A/N

And the plot thickens! I'd like to branch out and make this a multi-dimensional story with everyone involved. Don't worry it'll get there. :D

Korra's running frantic. She's chasing a crazed man through the woods. He has been terrorizing the same town for the last few days. He manages to disappear into the depths of the woods, but Korra won't let him get away this time. She's in her fully realized Avatar state chasing him on a gliding slope of earth.

He turns his head and throws a bolt of lightning towards her. It hits a tree and the branch falls in Korra's path. She blows it away with her airbending, but the tree that was struck catches ablaze.

The firebender is flying with fire at his feet. He slowly starts to lose his flame due to him needing more oxygen and to recharge his chi. He dips and ducks around a large tree and disappears into the brush.

Korra loses sight of him. She stops and turns and looks around. She gets down from her earthen sled and walks around maintaining her fighting position as she maneuvers. She calms herself, closes her eyes and tries her hardest to listen as carefully as she can.

Leaves shuffle and shift and she jumps out of her focused silence towards the source of the sound. She bursts through the trees and sees a small rabbit spirit is nibbling on a piece of wood.

"Not again…" she huffed loudly. She touched her hand to the surface of the ground. She extends her chi out in all directions hoping to find the elusive criminal, but nothing was discovered.

She left to return to the village with her head hung low. She reaches the clearing and makes her way to the center of the city where the villagers are gathered.

"Where is he!?" "Is he coming back!?" Murmurs and frightened voices fill the air.

"He got away… Trust me, I am going to find him and this will all come to an end. I will not let him get away with this." Korra's attempts at reassuring the scared people seem to go unnoticed.

"That's what you said last time!" The rest of the crowd agrees in a cluster of mumble 'Yes's.'

"I know! But-"

"Look! Avatar Korra is here for us. Nobody else is steppin up to help. So, for all intents and purposes, she's all we got! Chan, do you want to go after this maniac?" The woman shouting is standing next to Korra. She looks to a man who slid behind an elderly woman. He's peering over her shoulder. "I didn't think so. Give her a break! Unless anyone of ya has any better ideas to get this monster, then ya better not take your anger out on her." She turns to Korra and speaks directly to her. "We know you can do this Avatar Korra." Her eyes shine with a gleam of sadness to them, but there was also hope and admiration.

Korra takes her words to heart. The woman that has been housing Korra the last few days has definitely left an impression on her. "Thank you, Avani." Korra looks at her with warm tired eyes. "Okay, I think I know what I need to do. I'm going to go into the spirit world and see if anyone can help me. There's something strange going on. I'm going to go in and get answers."

The crowd begins to simmer down and seems to appreciate the prospect of finding answers and in turn: peace.

Korra starts walking with Avani to town hall. Avani is a small lithe little thing. She has long black hair that flows finely over her shoulders. She wears a long dress that reveals her modesty as well as the stains that prove how hard of a worker she is in the kitchen. She is the owner of what used to be the towns bakery. Unfortunately, the devilish firebender made his way through one night, the night Korra showed up. Avani had been devastated, losing everything she had in that business. But, Korra was a light in the dark.

As they walk towards the main building, one of the few that hasn't been burnt down, the sun starts to set. Korra opens the doors and sits in the center of the main room. She's here hoping it will be a place she can find peace and easily enter into the spirit world.

..

Lin's nearing the city when a spirit starts flying next to her. "You have to hurry!" Lin turns her head towards the flying creature, confused. She slows down to a slower pace.

"What are you griping about?"

"You have to hurry! The Avatar is in trouble!"

"Is it the city just up ahead?"

"Yeah-"

The spirit can't even finish talking before Lin speeds off leaving the little one in a cloud of dust. She is so relieved she has finally located Korra, but the urgency in the little spirits voice gave enough reason for concern.

..

The Avatar sits down on the floor with her legs crossed. Her arms lay gently against her knees just barely placing her fingertips together. She breathes in… and out. She slowly starts relaxing into a well meditative state. She breathes in… and out. The faint sounds of saccades and trees blowing in the wind start to fade. She breathes in… and out. Soon, all back noise fades. She starts falling and her heart sinks. She opens her eyes and she's arrive at her destination. "Now, to find someone who can help me make sense of all of this."

