Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. I tried something a little different this time around, switching back and forth between third person and Ryou's point of view. Let's see how that turned out. On with the chapter:

Tenzin hurried through the halls of the hospital, following the directions he had been given by a nurse sitting at the front desk. Earlier he had received a phone call from Korra. The young woman had explained in a rather strained voice what had happened, where they were, and that he needed to come immediately. He'd wasted no time, getting there as quickly as he could.

As he rounded a corner, the airbending master spied Korra, along with Lin and a few metalbending officers all standing around a door. The Chief of Police had her arms crossed, while Korra was looking at the floor between her boots.

"I want the truth, Avatar. Has he killed before or not?" Lin asked as he approached.

"I've already told you everything," Korra replied weakly. It was evident that she was tired and drained after the night's events.

"What's going on?" Tenzin asked.

"I was just asking the Avatar a few questions about her boyfriend," Lin answered.

"He's not my boyfriend," she weakly defended, but this seemed to fall on deaf ears.

"Why are you here, Lin?"

"Protocol dictates that when someone is brought in sustaining injuries such as these, the police must investigate," Lin said.

"And how does this lead to you questioning Korra about Ryou?"

"Because this wasn't some random mugging that went sideways, Tenzin. Ryou was attacked by an assassin, a professional at that. I need to know what I'm dealing with here if I'm going to keep more bodies from hitting the ground," Lin said.

"Master Ryou has many years of defense experience and training. I am confident that he will be able to handle himself," Tenzin said. The two women shared a look.

"You didn't tell him," Lin said.

"I thought it was best he saw for himself," Korra replied.

"Tell me what?"

"Ryou was blinded during the attack. The doctors say there is a good chance he may never see again," Lin explained. At that moment, the door opened and a man with a receding hair line and spectacles stepped out. He looked at the others before focusing his attention on Korra.

"I've done all I can for your friend. We won't know for certain about his sight until his wounds heal, but he's young and fit, so there is a chance," he said.

"Thank you, Doctor," Korra said. The doctor nodded before heading off. Korra watched him go before taking a breath. She opened the door and slipped into the room. Ryou was sitting upright on the edge of an examination table, and she paused for a moment to study him. His dark hair had grown out some during the past couple of months, as had the facial hair on his jawline and chin. The most noticeable new thing was the set of white bandages that were wrapped around his head, covering his eyes.

"Let me guess, this is the part where you give me a lecture about the dangers of running with scissors," he said. She smiled at that, at least he hadn't lost his sense of humor.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, walking forward so that she was just in front of him.

"Aggravated, mainly. I made a rookie mistake and let my guard down," he said.

"And the fact that you can't see."

"Well that goes without saying."

"So what did they say?" she asked as she took his head in her hands and tilted it one way and then the other, looking over the bandage work that had been done.

"About a week or so with the bandages and healing sessions, and then we go from there," he replied.

"They're gonna make you come back here for daily healing sessions?" she asked.

"No. I told them I know a decent healer who could handle the job," he answered with a grin. At that moment, Lin and Tenzin walked into the room. Ryou seemed to perk up as they crossed the threshold into the room.

"Lin and Tenzin, so glad you could join us," he said. The two looked at each other before looking back at him.

"How did..."

"I smell metal, oil and sandalwood. And frankly you two are the only metal and airbenders who would bother to come see me," Ryou explained.

"Ah," Tenzin said, unsure of why he expected anything else.

"So to what do I owe the pleasure, Lin?" Ryou asked, ignoring the airbending master and focusing on the Chief of Police.

"I got a body count of seven, all of them by sword, and then I turn around and hear that you've been admitted to a hospital after being injured by a sword. Why do you think I'm here," Lin deadpanned as she folded her arms. Ryou sighed.

"Takeko is who your looking for. She's a former Fire Nation agent acting as an agent for Amon," he explained.

"Wait, Agents haven't been active since the War," Tenzin said.

"And can anyone figure out why this is significant? Winner gets a prize," Ryou said.

"Are you saying that this woman is like you?" Lin asked.

"Ding ding ding, kids we have a winner." The metalbender pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Great. As if we didn't have enough problems."

