A/N: I don't own Legend of Korra. Sorry this chapter is so much longer than the others! I got carried away…

Promise

"I didn't ask for you to come after me."

"I wasn't aware that I needed an invitation…"

Why, why did he have to follow her? Couldn't he let her be merciless, just this once? Couldn't he let her forget her title, her reputation, and just serve justice the way her mother would have done it? She didn't pity killers. Didn't condone murder. Didn't let murderers live.

He didn't understand. His mother has spent her years taking care of her children, her family, her household. His mother was never in danger nowadays unless she chose to be. His mother was a healer, not a fighter, not a soldier, not a target of the cruelest men in the city.

He didn't—no, couldn't—understand what she was going through. His mother was alive.

Hers was nothing but ash.

For seven years she had been tracking her mother's killer. Seven years of reconnaissance, police work, detective work, and the like. Seven years of thrilling excitement when they found a lead, and seven years of crushing disappointment when, inevitably, the lead led to nowhere. Nothing. A stone wall.

Too bad her mother wasn't a part of the search—stone walls were her favorite.

She had gotten a call at headquarters this afternoon saying the man she had been looking for was spotted just outside of Republic City, in a shady bar doing deals with the city's underground crime ring where they thought they would not be discovered. Lin was out the door before she even properly ended the call. At her apartment, she removed her uniform and replaced it with civilian clothing. If she was going to succeed tonight, she needed her target and his accomplices to be in the dark as to her identity for as long as possible.

How Tenzin had found out where she was going and what she intended to do, she could only guess. He has many connections in the city as the youngest member of the council, and she wouldn't be surprised if he had bribed some of them to keep tabs on her, should she be planning to do something particularly reckless.

His faith in her was astounding.

Of course, she knew he just wanted her to be safe. At twenty-two, she already had a reputation for getting herself into sticky situations. Her scars remind her colleagues and neighbors that she is even stronger than the metal that she wields; stronger than any of them would expect her to be, given her youth. She was offered the position of Chief of Police when they realized the lengths to which she was willing to go to keep her city safe. Still, many doubted her ability to lead, seeing as she had always preferred to work alone.

Alone, she was swift. Decisive. Uncompromising. Alone, she could do things the way she saw fit, not the way the general public demanded. Alone, she could give criminals and murderers the punishments they deserved. She had always thought that the limitations of the law prevented the proper sentencing of wicked individuals. The members of the council had soft stomachs, forgiving hearts, and political affiliations that prevented them from bestowing on criminals the same amount of cruelty as they themselves exercised on their own victims.

There was one council member who had the least tolerance for violence of them all. And he just so happened to believe it was his personal duty to ensure that Lin did not go too far with her enforcement of "justice." Which was why he was following her, at this very moment.

Lin had no patience for tagalongs.

"Tenzin, go home. It's late. I don't need a babysitter." Lin said the last five words with distaste, as if she wanted to spit them onto the ground at his feet but couldn't. He was her boyfriend, after all, and she really should be grateful that he cared so much about her. But when it came to matters of justice, not even Tenzin would be able to stop her.

"Is it true you're going after Satu?" Tenzin's voice was calm, even as Lin began to run and he was forced to pick up speed as well.

"Who told you that?"

"Just answer the question."

"Yes."

Lin started to sprint, the edges of the city giving way to more scattered buildings and houses. Now, to find the bar Satu had been spotted in…

Tenzin persisted. "And how exactly were you planning to arrest him on your own?"

Harsh, cold, sharp, and dripping with malice, Lin's response reached him, "I'm not going to arrest him."

"I see." Tenzin had thought as much. Tonight, Lin was not Chief of Police. He didn't need to ask what she was really planning—he knew from the fire in her eyes and the steel in her voice. He knew exactly what she left unsaid.

(I'm going to kill him).

They slowed their pace back down to a walk. It is generally more inconspicuous for two strangers to walk through unfamiliar streets than it is for them to sprint, and they did not want to be discovered. As darkness began to stretch over unkempt houses and shoddy walkways, Lin knew they had arrived in the right place. This was the poorer side of the town, where criminals could easily meet and greet one another in bars, restaurants, and alleyways practically unnoticed, just far enough away from Republic City to not have to worry about the police walking in on their negotiations.