She walks around the beautiful scenery remembering old times of bringing Lin here. Her heart aches some, but she pulls herself out of it. She has to focus. She has a job to do. She comes across a spirit siting in the open field. "Hey, I know you."

The spirit turns his large black and white head towards the Avatar. He approaches her with clear agitation.

"Hei Bai!" She excitedly yells to the bear and he roars at her in acknowledgment. He looks at her with pain in his eyes. He starts to shift into the monster he can become. He towers over her with his great big body and his six legs. He roars into the air blasting out a huge beam. "Woah, buddy. What's bothering you?"

He lowers his head and beckons her to board his shoulders. She climbs onto him without hesitation. He roars again and creates something that looks like an opening. The two start running towards it. Korra tenses as they approach, unsure of what's to come.

They arrive in the real world. Hei Bai runs out into the center just outside of the town hall. Korra's body appears to be a clear blue hue. "Woah! What just happened?"

She hops off and looks into the town hall where she remembers leaving for the spirit world. She glances in and sees her body sitting there on the floor right where she left it. Avani is off sitting in the corner keeping a close watch on the Avatar's body. Korra backs away from the window. "Woah… how is this happening? You brought us back to the real world… but not really." She looks down at her pale blue body again. She flicks her wrist to try and create a flame. "My bending doesn't work… I wonder if this is like what Jinora does with her astral projection."

She starts to hear a commotion from the townspeople. Korra runs back to Hei Bai and jumps on his back. He had made himself visible to the crowd and starts off on a run. Showing Korra the woods he's been watching over since the beginning. She can feel his deep pain as they walk through the fire torn forrest. She looks around at all of the destruction that has been created this last week. He loses composure and starts roaring again into the air. His beam casts to the sky. Korra was grateful that he hadn't aimed it anywhere else. There is no telling what kind of damage that it could cause. Korra heard a voice off in the distance.

"Woah! Where did that come from?" A burly man with a gruff voice calls out from the tree line. He's wearing crimson red clothes and he's muscular like a monster. Hairy like one too, Korra thought. She cocks her head to the side realizing she never got a good look at him before. "Whatever. Alright explain to me what we need to do again?" The man says.

She sees him talking, but no one's around. She squints her eyes and becomes more confused. There's an aura around him of crimson and black. Something triggers in Korra's mind. She sees visions of a crimson and black spirit. Hei Bai was showing her his memories as he connects his nose to the back of Korra's head.

Hei Bai was walking through a field that was placed in the center of his forest. He looks down into a pond revealing his reflection. I'm Hei Bai, Korra thought. He licked up his fill and was startled when he heard a commotion.

Korra couldn't tell how long ago the memory was, but when she looked around at how flush the landscape was, she had to guess it was a time before this land was encroached upon by human life.

The giant bear had stood on his hind legs to look around and determine what the cause of the sound was. He landed on all fours and started going through the trees. He hear it again. It was like a painful screeching sound. Now, he had a better idea of the direction it came from.

He walked through some brush and found the cause. The land was devastated. Not by flame as Korra would've expected, but just death. Creatures laid on the grounds as though they've fallen from the sky. Trees and all plant life were black and rotten. That's when he saw it. There was another spirit off in the distance.

Korra didn't hear Hei Bai speak, but a name was placed in her mind as though it was remembered: Shi, the spirit of death.

Shi had a long slender body of a giant python. His fangs were long and dripping with liquid that hissed when it hit the ground. He was running around with a poisonous laugh. As he ran he spread more death. Hei Bai had not recognized this spirit. He was growing increasingly angry at the nonchalant attitude towards his beloved greenery. He let out a loud roar.

Shi stopped in his tracks turned around and gave the giant bear a Cheshire cat grin. "Well, hello, brother!"

Hei Bai stopped in his tracks. He hadn't even noticed he started charging towards the monster. Brother? Korra and Hei Bai had the same thought.

"What you don't recognize me!? I'm so hurt." He gives an overdramatic pout. He slithers towards Hei Bai. "Why yes, I'm your brother. Like Tui and La there must be a balance. You are Life and growth of the earth my dear brother and I am Death and destruction. I am Shi!" His eyes took a fiendish glare as he stared into his brother's eyes.

