Chapter 24

A/N: Hello! Authors of dead fic here back with an update! Sorry it's been forever... we've been trying to plan this out right and give this a good ending. We're getting towards the end, here, and we're glad we've gotten as many faves and followers as we have so far. So thanks again, and I hope you enjoy what er have in store for you!

Min woke up with a jolt, sensing a shift in the Spirit World's energy. Pain lanced through her entire body as she pulled herself upright. Her plan had failed and under ordinary circumstances she would have given herself time to sulk, but time was a luxury she did not have.

Cursing softly to herself, she made her way to the portal that led her back to the City, where she could hopefully salvage what was left of their mission. Her mind was racing as she pieced together a plan to make sure the relics would be in her hands as quickly as possible. If it worked, all their efforts might not have been in vain. But it wasn't a plan Min particularly liked. It was something of a gamble, but this was one gamble she was willing to take.

Getting back to Republic City wasn't as hard as she'd have thought. Locating the portal had been easy enough from Xai Bau's Grove and from the portal, it was a quick car ride (mostly because the driver sped, at her request) to the presidential estate. Once she was there, Min had dispatched an attendant to retrieve what she needed.

Ten minutes later, Shen was standing before her, looking frazzled and somewhat surprised to have an audience with the First Lady.

"You summoned me?" He said, adjusting his collar and smoothing out his tunic.

"Yes," Min said. "I have a job for you."

"A job?" He repeated, dumbly. The First Lady didn't normally seek him out.

"Yes," Min said, patiently. "An important one. Are you up to the task?"

Aku was freezing again. It was bad enough that he still had three pieces to find, but the fact that he was stuck in this unnatural ice in the Spirit World made things worse.

Sure, he could waterbend, but this ice didn't seem natural, and he was struggling to trudge through the thin ice that came up to his knees, freezing him to the bone.

"I have to get through this," he thought as the greaves kept humming with energy, signalling that he was very close to the next piece. He could feel it himself, having been so close to the energy the relics gave off for sometime. But his legs gave out as soon as he reached the edge of the icy plain, and he had to sit down to recover.

Breathing slowly, he concentrated all his energy on warming up the blood pumping through his veins, so that when they reached his legs, they'd rid him of the numbness he felt. And in a few minutes, he felt he was finally ready to get up and go, unaware that Koh was testing him every step of the way, watching his progress.

Soon, he came upon a clearing, and the greaves buzzed and vibrated louder than ever before. Looking around frantically, Aku finally found an object in the distance glowing insistently as he approached it.

As soon as he touched the chestplate, though, he jumped back as if it had burned him. And it had. When he looked at his palms, they looked like they'd been scorched with blisters all over them.

Once again, he picked them up, gritting his teeth as his skin was slowly peeling off against the hot metal. But he'd managed to place it safely in the rucksack he'd brought, hoping it'd lead him to the final piece somewhere out there, and soon.

"Impressive," Koh whispered to himself as he watched Aku in the form of the baboon atop a peach tree in the clearing. "I guess I'll have to do better, then."

And with that thought, he disappeared back to where he'd come from.

Shen was surprised, if not completely shocked when he received a call from the First Lady herself, asking him for a very strange favor that he couldn't quite understand.

Still, as he made his way to the strange prison hidden inside the mountains that covered the northern border of Republic City, he couldn't help but wonder what she could possibly want from this prisoner.

"Remember, we're offering him his freedom in return for the the location of the sword in the Spirit World. If he betrays us, we'll kill him."

He waited silently as the gears whirred and the elevator took him deeper into the mountain where the prisoner was being kept. "How strange," he thought as he watched the Elite Corps soldiers standing with him, "that with all his authority, the President is still as ignorant as a sea sponge when it comes to who's really in charge."

It'd been so easy for them to convince Raiko to get rid of the White Lotus sentries and replace them with Elite Corps soldiers, who had been hand picked by Aku. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud clang, indicating that they'd reached the actual prison.

In the green light of the cave, Shen could only make out a faint outline of the person he'd been ordered to talk to. He could also make out four chains, one attached to each of the prisoner's limbs.

But the strangest thing of all was that the person seemed to be floating in the air. A wave of panic washed over him as he realized who he was meeting.

"Calm down," Shen told himself in an attempt to shake it off. "You're in charge here. He's tied up."

"You have a visitor," the guard announced curtly, and Zaheer looked at Shen curiously, wondering what this person might want from him.

"I'm here on the orders of the Black Lotus," Shen declared firmly. "Our Grand Master has reason to believe that you have ascertained the position of the sword."

