Oh geez a month flew by fast! Sorry to keep you guys waiting. Kinda lost the mood to write for a bit while I tried catching up on some drawing. Bu

With their new companion, the group continued traveling deeper into the Fire Nation, eventually getting closer to the city where Takumi's family supposedly lived. One night, they settled down for camp when Rai suddenly sat up straight, fully alert.

"What's wr-" Sati began to ask until Rai held up her hand and shushed her.

"Shh," Rai closed her eyes as the eyes of her three companions locked on her intensely. When her eyes opened, she flipped onto her knees and slammed her fist into the dirt, sending a shockwave through the earth as several voices yelped in response.

"Get them!" one voice cried.

Suddenly, three men brandishing swords emerged from the bushes. Rai immediately took a stance as Hiro drew his swords, ready to fight off these assailants. Rai easily caught one of the attackers by trapping his feet in rock, keeping him in place as she delivered a solid punch to his face while Hiro effortlessly fought off the other two with either of his swords blocking and parrying theirs. "Who sent you?" Rai growled, pinning the man to a tree and pressing her forearm over his throat. When he didn't respond fast enough, Rai drew him back and shoved him into the tree trunk again, repeating her question.

"N-no one…" he struggled to whisper against Rai's arm pressing on his throat.

"Liar! Was it Goro? Or Peng?" she asked.

"I-I don't know what you're… talking about…" he coughed.

"Rai, look out!" She recognized Hiro's voice calling out to her as he suddenly tackled her to the ground away from the tree just as one of the attackers sent a stream of water and froze it into a spiky wall of ice between their pinned ally and Rai.

"Fall back!" one of them shouted, as another of them waved his arms, forming a small yet powerful gust of wind to stir up the dirt and dust. Everyone quickly closed their eyes and covered their mouths, coughing. Rai quickly stood up, clearing the area with a strong gust of wind, but their attackers were gone.

"Dammit!" Rai cursed under her breath as she quickly searched the area for any clues or anything they may have dropped.

"Everyone ok?" Sati asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Takumi replied. "Who were those guys?"

"I doubt they were assassins. Far too sloppy," Hiro remarked, sheathing his swords. "They were probably just highwaymen. Fairly common around here."

"What the hell were you thinking?" Rai scolded sharply, marching up to an unsuspecting Hiro.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, confused.

"I didn't let you join me just so you could treat me like a damsel in distress. I don't need your protection," she had scolded to him.

"But I was just…" Hiro began protesting as he realized what she was referring to.

"I'm not looking for a protector. I can take care of myself. Don't make me regret my decision on letting you join me. I'm not your master!" Hiro was visibly upset by this, scolded by the one he was trying to impress so much when he was only trying to be of use to her.

The next morning, everyone was packing up their equipment and clearing their last campsite before the next city. While Rai and Sati packed up their things and tended to their animals, Takumi instead focused his attention on Hiro, who was packing his belongings onto his puma goat's saddle. Once Rai and Sati were away, Takumi marched over to Hiro with shoulders and back upright and a determined look on his face. "What's your deal, Hiro?"

Hiro turned around from Griffith's saddle to address the young boy having either not noticed Takumi approach him or not cared. "My deal?" he asked, confused.

"Rai. Why do you keep fawning over her?" Takumi asked, crossing his arms defiantly.

"I told you, everything I am now is thanks to her. I want nothing more than to be of use to her," Hiro replied, crossing his arms in response.

"I think she's made it clear she doesn't want you treating her like some kind of saviour. Why don't you try just...treating her like a person for a change?"

"Heh, that's funny coming from you, a little boy looking at Rai like his guardian angel, his knight in shining armor. I don't have to explain myself to you, boy. I have the freedom to choose what I do with my life because of her and this is what I choose. Wait," Hiro stopped and pondered for a moment. "You're jealous."

"Wh-what?" Takumi gasped.

"I understand now. Before you had Rai's attention all to yourself and now that I'm here, you feel threatened because I've known Rai longer and better than you. She only took you under her wing to escort you to your family, a destination that we are on the precipice of. Once we reach the city and find your family, you won't have any reason left to travel with her and she'll forget about you."

Without warning, Takumi brought his fist back and gave Hiro a solid punch right in the jaw, causing the vigilante to stumble back a bit. Griffith snorted angrily at Takumi, but Hiro placed his hand gently on the puma goat, calming him. Hiro rubbed his sore cheek and moved his jaw, making sure nothing was broken or dislocated. Nothing was, but the kid certainly hit hard for someone so young and small. "Lay off, you creep!" Takumi exclaimed, firmly standing his ground. "She doesn't need someone hovering over her every move. Just give her some space! And by the way, my name's Takumi."

