Chapter 4.

"How awful…" Pema lamented sincerely, shaking her head and hugging Rohan a little closer to her chest. The infant's mid-morning nap had been interrupted by the party's arrival back on Air Temple Island, and he was struggling to keep his tiny eyes open. "I hope Lin will be able to catch whoever was responsible."

Tenzin narrowed his eyes, setting the large care package Katara had sent back from the South with them on the dining table before adjusting his robes. "From the looks of it she already has. Those two miscreants are in custody and I'm sure—"

"Wait, are you serious?" Korra cut in, raising her palms questioningly as she fixed her gaze upon her airbending teacher. "There's no way Tahno and Shaozu did that…Ming was their teammate. He was their friend." She leaned back against the wall, chewing on the inside of her cheek. The unfortunate events that had unfolded earlier in the morning were too fresh in her mind, and despite having only just arrived from a sleepless trans-ocean voyage the Avatar had found trouble mustering the willpower to simply return to her dormitory and rest. Asami-and even the airbender children, much to everyone's surprise-hadn't put up a fight. Tenzin, Pema, Korra, and the brothers had remained in the living area to unpack while the others slept.

"I'm not suggesting that they were directly responsible, Korra." Tenzin amended gently. "But I do not doubt their involvement in some capacity. Just consider their past history."

"So they're cheats…but not criminals."

"I dunno…This one time in the arena locker room I asked Tahno if I could use his hairbrush and he told me he would murder me. I kinda think he was serious." Bolin chimed in helpfully with a shrug.

Mako pried open the lid of one of the crates he and Bolin had just carried inside, absently busying himself with sorting its contents into piles on the table, and conspicuously avoiding eye contact with Korra. "All three of them were up to their necks in dirty Triad money…everybody in the league knew it, even if the officials denied it. And the way it all went down is definitely street gang style." The firebender paused, furrowing his brows as he mulled over his thoughts for a moment. "I know you mean well and want to help, but I think it's best if you don't get involved, Korra. This is bigger than those two douchebags and you have more important things to focus on right now."

Something about the way he looked at her just then, with those intense golden eyes and his jaw set in that superior manner was enough to make her snap. Two weeks ago he was swearing his undying love for her, and now, ever since they had all learned about Asami's pregnancy, he had been avoiding her at all costs. If he had spoken two words to her the entire voyage home, Korra couldn't recall…the only ones still swirling in her mind were those she had overheard him sharing with Asami. And in an instant all of her heartache turned to fury. "You're one to talk!" she cried angrily.

"Excuse me?" Mako seemed genuinely taken aback, and even Pema stopped what she was doing to blink at Korra's outburst.

"You heard me! What right do you have to be lecturing me about priorities?" Her hands were on her hips, and everything about her posture conveyed the intensity she had been hiding away for the past few days. "And isn't it a little hypocritical for you to judge anyone for their involvement with the Triads?"

"Korra, this has nothing to do—"

"Mako is right, Korra." Tenzin cut in before the firebender could finish. The tension was so thick between the two of them that it might have been cut with a knife. "There are over a hundred people on file with the city that need their bending restored, and your first order of business after that should be assisting me with the re-establishment of the council."

The Avatar's bottom lip jutted out petulantly, and she folded her arms over her chest as she regarded her airbending teacher. "Yeah. I got it. Top of the 'to-do' list, I promise. But I told Lin I'd be there at noon, and I am going. This is important to me, Tenzin."

"I can see that." The airbender conceded a little more understandingly. "Alright. But please don't get in too deep with this fiasco; it's a matter best left to the police."

"Deal." Korra said quickly, the corner of her lips edging up into the faintest smile. "I guess I'll head out, then—Naga's exhausted from the trip so it'll take me a while to get down to headquarters on foot." She turned and headed toward the door, but didn't quite make it there before she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll drive you." Mako said softly, his tone almost apologetic. "I think we need to talk."

"Yeah." She nodded, "we do."

"I'm sorry."

"Did you mean it?"

"What?"

"When you said you loved me. Did you mean it?"

"Of course I did. I—"

"Then what changed?"

