”

“See, that’s what I’ve been telling him! But it’s like he thinks you have something against him, or something. I dunno. He refuses to talk to me about it so I’m just taking shots in the dark here.” Bolin shrugged again. Mako let out an annoyed sigh. His brother was completely misrepresenting the situation.

“…Something against him?” Korra raised an eyebrow, a little offended.

“I don’t think they have something against me, Bolin,” Mako corrected, a hint of anger in his voice. “And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to speak for me when you don’t even know what’s going on.”

Bolin took a step back at that. He seemed to have made his brother legitimately upset, which was absolutely not his intention.

“Mako, that’s a little harsh...” Asami remarked.

“Okay, what's up?” Korra asked.

Mako sighed. They weren’t going to let this go, were they? “Okay, fine, so maybe I am a little upset that my two best friends went on vacation and then left me to find out about it secondhand the next day. I’ll admit, that sucked. I thought we were finally back to normal again after everything that’s happened between us and then you suddenly disappeared the next day. But this goes way beyond just that.” Mako began.

“While you two have been off doing whatever and getting betrothed, which is ridiculous enough after two weeks, this city’s been falling apart. It’s like as soon as the dust settled, you two were gone, leaving everybody else to pick up the pieces for you. I get that it was a spur-of-the-moment thing, but if you ask me, it was selfish. People are suffering, the city refuses to help them, the triads are more violent than ever, and you two have been acting like everything’s fine! This city needed you. I needed you! But the way you’ve been acting, it’s like you don’t even care!”

Excuse me?” Korra snapped at Mako’s accusation. “Well, sorry I wasn’t thinking about you after almost dying, again, let alone what the rest of the city might want. I mean, spirits forbid I decide to treat myself after all the shit I’ve been through these last three years, never mind what Asami’s had to put up with.”

“You’re the Avatar, this is your job, you can’t just disappear on us like that!” Mako replied. But Korra wasn’t having any of it.

“You think I don’t know who I am? You think I don’t think about this stuff every day?”

“You sure don’t act like it.”

“Okay, no, you don’t get to stand there and accuse me of not doing my job when you don’t know the first thing about what it’s like. I knew exactly what I was doing when I walked away to have this vacation. I made sure things could go on without me, and so did Asami.”

“Except they didn’t. Future Industries has done its best, but it needed Asami’s direction. Republic City has done its best, but it needed its Avatar’s help. I’ve done my best, too, but I needed you guys here with me and you just up and vanished instead. It’s hard not to be a little pissed off when you’re the one who has to stay behind wondering if you did something wrong while everything collapses around you.” Mako claimed. Korra grit her teeth.

“I honestly can’t believe how selfish you’re being right now. After everything that’s happened to us, I just thought it’d be nice if Asami and I could step away for a bit, relax, pursue something we’ve both wanted for a long time now, but nope! I forgot, I’m not allowed to go more than a couple seconds without considering how my actions might affect the all-important Mako, never mind the rest of the city!” Korra exploded, refusing to let Mako get another word in until she was finished.

“You know, I’m starting to remember why I broke up with you. I’m sorry you’re upset I didn’t tell you where I was going, but you are not entitled to every single aspect of my personal life, and the same goes for this city and everybody else in it. I did what I had to for me, so I could finish healing and be the best Avatar I can be for everybody, and Asami did the same for her own reasons. You do not get to stand there and judge me for that, not after everything I’ve been through.” She finished.

While Korra and Mako went at it, Bolin just stood there, blinking. He wasn’t really sure how to react, but he was beginning to think he shouldn’t have said anything after all. He looked to Asami for some sort of sign what to do, but she looked to be agreeing with Korra on this one. Her anger had her concerned at first, but Korra had a point and Asami knew it.

“Look, I get you were still hurting, but so were we.” So was he. Mako sighed. “Look, I’m sorry I upset you, and I’m sorry I’ve been getting so angry, but things have been rough ever since you left. But it’s whatever, okay? It doesn’t matter anymore. You’re here now.” He said, quickly trying to defuse the situation before it got any worse. But it was already too late.

“Oh no, you do not get to do that,” Korra began, even angrier than before now. “You do not get to turn this into some sort of personal attack against you or act like I'm ignoring my duty and then act like it’s all ‘whatever’ and ‘not important’ after I find out about it.” Suddenly, a hand on her shoulder pulled Korra out of it. Looking back, she saw Asami, the look in her eyes asking her to let it go now.

“Korra, that’s enough. I get why you’re upset, I am too, but he isn’t entirely wrong.” Asami said. Korra looked confused. “I agree with you. He shouldn’t be blaming us for everything that’s going on, but at the same time we both knew this would probably end up happening. Even if we didn’t think it’d be coming from Mako.” She said, aiming a look in his direction. Mako looked away.

“I know that, but… ugh.” Korra turned back to her friend. “Seriously, Mako? You told me before I left that you had my back. That you’d always be willing to stand and fight beside me. What, does that not extend to me taking care of myself or something?” She asked. Mako looked down. “I know I’m the Avatar. I know I have a responsibility to everyone. But I’m still human. I needed time before I was ready to tackle all of this again, and so did Asami. I thought you of all people would back me up on this.”

“I’m sorry.” Mako suddenly apologized. “I know all of this already, you’re right. That’s why I didn’t want to say anything and just let it be,” He said, glaring at Bolin for even bringing it up again.

“I know it isn’t fair to you, or Asami, or anybody else, but that doesn’t make it any easier. Up until the other day, I’ve been completely useless because of my arm, all I could do was watch. And yeah, I was a little upset at you about that, too, Korra, because I know you probably could’ve helped me heal even faster. But Republic City really is in trouble, and I’ve just been under so much stress because of everything that’s been going on. I’ve been upset. And it’s hard not to look for someone or something to blame.”

Mako sighed. “I never really considered why you two left and just focused on the fact that you did, and I took it personally because… I don’t even know why, honestly. Maybe I thought we were closer than that. But it wasn't fair to you.”

Korra frowned. Where was this Mako when the two of them were dating? She never really knew him to be this self-aware before. Even if it didn’t seem like he had, he’d grown up some over these last couple of years as well. She was still a little upset, but at least now she had a better understanding of things.

“I guess Asami and me taking off like we did was just the icing on the cake for you, huh?” Korra asked.

“Kind of, yeah.” Mako admitted. Korra sighed.

“I’m sorry for going off on you like that. But what you said really hurt, you know?” Korra apologized. “Look, I get it. Maybe I should’ve said something to you, and maybe I didn’t leave at the best time for the city. But after everything I’ve been through, I really needed a break. I earned one. We both did.” She explained, looking back at Asami.

“But I’m not going to apologize for taking care of myself, and Asami shouldn’t have to either. I am sorry I didn’t tell you or Bolin where we were going or what was going on, but I honestly didn’t expect you to take it so personally. I mean, Bolin didn’t. So that one’s on you.” Korra concluded.

As much as he may not have liked it, Mako couldn’t disagree.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” Mako sighed again, feeling as though a weight had just been lifted from his shoulders. He had a really bad habit of internalizing this sort of thing. It was nice to have it out in the open now. “Are we cool?”

“Yeah, we’re cool. Just please don’t do this again. Talk to somebody, for spirits’ sake.” Korra laughed, giving Mako a hug. This probably wouldn’t have happened if he actually bothered to open up once in a while.

“I can try.” Mako smiled, returning her hug. “I never did congratulate you and Asami, by the way. Sorry about that. But I’m really happy for you two – I think you’re going to be great together.”

“Thank you.” Korra smiled. Asami smiled, too. They were glad that was over, and so was Bolin.

“Um, is it safe to talk now…?” Bolin hesitantly asked, raising his hand.

“Yes, you can talk now, Bolin.” Korra laughed.

“Okay, phew. Sorry about that. In retrospect maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. But hey, you live and you learn, right?” Bolin asked, his question completely rhetorical. “Anyway, I meant to ask before things got all shouty and awkward, but what’s with all the stuff? You look like you’re moving out or something.”

“Oh, uh, I kind of am, actually,” Korra replied. Bolin looked surprised.

“Ooh, did you find a place in the city?” Bolin asked, excitement in his voice. Korra shared a knowing look with Asami.

“Something like that.” Korra laughed.

Mako shook his head, smiling. “You two are moving in together.”

“Yeah, we can’t wait, honestly.” Asami smiled.

“Ooh, that’s great! Me and Opal did the same thing a couple of days after you left, it’s been a lot of fun!” Bolin said with some excitement. Korra and Asami smiled. They were happy to hear the two of them were doing okay again.

“Congratulations, you two. Seriously.” Mako said. “And, sorry for being such a dumbass. Again.” The girls laughed.

“Yeah well you’re our dumbass, Mako. We wouldn’t have you any other way.” Korra teased, smirking. “Anyway, Asami and I should probably get going soon. I’m eager to start getting settled in.”

“Wait,” Mako rushed to request, suddenly remembering why he’d come here in the first place. “Before you go, there’s something I need to talk to you about. It’s about this case Bolin and I have been working on lately.”

“Bolin? Since when was Bolin a cop?” Asami asked.

“...Oh, did I forget to mention that? Yeah, I’m actually a cop now, and Mako and I are partners! Isn’t that awesome?! But uh, yeah, that case we’re working on… hoo boy. That is most certainly not awesome.” Bolin frowned.

“What’s going on?” Korra asked, the look on her face becoming markedly more serious.

“Well, to put it bluntly…” Mako began, sharing a look with Bolin. They were sure. “We think there’s a spirit attacking people in Republic City. Killing them, actually. It's sucking out their chi along with every fluid in their body, turning them into these horrible, dried up husks. I thought it was some sort of bender at first, but taking people’s chi isn’t human. I know you literally just got back earlier today, but… we need your help.” He admitted.

“A spirit? Killing people?” Korra asked. She looked shocked, and then grave. This wasn’t normal. Spirits never killed. She frowned, looking back at Asami.

“Go.” Asami said. “I’ll have Tenzin or Jinora take me back to my place and start putting your stuff away. Looks like Republic City needs its Avatar tonight.” She shrugged, giving Korra a reassuring smile. The Avatar nodded in response, turning back to Mako and Bolin. No use standing around here anymore, then.

“Alright then, let's go. Looks like I've got some catching up to do.”

Chapter 5: The Chi Eater

Summary:

Korra has officially joined Mako and Bolin in their investigation! Rushing to the scene of the latest murder, Korra is overwhelmed by what she sees, confirming the group's worst fears. Pushing herself to the limit, she resolves herself to get to the bottom of this case before any more bodies turn up.

Chapter Text

Book Five
Chi

Chapter Five
The Chi Eater

 

“Y’know, I never would’ve guessed Naga was such a fast swimmer.” Bolin remarked from atop the polar bear dog’s back.

Knowing that time was of the essence, Korra and the brothers had left Air Temple Island almost immediately, choosing Naga as their preferred means of transportation. Thanks to her, they’d made it across Yue Bay in what had to be record time, and personally, Bolin was in awe. Mako meanwhile was less than impressed.

“Dude, she’s from the south pole. Nothing but ice and water down there. What’d you expect?”

“Oh yeah... I guess even a big ol’ fluffy polar bear dog wouldn’t wanna be in that too long, huh Naga?” Bolin asked, drawing no response from the dog-paddling Naga. She was far too focused on swimming.

Korra, too, was completely focused on the task at hand, paying no mind to the brothers’ banter. She was using her Waterbending to boost Naga’s speed even further, a dozen different thoughts running through her head at once. The idea that a spirit was out there killing people just didn’t make any sense to her, but she supposed she’d find out the truth soon enough. She just hoped Mako and Bolin were wrong about this one.

Upon reaching the city docks, Naga leapt high out of the water with an airbending assist from Korra. She then used her waterbending to dry Naga’s fur for her and directed the pup to keep running, full speed ahead.

“You know, you guys never told me where I was going.” Korra announced, interrupting the brothers’ discussion. It sounded like they were still talking about the south pole.

“Dragon Flats. Both murders took place in that area, though the most recent one was along its edge, near the Silk Road Bridge. We should probably head there, first.” Mako replied.

“Oh, I know where that is. I met someone there a few years ago.” Korra replied. Clearly not her favorite place given how the rest of that night went down, but at least she wouldn’t get lost on the way there.

“Well, these days, the place is crawling with triads, so be careful. Dragon Flats was never a very affluent neighborhood, but it’s only gotten worse since Kuvira.”

Korra turned back around with a self-assured smirk. She welcomed the challenge. “I think you forgot who you’re talking to, Mako. I’m the Avatar. I can deal.”

Despite her reassurances, Mako couldn’t help but feel uneasy. The closer they got to their destination, the more his arm started to tingle. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was nervous or if it actually meant something, but he decided to remain quiet about it in the end. At least for now. There would be plenty of time to talk to Korra about it later.

After making it across town and crossing the bridge, Korra slowed Naga down to a casual walk. “So you said the body was found somewhere around here, right?”

“Yeah… a couple blocks down from here.” Mako said, noting their current street. “I was going to suggest Bolin and I head out here earlier, but I thought it’d be safer to have you with us, especially if it really is a spirit. Maybe you can pick up on something with your Avatar powers that I can’t.”

A fair assessment’, Korra thought. Sensing the presence of spirits and spiritual energy was something that came easier to her now.

Having reached her destination, she climbed down from Naga’s back, instructing the brothers to do the same. The poor girl could probably use a rest. With Naga and the brothers now following close behind her, she cautiously walked down the dilapidated city streets, taking in what’d become of Dragon Flats.

To call this part of town a disaster would’ve been an understatement. Spirit vines dug through just about every other building, and the streets were a total mess. Wherever there wasn’t garbage and vines, some poor soul was living out of a cardboard box. There were abandoned and graffitied businesses everywhere. And even though it wasn’t that late, no light shined in any of the windows. But Korra knew these buildings weren’t all empty.

From every dark alleyway and boarded up window, she could feel eyes staring holes through her. If any of their owners were troublemakers, her presence alone kept them in check, but she could tell they were still suspicious. After all, Korra had been gone for weeks. She was part of the reason they were living the way they were. Why would she suddenly start caring about them now, right?

Mako’s words still rung in her head like a bell, no matter how much she wished that they wouldn’t. Being here and seeing it all first-hand though, it was hard not to start agreeing with him. She couldn’t help but wonder if the city really had forgotten about this place. If it weren’t for the occasional streetlight, she’d wonder if they even received power anymore. The sight of it all just made her feel sad. Did she really make the right choice by walking away when she did?

“I don’t see any spirits here, either...” Bolin thought aloud. The look on her face told him Korra had already picked up on it. Still, she looked back in his direction. She wanted to know what he meant. “I noticed this with the first victim, too. When we came by to talk to the witness, there were no spirits anywhere. They’re usually all over the place in this part of town.”

“Yeah, and something tells me it’d take a lot more than some triads to drive them away.” Mako commented.

Korra frowned. They were right and it worried her. She could feel it in the air that something was off here, and it wasn’t just that she was being watched. She just couldn’t put her finger on what it was, exactly. She felt like she could be jumped at any moment.

Sensing her unease, Mako decided to try and lighten the mood by changing the subject. “Sooo… you and Asami, huh?”

Korra didn’t even turn around. “Whatever you’re thinking, stop thinking it.” She warned.

Mako’s face snapped into an expression of red-tinted shock. “What? No! I’m not thinking anything, I’m just… really? You two? I never would’ve seen that coming.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not like it was some big secret, you’re just dense. Pema and Ikki figured it out ages ago.” Korra shrugged, conveniently neglecting to mention her own past density on the matter. Mako’s expression sunk slightly. A genius detective he was not, at least in affairs of the heart. “Anyway, which street are we looking for exactly? I’m still not entirely sure where I’m g–”

Korra froze, swallowing her words with a gulp. At the same time, Naga began to growl, moving ahead of her and the brothers and standing in a defensive position.

“…? Korra? What’s–” Mako didn’t have to finish the question. As soon as he stood where Korra and Naga did, he saw exactly what’d stopped them in their tracks.

There, in the middle of the street, four cops lay dead. Their bodies were shriveled up and mutilated, and their cars looked like they’d been thrown into a trash compactor. The street below them was cratered, and shattered glass and rubble littered the area.

“Oh… oh, spirits…” Bolin struggled to speak. It looked like the officers had put up a fight. It hadn’t been enough.

Korra ran for the nearest gutter, feeling as though she were about to puke. Her heart was pounding and her head felt like it was in a vice. Her entire body was shaking. As if the sight alone wasn’t sickening enough, that… that energy in the air. She fell to her knees, clutching her stomach in pain.

“Korra!” Mako yelled, reaching out to try and catch her. “Korra, are you okay?!”

For Korra, everything went dark, and Mako’s voice sounded like she was hearing it from underwater. For the briefest of moments, it was just her. Her, and...

 

k̶̦̪̤̙̗͖̫̳͑͘.̵̼͕͙̠̦̗̎ͮ͐̄̅ͅ.͎̣̜̘ͨͫ̿͌̍.͎̫̳͖̻̰͐̎̈́̂͆͘i̵̔̒ͨ͒҉̘l̟͈̞̺̄̐ͫ͞ͅl̢͚̙͔͚̥̺ͭ̅̑ͅ.̹͉͕̑ͬ̓̈́̾̾ͣ͑͊͠.̣̩̟̘͊ͦ͂ͨ̏ͨ͛.̤̙̣̭ͭ̋̿̒ͬ̽ͫ

 

Despite her pain and discomfort, Korra whipped her head around. A cold sweat covered her body as she searched desperately for the source of the sound. But by the time she’d turned around, the world had returned to normal. All she saw were the concerned faces of Mako and Bolin, and Naga barking loudly in the direction of the dead officers. She thought she could see something peel away in the distance from the corner of her eye, but when she turned again to face it, it was gone. She tried to get back up, but immediately collapsed. Mako and Bolin ran to her aid.

“Korra?” Bolin asked. “Are you okay?”

“N-No,” Korra stuttered. Her jaw was trembling. Looking down, so were her hands. Was this… fear? “I...”

“...This isn’t human, is it?” Mako asked. Korra looked up at him, terror in her eyes. That alone said a lot.

“This... this is… not even Vaatu...” She couldn’t organize her thoughts. Not well enough to speak. Taking a deep breath, Korra closed her eyes. She had to calm herself. She tried to focus on something, anything else. Something that would help her calm down. She thought of her time in the spirit world and exhaled. After a moment, she felt okay enough to continue.

“This air… I’ve never felt anything so oppressive before. I felt off as soon as we entered this neighborhood, but this… this is...” She looked back in the direction of the bodies. No matter how badly she wanted to look away, she couldn’t stop herself from staring.

“What? What is it?” Bolin urged.

“It’s… Energybending.”

Mako and Bolin shared a look. They thought only Avatars could do that.

“Whoever… no,” Korra quickly corrected herself. “Whatever did this, it used Energybending to do it. It’s difficult to be sure because of all the spiritual energy flowing around here, but it feels like it did when I gave people their bending back after Amon. But all of this pain, this… fear in the air. This horrible spiritual energy all around us. I’ve never felt anything like it before in my life, not even from Vaatu.”

As soon as she’d said it, Korra could feel something deep down inside of her disagree. She didn’t know why, but she could feel it in the back of her mind, the tiniest tinge of familiarity. “…Have I…?” She wondered aloud.

Mako and Bolin looked confused, but not as confused as Korra was. She felt as though she were suddenly disagreeing with herself, and she had no idea why.

Eventually, she was able to get back on her feet. She turned away from the bodies and faced her friends instead, still a little unsteady. She’d seen enough of that for a lifetime.

“I thought that Energybending could only give or take a person’s bending, though?” Mako asked. Korra shook her head but immediately stopped. The movement made her feel dizzy and she felt like she was going to be sick again.

“Energybending is how I opened that spirit portal, too. If I’m being totally honest with you, I… I don’t really know what it’s capable of.” Korra frowned, wishing she could be of more use. “All I know is what others have told me, and what they’ve told me is that it’s old, older than the Avatar. What I saw when I connected to Avatar Wan confirmed that. Anything else, I just don’t know.”

“So… is that why their chi is always gone then? Somebody took their bending away?” Bolin asked next. Once again, Korra shook her head.

“No. Whether I’m giving or taking a person’s bending away, it’s more like I’m just… changing what’s already there. Like I’m opening or closing a door. But this… this is more like somebody ripped all of their chi right out of their bodies. It has to be Energybending. It has to be a spirit.” The thing was, she’d never come across a spirit that made her feel like this before. But that was all the more reason to assume that it was one. Nothing else could leave an impression on the world or its energy like this.

“I thought spirits couldn’t bend, though? If our suspect’s a spirit, then how could it be Energybending?” Mako asked.

“Spirits don’t bend the elements, but that doesn’t mean they can’t bend energy. What do you think Vaatu’s spirit beam was?” Korra asked in reply. Mako hadn’t really thought about it before. “It isn’t really like bending for them though, I don’t think. Their whole bodies are made of energy, and so is their world, so for them it’s as natural as walking. Raava told me once that I’m more powerful in the spirit world than anywhere else. I think that’s because I’m an Energybender, just like the spirits.”

“So it’s definitely a spirit then.” Mako concluded.

Reluctantly, Korra nodded. “I just wish I knew why.”

From behind them, the sound of dropped groceries spilling across the ground brought an abrupt end to the three’s conversation. Korra turned to see what was going on only to be met by a frail old man. There was terror in his eyes, and he was trembling at the sight before him.

“Sir, this is an active crime scene, you shouldn’t be here,” Mako began. “We’re with the RCPD, everything is under control.” He fibbed, hoping to reassure him that everything was okay. But Mako’s words didn’t even seem to register with the man.

“Sir?” Korra asked, cautiously approaching the him. He stumbled back and immediately fell over. “Sir! Are you okay?!” She shouted, rushing forward to try and help him up. But he didn’t even seem to notice he’d fallen. He just sat there and continued to stare, shaking.

“It can’t be…” He whimpered. Korra grew more concerned, kneeling down in front of him. Once again, she offered to help him up. Though he grabbed her hand this time, there was a distant look in his eye that suggested he was as unaware of her as he was of the fact that he’d fallen over. He continued talking all the while. “It’s back… it’s back… I can’t get away…”

“Sir, what’s back? Do you know what did this?” Korra asked. Finally, he reacted to Korra’s presence, blinking a couple of times as he snapped back to reality. Most people were relieved when they saw the Avatar, but that look of terror never left his eyes.

“The Avatar…?” He asked. Korra nodded silently. The old man closed his eyes, taking a deep, shaky breath in and out. When he reopened them, he looked calmer than he was before, but not by much. “You have to stop it this time. I thought I’d be safe here, I thought it was gone…”

Korra frowned. ‘This time’? “Don’t worry, you’ll be okay. I promise.” She was hoping to ease his mind, but the old man seemed skeptical. She repeated her previous question. “Do you know what did this?” And do you know why this all feels so familiar?’, she wanted to ask.

The man fell silent for a moment, looking past Korra and to the bodies. While Korra was tending to him, Bolin had raised an earthy barrier around the perimeter until the police showed up. It obscured his view, and a look of relief washed over his face. As if he were afraid of who might be around to hear, the old man looked around before answering the Avatar's question. Realizing they were alone, he took a deep breath, turned back to Korra, and leaned in close, whispering his answer directly into her ear.

“The Chi Eater.”

“The Chi Eater…?” Korra asked, confirming the name. The old man nodded silently. Just as with the energy in the air, her stomach churned at the sound of the name. Something about it was eerily familiar. With the way he talked, saying that she had to stop it 'this time', she could only assume she’d encountered it in a past life.

“I thought it was just isolated to my village, but those bodies…”

“Can you tell me more about it? Is it a spirit?” Korra pressed. A deep frown set in the old man’s face and Korra apologized. She was getting ahead of herself. But the old man shook his head – that wasn’t it.

“The last time I told the Avatar about the Chi Eater, I was written off.” He accused. Korra looked shocked. He must’ve been talking about Avatar Aang, but she knew he never would have written anybody off. Now she really wanted to know more.

“Please. I just want to put a stop to whatever’s doing this.” Korra assured. She didn’t want to start an argument. The man hesitated, but shared his story.

“…Fifty years ago, my village was being terrorized by a monster. For over a month, it attacked at random, targeting our benders and turning them into… husks, completely emptied of chi. We reached out to Avatar Aang for help, but by the time he arrived to us on the eastern shore, it was too late. After twelve of us had died, the killings had stopped, and the monster disappeared.” The man’s frown deepened as he continued.

“Avatar Aang saw the bodies it left behind and listened to us tell our stories. He told us he’d never seen anything like it before, but that only a spirit could do what we’d described. He was convinced that we must have angered them somehow, and performed a spiritual cleansing of our land. He even helped us physically clean it of pollution leftover from the war, and told us that this would solve our problems, that this would stop it from coming back. I told him he was wrong.”

“What made you so sure?” Korra asked, trying her best not to sound too accusatory.

“I saw it.” He firmly replied. “I’d had the privilege of seeing a spirit as a boy, but what I saw in that village was no spirit. It looked like one, it felt like one, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t lashing out like Avatar Aang had said. It knew exactly what it was doing and it only targeted our village’s benders. That’s why it let me live, but my wife… my daughter…” The man fell silent, burying his face in his hands. He couldn’t relive that memory. Not again. He’d said enough.

Korra looked down. So that was why. “I’m so sorry…” She apologized, not sure what else to say. “For whatever it’s worth, I understand why Aang thought what he did, but I disagree with him. I think you might be right.”

“You do?” Mako asked with some shock. He and his brother had been listening in for a while now, after cordoning off the area from any other civilians. Last they knew, she’d agreed it was a spirit.

“Yes. Spirits don’t attack people for no reason, and they don’t move from one end of the continent to another. Not like this. I don’t know what this is, but if it really is targeting benders…” Korra sighed. Looked like she had a mystery on her hands.

“I’m sorry Avatar Aang didn’t listen to you. He didn’t know the full story. He wasn’t around while the attacks were happening, and he had no idea it traveled around like this. From what I know, spirits didn’t like to move around before the portals opened. The few that still interacted with us were attached to sacred spots or places full of spiritual energy, like the spirit oasis at the north pole, and any that were around in Aang’s time probably still are. But this is different.”

“You believe me…?” Korra nodded. “Please… I’m a bender now, an Airbender… please don’t let it take me too.” He begged.

“I won’t. I promise.” Korra assured, placing a hand on the old man’s shoulder. For the first time since he’d arrived, he looked genuinely relieved, holding onto Korra’s hand on his shoulder, thanking her again and again. “Come on, my friends and I will walk you home.” She suggested. The old man nodded. He was a little hesitant, but as of now, he trusted Korra. She and the brothers picked up his groceries for him and walked him the remaining four blocks to his home, seeing him safely inside.

Once he’d closed and locked the door behind him, Korra sighed, walking back to Mako and Bolin in the middle of the street outside his house. She was upset. Sensing this, Naga nudged her head under Korra’s left arm and whined, looking up and licking her face in hopes of calming her down. Korra smiled weakly and thanked her for her concern.

“I really hate it when you’re right, you know that?” Bolin complained to his brother. “Why can’t you ever be right about good things?”

“Yeah, well, according to Korra, I’m not. I thought we were looking for a spirit.” Mako tersely replied. “What are we going to do?”

Korra’s smile gave way to another frown. “I don’t know.” She admitted. “I’ve never heard of anything like this before. I’ve spent a lot of time with spirits recently, and yeah, some of them can be a little capricious, or even dangerous, but to hunt people down like this… it just isn’t normal. I think I’m going to go ask Tenzin, maybe he’ll have some ideas.” Maybe Aang mentioned the old man’s story to him.

“First things first though, we should go tell the chief about the cops we found. She isn’t going to be happy, but it’s better that she hears it from us.” Mako suggested. Korra nodded.

“What about the bodies? We shouldn’t leave them unattended.” Korra mentioned.

“Already taken care of,” Bolin assured. “The cruisers were pretty beat up, but the radios were still working, so Mako and I called it in when we blocked off the area. Backup should be there soon.”

Korra sighed. That was good enough her. “I just really hope Lin doesn’t do anything too rash over this.”

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

Smashing her fist into a nearby wall, Lin cursed loudly at the news she’d been given. The room practically shook with the impact, and large cracks spread up and down the wall. Bolin winced at the sight, but Mako and Korra stood their ground, a sympathetic look in their eyes.

“Did you at least get their names?” She asked. Mako shook his head, handing Lin their badges instead.

“We can check their badge numbers with the officers assigned to the area… their bodies were too unrecognizable.” He replied, bowing his head. Lin grit her teeth.

“I’m sorry… whatever happened, by the time we got there…” Korra apologized.

Lin raised her hand, stopping her there. “It’s not your fault, I should’ve known better. Instead I sent four good men to their deaths tonight.” What was she even thinking? Mako had already told her they may have been looking for a rogue spirit. She never should’ve increased patrols like that, at least not without a firmer warning.

“Chief, you shouldn’t blame yourself. You couldn’t have known this would happen.” Mako reassured. Of course, Lin already knew that, though it wasn’t what she wanted to hear right now. What she wanted to hear was a plan to stop to this thing.

“I know now.” Lin sternly replied. “And now that I do, I’m not going to stop until we put this thing in the ground. Spirit, monster, human – it’s all the same to me. This city and this police force are my family, and whoever attacks my family is going to pay the price.” Korra, Mako, and Bolin all nodded in agreement. “So, this ‘Chi Eater’, you called it. What do we know?”

“Well, we know it’s not human. Our witness seemed convinced it wasn’t a spirit, but he said it looked and felt like one regardless. Avatar Aang also believed it to be some sort of spirit, and Korra’s first reaction was that it had to be one, as well.” Mako began.

“But if it is, then it isn’t acting like any spirit I’ve ever heard of.” Korra tacked on. “It’s been around for at least 50 years, which means it predates harmonic convergence. This means that if it is a spirit, it has to be one that was already in our world, tied to a piece of land or a sacred site. Those spirits aren’t nomadic though, and this one is. We also know now that it seems to favor benders above anybody else when it comes to who it kills.”

“You said it eats their chi, right? Is there a difference between the chi of a bender and a non-bender?” Lin asked.

Korra shook her head. “Not that I know of. The only difference is how the chi is used. Otherwise, benders are perfectly normal humans. I don’t know why it’d prefer one over the other.” She explained with a frown. Just one more mystery about this thing they had to solve. “I do know it uses a form of Energybending to do what it does, though. This is another thing that leads me to think it’s some sort of spirit.” Well, unless their killer was a Lion Turtle, anyway. But that was unlikely.

“A spirit that doesn’t act like a spirit, huh?” Lin sighed. What a pain. At least that meant they didn’t have to bother trying to arresting it. After tonight, she’d be content with watching this thing die.

“There’s just one thing I don’t get,” Bolin spoke up. The focus of the room immediately shifted to him. Normally, this would’ve thrown him off balance, but this time he appeared to be too deep in thought to care. “What’s up with the hand print?”

Korra raised an eyebrow. “Hand print? What hand print?”

“Our last two victims had minor discolorations around their face. Bolin picked up on it when we followed up with the coroner.” Mako explained. “When the bodies are re-hydrated, they look like a distorted hand print. I thought they were burned into the skin, but Dr. Lou says that if they are, it’s not from Firebending or anything else he’s aware of.”

“Exactly! If this thing’s a spirit, why would it leave hand prints behind? How many human-shaped spirits are there?” Bolin asked.

“More than you might think, actually,” Korra replied. “I saw a lot of different spirits when I was in the spirit world, and some of them do have very human or ape-like hands. Spirits also have the ability to change their shape. It’s possible that if these killings really are premeditated, and it really does just want to kill people, it could be disguising itself as a human in order to blend in.”

Lin only grew more concerned. “That would make this thing a lot more dangerous than we thought.” She warned. Korra agreed. Everything was pointing that direction. She had no clue how they were going to stop it.

“On the plus side, even if it’s taking on a human form, as the Avatar, I should be able to sense its presence if it’s nearby. But Republic City is huge. Until we know how it picks and chooses which benders to attack, finding it is going to be next to impossible.” Korra sighed.

“Well, we know it seems to be isolated to Dragon Flats, at least for now. All of its victims have been in or around that area. That’s pretty close to the new spirit portal, so it may not want to stray too far from such a huge point of energy. I think we should focus in on searching there.” Mako suggested. Lin nodded in agreement.

“Sounds like a plan. In the meantime, we’ve got some homework to do. Something tells me Republic City and some no-name fishing village aren’t the only two places this thing has attacked over the years. I’m going to call in some favors and search through some records.” Lin explained. Korra nodded, but hoped she was wrong. “Meanwhile, Korra, you go see Tenzin and do the same. See if he knows anything about this ‘Chi Eater’.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Korra replied.

“Mako, Bolin. You two are working overtime tonight. I’m gonna need some help looking through everything.”

“Yes ma’am!” Mako and Bolin replied in unison. Hugging the brothers before she left, Korra wished them luck, then left with Naga to go find Tenzin.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

Just as she’d left it earlier that evening, Korra returned to Air Temple Island on Naga’s back, cutting straight through Yue Bay. Just like before, she was boosting her speed with Waterbending, but it was becoming apparent now that Korra was getting tired. Today had been a long day, and tonight was even worse. She needed to rest, but the city needed her to work, and if that wasn’t the story of her life, she didn’t know what was.

“Sorry for the workout today, Naga. Stay here while I go talk to Tenzin, okay?” Korra apologized. The polar bear dog happily complied, curling up and taking a rest while Korra ran up the stairs to the temple. Though she raised a few eyebrows from acolytes she passed by in a mad dash for Tenzin’s room, none of them dared to stop her, opening doors for her as she drew near so she would be unimpeded.

Weaving her way down the halls, she slid to a stop just outside Tenzin’s bedroom door, frantically sliding it open only to find the room empty. She cursed beneath her breath. Where else would he be right now? Luckily for her, Tenzin had just rounded the corner and saw her immediately, curious to see her back so soon.

“Korra? Is something wrong?” He asked, noting that she was completely out of breath. Whatever she was doing here, she seemed to have come back in a hurry.

“Tenzin! Thank the spirits, I was about to go looking for you,” Korra began, still trying to catch her breath. “Something bad has happened. Something really, really bad.” She explained. Tenzin understood, only nodding and motioning for Korra to follow him back to his study. By the time she caught her breath, they’d arrived. Tenzin invited her to sit and closed the door behind them.

“What happened?”

Korra went on to tell him all about her night. She talked about Mako and Bolin’s case, the bodies, the old man’s story about the Chi Eater, and everything she’d experienced when she stumbled onto the officers. Tenzin listened intently all the while, his hands folded in front of him and his expression grim. He could tell immediately that this wasn't normal, even by spirit standards.

“Aang chalked it up to an angry spirit at the time,” Korra explained, reaching the end of her story. “But spirits don’t usually kill people, and they definitely don’t travel to the other side of a country to do it. I have no idea what this thing is. I was hoping Aang told you something about it, or that maybe you’d heard of it before. It’s already killed five people in Republic City. I need to stop it.”

Tenzin hummed. Unfortunately, he wasn’t going to be much help in that department. He was at about as much of a loss as Korra was. “I’m sorry, Korra, but my father never mentioned it. I’ve also never heard of this ‘Chi Eater’ or anything quite like it before.”

Korra let out a defeated sigh. All that for nothing. She really thought Tenzin would have some idea of what was going on.

“However, I do agree that this doesn’t sound like an angry spirit. I have no idea what other sort of creature would be able to bend energy, but a spirit wouldn’t do everything you’re describing.”

“Well… there was something else, too.” Korra mentioned, piquing Tenzin’s interest. “When I was walking through Dragon Flats, I noticed something strange – there were no spirits. Anywhere. Ever since harmonic convergence, Republic City has been crawling with them, especially in the old downtown area. After the spirit portal, I thought there’d be twice as many at least, but there was nothing but that… that thing’s residual energy. It was like they’d all run away, like they did when Kuvira attacked.”

“That’s strange… I can’t imagine why they’d run. Spirits don’t have much to fear from ordinary threats.” Tenzin replied. He was growing more concerned by the minute.

“That’s true… do you think they’d run if they sensed a dark spirit? Like Vaatu, or one of the spirits he corrupted during harmonic convergence?” Korra asked. Vaatu was gone, but, who was to say there weren’t more spirits like him? Spirits that craved death and destruction. Assuming the Chi Eater was a spirit, it was the only possibility she could conceive of.

“Maybe, but I don’t think that’s what we’re dealing with here. Vaatu is gone, at least for another 10,000 years. I don’t think his influence would still be extending to our world today, let alone 50 years ago.”

“Maybe not, but maybe there are more spirits like him out there. Maybe this is one of them.”

But that was a theory Tenzin couldn’t condone. “Spirits aren’t like people, Korra. Every one of them exists for a specific purpose, and collectively, they are balanced. Vaatu was the perfect counterbalance to Raava and vice versa. The idea that there would be another spirit of chaos and destruction like him seems odd to me, and would throw the spirit world into chaos without a companion spirit to counterbalance it.” Korra frowned. So much for that theory, then.

“I’ll tell you what, I’ll go through some old books and scrolls that my father and the acolytes put together over the years, see if I can’t find anything in there. At the very least, maybe I can find out something more about Energybending.”

Well, it was better than nothing, Korra supposed. “Thank you, Tenzin.” She replied, bowing to her old master. But to her surprise, he pulled her into a hug, instead.

“Of course. In the meantime, I think you should get back to Asami’s and get some rest. You look like you need it.” Tenzin suggested, noting the girl’s disheveled hair and the drained look in her eye. She looked exhausted, and she was, but she quickly recomposed herself on hearing Tenzin’s suggestion. Knowing what she knew now, she couldn’t just go home and do nothing.

“I think I’ve rested enough these past two weeks.” Korra replied, giving Tenzin her best fake smile. “Somebody needs to find this thing and put a stop to it before it kills again. With you, Lin, Mako and Bolin all researching it, I should be out there in the city, chasing this ‘Chi Eater’ down until you guys figure something out. Maybe I can at least scare it back into hiding for the night.”

“Korra, I don’t believe that’s the wisest decision right now. You shouldn’t be going at this alone, and I can tell you’re exhausted. You’ve been running around the city all day and you’ve hardly had time to readjust. Just let me and everybody else see what we can dig up for tonight and we can all go at this with fresh eyes in the morning. Perhaps we’ll find something that’ll make it easier to track this thing down.”

She knew Tenzin had a point, but it still felt wrong to Korra to sit back and do nothing. Even if there wasn’t anything she could do out there, maybe she could at least help Tenzin out. “Then let me help you look through your father’s collection, maybe I can–”

But Tenzin wasn’t having any of it. “Go. Settle in with Asami. Get some rest. Let us help you figure this out.”

Korra let out a defeated sigh. He wasn’t going to let her do anything, was he? And arguing with him was just tiring her out even more. Maybe Tenzin was right, maybe she should rest. If a simple argument was enough to tire her out, then maybe hunting down a rampaging spirit monster wasn’t the best idea right now.

“Fine. I don’t like it, but… you’re right. I just… I was so close, you know? It’d just attacked. If we’d gotten there a minute earlier, then maybe we could’ve…” She gave up what she was saying part-way through, frustrated by the thought. “It just doesn’t sit right with me. Seeing what I saw and being that close, just to let it run and hide.”

“It’d already done that by the time you got there. There was nothing you could’ve done. You’re just going to get yourself hurt if you go out there looking for it now.” Tenzin warned. Hurt, or worse. He prayed she would listen to reason.

Thankfully, she did. She knew rushing in headfirst would probably just get her killed, and as frustrated as all of this made her, Korra wasn’t like that anymore. She knew she was better off stepping back and gathering some information first. She just wished there was something more she could do in the meantime.

“I know. You’re right. I’ll just… go swing by the estate and sleep on it, I guess.” Korra said in defeat. “Thank you, though. Really. I think I’m going to need all the help I can get with this one.” She smiled weakly. On top of being physically exhausted, now she was emotionally exhausted, too.

“Of course. Would you like to stay on the island for the night, instead? You can use your old room until tomorrow if you’d like.” Tenzin offered. But Korra shook her head.

“No, Asami’s probably waiting for me, even though it would be easier. Besides, I’ll have Naga do most of the walking. I think the two of us can make it back to the estate alright. Thank you for the offer, though.” Hugging him one last time, Korra said her goodbyes and started the walk back to Naga.

 

*** *** *** *** *** ***

 

If there was one thing Korra didn’t like about Asami’s mansion, it was that it was situated atop a giant hill. No matter how you went about it, whether you took the stairs or walked the road to the garage, you were in for a climb. Normally, Korra wouldn’t mind too much, but being as exhausted as she was, she was beginning to consider asking Asami to install some sort of elevator. She was sure that if she could speak, Naga would agree with her, too.

Dragging themselves up the last couple steps with what little energy they had left, finally, they made it to the door. Korra practically collapsed up against it. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she opened the door and stepped inside. It had to be around 11pm by now, but Asami’s butler was still there to greet them almost immediately. It was the same one who’d greeted Korra the first time had visited the mansion.

“Ah, Avatar Korra, Ms. Naga, greetings,” He greeted with a bow. “Ms. Sato has been expecting you. She is currently upstairs in the master bedroom, finding space for your things. I’m sure she’ll be delighted to see you.”

Korra gave the man an awkward hello and a thank you and then set her sight on yet another flight of stairs. They were very quickly becoming her worst enemy. “Who even thought this many staircases was a good idea? Why do I have to hike the equivalent of Mt. Makapu just to make it home?” She groaned.

“The downside to having your house built on a hill, I’m afraid.” The butler explained unnecessarily, completely missing the fact that Korra was exaggerating for comedic effect. “Ah yes, I almost forgot, Ms. Sato wanted me to let you know that Ms. Naga may sleep in the master bedroom with you two. A place has already been prepared by your bed for her comfort.”

Asami had thought of everything, it seemed. It was still a bit of an odd thought to her, though. The thought of ‘theirs’. ‘Their’ bed, ‘their’ room, ‘their’ relationship. Even now, it was so fresh and exciting to her – she couldn’t wait to just collapse onto the bed and fall asleep in her fiancee’s arms.

“Thank you. Our room’s in the center of the house, right?” Korra asked to confirm. The butler nodded in response. With a sigh, it was time for her to begin one last climb up a flight of stairs. But at least Asami was waiting at the end of it.

The mansion’s second floor was essentially set up in a double ‘H’ shape. Two long halls ran down the building on the east and west, and two smaller halls cut through the middle, connecting them. The first hall was where Korra had spied on Hiroshi all those years ago and the office that belonged to Asami now, while the second one, closer to the center of the building, was where Asami waited in the master bedroom.

In the hallway, paintings were hung above flowers and long red carpets, the whole second story having a rather lavish feel to it. Korra was completely out of her element here. She was too used to the small rustic homes of the Southern Water Tribe and the modest decorations of the Air Temple. Then again, her family did live in a palace now. But still, it wasn’t this lavish inside. Stopping in front of the large mahogany doors to the master bedroom, Korra smirked. How ostentatious. Hiroshi really had a thing for showing off, didn’t he?

Pulling the doors open, Korra was immediately greeted by Asami, who had just finished putting the last of her belongings on a shelf by the bed.

“Korra, you’re here!” Asami smiled, walking up to meet her fiancee, pulling her into a tight hug. Naga meanwhile walked past Korra and Asami both, heading straight for the bed that’d been prepared for her, circling for a moment before lying down to sleep. Now she had the right idea, Korra thought.

Leaning back a bit, Korra took Asami’s face in her hands and gave her a kiss on the lips. She’d been wanting to do this all day. “Hey.” She smiled weakly, an exhausting mix of happiness, tiredness and mild frustration contributing to the lackluster greeting. At least that kiss was pretty passionate.

“Hey yourself.” Asami smiled, kissing Korra’s forehead. Korra just rested her head on her fiancee’s chest, sighing a bit louder than she’d intended. “Is everything okay?” Asami asked.

“Not really.” Korra mumbled to reply, at first refusing to lift her head. When she did, the look in her eyes spoke volumes to Asami. Something had happened, and it was bad. “Can we talk on the bed? I can barely stand.”

Asami frowned. “Of course.” She replied, following Korra who limply collapsed onto the unearthly soft, king-sized bed in the back of the room face-first. Sighing with relief, Korra rolled over onto her back and kicked off her shoes, deciding to just lay there with her legs hanging off the side as she let her smile fade.

“Four people died tonight. Cops.” Korra began as Asami took a seat next to her. “Some… thing attacked them and turned them into these… I don’t know. They were like mummies. Literally everything had been drained from them maybe a couple of minutes before we got there. We never even made it to the crime scene they wanted to take me to in the first place.”

“That’s horrible,” Asami said, her frown deepening. “Are you okay?”

To this, Korra gave Asami as much of a shrug as she could muster in her current position. “I don’t know, not really. We think it might be some sort of spirit, or something related to them. But instead of chasing after it, I’m just laying here doing nothing while everybody else buries themselves in books trying to figure out what it is. I should be out there trying to find this thing and putting a stop to it, not laying around barely able to keep my eyes open.” She vented, grunting in frustration at her body’s limitations.

Asami grabbed hold of Korra’s hand and gave her a patient smile. “The Avatar’s human too, you know.” She reminded. “You look exhausted. Getting some sleep is probably the best thing you can do right now.”

Korra loosely gripped Asami’s hand in return, sighing. “I know that, I just… I feel like I’ve wasted enough time by being human these last three years. I should be doing more.”

“There’s no shame in taking care of yourself, Korra. Isn’t that what you told Mako a couple of hours ago?” Korra looked down. She had a point, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.

“I mean, I guess…” Korra pouted. Asami laughed. “This thing has me scared, Asami. I felt its presence. I… I’ve never felt anything like it before. Apparently it’s called ‘the Chi Eater’, and from the looks of things, even the spirits are terrified of it. I honestly have no idea what I’m up against right now.” She laughed weakly, almost as if she were amused by her own powerlessness. She tightened her grip on Asami’s hand. Asami tightened her grip, too.

“Well, you’ve taken down some pretty scary enemies before.” Asami reminded, lying down next to her fiancee. “You single-handedly stopped ten thousand years of darkness, you know. I think you’ll be able to handle this Chi Eater too.” Korra smiled weakly. She hoped so. “I know it’s frustrating, but for now, I think you’ve done all you can do. Just leave the rest to Mako and Bolin and whoever else is working on this for tonight. I’m sure you’ll all come up with something tomorrow.”

Asami gave Korra a warm smile, and the sight of it alone lessened the burden on her mind, at least a little bit. As if on reflex, she felt the corners of her mouth turn ever-so-slightly upward in response. This girl, she swore – any time she smiled, Korra couldn’t help but follow suit.

“Yeah, I know… Tenzin told me pretty much the same thing.” She replied. “Honestly, I’d probably be searching the city right now if he hadn’t insisted I get some rest first. I know you guys are right, but… I’m scared. This feels different, somehow.”

Asami rolled onto her side so that her whole body was facing Korra, reaching up with her free hand to brush a lock of hair from the Avatar’s face. “I’m sure everything will turn out fine. I believe in you.” She said, bringing her hand to a rest by Korra’s ear and looking her directly in the eyes so she knew she was being honest. Korra smiled weakly, but genuinely, in response.

“Thanks.” Korra replied, feeling a little less upset than before. She could always count on Asami to be there for her. Times like these, Korra could really start questioning herself sometimes. Having somebody so openly support her and be willing to listen was a huge help. Yawning, Korra leaned over and gave Asami another kiss, this one on the cheek. Then, she let go of the girl’s hand and curled up on the bed.

She was way too exhausted to get changed, let alone maneuver herself under the covers, so she barely cared that she’d be sleeping in her clothes again . Smiling, Asami followed suit. She didn’t show it as plainly as Korra, but she was feeling pretty exhausted too. She stuck close to her fiancee and crawled over to the other side of the bed.

As Korra rolled over onto her side so she could face Asami while she slept, she drew her knees halfway to her chest and left her arms half-unfurled in front of her. She could feel her eyes grow heavier as Asami mimicked her position and faced her, too, grabbing hold of Korra’s hands again. She smiled softly and Korra could feel herself falling in love all over again.

Finally feeling herself begin to drift off, Korra put the evenings events to the back of her mind and focused instead on… this. Her and Asami, together, finally. If every day could end like this from now on, then maybe everything would be alright in the end.

Chapter 6: The Investigation

Summary:

The investigation has turned up a name: The Chi Eater. With a better understanding of what they're up against, the Republic City Police Department is thrown into a frenzy. Could a supposed witness from one of the triads hold the key to uncovering the truth about this illusive spirit?

Chapter Text

Book Five
Chi

Chapter Six
The Investigation


The next day, Asami awoke to find herself alone her bed. She could hear the sound of running water in the attached master bathroom, and see some steam curling up from beneath the door. It seemed Korra had woken up early today, seizing the opportunity to hop into the shower before Asami got up and hogged it all to herself for an hour. A wise move, Asami thought.

Yawning, she stretched her arms out above her head, lifting her eyes out of the sunbeam that’d woken her up in the first place. But the clicking of small, taloned feet drew her eyes back toward her ceiling as a couple of sparrowkeets danced on the glass above her head. Asami always thought that as an interior room, this place could be a little depressing, so she had a skylight installed as a solution. It was the perfect way to wake up in the morning, she thought, and she liked being able to stargaze from her own bed.

As she draped her legs over the side of the bed, the shower came to an abrupt stop. It was almost as if Korra knew her fiancee had woken up. The timing made Asami smirk. Sliding her feet into a pair of slippers, she walked over to Naga and wished her good morning with a pat on the head. Naga sighed contentedly in response, but didn’t get up. Asami couldn’t blame her – the polarbear dog had had a long day of carrying people around yesterday.

Asami walked over to her closet. Now that Korra was done in there, it was her turn to hop into the shower and face the day. Today was when the real work began for both of them, she supposed. Asami with her company and Korra with the Chi Eater.

While Asami put together her outfit, Korra stepped out of the bathroom mostly dressed and ready for the day. She seemed to be drying her hair with a bit of Airbending, an idea Asami found to be pretty convenient. It almost made her wish she could Airbend, too. In fact, maybe she could? Just like that, she was contemplating a new invention, thinking of how she could use a miniaturized motor to power a fan in a handheld device which could accomplish the same thing. Maybe it could even blow out warm air…

While Asami contemplated the invention of the hairdryer, Korra greeted her fiancee with a tease. “Hey there sleepyhead, it’s about time you got up.” She smiled, looking around the room for where she’d left her shoes.

Asami chuckled, draping her clothes over an arm and walking over to give her Avatar a peck on the cheek. “Morning, Korra. I’m surprised you got up so early, especially with how tired you were last night. Normally I’m the one waking up first.”

“That’s only because we were on vacation, I’m used to waking up pretty early for training... whether I like it or not.” Korra corrected, finding what she was looking for under the bed. “Now that I’ve got Avatar stuff to do again, I don’t really have the luxury of sleeping in anymore.” She sighed, reaching underneath the bed to grab her shoes. It was kind of a shame, she really liked whiling away the morning hours lying around with Asami.

“I’ve gotta go get back to the station as soon as possible, anyway. See if Mako, Lin and Bolin made any progress on this ‘Chi Eater’ thing. With any luck they’ll have found something already.” Korra hoped.

Asami nodded, smiling, then quickly took off her nightgown in preparation for the shower while Korra watched and put on her shoes. Catching her staring, Asami chuckled. It was nice to see Korra in a better mood today. “No time for that today, sorry. We’ve both got a lot to do.” Asami smirked while Korra blushed. She wasn’t thinking anything until Asami mentioned it! Which, come to think of it, was probably the point...  

“Good luck out there, babe.” Asami said, leaning in and kissing Korra on her cheek.

“Thanks, you too.” She replied, returning the gesture. “I know you’ve got your work cut out for you as well.”

Then, just as Asami was about to enter the bathroom, a knock at the bedroom door caught the two by surprise. It was Asami’s butler, announcing the arrival of a guest hoping to speak with them. Korra and Asami shared a look. A guest? At this hour? It was only 8AM. They really hoped it wasn’t just more press. Neither of them wanted to deal with that right now.

Sighing, Asami quickly put on a shirt and grabbed a robe, making her way downstairs with Korra to find President Raiko with one of his aides, waiting for them in the middle of the foyer. As per usual, the president’s arms were folded behind his back, the man himself seemingly unaware of how smug it made him look. What was he doing here? Raiko nodded and wished them a good morning as they descended the stairs to meet him.

“Sorry to be bothering you two again so soon. I actually just wanted to speak to Korra right now, but I guess there was a bit of a miscommunication.”

“It’s no problem, really. What brings you here so early?” Asami asked, a hint of restrained annoyance in her voice.

“Chief Beifong just filled me in on what’s been going on in the city lately, that case your friends have been working on. The Chi Eater one? I understand you stumbled across the remains of a couple of cops it’d attacked. My condolences. I hope you’ll catch the culprit soon.” Raiko explained, subtly reminding Korra that this was her problem now.

Korra just frowned. She was eager to get back out there so nobody had to see anything like that ever again, least of all her. “I was actually about to head back to the precinct right now, see if they found out anything new in their investigation. Trust me, I want to put an end to this thing as quickly as possible.” Raiko nodded again.

“And I’m sure you will. I have the utmost faith in your abilities, Avatar Korra.” Raiko replied. Korra almost laughed. As if she believed that. “But that’s not actually why I wanted to talk with you.”

“It’s not?” Korra asked with some surprise. Raiko shook his head.

“An important mover premiere is scheduled tonight at the Pro Bending Arena, and there will be a donation ceremony to support the city’s reconstruction just before. It’s going to be free to the public and will probably attract quite the audience as a result. I’m not sure if Varrick ever got around to inviting you two, but I would like for you to attend the premiere tonight regardless. Given everything that’s been going on lately and the nature of this ‘Chi Eater’ that’s been prowling the streets, I would feel much more secure having the Avatar in the audience... as too would the citizens of Republic City, I’m sure.”

At the mention of the premiere, Asami looked a little embarrassed. Whoops. She’d completely forgotten to tell Korra about that last night. She wanted to make a date out of it, too!

“Oh, right, I was actually meaning to tell Korra about that last night, but, um, other things ended up getting in the way.” Asami sheepishly explained, turning to Korra. “Varrick kind of indirectly invited us through Ravi the other day.”

Korra raised an eyebrow, looking back at Asami. A mover premiere? She couldn’t say she’d ever been to one of those before. She was definitely curious, though. “That does sound pretty interesting…” She thought aloud. “Honestly, I’d rather be hitting the streets in search of this thing, but if it’s going to be that big of an event, it might actually end up drawing its attention.”

“My thoughts exactly.” President Raiko agreed. “Lin assures me that she has everything under control, but we still don’t know what this Chi Eater is for sure. I don’t want to take any chances. This is an important event for the city, and not just because of the donation ceremony. I would very much appreciate having you in attendance.”

Korra nodded. People could probably use the distraction, she thought, and having her there would make that a lot safer a proposition than it otherwise may have been. And besides, it was going to be her first mover! If everything went well and the Chi Eater didn’t show up, maybe she could turn this into hers and Asami’s first real date in the physical world!

“Alright, sounds like a plan.” Korra replied, entirely convinced. “I’ll be there. And if that Chi Eater does show up, I’ll be sure to give it a piece of my mind so we can get right back to the mover.” She declared with a crooked grin, pounding her fist into her open hand. She was admittedly a little eager to see some action again, even despite the circumstances.

Raiko smiled. “Excellent. If Varrick invited you two, then I’m sure he already has your seats arranged in the VIP section with the rest of us. I look forward to seeing you there tonight.” With that, Raiko left the girls to the remainder of their morning, his aide turning and bowing to them before following the president out the door.

With Raiko gone, Korra turned to face Asami, visibly excited despite the circumstances. “Man, I’ve heard of movers before, but I’ve never actually seen one. I know I should be focused on the Chi Eater right now, but I’m really hoping we get to enjoy tonight.”

Asami giggled at the large, dorky smile on her fiancee’s face. She loved seeing her excited like this. “That’d be nice. I’ve wanted to take you to a mover for years, you know. I watched them all the time back when you were still recovering; you’re going to love them, trust me.” And that was a promise, as far as Asami was concerned. “Anyway, I should go take that shower now, I’ve really gotta get ready for work. I’ll see you tonight.” She smiled, grabbing hold of Korra’s hands and kissing her on the lips.

Korra blushed, her grip on her fiancee’s hands lingering as she walked away. That entire vacation may have technically been a date, but this one felt so official. She knew that she shouldn’t, but she had high hopes for tonight. “See you then. Have a good day at work!” Korra wished as she headed out the door, waving goodbye to Asami. It was time for her to get caught up on the Chi Eater investigation.


*** *** *** *** *** *** ***


The instant the elevator doors opened, Korra was greeted by a much busier detective’s office than the one she’d left the night before.

Papers, maps and boards were set up on a large portion of the floor, and a team of nearly a dozen veterans and detectives has been gathered to help out. Some were on the phones, others were reading through incident reports (some of which looking both very old and very foreign). Suddenly, one of them turned around, a look of concern on their face, adding a bright red X to the biggest of the maps set up on the eastern wall.

Confused, she scanned the room for Mako and Bolin, but to no avail. Walking over to their desk, she saw that it was covered in papers, but otherwise unoccupied. There was another map of the world set up on a bulletin board behind it. It looked as though there were a couple of X’s on this one as well, but not as many as there were on the larger one on the wall. On closer inspection, she could see they were strewn about everywhere – the Earth Territories, the Fire Nation, the Water Tribes, even the old Air Temples.

Just what was all of this? This couldn’t all be about the Chi Eater, could it? Korra furrowed her brow, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. The more that she looked, the more she feared that it was. She had a feeling things were about to get a lot more complicated.

Looking up from the board behind her friends’ desk, Korra’s eyes settled next onto a familiar face in the corner of the room, one she did not look too pleased to see.

“Saikhan!” She called out, the man in question nearly jumping out of his skin at the sound of her voice.

“A-Avatar Korra, th-there you are, the Chief’s been expecting you,” Saikhan stuttered.

“What are you doing here? What’s going on?” Korra practically demanded to know. Last time she saw this bozo, he was throwing her friends in jail under the orders of councilman Tarrlok. Unfortunately for him, she hadn’t forgotten about that.

Saikhan flinched. “I-I was called in early this morning to help with this case of yours, everybody was.”

“What? Why?”

“Ask her yourself, I’m sure she’ll explain everything to you. She’s in the office with a couple of her men right now,” He recommended, clearly trying to hurry their little encounter along. Thankfully, the phone on the desk to which he’d been assigned began to ring, saving him from any further awkwardness.

Korra narrowed her eyes. If Lin had called Saikhan of all people back, then this really did have to be big. She could feel the knot in her stomach grow tighter. Following Saikhan’s suggestion, Korra made her way to the back of the room, knocking on the door to Lin’s office and then opening it without waiting for a reply. Inside she found Mako, Bolin, Tenzin and the chief all overlooking over another map that’d been spread out over Lin’s desk - this one being of Republic City.

“…Tenzin? Why are you here? What’s going on out there?” Korra asked, grabbing the four’s attention. Smiling at Korra’s arrival, Bolin energetically waved hello while Mako, Lin and Tenzin simply turned in her direction. With exception to Bolin, who had had more coffee than any one person should ever be allowed to consume, they all look exhausted. But on seeing Korra, that look of exhaustion turned to relief.

Lin sighed, removing her hands from the table and motioning for the Avatar to come in. “Korra, good, it’s about time you got here. We had a major break in the case last night – huge . We’re pretty sure what we’re dealing with is a spirit now, and a nasty one at that. This thing has been wreaking havoc around the world for centuries .” Tenzin nodded along in agreement.

As soon as she’d mentioned ‘centuries’, Korra’s expression sank, giving way from confusion to disbelief, and more than that, anger.

“I’m sorry, what?!” Korra exclaimed.

“He means it’s been killing people for a couple hundred years now,” Bolin clarified. Korra shot him a glare - she knew what centuries were. Bolin fell quiet.

That had to be some sort of mistake. How in the hell could this thing have been killing people undetected for centuries? She was completely beside herself. At least one other Avatar would’ve had to have encountered it in all that time, right?

Aang was one thing, going off of what little information he had and due to having only shown up after the fact, but there was no way a spirit could’ve been running amok for that long without the Avatar being aware of it. She was almost insulted by the implication.

Korra glanced over in Tenzin’s direction, hoping she’d misheard what Lin had said, but he tiredly nodded again, elaborating further while the Avatar’s brow furrowed in frustration.

“I started doing some research into what you’d described to me last night, just as you’d asked. At first I couldn’t find anything, but after a couple of hours, I started finding strange accounts in letters between the temples and in the journals of monks dating back almost 900 years. It was just as you’d described - people would disappear only to turn up days later as dried up, chi-less husks. Once I realized what I’d found, I went to wake up Lin only to find out she was working late at the station.”

Korra almost choked. 900 years? This thing had been killing people for over 900 years ?

Mako tacked on, “And that’s not all. After doing some digging, we found old reports from across the Earth Kingdom territories, and even two or three from the Water Tribes and Fire Nation. Some of them are even older than what Tenzin found. Each and every time, it gets written off as angry spirits, or local monsters, or urban legends, but the details are the same. Exactly the same. We think it’s all the same spirit, that Chi Eater the old man told us about last night.”

‘That’s not possible,’ Korra thought, shaking her head with her arms crossed decidedly over her chest. What, did they think her past lives just twiddled their thumbs the whole time or something? None of this made any sense. She didn’t want to believe it, not even if it was coming from them. They had to have made a mistake.

“If there’s been a spirit killing people around the world for that long, one of my past lives should’ve encountered it and stopped it by now. At the very least, knowledge of it should’ve been passed down, but I’ve never heard of it before now. This has to be something else, it can’t be a single spirit.” Korra defended, throwing her arms around in frustration.

“You’re talking about more than a thousand years of Avatars here, nearly a dozen people whose sole purpose is to stop things like this from happening. There’s no way something like this could’ve escaped the Avatar’s detection for this long… there just isn’t.” She insisted.

“Ooooh, then maybe it’s just a really old guy, cursed by a mosquito spirit to suck the energy out of everyone he meets with his straw-like mouth! Then, he uses the energy to create his evil mosquito-man babies and they grow up and do the same thing!” Bolin theorized, mimicking the entire process as he explained. But once again, a glare from Korra shut him back up, along with the looks of just about everyone else in the room.

“Here, take a look for yourself if you don’t believe us.” Mako replied, handing Korra a freshly compiled folder detailing everything they’d found out during their long night of research. They’d been working around the clock calling libraries, national archives, and political, military and law enforcement officials from around the world, asking about any and all similar stories and writing down the details.

In exploring the city’s archives, they’d even stumbled across some old Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation reports dating back to the time of the Hundred Year War, compiled by soldiers of both sides who’d encountered similar events. They’d launched separate investigations into the deaths but both failed to turn up any new information. And it was the same exact thing with every file, every report, every person that they talked to.

“Every time, it was the same exact story. People begin to disappear, and in their place, bodies completely drained of water, life and chi got left behind.” Mako explained.

While they were sure they couldn’t have found every case, and they couldn’t confirm a lot of the stories, they had enough to see a pattern start coming into focus, one that even Korra couldn’t deny. Combined with what they’d heard from the old man the night before, they had a string of four incidences each roughly  25 years apart from one another: Northern Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, Earth Kingdom again, and then most recently, the Fire Nation.

With exception to the old reports from Air Temples, they were almost exclusive to smaller towns and villages, and they all lasted for a couple weeks at a time. It seemed it was only in the last century or so that it’d started venturing into larger, denser areas as well, presumably due to the higher concentration of targets.

While body counts between these apparent cycles varied, the time frame was always the same. If it weren’t for that pattern, Korra would be fine looking for literally any other explanation, but she had to admit that this was undeniable. It had to be the same thing, and it had to be a spirit -  no human or creature she knew of could live that long.

Korra grit her teeth. How could this have happened? How could the Avatar have failed so spectacularly for so long? The evidence was overwhelming, but she still couldn’t believe it. She refused to believe it.

“No… no, this can’t be right.” She stared at the map, tracing a line between each mark with her finger. This was too deliberate, too well-planned - spirits did not act like this. They didn’t travel the world killing people and eating their chi, they didn’t act on regular cycles, and they definitely didn’t manage to avoid bumping into the Avatar for nearly a thousand years while doing it.

She looked up from the map, visibly upset. “There’s no way a spirit could be doing this. I would’ve known. Aang would’ve known. Roku would’ve known. Some other Avatar would’ve known!” She declared.

Tenzin put a hand on her shoulder and sighed. “Korra, I understand your frustration, but I’m afraid the evidence speaks for itself. This thing has been eating people’s chi for over a thousand years in the exact same way and the exact same pattern. I’ll admit, its behavior is unusual – unbelievably so, even – but there is nothing else that could live that long and kill in this way. I’m sorry.” He didn’t want to believe it either, but there was just no other explanation. It was the only thing that fit.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, kid. This thing’s smart. Real smart. Yeah, the Avatar’s failed to stop it, but I think that was by design.” Lin said, managing to capture the Avatar’s curiosity. By design?

“Look at where it’s attacked up til now. These are small, isolated villages. Every time it’s active, it gets written into legend as some local monster in that area’s mythology, or explained away as an angry spirit. Up until the hundred year war, it never attacked the same place twice in the same century, and the attacks seem to stop in an area after it develops into too big of a city. It’s even changed nations in an attempt to throw people off its trail. The only time it’s ever changed its MO was about 150 years ago – right when the Avatar had disappeared and everybody feared the cycle had ended for good. It did everything in its power to avoid you, but since then, it’s gotten cocky.” Lin smiled. “Now, we’re finally onto it.”

“Yeah, and the world’s more connected now than it was since the last attack.” Mako added on. “The last time it attacked was in the Fire Nation, but the world is more united now than ever before. We can call these places up on the phone and trade information instantly. In the past, this thing relied on the division between villages and nations and the lack of communication to get around undetected. Things aren’t like that anymore. It was only a matter of time before it got caught.” He concluded. He was visibly exhausted, but determined. Focused.

Korra sighed. They all had a point. Unless there was a thousand year old spirit-looking human running around sucking people’s chi out of their bodies with a magical spirit straw, this had to be some sort of spirit.

“I don’t want to believe it, but… maybe you’re right. Maybe this thing just… outsmarted the Avatar cycle. Maybe the Avatar failed.” Wouldn’t have been the first time, she thought, though she tended to think more highly of her past lives up until now. “I just don’t understand why a spirit would attack people and eat their chi like this. It just doesn’t make any sense.” But then, neither did the alternative.

Even if it made Raava and her past lives look bad, it seemed that this was the most likely explanation.

“That’s why this is still an investigation. We don’t have all the answers yet, but we’re not done looking for them, either.” Lin assured. “Now we know how long we have to track this thing down and put an end to it once and for all. Factoring in the last few days, we have a few weeks before it turns tail and disappears again. There’s still a lot we don’t know, but what we’ve got will have to be enough.”

Korra looked an unhealthy mix of angry, annoyed, and more than anything, disappointed. So much for today being better.

“Well, actually, maybe not,” Bolin spoke up. “That’s why Mako and I first came in here to talk to you. We just got the call before we came in, but we may have found a witness to last night’s attack - somebody who saw the Chi Eater in person!”

“What? Why didn’t you say something sooner?” Lin pressed.

“Well, we tried, but then Tenzin showed up, and you had us go update the map with the Air Temples, and then you were showing Tenzin where it’d attacked in Republic City, and then Korra showed up…” Bolin replied, counting off the events on his fingers. Lin sighed. She was being rhetorical, but it seemed Bolin didn’t get the memo.

Mako continued where his brother left off. “They call him ‘Gonzo’. He’s listed in our files as a mid-level fence for the Triple Threats known for dealing contraband in the Dragon Flats area. Apparently, he was there when the attack happened and has been telling everybody in the area that he fought the thing and lived. I have no idea if he’s telling the truth or not, but… it’s something.” He shrugged.

“It’ll have to do. Take your brother and the Avatar back to Dragon Flats and see what you can get out of this ‘Gonzo’ character.” Lin ordered. Mako and Bolin answered with a sluggish but determined (especially for Bolin) ‘Yes ma’am’ in response, their unison drawing a somewhat impressed look from Korra. “And Mako. This is bigger than just Republic City. If you think he might actually know something, I want you to get it out of him, whatever it takes.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure once he sees me, he’ll be more than willing to talk.” Korra assured, hiding her concerns by cracking her knuckles with a crooked grin on her face. Though she looked a little skeptical, Lin nodded, excusing Korra and the brothers from her office.

Once the three had walked away and he was sure they were alone again, Tenzin addressed Lin with a concerned look set in his brow.

“Lin, are you okay?” He asked, not that it wasn’t obvious.

“Four men just died under my orders, Tenzin. I’ll be okay when we put this thing in the ground.” The chief replied, staunchly refusing to face him. Tenzin frowned. He wanted to say more, but he wasn’t sure what. He knew better than anybody how Lin could be when she was hurt, but he also understood less than anybody how to actually handle that.

Seeing as she wasn’t in the mood to talk it out, Tenzin resigned himself to silence. The best he could do for now was to help her put this case to bed for good, and that’s what he was going to do.


*** *** *** *** *** *** ***



The drive from the new precinct building back to Dragon Flats was not a very long one at all. Korra was sitting in the back seat with Bolin up front and Mako behind the wheel. But never the type to revel in silence, Bolin made sure it wasn’t a silent one either – almost as soon as they’d left, he’d begun pressing Korra for details on her vacation with Asami.

How fun had it been, what was the spirit fruit like, did the spirit world have any bathrooms, and of course, when did they first kiss. And once he’d started asking about her and Asami, the floodgates really flew open. He wanted to know all of the juiciest details. Thankfully, while Bolin loved to gossip, Korra loved to talk about Asami, and desperately needed to change her mind, so it was a win-win for the both of them. As far as Asami was concerned, Korra was an open book.

At least, for the most part. There were a few things she seemed to have glossed over and a couple of questions she didn’t go too in depth with, but Bolin didn’t seem to mind. In fact, the only one who minded anything was Mako.

While he wasn’t the grouch that he was the night before, he certainly seemed to be less than thrilled about what was going on right now. His questions were few and far between, and his comments – if any – were remarkably short. It was obvious that on top of being sleep deprived, he was a little uncomfortable, but Mako was keeping it to himself this time – he didn’t want to ruin his brother’s fun or give Korra the wrong idea. He really was happy for her, he just… still had to get used to the fact that his exes were dating each other now.

“You know Mako, it’s okay to still be uncomfortable about all of this,” Korra casually spoke up, catching the Firebender’s attention. Albeit only partially, as the majority of his focus was still on the road. “We can stop if you want us to.”

He hesitated a bit before answering. “No, no, it’s fine, it’s just…” He stopped for a moment, looking for the right words. Simpler was probably better, in this instance. “...Was I really that bad of a boyfriend?” He asked, glancing back briefly at Korra. She wasted no time in giving him an answer.

“Yeah, actually, you were.” Korra laughed. “No offense, but as good of a friend as you are, you make a terrible boyfriend. Or… you did three years ago, anyway.” She was giving him the benefit of the doubt on that much; he’d probably changed more than she’d realized in all that time apart. Maybe he’d matured some in that department. “Don’t worry, there’s no hard feelings though, from either of us.” She reassured.

“Well, at least there’s that.” Mako sighed, laughing a little under his breath. “I guess those relationships really were kind of a disaster, huh?”

“‘Kind of’ is putting it lightly,” Bolin teased. Korra laughed. They were peak teen drama back in the day. “Personally, I’m just glad Opal and me are doing okay again. That time with Kuvira really sucked.”

“At least it gave you an idea on what to do for the future, though.” His brother reminded.

“Yeah… the military wasn’t for me, but I think I could get used to this whole police business.” Bolin smiled, leaning back in his seat some.

“Well that’s good, because we’re here.” Mako announced.

Compared to last night, Dragon Flats couldn’t have looked any different. While the streets and the buildings were still visibly worse for wear, they were more alive than either of the three ever could’ve expected. It was just as busy as the rest of the city, though it did have its differences.

People weren’t used to traffic in this neighborhood and carelessly strolled in the middle of the street, going about their business. Most shops had set up stands outside, taking advantage of the beautiful day, while groups of volunteers worked on repairing the buildings damaged during Kuvira’s attack. They seemed to be completely unaware of last night’s events, smiling and shopping as if nothing had happened.

Rather than giving in to despair, the community seemed to have come together in the wake of everything that’d happened; even in spite of the triads. It was a welcome sight to be sure, but a far cry from what they’d experienced the night before. Last night, there was a sense of foreboding and unease, of intrinsic distrust; they’d be forgiven for thinking they’d made a wrong turn somewhere.

“Even the air is different...” Korra thought aloud as she stepped out of the cruiser, shielding her eyes from the sun. “It’s almost as if last night never happened.” But on reminding herself of the situation, she started to feel uneasy again.

“You’re telling me.” Mako replied, scratching his head. The department had already cleared away the broken cruisers and finished with the crime scene, it seemed. There were no signs of earthbending or yellow tape to be seen anywhere. It really was as though last night hadn’t happened.

Bolin, meanwhile, marveled at how many people were out and about right now, and how they all seemed to be coming together to rebuild their neighborhood. “I guess this part of town is doing a bit better than Mr. Che’s, huh?”

Despite her nerves, Korra smiled. It was weird, but a welcome weird. “Maybe this city’s stronger than you guys thought.” She remarked. “Now, where’s this ‘Gonzo’ guy?”

“According to our intel, he runs a fruit stand somewhere on this street. He uses it as a front to peddle drugs and old Equalist gear that went missing after Amon was exposed.” Mako explained. Korra’s smile quickly faded. She thought she’d heard the last of the Equalists, but it made sense to her why the Triple Threats would be dealing in that sort of stuff right now. After Kuvira and the recent Chi Eater killings, people were terrified – they’d probably pay good money for a little peace of mind.

“You mean like that one?” Bolin asked, pointing to a fruit stand not even a hundred feet away from them. The stand certainly looked to be legit at first glance, but the same couldn’t be said for the man standing behind it. He was a short, somewhat portly little man with a crooked pencil mustache, an unkempt goatee, and an ugly brown three piece suit. He was wearing a hat that was probably fancy thirty years ago. With a toothpick in his mouth and his hands sunk into his pockets, he watched potential customers come and go without saying a word.

Mako recognized his face almost immediately, having studied his mugshot earlier. That was Gonzo alright. “Good work, Bolin, looks like you found our man.” He  said, patting his brother on the back. “He’s all yours, Korra, but be careful. It looks like he’s got friends with him.” He warned, motioning with his head to the three men playing cards at a table nearby. Two Waterbenders and an Earthbender, judging by their clothes.

“Psh, who do you think I am?” Korra asked rather aggressively, pounding her fist into her hand. She could take them. But with as busy as it was out here, it would probably be a good idea to avoid a fight, if at all possible. She supposed she’d have to dial it back a bit today. “Let’s go.” She said, walking ahead and motioning for the brothers to follow.

Approaching the stand with confidence, Korra made no attempt to hide who she was. She wasn’t exactly somebody who could blend in even if she wanted to, anyway, especially with the triads. The fact that she had two uniformed officers behind her certainly wouldn’t do anything to ease their minds, either. So she thought it was better to show off a bit and make her presence clear in case any of them tried anything funny. To this end, she brazenly leaned over the fruit stand.

The man behind the stand lazily raised an eyebrow at the Water Tribe woman, who almost seemed to be flexing her muscles as she leaned over his fruit. She was staring him down with a serious look on her face. “...Summin I can help ya wit, miss?” He asked, seemingly oblivious as to who she was.

“I don’t know, you tell me.” Korra asked. The shopkeeper pursed his lips, thinking for a moment. He may not have recognized her, but the men at the table certainly did. Their game had come to an abrupt stop as soon as she and the brothers showed up, and all three looked ready to rise from their seat in a heartbeat.

The man bent his head sideways, as if he was trying to look at her from another angle. “Ya know, ya look kinda familiar… did we date or summin before?” He asked. The disgusted and insulted look on her face said no. He shrugged. “Had ta ask. I’m not too great wit faces, but I do like me some Watah Tribe goils.”

“Yeah, no. Guess again. Gonzo, right?” Korra practically demanded. Pushing himself off the wall he had been leaning against, the man took a closer look at the girl’s eyes. …So that’s who she was. The Avatar. The man flashed a toothy grin, amused. Today had just gotten a lot more interesting… and in his opinion, better looking, too.

“Oho… I’d hoid da Avatar was back in town. Din’t expect ya ta come lookin for lil’ ol’ me, tho. What brings yous and yer uniformed associates to da Flats?” Gonzo asked, seductively leaning forward, flashing a smile with multiple gold teeth, prompting Korra to take a step back in disgust.

Mako and Bolin shared a look. Was this guy trying to hit on the Avatar?

Korra quickly regained her menacing attitude. “…Yeah, well, I hear you and your pals have been stirring up a lot of trouble in Republic City since I’ve been gone. Maybe you should have expected me.” She remarked, hoping to take back control of the situation. But Gonzo hadn’t stopped grinning. True to his reputation, he was as brave as he was clueless, looking her straight in the eye.

Korra continued. “Luckily for you, though, we’re here about something else today. I heard from my friends here that you saw what happened with those cops last night. I’d like you to tell me about it.” She explained, not that Gonzo was listening. He just kept staring and smiling. “I’d start talking, if I were you.” She warned coldly, moving into an Earthbending stance. But Gonzo remained unfazed, and in fact looked even more in control of things now.

“Oy, izzat a threat I’m detectin’? Not exactly da best way ta be gettin’ information outta a pospective witness, if ya ask me – not dat I don’t like ya whole tough goil act.” He replied. Korra scoffed. “But yeah, I might know a lil’ summin summin ‘bout dat… what’s it to ya? My information don’t exactly come fo free, y’see - ‘specially to da Avatar. Yer gonna have ta pay up foist.” He continued calmly, bringing his arm up to rest his head on his hand.

Korra’s worries were beginning to turn into frustration. This guy looked more amused by her threats than anything. She visibly tried to remain calm. “Oh, I’ll pay up alright…” Korra warned, clenching her fists and drawing closer. Gonzo’s friends by the table followed suit, prompting Mako and Bolin to warn Korra. They were now standing off to the side, watching.

Gonzo looked from Korra to his goons, then back at Korra. “Again wit da threats… if ya want da deets, ya gotta gimme da respect I desoive, foist. Othawise, Imma just close up shop n’ let my boys here handle ya while I mosey on off, y’dig?” Gonzo warned. “I wanna help ya, Avatar – really, I do! Some freaky stuff’s been goin’ down lately, n’ it took out one of our own. Got us mighty pissed, yeah? But I’m afraid I’d be sendin’ da wrong message to da boys if I let ya treat me like dis n’ still get what ya want.”

Korra looked over at the ‘boys’ in question. She could take them down easy, with or without the brothers’ help, she knew that for a fact. That wasn’t the issue. The issue was that they were in a crowded public place and if either side got too wild, somebody could get hurt. Not to mention, while she took care of his henchmen, Gonzo would run off and hide, just like he said. She stared stubbornly back in Gonzo’s direction. Most goons cracked the second they saw her, but this guy just seemed to be having fun with her.

She didn’t like it, but Korra had no choice but to play along, at least for now. She stepped back. “…Fine. What’s your price?”

Gonzo’s grin grew. He seemed to have been expecting that. “Now dat’s more like it. If ya’d come here a lil’ more like dat, we coulda gotten down to business a lot soonah. A’ight den.What yer askin’ for puts me n’ ma boys in a pecarious situation, y’feel? So Imma need three things from ya.” The man put up three fingers and pointed to them as he listed his requests.

“Foist of all – alla dis I’m about ta tell ya? Ya din’t hear it from me. Far as yous is concerned, I’m a reputable businessman n’ ma story’s gonna be treated as tho it came from such. Ain’t nonna dis gonna blow back on Gonzo. Secondly, ya buddies in blue back dere?”

Mako looked as stern as ever while Bolin pointed to himself as if to ask ‘Who, me?’

“Dey’re gonna let me go da next time dey see me n’ catch me in a… how do you say… awkwoid situation. Toin da otha way n’ lemme skedaddle, just once, ok? N’ finally, as for you, Avatar… yer gonna call me ‘soir’ from now on, got it? Promise me dese three things n’ I’ll tell ya whateva it is ya wanna know.”

“I’m sorry, what ?” Korra snapped. Mako immediately held Korra back before she pulled off Gonzo’s head, trying to calm her down.

“Korra! Remember what’s at stake, here. We need this information. It’s too important.” He reminded. Mako turned to the merchant. “You have a deal.” He confirmed, Bolin hesitantly nodding along. He didn’t like it, but he trusted his brother’s judgment. Korra, however, was far more reluctant.

“Well?” Gonzo pressed. “What about it, little lady?”

The Avatar grit her teeth. It felt wrong just thinking about it, and the smile on that slimy bastard’s face just made things worse. But as Mako nodded for her to play along for now, she realized she wasn’t being given much of a choice. This guy could be the only living witness to what the Chi Eater was and how it killed, aside from the old man from yesterday – and she really didn’t want to reopen that wound for him if she could help it. With a growl, and then an annoyed sigh, she relented, if only for now.

Fine . What happened last night, ‘sir’?” Korra asked with great bitterness. She wanted to maim this guy so badly right now. Gonzo laughed rough, as though he’d eaten a bowl of broken glass in the morning, reveling in his power while he had it.

“Heh heh… right, so, ya wanna know about da spirit, eh? Yeah, I saw it. Ya buddies in blue woire patrollin’ da streets more heavily den usual, so I knew summin was up. But Gonzo’s got a business ta run – I ain’t gonna go lettin’ no coppahs stop me from doin’ what I do. I just had ta lay low for a bit. But I was watchin’, waitin’, hopin’ dey’d move along when alla da sudden, dis big black… thing comes dashin outta da shadows, and spirits was it angry.” Gonzo shuddered.

“It knocked ova summa ma moichandise while I ducked for covah, and da cops came walkin’ outta deir Satomobile all pissed n’ pissin’ demselves, y’know? Dey tried bendin’ and puttin’ up a fight, but da thing, it shrugged ‘em off like dey woire nuttin’. It was like dey woire hittin grape jelly or summin’, nuttin’ dey did fazed it.”

Korra looked back at Mako and Bolin, the three of them sharing a grave look. The description fit.

“Den it screamed, and it made dis crazy-ass shockwave, yeah? Broke a lotta windows, knocked da cops down, destroyed whateva was left of ma moichandise. Nearly left me deaf, ta be honest wit ya. Dey got scared n’ ran back to da cruisah, and dey woire bookin’ it! Like, dayum! But dis thing, it like, toined into a blur, and it tore the cah in two! It took da cops, roughed ‘em up a bit like it was playin’ wit its food, and it pinned ‘em down. Next thing I know, there’s dis crazy light show and da cop was just dis… dis kinda raisin lookin’ thing on da ground. I still feel like I’m gonna be sick.” Gonzo frowned, pausing for an instant.

“It did da same thing to what was left of da othas and den ran off, back into da shadows in an Easterly direction, towoid da Bay. Den you guys swung by maybe 5 minuts latah, and dat old man started yappin’, so I took dat as my chance to mosey on out before ya’ll noticed me.” He concluded. “N’ dat’s all I know, promise.”

Korra and the brothers shared another look. Everything Gonzo said lined up perfectly with previous encounters she had had with dark spirits during Harmonic Convergence, only cranked up to 11. This thing was powerful if its scream alone was enough to do everything Gonzo said it had. Korra could feel her stomach tie itself up in knots again. Today just kept getting worse and worse.

Korra conferred with the brothers as quietly as possible for a moment before she finally responded to the fence’s story.

“Thanks for all the help, ‘Gonzo’.” She said, putting especially bitter emphasis on the fact that she was avoiding his prefered title. Gonzo laughed again. He wouldn’t have expected anything less.

She’d had enough of this.

Shaking her head, Korra turned around as if to walk away, but immediately stopped after a single step. The expression on Mako and Bolin’s faces sunk. They knew what was coming next.

“Oh, and by the way…” She began, turning back around. “These two may be letting you go next time they catch you doing something, but I won’t.” She warned. “In fact, I’m not letting you go now , either.”

Before anybody there could register what was going on and intervene – Mako and Bolin included – Korra had raised her leg high above her head, bringing it down in  a powerful Firebending-enhanced axe kick. She easily smashed the stand in two, crushing whatever real merchandise may have been hiding under or inside of it in the process and catching Gonzo completely off guard.

“Woah!” He yelped, staggering back. The goons to his right quickly sprang into action as people yelled and turned to see what was going on, Mako and Bolin begrudgingly trying to keep them a safe distance away while Korra dealt with the gangsters.

When the two Waterbenders sent water whips in her direction, she was ready, taking hold of them once they were close enough. She’d wrestled control over their water away from them as if they’d never even had any to begin with, and before they could react, she’d retaliated. She sent the water back at their heads, freezing them in blocks of ice on contact before knocking both of them to the ground with a kick to their newly frozen heads.

Meanwhile, the earthbender stomped on the ground, bringing up a large chunk of earth and throwing it at Korra. It had about as much of an effect as the water had, however: Korra ran straight at the rock and then punched right through it, shattering it with her bending, her fist connecting with the Earthbender’s face immediately afterwards. As he fell backwards, she used a little Earthbending of her own, breaking his footing by shifting the earth beneath him and taking him down with a pillar of stone she raised from the ground to meet him.

In a matter of seconds, she’d destroyed Gonzo’s stand, ruined his merchandise, subdued his companions, and sent him running off into the crowd. But before he could finish peeling away, a powerful gust of wind sent him flying into a nearby shop, colliding with the boarded up windows with a loud thud. Though he was winded on impact, he laughed as he fell to the ground, getting onto his hands and knees and catching his breath.

“So disrespectful… but it’s good ta see our Avatar’s got a lil’ moxy.” Gonzo coughed, rising to his feet and dusting off his suit. His hat was gone and his toothpick, broken, but he still seemed largely unfazed.

“Oh, I’m full of a lot more than just moxy,” Korra warned, stomping towards him. At this point, Mako and Bolin intervened, each of them grabbing one of her arms.

“Korra, that’s enough.” Mako said. “We got what we needed and you got your payback. Now let’s get out of here before we cause even more of a scene.”

“Yeah, if this goes on any longer, somebody’s going to get hurt, and I don’t just mean you two.” Bolin warned.

Korra grit her teeth. She had a lot more stress she wanted to relieve on this guy, but… they were right. She should be better than this. She was better than this. “Fine.” She reluctantly replied, turning to walk away for real this time. “But if I ever see you again, you better hope you have stronger friends!” She called back to Gonzo.

“Pleasuh doin’ business wit ya, Avatar!” Gonzo called back, still catching his breath, waving goodbye as she stormed back to the cruiser flanked by Mako and Bolin.

As soon as they closed the doors, Korra sighed, slumping into the back seat with an annoyed look on her face. “I wish you guys would’ve let me rough him up a little more.” She complained.

“As fun as that would’ve been to watch, we should really get back to the Chief as soon as possible.” Mako replied.

“Yeah, what Mako said,” Bolin agreed. “We need to let her know what this spirit is capable of.”

Korra frowned. “I guess you’re right.” She just hated what that meant for the Avatar’s legacy. She still couldn’t figure out how her past lives could’ve let this thing get away unnoticed for so long. But the evidence spoke for itself. “I still feel like something’s off, though. Spirits don’t normally act like this. There has to be something more.”

“Well, I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” Mako replied, starting the car. “Based on what Gonzo said, it sounds like it might finally be leaving the Flats and heading for the rest of the city. We have to let the Chief and President Raiko know and figure out what we do from here.”

“He said it was heading east, right? Toward Yue Bay?” Bolin asked. “The Pro Bending Arena’s over there… Air Temple Island, too.” He frowned.

Korra’s expression grew more serious. “We need to let Tenzin know as soon as possible. And as much as I hate to say it, we may want to cancel the premiere, too.”

“That’s not gonna happen. Lin told Raiko to cancel it this morning after we started putting the pieces together, but he won’t budge. He says it’s too important to the city and the people to cancel it, evil spirit or no evil spirit.” Mako replied with indignation. Every decision this guy made seemed to be the worst possible one, but he had no power to fight it.

“Ugh, figures. He told me earlier he wanted me there in case anything went down. Now I know why.” Korra groaned. She really hated this guy. “At the very least, we should increase security for tonight. We should probably do a sweep in and around the arena to make sure it isn’t already there, too, just waiting for people to show up. If this thing was smart enough to hide from the Avatar for a thousand years, it could be smart enough to stage an ambush.” She reasoned.

“No worries, Korra – Lin, Mako and I are in charge of security tonight, and we know that place like the back of our hands. There’s no way that spirit’s getting near without one of us knowing. Come tonight, there won’t be a safer place in the entire city!” Bolin assured.

“She does make a good point that it could already be there, though. I’ll see if I can’t get the go ahead from Beifong to do a quick sweep of the place and start setting up security now. This way, we’ll know if it tries to show up anytime between now and the premiere.” Mako suggested. Korra nodded in agreement. It sounded like a good plan to her.

“So, if you’re going to the premiere too, does that mean Asami’s coming with you? Ooh, would that make this a date?!” Bolin asked, changing the topic to something lighter. “I hear the mover they’re showing is a romance… you two are just going to be making out the whole time, aren’t-” Before Bolin could finish, Korra smacked him in the back of the head. “Ow! Okay, okay, I get it, I’ll stop talking now…” He groaned, rubbing the back of his head.

Korra laughed while Mako just shook his head, shifting out of park and starting the drive back to the station.

 

*** *** *** *** *** ***


Today’s top story! Bending more than just the elements? Avatar Korra and Future Industries’ Asami Sato are Engaged !!! During an impromptu press conference late yesterday afternoon, the returning Avatar Korra and her traveling companion, Asami Sato, were blindsided by a question from The Republican’s own Liu Shang, seemingly confirming what tabloids have speculated about for weeks! The Avatar and the CEO have indeed entered into a relationship, and it’s serious! What does this mean for the future of Republic City and Future Industries?”

As per usual, the radio in the break room was played at full blast. Kuvira swore, as far as she was concerned, having to listen to this garbage day in, day out was a far greater punishment than anything the tribunal could ever conceive of. She would gladly take execution at this point – heck, she’d do it herself if they gave her the choice. Anything but more Republic City sensationalism.

Still. Aside from the gossip of the guards stationed here to watch her, that radio of theirs was her only tangible connection to the outside world. While she appreciated being able to remain somewhat aware of what was going on outside of her cage, there were days she wished she were strong enough to bend whatever little metal was inside that thing out of it and destroy it.

But she wasn’t.

They made sure to keep her weak – barely fed, barely sheltered, barely tended to in any major capacity. She’d essentially been left out here to rot with an audience until the tribunal stopped dragging its feet and passed down the death penalty already. Everybody was expecting it by this point, herself included. Zaheer may have gotten off at the behest of both Tenzin and the Avatar, but with Kuvira, the political machine was already in motion. She knew it was just a matter of time now.

Kuvira felt as if she’d had this train of thought before.

Days and nights blended together out here. It was easy to lose track of time, thoughts, perspective. As her latest trial date drew closer and closer, she wondered if Korra was really going to be taking part or not. She wondered if maybe she’d come pay her a visit sometime. The way they’d left things back in the spirit world, it almost seemed as though Korra got it .

Kuvira wondered, would Korra be abandoning her too? Would she come try and play ‘friend’ instead? Would she try to persuade her to change? Would she stand by and let them kill her?

Would Kuvira let her stop them if they tried?

While she entertained many possibilities, she was pretty confident the Avatar would try to spare her life. What she wasn’t so confident of was whether or not she wanted to be spared anymore. Realistically, what did she have left to live for? To work toward? Her empire was gone, her fiance was gone, her home was gone, the only one even remotely close to a mother to her was gone – she’d lost everything, already. There was nothing left.

If she was anything like Aang, Korra would probably deliver some sort of cheesy speech about how forgiveness and non-violence were important, and how acceptance was the first step on the road to recovery, and how Kuvira should be allowed to atone for her crimes, but… why should she even bother? She had nothing left to live for. They’d never let her out of prison, even if they let her live. So what would be the point?

Kuvira half-closed her eyes, looking down as she sat there in the center of her cell. Her arms were around her knees and her face half buried beneath them, looking out over the ocean. She wondered if any of what she’d done had really been worth it. She’d thought about that a lot since surrendering. How much of what she accomplished was worth the pain she’d gone through to accomplish it? Had she ever even actually accomplished anything? The Earth Kingdom wasn’t even going to be a Kingdom anymore.

What was she even trying to prove before? That she could be the Avatar, too? That she could be like Su? That she could bring peace and balance through force?

All she’d proven was that she was a fool.

The radio changed stories and the guards talked amongst themselves as though she wasn’t even there. They were talking now about that mover premiere tonight, lamenting how they wouldn’t be able to attend because of Kuvira. One more thing to blame her for, she supposed. But they also talked about the bodies that’d been showing up in what they were now calling the ‘Chi Eater’ case. Someone on the force had apparently let it slip.

Kuvira shook her head. First day back in the city and Korra already had to clean up another mess. She couldn’t help but wonder if she was somehow responsible for this one, too. Had her weapon angered the spirits? Would this mean Korra would be too busy to take part in her trial? How much could the Avatar balance at once, and how much would it matter to her if she just completely forgot about Kuvira? Would she mind?

After all, everybody else already had. If Korra forgot her too, she’d understand. That’d be okay. She’d already resigned herself to her fate anyway. She just wished they’d hurry up and get on with it already.

She wondered if maybe they were just trying to make her suffer. If they wanted to drive her insane by leaving her out here with her thoughts for so long. If they did, it was working. This was not the kind of life she felt herself fit to lead. Maybe it’d suit a mad monk like Zaheer, but her? An empress was a social creature. She’d rather die a dog than live alone with nothing but her thoughts and airhead guards to accompany her.

But…

If Korra didn’t forget.

If Korra did come back for her, and did take part in her trial. If Korra had remembered her.

Kuvira knew what she’d want to say to her now, if she ever got the chance. She just wondered if she would, and if she did, if it’d matter.

“I’m sorry.”

She whispered it beneath her breath, broken, drawing the attention of no one. If she shouted it at the top of her lungs and from the highest mountaintop, still no one would hear her, but still, it would be no less sincere. But maybe sometimes words just didn’t cut it anymore. ‘Sorry’… what did it matter? Her damage was done.

If she really wanted to apologize, she should just let them kill her. Her will had broken weeks ago. She was done fighting. Done hoping. Whether or not Korra intervened now was irrelevant to her. She’d made up her mind what she wanted.

All she had left to do now was wait.

Chapter 7: Into the Wilds

Summary:

While the rest of Republic City prepares for the upcoming mover premiere, Korra and company prepare for a confrontation with the Chi Eater, whose latest target may be Air Temple Island! Lacking the answers she feels she needs, Korra relies on her more spiritual side to try to uncover some clues about their otherworldly foe and resolves herself to enter into the Spirit Wilds.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Book Five
Chi

Chapter Seven
Into the Wilds

“You’re sure he said it was heading east?” Tenzin worriedly asked to confirm.

Korra gave a solemn nod in response. The Airbender cursed loudly, making loose papers in the Chief of Police’s office swirl around him in an angry puff of air. Everything they knew told them the Chi Eater targeted benders specifically, and Air Temple Island had one of the highest concentration of benders in the city.

“Maybe you should recall the Airbenders from around the city, get them all up to speed. I think it may be best you all head for one of the other Air Temples.” Mako suggested. But Tenzin shook his head vigorously.

“No, Republic City needs our help now more than ever. I’m not going to call everybody back so long as we’re still able to do some good out there.” Tenzin affirmed. “Even with the help from Zaofu, the Republic’s resources are spread too thin for us to pull out safely. I am going to warn them and evacuate Air Temple Island, but I believe the best way for the Air Nation to avoid the Chi Eater’s detection is to do as we’ve been doing and scatter ourselves to the winds.”

Tenzin leveled a look in Lin’s direction. His eyes were tired, but there was fire behind them – if he was no longer needed here, then he had to go alert his people. The Chief nodded. She had no further use for him here. So, Tenzin left in a gust of wind, but not before Korra caught him in a hug on his way out.

“I’ll put a stop to this thing before it gets anywhere near the Temple. I promise.” Korra assured. Tenzin smiled weakly and then left the room.

“So, Avatar,” Lin began, left alone with Korra and the brothers upon Tenzin’s exit. “What’s the battle plan?”

Korra pondered. “I’m… not entirely sure, to be honest. Fighting a dark spirit isn’t anything like fighting a bender. Most attacks won’t faze them and they aren’t completely tangible; they can walk through walls, destroy machines from the inside-out, possess humans. Incredible speed and strength. Vaatu could even turn his chi into a weapon just like Kuvira’s cannon.” Korra explained in brief.

“Sounds like a pretty one-sided fight, if you ask me.” Lin remarked, having never fought a spirit herself.

“It… kind of is.” Mako admitted with some disappointment, rubbing the back of his neck.

“But doesn’t mean it can’t be stopped,” Korra encouraged. “If some of us can distract it for long enough and we can manage to keep it contained, then I should be able to purify it of whatever’s causing it to act like this and get rid of it for good.”

“Like what you did to that giant Unavaatu monster?” Bolin asked.

“Exactly like that, yeah.” Korra confirmed.

Lin crossed her arms. “I don’t know that I like a plan that hinges entirely on the word ‘should’. There’s a lot of things this spirit ‘should’ be but isn’t. If you want me to send more of my men up against this thing, then you better have a backup plan in case your spiritual mumbo jumbo doesn’t cut it.” She warned.

Korra fell silent. She understood Lin’s misgivings, but the alternative was not only more of a gamble, it was also an option she wasn’t altogether comfortable with. “…If that doesn’t work…” Korra started, but neglected to finish, continuing to mull things over a bit in her head first. Given the way this thing avoided her past lives and never made any demands in any of the accounts they’d collected, she got the feeling she wouldn’t be able to convince it to stop. She also doubted there was any way she could contain it indefinitely. Which meant her only other option was…

“…If that doesn’t work, it’s risky, but if I enter the Avatar State and get help from Raava, then it might be possible for me to destroy it. Forever.” Or, so Korra theorized. To her knowledge, it had never been done before. But if purification didn’t work, then it was her only hope. Spirits didn’t seem very threatened by humans, but since the Avatar was practically half-spirit…

Grave looks adorned the brothers’ faces while Lin stared Korra down straight-on, calculating. “…Very well.” The Chief finally replied, satisfied enough by Korra’s answer. “More important than a last resort is the resolve to go through with it if push comes to shove. I trust you.” Korra only nodded.

“We’ll assemble a team of our strongest benders with you at its core and start scouring the city for this thing immediately. Once we find it, we’ll bring it down. Hard .” Lin announced, finally uncrossing her arms so she could go give the command. But Mako stopped her.

“Actually, Chief, we think it might be a better idea to just focus on the arena, instead.” He interjected, causing Lin to stop and look over at her star detective. “Given the level of strategy this thing has demonstrated in the past, we think it’s possible that it might know about the premiere tonight and could be planning an ambush. I find it weird that it’d stay in Dragon Flats all this time only to run off toward the bay the night before such a big event.”

“That’s all the more reason to hunt this thing down now , if you ask me.” Lin replied, putting her hands on her hips and standing firm in her position. “If we can stop it before the premiere, then there’s nothing more for us to worry about.”

“Maybe, but, what if we can’t find it?” Bolin asked. When Lin looked in his direction, he shivered, but continued. “I-I mean, this thing is smart, and it’s had a good day’s head start on us, right? What if it’s already there, at the arena, lying in wait like a tigerdillo in the grass, scanning the plains for its next meal?” This gave Lin some pause.

“Bolin’s right.” Mako agreed. “Maybe we can find it in the city, but I don’t think that’s a risk we can take right now. If we go to the arena though, Korra can do a sweep of the place and see if she can’t sense anything out of the ordinary.”

Lin raised an eyebrow, looking now at Korra. “Can you do that?”

Korra nodded confidently. “Yeah – if there’s anything spiritual hiding out there, I’ll know.”

“Hmm...” Lin closed her eyes. She had to admit, this all made sense, but at the same time, she didn’t like the idea of a murderous spirit potentially being out there in her city. It was a risk either way. The question was just which one was worth taking.

While Lin thought, Mako continued. “While Korra searches the arena and we fortify security, you can issue an APB and increase patrols in the areas closest to Yue Bay and East Dragon Flats. This way, we can cover all of our bases and–”

“Absolutely not.” Lin interrupted, catching Mako off guard. “The last time I sent my officers after this thing, they were killed. I am not sending anyone into the line of fire without backup from myself and the Avatar.” At this, Korra’s look softened some. She understood.

“We can’t do it all alone. I agree with Mako. I think this might be our best plan of attack right now.” She confirmed, giving Lin a sympathetic look. She knew that Lin didn’t want to be responsible for any more deaths, but also knew that this was what her officers had signed up for.

Inhaling deeply, Lin resolved herself. She’d take their advice. “Fine. I’ll put out an APB and make it clear that officers are to report, not engage. In the meantime, the four of us will heighten security for tonight’s premiere.” She decided, formally issuing the order. “You three go on ahead while I set up the APB and gather some more Metalbenders. By tonight, we’re going to make that arena the single safest place in this city.”

“Yes ma’am!” Mako and Bolin said once again in unison. Korra just nodded in agreement. Now all they had to do was make that statement into a reality.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***


Not long after, on Air Temple Island, Tenzin stood in front of a gathering of Airbenders and acolytes alike. Nearly everybody on the island had been called into attendance from the looks of things, with his family and Kai situated at the front of the crowd. The air was heavy with fear and anxiety as he spoke, warning them of the Chi Eater and the threat that it posed. Standing at the front with Tenzin’s family, Kai held onto Jinora’s hand as her father spoke.

“According to Avatar Korra, it was last seen heading toward Yue Bay. The city is concerned it may be targeting the arena, but given that the Chi Eater solely attacks benders, I believe it’s possible that it’s targeting us. As such, I’m putting the island on high alert, and will be informing all of the Airbenders in the city to report any unusual spirit activity to either myself or Avatar Korra.” Tenzin explained.

Sitting in the front row, Bumi was giving Bum-Ju a look of concern. The small rabbit spirit floating over his shoulder had been chirping something in a language only Bumi understood throughout the entirety of Tenzin’s explanation.

Jinora, on the other hand, looked more frustrated than anything. “And you guys think a spirit is behind all of this?” She asked, almost accusingly. “Sure, they don’t really like humans much, but they don’t just attack people unprovoked like that.”

“Avatar Korra voiced the same concerns, but there’s simply nothing else that it could be.” Tenzin replied, sadness in his voice. “What the eyewitness described sounded exactly like a dark spirit, and given how old it is, it’s not possible that it’s a human, or any other living creature. All of Vaatu’s dark spirits are gone, so either it was corrupted by a human sometime long ago, or it’s fully aware of what it’s doing and is acting of its own volition.” And he wasn’t sure which option was worse.

But Jinora remained unconvinced. “There’s no way a spirit would do something like this on its own; and if it’s been corrupted for this long, then shouldn’t it have destroyed itself by now?”

“What do you mean?” Tenzin asked, confused.

“Spirits are mostly made up of chi and spiritual energy, right? If it were really left out of balance for this long, it should’ve become more and more unstable until it evaporated. That’s basically what Unalaq was doing when he threatened to destroy my soul.”

Tenzin wasn’t really sure how to respond. If Jinora was right, then that was just one more mystery for them to solve. “Well, clearly, it’s found some way to stay intact.” He surmised. “Perhaps by incorporating the energy of others into itself to correct for the imbalance. This could explain why it devours people’s chi.”

Jinora frowned. She couldn’t rule it out, but the thought of it left her uneasy. Something about her father’s story just didn’t track. Sensing her frustration, Kai placed a hand on Jinora’s shoulder, pulling her attention away as her father answered other questions and concerns.

“Try not to worry too much about it. This sort of thing is the Avatar’s job, right? I’m sure Korra’s thinking the same thing as you; she’s got this covered.” He smiled, hoping to ease her mind.

“I know that, I just… I feel like this is partly my responsibility, too. I’ve always been close to the spirits, and this just isn’t like them at all. Maybe I should do some investigating of my own when this assembly is over.” Jinora replied, looking over at her boyfriend. She looked almost guilty. Kai just rubbed her shoulder, unsure of what else to say, but so long as she wasn’t putting herself in harm’s way, he could promise her he’d be there to help her out however he could.

Two seats to her left, Bum-Ju’s chirping had escalated to whisper-fighting with Bumi. They were trying to stay quiet enough that they didn’t interrupt anything, but as the argument grew more heated, their voices grew louder – enough so that, eventually, even Tenzin took notice.

“Does Bum-Ju know anything about what’s going on?” He asked hopefully, stealing his brother’s attention from the small spirit on his shoulder.

“Nope, sorry. Bum-Ju says he’s never heard of this ‘Chi Eater’ before.” Bumi responded with a shrug. Tenzin’s expression sunk. “He does seem to be awfully worried about it, though. He says that if this thing can eat people’s chi like you said, then it can eat other spirits, too.” He explained.

“That would certainly explain why they deserted Dragon Flats...” Tenzin thought aloud, stroking his beard. He should let Korra know about this as soon as he could, assuming she didn’t already know.

“But if this thing’s a spirit, how could Bum-Ju not know about it?” Ikki asked, confused. “I mean, wouldn’t the spirits talk to each other about this sort of thing?”

Bumi shrugged. “How am I supposed to know? It’s not like I can read Bum-Ju’s mind or anything.”

Jinora, however, seemed to have an idea as to why. “Bum-Ju’s a young spirit and spent most of his time in the physical world playing with the other dragonfly bunnies at the Eastern Air Temple, so he probably doesn’t know all that much about something so old.” She explained.

Ikki tilted her head, bewildered by the thought that spirits could be ‘young’. “I thought spirits have always existed though?” She asked. Jinora shook her head.

“Not all of them, no. It’s not like all spirits have been around for thousands of years.” She laughed, causing Ikki to harumph in frustration. It was a serious question! “If this thing is as old as dad claims though, and it can eat other spirits, then there’s no way the spirits don’t know about it by now. But since he’s so young and spends so much of his time time in our world, Bum-Ju might not have heard of it yet.” Jinora ended with a shrug.

Ikki stretched over her sister’s shoulder to look at her uncle and ask if that were true, but he was already back to bickering with Bum-Ju. Chances were he wasn’t even paying attention anymore. It quickly became apparent why.

“What do you mean you’re leaving the city?!” Bumi asked loudly, redirecting all attention back on himself. “You don’t think it’s safe here anymore? So, what, you’re just going to run away again?” His expression sunk further as Bum-Ju chirped a response, the retired commander crossing his arms. “You should put more faith in the Avatar, she took care of that giant metal monster two weeks ago, and she’ll take care of this thing, too!”

With one last exasperated chirp, Bum-Ju disappeared, crossing back into the spirit world and leaving Bumi behind, effectively ending the argument then and there. With all eyes still on him, he quickly began to feel uncomfortable. “…What are you all looking at?” He asked in frustration. “Bum-Ju may be a coward, but I’m not! I’ll take this Chi Eater on, mano-a-mano!” He declared.

“Yeah, mano-a-mano!” Meelo repeated, jumping up from his seat before a glare from Pema had him sitting back down.

“…Actually, I think Bum-Ju may be on the right track with this one.” Tenzin frowned, addressing not only his brother, but everybody else gathered, as well. “There’s no way we could win against an enraged spirit, even if we all went at it at once. The best thing we can do right now is scatter ourselves and make it harder for the Chi Eater to find us, and… that means abandoning the island until it’s taken care of. Perhaps we can even use this time to double down on relief efforts around the city.”

The Airbenders and acolytes immediately began to murmur and argue among themselves. While most of them agreed with Tenzin and were already considering places in the city they could hide or help out, there were still some among them who wondered if maybe it’d be better to go down fighting than turn tail and run. Bumi found himself part of this latter crowd.

“If this thing’s as dangerous as you say, then we should fortify our defenses and fight back!” Bumi declared. “I say let the Chi Eater come, there haven’t been this many Airbenders around in a long time. We can take it!”

Tenzin sighed, placing his hand to his forehead, his thumb and index finger massaging his temples. Bumi always had to make things so difficult – that way of thinking was just going to get them all killed. He was getting ready to argue with his brother when another voice interrupted him.  

“I dunno, running away sounds like a pretty good strategy to me. Heck, it’s my favorite strategy!” Came a voice, loud and brash and foreign to almost everybody gathered. Tenzin was not counted among that crowd – he knew exactly who that voice belonged to, and it threatened to make this day a hundred times worse.

“Varrick? What are you doing here!?” Tenzin asked. At least his sudden interruption had brought the murmuring and arguing to a halt.

There, standing up in one of the last few rows of the otherwise seated crowd, the billionaire in question flashed his signature smile and made his way through the crowd. As per usual, his wife wasn’t very far behind. While Varrick awkwardly pushed and stepped his way through the crowd in a steady oscillation of ‘Excuse me’ and ‘Pardon me’, Zhu Li opted to simply walk around them.

Reaching the front of the crowd, he eagerly grabbed and then shook Tenzin’s hand before slipping  his arm around his shoulder.

“Sorry about that, I actually came here to talk business, but as soon as I arrived you called this meeting, so I figured I’d sit in. Word of advice though, you really need to spice up your storytelling – even when it’s interesting, terrifying, and a hundred percent true, you still somehow manage to make it boring.” Varrick half-whispered, addressing Tenzin before addressing the crowd. He was waving at everybody all-the-while, as if he expected them all to know who he was. A lot of them didn’t.

“I’ll take that under advisement.” Tenzin responded sarcastically. Letting go of Tenzin and subtly pushing him out of the way, Varrick gladly made himself the center of attention, moving to address the crowd.

“Anyway, as I was saying! Given everything we just heard, running away actually sounds like a great idea! You don’t become as rich and successful as I am by stubbornly fighting for every lost cause of an idea you have, you know – some fights just can’t be won! That’s why you’ve gotta know when to cut your losses and vamoose before you end up next in line at the buffet table for some hungry spirit. You know, proverbially speaking and all.” Varrick colorfully described, as animated a speaker as ever.

“Now, I don’t know why this ‘Cheater’ thing wants to go around using its spirit powers to suck out people’s souls or whatever, but if you ask me, throwing a whole bunch of Airbenders on some dinky little rock in the middle of a bay with no quick and easy means of escape or rescue is just begging for trouble. You’re all better letting this one go and becoming one with the wind or whatever it is you guys do; whatever you can to get the heck outta here!”

While he was a little upset by the intrusion, Tenzin was a little stunned, as well. He certainly wasn’t expecting to be backed up by Varrick of all people. But that was all part of the Varrick experience – nobody expected him. It was something that seemed to work to his advantage every time, and thankfully, this time was no different. Already, there was far less debate amongst the island’s inhabitants.

But, of course, not everybody was so readily convinced – Bumi chief amongst them.

“Oh please, I didn’t become Commander of the United Forces’ 2nd Division by giving up whenever the going got a little tough! Why, I remember there was this one time when me and my men were outnumbered 6 to 1 and our ship had just suffered a catastrophic blow. We were taking on water fast and things seemed completely hopeless, but even still, we–”

Aaand nobody was listening to him anymore. Bumi sighed loudly in resignation, sitting back down. “Oh, why do I even bother?” He asked nobody in particular.

“I still think we should stay and fight, Uncle Bumi.” Meelo consoled, not that it had much effect. The two of them couldn’t mount much of a resistance on their own.

“Sorry kiddo, looks like we’re gonna be going for the typical Airbender ‘avoid and evade’ strategy this time.” He replied.

With the crowd now swayed back in his favor, Tenzin asked for everyone’s attention and tasked Jinora, Kai and a few others with reassigning every bender there and coming up with accommodations off-island for the acolytes. Then, with all of that taken care of, he walked over to Varrick.

“Not that I don’t appreciate the help, but why are you here?” Tenzin asked.

“That would be because of me, Master Tenzin,” Zhu Li apologized in her husband’s stead, bowing once before continuing. “My husband and I wanted to invite you and your family to a mover premiere tonight, and I thought it would be better if we did it in-person. But, given the circumstances, it appears we may have come at a bad time…”

“Nonsense, this was perfect timing!” Varrick chimed. “Tenzin needed a vote of confidence and he’s basically telling everybody else to skedaddle anyway, so he may as well take his own advice and live a little for once, eh?” He asked, lightly elbowing Tenzin as he spoke. The Airbender swatted Varrick’s arm away. “I’ve already invited Lin, Suyin, Raiko, Korra, Asami, Mako, Bolin… heck, I even got Ravi to agree to show up, and he’s almost as much of a stick in the mud as you are!”

“Mm.” Tenzin hummed, a little unsure what to make of Varrick’s remarks. He just wouldn’t bother addressing them. He turned to Zhu Li, instead. “I appreciate the offer, but as you just said, now isn’t really the best time. You heard what I said about the Chi Eater, right? That premiere should’ve been canceled hours ago, if you ask me.”

Varrick interrupted. “Are you kidding? After all the time and hype the city’s sunk into this thing? They wouldn’t cancel that premiere if Kuvira came back with a giant mecha suit twice as big as the last one!” Varrick declared. “Besides, this city could use a night like this right now! And if that Cheater thing really is attracted to crowds like you say, then the more powerful benders I have around Zhu Li and I, the better!” Zhu Li glared at him after that, causing him to release a nervous laugh and apologize before continuing.

“…Anyway, as it stands, I’ve already got a family of Metalbenders, a Lavabender, a Lightningbender, one heck of an Earthbender, and the freakin’ Avatar with me – why not add a family of Airbenders, too, eh? I’ve got a pretty big balcony to fill! And hey, think of it this way – if that thing does show up, it’ll be signing its own death warrant. There’s no way it can take us all on, spirit or no spirit. And if it doesn’t? You get a night on the town with your family and a chance to relax. It’s a win-win situation, no?”

Tenzin looked back at the crowd of airbenders. Varrick may have had a point. If everybody else was going to be asked to leave the island and help out around the city, why should he be any different? The security team could always use a little extra backup. And besides, his kids had been bugging him to take them to a mover for ages now.

“Well… maybe. If we can get the word out to the benders in the city and get this island evacuated in time, I suppose I might be able to swing by…” Tenzin thought aloud, stroking his beard.

It was about as close to a ‘yes’ as Varrick was going to get; he’d take it! He was joined in his cheering by Ikki and Meelo, who were now standing in front of Tenzin with smiles on their faces. Apparently they’d overheard enough of the conversation to have excited themselves over the prospect of finally being able to see a mover.

“Do you really mean it, daddy? Are we really going?” Ikki asked, practically hopping up and down by this point. Meelo didn’t look much different. Tenzin sighed, smiling. How could he say no to that?

“If we can get everything taken care of in time, then yes – we can go.” He confirmed. Ikki squealed in celebration, leaping a few feet into the air. While not as energetic as his older sister, Meelo couldn’t help but smile, too, practically vibrating with excitement.

“Great! I’ll see you there!” Varrick exclaimed. With that, he’d acquired the full set – everybody who was anybody in Republic City. Now all he had to do was hope they all actually showed up to the premiere and he would be golden. “Zhu Li, let’s go! I’ve got some callouses to take care of and a new suit to pick up before I step anywhere near an event as public as this one!”

“You’re taking care of your own callouses, this time, dear .” Zhu Li reminded as the two of them began the walk back to their yacht.

“Yes, yes, I know; we’ve got no time to lose!” He replied, dashing off ahead and leaving his wife behind him. Sighing, she gave Tenzin and the kids a formal goodbye and then followed after her husband.

“Jinora, Jinora, we’re going to see the mover tonight!!!” Ikki announced, briefly pulling her and Kai away from her reassignment duties to share the good news.

“What, really?!” She asked, looking over to her dad for confirmation. He nodded once in response. “Yes, I loved the book!” She exclaimed. “Can Kai come with us too?” Before Tenzin could get a chance to respond, though, Pema beat him to it.

“Of course, dear; Kai is always welcome to join us.” She affirmed, Jinora’s smile growing wider as she pulled her boyfriend into a hug. The Chi Eater was alarming, but at least there was this to look forward to.

“Well, you guys enjoy your mover, I’m gonna stay back and hold down the fort while you’re gone. Even if all the other Airbenders leave, somebody has to look after the place and make sure it doesn’t spontaneously sink into the sea, right? Besides, I don’t much like movers myself.” Bumi replied, cracking his back as he finally stood back up.

“Aw, come on, Uncle Bumi!” Meelo begged.

“Are you sure? I know you’d rather stay and fight, but it would be nice to have you with us. Besides, I’m not sure I like the idea of you having the entire island to yourself...” Tenzin worried. Bumi shrugged, reasserting his position.

“Like I said, movers aren’t for me. You guys go enjoy your night on the town, I’ll find something else to do to occupy my time.” Like setting up a bunch of booby traps and fortifying the island’s defenses himself, for example. Not that he’d ever tell Tenzin that. His younger brother sighed.

“Well, if you really want to stay behind, then I won’t stop you; one Airbender probably isn’t enough to draw this thing’s attention. Just… try not to break anything while we’re away. Or burn anything. In fact, just try to touch as little as possible. Please.” Tenzin begged, Bumi squinting his eyes in half-offense.

“You need to stop being such a worrywart, I’ll be fine. Besides, didn’t you say we had an evacuation to manage? Let’s stop wasting time and get you guys to that mover!” Bumi exclaimed. Even if he wasn’t the biggest fan of cutting and running, he wasn’t going to leave his brother and the kids to manage the whole thing alone. Besides, he’d still be getting his way in the end, in a sense, even if Tenzin hadn’t realized it yet. But he’d thank him later for it – of that much, Bumi was sure.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***


“Well? Can you feel anything?” Bolin asked, Korra’s brow twitching in response.

“Look, Bolin, I get that you’re a little impatient, but if you ask me that again, I’m going to hit you.” She warned, opening one eye only to glare in his direction. A worried expression splashed across his face and he gave a thumbs up and a nervous smile, meekly backing away and letting Korra return to her meditation.

After arriving at the arena, Korra, Lin, and the brothers split off into groups and began putting their plan into action. While Lin and Mako broke off to lead the Metalbenders through the building in what was simultaneously a thorough search and fortification protocol, Korra had been paired with Bolin in her less physical search for the Chi Eater. They’d settled in the middle of the ring, Bolin aimlessly wandering around the platform bothering workers while Korra focused on her task. She hoped that by meditating, she would be able to sense its spiritual presence if it was anywhere nearby.

It wasn’t something that’d work over a very long range, but she should be able to feel anything spiritual in or immediately around the arena. After spending as long in the spirit world as she had, and the incident in Dragon Flats, she felt she had enough of an idea of what a spirit’s presence would feel like, especially this one.

Of course, this was something that required an intense amount of focus, which in return required some peace and quiet, but that was easier said than done with Bolin around. Thankfully, her most recent threat seemed to have sunk in and Bolin had fallen quiet, enough that she could finally focus. Inhaling deeply, she blocked out the ambient noise of construction crews and entered into a meditative state.

Gradually, she became aware of each and every person in and around the arena and where they were, surprising herself with how easily she took to this. From Mako and Lin a few halls down, to the Metalbenders they were managing, to the workers setting up the projectors for the premiere – everything she felt was perfectly human.

Unless the Chi Eater was somehow able to mask its presence from the Avatar, she was beginning to think this place was clean. Nevertheless, she took her time, going over the building a few more times to ensure she hadn’t missed anything. But it was exactly as the first sweep had indicated – it was clean. Except…

“…Somebody’s coming, somebody I don’t recognize.” She warned Bolin after a solid five minutes of silence. He jumped at the sound of her voice, having gotten used to the quiet. Her announcement didn’t put him anymore at ease, though. Was it the Chi Eater? Triad thugs? Some new cop? “Don’t worry, though, they’re perfectly human.” Korra clarified, sensing Bolin’s unease. The rookie let loose a sigh of relief.

Now he was really curious, though – whose presence had she sensed? Thankfully it wouldn’t take long for him to find out, the platform at the end of the blue and red Pro Bending ring coming alive. Korra calmly stood up from her previously seated position, turning around to face their guest. She seemed far less concerned than Bolin was, carelessly leaning on one leg and putting a hand on her hips as she waited for the new arrival.

With the platform reaching the edge of the ring now, Korra and Bolin found themselves face-to-face with a tall, fair-skinned man with bright blue hair – an avid user of Varrick’s patented Varri-dye, no doubt. His clothes were simple, but expensive looking, and the sleeves of his shirt had been rolled up. There was an untied bowtie draped lazily around his neck, and his hands were sunk into his pockets as he approached.

Ryuuki

Scanning the ring from end to end, he seemed to be checking that everybody was working when somebody sitting in the center caught his eye. “…? Oh my, is that the Avatar?” He asked, his face lighting up as soon as he saw Korra. At this point, he was close enough for her to hear him. “My, I didn’t expect to see you here this early!” He exclaimed, hopping from the platform to the ring before the two connected, a wide smile on his face.

Korra raised an eyebrow. “And you are?”

The man tilted his head at that, pointing to himself to ensure she was addressing him. It was then that he realized he’d completely neglected to introduce himself.

“Oh, I’m sorry, how rude of me,” The man apologized, bowing before extending a hand for Korra to shake. “My name’s Ryuuki, Ryuuki Ayatsurishi; I guess I’m the guy all the fuss here is about.” He laughed, seemingly a little nervous. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Avatar Korra. It’s nice to finally meet you face-to-face.”

Wait, Ryuuki? Looking over at Bolin, it was now that Korra realized he was standing frozen in shock. She knew how much he loved movers and their stars, so he probably idolized this guy, but this seemed a little much. She shook her head and turned back to the actor. Her question answered, Korra gave a welcoming smile, accepting Ryuuki’s invitation and shaking his hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, too. I’d heard the mover’s star would be at the premiere, but I didn’t expect to run into you so early… I’ve heard good things about the book it’s based on, though. I’m looking forward to seeing it.”

Ryuuki laughed. “And I hope you enjoy it! But I usually swing by early and help the crew set up for my premieres. There aren’t too many places dedicated solely to showing movers yet, so usually we have to pick a big location like this and outfit it ourselves. It can be pretty complicated though, so I like to help out however I can.” He explained, his earlier smile sustaining. “I’d heard from Varrick that you’d be attending tonight’s event with your fiancee? Is Ms. Sato here, too?”

Fiancee? Korra looked a little taken aback, her mouth hanging open as she struggled to come up with a reply. So the papers had already turned hers and Asami’s betrothal into the next big story then. If that were the case, then she imagined everybody knew by this point.

“O-Oh, well, I’m actually here on official Avatar business, so I’m afraid not,” She replied, coming up with a believable excuse as she did. “Well, kind of, anyway. Chief Beifong wanted me to help her police force set up security for tonight’s event since there’s been so much Triad activity lately. We’ve been sweeping the place just in case and setting up early, and she thought I might be able to scare off any troublemakers who may be watching.” Korra wasn’t entirely lying, but she wasn’t about to go telling anybody and everybody about the whole Chi Eater mess, either. At least not yet. She didn’t want to start a panic.

“Oh? Well, I feel safer already!” Ryuuki exclaimed, putting his hands on his hips. “It’s nice to see the Avatar taking such a keen interest in these sorts of things, especially so soon after her vacation. I’d heard people say you’d probably ease yourself back into things slowly now that you could, but I guess that’s not your style, huh?”

Korra crossed her arms, grinning. “Not really, no.” Ryuuki laughed, leaning a bit to his right to peer over Korra’s shoulder at the entranced cop behind her. Once again, he tilted his head.

“…Is that Bolin? As in, “Nuktuk: Hero of the South” Bolin?” He asked, pointing at the officer who looked about ready to faint after hearing that the star knew his name. Ryuuki’s smile grew wider. Seemed Bolin wasn’t the only one feeling a little starstruck right now, though Ryuuki seemed to be far more composed than ‘Nuktuk’ was.

The question was enough to snap Bolin out of his trance. The former actor blinked  and then raised his hands limply toward himself as if to ask for confirmation that he was the one Ryuuki was asking about. The blue-haired man nodded, a wide smile on his face, and Bolin nearly fell over. Korra laughed. She tended to forget Bolin was kind of a big deal in the mover scene.

“O-Oh, yeah! Yeah, I am! I am Bolin. I am that Bolin. I was Nuktuk.” He stumbled, clearly a little intimidated. Korra shook her head. She guessed even Bolin could be starstruck. Ryuuki seemed to be confused, though, wondering why his peer was acting like this.

“S-Sorry, I’m just… dude, I’ve seen all your movers. “Tales from Ba Sing Se”, “Amber Dawn”, “The Candle in the Dark”, “The Brawler” – you’re amazing! Varrick was right when he said that movers could be more than Nuktuk, and you’ve kinda proved it.” Bolin explained, still in the middle of a fanboy meltdown.

Korra and Ryuuki both laughed, the man with blue hair shaking his head.

“Please, I wouldn’t be anywhere that I am now if it weren’t for you. ‘Nuktuk’ laid the groundwork for this – all of this.” Ryuuki pointed out, spreading his arms wide and turning around to motion to all the preparations being made to the arena all around them.

“Movers may be more than what they were in your time, but the industry wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for you. I was hoping I’d get to meet you tonight, as well; get a chance to thank you personally. Guess the universe moves in mysterious ways sometimes, huh?” He asked, shaking the excited officer’s hand and placing his other on his shoulder. “That’s two people I was hoping to see tonight who I ended up seeing early. This must be my lucky day!”

Bolin was speechless, shaking Ryuuki’s hand. When Ryuuki let go, he stared down in shock, vowing in his mind to never wash that hand again. He couldn’t seem to wrap his mind around the idea that one of his heroes saw him as a hero. With a look of flabbergasted joy on his face, Bolin turned to Korra, smiling, mouthing ‘Did you just see that?!’ in the most unsubtle way possible.

Knowing she still had work to do, Korra addressed the actor. “Anyway, it was nice to meet you, Mr. Ayatsurishi. Sorry for taking up so much of your time.”

“Nonsense! And please, call me Ryuuki.”

“Well then, Ryuuki, I’ll let you get back to what you were doing. I guess I’ll meet you again at the premiere tonight?”  Korra assumed they’d both be pretty busy later that night, so maybe it was good that they got to meet like this. But it was time to wrap this up – they still had to go let Lin and Mako know the Arena was clear and help them finish setting up security.

“Yes, of course! In fact, we’ll be sitting in the same balcony tonight, so we should have plenty of time to talk more later on. It’s a pretty big space, so I told Varrick he could invite whoever he wanted and he gave me a list of who he had in mind. As I thought, that guy knows some pretty interesting people.” Ryuuki laughed.

Famous as he was, even Ryuuki was a little overwhelmed by everybody who’d be in attendance. Now that he got to meet Korra and Bolin a little early, he was excited to meet Suyin, Lin, Tenzin and the President face-to-face later on, never mind the Avatar’s new fiancee. Ms. Sato had done a lot to support the mover industry on the side, and in Ryuuki’s mind, she was just as responsible for his success as Bolin and Varrick were.

“Wait, we’re all sharing a balcony with the mover’s star? Varrick never said anything about that! SWEET!” Bolin exclaimed, thrusting his fist into the air in excitement. Ryuuki meanwhile pursed his lips, looking around somewhat guiltily.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Ryuuki gave a nervous laugh. “Eheh, I guess he wanted to surprise everybody… oops.” He apologized. “Ah, do me a favor and try to act surprised tonight when you see me! I don’t want Varrick to know I let it slip. And please don’t tell anybody else!” He pled.

“Can do, sir!” Bolin saluted. Korra only nodded in confirmation. With that, Ryuuki wished them luck with the security setup and went back to work, approaching the crew setting up the large, half-raised mover screen at the end of the ring.

“Did you hear that? Ryuuki was hoping to meet me! Me !” Bolin exclaimed once he was sure Ryuuki was out of earshot.

“Yeah, I heard. He was hoping to meet me, too.” Korra smirked, her arms still crossed. So this was what Opal meant back at the wedding, when she was trying to explain how Bolin reacted to seeing her grandmother. “I’m surprised Toph didn’t smack you if this is how you act around all your heroes.”

“Well, she tried, but at least she complimented my Lavabending later on!” Bolin reminded, only ever focusing on the bright side. Korra shook her head. It was time to get back to work.

