Mako and Korra both grew up on the streets together taking care of Bolin and just trying to survive. But when Mako is warped into the Triple Threat Triad gang it will take every bit of strength Korra has to protect all of them from the dangers of Republic City.
Only You Can Reach My Heart~
The girl is dressed in nothing but satin-laced panties and bra. She takes her client by the hand and leads him down a dim hallway, into a private room.
"I normally don't take such hurried requests," she pushes him down onto the bed and unstraps her bra. The man's eyes boggle at the sight of her breast and he immediately starts to touch them.
"Not yet, first you gotta pay."
"Of c-course," he stammers and hands her a wad of yuans. She smiles and tucks it somewhere safe.
"Let's have some fun," she whispers into his ear. She can already feel his member go hard beneath her. Korra rotates her hip and waits till the man is practically screaming before she slides herself in. He moans and flips her onto her belly. For the next twenty minutes, she just grits her teeth and waits.
Korra hears the man snoring beside her. She silently slips out of the bed and grabs her clothes. With only a robe, she rushes out into the night air and quickly hails a taxi. The driver gives her a look but says nothing.
"Look away," she commands." He does as he is told. Korra discards the robe and slips into her usual garb. She pulls her hair out of their tresses and combs it with her fingers. Maybe when she has had a hot bath and a decent meal she will feel less like a whore. Finally they arrive at an apartment complex. She hands the man a 10 and slams the door. Mako will be furious, she knows. A yellow slip on the door has never seemed so menacing. When she came home and found it, she hadn't said a word; just crumpled it up and threw it in the garbage. Mako worked so hard at the powerplant. He came home every night just at the crack of dawn with black circles around his eyes with only enough strength to make it to the couch. In fact, that was how she found him now. He was slumped over the armrest with both arms dangling. Korra carefully positioned him to where he would be more comfortable, removed his shoes and shirt, and slid a thin blanket over him. She left him like that and went to wash the guilt off her own body.
Korra owed Mako her life. He had found her wandering the streets when he was ten years old. He had nothing nor nobody save his little brother, Bolin. But he had offered help to her anyways. He had given her food, shared their shelter, and even heated her when it was cold. She could remember a many nights when they would just lie awake under the stars, laughing and telling each other their dreams. Mako took everything and gave it all to his baby brother. Never once did she hear him complain. He loved with all his heart, but you could only see it if you looked deep enough. His emotions were a treasure chest buried deep within, key long gone.
"Breakfast," Mako calls and everyone scrambles into the kitchen. Bolin scarfs his down, Korra right behind him.
"Where were you last night, Korra?" Mako asks her, sitting down with his own bowl of rice.
"You know where I was."
"Damnitt Korra!" He slams his fist down on the table hard enough to send Pabu scampering up Bolin's shoulder.
"We needed the money. I don't mind doing it."
"I mind! You're not doing it anymore." He digs into his bowl not looking at her. This, of course, makes her furious. She was not one to be shut out.
"And how do you propose we make a living? Off your measlely earnings at the powerplant? That's barely enough to put food on the table."
"I could get a job," Bolin says meekly.
"NO!" They both shout at the same time.
"We'll talk about this later, Korra. I've got stuff to do now." He storms out the door, leaving only Korra and Bolin at the table.
Korra places an arm around Bolin and embraces him. He's only thirteen and shouldn't be seeing stuff like this.
"It will be alright. How about we take Pabu to the park today?" He smiles readily and soon forgets about everything.
Korra never thought she would be good with kids. She was hot headed, immpatient, and they most of them were sticky. But Bolin was a great kid with a wonderful personality and a big heart. Mako had taught him street smarts, manners, and how to survive. But Korra made sure to teach him how to have fun and not to sweat the small things. Bolin didn't seem to notice that they were poor. If he did, he didn't mind. Mako always made sure that he had what he needed. Bolin never went without.
"The Era of Bending is coming to a close! Amon is now in power and he will do what he can to bring equality to Republic City!"
What was he talking about? The Era of Bending?
"While the Avatar trains at the North Pole, Amon trains here waiting for her!" At this a huge cheer went through the crowd. Korra's fist shook and she knew she was about to do something she would regret.
"You guys are wrong! Bending is the coolest thing in the world!" The crowd turned to face her and the protester's face cracked into a smile.
