A stream of water wizzed past the Fire Ferret's water bender, nearly nicking her ear. There was a loud grunt from behind her when Bolin was knocked back. She should've redirected it, it was her element, but she hadn't thought fast enough. Because of her, the Fire Ferret's earthbender was pushed in zone three leaving Mako and Korra to struggle to hold their own in one. An onslaught of flames was focused at the waterbender and she flipped out of range. Just barely landing on her two feet, she was taken back when an earthen disk nailed her in the gut. She now stood with Bolin back in zone three. Three elements targeted the one remaining in the front and it before anyone could blink, Mako was pushed back into Bolin. Caught off guard, both were sent straight to the pool below.

Korra was left to hold her ground on her own. She sent wave after wave at the Buzzard Wasps, focusing on one opponent at a time. Fire was the easiest to take out first. One down. Without missing a beat, she shifted to the earthbender, pushing him back out of Fire Ferret territory and into their own with his buddy. Before she could start on the remaining obstacle, she was knocked back into the pool by her own element.

"What's wrong with you?" Mako spit out, dusting water from his hair. The trio rode the lift back to the field. Anger and defeat left a sour taste in their mouths and their faces weren't any more pleasant. "You were supposed to take care of water. We discussed this before the match!"

The Avatar narrowed her eyes at her teammate, not having the patience to deal with him. She had been out of sorts ever since the week prior. It really wasn't her fault her head wasn't completely in the game. Her mind and body were exhausted with late night raids with the Task Force. Not to mention her constant frustration with Tenzin and airbending training. If that weren't enough to completely destroy her concentration, memories of a distant past were hitting her like a freight train.

Asami. There was no way that this woman that stumbled in to her life was the same little girl from the park. The girl she had known was a shy, timid child. The shorter girl was younger than her, wasn't she? How could the most elegant and affluential woman in Republic City be the awkward little girl that would cower behind her legs?

"And that's the bell!" the announcer declared.

Korra was pulled back from her daze by the sound of the booing resonating throughout the stadium. High-strung and on edge, confused eyes darted around the crowd. The unhappy crowd did nothing to hide their dissatisfaction as they chucked their drinks over the railing. Obscene gestures we directed their way as the crowd flicked her off and yelled at the top of their lungs.

"Get a real athlete," she heard them yell, booing her without moderation. "Go back to your Tribe. You don't be long on the field."

Rage bubbled to the surface and she bit her cheek to stop her from lashing out. Bright lights dimmed the faces in the stands but did nothing to muffle their chants of distain.

It's not worth getting disqualified for, she chanted over and over in her head. Don't do anything stupid.

An eerie silence enveloped her as all sounds but her own heavy breathing stopped. Through the thick of the crowd, bright sapphires managed to focus on one person. At the upper corner of the stands there was their team manager.

Standing from her VIP seating reserved for her and her father, the heiress leaned forward over the railing watching with concern. What's going on? Asami's demeanor screamed at her. Concerned orbs focused on her team, desperately wanting to do something to help.

The distance from the field and the stands was too great to read anything off of girl's face, but she knew that she was letting her down. She was letting her team down and along with it, all the hundreds if not thousands of fans.

Korra spread her legs as she readied herself. Taking her position, she raised her arms near her face and she kept a steady gaze on her target. A wide grin spread across her face and the look of confusion on their opponents face only made it wider.

At the sound of the bell, she swung from her left, trying to catch their earthbender off guard. It had worked for one hit, but then whole swarm of Buzzard Wasps directed her assault on her.

Flame after rock was avoided but only worked for so long. She quickly ran out of jumping space and she was bombarded with all the elements. Blows to the gut sucked the air out of her. The new uniforms had been proven to be great, but what she would've done for a little extra padding at the moment. Before she knew it, Korra was standing in zone three.

"This is impossible!" Mako said after he took a hit and ended up in end zone with his teammate. All of their efforts were futile. Every time they found an upper hand, it was knocked out of them, literally.