Grabbing onto Bolin, Korra took her leave from the Pro Bending ring, leaping from there to the stands with an Airbending boost. Being in a relationship with an Airbender himself, he was beginning to get used to all the flying and jumping around, barely reacting to it. Having sensed them while searching for the Chi Eater, it wasn’t long before Korra, followed by Bolin, converged on Mako’s and Lin’s location.

“Finished already?” Lin asked, noting Korra’s appearance at the end of the hall. “What’s the verdict?”

“All clear, Chief!” Bolin declared with an excited wave that  slowed down considerably after he noticed his brother was holding onto his bad arm again. His smile weakened and Mako instinctively let go, acting as though everything were fine. It seemed that getting back onto good terms with Korra wasn’t enough to calm him down. Mako was way too stressed out for his own good.

“I couldn’t sense any spirits or strange presences or anything, so I think we’re good.” Korra smiled. Lin nodded and a look of relief appeared in Mako’s eyes. That was one problem solved, then. “How about the physical sweep? Have you heard anything unusual from your officers yet?”

“It’s all clear on our end, as well.” Mako confirmed.

“Aside from the spirits deserting the bay, nothing seems to be out of the ordinary.” Lin said. “But their thinning numbers worries me. They’d only done this in Dragon Flats so far, but if spirits are starting to run away from here, too, then I’m beginning to think they may know something that we don’t.”

Korra frowned, but only for a moment. As soon as she started to think it over, an idea hit her, one that seemed obvious in retrospect. “…Of course, the spirits!” She exclaimed. The others gave her a puzzled look.

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner – if this thing’s a spirit and it’s scaring other spirits away, then they must know something about it, right? I should go find one and ask if it’s ever heard of this Chi Eater before. There has to be at least one spirit in the city old enough to have encountered it.” Korra hypothesized.

Mako closed his eyes, inhaling deeply as he did. Why hadn’t he thought of that? He’d been sitting in an office chasing down leads for days and it’d never once occurred to him to find and interrogate a spirit. …But then again, a spirit  probably wouldn’t take the time to hear him out.

Lin nodded. “I could always use an extra pair of hands around here, but collecting information on the Chi Eater takes precedence. Bolin,” The Chief addressed, grabbing the younger brother’s attention. “You help Mako and I finish setting up for tonight, you know this place about as well as he does. Meanwhile, Korra, you go see if you can’t find a spirit who’d be willing to give us some information. And here, take this,”

Waving over one of her nearby officers, she confiscated some sort of radio and handed it to the Avatar. Korra marveled for a moment at the sight of it – the last time she had one of these was when she was turning herself over to Zaheer, and it wasn’t nearly as streamlined. This newer model also had Varrick’s name written all over it, literally.

“Contact me as soon as you find something. If we can get a lead on where it’s hiding, cornering and destroying it becomes our top priority.” Lin explained.

Korra nodded, her mouth going a little dry at the mention of destroying the spirit. Personally, she was still hoping it wouldn’t have to come to that. But if it did… she was ready. Clipping the communicator to her belt, Korra left the hall and grabbed her glider from a seat near the entrance where she’d left it earlier on. Next stop was the old downtown district. If there were anywhere in the city that still had spirits, it’d probably be the portal.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***


“So you’re rebuilding Avatar Korra park after all, huh? Can’t say I’m surprised.” Ravi laughed, looking over the plans Asami had given him as the two of them stood in what was once one of the most popular locations in all of Republic City. Once vibrant and alive, the park was now in ruins. Kuvira’s attack had taken its toll, many plants and trees killed or uprooted by blasts from her spirit cannon and craters left behind by falling debris.

Bridges were broken, sculptures were ruined, and chunks of overturned earth stopped the river from running half way down the line. The large statue of Avatar Korra that Asami had erected as its centerpiece was still miraculously intact, however. In fact, the entire area immediately around it seemed to be completely untouched. When Asami had first seen it earlier on, it made her smile. It seemed right, almost as if even her statue was doing its best to protect the city.

“More than just that, by the end of the expansion plan, I intend for Republic City to have four more major parks just like it.” Asami smiled, presenting another blueprint outlining her ideas to her assistant. “This park will remain where it’s always been, here in the old downtown district, especially since it’s so close to the new spirit portal. But on top of that, I’d like to put one in the east, one in the west, and two on the northern end as well… bring a little extra natural beauty into this place.” She explained, extending her arm in a vast circle as she pointed to the horizon.

“And Raiko agreed to fund this?” Ravi asked, doubtful. Asami shook her head, her smile fading.

“Well, no, unfortunately, the city’s a little strapped for cash right now. But he did approve it. This is going to be mostly out-of-pocket for us, though I’m thinking we could start some fundraisers for the project, as well.” The CEO replied, drawing Ravi’s attention back to her plans. “But I think once the citizens hear about it, we’ll get plenty of support. I’m thinking of making each park representative of a different culture, with a statue like Korra’s as their centerpiece. Something to help reflect all of the different people who make up Republic City, you know?”

“That sounds like a great idea to me.” Ravi replied, rolling back up the proposed redesign for Avatar Korra park and sticking it into his back pocket. He handed Asami’s outline for the four future parks back to her. “We have a lot of Earthbenders at our disposal right now. We should be able to fix this place up and plot out locations for your proposed parks pretty quickly.”

“Sounds good.” Asami agreed.

“I figure if we use our Earthbending to keep their roots and everything intact, we should be able to bring in some trees from outside the city to help replace the ones we’ve lost. And with a few Waterbenders, we should be able to restore the grass and river in no time, as well. It’ll cost a lot less than renting equipment.” Ravi thought aloud, eager to get to work. All things considered, this would actually be a pretty easy project with their current resources.

The only things that may take some real time and money in all of this would be the new statues and art pieces Asami had proposed. Though, given that he was something of an artist himself, Ravi supposed he could work on some of them, if she’d let him. He felt pretty confident that he could get this place back to its old self in a week, tops. Maybe even sooner. Repairing what was already there was easy – it would be the building of four entirely new parks from scratch that could take some time.

He addressed his boss again. “All that being said, it’ll probably take a good month or two of location scouting, planning, terrain manipulation and construction per park, never mind all the promotional work. Since I’m the only worker you’ve got on staff with an artistic background, I can start coming up with some promotional material and maybe even draft some early concepts for you and your team to go over… if you’re alright with that, anyway.” Ravi suggested. Asami’s face lit up immediately.

“That’d be perfect, thank you!” She exclaimed, pulling the man into a hug.

The two of them began going over the details when Asami stopped mid-sentence, squinting her eyes and looking up at the sky behind Ravi as a familiar sight caught her attention. Was that Korra gliding towards them? Luckily for Asami, her girlfriend had spotted her, too. With a smile on her face, the Avatar brought herself down to a landing, running up to her fiancee and greeting her with a hug.

“Asami! What are you doing out here?” She asked, glancing in Ravi’s direction as he started walking up to them. Was this the ‘old friend’ Asami had been telling her so much about? She never mentioned how tall he was. Korra felt pretty short around Asami sometimes, but this was completely different – she was barely up to this guy’s shoulders. Talk about a giant!

“Ah, you must be Korra. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you; Asami’s told me a lot about you over the years. My name is Ravi,” He greeted, shaking the Avatar’s hand hello. Even his hands were huge, she noted. Like damn. “Congratulations on the betrothal, by the way – I’m happy for you two. You make sure you take care of her, you hear? Bear in mind that I’ve known Asami for most her life; she’s almost like a little sister to me. So if you don’t, I’ll find you.” He half-jokingly warned.

“Ravi!” Asami shouted, clearly a little embarrassed. Korra couldn’t help but laugh. She was happy Asami still had somebody else around her who treated her like family.

“Don’t worry, she’s in good hands.” Korra smiled, grabbing hold of Asami’s hand as she spoke. “It’s nice to meet you, too. Asami told me a lot about you as well. You said you’ve known her most her life?”

“Oh, yeah. Her father took me into his company when I was around 16. I was an orphan living off the street, but he gave me a job and a place to stay. He said I had a lot of talent. Of course, that was before he found out I was a bender…” Ravi trailed. As much as he thanked and looked up to the man, his prejudices were still something he’d never fully understand. Asami had told him Hiroshi had moved past them by the end, but….

“…But, that’s all in the past. It’s Asami’s company now, and I’m happy to help out in any way I can. In fact, we were just talking about rebuilding your park here before you showed up; and building four new ones, too.”

Four ?” Korra asked, looking back at Asami for confirmation. She nodded. “You never stop working, do you?” She laughed.

“‘Fraid not.” Asami teased. It seemed that Korra would have to get used to loving a workaholic.

“Well, I can’t wait to see what they look like when they’re done. Asami says you’re some sort of artistic genius or something, so I’ve got some pretty high expectations.” Korra warned, giving the tall, redheaded man a teasing grin that made him laugh.

“Did she now? Well, ‘artistic genius’ may be overselling it a bit, but I’ve taken an interest on the side, yes. I have a few ideas for these parks, which I will elect to keep secret for the time being. I think you’ll like them when they’re formally announced, though.” He assured, leaning in and winking. “If you ask me, even when she isn’t consciously thinking of you, this girl’s still thinking of you.” Ravi teased, leaving Asami a little flustered and Korra, confused.

“She’s not making four more parks dedicated to me, is she?” Korra half-groaned. Asami looked almost insulted at the insinuation.

“You’ll see.” Ravi teased further. “Anyway, I should get back to it. We’ll get work started first thing in the morning. It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Avatar Korra. I’ll see you and Asami at the premiere tonight.” He concluded, walking back to Future Industries with a lazy wave goodbye.

With Ravi gone, Asami turned to Korra. “Aren’t you supposed to be helping out with the Chi Eater case?” She asked.

“Oh! I still am, actually! I’m just following up on a new lead now.” Korra assured, her expression sinking somewhat as she remembered everything she’d learned and was tasked with doing right now. “Things are worse than we thought, though… a lot worse.” She frowned. Asami grabbed her other hand, looking her in the eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“It turns out this thing’s been active for almost a thousand years, and has been actively trying to avoid my past lives. So far as we know, I’m the only Avatar to ever catch onto it and actively start pursuing it since it started. I don’t like it, but it’s looking more and more like we’re dealing with a killer spirit.” Korra sighed. “I was really hoping it wasn’t true somehow, especially with how strangely it’s been acting, but a story I got from a, urgh, a witness earlier, confirmed it.” She explained, almost gagging by the end. She wasn’t sure which was worse – the Chi Eater or that creepy Gonzo guy. Currently, she was leaning toward the latter.

Asami’s grip tightened slightly, concern set in her brow. It sounded like her day wasn’t going so well. Asami almost felt guilty for it – her own day had been almost perfect up til now. She hated knowing that Korra was still so stressed. “Are you okay?” She asked. Korra nodded, still frowning.

“I think so. I’m still just reeling from all the information, I guess. I liked to think my past lives were better than this, but either they weren’t as great as I held them up to be, or this thing’s smarter than anything the Avatar’s ever faced before, and I don’t know which one scares me more.” Asami immediately hugged her, hoping to comfort her girlfriend. As she pulled away, Korra’s face had gone from worry to determination.

“Well, I never knew any of your past lives, so I can’t really speak for them, but I can definitely speak for you. I believe in you. I’m sure you’ll get to the bottom of this.” Asami reassured. Korra’s face relaxed a bit.

“Thanks. It’s not all bad, though. We made sure the Arena was safe, and Mako, Bolin and Lin are beefing up security as we speak. I’ve also got a new lead to follow. We think spirits might know something about the Chi Eater since they’re all running away from it, so I’m heading toward the portal to see if I can’t find something out.” Korra looked towards the beam of light in the distance and started frowning again. “Come to think of it, I should probably get going now.” She wished she could just spend her days with Asami.

“Okay.” Asami nodded, leaning in to give Korra a soft kiss on the cheek. “I’ll let you get to it then. Be careful out there; I’ll see you tonight!” The two girls smiled at each other, Korra returning Asami’s kiss with a slightly longer peck on the lips before reopening her glider.

“I will, don’t worry. Later!” She promised, taking back to the air. She had some wilds to investigate.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***


Korra was surprised. Having long since landed her glider and entered the wilds, she’d thought the deeper she went, the more spirits she’d encounter - especially as she got closer to the portal. But as she cautiously traversed the broken city streets, dirtier and more dangerous than ever in wake of Kuvira’s attack, she couldn’t seem to find any . She could definitely feel an intense spiritual presence all around her from the spirit vines and the portal, but that was it.

She was growing more concerned by the minute. Was the Chi Eater really so dangerous as to have scared them out of the city altogether? Coming to a dead end, Korra earthbent herself a platform, making her way her way up to an area of collapsed highway and surveying the area.

After Kuvira’s cannon exploded, the center of the wilds had been reduced to little more than a crater and a portal. Korra had heard that trees and vines were already starting to grow back rapidly near the portal, but it wasn’t as thick as the area she was in, which had grown in record time.

Moss covered the face of almost every building, and grass and vines overtook the majority of the roads. The trees all looked twice as tall as they were back when she went to rescue Ryu and Jinora a few weeks ago, and the air smelled cleaner than anywhere else in the city. She could hardly even tell this used to be a city anymore. It looked more like a jungle.

Thankfully, it wasn’t spreading past the point it was at before, so it probably wouldn’t overtake the whole city, but Korra wouldn’t be surprised if by the end of the year, this place would be completely reclaimed by nature.

Eerily, the silence that surrounded her was deafening.

There were no birds, no spirits, no visitors, not even the sounds of insects. Nothing but the sound of leaves, rustling in the breeze. And that much was definitely not normal.

This stillness… Korra was beginning to feel anxious. Was it here? Was it watching her? Though she looked around franctically, she couldn’t see anything, so slowly, she ventured deeper.

She must’ve made it a hundred feet before it hit her, but when it did, she fell to her knees with a scream.

Eyes closed and clutching her head, Korra felt as though it were about to explode. A sudden surge of pain washed over her like nothing she’d felt before, and with it, a tremendous spiritual presence. Suddenly she could hear whispers all around her, like a thousand voices carried on the breeze, but all of them were saying different things. She couldn’t focus on any of them. She couldn’t understand any of it.

Gradually the pain abated, but the spiritual pressure grew more intense. Opening her eyes, Korra rose back to her feet and looked around her for its source. Her arms were up in a defensive position and her breathing had gone shallow, every hair on the back of her neck standing tall. Cautiously, she turned around, the presence growing closer and the whispers getting louder.

Then, for a split second, she saw it - a shadow darting between buildings. She let loose a furious volley of fire blasts, but there was nothing. She just hit empty darkness. From the alleyway, only whispers and the sound of spirit vines slithering from the heat could be heard.

Her eyes darted in the direction of the shadow she swore she saw, and when she saw it move again, she kicked up a chunk of concrete that flew helplessly into the side of an overgrown building. It hit the ground with a thud. Once again, she’d missed.

“Where are you!” She cried out.

Visibly scared and upset, Korra firebent wildly in multiple directions. She lit up the darkened alleyways and canopied streets but saw nothing, not a single animal or spirit.

Still, the presence drew nearer. Still, the whispering grew louder.

She was starting to feel like she was drowning, and where pain once pulsed behind her ears, she could now hear a dull ringing. Ringing that accompanied the whispers and an intensity that weighed heavy on the air. The ringing and the whispers grew louder and louder and Korra’s chest grew tighter and tighter and…

And then, there was nothing.

As suddenly as it appeared, it was gone, and there was nothing but the stillness once again. Stopping her aimless bending, Korra panted, her head darting from left to right. Was it gone? Had she scared it off? As far as she could tell, she was all al-



.̵̵͉̗̥̝͈̻̭̀̓͐ͤ.̛̳̙ͨͯͭ̇͡.̵̡̠̩̳͚̪̗̝̼̘̀̎̔̃ͮ̀k̵̵͍̯̗͈̖ͥ̓ͧo̞͙̖͙̩̫̣̗͗ͬ̅̂͂̎r͛̏͐͗̚҉̴̢̘͓̪̫̣̠̬̝r͉͕͖̆̾ͤa̤͕̬̙̞͍͙̍̾̑̀̾̏͡.̸̪̊̆ͩ̂ͧ̓͝.̴̸̧̟̗͕͈̖͔͛̾̅̀ͨ̑͂͋͛.̵̳̖̫͔̺̉ͨ̃͒ͬ̀̇



Korra’s heart skipped a beat, an unfamiliar voice struggling to say her name right behind her. Clenching her fists, she whipped around around in terror with flames trailing her form only to see a flash of light.

The next thing Korra knew, she was lying on her back in the middle of the street, completely disoriented.

Groaning, the Avatar struggled to her feet, clutching her head in pain. But it wasn’t just her head this time – her whole body was in pain. After she blinked a few times and adjusted to her surroundings, the pain subsided, and with it, she realized she was alone again. How long had she been lying there? Whatever presence she’d been feeling was gone, and the stillness that had encompassed her had finally given way.

She could hear the birds again; the croaks of frogs and the buzz of nearby insects. Wiping off the dirt and plant debris from her clothes, Korra looked around. This wasn’t where she was a moment ago.

“I… what?” Taking a few steps forward, Korra noticed something strange – the light was different. A pit forming in her stomach, she looked up to find the sun in a different position than she remembered it. In fact, it was a full hour away from where it should’ve been.

“Did I… faint?” She asked nobody in particular. Taking her hand from her head, her eyes went wide once again.

Blood.

Running to the nearest window, she looked into the shattered glass and stared at her own reflection. Thankfully, it was nothing too serious – just a minor gash, probably from when she hit the ground. Whenever that was. Korra breathed deep, calming herself down some. What the hell just happened to her? She thought she heard someone say her name, and then the next thing she knew…

…A rustle from a nearby tangle of vines broke Korra’s train of thought, and entirely on reflex, she nearly Firebent in its direction, only stopping herself at the last possible moment. The presence she’d been feeling from before was gone now;  it might be nothing. It might be a friendly spirit. Taking a deep but shaky breath, Korra calmed herself, but kept her guard up, her eyes narrowing and body tensing up in wait.

A second later, a disheveled and familiar form peeled out from the thicket and walked leisurely into the middle of the road, and Korra immediately relaxed.

“Ryu?” She asked, lowering her arms. She’d never been more relieved to see him in her life.

Rather lazily, Ryu looked up from the ground and in the Avatar’s direction, his expression blank. “Oh. Hey, Korra.” He greeted simply. Korra let loose a sigh of relief. Whatever happened to her, it was over now.

“What are you doing out here all alone? Shouldn’t you be back on the island or leading a tour group?” She asked. Ryu shrugged.

“Nah. Tenzin wanted us all off the island, and it turns out nobody really wants to take a tour through the spirit wilds while there’s a killer spirit on the loose. Go figure.” He replied.

Korra’s face sunk. Oh. So the news had already leaked. She almost wished she were more surprised, but her faith in this city’s media had never been that high. “Oh… sorry.”

“Don’t be, I hate those things.” Ryu groaned. ‘He hates a lot of things’ , Korra thought. “I just came out here to look for some new places to hang out, I guess.”

“You said Tenzin ordered you off the island?”

“Not just me, everybody.” Ryu corrected. “He said he’s worried about the Chi Eater, so he told us all to make ourselves hard to find or whatever. I don’t really care.”

“Oh… right, he mentioned something about that earlier. It’s probably for the best.” She sighed. She was beginning to feel like no matter what they did, they’d be stuck on the defensive with this one. After a moment of awkward silence, Korra asked another question.

“Hey, you wouldn’t happen to have seen anything… strange around here, have you?”

“I dunno. Strange stuff happens out here all the time. I’m pretty sure this whole place is alive.” Ryu replied, poking a nearby vine in disinterest. “I did hear somebody Firebending earlier, but I didn’t want to get involved.”

Korra looked a little embarrassed. “O-Oh, that might have been me.” She sheepishly explained. “I thought I saw something, but… I don’t know. All I know is that I heard someone call my name and, suddenly, I was all the way over here and missing a whole hour of time.”

“See? Strange.” Ryu reiterated. Judging by the look on Korra’s face, though, that wasn’t the response she wanted to hear, so he tried again. “I dunno, maybe the wilds saved you.” He suggested, giving her a rather noncommittal gesture as he did.

“The wilds saved me…?”

“Well, yeah. Like I said, I’m pretty sure this place is alive, and you’ve helped it out in the past, right? Sooo… maybe it just returned the favor.”

Korra thought for a moment. That… would definitely explain why she was suddenly in a whole other part of the wilds, and maybe even why she was missing time. But while the thought of it may have comforted her, it also made her anxious at the same time. If the wilds saw it fit to intervene, then that really must’ve been the Chi Eater… it was here.

Shaking her head, Korra snapped back to reality. She had to focus. As long as she had him here, she may as well ask Ryu about the spirits before letting him go. “One more thing, the spirits – I’ve been looking for one to talk to for a while now, and I thought this place would be crawling with them. But… I haven’t sensed any since I arrived. Do you know what happened?”

“Oh, yeah. Yeah, they left too.” Ryu stated rather matter-of-factly. “I tried to convince a few of them to stay since they’re pretty cool and all, but they said if they were going to die, they’d rather do it in their world. Something about not wanting to get eaten? I don’t know. It sucks though. A few of us were gonna head down and see that mover tonight, but I guess they’re too spooked to bother now.” He complained. “It’s whatever though, I’ll just go alone.”

Hearing that, Korra almost invited him to join her and Asami, but after thinking about it for more than just a second, she realized that she’d really rather not. Besides, there were more pressing things in his response for her to address.

“…You said they were scared of being eaten? So the Chi Eater’s after them, too?” She asked.

Ryu shrugged. “I dunno, I guess so. That’s all they told me.”

Korra sighed. It made sense. Spirits were made up of chi and spiritual energy, so if this thing was using Energybending to suck out people’s chi and eat it, then it stood to reason it could do it to spirits, too. But why , though? Why would it suck out people’s chi? Why would it eat other spirits? It was like the more she learned about this thing, the less it made sense to her. It was beginning to become incredibly frustrating.

They didn’t happen to tell you where the Chi Eater may be hiding, or anywhere you should stay away from or anything, did they?” Korra asked. If the spirits cared enough to talk to Ryu – and really, Ryu? Of all people? – then maybe they’d care enough to warn him where it was.

“I dunno, didn’t ask.” Of course he didn’t. “They just told me not to go to the premiere tonight. Something about the crowd. But like… I actually like movers. And this one’s free . I don’t care if it’s dangerous, I’m going.”

“Wait wait wait – you actually like something?” Korra pressed, no longer able to hide her confusion over this entire conversation they were having. Seriously, Ryu ? The disheveled young man looked offended.

“Well, yeah? What kind of joyless bastard doesn’t like movers? I mean, come on.” Ryu scoffed. Korra shook her head. She could think of one.

“Well, whatever. I’m surprised they even told you that much. Spirits don’t really care for humans all that much. Usually if something’s coming, they’ll just get up and go and leave us to our own devices. I guess they’ve gotten pretty used to you after all the tours you’ve given through their home, huh?”

“Eh, we hang out sometimes.” Ryu supposed, sinking his hands into his pockets. “Apparently I’m one of the only people they can stand. I don’t really care, but neither do they, so that makes them pretty cool in my book. No expectations.”

In a way, that kind of made sense, but Korra had other things to worry about. The spirits were gone and they were thinking the same thing as Korra, Raiko and all the others about the premiere drawing the Chi Eater’s attention. She could always head into the spirit world herself and see if she couldn’t start interrogating a few of them there, but not only did she get the feeling that they wouldn’t be cooperative no matter where she talked to them…

Looking back, deeper into the wilds, Korra frowned. If she were being honest, she wasn’t sure if heading deeper into the wilds was such a good idea right now. Not after that encounter of hers. Perhaps it would be better if she just let it be and focused on protecting the arena.

Korra let loose an annoyed sigh. She was seriously considering suggesting that Asami just stay home at this point. But… if she went alone and nothing happened, she’d have wasted a perfect date night. And after the news of their betrothal, people would probably get suspicious and start asking questions if she suddenly showed up alone. But was it fair to rope Asami into such a dangerous situation?

Benders were one thing, she could take care of herself against them no problem, but even Korra was going to have trouble in a battle with a spirit. Knowing Asami, though, she probably wouldn’t want to stay behind no matter what Korra said. It was not a conversation she was looking forward to.

“Ryu, do yourself a favor and never become the Avatar.” Korra joked. Ryu shot her a confused look in response. “If spirits are abandoning the city like this, then this thing could be even worse than we thought. I should let Lin know what’s been going on and then see if I can’t find Asami.” She thought aloud. “Thanks for all the info, Ryu. It’s a big help.”

“You’re welcome, I guess.” He shrugged, taking this as his cue to leave and heading deeper into the wilds across the street.

Reaching for the communicator clipped to her left hip, Korra noted it was a little sticky, yanking immediately yanked her hand away in disgust.

“Ugh, gross!” She shouted. It didn’t seem to have stuck to her skin or clothes, but there was a thin, sticky film of slime over the plastic. She’d been so focused on getting answers that she hadn’t realized it was there. Looking up, she saw a torn up empty pod exactly above the spot she’d awoken earlier. It seemed the wilds really did protect her. She was beginning to wonder if she’d been more badly hurt than she thought.

Reaching for the communicator a second time, Korra tuned in to police radio frequencies and waited for Lin to pick up. She was beginning to get a bad feeling about tonight.

Notes:

Ryuuki artwork by my talented friend @ l-a-l-o-u.tumblr.com

Chapter 8: A Night at the Theater, Part 1

Summary:

The night of the premiere has finally arrived! Hoping for a night to themselves, Korra and friends wind down from the stress of the week and prepare for the event.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Book 5
Chi

Chapter 8
A Night at the Theater, Part 1


It was an hour to the premiere, and Korra and Asami had finally returned home after a long day of work. After taking a quick shower to wash off from her excursion to the wilds, Korra stepped out of the bathroom to find Asami already mostly dressed and ready to go. Though she was a little shaken up by it, she’d managed to keep a cool exterior. She elected not to tell Asami about it, though, in fears of worrying her any more than she already was.

As per usual, Asami had picked what had to be the prettiest (and most expensive) red dress money could buy, and had adorned herself in gold bracelets and jewelry to match. Suffice it to say, she was stunning. Korra couldn’t help but smile.

But it wasn’t just Asami that greeted her when she entered the room. She was also surprised by a last-minute gift from her fiancee, something she’d been wanting to try for a very long time now. When Asami saw it in a store window on her way back form work, she knew she had to pick it up – and if Korra’s reaction was any indication, she had been right to do so. As soon as she laid eyes on it, Korra’s face lit up like the sun.

While Asami may have delighted in dresses and jewelry and makeup, Korra had always found it annoying having to doll herself up all the time. Whenever she threw on a nice dress, it was almost always against her will, never mind against her nature, and she’d frequently complained she’d rather just wear a suit, instead. So that’s exactly what Asami got her.

Showering her in kisses of thanks, Korra rushed to try it on, but…

“Um… Asami, are you absolutely sure this looks okay on me?” Korra asked, the left eye of an increasingly irked Asami twitching involuntarily at the question.

“Korra, I love you, but I swear, if you ask me that again I’m going to slap you.” Asami warned, stopping what she was doing to look the Avatar dead in the eye as she spoke. Korra gulped, nodding silently in response. “Honestly, you panic over the silliest things, sometimes; I already told you that you look great! Now stop fussing and let me finish with your tie.”

Korra had always assumed that a Water Tribe suit would be simpler than a dress, but as she was starting to figure out, she probably should’ve done her research first. She’d been completely blindsided by the unique challenges of formal attire, and had once again found herself relying on her fiancee for help, the same way she did with all of her dresses.

Honestly, if it’d been entirely up to Korra, she’d probably have shown up in a mismatched three piece and lacking a tie entirely. Luckily for her, Asami actually knew what she was doing. While it wasn’t her style in the slightest, during the bad days after her mom died – when her dad could barely get out of bed, let alone get dressed for work – she’d helped her father out with his suits.

“Korra, are you listening to me?”

“Sorry, I’m sorry, I’m just… I’m really nervous,” Korra spoke up, her face turning red. “I-I mean, I was curious how a suit would look on me, yeah, but now that I’m actually wearing one, I’m afraid of what people are gonna think.” Or worse, say. But Asami shook her head, biting her lip as she finished up with Korra’s tie.

“They’re gonna think you look beautiful, just like I do. Don’t worry.” Taking a step back to admire her work, Asami nodded, satisfied. “Damn, okay, well, maybe beautiful is an understatement.” She corrected, giving her fiancee a proud smirk. Korra could feel her face turn even redder. Now that she was done, Asami moved out of the way, finally allowing Korra to take a look at herself in the mirror.

The instant she saw her reflection, any doubts she may have still had disappeared. “…Damn,” Korra repeated, a smile sneaking its way onto her face. “I look good .”

“See? I only told you seven times.” Asami teased.

“Five,” Korra corrected, not wanting to sound too difficult. “But you were right… sorry for freaking out so much.”

“Don’t worry about it, it was actually kind of funny to see you like that. Like… you’ll lay down your life for the city no problem, but put you in a suit and suddenly you’re the definition of anxiety.” Asami laughed. “But I guess you weren’t raised to face fashion head-on like you were for danger, huh?”

Korra huffed, flashing Asami a mock-insulted pout before turning back to admire herself in the mirror again. As she turned her body and flexed, she was surprised at just how well it actually fit her. She was afraid she might accidentally rip it if she moved around too much, but once again, Asami’s supernatural sense for the intricacies of Korra’s form had served her well; just like it had when she commissioned that statue of her in the park.

There was just one thing left that Korra wasn’t too sure about, and that was her hair. Raising her hand to pull up the hair around her face, she was beginning to wonder how she should style it to fit. “Hey, should I wear my usual updo, or would that clash too much with the suit, do you think?” She asked, turning to Asami for advice.

Her fiancee thought for a moment, puffing her lower lip as she raised her hand to her chin. There were a few different ways Korra could deal with her hair, honestly, but it didn’t take long for Asami to settle on her favorite.

“Here, let me just…” Asami began, turning around to grab a comb and a hair tie and then getting to work. She stepped back and let Korra have a look. “Well?” She asked, excited to hear her Korra’s verdict.

For a moment, Korra just stared, but it wasn’t long before she broke into a huge smile. As per usual, she was pretty satisfied with Asami’s work. “Wow, I haven’t had my hair in a ponytail like this for a while… I kinda missed it, actually. Classic Korra meets new.” She described, turning her head to get as many angles as possible.

This was definitely a look she could get used to. Lingering by the mirror just a moment longer, Korra looked herself up and down one more time, then turned to face Asami. “Thank you so much. I never would’ve had the guts to pick up a suit myself.”

“Clearly.” Asami teased again, smirking at her through the mirror she was currently facing. “Even if you had, I don’t think you’d have known what to look for, so it’s probably for the best.” She thought aloud, applying her lipstick.

“I mean, maybe, but, you don’t have to say it.” Korra pouted. The girls laughed. Walking away from the mirror so that Asami could put on the finishing touches to her makeup, Korra’s mind wandered back to the reason they were getting all dressed up in the first place. She was excited to finally see a mover, and even more excited to have her first public date with Asami, but she couldn’t help but worry about the threat the event was under. Even if she and Lin had done everything they could to secure it, there was always a risk.

“Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to change your mind? If something ends up happening tonight… spirits are nothing like benders. I really don’t want you to get caught up in that.” Korra frowned, eliciting a frown from Asami in turn as she finished applying her eye shadow. Much like her insistence that Korra looked fine in a suit, this was something she’d been over more than enough by now.

“My decision is final. I’ve been through spirit attacks before, during Harmonic Convergence, remember? I know what we might be up against.” Asami sighed, turning away from the mirror to face her fiancee properly. Korra was sitting on the edge of their bed, visibly concerned. “But it’s just as possible that nothing’s going to happen. Either way, it’s a chance I’m willing to take. I want to spend this night with you.” She insisted, walking closer to Korra.

Korra fell back onto the bed, her arms outstretched to her sides. “Yeah, I know.” She sighed. Part of her really wished she could change Asami’s mind, but this battle was already over and she knew it. “At least you’ll be next to me the whole time… if something does happen, I’ll be able to make sure you’re safe.”

“Exactly. Our balcony’s gonna be filled with powerful benders tonight, there’s nothing to worry about.” Asami smiled, hoping to reassure her fiancee of her safety. Offering Korra a hand, she helped her back up and sat down next to her.

“I know, I just… you’re important to me. More important than anything. If something happened to you…” Korra didn’t dare finish that thought. “…I just can’t afford to not be strong enough to protect you.”

Asami frowned. “You don’t have to protect me. I can take care of myself.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Korra rushed to correct. “I just mean… …I don’t know. I’m scared.”

Asami looked deep into Korra’s eyes, placing a hand over top of hers. She looked like she was about to say something, but before she could, a knock at the bedroom door drew the two of them out of the moment.

“Miss Sato, Sir Varrick has arrived.”

Sighing, Asami turned her head from the door back to Korra. She still looked upset. Asami was concerned. “Do you want to talk about this a little more?”

“No, no – we shouldn’t keep everybody waiting.” Korra replied, forcing a smile onto her face. Asami was unconvinced, but Korra was already getting up to head downstairs. “I trust you.” She claimed. That much, at least, Asami believed.

She grabbed her purse from the dresser by the mirror and followed Korra out. As they made their way to the foyer, she made sure she had her Equalist glove in her bag – just in case.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

As soon as they stepped outside, the girls were greeted by Varrick’s driver, who stood waiting by the door of a large, white limousine. As soon as they stepped inside, they were greeted by a sea of familiar faces.

Everyone was already in the limo: Bolin, Opal, Suyin (whose family would be arriving separately), Tenzin, Pema, the kids, Kai – even President Raiko and Buttercup were waiting for them, next to Varrick and Zhu Li. Everyone was greeting them at once. It was honestly a little overwhelming. Korra immediately felt flustered as she remembered what she was wearing, biting her bottom lip and taking a seat between Jinora and Asami, who had taken the open seat next to Bolin.

Though the seats were luxurious, Korra felt anything but comfortable as everybody’s eyes settled onto her and Asami.

“Korra, Asami, it’s so nice to see you two again!” Opal greeted first with a smile, Asami waving hello in response. “I heard about your betrothal in the news – I’m so happy for you two.”

“T-Thanks,” Korra stuttered, tugging at her collar a little bit. Was it hot in here, or was it just her? Asami sensed her fiancee’s unease and silently offered her hand to hold. “It’s nice to see you again, too.”

“Oh, I love what you’re wearing!” Opal remarked. Korra could feel her face turning red as attention was immediately drawn to her and her suit (assuming it wasn’t there already), but thankfully the red velvet interior helped to obfuscate her blush.

“Yeah, I’ll say – your suit is even nicer than Mako’s, and he got his from a former crown prince! Go Korra!” Bolin cheered from next to her fiancee, an uneasy smile finding its way to Korra’s face. Not that it wasn’t a heartfelt one – she just still felt incredibly awkward.

“Oh, sorry – we’re not making you uncomfortable, are we?” Opal asked.

“N-No, not really,” Korra replied as the limousine began to move. “I was just a little unsure how I was going to be received like this.”

“Well, I think you look wonderful. Personally, I’m glad to see the Avatar buck tradition and wear whatever she wants, for once. I don’t think you’ve ever looked comfortable in a dress any time I’ve seen you in one.” Suyin replied with arms crossed, a sentiment that was then echoed by Pema and Jinora.

“Agreed! A quality suit looks good on anyone, if you ask me.” Varrick chimed in, not that anybody had asked him to. “I mean, look at Zhu Li, she looks amazing in hers! Powerful women and suits go together like Varrick Industries and movers!” Zhu Li nodded in agreement.

“Th-Thanks, guys, it means a lot.” Korra replied with a much more earnest smile. Already, she could feel herself starting to loosen up a bit. Now that all that was out of the way, she could finally take a moment to appreciate everybody else’s outfits.

Tenzin’s family and Kai were all decked out in their finest robes while Suyin, Opal and Bolin were wearing the best (and priciest) formal wear Zaofu had to offer. Varrick and Zhu Li, seated on the end of the limousine opposite Korra and Asami, also seemed to be dressed to the nines, and seeing Zhu Li in a suit like hers further eased the Avatar’s mind.

In fact, out of those gathered, the ones who ended up looking the least lavishly dressed were the President and his wife – they already dressed pretty formally to begin with, so there wasn’t much for Korra to note. While she didn’t much care for fashion, herself, she had to admit, she still liked to see people getting all dressed up for events like these. There was just something inherently neat to her about seeing how everybody chose to present themselves when given the opportunity to go all out.

While people had been talking amongst themselves while she checked out their fashion choices, it was Opal who managed to catch her attention.

“So, how was your vacation?” Opal asked, a knowing grin on her face. Korra immediately looked to Asami in response. How should she answer that, exactly?

“It was… spirity,” Korra stated simply, leaving it at that. Opal and Asami laughed.

“Yeah, I’ll bet,” Opal teased further, her mother just shaking her head in response.

“I think what my daughter means to say is that we’re very happy for the both of you.” Suyin corrected. Korra could feel her face going red again. Tonight was gonna be full of this, wasn’t it?

“I always had a feeling there was something going on between you two – Zhu Li knows, I told her all about it months ago! Congrats on the betrothal! The married life is pretty sweet all things considered, and Kiyoshi Island? GREAT place for a honeymoon. Those elephant koi are super fun to go surfing on, especially that big, black, snake-like one!” Varrick exclaimed, as lively as ever even in such a confined space as the limousine.

“Uh… I think that black one may have been the Unagi…” Korra informed. “You know, the sea monster? The one the island’s famous for?”

Varrick looked confused. “Sea monster? Really? Why didn’t anyone tell me? Oh, whatever, it was fun anyway!”

Korra laughed. She almost forgot how entertaining Varrick could be. “Well, either way, thank you, Varrick. For your well wishes and for tonight. I’ve never actually seen a mover before, so I’m pretty excited.”

Bolin and Varrick shared a shocked, almost hurt look. She’d never seen a mover?! “Man, the South always was a backwater dump,” Varrick began, rolling his eyes. “Well, whatever! You’re in for a treat! I’m telling you, movers? Easily one of the best things I’ve ever invented. Top three, for sure!” Bolin and the airbender kids, who had been listening in, all nodded wildly in agreement.

“I’ve always loved a good book more than anything, but there’s just something about seeing your favorite novel get adapted to the big screen.” Jinora said, easily the most emotionally contained of the siblings, as per usual. “Did you know tonight’s mover was actually based off a book? It's a favorite of Opal and I.”

“Yeah, I’m excited to see how it compares, honestly – especially with Ryuuki playing Zhu Long, I love his work! I just hope they can pull it all off, especially that chase scene…” Opal stopped herself there before she spoiled too much.

“Oh, don’t you worry about that, I know they can! Who do you think provided all the special effects?” Varrick grinned.

Suyin chimed in. “Yes, well, I’m just glad the premiere’s even happening at all. After all the news about that ‘Chi Eater’ thing, I was afraid the city would cancel it.” Korra followed Suyin’s gaze as it drifted to the President, curious as to what he’d have to say about the matter.

“Nonsense. I have the utmost faith in Chief Beifong’s Metalbenders, never mind our Avatar.” The President replied, adjusting his tie. “I’ll admit, I did briefly consider canceling, but I feel the city needs an event like this now more than ever. And besides, you built up a lot of good will after taking care of Kuvira, Korra. The people believe in you now more than ever. With you there especially, I think this may be just the breather the city needs.”

“Sounds like somebody’s vying for reelection…” Varrick groaned, rolling his eyes. Raiko shot him a glare, but Varrick seemed unfazed, giving him a mocking look in return. Korra sighed. Those two never did get along very well.

“…Well, I won’t let them down.” The Avatar assured, her gaze lingering momentarily in Varrick’s direction before she turned her focus entirely to the president. “About Kuvira, though… I’ve been kind of sidetracked by the Chi Eater investigation since I got back, but I’ve been meaning to ask if I could take part in her trial. I know it’s a little late in the game, but to be honest, there are some things I feel like I need to say.”

Raiko nodded. “I understand, and I expected as much. I’ve been asking them to drag things out a little longer in order to give you a chance to participate. I think I can get the tribunal to hold off a few more days if that’s what you need to wrap this thing up.”

“Thank you.” Korra nodded respectfully.

Compared to how she was when she first arrived, she almost appeared to be in her element now, talking about such important things. But Opal wouldn’t have noticed.  As soon as the topic changed to Kuvira, she felt as though she’d been punched in the gut. Sharing a look with Bolin, she grabbed his hand for support.

They’d both given the tribunal their testimony over a week ago, so that much was behind them, but with the way that Korra was talking now – that tone in her voice, that urgency – Opal almost felt afraid what she might want to say. Due to the severity of her crimes and some leftover laws from Tarrlok’s time in the city council, the death penalty was very much a possibility for Kuvira.

If she were being honest with herself, there may have been a part of her that was hoping for that, and it was getting stronger every day. The more Opal  she heard about everything Kuvira had done, the details, the more she came to hate her. As a result, she almost didn’t want to know where Korra stood on this. After all, she was the Avatar. When she spoke, people listened.

“Are you a part of the tribunal, Su?” Korra asked, the sudden mention of her mother’s name drawing Opal’s attention back to the conversation.

“Me? Oh, no, I don’t think anybody thought putting me in there would be a good idea, myself included,” Suyin replied, waving her hand at the suggestion as though it were obviously ridiculous. “I’m way too biased when it comes to her, and I know it. I let the Earth Kingdom’s transitional government select a representative from Zaofu in my stead.”

“And on top of Zaofu, we have further judges from the transitional government, Republic City, and even the White Lotus presiding over the case, due in part to her use of concentration camps for people with non-Earth Kingdom heritage.” Raiko tacked on. Korra frowned at the mention of concentration camps. She’d heard about them in passing before, but she hadn’t realized how prevalent they must’ve been if the White Lotus was stepping in.

“I’m also taking part, seeing as the Air Nation helped in negotiations between Kuvira’s forces and the various states during her conquest.” Tenzin spoke up. Korra looked surprised. He hadn’t mentioned that earlier, but she guessed she had been keeping him pretty busy with other things…

Raiko spoke up again. “The point being, there’s a lot to consider. But that’s all the more reason for you to take part. The Avatar’s opinion may end up playing a big role in affirming the tribunal’s decision, one way or another.”

As he spoke, Asami could notice Opal’s look beginning to sour. “Opal? Is everything okay?” She asked, getting Korra’s attention in the process.

“O-Oh, yeah, I just… I’m not very comfortable with talking about Kuvira so much, I guess,” She fibbed, earning a skeptical look from Asami. But she let it go. It wasn’t her place to push.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize…” Korra apologized, visibly upset, but Opal shook her head. She didn’t want to make a scene.

“No, no – it’s fine, let’s just talk about something else for now… please.” She requested. Luckily for her, her boyfriend already had an idea what that something else could be.

“Ooh, ooh, I know!” He exclaimed, excitedly raising his hand. “You still haven’t told us much about your vacation! You’ve gotta have all kinds of cool stories about that, right? There’s no way I’ve already heard them all!”

“That works,” Opal replied with a laugh, Ikki and Jinora inching forward at the thought. Now that was something they could get on board with.

Korra and Asami shared a look. There was definitely a lot for them to talk about, and it seemed like they had an audience if they wanted to. They supposed they could share a couple stories.

“Okaaaay, uhm, well,” Korra stammered to begin, trying to think of what would be a good place to start that she hadn’t already told Bolin about. “Hm. Well, it’s weird. The Spirit World is super mystical and mysterious, and Asami and I probably learned more about ourselves and each other in our two weeks there than we had in the last two years , but…” Korra thought, her gaze directed upward as she tried to think of an interesting story. “At the same time, it’s almost kind of ridiculous? Sometimes? It’s a pretty strange place.”

“How do you mean?” Ikki asked.

“Hmm… well, okay – Bolin, did I tell you about that time Asami and I climbed a mountain?” Bolin shook his head. Korra grinned. Perfect. “Okay, so, it was a couple days before we decided to head back, and Asami and I found this huuuuge mountain that seemed to come out of nowhere. I swear, we’d been through that place a couple times by then and it’d never been there before, so, we decided to check it out.”

“And by that she means we raced each other to the top,” Asami corrected, a rather proud-looking smile on her face. “I won.”

“Did not.” The Avatar insisted, quickly moving things along before her fiancee could correct her again. “Anyway, turns out, in the Spirit World? Some mountains are actually spirits, and also alive, so, it wasn’t very happy that a couple of humans were climbing all over it.” Korra recalled, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck. “It just shook itself like a wet polar bear dog and sent us flying, I was barely able to pull Asami and myself to safety with my Airbending.”

“Yeah, that was fun.” Asami laughed. Clearly, she found it less embarrassing than Korra did. “After it shook us off though, we ended up finding the most beautiful, upside-down waterfall. Like… the water was flowing in reverse, and there was this permanent rainbow like a halo all around it. So we decided to have a nice picnic there and ended up going for a swim.” Asami described, her smile softening into one of fond reminiscence as she thought about that picnic. That was probably her favorite date so far.

“Mhm. We raced there, too. I won again.” Korra proudly declared.

“Again? I already told them you lost the climbing race. And you only won the swimming one because you used your Waterbending!”

“You can’t prove that,” Korra accused. Now the two of them were arguing over who actually won what and how. So much for story time. Thankfully, almost as soon as Korra and Asami had started bickering, Varrick exuberantly announced that they’d arrived.

“Weeeeee’re heeeeeere~!” Varrick sang, catching everyone’s attention. “Alright folks, looks like the press is waiting for us. Make sure to put your best foot forward!”

It’d been a long time since Korra had been here. The Arena had certainly changed these last few years. Vines extended up from the ocean and grew up and around the building, and it looked like they’d made a few renovations to accommodate that. She couldn’t say she’d ever seen it this busy though, not even during the tournament. She was almost afraid the little man-made island it was on would sink with how many people were standing around on it, waiting to get in. All of them seemed too busy talking to notice the arrival of Varrick’s limo, though.

It looked as though they’d stopped just in front of the red carpet (straight from the Fire Nation, of course - they make the best red stuff). Raiko and Buttercup were to first to step out.

Almost as soon as their feet hit the ground, a flurry of flashbulbs bombarded them from all sides. Half the city’s reporters stood at the front of the crowd and to either side of the carpet, keeping as close to the action as they could while people slowly trickled into the arena.

The President and his wife carried themselves with grace, professionals in the limelight, smiling and waving hand-in-hand as they were allowed swift access to the bending arena – there were no such thing as lines for Varrick and his guests. One by one, they exited the limo and made their way across the red carpet.

Waiting just outside the arena’s entrance was the rest of Suyin and Opal’s family, who’d arrived separately earlier on, as well as Mako and Lin, who had never left after starting to set up.

Shiro Shinobi was set up at a small table right at the end of the red carpet and reporting on behalf of those already inside, his distinctive voice being carried over loudspeaker as he announced the celebrities as they arrived.

As per Varrick’s insistence, Korra and Asami were the last to leave the limo, and it quickly became apparent to them why. Predictably enough, all eyes were on them the second they stepped out of the car, their recently ‘announced’ betrothal being the focus of their introduction. Of everybody to have arrived, they received the most energetic reception from the crowd.

Thankfully (at least in Korra’s mind), it didn’t last long, and before she knew it, they were standing inside the arena’s reception hall. As busy as it was outside, there weren’t too many inside the building just yet, mostly just press, workers, and a few other VIP groups. Posters for ‘The Dancing Dragons’ were hung all around, and vendors from the all over the city had been invited to set up stands inside to help meet demand for candy, drinks and popcorn. They were expecting a pretty busy night.

And so were the police, apparently, though Korra was sure they were hoping otherwise. There were almost as many of them in here as there were outside. Lin clearly wasn’t taking any chances.

As soon as Korra finished taking it all in, she and Asami were predictably pulled into conversation, gathering together with the rest of her group. They exchanged a few words here and there, but they were more interested in talking to their friends than anything, so it wasn’t long before they excused themselves and gathered Team Avatar from their crowd.

While Asami went to look for Ravi, Korra pulled together Mako, Opal and Bolin, making for a mostly complete reunion for Team Avatar. As Bolin had hinted at earlier, Mako had changed into a beautiful black suit courtesy of (former) prince Wu, and he and Korra spent a brief moment admiring the other’s choice of dress.

“Here they are! Ravi, these are the friends I’ve been telling you so much about. Mako, Bolin, Opal, I’d like you all to meet Ravi.” Asami introduced, joining her friends with a rather large man in an Earth Kingdom suit in tow.

“Oh, yes! It’s nice to finally put some faces to the names, it’s nice to meet you all. I’m an old friend of Asami’s.” He introduced, keeping things brief. “I’d love to talk more, but Asami pulled me away from an important associate of ours and I should really get back to her. I hope you all have a wonderful night, though.”

Asami frowned slightly, but didn’t let it get to her too much. She was hoping he’d stick around longer, but she understood; she recognized who he’d been talking to the second she saw her. She owned a shipping company Future Industries had worked with a lot in the past year.

“Honestly, does he ever stop working?” Asami asked, hands on her hips. “Oh well. Let’s have some fun.” She smiled. It felt like it’d been forever since they got to just hang out together like this. The last few years left them very few opportunities to just enjoy their time together.

They’d missed it more than they knew.

With a few minutes to go before they were all due inside, the VIPs all made the most of the time that they had. Team Avatar reminisced and reconnected, the leaders talked politics, the kids ran around and played under Pema and Huan’s supervision, Raiko and Buttercup entertained the press – even Lin seemed to be enjoying herself, laughing along with her sister and Zhu Li.

In fact, the only one who didn’t seem to be in the middle of any conversations right now was Varrick. Surprisingly, he stood off to the side, quietly watching everyone with a distant smile on his face. Then, just as everybody prepared to enter the building, he finally stepped up and addressed the group.

“Hey, so, before we head in, there’s something I’d like to say.” Varrick announced, the tone of his voice remarkably earnest. That alone was enough to pull everyone’s attention to him.

“Oh… of course,” Korra replied, a little surprised and unsure what to make of Varrick’s sudden change of tone. It wasn’t often she heard him so serious, and her mind couldn’t help but jump to the Chi Eater. “Is something wrong?”

“What? No, no, it’s nothing like that,” Varrick fervently assured. Korra quietly breathed a sigh of relief. “I just wanted to say a few things is all. I’m not really good at this sort of thing, but, I think it’s important that I thank you guys for actually showing up tonight. I know I can be loud, and obnoxious, and eccentric, and I know one way or another I’ve hurt almost every one of you, but you guys still gave me second chance. You still heard me out when I asked you to join me tonight.”

“All my life, I’ve always been about me , but over these last couple of years, that’s started to change. Intentional or not, you’ve all helped me become a better person. In fact, you’re the first real group of friends I’ve ever had, and I probably wouldn’t be the man I am today without you. So, I know it isn’t much, especially after all the stuff I’ve put you through in the past, but I wanted to put this night together as a sort of thank you for not just… giving up on me. I figure it’s the least I can do. So, thank you.”

Nobody was really sure what to say – it was a pretty very un-Varrick like thing to do, after all. But Suyin immediately placed a hand on Varrick’s shoulder, smiling. She’d been the first to give him a second chance after the civil war, and she was happy to see how far he’d come since then. It was nice to see that she could still be a good judge of character, even after Kuvira.

Breaking the silence, Mako was the first to speak up. “…I have to admit, after everything you did to me and my friends, I found it pretty hard to forgive you. I didn’t think you’d ever change. But… you’ve really proven yourself since then.” Varrick had been expecting a harsher reaction than that from Mako of all people, but his expression eased the longer he went on. This was… unexpected.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Mako paused, sighing. “But maybe I’ve been too harsh on you. When push came to shove, you did the right thing. And for that, I think we should be the ones thanking you.” With a smile, he offered a handshake, which the briefly stunned Varrick eagerly accepted. But before he could muster up anything to say in response, Asami cut in.

“I didn’t think I’d ever forgive you after what you did to my company, and if I’m being totally honest, I still don’t know how much I can trust you. But after everything… I think I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. I agree with Mako.”

Once again, Varrick seemed stunned. “Really?” He asked as if on reflex.

“Ravi filled me in on how you’ve helped our company around the city these last two weeks, and you do seem different now than when I first met you. I’m still going to be keeping an eye on you, but if this is really who you are now, then I think I might just look forward to working with you in the future.” Asami concluded.

“You guys…” Varrick sniffled, already feeling the tears begin to well up.

“I have to admit, I was afraid I’d regret pardoning you the day after I signed the papers. But, you haven’t let us down yet. You’ve been a tremendous help to Republic City, and I don’t know if she’d still be standing here today without you.” President Raiko agreed, his hands folded calmly behind his back.

Right on cue, Zhu Li handed her husband a tissue. Blowing his nose and wiping his tears on his sleeve, Varrick managed a response.

“I swear, with Zhu Li as my witness, I won’t let you guys down!” He declared, raising a finger to the sky as he spoke. The group laughed, patting Varrick on the back and shaking his hand in turn.

With all that settled, it was time to get to that premiere. To that end, Varrick and Zhu Li took the lead, taking the group through the foyer and down the halls to the balcony they’d reserved for them.

As the balcony drew nearer, the mover fans among them got more and more excited, none of them moreso than Bolin. He was getting so excited, in fact, that Opal was starting to get a little suspicious. She knew he liked movers and all, but she’d never seen him this excited before – he was almost vibrating.

Korra meanwhile occasionally glanced over at Asami, almost as if she were checking her mood. She’d been hoping against hope that the premiere would go off without a hitch, but the closer they got, the more anxious she became. Checking on Asami and seeing her smile pulled her back from that, though. Asami didn’t seem to notice.

Finally, they’d reached their destination, and just as one would expect, Varrick made a show of opening the doors.

Standing by the railing, was a blue-eyed, blue-haired man dressed in an extravagant Fire Nation suit, waiting for them. Of those gathered, Bolin and Korra had the least reaction, having had the surprised spoiled for them earlier on, but everybody else seemed suitably shocked.

With a knowing grin, Korra looked to Asami. Just as she’d expected, she lit up the instant she put together what was going on.

“You’re…!” Asami gasped. It wasn’t all that often she was rendered speechless, let alone starstruck .

“Everybody, Ryuuki, Ryuuki, everybody,” Varrick promptly introduced, pushing ahead of his guests so that he could stand beside the man of the hour. “Remember the ‘surprise guest’ I mentioned? Well, surprise ! We’ll be sitting with the star of the mover, tonight!”

“MR. RYUUKI. HI. BOLIN AGAIN.” Bolin blurted out, a little louder than he probably intended to. Ryuuki laughed and Korra rolled her eyes. “Uh, this is my girlfriend, Opal, we’re really excited to meet you,” He continued, vigorously shaking the mover star’s hand for a little bit too long.

“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m sorry about Bolin.” Opal introduced, her embarrassment apparently outweighing whatever excitement she may have had in meeting a mover star.

“Oh nonsense, he’s fine,” Ryuuki assured, laughing a little. “I’m something of a fan of his, too. We actually met a little earlier today.” He explained. “It’s nice to see you again, too, Bolin.”

“Wow, you met Ryuuki and you didn’t tell me? I’m shocked.” Opal smirked, turning back to Bolin. Since when could he keep a secret?

“You knew too, didn’t you?” Asami accused her partner, confirming her suspicions. She almost wanted to chastise her for not telling her earlier, but she couldn’t be mad – it was a nice surprise. The look on Korra’s face said it all.

“Yeah, Bolin and I bumped into him earlier today and got to talking for a while. He kind of let it slip we’d be sharing a balcony by mistake and made us promise not to tell anyone though, so… I know you like your spoilers, but I’m an Avatar of my word.” Korra replied, ending her explanation with the most over-the-top ‘serious’ look she could muster.

Asami laughed and offered a handshake to the actor. “Well, Mr. Ayatsurishi, it’s an honor. I’m a big fan of your work.” She introduced.

“That’s putting it lightly,” Korra teased. Asami elbowed her in response. “Ow!”

Ryuuki laughed. “What an entertaining group of friends you have, Mr. Varrick,” He remarked. “But please – just Ryuuki is fine. I’m a big fan of your work as well, Ms. Sato. You and your company have done more for this city than almost anyone. I don’t think it’d be the symbol of unity and progress that it is today without you.”

Asami blushed. “Well, your donation is going to go a long way to making sure it stays that way, trust me. I’ll make sure it goes right to the neighborhoods most affected by Kuvira’s attack, just like you requested.”

Ryuuki smiled. “That’s all I needed to hear.”

“Ryuuki, I’m such a big fan… could you sign my copy of ‘ Tales from Ba Sing Se’ ?” Jinora had popped up seemingly out of nowhere, startling the man. A book and pen in hand, she grabbed the actor’s attention as soon as she found an opening.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t even see you there, of course,” Ryuuki apologized, his eyes traveling down to the book in her hand. “I’m happy to see you liked the book as much as the mover it was based on.”

“Heh, what can I say, I love to read,” Jinora sheepishly replied, growing more self-conscious by the second. Part of her wanted nothing more than to geek out with him right now, but she didn’t want to embarrass herself or take up too much of his time.

“Ah, you and me both!” Ryuuki acknowledged with a smile. “Say, you’re the youngest Airbending master in history, aren’t you? Airbending has always fascinated me; I’ve actually tried incorporating a few of its movements into my Firebending! You must be quite prodigious to have accomplished all you have at such a young age.”

Jinora blushed, not sure what to say. “T-Thanks…” She trailed, awkwardly holding out her book. He reached for Jinora’s pen, his hand brushing against hers in the process- “AH!” Suddenly, she recoiled with a yelp, staggering back and letting the pen fall to the floor.

In an instant, Tenzin pushed ahead and grabbed hold of his daughter. “What did you do…!?” He asked, looking up at Ryuuki.

“Nothing, I just barely touched her,” Ryuuki replied, equally as shocked as Tenzin.

“It’s fine, I’m fine,” Jinora insisted, pulling away from her dad and inserting herself between him and Ryuuki before he pressed any further. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened… as soon as I touched your hand, it shocked me. I think it was just some static electricity, but, it really hurt…” She was clearly as confused as everyone else.

Ryuuki looked relieved. If that was the case… “Hm… well, I was practicing my Lightningbending earlier. Maybe there was still a little pent up energy? I’m surprised I didn’t shock anybody else, though…” Ryuuki theorized, shrugging it off as some sort of fluke. It seemed to be good enough for Tenzin and Jinora.

“Wait a second, you can Lightningbend?” Mako spoke up from the back of the room, his interest in Ryuuki suddenly going up.

“Just a little something I picked up over the years,” Ryuuki humble-bragged. “I’m not much of a fighter really, but I do take my bending pretty seriously.” He smiled.

Mako smirked in response. It’d been a while since he’d met another Lightningbender. At least, one that wasn’t dead or a Triad member. “Huh, go figure. I guess you’re the real deal, after all.”

Ryuuki bowed, always thankful for the approval of a fellow Firebender. “Thank you; that means a lot coming from the man who took out Kuvira’s weapon.” He replied. Mako didn’t really respond to that, but the look on his face spoke volumes. “…Oh. Did I say something wrong?”

“No, no, it’s just… a little more complicated than that,” Mako replied, a little uncomfortable. He didn’t really fancy himself the ‘hero’ type, but, that’s what people seemed to be calling him now after everything that happened. Ryuuki just nodded. He understood.

For the remaining free time they had before the mover started, Ryuuki mingled with the rest of the guests as everybody explored the balcony. He introduced himself to each and every one of them personally, engaging in short conversations with each. Korra and Asami, meanwhile, found themselves gathering near the railing, overlooking the pro bending ring. This was where it all began for them. It was hard not to reminisce. If Korra was still worried about the Chi Eater at all, in at least this moment, she didn’t show it.

Then, before they knew it, it was finally time to begin the event.

While everybody took their seats, Ryuuki adjusted his tie and welcomed a couple of members of the press who had been waiting outside onto the balcony. Among them were reporters and photographers, all of them from different papers within the city.

Once everything was in place, Ryuuki bowed, walked to the edge of the balcony, and tapped the microphone twice. The sound echoed throughout the entirety of the arena, hushing the crowd’s loud chatter. Taking a deep breath, Ryuuki began his opening speech.

“Right… ah, how do you even start something like this? I thought about maybe writing something down, but I really wanted this to feel natural.” He opened a little awkwardly, flashbulbs lighting up the balcony behind him as he walked along its edge, surveying the crowd. He was a little taken aback by how many people were actually here. He had an idea in his head what it’d be like, but actually seeing it in person was a whole other story.

“Well, I guess the best place to start would be to welcome you all to the premiere of my new mover! It makes me so happy to see the citizens of Republic City gathered together like this for a night of fun and celebration after the year this great city has had. No other place in the world has ever made me feel this at-home, and no other group of people has treated me so kind. This city and this Republic have   given a lot to me and helped make me who I am, and tonight, I want to give back.

“That’s why I insisted on making this event free to all citizens, regardless of status or how badly they were affected by Kuvira’s attack, and also why I promised to donate 2 million yuans out of my own pocket to help the reconstruction efforts. And it’s a promise I intend to follow through with now. Mister president, Miss Sato, if you would join me.”

Reaching into his jacket, Ryuuki pulled out a check, motioning for Raiko and Asami to stand as he was presented a gold-tipped pen by the man who had handed him the radio. Pointing to herself to make sure she wasn’t mistaken – Ryuuki nodded – Asami rose from her seat with a little insistence from Korra. As far as Ryuuki was concerned, she was as much a part of this as Raiko was. Cameras flashed as they took position beside Ryuuki.

“I know that at the end of the day, I’m just an actor and tonight’s event is just a mover. I also know that in the grand scheme of things, 2 million yuans doesn’t seem like all that much. I know there’s not much that I or any other one person can really do about everything that’s happened recently. But I know that if we all band together and chip in what we can, if we all work with one another and uplift one another as we have been, eventually, all of these little things we have to contribute will start adding up.

“I’ve been promised by President Raiko and Ms. Sato of Future Industries that my donation will go directly to the poorest neighborhoods in the city, the ones hit the hardest by Kuvira’s weapon. I’m sure that with the President’s help, Ms. Sato’s supervision, and the will of the people of this great city, this 2 million will go a long way.”

Putting down the microphone momentarily, Ryuuki finally signed the check. 2 million yuans, exactly as promised. Handing it to the president and Asami, the three of them posed for a photo and the check was handed off to one of the president’s aides. Reaching back for the microphone, Ryuuki smiled, satisfied, and announced the deed was done. The crowd cheered. Cameras flashed around him as he surveyed the crowd and soaked up the moment. Closing his eyes and just listening for a second, he felt more alive now than he had in years.

He felt at home.

Raiko and Asami returned to their seats and Ryuuki addressed the crowd one last time. “And now, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Without any further ado, I give you ‘The Dancing Dragons’ .” The crowd cheered once more, and Ryuuki took his seat between Varrick and the President. He seemed… almost serene.

Another crew member on a balcony adjacent dimmed the lights and ran the projector, and at last, the mover began. Excited to finally be having a real, normal, public date with her new fiancee, Korra smiled, holding on to Asami’s hand.

As the music swelled and the opening credits began to roll, Korra was absorbed into the world of the film. In truth, she’d been a little skeptical at first. She’d read a couple books and she’d seen a few plays, so she thought a mover wouldn’t be much different from that. But this was nothing like a play. She hadn’t been so happy to be wrong in a while.

The story was something of a romantic thriller, telling the story of two Firebending detectives caught up in a romance with one another while working a triad case in the big city. While Ryuuki’s character, Zhu Long, was clean, his partner and love interest in the film, a girl named Kiyo, was not. In truth, she was actually the daughter of the crimelord in charge of the very triad they were investigating, their mole inside the precinct.

It was a situation that Korra found to be somewhat familiar. It wasn’t difficult for her to relate to parts of Ryuuki’s character, or to insert herself and Asami into Zhu Long and Kiyo’s places. She found it a little funny to think of her and Asami being pursued by Ginger, though, who’d been cast as the cop from internal affairs who knew that something wasn’t right. She was becoming more and more enthralled by the minute.

At the same time, all throughout the film, Korra’s thumb found itself absentmindedly stroking the back of Asami’s hand while she watched - especially during the romantic scenes. If she had any doubts about movers before, she certainly didn’t have any now. She was officially a fan.

Meanwhile, Asami was enjoying the more technical aspects of the film, on top of its story. It was good, yeah, but how did they even film half of this? The special effects were great, and those car chases must’ve taken forever to stage. The spectacle of it all had her smitten, when Korra’s grip on her hand suddenly and drastically tightened. She nearly yelped in surprise while Korra doubled over in pain.

“Korra?” Asami worriedly whispered, trying to get a good look at her girlfriend’s face in the dark. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust from the screen to her, but when they had, it became clear. Korra wasn’t okay.

A familiar sense of dread was washing over her, and it made her sick to her stomach. It was the same sort of feeling that was left in the air in Dragon Flats. The same sort of feeling that’d surrounded her in the wilds. And it was from her time in the wilds that she knew what would happen next, though she was hoping against hope that it wouldn’t.

“Please, no…” Korra whispered, her face becoming increasingly distraught. She felt like she couldn’t breathe, like she couldn’t move, and then Jinora screamed, clutching her head and tearing the VIPs’ attention away from the mover. She’d shared that same feeling of dread as Korra had, and now she felt like her skull was going to explode.

“What’s going on…?!” Ryuuki asked, rising from his seat in alarm. By this point, the whole of the group had been thrown into emergency mode.

Barely recovering from the near heart attack he had at the sound of Jinora’s voice, Tenzin leapt out of his seat to tend to his daughter like Asami tended to Korra, while Raiko’s bodyguards responded to the scream by closing in around the president and his wife. Mako and Lin exchanged worried looks, nodding, the chief checking in on Suyin and her family while Mako checked on Varrick and Zhu Li.

“Korra, what’s going on…?!” Asami asked, growing increasingly alarmed as the balcony descended into chaos. Korra wouldn’t respond. She could feel the pain now, too, and she groaned as the inside of her head began to feel as though it were swelling to the point of bursting.

“Jinora, are you okay?” Kai asked, holding onto Jinora’s face. It was paler than a sheet, and the mere sight of the agony and terror on her face almost made him cry.

By this point, everybody was starting to feel it - the sense of something coming, of danger - though not for the same reasons as Korra and Jinora. The two girls groaned, the agony they were under difficult to describe to people who didn’t have a strong spiritual connection like they did, and even tougher to fight through. Nevertheless, Jinora did, albeit just enough to speak.

“Something’s… coming… something bad… I haven’t felt anything like this since…” She couldn’t finish, the pain overtaking her. Since what?

“Since Vaatu.” Korra finished on Jinora’s behalf. The color drained from Asami’s face. It was coming. The Avatar’s voice was coarse and struggled, the pain and breathlessness that accompanied it making it difficult for her to speak. “But this… this is worse .” She let go of Asami’s hand to try and stand up, but immediately collapsed. Thankfully, Asami jumped in the way and caught her before she hit the ground. Weakly, Korra clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. Maybe if she meditated, she’d be able to shake it off.

But she didn’t get the chance to try.

As quickly as she and Jinora were subjected to it, they were freed from the pain. It was like the weight of the world had been lifted from their shoulders. Both their breathing was labored, but Jinora seemed relieved, and so did her family. But Korra knew better. She knew what came next.

“It’s not over.” The Avatar warned, tension quickly returning to the balcony. “It’s coming.”

Ryuuki looked around frantically. “What? What’s coming?” He asked, growing more distressed by the second.

“...The Chi Eater.”

As if on cue, a thunderous boom drowned out the speakers and any response to Korra’s warning there may have been, and the whole of the Pro Bending Arena shook. Power throughout the building flickered and the mover suddenly cut out, film reels shaking loose as the projector trembled. Boom after boom reverberated through the open arena and the audience grew distraught, frightened murmuring breaking out all around. The arena continued to shake, and people had begun rising from their seats, trying to get a better view of what was going on.

Losing his balance, Ryuuki stumbled, falling backwards into his chair. Terrified, he looked around the balcony for answers, but nobody said a word. They were all focused on their surroundings. None of them were sitting down anymore.

Knowing exactly what was going on, Lin and Mako shared a look and a nod. Without missing a beat, they broke the stillness and began rallying the non-benders to them.

“It’s here, we have to evacuate!” Mako announced. With no time amidst the chaos to argue, Tenzin entrusted his wife and child to their care, while Jinora, Ikki and Meelo staunchly refused to leave their father’s side.

Closing his eyes, Ryuuki took a deep breath and rose back up from his seat. Everyone was moving in different directions now. Even the crowd was beginning to panic, dashing to the exits as the building continued to shake. In fact, in all the chaos, the only one who seemed unfazed was Ravi, standing like a statue against the wall with his gaze fixed straight ahead at some invisible point. There was an intensity in his eyes that made Ryuuki shiver. It… almost didn’t seem human.

Asami meanwhile had ignored Mako and Lin’s orders and had elected to stay behind with Korra, whose hand was now tightly clutching hers. The engineer’s mouth had long since gone dry as she traced the sounds slowly ringing higher and higher through the arena, climbing it. The lights flickered one last time before the power went out for good, and in the darkness, the two girls kept each other close. The only light now came from the moon above, shining down through the arena’s domed glass ceiling.

Silence.

With the power out and the sounds coming to a stop, everybody who had been clamoring for the exit had frozen in the moment of calm. They couldn’t help but hope that it was over.

“Is it… gone?” Opal asked, clutching her mother’s arm. A cold sweat ran down her face.

The silence lingered, and in its cold embrace, their heartbeats sounded like explosions in their ears. For everybody in the arena, this momentary stillness felt as though it were an eternity. For a split second, Korra thought that maybe – just maybe – they’d caught a break.

But when the moon was eclipsed by a shadow from above, she knew that she’d been wrong to hope.

An unearthly scream rang out from the roof, and glass rained down like jagged hailstones from above. With it, a writhing black and blue thing fell down, a gelatinous dark mass of wretched spiritual energy that made one sick just to look at.

It crashed into the pro bending ring below, cracking it on impact and collapsing into a puddle. Slowly, it rose into a formless, eerily glowing lump. Bright blue circular eyes flitted open from its center, then traveled along its surface, scanning the area around it as a disproportionate limb took shape. Using the arm to push itself up, it rose from the ring and shifted back into its original form.

While the audience screamed below, the VIPs remained deathly silent as they watched the creature watch them. Once it had coalesced back into a quadrupedal mass of dripping black ‘flesh’, it seemed for just a moment as though it were more curious than dangerous. Because for that moment, it just stood there, panting. Staring. It was almost as if it meant no harm.

Chi Eater

And then it screamed once again. It was shrill, but at the same time, almost guttural, an intrinsic harshness lying just below the surface of what almost sounded like a mix of a woman crying out in pain and a screaming primate. Shockwaves accompanied the scream which caused the arena below it to crack and overturn in places, and Metalbending officers who’d already started springing into action were sent flying back into the stands with the force.

Everyone still in the arena covered their ears as the entire building shook once more. With the creature’s unearthly screech, the power surged back on, causing some of the light bulbs to explode in the process.

Once its screaming had subsided, the audience descended back into chaos, people climbing over and hurting one another as they clamored for the exits. Officers in the stands struggled to try and take back control of the situation, but quickly gave in to the panic themselves, knowing full well they couldn’t hope to fight whatever that thing was.

The creature, meanwhile, remained completely still. Its eyes continued to travel its body and scan the room, but it made no immediately threatening actions. Something about it seemed… off , somehow.

“Is this… the Chi Eater?” Ryuuki asked, his voice shaking.

Korra nodded, focused on the monster. Its eyes seemed to have settled on someone.

Her.

A chill run down the Avatar’s spine. It was just waiting for her now, she could feel it.

“You guys should all get out of here too,” Korra warned. “This thing isn’t a bender. I don’t even know if this is a spirit anymore. But it wants me , not you guys, so I’m gonna go give it exactly what it wants and keep it busy. You guys make sure everybody else gets out of here in the meantime.”

Asami responded almost immediately. “Korra, no!” But Korra just gave her a stern, sorrowful look and let go of her fiancee’s hand, walking to the edge of the balcony. Asami wanted to follow her, to scold her for trying to do this alone, but seeing that monster stare them down, she froze.

“Wait, alone? Are you crazy?!” Bolin practically shouted, leaving his girlfriend’s side to chastise the Avatar.

“Korra, please, you must reconsider –” Tenzin followed up, but Korra had already put a leg on the railing, getting ready to hop off. And she probably would have, too, if Bolin hadn’t caught up to her and grabbed her arm, pulling her down.

“Korra, stop! You heard what Gonzo said, this thing’s no joke! I’m not letting you rush in alone!” He declared, refusing to let go. Korra grimaced in response. She was afraid this might happen. Still holding on to Korra’s arm, Bolin turned to his girlfriend. “Opal, I know how important everybody’s safety is to you. Go help my brother get them out of here. I’ll take care of this.” Opal nodded in response and ran swiftly out the door, taking Kai and the kids with her for some extra help.

“Bolin, let go.” Korra demanded.

“No, this is too dangerous. I don’t care if you’re the Avatar, you’re my friend! I’m not abandoning you.”

“Bolin,”

“Korra, stop! He’s right, and you know it!” Asami interrupted, scolding her for her stubbornness. Korra looked back at her. She’d never looked so terrified in her life. Korra’s heart sunk at the sight. Bolin, meanwhile, finally let go of her arm.

“Asami, I–”

But Asami wasn’t going to let her finish that thought. “Please. Stop. I know you think you’re somehow responsible for this thing, and I know you don’t want any of us to get hurt, but you can’t take that thing on alone.”

Korra shut her mouth, looking down at the Chi Eater. It was pacing around the ring, waiting for her. The others probably couldn’t tell since she’d said it with such concern – and she was definitely concerned – but Korra knew. She could see it in her eyes. Asami was pissed .

“Don’t worry. She’s not going to.” At the sound of his booming voice, everybody’s heads turned to Ravi. He’d been standing by the wall this whole time, watching, undecided whether he should stay with the Avatar or leave with everybody else. But now that he’d made himself known, it seemed that he’d made up his mind.

“Asami, don’t worry. We’ll keep Korra safe.” Ravi reassured. Despite the situation, he seemed remarkably calm, and this, in turn, helped calm Asami down in turn. Slowly, she nodded.

Ryuuki sighed. “Aye, aye… I’m not just gonna stand around and take this, either, y’know.” He said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself. Everybody thought he’d left with Lin and Mako, but apparently, he’d been in the same position as Ravi up until now. “It’d be my honor to help the Avatar kick some ass.”

“You guys…” Korra trailed, not really sure what to say. Her eyes darted back to Asami’s. They were lacking the stubborn recklessness from before and welling with concern for her safety, instead. She’d just been waiting to leave until Korra accepted their help. Understanding Korra’s glance, she let a sigh of relief escape her lips.

“Be careful.” Asami wished, almost whispering. Korra rushed away from the edge of the balcony and grabbed hold of Asami, pulling her into a tight hug. It was the least she could do to try and reassure her.

“I will be. Don’t worry.” Korra promised. “You’re lucky our friends are a bunch of dumbasses, y’know that? Anybody else would’ve run as soon as I told them.” She smirked, pulling away to look into her girlfriend’s eyes.

Asami laughed nervously. “Maybe. But they’re all following you, so who’s really the dumbass, here?” Korra shook her head, letting out a chuckle. Kissing Asami’s head, she pressed her forehead against hers and then watched her rush out the door. Then, after taking a deep breath, she headed back to the railing.

Korra looked briefly to her right and left. Two Earthbenders, an Airbender, a Firebending actor, and herself, the Avatar. Mako, Lin and the other airbenders would probably double back once everybody else was safe, too. She felt like this wouldn’t be enough, but it would have to do.

Undoing her tie and taking off her vest, Korra threw them behind her. She unbuttoned the sleeves of her dress shirt and hopped onto the railing. With fire in her eyes, she stared the Chi Eater down. Finally sensing the Avatar’s rage, its fingers dug into the ring and it arched back its body, poised to attack. The eerie blue glow surrounding it grew brighter as it began to growl.

It was ready, and so was Korra. Taking one more deep breath in and out, the Avatar rallied her friends into action. It was time to take this monster down.

“Alright, let's get this show on the road.”

Notes:

Sorry for the delay! June was a pretty busy month and July was a depressive hole, so this one took a little longer than usual. I'll try and have Chapter 9 out by the end of August, though!

All artwork featured in this chapter by my talented friend @ l-a-l-o-u.tumblr.com

Chapter 9: A Night at the Theater, Part 2

Summary:

The Chi Eater attacks! With their illusive foe finally in front of them, Korra and her friends jump headlong into the fight of their lives!

Chapter Text

Book 5
Chi

Chapter 9
A Night at the Theater, Part 2


“Alright, let’s get this show on the road.”

Leaping from the balcony, Korra propelled herself from the railing with a forceful expulsion of air from her feet, flying toward the center ring and throwing two huge blasts of fire from her fists ahead of her. Since the distance between the balcony and the battlefield was vast, she was wasting no time in getting started.

The Chi Eater hissed. It had sensed the molding of her chi before Korra would have even felt the heat of her flames, and as a result, its body had begun to reacting to her movements ahead of time. Korra growled. She hadn’t even landed to tackle it head on yet, and already this thing was pissing her off.

Realizing she was a sitting duck in mid-air, Korra expelled more flames from her fists, this time in a steady stream behind her to propel her forward faster. She still had a good deal of distance to cover, and she could see the Chi Eater was preparing some sort of a counterattack already.

Thankfully, she had Ravi and Ryuuki there to back her up. They hadn’t left the balcony like she had yet, but they weren’t about to let her rush in alone, firing off attacks from either side of her to help keep the Chi Eater busy.

Ravi’s attack was simple enough, comprised of launching chunks of the wall behind him in the Chi Eater’s direction. A quick one-two from a boxer’s stance, and he’d forced the Chi Eater to shift its focus to Korra’s right, compelling it to counter the oncoming concrete or otherwise take the hit.

At the same time, another spike in chi drew its attention to Korra’s left, which was where Ryuuki came in. Completely focused, Ryuuki craned his body around with the movements of his arms, slinking low into a crouching back stance, his body not unlike a spring that had been put under pressure.

Watching the electricity trailing Ryuuki’s fingertips, Bolin looked on with wonder. He could feel the same sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach as when his brother bent lightning, though Ryuuki’s unusual movements surprised him. Suddenly, the actor sprung back up, all of the tension he’d been building being released with a crack of thunder, lightning streaking from his fingertips.

Unfortunately, while Ryuuki had managed to catch the Chi Eater’s attention with his lightning, it wasn’t enough to give the spirit pause. After darting to the right and left to avoid Korra’s fire with speed that’d reduced it to a blur, it met Ravi’s Earthbending with a lazy flick of its grossly disproportionate wrist, shattering the stone on contact, and then simply opened up a hole in its amorphous form to let Ryuuki’s lightning pass through it harmlessly. The actor tsked in response, burning away his jacket in a blaze of blue flame with a whip of his left arm, ready to follow Korra into battle.

The Chi Eater made a low, gurgling noise, not entirely unlike a laugh, and Korra grit her teeth. It was mocking them. She was an instant away from landing now, and looking back, she found that Ryuuki, Tenzin, and Bolin were only just now jumping off the balcony to join her.  Ryuuki was propelling himself with fire, Bolin had essentially thrown himself with his Earthbending, and Tenzin was gliding across the gap as fast as he could.

But Korra didn’t have time to wait for them. The instant that her feet made contact with the ring, she shifted elements, going from Air and Fire to Earth instead, pulling up multiple discs from the arena’s floor and hurling them at the spirit with maximum force with her punches. One, two, three, four, five – five pro bending discs, but the Chi Eater didn’t even bother to move. Instead, it let them collide with its semi-gelatinous form, portions of its body rippling as the discs shattered against it. Korra cursed beneath her breath. She wasn’t done yet.  

Pieces of the discs had been lodged in the creature’s shoulder which she bored deeper into its body, but it spat them back out with twice the force, completely unimpressed. The Avatar was forced to dodge. She wanted to attack again, but she was overwhelmed by a sudden, otherworldly fear. From this proximity, its spiritual presence was almost crippling. What’s more, it was huge, well over twice her height and taking up a solid eighth of the pro-bending ring.

Some of the intimidation factor was lost by how strange and sickly it appeared up close. But since it almost looked as though it were hunched over, she couldn’t help but feel it’d be much taller and more imposing if it weren’t for whatever seemed to be ailing it. For a second, she actually felt sorry for it, until the fear came back as its body twitched and jerked and the creature eyed its prey, hungry. It seemed to barely be in control of its body. For Korra, that made it even scarier, as it meant that not even the Chi Eater could be entirely sure what it was going to do next.

Suddenly longing for help, Korra quickly looked back towards the balcony, but the others still had a long way to go before they’d reach her. For now, she was alone.

Thankfully, the Chi Eater didn’t immediately attack, turning Korra’s moment of hesitation into her first opportunity to get a good look at her elusive foe. Though she found its continual patience weird, she tentatively sent more disks in it direction, but it only huffed, letting them shatter harmlessly. Looking down at its tiny opponent, the eerie blue glow around its body pulsed in time with its breathing, which it seemed to do from an opening on the top of its head. Korra noted that there was only a grin-shaped marking where she expected its mouth to be.

The Avatar stepped back. From this close, she could see that its eyes were just featureless blue orbs of light buried beneath the surface of its ‘flesh’, and as she stared into their depths, it studied and sniffed at her, memorizing her. It had been remarkably docile given its reputation, and it was beginning to creep Korra out. She stared back at it, wondering what this thing even WAS exactly, what it wanted, when its long, whip-like tail lashed out behind it, cracking as it hit the ground. Korra felt a chill run down her spine.

Then, Korra gasped. As horrible and disgusting and overwhelming as its spiritual presence was from this distance, now that she was so close to it, now that she could actually see it, it also felt kind of…

Suddenly, everything went black.

‘What the…?’

Korra’s eyes widened, and she looked around worriedly, the world around her disappearing into infinite nothingness until only she and the Chi Eater remained. Her mouth went dry and her legs almost gave out as her sense of hearing was overtaken by the sound of dozens of voices whispering in unison all around her. All of them were speaking at once but saying different things, and as desperate as they sounded to reach out to her, she couldn’t make out a word of what they were saying.

Korra staggered backwards, falling onto an hard, invisible floor, a cold sweat dripping down her face. This had happened before in the Wilds, but this time was so much more intense. With shaky breath, her eyes settled back on the Chi Eater, standing still before her. It stared at her. Studied her. Its breathing was slow and rhythmic, distinct from the whispers around her, while her own had become shallow and painful.

She wanted nothing more than to get back up and run, but her body was no longer responding to her terrified demands to move. With nowhere else to focus, Korra’s eyes stared deep into Chi Eater’s own, and

s̗̤͈̏̉͑̊̈́ͬ̏̚͟͠.̝͇̏ͩͬ̀ͣ̇ͧͩ͒.̸̢̣͓̱̻͍͉̞̍͌ͧ͠.̨̱̻̫̬̰ͩ͋̓̈́̍̌̕͢ă̡͙̟͔̩͉̟̫̮͉ͯͨ̒̅ͦ̀͟v͔̤̝̺͉̂̽̊̿̏̌ͩ̿.̵̗̹̹̩͚ͧ͋̑ͦͦ̋͞ͅ.̡̹̿̅̓̓ͥ̇.̷̳͉̱̥͕͖͎̙̉̓ͫẽ̴̴̱̙͕̫̝̤̉̎̈́ͥ ̸͈̙͔̣ͣ́ͥ̿̃͞u̵̫͔͓̣̘̝̗ͧ̐̐ͫͥ̅.̡̛͈̯͖̝͖̰͂̇̈́̚.̛̛̦͔̫̹̲̓̋͛̓.̞̠͑͌̑̈́ͫ̌̕̕s͆̈́͑ͦ̂̔͛ͤ҉͖̹̪͙͕̝̫.̡̛̺̘̝̙̜̦͍̳͛ͥ.̞̠͔͕̞͎̑̾̃̓.̸̮̯ͧ̅̄͆̑͜


“What…?” Korra whispered breathlessly, snapping out of her paralysis. Had… had somebody just said something? She looked around, but there was no one, nothing – just her and the Chi Eater. She was now far more confused than she was scared. Her eyes locked back on to the Chi Eater’s, and it happened again:

f̹̤͓̺̻͚͖̌͢ͅȑ͚̘̪̭͕.͔̤͆͆͌ͥ͗.̓ͬ̊͆̐͏͕͙̯̥̻͚.͍͕͇̟̥͍̰ͣ̇̀̔͆͐͛̚ͅe̓ͮ̀ͧ҉̯̯͜e͙̟̮̻̗͑̔̃̒̐ͫ́̓̚.̄̍̋͂͌̊̂̎͝҉̤͇̭ͅ.̻̦͇̒ͩ̋̇̓̍.͐ͬ̂̆ͤ̒̑ͣ͢҉̹̖̥͔̬ų̩̺̪̦͇̯̘̩ͣͩ̈́͢.̧̱̻̖̱̹̣̰͖̋̊̆̌̀̃́͢.ͯͬͣ̎̾ͪ̄҉̤̙̝̙͚̺̙s̻̞̺͛͜.̴̪̣̫̈́͑̊̀̑ͦ̾̎͛ͅp̑҉̴̨͕͕͖͔͔l̨̜̝͈͐ͭ͊̿ͥ͛e̙̭̣̝͚̭̘̱͆ͫ̊ͤ̈ͬ̈́̆͟ã̡̨͍̱͕̹̮̯͋̆͐̑̋ͬ.̴̪͈̗̳̬ͣͭ̈́͋͋͡.̺̥̫̝̼̮̲ͬ̽͟͡ṣ̝͍̱͖͕̍ͬ̄̽̆͌͐̌̕͢ę̣̼͊͑ͦ͗̓̊̚͟͞.̸̢̤͖̯͐ͪͬ̽̂̇̅̀̚.̢̗̝̟̊̽͢


Korra gulped, feeling every sound, every syllable of what was said carving itself into the periphery of her awareness, broken, shaky, struggled. Was it asking her for help? For a moment she just stood there, staring. The Chi Eater hadn’t moved, still standing there, quiet, calm, and hesitantly, Korra got back on her feet and inched closer to it. All of the terrible energy she could feel from it before was gone now, replaced by overwhelming grief and sadness. Overwhelmed by emotions that weren’t her own, Korra began to cry.

“I…” The words died in her throat. It was asking her to save it. To free it. But from what? Korra had no clue what to say, what to ask. This was completely at odds with everything it had done up until this point. The people it’d killed, the power that it radiated, the laughter with which it taunted her mere moments earlier… was this really the same spirit?

Suddenly, the Chi Eater began to move, slowly pulling its body back and inhaling deeply. Korra thought perhaps it was going to speak again, but in the blink of her eyes, everything had returned to normal. They were back in the ring, Korra’s sadness was gone, and the Chi Eater looked very, very angry.

“What?!” Korra yelped, disoriented by the sudden change, looking around more confused than ever. She was back? This was the arena, she was on the ring, but the Chi Eater, where was…? Then, from the corner of her eye, she could see it – the Chi Eater was rearing back with another deep, sharp inhale. Korra whipped her head around and hurriedly threw her arms back up in front of her to Firebend in self-defense, but it was too late.

The Chi Eater screamed and wailed as it lunged forward, mere inches from Korra’s face, its mouth opening up like a flower. Korra closed her eyes, her teeth clenched. Inky black blots of its revolting form flew out like saliva. Drops like these fell from all over its body as it ran forward, collecting into pools beneath it. They  radiated its sickening energy, but disappeared soon after they were created. No matter how much fell, there always seemed to be more of it, and the creature never seemed to lose any mass.

She had no time to react before she was thrown off of the ring. On contact with Korra’s flesh, the droplets of ‘saliva’ left chemical-like burns she felt sear her skin as she blacked out. But just as with what pooled below the Chi Eater, they quickly disappeared before doing any further harm. She unceremoniously crashed into the water below and sank like a stone, unconscious.

“Korra!” Tenzin cried, reorienting his flight path to dive down and check on her, while Bolin and Ryuuki finally landed in the ring to take on the Chi Eater in his and Korra’s stead. Ravi followed suit a couple of seconds later, a few more pieces of the balcony preceding him as he launched in a manner not too dissimilar from Bolin. The Chi Eater cracked the ring with its tail, its eyes settling on its latest prey.

Now that it was done with its little staring contest with the Avatar, it no longer seemed content to just stand around. The battle had officially begun.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***


Down in what pro bending commentators would affectionately refer to as ‘the drink’, it was the gentle thump of Korra’s head against the bottom of the pool that woke her. Gasping for air, she only swallowed water, choking and immediately bending her way out of the pool and onto the concrete platform beneath the pro bending ring. Coughing up ice-cold water from her lungs, Korra struggled to catch her breath, every gasp for air like shards of glass in her chest.

It hadn’t even touched her yet, and already it felt like the Chi Eater had fractured one of her ribs. Wincing with pain, she continued to cough, slumping against one of the support pillars to nurse her wounds with her Waterbending. If it was just a fracture, she’d be able to heal it quickly enough to get back up there, especially if she took a quick dip into the Avatar State in the process. Her eyes flashed white and water around her hand began to glow, pulled from ‘the drink’ beside her to heal her wounds.

“Korra!”

Looking up, the Avatar saw Tenzin gliding down to meet her, landing on the platform a few feet in front of her. Immediately, he ran to her aide, asking her if she was okay.

“I’m fine, I just got sucker-punched is all,” She assured, the glow around her hand subsiding. Her breaths didn’t feel so sharp and painful anymore. Fully healed or not, it was good enough for her, at least for now. It didn’t stop her head from aching any, though, a pain that had reappeared once the one in her chest faded away. Every time she heard the Chi Eater attack above, her head pulsed. She didn’t remember feeling anything like this from Vaatu or his dark spirits…

“You seemed to lock up almost as quickly as you landed. Did something happen up there?”

“That’s what I’d like to know…” Korra mumbled, rubbing the side of her head in an attempt to assuage her headache. Really though, what did happen up there? One second it seemed like the Chi Eater was begging her to save it, and the next it was throwing her from the ring. Was any of that even real? “As soon as I looked it in its eyes, everything went black, and it was just me and the Chi Eater. But it seemed so… sad.”

“…Sad?” Tenzin asked. From his perspective, it just seemed incredibly angry.

“I don’t know, maybe it was some sort of hallucination, maybe it can play tricks with people’s minds.” Korra thought aloud. Maybe her status as the Avatar left her vulnerable to some sort of spiritual attack they hadn’t anticipated. It was a possibility that put Tenzin even more on-edge.

“If it can, then it’s a lot more dangerous than we thought.” He frowned, looking up at the ring above. Small pieces of debris fell to the floor as it shook under the stress of the battle.

“I don’t know, it just felt so real…” Korra sighed. Nothing about this spirit made any sense to her. From the pain it caused her to the genuine delight it seemed to take in killing, to the way it was now toying with them… in every instance, it acted more human than anything else, and it made her wonder what could’ve been responsible for turning it into what it was today. What could mangle a spirit so thoroughly like that? What could prompt it to start acting so un-spirit-like?

Another scream by the Chi Eater rang out from above, and Korra covered her ears, her head pounding once again. Immediately she wanted to get back up there and take the fight back to the Chi Eater, but something stopped her – something familiar. “…Raava?”

“What?” Tenzin asked, suddenly a lot more confused.

“I just felt Raava’s energy suddenly… I think… I think she wants to talk.” Korra replied, a little shocked. All this time, she’d never even thought to try and contact her. She didn’t even know it was possible in the physical world. Talking to her past lives would’ve been one thing, but… if she was right about this, then she wasn’t going to just ignore it. “Tenzin, go help Bolin and the others hold the Chi Eater off. No matter what you do, don’t let it come down here. I’m going to meditate and see if I can’t talk to Raava.”

Tenzin deferred to the Avatar’s instincts on this one, nodding and gliding back up to the arena above.

Closing her eyes, Korra exhaled, sitting now in the lotus position. Blocking out the pulsing pain of the Chi Eater’s presence, the Avatar calmed her mind, entering into a meditative state and focusing in on Raava’s energy. She followed it down, deep inside her soul, and before she knew it, she found herself standing in front of the Spirit of Light.

As with the Chi Eater a couple of moments prior, the world around her melted away until it was just them, but unlike before, she felt less sad or afraid and more at peace. It was completely different from the time she’d managed to contact Aang, and at first, she was a little confused, but quickly settled in to the experience. Bowing, she addressed the spirit that stood in front of her.

Raava, I’m so glad to see you…” Korra began, not really sure what to say, or why she’d suddenly called out to her like that. But she was happy.

I am always with you, Korra. Now that no other Avatar spirit stands between us, you may connect with me at any time.” Raava explained. Korra closed her eyes, smiling and letting out a small sigh of relief. She almost wanted to cry. All this time, she thought she was alone. She’d only just reconnected with Raava a couple weeks ago, and up until now, she only ever really felt her presence when she entered into the Avatar State, or in the spirit world. She thought that those were the only times that she and Raava could connect. But this… maybe she didn’t have to be the Avatar all on her own, after all.

Opening her eyes, Korra returned to the matter at hand. She couldn’t afford to waste any time. Raava must’ve wanted to talk to her for a reason, and now that she knew she was here, there was a lot about this Chi Eater that Korra wanted to ask about. “Raava… what is this thing? Was any of what just happened to me real?”

Do not second guess yourself, Korra. What you experienced was very real.” Raava confirmed. Korra wasn’t sure if she was more relieved to know it wasn’t some delusion, or confused that such a seemingly evil spirit would ask her for her help. “When it reached out to you, I could feel its suffering, and its true nature. Mutilated though it may be, it is in fact a spirit, and a very ancient, powerful one at that.”

Is that why you wanted to talk to me…?” Korra asked. Raava nodded, or at least made the closest approximation to a nod that her body would allow.

Yes. The blackness that you saw is not unlike the space that we are in now. Only, while this space is your soul, that darkness is the Chi Eater’s.” Raava explained. So… she had connected with the spirit’s soul? Korra didn’t know she could do that. That was… actually kinda cool. “I do not know what could have happened to corrupt it so thoroughly, but it feels unnatural. Whatever caused this spirit to become what you saw ripped it apart from the inside out in doing so, and it has left it incredibly unstable.”

What do you mean ‘unstable’?”

It feels as though it’s only hanging on by a thread, as if its mind isn’t all there. I’m also unable to get a clear sense of it. Even now, when I am certain of its location above us, I feel a degree of uncertainty, almost as though its energy is bouncing around between multiple sources at once and being twisted up and manipulated by something. In truth, it almost feels as if it is not one, but multiple spirits.”

Multiple…? No wonder it feels so much worse than Vaatu. Even he was just one spirit.” Korra thought aloud. Raava neither confirmed nor denied the assumption, being that she wasn’t entirely sure herself. “If this thing can eat the chi of humans and spirits though, and it feels like it’s made up of multiple spirits… do you think that maybe everybody it’s ever killed could still be inside it, somewhere? That maybe they managed to take control of it, and that’s why it asked us for our help?”

That would require that it can eat their souls, as well.” Raava pointed out. Korra nodded. Raava fell silent for a moment, thinking it over.

Merging one’s soul with another’s was one thing – that was how she and Wan created the Avatar all those thousands of years ago, after all – but forcibly extracting one and taking it into one’s own was something else entirely. Assuming it could extract a spirit’s or a person’s soul along with their chi, such an unwilling fusion would be inherently unstable. She couldn’t fathom why a spirit would want to do that to itself. But she was beginning to think that maybe Korra was onto something.

“… I do not know for sure. A spirit’s soul and energy are very closely intertwined, so it may very well be consuming the souls of other spirits. But for humans, there’s a certain degree of separation created by their bodies that would make this impossible. This is why it can be difficult for a human to achieve perfect harmony between their mind, body, and spirit. But yes. I suppose that for fellow spirits, it may be possible. I just don’t understand why.” Raava acquiesced with a mixture of confusion and frustration.

So it’s probably just stealing chi when it eats humans, but entire spirits when it eats them…” Korra repeated, her mind beginning to wander. If all this were true, then she couldn’t help but wonder how many spirits it’d eaten in its lifetime, and how intact they were inside of it, if at all. But if there was anything left behind, then maybe that was what caused the Chi Eater to reach out to her like that. Maybe that was the key to bringing it down. Raava continued, pulling Korra back from her thoughts.

It is drawing tremendous amounts of power from all the chi that it has eaten, that much I can tell for certain, but it seems barely able to contain it all. I just can’t understand why a spirit, of all creatures, would seek such destructive capability at the expense of its own soul. It seems more like something your kind would seek to do… no offense.”

Korra laughed. “No, I agree, I’ve been thinking the same thing. Everything I’ve seen and heard about this spirit seems strangely human to me, even the way it seemed to be taunting us with our attacks.” She reassured. “Do you think maybe a human could have corrupted it somehow, and that’s why it’s acting so weird? Like Unalaq did during Harmonic Convergence?”

No. That man’s technique simply promotes the flow of positive or negative chi within a spirit. It can purify one that’s been corrupted by bringing its positive chi back to the surface, helping it regain control of itself and purge itself of its impurities, or calming it should it be angered. Or, it can promote the flow of negative chi and mess with a spirit’s mental fortitude, to make it more susceptible to its anger or to an outside influence. Unalaq did not create corrupted spirits, but rather made them more susceptible to Vaatu’s power and influence.”

So, its messed up state is something it did to itself by eating others’ chi, then?”

More than likely, yes. I cannot conceive of a way a human could corrupt a spirit in the manner you are suggesting. While its behavior is certainly strange, it is probably the spirit’s own.”

Korra frowned. That meant it probably wasn’t the Chi Eater itself that was calling out to her, though even Raava couldn’t seem to say for sure. But whatever had prompted it to do that, it only made her more determined. “Either way, if this theory’s right, and it really has been eating spirits’ souls, then maybe if I pin it down, I can use Unalaq’s purification ritual to bring them to the surface. Maybe they can help undo the damage that it’s done to itself. Maybe I’ll be able to not only stop it, but save it from completely destroying itself, too.”

If it were possible, Raava would’ve been smiling right now. It touched her soul to see such kindness in her Avatars. Even after all it had done and all the grief it had caused her, Korra was talking about saving the Chi Eater as opposed to killing it, though she knew her avatar had resolved herself to do just that, should she need to. Raava was proud of her. She just wished she knew if such a thing were truly possible.

Korra… you are very kind, but I don’t know if what reached out to you is fully sentient anymore. I don’t even know if it was the Chi Eater itself or an echo of the spirits it has eaten. But even if the Chi Eater can be purified, even if it was the one that called out to you and you can somehow save it from what it’s done to itself, the spirits it has eaten may no longer be salvageable, let alone complete.” Raava warned. Korra nodded sadly.

I know… but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try. Something inside of it begged us for our help. I can’t just ignore that without doing something.” Korra declared. Raava happily agreed.

Then let us go, Korra. Let us save this sad spirit from its suffering, in whatever way we can.”

In that moment, Korra’s consciousness returned to her body, her eyes snapping open. She could hear the sounds of everybody bending above and wondered how long she had spent meditating. According to Tenzin, when she connected with the Chi Eater, it didn’t seem to take any time at all, even though for her it felt like a couple of minutes, at least. Korra could only hope it was the same with Raava and she hadn’t left her friends to fend for themselves for too long.

Armed with what she felt to be a better understanding of her enemy, Korra was more determined than ever to put a stop to the Chi Eater’s rampage. She shook off the head-ringing pain of yet another scream and rose back to her feet. Taking a deep breath, she jumped back into the water she’d been knocked into earlier. Diving as deep as she could, Korra switched into the Avatar state at the bottom of ‘the drink’.

Bending the water around her into a violently rotating vortex beneath her, Korra ascended high into the air until she was overlooking the entire pro bending arena. From there she could see Tenzin, Ravi, Bolin and Ryuuki struggling to lay a hit on the ever-elusive Chi Eater, the corrupted spirit making use of its malleable body to weave and contort around almost every attack thrown in its direction.

The only one who seemed to be making any headway was Ravi, whose continuous bending of earthen discs was entirely ignored by the Chi Eater until he started aiming for its head, trying to distract it long enough that somebody else could land a substantial hit. Thankfully, it was enough to provide cover for Bolin, who was now making his way around the spirit in order to blindside it with his Lavabending. He could only hope this would prove more effective than their Earthbending.

He had two Earthbending discs floating behind his back, and liquefied them into lava when he was sure he was out of the creature’s line of sight. He was hoping that from behind it, with everyone else keeping it busy from the front (and Ryu from above, who had suddenly appeared screaming something about how the Chi Eater ruined his mover night), he’d be able to lop off its tail or maybe a limb or two before it realized he’d disappeared. Unfortunately for him, however, it didn’t need to see him to know exactly where he was.

As it had with Korra at the start of the fight, the creature could feel Bolin’s chi before he even used it to bend, following him with minimal difficulty as he tried to creep around it. Then, just when Bolin thought that maybe he had given it the slip, the Chi Eater lashed out with its tail, catching him in its grip before he could throw an attack, and Bolin released his hold. As he was swung up into the air by the dark spirit’s tail, the discs re-solidified and fell harmlessly to the ground.

The Chi Eater was intending to smash him face-first into the ring when it suddenly took notice of the massive amount of chi welling up behind it. It had missed Korra’s sudden emergence from the water. The spirit’s eyes traveled around its ‘head’ to glare in the Avatar’s direction, and upon catching sight of her, it uncoiled its tail, letting Bolin fall helplessly to the ground. Thankfully, Ryu caught him in a cushion of air before he was hurt.

Tenzin, Ravi and Ryuuki, meanwhile, prepared to attack in unison, hoping to capitalize on its attention on Korra to do some sort of damage to it. But the Chi Eater replied with the leisurely swing of an arm, a movement accompanied by a terrible shockwave not unlike Airbending that knocked the three benders off of their feet. The spirit looked on with fascination as Korra lowered to be about level with the ring, now carrying with her two more waterspout-like constructions on either side of her.

It seemed amused by her tenacity, and even more so by the fact that she thought she could hurt it, and its body turned around independent of its head so that it could properly face her. Screaming defiantly, it challenged her to come, and she screamed right back at it in turn, sending the two waterspouts careening into the Chi Eater with incredible force. Excited by the prospect of dueling the Avatar, it made no efforts to avoid her attack.

The twin vortexes raged louder than a waterfall, turning into drills that were meant to bore deep into the Chi Eater’s body, and the spirit welcomed the Avatar’s challenge. The first met resistance from the Chi Eater’s left hand, its arm swinging up to catch it before it could collide with its body, gripping onto it tight. The water drilled violently into its palm, inky black flecks of its ‘flesh’ being torn apart and strewn about by the force, but it had managed to stop a clean hit.

Then came the second attack, even quicker than the first. The Chi Eater tried to catch it too with its right arm, but to no avail, and it connected directly with its side. It ripped into the spirit’s body and managed to push its large form, forcing the first vortex deeper into its left hand. So deep, in fact, that it pierced through entirely, the first drill connecting with the spirit’s opposite side so that it was now being pressured from both.

But the Chi Eater showed no fear, accepting each blow as if to taunt the Avatar again. A low, grumbling, laughter-like sound took the place of what should have been screams, and the Chi Eater collapsed into a formless black puddle on the ground.

“What?!” Korra yelped in surprise, the puddle slinking away while her drills collided harmlessly with one another, canceling each other out. The water pooled naturally in and around the grates built into the ring for pro benders, grates which the Chi Eater puddle ignored. Then, it simply willed itself back into being, the puddle rising back into the spirit’s distorted body, and the top of its head – its mouth – opening up.

At first, Korra stood motionless in her cyclone, staring, the shock of the Chi Eater’s method of escape having pushed her out of the Avatar State and into a stunned state of disbelief. But then she saw the light that had appeared deep in the creature’s ‘throat’, and the brightening glow around the tips of its petal-like jaws. It was aiming itself directly at Korra, and an all-too familiar feeling was filling the air.

She knew what was coming, but was astonished that the Chi Eater could manage it. Perhaps all the chi it had eaten had given it more power after all, an endless well of energy to call upon whenever things got too sticky. Or maybe it was a trait it just happened to share with Vaatu as a similarly ‘ancient and powerful’ spirit. Whatever the case, it was bad – very, very bad.

As energy pooled into the core of the Chi Eater’s body, the spirit began to bloat and distort, inflating and sizzling in places as though it were barely able to contain all of the power it was building up. The glow from its core grew brighter and brighter while the creature tracked a terrified Korra’s movements as she tried to escape from the dark spirit’s sights. Then, it attacked.

She had just barely managed to throw herself out of harm’s way and onto the ring when a blinding blue beam of pure spiritual energy was discharged from the Chi Eater’s form, a devastating blast on par with anything Vaatu or Kuvira’s weapon had ever managed to dish out. It collided with the stands and the wall at the opposite end of the arena, vaporizing all it came into contact with, and a deafening thunderous rumble reverberated through the building as the beam slowly tapered off in conclusion.

The large, smoldering hole left in its wake was slightly wider than expected, showing that it had still tried to follow the Avatar’s movements while she jumped out of its way. Not only could it manage to fire off Spirit Beams, it was also capable of at least slightly directing their ire while doing so.

Korra and her friends were left terrified and speechless while the spirit was left reeling from the effects of its own attack. It was literally recomposing itself while she, Ravi, Ryu, Ryuuki, Bolin and Tenzin – all panting and at their wits end – tried to come up with a new plan of attack. The Chi Eater’s glow had also dimmed considerably and ceased pulsating while it rebuilt the missing pieces of its body, transforming pure spiritual energy into matter using its vast reserves of chi.

“Ohhh, this isn’t looking too good for us…” Ryuuki thought aloud, staggering backwards a couple of steps after seeing what it had just done to the VIP balcony. To call the situation dire would have been an understatement. They were desperately in need of more benders, but Ryuuki was beginning to wonder if any number of them would be able to make a difference.

“Korra, please tell me you and Raava came up with a plan…” Tenzin begged, keeping his wide eyes focused on the Chi Eater as its head finished reforming. It had now turned its body back around to face them, the blue glow returning to its usual brightness once its eyes reappeared. It was already good to go for round two.

“…Sort of… I have an idea, at least. We just need to keep this thing pinned down long enough that I can try it.” Korra replied. It wasn’t exactly reassuring, but it was something. It was also easier said than done. Seeing as nothing they had thrown at it had fazed it so far, pinning it down seemed like the least likely outcome of this battle. Worse still, she had already missed a perfect opportunity to try and purify it with Unalaq’s technique while it was rebuilding itself.

Her fear had gotten the best of her, and now the spirit was poised to attack once again, growling low. Bolin liquefied two more Earthbending discs behind him in preparation for a counterattack while Korra and the rest of her friends prepared themselves for whatever was coming, when suddenly a bolt of lightning collided with the spirit’s back.

The Chi Eater screamed, not with an attack, but out of agony, arching its body and taking a few steps forward in pain. A hole had been burned into its back, and unlike any of the attacks from before, this one was taking a while for the Chi Eater to heal. It was reaching back to grab its wound, pieces of its flesh dripping from its fingertips and into the hole, slowly beginning the process of closing it up.

Taking this as their opportunity to join the fray, Mako and Lin swung in on one of the police chief’s metal cables, landing just a few feet in front of Korra and co and taking up position alongside them. They finally got their first good, long look at the Chi Eater while doing so.

“Sorry we’re late, but Raiko and the others are safe now.” Mako announced, his eyes fixed onto the Chi Eater. He was already taking notes about how he might be able to fight it. Most importantly, it seemed to be vulnerable to lightning.

Korra was relieved to hear that everyone was safe, but confused that Mako had actually managed to actually get a hit in. Before he had shown up, the Chi Eater didn’t seem to have any problem tracking and predicting everybody around it, but now it seemed to be struggling to keep up. Was it simply distracted by them, or did it have something to do with that Spirit Beam it had just fired off?

Spirits , that is one ugly mother…” Lin remarked, visibly disgusted by the unusual form of her first dark spirit encounter. So this was what had killed all of her men outside, was it?

“Lin! Did anybody die in that last attack? My kids, are they okay? What about Pema?” Tenzin asked, immediately bombarding her with questions before she had even managed to get her bearings.

“They’re fine, don’t worry. I left them and Asami in charge of the evacuees as soon as that last attack tore through the building. We’re lucky it went over everybody’s heads, but we can’t let it fire off any more in case it gets lucky.”

“Or worse, damages more of the city.” Mako tacked on.

“Ha… ha…” With its sudden laughter, everybody’s focus returned to the Chi Eater. Labored and guttural though it was, this was perhaps its clearest response yet. It apparently found something about the situation it found itself in – eight against one, now – fairly amusing. “Now this… is fun…” It struggled, a chill running down Korra’s spine as it spoke. Something about its voice seemed familiar to her.

“Long time… this many benders… and Avatar …” It had faced the Avatar before? Though its speech was fragmented and inexperienced, that certainly seemed to be what it was implying. “You all die… become part of Us …” It wished, pointing to the eight benders gathered in front of it. While most of them shrunk back in fear, with notable exception to Lin and Ravi, Korra stepped forward defiantly, demanding answers.

“Why are you doing this?!” She began, clearly unfazed by the Chi Eater’s declaration. The spirit seemed impressed. “You have to know what all of this is doing to your body, your soul… why are you stealing spirits’ and humans’ chi and absorbing it into yourself?” Though her voice was firm, it was also tinged with concern, something that had caught Ryuuki’s attention in particular. She wasn’t actually trying to reason with this thing, was she? But the Chi Eater laughed, its eyes refusing to look in the Avatar’s direction as it mustered up an answer.

“Need not know… only die.” With its intentions made clear, the hole in its back completely closed up, the Chi Eater’s form shifting slightly. Spiky protrusions sprung out of its back and down along where its spine would be, and the spindly portions of its limbs suddenly bulked up with a pulse of energy – though its joints still seemed unusually thin. Its tail extended slightly, growing somewhat thicker in the process, and the mouth-like pattern on its body grew more jagged.

It seemed to be trying to make itself appear more threatening, or possibly redirecting more of its chi into powering up its body. Whatever the case, it clearly wasn’t keen on giving any answers. Korra was just going to have to fight and pray that Unalaq’s Spiritbending technique could pacify and purify this thing. Slamming the ring with its tail, the Chi Eater shook the platform, and the battle had officially resumed.

Everybody was summarily knocked off their feet, and an incoming physical attack was quickly diverted by the combined power of Korra, Ryu and Tenzin’s Airbending, catching the Chi Eater and throwing it off to the side. It refused to be knocked off of the ring however, stiffening its tail and shooting it into the ring to keep it anchored and pulling itself back down with another quake concurrent with its landing.

“Everybody keep putting pressure on it, we have to try and pin it down!” Korra shouted, getting back up and running in the Chi Eater’s direction. In response to Korra’s call to arms, the false mouth patterned on the Chi Eater’s body morphed into a grin. It would like to see them try.

Mako, Bolin and Ryuuki immediately ran to back up Korra, but Ravi, Lin and the Airbenders stayed behind, at least at first. Ravi in particular seemed to have turned his focus elsewhere, grabbing Lin’s attention before she ran off to join in the fight, too.

“Chief Beifong, you’re a pretty strong Earthbender, right?” He asked. She almost seemed offended by the question. Ravi laughed at the look on her face; it was all the response he needed. “It seems we’ve got ourselves a nasty little bug here. Think you could help me find something to crush it with?” Ravi motioned his head over to the area of the arena the Chi Eater had already heavily damaged with its Spirit Beam, and Lin immediately caught on to what he was getting at.

“I like the way you think. Should be doable.” She smirked. It wasn’t going to be easy with just the two of them, but if the others could keep it busy, maybe it wouldn’t notice them taking out a massive piece of the stadium – balconies, seats and all – and readied to drop it on the disgusting thing. The two Earthbenders shared a nod and headed off for the stands, leaving the Chi Eater to the rest of their friends for now.

Two large blasts of air followed up Korra’s most recent attack from her right and left sides, Ryu and Tenzin releasing all the power they could muster in the spirit’s direction. It raised its arms in front of it to guard against the attack, sliding back a couple inches. Momentary dents were left in its ‘flesh’, but it appeared otherwise unharmed.

“Air… weak…” It retorted, swatting Ryu and Tenzin away with a swing of its arm.

Korra managed to duck in time, and Bolin and Ryuuki were out of its range, but Tenzin and Ryu bore the brunt of it, an invisible shockwave sweeping the two of them off their feet and throwing them clear across the ring. But they quickly got back up and continued bending, hitting it with blast after blast, trying to keep up the pressure.

At the same time, Korra, Mako and Ryuuki started Firebending together in unison, the roar of their flames adding to the consistent barrage of pressurized air, prompting the Chi Eater to shield itself with its arms again. Though it was weathering the attacks, it wasn’t doing too well countering under constant fire. Meanwhile, Lin and Ravi had already managed to dislodge a sizable piece of the stadium.

Thankfully, the Chi Eater had its back to them and didn’t see it, but Korra did, and she almost couldn’t believe her eyes at the sight of it. Those two really were something. In that moment, she, Mako and Ryuuki shared the same idea, resolving to keep the Chi Eater distracted and focused on their bending while Ravi and Lin did their thing.

The Chi Eater growled, the steady barrage of Air and Fire beginning to have an effect. It had completely lost sight of Bolin at this point and could barely focus on its surroundings under all of the pressure, and it was starting to lose patience. The wounds that were being left were shallow at best, but they were definitely distracting. The Chi Eater was forced to withdraw into itself as it had apparently bit off a bit more than it could chew, unable to escape the steady stream of attacks as easily as it had assumed.

Then, the benders stopped, trading out repeated blasts of fire for a seamless transition into steady streams instead, intending to keep the spirit pinned down and coiling in on itself while Lin and Ravi’s trump card inched ever closer. They were visibly straining to move the massive chunk of stone, but it was more than half way there, now.

While the Chi Eater suffered under their flames, Korra couldn’t help but be amazed by Ryuuki’s, whose color she hadn’t noted up until now. “Blue…?” She asked, surprised not only by the hue of his flames, but also by the explosiveness of his prior blasts and the intense heat that radiated from his stream. Even from a good ten feet away, the heat that she felt radiating off of Ryuuki’s flames was as intense at ten feet as an ordinary Firebender’s were at ten inches.

“You know a Lavabender, and blue fire is what surprises you?” Ryuuki asked with a smirk, turning up the heat as he doubled down on the Chi Eater.

“It’s rare, but it happens. I’ve never actually seen it before, but rumor has it Lord Zuko’s sister had it too.” Mako remarked from Korra’s other side.

“No relation,” Ryuuki quickly asserted. “But the hair and eyes make sense now, eh?” He grinned. His hair was clearly Varri-dyed, yeah, but his eyes were fake too? Varri-contacts or something, maybe? Korra had heard about something similar before, but they were still pretty rare. “We can chat about the fire color spectrum later though, I think we just pissed this thing off!”

Immediately following Ryuuki’s warning, the Chi Eater retaliated, roaring in anger and swatting away the sea of fire that had been licking its flesh until now. The three Firebenders braced themselves for impact as another wave of distorted air rushed straight for them, colliding with their arms and chests and knocking them off of their feet once again. But this alone wouldn’t be enough to save the Chi Eater from their assault, as Bolin launched his attack from behind them.

He had been waiting for the right moment to attack, and he figured this was it. Judging by its surprised reaction, the Chi Eater hadn’t even noticed that he had been standing there, caught completely off guard as the Lavabent discs were swung into its flesh. Spinning rapidly like saws, they were aimed for the spirit’s left arm and tail, and both were direct hits.

The Chi Eater shrieked in pain, the first of Bolin’s discs digging itself half-way into its bulked up arm, while the second succeeded in lopping its tail clean off. Enraged, the creature arched its back and quickly lunged forward like it had with Korra earlier, letting out a second, even louder scream intent on shattering every bone in Bolin’s body. It was a shock wave more powerful, and hence visible, than any before.

“WOAH CRAP!” Bolin yelped, shutting his eyes and raising his arms in front of him in defense. He had pulled up a few pro bending discs in front of as added support, but didn’t think they would be of much help. But before the shockwave could hit, a sudden burst of air from his right sent him flying out of the way of the Chi Eater’s attack and sliding across the ring. It was a bit of a rough landing, and he was probably bruised now, but it was better than being shattered like a glass figurine. “Ugh, thanks Ryu…” Bolin groaned, standing back up.

“Whatever, just don’t let up!” The Airbender replied, uncharacteristically, but understandably, pumped up given the circumstances. Bolin simply nodded, calling yet another two discs and superheating them with a thought. It seemed that his element was perfect for really laying the hurt onto this thing. While this was definitely good news for the benders, it also meant that for Bolin, the Chi Eater would likely be a lot more focused on him than it was before.

“Annoying… bugs…” The Chi Eater snarled, visibly growing frustrated. These humans were unnaturally persistent. Bolin was now coming at it from its right, and Tenzin and Ryu were volleying it with powerful Airbending blasts from its left in preparation for this, trying to push it in the Lavabender’s direction. More dents were left in the benders’ wake, and it was gradually shoved closer to Bolin, who had now combined his two lava discs into one larger, even faster rotating one.

Then, Mako and Ryuuki applied more pressure from the Chi Eater’s front, channeling and then firing bolts of lightning at its head while Korra briefly accessed the Avatar State to bring up another watery drill like she had earlier on. The Chi Eater seemed less prone to dodging now, and it had been wounded at least twice. She was hopeful her attack would have more of an effect this time. What’s more, Ravi and Lin had finally managed to levitate their chunk of the arena over the Chi Eater’s head – a fact that did not go unnoticed by the dark spirit.

“Weak…” It declared, allowing the Lightning, Lava and Water to impact its body. That giant slab of concrete was a far more pressing matter in its mind, and it appeared to be too dense for it to be shattered with another scream. So the spirit accepted the two shallow holes burned into its head, and allowed Bolin’s disc to start ripping into its side. It even let Korra use her drill to pressure it into Bolin’s Lavabending for added effect, deciding that the best option right now would be to just move out of the way.

The Chi Eater grabbed Bolin’s disc, digging its hand into its side and tearing the liquefied rock from its own ‘flesh’. Then, it fired its hand from its arm, like some sort of projectile, sacrificing it to turn the lava against one of its opponents. Its body began to blur and distort, and it prepared to dart to its right in order avoid being crushed.

But it couldn’t.

The Chi Eater grunted in confusion and Korra flashed a cocky smirk, motioning with her head for the Chi Eater to look down. Her earlier Waterbending attack may not have been successful at first, but it had filled the Waterbending channels within the ring without the Chi Eater giving it a second thought. Unbeknownst to the spirit, she’d planned for this all along.

Korra had expected it to try to evade Lin and Ravi’s attack and had transformed this water into ice, cementing the spirit into place by holding it down at its feet. She was simultaneously bending it along with the water, the frost crawling further up its form. The layer was just thick enough that it had no time to break free. Ravi and Lin had released their hold and the Chi Eater braced itself for what was to come.

As the enormous block of cement crashed down, the entirety of the man-made island shook, and a huge cloud of dust rose from the rubble. In truth, they were lucky the support pillars didn’t collapse underneath them.

Though the dust had yet to settle, it seemed to have been effective. The Chi Eater was smashed, pieces of its body splattered on the the debris. But they knew better than to celebrate - against a spirit, no amount of concussive force would be able to bring it down. At the very least, they hoped the impact would keep it down long enough for Korra to do her thing. Knowing they had no time to lose, and that they couldn’t take their eyes off of it, Korra and the two Airbenders cleared all the resulting dust from the area.

“Everybody stay on guard, that’s not going to kill it!” Korra warned. As the dust cleared away, her intuition was proven correct – the Chi Eater was already starting to reform.

An inky black goo with that same azure glow was beginning to ooze its way through the cracks and spaces in-between the debris. It slowly gathered  into a singular lump at the center in which a featureless blue eye blinked furiously. Its glow seemed to be absent.

It had been rendered weak enough for Korra to finally try and perform the purification ritual while it was struggling to pull itself back together. As she pulled up water from below, a high-pitched, glass like hum resonated through the air. A golden yellow glow ran along the streams of water, swirling around the pile of rubble in a double helix formation. The battlefield was quiet now, surrounded in a solemn atmosphere, and Korra’s eyes flashed white. The ritual had begun.

“Gigigigigigigigi...” The Chi Eater clicked, its reformation stuttering and slowing in response to Korra’s technique. It could feel its energy shifting slightly in response to this power, just as Korra could in turn feel what Raava meant about the spirit’s energy seeming to be twisted up and manipulated. The pain that she had felt every time it drew near suddenly made sense. There was far more spiritual power knotted up in its core than she could ever have imagined. It really did feel like it was made up of multiple spirits.

Korra grit her teeth and dug in her heels. This twisted up energy was making it especially difficult for her Spiritbending to work. It should have been a simple process of promoting positive energy and hindering negative, but she couldn’t tell where one energy pathway ended and another began. They stopped and started and skipped over segments she could’ve sworn were one in the same, and all of it felt a little different from the rest.

She was doing her best to guide the spirit’s energy, but it had effectively cocooned itself within the chi of others. Puzzle solving wasn’t exactly Korra’s forte, but she was persistent. If Asami could do it, why couldn’t she? She dug in deeper and continued to push, to try and resolve the chaos, but to no avail. This was getting her nowhere, and she didn’t have much time before it reformed. Giving up, she decided to switch gears. If she couldn’t do it that way, she’d do it hers.

Choosing to stop trying to navigate the mess of energies, she condensed the watery helix and dove deeper down into the creature until she’d found what she thought to be its core, the spirit at the center of it all. She was trying her hardest to coax it into a more docile state, hoping to approach the creature to get a better chance at extracting its ill-gotten chi. To be honest, Korra wasn’t sure she would make it. She was hoping for help from Raava, or even the Chi Eater itself, at least whatever parts of it called out to her for help earlier.

Every one had expected it to have stopped moving by now, but defiantly, its form continued to ooze up from beneath the debris, as if Korra’s technique wasn’t having any effect on it at all. In fact, the creature was so strong-willed, it actually seemed to be bending its own energy back faster than Korra could heal it! It was retangling knots where she chose to untangle and corrupting positive energy when she gave up and went for it directly. What’s more, its reformation was speeding up.

This was exactly what Korra was afraid of. It stole others’ chi through Energybending, after all – it made sense that it would be able to resist and bend its own energy in whatever way it wanted. She was starting to feel desperate, wondering if Unalaq’s technique alone was really going to be enough.

Her mind began to race, trying to understand how to counter this. Spiritbending was, technically speaking, a form of Energybending, performed through  Waterbending by those who could heal. But unlike pure Energybending, which involved the wills and spirits of those involved, Spiritbending was a passive technique which simply promoted the flow of positive energy through chi manipulation, having little to no actual force behind it.

Against most spirits, it worked perfectly fine. But the Chi Eater wasn’t like most spirits. It was an angry, human-like, and dangerously powerful Energybender, making it next to impossible to bring positive energy to the surface. If she wanted to get anywhere, then Korra was going to have to Energybend right back at it and force it to comply, whether it wanted to or not.

The idea scared her. She had never really bent energy in this way before. The closest thing she had done was bending a beam of spiritual energy like another one of the elements, ripping open a new Spirit Portal in the process. Trying to reach in and manipulate the energy of another being was uncharted territory for her, but she knew it was possible.

Now that she knew she could connect with the Chi Eater’s soul from afar, there was no need to make physical contact like Aang had with Ozai and Yakone. Since a spirit is little more than a mass of spiritual energy, she would be able to bend it much more directly.

Trying to keep her focus, she reviewed her options. Unlike Kuvira’s cannon, the Chi Eater was a mass of energy with a will of its own, and it wasn’t going to go down without a fight. It could Energybend, too, and by connecting to its soul, Korra would be opening a pathway that would leave her vulnerable to attacks. It was incredibly risky, but the only move she could think of. She would just have to trust in her abilities as a bender, and in Raava. Knowing she could fall back on her at any time now left her feeling much more confident than she would’ve been otherwise.

According to what Tenzin had learned from Aang and passed down to her, this type of Energybending came down to a battle of wills. The one with the strongest will and purest heart would overtake the other as the weaker one’s energy yielded to their command. The Chi Eater was frighteningly powerful, and it had well over a thousand years of experience, but Korra was the Avatar. She couldn’t afford to back down from the challenge. And besides, she had Raava with her, too. She wouldn’t be doing this alone.

Closing her eyes, Korra gathered all of the strength she had left, and on reopening them, they were filled with an infinitely bright light. Dust and debris around her flew away in a small burst of energy, and she stared the Chi Eater down with renewed vigor. Korra and Raava were now one, and they had no intention of losing.

With the battle of wills begun, Korra’s expression hardened as she Spiritbent and Energybent simultaneously. The Chi Eater caught on immediately and ceased reconstruction to focus on defending itself, instead. Maybe it could fight back against Korra’s spirit alone, but in the Avatar State, hers and Raava’s spirits combined would be enough to overpower it. Or so she hoped.

The Chi Eater technically wasn’t alone either, but the spirits inside of it weren’t particularly keen on helping it, assuming they were intact enough to do anything in the first place. But more than that, Korra  somehow got the vibe that the Chi Eater’s actions were almost… desperate , in a way. Like it had to do this, or something worse would happen to it.

The more Korra focused in on bending its energy, the stronger that impression  became, and it worried her. There was nothing more dangerous than a desperate predator. But she couldn’t afford to back down. Not now.

“Yield…” Korra commanded in frustration, her voice intertwined with Raava’s.

The others had backed away to the other edge of the platform, catching their breath, looking on in tense silence. This was way over their heads now. There was nothing they could do but watch and pray that the Avatar could conquer the Chi Eater. It didn’t take a genius to recognize she was struggling, however, and it didn’t exactly put them at ease. Sweat poured down Korra’s face and her teeth threatened to crack under the pressure with which she clenched them. She was fighting a war on multiple fronts and she had no clue how long she would be able to manage it.

“Yield!” She repeated, firmer this time, increasing the pressure she was putting on the spirit. Guided by Raava, Korra drowned out everyone and everything else around her, the world going black until it was just her and the Chi Eater again, but it continued to fight back tooth and nail with an increasing sense of fear and desperation. She began to catch glimpses of the Chi Eater’s thoughts, feelings and memories, their spirits connecting more and more the longer they fought for control.

Korra and Raava’s focus intensified, rage building inside of them as they barely clung to their collective individuality.

“Give up already, would you?!” Ryuuki cried out, looking especially frustrated. “Don’t make us beat your ass down again!”

Bolin gulped, the most worried of the group. He could only watch on helplessly as Korra struggled to bend the healing water around the dark spirit.

Finally, the Chi Eater began to show signs of weakness. The pulsating blue glow that surrounded it was dimming, and pieces of the spirit’s flesh were visibly changing from inky black to golden yellow. It was working.

“Gigigigigigigigi…” The Chi Eater continued to clatter as its form shifted and contorted against its will, jagged and forced like one’s movements caught in Bloodbending. Suddenly, the convulsion stopped and its body froze, sustained in an impossible state. It looked as though time within the confines of the battle had come to a stop. The only indication that the Avatar hadn’t invented Timebending was the strange clicking sound that still emanated from the defeated spirit.

Exiting the Avatar State, Korra let out a sigh of relief and grinned, confident. She could feel its rage relenting, its positive chi increasing. She could–

“GIHIHIHIHIHIHIHI…” The clicking was stronger, for some reason, more distinct… more vocalized. It was beginning to sound like a laugh. Korra’s confidence flickered. Something within the Chi Eater was changing, something neither Korra or Raava had expected.

“GIHIHIHIHAHAHIAHAHIAHHHAHAIHA…” Korra wasn’t grinning anymore. Where did all of this new strength come from?!

Her progress was fading, the yellow glow was reversing faster and faster, and the pulsating blue one from before had come back with a vengeance, stronger and brighter than before. She couldn’t control anything anymore.

Raava roared from the furthest depths of Korra’s consciousness.

Korra, look out!”

She barely had time to understand what was happening. A sudden explosion of pure negative energy shot out from the Chi Eater in what looked like a dome of black electricity. It stretched out and overtook Korra’s Spiritbending water, freezing, shattering, and boiling it away in an instant. It’d canceled out not only the passive influence of the Avatar’s healing, but the active influence of her Energybending, as well, as she’d been using the water as a medium for both.

Thankfully, Korra had pulled back at the last possible instant, heeding Raava’s warning and retreating before whatever pieces of her spirit that were left inside of that water could be consumed by the negative chi.

