Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 4: Fears and secrets

"Talking"

"Thinking"

"Bijū/spirit talking"

"Bijū/spirit thinking"

(Location: Korra)

She was asleep in her bed with the moonlight shining down on her through the open window, the hinges creaking slightly from the small gust of wind. Suddenly, she came awake, sitting up quickly and throwing her sheets off. She had felt a presence beyond her room and it had woken her up.

It was just in time as an Equalist broke through the window and two more burst through the door, shattering both. She leapt off the bed and bent fire at them all. They all leapt out of the way of the flame and spread out, surrounding her. While two distracted her, making her throw furious bursts of fire at them, one got in close and jabbed several points on her side.

Losing all feeling in her body, she fell to her knees with a pained shout. She would've fallen completely had the Equalist behind her not held her up with his knee. Hearing footsteps coming closer and closer, she looked up and saw with horror that Amon stood there before her.

"After I take your Bending away, you will be nothing," he declared ominously, his hand stretching out for her face. There was nothing she could do as the hand reached for her.


She came awake with a shout, still in her bed. It was just a nightmare, but it had been so real to her. She could feel the cold sweat coming down her forehead and she could not control her breathing. "It wasn't real. It wasn't real. It wasn't real," she kept telling herself, over and over and over again. But it just made her remember even more and she didn't want to remember.

Feeling a cold and wet sensation against her right hand, she turned to see Naga licking it. That was how she knew she was awake, Naga was there. "It's…it's all right, Naga," she told the polar bear dog as she put her head in her lap. "I just had a bad dream." She petted Naga's head as she spoke and then cradled it, using it like a lifeline to the reality she was in.

Then all of a sudden, a loud scream pierced the air, snapping her out of the state she was in. "What was that?" she demanded, getting out of the bed and going into the hall. The scream came again, much more loudly now. But she could tell where it coming from, just down the hall. More importantly, it was coming from Arashi's room and it was Arashi who was screaming.

She bolted down the hall to his room, thinking that he was being torture or something close to it. But when she opened the door to his room, she saw that he was twisting around in his bed, trapped in a dream.

"No! No! Stop it! Stop burning!" he cried in a pained little voice as he twisted and turned. "Help! Help! Please! Someone!"

"Arashi!" said Korra, going to his side. "Wake up. It's just a dream." She sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed hold of him to make him stop moving around.

It worked like a charm. He stopped moving like he was trying to escape from something. He opened his eyes and looked around the room, looking for something. Then those eyes settled on her. "Mama?" he asked in a small voice, his breathing erratic and loud.

The Tribeswoman was caught off-guard by that question, not expecting it in the least. "Arashi, it's me," she began to say to him.

But she didn't get any further than that. He sat up and then went for her, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his head into her side. "I'm sorry, Mama," he said as tears began to leak out of his eyes, staining her shirt. "I'm sorry, Mama. I didn't mean to. I promised I didn't mean to let it happen. I lost her. I'm so sorry."

Uncertain of what she was supposed to do (and having no idea of what he was talking about), she tried to do something her mother had done for her when she had been a little kid. "Shush now, it's alright," she told him gently, rubbing his back with a calm hand. "Mama's here. I'm right here."

The tears stopped somewhat, but he would not let go of her. He hung onto her like she was his last lifeline to this reality. It was a sight that was new to the Avatar and quite frankly, it scared her deeply. Arashi was a somewhat loud, somewhat sarcastic kid who didn't take any crap from anyone, but was also loyal to his friends. He had a confident aura about him that didn't seem to take a hit whenever something was thrown at him.

But it turns out she was wrong about that assumption, and she was wishing at that moment that she hadn't been wrong. The confidence was gone and now, she was looking at a scared little boy who only wanted his mother to help him chase the nightmare away.

But instead, he had her. Well, if it was going to be like that, she would try her best. She didn't know how long she sat there with his arms around her waist, his face buried in her side, and her rubbing his back, but eventually his sobbing began to lessen and he fell asleep.

But he still hung onto her, so she sat on the bed and stroked his back slowly. To her, it felt like her own worries weren't the matter, for the moment at least. Before long, the door opened and Pema stood there. "I see you've got here first," she remarked with a gentle smile.

"I'm sorry," Korra apologized, looking a little embarrassed at being caught like this. "I just heard him scream and—"

"And you came running to see what was happening," she finished knowingly.

The Avatar nodded silently. "Has this happened before?" she asked, feeling like an idiot as soon as the words left her mouth. If Pema could describe what would happen after he screamed, why wouldn't have it happened before?

Tenzin's wife nodded, walking quietly over to her. She reached down and gently pried Arashi's grip off of Korra's waist, letting her stand up from the bed. The blonde made a small noise at the loss of contact but she tucked him in and he fell silent.

The two women walked quietly out of the room, closing the door behind them once they were out. "Is he going to be okay?" Korra asked Pema once they were out.

"He will be fine. But he'll probably deny anything that he did in there later on. He doesn't like letting people see that side of him, not even people who are close to him."

"Pema, he kept calling me his mother, begging for something to stop burning, and that he had lost someone. What happened to him?"

"He was most likely dreaming of the night his family died. But other than that, it's not my place to tell his story." She looked at the Avatar with concern on her face. "But now, what were you doing up, Korra? You're usually a heavy sleeper."

"It's nothing," she said instantly. "I just had a hard sleeping. Good night."

"Good night, Korra." Both turned away and went back to their own beds, staying there for the rest of the night and trying to get some sleep (with various degrees of success).

(Location: City Hall)

"There is a madman running around our beloved city, threatening to tear it apart," Tarrlok, the representative of the Northern Water Tribe to the United Republic Council, said from where he sat across from Tenzin inside City Hall. They sat on the ends of a u-shaped table and between them sat the representatives for the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom, and the Southern Water Tribe. This was a normal meeting between the five of them and the first order of business was the Equalists and Amon. "We need to create a taskforce whose sole mission is to find Amon bring him to justice."

"Absolutely not," Tenzin instantly objected. "A move that aggressive would only further divide Benders and Nonbenders." They would start hearing rumors and whispers of the Council abusing its authority if they did that.

"Tarrlok, I'm inclined to agree with your proposal," the Fire Nation representative told the Northern Tribesman. "But who would head up such a taskforce?"

In response, he stood up from his chair. "It would be my honor and privilege to accept such a duty," he declared with a bowed head.

He looked like the very model of a humble civil servant but Tenzin knew him better than that. "This is just one of your ploys to gain more power, isn't it?" he accused the Tribesman, who lifted his head back up.

"All I'm trying to do is help," he said in slight protest. "Think back, forty-two years ago, Republic City was threatened by another dangerous man, Yakone. Your father wasn't afraid to face him head-on," he told Tenzin, pointing at him with a finger.

That drew the Airbender's ire immediately. "This is a completely different situation and how dare you compare yourself to Avatar Aang!" he shouted, standing up from his chair and pointing at him with an angry finger. The man was no Avatar; he was not the one to put himself in that position!

But Tarrlok hardened his gaze and his tone. "Amon is not going to stop with the Bending triads," he told Tenzin. "Eventually, he will come for all us Benders. Our friends, our families," he emphasized. "For all we know, he's been active for far longer than we had thought and is only now coming into the spotlight."

"What are you talking about, Tarrlok?" the Fire Nation representative asked him.