"There's something else," Ryou said, turning serious, "Takeko doesn't directly work for Amon. She's on loan to him. Someone else is pulling stings here."

"Perhaps we can get that information out of her when we catch her," Lin said. Ryou turned his head away slightly. He didn't seem as optimistic as she did.

Time passed quickly for me after I was released from the hospital. It took a little bit, but I was able to adjust to being blind. Sleeping became a pain in the ass, as my body could no longer tell the difference between night and day. There was also the little things, like banging my feet against every single piece of furniture on the Island, or running into door frames because I misjudged where the door was. However, by the end of the week my other senses had adapted to the point that I was at least able to walk around without hitting anything anymore.

Everyday it was the same. Wake up, change bandages, have a healing session with Korra, and then spend the rest of the day trying to adapt. I was confined to the Island for the time being thanks to doctor's orders. And by doctor, I mean Korra. She really took charge of my recovery. To everyone else, it was to insure that my eyes healed properly, and that I didn't walk off a cliff. Between her and me, it was an excuse for us to spend time with each other.

It was the morning of the Finals when the bandages came off for the last time. I was sitting in my room, waiting as Korra slowly unwound the bandages from around my head. Feeling the last I them fall away, I opened my eyes, only to feel my heart sink. Instead of Korra's bright smile, all I saw was darkness.

My sight was gone.

"How do they look?" I asked, the disappointment showing in my voice.

"Your eyes are a murky gray color now," she answered. I cocked my head at her.

"You sound disappointed at that," I noted.

"I am. I really liked the color of your eyes the way they were," she said.

"What color were they?" I asked, deciding to test her.

"Hazel, a bright mixture of brown and green," she answered instantly. I gave her a smile, and felt her hand appear on my cheek.

"It's a shame. They look so...dead now. Like the eyes of a ghost," she said.

"I'm not dead yet," I reassured, taking her hand in mine. She gave a yelp of surprise when I pulled her down into my lap and began to kiss her. At first, she was a little stiff as she grasped the situation. Then, she melted into me, and our kissing grew in heat. I used my hand to trace over her cheeks and jaw line, using touch in place of sight to memorize her features. She didn't seem to mind as she gave a hum of approval.

Korra let out a gasp as I broke from her lips and traveled down her jaw to her neck. She wrapped her arms around my head as I gently kissed at the sensitive spots.

"Ryou," she whined softly.

"Do you want me to stop?"

"No, but I have to get to practice," she explained as she pulled away. As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. Tonight was the Finals, and that meant she and her team needed every once of practice they could get.

"You're right. But we're picking up where we left off, later," I said. Her lips appeared on mine again.

"Oh trust me, I'm counting on it," she said before taking off again. This was as far as our relationship had gone physically. Granted, we'd only been together for about two weeks, and half of that was spent dealing with me going blind and what not, so we really hadn't had a chance to talk about it. The question was, just how far were we willing to take it?

Korra was young and inexperienced. I wasn't sure what her boundaries were, and I was sure she didn't know either. We'd just barely begun to scratch that surface. I, on the other hand, had two different bloodlines of direct descendants. Let's just say I've done this a time or two before. One thing I had learned over the years was patience. Korra would be ready when she was ready, and it was best not to rush her.

I spent the rest of the day mainly hanging around the Island, trying to stay out of other peoples' way. Heading into the city on my own still wasn't an option yet, but I was able to walk around outside on my own so that was an improvement. After getting my hands on a walking stick to help out with my walking, I started doing laps around the Island, if anything to stave off the boredom.

It was on my third lap that I noticed Jinora's laughter. Ordinary I would have ignored it and just kept going, but there was something about it that caught my attention. From the sounds of things, it was like she was playing with a friend. The reason this struck me as odd was because her siblings were on the other side of the Island, and the girl didn't have many friends from off the Island to begin with.

Curious, I began to follow the sounds of laughter. As I drew closer, I felt the Mark on my hand begin to itch. I had learned long ago that this only happened when there was a Spirit nearby. Jinora may have been young, but she wasn't foolish by any stretch. She could probably recognize a Spirit that meant harm with ease. If she was laughing like this, that meant she wasn't in any danger, so I remained relaxed.

"Jinora?"

