Welcome back! For most of you, this will seem like a normal chapter, but to anyone who has been keeping up with the story you will know that it has been over a year in between the last chapter and this one. Yeah, that hiatus I mentioned before took a lot longer than I expected. But I'm back, and in my opinion, better than ever. Seeing as this is my first chapter for this story in a long, long time, don't expect any huge story twists in this one. If anything, this is more of a recap and character building chapter, more for me to ease back in than anything. But don't think that nothing happens, because I've tried to fit some content here for you to enjoy. Hopefully enjoy it is exactly what you do. So for everyone who is reading, thanks for sticking through with me, I'm grateful.

3 days later

After spending three long, agonizing, introspective days on his own, Mako finally returned. He was ragged, dirty, and unkempt, and it was easy to tell he had not eaten or slept much in his time away. As he entered the monastery on Air Temple Island he walked slowly, dragging his feet and slumping.

He was tired, he was broken, and he had spent far too long trapped alone in his own mind. He had been forced to come to terms with his feelings for Korra, and had been spending the past few days trying to figure things out. He had suppressed his feelings since they had dated, and had tried to focus on his work since. He had been miserable for the most part, only occasionally breaking out of his near constant sour mood. It was difficult to break his feelings for Korra, however. She was one of the most constant things in his life, even when she had been gone after suffering from the Red Lotus' poison. Even in those years Korra was often talked about, always just there, right at the corner of his eye. How could he possibly get over her if he could never get her out of his mind?

But he knew that their time was over. He wasn't hers anymore, and she certainly wasn't his. They were never going to be together again, and Mako had to accept that or he would never escape from his misery.

He had to get a grip of himself, because falling apart like this was only going to put his friends in jeopardy, both because he couldn't protect any of them when they needed him by being absent, and because they cared about him. He didn't want to cause his friends any pain. So he had to be there for them.

So he had returned.

"Mako!" someone shouted, catching Mako's attention. It was Bolin, with Opal holding his hand. Bolin ran over and engulfed his brother in a tight bear hug. He quickly put Mako down however, saying, "Oh man, you stink! Where have you been? We've been looking for you for days!"

"I, uh, just needed some time to myself." Mako told him. "I had some stuff I really needed to think about."

"Well I hope it went well. Doesn't really look like it, but that's whatever. When you slay your demons sometimes you have to get a little dirty."

Mako laughed, something he hadn't done for a while. "Yeah, I need a shower. We can talk after I clean up, ok?"

After Mako had showered, he found Bolin and Opal outside sitting at a table. Both were eating sandwiches, and Mako noticed a third plate at an empty seat at the table. His stomach rumbled. He had not had much to eat recently, and now he was starving. He sat down with them and dove right in. "Thank you!" he said through his full mouth.

"You're welcome." Opal said cheerfully. "But it's Pema you should thank. She made the food."

"When I see her, I'll be sure to do that." Mako told her.

"So let us in on what happened." Bolin said. "Where have you been?"

"I have been all over the city." Mako said, swallowing a bite of his sandwich. "Walking around, just thinking. But I did stop by our old home, from when we were kids. I also went by the streets we lived on, when we were a little bit older. And," Mako paused for a moment, his throat catching, "Mom and Dad's graves."

They were all silent for a moment in an awkward pause. Opal broke it by asking, "So what were you thinking about, Mako?"

Mako's gaze dropped down to the ground. "A lot of stuff. Mostly just everything that has happened since we met Korra and all of this crazy stuff started happening. Korra, Asami, you guys, Kai… Just a bunch of stuff that has been weighing on me pretty bad. But I'm done moping now. We have a lot to do, and I can't help anyone just sitting around. Ikki is still out there, the Red Lotus are a threat, Zaheer is free, and we have to keep the city from falling to pieces while Korra is gone."

"Plus Jinora." Bolin said.

"Jinora?"

"Yeah, she kind of went missing too. Right after you did." Bolin said.

Mako put his head into his hands. "This is probably because of Kai."

"The fact that you returned before she did isn't a good sign." Opal said thoughtfully. "You are an adult, and you know this city better than almost anyone. You can disappear for a while and it's not so worrisome because we know you can handle yourself. But Jinora… she may be incredibly powerful, but she is still just a kid. Since she hasn't come back yet, it's much more likely for her that either there is something preventing her from coming back, or she is staying away for whatever reason. Either way, it's not good."

"This is all my fault." Mako said. "I couldn't save Kai."

"Mako, no it's not." Bolin said, putting an arm over his brother's shoulder. "You can't put the blame on yourself. Did you not do everything you could to save him? You are the reason he had a chance at all. You are a hero, bro."

"But it wasn't enough." Mako said. "I couldn't do it."

"People fail sometimes. You are human man, it happens. But wallowing in guilt that doesn't even belong there isn't helping anyone. You need to concentrate on finding Jinora and Ikki instead, and bringing those guys to justice."

Mako let out a deep breath. "I guess we need to find some leads, then."

Bolin smiled. "That's right. Let's get to work."

Tenzin breathed in and out slowly, meditating. He tried to concentrate on emptying his mind of all thought, letting his senses expand and feel. It was a part of becoming one with nature, to free yourself of your mind and let only the world remain.

But recently it had just become so difficult.

He couldn't concentrate like he normally could. It was crazy for him to expect himself to let go like he normally could. Jinora and Ikki were both missing, and Kai was dead. Ikki they at least had some idea who took her, but Jinora's disappearance was simply a mystery. Where were his little girls? Where?

