Hey everyone! Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I've updated. This hiatus was totally unplanned. But after going through a semester of graduate school and having to write several essays a week for classes, I found no joy in writing anything else, nor did I really have the free time. Until now, that is. Therefore, I will be doing what I can to update more frequently on this story. I want to thank you for sticking with me these last few months and know that I haven't given up on this fic. As always, please feel free to leave a review or inbox me! I always I love hearing from you and your comments are the reason I keep writing. Thanks again for being such loyal fans! Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Korra, but I do own the other characters who are not cannon here. Enjoy!

Smoke and Fire

Republic City Council Center: 12:40 pm.

The next few days of the Convention passed in relative peace. While there was a general feeling of uneasiness that was felt throughout the room, the World Leaders and their delegates continued on diligently with their task. The only notable conflict that arose was a disagreement on how the national territory lines around the four existing air temples would be altered, now that the Air Nation had exponentially grown over the last few years.

Asami stifled a yawn as she tried in vain to follow the conversation that flowed around the arch-shaped table. It wasn't that she wasn't getting enough sleep, rather the opposite was true. She was exhausted from her previous ordeal. Although her regular healing sessions with Healer Sinaaq had helped reduce her pain immensely, nothing could be said for the nightmares that haunted her dreams nightly.

Asami had lost count of the number of times she had woken up after only a few hours of sleep covered in sweat, her breathing labored from the phantom smell of smoke still in her nose from the vivid nightmares that plagued her. Like clockwork her dreams would start off with her alone in the hotel and the room going up in flames around her, in the aftermath of the explosion. The scene around her would seamlessly shift to that of her mansion back at the Sato estate. The smell of burning flesh would hit her nose causing the heiress to gag as her mother's screams reached her ears.

Asami shuddered in her hard-backed chair, trying to shake off the memories that tainted her nightmares, the very thought of which made her skin crawl. Asami would refuse to admit this to her friends, but ever since the murder of her mother, she was not a fan of fire. It wasn't like she had a developed a phobia towards open flame or anything, rather it was a sudden development of irrationalized fear when she smelled smoke unexpectedly.

The heiress frowned as she remembered a particularly unpleasant memory of such an episode when Team Avatar had been staying in Zaofu two years previously, where the Red Lotus had attempted to kidnap Korra in the middle of the night. Not long after, members from Team Avatar had alerted the Zaofu guards and the Beifong family, where upon a fierce and deadly battle broke out in the courtyard. Between the explosions from P' Li's combustion blasts and Ghazan's lava moat around his companions, the air was thick with smoke, heat, and fire. When they had attacked her friends, Asami had taken cover behind a sheet of bent upright metal to avoid the missiles of molten rock, metal, stone, and fire that blasted through the night at each other. As a nonbender and having no access to any long range weaponry, she could only remain by her friends' sides while she hid behind the safety of the Beifong sisters' impromptu metal shields…

As the fighting escalated the heat from the lava and fire blasts seemed to beat down on her physically as the smoke that surrounded her filled her lungs. A bright flame flashed before her eyes as Mako punched a stream of fire at Korra's kidnapers. As the bright flames burst before her eyes, time seemed to slow down. Her heart pounded in her chest rapidly, while a loud ringing filled her ears muffling the sounds of the fight in front of her.

Fire… There was only smoke and fire around her.

Her left hand crawled helplessly at her nightgown as she struggled to breathe, her right hand grasping at her head as the ringing grew louder in her ears…

Smoke and fire…ringing and screaming. A woman was screaming, not at her, but for her… 'Asami! Asami, run and hide!'

She's crying now, but she doesn't notice. She is numb to her surroundings, not even noticing as one of Ghazan's spinning lava rocks flies too close to her unflinching face. Asami notices none of this as there is only smoke and fire… and… screaming… a woman screaming… 'Asami, run!'

Her own mouth opens in a wordless scream as she cries out to the voice ringing in her ears, the screams of her burning mother echoing throughout the burning halls. 'Asami! Asami…'

Mako halted his attack briefly to grab his friend's shoulder and shook her abruptly out of her look of horror, barley noticing the tears running down her ashen-white cheeks. "Asami! Asami, are you alright?"

"Asami, are you alright?" Mako had gently touched her arm, drawing her attention back to the conference room and the people talking around her, his soft whisper echoing his words from the past.