"Aaaand the Buzzard Wasps advance to zone one of enemy territory!" the stadium echoed. Overconfident grins spread across their opponents' faces as they took a step forward. "Wowzers, you guys. What's going on with the Fire Ferrets tonight? They sure are taking a beating. Bolin has to hold his ground in zone two if- Oh and there he goes!"

Korra was still catching her breath but the Buzzards Wasps showed no mercy. Determined to proceed to zone two, Bolin was singled out until he was pushed back off the end of the platform. Their anchor was out of the ring and now Korra and Mako were left to deal with trigger-happy team.

"And there goes Mako! Down in the water to join his brother!"

The semi-finals were in a completely different league compared to the preliminaries. Korra panting hard and she needed to take a few seconds to catch her breath. The daunting team took their time as they took a step forward into Fire Ferret's zone two. Eyes grazed the audience and disappointed looks decorated their side of the stands. She desperately searched for one face.

Her intense gaze was concentrated on her, absorbed in her every move. Hands paled with the intense grip on the railing as she leaned over in anticipation.

"COME ON, KORRA! YOU CAN DO IT!" a single voice stood out among the crowd.

The corner of the bender's lips rose to form a sloppy grin. There was no way that Korra was going to let her down. She wouldn't. She couldn't. Asami had given them too much for her to mess it up here. Mako and Bolin were both riding on the competition as well. She owed to each of them.

With newfound determination, Korra calmed herself. She took three calming breaths and shifted to offence. A steady flow of water wrapped around her and with short jabs, she punched out quick spurts of water. First to go down was the waterbender. Payback.

Next in line was the earthbender. Her hits weren't hard has his but they wore down his guard. There was a pause in her assault to sidestep a few disks being flung her way, but picked it back up without hitch. The green Buzzard Wasp teetered on the heels of his feet when she shot a torrent directly at his chest. The knockback forced the player out of the ring. Without taking a second to breathe, Korra jumped back into the air, pulling a fresh flow of water with her. After pounding the remaining player into the ground, she swung her body around, forcing a strong jet of water to wipe the floor, flooding out the other team in its entirety.

"I can't believe it!" Shiro Shirobi's voice yelled over the electrified crowd. "I just can not believe it!"

Out of breath, Korra wore a full smile as she took in the excited arena around her. Too tired to even lift a hand, she collapsed back onto element worn floor if only for a moment.

"There you have it folks! The Fire Ferret's very own Avatar Korra is single-handedly carrying her team on a wave straight to the finals!"

Three rings of the bell signaled the clearing of the area and Korra knew that she needed to get off of the grounds so they could be cleaned to prep it for the next round. The mechanical rumbling signaled to her to take her leave and she stumbled off of to the waiting room.

"Stick around ladies and gents to see who the final team to advance to the finals will be. Will it be the Makapu Moose Lions or the defending champions, the White Falls Wolfbats? Well, we all know who my money is on!"

With a heavy sigh, Korra plopped herself down on the bench. "What happened out there?" Mako's voice rang sharply.

"What are you talking about?" Korra cocked an eyebrow at the boy. After stealing the victory, by herself nonetheless, she was not expecting to be greeted so unwelcomingly.

"You were all over the place!" he shouted.

"Excuse me!" Korra exclaimed, jumping to her feet. She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. Her expression in a pout, she would not take his admonition sitting down.

"Oh, come on, Bro. Korra saved our butts out there!" Bolin pushed his way into the conversation, trying to play peacekeeper.

"Yeah, Bro. I basically carried your deadweight to finals," she spat. Even standing at full height, she was nowhere near to eyelevel with the firebender. Just because she was small didn't mean she was going to roll over and play good.

"We can't expect the win the championships if you continue to play like you did tonight," the captain chided.

"What? You mean winning? Sure doesn't seem like something you were doing today," she snarled at him.

"I mean, missing targets and tripping on your own feet!" he stated.

"I didn't see you doing anything out there!" she spat back, stepping closer to his face.

"Guys, guys. This is not how a team should behave. We can work something out," Bolin said as he pushed his teammates apart.

