This is an idea that I have been entertaining recently. I know that stories with a similar premise have been written so I will try to keep this as original as I can. No plagiarism intended. I do not own either Legend of Korra or Harry Potter. They belong to Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and J.K. Rowling.

Also a little warning: this chapter does contain references and depictions of abduction, drugs, child abuse, and sexual abuse.

-Line Break-

"Absolutely not!" Tenzin said, his eyes furrowing in affronted disbelief. "Korra, you can't be serious about this plan!"

"Tenzin-" Korra said just as she felt a powerful hand wrap around her neck. A split second later she felt her right arm twisted around her back and thrust into her spine, throwing off her stance and making escape impossible.

"Listen Tenzin, if you want her alive, you'll release us this minute." Mako declared, eyes locked on the Airbending master. "Try anything and I'll burn her neck to a crisp."

"No need for that." Tenzin said. "Lin, unlock their cell."

Frowning furiously, Lin obliged, moving slowly and exaggeratedly to ensure Mako could see her every move. As she locked the cell door, Mako pushed forward, using Korra as a shield as Bolin walked out, his arms raised and ready to fight. Passing the door, Bolin grabbed Korra, allowing Mako to extricate himself from the bars and keeping her between themselves and the police.

"All right, we're going." Mako said, as he and Bolin, still holding Korra as their shield, backed slowly toward the front door, with Lin and Tenzin following them.

Nearing the entrance, some of the officers tried to intervene, but Lin furiously snapped at them to stand down. As they crossed the threshold, Bolin whispered to Korra "Try the noodles at Lo Rong. Lemur Hour Special."

"Thank you for your cooperation." Mako declared, checking the street outside. "We'll be seeing you later. Now Bolin!"

Hearing Mako yell, Bolin pushed Korra into Tenzin and Lin and slammed the door shut. Mako grabbed the door handle and, producing fire in his hands, heated them while Bolin threw up some earth barricades to discourage people from intervening. With their task at hand, the men ran down the street toward the alley, police sirens screaming from behind.

-Line Break-

Inside the truck, Ryuukhan was drenched in sweat and his legs were aching from constantly standing. Not to mention his stomach was burning from lack of food, and the smell of the packed meat was driving him crazy, his mouth dripping with saliva.

Then he remembered where the meat had come from, killing his appetite.

Just then the truck came to a halt, making him stumble into the stack hiding him. Listening hard, he heard the engine shut down and felt vibrations through the walls from the front. Realizing they had arrived at their destination, Ryuukhan tensed as the back doors opened, bringing a gust of fresh air into the truck and the faint voices of the men outside.

Steeling himself, Ryuukhan listened, and waited, gripping his stolen knife tightly in his hand.

Slowly he heard the handle turn and the door opened, bringing fresh air rushing into the back of the truck. Faintly he overheard the conversation of the workers outside.

"About time it arrived." one of them, a man by the sound, said gruffly. "By the spirits those blokes are getting slower with their deliveries."

"Well what can you do?" a second, lighter voice asked. "Remember the last vendor who tried going out of their network? Now let's get to work."

Soon after he heard the boxes being moved, allowing sunlight to illuminate the truck. Peering outward, he made out the workers, and started planning his next move.

'Should I try rushing out and making a getaway?' he pondered just as his legs started cramping again. 'Not with these legs! Gotta get some blood in there.'

Leaning down, he rubbed his thighs and performed some quick pulse squats, relieving the ache somewhat. After the third set, he began some calf raises just as he heard a third voice.

"Have you heard?" the voice asked, stopping the first two. "Apparently Tiger-Ox 0114 and Hog-Monkey 1339 are reporting a break-in at the slaughterhouse. Some kid broke into the cooler and so all meat delivered from there is suspect of contamination. The break-in occurred close to when the delivery trucks were sent so we're to inspect all trucks coming in."

"Really?" the first one asked. "Can't be helped I guess. You get inside and inspect the meat. We'll keep an eye out while we work."

'Great.' Ryuukhan thought. 'Now they suspect I'm around, and that I'm a thief or something. And who's that third guy?'

Bringing his attention back to the workers, he noticed that they unloaded the truck together, bringing out two stacks of boxes at a time into the back of a shop. He also noted that they rotated toward each other as they turned back to the shop, meaning there was not enough room to sneak in-between them.

'And we're running out of boxes.' he realized, seeing the growing space in the truck. 'So speed or stealth?'

Looking back to the workers he saw a gap under the boxes, one that was large enough to get through but could leave him exposed if he didn't do it right.

'Nothing for it I guess.' he sighed mentally, and squatted down, waiting for his chance.

As the workers began unloading the last of the stacks, he inched his way toward the middle, edging the stacks forward and making sure to keep himself out of view. As the last two stacks were lifted, he crouched down to the floor, his legs pressed against the wall. Kicking outward he slid out under the gap and landed on the stacks outside, knocking them over and leaving him sprawling on top of them.

"Hey what are you doing?!" he heard someone yell. Kicking himself up he saw someone, a man with dark eyes and slick-back hair exit the shop, eyes wide and jaw tense.

"Looking for someone." he replied automatically.

"Looking for someone, or someTHING?" the man pressed. "Are you the thief that Tiger-Ox and Hog-Monkey are looking for?"

"SomeONE." Ryuukhan emphasized. "I'm looking for Big Brother Tl'aka."

"Big Brother Tl'aka?" the man asked, his eyes furrowing in confusion. "Who's Big Brother Tl'aka?"

"Um...he walks like this." Ryuukhan said, and he started limping. "He has one leg longer than the other, so he seems to go up and down as he walks. You see?"

As he limped around the truck, he looked back to the man, who simply stood there perplexed, before running off as fast as he could down the back alley to the street. Hearing the man yell out after him, he turned sharply and saw a chain-link fence blocking his way. Jumping as high as he could he grabbed the fence and climbed, jumping over the top just as he saw the workers rush down the alley.

Not missing a beat, he started running down the alley toward the street bustling with street cars and an occasional Satomobile, leaving his pursuers behind.

'Where do we go from here?' he thought as he looked around before running off down the sidewalk. 'Let's put some distance between us first. Then we can figure out where to go.'

-Line Break-

"Korra, you care to explain to me what THAT was about?" Tenzin asked, his eyebrow twitching in irritation. "I know we...discussed it but neither I nor Lin agreed to it!"

"I'm sorry Tenzin." Korra replied. "But they're still our best chance for finding my brother. If it'll make you feel better, I'll leave for the South Pole the INSTANT we find him."

"I'D feel better if you spent some time behind bars for this insane stupidity!" Lin snapped back, furious at the brothers' escape. "I understand how you feel, but making a deal with criminals is a VERY foolish thing to do. We don't know if they are telling the truth, OR if they can deliver on their end of the bargain."

"Well I couldn't think of anything else, and I didn't hear you two coming up with better ideas." Korra snapped, locking glares with the irate police chief. "We have SOMETHING, and in my book that's FAR better than nothing."

Exhaling deeply to calm herself, Korra turned to Tenzin and said "Before they ran for it, Bolin told me to try the noodles at Lo Rong, Lemur Hour Special. I might be wrong, but it could be where and when they want to meet up later."

Turning back to Lin she continued "I say we go and at least see if they are there. If yes, they might have something for us. If not, then at least we've tried."

