A few days passed when Doctor Lei came to Air Temple Island with his son Han to make a few house calls. Lei touched her leg tenderly to gauge the damage, taking special care not to cause even more pain. The warm compress felt good against the muscle and it started to unwind. "So how bad is it?" Kala asked, leaning all of her weight on her arms and waiting for the doctor's answer.

"It's only dislocated" he moved the curtain back and called for his son "Han, come out here and help me pop her leg back in place please" he gently laid Kala on her side and held her down while Han grabbed her leg, putting it under his armpit and gave it a quick push up. They heard a loud popping sound and Kala let out a groan of pain and relief. "Feel better?" the doctor asked.

"A little..." she could now get up and walk around where she could only lie in bed waiting for somebody to come and bring her food or keep her company. Asami came in most, showing off her new mechanical arm. She was proud of it, thinking that she could incorporate it with the shock glove that the Equalists used. This day however was different, Bolin came in and gave her some dumplings he made himself.

"They're not as good as Mako's but they'll do" he smiled softly at her and she ate them none the less. Again, Bolin was being uncharacteristically quiet and he looked down, as if shy.

"Alright, Bo what's wrong?" Kala gnawed on her dumplings and set the bowl aside.

"What? Nothing's wrong!" he gave a nervous laugh as she looked at him with a disapproving look.

"Well...Mako, Asami, Korra and I are gonna start doing vigilante justice since the police aren't doing squat" he nervously twittled his thumbs together.

"Cool! When do we go?" Kala said excitedly.

This time, Mako came in with "WE go tonight, YOU will be staying here" he looked sternly at her.

"But the doctor said it was okay for me to do my normal routine! I've been cooped up here long enough!"

Mako sighed and said "That's not what we're concerned about. It's because of your past and your former associates..."

"I get it...you think that I'll kill somebody without a second thought..." her expression darkened and Bolin tried to comfort her.

"N-no! We just want you to relax until-"

"Until when? When I'm an invalid with a gimpy leg? Already did that!" she tried to get up quickly, but then stumbled, Mako catching her. "See what I mean?!"

"Okay it's because of your past, but you have to earn our trust again" the fire bender said. "We only trust you when it comes to medical quick fixes, not to watch our backs..." the expression on Kala's face broke Bolin's heart all over again. Tears began to form in the corner of her eyes, but she circumvented them right away.

"Fine" she said, slowly getting up and stabilizing herself "Do what you want...just don't expect me to give you 'medical quick fixes' anytime soon..." she hobbled out, passing Asami and Korra on the way out. "Watch yourselves...I might stab you in the back..." she scowled and moved to the meditation pavilion for peace and quiet.

Bolin shot his brother a look that would make anybody's blood freeze "Great Mako, she thinks that we don't trust her!"

"Not fully anyway...she's killed a lot of people and make lots of orphans" he crossed his arms and leaned on the wall.

"People change Mako! She got out of that group and put her life on track!" the young earth bender shouted.

"But then she joined them again and hurt my girlfriend!"

"It's not like she hurt me directly Mako!" Asami said, the mechanical arm pointing its finger at him "She had nothing to do with it!"

"She was there and could have stopped it! But she stood back doing nothing!"

It was then Asami slapped him down with her human arm "She didn't do anything because she COULDN'T do it! When she bends somebody's iron in their blood, it makes her sick and weak!" Mako rubbed his cheek and remained silent, each of them going to a separate part of the island to cool off.

When nightfall came, they were calm and they apologized to each other, except Kala was nowhere to be found. "Maybe we'll find her in the city" Korra said, getting in the car. When in reality, she was talking to Tenzin.

"Do you think that people can change?" she asked the elderly air bender, looking like she was about to cry.

"Indeed, but they cannot change over night. It will take time" he put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I isolated myself in the closet for over a year to get over my old ways...and yet I still went back when I found out that Bolin didn't love me like I loved him..."

"That is understandable, but I believe that feelings do change as well" he smiled, remembering the day Pema confessed her love to him.

"What do you mean?" she was unsure of what he was talking about, and she wanted to find out more.

"When it comes to love, there are many different kinds...such as brotherly love-love one feels for a sibling or great friend, physical love-which is self explanatory, parental love-one that a person feels for their offspring and many different kinds of love that I cannot begin to describe."

"I-I think I can understand that" she shivered on a warm night. That to her was an omen that could not be ignored. Then Tenzin got the call that Korra's friends were in jail, she set out with him and met Korra at the front desk of the police station. Tarrlok had looked in her direction and at a wanted poster, then back at her. He knew what she was and had officers tackle her to the ground.