Lin came to an abrupt stop outside the first dingy bar they came to. It seemed to match the description that her reporting officer had given her; it looked to have originally been a bed and breakfast, if the carving in the wood above the door could be trusted, but currently the upper floors were most likely vacant while the bottom doubled as a meeting place and drinking house.

"Last chance, Tenzin. Go home." The flickering lamp light coming from within the bar cast half her face in shadow. She was on a mission, and no matter how much she loved him, she did not want him getting involved.

"I'm not letting you go in there alone," he said as he pointed to the filthy "open" sign and raised the hood of his traveling robes, effectively hiding his tattoos from view.

Searching his serious expression, Lin could see that it was no use. He was determined to stay. She pulled up her own hood and wrapped a scarf around her face to hide her scars.

"Fine. But we're doing this my way, understood?"

"Of course," Tenzin replied as she pushed open the door.

The stench of unwashed bodies and spilled alcohol made Tenzin wish he didn't have a sense of smell as he picked his way through the many occupied chairs and tables around the bar. There was an open space in the middle of the stone floor, as though at one time there were patrons who enjoyed dancing, but tonight all of the bar's occupants were busy nursing cups of alcohol or having loud, drunken discussions with each other from across the room. A few of the customers stared at the two unfamiliar faces weaving around them, particularly Lin's, for most of her face was hidden by the dark brown fabric of her simple scarf.

Lin made a beeline for the bar counter. Tenzin knew Lin wasn't very fond of alcohol—her mother had had a tendency to drink too much at celebrations, leaving Lin to do damage control in her wake—but it would be suspicious for a couple to come into a bar without purchasing something. The bartender leered at her from over the counter, his sweaty fingers lingering in her palm as he took the money she offered.

She bought two drinks with the air of someone who didn't care much what she drank so long as it was strong. She handed a glass to Tenzin with a sharp look that said he had better play along, thanked the bartender, who was still eyeing her like a meal, and then scouted out the room for a spot where they could easily observe the other patrons. The bar was noisy and crowded, but they managed to find a table along one of the dirty stone walls of the establishment.

Lin sat with her back straight, eyes keen. She would recognize her target on sight, if only because his face had haunted her nightmares for seven long, sleepless years.

The drink in her hand was awfully enticing at the moment—with the hazy snippets of a half-remembered hallucination swirling behind her eyes—but she didn't consider when she bought it that drinking would require pulling down her scarf. It seemed silly that she was hiding from him, when what she really needed to do was find him.

Still, it would be risking too much to assume that he would have forgotten her.

She was renowned both in and out of Republic City for her skills, her face pictured on the front pages of hundreds of newspapers throughout the nations. It was as though the media was broadcasting her to criminals everywhere, warning them that hers was not the face they wanted to see when they were up to something rotten. Satu would know about her scars, would know that she had taken over the same position as her mother. He would know that she wasn't a little girl anymore, and that she was a threat that needed to be taken out…

As a master airbender who was very adamant about maintaining the traditions of the air nomads, Tenzin abstained from alcohol unless there was a call for celebration. Absently swirling the liquid in his glass, Tenzin watched Lin watch everyone else, and could not help but wonder what she was thinking. With only her green eyes showing above her scarf, he could not read her expression, and it frustrated him. He was so used to knowing her every thought, her every move, that it was unnerving to suddenly be so clueless.

Time stretched on and Lin seemed to grow more anxious by the minute. The cloak that covered her civilian clothing was nondescript, but it did nothing to hide the shapeliness of her figure. She had grown into a beautiful woman, and Tenzin could not help the possessiveness and anger that rose inside him as several men in the bar seemed to take notice of this fact themselves. Her scarf gave her an air of mystery that was admittedly very alluring, and he was fiercely protective of her ever since they became an "item" a few years ago.