Unfortunately, this didn’t save her entirely. As the powerful wave of negative energy washed over her body, Korra’s connection to Raava was forcibly cut off. She couldn’t feel the light spirit’s energy anymore. Before she could call out to her to try and reconnect, inky black tendrils pierced through the rubble, missing her by an inch and catching her by surprise. For a moment they just stood there, stiff, but then they began vibrating wildly, and as they did, she and her friends were thrown off their feet by an invisible, evil force.

Korra’s head hit the floor hard. Groaning and rubbing its back, she tried to wrap her head around what the hell had just happened. Not only had a part of the Chi Eater somehow escaped her technique and bent its energy back regardless of the power of the Avatar State, she could feel that it had gained a tremendous boost in power in the process.

But there was more. Korra was overwhelmed by a fear like she hadn’t felt since Zaheer, fear that wasn’t hers. She wasn’t sure who that fear belonged to, what it belonged to, but it appeared as soon as the Chi Eater bent its energy back, along with a second, entirely distinct energy signature. To Korra, that could only mean one thing: there was an entirely separate, second spirit perfectly intertwined with the Chi Eater!

“Weak… humans are… Avatar are…” The Chi Eater taunted. With exception to Korra, the benders grew despondent. But Korra was intrigued. She was starting to connect the dots.

The way she thought it looked sick when she first saw it… the erratic way it’d been acting since the start of the battle…its strangely human behavior…

As she wondered how all of this could relate to the sudden emergence of a second spirit inside of it, Korra gasped. What if… what if the Chi Eater had been infected with somebody else’s energy? A human’s energy.

Raava seemed sincere when she said it was likely that the spirits it consumed were no longer intact, so this couldn’t have been something it’d done to itself, accidentally or otherwise. But if somebody else had forced a foreign energy into it – their energy – then suddenly everything about this spirit made more sense.

It would mean that the spirit that’d called out to her was the real Chi Eater, while that second spirit inside of it that was trying to kill her was whoever had ‘infected’ it a thousand years ago. She had no clue if she was on the right track, if any of this were even possible or how, but, the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to explain everything.

Unfortunately, if that second spirit was as powerful as she feared, she would have no choice but to kill the Chi Eater and any other spirits or their fragments that may have been trapped inside of it, all at once. But Korra was adamant in her desire to try and save it. There had to be another way.

As she jumped back onto her feet, Korra narrowed her eyes. The Chi Eater seemed to be attempting a monologue. That was never a good sign.

“Clever… they try… fail…” The Chi Eater continued, a dark puddle appearing beneath Korra’s feet.

“What?!” She cried out, her eyes going wide as she felt a disgustingly evil presence surround her. When did it…?

“And… they die…”

Korra had no chance to escape before the puddle came to life and sprang up around her, trapping her inside of a dome of darkness. She threw fire at it in a panic, but nothing happened. Then terror washed over her as innumerable bright blue eyes blinked open all along the dome’s surface, glowing and gathering energy just like the Chi Eater had when it fired that first spirit beam. It was going to completely annihilate her, and there was nothing she could do.

She knew that no amount of bending was going to get her out of here. They’d been doing that the whole time to no effect, and she could already feel all her friends trying to penetrate it from the outside, anyway. It was just too strong. There was only one other thing she could think to do, one other way she might be able to get herself out of this, and – if she was lucky – take out the Chi Eater in the process. She just hoped she could manage it.

As the eyes became blinding, Korra tuned out her fear and focused on her connection to the light spirit inside of her.

“Raava, help me…” She whispered.

“Good… bye…”

In that instant, a deafening silence filled the battlefield. All of the eyes on the dome went wide, countless blue beams of searing hot spiritual energy shooting at Korra from every direction.

Beams which had slowed to a crawl as soon as her eyes went white.

Korra had jumped back into the Avatar State for a third time in the hopes of repeating that miracle from the battle with Kuvira, to bend the energy around her before it turned her to dust. And it was working.

When the beams should have collided with Korra’s body, they turned sharply and swirled, instead, gathering around the Avatar like a cocoon of light without ever actually making contact with her. As they accumulated, the energy swirled faster and faster, the heat within the ‘cocoon’ becoming almost unbearable.

From the outside, the Chi Eater’s trap had started to visibly bubble and expand. The energy bent around the Avatar was growing exponentially in size, and the Chi Eater couldn’t stop from feeding into it. It hadn’t been prepared for this. Not in the slightest.

“Energy… bender… … strong…” The spirit lamented.

Cracks of light began to appear along the surface of the dome, and everybody who had been attacking it immediately stopped. Fearing it was about to explode, they turned and ran for cover instead. The Chi Eater feared the same. It had gravely underestimated what Korra was capable of.

“ENOUGH!” Korra screamed, finally forcing the energy collected around her back into the Chi Eater itself, ripping it apart in an explosion of pure spiritual energy that shook the entire man-made island the arena stood upon, as well as part of the city. The spirit screamed out in agony, blasted apart from the inside-out by one of its own attacks.

Having concentrated all of the energy back into the Chi Eater specifically, nothing of what had collected around Korra remained. The rebound had vaporized any trace of the sad, sickly spirit, while whatever remained of the energy was being dispersed by Korra, who was floating now a foot above the floor. She was diffusing the energy like a Firebender did with their flames, mitigating the damage to the arena. It was an act that was almost instinctual; she didn’t want to hurt her friends or rip open another spirit portal.

The end result was what looked like a million bright blue snowflakes drifting down from above. They gradually faded away before ever reaching the ground.

Inhaling and exhaling deeply, Korra closed her eyes. Back to her usual self, she fell onto her hands and knees. That’d definitely taken a lot out of her.

“Korra!” Mako yelled, throwing aside the piece of debris he had been hiding behind to go check on his friend. Thankfully, she seemed to be okay – just incredibly exhausted.

“Is it over…?” Bolin wondered aloud, also coming out from where he had been hiding. Everybody else soon followed suit. Bolin watched the flecks of light drift away, impressed – Korra seemed to be getting better and better at this whole Energybending thing. There wasn’t a new hole punched into the fabric of reality this time or anything!

With Mako’s help, Korra struggled back onto her feet, turning her head to face Bolin. She smiled. They were okay. She did it. “Yeah, I think it’s o–”

She was suddenly interrupted when the huge pile of debris created by Ravi and Lin burst apart, a glowing black blur streaking out of the arena and through the hole it’d burned through its side earlier on. It was still alive!

“Shit, don’t let it escape!!!” Korra shouted. She tried to run, only to stumble and fall from exhaustion, Mako catching her.

“Are you alright?” He asked, helping her up. It was a loaded question. He knew full well that she wasn’t and that she was stubbornly going to deny it, but somebody had to ask.

“Until the Chi Eater’s defeated, let’s just assume no.” She dryly replied. She watched the others run out in pursuit of the Chi Eater, Bolin staying behind to check in on his friend. Seeing she was having trouble standing, he helped his brother hold her up. “I need to get back out there. They can’t stop this thing alone.”

“Korra, you just exploded a spirit. Or… part of one, anyway. At least give yourself a minute to catch your breath!” Bolin insisted. But Korra shook her head. There was no time for that. The Chi Eater was hurt and scared and was probably going to bolt unless somebody got in its way, and she didn’t think those five were going to be enough to stop it.

She could still feel it nearby, and hear the sounds of bending coming from outside. It was all the more reason she needed to get back out there, before somebody got killed.

“I’ll be fine.” Korra stubbornly insisted, thanking Mako and Bolin for their help but removing her arms from their shoulders so she could stand up on her own again. She didn’t care if she had to push past every physical limitation her body may have had. She wasn’t going to let anybody else die tonight.

Still, to think the Chi Eater kept a part of itself hidden beneath the rubble like that, in case something went wrong… it was craftier than she had given it credit for. She should have known a single redirected attack wouldn’t be enough to kill it, but its surprise when she did appeared to be genuine. It had underestimated her. She didn’t get the feeling she would get so lucky again.

Taking a deep breath, Korra tried to relax and recuperate as quickly as possible, using the water that’d been left on the floor around her to heal her wounds. All of this going in and out of the Avatar State was probably not a good idea, but she figured she had at least one more round left in her. Setting her sights on the hole in the side of the arena, her mind had been made up.

“Let’s go. It’s time to finish this.” She declared, more determined now than ever.

Chapter 10: A Night at the Theater, Conclusion

Summary:

The Chi Eater refuses to give up. Wounded and more dangerous than ever, the battle with the monstrous spirit enters into its final stage.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Book 5
Chi

 Chapter 10
A Night at the Theater, Conclusion

 

Outside of the arena, a few hundred feet from the exit, the battle had expanded far beyond anything Korra could have imagined.

The Chi Eater, feeling cornered and afraid for its life, had nearly doubled its mass, giving her friends the fight of their lives while trying to inch ever closer to the city. From this distance, it appeared to be around three times her height now as opposed to two, and the blue that had once surrounded it in a glow now seemed to course through it like veins. If it didn’t look monstrous before, it certainly did now.

It wasn’t just for show, either. Everybody who had stayed out of the battle before to help steer mover attendees to safety had now officially joined in the fray, and the Chi Eater wasn’t very happy about it. But with its recent enhancements, the spirit was keeping up scarily well. Even still, with Tenzin and his kids, Opal and Kai, and every single Beifong bender - even Huan - all hammering away at it, the Chi Eater was left in a much tighter spot.

Combined with Lin, Ravi, Ryu and Ryuuki, who had all left the arena with Tenzin to follow the Chi Eater, they were able to at least keep the spirit in check. But the Chi Eater, enraged though it may have been, appeared undeterred. It was countering every trick they tried on it and holding its own against the relentless onslaught of attacks from just about every element imaginable.

Korra and the brothers looked on in wonder as they ran down the bridge to the mainland, tufts of blue from Ryuuki’s flames lighting up the night. The fires kept both the Chi Eater and the crowd that had formed around them at bay, and already, Korra could see that the ground was overturned and in tatters around them. Cracks ran up the bridge from where the Chi Eater and various bending attacks had impacted, and the Avatar and her friends had to avoid pits and debris as they closed in on the scene.

Airbenders circled above firing volley after deforming volley of compressed air blasts at the Chi Eater, keeping it busy from above while the Earthbenders struck from below with boulders and spires of stone. Perhaps the biggest surprise to Korra though was that even with that monstrous, horrifying thing thrashing about, there were still spectators who wanted to see what would happen. It was as if they’d traded the excitement of the mover for the excitement of the fight, seeing no difference between the two. Thankfully, they were kept back by the chaos and the Airbenders, but Korra still wanted to shake her head at the sight.

All-in-all, it was an impressive display to watch Ryuuki and the others attack from all sides, but it didn’t seem to be any more effective than a swarm of flies buzzing around a badgermole.

Every piece of its spirity flesh they tore from its body, the Chi Eater turned against them. Whatever didn’t become burn-inflicting projectiles ended up morphed into jagged, spiky protrusions shot out at them with incredible speed. And then even when its ‘flesh’ was detached, it was energy that the Chi Eater could bend and command from afar, leaving none of it safe to touch. Its attacks were blocked as best they could have been by Earth, Metal, and Air barriers, but Ryuuki was left to dodge or duck for cover, his flames only able to do so much to shield him.

By the time Korra and the brothers finally reached the end of the bridge, out of breath from their running, the battle had been completely contained to the mainland. The Chi Eater was being kept as close to the bay as possible in fear that it might try to escape and wreak havoc in the city. Wanting to ensure the pressure was kept up on it, Mako didn’t wait until they reached the Chi Eater to send out the two largest blasts of fire he had ever managed to bend directly at the spirit’s head. He had caught its attention just as it was about to levy a counterattack against a Huan who looked to be very out of his league.

The towering monster growled, sensing the incoming waves of chi from the Firebender and reacting accordingly, using its shapeshifting powers to extend parts of its body to stab into the attacks. The flames were punctured on contact, and then dissipated when the gooey, rod-like structures vibrated and released shockwaves from their length with little harm being done to the spirit itself. Mako clicked his tongue at the sight. They really had backed it into a corner; it hadn’t tried so hard to fight back or defend itself until now.

Determined to stop the spirit, Mako attacked it again, Bolin following up with mighty chunks of earth. Korra, too, prepared to back him up, gathering a huge current of air around herself, but the spirit wasn’t having any of it. A single scream in their direction, and they were forced to brace themselves against impact while their attacks were blown away.

“Hungry…” The Chi Eater burbled low. Damage that had been done to it was healing, but to a keen-eyed observer such as Korra, it was demonstrably slower than before. Using two large-scale energy attacks in a row like that had taken a toll. Not that it was immediately obvious – to most everybody there, it seemed more monstrous than ever. But Korra knew - it was weak.

The creature gathered its mass together, getting ready to attack. It was unclear who or what its sights had settled on, but it was gone in a blur and a thunderous clap.

“Look out!” Korra cried, diving for cover, but the creature had already moved by the time her muscles had reacted. It barreled over anybody in its way like a runaway train, violently pinning Mako to the ground with it’s humongous hand.

“You.”  It breathed. It was on him in the blink of an eye – Mako hadn’t had any time to react. And now, he was going to be the Chi Eater’s next meal. The spirit lowered its head so that its true mouth would be facing him. The top of it’s head parted in the middle, opening up like a flower, and blue energy pulsed between the petal-like structures down to an even brighter, eerier glow buried deep inside of the creature’s throat.

A glow that seemed to be getting closer.

A long, decrepit, glowing blue hand then shot out from inside the spirit’s throat and grabbed the Firebender’s face. Serene warmth quickly turned into burning, exhaustion overcoming him almost instantly. Mako, panicking but unable to move, felt the heat spread throughout his entire body. Already he could feel himself losing consciousness, and he feared he was about to die -

“NOT MY BROTHER, YOU SON OF A BITCH!” Bolin yelled, desperately calling on all of his strength to bend the ground beneath the Chi Eater’s feet into a pool of bubbling lava. It was one of the few things that seemed to legitimately hurt the spirit before, and now was no different.

The Chi Eater winced and wailed, the sudden sensation of melting limbs prompting it to let go of Mako. Korra was already grabbing him and carrying him to safety when the spirit jumped out of the molten puddle, splashing pieces of itself everywhere. It patched up the damage quickly, reforming its degenerated limbs and panting, turning to Bolin. He had to go. With the sound of thunder, it was inches from the Lavabender’s face.

“Oh, cra-” Slammed high into the air with an uppercut from the furious spirit’s right elbow, Bolin felt his ribs shatter. He gasped in pain, suspended in mid-air above the bay, but he was spared no wrath from above as the Chi Eater leapt up to meet him in yet another clap and a blur. Its hands were clasped together, and with all its might, it swung down and spiked him into the bay. Anything it hadn’t broken with that first hit surely would have been with the second.

“BOLIN!” Korra cried. She had dragged Mako to safety among the others and was now running in the direction Bolin had fallen, but the Chi Eater was on top of her just as quickly as it had been on her friends.

Korra was just as unprepared for its blistering speed as they were and braced herself for a physical attack, bending her knees and protecting her face with her arms, expecting to be knocked off her feet - only to find herself spared by Suyin’s intervention! Cables of steel had wrapped around the Chi Eater’s raised arm and one of its legs, and she was now pulling on it with all that she had to try and drag it away from Korra.

“Oh no you don’t…!” Suyin strained, the cable pulleys struggling with smoke and an unhealthy squeal, trying to move the massive entity back.

Korra looked up and found the Chi Eater unable to move, and behind it, saw Wing carry Mako away from the fight and Wei diving in after Bolin. Seizing the opportunity, Korra bent the street’s concrete to creep up and around the Chi Eater’s legs, backed up by Huan. Together, the three of them managed to keep it restrained just long enough for the twins to take the injured brothers into the crowd.

The Chi Eater was pissed, snarling and growling and shaking its body to break free, but it was restrained long enough that Korra could take a moment to think.

Korra knew that she shouldn’t bother trying to save it anymore, that she should just take it out now while she had the chance… but she couldn’t do it. Not when she felt like she could still save it. She had a better idea of what she was up against now, and with that came a renewed confidence that she could separate the two spirits inside of the Chi Eater. The Avatar took a deep breath. She knew what she had to do.

Collecting water from the bay and bending it around the trapped Chi Eater, a familiar hum filled the air, and with it, confusion. And in Lin’s case, anger.

“What are you doing?! We tried this already, it isn’t going to work!” The chief shouted, frustrated.

“What are you waiting for?! Kill it, now!” Ryuuki shouted over the Chi Eater’s screams.

“Korra, please!” Tenzin cried.

Exhausted, but desperate to prove them wrong, Korra clenched her teeth and entered the Avatar state again.

I can do this!”

The glow of her water was getting brighter and brighter, but once again, when it should have been calm, the Chi Eater grew more agitated. It was as if the longer the fight went on, the stronger it became.

 

̤̩̩̮̅̅͆̽̓ͥ͂͢i̙ ̮̜̉ͦw̮̦̟͓̎̈́ĩ͕͚l̸̝ͤ̃ͣ̃̚ḷ̢̘̟ͫ͐̀̂ ̪n̴̥̫̉̏ͅo͖̬͉͒͂̉͑̅͊ͯt̜͉͖͓͇̼̔ͪ̃ͥͮ̒͝ ͖̭̣d͔͍ͩͧ̎͆̓͒͡i͎͎̯͈̝̞̞ͮeͫͯ͊̋

̩͇̔ͧ̃ͮͩ͒͂ͅḭ͈ ͎̘̞̺̫ͤw͉̩̼̰̑͒ͧ͗́ͪḯ̼͋ͭ̀͜l̙̝͂̓̓ͣͪ̊̆ḷ̡͖̈ͣ̔́̈ ̪̮̟̱͌ň͒ͦ͏ǒ̞͉̼̃̂ͦ̀ṱ̦͟ ̩͖̳̜͍̳͒͑̾̈́̿̒dͯ̔͞i̦͇̪̙͕̓̎̍ͭͤ͑ͧe̡̹̞͓̮̞̼͎̐̔͗̀

͔̰̹̳̞͂̂ͬ̄ͣͫ̓i͊ ̻ͤw͇̯̭̖̫͍ͨ͛̍͟ͅi̞̎̃̊͌͂l̼͐͋͗̃̄ͨͅl̘̤̾̄͒̚ ͇̞̝͐ͧ̉ͮͭn̸̤̩̱̱͑ͩͣ̂̆͗ͬo̔͂t̳̝̑͗ͮ͢ ̟̮̰̽̂̈́̂͢ͅd̴̿ͩ̅i̤̠̠̦̭̣̎ͫe̴̟̫̟̭̠̿̈̿̅͛̑̒

̥́͐i̶̱̟͈̹̪̅̃ ̫͔͙̪̍̀w͓̰̯̘̪̦̣ͬ̆ͨ͊̋ͯi̢̿̂̂̇̒l̩̩̪͇͔͉l̻̲͙̙̰̳ͪ̍̿ ̳̜̙̗̞̩̱ͣͤͧ̓͐n̡̳͖̲͚̜̳̞ͧ̐̋̂̽̃ͮo̻̝̺͍̲ͪͤͬͫ͂t̻̮̦̭̹̗͕͛̑ ̺̟͚ͬͦͥ̉ͦ̒d͈̜͐̆̌ͩ́̄̚͘ị̼̤͔ͤ̒̄e̦̱͇̬̖ͪͮ


Korra would not yield, but the spirit would not bend, an unstoppable force having been met with an immovable object. It had resulted in a stalemate that threatened what may have been Korra’s only opportunity to put the Chi Eater down. But it was too late to stop now. Even if she wanted to, any sign of retreat would put her spirit at risk, or worse, Raava’s. She’d just have to continue until…


i̱̯͇̙͚͕̒̄ͫͤ̂ͩ̑ͅ ̝̫̉͌͌ͩͭ̇ẅ͈́̈̌̀ͤͫ͘i̠̺͒͂͊̕ͅn̷̰̤͖͍̽̀̋̀ͧ̒

 

In an instant, the hold had been broken, the glowing water falling to the ground in a mighty splash. Then, the Chi Eater let out a blood curdling scream of triumph that threw everyone to the ground.

Korra’s head hit the pavement, and when her eyes next opened, they weren’t lit up anymore. Before she struggled back onto her feet, she could hear the Chi Eater breaking free from it’s concrete prison. The spirit laughed. It seemed to be gloating as it stepped forward slowly, its eyes hovering inside of its head before settling on Korra. The mouth-like mark on its neck had morphed back into a grin.

This was when it dawned on the Avatar what just happened. The Chi Eater had played her for a fool. It wanted her to try and bend it again, and only now as she stood hunched over and ready to collapse, the dark spirit laughing in her face, did it occur to her. It wanted her to use up all of her strength trying to save it, knowing it could weather the storm whereas she would be rendered almost completely powerless.

And she’d fallen for it. It had used her compassion against her, and she’d wasted the only opportunity she had to put the Chi Eater down.

The spirit ceased its slow approach to disappear into a blur, reappearing on top of Korra in yet another sonic boom. It’d pinned her down with its disproportionately large hand before she even had time to process what had hit her, the air escaping her body in a painful wheeze. Opening its mouth like a flower in bloom, a blue glowing in its throat was the last thing Korra would see before she closed her eyes, preparing herself for what was about to happen.

“Now… die…”

“DON’T TOUCH MY WIFE!”

Korra’s eyes snapped back open at the sound of that voice. Was that…?

The Chi Eater’s eyes slid sideways to see who had interrupted it this time, only to be met with a large, metal fist to its head, sending it tumbling down the bridge and back toward the arena. The concrete beneath it cracked and cratered as it skipped along, only coming to a stop after digging into the bridge with both its hands to pull itself back onto all fours. Visibly enraged, the spirit roared, but its latest opponent was completely unfazed.

When the Chi Eater was sent flying, Korra had been, as well. Thrown in the opposite direction as the Chi Eater’s grip on her released in mid-air, she was caught by Ravi, saving her more fractures from hitting the concrete. He placed her gently onto the ground, but Korra didn’t bother to get up. She was too absorbed in what was going on.

“Asami…?” Korra couldn’t believe her eyes.

There, clad in a powerful mecha suit, her fiancee stood tall. She’d given the Chi Eater one hell of a headache and was now at the center of its ire. But from within the safety of the suit, she was seething with a calm fury all her own, ready to burn the spirit to the ground.

The Chi Eater took a moment to process what just happened before approaching Asami. Since she didn’t use chi to attack, she’d caught it completely off-guard. As it sniffed the air and confirmed she was just human – not even a bender – the dark spirit chuckled.

“Cute… but toys… won’t save-” As if she was going to let it talk.

Before the Chi Eater made it more than a few feet toward her, Asami vengefully unleashed a torrent of flames. Powerful flamethrowers built into each wrist propelled the fire with the same force as Ryuuki’s explosive blue bending, stopping the spirit in its tracks. It hissed and it cried as the same benders who’d previously so relentlessly attacked it backed away, wishing to stay out of the crossfire.

Cutting power to the flamethrowers, Asami ran forward, getting in close to hit the Chi Eater with another punch before it regained its bearings. She aimed an uppercut straight to its gut, but to her surprise she punched a hole straight through it. The hit was clean, but a spirit was a spirit. Its amorphous body quickly began to reform around her arm, holding her in place.

She adapted quickly, switching from a physical assault back to an elemental one. From point blank range and in the center of its body, Asami released grappling-like wires, electricity coursing through the Chi Eater’s body and causing it a good deal of agony. The sudden influx of energy had the added effect of destabilizing its form, and she used the opening that it gave her to withdraw the mecha suit’s arm while maintaining the current through the wires.

The Chi Eater struggled to pull the wires free from its gelatinous body, but she hit  it with a mighty left hook before it made much headway, smashing it into the ground with a mighty crash. Keeping it pinned with electrical cables, she returned to roasting her grounded foe alive. With one arm administering a powerful electrical current and the other one burning it to ash, Asami actually seemed to have the Chi Eater on the ropes!

Korra got back onto her feet, terrified but awestruck. She moved to help her fiancee out, but a hand on her shoulder pulled her back. It was Tenzin.

“Let her do this.” Korra looked at him as if he’d gone insane, but he continued. “None of us are in any condition to fight anymore, not even you. She’s giving us an opening. Let’s rest and then use it.”

Though she wanted to argue, Korra knew he had a point. Asami seemed to be holding her own for now, but it was no secret Korra was scared for her – it was painted all over her face. But Korra could barely keep herself up, let alone join in the fight. She hated it, but for now, she’d just have to have some faith and use the time Asami bought to heal herself.

Asami’s flames were relentless, keeping the Chi Eater pinned and ripping away at its body with their force. It was growing angrier by the second, trying to stand only to be pushed back into the ground by Asami stepping on its chest. She knew exactly how dangerous this thing was, she wasn’t going to give it an inch.

Frustrated, the Chi Eater isolated the section of its body Asami’s wires had been stuck in, dropping it to the ground and escaping the current that was causing it so much pain. Before Asami could react, an uppercut to the chest sent her stumbling back. The mecha suit was denser and heavier than the Chi Eater was, so she hadn’t been sent flying like the spirit had only moments earlier.

The Chi Eater looked weakened. Its body was blackened by what looked to be soot, or whatever chemical was used to give the mecha suit its fire. Its glow was suppressed over half of its body, and that half, which had borne the brunt of her assault, had seemingly melted and torn away. The spirit was burning with rage and panting heavily after the onslaught, parts of its right arm slopping to the ground.

Before Asami could reorient herself, the Chi Eater followed up with a scream, a powerful shock wave hitting the suit and knocking it further off balance. But Asami countered by planting iron rods from the suit’s calves, cementing her in place for just a moment so that she could right the mighty armor and then run back into the fray. This time, the Chi Eater met her head on, grabbing the fist that was aimed for its head and returning fire with a punch from its right arm.

Asami caught it just in time, however, and noting its damage and its weakness, ripped it off with a forceful yank. Then she punched the Chi Eater again, and again, putting a dent into the head it was trying to heal mid-attack. Finally having had enough, the Chi Eater jumped back, releasing its hold on Asami’s left fist. The retreat was only temporary though, as it’d only pulled back to inhale as deeply as possible for its next attack.

A scream louder than any before bellowed from the Chi Eater, a shock wave more powerful than the last screeching forward. Asami braced herself against it, iron rods digging into the ground to hold her in place. Not only did she not want to get thrown backwards, she also wanted to stand as a wall to take the brunt of the attack so the benders behind her wouldn’t have to.

Dents and chips appeared along the surface of the mecha suit, and inside of it gaskets burst under the strain, but nevertheless, she weathered the blow. When the Chi Eater came running back in for a follow up attack, Asami reeled back her fist to counter, only to swing at air.

“What?!” Asami panicked, the instruments inside the mecha suit going wild as the Chi Eater ghosted right through it. Apparently it had had enough, and was now ripping the suit apart from the inside – an ability of the spirits Asami had completely forgotten about. Lights flashed on and off and power began to surge through the machine, threatening to blow it up. Thankfully, she managed to open the escape hatch before it took full control, and she was able to jump to safety.

Running to the benders she’d been defending seconds earlier, she looked back only to see the Chi Eater leisurely exit through the back of the suit and then carelessly push it aside. Even without somebody inside of it to guide it, it was moving and jerking around uncontrollably, surges of electricity running along its surface. Then after a moment, it became still, likely never to move again.

Even still, her job was done. Asami had managed to severely injure the Chi Eater, and though it was healing itself, it was doing so slowly. It’d expended too much power earlier on, and had rerouted even more into its body to bulk itself up, so it no longer had such vast amounts of chi at its disposal. Taking this as a sign of vulnerability, the benders reignited their assault almost as soon as Asami joined them.

Ravi, Lin, Suyin, Huan and Ryuuki had all formed a line across the bridge. Separating the Chi Eater from Korra, Asami, and the Airbenders behind them, they had created a veritable wall of elements that prevented the weakened spirit from moving forward. In fact, they were actually managing to push it back along the bridge, attack after attack launched with a ferocity that the Chi Eater couldn’t understand.

“Persistent… bugs…!” The Chi Eater snarled, its ruined body pop marked by elemental attacks for the umpteenth time tonight. It raised its remaining arm to swat them all away, but Suyin caught it. Yanking it back down before it could bend the air around it, the Chi Eater was distracted enough for Lin to launch herself onto it with cables of her own.

Sinking them into the bridge and throwing herself at the Chi Eater, she clung to the spirit’s spindly upper arm. She hadn’t even been there for a second, and already she could feel its mass crawling up around her limbs. But the chief was undeterred, bending her wrist armor into a blade and cutting herself free before  lopping off the Chi Eater’s arm completely with a single mighty swing. The Chi Eater screamed as its arm fell to the ground, Lin along with it.

Even when detached, the arm was still trying to absorb her. Lin struggled to pull free of the tar-like substance, but to no avail. Noting her sister’s dilemma, Suyin looped her cable around Lin’s waist and pulled her sister out of the Chi Eater’s gooey flesh.

“Thanks. That was a close one.” Lin said. Suyin just smiled, turning back to the Chi Eater’s arm to see that it was now dissolving into a puddle on the ground. It was eating holes into the bridge.

All the while, Ravi and Huan maintained a steady barrage of Earthbending attacks, pulling from the heavily damaged bridge to keep the spirit staggering backwards. Without its arms, it struggled to keep its balance, screaming and trashing about without really hitting back. Lin and Suyin joined them while Ryuuki was getting ready to attack from behind. All of them were running out of steam, but they were all determined to keep going. They finally had the upper hand and they weren’t about to lose it.


*** *** *** *** *** ***


Back with the Airbenders, on the other side of the bridge, Korra was furious. “Are you crazy?!” She marched to Asami, clutching her side. “What are you doing here? You were supposed to go where it’s safe!” Those fractured ribs from before were really starting to hurt now. She felt like she was going to cry, but she couldn’t tell  if it was because of the pain or because of Asami.

Despite facing the Avatar’s wrath, Asami smiled. She was just relieved to have made it in time. She ran to meet Korra and held her in her arms. Korra winced, but hugged her back. She was tired, hurt, angry, scared, and confused, but more than anything else, thankful that Asami was okay.

“…Varrick had a mecha suit stashed away nearby, in case the Chi Eater decided to attack.’’ Asami backed away to look at Korra’s face. “He was going to have Zhu Li use it, but I insisted. I know you’re upset I didn’t stay with them, but I couldn’t shake the feeling something bad was going to happen to you. And I was right. I’m not going to apologize for saving you.”

Korra sighed. Of course Varrick was involved. Though she was still upset, she pulled her back into a hug, ignoring the pain in her chest. “I’m just happy you’re okay.” She admitted, not wanting to let Asami go.

“I’m sorry for making you worry, but I can take care of myself. If we’re really going to get married someday, I want you to see me as an equal, not as somebody you always have to protect. I know what I’m signing up for.” It was the closest Asami was going to get to arguing with her right now. She didn’t want to fight, but she was definitely upset that Korra was mad at her over this.

Taking a deep breath, Korra sighed, and then nodded. She knew Asami was right. “I’m sorry. I’m just… it’s different now. I’ve never cared about anyone this much before. I don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t. Promise.”

Korra looked up into Asami’s eyes. “I’m sorry. And thank you. You’re right, if you hadn’t shown up, I’d probably be spirit food. And I’ve gotta admit, as scary as it was to watch you fight that thing, it was also pretty badass.” She laughed, trying to shake her nerves. Asami was okay, that’s what she should be focusing on.

Tearing herself away from Asami, Korra looked back to the bridge. The Chi Eater was hurt, but still fighting. The arm Asami had ripped off was half regrown, and it was taking everything they had for Ravi, Ryuuki, and everyone to hold it back. There was still work to do.

Korra looked to the Airbenders behind her. Kai and Jinora were waiting for her signal, side by side. Opal was just rejoining them after checking up on Bolin. They no longer looked so exhausted, and a nod from Tenzin confirmed that they were ready to try again. Another look back to the Chi Eater and her frown deepened. She was done trying to save it. This time she’d have to go in for the kill.

“I’m sorry, Raava.” Korra thought, hoping the light spirit would hear. She’d tried. She just wasn’t strong enough of an Energybender yet.

Giving Asami one more squeeze, Korra whispered. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

The Avatar was ready to return to the fight. “No more holding back. This time, I’m gonna end this.”

Asami sent her off with a wink. “I promise I won’t I jump in and save you this time!” Korra grinned and walked away. Rallying the Airbenders behind her, she headed back towards the arena to put an end to the Chi Eater, once and for all. yeet


*** *** *** *** *** *** ***


The exhausted benders weren’t letting up yet. Azure embers trailed his fingertips as Ryuuki spread his arms, then brought them back together in a mighty clap. An explosive arc of fire as wide as his arms rocketed forward. Ryuuki immediately followed up with two more long arcs trailing spinning kicks in the Chi Eater’s direction. Overwhelmed by Earth and Metalbending attacks from every direction, it had no time to react as the waves of fire burned it to the core.

The spirit roared, knocked backwards for what felt like the thousandth time. It was furious, but weakened. It couldn’t keep up with them anymore. .

“Everybody, one more time!” Korra called, running to the fight with the Airbenders close behind. They’d done well to keep it contained, but now it was time to put it down. While Korra gathered the strength to enter the Avatar State one last time, her friends sprung into action, going through with their plan.

Pipes once hidden below were seismically sensed and then torn out of the water by Lin and Suyin, turned into stakes that they hammered into the Chi Eater’s feet. The spirit screeched in pain, but was given no relief, three simple blasts of fire nearly knocking the Chi Eater onto its back. Catching itself with its tail, it had to contend now with large boulders brought up by Ravi and Huan to further pound it into the ground.

Hissing, the Chi Eater pushed itself back into a standing position and met the oncoming boulders with two strikes of its tail, piercing and exploding them with sheer concussive force.

As soon as he saw it was back on its feet, Ryuuki began Firebending again, the explosive properties of his flames wreaking havoc on its sense of balance. It was becoming clear to it now what they were trying to do, and the Chi Eater was struggling desperately against it. But there were too many benders now for it to prevent it, and it could see the Airbenders in the distance conjuring up another maelstrom.

The Chi Eater held itself up with its tail again, only to have said tail severed by the stakes that’d been dug into its feet. With terrible speed, they tore through the spirit’s shins and skewered it, causing the creature great pain as it just barely managed to stabilize itself with its wounded legs. It eyed Suyin and Lin with great disdain, but had no time to make threats, the ground beneath it shifting at Huan’s command to keep it struggling to stay up.

The final blow was left to Ravi, running up to the Chi Eater with metal and stone bent around his fist in a thick gauntlet, with a lesser amount collected around his feet. The Chi Eater was teetering already, but as Ravi propelled himself into the air, aiming for its chest, it would finally be rendered prone - with the mightiest punch he could muster, the spirit was knocked onto its back.

Then, to protect himself from its corrosive, creeping ‘flesh’, Ravi propelled himself off of the creature with the armor he’d created. His gauntlet and shoes both were turned into bullets that pierced through its form and burrowed deep into the bridge below.

“Now!!!” Ravi yelled as he slid to a landing, the Airbenders unleashing their attack at his command.

Again… they were trapping the Chi Eater again . The spirit groaned with pain and frustration, the razor-like wind first rushing past it, then encircling it from all directions, lifting it into the air. The spirit stopped trying to heal itself and spontaneously generated spiny protrusions from its body to try and latch onto the ground, to pull itself out of the storm, but the air blasted them away.

“Cursed… humans…” The Chi Eater lamented, trying in vain to destabilize the Airbenders’ attack with its shock waves. But their combined might was too strong. Its body was too badly damaged. With only one thing left to do, the Chi Eater stopped trying to escape, stopped trying to heal its body, and simply aimed itself in Korra’s direction. Opening its mouth, what was left of its form began to sizzle and inflate just as it had in the arena, and a blue glow steadily built within its throat.

It was time. The moment Korra had been waiting for was here, and at last, she entered into the Avatar State for the fifth and final time. It felt like every cell in her body was on fire as Raava’s power coursed through her, but she blocked out the pain. It was preparing another spirit beam and she had no time to lose. Everybody cleared away from Korra’s location as she began to levitate off the ground, bending all four elements around her with movements like water.

Unlike Aang, who wrapped himself inside of a protective cocoon of elements, Korra had crafted for herself a weapon. She condensed loose stones from the bridge, pulled water from the bay, exhaled fire with her breath, and wrapped herself in a bubble of air that tapered out into a scorpion’s tail behind her, the glue that held it all together. It was a spear of the elements, coiled around her as a lone helix, ready to strike.

By the time it was complete, the Chi Eater was ready to attack. It had taken it longer to build up the energy for this beam than it had for the others, indicating it may have been running low on the chi that it had stolen. For both of them then, this was the final attack.

With a voice that was blended with Raava’s own, Korra delivered one final message to the Chi Eater, conveying the will and words of the Spirit of Light within.

"Piteous spirit, your actions cannot be overlooked any longer. Corrupt though you may be, you and the one who has infected you have refused our attempts to save you from your shared misery. Now, we will put an end to your suffering, forever." The Avatar declared, aiming her spear at the glowing blue core of the Chi Eater.

“dIE!” The spirit screamed, finally unleashing the beam had been charging.

"May you go in peace." The Avatar wished, thrusting her spear forward with a simple twist of her wrist.

Piercing through the energy as though it weren’t even there, the mighty beam was divided, sent in two opposite directions before looping back in on itself in an explosion of light to either side of the bridge. With her free hand, Korra had bent them away from the city.

Realizing that the end was finally here, the Chi Eater relaxed, letting out little more than a sigh as the spear pierced through its open mouth and into its heart.

When the elements made contact with the energy within the Chi Eater, the world around Korra fell completely silent. Colors and lights exploded from the Chi Eater’s body, an unfathomable amount of chi and spiritual energy being released into the air in an explosion that – while smaller in size – rivaled in power that of the destruction of Kuvira’s weapon. At the sight of it, Korra relaxed. At last, the fight was over. She exhaled calmly, making no attempt to escape and letting the energy wash over her.

For Korra, everything went white, and then, black.


*** *** *** *** *** *** ***


The next thing Korra knew, she was standing on top of a hill.

Confused and disoriented, Korra looked around, seeing only sea in front of her and sprawling green fields of grass behind her. Beside her stood a tree that looked older than the land around it, and the sun shone bright in the sky. Though she could see waves splashing against rocks beneath the hill, and she could feel the warm summer breeze caress her skin, she could hear no sound.

“Where am I?” She asked. Though the world around her was silent, she could hear her voice plain as day.

“Home.”

A thought that wasn’t her own. So that was how it was. She’d connected with the Chi Eater’s soul once again. Was this one of its memories?

Turning around to face it, what she saw this time was not a sickly dark spirit crying out for help, but a tall, healthy, green and yellow nature spirit which greeted her with a gentle smile.

Standing upright, it was large, but no longer so disproportionate. Its mouth was back in its proper place, and its tail tapped calmly behind it as Korra studied it. Just the sight of it put her at ease, flowers blooming along its surface as she stared. Nodding at her, the spirit reached down and plucked a flower from its form, gifting it to the Avatar. Korra accepted it with some hesitation.

‘So this was what it originally looked like’ , she thought to herself. This was not a spirit built for violence, but that was what it had been reduced to. Korra felt sad.

Beside it, smaller spirits of varying shapes and sizes began fading into view, each of them a different sort. These were the spirits it had consumed over its lifetime, whose residual energy lived on within the Chi Eater; the whispers accompanying its ‘voice’ that Korra was never able to make out. Thankfulness shone in their eyes as they watched her watch them. But Korra’s head hung low at the sight.

The Avatar was at a loss for words, unsure of what she should say. Or… no, that wasn’t true. As she thought about it, there was only one thing she could say.

“I’m sorry.”

But the spirit shook its head, mouthing words she couldn’t hear, but she could feel, deep down inside of her.

“Thank you.”

With those two words, the flower in her hand disappeared into light, passing through her body and warming her flesh. With its passing, the vision came to an end.

Korra’s eyes snapped back open in the material world. A quiet gasp for air, and the Avatar looked around, unable to move her head. Upon closer inspection, she looked to be in Asami’s arms. Asami’s head was hung low, her lips pressed against the top of Korra’s head, and she was holding onto her tight. Though she was disoriented and a little numb, she could still feel Asami’s touch. And… wet. Was she crying?

When Asami lifted her head and saw that Korra’s eyes were open, albeit barely, her face lit up. She immediately looked behind her, looking as though she were saying something, but there was a loud ringing in Korra’s ears that made it impossible for her to hear it.

It was starting to get harder to see. Korra could feel herself slipping back into unconsciousness.

“Asami…” Korra whispered.

“-or-a!”

Once again, everything went black.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***


When Korra next awoke, she found herself in the hospital. She hated hospitals. Ever since Zaheer, being in one made her feel uncomfortable. As she adjusted to her surroundings and the plain white room, this time was no exception.

That was, not until she noticed the hand so tightly holding onto hers. As soon as she noticed that, and the raven-haired girl that it belonged to, all of that uncomfortableness melted away.

Asami.

She’d pulled her chair up close to Korra’s bed so that she could rest her head at Korra’s side. She was asleep but still looked exhausted.

Korra wondered, how long had she been out? She really hoped she hadn’t made Asami worry too much.

As if she’d sensed that Korra was awake, Asami began to stir, looking up to see a weary looking Avatar staring back at her.

“Hey.” Korra greeted simply, her voice cracking from the dryness of her throat.

“…Korra?” Asami asked, a smile finding its way onto her tired face. “Thank the spirits, you’re awake…” She whispered, her grip on the Avatar’s hand tightening. She looked like she was about to cry. Korra must’ve been out for a while. Sitting up in her chair so she could get a better look at her fiancee, Asami reached out with her other hand to stroke Korra’s face. Korra smiled.

“How long have I been out?” The Avatar asked, trying to get a read on her situation. All she knew so far was that she felt almost as exhausted now as she did after fighting Zaheer. That, and that it had to have been more than a day – Asami had changed out of her dress from the premiere, and she wasn’t wearing any makeup anymore. A rare sight for her. Had she even showed up to work since then?

“Five days.” Asami replied. Five?! She really had overdone it with all that Avatar State action then.

“What about Mako and Bolin? Are they okay? Last I saw of them, Wing and Wei were taking them back to the mainland…” Korra wondered, trying to remember everything that’d gone on during the fight. For now, it was just a lot of flashes and vague ideas. She was still a little out of it.

“They’re going to be fine. Mako was very weak for a couple days, but he’s already back on the beat. Bolin broke a few ribs and his right arm, but with a few more healing sessions he should be good as new. Right now he’s on desk duty helping Mako and Lin wrap up the Chi Eater case.” Asami explained.

“Thank goodness…” Korra sighed with relief. Honestly, she was a little surprised. With the way the Chi Eater knocked him around, she’d have expected just about every bone in Bolin’s body to have been broken right about now. She supposed all those years on the streets and in the Pro Bending circuit had toughened him up. Korra was more relieved about Mako, though. The Chi Eater didn’t have him for long, but… it was good to know he was okay.

“…What about you?” Korra continued. She may not have been hurt during the fight, but Asami must’ve been worried sick these last few days. She certainly looked the part.

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” Asami assured. “I’m just glad that you’re okay. The doctors said you’d be fine, but you wouldn’t wake up, so I… I don’t know, it was scary. I didn’t know what that spirit did to you. For all I knew, it could’ve taken your spirit with it as it died, or…” She stopped herself before Korra could. Korra was fine. There was no reason for her to worry over what could’ve been. “…Sorry, I’ve just been worried.” She apologized. Korra understood. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I haven’t slept in five days,” Korra half-joked. Even after all that sleep, she really didn’t feel all that rested. “But other than that I feel fine.” She smiled. Asami smiled back. For a moment, they just enjoyed the other’s presence.

“…Oh, right,” Asami remembered, suddenly changing topics. “President Raiko wanted me to tell you that you’re still free to testify in Kuvira’s trial whenever you’re ready. The tribunal’s going to hold off on final deliberations until you’ve fully recovered and spoken your piece. Though, I think you should take another day or two to rest first. I know you don’t like to sit still when you have something to do, but…”

Korra laughed. For once, she agreed with her on that. “I’m way too tired to form a coherent sentence.” She joked. “All I want to do right now is go home with you and sleep.”

“Says the girl who just slept five days.” Asami teased. Korra shook her head, sliding her legs over the bed and looking down. A hospital gown, of course. She really hated these things. Where did they put her clothes?

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. At least I don’t have another giant mecha suit to topple or homicidal spirit to stop. I just wanna take it easy with you for a couple days. That should be okay, right?” Korra asked as she looked around the room.

Realizing what she was looking for, Asami reached behind her and handed Korra her regular clothes. Apparently, she’d grabbed them out of the closet when she went back and changed out of her dress. Korra thanked her, looking over her shoulder to make sure the door was closed before taking off the gown and getting dressed.

The sooner she got out of here, the better.

“Are you sure you still even want to testify?” Asami asked. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I think it’s admirable what you’re doing, even if it is for Kuvira,” She continued, frowning a bit at the mention of her name. “But I don’t know if you’re going to be able to change the tribunal’s mind alone. From everything I’ve been hearing the last couple days, they’re looking into using a law Tarrlok slipped into the books about capital punishment.”

Korra’s smile faded, but she remained silent, continuing to listen to Asami as she put on her shirt.

“And I saw the way Opal reacted when you mentioned wanting to take part. I think she knows what you’re going to say as well as I do, but I’m not really sure how she feels about it. She almost lost her entire family to Kuvira, and others had it worse. There’s a lot of hate.” Asami explained, wanting to catch her fiancee up on the current state of affairs as far as Kuvira was concerned. The press was one thing, but things were getting bad if the tribunal itself was talking about the death penalty now.

Now fully dressed except for her shoes, Korra sat back down on the bed, sighing.

“I know. There is a lot of hate. But that’s exactly why I need to testify. Kuvira… I get her. I almost was her. Some of what she’s done is unforgivable, but I don’t think killing her is going to solve anything. If I can, I want to give her the chance to actually atone for her crimes and help the Earth Territories get back on their feet as part of her sentence.” Korra explained. Asami’s smiled returned, though it was a little weak.

“I don’t really know where I stand after everything she did, but I think that’s a very kind thing to do. I hope you can get through to them.”

“I’ll try my best.” Korra smiled. Putting on her socks and boots, she was finally fully dressed and ready to go, standing up and stretching out her back. She was a little wobbly on her feet, and her body felt stiff from being in a bed for so long, but other than that she felt okay. She couldn’t even feel her fractured ribs anymore. She supposed she must’ve gone under a few healing sessions while she was out.

As she prepared to grab Asami and leave the room, a knock at the door interrupted Korra’s escape. A nurse had walked in only to see that the Avatar had not only woken up, but gotten dressed to go, as well.

“Um, Avatar Korra, the doctor hasn’t cleared you to go just yet…” He stated with some hesitation, not entirely sure if he’d be able to convince the Avatar to wait. Korra shook her head.

“Yeah, well, they’re not the only healer here, and I know my body better than they do. I’m fine.” Korra stated with confidence. Before the nurse could see anything more, the doctor in question happened to pass by, noticing her patient was awake.

“Oh, Avatar Korra, you’re awake! Excellent!” The doctor stated as she entered the room, shaking the Avatar’s hand. The nurse moved out of the way. “Glad to see you’re feeling well enough to get out of bed now. You think you’re good to go?” She asked, looking over Korra’s charts one more time while she listened to Korra’s reply. Everything seemed to be okay on paper.

“Yeah, you guys did a pretty good job healing my injuries. I could definitely go for some more sleep, though… and a more comfortable bed.” Korra groaned, rubbing the small of her back. The doctor laughed. They got that a lot.

“That’s good then. Given the nature of the spirit you were fighting, we called in a few experts to make sure everything was okay with your chi. So far as we can tell, you should be perfectly fine. You’re free to go whenever you please.” The doctor confirmed.

Korra smiled. Perfect.

Thanking the doctor and the nurse, the two girls grabbed the rest of their things, checked out of the hospital, and headed for Asami’s car. As they came up on it though, Korra couldn’t help but laugh. She’d forgotten it was painted in her colors. Korra smiled.

“You know, sometimes I forget how long you’ve had feelings for me,” Korra remarked, Asami feeling just a tinge of embarrassment at the thought. “It’s kind of cute, honestly. Sorry I made you wait so long.”

This time, Asami laughed. They’d already had this conversation dozens of times in the Spirit World, there was no need to rehash it now.

As she climbed into the passenger seat, Korra thought back for a moment on the fight and everything that had happened. And as she thought of Asami relating to that, she remembered how she came in and saved her when the Chi Eater had her pinned. Which reminded her…

“By the way, Asami, I was meaning to ask… when you charged in to save me… did you call me your wife ?”

Suddenly, Asami froze, her face turning a bright shade of red. “…No,” She replied with some hesitation. “Maybe you do need more sleep,”

Korra laughed. “Whatever you say. It made me think, though – Korra Sato has a pretty nice ring to it, don’t you think?” The Avatar teased. Asami couldn’t help but smile at that one.

“Yeah, I think it does.”

“I love you, Asami.”

“I love you too.”

With that, Asami turned the ignition and set off for the Sato Estate. Soon, Korra would be busy dealing with Kuvira’s trial, and likely even more Avatar business after that, but for now? For now she was just looking forward to spending a couple more days alone with her fiancee.

After everything that’d just happened, the two of them could use another (mini) vacation.

 

Notes:

With this, we're officially 1/3 of the way through Forever! This is quite the milestone for me. These first 10 chapters have been a blast to write, and now, with the Chi Eater out of the way, we're free to focus more on Kuvira and the triads. The story's only just begun.

See you guys in Chapter 11!

Chapter 11: Pieces

Summary:

A week has passed since the Chi Eater's defeat, and with the spiritual threat apparently behind them, all eyes are back on Kuvira. A divided city awaits the testimony of its Avatar as she struggles to pick up the pieces the Great Uniter left behind.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Book 5
Chi

Chapter 11
Pieces

 

In the mountains just outside of Republic City, all was calm, save for the lovers sparring in the morning sun. The day had only just begun, but already Korra and Asami had been at it for the better part of an hour. What was intended to be a shared work-out routine quickly became competitive, but neither girl could one-up the other.

Though the sliding shoji doors were open wide so they could enjoy the garden view from Asami’s home gym, they were laser-focused on each other. The sounds of birds and rushing water were drowned out by the radio, blows exchanged to the beat of jazzy morning tunes. Two plates, empty save for some crumbs, sat on a table in the corner, the only evidence of a warmer, more domestic early start. They wore padding around their hands and feet to protect each other from real harm, but the ferocity with which they struck each other wasn’t watered down a bit.

They danced around the room matching each other blow for blow, neither of them able to get the edge on the other. Asami looked determined and composed, every punch and kick aimed with precision while she read her fiancee’s every move. Korra, on the other hand, looked frustrated to be so evenly matched, reacting on sheer instinct and keeping up only by virtue of her greater combat experience.

“Come on, Korra, you can do better than that!” Asami taunted. She avoided another punch and counter attacked with a spinning back kick to Korra’s chest. Korra deftly moved out of harm’s way and was ready to counter with another punch, but Asami had already moved out of range.

This was exactly how their sparring sessions used to go in the Spirit World, too, when they first put this regiment together. There was a strict ‘No bending’ rule in place, and Korra always found herself outwitted or outmatched. When it came to simple hand-to-hand combat, it was clear that Asami was the better of the two. But it was all the more reason for Korra to keep trying. Not only was the challenge fun for her, it was good practice for whenever she didn’t have her bending at her disposal.

Unfortunately, it usually devolved into a very frustrated Avatar, and today was no exception. Korra was losing her cool, and because of that, her attacks were becoming sloppier, easier to read. All Asami had to do was keep poking at her pride and she’d have her fourth consecutive win to date.

“Too bad fists aren’t an element, it seems like bending is the only thing you’re good at!” Asami hammered in.

“Yeah, well, you’re mean!” Korra stumbled to fire back. Clearly, comebacks weren’t her specialty. Running back to Asami, Korra tried to hit her with a jumping kick. Ready for it, Asami grabbed the Avatar’s leg, throwing her into the tatami mats below. Korra was too slow, and the run up to her kick made it too predictable what she was going for.

“Sorry, but you told me to get inside your head,” Asami reminded, a confident smile on her face as she lent a hand to help her fiancee up. She was rubbing her butt in pain, but gladly accepted the assistance – only to turn it around on Asami with a low sweep when she least expected it, grounding her as well. Korra hopped back up on her own, rubbing her nose with an arrogant smirk. “Oh, okay, so that’s how you wanna play,” Asami grinned, getting back onto her feet. “I’m game.”

The two returned to sparring with greater intensity than before. Both were drenched in sweat and out of breath, but neither were willing to give up. Then Asami attacked with a move that Korra recognized as one of her own, and for once, she was able to read her and deflect her blow.

“Using an Earthbending movement on the Avatar? Really, Sato?”

“Damn, I was hoping you wouldn’t notice,” Asami pouted.

Riding the high of deflecting Asami for a change, Korra went back in with renewed vigor.

Whereas Asami relied on her greater speed and agility to vigorously attack, Korra knew she could take more blows from Asami than Asami could from her, so this time, she’d decided to use that to her advantage. By letting Asami get a few extra hits in, Korra had succeeded in boosting her confidence. This made it all the more surprising when Korra grabbed her leg the same way Asami had grabbed hers earlier.

Before she had any time to react, Korra had thrown her to the ground. All she had to do now was pin her down and the fight was hers, but even on her back, Asami was no less dangerous. She mimicked Korra’s trick and tried to knock her off her feet, but Korra saw it coming and jumped over her leg. What Korra hadn’t seen coming was Asami’s other leg in a second low sweep immediately after, which knocked her to the mat again. With her victory within reach, Asami leapt at Korra in an attempt to grapple her and pin her to the ground.

That smirk of hers said it all – Asami saw right through her, and Korra was not as quick to recover without her bending as Asami was. But maybe she could use a bending technique without the bending? With no other options presenting themselves, Korra kicked herself back onto her feet with an Airbender’s recovery, hopping out of the way just in time for Asami to collide with nothing but tatami.

“Hey, no bending!”

“I didn’t! I just borrowed the move,” Korra asserted. She adjusted her training gear and waited for Asami to get back up. She looked a little skeptical, but she took the Avatar at her word.

It seemed that even in sparring, they were proving to be equals today. Korra had improved. But now, she was exhausted. She had better endurance than Asami by far, but when she couldn’t use the elements she tended to wear herself out more quickly. Without her bending to back her up, she seemed to rely more heavily on her physical strength, putting more power into her blows than she maybe needed to. It was effective when she landed a hit, as they were always more impactful than Asami’s, but it was also more exhausting.

After that last ditch non-bending bending move, Korra seemed to be at her limit. Asami hid it well, but she was also exhausted. But she still had enough left in her to take this, she could feel it. The two just stood there for a moment, each in their respective stance, staring the other down. They could tell – whoever moved first would win.

Fire roared behind Asami’s eyes, and she sprung into action just a fraction of a second quicker than her partner. Korra was caught completely off guard. Time seemed to slow for her as she wondered what, if anything, she could do to counter the oncoming punch, aimed square for her jaw. But within the confines of the rules, there was nothing.

Honestly, it was kind of frustrating, constantly being shown up like this. Korra just wanted a hand-to-hand win under her belt for once, to show Asami she could hold her own, but she always got upstaged. It happened every time they did this, and with the snowball fight, and the Chi Eater, too. But this time, she was so close. Too close. Korra could’ve taken this and she knew it. With Asami’s padded fist fast approaching and no legal counter to be made, all Korra could do was take the blow… or break the rules.

She was a competitive girl with a bruised ego who’d seen victory just within her reach – the temptation was too great. In a moment of weakness, Korra let go, reacting on instinct. A simple sliding of her foot, and a rush of air pushed Asami’s leg sideways, breaking her foundation and sending her falling flat on her back. Her eyes went wide as it hit her what had happened.

Korra grinned and tackled the falling girl, pinning her to the mat. She was holding Asami down by both arms with her knee pressed into her chest, and there was a mischievous look in Korra’s eye as she stared her down.

“I win~” Korra sang. Asami didn’t look half as amused as Korra was.

“Do you now?” Asami asked, the coldness of her voice making Korra’s grin fall flat. Uh oh. Korra braced herself for an earful, but instead, a hit came from behind. She’d neglected to pin Asami’s legs, and now that oversight was going to cost her the match. With her superior flexibility, Asami reached up and beneath Korra’s arms, and with a bit of effort, lifted Korra off of her and slammed her back-first into the mat.

In an instant, their positions had been reversed, and when Asami sat on top of her, she was far more thorough. Korra couldn’t move an inch – the match had been decided.

“What was that?” Asami asked. Korra laughed quietly, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her back. She deserved that.

“Okay, okay, you got me.” She conceded.

Asami blew a stray lock of hair from her face and flashed Korra another self-assured smile. Even when she cheated, she couldn’t beat her.

“Well you don’t have to look so smug about it, I was just trying to have some fun,” Korra excused, frowning.

“No, you just wanted to be on top for a change.” Asami grinned, sliding off of  Korra’s body to help her up. Korra looked offended at the insinuation. “What did we learn?”

“Cheating is bad.” Korra sighed, rising to her feet with a groan. That last reversal really hurt… Asami wasn’t holding back with that one.

“And?”

And you’re the better fighter.” Korra admitted, embarrassed.

“Damn right I am.” Asami basked. “But please don’t do that again. You’re better than that.” She reminded, her tone more serious as she did. Teasing aside, that  trick was still pretty low, and Korra knew it. But she’d learned her lesson – it wouldn’t happen again.

“I won’t. I’m sorry.” Korra stretched her sore back. “It’s just been a rough week, y’know? You’ve been showing me up a lot lately; I wanted at least one little victory against you.”

“Then earn it.” Korra winced at that one. She probably should. “I know you’re capable, you’ve just gotta stop letting me get in your head like that.” Asami pressed, warmness returning to her words.

“I know, I know… I keep asking for it, but it’s still hard not letting it get to me. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, I promise.”

“Apology accepted.” Asami smiled.

Walking over to a training dummy by the wall, Asami grabbed her towel and tossed another Korra’s way. Korra dried herself off and walked back to the table in the corner. There was a pitcher of water and some glasses waiting for her when she got there. Cooling the pitcher with a touch, she poured herself some water and gulped it down, then plopped into one of the chairs.

Sighing, Korra watched her fiancee undo her ponytail. She could feel herself swoon as Asami fixed her hair and approached the table, her towel slung over her right shoulder. Korra poured her a glass of water in anticipation. Asami thanked her and took the seat opposite Korra’s. While Asami watched the garden, Korra watched Asami. They both found beauty in what they saw.

It’d been a week since Korra had gotten out of the hospital. Things had calmed down considerably after that, but Korra knew it was only temporary. Her date with the tribunal was today, and she still had the triads to worry about after that. Not to mention the restructuring of the Earth Territories after that . Korra wasn’t looking forward to any of it, and the thought of all that work waiting for her made her cherish these moments with Asami even more. Once the ball got rolling, they were probably going to be few and far between.

At least she had a mover and a party to look forward to. Since last week’s premiere had been a debacle, ‘The Dancing Dragons’ was showing again tonight, in an old theater in the western district. She and Asami leapt at the chance to see it again, and Korra was looking forward to a little wine and dance at the after party, given how stressful testifying was probably going to be. It sounded like a good way to spend her free time before she lost it for the foreseeable future.

Korra was just thankful that Ryuuki was being so generous to them all. He’d even offered to help pay for the Arena’s reconstruction. She kinda liked the guy, if she were being honest, and was glad he’d elected to stay in town a little longer. She probably wouldn’t get to see him much, but he seemed like an interesting man – she’d love the chance to get to know him a little better and ask him about that blue fire of his. If she could learn how to bend like that , there would be nothing that could stop her.

But all of that was later. Now, there was only Asami. Spirits, she was beautiful. Korra had yet to see her in a position where she didn’t look absolutely stunning. Coming home from a long day at Future Industries, when she was completely absorbed in some blueprints in her spare time, immediately after a sparring session - she never failed to take Korra’s breath away.

“Korra?” Asami’s voice dragged Korra back to reality. She’d been staring at her for a while now. “You okay?”

“O-Oh, yeah, I was just admiring the view,” Korra grinned. Asami gave her a bashful wave. “I’m really looking forward to tonight. That trial’s gonna suck, but I could really use a party right about now.”

“Right. The trial.” Asami frowned. She’d almost forgotten that was today. It had taken the Tribunal a while to actually fit Korra in – they’d been in the process of wrapping up, and now they had to make a space for the Avatar. The look on Asami’s face was hard to read.

“Asami? Are you okay?” Asami’s expression sunk further. Was she?

Neither of them spoke for a minute.

“…You know, until you moved in, I hadn’t been in this room for years.” She admitted after a moment. “I let Mako and Bolin’s family use it while they were here, but… I never liked coming in here.”

“Really? Why not? It’s got such a pretty view of the garden, and it’s the perfect place to train. All this equipment is pretty top notch.” Korra mentioned.

“Well, that is what this room was made for.” Asami curtly replied, her focus still on the garden. “My dad called it the ‘Sato Family Dojo’. He added it to the house pretty soon after my mom died, especially for me. He wanted to teach me how to defend myself, against benders especially, but keep me close while he did. Somewhere safe and comfortable where he could join in or check up on me anytime he wanted to. This was where I learned… everything , basically.”

“That sounds so nice… you must have a lot of memories in here. Is… is that why you’ve been avoiding it?”

“Yeah.”

Korra fell silent after that. She didn’t want to press it any further, but Asami actually seemed eager to get it out there. She wanted Korra to know.

“…After everything that happened with Amon, and the Equalists… I began to wonder what he’d really been training me for. Was it really just self-defense, or was he training me to be like them ? A weapon.” The thought alone made Asami feel like she was going to cry. Korra felt like she should say something, but stopped herself when Asami continued.

“I know what you’re thinking. He probably did just want to protect me. He was my dad and he loved me, he just wanted me to be safe. But I… I honestly can’t say for sure, anymore. And that hurts, you know? Suddenly, all those memories I had of a kindly single father, trying his best to spend time with his daughter, were… ruined. The image that I had of him as this great genius out to save the world, struggling to make time for me with all his big projects and accomplishments, suddenly that was just… gone.”

Asami closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. Korra put her hand on hers, and Asami grabbed it as hard as she could before she continued.

“When I was growing up, we never got to spend much time together. So I’d always come up with different reasons why, assuming it must’ve been something important. My dad was my hero. But after Amon, all I could think was that this whole time, he was attending Equalist meetings while I was in school, plotting genocide while I trained. I wanted to be like him so badly, to get closer to him, and this room was one of the few places where we could just hang out and it wasn’t all business and learning, you know? We didn’t just train here, we talked here, too. We played Pai Sho. We drank tea. We watched the sun set over this garden.” Asami reminisced, almost beginning to smile.

“And then we didn’t.” She finished. “The last time I was in this room with him, it was a couple of days before you arrived. I had no clue what he was really thinking, back then. If any of what he said he wanted for me was true or not. And I guess now I never will.”

Asami was still staring at the garden, her eyes full of tears. What could Korra even say to all of that? She’d always known Hiroshi’s betrayal affected her deeply, but she never really put much thought into it. But Asami? She had to live with this every day. She didn’t have the luxury of not having to think about it. Her father had been the only family she had left, and then he was gone. It wasn’t something that they talked about often.

“I’m so sorry…”  She wasn’t really sure what else to say. She held Asami’s hand tighter, but she still wouldn’t look in her direction. She was just staring at that garden.

“Don’t be. Now that we train here, this room means something else to me. So I want to thank you for that. But… this trial… Kuvira…” Asami trailed. Korra’s heart sunk. Right. “Don’t get me wrong. I love you, so much. So much. Whatever you choose to do, I’m going to support you, no matter what. You’re kind, and compassionate, and I understand where you’re coming from and why you want to say what you want to say and I just… I understand. But… but if I’m being honest…”

Asami couldn’t hold it anymore. A tear trailed down her cheek and she turned away from the garden. Korra expected her to look sad, but the look of guilt and terror on Asami’s face shook her to the core.

“If I’m being honest, then… if you fail. If the tribunal chooses death. I think - I think I’d be okay with that.’’ Asami bit her lip and put a hand over her mouth. She was staring at the floor and holding Korra’s hand as tight as she possibly could. It seemed to take all her strength to speak these words. “I know it’s wrong, okay, it’s fucked up, but… she killed my dad , Korra. My dad. I had him back, and, and we were going to be okay, and she just killed him right in front of me, like - like he wasn’t even a person. And she would’ve killed me, too, but he - he saved me. He saved me and now I’m here with you, and…” She sobbed and sniffled. Her eyes were shut tight to stop the tears, but they kept rolling down her nose and dripping off her chin.

Korra leaped off her chair and kneeled next to Asami. She was still holding her hand, and with the other she ran fingers through Asami’s hair to move it away from her face.

“I love you, and I want to tell you that I hope everything goes the way you want it to, but I don’t know if I… if I really believe that. I don’t know if I really want that. I think… I think there’s a part of me that wants to watch her die. And it scares me. I just… is this how my dad felt after mom died?” Asami was whispering. She was staring at the floor again, eyes wide, terrified of what she was saying. Her entire body was shaking.

“Is this what he felt like? This sadness, and this… this hatred ? I hate her so much I don’t know what to do with myself. I hate her. And I know it’s not fair, it’s not fair to put that on you, but I don’t have anybody else left. I just… I want my dad back…”

Asami looked into Korra’s eyes, took a long, shaky breath, and flung into her open arms. The two of them were sitting on the floor now, Asami crying into Korra’s chest while she held her. Korra rubbed her back and wondered how long she’d been keeping these feelings hidden from her. She wondered how she could’ve missed them. She felt terrible. But there was nothing she or anyone could say to deal with all of that. So Korra leaned her forehead against Asami’s head and brushed her hair with her fingers while she let it all out.

Up until now, Asami had never opened up about her father’s death or how she felt about everything. Sometimes it would come up in passing, but she was always quick to change the subject. During their vacation in the spirit world, she would sometimes suddenly start crying at the thought of him, and Korra held her, but Asami never talked. It was the one thing they’d never been able to talk about before, and considering how they disagreed when Asami first contacted her dad again, it was the one thing Korra didn’t want to talk about. But here they were. She was happy Asami was being honest, but what was she supposed to say to all of that?

“Asami…” Korra trailed, tightening her hold on her fiancee.

“Am I a terrible person?”

“No, no, of course not,” Korra immediately reassured, pulling away so she could look Asami in the eyes. She brushed the back of her hand against her chin and spoke as softly as she could. “You say I’m compassionate, but you’re the most compassionate person I’ve ever known. If anything, I’m just trying to be like you. You’ve had all this tragedy in your life, and yet you’ve never let it get the better of you. I can’t begin to imagine the kind of strength that must take. The fact that you’ve always kept on going has always awed me.”

“Then why do I want her to die? Why am I becoming my dad?”

“You’re not– …your dad… he was… complicated. You knew that better than I ever did. But what you’re feeling is normal. Even if this is how he felt after your mom died, he blamed an entire people for a single person’s actions. But you… you know who killed him. She has a name. And a face. It’s different. Hiroshi’s mistake was to let that pain and anger and hatred consume him until it was just… all he felt. But you helped pull him back from that. You’ll pull yourself back, too.”

“But what if I don’t want to, Korra? What if… what if I don’t want to stop hating her? I finally had a chance to get my dad back, and she… she…” Asami buried her face in Korra’s neck.

Korra closed her eyes and breathed through her nose. “I don’t know. But, hey. I don’t think of you any less for feeling that way.” If Kuvira had killed her own dad, Korra couldn’t say she’d feel any differently, after all. “I wish I knew what to say. That I could just… make all of this go away. But I can’t. All I can tell you is that I love you, and that I’ll always love you, and that I understand. I’m so sorry you have to go through all of this. I’m sorry.” Korra whispered in Asami’s hair, kissing her head and holding her tighter.

It wasn’t like it was Korra’s fault, but now, her actions were going to affect Asami, too. It wasn’t intentional, and it wasn’t fair, but it was what it was. Korra understood. It was a complicated situation, and it sucked. But they’d be okay. She knew it. As hard as all of this was to hear, she was glad to have finally heard it. It meant that Asami really did trust her, and she was thankful for that.

“No, I’m sorry.” Asami sniffed and sat up, trying to recompose herself to limited success. “I don’t… I’m not usually like this. I shouldn’t be putting all of this on you, you have enough to worry about. I don’t want you to feel guilty for-”

“Asami, it’s okay.” Korra assured her. She leaned forward and stroked her hair. “Really, it is. I knew there was a lot about Kuvira and your dad that you weren’t saying, I was just waiting for you to be ready to talk about it. It’s why I’ve tried not to bring them up so much, but the trial ends today. I get why you had to say it right now. It was just the straw that broke the camelephant’s back.”

“Okay.” Asami accepted, slinking back into her Avatar’s shoulder, if only for a moment. She took a long, deep breath. She wasn’t shaking anymore. “Spirits… I have to get to work soon, and I’m just a sobbing mess on the floor. I haven’t even showered yet.” She said with another sniffle. “I already feel exhausted.”

“Yeah, a good cry will do that to you. But you’re the boss, right? You can come in a little late if you want.”

“No, no – there’s too much going on right now, it’s too important. I have to be there.” Asami sat up properly, dried her tears, cleared her throat, and stretched out her neck and shoulders. She still felt pretty awful, but there was work to be done. Once this whole Kuvira thing was taken care of, maybe she’d feel a little better.

“Okay. Are you gonna be alright?” Korra asked cautiously, helping Asami up.

“Of course. I’m Asami Sato.” She smiled weakly, looking Korra directly in the eye. “I’m the strongest girl you know. I can even kick the Avatar’s ass in sparring.”

Korra smiled softly in return. “Do you mind if I join you for that shower? I should be getting ready, too.”

“Yeah. I think I’d like that.” Maybe it was from crying so much, but there seemed to be a sparkle in her eye when she spoke. “Thank you for letting me fall apart like that.”

Korra took her hand and led her out of the room. “Don’t worry about it, that’s what lovers do, right? We help pick each other up. If you stuck with me through my recovery, I can stick with you through all of this.” Asami pulled her girlfriend closer, put a hand on her hip, and leaned on her head. Now more than ever, she was thankful to be with Korra.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***


If there was one thing Bolin didn’t expect to wake up to, it was the scent of a home-cooked meal. If his nose was right (which it usually was, with such matters), there were some omelets and bacon cooking in the next room over. A puzzling scent, considering his girlfriend was currently adhering to a strict vegetarian diet, but a welcome one.

Following his nose out of bed, Bolin stumbled into the kitchen to find Opal preparing breakfast for the two of them. The radio was tuned in to one of the local music stations while she cooked.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” She greeted, having overheard the zombie shamble his way into the living room.

“Oh, I love you…” Bolin replied to the sight, his stomach agreeing with him. Opal laughed, looking back and suggesting he take a seat – she was almost done.

Opal had been spending a lot of time tending to Bolin since he was hurt by the Chi Eater, accompanying him to his healing sessions and helping him whenever he needed her to. For the most part he was fine, but he would’ve been lying if he said he didn’t like the extra attention. The doctor’s orders were to take it easy for a while though, so while Mako put his nose back to the grindstone as soon as he could, Bolin had been stuck with desk duty. Not that he really minded it either way – it was nice to take it easy sometimes.

Setting hers and Bolin’s plates on the table in front of the couch, she took a seat on the beat-up old sofa next to her boyfriend. Their apartment was too small for a proper table and some chairs, so they usually just ate at here to the sound of the radio.

“Not that I’m complaining, but what’s with the bacon? I thought you didn’t like meat?” Bolin asked. Aside from it being Air Nomad tradition to go vegetarian, Opal didn’t really care for the stuff.

Though honestly, the vegetarian rule was more of a suggestion, these days; since the expansion of the Air Nation after Harmonic Convergence, there were a lot of new recruits who weren’t too keen on changing their whole dietary lifestyle. It was preferred that you didn’t, and you weren’t allowed to in the temples, but now, if you were an Airbender, you could eat meat if you really wanted to.

“Today is your last day of desk duty, and your last healing session. I figured you might want to celebrate.” Opal explained with a smile.

“Good call,” Bolin grinned, wasting no time digging in. “I should get hurt more often, this week was nice.” He joked, speaking with his mouth full. Opal shook her head. Manners never were one of Bolin’s strong points.

“Yeah, well, I hope you made the most of it. If your brother’s any indication, you’re going to be pretty busy again soon.”

“Nah, Mako’s just weird – he actually likes pulling all-nighters. He really needs a hobby.” Bolin diagnosed, taking a sip of some orange juice. “Things should be a lot less freaky now that the Chi Eater’s gone, though. It’s gonna be back to busting triads for this beat cop! I’m actually kind of excited.”

“Easy there, supercop, you just got back on your feet.”

“Psh, I’ve never felt better! It’s like I never broke a rib!” Bolin exclaimed, lightly pounding his chest for emphasis only to break into a painful coughing fit. Maybe that wasn’t the best idea. “Okay, so, maybe I should ease back into things,”

Opal shook her head again. “Gee, you think?” She teased, placing a hand on her boyfriend’s back. “I think that’s enough work talk for one morning, before you try to prove something else.”

“Yeah, okay,” Bolin agreed, wiping a few tears from his eyes now that he’d caught his breath again. It seemed he’d be a little tender for a while.

“Hey, so, how about the mover tonight? Ooh, and that party! Let’s talk about that instead,” Opal suggested, visibly excited. “I haven’t been to a proper party since Varrick’s wedding. I can’t wait to just sit back, drink, and relax.”

“Ooh, yeah! Speaking of Varrick, I heard Ryuuki left him in charge of planning it so that he could spend more time rebuilding the arena! It’s gonna be a lot of fun. And we’re finally gonna get to see the end of The Dancing Dragons!” Bolin was getting excited just thinking about it. Tonight was gonna be great.

“Makes sense why it’s being held in the highest end club in Republic City, then. Varrick’s never done anything in half measures.” Opal rolled her eyes.

“Well, it’s not like that’s a bad thing, there’s a lot to celebrate! The mover, the donation, the Chi Eater, Kuvira’s sentencing – I can see why he’d wanna splurge a little bit. Today’s gonna be a good day, I can feel it.”

“I hope so.” Opal said, her smile weakening just a bit. “With any luck, the Tribunal will do the right thing and make an example out of Kuvira. If they do that, there really will be a lot to celebrate.”

Bolin winced. He already knew Opal’s feelings on Kuvira, but that didn’t mean they caught him any less off-guard every time. It seemed so out-of-character for her. He understood it, to a point, but… “…So yeah, I’m excited for that party!” Bolin said, struggling to return the topic to a lighter subject.

“Right, right, sorry,” Opal apologized. She’d promised herself she wasn’t going to talk about this today. “Me too.” She said, her smile returning to her.

“… slated to re-premiere tonight at 8. And now on to our top story: Kuvira’s trial is finally coming to a close! Following some last minute testimony by the Avatar, the Tribunal is expected to announce her sentence late this afternoon. A trial like this has not been seen in nearly a hundred years, and neither have these sorts of crimes: Kuvira is expected to be charged with up to 48 counts, including the creation and use of a weapon of mass destruction, multiple human rights violations, and murder. Given the very public nature of her crimes and the vast amount of evidence to support these charges, there is little doubt that she will be found guilty.

Instead, doubt has been cast on what the disgraced ‘Uniter’ s’ sentence will end up being. Even a month ago, life imprisonment would’ve seemed a foregone conclusion, but a recently rediscovered law regarding capital punishment put forward by disgraced late former councilman Tarrlok has changed all of this. It was rediscovered by Judge Zhu Wong of Zaofu and has reportedly been discussed at length by all parties involved in the trial, skewing general consensus toward the idea that the Tribunal may very well be going for the death penalty. But as the Avatar’s testimony draws nearer and nearer, this consensus has been called into question.

All this week, Avatar Korra has joined Master Tenzin of the Air Nation in voicing a strong disapproval of this law, stating that it should be stricken from the books and that Kuvira should be ‘spared from a cruel, unjust law snuck in by a cruel, unjust man’ . Avatar Korra in particular cited the fact that its intended use was on the non-benders of Republic City, and that aside from being morally reprehensible, to exercise it in any capacity would only serve to vindicate the disgraced late former councilman. The debate over whether Kuvira should live or die has sparked protests and counter-protests all around Republic City and outside of the courthouse today, and we take you now to-”

Opal clicked off the radio. Her smile was completely gone. Any hopes she may have had of a relaxing morning with her boyfriend were now thoroughly dashed, and her mood had soured considerably.

She knew all of this already. She knew that Kuvira might end up getting out of this alive, even if she didn’t deserve to. But hearing it again and again, and all the fanfare about Korra joining Tenzin, lending more legitimacy to the Airbenders and their protests…

Tenzin, she could understand. He was a peaceful, non-violent man. He’d been trying his hardest to help Opal through her feelings, but they came from different worlds. Opal couldn’t hold it against him. The Air Nation was the same way.

But Korra… she wasn’t like Tenzin. She’d seen what Kuvira had done first-hand. She’d seen what Kuvira was like, how ruthless and persistent she was, how she would never give up. And yet Korra thought Kuvira deserved mercy , that she’d somehow gone against her nature and learned from all of this.

But Opal knew better. Opal knew exactly what kind of a person Kuvira really was. Maybe she’d been hoping Korra would see it, too. But all this week, the fact that she hadn’t just made Opal angry. She knew it was probably wrong to feel the way she did, but she didn’t care. The hate she had for Kuvira was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before in her life. It was eating her alive.

“…Opal…?” Bolin asked, trying to recapture his girlfriend’s attention. She’d frozen by the radio, hands at her sides and a grim look upon her face. It was as if in an instant, all the joy had been sucked out of her. To Bolin, it was like watching a bird fall from the sky. He felt helpless as Opal closed her eyes, sighing with a degree of anger and frustration he hadn’t heard from her since Kuvira captured her family.

“I should’ve known.” She quietly began, practically shaking. “Of all people, I should’ve known she wouldn’t understand. I should’ve known it in the limo, but I hoped… with all these people… I hoped maybe Korra might actually get it. I can’t believe I was so stupid.”

“Opal…” Bolin didn’t know what to say. He’d been afraid of this all week, and now it was happening – she was blaming Korra. It seemed Opal had finally reached her breaking point. “You know that’s not true, of course Korra understands. It’s just…” Bolin trailed off, trying to think of how best to phrase what he was thinking.

“Just what, Bolin? Did you forget what Kuvira did to the Earth Kingdom? To this city? To my family ? Because it sure seems like Korra has. Tenzin I get, he thinks everybody can ‘find peace’ or whatever, it’s how he was raised. But Kuvira doesn’t deserve to ‘find peace’, she deserves to be punished .”

“Nobody’s saying she won’t be. But they haven’t reached a verdict yet, maybe it’s not as bad as you think,” Bolin rushed to say, not really sure why he was saying it. He didn’t want Kuvira dead, he was with Korra on this one. But Opal was just so angry. Any time Kuvira came up, she was like a completely different person. It was a mistake when he mentioned her before. He’d been hoping to avoid this, but maybe today it was just unavoidable. Maybe this fight needed to happen.

“Bolin, stop.” Opal raised her hand for emphasis. “She’s the Avatar. When she talks, people listen. If she’s going all-in against this, I don’t think it’s going to happen.” She sounded… sad? Bolin was growing more uncomfortable by the second. This wasn’t the Opal he knew.

“So, what, you want her to die? How does that make you any better than her?” Bolin snapped. Opal froze, the look on her face a sort of rage he couldn’t even begin to describe. Maybe he shouldn’t have said that.

Excuse me?” Opal asked, standing up from the couch. She nearly knocked over the table with how quickly she got up, prompting Bolin to grab their glasses before they fell to the floor. “I am nothing like her.”

“Yeah, well, whenever she gets mentioned, it sure doesn’t seem like it. She tried to kill us for getting in the way of her idea of peace. Now you want to see the United Republic kill her? For what, justice?”

“She’s a monster, Bolin! All she knows how to do is take and destroy! For as long as Kuvira is alive, she’s going to be a threat to me, to my family, to the United Republic, to everybody ! You have no clue what she’s capable of! You were serving right under her and you didn’t get it until it was almost too late! But I grew up with her. She doesn’t deserve mercy.”

“Opal…” Bolin was at a loss for words. He almost felt like he was going to cry. “What happened to you?”

“Kuvira happened.” Opal said, sighing loudly. “This is what she does, Bolin. She breaks things. Even people.” She sat back down, sounding a little calmer now. “I know how all of this sounds. I see the way you’re looking at me. I know. I’m never like this, with anybody. But please. Trust me when I tell you that Kuvira doesn’t deserve to live. Not after everything she’s done. Not just to the Earth Kingdom, or the United Republic, but to me .”

“I…” Bolin got the feeling she wasn’t just talking about her family anymore. “What did she do?”

“Well, I didn’t get those scars you saw from being clumsy.” Opal claimed. Bolin gulped. “Kuvira’s never changed, and she never will.”

“I still don’t think that means she has to die.” Bolin admitted quietly. Opal nodded.

“I know. I know you’re with Korra and Tenzin on this one. You’re so kind.” She said, smiling weakly. “This isn’t a fight I wanted to have with you. I’m sorry I snapped.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t know. I mean… I knew you took this whole thing personally, but I guess I just didn’t know why.” Bolin sighed. “I still can’t agree with you on this. And I hope you find it in your heart to change your mind. But I don’t want her to break us , too.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time if she did.” Opal reminded. Bolin frowned. He supposed not. “But I agree. I don’t want her to ruin this, either. I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

“…You need to get going to work. I’ll clean up.” Opal said, clearly dejected. Rising from the couch again, she began collecting hers and Bolin’s dishes from the table.

“Are you sure? I can afford to be a little late, if-”

“I’ll be fine.” Opal insisted. “Please, just. Go. And have a good day, okay?”

Bolin’s frown deepened. But there was nothing more to say. “Okay.” Giving Opal a peck on the cheek, Bolin grabbed his jacket and walked out the door. This wouldn’t be the last time they spoke about this today.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

As Korra sailed through the air to the courthouse, she was surprised by just how many people had gathered out front to protest. They were separated into two very distinct crowds, one calling for Kuvira’s execution, and the other protesting ‘Tarrlok’s Law’, as it had come to be known. It seemed the duties of the Tribunal had become twofold, then. However they ruled would likely decide United Republic law – if not world law – for years to come.

Korra sighed. This was not going to be fun. She could already see the press lining the courthouse steps, flash bulbs going off at the sky as they caught glimpse of her silhouette coming into view. It could’ve been any Airbender really, but even from this distance they could somehow tell it was Korra. She was already dreading the landing. As a kid, she never would’ve guessed this would be how she would spend most of her time as the Avatar – not beating up bad guys, but giving speeches.

She braced herself for the inevitable flood of questions before her testimony and came in for a landing. As if on cue, the voices flooded in the instant her feet touched the ground. They didn’t miss a beat. She must’ve been bombarded with over a dozen before she even got the chance to turn around, but she was starting to get better at discerning individual questions out of the sea of voices. Ones she’d actually be willing to dignify with an answer, which admittedly weren’t many, usually.

But this time was different. With Kuvira, she was taking a moral stand, one she felt it was very important to articulate. She wasn’t Aang, though. This wasn’t her specialty, and it showed. But with all eyes on her, it was time for her to make that stand and say her piece, before she went in and gave her testimony to the Tribunal. Korra zeroed in on one of the reporters and asked him to repeat his question, the rest of the press quieting down so that they could hear the exchange.

“Hao Wai, Republic City Chronicler,” Introduced the man in the bowler hat. “Your defense of Kuvira to the press has come under harsh criticism this past week. Some fear you’re becoming a Kuvira apologist, and that given your role as the Avatar, your testimony may sway the decision of the court in your favor regardless of whether or not it sets the right precedent. How do you respond to these criticisms? Is it true you wish to see Kuvira go free, even despite all she’s done?”

“What? No, of course not!” Korra immediately responded, looking more than a little offended at the insinuation. “Not thinking Kuvira should die and thinking she should go free are two completely different things. I’m not saying she shouldn’t be punished, I’m just saying that I don’t think killing her is the way to go. If you ask me, the idea of a ‘death penalty’ for your crimes, no matter how bad they were, is insane.”

“There are many who, in these times of uncertainty and change for the former Earth Kingdom, fear the rise of another dictator like Kuvira. These people believe she should be made an example of as a result, as a deterrent to would-be copycats. You don’t believe this is the correct approach, then?”

“Absolutely not. What Kuvira did was terrible, unforgivable even. There’s no denying that. And I’m not asking anybody to forgive her. But killing her isn’t the answer. It’s not going to solve anything. You mentioned something about ‘setting the right precedent’ before – well I think that’s what I’m doing right now. Killing somebody after the fact isn’t justice, it’s revenge. Kuvira willingly surrendered herself to the authorities, she’s taking responsibility for her actions. I think killing her now isn’t just unnecessary, it’s wrong. In fact, I don’t think it’s a punishment at all.”

“Would you care to elaborate on that statement?” Hao asked. Korra sighed. She wasn’t really sure how to put this.

“Well… if you ask me, a punishment is something somebody can learn from. But if you kill somebody, they can’t exactly learn from what they did. Even though what Kuvira did was horrible, I think she deserves the opportunity to learn from her mistakes, same as everybody else. If she never learns, she never learns – she’ll be in prison for the rest of her life whether she does or doesn’t. I think that’s the best we can hope to do.”

“Avatar Korra, Mimi Hara, United Republic Today,” Another reporter introduced, a woman in a lavender dress. “It sounds as though you are completely opposed to killing. Does this mean if you had been left with no other choice, and it was either kill Kuvira or let her take Republic City, you would have done nothing?”

“If there’s another option, I’m always going to take that over killing somebody.” Korra replied, becoming more and more firm in what she was saying the more she said. “I’m not Aang. Not in the slightest. But he managed to find a way to end the Hundred Year War without killing the Fire Lord, and I’ve always respected him for that. He did things his way and found another solution with Energybending. But if it ever comes to a point where there is no other solution, I will do whatever I have to do, even if that means killing somebody – just like I did with the Chi Eater.”

“Let’s assume the courts agree with you then,” Mimi supposed, moving on to her next question. “And let’s say they chose life imprisonment over death. Where do you plan to go from there? What are your plans for Kuvira? Would you be visiting her at all during her sentence? What of her co-conspirator, Bataar Beifong Jr., for that matter?”

“I would like to speak with them if they’ll let me, yeah.” Korra confirmed, surveying the crowd. Protesters on both sides had long since silenced to listen to the Avatar speak.

“As the Avatar, it’s my job to keep balance in the world, but I… haven’t always done the best job of that. I mean, it was because of my time recovering after the Red Lotus that Kuvira ever rose to power in the first place. But during my recovery, I think I came to understand something, and that is that true balance in the world comes from within, on an individual level – not on some gigantic, worldwide scale. I mean… sometimes, yeah, there are threats like that which need to be taken care of, but even situations like those are just the result of people or forces being out of balance.

Look at Amon, for example. He wanted equality, but had nothing to balance out his ideals, no morals or limitations. Or the Red Lotus. All they wanted was freedom, but they were willing to take it at any cost, and did nothing to balance out their or the rest of the world’s more destructive tendencies. Kuvira’s no different, in my eyes, and I think we can all learn something from her mistakes. And, if she’s willing to listen, I’d like to help her find balance, too, so that maybe she can learn from them as well. It’s an opportunity I think everybody deserves.”

“Then what do you have to say to the families affected by Kuvira, or who have had loved ones taken away from them by her or her forces, the ones who are looking for justice?”

“I’d say justice is being served, right now. There’s nothing we can do to bring back what we lost, but we can build something new from the pieces left behind. Something stronger. In Republic City, we’re all hurting after Kuvira’s attack, in one way or another. But we shouldn’t let that get the best of us. Vengeance isn’t justice, and it isn’t going to change anything. In my opinion, we should be the better person and keep moving forward.”

“Jun Ho Kim, Republic City Underground,” A third reporter introduced, looking to be dressed a bit more cheaply than the others. “Following off of Kuvira, is it true that it was her destruction of the Spirit Wilds and the creation of a new Spirit Portal that prompted the Chi Eater to attack? Should we be charging her for the death and destruction it caused, as well?”

“The Chi Eater was an entirely separate event, it had nothing to do with Kuvira.” Korra assured. Jun Ho clearly wanted more than that, though. Korra just wasn’t sure how much she could reveal to the press. “Put simply, the Chi Eater was a corrupted spirit that predated Harmonic Convergence. We still don’t know why it chose to attack Republic City or how it became corrupted, but it’s been bugging me, too. Those are things I’m going to continue investigating when I can.” And that was an Avatar promise. The reporter looked satisfied for now.

“Now, as much as I’d love to stand here and answer all you guys’ questions, I think I’ve said all I have to say right now.” Korra said, looking back to the courthouse behind her. “Now I’m going to go give my testimony so we can finally put this whole Kuvira situation behind us. I’ll be free to answer more of your questions then.” She said, wincing a bit at her own promise. A job was a job, and they’d probably have more to say after she got out of there.

For now though, she had a testimony to give.

Notes:

Special thanks to tumblr user l-a-l-o-u for beta reading this chapter, and helping touch up Asami's moment with Korra. I don't think this chapter would be as good as it is without you!

Chapter 12: Lost Cause

Summary:

After a chance meeting with Ravi tips Korra off to the lack of older spirits in Republic City, the Avatar decides to investigate. Meanwhile, the verdict has come down on Kuvira's trial, and it's on Lin and Suyin to deal with the aftermath.

Chapter Text

Book 5
Chi

Chapter 12
Lost Cause

 

Slumping into a park bench, Korra huffed. “Well, that could’ve gone better,” She complained, reeling from the 45 minutes of post-trial questioning she’d just endured. It would’ve been one thing if they were new questions, but a lot of them seemed to be retreads of the same small handful. Either these people were dense, or they were hoping she’d slip up and say something they could paint as outrageous. She didn’t think she had, but she could never tell with Republic City’s news media.

After all, she’d taken a somewhat unpopular stance today. The Air Nation was drumming up a lot of support for keeping Kuvira alive, but as Korra had pointed out before, there was still a lot of hate. All she could do was hope that she’d stemmed the tide of that today, at least a little bit. Still, she expected a dozen think pieces by tomorrow morning trying to find some sort of fault in her reasoning they could exploit. Everybody wanted to say they knew better than the Avatar.

She’d spent so much of her time as the Avatar fighting threats with faces; this was the first time she actually had to tackle one that was a bit more social than it was physical. It was exhausting, even more than most of her fights. But that was okay. She’d honestly take this over another Amon or Zaheer any day.

“Maybe so, but I thought you handled yourself rather well, if I do say so myself,”

Korra jumped in her seat the second the low, booming voice of Ravi rumbled over the ambiance of the park. Turning her head around, she would see him standing right behind her, waving hello.

“Oh, Ravi, hey,” Korra greeted, laughing off her initial shock. “Come to admire your handiwork?” She asked, referring to his recently completed renovation of the park named in her honor. Ravi shook his head, and Korra motioned for him to take a seat beside her. She hadn’t had the chance to talk to him all that much yet, but was curious to get to know him a little better.

“Not exactly,” Ravi replied with a smile, gladly accepting her offer and sitting down next to the Avatar. “I was just overseeing the construction of the western gate, and the installation of the last two Waterbending sculptures that young Beifong kid donated to the park. Your Q&A session happened to be on the radio while I was working. I didn’t think I’d find you here so soon after – and sitting in front of your own statue, no less. Some people may call that conceited, you know,”

“Pssh, as if, this was just the first open bench I could find,” Korra defended. Ravi laughed. “I remember when Asami told me you planned to reopen this place in a week, I didn’t think you’d be able to do it. Looks like I was wrong. In fact, it looks even better than it did before. You did good.”

“The Avatar bet against me? I’m hurt,” Ravi joked, placing his hand over his chest. “But at least you didn’t lose 100 yuans over it. One of the volunteers actually bet against me, thinking it was impossible. I’m not much of a gambling man, but it’s a different story when I know I’m going to win.”

“Somebody’s confident. I like that.” Korra smiled.

“It wasn’t that much work, honestly. Some Earthbenders to fix the overturned earth and transplant some trees, Waterbenders to bend the stream back into shape, the replacement of a bridge, the addition of some sculptures… really, I’d say it only took as long as it did because of all the new stuff we’ve been adding.”

“Which looks great, by the way. I’m not really a fan of Huan’s stuff usually, but he did a good job with these.”

“Glad to hear it. This is your park, after all.”

Korra laughed. “It’s everybody’s park, it just got named after me,” She insisted. “But it’s nice to see people and spirits hanging out around here again. You did a good job. Thanks.”

“I aim to please.” Ravi smiled. “Though, I do wish more spirits would have returned to the city by now. They used to love this place.”

Korra looked confused. “Uh… there’s plenty of spirits around right now, aren’t there?” She asked, glancing around once more to be sure. “They’ve been coming back in droves ever since I took down the Chi Eater.”

“Mm. The young ones, at least.” He remarked, his gaze fixed on the portal on the horizon. When he turned back to Korra, her look of confusion caught him by surprise. “…Have you not noticed? None of the older spirits have returned yet. It’s had me a little concerned, if I’m being honest. The portal is so close, but there’s nothing.”

Korra hadn’t. She hadn’t interacted with enough to notice, and she couldn’t tell a spirit’s age by just looking at it. She was surprised Ravi picked up on it at all. “…No, I didn’t. But Republic City’s taken a lot of hits lately, from Kuvira, to the triads, to the Chi Eater… maybe they’re just losing faith in this place.” Korra frowned. “At least the little ones don’t seem to be worried.”

“I wonder about that.” Ravi said, prompting Korra to raise an eyebrow. Did he know something that she didn’t? “I’ve only talked to a few of them, but I get the sense that there’s something deeper going on. Perhaps it is something you can look into? It would certainly ease my mind to know for sure.”

“Of course.” How could she ignore a direct request like that? But the fact that Ravi noticed the spirits before she had left Korra feeling uneasy. Maybe she should be spending more time with them than she had been? Unless…

“You know, now that I think about it… a lot of things have been bugging me since I took down the Chi Eater. Mostly about the Chi Eater itself, but, other things too. Like… I haven’t been able to shake the feeling that I’ve been missing something important. Something obvious. And I don’t know why. I’ve just been ignoring it because of this whole Kuvira thing, but maybe this was part of it?” Korra thought aloud, trying to piece things together for herself. But she seemed unsure of her own conclusion.

“It’s not impossible. I wouldn’t doubt your Avatar instincts, myself.”

“Ha, I don’t think they’re that finely tuned,” Korra countered. “Maybe I’m just overthinking it. Maybe Raava picked up on something I didn’t and that’s why I’ve been feeling this way.”

“I wonder about that,” Ravi looked to Korra. “The press has a habit of being pretty harsh with you from what I’ve seen, but as far as Avatars go, I think you’ve done a pretty good job so far. And if your Q&A today was any indication, you may be a bit wiser than you think. You shouldn’t doubt your own abilities so much. Personally, I have great faith in you. I’m confident you’ll figure it out.”

“Ravi…” Korra was speechless. She admittedly didn’t know Ravi all that well, but she still never would’ve expected that sort of a pep talk from him. He didn’t seem the type. Though she supposed Asami had described him as a gentle giant. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

“Of course. Perhaps you should bring this up with Asami, too? She’s a pretty smart girl. With the two of you together, I’m sure you could figure it out.”

“That’s a great idea,” Korra agreed. She’d been so focused on the trial and how Asami was feeling about it, she hadn’t thought to ask her about it yet. “I am gonna see if I can’t figure anything out for myself, first, though. I mean, I’m already here, I can just talk to a couple of spirits and see what they have to say.”

“Of course. But it doesn’t hurt to have somebody else to bounce ideas off of.”

“No, it does not,” Korra smiled. “I’m really glad to have her in my corner. I don’t know why I’m so stubborn and don’t rely on her more than I do.” Her smile began to fade. “Well, no, I guess that’s not true.”

“What do you mean? If you don’t mind my asking, of course,” Ravi quickly corrected.

Korra bit her lip. “I dunno. I think I’m a little afraid of her showing me up? It’s ridiculous, I know. But she’s been doing it a lot lately and I just feel…” She wasn’t sure of the right word to use. Inadequate, maybe? “Not good enough for her.” That would do. Korra sighed. “And then on top of that, I’m afraid she’s going to get herself hurt making up for one of my mistakes, or trying to protect me. I’m the Avatar, that’s supposed to be my job.”

Ravi hummed. “This sounds like something you should be discussing with Asami.” Korra nodded in agreement. She knew that, but… “But it seems to me that you need to have more faith. In yourself and in Asami.”

“I know. I know she’s capable, but I can’t stop worrying about her. If anything happened to her, I’d…”

“Just take it one thing at a time. Talk to her. She is a very understanding woman, and she is head over heels for you. I am sure she will listen and that you two will figure this out.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

“I know I am,” Ravi smiled. There goes that confidence again. Korra couldn’t help but smile, too.

“Thanks, Ravi.” Catching him by surprise, Korra leaned in and gave him a hug. “I’ll try talking to her later. But first, I’m gonna see if I can’t get to the bottom of this spirits thing.”

“Okay. I wish you luck, in both endeavors,” Ravi said, watching Korra stand up from the bench, stretch out her back, and then grab the glider staff she’d left resting against it. Before she left, though, she suddenly remembered something.

“Oh, right! I’m sure you’ve heard about the party by now, but are you gonna be there tonight?” She asked, hoping to have another chance to talk with him. Ravi nodded.

“I’m not much of a party animal, but Asami insisted I take the time off. It’ll be nice to see everyone again and talk some more. You and Asami have some interesting friends,” He smiled.

“Heh, comes with the territory I guess,” Korra supposed, rubbing the back of her neck. “But I can’t wait, honestly. I don’t think I’ve had a chance to relax with everybody since Varrick’s wedding. I mean, I’ve had plenty of time to relax with Asami, of course, but, I miss the rest of my friends too,” She corrected.

“Of course,” Ravi nodded along. “I hear it was quite the event, I’m a little sad I missed it. Things were pretty hectic right after the attack though, and then Asami came to me later that night asking if I could run the company for her for a little while. There was never any time for me to pop in, but I was hoping to meet you then.”

“Ah, yeah, Asami did say she tried to get us to meet a few times since I came back, but nothing ever really panned out. I was starting to think the enigmatic Ravi was avoiding me,” Korra teased, prompting Ravi to laugh.

“No, no, I’m just a workaholic, I assure you. I’m sure you’ve seen how easily Asami can get lost in things by now, yes? Just multiply that by about ten, and that would be me on an average day,” He explained. “And yet here we both are, completely by chance. It’s funny how things work out sometimes, isn’t it?”

Korra smiled. It was. “…Right, didn’t I say I should get going like five minutes ago?” She asked, looking around to make sure there were still spirits for her to talk to. “I’ve still got a lot I wanted to do today.”

“Ah, you and me both,” Ravi confessed, rising from the bench. “But it was nice getting to talk with you again, Avatar Korra. Once again, I wish you luck with the spirits,” He repeated, extending his hand. Korra met it with a firm shake.

“It was. I’ll see you later tonight,” She smiled, letting the man be on his way. Now that it was just her again, she could get back to work. Lin had left Mako in charge of setting up security and Korra promised to stop in and help, make sure there were no more corrupted spirits hanging around, but talking to the ones in the park came first. With any luck, it wouldn’t take her too long.



*** *** *** *** *** *** ***



Though it had only been a couple of hours since Korra’s testimony, the Tribunal had arrived at a decision. It had come down quicker than anybody expected, with the only argument between the judges having been whether or not to exercise Tarrlok’s Law. Though the debate was fierce, the decision was unanimous. Korra and the Air Nation had won – Kuvira would live.

Unsurprisingly, this decision did not go over well with everybody. Outside of the courthouse, the crowds that’d been gathered all day roared back to life. The side that had been calling for Kuvira’s head was outraged, while the side that had been rallying against Tarrlok’s Law openly celebrated. Justice had been served and the honor of the Republic preserved, so far as they were concerned.

Now came the dangerous part.

With all of these people assembled out front and no rear exit to the building, Kuvira would have to be escorted through the crowds and into the back of an armored car, surrounded on all sides by protesters. Then, a short drive to the docks would precede a second trip by boat back to her wooden cell, this time for good. But getting her through that crowd was no easy feat – there wasn’t a doubt in anybody’s mind that somebody would try something on her.

When she finally emerged from the courthouse, Kuvira was flanked on both sides by the Beifong sisters, with an additional four Metalbending officers formed up two behind her and two in front. Though the crowd was divided on how she should be sentenced, the booing that erupted when she began walking down the courthouse steps was unanimous. She had no allies here.

Some people just shouted at her, calling her all manner of names and slurs, while others threw whatever they could in her direction. Crumpled up pieces of paper, the drinks in their hand – some Earthbenders even sent some small rocks her way. The Metalbenders deflected what they could, but some of it still got through and pelted the Great Uniter. Through all this, Kuvira’s expression did not waver. The Beifongs caught in the crossfire showed more emotion than she did.

“This is for my sister, you bitch!” There it was – a would-be assassin, exactly as feared. A Firebender who was skilled enough to be conjuring lightning he was preparing to shoot her way. Kuvira glanced in his direction, but still, her expression did not change. She just looked on blankly as the two officers on her left fired their cables into the crowd and restrained the man before he could finish.

Pulled to the ground, he hit the concrete chin-first and grunted, another officer who’d been doing crowd control putting his arms behind his back and cuffing him. But even if he’d failed, he’d sparked something in the crowd. Others were trying to take shots at Kuvira now, too. Earthbenders, Firebenders, Waterbenders – most of them were restrained before they could do anything, but a few elements actually had to be dodged.

Kuvira’s head was forced down by Suyin as fire sailed overhead, and for an instant she looked sad. But it was gone with the light of the flame, and a couple seconds later, she was escorted into the back of the truck along with Suyin, Lin, and two other officers. The remaining two Metalbenders were joined up with others outside of the vehicle, trying to manage the crowd, but it was rapidly descending into a riot. For Kuvira, as the platinum doors shut behind her, that angry mob would be the last sight she’d see in Republic City.

Taking a seat, Kuvira was now isolated with her adoptive mother and aunt, and two nameless officers who were not getting paid enough for this. The truck rocked before it could start moving, the people outside beating at the sides, trying to get at Kuvira. Visibly frustrated, Lin ordered the two officers out of the truck to help clear a path so that they could get moving. Dejected, the two obeyed, opening doors Lin pulled closed behind them and jumping back into the chaos.

The sound of earthen barriers rising from the ground was audible even from within the truck, along with rocks pelting metal throughout. A space was being carved out around the truck so that it could move. It took a minute, but finally, it rolled to a start, slowly but surely, the drive that followed totally silent. It was just Kuvira and the Beifongs now, completely alone, and awkward didn’t even begin to describe how they were feeling. The tension in the back of the truck could’ve been cut with a knife.

Suyin wondered how long it had been since she and Kuvira had been together like this, just sitting quietly across from one another. Three years, maybe? Since the beginning of the Red Lotus fiasco, at least. It was equal parts nostalgic and frustrating. Part of her wanted to talk like they used to, while another part of her wanted to watch her burn. So instead of saying anything, the Beifong matriarch just kept her mouth shut.

Kuvira, meanwhile, wondered why Suyin was here. She wasn’t police like her sister. She’d given some flimsy excuse about wanting to make sure Kuvira didn’t try anything, but Kuvira knew better than that. No, if it was Suyin, this was probably about family. Given everything she’d done to hurt them, Kuvira wouldn’t be surprised if Suyin was just waiting for her to try something, looking for an excuse to put her down. If that was the case, she was going to be disappointed.

And then there was Lin. She was just focused on the task at hand. Aside from what she did to Republic City, Lin didn’t have as much of a stake in this Kuvira thing as her sister did, and it showed. She looked bored. She was really only here because she was the Chief of Police and the city’s premiere Metalbender. But even she could see that Kuvira had changed. That fire inside her had died, and her eyes were cold and empty with nothing behind them. She was completely defeated. It was almost sad to look at.

Anything the three of them may have wanted to say, they were keeping it to themselves, lost in their own heads. Not a single word was shared, and before long, the truck had come to a stop. They were already at the docks. Lin hastened Kuvira and Suyin to stand up, and the two sisters led her out of the truck, down the pier, and into the boat that would take them the rest of the way. This would be a much longer trip than the one they’d just taken, as Kuvira’s prison was fairly far from Republic City’s shoreline.

So, the three of them sat down in the back of the boat, organized into the same configuration as before: a sister on each side with Kuvira sat in the middle. There was no room for them to do anything but sit in silence or talk.

After a moment, the boat set off.

Kuvira stared in Suyin’s direction, and just as it had any other time she looked at her, guilt washed over Kuvira at the sight. There were a lot of things she did during her tenure as the Great Uniter that Kuvira was still proud of. A lot of things she’d been willing to stand by in court, and that she did stand by in court. But now, in the aftermath, what she’d done to Suyin and her family was not one of them.

Kuvira wanted to say something, anything . To try to ease her own mind, to apologize. But no matter how hard she willed it, the words wouldn’t come out. Even when she herself thought she was wrong about something, she was still too proud to admit it. She clenched her teeth and looked away. She couldn’t do this. Thinking about Suyin and her family just reminded Kuvira of everything she’d lost, probably forever.

All of it made Kuvira wish they’d sentenced her to death. For a woman as proud as her, death would’ve been a mercy. She didn’t know why they didn’t just give it to her. It wasn’t like she didn’t deserve it. It would’ve made a lot of people happy. It would’ve been easier on the Republic. It would’ve been easier on her .

Now, the state had to devote money and manpower to feeding and defending her, to keeping her alive when nobody wanted her to be. Not even Kuvira herself. Now, if she really wanted a way out, all she could do was either sit in her cell and starve herself to death slowly, or wait for somebody who was both stupid enough to try and lucky enough to succeed in killing her themselves. Honestly, she’d rather the glory of the latter than the indignity of the former.

As the boat bobbed atop the waves, the rattling of her platinum cuffs pulled Kuvira from her thoughts. The sudden shifting of her eyes down to her wrists caught Lin’s attention to her left, and the Chief’s body moved subtly as if she were getting ready to attack.

“I’m not going to do anything,” Kuvira said. Lin looked surprised to actually hear her talk. The silence had finally been broken. “That’s what you’re thinking, right? But even I can’t bend platinum.”

“It’s not the cuffs I was afraid of you bending,” Lin replied, referring to the machinery of the boat itself. There was still a lot of metal nearby she could have her way with if she had the mind to.

Kuvira said nothing, just flashing a weak smile for a second before returning to silence. But now her situation had changed, just a little bit. Now, Suyin was staring at her . It made Kuvira uncomfortable. Uncomfortable enough that she actually spoke up for a second time.

“What do you want?” Kuvira asked, an accusing tone to her voice that she didn’t think was intentional.

“Nothing. I just know better than to take my eyes off of you, now.” Suyin crossed her arms, venom to her words. “Last time I did that, you turned my son into a war criminal.”

Kuvira laughed. She couldn’t help it. There was something about the way Suyin had said it, the vindictiveness in her voice and the disgust on her face. She’d seen it all a hundred times by now, with all the witnesses who took part in her trial. With Korra, even. Maybe it was the thought of the mighty Suyin lowering herself to the level of a common victim, but something about it amused her.

Kuvira’s smile quickly faded. She didn’t want to antagonize Suyin any more than she already had. “Sorry,” She apologized, turning away from Suyin and lowering her head. “But Bataar and I never saw ourselves as criminals. We were just trying to do what we thought was right, by whatever means necessary.”

“That doesn’t change what you did,” Suyin reminded her.

“No. But I want you, of all people, to understand why we did it. Maybe we didn’t go about it the right way, I don’t know. Personally, I still don’t feel bad about a lot of what we did. What else could we have done? The Avatar was gone, and somebody needed to step up and grab the bullpig by the horns. We thought we were doing the right thing. Bataar thought he was a hero.”

“Only because you misled him. It was like he was brainwashed. You have no idea how much it hurt to have my own son abandon me and imprison my family. His family. However you two saw yourselves, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s going to spend the next thirty years behind bars because of you. Twenty, if he’s lucky.”

“I know. And I’m…” She couldn’t say it. Kuvira wanted to, but she couldn’t say the words. Suyin watched her for a moment, waiting, but the apology never came. “…Well. At least he has a chance of bouncing back from all of this, eventually. He’s not like me. I’m just a lost cause, right? I mean, that’s what you were calling me to the press, wasn’t it?”

Suyin’s eyes narrowed. “How did you hear about that?”

“My guards listen to that damn radio of theirs almost 24/7, I’m aware of everything you were saying during my trial. I heard what the whole city was saying. I heard about that Chi Eater thing you had to deal with last week, too. At least that wasn’t my fault.” Kuvira shrugged, taking solace in at least that much. She’d caused Suyin enough grief. Though she couldn’t seem to bring herself to say as much directly.

“That remains to be seen.” Suyin spat back. Kuvira frowned. They both knew that wasn’t true, Suyin was just trying to upset her. It worked. “I don’t ever want you to speak about my son again. You don’t deserve to say his name after everything you put him through. Even if I disagreed at first, you made him happy. For a time, that was enough for me. But now… I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so empty.”

“Despite what you may think, there are some things I did that I’m not proud of. Hurting Bataar is one of them.” Kuvira informed, turning back to Suyin. “At the time, I thought I had no other choice but to sacrifice my happiness for the sake of my people. But I was wrong. I’ve regretted that decision since the moment I made it. Everything else I did, good and bad, I can live with. But losing him-” The look on Suyin’s face brought Kuvira to a stop. She didn’t believe her.

“Please, don’t give me that. I know how you are. You don’t have regrets, you never have. You always went above and beyond with everything you did, sometimes to frightening extremes. I’m just disappointed in myself that I hadn’t seen what you were becoming sooner. Maybe if I had, things could’ve turned out differently, and I’d still have my son.”

“What about me?” Kuvira asked, louder than she intended. Her cool facade had cracked. “I was your daughter, too. Maybe if you’d actually done something, you could’ve saved me. Or does that not matter to you?” She accused. She couldn’t help it, she couldn’t regain her composure. Kuvira was angry now.

“You’ve always been a woman of half measures, Su. You like to act like you’re so wise and decisive, like you always know what’s best, but when push comes to shove, you’ve never had it in you to commit to what you need to do, and it always comes back to bite you in the ass. You couldn’t commit to leading your country, you couldn’t commit to stopping me when you had a chance at the coronation – I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you couldn’t commit to taking care of the little 8-year-old girl you pulled in off the streets, either. Maybe the only thing you’ve ever really committed yourself to is constantly stroking that gigantic ego of yours.”

“Excuse me? I did everything I could for you, Kuvira. I treated you like one of my own, I gave you everything you ever could’ve wanted, I nurtured your talents, and you have the gall to say I never cared about you? I’m sorry you feel that way, but I loved you like you were mine. Was that just not good enough for you? How much is enough?”

“Please, I wasn’t your daughter, I was your pet ,” Kuvira seethed. “You say you loved me, but you always kept me at arm’s length. It was never about me, it was about what I could do, what I could become. You didn’t want another child, you wanted another trophy, another testament to the great Suyin Beifong, like Varrick, or Aiwei, or that damn chef of yours. You always act so proud of them, but it’s not really about them , is it? It’s always been about what they could do for you . How they made you look.”

Suyin opened her mouth to speak, but Kuvira cut her off. She wasn’t finished yet.

“Yes, okay? You gave me a life. You gave me a second chance, something I never would’ve had on my own. And you made sure I had every opportunity to learn and grow as a dancer, as a bender, as a part of your guard, but not as a person. Never as a person. All you ever cared about was molding me into the perfect protege, a mirror image of you and your ambition. You’re one hell of a mentor, Su, but you were never a mother. Not to me. You might say all of that now, but I was never really a part of your family.”

“That’s not true,” Suyin maintained.

“Yes it is! You loved them, but me? I was never like a daughter to you. I was never a Beifong. I could see it in your eyes. To you, I was just another Metalbending prodigy for you to look at and remind yourself how great you are. But you’re not, and I realized that years ago.”

As she spoke, Kuvira wondered to herself what had gotten into her. She’d been content to keep quiet, to just give an apology and leave it at that, but it was like once she started talking, she couldn’t stop. She was starting to remember why she treated Suyin the way she did, and now that she was getting into it, she couldn’t stop herself from talking if she wanted to. She was putting everything she had to say to Suyin out there now, while she still could. Because after today, she might not get another chance.

“I spent years of my life trying to emulate you, to please you, hoping that maybe you’d treat me like you treated them. You have no idea what I did just to get on your good side, just to get you to notice me. But you never seemed to care. So when Raiko and Tenzin came to Zaofu that day and I watched you abandon your country when it needed you most, I had enough. I decided to do what you never had the guts to and I took over. I rebuilt the Earth Kingdom. I spent years of my life fixing the damage the Earth Queen caused. And for what? Nothing! Everything I did, bad and good, was undone in a day by that idiot prince!

Yeah, maybe I was wrong. Maybe I took it too far. But at least I actually tried to do something, and of that much, I will always be proud. Meanwhile, you get to add one more failure to your record – me . And good luck covering this one up.” Finished, Kuvira fell back in her seat and let out a sigh. She’d been wanting to get all that off her chest for a while now, but part of her was already regretting it. Not just the vulnerability of it all, but the sentiment. Because even after all that, she still wanted to say she was sorry.

Lin and Suyin were speechless. Emotional outbursts were rare from Kuvira. But in a couple of seconds, she was back to her normal self, as if nothing had ever happened. When she opened her mouth to speak again, she was no longer so emotionally charged.

“And the worst part is, I still want to tell you that I’m sorry,” Kuvira finally admitted, the words another weight off her chest. “As much as I hate you, I love you. You were the closest thing I ever had to a mother, and I treated you and your family terribly. I had my reasons, but despite everything, there’s still some part of me that wishes we could just go back to the way we were before and try again. But we can’t. I’m sorry.”

Finally, Kuvira was done, and for a moment, she actually felt at peace. Some of that, she was working through for the very first time as she spoke. She felt like she’d taken a step in the right direction by finally getting it all out there, and while she wasn’t sure what kind of a response Suyin would have to it all, she at least hoped that she’d understand where she was coming from.

“Are you finished now?”

Kuvira’s heart sunk. Four words and it felt like she was just punched in the gut. Suyin hadn’t cared in the slightest.

“Su!” Lin admonished. But Suyin raised her hand to stop her before she began. She wasn’t finished.

“You can point fingers all you want, Kuvira, but the only one to blame for your actions is you. Maybe you’re right. Maybe I did fail you. Maybe I could have done more. Or, maybe nothing I could’ve done would’ve been enough, and we’d still be sitting here having this exact same conversation. And I’m sorry that we’re here now, I really am. I saw a lot of myself in you, and you can draw whatever conclusions you want from that, but I tried , Kuvira. I’m sorry that it wasn’t enough for you, but I tried.”

Kuvira was silent.

“You can convince yourself of whatever you want, but you got to choose how you reacted to what you were feeling, and your choice was to lash out at everybody who ever cared about you. You called me a woman of half measures? Maybe you’re right. Maybe I could’ve benefited from being a bit firmer in my decisions and committing more to some of what I started. But I never had any half measures with you, and I’m not going to start now. What you’ve done to me and my family is unforgivable, and for what you did to your nation and the United Republic, you should probably be hanged. You should thank the Avatar if she ever decides to visit you. But as for me? I’m done.”

Suyin’s words were as sad as they were angry, but they were spoken with a genuine sense of finality. She was tired. Tired of dealing with Kuvira, tired of cleaning up after her messes, tired of being blamed for everything she did. Maybe she was a bad mother, but Kuvira’s actions were still her own, and she wasn’t about to let Kuvira pin them all on her.

“I wasn’t trying to shift the blame,” Kuvira said dejectedly, her eyes on the floor. “I was… well. I guess it doesn’t really matter.” Sighing, Kuvira closed her eyes. “I knew from the start that there wasn’t any fixing this. All I really wanted to do was say I was sorry.”

“Then stop focusing on yourself for once in your life and just say it!”

“I’m sorry,” Kuvira repeated. “I’m sorry.”

“...You’re too late.” She said sadly.

For the remainder of the trip, the three women were completely silent. There was nothing more to be said.

Jostling a bit as the boat came to a stop, Kuvira closed her eyes, inhaling deeply as she prepared herself for her final transfer. She spared a quick glance in Suyin’s direction and then stood up, a sister on each arm. As the door opened, she shielded her eyes, sunlight illuminating her face. It wouldn’t be long now until she was left alone in her cell for the very last time.

After standing there for a moment, adjusting to the light, Kuvira gave a nod and they were on their way up the stairs and onto the large wooden platform that would serve as her home for the remainder of her life. She found it ironic that her prison was modeled after one used for a member of the very group that spurred her into action in the first place. A small smile graced her lips as the thought occurred to her.

Escorted across the central structure, Kuvira stopped in front of her cage so that the chains around her hands and feet could be undone. She rubbed her wrists where they once clasped around them and looked over to Suyin one last time before calmly turning back around and entering the cell. She sat down in its center, her back to the Beifong sisters, and closed her eyes.

Lin headed back to the boat almost immediately, but Suyin lingered for just a moment, watching her adoptive daughter a little longer. She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly decided against it. She turned and left without a word. By the time Kuvira thought to look back, she was already gone.



*** *** *** *** *** *** ***



When it came to the spirits, luck did not appear to be on Korra’s side.

When Kuvira was the problem, they fled without hearing her out. When the Chi Eater was the problem, they were already gone by the time she’d come back. Now, she couldn’t find a single one that was willing to talk to her. Even when they were young, they were pretty stuck-up creatures. Except that wasn’t even it, half the time. Half the time, they just said they were too busy to talk. Too busy… what did a spirit even have to be busy about ?

Maybe she shouldn’t have been leading with questions about the Chi Eater. She wanted to know more about it, sure, but assuming any of these young spirits knew anything, she was probably just scaring them off. That thing was a rare predator as far as other spirits were concerned, there was probably still a lot of fear. She needed to let her concerns about the Chi Eater take a back seat and just focus on her promise to Ravi.

Next spirit she saw, that was what she was going to do. Korra had decided. But first, she needed a break. It certainly didn’t feel like it, but before she knew it, a few hours had gone by, and she’d learned nothing she’d set out to discover yet. Taking a seat beneath a replanted tree, Korra sighed. Her eagerness had been getting the best of her again. She thought she was past this, but apparently not.

Taking a moment, Korra decided to reflect on her day.

Most of it had been completely dominated by the press. So far, her afternoon had been spent fruitlessly interrogating spirits in the park. Sometime soon, she had to book it over to Kun Long’s Theater and help Mako set up for the premiere. She made a promise to the city she’d scout the location for any hostile spirits, just in case. But before that, she was really hoping she’d get a chance to drop by Future Industries and check on Asami.

After this morning, she was a little worried about her. Asami seemed to be really struggling with this whole Kuvira thing. Korra wished there was more she could do about it. But if she dropped by with some lunch, maybe gave her a little massage, that would help lift her spirits a little. She really just wanted to make sure she was okay. Asami was good at compartmentalizing, but she had her limits. Korra wanted to be sure.

Fitting that into her schedule would be tough, though. Korra looked up at the sky. Tracking the position of the sun, moon, and stars to discern the time was a trick her dad had taught her on hunting trips when she was little. If she was right, it looked to be about 3pm. If she wanted to have the time to check in on Asami and still keep her promise to the city, she’d have to get going in the next half hour.

If she was going to keep her word to Ravi about finding out what was going on then, she’d have to get lucky. She’d also have to stop sitting around. She couldn’t do this later, because there was the premiere and the party to get to, and she didn’t want to miss out on either. Kuvira should also be sentenced pretty soon, and assuming she wasn’t given the death penalty, Korra wanted to visit her in prison as soon as possible. That meant she might not have the time to do this another day, not before the triads and the restructuring of the Earth Kingdom.

Sighing, Korra got back on her feet and looked around. There had to be a few spirits she hadn’t tried talking to yet. Deciding just looking wasn’t enough, she opted for one more quick stroll around the park to make sure. Most of the spirits she’d talked to earlier had moved on, but not too many new spirits had come around to take their place. Most of the park’s patrons right now were human. It was a little disappointing, and she was hoping she hadn’t missed her chance.

Then, a familiar little light spirit caught Korra’s eye, drawing the Avatar’s attention as she passed by. It seemed to be talking to a squirrel off to the side. “Ah, it’s you!” Korra exclaimed. She knew this spirit well.

The spirit, surprised by the sudden exclamation, leapt at Korra’s voice, scaring the squirrel away. “Who in the worlds…?” Turning to catch a glimpse of whoever called out to it, its leafy ears perked up almost immediately when it saw. “Avatar Korra!” It smiled, run-waddling in Korra’s direction. Once it was close enough, it stopped standing altogether, its leaves beginning to spin and levitate it off the ground at about Korra’s eye-level. “I’m so happy to see you again!”

“Me too. I never got to thank you for leading me to Toph. Turned out it was just what I needed to get back on my feet.” Korra smiled. The spirit beamed.

“I’m happy I was able to help! You seem to have done a lot since then. Everybody’s still talking about what you did to that horrible weapon a few weeks ago!”

Korra grinned. One more legendary feat under her belt, she supposed. “I’ve been pretty busy since then. I spent a couple weeks in the Spirit World, and then when I came back, I had to deal with this whole Chi Eater fiasco.” The light spirit suddenly frowned at the mention of the Chi Eater. Korra’s expression also shrunk. Maybe she shouldn’t have mentioned that.

“That poor thing...” The light spirit lamented. “I heard about that, too. I’m glad somebody finally put a stop to it, it had been suffering for so long. Thank you for setting it free, Korra.”

Even though it was thanking her, Korra’s grin didn’t return. “You say that, and even the Chi Eater itself thanked me when I did it, but I still feel bad that I had to kill it,” The Avatar lamented. “I wish there had been another way.”

“It was in so much pain though, and it was doing so many bad things. If it wasn’t the right thing to do, Raava would’ve stopped you! I don’t think you should worry too much about it,” The little spirit advised.

“I guess you’re right.” Korra sighed. Raava would have stopped her. Maybe she was just overthinking things again. “There is a lot about the Chi Eater that’s been bothering me, though. I’ve been going around the park asking spirits about it all day, but nobody wants to talk about it.”

“The Chi Eater is a very sad story for us, we don’t like to talk about it too much. He used to be such a kind spirit, everybody loved him. That’s what the older spirits always told me.” The light spirit described. That explained that, then.

“That’s another thing I was wondering about, actually.” Korra reminded herself. “The real reason I started talking to all those spirits today is because a friend of mine noticed only young spirits are hanging out around the city right now. This park used to be crawling with spirits of all ages and sizes.”

“Oh, yeah. The elders have been warning us to stay away from Republic City right now, they keep saying it isn’t safe. But my friends and I missed this place! Your world is so strange and fun!”

“It isn’t safe? Have the Triads been messing with spirits or something lately?”

“What’s a Triads?” Korra laughed. Okay, so that wasn’t it. “No, they don’t think the Chi Eater is defeated yet. But everybody saw what you did! There’s no way the Chi Eater is still around. I think they’re just used to being scared.”

Korra could feel a pit in her stomach now. That was why there weren’t many spirits around? “Why don’t they think it’s defeated?” She could already tell from the look on its face that the spirit didn’t know, but she needed to hear it first.

“I’m not really sure. They’d never tell me when I asked them, they all seemed too scared to say anything. They just said you hadn’t defeated it yet, and they didn’t want to come back to the city until it left. According to them, it always leaves after a month.”

That definitely lined up with what Korra knew about its feeding pattern. But she never did learn why it needed to feed in the first place. “I don’t suppose you’d know why it ate people’s chi, would you?”

“No, I’m sorry.” The light spirit frowned. “All I know is that it really didn’t want to do it. It was always crying, it really hated doing what it did, but the elders always said it didn’t have a choice. They said it was made into that and forced to eat chi by somebody really bad a really long time ago.”

“Did they ever say who?”

“No. They’re always so scared when talking about the Chi Eater. If they knew, they didn’t want to say. They always just told us to stay as far away from the Chi Eater as possible or we’d get hurt. But I knew there was nothing to worry about. I told them Korra would stop it, and you did! Now it isn’t crying anymore and there’s nothing to be afraid of. Like I said, I think they’re just so used to being scared, they can’t believe it’s actually over now!”

Korra sighed. That wasn’t too much new information, but it was something: the older spirits didn’t think the Chi Eater was actually dead. And she had confirmation now that what happened to it definitely wasn’t natural, and definitely wasn’t its own doing. But why didn’t the Avatar know about it already? Why was it ordered to eat people’s chi? Why did it eat spirits sometimes, too? There were still so many questions, Korra didn’t know how or where to begin.

“Is there anything else you can tell me about the Chi Eater?”

“Hmm. The elders also said that since the portals are open, and there’s a portal in the middle of the city, neither world is safe anymore. Even though it was a spirit, whatever happened to the Chi Eater stopped it from being able to enter the Spirit World. Now, it could’ve come and gone as it pleased. We’re stronger in our world than we are here, though, so even if it had come over to our world, we’d have stood a better chance there than here. But I watched you defeat it, so that’s not a problem anymore!”

“You were there that night?”

“We didn’t make ourselves visible, but a lot of spirits were there! We’d never seen an Avatar fight the Chi Eater before. For some reason, the Avatar has always ignored it. We wanted to see if it could actually be defeated, and you did it!”

“Ignored it?”

“That’s what the elders said. But I didn’t get it, that didn’t sound like the Avatar to me.”

Korra frowned. A lot of what the light spirit was saying made sense. Since spirits could all energybend, it made sense they were stronger in a world made of energy. It would also make sense why the Avatar never stepped in before if they were just. Ignoring the Chi Eater entirely. But why? Why would they do that? Did Aang know? When he investigated that village after the war, did he know what was going on and still do nothing? That didn’t sound like Aang at all. Korra couldn’t believe it. She refused.

“It doesn’t sound like it to me, either. And I’m the Avatar. I think I would know, past lives or no past lives.” Korra defiantly proclaimed, crossing her arms. “Aren’t you at least a little scared, though? Ever since I fought the Chi Eater, something hasn’t felt right to me, and now you’re telling me older spirits think it isn’t dead yet. If that’s true, that might explain what I’ve been feeling, and I have no idea what to do. Doesn’t that worry you?”

“I’m not worried! Even if there’s something more, I’m sure you can stop it. The older spirits are just scared of leaving home because they’ve been there for so long, they’ll give up coming back here for the silliest things. But after how you dealt with Vaatu, and that weapon, and that sad Chi Eater spirit, I don’t think there’s anywhere safer than whatever world the Avatar is in.”

Korra smiled. This spirit had always tried to cheer her up and cheer her on. Despite her misgivings, it was completely confident in Korra’s abilities. Maybe Ravi was right. Maybe she needed to believe in herself a little more these days. She felt like she’d kind of lost that confidence after everything that happened to her. But maybe there was a balance to it. A certain degree of self-confidence that was good and healthy. Maybe she was finally starting to understand that.

“Thank you.”

“What for?”

“For believing in me.” Korra clarified. “I’ve been having a lot of trouble believing in myself lately, and it’s been causing a lot of problems for me. Maybe I need to start believing in myself a little more again.”

The light spirit smiled. “That’s what I would do!” Korra laughed. She liked this spirit.

“Thank you. This has helped, a lot. Now I know why there aren’t any older spirits in the city, and I have another lead on the Chi Eater to follow. I don’t know when I’m going to get the chance, but it’s something. I think I’m gonna travel into the Spirit World when I can and just ask the older spirits directly, before the month is over.”

“That sounds like a good idea to me!” The light spirit agreed. “I’m gonna go back to my friends now. We’re gonna explore Republic City today! It’s gonna be so much fun!”

Korra smiled. “I hope you enjoy yourself.”

“Thanks! I hope you find what you’re looking for!”

“Thanks.”

With that, Korra was left alone again. She hadn’t learned much, but she’d learned enough. The Chi Eater might still be out there somewhere. If that wasn’t cause for alarm, she didn’t know what was. Was that what felt so off to her? Had she already gleamed that, somehow? She’d have to make that visit to Asami a quick one. Helping the police set up for the premiere had suddenly become a lot more important.