"Tarrlok! What is the meaning of this?!" Tenzin demanded.

"She's the Iron Maiden of Yao Dai!" he said "She's a wanted felon and has multiple warrants on her!"

Tenzin stammered, knowing that he could do nothing to save the girl. The previous night, the police raided the underground cage bending ring, taking the fighters, trainers and betters into custody. He let out a painful sigh of defeat as Korra looked on in astonished horror as the metal benders dragged her to the holding cells. They passed cells that held prisoners from the 'Equalist' rally and three looked up "Kala?! What are you doing here?!" Mako asked.

"Seems like the cage fighters turned me in, Fire-boy...gonna get the gallows probably..."

Tarrlok lifted her up roughly and stood her before him "Indeed...but you have a chance to win your freedom. There's going to be a free-for-all fight to the death for all you illegal bending fighters. If you win, we'll have you pardoned of all crimes, but if you lose we will see you die in the arena. Of course, it's your choice" he turned to walk away but Kala spoke up.

"I'll do it! But I want those three" she pointed to Asami, Bolin and Mako "to be set free regardless if I win or not!"

"That bargain seems a little steep...but I want something more. What's in it for me?"

Biting her lip, Kala added "If I win...you also get to make a public spectacle of me...whip me until I fall unconscious. Public humiliation seems to be your forte..." with a smile, Tarrlok agreed and they shook on it. As agreed, the trio was freed and Kala taken to the cage bending area.

Three days later, the free-for-all would take place in the pro bending arena (or what was left of it), a ten foot high cage had been erected around the ring. Spectators filled the stands, benders and non-benders alike. Most of the non-benders were Amon's supporters just waiting for the blood bath to begin. The contenders waited in the terminals to be announced when a spectator ran through looking for one of the contenders. Mako looked frantically around and he found Kala waiting in full fighting gear, her hair in the trademark two buns of the Maiden. "Please don't go through with this!" he begged her, grabbing her shoulders.

"What do you care what I do? You can never fully trust me, remember?" she brushed him off and scoffed.

"I'm sorry I said that!" he took one of her hands in both of his "Bolin won't even look at me much less talk to me anymore!"

"Are you really sorry, or are you just apologizing so little brother will be okay?" she mocked him.

He growled angrily, but then let his anger go in the form of steam coming out of his nose "Korra's missing...Bolin's mad at me about that too..."

Kala hadn't heard this yet and said "What? In case you've forgotten, I've been incarcerated for the past three days" Mako now had her full attention.

"Tarrlok said that she ran away from Amon...called her a coward and now everybody's against her...Bolin loves her, but she loves me and I love both Korra and Asami and everything's just so confusing..."

"I'm sorry, but I can't not do this..." she put his hands back to him and the contenders were called.

Tarrlok was the announcer and he explained "The rules are simple-kill each other until one is left standing. Even if the winner is mortally wounded, we will come in and pull you out and try to save you" then a gong sounded, signaling the start of the battle royale. There were weapons scattered on the floor in case they didn't want to use bending-swords, knives and other things. Kala's eyes searched the ten contestants for the youngest- 12 year old Skoochy, another earth bender. The poor kid had been taken from the streets and was scared out of his mind. She found him, being cornered by a group of fire benders.

She took a running start and slid, making the earth beneath their feet move and topple the group. She took a hold of the boy's arm and said "Stick with me and I'll let you win!"

Skoochy looked up at her with bloodshot eyes, tired from crying and not sleeping "Bu-but what about you?! I don't wanna kill you!"

"Trust me, you won't have to!" she sent a rock flying at an advancing water bender with a curved sword, who expertly dodged it and sent a chuck of ice her way. "Persistent little..." she trapped his ankles in the earth, and a passing fire bender shot him full of lightning, frying him instantly into death. Scoochy cried out in fear, as he saw three benders about to make him into minced meat, but Kala made a rock tent with four sides around him.

The benders then began to climb the diamond shaped enclosure, hoping to get an aerial shot at those on the ground. Then, the same fire bender that killed the water bender sent a shock of electricity through the metal, causing all five of the benders to fall down dead. There were four people left- Skoochy, Kala, the fire bender and a water bender.

The four stood in a small circle and Kala spoke to the fire bender "I'd expect to see you in the final four, Mali..." then turning to the water bender "Hama..." the female water bender scoffed and pointed at the little earth bender.

"It's so like you to want to protect the little one, Kala...you always had a soft spot for kids...but let's see how well you can protect him with two people attacking!" she sent a stream of water her way, wrapping it around her waist and tossing her aside to the bars. Kala was knocked off balance, and was face down on the floor a moment. While getting up quickly, she noticed that the circular earth bending slabs from the pro bending league were still in place-a fact that was over looked by Tarrlok.