There was one man in particular who seemed far too interested in Lin as she scanned the faces of each and every person present. The man sat on the opposite side of the bar with a couple of his friends drinking and carrying on around him. He had dark brown eyes and a sharp nose that hooked at the end, which was a trait commonly found in this area of the world. He wore black robes with a golden design embroidered into the sleeves and carried what looked to be many different types of knives tucked into his belt.

As Tenzin watched, the man leaned over to one of his comrades and said something quietly in his ear. His companion nodded and left the table. When the hooked-nosed man sent another glance Lin's way, Tenzin caught his dark gaze and held it for a moment. The man smiled broadly, maliciously, and then turned back to join in the conversation that was going on around him.

"Lin?" said Tenzin quietly, leaning over the table so his voice would not need to carry very far. "There's a man in black and gold across the way I think you may want to take a look at."

Slowly, Lin allowed her eyes to drift over to the man in question. He seemed to be spinning a yarn for the two men seated nearest to him, completely absorbed in the telling of the story. Lin's face betrayed nothing of her worry as she said, "That's one of Satu's followers, Chen. He's pretty harmless, compared to his master, but I wouldn't underestimate his accuracy with his knives. At least we know Satu is still around here somewhere."

Lin returned to her previous scanning, while Tenzin kept his eyes on Chen. Even with Lin's claim that Chen wasn't to be feared, it made him uncomfortable to think that they were going to willingly let a criminal continue on with his illicit activities. Nervously taking a sip of his drink, Tenzin grimaced. He didn't like being in the company of rats.

It was perhaps a half an hour later when Lin suddenly stood, her untouched drink nearly slipping from her shaking fingers. "He's...he's above us. I can sense him. All the floors of the old bed and breakfast are partially made of stone." Lin's eyes locked with his as she let her feet tell her all the information they could gather from the earth beneath her. "He came in the servant's entrance. There's a staircase through the door to my right that he used to get to the second floor."

As quickly as she could without raising suspicion, Lin left her drink on the table and started weaving through the many obstacles between her and the door. Tenzin followed closely behind her, suddenly aware that Chen had risen from his seat as well. A sharp sense of foreboding pierced his heart when he realized that it was very likely that this was a trap. Why would Satu lead them up to the second floor otherwise?

But through the door they went, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. The last thing they needed were witnesses to Lin avenging her mother's death. They found the winding staircase just beyond the door and started climbing. Lin was taking the steps two at a time, increasing her speed as she went. When they reached the landing, Lin turned left, practically sprinting to the end of the hall. She came to a stop before a room bearing the number 217 carved into its heavy wooden door.

Tenzin watched as Lin's body went incredibly still, staring into the old wooden door as though it held every secret she had ever wanted to know.

"Tenzin?" she whispered, eyes still glued to the door. The scarf made her words nearly unintelligible, but Tenzin managed to understand the rest, "Please…stay out here. Promise me that no matter what you hear, you won't come in?"

She was trembling now as she tore her gaze away from the door and met his eyes. She was begging him, and to his knowledge, Lin had never begged him for anything before. He could understand her need to face her mother's killer alone, but how was he to explain to his mother and father, should something go wrong, that he essentially promised not to save the life of his oldest and closest friend?

She took his hands in hers and whispered one final, desperate, "Please."

Frozen inside, he could only nod his head, which seemed to be enough for her. She embraced him quickly, then moved to open the door. True to his word—or rather, his nod—he did not follow her, and so she entered the room alone.

When Tenzin could hear the unmistakable sounds of a body being slammed into a wall a few moments later, it took every ounce of his willpower not to use his airbending to reduce the wooden door to splinters.

Lin had never been particularly fond of hotel rooms, and she imagined that after tonight, she would never willingly step into one again.

Opposite the door, sitting in a plush armchair next to a crackling fire, was the man who had visited her so often in her nightmares. He was a tall man with a muscular build that spoke either of hard labor or a harsh training regime. His red robes were simple, his belt a heavy black line that divided the upper and lower halves of his body. His eyes—demon eyes, she thinks—were golden brown and always shining with malevolence. Brown hair of the deepest shade was slicked back against his skull. Perhaps these features had made him handsome, sometime in the far-gone past, but the wicked sneer that curled his lips spoke of the blackened heart that beat within his chest.

