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The Legend of Korra:
Forever

Book Five
Chi

Chapter One
All Good Things

It was as beautiful a morning as the Southern Water Tribe had ever seen. The scent of chimney smoke filled the air, and the seas were as calm as the sky was clear. A golden glow had washed across the endless white, and freshly fallen snow blanketed the tops of rustic southern homes, glimmering brightly in the morning sun.

It was here, in this sleepy southern town, that a young woman was beginning to stir. It was her first day back from an extended vacation, and she had been hoping to get more sleep than this. Unfortunately for her, however, she happened to be facing her bedroom window, her eyes fluttering open to the sunlight filtering in on her face.

The young woman rolled over with a groan. She hated mornings. But when her eyes had caught sight of the woman sleeping next to her, she immediately began to reconsider. There, lying next to her in her bed, the most beautiful, intelligent, and powerful woman in all the world was watching her with a smile. Her raven hair was awash in the morning glow, looking like a halo around her. Korra's heart skipped a beat at the sight.

"Good morning, Korra."

She'd barely woken up, and already Korra was smiling. She could definitely get used to mornings if they were all like this.

"Good morning, Asami." She groggily replied, a bit less graceful than she'd have liked. Waking up to Asami was nothing new by now, but every time still felt like the first time to her. Well rested and happy, Korra took a deep breath in through her nose and sat up in her bed. She stretched her arms above her head with a yawn and quickly took stock of her surroundings.

She seemed a little surprised at first as she saw she wasn't in the Spirit World anymore, but her bedroom. It was just as she had left it a couple weeks ago, not a paper or a possession out of place. As she looked back to Asami, she noticed she was still in her regular clothes, and as she checked herself, Korra noted she was as well. She couldn't seem to remember why, though. The previous night's events were still coming back to her as she shook off her morning haze.

"We're home?"

"We are." Asami smiled, crawling over to join her girlfriend on her side of the bed. Sitting up, Asami hung her arms limply around her Avatar's shoulders and folded them into a loose hug, planting a small kiss on her cheek as she did. "We came back last night through the Spirit Portal, remember?"

Korra hummed. Had they? It was all kind of a blur.

"You must still be pretty tired." Asami laughed.

"Yeah, I've never been the most alert person in the mornings..."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Asami teased, earning herself a playful sleepy elbowing from Korra. "Hey, I think it's cute!" She defended.

"Yeah, well, I'm not cute, I'm a bad-ass." Korra insisted.

"Whatever you say, cutiepie." Asami countered. Korra just harrumphed. Pet names like that weren't really her style. The second kiss she got after it certainly was, though.

For a couple of moments, the two sat there just like that, basking in the other's presence. Neither really wanted to move or start the day, knowing that their vacation had come to an end, but they also couldn't put it off forever. It took a few moments, but eventually, Korra had woken up enough to appear visibly alert. Letting out another yawn, she rested her head against Asami's.

"I really don't want to get up."

"Neither do I." Asami admitted. "Do you remember what happened last night now?" Asami asked.

"Well, I remember coming out to my parents."

Asami laughed. "That was awkward."

"Yeah, but, it went pretty well, all things considered." Korra smiled. "Besides, I think my mom already knew, somehow. Friggin'… psychic mother-daughter bond, or something." She shrugged. It was either that, or she'd gone through her discarded attempts at letters, but Korra was giving her the benefit of the doubt here.

"I guess it did, yeah. I'm still not looking forward going through it again when we get back to Republic City, assuming we make our relationship public."

"Didn't we already have this discussion back in the Spirit World?"

"Oh, right," Asami blushed, remembering now. "Sorry, I guess I'm still a little tired too."

Korra laughed. "Now who's cute?"

"Still you~" Asami teased. Korra shook her head, then leaned in to kiss her girlfriend's lips. The first real kiss of the day was always a special one, so she was sure to make it count, and even more sure to leave Asami wanting just a little bit more.

"No fair, I was just getting into it," Asami complained.

"Don't worry, there's plenty of hours left in the day for that."

Asami just gave her a pout in response, almost convincing her to let her have another. Almost. Instead, she just sighed.

"I've gotten too used to this." Korra said.

"To what?"

"Just… us. To waking up and having you there next to me. To mumbling half-asleep and having you giggling like an idiot at me. To me, the Avatar, waking up looking like something the cat-owl dragged in, while you look as beautiful as ever," And there went that giggle she was talking about. Korra loved that giggle. "Just… all of this, I guess. Vacation mode."

"So I take it you're not that excited to get back to Republic City then, huh?"

Korra shook her head. "Don't get me wrong, Republic City is like home to me now, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," Korra began, setting aside any fears or reservations Asami may have had about having Korra stay behind at the south pole again. "But, once we're back… not only is it back to work, but, it's back to home, for both of us. Me, on Air Temple Island, and you, all the way back at your estate. I'm gonna miss these mornings of ours."

"Yeah..." Asami trailed, looking down.

"I haven't been this happy in a long time." Korra reassured her, holding onto Asami's hands. "These last two weeks together have been perfect. Thank you." At this, Asami smiled again, giving Korra another peck on the cheek. The Avatar smiled, blushing.

"You know… about going back home, I was actually thinking-"

Before Asami could finish her sentence, she found herself interrupted by the arrival of Korra's mother, Senna, knocking twice on the bedroom door and then peeking her head into the room.

"I thought I heard talking. Good morning, you two!" Senna greeted from the doorway.

"Good morning," Asami greeted sheepishly. Korra furrowed her brow.

"Can't you at least wait for me to answer before you come in? What if we were, you know," Korra suggested, about to make a motion with her hands that earned her an elbow from her girlfriend. "Ow!"

"Shh!" Asami begged. Senna laughed and shook her head.

"I was just about to get you two up for breakfast, come on." She beckoned, dismissing her daughter's statement and heading back into the living room, leaving the bedroom door open behind her. She could already smell it from here, the scent of her favorite meal wafting its way into Korra's room. Her mouth was already beginning to water. It felt like it'd been forever since she'd had a home-cooked meal.