"What?" Asami shook her head, and gingerly rubbed her hands over her face, being careful not to smudge her makeup. Mako's face grew to one of concern as he watched his friend give him a strained smile.

Mako frowned softly, "Are you alright? Did it happen again?"

Slowly she closed her eyes and inhaled through her nose before exhaling through her mouth in a steady stream of air, before repeating this breathing technique she had picked up from spending her time with Jinora and the other airbenders on Air Temple Island. The steady repetition of her breathing forced her heartbeat to slow down and allowed for her tense muscles to relax. After a few moments of respite, Asami gave him a small nod before turning her attention back to the conversation at hand, waving off her friend's concern.

Since the Red Lotus' bombing of her hotel room, Asami had grown prone to what she only describe as 'mental fits', where she would be triggered into experiencing vivid memories which caused a rather physical response. What scared her was not her response when she was in a calm setting, but she was worried more so about her lack of response when in a fight. As a member of Team Avatar, she couldn't afford to freeze up again in the middle of battle, no matter her tragic past. Physically she might be healing, but mentally she was not in a good place. The heiress knew it would be a long time until her thoughts and dreams were peaceful again.

Asami had expressed her fears to Mako over these, 'mental fits', but he could offer her no solace on the matter. However, just because he could not help her didn't mean that he did not worry about her. It was clear that his concern for her only deepened as she continued to experience her episodes, no matter how small they might be. And judging by the angry looks Asami had spotted Zula throwing Mako's way, the engineer was not the only one who had noticed Mako's apparent actions of attention towards Asami, no matter how platonic they were intended.

'I wonder what her problem is? Although knowing Mako, it could have been anything really. Now that I think about it, everyone seems really on edge today.'

Asami glanced around the room, taking in everyone's expressions as she gauged the tension in the air. Sure enough Zula was openly glaring at Mako, while her older brother also stared at the detective-turned-bodyguard with barely concealed contempt. Tenzin, Fire Lord Izumi, Chief Tonraq and his delegate Iñuksuk all seemed rather perturbed with President Raiko, Toru, and Chiefs Desna and Eska at the moment. Opal, Jinora, Suyin, and Sergeant Hashimoto all maintained an interested, yet neutral façade; Prince Wu looked downright bored. Asami sighed deeply as she took in the growing tensions before her, hoping their morning session for today would soon end. It was barely midday, and yet it had been a long day for everyone.

The engineer stiffly ran a hand through her hair, frowning slightly as she felt the shortened length. She had been officially released from the hospital yesterday with the stipulation that she would continue her healing sessions with Healer Sinaaq. After the bombing of their previous residence Asami, Suyin, and Opal had been invited to stay the remainder of their time during the Convention at Air Temple Island with Tenzin's family. As the island was currently one of the most heavily guarded places within Republic City since Jinora's attack, it was an offer that the three ladies were obliged to accept. Upon arriving at their new room, Opal had taken it upon herself to help Asami by giving her a much needed hair cut to trim away the charred remains. Surprisingly, there wasn't much to cut off, but it was still shorter than she was used to. Asami sighed deeply at her foolishness and vanity. Hair would grow back in time as it would undoubtedly be deemed replaceable; her life, she reminded herself, was not.

While the interchanging voices of President Raiko, his rather astute delegate Toru, Tonraq, and Tenzin continued to drone on throughout the conference room, Asami's mind wandered away from tedious politics and the mind-numbing conversation at hand. The engineer frowned at the medical bindings on her hands which hindered her movement as she patted the hidden pocket sown into the inside lining of her black blazer. A ghost of a smile touched her lips as she felt the worn page through the dense material.

It was part of a letter Korra had sent to her, which had arrived only a day before Asami's hotel room was blasted apart. Her response had been in reply to the engineer complaining about the political struggles during the convention summit. Korra's critique of the intentional power plays of many of the political leaders had made the engineer smile. The Avatar going so far as calling President Raiko a "deplorable man of the upmost stupidness and utter dingleberry". This was only topped by the Avatar's comment on Toru of being a "washed-out soldier whose constant scowling demeanor could only be contributed to his line of work as Raiko's babysitter, or the permanent consequence of having smelled the backside of a skunk-rabbit," which having never met the man, was based entirely on speculation on the description on Asami's part.

