"You hate me."

Asami shook her head and looked at Kuvira with a tired smile. You think that now, you're really going to think it in a few minutes.

"Kuvira."

"You do. It's moments like this that I can't help but see it. You really, truly, hate me."

Asami sighed and watched as Kuvira readjusted Juicy's reins in her hands. Republic City was in sight, and they were getting closer to Air Temple Island with every passing moment. Kai would be waiting on them at the sky bison stables, Asami knew. She'd called him about an hour into their trip, and he'd gotten everything ready for them.

"To be fair," Asami hummed, "I told you I was coming to Republic City before we left and you still agreed to come. I told you that you wouldn't like it."

"And I said last night that I was just going to have to deal with it." Kuvira grumbled. "You better not have any other surprises, Sato."

"Well…"

Kuvira let out a groan, and Asami decided she might as well tell her.

"Su is meeting us at the docks to go talk to Raiko about my dad's transfer."

Kuvira's shoulders straightened, and Asami winced when Kuvira looked over her shoulder to glare at her. She couldn't tell from her expression which it was Kuvira wanted more, to throw Asami off of Juicy or to jump off herself. Asami knew that despite the two of them being okay with each other for the moment, the wounds were still sensitive. Asami knew it would be fine, but she knew Kuvira hadn't been expecting it.

"I'm sorry," Asami sighed. "I should have told you."

"It's fine." Kuvira replied quietly a minute later. "Let's just get this over with."

They were silent until they landed near the stables on Air Temple Island, where Kai was waiting for them like he'd promised. Asami heard Kuvira sigh again when she saw that Kai had her guard uniform and armor in his arms. That meant Su had already been on the island, having brought the items with her. Asami could only offer Kuvira an apologetic smile as Kuvira rolled her eyes and went over to meet him.

"When did you get taller than me?" She said once she was even with Kai, looking up at him.

He looked down at Kuvira and started snorting, only for Kuvira to elbow him roughly.

"I've been taller than you for six years!" Kai called after her as she yanked her things out of his arms and stepped past him. "You just never stay still long enough to notice!"

Asami snickered and jogged after her, just in time to hear Kuvira still grumbling under her breath.

"Meelo, Jinora and Ikki too…all too tall for their own good."

"You and Korra aren't ever gonna let that go, are you?" Asami teased.

Kuvira stopped in her tracks, looking down at the uniform in her hands before looking at Asami and frowning, and Asami's playfulness faded.

"You wanted it to be official, didn't you?" Kuvira growled. "That's why I need the uniform."

"I did."

"I resigned. Why can't anyone understand that?"

Asami sighed, following Kuvira into the women's dormitory. Kuvira was muttering under her breath the entire time, stepping into Opal's room and sliding the door shut behind her so she could change.

"Well Su hasn't replaced you." Asami told her through the door. "And Raiko won't let the dad go with just any Zaofu guard. I want this to be as legitimate as possible, if we can manage it, Kuvira. It still has to be legal. Please?"

"I'm still gonna fucking do it, as much as I don't want to."

After a few minutes, Kuvira stepped back out of the room, wearing her uniform with the helmet tucked under her arm.

"You owe me for this god damn it."

"I do." Asami nodded, relieved that Kuvira seemed to be in a better mood than she was when she went into the room. "And if we get Raiko to agree, I'll call someone at the mansion to meet us at the train station. I had them pack some of dad's things—Su told me to, of course."

Kuvira didn't say anything, but moved past Asami and down the hall, quickly leading both of them out of the dormitory. Asami followed Kuvira down to the dock, where the pair of them boarded the ferry and Kuvira let out a sigh. The boat creaked as it left the island, and Asami knew that within a few minutes they would be with Su on their way to Raiko's office. I hope this goes well. Kuvira was watching the water, and they were halfway across the bay before she looked at Asami again.

"You really think he's going to get this transfer, don't you?"

"Of course I do." Not really. Raiko won't willingly give it to us, at least. That's why I brought you.

"If you were so sure, then why did you bring me?"

Of course you know.

"Kuvira," Asami sighed, "I-."

"No, it's okay. Really." Kuvira shrugged as she chuckled, which relieved Asami more than anything. "Anything I have to do to get Hiroshi to Zaofu, I'll do it. I just want to do it and get it over with."

Asami sighed again, hugging Kuvira as the ferry reached the dock.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it, sparky. Really. It's no big deal."

"I really do owe you for this."

"No you don't."

