Chapter 1: An Afternoon's mourning.

Asami paced mechanically across her bedroom, still in her black mourning outfit from that morning's dedication ceremony. It dawned on her that though the outfit was stained in blood, black was becoming the theme of the day. She had just begun to deal with her father's death. she had pushed on through the aftermath of the battle with Kuvira and the construction of New Republic City. But she had yet to come to terms with her father's permanent absence thanks to her busy schedule. She looked back on the months and realized just how much she'd used her work schedule to delay dealing with her father. And now she had to deal with today's events. She jumped as knuckles rapped on her bedroom door.

"Asami?" Mako called.

"Come in." She said, slightly reluctantly.

Mako walked into the room and stood an almost cautious distance away from her. She inspected him. He wore the Republic City Police dress uniform, the dark gray fabric was splotched with black which Asami realized was blood. "Well?" She asked.

"She's alive, Kya got to her just in time." Though he brought good news, his mood was anything but celebratory.

Asami sighed with relief, first good news and likely the only good news she was going to get all day. The event's were still fuzzy in her mind, one second she was beginning her father's speech,the next was chaos with Korra bleeding out in her lap. "When can I see her?"

I

Korra's chest throbbed as Kya guided a glowing mass of water over her wounds. Korra had awoken in her room at the Sato estate, with a bandage over her chest and Kya quickly beginning to heal her. She wished that she was still unconscious, she did not like what she'd woken up to. A hole in her chest, a city in panic, and a dead President. She thought about asking questions, but every time she spoke her chest fought back. Instead Korra listened to Lin spitball idea's with Kya.

"Have you ever seen anything like it?" Lin asked.

"No, the wound is not typical of bending, fire burns, ice wouldn't penetrate as deep as this, and neither would earth." Kya answered, as she guided the water methodically over Korra's wound.

Lin brooded, none of the elements could produce such a wound, except metal. But who and how? "I'll have to get in touch with Sue, she'll know if it's possible with metal."

Korra spoke her wound attacking in protest, her mouth still saturated with the iron taste of blood. "It was metal, there was someone on the new cultural center's roof." Korra was no stranger to pain, but the fresh blood in her mouth alarmed her. She knew she was hurt, but was only just now considering how quickly she'd been injured and how close she was to death. She should've bent it, she should've been fast enough. I'm the damned Avatar, and I failed.

Kya could feel resistance in the glowing water. "It's not your fault Korra, no one saw it coming."

"She's right kiddo," Lin agreed, she knew the feeling, she'd been in Korra's shoes many times. And it did not get any easier.

"I could have saved them both, I should have." Korra sighed.

"You literally dove in front of him, if you were a police woman I'd be giving you a medal." Lin crouched beside Korra trying to find the right words. "I've never told you much about when I was younger, but as a rookie cop on the beat, you see a lot." She paused hoping Korra was honestly listening. "I was out on patrol with my partner, an old bastard named Lao, We stumbled into a burglary. Lao was busy fighting two of the criminals and I went after a third." Her jaw tightened. "I was so sure that I could catch him, I followed every protocol and all my training. But I didn't expect him to be a combustion bender. When I finally cornered Him he smiled and fired at Me. Lao must've known I was in trouble...he used his cables to pull me out of the way just in time to take the blast, for me." Lin cleared her throat. "Korra the point is is that even when You make the right choices, it can still go wrong. It's just life sometimes."

Kya began to heal Korra again. "She's right you know."

Korra nodded, it was unusual of Lin to be so maternal, unusual, but welcome. Korra winced as Kya guided the glowing orb of water over her wound. Healing was a necessary process but it still stung. She considered Lin's advice. Raiko was dead. It was the assassin's fault, and Korra had dealt with her fair share of Assassins. "So How do we catch this guy?"

"Well my officers are looking for any evidence, I'll send word soon about checking the balcony of the cultural center." Lin offered. "Once We find something you're welcome to help in tracking this bastard down.

Kya smirked at Lin's bravado. "Well, I think she should take it easy for a day or two, but You should be alright for what's left of the night."

Korra thanked Kya as she left her room, Lin lingered a moment or two longer promising to keep Korra up to date then left for the crime scene.

Korra sighed and let her head fall back onto her pillow, President Raiko, way to go Korra, she cursed herself. All I was trying to do was save Asami, how was I supposed to know that the target was Raiko? She briefly thought back to when all the newspapers were taking approval ratings on her and grimaced. It was hard enough being the Avatar without a negative commentary from the city. Worse still Republic City had not held elections in almost six years, and a successor was not an easy thing to find. She looked out the large windows of her room, the weather seemed to reflect the event of the day: death. Storm clouds were coming fast towards the estate and rain was imminent. If not for her failure Korra would have been in a good mood, she loved the rain storms. She closed her eyes and tried to push away all of the thoughts about this new crisis and clear her mind.