"I'm talking about your predecessor, Councilman Uzumaki." The room went silent as that word entered their eardrums and dived deep into their memories. "We all know how he and his family died, despite the story we've given to the press. It's very likely that Amon was the one to have done it." He looked at the Council. "Vote for this taskforce and I will stop Amon before it's too late. All in favor?" he asked, raising his hand.

The representative of the Fire Nation raised her hand and after a moment, so did the representatives of the Earth Kingdom and the Southern Water Tribe. The decision passed, Tarrlok banged the gavel he had on the block in front of him. Then he smiled triumphantly at Tenzin, who only narrowed his gaze at him in reply.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

"Ah, I love this music," Korra declared as she practiced the Airbending moves she had been shown outside on the courtyard, listening to jazz music coming from the radio set on the bannister. "It's completely relaxing." After a day of Pro-bending training and learning how to Airbend (or trying to learn how to Airbend), this was the perfect way to unwind, outside and under the night sky.

"You can say that again," Arashi said from where he sat on the bannister, right beside the radio. He was swaying a little in time with the music.

"It's completely relaxing."

He stopped swaying and gave her a look. "Just because I said you could say that again, doesn't mean you have to say it again."

She just turned her head and grinned at him. The music coming from the radio began turning to static for no reason, making them both look at it with a curious look. But when Amon's voice came on, that curiosity was replaced by a sense of fear and dread. "Good evening, my fellow Equalists, this is your leader, Amon," he began. "As you have heard, the Republic Council has voted to make me Public Enemy Number 1, proving once again that the Bending oppressors of this city will stop at nothing to quash our revolution. But we cannot be stopped. Our numbers grow stronger by the day. You no longer have to live in fear. The time has come for Benders to experience fear."

Korra stared wide-eyed at the radio, beads of sweat trickling down her forehead even after his voice vanished and the music came back on. It reminded her of the nightmare she had last night, the one that made her sleep fitfully for the rest of the night. Even the jazz music wasn't helping any. It just sounded like noise now.

Then the music died and she looked at Arashi, who had turned it off. "He's not here, Korra," he told her, jumping down from the bannister to the ground and walking over to her. "He only does this kind of thing because he's afraid to show his face in public. People like him, if you take away the mask, whatever power they have dies. He knows that, that's why he hides."

"How do you know that?" she asked him, looking down at his hand placed on her arm, letting her know he was trying to comfort her.

"My Jiji taught me a little bit about people like that," he answered.

"Wow." She was a little impressed. "Lord Naruto sounds a little cool."

"Lord Naruto?" he repeated with a look. "Why the hell are you calling him a lord?"

"He's the Paragon of the Fire Nation," she reminded him. "I think that deserves a little respect."

He just shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so," he told her, taking his hand off her arm. "Oh, and by the way, my uncle was found."

Now that was news to her. Zolt hadn't been seen since they had escaped from the Equalists. "Where is he?"

"In the slammer," he answered.

She frowned confusedly. She knew that she wasn't from the city and she was trying to make sure she knew what people were trying to say, but that one slipped past her. "Huh?"

He rolled his eyes. "The cops found him a couple of hours after the whole 'Revelation' thing went down. Apparently, he turned himself in to them."

"Why?"

"I don't know, he didn't tell me."

"Then how do you know that he's in jail?"

"I read it in the newspaper, duh."

She rolled her eyes back at him, which made him laugh a little. It was enough to make her start laughing and soon enough, their laughter was echoing off into the air. Then the laughter died away. Korra looked at the blonde and was struck by an image of him last night. "Arashi, about last night," she began.

The cheer on his face disappeared faster than she could blink. "Drop it, Korra," he ordered her. "Drop it and never bring it up again."

She was taken aback at how cold and angry he had suddenly become when she spoke about it. She shouldn't have brought it up. "Sorry," she said, a little nervous at the face he was giving her. He didn't say anything in reply. He just turned and walked away.

(Location: Mako)

"Finally, the shift is over," he thought to himself as he walked out of the power plant, flipping his scarf over his shoulder. It had been a long shift and he felt tired. He had started working at the power plant as a Generator Charger in order to pay for the ante for the memorial championship. He was making some decent money but he knew that there wasn't going to be enough for the ante in time. But still, a decent pay was a decent pay and it would help out once the season was over.

He heard the ringing of the trolley bell, singling that it was almost ready to leave. Seeing that the tram was on the other side of the road, he started running towards it. But as he passed the Satomobile beside him, he saw someone on a moped coming at him and trying to stop too late. Caught off guard, he shouted in surprise as he was hit and sent flying back to the ground, landing hard.

"Oh no!" the driver of the moped said as it came to a stop. She got off and quickly ran over to him. "I'm so sorry. I didn't see you."

"How could you not see me?" he demanded while rubbing his head and making sure that nothing was damaged. He looked up at her and continued with, "I mean I was ju-jus…" He trailed off at the end of his sentence and his cheeks sprouted a blush. The reason for that was very simple: he had been hit a beautiful woman. She had pulled her helmet off and swept her long, black hair free, letting it flow in the air for a moment before settling down against her. She wore purple eye shadow that went perfectly with her green eyes and she had chosen probably the best shade of red lipstick.

All of a sudden, he felt like an idiot. "Uh…I was…I, I…wow," he tried to say, only not getting anywhere. He coughed and then tried again. "I was…" Still not getting anywhere, he tried clearing his throat to see if that would help any.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, going to his side, clutching his arm. "Did I hurt you? Ugh, I am such an idiot." She helped him stand back up on his own feet.

Having recovered enough to speak coherent sentences, he told her, "Don't worry, I'm fine." He wiped some street dust off of his arms and sleeves with a little nonchalance. "My brother hits me harder than that every day in practice."

She looked at him a little harder after hearing that. "Wait, I recognize you. You're Mako, right? You play for the Fire Ferrets."

"Yeah, that's me."

She placed a hand on her face. "I am so embarrassed." She tucked her helmet under the crook of her arm and held her hand to shake. "My name is Asami," she introduced herself as they shook. "Let me make this up to you somehow. Uh, how about I treat you to dinner? Tomorrow night, eight o'clock, Kuang's Cusine," she decided.

To say that Mako was surprised by the offer would've been a small understatement. "Um, Kuang's?" he repeated as she went back to her moped. He knew of the place and that made him a little nervous. "I don't have any clothes nice enough for a place that classy."

"I'll take care of that. All you need to do is show up," she assured him as she put her helmet back on and placed her goggles over her eyes. "So…it's a date?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," he agreed. "I'll see you tomorrow night." She started up her moped and drove past him, glancing back at him once more before turning her head away. As he watched grow smaller in the distance, he turned away and sprouted a goofy looking grin on his face. At that moment, he felt like the luckiest guy on the planet. But he also forgot that the tram was leaving.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

Korra and Arashi sat by one another at the table. The sun was setting outside and it was time for food. Tenzin took his seat, looked at everyone there, clasped his hands together and began the prayer with a bowed head. "We are grateful for this delicious food, for happiness, for compassion, and—"

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" Tarrlok interrupted from where he stood at the entrance to the dining room. Korra looked up to see who it was and saw a fellow Tribesman with clothes nice enough to show that he had earned enough money to buy them.

"This is my home, Tarrlok," Tenzin told him as he walked in, standing up from his seat. "We're about to eat dinner."

"Good, because I am absolutely famished." He cast a sly look at the Airbending master. "Airbenders never turn away a hungry guest, am I right?"

