Title: Adequation

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Don't own Legend of Korra.

Summary: Avatar Korra, having mastered three out of four elements, was about to take charge of her own life and finally learn airbending in the grand city of her predecessor, Aang – is it any surprise that she missed the stop at Republic City?

The city was huge; Korra never imagined it would be so big she'd get lost right away. It was so easy in the Poles to find out where you were, using the water and the sun, but here, it was street after street with no landmarks that she could see!

At this rate, Korra wouldn't reach Air Temple Island until morning! Oh, she knew she should have stayed along the shoreline! But she'd gotten sidetracked feeding Naga, whose nose had taken them several streets into the main city. Now, Korra had no idea where they were.

Dusk was approaching, and Korra and Naga were currently wandering down some residential district from the looks of things, though it wasn't very tidy. Frowning to herself, Korra looked around for someone to ask direction from – no one was about – when a car careened down the street, tires screeching. Korra leapt out of the way, and gaped. "HEY!" Korra yelled at the retreating vehicle. Fuming, Korra turned, and that was when she saw smoke billowing in the distance.

"Oh no, Naga! Naga, come on let's go!" Korra called urgently as she ran down the street. In seconds, Naga was running along side her, nose in the air as they sped towards the fire.

"This is terrible," Korra breathed as she came across the scene. There was a bloodied man in front of the property, and Korra ran for him.

"My… my wife… please! My child… and wife…" The man said feebly. "Spare them, please, oh spirits…"

"What?" Korra asked, and then felt a shiver of dread go down her spine as she looked at the burning house in front of her. There were people in there? "Naga, I'm going in! You get this guy to the streets, ok?"

Korra didn't wait for an answer, she just charged straight into the house, bringing up her sealskin coat to her nose and above her ears as she ran.

The entryway was wreathed in flames, but Korra charged past them a dive to fan the flames away. "HELLO!"

Nothing.

There had to be some response! She couldn't be too late!

She sped through the house, kicking down every door she came across. Nothing in the kitchen. Nothing in the receiving room. Upstairs?

"Please, is anybody in here?" Korra asked desperately.

Still no response.

One bedroom, nothing.

Bathroom, nothing.

The last door was another bedroom, and with tears in her eyes, Korra kicked it down.

No one was in there. "But he said…" She said to herself.

Just when Korra was about to turn around, she heard a thud, coming from the far door in the room. Korra raced to it, and, reaching instinctively for the door, seared her hand. "Ah!" Gritting her teeth, she blew out a giant steam of air, and jumped back – great going, Korra, firebending in a burning house! She thought as the flames fanned even brighter around her. "You're not getting the best of me, DOOR!" She called, and rammed right into it.

It smelled terrible. Like flames and that disgusting gasoline and worse, burned flesh.

Slumped in the corner of the adjacent bathroom was the still form of a tied up woman. Her clothes and flesh were blackened, and her hair was missing. Korra wasted no time, hauling her up none too gently, and ran.

The door was surrounded by flames, but that was nothing to a firebender. Korra breezed through the flames, and ran down the hall, only to halt at the stairs, which had crumpled away.

"There's no time for this!" Korra said to herself desperately. So she turned around, and ran straight back into the room. She charged, and as Korra approached the window, she step-turned and curled around the woman as she flew through the air, crashing against, then through, the glass.

It was a hard landing that jarred all the way to the bone. But they were out of the fire, amidst a crowd of people who had come to the fire. "HEY! ANY OF YOU A DOCTOR!" Korra yelled desperately.

There was no reply, and Korra grit her teeth. What was this!

With a frustrated snarl, Korra pulled and bent, gushing water appearing from the air, the grass – it was a paltry amount, the heat having burned away most moisture. It would have to do, Korra thought, and with shaking hands turned it to healing water.

The woman was still beneath her. The healing water glowed, seeking the damage, healing the burns.

The man from before stumbled up to her, dropping to his knees. "Chio, Chio please." He begged of her.

Slowly, the glow petered out. Korra's eyes widened.

"She…she's not breathing…" She muttered desperately. Once again, Korra pulled water, changing it once again. Korra tried, she really did, but the spirit water wouldn't sink in.

Chio's chest was still, and deflated. The damage from the heat and smoke had been too much.

"No…" Korra cried. "Please, no!"

Like something broke, the bloody man was sobbing into his wife's chest. He called out to the spirits, wanted his wife back, anything at all. It wouldn't come.

Shaking, Korra got to her feet. She looked around, at the people just standing, watching.