"These seven years have served you well, Ms. Bei Fong," said Satu, his lips curling back to reveal several sharp teeth in what she supposed was his attempt at a smile.

Slowly, carefully, Lin unwound the scarf that was wrapped around her face. It had only been useful so long as it had concealed her identity. Satu's smile widened as he saw the scars that lay beneath it.

"Well, I have to say, those scars suit you. It's a pity I wasn't the one to put them there," Satu mused as he stood from the armchair, reaching his full height. He certainly knew how to intimidate his prey, but Lin was no longer afraid. She wasn't the scared little fifteen-year-old girl she was when she first saw him. She was older, stronger, and wiser than she'd ever been…and she had promised herself that this nightmare was going to end tonight, no matter what.

"I've waited seven years for this, Satu. Don't make me wait any longer," Lin's voice was controlled, but her heart was not. It was beating faster and faster, wildly throwing itself against her chest. Satu seemed to sense this, and so began to laugh the cold, heartless laugh that had echoed in her mind and memory ever since the day she watched her mother die.

He was on her in a flash. Knocked off her feet, she was slammed into the wall with such great force that all the dusty paintings that hung around the room fell to the ground.

"Impatient, just like your mother. She practically begged for death, by the end of it." Satu had both hands against her throat, strangling her with her feet unable to touch the ground. He was speaking with his lips brushing against her right ear in such a way that it may have been sensual, had he not been simultaneously preventing oxygen from reaching her lungs. She clawed at his hands, trying desperately to free herself, but it was no use. He was too strong. She was losing consciousness just when he decided to release her.

Gasping for air, Lin fell into a heap on the ground. Lifting a shaking hand to her neck, she could feel the bruises already forming where his fingers had nearly crushed her windpipe.

"I don't need my bending to kill you. They say strangulation is one of the most painful ways to die. I wouldn't know myself, of course. I could just as easily kill you with a knife, a sword, a twist to the neck perhaps… But I knowI personally would prefer something a bit more familiar, wouldn't you?"

As he spoke, he moved fluidly into a firebending stance, drawing flames from the fireplace behind him and dancing them around her head so she could feel the oppressive heat surround her. She was still trying urgently to draw air into her neglected lungs, gasping and heaving, but she had little success.

"That was how your mother died, wasn't it? Fire and blood? Such a lovely combination," Satu's voice was sickeningly sweet as he drew a knife from within his robes and held it in the hand that was not bending the fire around her.

Knowing she had to act quickly lest she be burned to a crisp, Lin forced herself to push away from him, rolling and kicking up pieces of the stone floor to send them flying in his direction. Once again his callous laughter filled the room.

"Finally, a challenge. I was beginning to think the newspapers have been lying all these years about your skills, Ms. Bei Fong," Satu said as he dodged the many attacks sent his way. He used her last name deliberately, digging into her memory of how he addressed her mother. Now that she was fighting back, the real amusement could begin.

Outside the room, Tenzin was having problems of his own. Chen had followed them out of the bar and up the staircase, ready to take out anyone who interfered with his master's plans.

"You know, I knew from the moment I saw you that you weren't from around here. It's not often that you see a man walking like a ballerina in this side of town," said Chen, smirking as though what he said was the cleverest insult that's ever been told. "And I would recognize that Bei Fong broad anywhere. You don't see eyes like hers out here in the slums."

He was removing his knives from his belt as he spoke, tossing them with a flourish into the air. He walked towards Tenzin, steps even, controlled, almost feline, as if he were stalking the airbender.

"That Bei Fong girl's been on Satu's hit-list longer than anyone else. He just needed the opportunity to go in for the kill. And looky-here, you two come waltzing in like you own the place. Not very bright, if you ask me," Chen was waving a knife carelessly in front of him, like it was a child's toy. "She's probably dead by now. It's a shame, too. She's one fine looking woman. Or at least she was."

