A/N: Well it's the future. Sorry about how far in the future it was.

~Chapter 19~

Izumi looked around the room and immediately noticed the absence of her daughter-in-law. Putting her glass down she walked away from a riveting conversation with Mr. Sato to try to spot her in the crowd. The Fire Lord spotted an open door and walked out on to a balcony overlooking the city. She summoned a flame to her hand and found a white gold bracelet in a small pool of blood. The Fire Lord rushed back into room and grabbed Sozza's arm.

"I need you now! Korra is gone." Sozza didn't even fight as Izumi pulled her to the balcony. Izumi pointed to the blood. "Please tell me that my son didn't do that!"

Sozza shook her head. "He'd never, but we've got to find out who did immediately." She spun on her heal and started barking orders to the agents she had inserted into the crowd.

Izumi kneeled down and picked up the bracelet and walked back in to the room. Chaos erupted around her as security swarmed looking for all the guests and the missing avatar. Izumi sat down in a nearby chair trying to reflect how this had gone so wrong. Commander Bumi an old friend leaned against the chair's back.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"I had this whole party planned to keep her from doing something brash. I thought if I could have kept her surrounded by people, the right people, she would be safe." Izumi gestured around her. "I was even keeping Mr. Sato entertained because he was the only person here with any tenuous connections with the equalists. How did this happen? Did someone break in and capture her or was it one of our guests?"

Bumi put a hand on her shoulder. "We won't know until your cousin finishes her investigation."

"Sister."

"Hmm?"

"Sozza was legally adopted by my father when she was six, Sozza is my sister and I know she will find out who attacked and took Korra. I just hope it's before she's killed."

"You think her life is in danger?"

Izumi held up the bracelet. "I found this in a pool of blood, ofcourse I think her life is in danger."

.o.

Hiroshi Sato watched the people scramble looking for Korra. There was something off about the whole thing; like something was missing. It took him a few moments to realize that Tarlok was not standing in the middle of the room barking orders and trying to run the show. When the police finally let him and Asami go he let Asami go home with Bolin to stay at the Beifong manor under the pretense that she would be safer with her friends.

After checking to make sure he didn't have a tail he made his way to Amon's base. Amon met him at the door.

"This is unexpected. I thought you were at a important party."

"I was until you had your people kidnap the avatar and Councilman Tarlok under everyone's nose. Now the whole city is in more chaos then ever."

Amon tilted his head. "I didn't give such an order. What makes you think I had them both kidnapped?"

"That's what everyone is saying. Apparently they found the Avatar's bracelet in a pool of blood and blame you."

Amon was thoughtful for a moment. "Well I didn't but I think I know who did. Mr. Sato ready the troops, I'm going to go for a bit of a drive." He looked around. "Now where is General Iroh?"

.o.

Korra woke up in a cold metal box. "Oh where am I? Tarlok!" She stood up swaying a little as she did. "TARLOK! That was a cheep shot!" She banged on the door. "When I get out of here you better hope all I do is press charges!"

"I don't think you'll be doing any such thing." Tarlok's face appeared in the small window. "By the time the cops find you and here my story about how your crazed equalist husband kidnapped you and I bravely rescued you from him, killing him in the scuffle, well they'll just assume you've gone crazy with grief."

Enraged Korra blew a stream of fire at Tarlok's face. "You bastard! You worthless piece of scum! I'll kill you if you so much as harm my husband! I will tare off you're head and shit down your neck if you even touch him!"

Tarlok shook his head. "What did they do to you down in the South Pole? You're husband's a killer much worse than me. He works with Amon who takes away people's bending. He's helping a mad man take over the city."

"A city you already took over by setting bombs all over town and blaming it on him." Korra threw herself at the door but bounced off the cold steel.

"I think I'm just going to let you calm down a bit avatar. I'll be back to rescue you later."

Korra could hear Tarlok's foot steps fade away and a door slam. Now the small box was deathly quiet. Korra curled herself into a ball and started to shiver. Seconds and hours seemed to slip by and for the first time in her life Korra felt alone and small.

"I wish I could metal bend." She whispered to herself. "I wish I could air bend, or go into the avatar state, or visit the spirit world, or talk to my past lives, or do anything an avatar's supposed to do." She pulled her earrings off and set them down by her feet. The gold and rubies twinkled uselessly in the dim light.

The silence that surrounded was almost deafening. Korra rested her head on her knees. "I wish I wasn't so angry all the time." She felt herself start to sob. "I'm the avatar and I've got to deal with it. Alone. All *sob* along." Korra felt herself melt into a puddle of tears.

"Who said you have to be the avatar alone?" A soft and only vaguely familiar voice asked.

