Kuvira looked to the sky. The darkened dust cloud from the crumbled walls of Ba Sing Se continued to billow higher, blotting out the sun. Dark shadows spilled across the city. Citizens ran to and fro throughout the streets, some pointing up at the sky, others yelling for their friends or families to follow them, and others in a panic. The Middle Ring hadn't been hit too hard yet from the look of things, but sooner or later the rioting, the looting, the escaped criminals—all that chaos would find its way here.

"Over here," Yula said, leading her around the corner of the next street. "We're almost at my mother's apartment."

Kuvira hurried behind her, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings. "Have you thought about what you're going to do when you get there?"

Yula glanced over her shoulder. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, with what's happening to Ba Sing Se now, the city won't be safe. When you get to your family, how do you plan to protect them when things turn to chaos?"

"I—I don't know," she said, with a small shrug. Her gaze fell to the street, a sudden concern lingering in her eyes. "We'll figure something out, I guess. We survived last time."

"I only ask because there is an option," Kuvira said. "That is, if you want."

"What kind of option?"

Kuvira came to a stop, allowing a crowd of citizens to run by them. Yula turned to her, tilting her head quizzically as she awaited the answer. "Well, you could come with me. On the airship, I mean. With my team. There's plenty of room for you and the rest of your family, and it would be safer than staying here. At least until things settle down again."

Yula's brow lifted. "Wait, you're serious?"

"Of course. Your family needs to be safe, and we have the means. Plus, I wouldn't have to leave you behind, so we could see more of each other, and..." She exhaled a deep breath, pinching her nose between her thumb and forefinger. Listen to her, about to ramble like some kind of lovesick teenager. Way to make things awkward. "I'm sorry, it was a stupid suggestion. Forget it."

"No! I mean, yes, I'd love to go with you!" Yula reached out to hold Kuvira's hands, a delighted smile curling across her face. "Getting out of Ba Sing Se right now is probably for the best, especially if it means that my family can be safe. If it means getting to spend more time with you, well..." A light blush bloomed on her cheeks. "It sounds wonderful."

Kuvira returned a smile of her own, and leaned in to give the younger woman a brief kiss. "Perfect, then."

Yula giggled. "Yes, perfect. Now come on, we're almost there." She tightened her hold on Kuvira's hand and hurried along down the street.

Pandemonium greeted them when they rounded to corner to the next street. A crowd had gathered, pointing and yelling at something in the distance. Kuvira craned her neck, trying to get a good view through the throng of people. No good. Too many to see what they were looking at. Yula led the way, turning her shoulder in attempts to weave through the crowd. She uttered a few quiet apologizes as she struggled to push several people aside. The crowd only grew more dense, forcing her backwards. She tried again, but only managed to get herself caught between several onlookers before stumbling and nearly falling.

Kuvira stomped a foot on the ground and lifted her hands, causing a rift in the earth to split outward through the crowd. The earth rose upwards and pushed out to either side, forcing the crowd to part. Yula muttered a soft thank you, and hurried through the newly created path. Several onlookers glared at Kuvira and shouted their displeasure over being forcibly moved, but she ignored them. No time to deal with them right now.

Kuvira kept her eyes forward, but several horrified conversations from the surrounding crowd caught her ear.

"Ever seen anything like it?" one man asked.

"No, I can't believe it," a woman replied.

"The whole building went up in seconds!" another stated.

"Those flames weren't natural, I'm telling you. Did you feel how hot they were?"

"I know, and the color. I barely got out in time!"

"Did everyone make it out okay?"

"I don't know, but I knew people who lived there."

"How awful."

Kuvira's gaze shifted towards the crowd with a cautious glare. There'd been a fire? That couldn't be right. There was clearly no fire right now, not even any smoke in the air. Only the continually growing dust cloud. Not to mention, if there had been a fire in one of the buildings, why wouldn't it have spread to the others next to it? Homes were packed together so tightly here that a fire in one would undoubtedly leap the the next with little trouble. What kind of fire incinerated an entire building, but didn't spread?