"Oh, Master Ryou. I didn't see you there," came the reply. She sounded like she was standing a little off to my left. I turned my head toward the sound of her voice.

"Who are you playing with?"

"Um...no one," she said. I sent a patient smile her way.

"It is not wise to lie to an elder, Little One. Go on, tell me, who were you playing with?" I asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she said, sounding a little down. I got the feeling that she had been down this road before.

"You forget, you are speaking to man who has walked this earth since long before the modern world was even a dream. Go on, try me," I challenged.

"Well, I can...I can see Spirits," she said. This wasn't the first time I had encountered someone who could see Spirits. Many sages and wise men had the ability, and in the old days it was fairly common among the Air Nomads. I felt a tingle in my Mark again, as if to indicate that there was something over it, but not touching it.

"Are there any around us now?" I asked.

"One. He's looking at your hand," Jinora answered. That confirmed it.

"You have a very strong Spiritual connection, Little One. That is a rare thing, these days."

"Wait, you've encountered people like me before?"

"Oh yes. In the days of old, it was quite common among the Air Nomads. Sadly, as the world has modernized, the Spirits seem to shy away from us," I said.

"That's so sad. Humans and Spirits could learn so much from each other."

"Perhaps. We are much alike. But humans are also capable of great destruction upon themselves and those around them. I think it is best that we remain separate," I said.

"But, that doesn't seem like a proper solution."

"No. But it has insured the survival of both sides for thousands of years," I said. "There is both good and bad in all things, Little One. Remember that."

"I..I'll remember."

"Have you told your father about this?" I asked.

"No. He'll think I'm just playing," she replied. I reached out and patted her on the head.

"Somehow I doubt that. The future of the airbenders resides with you and your siblings. And they will need your gift. You don't have to tell him now, but promise that you will at some point."

"I will," she promised.

I didn't end up going to the Finals as I wasn't recovered enough, not that it would have done me any good anyway. All I would have accomplished would have been sitting in the stands listening to the crowds shout. Instead I sat on Air Temple Island, listening to the live radio broadcast. Which means that I heard every little bit of the Equalist attack.

I was furious for not being able to be there and help Korra. But I wasn't foolish enough to think that I could have made a difference, not in my current state anyway. Besides, from what I heard, Korra and Lin handled the situation fairly well, even if Amon managed to escape. However, this started a whole new host of problems.

Aside from the fact that the Pro Bending season was now over, and the Arena had suffered damage in the attack, Mako and Bolin were now effectively homeless. Korra managed to convince Tenzin to offer the brothers a place to stay on Air Temple Island, and when he agreed she was so excited to tell them that she ran off without a second thought.

When she came back a short while later, I was outside practicing adapting my sword skills to my new situation. It took concentration and practice, but after a few hours of trying I was able to slice bits of fruit out of the air with almost the same skill I had when I could see. The breeze shifted slightly, and I caught the crunch of boots on the snow along with the sweet scent of a lily. Korra didn't wear perfume, but now that I was relying on my other senses I could smell her shampoo a mile off.

"How did it go?" I asked as I allowed my blade to telescope back into the hilt.

"Asami beat me to the punch. Mako and Bolin are gonna live with her at the Sato Estate," she huffed.

"Is that really a bad thing?" I asked as I reattached the hilt to my belt and picked up my stick.

"No. But I spent a lot of time convincing Tenzin to let them stay here, and now all that was done for nothing."

"Did Asami bar you from going to see them at her place?"

"No. In fact she invited me over there tomorrow. Both of us, in fact," she answered.

"Why would she invite me if she hasn't even been properly introduced to me?" I asked.

"Technically she invited me, and said I could bring along a plus one if I wanted."

"Ah."

"So are you gonna come with me?" she asked.

"Might as well," I said with a shrug. I was going insane with cabin fever, and frankly passing up the chance to visit the Estate of one of the wealthiest families in the country if not on the planet wasn't something I was going to do.

"I don't know if I'm gonna like this," she grumbled. I smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You never know unless you give something a chance."

The Sato Estate was huge. And I'm just talking about the house, not the lands surrounding it. Being situated on a mountainside just beyond the edge of the city, the place was large enough that we had to take a car just to get up the driveway. There's money, and then there's too much money. When you're yard is large enough for you to be the governor of your own providence, you fall into the latter category.