Chapter 13: Bad Blood

Summary:

Korra and the crew enjoy a night at a fancy jazz club for the after-party for The Dancing Dragons' premiere.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Book 5
Chi

Chapter 13
Bad Blood

 

The club’s patrons looked on in bemused awe at the scene unfolding in front of them: the CEO of Future Industries on a stage, serenading the room with a jazz standard recited specifically for the Avatar. Backed up by the club band, she sang with perfect pitch, and her deep, raspy voice was prompting the Avatar to melt in her chair.

It was well into the evening now, and the second showing of ‘The Dancing Dragons’ had gone off without a hitch. Now, everybody was at the after party, living it up in one of Republic City’s most exclusive clubs. And it wasn’t just Korra’s group that was here, either – all of the VIPs from the premiere had been invited, courtesy of Varrick. This meant it wasn’t just friends who were watching Asami perform, but strangers as well.

If any of this bothered Asami though, it didn’t show in her performance. Her target audience was enraptured and that was all that mattered to her. The sight of Korra staring up at her in disbelief, stars in her eyes, gave her confidence enough to command the stage like a natural.

“I bet you never got her to sing like that, huh, Mako?” Bolin teased, playfully ribbing his older brother. But Mako refused to respond, so Bolin laughed and took another sip of his drink. He was seated between his brother and his girlfriend, and while Mako looked a little uncomfortable now, Opal couldn’t wipe the smile from her face.

The table they were seated at had been reserved specifically for Team Avatar, and it was one of the closest to the stage. So it was only a matter of time before one of the five friends dared another to get up and sing. But nobody expected anyone to actually do it, let alone be so good at it. For Korra, who had never heard Asami sing before, it was a revelation.

As Asami finished her song, the room erupted into applause. It was only then that it hit her what she had done. Her face glowed red and she fumbled the microphone onto its stand, hurrying back down to her seat. Korra showered her with kisses when she arrived, then let her fiancee sink into her chair, as red as the dress she was wearing. She had no clue what’d come over her, but her friends seemed to have loved it. Bolin was already singing her praises.

“Seriously, I mean it, you should put out a record!” He exclaimed, prompting Asami to slink even further under the table. As this was going on, Mako slid a couple yuans Opal’s way. She accepted them gladly. “I can see it now: Asami Sato, jazz superstar – with special guest, Avatar Korra!”

“Sorry, but no. I don’t sing. I would absolutely support a solo career though.” Korra informed.

“That’s okay, soloists do better than duos, anyway.” Bolin shrugged.

“Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence,”

“What? No! I didn’t mean it like that!”

Korra laughed. “I’m just screwing with you, don’t worry about it.”

“Guys, stop! I am not putting out a record!” Asami insisted. “Honestly, I don’t even know why I did that,”

“You did it because I dared you to, and it was worth it!” Bolin beamed.

“I mean, the alcohol probably helped.” Opal laughed.

“I wish, I haven’t had anywhere near enough for that yet.” Asami complained, quickly finishing what was left of her drink.

“Who’d have thought the song- the lovebird moonlighted as a songbird?” Mako teased, stumbling over his words a little bit.

“Great, now Mako’s teasing me. He never teases anybody.” Asami complained. Mako laughed.

“Maybe not sober Mako, but sober Mako isn’t here right now.” He informed, taking another sip of his drink.

“Wow, drunk Mako. It really is a party.” Opal grinned.

“Not drunk, just tipsy,”

“Sure, says the guy who was hitting on Prince Wu earlier.”

“I was not!! We were just catching up!”

“Mhm, suuuure, I saw you two ‘catching up’. Why don’t you tell us more about that, huh?” Opal grinned wider, crossing her arms. The look on Mako’s face was telling.

“Really now? Is there something you want to tell us, Mako?” Asami pressed. Korra meanwhile quirked an eyebrow. Was there?

“Guys, stop, I’m being serious! We were just caching up, that’s all!” Mako insisted, his face beet red. Whether it was from the alcohol or the embarrassment (or both) was unclear, though. “I don’t know if I even like guys, but if I did, it wouldn’t be Prince Wu.”

“Boo!” Asami jeered. “Way to be boring like always.” Mako just rolled his eyes.

“He’s not my type at all,” He assured. “We were just talking about boring politics stuff. If anything, he was the one hitting on me.”

“Oh, so you do have a type then?” Opal asked, leaning in a little closer. Mako was sweating bullets now.

“…No,” He lied, unwilling to answer any more questions. “I’m not just- I’m not that drunk yet, sorry,”

“Phooey. Well, whatever. I know what I saw, and I saw you hitting on the Prince.” Opal shrugged, unwilling to back down.

“No, trust us, he’s telling the truth. Even with a few drinks in him, he really is just that boring.” Korra complained.

“Hey, come on!” Mako pouted. Everybody laughed.

How long had it been since they’d done this? Since they just sat around and talked like friends? It felt like it’d been a lifetime. Not even Varrick’s wedding had been this fun. It was easy for them to forget how young they really were, sometimes. This was what their weekends should’ve been like. Not stressing over crazed dictators or dark spirits, but having fun, enjoying life. They were all so busy now, they rarely got to do this anymore. But that just made nights like these all the more special for them.

“Hey, ‘scuse me, sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to compliment yer performance personally,” Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice pulled them from their conversation, a sharp dressed man in Fire Nation colors standing beside their table. Nobody had seen him coming, so his appearance caught everybody by surprise, but Korra was particularly spooked. She was normally more alert than this.

“Name’s Atsushi, and I run this here club,” He introduced, flashing the five friends a toothy grin. “We haven’t had a performance that surprising that in ages. Who’da thunk the Avatar’s girl’d be so multi-talented?”

It took him a moment in his current state, but when Mako saw that face paired with that name, his blood ran cold. “I know exactly who you are,” The detective said. He certainly didn’t feel very tipsy anymore, but he was still finding it hard not to slur his words. “You’re the head of the Agni Kais, Atsushi Nakamoto.”

Korra’s face suddenly soured. The Agni Kais? She quickly looked over to Asami. She looked like she’d seen a ghost. That alone was more than enough to put Korra on the defensive. This guy was definitely bad news.

Atsushi’s toothy grin only grew at the accusation. “Well, now that’s a pretty nasty rumor, isn’t it?” He asked. He’d be feigning ignorance, then. “I’m just a humble businessman – the owner of a couple nightclubs around Republic City, that’s all.”

“I knew this club was in Agni Kai territory, but I didn’t think they actually ran the place,” Korra mentioned, speaking up as if solely to remind Atsushi that the Avatar was there. He spared a look in her direction, his grin weakening only slightly before reasserting itself. So she was.

“Once again, a nasty rumor,” Atsushi maintained. “I just wanted to congratulate Miss Sato here on a job well done, and to offer her the opportunity to sing again any time. Ya see, the Tigerlily’s always lookin’ for hot new talent, and her voice most definitely fits the bill. So I thought I’d mosey on over and extend an invitation to her to become a part of the Tigerlily family.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. I’m not interested,” Asami firmly proclaimed. She looked serious. Serious enough that it prompted Atsushi to whistle.

“Talk about a little spitfire, eh?” Atsushi laughed. “But alrighty then, have it your way. The offer still stands if you change your mind.” He shrugged. “Just do us all a favor and take care of that voice of yours, eh? Word on the street is you’re a bit of a risk-taker, a full-fledged member of ‘Team Avatar’. It’d be a cryin’ shame if something were to happen to damage it.”

“Was that a threat?” Korra asked, rising from her seat. Atsushi instinctively backed away, raising his hands in front of him.

“Not at all, not at all,” He clarified. Korra sat back down. “Just a lil’ friendly advice. You shouldn’t go risking something so beautiful unless you’re sure you can protect it.” Korra was practically staring daggers at Atsushi now, but he seemed confident enough not to care. He turned back to Asami one last time. “You’ve got the makings of greatness in ya, Miss Sato. I do hope you reconsider,” He wished.

“I won’t.” Asami reaffirmed.

Atsushi shrugged. “If you’re sure. You five enjoy the rest of your night, now, ya hear?” With that, Atsushi’s business here was done, and he turned to walk away. As soon as they were sure he was out of earshot, Korra was the first to speak up.

“What was that all about?” She asked. Mako still looked a little spooked. He never expected to see him around.

“The triads have been- there’s been a lot of trouble, lately, and you promised to help stop them,” Mako explained, sighing. “I think he was trying to intimidate us into living- leaving the Agni Kais alone.”

“He sure seemed confident,” Opal frowned.

“He has no reason not to be. He runs this part of the city now,” Mako reminded. Opal’s frown deepened.

“I know I promised not to talk about work tonight, but this is different. There’s been a lot of disappearances around the city lately, Mako and I have been investigating missing persons cases all week. We’re pretty sure it’s Triad related. Anybody they think is a threat ends up missing or dead,” Bolin explained, sounding uncharacteristically somber. “Considering we just bumped into one of their leaders, I don’t think any of us should go anywhere alone tonight.”

“That’s a good idea,” Korra agreed, looking over at Asami. She still seemed a little shaken, her eyes were practically burning holes through the tablecloth. “Asami, are you okay?”

“What?” She immediately looked up from the table. “Oh, uh… yeah. I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I’m sure. I’m just- I’m just gonna go get another drink.” She said. As soon as she stood up from the table though, another guest had come to visit them, two drinks in hand. Thankfully, this one was a much more welcome sight.

“I already have one for you,” Ravi said, handing one of his glasses to Asami. She happily accepted. “I thought you might need another as soon as I saw Atsushi walking away from your table.”

“You know him?” Opal asked. Ravi frowned.

“I used to. When I was younger, I used to be a part of the Terra Triad, back before the police broke them up. Atsushi and I were always on different sides, but we were friends, once. Only thing is, I left that life, and he didn’t. We haven’t spoken in years.”

“I didn’t know that before…” Korra trailed, looking in Asami's direction. She was back to staring at the table. It was the Agni Kais that broke into her house and killed her mother when she was just a little girl. The head of the organization suddenly approaching her must’ve brought back a lot of bad memories, Korra thought.

“I don’t like talking about it, as you can probably imagine,” Ravi explained. “I really just wanted to make sure Asami was okay.”

“Like I told Korra, I’ll be fine.” Asami said. At least she was still listening in. “I’m just a little shaken up. Thank you for checking in on me though,” She flashed Ravi a weak smile. He nodded.

“Of course.”

“Weren’t you with Chief Beifong? Can’t she do something about Atsushi?” Bolin asked.

“No. Everybody knows Atsushi’s dirty, but anyone and anything conclusively linking him to the Agni Kais tends to go up in smoke. If she tried to arrest him, he’d be out by the morning. She does know that he’s here now, though, so she’ll be keeping an eye on him for the rest of the evening. You guys can go back to having fun.”

“I think the moment’s passed, now,” Korra sighed. Ravi frowned.

“Well, if there’s anything else I can do, just let me know,” Just as quickly as he made that offer, Asami took him up on it.

“Go with me to get another drink?” She asked. Ravi looked surprised she’d finished it already, and so did everyone else. But they understood why, at least.

“Of course,” He smiled. Asami got up from the table, walking with Ravi to the bar for another. As the two of them walked away, Korra looked upset.

“Why does this always happen to us?” She complained, leaning back in her seat and staring up at the ceiling. They’d been having so much fun, too.

“Probly ‘cause you’re the Avatar,” Mako said matter-of-factly, immediately regretting it after the looks he got from everybody else. “…Sorry, I’ll shut up now.”

“No, you’re probably right.” Korra sighed. “Sorry there’s always some other crisis going on. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to worry about the Triads or anything until tomorrow, but it never seems to go that way for me.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Opal smiled. “Technically, we’re all working against the Triads, in our own way. Stuff like this is bound to happen sometimes.”

“I guess. I just wish it didn’t, you know?”

“You can say that again,” Bolin complained.

“Here, here,” Mako agreed.

Across the room, Asami was still ordering another drink. Watching her for a moment, Opal realized something. “Hey, actually, why haven’t you been drinking, Korra? You’re the only one going straight-edge tonight,” She mentioned, the sight of Mako and Asami having reminded her.

“Oh, well, for stuff like this, pretty much.” Korra laughed. “After the way the last premiere turned out, I didn’t want to be off my game if the Chi Eater turned up again.”

“…Wait, I thought you killed the Chi Eater?” Mako asked. Korra froze. Whoops.

“Uh…” Everybody’s eyes were on her now. “Guess the cat’s out of the bag, then. I haven't told anybody else yet, not even Lin; I wanted to keep it on the down low in case it was nothing. But basically, one of the spirits told me earlier that the Chi Eater might still be alive. I don’t know how, but, apparently all the older spirits are still scared to come back. They’re convinced it isn’t dead yet.”

“Great. First the Triads, now the Cheater- er, Chi Eater. Could tonight get any worse?” Mako complained.

“Hello, everybody!”

“Speak of the devil…” Mako sighed. As if on cue, Ryuuki arrived.

“Oof, sorry, did I interrupt something? You guys all look pretty down,” Ryuuki frowned, an alien expression on his face. It almost seemed wrong, somehow.

“We kinda just got interrupted by the head of the Agni Kais. Turns out he runs this place,” Bolin explained.

“You’re kidding!” Ryuuki exclaimed. The looks on their faces said it all, though. “…You’re not kidding. Okay. Great. No wonder you all look so intense,” Ryuuki backpedaled. “Sorry about that. Should I go? Maybe I should go…”

“No, it’s fine! Don’t worry about it,” Bolin quickly replied, not wanting his idol to leave so soon.

“Did you need something, Ryuuki?” Opal asked.

“Mm, not really, I was just passing by and noticed how dour you guys were looking, so I wanted to check in and make sure everything was alright.”

“We’ll be fine, don’t worry about it,” Asami chimed in, having returned to the table now. Her drink was stronger now and her glass was already half-empty, but she sounded a bit more sure of what she was saying this time. Korra gave a relieved smile. “Thank you, though. Ravi was checking in on us for the same reason.”

“Ooh, Ravi was here? Darn, I’m sad I missed him. He’s been locked in conversation with Raiko, Lin, Tenzin, and Suyin all night. I have no clue what they could be talking about, but I wanted to thank him for his help with last week’s premiere.”

“Oh, for helping out with the Chi Eater, you mean?” Korra asked.

“Well, that too, but also for helping out when I first got back to Republic City! He happened to be in the neighborhood when we were first scouting out locations for the premiere, and he suggested we use the Pro Bending Arena.”

“Huh, I thought Varrick did that.”

“Well, Varrick helped set up the specifics, but the location was Ravi’s idea. I didn’t know he was in charge of Future Industries at the time, though, I thought he was just a local.”

“Yeah, he’s always been all about keeping a low profile,” Asami laughed. Korra’s smile widened slightly. She was happy to hear her laughing again.

“Speaking of last week, I should be thanking you, too, Asami,” Ryuuki mentioned, catching her attention. “I think I speak for all of us when I say we couldn’t have beaten that Chi Eater thing without you. You’re a very brave woman. Talented, too! I heard you sing, I never would’ve guessed.” Asami blushed, waving her hand. She seemed to be completely back to normal now. “All of you helped against that thing. Thank you. And thank you for coming to the re-premiere!”

“Of course, we’re Team Avatar! It’s what we do,” Bolin grinned. “And we wouldn’t have missed it for the world. I think the mover was even better the second time, honestly!”

“It was nice being able to catch the ending this time, I loved it,” Korra said.

Ryuuki smiled wide. He was happy they’d all enjoyed the show. “That’s all I could’ve asked for.” He said. Everybody seemed to be in better spirits now than when he found them, so as far as Ryuuki was concerned, his job here was done. Before he turned to walk away though, there was one more thing he wanted to say.

“Oh, right, I almost forgot,” Ryuuki began, recapturing the group’s attention. “Avatar Korra, I heard your speech earlier today, about Kuvira?”

In an instant, Opal’s mood plummeted. Bolin inhaled sharply through his teeth, immediately turning to face her. She already looked upset, but she wasn’t saying anything. He hoped it stayed that way. Asami’s mood also dropped again, though nowhere near as much. She wasn’t too happy to hear Kuvira’s name, either.

“I wanted to say, you really changed my mind. Admittedly, I was part of the crowd who thought we should make an example out of Kuvira after everything she did to our city, but, I think you’re right. Vengeance isn’t justice. I know you said you’re no Avatar Aang, but, you definitely sounded like him when you said all that. After that, and how you handled yourself against the Chi Eater, I think I feel pretty confident saying you’re my favorite Avatar.” While Ryuuki talked, Opal rolled her eyes. Bolin had his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

Korra, meanwhile, blushed. “Thank you, really,” She replied. But as she looked around, she saw everybody’s faces. Mako seemed okay, but everybody else seemed upset as soon as Kuvira was mentioned. It was better that she hurried this along as to not ruin the mood again. “But I’m trying not to talk about that stuff tonight. It’s… a complicated situation, and I really want tonight to be fun.”

“Oh, of course, I’m sorry if I said something I shouldn’t have,” Ryuuki said, his smile fading. It was only now that he saw the look on Opal’s face and Bolin trying to console her. “I’ll leave you guys alone now. Thank you, again.” With that, his smile returned and Ryuuki waved goodbye. As soon as he was gone, Korra sighed.

“Are you guys okay?” She asked. As soon as he lifted their moods, Ryuuki brought them all back down again. She was sure he didn’t mean to, but it was kind of a touchy subject right now. Not just for them, either – the whole city was pretty divided on Kuvira. Ryuuki wasn’t the first person to thank Korra for what she’d said though, and he probably wasn’t going to be the last. She just hoped this didn’t happen every time somebody brought her up.

“Yeah… yeah, I’m alright.” Asami said, the first to speak up. Korra breathed a sigh of relief. “I know I was pretty upset about it earlier, and I still mean what I said, but… I heard what you said, too. I don’t know if I can ever forgive her, but I don’t think killing her would be just, either. Even if it would make me feel better, that doesn’t make it right.”

“I agree,” Mako said, smiling. “As far as I’m concerned, life inpri- imprisonmeth-” Mako sighed. Maybe he shouldn’t have had so much to drink. “You know what I mean.” Korra laughed.

“Are you kidding me?” Opal finally blurted out. Bolin’s heart sank, and suddenly, everybody’s gaze was on her. “None of you? Really? Not a single one of you thinks she deserves to die for what she did?”

“Opal… no, of course not,” Korra replied, a little surprised to hear that coming from Opal. She knew she had a pretty negative opinion of Kuvira, but this? “I don’t think anybody deserves to die.”

“Well that’s just naive,” Opal accused, a venom behind her words that nobody gathered had heard before. Nobody but Bolin, who was now trying to calm her down.

“Uh, Opal, I don’t think now is the best time,” He suggested. But Opal wasn’t having any of it.

“Then when, Bolin? I’m tired of pretending everything’s okay when it’s not. Kuvira is a monster, and she deserves to die. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is.”

“Opal, we get it, but I think you need to calm down,” Asami suggested.

“Calm down? How can you say that? You, of all people. She killed your father! Aren’t you upset? I thought you, of all people, would understand!”

“Don’t you dare talk about him!” Asami shouted, nearly rising up from the table. “And don’t you dare tell me how you think I should feel, because quite frankly, that’s none of your fucking business.” She seethed. She looked about ready to reach across the table and slap Opal here and now. “But you and I both know Korra’s right. I get that you’re upset, but you’re the last person I expected to be out for blood tonight. You actually got a happy ending out of all this. What about me?”

“Happy? You think I’m happy? Do you have any idea what that woman did to me?” Opal raged, standing up where Asami wouldn’t.

“Um, guys, maybe we should just change the subject,” Bolin meekly suggested.

“It’s too late for that, Bolin. But you know what? I’m glad. I’m glad somebody finally brought up the elephant koi in the room. It was only a matter of time before it got to this,” Opal said. “You’re right, Asami. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t pretend to understand what you’re going through. But I honestly can’t believe you’re okay with this. She took everything from you, and you’re not the only one. And if she had her way, she never would’ve stopped!”

“And you,” Opal seethed. Her gaze settled onto Korra now and she could feel a chill run down her spine at just the sight of it. “I can’t believe you’re taking her side in all of this. You, the Avatar, of all people! After everything she did!”

“There aren’t any ‘sides’, Opal, only right and wrong, and killing Kuvira now would be wrong, you know that. I know you do. Tenzin and your mom both taught you better than this,” Korra reminded. But that only seemed to set Opal off even more.

“Oh, and I suppose you’d know all about right and wrong, wouldn’t you?” She asked.

“Well, considering I’m the Avatar, yeah, kinda,” Korra defended, starting to get a little agitated herself, now. “Kuvira’s a person too, Opal. She has a right to live and to atone just like any of us do. And quite frankly, the Earth Kingdom territories are probably going to need her in the future. The way she was going about it was wrong, but she actually has some idea what she’s doing, and helping stabilize the territories could absolutely be a part of her sentence, I think.”

“Are you insane?” Opal asked. “That’s where you’re wrong, Korra, she’s not a person, she’s a fucking monster, plain and simple. You don’t even know what you’re talking about!”

Korra grit her teeth in frustration. She wanted to unload on Opal the instant she talked to Asami the way she did, but now? Now it was just getting ridiculous. She couldn’t actually believe what she was saying, could she? “Well why don’t you enlighten me, then?” Korra challenged, only serving to escalate things further.

Bolin was terrified. He’d never seen Opal look so angry before. He reached out for her hand to try and calm her down, but she immediately slapped it away. It was too late.

“WELL HOW ABOUT YOU STEP OUTSIDE AND TAKE A LOOK AROUND! LOOK! ACTUALLY! LOOK!” Opal screamed, all of the conversations in the club immediately coming to a halt as her rage boiled over. Two powerful gusts of wind punctuated the stress she put on her last words, Korra’s suit fluttering in the wind as she stood up from the table to meet her. Her expression was unwavering and annoyed.

“Opal…?” Suyin asked, standing up from the table with Raiko, Tenzin, and the others as soon as she heard her daughter’s voice. For a couple of seconds, everything was deathly silent as Opal and Korra stared each other down.

LOOK AT WHAT SHE DID! She DESTROYED this city! Do you have ANY idea how many people she killed, how many lives she’s ruined, even after everything we did to evacuate and stop her? The death toll is in the thousands, Korra! THE THOUSANDS. She DECIMATED Republic City’s skyline and DEVASTATED this city so completely, weaselsnakes like Atsushi have been able to take control of it!” As Opal went off, Korra remained silent, simply staring her down as her friends’ eyes went from Opal to Korra and then back again.

“There’s rumors of a turf war coming like this city’s never seen before, and there’s no telling how many more people are going to die because of it! The city can’t do anything! The police can’t do anything! And you certainly can’t do anything, either! Not alone! And none of this is even mentioning what she did to Zaofu, how exposed she’s left us! She’s brought nothing but misery, and pain, and fear, and hatred to this world, and you want to SAVE her? She threw innocent people into concentration camps simply because they weren’t ‘Earth Kingdom’ enough for her tastes, and you think she deserves to LIVE? After what she did to my people? To my cities? To my fucking FAMILY? NO! SHE DESERVES TO DIE!” Opal screamed.

“How can you not get it? How can nobody actually get it? How the fuck can I be alone in this?” She asked, throwing her arms in the air out of frustration. She was panting, she’d been yelling so much. The whole of the club remained deafeningly silent, and as this set in for her, Opal took a moment to look around. Everybody. Korra, Tenzin, her mother – all of them. It wasn’t even anger that was on their faces, or confusion. It was disappointment.

And then there was Bolin.

His was the face that broke her.

When she saw the way he looked at her, tears welled up in Opal’s eyes. That was when it hit her. She really was alone.

“AUGH!” As if on reflex, as she threw her arms, a gust of wind emanated from her body, the table nearly being blown over until Asami caught it, but Korra stood her ground, staring Opal down. That look. That condescending, holier than thou, ‘You’re better than this’ look. It drove Opal insane. She couldn’t take this anymore. “I can’t do this. I can’t be around you people right now. I’m out of here.” She declared.

“Opal! Where are you going?” Suyin demanded an answer. Stopping as she made it to the exit, Opal decided to give her one.

“To make this right.” With that, she blew open the doors to the club, stepped outside, and then opened the wings of her glider suit. She’d worn it just in case something happened at this premiere, too, but she never thought she’d be using it because of something like this. Without so much as stopping to look back at them, she turned her head up toward the sky and took off with a gust of wind before anybody thought to follow her.

Nobody knew what to say. How could things just go back to normal after something like that? The silence that’d befallen the club quickly began to grow awkward, and even the band wasn’t sure how to carry on after that. And as the seconds passed, those closest to Opal began to grow desperate as everything she said began hitting them one after the other, Suyin, Lin, and Tenzin scrambling to figure out what to do as Korra collapsed back into her seat.

She felt… powerless. Opal left, and Korra just let her. As the band awkwardly segued into another song and life slowly returned to the club in hushed whispers, Korra thought she could hear Tenzin mention something about forming a search party. But the one who caught her attention more than that was Bolin.

Poor Bolin.

The young man’s head was buried in his hands, and she could hear him sobbing while his brother comforted him with a hand on his back. She could see it on his face when Opal started talking that he’d been afraid of this all week. He probably knew better than anybody that this was going to come eventually. She couldn’t help but wonder how hard he must’ve been fighting to prevent this. How many different things he must’ve tried to avoid it. And none of it worked. Opal finally snapped, and it broke him.

“I failed…” Korra could hear him say. “I tried so hard, and it wasn’t enough… I failed…” Bolin repeated. Mako just rubbed his brother’s back as he cried, trying to tell him it wasn’t his fault.

“It’s alright, Bo… I know you tried… but there’s nothing you could’ve done…” Mako said. But that just made Bolin feel even worse. Mako sighed, deciding to keep his mouth shut from then on and just try and help his brother through this however he could.

Then there was Asami. When Korra finally thought to check on her, she was already staring at her. It was like she could see what Korra was thinking. Like she knew she was already blaming herself for not grabbing hold of her when Opal walked away. Korra’s mouth felt dry. Asami held onto her Avatar’s hand. “Are you okay?” Asami asked.

“I should be the one asking you that,” Korra smiled weak, then returned to frowning. She felt terrible. Asami’s concern was evident, though. However she felt about everything Opal just said, her concern for her girlfriend was more important to her. Korra sighed. “I don’t know.” She finally admitted. “I knew there were people who felt like that, but I never thought Opal would be one of them. I’m just… surprised, I guess.”

“You have to stop her,” Bolin said, sniffling loudly and looking up from his hands. He caught Korra off guard, pulling her attention away from Asami and back to him as he stared her down more serious than she thought she’d ever seen him. “Please. I know you’re the last person she wants to see right now, but you’re also the only one who might actually be able to get through to her. You have to stop her. If you don’t, then she… she might… I don’t even know what she might do anymore…” He admitted.

“Bolin…” Korra could feel her heart break. He sounded so defeated. But he was right, and she knew it. And she had a pretty good idea where Opal might be going. She just hoped she was wrong. “Okay.” She said.

“Are you sure?” Asami asked, her grip on Korra’s hand tightening. “I’m sure Tenzin and Suyin can take care of this. If you want, we could just-”

“No, he’s right. I’m probably the only person who can get through to her right now. I know Tenzin isn’t going to be able to appeal to her, I don’t really know how her mother feels about this whole Kuvira situation, and spirits knows what Raiko’s going to order Lin to do about this. If he thinks she’s going after Kuvira, he might just order the police to shoot her out of the sky.” Korra solemnly replied. Asami frowned.

“This isn’t fair. You never seem to be able to catch a break.” Asami said. Korra sighed. She really couldn’t, could she?

“All a part of the job description, I guess.” She shrugged, standing up from the table. Asami mimicked her movements and pulled the Avatar into a tight hug, one she gladly returned. “Are you going to be okay while I’m gone? After Atsushi, and now this, I’m worried about you.”

“Don’t be. I’ll be fine. And even if I’m not, I’ve got all the booze in the world, so I’ll manage.” She joked, flashing her fiancee a half-smile. Korra wasn’t sure she liked that one, but she knew Asami was right. She was going to be okay.

“Okay. I’ll be back before you know it. I just need to make sure Opal doesn’t do something stupid.” Korra said.

“So long as you don’t do something stupid, yourself.” Asami replied. Korra laughed.

“Well, I was going to ask if I could borrow your car, if that counts. I know I’m not a very good driver yet, but I don’t think I’ll be able to catch up to her on foot, so-”

“Of course.” Asami replied, reaching into her purse and handing Korra her keys. It’s not like she was gonna be doing anymore driving tonight, anyway.

“Thank you. I promise not to wreck it,”

“I know,” Asami laughed. “I’ll go let Lin and the others know you’re going to try and bring her back and look after Bolin for you.”

“Thank you. If I’m not back in an hour, then tell them to go to Kuvira’s prison. I’m going to try and resolve this before it comes to that, though.” To this, Asami nodded. With all that settled, Korra gave Asami one more hug and then turned and walked out the door.

With any luck, she’d be able to find Opal before it was too late.

Notes:

A little bit shorter than usual, but this seemed the best place to take a break considering everything that happens next. The next chapter may be a bit on the longer side, but we'll see how it turns out when I finish it.

Also, I hope it wasn't too obvious that I have absolutely no idea how to write a drunk/tipsy character. I hope it wasn't TOO atrocious, it's something for me to improve on for the future lmao

Chapter 14: Wounds

Summary:

After Opal's dramatic exit, Korra's friends try to get on with their night.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Book Five
Chi

Chapter 14
Wounds

 

It had been almost 10 minutes since Opal had stormed out of the Tigerlily, and most of the club’s patrons had already moved on. Conversations were restarted, new food and drinks had been ordered, and the band had long since gone on with the show. For Korra’s group however, it was everything but business as usual.

Following Opal’s explosion, Korra’s party had descended into chaos. Suyin, visibly distraught, had cut her conversation with her sister, Tenzin, Ravi, and Raiko short, returning to her family’s booth on the other end of the club to process what just happened. Lin and Tenzin followed her out of concern, whereas Raiko tagged along out of a desire to stay apprised of the situation. As for Ravi, with their conversation over, he’d elected to check on Asami, and had joined her at her and her friends’ table.

Varrick, meanwhile, was trying to keep Ryuuki distracted. Like Bolin, he'd started blaming himself for what’d happened, since he was the one who brought up Kuvira in the first place. Varrick thought this was nonsense, and tried to distract him with talk about movers and new ideas he’d had, but to limited success. Zhu Li, on the other hand, had wandered off. At first it was to check in on Suyin, but after that, to sit alone at the bar, as she suddenly felt as though she needed a drink.

And then there were Mako and Bolin. Mako was still consoling his brother, who hadn’t stopped blaming himself for a minute. If anything, he was worse off now than he was when Korra left. The longer she was gone, the more he was going to worry that Opal had done something terrible. He was a mess, and Mako had no idea how to help. All he could do was repeat himself: it wasn’t Bolin’s fault.

This went on for another couple minutes until Ryuuki had finally had enough. Standing up from his seat, he thanked Varrick for trying, but he needed to apologize. Though he didn’t think it was Ryuuki’s fault, it was clear the actor had made up his mind, so Varrick didn’t try to stop him as he made his way to Bolin’s table. Just as soon as he’d arrived, he immediately bowed.

“I’m sorry,” Ryuuki said, maintaining his bow. “This is my fault. I had no idea how sore a subject Kuvira was for you, but I should have. It’s been a very divisive topic in this city, and I should’ve considered that maybe not everybody on Team Avatar agreed with Korra's stance. I apologize for making such a mess of your evening, I should’ve just kept my mouth shut.”

Bolin sniffled. “Thank you, but it wasn’t your fault, you couldn’t have known,” He managed between sobs. The last thing he wanted was his idol beating himself up for what Bolin thought to be one of his mistakes. “She just… I don’t know. I’ve tried to understand. Really, I have. And I’ve tried to get her to ease up on the whole Kuvira thing, but she… I should’ve done more.”

“It sounds like you did all you could,” Ryuuki frowned, placing a hand on Bolin’s shoulder. He was glad Bolin didn’t blame him, but he didn’t think it was fair that Bolin was blaming himself instead. “I don’t think this is your fault.”

“Ryuuki is right,” Ravi agreed. “Everybody deals with pain differently, and no matter how hard you try, some wounds won’t heal quickly. Whatever Kuvira did to her, Opal clearly hasn’t healed from it yet. But Korra’s out there now. I’m sure she’ll bring her back safely before she does anything she’ll regret. Who knows, maybe this will even be a good thing, and she’ll be able to get some sort of closure out of this. That alone can go a long way, sometimes.”

“I agree, Korra won’t let anything bad happen. Maybe this really will turn out to be a good thing in the end,” Mako said, hoping hearing it from two people would make Bolin more likely to believe it. “Just have some faith. In Korra and in Opal.”

“I’ll try…” Bolin promised.

Up until this point, Asami had been pretty silent. Ever since Atsushi interrupted them, she seemed to be a little off her game, and Opal’s outburst didn’t help things at all. That was why Ravi was here, to check up on her when Korra couldn’t, but she hadn’t been very receptive so far, insisting she was fine. But it was as plain as the nose on her face that she wasn’t.

Finally, Asami stood up from her seat. “I’m going to go tell Suyin and Raiko what Korra said,” She explained rather suddenly, as if she wanted to be anywhere else but here right now. “I’ll be back in a little bit.”

“Okay, that’s probably a good idea,” Mako agreed. Ravi nodded along as well.

So with that, Asami left the table, making her way across the club to check in on Suyin. As she drew nearer to the booth though, it became clear that she wasn’t doing any better than Bolin was. She appeared to be stuck in the same loop, blaming herself for what’d happened. Not wanting to interrupt, Asami stood patiently behind Raiko and Tenzin. Though it was probably a little rude, she couldn’t help but listen in.

“This is my fault,” Suyin repeated, her husband Bataar keeping a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I did this,” She insisted.

“Su, you know that isn’t true,” Tenzin asserted. “I’ve been aware of Opal’s feelings about Kuvira for a while now, and I’ve tried to talk to her about them. A lot of her friends in the Air Nation have. But we were never able to get through to her. She seems to have been dealing with this darkness for a long time, and you can’t blame yourself for that.”

“I know you’re just trying to help, but you don’t get it, Tenzin. I set this example,” Suyin corrected, looking up from the table to her friend. “I showed Kuvira no mercy, no understanding. I spent three years demonizing her. I led the charge against her. When the death penalty was on the table, I was okay with it. Now, because of the precedent I set, because Kuvira gets to live, my daughter’s going to kill her herself. This is my fault. I did this. If I hadn’t been so vindictive, if I’d tried to be more sympathetic to Kuvira, then maybe Opal wouldn’t be… I should’ve seen how much this was affecting her.”

“She’s been living on her own for a while now, you couldn’t have known,” Tenzin reminded. Suyin didn’t seem convinced. A mother should know these things.

“Thankfully, it’s because of situations like these that we decided to keep her location a secret,” Raiko interjected, trying to be hopeful in his own way. “Only a select few officers and individuals know where her prison is. I doubt she’ll be able to find her, let alone kill her.”

“She’s an Airbender, Raiko. She can fly. All she has to do is glide around until she sees the giant wooden eyesore in the middle of the ocean,” Suyin reminded. Raiko frowned. He hadn’t thought of that.

“Now, let’s not jump to conclusions here, Opal may have been angry, but she’s always been very receptive to ancient Air Nomad teachings and philosophy. She hardly seems the type to-”

“Tenzin, please. I understand what you’re trying to do, really, but you don’t know Opal like I do. She and Kuvira have always had problems with each other, ever since they were kids. But even though I knew that, I never once tried to do anything about it. I always thought they would sort things out on their own, like I always did. I should’ve seen this coming from the start, especially with the way I’ve been acting. But I didn’t. I didn’t see how much she was hurting. I’m a terrible mother…”

“Now hold it right there, you are not a terrible mother. You have your faults, yeah, you’re only human, but you’re better than our mother was,” Lin proclaimed. “You can’t have known everything that was going on in Opal’s head, and you can’t blame yourself for her boneheaded decisions. Spirits knows mom never blamed herself for ours.”

“You say that, but mom didn’t raise a dictator and a war criminal, did she?” Suyin fired back. Lin opened her mouth to counter her, but she honestly had no idea how to respond to that. So instead, she just closed her mouth, falling silent and giving her sister a sympathetic look instead. That wasn’t the point she was trying to make…

“If that’s the case, then we should act now and send out a search party before it’s too late. Tenzin, we’re going to need you and your kids to help if we want to have any chance of catching her in the skies.” Raiko spoke up, taking a more confident, leaderly role as soon as it became apparent that consoling Suyin wasn’t going to be getting them anywhere. The fact of the matter was, Opal was still out there, and as far as he was concerned, she needed to be stopped before it was too late.

As the topic switched from Suyin to the search, Asami finally spoke up, having been hovering by the table for a couple of minutes now, trying to figure out how and when to involve herself in the conversation.

“Um…” She meekly interrupted, uncharacteristically awkward as the group’s attention immediately shifted to her. She was used to having the eyes of Republic City’s most powerful on her, but not all at once like that. “…I thought I should let you guys know, Korra left to try and bring Opal back… she asked that we just leave it to her for now. She says that this is part of her job as the Avatar, too, and that you guys shouldn’t have to deal with this right now, especially Suyin.” Asami explained, elaborating a little more on her fiancee’s intentions in her stead.

“That’s all well and good, but as dangerous as Kuvira is, she’s also an important asset to the Earth Kingdom territories. We can’t stake her life on any one person, not even the Avatar,” Raiko replied. His response caught Suyin off guard, particularly the part about her being an important asset.

“No wonder you never gave me a straight answer when I asked about Kuvira… you never intended to let her die, did you?” Suyin accused. Raiko’s expression was like stone.

“I didn’t rig the trial, if that’s what you’re getting at. But if it had come to an execution, I was strongly considering using my executive power to commute her sentence, yes.” He revealed. “As a fellow world leader, I could see the benefit of using her skills in the reorganization of the Earth Kingdom territories. I’m sure we can all agree, as terrible as Kuvira was, she was also effective.” The rest of the group shared a look. There was a lot to unpack there, but deep down, they knew he probably had a point. But this wasn’t what Asami was here to talk about right now.

“Look, can we talk about the politics of all of this later?” She pressed before anyone could respond to Raiko, shades of frustration in her voice. “Korra’s not asking you guys to do nothing, but she’d like to have some time to try and sort this all out without Opal being arrested. If she can prevent something from happening, she’d like to try and do that. Can you just wait for an hour and see if she comes back, first?”

Raiko hummed. “I don’t like waiting, not if a life is on the line. Even if that life is Kuvira’s. I think we should organize a search party immediately to cover as much ground as possible. I’m sorry, Su, but your daughter did this to herself.”

“Now hang on just a minute here!” Lin interrupted, slamming her hand onto the table. “It’s not that I don’t get what you’re saying, but since when has Korra ever given you a reason to doubt her? Need I remind you about the spirit monster she took down last week, or how she was the one who stopped Kuvira in the first place? While you were ready to give up, no less?” Raiko cleared his throat, suddenly looking a lot more uncomfortable.

“I think the Avatar’s earned a little leeway here. If she thinks she can stop Opal before she does something stupid, I say we let her go for it. I’m not saying I won’t track her down and stop her myself if I have to, but I’d really rather not arrest my niece tonight, if at all possible.”

“Lin is right,” Tenzin agreed. “I understand how important Kuvira could be to helping restore order to the Earth Kingdom territories, but Opal is an important member of the Air Nation, and has helped you rebuild over half this city. She’s one of our most talented benders, and I would also like to avoid losing her. I have the utmost faith in Avatar Korra, and just as much faith that Opal will see reason and come back before it’s too late. I think we should leave this to Korra for now.”

“Mmm…” Raiko hummed in frustration, closing his eyes in thought. Nobody here seemed to be on his side right now. Ordinarily, he wouldn’t care, but he really wasn’t looking to start any fights so soon before an election. Tenzin also had a point. Opal had done a lot for the city lately, and arresting her would not look good, no matter how he framed it.

“Fine,” He relented. “One hour, but that’s all. After that, I fully expect you two’s cooperation in putting a stop to her ourselves.” He said, referring of course to Lin and Tenzin. The two of them nodded in agreement. Asami, meanwhile, smiled.

“Thank you, Mr. President,” She said, shaking Raiko’s hand.

“Don’t thank me just yet. Your fiancee’s proven herself time and again on the battlefield, but I have no idea how she’s going to handle a situation like this,” He replied with some concern. “But I do believe you have a point that she’s earned the opportunity to try. If even one thing seems off to me though, I will not hesitate to move out and arrest your friend. So I hope your faith in her isn’t misplaced, this time around.”

Asami’s smile faded. The way he said that really bothered her, but she had just enough self control left not to say anything back. For now, she'd just let it go. She’d gotten Korra her hour. All she could do now was hope.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Korra had no idea what she was doing.

Well, okay, she kind of did? But she was still pretty new to this whole ‘driving’ thing. She was frantically going over Asami’s lessons in her head as she zoomed down the city streets, trying her best not to break anything in the Satomobile. It was a real trial by fire, and Korra wished she’d had the foresight to have brought her glider staff instead. She was just glad she hadn’t had anything to drink tonight, otherwise this would’ve been even more dangerous.

Korra’s eyes darted back and forth from the road to the sky, keeping track of the dot she assumed to be Opal as the two of them headed in the direction of the city’s western shore. Luckily, the streets were pretty empty tonight, so there weren’t too many civilians or obstacles to worry about. Because of this, and because Opal had the advantage of being able to go in a straight line while Korra had to navigate, Korra had decided to ignore the city’s speed limit and floor it.

Perhaps her only saving grace was that Korra actually knew where Kuvira’s prison was from past talks with city officials, whereas Opal would have to search for it in the dark. Once she got to the port, Korra could head straight there, and hopefully, head her off. If she didn’t, then… well, Korra really didn’t know what to expect anymore. She’d never seen Opal like this before. Korra hoped she’d just talk things out, but she had a bad feeling it wasn’t going to be that simple. She had to get there first.

The Satomobile’s tires squealed as Korra took another sharp turn at full speed, the back of the car being kicked into a drift. Korra cursed beneath her breath and regained control, ignoring the startled looks of the occasional passerby as she picked up speed again. This street had a few more cars on it than the last one did, but it was few enough that Korra could maneuver around them, much to her own surprise.

Normally, the city would be a lot more alive this time of night, but with the Triads walking around like they owned the place, nobody wanted to be outside if they could avoid it. It wasn’t exactly a good thing, but it worked to Korra’s advantage tonight. She probably wouldn’t have been able to keep up with Opal if the streets were as busy as they normally were.

As far as Korra knew, there was only one more turn for her to take, then it’d be a straight shot to the harbor. As she neared her destination, she couldn’t help but wonder what could’ve happened between Opal and Kuvira to have driven her this far. What happened to her family and Zaofu was bad, yeah, and so was what happened to Republic City, but was it this bad?

Korra drifted around another corner and finally, she could see her destination in the distance. She guessed that she’d find out soon enough. Zipping past a few more Satomobiles, Korra kicked Asami’s car into one last drift as she slid to a stop at the end of the road, just missing colliding with a light post. Somehow, she’d managed to make it here without so much as a scratch, though the tires were probably a little worse for wear now. While ordinarily she would’ve taken a moment to revel in her apparent skill, she knew that this was pure luck, and more than that, that she had no time to be triumphant while Opal was still on the move.

Korra hopped out of the side of the car, taking the keys with her so nobody stole it while she was away, and then ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She dashed through the harbor and leapt from its edge and into the water. Rather than sinking though, she bounced right back up to its surface. She didn’t miss a beat, shifting from running to skating across the water as she headed in the direction of Kuvira’s prison. Checking Opal’s progress, she could see that they were about neck and neck now.

As she skated along, a thought occurred to Korra. Acting on it, she bent the water below her and coiled it to her right, keeping it even with her as she moved, then looked back up at Opal. She was trying to judge the distance and figure out if she could make it if she sent this water at Opal. She was thinking of doing what she did to Zaheer and throwing her off balance with ice to pull her down from the sky. But at the last instant, she stopped.

It would be so much easier to just take her down now and drag Opal back to her family kicking and screaming, but that wouldn’t solve anything. It’d just make her even more angry and all but ensure that she’d try again later. The more Korra thought about it, the more she began to think she may be better off just letting this play out and keeping tabs on it from afar. This way, she could make sure Opal didn’t do anything stupid.

Whatever happened between her and Kuvira, it was clear that Opal needed to confront her. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as she feared if she did. Sighing, Korra let the water fall back into the sea and increased her speed instead. She hoped she was making the right choice.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

As the first fifteen minutes of Korra’s one hour deadline came and went, the tension was beginning to rise for those closest to Opal.

It hadn’t been terribly long, but already, Asami was starting to feel worried. Unrealistic as it may have been, she’d been hoping that Korra would’ve been back by now. That maybe Opal hadn’t gotten too far, and that she’d come back and apologize for everything. But it was becoming increasingly apparent that that wasn’t going to be the case.

As worried as she may have been though, she had nothing on Bolin. He’d finally stopped crying some ten minutes earlier, but now his despondency had been replaced with anxiety, and although she was worried too, Asami couldn’t just leave him like that. Reaching across their table, she placed her hand on his, pulling his attention away from the clock above the bar.

“Don’t worry. You know Korra almost as well as I do, she’ll bring Opal back. Everything’s going to be okay.” Or so she hoped. But she couldn’t afford to look uncertain now, so Asami flashed Bolin her most convincing fake smile. Though he could tell it wasn’t entirely genuine, he appreciated the sentiment, giving her a weak smile of his own in response. That would have to do.

On the other end of the club, Raiko, Lin, and Tenzin were deep in discussion on what to do if Korra wasn’t back before her deadline. They’d been at it since Asami had given them the news, and the conversation seemed to get pretty intense at times. Suyin, however, had elected not to take part, having decided to spend time with her family instead. She needed their support now more than ever, and they hers.

Back at the bar, Mako sat alone, waiting around for another drink to arrive. After Bolin had finally stopped crying, he thought it would be best if he let his brother be for a little while. He hoped it wasn’t the wrong decision, but he needed a break from consoling him. A few stools away from him sat Varrick and Ryuuki, who were talking about movers again. Varrick seemed to be trying very hard not to mention the elephant koi in the room and to keep Ryuuki entertained.

None of it really interested Mako, but then, he wasn’t here for them. After his brother had calmed down, Mako’s arm started to act up again. Today had been the first time in almost a week that it’d started to bother him. He’d been hoping that whatever was going on with it had passed, but that didn’t seem to be the case. He winced as another surge of pain shot up from around his wrist.

It was just his luck, really. All of this. Every time he and his friends tried to go out and have a little fun, something terrible ended up happening. Was he really just that unlucky?

Rubbing his arm in tired frustration, the familiar burning sensation he’d been fighting since the battle for Republic City did little to improve his mood. All the healers he’d been seeing told him to just give it time, but if anything, it felt like the pain was gradually getting worse, not better. He couldn’t even bend properly out of that arm anymore. He was able to handle himself well enough when he was fighting the Chi Eater, but he chalked that up to adrenaline and overexerting himself – his arm was sore for days after that, albeit in a different way from right now.

Even talking to Korra about it didn’t help much. When he told her how it flared up sometimes, and how it always seemed to be right before something bad happened, she laughed and said it was probably just reacting to stress. That he needed to relax and let himself heal and not push himself so hard. But it was more than that. He could feel it. Maybe his stress since the attack was part of it, but he knew there had to be more to it than that. He just didn’t know what.

But he guessed that with everything that just went down with Opal, that probably explained why it started acting up again today. Mako sighed. If he was right, then the fact that it was hurting now, while Korra was out looking for Opal, was probably not a good sign.

Annoyed, Mako glanced up at the clock above the bar. It’d been a couple minutes now since he ordered his drink. The place had gotten pretty busy again since Opal left, but was it really that busy? He could really use a distraction right about now.

“I couldn’t help but notice that you keep rubbing your arm,” As if on cue, a familiar voice pulled Mako out of his head and back into reality. Suddenly, there sitting next to him, a smiling Ryuuki waved hello. “Something the matter?” He asked. Mako resisted the urge to groan. This guy? Really? Wasn’t he just talking to Varrick? As Mako leaned to the right to peer over Ryuuki’s shoulder, he saw that Varrick had returned to his table with Zhu Li. Great. Mako kind of hated how cheery this guy always seemed to be. It always put him on edge.

“…It’s just my scar. It’s nothing,” Mako finally assured after a moment of silence. “It hurts sometimes, that’s all. It's probably just stress,” He echoed. He may not have believed it, but everybody else seemed to. Hopefully this guy would too.

“Hmm… I wonder about that,” Apparently not. Mako frowned. The look on his face really rubbed him the wrong way. That smile of his seemed smug to him, as if he were entertained by Mako’s answer, like he knew something Mako didn’t. But Mako quickly chased those thoughts from his mind. What could an actor possibly know?

Immediately feeling uncomfortable, Mako took a look around the room. Everybody he knew was preoccupied with the Opal situation in one form or another. There was nobody he could make an escape to right now. Well, except for Varrick. But Mako would rather deal with Ryuuki than that guy. Curiously enough though, he didn’t see Ravi anywhere. Last he knew, he was hanging around with Asami and Bolin, but now he was just… gone. Wherever he was, Mako wished he could’ve been with him.

“I remember you from the Chi Eater battle. You’re a Lightningbender too, right?” Ryuuki inquired, forcing Mako’s gaze back onto him. Mako took a deep breath and sighed. He guessed he had no choice but to respond.

“Yeah, I am. What, you want me to show you some tricks for your next mover or something?” It was clear by his tone of voice that Ryuuki was trying to lead him on, but Mako wasn’t sure he wanted to play along.

“Oh, no, no, I’m pretty confident in my abilities, thanks,” Ryuuki quickly replied, trying not to sound too arrogant. “It’s just – your scar, it’s lightning related, right?”

“…Yeah. Why?”

“Lightningbending related injuries can be pretty tricky to heal, sometimes. I know from experience. If I’m right, then there’s a bit more to your injury than meets the eye. Mind if I take a look?”

“Yeah, actually,” Mako blurted out. “Er… sorry, that was rude,” He quickly apologized, blaming the little outburst on the alcohol. But Ryuuki didn’t seem to mind, and let him take a second to recover. “I just mean, uh… I’ve seen a lot of healers already. I even let Korra give it a, a once over. It’s fine.” He insisted.

“Mm, I wouldn’t be so sure. I mean, Korra’s pretty strong, but she isn’t a Lightningbender herself, is she? It’s a pretty incredible art, as I’m sure you already know. It’s not something just anybody can do, or understand.”

“So, what, you think you know better than the Avatar?” Mako asked, a little offended on Korra’s behalf. Honestly, the audacity of this guy – Mako knew mover stars could be a little stuck-up, but that was just plain arrogant.

“Oh, no, of course not! She trained under Master Katara, I’m sure she’s a very talented healer,” Ryuuki corrected. He didn’t want to give off the wrong impression here. But Mako wasn’t buying it. “I just mean… well, unless she knows how to bend lightning, it’s kind of hard for her to understand how it affects the body when it goes wrong. It’s not like getting hit with a natural lightning bolt. I doubt she’s ever seen an actual Lightningbending injury before. There might have been something that she missed.”

“Like what?” Mako asked, crossing his arms. Ryuuki seemed so sure of what he was saying, he was actually starting to become curious now.

“Well, as you should already know, Firebenders are pretty special. An Earthbender always has the earth beneath their feet, an Airbender is always surrounded by air, a Waterbender can always find moisture when they need it, but us? We have to create our element from our chi every time. Yeah, we can bend any fire that’s around us, too, but more often than not, it’s all on us. And Lightningbending is the ultimate example of that. You know how it works, right?”

“Of course. You create an imbalance by devise- by dividing your positive and negative chi, and then you direct that out of your body as lightning. Everybody knows that.”

“Exactly! It’s basically an explosion of chi, one that’s been shaped and directed by the bender to happen outside of their body rather than inside. But what happens when it does happen inside?” Ryuuki asked.

“You die.” Mako replied.

“Not always. Sometimes, the damage isn’t fatal. Sometimes, it’s even localized. Say, in an arm?”

Mako sighed. “Okay, fine. I’ll bite. What do you think happened?”

Ryuuki grinned. “First, let me take a shot in the dark and assume it flares up whenever you’re stressed, right?” The look on Mako’s face told him yes. Bingo. “That makes sense. Your mood is reflected in your chi, stress especially. So if anything happens to damage your chi pathways, it makes sense that you’d become more sensitive to changes in your energy.”

“Okay, so, it really is just stress, then. Got it. Thanks for the insight,” Mako rolled his eyes. But Ryuuki wasn’t finished.

“Kind of. Everybody knows what you did when Kuvira attacked. You overloaded her giant mecha suit with lightning, and it blew up in your face. There was probably a lot of feedback as you were bending, too, from the spirit vines and your lightning starting to go out of control and all of that, right?” Mako nodded. Like Ryuuki said – everybody knew that by now.

“Your stress isn’t the cause of your pain, it’s another symptom of something deeper, the real cause. When your lightning coursed back through your arm, I think you damaged your chi pathways. If you look at it another way, Lightningbending is basically just Energybending that any sufficiently skilled Firebender can do. So if you’re bending all of that energy, and something goes wrong, it makes sense that it’d damage the parts of your body that carry energy from one part to another, right?”

“I guess so, yeah,” Mako supposed. The longer Ryuuki went on, the more intently he started to listen. He seemed like he was building up to something.

“And your bending in that arm has probably been affected too, yeah?”

“Yeah. I can still bend, but, it’s harder now. And I couldn’t bed- bend at all at first, it took a week before I could do anything with my arm again.”

“Mhm, I thought so.” Ryuuki nodded. “Lightningbending can be dangerous at the best of times, but obviously, it wasn’t the best of times when that scar happened. Your arm’s chi pathways are probably a wreck right now. That isn’t something ordinary healing can fix.”

“So, what, I’m stuck like this forever?”

“I didn’t say that. The damage probably isn’t so severe that it won’t heal itself over time, but there’s no telling how long that’ll take. It depends a lot on how badly you hurt yourself and how hard you’re pushing yourself while healing. That fight with the Chi Eater probably didn’t do you any favors, for example. But just like your bending came back, your arm should return to normal if you give it enough time. You just have to take it easy until it does. Otherwise, you could exacerbate the damage and make things even worse. If it feels like the pain’s getting more intense, then that’s probably why.”

“So you think I’m making things worse?”

“If you’re pushing yourself, yeah. Keep that up and the damage may very well become irreversible, or worse. Think of it like… like cracks in the foundation of a building. The building can stand just fine and bare its own weight without incident. People could even live in that building none the wiser, it could probably stand for years without ever coming down. But the second an earthquake hits, or the right kind of stress is applied, those cracks will begin to grow, and worsen, and spread. Maybe it’ll be slowly, maybe it’ll be quickly, but eventually, the foundation will shatter, and the building will come tumbling down. Your chi pathways are no different.”

“In other words, if I keep going, I might not be able to bend out of my left arm ever again.” Ryuuki gave a solemn nod and Mako’s expression sunk. “Fantastic. Thank you. That’s exactly what I needed to hear right now. This night just keeps getting better and better.”

Mako had never heard any of this before, but he had to admit, it made sense. It explained basically everything he’d experienced since he got hurt. And if what Ryuuki said about his chi reflecting his emotional state was true, then that explained the ‘premonitions’, too. He hadn’t been in the best mind set since Kuvira’s attack. So maybe everybody was right that it was all in his head. Maybe he’d just been expecting the worst, and his arm reacted to that, and any time he was right, it made it seem like it was an omen. But as nice as it was to finally have some answers, it didn’t really help him any.

“I’m basically screwed then, I guess. Thanks for letting me know.” Mako dejectedly replied, turning from Ryuuki back to the bar. It seemed that his drink had finally arrived.

“Oh, goodness, no! You just have to take it easy with your arm for a while, that’s all. Or… you would have to, if you didn’t know a healer with an intimate knowledge of Lightningbending, its effects on the body, and how human chi pathways work. But luckily, you know me!”

Suddenly, Mako’s head whipped right back around. He was a what? “You? A healer?” Mako asked, almost laughing. “You’re a Firebender.”

“Yeah, and?” Ryuuki asked. Mako seemed confused. “What, you think Firebenders can’t be healers? All benders can be healers, not just Waterbenders. Sure, they’re more naturally in-tune with their internal energy and the energies of others, which is why some of them are able to heal so easily, but they’re not the only ones. All it takes is somebody with the right mindset and a decent understanding of their element, the human body, and chi.

Remember what I said before, about how we Firebenders create our element? We’re better than any other bender at making active use of our chi. When Waterbenders heal, they do it passively. But for a Firebender? We’re used to channeling and bending and expelling our chi as fire and lightning. Because of this, we can do things Waterbenders can’t, and we can heal wounds that they can’t. The same goes for Earthbenders and Airbenders. They’ve both got things they can do that Fire and Water can’t because of how their elements work.”

“And you can use Firebending to heal?”

Ryuuki nodded. “I can. I’ve practiced a lot on myself over the years, when I hurt myself during training. I’d like to think I’ve gotten pretty good at it.”

“How could you help, though? If my chi pathways are damaged, what could fire do to help?”

“Not fire, chi. Like I said, we’re better than any other bender at manipulating our chi. It’s not that I’m using fire to heal, it’s more like I’m using my bending to move your chi around and help your body help itself. When a Waterbender heals, they’re doing the same thing, only passively. But when you do it actively, you can direct where that chi that gets moved around goes, and you can heal more precisely. You can even heal damage done to your chi pathways.”

“…How do you know all of this?” Mako asked, a little suspicious.

“Fire isn’t purely destructive, you know. When I was younger, I’d heard stories of Firebending shamans and sages who could heal all manner of maladies with their bending, and I became intrigued. So when I was 22, I set out to find one, and I convinced them to teach me how to heal. Since I wanted to become a Lightningbender, I thought it might be a good skill to have, in case I ever messed up and hurt myself. And I was right. Any harm my Lightningbending has ever done to me, I’ve always been able to heal.” Ryuuki explained. “…Of course, I’ve never tried applying any of this to another person before. But, if you’ll let me, I could try and heal your arm for you.”

“I…” Mako had no idea what to say. It all seemed a little far-fetched to him. But he had to admit, he had seen a lot of pretty far-fetched things since meeting Korra. Compared to all-powerful spirit kites and flying people, this was honestly pretty tame. If Ryuuki was sure he could help, then Mako couldn’t believe he was thinking it, but, he was willing to give the guy the benefit of the doubt and let him try. Anything if it meant he could be free of this pain and just use his arm normally again.

“…Okay.” Mako finally agreed. “Okay. I’ll let you try. Thank you.”

Ryuuki nodded, his smile warm and sincere. “Well then, let’s see what I can do.”

While Ryuuki cracked his knuckles, Mako took off his glove and rolled up his sleeve, the deep red scar that snaked its way up his arm like a tangle of twisted brambles finally made visible. It wasn’t something Mako much liked to look at, and he turned away almost as soon as he’d revealed it. Then after a moment, Ryuuki was ready to begin.

Grabbing hold of Mako’s arm with one hand, with the other, five small blue jets of fire flit into existence around Ryuuki’s fingertips. Before he put any pressure on the wound, Ryuuki first traced his fingertips up and down the length of Mako’s arm from just a few centimeters above. He was feeling him out, tracing the paths Mako’s energy flowed through, sensing every twist and turn with the flicker of his flames. Since the exact layout varied from person to person, Ryuuki couldn’t make any assumptions. Misdirecting the flow of another’s energy could be dangerous, especially when their pathways were damaged.

“Geez, you really are stressed out,” Ryuuki remarked, a little stunned. “I can already feel a lot of knotted up energy in this arm, more than this level of damage should cause. That’s definitely causing the majority of your pain.”

“I’m a city dec- a city detective, there’s no such thing as a stress-free day.”

“Mm, maybe not, but a celebrity’s life isn’t all that stress-free either. I know I probably don’t look all that stressed out to you, but that’s only because I meditate every day and I vent my frustrations when I need to. I think a little meditation would do you some good, like an emotional detox. I might be able to fix your arm, but that’s not going to matter much if all this negative energy ends up killing you.” Ryuuki laughed, though he was only half-joking at best. Stress was not good for the body over prolonged periods of time.

“Anyway, I think I have a feel for your chi now. Now I can start with the actual healing. You might feel a little warm, though – my flames aren’t exactly normal, and your arm isn’t in the best of shape.” With his warning delivered, Ryuuki gave Mako no time to react, lowering his hand and putting his fingertips directly to Mako’s skin.

Mako shuddered and winced as Ryuuki’s fingers made contact. Maybe it was just his arm being overly sensitive, but it felt like there was more pressure behind his touch than there looked. And then there was the heat. It was more intense than Ryuuki had led him to believe, at least at first. But as the azure flames fazed into his skin, the heat died down a little, and Mako could feel his arm begin to tingle and grow heavy. It felt like he was lifting a hundred pounds.

Then, suddenly, Mako could feel it – the redirection of his chi. Energy was being circulated through his arm like it hadn’t been since his injury, a sensation that was both familiar and unfamiliar overcoming him as Ryuuki used his chi to push around Mako’s. He could feel the heat as the fire coursed through his veins, except they weren’t veins. They were deeper than that. Mako couldn’t believe it – Ryuuki really could tap into another person’s energy with Firebending.

“You… it’s… working.” Mako said with some surprise. Ryuuki smiled. For Mako, it felt like holes he didn’t even know were there were being filled in and seared shut. And it wasn’t even Ryuuki’s chi that was doing it, exactly, it was Mako’s own, being shunted around by Ryuuki's. He never would’ve guessed that something like this was possible. Not unless Korra was doing it with her Energybending. “This is basically Energybending…”

Ryuuki laughed. “Not quite. I can push your energy around and help it heal you, but I can’t do anything like the Avatar can. But I am a disciple of the old ways of Firebending, and I’m pretty proud of my abilities. The teachings of the Sun Warriors, the innovations of the Deserter, the philosophies of the Dragon of the West – they all resonate with me pretty deeply. They’re the ideal that I’m chasing after, and I’d like to think I’ve made progress on carrying on their legacy and living up to the true history of Firebending.”

Mako smiled. He’d never felt so happy to be so wrong about somebody before. Ryuuki was nothing like he’d been assuming. “I hope you don’t mind if I ask you to teach me the basics before you leave the city again,” Mako remarked. Ryuuki laughed again.

As he finished up healing Mako’s arm, one more surge of heat ran down its length, the flames that’d gone in at the start fazing back out, then being sucked back into Ryuuki’s fingertips, extinguished almost as soon as his hand was removed. Where Ryuuki had made contact, not a single mark had been left, and as his hand was removed, the weight on Mako’s arm disappeared.

“There’s nothing I can do about the scarring, unfortunately, but I think I’ve managed to repair most of the internal damage. Your arm should be as good as new now, but I’d still take it easy for a little bit, just in case.” Ryuuki said.

Looking down at his arm, Mako opened and closed his fist a few times. Already, he could feel the difference. Where he felt sluggish and sore before, it felt as though his response time had suddenly doubled. “I didn’t realize how bad it was until now… I knew I’d gotten weaker, but…” He’d been so caught up in his own head, he’d never even noticed. Before he knew it, the damage had become his new normal.

“Lightning is an extraordinary power. Almost as extraordinary as the risk it carries. Next time, try not to be so heroically reckless.” Ryuuki joked. Mako smiled.

“Thank you. I don’t even know what to… thank you!”

“Of course. Anything for a fellow Firebender.” Ryuuki replied.

Mako looked back to Bolin, still sitting at their table, and his mood soured slightly. He wanted to go tell him everything that just happened, to tell him the pain was finally gone, but with everything that’d just happened with Opal, he knew that wasn’t the best idea. For now, he’d just have to keep it to himself.

Before Mako could thank Ryuuki again, Varrick reappeared, grabbing hold of the actor’s arm and insisting he formally meet Suyin. Probably another ploy to try and salvage the evening, Mako assumed. Varrick claimed she was a fan of his movers that she could use the distraction right about now. Left without any room to argue, Ryuuki was dragged away, barely given a chance to say goodbye to Mako before he was promptly introduced to Suyin.

Mako sighed. He’d just have to follow up with him later. So far as he knew, Ryuuki would be in town for the rest of the month. He still had time. Looking back down at his hand, Mako smiled, putting his glove back on, rolling back down his sleeve, and then taking a sip of his long-awaited drink, not out of frustration, but of celebration. At least one good thing had come from tonight. He just hoped the situation with Opal turned out okay too.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***


“Ah!” The man in the United Forces uniform cried, a blast of air to his abdomen sweeping him off his feet and throwing him into the outer wall of the break room. As he dropped from the wall onto his hands and knees, he rubbed his back, struggling back up and raising his arms in a defensive position, ready to bend. He called the water beneath the floorboards to his aide, but he was too slow – before he could finish his movements, another blast struck his stomach. The wind knocked out of him, he was sent right back into the wall, this time with force enough to barrel through it, knocking the man out cold.

Opal circled above the wooden prison, firing Airbending blast after Airbending blast at Kuvira’s guards. There were 7 of them in total, and the other 6 fared no better against Opal’s fury. They were blindsided with attacks they could barely see by an enemy they couldn’t hit, her maneuverability in the air enough to let her dodge around every counter attack they tried. Before long, she’d knocked each and every one of them unconscious.

As the scene unfolded, Korra simply watched, hiding behind a watch tower. She hated this. She felt like she should be doing something. But more than anything, Korra wanted to avoid a fight with Opal, and if she interfered now, that was exactly what would happen. More than that, Korra hoped that maybe talking to Kuvira would be enough to calm Opal down. But that could never happen with the guards in the way. They had to be removed from the equation somehow.

As she watched, Korra noted how Opal avoided knocking any of them into the water where they could drown, and how all of her attacks were specifically to incapacitate, not do any serious harm. It was clear that she didn’t want to actually hurt them, even if they were protecting Kuvira, so just this once, Korra felt she could let it slide. Even though every part of her was screaming at her to stop this, Korra did nothing. Once again, she found herself hoping she was making the right decision.

Finally, the sounds of conflict ended and the prison raft fell silent. Keeping herself hidden behind the tower, Korra followed Opal’s movements with her ears first, then her eyes, not wanting to peer around too soon in fear of Opal spotting her. After she heard her land, she waited until she’d taken a few steps before leaning her head out of the shadows. Thankfully, Opal didn’t see her. Korra breathed a quiet sigh of relief. As expected, Opal was headed straight for the wooden cage at the center.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have a very good view of the cell from here. If she wanted to keep an eye on whatever happened next, Korra would have to move. Looking around, she noticed the hole in the wall of the break room, and could see inside its dimly lit interior a large window they used to keep an eye on their prisoner. Making ample use of the movements taught to her by Tenzin, Korra quietly dashed across the creaky wooden platform, every footfall cushioned by a pillow of air that kept her presence a closely guarded secret.

Once she was inside, Korra crouched down, keeping everything but her eyes below the window to minimize the chances she’d be seen. With the light of the half moon above and the orange glow of some torches around the cell, she could thankfully still make out Opal and Kuvira in the darkness. Kuvira was sat with her back turned to Opal, while Opal stood with her back turned to Korra. Then, when Opal finally came to a stop in front of her cell, Kuvira began to turn around.

When she did, the Kuvira that Korra saw was an entirely different person than the one she’d seen at the trial. There, she’d been confident, composed, prideful – she seemed exactly how she had when she attacked. But not anymore. Now, there was a look of resignation on her face and weariness in her eyes, and all her pride had been stripped away from her. She looked ready to accept her fate. That was, until she saw it was Opal who had come to see her.

Suddenly, Kuvira’s expression changed completely. Now, she was smiling, and her pride had suddenly returned. Her arrogant eyes stared the Airbender down, and she slowly got up to meet her face-to-face, walking to the edge of her cell and putting her hands on the wooden bars. But Korra could tell, this was all a front. That brokenness a second earlier was the real Kuvira right now. She was just pretending now that she could see that it was somebody she knew.

“Well, well, well… of all the people I expected to come and kill me, I never would’ve guessed it would be you. Finally stepping out of mommy’s shadow?” Kuvira taunted, relying upon the farce of her old persona to try and get under Opal’s skin. And from the look of her clenched fists, it was working. But Korra didn’t buy it for a minute.

“Honestly, I thought she’d be the one to do me in. Knowing her, she’d have called it a mercy kill. How about you? Here to pick up her slack? I guess the teachings of the Air Nomads can only go so far with a Beifong, huh?”

“Shut up…” Opal mumbled. But if Kuvira heard her, she didn’t listen.

“I remember when you first left for the Air Temples. Everybody was so surprised that the shy, quiet, timid little Opal stood up to her mom and insisted she be let go. You were the ‘jewel of Zaofu’, so perfect and obedient, mommy’s quiet little angel. But you and I both know the truth about that, don’t we, Opal? How that’s never been you. You’ve always been a Beifong, arrogant and temperamental, just like your mom, and your aunt, and your grandmother.”

“Shut up.” Opal repeated, louder this time. But Kuvira still didn’t seem to hear her.

“No, I got to see the real Opal Beifong, right from the start. All the jealousy and contempt… honestly, it’s kind of funny to me. You genuinely believed your mother loved me more, and you treated me like shit because of it. Is that why you’re here now? Are you mad Suyin’s been spending more time with me than you again? All that time away at the Air Temples, and you still haven’t grown up.

But I get it. Back then, you weren’t a bender. You weren’t like your brothers, you weren’t even like Bataar. You had nothing to set you apart, nothing to be proud of. And your mom has always loved having things to be proud of. Trophies she can brag about. But that’s different now. Now, you’re an Airbender. A hero of Republic City. Now you’re exactly what you’ve always wanted to be, Suyin’s favorite daughter. So why now? Do you want to make sure you stay the favorite? I wonder how Suyin will feel when her daughter becomes a murderer?”

“Shut up!” Opal demanded, her eyes tearing up and her knuckles whitening, the nails digging into her palms threatening to draw blood. There was no denying Kuvira had heard her this time, but still she pressed on, undeterred by Opal’s mounting frustration. She wasn’t finished yet.

“Have you even thought that far ahead? More than that, have you even thought about what it means for Suyin to be proud of you? It isn’t about you, it’s about her. You’re just a trophy. Is that what you want? Is this really about revenge? Do you just hate me that much? Or maybe Suyin’s praise isn’t enough for you anymore. Maybe you want to be a hero. Opal Beifong, the one who succeeded where the law failed and felled the Great Uniter. Opal Beifong, the martyr, going down for doing the right thing. But that doesn’t sound like you. No. For you, it really is just about revenge, isn’t it? Deep down, you’re still a child. You don’t have the ambition to be a real hero. I’m just wondering if you actually have it in you to do it.”

“SHUT UP!” Opal screamed, her anger finally exploding with her bending, a veritable maelstrom roaring to life around her, and then silencing itself not even a moment later as she regained control. And when she did, Opal finally had her wish. Kuvira had stopped talking. But it was unclear to Korra if that was because she’d finally listened to her or if she simply had nothing more to say.

But Korra was confused. What was Kuvira hoping to accomplish, poking and prodding her like that? Was she trying to get herself killed, or trying to convince Opal not to do it? The angrier Opal got, the more Korra feared what she was going to do. She wanted to jump in and put a stop to this right now, before it got any worse, but she couldn’t. She’d already let it get this far. Maybe now that Kuvira seemed to be done talking, Opal could say her piece and things could deescalate. That was her hope.

“I’m sick of this! I’m sick of you!” Even if she couldn’t see the tears, Korra could hear them in Opal’s voice. She was at the end of her rope. “All you ever do is manipulate people! Even now, you just can’t help yourself! You just manipulate, and steal, and destroy, and you just always have to be the best, you always have to be right, don’t you? Can’t you stop yourself for one second?” Opal laughed. She couldn’t believe this was happening right now.

“You’re a real piece of work. Even now, even when I have you backed into a corner, you just can’t help yourself. You just have to act like you’re the one in control. You just have to try and drag me down, you just have to try and make me seem like the bad guy. It’s just like when we were kids.”

I dragged you down? Ha, that’s rich! You’ve always been the one with the vendetta, Opal, not me. Anything you think I took away from you, you lost because you refused to speak your mind. You could never assert yourself with your mother or your idiot brothers, but you certainly had no problem with the little orphan girl. All I ever wanted to do was belong, but you just wouldn’t have it. Whatever problem you think there is between us, it’s entirely of your own design, just like it’s always been.” Kuvira defended.

“That’s bullshit and you know it! My family gave you everything, Kuvira. My mom could have left you on the street, or placed you with another family, but instead, she took you in and treated you like her own, and how did you repay her? You stormed out of Zaofu with half of her Metalbenders and tore her family apart! I did everything I could to make you feel welcome, and what did you do to thank me? You tormented me daily. You hurt me, physically! I still have scars!”

“That’s a lie.” Kuvira seethed. “I never laid a finger on you.”

“Yes! You did!” Opal asserted, desperate. “You make it sound like I hated you, but you were the one who hated me! And I don’t know why! I’ve never known why! I did everything I could to make you feel welcome, but you always leapt at the chance to cut me down! You’re right, when we were kids, my mom was never proud of me, and that hurt. More than you could ever know. Sometimes it felt like I didn’t even exist. But you never had that problem. You were always her favorite, her star pupil. I was jealous of you, but I never, never took that out on you.”

“Well, you’re her favorite now, Opal. How does it feel? Is it everything you wanted? Is it everything you dreamed it would be? Or have you realized how meaningless it is to be Suyin Beifong’s favorite kid?”

Opal refused to answer.

“I thought so. But you know what’s funny? Even if I was her favorite, I never had her love. That was always yours. You say you were jealous of me, but I was always jealous of you. She loved you, completely, and you never even had to do anything to earn it. I had to work myself to the bone day in and day out just so I could stay on her radar, while you got to have a mother.”

“Is that why you hurt me? She didn’t love you enough?”

“I never hurt you!” Kuvira insisted. “And she never loved me at all! You seem to think it was all sunshine and rainbows and that we were all one big happy family, but I never got that! Maybe you did, maybe your brothers did, but I never got to be a part of that! So yeah, I hated you for that! And maybe I did take that out on you sometimes, but I never hurt you.”

“Why can’t you just admit it?” Opal asked, stepping closer to Kuvira’s cage. “After everything you’ve done, after all those horrible things, why can’t you just admit that you hurt me?”

“Because it. Didn’t. Happen.” Kuvira asserted.

“Then what do you call this?” Opal asked, lifting the collar of her glider suit to reveal a small scar beneath her collar bone. “Or this?” She asked, rolling up a sleeve to reveal an old gash on her arm. “Or this?” Another one, this one on her leg. “And they’re not the only ones! You always had a temper, and whenever you didn’t get your way, you’d take it out on me, because I couldn’t bend to defend myself. You always had a thing for my brother, so he never saw that side of you, but I did, every day. You were always so angry.”

“Of course I was angry, you had everything I ever wanted and you didn’t have to work for it. You never had her pride or her admiration, but you always had Suyin’s love. And you made damn sure I knew it.”

“Spirits, just stop playing the victim, already!” Opal pleaded. “Okay, yeah, we had a rocky childhood, and yeah, sometimes, I was a real bitch to you, but constantly having to deal with somebody who lied and manipulated everybody around them can do that! I was at my wit’s end! You were already mom’s favorite, but it just wasn’t enough for you! You were so insecure with what you had, you just had to be the best, even if being the best meant putting down everybody else around you, especially me.

Maybe she did love me, but she never paid attention to me, that always went to you. And you were always so sure to rub that in my face. And you did everything you could to make sure it stayed that way, too. Any time I tried to get my mom to notice me, you’d cut me down. Any time my brothers tried to show off for her, you’d do everything you could to one-up them. And then there were the lies. Anything you could say to keep my mom’s attention on you and off of me and my brothers, you said. It didn’t matter how terrible. Do you even realize how horrible it was growing up with you? How terrible you really were to me? Are you that starved for attention?”

“My parents threw me away like I was garbage. All I ever wanted was somebody’s attention. And I wasn’t about to lose it to some non-bending-” Kuvira stopped herself there. Opal just laughed.

“There, see! There it is! There’s the Kuvira I remember!” She announced. “You tormented me! For years! You made me feel like I was worthless! Not just with what you did, or how much time you spent with my mom, or your bending, but with what you said, too. You did everything you could to make me feel like I was nothing, just so you could feel better about yourself. Because no matter how good you were, it was never good enough. You always, always wanted more. More love, more attention, more of my mom’s time, no matter what you had to do to get it.

So you rigged the game in your favor. You tore me down to build yourself up, constantly. And you were real subtle about it, too. You knew exactly how to get under my skin, you knew exactly what words to say, exactly how to keep me stuck in my head, afraid to speak my mind and be myself. You had me convinced that I was a disappointment because I couldn’t bend. That if I did anything my mom didn’t like, she would disown me.

You made me feel like a failure. You did that. And nobody ever believed me, least of all my mom and Bataar. But I guess you had your claws sunken deepest into them, huh? And you just wouldn’t stop pulling until you tore them away from me completely. Well, congratulations. You got your wish, and you just threw them away anyway. Fuck you, you self-righteous, self-serving, insecure, fascist bitch!”

The way Opal’s voice cracked at the end made Korra’s heart sink. She didn’t know what to think right now, aside from the fact that she probably shouldn’t be listening in on this. But she had to. Opal made sure of that much when she left the way she did. But Korra really felt for her now. She knew that Kuvira could be cruel, but was she really as bad as Opal was saying? Kuvira seemed sincere when she claimed she never hurt Opal, but Opal seemed convinced that she had, and she had the scars to prove it. All Korra could tell for sure was that Opal’s childhood was rougher than she could’ve imagined.

As Opal calmed herself down in a moment of silence, Korra’s eyes drifted back to Kuvira. Opal’s latest outburst seemed to have shut her up. Kuvira was just standing there now, the smile on her face long gone. She didn’t seem like she was having that much fun anymore.

“You make it sound so simple.” Kuvira finally replied, her voice shaky. “The way you tell it, you make it seem as though that attitude didn’t go both ways. But you felt so threatened by me, you made it a point to routinely bring up my parents disowning me and my being an orphan as if it was indicative of my worth. I made you feel like you were nothing? No. You made me feel like I was nothing, something I already felt all on my own.” Kuvira accused, her voice becoming more steady as she went on.

“I don’t think you realize just how broken and desperate for a family I was. Maybe you’re right. Maybe I was a little cruel to you. Maybe I did treat you and your brothers unfairly. But tell me, who was cruel first? The little orphan girl dying for a support, or the insecure little rich girl afraid of the orphan stealing all her mom’s attention? Anything I did, I did in retaliation. That’s all.” Kuvira said. All the bravado from before was gone now, and for maybe the first time tonight, Korra felt as though Kuvira was being genuine.

“Right. It was all my fault. I’m the bad guy. Not the cruel, manipulative dictator who forced people to serve her out of fear and who created prison camps to weed out all the people she didn’t deem ‘Earth Kingdom’ enough to be a part of her empire. She never did anything wrong in the history of ever, she’s got a tragic backstory that makes all of that just go away! Gosh, how could I be so cruel, trying to hold her accountable. I guess I must’ve inherited my grandma’s blindness, because it’s just so obvious when you put it that way!”

“Stop.” Kuvira pleaded. “Please. I’m being serious.”

“So am I.” Opal coldly replied. “This is what you always do, Kuvira. You blame others for your mistakes. First you blamed my mom for what you did, and now you’re blaming me, because apparently I was just so awful to you as a kid. But you know what? Maybe it’s not us who are the problem, Kuvira. Maybe it’s just you. Maybe it’s always just been you. Have you ever thought about that?”

“All I ever do out here is think.” Kuvira dejectedly replied. “About that, and about everything else. I know exactly where I stand in all of this. Do you?”

“Yeah, I do. And unlike you, it’s on the right side.” Opal insisted, sounding as though she were assuring herself as much as she was Kuvira. She’d come too far to turn back now.

“Tch. Get off your damn high ostrich horse. You’re not the saint you want everybody to think you are, Opal, yourself included. If you were, you wouldn’t be wasting all this time out here arguing with me. If you were, you wouldn’t even be here right now. Which brings us back to the big question. Why are you here, Opal? What do you really want from me?”

“You know why I’m here,” Opal replied, meekness returning to her voice. Meekness Kuvira immediately seized upon.

“But do you?” Kuvira pressed. Opal was silent. “I know you came here to kill me, Opal. That much is obvious, and honestly, after everything I have done, I can’t really blame you. There are a dozen reasons why you would want me dead, why you should. Regardless of our childhood and whatever did or didn’t happen between us, I really did become a terrible person in the end, and I see that now. I accept that, now. But if you’re standing here, didn’t you become pretty terrible, too?”

Opal turned away. She couldn’t stand the way Kuvira was looking at her right now.

As she turned her head, Korra finally got a look at Opal’s face. It was only for a couple seconds, but she could see the regret. And more than that, the guilt.

“To come all the way out here against everybody’s wishes, against the law, just to take revenge on a girl in a cage. Don’t you think that makes you just as bad as me? Just to think that? Is that the ‘right side’ you’re standing on? Please. You’re not stupid. You’re a lot of things, Opal, but stupid isn’t one of them. If you want to kill me, fine. Do it. But at least have the dignity to look me in the eyes and say it, and at least do me the honor of being honest about your reasons why. So stop trying to delude yourself and just admit it – this isn’t right, and you know it. You just don’t care.”

The silence between the two of them after that was deafening. Kuvira had finally gotten to her. All of the lines Opal had been practicing in her head, all of the justifications she’d been building up, all the righteous anger she’d had boiling beneath the surface – everything she thought she had was torn apart so effortlessly with just a couple of words. Opal almost felt sick just thinking about it. What was she doing out here?

Opal never expected herself to fold the second she saw Kuvira’s face, but Kuvira did. When she saw the look in Opal’s eyes, Kuvira knew . She didn’t even have to try. She knew Opal too well and Opal hated it. She hated that this had to be so difficult. She hated that she had to feel so conflicted. After everything Kuvira did, this should’ve been simple, clean. But it wasn’t. And Kuvira was right. She couldn’t hide from that anymore.

Korra watched on with bated breath, swallowing hard as she waited for Opal’s response, hoping that it would be a good one. Hoping that she’d just walk away and leave it at this. Kuvira had gotten to her, and Korra could see that. Opal could see that. The only question now was whether or not she’d listen to her compassion, something Korra knew she had in abundance, or her anger, which she knew the feeling of all too well.

Anger was a difficult temptation to resist, and Korra prayed that Opal was strong enough to resist it. And as Opal began to calm down, inhaling and exhaling deeply and loosening her fists, she thought that maybe that would be the case. But as quickly as Opal’s tension was released, something else had come over her, her body language changing in a way that Korra immediately didn’t like.

“You’re right.” Opal finally replied. Before she committed herself to what she was about to do, she gave herself one more moment to think it over. But her mind had already been made up. Now all she had to do was follow through. “You’re right, Kuvira. I don’t care if this is right or not. But all you’ve ever done is hurt people, and I know the world is better off without you. I am too. So that’s why I’m here. To finally solve the problem and do what apparently nobody else is willing to do.” Finally, she looked Kuvira in the eyes.

“You deserve this.”

Kuvira smiled. “Yes. I do.”

Korra snarled, pulling water up from between the floorboards, sad and angry and disappointed and annoyed that it’d come to this. She couldn’t let this go any further, she had to intervene before it was too late. Her duty as the Avatar superseded her friendship with Opal. But as her muscles twitched to move her forward, water pooling up behind her, Opal made an all-too familiar set of motions, and in that instant Korra froze, her heart skipping a beat.

“No…” She whispered, her body locking in place as the water that’d started to form up behind her sloshed back down into the sea. Her eyes widened and her breath grew shallow, a bead of cold sweat rolling down her face.

That technique. That was Zaheer’s technique.

She resisted it with all she had, but she could already feel herself starting to relive that day at the sight of it. She had to be wrong about this. Opal couldn’t be doing that, could she? But as the air began to circulate around Kuvira’s head, Korra knew that she was.

Korra’s mouth went dry and her stomach sank like a stone as a lump rose up into her throat. Her eyes were burning as tears began to well up in them, though she struggled to hold them back. But when she did, memories rose up in their place, phantom pain flooding her body, pain from the poison and the air being pulled from her lungs. Pain she had to remind herself wasn’t real. None of that was real anymore. But Opal, and Kuvira, they were. She had to stop this. She had to move.

She had to fight.

Korra closed her eyes, forcing the lump still caught in her throat back down as Kuvira began to feel the first effects of Zaheer’s technique. Kuvira made no attempt to resist or break the hold, simply falling to her knees and letting it happen. As she did, Korra brawled with the images in her head, forcing those memories back where they belonged. She was not going to let this happen. She was never going to let that technique be used again. Never again.

Korra had to move. She commanded her body to move. And finally, it obeyed her. She inhaled with righteous fury as her eyes snapped back open, the water smashing through the wooden floor behind her and rising up to meet her as a weapon at the ready. Then, with her other hand, she blasted the break room apart with a mighty blast of air.

“ENOUGH!”

Opal felt as though she’d just been struck by lightning, her body jolting at the sound of Korra’s voice. Immediately, she froze in place, the movements of her arms stopped and Zaheer’s technique left incomplete, Kuvira freed from its grasp and gasping for air, trying to catch her breath. But as she did, Kuvira didn’t look thankful. She looked disappointed. She didn’t know Korra was here too.

Kuvira spared a glare in the Avatar’s direction, but she was too focused on Opal to notice it. Her chance was gone. All she could do now was sit and watch whatever happened next.

Shakily inhaling, Opal closed her eyes, swallowed once, and then turned around, terrified of what she might see behind her. Of what she knew was about to happen. “…Korra?” She meekly asked, tinges of sadness, fear, and guilt in her voice as Korra stared her down with a fury like she’d never seen.

The Avatar was pissed.

Notes:

This chapter was originally going to be longer, but it was starting to become a little *too* long, so I had to cut it here. On the plus side, since it was originally one big chapter, you can expect the next one sometime later this week.

Chapter 15: Closure

Summary:

After her conversation with Kuvira goes awry, Korra confronts Opal at the Great Uniter's prison.

Chapter Text

Book Five
Chi

Chapter 15
Closure

 

Asami wasn’t planning on getting drunk tonight, but with the way things had been going, it was difficult for her to resist the temptation. Half of Korra’s deadline had come and gone now, and she was really starting to worry. She didn’t know why, but she was sure that something had gone wrong, and she had nobody she could talk to about it. Bolin was still a mess, Ravi had disappeared from the face of the Earth, and Mako finally seemed to be in a good mood she had no intention of spoiling.

So here she was at the bar instead, ordering another drink in hopes it would calm her nerves as the seconds ticked by. Asami wasn’t drunk yet, but she was definitely very tipsy now. She was just glad she was better at holding her liquor than Mako was; he’d been going on and on about Ryuuki healing him somehow. But if she were being honest, she hadn’t really been paying attention. She was too busy worrying at the time to care, and it all sounded a little far-fetched to her.

…But then again, Ryuuki had fought alongside them during the Chi Eater’s attack. It was a pretty hectic time, but she could remember being impressed by what she’d seen of him. Korra had been singing his praises, too, especially about the color of his fire. So maybe he really was a healer? Even if she’d never heard of a Firebender being able to heal before. She’d go and ask him herself, but he and Varrick were busy entertaining Suyin right now, and she didn’t want to interrupt.

Asami sighed. On reflex, she glanced up at the clock, hoping it’d somehow gone back a few ticks, only to end up disappointed that they were even closer to Korra’s deadline now. From what she could tell, Raiko, Lin, and Tenzin had ironed out the basics of a plan now. They were almost ready to go. Everybody was just watching the clock, waiting, and Asami couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible had happened. She needed a better distraction. The alcohol wasn’t working fast enough.

Asami looked around the room for Ravi again, but there was no sign of him. She wished he’d said something before disappearing like that. And everybody else was as busy now as they were two minutes ago. Everybody except for Zhu Li, that was.

Like Asami, Zhu Li had broken away from the party to take a seat at the bar, not even five stools away from her. Apparently, she’d gotten bored of listening to Varrick try to entertain people with stories about himself. Asami couldn’t blame her. She didn’t really know Zhu Li all that well, but, talking to her beat drinking alone. She really needed a distraction, and this was starting to get depressing. So Asami got up, walked a couple feet, then placed a hand on the empty seat immediately next to Zhu Li’s.

“Mind if I join you?” Asami asked, prompting a confused look from her would-be drinking partner.

“Oh, Asami, hi. No, I don’t mind.” Zhu Li replied. She sounded a little distracted.

“Sorry, am I interrupting you? You looked a little lonely, and I thought I should probably stop drinking alone, so…”

“No, don’t worry about it. I was just thinking is all.” Zhu Li smiled. Asami smiled back.

“Thinking about what? If you don’t mind my asking,”

“Just the city,” Zhu Li said, initially leaving it at that. But that wasn’t very good for conversation, so after a moment, she elaborated further. “Varrick and I have been doing our best to help, but it feels like it’s not enough. Raiko still doesn’t trust us, so he’ll only allow Varrick Global Industries to do so much. This mover was the only thing we could come up with that we knew he wouldn’t object to. If it were up to me, I’d rather be dealing with the refugees or rebuilding the city.”

“I didn’t know that. I think you would’ve been great on the ground with the rest of us. I would’ve been glad to work with you.”

“Ravi said the same thing. We proposed a few plans while he was running your company, but even when he approved them, the city wouldn’t. So long as Varrick was involved, Raiko wanted no part of it.”

“That isn’t fair. He helped save this city just like the rest of us. You did, too.”

“I know, but, you know how Raiko is. I don’t think he ever forgave Varrick for that stunt he pulled during the civil war. We’ve done our best to make up for it and show him we want to help, but… well, like I said, you know how he is.”

“Ugh, yeah. I really don’t like that guy. I was delivering a message from Korra to him earlier, and the way he talked about her really rubbed me the wrong way. After everything she’s done for this city, he still doesn’t trust her. I know they don’t agree on much, but he just seems kind of… petty, to me.”

“Well, there’s an election coming up soon. Maybe somebody will finally push him out of office. It’d be nice to have somebody in power who isn’t so hostile towards the Avatar.”

“If it weren’t for my company, I’d run against him myself,” Asami laughed, wishing that she could. But she didn’t even know if she was old enough. She didn’t know the Republic’s election laws all that well. “Maybe you should run against him. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders, and you don’t seem to mind Korra all that much. You’d finally be able to do more for the city, too. It’s a win-win.”

“Me? Oh, no, I could never,” Zhu Li dismissed. “I’m not a politician. I’d make a terrible president.”

“I’m not so sure about that. I think you should at least think about it, the city could really use somebody who cares more about its people than their career right about now.” So could Korra and Opal, for that matter. But Asami quickly silenced those thoughts.

“I… well, maybe…” Zhu Li said, mulling it over for a minute. “Now that you mention it, I do have a few ideas how to better manage the reconstruction efforts… like putting a hold on the expansion until we’ve finished rebuilding, for example.”

“Right? That makes no sense to me.”

“I don’t know what Raiko was thinking, trying to do them both at the same time like this. People are hurting, but he seems more focused on expanding his ‘empire’ than helping them.”

“All the more reason you should run. You actually care about the people here. I don’t think Raiko ever has.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Zhu Li sighed. “At the very least, I don’t think I could do any worse. And since he won’t let Varrick and I help with the recovery, it’s not like I have anything better to do. I’ll think about it.”

Asami smiled. “That’s better than a no to me.” Zhu Li smiled back. For a moment, the two of them just returned to silence. But with thoughts about Opal and Korra threatening to come back, Asami scrambled to break that silence. “I guess I should probably apologize for last week while I have you here, huh?” She asked. Zhu Li looked confused again. “When I, uh, insisted that I use you and Varrick’s mecha suit. I didn’t hurt your arm too badly, did I?”

“What? Oh, no, don’t worry about it, you didn’t. I’d almost completely forgotten about that, honestly,” Zhu Li laughed. “Besides, I think you handled yourself better in that mecha suit than even I would have. And that’s saying something.” Zhu Li smirked. Asami laughed.

“I prefer not to, but I can fight if I have to, mecha suit or no mecha suit. Korra needed me, so I had to be there.”

Zhu Li smiled. So she did. “I don’t think I ever congratulated you two on your engagement, did I?”

Asami thought for a moment. “I feel like you did, but… I’m not sure. Everything’s been so hectic since we came back from the Spirit World, it’s hard to keep track.” And the alcohol wasn’t helping her memory any, either.

“Well, either way, congratulations. I’m very happy for you two.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course. I guess you and I have a type, huh?” Zhu Li asked. This time Asami seemed confused. They did? “Overly stubborn, dangerously headstrong, constantly getting themselves into trouble… honestly, I don’t know how they’d survive without us.” Asami laughed, perhaps a little bit harder than she would have if it weren’t for the alcohol.

“I never thought of it like that before, but I guess so, yeah. And somebody’s gotta be the responsible one, right? We can’t all be eccentric billionaires or out saving the world all the time.”

“Yeah. But it’s hard not to fall for the ones who are, huh?”

Asami nodded. So it would seem.

After another brief silence between them, Zhu Li spoke back up. “By the way, have you seen Ravi around, by any chance? I was looking for him earlier, but he kind of just disappeared.”

Asami frowned. “Good question. I’ve been looking around for him, too. I really hope he didn’t go back to the factory or something, it isn’t like him to leave without saying goodbye.”

“Do you think it could have something to do with that guy who was at your table earlier? Ravi looked really shaken up when he saw him, like he’d seen a ghost. Who was that, anyway?”

Asami’s frown deepened. She knew she couldn’t have known, but Atsushi was the last thing she wanted to talk about right now. “He’s the leader of the Agni Kais. He and Ravi used to know each other when they were younger.” She explained. She was keeping it simple since she didn’t really want to talk about it, but that was about the extent of what she knew, anyway. Zhu Li looked shocked.

“The Agni Kais? Here?”

“Apparently they run this place, yeah.” Asami said. This time it was Zhu Li who frowned. If she and Varrick had known that, they would’ve chosen a different club. “Don’t worry about it, I think Korra scared him off earlier.”

“I hope so. Maybe Ravi went to make sure? If he used to know the guy and all.”

“My ears are burning. Are you two talking about me?” Asami and Zhu Li nearly jumped out of their skin. There, standing behind them, Ravi appeared to have been listening in on their conversation.

“Ravi, spirits, there you are. Can you not sneak up on me like that? You nearly gave me a heart attack,” Asami pleaded. Ravi laughed, immediately apologizing.

“Sorry. Were you two looking for me?”

“Yeah, kinda. Where were you?” Asami asked.

“I was speaking with Atsushi. He won’t be bothering you again.” Ravi replied. So Zhu Li was right then. Well, at least Asami knew he hadn’t run back to the factory now.

“Oh. Well, that’s good then,” Asami said. She really was thankful, but she was starting to feel uncomfortable the longer they talked about Atsushi. She just wanted to forget and move on.

The sound of a wine glass on the bar drew Asami’s attention back to Zhu Li. She was getting up from her stool.

“I should probably get back to my husband before he starts talking about his childhood again. For a supposed business guru, you’d think he’d be a little better at reading the room,” She mentioned. Ravi and Asami laughed. Their thoughts exactly.

“He’s just trying to help in his own way and keep people’s mind off of Opal, I’m sure.” Ravi said. Asami’s smile weakened some. She’d almost forgotten.

“He is, but there really are better ways to do that.” Zhu Li laughed. “It was nice talking to you, Asami. I’ll think about what you said. And congratulations, again!”

“That’s all I needed to hear. Thank you!”

With that, Zhu Li walked away, leaving an empty seat at the bar which was promptly taken by Ravi. Now that his business with Atsushi was taken care of, he was free to hang out with Asami again. “So, what did I miss?” He asked.

“Not much. I was just talking with Zhu Li to try and take my mind off of Opal. I can’t shake the feeling that something bad has happened.”

Ravi frowned. “Something bad? Like what?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I’m overthinking it, or maybe I’ve just had too much to drink, but I’ve got this feeling in my gut that Korra’s in trouble somehow.”

“Hm. I don’t know her as well as you do, but the vibe that I get from her is that she can handle herself. You should stop focusing on the clock and keep your mind busy with something else.”

“I tried that, but everybody’s preoccupied. I’d consider going home if I weren’t halfway drunk and Korra hadn’t taken the car.”

“Well, we could always talk about work,” Ravi suggested. Asami thought for a moment. That could be pretty distracting, yeah. “Actually, another reason I went to see Atsushi was because of work. Somebody has been setting fires in places Future Industries has been rebuilding recently, and arson is the Agni Kais’ bread and butter, so I wanted to ask Atsushi directly if he was involved.”

“What? Why wasn’t I told about this?” Asami asked, a little angry to be left out of the loop on something so important.

“Our workers wanted to investigate if it was something we caused while in a rush to rebuild, first. They just finished their internal review today, and were going to present their findings to you tomorrow, but it wasn’t us. Somebody’s been setting fires deliberately, probably to keep people scared. We’ve already alerted the police, but there isn’t much they can do about it right now.”

Asami took a deep, long sigh. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. She was trying her best to give people hope, and the triads were working at every turn to take it away again. But this was a step up from intimidating locals or clashing with the cops. Somebody could end up getting seriously hurt if those fires got out of control. She hated that it was just with another problem, but at least Asami was distracted now. The last thing she wanted to do was send her workers into harm’s way.

“Okay, you’ve got my attention. Tell me more about these fires.”

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

“Korra, I can explain,” Opal began, scrambling to take back control of the situation. She stumbled backwards as the Avatar approached, raising her hands in a gesture for Korra to keep away and let her speak. But Opal had lost that right when she used that technique. She wasn’t going to get the chance to tell her side of the story anymore.

“There’s nothing for you to explain, I’ve been here the whole time. I saw everything.” Korra replied. The fear that she saw in Opal’s eyes when she said that made the Avatar’s heart sink. Korra could feel tears threatening to well up in her eyes, but she fought them back. She couldn’t afford to show any weakness right now. But her body betrayed her, shaking with not only rage, but with fear, as well. Seeing that technique again had done a number on her. But now wasn’t the time to relapse, so she steadied her breathing, calmed her heart, and then pushed her emotions to the side.

“I followed you here after you left the party. I didn’t want to believe that you’d actually try to hurt her, but you did.” Though she was trying to keep her emotions out of it, Opal could hear the regret in Korra’s voice as she spoke. She didn’t want to be doing this. “You know that technique is forbidden, and you know why. But you used it anyway. You crossed a line tonight, Opal. One I don’t know if I can ever forgive you for.”

Opal couldn’t fight them back any longer. Tears had begun to stream from her eyes. “Korra, I’m sorry,”

“No. I’m sorry. Even if Kuvira’s okay, I can’t let you get away with this. I’m turning you in.”

Opal could feel her heart skip a beat. It was over. Anything she may have hoped to do tonight, it was over. She looked back to Kuvira. Her breathing was labored, but had returned to some semblance of normal now. She hadn’t done enough to permanently harm her. And as she turned back to Korra, the Avatar had started walking toward her. All she could do now was run away and hope Korra couldn’t find her, or face her head on.

Opal’s heart was pounding. She’d never felt so afraid before. But as it dawned on her that this was real, it was happening, and there was no way of getting out of it, she shakily exhaled and lowered her arms. If she ran now, she’d never be able to come back. But if she could beat Korra, then maybe she could at least finish what she’d started. Her decision had been made. She’d come too far to back down now.

In an instant, Opal’s expression had changed. Where once there had been fear, now, there was only anger, and to Korra’s surprise, hate. It was enough to stop the Avatar in her tracks.

“No. You’re not.” Opal said, raising her arms again. This time, however, it wasn’t in defense. She looked ready to attack at a moment’s notice, and Korra could feel her stomach twist itself into knots. This was really happening, wasn’t it?

“Go away, Korra. I’m only going to ask you once.” Opal stated boldly, surprised at her own words. But there was no taking them back now. “This is a family matter, it doesn’t concern you. Leave, now. Please.”

Korra grit her teeth. “No.” She firmly replied.

There was a weight to her voice that even Kuvira could feel, prompting her to look up at her as she stared Opal down. To her, the fire in the Avatar’s eyes far outshone Opal’s own.

“Whatever happened between you two in the past, it doesn’t matter anymore. Do you even realize how many laws you’ve just broken? This isn’t a family matter, it's a national one. You’ve gone completely out of control, and I’m putting a stop to this, now.” Korra proclaimed. Her words were no longer just her own, but the Avatar’s. There was no friend left for Opal to try and reason with anymore.

I’m out of control? Did you hear any of what we just said? Kuvira’s a monster, she deserves to die. She even agrees with me!” Opal defended. “Don’t you care about this city? About the Earth Kingdom? Everybody would be better off if she just weren’t around anymore. Everybody.”

“Yes, Opal, I do care. But unlike you, I still know right from wrong,” Korra accused. “I’m doing the best I can to help this city, and I’m going to do the best I can for the Earth Kingdom territories, too. But this? This isn’t going to change anything. This isn’t going to make anything better.”

“Yes, it will!” Opal insisted. She was growing bolder the longer this went on, and Korra didn’t like it. “I’ve been out there, Korra. From the very beginning. I’ve seen what Kuvira’s done to the world first hand. Do you really think you can stand there and tell me you know what it’s like or that you know what’s best when you ran off with Asami before all the dust even settled? No! While you were off making out with your girlfriend in the Spirit World, I was the one out here trying to clean up Kuvira’s mess, not you. You have no right to stand there and judge me, to look down on my anger, when you’ve never once had to suffer under her wrath. When you didn’t have to see all the communities she’s destroyed. I’ve been there, Korra, not you. She deserves this.”

“Don’t act as if I abandoned this city, and don’t you dare bring Asami into this,” Korra seethed. Even in her renewed state of confidence, Opal stepped back as the Avatar’s eyes threatened to put her in the ground. “We left because I needed to, and so did she. I needed to rest, to let the dust settle, and to let myself finish healing. And I did. After three and a half years, I finally did. I have no right to judge you? No. You have no right to judge me. Don’t just stand there and act like you understand everything I’ve been through, or anything of what I have to do, every day. You have no idea how much I have to think about every move I make. Because I'm the Avatar, all of my actions have consequences bigger than just me, and I'm the one who has to deal with that. Believe me, I know exactly how bad things are, and I’m sorry, but that is not my fault.”

“No… no, you’re right, Korra. It’s not your fault.” Opal apologized, looking from the Avatar to back to Kuvira, a look of disgust on her face. “It’s hers.”

Kuvira didn’t even react. She was just sitting calmly on the floor, watching the scene unfold without so much as batting an eye. The sight of it only made Opal angrier.

“After everything she’s done… after all the death and destruction that she’s caused, all the shit she’s put me and my family through, you still want to show her mercy? After hearing what she did to me, you still think she deserves to live?” Opal seemed desperate, but Korra wouldn’t budge. The Beifong girl felt hurt.

“She surrendered, Opal. What do you want me to do, kill her anyway? I don’t get to make those decisions. I’m not an executioner.”

“Really? You didn’t seem to have any trouble executing Unalaq, and he was your uncle. Family! I mean, honestly, you should understand how I feel better than anyone.”

“That was different and you know it; he left me with no other choice!” Korra angrily defended, disgusted by Opal’s insinuation. “He refused to back down, and I had to do something. My uncle died the instant he chose to fuse with Vaatu, when he decided to become that… that monster. There was no saving him after that.”

“So you admit he was irredeemable, then. A monster, even. How is she any different?” Opal asked, gesturing to Kuvira. Kuvira still didn’t react.

She’s not a monster, Opal, she’s still a person!”

“And that makes it not okay? Even after everything she did?”

“Her surrendering makes it not okay! She gave up, Opal! The fight was over! If I'd killed her then, I would’ve been a murderer, and if you kill her now, you won’t be any different! Don’t act like this is justified, or like you have some sort of twisted right to kill her because she’s family. You don’t get to make that decision, and neither do I. If you kill Kuvira now, then you’re no better than she was. But she already told you that, didn’t she?” Korra asked, looking to Kuvira.

For once, Kuvira actually seemed to react, looking back to Korra. But the look on her face was indecipherable. She may have been broken, but she was as inscrutable as ever when she wanted to be.

Opal seemed really upset now, after having Korra basically repeat Kuvira’s words back at her. “I know Kuvira better than anyone, Korra. There is no ‘better person’ for you to chisel out of her. She’s just cruel and empty, she always has been and always will be, and you’re wasting your time if you think you can somehow save her. Look at her, she doesn’t even want to be saved! If I don’t kill her, then there’s no guarantee she won’t do it herself, somehow.”

“Then let her make that decision, not you.” Korra insisted. “Everybody deserves the chance to change, Opal. You know that. And honestly, if the circumstances were a little different, I easily could’ve been just like her. If Unalaq had influenced me a little more, maybe I would’ve been.”

“That’s different,”

“No, it’s not. People can change, Opal. For good and for bad. I could’ve become like her, but by the same measure, she could just as easily become like me, if she wanted to.”

Once again, Kuvira’s gaze fell to Korra. Like her?

“No. She can’t. She’ll never change.”

Korra sighed. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t leave her emotions out of this and pretend that Opal wasn’t her friend. She was offering her one more chance to get out of this.

“Look. I’m as much responsible for Kuvira’s rise to power as Zaheer was. My being hurt allowed her to go completely out of control, and people suffered and died because of that, so yeah, maybe you were right the first time. One way or another, I share some of the blame for what happened. It was out of my control, but if I had been there, if I didn’t need to heal, then maybe none of this ever would’ve happened. Maybe nobody would’ve had to die. I know that. It’s something I have to live with every day. But because I needed to heal, I also know from experience just how badly fear and hatred can change somebody, just like I know from experience that people can come back from that if they try. Kuvira isn’t any different, and neither are you. You just need to step back and trust me. Please. Just let this go. Let me try and help Kuvira heal.”

Opal had become deathly silent. First, she’d never seen her so angry. Now, Opal had never seen Korra so desperate. She just couldn’t understand. Why Kuvira? Why was she trying so hard to protect her? Why couldn’t she get it? From Opal’s perspective, asking her to let Kuvira go was like asking Korra to let Zaheer go. The only difference was, while Opal was sure Korra would kill Zaheer in a heartbeat if the opportunity arose, she wasn’t willing to fess up to that fact, or to actively seek him out and get it over with. Opal was.

“…I’m sorry, Korra,” Opal finally replied. “But this time, you’re wrong.” She finished. She was done talking. As far as she was concerned, Korra wasn’t willing to listen to reason. All she could do now was try and knock her out so she could kill Kuvira and just get all this over with.

Korra looked pained as she raised her arms into a battle ready stance. She knew full well that Opal intended to fight her. She’d just wished it hadn’t come to this.

Silently, the two began to circle one another. She didn’t say it, but Korra was sorry, too. But there was nothing she could do but fight.

Opal struck first, a corkscrew of air zipping past Korra’s right as she narrowly dodged to her left. She’d been pulling up more water behind her, but elected to change elements after Opal’s attack, switching to air to meet the Airbender in kind with a blast aimed at her gut. It’d be easier for Korra to hold her down if Opal had the wind knocked out of her. But Opal had evaded Korra’s counter and closed the distance between them simultaneously, ducking and weaving below the attack as she ran toward Korra, ready to slug it out.

Korra kept her cool, keeping her hands up to guard her face and bobbing her head from side to side as Opal came in with two punches. Each one delivered a blast of air that could’ve easily knocked Korra out if she had taken both of them full-on. To Korra, it seemed as though Opal was too upset to keep her distance and fight like a proper Airbender, but as she tried to counterattack, she found that even at such close range, Opal was easily able to avoid her. Even if she was willing to get in close and brawl, she was as evasive a fighter as Korra would’ve expected from somebody trained by Tenzin.

In fact, maneuverability was a sizable edge Opal had on Korra. Even Asami wasn’t as limber as Opal seemed to be as she effortlessly avoided Korra’s slow and heavy attacks, tracing a circle around her as she ran around the platform, sending strike after strike from afar as she changed up her strategy. But none of the blasts ever made contact – while Korra wasn’t as quick, she was also more defensive, and was canceling out each blast of air with some of her own, meeting each strike with a deft deflection.

Korra had more experience than Opal did, and had three other bending forms on top of this, meaning even if she struggled to hit her, Korra knew how to handle herself against somebody who could outmaneuver her. What’s more, Opal was being sloppy in her attacks. All of them were clearly telegraphed, which Korra doubted was intentional, but was probably a result of her frustration. While that frustration gave them extra oomph, it meant nothing if there was no technique behind them. Her intimidation and desperation was making this easy for Korra.

“Opal, stop! We don’t have to do this!” Korra insisted, still not wanting to fight. She made a few counterattacks with fire and air from her stationary position, but they were tentative at best. Even after what she’d tried to do, Korra didn’t have it in her to not hold back against a friend. Mentally, she was berating herself, wishing she would let loose and put a stop to this, but she was afraid of actually hurting Opal, when that was the last thing she wanted to do. It was making this a much longer fight than it should’ve been. Korra could’ve ended this in a couple of moves, but she resisted the temptation.

“Yes we do! I can’t let you protect her, Korra! She doesn’t deserve it! She doesn’t deserve anything!” Opal shouted back in response, wood splintering beneath her as she sent a powerful Airbending slice in the Avatar’s direction. Korra grit her teeth, forced to move away lest she receive a painful gash from the wave as it cut a line into the floor below.

“You really aren’t holding back, are you…” Korra said with some disbelief, an even more disappointed look on her face than what she’d shown before. The ferocity of the last attack had surprised her a little bit, it could’ve seriously injured her. Even if she couldn’t bring herself to be, it was clear that at least Opal was being serious. But it was probably the only way she could keep up with Korra.

Opal just looked even more angry that Korra was able to evade her again. She was making it look easy. She fired off more concussive blasts from a distance, continuing to run circles around Korra as she did, trying to catch her off guard from one angle or another. But Korra continued to deflect every move without so much as breaking a sweat.

Korra sighed. She was really going to have to do this, then. She’d have to go all out, just for a little bit. This was going to be over quickly. “Fine. Have it your way,” Korra said. Opal didn’t even bat an eye.

When the next air blast came, Korra deflected it upwards with one of her own, confidently stepping forward as she deflected it to follow it up with a surprise blast of fire. Opal bent a cushion of air around her in defense, surprised by the power of the fire blast as it collided with her shield. But as she was focused on the fire, and the flames obscured her vision, Korra coupled it with a sweeping low kick of air that broke Opal’s footing. It had already been tenuous after the fire caught her off guard, so there was no way for her to recover when the air knocked her beneath her shins.

But Korra didn’t stop there – the only way this fight was going to end was if one of them was unconscious, and Korra seemed intent on knocking Opal out cold. She ran forward while Opal was grounded, delivering another Airbending kick, this one an axe kick that should more than do the trick. But Opal rolled to the right and out of the way, splinters of wood flying into the air beside her while she spun herself back up onto her feet.

But she had no time to relax, as Korra was already back at it with three bursts of fire and a couple of Airbending corkscrews, attacks Opal could only weave around and between. But the attacks had distracted her from the gurgling ocean below, which quickly roared up between the floorboards to decimate her footing for a second time, bruising her legs in the process. Korra solidified the water into ice as quickly as she could, but Opal was quicker, bending it away with blasts of air from her feet.

Korra didn’t miss a beat though, following up with another rush of water from below, soaking Opal with the salty cold brine. This time, she let the water reach the air above Opal before turning it into ice, raining it down as icicles that would cut her and pin the grounded Airbender down. She was really getting serious now.

Opal rolled out of the way as quickly as she could, blasting a few icicles apart with her air as she did, but some of them managed to land a hit, cutting into her back and her legs. Korra was aiming primarily for Opal’s bruises, hoping to distract her with pain and hinder her movements. Opal winced, but she couldn’t give in after coming this far, and did what she could to struggle back onto her feet and keep on attacking. But it was becoming increasingly clear that she wasn’t going to win this. All she had was Air, whereas Korra had three elements to work with right now.

She was going to overwhelm Opal eventually, and had in fact already begun to. While Opal was forced onto the defense, Korra just kept on attacking, a barrage of two elements quickly tiring the Airbender out. The constant threat of water from below with air aimed at her body from afar was starting to get to her. She wasn’t going to win like this, and she knew it. Opal grit her teeth. There was only one option left, then.

With a powerful wall of air bent in front of her to deflect the next couple attacks, Opal looked to the sky and turned around, getting a running start before trying to fly away. She didn’t know where she was going to go, but she couldn’t stay here. She wouldn’t be getting her revenge tonight. But her escape was her last mistake, as it gave Korra the definitive opening that she needed.

Water reached up from below and grabbed hold of Opal’s leg, freezing and holding her in place as she quickly descended instead of ascended. She turned to blast Korra and force her to let her go, but as she craned her arm around, it, too, was caught by the water. Then, she was forcefully yanked forward, her Airbending failing her as the wooden platform quickly drew closer to her face. And then, there was black.

Korra immediately rushed over to Opal to make sure she was okay. She was out cold, but not seriously hurt. Korra breathed a sigh of relief. It was over, then.

The Avatar looked over in Kuvira’s direction. Her face was no longer so inscrutable. She actually seemed to be worried for Opal.

“She’s fine,” Korra assured. “I just knocked her out, she’ll be okay. But I need to get her out of here. The President’s probably sent out a search party by now.”

The look of concern faded from Kuvira’s face as soon as she knew she was okay. She almost seemed ashamed to have been worried for somebody so intent on killing her.

“…Go.” Kuvira said. “Handle this however you like. When they show up, I won’t say anything.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. If I’d had it my away, I would’ve let her kill me.” She’d already pieced that together, but Korra looked upset to actually hear Kuvira say it.

“Kuvira, are you-” Before she could finish, the distant whirring of a plane drew Korra’s attention to the sky. She couldn’t see it yet, but she could hear it coming from the direction of the city.

“Go.” Kuvira repeated. Korra sighed. She’d have to finish this later then. Nodding once, Korra slung Opal over her shoulder, hopped back down into the water, and skated away, hopefully evading the sights of whoever was coming to check on the United Republic’s most valuable prisoner.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

When Opal next awoke, it was to the faint blue glow of Korra’s healing water. Aside from the fact that it was dark, she had no clue where she was – it could’ve been a prison cell as far as she knew. Looking around though, she couldn’t see any bars, just a long hall with a view of Republic City at the end. A view that she recognized. She was on Avatar Aang Memorial Island, far from the prying eyes of the search party sent out to find her.

“They probably won’t think to check here for a while. We should be safe for now.” Korra said, having noticed by now that Opal was awake. But her focus appeared to be on Opal’s wounds more than on Opal herself; wounds that Korra had inflicted. All the while, Opal was silent. She didn’t know what to say. “I thought about turning you in like I said I would, but I couldn’t do it. I don’t know why. After what you did, it should’ve been easy. But instead, here I am, hiding you away and nursing your wounds.”

Korra sighed. “Honestly, I haven’t decided how I’m going to handle this yet, or if I should say anything or not. If anybody finds out what happened, you’ll probably end up arrested, and even if I should, I don’t think I want that to happen. But I can’t run the risk of letting all of that happen again, either.”

“It won’t.” Opal said, short and sweet. That fire behind her eyes was gone now. Now, she looked more like her old self, just exhausted and defeated. But after everything that had happened, Korra was unsure.

“If I decide not to say anything, then nobody will ever know. I healed most of your wounds so that nobody knows we fought, but you’re going to have to change your clothes if you want to completely cover that up.”

“You did what you had to.”

“But I shouldn’t have had to.” Korra said. Opal could feel the intensity of her stare after she’d said it, and for the first time since she’d woken up, she looked the Avatar in the eyes. “Opal, what happened to you back there?” Almost immediately, Opal looked away. Deep down, she knew the answer, she just didn’t want to have to face it. But she knew Korra probably wasn’t going to let her leave without it. It was either this or get arrested.

After a minute of silence, Opal replied. “She was right. That’s what happened.” She said. “Kuvira was right about everything. About our childhood, about my mom, about me and the way I treated her… she wasn’t perfect, but neither was I. I don’t… I don’t remember who started it first. But I know I continued it.” Opal looked back up at Korra.

“I made her life harder than it needed to be. I was jealous, and scared. I was the youngest one in my family and I couldn’t bend, so when I saw Kuvira and how easily she fit in and how much attention my mom gave her, I got angry. She was getting everything I’d ever wanted, but thought I’d never be able to have. Even when I became an Airbender… I’d never seen my mom so proud of me before, but, I knew it wasn’t what she wanted. She’d always dreamed of having a daughter who could Metalbend like her. A daughter like Kuvira. So I never liked her. Never.”

“So when she betrayed your family…”

“It was just a confirmation of every horrible thing I’d ever thought about her. Proof of what a monster she was. And she was. She’d always been difficult, even as a kid. She was insecure, and a perfectionist, and she had a temper, and she’d always take things out on me, but until she finally forced me to face what I’d done, I’d never really considered how I may have influenced things.” By this point, Korra was finished healing her, so Opal was free to move. The first thing she did was pull her knees into her chest.

“She was right. She was just an orphan, and when she finally had somebody who cared about her, I couldn’t stand it. She tormented me daily, but I tormented her, too, and now I can’t help but wonder… is one of the reasons she turned out the way she did because of me? Am I responsible for everything that happened too?”

Korra was silent. That wasn’t a question she had the answer to, unfortunately. But the fact that Opal was asking it now was… good, she supposed. All of that anger that’d been fueling her before seemed to be gone now.

“I’m sorry for attacking you, Korra.” Opal apologized, sparing a glance in Korra’s direction. “You were right, and I knew it. I was just so… angry. I’d never felt so angry before. All I wanted to do was kill her and get her out of my life, once and for all, and then you showed up, and you saw everything. And I just got even angrier. I felt so exposed. I thought I was doing the right thing, but you and Kuvira both saw through me instantly. I just didn’t want to hear it.”

“I knew there was a lot for you and her to confront, so I kept hoping in the back of my mind that you would be able to deal with it peacefully. But you didn’t. I didn’t want to have to fight you, but you forced me to.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“And then you used that.” Opal’s stomach sank. She’d almost forgotten. “That, of all things.”

“I wanted her dead.” Opal reemphasized. “I knew that Zaheer’s technique could do that for me.”

“You crossed a line, and you made me re-experience something I thought I’d put behind me. I know you didn’t know I was there, but I don’t know if I can ever really forgive you for using that. Even if it wasn’t on me, the idea that you would go so far and use something so evil…”

“I know!” Opal yelled, frustrated. But she immediately calmed herself back down. “I know. I’m sorry. I just… there are parts of me that I don’t like to address. Anger and pain and hatred. I was just so angry with her, I wanted her gone so badly, I… I’m sorry.”

“I know. I just don’t know if I can forgive you for that. Not right now.” Korra said. Opal returned her head to her knees. She understood.

“So are you going to turn me in after all then?” Opal asked, resigned to the possibility.

“I don’t know. I don’t think so.” Opal breathed a sigh of relief. “But I need to know this is over. You can’t go back to her, ever. I can’t trust you around her anymore.”

“I know. It’s probably for the best. All she ever does is make me angry, I don’t want to reconcile with her. If… if she has to live, then I’d rather just forget she ever existed.”

“Then if you can do that, I think I’ll let you go, just this once. But you need to tell your mom what happened. Everything. Tenzin, too. Those are my conditions.”

“Okay.” Opal agreed. “Do you… do you think I’m a bad person, Korra?”

“I…” Korra thought about it for a moment. “…No. I don’t think you’re a bad person. I think you were just… hurt. I never realized how hard it must’ve been for you to grow up with someone like her. All of that must’ve been eating you alive for years. After what happened with your mom, and your brother, and the Earth Empire, and Republic City, I guess it was just… too much for you. And you let it get the best of you. But I’d like to think that isn’t the real you. I’d like to think you’re better than that.”

“What if I’m not?”

“I don’t know. We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it, I guess. But for now, I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, just this once. But I think this is going to be the end of our friendship for a little while. You need time to deal with all of this healthily, and I need time to put all of this behind me.” Korra said. Opal frowned, but she understood. “I feel like I’m being too soft on you. Please don’t make me regret this.”

“I won’t. I promise.” Opal said. Korra nodded. Then for now, that would be enough.

“There’s just one thing I need to know,” Korra mentioned, prompting Opal to look back up at her. “Kuvira. Did she really hurt you?” The look on Opal’s face said a lot. But Korra needed to hear it from her. “She seemed convinced that she hadn’t, but you seemed convinced that she had. It’s the one thing I don’t know what to make of. But if she did, then I think I could understand a little better why you would’ve wanted her dead.”

Opal was hesitant to respond. She was beginning to second guess herself, now. How many of those scars were from Kuvira, and how many of them had been self-inflicted? If she cut herself because of how Kuvira treated her, did that make that scar Kuvira's fault? Now that Korra was asking her to really think about it, she was having trouble differentiating one from the other.

"Opal?" Korra asked.

Opal still didn't respond. The look on her face was like an animal caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. She was panicking.

"Opal, did Kuvira hurt you?"

“I…” Did she?

"It's a yes or no question, did she hurt you?" Korra asked again, beginning to grow impatient.

"I DON'T KNOW, OKAY?" As soon as she admitted it, she could feel the tears stream down her face. "I don't know…" she sobbed. “I don’t know what she did to me or what I did to myself anymore. I think… I think she did hurt me, a couple of times. She was always a bully. I can remember her getting physical and threatening me with her Metalbending a lot when we were younger. But I don’t know if it was as bad as I thought, anymore. I don’t know if it was just threats, or if she actually did anything.”

Korra sighed. “So she might have been telling the truth.” She surmised. Opal didn’t want to say yes, but she wasn't sure that she could say no.

"I… I was so sure… so sure that she had… for years, I'd told myself, 'Kuvira did this to me'… I had so many memories of her holding me down, and cutting me, or hitting me, or covering my nose and mouth with metal so I couldn't breathe. They were all so clear. And I know for a fact that she abused me, a lot, I just… I just don't know how physical it was, anymore. Maybe, once or twice? But I can't… remember, anymore. And I don't… I don't know what that means." She admitted.

“Sometimes the mind blocks out trauma by forgetting it ever happened.” Korra suggested. Opal seemed unsure. She didn't know what to believe anymore. Kuvira seemed so sincere. “Whatever the case may be, I definitely believe that she abused you. And I'm sorry that you had to live with that for so long. Whether it was always physical or not, it isn't right.”

“If she had actually hurt me, it would’ve been proof of how awful she was. I could’ve shown my mom. But I was so scared… after a while, I thought if I spoke up about Kuvira, I’d be the one to get in trouble. So even if something did happen, I don’t think anybody would’ve known but me and her. But now we both think different things happened. I still feel like she hurt me at least a few times, but she thinks she never touched me. So I really just don’t know anymore.”

“Okay.” Korra said. “Then I’ll just leave it at that.”

“Thank you.” Opal said. “So… I’m free to go?”

Korra nodded. “This time, yeah.” Opal sighed. She felt like she was going to cry even harder. Korra was too kind to her.

“Thank you… I’m so sorry.” Finally standing up, Opal walked over and gave Korra a hug. It caught the Avatar off guard, but after a moment, she returned it. “I’m sorry.”

“Just go get changed. Everybody must be worried sick about us.”

Opal sniffed. “Alright. I’ll run back to Air Temple Island and change into another glider suit. But we should probably head back in together.”

“Yeah.” Korra agreed. “I don’t know if I can pretend to be your friend when we do, though. I think it might be better if you leave our table and go sit with your family, instead.” Opal frowned.

“Okay.” She agreed. “I think… I think I’m going to tell Bolin. And I know you’re probably going to tell Asami what happened, too. So… you don’t need to pretend. Just. Take your time.”

“I will.” Korra assured. “Now let’s get back to the party.”

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

By the time Ravi had stepped away, Opal and Korra had returned to the Tigerlily. All of the tension in the room immediately melted away once they had. Lin immediately radioed out to cancel the search, while Raiko gave Opal a stern talking to. Korra insisted that nothing had happened, but as per usual, he seemed skeptical of the Avatar. Team Avatar then returned to their table sans Opal, who had gone to sit with her family instead, and things seemed to go back to normal for everybody involved.

But once everything was settled, Ravi decided to peel away. He’d finished talking to Asami a while ago, and with Korra and Opal back, she no longer needed a distraction, so he was officially free to go. He was just thankful nobody had tried to catch him as he headed for the club’s back door. He really needed a smoke.

Once he had made it outside, the vice president of Future Industries pushed a cigarette out of a pack he kept tucked away in his jacket and lit it with a lighter he pulled from his pants pocket. Closing his eyes, he threw back his head, inhaled the smoke, and sighed. It had been a long night.

“Looks like things have finally quieted down a bit, eh?”

As soon as the voice broke his silence, Ravi reluctantly opened his eyes. A smoke break wasn’t the only reason he’d come back here. He also had some business to attend to. Frowning, Ravi turned to the man standing at his right. Atsushi Nakamoto. Ravi seemed annoyed just looking at him.

“The Sato girl especially seems to have calmed down. I guess she bought what you said about scaring me off, eh?” Atsushi asked. The annoyed look on his face gave way to a smile, and Ravi shook Atsushi’s hand in a proper hello.

“She did. Sorry about throwing you under the bus like that, but like I said, I have to keep up appearances.” Ravi replied. Atsushi looked pleased. “Besides, you shouldn’t be antagonizing the Avatar, or threatening Asami. Not at such a delicate stage of our operation.” Suddenly, Atsushi wasn’t looking so pleased anymore. In fact, he seemed a little worried about Ravi’s disapproval.

“You don’t actually have a soft spot for them, do you?” He asked to confirm. “With the trial wrapped up and that monster destroyed, the Avatar’s gonna have more time to deal with us Triads. We can’t have her interfering.” Atsushi defended.

“No, I don’t. And you’re right, we can’t. But we also can’t stop her from trying. I told you before – I will handle the Avatar. You almost cost us the entire operation tonight. If you antagonize her, she will fight back, and it’s a fight she might actually win. You’re just lucky the Beifong girl caused a scene to distract her. Otherwise, we might actually have had a problem tonight. Interfere like that again, and I’ll kill you myself.” Ravi warned. Atsushi scoffed. He hated to admit it, but Ravi was no slouch when it came to Earthbending. And now he was a Metalbender, too. He didn’t want to get on Ravi’s bad side.

“Whatever.” Atsushi dismissed. But Ravi took it to mean that it wouldn’t happen again. “What about Viper and Chiasa? Are they here yet?”

“Despite what I told Asami, I called Chiasa when I stepped away the first time, so she should be here soon. I couldn’t get a hold of Viper, though.” Ravi admitted.

“Viper won’t be coming. The Triple Threats are remaining as stubborn as ever about all of this.” Another voice, and Ravi and Atsushi both looked to the other end of the alleyway. There, an extravagantly dressed woman of Water Tribe and Fire Nation descent stepped out of the shadows and into the light hung above the Tigerlily’s back door, her heels clicking against the concrete below as she nodded a quick hello to her compatriots. It was Chiasa.

“It almost makes me wish Lightning Bolt Zolt was still running the show. At least he was willing to wheel and deal over territory, not horde it all for himself like a selfish child.” She continued. Atsushi clicked his tongue.

“That guy’s going to be all sorts of pain in our asses, lemme tell ya. In fact, I think I can feel mine aching already,” The head of the Agni Kais lamented, rubbing his ass in jest. Chiasa was unimpressed.

“Admittedly, I’m also a little wary, Atsushi. Ravi and I are not exactly in friendly waters, here. We’re in Agni Kai territory, outside of a club owned by you, in which the Avatar is currently partying along with some of the city’s top officials. Uncooperative business practices aside, I can’t blame Viper for not showing up tonight. This seems more than a little dangerous.” Chiasa worried, glancing around to make sure nobody else was watching. They seemed to be in the clear.

“To the contrary, we couldn’t be safer,” Atsushi assured. “Because this is Agni Kai territory, I own practically every cop in a ten block radius. And as for the Avatar, she’s been a little… preoccupied, tonight, to my understanding,” He looked in Ravi’s direction to confirm, and the Earthbender nodded. “We’re as safe as can be, and meeting here in the alley behind the club is a little less conspicuous than showing up at Future Industries to chat with Ravi, or at your shipping company to chat with you.”

Chiasa didn’t want to admit it, but he had a point there. They all had their appearances to maintain.

“Then I say we should make this quick and get started, already.” Ravi said, throwing his cigarette to the ground and stomping it out. “Let the first official meeting between the heads of the Agni Kai, the Red Monsoon, and the Terra Triads commence.”