Hiro examined his hand, seeing no blood, though his cheek ached. He narrowed his eyes at Takumi and swiftly punched Takumi in the jaw as well, sending the young boy falling onto his back. "Rai is perfectly capable of speaking for herself and she does not need some little lost sheep like you to speak for her." Hiro turned to walk away but paused to speak one more time, "And by the way, Takumi, you punch like shit."

"You're deluded! She does speak for herself. You're just not listening!" he shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at the firebender.

Hiro turned his head to look down at Takumi from the corner of his eye. "You are the one who is deluded," he said, before fully turning around to address the boy. "You and the airbender. I see Rai for who she is, not what she should be, not what you are trying to make her."

"...I…" Takumi paused, unsure how to respond to this.

Hiro smirked at Takumi's silence. "You are the one who does not seem to be listening."

"Hey." The two boys turned and saw Rai approach them as she glanced back and forth between Hiro and the fallen Takumi. "Is there a problem here?" she asked.

"No," Hiro answered, "I am ready to depart whenever you are." With that, Hiro climbed onto Griffith's saddle as the puma goat began moving to the edge of the campsite, leaving Rai with Takumi.

Rai sighed and bent down to Takumi's level as he still sat on the ground. "What are you doing, Takumi?"

"I… well, it's just that he…" Takumi sighed in defeat, unable to even explain himself to her.

Rai sighed and stood up, using her earthbending to lift Takumi back onto his feet. "I don't need you to fight my battles either, Takumi." Takumi watched Rai move over to Haku as everyone prepared to move on. He rubbed his sore cheek and flinched at the pain before tending further to Kiwi's saddle.

Rai stormed off, leaving behind the two quarrelling boys. Takumi, so naive but always meaning well even when she didn't need it. But Hiro, so infuriating. The way he acted around her, spoke to her, practically worshipped the ground she walked on. It all just eerily reminded her of some of the slaves she'd seen, slaves so broken that their only driving force to live was to please their beloved master. She would never forget that day Goro had taken her with him to see one of his friends and their slaves. Their bodies were covered in scars, bodies so broken and minds even more broken. Their eyes were so dull and lifeless that they no longer shined in the light. Goro had intended the memory to stick with Rai, to leave such a lasting impression on her that it would cling to her for the rest of her life. And it did, but not in the way Goro had hoped it would. All it did was fuel that fire in her belly. And now Hiro was skirting dangerously close to this line. He said he wanted to help her, be useful to her and that was his freedom of choice. But those other slaves. Even when presented with the chance to escape, they still crawled back to their masters out of the freedom of their choice. At what point did the two situations intersect?

Her brief thoughts were broken by Sati's voice suddenly coming from her right. "You seem tense!"

Rai jumped in shock and barely held in a surprised yelp that escaped her lips before looking to her right to see Sati at eye level with her, but hanging upside down from a low branch.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop doing that?" she asked, returning to a calm pace of breathing.

"Just until you stop telling me to stop that." she giggled as she flipped backward out of the tree and landed softly on her feet next to Rai.

"What do you want?" Rai asked gruffly.

"Just trying to turn that frown upside down is all!" Sati giggled, reaching over and forcing a smile on Rai's face with her fingers at the corners Rai's lips, who quickly swatted her hands away in response.

"I knew I was getting myself more trouble than I needed by taking on one lost sheep," she said, casting her eyes over to Takumi before shifting over to Hiro, "and now there's two of them!"

"You mean that Hiro guy?"

"I thought letting him join me would be all right, that he could at least be useful in helping me hunt Goro and other slavers down, but I didn't let him stay just to be my protector."

"Hmm, then why did you let him stay?"

"He's... useful, skilled in his blades, despite his misguided intentions."

"He's misguided for wanting to protect you?" Sati probed further.

"He's doing it for the wrong reasons. He thinks that by doing that, he'll please me like a slave attempting to please their master," Rai said with disgust.

"Hmm, so he has nothing to gain by protecting you, except your own well being. Interesting. So what about me?"

"What about you? You were attacked in an attempt to vex me."

"But why are you going to such lengths to help me? You have no obligation to do so except by your own moral code? Am I your master, Rai?"