Su was waiting on them at the dock as she'd promised, and Asami was taken aback by how tired she looked. It looked like Su hadn't slept since they left Zaofu, and Kuvira looked at her worriedly.

"Su?"

"I'm fine," Su assured her, waving Kuvira off with one hand. "I've already called a cab, is that alright?"

"Actually that's perfect." Asami told her, watching as Kuvira crossed her arms. "This shouldn't take long."

Korra grinned and ruffled Sokka's hair, pulling the boomerang out of the leather holster on her back.

"You ready?"

Sokka was watching her with bright eyes, and she felt a warmth spread through her chest when he grinned at her and nodded. She guided him to take a step back, and within a few seconds she shifted her weight back on one leg before rocking forward and slinging the boomerang in one quick motion. It spun in a wide arc around the airship, but eventually made its way back to where she was waiting on the top deck. She caught it in time to hear Sokka laughing, and she grinned before she turned around and knelt down in front of him.

"Will you do it again?" He asked her with a pout once she was on his level.

"Do you want to try?" She offered instead, holding the boomerang out to him.

Sokka hesitated before he took it, his hand almost too small to hold it properly. If Sokka can teach me, I can teach you. Korra shifted so that Sokka was standing in front of her, and she rested her chin on his shoulder for a moment as she tilted his hand in the right position.

"Alright, you have to swing your arm like this…"

She demonstrated several times, and once she was sure he had the hang of it, she kissed the side of his head before putting her hand over his.

"You ready?"

"Uh huh."

"Alright," Korra smiled, "Let's do it."

His first attempt at a throw went better than Korra expected, and the boomerang made a small arc in front of them before slowly limping back. She helped Sokka catch it, and once he had it in his hands again he spun around and threw his arms around Korra's neck.

"I did it!"

Korra laughed and squeezed him, taking the boomerang when he handed it back to her.

"Good job," She told him proudly, kissing the top of his head.

"How does it do that?"

"What? Come back?"

When he nodded, Korra shrugged.

"That…is probably a question you need to ask your mama. I don't know. But I'll tell you a secret."

Sokka tilted his head a little a raised one eyebrow, but he moved closer when Korra motioned for him to.

"Boomerangs always come back."

"Really?" He asked her with wide eyes.

"Yep. No matter what. Want me to throw it again?"

"Yeah!" He grinned, stepping back when she stood up.

"Alright, just a second."

She threw it farther than she had the last time, and she watched as it swung around the end of the airship, only to get picked up by a gust of wind and carried in a different direction where it sailed out of sight.

Uh oh.

"Mommy?"

"Um…"

"I'll get it." Jinora laughed from where she'd been sitting behind them reading, "Just give me a second."

Korra was thankful the airship was grounded for the moment, at least until Kuvira and Asami returned. Within a few seconds, Jinora had put her book away and jumped over the railing of the airship, gliding over the edge and no doubt onto the ground.

Sokka was frowning as he took Korra by the hand, and she squeezed his hand lightly as they waited. It took a few minutes for Jinora to return, and when she did she was out of breath. But the boomerang was in her hand, and she smiled when she handed it back to Korra.

"It went farther than I expected it to." Jinora panted before laughing.

"Thanks, Jinora."

A tugging on Korra's hand drew her attention, and she looked down to see Sokka still frowning up at her.

"You said it would come back, and it didn't."

Korra dropped down on one knee in front of him, smiling as she put the boomerang back in its holster.

"No, it still came back." She promised. "Boomerangs always come back, Sokka. Sometimes, they just need a little help. And that's what Jinora did. She helped."

"Oh." Sokka nodded for a moment before he grinned again, and Korra was relieved to see it. "Okay."

Korra smiled and scooped Sokka up with one arm, which only made him laugh as she peppered his face with kisses. She was glad, despite her guilt, that she didn't have to leave him and Asami in Republic City. Korra wasn't sure what she'd have done without them. She loved Sokka and Asami so much it was almost overwhelming, and the Red Lotus's apparent revival was starting to worry her more than she'd like to admit. What if they do come after us? Part of her was still confident that she and the others were more than equipped to handle any threat. The other part of Korra was worried that Asami and Sokka would end up getting hurt. I'll die before I let that happen.

"Alright my little Boomerang. Let's go see if we can't find Opal. She has to be on this airship somewhere."

Sokka wrapped his arms around Korra's neck when she spoke and began humming as she carried him back down into the airship.

"Where did mama and 'Vira go?" Sokka asked once they were back inside.