"You'll have an extra hour of practice every day until the finals" Mako declared with finality. There was no room for discussion.

"And just who do you think you are?" Korra asked, jamming her finger into his chest. Even if she were willing to come to extra practices, it wasn't like she really had the time to spare.

Sharp eyebrows furrowed as Mako took a step forward. It was clear he didn't like it when he wasn't in control of a conversation. Just as he was about to voice his opinion, the door swung open with a bang.

"Great job!" Asami flew in and wrapped her arms around Mako's shoulders and in turn pushing the two hostile players apart. Despite her grand entrance, no one seemed phased.

The room was buzzing with tension and it didn't go unnoticed by the heiress. With the way they were playing, she knew that there had to be a reason. She needed the team to be on their game for the finals, she had a lot riding on them.

She tried her hand at easing the team into neutral ground and lightening up the mood. Keeping her arms wrapped around Mako's form, the team manager turned to their star player.

"What a comeback, Korra," Asami said with a wide grin, not in the least be insincere. "I've never seen a hat trick like that."

Even though she was fuming, Korra's face lost all hostility. Both brows rose to her hairline, genuinely taken aback by the compliment. It took a moment to shake off her surprise but she finally found herself able to talk again. "Thanks," she said as she took a few steps closer to her friend. "But, if it hadn't been for you and your father, we wouldn't have had the chance to play. So, thank you."

Bolin sat on the bench as he tried to follow along. Asami's arrival had changed both Mako's and Korra's attitude completely and he was about to point it out their strange behavior. Just as he moved to speak his mind he let out a sharp hiss instead.

"You know, I'd hate to break up the little love fest going on in here, but I could use a little help here."

Korra tore her attention from the girl and made her way over to the injured boy. Asami couldn't help but watch curiously over her shoulder as Mako led her away.

"That no good, self-righteous son-of a-" Korra yelled, letting off steam. Bursts of water were directed at pictures of the Fire Ferret's team captain. "Who does he think he is? Telling me to practice harder. Who does he think won the game?!"

Streams of water became shards of ice as she lost concentration. Even though the firebender's picture was in complete shreds on the floor, the onslaught continued at a now invisible target. Pent up rage started flowing out of her body and the nearby heavy disks were added into the mix. A few minutes later, she ended with a strong fire combo to finish the job.

"I think you got it," a voice sang out from the doorway.

Leaning her hip against the doorframe, Asami stood with her arms crossed in front of her chest. A small smirk was visible beneath those painted lips and she held her position for a moment before stepping into the practice room. The usual stuffiness in the room was amplified with a combination of Korra's workout and her little finale.

"Where are the boys?" she asked.

Korra wiped her brow, flinging sweat onto the ground without care. She was still trying to catch her breath as she spoke. "Apparently I'm the only one that needs extra practice."

"Even though you're the reason they won the last game?" Asami asked bemused.

"That's what I said!" Korra exclaimed as she roundhouse kicked a nearby punching bag. Without meaning to, she had set the case aflame and quickly doused it with the water from the nearby bucket. "This is ridiculous. An extra hour a day? I don't have time for this!

"Tenzin is on my case nonstop, Tarrlock thinks the equalists are planning something big, and the only timeslot open for the gym was at 9! Who is up at this ungodly hour?" Korra expressed. Each statement had extra punch as took a few hard jabs at the bag.

"Whoa, whoa, settle down there, tigerdillo" Asami said as she rest her arm on Korra's bicep. She gave the tense muscle a squeeze and tugged her away from the bag before she tore a hole in it.

Korra stood her ground as determined eyes stared down the mustard yellow bag. It was only after a few firm tugs that she allowed herself to be guided away. Her gaze never once left and silently swore to get back it later, as if it had personally offended her.

When her view was blocked, her attention shifted to the taller girl. She fell onto the nearby bench and her body slumped in defeat. "Speaking of which, why are you here so early?" she asked once her pulse returned to normal.