Korra took a deep breath. "Well no one explicitly said it but here I am alone dealing with being a very angry useless avatar stuck in a box." She pulled off her necklace. "Hell I can't even dress like an avatar is supposed to."

"And how do Avatar's dress?"

"Not dripping is silk and jewels like a fire nation princess." She looked up to see Aang looking down at her. "Why are you here now?"

Aang sat down. "Because you need me right now." He shrugged. "And this is the first time you've ever acknowledged all the pain you've been in. You've been bottling it up for years."

Korra wiped her face. "Yeah I guess. But why are you here now? I mean no offence but I'm trapped in a metal box you're a bit on the useless side. You wouldn't happen have Toph's ghost you can pull in here to help would you?"

Aang chuckled. "No, she's actually still alive and I'm not sure I could bring her spirit here or not." He pressed his hand against one of the walls. "It's a bit cramped after all."

"Yeah, I don't think I'd even want Iroh here with me in this box." She bowed her head. "And I really want him with me right now."

Aang gave her a pitying look. "I know you do." He sighed. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? Why are you sorry?"

"I left a mess you ended up having to clean up and in the process you were forced to grow up so fast."

"But so did you. You were so young when you won the war against the Fire Nation."

"You were supposed to grow up in a time of peace but I neglected the affairs of my friends and their children. A war almost broke out between the Southern Water Tribe and the Fire Nation and it was stopped by children forced together." Aang sounded bitter. "It was wrong."

"But it happened." Korra sighed. "It happened and for good or ill. I got my other half out of it."

"Speaking of your other half if you don't get out of here he'll probably die." Aang looked around. "I bet you could increase the air pressure in here enough to blow the hinges off."

"But I can't air bend. I can't even make a light breeze let alone a gust that powerful. I'm just useless!" Korra started to breath rapidly. "I'm such a failure! I deserve to be alone!"

"KORRA!" Aang bellowed getting her to stop. "Air bending is about giving up the self and focusing on others. Take yourself out of the equation and just think of Iroh and his well being alone."

Korra closed her eyes and just inhaled. She thought of Iroh and Tarlok clashing in the snow. She thought of his life and how it couldn't be drowned out just yet. All her worries faded away as a deep force started to build inside her. The force started as faint like the flapping of a butterfly but steadily build growing into a hurricane. Korra's eyes shot open and the metal cage around her flew apart crashing into the walls.

Korra took a deep breath. "Wow, now that's what I call air bending." She raced out of the room up the stairs and into the cold snow.

A full moon lit the snowy landscape turning it into a midday scene with lunar shadows cast across the white blanket. At first it was quiet then in the not to far off distance a gun went off. Korra charged towards the sound, slipping in the snow. Through an outcropping of trees Korra spotted three people fighting. Sparks and ice flew as Iroh, Amon, and Tarlok engaged each other. Korra sprinted towards the group then stopped in her tracks. Something was holding her there. Her eyes landed on Amon who had stopped moving and was holding his hand out towards her.

"Let her go!" Iroh roared looking at Amon.

Suddenly Iroh contorted painfully and Tarlok laughed. "He's not the one doing it. My father thought me how to blood bend without the aid of the moon! Now look at what I can do with her help!"

Korra strained to move and sent a gust of wind towards Tarlok but the air died before it could reach him.

Tarlok laughed almost psychotically as Iroh pulled his gun and pointed it at Korra. "I'll be a hero to the city. The man who slayed the avatar killer and Amon!"

Korra could see the panic in Iroh's eyes as he struggled to regain control of his own body. Two shots rang out in the night. Korra felt something rip threw her thigh while Tarlok collapsed in the red snow. Iroh stood between them holding two pistols.

"Korra!" Iroh threw both of them down and ran to her side. "No! No! No! No! I tried to miss I tried to." He pulled off his coat and wrapped it around her. "I'm sorry!"

Korra could feel his hot tears fall on her face. She smiled weakly. "I think you just got my leg. You missed enough."

Iroh looked her over and got too his feet still holding her close. "No, I didn't." Iroh looked over at Amon who had now picked up a bleeding but breathing Tarlok.

"You're welcome Iroh." Amon turned and started walking away. "From this point on consider our partnership terminated."

"You blood bent me!" Iroh yelled at him. "You're just as bad as he is!"

"You have your wife because of me." Amon yelled back. "Don't push your luck!"

.o.

Sozza sighed and looked at Iroh who looked awful. "I've managed to convince the remaining members of the council you were on a deep cover mission for me. So they aren't going to arrest you right now. So that's good."

Iroh kept his eyes glued the to the table. "I shot my wife. It was my bullet, my gun, my finger." He melted in to a sobbing mess. "I couldn't stop it. I was too weak to move my arm a foot to the right!"