"They went to see if we can get your Papa to move to Zaofu with us." Korra explained. I hope it works.

"Do you miss Papa?"

"I do." Korra chuckled. "Somehow I think you might miss him more."

"Do we get to go see him?"

I hope so. It's my fault we can't just go see him at home, but for you, I hope so.

"Definitely." Korra promised. "You'll see him again before you know it."

Sokka smiled when she put him down, and they eventually found Opal and Latika watching a mover with Mako and Bolin. Sokka wedged himself on the sofa between Mako and Opal without hesitation, and Korra watched them for a moment before she pulled out her phone. She'd made up her mind that Sokka and Asami needed Hiroshi to get transferred, if only as a means of easing her own guilt.

She knew, or at least thought she did, that Raiko would continue to refuse the transfer just because he hated her. But Korra knew how to fix that, as she quickly typed out a text message and hit send. Once she was sure it had gone through, she put her phone away and took a seat on the couch with the others. Kuvira would take care of it. Korra had no doubt of that.

"Are you sure it's safe for you to be down here?" Wing asked, looking at Bataar over his shoulder.

"It's fine," Bataar repeated for the hundredth time in twenty minutes.

"No we're serious." Wei said once more. "Kuvira and mom will kill us."

"I'd rather take my chances with mom, honestly." Wing muttered.

"Look," Bataar told them, following the light of his flashlight as he traced it along the wall, "We fixed the big crack, alright? Now we just have to fix…"

"Everything else." Wei finished.

"Exactly." Bataar sighed and pushed his glasses further up on the bridge of his nose and looked around. "Have you been able to get into the tunnels?"

"No." Wing replied. "Meelo hasn't had a chance to come down here and open the doors."

"Shin won't let him." Wei added. "Afraid he'll get hurt."

"Well, I guess that'll get to wait until we're done." Bataar shrugged. "At least, we'll get everything else sturdy before then. Shin will let him when it's safer."

"So let me get this straight. Shin won't let Meelo come down here, but you expect us to let you, our non-bending brother be down here? It's not safe, Junior."

I'll be fine. I don't need my younger brothers treating me like I'm a baby.

"You're both starting to sound like Opal."

"We are, aren't we? Is this how she feels all the time?"

"No wonder she's always so cranky, holy shit."

Bataar rolled his eyes and stepped past them in the narrow passageway. He was heading for the open chamber so that he could climb out of the depths of the Air Temple to talk to Meelo and Shady Shin about the doors. They could at least make a plan for their repairs, whether Shady Shin would let Meelo open them or not.

He heard a rumbling sound and frowned, and when he took another step forward the ground crumbled underneath him. He was in a freefall for a couple of seconds, ending abruptly with him landing on his back with a thud. Bataar coughed and covered his face with his arms as the dirt poured down around him, and once it had all settled he managed to push himself into a sitting position.

"Junior?" He heard the panic in the twin's voices, but was unable to tell which was speaking. "Oh my god he's dead. He's dead."

"Dude we're dead."

"I'm not telling Kuvira."

"I'm not telling mom."

The twins began arguing between themselves as to who would be telling and who wouldn't, and Bataar rolled his eyes.

"I'm fine," Bataar coughed, hoping his voice was loud enough for them to hear, blinking though he couldn't see anything other than the light above him. I must have dropped my flashlight.

"Bataar?" The worried voice was soft when it reached his ear, but very close, and Bataar squinted as he turned around and found himself nearly blinded by the bright light shining in his face. He brought one hand up to shield his eyes, turning his head away almost immediately. "Oh sorry! Hold on!"

A few seconds later the light was out of his face, and he squinted as it moved closer, until he saw Fariha's face only a few inches from his. Her face was blurry, and from what he could see she was covered in a thin layer of dirt and mud, her headlamp turned to one side.

"Fariha? What on earth are you doing down here?"

"Digging." Fariha grinned. "Oh wait, hold on."

Bataar rubbed his head and groaned, blinking rapidly when the light was once again shone in his face.

"Sorry!" Fariha muttered, and he could barely make out that she was rummaging around in the dirt next to him. "Aha! Here."

Bataar felt her pull one of his hands out, and a moment later his glasses were laid in his open palm. He brought them up to his face, dismayed to see that one lens was cracked. Still, it was better than not seeing, and he frowned when he saw Fariha still smiling at him.

"What were you doing digging down here? The temple ends in the room above us-."

