Note: Sorry for the long delay between uploads. We've been a bit distracted lately, but we have returned. This is the second part of this three-part chapter that will cap off the first third of the story. We believe that we have something very special in store for then, so stay tuned; we can guarantee that it will completely change the status-quo from here on out. In the meantime, feel free to comment, critique, and enjoy.

Korra was slowly losing faith in Asami. Her dazzling companion, as she was in the process of learning, had horrible navigational skills. They had been driving for two hours straight, and had left the urban area of Republic City long ago. All she could see, as she looked around every which way, was the dull tan color of mountains.

"Are you sure you're on the right track?" she asked curiously. "I think you missed your turn roughly twenty miles ago."

"I know where I'm going," Asami said with a smirk. "We're almost there. Have a little trust in me."

"It's not the trust I'm worried about. It's your sense of direction."

"Well, would you prefer to drive?" Asami asked inquisitively.

"Hehe… no, thank you," said Korra sheepishly. "I think we both know who the superior driver is here."

"Good point," nodded Asami. "I might as well have just committed suicide."

"Hey…"

"Come on, you know I only tease because I love."

"Well, you could put a little more emphasis on the love."

"Sorry," Asami said with a giggle. She treated the comment with jest, although a small twang of guilt stung beneath the surface. Korra had a good sense of humor, she figured. Surely, she figured out that she was merely telling a joke. Still, she felt uncomfortable about her words and opted to remain silent throughout the rest of the drive.

For the next hour and a half, Korra found numerous ways to occupy her time. She glared out her window and studied the various fauna she passed by. She hummed the tune of a catchy song she had heard on the radio that morning, even though she was not a particular fan of it. Most importantly, she tried to figure out why she was wearing such bizarre clothing, and whether or not Asami had taken her out into the wilderness to execute her. Despite these tantalizing thoughts, the boredom crept through her, threatening to break her apart.

Then, when all hope seemed lost, something truly miraculous happened: they stopped.

"We're finally here," Asami said joyously, breathing a sigh of relief. She stretched her tired arms and legs, glad to be able to move again. The women stepped out of the car, and Korra looked around. She had no idea what Asami was talking about; she was surrounded by the same tan mountains that she had seen for the past three and a half hours. That did not stop Asami from hurrying to the trunk and pulling out two great backpacks and a large canteen of water.

"We're a bit late," Asami said happily, oblivious of the puzzled look she was receiving. "Still, we should be able to make good progress if we move briskly."

"You want to slow down there?" Korra asked, crossing her arms. "We are miles away from civilization, I don't know what's in those bags, and I still have no clue how this is supposed to be romantic."

Asami smirked, and tossed a bag towards Korra, who was taken aback by its weight. It had to weigh at least twenty pounds, yet Asami was slinging it about like it was nothing, almost as if she was accustomed to its heftiness (or, she had been working out, which was also a very pleasant thought).

"What did we do when we first started dating?" Asami asked excitedly.

"Vacation in the Spirit World?" Korra answered.

"Exactly," said Asami. She walked over to her lover, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I wanted this to day to be special, so I figured: why don't we do something like we used to all those years ago?"

"You mean… visit the Spirit World?"

"No. More specific."

"Well, what kind of specific?" asked Korra. "Because we did a lot of things in the Spirit World; we were there for a month. Do you mean the dealing with the huge carnivorous flower? Sleeping in the meadow? Swimming in the waterfall? Everything else in the waterfall, because I don't think there's a waterfall anywhere out here, and even if there was I doubt you would want me wearing this."

"Too specific," Asami groaned. "I meant walking, actually."

"Oh," Korra said with a frown. "That's not nearly as fun as that waterfall."

"Keep your hopes up," Asami stated playfully. She pointed up to a mountaintop a mile away and several hundred yards in the air. Korra could see a narrow trail winding around the base of the rocky terrain, eventually leveling out into a small plateau near the top. "See that peak? I found that spot last year when I was testing out your Phosphorescent Particles, just in case they turned out to be highly volatile. As it turns out, there is an incredible view of the stars up there, much better than anything you would get in the city."

"Asami," Korra said inquisitively, "Are we going to hike to the top of a mountain together?"

"Now you're catching on," Asami nodded. "If we hurry, we should get there by nightfall."

"You know, I can just create an elevator and get us up there in, roughly, fifteen minutes, right?"

"Did you ever use earthbending in the Spirit World?"

Korra sighed as if she was a child accepting a time-out. "No, ma'am."