Chapter 16: Visions

Summary:

Korra reflects on some visions and comes to an unsettling conclusion.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Book Five
Chi

Chapter 16
Visions

 

“So then I said, ‘Well if you didn’t want the flame to go out, you shouldn’t have married a Waterbender’!” Varrick loudly concluded with a slap of his knee, he and the group of high rollers assembled around him breaking out into a fit of laughter. Included in the group were Raiko, Ryuuki, Prince Wu, and a few others Korra didn’t recognize, but the fact they were all laughing was a welcome indication that the night had finally gotten back on track. All around the Tigerlily, her friends were enjoying themselves.

Now that Opal was back safe and sound, Lin and Tenzin were free to relax and enjoy the party for the first time tonight. There was no more politics, no more threats of a manhunt, just them, drinks in hand, reminiscing about old times. Across the room, Pema watched them and the kids simultaneously, still seated in her family’s booth, just as she’d been all night. As usual, she’d been saddled with looking after the kids, and each of them had been little handfuls in their own way.

Meelo wouldn’t stop bothering the waitstaff, Ikki had a million questions about everything going on, and Rohan wouldn’t stop wandering off all night, but at least for right now, things seemed to have calmed down. Rohan was happily playing with some paper and crayons next to his mother, and Meelo had fallen asleep. Ikki had quieted down, and Jinora had been her saving grace all night, having spent the entire evening alternating between reading and hanging out with the Beifongs.

As for the Beifongs, a quick glance in their direction revealed the mood at their table to be decidedly more mixed. Initially, they’d all been happy when Korra returned with Opal. But Opal quickly requested some time alone with her mother, and when the two of them returned, their moods had completely changed. After spending a little more time with the rest of her family, Opal then wandered back to Team Avatar’s table, collecting Bolin so she could spend the rest of her night with him. Presumably, she’d told him about what happened too. The only one Korra hadn’t seen her talk to yet was Tenzin, but she could understand why; she probably didn’t want to interrupt him when he and her aunt were having such a good time together.

And then there was Korra herself. Almost immediately after seeing Opal off to her family, she walked over to the bar and had her first drink of the night. After everything she’d just gone through, she felt she’d earned it. After that, she was right back at Asami’s side, sitting down with her and Mako back at their table. When pressed about what’d happened, she said she didn’t want to talk about it right then, and that she would rather enjoy what was left of her night instead. Understanding where she was coming from, the two relented, and the three friends drank wine and reminisced amongst each other instead.

In time, Korra’s stress began to melt away. Before she knew it, an entire hour had come and gone. After it had, Mako decided to leave the table, wanting to go talk with Ryuuki some more before the night was out, while Korra and Asami decided to slow dance to the club band’s most recent tune. Both of them were a little tipsy by this point, Asami moreso than Korra, but that just made the moment more fun for the two of them. As she swayed back and forth in her fiancee’s arms, it seemed as though everything would finally be okay again.

For all intents and purposes, it should have been a perfect moment. And on paper, it was. But for Korra, something didn’t sit right. As she and Asami danced, something began to gnaw at her, threatening to pull her from the moment. She couldn’t figure out what it was, but it felt like something important, like something she’d forgotten. But Asami seemed none the wiser to Korra’s distraction. She pulled her girlfriend in for a kiss on the lips, and Korra gladly obliged, but even with this, that nagging sensation would not go away.

As soon as the two of them pulled apart, Asami realized something was wrong. “Korra? Is everything okay? You seem a little distracted,” she asked.

Korra was silent. She wasn’t sure why, but it felt like it was getting hot in here. Really hot. Was it just her, or…?

“Korra?” Asami asked again.

Korra still didn’t respond. What was that? That heat? And that voice… was somebody calling for her?

“Korra!”

Finally, Korra came to. “…Huh? Asami?” Korra asked, a little dazed and confused. Had it been Asami’s voice calling out to her just now? Or…

Opal.

“Um… yeah. Everything’s fine. I just… I just feel like I really need to talk to Opal right now? I don’t – could you hang on for a minute?” Korra asked, distractedly pulling away from Asami. She didn’t know why, but she needed to talk to Opal. The urge was overwhelming, like every cell in her body were screaming at her to go see her friend. Ex-friend? Opal. She just… really needed to go see Opal.

“Korra, wait! Don’t!” Asami pleaded, desperation in her voice. But for Korra, it was as if she were hearing her from underwater. She was entirely focused on making it across the room, now. She had to get to Opal.

“It’ll only take a minute, hang on,” Korra requested, her partner fading out of view as she pushed her way through the crowd.

It was strange. It almost seemed as though there were more people here now than there were a few minutes ago. At first she didn’t pay them any mind, but as her walk to the other end of the club dragged on for what felt like an eternity, Korra couldn’t help but look around. When she did, she found that everybody in the Tigerlily was just standing there, staring at her. They looked as if they’d all been moving from the corner of her eye, but when she looked at them directly, they stood still as statues. Stranger still, she couldn’t make out the details on any of their faces. But she could feel it in their glares that all of them were judging her. They were disappointed in her. And they were whispering.

“What?” Korra stopped in place as she realized something was wrong, trying to listen in on what they were all whispering about. But as soon as she did, the room became deathly silent. Korra looked away, back to Asami, but Asami was gone. And when she turned back around to face the crowd, they were gone too. It was just Korra now, all alone. “Where did everybody go…?”

“Korra.”

Opal’s voice thundered through the room, seeming to come from every direction simultaneously. Korra looked around, but she couldn’t see her anywhere, not until she turned back around to look in the direction Asami had been. Suddenly, Opal was standing right in front of her. Her back was turned, and she looked as if she were talking to somebody, but nobody was there. Korra tried to listen in, but there was no sound but her own breathing. She resisted it for as long as she could, but the urge to talk to her was overwhelming. Korra had to get her attention.

“Opal, can we talk again for a minute?” She asked, reaching out to place a hand on the Airbender’s shoulder.

Suddenly, Opal froze in place, her body jolting as if struck by lightning, then rendering itself completely still. Then, slowly, Opal turned around, but the way she moved was unnatural. She was frozen in her last position, and her body was turning as if it were on a pedestal. But when she finally had turned around to face her, it wasn’t Opal who Korra saw staring back at her. It was Zaheer.

Korra’s heart skipped a beat. Stumbling backwards, Korra fell to the ground, but when she hit the floor, she wasn’t in the Tigerlily anymore. Now, she was on a hill, and in front of her, there was only Zaheer. Zaheer, and an old, twisted up tree. She noted that it looked older than the land around it, and suddenly felt as if she’d had that thought before. Then, it hit her – she was back on the hill she’d seen when she’d killed the Chi Eater.

But something was wrong. Before, there had been a meadow to one side of the hill and the sea to the other. But now, there was a village beyond Zaheer and the tree, and it was completely engulfed in flames. Korra’s hands began to burn, and when she looked behind her, she found that the sea, too, was engulfed in fire, and it was licking at her palms.

“You should have let us kill you when we had the chance.”

Zaheer’s voice sent chills down Korra’s spine. When she turned her head back from the sea of fire to face him, he was right on top of her. Korra nearly jumped out of her own skin.

“Why didn’t you let us save you?” Zaheer asked.

“I… us? Save me…?” Korra asked, her voice weak and shaky. She wanted to run away, but her body wasn’t listening. She wanted to scream out for help, but her chest was too tight. She could barely squeeze out a response as it was. No matter how hard she tried to speak, she could only manage a struggled whisper.

“He’s seen you, Korra. And you’ve seen him. He knows.” Zaheer warned.

“Who?” Korra struggled to ask, tears beginning to stream down her face. “Who knows?”

Zaheer smiled. “Death would have been a mercy.”

Then, Zaheer’s face began to change. First into Opal, then into Avatar Aang, and then finally, into the Chi Eater. Again, Korra commanded her body to move, to run away, but it wouldn’t respond to her.

The Chi Eater gurgled and its mouth flowered open, a familiar blue glow rising up from the depths of its throat and heading straight for Korra’s face. She knew what was coming next, but there was nothing she could do. Otherworldly screaming accompanied it as it drew near, and with escape an impossibility, Korra tightly shut her eyes, as if the dark her eyelids provided would be enough to snuff out the light. She could feel the glow caress her skin as it turned into a hand that gripped her face, and her body began to grow incredibly hot. With her last breath, she whispered Asami’s name, and Korra’s chi was stolen from her body.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

“NO!”

Korra awoke with a start back in the safety of her bed, Asami bolting upright beside her. Almost immediately, Korra realized it was just a dream, but Asami didn’t. Afraid that they were under attack, she was searching frantically around the room for intruders, but all she saw was the terror on Korra’s face. It didn’t take her long to figure out what was going on. Even still, Korra stumbled over herself to assuage Asami’s fear, as if she weren’t paralyzed with it herself.

“It’s okay, I’m okay,” Korra said, still trying to catch her breath. “I’m okay, it was just a dream,” she repeated, feeling tears begin to well up in her eyes.

Asami frowned deeply. She’d experienced this with Korra once before, back when they were in the Spirit World. It scared her then, too. The concern set in her brow was as plain as the nose on her face. “Are you sure?” she asked, gently grabbing hold of Korra’s hand. Korra pulled away.

“I’m… I’m okay, I promise,” she said. Asami wasn’t buying it. Her greatest fear right now was that it was another dying dream, another memory of her near-death experience. As far as Asami had seen, only Zaheer ever seemed to get her this upset.

“Was it… him?” Asami asked, not wanting to say his name, as if doing so would send Korra spiraling further.

Korra wasn’t sure how to respond. Kind of? She’d learned how to manage this herself during her years of recovery. A cup of tea, stargazing, re-reading Asami’s letters, meditating – she’d found ways to cope and destress after a nightmare involving him. By this point, she’d come to accept what had happened to her, and had learned how to not let her fear of what could’ve happened consume her, but it wasn’t something she could just get over and never have to deal with again.

It was easier now, certainly. Livable, even. Manageable, with Asami around. But the scars Zaheer had left were deep, perhaps even permanent. Korra knew she’d have to deal with dreams with him in them on occasion, likely for the rest of her life. But this one was different, somehow. Korra felt as though none of her coping methods were going to help her, this time. It’d all felt so real.

“I… it was… a lot,” Korra finally eked out in reply.

“Do you… do you want to talk about it?” Asami asked. It was clear by her tone of voice that she didn’t want to push it, and that Korra didn’t have to answer if she didn’t want to. And were this any other Zaheer dream, she probably wouldn’t want to. If it had been a normal one, she’d be content to just ignore it, to distract herself with thoughts of Asami, maybe ask for her to hold her for a little while until she fell back asleep. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that this was important, somehow. Meaningful. It was more than just a nightmare.

Korra sighed deeply. Maybe it was worth talking about. She calmed herself down a little more before replying. “I… yeah. Yeah, I think so,” she said. Asami got into a more comfortable position, her legs folded beneath her and her arms resting on top of them. She was ready to hear her out, however long it took. Korra didn’t even have to try to remember what had happened. The dream had seared itself into her memory.

“I was back at the party earlier tonight. At first, everything seemed normal. It was like I was just reliving the night after coming back with Opal. But I didn’t realize at the time that I’d already experienced all of it, it felt like it was the first time,” Korra began. Her mouth felt incredibly dry, and she was still visibly shaken. Reliving the dream didn’t seem to be helping much with that, but she felt as if she needed to get it out there in order to process it.

“But then, when we were dancing, it took a turn. For some reason, I was just… completely overcome with this urge to talk to Opal. It felt like I’d forgotten something important, but I couldn’t figure out what, only that it had to do with Opal. I really needed to talk with her. You tried to warn me not to go to her, but I did anyway, and when I finally found her, she turned around, and she was Zaheer.” Korra explained. She briefly glanced in Asami’s direction. She was listening intently, but she didn’t say a word.

“Except… it wasn’t Zaheer. Not exactly. It looked like him, and it sounded like him, but his face changed. First to Opal, then to Aang, then to the Chi Eater. Before I could figure out what was going on, it was on top of me, and it took my chi. I could feel myself dying,” Korra said, a tear streaming down her face. “It felt so real.”

“Korra…” Asami reached instinctively for Korra’s hand. This time, she didn’t pull away, she just gripped it tight. Feeling that she was there immediately calmed her back down some.

“When they looked like Zaheer, they said ‘he’ had seen me. That ‘he’ ‘knew’.”

“Who’s ‘he’?” Asami asked. Korra frowned. She thought she knew. She didn’t know how she did, but she could feel it in her bones.

“I think… I think it’s the Chi Eater.” she revealed.

Asami looked a mixture of confused and scared. “I thought the Chi Eater was gone?” she asked, growing the tiniest bit more frantic. That's right, Asami hadn't been there when Korra told her friends what the light spirit told her.

“No, no, that spirit is definitely gone,” Korra clarified, “that’s not what I mean.”

“Then… what do you mean?”

“I mean, whoever corrupted that spirit in the first place. I think… I think that’s who Zaheer was warning me about.”

Now Asami looked really confused. “Korra… whoever that was would be long dead by now. That spirit had been like that for over a thousand years, you said so yourself,” she reminded.

“I know, I know, it doesn’t make any sense, but every bone in my body is telling me that that’s who he was talking about. This doesn’t feel like it was a normal dream, Asami. I think it may have been an Avatar thing.”

Asami frowned. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Korra quickly confirmed. She hadn’t been so sure of anything in weeks. “I’m positive.”

Asami’s grip on Korra’s hand tightened. Not to comfort her, but out of fear. Asami had never seen anything like the Chi Eater before, not even during Harmonic Convergence. The idea that whoever had created it could still be out there somehow was a terrifying thought. That would mean there could be more of those things. They’d barely survived fighting just the one.

“When Opal turned into Zaheer, I was back on that hillside again, the one from my vision after I defeated the Chi Eater,” Korra tacked on. “I think that hillside might be important somehow. At first I thought it was a place in the spirit world, like maybe it was where the spirit originally called home, but in my dream there was a burning village in the background. I think it may be a place in our world. Maybe it’s where whoever corrupted the Chi Eater came from?” she theorized.

“So you think the spirit was trying to tell you about him?”

“Yeah, I think so. And whoever he is, he’s still alive, and he knows who I am. He knows what I did. And… I don’t think he’s happy.”

Asami swallowed hard. This was a lot to take in. She knew from stories that Avatar dreams could be pretty heavy, prophetic even, but she’d never experienced one up close like this before. Only ever a nightmare involving Zaheer. Asami wasn’t equipped to handle something like this, and when she saw the look on her girlfriend’s face, Korra realized that.

“I’m sorry,” she quickly apologized. “I know this is a lot, and that it’s scary. I’m scared too.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Asami said, burying her fear. “I’m glad you told me. It’s scary to think about, but now I know to be careful.”

Korra’s frown deepened. Somebody who could live a thousand years straight was not to be taken lightly. If her gut was right about this, then whoever was behind that spirit was an enemy unlike she or any other Avatar had ever faced before. The only thought that brought Korra some comfort in all of this was knowing that she wasn’t alone. If it came down to a fight between her and the Chi Eater – the real Chi Eater – she’d have her friends by her side.

“I talked to some spirits yesterday,” Korra mentioned. Since Asami hadn't been there when she told the rest of her friends, she supposed she may as well tell her now. She'd fully intended to after the party, but she was so focused on everything that had happened with Opal, she'd completely forgotten about it. “Ravi noticed there weren’t as many in the city as there used to be, and he asked me to see if I could figure out why. I didn’t have any luck at first, but then I bumped into the little light spirit, the one that led me to Toph?”

Asami nodded. She remembered the one.

“He told me that all of the older spirits had elected to stay behind in the Spirit World because they didn’t think I’d actually gotten rid of the Chi Eater. The way he described it, what I fought was very alone, and sad, and dangerous, but it was more like another victim than anything else. I didn’t know what to make of that at the time, but after this dream… I think they may be right. I think the Chi Eater might still be out there.”

“Do you… do you have any idea who he could be?” Asami asked. Korra shook her head.

“In my dream, Zaheer said that he had seen me, and I’d seen him. I’m guessing that it happened when I made contact with his spirit, the one buried deep inside of the corrupted spirit’s. I don’t know who he is, but he’s strong, Asami. The way his will had been so perfectly intertwined with that spirit’s energy… either he’s some sort of spirit himself, or he’s an Energybender unlike anything I ever thought possible.” And Korra wasn’t sure which possibility was worse. Neither was Asami.

Now Asami was the one trying to calm herself down. She had to stay positive, not only for her own sake, but for Korra’s. “You can stop him,” she declared after a moment of silence. “I know you can. It’s scary, but… since when has that ever stopped you before? You’ve fought a Spiritbender before in your uncle, right? I know you’ve said that it’s different, but that was pretty scary too, right? Somebody who was able to sway spirits one way or another and drive them mad at will?”

Korra nodded. “I guess so, but this–”

Asami cut her off. “And how about Amon?” she reminded. “I mean, a psychic Bloodbender? Only Aang had ever encountered one of those before, and even he needed to go into the Avatar State in order to counter him. But from what you and Mako told me, you went and broke his hold all on your own and took him out with nothing more than an Airbending kick. And then there was Unavaatu, too. That one was all you and your Energybending. You were faced with a literally larger-than-life challenge, and you still rose to the occasion and beat it back. And then there was Kuvira’s giant mecha suit–”

“Okay, okay, I get your point,” Korra laughed. “I’ll try not to be so glum about it. But… I really am scared, Asami. I’m not sure what to do, or how to find him. I haven’t felt anything like his energy since fighting that corrupted spirit.”

“You’ll figure it out,” Asami said, assuring herself as much as she was her fiancee. “You always do.”

Korra smiled weak. “I don’t know why, but something about the Chi Eater feels… desperate to me. Any time I’ve ever won an impossible fight, it was because I was desperate, too. All of my enemies so far, they’ve been powerful, but arrogant, and out of balance. But the Chi Eater feels different from them. It feels like whoever this is, they’re as desperate as I’ve ever been, and that really scares me.”

Asami stubbornly remained optimistic. “Then you’ll just have to get even more desperate,” she suggested, the look in her eyes completely serious. “and you’ll have to force him to submit. Don’t worry about whether you can or not, I know you can, I believe in you. Just… don’t forget you’re not alone, okay? You have me, and Mako, and Bolin, and everybody else. We can figure this out together.”

Korra sighed. Asami was right, and she knew it. It was hard not to feel scared right now, but she wasn’t alone. She just hated that she had to tell Lin that whoever killed her officers was still out there. But all of that was a problem for later.

“You’re right,” Korra agreed. “I think… I think I’m going to go back into the Spirit World tomorrow and see if I can’t get to the bottom of all of this. There has to be a spirit out there who knows the Chi Eater’s real identity, or how I can find him.” she announced. Asami nodded. “But for now, I’m tired, and a little dizzy, and I just want to go back to sleep. I’m sorry for scaring you with all of this.”

Asami shook her head. “Like I already said, I’m glad you told me. Now I can be careful, and look out for anything strange,” she repeated. “I’ve got your back.”

Korra smiled much more genuinely this time. “I know you do.”

Falling back into their bed, Korra sighed. Things had just gotten a lot more complicated. But for now, she had a moment to relax. As Asami laid back down right next to her, Korra found her way onto her girlfriend’s chest, holding her tight. Not just for comfort, but to comfort her, as well. So long as she had Asami, Korra would be alright. She knew it.

“Thanks for listening to me. I know you’re probably really tired too.” Korra mumbled, searching for the perfect position on her girlfriend’s chest. Asami kissed the top of her head.

“Of course. I’ll always hear you out. And… it’s okay to be scared, with me. You don’t always have to be brave. Okay?” she asked. She could feel Korra nod weakly. “I love you.” she reminded.

“I love you too.” Korra whispered. She was relieved to know she had somebody she could be so open with. Asami had seen her at her lowest point and still somehow managed to love her. Korra knew that something like a little fear wouldn’t change her opinion of her. Sighing into Asami’s chest, Korra closed her eyes, smiling as she felt Asami began to play with her hair. In time, her fear began to melt away, and eventually, Korra drifted peacefully back to sleep.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

“Look, alls I’m sayin’ is, if we’re gonna act, we’ve gotta do it quickly – opportunities like these don’t come a’knockin’ all that often, y’feel me? Kuvira may have wreaked a lot of havoc, but she also gave us the best chance we’re ever gonna get at takin’ this whole damn city for ourselves. But we’re not gonna get anywhere by goin’ back to brawlin’ in the streets and beefin’ over turf like a buncha low-level kiddie gangsters anymore. Not with the Avatar back in town and the RCPD bringing in more and more new officers every day.”

Atsushi repeated himself for what felt like the fiftieth time time tonight, and he was beginning to get heated. No matter how many times he said it, it felt like it was falling on deaf ears. Chiasa wouldn’t budge.

But as Chiasa was well aware, it wasn’t very like the hot-blooded crime boss to actively avoid a little street violence like this, especially seeing as it seemed to be what the Agni Kais did best. Their group would often start fights simply for the hell of it, sparking turf wars in hopes of getting lucky and driving their competition out of whatever part of town they happened to be angling after at the time, and Atsushi was the worst of them all in that respect.

But it seemed that even somebody as violent and short-fused as him knew a golden opportunity when he saw one. In Atsushi’s mind, if he took the time to approach this with a more level head, and he could get his rivals to agree to work together and decide which territories were going to belong to which organization, they could take all of Republic City by storm before the police even knew what hit them. So that’s exactly what Atsushi was doing, or at least, trying to do. But understandably, it was in deciding who should have what territories that was proving to be the most difficult.

“You know I’ve been eyein’ that eastern port of yours for a while now, ever since you stole it from me back in May. You’ve already got plenty of others under your control that I don’t want nothin’ to do with, some of it is even nearby! So what’s the matter with givin’ me a little somethin’ somethin’ for the sake of my operations, hm?” Atsushi asked, directing his question at the white-haired head of the Red Monsoons. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t go any better the sixth time around. The Ice Queen wouldn’t budge.

“For the last time, Atsushi, no.” Chiasa replied.

Every triad wanted different parts of the city for different reasons, and when the perceived value of an area wasn’t the same across the board, or at least between two of them in particular, then all was well and good and the territories in question could be freely traded. It wasn’t unusual for the triads to swap one point of interest for another back and forth endlessly without incident.

But when interest happened to overlap, however, and one group tried to broker a deal to acquire a valuable property from another one, or competed with them for an open space on the board… well, that was usually when things got violent and the triads in question would resort to duking it out on the streets, hoping to take their prize by force. Except, this time, they were actively trying to avoid that scenario, as devolving into an all-out turf war would not only be what the city was expecting, but counting on.

No, if they were going to do this right and have some success, then they’d have to do things differently and make a case for trading valuable properties amongst each other. But as far as Chiasa was concerned, this particular piece of territory was simply not up for debate. She couldn’t allow herself to budge here, not even an inch.

“‘Alls I’m sayin’ is’,” Chiasa mocked, clearly not a fan of Atsushi’s heated speech patterns. The Firebender scoffed. “If you want some of my organization’s turf, then fine. I have no problem with that. Ask about whatever you want, and I’m sure we can hash something out. But for the last time, the docks are off limits. All of them. So please, for the love of the spirits, stop asking me about them. I made this clear to both of you from the very beginning, my shipping company relies on those docks, and my patience is beginning to wear thin.” she bitterly reiterated.

How long had they been at this now? A couple hours, maybe? This argument was getting old. Frustrated, Chiasa looked around. Ravi still hadn’t returned yet, it seemed. Unfortunate. He’d walked away again sometime during their last successful trade in order to tend to the last of the party’s guests, meaning things were especially tense between her and Atsushi right about now. You know that old saying about fire and ice not mixing? Well, Ravi was kind of the big, buff, Earthbending brick wall that stopped the two of them from constantly going at each other’s throats. So with Ravi gone and Atsushi being Atsushi, and Chiasa being Chiasa, well…

“Alright, listen here lady, you ain’t the only one bringin’ stuff in and out of Republic City, capiche? You can’t own a total monopoly on shippin’ here, especially not in harbors well within established Agni Kai territory!” Atsushi fired back, just as bitter as Chiasa. Though his bitterness was a bit more reflective of Atsushi’s fiery personality than Chiasa’s brand of icy indifference. But given the elemental leanings of the organizations that they led, it seemed fitting that they would be so diametrically opposed, even in personal temperament.

And as I have said before, I will let you and your lackeys smuggle your drugs and women in and out of my territories as much as you want, free of charge and without incident, but the city’s remaining harbors must remain squarely under my control. The Triple Threats have already taken over half this city’s ports as it is, I can’t afford to let any more of them fall into theirs or anybody else’s hands without it posing a significant threat to my business. Which, unlike yours, may I remind you, relies almost entirely on shipping. Unlike me, you can afford to let it go.” But, unfortunately, as favored as they were by the icily inclined, those three words appeared incongruous with the Firebender’s intentions tonight.

“So, what, I’m supposed ta just trust you not ta screw me and my gang over, butcha ain’t gonna trust me ta extend you the same damn courtesy!?” he asked, his pronunciation slipping as he rapidly grew more and more heated.

Chiasa could only smirk. He was quick to anger, but he was smarter than he looked. “In a word, yes.” she confirmed. “Unlike you, I’ve shown myself to be more than willing to negotiate and iron out deals with my competitors that can benefit the both of us – and I don’t just mean tonight. I actually make arrangements just like these almost every day. What’s more, Ravi’s had no problem working under these exact same terms, even in what would ordinarily be Terra turf, so what’s your damage?”

Atsushi snarled. “My damage is that I ain’t Ravi, ya didn’t sleep with me,” he accused. Chiasa was insulted.

“Who I do or don’t sleep with is none of your concern,” she seethed.

“Yeah, well, sorry, but I’m detectin’ a bit of a conflict of interest here. You’ve got that big guy in the palm of your hands, and you know it. And, I’m sorry, what was that that you just said? Were you implying I’m the one unwilling to negotiate? Who the hell d’ya think it was that CALLED this damn meeting in the first place!?” Atsushi shouted, steam rolling off his body as he clenched his fists in a rage. He was about ready to boil over, and Chiasa knew it.

Purely on reflex, she sussed out any nearby water sources and prepared herself for a fight, the surface tension of nearby puddles stiffening as she grabbed a hold of it with her bending, her breathing steady and eyes narrowed. She’d have liked to keep things civil, but civil didn’t usually last long with this guy. She was ready to fight at a moment’s notice should his rage migrate to his fists like it usually did, but thankfully, this was exactly when Ravi returned to finish mediating between the two.

“Technically I did, but admittedly you were rather insistent about it,” Ravi corrected, addressing Atsushi’s unanswered question. Making sure the door was shut behind him, Ravi adjusted his cuff links. As expected, the two of them had nearly devolved into a fist fight without him there to intervene.

As soon as she noticed his return, Chiasa relaxed, releasing her hold on the nearby water. Immediately, its surface visibly returned to normal. Scary… Atsushi hadn’t even noticed she’d taken control of it in the first place.

“Not that Chiasa hadn’t also expressed some interest in a meeting like this, if only in private, but you’re far from the only one, Atsushi. It takes two to negotiate.”

Atsushi was unamused, gritting his teeth all the while, but he’d begun to regain his cool with Ravi back in-between them. He was not somebody Atsushi wanted to throw down with.

“Believe it or not, this is about as close as you’ll ever get to seeing her be cooperative, so I would suggest that you take whatever deal she’s offering so that we can move on with all of this, before she retracts her terms just to spite you.” Ravi warned, looking down in the head of the Agni Kai’s direction. It seemed like he wasn’t being left with much of a choice here, was he? Not only did Chiasa have his back up against the wall, now the wall was pushing back on him, too.

“Ah, Ravi, there you are. Finally, somebody sensible,” Chiasa greeted with a roll of her eyes, holding out her hand to ask for a smoke. The businessman obliged, handing her a cigarette from his coat pocket which she lit with a lighter from her long fur coat, breathing in the smoke to help her clear her head before she carried on with the world’s most unpleasant business negotiation. Though, before they got back into that, there was something she wanted to ask the giant of a man.

“Did the president finally leave?”

“Yes. He, Varrick, and Ryuuki were the last to go; it’s just us now.” Ravi replied, glancing upward. “I’m honestly surprised they stuck around so long, it’s almost dawn. We should wrap this up soon.”

Chiasa agreed, nodding once. She was beginning to grow tired of repeating herself, and if the ports were the only thing left on Atsushi’s mind, then once they’d settled that little dispute, her business here should be done. Aside from his relentless pursuit of the eastern harbor, tonight had been a pretty good night. They’d traded some interesting territories today, and made decisions about some that were yet to be taken up. Aside from whatever happened to be held by the Triple Threats, the city now looked to be much more evenly divided up amongst them.

“Ugh, okay, look, how ‘bout this,” Atsushi began, eliciting an annoyed sigh from his Waterbending rival.

“Here we go again,” she thought aloud.

“If Viper’s still got a stick up his ass about playin’ ball with the rest of us, then why don’t we just team up and take back those ports he stole from you so I can keep mine?” he asked.

Chiasa rubbed her temples. Honestly, what did it matter? It was like she’d said before, her operations relied almost entirely on shipping, Atsushi’s didn’t. Why was this so important to him?

“Because, Atsushi, these days, the Triple Threats have greater numbers than the Agni Kais and Red Monsoons combined. If we so much as sneeze in their general direction, there’s no guarantee they won’t take it as an excuse to just wipe us off the map entirely. The whole point of this little meet and greet is to avoid that and any other unnecessary violence so we can all just have our territories, take our stakes in the city, and let each other be. But of course Viper declined the invitation, probably because somebody from a smaller triad insisted it be held behind a bar, on a weekend, in enemy territory, while all of the city’s most powerful people were hauled up having a party.”

Whether Atsushi owned the cops or not didn’t matter to Chiasa. As far as she was concerned, this was still a stupid idea, and they were all lucky they weren’t dead or in prison right about now. Honestly, she wasn’t entirely sure why she’d elected to show up. It probably had something to do with Ravi’s insistence.

“That discrepancy in numbers is exactly why the Terra Triad is here to help mediate these proceedings. We’re still not entirely recognized by the Triple Threats due to competition with Jargala and the Creeping Crystals and only reemerging after Kuvira’s attack, but even still, we aren’t to be underestimated. We will help to fortify both of your organizations so that you can stand on more equal terms with the Triple Threats and thus more effectively negotiate with them.” Ravi calmly explained, reaffirming his position as a somewhat neutral party in everything that was going on. His organization held the least amount of territory of the four, but it was strategically placed, and they were still the strongest triad in the business district, where Future Industries tower was located.

“Right. Mediate. Yer doin’ a bang-up job there, Ravi ol’ buddy ol’ pal. Maybe if you stopped walkin’ away every 10 raadamn minutes…” Atsushi grumbled.

“The party is over and Asami has long since returned home with the Avatar. My attention is no longer so divided.” Ravi coolly explained. Atsushi stopped grumbling when Ravi mentioned Asami. He was still eyeing him funny for threatening her earlier. What, did he have a crush on her, or something?

Good luck wresting her away from the Avatar there, pal’, Atsushi thought.

“What about Viper, anyway? Even with the Terra Triad backing us up, I’d still prefer not to fight and lose any men unless I have to.” Chiasa explained, taking another drag of her cigarette. “As much as I don’t like the guy, I’d still like to try and hold a similar trading session with him sometime soon, particularly now that I have more interesting territories to trade with. I know for a fact he’s been eyeing some of what I got off Atsushi for a while now. I can work with this.”

Ravi nodded. “I’ve arranged to speak with Viper myself later on this week, but, you know how he is. I may be a wall, but that man is like a glacier.”

Chiasa smirked. “Maybe so, but he’s not the only one.” she slyly replied. Ravi quirked an eyebrow. “If worse comes to worse, you might still have an ace in the hole; I’m pretty sure that pissbender’s afraid of me. Put me in a room with him alone, and I can guarantee his cooperation without ever having to do more than threaten to left a finger.” she confidently proclaimed.

“Still, at the same time, the way he looks at me makes me want to puke. Have you ever seen the kind of face a man makes when they’re terrified by you, but at the same time, you turn them on, and they’d jump at the chance to plow you? I have. I might freeze his heart for the hell of it before I ever get him on board.” she shrugged. “Still, if you can’t make any headway… you’ve got my number.” she grinned, immediately following it up with another drag. Ravi smiled back.

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” he replied simply

In terms of pure bending skill, Viper was only moderately above average at best, whereas Chiasa… well, personally, Ravi had never seen a Waterbender quite like her before. She was gifted, a natural. In a one-on-one battle, Viper stood no chance, and he knew it. Everybody knew it. The only thing that stopped Chiasa and the Red Monsoons from walking all over him were the sheer number of Triple Threats and all their territory and the power and wealth that came with it. She may have run one of the city’s premiere shipping companies, but even her fortune paled in comparison to the Triple Threat war chest. As an organization, they simply weren’t to be trifled with.

“Okay, good, so it’s decided then, we can handle Viper, I’m glad we all agree. Does this mean I get to keep my port, now, or what?” Atsushi abruptly ask. Chiasa’s expression immediately soured. Whatever good mood her confidence may have had her in was stifled the second he opened up his mouth.

“For spirits’ sake… again? Why do you even care!? It’s not like it’s going to change anything!” Chiasa exclaimed. In all these hours of arguing, this was the first time Atsushi had seen her actually lose her cool. The Firebender quickly grinned, impressed she had it in her at all. Had he just melted that seemingly impenetrable sheet of ice around her heart? It seemed as though her patience was at its limit. That little bit of passion had earned her a full and honest response, he thought.

“Because, my brother gave his life winnin’ me that slice of the city. Lettin’ it revert back to you, or anybody else for that matter, would be an insult to his memory. It’s bad enough you swept it out from under me as soon as that there Colossus dust settled. So I ain’t leavin’ here satisfied until I get it back, even if I’ve gotta fight ya for it.”

Oh.

That… wasn’t something Chiasa or Ravi had known before.

The wall of a man shared a glance in Chiasa’s direction, but her expression was indecipherable. Ravi had been aware of Atsushi’s brother from when they were younger, but he never knew that he’d died, only that he wasn’t part of the Agni Kais anymore. He thought that maybe he was in prison or something, but this certainly explained away his absence.

“…” Chiasa was unsure. She didn’t really care about Atsushi or his brother, but it wasn’t like she didn’t get it, either. This actually was personal for him. She may not have wanted to surrender such a valuable piece of territory to an organization she wasn’t entirely sure she could trust, but, she also knew better than to try and cut through family ties in order to get to what she wanted. She’d made that mistake before. With a defeated sigh, she finally relented. If worse came to worse, she could lean on Ravi to help enforce the terms of their free use agreement.

“Fine. Whatever. Keep your damn port. Just extend to me the benefits I was willing to extend to you, and we can put this damn thing to bed, already.” Chiasa said, begrudgingly extending a hand for Atsushi to shake. It indicated cooperation, but her face displayed only frustration and defeat. Nevertheless, Atsushi nodded, reciprocating the gesture.

“That, I can do.” he agreed, shaking the Waterbender’s hand and sealing the deal. Chiasa was just glad she was wearing gloves right now. If she’d been forced to make skin-to-skin contact with this assclown, she was probably going to puke.

“Then I think we’re done here. Unless there’s anything else you want to discuss?” the head of the Red Monsoons concluded, rescinding her hand, stamping out her cigarette, and readjusting her coat. She was ready to go home now. She’d missed out on a good night’s sleep over this.

“Well, there’s still the elephant koi in the room of that there Avatar problem,” Atsushi chimed, looking now in Ravi’s direction “You keep saying you’ve got a plan to ‘take care of her’, but you still haven’t filled us in on what that is, exactly.”

Ravi seemed unfazed. “That’s something that is best discussed amongst all the triads. That includes the Triple Threats.” he replied. He’d said that before, but it no longer seemed to be doing the trick, at least for Atsushi. If Chiasa was having any doubts in him, she wasn’t showing it. But, knowing how persistent the head of the Agni Kais could be, he supposed he could relent and give him a little more information to hold him over.

“…The Avatar isn’t somebody who can be fought directly, not by any normal bender. Even if all four of our triads worked together, we still wouldn’t have enough power to defeat her in an all-out brawl. Do I need to remind you of what she did to Kuvira’s mecha suit? Or to the Chi Eater?” From the look on Atsushi’s face, it appeared he didn’t.

“She does not operate entirely within the law. Sometimes, the law bends to her. And she will not hesitate to call us out and fight us in the streets if she has to, she’s done it before. Therefore, until our power is secure and the entire city is under our control, the best we can hope to do is watch her movements and find other ways to distract her, other problems we can throw her attention onto, whether they’re of our design or not.” Other problems?

“And what did you have in mind?” Chiasa asked, clearly becoming curious now. Ravi smirked.

“That, I’m afraid, I can’t tell you two until Viper’s here, as well. My plan hinges on all four of us working together. So if he isn’t here and willing to at least consider playing ball, then we stand no chance at succeeding.” he explained. “I’ve already been making use of my relationship with her fiancee to subtly direct her movements, but that’s only a temporary solution. Meeting up with Viper should now become our top priority. If either of you have anything you’ve been holding back that might prompt him to bite, now would be the time to use it. Once we’re all together again, I’ll mediate the proceedings just like I did with tonight’s and explain the full breadth of my plan.”

“Hrm…” Atsushi hummed, not entirely buying the Earthbender’s explanation. Ravi tended to be a man of his word, but something about all of this felt… off to him. There was something he wasn’t telling them, but he’d said as much himself. But it was still new. The Ravi Atsushi knew didn’t used to be so vague. But then, the Ravi he knew didn’t used to lead an entire bending triad, either.

“…Okay then, Mr. Mediator. If you say so.” Atsushi shrugged. No use in arguing about it now. “I’ll leave it up to you to get that weaselsnake’s blessing, then.” Like hell he was going to do it, Atsushi couldn’t stand that Viper guy. He clashed harder with him than he ever had with Chiasa; at least she could be semi-reasonable at times.

“I second that sentiment,” Chiasa tacked on. “like I said before, Viper may fear me, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy dealing with him. I’ll put my faith in your powers of persuasion, my silver-tongued little Metalbender.” she smiled. Ravi smiled back.

“Oy, I think I’m going to be sick,” Atsushi groaned, dragging his hand down his face. “I’m done here. You two do… whatever it is you two do. I don’t need the details. I’m gonna go get some shut-eye.” he proclaimed, giving the two rival gangsters a lazy wave goodbye before walking away.

“Finally, he says something I can agree with,” Chiasa half-joked, looking relieved that he was finally gone. “I could use some sleep, myself. Of course, you’re free to join me, if you’d like…” she hinted. Ravi chuckled.

“Not that I don’t appreciate the offer, but not tonight, I’m afraid. I’ll see you Friday, Chiasa.”

Ah, shot down. C’est la vie. “Oh well, suit yourself. Later then, boulder boy.” she winked, leaving the man alone in the alley with his thoughts.

Sighing, Ravi lit another cigarette. It had been a long night. After taking a long drag, he finally turned and walked away.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

“What do you mean the Chi Eater isn’t dead!?”

Of all the things her job entailed, this was probably one of Korra’s least favorite. If the look on her face wasn’t enough to make the Avatar retreat, the anger in her voice most certainly was. Giving bad news to a Beifong wasn’t fun at the best of times, but giving it to Lin Beifong? Definitely not one of Korra’s favorite Avatar duties.

Before she headed off into the spirit world again to see if she could find out anything about the Chi Eater, Korra had elected to schedule an impromptu meeting between herself, Lin, Raiko, and Mako and Bolin, first, in order to fill them in on what was going on and what she’d figured out. Lin and Raiko were obvious choices given who they were, but Mako and Bolin, as members of Team Avatar and the two whose case the Chi Eater killings fell under the jurisdiction of, also deserved to know, in her mind.

Curiously though, she’d elected not to invite Tenzin, turning the meeting into a five person affair as opposed to six. Perhaps it was due to him having his hands full with Opal, or perhaps it was because she didn’t want to worry him again until she had some specifics (like a name) to work with, or maybe she just didn’t think it was as important for him to know since he wasn’t as immediately involved with this case as the rest of them. But whatever the case may have been, the lack of his presence was still deeply felt, if only by the Avatar. It may have been her decision not to include him, but that didn’t mean it was a decision she had to like.

With an annoyed sigh, the chief of police turned around, facing the window behind her desk and rubbing the bridge of her nose. She should’ve known better than to expect good news when the Avatar asked to meet with her and Raiko, especially after last night, but part of her was really hoping that’s what she’d be getting. Or at the very least, that she’d be told something less awful than this, like following up on Opal maybe, or securing a visit to Kuvira. That, she would’ve been fine with. But this?

“It’s… it’s exactly like I just said. I don’t think the Chi Eater is actually dead. I think Republic City might still be in danger.” Korra replied, meekly at first. She’d fought against giant metal monsters and all-powerful spirit kites, but somehow, Lin still managed to actually intimidate her.

While Lin cursed beneath her breath, trying to figure out how that thing could possibly still be alive, the look on Raiko’s face became grim. He’d gotten far closer to that… thing than he’d have liked, so he’d seen firsthand what it was capable of. If the Avatar’s latest claim proved to be true, then he knew how bad this might end up being.

“And you waited a week and a half to tell us this?” he accused. Korra frowned.

“It wasn’t like I knew all along, I didn’t figure it out until last night,” she defended.

“And you’re sure about this?” the President asked. Before Korra could open her mouth to respond, the Firebender to her right had answered in her stead, defending his friend.

“I don’t think she would’ve called us all in here if she wasn’t, sir,” Mako said, the Avatar giving him a thankful smile in response. He flashed her a small shrug and a quick grin in return. He knew how much she hated dealing with this guy.

“I don’t get it. The killings stopped, bodies stopped appearing, everything seemed to have gone back to normal,” Lin said, trying to figure out what all of this could’ve meant. “I watched you kill that thing myself. The whole damn world watched it die. How the hell could it still be alive!?” Lin demanded, turning back around and slamming her hands onto her desk.

Papers flew and Korra withdrew with a wince once again, partially because of Lin and partially because she didn’t like to think about killing it, but Mako seemed to be just fine, pissed off Beifong and all. Bolin, too, come to think of it. Seemed as though they’d already grown accustomed to their chief’s typical attitude. Though, given Opal’s heritage, she supposed Bolin may have had some extra practice here and there…

“Don’t get me wrong, the Chi Eater spirit is… it’s gone,” Korra corrected, quickly brushing past any further talk about that night. “but the one that created it, the real Chi Eater, I think he might still be alive. And on the hunt.”

“He?” Raiko asked.

“You think?” Lin tacked on.

Korra frowned again. “The spirits seem to think so, yeah. That’s why they still haven’t all come back yet.” she explained. Lin fell quieter after that. She’d been beginning to wonder about them, herself, but she hadn’t wanted to think too deeply on it. She wanted to believe all this was over.

“I was talking with one of them earlier in the day yesterday, and he said that all of the older spirits were convinced that the Chi Eater’s still alive. The way he put it, what we fought was just a corrupted spirit. Whoever created it, I think he wanted us to think that it was the real Chi Eater, to give us something to hunt down and fight while he kept doing his thing in secret.”

“In other words, you’re saying it was a decoy.” Mako summarized. Korra nodded. The detective let loose a defeated sigh. “It makes sense. We already knew that the Chi Eater was smart, but I think we may have underestimated just how smart; probably because we were still so focused on it being a spirit of some sort. But if that spirit we fought was just a decoy, then the real culprit probably knew he wouldn’t be able to get away with this unnoticed forever, and prepared for that in advance, just in case anybody ever knew to come looking.”

“So basically what you’re saying is that we’ve been duped.” Lin concluded. Mako and Korra agreed and the chief of police grit her teeth. She hated it when criminals were smart. But if you’d been at it for over a thousand years… “Still. None of this so far explicitly rules out the possibility that the spirit was a holdover from a thousand years ago. I mean, it’s interesting that the spirits think it’s still alive, yeah, but I’ve yet to hear any actual evidence. How can you be so sure?”

“More than that, how are you so sure that this ‘real’ Chi Eater is a ‘he’?” Raiko asked again, having apparently latched on to Korra’s descriptor as being out of place.

“Well… I’m not entirely sure I do know, exactly? I mean… I kind of do, I think, but…” Raiko looked concerned. Korra didn’t think she was explaining this well enough. Letting out a small, frustrated sigh, she tried again.

“That much I got from a dream. Which, okay, I know how that sounds, but, it matched something I saw when I landed the finishing blow on that corrupted spirit, a vision I’d had.” At this, Raiko quirked an eyebrow while Mako and Bolin exchanged a look.

“Vision? You never told us about a vision…” Bolin said, a little confused. Korra gave him a sorrowful look.

“I’m sorry. It didn’t seem like it was all that relevant at the time. I thought it was nothing. But when I landed that final blow, it showed me something. A… a hill, and I guess all the other spirits that the decoy had eaten in its lifetime, and it thanked me for stopping it. Then, last night, I had a dream that took place on that same hill, and the feeling that I had when I saw it was exactly the same as in the vision. There were a few times during that fight when I was bending the Chi Eater’s energy that I felt like it was trying to tell me something, but I couldn’t make it out. Now, I think it may have been trying to tell me who was behind all of this.” Korra sighed.

Korra really wished it was easier to explain all of this Avatar Stuff™ to people than it was. They always ended up looking at her confused and like she had six heads, or something. Of course, none of them ever said anything about how strange it all sounded, they trusted her judgment and that weird stuff like this tended to just happen to the ‘Great Bridge’ and everything, but Korra wouldn’t be surprised if they found it laughable that something as simple as a dream could be of such grave importance. After all, strange dreams and nightmares happened all the time, even to the Avatar, as Korra knew all-too-well.

But when the Avatar was sure of something, people listened, no matter how silly or outlandish it may have sounded on the surface.

“So you know the Chi Eater’s true identity, then?” Raiko prodded further.

“No, not yet. All I know for sure is that it’s a guy and that, apparently, we saw each other at some point. The spirit didn’t tell me anything more than that, in my vision or my dream.” she defeatedly replied, rubbing her right arm. Maybe if she’d tried a little harder to connect with it and ask it questions, she could’ve figured all this out and saved it then. But instead, she’d killed it, and now she was stuck playing catch up with an ancient serial killer. She couldn’t help but feel like it was all her fault. If the real Chi Eater had killed anybody else since that night because she hadn’t stopped fighting long enough to ask the right questions, Korra wasn’t sure if she’d be able to forgive herself.

“Great, that narrows it down to, what, half the population?” Lin complained, returning her fingers to the bridge of her nose. She was visibly stressed out by all of this.

“What I don’t get is how he could even still be alive.” Mako commented. He had a point. They’d seen reports of this thing dating back centuries. Surely nobody could actually live for that long, right? “He’d have to be well over a thousand years old by now. Is it even possible for a human to prolong their life for that long?” he asked.

“I don’t know. He might not even be human, though it certainly does look that way.” Korra said with some concern. “Whoever he is though, he’s definitely an Energybender, so honestly, anything is possible. I still don’t fully understand Energybending yet myself, but I know it’s really old, and really powerful. You’ve seen what I’ve been able to do with it in just a couple years, mainly out of desperation. But if he’s been at this for more than a thousand, then…” Korra’s expression hardened. Nobody liked where this was going.

“Maybe the Chi Eater isn’t just one man,” Raiko suggested. Korra seemed confused. “What if he is an Energybender like you say, but he isn’t the first? What if this power of his is something that’s been passed down over generations, with the spirit as a kind of pet, sort of like your past lives and their animal guides?” Though she took offense at the notion that Naga was just a pet, Korra addressed the crux of the President’s question.

“Well, I mean, I guess that’s possible, but… I don’t know. If it was more than just one person, then I feel like the spirit would’ve tried to tell me that. But it said he, singular, implying that all of this is the work of a single man.” A really, really old man.

“Maybe that’s why he steals people’s chi.” Mako suggested, everybody’s focus immediately shifting to him. Well, that was a little uncomfortable.

“Ooh, yeah! Like maybe he’s some sort of energy-stealing vampire!” Bolin chimed in, expanding off of Mako’s comment with his signature bravado, mimicking fangs with his index fingers. Ordinarily, his older brother would shoot down an idea like that for being ridiculous, but for once, he and Bolin actually seemed to be on the same page.

“Well… yeah, actually. That’s exactly what I was getting at.” Bolin quietly congratulated himself while Korra looked confused. Really? But the look on Mako’s face screamed ‘hear me out on this one’, so she allowed him to continue before shooting him down. “Korra, you never figured out why the Chi Eater was stealing people’s chi, did you?” he asked. A leading question, but she’d bite.

“No. It never really made any sense to me. The best Raava and I could figure out was that it was using people’s energy to make itself stronger for some reason. Which it was, you saw what it did with those spirit beams.” Mako nodded, he remembered. “But that explanation never really sat right with me, or with Raava. It just seemed too human.” Korra ended with a shrug.

“Right, it is very human. So what if that corrupted spirit was more than just a decoy? What if it was part of the Chi Eater’s process? Kind of like a pet, like President Raiko suggested.” Mako said, sparing a glance in his direction. Raiko appreciated the acknowledgment. “What if its purpose was to hunt for the sake of the real Chi Eater? And what if it collected people’s and spirits’ energy to extend its master’s lifespan?

“We already know that the spirit we encountered could definitely steal people’s chi – it’d eaten its way through a number of officers before crashing the premiere, and it tried its hand at eating both of us while we were fighting it – so what if its purpose was to hunt down victims for the real Chi Eater to feast on while also taking care of some of the work for him? It would be perfect if he was weak from hunger, and would protect him from the threat of exposure by giving people like us a literal monster to chase around.

“If this guy’s as old as we think he is, then I think that this makes sense, especially if he starts slowing down and getting older once he exhausts all the energy that he’s stolen.”

“That could explain the 25 year cycle,” Lin suggested, mulling the idea over. Mako nodded in agreement, but Korra seemed unsure.

“I… maybe? I don’t even know if that’s possible, honestly. I mean… extending your lifespan by taking other people’s chi?” Korra wondered, trying to compare what she knew about humans, spirits, and energy with what Mako was suggesting. “But… it would explain a lot…” Korra agreed. At this point, she was just thinking aloud.

“The vibe I got every time I connected with the Chi Eater spirit was that it was desperate. Sometimes I could hear it chanting to itself, ‘I will not die, I will not die’. Except… I don’t think that was the spirit talking, so much as it was whoever corrupted or was controlling it? There was more than just one soul inside that thing.” Aside from the broken pieces of the ones it’d eaten, anyway. Korra was referring here to the entity’s spiritual center. She’d only neglected to mention it before because she didn’t think whoever had corrupted it could still be alive. But now, she stood corrected, or so it would seem.

“Ugh, now that’s just scary. A thousand year old man going around and sucking up people’s chi with a corrupted spirit?” Bolin shuddered at the thought. “I wonder if all that energy makes him look young, too. Otherwise, he’d have to look like some sort of wrinkly old raisin man or something by now, right?” Though he was being a little dramatic, it was still a solid point. It would definitely help the Chi Eater blend in more.

“I’ll admit, all of this would explain a lot about the Chi Eater’s behavior, and why somebody would use it to target another person’s chi in the first place, but, the only problem is, it shouldn’t be possible for him to have more than just his own energy inside himself. Our bodies don’t work that way.” Korra explained.

“Yours does.” Lin remarked.

“That’s different,” the Avatar replied. “Raava and I aren’t two completely separate entities anymore, not entirely. Our spirits became one when she willingly fused with Avatar Wan 10,000 years ago, and again when she re-fused with me. But this isn’t like that. What you guys are describing is somebody forcibly extracting another person’s energy from their body, taking it into his own, somehow managing to burn through all of that in a quarter of a century, and then repeating that process over and over again for more than a thousand years.

“He should’ve overloaded his body and his spirit the second he first introduced somebody else’s energy into his body, especially if that somebody was unwilling. Raava and I actually wanted to fuse back together, and that made the process easier. Not to mention she’s a spirit, not a human. Basically, I don’t care how good of an Energybender this guy might be, the human body is not meant to hold onto and burn through spiritual energy like that.” At least, not so far as Korra knew.

It was the same reason why nobody else but the Avatar could bend multiple elements. She only really had that power because Raava had that power, and Raava only had that power because she held onto the knowledge and the energy transferred to her and Wan by the Lion Turtles. Spirits – especially older, more powerful ones like Raava – were more than capable of holding onto more than one energy inside themselves and finding equilibrium with that, adapting to that. As beings of pure energy, it came more naturally to them.

But humans were a different story. They’re more set in stone, in some ways, because they also have physical bodies made up of physical matter to account for. If a spirit ever entered into their body, they would begin to mutate and die because their physical forms couldn’t adapt to the excess energy, and if they tried to carry the power to bend more than one element, their body would be overloaded by the necessary chi and they would die as a result. The Chi Eater should’ve been the same way, no matter how strong he was. No amount of Energybending should’ve been able to save him from that.

And yet, that appeared to be the most fitting explanation for everything they’d seen and learned so far. Korra just couldn’t wrap her head around how. There were still a few pieces missing to this puzzle, and it was stopping her from seeing the whole picture. She still didn’t even entirely understand the Chi Eater’s motivations for doing all of this, aside from simply extending his lifespan. But why? Why go through all that trouble? What was he after?

However informative this little meet and greet and its theory session may have been, she wasn’t going to find the answers here. She knew where she had to go next, and that meant it was time for her to wrap things up.

“…Whatever the case,” she began, breaking the silence she’d imposed. “We could stand here and trade ideas back and forth all we want, but that’s not going to stop him from taking any more lives. We know he operates on a cycle, and now we might have an idea as to why. So if that decoy helped gather energy for him, then he may be out there doing it on his own now, meaning–”

“Meaning he might finally be vulnerable for once…” Lin interrupted, finishing Korra’s sentence for her. The Avatar nodded in agreement. “What should I tell my officers? There has to be something we should be looking for, right?”

“Maybe hold off on that a little while longer, Chief,” Mako interjected, Lin and Korra both looking in his direction. “the last thing we want to do right now is cause another panic. I’m guessing that’s why Korra called this meeting with the five of us alone, not even Tenzin’s here right now.” the detective theorized. The look in Korra’s eyes told him he was right.

“There’s a lot of new blood on the force right now. If you tell them the Chi Eater’s still alive, you might end up spooking some of them, and if that happens, they might end up telling people. Friends, loved ones, the press – before long, the whole city would be in a state of panic, and any element of surprise we might have right now would be gone. I’m guessing if he’s really been at this as long as we all think he has, he probably feels pretty secure in his plan. He probably doesn’t know we may have figured him out.”

Lin sighed. She knew that he was right. Had she not been so on edge right now, she probably would’ve realized all that herself. But the Chi Eater was Lin’s first real encounter with the spirits, so she wasn’t as used to this as Mako was, being a formal part of Team Avatar and all.

“There’s only one thing I don’t get,” Raiko said, rubbing his chin in thought. It’d been a while since he’d last spoken up, but he’d been following along as closely as he could. “if this Chi Eater really does have some sort of cycle and a need to eat people’s chi, why haven’t any more bodies turned up since the premiere?” That… was actually a pretty good question, Korra had to admit. “I mean, he wasn’t exactly subtle in his methods before, he basically left mummies in his wake with every attack. But I haven’t heard about any more mummies turning up recently. Have you?” he asked.

“No,” Lin replied. “that’s why we all thought this was done and over with.” The chief sighed. Raiko seemed concerned, but before he could voice those concerns (which likely would’ve included questioning Korra’s reliability here, if anybody in this room knew him at all), Bolin spoke up.

“Well, there have been a lot of disappearances lately. I see at least one new missing persons report almost every day. We’ve been assuming it’s all just triad related, but what if it’s because of the Chi Eater?”

“That would mean there were far more victims than we knew about.” Lin pointed out. Bolin nodded gravely.

“He might have some way to dispose of the bodies when he’s done.” Mako pointed out.

“Then why would he have left any bodies behind in the first place? Are we supposed to assume he just slipped up or something?” Raiko asked.

“Maybe not. If the spirit really was a decoy, then maybe he wanted it to be found.” Mako suggested. Once again, the focus of the room was on him. “What if he thought he might be spotted this time around? We live in a more connected world than ever before right now. He can’t just rely on distance and urban legends to conceal himself anymore, especially not if he’s taken to hunting in big cities like Republic City. His options are beginning to become a lot more limited. So maybe, instead of waiting for some sort of mistake to reveal him…”

“…He chose to reveal himself on his own terms and let us ‘stop’ him while he kept working from the shadows…” Korra finished. Mako nodded silently. That… made a lot of sense, actually.

“He took us for a bunch of chumps… he didn’t think any of us would keep investigating after all the hubbub at the premiere was dealt with.” Lin realized, gritting her teeth. The worst part was he’d been right – it was only because Korra felt something was off and had had that dream that they were even talking about this right now.

“Yeah, well, he underestimated the Avatar,” Korra said, some semblance of confidence returning to her. “I’m not sure if any of this is right or not, but I know one way I can find out.”

“You’re right. Go, we’ll handle things on our side as best we can.” Lin affirmed. Korra nodded.

“With any luck, when I come back, I’ll have an identity we can work with, and we can go take this creep down once and for all.” the Avatar concluded, pounding her fist into her open hand. “I’ll let you guys know as soon as I’m back.”

Lin simply nodded in agreement. Raiko seemed less sure, but nevertheless gave his approval, as well. Much as he may have hated it, he was completely out of his depth here. After his close encounter with the corrupted spirit, he’d realized that much.

With all of that decided, Korra turned and left the room. As she made her way through the detectives’ office and toward the hall however, the sound of hurried footsteps closed in from behind her.

“Korra, wait up!” Mako called, having apparently run to catch up with her before she left.

“Mako? What’s up?” she asked. She checked behind him just to be sure, but Bolin seemed to have stayed behind. Usually it was the other way around, at least as of late.

“I want to go with you. Things are pretty crazy right now, and if this Chi Eater’s corrupted any more spirits, you’re going to need all the help you can get. My Lightning seemed to be one of the only things that actually hurt that thing last week.”

Korra frowned. He had a point, but… “Thanks, Mako, but I think it’s better if I go alone.” she replied. Mako’s expression sunk. “I’m just going to the Spirit World, I’ll be fine.” she reassured him with a smile. “It’s just, spirits don’t really like talking to humans at the best of times, not even the Avatar. At least not if they’re old ones, anyway. If I showed up with somebody else, there’s no guarantee I’d be able to talk to any of them.”

Mako frowned. He hadn’t thought about that.

“So, I appreciate the offer, but… it’s probably not the best idea, this time around. Besides, I thought you told me it hurt to Firebend lately, because of your scar? I wouldn’t want you to push yourself and make it any worse. You still need time to build your strength back up.”

Mako looked a little confused. “…Huh? Didn’t I tell you?” he asked. Now Korra was the one who looked confused. “Last night, at the party? Ryuuki healed me. I don’t know how he did it, exactly, but… I’m as good as new, now. It’s honestly pretty amazing.”

That’s right, Korra had almost forgotten – he had mentioned something about that last night, hadn’t he?

“I… what? You mean that actually happened?” Korra asked. She thought that he was drunk, ranting and raving about Ryuuki of all people, or that maybe it was part of her dream, so she’d just written it off and forgotten about it. But apparently she shouldn’t have.

“Yeah. He explained it to me while he was doing it, but I don’t really get the specifics. I guess it’s like that Fire Sage you mentioned meeting back before Harmonic Convergence?” Korra seemed unsure. She figured it wasn’t impossible, but, Firebending healers were pretty rare, to say the least. Especially after the Hundred Year War. It was a dying art. But then again, Ryuuki had surprised her before during the premiere, what with those blue flames of his, so she couldn’t entirely rule it out. Even still, though.

“I don’t know. Maybe? Ryuuki never really struck me as the type for the healing arts, but, maybe I’m wrong? I mean, I managed to learn them,” Korra laughed. And when she had, she’d had a way more fiery personality than Ryuuki ever did. He just seemed too… well, she wouldn’t go so far as to say incompetent, but, daft, certainly. “If you want, I can take a closer look at your arm when I get back. Maybe I can learn something from it.” she suggested. Mako nodded. He wouldn’t mind letting her do that. “For now though, I should probably get going.”

“Right, sorry,” Mako quickly apologized. “Good luck!” he wished. Korra smiled and walked away. Whatever Ryuuki did, it seemed to have Mako in high spirits again, so she was thankful to him for that much. But for now, she had bigger fish to fry.

Notes:

Hey so sorry for dropping off the face of the earth for 3 months. A combination of work, writer's block, and starting work on my first book have kept me pretty busy. But I'm back! This time to stay. Sorry that not much happened in this chapter, but I have a treat for you guys in Chapter 17. The next update will be sooner than you all think. See you then!

P.S.: On a side note, has anybody else finished The Rise of Kyoshi yet? It's so good. Ngl, it really inspired me to get back in the Avatar headspace so I could finally finish this chapter. If you haven't read it yet, go do that now!

P.P.S.: On re-reading this and the last few chapters, I noticed a major continuity error and had to make a few edits, so if you guys were reading earlier, and noticed some lines were different now, that's why. This is what happens when you take a 3 month break, though - you forget a few details and build your entire chapter around a plot hole. Two of them, even. This has all been patched up now, but I'm still really embarrassed that it happened, I'm normally more on top of things than this. So, I just wanted to apologize in case any of you guys noticed it, and let you know I'll be trying harder to avoid mistakes like that in the future.

Due to this error, I'm doubling down on that "sooner than you think" line and promising to have Chapter 17 out before the end of the month, if not sometime this later this week. Seeing as this entire chapter was originally built around a flaw, that makes the fact that nothing really happened even more unacceptable to me, so I'm going to make it up to you by making the next update swifter and much more impactful without sacrificing writing quality.

If you didn't see the error, feel free to disregard all this, but I thought I should leave an explanation down here, just in case. Sorry, once again.

Chapter 17: The Avatar and the Chi Eater

Summary:

Korra confers with an old adversary and discovers a shocking truth.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Book Five
Chi

Chapter 17
The Avatar and the Chi Eater

 

In the aftermath of Opal’s attack, one thing had become clear: Kuvira needed more guards. Not in fear that she might escape, but in fear that somebody else would try and finish her off. This time, a select few Airbenders had been added to help fill out the ranks, handpicked by Raiko and Tenzin.

When Korra told her story of what Opal had done, she conveniently left out the part where she tried to kill Kuvira. That wasn’t to say she wouldn’t have to face consequences for her other actions though, like attacking the RCPD and United Forces officers stationed at her prison. For that much, Opal was to end up facing some sort of disciplinary action from the state, though it was nowhere near as severe as it could’ve been.

According to Korra, she arrived after Opal had already attacked the guards, and though Opal was angry, she was able to calm her down before she did anything too extreme. President Raiko however didn’t buy it, and had a feeling Korra wasn’t telling everyone the full story. He alluded as much in his formal announcement of Opal’s attack, but with no evidence to back him up, he was forced to simply take the Avatar at her word. As a result, Opal’s punishment wouldn’t amount to much more than a slap on the wrist.

When she heard all of this over the guards’ new, even louder radio (because of course the first thing they were going to do when rebuilding their break room was get their hands on another one), Kuvira scoffed. She hadn’t expected Korra to actually cover this up for Opal, but she supposed that being friends with the Avatar had its benefits. Kuvira wondered if Suyin had something to do with this, and if maybe she’d asked Korra to lie to the United Republic on her daughter’s behalf. It certainly tracked with the image Kuvira had of her in her head.

After all, Kuvira could buy Korra wanting to keep things quiet for Opal’s sake, but actually managing the aftermath? The Avatar likely would’ve distanced herself after handling Opal and left that to Suyin and Tenzin to figure out. In fact, Opal’s punishment was probably being overseen entirely by that pedantic pushover of a monk. It wouldn’t have been like Raiko to get his hands dirty with something like that, and regardless of how big he talked, that spineless weasel snake always trusted Tenzin to advise him and help him out of situations like these. Add to that Opal’s technically belonging to the Air Nation, and Kuvira was convinced – Opal would be getting off easy.

Honestly, what was Tenzin even going to have her do? A thousand forms? Repeat her basic training? Write a book report on all the monks’ old teachings? It’s not like she tried to kill Kuvira or anything, right? And even if she had, she was just another fallen dictator. A monster. So even if Korra had told Tenzin what Opal had done, what would it matter? Who would ever care about her?

The sound of an approaching motorboat broke Kuvira’s self-deprecating train of thought. Raising her head from its position on her knees, which she had pulled up into her chest, Kuvira’s ear involuntarily twitched to see if it could overhear her guards talking about who it was. But they weren’t saying anything, so Kuvira had to try and figure it out herself.

Kuvira knew it couldn’t have been Opal, since if she’d come to finish the job she would’ve done so silently and under the cover of night again. And Korra could’ve waterbent herself here, though Kuvira couldn’t discount the possibility she’d take a boat like a regular person, too. So maybe it was Raiko? If he really was as skeptical of Korra’s story as the press claimed he was, then he could’ve easily come to question her himself.

But… no. As soon as she heard those footsteps, Kuvira knew exactly who it was. She knew that gait well. The wooden floorboards creaked loudly beneath her as Kuvira’s most unwelcome visitor made her way across the raft.

“I’m here to speak with Kuvira. I have clearance from the President,” Suyin introduced. Kuvira could hear the sound of paper, so she was probably showing her guards the President’s written consent on the matter.

Kuvira frowned. What was she doing here? A cover-up was one thing, but she didn’t actually care if Kuvira was alright or not, did she? As the footsteps closed in on her cell, Kuvira could hear a chair being placed so that Suyin could sit comfortably while speaking with her, but she didn’t turn around to face her. She had no interest in entertaining whatever may have brought her here today.

“I’m sorry.”

Two words, and everything Kuvira thought she knew fell apart around her. She was what? Kuvira immediately whipped her head around, but rather than sitting down, Suyin was standing up, and she was bowing to Kuvira.

Kuvira turned around completely now, rising to her feet, and she walked up to her wooden bars. Her eyes darted around the raft to see if this was some sort of publicity stunt for the press, but there was nobody there but Suyin – it was just her and Kuvira. Even the guards had left, having all gone back to working on their new break room. The two of them were free to speak as candidly as they pleased without fear of anybody overhearing. But rather than looking relieved, Kuvira became angry, and grit her teeth.

“What is this?” she demanded to know. “Are you mocking me?”

“No,” Suyin said, maintaining her bowed position for just a moment longer. “I’m apologizing.”

“For what?” Kuvira asked.

“For everything.” Suyin clarified. “You were right about me, Kuvira. Maybe not about everything, but about enough. So I’m here to say I’m sorry, for that, and for what Opal tried to do to you last night.”

Kuvira was speechless. Suyin was apologizing to her? She didn’t dare say another word, for fear she might change her mind. Instead, Kuvira just stared her down, silently begging her to continue.

“I’m sorry for how things ended up between us. After Opal told me what happened, I couldn’t stop thinking about our family, and how I treated you. I couldn’t stop thinking about what led us to this point. And I realized that maybe you were right. Maybe I was more concerned with you as my protege than I was with you as my daughter. So I couldn’t help but wonder, was the way that you turned out because of me? Had I pushed you too hard?” Suyin asked. She didn’t sound like she had an answer, but the fact that she was asking at all wasn’t something Kuvira ever thought she’d see.

“For better or for worse, I was your mother. Opal’s, too. I helped shape who you two became, and how you acted. Maybe not entirely – you were a kid when I took you in, not an infant – but for the better part of your life, I was all you had to look up to. How you turned out, how you lashed out – I think maybe that says more about me than I’ve been willing to admit, and after seeing what that did to Opal, too, I had to tell you that I’m sorry.”

Kuvira remained silent.

“I tried to give you everything. To help you feel like you belonged, and like you were wanted. And you were! But far too often, I tried to… ignore the problems between you and Opal. I tried to let you two work out your differences yourselves. I saw what was going on, but I never thought it was so… I should’ve known. I should’ve realized from how my mother raised me and my sister that leaving you two alone wouldn’t work out, but I didn’t know what else to do. I’d always hoped that things would turn out differently for you two than they had with Lin and I, but after last night, I realized they’d become even worse.

“But maybe the problem runs deeper than even that. I think… I think maybe after I learned that you were an Earthbender, when I discovered you could Metalbend… spirits, you were so eager to please,” Suyin reminisced, laughing beneath her breath and wiping a tear from her eye. Kuvira remembered that day, too. She’d been trying for weeks and weeks in secret and had figured it out entirely on her own. She had wanted so badly to impress Suyin, and she had.

“I think, maybe, after that, I went too far. Maybe I gave you the wrong idea of me, or of our relationship. The way you spoke of me when you left… you thought all I ever cared about was your talent. You thought I only ever cared about how people perceived me and how well you and Zaofu reflected on me, and you told me as much again yesterday when I helped transfer you. But nothing could be further from the truth. Everything I did, I did to empower you, to bond with you. And for a long time, I thought that it was working. We seemed so close, to me. But now I can’t help but wonder if we were ever close at all.”

There was a lot Kuvira wanted to say to that, but she stubbornly maintained her silence. She wanted to hear what else Suyin might say.

“Maybe you needed more than just a mentor. Maybe, outside of training, I didn’t show you enough love. Maybe you felt like you could never really fit in because I wasn’t really your mother, and deep down, you were just afraid. I don’t know. But I should. I should know. I should have paid better attention. But I didn’t. I have a bad habit of ignoring all my flaws and problems until they get bad enough to bite me in the ass.” Suyin explained. Kuvira held back a laugh. That was the understatement of the century.

“I’ve always tried to rationalize my shortcomings and to gloss over my imperfections, I’ve always tried to put my best face forward. And coming from the background that I did, I guess it makes sense that I would. I made a lot of mistakes growing up that I wanted to show people I was better than. But maybe, in doing that… maybe, if I’d just stopped for a minute and tried to talk with you…” Suyin went silent, if only for a moment, and Kuvira seemed intent not to break that silence. Her eyes were downward cast, and so were Suyin’s.

“I’m sorry, Kuvira. For how I raised you, for not trying to help you restructure the Earth Kingdom, for how I treated you during your trial – for everything. In spite of what you might think, I love you. I really do. I think that’s why I’ve been so cruel to you. The way you treated me after you left hurt, and I didn’t know how to handle that. But in my eyes, you will always be my daughter, and I have never once considered you anything less. But I think I expected more from you than I maybe should have, than I’d prepared you for, and that’s on me. What you’ve done is still unforgivable, it was still your choice, but I can’t ignore my role in helping you make those choices. I can’t ignore the precedent I’ve set for my two daughters. Not anymore. I’m sorry.”

Kuvira looked back up at Suyin. The look in her eyes showed her she was serious, remorseful even, but Kuvira didn’t need to see that to know that it was true. She could hear it in her voice. Kuvira opened her mouth to speak, to maybe respond to everything Suyin had just said, but she couldn’t do it. This wasn’t the Suyin Kuvira knew. And there was a lot she’d done that was entirely Kuvira’s fault, and she knew it. She considered pointing these things out in Suyin’s apology, but she didn’t. There was so much to unpack and relive, and she just didn’t have it in her anymore. So instead, when she opened her mouth to try and speak again, all she said was a single word.

“Leave.”

Suyin was taken back. Kuvira wasn’t going to say anything? After all these years, she finally got what she wanted, and she just wanted her to leave? But rather than being upset, Suyin appeared concerned. She could tell that something was wrong.

“Kuvira, are you–”

“I SAID LEAVE!” Kuvira repeated, yelling loud enough to grab the guards’ attention across the prison. As she looked into Kuvira’s eyes, Suyin understood. She was crying. In all her years of knowing her, Suyin couldn’t recall a single time she’d ever seen Kuvira cry.

Respecting her daughter’s request, Suyin stood up and turned around. She lingered for a moment, wanting to say something more, but she didn’t. She’d said all she needed to for today.

As Suyin began to walk away, Kuvira spoke back up. “Suyin, wait,” she meekly requested, just before Suyin was out of earshot. Kuvira’s mother paused, turning around to hear her out. “…Next time you see Korra… let her know I’m ready to talk.”

“Korra…?” Suyin asked. She seemed a little puzzled by the request, but nevertheless, she nodded in agreement. It was the least that she could do.

With that, Suyin checked out with the guards and returned to her boat. Maybe she and Kuvira could get their talk later. But at least for now, she was content to simply leave it where she had.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

For Korra, few things compared to the sensation of stepping through a spirit portal. Even before her vacation with Asami, something about just being in the spirit world filled her with a sense of peace and wholeness, one like Korra rarely felt. Maybe it was because of Raava and the fact that, technically, she was herself part-spirit, but this place had always felt like home, in a way, ever since the first time she’d traveled here back during Harmonic Convergence.

There was also the fact that Korra was closer to Raava here than anywhere else. While in the physical world it would take great concentration and a meditative state to contact her, here, it always felt as though she were swimming just beneath the surface of Korra’s awareness. All she had to do was think, and she and Raava could converse. It was something she’d become accustomed to during her vacation, and it was nice to have that sense of connection and completeness back. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed it.

Unfortunately, as quickly as that peace had overcome her, it abandoned her, the contented smile on her lips fading as she felt the energy of the world around her change and her senses readjusted. This didn’t feel like the same spirit world she’d been living in only a couple weeks ago. It felt… different. Empty. As she looked around, she realized why, and was shocked to find that this area was devoid of any spirit activity whatsoever.

An uneasy silence filled the meadow, broken only by an equally uneasy breeze rustling the grass and flowers all around her, and the distant trickling of water from a stream she knew to be nearby. Korra was confused. Normally, this meadow was bustling with spirits of all shapes and sizes, due in large part to the new spirit portal that stood in its center. Spirits would come and go from Republic City in an almost constant, steady stream, gathering in crowds to hang out and converse and check out how the physical world had changed since the time of Wan, but now… now, there was no one.

Was all of this really because of the Chi Eater? Was the threat he posed really that great?

Frowning, Korra pressed on, walking through the flowers for what felt like forever. Everywhere she looked, she could see signs of activity that once was: burrows in the ground made by gopher spirits left abandoned, tables carved out of stumps left with half-full cups of tea, makeshift chairs overturned all around her – it looked to her as though they’d all cleared out of here quickly, like something spooked them all at once. Something bad enough to force them to retreat further into the spirit world. She’d never seen anything quite like it before.

Raava… what kind of monster are we even chasing?” Korra asked the spirit within. But she doubted the spirit of peace and light would have the answers that she sought. She seemed to have been about as confused about that decoy spirit as Korra was back when they were fighting it at the arena, after all. Still, she figured she might as well ask while she had the opportunity to do so. It didn’t look like she’d be stumbling across any other ancient spirits anytime soon.

I am not sure, Korra. The only time I have ever seen spirits react this way, it was in response to Vaatu drawing near.” Raava replied. Korra’s frown deepened. That certainly didn’t bode well. If the spirits were still this scared, even in their own world, then… “Still… I cannot help but feel as though I should know something more,” Raava continued.

So you feel it too.” Korra said with some relief. Raava’s hummed response was all she needed to hear. It’d been troubling Korra, too, since the very beginning. That feeling that she should’ve known more about this thing, that she should’ve recognized the pattern. And then there was that tinge of familiarity when she first came across its spiritual presence in Dragon Flats. Whether that flash of recollection was Raava’s or her own, it indicated this was not her first encounter with the Chi Eater in her lifetimes.

The more that we pursue him, the more I feel as though I have encountered this Chi Eater before in one of our previous lifetimes. But, since our connection to them has been severed…” Raava trailed. Her memories had taken a hit after her destruction at the hands of Unalaq. A lot of the memories that she shared with previous Avatars were lost when that happened, meaning Korra couldn’t just ask Raava about the Avatars before her for information. She was as in the dark as Korra was.

K orra sighed. Stopping for a moment at the base of a large tree, the Avatar looked down. If she’d been stronger then, maybe they’d have had the information that they needed to track the Chi Eater now. The more she entertained the possibility that this wasn’t her first dance with the Chi Eater though, the more frustrated she became.

Back when she’d first learned of the Chi Eater and how long it had been active, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she should’ve known about it sooner. The idea that the Avatar could fail so spectacularly never sat right with her, for reasons she couldn’t quite explain. It was more than just her Avatar pride. It was like the echo of a memory, a sensation, the faintest hint of the feeling that she’d done all this once before.

But the previous Avatars left no record of the Chi Eater in their writings. The knowledge was never passed down. If it had been, then Aang would’ve known what he was dealing with all those years ago in that fishing village. For a time, Korra pushed her uneasiness to the side and simply reassured herself that the Chi Eater was just that good, that he had simply avoided her detection all these years. But then the light spirit told her that the other spirits thought the Avatar ignored it. And now, being faced with the facts, Korra couldn’t help but wonder if they were right, if maybe the Avatar had been complacent in the Chi Eater’s crimes for all these years.

It was not a possibility Korra was willing to accept, but with the way Raava was talking, with the way that she’d been feeling… if she really had encountered this man in a past life, if Raava really did recognize something about the Chi Eater, then…

Before she could become any more lost in thought, Korra came to, noting that all around her, an eerie fog had begun developing. Was this her doing? Were her uncertainty and clouded thoughts clouding up the spirit world, too? Looking around, Korra found herself to be lost. The tree she’d previously been standing under was gone. Had she started moving again while she was thinking? How long had she been walking? Korra looked behind her to see if she could still make out the glowing of the spirit portal, and though its light was still in range, it was now distant on the horizon, obscured by all the fog and growing fainter by the second as it grew thicker all around her.

Feeling as though she should maybe turn around and try another route, as Korra turned to head back the way she came, the sound of rustling grass snapped her to attention. She quickly turned around in the direction of the noise, her arms held in front of her in an Earthbending stance as a shadowy figure approached from behind the fog. Her muscles twitched to bend the world beneath her feet, but before she could carry the motion through, Korra stopped, catching herself and breathing a sigh of relief as the details of the figure came into view. He was illuminated by a lantern that he held, one that Korra immediately came to recognize.

“Iroh!” she shouted with relief, running up to hug her old friend. There was a smile on both of their faces.

“It is nice to see you again, Korra. Though I did not think it would be so soon. I was just out collecting tea leaves for my next get together, when I noticed that a fog was enveloping the meadow,” he explained, returning Korra’s hug. He was no longer smiling when their hug had come to an end, though. “Am I right in assuming that you are feeling lost?”

Korra frowned. So it was her doing after all. With a sigh, she confirmed her friend’s suspicions. “Do you mind if I ask what is troubling you? Does it have to do why you’ve come back to the spirit world alone?” Iroh asked, looking over Korra’s shoulder to make sure Asami wasn’t nearby. The two of them had practically been inseparable the last time Korra was here.

“Well… kind of, yeah,” Korra admitted. “I’ve been trying to figure something out lately, back in the physical world; Avatar stuff. There were some strange killings in Republic City recently, so basically as soon as I got back, I was asked to step in and see if I could figure out what was going on. And I did, kind of, and I thought I’d stopped the one responsible, but… now I’m not so sure.” An abridged retelling of events to be sure, but more-or-less accurate.

“So you don’t feel as though the killer has been brought to justice?” Iroh asked.

“I know he hasn’t.” Korra declared. Iroh frowned. “Things had been quiet for over a week, so I thought so at first, but now everything’s pointing in the opposite direction. But honestly, something has been bugging me about this from the very beginning. I’ve had this awful, nagging sensation in the back of my mind, and the more I learn about this guy and everything that’s been going on, the stronger it becomes. I feel like all of this might be my fault? Either due to the negligence of my past lives, or… worse.” Korra didn’t dare vocalize what ‘worse’ entailed, though. Saying it would make it more real, and she didn’t want it to be real.

“I see… and you think the spirits might have the answers that you seek?”

“Yeah, namely older ones. All of the spirits left in the city are too young to know anything about what’s going on. I don’t know how exactly, but whoever this guy is, he’s been at it for more than a thousand years now.”

Iroh’s face immediately grew panicked. “…Korra… just who is it you are trying to catch…?” he hesitantly inquired.

“I don’t know his name, that’s what I came here hoping to find out. We’ve been calling him the Chi Eater.”

Iroh was horrified, his lantern flickering out and falling helplessly to the ground below. It was not the response Korra had been hoping for, but it certainly seemed to be par for the course. Regaining his composure, Iroh reached down for his lantern and reignited it with his fingertips, briefly apologizing before responding.

“Korra, you are chasing after something incredibly dangerous right now. Even the spirits fear to speak that name.” Iroh warned.

“I know. I’ve already fought him once before, kind of, and I won. Or… I thought I did, anyway. At first I thought he was a corrupted spirit. I mean, it had to be if it had been killing for a thousand years. But even though I… I…” Korra looked down, guilt washing over her. She didn’t want to finish that sentence. “…It was just a puppet. I had no idea. It was the toughest battle of my life, and it was just a decoy.”

“Then you must know by now how powerful its master must be to create such a puppet.”

Korra nodded. “I know, but, like I said, I can’t shake the feeling that this is all my fault, somehow. And even if it wasn’t, that doesn’t change the fact that he’s still out there, killing people, and he’ll keep on killing people unless somebody does something. And I feel like I might be the only one who can.”

“You may be right,” Iroh reluctantly agreed. It seemed to Korra that Iroh didn’t want her pursuing this much further, but he also wasn’t about to argue with the Avatar. Especially not when he knew that she was right. “from what I know, the Chi Eater is an Energybender beyond compare. Only another Energybender could ever hope to stop him.” he explained, his eyes guiltily settling onto Korra.

“What do you know about him, anyway? Did you ever hear any stories during the war?” Korra asked. They had found records from Fire Nation soldiers about his victims, after all.

“I’d heard tales of angry spirits attacking soldiers during the war, but it wasn’t until I’d joined the spirits myself that I first heard of the Chi Eater,” Iroh explained. “but he is not somebody the spirits like to talk about. And until recently, they had little reason to, particularly with someone such as myself. They were safe until the portals were re-opened.”

“You mean he can’t meditate into the spirit world?” Korra asked, a little shocked at the revelation. She had thought that anybody who could Energybend and corrupt a spirit would be pretty in touch with their spiritual side, but Iroh shook his head.

“The spirits say the Chi Eater used to be a human, but whatever he’s done to himself has made him an alien to both the physical and spirit worlds. He doesn’t truly belong to either, and can no longer cross over into the spirit world on his own. Not unless he uses a spirit portal.” Iroh elaborated. Korra frowned. So she’d made things worse, then. “The spirits only told me this because they feared for my safety. I tried to learn more about this Chi Eater, but they would only tell me the very basics so I knew what to look out for, like his corrupted spirit, or that he can Energybend.”

“I just don’t get how something so awful could’ve been under the Avatar’s nose for so long.” Korra said, mentally kicking herself yet again. Every time she learned something new about the Chi Eater and its impact on the spirits, she felt a little bit more responsible for its actions. Even if they were past lives, even if her connection to them had been lost, it was still her fault, intentionally or not.

“That, I’m afraid, I do not know.” Iroh admitted with a frown. Korra sighed.

“Do you know anyone who might? Any spirits old enough to know some details about him, or who may have encountered him in the past? There has to be at least one spirit out there who could tell me about my history with this thing.”

Iroh thought for a moment. “I’m not sure. Many old and powerful spirits have retreated to the deepest parts of the spirit world to defend their homes, and not all of them are too keen to help out the physical world, even at the Avatar’s request. And even for the ones who are, they are either notoriously capricious, difficult to track down, or otherwise no longer located in the spirit world, such as the Mother of Faces, or the great Moon and Ocean spirits. …However… there are rumors…” Iroh trailed, rubbing his chin in further thought.

“Rumors?” Korra pressed.

“They say there is a spirit who once dueled with the Chi Eater before he became unable to access the spirit world. Their battle was so great, it lasted an entire day, and shook the entirety of the spirit world.” Iroh described. Korra was floored. An entire day? “The Chi Eater coveted this spirit’s power, and wanted to make it his own. But he is a very dangerous spirit at the best of times, and he has a complicated relationship with your past lives. I do not believe it is wise to seek him out.”

Korra gulped. She’d come too far to back down now. “Who is it?”

“Someone I believe you may already know, even without your connection to Avatars Aang or Kuruk: Koh, the Face Stealer.”

“KOH!?” Korra yelped, horrified. She knew the name from stories passed down by Avatar Aang, Tenzin told her all about him when she first tried meditating into the spirit world. “Show him no emotion, or your face will join his collection”, Tenzin warned her. It was one of those stories that had always stuck with her, and illustrated the sort of threat a spirit could pose, even to the Avatar. Obviously, she was less than keen to bother him, of all spirits.

“Is he really my only option?” Korra asked. Iroh nodded sadly, and Korra cursed beneath her breath.

“Koh is the only spirit that I know to have fought the Chi Eater and won. After his failure in corrupting the Face Stealer, the Chi Eater went on to enslave a powerful nature spirit in his stead.” Korra’s frown returned. So it really was a nature spirit.

“Yeah, I… I’m familiar with that one…” she admitted with remorse, immediately looking down. The guilt of having killed it was quickly overtaking her fear for Koh, and it showed. “I always try to avoid killing my enemies. Even with Zaheer, I never pushed to have him executed, though spirits know my father did. But… that night at the arena… even Raava was telling me it was the right thing to do. I really felt like I had no choice, you know?”

Iroh placed a comforting hand on the Avatar’s shoulder. “You did the right thing, Korra.” he assured her, smiling. Korra didn’t seem convinced. “The spirits are all well aware of what you did, but they don’t hold it against you. In killing that spirit, you freed its soul from the Chi Eater’s grasp, allowing the cycle of reincarnation to continue at last. Now, all of its remaining energy can finally be reborn into a new spirit.” Suddenly, there was a glimmer of hope behind her eyes.

“Reborn…?”

“Spirits are cyclical creatures. They are born, they live, they die, and then they are born again, not at all unlike the cycle of the Avatar. But we are talking about timescales that are incomprehensible to mortal men, entire planets can live and die before a spirit reaches the end of its lifespan.” Iroh explained, looking Korra in the eyes as he spoke. “From the almighty Raava down to the lowliest of mushroom spirits, the cycle of rebirth and reincarnation is as universal as it is eternal. Even ordinary humans are reborn, in a way, though none so directly as you.” That… wasn’t something Korra knew before. People other than the Avatar reincarnated?

“So you mean I didn’t just… erase it…?” Korra asked. Iroh shook his head.

“Although human souls can be consumed and destroyed by certain spiritual means, spirit souls are far more tenacious and difficult to affect. Though the Chi Eater’s control extends even to a spirit’s soul, in killing it, you managed to sever that control, permanently. Now, it may reincarnate into the next spirit freely, and start all over again.”

Korra sighed with relief. She felt like she was going to cry. She’d felt so guilty about killing that spirit, especially after learning that it didn’t want to kill people. Feeling comfortable in Iroh’s presence, Korra let her tears fall. She hadn’t messed up, after all. She really had done the right thing.

“Thank you,” Korra sniffled, wiping away her tears. “Thank you for telling me all of this.” she repeated. Iroh nodded, smiling warmly. “I’m still not happy that I had to go so far, but knowing that it really was the right thing to do…” she trailed, feeling as if she were going to cry again just thinking about it.

“Don’t ever doubt your instincts, Korra, or Raava’s guiding light. As the Avatar, you may come to find that the two are in alignment more often than they’re not.” Iroh reassured her. Korra smiled, feeling as though a weight had just been lifted from her shoulders. Then, her smile faded, as she reflected on what the Chi Eater had done to that poor spirit. There was no other word for it, it was just plain evil.

“The Chi Eater has to be stopped,” the Avatar announced, Iroh’s smile fading. “I can’t let him keep killing people, and I can’t let this happen to another spirit. I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to go see Koh.” Iroh nodded gravely. If she was sure, he wasn’t going to try and talk her out of it. It was as plain as the nose on his face that he was worried for her, though. “Do you think he might know about my other questions, as well? About the Avatar’s history with the Chi Eater?” she asked.

“I don’t know, but if any spirit would, it would be him.” Iroh affirmed. “He has studied the Avatar intensely over the years, in case you ever returned to finish what Avatar Kuruk had started.”

Korra grimaced. Right, Avatar Kuruk. Given that it was part of Koh’s story, and by extension Aang’s and Tenzin’s, she knew about that, too. Maybe this time would be different, though. Maybe she could try and right that wrong, too. It seemed to be the story of her life so far, just righting other people’s wrongs. Even if those other people were her own past lives.

“Then I guess I’d better get going,” Korra said, giving Iroh another hug before she said goodbye. “Thank you, Iroh.” Iroh closed his eyes, giving her another smile before she left.

“The pleasure is all mine, Avatar Korra. Be careful, and good luck.”

With that, Iroh disappeared from view, walking deeper into the dissipating fog before evaporating along with it, as if he’d never been there in the first place. The only clue he had was the lingering smell of his lantern, which had borne some sort of incense. Korra wished she could do the same and teleport around the spirit world like Iroh and Zaheer did, but that only worked if you were a disembodied spirit, and required that you knew the place you were traveling to very well. Without her connection to her past lives, Korra no longer knew so well the area that was Koh’s lair.

But she did have a way to travel there quickly. Even if it wasn’t as quick as teleporting, you could travel vast distances in seconds in the spirit world if you focused on where you needed to be. So Korra did just that, and before long, the world had moved around her, scenery shifting multiple times before she found herself at a dim, rocky pass. Faceless animals wandered about its entrance, and there was a cavern beneath a tree just barely visible across the way.

She was here. Korra could feel it.

Inhaling deeply, Korra resolved herself for whatever she may be about to experience. From everything she knew about Aang’s encounter, Koh was shifty and insect-like in appearance, always lurking in the shadows and jumping out unexpectedly to try and get a reaction from those who would enter his lair. He would probably frequently start changing faces to try and throw her off of her game, and if she so much as cracked a smile in his presence, her face would be his. Provided he saw that smile happen, anyway.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t have to came to that, though. Asami would kill her if Korra came home without a face.

Having prepared herself to the best of her ability, the Avatar shook free the last of the emotions from her face and hopped across the shaky stone pillars to the cavern across the divide. She was using her Airbending to make the trek an easier one, and as she stopped at the cavern’s maw, the wind whistled across its expanse. She briefly considered turning back, but she couldn’t. She knew this was too important. She couldn’t back out now. Pressing forward, Korra started down the old granite staircase and into the den of the almighty Face Stealer.

“Hello?” Korra called into the darkness, continuing along the path. “I’m looking for a spirit named Koh.”

No response. Maintaining her composure, Korra turned her head, looking around the cavern to the best of her ability. The deeper that she went, the darker it became – before long, she found herself having to firebend a source of light in her hands. Was Koh gone, too? This place was on the fringes of the spirit world, to be sure, but… had the Chi Eater already beaten her to the punch and finished what he started all those years ago?

The sound of loose pebbles and dirt falling from the ceiling emanated from behind her, and Korra inhaled and exhaled sharply, trying not to show her fear. If she strained her ears, she could swear she heard something shuffling. And… whispers? Swallowing hard, she asked again.

“Koh? Are you there? It’s me, the Avatar. I’ve come to talk.” she said. The sounds of shuffling continued, but she couldn’t seem to isolate where they were coming from. The way this cave was structured, it sounded like it was all around her.

He must’ve been preparing to dart in and scare her, then. Korra was privy to his usual bag of tricks. But Koh appeared to be similarly aware. The Avatar’s reincarnation cycle made it hard to surprise them the same way twice, and Korra was almost twice as old as Aang was when he first came her for information. So instead of leaping out of the shadows without any warning, Koh blanketed himself within them, maintaining a watchful eye as he utilized his home’s unique acoustics to his advantage.

“Well, well, well… if it isn’t the Avatar… come to me for information yet again, have you?” came the voice, cool and collected. Calmly scanning the chamber, holding her hand out in front of her to light it up as best she could, Korra failed to isolate a source, visually or otherwise. What was he planning? “And with a new face, no less… it’s been a long time since I’ve added a woman’s face to my collection. How refreshing.” he taunted. Korra remained visibly unfazed.

“Koh?” Korra asked to confirm. She couldn’t imagine who else would be here to answer her, but…

“Indeed, it is I.” Damn. She still couldn’t get a read on his location in the cavern. And since she was in the spirit world, trying to lock onto his spiritual presence and locate him that way was next to impossible.

“Where are you?”

“Behind you.” Korra felt a shiver run up her spine as the sudden sensation of Koh’s warm breath brushed up against her ear. It took every ounce of strength she had not to whip around violently on reflex, turning around in as calm and measured a manner as she could to get a good look at the so-called Face Stealer to find…

Nothing. He was gone.

Exhaling sharply, Korra closed her eyes for a moment, regaining her composure. Upon reopening them, she turned back around, and when she did, that was when he chose to reveal himself to her, the young Avatar finding herself in for the shock of her life as the face of a hungry dragon roared as loud as it could mere inches from her own.

But Korra noticed the centipede-like body the face had been attached to, and she realized immediately that this dragon was just Koh. She just barely held on to her composure as his roar came to an end, and with it, his draconic visage. The eyelid-like structures along his face had closed, and when they reopened, he revealed the face he appeared to be the most comfortable with, that of an old Noh mask with deep red lips and grey markings around its eyes. As his lips curled into a smile, he formally greeted the young Avatar, welcoming her to his home.

“I see you are as well-prepared as your predecessor, Avatar Korra.” Koh halfheartedly chided. If she could, Korra would have grinned at that remark. It seemed he knew her name in particular. Not surprising given all the waves she’d made in reopening the spirit portals, she supposed. “Then again, he was only 12 when he first came to me, whereas you have lived a life more than twice as full… and, unlike him, you have already experienced true fear… isn’t that right?” he asked, the upper portion of his insectoid body turning so that he could tilt his head. But Korra remained expressionless, refusing to answer. She knew what he was alluding to, but she wasn’t going to bite.

“Hello.” Korra bowed. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but I’m not here to cause any trouble. I’d just like to talk.” she repeated. Koh’s eyes narrowed. No response, huh? If he could have, he’d have shifted to Zaheer’s face instead of the dragon’s in an attempt to ensnare her right away, but alas, that man hadn’t dared step foot in this part of the spirit world. It looked as though he’d have to respond, then.

“Talk, or interrogate? You should learn to be more honest with the spirits, Avatar Korra. Even if you refuse to show me any expression, I know when you’re lying.” he warned.

“You’re right. I apologize.” Korra agreed, bowing once again. “I would like to ask you some questions, yes. It’s about a mutual enemy of ours. He calls himself the Chi Eater.”

“Oh, so you two are enemies now, are you? You really are the start of a new era.” Koh teased. It took everything Korra had to hold her emotions in check. His response seemed to be hinting at all of her worst fears. But now wasn’t the time to start heading down that road again. She could freak out about the honor of the Avatar when she was done, finding out who the Chi Eater was came first. “Very well then, Korra. What would you like to know?”

“Thank you.” Korra began. “As you know, I have lost my connection to my past lives. As far as I know, it’s just me and Raava now, so if I ever knew of the Chi Eater before, I have no way of knowing that now.” she briefly explained. Though he already knew all of this, Koh appeared to be listening. “I’ve been trying to stop him ever since I returned to the physical world, and I’ve managed to free his corrupted spirit, but I’ve run out of leads. I was hoping you could maybe tell me who he is, and what he wants, so I can put a stop to him once and for all.”

The look of satisfaction on Koh’s face made Korra feel uneasy. Even still, she kept herself together, even as the spirit began to encircle her, coiling around her like a snake about to squeeze the life out of its prey. This whole situation had the young woman on edge. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck beginning to stand on end, but she controlled her breathing and forced herself to remain calm, utilizing meditative techniques that’d been passed down to her by Tenzin and some tricks of her own from dealing with her trauma in order to keep her cool.

“So, the Avatar wants to know about the Chi Eater’s true identity, does she?” Koh began, shuffling faces now to that of Ummi, Avatar Kuruk’s old flame, wondering if he could elicit any sort of response from her. But there was nothing, not even a glimmer of recognition in her eyes. The Avatar’s slate really had been wiped clean, then. It was as if Korra were seeing this face for the very first time – which, technically, she was.

This meant her story checked out. She really had no clue of the story of the Avatar and the Chi Eater, and she genuinely had no idea who he could be. Realizing the position that this put him in, Koh smirked, admitting defeat but maintaining his confidence, knowing exactly how he could use these facts to his advantage later on. But that was then. Now, he simply carried on with her request.

“Very well then. Though he started off as a human, the Chi Eater is no longer what you could call ‘pure-blooded’. But, neither is he a spirit, either. He tows the line between the two, between the divide of life and death – or, perhaps, he even transcends them. All the while, he continues to wear his humanity like a suit, hiding amongst the species he once belonged to while they pass him by none the wiser. He is a unique entity without any parallel or precedent. That is, of course, except for you.”

“So… he’s half-spirit too?” Korra asked. That seemed to be what Koh was implying.

“Not quite. But he was a man who was obsessed with immortality, willing to do whatever it took to live forever. And so he did.” the spirit cryptically continued, continuing all the while to walk in circles around the Avatar. “By the time of your predecessor, Avatar Aang, Energybending had all but died out, with only a single lion turtle its sole practitioner. But in the time of the Chi Eater’s birth, there existed 13 others – monks who lived high above the clouds, atop mountains even the Air Nomads wouldn’t dare climb. He believed that Energybending would hold the key to his immortality, so he made off with these monks’ secrets and began the process of becoming what he is today.”

“And what is that?”

“Immortal, of course.” Koh smiled. He wasn’t going to spoil everything for her. Assuming that he knew what the Chi Eater really was, Koh was remaining tight lipped on the specifics. Korra sighed at the realization of this, maintaining as neutral of an expression as she could while she did.

“So all he wants to do is live forever, then?” Korra asked, hoping she could at least confirm the Chi Eater’s motivations. To this, Koh nodded (in whatever way a creature like him even could, anyway), his face shifting back to that of the mask from before.

“Despite all he has purportedly done, to himself and to others, at his core, he is still but a man… and a simple one, at that. In all this time, his goals have never once shifted. Though he holds all the power in the world, he chooses to use it solely to perpetuate his own existence. In all my countless epochs of being, I have never met a man more full of fear than him.”

“Fear…?” Korra asked. Suddenly, she remembered the overwhelming feeling of dread she got any time she connected to the corrupted spirit. Had that been the Chi Eater’s fear of death?

Fear is what drives him above all else, what fuels his desire to live forever. His is a fear of death that far exceeds the manic. But as for who he is…” Koh trailed. To say or not to say, that was the question. How much fun could he have with this new Avatar really? Admittedly, the Face Stealer was dying to find out, particularly since she had done him the service of approaching him in-person like this. It was too good an opportunity to pass up.

“…I could tell you, of course, but first… I don’t believe that’s all you really want to know about him, is it, Avatar?” Koh pressed. Korra swallowed.

“I don’t know what you mean.” she claimed.

“You’re lying.” Koh retaliated, flashing her a toothy grin. “I could feel the uncertainty within you when you came in here. You’ve already started making the connections, haven’t you? The secret history of the Avatar and the Chi Eater, and the hidden depths of the conspiracy the two of you have crafted. You don’t even recognize the face of one of your past lives’ lovers, but you recognized the Chi Eater’s touch. His scent. The sickening feel of his chi on the air.” he described. Korra refused to answer. “Would you like to know why?”

Korra thought for a moment. How should she answer?

If she lied, Koh would see right through her and elaborate anyway. If she said nothing, he would likely do the same. But if she was honest, it would be all but guaranteed. There was no way for her to win in this encounter. All Korra could do was defend her honor with her honesty and give Koh exactly what he wanted. She was afraid the answer wouldn’t be one that she liked, but it was an answer that she needed to know.

“Yes.” Korra said.

Koh hummed with satisfaction, his grin widening.

“In that case, allow me to tell you a story. But I must warn you, it is a long one.” the spirit replied, ceasing to encircle the Avatar and standing curled up on himself in front of her instead. Korra simply nodded in response. Enough was enough. If she was going to put an end to this, she had to know everything, whether she liked what that entailed or not.

“Very well then. Long ago, 1,300 years, to be exact, shortly after the Chi Eater had first begun to kill, you chose to confront him. You realized early on that he was a man with powers which no longer belonged in this world, and the sort of threat somebody such as himself could pose should he choose to utilize that power to its fullest extent. Already, he was sacrificing the lives of others in order to extend his lifespan, and by the time you finally tracked him down, he was already going into his second cycle. Delivering a warning he staunchly ignored, you challenged him, failing to realize the full extent of what he was capable of, and he killed you.”

Koh announced the defeat of the Avatar rather matter-of-factly, as if it were a foregone conclusion, hinting at what was at least his opinion of the Chi Eater’s power while also confirming that the Avatar had, in fact, faced the man (or whatever he was) before. Immediately, this didn’t sit well with Korra. If she’d fought this guy before and lost, how was she even alive?

“The Chi Eater could have chosen to end the Avatar cycle right then and there and saved himself the trouble, but instead, he forced you out of the Avatar State with his Energybending and killed you while you were prone. He believed the world would continue to need the Avatar’s guidance in order to exist.” Koh explained.

Korra gulped. He could force her out of the Avatar State? Though she was shaken by the idea of it, Korra remained calm, at least on the surface, continuing to listen to Koh’s story. Whether she liked it or not, this was information she needed to have. Not that the Avatar State would give her much more of an advantage these days, anyway, outside of a Raava-sized supercharge. But the more important – and frightening – question raised by all of this was why Aang didn’t know. Why hadn’t this information been passed on? Koh continued his story.

“As selfish as the Chi Eater is, he has no desire to throw the world into chaos. The whole point of what he does is that he wants to live forever, but to him, a world without the Avatar is a world that is destined to die, and if the world dies, then his immortality is for naught. Because of this, this scenario repeated itself two or three times more, with Avatar after Avatar trying – and failing – to stop him, while he carefully acted as to not disrupt your cycle.

“And so the two cycles went on – the Avatar was reborn while the Chi Eater lived his lifetimes straight-through, two immortals encircling one another like the Moon encircles the Ocean, though yours was a dance that was far more uneven. While the Avatar gained nothing in return, the Chi Eater continued to kill, and by now he had begun to target the spirits as well. It continued like this for some time, and it seemed as though all was lost until one Avatar in particular, maybe 8 or 900 years ago… an Avatar by the name of Rin.”

Korra’s hairs stood on end again. Something about that name rang familiar to her, even though it shouldn’t have.

“Rin was not too dissimilar from yourself, come to think of it. She was aggressively optimistic, and like you, she excelled at the physical side of bending, but the spiritual had always been lost on her, if only at first. But when she’d finally connected, the first thing she learned from the Avatar that preceded her was of the existence of the Chi Eater, an explanation of his threat, and the story of how the Avatar had failed to defeat him before. Living in a time of peace where the world seemed to solve its own problems, Rin devoted herself to doing what none of her predecessors had been capable of and putting an end to the Chi Eater, once and for all. She threw herself into her training and became confident in her power.

“By the time she confronted the Chi Eater, she was one of the most powerful Avatars to have ever lived up until that point. But though she knew of the Chi Eater’s strength, she had underestimated his cunning. Having expected Rin’s interference, the Chi Eater had a plan, and he claimed to have taken hostage of the Avatar’s fiancee, threatening her death should she still choose to confront him. Confident, Rin ignored his warning and threw the first attack, a bolt of lightning stronger than any she had ever conjured before. She knew not to hold back against such a dangerous foe. But the Chi Eater had done his research. He was aware of Rin’s power, as well as her hotheadedness, expecting her assault and avoiding it with ease.”

Koh paused as if to survey Korra’s emotions. Though she was consumed by his tale, and he could tell Rin’s name was familiar to her, she still wasn’t cracking. Koh continued.

“When the Chi Eater moved, he had proven his threat true, and Rin’s lover was revealed. Though she tried to intercept her lightning, it was already too late. In an instant, she was slain, felled by her lover’s own hand.” Korra’s heart sank. She never considered he might… “Predictably, Rin was distraught. Her entire world had come crumbling down in an instant. But the Chi Eater only laughed at her foolishness, stating that he had warned her, reveling in her death before desecrating her body by taking its remaining chi for his own. In a fit of rage, Rin lashed out, shifting into the Avatar State and pushing the Chi Eater further than any Avatar before her.

As great as Rin was, however, the Chi Eater was better. Maintaining the edge throughout their fight, he beat Rin within an inch of her life, but withheld the final blow. He had grown tired of his encounters with the Avatar, and forcing her out of the Avatar State, he gave the grieving Rin an ultimatum:

Leave and never come back, in this or in any life, and I will let you live. But interfere with me again, and I will kill everyone that you love, not only in this life, but in every life, again and again and again, until you finally agree to leave me alone.”

With her ego bruised, her body broken, and her lover dead, Rin, having witnessed his power firsthand, agreed to the Chi Eater’s terms. She forsook her duty as the Avatar and escaped with her life, the remainder of which she lived in self-imposed exile, going down in history as the Hermit Avatar.”

“No…” Korra whispered. Her voice, hushed though it may have been, did not escape the Face Stealer’s attention. Korra knew what was coming next.

“That’s right, Avatar… even in death, you, as Rin, upheld your end of the bargain, refusing to pass on the knowledge of his existence to the next Avatar while simultaneously blocking any previous incarnations from doing the same. In her writings, she made it seem as though the killer she’d pursued for incarnations had been slain, and led her successors to believe the world was free of the Chi Eater’s poison. From then on, the Avatar would never again interfere in the affairs of the Chi Eater, making you, as the current Avatar, just as responsible for all he’s done as the Chi Eater himself is.” Koh concluded.

Korra shook her head. Her facade was cracking, and Koh knew it. “No, you’re lying,” she accused. Koh did not give her a response. “The Avatar would never do that, none of them! We were chosen by Raava for a reason! We… we…” Korra’s voice gave out. She sounded like she was about to cry.

“There are a lot of things that your nature can make me overlook, Avatar Korra. I can forgive you for the transgressions of a past life, because what you did in them were not decisions shaped by the person you are now. Personal grudges I may have had with you in the past mean nothing to you now, and whether they were ever settled or not, I can easily let them go, or perhaps even comprehend them. But there are some sins, I am afraid, that not even that will allow me to forgive. There are some decisions that you make that will shape how you’re seen for cycles to come.” Koh elaborated as he began walking in circles around the Avatar again. Korra’s breathing was getting heavy, and beads of sweat were starting to appear on her face. She couldn’t hold out for much longer.

“Have you ever wondered why some spirits don’t trust you, the Avatar? Why they look down on you as though you were any other human, even despite Raava’s light? It’s because your actions that day, as they have on many days before and since, told us all that you were. They told us that despite Raava’s faith, a human is still a human, and no matter how hard they try, they will never be truly selfless or just, not when it counts the most. Some of us blame you for the brothers and sisters we’ve lost to the Chi Eater’s scourge. Some of us understand that you’ve done good despite all that, before and since Rin. But others, like me…” the Face Stealer paused, pulling his face close to the Avatar’s own. He was smiling wider than ever before.

“…Are just opportunists with agendas of our own, waiting for our moment to strike.” Korra looked up, tears streaming from her eyes. Koh had finally found what he’d been looking for. “You’ve slipped.” he stated simply, Korra’s eyes widening as she realized what she’d done.

In failing to control her emotions, her face had betrayed her inner turmoil, and the terms on which the Face Stealer acted had finally been met. From Kuruk to Aang, the Avatar had denied him their face at least twice before, but finally, finally, he could take it for his own, and add the Avatar to his collection.

From Korra’s perspective, the next second dragged on for an eternity, feeling as though it were in slow motion. The dark spirit’s face crumbled away and his pincers closed in around her head, a gaping black maw opening up where a human-like face had been a moment prior. Her eyes widened further in horror as she was greeted by countless rows of jagged teeth and infinite black, black from which a bright white light was now quickly arising. She could feel her face being sucked into the void as the light came up to meet her.

Purely based on reflex, Korra’s body began to move, her right arm swinging upward as she stumbled back, a powerful burst of air following her fist and colliding with Koh’s ‘chin’ to send him hurdling into the roof. Suddenly, Korra’s horror gave way to a smirk. That was right – she’d entered through a spirit portal. She could bend here. She could fight.

Koh hissed with rage. “You DARE bend at ME?” he snarled.

“I don’t want to fight you, but I’m not letting you take my face, either!” Korra proclaimed. She was no longer holding back her emotions. She’d now realized she had nothing to fear from the Face Stealer so long as she could fight him off.

“You know the rules, Korra, and you lost, fair and square. I promise you, it’s nothing personal,” Koh claimed, pulling himself from the roof and leveling his maw back toward the Avatar. She instinctively looked away, feeling as though she’d lose her identity just for staring at it for too long.

“Somehow I doubt that,” Korra responded, now following the Face Stealer with her ears. “you’ve never really liked me, have you? You’re not like most other spirits, you actually want to hurt people. I must have had to deal with you long before Kuruk, and you hate me for it.”

As the malevolent spirit hissed again, Korra assumed that she was right. Her ears twitched as she heard him begin to slither away. The acoustics of the cavern were once again in his favor, making tracking him difficult, if not outright impossible, by mere sound alone. While she would try to avoid direct eye contact with his (lack of a) face, she would still have to use her eyes and blasts of fire aimed at the walls to track the movements of his body.

“You say that about me now, but the Avatar had no problem giving the Chi Eater a free pass. Everything that’s coming for you, you brought on yourself.” Koh dismissed. Korra’s smirk quickly faded, and anger began to overtake her. She was not Rin. Not anymore. “Maybe if I get lucky, your next incarnation will extend me the same courtesy!”

Behind her!

Jumping to her right, the Face Stealer jutted forward, trying to grab her from behind. She swung a wave of fire from behind her as she moved, breaking for the exit as fast as she possibly could while the spirit howled in pain, the flames finding their way into his maw. Had he ever had to fight the Avatar when they could still bend all the elements?

“You sure this is nothing personal? Because this is starting to sound pretty personal,” Korra taunted, glancing behind her for a moment as she ran for the stairs. To her surprise, however, Koh was already gone.

“Don’t you dare make light of me, Avatar,” he warned, dropping down from the ceiling in front of her. Korra skid to a halt. He was fast! “I’ve been around since long before Wan, and I’ll still be around long after your last life has been extinguished!”

An otherworldly noise like countless screams carried on a maelstrom surrounded Korra as the Face Stealer went in for the kill once again. His face was leveled back in front of hers, and she could feel the pull on her soul by whatever power Koh was using as she stared into that black. Korra knew he put his victims in a state between life and death where they’d be lost for all eternity. Was this encroaching emptiness how that felt?

Closing her eyes, Korra slammed her forehead against the Face Stealer’s closest analogous feature with as much force as she could muster, pushing him back just an inch or two before following it up with a kick. Following her movements, a pillar of earth erupted from below Koh’s center, tossing him high into the air and taking her back out of his line of sight.

Once again, he was forced to abandon his attempted theft, spinning his body around mid-air so that he could land on the ceiling feet-first. The instant he made contact, he scurried away, navigating the cavern’s roof to attack again from another angle. He was persistent, and Korra was already feeling drained just from the few seconds she’d been in front of him. As she reached up to feel for her face, she breathed a sigh of relief to feel it was still there – for now. She had to get out of here, and fast.

…But…

Korra still didn’t have the information that she’d come for. Though the light of the exit was in sight, she knew that Koh would likely be expecting her to make a break for it again, and more than that, if she returned empty-handed on the identity of the Chi Eater, she’d have risked her life in a battle with the Face Stealer for basically nothing (aside from a crippling case of self-doubt).

With a sigh, Korra grit her teeth, clenched her fists, and stood her ground, turning back around in the direction Koh had gone to release mighty blasts of fire from her fists. The cavern was illuminated with the bright orange light, and for the briefest of moments, Koh’s position was revealed. The spirit seemed surprised. She was staying?

“Don’t think we’re done yet, Koh – you’re telling me who the Chi Eater really is!” It was Korra’s second proclamation of the day, and Koh was just as dismissive of this one as he was the first.

“Then you’re a greater fool than Rin ever was!” he said, charging in for the kill and moving through her fire blasts as though they were nothing. Had he been toying with her with every blow, trying to get her to let her guard down? Figures – she’d just have to hit him with something he couldn’t resist then, something she knew he was vulnerable to.

This time, though she made earthbending movements to stop him, it was a feint. Pieces of the cave collided with his hard shell as though they were dirt clods, but it was never her intention to do him harm, not like that. She just needed him to think she was attacking him so he’d keep drawing near. When he stood right in front of her, ready to take her face, Korra reached out and grabbed his head, her eyes going white.

“You…!” Koh gasped, his prior face returning, un-dissolving from his maw as his power was counteracted. Spirits were primarily made of energy, just like their world, and she knew from Iroh’s story that it could be used to fight the Face Stealer. With her Energybending, she was trying to hold him back. But she’d forgotten that his battle with the Chi Eater lasted a full day, and almost immediately after forcing his face to return, she met resistance. “Insolent child, you think you can Energybend ME!?” he cried.

No, but we can!” Korra replied, her voice overlapping with Raava’s. Koh’s expression was of the purest rage at the sound.

RAAVA!” He seethed, the overwhelming presence of the Light Spirit’s power forcing him back, his form physically repelled by her might. He knew when to pick his battles and immediately attempted to run away, but before he could get very far, the air – no, the very world around him was being bent to Korra’s will, a barrier of air preventing his physical passage while the spirit world itself was bent around his location, any attempt to escape thwarted by the curvature of its plane.

Tell me who he is!” The Avatar demanded, her orders both her own and the Light Spirit’s within her. The Face Stealer shuddered at the thought.

“I refuse! I will not be made a mockery in my own home! You knew the terms!” Koh shouted, but the Avatar was not moved.

His name! she demanded louder, her grip on the entire world tightening. Koh was choking, feeling as though space itself were crushing him, his shell beginning to crack underneath the pressure. Though he struggled to break free, the Avatar would not back down, and her power over him was as complete as it was terrifying, and humbling.

“I… won’t…!” Koh maintained. Korra applied a little more pressure, and the spirit’s vision began to go dark. He wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take. He was not about to let his existence come to an end here. Once again, the Avatar had bested him.

I couldn’t tell you even if I wanted to!” he finally admitted. Though she was visibly displeased, the Avatar appeared to be listening, and she ceased tightening her grip around him. “He changes his name every time he starts a new cycle, the one I know him by is meaningless to you now! Even his face has changed since then, I don’t think even my mother would recognize him now!” Koh claimed. High praise, given who she was. “But I can tell you now that you’ve met him before, in this life. You reek of his stench. And you’re not the only one. There is another, an Airbender girl. Neither she or the Chi Eater knows it yet, but some of his energy has latched onto hers. I can sense it every time she meditates into our world. If you want to find the Chi Eater, then you’re better off asking her!”

Korra’s eyes briefly widened, but she maintained the Avatar state. Jinora…? But h ow?

“I’ve told you all I know, now let me go!” Koh demanded.

Exhaling deeply, the Avatar relented, releasing her hold on Koh and the world around him. Immediately, the spirit fell from his suspended state with a loud and undignified thud. As she exited the Avatar State, he glared in Korra’s direction. He briefly considered attacking her again for daring to lay a finger on him with her Energybending, but with as close as she was to Raava, he knew that to be a fool’s errand. He would not be able to exact his revenge on her in this life. Hers and Raava’s connection would have to be muddied by a few more incarnations before he could ever consider doing that.

“You really are a thorn in my side, no matter the incarnation. Only the Chi Eater has ever resisted me so thoroughly.” Koh remarked, impressed by Korra’s power and ferocity. She easily could have killed him, and the look on her face told him that she knew it. “Perhaps you two are more similar than I thought. After all, you both fear death, don’t you?” he asked.

While Korra just stood there, unsure of how to respond to his insinuation, Koh disappeared into the darkness, turning tail and running deeper into his cave. He was letting her go. For now. But the next time an Avatar showed their face around him, they might not be so lucky, rules or no rules. After that shameless display, all bets were off, and Korra knew it.

Sighing with relief, Korra collapsed. She did it. She fought Koh and won. Reaching up again just to make sure, she could feel her face was still intact. For a moment, she just sat there on her knees, but before long, she got up and left the cave. As she climbed the steps back toward the light, she tried to process what she’d learned. The Chi Eater was the Avatar’s fault. Avatar Rin had made a deal with the devil, and now Korra was paying the price for it. All that blood was on their hands.

And Jinora… spirits, Jinora. Was she really the only chance Korra had at finding the Chi Eater now? Korra had searched the city for his energy herself multiple times when she was looking for the spirit, but he must have had a way to shield himself from her detection, because she never sensed anything more than ordinary humans and spirits. And now she’d been told that some of his energy was attached to Jinora? Tenzin was not going to like this.

As she made it out of the cavern and hopped back across the divide, Korra sighed again. This time not out of relief, but frustration, and disappointment. Koh’s story still weighed heavy on the Avatar’s mind.

Raava… was he telling the truth?” she asked the spirit within. Korra already knew the answer, but she didn’t want to believe it. Unfortunately, Raava corroborated his story.

I believe so, yes. I am sorry, Korra.” she replied. Korra frowned.

I always thought…” Korra trailed. What did she always think? That the Avatar was perfect? That they always did the right thing? She knew that wasn’t true, she’d found that out from experience. But she never, not in a million years, ever would’ve thought that the Avatar could be so… cowardly. “It just seems so wrong. So selfish. To let all those people and spirits die, just to protect yourself.” she lamented. “Even if he was threatening everyone she loved, Rin never should’ve given in to him. She should have fought him to the end.”

It’s easy for you to say that when he’s yet to do it to you, Korra.” Raava reminded. Korra almost felt insulted. “You think I’m wrong, but if he held the lives of Asami and your friends in his hand, would you have the strength to fight him anyway?” she pressed. Korra didn’t respond. “In the end, you are still only human. You will still make mistakes and improper judgment calls, even if I were to intervene every time. You have done so in your past lives, and you will do so again in your future ones. But I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. I do not think you or I alone could remain impartial to the concerns of humans and spirits both if we did not understand and live as both. This is something I fear my kind has never fully understood about what the Avatar is meant to be.”

And what is it meant to be?” Korra asked. After today, she wasn’t sure she knew anymore.

Flawed.” Raava simply replied.

A single word, and Korra felt as though she understood. Nobody had been more flawed of an Avatar than her. It was her flaws that caused her to lose her bending to Amon, and Vaatu to escape, and the Earth Kingdom to fall to ruin. She’d made so many mistakes and had so many failures in her life, it was difficult for her to keep count anymore. But according to Raava, that wa s what made her strong.

If Korra didn’t experience all of the negatives of humanity herself, if she didn’t exhibit traits like fear and selfishness, then how could she ever come to understand them? To combat them? To treat those overwhelmed by them with mercy and compassion? How could she stand as an example to other people if she was free of the things that made them people in the first place? Maybe she hadn’t always done the right thing, a s Korra or as Rin. But the Avatar had never been, nor was it ever meant to be, perfect. To be perfect would be to miss the point. Not even Aang got everything right. It was not the Avatar’s job to be free of human flaws, but to fight on for what was right in spite of them.

And with all of this made clear to her, Korra felt as though she had a better understanding of Avatar Rin. Even if she was the Avatar, she was an ordinary person, too, and ordinary people could get scared. Scared enough to do some very terrible and shameful things. But that, too, was just part of being human. And that’ s what the Avatar was, above all else: human. So she was going to make mistakes. She wasn’t always going to do the right thing. But no matter how many times she faltered, so long as she learned from those mistakes, and corrected them, be it in this life or the next, that was all that really mattered.

In the end, the story of the Avatar and the Chi Eater was nothing more than the story of fear. And now that Korra understood that, and that it was okay for her to feel that fear, she could finally begin to close the book on that story, once and for all.

Feeling as though she had a better understanding of herself and what to do next, Korra focused her mind on returning to the Republic City spirit portal, and the world shifted around her to make it so. It was time for Korra to go back home.

Notes:

As promised, another chapter. This is one of my favorites of the story so far, Koh was very fun to write for, and I had even more fun exploring and expanding on the lore of the world in regards to the spirits and the failures of past Avatars, as well as the nature of the Avatar as a whole.

I had an idea for an Avatar who was pushed to their limit and ended up making an intentionally destructive choice, one with ramifications for generations of Avatars to follow, and that ultimately became Avatar Rin. There's more to her story than just this, but I'm not sure when we're going to get to explore it. I just hope you're all looking forward to it! See you all soon!

Chapter 18: Only Human

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Book Five
Chi

Chapter 18
Only Human

 

There was no time to lose. As soon as Korra stepped out of the portal, she scoured the crisscrossing network of roots and vines throughout Republic City, desperately searching for any trace of Jinora. The how, the why – none of that mattered right now. The only thing that mattered was finding her before he did. But there was nothing. No matter how hard she focused, there was no trace of Jinora anywhere in Republic City.

The Avatar was confused, and then afraid. Normally, this was an automatic solve for her – just think of who she wanted to find, and the vines would connect her to them. But if she wasn’t finding anything, then either she was outside the city for some reason, or…

Korra shook the thought from her head. She couldn’t afford to think like that. Besides, this was nothing new when it came to the Chi Eater. She was never able to sense that corrupted spirit until it was right on top of her, let alone seek it out through the spirit vines, so clearly he had some way of hiding himself from her. If Jinora was infected with some of his energy, then that could easily be what was happening now.

Concern set in her brow, Korra stood up and bit her lip. If the vines weren’t going to help her, then she’d have to look for Jinora the old fashioned way. So, after taking a moment to limber up, she broke off into a mad sprint across Republic City. She wasn’t going to search all of it though; that would’ve been impractical, especially without a glider suit. No, she already had a destination in mind: Air Temple Island. That was where Tenzin was, and if anybody was going to know where Jinora was right now, it would be him.

This was no ordinary sprint, though. Korra was bolstering her speed with her airbending, and was moving faster than Naga or any Satomobile could carry her, fast enough to run straight across any bodies of water that happened to be in her way. She figured she must’ve been quite the sight for any confused onlookers – a determined blue blur, there and then gone in a gust of wind – but she was an Avatar on a mission.

Thankfully, the distance she had to cover wasn’t that great – a couple of miles at best – and before long, Korra had made it to her destination. She leapt from the bay over the pier and hit the ground running, dashing full speed up the stairs and toward the island’s main tower, and Tenzin’s study at its top. She must’ve barreled over a dozen acolytes along the way, but for them, this was a familiar scene. Korra had done this not even two weeks ago when she first found out about the Chi Eater, and because of that, they all knew the drill, clearing a path as best they could and opening any doors for her along the way.

After entirely too many staircases, Korra arrived, sliding to a messy stop just outside of the doorway to Tenzin’s study. She only just managed to stop herself from falling over by grabbing onto said doorway for support, propelling herself into the very intentionally dimly lit room while making entirely too much noise.

“Tenzin!” she cried out.

The old Airbender nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound. Up until now, he’d been sitting on the floor, meditating. Now, he stood in the center of the room clutching his chest, scared half to death by the Avatar’s very sudden and climactic intrusion.

“Korra, please, you nearly gave me a heart attack,” he said with some frustration, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his other hand. But his tune quickly changed when he saw the look on her face. He knew that look all too well. Something terrible had happened. “…Oh no.”

“Tenzin, I’m sorry… I… it’s…”

Before she could spit it out, Korra collapsed onto her knees, and then the floor. Tenzin immediately rushed to her aide, but she was already pushing herself back up. She was exhausted and trying to catch her breath, but if she were being honest, she had no clue where to start once she had. So much had happened in so little time. There was so much she had to fill him in on. But… Jinora.

Inhaling as deeply as she could, Korra forcibly steadied her breathing as much as her body would allow, and then sat herself down on the floor. As soon as she felt she could speak, she tried again.

“Tenzin, where’s Jinora?” Korra asked.

“Jinora?” Tenzin asked, at first confused, and then afraid. The look on her face hadn’t lightened any, and she was asking about his daughter. Alarm bells immediately went off in his head, and understandably, he began scrambling for answers. “Korra, what’s wrong? What’s this all about? Is Jinora okay?”

Korra frowned. That’s what she was trying to figure out. “Tenzin, please. Just… tell me where she is. Please.”

Though he wanted nothing more than to press her for some answers first, he could tell she wasn’t going to budge until he told her. “…She’s outside, at the training grounds,” he acquiesced, “but why do you want to know? What’s going on?”

Korra was so relieved she nearly fainted on the spot. She must’ve run right past her on the way up here and not even noticed. She’d been moving so quickly, everyone and everything around her was kind of a blur, so it wasn’t much of a surprise, but if Jinora was here, on the island, then she was safe. For now. Now, maybe, she could find a way to-

“Korra?”

Right. She could worry about what came next later on. For now, she had some explaining to do. “…You might want to sit down for this,” she said, frowning. Reluctantly, her master obliged, and the Avatar went on to tell him all about her terrible, no good, very bad day.

She told him about how the Chi Eater was still alive, and that he was an immortal half-human, half-spirit hybrid like the Avatar. She told him about her dream and the secret meeting she’d held with Lin and Raiko, and how she went into the spirit world to chase down leads. She told him about Iroh, and Koh, and how she fought the Face Stealer and won. She even told him about Avatar Rin, and how after being beaten by the Chi Eater, she struck a deal with him that prevented future Avatars from interfering with him ever again. And then, finally, she told him about Jinora, and how, somehow, she’d been ‘infected’ with the Chi Eater’s energy.

All throughout her tale, Tenzin remained deathly silent – not a single question was asked. She could tell by the look on his face that there was a lot in her explanation that concerned him, and even more that he didn’t fully understand, but he understood that last part well enough. Jinora was in danger. Without missing a beat, Tenzin airbent himself back onto his feet and urged for Korra to follow him. Though his face was stern and indecipherable, she had never seen such fear in his eyes before. She followed him out the door without any hesitation.

Though there was no telling how safe Jinora really was right now, the two were walking – not running – down the halls and stairwells leading to the training grounds. And though there was undoubtedly a lot to unpack in what she’d told him, he didn’t utter a single word as they departed. Korra felt like she was drowning in all the silence, and eventually, she couldn’t take it anymore, and to try and break the tension, she did the first thing she could think of after everything that had happened.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve invited you to that meeting earlier, you should’ve been a part of this,” she apologized, as if his presence there would’ve changed the outcome in any way. “it didn’t feel right, and now, I-”

“You made the right call.” Tenzin said, catching Korra by surprise. She wasn’t expecting him to respond, let alone agree with her.

“I did?”

“You were trying to keep the circle small until you knew what was going on. You didn’t want to start a panic prematurely and only told who needed to know. Until now, that wasn’t me. So yes. I think you made the right call.”

Korra swallowed hard. Here she was, supposedly a full-fledged Avatar, and she was still second guessing herself and her decisions every step of the way. She was still relying on Tenzin for guidance and approval. For a moment, she wondered if she would ever grow out of this. She wasn’t in training anymore, but whenever she was with Tenzin, it felt like she was. Like she still had so much to learn. Sometimes it was almost as if she felt as though he were the Avatar, not her.

It wasn’t a train of thought she could dwell on, though. Tenzin’s next words made sure of that, pulling her back to reality and refocusing her on the task at hand.

“Is Jinora going to be okay?” Tenzin didn’t turn to look at her as he asked this, and the Avatar was thankful. She was sure that if he had, and she’d seen the look on his face, she would’ve started freaking out. She was lucky. Like this, she could maintain an air of false-confidence.

“She will be. I’ll make sure of it,” she promised. “Koh said that the Chi Eater doesn’t know about their connection yet, but I don’t know how long that’s going to last. But once I get to her, I should be able to pull out whatever’s attached itself to her with my Energybending.” Or so she hoped.

In truth, she was still a beginner Energybender. The Chi Eater had been at this for a thousand years. She wasn’t sure if she could really do what was being demanded of her here. But she had to believe that she could. That promise was as much to herself as it was to Tenzin.

Even still, as Tenzin breathed a sigh of relief, Korra felt conflicted. Not only because she was doubting herself, but because of Avatar Rin. How could he still have faith in her after hearing all of that? But she didn’t dare press him on it. She knew he needed to believe in something.

“So. You really fought Koh?” Tenzin asked. The suddenness of the question threw her, but Korra figured he’d rather think about anything else right now. “Not even Avatar Kuruk managed to defeat him. It must’ve been a difficult battle.”

“Actually, it was scary how easy it was.” Korra admitted with some hesitation. “I could’ve killed him, and I knew it. It would’ve been the easiest thing in the world. He seemed to think I was reveling in that power, and compared me to the Chi Eater.” As she said this, she was half-afraid that Tenzin might agree with him. But though she waited, that agreement never came. “I… I didn’t like that feeling.”