Sozza sighed and rubbed his back. "He blood bent you. You didn't shoot Korra, Tarlok did and if what you told me is accurate Amon shot Tarlok."

"Noatak."

"Huh?" Sozza paused. "What does agent 818 have to do with this?"

"Noatak is Amon." Iroh sat up. "He's behind the whole equalist movement."

Sozza paled. "Why the hell would Noatak start an anti bending movement he's a bender!"

"More specifically he's a blood bender. That's how he takes away bending with his blood bending."

"How does someone blood bend another person's bending away?"

"He's causing brain damaged with his bending. You know like giving people strokes that cut off a person's ability to bend. Some how he's figured out the part of the brain that allows bending." Iroh's gaze was cold.

"Why?"

"And why does anyone do anything? He's got major daddy issues. Apparently he was a huge ass and forced him to fight his brother."

"Who was probably Tarlok." Sozza pinched her nose. "Fan tucking fastic. Look, Iroh I know you feel like shit and probably want to shower or something but I need you to tell me everything you know about the equalists."

Iroh looked up at her and nodded.

.o.

Korra looked over and Mako then down at the bloody wrappings on her leg. "Well I guess it's official we aren't making it to the finals."

Despite himself, Mako snorted. "Yeah I guess not." He sat down next to her. "So I guess we both have relationship issues now."

Korra looked over at him and then back at her leg. "Yeah, Iroh's going to beat himself up over this for quiet awhile."

"Yeah nothing in wedding vows tells people what to do when they shoot the other while being blood bent." Mako smiled. "They should probably include something about it."

Korra laughed. "Yeah, they should. Hey you made a wedding joke. I guess you figured it out."

Mako nodded. "Yeah, I noticed your ring while in the hospital. I've been kind of focusing on peoples' hands lately."

"I wonder why."

"Complete mystery to me too." Mako smiled. "Still felt like an idiot when I figured it out."

"Don't worry about it. At least you didn't ask me out like Bolin did."

Mako snorted. "True."

Korra was quiet for a moment. "So you mentioned relationship troubles. What's going on? You and Asami having issues?"

Mako took a deep breath. "Yeah, a few. She's angry at my mom and by extension me for all the negative attention her father and future industries is getting and it gets worse."

"Worse?"

Mako nodded. "I kissed my ex, Asami doesn't know, and," Mako bit his lip.

"And you're contemplating getting back together with him because the kiss reminded you or every that was good in the relationship." Korra finished.

Mako looked at her surprised. "Uh yeah. How did you know?"

"I ran into Sota in the hall that day I came to visit you. He told me about the whole thing."

"Even about the stupid fight?"

"Even about the stupid fight, though I'm not sure why he thought Tahno was a threat. The guy is a complete ass."

Mako shrugged. "I had a crush on him before I found out what an absolute jerk he was. Sota just kind of assume that with me at the pro level I'd leave him for Tahno since we ran in the same circle. The argument just got so heated and it just spiraled out of control and we split up. Didn't talk for a few weeks, you joined the team, and I met Asami and," Mako shrugged, "It was nice. I thought maybe I had been wrong about myself for years and for a while it was nice to have someone there."

"But now?"

Mako sighed. "Please don't laugh."

"I'm high as an air bison I make no promises."

"I'd rather have coffee and talk about boys with her than kiss her and pretend I'm her man."

Korra pouted. "I'd laugh but that's really sad. You need to tell her."

"But right now? She's dealing with so much stuff I don't think now is the right time and who knows. You and Iroh worked out maybe she and I will."

Korra flicked his nose. "Absolutely not! Iroh and I are a different case and while we had some rough patches and I'll admit to hating him at some points I never lied to him. You stay with Asami you're not only lying to her you're lying to yourself."

"I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right I'm the avatar." She crossed her arms. "I'm full of excellent advice."

"How about forgiveness?" Iroh asked quietly.

Korra held out her arms. "I've already forgiven you." Iroh walked over and pulled her into a tight embrace. "But I'm totally using this is arguments."

Iroh nuzzled her neck. "As long as I get to have arguments with you I can handle that."

Korra took a deep breath and held on to Iroh chancing a glance at Mako who was making a face. "What?"

"Straight people are weird." He said so flatly both Korra and Iroh burst into laughter.

Korra wiped the tears from her eyes. "Ah I needed that." She patted Iroh's shoulder. "You can stop hugging me now."

Iroh shook his head. "No, I don't want let you go right now. Just let me hold you for a bit longer."

Korra sighed. "Ok, but when you're done hugging can you get me some cake?"

"What flavor? You know what never mind I'll get you a whole bakery of flavor."