A.N. This chapter was super hard for me to edit for some reason, so I apologize if the quality isn't as great as the others have been. I, unfortunately, will not be posting another chapter next week, I got very behind on writing. I will try my best to get one up but I'd rather warn you all, I'll try my best to post two that week. Either way, hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Thanks to for the review!

Part I Revolution

Finale

Part I

Akira

Before the gala:

Butler's and maids flitted around the room giving, plenty of options of dresses hor devours and champagne. And perhaps if she were any other person she'd be enjoying it all, and trying to fit into dresses that clung to curves, she didn't know existed. But instead, she patiently waited, although patience is a loose term. Akira felt tried, she knew the line was always clear to Shu Jing and yet here she waited for the twelfth time mind you, for her mother to answer.

Akira wasn't quite sure what spurred her on, but she needed to confront her, and there was no better time than now. She had let her mother and the past hold so much power over her and her decisions, and she would not let another moment pass without confronting it.

It was poetic the woman who had told her that power was something to behold, that only she could relinquish it. Had been the very person she had relinquished it to, she just hadn't realized it then.

Now was the time to reclaim it.

Moments passed as she sat waiting; to hear a voice at the end of the line, she stared blankly at the radio. "Please," after a few more moments, Akira heard the resigned hello from Akon. "Please, Akon, I know you've tried to talk me out of it before but, she can and will hear me. Don't make me fight you too." Akira heard a resigned sigh and the clattering of the radio, at first she thought Akon had just left her to the silence but, afterward, she heard it.

A raspy voice arguing heavily and coughs much heavier than Akira had heard before. Then Akon's gentle voice as he tried to reason with her.

Akira waited for a few more moments, expecting to hear the line go dead just as she had done weeks before. But instead, she was met with the raspy voice of her mother, "Akira"? And Akira thought she would still feel that fire rage inside her, but instead, she felt small. She felt like a child again, like those times her mother would make a random appearance in the mainland. Her grandfather would encourage her forward, and Akira would want it to be the first time she lashed out. The time she'd kick and scream at her, but Akira could never win that fight. She'd always hug her all the same; then the tears would fall and, she'd utter the same words.

I missed you.

But those days ended years ago, Akira would not be held back by her past any longer; today was not a day of remembrance. Today was the day she'd obtain her power, and nothing could get in her way. Akira took a deep breath, "I just need you to listen". She took another breath, her eyes closing as if she could shutout the fear; then she let it go…

"For so long I wanted to scream at you, I wanted to lay waste to any form of relationship with you. Because you made me feel like a token, something to pass your legacy onto. And I blamed you for so long why I've felt abandoned. I blamed you for my loneliness, I mean I felt like I would drown in isolation. My heart felt empty, and rather than staying with me, you left me again. Then I blamed you because it led me to Rai, and he broke me in ways I didn't think I could get hurt. But I can't blame you for that any longer, I can't blame you for the decisions I have made. Because I made the decisions to let you have power over me. And if there is one lesson, I've learned from you, it was to never give anyone that power. You made me feel helpless, you made me harden myself to the world, and starved for affection. And despite it all, despite the bad, I can't hate you." Akira paused her voice

"So I'm thankful you couldn't love me. Because now I know that my destiny in life is to love, and to love without reservation. I am thankful because your lack of care led me to an unconditional love. My grandparents taught me differently, so thank you for caring enough to give me a fulfilling childhood rather than a loveless one. So I have nothing more to say to you, there is no more to gain with one another. Maybe in time, but until then we have nothing. Akira ended the call before her mother could respond and felt lighter than she had ever felt before. As she made her way back into the room, she embraced the festive nature of the night, plucking champagne from Asami's hands and drinking it down her eyes shining brighter than the other two had ever seen.

As Akira drank and readied herself for the night, far off on the island of Shu Jing something much different was happening. A woman sat in her bed tears streaming down her face, but they were not tears of sadness, but of pride. As she handed the radio back to Akon, she beamed at him, looking more lively than she had in days. She sat up in her bed, much to the surprise of her butler as she had been too weak to do it before.

"Are you alright?" He asked reaching for her hands at his seat beside her, and Lein nodded her heart fuller than she thought possible. Because although she had a whisper of responsibility in it, she had a fierce and beautiful daughter; and that was something to be proud of.

That night…

Akira's felt like her heart would leave her chest, and as Mako turned his back to her, she knew what was coming. It was her own doing; she had allowed herself the indulgence and, Mako followed helplessly. And now she was faced with a choice; she could succumb to what she had always done. The stairs weren't far off; she could take the emergency exit and disappear into the night. But it would set her back three steps from the strides she had made to be brave. So she decided to do just that, be brave.

As if it made anything easier, she watched Mako's broad shoulders hunch into themselves as he thought. It made her feel safer, he was just as afraid as she was. It made her feel like she could do this, she could finally be vulnerable.