"No!" Rai protested sharply.

"Because getting my powers back would please me greatly," she chuckled as she checks her nails in a slightly dramatic, yet casual gesture. "You could have easily left me behind after that, tossed me aside because I ceased to be useful and just forget about me. Plus, ignoring the problem would prove that his attempts to vex you failed. Honestly, your… devotion… is more beneficial to my well being than to yours."

Rai stood up. "Don't mistake justice for devotion, Sati. I'm not doing this to please you or make you happy. You were wronged and deserve justice. I'm doing this for me so that my conscience is clear and I'll be one step closer to gutting that son of a bitch."

"And what about his conscience?"

"What about it? What I did back then wasn't for him, it was for justice, for what was right. He doesn't owe me anything."

"I'm sure he'd disagree. And you don't owe me anything either. That doesn't mean I'm not grateful," she said gently with a smile at Rai before walking past her.

"You can think what you want and put whatever meaning into this that you want. That is your freedom. Mine is what I choose to do and why I choose to do it for," Rai called after her.

Silence fell over the group of four as they made their way to the next town. For some, the silence was uncomfortable, for others, it was nothing different to them. Few words were exchanged as they arrived in town. Sati and Takumi volunteered to resupply their rations while Rai and Hiro split up to gather information.

Sati stood inside a small produce market, paying the grocer for her basket of fruits and vegetables. "An airbender eh? Don't see a lot of you around here," the grocer remarked.

"I guess the Fire Lord just takes good care of his people then," Sati replied with a smile.

"That he does," the grocer smiled back. "If you don't mind, could I perhaps see one of those airbending tricks?"

"Oh, I'm afraid I'm just an air acolyte," Sati quickly responded. "So I don't know any airbending. Sorry."

"Aw, that's a shame," the grocer frowned, but quickly regained his composure. "Well, you have yourself a nice day then!"

"Thank you," Sati said with a nervous laugh and smile. When she exited the grocery, she was shocked when a large, hooded man casually leaning on the wall addressed her.

"You're no acolyte," he said.

"Pardon?" Sati asked nervously. She carefully examined this man, but the large hood he wore hid most of his face from her view. All she could see was that he was large, broadly built and rather intimidating in physique. She did however, notice a burn extending across his arm.

"Acolytes have their own uniform and you're wearing a wingsuit. The Nomads don't just hand those out."

"W-what about it?" she asked nervously.

"Nothing, just curious really. Why lie about being an airbender when you're so obviously wearing the wingsuit?"

"Well," Sati began, her cheerful mood and smile suddenly disappearing, "I-I was attacked… by a bloodbender."

"A bloodbender? So…"

"He did something to me a-and now I can't bend anymore!" she admitted. She wasn't sure why she was so suddenly pouring out her problems to this stranger, but once she started, she just couldn't stop.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have pressed you on that," the large man said sincerely.

"It's not your fault. I just wish I was closer to finding a way to get my bending back."

"What about the Avatar?" he asked.

"Nobody's seen her since Avatar Korra died."

"Her? What makes you so certain the new Avatar is a girl?" he asked.

"Oh, um, I don't! I guess I'm still just used to calling the Avatar a girl because Korra was a girl," Sati said with a nervous chuckle. "But either way, the Avatar isn't exactly going to be a likely solution. If no one's found her or him by now, either they don't want to be found or the Avatar cycle has ended."

"But why would it end? Avatar Korra died of natural causes, not while she was in the Avatar state," he pointed out.

"Yes, but there was the Harmonic Convergence during Korra's time. Some people have speculated that it's somehow affecting the Avatar cycle now," Sati said. It's wasn't entirely a lie she was making to cover for Rai. Many scholars and sages had speculated that the destruction of Raava, despite her restoration, somehow affected the cycle.

"You make a good point. Sadly, no one can prove it right or wrong. But with no Avatar, I guess that means there's no way to restore your bending. Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"I may be able to help get your bending back."

"What? How?" Sati asked desperately.

The man held up his hand, signalling for her to lower her voice. He looked around suspiciously before gesturing Sati to follow him into a nearby alleyway where their conversation could be more private. "I do not like to advertise this, but I am… knowledgeable in the forbidden arts that were used against you," he whispered discreetly.

"You're a bloodbender?" Sati whispered loudly in shock.

"Please, not so loud!" he pleaded in an urgent whisper. "I was trained in the art in my youth and I admit, I used it to do some bad things, but all for my own survival I assure you. But I've turned my life around now and vowed to only use this disgusting power to help people."