“As the Avatar, you’re always going to have that power,” Tenzin reminded, not that Korra really needed it, “and some Avatars, like Kyoshi, were not afraid to use it. But I trust your judgment. I don’t think you’d ever take a life unless you had to. Not even Koh’s.”

“So even after hearing about Avatar Rin,” she replied, the words just spilling out of her as Tenzin once again demonstrated his faith in her, “you still don’t think any less of me?”

“No. I don’t.”

Korra felt like she was about to cry. She’d been so scared that when she started telling people that story, it would shake their faith in the Avatar. In her. But Tenzin still believed in her. And if he did, then she was sure that all her friends would, too. Asami would. She felt bad for ever having doubted them, but this was… Korra was just thankful Tenzin never turned around to look at her. She was barely keeping it together.

“Thank you. I… I really needed to hear that.”

With that, the two returned to silence, but not for long. By now, they’d descended the final staircase and stepped into the courtyard, and the primary training ground wasn’t far off. In fact, Korra could see it in the distance, and there, sitting at its edge, was Jinora, exactly as Tenzin said. Immediately, a look of relief washed over her. Strangely, she still couldn’t seem to sense her energy, but as she tried again, she did sense somebody else’s – Jinora wasn’t alone. And once she caught glimpse of who it belonged to, Korra’s expression quickly soured.

Opal.

From the looks of things, she was repeating basic Airbender forms, quietly encircling the center of the yin-yang pattern on the floor. Korra could only assume this was part of her punishment. Part of her hoped there was more to it than that.

As soon as she circled around to see Korra, Opal gasped, then shrunk and looked away. Much to the relief of both of them however, she wasn’t why Korra was here, so that brief glance was the extent of their interaction. Korra had nothing to say to her.

“Oh, Korra, Tenzin, there you two are,”

Korra jumped slightly as a third voice broke the silence. She’d been so focused on Opal and Jinora, she hadn’t noticed that Suyin was here, too, seated on a bench off to the side. Presumably, she’d been watching her daughter train. But the announcement of Korra and Tenzin prompted Jinora to open an eye, her face lighting up as soon as she saw that it was true.

“Korra!” Jinora shouted happily, immediately running up to pull her into a hug. As soon as she got up, Korra could feel her presence reappear, and she breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She must’ve been meditating into the spirit world – that was why she wasn’t able to sense her before. After a second, Korra returned the hug hello. “I’m so glad to see you, we barely got to talk at all last night! But, dad told me what happened, so I guess I understand why…”

Korra frowned. So Jinora knew too. She supposed it made sense. Aside from Tenzin, she was the only other Master Airbender in the world. She’d probably be overseeing a lot of Opal’s training and punishment, in whatever form that took. She may even have had some say in what it was.

“Part of Opal’s punishment is to start over from scratch,” Suyin interrupted, having been filled in by Jinora earlier on. “with an added emphasis on the teachings of the monks.”

Jinora nodded in agreement. Though she kept the thought to herself, Korra couldn’t help but wonder if that would be enough. She spared another quick glance in Opal’s direction, but she was staring at the floor now, trying to pretend she wasn’t here. Korra would ask more about that later.

“Anyway, I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’m actually glad you’re here,” Suyin segued, taking charge of the conversation before Korra could. “I originally came to see Tenzin to ask if he knew where you were, but Jinora said that he was meditating and that I’d have to wait. This saves me the trouble.”

“Me?” Korra asked, pointing to herself for confirmation. Unfortunately, Suyin nodded. Great. If Suyin wanted to talk to her, it could only have been about one of two things – Opal or Kuvira. Korra wasn’t really sure she wanted to hear about either of them right now. “Is this about what happened last night?”

“No. Well… maybe?” Suyin said with some uncertainty. Korra looked confused. “I went to see Kuvira today, to try and talk to her. She wasn’t ready to talk with me, but, apparently, she is with you.”

That caught Korra off guard. Kuvira was ready to talk? “That’s… that’s great, actually,” she said, a slight smile finding its way onto her face. Finally, some good news. “I was hoping I’d get the chance to talk with her eventually. Thank you for letting me know. I’ll be sure to get to her as soon as this Chi Eater thing is wrapped up.”

All it took was a name, and the mood completely changed. Even Opal, who had been trying to just keep her mind on the task at hand, had frozen at its mention. Korra bit her lip. Oops.

“What do you mean? I thought you already dealt with the Chi Eater?” Suyin asked. She looked scared, but not as scared as Jinora. Korra’s frown returned.

“Well, I guess it’s going to be public knowledge soon, anyway…” Korra said, rubbing the back of her head. “The Chi Eater is still alive. Not the spirit, but the one who corrupted it.”

“But… how?” Jinora asked. “They’d have to be over a thousand years old by now!”

Korra nodded. “He’s an immortal who extends his life with the chi he steals from spirits and other people. I met with a spirit who knew all about him, and he told me that he’s still alive. What’s worse, he’s killed me before.”

Nobody knew what to say to that. Korra definitely had some explaining to do before all this was over, but now wasn’t the time to rehash the Avatar Rin story all over again. Before anybody could ask her any more about that, Korra carried on with why she was even here in the first place.

“But none of that’s important right now. Jinora, I think you might be in danger.”

Jinora’s heart skipped a beat. “Me…? Why?”

“The same spirit who told me about the Chi Eater told me he could sense his presence on me. For me, that makes sense. I fought the spirit he corrupted and wrestled with his energy directly, so there’s still traces of him on me. But he also said he could sense his presence on you, too. I don’t know how, or when, but at some point, you and I both met the Chi Eater, and when we did, some of his energy latched onto yours.”

It didn’t take long for Jinora to make the connection. As soon as Korra said they’d both met him, and that his energy latched onto hers, she knew. Her face went white as a sheet at the realization. “I… no. No, it couldn’t be,” Jinora wrestled, “it can’t be him.”

“Who?” Tenzin asked, beating Korra to the punch.

“Ryuuki.” Jinora said. “Ryuuki is the Chi Eater.”

Korra’s mouth went dry. “No. No, it can’t be. He’s… him?” She asked, trying to rationalize the thought.

“But he fought the Chi Eater alongside us!” Suyin exclaimed.

“I know! I know. It doesn’t make any sense… but… aside from Ravi, he’s the only new person Korra and I have both been in contact with recently.”

“No. No, no, no, no, no – Ravi? Are you kidding me?” Korra asked. “After everything he’s done for this city? And Asami… she’s known him for so long, you don’t think she’d have noticed if something was off about him?”

“Which just leaves Ryuuki.” Tenzin said.

“But…” Korra didn’t want to believe it, but she could see it in Jinora’s eyes. She was sure about this, one hundred percent. “That… asshole.” she exclaimed. “He played us!”

“I should’ve realized sooner,” Jinora said, “that night at the premiere, when he touched me… that shock he gave me wasn’t normal, and I knew it, but I didn’t call him out on it. If I had, then maybe we would’ve caught him already.”

“Jinora, this is not your fault,” Korra assured, but Jinora shook her head.

“No, I should’ve known. His energy is inside of me, Korra. How could I not notice that?” Jinora was beginning to freak out. “It’s been harder for me to meditate into the spirit world lately. Every time I’ve tried, there’s been resistance. I knew it wasn’t normal, but I never thought…”

“It’s okay.” Tenzin said, placing a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Korra’s right. This isn’t your fault.”

“If he’s killed anyone else since the premiere, then it kind of is.”

“No, it’s my fault.” Korra argued. “I’m the Avatar. I’m supposed to be on top of this sort of thing. Instead, I let you become a victim too.”

“How did this even happen? You said the Chi Eater doesn’t know about their connection, right?” Tenzin asked.

“That’s what Koh said. But he also told me he isn’t human anymore, and that he’s somehow modified himself. If I had to guess, that’s made his chi unstable. Jinora’s always been close to the spirits, so some of his energy was probably attracted to her like a magnet.”

“Wait a minute, Koh? The Face Stealer?” Jinora asked. Korra nodded, but didn’t elaborate any further than that.

“If we’re all sure about this, then I need to tell Lin,” Suyin said, ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

“Probably, but we shouldn’t go into this blind. I don’t know what he’s fully capable of, but he’s bested Avatars in the past. If we just charge in head-first, there’s a good chance he’ll escape, or worse.” Korra sighed. “We need a plan. And we have to hit him when he’s alone, so nobody else gets caught in the crossfire.”

“I agree. First things first though, we need to find out where he is.”

“He’s renting a penthouse just a few blocks from the spirit portal,” Suyin revealed. “that’d probably be our best bet, but we’ll have to evacuate the rest of the building without him knowing. If he realizes he’s been caught, he might make a break for it before we can confront him.”

“But we also have to make sure he’s actually there, first. If he comes back to an empty building, he’ll know something’s up.”

“I can make sure of that.” Jinora announced. Suddenly, all eyes were on her. “Some of the Chi Eater’s energy attached itself to me, right? If I focus, I should be able to find it, and when I do, I should be able to use it to hone in on Ryuuki. Then we can track his every move.”

“No. No, I won’t allow it, it’s too dangerous,” Tenzin said. “we’ll find another way. If we’re careful, then maybe we can-”

“This is our best chance at finding him. If he doesn’t know we’re connected, he won’t see me coming. It’ll be a lot easier to isolate him once we know where he is.”

“Jinora, please, don’t,” Tenzin begged. “You have no idea what he could do to you if he finds out!”

“He doesn’t know about your connection now, but if you use it to track him down, that could change.” Korra warned. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Korra! You can’t seriously be considering-” Tenzin began, only to be cut off by Jinora.

“I’m going to do it either way,” she declared, “Don’t worry. I’ll be careful. If anything seems off, I’ll stop.”

“Korra, please, couldn’t you just Energybend him out of her now?”

“I could, but I agree with Jinora. This could be our best chance at isolating him and taking him down. I have faith in her.”

“Thank you, Korra…” Jinora said, happy that at least somebody was on her side.

Tenzin wasn’t too pleased with it, but he knew there was nothing he could do. He’d just have to trust in his daughter.

“It’s going to take some time for me to isolate his energy from my own, let alone track him down with it. In the meantime, Suyin, you should go tell Lin and Raiko and have a team at the ready.” Jinora directed. Suyin nodded, leaving without another word. “As for you, Korra, you should probably go see Kuvira in the meantime.”

“What? Now?” Korra asked. Was this really the best time for that?

“It’s going to take us all a while to get ready, and it’s better than going in and confronting him alone.” Korra frowned. It seemed Jinora had her all figured out. Korra knew it probably wasn’t the smartest decision, but she didn’t want to put anybody else at risk. The Chi Eater was very much the Avatar’s mess to clean up. “Please. Just… trust me on this, okay? Both of you.” Jinora begged, looking from Korra to her father as the two of them shared a look.

“…Okay.” Korra agreed. “If he’s as dangerous as I think he is, I might not get another chance, anyway. While you try to track him down, I’ll go talk with Kuvira.”

“I…” Tenzin was still uncertain. But he’d never seen his daughter so determined before. He knew this was out of his control now. The least he could do was have faith in her. “…Be careful. Please.”

“I will.” Jinora promised.

“Tenzin, you should go help Lin and Suyin.” Korra suggested.

“Absolutely not,” he replied. “I’m not leaving Jinora’s side until I know she’s safe.”

“I can help,” Opal meekly spoke up, having been listening in to the entire conversation. Everybody immediately turned to look at her, but it was Korra’s glare that affected her the most. It was not a very trusting look. “I don’t know what I could do if something goes wrong, but… I fought that spirit, too. I’m already a part of this.” Though she waited for Korra to shoot her down, the rejection never came. Instead, after a moment of silence, Korra simply nodded in agreement.

“Jinora, come contact me with your spirit projection as soon as you find him, okay?” The Avatar requested.

“I will. I promise.”

That was all the Avatar needed to hear. With everything decided, Korra left the three airbenders behind, grabbing an old glider staff from the edge of the training grounds and taking off for the sky. With any luck, by the time she was done with Kuvira, they’d be ready to move on Ryuuki.

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

 

Maybe it was the Water Tribe in her, but when Korra took a moment to soak it all in, Kuvira’s prison was actually kind of… well, pretty.

The endless blue of the sea and sky and how they melded together on the horizon, the familiar salty scent of that cool ocean air, the sound of the waves sloshing up against the raft – they were all things Korra enjoyed immensely. It was serene, peaceful, and exactly what she needed to, at least for a moment, push the Chi Eater to the back of her mind.

Maybe Kuvira felt differently. Maybe she preferred the mountains and the valleys of the Earth Kingdom to the allure of the sea. Korra couldn’t be certain. But as far as prisons went, at least from Korra’s perspective, Kuvira was pretty lucky.

When the Avatar arrived, she was greeted with much more fanfare than Suyin. Even despite the previous night’s events and the cover-up that followed, the guards all still seemed to like her. Though she was thankful, Korra was a little put off by all the attention. She’d reveled in it when she was younger and more hot-headed, but now… well, she wasn’t really sure what had changed, but it didn’t feel right anymore. The hero’s welcome seemed a bit much. But all this meant there was no hiding who’d arrived from the prisoner in the central cell.

Kuvira was surprised. She hadn’t expected Korra to come by so soon. Was it a matter of convenience, or was this actually important to her?

The truth of the matter was somewhere in the middle. To Korra, this really was important, but she wouldn’t have swung by so soon if it weren’t for Jinora’s insistence. It was a good way to pass the time, yes, but that wasn’t her sole reason for being here. Korra genuinely cared about helping Kuvira, too.

As the guards led Korra to their prisoner’s cage and set up a chair for her to use, Korra awkwardly played along. When one of them asked her for her autograph though, she’d had enough. Bowing to the assemblage around her with respect, the Avatar dismissed them all, asking that she be allowed to speak with Kuvira in private. Nodding, the officers and airbenders all gathered in their half-finished break room and turned up the radio. That was about as much privacy as she was going to get, but it would do. Korra took a seat.

At first, only silence was shared between the two of them.

Kuvira sat quietly in her cell with her knees pulled up into her chest and her back turned to Korra. Though she knew the Avatar was there, she didn’t want to have to physically face her. For her that would be like staring at the sun.

Korra, meanwhile, sat patiently in her chair, waiting for Kuvira to speak. She was the one who called her here, after all, and she didn’t want to jump to any conclusions as to why. It would be up to Kuvira to start the conversation.

And so the minutes passed, the two women content to sit in silence. It was not a tense silence, however. Kuvira just didn’t know how to start. And now, she was having second thoughts about starting at all. She couldn’t help but wonder what difference any of this was going to make. It was only as the sun hanging low on the horizon threatened to set that she finally opened her mouth to speak.

“A part of me didn’t think you’d actually come,” Kuvira began, pulling her knees closer in to her body. “from what I’ve heard, you’ve been awfully busy these last few weeks. Vacationing in the spirit world, fighting a corrupted spirit, testifying at my trial, getting betrothed – with everything you have going on, I don’t know why you would want to come see me.”

“Because you asked me to.” Korra said. But Kuvira didn’t buy it.

“I’m sure that’s not the only reason,” she led, turning her head to catch a glimpse of Korra’s expression. She looked sincere. But Kuvira was sincere as well. “I’m sure you want to make use of me, as well. I’m more valuable to you alive than dead. That’s the only reason why you saved my life last night, and it’s the only reason you’re here now. You want to get on my good side so I’ll help you during the Earth Kingdom’s transition.”

Korra laughed.

Enraged, Kuvira turned around to face her completely, almost standing up as though she could threaten her. But when she saw the look on Korra’s face – so kind and genuinely amused – Kuvira stopped. Now, she just looked confused. When Korra stopped laughing and saw this, she immediately felt bad.

“Sorry, it’s just, you make it sound like I’m Raiko or something,” she explained, still laughing a little to herself. Did Kuvira really think so little of her? Or did she just assume that everybody wanted to use her? Whatever the case, Korra was not about to let that stand. “That’s not why I’m here. I promise.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I already told you – I’m here because you asked me to be.” Korra said, smiling at her with what Kuvira knew was genuine compassion.

Gritting her teeth at the sight, Kuvira looked away. “It can’t be that simple,”

“But it is.” Korra promised. “Not everybody who associates with you wants something from you, Kuvira. People aren’t that selfish. Sometimes, they just want to know that you’re okay.”

“What do you care?” Kuvira asked, whipping her head back around “After everything I’ve done, why would you care if I’m okay or not? You should want to see me rot.”

“I think there’s more to you than fear and anger. You may have bought into your hype and think that you’re a monster, but you’re not. You’re only human, just like me. Even in spite of everything you’ve done, you deserve to live with dignity, and to maybe find some peace with yourself. Because if I’m right, then there’s a lot about you that you don’t like. I’d like to believe you feel genuine remorse for what you’ve done.”

“Well you’re wrong.” Kuvira declared. Korra frowned. “I’m still proud of what I built. Maybe I went too far, but I’m not sorry for trying to save my country.”

“You really love the Earth Kingdom.”

“More than anything.”

“Then you must be happy you’re going to get a second chance as part of your sentence. The Earth Kingdom territories could use someone like you to help them organize, and we could use your help in dismantling isolated pockets of your empire. Not everybody has given up your fight.”

Kuvira frowned. “Why should I bother? I’ll never be free again. I have nothing to gain from dismantling the Earth Kingdom. I spent three years of my life trying to prevent exactly that. What makes you think I would want to help?”

“Because you love your people, and you want to see them thrive.” Kuvira was silent, so Korra continued. “I don’t think you are proud of what you built. Not anymore. You certainly acted like it during your trial, but when we talked in the spirit world, it seemed like you got it. You willingly surrendered and ordered your followers to stand down. Even if the Earth Kingdom rejected you, you still love it. You still want to see your people succeed.”

Kuvira laughed. “You’ve got me all figured out, don’t you?” she asked, a hint of sarcasm to her voice.

“I don’t know. I’d like to think you’re a good person, deep down.”

“I killed thousands and I didn’t even bat an eye,” Kuvira reminded. “I operated internment camps.”

“Yeah. What you did is unforgivable. I’m not saying that it isn’t, or that you don’t deserve to be in this cell. The world is a safer place without you in it right now. But I’d like to think you’re better than this. I'd like to think that anybody can change. Even you.”

“What’s the point?” Kuvira asked. “If what I’ve done is so unforgivable, if the world really is better off with me in here, then what’s the point in changing? I’ll never be free again. Nobody will ever trust me, or forgive me. I have nothing to gain.”

“You have nothing to lose.”

“It doesn’t matter. The whole point of changing or ‘bettering yourself’ is just to prove yourself to other people. But I’ve already proven myself, and people called me a war criminal. Everything I did, I did to make my people strong, and in the end, I lost everything and the Earth Kingdom fell apart anyway.”

“Change is a point in and of itself.”

“Sure, you say that, but what’s my motivation? My people have rejected me, my family has disowned me, my lover will never look at me again – so why? Why should I bother?”

Korra sighed. “Don’t you feel any remorse?”

Though Kuvira was silent, she didn’t deny it. Not at first, anyway. For a second there, Korra even thought she saw a tinge of guilt. But Kuvira was good at burying her feelings deep, and as soon as it registered, it was gone. “No,” she said.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Then believe what you want. The only reason I asked you to come here was to tell you to your face that I don’t want your help. I don’t need it. Because of you, I have to live the rest of my life as a prisoner. If you’d just left well enough alone, they probably would’ve sentenced me to death, and everything would’ve been fine. Opal wouldn’t be a criminal, the United Republic wouldn’t feel threatened by a girl in a cage, and I wouldn’t…”

“You wouldn’t what? Have to deal with the consequences?” Korra asked. Kuvira didn’t reply. “That’s not how this works. You hurt a lot of people. Some of them even loved you. If that makes you feel bad, then that’s a good thing. It isn’t punishment, it’s proof you still have a soul.”

“Right. A lot of good that’ll do me. Maybe I’ll just starve myself to death slowly.”

“I get it. I really do.”

“How could you possibly understand? You have everything.”

“Not always. I’ve never told anyone this, but there were a lot of times over those three years that I thought about just taking my own life. Like you, I didn’t see a point anymore. I felt like I’d lost everything and let everybody down, and that the world would be better off if I’d just let the Avatar cycle continue rather than leave it waiting for a recovery that might never happen. Spirits knows at times it didn’t feel like it would.”

“That’s different,” Kuvira said.

“Is it, though?” Korra asked. “Like you, I felt like I had everything, and then suddenly, it was all taken away from me. I felt like I was a lost cause. I came close to actually doing it on more than one occasion.”

“But you still had something to live for. People who cared about you.”

“It didn’t feel like it, just like you don’t feel like it now. The circumstances are different, but the feeling is the same. It’s that tempting idea that the world is better off without you, that it’d be easier if you’d just died, that you wouldn’t have to suffer anymore if you just… gave up. But you can’t let that feeling control you. You have to keep fighting, and healing, and growing, however you can. That’s the whole point of being human.”

“Don’t compare your depression with what I’m feeling.”

“What, your guilt? Because lemme tell you, I had plenty of that to go around, too.” Korra insisted, crossing her arms. “You’re not special, Kuvira. That’s my whole point. You’re just… a person. And people can change if they want to. They can be better.”

“Maybe some people can, but not me. There’s no coming back from what I’ve done.”

Korra sighed. Kuvira was certainly as stubborn as a Beifong. “Don’t you want to prove them wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your family, your people, yourself – don’t you want to show them all that you can be better? That you can make a change? That you can help the Earth Territories?”

“Of course I do, but they’ll never welcome me back, I’ll never-”

“How do you know?” Korra asked. “How can you be so sure they’ll never accept you? I’m not going to lie, I don’t think you’ll ever be free again, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still make amends, or that nobody will ever care about you. Avatar Aang once told me that when we are at our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change. This doesn’t have to be the end for you. This can be a new beginning. A better beginning.”

“After everything I’ve done… all the suffering I’ve caused… do I really deserve that? You’re talking about a second chance. Do I really deserve to get a second chance?”

“Of course you do. Everybody does.”

Kuvira scoffed. “Then there’s more Aang in you than I thought. Tenzin must’ve really rubbed off on you.”

Korra frowned. This wasn’t working. Any time she tried to extend an olive branch or change her perspective, Kuvira resisted. She hoped she could maybe relate to her over their shared depression, but even that wasn’t enough. If Korra wanted to connect with her, she had to dig even deeper than that. She had to make herself even more vulnerable. To give her hope that anybody could change, and that everybody deserves the chance to, no matter what they’ve done.

“You know… I’ve done some pretty terrible things, too.” Korra said after a moment of silence, leaning back in her chair to look up at the sky.

“Please. You’re the Avatar, you’re the epitome of ‘good’.” Kuvira scoffed. But Korra’s frown only deepened.

“Not always. I’m human too. I still make mistakes, I still do the wrong thing. Sometimes, I even do it on purpose.”

“But you’re still the Avatar. You’re not like me, you’re a hero, the bridge between worlds. People worship you. Anything you do, they’ll forgive you for, or rationalize for you.”

“Not everything.” Korra asserted. She never even gave it a second thought – she knew what she had to do. “I’m going to tell you something I’ve only told Tenzin so far. None of my friends know it yet, not even Asami, and definitely none of the public.”

Kuvira raised an eyebrow. “...Then why tell me?” she asked.

"Because. We're in the same boat."

"I find that hard to believe."

Korra sighed. “You’ve heard about the Chi Eater, right?”

“Of course. It’s all the news has been talking about.”

“Well, a long time ago, I tried to stop him. Not the spirit he used, but the one who corrupted it, the real Chi Eater. I tried several times, in fact, and he killed me every time. Then, in one life, he took everything from me. He killed the one I loved and stole her chi, and he beat me within an inch of my life. But before he killed me, he stopped, and he gave me an ultimatum.

“If I let him go, he would let me live. But if I refused, he would kill everyone I loved, in that and in every life. However many times it took until I gave up. He was an immortal more powerful than anyone the Avatar had ever faced before. I’d lost to him again and again, and I became scared. I didn’t want to go through what I just had ever again. So I gave up. I accepted his offer. I acted like I had defeated the Chi Eater, and I prevented my future lives from ever knowing what I’d done.”

Though she barely showed it, Kuvira was shocked. She’d never considered the Avatar could do something so… so…

“The Chi Eater is still alive today, and everybody that he’s killed since then is my fault. Their blood is on my hands.” Korra looked down. “If this story ever got out, people’s faith in the Avatar would be ruined. Maybe forever.”

“So why tell me…?” Kuvira asked.

“Because, I’m in the same position as you. Even if it was in a past life, it was still me who took that deal. What I’ve done is unforgivable. And honestly, the more I think about it, the more I think I don’t want to be forgiven. I don’t deserve it. But that still leaves me with a choice. Either I can sit here and hate myself for it, or I can do the right thing and take a stand.

“I know that if anybody ever knew the whole story, they might never forgive me. And if I choose to fight him now, he might very well make that story public. I have nothing to gain and everything to lose. But I know in my heart that it’s the right thing to do. And even more, I want to prove I’m better than that. That I can, and have, changed. Not for them, but for me. I want to prove to myself that I am not Avatar Rin, and to at least try and make up for all the suffering that I’ve caused. Can you honestly sit there and tell me you don’t feel the same?”

“…” Kuvira was silent.

“It’s not about what you have to gain, or what you have to lose, or other people – it’s about you, Kuvira. It’s about being the best you you can be, even when the world doesn’t believe you can, or even when your own past actions say you can’t. We’re not static like the spirits – change is what we do, just by living. But at the end of the day, we don’t do it for somebody else’s sake. We do it for our own. We do it for ourselves.”

Kuvira laughed weakly. “You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”

“Aren’t you? Isn’t that why you called me here? This is your life, Kuvira. You get to decide how it’s lived.”

Kuvira sighed. “Maybe,” she conceded, sitting back down.

“I don’t want you to die, Kuvira. I don’t want anyone to die. And in this case, dying is just giving up, and since when have either of us ever given up on anything?”

Though it was weak, Kuvira smiled. “Thanks. At least somebody believes in me.” Kuvira was done with trying to hide it. She was grateful. She knew she didn’t deserve such mercy or compassion, and yet… Korra was trying so hard. She was making herself so vulnerable to her. For the second time today, Kuvira felt as though she were going to cry. “I don’t deserve this,” she repeated weakly, “but I’ll try to.”

“That’s all I'm asking for.” Korra said with a smile.

Kuvira sniffed. But she was never one for sentimentality - as soon as she'd shown herself as vulnerable, Kuvira built back up her iron wall, deflecting the conversation to something less emotional. “Well. I’m assuming you’re going to try and stop the Chi Eater soon, right? Don’t let me stop you.”

“Honestly, I don’t think I’d have rather been anywhere else right now. But you’re right. I probably should get going.” Korra said, rising from her chair and stretching out her back. Before she turned to walk away though, Korra wanted to make sure that she was okay. “Kuvira… just, hang in there, okay? If you give them the chance, people might just surprise you.”

“Mm.” Kuvira still wasn't sure about that.

“If you want, when this whole Chi Eater thing is behind me, I can come visit you again.”

Kuvira scoffed. “What, you want to make a habit out of this?”

“I don’t know. Maybe, if you want me to.”

Kuvira shook her head. “Whatever you want, Avatar.”

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

 

Viper was nobody’s favorite, that much was certain. But, in the absence of Lightning Bolt Zolt, who never did get his bending returned to him, there was nobody else savvy enough to take charge of the Triple Threats in his stead.

Maybe he wasn’t as seasoned as Zolt, but Viper was every inch as shrewd and cruel of a man as him. Sure he lacked the presence and theatricality Zolt brought to the table, but he made up for that with surprising efficiency. Somehow, Viper had perfected the art of making everybody think he was the underdog. But in actuality, he was the only reason the Triple Threats were still at the top of the food chain. So no, maybe he wasn’t everything Zolt had been, and maybe nobody liked having to deal with him, but Viper certainly still commanded respect.

But, if he were being honest, Ravi greatly preferred Viper at the reins than Lightning Bolt Zolt. In fact, the two of them went back decades. Even when they were in different organizations, he, Viper, and Atsushi all maintained a solid friendship and respect for one another. If Zolt were still running the show, then this meeting may well have never happened.

Ravi was lucky his two friends were the ones who were in charge now. It made things so much easier. All it took was a phone call, and here he was, sitting face to face across a table from the most powerful mob boss in the world. The two of them were situated in a restaurant deep within Triple Threats territory, completely empty save for them. Well, them and one other – a little bit of muscle Viper brought along to make sure the premises remained secure. Ravi had left his man out in the Satomobile.

“I gotta say, that’s quite the achievement there, Ravi. Getting Atsushi and Chiasa to agree on anything is like trying to waterbend in a volcano,” Viper remarked, cutting into his steak for another bite. Across the table from him, his rather tall and imposing friend had already finished his meal.

“At the end of the day, we are still businessmen, are we not?” Ravi asked. “When the offer is good, only a fool would turn it down, and neither of them are fools. They’ve seen what I have to offer them. With your cooperation, the four of us could run this city in a week.”

Viper took another bite of his steak, though he didn’t let that stop him from replying. “Yeah, that’s a mighty interesting proposition you got there,” he said, taking a pause to swallow and sip his wine. “Can’t say I’m not intrigued, but I am a little concerned. You’re honorable enough, but we both know how impulsive Atsushi is, and Chiasa is the most devious bitch this side of Kuvira. Working with the Terra Triad is one thing, but the Agni Kais and Red Monsoons, too? I don’t know if we have it in us. We’re greedy people by nature.”

Viper poured himself a little more wine, offering the same to Ravi, but he turned him down with a wave of his hand. “You say that, but the three of us have already traded territories and figured out how to distribute them evenly amongst ourselves. We even finalized a few agreements on how to progress from here. The only one we’re waiting for now is you, because you didn’t want to be seen in Agni Kai territory.”

Viper shook his head. “You know it’s not that simple. Yeah, there’s a lot of people in the Agni Kais who want me dead, that was certainly part of it, but there wasn’t no way I was gonna be seen at a club with as dangerous a crowd as that one had. The President and the Chief of Police were bad enough, but the Avatar, too? I’m shocked those two idiots actually showed up.”

“I had the situation under control. My position as acting CEO of Future Industries these last couple weeks has afforded me plenty of good will. Nobody suspected a thing.”

“Well, that’s not entirely true, now is it?” Viper asked. Ravi looked confused. “I have a few plants in the Agni Kais. From what they tell me, Atsushi very nearly caused a scene with the Avatar and that there fiancee of hers, no? That doesn’t sound very ‘under control’ to me.”

Ravi’s expression hardened. “I guarantee you: I had it under control,” he asserted.

Viper smiled and gave a shrug. “Well, none of you are dead or in jail, so clearly you did something right. But you can’t blame me for being concerned nevertheless.”

“I suppose not.”

“That does bring me to our next order of business, though, which is that there Avatar problem of ours. She’s a bit of a wild card these days, no? Technically, she isn’t law enforcement, but that doesn’t mean her words and actions aren’t as good as law. She’s going to come knocking on all our doors sooner rather than later once we start making bigger and bigger moves on the city. And honestly, after seeing how she dealt with that whole Chi Eater situation, I’m not terribly confident there’s anything we could do to stop her when she does. It may be better to simply lay low and operate as we always have.”

Did she deal with it, though?” Ravi asked. Viper raised an eyebrow.

“What, are you saying that spirit thing’s still alive?” Viper asked. Ravi shook his head.

“I doubt it. If I were her though, I’d be more concerned about whoever created it than the spirit itself. Maybe it really was a holdover from the distant past like she said, but then again, maybe not. Whatever the case may be, I can’t say I can see her letting the Chi Eater case go until she investigates the possibility. In which case, we are left with a small but very open window in which to move with minimal Avatar interference.”

“That’s a lot of assumptions you’re making there. Maybe you’re right, but if what you’re saying is true, then that wouldn’t bode well for us, either, would it? As I recall, that thing took out Kazuo like he was nothing. Clearly, the Chi Eater isn’t intimidated by the bending triads.”

“So?” Ravi asked. “We will put our faith in the Avatar like everybody else. She’ll inadvertently be working to our advantage and fulfilling her duty all at the same time. It’s a win-win.”

Viper laughed. “Oh, you’re good,” he said. “Say the Chi Eater is still a threat then, and that she does eventually take care of it – what then? She’s still going to come barreling our way. Even with the four of us together, I don’t know that we could take her, especially since she won’t be working alone. She’ll undoubtedly have those brothers and the rest of the police on her side, and they’re all bad enough as it is. How do you propose we stop her then?”

“It’s simple,” Ravi began, folding his hands in front of him. “You cannot attack the Avatar directly, she’s too powerful for any one bender alone – maybe even all of us. You’re right about that much. So, I say, we don’t attack her directly. We go for her heart, instead.”

Viper’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t mean...”

Ravi nodded. “By using Asami Sato as a hostage and a bartering chip, I can practically guarantee that we won’t be facing any trouble from Avatar Korra.”

Viper flashed a toothy grin. “That’s cold, Ravi, even for you. I like it. But I thought that girl was pretty special to you. Are you really saying you’d be willing to hurt her if it came down to it?”

“I’m saying it doesn’t matter whether I do or not, the threat alone will keep the Avatar at bay. But yes, if it came down to it, I would not be opposed to roughing her up some to prove a point. I am the leader of the Terra Triad, first and foremost. My business will always come first.”

Viper leaned back in his seat, whistling. “I’m impressed. Alright then, rock boy. You’ve got yourself a deal. I’ll meet you, Atsushi, and Chiasa at the Future Industries warehouse in Dragon Flats tomorrow night. It’s time we take this city for ourselves once and for all.”

Ravi smiled.

All according to plan.

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

Back on Air Temple Island, Jinora had made breakthrough. Though it’d taken her the better part of an hour, she had finally isolated the Chi Eater’s energy inside of her. It was faint, like a ghost, and almost completely undetectable, but it was there. Finding it was only half the battle, though. Now came the hard part.

Now that she had managed to lock on to the Chi Eater’s spiritual signature, finding him within the city should be easier. Finding Ryuuki should be easier. She had to keep reminding herself that it was him. Though she was certain, a part of her still didn’t want to believe it. Not only because she’d been a fan, but because he’d seemed like such a nice guy. He was a better actor than anybody gave him credit for. She genuinely felt bad for accusing him of something so heinous.

Curiously though, Ryuuki already had a spiritual signature, and it felt nothing like this. He wasn’t a walking void, that would’ve made it obvious who he was – no, he felt like a completely normal person, somehow. But this? It was only the tiniest sliver of his energy, but as Jinora focused on it, it became clearer and clearer how sickening and unnatural it was. It was even worse than that corrupted spirit.

By now, Jinora had been joined by Kai, as well as Opal and Tenzin. He’d returned from a relief effort in the city fifteen minutes prior, and while he wasn’t filled in on everything, he was told that Jinora was in danger. Tenzin felt as though he owed the boy that much, given how close he and his daughter were.

While Jinora sat there meditating, trying her hardest to isolate Ryuuki’s energy in a sea of millions and then further confirm that the Chi Eater’s energy was buried beneath it, her guardians sat close by. They exchanged no words, only occasional glances at each other and then back to Jinora. They knew not speak up or bother her.

Jinora’s focus intensified, harder than ever before. She was now projecting her spirit out of her body, manifesting it in the sky high above Republic City, her eyes closed as she carefully picked through countless people’s energies in search of Ryuuki’s. As she ruled out sections of the city, the projection would disappear and reappear above another, ruling out neighborhood after neighborhood one after another.

Eventually, she’d searched the entire city, and had found… nothing.

Jinora knew he couldn’t have left the city yet, his feeding cycle was still incomplete, but she couldn’t rule out the possibility he’d entered a portal to feast on some spirits. In which case, all this may have been a waste of time. But then she remembered that corrupted spirit, and how it could make itself spiritually ‘invisible’ whenever it wanted to. When Ryuuki wasn’t out and about in public, maybe he did that, too?

On a hunch, she dismissed and recalled her projection one more time, appearing now directly above the apartment complex housing Ryuuki’s penthouse. She tried again to hone in on his energy, but still couldn’t find it, so instead, she switched gears and focused instead on that sickening energy buried beneath. That, naturally, was always hidden, but she’d managed to find it within herself. She had experience slipping past the Chi Eater’s defenses now.

If Ryuuki really was the Chi Eater, and he was here, if she focused hard enough, using that trace within her as an example, then maybe, just maybe, she’d be able to…

Success had never made Jinora feel so sick. She’d done it – she’d found his energy, his real energy. It was, in fact, in his penthouse. And he seemed to be alone. The energy of the Ryuuki she’d come to know was nowhere to be found, but this was as close to a smoking gun as she would ever get. Ryuuki was definitely the Chi Eater, and he was definitely home alone.

If she were half as wise as she felt she was, Jinora would’ve called it quits there. She would’ve recalled her projection, ceased meditating, confirmed with her dad that the Chi Eater was there, and that would’ve been that. It’d be up to Korra and the police to handle from there.

But Jinora was still young. Young, and more than that, guilty. She could only imagine how many people and spirits the Chi Eater must’ve killed since that night at the theater. She was guilty, and embarrassed, and angry, and that made her reckless. Reckless enough that when she recalled her projection, it was only to re-materialize it inside of Ryuuki’s penthouse.

She knew it wasn’t the smartest plan, she knew how dangerous this could be for her, but Jinora wanted to be sure. She wanted to see him with her own eyes.

Jinora crept through the suite completely silently, her ghostly footsteps not making a single sound. She walked through walls as if they weren’t there, and slowly approached the position she could feel the Chi Eater’s energy from the strongest. Which, given how well hidden it was, still wasn’t all that strong. But she knew its epicenter.

Before long, she’d found him. He was sitting on a chair facing the main balcony, and the Spirit Portal in the distance. This should’ve been enough – and for her, it was. She was ready to retreat, when she noticed something strange.

Ryuuki was… whispering?

“I..e….n..v.r…..g.tten.”

She couldn’t make it all out. If she wanted to hear what he was saying, she’d have to get closer. But if she got too close, he might sense her. Her projection was very weak, but it was still her energy – it was not undetectable. But right now, he had no reason to think he wasn’t alone. And for all she knew, what he was saying might’ve been important. Against her own better judgment, Jinora inched closer from behind Ryuuki’s chair.

“I….ss...y.....re..d...r....ev...day….I..w..h….u…..ld….me now.”

He was whispering so quietly, she still couldn’t make it all out. But it sounded like he was talking with somebody? If he was half-spirit, could he be talking with the spirit inside of him like Korra did with Raava? Jinora bit her lip. She knew that she shouldn’t, but she had to. She had to get closer still.

“Hang on. I don’t think we’re alone, anymore.”

Jinora froze. That much had been whispered louder than anything previous – she didn’t even need to get any closer. She could feel her heart beating a thousand miles a minute. He’d noticed her. She immediately thought to escape, dismissing her projection so she could return to her body back on Air Temple Island, but… she couldn’t.

She couldn’t get back to her body.

“Didn’t anybody ever tell you that it’s rude to eavesdrop?” Ryuuki asked, still seated in his chair.

Jinora was freaking out. Why couldn’t she get back to her body? What was going on?

Suddenly, pain.

Jinora screamed, but her projection made no sound, even though it should have. As she collapsed to her knees, she clutched her head tight, feeling as though it was going to explode. This was worse than the corrupted spirit – way worse. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t breathe.

Calmly, Ryuuki stood up from his chair.

“Interesting. To think some of my energy would latch onto you… I guess the jig is up then, huh, Jinora.”

Jinora’s vision was beginning to blur. The pain wasn’t going away – if anything, it was only getting worse. Ryuuki wasn’t even trying to hide his energy from her anymore.

“What? Catowl got your tongue? …Ah, I see. You don’t like my energy, do you? Here, how’s this-”

In an instant, the pain was gone, and so was Ryuuki’s energy. Finally free of his spiritual pressure, Jinora collapsed onto her hands and knees, panting heavily. She could hear herself again, but she still couldn’t return to her body. She didn’t know how, but somehow, Ryuuki was blocking her from escaping, no matter how hard she tried. Her breathing grew shallower. She didn’t dare look up from the floor, but she could hear his footsteps inching closer. She felt like she was going to throw up and closed her eyes tightly in fear of what came next, only for them to fly back open at the unexpected sensation of Ryuuki’s hand touching her chin. How…?!

“You didn’t actually think I wouldn’t be able to hurt you like this, did you?”

Gently lifting up her head so that she was looking into his eyes, Ryuuki gave the young master a wide, wry smile. As she stared deep into the blue abyss, only evil stared back at her. It was then that it dawned on her what was going to happen next. As she realized she was going to die, a tear rolled down Jinora’s cheek.

“After all, they call me the Chi Eater for a reason.”

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

 

When she arrived back at Republic City’s port, the last thing Korra expected to see was Mako and Bolin waiting for her in full uniform. But given the nature of what Suyin must’ve disclosed by now, she supposed she should have. Mako looked as serious as ever, while Bolin seemed anxious. A lump began to form in Korra’s throat.

When her boat finally docked, Korra ran down and pulled her two best friends into a hug. Given what was bound to happen next, and how dangerous the Chi Eater was, this could very well be her last.

“Korra, is it true?” Bolin asked. Korra frowned and nodded her head while it rested on his shoulder, pulling away a moment later.

“I’m sorry. I know you looked up to him.”

“That doesn’t matter now. If Ryuuki’s really the Chi Eater, then we’ve got to stop him, Team Avatar style.” Bolin said, steeling himself for the ensuing confrontation.

“You look like shit,” Mako remarked, trying to break the tension somewhat. Korra playfully knocked him on his shoulder.

“I’ve had a crazy day, okay? Honestly, talking to Kuvira was the most relaxing thing I’ve done since I got up this morning,” she said.

“That bad, huh?”

“I almost got my face stolen today, so, yeah, that bad.”

“Wait, face stolen…? …Did you go see Koh?!” Bolin asked.

“Yeah, he was the only spirit old enough to know about the Chi Eater. It wasn’t fun, but I learned a lot about Ryuuki from him. And about me.”

“About you…?” Bolin trailed. Unfortunately for him however, Korra didn’t feel like rehashing the Rin story again so soon, so he’d have to wait until after they’d taken Ryuuki down for an answer.

“So, what does he want, then?” Mako asked.

“According to Koh, he just wants to live forever. That’s… basically it. But he’s willing to sacrifice others to do it.” Korra explained.

“That’s... refreshingly small-scale, actually. Huh.” Bolin thought aloud.

“I mean... I guess? But it’s still a problem we need to go deal with.” Mako replied.

“I agree. Honestly I think we might be the only ones who can deal with it.” Korra said, frowning.

“Suyin also said Jinora was in danger… did Ryuuki do something to her?” Bolin asked.

“Kind of. Apparently, some of his energy latched onto hers when they met at the premiere. Right now, she’s using that energy to try and track him down in the city. Once she finds his location, she’ll tell Tenzin, and he’ll tell Lin.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Mako asked.

“She was going to do it no matter what. The least I could do was have some faith in her.”

“Lin’s taking this really seriously… she’s gathering all the best metalbenders in the city to take Ryuuki down. She wants Suyin, Mako and I there, too. And you, of course.”

“I hope that’s enough. He’s killed me before.”

Mako and Bolin shared a worried look. That really wasn’t what they needed to hear right now.

“So, are we gonna meet up with Lin, or join Jinora on Air Temple Island?” Mako asked.

“Well, first things first, I want to take a look at your arm,” Korra said, Mako’s eyes going wide at the mention. In all the chaos of the announcement of Ryuuki being the Chi Eater, he’d completely forgotten about that. “you said Ryuuki healed you, right? I want to make sure he didn’t do anything else.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” Mako agreed, rolling up his sleeve and extending his wounded arm to Korra. As soon as she reached out to touch it though, the three of them were interrupted by a scream and the ghostly image of Jinora briefly flickering into view.

Korra, help!” She cried, finally breaking free of Ryuuki’s hold, if only for an instant. Then, as suddenly as she’d appeared, she was gone, forcibly pulled back to where she was before.

While Mako and Bolin were startled by her sudden appearance, Korra was terrified. This was the worst thing that could’ve happened.

“We have to get back to Air Temple Island, now!”

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

 

Back on Air Temple Island, Jinora screamed, her body convulsing uncontrollably as Opal looked on in horror, Tenzin and Kai scrambling trying to figure out what to do. Her eyes flew open and intermittent blue light began to flicker in their visage, the energy unintentionally left by Ryuuki now making a bid for control over her entire body.

Jinora’s spirit was thrown back into her body with tremendous force, but the pain of Ryuuki’s touch from the penthouse didn’t fade. Her whole body felt like it was on fire, and her heart felt as though it was going to leap from her chest if she didn’t physically hold it in place. She gripped her chest tight as her body continued to tremor and shake, screaming all the while as Ryuuki ate away at her very soul.

“Tenzin, Jinora!” Korra cried, running up the stairs from the pier. She’d run across the bay again, and had apparently carried Mako and Bolin with her, because as Tenzin turned to meet her voice, he saw all three of them running full-speed for Jinora. When Korra saw her lying there, convulsing in her father’s arms, she could feel only rage swell up inside her chest. Guilt, fear, panic – all of that was pushed aside by righteous fury. Ryuuki was going to pay for this.

“Korra, what’s happening…?” Tenzin asked. Kai was now sitting on the ground, crying, and Opal had turned away, no longer able to watch. The Avatar grit her teeth and ran to Tenzin without a word, pushing his arms away to lay her hands on Jinora’s body. As soon as she had, her eyes went white, and Korra entered into the Avatar State to begin Energybending the Chi Eater’s energy out of her.

As soon as she made contact with Jinora’s spirit, Korra screamed, her arms recoiling in pain and the glow of her eyes subsiding. She’d never felt anything like that before. It was like as soon as she touched Jinora, her spirit was being corroded and eaten away. Korra immediately realized the danger this put not only Jinora in, but her, as well. When she next tried to bend Jinora’s energy, she’d be fighting with the Chi Eater directly. Preparing herself for what that might entail, Korra reentered the Avatar State and tried again.

Korra felt like she was on fire. The Chi Eater’s energy inside of Jinora wasn’t even trying to hide anymore – and it was quickly becoming the dominant energy. But she could still feel hers buried beneath. It was swallowing her whole, but it had yet to fully digest her, meaning she still had a chance to peel that energy away and pull it out of her. So Korra got to work. It was her will against Ryuuki’s, and it was nothing like at the premiere. She’d never felt such power or malice before. He was almost completely unbendable.

Almost.

With Raava’s help, she’d begun chipping away at his control, visibly banishing his energy from Jinora’s body in pitch black spheres of energy that radiated only darkness. As these bubbles of energy left her body, they dissipated in the open air without a living thing to latch onto but Korra, who was commanding them away with her Energybending. Those gathered instinctively moved away as the orbs drew close to them, giving Korra and Jinora some space as she tried to completely banish the Chi Eater from her body.

It was at this point that Korra began to feel a familiar sensation. Something – no, someone was calling out to her. It was just like when the decoy connected with her spirit, only this time, she was being given the option to respond, not forced into it. But he easily could’ve forced her if he’d wanted to, and Korra knew it. Reluctantly, she allowed for the connection to be made, and as the corruption of Jinora’s spirit paused, Korra’s spirit was thrust out of her body and into a pitch dark space where only she and Ryuuki now stood.

He was smiling at her.

Korra had never wanted to hurt someone so badly before.

Hey there, Avatar! It’s been a while!” Ryuuki greeted cheerily.

Bastard…” Korra seethed.

Perhaps, but I wasn’t the one who broke our deal, now was I? I believe I made my terms very clear.”

I’m coming for you.”

Oh, I’m sure you are. I’ve known you would be from the very beginning, that’s why I sacrificed my pet to you. I knew once your connection to your past lives was severed, you might come looking my way again, no longer remembering our little arrangement. But I can feel it in your soul – you know all about that now, don’t you? The sad story of Avatar Rin. …Oh! And you’ve met with Koh! Is that persistent little insect still alive?”

How…?”

You have no idea what I’m capable of, Korra. I made you a promise when you were Rin that I would kill everyone you loved if you ever crossed me again. I told you I’d make you watch. Given how nosy this one was being, I figured a demonstration was in order.”

You call this a demonstration!? You’re killing her!”

I could. If I wanted to. I’d have to commit more energy to it than that tiny sliver, but I could easily consume her soul. But instead, I’m going to let her go. I’m nice like that. Let this serve as a warning, Avatar Korra: stay away. Next time you interfere with me, I won’t hesitate to kill them all.”

Not if I kill you first!” Korra screamed. Ryuuki just laughed.

Funny, Rin was confident, too. That didn’t work out too well for her, did it? But I’ve said my piece. If you really want to come for me, I’ll be waiting at my penthouse. Take all the time you need to prepare, gather as many friends as you think it’ll take – by the end of the day, either everyone you know will be dead, or the Avatar and the Chi Eater are going to have a new arrangement. See you soon, Korra.

Terminating the connection between them with a smile and a wave, Ryuuki disappeared from view as Korra was thrust back into her body with tremendous force, reeling back and off of Jinora in the process. Thankfully, she was no longer convulsing, and the remainder of Ryuuki’s energy was disappearing from her body by its own accord in a pitch black mist. Screaming, Korra ripped that mist to shreds with her Energybending before it dissipated naturally into the empty air.

“Korra…?” Tenzin tentatively asked, cautiously approaching the two.

Suddenly, Jinora gasped for air, bolting upright on the ground. Tenzin nearly had another heart attack and Kai immediately flung his arms around her, holding her as she panted for air, tears still streaming down his face. Opal was now on her knees, sobbing. Mako and Bolin looked more terrified than Korra had ever seen them. As Tenzin joined Kai in holding Jinora, Korra broke down and cried. She almost lost her. That was just a sliver of his power, and she was just barely holding her own. If he’d been serious, if he’d devoted more of his energy to corrupting her, she… she…

“Korra, thank you…” Tenzin cried. “Thank you…”

“I’m going to kill him.” Korra said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Ryuuki. I’m going to find him, and I’m going to kill him. That’s the only way this can end.”

“He’s going to be waiting for you,” Jinora shakily warned, clinging to her father’s chest.

“I know. This ends tonight.” Korra said. “Mako, use the Air Temple’s radio to let the chief know Ryuuki’s in his penthouse. Once we clear the building, we’re going to go up, and we’re going to finish this.”

Mako nodded, running off to follow his Avatar’s orders without a word.

Korra was on the warpath.

Notes:

Sup, I'm still alive. There will probably be a few minor edits to this chapter over the coming days, mostly just tightening some of the phrasing; I finally finished this in a 5 hour marathon and didn't want to keep you guys waiting a minute longer than I had to, so if it feels a little messy or uneven in parts, that's because I didn't give it my usual once over at the end.

More to come soon!

Chapter 19: A Dance with the Devil

Summary:

Having uncovered his true identity, Korra and friends confront the mastermind behind the Chi Eater attacks.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Book Five
Chi

Chapter 19
A Dance with the Devil

 

It’d been half an hour now since Jinora’s close call with the Chi Eater, and Korra was itching for a fight.

In the short amount of time since Mako gave the call, Air Temple Island had sprung to life, acting as the de facto base of operations for the planned raid on Ryuuki’s penthouse. Shortly after her condition stabilized, Jinora passed out, and Tenzin put out an emergency bulletin for any and all nearby Airbenders to reconvene on the island and prepare to assist the Avatar and the police with the apprehension of the Chi Eater. Though they were understandably confused, they nevertheless obliged, and airbenders now swarmed the island in droves.

In effect, Air Temple Island had become something of an airbender fortress. While a few of those airbenders would join Korra and the others in apprehending Ryuuki, the majority of them had been ordered to remain on the island and to be on high alert, under the command of Daw and Bumi. While Jinora rested with her mother and the acolytes, their job would be to protect her. Tenzin had assigned as many airbenders as he felt it would take to take on the Chi Eater should he decide to change his mind and attack the island to finish Jinora off.

Tenzin himself was not included in this number, however. After what he’d done to his daughter, Ryuuki had made this personal, so Tenzin had decided to join Korra, Mako, and Bolin in fighting the Chi Eater. It was not a decision he made lightly. He wanted with every fiber of his being to stay behind and make sure his little girl was safe. But he knew that the best way for him to do that would be to make sure Ryuuki was apprehended. He had no clue that Korra had no intention of taking him in alive.

For Korra, too, this battle was personal. While her friends put together a battle plan, she stood against the wall with her arms crossed, impatiently tapping her foot. It was taking all of her self control to not storm out of here and face Ryuuki alone. She had more than enough reason to. From Rin to Jinora, she’d come to hate the Chi Eater in a way that she hadn’t felt since Zaheer. But somehow, this was even worse. Zaheer tried to take everything away from Korra, but Ryuuki had actually done it.

To Korra, her very identity as the Avatar was on the line here. This fight wasn’t just about justice, or revenge, or necessity, it was about honor. If she failed to take Ryuuki down now, she felt as though she may never get hers back. He couldn’t be allowed to escape. He had to go down, hard.

Korra looked to Mako. She’d be counting on him for the entirety of the police’s presence in the raid. Lin had left him in charge while she conferred with President Raiko, and she had yet to arrive on the island herself. Korra hoped she would show up soon, but in the meantime, Mako was more than holding his own. He took charge of the situation with ease, and was coordinating with the precinct over the phone and by radio to make sure Ryuuki’s entire block was cleared of civilians. Once he’d confirmed a perimeter had been set up and an APB was out for Ryuuki’s arrest, Mako gave her a thumbs up.

One step closer to actually getting out of here and kicking that bastard’s ass, Korra thought. She’d been restless from the start, but the longer this took, the worse she felt. She could practically feel Ryuuki taunting her from here. She knew he’d still be there waiting no matter how long she took, but she genuinely wanted to get this over with. She was more than ready to put this whole Chi Eater mess behind her.

“Korra!”

Asami’s voice pierced the sea of a dozen others surrounding her and Korra’s train of thought came to a screeching halt. She hadn’t called Asami to the island. She hadn’t filled her in on any of this. What was she doing here?

Her answers would have to wait. Before Korra could ask her anything, Asami had pulled her into a tight hug, planting a soft and not at all unwelcome kiss on her cheek. She grabbed hold of her Avatar’s hands on instinct, rubbing them with her thumb to try and calm Korra down. She could only imagine how much must have been running through her head right now.

Korra noticed she was wearing her Equalist glove. Korra’s heart sank at the realization.

“Bolin called me and told me what was going on… I can’t believe Ryuuki is the Chi Eater…”

Korra frowned. She’d have to have a talk with Bolin about this later. She had fully intended on leaving Asami out of this, but now she knew she’d insist on coming with her. “I didn’t want you to be a part of this,” she freely admitted. “I wish you’d stayed at Future Industries and Bolin never told you about any of this.”

Now it was Asami’s turn to frown. “Korra,”

“I know. I can’t stop you from involving yourself now, but… Asami, I’m really scared this time. And angry. You don’t know what he’s done to me. I didn’t want you to see me like this.”

“Korra.”

“He’s killed me before, Asami. Easily. I know you’re better than me when we’re sparring, but this is-”

“Korra, I know,” Asami interrupted, “I know. This is different. It’s always different.”

“Then you know why I don’t want you to come with me. He’s already threatened you. He’s already threatened everybody I love. If I can’t stop him, I… I don’t know what’s going to happen. But if you come with me, and he kills you, I don’t think I’d be able to take it. I’m not strong enough.”

“I know. But I didn’t come here to argue with you. I came here to support you. I’m a member of Team Avatar, too. I’m your fiancee, for spirits’ sake. You know I can handle myself. But I’m worried about you. Especially if he’s killed you before. That’s all the more reason I should be there, to have your back.”

Korra swallowed hard. “He’s done this before, too. Killed the person I love right in front of me. It completely broke me in that life.”

“That’s not going to happen again. I promise.”

Korra pulled Asami into another hug. If she were being honest, she didn’t have it in her to fight with her right now. Truthfully, she appreciated her support and having her here with her. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Korra could feel the stormy seas of her mind begin to calm in Asami’s presence. “Okay,” she agreed. “Okay. I am glad you’re here. I’ve had a really bad day.” Korra buried her face in her fiancee’s shoulder.

“You can tell me all about it when we get home. Right now, we should get ready for the fight.”

“I’ve been ready. If it weren’t for your voice in my head, I’d have run off and faced him alone hours ago.”

“See? This is why I need to be here. You’re completely hopeless without me,” Asami joked.

Much to even her own surprise, Korra laughed. “Maybe I am,” she admitted. But her smile quickly faded. She couldn’t bare to keep it from Asami. Korra had to tell her what she was planning. “Asami, I’m going to kill him. Ryuuki. That’s the only way this can end for good. Ryuuki has to die.” Though she said it with such guilt and every expectation that Asami would disagree, Korra was surprised to find her girlfriend nodding along with her decision.

“Okay. If you really think so, then I trust you. I know you wouldn’t say that unless it were true.”

Somehow, that just made Korra feel even guiltier. “I-”

“Korra, Asami, we’re ready.” Mako interrupted.

Korra turned and looked around. She’d been so preoccupied with Asami, she hadn’t noticed that her friends had finally finished preparations. Mako, Bolin and Tenzin were all looking to her now. “What about Lin?” she asked.

“She’s not going to be able to make it; Raiko won’t let her out of his sight. He’s convinced Ryuuki is going to come for him.” Mako explained.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me…” Korra groaned, rolling her eyes.

“She’s going to be sending Suyin for support instead. She’s going to meet up with us just outside the perimeter, along with some of her best Metalbenders.”

“Then that’s going to have to be enough.” Korra said. “Tenzin, have you decided who’s coming with us for air support?”

“I am,” Kai interrupted, inserting himself into the situation whether Korra or Tenzin wanted him there or not. “He hurt Jinora. I’m not going to let him get away with that.”

“I was going to have Ryu assist. He’s one of our best,” Tenzin said, glancing in Kai’s direction. “but so is Kai. The two of them should be enough.”

Korra thought for a moment. They were good, but… if Ryuuki made a break for it, she wasn’t sure if they’d be able to stop him. Not alone. As much as she may have hated to admit it, she was going to need Opal’s help with this one. “Include Opal, too. She’s better than both of them combined, and you and I both know it.”

“I’m standing right here you know,” Kai pouted.

“Sorry, Kai, but Opal’s kind of a natural,” Korra apologized. Kai just crossed his arms and harrumphed.

“Are you sure?” Tenzin asked. “I know you two aren’t on the best of terms right now.”

“I’m sure. I trust her.”

Tenzin nodded. “I’ll go let her know then,” he said, leaving the group to go do just that.

Now it was just Korra, Asami, Mako, and Bolin. Team Avatar back together again. Korra sighed. “Guys, I know you’re all probably tired of hearing me say this by now, but… you don’t have to come with me. I don’t want any of you to get hurt.” Korra spared a glance in Asami’s direction. “Especially you.”

“Korra, come on. We’re Team Avatar. We’re with you to the end of the line.” Mako said.

“Yeah, there’s no way we’re letting you take this guy on alone! He can’t stop all four of us!” Bolin added on.

“Have a little faith in us. We’ve got your back.” Asami requested.

Korra smiled. She was lucky to have them. All of them. Knowing that if anything went wrong, this might be the last time they were all together like this, Korra pulled all three of them in to a big group hug. She couldn’t shake the feeling something terrible was going to happen. She wanted to savor this time with them while it lasted. “Thanks, guys,” she sniffed. “I love you. All of you.”

“We love you too.” Mako said.

As their hug came to an end, Korra grabbed hold of Asami’s hand and took one last look at her friends. “Let’s go take down the Chi Eater.”

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

By the time Korra and the others arrived on Oogi, the entire three block radius around Ryuuki’s apartment complex had been cleared out and barricaded off. There were no less than three RCPD airships encircling the area, and assault-ready metalbenders stood with Suyin just outside the perimeter, waiting for their arrival.

As Korra helped her fiancee off the bison’s back, she noticed Saikhan was back on the beat again about half way between her group and Suyin’s. Apparently he’d been managing things here in Lin and Mako’s absence. Her expression immediately soured at the sight. “This guy again. Is the RCPD really this short-staffed?” she asked.

“I know you might not like him, but Saikhan is pretty competent, Korra. Back in the day, he was one of our best. But yeah, we really are that short-staffed. There’s nobody else who can manage an operation like this aside from the chief.” Mako explained.

“And you, apparently,” Saikhan said, walking up to Korra and Mako without so much as an introduction. Apparently he'd overheard them, but Korra felt no need to apologize. “I was told to transfer command over to you once you arrived on scene. This shitshow’s yours now, kid. I’m out.”

“What? Just like that?” Korra asked. Saikhan handed Mako his portable radio.

“Yeah, just like that. The chief has more faith in your friend than she does in me.”

“What do I have to work with?” Mako asked.

“All told, you have about thirty metalbenders across three airships ready to deploy at your command. The perimeter is being held by beat cops, rookies mostly, and you have an an elite team of seven metalbenders waiting by Beifong’s sister; imports from Zaofu, mostly. They’re the best we’ve got. I’m assuming you’ve already factored in your team of benders as well, and the additional support of the airbenders you brought along?”

“I have. I don’t know what to expect once we get up there, but with any luck this will be enough. This guy can apparently go toe-to-toe with Avatars.”

Saikhan raised an eyebrow, peering over Mako’s shoulder at Korra. She appeared to have stopped listening at some point during his explanation though, as she was now talking with Bolin and Asami about something or another. “Well, if this isn’t enough, I don’t think anything will be. It’s all we can afford.”

“Then I’ll just have to make it work. Thanks, Saikhan.”

“Whatever. Good luck, kid. I’m going back to my retirement.” Saikhan said, walking past Mako and his group and heading for his cruiser. “Spirit monsters and mover stars… sheesh. Things were so much simpler in my time...” he grumbled as he left the scene.

Mako surveyed the scene. All this was really his to command then, huh? He wasn’t really sure if he was up to the task. But he'd managed on Air Temple Island, and the Chief had put her faith in him. He might as well give it a shot.

“Ryu, Opal, Kai,” Mako spoke up, the three airbenders’ heads perking up at their names. Until now, they’d been huddled around Tenzin and Oogi, waiting for orders from whoever was in charge. As of now, that was Mako. “Each of you pick an airship and stick with it. If Ryuuki tries to make a break for it, it’ll be up to you three to take him down. You’ll each have about ten Metalbenders backing you up.”

“I’d rather be up there with you guys than on the reserve team,” Kai complained, crossing his arms. And by that he meant he wanted to take revenge for Jinora, Mako presumed.

“You’re more than just a reserve team. If anything goes wrong, you’ll be on the front lines, same as us. You’re more needed out here than in there.” Mako explained.

“Fine,” Kai conceded, “but I’m taking the big one.” Opening his wingsuit, Kai took for the skies, headed for the airship that looked biggest to him.

“Which one’s supposed to be ‘the big one’? They’re all the same size…” Ryu remarked, taking off shortly after him.

Opal meanwhile lingered a little longer, sparing a look in Korra's direction. She was still talking with Asami and Bolin, and she wasn’t about to interrupt them. She was just glad Korra trusted her enough to let her be here. After a couple moments, she, too, took off for an airship.

“Bolin, Korra, Asami,” Mako called, the three’s conversation cutting short as they were called to attention. “Are you ready?”

“As we’ll ever be.” Korra confirmed.

Mako nodded. “Then let’s go meet up with Suyin and get this show on the road.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Korra grinned, happily following Mako’s lead. Asami, Bolin, and Tenzin were not very far behind.

Up until now, Suyin had been talking with her metalbenders. Since they were originally from Zaofu, here in the city to help with the relief efforts, she knew all seven of them personally, and was making sure they were all up to the task. Each and every one of them were dressed in armor from Zaofu and fitted with the signature cables of Republic City’s metalbending officers. Once she noticed Mako’s approach though, the eight of them quieted down. Suyin had seen him arrive a few minutes earlier, and had already been informed by her sister that he would be in charge of the operation.

“I take it you're good to go, then?” Suyin asked.

“Yeah. Are you?”

“Just waiting for your orders. How are we going to do this?”

Mako thought for a moment. How were they going to do this? Their formation was going to be important if they were going to subdue Ryuuki quickly. Obviously, he’d want Korra at the very front, she was the best muscle they had, but after that…

“Okay. Korra, you’ll be up at the front of our group. Bolin and I will take up position right behind you. Suyin, you, Tenzin and Asami will be behind Bolin and I. I want you to watch our backs and hold the line. As for your metalbenders, I want the seven of them and Korra formed around the five of us. As soon as we breach, your metalbenders will fan out to surround Ryuuki, and we'll back up Korra if he tries to go for the Avatar.”

Suyin and the others all nodded in agreement, and the group of thirteen got into formation. As they did, Mako reached for his radio to give orders to his air support. “All officers be at the ready. Do not breach the building under any circumstances unless I give the signal. If the target escapes at any point, subdue him immediately – use of deadly force is authorized. The Chi Eater is not to leave this building unless it’s in chains.”

“Yes sir!”

Mako looked back at his friends, and they all gave him a confident nod. They were ready. "Alright. Let's do this."

Mako took up his position within the formation and let Korra lead the charge, though they didn't move until he gave the command. The thirteen of them marched down the street and into Ryuuki's complex determined to put an end to the Chi Eater, one way or another. As soon as they entered the building, Mako directed them to the stairwell, and they began their climb to the fifteenth floor. The whole thing was a massive penthouse suite, and while there was an express elevator that led right to it, it would've proven more dangerous. They'd have been cornered as soon as the doors opened, and easy to pick off. It'd be much safer to just break down the door and storm the suite.

The climb was long, but with all the adrenaline pumping through their veins, not very tiring, and they made good time in reaching their destination. Exiting the stairwell, they entered next into a long, carpeted hall. High quality reproductions of famous artworks from all four nations adorned the walls leading down to a single set of beautiful mahogany doors. Supposedly all the artwork had been hand-picked by Ryuuki. The tick of the clock hung above the stairwell was the only sound besides their racing hearts.

They made their way down the hall quickly and silently. It felt like it stretched on for miles, but the march only lasted a moment. Korra stopped just in front of the two large doors and everybody else followed suit, all eyes on their Avatar. She would be the one to decide when they breached, not Mako. But Korra was feeling unusually nervous. Swallowing the lump that’d formed in her throat, she breathed deeply. She could do this.

With a mighty kick, Korra broke down the doors and her batalion of benders stormed the Chi Eater’s apartment.

“Ryuuki Ayatsurishi, you’re under arrest!” Mako exclaimed. At his command, the metalbenders fanned out, surrounding the Chi Eater on all sides.

But Ryuuki was not alarmed. He was sitting quietly in a chair with his back turned to the lot of them, reading a book they couldn't quite make out. He was seated in front of the central of three balconies in his horseshoe shaped penthouse, the one with the best view of the Spirit Portal, and its light was the only illumination in the room aside from the search lights of the airships. As the metalbenders formed up around him, he calmly turned another page.

“Good evening, officers. Something I can do for you?” Ryuuki asked, never looking up from his book.

“Cut the bullshit, Ayatsurishi. We know who you are.” Suyin said.

“If that were really true, you wouldn’t be here right now. I suggest you all leave while I’m still giving you the chance.”

“We have you surrounded,” Korra said, “it’s over.”

“Ah, Avatar Korra, how nice to see you again. How’s Jinora?”

“Don’t you dare say her name!” Tenzin warned, nearly breaking formation before Suyin held him back.

Ryuuki shook his head. “Tsk, tsk, Tenzin. Do I sense some hostility? And here I thought you were supposed to be a pacifist. What brings you to this raid?”

“That’s enough. Ryuuki, you are hereby under arrest for the Chi Eater killings. Surrender now and come quietly.” Mako commanded. But as soon as he stepped forward to cuff him, Ryuuki snapped his book shut, and Mako froze. Ryuuki placed the book onto a small table beside him.

“I always knew there was a chance I’d be found out eventually. Honestly, I thought it’d have been sooner. Perhaps at the premiere, or after I healed your arm for you. You’re welcome for that, by the way,” Ryuuki taunted, still not turning his head to face any of his would-be captors. Mako grit his teeth. “Still, I tried to put on quite the show for you all. I wanted you all to think you were heroes – the legendary benders who stopped the big bad Chi Eater. But you were more persistent than I’d hoped. That little Airbender girl, especially.”

“You almost killed her.” Tenzin seethed.

“Oh please. Do you really think I’m the type to only do something half way? If I’d wanted Jinora dead, she’d be dead. All I really wanted was send a message: ‘This is what will happen if you keep sticking your noses where they don’t belong’.” Ryuuki sighed. “As it happens, a previous Avatar and I had reached an agreement about my particular lifestyle. I’d been hoping Korra would be wise enough to consider sustaining that arrangement, but it seems I've overestimated her.”

“You may have manipulated me in a past life, but not this time. I’m Korra, the new first Avatar. Whatever arrangement you had with me in the past no longer stands.”

“Strong words. But that’s all they are. Compared to me, you’re all bark and no bite.” Ryuuki folded his hands in front of him. “I’ve been keeping a close eye on you, you know – all of you. Anybody who happens to enter into the Avatar’s life is as much my business as the Avatar is. That means I already know what each and every one of you is capable of. I know what you’ve done in the past, and I watched you all closely when you fought with my pet. Especially you, Korra. You’re strong, yes, but you’re nowhere near skilled enough to take me on without the Avatar State, and I’m afraid that after what your uncle did to you, what you have left with you and Raava just won’t be enough.”

Korra’s glare hardened. So he knew about Raava then.

“Then clearly you haven’t been paying close enough attention,” Asami asserted.

“Oho, if it isn’t the beautiful Ms. Sato. Your fiancee actually let you tag along? Either she’s stupid, confident, or she's completely forgotten what happened the last time her fiancee and I were in the same room.”

Asami looked in Korra's direction. Her fists were clenched, but Korra didn’t look her way.

“That’s right… what was her name again? Akane? Such a shame, she was such a talented bender. Honestly though I think it was kind of hilarious in retrospect. I had it all set up so that when Avatar Rin tried to kill me, she ended up killing her lover instead. You should’ve seen the look on her face, it was priceless.” Ryuuki laughed.

Asami staggered back. That was just...

“That’s not going to happen this time,” Korra assured, finally meeting her fiancee's gaze. As soon as their eyes met, Asami’s confidence returned to her, and she stood tall once again.

Ryuuki hummed. “If you say so,” he supposed, unclasping his hands and placing them back down on the arms of his chair. “I really did do my best to avoid all this and make you guys my friends, though. I thought we were having fun there, for a while. Honestly, I’ve compromised so much for all of you, and still you choose to treat me like a criminal.”

“I’ve heard enough of this garbage. It’s over, Ryuuki. Stand down, now.” Suyin demanded.

“Oh, but it’s only just begun, Ms. Beifong. Now that I have you all here, I can teach you all a lesson in person. In this world, I am the one at the top of the food chain. You all exist at my leisure and my leisure only. The forty-six of you are only still alive out of the kindness and the honor of my heart.”

Forty-six? Did he know about the airbenders and how many cops were in the airships, too?

“If you want to ‘take me in’ or ‘take me down’ or whatever it is you guys do, you’re all welcome to try. But know this: as soon as you do, any hope of mercy goes out the window, along with about half of the people in this room.” Ryuuki warned. “So. What will it be?”

It was one of Suyin’s metalbenders who acted first.

Maybe he was scared, reacting on sheer impulse without thinking ahead. Maybe he’d misjudged, taking Suyin’s lowered head as the signal to move. Maybe he saw something, a subtle movement his way meant to prompt him to act. Whatever the case may have been, the singular metalbender released the first cable, and with the throwing of the first punch, he opened the lid on Pandora’s Box.

As the cable pierced the air, Ryuuki reacted faster than anybody thought possible, lifting himself up with the strength of his arms and flipping himself over the back of his chair. Never releasing his grip on its armrests, he pulled the chair along with him and threw it over his head with the added momentum of his spinning body. The move had been choreographed so that when the cable wrapped around the empty chair instead of him, and he threw the chair at Korra, the officer would be pulled along for the ride.

Korra was the first to react, making a decisive step forward and an uppercut which created a powerful updraft, sending the chair into the ceiling as opposed to her face. But she hadn't accounted for the metalbender, whose trajectory suddenly changed as he was yanked up toward the ceiling. Before he was pulled very far though, Ryuuki attacked, swing his leg high above his head and then driving it down in a curtain of blue flame. The mighty axe kick collided with the metalbender's spine and snapped it with a sickening crack, his armor crumpling from the force of impact as he was spiked into the floor. Suyin screamed the man's name - Ryuuki had killed him in a single blow.

He wasn't content to have a death toll of only one, however. Ryuuki inhaled like a surfacing sea dragon, swallowing air to conjure more fire he expelled from his mouth in a mighty blue blaze.

Suyin and her benders bent the metal of their armors to create a buffer to protect them, but Korra and the others weren't so lucky, and were forced to try and dodge as Ryuuki spun around, exhaling fire all the while. Mako and Tenzin dove to the ground while Bolin and Asami hid behind furniture, with Asami in particular taking cover in the penthouse's kitchen. There was a counter which separated it from the foyer she hid behind for cover, while Bolin hoped the nearby couch would be enough protection. Korra meanwhile chose to fight through the flames, using her airbending to shield herself.

For the metalbenders, they found Ryuuki's flames to be hotter than expected - their armor turned red and semi-molten from the heat - but they persevered. They shed the useless metal and at Suyin's command, all six attacked at once. They were using their cables to try and restrain Ryuuki as his breath of fire came to an end, but he flashed them a cocky smile and happily let the cables wrap around his arms. Then, he pulled all six metalbenders down in a show of force, demonstrating that his strength was far beyond that of an ordinary person. Once again, Ryuuki began to spin, but this time he was swinging six men around with him, forcing anybody else who thought to attack him to duck for cover for a second time.

He wasn't intending to use them as flails, though - no, Ryuuki had a specific destination in mind for them. Setting his sights on the glass that comprised most of his eastern wall, the fates of the six were decided as Ryuuki discharged waves of lightning without any of the normal prerequisite movements. The electrical charge ran up the steel cables and stunned the men attached to them, causing their grips to loosen as their bodies convulsed, and they were released into - no, through the glass. Their muscles would no longer respond to them as the electricity wreaked havoc on their bodies, and their screams were their only resistance as they fell out of view and presumably to their deaths. Not even a minute had passed, and Ryuuki had already kept his promise. Half of them had gone out the window.

The core group could only watch in horror as this unfolded, none of them able to manage a counter that wouldn't have threatened the metalbenders as well. But none were as distraught or as angry as Suyin. With the purest of rage on her face, she prepared to charge the Chi Eater only to be beaten to the punch by Tenzin, two mighty blasts of air zipping past her right and left. In an unusual change of pace, it seemed that Tenzin had taken the initiative, reacting with fury and purpose behind his brow. Ryuuki's grin only widened as he realized Tenzin was going to be his first proper opponent.

Tenzin airwheeled past Suyin, keeping pressure on Ryuuki by firing blast after blast as he drew closer, forcing the Chi Eater to stagger and dance with the currents to avoid the bone-shattering air pockets. An angry airbender was as rare a sight as they were dangerous, but for Ryuuki, that's what made them so fun to hunt. He happily encouraged the old master to continue, drawing his ire with taunts about Jinora and firebending counters that were half-hearted at best.

Of course, before long, Tenzin wasn't the only one attacking. Soon, Mako and Korra started providing support in the form of fire blasts to accompany Tenzin's air. But the flames had no effect on Ryuuki, who seemed to simply wave them away without any effort. Even still, they continued to firebend, trying to keep up the pressure and overwhelm him, but the flames licked his skin like a polar bear dog pup, tickling and harmless and completely under his control whether they wanted them to be or not. It quickly became clear to Korra and Mako that Ryuuki was in a league of his own when it came to firebending. A thousand years of experience had made it as effortless as breathing.

Tenzin was undeterred by the sight, continuing his assault. If fire wouldn't work, then his air surely would, and he would keep Ryuuki dancing backwards until he was backed into a wall. But before he could seal the deal and lock the Chi Eater into the corner he'd been driving him toward, Ryuuki suddenly sprang forward through the air, boosting his leap with his firebending so that he'd be propelled right over Tenzin's head, forcing the airbender to create a cushion and buffer himself before he hit the wall.

But as soon as Ryuuki vaulted over Tenzin, Bolin and Suyin were on him, bending the tile below and the metal from her armor respectively as they tried to hammer away at him before he landed. But whatever didn't miss him was countered with blue bursts from his fists, small explosions that killed just enough momentum that the earth and metal debris were rendered harmless. The heat of his flames were a problem, and now, so was their explosive properties.

Mako had never seen anything quite like him. Though they shared an element and a mastery over lightning, their skill levels were incomparable. But that shared affinity for lightning gave him an idea, so when Ryuuki hit the ground and looked around for his next target, Mako conjured a mighty bolt he hoped would put an end to this battle quickly. But, ever the one to surprise, Ryuuki was undeterred, taking the lightning head-on and channeling it through his arm, up his shoulder, down through his stomach, and then out of his other arm and right into Suyin. She had been coming at him from his left with metal blades she'd made from her wrist guards, but the electricity put a stop to her pretty quickly.

Rather than follow through with her cut-and-gut approach, Suyin was forced to defend, reshaping her blades into a circular buffer in front of her that absorbed the blow. But it created a blind spot, letting Ryuuki run in and pop off a firebending side kick right into her abdomen. His foot struck her body with all the force of a saber tooth moose lion, leaving her armor badly dented and Suyin herself lying winded on the floor.

Mako was in awe at the swiftness and fluidity of his motions. While he struggled to follow up with something, anything effective, Korra, Bolin and Tenzin prepared to attack Ryuuki from all sides with their native elements.

This was a situation that could quickly become ugly, Ryuuki reasoned, so he figured it was time to use one of the aces up his sleeves. A snap of his fingers would be all it would take to split the combatants in half and turn the tides in his favor.

“Mako!” Bolin cried as his brother suddenly screamed out in pain.

Everybody’s focus shifted to Mako now, collapsed on the ground with bright blue flames engulfing his entire left arm. The heat was unbearable. Mako tried snuffing it out with his own firebending, but the flames would not bend for him.

“What?!” Korra yelped, whipping her head in Mako’s direction.

Bolin immediately dropped his guard and ran to his brother’s aide, using his jacket to try and smother the flames, but that wasn’t working very well either.

What did Ryuuki just do? Korra wanted to go and help, but in the second she’d taken to look away, Ryuuki was on top of her, and she was unable to move.

“Pay attention!” he demanded, just a few feet from her face. Korra rushed to counter, but she wasn’t quick enough – Ryuuki’s blow was going to hit.

Or, it would have, if Asami hadn’t intervened. Ryuuki clicked his tongue, forced to retreat as the non-bender of the group came in with a series of jabs from his left. Her Equalist Glove was active and she’d tried to land a clean hit on his shoulder, but he avoided her with relative ease. Ryuuki made note of the speed and precision with which she delivered her blows, strike after strike succeeding the failed opening blow to try and keep him on his toes.

Asami was no slouch at hand-to-hand, that much was obvious. Even if she couldn’t bend, she could prove to be an issue later on if he didn’t take care of her quickly, especially if she kept him busy while somebody else backed her up. But how would Ryuuki get rid of her? As he hopped and skipped back to avoid her gloved jabs, now reinforced with Tenzin’s continued air blasts, when he paused to gather air for a more powerful corkscrew attack, Ryuuki found his answer.

Suddenly, Ryuuki stopped moving, switching gears to stand his ground and engage Asami in a brief exchange of blows. Even as he deflected each strike, he was impressed with her power and skill. In fact, if he were being honest, he was having fun. Just as he parried her attacks, she was parrying his, and his smile grew wider and wider as he ramped up the speed and she effortlessly managed to keep up. If things continued like this, he might actually be challenged by her, provided this was their sole means of combat.

But when Tenzin finished preparing his attack and released his corkscrew, Ryuuki stopped playing games and suddenly grabbed hold of Asami’s arm, yanking her forward while he stepped back in a surprise motion. Now, she was the one in Tenzin’s cross-hairs, not Ryuuki. But by the time Tenzin realized, it was already too late.

“Asami!” Korra cried, Tenzin’s eyes going wide as the Avatar's fiancee was sent spinning through the air. That should’ve been Ryuuki. The Chi Eater was now giggling at the sight of her colliding with his fridge with an undignified thud.

Asami grunted in pain, sliding to the ground and clutching her left side. Nothing was broken as far as she could feel, but she was definitely bruised. She thanked the spirits Tenzin had only intended that attack to knock Ryuuki off his feet, not kill him. If he’d really been serious, that could’ve ended a lot worse for her.

Korra was conflicted. Did she go help Mako, who was still suffering with that blue fire, or did she tend to her girlfriend? Thankfully, the recently recovered Suyin came to Asami’s aide, taking the decision out of her hands.

“Korra, we could use some waterbending over here!” Bolin reminded.

Though she was frustrated she couldn’t do more, what with Ryuuki running in to launch a follow up attack on her grounded fiancee, Korra left her fate in hers and Suyin’s hands. Mako needed her. Now, she was pulling the water from her pouch she’d initially intended to hit Ryuuki with to tend to him.

Meanwhile, Suyin was helping Asami to her feet. “Can you still fight?” she asked. Though she winced, Asami claimed yes, and looked around for a way to turn the situation to her advantage. Ryuuki was a formidable fighter and he was closing in fast – if she was going to do something, she’d have to be equally quick about it. For a brief moment, her eyes settled on the chandelier in the center of the room before Ryuuki appeared in front of her and obstructed her view.

He was already on top of her with daggers of blue fire forged in his hands, and he was going in for the kill. Simultaneously, Suyin was going for an opportunity to cut through his neck before he could get any closer, bending the armor around her arm into blades again as he closed in on Asami. For a moment, it looked as though Ryuuki was going to risk the blow to get a solid hit in on Asami when more air blasts from Tenzin forced him to retreat at the last possible instant, the Chi Eater lurching backwards like a man possessed and then jumping out of the way.

In a matter of seconds, Tenzin was on top of him again, air wheeling around while firing blast after blast with the intent of trying to tire Ryuuki out with his constant dodging around the room. This was a strategy that could get really old really quick, but if that was how Tenzin wanted to do this, then Ryuuki was happy to play along. It was probably for the best he took Tenzin out first, anyway, given he was the one with the most skill and range of those still alive.

“Gee, Tenzin, you sure seem angry today! Did I do something to piss you off?” Ryuuki taunted, drawing the master’s ire. His air blasts became bigger and more powerful as Tenzin started to lose his composure. But Ryuuki looked as though he were having the time of his life, practically dancing as he twirled around every attack, moving in spirals as though he were an airbender himself. At the same time, he was circling his arms, building up power for his next move.

When he discharged a bolt of lightning from his fingertips, Tenzin deftly broke to his right and out of the way, the far wall being struck with Ryuuki’s arc while his eyes followed Tenzin around the room. Though he’d managed to dodge, his move had been anticipated, and Ryuuki had led him into something of a trap.

When he was pressuring and pushing the Chi Eater back, Tenzin had been led along so that by the time he attacked, the metalbender whose back Ryuuki had broken was sprawled out to his right, and the lightning to his left would prevent any retreat. This meant his only course of action would be to jump over the dead man and break right, and this was what Ryuuki had been counting on.

While Tenzin may have thought he’d be safe from another bolt of lightning so soon, another bolt of lightning was exactly what he got, another mighty bolt from Ryuuki’s fingertips leaping across the room and into Tenzin’s chest. Before Tenzin could even wonder how he’d managed the feat, his heart would come to an abrupt stop, and he fell to the floor twitching and unconscious. Though his heart would soon restart, the master remained grounded, a large burn on his chest and back and his threat effectively neutralized for the remainder of the battle.

“Tenzin!” Korra cried, momentarily distracted from helping Mako as he hit the ground. She hoped against hope that he was okay, but was still preoccupied with those flames, flames which were spreading and refusing to go out even when up against her healing water. “Damn it!” she cursed. This wasn’t working. Waterbending wasn’t working! But why? She briefly considered trying to firebend it away, but figured Mako must’ve already tried that.

Then, it hit her. Ryuuki was an energybender. He must’ve healed Mako’s arm with his energybending. So Korra quickly switched gears, trying to energybend the flames away instead. And, just as she’d hoped, the flames responded. This was an energybending attack, and she could feel how it was working with a cursory touch. Ryuuki had willingly embedded some of his energy in Mako’s arm, and activated it when he snapped his fingers. To counter this, Korra pulsed some of her own energy through Mako’s arm instead, forcing Ryuuki’s out of it and snuffing out the flames in the process.

Mako groaned and gripped his arm out of reflex. Fresh burns marked his already damaged skin, but he was alive. Bolin breathed a sigh of relief, but the comfort was short-lived as Ryuuki bent more flames into his penthouse suite, furniture catching fire as he was now engaged in a close-quarters battle with Asami and Suyin.

While Suyin jabbed at him with her blades, Asami tried to get him with her glove, one of them hoping to land some sort of blow as the Chi Eater danced with them on the other side of the room. He weaved out of the way with some attacks and reacted with short bursts of fire to others, forcing the two to avoid him instead.

With Mako taken care of and Asami under attack, Korra sprang back into action, pulling the water from her pouch along with her and sending it Ryuuki’s way with the intent of freezing his arm.

Once again, Ryuuki clicked his tongue. She’d already figured out how to fix her ex, had she? The Chi Eater took the blow, his arm now encased in a layer of ice, but he quickly detonated it with his fire, pulling away from Suyin and Asami so he could engage the Avatar properly. He imagined she wasn’t as good in close-quarters combat as her fiancee was, due in large part to her bending. So, he would face her up close and personally, closing the gap between them with inhuman speed.

Before he could test his hypothesis however, Korra sucker-punched him, an airbending haymaker straight to the face his only greeting. Korra had seen right through him, this time. Finally, they’d managed to hit him with something, and Ryuuki was sent hurdling back in Asami and Suyin’s direction. The two of them immediately capitalized, one of them trying to stab him in the throat and the other trying to electrocute his chest before he could recover, but they were forced to retreat again by his firebending.

As he rose to his feet, he threw out his arms to send a blast of fire in each of their directions, ensuring they kept enough distance for him to recover and wipe away the blood Korra had drawn from his mouth. Ryuuki smirked. “Is that all?” he taunted. Just as his flames began to dissipate harmlessly into the air, Ryuuki moved again, lunging into a sprint back in Korra’s direction. He seemed to be intent on going through with his original plan of cornering her in close-quarters combat.

This was when Bolin entered the fray. Turning the floor immediately in front of Ryuuki into lava with his bending, the Chi Eater was forced to adapt, changing from a sprint into a leap and then propelling himself even further with his bending so he could make it over the pool of molten rock without incident. But, recognizing the trouble that an unoccupied lavabender could pose for him in the long run, he changed targets from Korra to Bolin and had aimed his leaping trajectory in the lavabender’s direction.

Ryuuki led with a firebending feint, a blast of fire Bolin only barely managed to sidestep whose purpose was to distract him. His real goal was to get in close enough to place his hand on his chest. As soon as Ryuuki made contact, a tingling sensation would precede the pain. “Sleep,” he commanded, a sudden pulse from his hand sending Bolin flying into the far wall and knocking him unconscious.

“Bolin!” Mako yelled. Though he was limited by his burns, he nevertheless managed a fireball with his good arm, hoping to do something to Ryuuki. But unfortunately for him, while the scale of his bending was impressive, his power was lacking, and his element was ineffective.

With just as much ease as he’d dismissed their earlier flames, Ryuuki did away with this blast without breaking a sweat, a swat of his arm all it took to quiet its rage. Mako instinctively moved to follow up with his left arm, but froze from the shock of the pain, substituting with a kick in its place. But the gap between movements was enough for Ryuuki to get in close. The Chi Eater deflected his leg downward with one palm and then took him out of commission with the other, another open-handed strike to the chest and a pulse of chi all it took to send Mako, too, flying unconscious into a wall.

As Mako was flung backwards, Suyin charged in from Ryuuki’s right, a brief close quarters exchange distracting him while Korra made the motions for an airbending attack. She had apparently cooled Bolin’s lava with an earlier move so that Suyin could run across, and Asami had disappeared from view while he took out the two brothers, so Ryuuki knew she must’ve been planning to catch him off guard with a surprise attack.

Suyin was an admirable fighter in this close-quarters setting. Her style was raw, but as sturdy as iron. He couldn’t find any openings her armor didn’t cover, and he knew that bending from this close would be mutually destructive at best. And it was clear from her movements that Suyin knew this too, because she followed him around without pause. Jab after jab paired with slash after slash, the blades from her wrists poised to cut and to pierce while his head bobbed this way and that… even if she was the distraction, that wasn’t going to stop her from going in for the kill.

Ryuuki admired her initiative and was intrigued by her style. Metalbending was still new, so he’d yet to watch many masters, and the dance moves Suyin had managed to work into the art benefited her greatly. But he was as much keeping her busy as she was him. Ryuuki kept her close. Though he was unable to attack Korra or Asami, at the same time, they couldn't attack him without fear of hitting Suyin. What's more, since Asami was a non-bender, she'd have to get in close to do any harm, meaning she'd probably be sneaking up from behind while Suyin had him occupied. So for him, letting Suyin keep up the pressure was the best option, as it would limit the Avatar while forcing her fiancee's hand.

But, ever the clever one, Asami had guessed that Ryuuki might see this coming, so rather than going in for a side tackle or a rear assault, she’d elected to take a more unique approach. One that actually managed to catch him off guard. When Asami finally made her presence known to him, it wasn’t from behind Ryuuki, but from above him!

It was a trap, and Ryuuki realized it too late. Suyin smirked as she backed away and the Chi Eater was right where she and Asami had wanted him – beneath the chandelier. While Ryuuki was preoccupied, Asami had taken the cable from the lone metalbender he hadn’t thrown outside, looping it around the light fixture so she could climb on top of it while she waited for Suyin to push him into place. Now, as the chandelier fell, it would hit Ryuuki dead-on, along with Asami still on top of it, who would be striking his head with an electrified shock from her Equalist Glove.

Or, that was the plan, anyway. In the last possible instant, Ryuuki escaped Asami’s follow-up glove, though the broken glass and jagged metal of the ruined chandelier had managed to draw more blood. But his escape was less than composed, and he’d been left with a flimsy foundation, one that Suyin and Korra quickly capitalized on, shifting the floor beneath his feet and knocking him into his back with a burst of air. Then, Korra leapt at the grounded Chi Eater and came down with the most powerful kick she could muster, shattering the floor beneath her as he just managed to roll out of the way.

Ryuuki kicked up more fire with his legs and propped himself up on his hands now, maneuvering his body like an airbender to force some distance as azure flames licked the air. This kept Korra, Suyin and Asami from drawing close while he righted himself and got back on his feet. Now, when the flames cleared and Asami and Suyin came at him in plain view, Ryuuki was ready.

He knew how to handle Suyin well enough, but the added attacks from Asami complicated matters. He was being fought by two people who clearly excelled in close combat, and the additional fighter from before meant he had to watch other angles and react that much faster. But, to the Chi Eater’s advantage, their styles did not mix. The impression that he got was that Suyin held Asami back – there was no synergy between them like there was when she worked with Korra, so while Suyin went in for the kill with each and every blow, her fierceness and initiative caused Asami to fumble just often enough and just badly enough that he was still able to hold his own.

But once again, Asami was clever, and at her signal, Suyin withdrew. Ryuuki expected her to come in with that glove of hers now, or maybe a shard of glass from the chandelier, but he was surprised a second time when she withdrew as well, reaching into her pocket for something new. But before he could see what that was, Korra had attacked, capitalizing on the ladies’ distance from Ryuuki to send three small blasts of fire his way.

Ryuuki narrowed his eyes. She knew this wasn’t effective, so this must’ve been some sort of distraction, but he had no choice but to counter her unless he wanted to suffer some burns. So, he bent away her flames as Asami released her new toy: a small, spherical device which ignited with the flames he redirected from Korra, exploding almost instantly.

Asami had predicted his counter based on what she’d seen him do earlier in the battle, and had set him up for this the second she pulled back. It was a maneuver which had impressed him, but which was only partially a success. While he was hit by the shock wave and some shrapnel tore into him, he bent the flames of the explosion harmlessly around himself and used the danger it posed to create some more distance between him and the three women, who had taken cover from the bombs. As Ryuuki dealt with the explosion, Korra had her fist reeled back, ready for an airbending strike. Seeing this, Ryuuki conjured lightning with his signature speed, hurtling a bolt in her direction that force her to jump out of the way.

Ryuuki kept her moving throughout the room with bolt after bolt after bolt until Korra finally dove for cover behind a counter, at which point Suyin was coming in from behind for another attack. But instead of firing at Korra with the last bolt he’d conjured, he turned around to meet Suyin instead, aiming it square at her metal chest plate and electrocuting her from near point-blank range. Suyin was sent screaming and flying into one of the windows, cracking it but not breaking it, before falling to the floor, limp.

“Suyin!” Asami cried. But there was no response. In only a couple of minutes, he’d whittled their team of 13 down to 2.

“Looks like it’s just you, me, and the Avatar now, little girl.” Ryuuki taunted, taking a moment to limber up while Korra and Asami regrouped.

Asami furrowed her brow. “You say that like it’s somehow good for you,” she replied with some confidence, putting all that she had into just psyching herself up. It was her and Korra now. Her and Korra. They knew each other better than anyone else. Each of them knew exactly how the other one fought. They could do this, Asami thought. Together. They were the only ones who could.

“There were thirteen of you when you entered this room. Now, seven of you are dead and four more are unconscious. I don’t think you and her alone are going to present any more of a challenge. The gulf between us is just too great,” Ryuuki reasoned, mockingly dusting some debris from his jacket.

“I don’t get it. Why are you doing this? Why go through all this trouble?” Korra asked, taking up a defensive position next to her partner while there was a momentary lull in the action. She was going to protect that girl if it was the last thing she did. She swore on it.

“To prove a point, Korra. You were being unreasonable, so I had to show you what you were up against. I made sure to only kill the fodder, though. We haven’t gotten to the part where I kill the ones you love one by one yet.”

“Fodder…!?” Korra snarled in rage. But Ryuuki looked confused by her reaction.

“Weren’t they, though? Your anger doesn’t make any sense. Compared to your friends, they were nobodies.”

“They were people! They had lives, families, dreams! Doesn’t that mean anything to you!?”

“No.” Ryuuki replied simply. Korra’s blood ran cold. “Honestly, Korra, I don’t even know why you’re bothering with me. It’s not like I’m the next Amon, or Unalaq, or anything like that. I’m not even like Zaheer. I only want what everybody else wants – to live my life. And just like anyone, I’ll live it by any means necessary.”

“You murder innocent people.” Asami reminded.

“You say that as if I’m not above them. Do you chastise an otter penguin for killing a fish? No. That is simply the natural order of things. There are predators, and there are prey. Humans are used to thinking of themselves as predators, but I’m so much more than human. To me, all you are is a meal – a way for me to perpetuate my existence. I have achieved what all life ultimately longs for. I have become immortal.”

Asami shivered at his explanation. That was just… evil. She was beginning to understand why Korra said he had to die.

“So all mankind is just prey to you?” Korra asked.

“Well, I do prefer benders. Their chi is a bit more potent, you see. But ultimately? Yes.” Ryuuki said with the utmost sincerity, his face completely straight. None of this seemed to bother him at all. “Does that upset you? Don’t worry. I have no interest in driving your kind extinct. Far from it, in fact. I depend on you to exist. I depend on the Avatar, too, actually, just the same as everybody else. Why do you think I always knock you out of the Avatar State before I kill you? Why do you think I’ve been trying to make a deal with you? I recognize the importance of your role in guiding such a miserable species. Really, you should have no issue with me. I don’t threaten your world or its balance. If anything, I play my own special part in preserving it.”

Korra scoffed. He played a part in preserving balance? That was rich.

“You really think you’re above it all, don’t you?” Asami asked. “You don’t even think of yourself as human anymore.”

Ryuuki tilted his head to the right at this. “Aren’t I, though? Above you? You in particular for sure, yes, but I mean all of humanity. Humans live such short, pitiful lives, struggling endlessly for the smallest of scraps from life’s bounty, whereas I can live forever, and do whatever I please. Benders have an edge over ordinary people like you, but I have an edge over benders. I may still look human, but make no mistake, I stopped being that a long, long time ago.”

“So I’ve heard,” Korra glowered.

“Oh have you now? You've been to see Koh, haven't you, Korra? I’m well aware of how much the Face Stealer detests me. But he’s not wrong in what he considers me to be.”

“And what’s that?”

“More.” Ryuuki said with a smile. “I’m going to cut to the chase, Korra. I don’t want to kill you. I don’t even want to kill your friends. I don’t want to have to take them apart piece by piece in front of you until you break down and beg me to stop, but if that’s what you want me to do, then by all means, I will do it. What happens next is entirely up to you. Either you can let me go and pretend we never met, just like Avatar Rin before you, or you can suffer the consequences that come with threatening my life. The decision is yours.”

Korra looked to Asami, and purely on reflex, pulled her closer. While from Ryuuki’s perspective it looked as though she were keeping her close out of fear or comfort, it served a more practical purpose, too, as Korra ran a hand over her fiancee’s ribs, assessing the damage from Tenzin’s earlier attack. They’d been bruised, but not broken, and with the way she was throwing her punches with Suyin earlier on, it looked like her wrist had been sprained when Ryuuki yanked her forward. With the slightest bit of water around her hand, Korra healed the bruising and the sprain with her bending while Ryuuki was none-the-wiser.

The two girls were essentially having an entire conversation with their eyes. In it, they confirmed what they already knew - neither of them wanted to back down. Not now. Especially Korra. It was written all over her face. She'd come her to finish this, and that was what she was going to do, no matter what. No matter how old or skilled he was, he was still just a firebender. Korra and Asami had both taken down countless firebenders before him. If they played their cards right, Ryuuki would be no different.

Closing her eyes, Korra sighed deeply. When she turned to face Ryuuki and reopened them, it was with renewed resolve. “No. You may think that you’re no longer human, or that the rules no longer apply to you, but you are, and they do, no matter how much you’ve changed yourself. Your fear and apathy for the lives of others is not a part of this or any world’s balance, it is an imbalance. Your life isn’t more important than anybody else’s, and it should’ve ended a long, long time ago. Instead, you've killed others to artificially extend it. Well, not anymore. This ends tonight.” The Avatar declared. There was a weight behind her words, one that wasn't there when she was just Korra. The sight caused Ryuuki to frown.

“Well, I tried,” he shrugged, removing his red jacket and burning it to ashes behind him. It was time to get serious. “Maybe you’ll change your mind when I disembowel your girlfriend.” His smile gone, a brilliant blue jet of fire propelled him into the air where his leg was poised to smash Korra’s head face-first into the ground with a drop kick, a move that would stun her and maybe break a few of her teeth. But much to his surprise, she met his leg head on with a mighty punch. Accompanying it was a blast of air that struck his foot and sent him tumbling backward through the room, though he quickly righted himself with expertly bent bursts of flame.

While an ordinary person would’ve felt quite the sting, Ryuuki appeared to be completely unaffected, landing on the ground without so much as a wince and immediately pressing forward again with blast after blast of scorching blue flames.

The heat was unlike anything Asami had ever felt before, and the power behind them were as though every punch were an explosion. But though he may have been powerful, firebending was still firebending. The bursts were singular and relatively contained, so while she needed to move further away with each dodge to escape minor burns, the process was more-or-less the same as approaching Mako or Korra when they were attacking.

When he realized the blasts weren’t enough and Asami was closing in regardless, Ryuuki clapped his hands together to generate a larger wave of fire which would leave her no room with which to dodge. But Korra had her girlfriend's back, circling around to defend her with an airbending buffer, a circular motion dispelling the flames around them.

Asami meanwhile ducked low, lunging forward to meet the Chi Eater at a more comfortable range. He knew roughly what to expect when another explosive was pulled from her pocket, and he stopped bending when she tossed it into the air, but Korra picked up where Ryuuki left off and set off the bomb with a fire blast of her own.

Once again, Ryuuki braced himself against the explosion, his arms crossed in front of him to weather the blow while the flames bent to his will, but the light and the sound created a momentary opening that Asami used to get in close. When he lowered his arms again, it was only to swipe away hers. But Asami expected his counter and met his arms with her strikes, successive attacks aimed at key pressure points meant to disable his bending.

“Chi blocking?” Ryuuki asked. He was as impressed as he was annoyed, his left arm going limp as he withdrew his right and staggered back. Ryuuki was prepared to counter with his breath of fire, but his focus on Asami left his foundation unprotected, and when Korra created a small patch of ice just behind him, he didn't notice until he slipped and fell flat on his back. Asami capitalized on this mistake almost instantly, coming in with her glove to try and grab his face.

Ryuuki’s wild smile returned and his eyes went mad, the Chi Eater rolling out of the way before Asami could grab hold. He looked like he was having fun. Asami’s hand struck the floor while Korra picked up the slack. She was bending the tile beneath him to try and throw him into the air, but he used their momentum to help himself stand back up instead, any damage she’d inflicted being little more than bruises.

Korra clicked her tongue. He was strong, quick, and incredibly hardy – whatever he did with all that chi he ate, it’d rendered him difficult to fight. He threw six men with little difficulty, reacted to attacks with inhuman speed and precision, and anytime they did manage to land a hit on him, he seemed to shrug it off. The attack she’d just made should’ve fractured a rib or broken an arm with the force with which she’d bent it, but he was standing there and laughing like it tickled. If they were going to take him down, they’d have to hit him harder than this. They would have to make every move a killing blow.

But Korra had isolated a weakness: his foundation was unsteady. This hadn’t been the first time they’d knocked him down, and with a low sweep of her leg and an arc of air to push him, it wasn’t the last, either. He was sent tumbling forward, but he caught himself with his right hand and sprung himself right back up, just barely missing an axe kick from Asami that would’ve surely hit him had he been grounded.

The viciousness of the attack was something he admired – a blow like that would’ve caved in an ordinary man’s skull – and it was then that Ryuuki knew that they were finally taking him seriously. He felt it only fair he meet them in kind. As he jumped back and away from Asami’s follow up strike, he grabbed his left forearm with his right hand and flashed a self-assured smirk, a visible pulse of chi coursing down its length and erupting from his pressure points. In an instant, the limb Asami had disabled was put back into play, and it was up to Korra to protect her when a sudden blast of fire from his left arm caught Asami unaware.

Another airbending low kick knocked Asami off her feet, but her fall would be cushioned by a pocket of air bent by her fiancee. As Asami got back onto her feet, Korra distracted Ryuuki with a second, higher kick to try and keep him from hurting her.

“That was a close one,” Asami said, regrouping with the Avatar. She felt as though her face had just been sunburned. There was no visible harm, but it still stung like a bitch – that heat was intense. “I guess chi blocking won’t work on the Chi Eater, huh?” she frowned.

“I’m an energybender beyond compare. You didn’t honestly believe that you could block my chi, did you? I know my body better than either of you know each other’s.” Ryuuki taunted. Korra growled. “That’s not all I know how to do, either. I’m telling you now, there’s no way you can stop me,” he warned. But the girls weren’t buying it.

Back at each other’s side, Korra and Asami quickly separated again to try and flank Ryuuki from both sides, but a sudden bolt of lightning blocked Korra’s path, forcing them back together. “Being an energybender means that lightning comes easy,” he remarked, casually casting more and prompting the two to dodge him while he spoke. “I’m surprised you haven’t tried since inheriting it from Aang. It’s difficult for ordinary firebenders to master, but Mako figured it out. For an energybender such as yourself, it should be second nature. I don’t think you’re as strong as you think you are.”

Korra ignored Ryuuki’s lesson while Asami attacked. They’d dodged flames and bolts to try their original plan to strike him from both sides, with Asami going low while Korra aimed high. Ryuuki just jumped over Asami’s sweep while deflecting Korra’s attempted air blast in Asami’s direction. Her low sweep meant it sailed harmlessly over her head, but she tried to hit him again with her glove, grazing his shirt before he rocketed off with more firebending. She almost had him that time. Emboldened, Asami pursued him with Korra at her side, the two of them fully intending to kill him with their next attack.

“I’m surprised you haven’t tried to finish this yet. No Avatar State or simultaneous bending today, Korra?” Ryuuki asked, deflecting the would be killing blows with childish glee. Korra had daggers of fire whereas Asami had a piece of twisted metal from the chandelier. Ryuuki ducked around their followup strikes as well, then kicked Korra away with a powerful but otherwise normal kick to the gut. Asami grit her teeth and attempted to counter, but a palm strike to her chest winded her and sent her reeling back.

Asami clutched her chest in pain, struggling to catch her breath while Korra got back on her feet. The next thing the Avatar would see would be Ryuuki’s knee thrusting into Asami’s face. Blood hit the ground as her nose was broken, the Chi Eater bending flames around his right hand he intended to burn her alive with. Korra moved quick – quicker than she even thought possible – and an instinctive blob of water snuffed out the flame around Ryuuki’s fist to render it a normal punch. Unfortunately, it was a punch that still connected with Asami’s face. Korra was now running as fast as she could to stop Ryuuki’s assault.

“I guess you were listening when I said it wouldn’t help you very much now, huh? Still, I’d have expected you to try it just to spite me!” Ryuuki continued to taunt, grabbing Asami by her collar. When he saw Korra drawing in again, though, he tossed her aside, more interested in taking down the Avatar than her girlfriend.

While Asami tried to regain her composure, Korra engaged Ryuuki in a brief but violent hand-to-hand exchange. It was exactly what Ryuuki had been hoping for. He blocked her blows as easily as he’d expected, but she was holding her own against his counters better than he’d have imagined. Her training with Asami had clearly been paying off. She was a better brawler than Ryuuki had given her credit for.

But more of a surprise was that Asami was persistent – ignoring the pain and an eye that wouldn’t open, she was back at Korra’s side and reinforcing her attacks.

Suddenly Ryuuki was a lot less amused.

This wasn’t the same as when it was Asami and Suyin – her synergy with Korra was as natural as he’d feared, and they played off each other with ease. It was almost as if they were extensions of each other, Asami making up for whatever openings or weaknesses Korra may have had. He was actually being pressured into moving backwards again, put on the defensive as they tried for blow after blow, leaving him little to no room to counter.

By the time that he realized where it was they were leading him, he was out of ‘back’ to move and was poised to be pushed out the window he’d broken at the start of the fight, an amused grin on his face as it hit him what they were planning.

But once again, it was Asami who surprised him with the penultimate move, suddenly aiming low to strike Ryuuki’s thigh with her Equalist glove, a sudden shock causing pain and locking his muscles just long enough that Korra followed through with an Airbending punch aimed square at his chest. Before he had a chance to react, he was sent flying out the window, and if it weren’t for what happened next, he may have fallen to his doom.

Korra and Asami knew that he might just firebend back up here, flying around in the air like Iroh II or Jeong-Jeong before him, but neither of them expected what actually happened. Purely on reflex, Ryuuki airbent himself away from the window, catching himself before he fell and then knocking the two women down with a blast of air from each arm.

“What!?” Asami yelped.

“He can Airbend too!?” Korra cried.

Though the advantage was his, the Chi Eater wasn't happy. He hadn’t intended to let them see this little party trick of his, not until he was ready to kill them. His instincts had betrayed him. “Tch. Well, I guess the cat owl’s out of the bag now, huh?” he asked, shaking his head and letting out an annoyed sigh while Korra and Asami struggled back onto their feet.

“How…?” Korra pressed. Was this how he did it? Was this how he killed her past lives? “How is that possible!”

“I could ask you the same question,” Ryuuki shot back, pointing directly at Korra. “You know Wan’s story, so I’ll let you figure this one out. But I’ll tell you right now – I can do far more than just airbend.”

Did that mean he could earthbend and waterbend too? Korra grit her teeth. That shouldn’t have been possible. Only the Avatar was supposed to be able to bend all the elements, and she could only do that because of the Raava connection. How the hell did he manage it?

“Korra…” Asami trailed, unsure of what to do next. A firebender was one thing, but if he could bend all of the elements, then…

“Asami, stay back. I’m going to finish this,” Korra warned, her eyes going white as she finally entered into the Avatar State. If he really was like her, then she’d need all the help she could get. “Raava, help me,” she thought.

Asami nodded in agreement, stepping back as Korra began to levitate, bending all four elements simultaneously as a show of force.

But Ryuuki was fearless and charged in regardless, reaching though her elemental defenses with his right arm alone. Though his flesh was burned and stripped away, almost to the bone, he persisted, placing his hand flat against Korra’s chest. Then, with a sudden pulse of chi, Korra was sent flying backwards, and Raava was sent back into the depths of her soul.

Korra caught herself with her airbending, but only just, looking up in confusion while Ryuuki stood undeterred. His arm was still extended from the blow he’d delivered, and as a blue glow surrounded him, the flesh her barrier had stripped away began gradually growing back. It was at this point she noticed that the damage done by Asami’s explosives was gone, too. There were holes in his clothes from where the shrapnel hit, but the only signs of blood were the stains on his shirt. What was he?

“Didn’t Koh warn you that I could disable the Avatar State, too?” Ryuuki asked, lowering his arm. By now it was almost back to normal. Korra and Asami looked on in horror as he casually approached.

“You… how did you… what…?” Korra wondered. She tried desperately to reenter the Avatar State and reached for Raava, but she couldn’t find her. No matter how hard she tried, Raava wouldn’t respond. “What did you do to Raava!?”

“You don’t understand the power I possess, Korra. The power you possess. And now I guess you never will. I tried to be reasonable, but you just wouldn’t listen. Now, I’m going to have to hurt you until you do.” With his arm now fully healed, Ryuuki opened his hand, electricity dancing between his fingertips as he ran in for a debilitating blow. He was pulling back his arm so that he could drive it into her chest, a move that’d definitely stun her at the very least.

Korra shut her eyes before his hand made contact, but when she didn't feel any lightning, she reopened them only to see Asami hit the floor in front of her. She'd run in and taken the blow the Chi Eater had intended for Korra. “Asami!” she screamed, Asami’s body convulsing as the electricity rendered her immobile on the ground.

Ryuuki smiled at her agony. Between her nose and his lightning, she must’ve been in a lot of pain.

“No…” Korra whispered. She gritted her teeth and moved her body to attack, but she was deflected with a touch. As soon as Ryuuki grazed her, she felt a pulse of chi and was sent flying away. She hit the rear wall back-first with a loud thwack, then fell to her knees on the floor. Even still, she persisted, bending blasts of fire and air in his direction to try and stop him from doing anything more, but he deflected her weakened attacks with one arm while he picked Asami off the floor with the other.

“I intended to stun you so you could watch me kill her, but this works too. In fact, maybe this will be the better lesson. If you can still move, and you still can’t do anything to stop me, it ought to really drive my point home,” Ryuuki said, standing Asami up – but just barely – and placing his hand on her face. The fear in their eyes – Asami’s and Korra’s – empowered the Chi Eater as he licked his lips in anticipation. He may have preferred to snack on benders, but there were lessons to be taught.

“I want you to know, Korra, it’s quite a painful way to go. Having your chi eaten. The heat that it generates boils away all the water and the blood in your body, and your organs turn to dust as I extract all your energy. It’s relatively quick, but it’s agonizing. The worst pain you could ever imagine. I want you to know this. Know that your fiancee's final moments were spent in suffering. Savor that thought, and remember: you could have avoided this. Next time you think you have it in you to stop me, remember what happened to poor Asami Sato.”

Asami closed her eyes in preparation for what was to come. Tears were streaming out of Korra’s. She tried to run as fast as she could, to get there before it was too late, but with another blast of air, he sent her flying back into the wall. All she could do was watch in horror as his hand began to glow an unnatural whitish-blue, and…

Lightning.

Ryuuki’s eyes went wide, releasing his grip on Asami to redirect the blast aimed for his heart out the window instead. Much to the Chi Eater’s surprise, Mako was awake and just barely standing up, smoke rising from his fingertips. “Stay away from her.” he seethed, collapsing onto one knee and panting, exhausted.

Ryuuki clicked his tongue. He was surprised to see Mako awake when all the others were still down. Either he hadn’t hit him hard enough, or he’d underestimated his tenacity. The Chi Eater grit his teeth, his blue eyes alight with fire. He was going to pay for that.

Then, suddenly, the floor beneath him sprung to life at Korra’s command. Instead of killing Mako where he stood, he was forced to jump out of the way as the tile and concrete were turned into jagged spikes that would’ve impaled him had he remained. This also served the purpose of driving him away from the collapsed Asami, whose side Korra immediately ran to now that an opening had been created. Korra frantically checked Asami for a pulse. She was pale, and unconscious, but breathing. He’d taken some of her chi, but not all of it. She wasn’t going to let him take a single drop more.

Ryuuki’s look soured. “Well, well, aren’t we the persistent bunch,” he growled. They really wanted to draw this out, didn’t they? Ryuuki prepared himself for round two, when all of a sudden, the metalbenders from the airships outside breached the building through the windows.

Mako was confused, as he hadn’t yet given the order to intervene, but that was when he noticed Lin chief amongst them, leading the charge and bending the entirety of the room with the help from her subordinates. The floors and walls were torn apart and flung at Ryuuki from all directions and the Chi Eater snarled, deflecting the attacks with earthbending of his own, much to Lin’s surprise.

But she was undeterred, and bent the newly exposed pipes next. If she couldn’t crush him, she could certainly skewer him. Ryuuki danced around each attack with relative ease, but as yet more metalbenders began pouring in from the doorway and the balcony, it was becoming a bit too cramped for his liking.

Ryuuki was upset. Just when things were getting fun, they had to come in and ruin it.

While he could stand there and fight, it would have been a waste of his energy. His power was not infinite, and with this many officers and the Avatar to boot, he might not be able to make it out of this unscathed. He was not a gambling man. If he was going to be facing off against this many metalbenders, he’d rather it be after he learned how to metalbend himself.

With a stomp of his foot, Ryuuki sent a shock wave through the floor in every direction, stone and concrete rising and then falling again in a wave, breaking everybody’s footing. As they fell to the ground, Ryuuki deflected what attacks they attempted with small blasts of air, running for the large window he’d blown out at the start. It was time to cut and run.

Mako fired another bolt of lightning to try and stop his escape, but Ryuuki simply captured it like he had the others, redirecting it into one of the nearby airships and damaging an engine that sent it careening off balance in seconds. Then, he conjured some lightning of his own to strike at another, flying through the air with his firebending as he tried to escape the area.

As soon as the airbenders saw him jump out the window, they were on him, Opal, Kai and Ryu all swarming down and sending bone-breaking air blasts his way. But none were as angry as Kai, who fired off twice as many attacks as Ryu or Opal in the same amount of time. He sped up his descent and tried to tackle the firebending Ryuuki out of the sky.

“You’re not going anywhere you son of a bitch!” Kai cried. He was coming in with a rather devastating looking corkscrew attack, but Ryuuki flew out of the way with another burst of fire, the increased intensity of his flames increasing his speed. But Opal came at him from another angle when Kai’s attack missed, followed immediately after by Ryu, the overwhelming amount of air forcing Ryuuki to stop firebending for a moment so he could use some airbending of his own to defend against them.

The barrier of air he created around himself was then pushed away from him in all directions, sending a wall of air at all three benders which threatened to knock them out of the sky. By the time that they had righted themselves, it was too late, and he’d already escaped into the distance. The Chi Eater would live to fight another day.

Opal cursed herself at not being able to stop him, briefly considering pursuing him herself, but quickly let go of her anger when she remembered her mom. As soon as the thought occurred to her, she broke away from Ryu and Kai to fly into the penthouse and check on her.

Kai meanwhile tried in vain to follow Ryuuki, but he was simply moving too fast. There was no way for him to catch up. Ultimately, he and Ryu were forced to abandon pursuit and return to the penthouse to check on Tenzin.

When the three airbenders arrived, what they found was a mess. The penthouse was completely ruined and structurally unsound, and it looked like it was only being held up by the will of the metalbenders inside. About half of them were trying to stop the entire floor from collapsing in on itself while the other half, including Lin, were tending to the wounded.

Korra carried an unconscious Asami to the balcony, where she would jump fifteen stories down and land unscathed with her airbending. Opal would never forget the look on her face as she stared helplessly down at her fiancee, silently praying to the spirits that Mako had intervened in time.

Tenzin was eventually awoken by Ryu and Kai, who helped him to his feet, and some metalbenders had recovered an unconscious Bolin from deeper within the room. Opal breathed a sigh of relief as she heard him groan, finally starting to come to. Mako, meanwhile, was in bad shape. His left arm was really badly burned and practically unusable, and he was barely able to stand on his own two feet. Ultimately, he needed help from some metalbenders to get him to the balcony and out of the building. Ryu and Kai then helped Tenzin outside. That just left…

“Mom!” Opal cried, running to help her aunt Lin support her as she was dug out of the rubble.

Suyin was hurt, but alive, and hugged her daughter to the best of her ability. But she was still reeling from that lightning bolt from earlier. “I’ll be okay, don’t worry,” she assured, wincing. It felt like she’d fractured a rib or seven.

“We couldn’t stop him…” Opal shamefully admitted.

Lin shook her head. “None of us could. Don’t blame yourself.” As the building creaked and groaned, the whole top level threatening to collapse, she suggested they finally get out of here. Lin escorted her sister out to the street through the balcony, followed shortly thereafter by Opal and the metalbending officers.

When they all made it back to the street, the group assembled around a defeated Korra. She was sitting on the side of the road, stroking an unconscious Asami’s hair. Though she was no longer crying, she looked like she was barely holding it together. She whispered her fiancee’s name in hopes that she’d wake up, but she didn’t. But she was still alive.

Opal placed a concerned hand on Korra’s shoulder. Korra didn’t have it in her to shun her right now. When Opal bent down and gave her a hug, she didn’t resist.

“We lost.” Korra said.

“But we’re alive.” Mako reminded.

“Barely. I… I couldn’t do anything. I was completely powerless to stop him. If you hadn’t woken up when you did, Asami would be-”

Mako cut her off there. “But she’s not.” Korra sniffed. At least there was that.

“So… what do we do now?” Lin asked.

“I…” Korra paused. Raava was inaccessible, Asami was unconscious, all her friends were badly hurt, and Ryuuki was in the wind. She felt more lost and defeated now than she had in months. “I don’t know,” she finally admitted. “I don’t know.”

It had seemed that once again, the Avatar had been bested by the Chi Eater.

Notes:

And with that, we're officially caught up with my original draft of Forever. This was the point at which I stopped updating, and eventually decided to rewrite the story from the ground up. We're entering into uncharted territory now. Not that I don't have a plan - I already know more or less how the rest of this story is going to go - but, I won't just be rewriting old stuff anymore. It'll all be 100% new.

With that being said, rewriting this battle was fun. There wasn't very much that needed to be changed, so it was mostly just cleaning up what was there or clarifying a few points. I do feel like the phrasing could still use some work, but I think this is good enough to publish.

I don't know when the next update is gonna be, but promise not to wait 7 months again lmao

See you soon!

Chapter 20: Aftermath

Summary:

Korra and her friends must deal with the aftermath of the failed raid on the Chi Eater.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Book Five
Chi

Chapter 20
Aftermath

 

When Mako suggested calling a coroner to help treat their wounded friends, Korra looked at him like he had three heads. As bad as things went with the Chi Eater, they hadn’t gone that badly. But when Dr. Lou was rambling on about his life to the brothers, Mako was listening. He knew he had experience as a field medic for the United Forces, and that he had a tendency for working late, so he would be their best bet on such short notice. Korra couldn’t take care of everybody all by herself, especially not while she was worrying herself to death over Asami.

Reluctantly, Korra gave in. She would’ve rather flown solo, but an extra pair of hands couldn’t hurt. This afforded her more time to care for her unconscious girlfriend. While nobody had come out of that battle unscathed, Asami was the one who got the worst of it. She’d had her chi stolen. Not much, but enough; damage had been done, and while Korra was confident she’d be okay after having healed her herself, she could really use the second opinion. If Dr. Lou agreed with her, it might help put her mind more at ease.

“Is… is she going to be okay?” she finally mustered up the courage to ask.

Dr. Lou hummed, examining Asami in a room adjacent to where everybody else was. It was obvious to him that Korra wanted a definitive answer, but he wasn’t sure if he was equipped to give her one. He hadn’t worked with live patients in quite some time, and the fact that some of her chi had been stolen was alarming. But her vitals all appeared to be normal. Her heartbeat was steady, her breathing was regular, what chi she still had was flowing uninterrupted – as far as he could tell, these were all good signs, and no doubt things Korra had already picked up on.

Letting out a breathy sigh, the former field medic concluded his examination. “As far as I can tell, she’s going to be okay. At the very least, I don’t think her condition is going to deteriorate any further,” he hoped.

A look of relief washed over Korra’s face. That had been her assessment as well. “I did what I could to make sure she was okay, but I… I’ve never dealt with anything like this before.”

“Neither have I. Honestly, I don’t think any healer has.” Dr. Lou frowned. “Even if Katara of the Southern Water Tribe were here, I think the best she would be able to do is what you and I have already done. And if you hadn’t tended to her as soon as you had, making sure her energy was circulating and healing any major injuries, she might not be so stable right now. From here, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. But… I’m hopeful.”

Korra sniffed. That would have to be enough. “Okay,” she said. “If you don't mind, I think I just want to be alone with her right now.”

“Of course,” he replied, “I’ll let you two be.” Bowing, Dr. Lou exited the room.

As soon as he stepped outside, the medical examiner reflexively reached into his pocket for a pack of cigarettes, but stopped short of actually pulling it out. This wasn’t the place for that, and he still had more patients to tend to. It could wait until he got off the island. Sighing, he removed his hand and walked back to the grand hall, where everybody else from the raid was currently gathered.

Korra had given everyone a brief once over before they made it back to the island, so all his patients tonight were conscious and stable, but most of the heavy lifting in terms of actually healing and examining them would fall onto his shoulders tonight. He’d been informed by Korra and Mako of everybody involved in the raid and what injuries they’d sustained, so now he was just going over that information in his head while everybody's eyes settled on him. If the attention bothered him though, he didn’t show it.

“Thanks for coming, Lou,” Bumi said, exchanging a handshake with the city coroner. “I know you never wanted to be a field medic again, but, I feel better knowing you’re here.”

Dr. Lou gave a wry smile. “It’s good to see you again, commander. After Mako told me what happened, I couldn’t sit this out. But with any luck, this'll be the last time I have to tend to the wounded.”

Bumi understood. Not wanting to waste any more of his time, he let his old friend through to assess his patients.

For Dr. Lou, the two lightningbending injuries took precedence - Suyin and Tenzin - and of those two, his old commander’s brother was the one in worse shape. Therefore, it came as no surprise that he was the first one he chose to tend to tonight.

Tenzin sat slumped in an old wicker chair in the corner of the room. He was able to talk, and even walk around with some support, but his condition was still less than spectacular. His breathing was labored, and the scent of burnt flesh followed him around wherever he went. But what really had Dr. Lou worried was the state of his heart. A bolt of lightning was a devastating blow for anyone, but a man of Tenzin’s age? The first thing he did when he got to him was listen to the airbender's heart.

“…Mm…” the doctor hummed after a moment of silence, removing his stethoscope. The nature of said hum was unclear. Without missing a beat, he moved on, bending some nearby water and running his hand over the burn on the center of Tenzin’s chest. This would be a scar he would carry for the rest of his life, there was nothing that could be done about that, but because of Korra’s early intervention, it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. Still, since there wasn’t much to be done there, he didn’t spend long hovering over the wound, moving his hand instead directly over Tenzin’s heart.

The doctor sat there for over a minute and a half in complete silence, keeping the healing water directly over Tenzin’s heart while he looked on with bated breath. On occasion, the water glowed brighter, and a low humming sound could be heard coming from his hand. But beyond this, the room was completely quiet, all conversations having stopped as soon the doctor arrived. And it was not by any stretch of the imagination a comfortable silence.

“Is it that bad?” Tenzin finally asked, noting the troubled look on the coroner’s face.

Dr. Lou sighed, removing his hand from Tenzin’s chest. “Your heartbeat is irregular. Just now, I tried to correct its rhythm, but nothing changed. When you took that bolt to the chest, it burned your heart and lungs, which is why you’re having difficulty breathing. But more importantly, that lightning traveled through your heart unimpeded and momentarily stopped it. Quite frankly, you’re lucky to still be alive, but I fear the damage may be permanent.”

Tenzin was silent. Everybody in the room shared a concerned glance.

“If you were a younger man, I would recommend you see a healer and consider starting a routine to help your body right itself. But at your age, even with as excellent shape as you’re in, I don’t think you have it in you anymore. The older we get, the tougher it is for us to recover from wounds like these. After a certain point, the damage is just too severe for our aging bodies to keep up with. Even if your lungs heal, which I believe they may, I’m afraid you'll continue to have heart trouble for the rest of your life.”

“So what are you saying?” Tenzin asked. Though he dreaded what he knew the answer to be, he had to hear it for himself.

“I’m saying you might never bend again.” Dr. Lou stated rather bluntly. Tenzin swallowed hard. “At the very least, not the way you used to. The stress on your heart would be too much. If you push yourself too hard, then… well, the risk is just too great.”

Tenzin buried his face in his hands. Ryuuki may as well have taken his bending away. Spirits knows he could have. But there was nothing more to be said, nothing more to be done. That should’ve been a killing blow. It almost was. But he’d survived. Tenzin wondered now if maybe that was intentional, if Ryuuki knew this would happen. Given what he'd heard of the Chi Eater, he couldn’t put it past him. But for better or for worse, Tenzin was alive.

After a moment of silence, Tenzin unburied his face and flashed the coroner a weak smile. “Thank you, Dr. Lou," he said, dismissing the man from his side.

Dr. Lou's frown deepened, but he understood. He could only imagine what must’ve been going through Tenzin’s head right now. As Bumi came in to console his brother, placing a concerned hand on his shoulder, the coroner bowed his head and walked away. As he did, Lin left her sister's side to join Bumi in supporting Tenzin.

Knowing they had much to discuss, Dr. Lou turned his attention to his next patient. Suyin Beifong. She and six other metalbenders were seated by the northern wall, the group around her comprised of the same six who were thrown out the window by Ryuuki at the beginning of the raid. They’d gotten lucky – the metalbending officers in the airships caught them before they hit the ground – but they were still cut up and bruised. The one in the worst shape though was Suyin herself. Like Tenzin, she was able to walk around with some support, but lightning was one hell of an element.

She, like everybody, was reeling over Tenzin’s prognosis. What was the Air Nation going to do now? Could Tenzin still lead it if he couldn’t bend anymore? She had a million questions and a strong desire to go console her childhood friend with her sister and his brother, but when she saw that Dr. Lou was approaching her now, she stopped herself. She swallowed hard as she came to terms with the very real possibility that she may be in a similar position.

“Ms. Beifong, I understand you were wearing armor when you were struck?” Dr. Lou asked.

Suyin nodded, picking up the dented metal breastplate she’d set down beside her. Dr. Lou’s heart sunk when he saw just how badly beat up it was. This Ryuuki fellow must’ve been one hell of a bender.

“If I’m right, then that armor may have saved your life tonight. But I’ll have to examine you to be sure. As with Tenzin, your heart is my major concern. Would you like to move to another room?”

“No, this is fine,” she replied. Dr. Lou nodded, and her metalbenders formed up around her and the doctor as he examined her chest. Unlike Tenzin, it looked like she would have no real scarring to speak of. She was bruised, and singed, but her armor took the brunt of the attack. As he listened to her heartbeat, he noted it to be normal, but he would have to use his waterbending to make sure. On top of healing any wounds, it helped him ‘see’ what was going on inside of her. But much to his relief, even on closer examination, her heart appeared to be perfectly fine.

“Everything seems normal,” he said, a look of relief washing over Suyin’s face. “If I’m right, the electricity mostly flowed around the metal of your armor, rather than straight through your heart. Judging by the damage done to your armor though, and the wound he left behind on Tenzin, Ryuuki was not holding back. If it hadn’t been for that breastplate, I may well have been seeing you in the morgue tonight.”

Suyin nodded gravely. She’d been caught off guard by Ryuuki once. She wasn’t going to let it happen again. Next time he showed his face, she’d be ready. “Do I need any further healing?” she asked.

Dr. Lou nodded. “I’d recommend a couple sessions, just to be safe. Some electricity still coursed through your body, so there’s probably some minor damage throughout, but it shouldn’t be anything too serious. In the long term, you should be fine.”