Korra thinks again about the aura that was surrounding the burly man. The deep crimson matched that of the spirit Shi.

The giant panda roared at him ferociously. He ran in search of someone. "That's right brother! Run along like a good little boy."

He ran as fast as he could. He reached a small village. The place was small a quaint, but held someone far more gifted for quarrels with spirits. He ran in roaring. The villagers looked upon him with awe and fear. He gave another great roar and they started screaming.

Out of one the far huts appeared a tall woman in a green dress. Is that… She looks so different without her warrior paint, Korra thought.

When he spotted her he ran towards her. She fully emerged from the hut with fan in hand and stood her ground to the large beast approaching. He lent his head down to her and she rested her hand on it. "Great Spirit, what has brought you to me?"

He raised his head and touched his nose to her forehead. Showing her of what he saw. He pulled away and she gasped lightly. "Take me to him." She got on his back and he sprinted to where he last saw the evil spirit.

"Spirit Shi, what is it you want?" Avatar Kyoshi commanded with a strong demeanor.

He looked incredulously at her. "Human, how dare you talk to me that way?"

"Oh, I am no regular human, spirit." Her eyes shone a brilliant white color.

"Ah! The Avatar. Well, that didn't take long." He sneered.

"Where do you hail from, spirit Shi?" She was getting annoyed by this creature toying with her, but she maintained her composure.

"Oh, well a little lovely inn in a tiny little hole in the depths of non-of-your-concern!" He chuckled maniacally slithering off into the distance.

Korra snaps out of the memory with a slight dizzying feeling. "Why did you stop!?" She looks at him with her hands in the air. He tosses his head in the direction of the town they came in from. She hears screams coming from it. Looking around to see if the man in crimson was still around, but there were no signs of him. She hops on Hei Bai's back and they race off to the town.

..

There are flames flicking high and lighting the town in front of Lin. Smoke is filling the air. She drives as quickly as she can. That spirit had told her Korra was in danger and she makes it her mission to get there for her. Her heart is racing and her face stern with determination. She will make it to Korra and make sure she's safe. The fires aren't a very good indication of that, though.

She drives up and slams on the breaks bringing her vehicle to a sideways skid. She stops it right in from of the largest of the fire which is in the center of the town. Lin coughs at some of the smoke that wafts towards her. She raises her arm to block the heat from her face. She takes a wide stance and pounds one of her shoeless feet into the ground. Her senses travel outwards and towards the building to check and see if anyone is inside.

Maniacal laughter can be heard in the distance as Lin continues to reach her seismic sense into the large building. In the center of a large room, at the main entrance of the building, sits a figure on the floor and another attempting to pick that one up off the floor. Lin's instincts kick into high gear. She would recognize her lover anywhere with her seismic sense.

She runs towards the other side of the building where the main entrance is and as soon as she kicks open the door she's met with extreme heat. Flames are dancing along the border of the door frame. Thankfully, these people had the bright idea to encase the floor in stone and not wood. Lin can make it work.

Lin runs to her truck to grab the long sleeve she took off a bit ago and runs it over to the water trough. She submerges it and pulls it back out to put over her body. She covers her face and hair and runs into the heat of the fire dripping wet. Thankfully, Korra is laid out in the front of the building and not any deeper.

The building starts to creak and make loud sounds that make Lin feel extremely uneasy. "Korra!" She sees a shadowed figure close to her lover.

The other person coughs loudly having a difficult time breathing. "Help…" She can't stay awake and passes out on the floor.

Lin huffs, rolling her eyes and relents grabbing the weak person from the ground and shucking her over her shoulder. Lin runs the woman outside. She lays her down on the solid ground making sure she maintains an open airway. She may have inhaled smoke and she needs good air.