Sighing, Lin replied "Like you said, it's better than nothing. But we'll be conducting our own investigation, so if they fail or stand us up we'll have something more to go off of. I've already sent a team to investigate the airships, and I can spare one officer to dig into this possible lead. Officer Lee, Number 178, should do just fine."

"All right, Lin, we'll go see Officer Lee." Tenzin said as he and Korra left the main office. Walking down the hallway, they encountered a few police officers who pointed out the office they needed as they walked by. Upon reaching the door they reached to knock only to see the door swing open, revealing a young woman smiling at them. She had tanned skin, short brown hair, and a scar across her nose.

"Zhuwei," she said, bowing slightly. "I'm Officer Lee. Please come in so we can get down to business."

-Line Break-

Panting and sweating, Mako and Bolin ran down the back alleys, the police sirens fading into the background as they delved deeper and deeper into the ghettos. The clean streets gave way to narrow passages, the brick and earthen walls covered in graffiti and old posters, the stink of garbage and urine intensifying. Coming across a dilapidated apartment block, Bolin stopped to catch his breath while Mako looked up to the windows and balconies, many of which had laundry hanging on wires stretching to the opposite wall.

Scanning the stained and torn textiles, his eyes fixed on one piece in particular: a scarf dyed in blue and red with green tassels. Tracing the wire he found that it led to the third window on the fifth floor, where he saw it held a glass pane painted black but lacking any cracks or fractures.

'That's it' Mako thought, as he made his way to the door. Finding the door unlocked, he and Bolin headed for the elevator. Paying the elevator operator a small tip, he and Bolin entered and felt the car accelerate upward, throwing them off-balance for a moment. After a short moment, the car halted, making them stumble at the sharp deceleration.

"Wish they'd work on that." Bolin muttered as they exited the elevator.

"You volunteering bro?" Mako asked, his eyebrow raised in curiosity. "It's steady work from four to eleven, and you get a flat fee of 25 yuan an hour plus any tips your patrons extend. Not to mention paid breaks twice a day and you'd get to work from home."

"Nah, too boring and not enough pay." Bolin answered. "I want the chance to do something with my life, not just get through the day."

"Well we're getting the chance today." Mako replied as he mentally calculated the door they were looking for. "Now just let me do the talking, and only speak when spoken to. We're short on time and you tend to...chatter."

Bolin merely nodded as they approached the third door on the left, a scuffed-up wooden door covered in graffiti with a sliding panel near eye level. Knocking lightly, the panel slid open to reveal a pair of golden eyes staring warily outward.

"Khang zhuwei." Mako said, surprising the man behind the door, who swiftly closed the panel and slowly opened the door. The man was bald with a gaunt face, tense jaw, and a single braid extending from the back of his head, and he was wearing a plain red tunic and pants with black trim. He looked them over and beckoned them forward.

"Wuwen, the Brothers are back." he said, his voice a gruff croak, like a squirrel-frog. "Better get some tea ready."

"Thanks Khang but no thanks." Mako said as he and Bolin made their way inside. "We need information and we're short on time. Maybe next time."

"All right." the man, Khang, said as he led the brothers to the dining room. Inside they found a short table with a lady, Wuwen, dressed in humble brown and grey clothes. Her greying hair, wrinkled face, and thin hands showed a woman who had lived a long, harsh life. Yet her dark eyes shined with warmth and comfort as she smiled at the brothers, ushering them to sit on the threadbare cushions stationed around the table.

"So what can we do for you?" Khang said, his tone all-business.

"We need information on the Tong." Mako said, surprising the couple. "When we broke out of prison, we overheard the police talking about a missing person, a boy, and they think the Tong are involved. He went missing on one of their main activity hubs just yesterday, but they arrived just too late. You know what they're like, so we need to hurry."

Khang and Wuwen looked at each other and began chattering in a local Earth Kingdom dialect. While Mako was familiar with their dialect, they spoke so quickly that he could barely make out what they were saying. After about two minutes they turned to him with grim determination on their faces.

"I overheard Shady Shin discussing the Tong encroaching onto their ring business." Khang said. "Apparently they've been selling a number of "contracts" to the underground fighting rings. Mostly migrants and refugees, some of them children. Make more money that way. Most of the arenas stay far away from the Tong; they trust the Triads far more when it comes to quality fighters, and they don't want to tarnish their image further. But a few have accepted the contracts."

Pausing for a moment, he pulled out a map of the city. Flattening out the crinkled paper, he inserted a few needles at specific points, indicating where the Tong did business.

"There's one in the Tiger Ward," he said, pointing to a needle in the northern part of the city. "As well as one in the Dragon Flats and another along the Mo Ce Coast." he explained pointing to needles in the far east and west parts of the city.

"This is just rumor and hearsay, mind you." Khang continued. "Shady Shin says a lot of things but I don't necessarily believe everything he says is true. But Shady Shin has this strange habit of overly expressing his tones when he's especially upset, particularly the departing tone. And by Koh his tones were VERY clear, much more so than I've ever heard.

"In addition, I was at the Dragon Flats arena earlier this week and I saw a number of fighters with children in the prep rooms, some of them around six or seven years old." Khang added, leaning closer. "The Triads might allow teenagers, like yourselves, in the prep rooms, but never that young. And they were wearing combat gear, gear that was clearly designed for them. So they've infiltrated that one at the very least."

"And given what we know about their territory, I think it supports the rumors." Mako intervened. "The Tong have usually reserved their activity near the west coast, better to intercept the trade coming in from the Fire Nation, one of Republic City's biggest trade partners. Outside their turf they stick to being fences for stolen property and labor contracts, so they can distance themselves from their crimes and be in a position to move out if things go to Koh."

"I've also heard Shady Shin discussing a different development." Khang said, eyes furrowing in thought. "Apparently, the Triad lost out on a contract in construction near the Dragon Flats, an apartment complex with shops on the lower levels. The contract not only covered construction workers but also more...elicit trades. Potions, spirits, and exotic animals galore. Some even say it extends to more...carnal services for a...select clientele with...unique tastes."

Mako and Bolin could only grimace at those words. They knew the Tong were involved in nasty pieces of work, but even so to go that far just for money...even Lightning Bolt Zolt would balk at that. And he had hired them as thieves when they were just eight years old.

"So it seems like they're moving into the Dragon Flats at any rate." Mako said, breaking the silence. "They must have gotten some extra muscle and cash if they're getting that bold. But that still doesn't narrow it down very much."

"I'm afraid that's all I know, Mako." Khang said fretfully. "But perhaps you'll have better luck with Wachi. He runs a herb and garden shop in the Dragon Flats. Wachi Garden. Very popular, and very profitable. So if anyone knows what's up, it's him."

"Are you sure he can be trusted?" Mako asked. "If he's that established in the Dragon Flats, wouldn't the Tong have gotten their claws on his business?"

"Oh I'm sure of both, but he wants out." Khan replied. "He's tired of their image tarnishing his business, and their protection racket, and he's nauseated by their worse activities. Trust me, he'll help. Just tell him Khang would like the jasmine with ginger and you won't have any trouble."

"All right we'll look him up." Mako said as he and Bolin made to leave. Bowing slightly, he said "Thanks for your help Khang. Take care."

"No worries Mako." Khang replied. "You did me a great service once. This is just me paying you back."

"Let's go Bolin," Mako said as the brothers departed.