The actual mansion itself was huge. I could tell that just by listening to the wind blowing around the damn thing. When we got inside, we were greeted by a butler who took our jackets and led us into a pool room where the others were. I could hear someone splashing in the pool, as well as a waterfall. I had to admit, even though I couldn't actually see anything, I was still impressed. I'd been in royal palaces that weren't this nice.

"Korra, I'm glad you could make it. Who's your friend?" Asami asked. I turned my head toward the sound of her voice. At least now I knew where she, and judging by the splashing and sound of water moving around, I had an idea of where the brothers were as well.

"Asami, this is Ryou. Ryou, this is Asami Sato," Korra introduced. I bowed lightly in the direction of the heiress.

"Hello."

"Charmed," she replied. An awkward silence fell immediately after that, and I got the sense that something was going on I couldn't see.

"Um...Asami, he's blind," Korra said.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I was holding out my hand to shake," Asami explained.

"Ah. Don't worry yourself too much, think nothing of it," I said as I held my hand out, which she shook. There was something odd about the heiress' hand. It wasn't soft like the kind of hand belonging to someone who was use to a life of luxury. They were calloused and worn, yet still retaining their femininity. These were the hands that belonged to a young woman who liked to tinker and spin a wrench.

"Wait, when did that happen?" Mako asked.

"Last week. There was a mugging that went bad. It's why I wasn't at the Finals," I answered.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Bolin asked. I narrowed my eyes and turned my head in Korra's direction.

"Hit him, please."

"Yeah, I'm not gonna do that. So Asami, what are we gonna do today? Let me guess, a makeover?"

"If you want. But I have something a little more exciting in mind," the heiress answered. Something about the way she spoke told me I wasn't gonna quite like what she had in mind. And I was right. It turns out Asami's version of exciting was to race satomobiles. Which, I'll admit, I would have found exciting, if I could have actually seen the race. Instead all I heard was the squeal of tires and the roar of the engines. It was impossible to tell who was winning or losing at any given time.

But there was a perk to be gained out of it. Korra quickly dropped the preconceived notion she had about Asami. Pampered and rich beyond compare? Yes. But certainly not weak or dainty, not by a long shot. Something told me that this girl was as tough as nails, and would have no problem living without daddy's money if it came to that.

After the racing ended, we went back into the mansion. Bolin immediately ran off to find a bathroom, and Korra excused herself to use the ladies room on the second floor. That just left Mako, Asmai and myself standing around waiting for the others to come back.

"So, Ryou, how long have you known Korra?" Asami asked, deciding to break the ice. I thought for a moment, doing the calculations in my head.

"About thirteen years," I answered.

"So you were childhood friends with her?"

"No. I met her when she was four. We've only been working together for about three or four months now," I said.

"And what exactly is it you do with her?"

"I'm training her in the way of the sword," I answered.

"He's a defense instructor," Mako said. I jerked my head in his direction.

"Watch it, fire flake. I may be blind, but I can still put a kid back into place," I warned.

Oooh boy, that was bad, what did I miss?" Bolin asked as he came back.

"We were talking about Ryou and Korra," Mako said.

"Really? I was hoping to get to ask you a few questions!"

"Bolin..."

"What? He doesn't come around that often. And it's not everyday you get to talk to an immortal," the earthbender defended. I sent a glare his way, but he must not have noticed. Maybe its the whole dead eyes thing that keeps the point from getting across.

"Immortal?" Asami asked.

"Yeah! Ryou here may not look it, but he's like a thousand years old. Seriously," Bolin said. I started slapping the big mouthed idiot, upping how much force I put behind it with each blow.

"Why. Don't. You. Just. Sell. State. Secrets. Next. Loud. Mouth!" I said, ending my tirade with a backhand across the face. Now before I get crap for slapping another guy, let me just make it clear that I was angry enough at this point that if I had punched him, I wouldn't have stopped until he was in a coma.

"Are you really a thousand years old?" Asami asked, the doubt was very clear in her voice.

"Five hundred, actually," I answered.

