1). Unwelcoming Republic City (part 1)

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Their morning departure was brief, but not rushed. Kuvira drove Korra to the nearest port, so the Avatar could take a ship to the Republic City, while her sister went all the way back to Zaofu.

"Here," Kuvira handed five metal strips to her sister after she bought her a ticket. "A farewell gift."

"Thanks." Korra strapped four of the strips around her wrists, and the fifth one around her throat.

"Be careful not to melt them too soon."

"I'll... make no promises." The same words she spoke to her mentor six years ago, only with a teasing tone. There was none of the venomous anger was in her voice now. "Let's just hope I'll have no reason to use my 'fire-cutter' technique anytime soon."

"Last time you used that was to open a can of fish."

"I was hungry! I couldn't find a can opener, and you were too busy to open it for me." Korra groans like that was somehow Kuvira's fault.

The argument would go on, but the harbormaster started yelling that the ship to Republic City was ready to leave, so the metalbender pulled the Avatar into a tight hug, knowing that they probably wouldn't see each other for a long time.

"Take care, Korra. And if you are in over your head, don't hesitate to contact me."

"I'll be fine, sis. Good luck with your new career."

Kuvira smiled and gave Korra a kiss on a forehead, before her sister got on board. The ship soon sailed away and disappeared behind the horizon.

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Korra traveled for a whole day before she arrived at Republic City. The thing that amazed her the most was Aang's memorial, on an island in the bay.

"Jeez, Aang. How big of an ego did you have?" the current Avatar whispered to herself, giggling at the size of the statue of her predecessor. Like he was afraid that the world would forget him.

Korra disembarked on the pier along with many other passengers. The dock was filled with people, from fisherman to tourists, from Fire Nation to Water Tribe. The Avatar realized that she wouldn't have any problems with blending in with this diverse community.

"Hmm, look at this place." She breathed in the first air of the city.

Dirty, polluted, and bland.

Fantastic... five seconds here and she already missed the countryside of the Earth Kingdom, or the desert towns in the Fire Nation. She didn't miss anything about the Northern Water Tribe though, its environment reminded her too much of the Southern Tribe.

The thought of the third nation reminded Korra of the reason she was here and the Avatar panned her gaze to a small island not far from Aang's statue.

"Air Temple Island. I guess that's where Tenzin lives." Korra spoke to herself. She remembered meeting Tenzin when she was six or seven."I wonder if he'd recognize me..."

Judging on by her appearance, Korra no longer resembled the escaped eleven-year-old girl she used to be. Her hair wasn't done in the distinct, Southern Water Tribe wolf-tail anymore, but simply let loose on her shoulders. Her wardrobe wasn't her Tribe's usual attire either, but a simple black sleeveless jacket, black sleeves and black leather boots. On the first glance, she looked like any female mercenary that you'd find brawling in a bar or chasing bandits in a valleys. As long as Korra didn't use her real name, or bent three elements in public, she should be fine.

'So, maybe I could confront him. It's still risky, but it'll be a lot easier to learn airbending than... I don't know...sneaking around the island to watch him train? That's kinda creepy.

Or maybe he has some airbending scroll I could stea-borrow... Though sneaking has never been my strong suit, and I'm gonna be in a lot of trouble if get caught. Maybe the best way is to confront him and keep denying if he gets suspicious. I mean, he wouldn't think the runaway Avatar, who disappeared six years ago, will suddenly show up on his door step...'

The growling of her stomach interrupted Korra's train of thoughts. She decided that she couldn't think if she was that hungry. And it was probably for the best if she took some time to survey the city before going to the Air Temple Island.

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"I'll take one of everything." Korra slammed twenty yuans on the food stall. The vendor took the money and handed her ten meat sticks without saying anything, going back to grill more meat. "A smile to a customer wouldn't hurt, you know?" the Avatar gave commented and walked away, ignoring the frown the woman sent her.

Korra sat down next to the pond in the city park, eating her meat sticks, until she noticed a pair of eyes glaring at her from a nearby bush. A man with dirty clothes and an equally dirty beard emerged from his hiding place with an ugly grin.

"Uh, say, think I can get one of them tasty-smelling..." The man flapped his elbows rapidly up and down, keeping his hands on the shirt. "...meat sticks?"

A hobo? This city continues to amaze Korra, in the way that she started wondering if this place was any different from Ba Sing Se in terms of living quality. Still... the Avatar handed him two of her meat sticks, she was already full anyway.

"Nice house you got there." Korra said looking at the bush. The man ignored her sarcasm and answered with a mouth full of meat.