-Line Break-

Looking out from the roof over the skyline, Ryuukhan scanned for the statue of Avatar Aang. Ahead of him lay the residential blocks and gridded streets of Republic City heading down to the harbor at Yue Bay. Off in the horizon he could see the blue-green sea and a faint outline of land, indicating the opposite shore, but the statue was not to be seen. Squinting he tried to make it out but the sun was too bright, no matter where he stood on the roof.

'I need to get closer' he thought as he made his way to the door, just as his stomach growled loudly. 'And some food. Maybe some fish?'

But as he was contemplating fresh fish at the bay, the door slammed open and three burly men came out, stopping him in his tracks. He immediately recognized the larger man; his bald head and tattoos were all too familiar.

As the men turned to him, Ryuukhan ran from the door, the men in hot pursuit. After running a full circle, he found himself facing one of the men, a mean smirk adoring his scarred face and his arms held out wide.

Not missing a beat Ryuukhan ran faster and slid right under the man, his elbow brushing up against a rather sensitive body part, eliciting a gasp of pain from his would-be captor. With his leg burning from the slide, he darted to the door, slamming it shut and started running down the stairs as fast as he could.

Bounding down at breakneck speed, he heard the door above slam open and heavy boots pounding on the stairs behind him. Despite his head-start, he heard the boots getting closer and closer. Turning quickly, he rammed into the door leading out of the stairwell and onto the apartments. Looking around he found he was alone and ducked behind the door.

Soon after the door slammed open revealing his pursuers, who began scanning for their target. Seeing his chance, Ryuukhan snuck behind them and back onto the staircase just as the door closed behind him. With as much stealth as he could manage he began racing down the stairs, listening and catching each sound to see if his pursuers were to resume the stairway once again.

After a while his pace began to slow as fatigue and hunger overcame the adrenaline rush he felt earlier, until he was near collapsing when he got to the lobby. Staggering out the stairs he turned to the nearest chair and propped himself on it, panting like a polar-bear dog and his stomach growling like a dragon.

"Are you all right?" a voice asked, making him jump like a cave-hopper with a yell. Breathing deep he found himself looking at a young girl, probably around Korra's age. As he looked her over he froze: fair skin, raven-black hair tied in a ponytail, and light green eyes. She wore a dark-grey shirt with an upturned collar, revealing a reddish fabric coating the inner lining, with dark brown pants and black knee-high boots. The resemblance was so uncanny she could have been his sister...a thought that brought his mind to a near-halt.

Exhaling slowly he replied "Fine, I'm fine. Sorry." as he visibly relaxed and dropped his stance, encouraging her to do the same. "I was just winded from the stairs."

"That's all right." she said, smiling to put him at ease. "I was just out for a walk and I saw you stumble in, with your stomach growling. I know a great cafe to eat at. Would you care to join me?"

For a moment, Ryuukhan paused; he didn't know how to react, or whether to trust her. Then his stomach roiled in pain at the prospect of food, and remembering that he hadn't eaten in over a day, he simply nodded and said "Yes I would thank you."

Smiling, the girl replied "All right, follow me."

"One minute," Ryuukhan interjected as he pulled himself up off the chair. "I didn't get your name. I'm Ryuukhan of Tonraq."

"No worries Ryuukhan of Tonraq." she answered, still smiling. "My name is Asami Sato."

-Line Break-

"This is the place." Bolin said, looking up at the sign, the bright colors easily seen across the street. "Hopefully we get through this quickly."

"No worries bro." Mako replied, entering the door. Immediately he felt a gush of warm, humid air blast him in the face, filling him with energy, followed by a sweet floral blend of scents. Looking around he saw a number of flowers and plants sitting in earthen pots on tables all along the room. Along the walls they saw shelves with packages, likely seeds, intermixed with tall plants in giant pots. To their left was a desk with a cashier, and a sign that read "Ring gong for service".

Shrugging, Bolin marched to the cashier and lightly struck a gong that was hanging above the cashier, producing a light bong that reverberated through the shop. Almost immediately, a man emerged from under a table. He was shorter than average, only coming up to their chests, with a stocky build and thick glass lenses that seemed to magnify his eyes. These combined with two strands of hair that stuck out in front much longer than the others, a greenish-brown tunic, and the smell of fresh sawdust reminded them strongly of a wood-roach, those insects that spent all day eating dead wood.

"Zhuwei," the man said, bowing politely. "I am Wachi. What can I do for such fine gentlemen?"

"Zhuwei, Wachi." Mako replied, bowing in return. "We were hoping you might have some information about the Tong."

"The Tong?!" Wachi's eyes grew wider, if that was possible, with surprise behind his lenses and nearly fell over in shock, catching the table to steady himself. After pulling himself up, he drew in a breath and smoothed out his tunic. Exhaling slowly he replied "Never heard of them. Sorry."

Mako attempted to press further when Bolin interjected. "That's all right. We'll just head back to Khang, who likes jasmine with ginger."

Hearing those words, Wachi paused for a moment, then moved swiftly to the door, surprising them with his agility, and turned the sign in the door around. Turning to the brothers he beckoned them to a room in the back of the shop, briskly pushing past the tables and plants that were his trade. Once the brothers were inside, he locked the door and, kicking downward, pushed earth under the door to keep sound from escaping.

"So, you've met Khang have you?" Wachi said, turning to the brothers. "I heard he was in those illegal fighting rings. He's still kicking, I take it."

"Yes, he was the first one we met." Mako replied. "We're looking for a boy who's been kidnapped by them. We've heard that they're expanding into the Dragon Flats, so that's where we'll check first, and we'd appreciate your help in narrowing down the possible locations."

Nodding Wachi went over to a table and took out a sheet of paper and pen. Stooping over the table, he wrote down a series of numbers and names before handing it to the brothers.

"This is a list of all the properties the Tong has purchased over the last year and a half." he said. "You can see that it's quite extensive, so they must be getting money and muscle from somewhere. I've also added a list of people that I've seen in this area recently, which includes some of the richest and most powerful people in the city. Odd thing is that they've never been seen in this area up until a year or so ago. So something big's going down."

Leaning close, he whispered "I've also heard whispers and rumors about a new...player of sorts. No one knows his name, his face, or where he comes from, but they talk about him like he's the Avatar, only...not. Like similar in power, but off in some way. It's creepy."

"Interesting but what does this have to do with finding the Tong?" Mako asked impatiently. "We're low on time so please cut to the chase."

"This list is in order of relevance, or I assume so, based on the number of visits they've received." Wachi explained. "The main contenders are a run-down warehouse, an old factory, a dilapidated apartment block, and two old breweries. The apartment block and one of the breweries are still being renovated, but the others seem to have been finished some time ago. They've also seen an awful lot of foot traffic going in and out recently."

"The completed brewery is right on the river that separates the Mo Ce district from the Dragon Flats, and it was one of their first newest purchases." he continued. "I've also heard that Fuzhi, who sells sports equipment like pro-bending helmets, has seen a boon in business, and he's right in that area. If they are setting up an illegal fighting ring, then that's your best bet to find the boy, or someone who knows where he is. I'm afraid that's all I know."

"Thank you Wachi." Mako said, turning to leave. "We'll get right on it."

"No worries." Wachi replied as they made their way to the front door. "Tell Khang that I prefer black with cherry blossoms."