"That's a long story." Fariha admitted, looking up when a cable was dropped into Bataar's lap. "Let's get out of here and I'll tell you."

Bataar grunted a reply, letting his brothers pull him out of the hole Fariha had made. They both hugged him when he had solid footing again, and a few seconds later, Fariha had drug herself out as well. That was when he got a good look at her. Her guard uniform and armor was covered head to toe in mud. Her short black hair was matted down from what appeared to be water, and she had streaks of mud and dirt flecked across her face though her eyes were shining brightly.

"Okay," Bataar said, motioning for her to head up the staircase before him. "First of all, you're filthy."

"I told you, I was digging."

"But why are you wet?" Bataar huffed, taking the stairs two at a time behind her.

"Well," Fariha panted as she continued climbing, using one arm against the wall to brace herself as she began animatedly waving the other. "I heard water, right? So I figured something must be leaking. That was probably something I could fix, I thought. I walked toward where I thought it was coming from, but I didn't see anything. So then I figure, huh, there's got to be water around here somewhere, right? Something is leaking. I mean Air Nomads lived here for thousands of years-."

"Fariha." Bataar suddenly realized how his entire family felt when they tried to get him to stay on topic. At least she's clearly excited about whatever she was doing.

"Right. Okay. Anyway. So I decide that since there has to be water, I should probably go looking for it. Leak or not. And you had just told us to take a break a few minutes before so I figured I would have time. I started digging down, which wasn't so bad. Little cramped, but not bad. And I dig down about twenty feet from the floor there, and there's a staircase! A whole staircase! I couldn't believe it! Because I remembered you saying that room we fixed-."

"Was at the very bottom of the temple," Bataar finished. "Right. So what did you find?"

By then they had climbed up enough that they were back into one of the main temple buildings, and Fariha went through the door that led out into the courtyard. She was still talking, but Bataar was too busy shielding the sun from his eyes until he adjusted to the brightness to hear her.

"Could you repeat that please?"

She spun around, grinning broadly at him.

"Well I went down the staircase." Fariha replied, "And it just kept going, and going, but then I actually fell through one of the steps because it collapsed."

Shady Shin and Meelo came into sight as she finished, and she started laughing before she practically skipped over to Shady Shin and grabbed him by the face, spreading mud across his cheeks as she did so. Meelo was watching her, and tripped over his own feet as he tried to step out of the way. A moment later Meelo was on the ground, a flailing mass of his own long limbs. He pushed himself back to his feet quickly, and Bataar couldn't help but laugh at the gangly airbender.

"I found a lake!" Fariha told Shady Shin excitedly as she shook him.

"What?" Meelo's eyebrows shot up as Shady Shin gently pried Fariha off him.

She found a what?

"A lake." Fariha repeated, calmer than she was on the way up. "Under the temple. I was climbing back out when you fell through the floor and on top of me, Bataar."

"Is that why you're wet?" Shady Shin asked, tilting his head to one side. "And…dirty?"

"I fell in. I mean…I got out, obviously."

"The Air Nomads that lived here used to bring water up to the temple in buckets from the lake," Meelo said quietly, his eyes wide. "Dad thought it caved in. So it's still—it's still down there?"

"Yep!" Fariha grinned. "I found it."

"That's actually…that's fantastic." Bataar said, looking around at them and grinning. "If we could find a way to get down there that didn't involve digging…maybe the original staircase? I mean it has to come out somewhere…" He began pacing around the courtyard, thinking it over in his mind. "Lakes don't just 'poof' appear…The river probably. I saw one that went between the mountains the first time we flew in. Surely it branches off somewhere and comes into this mountain…If we could fix the staircase, we could get down there and get running water in this place." He grinned, turning around and looking at Shady Shin. "You could make sure the water was clean, right? Once we got down there."

"So you really think we could get running water from this thing?" Shady Shin asked, raising one eyebrow. "I mean yeah, I can check if you want. But you're talking like, pipes and shit, right?"

"Yeah." Bataar nodded, "We could set that up once we get everything else fixed. I bet one of those tunnels leads to that staircase Fariha found. We'll have to get Meelo down there—when it's safer, of course."

Shady Shin shrugged, eventually looking at Meelo.

"Your call, boss."

"Dad is going to be so excited." Meelo grinned. "I can't wait to tell him."

"Fariha," Bataar chuckled, looking over to where she was practically bouncing, "You seem…really… thrilled about this."