"Oh man, Asami, you're going to love this," Korra said with excitement, rushing off of her bed. "I've been dying to get you to try some real Southern Water Tribe cooking, this is going to be great!" She exclaimed, still holding onto her girlfriend's hand and begging for her to get up so that they could eat. Asami laughed at Korra's gusto, climbing out of bed after her and joining her on the walk to Korra's living room.

Putting down her bowl, Asami bowed, thanking Senna for the meal. She hadn't asked for seconds in a long time. She could see why Korra was so excited, now.

"See? What'd I tell you?" Korra asked, eager to hear Asami's reaction.

"You were right, that was good. But, Senna, where did you find the time to make a stew? It's so early," Asami remarked.

"Oh, I had that cooking all night while we slept. I knew when you and Korra arrived and told us the news that I had to make something special." Korra's mother replied, taking Asami's bowl and placing it in the sink with her own.

"I'll say. Were those carrots I tasted in there? I didn't think you could grow those all the way out here..."

Senna laughed. "Well, we can't, but when your husband's the chief, it's a little easier to get your hands on imports."

Upon hearing himself being mentioned, Korra's father, Tonraq, looked up from his bowl, now well into his third bowl along with his daughter. The two of them appeared to have been engaged in something of a race. He and Korra had been scarfing down stew like it was their first meal in months. Hearing no followup though, he returned to the race, intent on beating his daughter this time.

"I'm so sorry you have to see this, it can be pretty horrifying sometimes," Senna joked.

"Believe me, after spending a couple weeks alone with your daughter, I know ." Asami laughed.

"Hey, I'm not that bad! Usually," Korra meekly defended. Asami just stuck her tongue out at her.

Finishing their bowls, as Korra asked for yet another, Tonraq looked dejected, unable to fit any more in his stomach. She had to have been on her fourth or fifth round by now. If Senna had intended for Korra take some of the stew home with her, there wouldn't be much left to do that with. Waving the white flag, Korra grinned, slamming her bowl down with a pronounced thud and throwing up her arms, basking in her own glory.

"Tastes good. Tastes like victory." She declared.

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in why don't you,"

Korra laughed triumphantly.

"I've never seen anybody eat that much octopus that quickly," Asami remarked.

"Yeah, well, like I said, this is my favorite meal. I could honestly eat more if I really wanted to, but I'm afraid you'd get sick."

"You're afraid I'd get sick?" Asami laughed. "I think that's enough for now, though, yeah," She agreed. Korra shrugged.

"So, when did you two get together, if you don't mind my asking?" Tonraq spoke up, changing the subject.

"Hmm… I guess it was right after Varrick and Zhu Li's wedding?" Korra supposed, putting a finger to her chin in thought. "We'd always been great friends, but, pretty much that whole time after I got back to the city was like a tipping point, I guess."

"I think it was bound to happen sooner or later." Asami added on. Korra nodded in agreement.

"We just… click."

Korra's parents smiled.

"So how was the Spirit World, then?" Senna followed up.

"Oh, it was wonderful," Asami swooned.

"Two straight weeks of paradise." Korra tacked on. "It was very..."

"Spirity." Asami finished. Korra laughed.

"Yeah, spirity, that about sums it up." She joked.

"I see..." Tonraq hummed, his glance shifting over to Asami. "Well, I couldn't be more pleased. If I'm being honest, I've always preferred you over that Mako kid. Not that there's anything wrong with him, he's just kind of..."

"Boring?" Korra asked.

"A stick in the mud?" Asami compounded.

"Something like that," Tonraq laughed. "I think you two will be very happy together."

"So do I." Korra smiled, sharing a brief glance with Asami. "I was honestly a little afraid how you guys were going to react when I told you. I mean, it's not exactly…"

"It's perfectly fine, Korra," Senna assured. "Love is love, right?"

"We support you 100%, no matter who you're with." Tonraq agreed. "So long as you're happy, that's all that matters to us."

Getting up from the table, Korra immediately went to hug both of her parents, feeling more thankful than ever to have them in her life. It was a sight that caught Asami off guard. Before she realized it, a tear had formed in her eye. She wiped it away quickly, hoping nobody had noticed, but Korra had.

"Asami? Is everything alright?" Korra asked, concern set in her face. Asami smiled, nodding.

"Yeah, don't worry, everything's fine, it just..." Asami paused, looking over at Tonraq and Senna. "The way you are with your parents, it kind of reminds me how things used to be with my family, before my mom died." She explained. Korra frowned. "I know we just got together and all, but I just… I never thought I'd get the chance to be a part of something like this again."

"Well, you'll always be welcomed as a part of this family, Asami. I can promise you that." Tonraq confirmed. Senna nodded in agreement, and Korra gave Asami a smile, one she quickly returned. Approaching the two girls, Korra's parents embraced the both of them in another hug, and for a moment, Asami felt as though this could be her home, too.

"Thank you." Asami whispered. Korra kissed her on her cheek, and the hug came to an end.

After breakfast, Korra and Asami enjoyed the rest of the morning with Korra's parents. They told stories of when Korra was young, such as how she and Naga became friends, or all the stunts that Korra pulled during her training and her day-to-day life, while Korra and Asami told the two of their time together in the Spirit World, and moments together in Republic City. The last time Korra was here, she wasn't in the best condition to be relaying stories, so a lot of this felt overdue.

It was a peaceful morning, all things considered – a small extension to their vacation together. With every passing moment, Asami felt more at home, and Korra couldn't be happier. She was a little afraid Asami might not like it too much in the south, given how different it was from Republic City. This was her first time here without any business obligations to tend to. Thankfully, as Asami would go on to assure her, there was nowhere else she'd rather be right now. Korra was glad she was enjoying it here.

Eventually, the sharing of stories came to an end, and the group segued into politics – an unavoidable pitfall for Korra, considering she was essentially a world leader. This much was a little out of Asami's depth, but she listened to Korra and Tonraq talk about their respective duties and the state of the world with intent. They'd been out of the loop for two weeks, so there was a lot of catching up to do. Korra couldn't just keep goofing off forever.

"So, what about the Earth Kingdom territories and Kuvira, then?" Korra asked. At the mention of her name, Asami's expression sunk a little. Expecting as much, Korra looked back in her girlfriend's direction, but she assured her she was okay – this was part of her job description. Noting this, Senna offered Asami to help her in the kitchen, and the two left Korra and Tonraq to their discussion.