"I suppose," he conceded with a defeated sigh, sitting back down. When he looked over at Pema and saw the scowl she had on her face, all he could do was raise his hands up in slight surrender, saying that he had no control over the situation.

Tarrlok walked over to the other side of the table, where the two non-Air Nomads were sitting. "Ah, you must be the famous Avatar Korra," he said as he looked upon her. "It is truly an honor." He turned his gaze on Arashi. "And Arashi Uzumaki, I had the pleasure of serving alongside your father when he represented the Fire Nation. I don't if you remember, but I had come over to your house for dinner sometimes."

"You're right, I don't remember," Arashi said.

"Well, allow me to reintroduce myself." He bowed slightly with a hand on his heart. "I am Councilman Tarrlok, representative from the Northern Water Tribe."

"Nice to meet you," Korra said in greeting, standing up and bowing to him. They sat down together, with Arashi on the other side.

Unfortunately for Tarrlok, he sat down right next to Ikki, who leaned closer to him and began asking questions like, "Why do you have three ponytails? And how come you smell like a lady. You're weird."

"Well aren't you…precocious," he said in reply, pausing so he would say the right word.

"Hey, runt, can we eat before you decide to play the information game?" Arashi asked Ikki pointedly.

"I was just asking," she told him with a pout.

"So," the Tribesman said, turning to the Tribeswoman as she ate. "I've been reading about your adventures in the papers. Infiltrating Amon's rally, now that took some real initiative," he told her.

"She wasn't the only one who went there," Arashi said to him before Korra could reply.

He cast the blonde a look. "While I am sure that you were there too, I believe it is safe to say that she pulled most of the weight in that action. It wouldn't do well to put yourself on a higher pedestal then where you actually are, Arashi." He smiled as he spoke, but it was obvious that he had just insulted the blonde.

"Thanks, by the way," Korra said, breaking what she felt was the beginning of a tense and awkward silence. "I think you're the first authority figure in the city who's happy I'm here." Granted that the only other authority figures she had met were Tenzin and Chief Beifong, but it still counted.

"Republic City is much better off now that you've arrived," he assured her.

"Enough with the flattery, Tarrlok," Tenzin told him firmly. "What do you want from Korra?"

"Patience, Tenzin. I'm getting to that." He turned his attention back to the Avatar. "As you may have heard, I am assembling a taskforce that will strike at the heart of the revolution and I want you to join me."

"Really?" she asked.

"What?!" said Tenzin, having not expected that.

"I need someone who will help me attack Amon directly, someone who is fearless in the face of danger," Tarrlok told Korra. "And that someone is you."

"Join your taskforce?" she repeated. She was surprised to hear such an offer for her. But there was a tiny little voice telling her to refuse. And she heeded it. "I can't."

Her answer had caught Tarrlok, Tenzin, and even Arashi by surprise. They had all thought that she would accept such an offer in a heartbeat (the Northern Tribesman had been betting on it). "I must admit I'm rather surprised," Tarrlok said, uncertainty clouding his words at that moment. "I thought you'd jump at the chance to help me lead the charge against Amon."

"Me too," Tenzin said, mostly to himself. Korra was the kind of person to jump right into things the moment they presented themselves. But at the moment, she seemed hesitant. Something was going on with her.

"I came to Republic City to finish my Avatar training with Tenzin," Korra explained to the Tribesman sitting next to her. "Right now, I just need to focus on that."

"Which is why this opportunity is perfect," he insisted. "You would get on-the-job experience while performing your Avatar duty to the city."

"Are you deaf?" Arashi asked him with a hard look. "She said no."

"It's time for you to go, Tarrlok," Tenzin said to his fellow councilman pointedly before he could say anything in response to the blonde.

The Northern Tribesman fixed the Airbender with a brief look and then raised a hand in surrender. "Very well," he conceded as he stood up from the table. "But I'm not giving up on you just yet," he said to Korra, wagging his finger slightly. "You'll be hearing from me soon. It has been a pleasure, Avatar Korra." He bowed to her again before leaving.

"Bye-bye, ponytail man!" called out Ikki as he left the room. All she got in response was a grunt.

"Oh dear," Pema said with an annoyed look on her face.

"What is it, Pema?" Tenzin asked her.

"That man comes into my home saying that he is famished and doesn't even a single piece of the meal. That is really rude of him."

(Location: Mako)

When he had stood in front of probably the fanciest restaurant in Republic City, he felt really out of his league. But he had taken a breath and stepped inside. It turned out to be the better course of action then to turn tail and run. He had been greeted by a waiter who had addressed him as "Master Mako" and led him into a side room.

In that room, he had been given new clothes and his hair had been tamed. Within a few short minutes, he had gone from looking like a guy with an hourly wage to looking like a young gentleman who could fit in with high society. The only he had kept from his usual clothes had been the scarf. There was no way he would part with that.

Once he was all dressed up, he was led up to the dining floor and to his table, where Asami was waiting for him a red dress that left her arms bare and was just the right color of red for her. He sat down and as music played overhead, they began talking. "I am such a big Pro-bending fan," she told him. "I caught all of your matches this season."

"All of them?" he repeated, surprised that she had said that. "Wow. Honestly, there were a few I wish you hadn't seen."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, you're amazing," she chided him lightly. "I can't wait to see you play in the memorial tournament."

Like someone had flipped a switch inside of him, his good mood vanished. "Yeah, well, ah, maybe next year," he said, his eyes looking down and away from her.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "You made it in."

"It's just isn't in the cards for us right now." He hated saying that; it felt like a punch to the stomach every time. But he had to face the facts.

She leaned forward and placed her hand on his, a look of concern on her face. "Tell me," she told him. "What's the problem?"

He could hear the earnestly in her voice as she spoke. "We don't have enough money to ante up for the championship pot. So, it looks like we're out of the running."

"That's not fair," she protested quietly. He agreed with her, but what could he or his teammates do about it?

A waiter came to their table with a covered plate in each hand. "Pardon me, Ms. Sato. Your main course," he said to Asami as he put the plates on the table and lifted their covers off, revealing food that looked quite good.

Mako was shocked by what he had heard the waiter say. "Miss Sato?" he repeated to Asami as the waiter walked away. "You wouldn't happen to be related to Hiroshi Sato, creator of the Satomobile?"

"Yeah," she answered with a shrug of her shoulders. "He's my dad."

"Get out of town!" he swore. He could've gone with something a bit more descriptive and/or profane, but he was with a lady.

"I'm serious," she said with a little smile. "You wanna meet him?"

"Meet the most successful captain of industry in all of Republic City?" he asked. "Yeah, I'll take you up on that."

"Okay then. Shall we eat?"

"Yeah, let's," he answered with a smile.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

"Hello, fellow teammate and coach!" Bolin called out to Korra and Arashi as he walked towards them with Pabu on his shoulder (but facing the wrong way for some reason).

"Hey Bolin," Korra said in reply. She was sitting next to Naga on some steps leading into one of the buildings. Naga was currently on her back and having her stomach rubbed. Arashi was leaning against the column to her right.

"Missed you at practice this week," he remarked.

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious, Bolin," Arashi said with sarcasm in full force.

"Sorry about that," the Tribeswoman told her teammate.

"Nah, it's alright," he said with a somber tone in his voice. "We're probably out of the tournament anyway, unless some money miraculously drops out of the sky by tomorrow.