Suyin breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Once she’d redressed herself, her metalbenders broke formation, and she was allowed to walk away and tend to Tenzin. By this point, all the Airbenders in the room were talking amongst themselves, wondering about the future of their nation. He was trying not to eavesdrop, but he couldn't help but overhear their concerns. Lowering his head, he moved on to the next person on his list.

“Is Asami going to be okay?” Mako asked as soon as he saw the coroner walk in his direction. Even with as much pain as he was in right now, making sure his friend was okay was the most important thing to him.

“Yes, her condition appears to be stable. The Avatar is with her now. I believe she’s going to be just fine,” he confirmed.

Mako looked relieved. He was happy to hear it. “I guess that means it’s my turn then, huh?”

“Mm. I was hoping should we meet again that it would be under better circumstances. I haven’t been a proper doctor in many years,” Dr. Lou said, beginning the first of what was sure to be many intensive healing sessions while they talked. He’d leave the later ones to more seasoned professionals, but the least he could do while he was here was ease the pain and help the wound along. Korra had already covered the basics and dressed the wound, so the risk of infection was pretty low. All he had to do was start repairing damage.

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m sure you quit for a reason. But, it was kind of an emergency,”

“No worries, my boy, I understand. Especially after seeing just how beat up you all are,” Dr. Lou said, glancing around the room. Mako frowned. “I understand that this is not a normal burn?”

“No. Ryuuki ‘healed’ me after the premiere the other night. He said he was repairing my chi pathways, and it felt like he was telling the truth. But really, he’d embedded some of his energy in my arm. When he snapped his fingers, his flames erupted and we couldn’t put them out. I must’ve been on fire for a couple minutes, at least…”

Dr. Lou’s frown deepened. That didn’t sound good. Worse still, Mako’s arm didn’t feel good. He could tell as he tried to heal it that the damage was severe. “Well, I’m afraid your chi pathways are still damaged. Worse than they were before, in fact. Quite frankly, I don’t know that there’s anything that can be done to fix this degree of damage. You’ll be lucky if you ever bend with this arm again.”

Mako swallowed hard. That was what he was afraid of. “So that’s it then,” he said, “my arm’s toast.”

The coroner hummed. “Mm… under ordinary circumstances, I’d say yes, but…” Mako looked confused, but Dr. Lou didn’t elaborate at first. Instead, he took a moment to mull it over. It was a bit of a stretch, but then again, so was this whole Chi Eater case. Dr. Lou had never seen anything quite like it. He couldn't discount the possibility.

“…I want to preface this by saying this is just a theory. I think Avatar Korra will be better able to tell you if this will work or not, so try not to get your hopes too high. But if I had to venture a guess, Ryuuki really did heal your arm initially, and he did so by filling in the gaps with some of his own energy. Ordinarily, damage done to one’s energy pathways is permanent – your chi is what powers the healing process, and if its connection is severed in some way, that chi can’t get where it needs to go, and healing stops entirely.”

“That’s almost completely different from what Ryuuki told me. He said Firebending healers could heal that sort of damage. I guess that was a lie?”

“Perhaps. Firebending healers are remarkably rare in this day and age, and there’s little historical information or medical documentation on what they can do. Perhaps they can help with this sort of damage – Firebenders deal more directly with chi than any other benders, after all. But what I was getting at is, Korra may be able to do for you what Ryuuki did, with some of her own energy. She’s an energybender too, yes? I can’t say I have any understanding of how that works, but… if I’m right, and that’s how Ryuuki ‘healed’ you in the first place, then I see no reason she couldn’t do the same.”

So there was hope. Mako almost felt like he was going to cry.

“I recommend you talk with her after the dust has settled and tell her about my theory. If anybody’s going to be able to help you bend again, I think it’s going to be the Avatar. But you should prepare yourself for the possibility that she can’t.” Dr. Lou concluded.

“I will,” Mako said, “thank you.”

The doctor nodded.

The only one left now was Bolin. According to Korra, he’d taken less of a beating than anyone else, at least on the surface. And he certainly seemed to be fine, walking around unassisted and talking with his girlfriend while Dr. Lou tended to his brother. But he couldn’t be sure until he examined him for himself.

“Officer Bolin, are you ready?”

Bolin jumped at the doctor’s voice, pulled away from his conversation with Opal. Predictably, they’d been talking about Tenzin. But now that Dr. Lou was here, the couple braced themselves for more bad news. There was no telling what Ryuuki may have done to Bolin.

“Y-yes, I’m ready,” Bolin replied, standing at attention.

“At ease, soldier,” Dr. Lou laughed, Bolin’s stance instantly relaxing. It was clear he was nervous. He had every reason to be. “You were struck in the chest, correct?”

“Yeah, but… I don’t know, he didn’t hit me as hard as he could have. He just lightly touched my chest with his hand and I was knocked unconscious. And I don’t feel like any of my ribs are broken again…” Bolin described.

Dr. Lou hummed, placing a water-covered hand on Bolin’s chest. He was looking for any internal damage, but he couldn’t find anything. The only odd thing was… “Curious. It feels as though the flow of your chi has been interrupted somehow.”

“Interrupted…? Did Ryuuki put some of his energy in him like he did with Mako?” Opal asked, growing increasingly concerned. But the doctor shook his head.

“No, not as far as I can tell. Though that is something you should ask the Avatar to investigate. It’s more like his chi is flowing more slowly than it should be. If I had to venture a guess as to why, it probably has to do with how Ryuuki knocked him out. It sounds like it was a chi-based attack of some sort, something meant to incapacitate him, but not kill him,” Dr. Lou described, putting his finger and his thumb to his chin in thought.

“In fact, the same could be said for everyone, even Tenzin. There’s no reason he should’ve survived that blast – I’ve never seen a lightning wound as severe as his on a living patient before. I think he wanted you all to stay alive.”

“He was giving me another chance to take him up on his offer.”

Out of nowhere, Korra had appeared, checking up on her two best friends while Asami rested in the other room. Mako immediately got up and hugged her with his good arm, which she briefly thanked him for, but she quickly returned her attention to what Dr. Lou was saying.

“Ryuuki. He wanted to make sure I knew how strong he was without killing anybody in hopes I’d let him go. But it’s not going to work. He beat us once, but it’s not going to happen again.” Korra declared.

“I’m afraid that even if that is the case, your friends did not walk away unscathed. Tenzin is…” the doctor trailed. Korra’s stomach dropped.

“Tenzin’s what?” she asked.

“He’ll never bend again.” Opal said after a moment of silence. Dr. Lou lowered his head. He didn’t want to have to be the one to tell her, but he probably should've been.

“What do you mean? Did Ryuuki take away his bending somehow? I can give it back, he’ll be-”

“No, I’m afraid it has to do with his heart,” the coroner explained, “he’s developed a severe arrhythmia, and his heart and lungs have both been badly burned. I did what I could to heal the damage, but it’ll take multiple sessions for him to be okay again. But even then, I’m afraid the damage to his heart may be too severe. If he over-exerts himself again, it could kill him.”

Korra was silent.

This was her fault. The Chi Eater was her problem, and everybody else got dragged into it. And now, Tenzin was… the Air Nation was…

Korra immediately ran to Tenzin, pushing past Lin, Suyin and Bumi without a word.

“Korra? What are you-” Before he could finish his question, both of Korra’s hands were on Tenzin’s chest, enveloped in healing water. She was trying to heal him herself. “Korra…”

“You’re going to be fine, I can fix this,” Korra said, focusing as hard as she could on healing his heart. But she could feel that it wasn’t working.

“Korra.”

“I can fix this, I promise,” Korra repeated, beginning to cry. But no matter how hard she tried, his heart wouldn't beat how it was supposed to. “I…”

“Korra, it’s okay.” Tenzin said, placing a hand on the Avatar’s shoulder. “It’s okay.”

“How can this be okay? You… because of me, you’re…” she said, tears streaming down her face.

“I’m still alive. I’m going to be fine. The Air Nation is going to be fine. I can never fight again, and my long days of training are probably over, but… I’m still here.”

Korra wept. Though it hurt to hold her close to his chest, Tenzin pulled her in anyway, hugging her as she sobbed. “It’s not your fault,” he said.

“Yes it is. You know it is. All of this – the Chi Eater is my mistake, he-”

“Korra, we chose this.” Mako said.

Korra glanced behind her. Mako, Bolin and Opal were gathered alongside Bumi, Lin and Suyin now. They were all concerned, yes, but there was a fire in their eyes as well. None of them regretted tagging along, even with as badly as things went for them. And as she looked back up at Tenzin, she could see that he felt the same as well.

“None of this is your fault. We were unprepared. We did our best, and it didn’t work. We didn’t know what we were up against,” Mako continued, placing his good hand on Korra’s shoulder. “but we wanted to help you. You’re our friend. We couldn’t let you go into that fight alone. We all knew the risks.”

“I knew there was a very real chance I might not make it back tonight,” Tenzin said, though his words didn’t offer Korra any comfort, “but I’d made peace with that. All I wanted to do was protect you and my daughter, and I did. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

“I…” Korra wasn’t sure what to say. She couldn’t understand why they all weren’t blaming her for this. Tenzin especially. “...I still feel so guilty...”

“You shouldn’t. Even if this was somehow your fault, we’d still forgive you.” Mako said.

“Yeah, you can’t blame yourself every time something bad happens, Korra. We knew what we were getting into when we joined Team Avatar.” Bolin tacked on.

“I know what it’s like when somebody gets hurt following your lead,” Lin chimed in, “so I get where you’re coming from, but you shouldn’t rob us of our agency in the process.”

Korra bit her lip. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand or appreciate what they were saying, but-

“You’re not Rin, Korra.” Tenzin reminded. This was the affirmation that really got to her. As she looked back up in her master's eyes, tears began welling up in hers. “You don’t have to feel guilty for somebody else’s mistakes, even if that somebody else was one of your own past lives. This is not your fault.”

Korra fought back the urge to cry, sniffling hard. She didn’t deserve them. Any of them. “Thank you.” She was still having difficulty coming to terms with all of this and what it meant for her as the Avatar, but to be told that it was okay by somebody who knew the full story was a comfort to her.

As she stood back up to face everyone properly, Korra's mind couldn’t help but wander back to Ryuuki. “What do we do now?”

“Rest,” Dr. Lou suggested. Korra had almost forgotten he was here. “Doctor’s orders. You’re not going to figure anything out tonight, and you all need time to recover. It’s probably best you come at this with fresh eyes in the morning.”

Korra frowned. She didn't like it, but he had a point. She didn’t have to look to the others for confirmation – she knew they were all exhausted. A little rest would do them all some good. “…Okay.” Korra agreed. “Thank you for your help, Dr. Lou,” she said, bowing.

“Of course." Dr. Lou replied, returning her bow. "But it is getting rather late. I should probably turn in, myself.”

“You’re welcome to stay the night on the island if you’d like,” Tenzin offered.

“No, no, but thank you. I’ll just take a ferry back to the mainland. I wish you all the best of luck with tomorrow.”

With that, the coroner left the hall, and Korra was left alone with her friends. She felt like she wanted to give each and every one of them a hug right now, even Opal, but she didn’t. Instead, she quietly said her goodnights and left the room. More than anything else, she just wanted to be with Asami right now, so that was where she was going to be.

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

 

Elsewhere in Republic City, in a private office hidden in the back of an Earth Kingdom-style restaurant, the Triple Threat triad was in the middle of a meeting, and it was beginning to get heated.

“We’re going to what?!” The sound of something crystal and expensive shattering against the floor punctuated the exclamation. In the middle of the office, a man with thick glasses and a designer suit adorned with rings and jewelry took a step forward, only to be pulled back by his associates.

“Easy there, Xing,” said the smooth-talking businessman with a golden tooth. The look in his eye and the hand on his arm stopped Xing in his tracks, and the man just grit his teeth instead.

“You and Viper have never seen eye-to-eye, but you should at least hear him out before you go for his throat,” added the balding old man with the beard to Xing’s right. His hands were folded behind his back, and his eyes were set sharply upon his junior in the organization.

Two more men simply glanced at one another, keeping their hands and mouths to themselves. Still, the looks on their faces were telling. They were not very big fans of the extravagantly dressed Xing, who had now yanked his arm from the smooth-talker’s grasp.

“Keep your filthy hands to yourself, Han,” Xing cursed, brushing off his arm as though he'd gotten dirt all over it and straightening out his jacket. Though his lip was still curled in disgust, Xing kept the rest of his thoughts to himself. He wasn’t looking to start a fight tonight, but with the way he was talking, Viper sure seemed to be. If he pushed much harder, he’d have a full-fledged coup on his hands, as far as Xing was concerned.

“Easy, easy,” Viper requested, lifting his hands. As always, he had a sly smile on his face, like he knew something no one else in the room did. Two low-level enforcers stood by his side, a firebender and a waterbender, and they kept deathly quiet in his presence. “I get where you’re coming from, I do, but like Zhen just said, you should listen to what I have to say before you start making choices you’ll regret,” he warned. “Still, I never thought I’d see the day you stuck up for me, old man,” Viper smirked, sparing a glance in Zhen’s direction.

The old man smiled, bowing to his superior. “For better or for worse, Zolt chose you to take over in his stead. I owe it to the old man to let you speak your piece before judging your decisions,” he replied. The irony of him calling Zolt an old man considering his own rather advanced age appeared to be lost on him.

“Yeah, well, all this has me thinking Zolt was going senile. Who knows what that masked freak’s bloodbending did to his brain,” Xing complained, a glare from Zhen shutting him up. He defensively raised his arms and took a step back. “I just mean,” he stumbled to defend, “joining the other triads in, what, some sort of super-group? Really? The Triple Threats were created to wipe out the other bending triads and take this city for itself! Not… this.”

“I have to admit, I’m also a little concerned,” another of the assembled captains chimed in. It was one of the two who’d remained silent during Xing’s earlier outburst. He looked to be the most physically imposing of the five, but was also the most ordinarily dressed, lacking a shirt but wearing a simple vest and an everyman’s slacks. His heavily tattooed arms were crossed in front of him as he spoke. “I don’t have to like it, but Xing has a point. It took us a long time to get where we are now. We already practically run this city. The other bending triads barely factor into the equation for us. If we start divvying up our property and trading with the competition now, we’d be running opposite our founding principles and putting our supremacy at stake,” he went on to elaborate.

“See? Salim gets it!” Xing said, glad to have another captain backing him up.

“On the other hand… this would provide ample opportunity to double-cross the other triads when the time is right. We’d presumably have their leadership standing right in front of us, willingly. We could move to wipe out three of our biggest competitors in one fell swoop,” suggested the last of the five captains, a man with a rather plain looking face who was dressed in ordinary Earth Nation business attire. He didn’t look like anything special, but maybe that was the way he liked it?

“Alright, alright, that’s enough,” Viper declared, quickly taking back control of the situation before his captains started voicing more unwanted opinions. “Zhen. Xing. Han. Jiro. Salim. I didn’t gather you here for a debate, I did it to let you know what’s going to happen. My decision is final. If you don’t like it, you’re free to vacate your positions. There are plenty of others in the organization who would be eager to take your place and who would gladly follow along with whatever I say. Capiche?”

The five men shared a look. Throwing unruly captains to the wolves was absolutely in Viper’s nature – it was one of the ways he cleaned house when taking over the organization from Zolt some three years ago - so in fear of losing their positions (and their lives), the five instinctively fell silent, none of them willing to contradict the boss to his face any further. But, it was still clear to Viper that they wanted a little more explanation from him than just that. Luckily for them, he was feeling magnanimous tonight.

“Now, I don’t have to like it, but my old pal Ravi has a point. No matter how big we are or how many cops or politicians we own, we can’t take this city for ourselves if the rest of our competition is teaming up against us. And, no matter how talented any one of us may be, none of us stand a chance going toe-to-toe with the Avatar,” Viper explained, the mere mention of the Avatar causing a couple of those gathered to become tense. Jiro in particular, who adjusted his tie and tried to maintain his composure.

“I get what you're all saying - really, I do - but I’ve already thought this over. Fact is, we’ve been put into an interesting position here, one which could make or break us. Now, I know Ravi pretty well, I trust him, but the other two? I’m about as skeptical as the rest of you. But if you ask me, I don’t see us as having much of a choice in the matter. Not even we can fight the Terras, Agni Kais, Red Monsoons, RCPD, and the Avatar all at the same time.”

“Haven’t we already been doing that?” Xing accused. Viper waved his finger.

“Not as a united front we haven’t. They’ve always been separate problems to deal with, but Ravi, he’s weaseled his way into the Avatar and her fiancee’s life real close. He would have no problem manipulating her to take us down if it came right down to it. And with three of our competitors working in tandem against us, all with their own corrupt cops and politicians to rely on, we’d be mauled from all sides. It doesn’t make any sense to me for us to stand alone and let ourselves get ripped apart. Drastic times call for drastic measures.”

The five captains shared another look. Viper wasn’t wrong, but that didn’t mean they had to like it. And Xing really didn’t like it. But it was what it was. The boss’ decision had been made and his reasoning was sound. If they were going to challenge the Avatar and the remainder of the city, they’d stand a better chance with some help from the other triads.

Before any of those gathered could say another word, however, there was a knock at the door.

“I thought you’d told the restaurant staff not to bother us?” Zhen asked Viper, who looked none-too-pleased with the sudden interruption.

“More than that, the enforcers we left by the door should’ve stopped them before they could get close enough to knock,” Salim replied, the look on his face hardening.

On reflex, Viper’s hands reached back for the pouch of water he kept on his back, just in case. “Who is it?” He asked. But there was no response – just another knock.

By now, all five captains were on guard as well, the mood of the room growing tense as they all turned toward the door. But none of them moved to answer it. They all waited to see if there would be an answer. But there was nothing.

I said, who’s there?” Viper asked again.

This time, there would be no knock to follow. Instead, the door would swing wide open, nearly kicked off its hinges by a blue-haired man with badly scuffed expensive shoes and a beat up and bloody dress shirt. On reflex, two of the five captains attacked, blocks of earth bent by Salim and Jiro sidestepped in such a manner that it looked like an accident.

“Ah, so treacherous! Here I was knocking so politely, and not only do you rudely neglect to let me in, but you attack me when I let myself in!” Ryuuki complained. Though the captains were prepared to strike again if they had to, when they saw the face of their intruder, their stances loosened immediately, the threat level suddenly plummeting.

“Wait a second, aren’t you that mover guy?” Xing asked, the first of the six to return to a casual, standing position.

Ryuuki clicked his tongue. Rookie mistake. “You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Just because I’m an actor doesn’t mean I’m not dangerous, you know,” he warned, by this point formally letting himself into the room. He was careful to close the door behind him as he did.

“Ryuuki Ayatsurishi? What in blazes…?” Jiro asked, obviously confused.

Ryuuki just bowed like an actor in a play, swinging one arm wide and bringing the other in close as he formally introduced himself. “The one and only.”

“Looks like you just got out of a fight,” Xing remarked.

“Oh? Is he supposed to be the observant one? Yes I did, dear, but you should see the other guys,” Ryuuki replied with a wave of his hand.

Xing looked like he was about to blow a gasket. “Excuse me?!” Did this guy not know who he was talking to? Xing threatened to attack, but Ryuuki stared him down all the while, grinning and unmoving. By now, Viper should be-

“That’s enough, Xing.”

Ah, there he was. Three words, and Xing stood down. Ryuuki's grin widened ever so slightly. Good to know he was a follower. The actor waved hello.

“You’ve got some balls, busting down my door like that. What did you do to my men out front?”

“Ah, Mr. Viper! You're just the man I wanted to see!” Ryuuki greeted cheerily. He initially intended to skip over his question entirely, but when he was met with that cold glare, he figured he could ease his mind.  “Oh, don't worry about them. Wouldn’t you know it, I went to ask them to let me in to speak with you, and all four of them had fallen asleep! That’s just so unprofessional, wouldn’t you agree?”

Viper narrowed his eyes. “Yeah. Mighty unprofessional,” he agreed. Of those gathered, Viper was the only one who hadn’t relaxed his stance. He was still ready to water whip at a moment’s notice. It seemed to Ryuuki that he was the only one here with any sense of the situation. “I’ll ask you again. What did you do to my men?”

“Really, boss? This guy’s just some prissy actor, do you really think he could’ve taken down four of our own?” Han asked.

“Yeah, I mean, it is pretty late. Maybe those idiots really did just fall asleep,” Xing added.

“Yeah, ‘boss’. Maybe you should’ve picked a better night crew,” Ryuuki mocked, “I’m sure they’ll be just fine.” Viper was less than reassured. “More to the point, I’ve come here tonight to offer you all some exciting new employment opportunities.”

“Oh? Mr. Mover Star wants to hire us? What for, you want a little extra protection for your next premiere?” Han asked.

“Or maybe some extras for your new film?” Xing almost excitedly interrupted. Ryuuki chuckled. Seemed the follower was a fan.

Viper, however, was taking things a bit more seriously. He considered his next words carefully as he tried to read the room. As soon as they saw it was him, all of his men were lulled into a false sense of security. Clearly, none of them saw Ryuuki as a threat. But Viper just couldn’t shake this feeling. The hairs on the back of his neck were all standing on end. And the way Ryuuki was carrying himself... he was mocking them. Mocking him. And he was none too happy about that.

“Hire you? Oh, spirits no!” Ryuuki laughed. “I’m here to lead you.”

Suddenly, nobody was feeling all that talkative or secure anymore. The captains just stared blankly for a moment, then looked back at Viper, who at first, appeared about as stunned as everybody else. But after a moment, Viper smirked, and then laughed, easing the tension in his body and returning to a more casual position.

“So you’re here to tell jokes, got it,” Viper dismissed, walking out from behind his desk to stare Ryuuki down. “The Triple Threats are mine, bub. Who put you up to this? Was it Ravi? No, this doesn’t seem like him. For something this stupid, it’s got to be Atsushi. What, did they ask you to play errand boy? Rough you up a little bit? Hm? Go on, mover boy. You’ve got my full attention now. Why are you really here?”

“…What?” Ryuuki was puzzled. Is… is that what he thought? Really? And to think, for a second there, he thought Viper might actually be a threat. “…Oh, I get it. I guess you haven’t heard the news then, have you?” he asked, the look on his face souring. He didn’t like to be looked down upon.

“And what news is that?” Viper asked, smiling, a look of confidence on his face that made Ryuuki want to smash it in with a crowbar.

“I’m not just Ryuuki Ayatsurishi anymore, Mr. Viper. I am the Chi Eater.” Ryuuki informed, his grin long since faded.

Viper froze. The smile on his face was gone now. “I’m sorry?”

“You heard me. I am the Chi Eater, and I’ve come to make the Triple Threats my own.” Ryuuki explained. “I would suggest you bow to me now.”

“Okay, this has officially stopped being funny. Get out of here, now, before I make you wish you were never born.” Viper dismissed yet again, turning his back to Ryuuki to head back to his desk.

In that moment, the purest rage overtook Ryuuki's face. Turning his back on a potential enemy was a rookie mistake, one he was going to make sure Viper came to regret.

“Boss, look out!”

One of his enforcers had caught it before Viper had, a burning blue fist of fury closing in on Viper from behind, poised to punch clean through his back had he not pushed him out of the way. Instead, the blow that was meant for Viper collided with him instead, the man spitting up blood and then screaming as he was suddenly engulfed in Ryuuki’s signature blue flames. He fell to the floor, trying everything in his power to put out the fire, but it would not yield to his command.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” Viper seethed, his eyes wide and enraged while Ryuuki’s had by this point gone blank. The sight sent chills down Viper’s spine. Those were a killer’s eyes.

Ryuuki held his fist in the air stared at it, opening his hand and studying it for a moment while the five captains assembled behind him, looking for an opening to attack. But even though he was just standing there, none of them felt confident enough to make a move. In fact, they suddenly felt kind of sick, like all their insides were churning.

“I see. None of you are spiritually inclined, then,” Ryuuki surmised, closing his hand and sighing. “Do I have your attention now, Mr. Viper? I’m not here to tell jokes. I’m here to take control. You can either agree to serve under my command, or you can die. Given how callously you just dismissed me though, I assumed you’d chosen the latter. Was I wrong?”

“Over my dead body!” Viper shouted, rising from the ground and unleashing a water whip in Ryuuki’s direction. Ryuuki, meanwhile, rolled his eyes.

"Yes, that was kind of the plan," he said, dodging the water whip by tilting his head to the right. He lazily kicked the ground in front of him, a small burst of flame causing the still unsteady Viper to stagger back while his captains watched on in disbelief. They still couldn't believe he was serious. Before he did anything else though, Ryuuki clicked his tongue, suddenly looking very annoyed. Not by Viper, though his dismissiveness was certainly part of the problem, but by the enforcer screaming in agony on the floor to his right.

No matter what he did, he wasn’t able to put out the flames, and the second enforcer who’d been by Viper’s side – the waterbender – was having equally as little luck in solving the dilemma via bending. Supposing he could spare the man some mercy, if only to get him to stop. screaming. already, Ryuuki raised and then lowered his right leg. At his command, the floor sprung to life, reshaping itself into a large, jagged spike which impaled the burning man and put him out of his – and Ryuuki’s – misery.

Viper meanwhile nearly fell over again, reaching back for his desk for support while his captains shouted in confusion. Did he just earthbend? “What the fuck?!” he exclaimed.

Ryuuki raised an eyebrow. “Are we done?”

Fuck no! Triple Threats, attack!” Viper commanded. The five captains immediately sprung into action, and Ryuuki sighed.

Zhen led with a burst of fire which Ryuuki swatted away with the back of his hand, the blue-haired, blue-eyed man running up to him with death in his eyes. Zhen stumbled back at the sight, but Ryuuki made no immediately threatening movements, letting the other four close in around him.

Ryuuki caught the earth thrown his way by Xing, Han, and Salim with some Earthbending of his own, plucking their boulders from their control as if they’d never had any to begin with, and then throwing them right back at them. Ryuuki only deigned to move when Jiro began bending lightning in his direction. The sight of another lightningbender elicited a small grin from Ryuuki’s lips.

Small jets of bright blue flame ignited from the soles of Ryuuki’s feet, propelling him forward as he knocked Zhen aside and began skating around the room. He dodged the first bolt of lightning, then swatted away the blasts of fire that followed, making his way for the three Earthbenders who he reckoned would be the biggest obstacles of the encounter.

Electricity trailed Ryuuki's movements as Han threw up a wall to shield himself, but it wouldn’t be enough. Ryuuki skid to a halt and began funneling lightning right into the center of the wall. Much to everyone's surprise, it was less of a bolt and more of a continuous stream, and the earth began to glow a bright red as electricity just kept on pouring from Ryuuki’s fingertips like water. When it turned white, smoke and steam began to rise from the slab of earth, until finally, it exploded into pieces, throwing Han to the ground as the lightning soared just overhead.

But Xing and Salim weren’t going to let him go uncontested. Viper, too, had joined in the fray now. Ryuuki frowned. He didn’t feel terribly threatened by the earthbenders, but a waterbender was his polar opposite – if Viper knew what he was doing, this could be a problem. Xing and Salim crushed rocks into bullets and Ryuuki disappeared in a blur, skating across the room in a streak of blue fire as the jagged pieces of stone struck the floor and walls in a trail behind him.

He was taking the long way around the room to do it, but Ryuuki was running up to Viper from behind him, hoping to catch him off guard. He was already in the middle of bending another water whip when Ryuuki disappeared, but he quickly caught wind of what the Chi Eater was doing, changing gears to turn that water into jagged ice he launched behind him, turning to face his attacker.

The speed and precision with which they were thrown combined with the close proximity were enough to get a few cuts on Ryuuki’s face, but he’d nonetheless dodged the attack. Before he could go for the killing blow however, Ryuuki clicked his tongue. Viper was smarter than he’d given him credit for, and had re-liquefied the ice as it flew past Ryuuki. With a forceful yank, Viper recalled the water, and Ryuuki back flipped over the attack as razor sharp water threatened to cut him clean in two.

When the water made it back to Viper, he circled it around him, firing it back out in another attempted water whip to strike at Ryuuki as he landed, but much to his chagrin, the Chi Eater countered by seizing control of the water from him and stopping it in place. “Motherfucker, he can waterbend too?!” Viper cursed. “Fine then, how about this!” he exclaimed, releasing his hold on the failed water whip to wildly flail his arms around him instead. It was not without purpose, though. As Viper moved, the wall behind him began to shake, and Ryuuki’s eyes narrowed as he caught on to what the mob boss was doing. He could hear the pipes groan in agony under the mounting pressure. He would not be allowed to counter him however, as Xing and Salim flocked to their boss’ side to provide a double layer of earthen cover while Han and Jiro attacked with more stone bullets and a bolt of lightning respectively. Once again, the Chi Eater was forced to dodge, or else be peppered with holes and struck by lightning.

To that end, Ryuuki jumped back, nearly hitting the wall behind him. He briefly glanced back to make note of his proximity, then back at his assailants, countering with a blast of fire in each of their direction. While the bolt of lightning struck the floor where he had been, the stone had to be shattered by his fire blast, which continued on its way uninterrupted. This forced Han and Jiro to jump out of the way, just in time to avoid both Ryuuki's attack and Viper's, as suddenly, the wall behind them exploded with a massive surge of water. Naturally, Viper bent it around his captains' earthen barrier, and sent it straight for Ryuuki.

But Ryuuki stood tall, defiantly stepping forward and literally pulling the water apart with his hands. Even with his waterbending enforcer helping Viper to command such a torrent, Ryuuki was able to wrestle control away from them, pooling the water into an orb behind him. Ryuuki then jumped back, over the sphere he’d collected which he held with one hand while he sunk his fingers into the wall behind him with his other hand. As he began whipping his arm out in front of him, the water followed suit, sending powerful cutting discs of ice out with every motion which cleaved through the earthen barriers and almost through Viper.

Zhen and Jiro both retaliated with lightning, firing it not at Ryuuki but at the sphere of water he’d collected and was weaponizing, causing it to explode into steam all around him. Ryuuki clicked his tongue, releasing his grip on the wall and falling to the floor.

“This is getting old. I’m just going to kill you and assume control now.” Ryuuki said.

Viper grit his teeth. “As if!” he cried, the two men running straight for each other. For a moment, it looked like they were going to fight hand-to-hand, but half-way to their destination, both men began bending their native elements. Ryuuki into flames around his open fingertips, and Viper into a sharp, dense spear of water. But this time, Viper was just the tiniest bit quicker on the draw, and Ryuuki found himself impaled and coughing up blood. The fire left his fingertips as the water solidified into ice.

Before he could get a word in edge-wise, Viper struck yet again, cutting the Chi Eater off by slicing open his throat with another, smaller blade of ice with his other hand. Ryuuki went limp, and as the water was re-liquefied, his body was allowed to fall unceremoniously to the floor.

Water continued to leak from the pipes and broken wall, but aside from that, the room had fallen deathly quiet. All five captains lowered their guard, feeling as though the battle was over. Viper, meanwhile, remained alert, not taking his eyes off Ryuuki’s body for a minute. He was panting, but victorious.

“Ha… ha… maybe we can defeat an Avatar after all…” The head of the Triple Threats supposed. Han laughed nervously in response.

Suddenly, Ryuuki sprang back to life, and next thing Viper knew, the Chi Eater’s hand was clasped tightly around his face. There was fire in his eyes, and before Viper could so much as scream, a fire inside of him. Or that’s what it felt like, at least. In truth, rather than let a good bit of chi go to waste, Ryuuki decided to make a meal out of Viper, sucking every last drop out of his body as it quickly shriveled up into an empty husk.

“Boss!” Han cried.

Releasing his grip on what was left of Viper, Ryuuki let the desiccated corpse fall to the floor, the massive wound in his abdomen still visibly closing up slowly but surely. By now, the cut to his throat was almost completely gone. The five Triple Threat captains and the lone enforcer looked on in horror as Ryuuki righted himself and adjusted his cuffs.

“You… how…?” Zhen asked.

“Really, you lot should pay closer attention to the news. Haven’t you heard? I’m immortal.” Ryuuki said.

“You… you killed him…” Xing sputtered out.

To this, Ryuuki smiled, stepping over Viper’s corpse and approaching the six remaining men. So he had.

“So. About those ‘exciting new employment opportunities’…”

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

 

When Asami next awoke, it was on a familiarly uncomfortable bed on Air Temple Island.

She’d spent many a night in beds like these when Korra was first recovering. Sometimes, it was only her being there beside her that calmed her down enough after her nightmares that she could get back to sleep, or that would help keep those nightmares at bay.

It was just as awful now as it was back then. According to Tenzin, the firmer beds were better for the back, but that didn’t stop Asami’s from aching. Though, whether that was due to the bed or the battle earlier on remained unclear.

The battle…

Asami remembered enough about it to be surprised to have opened her eyes again. She’d genuinely thought that that was going to be the end of her. Did this mean they’d somehow won?

Her green eyes fluttered as they adjusted to the low light, a million different thoughts running through her head. As she squinted for better vision, she could feel her face ache, radiating outward from her nose. Her skin was still a little tender from the singeing by Ryuuki, and she still felt like her nose was broken, but as she tentatively reached up to touch it, she could feel immediately that it was not. Korra must’ve tended to her and immediately healed the damage.

…Korra.

Asami rolled over in the bed, finding her lying there beside her. Thank goodness she was okay.

Even though she was asleep, the look on Korra’s face was only half-peaceful at best. There was concern set in her brow, a frown caught on her lips – she’d obviously been worrying about her. But it didn’t look like she’d been crying, at least not recently.

Briefly, Asami closed her eyes and sighed with relief. Upon opening them again, she pulled herself closer to her fiancee, careful not to aggravate a wound and even more careful not to wake her, the only thought left on her mind being that she needed Korra close right now. Though she wanted nothing more than to wrap her in her arms, Asami resisted the urge and opted for a simple forehead kiss, instead, sure she wouldn’t wake her with such a gentle gesture.

But, as if on instinct, Korra stirred, awoken by the familiar sensation of those warm, soft lips. Korra groaned, muttering her fiancee’s name as she tentatively opened her eyes.

“…Asami?”

“Hey,” Asami greeted, her voice a little hoarse.

Korra's eyes scanned her partner’s form. She looked like hell, but in the most beautiful way. There was still some dried blood beneath her nose she’d missed when she was healing her, and there was a mark on her throat from where Ryuuki had grabbed her, partially obscured by the betrothal necklace she’d given her. But she otherwise seemed okay. Korra’s eyes lingered on the necklace for a moment, then traced a line back up to Asami’s face, and finally, her eyes. Spirits, those eyes...

“Hey.” Korra replied. Stretching slightly, she let loose a quiet yawn, her mouth finally curling back into a smile. She shuffled in closer on the bed, pulling Asami closer to her, but being careful with her as she did. She didn’t want to hurt her, but Asami seemed unconcerned, eagerly accepting Korra’s invitation and wrapping her body in her arms, pulling her as close as she could bare and holding her as tightly as she could muster.

She breathed in deeply just the scent of Korra’s hair, reveling in the sensation of her heartbeat on top of hers and the nuzzling into her neck that Korra couldn’t keep herself from doing. Though they were already as close as physically possible, Asami still wanted her closer, and her grip on her fiancee tightened.

Korra clung back with a complementary eagerness. As she nestled her head in the space between Asami’s head and chest, she wrapped her arms around Asami’s body, mindful of her ribs and wrist and anything else that may have been hurting. Though Korra was hurting too, it was nothing she wasn’t used to.

For a couple of moments, the two of them laid there together just like that, clinging onto one another like they were holding on for dear life. The thought that this could’ve ended so soon was weighing heavy on their minds, and it showed in the way Korra’s fingers tightened around Asami’s back, and the way Asami buried her face in her fiancee’s hair, occasionally kissing her on her head.

After a couple moments more, the two of them separated, but only barely. Though they were no longer trying to fuse themselves into a singular being, they were still remarkably close, and Korra couldn’t take her eyes off the beautiful girl in front of her and the bright green eyes that glimmered curiously in the moonlight. The way the blue of the night reflected off that green was something she couldn’t quite describe, and it left her breathless. Asami was in a similar state, only just now noticing how the lighting accentuated Korra’s own eyes.

“I was so scared you wouldn’t wake up,” Korra admitted, the first to break their silence, “I could feel you were still in there… he didn’t have you for very long, but I have no idea how his power works. I thought that maybe I’d–” she stopped herself there. It was okay now – everything was okay now. She could let that fear go. And with a deep breath in and out, she did. “I love you.” she concluded.

Asami smiled weak, placing a gentle kiss on her Avatar’s face. Korra still blushed when she did that, even now. Asami’s smile deepened at the sight. She felt privileged to get to see this side of her. A couple more moments passed and things were quiet between them, Korra just playing idly with Asami’s hair while Asami just looked at her like she was the world.

This time, it would be Asami who broke their silence.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized.

Korra looked confused. “…Why?” she asked, lowering her hand from Asami’s hair to her left cheek. Asami’s eyes darted to the right, away from Korra’s face.

“I’m just… you must’ve been so worried about me.” she replied. She looked ashamed. “I thought I could take care of myself, but in the end I just got us both hurt and probably scared you half to death. I hate to make you worry.”

Korra frowned, brushing a stray lock of hair from Asami’s face.

“Look at me,” she asked softly. Asami did as was requested. To her surprise, Korra wasn’t scared, or upset, or anything of the sort. The look in her eyes was full of love, and the look on her face as serious as Asami had ever seen, so when Korra continued with her response, Asami knew she wasn’t lying. “There’s nothing you need to apologize for. We didn’t know what we were up against. Besides, it’s my job to worry about people, especially you. I wouldn’t be a very good girlfriend if I didn’t,” she smiled.

Asami let out a little laugh, lowering her head. What was she getting all worried for? She knew Korra better than that.

“Sorry. …For, uh, saying sorry, I guess,” She laughed again, realizing how ridiculous it sounded. “This is new for me.”

“I know.” Korra replied, very gently resting her nose against Asami’s, careful not to hurt her. She was still a little tender, but the tingling sensation it created was kind of… nice, all things considered. “I love you,” she repeated.

“I love you too,” Asami finally replied.

The two girls craned their heads closer together so their foreheads touched, each of them just drinking in the other’s presence. In that moment, nothing else mattered. All of Asami’s earlier concerns fell to the wayside and Korra cast aside her thoughts about the day and the two of them just settled back into each other, back into where they were before the anxiety pulled them out.

If Korra was being completely honest though, part of her wished they were naked. She felt like she needed the skin-to-skin contact above everything else right now, like she still wasn’t close enough, though she wondered if even a sheet of paper could fit between them right now. It was taking everything she had to not just start undressing now, be it herself or Asami, but she kept herself at bay, hoping to continue with conversation instead.

“I um, I did the best I could to heal you,” Korra mentioned somewhat nervously. Asami could tell. Korra seemed tired. She’d probably expended a lot of energy tending to her, watching her… never mind their friends. And then there was that fight. It was no wonder she was actually sleeping when Asami woke up. Asami kissed her on her lips, thanking her for her service.

“My hero,” She teased, prompting Korra to blush again. “Thank you.” Korra’s smile deepened. “Is Jinora okay too?” Though their foreheads were still touching, she could feel Korra ever-so-gently move her head to nod before replying verbally.

“She fell back unconscious pretty quickly, but, she’s going to be alright. Her spirit is healing,” Korra explained. Her grip on Asami tightened some. “We owe Mako a lot,” she remarked.

Asami hummed. She supposed they did. “Everything that happened is kind of a blur, but I remember seeing a bright flash before I passed out. I thought that maybe it was… well, it doesn’t matter now. I’m just glad he underestimated Mako’s stubbornness.” Asami said. Korra laughed.

“He’s an older brother, it’s in his blood,” she replied, “it’s like he has a sixth sense when people are in trouble and pushes himself past his limits for them. Maybe we got lucky, but, I’m not going to let that luck go to waste.” She assured. Before Asami could ask her what she meant by that, Korra had already returned her kiss, surprising her. But she wasn’t one to complain, or to pass up an opportunity to kiss her Avatar, so Korra would quickly come to find that Asami was kissing back.

Before long, the two of them had found themselves in the most passionate make out session the two of them had had in weeks. They shared kiss after kiss as they struggled in vain to pull the other closer, Korra occasionally kissing around Asami’s lips and along her face while Asami would go for Korra's neck whenever the opportunity presented itself. It wasn’t long before Korra had taken control of the situation, however. As tired as she was, she still had more energy than Asami did. But again, she wasn’t one to complain – Asami just let Korra take control, laughing as she loved her, reveling in every second of it.

In order, Korra kissed her along her lips, her cheeks, her jaw – she was showering Asami in kisses, and every one sent a different message. Some of them said ‘I missed you’. Others said ‘I love you’. Others still whispered ‘I want you’. Asami treasured them all, once again trying to pull her partner even closer, her grip on the girl tightening as she dug her fingernails into her back, tugging on her body.

Korra groaned in a mix of pleasure and pain, but kept on kissing her regardless, finding a way to get in closer like Asami wanted and slowly guiding her kisses down to the girl’s neck. Then, when she finally got there, she started kissing more all along its length.

She was sure to be careful, to check if she was causing pain as she navigated around her throat, but the only look on Asami’s face was the red of her cheeks and a very elated smile. She’d closed her eyes to soak in the sensation. So, Korra continued, kissing longer, and deeper, and lower, lightly sucking on her neck as she did. When she did, Asami gasped and bit her lip, her fingernails digging deeper. It was unexpected, but, not entirely unwanted.

“I’m still really tired,” she admitted before things escalated any further. “I feel like I can hardly move.”

Korra understood, kissing her neck just a little bit more before tracing a trail back up to her lips and replying. “It’s okay. He didn’t take much, but he did still steal some of your chi. It’ll take some time for that to come back. Thankfully, since Mako acted so quickly, you’ll probably feel better by the morning... the day after, for sure.” Korra explained. Once again, the two of them set aside a second to be grateful he was there with them.

“I just…” Korra continued, biting her lip. “I just I really want to love you right now,” she admitted almost shamefully, looking back up at Asami with eyes like a polar bear dog pup. Those big, sparkling blues of hers just caused Asami’s cheeks to turn even redder.

“Wow…” She whispered. Korra laughed knowingly, planting another kiss on the border between her neck and her jaw, then another near her ear. Asami savored the sensation.

“I almost lost you tonight,” Korra said. She hadn’t, thank the spirits, but she almost did. “I almost lost this tonight,” she continued, referring of course to her fiancee’s body. She loved her form as much as her soul, after all. “I just want to love you while I can because I was so scared I never could again.”

Asami bit her lip. “I mean… I wouldn’t be opposed to more of this,” she said, referring of course to Korra’s soft kisses, “wherever you want to take it,” she just as shamefully admitted. Korra’s smile widened.

“You don’t need to return the favor right now,” she assured, moving back to Asami’s neck, and then down to her collarbone. “Just… rest, and relax, and let me love you. I love you.” She affirmed as she reached the hem of Asami’s shirt. That was going to need to come off now. Those shorts of hers, too, eventually. Asami offered up no resistance, and in fact just encouraged her actions, so Korra eagerly proceeded, removing her fiancee’s shirt.

“I love you too,” Asami whispered with a shudder, her breathing growing shallower. Korra flashed a knowing smile. There was more than one way to heal, she thought to herself.

She knew Asami probably wasn’t feeling the best right now, physically, but she was intent on changing that. She was intent on just… experiencing her, for right now. To memorize every inch of her while she could. So that was what she did, with every kiss, with every touch, with every caress.

Nights like these, she remembered just how dangerous her life could be, how fragile things were. How she needed to savor every second of peace like this that she got. And with everything going on right now, it’s not like she would probably be finding many more anytime soon. Things were going to be busy, and dangerous, and difficult, and…

Oh, to hell with it, she needed this. They both needed this, she confirmed, Asami’s body shivering beneath her breath. Oh, how Korra loved it when Asami shivered. She loved every reaction.

As she discarded the last of her fears and inhibitions, her actions became even more steady and focused and it wasn’t long before she had Asami audibly gasping at the sensation. If she were being honest, this was what Korra lived for.

“Korra…” Asami moaned, and then repeated, “Korra,” she asked, her Avatar pausing to hear her out, if only for a moment. “Tomorrow, when-” That was all she needed to hear. Korra didn’t want to talk about that anymore, so she kissed Asami again, somewhere it she knew it was hard for her to worry when it felt the way it did.

“Tomorrow is tomorrow. Just focus on now.” Korra begged.

“Okay,” Asami whispered back. The last of her clothing was thrown to the wayside shortly thereafter.

She was so happy to be alive.

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

As he, Atsushi and Chiasa all stood impatiently outside a Future Industries warehouse, Ravi checked his watch. Viper should’ve been here by now. At first, they still expected him to show. But as the minutes dragged on into an hour, it became clear that he wasn’t going to.

Ravi sighed. “I’m sorry. I think he may have just told me what I wanted to hear,” he admitted.

“You think?” Chiasa asked, arms crossed. “Figures that little piss-stain wouldn’t show. Looks like it’s going to be us against the Triple Threats after all.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

An unfamiliar voice, and the three mob bosses turned around. Behind them, an unexpected face smiled hello. Ryuuki extended his hand to shake Ravi’s. He had changed into a new suit, and seemed eager to meet the big man with the plan.

“Ryuuki?!” Atsushi asked, stunned. Ravi and Chiasa exchanged a confused look, before Ravi cautiously accepted his offer for a handshake.

“Hmm… not quite,” Ryuuki said, “Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am the Chi Eater, and as of tonight, I am the new head of the Triple Threat triad. I’m afraid Viper is no longer with us.”

Ravi immediately recoiled at this revelation, Chiasa forming spears of ice all around Ryuuki’s head while Atsushi grit his teeth. What did he just say?

“What sort of game are you playing?” Chiasa asked, threatening to skewer Ryuuki’s face at a moment’s notice.

“Ugh, please, let’s not do this again. I don’t want to kill another mob boss,” Ryuuki groaned, rolling his eyes. With a wave of his hand, Chiasa’s ice was turned back into water, though not without some resistance. Ryuuki could tell she was much more powerful than Viper was if she was resisting his bending, if only for a moment. He smiled at the thought. “Oh, I like you,” he said.

Chiasa shuddered.

“You can waterbend?” Ravi asked, knowing Chiasa never would’ve backed down on her own. Ryuuki’s smile widened.

“Among other things, yes. Like I said. I am the Chi Eater. I am absolute.” Ryuuki reiterated. Ravi and Chiasa shared another look. This certainly changed things.

“So, you bumped off Viper, huh?” Atsushi asked, the first of the three to accept this new Ryuuki. In fact, he greatly preferred him to the old one. “Good riddance, I say.”

Ryuuki laughed. “You must be Atsushi. And Chiasa, and Ravi, correct?” he asked, the three nodding in response. “Good. You see, I know all about you and your triads’ little plan to take the city, and I’ve decided I want in. So, I took the Triple Threats for my own, and now I’m here in Viper’s stead.”

“How did you find out about that?” Ravi asked.

“Well, you did have your meeting outside a club I was attending, how could I have missed it?” he asked. Chiasa shot Ravi an icy glare. So somebody had seen them. “But that’s not really important, is it? No. You see, I just beat the Avatar and her friends. They’re still alive, for now, but I think together, we can change that. You want Republic City? I can give it to you, free of charge. All you have to do is help me kill the Avatar.”

“The whole point of us joining forces was to avoid fighting the Avatar,” Chiasa explained.

“Oh, I know. I know everything about your little plan that Viper did. I know you planned to use Asami Sato as leverage over the Avatar to keep her from acting against you. It’s a solid enough concept, but awfully short-sighted. I mean, what happens after? Wouldn’t you like a more permanent solution?” Ryuuki asked.

“…” Ravi was silent.

“I may not be who you expected, but I assure you, I am here to play ball.”

Looking to Atsushi and Chiasa for approval, as they gave a nod – Atsushi excitedly and Chiasa tentatively – Ravi looked back to Ryuuki. He guessed that was that then. “…Okay then, ‘Chi Eater’. What did you have in mind?”

Notes:

I hope you guys enjoyed that because it's probably the closest I'll ever come to writing smut. Though I wonder if that was enough to bump up the rating of the fic a bit? Hmm. Well, either way, I hope you guys liked this chapter. With it, we're officially in the final third of the story, it's all been building up to this. See you guys next time!

Chapter 21: Forces of Nature

Summary:

Korra resolves to continue her training in order to stand a chance against the Chi Eater.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Book Five
Chi

Chapter 21
Forces of Nature

 

“So… Avatar Rin let the Chi Eater go, and then made it so no other Avatars interfered with him?” Mako asked. Korra nodded sadly.

It was now the morning after the raid on Ryuuki’s penthouse, and Korra was explaining the situation between her and the Chi Eater to all of Team Avatar. This included Opal. Though they weren’t on the best of terms right now, Korra felt she had the right to know, especially if she and the rest of the Air Nation were going to be a part of stopping Ryuuki. The five of them were gathered in the room where she and Asami had spent the night, far and away from prying ears and eyes.

“That’s… awful,” Opal admitted with some hesitation, “and he only left us alive so he could try and force you to make that deal with him again?”

“Yes. He doesn’t want to kill me if he doesn’t have to. Part of the terms of the original deal were that if the Avatar interfered again, Ryuuki would begin hunting down everybody close to them and killing them one by one until they stopped. Last night, because I lost my connection to all the past Avatars, Ryuuki took it easy on us. He was basically saying ‘This is what will happen if you interfere with me again’.” Korra explained.

“But… why? Why is he going through so much trouble?” Bolin asked.

“All he wants to do is live forever. According to him, the Avatar is important to the balance of the world, and if anything bad happens to the world, that’d impact him, too. He doesn’t care about anyone or anything other than himself. He’s just going to keep killing again and again to get what he wants, and nothing is ever going to make him stop.”

“So that’s what he was talking about last night… that’s just plain evil.” Asami shuddered.

“I know. We’ve faced a lot of bad people together, but I don’t think we’ve ever encountered somebody like him before. I already knew before the raid that he’d killed me before. I knew he’d killed the one I loved before, too. So I knew that he was powerful, and I knew that he wasn’t human anymore, but… he can bend all of the elements, just like me, and he can regenerate like it’s nothing. I don’t know how he does it, but he just seems… unstoppable.” Korra sighed. “And knowing that all of this is my fault – or Avatar Rin’s fault – just makes me feel even worse. It makes me hate him.”

“I don’t think it’s fair to blame yourself,” Asami said, “yeah, Avatar Rin was one of your past lives, but all your past lives are completely different people. I don’t think it’s fair to you to take the blame for their actions. Especially since Ryuuki’s been doing this since long before Avatar Rin.”

“Aang had to take the blame for Roku’s inaction,” Korra reminded, “and no matter how different my past lives were, they were all still the Avatar. Their failures are the Avatar’s failures, their mistakes are the Avatar’s mistakes. And since I’m the Avatar, that makes them mine, too. It doesn’t matter if Ryuuki started of his own volition – because Rin was afraid, he was allowed to keep killing.”

Korra’s friends were silent.

“Yesterday, I mentioned to Kuvira that I don’t know if I can ever make up for this. There’s no telling how many people Ryuuki has killed because I struck a deal with him. The Avatar has one job, and not only did I fail at it, but it was intentional. If this story ever got out there, I… I don’t know if the Avatar could survive it. And I knew that Ryuuki might start telling it if he made it out of that penthouse alive, but I thought I could stop him. I thought I could protect my legacy. Now, anything could happen. He could ruin me if he really wanted to.”

“But it would be your word against his – who’s gonna believe a thousand year old serial killer over the Avatar?” Bolin pointed out.

“But it’s true. I can’t just… lie to people when I know it’s true.” Korra said, swallowing hard. She turned to Asami now. “That’s… that’s why I said last night that Ryuuki had to die. It wasn’t because he was dangerous, or evil, or because I was scared, it was to stop this story from getting out there. It was completely selfish, and the guilt over that has been eating me alive. I defended Kuvira, but when it was somebody who could actually threaten me and my position, I…”

Asami placed a hand on Korra’s shoulder.

“…I think you were right, though.” Opal said. Korra and the rest of Team Avatar looked to her now. “I know it’s kind of a loaded subject when it comes to me right now, after what I tried to do to Kuvira, but… you said it yourself, Korra. Ryuuki is never going to stop. He’s pure evil in a way we’ve never seen before. I don’t think we can reason with him, and it would be too dangerous to try and imprison him when he can bend all of the elements and who knows what else. The only way for this to end might just be to kill him.”

“I agree with Opal,” Mako followed up, shifting his gaze from her to Korra. “I understand why you feel bad about it when your intentions were selfish, but I don’t think that makes you wrong. Ryuuki’s lived long enough. He has to die.”

“Yeah, I… I think I agree,” Bolin said with some hesitation, “I’m as anti-killing as you are, Korra, but… I don’t know if there’s any other way out of this.”

“Honestly, I think you were in the right to want to protect the Avatar’s legacy. I don’t think that was selfish of you at all.” Asami said.

Korra was surprised. “How could that not be selfish?”

“Because the Avatar is important. Even if they’ve made mistakes or done some terrible things in the past, it isn’t all black or white. The Avatar has done more good for the world than bad, and is always going to be important in connecting humans and spirits and maintaining balance between the two. People’s belief in the Avatar is important, too. So I think you’re right for not wanting this story to get out there.

“And I mean… Kyoshi was controversial, even in her own time. She crossed a lot of lines that other Avatars didn’t, wouldn’t. But I don’t think that made her a bad person or a bad Avatar. She was just… a person. Just like you. And there are shades of gray to people, and to legacies. I mean, look at my dad, and Future Industries. I don’t think what happened to Avatar Rin is so cut-and-dry.”

Korra looked down. Maybe Asami had a point. “So, what, if Ryuuki starts telling people about our history, I should just deny it?”

“I think that might be for the best. I know it seems wrong, and selfish, but this isn’t just about you. It’s about the whole world.”

“I…” Korra bit her lip. “I don’t… really like that,” she admitted. Asami frowned.

“Asami’s right though,” Opal said, “you have to look at this from a bigger perspective. If people stopped believing in the Avatar, that could throw the entire world out of balance for generations. You’d have to earn everybody’s trust back again and again, and some people would never come around, and that would just make things worse. Maybe the Avatar isn’t perfect, and doesn’t always do the right thing, but it’s important for people believe in them anyway.”

“I understand what you guys are saying, but this is… ugh,” Korra sighed. This was a mess was what this was. Was lying about the Avatar and the Chi Eater really the better option? Korra definitely didn’t like it, but maybe she didn’t have to. Maybe this was part of the price she had to pay for Avatar Rin’s mistakes, and she’d just have to take this guilt to the grave with her. The people closest to her knew the truth, so maybe that would have to be good enough. “I’ll… I’ll think about it.”

Asami reached down for Korra’s hand, gripping it tight. “If it ever comes down to it, and you do decide to tell the truth, I’m still going to be there to support you. I don’t want you to do anything you don’t agree with. Just because we think this is the better option doesn’t mean it is, especially not for you.”

“Yeah. At the end of the day, it’s up to you how you choose to handle this,” Mako agreed, “but no matter what you do, we’ll still have your back. I don’t think any of us blame you for what Avatar Rin did, and we won’t blame you if you decide to tell the truth about her, either.”

“There’s… really no good way for this to end,” Opal reminded, “at the end of the day we’re going to have to compromise something to make this right. Whether that’s killing Ryuuki or lying about Avatar Rin, the Chi Eater has forced you into having to make some really difficult choices. It isn’t fair to you. It isn’t even entirely your fault. I mean, if I was in Rin’s position, I probably would’ve done the same thing she did. But it is what it is. And however you choose to handle it, I promise you, you won’t be alone.”

“Yeah, Team Avatar will be with you every step of the way! We’ll solve this problem together.” Bolin stressed.

Korra wiped a tear from her eye. “How did I end up with such great friends?” she asked with a sniffle. “After learning about Rin, I’ve… I’ve felt like I don’t really deserve to have you guys. Like… like I’m an impostor, and like it was only a matter of time before you guys figured that out and left me. Part of me didn’t want to tell you this story at all. But now I have, and… and you’re still here.”

“And we always will be.” Asami promised with a smile, the rest of Team Avatar nodding along in agreement. Korra couldn’t help but smile, too, at the sight. She really was lucky.

“I guess that just begs the question, what are we going to do next? I doubt Ryuuki will be walking around in the open now that everybody knows what he is.” Opal frowned.

“Well, first things first, I need to get stronger.” Korra replied. Her friends gave her a curious look. “If Ryuuki can bend all four elements and energy, just like me, I don’t have an edge on him. I need to have something he can’t bend to fall back on if it comes down to it.” As she said this, Korra’s eyes settled on Bolin. “I need to learn how to lavabend.”

“Whoa, what? Can you do that?” Bolin asked, floored by the possibility.

“I think so. I can already bend all the elements, and I know at least one of my past lives figured it out since Roku could do it in the Avatar State, so I should be able to pull it off. If I think of it as combining earth and firebending… it should definitely be something I can do.”

“Okay, but, I’m really not that good of a teacher. I’m not even that good of a student! I couldn’t figure out metalbending no matter how hard I tried. I don’t know if I can teach you how to lavabend. I’m not even entirely sure how I do it myself! It’s kind of just… a feeling.” Bolin described, putting extra emphasis on the ‘feeling’ aspect. How do you teach a feeling?

“I think we should at least try. Ryuuki already knows you’re a lavabender, but he’ll never expect it coming from me.” Korra insisted. The look in her eyes was hard for Bolin to say no to, especially when he knew she had a point. Being able to lavabend might just save her life the next time they fought Ryuuki. He had to at least try.

“…Okay, I’ll do it. I’ll try,” Bolin conceded.

Opal placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I believe in you,” she said with a smile.

I need to learn how to bend lightning, too,” Korra mentioned, turning to Mako now. “and especially how to redirect it. Ryuuki throws it around like it’s nothing, and you all saw what it did to Tenzin.”

Mako nodded. “It might be difficult for me to give a demonstration with just one arm, but you’ve seen me lightningbend before. I can definitely teach you. Honestly, I think you’re going to be a natural,” he laughed. Korra smiled. She hoped so. “Though, that does remind me, about my arm… I was gonna wait until later to ask you about it, but if you’re going go into training mode, there might not be another time.”

Korra quirked an eyebrow. “Do you want me to try and heal it for you?”

“Kind of. Dr. Lou said the damage to my chi pathways is too severe, and I’ll probably never bend out of my left arm again. But he also had a theory. He thinks that when Ryuuki embedded his energy in my arm, he really did heal me in the process. He thinks Ryuuki used his energy to artificially patch up the holes the lightning left behind, bridging the gaps. He couldn’t say for sure, but, since you’re an energybender too, he thought you might be able to do the same thing.”

Korra thought for a moment. “That’s… I don’t know. I’ve never tried to energybend like that before. I don’t know how to transfer my chi, let alone… that. But if Ryuuki was able to do it, there’s no reason I can’t too…” she said, continuing to mull it over. She just didn’t want to make things any worse. But if Mako’s arm was already at a point where he couldn’t bend with it anymore, what was there left to lose? “…Okay. I can try. Let me see your arm.”

“Thank you. That’s all I needed to hear,” Mako said, doing his best to stifle his excitement as he rolled up his sleeve and extended his bandaged arm to Korra. She frowned at the sight. He was putting a lot of faith in her, but she wasn’t convinced she wouldn’t make this worse somehow. But she’d committed herself to trying now, so that was what she was going to do. But first things first, she had to assess the damage.

Looking around the room for a source of water, Korra ended up bending it from a glass by hers and Asami’s bed, surrounding her hands with it which she gently placed on top of and below Mako’s arm. She knew that regular healing wasn’t going to do anything for him, but it would give her a better idea of what she had to work with. She’d taken a quick look last night, but she needed to know exactly what she was up against if she was going to try and fix it.

When the water began to glow, Korra’s frown deepened. She could tell immediately that this was not good. Mako’s arm was now an isolated system, severed from his body at the shoulder as far as his chi was concerned. Ryuuki’s fire had melted and burned away vast stretches of his energy pathways, which had bubbled and popped from the heat and left him peppered with tiny holes. The scale may have varied, but all of the damage was severe.

Still, some parts seemed completely untouched, and there, Korra could direct the flow of lingering chi with her waterbending. This was good, as it meant she wouldn’t have to try and rebuild his arm’s entire chi network from scratch. But there was still plenty of work to be done.

After a couple more moments of examination, Korra felt as though she had a good enough idea of where all the damage was and the water stopped glowing. But she didn’t release her waterbending hold. Not only was she going to use her native element as a medium through which she could transfer her chi, but, she’d never tried to externalize it in any other way than firebending. So, having some water around her hands to snuff out any unwelcome flames was a must.

After a deep breath in and out, Korra began the transfer. Or, she tried to, anyway. This was entirely new to her. She could visualize her energy’s journey clearly in her mind – from her stomach, through her chest, down her arms, and out her fingertips – and she could direct its flow through her body no problem. But when it came to that last part, to expelling her energy from her fingers, Korra had hit a wall. It was taking everything she had to not make fire, to just externalize her spiritual energy in its raw form.

She came at it from every angle she could think of to try and make it happen, but every time, she could feel the heat of firebending begin to well up in her fingertips, and she had to stop short. But Korra was persistent. She knew this was possible, it had to be. She just had to keep trying. So keep trying she did, until finally, she figured it out. Finally, her energy flowed from her body into the water around her hands, slowly but surely. Korra couldn’t help but smile when she realized she’d succeeded.

Rather than the spiritual energy dissipating into the air, the water thirstily drank it in. Using her element as a medium was a smart idea, then. Pulling the energy from the water would be much simpler than pulling it from her body was, so Korra let it collect as she pooled as much of her energy as she felt she was going to need. Now that she knew how to transmit that energy, she was having no problem with the process, and was actually getting faster at it.

But now came the hard part. Getting the energy into Mako was easy enough, but using that energy to repair the damage? In principle, Korra knew what she had to do – she had to phase change energy like she phase changed water from a liquid into a solid. But that was easier said than done. Energy was energy, and making it turn into something solid, something physical, seemed entirely against its nature.

Yet Korra knew it must be possible. The spirit world was full of trees and fruit and solid ground, and all of the spirits she’d ever interacted with could give themselves some sort of physical matter to work with. They had weight and substance, at least to some degree. The Chi Eater’s decoy was a great example – it was semi-solid at best, but, it definitely had some mass to it. So if the spirits could do it, why couldn’t Korra? After all, she was half-spirit, right?

It was at this point that Korra shifted into the Avatar State. She felt as though this wouldn’t be possible without Raava’s help. Korra continuously streamed her chi from her hands into the water and then into Mako’s arm, and she forcibly guided it along his damaged pathways via energybending. She filled in every hole and gap she had found before, filling his arm with her energy. Then, when she felt as though she had saturated every bit of damage, Korra began the process of willing the energy into a physical state.

But for Korra, it was like turning water into wine. It seemed impossible. No matter how hard she willed it, there didn’t seem to be another phase for her chi to change into. But she continued to try, unwilling to give up so easily. She focused on her connection to Raava, and let the spirit of light take control for a moment – for her, this should’ve come naturally. But Raava was not used to having a completely physical body acting as a medium for her energy. It took her a bit to get used to the sensation of dissociation.

But in time, Raava did adjust. Once she had, Raava pulled Korra’s consciousness back to the forefront, so that she could be aware of the sensation when she gave the energy form. Slowly but surely, piece by piece, the chi she’d introduced to Mako’s arm solidified, taking on a state not unlike that of a spirit’s body. It was only partially physical at best, but it was solid enough that Mako’s own energy was able to flow through it unimpeded, and it sustained itself off this flow. With that, Korra had successfully repaired the damage done to Mako’s chi paths.

You did it, Korra. But be aware, humans only have so much energy to give. Your body will never recover what you just surrendered,” Raava warned.

“I understand,” Korra replied, “I won’t do this often then.”

“…I did it,” Korra announced after an extended silence, everyone in the room looking to her and Mako. “I think I did, anyway. Try firebending with your arm. But keep it weak, your skin still needs to heal.” As she removed her hands from his arm, Mako did as he was told. With a thought, he generated a mild flame in the palm of his hand, then quickly snuffed it out.

“You really did it… thank you. Thank you!” Mako said, pulling his friend into a one-armed hug. Korra smiled.

“Raava says I’ll never recover what I just gave you, so any time I heal like this, it’s going to take a toll on me,” she explained, “but I didn’t use too much energy this time, so I think I’ll be okay. Just… try not to get hurt like this again, alright?”

“I won’t.”

“So Mako’s good to go, now?” Bolin asked.

“He got pretty badly burned, so he’s still going to need some time to heal. But once he does, yeah. He’s going to be just fine.”

“That’s incredible…” Opal remarked.

Asami just smiled and placed a hand on Korra’s shoulder. She knew she had it in her.

“So what now? Do you want me to try and teach you lightningbending?” Mako asked.

“In a little bit. After that I feel like I need a bit of a rest.” Korra said, glancing back at Asami. She just got up a couple hours ago, but a quick nap wouldn’t hurt.

“Well, I’m going to get back to the precinct. We didn’t all suffer grievous injuries last night, and Lin’s gonna need all the help she can get,” Bolin announced.

“I don’t know how I feel about you flying solo so soon, but… you’re right. The RCPD must be in chaos after last night.” Mako frowned. “I’ll stay here on the island for now.”

“And I need to report to Jinora for basic training,” Opal said. “Korra… just focus on getting stronger for now. We’ll cross this Avatar Rin bridge when we get to it.”

Okay, thanks. I’ll see you guys later then,” Korra said, returning Mako’s earlier hug. Then, once all her friends had said their goodbyes and left the room, Korra sighed, falling back onto the bed. She was exhausted, and after what Raava said, she wasn’t sure if that feeling was going to be permanent or not. Her 100% had changed from what it used to be. All she could do for now was rest and see.

Asami laid down next to her, and the two of them held each other close until Korra fell asleep.

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

 

I thought you were here to make deals, not tell jokes,” Atsushi scoffed, “and they ain’t very funny, neither.”

Oh, I’ve made plenty of deals. I’ve given you all quite a lot of the Triple Threats’ territory tonight. I’m sure there will be a mutiny when I get back over some of what I’ve traded away, but that’s a meal for future Ryuuki. Right now, present Ryuuki is standing firm. Everything comes with a price. If you want to keep what you’ve earned, then your allegiance is yours.”

Though the morning sun had long since risen above the horizon, the deliberations between the Triple Threat, Red Monsoon, Agni Kai, and Terra triads dragged on. Up until now, everything had gone rather smoothly. Too smoothly, they’d begun to think. The new head of the Triple Threats had been doling out territories like candy whenever he was asked with little to no argument. It was only now that it became clear why. The Chi Eater wasn’t like Viper, he wasn’t a mobster, territory meant nothing to him. The only thing he was interested in were the talented benders leading the other triads and the droves of fodder they had at their command. Nothing more and nothing less.

It was cold and pragmatic for what it was he was suggesting. Territory wasn’t going to help them kill the Avatar. But now that the terms of the arrangement had been made clear, neither Atsushi, Ravi, or Chiasa were sure they were still willing to play ball.

“You’re nuts if you think we’re all gonna bow down and work under you, you chi eating freak.” Atsushi snarled, slamming his hands on the table. Ryuuki didn’t flinch. “The whole point of this meeting was to work together against the city, as allies. Allies! You know, together, but still separate! If you think I’m just going to smile and be your muscle ‘cause you gave me some new ports, you’ve got another thing coming, Ayatsurishi.”

That’s not my name, actually,” Ryuuki mentioned off-hand, “but I acknowledge your frustration, and I get it. You started from the bottom of the bottom and you worked hard to make it to the top, didn’t you, Atsushi? You are a fierce, passionate, diligent worker. Through sheer grit and determination alone, you turned yourself from a nameless orphan into one of the richest, most powerful, most feared men in Republic City. No ordinary person would dare cross you. You are a true underdog story, and I admire that about you. I admire your bending prowess even more. But I think you misunderstand what I’m asking of you. I wouldn’t dream of taking your Agni Kais away from you.”

Yeah, well, it sure sounds like it. A raadamn bending army? With you in command? Are you nuts? Wait, no, don’t answer that, I think you are! I ain’t falling in line for nobody, especially not some… some… freak of nature.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with Atsushi.” Chiasa said. Ryuuki quirked an eyebrow. She’d kept quiet for some time now. She didn’t even speak up when Ryuuki mentioned the terms of his arrangement. But it seemed she could hold her tongue no longer. “If we wanted to work under the Triple Threats, we would’ve joined them from the get-go.”

“Oh, no, no, no, no! You have it all wrong! You won’t be working under the Triple Threats at all – just me.” Ryuuki corrected. Chiasa spared a quick glance in Ravi’s direction. He’d also been fairly quiet since Ryuuki stated his terms.

“…I don’t think I get it. You said you wanted to build an army of benders,” Ravi repeated, to which Ryuuki nodded. “With the way you were talking, it sounded like you wanted to use the manpower of all four of our triads to overthrow the city with you at the top.”

“Oh please, I couldn’t care less for Republic City.” Ryuuki said with a roll of his eyes. “Money, power, territory, reputation – those things may be important to you triads, but believe it or not, I just want to live my life. Nothing more, nothing less. But the Avatar has made it clear I can no longer do that without a fight. She’s made it pretty clear that she’s not going to let you guys keep building influence without one, either. So we’re in the same situation, you see. The Avatar is threatening both our collective livelihoods. But you’re right. Ideally, all three of you will be volunteering your enforcers to form my ‘army’. But the key word there is volunteering. I want you to come to the conclusion that this is the wisest move going forward for yourselves.”

“I fail to see how that would be a wise move.” Chiasa said.

“Then you disappoint me. You’re not looking at the bigger picture, here. We may want fundamentally different things, but in order to obtain them, we both need the same thing. If you want to take this city – truly take it, so no one can take it back from you – then you’ll need an army. But an army is only as good as its general. Even if you three worked together, even if you’d met with Viper as originally planned and managed to convince him to help you, even if you overwhelmed the police, the President would just call in the United Forces and your little game would be as good as over. And that’s if the Avatar doesn’t beat you all within an inch of your lives, first. You can’t handle either of these things alone. But with me behind you? I’m stronger than any Avatar. I could give you all the push you need to bring this city to its knees.”

“And what do you get out of this?” Ravi asked.

A quiet life.” Ryuuki said with a smile. “That’s all I really want. When all is said and done and the Avatar is dead, I’ll dissolve the Triple Threats and divvy up their remaining assets evenly across your organizations. Republic City will be yours for the taking.”

If you’re as strong as you say you are, why don’t you just kill the Avatar yourself? Why bother to bring us into this at all?” Chiasa asked.

“Insurance. No Avatar has ever managed to beat me one-on-one, but that’s only because I’m careful. I plan ahead. I cover every contingency. An Avatar in perfect balance is a terrifying force to behold, even for me, so I always work to knock them off-balance before going in for the kill. Be it by killing their lover or by holding their city for ransom, they’re never at one hundred percent by the time they get to me. In the end, I’m not looking for a fight. I’m not even looking for a meal. I’m just looking to live my life.”

“I don’t like it. I don’t trust you, and I don’t work under anybody – they work for me.” Atsushi angrily repeated. Puffs of smoke from his nostrils punctuated his sentence. Ryuuki laughed at the sight, but this only set Atsushi off more. “Okay, that’s it, I’m gonna kick your ass,”

Is that supposed to be threatening? Sit down before you embarrass yourself, boy.” All it took was a look, and Atsushi stumbled back. One word, and Ryuuki’s entire demeanor just changed. Atsushi was no stranger to violence. He’d been on the receiving end of more than his fair share of what one might refer to as ‘killing intent’ over the years. But he’d never experienced anything quite like that one word. ‘Boy’. Maybe it was a trick of his chi, some sort of secret energybending technique, but when Atsushi looked down at his hands, they were shaking. His body wanted no part of the violence it saw behind those bright blue eyes.

A tsushi tried to say something in reply, but he couldn’t get the words out. After a moment of standing there in utter silence, reluctantly, he sat back down.

That’s better.” Ryuuki said. “Now, like I said before, your organizations are free to remain independent; you don’t have to fly the Triple Threats flag, so to speak. I don’t really care for the inner workings of your gangs, and I won’t interfere with them in any way. But you three in particular? You’re strong. Useful. Together, not even the Avatar and her friends could stop us. If we pooled our resources, the United Forces wouldn’t stand a chance. You wanted to work together? This is as ‘together’ as it gets. I’m offering you everything you’ve ever wanted: Republic City on a silver platter. All you have to do is follow my plan. Are you really going to turn me down over something as insignificant as pride?

“I don’t think it really matters. You have no intention of letting us walk away from here alive unless we accept your terms,” Chiasa accused, “you killed Viper to take control of the Triple Threats, and if we stand in the way of your little army, you’re going to kill us and take over our triads too.”

Ryuuki laughed. “ Perhaps you’re sharp after all . You’re right, that was my plan. I just thought I’d offer you the choice regardless. You humans are so prideful, and funny . I was wondering if you would be able to set your egos aside and acknowledge somebody stronger than you, but you’re all so obsessed with maintaining a false sense of control you feel you’re entitled to. Though you may all be spectacular benders, you’re all still human . I d idn’t think you’d ever agree to my terms unless I left you with no other choice .”

“You really think so little of us?” Ravi asked.

“Was I wrong?”

Ravi didn’t reply.

“You three are so used to being the biggest fish in the sea, you have no idea how to act anymore when confronted with a bigger one. I gave you a choice before, but now I’m telling you. You three are going to work for me, or I’m going to kill all three of you and take your triads for my own. But, because I’m such a nice guy, I’m still going to give you everything you want in the end. Then, I will leave you and your city alone forever. You’ll never have to see my face again. Consider it your reward for a job well done.”

Or, we could be the ones to kill you.” Chiasa remarked. The thought just prompted Ryuuki to laugh again.

You three were scared of the Avatar? She’s a joke compared to me. I could kill all three of you with both my hands tied behind my back. I don’t mind a demonstration, if you’re all so eager to die.” Ryuuki taunted. “How about you, Atsushi? Do you think you could take me, big man?”

Atsushi didn’t say a word.

“I didn’t think so. Now then, do we have a deal?”

Chiasa sighed. “Well. You didn’t leave us with much of a choice,” she lamented, “talk about a hostile takeover.”

You’re actually backing down?” Ravi asked. He’d never known Chiasa to back away from a fight.

He overpowered my bending like it was nothing, Ravi. Water isn’t even his native element. I have no doubt he’s exactly as strong as he says he is. I may not like it, but I have no intention of dying today.”

Ah, finally, some common sense,” Ryuuki applauded, “maybe I had you pegged right the first time, you are smart.”

Yeah, well, like I said, you didn’t give me much of a choice. I’m going to hold you to your word, though. When all is said and done, you’re going to leave Republic City and the Triple Threats to us. If you don’t, then I don’t care how strong you are, I promise you, I will fight, and I will find a way to kill you.”

“I’m an honorable man. Feel free to ask the Avatar sometime if you don’t believe me. You have my word.”

“Then yes. I will agree to your plan,” Chiasa acquiesced, “I will work for you.”

“…” Atsushi looked like he was going to have an aneurysm. It was as plain as the nose on his face that he was angry – angrier than Ravi or Chiasa had ever seen him. But Ryuuki wasn’t wrong. He knew his place, now. He knew he couldn’t beat him in a fight, even if Ravi and Chiasa backed him up. Even still, it was against his nature to surrender. “…I’ll work with you,” he conceded, “but make no mistake, I serve no one. Not even you. I’ll do whatever I want when I want.

Ah, such pride… oh well. It doesn’t matter to me whether you work under or alongside me. So long as you adhere to the plan, you can do whatever else you may please.”

“Fine.” Atsushi agreed.

Which just left Ravi. All eyes were on the newly minted metalbender now. Up until now, he’d been the man with the plan. He’d spent weeks working the triads to make this meeting possible, to make an alliance possible. Then Ryuuki comes in and does it in a night. Two of the strongest bending triads in Republic City were now poised to work for him. What could he hope to accomplish against that?

“…Then I guess you have a deal.” Ravi said. Ryuuki smiled wide.

“Excellent. Now then, let me tell you what I have in mind.”

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

 

L ater that afternoon, back on Air Temple Island, Korra wandered the shores of the eastern pond. This part of the island wasn’t used for training very often, and was surrounded on all sides by sharp cliffs and a dense treeline, with only a small strip of land separating it from Yue Bay. It was quiet and secluded, and not easily accessed without airbending or a boat, meaning it was the perfect place for Korra to practice lightning bending. To that end, after her short nap, she arranged to meet Mako here around this time. Now that she was here though – and a few minutes late, no less – she couldn’t seem to find him anywhere.

Mako? Are you here?” she called. Silence. Maybe this place was a little too secluded, and Mako got lost on the way over here. But that was precisely when she saw him sitting silent underneath a tree, neglecting to respond to her call and simply motioning for her to come closer. If he hadn’t moved, she probably wouldn’t have spotted him.

Wow, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were meditating,” Korra quipped.

I was meditating,Mako replied, opening his eyes. Korra looked surprised.

“Really? You? Maybe I don’t know better after all…”

I know I probably shouldn’t be taking his advice, but… Ryuuki suggested it.” Korra frowned at the mention of his name. “I know, I know, but I think he was right. All this stress is probably going to kill me, eventually. Maybe if I learn to meditate, I can deal with it in a healthier way. I don’t want to blow up on you or Asami again.”

That would be nice, yeah.” Korra agreed, arms crossed. “Maybe you should have a talk with Tenzin later; he’s all about meditation. I’m sure he’ll let you sit in on a few sessions with the airbenders,” she suggested. Mako smiled. He liked the sound of that.

Propping himself up with his good arm, Mako got back on his feet. “Now that you’re here, you probably want to get right to it, huh?”

“I don’t mind meditating with you for a little bit, if you think it’ll help.”

It might, but it’s not how I learned. For me, it took months of forms and practice. But since you’re the Avatar and an energybender, I think it might come pretty easily to you.”

“Ryuuki said the same thing when I was fighting him. He said it should be second nature for me.”

Well, he might be an evil jerk, but that doesn’t mean he’s wrong.” Mako said, leading Korra to the edge of the pond. “Have you ever tried it before?”

Once, when I was younger, but it always blew up in my face.” Korra said, rubbing the back of her neck. “My firebending instructor couldn’t do it, so I’ve never had any formal training. I always practiced it in secret on my own and hoped that since I was the Avatar it would just come naturally to me. But it didn’t.”

Mako hummed. “That makes sense. Lightningbending is as much spiritual as it is physical, and you always neglected the more spiritual side of bending before you came to Republic City, right?” Korra nodded. “In order to create lightning, you have to be aware of your own energy, and know how to direct its flow. Since you tried to learn it on your own, I assume you k now the basics ?”

Uh… something about positive and negative chi, right…?” Mako sighed. Maybe not.

You’re creating an artificial divide between your positive and negative chi – ‘yin’ and ‘yang’. Doing this makes your energy unstable, and naturally, it’s going to want to correct that instability. When it does, and your yin and yang come crashing back together, it will create a surge of power which you direct out of your body in the form of lightning.” Mako explained. He and Korra were standing stationary by the edge of the pond now, and the Avatar’s eyes were watching him intently as he explained the technique. “It isn’t like ordinary firebending. It isn’t powered by breath or emotion. You need absolute clarity and peace of mind, or it isn’t going to work. It used to be known as the ‘cold-blooded fire’.

No wonder I could never do it… I wasn’t exactly calm and collected as a kid,” Korra admitted with a laugh.

“But you’re different now. You’re more in-touch with your spiritual side than you’ve ever been, and you’re a stronger energybender than Avatar Aang.”

Korra smiled. It was nice to know he thought so highly of her. “So… when my yin and yang energ ies equalize, then I can bend lightning?”

Their equalization is what generates the lightning, yes. But all you’re doing is directing it. You can’t command it like ordinary firebending.” Mako paused. “…or, normally that would be the case, but, you’re also an energybender. If you could bend that corrupted spirit’s energy blasts, you should be able to bend lightning, too. Theoretically.”

And if I can do it, that means Ryuuki probably can, too… theoretically,” Korra reasoned. Mako nodded in agreement, his expression turning grave.

I’ve never seen a firebender as skilled as him before. And that was him taking it easy on us. I think it’s safe to assume that if it can be done in theory, he can do it in practice. I can teach you how to generate, direct, and redirect lightning, but after that… you’ll have to experiment on your own. I’m sorry.”

That’s okay. Once I know how to make it, I can figure out how to control it. I’ve just never been able to take that first step.”

Until you get a feel for making lightning, it may help to move your arms in order to help you visualize separating your chi. I only have one good arm to show you right now, but basically, you’ll want to mirror this movement in the opposite direction, like you’re spiraling and dividing your energy,” Mako explained, making a circular motion with his right arm, his middle and index fingers extended and electricity trailing his movements. Mako was very skilled with commanding lightning – he could generate it with one arm and minimal movements no problem.

Korra watched in wonder as he pulled his body back, building tension in his form like a spring, before suddenly releasing it with a decisive step forward and a thrust of his arm. Following his movements, electricity exploded from his fingertips, a bolt of lightning cracking across the pond, disturbing the water before colliding harmlessly with the rock face on the other side.

“Wow… I never really paid much attention to how you did it before… I think I get it now.” Korra said, quickly taking a stance to mimic her friend. First things first, she had to clear her mind. This came easier to her now than ever before. She’d long since made meditation an important part of her daily routine, so clearing her mind and quieting her emotions was a practiced action for her. It wasn’t quite second-nature yet, but it was getting there. Next, she focused in on her energy. Yin and yang weren’t new to her – her uncle’s spiritbending technique relied on similar principles – so she had no problem honing in on them.

A s she raised her arms in front of her, the tricky part came now. Tricky, but familiar. She’d just assumed control of her flow of energy earlier today, to heal Mako, so for Korra, this was more of the same . Only difference was that now, she was trying to create an imbalance in her chi. It wasn’t something she’d ever done intentionally before, but she knew what the sensation felt like. When Unalaq was spirtbending her in the spirit world, she could feel her energy falling out of balance, threatening to destroy her soul. She tried to replicate that feeling by herself now, moving her arms in a circular motion and separating her yin from yang, building an imbalance of power in her body. Sparks of electricity trailed her movements.

Korra had to stop herself from getting too excited, or she was going to lose control. Her chi was fighting with everything it had to come crashing back together, but she had to keep it apart until she was ready. Mimicking Mako’s movements, she pulled her body back, building tension and keeping her yin and yang apart as she did. Then, when she finally felt she was ready, she released her hold on her chi, letting the two energies smash back together in a mighty explosion of power she could feel in every cell of her body. It was exhilarating. She directed this cascade of energy through her right arm and out her fingertips, and just like that, a bolt of lightning struck the rock face just a few inches off from where Mako’s had.

I… I did it,” Korra stammered, “I actually did it!”

I knew you’d be a natural. Good work.” Mako smiled, placing a congratulatory hand on his best friend’s shoulder. Korra took a moment to bask in the victory, some confidence returning to her after being humbled the night before. Unfortunately, that confidence was short-lived. Mako had more to say. But compared to redirecting it, creating lightning is the easy part.”

Korra’s heart sunk. “So… how do I do that?”

Well… actually, maybe it won’t be so hard for you. This technique was developed by the great General Iroh by studying waterbenders. You might have an easier time with it than I did,” Mako explained. Korra felt some relief hearing that. She may not have had the stereotypical temperament of a waterbender, but it was still her native element. It should be second nature to her, no more difficult than creating lightning. Or so she hoped.

“How does it work?”

The key is letting the energy of your own body flow. The electricity will follow it. When redirecting lightning, you want to create a pathway through your body that the energy can follow without hurting you. The best way to do that is to let it flow from your fingertips, up your arm, down into your stomach, and then up your other arm and out again. But you can’t deviate from this path even a little bit. If you do, and the lightning passes through your heart, it will kill you.

Korra gulped. No pressure, then. On paper, she thought she understood it, but in practice… the only way to find out was to try it against Ryuuki. She wasn’t going to ask Mako to throw lightning at her, she was asking a lot of him in his current condition already. But she was going to practice the guiding movements as much as she could. She had to memorize the path, the sensation of her own flow of energy. So that was what she did.

When Korra had envisioned what this was going to be like, she didn’t think most of her training was going to be form repetition. It gave her flashbacks of her early airbending days, before she could make so much as the slightest breeze. She followed her friend’s example for well over an hour, repeating his movements and tracing the path in her body again and again and again. Though she was afraid it might bother him, he didn’t seem to mind showing her however many times she asked. They both understood how important this was for her to know. So they kept going for an hour more, until finally, as the clouds set in and rain began to fall, Korra was satisfied.

“Okay… okay. I think I’ve got it,” she finally announced. Mako nodded, exiting the form and returning to a standing position.

Redirecting lightning is honestly terrifying. I’ve only had to do it a couple times, but it’s not something I look forward to. Unfortunately, I feel like we’re both going to be doing it a lot pretty soon,” he said, frowning.

“Probably. I’m going to keep practicing the movements on my own. I’ll add it to my daily routine, and work on it until it’s second nature.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he agreed, “but I’ve taught you all I can. The rest is up to you, now.”

“And Bolin,”

“Right, and Bolin. Hopefully he’ll figure out a way to teach you lavabending that makes sense to you. He’s never really been the teaching type.”

I dunno, he taught me a more modern form of earthbending when we first met. He didn’t do too badly back then. I have faith in him,” Korra said, reassuring herself as much as she was Mako.

“If you say so.” Mako shrugged. “Anyway, it’s getting late. I have my first healing session in an hour, and the skies are starting to look pretty nasty, so I’m going to catch a ferry back to the city.”

You know, I could do that for you, if you want. There’s plenty of water here, and I am a healer,” Korra reminded.

No. I’ve asked a lot from you already today. If you’re still not tired, you should continue practicing with lightning. Just keep an eye on the skies – I heard over the radio earlier that some nasty storms were supposed to blow through tonight.

Well, if you’re sure… alright. Thanks, Mako,” Korra said, pulling him in for a one-armed hug. Maybe one day he’d learn to expect a sudden hug from his ex-girlfriend, the Avatar, but that day was not today. Nevertheless, he returned it without complaint.

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

 

Off the coast of the United Republic, a storm was brewing. While the worst of it would never reach land, for those unlucky few still out on the open water, there would be no respite from mother nature’s fury, and included in their numbers were Kuvira and her captors.

The seas churned with violence all around them. Wave after wave crashed into the wooden supports of the prison raft, each one larger than the last. They already dwarfed the raft in size, but as it was anchored to large floats beneath the surface, it was allowed to rise and fall with the sea, bobbing every which way at the mercy of the storm and the tides. While it rode the crests of some of the waves, others engulfed the raft in its entirety, threatening to sweep all aboard it off into the sea. And were it not for the metal cables tethering them to its surface, they very well would have been.

The men closed their eyes and mouths as a particularly massive wave rolled over the prison. It practically exploded upon hitting the thick wooden supports below, its upper half severing from its bottom but its previous momentum carrying it true. They held on tightly to their cables, firmly attached to platinum posts along the floor, and braced themselves for impact. The water may not have been bone-crushing – yet – but it was certainly bruising. But the guards would survive. They would remain safely tethered to the raft, and though they’d be knocked around a small area along its surface, they didn’t have to worry too much about being slammed into anything else.

The same could not be said for Kuvira.

She was afforded no such luxuries as metal cables or supports of any kind. It was just her in her thin, thoroughly soaked prison clothes against the elements. They hadn’t even bothered to use platinum cuffs to fasten her against her wooden bars – as the waves came crashing through, she would be thrown violently from one end of her cell to the other, colliding with the opposite wall with no hope of softening the blow. Though she clung tightly onto her wooden bars in hopes of weathering the wave, the current was too strong, ripping her free of her only support and sending her face-first into a thick wooden post.

“Please, I’m begging you, I don’t care if they’re platinum cuffs, give me something!” Kuvira cried. But if she could be heard over the rolling thunder or roaring seas, her captors didn’t show it. They remained entirely focused on themselves, the firebenders gripping their cables for dear life while the waterbenders tried to bend the water to their advantage to help hold them in place. The last thing on their mind was Kuvira.

Kuvira grit her teeth, bracing herself as another wave came up from behind her. She was on her own. All she could do was try to hold on to her wooden bars and hope she could overpower the water. But she was at the mercy of the storm and the storm alone. No one was coming to help her. No one could.

It must have come as quite the surprise then when a man appeared in the distance, leisurely walking the stormy seas as if it were his evening stroll. The guard who could see him on the horizon initially thought their eyes had been playing tricks on him, but as he drew closer and closer, it became clear he was very real.

“We have company!” The guard cried out. It was a miracle anyone could hear him over the storm, but his brothers in arms responded to his call, looking in his direction to see the approaching figure.

“Oh, you’ve gotta be... in this weather? What the fuck!” Another guard replied.

It was clear to them he had to be some sort of waterbender. Only a waterbending master could brave seas like this. And as he tunneled through an oncoming wave, it appeared to be true. But was he really choosing now to attack the prison? That was everybody’s first thought. After Opal, they knew to expect more would-be assassins, but this was just insanity. He must’ve waited for this storm to roll in knowing full well he’d have the advantage. But the idea that anybody could be masterful enough to walk these seas was a frightening thought. It was skill beyond any of the waterbenders tasked with guarding Kuvira, and honestly, skill beyond anything they’ d ever thought possible. Yet here they were, watching it happen in real-time.

“He must be after the prisoner!” The first guard yelled.

Fuck’s sake – he can have her! I’m trying not to drown!” Another shouted in reply.

It was at this point Kuvira overheard the commotion with her captors. Somebody was coming. She was as shocked as they were – she didn’t think anybody would be stupid enough to brave a storm like this – but as she looked in the same direction they were, she could see him too. She only caught a glimpse of a man in a coat though before another wave hit and threw her across her cell.

The gathered firebenders were the first to attack, blasts of fire erupting from multiple points along the prison all aimed for the man in the sea. Though they half expected him to be some sort of spirit or mirage and not even react, he waterbent himself to the left and right, quickly zig-zagging out of the way of every blast. The indication he had something to fear from the flames renewed their resolve, and they attacked again, but they couldn’t keep up for long. Another wave crashed over top of the raft, snuffing out their flames and sweeping them off their feet. If it weren’t for their cables, they would’ve been swept away entirely. Instead, they were able to struggle back onto their feet. But when they got back up, the man from before was nowhere to be seen.

“Is he gone?!”

Maybe the seas took him! Nobody could survive this squall!”

How are we going to survive this squall?!”

You aren’t.”

T he first guard’s eyes went wide. A sudden chill ran up his body as a dagger of ice pierced his heart from behind, an unfamiliar voice taking a moment to taunt him before doing him the honor of saving him from bleeding out by snapping his neck instead.

Gan!” the man’s comrade cried in horror. All the guards whipped their head in the fallen guard’s direction now, just in time to see his lifeless body hit the floor and get swept off the side of the raft by the latest wave, left to dangle helplessly off the edge. His killer, meanwhile, stood tall and proud, bending the water of the latest wave around him and initiating a casual stroll in another guard’s direction. A stroll which was immediately interrupted as the raft bobbed up along another wave, forcing him to stop and steady himself. It didn’t look as intimidating as he’d intended.

Well, so much for a grand entrance,” the Chi Eater lamented, “let’s put an end to this, shall we?”

Ryuuki threw his arms wide, and in an instant, the seas flashed frozen. Waves of water changed to walls of ice, the raft was immediately frozen place atop a massive sheet of ice below, and the rain that had been falling in torrents turned to snow.

As the temperature plummeted, Kuvira was finally given relief, allowed to bear witness to the incredible feat of waterbending, though she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing. Something like that… that was Avatar stuff. She shivered, her thin, soaked clothes providing no protection from the sudden chill.

W… what…?” the guards looked around, confused. Though the storm continued to rage all around them, here, around the raft, they were protected by the walls of ice from any further waves. Were it not for the continued thunder and the gusting winds, they’d have thought Ryuuki had stopped the storm as well, but before long, the snow gave way back to rain. As it did, he clapped his hands together, satisfied, and returned to his initial plan. A nice, leisurely walk.

Kuvira’s eyes darted around the raft, from Ryuuki to her guards and back to him. All of them were frozen with fear, unable and unwilling to make a move against the man as he casually made his way toward Kuvira’s cell in the center. They let him make it half way there before finally fighting back again. Blasts of fire and chunks of ice were hurled at him from every direction, but Ryuuki practically danced around their attacks. He moved like an airbender, spiraling out from the center to his next unfortunate victim, every attack made against him made in vain.

Ryuuki was still clutching his dagger of ice, and with a spin and a flourish, he slit the next guard’s throat, chuckling to himself as he tried to stop the bleeding. Then, Ryuuki kicked him off the side of the raft, turned around, and began a spiraling dance in another guard’s direction. Kuvira could only watch as he cut them down one by one. Some of them, he stabbed. But he was thorough, and ensured not a single one of them would survive their wounds, kicking each and every one of them off the side of the raft to dangle lifelessly above the frozen ocean. Soon, all the counterattacks came to an end, and it was just Ryuuki and Kuvira, alone on the raft at last.

Ryuuki inhaled deeply, closing his eyes and soaking in the wind and rain. Thunder cracked across the sky as he stood there in the center of the raft, simply taking in the death around him. He could still hear a few men whimpering, knowing they were dying but unable to do anything about it. It was music to the Chi Eater’s ears. “Don’t you love that? The stillness of death. The symphony of mortality. Even the toughest men are reduced to nothing when they realize they’re going to die.”

When Ryuuki spun around to face her, Kuvira whipped her battered arms around her in an attempt to bend the earth beneath her feet. Except, there was no earth. She was so scared, she’d forgotten where she was, and Ryuuki laughed at the sight of her flailing around for no reason. “Hello, Kuvira,” he greeted.

You… what are you?” she asked.

I am the Chi Eater, and I’ve just been dying to meet you.”

Kuvira’s mouth went dry. This was what Korra was up against?

Ryuuki tilted his head, studying Kuvira’s form for a moment, then he clicked his tongue. “Really, Kuvira? They didn’t think to fasten or protect you in any way? Boy, you must’ve enjoyed watching me pick them off after that. I imagine you must be in a lot of pain after being tossed around like that. Like garbage in the wind.”

“What do you want?”

“Ooh, straight to the point. I like that. But first, how about you kneel for me?”

Excuse me?” Kuvira asked, fists clenching. But she wasn’t allowed to resist; the air above her would not permit it. With a nod of his head, Ryuuki bent a mighty gust on top of her, forcing her to her knees.

That’s better. Grovel for me, won’t you?” he asked. But she wouldn’t do him the pleasure. She just looked up with fire in her eyes. As much as she may have wanted to, there was nothing she could do to harm him. “Hmm… you know, it’s just not doing anything for me. What exactly did you get out of this?” Ryuuki inquired. There was an almost childish naivety to his question – he genuinely didn’t understand, and Kuvira could tell that, but before she could find the words to respond to him, he carried on talking.

You humans are so funny. You gain the tiniest bit of leverage over one another and you just can’t help yourselves but use it to subjugate one another. One must bow while the other rules… you dress it up with all these fancy words and grand ideals, but at the end of the day, it’s nothing more than a child’s power trip. Your kind can’t be entrusted with anything.”

“Are you… a spirit?” Kuvira asked, rising back onto her feet. Ryuuki saw it fit to let her stand.

There is no word for what I am. I am so much more than just a spirit. And please, for the love of all that is good, don’t call me human, either. The Avatar keeps doing that, and it’s really starting to piss me off. How would you feel if I addressed you as an ‘it’? That’s how I feel any time one of your kind tries to drag me down to your level,” Ryuuki scoffed, rolling his eyes. Kuvira had nothing to say to that.

I don’t respect any of your kind, but you? I especially hate you, Kuvira. Care to hazard a guess as to why?”

Nope, can’t imagine how I could’ve pissed you off.”

Your sarcasm is noted, but I’m going to tell you anyway. You see, you’re my least favorite kind of person. The kind of person who makes this world such an awful place to live in and constantly makes more messes for the Avatar and their friends to clean up. The tyrannical ego, the charismatic speeches, the lust for power, the use of force to enforce your will on other people – honestly, we just went through a hundred years of that, from Sozin to Ozai, and your kind learned nothing from their failures. You gleefully followed in their footsteps every step of the way, blind to your own hypocrisy and abuse of the gifts you’ve been given. Or perhaps it was worse. Perhaps you realized, but you just didn’t care. Who can say?”

It appeared that Kuvira wasn’t going to.

Mm. But, just like Ozai, your ego eventually got the best of you, and the Avatar swooped in to restore the balance you so foolishly tried to destroy. It’s pathetic how many times I’ve had to watch this story repeat itself over the centuries. Every time, I tolerate your miserable excuse for a species just a little bit less.”

I was trying to restore balance, and order,” Kuvira defended. She wasn’t sure what to say to most of this nonsense, but she could sure as hell defend her pride. Her empire. But Ryuuki was having none of it.

Liar!” Ryuuki yelled, a flash of lightning punctuating his accusation. “You knew full well what you were doing! You can lie to the Avatar, you can even lie to yourself, but you can’t lie to me. You’re a dime a dozen, another fascist footnote in the sordid history of this planet. I’ve seen your kind a dozen times before, and I dread having to see you a dozen times more. And all for what, power? Control? I have more power than you could ever dream of, but you don’t see me trying to play king, now do you? All I want is to live a long, happy, peaceful and eternal life. Is that too much to ask? Can’t we go a generation or seven without some asshole like you trying to act like you can rule the world?”

Ryuuki sighed. “Honestly, I do not envy the Avatar, constantly having to clean up after arrogant children such as yourself any time you try to fashion an empire from blood. But I’m glad they exist. I can usually sit back and relax and keep on living my life, even as the world descends into chaos, because I know they’ll always be around to set things right again. I never have to lift a finger. I almost had to during the Hundred Year War, but thankfully, Avatar Aang showed up before the comet arrived, so everything was fine in the end. Ozai should count himself lucky Aang was the one he had to fight that day, not me. I wouldn’t have shown him an inch of mercy for dragging me into his power trip. I likely wouldn’t have shown you any, either.”

“Did you come here just to mock me?” Kuvira asked through gritted teeth.

No, but I was getting into it. Thanks for ruining the moment.” Ryuuki rolled his eyes. “No, I came here because I need to learn metalbending. After my run in with the popo last night, I figured I could use the skills of a master, so here I am. Detestable sack of shit that you are, you’re the greatest metalbender in the world after Toph Beifong, and I have no intention spending a week to track her down when you’re right here, ripe for the taking. I’m not a competitive man. I can settle for second best.”

Well, you wasted your time. I have no intention of teaching you.”

“What? Oh, no, you misunderstand – I didn’t come here so you could teach me. I came here to take your bending for my own. This will kill you in the process of course, but, as I’m sure you’ll agree, that’s no real loss.”

Kuvira’s eyes went wide. He could steal her bending for his own? Her immediate thought was of Korra. He must’ve stolen the bending of a thousand waterbenders to become as powerful and skilled as he’d just demonstrated. She couldn’t afford to let him become a world-class metalbender on top of all of that. Korra wouldn’t stand a chance. As the realization dawned on her, Ryuuki’s smile widened.

Now you get it. But don’t look so horrified – you should be happy! You’re going to be free! This is my gift to you, oh Great Uniter – a swift, but painful, death.

R yuuki inhaled sharply, and as he did, Kuvira focused on something, anything she could bend. Those cables weren’t platinum, but she wouldn’t be able to pull them to her fast enough. She needed something closer. She needed…

Ha… hahaha… hahahaha!” Kuvira laughed.

It was surprising enough that Ryuuki stopped inhaling for his breath of fire. He was going to burn a hole into her cage and steal her chi, but his victims didn’t usually react like this. “…I’m sorry? Is something funny to you?” he asked.

You shouldn’t have worn buttons.” Kuvira grinned. Before Ryuuki could get another word in edgewise, she seized control of the metal buttons on his coat and sent them piercing through his body. They exited his back in an instant like bullets, but she didn’t let them get very far – Kuvira immediately pulled them back and tore fresh holes through Ryuuki from the opposite direction. The Chi Eater clutched his chest as Kuvira tore hole after hole through his back, his lungs, his heart, his arms – she showed him no mercy. The Chi Eater grit his teeth, looking on with hatred in his eyes as he fell to his knees. Finally, Kuvira gathered the buttons together into a single bullet-sized conglomeration, and with a flick of her wrist, sent the heap of metal barreling through the Chi Eater’s skull.

Ryuuki fell backwards onto the raft, motionless, and Kuvira sighed. That was close. She supposed Korra owed her one, now. But she should probably report this to somebody. Raising her bruised and battered arms, she severed the cables from the raft and the dead guards and cut a hole out of her prison, stepping over Ryuuki’s body and the puddle of blood beneath him. For the first time in a month, she was fr-

HHHHHHHHHHH,” Ryuuki gasped for air, his right hand suddenly springing back to life and grabbing hold of Kuvira’s ankle. Terrified, the metalbender screamed, pulling her foot away before he could get much purchase on her, and she stumbled onto her back. Slowly, Ryuuki began to rise unnaturally from the position he’d collapsed in, steam rolling off his body as the holes Kuvira had peppered him with began to close. Kuvira looked on in horror as the corpse shambled back onto his feet. “You BITCH ,” Ryuuki cursed, snapping his head back into a more natural position as he stood up straight and literally shook off the damage.

What… what are you?” she asked for the second time.

Ryuuki snarled, flames manifesting in the palms of his hands.

Somebody who’s really, really pissed off.”

Notes:

Hi guys how's your quarantine been. I was hoping to be more productive than this, but instead I almost died (twice) and found out I'm an essential worker so I haven't stopped working a day since this virus thing started. But, I'm still kicking, and so long as I am, I'll still be writing.

I haven't treated my fanfiction as seriously as I have my book, but that's going to change starting with this chapter. This means chapters will take a little longer to come out, like this one did (though there were other things that got in the way too), but they'll be of a higher quality. I'm focusing on honing my skills and finding a style I like right now.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed Chapter 21!

Chapter 22: The Siege

Summary:

A typhoon barrels down on Republic City while the Triple Threat triad finally makes its move.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Book Five
Chi

Chapter 22
The Siege

 

Later that evening, back in Republic City, the storm that had laid siege to Kuvira’s prison had finally come ashore.

Even in the modern age, predicting the weather was far from an accurate science. While storms such as these could be expected around this time of year, getting any sort of meaningful forewarning was still next to impossible. The city always knew to be prepared for the occasional typhoon, but with rarely more than a day’s advance notice and the added complexities of Kuvira’s attack not even a month earlier, they didn’t exactly feel all that prepared this time around.

While it got lost in the media frenzy surrounding Ryuuki’s true identity however, the city had received word from fishermen earlier on that a typhoon was on the way. At that time, city officials inspected the many levees and seawalls surrounding Republic City to make sure they were still in good shape, and they found them all to still be in relatively strong condition. But when it came time to formally warn the public, in all the chaos of the day’s revelations, the President had neglected to declare a state of emergency. Because of that, when the storm finally did come ashore, it caught a lot of Republic City completely off guard.

That was more than an hour ago. By now, almost everybody who had been outside had found shelter, but even from within the relative safety of their homes, a feeling of resignation weighed heavy upon the citizens of Republic City.

First, it was Kuvira. Then, it was the triads. Then, it was the Chi Eater spirit. And now, it was a typhoon. Were they not suffering enough already? Did the spirits really have to throw a typhoon at them, too? Republic City had been hit with disaster after disaster and given no time to catch its breath between beatings. Many dreaded what they’d find when they ventured out to survey the damage in the morning. How many weeks would this set back reconstruction? How badly were the triads going to take advantage of the situation? Would the President finally deign to help them, or would he keep focusing on expansion like he had been all month? All they could do was pray to whichever spirits would listen that this storm would be a weak one.

But while the denizens of the city worried and waited for what tomorrow would bring, the officers of the RCPD were hard at work tackling the problems of today. Though the triads had been remarkably quiet even before the storm rolled in, that didn’t mean they had any less work to do. It was their job to brave the weather and rescue stragglers, to prepare in advance for the messes of tomorrow, and to make sure what triads they had captured stayed in lockup. No typhoon was going to save them from any of that. So while the rest of the city hunkered down and rode out the weather, the RCPD remained focused on the tasks at hand.

To make things more manageable, Lin had divided her officers into four main categories for the night: Search & Rescue, Guard Duty, Chi Eater Response, and Desk Duty. Those on Search & Rescue would aide citizens still caught out in the storm, those on Guard Duty would watch the triads down in lockup, those on Chi Eater Response would be briefed on the Ryuuki situation, and then everybody else would deal with the mountains of paperwork that’d been piling up throughout the week and preparing for tomorrow. With the way Lin had divvied everything up, she’d almost made it all seem doable, no small feat given the circumstances. Just about everybody was feeling pretty overwhelmed by this point, rookie and veteran alike. But with their roles decided and their orders given, they all took a deep breath and got straight to work.

All, that is, except for Bolin.

As a member of ‘Team Avatar’, Bolin was special. He didn’t have the luxury of hyper-focusing on just one of the city’s problems – in the end, all of them would be his to help resolve, one way or another, once Korra got herself involved. He knew this. His proximity to the Avatar gave him and his brother both certain privileges other officers didn’t get, some additional favor with the chief. In some ways, he and Mako were like Korra’s eyes and ears in the city, and in other ways, he was her representative when she wasn’t around. And tonight, rather than sitting peacefully at his desk filling out paperwork or braving the elements to rescue civilians, Bolin had to step up and be the Avatar’s representative.

Moments like these were rare for him. When it came to something serious, it was usually Mako or Asami who took charge when Korra wasn’t around, but neither of them were here tonight and nobody was going to ask the Avatar to brave a typhoon just for a police briefing. So the task fell to Bolin, whose shoulders sagged under the weight of responsibility. After all, he was… well, he was Bolin. He wasn’t unaware of just how unaware he could actually be. He was the last person you’d want handling a delicate situation or representing somebody as important as the Avatar. He was the last person he wanted in that sort of a position. But here he was.

While most of the other officers tended to the tasks Lin had given them, the chief called Bolin to her office to discuss Ryuuki – the Chi Eater. In total, there were only six people in the room, including himself and Lin. It was a smaller group than he’d have expected, but Bolin had been around long enough to recognize the four officers privileged enough to be hearing what he had to say. They were the best of the best that the RCPD had to offer, the elite metalbending captains Lin herself had trained.

First there was Li Jing, the ‘rookie’, at least so far as these four were considered. She was the newest of the captains as well as the youngest, but she was a talented bender – one of the quickest studies Lin had ever had. She took to metalbending like a duck to water, managing things Bolin had only seen accomplished in Zaofu. In other words, there was an artfulness to her bending that the other three captains lacked, a fluidity of motion. Lin’s style of metalbending was very forceful and utilitarian, but Li Jing moved metal like water. Her baby-faced visage belied an immeasurable potential for growth.

Then, there was Wang Xiu, the ‘old man’. Though he was the oldest of the captains, he was also the most powerful. There were very few benders who could match him in a contest of power – if they were trying to bend the same piece of rock or sheet of metal, it would always bend to Wang Xiu first. He was a seasoned detective and a legend among the RCPD, generally considered the head of the four captains, assuming any one of them could be said to be more ‘in charge’ than the other. People often conceded to his wisdom and his gut, but he was far from the hard-ass one might expect of a veteran of the force – he was actually a very personable man.

Third was Jiang. What he lacked in technical skill he made up for in sheer scale. Nobody could command as much earth or metal simultaneously as Jiang could, not even his esteemed Chief of Police or her sister. He had never found himself in a position so outnumbered that it overwhelmed his ability to keep up – he could easily restrain multiple hostiles at once, with his record being fifty simultaneous arrests, the feat that made him a legend and got him promoted to captain. He wasn’t one to bask in his accomplishments, however. In fact, he was a man of relatively few words. He was the sort who believed one’s actions spoke the loudest.

And then finally, there was Hui. In terms of temperament, he was most similar to Bolin’s brother, and this made him the least intimidating for him to be around. He was just as accomplished as the other three, but was more of a jack of all trades like Lin was, as opposed to a specialist in any one area. This made him the most versatile of the captains, able to adapt to any situation. He was determined and dedicated and he loved his city above all else.

As Bolin surveyed the four captains, he could feel himself beginning to clam up. He never was the most composed person when it came to meeting anybody of great renown, let alone so many of them at once. He’d interacted with Hui once, but the other three? He hardly felt qualified to be in their presence.

“Bolin, are you listening to me?”

Bolin shook his head, snapping back to attention at the sound of Lin’s voice. He’d been so caught up in his own head, he missed everything she had just said. Bolin could see Jiang shaking his head as the Chief sighed, repeating herself.

“I said, tell us what you know about Ryuuki. Anything you can remember from your fight – no detail is too small. If we’re going to stand a chance against him, then we need to know what we’re up against.”

“Uh… right! Right,” Bolin panicked, “uh… well. He’s a firebender. But, like… a firebender, you know?”

The looks on Lin and the captains’ faces indicated that they did not, in fact, know. Bolin frowned.

“What I mean to say is… I’ve never seen anyone like him before. Mako and Korra are amazing firebenders, don’t get me wrong, but, there was no contest between them. Neither of them could overpower his bending, and he swatted away their flames like they were nothing. We went in with a team of thirteen, and he took us all down in a couple of minutes with firebending alone. And now Mako tells me he can bend the other elements too, and I’m just…” Panicking. If he were being honest, Bolin was panicking.

“You didn’t see him bend any other elements?” Li Jing asked. Bolin shook his head no.

“He knocked me out about half way through the fight. I have no idea how he did it. All he had to do was put his hand on my chest, say ‘Sleep’, and I was out like a light. All I can remember was this insane pressure where he’d touched me, and I think I must’ve been thrown back because I was clear across the room when I woke up later on.”

The captains shared a look.

“Is there anything specific about how he fights you can remember? Anything that stands out, aside from his skill?” Lin pressed.

Bolin thought for a moment. “Hmm… lightning. A lot of lightning. I’ve never seen anybody create as much lightning as quickly as Ryuuki. Like, Mako can do it with minimal movements, but I’m not even talking about that, it’s just like… in the same way an ordinary firebender can just pop off blast after blast of fire without hesitation, he can fire off bolts of lightning. And if he takes his time and puts his whole body into it, it’s incredibly powerful, too.”

“What about weaknesses?”

“Korra managed to knock him down a few times. She also managed to get a sucker punch on him once. So I guess his root leaves something to be desired, and sudden, unexpected movements are more likely to score a hit than any planned attack, but…”

“But?” Wang Xiu asked.

“But… I honestly don’t know how much any of that’s going to help. Even without his bending, I’ve never seen somebody as strong as Ryuuki. Like, physically, strong. He threw around six metalbenders who were trying to restrain him like they were nothing. He’s also incredibly fast, way faster than an ordinary person – it’s how he kept up with so many people trying to fight him at once. Korra says the only time she ever had him overwhelmed was when she and Asami were attacking in unison – if you aren’t perfect, it’s not going to be enough. Korra also says he can heal from almost any wound in seconds. You can’t think of him as another human, because he’s not. He’s as dangerous and difficult to pin down as an angry spirit.”

“It isn’t our job to kill him. All we need to do is to be able to support the Avatar when she fights him, or apprehend him if we see him on the street.” Lin informed, raising the mood of the room after Bolin’s ‘but’ dragged it down. “From what I saw when I breached the building, he has a lot of power as an earthbender, but he doesn’t know how to metalbend yet. That gives the four of you,” Lin said, looking in the captains’ direction, “an advantage. And I doubt he can lavabend either, so the six of us might be best suited to taking him down. From there, it’s up to the Avatar how it all ends.”

“She doesn’t think he’s ever going to stop, and he’s too dangerous to try and imprison. She thinks she’s going to have to kill him.” Bolin informed.

Li Jing rolled her eyes. “Right, sure would’ve been nice if she thought that way about Kuvira.”

“Hey, that’s different! Korra-”

No.” One word from Lin, and Bolin and Li Jing immediately came to a stop, snapping back to attention. “I will not be having that debate in this precinct. What’s done is done. If we’re going to take on the Chi Eater and survive, we need to be on the same page.”

“Yes ma’am, sorry ma’am,” Li Jing apologized.

“That said. If the Avatar’s just going to kill him anyway, and he can heal as fast as you say he can, then I’m going to authorize lethal force against him. In fact, I’m going to recommend it. I get the feeling that a fight with the Chi Eater is not something you’re going to survive unless you’re prepared to kill, just like he is.”

“If he touches you, it’s over,” Bolin reminded, “whether he just knocks you out like he did with me or he steals your chi, if he lays a hand on you, he wins. Korra says she thinks he has to have a firm grasp of somebody in order to steal their chi, but we don’t know for sure right now.”

“Thankfully, fighting at a distance is my specialty,” Li Jing proclaimed, an air of confidence about her that her fellow captains seemed to lack. The more Bolin had to say about Ryuuki, the more the rest of them wanted to just leave this one to the Avatar. But as Li Jing already knew, it wasn’t like Lin was going to give them much of a choice either way. If the fight was inevitable, she may as well exude an air of confidence. “He may be strong, but he can’t beat all four of us.”

“Were you even paying attention? Thirteen on one. Thirteen! And he won! With just his firebending!” Hui stressed.

“You said he’s a powerful earthbender?” Jiang asked, his voice deep and raspy.

“He had to be to do what he did to that penthouse,” Lin confirmed, “he could’ve brought the entire complex down if he wanted to. He might even give Wang Xiu a run for his money.”

“If he’s that strong outside of his native element, it’s probably safe to assume he’s a master with the remaining two as well,” Wang Xiu theorized, “meaning you’re basically asking us to apprehend the Avatar.”

“Essentially… yes.” Lin confirmed. The four captains shared another look.

“Sounds exciting.” Li Jing grinned, immediately earning an annoyed elbowing from Hui. “So when do we start?”

Before Lin could give her an answer, the power to the building unceremoniously cut out, leaving the six earthbenders alone in the dark. The only light now came in through the chief’s window, the dim orange glow of streetlights illuminating the room. “…That’s strange. Why didn’t the streetlights go out?” Lin asked, furrowing her brow.

“Maybe the precinct got struck by lightning?” Bolin asked. But Lin wasn’t buying it. For a moment, she just stared out the window, but when it hit her what was going on, it was already too late. She whipped around to warn her officers just as the explosion went off, the entirety of the precinct violently shaking. Even from up here, she could hear the screams of her officers downstairs.

“We’re under attack!” Lin announced. Without another word, the four captains mobilized, rushing out the door followed immediately by Lin, with Bolin just left there standing in shock. They were what now? By the time it registered what was going on, his superiors had all gone, and Bolin haplessly chased after them.

He couldn’t have been more than thirty seconds behind them, but as Bolin knew, that was a long time in a battle. When he finally made it downstairs, he found Lin, the four captains, and just about the entire police force contending with a cacophony of triads. Where the eastern wall had once been, there now stood a large, smoldering hole, and just outside of it, a tunnel into the ground which was quickly filling up with rainwater from the typhoon. They must’ve been crazy to be attacking now, and to have hidden underground to do it – the risk of flooding was no joke – but here they were, dozens of them, laying siege to the RCPD’s first precinct.

The howling winds carried on them the screams of officer and triad alike, and the sheets of rainwater blown into the precinct were funneled into attacks by waterbenders of both sides. There was no other word for what Bolin had come down to – the precinct was a war zone, and his fellow officers were gravely outnumbered. An errant blast of fire sailed just over Bolin’s head, and not even a second later, he found himself being bum-rushed by six triads who were primed to knock him down the next flight of stairs. On reflex, he turned the floor in front of him into a lava zone, spreading it around him in a half-circle that cordoned him off from the chaos, the thugs just barely managing to stop in time before losing their feet.

“Bolin, don’t let them downstairs!” Lin shouted over the screams and the storm.

“Aye aye, captain!” Bolin confirmed, fortifying his position with an even wider moat of lava. He couldn’t say he understood why, but orders were orders. He stood stalwart and proud in the middle of the doorway, bending a chunk of earth out of a nearby wall which he spun up into a shuriken of lava behind him. In pulling back his right arm, he was prepared to send it spinning the way of the next triad goon who thought they were quick enough to try and rush past him. “Bring it on, dirt bags!” Bolin grinned. He’d always wanted to say that.

“Oh, if you insist.” Before Bolin could even register that he was there, a bolt of lightning punctuated his grand appearance – the Chi Eater had entered the fray, and he had left Bolin with no time to react. Thankfully, Li Jing was quick, and she saw the lone, sharp-dressed man walking leisurely through the madness before Bolin did, and she threw up a rock wall to defend him which just as quickly exploded in his face. Still, better that than a chest full of lightning.

“Look alive, rookie!” she chided.

As his eyes settled onto Ryuuki’s, Bolin shuddered. He was an island of calm in a sea of madness, strolling through the battlefield of the first precinct as if he were unaware of the chaos around him. No triad dared get too close to him, and no cop was given the opportunity to engage him, so he walked unimpeded through the bloodshed in a slow, straight line for Bolin.

“No Mako today? Pity. I guess you’ll be dying alone, then,” he coldly remarked, electricity trailing his fingertips as he raised his arms to send another bolt of lightning Bolin’s way. This time, however, Bolin was ready for him, and bent a rock wall of his own which he promptly shot off in Ryuuki’s direction. The slab of stone exploded in mid air, taking the blow for him, but Ryuuki walked through its dust unperturbed.

“You must be the Chi Eater! Nice. To. Meet. You!” Li Jing introduced, having subdued the three triads she’d been engaging and bending four chunks of earth Ryuuki’s way. But the Chi Eater was unimpressed, catching the boulders to carelessly toss them aside as he continued his slow march forward unimpeded. It was only when metal cables from Bolin’s left wrapped tight around his arms that he finally stopped his approach. While Li Jing took up a place to the right of Bolin’s moat, Wang Xiu had formed up on the left.

“Yes! Backup!” Bolin briefly celebrated.

Ryuuki sighed. “More fodder. You’re in my way,” he said, kicking up a pebble he bent forward like a bullet with a twitch of his chin. He was aiming to hit Wang Xiu square between the eyes and kill him then and there, but the old man was strong – stronger than Ryuuki had anticipated. Instead of just barreling through his skull, the pebble caught in mid-air just before impact. It took him a second to realize that somebody had actually stolen control away from him, Wang Xiu having captured the projectile and sent it hurdling back at Ryuuki with twice the force.

“Oh?” Ryuuki quirked an eyebrow, leaning to his head to the left to avoid the counterattack. The pebble whizzed by his ear and past officer and triad alike, embedding itself in the far wall. “How rare, you actually contested my bending. It’s not going to happen again.”

“Wanna bet?” Wang Xiu smiled.

“No.” He was as quick as Bolin had warned – without so much as a pause for breath, Ryuuki was bending lightning, sending not one, but two blasts at Li Jing and Wang Xiu simultaneously, one after the other. When they bent earthen walls to defend themselves, he shook free of Wang Xiu’s cables and resumed his slow approach.

By this point, Lin finally caught wise to what was going on. She’d noticed two of her captains disengage from the enemy to form up around Bolin’s position, and when she subdued the six men who had been assailing her and turned her head to see why, she got herself the most unwelcome of answers. “Why’s the Chi Eater here?!” she asked, wasting no time and segueing right into an attack, propelling herself toward Ryuuki with metal cables lodged into the concrete ceiling. She was intending to knock him down with a dynamic flying kick, but when he saw her coming from the corner of his eye, Ryuuki paused his walk once again to respond, catching her foot with his left hand to throw her unceremoniously to the ground.

“Ah, Chief Beifong, question! Do you consider yourself a friend of the Avatar? You see, I have a promise to fulfill, and-” Ryuuki wouldn’t be allowed to continue talking. Lin was already back on her feet and going for the throat with a metal blade she bent from her wrist guard. She was exactly like her sister. At the same time, Bolin finally took the opportunity to attack, bending a glob of lava in his direction, reinforced by sizable rocks from Li Jing and Wang Xiu. But Ryuuki didn’t have to lift a finger – without so much as a word of direction, three nearby triads sprang to his defense. Ryuuki just stood there as a mighty earthen wall protected him from the lava’s heat, and two smaller ones from the boulders, while a waterbender tackled Lin from the side, ice formed around his fists which he used as bludgeoning weapons against her armored torso.

“Chief!” Hui cried out, catching glimpse of Lin being tackled as he fended off five triads of his own.

Ryuuki laughed at the sight. “That’s right, I have lackeys now! What am I doing, walking into the midst of battle like this? I’m sorry everybody, I got a little excited there,” he apologized, turning tail from Bolin and leaping back nearly a dozen feet with an airbending assist. “Triple Threats, assemble, please!” he requested, the sickening snap of the neck of the officer he unfortunately landed next to his proverbial snap of his fingers, nearby triads forming up all around him from all directions. Whatever fights they were embroiled in with the officers and captains were unimportant, the RCPD’s attacks left hitting air as they all retreated to protect their new king.

Pushing the body of the now dead triad member who’d been assaulting her off to the side, Lin similarly called her officers to her, and a momentary peace fell over the room as both sides formed around their respective leaders. On Ryuuki’s side there had to be over fifty triads, while Lin only had half as many officers, her four captains, and Bolin to rely on.

“Mine’s bigger.” Ryuuki taunted.

“What do you want, Ayatsurishi? And why are all these triad goons following your lead?” Lin asked.

“First of all, that’s not my name. Second of all, they’re following me because I’m the new head of the Triple Threats, duh. I thought you were a detective.” Ryuuki rolled his eyes.

“What? Since when?”

“Since last night, actually. Right after you so rudely evicted me from my lovely penthouse suite, I took up residence at Viper’s place. He wasn’t very happy about it, but he stopped complaining pretty quickly after I killed him, as dead people so often do.”

“Viper’s dead?” Bolin asked. He only kind of knew the guy from his own time with the Triple Threats, but he didn’t expect him to be taken out so easily.

“Uh, yeah. I just said that, kid. You’re the dumb one, right?”

“Hey!” Bolin contested, only to be quieted down by a raise of Lin’s hand.

“What are you doing here?” she asked again.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m liberating my men. You have a dozen or so of my best enforcers downstairs in lockup, no? Now that just won’t do. What good is an army without some talented captains to help lead it?”

“Army? What are you talking about?” Lin pressed. Ryuuki sighed and shook his head.

“Honestly, are you a detective or not? Why don’t you mull it over while my friends here do my dirty work for me,” he suggested, stealing a chair from one desk and swiping a cup of tea from another, sitting down to have a sip while his new soldiers readied themselves for round two. “Go have some fun, kids. Break some heads. I’ll be here to back you up if you need me,” he said, sending them off with a wave of his hand.

“Jiang!” Lin cried out as the mob descended upon them.

“On it, ma’am!” Raising both his arms, Jiang sprung into action, chunks of earth erupting from the floor to bind the hands and feet of Ryuuki’s entire battalion all at once, the army of triads practically tripping over themselves and falling helplessly to the ground. Ryuuki quirked an eyebrow at the sight.

“…Really, guys? Already? I haven’t even taken a sip yet,” he remarked. The earthbenders among them were struggling to break free, but Jiang’s hold over the earth overpowered their own. As no-name officers charged forward in waves to further restrain his men, Ryuuki sighed, putting down his cup of tea to do some bending of his own. “Honestly, if you can’t even handle this, I don’t know what I’m paying you all for,” he complained, a rise of his arms and a flick of his wrist all that was needed to break Jiang’s hold and send the earth he’d bound the triads with firing off in all directions. The entire first wave of officers fell like flies in response, jagged stones piercing vital organs and killing them almost instantly.

“What?!” Jiang couldn’t believe it – he’d never seen anybody else bend as much earth as him before. And it wasn’t just that – Ryuuki’s strength was incredible. Resistance wasn’t even an option.

“Neat party trick, but I’ve got the power of a hundred earthbenders. Honestly, I could kill every last one of you myself, but I went through all this trouble to bring my cronies along, I figure I might as well let them have their fun, you know?” Ryuuki mused, folding a leg and reaching back for his cup of tea. “Don’t try and ruin my fun like that again, you’ll make me mad. Kill each other properly, this time,” he chided.

As if things weren’t bad enough already, Ryuuki’s army was back on their feet and Lin was down six officers. She cursed beneath her breath, trying to think of a play that would keep as many of her men alive as possible. If this place weren’t so crowded with her people, she’d tell Bolin to just bring it all down with one big surge of lava, but that was out of the question. Subduing them all with Jiang’s earthbending again was obviously not going to work, either. The only option was an all out brawl, and with this many thugs, she knew she was going to suffer some heavy losses in the exchange. But the Triple Threats were charging now, and so too were her men. The only way out was through.

“Captains! Clear me a path to the Chi Eater!” Lin commanded. Ryuuki smiled wide.

“Yes ma’am!” They replied in unison, her officers making way for the four captains to take to the front line. They were instants away from making first contact with the enemy, stepping into mighty horse stances and pulling back their arms to attack, but before they could so much as bend a boulder in the mob’s direction, a massive wall of granite cleaved the room in two. At the same time, the southern wall was blown apart, a new earthbender having announced their presence in an explosion of concrete and rebar. Howling winds blew through the precinct from two directions at once now, and a lone silhouette stood where the southern wall used to be.

“Ugh, now what?” Ryuuki complained, rolling his eyes and standing up from his seat. But when he caught glimpse of his answer standing where the front door had been, he shattered his pilfered teacup in his hand, clenching it tight into a bloody fist of broken glass. “Shit.”

There, with her arms raised high above her, stood Toph Beifong, former Chief of Police and legendary hero of the hundred year war. As soon as he recognized who she was, any semblance of fun he was having quickly left from the Chi Eater’s eyes. This was one of only a very few things he would consider a problem.

“Unless you want this precinct to be your coffin, I suggest you triads run away, now!” Toph announced.

“…Mom?” Lin asked. Toph only flashed her a brief smirk before turning her attention back to the triads piled up behind her wall.

“Well?” she pressed. But while it was plain as the nose on their faces that they were scared of her, they were more scared of Ryuuki. He didn’t have to say a word, but on the off-chance he still had some weak links among his ranks, he made the situation clear for them anyway.

“Anyone who leaves here without my say-so dies by my hand.”

“Toph…? Toph! Toph’s here! Oh thank spirits, we’re saved!” Bolin cried. He immediately relaxed upon seeing one of his heroes in the flesh. And if that hero wasn’t Toph Beifong, Ryuuki might have scolded him for as much.

“Last chance to run, ass clowns,” Toph warned. And just to make sure they all knew she was serious, with a twitch of her fingers, she began bending small pieces of debris from the solid ceiling above. A few triads responded to her threat, initially making a move to run away, but a glare from Ryuuki locked them back in place. Toph sighed. “Fine, have it your way.” Bringing down her arms, a large chunk of the ceiling broke apart from the rest, divided by the granite wall she’d erected at the start. While the officers would be safe, the triads would not, half of the second floor of the first precinct coming down on top of them.

Or at least, that was the plan. Much to Toph’s surprise, Ryuuki was countering her bending, keeping her in check and the collapsing ceiling suspended in mid-air. “Well? Don’t just stand there, bend through that wall and get to killing! I’ll hold off the old crone,” he assured.

Their orders received, the triads complied, the earthbenders among them bending a tunnel through Toph’s wall she was unable to counter. All of her focus was on wrestling with Ryuuki and bringing down the house. She scowled as she heard fighting begin to break out again on the other side of her wall. This guy was quickly getting on her nerves.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Beifong. My name is-”

“Can it, bitch boy. I know exactly who you are, I could feel your wretched aura from a mile away. I’m not impressed!” Toph proclaimed, putting some more back into her bending and inching the ceiling down ever further despite Ryuuki’s protestations.

“Oho, but I am! You’re just as strong as they say, you know! And you can even sense my energy when I’m hiding it… that’s a first! How exciting. I’ve always wanted to eat the chi of the great Toph Beifong,” Ryuuki grinned, pushing the ceiling back up another couple inches. But even to a blind woman, it was clear he was struggling. He may have had the power of a hundred earthbenders, but according to legend, so did she. But even for her, contesting the Chi Eater was a struggle. He was exactly as big of a pain in her ass as she was afraid he would be.

“Tch, this is exactly why I didn’t want to get involved in your nonsense! You’re a stubborn old son of a bitch!” Toph complained, “Lin! Why aren’t you and your rookies helping me? I’m not exactly in my prime anymore, you know!”