"I might have," Zaheer answered cryptically. "I was in the Spirit World when I heard about your debacle at the Bureau. You must be really worried to come seek me out."

"We're offering you a chance at freedom," Shen cut him short. "If you help us get the sword, then we can get you out of here for good."

"There's nothing left for me out there," Zaheer replied. "You have nothing left to offer me."

"Not even the Avatar's life?" Shen ventured, since he'd known Zaheer to have been the closest to beating Avatar Korra.

Zaheer smiled. "You're smart," he said. "But you know the Avatar's tough. She won't be an easy target. She never has been."

"No, but we did find a way to make the fog work for us. You find us the sword, and we'll make sure you get out of here and have the Avatar in our hands."

Zaheer's lips twitched into what he must've thought was a smile, but to Shen, it seemed like a leer.

"You have a deal," Zaheer said finally, much to Shen's relief.

Korra stared at the vast expanse of land stretching out before her. Jian hadn't been too helpful when she said they'd need to find her armor. She had little to no recollection of where the pieces were and had only relied on instincts to guide them. Currently, Korra and Rumi were supposed to be looking for her sword, but it was something of a herculean task as Jian had given them next to nothing to go on.

"We'll never find it in time," Rumi said, nursing her injured wrist. "We're losing time."

"I know," Korra replied, kicking aside a pebble. "But what else can we do? You said getting these relics before Aku was our best bet."

"It is," Rumi said. "But I was hoping returning Jian to her true form would allow her to remember and tell us precisely where they are. I didn't think she might not even know."

"We'll just have to try our best," Korra said. "We'll worry about Aku's plan later. Right now, that sword should be our focus."

"But even if we find it in time…"

Rumi didn't say anything, but she didn't need to. Her unspoken question hung in the air. Would it be enough?

Korra didn't have an answer to that.

"Let's just keep looking," she suggested. "Jian's sword can't be too hard to find. She said it was in this direction."

"That is such a vague statement and you know it."

"Yeah," Korra sighed. "But unless you have other plans…?"

Rumi looked pensive.

"You have a plan." It was more a statement than a question.

"Not really. I mean, it's half a plan, I guess. Kia's journal mentioned something about the sword. I don't remember specifics but…"

"At this point, any information is useful," Korra said. "What did it say?"

"It won't be easy if it's right," Rumi warned.

Korra snorted. "Has anything about this been easy?"

Rumi conceded she had a point. "The journal reference a powerful artifact hidden by Koh's lair. It must be the sword."

"Of course it must," Korra muttered to herself. But louder she said, "Looks like it's time to pay my old friend a visit."

Ami had been dozing in a chair, next to Hana's bed, when she felt it. The silence in Hana's room had long since felt oppressive, so Ami had taken to reading to her from random books Opal and Jinora brought to her. She had been reading some fantasy story to Hana, holding her hand as she read. At some point, she must have dozed off herself, but she was easily roused when Hana's hand moved. Ami's eyes shot open and she waited with bated breath for Hana to move again.

And then, a miracle happened.

After what had felt like an eternity, Hana's eyes opened. Ami didn't bother to stifle her sobs as Hana woke up. At first, she was disoriented and confused and she nearly tried to haul herself out of bed. She looked panicked and scared but calmed quickly, once she saw Ami.

"What…?" Hana whispered, her voice still weak. "Where am I?"

Ami placed a cool cloth on Hana's forehead and gently eased her back down onto the bed.

"It's a long story," she admitted. But she did her best to explain it as well as she could. It took a while, because Hana kept slipping in and out of consciousness, but when Ami was done, Hana mustered a smile.

"Aku won't know what hit him," she rasped.

"Yeah,"Ami said. "But you need to get better because we can't go on that vacation until you're on your feet again."

Hana's eyes fluttered shut. "Ami…"

Her voice was so faint.

"What is it?" Ami wondered.

"Losing time," Hana said, softly. "Wish we had more."

"What?" Ami asked, dumbly. "Hana…?"

But Hana had fallen silent again Ami adjusted her pillow and then took Hana's hand in hers.

"Get some rest." She whispered. "We'll talk more later."

But they didn't.

Hana remained asleep for several hours. When she regained consciousness, it was much darker. The lamps had been lit and the curtains shut and Hana was disoriented again until she saw Ami beside her.

"Ami?"

"Yes?"