"Well, if it isn't a bender here now trying to oppress us!"
"I'm not oppressing anybody! You-you're oppressing yourselves!" She dragged Bolin away as fast as she could.
"Korra, what were those people talking about? Bending isn't bad is it?"
"No. Those people are just idiots."
Korra blasts the tap on hot and slides into the tub with relief. The bathroom was her one refuge and the waterbender liked nothing better than to submerge herself in her natural element after a long day. She is almost to her happy place when the door bangs open and an angry Mako strolls in.
"Hey, have you ever heard of knocking?"
He sits down on the edge of the tub oblivious to her naked form.
"Mr. Cool Guy, I just asked you a question." She splashes him with water.
"I got another job today," he says soberly. "It pays…a lot."
"Well, that's great isn't it?" He is silent for a moment.
"I'm working for the Triple Threat Triads." For a moment Korra thinks her hearing has gone bad. The Triple Threat Triads were a multi-bending gang that cheated, stole, and murdered for money.
"Are you crazy? Those guys are completely insane!" In response he pulls out a wad of cash and shoves it in her face.
"This is thirty thousand yuans. And that's just the money up front! Korra, we could get out of the slums. We could be rich! Bolin could go to school…"
"Yeah, but at what cost? Your life?"
"You won't have to sell your body anymore Korra." She brushes her hand against his. Finally she just wraps him in an embrace and holds him for what seems like hours. He buries his neck in the crook of her shoulder and she could feel all the worry and fear rolling off of him. Gods bless him, he was only eighteen.
"Soak in the tub with me and let's not worry about things for a while." Mako shrugs off his clothes and slides in the warm water with her. He leans back against her chest while she lazily strokes his back. They stay like this until the water turns cold and their fingers pruny.
To Be Continued
Mako hears the roar of the engine before he actually sees the car. A golden front with solid red paint. The Triple Threats signature. The car pulls up beside him and the door pops open. He slides in with two other members who eye him hungrily. The car is thick with cigar smoke.
"So Mako," a man who goes by the name of Shady Shin wraps his arm around him. "Glad to have to some, uh, fresh meat. What made you change your mind." The man's voice is slippery and laced with inner motives. Mako swallows the urge to punch him in the face.
"Need the money."
"Hey, don't we all. And you of all people should know a lousy job at some factory ain't going to bring in the dough."
"Why don't you shut up for once, Shin. We're here to talk business." Two-Toed Ping spreads a map out in front of them.
"I suppose you've heard of the Red Monsoons?" Mako faintly remembers hearing the name somewhere but isn't to knowlegable on the subject.
"I've heard the name being tossed around before."
"Those assholes invaded our territory last night. They stole over half a million yuans from us. We plan to get it back." Shady Shin punches his fist together.
"The gang resides in Yue Bay down to the stretches of Mo Ce Sea. They only consist of water benders. It ain't going to be easy infilterating their territory." Two-Toed Ping studies the map, tracing his finger along the coast of Republic City.
"Ha! If Zolt ain't worried about no stinkin' water bender, then neither am I."
The car finally stops out front a dilapitated house. Guards are stationed by the door. Mako follows Shin and Ping as they knock four times and are admitted. A raspy voice greets them as they walk inside. Involuntarily Mako pulls his scarf over his mouth.
"What took you girls so long?" Lightning Bolt Zolt turns around and scowl at them. Mako knows not to cross this guy. He was one of the most wanted men in Republic City for thefts and murders. Zolt smiles at Mako and blows a smoke ring in his face.
"Well, looks like we got us another pretty face." He glances over at Shin and Ping and chuckles. "Maybe the only pretty face. I hope you boy's breifed him. We're invading the Red Monsoons territory in two days. The full moon passes tomorrow and is reborn again. I want to hit them while they're weak."
"Why are they called the Red Monsoons?" Mako asks.
Zolt laughs at this. "Because they die the waters red with the blood of their victims." Suddenly lightning appears at the tip of the old man's fingers. He jabs them into Mako's side. The room is filled with his screams and a coppery taste enters his mouth. He falls to the floor, jolts shivering up and down his body.
"That's a warning. You mention this to anyone, we will find you and we will end you."