A horrified shriek yanked her out of her thoughts. "No!"

Kuvira snapped her gaze straight ahead. Yula had stopped in front of the crowd, her hands held over her mouth with a shock of pure terror and grief searing into her eyes. She stared straight ahead, gaze locked on the ashes of what had once been an apartment building. At least, Kuvira assumed it had been an apartment building, judging from the others standing on either side of it. Only blackened ashes and charred rubble remained. Kuvira's stomach bottomed out, a sinking stone falling into her core. Oh, spirits no...

"Yula? What's wrong?" Deep down, she already knew the answer. Compulsion drove her to ask. She needed the confirmation.

"My family's apartment building..." Yula uttered a shrill squeak of grief and took a step forward. "This is where—it was right here. Where is it? What happened? I don't understand!"

Kuvira focused on the smoldering ashes. The sinking stone in her gut crashed, rippling waves of dread through her. "I—I don't know."

A man wearing singed clothing approached them from the crowd. "It was a fire. Never seen anything like it, I tell you. Everything was fine one minute, then the next the entire building was up in flames. I was on the ground floor, so I was lucky, but I don't know about everyone else. The whole thing burned down in just a couple minutes."

Yula said nothing. She stared at the remains of the building, her eyes blank and unblinking.

"If you ask me, it was one of those no good firebending hoodlums that did this," said a nearby woman. "Those types are always causing trouble, and when I got here I swear I saw a girl wearing Fire Nation clothes fleeing the scene." She turned to the man, a hateful spark in her eyes. "And you saw the way the flames moved, didn't you? Wasn't natural. Like someone was controlling them, I tell you!"

Knots twisted through Kuvira's chest at the suggestion. A girl dressed in Fire Nation attire. A firebender fleeing the scene of a mysteriously burned building. No. No, it couldn't be. She stepped next to Yula with a tremble in her voice. "Maybe... maybe they weren't home. Maybe they're okay."

Yula ran towards the scene. A veritable sea of ash and charred wood lay before her, littered with melted tile, shattered glass, and crumbled concrete. She slowed in front of the rubble. She stared, her eyes blank, as though expecting the scene to disappear, a simple illusion or bad dream she might wake from. Nothing changed. She took a shaky step forward, a choked sob bubbling into the core of her throat. Light flickered off something shiny in the debris, catching her attention. She stumbled towards it. Kuvira followed, hurrying next to her.

A small object lay atop the rubble, pinned against a loose floorboard. It was shiny, reflecting a glint of light that pierced through the parting dust cloud above. Completely untouched, compared to the catastrophe surrounding them, as though it had been deliberately left behind for someone to find. Yula crept forward and knelt down to pluck the item free of the charred wood. The moment it came into her grasp, her knees shuddered and nearly gave out. She fell forward, catching herself with one hand. Her other hand came up to clasp over her mouth, catching the anguished sob that squealed out her throat. The sobbing turned to shrieking wails, soon accompanied by a flood of tears raining down her cheeks. The tears dripped freely into the ashes below, tiny hisses of steam bursting from each drop impacting the still-warm debris.

Kuvira's stomach churned at the sound of Yula's cries, so fierce she held a hand to her abdomen to keep the nausea down. For all the good it did. The sound of Yula's grieving shrieks drove a knife through her heart, a knife that pierced deeper with each new pained wail. Stepping closer, she knelt at the younger woman's side. Her gaze fell to the ground, locking onto the small object that had incited this outburst of sorrow. When she recognized it, her chest knotted tighter. Not with pain, not with grief. Anger.

The object was a hairpin, fashioned in the style of a coiling flame. Traditional Fire Nation style. Understanding blasted through her with a force of a punch driving into her stomach. This pin had been left here intentionally. Some kind of sick calling card to let them know exactly who had done this. No doubt now. No doubt who had burned this building down, no doubt who had been trapped inside. No doubt who wanted Yula to hurt.