I

Asami opened the door to Korra's room, she looked at the bed, unable to tell if Korra was asleep or meditating. She glanced around the room, I really need to get a maid in here. Dust lined most of the furniture, as this room was mainly for keeping up appearances.

"Asami?" Korra asked blearily still half asleep.

"How are you feeling?" Asami asked, she crossed the room and sat next to Korra on the bed.

"Glad that you're alive, and upset because Raiko died."

"Raiko was not your fault Korra," She said as she took Korra's hand. "I owe you my life, once again."

It was true Korra was glad she was able to save Asami, she had no idea what she would do without her. But Raiko's death weighed down on her. "I should have been able to save you both."

Asami wondered what to say to a girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders. She had known Korra as the invincible Avatar; Even when Zaheer had nearly killed her, Korra kept on going. However Asami knew when her girlfriend was stressed, and even the strongest will eventually fracture under enough stress. She moved so she could lay alongside Korra and kissed her temple. "I love you Korra."

Korra blushed. "I love you to."

I

Mako pulled his poncho over his head, the rain had already soaked him to the bone, but Lin insisted. He stood on the stage running through the events in his head. Okay, I take my seat next to Asami and Korra, on the left side of the podium. Then the President gets up to make his speech. He makes his speech. Asami leaves Korra's side-Why are those two joined at the hip nowadays?-She gets up to give her speech. Korra notices something wrong, she charges! He followed in her footsteps. Boom I knock Asami over and take, whatever it was, to the chest. People start to freak out, Raiko slumps to the ground dead. He neglected to relive the part where he tried in vain to stop the President's bleeding and moved his body off stage. He flicked on his flashlight, the dark rainy skies and dried blood made for an almost invisible stage floor. Mako inspected Korra's blood pool, then Raiko's. The seats were all strewn around, some of them had been knocked over in a bid to run, some in an attempt to get to the wounded. Grabbing the nearest chair he placed it right where Raiko was sitting. "Hey Lin?"

Lin's metal boots thudded on the temporary stage floor. "Got something?"

Mako sat up straight. "Where was Raiko injured?"

She thought back to the coroner's report. "Right in the heart."

"So, whatever it was came from the cultural center," Mako said, barely able to see it through the thick rain. "Hit Korra, then went down?"

"I don't see how that is even possible," She said dejectedly following Mako's imaginary trajectory in Her mind. "Let's just go with what We know, Raiko was struck in the chest, leaving a hole in his heart." Lin walked behind Him. "And one a little lower on his back."

Mako stood up shining his flashlight on the ground behind Raiko's seat. Through the rain and the blood stains he could see a hole in the floor. "Whatever it was, must've gone through the stage. "We-" Mako began but was cut off when Lin bent the stage floor up and tossed it aside.

"Let's find that damned thing." Lin hopped down to the ground beneath the stage, which resembled a small swamp with the rain water flooding it. Instinctively she stomped her foot down scanning the muddy ground.

Mako watched as Lin bent her cables into blades and started to dig. "Uh...I can get a shovel Chief."

She glared in response. she felt her blade hit something solid and grabbed it with her blade. "Got it!"

Mako was almost surprised to see Lin so excited, but He knew this was the first progress they'd made all day. "What is it?"

Lin unbent her blade and revealed a sharp looking chunk of platinum. "What the hell?"

"I thought no one can bend platinum?" Mako asked incredulous.

"No one can."

I

Korra woke up to a crack of thunder that sounded like an earthquake. She sighed and relaxed wishing she could go back to sleep. Ever since Zaheer sleeping was a task, a task made easier with Asami. Even with her, Korra still had nightmares every once in a while. She felt Asami's arms around her and smiled to herself. She could feel Asami's rhythmic breathing against her back as she watched the flashes of lightning in the storm outside her window. She thought back to earlier that night, I love you, a simple exchange, but one that made Korra want to jump for joy. She was never the one to admit things verbally, but something felt right about admitting that Asami's love was reciprocated. Korra thought back to their trip to the Spirit World, where they first admitted something more than friendship was happening between them. Her heart was pounding when Asami's hand didn't leave hers as they stepped out of the portal. That first touch of Asami's lips to her's was absolutely electrifying. Then the uncertainty hit them, of what they were doing and whether they should tell their friends. Korra was surprised no one had noticed yet, Tenzin barely raised an eyebrow at her moving into the estate. Asami had told her Mako had to have seen her glider in Asami's room but if he really had, he had not mentioned it. Or he simply had not connected the dots yet. I can't wait to see his face when he finally does. She and Asami had considered telling Mako, they both agreed Bolin would be the most understanding, but he was in Zaofu with Opal almost permanently. Asami was disappointed to hear that Korra's parents were very strictly traditional. Tenzin did not really need to know, and Jinora was off patrolling with Kai. Korra snorted, Patrolling. Tenzin was not the smartest sometimes. Though Lin was most likely to shrug her shoulders or roll her eyes, they hadn't told her for much the same reason as Tenzin. In some sense she felt that they as a couple were more official, though official in secret, which sometimes felt like not official at all. Mako was a safe bet, once this all blew over they could tell him. She smiled at the idea of not having to hide her clothes in "her" room or keep her glider behind a tall lamp in Asami's room.