"Are you kidding?!" She exclaimed, her green eyes going wide as droplets of water dripped out of her hair, "I've never left Zaofu before, and the first time I do I find an underground lake that's who knows how old! Of course I'm excited!"

"The tunnels have probably collapsed like you thought," Meelo suddenly frowned, drawing their attention. "That has to be why dad thought the lake was gone. Maybe he tried to get down there."

"Well thanks to Fariha, we know it is still there." Bataar gave Meelo a determined grin, "And we're going to dig our way down to it."

Kuvira heard her phone go off in her pocket and she let out a sigh as she walked down the hall following Asami and Su who were walking side-by-side in front of her. She fished it out of her pocket, glancing at the text message she'd received from Korra.

'Do whatever you have to in order to get that transfer. Please.'

Kuvira sighed again and put her phone away. I already planned on it. Considering the last time I was in this office I threatened to kill him, I don't think this will be a problem.

The three of them were shown into Raiko's office, and Kuvira moved out of habit, folding her arms behind her back and standing next to Su's chair when Raiko motioned for Asami and Su to have a seat. She was in full guard-mode, even though she wasn't in Zaofu. She was with Su, so she at least had to act the part.

"Mrs. Beifong, Mrs. Sato," Raiko smiled, though it was only to be polite. His voice gave away how he really felt by his dry tone. "How nice to see the two of you again."

He hadn't even looked at Kuvira, and she wondered if he recognized her. He should. Though it has been a long time.

"I suppose you're both here to talk about Hiroshi."

"I was hoping you would reconsider your refusal," Su said in a calm and easy tone. "We came to discuss-."

"The answer is still no." Raiko shrugged and propped his elbows on his desk. "Hiroshi is still a criminal, and I will not transfer him to the state of Zaofu. There is nothing to discuss, Suyin."

"You really won't take any money?" Asami asked, leaning back in her chair to get comfortable. "Honestly? You won't take money to move him?"

"Nope." Raiko gave Asami a tight-lipped grin, and Kuvira ground her teeth together. "I'm afraid your dear old daddy isn't going anywhere. End of story. You can leave now, though you better hope your wife isn't present in the city."

"She isn't." Asami replied in a cold tone. "We've decided to move to Zaofu."

"I know," Raiko snorted. "Which is why you want Hiroshi moved. And that's why I'm not doing it."

Kuvira clenched her fists behind her back and took a calming breath, glancing at Asami and Su from the corner of her eye. Asami met her gaze, if only briefly, before she was glaring at Raiko again.

"Surely you're being unreasonable," Su chuckled, shaking her head, "You can't honestly refuse just on the grounds that you don't like Korra."

"Yes he can." Kuvira snorted. "He's a jackass."

Raiko raised his eyebrow, looking Kuvira over for a moment. So he doesn't recognize me. I'm not that much different than I was then. Maybe in a better place mentally, but he should know it's me. After a watching her for a few seconds, Raiko crossed his arms and laughed.

"It's funny, Suyin." Raiko chuckled. "My dog has better manners than your guard."

Before Su could stand, which she was trying to, Kuvira took a step forward and reached across Raiko's desk. She grabbed him by the front of his suitcoat and dragged him across the top of the desk in one fluid motion. She lifted him so that his face was only inches from hers, and he grabbed helplessly at her hands as he tried to free himself.

"Kuvira!" Raiko's eyes were wide with recognition, and she only grinned at him.

"Long time no see, shit for brains."

"Put me down this instant or I will have you arrested!" He bellowed at her.

Do whatever you have to. Wasn't that what Korra said?

"I don't think so."

"You'll be thrown in jail for assaulting the President! Again, I might add!"

"And the triads will have me out by tomorrow morning." Kuvira shrugged. Raiko's threats were still empty, after all this time. "They're still afraid of me, you know."

Raiko stared at her for a long time, and she arched her eyebrow before she realized he was shaking. I didn't even have to threaten to kill you this time. Get it together. This is too easy.

"The answer is still no."

"How's this sound?" Asami spoke from behind Kuvira, and Kuvira watched Raiko's face carefully. "I give you…say five hundred thousand yuans, Kuvira lets you go unharmed, and you get my dad transferred to Zaofu."

Kuvira could see the greed in Raiko's eyes and knew he'd been bluffing the entire time. I hate you, you slimy fucking snake. Still, his eyes darted to Su, and Kuvira heard her sigh.

"Call off your dog, Suyin." Raiko demanded, his voice wavering.