Kuvira held the pin in her palm. Fury scorched through her muscles, burning its way into her throat with a dry growl of hate. The metal pin levitated into the air above her palm, and with a simple clench of her fingers it twisted into an unrecognizable mass. "Aoi..."

Her anger vanished, expelled from her body with the feel of arms wrapping tight around her. Yula buried her face against Kuvira's shoulder, weeping with uncontrolled fervor that broke with stuttering coughs and hiccups. Kuvira hugged the woman in return, a hand pressed lightly to the back of her head.

"I'm here," Kuvira whispered, stroking her fingers gently through Yula's hair. "And I'm not letting you go, I promise."

Yuruk sat straight when the door opened. He grinned, expecting to see his dear cousin Annie come back for another round. When he saw the woman walking into the room, his grin faded. So, not his cousin at all. Just the Avatar. That blind old earthbender Toph Beifong shuffled into the room behind her. No surprise there, considering her ability as a truth seer. Avatar Korra, though—now that was unexpected.

"So, you're Yuruk," Korra said, pulling up a seat in front of him.

"Ah, the Avatar graces me with her presence." Yuruk chuckled, and yanked at the chains binding him to his chair. They didn't budge, same as always. "Seems a bit like overkill, if you ask me."

"I've heard a lot about you from your cousin." The Avatar frowned, narrowing her gaze. "I'll be honest, you sound like a pretty despicable person."

"Ha, has Annie been buttering me up?" He glanced towards the door. "What's the matter, he didn't want another shot at me?"

Korra leaned against the back of her seat and crossed one leg over the other. "Just me this time. Thought Anraq could use a break."

Yuruk let out a grating chortle, spreading a grin across his face. "Not surprising, really. He never did have a very strong resolve."

"You and he don't get along very well, do you?"

"Oh, real astute there, Avatar. You figure that one out all on your own, or did your past lives help you?"

Korra shrugged, offering a matter-of-fact expression of indifference. "Actually, I can't contact my past lives anymore. Long story."

"Oh, well, guess you did figure it out on your own," Yuruk muttered. "Congratulations."

"I'm going to tell you something, Yuruk, and I want you listen closely because I'm not going to repeat it," Korra said, resting her elbows on her knees with her hands pressed together. "I'm going to give you one chance to answer my questions. That's it. If you refuse, I'm going to get rid of you for good."

Yuruk scoffed. "Right, because I totally believe you're going to kill me in cold blood. You're the good guy, the morally superior one, remember? You don't do that."

"You misunderstand me," she replied, with a shake of her head. "When I say get rid of you, I mean throw you in prison."

"Ha! Prison, right." Yuruk smirked, glaring the Avatar squarely in the eyes. "I'm not afraid of prison. There isn't one that exists that can hold me for long."

Toph huffed, shifting her lips into a frown. "Well, he's not lying, which means he at least believes he can escape from any prison."

"Not the one I have in mind." Korra's gaze sharpened. "This prison isn't in the physical world."

Yuruk furrowed his brow. "What are you talking about?"

"Ever heard about the Fog of Lost Souls?"

"Nope. That supposed to mean something to me?"

A threatening smirk curled its way onto Korra's lips. "Let me enlighten you, then. The Fog of Lost Souls is a spirit prison for humans, located in the Spirit World. Doesn't look like much, just a bunch of fog in a canyon, but the fog itself is actually a spirit. Anyone who enters, the fog invades their mind and pulls out their deepest fears and insecurities. Stay in it long enough and you eventually go insane."

Yuruk paused, glaring intently at the Avatar. Spirits? Fog? What kind of game was she playing at? "Sounds like a bunch of bisoncrap to me."

"Oh it's real, and if you don't tell us what we want to know, then that's where you get to spend the rest eternity: wandering the fog, suffering from your worst fears."

"You're bluffing," he said, with an awkward shift in his chained seat. "Besides, I'm not afraid of anything, so your little spirit fog magic shit won't work on me anyway."