"I still have trouble believing him, too," Mako said. I wasn't surprised by the amount of doubt being sent my way. Frankly, had I been in their shoes I would have been doing the exact same thing. But, I also couldn't care less whether they believed me or not. When you've been around for this long, you stop caring about what other people think.

Thankfully, I didn't have to explain myself as Korra came back at that moment. She was in a hurry, and I could smell the staleness of face powder. Oh Spirits, she must have tried to powder her face. That would have been priceless to see.

"Ryou, I just remembered we have to babybend, I mean air sit, I mean.."

"Watch Tenzin's brats and train?" I supplied. If she kept up her word jumble, the others would have thought we were up to some very strange sexual stuff or something. I would have anyway, and I'm the only one here who's not a hormonal teenager.

"Yes, now we need to go," she said, grabbing my arm and dragging me out. Luckily we managed to snag out coats before we left. It was only when we were about halfway back down the driveway that I finally decided to ask what was going on.

"So, you gonna explain what that was all about?" I asked.

"I overheard a phone call Hiroshi Sato was having. I think he's working with the Equalists," Korra explained. I actually came to a full halt at this revelation.

"That's a very serious charge. Especially after everything that's been happening," I said.

"Do you believe me?" she asked. I sighed.

"I do. But can you blame me if I told you that I'm praying you are dead wrong?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Sato is one of the top industrialists in the country. If the Equalists gain an ally like that? There's no telling what they can churn out," I explained.

"No...no I couldn't blame you," she said. I put my hands on her shoulders.

"All the same, if you feel strongly enough about it, you need to go to Lin and Tenzin with this," I said, "And by the Spirits, try not to leave me out of another fight this time."

"I make no promises," she replied.

Ryou actually had to wind up waiting almost thirty six hours for something to happen. The police raided Future Industries and all of Sato's warehouses, but had turned up nothing At first, it seemed like the Industrialist was innocent, until Korra received a tip from an Equalist turncoat. The man, who claimed to have become disillusioned with Amon's cause, stated that Sato was not only behind the new electrified gloves that the Equalists were using, but he was still developing new weapons. On top of that, the factory that was producing these new weapons was hidden beneath the Sato Estate.

Korra kept her promise, insuring that the airship they were on stopped by Air Temple Island to pick him up as they were headed across the city to the Estate. Tenzin didn't seem to mind having him along, but Lin wasn't overly thrilled about the notion. Ryou, for his part, stayed out of everyone's way, standing in front of the windows at the front of the airship with his hands clasped behind his back. His murky eyes stared out over the cityscape, as if he was actually watching it.

"Just so we're clear, if you get in my way tonight, I can lock you up for obstruction of justice," Lin said as she stood next to him.

"And if things go sideways?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." The airship landed at the Sato Estate, effectively sealing off the mansion grounds to keep anyone from slipping away. Searching of the mansion itself and outlying buildings obviously turned up nothing. After questioning Asami on the location of her father, the group made their way to the workshop located behind the mansion. Ryou remained silent the entire time, observing the events as they unfolded.

A closer inspection of the workshop reviled that there was a hidden tunnel that led deep into the mountainside. Korra, Tenzin, Lin, and a detachment of metalbenders descended into the tunnel, leaving Ryou, Mako, Bolin, Asami, and an officer named Song behind.

"You've been quiet the entire time," Mako noted.

"Something does not seem right about all of this," Ryou replied. His arms were folded and his hand was on his chin in thought.

"There's a secret tunnel under my father's workshop and apparently he's been working with a madman, you've sure got that right," Asami said bitterly. Ryou's frown didn't disappear, however.

"No, that's not what I mean. Korra got the tip about this place from an Equalist turncoat," he said.

"Yeah, looks like his intel was good," Mako said.

"It's not that. The Equalists have always been fanatical in their devotion to Amon. And now, all of a sudden a guy with valuable information like this just happens to decide to switch sides? Seems pretty convenient if you ask me," Ryou explained.

"Wait, you think they're walking into a trap?" Bolin asked. The sound of something large and metal slamming down echoed up from the tunnel.

"I don't think, I know."

"We gotta get down there," Mako said.

"Absolutely not. The Chief ordered us to stay here," Song said. Everyone looked at each other, and Ryou drew his sword hilt.