Her attention was brought back into focus by the annoyed drawl of President Raiko. "With this… shall we say, influx of airbenders, it is only natural to assume that the United Forces should explore this opportunity." Raiko pushed his wired-rimmed glassed up the bridge of his nose before continuing his statement. "The Air Nation should be implored to protect those lands on which they live."

This declaration by the politician caused several outbursts of muttering as each official turned to their neighbor in comment.

Tenzin bristled at the President's audacity. "What are you suggesting?" Raiko glanced at the United Forces officers within the room for support, but it was his delegate who came to his aid.

"Master Tenzin, I would have thought that President Raiko was clear on his intentions," When the tattooed man gestured at him to continue with his explanation, Toru scratched his graying trimmed beard before continuing casually. "We are suggesting a formation of a draft for the airbenders and the people of the Air Nation."

The President nodded to his companion. "Precisely. It's time the people of the Air Nation take on the same responsibilities as the other people of the world. If a nation issues a draft for military personal than the people of the Air Nation should be a part of this. Since these people live on our lands then they should be treated as any other citizen of that nation."

"You can't be serious about this." Tenzin dramatically gestured toward his opponent in exasperation. "Think about what you are asking of my people."

Toru cleared his throat catching the attention of the enraged airbender. With the attention turned towards him, the man ran a hand through his short graying hair before addressing the monk. "You wish to deny your people the right to join the military?"

Opal spoke up, her voice calm and confident. "While I agree that the people of the Air Nation should be free to choose their own involvement in military affairs, forcing them to be a part of your army goes directly against what we agreed upon by making the Air Nation people duel citizens."

Asami nodded in response to her friend's wisdom before addressing the room. "Miss Beifong is right. As duel citizens, these people are not held to the same national laws as an ordinary citizen. Besides, I think you will find that Master Tenzin's argument is about preserving tradition. This draft would affect the Air Nation in a way that goes directly against their ideals of maintaining the peace and reaching harmonious solutions in life."

"Exactly!" Tenzin exclaimed. "It's not that I am forbidding my people from joining the military, I only do not want to see them forced into service that would go directly against their ideals."

"Besides, the air benders and air acolytes have all sworn vows of non-violence," Jinora's voice seemed to physically calm down her father as she spoke. "Forcing my people into your armies will only cause more harm than good. This is exactly the same ill-advised tactics that the Earth Queen imposed on her airbending citizens, which as a reminder to us all, lead to civil unrest and animosity among her nation's people and those of the Air Nation, along with the Avatar herself. I therefore suggest the following comprise to be made. No person who identifies as a member of the Air Nation shall be forced to join any military faction from the host nation, no matter their geographical location. However, if someone wishes to enter the United Forces or other military service they are to be placed in a non-lethal position, such as medical staff, messengers, relief units, search-and-rescue units, or other neutral stations."

Airi nodded along to the young Airbending Master's comments. "A way to serve without breaking their vows. I like it."

Tenzin stroked his chin in thought. "Hmmm… That's actually not a bad idea. After all, I'm sure if a member of the Air Nation were to join the armed forces they would request similar accommodations anyway. That being said, the Air Nation would agree to these terms such as Master Jinora stated. General Iroh, what are your thoughts on this?"

The young officer crossed his gloved fingers in front of himself while leaning on the curved table, deep in thought. "I believe I agree with Jinora and Sergeant Hashimoto. While I cannot speak for the military units within the other nations, this proposal would suit the needs of the United Forces if the need were to arise."

The Fire Lord gestured openly towards her son. "The Fire Nation will agree to these terms."

Tonraq raised his hand before stating openly, "The Southern Watertribe also agrees with these terms, although I doubt we will need to use them. Not a lot of airbenders in the land of snow and ice." Iñuksuk chuckled softly along with his Chieftain.

Desna and Eska glanced briefly at each other before addressing the other delegates in unison. "So will the North."