Toph grinned. "Oh, he's lying."

"If you think I'm bluffing, go ahead and try me," Korra said, leaning closer to him. Her smirk widened, as she stared dead in his eyes. "I wonder what the big bad waterbender Yuruk is afraid of?"

Yuruk swallowed. His brow twitched, gaze slipping back and forth between Korra and Toph. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. Those damn grins of theirs, mocking him, daring him to defy them. No sense in pushing his luck when he didn't have to. He let his gaze fall to the floor, frowning. "Fuck, I'm not messing with magical spirit fog crap. So fine, I'll answer your questions." His gaze snapped up again. "But I'm only talking to Annie."

Korra closed the door behind herself and chuckled. "Well, that worked better than I thought."

"You see," Toph said, smacking her fist into her palm. "Just have to be tough with them sometimes. A little threat goes a long way!"

Korra raised an eyebrow at her, as they made their way down the corridor. "Your original idea was to tie him up on the viewing deck and pelt him with rocks."

"Well, yes, and that could have worked, too," she replied, with a shrug. "But I'm glad we went with your spirit prison thing."

"Still, he's only going to answer our questions if Anraq asks them. You mind getting him, telling him what's going on? I think he's down in his cabin."

Toph scoffed. "Oh sure, send the hobbled old woman shambling through the bowels of a cramped airship."

Korra frowned. "His cabin is literally thirty feet down the corridor and around the corner. And there's almost enough room down here to hold a pro-bending match."

"I know that. I was just testing you." Toph waved her off, and headed down the corridor. "I'll get him, don't worry."

Kuvira marched up the gangway into the airship. Yula was quiet in her arms, huddled close to her chest. The younger woman had ceased crying some time ago, no more tears left to shed. Still, she sobbed gently, her voice quivering with nothing but a pale whisper. Kuvira brushed back her hair and kissed the top of her head. A feeble attempt at offering some form of comfort, but what else could she do? Poor Yula hadn't said a single word since they'd left the scene. She'd only cried, lost to her grief and her pain. The same kind of pain Kuvira knew all too well.

Lin and Kya waited at the central table in the atrium. They turned to her, their conversation ceasing when they noticed Yula. Kya started to make her way forward, but Lin reached out to stop her. Kuvira's quiet stare said enough: now wasn't the time. Lin and Kya remained there in silence, watching as Kuvira carried Yula down into the lower deck.

The atrium disappeared behind them, as Kuvira marched on through the long corridor below, making her way to her cabin. She kicked the door shut behind her, and gently set Yula down on the bed. Yula snatched the pillow and curled up with it, face pressed against the fabric with continued sobs.

"Yula," Kuvira said, rubbing a hand along the younger woman's back, "I'll be right back, okay? You rest here a while."

Yula lifted her head from the pillow, her eyebrows lifting with panic. "No, please! Don't go. I... I need someone. I need you. Please."

"I'll only be gone a few minutes," she assured, with a soft kiss to Yula's forehead. "I have to tell the others what happened. After that, I'll come back, and I promise I'll stay with you as long as you need me. Is that alright?"

Yula sniffled, wiping her hands against her eyes. "Alright. Please come back soon."

"I will." Kuvira leaned in and gave another kiss. "I promise."

Kuvira didn't make it thirty feet down the corridor before Korra found her. The Avatar hurried towards her, eyes flaring with concern. "Hey, what's going on? Lin and Kya said they you were carrying Yula inside. Is everything alright?"

"No," she replied, with a shake of her head. "Yula was concerned about her family after everything that happened, so we went to go check on them together, but when we got there..." Kuvira hung her head. "The entire building had already burned down."

Korra's brow lifted, a gasp surging from her throat. "No... You're sure her family was caught inside?"

"Yeah, we're sure. Because of this." Kuvira raised a hand and floated the mangled hairpin into the air. With a simple spread of her fingers, the pin straightened into perfect shape, good as new.

"A hairpin?" Korra said, squinting with puzzlement.