"Ah… well, things have actually been pretty calm since you and Asami left. Prince Wu's plan to dissolve the monarchy has gone off without a hitch so far, and Izumi, Tenzin, and your cousins have been helping out where they can. There's a lot of work left to be done, but nobody's expecting any real resistance. As for Kuvira..." Tonraq sighed.

"Her trial is still ongoing. Thankfully, it's been progressing pretty smoothly since she was taken into custody. There've been some isolated pockets of resistance from remaining supporters, but nothing major so far. Predictably, the press has been making one heck of a spectacle out of it all, though. There's no doubt that she's guilty, but, the nature of her sentence is still up in the air, from what I've heard." He concluded.

"I see… honestly, I hope they don't go too hard on her." Korra said, prompting her father to raise an eyebrow. "I mean, don't get me wrong, what she did was bad, and she should definitely be punished for it, but, I think she should be allowed to learn from her mistakes, too. I know there's probably a lot of people calling for her head right now, but I don't think she's entirely beyond redemption."

"Huh. That's a very mature way to look at it." Tonraq replied. "Sometimes I forget how much you've grown. But it's honestly an honor to be able to talk to you like this. Not only as your father, but, as a fellow world leader, as well." Though, Korra's role went a bit beyond his, of course, being that she was the Avatar. Still, she nodded in agreement – it was nice.

"Given that the Water Tribes were never really all that affected by the whole Kuvira fiasco, I don't really have much to say on the matter one way or another. But, if that's how you feel, then I think you should see if you can't take part in her trial. I'm sure that the Avatar's opinion will be taken into consideration during sentencing."

"Yeah… I think I just might." Korra smiled.

It was around this time that Senna and Asami finished up in the kitchen, reentering the living room as Korra and Tonraq wrapped things up. Overhearing Korra's confirmation of wanting to take part in Kuvira's trial, Asami spoke up.

"If that's the case, then we should probably get going tonight or tomorrow. I need to go check up on my company, anyway." Asami said, taking a seat next to her girlfriend, who greeted her with a peck on the cheek.

"That's right… doesn't Future Industries hold contracts with the United Republic for the city's infrastructure? It'd never even crossed my mind… has anything even been rebuilt since we left?" Korra asked, beginning to get a little panicked.

"Don't worry about it, I already prepared for all of this in advance before I left," Asami assured her. "I've told you about Ravi before, right?"

Korra thought for a moment. "He's the guy who runs a few of your factories, right? The one you've known since you were a kid?"

Asami nodded. "I left him in charge of the company before I left. He's actually the reason why I was a little late that day, if you remember that?"

"Oh yeah..." Korra remembered. Well, that was one mystery solved, she guessed. "Phew. Well, that's why you're the CEO and I'm the Avatar, I guess. I kind of just left a note for Tenzin, told my parents where I was going, and left." Korra shrugged. Asami laughed. She made it sound so easy. "Anyway, I think I'd like to head out tomorrow and just spend the rest of the day here, if you're okay with that? It feels like it's been forever since I've been home, and I'd love to give you a proper tour if you're up for it."

"Sounds perfect." Asami smiled. "Thank you again for the meal." She directed to her girlfriend's parents, bowing. Tonraq and Senna just pulled her and Korra into another hug.

"Of course." Senna said.

"If you're ever down this way, don't be a stranger – we'd love to have you over." Tonraq assured Asami. "That goes for you, too, little missy. Now that there's a new Spirit Portal open, I hope you come to visit us a little more often." He directed at Korra.

"I plan on it." Korra replied.

"Okay, well, we'll let you two get going then," Senna said, smiling. "Have fun!"

"We will!" Korra called, running for the door with Asami's hand in hers, pulling her along for the ride. She was still getting used to that.

As soon as the two of them stepped outside, Korra and Asami both were greeted by the familiar crunch of heavy paws in the snow as Naga came barreling toward them, full steam ahead.

"Naga!" Korra cried out with glee, arms wide open to embrace her best friend.

"Oh no..." Asami winced, fully aware of what was coming next as she and her girlfriend were knocked down into the snow by the overeager polar bear dog. While Korra rubbed Naga's face, Asami found her face being covered in dog slobber as she was greeted the only way Naga knew how. "I missed you too, Naga," She managed to get out.

"Oh, I'm so glad to see you!" Korra chirped. Asking for her to let them back up, Korra helped Asami to her feet and then hopped up onto Naga's back, motioning with her head for Asami to follow along. "We're taking the Polar Bear Dog Express today." She smiled. Asami shook her head, smiling, holding out a hand so that Korra could help her up on Naga's back, too.

Korra scratched Naga behind the ears while Asami wrapped her arms around her Avatar's waist, planting a small kiss on her right cheek.

"Ready when you are." Asami confirmed.

"Then we're off!" Korra announced, directing Naga to take her and Asami into the village. Today was going to be a good day.


Meanwhile, in Republic City...

A young, dark haired man made his way through the bustling city streets, as alive as they'd ever been even despite their somewhat cluttered state of disrepair and reconstruction. It'd been three weeks since Kuvira's attack, two weeks since his two best friends left for an impromptu Spirit Vacation, and two days since his little 'vacation' had – thankfully – come to an end. And he couldn't be happier for it. As of today, Republic City's ace detective, Mako, was officially back on the beat!

It'd taken a while, but after some intense healing and rehabilitation, Mako's arm was back in usable condition. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done about the scarring and his skin was still a little tender, so he had elected to wear gloves until he completely finished healing. Combined with the long sleeves of his RCPD uniform, you wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at him that there was anything wrong; though, he was cautioned to take it easy while Firebending for at least another couple of weeks.

As he made his way to his new place of work, Mako went over the most recent events in his head, making sure he was up to date on everything he would be having to deal with.

Essentially, with the city still recovering from Kuvira, there had been an increase in crimes of all kinds – especially triad activities – which ultimately meant more work for the struggling police force. In order to try and keep up with this recent rise in criminal activity, a lot of former detectives and officers had elected to temporarily come out of retirement and lend a hand, and many more were being hired off the street and being taught the ins-and-outs as quickly as possible.