"Or my Jiji suddenly remembers and sends a letter with the cash," Arashi added, feeling just as down as he was.

But unlike the blonde, Bolin wasn't focused on that. "Anyways the reason I came here was to give Korra this." He stepped onto the first step and held out a cupcake in a plastic bag and a rose. "Ta-da!"

"Wow, thanks," Korra said, taking the gifts from him. She was surprised by it and was a little confused by the scowl on Arashi's face at the sight. "What's this for?"

He turned away slightly and rubbed his chin, like he was trying to think deeply. "Uh, oh I can't remember now," he said. "Oh yeah, now I remember. You saved me from Amon!"

"Oh, that? It was no big deal," she declared with a shrug of her shoulders.

"No big deal, are you serious?" he asked. "I was totally freaking out when he was coming at him with his creepy mask all, 'I will take away your Bending forever.'" He acted a little like a zombie as he imitated Amon's voice. "I mean that…is scary stuff. I still can't sleep well."

He wasn't the only one. Even as he spoke about it, Korra was reminded of her dream, that night, and what it all meant. She turned her head ever so slightly to look at Arashi, but his face was turned away from her, preventing her from seeing his full expression.

"Delivery for Avatar Korra," someone announced from out of the blue. All heads turned to see a large mound of…stuff coming towards them, attached to a pair of weak-looking legs. The mound was placed down on the steps, revealing a man in a uniform had been carrying it. "Tarrlok sends his complements and urges you to reconsider his offer," he said to Korra, offering her a bow.

"Tell him I haven't changed my mind," she said back shortly. He just bowed and walked away.

"Who's this Tarrlok guy?" Bolin demanded. "Is he bothering you? Huh? 'Cause I can have a word with him." He punched his fist into his other hand to emphasize his point.

"That's real smart of you, Bolin," Arashi remarked. "Threatening to punch the living daylights of the Northern Water Tribe representative on the council that runs this city is really smart."

The Earthbender's determined expression evaporated like water in intense heat. "Oh, um…never mind. I'll just shut up now."

"That would probably be for the best."

(Location: Mako)

Everywhere he looked, he saw the future. There were hundreds of assembly lines working on Satomobiles all around him and they were all being sent out to be sold in the quickest time he had ever seen (then again, this would've be the first time he had ever seen it). "What do you think of my little operation here?" Asami's father asked him.

"It's very impressive, Mr. Sato," he answered honestly.

"Please, call me Hiroshi." The man was dressed in an expensive suit, but had a warm smile on his face. He wore spectacles and while there were some grey hairs running through his black hair and moustache, they did not make him look old, rather refined. "So, I understand you're dirt poor."

Mako had been a little more than caught off guard by the blunt statement, so he was at a loss for words. But Hiroshi kept talking. "Young man, it is nothing to be ashamed of. I too came from humble beginnings. Why, when I was your age, I was a mere shoe-shiner, and all I had to my name was an idea: the Satomobile. Now, I was fortunate enough to meet someone who believed in me and my work ethic. He gave me the money I needed to get my idea off the ground, calling it a favor I could owe him, and I built the entire Future Industries empire from that one selfless loan." He looked out at the assembly lines as he finished his speech.

"Dad, stop bragging," his daughter chided him. "Just tell Mako the good news." He chuckled and turned back to face their guest.

"What good news?" Mako asked them, unsure of where this was going.

"Well, my daughter passionately told me all about your hard-earned success in the Pro-bending Arena. And about your team's current financial stumbling block," Hiroshi told him while putting a fatherly hand on his shoulder. "Now I'd hate to see you lose your chance at winning the memorial championship just because you're short a few yuans. That's why I'm going to sponsor the Fire Ferrets in the tournament."

"Are you serious?" the Pro-bender asked, stepping back to look at him better.

"He's serious," Asami answered. "My dad's going to cover your ante for the championship pot."

"Tha-that is good news!"

"There's just one catch," Hiroshi told him. "You all have to wear the Future Industries' logo on your uniform."

"I'll tattoo it on my chest if you want to, sir," he answered, tapping his chest with his thumb and making both father and daughter laugh. "Thank you so much," he told them both, shaking their hands. "I promise the Fire Ferrets will make the most of this opportunity." A pensive look came onto his face as he withdrew. "Although…"

"Although what?" Asami asked him.

"Ah, it's nothing. I still have to let Bolin and Arashi know about this offer." He smiled at them. "Don't worry, though. If I tell them what you've told me and I tell them about the tattoo thing, I'm sure that Arashi will have Bolin hold me down while he gets the ink."

(Location: Tenzin)

As he listened to his daughter making car noises, he was walking towards the car she was in with her hands on the wheel. It was an extravagant-looking car, most likely fresh off the line, and had a nice big bow on the top of it. "Out of the way, Daddy," Ikki said to him from the driver's seat. "We're driving here!" She made a lot of beeping noises, like she was honking the horn, and Meelo, who was sitting in the passenger seat, joined her.

Tenzin simply shook his head in exasperation and walked past the car. He saw Korra going through the stances and motions of Airbending on a nearby lowered platform with a symbol of the yin-yang emblazoned on it. "I see Tarrlok's gifts are becoming more and more extravagant," he said to her as he came closer.

"Yeah, that guy doesn't know how to take 'no' for an answer," she replied.

"Korra, are you…doing alright?" he asked.

She stopped her training and looked at him. "Yeah, I'm fine," she answered.

He had a hard time believing that. So he sat down on the steps and suggested, "Why don't you take a break?" She went over and sat down next to him. "I'm glad you turned down Tarrlok, but I wanted to make sure your decision was for the right reason."

"I'm just really focused on my Airbending right now is all," she told him. But as she spoke, she wasn't able to look at him directly, only out of the corner of her eye.

"Right, that's what you said." And now, he was sure he knew why she had refused. "You know, it's okay to be scared. The whole city is frightened by what's going on. The important thing is to talk about our fears, because if we don't, they can throw us out of balance."

She looked at him for a moment but still didn't say anything. Seeing that he could do nothing else, Tenzin stood up and went back up the steps. "I'm always here for you, if you want to talk," he told her.

"Tenzin," she said to him, not even looking up at him as he stopped in mid-step. "Can you tell me what happened to Arashi when his family died?" It had been a question that had been on her mind ever since she had seen him in his nightmare and she already knew she probably wouldn't get anywhere with the kid himself. But perhaps she might have better luck with people who knew him.

But Tenzin didn't say anything. He walked away, leaving her alone. She spent the rest of the day alone, trying to train in Airbending. But her thoughts kept coming back to Amon and Arashi. Eventually, she just stopped and tried to relax. She wasn't having much luck there either but she tried.

By the time night had fallen, she was sitting on a bannister while Ikki and Jinora were playing Pai Sho nearby. She watched idly, having played the game a couple of times herself in the compound. "Avatar Korra," the uniformed man said to her as he came into sight. "I have something for you."

Her patience was at an end with this guy. He had come to the island multiple times bearing gifts from Tarrlok and every time she sent him away. Now, she was going to do it more forcefully. "It doesn't matter how many gifts Tarrlok sends," she told him after hopping down from the bannister. "I am not joining his taskforce!" She bent the earth he was standing on around so that he was facing the other way and kicked him hard on the rear, sending him flying with a shriek of surprise.

But as she turned around to walk away, he got back up. "It's not a gift," he told her. "It's an invitation." He pulled out an envelope from his vest.