"What are you snorting about?" Asami said, still drunk with sleep.

Korra rolled over to face her. "Just Us."

Asami smiled and smoothed Korra's hair. "What about us?"

Korra touched her forehead to Asami's. "I think we should tell people...about us."

Asami considered, She wanted to stop hiding in the shadows as much as Korra did. However She had to keep in mind the possible repercussions of it in the press. She had a worked nonstop to erase the stigma Her Father left on Their company. She knew some of the more traditional companies that She sourced labor and parts from might frown on Her and Korra. She almost did not care, She was CEO of the largest industrial and engineering firm in the world. Second only to Varrick-Li industries, which had its fair share of scandals. Asami did not think of Her relationship as anywhere near scandalous, but the press was sure to. How had Varrick's company survived? Other than his constant conniving? Necessity. "Let Me reveal Future Industries' latest invention, then I promise We'll start letting people know."

Korra pouted. "I can still move my clothes into this room right?"

Asami rolled her eyes, Korra could be seriously adorable sometimes. "Of course."

Korra smiled and rolled back over, She knew Asami would keep a promise. Asami's arms tightened around her, a feeling which she loved. She watched the storm and relaxed. Flashes of lightning lit the edges of the estate with an eerie yet beautiful light. Lightning flashed and Korra's eyes darted to the perimeter wall surrounding the estate. Calm down, it's nothing, just shadows. Lightning flashed again and she saw a lithe figure moving across the ground. "Asami." Korra called. Asami simply rolled over in protest. Lightning flashed again and the lithe figure stopped. "Asami, get down!" Korra yelled and shoved Asami off the bed, following her to the ground. As Korra hit the ground the window exploded sending shards of wood and glass flying across the room.

I

Kya awoke with a shock, that does not sound like lightning. She knew it wasn't when she heard two distinct cracks and another explosion. "Lin!" The old woman mumbled in response and rolled over. "Dammit Lin wake up!"

Lin sat up next to Kya. "What?"

Kya ran to the balcony doors and flung them open, the rain poured inside the room, she scanned the yard. Lightning illuminated it for a key second. "There! Combustion bender!" She yelled and jumped out of the window.

"Shit!" Lin yelled, her adrenaline forced Her completely awake, she bent her Armor from across the room and strapped it on. Attack Us in the middle of the night! You'll be sorry! She flung herself out the window with her cables.

Kya bent rain water into ice blades and ran towards the combustion bender. The yard had lots of tall shrubs and greenery, which made good cover, but wouldn't take much to destroy. She swirled her arms, bringing the rain in and freezing it, then sent it all flying cutting most of the bushes in half. "Lin! Over there!"

Lin knew Kya was not being over aggressive, combustion benders were nothing to play with. Bending massive chunks of earth up out of the lawn she flung them at the dark figure that crouched behind a bush. Lin heard the two claps and watched the earth She'd thrown explode. "I'm going to get Asami!"

"OK!" Kya shouted, she considered closing the distance between her and the combustion bender. Except with Lin moving to Asami she needed to draw the bender's fire as much as she could. She froze the rain above the Bender sending it crashing down in shards of ice. Before she could shift her aim the Bender had rolled away and fired. Immediately she brought the rain from around her together as a shield. Steam clouded her view as the explosion impacted the shield.

Lin had closed the distance between her and Asami's room on her cables, the wall that used to separate inside and out was in the rubble on the floor of the room. "Asami!" She called to no avail. Asami's bed was thrown against the wall, shielded by a pile of rubble. Lin glanced back outside and could see Kya keeping the Bender busy. Lin shot her cables into the wooden frame of the bed and pulled.