To do this, a lot of former retirees and veterans of the force – like Mako – were being saddled with partners who functioned more like apprentices, foregoing the usual training for what essentially amounted to on-the-job training alongside their more experienced counterparts. He couldn't say that he was exactly pleased to hear the news, but he understood why the decision was made.

Despite all this, he was glad to be back. Besides, how bad could it really be? Maybe having a new partner to take under his wing would be fun. He just hoped they weren't too wet behind the ears.

Rounding the last corner and arriving at his destination, Mako took a moment to take in the sight of the new RCPD headquarters. Along with City Hall, the police station was one of the first buildings in the city to be relocated, rebuilt, and expanded on, with more and larger rooms being added on in anticipation of a larger police force. There were even a couple levels below ground for the holding cells and coroner's office, so far as he knew, which ultimately meant less travel for all involved.

Honestly, though, it looked even bigger than he thought it'd be; he kinda hoped he wouldn't get lost.

Finished gawking, Mako climbed up the marble steps and passed through the double doors. As soon as he entered, he was met by a much larger crowd than he ever could've expected, one comprised of Metalbending officers, beat cops, and other low-ranking law enforcement officials.

Phones were ringing off the hook and papers were shuffling from desk to desk, a constant stream of officers entering and exiting the building passing him by to his right and left, some of them with criminals in tow. He'd heard that a lot of Metalbenders from Zaofu had elected to temporarily join the force until the city was in a more stable condition, but he never expected this many to have signed up for the job.

There were a lot of faces here that he didn't recognize, and it wasn't just because he hadn't worked here in a while. A lot of these people were clearly out-of-towners. Along with all of the newbies and veterans from before his time, he could hardly see any familiar faces in the chaos that surrounded him.

"Home sweet home…?" He asked, looking around the room for his desk, which he assumed would be unmanned – an assumption which didn't gel with any of the over 50 in this room alone.

"Mako, there you are! Took you long enough to get here."

Finally, a familiar voice. Immediately snapping to attention, Mako turned to face the Chief of Police, Lin Beifong, an eager smile on his face.

"Detective Mako, reporting for duty, ma'am." He greeted with a salute. "I've gotta say, I knew we were getting some new recruits, but I didn't expect things to be so… lively ."

"Welcome to your new norm, detective. Your desk is on the second floor with all the others." Lin said as she signed a stack of papers that had just been presented to her by a nearby officer, only to be presented another one as soon as she'd passed it off.

"Um… 'all the others'?" Mako asked.

"Detectives," Lin clarified, signing off on the second report. "We've got a lot more of them now. Veterans, mostly." She continued to explain. Mako was surprised, but in a good way this time. Maybe this meant the workload would be a little more evenly distributed this time around. "Your new partner is already up there waiting for you. He just finished with his psych eval and basic training today."

So even if they weren't doing the usual amount of training, they weren't sending new recruits in completely blind and unscreened, it seemed. Still, at the rate at which he'd heard they were being approved, Mako couldn't help but be a little concerned. Now that he saw how much of a mess things were down here, he was beginning to worry if maybe this partner thing was a bad idea. Rather than voice any of this though, Mako decided to keep this to himself.

"I understand ma'am. Anything else?"

"Yeah, your first case is already on your desk. I'm just gonna warn you now, it's a weird one, and a little outside your element." Lin remarked. Mako looked confused. Outside his element? "But the fact of the matter is, we're still pretty understaffed for everything that's going on right now, and I know for a fact that you're one of the best I've got. It may not be what you're used to, but I trust you to get it done right and to get it done quick."

"Of course, ma'am. I'll see to it that it's resolved as soon as possible." Mako assured in a dutiful tone, receiving a simple nod from Chief Beifong in response, which he took as his cue to get going.

Making his way to the elevator, as soon as the doors closed in front of him, he let out an exhausted sigh. Just standing in that room took a lot out of him. He really hoped the second floor wasn't as crowded as the first, because if it was, he honestly had no idea how he was going to get any work done. Thankfully, when the doors opened a couple of moments later, he could immediately tell that it was not.

Though he could still hear sounds of construction coming from further back in the building, the area he would now be calling his office appeared to be more-or-less finished, save for a missing light fixture here and there, or some unpainted walls near the elevator. While a couple of phones were ringing here, too, in comparison to the floor below, it may as well have been dead quiet.

While he'd countered over 50 desks down below, there were less than half of that up here. There were 12 on each side of the room, and including his own, a little over a quarter were unoccupied. The way they were organized left a wide open area in the middle of the room which led from the elevator behind him to the Chief's office directly in front, separated from the detectives with a frosted glass door and window, far and away from the hustle and bustle down below. Now this, he could work with.

And speaking of working with...

Spotting his nameplate on one of the desks closest to Lin's office, Mako found a rather familiar face sitting behind it, fiddling around with the drawers and occasionally looking up to scan the room, as if he were waiting for somebody. Mako knew exactly who that was. He just really hoped he wasn't here for the reason he thought he was.

"...Bolin? Why are you at my desk?" He asked, a hand on his hip as he looked accusingly in Bolin's direction.

Perking up at the sound of his brother's voice, Bolin immediately stood up and gave Mako a salute. "Surprise! Junior Detective in training Bolin reporting for duty, sir!"

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me..." Mako groaned, putting his hand to his forehead. Admittedly, Bolin didn't look bad in uniform, but... "Seriously? You're my new partner?"

"Yeah, isn't it great!?" Bolin responded, immediately breaking from his previous military-like stand to attention.

"Now, I know what you're thinking: since when has Bolin been all about police work? Well, let me tell you, Mako, my time in the army has changed me. I'm a new man! A better man! When I was working for Kuvira, I thought I was doing the right thing and actually helping people. It turned out that I wasn't, but here, I can actually do some good and help Republic City get back on its feet in the process – and with my brother, no less! This is gonna be GREAT!" Bolin reaffirmed, practically shouting with excitement.

Well, so much for that calmer atmosphere Mako was looking forward to.