"A Fire Nation hairpin," she explained. "Same one worn by Aoi, that Red Lotus girl. It wasn't some random item caught in the fire, Korra. She left it there for us to find."

"So, Aoi burned the building then," Korra uttered, recognition lifting in her tone. Her hands slowly clenched into fists at her side. "And killed Yula's family."

"Yes, and all because Yula took her by surprise a couple times." Kuvira tightened her jaw and looked away, fighting to keep down the rage burning in her chest. "How spiteful and vindictive do you have to be?"

Korra swallowed. "These people have to be stopped. Zaheer, the Red Lotus, Aoi—all of them. We failed in Ba Sing Se. We can't afford to fail again."

"Do we have a plan? Has Yuruk spilled anything yet?"

"Hopefully soon," Korra replied. "I had a crack at interrogating him earlier and got him to agree to answer our questions, but he'll only talk to Anraq. He and Toph are with him now. I'll let you know how that goes."

She nodded. "Right. Oh, and one other thing. Is it alright if Yula comes with us? I already invited her beforehand. She was going to leave with her family to keep them safe from everything happening here., but now, well, there's nothing left for her in Ba Sing Se."

Korra smiled, and raised a hand to Kuvira's shoulder. "Of course. She's welcome to come with us, and if she needs anything else, just ask."

"Thank you," Kuvira said, with a gentle breath. "I should be getting back to Yula now. She needs me."

"I understand. I'll come find you if anything important happens. In the meantime, you just be there for her."

Anraq tapped his fingers against his elbow. The heel of his foot jumped up and down, up and down. Incessant, nervous, impatient. He stared forward, eyes locked on his cousin. Even in the hours since he had last confronted Yuruk, his anger hadn't subsided. He fought with every ounce of willpower still left in his body to keep himself tempered, to keep that fury buried long enough to get through this. Oh, spirits help him.

"Just answer the questions," he said, forcing out a steady exhale.

"Oh, straight to business, huh?" Yuruk laughed. "What, don't want to catch up at all? Come on, how's things? I mean, aside from this whole failed mission of yours to stop us. Got a new girlfriend? Seen any good movers lately? Give me something, here."

Anraq glared. "Answer the questions, or we're done here. I won't hesitate to walk out of this room and have Korra drag your sorry ass to the Spirit World, where we'll never have to hear from you again."

"Bah, you never were any fun," he muttered. "Fine, ask away."

"What is the Red Lotus planning next?"

Yuruk shrugged. "I don't know."

Anraq shot halfway out of his seat. "Damn it, Yuruk, I said—!"

"Calm down, kid." Toph reached out and grabbed at his shoulder, easing him back. "He's telling the truth."

"Yeah, listen to the old woman," Yuruk said, with a mocking grin. "See, Zaheer was pretty big on keeping his next move secret. Probably for instances like this, I imagine. He wasn't going to tell us where we were going next until we left Ba Sing Se."

"Fine." Anraq sat down again. "Then where are you keeping the Beifongs? You must know that."

His cousin huffed out a grunt. "Yeah, I know that."

"And?"

"Red Lotus hideout, hundred miles south of the Si Wong Desert, near the southern coast."

"I'm going to need more specific directions than that."

Yuruk shrugged again. "Yeah, and I'll give them to you when we get there. It's not like I can draw you a map." He pulled at his chains again, barely budging his arms away from the side of his body. "You know, since you won't free my hands and all."

Anraq exhaled deep, closing his eyes. His rage simmered, bubbling below the surface. He fought it away. If nothing else, this was more information than they'd had five minutes ago. They had a destination now, a goal. Still, he had to be sure. He sent a questioning look towards Toph. The old earthbender simply nodded, confirming that Yuruk was telling the truth.

"Alright," he said, standing out of his seat. "Guess we should tell the others we have a lead, then. In the meantime, Yuruk, sit tight."

"Oh, I'll be here. Waiting." Yuruk grinned. "Come back and visit again soon, Annie."