Hana's mouth opened, but no words came out. It seemed her voice wasn't quite back yet. Ami did her best to give her some water, but Hana was too weak and barely managed to stomach that. She fell into a fitful sleep again and despite her fatigue, Ami never once left Hana's bedside or closed her eyes. She almost wished she did because Hana's sleep was far too restless for Ami's state. Whether she was lucid or delirious, Ami couldn't say. Hana kept mumbling her name in her sleep and Ami's grip on her hand never once loosened. But no matter how many times she whispered to Hana that she was there, that she wasn't leaving, Hana's mumblings didn't stop.

"I'm here," Ami promised, "I won't leave you.""

Hana's eyes didn't open, but she kept mumbling in her sleep. Ami wished she could do something, but she wasn't a healer and she had next to no medical knowledge. She felt utterly useless, but there was little she could do. She thought of calling for Katara or Kya but they were close to finishing the antidote, the last she'd heard. If that was true…

Ami shook her head. It had to be true. She wasn't going to lose Hana to some stupid gas because Aku had thrown a temper tantrum. They had a future planned, places to visit, things to see. She'd be damned if she let Hana get away.

But the universe must have been laughing at her.

Hana woke in the early hours of the morning, looking weaker and paler than ever. She was still burning with fever, but the dazed look she had sported earlier had momentarily disappeared. The minute Ami noticed her, she began fussing over her, adjusting her pillow, rearranging her covers, and trying to get her to take some food and water. Hana wanted to tell her to stop, that it was no use, but she couldn't muster the strength to do so. Her breathing was slow and ragged, as if every breath hurt. Ami pretended not to notice that. But as the minutes slipped away, it became more and more obvious Hana's condition wasn't improving. Ami tried not to dwell on that. She kept talking to fill the silence, but it wasn't enough.

"Ami?"

Ami stopped, mid-sentence. "Yes? What is it?"

Hana closed her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what? This is all my fault. I shouldn't have let Aku send you into the Bureau alone. I should have gone with you."

"Not your fault," Hana promised. Her breathing was becoming slower and some part of Ami registered that, but the rest of her was too scared, too frozen in fear, to do much of anything.

"I'm sorry we ran out of time," Hana whispered.

"Don't talk like that," Ami admonished, brushing aside a few strands of Hana's hair. "You'll get better. You'll see."

It was a lie, but Ami refused to believe otherwise.

"Ami?"

"Yes?"

Hana's eyes remained closed, but she managed the smallest of smiles. "I love you."

There were tears pooling in her eyes, but Ami ignored them. She pressed a kiss to Hana's forehead. "I love you too."

"Always." Hana breathed.

"Always," Ami affirmed.

This time, Hana did open her eyes. Ami did her best to prevent her tears from falling. Hana just squeezed her hand.

"Always," Hana repeated. Her eyes closed and her breathing slowed.

And Ami's future shattered.

Aku strapped the helmet on, despite his reservations about how its spirit energy might affect him. He'd anticipated a surge of power, but he felt no difference as he buckled it in place.

"Probably requires all the pieces," he thought to himself as he walked through another murky swamp in the spirit world, hoping to find the rest of the pieces as quickly as possible.

He'd been through a lot of weird places in the Spirit Word over the last couple of days, or so it seemed since time had no meaning here in the Spirit World. He wondered, vaguely, if Min would be surprised at all to see how much he'd accomplished and even be proud of him. He cast that thought away immediately. Getting to the relics was more important.

Suddenly, the greaves vibrated dangerously. Somewhere nearby, an object shone brilliantly, and Aku ran towards it. But just as he was about to reach it, the swamp pulled him in and almost drowned him, trapping him in strange, slimy vines.

Taking a deep breath, Aku clenched his fists, bending the water inside the vines and helped himself out of the quicksand with great difficulty. He scrambled away from the quicksand, almost knocking the bracers the greaves had just led to in the process.

Putting the greaves on, he picked the bracers up and examined them. While they didn't have hidden blades, he had no doubt that when he wielded them with the rest of the armor, they'd be more powerful than any weapon he'd encountered.

Without much thought, Aku tried them on. They seemed to fit well enough, so Aku left them on. As it was, the rucksack with the other pieces was becoming rather heavy. No sense in adding to the burden.

Aku was just about to set off when a thought struck him. Supposing the armor didn't fit him? Jian was like a woman, after all. Perhaps the armor was too small for a man of his build. And if it was, would he be able to use it? Panic seized him. He'd dedicated his life to the Order and he'd given so much to make this plan work, To think a fitting might be all that stopped him…

Aku ripped open the rucksack and emptied out the contents. The helmet fit fine, but he had to know for sure. He donned the spaulders and the gauntlets and only when they fit, did he breathe a sigh of relief. But it was short lived. As soon as he took a step, the armor reacted. The helmet tightened around his head and the spaulders constricted. The gauntlet dug into his hands and Aku fought to pull them off.