"Same." Prince Wu raised his hand lazily into the air while suppressing a yawn with the other. Asami saw that both Opal and Jinora struggle to hold back laughter as Mako smacked his forehead with his hand in embarrassment and frustration. Zula, the engineer noted interestingly, continued to look distained at the detective's actions. With her left hand Asami gingerly rubbed the back of her neck in thought. 'Now I need to know what's going on between them. She looks seriously pissed.' The engineer grimaced at her bandaged arms. She flexed her stiff fingers and groaned under her breath from the pain. 'I'm in need of another healing bout too. But not right now.'

Noticing her friend's discomfort Jinora locked eyes with the heiress and raised an eyebrow at her with concern. Asami shook her head and gingerly waved off her concern, flashing her a small smile. Jinora gave her a skeptical look that from across the room Asami read clearly as, 'I don't believe you. That still looks bad.' Letting out a short puff of breath in return Asami rolled her eyes at the airbender in resignation. 'Fine' she mouthed to her shorter friend. She would go back to the healer for another session. The engineer could see her friend smile in victory out of the corner of her eye as they both turned back to the conversation at hand.

Unaware of this silent conversation taking place, all eyes had turned on Raiko as the committee members awaited his response. When the President finally spoke he avoided eye contact with his compatriots, sounding defeated in his tone. "Very well, the United Republic will agree to this compromise as well."

"Then it's settled," Suyin had risen from her chair in a show of power. "By the decree of all the World's Leaders votes and all those in positions to do so, I declared that those persons whom identify as part of the Air Nation, either by blood or creed, will adhere to these guidelines as stated beforehand when in the military services. Likewise, no Nation shall force any member of the Air Nation into active military duty without said person's full consent." There was a general hum of agreement from that rang around the room.

"And with that, Ladies and Gentlemen, let us take a much needed break for lunch. This meeting shall resume in exactly two hours time." With a final hit of her metal clad hand, the meeting was adjourned.

The hum of conversations and scraped chairs echoed around the room as people moved away from the crescent shaped table, all eager for a long break.

Asami had just moved to join Opal at the refreshment table when she caught the eye of Korra's father who had waved them over to join him and his tribesman. After grabbing two glasses of water, the girls quickly joined the two men. "I'm so glad that was over. Today's morning session seemed to take forever. Can you believe that we actually agreed on something?"

"Of all things, I thought discussing the Air Nation would be hardest of all," Tonraq's delegate shook his head slowly before sighing heavily. "After all, this is an entire nation's worth of people we are talking about. It's hard enough to talk about these things when the Air Nation has such a small and fragile government, but to decide the rights of their people when they come from your land is just as bad. Although I doubt we will have any airbenders cooped up in the south. What do you think Chief?"

Tonraq laughed heartedly at the younger man's comment. "Airbenders in the south pole? Not likely. Although if you shave the rest of your head, Iñuksuk, you will be half-way there into becoming a monk yourself." The older man had grabbed his friend him in a headlock, all the while rubbing his fist on top of his companion's partly shaved head. The sleek black hair had been tied back into a wolf's tail, with the sides of his head shaved down to faded stubble.

"Let go of me you great oaf!" The younger man pushed his friend away from him and ran a hand along his head to smooth his rumpled hairstyle. He smiled at Opal and Asami and winked at them cheekily. "Besides, the ladies dig it."

Tonraq's booming laughter echoed around the room as he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't be such a flirt, your wife would have your head if she found out. Ladies this here is my old friend Iñuksuk. My friend here was just learning how to hunt and train as a solider when Korra was born. You'll never find a more loyal friend then him. Iñuksuk, this here is Asami Sato and Opal Beifong. It's about time you've been properly introduced after all these weeks together.

The younger tribesman shook hands with Asami and Opal and flashed them a warm smile. "It's a pleasure to meet both of you officially. And Tonraq, I'm only thirty-one; I'm not that old yet. Besides, I'm just being friendly, you know I love Alyona with all my heart." He turned to face Opal. "So I know that you are Suyin's daughter and I'm guessing you're an airbender based on your suit, so it's only natural that you should be here with your mother," He turned to nod at towards the engineer, "But if you don't mind me asking, why were you chosen as Suyin's other delegate?"

"Well you see, I – "

"Asami here's a wicked fighter and outrageously brilliant to be honest." Asami was cut off as Opal slung an arm around her shoulders. Asami let out a soft hissss… as the movement painfully rubbed against her bandages through her silk blouse. Unnoticed by the airbender, Opal continued boasting, "She can best any man at hand-to-hand combat."