"I had always found trouble with relationships, it was either we were too different, or too many things happened. Then for so long, I felt like I didn't belong, I felt so stagnant like I was drowning. But then I met you…And yes we disagree and we fight, but I still choose you. I think I will always choose you because you aren't my life raft Akira you swam with me. You make me unafraid, you make me want to dive back in, and if I drown I don't care…I guess what I'm trying to say is I am falling for you Akira; I'm falling for the challenge because you make me better for it."

Akira felt a flush across her entire body, as she took a step towards Mako. The world slowed down; she felt a sudden coolness wash over her body. The feeling someone might get when in fear a cool sweat that lines the body, except it was frigid. As if someone poured ice directly into her veins, she tried to call out to Mako but, her body could not process the function. She was rooted to the spot, and as if time slowed her, body gave way, arms wrapped themselves around her quickly encasing, her mouth behind their hands as if she could call out. The last thing she could see was Mako's body getting further away, and his profile as he prepared to turn.

Then, darkness...

(break)

Akira woke with a strange feeling in her head; it felt like someone had replaced her brain with cotton. Her limbs felt like a useless extension rather than functional objects, and as she got the energy to sit up, the world tilted around her. From what she could see, she was in an old Cabbage Corps warehouse from the onslaught of cabbage related regalia. Suddenly, the dim lighting was replaced by harsh fluorescents, causing an explosion of pain behind Akira's sensitive eyes. She blinked away the shock, trying to get her eyes to adjust, and while doing so, she noticed a figure clad in green stalking towards her.

Panic began to rise in her throat, and she threw a clumsy hand towards her assailant, trying to firebend at them. It was then she realized her hands were chained to the ground, the force of her punch snagged the chains biting into her flesh.

"Sorry, I realize those may be painful. It's nothing personal truly." Her blurry vision could only make out the dark hair, and as they crouched in front of her, she could just make out those deep green eyes. "You're that boy." Akira rasped, pausing at the painful feeling of her dry throat. Whatever drug they used had sucked the life out of her, she suddenly felt a violent need for water and clutched her throat from the pain. The boy smiled, and as her eyes cleared, she was right about her assumption.

If she hadn't seen his files directly, she would have assumed he was seventeen at most. There was a youthful nature to his face. But the way he carried himself, the arrogance in his smile made him seem like his true age. There something eerily familiar about him; maybe it was the arrogance to his stature or the secretive smile he gave her. But she could have sworn it was Rai's face looking at her, the green eyes suddenly changed to copper and, his skin was no longer that pale hue but a deep tan.

The imposter looked back at her and with, the sweetest smile, held a cup to her lips, "Here, drink." Akira closed her eyes tight, willing his face away, and when they opened, she was met again with the green eyes again. "Do I look stupid?" Akira asked rasping each word out between tufts of breaths.

He flashed a smile at her, dimples flashing on his cheeks. Then as if performing to an audience, he drank some of the water as a show of good faith, his dark brow raising. "See not poisoned, besides if I wanted you dead Ms. Piandao, you'd be dead." He offered it again, and Akira wasn't in a position to argue, that and the pounding in her head was making her more susceptible to bad decisions. She drank greedily the liquid soothing the feeling of grit in her throat. "Now I know I said it wasn't poison, but this does make it that you can't bend for a few hours. Think of it like chi blocking tea." Akira couldn't even register it as her head pounded painfully, she gasped from the force of the pain leaning against the wall behind her.

"Why?" The boy gave her another smile, and if she had not been aware of how evil beauty could be, she might have believed it. "I couldn't have you hurting my family here." He gestured to the few people in the room with a flourish of his hand, "Believe it or not but I am doing this to protect you, you're not like the others. You showed us that when you released me and my men, but in order for the change we seek to happen…We must eradicate the old." With that he stepped away from Akira his eyes shining in mischief, and it was clear that he wasn't the boy she had seen before. He was sure now; he had twisted himself into something darker and different. It worried her, and not for her own sake but for his.

"Please…Li." Akira rasped feeling weaker by the moment. "Sleep now." He said softly, and as Akira's eyes began to get heavier by the moment, she could see the boy beckoning a girl forward and him pressing a kiss against the girl's head whispering more of his poison. Akira knew that feeling, and as she fell into the darkness of the drugs, she was struck back to a memory she'd rather forget.

The summer with Rai.

Mako

Mako never wanted to experience something like this, the first time he went through this, it was with Korra. He had never felt so helpless, and he had let out a part of himself; he had often kept in check. Mako wasn't quick to anger but, all patience was gone then. But now, he felt gutted by worry. He felt an undeniable sadness, and at first, he felt; it'd cripple him.

But now all he felt was rage...

Mako was quick to action after he found the note; he had rounded up Asami and Korra and, the entire gala burst into action. The President and her husband were taken, to safety and the building was shut down for hours. Since then the entire city was on edge, security measures had been placed everywhere. It was too soon for the city for another threat and the Republic City police was determined to keep everyone safe. While this was all good and well, nothing had been done about President Moon was holed up in City Hall trying; to diffuse the panic. It was the perfect opportunity for Mako; he easily bypassed the security and burst open the room of the office. The room was crammed, with both officers and other city officials. Bolin was in the heart of it all passing telegrams and the likes to Zhu Li as others answered phones, trying hard to calm the citizens. And in any other circumstance, Mako would have felt inclined to help, but not today.