"What do you mean?"

"You either meant it or you didn't. You love me or you don't. Love doesn't just disappear because you found out you knocked up your ex-girlfriend."

"Korra…"

"What? Am I wrong?"

"Yeah. You are."

"Do you love her?"

"Asami?"

"No, Naga…Of course Asami! Do you love her?"

"I…I guess. Yeah. I do. She's the mother of my child."

"That's not the most convincing answer."

"Look, this isn't about who I love more, Korra. I'm going to be a father. Don't you understand that? I have to do what's best for my child."

"So what, just like that you're going to forget about everything we are to one another? Pretend we never happened? You're just going to lie to her? Tell her you love her, get married, live happily ever after? Is that your plan?"

"Yeah."

"…"

"Are you…crying?"

"No. I'm done crying over you."

"And where were you at approximately midnight last night?" The mustached man asked, not looking up from his notepad. The dour old policeman tapped the tip of his pencil on the paper, waiting patiently yet making no attempts to hide his apparent disinterest.

"I don't know…That was…I guess that was probably about the time I was in a taxi cab…" Tahno answered, his throat hoarse from exhaustion and strained from coughing up so much seawater a few hours earlier. Dried saltwater left a salty crust on his clothing and hair, and he could not escape the smell of brine; of sea air and death. He rested his elbows on the table, rubbing at his temples with his fingers as he stared down into the long-cold cup of bitter over-steeped jasmine tea before him.

"Where did you enter this taxi cab?"

"Out in front of my apartment. It's downtown—corner of Sokka Street and Boomerang Way."

The man scratched at his chin with the end of the pencil. "What was your destination?"

"Ember Boulevard."

"And were you with anyone who might be able to vouch for this alibi?"

Tahno squeezed his eyes shut, biting on his lower lip as he willed his overtired, shell-shocked brain to dredge up the useless memory. "Yeah…I just can't remember…she was an actress…"

"There are a lot of actresses on Ember Boulevard." The policeman noted.

"I'm trying here-Uyen." He said at last, breathing a sigh of relief. "Her name was Uyen Vu."

The sound of the pencil scribbling the characters onto the paper momentarily filled the small room. "What is the nature of your relationship with Miss Vu?"

He shrugged. "I met her on the street corner."

"That's illegal, you know."

"Fuck's sake, that's not how I meant it…She was lost. Asked for directions. We shared a cab—that's it."

"I see…" The pencil danced across the page once more. The old man opened his mouth to ask the next question, but before a single word slipped from beneath his mustache there was a knock at the door. "You may enter."

The door cracked open and an older woman who Tahno recognized as Chief Lin Bei Fong stepped into the room, followed closely behind by none other than the Avatar and her firebending teammate. "Sorry to interrupt, Lieutenant Yoshi. Why don't you take break." The newly reinstated police chief's suggestion was anything but, judging from the way she sternly nodded toward the door. The older man took the hint and gathered up his notepad before leaving the room.

"Hey Korra." Tahno rasped without much conviction. He'd greeted her in the very same way the last time they had run into one another at the police headquarters those many weeks ago. Almost as an afterthought he glanced toward the tall man who stood stiffly at her side, offering only a halfhearted "…Mako." Neither of them looked particularly chipper, and when they took the seats across the table from him he could more clearly see the puffy dark circles beneath the young woman's red rimmed eyes.

"Fifteen minutes." The metalbender said, turning and stepping from the room without further explanation.

They were all silent for a while after the door clicked shut, when finally Mako tersely offered, "I'm sorry about Ming."

"So am I." the former waterbender murmured, frowning as the familiar sting of salt pricked his eyes. He blinked it away like his life depended on it.

"It shouldn't have happened." Mako went on, gaining a bit of traction with his words. "I know the money's good, but you guys should have known better than to get in bed with the Triads."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Like Hell you don't…"

Gray eyes narrowed as he regarded the other man. "You know how it is in pro-bending, Ferret. When the sponsors go cold you've got to crawl under the sheets with someone…and well, there are only so many Sato Heiresses to go around…"

"You low-life bastard!" The firebender shouted in response, lunging across the table with a raised fist. Only a strong arm around his chest stopped him from landing a hit on the Wolfbat captain's face.