"Yes, presently that is what I do call home. Took me a while to procure a bush that beauteous. This park is quite popular with all the vagabonds."

"For some reason, I'm not surprised." the Avatar said casually. The life of a mercenary made her familiar with the 'lower-class citizens'. She can stand them, to say the least.

"Oh, it's looks like you're already learned something then, newcomer. Welcome to Republic..." the man swallowed his word and suddenly drove back into the bush. Korra raised an eyebrow when she noticed a park guard running towards her, blowing in a whistle.

"Hey, you! Stop! You can't fish here..." he suddenly stopped when he saw her meat sticks up close.

"First, this isn't fish. Second, I paid for this." Korra replied coldly, still curious of what's going on.

"S...sorry, ma'am. I thought I saw Gommu with you earlier..."

"So that's his name."

"Yes, he is sneaking around the park to stole the fish in this pond. My apologies."

"Stealing food is a crime, right." Korra took her last bite before standing up. "But from who? A hungry civilian, or the neglecting authority?" The guard looked stunned when the girl padded him on the shoulder while walking past him. "Have a nice day, officer."

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Korra continued to wander around the park, absorbing the view of this so-called futuristic city. Republic City had one thing over Ba Sing Se, it was a lot brighter, full of scenery one could look at, even compared the Middle Ring.

"Are you tired of living under the tyranny of benders? Then join the Equalists!" The echo of a megaphone drew Korra's attention, as she saw a group of people gathered around a man standing on a podium. Behind him was a poster of a man wearing a white mask and a dark cloak. Good fashion sense, Korra admitted.

"Guess I have a minute to spare." the Avatar gave in to her curiosity and joined the group.

"For too long, the bending elite of this city have forced non-benders to live as lower-class citizens. Join Amon, and together we will tear down the bending establishment!"

"If that was true, wouldn't you gonna be in a lot of trouble after this? You know, for speaking against the 'upper-class citizens'?" everyone turned to look at Korra when she ask the question, putting a lot of emphasis on the phrase 'upper-class citizens'.

"That is the risk I'm willing to take! Someone must stand up against this oppression!" the man answered proudly.

"I've been in Ba Sing Se, you know? Trust me, I know an oppression when I see one." Korra paused and looked around as if she was speculating them one by one. "The worst among you still have it A LOT better than people in the Lower Ring ."

"Oh yeah?" the protester was taken aback a little, but he realized now that this girl tried to speak against him. "Let me guess: you're a bender."

"Because I disagreed with you?" Korra stood her ground, but didn't act like she was taking this debate seriously. "Can't I just be a naive non-bending traveler who just happen to wonder about this 'Equalists' stuff?" she looked at the poster again and asked before the man get a chance to answered. "Seriously though, what are those Equalists you've been talking about?"

"The Equalist are the warriors who fight for the non-benders, led by Amon, the savior of this city! How else are we going to protect ourselves from the evil of those benders who seek to oppress us for their personal gain?"

"You hire another bender." Korra smiled casually. "It's common sense, really. If you can't fight your own battle, you save money and hire someone to fight them for you, simple as that."

"Ah-ha! This is it, people. This is what's wrong with this city! Benders like this girl only use their power to oppress or exploit us!" The protester angrily glares at Korra, his spectators turning to her as well.

"Whatever." Korra shrugged and walked away, ignoring all the boos and the curses sent her way.

After all, barking dogs seldomly bite.

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Korra walked down the street, noticing that her surroundings had changed, the salty smell of the ocean less intense. She suspected it wasn't the right way to Air Temple Island. Kuvira did say that her sister is like a five year-old girl when it came to walking around in a city. Korra had a habit of getting lost, and even with a heavy suggestion and lecture from her metalbending sister, she still never remembered signs, street names, and never brought a map with her. Kuvira had to pick her up at the police station one time when they stayed in Zaofu, three times in Fire Nation Capital, and six times in Ba Sing Se. It is the reason that Korra usually avoided big cities, preferring smaller towns and villages when they traveled from place to place.

"Excuse me," Korra walk up to a young man and an elderly lady sitting in front of a shop "I think I'm lost. How do I get to Air Temple Island from here?"

"Just head down this street." The old woman with a kind face pointed down the street, but her expression suddenly changed when she noticed a red Satomobile turning down the street and heading towards a phonograph shop. "You should get moving, young lady. It isn't safe." she whispered to Korra who only raised an eyebrow with curiosity.

Three people got out of the Satomobile and approached a phonograph vendor who was cleaning one of his products.