"Well, this is certainly… unexpected." Mako replied, scratching the back of his head.

"The best things in life are often the most unexpected." Bolin recited with a finger in the air, nodding sagely at the end. Mako just rolled his eyes and sighed, motioning for Bolin to move so he could take a seat at his desk. Bolin took a seat at the opposite end, pushing a folder that was on his side of the desk over so it was in front of Mako, instead.

"Li-I mean, Chief Beifong, told me to just stay here and read over the report while I waited for you. Apparently, a body was found outside of a home in the old Downtown area, maybe a dozen blocks or so from the new Spirit Portal. She wants us to go look into it." Bolin explained.

"...Really? This is the 'weird case' she told me about? A body in the slums?" Mako asked. "That part of town isn't exactly the most stable right now, this isn't anything out of the ordinary out there. What's she want me investigating this for?"

Bolin shrugged, making a sound roughly equatable to an 'I don't know', leaving it to Mako to find out for himself. Sighing, the Firebending detective opened the folder and began scanning the pages, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

"Oh yeah, she also told me to tell you once you're done reading the report to head down to the morgue. Oh! And to take me with you. Something about on-the-job training? I dunno, sounds like fun to me!" Bolin said with some excitement.

"'Fun'? I don't think you're taking this job seriously enough, Bolin. There's nothing 'fun' about this." Mako scolded.

Continuing to read the file, it wasn't until he got to the end that Chief Beifong's comment finally made sense, Mako's eyes going wide. Hurriedly, he flipped through the pages of the document back to the beginning, double-checking to make sure he didn't misread something. He hadn't.

"...Bolin, are you sure that this is right?" Mako asked. Bolin shrugged.

"Well, that's the file Lin gave to me, so, I guess so? I dunno, I wasn't the one who wrote it. Why, what's wrong?" He asked. Mako's eyes narrowed. Maybe this was going to be a weird one after all. He was just going to have to see for himself.

"...Come on. We're heading down to the morgue. It seems you and me are gonna be working homicide today." Closing the file and taking it with him, Mako immediately made off for the elevator while Bolin just sat there for a moment, registering the situation.

"Wait… homicide? As in, murder?" Bolin asked. Somehow, even after reading over that report himself, it hadn't exactly clicked for him that that was what he was going to be investigating until just now.

Realizing by now that his brother had gone on without him, Bolin shook his head, snapping back to reality and stumbling over himself and his and his brother's desk as he ran out of the office in pursuit.

"Mako! Hey! Wait for me!" He called. He could already tell this was going to be a long day.


"Now that is how you end a vacation." Korra sighed, falling back into a soft mound of snow behind her, exhausted.

She'd heard the expression 'Time flies when you're having fun' before, but, it'd never applied to her quite like this. Maybe it was because she was heading back to Republic City tomorrow, or because she'd spent the whole day hanging out around town with Asami, but as the sun set over the water, she had to say, she was pretty sad to see it go.

"You're better at snowball fights than I thought." Korra mentioned with a laugh, glancing over at the panting raven-haired girl to her left. Asami looked to be maybe twice as exhausted as Korra was, but also several times more triumphant, a wide smile on both of their faces as she rolled over in their mound to face her girlfriend to her right.

The both of them were a total mess, disheveled and with bits of slowly melting snow all over both of their clothes, their faces beet red with both happiness and exhaustion. Not even a minute and a half prior, the two of them were engaged in the snowball fight to end all snowball fights, a teasing toss by Korra inadvertently starting a war of wintry attrition that she was amazed she'd actually lost.

I mean, really, how does a Waterbender lose a snowball fight? Not that she was complaining, of course – that was the most fun she'd had in ages – but still! It wasn't right!

"I know right? Who'd have thought I'd be able to beat the Avatar? What a pushover~" Asami teased.

"In a snowball fight!" Korra rushed to correct her, a little embarrassed. "Enjoy it while it lasts, Sato. Next time? You're mine." Korra warned playfully in response.

"Oh, is that so? Well, we'll just have to see about that~" Asami teased once more, brimming with confidence.

While the two of them shared a laugh, Naga raised her head from behind a larger snow mound maybe a dozen or so feet away from them, cautiously checking to see if the coast was finally clear. Seeing the two girls now lying calmly in the snow together, the polar bear dog got up and walked to be closer to the both of them, curling up and lying down a couple of feet to Korra's right, staring out over the sea. The look in her eye was the look of one who had seen things.

"Aw, I'm sorry Naga, did we get you in the crossfire?" Korra asked, sensing her pet's mild frustration. "Ah, the cost of war is just too high, even if it's a snowball war..." She joked. Asami shook her head. This girl…

Reaching out with her gloved hand, Asami grabbed Korra's, holding onto it tightly and looking up at the sky as the sunlight began to fade and the recently restored southern lights took their place. Sighing with contentment, Asami watched while they danced along across the sky, the orange hues of the setting sun giving way to a mix of dark blue and green, the first couple of stars just starting to come into view.

For a couple of minutes, the two of them laid there, just like that, watching the sky and taking in each other's company, neither daring to say whatever may have been on their mind. Neither of them wanted this day to end, but both of them knew it was only a matter of time now. Soon, they'd be back in the city, and from there, back to work.

"I really don't want this to end." Korra finally spoke up. Asami turned her head to look at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know… this. Us." Korra attempted to clarify, only serving to confuse Asami more.

"You make it sound like we're never going to see each other again." Asami replied. "...You're not breaking up with me, are you?"

"What? No! No, of course not – trust me, I love you way too much to break up with you, that's not it at all," Korra clarified further, immediately easing Asami's mind. She didn't think so, but… she had to be sure.

"I just mean… I don't know, I'm greedy. I don't want this vacation to end. I want to spend every day with you, like we have been. These last couple of weeks have been some of the best of my life. I know they don't really make up for 3 years of lost time, but it's a start. And… I'm kinda hoping… …I dunno." As Korra talked, she never once turned her head to look at Asami, instead keeping her eyes affixed to the sky above, trying to find the right words to say.