Kuvira could practically feel the anger saturating the room from Su. Kuvira was willing to release Raiko if Su told her to, but no such order came.

"She's not a dog, Raiko." Su huffed, and Kuvira was surprised to hear both anger and pride in Su's voice, "She's my successor and captain of the city guard. I expect you to respect her like you do me."

Except you don't respect us, do you Raiko? You don't care.

Still, something changed in his expression, though she was pleased to see the fear was still more than present. Kuvira would always have that over him, if nothing else. It had been in her favor once before to get Lin her pardon, though she'd wished she'd insisted on doing the same for Hiroshi. Then we wouldn't be having this conversation, if you could call it that. It was an advantage over Raiko that Kuvira planned on keeping. If he was afraid of her, he would always be agreeable to whatever she wanted, right?

"If you would release me...Captain Kuvira…please."

She did after a moment of hesitation, letting him slide back over the desk as he tried to find his way back to his seat. He cleared his throat after a moment and took a deep breath.

"Fine. I'll fill out the paperwork now with Suyin concerning his arrangements. I'll call Chief Beifong now, and Captain Kuvira can take Mrs. Sato to the prison to retrieve her father and the money. He'll be out of the city in an hour, if it suits the three of you."

Asami was on her feet a moment later, and Kuvira felt Asami's hand on her elbow, pulling her out of the office. As soon as the doors shut behind them, Asami was grinning before she collided into Kuvira with a tight hug.

"Thank you so much."

"You keep saying that." Kuvira chuckled when Asami took a step back and started walking down the hall. "You really don't have to. You're one of my best friends, if I have to scare the Fire Lord, I will. At least I didn't have to threaten to assassinate Raiko this time...but you still have to pay him."

"Hey I still got out cheaper than I expected," Asami shrugged.

Asami looked happier than Kuvira had seen her in several days, and Kuvira was relieved to have been able to help her. This will take a weight off Korra's shoulders too. That made it all worth it, as far as Kuvira was concerned. She was willing to do far more for the two of them than she would admit, and scaring Raiko was a walk in the park in comparison.

"You'll have to tell Korra," Kuvira grinned, "I got a text from her just before we went in."

"I'll call her once we get dad on the train." Asami nodded, her smile spreading clear across her face. "Korra's been so worried about this…She's going to be so happy."

Su bent the handcuffs off Hiroshi's wrists as soon as they stepped off the train, smiling when he thanked her.

"Welcome...well, home…" Su sighed, motioning for a pair of guards to come over as she walked with Hiroshi.

"Thank you again, Suyin. Really." Hiroshi was smiling, the bag of belongings that Asami had packed for him in one hand. "You didn't have to do this."

"It's been no problem, Hiroshi." Su smiled. "Now you're going to go with these two guards here to the station and they're going to fit you with a tracking device on your ankle. It's waterproof, and you have to wear it all the time." She looked at him as he continued smiling at her and she shrugged. "So you're still technically a prisoner…but you don't have a cell. You'll be taken back to my estate, and I'm going to have you staying in Korra and Asami's home for the time being. You can go wherever you want, as long as you stay within the estate's boundaries. We'll deal with the rest later. Does that sound alright?"

"It sounds perfect, Suyin. Thank you." Hiroshi bowed his head to her, before looking around happily. "I suppose I'll see you in the morning, judging by how late it is?"

"Probably." Su replied. "I'll come and get you for breakfast."

"Alright." Hiroshi nodded, before he was taken away by the guards. "Goodnight Suyin."

Su told him goodnight, sighing as soon as he was out of earshot. She was tired. The truth was, she'd have let him go free without a monitoring bracelet, but Raiko wouldn't have allowed him to come if she'd told him that. So she made up her mind to give him the least amount of security she could get by with and still hold Raiko to his agreement. She hoped Hiroshi wouldn't mind, though she was sure he would care less than he already did once Korra, Asami, and Sokka were back in the city.

It was well past dark, so she assumed Bataar and Huan were already asleep. As soon as she entered her home, she decided to trudge down to her office. She needed to put away the record of Hiroshi's information, at any rate. That would give her something to do. Su was halfway to her office when she heard footsteps behind her, and she sighed, thinking it was a guard. What're they doing in here so late?

"Suyin?" Aiwei's voice was the last thing she wanted to hear, but she only closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she responded.

"Hello, Aiwei."