I

Korra's chest throbbed and her ears rang. What just happened? She tried to move but couldn't Are my eyes open? She blinked. "Asami?" She called out, her ears only hearing muffled sounds from her mouth. She felt around and felt a wall behind her and softness in front. Dammit the bed must have flipped. "Asami!" She yelled, her ears still ringing. Shit. She tried to shift the bed from against her but it was an old fashioned bed that weighed a ton. "Asami!" She cried. Suddenly the bed shifted off of her and fell to the ground revealing a destroyed room and battle being fought in the yard. She barely registered Lin's presence, before pulling her glider from the rubble and launching into the sky.

What the flameo is she doing in here? Lin was brought out of her thoughts by another explosion and a cry from Kya. Oh no. She yanked the bed frame free of the rubble and saw Asami. She slid to a crouch beside her and instinctively checked for a pulse. Unconscious, otherwise unharmed. Lin turned without a second thought and flung herself through the gaping hole and into the yard. Kya was holding the Bender's attention while Korra provided air support, if she could just stay unnoticed she might be able to do some damage. Lin kept low using what was left of the bushes for concealment. She watched as Kya edged closer to the bender, freezing the rain into thick sheets for cover. Lin waited for the two claps signalling the Bender's fire and darted to the next bush. She'd only dealt with one combustion bender before, but she knew their weaknesses. If she could land a blow to the Bender's forehead or even better, wrap her armor around his head, she'd have him beat. She peaked from cover, the only thing she could see of her enemy was a dark figure, she flinched as she heard the two claps. Kya reacted, but too slow, the water barely froze in time. Half the explosion detonated on Kya's side of the shield sending her flying. Damn! Lin broke cover and fired her cables as whips aiming for the head. Her heart dropped as the Bender rolled out of the way and fired at her.

I

Korra watched as Kya went flying like a ragdoll, she banked her glider into a larger circle above the Bender. Oh no, Lin! She watched as the metal bender flung cables towards the Bender. Damn it! Korra shot fire from her feet pushing her faster forward and brought her glider into a dive. This is gonna hurt. She crashed into the Bender glider first, body second, woozy from the hit she got to her feet. The Bender rolled to his feet and fired, she countered by bending the earth from beneath his feet sending his explosion into the sky. Korra rolled to flank. But the Bender was faster and had already fired. She was blasted backwards into the bushes. She hit the ground so hard it felt like it bounced her back. Pulling herself to her feet, it felt like the ground was pulsing beneath her. What the? Korra looked towards the house, a huge mecha-suit was sprinted towards the Bender faster than she could believe. The Bender let loose and fired, but the mecha-suit dodged it and dove into a roll closing the distance. The Bender tried to fire again, but the mecha-suit kicked out. Korra winced as the suit's leg connected solidly with the Bender and sent him flying. "YES!" Korra yelled, and sprinted to the Bender. He'd landed with a thud against the perimeter fence. She bent the earth around him, and froze the rain around his forehead, a temporary but effective measure. "Who are you!" She yelled, realizing almost instantly that the Bender was unconscious. She turned to face the mecha-suit thudding towards her. "You just had one of these handy?"

Asami opened up the canopy helmet on the mecha-suit. "I like to do some light yard work now and then."

Korra laughed. "Did Mako tell you that one?"

Lin limped her way over to the pair with Kya on her shoulders. "Yes, we just got attacked in the middle of the night by a combustion bender. Hilarious."

"Are you two ok?" Asami asked, she looked down on them both from her mecha-suit

Kya grunted. "Fine, just a little banged up,"

Lin simply shrugged in agreement. "Where did this guy come from?"

"I don't know, I…" Korra wondered how she'd save herself from this one. "Me and Asami-"

"Korra and I were in my room." Asami stated confidently, as she climbed out of her suit. They're the least of our worries. "She spotted this guy and then he opened fire."

What were you two...Oh...Well, shit. Lin looked at Kya with her eyebrows raised. "So you two took cover, and then we stepped in." Lin watched as the looks on the newly discovered couple changed from apprehensive to relieved.

"Sounds about right." Korra agreed, mentally she exhaled, it seems Lin and Kya weren't keen on asking why she was in Asami's room. Or...do they already know? Shit!

Lin walked over to their attacker, she knew a corpse when she saw one. "No need for this," She brought the earth surrounding the dead bender down, letting his corpse slump onto the ground. Kneeling she searched the body with ease.

Korra looked over at Asami who seemed to be realizing she had done more than wound the Bender. They know, and who cares? Korra grabbed hold of Asami's hand to comfort her. "Anything?" She asked Lin.

Lin sighed. "Nothing but a whole lotta trouble." She frowned at the small metallic disc and handed it to Korra.

Korra flipped it in her hand and her heart slammed to a halt. The metallic disc was decorated with the lotus flower, a red lotus flower. "No."