"Sure, we'll do that." Mako said, but stopped when he saw Bolin looking over a row of flowers. "Bolin, we need to go."

"I know Mako." Bolin replied as he picked out a Fire Lily, a vibrant red flower, with a white stamen and, to everyone's surprise, bright blue streaks running along the underside of the petals.

"That's a rare flower my friend," Wachi said, edging closer to Bolin. "You almost never see those, and no one knows for sure why they happen when they do. Some say it's a gift from the spirits. Others say it's a mistake, the wrong pollen getting to the wrong flower. Some even think it's a whole new flower, the Fire Lotus some call it. But try as I might, many never give it a second glance."

Hearing that, Bolin immediately picked it up and said "Well in that case, I'll take it off your hands. How much would you like for it?"

Taken aback, Wachi replied "I normally charge ten yuans per flower, twenty-one if you want the pot it's planted in."

Hearing this, Bolin's eyebrows lifted and he said "I'd like the flower alone please."

"Well then ten yuans please." Wachi replied, smiling. "I hope your lady friend will enjoy it."

"My-my la-lady friend?!" Bolin spluttered, his face turning as red as the flower as he fumbled for the yuans. "No-no it's just a gift for a friend...who's a girl."

"Young love." Wachi said, a wistful, almost melancholic look fleeting across his face.

"Pleasure doing business," he said as Bolin handed over the yuans. "Please come again."

"Yeah. Bye!" Bolin said, quickly following Mako out the door.

-Line Break-

"I'd like the noodles." Korra said to the waiter as she, Tenzin, and Lee sat at a booth. "The Lemur Hour Special if you wouldn't mind."

"Of course." the waiter replied before turning to the others.

"I'll have vegetable curry with rice." Tenzin answered.

"Sea soup for me please." Lee interjected.

"Could you make those a double order please?" Tenzin asked, drawing the waiter's eyebrows in surprise. "We're expecting company later, and we don't want to cause you too much trouble."

"Very well, sir." the waiter nodded, folding their menus under his elbow. "Your order will be out soon."

As the waiter headed for the kitchen Korra took a moment to more closely observe the restaurant. The place was dimly lit with candles and a few overhead lights, with the smoke seeming almost spectral in the ambient lighting. The shuttered windows and low-volume conversations helped reinforce the feeling of mystery and foreboding. The patrons were tightly packed around the booths and tables, leaving plenty of space for the staff to maneuver. Nearby, she saw a band of musicians in dark blue inspecting their instruments: one had a set of drums, another a zheng, two had flutes, and a fifth had an erhu. And in the background she heard a radio chattering, though what the news was she could not tell.

"I wonder if this is why the brothers wanted us here." Korra said, drawing attention. "It's so low-key and hushed, it makes you more...alert. Less willing to draw attention to yourself."

"That's certainly possible." Tenzin replied. "Though a more lively place would make it harder for you to be overheard."

"Perhaps." Korra shrugged, looking around. "It also makes it harder to spot any particular person. How will they know we're here?"

"Probably easier than you think." Lee answered. "This is a seat-yourself place, so they have the freedom to look for us. Now Tenzin and I may be in disguise,"

Pausing, Lee motioned to herself and Tenzin. She had foregone her normal police uniform in favor of dark gloves and a burgundy qipao dress, one with the skirt cut halfway up the leg, giving her greater range of motion in case of a fight. Her face was done with makeup to hide her scar, and her hair was made into loops around her ears, held by metallic rings and clips decorated with butterflies. Tenzin, in contrast, had replaced his Air Nomad robes with a black changshan with gold trim, burgundy knee-breeches, and black shoes. To hide his bald head and tattoo, he wore a dark fedora hat with gold pins around the rim, giving him the appearance of a wealthy man with his wife and daughter.

"But you're still you." Lee continued, leading Korra to examine herself. While she had replaced her fur tunic with a changshan, swapped her fur boots for leather ones, and added a little makeup, she retained much of her appearance, from her braids to her wrist braces and gloves.

Nodding in response she turned back and saw the brothers enter the restaurant, filling her with excitement. Just as she was about to wave or stand to draw their attention, they picked her out from the crowd and zeroed in on her and the others.

"Good seeing you again." Bolin said as he and his brother seated themselves. "I hope we're not terribly late."

"No, no." Korra said, shuffling deeper into the booth. "We only got here a short while earlier. I hope you don't mind but we already ordered."

"No worries." Mako said as he shifted in his seat. "Just a heads-up: the food here is...not that great. But it's filling and affordable."

"Don't listen to him." Bolin cut in. "The noodles are delicious. He just doesn't like the texture."

"Sorry to cut in-" Tenzin said just as Mako was to retort. "But we do have business to attend to. What have you found out?"

"Well turns out the Tong have been busy buying up old buildings and expanding their operations." Mako answered, pulling out the paper Wachi had given them. "Much of it is in the Dragon Flats, with some in the Triple Threat Triad's turf. There has also been an increase in frequent visitors to this area, including some of the richest people in the city. So something big is coming up, and they're gearing up for it."

"I'll have to inform Chief Beifong, but what does this have to do with Ryuukhan?" Lee asked.

"There's this old brewery on the river separating the Mo Ce district from the Dragon Flats." Mako explained. "Of their newest purchases it was the first to be renovated, and there's a sports equipment shop nearby, one that sells pro-bending gear. If Ryuukhan was taken for the rings, my bet is that this old brewery is their first new arena. So if we hit there we'll find him, or someone who knows where to look."

"It's our best lead." Tenzin said, eyes closed in thought. "Still, it's far from ideal. Did you find anything more concrete?"

"Afraid not." Bolin replied. "It's all rumors and hearsay. Normally these have some grains of truth to them, but they're told and retold so often it's hard to separate those grains from the sauce and spices they're suspended in."

Seeing everyone's raised eyebrows, Bolin chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry, haven't eaten in a while."

Just as Mako rolled his eyes the waiter arrived with their food rolled out on a cart. Gathering their utensils and bowls first, he set them out along the outer rim, dexterously alternating between napkins, bowls, and utensils. Then he placed the food upon the raised center of the table, granting everyone access to the food simply by turning the center. Completing the ensemble were the ladles he added to the food, allowing them to help themselves with little trouble.

"Enjoy." he said as he left with the cart.

Smelling the rich aromas, Bolin, Korra, and Lee began helping themselves to the food, taking a little bit of everything. Mako and Tenzin soon followed, though the Airbending Master took care to select only the vegetarian dishes, leaving the meat and eggs for his companions.

"Out of curiosity, why did you two pick this place?" Korra asked, halfway through her noodles.

"I didn't." Mako replied, surprising their guests. "Bolin did, though I'm not sure why."

"Three reasons: first, I was hungry." Bolin answered, drawing disbelieving looks from everyone. "What? I'm a growing boy. Second, it's close to where the Tong operate, so we'd be in a good place to move against them, or see Ryuukhan if he's in the area. Third, it's far from police headquarters, giving Mako and I time to gather useful intel, while also allowing for word of our breakout to spread, regaining the trust of our fellow criminals."

"That...actually makes a lot of sense." Lee admitted, her next morsel a mere inch from her mouth. "So now that we're here, how should we proceed?"

"Lin would most likely call for backup." Tenzin said, taking a moment to think things over while chewing his food. "The Tong are VERY dangerous, and we don't even know if this intel can be trusted. This could be a trap."