She graciously took the clean towel handed to her and wiped her face dry. It had seemed that Asami was completely unfazed by the stench of the gym; she had spent enough time with the trio become immune. Even so, it was unnerving for Korra to be covered in dirt and grime while standing next to someone so pristine like Asami Sato.

"I had some business to take care of," she responded. Without a thought, the team manager grabbed Korra's water bottle and tossed it at athlete.

"At this hour?" she asked after she downed the bottle. "Do you ever rest?"

"Would you even believe me if I said yes?" Asami said, her voice light with mirth and took a seat next to the exhausted waterbender.

"You're right. I wouldn't," Korra shook her head. "Man, it sucks to be you."

Running a hand through her bangs, for the briefest moment, Asami let her business demeanor drop. With a heavy breath, her shoulders slumped and her eyes gave a look of defeat. A set daily routine helped her plow through long days and made it easier to deal with the sleep deficiency, but it was more of her strength of will that made her push herself so hard. Fatigue was starting to settle on her face and it wasn't something that she enjoyed. She was worn.

"You get used to it," her answer was short.

And it was a fact. Korra knew that Asami was an important figure in Republic City. It wasn't odd that she had to make appearances at galas or show up for meetings as the manager of the Fire Ferrets or whatever she had found to do in her free time. That was a life that Korra would have to get accustomed to. There were meetings to attend, criminals to apprehend, Equalists to defeat, games to win; the list was endless.

"That sucks," Korra said with a pout.

"It does," Asami said, dismissing it with a shrug. You have to work hard for things you find important.

Asami slapped her hand on Korra's thigh before hoisting herself up. "Get cleaned up. I'm hungry and I'm feeling a bit generous today. I've decided to take you out for some food."

With a playful smile, Asami offered her hand to pull Korra and a sturdy grip took ahold. Just as Korra was about to take her up on that offer, a realization hit her. "Wait, isn't it kind of early for lunch?"

"Well, it's a perfect time for brunch," Asami dismissed with a shrug not seeing what the big deal was.

"Wh- What is a brunch?" the word sounds odd coming from unfamiliar lips.

"Oh, you know, the meal between breakfast and lunch?" a perfectly groomed eyebrow questioned.

"Wait, did you just make that word up? How many meals do you city folk eat?" Korra asked. She couldn't tell if the other girl was pulling her leg or being serious.

"Look, do you want to get food or not?" she offered as politely as she could at this point.

"Well... I was kind of hoping you'd be willing to spar with me for a bit," Korra said as she hopped from foot to foot.

"Not today, Korra. Maybe some other time," Asami dismissed half-heartedly.

There was an odd air of silence and it confused the heiress. Slowly, the ends of Korra's mouth curled into a grin. "You're scared."

"I am not scared. It's just too early in the morning," Asami scoffed. "Also, it's disgusting in here."

"Whatever you say," Korra singsonged "Princess."

"Do not call me that," Asami narrowed her eyes at the girl.

"Or what? You're going to kick my ass?" Korra shrugged carelessly. With her over turned hand she signaled her to come, goading the Equalist. "Bring it."

"I'm not going to fall for your silly mind games, Korra."

"Admit it, you're terrified." Muscular arms crossed in front of Korra's chest and she made no attempts at modesty. She was purposely flexing and a smug grin crossed her face when she noticed the small hiccup in Asami's comebacks.

"No," Asami coughed and gathered herself. "I'm hungry."

There was a brief moment were urbanite debated about educating the girl about the word hangry or at least demonstrating it, but she decided that she had confused naive foreigner enough for one day. "Tell you what, you can either join me or continue to beat up that bag over there."

"No, wait! I'm coming!" Korra called back as Asami turned to walk away. Taking the near by pail, Korra doused herself in water. Bright baby blues peered through the curtain of hair and she tilted her head in question at the odd look she was receiving. She shrugged her shoulders, not really caring, and shook her body. Water droplets flew in every direction.

"Ready!" Korra grinned.