"Mako, stop it!" Korra demanded, still holding him back. "Get out!" She swung his weight aside and pushed him toward the door.

That seemed to sober his anger enough that he tore his burning golden glare away from his former rival and took a step back. "Korra…"

"Just go. I'll find another ride home." She folded her arms across her chest, looking pointedly away from both of the men in the room.

"I…fine." Mako replied reluctantly, duly chastised. "I'll see you back on the island…" The firebender lingered a moment more, only long enough to toss a glare of warning in Tahno's direction before padding over to the door and leaving the room.

"What are you doing here, Uh-vatar?" he asked when they were finally alone, his shoulders sagging as he slumped back in his chair.

"I came to find out what in Koh's name happened this morning. I think I've earned an explanation, at the very least."

"So read the police report…or better yet, wait and see how they spin it in the fucking papers tomorrow."

Korra breathed a quiet sigh, pursing her lips as he dropped her name and reverted back to mocking titles. "Are you okay, Tahno?"

He looked at her suspiciously, though exhaustion won out over any desire he might have had to play coy and he only shrugged. "Did you see Shaozu?"

She nodded. "He's out in the lobby…they've already tried questioning him. He seems like he's taking it pretty rough."

"He and Ming…they were kids together."

Her gaze fell and for a moment she studied her boots against the polished marble of the floor, her fists clenched and unclenched at her sides. "Who did this?"

"Is this another interrogation?"

"No," she shook her head, taking the seat across the table from him once more. "It's not. I just want to find whoever's responsible and bring them to justice—"

She was so sincere, with passion and determination burning in her eyes, and all he could do was shake his head. "It's not that simple, Sweetheart."

"Why not?"

"Because it isn't." Tahno repeated, emphasizing each word as if they held some deeper meaning. She wanted so desperately to see things in black and white; to fix what was broken, and some part of him longed to tell her. Perhaps if there was anyone in the world who could take down the Triple Threat Triads and avenge Ming's murder it was the Avatar…right? He could see her frustration mounting, and he couldn't help but hate himself a little more for denying her that chance—for denying Ming the justice he deserved. "Thank you, by the way. I don't think I told you that earlier. For trying to help him."

Some of the bluster left her, and the young woman sighed softly. "I just wish I'd gotten there in time." She studied his face, folding her hands on the table before her. "What aren't you telling me, Tahno?"

The wall went up again. "I can't."

"Yes, you can. You can trust me. I'm trying to help you…..Please….Let me."

Gray eyes met blue, and he faltered. "Not here."

"Huh?" She seemed taken aback; surprised despite her pressuring that he actually relented.

"Not here." He said again, his voice lower. "Not all these cops answer to Bei Fong. Squealing has consequences."

Korra's brow furrowed, and she offered a slight nod. He could practically see the cogs in her head swirling as she struggled to process what he was implying. "Let's talk then-off the record. Can you meet me tomorrow morning? Narooks?"

"Alright. But leave the firebender behind."

Her face darkened. "Don't worry about that."

"And Uh-vatar?"

"Yes?"

"I'm gonna need another favor from you."

"What is it?"

"Will you give me back my bending?"

The small smile that spread across her lips seemed out of place on her otherwise exhausted face. "Of course..."

He felt his heart fluttering in his chest. "You won't regret it…I promise."

When Lin Bei Fong opened the door and found the Wolfbat captain holding a sphere of cold tea in his palms, she did not need to ask what had transpired. She waited until the Avatar said her quick farewell and left the room before folding her arms across her chest and settling her gaze upon him. "I suppose I don't need to remind you not to take it for granted. Maybe this time around you can use your gift to better ends. "

"I have every intention of doing just that."

Lin dismissed the waterbender, and pretended not to notice the tears rolling down his pale cheeks.

A/N: I don't even know. This was one of those struggle chapters that I'm just tired of writing and re-writing, and Tahnorra week is almost over already, so here, have this crap sandwich.