"Y-you'd help me? You'd restore my bending?" Sati asked, her eyes wide and hopeful.

"In fact, you'd be helping me. This dark art, bloodbending… I want to make sure that it gets used for something good. Would you trust a kindly stranger?"

Sati bit her lip, pondering the offer. Here was a man offering to fix all her problems! But she knew nothing of this man, not his name or his face! Even then, Rai had been driving herself crazy with every dead end they encountered and she was only getting more and more agitated. But now Sati had a chance to completely fix everything and she wasn't about to let it slip away. "I trust you," she smiled.

Sati could see a smile forming on the man's face, but she couldn't completely see it. "Good."

"What do I do?"

"Just get on one knee and I'll do the rest." Sati sat her groceries on the pavement and got down on one knee as the man placed one thumb on her forehead and the other on her sternum. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity when it had only been a few seconds. "There," he said, pulling his hands away and taking a step back. "Give it a try."

Sati stood up and looked down at her hands. Inside, she didn't feel any different; she couldn't tell if it had worked or not. Cautiously, she took a step forward and assumed a bending stance. Her hand trembled, hesitating to see if she truly had her bending back, but she stood firm and thrust her hand forward. A gust of wind erupted from her palm, blowing away everything in the alley, knocking barrels and crates over and rustling the laundry drying by windows. "I...I… I can airbend!" she squealed in delight. "I don't know how I could ever thank you!"

"Please, a good deed is its own reward," the man smiled from beneath his hood.

"I'll never forget this," Sati beamed happily. She gathered up her basket of produce and rushed to reunite with her friends.

Behind her, the man took off his hood and cast aside the cloak that covered him, revealing an old, yet extensive burn on his upper arm and shoulder. "Heh, be sure that you don't," he muttered with a wide, menacing grin before disappearing into the shadows.

"Where's Sati? She should be here by now," Rai muttered, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Weren't you with her?" Hiro asked Takumi.

"Yeah, but she moves quickly through the markets! Anyone could lose track of her with all those people," Takumi argued.

"Well if she doesn't show up soon, we're leaving without her!" Rai exclaimed, stomping her foot impatiently.

"Here I am!" All three looked up in time to see Sati jump down from a nearby rooftop and land between them with a cushioning gust of wind. "Sorry to keep you all waiting," she said with a wide smile.

"You just…" Rai started, staring at Sati with shocked wide eyes.

"You're airbending is back!" Takumi exclaimed happily, "But how?"

"Yes, how? Bloodbending effects don't just go away unless a bloodbender is there to undo it," Hiro said in a serious and suspicious tone.

"Well, while I was in the market, I met a bloodbender who offered to help! And now I've got my bending back!"

"Wait, hold on. A random bloodbending stranger offered his help and you just accepted it, no questions asked?" Rai asked.

"Yeah."

"What were you thinking? You can't just go accepting offers from strangers!"

"Why not? Not everyone has an ulterior motive like you think. We Air Nomads always help those in need without expecting anything in return!" Sati argued.

"Well, the whole world doesn't follow your Nomad ways, Sati! Out here in the real world away from your Nomad temples, people will stab each other in the back to get what they want! You don't even know who this person was or why they wanted to help you!"

"Are you so truly paranoid that everyone's out to get you that you won't rely on faith?"

"I HAD FAITH ONCE!" Rai suddenly shouted, shocking all three of them. "I had faith once," she repeated, quietly this time. "But like everything else I had, it was ripped away from me. I can't afford to give away my faith to others so blindly and maybe someday you'll understand why." Rai turned away, but stopped to look at Sati from the corner of her eye. "Perhaps I was wrong to place any faith in you. I can't trust someone with such naive and poor judgement."

"Rai, I…" Sati stepped forward, holding out her hand to reach for Rai, but the Avatar turned and walked away.

In the distance, high above the town entrance on a tree covered hill stood a large and proud komodo rhino, saddled and mounted by the same bloodbender with the burn on his arm. "Soon, my darling, you will be mine again, for good this time," he said, locking his gaze on the blonde girl. With that, he kicked the komodo rhino into a dash and steered the might beast away from the town and into the forest. He rode until nightfall until he reached a large camp filled with well-armed men, all of whom greeted him upon arriving.

"You're back, boss!" one of them greeted as the man dismounted and his komodo rhino was led away by another to the stables. "How'd it go?"