After her little daze, Asami snapped back to the present and shook her arm to rid it of the spray. "Let me guess, you learned that from Naga?" she asked with a laugh.

"What? It was better than having you wait for me to shower," Korra explained with a pout. "Or, would you rather me smell like a pentapox left out in the sun?"

"Alright, alright," Asami shook her head in defeat; amusement rang in her voice. "Let's get going, pup."

"Don't call me that."

"You sure you want to eat here?" Asami asked skeptically.

After a short debate about where they should eat, Asami agreed to let Korra choose the venue. When Korra had asked if she could choose anywhere, Asami had assumed she as worried about the price range. Needless to say, she was shocked when they walked down a dank alleyway to a small hole-in-the wall restaurant.

"Avatar Korra! It's an honor to see you again!" a booming voice greeted as the pair watched through the hanging partition. The bull of a man placed two glasses of water on the table and dark blue eyes scanned his patrons. "And, if it isn't Future Industries' Miss Sato. What brings you two here today?"

Korra leapt to her feet at the sight of his mug and the second she did, she was pulled into a polar bear dog of a hug. Strong arms squeezed her tightly and she went limp before she was finally released back onto her feet. "Well, I thought I'd show Miss Sato here the best Water Tribe grub Republic City has to offer."

"Ha," the man bellowed and clapped the bender on the back propelling her forward. The wind was knocked out of her lungs throws Korra into a coughing fit. "A pretty words aren't going to get you and your team out of trouble. Last time you were here, you nearly destroyed the place!"

"It wasn't me!" Korra exclaimed. "To be fair, it was the other customers that tried to get us drunk."

As the two exchanged pleasantries, Asami quietly observed. There weren't many incidents that she had seen the Avatar interact with civilians but had seemed that she got along with almost everyone; as long as they weren't persons of authority, that is.

"Let me guess, seaweed noodles and lychee juice?" the man asked.

"Oh man, I don't want to be predicable," Korra frowned a bit and her faced scrunched as she thought.

"Something new today?"

After a small pause, she gave in and ordered her usual. Not knowing much about Water Tribe cuisine, Asami decided to do the same.

"So, you come here often, I take it" Asami said once their orders were placed.

"Once in a while. Whenever I miss home or just want some real food," Korra explained. "No offence to Pema."

Light laughter filled the air. "I'm sure she understands. A meat-free diet isn't for everyone."

"Tell me about it! Where is the artic hen? The pickled fish? Oh man, I would kill for some five-flavor soup!"

There was a pause in the conversation. Ice clinked around in the glass as it melted and there was a gentle waft coming from the kitchen. There were no other patrons in the restaurant and only a faint arguing could be heard from the owners.

"You must really miss home," Asami said, breaking their silence.

"A bit," Korra said trying to shrug it off. Her finger traced patterns her glass, using it as a distraction. "It's all I knew my whole life until moving here. Just- Just a lot of good memories, you know?"

It was hard for Asami to imagine that feeling. She was never one to be longing for the days of her childhood, nor was she sentimentally attached to her culture.

In terms of the world, Republic City was a newborn. The history didn't date back much further than her own and it had no real traditional culture to call its own. For as long as she knew, Republic City was the melting pot of cultures. Sure, it had it's own way of doing things and it could be a mess sometimes, but it sprinkled with all the cultures that the peoples had brought with them. Everything from the music to public affairs had its roots in all four major cultures. There was no singular culture she could call her own.

"There was one horrible winter," Korra reminisced, calling Asami's attention. "It was so cold, even the animals wouldn't come out. The only animal that was stupid enough to show their faces were seals. We had the same meal for three months."

Nostalgia filled the air as Korra kept her gaze on the beads of sweat on her water glass. Asami listened with rapt attention. "What we didn't eat right away, we would hang up to dry, just in case the following hunt didn't go well.

"As the weather got worse, hunting got harder. The jerky really saved us then. But, every night, there would be at least a pound of the stuff missing. My dad was got so mad. He set up a dozen or so traps, but whatever it was, it would somehow slip between them. One night, he decided to just steak it out. He waited outside, and it was well below freezing, and I woke up when I heard a sharp howl."