"I guess… what I'm saying is," Korra paused, taking a deep breath and steeling herself for what was to come. Finally, she turned her head, meeting Asami's gaze with her own. "I want to live with you." She announced. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, no matter how I end up doing that. Whether it be as your friend, or your girlfriend, or… your fiancee… …or your wife…" Korra bit her lip. Wow, this was awkward.

Asami's eyes were intense, urging Korra to continue. She wasn't going to say anything until she was sure that Korra was done. But, instead of continuing, Korra sighed, closing her eyes and sitting up, catching Asami by surprise.

"Korra…?" She asked, also sitting up, only to find that her girlfriend was now digging through her coat pockets for something she'd tucked away earlier on. Whatever she was looking for, it seemed to have Korra so flustered, she couldn't remember what pocket she'd put it in. Then, suddenly, Korra stopped, a very 'aha!' look on her face. She'd found it. Taking a deep breath, Korra finally continued.

"I, uh… I made this a couple days ago, in the Spirit World… I just, wasn't sure when I was going to give it to you until today. I was thinking of holding off a little longer, like, maybe this is too soon… shit, I'm sure it's too soon, but, knowing that everything's going to be going back to normal soon and that we're going to be more busy than ever with the city and the Earth Kingdom and all of that stuff, I thought… maybe… maybe now wouldn't be such a bad time after all," The Avatar prefaced.

"Korra, you're rambling." Asami teased.

"Right, sorry," Korra blushed.

"Anyway, um, I guess the easiest way to say it is just to explain it. For the Water Tribes, it's custom that, when two people are betrothed to one another, one of them carves a necklace for the other, as an expression of their love and as a sign to others that they're promised to somebody else. Normally, it's the guy who makes one and gives it to his bride-to-be, but, we're both girls, so I figured, since I'm the one with the Water Tribe background..." Korra looked away.

Korra was blushing harder than she had since she and Asami had shared their first kiss. It wasn't lost on her how crazy this was – they'd only officially been together for a couple of weeks, and already she was talking about moving in together, and betrothal necklaces, but… even still…

Opening her hand, Korra revealed to Asami the necklace she had created, carved from a stone she had taken back from the Spirit World. Etched into the rock, she appeared to have carved the shape of a gear rising from the ocean, a symbol meant to represent the two of them together.

Accepting the necklace into her hands, Asami was silent, just holding onto it and staring at it for a moment. This was really happening, wasn't it? Korra was serious. There was no mistaking that look in her eyes. This was a betrothal necklace. Korra was giving her a betrothal necklace. Though on the inside her mind was racing, and she felt as if her hands were shaking, on the outside, she was actually remarkably composed. So composed, in fact, it was actually setting Korra a little on edge. She didn't just make a mistake, did she?

"…It's too soon, isn't it," Korra blurted out, her face growing even redder. "Damn it, we've only been together two weeks… what was I thinking? It doesn't even look that great. I mean, what do I think I am, some sort of artist?" She complained, already having started to beat herself up.

"…Korra," Asami half-whispered. Korra didn't seem to hear her.

"Please tell me I didn't just ruin this for you. I don't mean to take things too fast, I just… all those years away, the letters, the pining, the way you cared for me after Zaheer… it feels like we've been together so much longer, so, I don't know, I guess I just thought that-"

"Korra." Asami repeated, louder this time. Korra stopped talking immediately, looking Asami in the eyes. Korra almost seemed to be on the brink of tears. Now that just wouldn't do. Placing her hand beneath her girlfriend's chin, Asami leaned in close, staring deep into her eyes as she spoke. "You talk too much." She said, gently pulling Korra in for a kiss. Suddenly, Korra didn't seem to be such a nervous wreck anymore.

"I-I… that was..." Korra stammered, not really sure how to react.

"Shhh." Asami hushed. "The answer is yes."

"...What?"

"I accept your betrothal necklace. I'll be your fiancee." Asami smiled. "I'll marry you." She promised. Korra just sat there, her eyes wide and jaw hanging open.

"You… you what?" Korra asked. Asami laughed.

"It doesn't have to be right now. In fact, it definitely shouldn't be right now. It's way too soon, you're right about that," Asami confirmed, causing Korra's heart to sink just a little bit. "But that doesn't mean I can't still promise myself to you. I feel the same way you do. I feel like… even if we never really said it, in a way, we've been together longer than just a couple of weeks." Asami said.

"You do?"

Asami nodded. "But this is still new for us. It'd be a good idea if we waited a bit before we actually, you know, tie the knot." Asami said with a blush. "But that's what the necklace is all about, right? It's a promise. A promise that we'll always be together, and that, when the right time comes…"

"Y-Yeah," Korra confirmed. "I figured… things are gonna be crazy these next couple of months… couple of years, even. Republic City is expanding, your company is growing faster than ever, and who even knows what's going to happen with all the Earth Kingdom territories, but…" Korra paused for a moment. Asami waited for her to continue.

"Whatever happens, I want it to happen with you and me. I want you to know I love you, and I'll always come back to you, even if our jobs take us far apart for a while. So… that's kind of what the necklace is about. This way, when everything's over and done with, and things are stable again, if we still love each other… this way, I can make you mine. Forever." She stumbled to explain. Asami just smiled, kissing her again.

"Well, you know what they say. 'All good things come to those that wait', right?" Asami replied, the remark combined with her kiss prompting Korra to blush even harder.

"I love you, Korra."

"I love you too, Asami."

Sharing one more kiss with one another, while it was shorter in duration than the first one, the feeling behind it was no less intense. Slowly pulling away, Asami laughed beneath her breath, trying on the necklace for the first time.

"Um, what do you think of it, by the way?" Korra asked.

"I think it's beautiful. Thank you, Korra." Asami replied. "So… how do I look?" She asked.

Korra didn't even have to think about how to reply to that. For once, she felt like she knew exactly what to say.

"Snazzy."


Back in Republic City, Mako and Bolin had made their way down to the second basement of the new police precinct and entered the city morgue. They were now following the medical examiner down the hall. While Mako appeared to be all business, re-reading the document while he walked, Bolin was looking around with an uneasy look on his face. He immediately didn't like it here.