She pushed the door to her office open, stepping inside and groaning mentally when she heard Aiwei follow her. How did he even get here this fast? She tossed the folder Raiko had given her onto the desk, flopping down in her chair and rubbing her eyes tiredly. She desperately wanted a cigarette, but she'd already smoked the entire pack she'd stolen from Shady Shin and she wasn't about to go out and find more.

"Is this Mr. Sato's information?" Aiwei asked, motioning at the folder. When Su nodded, he pressed on. "May I?"

She waved him on, not particularly caring. She'd never open the file again. She trusted Asami and Korra to handle Hiroshi on their own. Her responsibility over him was legal only, the rest of it didn't interest her, though she was glad he was there.

Aiwei began browsing through the folder, and Su crossed her arms as her gaze went out the window. She could see the domes being closed. They'd been kept open as the guards waited for her to arrive on the train, though she wasn't particularly pleased with the idea. Ghazan and Zaheer are out there somewhere. Zaofu can't show any weakness. The Red Lotus may want to be rid of Korra, but if they succeed, then they'll be coming for the rest of us.

Su felt like she hadn't slept in days. In truth, she hadn't. Not since Kuvira's abrupt resignation in Republic City several days earlier. Every time she tried to rest, she'd manage to sleep for two or three hours and spend the rest of the night either pacing the halls of her home or tossing and turning in bed. She was beginning to be sick of it, but she knew the end of it was nowhere in sight. With the worry that weighed down on her, she had no fear of being able to get any rest.

"You know," Aiwei said several minutes later before dropping the folder back onto the desk. "I believe they're using you."

What now, spirits won't you just take a vacation or something?

"The Avatar and her wife…they seem to be more than keen on taking advantage of your generosity." Aiwei shrugged when Su didn't respond. "I mean the Avatar did get kicked out of Republic City. Did you even ask why, or did you just accept it?"

"Aiwei, I know Korra and Asami. I have for years. They're like my kids. I would do anything for them, as long as it helps."

"Which is the very reason you got this murderer out of jail, isn't it?" Aiwei asked, arching his eyebrow. "He did kill people, Suyin. And a seemingly large amount of them were benders, after all."

"People change." Su shrugged, lifting her hand up to rub her temple. She had rapidly developed a splitting headache.

People did change after all. That was what she had always believed, at least since she'd built Zaofu with Bataar. She had changed, hadn't she? If she could do it, so could others. If Korra and Asami thought Hiroshi was safe, then so did she.

"It may not be my place to say this, Suyin." Aiwei sighed, "But it seems you've grown comfortable with what you believe to be the safety of your relationships with those closest to you. You aren't willing to see past your love for them to see that they may be taking advantage of you."

That goes for you too, Aiwei. Still, you're right. But she'd felt so bad when she saw how guilty Korra felt. How could I not let them stay here? They needed my help. That wasn't done to take advantage of me. They had no other choice. There's a difference. Did I make the right decision?

"I just don't understand why they needed you to go to Republic City to deal with this. They could have wired you the paperwork, just like his information here. You didn't need to go. You bent over backwards to do this, and for what?"

"Kuvira went too," Su shrugged again, "Asami needed our help."

"I don't know why she needed both of you to go," Aiwei scoffed. "With as much money as she has, why didn't she just do it herself? Why did she bring Kuvira? What good did Kuvira do?"

Su was momentarily afraid that Aiwei has right. Especially as far as Kuvira was concerned. Su had reason enough to be there, she was the representative of the government taking Hiroshi in. But Kuvira had no purpose. Asami brought her just to scare Raiko. She has to know Kuvira hates that. She frowned to herself and took a deep breath. I have to shake this. Asami didn't do it with any ill-intent. Kuvira was probably more than willing to help her. Maybe that's the problem.

When she looked at Aiwei again, she saw that he had folded his hands together in his lap and was looking out the window.

"I'm sorry, Suyin, about what's happened between Kuvira and myself."

"It's…it'll be alright with time, Aiwei." Su sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as her headache continued to throb painfully. "I just need to be able to trust both of you. When you fight it makes that difficult."

"I assure you, Suyin." Aiwei smiled, but Su didn't return it. "I will do the best I can to prevent any future incidents between us. For your sake."

"Thank you, Aiwei." Su nodded.

A moment later, Aiwei pushed himself out of his seat and bowed to her.

"I'm glad you made it home safely, goodnight, Suyin."

"Goodnight," Su replied and waved halfheartedly as he showed himself to the door.