"Then we're walking," Asami said firmly. She gave Korra a peck on the cheek, and then began walking away from the car and towards the very, very tall mountain. Korra looked up at the peak, and then down at herself. At the very least, she could rest with the knowledge that she wasn't going to be betrayed. Unfortunately, she also had to deal with the knowledge that, most likely, there was no waterfall anywhere in the vicinity.

While for some this day held great value, to the young, jubilant mind of Masaki Sugiyama, everything was the same as it always had been. He stood alone in the park, staring wistfully at the statue of the Avatar as if it might suddenly spring to life. It filled him with pride knowing that, unlike many of the sad, desperate creatures around him, he had been given the honor of meeting the incredible woman in person. And, not only did he speak directly to her, but he managed to acquire some interesting, first-hand information about her life. The way she ate, the way she lived, the way she treated others; it was all a very fascinating subject to him. The Avatar was someone with more power than any other living creature alive, yet it seemed that no one but him was interested in the enigma of how one can survive with that much power. It was a peculiar truth that he could hardly comprehend. Out of the millions of people in the world, he was the only one who seemed to care. For that reason alone, Masaki felt like it was his duty to learn as much as possible; if he would not learn, then who else would? Staring at the stone art in front of him, Masaki felt a small surge of pride.

He got to talk to the Avatar.

Then, there was a bump, and Masaki felt himself nearly get shoved over. Once he steadied himself, he glared angrily at his attacker. The man who was strolling by and so rudely interrupted his thought process turned around, looming over Masaki's meek form. His head was shaved and he stared down at the child with bitterness and neglect. Masaki looked up at the man for a moment with large, blank eyes, and then, in only a moment, a stark grin spread across his cheeks.

"Hey," he said with discontent. "You bumped into me. That wasn't very nice."

"So," growled the man, "you gonna complain about it, kid?"

"You should apologize to me," claimed Masaki. "That's the fair thing to do."

"The world ain't fair, sport," moaned the irritated man. Masaki could plainly see that he had gone several long nights without rest. "Why don't you just run home to your parents?"

"Why don't you just apologize?" Masaki retorted. He leaned forward, his white teeth directed at the man as if he was about to leap forward and bite his head off. However, he quickly stood up straight, and stuck out a hand. "My name is Masaki. What's your name?"

The man sighed. "Name's Rei, kid. Now leave me alone—"

"Wait," said Masaki hurriedly. "We don't have to be mad at each other. Why don't we be friends? I like making new friends. Just last week, I became friends with the Avatar, so I don't see why it isn't possible to become friends with you."

Rei looked at the child through a haze. Despite the somewhat creepy smile, he could detect the faint presence of child-like innocence seeping out of him. Still, Rei had enough problems on his hands, and going out of his way to talk to a child wasn't going to help him with anything.

"Sorry, Masaki," he said coldly. "I have places to be. Maybe some other time." Rei turned away, and began to walk from the statue, when Masaki's youthful voice suddenly called out:

"You should try doing something fun tonight other than getting drunk," said Masaki through his ever-present smile. "I think it will really help you with… whatever you need help with."

Rei stopped momentarily, and then continued on his way. He walked far away from Masaki and the statute of the Avatar, far away from the park, far away from the heavy nightlife. On this night, he needed his fill. There were many places to buy good drinks in Republic City, but he was falling on hard times, and unfortunately, those places were far too expensive for him. Luckily, he had found a loophole of some sort. There was a small market that sold good liquor for a tenth of the price near Shepard's Way, or as he and many others used to know it as, Jackdaw's Den. The wise had learned long ago to stay far away from the Den, and the desperate had long ago learned to seek refuge there for quick fixes.

After waling over a mile, Rei came to the small market. Passing over a passed-out homeless man asleep at the doorstep, he entered the building, completely oblivious of the two cops watching his movements.

"That's the guy?" Chen asked nervously.

"Yeah… Lukara's washed-out boyfriend," Mako stated.

"Looks tough," said Chen, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "In fact, this whole neighborhood looks tough. Are you sure he didn't notice us?"

"He probably would have run if he did," Mako explained. "We've got him cornered now. It doesn't matter. Now, all we have to do is: wait."

"How long?"

"Who knows?" Mako said honestly. "Could be a few minutes. Could be hours. All that I know is that whatever happens, we are going to get some answers tonight, whether he complies or not."

"And say he doesn't want to comply?" asked Chen, already dreading the answer.

"Well," Mako shrugged, "at least you'll finally get some more in-field experience, right?"