"Oh? Is that so?" Iñuksuk grinned and rolled up the long sleeves to his tunic. "Is that a challenge?"

"I would be more careful if I were you, Iñuksuk. I've seen Asami in combat and by the looks of it, she's already three moves ahead of you before you take a single step in her direction." Tonraq chuckled as he saw Asami naturally shift into a more defensive stance, her eyes analyzing her prospective opponent, mentally choreographing the fight while maintaining a pretense of conversation with the tribesman. The Southern Chief placed a huge hand on her shoulder to relax the engineer while addressing his friend, "If it's hand-to-hand combat, Asami's won before the fight even begins."

"Is that so old man? I'm calling your bluff. What do you say to a sparring session some time Miss Sato? Just you and me in the ring; no weapons and no bending." He flashed her a grin and tauntingly flexed his muscles. Opal rolled her eyes at him while Asami grasped her chin with her bandaged hand in thought.

"Fine, when this Convention is over you're on. And please, call me Asami." Asami reached out and shook his hand in agreement. "Besides, I'm a nonbender anyways so if we fight fairly it should be an even fight. I'll just leave my shock glove at home then." Asami patted her bulky invention which was tethered to her side by a low-slinging leather belt. The weapon looked out of place resting on her hips as she stood facing her competitor in white silk blouse, black blazer and pencil skirt, along with matching heels. Even so, Suyin had asked her to be prepared for a fight at all times and thus the shock glove was incorporated with the outfit. She grinned at Opal who winked in turn at her.

Iñuksuk smiled and gestured at his own hip where a long sword was sheathed to his side. "I guess we'll leave out Ten Kara here for our fight. Too bad, I was looking for a proper challenge."

Opal popped an eyebrow at the water tribesman, unsuccessfully suppressing a judging look. "You gave your sword a name?"

Iñuksuk flashed her a wide grin. "Hey, every good sword deserves a well earned name. Besides, I merely adapted the name for it; its original name was something of a joke. Besides, this blade is special to me. It's as close to a family heirloom as I've got." His dark skinned hand patted his sheathed sword comfortably. Both women recognized the leather sheath and hilt's designs to be Fire Nation, which drastically stood out against his water tribe themed outfit. Opal glanced questionably at her friend who shrugged.

With a relaxed and confident calm, Iñuksuk gripped the hilt of his sword with his left hand while holding out his right to the engineer before him. "So what do you say to a friendly spar?" Asami grinned and gripped his outstretched hand. "You're on, Iñuksuk!" Even injured she knew that she would be able to hold her own in a fight.

"Now see here Iñuksuk, let's not go looking for a real fight," Tonraq's face grew grim as he lowered his voice, "After that bombing we don't want another scare anytime soon."

The tribesman faced his Chief and kept his voice so low that only Tonraq, Asami, and Opal could hear him in the crowded room. "Speaking of which, how is the investigation going? Any leads yet on the terrorists responsible?"

Asami shook her head sadly. "No, Mako's kept me up to date on the case and all their leads have fallen through so far. It's driving Lin nuts. But don't worry, the police are working around the clock trying to hunt down the men and women responsible for the attack."

"Even so, I wouldn't mind having a little extra help in case of an emergency again." The Southerner's grip on the hilt of his sword tightened as he spoke, his steel-blue eyes scanning the crowd as if expecting a fight to break out then and there.

"Relax Brother, we have nothing to worry about today. I have already talked to Lin and General Iroh about added security for the remainder of our stay in the city. In a few weeks' time we should have more men and women to act as security during the Convention's closing ceremony, since it will be more open to the public."

"Still, I feel bad for the police. I know they've got to be stressed with everything that's going on. Security for this summit must be a mess right now." Asami's gaze followed the younger tribesman's while she too scanned the crowded room. Her eyes lingered on a small group of people talking quietly in the corner of the room. Spotting Mako among these people, the detective was talking agitatedly with Iroh, Toru, Airi, and Zula. It was clear from across the room that these people were in the midst of a heated argument.

Mako sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. To say that this conversation was getting nowhere would be an understatement. It had started when he had approached Toru to ask him about his time in the United Forces. The man's answers had been short and to the point, but it seemed that the answers gained were not detailed. Thus for every answer given, Mako asked two more questions to get something out of the veteran. As an endless stream of questions became directed toward him, Toru was becoming increasingly more angered throughout the conversation.