Korra took a sip of her water taking a break from the story. Asami leaned forward and rested her chin on a palm, patiently waiting for the story to continue.

"I mean, I was excited to see what dad had caught, too. I begged him to let me stay up with him, but my mom some how tricked me into bed so I ran outside, hoping that it was a wolf or a polar leopard or something mean and vicious and exciting, but, it wasn't. Dad's spear was sticking out of a baby polar bear's side."

"Naga," Asami whispered out loud. Enraptured by the story, bright green eyes urged Korra to go on.

"Right. Naga." Korra continued. "I remember Dad was so excited, he ran up to her and carried her into the house. We hadn't had anything but seal for weeks and, even though people normally don't eat polar bear dogs, it wasn't unheard of. Oh man, she was in so much pain. She cried with every step he took. It was such a horrible sight. Her little eyes were begging me to save her. I couldn't do anything but cry. He wanted to just end her suffering but I wouldn't let him. I was probably crying louder than she was.

"In the end, I somehow convinced them to let me keep her. You wouldn't believe how much trouble she got me in for the first couple of years," Korra laughed as she recalled all their shenanigans. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Bright red lips curled into a gentle smile as Asami admired Korra's warm heart. As if it were contagious, the other girl smiled right back.

She was a great person. If she weren't a bender, she probably would've made a great leader too. Asami's smile dropped. She wasn't her friend. She wasn't a good person. She was the main obstacle in their cause.

"Two lychee juices and two bowls of our famous homemade seaweed noodles for the lovely ladies," the owner said with a toothy smile. They food was placed in front of them and the soup sloshed over the rim. A surprised look crossed Korra's face and she quickly bent the liquid before it could hit the table.

The country girl hadn't realized how long her story turned out to be. She didn't often talk about herself; no one really seemed to be interested. But it was different with Asami. She just felt comfortable around her. The girl didn't pester her about politics or bending. She didn't want to only talk about sports or training. She showed almost no interest in that aspect of her life. Asami allowed her to be more than just the Avatar.

And there was so much that Korra wanted to say to her. Thirteen years was a long time. She wanted to update her about all the things that happened and reminisce about things they had done when they were younger. There was so much she wanted to know. The short, little, chubby girl that was bullied sure had grown into herself. Beautifully, she might've added.

But first, food.

Korra split her chopsticks and grabbed a generous helping. She stuffed her face with food and slurped the noodles. Broth flew from the whipping strands as she pulled it into her mouth but she couldn't care less.

"Alright, alright. So, tell me something about you when you were a kid," she asked with her cheeks stuffed with food.

"There's nothing really to tell. It was pretty normal," Asami dismissed with an unconcerned shrug.

"Oh come on, your life couldn't always have been this perfect."

If someone had dropped a pin in that moment, you'd be able to hear it. As soon as the words left her mouth, Korra regretted it. If this Asami was the same Asami from her park, she already knew that her life was anything but. To her surprise, Asami didn't seem in the slightest bit surprised question.

With an indifferent shrug, Asami dismissed the presumption. It wasn't as if it was the first time people jumped to that conclusion.

"What can I say? My dad worked a lot. From about 10, I went to a boarding school for girls in Northern Republic City and I came back at sixteen. Since then, I've been working with my dad at the company." Asami explained unconcerned. She followed Korra's lead and broke her chopsticks. She took a small, dainty bite and was overwhelmed by the richness.

Afraid to ask, Korra swallowed her food and asked cautiously. "And your mom?"

Taking a moment, Asami sipped her juice from the straw. Korra waited anxiously and within the time it took Asami to put her glass down, she regretted asking.

"She died. When I was really young."

Korra's heart dropped and the sight of her food disgusted her.

Korra recalled how the two of them loved to cause trouble for the woman. They would hide when it came time for Asami to go home, running in and out of the jungle gym as she chased after them. Or, there were times when they would purposely mess the girl's hair up, just for her to give them an exhausted sigh and start combing through it again. There was one time when Asami ripped her dress and her mom got so mad, she even scolded Korra.