Tenzin blew a strong gust of air straight towards Chen's chest, but the criminal was quicker than he anticipated. Chen dodged the gust and threw two of his knives with deadly force and accuracy towards Tenzin's solar plexus and neck. It was only with his superior airbending movements that Tenzin managed to avoid the knives.

Chen produced five smaller weapons from within his sleeves and launched them in an arc after using the wall as leverage to get a better angle. Tenzin managed to maneuver around the arc, bending the air to bring the weapons uselessly to the ground. Quickly and powerfully, Tenzin airbended Chen backwards, down the hallway and towards the stairwell. The man tried to get another good shot with his knives, but Tenzin had no patience for playing that game anymore. It was only with a small twinge of unease that he sent the man flying over the edge of the stairs, down to the first floor. When Chen didn't immediately stir, Tenzin knew he wasn't going to be getting up any time soon, if at all.

Lin had battled strong opponents before, but never in such a confined area, with so little earth at her disposal. Yes, the floor had a layer of stone, but this was too shallow to be of any real use. She was bleeding and burned, and she had to rely mostly on her agility to avoid Satu's attacks, so she was quickly running out of strength.

Finally, Satu succeeded in pinning her down onto the ground with his knife pressed against her bruised throat. "If you want to know the truth, killing your mother wasn't very satisfying. My favorite part is watching the light leave the person's eyes, and she didn't have any real light in hers to begin with. But yours, yours are eyes I can watch…"

The knife bit a little into her skin, and Lin knew this was her last chance to live. With all the strength she had left, she brought her knees up to her chest and kicked them out, into Satu's stomach. He landed heavily on his back, and Lin was on him in an instant, the knife now in her grasp. She didn't wait, didn't think, didn't breathe as she thrust the knife into Satu's chest. She didn't watch the light leave his eyes; she closed her own as she dug the knife deeper into his solar plexus. She wasn't a monster. She wasn't like him.

Lin would not open her eyes until she felt his heart stop beating. Even then, she let go of the knife—his crimson blood stained her clothes and skin in a way that made her stomach flip—and climbed shakily to her feet before she allowed her eyelids to flutter open. The deed was done. Satu was dead. But whether the nightmare had ended or not remained to be seen as she stumbled over to the door. She had several nasty burns on her arms and legs, a few deep slices in her sides where his knife had just barely missed lodging itself in her flesh, and her throat still seared from the attempted strangulation. She gained no pleasure from Satu's death; just relief that he was no longer a threat to her city, to her friends, to herself.

Lin reached the door, but the floor seemed to tilt beneath her feet. Her head felt strange, her brain muddled. She opened the door, took a few shaky steps out into the hall, and collapsed just as Tenzin realized she had made it out alive and rushed over to her.

"Lin! Lin, are you all right?"

She tried to nod, yes, yes, I'm fine, I'm alive, it's all right, I'm okay…

But her head is too heavy. The words don't come.

Tenzin ducks into room 217 to confirm, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Satu is dead. He returns moments later, gathers Lin into his arms, and carries her all the way back to Republic City, whispering soothing words while he tries to keep her awake. If she loses consciousness, she could fall into a coma, and he would never forgive himself…

Walking through Republic City with the battered, burned, and bleeding chief of police in his arms, Tenzin realizes just how many people in the city care about her wellbeing. He insists that she'll be fine; he just needs to get her to his mother as quickly as possible.

"Tenzin?" Lin's croak surprises him as he boards the boat that will take them across Yue Bay to Air Temple Island. "P-Please don't tell your mother what I've done."

Tenzin tries to quiet her, certain she is delirious, that she doesn't even know what she's saying, but her eyes shine with sorrow and guilt that is so acute he cannot help but listen to her words.

"Please…Aunt Katara spared the life of the man who killed her mother." And suddenly it all made sense. Tenzin had thought she killed Satu without any regrets, but he was wrong. Oh so incredibly wrong…

"Don't…don't let her know I didn't do the same…please." Her voice was faded, washed out, but clear enough for Tenzin to know that she knew exactly what she was saying.

"I won't," he whispers, not sure if she is aware enough to hear him.

"Promise?" her voice is so small, so light, so unbelievably unlike her own.

"I promise."