"Sorry about this," he said before clubbing the metalbender over the helmet, knocking the man out cold. With that, the group started down the tunnel. Ryou placed his hand on Asami's shoulder, partly for support and partly for guidance. He felt sorry for the young woman. He hadn't seen or heard mention of a mother, so he figured she must have been out of the picture, and these revelations about her father certainly weren't doing any good either. From her point of view, it must have seemed that the world was crashing down around her.

At the bottom of the shaft, they found themselves standing before I giant metal door. Mako produced a jet of flame from his fingers and began to focus it on the metal, but quickly gave up when he realized that it wasn't doing anything.

"It's platinum. There's no way we can bend or burn our way through," he said. Ryou stepped forward and tapped a knuckle against the door, listening to the metal as it echoed back.

"Hm. It's not as thick as I thought it would be," he said before drawing his sword hilt. They may not have been able to burn or bend their way through the door, but they could cut their way no problem.

"How is a sword gonna help us in a situation like this?" Bolin asked.

"This is the sword of a Rider, forged from some of the strongest alloys ever created. It was designed with the intent to cut through the armor of a dragon. And if it can do that, then a metal door should be like warm butter," Ryou explained before turning the sword sideways and stabbing it into the door up to the hilt.

He created long cut on the door before stabbing it again at each end of the first cut. The second and third cuts followed, running from the first to the floor. With a swift kick of his foot, Ryou knocked out the square he had carved out of the door, creating an opening of his own. The metal slab slammed down onto the floor with an almighty crash, but the swordsman just walked through like nothing had happened.

The others followed suit, and what they found on the other side stunned them. It was a factory alright, complete with posters of Amon and everything. What's more were the mecha tanks, massive suits made of metal that were standing between them and the first group. In the center of it all was the Lieutenant and Hiroshi Sato himself.

"You two get Tenzin, Korra, and Lin. I'll cover you," Ryou instructed as he walked forward, holding his sword at the ready. The brothers raced to collect the trio, each slinging Korra and Tenzin respectively over their shoulders while they dragged Lin between them.

"Do you really think that little twig stands a chance against one of my machines here?" Sato boasted when he noticed the swordsman approaching, banging his fist against it.

"I know what it did to your door. The real question is, can your machines stand up to my blade?" Ryou replied.

"You will not escape here. You'll all make great prisoners for Amon," Hiroshi said, sparking his gloves as he spoke.

"Sponsoring our team, supporting the Avatar, it was all just a cover up," Mako accused.

"Yes, and the hardest part was watching my daughter traipse around with a firebending street rat like you!"

"STOP!" Asami shouted. She looked like she was on the verge of breaking down. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears as she walked toward her father.

"Dad...why?"

"I'm sorry you had to find out like this Asami. These people, these...BENDERS. They took away your mother, the only woman I ever loved. They ruined the world! But with Amon, we can create a new world, a perfect one. We can help people like us, please, join me," Hiroshi said as he slipped off one of his electrified gloves and offered it to his daughter.

The heiress stepped forward, her bright green eyes glued to the glove. With a trembling hand, she reached out and grasped the weapon.

"We are all our own person, Asami," Ryou suddenly said, "Don't let yourself be defined by what someone else wants." She looked at the blind man, before returning her attention to her father. She took the glove from his hand and slipped it on her own.

"No," Mako whispered in disbelief. Korra raised her head slightly, having finally recovered some from her attack. Then, Asami's expression turned to stone as she looked up at her father.

"I love you, dad," she said before planting the glove in the center of his chest and electrocuting him. The inventor cried out as he collapsed, knocked out from the effect of his own weapon. Instantly the Lieutenant sprang froward, swinging his electrified sticks at her. But Asami was ready for this, grabbing his arm and twisting it so that the stick was jabbing him in the chest and electrocuting him.

As the Lieutenant fell to the ground, the pilots of the mecha tanks finally realized what was happening. The giant mechanical suits rolled forward, intending to surround and overwhelm the group. Ryou stood up straight like a soldier standing at attention. He raised his sword so that it was straight up and down before his face before he swung it off to the side in a salute.

"Let's get out of here!" Mako shouted.

"Go, I will buy you some time," Ryou said. He raised his left hand before clenching it into a fist with the back of his hand facing outward.