Despite all of that, there was nothing but love in her eyes. Asami's admiration and Korra's respect were nothing but genuine.

"I don't remember much, but-" Asami's continued. For a split second the mood shifted from somber to livid. Sharp green eyes shot daggers at the girl and Korra didn't recognize her. But as soon as it came, it left. Her face relaxed and she composed herself quickly. The sentence was never finished and the only thing Korra could do was to give her condolences. The taboo subject was dropped and the conversation went off in tangents.

Long after the meal was finished, their corner continued to be full of laughter. "Pema was so mad. Meelo wasn't allowed to play outside for days!" Korra recalled as she told stories about Air Temple Island.

"Mud pies aren't exactly things high on my list for things I want to eat either," Asami chuckled.

Asami realized the time when the lunch crowd started to shuffle in. Two hours. They had wasted two hours just sitting in the stuffy restaurant as they exchanged stories of their past. Two hours of laughing until their sides hurt.

Two hours that Asami had set aside to upgrade her electric glove for the bust later that night. Two hours sitting across from her greatest enemy.

It was two hours of forgetting who they were and where they were. Even if it was only for a moment, she had forgotten where they stood; two people on opposite sides of an ongoing war. It was times like that that Asami forgot it was all just make believe.

There was a mole among the Equalists. No official announcement had been made and only a select handful of people knew what was in store for the pro-bending finals. Yet, there was no doubt that information was being leaked.

The first clue was when Asami noticed that a few of their gloves were missing. They were standard issue and handed out to any person on a mission, but one day they came up short. Thinking it was a miscalculation she had let it slide. Until it happened again.

The second clue was when she started noticing an influx of security in and around the stadium. Even when there weren't any matches, at least a dozen or so Republic City officers patrolled the halls. It was no coincidence.

Suspicion went around the ranks, each person eager to blame another. With so much on the line and the finals approaching in a less than a week, Asami knew she needed to flush out the traitor and fast.

She set a rumor into circulation. The rumor was that gloves have been upgraded to send shock after shock without any recharge delay. Although she would have loved to actually create such a weapon, she didn't have the time nor did she think it were possible for something so compact to carry so much power. The rumor spread like wildfire and her plan had worked.

Dressed in uniform, she hid behind crates in the stock room for the perpetrator to move into action. Eyes widened when she caught sight of whom she would be up against.

"You're not supposed to be here," she stated, giving away her presence without revealing her position. The wiry-framed man whipped around looking for a body to match to the voice. He raised both hands to his face, taking a defensive stance. "You know that Amon won't allow you to leave."

Eyes narrowed as they searched through the darkness. There was no use in hiding her identity; Asami knew that her voice was a dead giveaway. The teen took off her mask and took a deep breath, preparing herself for a battle that she was not entirely sure she could win.

Lanky arms unfastened two rods from his back and the air popped as electricity flowed through it. The room was illuminated blue light, making it hard for tired eyes to focus.

"You don't want to mess with me, little girl," the voice threatened. In spite of the situation, is voice was still painfully haughty.

"I don't think you know who you're dealing with, Lieutenant."

The Lieutenant was a smart man. He did not earn his rank and position as Amon's right-hand man by just watching from the sidelines. He was deceptive and skillful. He was a master of his kali sticks and Asami needed to be on the top of her game. The choices were either get the pulsing weapons away from him or find some other way to get an upper hand.

Calm and collected, Asami slipped on a nearby glove. She waited before turning it on; any light would give away her position and she couldn't risk that yet. The soft clicking from the as it turned to 0.09 amperes resonated in the hollow room. Sharp eyes darted around as he tried to pinpoint the sound. She watched as he circled in his spot, his eyes searching the darkness for his opponent.