"To what?" she asked, surprised to hear about such a thing but still a little suspicious.

"Tarrlok is throwing a gala in your honor," he explained as she took the envelope from him. "All of Republic City's movers and shakers will be there. The councilman humbly requests your attendance."

She didn't see any kind of danger with that kind of thing. In fact, it sounded kinda interesting. "Fine, tell Tarrlok I'll be there," she finally answered. "And tell him I'll be with Tenzin and his family."

"Of course, Avatar Korra," the page said in reply, bowing his head and walking away.

(Location: City Hall)

Korra hadn't really been planning on attending galas and the like when she decided to come to Republic City but fortunately for her, Tenzin had taken the initiative and ordered a few made for her when it was decided that she was staying for good. The one she was wearing was dark blue with touches of white around the collar, belt, and the lower part of the dress. It was a modest thing and she actually felt quite comfortable in it.

The minute she, Arashi, and Tenzin and his family stepped into the hall, the people already in there began to applaud for her. "I can't believe this is all for me," Korra said to Tenzin quietly as the applause began to die down.

The Airbending master was dressed in his finest and so was his family. "I'm not sure what Tarrlok's plotting, but keep your guard up," he warned her. "It's not like him to throw a party just for the fun of it."

As if he heard them talking about him, Tarrlok came out of the crowd in probably one of his best suits. "So glad you could make it, Avatar Korra," he said with a grand voice. His eyes found Tenzin and Arashi. "If you'll excuse us, the city awaits its hero," he told the two of them.

As he and Korra walked off, Arashi leaned in more closely to Tenzin. "Why did you have to bring me here?" he asked in a whisper that would not go above the voices of the people around them.

"Tarrlok was smart, Arashi," Tenzin whispered back. "He made sure to include your name on Korra's invitation. That way, there would've been no doubt that she'd bring you. You are her friend and I'm sure he wants her to as comfortable as possible before springing the trap he's got planned."

The blonde tugged at the collar of the shirt he was wearing, feeling like it was trying to strangle him in a slow manner. The shoes he was wearing felt they were about to pinch his toes and it felt like the pants would rip if he took a too large of a step or turned way too fast. These were just some of the reasons why he didn't like wearing suits or attending stuff that forced him to wear a suit.

But they weren't the primary reason. "I'm sure that he had me invited just so people could have a chance to look and stare at me," he groused. Already, he could see it begin to happen, the sly looks and the subtle looks all telling him what they thought of him. They couldn't have been more wrong but it still hurt.

"It will only hurt you if you let it, Arashi," the older man beside him said.

"Well, I'd rather let them believe what they think has happened, rather figure out the truth." The truth was odd, embarrassing, and now horrifying (due to Amon) then what they could ever think of. His eyes roamed around the hall until he saw Meelo doing something he probably shouldn't be doing. "Uh, Tenzin…?"

The Air Nomad turned his head just time to see what the blonde was seeing and it went purple at the sight. "Meelo, no!" he shouted at his son as people were starting to look. "That is not a toilet! Oh dear," he said, going over to his son.

Arashi grinned at the sight, finding it funny. Then he moved away, going into the throngs of people that were all around him. He looked around for Korra, figuring that it would be best to stay by her side and make sure nothing happened. He found her quickly enough, just in time for Tarrlok to be making some introductions.

"Korra, it's my pleasure to introduce Republic City's most famous industrialist, Hiroshi Sato," the councilman introduced the two.

"Nice to meet you," Korra said to the man with a small bob of her head.

He, on the other hand, bowed his head with a bit more formality. "We're all expecting great things from you," he told her.

"Right, greatness," she replied, saying that last word with a touch of sadness and worry, not even able to make eye-contact with the man,

"Hey, Korra," Arashi said to her as he appeared by her side.

"Hey, Arashi," she said back.

"Hey, Korra!" called out Mako as he, Bolin, and a girl came to stand beside Mr. Sato. Both he and Bolin were dressed up as well and she found Mako to look quite striking in his suit. The girl on his arm, however, drew her jealousy instantly. It didn't help that she was quite beautiful.

"This is my daughter, Asami," Mr. Sato introduced the girl.

"It's lovely to meet you," she said to Korra. "Mako's told me so much about you."

"Really? Because he hasn't mentioned you at all," she said back in a short tone of voice and with crossed arms.

"Korra, be nice," Arashi told her, pressing his elbow against her side a little.

"Ah, Mr. and Miss. Sato, I would like you to meet Arashi Uzumaki," Tarrlok said like he had just realized the blonde was there with them.

"Uzumaki?" repeated Mr. Sato. "As in…?"

"Yes, Sozin Uzumaki was my dad," Arashi answered, stopping him before he had a chance to finish.

"Actually, I was going to ask if you were the grandson of Naruto Uzumaki," he said with a good-humored smile on his lips.

"Yeah, that too," he admitted with a moment of hesitation. He was more used to people thinking of him as the son of Sozin, not the grandson of Naruto.

"So, how did you two meet?" Korra asked Mako and Asami, still focused on them.

Bolin was the one to give her that answer, appearing beside her in an instant (and almost knocking Arashi down in the process). "Asami crashed into him on his moped," he told her before vanishing from her side in an instant.

"What? Are you okay?" she asked Mako, concerned.

"I'm fine. More than fine," he answered with a smile. "Mr. Sato agreed to sponsor our team; we're back in the tournament!"

"Isn't that great?" Bolin asked her excitedly as he latched onto his brother's shoulder.

"Yeah, terrific," she answered without any actual emotion in her voice.

"Chief Beifong," Tarrlok called out to the chief of police as she passed by, getting her attention and making her came over to their little group. "I believe you and Avatar Korra have already met."

Seeing the scowl on the Tribeswoman's face at the sight of her, she returned it with a glare. "Just because the city's throwing you this big to-do, don't think you're something special."

"I thought she was the Avatar," Arashi sarcastically remarked.

The police chief gave him a look before turning her glare back at Korra. "You've done absolutely nothing to deserve this," she told her.

"Speaking of deserving," the blonde amongst them said, cutting into the conversation with a glare of his own at the older woman. "At what point were you planning to tell me that my uncle was in jail, Lin?"

"With any luck, never," she answered, giving him a scowl in return to his glare.

"I had to find out from the newspapers. I could've at least gotten a phone call. I was worried about him."

"Arashi, we have told you many times to stay away from Lightning Bolt Zolt. He's dangerous."

"He's my uncle."

"He's a criminal, who would've tried to indoctrinate you into a life of crime if things were different."

The glare he had was softened by those words, like he had smacked across the face. "You don't know that," he grounded out.

Her scowl had softened as well, but it was because she had realized what she had said somewhat. "Kid, I've seen men and women like him plenty of times. And if you've seen one, you've seen them all."

"I want to see him."

"Not gonna happen, not by yourself." She turned and walked away from the group, back into the crowd.

The group splintered off and joined the crowd as well, moving the gala on. But almost as soon as they took their eyes off of her, Tenzin, his family, Arashi, and her teammates lost sight of her. When they saw her again, she was standing on the flight of stairs that led up to the council room with Tarrlok by her side.

The reporters also saw this and knew what that meant. They flocked to the bottom of the stairs, shouting questions and taking pictures. "If you would be so kind," Tarrlok said to Korra. "They just have a few questions."