One of the men, whom Korra suspected might be a waterbender, judging by his skin color, or has Water Tribe heritage, spoke to the vendor with a tedious smile. "Mr. Chung, please tell me that you have my money or else..." he turns toward his companion, a young man with a spiky hair who awkwardly lighted his hand on fire, his face mixed with shame and guilt. The waterbender frowned at how bad the boy was at being intimidating, but still continued his word. "...I can't guarantee I can protect your fine establishment."

"I'm sorry, business has been slow. Please, take one of my phonographs." Chung offers the phonograph he was cleaning. The firebender immediately extinguished his hand and took the phonograph.

"It's okay, Mr. Chung. I know you people have a hard time..."

"MAKO!" The waterbender yelled at the spiky hair boy, he took the phonograph and threw it away, unintentionally in Korra's direction. She caught the phonograph with one hand while the waterbender continued yelling at his younger companion. "What did I told you about being soft-hearted!? You going to destroy our image you little!..." the man swallowed his last word as he tried to switched to his fake civilized mode. "My apologies, Mr. Chung. My friend here is a bit of a music lover. However, I would suggest you give me the money, or else-"

"Or else what, hoodlum?"

The three men turned around to see Korra standing confidently behind them, one hand on her hips, the other carrying the phonograph they just threw away.

The three gangsters eyed each questioningly for a second before two of them bursting out in laughter. The one name Mako tried to laughed along but came out so awkward they had to stop. The waterbender cleared his throat before speaking to Korra.

"Since you're obviously fresh off the boat, let me explain a couple things." As the man spoke, Chung retreated back to his shop, while the young man and elderly woman in another store on the other side of the road were watching what was happening. "You're in Triple Threat Triad territory, and we're about to put you in the hospital."

"How generous of you." Korra took the group by surprise, smiling. "Most people I fight usually say they are going to kill me. I'm glad to see things are more... civilized around here." She carefully put down the phonograph on the ground, knowing that she'll need to use both of her hands soon "Now, on the topic of sending someone to a hospital, how many bones in your body I can break without killing you? I'm just want to make sure you guys end up in an emergency room, not a mortuary."

"Who do you think you are?" The waterbender whispering threateningly.

"A bounty hunter who has already been paid enough for first and second degree murder," Korra casually said, like she was just talking about the weather. "Thanks Spirits that they were all outlaws, otherwise I'd probably have a life sentence in three nations by now, assuming they wouldn't execute me."

The waterbender's eyes twitched enraged, for he thought the girl taunted them with nonsense. He suddenly bent a water bullet from an unseen water skin from under his coat. Korra was about to the stop the bullet with her own waterbending, when she suddenly realize something.

She can't bend three elements in public. No problem, she only needed one to defeat these petty thugs...

But which one?

When she was traveling, she could freely choose which element to use for a specific situation. Her clients hardly cared what bender they were hiring as long as she could get the job done. Most bandits also didn't have a habit of keeping record of which bounty hunter used which element.

But now... she was going to have to stay in Republic City for a while, so if she used any of the element in public, she would be forced to stick with that element, to avoid suspicions.

In hindsight , she knew she should have thought about this before she arrived at the shore, or at least before deciding to jump into a street battle.

So instead of taking a bending stand, Korra dodged the water bullet and stood still, one hand crossed her chest, the other held her chin while she lost deep in her thought.

"What are you idiots waiting for?! Let's teach this bitch a lesson!" The waterbender ordered, and Mako and the other one who turned out to be an earthbender began their three way attack.

A fire ball, a brick, and water were thrown from every angle, none of them came even close to hitting Korra, who was now whispering to herself while casually dodging all the attacks.

"Well, I like firebending the most, but a firebending Water Tribe girl seems a bit out of place. I wouldn't want to risk someone putting two and two together and find out I'm the Avatar..."

Unconsciously, Korra moved in front of the waterbender. He was taken aback by her agility and tried to shoot her with his water bullet, which didn't work well in close quarters.

Korra grabbed his left arm and twisted it hard, before she grabbed him by his right arm and threw him over her shoulder to the ground, before twisting it to the opposite angle from the left one, but his screams did not interrupting her inner thoughts.

"Waterbending is my least favorite, although I would be able to heal myself in the middle of a fight. But again, I think I will just be more careful not to get badly injured during battle."

Korra jumped to avoid a ground attack from the earthbender. She back flipped in midair and landed behind him. With one swipe kicked at his legs, she sent him face down to the ground.