"I say we investigate right away." Korra cut in, her eyes full of fire and her tone hard-set. "The longer we wait the more chances we give the Tong."

"Don't be ridiculous Korra!" Tenzin replied, locking eyes with her. "There are only five of us, and who knows how many of them. They have YEARS of experience. And they're specifically trained to deal with Benders."

"But we have a few advantages they don't, Tenzin." Korra retorted. "First, they're not expecting us, so we can take them by surprise. Second, we have Naga."

"Who's Naga?" Bolin asked, breaking into the conversation. "Sorry, just curious."

"She's my best friend and a great tracker." Korra answered. "With her we can check if Ryuukhan is in there before going in, as well as get a head-count for the Tong. That should help reduce the risk to ourselves."

"And there's one last advantage we have…" she continued, smirking. "Me."

-Line Break-

"So tell me Ryuukhan," Asami said as she and Ryuukhan were finishing off their meal. "How is it that you ended up here?"

Swallowing hard, Ryuukhan replied "I was supposed to meet someone, an old friend. But I ran into some rather...bad company near Yue Bay."

Frowning slightly, she asked "You don't mean...the Tong, do you?"

"The Tong?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The Eight-Animals Tong, one of Republic City's most notorious criminal gangs." she explained before worriedly checking their surroundings. "They've been pretty active so far, especially around here. They're involved in a LOT of things: extortion, gambling, smuggling, contract slavery."

"Then we'd better get going." he said, eyes darting back and forth. "Where's the nearest police station? If not, let's head for Air Temple Island."

"Oh THERE you are." a new voice cut in, drawing their attention to a bald man with tattoos, one that Ryuukhan recognized all too well. "We've been SO worried about you. You have any idea how much trouble you caused us?"

"Clearly not enough." Ryuukhan retorted, moving forward to put Asami behind him.

"Well too bad," the man said, cracking his knuckles. "Because we're going to make you pay for that, with interest."

"We? You mean there's more than one of you in there?" Ryuukhan asked, looking him over. "Well I can imagine that you'd have some vermin. Regular washing does seem to help with that."

"Think you're funny do you?" the man retorted, turning red as a tomato-carrot. "Well too bad but your contract doesn't include services as a comedian. It says you're a fighter, with some...private services on the side."

"Ryuukhan," Asami whispered. "We're surrounded."

"Figured." he replied, looking around to find their flanks covered by at least four men each, with more behind them. Even their leader had backup, including the tall, lanky chi-blocker from earlier.

"Well how about a deal?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders and stepping forward. "You let her go, and I'll go along quietly? I'll even throw in a few jokes to keep you entertained. No fuss, no muss, and a free show. Can we shake on it?" he finished, sticking out his hand.

For a moment, everyone simply stared at this boy, incredulous at his demeanor. Nobody moved, said, or did anything other than simply stare.

Then the bald man started to chuckle, then laugh. Soon after so were the others, until the whole street rang with raucous laughter, laughter utterly lacking in warmth or joy. Cold, empty laughter echoing in the street.

"Well I tried." Ryuukhan said, before sending a fire-ball at the bald man, hitting him square in the chest and knocking him over. Following this, Ryuukhan sent a series of fire-daggers, smaller and thinner than a ball, at the man's backup, causing their shirts to ignite. As the men fell back, their shirts began to burn quite fiercely, forcing them to pat it out.

Just as they finished with the fire, Ryuukhan raced forward and punched the chi-blocker in the nose, then the jaw in quick succession, knocking him into the pavement.

But before Ryuukhan could make his escape, the bald man leaped in front of him and grabbed him by the arm. In response, Ryuukhan grabbed the man by the face and produced a small fire-ball, burning his face and eliciting a high-pitched scream. Releasing him, the man fell to his knees, clutching his face in agony.

Without missing a beat Ryuukhan turned to his left and saw the last of the back-up gangsters, a shorter, more stocky man with spiky hair like a boar-q-pine, and shot a fire-ball at him. The man simply side-stepped the ball, giving Ryuukhan some space to slip through.

Diving for the space he saw the lanky chi-blocker move to intercept him. Deftly spinning underneath his probing fingers, Ryuukhan landed a fiery upper-cut under the jaw, sending him flying back.

With the chi-blocker down he turned to the boar-q-pine lookalike and saw him quickly closing the gap. With only seconds to spare he threw out a punch, and landed a fire-ball right in the man's stomach, sending him flying backwards.

Just then he heard a yell from behind. Turning he saw Asami punch the bald man right where Ryuukhan had burned him, causing him to fall to the ground, screaming in renewed agony. The sight stunned him just long enough to see the other men reach them and grab Asami, but he sent out a fire-ball to drive them back. This gave Asami enough time to turn and high-kick one in the temple, sending him sprawling.

Darting forward, Ryuukhan joined the fray, sending fire-darts to three men on the right, igniting their clothes. Their subsequent yelps and frantic efforts to douse the flames distracted the others enough to allow Asami to take out one with a fist to the gut, and a second with a knee to the groin.

Meanwhile, Ryuukhan kicked out, sending a fire-ball straight at a man trying to grab Asami from behind, sending him flying back and skidding across the cobblestones. His leg still suspended, Ryuukhan sent out another kick, forcing the others to dodge to the side to avoid being burned.

Seeing his chance, Ryuukhan stomped the ground, adopting a horse stance, and sending a small ripple of earth toward them. The ripple was minor compared to what Korra could pull off, but it did unbalance the men when they tried to stand. Just then, two of their compatriots fell on top of them, courtesy of Asami's latest kicks.

Hearing a yell of "Let's get going!", Ryuukhan merely nodded and turned to run...only to run straight into someone with a large burn on his face...and an even larger fist aimed right at his head. All he could do was hope that it would be quick at least.

-Line Break-

"This is the place." Bolin said, peering out from behind the corner. In the shadows behind him were Korra, Naga, and the others. Korra held Naga tightly by the reins while Mako, Tenzin, and Lee stood at the ready, listening for unwelcome visitors.

"You sure?" Korra asked, leaning in to get a look for herself.

"Yep, the street signs match the calligraphy perfectly." he said, looking up at the nearby signs before taking in a deep breath. "Also, I know that smell. Plaster and fresh brick. Only when buildings are renovated or newly built. Plus there's a very faint tinge of alcohol. This is the brewery all right"

"Ok, let's get sniffing." Korra said before taking out a small piece of cloth. Turning to Naga, she whispered "Here's his scent." and held it out for her to smell.

After a few deep sniffs, Naga looked up and started smelling the air, turning toward the brewery. Walking out slowly, she turned her head left and right, trying to hone in on the scent. Meanwhile, Korra held tightly to the reins, checking that they remained in the shadows. Naga then turned her full attention to the brewery and held herself straight, her head, neck and back forming a new horizontal surface.

Seeing this, Korra smiled in excitement. 'She's got his scent!' she thought. 'Ok, now the next step.'

Turning to Naga, she whispered "How many people do you smell?"

Turning to the brewery, Naga sniffed a few times and then started tapping her paw; once with her left, then five with her right paw.

Frowning, Korra turned to the others and said "Naga smelled fifteen, one of which is Ryuukhan. So we're outnumbered nearly three to one, and they know the layout."