But it was no use. The more he tried, the more painful it was. The greaves cut into his flesh and Aku fought down a scream. This was not part of the plan.

The worst part about all this was, there was no one to help him. If Shen were here…

If Aku wasn't in so much pain, he'd have laughed. If Shen were here, this probably wouldn't have happened.

But Shen was not with him and Aku had no one to help him. So he fought and kicked and did his best to remove the armor. But the more he struggled the harder it became.

And the clock continued ticking.

Asami had just arrived at Air Temple Island when she heard the news. Katara and Kya had completed the first batch of the antidote and all that remained was to test whether or not it worked. Asami had spent the better part of the day figuring out how to mass produce the serum and how to distribute it. There was no guarantee this would work, as both waterbenders had pointed out, but Asami wanted to be prepared. Assuming this antidote worked, she wanted to be able to have Future Industries make enough as soon as possible. She had been working tirelessly to ensure that the antidote could be mass produced, but she was just a few hours too late.

Kya was the one who greeted her at the docks. She broke the news gently, even though Asami wasn't all that close with Ami and Hana. But there was no easy way to say it, Asami supposed. For all their hard work, they hadn't made a difference. Hana hadn't made it. Ami, naturally, had been inconsolable. She'd tried her best to revive Hana, but to no avail. When Kya and Katara had arrived a mere half hour later, they'd tried as well. But it was no use.

"You knew, didn't you?" Asami wondered, as they walked up to the main house.

"That Hana wouldn't make it?" Kya asked. "I guessed as much. The things she was exposed to…" She frowned. "Aku must be insane to expose anyone to that. But we had to try to heal her. She had no one other than Ami. And if we didn't, who would? The hospitals would have never even seen anything like this before."

"Why didn't you just tell Ami?"

"Honestly? If it was up to me, I probably would have. Just so she could be prepared. But it's not as easy as that. Ami seemed more optimistic after we brought them back. Telling her that Hana wouldn't make it wouldn't have helped."

Asami nodded. Still, it wasn't pleasant to think their efforts had been in vain. There were still others to save, but Asami hadn't known them the way she'd known Hana and Ami. She'd spent some time with Ami and they'd talked for a bit now and again when Asami was by.

"It was still nice of you to try when her chances were so slim," Asami said. "You always told her Hana could recover. I think it meant a lot."

Kya shrugged. "Perhaps. That was more my mother's doing than mine though. I don't know that I'd have told Ami the truth outright, but I don't think telling her would have been the best thing for her. She needed something and as trite as it sounds, hope can be a very powerful thing."

Asami nodded. There was truth to that, she supposed.

"Any news on Senna on Mako?" She asked, hoping for something less morbid than the subject they'd just been on.

Kya shrugged. "They've been given the antidote, but other than that, not much yet. We'll wait a few more hours and see."

Asami nodded. She hoped it worked. After everything that happened, she didn't want to lose Mako or Senna.

"Until we have more news, I'm afraid there won't be much for you to do," Kya said. "There's little point in getting this serum mass produced if it doesn't work."

"That's okay," Asami said. "I can wait. I'll visit Ami in the meantime. I'm sure she could use the company, if nothing else."

Kya gave a sad sort of smile. "Whether or not she wants it, I think she'll need it."

That was how Asami found herself in Ami's room, listening to her talk about was clear to see she was distraught but focusing on their happier memories seemed to help. And even if Ami didn't say it outright, she appreciated the company. She didn't want to be alone with her thoughts, but she was far too nervous to ask anyone to keep her company. She'd only been on Air Temple Island because Hana had been. She'd assumed now that Hana was gone,and now that all her secrets had been divulged, her stay had also ended. But the minute she'd started packing her meager belongings, Katara had found her and had forced her to unpack.

"You can stay," she explained, gently. "For as long as you like."

"I couldn't impose," Ami said. "And now that Hana's gone…"

"Under doctor's orders, then," Katara said, giving her no chance to argue.

So that was how Ami found herself still in the guest quarters, trading stories with Asami well into the early hours of the morning. She only fell asleep after the sun had pushed past the horizon. And it was only then that Katara found them.

"Everything alright?" Asami asked, nervously. She'd spent several hours with Ami so if there was any news, she'd yet to hear it.

Katara gave a sad smile. "I didn't want to tell you while Ami was still up. It didn't seem fair."

"What didn't?"

"It appears," said Katara. "The antidote works. Mako and Senna are awake."