"Earth then?..." Korra stomped on the back of the guy's knee, his painful scream even louder than the waterbender's. "I could bend metal too, so it's two in one," she pressed her heel on his other leg, getting same result - a louder scream. "but the last time I used earthbending in a big city, I got arrested for property damage and end up spending my entire evening fixing some Ba Sing Se's Upper Ring footpath, those ungrateful nobles..." she kicked the earthbender at the side to flip him on his back, breaking three of his ribs. Korra then turned to Mako who already stopped shooting fire at her when she broke his friend's leg.

"H... Hold on! Hold on!" The Avatar ignored the firebender's gesturing for surrender, however, his attitude did get Mako a special treatment, because instead of getting his bones crushed, Korra only grabbed his collar and flung him to the ground. No kick or stomp came after that.

"What just happened?" the old woman asked the young man, for what she just saw, that girl just took down three Triple Threat Triads, without bending and with bare hands!

"I... I think she is a non-bender," the young man answer, before his eye widened as he whispered to himself "maybe... she is one of those Equalists they're talking about?"

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"Huh?..." Korra snapped out of her thought when the situation calmed down, the earthbender and the waterbender were on the ground, groaning at their misplace bone, while the firebender stood up and slowly backed away from her.

"Look! I...I don't want any more trouble. I'll just grab my friends and leave."

"So you're the only one with brain." Korra smiled at him. "I'll keep your bones intact then."

Mako shivered at the girl's threats and was about to pick up the other two when they heard an alarm sounds from above. He and Korra both looked up to see the arrival of an airship.

"Police! Freeze where you are!"

"Oh crap..." It were the last words Korra heard from Mako before he ran and disappeared into the nearest alley, leaving his friends, who were yet to recover from the ground.

"Mako! You traitorous son of a-" the waterbender didn't get to finish his word when Korra lightly kicked him in the face, almost breaking his nose.

"Hey, it's not his fault you're too stupid to ran when you had a chance." the Avatar leaned against the Satomobile while watching the airship hatch open on the side. Four metalbender cops jumped off and anchored their metal cables on the nearby buildings, securing a safe landing.

"Aww, I miss Kuvira already," Korra frowned. Kuvira may have preferred metal strips as her main weapons, but she did use metal cables once in a while, even tried to teach Korra how to use some, sadly, unsuccessfully.

The cops approached the area - no property damage, no civilian casualty, only one girl standing by the Satomobile, two men on the ground that they immediately identified as two of the Triple Threat Triad.

"It's about time you showed up, officers." Korra spoke with a proudly grin. "I thought I would have to drag these two to the police station myself."

"Arrest them!" Ordered the cop that looked like the captain, before walking up to Korra "You're under arrest, too."

Korra's grin disappear, replace by a curious expression "What's the charge?"

"Disturbing the peace."

"To protect an innocent civilian." Korra answer almost sounded teasing, evidently as she start grinning again "You just jealous because I did your job better than you."

"That's enough." The police captain took a fighting stance and shot a cable to bind Korra. However, she quickly moved out of its way and snatched the cable out of the air, holding it back.

"That's very rude." Korra commented. "and your bending is terrible, no wonder that Triple Threat Triad claims its own this district."

The captain tried to retract his cable, but Korra secretly used her metalbending to hold on to it, but from the outside look, it did seem like she holding the cable with just her raw strength.

"Now, before this misunderstanding goes any further, let me explain-"

" You can explain yourself all you like, down at the headquarters!" he shot another cable at Korra, but she caught it with her other hand and pulled him to her.

"Pathetic." A bare fist collided with the cop's face, sending him flying backwards when Korra released the cables she was holding. The Avatar looked at the man who lay- nose bleeding - on the ground with both disgust and pity. "You give metalbenders a bad name."

"Freeze!" Another three metalbending cops jumped down from the airship and took a fighting stance around her, the other three who came with the captain joined them as well, since the two guys they arrested weren't in any condition to escape.

Korra's eyes widened when she realized she just punched an officer in the face. So much for keeping low profile...

"OK, alright. Everyone take it easy. I'll surrender..." The Avatar slowly raised her hand in gesture of surrender and let one of the cops tackle her to the ground before he handcuffed her. She didn't want to make the situation more complicated, but tried to avoid bringing attention to herself.

Deep in the dark alley not far the scene, two figures wearing trench coats, scarves and green goggles were observing the situation from the beginning.

"Contact Sato. We'll need some assistance at the police headquarters. " One of them spoke up, before both Equalists disappeared into the darkness. "We may have a potential recruit on our hands."

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...to be continue

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To clarify something. Yes, I'm Korrasami shipper. No, I don't hate Mako, his change in my AU may seem...pathetic at first, but I actually plan an important role for him to play later.