"But, you're..."

"GO!" he ordered. The lead mecha tank fired a cable from it's arm, but Ryou easily dodged the attack, jumping over the cable and landing on the machine's outstretched arm. He ran up the arm, holding his sword at the ready. When he reached the joint, Ryou sliced his blade through the machine as if it was made of cloth. As the arm fell away, the swordsman flipped through the air, landing on the shoulders of the machine and stabbing his blade straight down through the visor and into the head of the pilot.

Yanking his blade free, Ryou crouched his knees and focused his attention on the next mecha tank. He jumped as the one he currently stood on began to fall over, landing on the front of the machine and catching himself on the visor with his free hand. Korra watched in awe as he used the hand gripping the tank to throw himself into the air before coming back down, stabbing his sword into the suit's visor like he had done with the first.

The mecha tank rolled backwards as the pilot inside began to panic in an effort to get Ryou off. He dodged a swipe made at him from one of the tank's arms before yanking his blade free. With two clean swipes, he removed the suit's arms before stabbing through the visor again, impaling the pilot in the chest. That done, he jumped from the tank and landed on one knee, allowing the large machine to roll straight into a truck and causing both machines to topple over onto their sides.

Standing to his full height, Ryou began to walk back to the others with his sword held to the side in a resting position. The remaining two mecha tanks rolled forward, intending to intercept him. Ryou's pace increased, going from a walk, to a jog, to a full on sprint in less then ten seconds. Korra watched with her mouth agape. There was no way this could be the same man she had been helping recover of the past week.

Ryou dodged the cables that were fired at him before he delivered a power slice to the midsection of the first tank. The craft slowed, buckled, and then the upper half fell away from the lower, effectively resembling a diver that had been cut down the midsection. But the swordsman didn't stop. He continued his charge, bearing down on the final mecha tank.

The pilot of the tank drove his machine forward before swinging the arm in a wide arc in an effort to hit Ryou. But he jumped over the appendage like he was jumping a fence, clearing it before throwing his sword. It sailed through the air like an arrow, lodging itself in the center of the mecha tank's chest. Instantly the machine slumped over as it's pilot died, impaled through the chest by the blade as well.

Ryou grabbed his sword and yanked it free, allowing the blade to telescope back into the hilt as he sprinted for the others. As he slid like a ball player steeling a base through the makeshift door, Bolin bent a bolder from the factory floor, using it to block off the hole and keep anyone from following them.

"How did you...?" Korra started.

"Airship now, talking later," Ryou said. They made their way back to the surface, and were soon aboard the airship heading back to the city. Asami stood at the rear of the ship, watching as her home slowly shrank into the distance. It was everything she had ever known, and in the span of less then an hour, it was gone.

"Ryou." It was Lin. She was lying on a stretcher as her ribs had taken a nasty blow during the ambush. The blind man stepped forward and knelt by her side. She raised her hand and placed it on his shoulder.

"You came back for me," she said, almost as if she didn't believe it.

"We're family, Lin."

"I know. I've been a fool in that regard, and I'm sorry for that."

"Don't get all sappy on me now, Chief," Ryou said. This earned a small smile from Lin, but it quickly faded.

"I led us straight into that trap, and now my men are on their way to Amon. Tomorrow I'm putting in my resignation first thing," she said.

"What?! You can't give up!" Tenzin said.

"She's not. We don't give up, not ever, not while there are still comrades in the field," Ryou said firmly.

"He's right. I'm not giving up. I'm going to take Amon down my way, outside the law," Lin said before focusing her attention on Ryou, "can I count on your help in this?"

"Of course. Although I don't know how much use an old blind man will be to you," Ryou answered. Lin chuckled, but left it at that. Ryou stood and made his way to the front of the airship, where Korra was standing.

"We lost again," she said.

"I'd call this one a draw, actually," he countered.

"It doesn't matter. Things are only going to get worse from here, aren't they?"

"The darkest moments are always right before the dawn, Korra," he said, "we'll make it through. I promise."

And that's a wrap on this chapter. What did you guys think of this chapter? Let me know! Drop a review, leave a PM, say what you liked or didn't like, and I'll see you all next time.