Raiko's delegate scowled at the detective. "Listen kid, I really don't have time for any more questions. This is the first break we've had all day and I would rather not have to spend my time chatting with you."

Mako's frowned, "I'm sorry sir, I only have a few more questions for you.

"Get on with it then." Toru rubbed the back of his neck while glancing at the clock that was on the far wall.

"Right," Mako glanced down at his note pad, "When you were in the United Forces, what area were you assigned to?"

"Well, I jumped around squads for years while making my way up the ranks. I've spent time with the navigation and engineering units while on board the vessel the UFS Omashu, and then as naval tactical specialist in my later years."

Mako nodded while writing down this information. "I see, and as a trained engineer, what sort of engineering was a part of your training?"

Toru scratched his neatly trimmed grey beard before answering, "Oh a little of this and that. Basic training covers mechanical and electrical instruction, although I never found much use for them as I switched to navigation shortly after that. Why are you asking me this? Clearly this surpasses basic curiosity?" The older man's dark eyes narrowed as he stared Mako down.

"I'm just trying to get to know the other delegates better so as to complete a better case file for Chief Beifong. With the added security, we just want to make sure that we can understand everyone better so that we know how best to protect you in case of emergency."

Toru frowned at the detective, "It's kind of too late for that, don't you think, detective?" He nodded towards Mako's right arm which was moving stiffly as it was still heavily wrapped in bandages.

The detective cleared his throat loudly in his discomfort. "Right then, one last question. According to our records, you were dishonorably discharged from the United Forces before working under the President. Why were you discharged from the service?"

For a brief moment the older man's eyes burned with anger. "Enough! This little interview is over." Toru spat out between gritted teeth.

Mako held his ground without flinching away. "Please sir, just answer the question." Toru looked ready to hit him. Mako had just braced himself to dodge if necessary when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "That's enough Mako. Clearly the man doesn't want to be bothered anymore. Surely you must understand this, detective?"

Mako glanced away from his interviewee and into the stern face of Iroh. Airi and Zula stood behind him, the latter of which pointedly looked anywhere else but at the detective. The military official turned to the United Republic's delegate with a stern face. "Toru, it's been a long time."

He nodded in acknowledgment, "General." His eyebrow twitched as his dark eyes narrowed at his former commanding officer. There was an awkward silence while the two men stared at each other, clearly sizing each other up in the moment. It soon became apparent to the detective that there was no love lost between these old comrades at arms.

"Mako, I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but if I could have a word with you in private?"

"Of course, General Iroh." Mako sighed before putting his notepad away into an inside pocket of his black jacket. He turned to apologize to Toru for the intrusion, but the older man had already disappeared. Mako turned to face Iroh and his companions, "How can I help you, General?"

"I believe it's more, how I can help you. You need information on him and lucky for you, I have it."

Mako stared at the older man in suspicion, "Why would you help me?"

"I'll be honest detective, I don't like you right now. Not after everything that's happened between you, me, and my family." Iroh sighed as his eyes drifted to his sister before switching his attention back to the man in front of him; his handsome face seemed to age as a weary smile touched his lips, not quite matching his eyes. "That being said, I may not want to help you, but I can and therefore I am. You need answers and I have them. It's as simple as that."

"Besides, with our help consider this a peace offering." Airi flashed Mako a sincere grin. "We can't waste our time throwing around suspicion and placing blame on others during times like these. When the time comes you will need us as your allies, not your enemies."

"She's right Mako," he turned to face the owner of the voice that had remained silent until this moment, "You will need your friends." Zula meet his gaze, her voice steady and her face unreadable. Looking into her eyes, for a brief moment he thought he saw a flicker of … something… before her amber eyes became the resilient hard stare he had seen for the last few days from her.

"Tell you what detective, we obviously need to talk, but not here. Why don't you invite Asami and Opal out to lunch with us where we can discuss this matter further."

Mako considered his words for a moment before nodding. 'I feel like I'm grasping for straws for any sort of a lead on these attacks, but this is the best we've got so far. I am not too prideful to turn down an olive branch when I see one.' "I accept your offer."