In a way, the M.E.'s demeanor wasn't exactly helping the situation, either. He was a wordy fellow with thick, horn-rimmed glasses and thinning hair, somebody whose personality was the total opposite of what you'd expect from a guy who made a career of carving up dead people - legally, of course. Ever since the two of them stepped off of the elevator and started walking down the unusually long hall, he was prattling on and on about one thing or another, so much so that even Bolin had almost entirely tuned out.

"...but sadly, I never did see Gou again, after that. Oh, the things I would have done differently… ah! Here we are! Exam room number 5. It would appear we have arrived at our destination at last, my good fellows!" The doctor finally announced, drawing Mako's attention away from the report and back to reality.

Entering the room, while the M.E. grabbed his coat from the rack just inside, and Mako held the report underneath his good arm, Bolin scanned the room. Though he tried, he couldn't help but stare at the tools on the tray across from the examination table that the body bag was on.

"Sorry for making you track me down like that, things have been quite hectic lately, but I did enjoy our little chat on the way back down here! It's not often a man like me gets to reminisce with the living, you know." The M.E. informed. "Anyway, I must say officer Mako, in all my 15 years here with the precinct, I've never seen a body quite like this one. Let me just warn you now, you may find its appearance to be rather… disturbing."

"Detective," Mako corrected. "And don't worry, Dr. Lou. I think we can stomach it." He assured, nudging Bolin back to attention with his elbow.

"Oh, right, sorry, uh… yeah! What Mako said." Bolin nodded. Mako sighed.

"Very well then, as you wish." Dr. Lou replied.

Unzipping the body bag, what greeted the brothers looked less like a fresh corpse and more like an ancient mummy, its flesh dry and shriveled and its eyes absent from its sockets. It looked as though all of its blood and bodily fluids had been drained away, which, as it happened, was exactly what was described in the report.

It was almost as though the body had been stowed away for some time and simply left at the scene, but, according to an incident report included in the file, a suspect wearing clothes matching the description of the victim's had been seen lurking around that area shortly beforehand. Furthermore, there was the additional detail of a report of illegal bending by the owner of the house outside of which the body was found.

No matter how Mako looked at it, nothing about the body or the circumstances surrounding it made much sense. But, they didn't really have much to go off of to start with. He was beginning to see why the Chief had warned him in advance about this one, though, and why she seemed to want it wrapped up quickly. Once word got out, people would start asking questions, and if the police couldn't give them answers… well, the last thing they needed was a panic right now.

"…Oh. Oh spirits. That is… wow. That is just horrible . It looks like a raisin, only… people shaped… … oh," Bolin sputtered out, clearly taken aback by the body in the bag and immediately looking away. "Wow, that is just… wow."

"He told us it was going to be disturbing." Mako chastised. "Besides, the file clearly stated that it was mummy-like in appearance, you should've been prepared for this. Did you even read the report?"

"...I skimmed it," Bolin shamefully replied. Mako facepalmed.

"Whatever. I don't have time for this right now. Next time, make sure you have a better idea of what you're getting yourself into." He scolded, turning his attention back to Dr. Lou. "I know it was already written in the report, but I have to ask, do you have any idea how old the body is? It may have shown up today, but it hardly looks new."

"Yes, yes, it's actually quite fresh, despite all appearances to the contrary. I thought maybe it had been dug up or something, but it shows no signs of decay, even despite its rather… degraded appearance. It was a perfect, almost instant mummification, and it appears to be fairly recent, as some of the flesh still hasn't completely dried up yet. It was almost as though something came up and just sucked the life right out of him, the poor soul." Dr. Lou explained, shaking his head.

"I see… do you have any idea what could have caused this, then?" Again, the M.E. just shook his head.

"No, I'm afraid not. Maybe a Waterbender would be capable of something like this, if they were feeling especially vicious, but, this seems more in line with what a Bloodbender might be capable of doing to me, and we're at least a week away from the next full moon."

Bloodbending? Mako sure hoped not. He'd had his fill of Bloodbenders already.

"But even then," Dr. Lou continued. "I would expect some sort of trace to be left behind. But here, there's nothing. It's really quite perplexing, I've never seen anything quite like it before."

Mako sighed. Well, it certainly was 'weird'. Though, looking at it now first-hand, 'horrifying' seemed the more apt description. Giving the doctor the go ahead to zip it back up and place the body back in storage, Bolin quickly interrupted.

"Wait!" He cried out, grabbing the doctor's arm. Mako sighed.

"What is it now, Bolin?" Mako asked, clearly annoyed.

"I think I saw something," Bolin announced, noting that neither of them had pointed it out yet. "What is that? On its face?" He asked, pointing.

Mako and the M.E. were confused. On its face…? The young detective tilted his head, leaning in to take a closer look but unable to see anything.

"…What are you talking about? There's nothing there." Mako retorted.

The doctor, however, was intrigued by the new officer's assertion, deciding to take a closer look with a magnifying glass and an extra light. While Mako may not have seen it, the professional certainly had. It was slight, but… it was there. He was shocked Bolin had noticed it when he'd completely missed it before, himself.

"Well I'll be," Dr. Lou began. "You have good eyes, my boy; there appears to be some minor discoloration around the facial area, though I can't quite make out what it is or what could have caused it. The skin is far too shriveled up." Dr. Lou rubbed his chin, thinking to himself for a moment.

"Wait… what?" Mako leaned in for an even closer look, trying to see if he could see any discoloration, now that he knew what he was looking for. But no, everything seemed… oh. Well. What do you know.

There, from around the subject's mouth and all the way up to his forehead, an irregularly shaped, slight discoloration had appeared. What's more, the skin around the face in and around the discoloration appeared to be a little more dry than the rest. It almost looked like it was starting to flake off, if only a little bit. Still, it was barely noticeable. Mako was impressed that Bolin had seen it at all.

"I believe I may be able to get a better look if I can manage to re-hydrate the skin… I'll see what I can do and perform a second examination. I'll be sure to look for more signs of discoloration this time, too. I'll phone you with my findings as soon as I can." He concluded.

"Huh… wow. Good job, Bolin. I never even noticed that." Mako congratulated, genuinely surprised to have missed something, and even more surprised Bolin picked it up before he did.

"It's okay bro. Even though looking at this thing creeps me out, these are the sacrifices we must make while protecting and serving. Perhaps you are just too stoic for your own good, and somewhere beneath that ice cold Firebender veneer of yours, there is a terrified, screaming child, wanting nothing more than to look away." Bolin posited somewhat poetically, earning a glare from his brother.

"Don't push it."

"Sorry,"

"Well, anyway, I don't think we're going to find anything else here right now. Thank you for your time, Dr. Lou." Mako bowed.

"My pleasure, detectives." The doctor bowed back.

"Let's go, Bolin," Mako said, loosely motioning for him to follow as he jotted down another note into the file and turned to leave the room.

"Mako? Wait up! Now where are we going?" Bolin asked.

"Home. It's getting late." Mako replied, stopping in front of the elevator to finish his notes and close the file. "First thing tomorrow morning though, we should head back to the scene of the crime to investigate. Seems you and I have got a bona fide mystery on our hands."

"Yeah… mystery… great…" Bolin trailed. Mako raised an eyebrow.

"Is something wrong?"

"I dunno, I just… I didn't think this was how my first day of being a cop would go. I thought I was going to be out on the streets, chasing down shoplifters and beating up bad guys and stuff. You know, protecting the peace, like a real life mover! Not holed up in some basement staring at creepy mummies."

Mako shook his head. As he thought, Bolin hadn't really thought this whole thing through before joining up.

"Well, that's part of being a cop too, Bolin. Sometimes, bad guys kill people, and sometimes, they do it in some really nasty ways. Either way, it's up to us to figure out who did it and why and to put a stop to them before they kill again. I'm not really used to this kind of case myself, I've never worked homicide before, but these things happen and sometimes you get wrapped up in them whether you want to be or not." Mako explained. Bolin was silent.

"Besides, nothing about this seems right to me. We may be dealing with something more than a simple murder, here. Consider this a chance to keep the peace by tracking down whoever did this before they do it again. Killers with an m.o. this specific usually strike more than once."

"Yeah… I guess you're right. If this is part of the job too, then, I'm just gonna have to suck it up and deal with it." Bolin sighed.

"Exactly. Lin put us on this case for a reason. I'm sure she has faith in our abilities – both of us."

The look on Bolin's face said otherwise.

"Yeeeaaahh, right, about that," Bolin nervously trailed, rubbing the back of his head. "Actually, Lin was initially against me joining the force, she didn't think I had what it takes and basically laughed me out of her office when I applied. Raiko was the one who put in a good word for me and got her to give me a chance. I guess that, combined with the time I helped her and Opal free Su and everyone from Kuvira-"

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwawait – Raiko? What does he have to do with any of this?" Mako asked. That guy was the reason he got stuck with Prince Wu for 3 years. He was really starting to piss Mako off.

"Welllll, remember that time Varrick tried to kidnap him and you tried to warn everyone but you were in jail because Varrick had set you up and nobody believed you? Apparently, he remembered that and told Lin to give me a chance."

So that was it… now that Mako thought about it, it made a lot of sense. He knew Lin wouldn't have given Bolin a chance without some sort of outside factor. He thought maybe she'd seen something in him, but… well, maybe she did? The answer was likely somewhere closer to the middle, he reckoned.

"But! I did pass basic training, so hey! Like you said, this is my chance, and I'm gonna take it! No more Bolin: The Goofball – from now on, there is only Bolin: The Cop!" Bolin announced. Mako shook his head.

"Yeah, a really goofy cop." Mako teased with a smirk.

"Pssh," Bolin hand-waived. "You'll see." He assured.

Again, Mako shook his head. Then, suddenly, he was down on his knees, the sound of the file under his arm hitting the floor grabbing Bolin's attention.

"Gah!" Mako cried out, grabbing on to his left arm, a sharp pain shooting up along its length.

"Mako!" Bolin yelped, immediately getting down to see if he was alright. But Mako didn't reply, his grip on his arm tightening. It felt as though every muscle was involuntarily twitching, as if his skin was on fire. Compounded with its already tender nature following his injury, the agony he was feeling was immense, and it showed. A cold sweat overtook him and his teeth threatened to break under the amount of pressure he was putting them in, clenching down hard.

"Mako, what's wrong!?" Bolin asked.

Finally, after a couple more seconds, the pain had subsided, disappearing just as quickly as it'd appeared. To Mako, it felt like an eternity. Panting heavily, he unclenched his teeth and loosened the grip on his arm, trying to get his bearings. The look in his eyes said this was something he was used to.

"I'm okay," He said, raising his hand from his arm to his forehead instead. Another headache. They always seemed to follow attacks like these.

"No, you're not. You just collapsed out of nowhere!"

"I said I'm fine, okay?" Mako reassured. "This just… happens, sometimes. It has for a while now." Bolin still wasn't buying it.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"I don't know, it wasn't important." Mako said, rising back to his feet. "I'm sorry if I scared you. Since you've been staying with Opal, you haven't really seen me during an attack. This was a bad one, though..."

Bolin hugged his brother, careful not to put too much pressure on his bad arm. "Have you told a doctor?" He asked.

"They think it's just nerve damage from the lightning feedback." Mako explained. "But if you ask me, I… well, I don't know. Never mind." Okay, well, Bolin wasn't going to ignore that .

"You what? Come on Mako, don't leave me hanging here. This is important!" Bolin stressed.

"It's stupid." Mako replied. Bolin pressed on.

" Mako ,"

"Okay, fine! Fine," Mako relented, putting up his hands. "I know it's ridiculous, and it doesn't make any sense, but… every time my arm starts acting up like that, something bad ends up happening." He explained. Bolin raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"The doctor says it's probably just a coincidence, that I'm overthinking it. Maybe I'm a little clumsy after an attack, because I'm trying to reorient myself. Maybe my reflexes are a little slower than they used to be, and I haven't adjusted yet. But. Every time it acts up, I or somebody nearby me ends up getting hurt." Mako said.

"...And you said that's the worst one you've ever had?" Bolin asked. Mako was silent, but the look on his face said enough. Bolin gulped. "Does that mean…?"

"I don't know." Mako interrupted, shaking his head.

"But suddenly, I think I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this case."