Zhu Li's head rose and, her eyes made contact with Mako. He had not seen her so stressed since her days working for Varrick. Mako clenched his jaw, "Have you realized that you've failed to find the whereabouts of one of your city planners?"

But it was like he had never spoken, the only one who acknowledged him was Zhu Li's sympathetic gaze as she was given more papers to read. Mako felt his blood boil; a hand was placed on his shoulder and, the Captain of the police force gazed at Mako with a haughty expression on his face. "We are well aware of Ms. Piandao's disappearance Detective. While it is a major concern of ours, we must exhaust or resources in defending the city from these alleged attacks. We will not risk the life of our President, nor will we risk the lives of our citizens." Mako felt his muscles tense he was ready to launch himself at the detective until he felt Korra's hand on his shoulder.

It was like she had sensed the reckless behavior in Mako, but when he met her eyes they were just as determined as his. As were Asami's as she stood behind Korra her lip set in a determined line as she glared at the Captain. "While you are all willing to jeopardize the citizen's restoration we're not. I agree the police should task themselves in protecting the President, we'll find Akira." Asami said sternly, causing the Captain to gap in protest.

"B-but the Avatar should be here to…"

"Are you saying the police force isn't capable alone?" Korra asked effectively cutting the captain off. He shut his mouth with a hard snap before turning back towards the other officers, his shoulders hunched in anger. Zhu Li looked at the three of them her lips set in a hard line, her eyes were impassive before she turned to Bolin with a curt nod of her head, Bolin abandoned his papers and ran alongside his brother and friends.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go." With that the four rushed out of City Hall bypassing the security guards. As they reached Asami's car they were off, they rushed down the street not entirely sure where to go until Korra directed them to some spirit vines. "Maybe I can tap into Akira's energy." She hopped out of the car but stopped as she looked down over the bridge. "Guy's come take a look."

The three rushed from the vehicle to see a sea of green, it had to be the entire refurbished district all clad in green clothing. They walked together their fists raised above their heads in defiance and as they reached a crossroads the groups split into three smaller groups all with trucks coming in at the rear. Asami stepped closer peering down the bridge her face paler than before, "This isn't good." Asami whispered as she continued looking on.

Mako finally recognized the emblem on the truck, "Piandao industries." Mako said stiffly, as the trucks made their way further into the city."Guys I think the site seeing will have to wait." Just as Bolin had said that a group in green bounded towards them. Korra jumped into action sending an arc of fire separating her friends from the attackers.

"Asami go!" Asami leapt into action going straight for her car and putting on her chi blocking glove. Bolin and Mako leaned against one another back to back, the heat from the lava Bolin had summoned sending a red hue around them. The fight was on, the people in green lunged forward whipping Korra with metal wires (likely stolen from the police department shipment). Korra bended it in another direction before sending a blast of air at the gang members.

Asami was engaged in hand to hand combat, while Mako and Bolin fought hard. It was a flurry of elements, lava, and the slight feeling of chill in the air from the electricity of Asami's glove. The gang members were no match for them, they began retreating after a few moments much to the confusion of Team Avatar.

"Why would they just go like that?" Bolin asked dropping the form of lava he had been bending, they remained silent for a moment until Asami burst into action.

"I should have thought of it sooner, Mako the letter said we'd be silenced. They weren't focused on us because we're a distraction. They're going to kill everyone in City Hall and…maybe destroy the Future Industries factory. Every plan I have is in there". Korra turned alarmed at the new information.

"What makes you think that?" Asami sighed in annoyance, losing her temper from the loss of time. "Listen we don't have a lot of time, but Akira was developing a new weapon for the United Forces. I don't have time to go into details but it's strong enough kill everyone in that building and around it. Which makes me think, there leader is smart enough to know that we'd protect two things. President Moon…" Mako put it together realizing why Akira was a target in the first place.

"Akira's the bait, they want Asami." Asami nodded in agreement, and the air around them suddenly turned grim. They had two choices, they either protect their President or let them destroy everything. "This makes no sense, there just destroying what will help them!" Bolin said exasperated from the development.

"That doesn't matter Bolin, I think there leader lost sense a while ago. This isn't a political move, it's power. He doesn't want to purge the world of the "bad leaders", he wants to give the people only one choice in rule. He got greedy." Asami said grimly, but they were wasting enough time already it was clear what they had to do, but none of them were willing to say it.

"Listen if we all go after Akira we'll die. The answers simple, go protect the President. I'll go to the factories and help Akira; the goal was to kill Asami best to keep her away." Bolin protested at his brothers martyring but there wasn't enough time to argue. Korra looked at Mako a silent fight went on between them, Korra looked away her lips set in a hard line. "Mako's right, we have to prioritize; but you're not going alone."

Bolin nodded and clapped his brother on the shoulder. Mako nodded in thanks to Korra before turning towards his brother. "Let's go."