Lin runs back into the building that continues to creak and groan. She covers her face with her drenched sleeves again and runs back towards the spot she left Korra. She moves to pick up her lover when, suddenly, the creaking becomes a longer, louder noise than before. She kneels there with one of Korra's arms wrapped around her neck moments from lifting her on her back. She pauses and looks up when the noise reaches a breaking point. A thunderous cracking noise reaches Lin's ears. She drops Korra immediately and launches two large platforms of earth into the air. She's able to hold off the collapsed roof for the moment. She looks around trying to determine her next move, but starts to panic. The fire continues to burn around them as she looks over to her beloved. Tears start to sting her eyes. That's when she gets angry. Her brow furrows and she roars out her name "KORRAAA!"

Hei Bai and Korra run through the center of town nearing where they last saw her body. Her eyes shoot open at the sound of her name echoing through the roar of the flames. In shock, Korra and Hei Bai run their spirits into the burning building. All of a sudden, the Avatar's throat begins to burn and she coughs relentlessly. She tries to raise herself up, but feels so weak. She hears it again, that voice.

"Korra! Honey," she sighs with relief. "Oh thank Spirits. Korra! Look at me!"

Korra turns her head towards the voice. "Lin?" She rasps out and starts to cough again.

"Korra, honey, I can't hold much longer." She grunts as her muscles strain to maintain the weight. "You need to get out!" Her outstretched arms start to shake under the weight of the building leaning on her bending. Another area of the roof begins to cave. Lin pivots her hips and stomps her foot, launching another pillar into the air halting its downfall. Her arms shake as she focuses her strength on bearing the weight. "KORRA!" The younger woman looks to her again in shock. "You have to get out of here!" She starts to cough as well and the roof presses harder on the earth she's wielding. She suppresses it as best as she can to keep up the roof.

"Not without you!" Tears start falling down Korra's cheeks. She stammers as she gets up to her feet and nears her lover "Lin, I love you!-" She's cut off as her eyes meet the Chief's focused gaze and sad smile. Lin stomps her foot and Korra is catapulted out the door. She lands roughly on the ground meters from the building. Her body skids and scrapes against the ground. She turns her body over and extends her hand out towards the building, but as she does the building lets out a loud creaking, crash noise. The wood and stone collapses in on itself.

"NOOOOOO!" Korra screams so hard and loud it feels like glass is in her throat. Her eyes pour out tears as the fire continues to burn the building to the ground.

Muffled noises start filtering in Korra's ears as she starts to hyperventilate. She can't make out a single word as she stares at the building engulfed now in flames. She screams out in pain once more. She tries to breathe, but her silent sobs prevent her from taking in any air. Hands were laid on the Avatar as to comfort the woman. She coils down to the ground on her knees as she scrapes her fingers through her hair.

Suddenly she hears that laughter. Something inside her hardens. She rises. Anger is burning in her soul. She's heaving breaths and her eyes turn white. Her muscles are taunt as she falls into despair.

She turns her body and notices her friend, Avani, lying on the ground coughing. She looks down from her tall position and a piece of her humanity remains. She calls the water to her hands from the trough and they begin to glow as she places them on her friend's throat and chest. Soon her breaths start to even out. She doesn't quite wake up, but she will survive this awful situation… Lin on the other hand, she thought. Her anger returns full force.

Korra breathes slowly now as she focuses on her bending. She rises as the wind begins to blow and howl around her. Her glowing white eyes close as she reaches deep into her chi. She reaches for her firebending. She feels the fire around her in the town ebbing with her breath. She takes a deep inhale and raises her hands. The flames move to her command and rise with the inhale. Upon her exhale she slowly lowers her hands and with that motion each roaring flame dies down so that only the embers remain. She takes another breath and refocuses her chi. Her blinding white eyes remain hidden behind her lids as she starts to actually feel the intense heat emanating from the burnt wood. She reaches further, focusing, and starts to 'see' the heat inside her mind. It begins to draw a picture right before her. She begins to see the human bodies beneath her on the ground. Soon she can visualize each living thing emanating heat. She shifts her closed eyes off into the distance, opposite of the town, as she hears shouting and that maniacal laughter.

Using the thermal sensing she locates a very rich source of heat coming from the direction of the laugh and propels herself forward in an instant. She takes off in the same direction. The townspeople below hold onto their hats as the Avatar flies off with her eyes still closed.