Mako can only clutch his side and wait for his breath to ease.
Korra sits at the base of Avatar Aang's statue and stares at the full moon. She feels the energy pass through her and fill her with power. But something else is present tonight. Korra can feel a light presence stir within her body. Korra almost knows nothing about her childhood. All she can remember from her past was that it was filled with whiteness. And then… nothing. Just the industrialized world of Republic City. Korra doesn't regret growing up with Mako and Bolin. She wouldn't trade those years for anything. But in the back of her mind, she can feel a piece of her that is missing. Korra spots a boat in the water and suddenly she can see Mako riding towards her. His hair is tousled from the wind and his cheeks have a slight flush to them. Korra helps him up onto the statue and she punches him in the arm.
"Where were you all day?"
"Just out doing errands." He rubs his side absent-mindedly.
"I hope one of those errands was telling the Triple Threats that you're not interested in being apart of their little gang." Mako doesn't respond.
"How much does the full moon affect you, Korra?" The question catches her off guard.
"I feel really powerful. I feel like I've been injected with some kind of super strength and that nothing in the world can stop me. Why?"
"Oh, nothing."
"You're acting really strange tonight. Are you okay?" Instead of answering, Mako does something that completely takes Korra off guard. He leans into her and closes the gap with a kiss. It was so soft, that she barely even felt it. Just a moment and then it was over. Before she can react or even respond, he gets up and climbs back in the boat, rowing back to their apartment.
The Triple Threats started preparing at the crack of dawn. The air was filled with mist and chilled Mako to the bone. A couple of lower members of the threats started loading the motor boat that Zolt had "borrowed" from the dock. Deep in the depths of his heart, Mako didn't want to do this. But if these people were criminals, was it such a bad thing? A whistle cut through the air, signaling everyone to haul in. Shin would be moving them across the water with his bending. Mako blasted fire from his mouth trying to get warm.
"You nervous?" Two-Toed Ping smirked at him. "These people ain't nothing to take lightly no matter what the boss says."
"I'm not nervous. I rise with the sun."
Two-Toed Ping laughed and didn't say anything else. Truthfully, the Red Monsoon did scare him a little bit. He had seen what a water bender could do first hand. Once, when they were little, a man had tried to steal what little food they had to eat. Korra became so enraged than the entire river had swarmed around her and washed the guy away. He ended up at the edge of Aang Memorial Island. If one water bender could do just that, imagine what a whole gang of them could do?
"Shin, when I give you the signal, make sure we aren't seen. I don't want any indication that we're coming. We're going to jump ashore and give it all we got. I sense anyone holding back, and it's going to be hell tp pay when we get through."
"Our target is Kwai Shi. He's head honcho and the most powerful bender in the gang. You leave him to me." Zolt echoes.
An hour passes. Then another. Until finally, Zolt holds up two fingers and Shin starts shrouding the motor boat in a heavy fog.
"Mako, Li, you'll be heading out first so be ready." Thirty more minutes pass and then finally they reach the shores of Yue Bay. Another finger and Mako and Li are out of the boat and into Red Monsoon territory.
Mako is shocked by what he sees. Standing before him is a village. With children playing games and mothers swaddling babies. People who are bending fish from the water and into barrels trying to feed theirselves. A village that is starving. A village that needs food and supplies desperetly.
Suddenly all the firebenders are on the shore. They let out huge walls of flames, setting houses on fire and sending people scattering. Mako can hear the screams of women and children. They run towards the beach and bend water trying to wash the flames away. It does no good. Shin and Ping are out next. Shin uses their own water bending against them and freezes them in an icy prison. A few who have made it halfway up the beach quickly comes tumbling down with a stomp of Ping's foot.
"Don't forget why we're here! Find Kwai. I know he's here!" Zolt seizes a woman cowering nearby and hauls her into a building.
"Where's Kwai?" He bellows, throwing her to the floor.
"I-I don't know."
Fire appears in the palm of Zolt's hand. "Yes, you do. Now tell me or you and this building can go up in smoke."
At first she says nothing, but when Zolt moves his hand she yells, "Stop! He's at the house at the very top of the beach."
Zolt smiles. "Thank you very much." And with a flick of his wrist, she and the entire building go up in a ring of fire.
To Be Continued