Korra was surprised by this, she hadn't expected it. "But—" she tried to protest, only to have Tarrlok push her forward to the reporters.

Lights were flashing in her eyes as the cameras went off, almost blinding her. "Avatar Korra, you witnessed Amon take away people's Bending firsthand. How serious a threat does he pose to the innocent citizens of Republic City?" one of the reporters asked her.

She cleared her throat before speaking. "I think he presents a real problem," she answered. But she sounded a little uncertain as she did.

"Then why have you refused to join Tarrlok's taskforce?" another reporter asked her. "As the Avatar, shouldn't you be going after Amon?"

"Well, I—"

"Why are you backing away from this fight?"

That offended her deeply. "What? No! I've never backed away from anything in my life!"

"You promised to serve this city, aren't you going back on that promise now?" a third reporter asked her.

"Do you think Pro-bending is more important than fighting the revolution?" a fourth asked.

"How do you think Avatar Aang would have handled this?" a fifth wondered.

She felt like she was getting swarmed by all the questions and she didn't know how to answer most of them. Her breaking point came when a reporter asked, "Are you afraid of Amon?"

"I am not afraid of anybody!" she yelled at the reporters, making them all stop with their questions. "If the city needs me then…" She gestured back to Tarrlok. "I'll join Tarrlok's taskforce and help fight Amon."

"There's your headline, folks!" Tarrlok declared as he swooped in and placed his hand on her shoulder with the other hand outstretched, making it a picture-perfect sight. The camera people saw that and immediately began snapping photos. In the crowd, Mako and Bolin looked at one another with confusion in their eyes; Tenzin simply closed his eyes, knowing full well that Korra had been trapped, and Arashi pinching the bridge of his nose, wondering how Korra could've gotten led around by the nose like that.


A day later, Korra was sitting at one of the ends of a U-shaped table in the uniform of the task force alongside the rest of the task force. She was easily the youngest there. The rest looked like they had been selected from the police. All sat straight with their backs against the seats. She was the only one who was leaning forward and twiddling with her thumbs.

"My fellow taskforce deputies," Tarrlok began, dressed in the same uniform and standing before the table. "Tonight we will execute a raid on an underground chi-blocker training camp located in the Dragon Flats borough." He pointed at the blueprint of a building that had put up on the wall behind him. "According to my sources, there is a cellar underneath this bookstore where Equalists train chi-blocking in secret."

"How do we go in, sir?" one of the other task members asked him.

"We will go in by truck, staying hidden until we reach our destination. With us we will be taking a tanker of water for the Waterbenders. Once we've reached the target and assessed that it is as my sources say, we will attack in waves. The first wave will be the Waterbenders to catch the Equalists with their water and freeze them. The second wave will be the Earthbenders to take down who weren't caught by the first wave. After that, there should be no more left. Any questions?" he asked the taskforce, only to have silence for an answer. "Then we move out."

"Here we go," Korra thought to herself as they stood up from their seats and began walking out the door.

"I must thank you for joining this taskforce, Avatar Korra," Tarrlok said as he joined in the hallway at the back of the group.

"That's not necessary," she told him, having long figured out that he had tricked her into joining.

"Still, I feel that I must thank you anyway. But I also must caution you in your choice of friends. If you make the wrong one, it could very well haunt you for the rest of your life."

If they were alone, she might've stopped to look at him. Instead, she just turned her head a little. "What do you mean by that and who are you talking about?"

"Why, I am talking about Arashi Uzumaki. It would be best for your reputation if you distanced yourself from him from now on."

Her eyes narrowed at the suggestion. "What are you talking about? Is something wrong with him?"

"No, not in the extreme sense of the word…" He trailed off and looked at her. "You mean to say you haven't learned about his skills?"

"What skills? I don't know if he's even a Bender or not."

"Oh no, he is a Firebender. Just not a very good one," he answered, sounding very amused by her questions.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"You know that his parents are Sozin and Xiu Uzumaki, two of the most powerful Firebenders of their time, and that he is the grandson of Princess Azula herself. They were all great Benders, able to bend great columns of fire and wield lightning with considerable ease. Arashi, from what my sources have told me, has trouble barely holding a flame in his hand. You can understand how that would be embarrassing to him and his family."

She didn't say anything in response, feeling a little insulted that he would think she would care about such a thing. But a few things about the kid made a bit more sense now that she had heard this piece of news. Of course, it could just be nonsense. If she wanted to know the truth, she would have to ask Arashi himself. But now was not the time to think on that.

Once the taskforce was outside, they climbed into the truck waiting for them, staying out of sight as it began driving towards their destination. No one said a word and no one peeked over the edge to see where they were going. They knew that part and they didn't need to see anything in between the City Hall and their target in the borough.

But once the truck stopped, they moved, hopping out of the truck and onto the street. The building in front of them had no obvious lights on; trying to tell everyone who saw it that it was closed for the night. But light leaked out from the covered basement windows. The taskforce snuck up to the wall and then a few looked inside the windows.

Korra was among those few and once she looked past the blinds and into the basement proper, she saw that Tarrlok had been right. It was a place for chi-blocking. People had masks on with the Equalist symbol emblazoned on it practicing on either wooden posts or on one another, all under the gaze of trainers. On the far back wall were two Equalist banners and in the middle of them was a poster of Amon's face.

The sight of that masked face made her remember her dream in an instant, especially the part when he was reaching for her. She recoiled away from the window for a moment, gasping for air. But then she recomposed herself and waited as Tarrlok signaled the taskforce member still on the truck.

He opened the top of the tanker and bent the water inside out into the open and down to the other Waterbenders. The first took and then sent it to the next, making it look like a small river hanging in the air. Once all the Waterbenders had their water, the river disappeared as they took a part of it and held it in a glob shape.

They all waited for Tarrlok to give the signal, taking deep breaths to steady themselves. But once his hand dropped, the Waterbenders poured their water through the windows into the basement. It was a flood and caught most of the Equalists by surprise, sweeping them up in its current. Just as soon as it appeared, it also froze solid, trapping the Equalists inside.

The Earthbenders went through the windows and began taking out the remaining Equalists. Both Tarrlok and Korra joined them with their own water. The Equalists who hadn't been caught by the water or the earth, being only two, decided to retreat.

As one opened the door to the basement to leave, the other flipped through to avoid a blast of water and threw smoke grenades at the taskforce, hoping to blind them long enough for them to escape. But Korra had seen those grenades in action before and froze them before the smoke covered the entire room. "I'm going after those two!" she shouted at the taskforce, heading for the closed door, kicking it open.

In front of her was a long hall with neither of the two Equalists in sight. But she started to run down it anyway, hoping to catch them before they escaped. But as she ran, it didn't take long for her to get slowed down. As her foot hit a tripwire, she stumbled and fell to the ground. When she looked up, she saw an Equalist waiting in the rafters above.

He leapt down, intending to strike her as she laid there. But she regained her footing somewhat and flipped out of the way, sending him upwards with chunk of rock she bent up out of the ground. She fell down again, this time on her bottom and another Equalist was ready for her, this time with a bola.

He was sent to the wall by burst of water that promptly froze once he was there. Korra looked over at her savoir and said, "Nice timing. Thanks, Tarrlok."

The councilman just smiled and declared, "We make a good team, Avatar."

She got back onto her feet and looked at the two Equalists they took down in a matter of seconds. "Yeah, we do."