"Skoochy! Tiger-Horse stance!" she shouted out, the confused and terrified boy doing exactly as she told him. To everybody's surprise, two of the slabs levitated up and were shot directly at the heads of the benders, with a little extra power from Kala. The slabs hit hard in the heads of Mali and Hama, causing enough brain damage that would equal a lobotomy.

Tarrlok's voice boomed out of the crowd and said "Since Mali and Hama are indefinitely out of commission, they do not need to be killed...if the remaining two contenders will halt their fighting long enough to have the bodies removed..." officials came out of the corridors and one by one, six dead bodies and two invalids were filed out.

Bolin and Mako sat next to each other, sickened by the spectacle taking place. Having known both of the remaining contestants. "Oh god..." Bolin bit his lip and swallowed hard. He was so mad at Tarrlok and everybody who willingly came here that his knuckles were white. "Please don't tell me she's going to..."

Mako spoke up "Have faith in her...I do..."

Skoochy looked up at Kala with wide eyes and intense fear "A-are ya gonna kill me?" he was shaking so bad that his knees were knocking against one another.

"I said I'd let you win didn't I?" she gave him a sad smile, removing the cap from his head and kissing his sweaty forehead. Her body then went rigid, thousands of blood droplets forming from the pores. She let out cries of pain and pleasure-not that she enjoyed the feeling of her blood being forced out of her body, pleasure that she was showing Tarrlok that he couldn't get the satisfaction of torturing her.

The full moon shone through the announcer's box and Tarrlok was very angry. He hissed "That girl..." he was half tempted to blood bend the boy's body into a heart attack to kill him, but a steady hand on the shoulder was all that was needed to calm him down. "Amon..."

"Calm yourself, Tarrlok...if you kill the boy, the entire city will be in an uproar and riots will start again" the masked man took his hand off the water bender's shoulder and said "don't let that girl die either. I want to see her pay for her defiance..."

Over the intercom Tarrlok announced "Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you your winners! Both earth benders Skoochy and Kala!" then Kala released herself from the iron pushing out her blood and Skoochy ran into her arms. Both of them were laughing and crying at the same time, and their friends sighed with relief.

The cage then came down, with Bolin scooping up Kala in his arms and swinging her around. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"I'm not out of the woods yet...remember the whipping I promised Tarrlok I'd let him do?"

"You can't! I wont let you!" he protested, but he was silenced with a hard punch to the gut.

"I'm sorry, but if I don't he'll go after everybody again...I don't want the Hell I put myself through to be for nothing..." she met Tarrlok outside, where he tied her wrist together and dangled her by them from a nearby tree, so that her feet barely touched the ground.

"I am so going to enjoy this..." Tarrlok grinned wickedly and he formed a water whip. He got in really close and said "If you don't scream out, I'll tell you where I hid Korra..."

Kala gasped and bit her lip knowing that she had to at least try to not scream. "Go ahead..." her body tensed and the first crack of the whip stung worse than a sting from a buzzard wasp. She let out a squeak, but nothing of significance passed her lips, then another and another whiplash came. The sun was rising and sweat was falling down from the bound girl's body, mixing with blood falling from her back. Finally Bolin couldn't take anymore and he stepped in, catching the whip in his arm.

"She's been out for half an hour! That was the deal, wasn't it?!"

Tarrlok scoffed and disbanded the whip while Mako shot a small flame at the rope to let her fall into his arms. "I am a man of my word. She's been pardoned of all her crimes..." he tossed them some balm "the wounds look like they're beginning to fester, so I'd get her checked out. Kala started to come to, and looked up to Mako and whispered something in his ear. His eyes widened at the news and she laid back down.

In a weak voice, she asked him "Can you trust me now?" her cuts were ugly and still bleeding, some oozing a yellow-green pus.

Mako looked down at himself, ashamed that he said such hateful things to her "Yes...we can trust you...I never should have doubted you..."

She let out a laugh and said "Good...cause I won't be doing that again..." she then felt her be shifted to another person. Bolin's strong but gentle arms were warm, the rage he felt having been drained from him. "Hey Bo..."

"Don't talk...save your strength...we're takin' you back to Air Temple Island..."

Upon their return Asami was mortified to see the scars from the whipping "Oh my god! She went through with it?!"

Mako told her "Yeah...and she found out where Korra is" the Air Acolytes came out with a stretcher to take her to the infirmary to access the damage and stage of infection.