For the first time that day Iroh truly smiled at him. "Good. We'll go ahead and get a table for us. I spotted this little noodle shop on the way into town that I've always wanted to try." Laughing at his remark, Iroh, Zula, and Airi left the summit room.

Mako left out a long sigh before running his hand through his slicked back hair. 'Well when one door closes, a new window becomes open. I just hope there isn't a nasty fall on the other end.' And with that thought, he sought out his friends among the increasingly thinning out room. 'I don't know if this is all a ruse, but if so then I'm bringing back up!'

[-][-][-]

Aros' Noodle Shop: 2:09 pm.

Asami thanked the waiter as a large steaming bowl of tiger-seal noodles were placed in front of her. The atmosphere from the group she was seated with had been tense at first, but as her friends began to slurp away at their various noodle bowls, the tension within the air dissipated.

When the last of his noodles were gone, Mako set aside his chopsticks and cleared his throat loudly to get the attention of his companions. "So General Iroh, Sergeant Hashimoto, what can you tell me about Toru?"

Airi glanced at her commanding officer before stating, "Well, it's not a very pleasant story…"

"But one that we've both had the, err, pleasure of witnessing." Iroh finished while taking a sip of his tea. "Lieutenant Toru was born in the Earth Kingdom over fifty years ago. After coming of age, he joined the United Forces and became a crew member on the UFS Omashu, which wasone of the best ships in the United Forces' fleet at the time, under Captain Lu Tong. Over several years of training, Toru quickly rose through the ranks, first as an engineer before becoming a navigation specialist. Two years before my time, Toru had become promoted to Lieutenant and latter switched units to naval tactical support. Based on Captain Lu Tong's old records, Toru was a fine soldier and an even better officer. A natural born leader, he was claimed to be fair and just to his fellow comrades. That all changed when Airi and I came aboard the ship three years ago."

Iroh paused to slowly sip his tea, closing his eyes as he remembered his first few weeks on the ship. "Being named after an Earth Kingdom city it was only natural that most of the crew members aboard the ship were from the Earth Kingdom. It soon became apparent that we were treated as outsiders from the moment we set foot on deck."

"We were strangers in a strange land," Airi muttered. "After Iroh and I were transferred onto the UFS Omashu, we noticed that while most of the crew seemed content or indifferent about our new positions, there were others whom seemed to think we were the very mud that was under their shoes. It did not matter that we outranked them, they hated us. Having outranked Captain Lu Tong, Iroh took control of the ship as our new captain. This change of leadership lead to a divide amongst our own crew men: those who remained loyal to Iroh and those who were angered by this new arrangement. Can you guess who the de facto leader for this rebellious group was?"

"My money is on Toru." Opal interjected.

Airi nodded. "Exactly, out of all the crew members who disliked us, Toru hated us the most."

"But that's not fair!" All eyes swiveled in unison to focus on Zula. "You did nothing to wrong them."

Airi dismissed her friend's comment with a simple flick of the wrist. "It didn't matter to them. We were from the Fire Nation and Iroh's royal lineage only seemed to infuriate them more. We were being ostracized for the mistakes of our ancestors."

"It was a frustrating time," Iroh growled in annoyance at the memory. "While it was clear to the two of us that there was this division amongst our crew members, there was little to be done about it. Since they had not taken direct action against us or our orders, we could not court martial them. It wasn't until about a year later that a disaster occurred.

"It had been a hard week and moral was at an all time low. Unknown to either of us at the time, Lieutenant Toru had been slowly convincing some of the crew members that we were not needed on this ship and that I was unfit to be the new captain based on my heritage and my youthfulness.

"One night during a shift change, Toru lead his defectors to overthrow our control of the ship. When the night guards rang the alarm, the deck became the source of a very violent coup d'état." Iroh sighed dejectedly, his gaze becoming solely focused on the empty tea cup in his hand. "The fighting lasted for hours, eight men were killed and a great many more of my men had become severely injured."

"During this time I had managed to contact the UFS Taku to come to our aid." Airi continued swiftly. "With their help, we were able to quickly gain the upper hand in the fighting and within twenty minutes the defectors surrendered to us."