Lin’s eyes went wide. She’d never once heard her mom ask for help before, but she wasn’t about to turn her down now. “Bolin, start melting down that wall! Hui, Jiang, Li Jing, Wang Xiu, help me bring this building down! Let’s bury the Chi Eater alive!”

“Yes ma’am!” the five of them shouted out in unison.

To halt the advance of any more Triads, Bolin solidified his moat, ran forward, and then bent the face of Toph’s wall into a sheet of lava. As it dripped down over the tunnel, a few triads were badly burned and forced to retreat, while those who had already gotten through were threatened by a wave of officers to be pushed back into the molten earth. This had the effect of turning what was intended to be a brawl into a precarious defensive dance on the side of the triads, who were trying their damnedest to not get cooked alive. It was a much needed boon for the outnumbered officers.

Meanwhile, the four captains joined Lin and her mother in bending the other half of the precinct down on top of Ryuuki. With the full force of six powerful earthbenders bearing down on him, one of them a living legend, even he was starting to sweat. If Bolin had a clear view of him, it would’ve been the first time he’d ever seen him struggle. But the Chi Eater held his own, pushing back with inhuman power to keep the building standing. It had become much like a star, where the inward and outward pressures were precariously balanced to keep the structure stable. But also like a star, the inward pull of gravity was as unrelenting as it was inevitable.

The fact was, Ryuuki couldn’t keep this up without expending more energy than he’d have liked, and he knew that. He also knew he’d survive the collapse regardless. So rather than continue to expend wasted energy on resisting their assault, Ryuuki sighed, relying on his immortality to protect him from an ordinary man’s demise. He lowered his arms, and with them, the western half of the first precinct buried him alive – but only him. Though he’d relinquished his hold over the area immediately above himself, he sent a burst of power through the area around his men, ensuring their survival while he broke his body. But even when he was buried and broken, that portion of the precinct remained unbendable, even to the two Beifongs and the captains. He would not be letting it collapse.

“We did it!” Li Jing celebrated, but Toph immediately shushed her quiet.

“Something like that’s not going to kill him. All we did was buy ourselves a little time. Lin, get your officers out of here.”

“But the storm! And the prisoners!”

“There’s a time to fight and there’s a time to cut and run, and I’m telling you right now, it’s time to run! Unless you want to be this freak show’s next meal, head for the tunnel he came in from. I’ll keep it stable while you all get somewhere safe.”

“I’m not letting him free those triads, I’m staying here!” Lin stubbornly insisted. Predictably, her four captains followed her lead.

Toph scoffed at the display of loyalty. “Fine, suit yourself! I don’t know why I even bothered to haul my bony old ass all the way over here, clearly my daughters would rather die!” she complained.

“Ah, children – always so rebellious. This is why I never bothered to have any kids.” Though his clothes were bloody and a couple limbs hung broken, Ryuuki emerged from the pile of rubble in the most unnatural of ways, bending it away from his body as he rose straight up. With his good arm, he audibly snapped his broken one back into place, followed shortly thereafter by his broken leg. An eerie blue aura surrounded his body, any visible cuts or bruises having long since faded away, and his shattered bones fused themselves back together underneath his skin.

“Great, I hope you’re happy now, you wasted your chance to escape,” Toph scolded.

“Ah, but in a manner of speaking, I’ve already accomplished what I set out to do. Your little police headquarters is no more. Perhaps you’re not all as dead as I’d have liked you to be, but beggars can’t be choosers,” Ryuuki reasoned, popping his jaw back into place. But this acquiescence caught one of his lackeys by surprise.

“Boss? What about-”

“I don’t know about you, but with Toph Beifong here, I think this little breakout has become more trouble than it’s worth. We can free your comrades any time. The wisest move for now would be to retreat.”

“But boss-” Ryuuki glared in the goon’s direction, and he immediately shut his trap. As he had made it clear when he took over, there was no arguing with the Chi Eater. “…Yes sir. Everybody! Retreat!”

With the order given, the dozens of triads who had stormed the precinct made a break for Ryuuki, knowing full well he was their only way out of here. Bolin was ready to bend more lava and keep them from making their escape, but a raise of Lin’s hand put a stop to his movements.

“Let them go,” she allowed.

“Chief?” Hui asked to confirm. But Lin wasn’t looking to lose any more lives than were necessary. Her decision was final. She knew if she tried to hinder their escape, that might just draw Ryuuki back into the battle. It was clear he didn’t want to tangle with her mom unless he had to, so she wasn’t about to give him a reason. While she’d never known her mother to lose a fight, how thoroughly he’d resisted their combined bending stuck out clearly in her mind. He could’ve kept the precinct standing as long as he wanted – they only buried him because he let them bury him. She was beginning to understand why the Avatar was having trouble with this one.

“How magnanimous. Chief Beifong, Chief Beifong,” Ryuuki bowed, first to Lin, then to Toph, “see you soon.” Raising his arms above his head, when he brought them down, he created a massive sinkhole where he and the pile of rubble had been, swallowing him, the debris, and all of the triads all at once. He then closed the hole behind him and tunneled away to safety. With his disappearance, his hold on the rest of the western half of the precinct faded, and it collapsed to the ground shortly thereafter.

The siege was officially over, and Lin’s new police headquarters was no more. The officers huddled close to one another as howling wind and stinging rain from the storm came at them from almost every direction, much of the room now exposed to the elements. As she surveyed the scene before her, Lin could only sigh. This had been a disaster.

Once she was sure he was some distance away and not coming back, Toph relaxed, letting out an exhausted sigh as she settled back into a more comfortable, hunched position, her back cracking loudly. “Now can we leave?” she asked, folding arms behind her back.

“Mm…” Lin hummed, nodding only slightly in reply. It was good enough for Toph. Walking through the ruined precinct, she calmly passed by her daughter and her captains, and completely ignored Bolin, much to his dismay. Once she made it to the initial hole in the eastern wall the triads had busted in from, she stomped the ground and used her seismic sense to get a read on the structural integrity of their tunnel.

“It’s stable, but it’s filling up with rainwater quick. Are any of you officers waterbenders?” Toph asked.

“Um, two of us, ma’am,” a woman meekly replied.

“Then that’ll have to be enough. I’ll worry about the tunnel, you worry about the rain. I’m sure we can find an empty warehouse we can shelter in until this typhoon passes.” Without waiting for a reply, Toph casually walked forward, exiting the precinct and jumping down the hole. She simply expected everybody else to follow her lead. And as it happened, she was right to. Before long, everybody in the precinct was following the legendary hero away to safety.

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

 

Having finally found a space big enough for the thirty or so of them that there were, the officers and captains of the RCPD emerged from underground with Toph at the lead. She stood there in the middle of the warehouse with her back turned to Republic City’s finest, well aware of everybody’s position relative to the tunnel as they climbed out of it and into safety. The last to make it out were the waterbending officers she’d relegated to the back of the line to deal with the flooding issue. Once everybody was back above ground, she turned around, stomped on the floor, and moved her arms to bend not only the tunnel’s end closed, but the entirety of its length, as well, from here to the precinct.

“Show-off…” Li Jing mumbled.

“I heard that!” Toph snapped back.

“Eep! Sorry!” Li Jing quickly apologized, jumping slightly at the revelation.

“Not that I’m not thankful, but what the flameo are you doing here, Chief?” Lin asked.

“Well, at least you said you’re thankful. That’s more than I’d have expected from you two months ago,” Toph deflected, turning away from the tunnel to face a nearby stack of crates instead.

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Lin pressed further.

Toph sighed. “Isn’t it obvious? I’ve been keeping tabs on you and your sister for years, I know all about what you two have been up to from my home in the swamp. You think I wouldn’t know when my daughters got the dumb idea to mess with the Chi Eater? The spirits told me he was coming to Republic City long before you ever found out about him. I just hoped you wouldn’t get yourselves involved, but of course, you two just can’t help yourselves. You’re always getting into these impossible situations. I’m getting tired of having to rescue you all the time,” she complained.

“I’m sorry? You rescued us?”

“What else would you call it? Your whole precinct was going to be slaughtered if I didn’t do something. I know you and your officers can handle some boneheaded triad thugs, but the Chi Eater is another story. As soon as I knew that he was in there, I knew I had to intervene.”

“Well I for one am very happy to have been rescued, so thank you, Toph! By the way, it’s me again, Bolin! Hi!” Bolin waved.

Toph rolled her eyes. “Ugh, you again. You talk too much! And besides, you’re a lavabender, aren’t you? Why didn’t you bury them all before I did? Honestly, grow a pair!” she chided.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware I was just supposed to kill all willy-nilly now,” Bolin defended.

“You’re a cop, aren’t you? Sometimes you have to take a life. If you aren’t prepared to defend yourself or those around you by any means necessary, then you’ve taken up the wrong career.”

“I’m fully capable of disciplining my officers myself, you know. Besides, Bolin was right to hold back, he could’ve brought the whole building down on top of us.” Lin countered.

Toph lazily flopped a hand in dismissal. “Whatever, I’m not going to argue with you. It’s your police force now, you run it however you want. At least your captains aren’t terrible.”

Li Jing smiled at the affirmation, excitedly elbowing Hui to make sure he heard. That was about as close to a compliment as she was ever going to get from Toph Beifong. Hui just shook his head.

“So… what now?” Bolin asked.

“Now we wait out this storm. After that, I’m taking Su and Lin and getting as far away from Republic City as possible,” Toph revealed.

“Excuse me? I am the Chief of Police! I’m not going anywhere!” Lin protested. But Toph was having none of it, turning around to face her daughter directly this time.

“I’m not usually one to play this card, but I am your mother, and I am not letting you get your chi eaten by that foppish dunderfuck. Maybe if this were thirty years ago, I’d have stood my ground and fought alongside you, but I don’t have it in me to wrestle with an immortal anymore, and you and Su are simply not good enough benders to tangle with him. Quite frankly, I don’t think this Avatar is good enough to take him on, either. Spirits knows Aang wouldn’t have been able to,” Toph dismissed, “my point being, facing the Chi Eater is as good as suicide. So long as I have breath in me, I am not going to let my daughters march themselves to their deaths. I don’t care if I have to drag you out of Republic City kicking and screaming, we’re leaving and that’s final.”

“No! I’m not some kid you can boss around anymore, I’m an adult woman with responsibilities to my city! If that means fighting a losing battle with the Chi Eater, then so be it, but I’ll go down swinging, happy to know I’d have defended my city to the best of my ability.”

“Oh please, this isn’t your job. Busting triads, fine, whatever, but this is Avatar stuff. There’s no reason for you to get involved.”

“Um, actually, Toph, Ryuuki is the leader of the Triple Threat Triad now, so technically-”

“Can it, lava boy.”

“Yes ma’am…”

“No, Bolin is right. Ryuuki mentioned something about an army. I think he may be planning an all-out war on Republic City with the Triple Threats as his foot soldiers.”

“All the more reason for us to haul ass out of here!” Toph proclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “Honestly, you’re so stubborn. If you wanna get yourself killed, fine, I can’t say I didn’t warn you, but if you’re not coming with me, I’ll just take Su and leave without you. Is that what you want?”

“Su has been helping me staff the RCPD with metalbenders from Zaofu since Kuvira’s attack. She was even involved in a failed raid with the Avatar on Ryuuki’s penthouse last night, she’s as much a part of this as I am. I don’t think you’re going to have any luck convincing her to turn tail and run away, either.”

“Then I sure did raise a couple of dumbasses, let me tell you.” Toph shook her head. “Whatever. Once this storm clears up I’ll just go try my luck with Suyin and get out of this stinkhole. She always was the more reasonable one between the two of you.”

“The more reasonable…? Have you gone senile?” Lin accused. Toph just made a face in her daughter’s direction. “What’s that supposed to mean!”

“You’re a detective, figure it out!” she huffed.

“Uh… are the Chief and her mom always like this…?” Hui asked Bolin from the safety of the sidelines, sure Toph was too busy arguing with her daughter to eavesdrop on his conversation.

“Oh, no, they were much worse last time they were together. This is just how they are,” Bolin replied, though Hui didn’t look terribly reassured by the assessment.

“Ten yuans says Chief 2.0 convinces her to stay,” Li Jing wagered, leaning in to whisper her bet into Hui’s right ear.

“Oh, you are so on,” he readily accepted.

“Spirits, you’re impossible. I’m too old for this crap,” Toph complained some more, having reached her wit’s end with her eldest daughter. She rubbed the bridge of her nose in frustration.

“You wanna help Suyin and me? Fine, then stay. Help us fight the Chi Eater. Otherwise, you wasted your time coming all the way out here, because we’re not going anywhere.”

All eyes were on Toph now, and even though she was blind, she could still feel when everybody was staring at her. It was not a very comfortable feeling. “I told you, I’m too old to fight him,”

“He doesn’t seem to think so. As soon as you entered, he turned tail and ran away. This guy laughs at the Avatar, but you actually threatened him. I’m not saying you have to do any heavy lifting, but with you on our side, we might actually stand a chance against him,” Lin reasoned.

“Sorry, but unlike you, I don’t have a death wish. I rather like my life, thank you very much,” Toph retorted.

“Ugh, and you say I’m impossible. Ever wonder who I got that from? Sure wasn’t my dad, I’ll tell you that much.” This time it was Lin who was rubbing the bridge of her nose in frustration. It seemed to be a hereditary trait.

“Oh, here we go with your dad again, boo-hoo!” Toph dismissed. “You know what? Maybe you did inherit my stubbornness, but at least I didn’t have a terminal case of stupid to go along with it! If you want to die fighting the Chi Eater, that’s your business. I’m done.”

Lin sighed. Why was it every time she had a conversation with her mother, it felt like pulling teeth? “Whatever, fine. Run away if that’s what you’re going to do. You can go ask Suyin when this storm’s over if she’s coming with you, but I’m sure she’s going to tell you the same thing I did. Odds are, you’ll be going back alone.”

“Fine, maybe I will then.”

“Fine.”

“Fine!”

“Soooo… uh… anybody want to tell some interesting life stories to pass the time during this storm…?” Bolin asked.

“Can it, Bolin!” Lin and Toph both snapped back in unison.

“Yes ma’ams...”

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

 

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, much like the RCPD before her, Asami Sato was hard at work. Up in her office high atop Future Industries tower, while her fiancee rode out the storm on Air Temple Island, she used it as an excuse to stay behind and work on her company’s latest projects. Since diversifying into city planning as well as technology some two or three years ago, she found herself going over blueprints for new roadways or train stations almost as often as she did some new piece of technology she’d invented. Especially now, after Kuvira’s attack. She may have told the President she wasn’t interested in helping him expand the city, but that didn’t mean she didn’t still have plenty of work to do in aiding reconstruction efforts.

Unfortunately, even with as hard as her people were working and as quickly as they were trying to get all these buildings back up to code, reconstruction was still a slow-going process, and not one without its hurdles. From an uncooperative President to arson attacks by triads who’d rather keep the people terrified, she’d run into wall after wall in trying to get Republic City back on its feet. One would think that with the Avatar as her girlfriend, she need only say the word, and such troublesome forces would bend to her will, but Korra’s reputation was as mixed as she was busy. Though she wanted to tell her about the Agni Kais’ attacks on her buildings right away, she knew that now was not a good time, what with the Chi Eater on the loose. The last thing Asami wanted was Korra worrying about her even more than she already was.

Even just convincing her to let her work through the storm almost turned into a fight. While Asami understood she was scared, she honestly wished Korra trusted her more than she did. This was the girl she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, yes, but if this was what she had to look forward to for the next sixty years, then maybe delaying their engagement wouldn’t be such a bad idea. It wasn’t a thought that she considered very lightly, she still wanted to talk to Korra about her concerns and see if they could work something out with regard to them first, but she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t entertained it as of late. Maybe getting engaged so quickly was a bad idea. Maybe they needed a little more time to adapt to one another, to understand one another. They always seemed to be on the same wavelength in the Spirit World, but now, here… she was beginning to get tired of repeating herself every time some new crisis presented itself.

Asami sighed, placing her hands to the side of her head and rubbing her temples. What was she doing, thinking about all this right now? She was supposed to be working. Downtown wasn’t going to rebuild itself. She had blueprints to approve and city contracts to finalize. Returning her attention to the task at hand, Asami glanced over the schematics for an update to the city’s water filtration plant when a knock at the door interrupted her yet again. She hadn’t expected anybody else to still be here so late, especially in this weather, but it seemed the universe was intent on not letting her do the work she wanted to do tonight.

“Come in,” Asami called, sitting up in her chair so she was facing her company. To her surprise, when the door opened, she found Ravi, her giant of a friend, standing right in front of her. “Ravi? I thought you left here hours ago. Is something wrong?”

Ravi was silent. For a moment, he just stood there in the doorway, staring at her, but he finally spoke up before the silence became completely uncomfortable. “There’s just something I have to go over with you, it can’t wait until tomorrow.”

“Well, come on in then. What do we need to talk about?” Asami asked. Once again, Ravi was silent. But after a moment more, he calmly stepped forward, closing – and locking – the door behind him. “Um… is everything okay?” she asked.

“As a matter of fact, no,” Ravi replied, his back turned to Asami. She was beginning to grow concerned.

“You’re acting strange… you know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

“I know.” He confirmed. Lingering in silence for a couple seconds longer, he finally turned around and approached the desk of his old friend. But when he finally made it to her position, she was surprised to see a dagger slide out from his right sleeve and into his hand. “Game over, Asami.”

Notes:

Happy holidays everybody, have some Toph.

Chapter 23: Best Laid Plans

Summary:

Asami makes a shocking discovery and confronts an uncomfortable truth.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Book Five
Chi

Chapter 23
Best Laid Plans

 

 

With a mighty stab, Ravi embedded the dagger clutched in his hand deep into Asami’s oaken desk. Fresh blood dripped down its length and o nto the blueprint she’d been examining when he’d entered, and the CEO screamed, nearly falling out of her chair at the sudden ness of it all .

RAVI, WHAT THE FUCK!?” she cried, recoiling from the man she’d thought to be her friend, though she was now beginning to suspect otherwise.

“I need your help,” Ravi poorly explained, “I’ve bitten off a bit more than I can chew.”

And you decided to tell me this by stabbing my desk? Whose blood is that!?”

There’s two dead Triple Threats on the ground floor.” Ravi explained, once again rather poorly. He was leaving out a lot of details and it was starting to send Asami’s mind to all the wrong places, something he only realized when he saw the look of fear and betrayal in her eyes. That wasn’t a look he ever wanted to see from her. “Please, let me explain,” he begged.

Yeah, no, you better explain. You almost gave me a heart attack,” Asami huffed, returning to her seat.

“Okay. I guess I should start from the beginning, then. I am the leader of the Terra Triad,”

You’re what?” Asami interrupted. But Ravi raised his hands in front of him, begging her to let him continue.

It’s not what it sounds like, Raiko and the Beifong sisters asked me to do this. I’ve been aiding them in an operation to ‘decapitate’ the three biggest triads in Republic City and put a stop the turf war that’s been brewing since Kuvira’s attack. I’ve spent the past month ‘rebuilding’ the Terra Triad with undercover officers and guardsmen from Zaofu, gaining the trust of the Triple Threats, Agni Kais, and Red Monsoons.”

“Why did they ask you? And why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve-”

“No. I couldn’t risk getting you involved. Besides, when they first came to me, you’d just left for the Spirit World with Avatar Korra. But they came to me because of my history with the Terra Triad. Back before the RCPD dissolved them, before your father took me under his wing, I was friends with Atsushi and Viper, who had gone on to lead the Agni Kais and Triple Threats, respectively. They were counting on me being able to leverage our past and convince them that this was all part of some long con, and that I’d been rebuilding the Terras for more than a decade. When I showed them ‘proof’ of what I’d ‘built’, they believed me.”

So all that time, while you were running my company-”

I convinced them that that was my front, and that I had you – and by extension, the Avatar – in the palm of my hand. I had a reputation for scheming when I was young. It wasn’t hard to convince them that my proximity to you was all part of some grand plan to seize control of the city. I actually managed to hold a meeting between the heads of the Agni Kais and Red Monsoons for the first time back during the after party for the Dancing Dragons. That’s why I insisted Varrick host the party in Agni Kai territory, and also why I disappeared every now and then. Viper was supposed to be there too, and we were supposed to arrest all three of them while they were trading territories none-the-wiser with myself acting as mediator. But he didn’t show, and that plan fell through.”

“Is that why you’re asking for my help now?”

No. I’m asking for your help now because things have changed. There was a second meeting last night, one I’d convinced Viper to join. There must’ve been a dozen metalbenders waiting for my signal to strike. But Viper didn’t show. Ryuuki did.”

A sami’s mouth went dry. “What?”

“Viper is dead, and Ryuuki has seized control of the Triple Threats.”

Asami’s mind was racing. As if things weren’t bad before – now he had the full resources of the city’s biggest triad behind him?

I don’t know how, but he knew all about our meeting outside the Tigerlily, and everything I’d discussed with Viper in private. I was incredibly careful. I was sure I wasn’t followed, or being spied on. But Ryuuki knew everything. And it gets worse.”

“How could it possibly get worse?”

Because Ryuuki usurped my ‘plan’. As the head of the Terra Triad, I was proposing an alliance with the other leaders. Rather than sparking a turf war between us over territory, I suggested we all work together as a united front to overpower and overwhelm the RCPD and Republic City. I’d even accounted for the Avatar, claiming I’d leverage your life as a hostage in order to keep her from interfering with us until we were firmly in control. All of these things were just words – I said what I thought would get them all to agree to be in one place together. I earned their trust. But last night, Ryuuki flipped the script on me.

He has essentially seized control of the Triple Threats, Agni Kais, Red Monsoons, and so far as he believes, the Terras as well. He intends to turn all four triads into a bending army and lay siege to Republic City. In exchange for working for him, he promised to give Republic City to the triads when all was said and done. He didn’t leave anybody gathered with any choice in the matter – we all pledged our loyalty to the Chi Eater. He sent me here today, during this storm, expecting me to kill you. He also sent two of the Triple Threats’ most powerful enforcers to help me. We were supposed to use the poison the Red Lotus used on Korra. But now they’re dead, you’re still alive, and I’m out of options.”

Spirits, Ravi… what have you gotten yourself into?” Asami asked, placing her hands to her head as she digested what he’d told her.

There’s more. I didn’t know this until I started, but the head of the Red Monsoons – it’s Chiasa, CEO of Mitsuki-Arnaaluk Shipping Co.”

“What? Future Industries has been using them for years – are you telling me they’re just a front for the Red Monsoons?” Just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse. She knew Chiasa, or at least she thought she did. They’d held fundraisers together. She’d seemed to be such a respectable businesswoman…

Yes. Ever since they lost Yakone, the Red Monsoons have languished within Republic City. She single-handedly brought them back from the brink of extinction. She is powerful and cruel, and one of the most terrifying benders I’ve ever encountered. I… had the most difficulty convincing her, out of everyone, that I was legitimate. In order to gain her trust, I ended up having to resort to sleeping with her. Now, she doesn’t suspect a thing, and she trusts me completely.”

“Ravi… this is a lot.”

“I know. I’m sorry, Asami. I was confident I could handle this. I did handle this. But Ryuuki’s ruined everything, and I no longer know what to do.”

Asami wasn’t sure what to say, or to think. This was a lot to process, to be sure. But Asami was sure what she fel t , and right now, tha t was anger. “You should’ve involved me sooner,” she insisted, “I’m more than capable of defending myself and I’m tired of people who love me insisting I can’t .”

“That’s not why I kept you out of the loop,”

Yes it is, you said it yourself! You ‘couldn’t risk it’.” Asami quoted. But Ravi stood firm, shaking his head.

“I couldn’t risk your reputation. I know you’re more than capable of handling any bender who tries to threaten you, that’s never what this was about. But in order to dine with vipers, one must become a viper themselves. There are things I’ve had to do that I am not proud of, things I’ve said that, even if they were lies, I will never be able to forgive myself for. I have to carry my history with the triads, past and present, with me for the rest of my life. I couldn’t subject you to the same thing. I couldn’t let you risk your reputation after you’ve spent so many years trying to escape your father’s shadow, or do anything that would compromise you or your values. You’ve lost enough in your life. You’ve compromised enough in your life. I couldn’t ask you to do it again.”

Asami w ent quiet . Now she really didn’t know what to say. For a moment, the two just shared a silence . Asami couldn’t imagine what Ravi must’ve seen or done these last couple weeks, or h ow many crimes he must’ve been complicit in. Spirits, the triads were more violent than ever – how far did he have to go? Was it as easy to deceive them as he claimed? Was there more he wasn’t telling her? She couldn’t bare to ask him. She didn’t know that she could handle the answer s .

I’m sorry,” she apologized after some time, “I’m frustrated with… someone else, and I took that out on you. I thought it was just more of the same.”

“Korra?” Ravi asked. Asami sighed, sliding back in her chair. All he had to do was say her name, and the floodgates opened. She didn’t know what to say about the triad situation, but she definitely knew what to say about Korra.

I get it. I’m a non-bender. I’m used to benders looking down on me, or feeling as though they have to look out for me, but I’m not some helpless little girl. I thought that she, of all people, understood that. But every single time something happens, she pushes me away. She tries to keep me out of it. She’s gone so far as to say that if she’d had her way, I’d never have even known about some of this stuff. How could she say that, about me? She won’t let go of this ridiculous notion that she has to do everything alone, especially if it might end up involving me. We almost fought on my way to work tonight. She was worried about the storm, and about Ryuuki. What if something happened and she wasn’t there to protect me, she said. I just wish she saw that I don’t need her protection…”

This time, it was Ravi’s turn to take a contemplative silence . There was a lot to unpack there, and he hardly felt qualified to be the one to unpack it. But it was clear to him that this had been weighing on Asami for a while now . How long had this been happening? How long ha d she been keeping this to herself? That was one of her worst traits, in his experience. She bottled everything up, she never let anybody in, not until her emotions boiled over and she just couldn’t take it anymore. Ravi had been on the receiving end of this on more than one occasion. Korra probably hadn’t yet, but with how she was talking now, it was definitely coming. The least he could do was try and mitigate the turmoil.

“I think…” How could he phrase this? “…Korra’s career as the Avatar has been marked by failure. Everybody knows this. It’s why she still has such a mixed reception, even after Kuvira. Even after restoring the Air Nation. She has made a lot of mistakes, and had to learn as she went, and it has cost her a lot. Entire years of her life.”

“That isn’t fair,” Asami defended.

But it’s true. For some people, that’s all they see of her – her failures. They think, ‘What would Aang have done?’, ‘What would Kyoshi have done?’, ‘What would Yangchen have done?’. Pick up any newspaper, and you’ll find a dozen think pieces just like this. People second guess her every decision. But have you ever thought about how this must make her feel?”

“Of course. We’ve talked about it a few times. She has a hard time letting it all go.”

Yes, but what if it goes deeper than that? Have you talked about how this has impacted her own self-image?” Ravi asked.

“Not… really, no. It’s not like I haven’t thought about it, but she doesn’t like to talk about it very much. She’s always trying to move on to something else.”

What if she’s internalized all this failure and dismissal? What if she feels, even now, that what defines her as an Avatar are her failures? What if she feels like a burden to those around her? What if she doesn’t want the people she loves to be dragged down with her? What if she’s afraid she’ll drag you down with her?”

“I can protect myself,”

I know. But think about it from Korra’s perspective. This is literally her job, her sole reason for being. She’s the most powerful being on the planet, and yet she has been humbled again and again. She’s had everything taken away from her on more than one occasion. Even now, with all the help in the world, she still couldn’t stop the Chi Eater. How terrified must she be right now? Thinking that, one day, she might have you taken away from her too? That she won’t be – that she isn’t – ‘enough’?”

Asami was silent.

She once confided in me that she felt like you were showing her up lately. She sounded so guilty when she said it, she called it ridiculous. But she told me she was afraid that she just wasn’t good enough for you. She told me she’s afraid you’re going to get hurt making up for one of her mistakes. I could tell it had been eating at her for a long time, and I told her she needed to have more faith, in you and in herself. But I think, after everything that has happened, that may be especially difficult for her. I think you two need to have a long, honest talk about all of this. Something you two seem to have in common is that you like to bottle things up. You don’t let others in. I’m sure you both have been trying for each other, but how long have you felt like this? How long have you been just… letting it go, without saying anything? It isn’t healthy.”

“You’re right. You’re right, we do need to talk,” Asami admitted, “you know, before you came in… I actually thought, maybe we rushed into this engagement thing too quickly, you know? Maybe we need more time.”

“The only way to know for sure is to talk about it. Stop holding all of this frustration inside of you and let her know how you feel. Not just the good, but the bad, too. If you two can do that for each other, then I have no doubt you’ll be just fine.”

Asami sniffed, her eyes stinging from tears she refused to let fall. Biting her lip, she buried her emotions deep like she was good at, recomposing herself in a matter of seconds. Again, what did she think she was doing? There were more important things to worry about right now than some road bumps in her relationship. Ravi was still in trouble, and so was Republic City. Now though, she felt like she might have an idea what to do next. “I’m going to rough you up,” she announced.

“What?”

“I hate to ask you to do this, but you have an opportunity to get close to Ryuuki that no one else does. Let him think you tried to do what he told you to, but I got the better of you. You said there’s two dead Triple Threats downstairs, right? If I rough you up a little bit, make it look like there was a fight, he might buy that. He has no reason to think you’re not what you say you are, does he?”

“As far as I know, no,” Ravi confirmed, “but he’s surprised me before.”

“Then let’s try and work with that. If he’s building an army, taking him down is going to be that much more difficult, but if you can manage to isolate him somehow, we can stage a surprise attack and maybe catch him off guard.”

“That’s a big if and an even bigger maybe. He told us about the raid, I already know you threw our best at him and it wasn’t enough. How would this be any different?”

“Korra is going to try and master lavabending, and she already picked up lightningbending before I left Air Temple Island. I have to believe things will turn out differently this time.”

“Lavabending? Can she do that?” Ravi asked incredulously.

She thinks so, yeah. There are stories of Avatar Roku being able to do it in the Avatar State, so some previous Avatar definitely figured it out.”

“I don’t know… this is a big risk, and I can’t rule out the possibility that Ryuuki might catch on. We could end up walking into a trap of his design as opposed to ours. Are you sure about this?”

“No. But we don’t really have any better options right now. I considered faking my death to try and give you more credibility, but I feel like if Ryuuki’s going to see through anything, he’s going to see through that, first. It’s not like I could exactly go into hiding, either. I have nowhere to go but with Korra, and I’m too recognizable of a public figure. But we’ve gone toe-to-toe before, he knows I’m no pushover. He might buy that I got the better of you. But this whole plan hinges on you. I know I’m asking a lot, and I know that the odds are stacked against us, but… it’s the only play I can think of.”

Ravi sighed. “Fine,” he agreed with some reluctance, “I’ll try. I can’t exactly think of another way out of this, either. I’ll try and work him the next couple days, lure him out somewhere on his own. From there, we can jump him, and hope for the best. But I really don’t have high hopes about this.”

“I know. I really don’t want to have to ask this of you. You’ve already done so much,” Asami apologized.

“It’s okay. I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to get in with the triads. This is… not how I expected it to go, but if I can help stop a war before it starts, then I’ll do it.”

Thank you. I’ll let you know when I have everybody up to speed. For now, unless he expects you to fight your way through this storm, you can stay here until it passes.”

“Thank you, Asami. I owe you one.”

“Just make it out of this alive and we’ll call it even.”

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

 

By the time the storm had finally passed, it was early into the following morning. Bolin and the rest of the RCPD refugees had been forced to spend the night huddled together in that warehouse, sleeping on the floor, and it had been far from ideal. But better that than some dingy alleyway like he used to sleep. Unsurprisingly, by the time he awoke, Lin, Toph, and the four captains had already been awake for some time. While the captains were currently talking amongst themselves, trying to work out some sort of Chi Eater battle plan, Lin and Toph were completely silent. From the looks on their faces, they were refusing to speak to one another, meaning they must’ve had another fight while he was asleep. But, hey, Toph was still here, as opposed to looking for Suyin. That could only be a good thing, right?

“Morning, Chief, Toph, everybody,” Bolin yawned. While Lin gave an acknowledging hum and the four captains greeted him, Toph just blew a loose strand of hair out of her face. It was about as good of a good morning as he was ever going to get from her. “So… what did I miss?”

“The precincts are gone. All of them,” Hui informed. “we don’t know if there are any survivors.”

“…What?”

“The First was the last precinct Ryuuki hit last night. He went one by one and demolished each one around the city, killing whoever was inside. The only officers we know for sure are still alive are us, whoever wasn’t working yesterday, and the temps from Zaofu.” Li Jing explained.

Bolin couldn’t believe it. That was terrible. The RCPD had already been struggling, but now…?

Apparently my mom had been sitting on this information all night, and didn’t see fit to tell me until this morning,” Lin complained.

Hey, at least I told you, didn’t I?” Toph asked.

I’m still not talking to you,”

Fine, have it your way, but this is exactly what I was talking about. What did you think you were going to do, arrest him? The Chi Eater’s above your pay grade. The RCPD should’ve backed off the second you knew what you were dealing with.”

Actually, the Avatar’s going to kill him,” Li Jing informed.

Great plan, except for the fact that he’s immortal,” Toph stressed, “we dropped your entire precinct on him and he just walked it off. No matter how many times you kill him, he’ll just keep coming back. He’s almost as stubborn as I am.”

There has to be a trick to it though, right? Like… he used to be human. Whatever he did to himself, there’s got to be a way to undo it, right?” Bolin asked.

Maybe, but that’s not my problem to figure out. If Korra wants to go on another suicide mission after barely surviving the first one, that’s on her, but I’m not wrestling with a monster.” Toph said.

Oh, come on, you’re Toph Beifong! My hero, the Blind Bandit, the original metalbender! You’re practically invincible! Just look at how Ryuuki reacted when you showed up, he never would’ve run away if it had been anyone else! If you helped us out, then I’m sure we could-”

No.” Toph interrupted, dashing Bolin’s hopes for a second time. “Even if I were in my prime, I wouldn’t stand a chance. Sure, maybe I could kill him a couple times, but that doesn’t mean anything to the Chi Eater. He’ll just keep coming back, and I’m only human. Eventually even I would wear myself out, and then I’d be easy prey. And good luck stopping him if he ever gets a hold of my bending.”

Wait, what do you mean ‘if he gets a hold of your bending’?” Li Jing asked.

Energybending can transfer information from one soul to another instantaneously. How do you think Aang knew what to do after meeting with that Lion Turtle? The Chi Eater uses this to his advantage to steal the skills of talented benders when he eats their chi, and apparently he keeps their power, too, because there isn’t a bender alive who has ever contested my bending like he has before. It felt more like I was wrestling with a hundred benders than just one.”

That’s… news to us. You sure seem to know a lot about the Chi Eater…” Bolin remarked.

That’s because I’m as connected to the spirits now as Iroh was when he passed. They weren’t too keen on talking to me about him at first, but I was able to chase one down and force the story out of them. I know everything the spirits know about the Chi Eater, including how many Avatars he’s killed. Seven, in case you were wondering.”

Is that why you said Aang wouldn’t have stood a chance?” Bolin asked.

Aang was too wishy-washy to have stood a chance. Don’t get me wrong, he was a powerful bender, but he never would’ve committed to killing the Chi Eater. He would’ve come at it from every other angle imaginable, and he would’ve had that used against him in a heartbeat. As much as I love him, that also means I know enough about him to know the Chi Eater would’ve demolished him. He’s a stone-cold killer and nothing short of death is going to stop him, but as we’ve already established, he’s immortal. So even if Aang had realized he had no other choice, he still wouldn’t have been able to put him down. There is no version of this where we win. All we can do is survive.”

Who’d have thought the great Toph Beifong was a quitter,” Li Jing remarked with a roll of her eyes. Toph shot her an icy glare.

I know my limits. There isn’t a bender alive I couldn’t beat, and I can go toe-to-toe with any spirit, but the Chi Eater isn’t either of those things. I know when to tap out and leave it to the Avatar, though I don’t really like Korra’s odds. She’s an okay bender, but I can’t see her putting up much more of a fight than she already has. She may be a better energybender than Aang was, but she’s nowhere near the Chi Eater’s level.”

Well I don’t believe that,” Bolin affirmed, “and neither does Korra. She’s going back into training in order to take him down. Mako already taught her how to lightningbend, and I’m going to teach her how to lavabend, so if she can practice her energybending too, then-”

You are going to teach the Avatar to lavabend? Oh, now this I’ve got to see,” Toph laughed. “Suyin’s still hunkered down on Air Temple Island, so that’s where I’m headed next, anyway. I can spare a few minutes to watch you flounder around trying to teach her lavabending.

Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear from my number one hero…” Bolin mumbled.

Oh, so now you want to get involved?” Lin scoffed.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going anywhere near the Chi Eater. But I can always make some time to bully the Avatar. Spirits knows I probably won’t get another chance.”

Bolin frowned. With the way she was talking, he was beginning to reconsider hailing Toph as his hero. She was acting nothing like the stories he’d heard growing up, let alone how she had when they rescued her family from Kuvira. He’d always heard she was fearless, but this was … “What happened to you?” he asked.

I grew up.” Toph replied. “The world may think I’m invincible, but I’m not. I’m just an old woman. I learned my limits years ago.

Is that why you quit as Chief of Police?” Li Jing asked.

I quit because I realized it was a pointless job. I only ever became a cop because it was the only legitimate way for me to take down criminals and help Aang and Zuko build the United Republic. I thought I could make a difference, I thought I could do anything, but no matter how many triads I took down, ten more always popped up in their place. It was an endless fight and I was getting old, and I never really believed in the system all that much in the first place, so I jumped ship the first chance I got.”

I thought you quit because of Suyin,” Lin said.

I’d been wanting to quit since long before what happened with Suyin. I’d have hoped you’d have learned something from watching me work myself to the bone for no good reason, but you thought it was noble and followed in my footsteps.”

Yeah, well, unlike you, I actually believe in the system. A system you helped create, may I remind you.”

Then you’re naive. You can’t tell me you haven’t also gone outside the law to do what needs to be done every now and then. The system is rigid and stale and will never truly serve the people in the way it needs to, the way I intended it to. Once I realized that, I gave up and never looked back, and I’m happier for it.

Well I’m not. You were an important part of Republic City, and so am I. If we see that the system isn’t working the way it was intended, then it’s our responsibility to change the system until it does, not just walk away because we think it’s hard.”

Right, you have fun with that. While you’re at it, maybe you can teach Bolin here how to sprout wings and fly,Toph remarked, “I’m not saying I didn’t do some good as Chief of Police or that I regret saving what lives I could, but I’m not going to stand around and waste my time fighting unwinnable battles. I didn’t do it then, and I’m not going to do it now. If you want to fight the Chi Eater so badly, fine, I can’t say I didn’t warn you, but at best you’ll just be getting in the Avatar’s way. At worst, he’ll walk right through you without so much as batting an eye.”

Do you really think that little of me?” Lin asked. There was a tone of sincerity to her voice that almost made her seem vulnerable for a moment, something Bolin couldn’t say he’d seen from her before. But he couldn’t say he didn’t get it.

Toph sighed. “I always did have to spell everything out for you, didn’t I? I think the world of you, Lin. Are you every inch the bender I used to be? No, but you were never supposed to be. We may have our differences and disagreements, but that’s the whole point of having kids, and part of me is proud of the woman you’ve become. It takes guts to fight a battle you know you can’t win, guts I never had. But you keep thinking of the Chi Eater as if he’s just another bender when he’s not. I don’t know how many times I have to explain it to you before you get that. I never prepared you for something like him. How could I have? I’m trying to get you to leave because I can’t save you this time if something goes wrong. I can’t save your captains, either. So please, for once, just let it go and listen to me.

Bolin and the captains shared a look. None of them would’ve expected Toph to be so genuine with somebody, let alone around so many people, but that just hammered home the point that she was serious about all this. She wasn’t saying it in so many words, but she was afraid. Not just of Ryuuki, but for her daughters.

“…I’m sorry, but I can’t,” Lin replied after a moment of silence, “not now. I can’t just walk away after what he’s done to my city, to my men. I can’t leave Republic City defenseless. I don’t care if this is Avatar business. Last night, he made this personal.”

And that’s why I didn’t want to tell you,” Toph admitted in defeat, “I knew it would only solidify your resolve, but I did it anyway. I figured I owed you that much. I just really hoped you’d listen to reason for once.”

Come on, Toph, where’s your faith?” Bolin asked. “We still have Korra, the Avatar, another energybender. We know so much more about Ryuuki now than we did even three days ago. He’s beatable, he has to be, but I don’t think Korra can do this alone. We need to be there with her. We need to believe in her, and help her become stronger. Imagine how much more powerful she could be if you taught her some of what you know!”

She’s not very receptive to my way of teaching,” Toph remarked with a dismissive wave of her hand, “and I don’t know what more I could teach her she doesn’t know already. Sure she’s not as skilled as I am, but she’s every inch as powerful. I’ve heard the stories from the White Lotus of how easily the first three elements came to her, she was bending them when she was only four years old. Physically, she’s fine. Spiritually, she’s grown a lot. But the Chi Eater is a force of nature in every category. Maybe in a couple lifetimes she’ll have built up the Avatar State to a point where she can stand a chance again, and the odds would be a bit more even, but now…

That’s exactly why I said we need to be there with her! Ryuuki can’t beat all of us!”

He already has,” Toph reminded.

He hasn’t beaten all of us twice! And definitely not with you there. Seriously, if you joined in, we’d be-”

You’re awfully persistent, aren’t you?” Toph asked.

Mom. Please. I know you’re scared, and I know that that might be new for you, but I’d feel much more confident with a bender of your caliber on our side,” Lin begged. Toph scowled, raising her upper lip with a frustrated growl.

My decision is final. You guys are on your own.” And that appeared to be that. Toph was completely unmovable. Bolin frowned.

Then we’ll just have to do our best and hope that it’s enough. I know you think it won’t be, but I have faith in Korra. Not as the Avatar, but as my friend, and the most incredible person I’ve ever met, after your granddaughter,” Bolin said, “but if you want to come with me to Air Temple Island, fine. Maybe Korra can change your mind where we couldn’t.”

Is that your big plan? To have Korra appeal to me as my best friend’s reincarnation? It’s not going to work. I’m only going there to convince Suyin to leave and watch you fall on your ass trying to explain the most difficult form of bending in the world to her,” Toph insisted.

I don’t know, lavabending isn’t that difficult,” Bolin remarked. Toph shook her head.

Honestly, how can such a talented bender be such a dunce? ‘Lavabending isn’t that difficult’… ha!” Bolin tilted his head to the side. It was cool that Toph thought he was talented, but he was more confused by her insistence than he was happy for her praise. It really didn’t seem that difficult to him, he picked it up pretty quickly. Was he really that much better of a bender than he thought? “Whatever. I’m done talking in circles. Let me know when you’re ready to go meet up with Korra and let’s get out of this musty place.”

Mm, I don’t know… with things as bad as they are, do you need me to stay back with you for a while, Chief? If all the precincts are gone, the city’s probably in chaos right now. I could-” Before Bolin could finish that thought, Lin interrupted him.

“Training the Avatar should be your top priority. If we’re going to stand any chance against the Chi Eater, she needs to be as strong as possible. Myself, my captains, and your brother should be more than enough right now. Your role is much more important.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about us. We’ve all been trained as Lin’s successors, we’ll be more than enough to rally whoever’s left back into a cohesive whole,” Li Jing said, “though we’re probably going to need to call in the United Forces for extra manpower if the Chi Eater really is preparing for a war. Just leave it to us.”

Bolin nodded. If they were sure, he was sure. Just as he had faith in Korra, he had faith in Lin and her proteges as well. And now that he was done teaching Korra how to lightningbend, his brother would be free to help as well, meaning he had even less reason to be concerned. He’d leave the city in their hands. “Okay, then let’s get going. Toph, I’m assuming you know the way, so I’ll let you lead.”

Of course I do, who do you think raised that rock from the sea in the first place?” Toph asked, insulted by the insinuation she didn’t still know this city like the back of her hand. “Try to keep up, lava boy.”

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

 

It didn’t take long for Toph and Bolin to make their way to Air Temple Island. Rather than taking a ferry, Toph had simply tunneled under Yue Bay, popping up on the shore of the island with incredible precision. How she knew it was above them was beyond him, but it seemed par for the course for the stories he’d heard of her. Bending was more than an art for her, it was part of her, like a sixth sense. Clearly she could feel something most other benders couldn’t.

Toph emerged on a pillar of earth with her arms folded behind her back, Bolin standing just a couple feet behind her. With a stomp of her foot, just as she had when they escaped the precinct, she closed the entirety of the tunnel she created with one swift motion, moving an unfathomable amount of earth for someone like Bolin as if it were nothing. She really was an awesome bender. That just made it all the more frustrating for him that she seemed so convinced Ryuuki couldn’t be beaten.

Good, it seems like she’s in the training yard with Opal and Korra,” she said, speaking of course of Suyin, “though I don’t know why my granddaughter’s repeating such basic airbending forms. Aang could’ve done this stuff in his sleep. Shouldn’t she be out surveying the damage done by the typhoon?”

Oh, I guess you haven’t heard yet…” Bolin grimaced.

Heard what?”

Opal tried to kill Kuvira. Suyin and Korra decided to keep it under wraps, so only a few people know the truth, but part of her punishment is that she has to restart her training from the beginning,” he explained. If Toph had anything to say to that though, she was keeping it to herself. She just shifted focus from him to the nearest staircase and walked off without a word. Bolin followed close behind.

When they made it to the training yard, Opal immediately stopped what she was doing, shocked to see her grandmother of all people standing in front of her. “Grandma Toph ?”

“…Mom?” Suyin asked, immediately standing up after Opal announced her arrival and walking across the yard to meet her. As she did, Korra opened her eyes, having been meditating off to the opposite side while Opal was practicing her basic forms. Apparently she’d elected to fill in for Jinora this morning. “What are you doing here?”

I came to collect you and your sister before you two do something stupid, but as usual, Lin doesn’t want to listen to reason,” Toph explained, though she quickly turned her attention in her granddaughter’s direction to sweep the earth out from beneath her feet. Unprepared, she fell to the ground, and Toph shook her head in disapproval. Bolin winced and moved to help her up, but Toph held out an arm and stopped him.As for you, I just heard what you’ve been up to. I should slap you for what you tried to do. How could my own granddaughter be so stupid? You know I helped write the United Republic’s laws, right? We were very clear when we kept capital punishment off the books. Who do you think you are, playing judge, jury, and executioner? And after a proper judge and jury already came to a sentence, no less! You should be ashamed of yourself.”

Opal frowned, rubbing her backside but not electing to say anything in her defense. Her grandmother was right and she knew it. All she could do was apologize. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly, “it won’t happen again.”

I’ll make sure of it.” Korra said, by now having gotten up and walked across the yard to meet up with Toph and Bolin. “You said you came to collect Suyin? Why?” she asked, changing the topic from Opal back to Toph and her daughter. Toph seemed reluctant to let it go, but Bolin carried on before she could protest or hound her granddaughter any further.

Toph doesn’t want them to fight the Chi Eater,” he explained, “she doesn’t seem to think he can be beaten.”

Because he can’t be. It doesn’t matter how many times you kill him, his immortality is perfect. He’ll just keep on coming back.” Toph explained for what felt like the thirtieth time.

Wait, do you mean he can resurrect from the dead…?” Korra asked.

Yes, I literally just said that. Spirits, you’re a terrible listener,” Toph complained.

It wasn’t that she didn’t believe her, but Korra still found herself looking to Bolin for confirmation. This was news to her, but it certainly tracked with everything he’d demonstrated so far.

We dropped the entire first precinct on him last night and he shrugged it off like it was nothing. It definitely should’ve killed him, but it didn’t,” he explained, “so whatever he did to himself, apparently it lets him come back from the dead, too.”

The first precinct is gone…?”

All the precincts are gone. The Chi Eater wiped them all out during the storm last night. I was able to save Lin, her captains, and a few dozen officers, but odds are the majority of the RCPD are dead.” Toph said.

Korra grit her teeth, cursing loudly and cracking the earth beneath her in her frustration. “As if the city wasn’t struggling enough already… damn it! Is he trying to keep me too busy to fight him?”

I don’t think so. He killed Viper and took control of the Triple Threats last night, and he was leading a whole group of triads when he attacked the first. He said something about creating a bending army? Lin thinks he may be getting ready to wage war on Republic City.” Bolin explained.

Great… just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse…”

You’re the Avatar. Fighting this guy is literally your job, so I’m not going to try and convince you to stop, no matter how badly outmatched I think you are. Honestly, I’m glad the Avatar is finally taking an interest in the Chi Eater again after that whole Avatar Rin fiasco. Even if your track record is terrible, somebody needs to try and put a stop to him eventually.”

Korra and Bolin shared a look. The fact that she knew about Rin was news to both of them, but it just went to show that Toph had really done her research on the Chi Eater, and was speaking from a pretty knowledgeable position on all of this.

Toph turned her head from Korra to Suyin. “You, on the other hand, are different. You are my daughter and you have no stakes in this battle or duty to fulfill. Lin’s decided she’d rather die than listen to me, but I’m hoping you’ll be less stubborn and come back to the swamp with me until his feeding frenzy is finished. I can’t protect you or bail you out if something goes wrong, this time. Not even I could beat the Chi Eater in a fight, not even if I played dirty. He isn’t somebody you win against, he’s something you survive.

S uyin was silent. She’d never heard her mother talk like this about anybody before, so she was a little shocked, yes, but she also seemed to be unsure of what to do. Should she stand by her sister or follow her mom’s lead ?

You mean you aren’t here to help us fight him?” Korra asked with disappointment.

Ugh, I just went over this with Lin and your friend, I don’t feel like repeating myself.” Toph complained, dismissing Korra’s question without a proper response. Instead, she remained focused on her daughter. “The sooner we get out of here, the better. You and your sister have really pissed him off, and he’s going to kill you unless we get out of here. Of course, you can bring your family with you, too.”

“…I can’t,” Suyin replied after a moment of silence, “I can’t just abandon Lin like that, or any of the citizens of Zaofu I’ve been lending to the city for the RCPD or reconstruction efforts. It wouldn’t be right. I know how serious you must be to have come all this way to try and get me to safety, but… I do have stakes in all of this. I can’t leave.”

Toph sighed. “You two inherited my stubbornness alright, but I have no clue where the stupid came from,” she complained, “are you sure there’s nothing I can do to change your mind? You can bring the people from Zaofu with you too , if you want. Normally I’d hate being around so many people, but I’m willing to compromise if it keeps you alive. You’ve always been more reasonable than your sister.”

I can’t. I’m sorry. I understand what you’re saying, especially after fighting him once myself, but that’s all the more reason for me to stay. I’m more familiar with him than Lin is, and she has a better chance of making it out of this alive if I’m there to help her.”

You have no chance of making it out alive if you fight him again. I don’t care if you’re with Korra or not, you’ve pissed him off and he’s a persistent son of a bitch, he’s going to kill you if you stay.” Toph insisted.

At this point, after having had her name invoked, Korra felt she could step in, replying “I’m not going to let that happen. I-”

I already know about your plan. You want to learn lavabending in order to have an edge on him, your friend already told me,” Toph interrupted, “but it isn’t going to work. With the Avatar State as weakened as it is and his power to force you out of it at will, your odds of actually winning this fight are practically zero. You’re going to be pushed to your limits just trying to keep yourself alive, let alone anybody stupid enough to go with you.”

They’re not stupid, they’re brave,” Korra defended, “I’ve already tried flying solo on this, but my friends wouldn’t let me, and I think they were right. After the other night, I don’t think I can do this without them.”

You can’t do this at all. The Chi Eater can’t be killed. You’re a better energybender than Aang ever was, but you’re nothing compared to him. He’s had 1300 years to hone his craft and has stolen the skills of thousands of benders, none of us stand a chance, not even together. I wasn’t joking when I said I couldn’t save Suyin. I wrestled with the Chi Eater last night while rescuing Lin, and he almost overwhelmed me. I actually had to ask for help. I just don’t have it in me to fight with an immortal anymore.”

Since when have you been such a coward?” Opal asked. Toph’s look soured at her granddaughter’s accusation while Korra and Suyin turned to face her. She was back on her feet by now and had been listening in for some time, but it seemed she could no longer hold her tongue.

I’m just being realistic. Even in my prime, the Chi Eater would’ve killed me. Sure, maybe I can put him down a few times, but he’s immortal. Eventually he’ll get a clean hit in, or worse, he’ll steal my chi for his own. Then what are you going to do? I’m not going to fight an unwinnable battle.”

It’s not unwinnable though,” Korra said, “Asami and I pushed him to his limit last time. We didn’t know he could bend all the elements then, but now that we do, he’s not going to catch us off guard again. I know I can stop him, I can feel it. Especially once I learn to bend something he can’t.”

Right, good luck with that. Lavabending is the most difficult form of bending in the world. You think metal is a stubborn element? Ha! The amount of heat and pressure you have to apply to earth to turn it into lava is insane, it isn’t like phase changing water. You have to come at it with all the power and determination of a planet.”

Well I figured it out okay,” Bolin reminded.

And that speaks to your power as an earthbender. That doesn’t mean you can do diddly squat as a teacher, though.” Toph insisted.

Well, I believe in Bolin.” Korra said.

Toph shrugged. “That’s fine, he’s your friend, but don’t think it’ll come easy. For most people this is a trait they’re either born with or they aren’t. Even I wouldn’t be able to lavabend, no matter how hard I tried. As the Avatar, you’re different, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to pick it up before the Chi Eater moves on. You’d be better off training for the next time he shows up, 25 years from now. Or better yet, letting a few more incarnations of Avatars come and go to power up your Avatar State before trying again.”

No. I have to put a stop to him now, I can’t let him kill anybody else. Not after everything that’s happened.” Which was to say, not after learning what she had about Avatar Rin. Korra had no intention of telling that story to Suyin, so she was trying not to name drop her again, but she was lucky she didn’t ask about that when Toph mentioned her the first time.

You’re brave, I’ll give you that much. Stupid, but brave,” Toph commended.

She’s not stupid,” Opal insisted, “and I can’t believe you’re being so defeatist about this. You, of all people. With Korra, we stand a better chance of stopping him now than any other time in history, and you’re not even willing to try?”

Toph was silent.

Opal is right. I might not be as skilled of an energybender as he is, but with Raava’s help, I’m sure I can be a more powerful one. Whatever he did to himself to make himself immortal, it has to be related to energybending, meaning I might be able to undo it. If we can just beat him back hard enough that I can get a chance to touch him, I think I can end this.”

We’d stand a better chance of holding him back with you on our side, mom. Nobody’s as strong of an earthbender as you are, and Lin and I would both be there to help you. Bolin and Korra, too. So please. Instead of just running away, help us.” Suyin begged.

Toph remained silent.

At the very least, help me become a better earthbender while you’re here. I’m going into training mode again anyway, and I’m sure there’s a lot you could teach me,” Korra suggested.

You people just won’t take no for an answer, will you?” Toph complained.

Come on, Toph. We can do this, I know it. Just have some faith in us. Please,” Bolin also begged, “you’ve always been my hero, so come and show me why!”

Toph sighed. They really weren’t going to let up, were they? “Fine.” S he finally relented. Her daughter, granddaughter, and Korra all smiled while her own frown only deepened. “I’m old, and I’m tired of arguing. But i f I can’t save my daughters from a pointless death, then the least I can do is go down swinging with them.”

YES!” Bolin shouted, jumping into the air with excitement. “You’re not going to regret this, I promise!”

Thank you,” Korra said, “with you on our side, we’re going to be practically unstoppable.”

Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’m barely going to be a drop in the ocean compared to this guy, you’re vastly overestimating my abilities if you think I’m some game-changing addition to your team. I’m just a washed up old lady compared to the bender I used to be,” Toph reminded, “but you’d better have a plan before going into this. If you just charge in recklessly, he’s going to kill you in an instant.”

I think I can help with that.”

E verybody had been so focused on Toph, none of them had noticed that somebody else had arrived some time ago . Nobody except for Toph herself, anyway. She simply closed her eyes and chastised her for taking so long to say something. “It’s about time you spoke up,” she said.

Asami?” Korra asked. Asami smiled hello.

Sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt. It’s nice to meet you, I’m-”

I know who you are. I’m sure you already know who I am, too. So why don’t we skip the introductions and just jump straight into your plan?” Toph asked.

Asami looked to Korra, who simply nodded with an understanding look on her face. This was just how Toph was.

Okay then, I think I have a mole in Ryuuki’s operation. We think we might be able to lure him out in the open, alone, and stage an ambush,” Asami explained.

A mole? Who?” Korra asked.

Ravi. He came to me last night and told me about you, Lin, and Raiko’s plan.” Asami mentioned, looking specifically to Suyin. Everybody else’s eyes followed Asami’s save for Toph’s, which remained closed.

Plan? What plan?”

We’ve been having Ravi pose as the new head of the recently resurrected Terra Triad,” Suyin explained, “he was going to try and gather the three biggest triads’ leaders in one place and incriminate them so we could arrest them all in one fell swoop. He wasn’t supposed to tell anybody though.”

Unfortunately, Ryuuki complicated matters, so he had no choice but to come to me for help,” Asami explained, “Ryuuki now runs the Triple Threat, Red Monsoon, Agni Kai, and Terra Triads. Or… he thinks he does, anyway. He killed Viper and threatened the other leaders to work under him, but Ravi isn’t actually a mob boss. Ryuuki has no reason to suspect that though, so for now, Ravi’s played along. Hopefully, if he plays his cards right, he can lure Ryuuki out into the open.”

Shit… Bolin told me about the Triple Threats, but he runs all the other triads too, now?” Korra asked. That certainly explained his line to Bolin about building a bending army. Things just kept on getting worse and worse. The only only glimmer of hope they had right now was the fact that Ravi was still on their side, not Ryuuki’s. “Are you sure about this, Asami? I know how much Ravi means to you. If this doesn’t work-”

We both know the risks, but it’s the only play we have right now. We have to have faith in him and let him try.” Asami said. Korra nodded. So long as she was sure.

Right, faith…” Toph trailed.

Mom?”

I haven’t had much of that to go around since Aang passed. Maybe not even since I quit as Chief of Police. As a kid, I felt unstoppable, but I eventually came to learn that I wasn’t. If everything I’ve heard about the Chi Eater is true, then I really don’t know how we’re going to pull this off.”

Together.” Korra said. Asami looked down. Right… together.

Um… I did come here to tell you about Ravi, but, I want to talk to you in private, too, Korra,” Asami mentioned.

Korra looked confused. “Is everything alright?” she asked.

Just… meet me in the room we’ve been staying in, alright?” Korra frowned, but she nodded okay anyway. She had no clue what she wanted to talk about, but whatever it was, she clearly didn’t want anyone else to hear about it. With that, Asami walked off in the direction of the women’s dormitories.

You should go talk to your girlfriend,” Toph suggested, folding her arms behind her back again, “and I should probably go tell Lin I’ve changed my mind. Spirits knows she’ll never let me hear the end of this, though…” she complained.

I’ll go with you. If all the precincts have really been wiped out, Lin’s going to need all the help she can get right now.” Suyin said. Toph hummed. She wasn’t going to argue with her again.

Um… what should I do…?” Opal asked. If Korra was going to go talk to Asami in private, then she wouldn’t be able to watch her while she trained. She wasn’t allowed to do much of anything without supervision right now, so that left her in a weird position.

For now, just stay with Bolin.” Korra said, turning from Opal to her friend. “Once I’m done talking with Asami, we can start lavabending training.” she said.

Bolin nodded. “We should probably do it outside of the city though, I don’t want to tear up Air Temple Island with a bunch of lava. I’ll ask Tenzin if we can borrow Oogi.”

Sounds good to me. I’ll see you in a bit.” Korra said. With everybody else going their separate ways, she walked off in the direction of hers and Asami’s room.

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

 

Asami?” Korra asked as she opened the door. Asami didn’t respond. At first she thought she may have beat her here somehow, but when she opened the door fully, she could see her fiancee sitting alone on the bed. She was staring holes into the floor, and had a sad, serious look on her face. “…Is everything okay?” she asked. But Asami wouldn’t give her a straight answer.

“…You should come sit down for this,” she said, moving a bit so that Korra could sit next to her. But Korra didn’t move much from her position, only entering a couple steps into the room and closing the door behind her. She could tell from the look on Asami’s face that whatever this was, it wasn’t going to be good news. And if she wanted to talk in private about it, then it was probably about their relationship. Korra’s heart began to race and her mouth went dry as she started putting two and two together.

“…Are you breaking up with me…?”

Korra’s voice broke as she asked her that , and Asami felt as though her heart had been cut in two. “I… don’t want to break up with you, no,” she said. It wasn’t a lie, she didn’t. But she wasn’t sure if they would still be a proper couple by the end of this. All she knew right now was that they needed to talk.

But you might.” Korra pressed.

Asami didn’t respond, she only bit her lip. Korra inhaled sharply at the sight, closing her eyes and pushing back tears. That was pretty much a yes. On exhaling, she opened her eyes and walked the few short, unsteady steps between her and the bed. Asami had asked for her to sit with her, so that was what she was going to do. When she took a seat right next to her, Asami swallowed hard.

“…We’ve needed to talk for a while.” Asami began, not really sure how to start. Where to start. But she had to start somewhere. “I’ve been avoiding it, because that’s what I do. I avoid my emotions and bury them deep. Being with you… it’s been amazing. Different. I’ve been more open with you than anybody I’ve ever met, but. I haven’t been completely open. There have been some problems, and I’ve just. Been avoiding them for weeks. Pretending that they don’t exist, or that they don’t bother me as much as they do, but. They do.”

Now K orra swallowed hard. “What kind of problems?”

Asami was silent for a moment. How should she put it into words? It’d been easy to vent about it with Ravi, but saying it to Korra… she couldn’t just complain about it. She didn’t want to just complain about it. That would’ve sent the wrong message, and she knew it. But she couldn’t dance around it forever. Maybe the best way for her to go about it would be to phrase it as a question.

Do you…” Asami began. Korra was listening. “…What do you think of me, really?” she asked.

I think you’re the most amazing person in the world,” Korra said without even a moment’s hesitation, “I think you’re everything I’ve ever admired in another person all rolled up into one. I think you’re smart, beautiful, funny, kind, strong… I think you’re incredible.”

Then… why does it feel like you don’t think of us as equals?” Asami pressed. Korra wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “This has been bugging me for a while. Not just since this Chi Eater thing started, but even going back to our vacation in the Spirit World. The way you’d talk about me, the way you’d always dote on me… it was like you were afraid if you weren’t there to protect me, something bad was going to happen. Like you didn’t think I could take care of myself. And ever since this Chi Eater thing started it’s been getting worse. Like… when I saved you with that mecha suit, when you were fighting that corrupted spirit. Your first thought was to chastise me. To tell me I should’ve stayed where it was safe. And that hasn’t been the only time. You keep trying to intentionally leave me out of the loop, like you don’t trust me, or something. I could see it on your face when I showed up on Air Temple Island for the raid. You didn’t want me to be there. You’ve straight up told me there are some things that, if you’d had your way, I never would’ve found out about.”

That’s-”

I know. I know you’re worried about me. I know you love me. But lately… lately I’ve felt like there are certain things where, if I told you, you wouldn’t understand, or you’d get upset, or you’d try to involve yourself, because you don’t think I can take care of myself. So I haven’t told you. I’ve dealt with them on my own, and it hurts, because you trust me completely, and I’m keeping things from you, because I know how you’re going to react.”

Korra wanted to ask her what, but she couldn’t muster the words. She was barely keeping herself together while Asami talked.

The triads have been targeting Future Industries projects for a while now. The Agni Kais, more specifically. Ravi told me about them during the after party for the premiere, but there’ve been a lot of arson attacks at places we’ve been rebuilding. I kept it a secret from you and looked into things on my own time, because I knew, if I told you, you’d immediately become worried. You’d try to involve yourself, to threaten them away, to protect me. You keep trying to protect me, from everything. But I don’t need your protection. I’m not some helpless little girl, I’m a grown woman whose managed most of her life just fine without you and who knows how to defend herself. I can more than hold my own against you when we’re sparring. But more and more, it feels like you don’t think I can take care of myself when you’re not around. Like you don’t trust me, or you don’t have any faith in me.”

That’s not true,” Korra said.

Then why does it feel like it is?” Asami asked. “Why are you constantly trying to shut me out? Why are you so focused on protecting me from everything? Why doesn’t it seem like you think of me as your equal? We’re supposed to be engaged, we’re supposed to be wives some day, but it feels like no matter what I do or how many times I prove myself, you don’t trust me.”

I trust you more than anyone in the world.”

No, you don’t! Even yesterday, before the storm, you were so worried about me. What if something happened and you weren’t there? It was as if you didn’t think I could take care of myself. I was angry. Angrier than I let on. When I was working during the storm, I actually thought, maybe we’d rushed into this whole engagement thing. Maybe it was too soon. Maybe we needed more time. Because it felt like no matter how much faith I had in you, you just. Didn’t have any in me.”

Of course I have faith in you. I have more faith in you than I have in myself. I just…”

You just what?” Asami pressed.

I just…” Korra sighed. She just what? How could she put this? “…Do you… do you remember back when Unalaq happened, and I turned on my dad and Tenzin for a while?”

Yeah. You and Mako got into a lot of fights about it.”

Korra nodded. “I told you because I knew you’d understand better than he did. And you did. But do you remember why I was angry?”

You were upset they were trying to protect you and that they thought they knew what was best for you, making decisions about you behind your back. It’s just like what you’ve been doing to me.”

Korra bit her lip. “Maybe it is,” she admitted, “I think… you have to remember, I grew up on a White Lotus compound. The first time Zaheer and the Red Lotus tried to take me, my dad and Tenzin overreacted, and I lived a huge part of my life isolated from the rest of the world. I didn’t know how different I’d had it or how unusual it was until I got to Republic City, not really. But. I think part of me really internalized that. That, for me, that overprotectiveness became synonymous with love, because that wa s what I grew up with. And I think maybe I’ve just been. Doing exactly what they did to me. I haven’t meant to, but I just… when it comes to you, I just get so scared. I understand why they reacted the way they did.”

But now you’re making me feel the same way. You’re making me feel like you don’t trust me, you’re making me feel like you think you know what’s best for me. I know Ryuuki is different, but, every threat is going to be different. I can’t do this with you every single time some new enemy pops up.”

I know! I know.” Korra said, gripping tightly onto her own legs. “I know you can take care of yourself. Believe me, I do. Honestly… spirits, this sounds so stupid, but, honestly, I’ve felt like you’ve been showing me up lately. Like I’m not good enough for you. When I said there were things I didn’t want you to know, it wasn’t because I didn’t think you could take care of yourself, it was because I was afraid I was going to mess up and get you hurt. Because you’d have to make up for one of my mistakes, and end up overextending yourself trying to protect me.”

So you feel like you have to protect me from yourself?” Asami asked.

I know it sounds stupid, but… yeah,” Korra admitted, “it isn’t so much about Ryuuki as it is about me. It’s not that I feel like I need to protect you from him, I just. I feel like I need to protect you from me. Like me just being a part of your life puts you in danger. Like I’m one mistake away from you getting yourself hurt, or worse.”

Asami frowned. “Ravi was right…”

Korra looked confused. “What do you mean…?”

I talked to him about this last night, when he came to me about Ryuuki. He’s the one who pushed me to finally talk to you about all of this. But. He said he thought that you’d internalized all your failures. That you felt like you weren’t good enough for me.”

Korra laughed, but in the most defeated way. “Am I really that transparent…?” she asked, “ He barely knows me, and yet…”

I don’t know, I didn’t see it. Not until he mentioned it to me.” Asami said, unsure of whether that was a mark for Korra or against herself. “This has been eating at you for so long, and I didn’t even notice. I never asked you about it. I think part of me was scared to. I wasn’t sure how you’d react if I tried to ask about it.”

I… I don’t know how I would’ve reacted either,” Korra said, looking down. “I’m not… I’m not exactly the most open person in the world, myself. You know that better than anyone. I’ve been trying hard for you, but there are some things I just don’t want to talk about. Some things you have to drag out of me kicking and screaming. And I really am trying to change that for you, I’m trying so fucking hard, but I just…”

Asami placed her hand on top of Korra’s. It was the first comforting or romantic gesture she’d made since the conversation began, and it caught Korra by surprise. When she looked to Asami for confirmation, she saw only love and compassion and she felt like she was going to cry. She quickly looked away, back to the floor.

Why are you looking at me like that? I thought you were mad at me.” Korra asked. Asami gripped onto Korra’s hand.

I can be mad at you and still love you, you know. I told you at the start, I don’t want to break up with you. That’s the whole reason I’m talking with you about this right now, I love you and I want this to work. But… you have to get over this, Korra. I can’t keep arguing with you about my right to fight alongside you. You don’t make my life any more dangerous than it already is, I’m the CEO of a major company and a huge public figure in Republic City. My life is going to be dangerous with or without you, but I feel safer with you than I do alone. I have so much faith in you and your abilities, but for so long now it’s felt like you haven’t felt the same.”

It’s not you, it’s me,” Korra insisted, “I feel like I’m cursed. Like I’m doomed to fail, no matter what I do. I just… I don’t want you to be a part of that, you know? I want to protect you from that, from me.”

I don’t need to be protected, especially not from you. I love you, more than anything. Nobody believes in you as much as I do. But you need to work through this if we’re going to be a couple. You need to have more faith in yourself, and in me. I don’t know if I can do this otherwise.”

I know. I understand.” Korra said, swallowing hard again. “I… I don’t know if I can fix this immediately. But I can promise you I’m going to work on it. I want this to work, I want us to work. You make me happier than I ever thought possible. The last thing I want to do is make you feel like I’m looking down on you, or doting on you, or don’t trust you, because I do. I trust you more than anyone in the world. I just… I have a lot to work through, I guess. I’m sorry.”

Asami pulled her girlfriend into a tight hug. She was sorry. That was all she needed to hear. “I believe you. I want this to work, too. If you can stop trying to push me away and just. Let me in. Let yourself be more vulnerable with me. Stop trying to protect me from you, or Ryuuki, or whatever else. If you can do that, then I think we’re going to be fine. I love you.”

I love you too.” Korra said, holding tightly onto her fiancee. Was she even still her fiancee? “…Are we… are we still engaged?” she asked with some hesitation.

Yeah… yeah, I think so. I’m going to give this another try.” Asami said. Korra began to cry. She couldn’t hold it in anymore. She’d been so scared that this conversation was going to be the end of them. “Just promise me you’ll think of us as equals from now on.”

I do. I promise.” Korra replied, sniffing loudly. Asami smiled, planting a soft kiss on the side of her fiancee's head.

Then I think we’re going to be just fine.”

Notes:

So this has been a difficult chapter to write, for multiple reasons. But the biggest one has been the (second) biggest part of it - Toph Beifong.

Reconciling Toph as she was in ATLA with Toph as she became in LoK has been. Difficult, to say the least. Becoming a cop was completely OOC for her, but it's the canon I've been presented with, so it's what I've had to work with. That means I've had make a few assumptions about her character and changes that must've occurred for her to have had the conversations with Korra that she had about the world not needing them and nothing she did as Chief of Police really mattering.

This painted the picture of a Toph who had been defeated. One who no longer thought that she was invincible. At some point in her life, she must've given up, and been humbled, and decided that seemingly unwinnable battles were not battles worth fighting. So that's what I went for in this fic - a defeatist Toph who feels she's been presented with another unwinnable situation, and reacting to that the same way she reacted to being the Chief. By giving up.

I always intended for her to eventually come around and join her daughters against the Chi Eater, but she's such a stubborn character, getting to that point has been difficult. Writing everything involving her up until now has been a challenge, honestly. Now that I've gotten past this part of her arc, and I've given her back some of the faith that was taken from her. or that I felt must've been taken from her, anyway, things should be much easier to write from here on out.

I'm still not 100% happy with anything in this chapter except for the first scene if I'm being honest, especially if Toph was involved, but this is the compromise I've decided to go with in order to keep my promise of an update before the end of January. I'll probably touch this chapter up a little bit over the next couple days, but nothing too major; I'm pretty committed to this direction now.

Anyway, I just wanted to give you guys a bit of insight into how I chose to write Toph and why! This hasn't been my favorite chapter at all, but I hope you guys enjoyed the read anyway!

Chapter 24: Prepare for War

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Book Five
Chi

Chapter 24
Prepare for War

 

“So, how does this lavabending thing work, exactly?” Korra asked.

Two days had passed since her little heart-to-heart with Asami, and preparations were well under way for the impending war against the Chi Eater. In this time, the United Forces had been called to the city in order to reinforce the decimated police force, and Ravi had gone back undercover with the triads. He was slated to reconvene with the group any day now in order to give them fresh intel on the triads’ battle capabilities, but he’d gone radio silent since leaving Asami, which had turned the otherwise unflappable CEO into a nervous wreck.

Though he had warned them he beforehand would likely not be able to make contact again for some time, this had not stopped Asami from worrying for his safety now that she knew what was going on, especially now that he was a double-agent. Though she’d been the one to suggest it in the first place, she didn’t have much faith in the failed assassination attempt cover story the two of them had cooked up. She’d seen what Ryuuki was capable of first hand, and up until this point, he’d always been one step ahead of them. And now that Bolin had filled them in that he could steal people’s memories and bending with their chi, her unease only deepened. What if Ravi hadn’t been as careful as he thought he’d been? If somebody, anybody figured out that he was a spy, and Ryuuki ate their chi – or even if he ate the chi of the wrong officer – then his cover was as good as blown.

What’s worse, due to the dissolution of the Earth Kingdom, the United Forces were far from able to respond in a timely manner to President Raiko’s SOS. Their soldiers were currently all over the continent putting out fires and handling the transition alongside some of the Fire Nation’s troops, so the odds that any of them would be able to make it to Republic City in less than 5 days were fairly remote.

And then there was the news on Ryuuki’s assault on Kuvira’s prison. Though there were no survivors to tell the tale, sailors’ accounts of a sharp-dressed man leisurely walking the stormy seas left no doubt as to who was responsible. Though Kuvira’s body – empty husk or otherwise – was nowhere to be found, neither were the bodies of any of her guards. The general consensus was that everybody had died in Ryuuki’s attack and that their bodies had been swept away by the storm, but something about that didn’t sit right with Korra. Unfortunately, however, it wasn’t an investigation she could allow herself to take part in. While she waited for news from either Ravi or the United Forces, her only task was to focus on her training and prepare for the coming war. There was no telling when either party would make contact, so every hour, every minute, counted.

And that was what brought Korra here today, to the mountains outside of Republic City, to formally begin her lavabending training. Now that she was finally happy with where her lightningbending was at, she could allow herself to focus on something new. So, she collected Bolin, informed Lin and Tenzin of where she would be, and got to work.

Unfortunately for Korra, however, Bolin did not seem to have the answers she was looking for.

“Um… well… okay, so…” Bolin stammered, clearly out of his element with this whole ‘teaching’ thing.

“Come on, Bolin, I know you can do it. You were the one who showed me more modern styles of bending when I arrived in Republic City! You’re a great teacher,” Korra praised, hoping it would help him find his rhythm.

“No, I know, it’s just, this is different,” Bolin explained, “when it comes to regular old bending, I know what I’m doing. I know how I was taught, what lessons were passed down to me, and I can pass those on no problem. Lavabending is sort of something I just. Discovered I could do one day. One second we were all going to die, the next second, I was holding back a river of lava. I still don’t know what came over me, let alone how I did it. How I still do it. It’s… there is no technique to my lavabending. No forms or lessons I can teach you. It’s all just… feeling. How do I teach a feeling?”

“Well… what does it feel like? When you lavabend?” Korra asked. She had to start somewhere.

“Hmm… kind of like, ‘bwaa’, you know? Oh, oh, or maybe ‘bwuu’. That works too. Definitely ‘bwaa’ or ‘bwuu’. Depends on how much lava I’m bending, really.”

“Uh… ‘bwaa’ or ‘bwuu’…?”

“No, no, you gotta say it with feeling! These are feelings, Korra, not words,” Bolin corrected.

Korra sighed. This was going to be more difficult than she thought. “Right. Well, I guess that’s our first problem. You’re an intuitive bender, you don’t really think about your form or technique or anything like that, you just act on pure instinct. I’m a completely different kind of bender.”

“Huh, I always heard you bullied your first three elements into submission. Isn’t that kind of intuitive? Nobody showed you how to earthbend or firebend, but you did it anyway.”

“No. Well, not exactly. That’s different,” Korra explained, “when I discovered I could bend more than one element, it was no different from how any bender discovers their element. I just… tried it and it worked for me. I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if I was the Avatar?’, tried to move a rock, and it turned out to be true. But when it comes to actually, properly bending, I’m steeped in tradition. All my teachers have been very old fashioned, I’ve had ancient forms and techniques hammered into me for as long as I can remember. Whenever I bend, that structure is a part of me. It took me a long time to get good enough with all the elements that I could use them without thinking. I still have a little trouble doing that with air, if I’m being honest with you.”

“I see… yeah, no, I’m completely different. Like, yeah, I had a few earthbenders show me the ropes, like some basic stances and stuff, but a lot of what I learned, I learned on the streets through trial and error. I stuck with whatever habits felt right and dropped whatever went wrong for me. I’ve never thought about any of that stuff when I fight.”

“That’s why Toph praises you, you’re a natural. You don’t think, you just do, and as a fighter that is a quality shared by the best of the best, it’s second nature to them. She called me out on thinking too much when I first met her in the swamp, when I still didn’t have my head on straight. Well, not that I’m very ‘straight’ now, but, you know what I mean,” Korra laughed, “anyway, I admire that about you. But I can see why it might be difficult for you to teach me if you’ve always learned through intuition.”

“Yeah… when it comes to lavabending, there isn’t really any trick to it. My movements have to become a little more fluid, so I’ve actually studied a little waterbending to help with that since lava is technically a liquid, but it’s just stances and basic movements, really. I modify everything on the fly according to what feels right or wrong. I don’t… really have any tips or tricks to give you. You just. Have to feel it out,” Bolin said with a frown.

“Yeah, I thought it might be something like that…” Korra said dejectedly, “it’s not going to be a problem once I figure out how to make some lava, I’m sure I can come up with my own style from there, it’s just taking that first step, you know?”

“Yeah, I get what you mean. The first bit of lavabending I ever did was cooling it down, and it was entirely out of desperation, like I said. It was bend or die, so I bent. And no, before you ask, I’m not going to start throwing lava at you until you figure out how to bend it back at me,”

Korra laughed. “Damn, well, that answered my next question,” she joked, “but okay then. I’ll have to come at this another way. I’m an earthbender, a firebender, and a waterbender – each of these forms has something I need. Earth requires stubbornness and will to move. Fire generates heat and redirects it from one place to another. Water can be freely changed from liquid to solid and back again, if you’re skilled enough. If I can just somehow combine all three of these things, theoretically, I should get lava, right?”

“Uh…” Bolin thought for a moment.

“Don’t worry, it was more of a rhetorical question. Basically, this should be like simultaneous bending. I’m pretty good at that, especially in the Avatar State, so maybe, if I get a boost from Raava…” Korra thought aloud. Stomping the ground in front of her, she brought up a pillar of earth then spun around and kicked a chunk off its top. This piece of rock was going to be her test subject. Shifting into the Avatar State, Korra’s eyes glowed white, and she began applying the three traits she’d just described onto the piece of earth simultaneously, trying everything she could to raise its temperature enough that it would melt. But no matter how hard she tried, there was no effect.

Firebenders were used to generating high temperatures, true, and Korra could especially crank up the heat in the Avatar State, but that was nothing compared to what was needed to melt rock. When it came to phase shifting, water to ice and vice versa was a relatively narrow gulf in temperature, but she was looking at a gradient of thousands of degrees here, there was no real comparison. Maybe Ryuuki, with his bright blue flames that burned like the surface of the sun, would have a better chance of liquefying earth than she did. She just couldn’t generate enough heat. Even though the boulder began to smolder, that was about as much as she could do. And not only was it not enough, it was incredibly slow, doing it like this. This approach would be completely useless in a fight.

Defeated, Korra exited the Avatar State with a sigh. “I guess just because it sounds good in theory doesn’t mean it’s going to be good in practice…”

“That’s because you’re going at it all wrong, you’re thinking like an airbender instead of an earthbender.”

The sudden interruption of Toph’s voice caught Korra and Bolin both off guard, the two of them jolting with a start before turning around to face the legendary master. She seemed to have developed a nasty habit of sneaking up on people in her old age.

“Toph! Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?” Bolin asked.

“I told you I wanted to see you fall on your face trying to teach Korra lavabending, didn’t I? Once Suyin told me what you two were up to, I just had to come see for myself.” Toph replied with a self-assured grin. Bolin frowned.

“Yeah, well, like I told Korra, for me it’s just a feeling. There’s nothing for me to really teach her.”

“You must not be very good at heart-to-hearts, are you? Not that I’m one to talk. Putting your feelings into words isn’t for everybody. Your bending styles just don’t mix.”

Korra nodded. “Yeah, I figured that was the case. I’m-”

“Rigid and stale. Trust me, I know, we’ve sparred. The White Lotus taught you traditionally, but that won’t cut it in this day and age, and I told them as much when they found you. But did they listen to me? No. They were all moaning about ‘tradition’ and ‘precedent’ and ‘maintaining the art and the legacy of bending’ – I always thought a more modern, proactive style of bending would suit an Avatar with your temperament much better than what they filled your head with. It’s no wonder the Chi Eater kicked your ass, you have a lot of nasty habits to unlearn. Your training and your experience must constantly be at odds with each other.” Toph surmised.

Korra wanted to protest, but none of what Toph had said was wrong, necessarily. She put it into words better than she could have. “I didn’t know you wanted to teach me modern bending styles… why didn’t you step in as my earthbending teacher when Katara asked? You could’ve taught me so much.”

“Bah, I’d been long since retired by the time you started your earthbending training. Teaching Aang was a lifelong task, and he never really took to my lessons all that well, if you ask me. The last thing I wanted in my retirement was a repeat of that. Besides, your dad and Tenzin were confident in the White Lotus and insisted you stay in that compound in the South. I would’ve moved you out to the Swamp to learn with me, and that was a non-starter for them.”

Korra frowned. It seemed their overprotectiveness was still finding ways to mess with her, even after all these years. As their overabundance of caution reared its ugly head yet again, she found herself even more understanding of Asami’s frustration. “So… what did you mean when you said I was doing it wrong?” she asked, hoping to get back on topic.

“I might not have been able to learn lavabending myself, but I had a student who could do it once, back when I first started my Metalbending Academy. I studied up as much as I could on it and learned alongside him to help him be the best bender he could be, so I know quite a bit about it in theory. I even watched him put some of it into practice. At the end of the day, lavabending is just really advanced earthbending. You’re thinking like an airbender, looking for some other angle on it instead of tackling the problem head-on like an earthbender would. There is no trick that’s going to get you to lavabend. If you want to do it, you need to will it into being, just like that. Don’t take no for an answer, no matter how stubborn it is.”

“Yeah, well, that’s easier said than done…” Korra complained. Toph bent the ground beneath her feet and knocked her onto her backside in response, shaking her head.

“You’re never going to do it talking like that,” she chastised, “what did you do wrong?”

“Well, I think-”

“Wrong again! Don’t think. Just tell me.”

“I don’t know.” Korra admitted.

“Spirits, you’re hopeless…” Toph sighed, “okay, let’s take this from the top, then.” Without so much as the slightest movement, Toph bent a bench of earth up behind her and took a seat. Korra and Bolin shared a look and then mimicked her, forming seats of their own. Bolin was just here for the show, at this point. “How did you first learn you could earthbend?”

“It was the second element that came to me. I just… tried to move a rock, and it moved.”

“For some earthbenders, moving a rock is the toughest step. Take Aang, for example. He was completely hopeless. He wanted to do anything but face it head-on. Clearly, you were different. Your will overpowered the rock’s and you moved it because you wanted it to move. Notice how at no point in this brief series events did you think. You just did. You imposed your will on the world around you. That is the core tenet of all earthbending. Metal and lava are no different, they’re just more advanced applications of this same basic principal. Metal is more stubborn than ordinary earth, and lava is more stubborn than even that. You have to either be equally as stubborn or extremely strong-willed like your friend over there if you’re going to pull it off.”

Bolin’s face lit up when Toph called him strong-willed. It was nice getting compliments from his hero.

“You’ve already mastered all the elements, so I’m sure you know the ingredients to making lava by now, right?” Toph asked.

“Some earth, phase changing, heat, and willpower, right?”

“You’re missing something.”

Korra and Bolin shared another look. “I am?”

“Pressure.” Toph revealed. “Pressure is the key to lavabending. Yes, you need a strong will, but this isn’t metal, that alone isn’t going to cut it, and neither is heat. Try to apply heat to a rock and you’ll just get it to smolder, if that. You need to make lava the same way the Earth makes lava: heat and pressure. The pressures beneath the surface of this planet are unfathomable, and it only gets higher the deeper you go. Eventually, you reach a point where rock stops being solid altogether, and everything is molten entirely because of pressure, with a little added heat from the planet’s core.”

“That… makes sense. So when I’m trying to turn earth to lava, what I’m really doing is just exerting as much pressure as I possibly can as quickly as I can?”

“Heat and pressure, you need both together for it to work properly. You’ve been going at it with only half the picture, it’s no wonder you haven’t done it yet. But knowing is the easy part. Actually generating the amount of pressure needed to turn earth into lava is almost impossible. No ordinary earthbender can do it, not even me, and even if we could, we wouldn’t be able to provide that final push of a little added heat. Bolin might not realize it, but he does all of this without even thinking about it – to turn earth into lava as quickly as he does requires an unbelievable amount of both, and it’s just second nature to him. As the Avatar, that shouldn’t be impossible for you. Theoretically, you have the potential to be the greatest bender in the world in every incarnation, but actually realizing that potential is the hard part. It’s probably going to take you a long, long time to figure out how to generate the forces necessary.”

“I don’t know, I picked up all my bending forms pretty quickly, except for airbending. Heck, I learned lightningbending in three days! Though I probably should practice that more too when I’m done here, just to be sure,” Korra thought aloud. It never hurt to be cautious.

“Yes, but you’ve never faced an element as stubborn as this before. You may have been a natural growing up, but how are you under pressure? There’s no telling when your girlfriend’s coworker is going to have the Chi Eater out in the open for you. If you really want to do this, you don’t have all the time in the world, you have now. Think you have the guts to rise to the challenge?”

Standing up, Korra pounded her fist into her open hand and flashed a crooked grin. “You bet I do.”

Toph smiled. “Then prove it to me,” she said, dismissing the bench she’d created, as well as Korra’s and Bolin’s. For Korra this was no problem since she was already standing up, but it caught Bolin off guard and he fell almost immediately.

“Hey!” he complained.

“You too, lava boy. I’ve sparred with Korra before, and I wasn’t impressed, but I have no clue how you are in a fight. Why don’t you help her try to take me on?”

“Hey, I wasn’t exactly in the best place when we sparred in the swamp, you know. You’re in for a big surprise if you think it’s going to be like last time,” Korra informed.

“Big words, but that’s all they are without the will to see them through. Bolin can fight me however he wants. As for you, Korra, I want you to focus on will and pressure. When I bend at you, I want you to contest my bending and either crush my earth or send it back at me while I actively try and resist you. If you can overpower me, then you’re on the right track. If not, we’ll know how far you have left to go.”

“Sparring? With my bending idol? Yeah, sure, why not, it’s not like I’ve dreamed of this my whole life or anything,” Bolin said, playing it very cool. (Author’s Note: He was not, in fact, playing it very cool.)

“Go ahead, make the first move,” Toph invited.

Korra and Bolin shared a look, initially unsure of who should act first, but the excitement tipped the scales in Bolin’s favor. His first move was simple, creating and throwing a simple rock in Toph’s direction. It should’ve been easy. But without so much as lifting her arm, she stole control of the chunk of stone in mid-air, long after Bolin had released his own, and she sent it flying right back at him. It collided with his stomach and broke apart, Bolin becoming winded and doubling over before a twitch of Toph’s foot swept the earth out from beneath his feet.

“Boring. Try something I can’t bend,” she chided. They were here to lavabend, after all. “if you’re not going to take this seriously then what’s the point?”

While Bolin got back on his feet and Toph was busy chastising him, Korra decided to take the opportunity to try and catch the old master by surprise. But just like in the swamp, she was completely tuned in to her environment. She could feel her feet shift through her seismic sense before the slightest bit of heat rose up her arm. By the time she actually firebent, it felt like an eternity had passed to Toph, who sidestepped the blast with her hands behind her back. When Korra tried to follow up with an airbending sweep to her legs, she turned the ground she was standing on into a small platform. Once the air collided harmlessly with the earth, she bent the platform back down, and made her first move. She was ignoring Bolin and going straight for Korra.

The ground began to collapse in a curved line headed in Korra’s direction, threatening to pull her under unless she moved, but before she could, Bolin jumped to her defense and created a pit of lava to cut off the collapsing earth. This had the desired effect of stopping Toph’s attack in its tracks, and Bolin came running in tossing globs of lava from the pit he’d created in Toph’s direction.

Reading lava through her seismic sense was markedly more difficult than regular earth. It was like trying to sense the ocean floor miles beneath the waves, the fluid making the image fuzzier and less precise. But she didn’t need her seismic sense to feel the heat of the rock coming toward her, and she skillfully dodged to the right and then the left, skating forward as she did. Her next move was to create a giant wall and then knock it over with a gesture, sending it falling in Korra and Bolin’s direction. Bolin moved to intercept, but Korra stopped him.

“I’ve got this, Bolin. I’m supposed to contest her bending, remember?” she reminded. With her only other option being getting crushed, Korra would have to power through and hold the slab of stone back on her own. This was a task that was drastically more difficult than she was expecting. It barely budged an inch back at her protest, and as it closed in on flattening her she dipped into the Avatar State for the boost she needed to crack the slab in two.

“Can’t you do anything without the Avatar State?” Toph chided more, “You’re never going to turn earth into lava relying solely on Raava. I mean, sure, you can if you really want to, but why limit yourself? You should be able to do it on your own.”

“I don’t think my-”

“Stop thinking!”

Korra sighed. Right.

“Try again. And this time, put some backbone into it!” Stomping her foot, Toph created a simple boulder like Bolin had done at the start, sending it flying in Korra’s direction with the intention of having her stop it in mid-flight, without Raava’s help. It was easier said than done. All Korra was able to do was slow the boulder down a small amount before it collided with her chest and broke apart, knocking her onto her back like she was Bolin. “What was that? I thought you were supposed to be tough as nails! Do better!”

“I’m trying,” Korra insisted, getting back onto her feet without the assistance offered to her by Bolin.

“Maybe if I distract her with some lava, it’ll give you an opening to-”

“No, I have to match her will, that’s the whole point of this training right now. Send another!” Korra requested. Toph grinned. That was more like it.

“Hope you don’t mind bruising some ribs, because if that’s all the resistance you can muster, you’re never going to stop a rock, let alone send it back at me!” Toph taunted, stepping forward and sending another boulder in Korra’s direction. Bolin winced as she failed to stop it yet again, another blow to her rib cage knocking her back down. Once again, all she’d managed to do was slow it down some and soften the blow. Toph wasn’t letting go control of that rock the entire time, and her bending grip was strong as iron.

“Again,” Korra requested as she got back up for a second time. Toph didn’t let her finish getting back on her feet before following through with another rock, the suddenness catching Korra by surprise and knocking her back down half-way up.

“What, you think the Chi Eater’s going to wait until you’re back on your feet? Your will must be indomitable all the time, especially when you’re down!” It made sense, but it also really hurt. Korra groaned as she started getting back up again. This time, she was ready when Toph moved fluidly into the next attack, reaching out and demanding the rock in front of her stop, but once again only managing to slow it down, albeit more than she had been before.

“Gee, seems to be a little air resistance today,” Toph taunted. Korra inhaled sharply.

“Again,” she said. Toph complied without a word, another boulder coming for her she was determined to put a stop to. And this time, inches from her body, she saw it crack before it hit her, sending her back on her ass for the fourth time in a row.

Now we’re getting somewhere, I almost felt that,” Toph remarked, “but I expect more than that from the Avatar! Try harder!”

Bolin frowned. With Toph and Korra falling into a rhythm, there wasn’t much for him to do but watch. What happened to sparring with his idol? Dejected, Bolin bent another earthen bench to sit and watch their training from. Korra kept getting knocked down. A lot. He could see the rock slow more and more with each attempt, but she could never seem to stop it, let alone send it back at Toph. This was clearly going to take a while, but Korra seemed determined to keep going, no matter how many times she got knocked down. During a few of her attempts, he could’ve sworn he almost saw the boulder break in two, but if it did, Toph held it together until it collided with Korra. This went on for several more minutes before Korra finally, triumphantly, put a stop to Toph’s rocks.

“You’re determined, I’ll give you that much,” Toph relented, though her grip on the earth remained as tight as ever. Korra was succeeding at keeping it in place while Toph willed it forward, but she couldn’t get it to budge even a few inches backwards, let alone shatter it. “but I’m not going to let up. I can tell from your posture that you’re straining, but I can do this all day. You’re going to need to be more determined than that to overpower me. Dig deeper.”

Korra wasn’t sure how much ‘deeper’ she had left in her. Even in her 90’s, Toph was still the greatest earthbender in the world. She couldn’t begin to imagine how much stronger she must’ve been in her prime, how much stronger Ryuuki was going to be. This was just a glimpse of what she’d have to contend with when she tried to contest Ryuuki’s bending, a fraction of what she’d have to muster to phase change solid earth into lava. As she struggled to hold the stone in place, it began to dawn on her how much farther she still had to go. How much higher she could still climb. Usually when up against a will as strong as Toph’s, Korra would go into the Avatar State and pluck control away from her opponents like it was nothing. But she wouldn’t have the Avatar State when she fought the Chi Eater. Toph was right to be pushing her as hard as she was.

“This is getting boring, I’m going to put my back into it now,” Toph remarked, taking up a proper earthbending form for the first time since she started slinging rocks at the Avatar. If Korra thought her will was strong before, it was nothing compared to now – Toph had been holding back, hard. But to the surprise of them both, the rock wasn’t moving as easily as they’d expected. It was moving, yes, but very, very slowly. Korra was still holding her own, keeping the earth at bay. Toph scowled at the display, her muscles tensing as she put even more force behind her bending.

The boulder was moving faster now, but not by much. And before long, it was slowing back down. She wasn’t going to say it, but Toph was impressed; she wasn’t holding back anymore. If this is what Korra could do with twenty minutes of training, she was curious to see what she could manage in a couple days.

Once again, the boulder came to a halt. It had made it most of the way to Korra now, levitating only a few feet away from her, but it was stationary. Sort of. The rock was visibly trembling, trying to move in any direction it could but being resisted at every turn. There was nowhere for it to go. This battle of wills went on a few moments more before something had to give, and the chunk of earth collapsed in on itself, both women releasing their hold as the dirt and debris fell harmlessly to the ground. The pressure of their combined bending grips had overpowered the strength of the stone.

“Hmph. I guess they don’t make rocks like they used to,” Toph reasoned, closing her eyes and relaxing back into her usual hunched position, her arms folded behind her back. “so you can stop a rock now, big whoop. You still don’t have strength enough to actually overpower me, let alone turn earth into lava. But keep on going like this, and it’s only a matter of time.” And that was about as much praise as Korra was going to get from the old master. She was here to train a lavabender, not stroke her ego.

Though she was visibly exhausted both physically and mentally, Korra wasn’t about to back down now, not after finally having some measure of success. “Come on, another one, I can take it,” she requested.

“No.”

“What, why?” Korra asked.

“We have a guest,” Toph revealed, once again announcing a new arrival before they’d visibly shown up. Much to Korra’s dismay, it turned out to be Suyin. Her appearance usually meant there was work to be done, and typically it wasn’t the fun kind.

“Mom, Korra, Bolin,” Suyin briefly greeted, “we just got word from Ravi. I was sent to come get you two before we really dove into it.”

“What, decided you don’t need my help anymore?” Toph asked.

“You’re free to sit in if you want, but we’ll be assigning roles based on Ravi’s intel and everybody there knows better than to try and tell you what to do. We kind of assumed you’d just be doing things your own way during the war, if you even took part at all.”

“Well, I can’t argue with that logic, you know me well,” Toph smirked, “I think I’ll sit in anyway, though. Certainly wouldn’t be my first war strategy meeting. And besides, I don’t know anything about the triads of today. Couldn’t hurt to hear what they’re capable of.”

“I guess I’ll have to put a pin in my lavabending training for today then, huh?” Korra asked, sounding a little dejected all things considered. She felt like she was finally starting to get somewhere.

“Don’t think you’re getting off that easy – consider this meeting a break. If you want to master lavabending in only a couple days, you’re going to need to eat, sleep, and breathe training. I fully expect you ready to pick up where we left off when it’s over,” Toph said.

“You mean you’re going to continue working with me?”

“Of course I am, you just made it interesting. That chi eating freak notwithstanding, it’s been decades since somebody actually contested my bending. It’s such a waste your parents didn’t let you train in the swamp with me, if this what you can do in thirty minutes, I could’ve turned you into a new me.”

Suyin was shocked. “Wait, Korra, you contested my mom’s bending?”

“The two were fighting so hard over it, the rock was crushed before it moved one way or the other,” Bolin informed.

“Wow. I guess I should’ve expected that given how quickly you picked up metalbending, but…”

“That reminds me,” Korra said, “I wanted to practice my metalbending with you a little bit, as well. It’s another element we know Ryuuki can’t bend yet.”

Suyin and Bolin shared a look. It was Bolin who decided to speak up, though. “…Korra, I know you think Kuvira’s still alive, but it’s probably best we assume she isn’t and that Ryuuki took her bending,” he said, “regardless of whether she is or isn’t, the city’s swarming with metalbenders right now and people are disappearing every day. He probably is a metalbender by now.”

“That’s all the more reason for me to train then, I have to be better than he is at it,” Korra replied. For now, she resisted the temptation to speak on Kuvira. There wasn’t much more for her to say she hadn’t said already.

“Okay, we’ll try and fit it in between your lavabending training then,” Suyin confirmed. With all that settled, the group began the trek back to Air Temple Island.

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** ***

 

With the precincts in ruins, Air Temple Island had become the de facto base of operations for the impending war. The acolytes did what they could to accommodate their guests, but there was only so much food and so much space to go around. With so many people to fill in on the battle plan, the only place big enough for everybody to gather and strategize was the dining hall, so that was where Korra found herself now. Also there were Asami, Mako, Bolin, Suyin, Lin, Tenzin, the Four Captains, Opal, Jinora, and Toph. And of those gathered, Jinora was perhaps the most surprising addition.

It wasn’t without protestations from her father, of course. But with Tenzin out of commission, potentially forever, she was the only Airbender skilled enough to take on the Chi Eater directly. She claimed she felt fine now, and that all she needed was a day of rest after Ryuuki’s attack on her soul, but Korra and Tenzin both were skeptical. But similarly, both were out of options. Whether they wanted to admit it or not, they needed her help, especially if they were going to be dealing with any more corrupted spirits. She’d been right on every account with regard to the Chi Eater’s decoy, and she had a good rapport with the spirits of the city. They’d be lost without her, and they knew it.

Around a large table in the middle of the dining hall, three cork boards were set up with pictures of Atsushi, Chiasa, Ryuuki, and the Five Captains of the Triple Threats. According to Ravi’s intel, Atsushi and Chiasa were the only benders of note still left in their respective triads, with many of their strongest having long since defected to the Triple Threats before Kuvira’s attack. Their triads were small, but those who were left were fiercely loyal and dedicated to their respective boss. Regardless of their skill level, as a united front, they would be difficult to break through should they form up to protect the heads.

Scattered on the table meanwhile were a number of binders full of information on the triads and their key members salvaged by the RCPD’s captains from the rubble of the precincts, as well as the more up-to-date information gathered by Ravi. While he wished he could’ve been here to present the information in-person, or at least relayed it over the phone, it appeared neither option was viable at the moment. The only word they got from him was that it was difficult compiling and smuggling out the two binders he’d compiled, with no further updates on his status or his safety. This, of course, did not do much to ease Asami’s concerns.

And Asami would be the one leading today’s proceedings, with Lin and Suyin supporting her. She was the smartest person in the room and everybody knew it, and if her skills in pai sho were anything to go by, this would be a role that fit her perfectly. Now that Korra and company were back, and everybody was settled in, she could finally begin the meeting in earnest.

“Everybody, if I can have your attention please,” Asami began, conversations coming to a halt as she gathered everybody’s attention. “as we are all aware, Ryuuki – the Chi Eater – has effectively declared war on Republic City. Compiling the forces of three of the city’s bending triads, he has created an army with the sole intention of causing as much havoc as possible in order to pressure the Avatar into surrender. To this end, he has threatened my life, and the lives of everybody close to her or who takes her side in the coming war. As such, the principal targets of his campaign will not be Korra specifically, but all of us, instead. By now, you all should have been filled in on the story of Avatar Rin and the Chi Eater’s history with the Avatar?” Asami surveyed the room. The four captains, Lin, Suyin, and Jinora all nodded along.

“Then you’re all aware of how dangerous a bender Ryuuki actually is. All of us have seen him in action to varying degrees – he is perhaps the most skilled firebender to ever live, and has access to the other three elements through unknown means. What is known, however, is that he can steal a bender’s knowledge of their art with their chi, meaning every bender he kills in this way increases his skill as a bender in that element. So far, he has not demonstrated any bending abilities outside of the four basic bending arts and lightningbending. However, given the proliferation of metalbenders in the city since Kuvira’s attack, the number of officers killed by his decoy spirit, and his recent assault on Kuvira’s prison, we have good reason to believe he may also now be capable of metalbending. Though, to what degree, we have no idea. It is therefore best to assume he is a master, just as he is with the other five bending styles.”

Li Jing raised her hand. “About that, how the heck is that even possible? I thought only the Avatar could bend all the elements. What makes Ryuuki so special?”

To this, Korra replied. “Actually, I’ve been giving that some thought lately, and after talking it over with Jinora, we’ve come up with a theory based on what we know of the first Avatar, Wan. Ryuuki himself hinted at this story during my first fight with him, saying that if I knew it I should be able to figure it out.”

“This is the first I’m hearing of it,” Asami mentioned, a little surprised.

“I wasn’t withholding it on purpose or anything, I just wanted to give it some more thought before I presented it as an actual theory and we tried acting on it. But I think it holds up.”

“And what did you come up with?” Wang Xiu asked.

“Spirits. Jinora reminded me that the only reason the Avatar can bend all four elements is because Raava, the spirit of light and peace, holds onto the other three elements for us. It’s not that there’s anything special about my body specifically – I’m just an ordinary waterbender. Raava is what makes me the Avatar, and she is the reason I have access to the other three elements. In other words, a human body cannot hold onto more than one element at a time on its own. According to what Raava told Wan, this should kill a person, but Ryuuki’s still alive,” Korra began, with Jinora picking up from there.

“Exactly. But the Chi Eater isn’t just a threat to humans, but to spirits, too. Ryuuki’s decoy was known to hunt down other spirits and consume them whole, and for a while, this had me, Korra, and Raava stumped. Doing that made it incredibly unstable, and caused it a great deal of pain. It’s not something it would choose to do on its own, meaning it’s something it was forced to do by Ryuuki. So why would Ryuuki want to eat spirits? According to Korra, he’s said the chi of benders is a bit more potent, probably because we can use it to bend an element, so it stands to reason a spirit’s chi would be even more potent than that. But I think it goes even deeper than that.

I don’t know the specifics, but I think, somehow, Ryuuki has found a way to fuse the spirits he eats with his own body and soul, and that he is using these fused spirits to hold on to all the other elements and bending sub-types for him. When I think about what it felt like when he finally stopped hiding his presence, how overwhelming and oppressive and twisted up it felt, I can’t imagine any human person having an aura that intense. And the spirits Korra has talked to have confirmed that the Chi Eater isn’t fully human anymore. So the only explanation I can think of is that he’s holding a bunch of spirits inside of himself, and this is the source of all his crazy powers, including the ability to bend all the elements.”

Korra spoke back up. “Ordinarily, a human should never be able to consume a spirit – if they tried, it’s likely the exact opposite would happen, and they’d end up possessed, mutated, or killed outright. But Ryuuki is an energybender, and I think he may have found some way to use that ability to use lesser spirits to hold onto the other elements for him. Raava was an exceptionally powerful spirit, so if I’m right, other spirits can probably only hold onto one element at a time, just like humans.”

“So he could have as many as six spirits inside of him right now?” Li Jing asked.

“Maybe more,” Korra reminded, “we honestly have no idea. But like Jinora said, I think this might explain all his otherworldly powers. The strength, the speed, the healing, the resurrection, the bending – all of it. If I’m right, he’s converting these consumed spirits’ energy directly into matter, just like the spirits themselves do to give themselves bodies, and then using this matter to repair any damage that is done to him. I was able to do something similar to Mako by permanently sacrificing some of my chi to patch up the holes in the energy pathways of his arm. It took some effort, but I was able to turn that energy into matter, and if that’s something I can do without any practice whatsoever, then it should be something Ryuuki can do with over a thousand years of experience.”

“If that’s the case, then his healing and resurrection abilities aren’t infinite,” Mako pointed out, “it probably takes most, if not all of a spirit’s energy to bring himself back from the dead. Meaning if we kill him enough times, eventually it ought to stick, right?”

“More than that, if we make him use up the spirits that are holding onto the other elements for him, we should be able to strip him of his other bending, too.” Hui tacked on.

“Yes, but realistically, that might not be doable. Ryuuki alone is as strong as I am in the Avatar State at bare minimum, and he should be well aware of his own limitations. I don’t think it’s feasible for us to kill him enough times to completely exhaust him of his energy. He’ll do everything in his power to prevent that from happening, up to and including eating the chi of us and anybody else fighting him to replenish his reserves. Humans shouldn’t give him as much chi as a spirit would, but theoretically he should be able to turn any chi from any source into matter,” Korra explained.

“So what are we supposed to do, then?” Wang Xiu pressed.

“Keep him busy. If all of this has been done through energybending, then I should be able to undo it through energybending. If I can just manage to make physical contact with him, I should be able to tell not only how many spirits are inside of him, but if I can maintain contact, I should be able to bend their energy out of him directly all at once. There’s no way I can do this on my own, though. All our best benders will have to be accompanying me in fighting Ryuuki to make as many openings as possible for me to pull this off. So no matter what, we’re still going to be in for one heck of a fight.”

“I see… assuming your theories are true, then, our ultimate goal should be for all of us gathered here to make it through Ryuuki’s army and find our way to you. I don’t think he’s going to let us stay together once the fighting starts, and he’ll probably use the other triad heads and captains to try and separate us and pick us off individually, so we’ll have to somehow manage to subdue them, break through his numbers, and then hopefully still have enough energy to help you fight Ryuuki himself. I honestly don’t know what sounds more unrealistic. Doing that, or somehow killing him in a fight a dozen times.”

“Don’t worry about the small fry,” Toph interjected, speaking up for the first time since arriving back on Air Temple Island, “leave them to me and Jiang. I may be old, but I’ve still got plenty of raw power, and he can command almost as much earth at once as I can. We should be able to keep vast swaths of his army busy all on our own.”

“It means a lot to have my bending recognized by one as esteemed as yourself. I would be honored to fight alongside you,” Jiang confirmed.

“Depending on when Ravi has him prone, we may have the United Forces backing us up, as well,” Tenzin reminded, “according to President Raiko they should be here by the end of the week at the latest.”

“That hinges entirely on whether or not Ravi can wait until the end of the week, though,” Asami countered, “it may not be plausible if a better opportunity presents itself before they get here. As much as I hate to say it, we should probably plan to fight with as few people on our side as possible.”

“Ryuuki killed a good deal of the metalbenders I brought in from Zaofu when he attacked the precincts, but not all of them. So we have at least two dozen men from Zaofu, including those I personally trained, plus all the officers who were off-duty during the storm.” Suyin said.

“The Air Nation will be taking part, as well,” Jinora tacked on, “ordinarily it wouldn’t be in our nature to seek out a fight, but part of our job now is to help the Avatar maintain peace and balance in the world, and this war is going to be critical for that. Ryuuki has to be stopped.”

Asami hummed. “That does put us in a better position collectively, but individually, we still have to contend with the heads of the Agni Kais and the Red Monsoons. I was going over the information the police had compiled and comparing it to what Ravi shared with us while Korra made her way back here, and they’re nothing to sneeze at. Since Lightning Bolt Zolt’s bending was stolen, Atsushi is the most dangerous firebender in the city after Ryuuki, and according to Ravi, Chiasa is on a whole other level compared to Viper.”

“That’s another thing that surprised me, Chiasa is the head of the Red Monsoons? I never would’ve guessed she was a mob boss,” Li Jing admitted, “she always seemed very dedicated to the city and its people.”

“Ravi says those who’ve seen her in action all compare her to Master Katara in sheer waterbending force and prowess. She is incredibly dangerous, and can kill with a single touch. Her signature method of execution is to puncture a hole in your skin with a piece of ice, then use that ice to freeze all your blood in an instant, bursting your heart and killing you just as quick. Rumor has it she may also be a bloodbender, which, if Ryuuki has his way, he’ll probably have us fighting during the full moon at the end of the month so she would be at full power. After going over everything Ravi’s sent on her, I honestly believe that after Ryuuki, she is by far the biggest threat.” Asami said.

“What about Atsushi? What do we know about him?” Mako asked.

“Most of what we know about Atsushi comes from the police, which has all been corroborated by Ravi’s testimony. He’s an incredibly dangerous bender, but he’s also incredibly volatile and prone to emotional outbursts. It’s not hard to get under his skin, and if you rile him up enough, his bending does get stronger, but it also gets much sloppier. In other words, he should be able to be relatively easily subdued by a small team who spend the majority of the fight taunting him. The angrier he is, the better our chances are. What we don’t know for sure is whether or not he can lightningbend. Ravi’s never seen him do it, and doesn’t think he has the temperament for it, but we can’t entirely rule it out, either.”

“If that’s the case, Bolin and I should take him on,” Mako suggested, “Bolin’s spent his whole life sparring with me, so he knows how to fight a firebender pretty well by this point. Earth can also defend from lightning, and I’m able to redirect it if need be. I’d hate to not be by Korra’s side fighting Ryuuki from the get-go, but we can do our best to make it to her position as fast as possible.”

“Actually, I’m going to pair Bolin with Korra.” Asami said, catching Mako by surprise. “No offense, Mako, but you’re not exactly in top condition right now. I can’t in good conscience pair you up with her versus Ryuuki, which I think you already know, which is why you opted for Atsushi instead. And I think you’re right, I think you’re going to be one of our best bets at stopping him. But I also think it’s important Korra has somebody with her who can bend something Ryuuki can’t, and who can attack a wide area and keep Ryuuki on his toes. So I think Bolin is better placed with Korra once things start getting crazy. Ravi and I will accompany you versus Atsushi, instead.”

“You?” Korra asked. “Not that I’m going to try and stop you or anything, but, I kind of thought you’d be facing down Ryuuki right beside me.”

“I’m one of Ryuuki’s primary targets. I’m also a non-bender. If you and Bolin are slinging lava all around, I’d just get in the way. I can handle my own in hand-to-hand, but we’re likely not going to drive Ryuuki to that point very quickly. I’ll make my way to you as soon as possible, but at the start of the fight, I don’t think I should be there.” Asami reasoned. Korra frowned. It made sense, but she felt like there was something more she wasn’t saying. She wasn’t going to press her on it in front of everybody else, though, so for now, she let it go.

“Varrick is providing our remaining officers with top-of-the-line mecha suits, as well,” Lin revealed, “I don’t know how well they’ll do against Ryuuki, but I think we should have them reinforce Korra in the initial onslaught. You all saw what just one of them did to that corrupted spirit, and even the strongest benders have trouble taking one on one-on-one.”

“I agree. I think our best division of labor to start with would be to have Korra, Bolin, and Jinora tackle Ryuuki with reinforcement from our mecha suits, Ravi, Mako and I will take on Atsushi as I said before, and then you, Suyin, and Opal take down Chiasa. Jiang and Toph will subdue as much of Ryuuki’s bending army as possible all at once then form up around Korra, and we’ll use the remaining three captains to keep the five Triple Threats captains at bay and support myself and your teams until we can all make our way to Korra. Whatever forces we have at our disposal, including any air or metalbenders, will assist Toph and Jiang in subduing as many triads as possible and focus on making it to Korra as soon as possible. We should waste as little time and manpower on Atsushi and Chiasa as possible – the only way we’re going to defeat Ryuuki is if we overwhelm him.”

“There’s just one issue,” Toph interjected, “all this time, the Chi Eater has been holding back. If he wasn’t, you’d all be dead, full stop. He contested my bending. Mine. Granted, I’m no longer in the prime of my life, but I’ve never met a bender who could overpower me. It’s only him, and as of today, Korra. If you think you know what he’s capable of, you’re dead wrong. Whatever your worst expectations are, crank them up to 100. If he gets serious, it will not be like any other fight you’ve had in your life, and this goes for all of you. He’s overpowered and killed 7 Avatars in their prime, and he can disable the Avatar State. If you’re not on the top of your game at all times, you don’t stand even the sliver of a chance.”

“Toph is right,” Asami confirmed, “when we first encountered Ryuuki, he looked like he was having fun, like it was child’s play. We went at him with everything we had and he used just his firebending, and we could barely tag him, let alone overpower him. However strong you think he is, however strong you think the Avatar is, assume he’s stronger. It will likely take multiple benders of a single element to match him, let alone overpower him.”

Li Jing sighed. “He couldn’t have been just a firebender, could he? Dark Avatar 2.0 I guess. Hope I’m not as useless against this one as I was the first.”

“I think he can be stopped. It all hinges on me and my energybending. I’m never going to match him in skill, but I might be able to overpower him with Raava. All I need are some openings.” Korra reminded.

“Did Ravi mention anything else?” Bolin asked.

“No, he mostly just gave us background and incriminating evidence against Atsushi and Chiasa so we can arrest them when all is said and done. With Ryuuki, he’s as out of his depth as we are. I’m confident that if we can keep the teams I suggested though, and keep up the pressure, we might be able to force Ryuuki into a corner. Everything hinges on Ravi getting him out in the open now so we can catch him by surprise. A first strike is going to make all the difference.” Asami said.

“If that’s the case, it sounds like we’re done here. I’m sure you don’t need us around to coordinate the troops,” Toph reasoned, “meaning I should get back to training up the Avatar. Just fill me in on where everybody’s going to be when you’ve got that all sorted out.”

“Sounds good. And Korra,” Asami began, leaning in to give her fiancee a peck on the cheek, “good luck.” Korra blushed while the rest of the room pretended they didn’t see that.

With that, Korra’s break was over, and it was time to get back to work.

 

 

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 

Another two days passed before Ravi finally contacted the newly expanded Team Avatar again. Today, Ryuuki would be at a Future Industries warehouse inspecting some old mecha suits for triad use in the coming war, alone, and this was as good a chance as they were going to get to ambush him. The United Forces were still at least a day out from the city, meaning Asami’s presumption that they should plan around as few allies as possible was correct. What’s more, the full moon wouldn’t be for another three days, meaning Chiasa wouldn’t be at full power if he decided to bring her along. Nothing could ever be assumed or taken for granted with the Chi Eater. He’d proven far too careful and clever for their own good time and time again by now.

For Korra, two days may have been enough to master lightningbending, but lavabending was a whole other matter. This wasn’t to say she hadn’t made progress, however. She’d learned to exert far more pressure on the earth than she ever had in her life up until this point, and had just begun practicing applying heat alongside that pressure simultaneously. She’d gotten a few rocks to glow dimly, but she’d yet to create any genuine lava of her own. But it was still far more than Toph had initially assumed she’d be capable of in such a short time. Now, Korra just had to hope she could figure out the secret recipe when push came to shove in the battle with Ryuuki. If not, she’d be relying entirely on Bolin for any unbendables.

At Jinora’s direction, only herself, Korra, and Bolin would be lying in wait inside the warehouse. She presumed Ryuuki would be just as attuned to sensing others’ spiritual presence as she and Korra were, and in their spare time, the two of them had practiced a technique to try and mute their respective spirits so it would be harder for Ryuuki to detect them. If they had their whole army lying in wait, there was no doubt he’d be able to sense that. But two spiritual masters suppressing their auras and the aura of one other person? That might just work.

And so the location was set, the team was in place, and the trap was laid, and now, it was the moment of truth. Any moment now, Ravi should be arriving with Ryuuki to inspect the supposed mecha suits.

As if on cue, his low, thunderous voice could be heard approaching the bay doors. Korra and Bolin immediately shifted into a battle ready stance. As soon as he opened those bay doors, it was game time.

“I was under the impression Future Industries had stopped production of mecha suits years ago,” Ryuuki began, still skeptical of Ravi’s claims, “save for those hummingbirds, of course. Surely these can’t be on par with what VGI’s been putting out as of late.”

“Admittedly, no. These are essentially surplus from the Equalist era that were put away into storage and then forgotten about. They’re a bit clunkier than the modern models, but they’re no less powerful. They should be more than enough to give us a slight boost in strength and morale.”

Ryuuki seemed less-than-convinced. “Mm… I'm still not entirely sure we need them, and you haven’t exactly been delivering the best to me as of late, have you, Ravi?” Ryuuki mused. Ravi said nothing. "But perhaps that's what this is all about, hm? Trying to get back on my good side after the Sato fiasco?"

Ravi cleared his throat. Rather than address the entirely correct insinuation of brown nosing, he moved on to an explanation of why he hadn't procured him Varrick suits instead. “Now that Asami is aware I’m with the triads, it’s been more difficult for me to tap into the city’s resources when I’ve been ousted as a pariah,” he explained, “not that the city even has many resources left after Kuvira. But I can't exactly access any of them anymore. This is the best I can do to fortify our defenses.”

“If you say so.” Ryuuki shrugged cryptically. He was smiling, but Ravi was never able to tell if he did that out of amusement, contentment, or malice. All he knew was it always put him on edge.

But this would have to be enough. He had Ryuuki out in the open, just as he’d promised Asami. And it hadn’t been easy - he’d been incredibly skeptical of Ravi ever since he came back and told him he hadn’t managed to kill Asami, and rightfully so. Ravi had spent the majority of the past week trying to earn back Ryuuki’s trust, and regardless of whether or not it was something he’d be able to forgive himself for, he just had to hope it was enough to convince him he was still here to play ball. Everything hinged on him, right here, right now. As soon as he opened that shutter, it was going to be a bloodbath, for better or for worse. He just had to sell this one last performance.

“Oh, by the way, while I have you alone, there’s something I’ve been meaning to discuss with you,” Ryuuki said.

Ravi froze. Shit.

“…There is?”

“Yes. I appreciate you acquiring some sustenance for me and all, but I’ve otherwise been rather unimpressed with you this past week. With the entire Terra Triad as a whole, in fact. If I’m being honest, I think you’re going to be more of a liability than a help in the coming war. So, I’ve decided to replace you and your crew with Jargala and the Creeping Crystals. Sorry! I actually have no need for any outmoded mecha suits from you, or anything else for that matter.”

“I’m sorry?” Ravi was stunned. He'd been replaced? How had he not...

“No, I just said I’m sorry. I know this probably puts you in an awkward position, but, that’s not really my problem. You should be happy I’m letting you live after you failed to deliver Sato’s head.” Ryuuki shrugged, sinking his hands into his pockets as he spoke. “But, alas. There’s only so far a double agent is willing to go, isn't that right, boulder boy?”

Ravi's entire body tightened. “You…”

“That's right. I’ve known for quite a while, actually. Since before our first little meet and greet with Atsushi and Chiasa. I also know this whole little walk by the seaside here is a trap, and that you have the Avatar, the lavabender, and the littler airbender girl amateurishly trying to hide their spiritual presences from me behind that door.” Ryuuki gestured with his head to the shutter beside him, pulling his hands out of his pockets now to cup them around his face. “Korra! I know that’s you in there! Come on out! I’m not going to hurt you! Yet,” he called.

A cold sweat ran down the back of Korra’s neck. She was beginning to wonder who had exactly trapped who, here. But… there was no use trying to hide anymore. Just as Asami had been afraid of, Ryuuki knew everything. Angry and defeated, she gave the go ahead and Bolin opened the door to reveal himself, Korra, and Jinora. Ryuuki gave the three of them a cheery wave hello.

Ravi, meanwhile, was confused. “I don’t get it… if you knew I was playing you, if you knew this was a trap, then why…”

“Why didn’t I kill you right away? For the man with the plan, you’re pretty slow on the uptake, aren’t you? I’ve been telling you all from the beginning, I don’t want to fight. I don’t want to kill you. You’re the ones intent on violence here, not me. I’ve amassed my army in self defense, and I’ve made the terms of my surrender very clear. I’m even willing to execute all the triads I’ve amassed for you if you all agree to play nice going forward. And now, because I’m just such a nice guy, I’m giving you all one more chance to take me up on my offer before I raze your city to the ground.”

The frankness with which he spoke made Korra and Ravi both shudder. Ryuuki seemed entirely genuine, and they weren’t sure which was worse – the possibility that he was, or the possibility that he was just that good of an actor that he was lulling them into a false sense of security.

“I’ve already told you that’s not going to happen,” Korra said, “so if that’s all you came here to do, then you’ve wasted your time.”

Ryuuki’s smile widened. “Tell me, Korra, do you know where your fiancee is right now? Because I do.” Korra’s blood ran cold. “I’ve actually got some of my best men with her right now. Five of them, to be precise, just to make sure she didn’t “overpower” her would-be assassins this time.”

“You’re bluffing,” Korra hoped. Asami was secure. She was on Air Temple Island, surrounded by Lin's captains. By dozens of Airbenders. She was as far away from here as possible, and completely protected. He had to be lying, didn't he?

But Ryuuki shook his head, putting his fingers to his mouth and whistling, one of his triad lackeys coming around the corner with a portable radio. Evidently, he’d had himself and Ravi followed. Ravi cursed himself for not having noticed. Handing the device over to Ryuuki, the Chi Eater set the dials to the proper frequency and cleared his throat.

“Oh Xing? Could you be a dear and put Miss Sato on the line for me real quick?” Ryuuki requested. The sound of a fist striking flesh punctuated the old man’s response, a grizzled “speak” preceding the last voice Korra wanted to hear right now.

“Korra… don’t do it…”

Asami.

Without a word, Jinora ran, fleeing the scene to try and rescue Asami, but Ryuuki made no effort to stop her. Instead, he just laughed as Korra’s face went red with rage. But uncharacteristically, she didn’t move a muscle.

“You probably want to kill me right about now, don’t you? But you know you can’t. Not alone. And if I know all about your little turncoat and your trap, and your girlfriend’s location, what else must I know? How much of a bloodbath would you be starting if you tried?”

“You…” Korra seethed, “I know your secret. I know why you eat spirits, how you can bend the other elements. I know how to kill you, permanently,” she warned.

Ryuuki whistled. “I’m not too surprised, I only had to spell it out for you before you put two and two together. But knowing and doing are two entirely different things," he taunted, "I bet you’re probably still wondering how, too, aren’t you? How can I have so many spirits living inside of me and still maintain my sense of self, let alone a human form? Well, let me let you in on a little secret, Avatar Korra. I’m not just an energybender. I’m the world’s very first – and to date only – soulbender.”

“Soul… bender…?” Bolin asked.

“That’s right. 'Why don't all those spirits consume my soul' you ask? It’s because I consumed them first. They’re a part of me, now, part of my soul. In fact, they’re as much a part of me as my left arm is, now. Pure energy I can call on at will, empty husks of former spirits I can use to house the other bending disciplines. Completely hollowed out of any life or individuality, their souls consumed by mine long before your predecessor was ever born.”

“I… that’s…” Korra stammered.

“That’s right Korra, there is no cycle of death and rebirth for these spirits. Not anymore. I let you disentangle my pet from my chi as yet another peace offering, but you just keep shunning my concessions! You’re so convinced you’re in the right, that all your actions are justified, no matter how much suffering you end up causing by pursuing them. Well, I’m giving you one last chance. Let me live my life, or I am going to make yours a living hell.”

There was nothing more to say, and at this point, Korra was no longer thinking. When she reacted, it was purely on impulse and instinct, her body moving before her mind caught up to what she was doing. She ran for Ryuuki with everything she had, flames trailing her fists as she prepared to engage him in another fight, but the Chi Eater simply sighed, closing his eyes and withdrawing his hand.

At this moment, Ryuuki could’ve done anything. He could’ve killed Bolin where he stood. He could’ve turned Korra paraplegic. He could’ve given the order to kill Asami. But he didn’t do any of those things. Instead, he stepped forward and lightly tapped Korra on the chest, a pulse of energy surging through her body that froze her in her tracks and immediately knocked her unconscious.

“Korra!” Bolin cried, running to her aid as Ryuuki knelt down and placed a glowing hand upon her back. But he didn’t eat her chi, nor did he harm her while she was prone. Instead, he simply raised his other hand to stop Bolin’s advance, then slowly stood up from her comatose body after a moment of silence.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to kill you, or her. As I said, I am a soulbender. So… I did a little soulbending.”

“What did you do?” Bolin asked, kneeling down to check on Korra. She still had a steady pulse, and she seemed to be breathing, but she wouldn't respond no matter how he shook her.

“I triggered something of a series of dreams for her. She doesn’t have Rin around anymore to fill her in on what happened the last time she tried to challenge me, so I pulled that corner of her soul back to the limelight for a brief period of time. All Avatars are fundamentally the same soul in the end, after all. Now, I’ll let you take your precious Avatar back to Air Temple Island so that she can dream her dream. When she wakes up, and she’s learned what she’s learned, you tell her that this was my final mercy. I’ll be waiting for her with my full army on the first night of the full moon. Then, we can either wipe out the triads together and I will go in peace, or I will tear you and all her friends limb from limb. Make sure she thinks it over carefully.”

Bolin gulped. “What about Asami?”

Ryuuki smiled. “Xing, withdraw.”

“But-”

“I said, withdraw.” Ryuuki repeated.

“…Yes, sir.” The voice over the radio replied.

“She’ll be a little roughed up, but alive. As I said: this is my final mercy. If Korra still rejects my proposal, then all bets are off. I’m tired of playing the nice guy. I’m tired of warding off your violent advances. I’m ready for this to all just end, now.”

“She’s never going to agree… you know that, right?”

To this, Ryuuki frowned. “I know. But at least this way, I can’t say I didn’t try.” With that, Ryuuki turned and walked away, but then quickly stopped in his tracks. He almost forgot. “Oh, and Ravi dear?” Ravi, who’d been too afraid to move or say anything since Korra and her friends revealed themselves, tentatively raised a finger and pointed at himself for confirmation. Ryuuki flashed him another grin. “Consider this payback for trying to deceive me.” With a click of his tongue, Ryuuki made a finger gun sort of motion, and a small blue burst of flame shot from his fingertip and directly into Ravi’s right eye. The dark-skinned man collapsed screaming, covering his eye with both his hands as Ryuuki turned back around and continued to walk away.

This would be the Avatar’s last chance at redemption.

Notes:

Hi.

You're probably wondering where I've been for the last two years.

The answer is... complicated. A combination of the death of my childhood cat, writer's block, burnout, a new job, a new girlfriend, and the stresses of life have all made returning to this story project incredibly difficult for me. The passion I had when I started died for quite a while, and I just now have been able to reignite it and get back to work. But it hasn't been easy, especially with the deadline I gave myself.

This chapter has been the most difficult to write in the entire story for a number of reasons, from everything I mentioned above to internal, logistical reasons. This is the last interstitial chapter before we go full steam ahead to the end of Forever, and I've been struggling for a long time with how to approach it, what to cover and how. Ultimately, I decided to break from tradition and do a bit more telling than showing in this chapter, *especially* in the final scene, just to keep things moving, but this will be the only chapter to use this writing method. From here on out, everything else is going to be much more 'show' than tell - including some long-awaited backstory on Avatar Rin.

I'm still not very happy with where this chapter is right now, especially its final scene, and may tweak it a bit in edits over the coming days. If I make any particularly major ones, I'll let you guys know. But for now, after years of delay: I hope you enjoyed Chapter 24 of Forever. Welcome to the final arc, my friends.

Series this work belongs to: