Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Legend of Korra

Ayana

They found the jeep exactly where described, and there were no guards at the gate to stop them. Squeezing all six of them in was uncomfortable, but they managed. Asami drove since she was the most experienced, thanks to her dad's business producing cars and her test driving them.

They barreled swiftly down the valley toward the airship. When they got close enough, Ayana shouted for Asami to stop. She jumped out of the car and brought her glider off her back, deployed the sails, and flew swiftly to the platform the airship was tethered to. She didn't see any guards here, either; probably Su's doing.

She flew up the open ramp and landed at the top, calling for Raashu. He jumped up through the floor and appeared before her.

"I need your help. We've got some tracking to do." He barked quietly and allowed her to climb up on his back. His size was much smaller here in the physical world, but he still had to kneel for her. When she was situated, he stood and sprinted down the ramp. Pulling his fur slightly, she guided him into a turn toward the waiting jeep. He jumped, soaring off the platform, and landed softly on the ground in the way only a spirit could from that height.

Mako was holding one of Aiwei's robes that they'd swiped from his house. He held it out, allowing the wolf to sniff for the scent. Raashu raised his head, smelling the air, then bolted toward the forest. Asami slammed the gas and followed.

Raashu seemed to be having no trouble following the scent, since he didn't hesitate as they tried to catch up to Aiwei. But the man had a good head start on them. She hoped he'd stopped somewhere for the night, to give them a chance to close the distance.

They had no such luck. Raashu ran all night, only pausing once to allow those in the car to stretch and change drivers so Asami could rest. Ayana, being on the wolf's back, didn't get a chance to sleep. But she didn't care, she was too intent on the mission.

The next morning they passed through a small village. Raashu walked slowly down the main street, sniffing the ground.

Mako jumped out of the car. "Let's ask around, see if anyone's seen him."

Ayana could barely keep her eyes open. She waved the group away. "You guys go ahead, I'm just going to shut my eyes for a minute."

"I'll stay with her." Edward offered, and the rest of them wandered the town to look for Aiwei.

She leaned backwards, laying down Raashu's spine, and closed her eyes. It didn't feel like it had been a long time but she was suddenly being pushed upwards into a sitting position, which jolted her awake. "Huh? What's going on?"

Ed had climbed up behind her and Raashu was full out running, and the jeep was right behind. He shouted to her. "They got in a bit of trouble back there, apparently there's wanted posters of us all over, by order of the Earth Queen. Aiwei wasn't there, anyway. Raashu's got his scent again."

"Oh. Okay." Damn that stupid queen. Ed had his arms around her, holding on, and she leaned back into him. There's no way she would be able to fall asleep again, but she could enjoy the feeling of his strong arms protecting her as they rode.

It didn't take long for Raashu to slow, sniffing around a rocky area up on a cliff. The jeep slowed too and waited. The wolf walked behind a large boulder, nose to the ground, and found Aiwei's jeep hidden.

"Good job, Raashu!" She praised as she slid down with Ed. The wolf's tail wagged slightly in happiness. The four in the jeep jumped out and hurried over to examine the abandoned car. There was a town visible down in the valley below the cliff they stood on.

"I'll bet he's down there somewhere." Mako pointed at the village. "Bolin, let's go scout it out."

"Oo, an undercover adventure, I like it!" Bolin danced around excitedly, and together they left to find a path down.

Mustang

It had been a few weeks since the Xingese man had left. Originally, he had been worried about what was going to happen when he reported back to his country, but now it had been so long that he had almost forgotten about it.

That is, until he received a report from Eastern Command several days ago. There had been sightings of a large group of people moving through the desert. He had requested they send scouts to confirm how many and where they currently were. He was just thinking that the scouts should have reported back by now when his phone rang shrilly. He grabbed the receiver. "General Mustang."

"Sir, this is General Hayman, from Eastern Command. My scouts have just reported back from the desert, sir. It's… well, it's not good sir."

"Spit it out, General." He spat in annoyance. "Just give it to me straight."

"Sir, it's an army. They've nearly made it to our border. They outnumber us ten to one, sir."

Damn. They meant business if they were sending that many troops. This portal must mean a lot to them. "What have you done to prepare?"

"We've deployed our own forces to meet them at the border, sir. We're also evacuating civilians from their homes in the area, as a precaution. We'll do everything we can to end things peacefully first, sir."

"Send a messenger to them. Inform them I want a meeting with whoever their commander is. I'll be on the next train."

"Yes, sir." The phone clicked as Hayman hung up.

He groaned and rubbed his temples. "Pack your bag, Hawkeye. We're going to the eastern border."

Edward

Mako and Bolin had left around an hour ago. Ayana was lying between Raashu's massive paws, and both had passed out in exhaustion. Al was explaining alchemy to Asami. Feeling bored with nothing else to do, he decided to rummage through Aiwei's car. After a few minutes of digging, he found a note with a meeting place and time, but nothing else.

"Hey guys, check this out." He showed the note to his brother and Asami.

"Xai Bao's Grove, sunset?" Asami read. "I've never heard of that place." She pulled a map out of their jeep and unfolded it on the hood. They scanned it for that name, but none of them found it anywhere on the map.

"That's weird." Al's voice sounded frustrated. "It has to be here somewhere!"

"Maybe it's a codename for some other place?" Ed guessed.

"Maybe." Asami confessed.

"Hey! We found something!" Mako called as he approached. "Aiwei's here, we followed him to an inn. Bolin's watching it now, making sure he doesn't leave."

"We found something too." He handed the note to Mako. "But we can't find Xai Bao's Grove anywhere on the map."

Mako studied the map but came up empty also. "I think we should stake out his room, wait for him to leave, and follow him to this meeting place. He'll lead us right to Zaheer."

Everyone nodded, and Asami went over to wake Ayana and Raashu and fill them in while the boys waited. Together, they walked down to the village to find Bolin.

Ed thought they would get weird looks, having a large spirit wolf following them. But then he observed how many other spirits were around. Had he just not noticed before? Probably not, since some of them didn't even look like spirits unless you examined them closely. Regardless, no one gave the wolf a second glance as they approached the hotel that Aiwei was in. They were able to rent the room directly across from his and they all piled in, Raashu included.

"Couldn't we have gotten a bigger room?" Bolin complained. It was rather tight, with all of them crammed in there.

"This is the only one with a good view." Mako insisted where he stood peeking out the window curtain. "I just saw him in his window, it's him all right. Now we just have to wait for sunset."

They passed the time mainly by watching Asami and Bolin play a board game called Pai Sho. They seemed to have a lot of disagreements on the rules, though, so no one really knew who won.

"Ugh! There's too many different versions of the rules! Ayana, as the Avatar, you need to standardize Pai Sho rules." Bolin grumbled.

"Okay, sure, I'll add that to my list. Right behind reestablishing the Air Nation and stopping Zaheer." She muttered back sarcastically.

As the sunset drew closer, Ayana started pacing. Ed had joined Mako to peek out the window, watching for Aiwei to leave. Al was playing with Pabu. He shook his head with a small smile as he watched his brother. He had always been a lover of animals.

Ayana

The sun was setting, and still Aiwei hadn't left.

"What's going on? He's missing his meeting." Mako sounded confused.

"Maybe it's for another day?" Al suggested.

Xai Bao's Grove, she'd never heard of it before… Suddenly, realization struck her, and she jumped up and opened the door. She marched across the courtyard swiftly to Aiwei's room.

"Wait, Ayana! You're going to blow our element of surprise!" Edward shouted after her. She ignored him and opened the door to find Aiwei exactly as she'd suspected. He was meditating, sitting motionless on the bed.

She crossed the room and sat on the mattress facing him. Everyone else had followed her over and was watching. "Xai Bao's Grove is in the spirit world. I'm going in after him." She announced.

"Be careful. We'll keep watch." Mako assured her. She closed her eyes and focused as she placed her fists together as she focused on Aiwei, hoping she'd end up in the same place he was. Feeling the familiar sensation in her soul, she opened her eyes and found herself in a forested area. The sky was a reddish color, as were the leaves on the trees. A few spirits meandered by, but they ignored her. Glancing around, she spotted Aiwei waiting near a large tree, and thankfully he was facing away from her. She approached carefully and hid behind a wide tree trunk. Zaheer appeared within a minute, and she listened in to their conversation.

"What happened back in Zaofu? You assured me that we wouldn't have any problems!" Zaheer asked in an angry tone. "Because of you, we've all been compromised."

"No, I destroyed all the evidence when I burned my library." Aiwei tried to assure him, keeping his voice calm.

Zaheer wasn't pacified. "Where is your physical body right now?"

"At the Misty Palms Inn, but I assure you, I wasn't followed." Aiwei replied.

"You've left a loose end." Zaheer threatened, his voice low and dangerous. He grabbed the front of Aiwei's shirt aggressively.

She wasn't sure why she did it, but she stepped forward instinctively. "Zaheer!"

He turned to look at her with a surprised look on his face as he and Aiwei faded away.

Ugh, where did he go? She waited, hoping he'd come back. He returned after about fifteen seconds, but he was alone. She faced him angrily. "What did you do with Aiwei?"

"He'll be spending eternity in the Fog of Lost Souls. It's just us now."

"Don't move!" She yelled as he stepped towards her.

"I'm not going anywhere." He said in a calm tone. He lowered himself to the ground and sat cross-legged. "You've come for some answers, no doubt. And I'll give them to you. You deserve that much. What would you like to know?"

She was surprised he was being so calm and willing. It was suspicious. But if she was getting an opportunity to get some answers, then she was going to take it. "Okay. How about this one. Who are you people, and why do you want to kidnap me?"

"We are members of a secret society called the Red Lotus." Zaheer answered. "We are dedicated to restoring freedom to the world."

"Wait, what? Like the White Lotus?" She was confused. The White Lotus had been the society that had helped her train to become the Avatar when she was younger.

"The White Lotus has strayed from its original purpose. Now they're nothing more than the Avatar's bodyguards, serving corrupted nations. The Red Lotus is what the White Lotus was meant to be."

"Okay, but that doesn't answer my second question. Why have you been trying to kidnap me? Even way back thirteen years ago." She accused.

"When I was a teenager and joined the Red Lotus, I found out about Raava and Vaatu, and how Avatar Wan foolishly severed them, disrupting the balance to the world. He closed the spirit portals. Even you saw the error of his ways, since you opened them a few years ago." He explained.

"So, wait, you wanted to kidnap me to so you could open the portals and release Vaatu?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Yes, and under the direction of the benders of the Red Lotus, we could have taught you so much."

"It sounds like you just wanted to brainwash me." She accused heatedly.

"No, all I wanted was to show the Avatar a better path for the world. All I want is to restore balance to this world." He sounded sincere.

She scoffed. "I don't think our ideas of balance are the same."

"Are you sure about that? You agree that keeping the spirit portals open is what's best for the world. That should only be the beginning. The idea of governments and nations is as foolish as keeping the physical and spirit worlds separated. You've had to deal with a tyrannical queen, and you've seen the results of genocidal leaders like Fire Lord Ozai. Don't you think the world would be better off without leaders like them?"

"I don't agree with what leaders like those have done, but not all leaders are bad!" She countered. "Getting rid of the world's leaders won't bring balance, it will throw the world into chaos."

"Exactly. The natural order is disorder." He gazed at her, void of emotion, as he spoke.

Her eyes widened. How could he think that? She shook her head as she started to feel angry. "I don't get it, Zaheer. As an airbender, you could make a positive difference in the world, instead of destroying it."

"Once change begins, it cannot be stopped, even by the Avatar."

Her anger bubbled a little more. "Enough with your riddles! Tell me one thing. If you eventually catch me, what are you going to do to me?"

"You'll know soon enough." He smirked. "The Red Lotus should have you by now. See you in the physical world." He faded away.

Her stomach dropped. The Red Lotus, have her? Damn, she needed to get back. She closed her eyes and focused, pulling herself back to the physical world. When she opened her eyes, she found she couldn't move. She was strapped vertically to something, and there was a mask over her nose and mouth. She was in a room with bars on the window. A prison. Asami and Edward were both chained up next to her.

"What happened? Where are we?" She asked them. Her voice sounded muffled behind the mask.

"The Earth Queen's forces caught us. They're taking us back to Ba Sing Se." Ed answered dejectedly.

Edward

They followed Ayana across the courtyard, unsure what she was doing. She kicked down Aiwei's door and entered his room. Ed rushed in after her and found Aiwei meditating on his bed and Ayana positioning herself opposite him. "Xai Bao's Grove is in the spirit world. I'm going in after him." She stated.

"Be careful. We'll keep watch." Mako replied, then he moved to stand by the window. Everyone else entered the room, which was much larger than theirs had been, and closed the door. Raashu simply walked through the wall, then lay down on the floor, stretching and yawning.

They waited in silence. Neither Aiwei nor Ayana moved. Mako kept vigilant watch at the window. Ed sat on the ground and leaned against the wolf. It had been a long day, and they were finally going to get some answers.

The sun had long set, and the stars were peeking through the curtains, when Mako groaned. "I don't know how, but water arm lady and lava man found us."

"What?" Al jumped up from the ground, and Ed stood, too.

Bolin grabbed Ayana's shoulders and shook her vigorously. "Ayana! Wake up!"

She didn't respond.

"What do we do?" Asami asked in a clipped, worried voice.

"Take Ayana and go. Bolin, Al and I can hold them off." Mako instructed.

"I'll stay, too." Ed offered. He was rearing for a fight.

"No, you need to go with Asami and Ayana. They need someone to protect them, just in case." Mako insisted.

That disappointed him, but Mako made a good point. "Fine."

He helped Mako grab Ayana and put her on Raashu. Ed climbed on behind her and held her limp body to his chest, and Asami sat behind him. Raashu stood, and as soon as Bolin opened the door, he bolted out and sprinted down the street.

Ed heard the waterbending lady call out, and he heard some ice chunks break as they missed and hit a nearby building, but they weren't pursued as they ran. The other three successfully distracted them long enough for Raashu to get away. He tore down the streets of town and several pedestrians dove out of the way, yelling in indignation. They made it out of the city and followed the road, Raashu running headlong. It was challenging to hang on to Ayana with how much they were bouncing, but he managed.

Suddenly a barrier of earth shot up in front of them, and Raashu braked hard and skidded in the dirt. As soon as he'd come to a stop, barriers shot up all around them, trapping them inside an earth dome.

Raashu snarled angrily and turned his body sideways, dumping his passengers on the ground. Ed landed on his automail leg, so it didn't hurt, but he heard Asami make a pained noise as she hit the ground. Raashu ran through the barrier and they heard surprised shouts, followed by the sounds of fighting.

It lasted a long time. The sounds of men yelling and Raashu's barking and snarling sounded muffled inside the dome. If Ayana would just come back, she could earthbend them out of here. He tried shaking her forcefully, calling her name, but to no avail. She'd heard them calling her in the spirit world once before, back in Amestris, so why couldn't she hear him now?

The sounds of fighting faded away, and things were silent for a while before the walls collapsed; soldiers in green uniforms approached and swiftly moved to cuff him and Asami. They looked like the soldiers they'd seen in Ba Sing Se. Great, the Queen's caught us.

One of the soldiers made to remove his sleeve, but he pulled away. "Wait, I, uh, broke my arm recently. It's not completely healed yet. Please don't take the brace off."

Shockingly, the soldier believed his lie, and cuffed his wrist without removing the sleeve. As a result, the cuff dug into his skin painfully, but he could manage.

They didn't seem to want to take any chances with the Avatar. They strapped her head to toe on a board attached to a dolly and placed a mask across her face. He figured the mask was probably fireproof.

The soldiers threw them all on a cart, and they traveled for an hour or so before being shoved into a holding cell. He got a glimpse of the vast desert sprawling into the distance before they forced him inside and attached his and Asami's chains to the ceiling. Then their captors slammed the door and left.

"Do you think Raashu or the boys will find us?" Asami asked in a worried tone.

He tried to reassure her. "I'm sure someone will come, don't worry."

About fifteen minutes later, Ayana finally came back. She squirmed and struggled against her straps. "What happened? Where are we?"

"The Earth Queen's forces caught us. They're taking us back to Ba Sing Se." He answered. Her eyes widened. "Did you see Aiwei or Zaheer?" He wanted to know if all of this had been worth it.

She looked between the two of them. "Yeah, they were both there. Zaheer practically killed Aiwei, though. He threw him in the Fog of Lost Souls."

"What's that?" Asami asked before he could.

"A place in the spirit world that you never want to end up in." She shuttered as she said it. "He'll never escape from that place. His soul is trapped for eternity."

What a terrible fate, even for a bastard like Aiwei.

"Anyway, Zaheer told me a lot. He's part of a group called the Red Lotus. He claims they're trying to restore balance to the world by killing off the country's leaders. They think that the natural order of things should be chaos, a world without governments or leaders."

"Why do they want you?" Ed asked.

"He wouldn't tell me. When I asked, he just said that I'd find out soon."

Alphonse

Raashu dashed out the door, and the waterbender lady yelled in fury as she threw ice chunks after him. Thankfully the attack missed, and the spirit turned the corner and disappeared from sight. She and her lava friend moved to follow but Mako shot a fireball at them. Bolin ran from the door and jumped, bringing a chunk of earth up, and punched it at them. Al followed them both and clapped, slamming his hands down and transmuting the ground beneath the waterbender to send her sailing through the air.

She recovered midair and twisted to land on her feet. She had two waterbent arms, but as he watched she split them each in half, turning two into four. Mako threw more fire and she blocked with an arm, and she stretched another one toward Al.

He clapped again and reached out toward the water, turning it to steam. It hissed as it dissipated and she yelled angrily at him, but she simply bent more water from the nearby pool to replenish herself.

Mako charged, jumping and twisting as he firebent furiously at her. Al followed him as he clapped and touched the ground again, sending a rippling wave in the earth that upset her footing. She swung an arm furiously, sending ice darts at him, but he rolled to the side and easily dodged the projectiles.

He watched as she managed to grab Mako and threw him into the side of a building, where he collapsed, unmoving.

Al clapped again and erected a barrier to block her incoming water missiles. She jumped to the side to regain her line of site, then stretched her water arm towards him. He clapped and turned it to steam again but realized too late that she'd used his own barrier against him; he didn't see the second arm wrapping around from the side until it was already upon him.

It grabbed his body and he tried to break free, but his arms were pinned. She slammed him hard against the ground, and the world went black.