(Location: Pro-bending Arena)

Mako was reading the newspaper in the gym, particularly the article on the new taskforce and Korra. They had couple of pictures of the whole thing, the most prominent one being Korra leading the way through a crowd of reporters with tied up Equalists behind her and Tarrlok at her side.

"No Korra for practice again?" asked Bolin as he came by with two earth discs floating above his hands.

"Doesn't look like it," he answered, making his brother throw the discs away.

"Hey, be careful with those, Bolin!" Toza snapped from where he was sweeping the floor. "Those things aren't easy to make and I'd rather not have Butakha take it out of my hide and money."

"Sorry, Toza," Bolin said absently. He looked over at his brother. "And where is Arashi? I would've thought he'd be here to train us into the ground more because we're in." The blonde had been on their case about that ever since Mako told them the news (even telling Bolin to hold his brother down while he went to get the ink after hearing the tattoo comment).

"I can't help you there, bro," Mako answered. "He said he was going to keep an eye on Korra to make sure she didn't fall for any more of that Tribesman's tricks." He took notice of his brother look and added, "His words, not mine."

"Do you think that there's a little more to it than just that?"

"Why would there be? He's twelve and she's our age." He folded up the newspaper and put it down. "Look, I gotta go."

"Another date with Asami?" asked his brother.

He smiled a little goofily and said, "Yeah."

(Location: Arashi)

He didn't have a pass to the press conference that Tarrlok had called, but he knew enough of City Hall to know how to get pass the security and be there without being seen (who knew those tips from Jiji on being sneaky would come in handy one day? He always thought it was a lark on Jiji's part). He watched from the shadows as Tarrlok spoke to the press from the podium.

"Avatar Korra has bravely answered the call to action," the councilman said with Korra at his side. "With the two of us leading the charge, Republic City has nothing to fear Amon and the Equalists."

"Well, at least he was considerate enough to put her name in there too," Arashi thought to himself.

"Question for the Avatar!" one of the reporters shouted out. "Amon still remains at large. Why have you failed to locate him?"

"You wanna know why?" Korra asked, coming up to the podium and the microphones on it. "Because Amon is hiding in the shadows like a coward," she declared before taking one of the microphones into her hand. "Amon, I challenge you to a duel, no taskforce, no chi-blockers, just the two of us tonight at midnight on Avatar Aang Memorial Island. Let's cut to the chase and settle this thing, if you're man enough to face me."

She put the microphone down and walked off stage and the second she did, the reporters started throwing questions right at her. She ignored them all and kept on walking. Meanwhile, Arashi was just staring at her with stunned expression on his face. "Jeez, I didn't think she'd take my words so literally," he thought.

(Location: Mako)

His date with Asami was going well. They had just finished dinner and were now going through the park in a motorized carriage with the driver in the back. That way, they had an open view of the park in the evening, which was quite beautiful. "I know it sounds weird to say this," Asami told him as the carriage rolled onward, holding onto his arm. "But I'm really glad I hit with my moped."

He couldn't help but chuckle at those words. "Um, me too," he replied.

"I forgot to ask. Why didn't you accept the new silk scarf I bought for you last week?" She fingered his scarf. "You didn't like it?" she asked with a curious and slightly worried tone in her voice.

"No, it was really nice," he assured her. It was a scarf that he wouldn't have been able to buy if his life had depended on it "But this scarf was my father's," he explained, his hand going for the scarf around his neck, like he was reminding himself that it was still there. "And it's all I have left of him. I just feel like…like it keeps me safe."

"I'm so sorry," she apologized right away. She looked down at her lap. "I lost my mother when I was very young." When she felt her hand being enfolded by Mako's hand, she looked up and smiled at him, which he returned. Then she leaned into his side. "I feel so safe with you," she told him quietly.

"I'm glad," he told her.

(Location: Korra)

She stood in a boat, taking the rope that held it to the docks and winding it up. She was preparing herself to go the island, to finish this once and for all. The sound of an air glider filled her ears for a brief moment and when she looked up, she saw Tenzin landing on the dock. "Korra, this is madness!" he told her.

"Don't try to stop me and don't follow me," she said to him. "I have to face Amon alone."

As she turned her attention back to the rope in her hands, Tenzin turned to look at Tarrlok. "This is all your doing!" he accused the Tribesman.

"I tried to talk her out of it too," Tarrlok said, raising his hands slightly in protest. "But she's made up her mind."

As they argued, she was done with the rope, putting it down in the boat so it wouldn't fly out at the worst possible time. She bent the water beneath her to surge her boat forward, sending it almost flying harshly across the waves to the island. She made it there in less than three minutes. Once she had tied off the boat, she all but ran for the top of the building on the island. There, at the base of Avatar Aang, she waited.

Her nerves were all bundled up and she was restless, inching for a fight. But in that moment, it felt like she was the only thing that was alive and that just made her even more restless. A small sound to her left made her turn quickly into a stance, ready for a fight.

But there was nothing there. She stood down from the stance only to yelp in surprise as a loud bell began to ring beneath her feet. It was the clock built into the building and it rang for all who could hear it that it was now midnight. For Korra, it was time for the duel.

She tried to steady herself with a deep breath and looked out at the city lights. "Man, you are wound up tight," Arashi's voice said from out of nowhere, making her almost leap out of her skin. When she turned around, she saw the kid standing there before her.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "I said that no one was supposed to follow me!"

"I didn't, I got here before you did."

"Why?"

"I thought you would need the company."

"Go away, Arashi," she ordered.

"No," he refused instantly.

"Go away."

"No, I'm not leaving you alone here. What kind of friend would I be if I did?"

She wanted to argue that point but she found herself too focused on facing Amon. He should be coming soon. "Fine, whatever," she said, sitting down on the roof facing the city. The blonde sat down next to her.

"Thanks," he said to her.

She didn't say anything back. She was waiting for her opponent to show himself. But as the minutes dragged on and Amon didn't show himself, questions about the kid sitting by her side began to sprout up in her mind. "Arashi," she said to him. "If you're going to be up here with me, you'll to answer the questions I have about you."

"Alright," he answered.

"On a mission with the taskforce, Tarrlok told me about you, about—"

"About how despite my lineage, I was a pathetic Firebender who was an embarrassment to my family, right?" he asked, cutting her off. His voice had turned harder when he spoke as opposed to the easy tone he had moment before.

"Right," she answered. "Is it true? I've never seen you Firebend."

"It used to be true. I had a little sister four years younger than me and she was being called a prodigy. My Grandmother used to say we were her and Fire Lord Zuko come again." He had always held onto to those words because he remembered that the Fire Lord had improved remarkably in the last year of the Hundred Year War.

"Used to be?" she repeated, not sure if she had heard him right.

He became silent for a moment. "I don't know what happened exactly, but ever since the night my parents and Grandmother died, I haven't been able to Bend, at all."

She stared at him with a look of shock on her face. "You what?" she couldn't help but ask him.

"I can't Bend," he repeated himself with none of his usual eye-rolling or sarcasm.

"What happened?"

"I just told you that I don't know what happened. I can remember bits and pieces but the rest is a blank." It also doesn't help that the bits and pieces usually came back to him in nightmares that never made any real sense.

"How did they die?" she asked, despite knowing that she was treading on potentially thin ice with that question. But she also felt that it was important to knowing him and what happened to him.

"They told me that they died in the fire that burned down the house."