"But they don't know we're here." Lee said, thinking it over. "Perhaps we could lure them out a few at a time and dwindle their numbers down."

"Might work for a few minutes." Mako replied. "But they're not fools. Eventually they'd figure out something was up."

"Still, five on ten is better than five on fourteen." Bolin interjected.

"All right, Tenzin and I will play the lost lovers ploy." Lee said, a slight mischievous twinkle in her eye, while Tenzin merely rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Very well, you three get into position." he said, pointing to the intersection. "We'll lead them there and let you deal with them. But you need to be quiet."

Nodding, Korra and the brothers slipped into the shadows while Tenzin and Lee moved up to the brewery doors. Ignoring the "Closed" sign they knocked on the door. After a few moments the door creaked open, revealing a man around Tenzin's height with a scowl on his scarred face. Smiling, Lee asked "I'm sorry sir, but we've gotten a bit lost. Would you mind helping us?"

The man looked them up and down and muttered something that couldn't quite be heard, but he made his way out and followed them out to the street. As they approached the intersection, Korra moved deeper into the shadows, waiting for her chance to strike. When she saw the man's shadow cross the threshold, she grabbed him by the shoulder, spun him to face her and slammed her fist straight into his throat. Falling to the cobblestones, his hands grasping his throat, his breath coming in short and quick, Korra delivered the coup de grace by striking the back of his neck, knocking him out.

'One down.' she thought as Tenzin and Lee made their way up to the doors once more.

-Line Break-

'Oh my head!' Asami thought as a splitting pain ran through her skull. As she returned to consciousness she tried to massage her head, but her arms were pinned to each other. Looking down she found her arms were wrapped behind her back, and tightly bound with rope from the pressure bearing down on them. When she tried to stand, she found her legs were tied together at the knees and ankles, making it difficult to balance. After a few tries she managed to make it to her feet...only to collapse as a wave of nausea and vertigo overtook her.

After recovering from the sharp pain in her knees, Asami tried to get a sense of her surroundings. She was in a dimly lit room with tile floors and brick walls illuminated with electric lights along the ceiling. Looking to her left she saw a steel door with a sliding panel hanging open, exposing a flight of stairs leading up to, she presumed, the ground floor. Looking around once more she noticed that there were no windows, reinforcing her suspicions that she was in a basement or cellar.

Just then, she heard a whimper from nearby, drawing her attention toward a large metal container that almost reached the ceiling near the far corner of the room. Ignoring the mounting pain in her head, she staggered to her feet and began hopping over, all the while combating the vertigo and nausea that threatened to overwhelm her again. Once she reached the container she fell to her right, leaning against the container for support and heard a hollow thump. Feeling the cold metal, she pressed the back of her head against it and sighed as sweet relief for her headache came to her.

Just as she was beginning to relax, she heard the whimper once more, bringing her back to her surroundings. Taking a breath she whispered "Zhuwei? Is anyone there?" but all she got was a yelp of fright.

Speaking a bit more loudly she said "Don't worry. I won't hurt you. I just want to take a look at you."

Hearing no response she slid across the container and found a small girl around Ryuukhan's age. She wore a dirty brown and green tunic, similar to a kimono, but clearly too large, as her sleeves ran past her arms, and patched up in multiple places. As they locked eyes, the girl backed away as far as she could into the wall and began shivering violently, her eyes wide in fear at Asami's appearance.

Leaning against the container, Asami lowered herself to the floor, seating herself with her legs underneath her. Looking back to the girl she smiled and said "Zhuwei, I'm Asami Sato. Nice to meet you."

Taking a few breaths the girl replied "Zhuwei, I'm Xin. Nice to meet you too."

"Don't worry Xin, I won't hurt you." Asami continued, turning herself to show her tied-up arms. "If you wouldn't mind could you untie me please?"

Xin exclaimed "I, I, I can't!".Xin exclaimed, looking around frantically. "If I do, they'll...they'll…"

"They? You mean the Tong?" Asami asked, eliciting a frantic nod from Xin. "What will they do?"

"They'll...hurt me!" Xin replied, her voice breaking and tears welling up in her eyes. "Normally it's just a smack or two. Sometimes they use a rope, or a board. And sometimes it's a bamboo cane. They're careful to avoid my face...most of the time."

Asami simply scowled at the thought of such actions against a child.

"But there's this one man. Tall and thin like a bamboo stack, and pallid skin." Xin interjected, her voice cracking further and tears running down her cheeks. "He never hit or beat me. Not once. But the way he looks at me. The way he touched me. It made me feel...dirty. Like I just swam through a pool of sewer-eels. I don't know why, but it makes my skin crawl."

Catching on quickly, Asami felt the nausea well up again and fell over, banging her head against the metal container. After shaking her head, she took a few breaths and said "If you help me, I promise that those men will NEVER hurt you again."

Looking up through teary eyes, Xin asked "How? How can you help? They took you too."

Just as Asami was about to reply, they heard someone slam into the floor. Turning they saw a young boy, a boy with raven-black hair, and behind him was the lanky chi-blocker that Asami met earlier on the street.

Turning back to the boy, she saw him try to move, but he could only weakly twitch his arms and legs.

"SEE! I AM a Master!" the chi-blocker gloated. "NO ONE MAKES A FOOL OF ME!" and he kicked the boy in the ribs, clearly enjoying the moment.

"I'll be back in half an hour." he said, turning to the stairs. "Prepare yourself, if you can." and he left, laughing cold and harsh.

Hearing his laughter subside, Asami hopped over to the boy and asked "Ryuukhan? Ryuukhan is that you?!"

Weakly he answered "Yes. Asami, is that you?"

"Yes. What happened?"

"They put me in the ring, fighting this kid." Ryuukhan replied, managing to turn his head toward Asami. "The kid was even younger than me. There was no equipment. No referee. Just a metal cage, and so much noise. And the kid, there was something in his eyes. They were wide, scared, frantic. I tried talking him down, but he just attacked me. I tried all I could to parry and dodge, but he just kept it up."

Taking a breath, he tried to move his limbs, but they only twitched in response, eliciting a growl of frustration.

"Seeing he was beyond hope of talking down I started fighting back." he continued. "At first I kept it limited to his ribs and stomach, but he shrugged them off. I then tried a punch to the jaw, which left him staggered but he came at me, screaming at the top of his lungs. As I side-stepped, I caught a whiff of...something. Something that stank in his breath. I've no idea what it was, but I think it was similar to what men drink when they do stupid stuff."

"You mean he was on a drug of some kind?" Asami asked, disturbed and horrified by the implications. "There are some drugs and teas that can give you immense energy, strength, and resistance to pain. But they can have nasty effects if overused, so their uses are limited. Especially for kids."

"I guess." Ryuukhan replied, trying his limbs once more. "Anyway I realized that he was never going to stop unless I stopped him. So I started hitting back hard, taking care to hit him in the jaw and temple. I took a few hits, but his form was sloopy, easy to read. After a few grueling minutes of hitting him over and over, his eyes fell back and he toppled over like a cut bamboo stalk."

"Did he…?" Asami asked, scared of the answer.

"No he's alive." he reassured her. "But our audience was NOT happy. Their yelling turned to booing and hissing. Then as the cage was opened that chi-blocker, Hog-Monkey 1339 I think he was, grabbed me and started yelling his head off. I simply headbutted him in the nose, breaking it in the process it seemed. After that, he started blocking my chi, poking extra hard all along my limbs, just to make sure it was done right. Then I was dragged down here and you know the rest."