She continues to track the heat source that she's sure of is the man in crimson, and Shi. The Avatar makes her descent into the trees as she closes in on her target. She won't lose him again. Her determination and her anger keeps her chi strong. She will end this. She won't allow this killer to escape and hurt anyone again.

She's hot on his tail as he glances over his shoulder. He sees her closed eyes and furrows his brow with confusion while still maintaining his wicked grin. His greasy black hair trails and whips behind his head. He weaves well enough through the forest, but he can't seem to shake her. He starts to get frustrated, like she's toying with him.

Korra can see his heat signature very clearly. There's a blinding white color coming off of his hands indicating the hot flames, and his body is more of a shining yellow, like the sun. I won't let him use his surroundings to get rid of me as easily as he did last time, she thinks to herself as she shifts off onto a new path closer to the nearby pond. She maintains her sight on her target, but he's starting to slow.

He notices that she is no longer behind him. He looks around himself as he starts to feel uneasy. It is different being the cat-owl, but now he's starting to feel like the mouse-lizard, being toyed with. His eyes shift warily from side to side as he is expecting her to attack.

She lets him stew so he knows how it feels to not be safe, because he isn't. Not anymore. She's going to put a stop to this. She bends the nearby water into a waterwhip and sends it flying towards him. He hears the noise of the branches snapping and turns his head. She barely grazes the skin of his chest as he bends backwards out of the way.

His wicked smile returns as he takes off in the direction of the attack. He doesn't see the earth come at him next and takes a boulder to the stomach. He lets out a loud 'oof' as the air leaves his body. She rises in front of him and he starts breathing heavily. He angrily sends a flaming punch towards the Avatar. She dodges the blast by turning her body to the side. She sees the blast from beginning to end with her thermal sensing. She puts up her hand finding her chi, easily, and forcing her will over his own fire. Each time he calls a flame to his hand to throw in her direction, she neutralizes it. He punches and punches until he begins to pant. Nothing is coming forth. His face turns to disbelief as he lays there. He jumps to his feet and throws a kick and starts moving through his Katas. Nothing. Her hand is still in the air claiming each flame he attempts to create.

She cocks her head to the side and sees his temperature shift. The bright hot colors of his body are starting to fade and turn to an orange and soon to an orange red. He starts coughing and choking and falling to the ground. He starts grabbing and scratching at his throat. His color is changing closer to a deep red. Confused, Korra opens her eyes no longer relying on her thermal sensing. The man is turning pale with a slightly blue hue, especially around his lips. She lowers her hand and releases her claim on his flame. His inner chi. The Avatar leans down to touch the man and he is freezing cold. She ponders it further. She had felt his fire and maybe she was taking it from him. She slowly realizes that she was literally sucking the heat straight out of his body, not just his flame.

Her white eyes shoot open in shock for only a moment before returning to her fiery gaze. She lifts him over her shoulder and takes off in the direction of the town. He barely moves as he floats in and out of consciousness. The town comes into view and she drops his body on the ground. "You," she points to two men that were cleaning the area "take him to a cell and make sure it's locked tight until I figure out what to do with him."

"Yes, Avatar Korra" one of the men says.

"Where is Avani?" Korra voices her concern for the young woman who had been keeping her recently.

"We took her to the house, Avatar. She is in her bed, asleep."

She gave a curt nod and decides she needs to be alone. She walks off and heads over to the vehicle Lin drove in on. She starts to feel the grief and agony rise in her chest again as she grasps one of the older woman's shirts. Korra lifts it to her face and takes a deep inhale. The tears threaten to fall once again and her throat aches with a lump she just can't seem to swallow. She clenches her fists and shuts her eyes tight as the sobs start to rake through her body once more.

A loud cry escapes her lips into the shirt as flashes of her brave lover's face enter her mind. Flashes of Lin's smile as she walks closer with a cup of tea in her hands. A flash of her face clenched in pleasure after a round of love making. A flash of the strong woman bending her cables saving a young Korra from falling in the Probending arena. A flash of Lin and her muscles glistening with sweat on the day they were sparring that turned into their first time together.

Her mind clouds with grief as she slumps to the ground next to the large tire, still holding onto Lin's shirt.

A/N

Okay, don't hate me… yet.