Airi's grey eyes darkened as she paused in her tale to stare down at her interlocked fingers. "I was there at the end when they tried to stop Toru, for he would not surrender. He had always been known to wield a great war hammer when in combat and this battle proved to us all his prowess with the weapon. In the end it took five men to subdue him into submission. He and his men were court marshaled, stripped of their ranks, given a dishonorable discharge, and many were spent time in prison for their actions that night."

"That night changed everything for me," Iroh lowered his head, refusing to meet the eyes of his companions. "The attempted coup for the UFS Omashu was the night of my greatest dishonor. Although my men and I successfully stopped the defectors from taking the ship, my men lost their lives. Needless lives were taken that night. I confess that I am still haunted by that night."

Airi reached over and clasped her arm on Iroh's shoulder. "It was not your fault. What's done is done and now we must move on. I have seen you grow and learn from the experience and it has changed you into a better man and a great general."

Iroh smiled thankfully at his older companion. "Thanks Airi. You've always had my back."

"Still do, kid." Airi lightly punched him on the shoulder. It was clear to the group that this playful banter was a usual part of their friendship. "You aren't getting rid of me yet."

Asami, who had been listening to the conversation quietly, leaned forward to address the two officers. "So how did Toru get from the raging naval officer to a hired bodyguard and respected diplomat for the United Republic of Nations?"

Iroh shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. From my understanding, after he was court marshaled, Toru has spent these last few years in Republic City working for the President. As for how he got to where he is, I'm sure only the man himself can tell you that."

"So the question remains, should he be considered a suspect for the bombing?" Mako crossed his arms while he thought out loud. "While the man certainly has issues with taking orders, racism and discrimination against the Fire Nation, not to mention his violent tendencies, it doesn't make sense for him to be a prime suspect for the bombing. We believe that the bomb was intended for Suyin, for whom he holds no grunge. Not to mention his room was only a few doors from the Beifongs', leaving his room in danger of too close of proximity of the blast radius." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "It just doesn't seem to fit. I feel like we're still missing something."

"So even with all of this we have nothing?" Opal asked sincerely.

"No, not exactly." Zula sighed as she answered the airbender. "What we have is another possible suspect, although unlikely, and their background story. With this information Mako and the other detectives can continue their investigation on the other delegates and persons of interests. Besides, it also seems clear that Mako has a particular talent at pissing people off and creating enemies."

Iroh glanced away from his distraught sister to face the detective and filled his empty cup with more tea. After taking a small sip, he set his cup down and addressed the scorned detective. "As Zula so eloquently put it, you must be more careful Mako. Your investigation, no matter how necessary it may be, is causing you to gain enemies in high places. I'll be honest, a great reason why I am telling you all this information is because I owe Team Avatar my life after the Equalist uprising destroyed my ship. Other people will not be as friendly nor as cooperative with you if you keep accusing them of attempted murder without hard evidence. No offense, detective."

"How am I not supposed to take offense by that? Are you trying to say I shouldn't do my job? That I am unfit for this investigation?" Mako's nostrils flared in anger, while practically leaping out of his seat.

Asami grabbed his shoulder and forced him to remain still. "It means you lack tact, Mako. Besides, Iroh is right, you need to be more careful."

Mako shook his head. "I don't have time for lectures from you."

"Then you will get yourself killed." Zula's voice rang out, causing a chill in the air. "You saw what happened to Asami, you ran into a burning building for spirit's sake! And from what you told me of Jinora's attack, these terrorists are targeting people close to you. If you are not more careful about how you handle your investigation, you could be next on their list and I will not stand by as you get yourself killed." Slamming some yuans onto their table, Zula stormed out of the restaurant, leaving her awestruck companions behind.

Mako's eyes watched her retreating form as her deep red robes billowed behind her in the wind. He sighed deeply before addressing Iroh and Asami. "She's right, I need to be more careful. I'm sorry if I concerned you."

Asami clasped her hand onto Mako's shoulder drawing his attention away from Zula's retreating form and onto herself. "It's not me who you need to apologize to."

Mako grunted in response. "It's getting late. We need to get back." Placing a few yuans on the table to cover his share of the bill, he left the restaurant without another word knowing that Asami was right.

Opal scowled at Mako's lack of display of emotions exclaiming, "Oh, will they just kiss and make up already?!" causing Iroh to choke on his hot tea and Airi to share a rare smile with her newfound friends.