"Well look we're going to get you out." Asami said, turning to Xin. "It's all right Xin, he won't hurt you. You can come visit."

With great trepidation, Xin crawled over to Ryuukhan and Asami. Approaching with great caution, she whispered "Zhuwei, I'm Xin. Nice to meet you."

"Zhuwei, I'm Ryuukhan. Nice to meet you too." he answered. "Now, where do we go from here?"

"I've got a plan." Asami said. "Xin, you untie me, and I'll carry Ryuukhan out while you guide us out of here."

"Would that work?" Xin asked, terrified and yet hopeful. "What if we get caught?"

"Just focus on getting us out." Asami replied. "I'll take care of any actual combat."

For a moment, Xin hesitated. Memories of the Tong and their beatings flashing through her mind, sending shivers through her small, frail form. Every smack, every punch, every kick, every strike of their canes, belts, and ropes. And worst of all: that pale man with the slicked, greasy hair. Every time he looked at her, licking his lips, like a goblin snake spying its next meal. Every time he touched her, running his hand across her head or her shoulder, like a spider probing its prey. Just the thought of him made her shudder with revulsion.

Then she looked at Ryuukhan; paralyzed and prone on the floor, he looked so broken, like a whipped dog. Yet despite his paralysis, despite the intense battle they'd forced him into, his green eyes held an intense, burning fire. A fire that promised blazing retribution on the Tong for their acts against him.

Against her.

Against Asami.

Looking at Asami she saw an intelligent, graceful, beautiful woman. One that was hobbled by the Tong, trussed up like a hippo-cow, ready for the roasting spit. She had seen her stumble, seen her fall, seen her brought down by the ties that bound her. Yet in her eyes she saw a firm determination.

A determination to keep getting up.

To escape.

To make the Tong pay for their crimes.

Fear and hope warred within her, the conflict exemplified by the intense trembling in her body and the tears in her eyes. Fear of the Tong, and their brutal, criminal acts. Hope for a better future.

Her trembling reached a fever-pitch, like a candle in an arctic blizzard, desperately trying to keep alight in the howling, freezing wind.

Then, after a pause, Xin froze, the trembling brought to a halt.

Gritting her teeth, she looked to Asami, and nodded.

-Line Break-

"Right, the coast is clear." Lee whispered, peeking into the brewery. Behind her Mako and Bolin stood guarding her flanks, while Tenzin and Korra held up the rear. "Those five we took down must have been the night guard. Now's our best chance."

"Onward." Tenzin said as the party entered the building. The old brewery had definitely undergone renovation. Unlike the neighboring buildings, this one had all new tile floors, smooth as fresh arctic ice. The walls, which had tables running along them around the room, had all new beams and pillars, smelling poignantly of freshly-cut wood and stainless steel.

Throughout the room there were rows and rows of chairs, but no tables. All of the chairs had a clear view of the main attraction in the center: a cage. Vertical metal bars surrounded a raised platform about ten feet by ten feet wide, and there was only one door granting passage inside.

'That must be where the fights take place.' Korra thought, scrutinizing the cage. 'But that roof is so low. There's no way an adult could fit in. But a kid could...'

"Korra, focus." Tenzin said, snapping her from her thoughts. "We will punish the Tong in due time. But right now your brother comes first."

Grimmly, she nodded in response and, carefully balancing speed and stealth, made her way to the far side of the room. Moving around the cage, she scanned the far side that it had obstructed earlier, and found a door leading deeper into the building. Checking for guards, she crossed over and opened the door. Inside was a hallway leading in three directions, one to her right, one to her left, and the other up a flight of stairs.

Heading back towards the cage, she said "There are three passages out of here, but no indication of where to go. No signs. No maps. Nothing."

"Korra, you and Bolin go get Naga." Tenzin said after some thought. "Her nose will come in very handy. We'll keep an eye out."

Nodding, Korra and Bolin made to leave, when a voice cut in "What do you think you're doing?"

Turning they saw eight Tong men exit the door and take up fighting stances, one of them, a tall, lanky man with a broken nose looked them straight in the eye and said "Can't you read the sign? We're closed."

"All right punk," Korra said, cracking her knuckles. "I'm going to give you one chance to get out of this without getting hurt. Where's Ryuukhan?"

"Oh, and why would I tell stinking Water flotsam anything?" he goaded. "What are you going to do? Soak me?"

"I mean it!" she snapped, locking eyes with him. "One way or another you'll tell me. How much the hospital charges you is your choice."

"Why would they charge ME for YOUR bills?" he asked, smirking. "Let's throw down."

"Fine." she said and threw a fire-punch, commencing the battle.

-Line Break-

The sounds of battle echoed down the hallway as Xin led Asami and Ryuukhan up the stairs and toward the back door. Suddenly she crouched down, hiding under the stair threshold as voices broke out, approaching their position.

Fortunately, they moved away from their position, obviously drawn toward the battle rather than the cellar. Breathing in relief, Xin resumed their move, but froze again as she saw a tall man with greasy hair standing right in front of them.

"Well, Xin, I thought we beat that nonsense out of you by now." he said, smiling cruelly at her terror.

"Xin, take Ryuukhan and get out." Asami said, lowering his still paralyzed form toward her. "I'll take this guy."

"But-" Xin started as she took Ryuukhan, but Asami snapped "Go!"

Wasting no time Xin began moving along the side as Asami stepped forward, making sure to keep Xin behind her at all times.

"Guess I'll take care of you first." the man said. "No worries. I won't hurt you...too badly."

"Good luck with that." Asami said as she threw a punch. He dodged lazily, but Asami replied with a knee kick connecting to his chin, knocking him back against the wall.

Before he could get up, Asami rushed toward him but he kicked up, forcing her back. Returning to his stance, they began circling, waiting for the other to make a mistake.

Taking the initiative, Asami feinted with a punch, then raised her knee for a kick. Her opponent, seeing this, raised his arms to block it, but Asami shifted her stance and managed a high-kick to his temple.

But to her shock, the man shifted his arms just enough to deflect some of the force, throwing her off-balance and allowing him to grab her leg. Pushing it across his chest, he sent her toppling over. But as she was going over, she managed to bring her other leg around and kick him in the temple, sending him flying as well.

As she completed her fall, Asami rolled over and flipped herself back up and looked up to see her opponent sprawled on the floor. Catching her breath, she turned to see where the kids went...just as a powerful arm wrapped around her throat.

"Not so fast!" she heard him hiss. Flailing, she tried to elbow him, but she couldn't get a good shot. Remembering her lessons, she tried headbutting him, but she couldn't gather enough momentum. In desperation, she kicked up and tried to flip over him, but he was too heavy.

As she fell back down, she stomped as hard as she could on his foot, causing him to yell in pain. Using that distraction, she flung herself forward, flipping him over her and releasing herself from his grip.

Getting herself up, she watched as her opponent flipped over and charged forward, trying to grapple with her. But Asami flung herself back, pulling her knee up between them, and threw him over her and into the wall...only to hear a door burst open and the man, or men, yell in pain.

'Better check what's going on.' she thought as she entered the door.

The man she had just sent flying had landed in a pile with other men, presumably his partners in crime. As they lay there groaning in pain, Asami saw a series of fire-balls buffet them, keeping them pinned down.