As soon as the door shut behind him, she groaned, letting her forehead drop down against the desk and she closed her eyes, trying to take her mind off the pain behind her eyes. She just wanted to rest, but knew it would be hours yet before she fell asleep from pure exhaustion. What if Aiwei is right about Korra and Asami? He isn't. They wouldn't. They have never been anything but grateful for anything I've ever done for them. And they've done just as much for me, too. They had nowhere else to go. This was the right decision.

Despite what she told herself, Su could feel the doubt churning in her stomach. It had been there for days concerning a dozen other people and subjects in her life. Su hated it. Why am I doubting myself so much? What's wrong with me? Su sat in the silence of her office alone for half an hour before she managed to feel for the phone on her desk. Once she had the receiver in her hand she took a deep breath and raised her head off the desk and reached over to dial Lin's number. I need help.

"I'm telling you, these kids are going to give me whiplash." Lin heard Tenzin grumble as she stepped through the door to the dining hall to see him seated at the table with his siblings. "Jinora and Ikki, it's been three days and they've had so many ups and down's I can't even keep track." He sighed and shook his head. "And Meelo is doing better than I ever expected, despite the temple being half in ruin—they found the lake, by the way, Kya. I'm not even sure exactly how, Meelo was talking far too fast-." Tenzin stopped when he saw Lin, and she crossed her arms. "What's wrong, Lin? You look grumpier than normal."

"My sister is losing her fucking mind, thanks for asking." Lin huffed, sitting down at the table next to Kya. "I'm going to Zaofu first thing in the morning."

"What's wrong with Su?" Kya asked with a worried frown.

"Where do I fucking start?" Lin sighed.

"That bad, huh?"

"Well, it started with Kuvira." Lin growled, crossing her arms. "That's fine. Su got over it. Whatever. Then that snake Aiwei is somehow still around and still holding his position as truth-seer which I don't under—whatever." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "The point is, whatever is going on in Zaofu, Su is cracking at the seams. She called me not twenty minutes ago, telling me she honestly doesn't feel like she can trust herself, let alone anyone else-."

"So someone's got into her head." Kya cut her off. "Su is never like this, you know that."

"Yep. So I'm going to Zaofu to help straighten all this out. At least until Kuvira gets back."

"What's Raiko say to that?" Bumi asked, arching one eyebrow.

"Who cares?" Lin snorted. "I'm going to be retiring soon enough. I can take a 'vacation'. Besides, Saikhan is competent enough to handle any actual problems in the city. Not that there are any, currently."

"What about the Red Lotus?" Tenzin asked, putting his teacup down.

"What about them?" Lin shrugged. "I've offered the White Lotus as much help as I can. They're the ones who lost them. Su needs me more—hell, she's afraid of the lavabender running around. So if the White Lotus asks-."

"Not your badgermoles, not your zoo." Kya chuckled.

Lin found herself grinning. "Exactly. But unfortunately for me, my little sister is my badgermole. That's even what the city guard calls her."

"So you're going to go tend to Su's zoo." Bumi laughed, "Good luck, Lin."

"I'll need it. I've heard what Kuvira did to that sniveling truth-seer, and I can't say I won't do the same."

"Please do." Pema chimed in from just outside the room, before she came in with a pitcher of water and sighed. "I'm still so mad about what he said-."

"Agreed." Tenzin nodded. "But that's all behind us now. It'll be nice knowing you're in Zaofu, at least for a little while. With Meelo at the Air Temple…"

"Are you adding another badgermole to her zoo?" Bumi teased, elbowing his brother.

"More like a flying-lemur." Kya snickered.

"I just want you to check on him, Lin." Tenzin sighed. "Please. It's not the training I'm worried about. But since they've been repairing the temple, and he nearly killed Shin…"

"So I need to make sure Meelo is safe from….well, Meelo." Lin chuckled.

"Essentially."

"Let me get Su sorted out first, then I'll head to the Air Temple." Lin agreed. It wasn't like she was going to be doing anything else, she could handle a trip to the Air Temple before coming home. "I'm sure he's fine, but I'll look into it. I'll probably be staying in Zaofu for a while at least, until I'm sure Su is okay."

By the time Lin left Air Temple Island an hour later, she wasn't feeling any better about the mental state of her younger sister. She was truly worried about Su, particularly about how this was going to affect all of Su's relationships both in and outside of her family. I'll have to help her. She's going to break if this keeps up much longer, and I can't let that happen. While Lin wasn't looking forward to the long train ride, she was willing to do whatever it took to help her sister. Even if that means protecting her from her biggest fears and the people closest to her.