Once his back turned towards her, Asami leapt from her spot. Her leg jutted out as she crouched on the ground, sweeping across the smooth surface of the storage room. She was successful in getting him on his back and she quickly stood at full height. A heavy foot fell, aimed at the man's chest but he was too quick for her. He released one of the batons just in time to push himself way from the attack. Before she knew it, the Lieutenant had recovered without a hitch and was charging at her at full speed.

She had missed her chance; she no longer had the element of surprise.

Long hair fried as electricity from the baton swipes too close for comfort. She was at a disadvantage for speed and if she couldn't end the fight soon, it wouldn't end well at all. The elder man crouched downwards and Asami had leapt up on reaction. She was expecting an attack to her lower body but when none came, she realized the situation was much worse. A creepily thin smile spread across his face as he sauntered over, both hands now radiating with potential pain.

Without time to think, she ducked under his baton. Wrapping his forearm under her armpit, she twisted her body and threw him off of his center of balance. She didn't let go and with her free hand, jammed it into his shoulder. A loud pop let her know that the arm was useless for now. Finally, they were a bit more evenly matched.

As the Lieutenant recovered his footing, Asami made sure to turn on her glove. There was no way she would get a clear shot of his chest as long as he still had the his other stick. She studied his movements carefully, looking for an opening or a pattern of some sort.

Every 5th swing he throws his weight, she realized. Even if it were for only a split second, he was unguarded and left himself open for attack.

One, she ducked under his swipe. Two, she blocked his backhand. Three, she back flipped out of range. Four, she narrowly stepped out of the way. After narrowly avoiding a powerful swing at her chest, Asami gripped his arm and threw him face first into the wall. Cries echoed throughout the room as she jammed her powered glove straight into the generator on his back.

He was out cold.

Sweat dotted her forehead and she tossed the glove down on the motionless body. Just as she was about to take a second to catch her breath, she jumped back into defense at the sound of a slow clap.

"Very impressive," the detached voiced came.

Asami was too exhausted to be irritated and dropped her arms to her side. "I found your mole."

"I can see that," he spoke. If he was surprised, he didn't let anything slip from his mask. His voice was a cold and emotionless as ever. The only sign of annoyance that he showed was kicking the felled man with his boot.

"Dispose of him," he instructed.

Wide eyes shot up. Unsure if she had heard corrected she asked him to repeat himself.

"You know what we do with traitors. I will not stand for this to happen twice," he moved towards her. He stood tall as he looked down to her eyes. "Dispose of him."

Murdering people is not what Asami had signed up for when she gave her alliance. Of course she knew of the movement's underground and dubious ways, but she had never thought that it would be her job.

A heavy glove hit her chest, not realizing that Amon had moved away and handed her her prototype weapon. "With your new adjustments, it should be quick. At 0.8 amps, he shouldn't be able to get up again."

When Asami didn't move to pick up the glove again, the leader made his way over to her. The sound of each step felt as if she was the one walking down death row.

"I hope you're not thinking of joining him, Ms. Sato," he spoke as he handed her the glove one last time.

Her hands couldn't still as she tried to slip her hand back in. Sweaty palms made it hard to get her fingers in properly. Since Asami wasn't moving fast enough for his liking, Amon took it on himself to adjust the glove. A strong grip tugged to girl and readied it at the unconscious body.

There was a sharp taste of iron as she bit her lip and a sole tear rolled down her painted face.

She would never forget the pained screams as she took a man's life.

A/N: Okay, I got this one up a lot quicker than the last! I hope you like it. I needed to get it up tonight because I'm going to be pretty busy for the next couple of weeks. I'm not sure when I'll get the next chapter up, but I'll get it as quickly as possible. It's also the reason that the end might seem a little less thorough and lackluster. I didn't have time to check through this more than so I hope there aren't monstrous typos!

Also, thank you all for your wonderful support! I was overwhelmed by all of your comments and I'll get back to them when I have time sometime tomorrow! You guys are honestly the best! I couldn't wait to write more. I hope that this chapter is to your liking. There was so much more that I wanted to cover but because time restraints and the length that this at already, I decided to end it here.

As always, comments are always appreciated! Stay awesome!