After suppressing a twinge of pity for the men as their clothes caught fire, Asami looked to the source of the fire-balls, and saw a young woman leap in and floor one of them with a single kick. Not missing a beat, she then punched another, sending him careening into the pile.

Before either of them could move, she saw the floor ripple like water in a pond before tearing apart and forming a massive chasm beneath the beleaguered Tong. Falling into the chasm, they found themselves crammed together like a can of sardine-shrimp. The chasm then closed as quickly as it opened, leaving them buried to their chests in solid earth, many of whom had their arms pinned to their sides by the earth or their fellow criminals.

"All right." she heard the woman snap out as she marched over and stared down, taking care to keep a respectable distance from the Tong. "You've had your chance. Now, start talking. Where's Ryuukhan?"

"Did you say Ryuukhan?" Asami asked, making her jump into her fighting stance again. Instinctively, Asami took her stance and they locked eyes on each other. The woman was dressed in a blue tunic with white trim, with a blueish-green jacket tied around her waist and matching blue pants. Based on her bright blue eyes and brown hair she was apparently from the Water Tribe, but what struck Asami most was her hair-style: she had her bangs tied off to the sides, framing her face, and a high ponytail in the back...much like how Ryuukhan did his hair.

"Yes I did." the woman said, keeping her guard up. "I'm Korra. He's my brother. You know where he is?"

"Not exactly." Asami replied. "Last I checked he was with this girl, Xin. We were heading for the back door, when we encountered this sewer-eel." she explained, pointing down to the man she had sent flying through the door.

"How is he?" Korra asked, her earlier caution giving way to apprehension. "Is he hurt? Or..."

"Last I checked he was still recovering from a chi-blocker's attacks." Asami answered. "They only left a minute ago, so they can't have gone too far."

"Then let's get going." Korra said frantically before turning to the group. "Mako, you and Asami go down the left passage. Tenzin, you and Lee check the right passage. I'll check the back passage, and Bolin you check the stairs."

"No need to check the right passage." Asami said. "It leads to the cellar the Tong were keeping us in. I don't think they would head that way. Besides, we shouldn't leave these sewer-eels unguarded."

Nodding, Korra replied "Then Tenzin and Lee can check the back passage while Bolin and I check the stairs. As for these guys...I'll get Naga."

"Who's Naga?" Asami asked, to which Korra just put her fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly.

A moment later, the doors leading out burst open as a massive white animal bolted in and bounded over to Korra, tackling her to the ground. The animal, Naga Asami presumed, was actually a polar-bear dog, as large as a Satomobile and packing enough muscle to tear one to pieces. But to her surprise, Korra started laughing her head-off as Naga reached down and started licking her face. In response, Korra reached up and started rubbing Naga behind the ears, eliciting a low moan of pleasure and intensifying the licking.

"Ok, ok girl." Korra gasped out as she began pushing Naga off and pointed to the Tong members. "I'm happy to see you too, but right now we have work to do. You stay here and watch these ship-mites. If they try anything, eat them."

Before anyone could intervene, Naga circled the men, growling menacingly and making them quiver. Nodding, Korra barked out "Well what are we waiting for?" and started moving to the door, the others following her.

-Line Break-

"You were kidding about eating them, right?" Bolin asked as they made their way to the stairs.

"I thought it would have the most impact." Korra replied as she began to ascend. "Naga's trained to bite first, eat last."

"That's not terribly reassuring." Bolin said, following her.

About halfway up, they stopped, hearing movement on the second floor. After waiting for a minute or so, they resumed, keeping their guard up. Coming toward the threshold, they stopped and scanned their surroundings, looking for any traps or Tong members. Seeing the hallway clear, they pressed onward.

Past the threshold the hallway diverged to a left and right passage, with a large window looking out onto the street. To their right they saw the path diverge toward two small rooms, neither of which were illuminated and there was no sign of movement. To their left, the hallway opened up to accommodate three larger rooms, one of which illuminated by electric lights, and they could hear a rustling noise emanate from it.

Sharing a brief look at each other, they began making their way to the room, taking great care to move as quietly as possible. Upon reaching the illuminated room, they stopped to listen for whoever or whatever was making that rustling noise from earlier. Hearing nothing, they peered inside and found an office. There was a large desk on the far side cluttered with files and folders, with lockers and shelves all along the back wall. To their immediate right there was a large cabinet, as tall as Tenzin, made of finely polished dark wood, and a potential hiding place for Tong combatants.

With extreme care, they entered the room, Korra taking the lead while Bolin provided support. Hugging the wall, Korra knocked on the cabinet to listen for anything to indicate its contents, and all she heard was the knocking itself. No rustling, scratching, or rolling sounds.

Deciding the cabinet was likely safe, Korra moved to investigate the desk, when she heard Bolin grunt in pain. Turning, she saw a large man had grabbed him from behind, his muscular arms wrapped around Bolin's chest, pinning his arms down.

Korra took up a fire-stance, but hesitated to attack, fearing she might hit Bolin. Seeing her hesitate, the man hissed out "That's a good girl. Hands up...or I'll snap his neck!"

Gritting her teeth, Korra moved to comply, but to her shock, Bolin snapped his head back, breaking the man's nose and loosening his grip. Dropping down, he grabbed the man by the head and threw him over his shoulder, landing him squarely on his back. Seeing his chance, he pinned the man down, but his grip wasn't strong enough, and he was jabbed in the throat, forcing him back.

Quickly regaining his footing, the man turned to Bolin, his burned face red with rage and charged. Instinctively, Bolin dipped into his horse stance and raised his arms in front of him, taking the man's charge head on and stopping him just before they went over the railing. Grabbing the man by the waist, Bolin picked him up and threw him overhead, sending him crashing onto the stairs, breaking them beneath him.

Looking down, Bolin saw his opponent grimace in extreme pain, screaming when he tried to get up. Just as he collapsed in agony, a metal dart punctured his shoulder, adding to his torment. Then he found his opposite shoulder hit with a dart as well. Looking up, his face turned to rage once more, but the pain immobilized him.

"I am Officer Lee," a voice called out from behind the man. "You are under arrest for assault, battery, kidnapping, smuggling, trafficking, and child abuse. You have the right of silence."

Sighing in relief, Bolin turned back to the office, but saw Korra looking elsewhere. Entering the office, he found out what, or rather who, she was looking at.

A young girl in a dirty, patched-up dress holding up a boy on her shoulder. A boy with bright green eyes and raven-black hair.

"Ryuukhan." Korra said, her voice barely audible.

"Korra," the boy replied, exhausted and in pain but relieved.

-Line Break-

Author's Notes: Well this is one of my longer chapters. I really enjoyed writing it, but if this length is too much, or if I am jumping between too many characters I appreciate the feedback. Generally I try to avoid these, but I felt it was great seeing these characters getting together and interacting with each other.

I also should let you know that school will start up again soon, so my time available for writing will be limited. I'll try to write a little bit each day, but you never know.

As always, constructive criticism and feedback are highly appreciated.

Also, I'd like to clear up the word Zhuwei. It's actually the name of a fish harbor in Taiwan, so auto-correct didn't mark it or anything much to my surprise. Well in this context that's not its meaning; here it means "Good day", and it's pronounced with a high tone followed by a falling tone. Just something for future chapters to look out for.