She frowned slightly at those words, seeing the fault in them. "Three of probably the strongest Firebenders in current history were killed by a fire. Either that is probably the greatest irony or that's just a story."

"Most people tend to believe that it's an irony. Plus, from what I can remember, it fits." The sound of people screaming, the feeling of intense heat washing all over his skin, the image of the parlor alit in flames, his parents telling him to run, they all fit the story he had been given when they had found him.

"…Do you think Amon was involved?"

"Again, I don't know. But with what we've seen him do, I guess it's possible."

"It should be more than possible," she said with conviction. "He can take people's Bending away. How else would you explain how you can't Bend anymore? If you lost it, then that means he was behind the deaths of your family."

"Maybe, but I don't know." That single fact haunted him ever since that night, along with a sense that he could've done more. "Besides, most people would rather believe that I'm still pathetic at Firebending then believe that I can't Bend." He preferred it like that.

She didn't have a reply to that or have any more questions. They sat there, waiting in silence as the seconds and the minutes dragged on. For Korra, it seemed longer. She knew that Amon was there, somewhere. But she didn't know the some, let alone the where. But as the lights in the city died down, she finally yawned and stretched. "Guess you're a no-show, Amon," she remarked, having waited for probably two hours or more. "Who's scared now?"

"I take it you don't want me to answer that?" Arashi asked her as they both stood up.

"You would be right."

"Alright," he said as they walked off the roof and down to ground floor. "I'm hungry; you think that we'll be able to get something from the kitchen at Air Temple Island?"

"If we manage to sneak past Tenzin," she answered, stretching her hands back behind her head. Now that they were talking about it, she felt hungry too.

"So if we get caught, only you'll get in trouble," he remarked as they passed the entrance to the building.

"Hey, you're here too. That means you'll get in as much trouble as—" Her feet were yanked from under her, sending her to the ground with a rope wrapped around her legs. For a brief moment, she saw that Arashi was in the same way. Then they started getting dragged into the building by the ropes, where all they could see was darkness.

Korra broke free of her bindings easily, spinning them off with a kick and a burst of fire. The fire illuminated the room, showing that the two of them were surrounded by Equalists, enclosing them in a circle. As the fire died away, the last thing she saw were the light reflected off the goggles, making them look like eyes of evil spirits, waiting in the darkness.

She threw another burst of fire, lighting the room again, only to have her arms restrained by bolas. She used her feet to throw more fire and move the floor against them, trying to fight and win with all she had. But then she was struck in the back, making her groan in pain and fall unconscious.


She felt herself being hosted up to her knees as she came back to consciousness. The circle of Equalists was still there and there was now light coming from lanterns on the floor. She wanted to fight free but when Amon appeared before her, her body froze up. "I received your invitation, young Avatar," he said to her.

He stretched out his hand and all she could think of was how similar it was to her dream. "Spirits, Tenzin, Aang, Mako, Bolin, Arashi, please, someone, help," she silently begged as the hand came towards her. He was going to take away her Bending, she just knew it. As the hand was about to touch her, she bent her head and closed her eyes, afraid of what was going to come next.

But instead, the hand took her chin and forced her to look up at him. "Our showdown, while inevitable, is premature," he told her in a calm, cold voice. "Although it would be the simplest thing for me to take away your Bending right now, I won't. You'd only become a martyr. " He took his hand away from her chin. "Benders of every nation would rally behind your untimely demise. But I assure you, I have a plan. And I'm saving you for last. Then you'll get your duel, and I will destroy you."

He stood up and moved over to Arashi, who was being held like she was right next to her. "As for you, Arashi Uzumaki, you are just as much as scion as she is. I did not plan on having you here tonight, but rest assured, I will not kill you either. I'll give you the chance to see if you can find what you are looking for, then I will destroy you as well."

Remarkably, his words made Arashi try and fight free of the hands holding him down. "You know!" he shouted at Amon, getting a foot on the ground to support himself, fighting to stand up. "Where is she?! Where is she?!"

Amon did not reply to his shouting, he simply struck them both in the neck. Korra felt herself go limp, her vision already going blurry. As she fell to the ground, the last thing she saw was the entrance.

As her eyes closed into darkness, it was like the past was waiting for her there. Visions began to cloud her mind, showing her images. She saw her own grandfather, frowning slightly. She saw Toph Beifong, standing watch with two of her men. She saw Aang watching something from behind a seat. She saw a man she didn't know. And then she saw Aang flying down a street atop an Air Scooter, an angry look on his face.

Just as quickly as they came, the visions vanished and she was back in the memorial building, staring at the entrance. She saw a figure running towards her, but she couldn't tell who it was, only that it was an Air Nomad. "Aang?" she said in a weakened voice.

"Korra!" the Air Nomad shouted as he reached her, revealing himself to be Tenzin, not Aang. "Korra, are you alright?" he asked as he pulled her up from the ground. "What happened? Was Amon here?"

She moved slightly out of his grip. "Yeah, he ambushed us," she answered.

"Did he…did he take your Bending away?"

She opened her hand and tried bending a flame to appear. Thankfully, it did and she extinguished it. "No, I'm okay."

"Thank goodness," he said with relief.

At those words, everything she had been holding back, keeping locked down tight ever since she saw the Revelation, came bursting out. Tears came flooding out of her eyes and she cried openly as she reached out and grabbed hold of Tenzin. "I was so terrified," she confessed, the tears still falling. "I felt so helpless."

"It's all right," he told her, putting a comforting hand on her back. "The nightmare is over."

Still crying, she broke her hold of him and looked in the face. "You…you were right. I've been scared this whole time. I've never felt like this beforeand…and Tenzin, I don't know what to do!" Seeking comfort, she clutched him again.

"Admitting your fears is the first and most difficult step in overcoming them," he told her.

She cried for another minute, and then looked up at him with a worried expression. "Arashi, where's Arashi?" she demanded, half in a panic.

"It's okay, I found him outside," he assured her. "He was trying to go after Amon, shouting that he knew where she was. I had to knock him out from going anywhere, he was struggling so much to go after the Equalists."

"Who's 'she'?" Korra asked.

He fell silent. "Has Arashi told you what happened when his family died?"

"He told me that they burned to death when the house caught fire."

"That was the story we gave the city and Arashi," he told her. "The truth is that Sozin, Xiu, and Lady Azula Uzumaki were murdered and the fire was used for a cover. Arashi was the only survivor because he had been told to run away. We found him a week later on the streets."

"Then who is this 'she' he keeps talking about?"

"He's referring to his sister, Natsumi Uzumaki. No one has seen her after the fire; we've assumed that she had died too. But Arashi still believes she's alive."

"Why?"

"Because the last thing he remembered before waking up the day after the fire was that he was running from the house with her holding onto his hand."

End

Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

So now you know where Arashi's parents are as well as Azula. For those of you who guessed it early on, congratulations. As for those of you who were wondering about whether Arashi was a Bender or a shinobi, what he told Korra should satisfy you.

Some of you have been wondering why I haven't showcased more of Arashi's skills. Mostly it was because I wanted to get to this point in the story but I also didn't want to make him a Mary Sue right off the bat. I think I learned that mistake a little too late to be fully corrected last time and now, I'm trying to be careful.

To the one reader who thought that Zolt and Xiu were Zuko and Mai's kids, I have no idea where you got that from but you are so wrong. They came from the streets and worked to get where they were.

I'll see you all next chapter!