"Hah, perfectly. The little airbender bought that whole sob story you came up with. She ate that bullshit right up!" he bellowed in laughter. "Slave! Bring me a drink!" At his call, a young disheveled child in tattered robes appeared at his side with a cup, offering it up to him. The man took the cup and gulped down every last drop. With his thirst quenched, he tossed the cup to the ground, leaving the slave to fetch it from the ground.

"One more thing, boss. Manta's waiting for you in your tent."

"Manta? Good, I've been meaning to speak with him." Upon reaching the largest tent in the camp, the man brushed the two fabric curtains that made up the entrance and strolled in. At the center of the tent were two guards, keeping a third man bound and on his knees.

"What the hell is this all about, Goro!" the bound man shouted.

"What? No hello? You're certainly not being a very good guest, Manta," Goro said casually, sitting on the large throne-like chair situated in front of Manta.

"I don't understand. I did as you asked. I attacked the Nomad to provoke the slave!"

"I asked you to do no such thing! I was merely voicing possible scenarios of what I might do, not a definite plan. I've no use for a fighter who doesn't know how to use his ears."

"But I just thought that-"

"You're not here to think, Manta, you're here to obey. And because you decided to 'think' I had to go out, get my hands dirty and fix your fuckup!"

"My fu- But you wanted her friends to suffer first!" Manta argued, leaning forward slightly.

"I did! But by my hand and while she watches! But now you've robbed me of that first opportunity!" he shouted, sitting up from his chair and leaning down in front of Manta. Goro grabbed him by the back of his neck and held Manta's face close to his. "How did she look when you first saw her? You were wrong about the blonde hair though. I think I quite like it; makes her even more of a unique little flower. How did she react when she realized who you were? Did her face just contort and her nose scrunch up when she gets angry?" he asked.

"Well, she-"

"You see," Goro said, cutting Manta off, "I wouldn't have to ask these questions if you had just stayed out of my business! So you see why I'm extremely upset about this. Now, as leader, I do encourage my fellow bandits to come to me with their questions and concerns at any time and I will see them at my earliest convenience and give them each my time and attention. If any of them are worried that a decision of mine is not the wisest or most logical, then don't be afraid to speak up. Question me, but let me have the chance to convince you of my perspective and ease your doubts," he said, as the other bandits in the tent nodded in agreement to his speech. "I am nothing if not a tolerant leader open to the concerns of my men. However, there is one thing that I will not tolerate and that is someone getting in the way of me and MY PROPERTY!" Manta and even the other bandits flinched at the sudden volume of Goro's shouting. At the snap of his fingers, the two guards cut Manta free of his restraints and pulled him to his feet as Goro turned away for a moment. "Now, you got in my way with Rai once before and ended up scarring that beautiful face of hers. So, I will not tolerate a third infraction." Goro pulled out a dagger and tossed it to Manta's feet, urging him to pick it up. "As I do with anyone else who crosses me, I'll give you a fighting chance. If you can make one scratch, one tiny little scratch on me, I'll let you leave my company alive." Manta's eyes darted back and forth between Goro and the dagger at his feet. "Go on," Goro urged. Manta stood still for a moment before quickly reaching for the dagger and charging at Goro, hoping that his sudden movement would somehow catch the bandit leader off guard. However, before Manta could take another step, his body froze and he was lifted a few inches off the ground as he groaned in pain. "Aw, that's too bad. And you had such a good head start." The dagger slipped from Manta's hands and Goro effortlessly caught it by the handle in his. "When the day is over, Rai will be mine and I won't condone someone like you getting in my way and fucking it up!" With that, Goro plunged the dagger into Manta's neck, causing the thick crimson fluid to shoot out of his body like a fountain, drenching the dirt and Goro's hand in his blood. Manta's body twitched in response to the pain as he cried out, but with Goro still bending at him, he could do nothing. Eventually, the blood flow lessened and Manta's body went limp, at which point Goro released his hold on the man, dropping his body onto the blood-soaked dirt. "Toss him. And make sure everyone in the camp knows to leave Rai be. She is mine alone to claim."

Man, I'm glad to finally work through this block I'd been having. Huge shout out to my buddy Powershade117 for helping me with this chapter. And I don't know what it is, but I looooove writing the creepers. Manta was a ton of fun in a previous chapter and I'm only getting started with Goro!

Next: Team Avatar arrives in the town where Takumi's family lives, but is the young boy ready to part ways with the Avatar?