His heart truly hurt. He loved them so much, and now they were both gone. What was he to do? He needed to find them as fast as possible, but he had no idea where to even start. He could only hope that Lin could find some clue as to where either of them could be, and until then he had to wait. Waiting was normally something he had no trouble with, but now he was too anxious to even meditate.

He needed something to actively do. He needed to do something or he would go insane from the worry. Any sort of distraction would do. Scratch that, not any. He had to do something productive. Something that could help someone.

Tenzin stood up, planning to go ask Pema. But then he noticed someone walking around among the trees nearby. It was Meelo, casually strolling. He must not have noticed that his father was nearby, because lately Meelo avoided Tenzin at every turn. He wouldn't even let the Airbending master get out an apology.

"I really hurt his feelings before." Tenzin pondered. What with everything that had happened the past few days, the distance between him and his son had taken a backseat in his mind. He felt guilty. All of his problems, and he hadn't even worried much about the one he could actually try to fix. He needed to repair his relationship with Meelo.

Silently, Tenzin followed his son, who walked to the edge of the island, where a small cliff overlooked the water. Meelo sat down, dangling his legs over the side, and audibly sighed, gazing out at the vast ocean. Tenzin stood a few yards back, afraid to interrupt. He decided to let his son believe he was alone for the time being. Give him some peace until Tenzin was ready to have the talk they needed but neither of them wanted.

What is he thinking about? Tenzin wondered. Is it the things he sees, the sea and sky? Is he thinking about their beauty? Or is it something else, a memory? His friends? A girl? Or maybe, like me, he has been pondering the negativity of the world. What happened to his sisters, and Mako as well. Kai's death. The Red Lotus returning. What could it be?

After a few minutes, Tenzin finally called out to his son. "Meelo."

The young Airbender whirled around, nearly slipping off of the cliff but saving himself with a bit of Airbending. To Tenzin's relief, Meelo didn't try to leave, but did have a very hostile expression. He had never been one for hiding emotions well.

"Meelo, I am so sorry." Tenzin said, speaking from the heart. "I'm sorry for everything. I never should have yelled at you, and never should have said what I did. I know you love Jinora and Ikki. I know you would do whatever it takes to save them. I was wrong to say anything to the contrary."

Meelo's expression softened. "I know why you yelled, Dad. There was a lot of things at stake, and I let you down. I didn't take it as seriously as I should have, and we got lucky that it didn't cost us."

Tenzin chuckled. "You can't take blame for that. I didn't do any better than you did at finding anything, after all. Look, I think I know how we can fix things a little bit. I think it's time I taught you some more advanced moves."

Meelo's jaw dropped in shock. "WHAAAAAAT? Are you serious, Dad?" He leapt high into the air, hooting.

"Wait a moment before you celebrate, Meelo." Tenzin said, barely covering the smile the threatened to emerge. "Remember, I expect you to take this training seriously, and you need to show respect towards your teacher. Also, nothing unless you have all of your chores done!"

"Yay! Thanks Dad!" Meelo shouted in Tenzin's general direction.

"I mean it about the chores!"

The two tourists could not be mistaken for anything but a couple. They were both unusual, the tall woman with raven hair and the beautiful face, and the gigantic man covered in scars. But they happily walked through the streets of the Fire Nation capital, holding hands, and whispering to each other. Even despite the man's appearance, it was hard to see them as much of a threat. They were too wrapped up in each other that they failed to be aware of the world around them.

Or, at least, that's how they seemed. In reality, they were two very accomplished assassins and powerful benders. They were making a very unorthodox route towards the palace, not going directly to it to throw off any less than dedicated spies that might be following them. If someone was really committed to keeping an eye on them, then there wasn't much they could do about it, but the appearance of a happy, harmless couple on vacation might throw off someone.

But Lyri knew that it wouldn't really matter. It wasn't like there was anyone that could stop them. She and her husband Tymo eventually found themselves on one of the regular tours of the palace, where they could see historical artifacts of famous rulers such as, Sozin, Ozai, Zuko, and the first female Fire Lord, Azula. Lyri almost laughed when she saw that one of the exhibits contained a comb once used by Azula. This was an important historical artifact?

Using their long experience in stealth, the married couple managed to slip away from the group. They already knew where to find the former Fire Lord. Almost every day, Zuko was known to go outside and drink jasmine tea by a small pond under a tree. He also fed the turtleducks that inhabited it, but that detail was inconsequential. More importantly, on the other hand, was the knowledge that he spent this time alone. He allowed no one except for Izumi to join him in his daily tea. This meant he would be alone, without guards or any form of help. A perfect target.

Sure enough, that's where they found him, leaning against that tree and watching the turtleducks circle around and around. Lyri and Tymo approached from behind, unnoticed. This was almost too easy. And Goru thought that he would be a problem. Wow.

She flicked her wrist, and a couple of leaves broke off from their branches, floating down and turning towards the old man below. She was a Waterbender, and her specialty had become using plants, such as grass or leaves, as her weapon. No one ever took notice of them, because they were harmless. That is, until they were in the hands of a master assassin. No one ever saw it coming.

"Will you two leave?" Zuko said irritably. "You are not supposed to be here while I drink my tea. Or for you two, ever."

Surprised, Lyri panicked and sent the leaves at high speeds towards the old man. To her shock, he easily burned them away. No. That was impossible. No one had ever been able to do that before.

Zuko stood up, and turned around to face them. He took a sip of tea and said, "Now please leave, or I will have to make you."

That's it for this one. Relatively short, and not as action packed as some of the previous chapters, but it did help me remember my groove with this story, so I think from here on things will be back up to speed. Thanks for reading! See you next time! And don't forget to join the dark side (we have cookies!)