"What are you all looking at? Go away!" Korra snarled.

How dare them! This wasn't a game; this was a woman's life, dead. A man, without her! And they just watched.

Slowly, the crowd wandered away from the flames, the sobs of the man and the fury in the girls blue eyes.

Naga came up to Korra, nudging her with a big head. "Aurooo."

Korra let out a shaky sigh. "I… I'll be fine. Thanks, Naga." She smiled a bit, and then confided in her best friend. "I just… I wish I could have done more."

"Rrru!" Naga rumbled.

"Huh? Oh!" Korra lunged to the man, who was on unsteady feet. "Please, let me heal you."

His eyes were still on his wife's, but he shook his head. "I have… to find a way."

"What?" Korra asked, "What are you talking about?"

"My daughter… my wife is gone…but my daughter… they took her." He said faintly. "I… I have to get her back."

"You… are you crazy! That's the last thing you should be worrying about!" Korra scolded.

His face twisted, and he spat at her. "You could not save my wife. But I WILL find my daughter! I have to get her away from those… those monsters!"

Korra took a step back, finding the comforting solidity of Naga behind her. "I…"

The man's body shook feebly, but he still did not cry. "I… I am at fault, for this. I couldn't make enough; get money to the Agni Kai's. I, I have to get Emmy back!"

"Wh- Wait! At least let me heal you!" Korra tried. She had no idea what the Agni Kai's were, since she doubted this was the result of a battle for honor gone sour, but this had bad idea written all over it.

Arms trembling, the man denied her. "Like you healed my wife?" A bitter smile appeared on his lips. "No. I will give it everything; I have to try, for Emmy."

Horrified, Korra could only watch as he stumbled away. When she tried to take a step after him (stop him, heal him, offer to help him! Anything!) she found her coat snagged in the jaws of Naga.

"Naga! Please!" Korra tried reasoning.

The polar bear-dog's eyes chastised her, and Korra sagged. "I want to help them."

You already did, it seemed Naga was saying.

Korra looked down, the horribly burnt body of Chio. "No. No, in the end, I couldn't help them at all, could I…"

Trembling, Korra dropped to the ground, and seconds later buried her face in Naga's fur. "I failed. I couldn't help at all."

Korra couldn't say much later it was, but eventually the police squad came. There were ruthlessly efficient about putting out the smoldering remains of the house and making sure that it wouldn't spread, before one approached her.

"Ah-hem." A gravelly voice cleared their throat. Korra looked up with dull eyes from her position against Naga. One of the police officers stood before her, hair gone gray and with earth green eyes as serious as can be. The woman was intimidating, but Korra couldn't bring herself to care.

"My name is Chief Bei Fong. If you're feeling up to it, I'm going to need your statement about what's happened tonight." The severe looking woman told her.

Korra slumped again. "Oh."

"Do you want to do it here, or would you like to come down to the station?" Bei Fong asked, a softer note appearing in her voice as she took in just how lost the girl was.

"I… yeah… sure. It's not like I'll be able to find a place to stay right now anyway." Korra said, heaving herself up. "Lead on."

Bei Fong raised an eyebrow at the wording, and motioned for her officers to lead the girl to the squad Satomobile.

"But, Naga…" Korra protested.

"Don't worry. Your… is that a polar bear-dog?" The officer asked, suddenly looking faint. Korra nodded, and he continued weakly. "…will fit in one of the bigger trucks."

Korra followed the man inside, and the sped off.

It was a dizzying sensation, these Satomobiles. Korra had never ridden in one before, since they didn't tend to do very well in the South Pole. Still, it seemed like she could enjoy the sensation of the Satomobiles for a few minutes before it screeched to a halt in front of the Police Headquarters.

Korra was ushered out of the car and reunited with Naga, who, it seemed, had taken a liking to one young officer's hair. Either that, or his hair products, Korra thought with a faint spark of humor. Knowing Naga, it could've been both.

The building was large, with a statue above the doors that sent a spark of familiarity down Korra's spine. Still, despite the size, it was quick work to be led inside, through the halls, and into a sterile, if comfortable room. Korra raised her eyebrow, turning to Chief Bei Fong.

Bei Fong's lips quirked, and she said, "Well, it's not like you're the chief suspect. Might as well make you comfortable, if you could be here all night." The last sentence was pinned with a firm look.

Korra, shoving aside her pride, let out a grateful sigh and fell bonelessly into the char. She managed a small smile as Naga nudged her. "Fire away, Chief."

Despite the levity surrounding the situation, Korra knew: she was in for a long night.