Note: Four chapters left! A lot of you asked for the next chapter to be released soon, but then we got hit with writer's block, and so that plan got scrapped. but now we're back on board, and hopefully we can get one chapter done per week. Sorry for keeping you waiting! At least we're almost done, right? Anyway, read, review, enjoy, etc. Seriously though, sorry.

Sy was impressed by the quality of Mako's bed. The police detective spoiled himself with his sleeping quarters. Not only was the mattress lusciously soft, but the pillows were thick and plump, making a perfect place to rest her head. It helped relieve her of the stress her parents caused. The only thing that would have given her more happiness would be if Mako had actually joined her.

Mako was a gentleman as always, which meant that he spent the night on the sofa. His insistence on the matter overwhelmed Sy, who tried her best to convince him otherwise. She didn't even ask that he sleep with her, merely asking that he stay beside her for warmth or a quick cuddle. Still, he was not deterred, which is why despite her comfortable night's sleep, she felt as though she was missing a certain amount of tenderness.

Maybe that was just her obsessive nineteen year-old mind acting up again. There was only one thing to cure such hyperactivity: coffee. Lots of coffee.

Sy crawled out of bed and stumbled into her dress that she left strewn about the floor. She felt the urge to bathe, but found the idea of using Mako's shower too surreal. So she powered through with her wrinkled dress and sticky skin as she slinked out of the bedroom. Outside, Mako slept awkwardly on the sofa. His legs dangled off the end, and his arms sprouted out of the thin blanket and onto the floor. He snored as he rested against the armrest, which was the most adorable thing Sy ever had the pleasure of witnessing. She tiptoed past him into the kitchen, where she rummaged through every cabinet and drawer in sight. Was the coffee in the pantry? No. Was it up above the fridge? No. Stuffed beneath the sink? Of course not.

"Dammit, Mako," Sy growled. She would not be denied her precious coffee. She refused. Quickly, she formulated a plan. It was really quite simple. She merely waltzed back into the bedroom, grabbed the biggest, fluffier pillow she could find, walked back into the living room, and proceeded to thwack Mako in the head with it repeatedly.

Mako grunted and tossed around on the sofa as Sy swung feverishly. "Sy, stop that. I'm trying to sleep."

"And I'm trying to get caffeinated," Sy said, keeping up her assault. "You're out, by the way."

"I don't buy coffee," said Mako. "No one except you ever drinks it."

"Well, you're going to buy something now. I'm suffering from withdrawal."

"Why can't you go out and get it?"

Sy threw her hands into the air. "Look at me, Mako! Do I look like I'm in the proper attire to go outside? If I step into the sunlight, my skin will literally catch on fire. Besides, you're supposed to be the gentleman here."

Mako groggily nodded and rose from the couch. He examined Sy with glazed eyes, and brushed his fingers through his hair.

"Do you want me to get you some clothes, too?" he asked.

"Probably." Sy shrugged. "I don't know how long I'm going to stay here, and I do not feel like wearing this dress every single day."

"Should I pick up clothes from your house?"

"No way," Sy said defiantly, taking a seat next to her boyfriend. "There's not a chance in hell I'm making you go back there, especially after my mom tried to use you as lab equipment."

"Yeah," said Mako, "though she did seem very passionate about her work."

"Her work is a bunch of nonsense! It's just a bunch of hack science and coincidences she strung together because she likes talking about herself. I'm pretty sure she would be a laughing stock in the world of geneticists if anyone else actually became a geneticist. That and the fact that she keeps taking blood samples from strangers really make me regret not moving out sooner. She didn't hurt you, did she?"

"I've dealt with a lot worse. Once you've been inside a giant, self-destructing robot, everything else becomes a bit dull."

"I'll take your word for it," Sy moaned. She flopped onto Mako's lap, and gazed up at the tarnished ceiling. "I wish I had a normal family."

"Nobody has a normal family, Sy."

"Does your family talk about the mutation of the human genome due to Spirit World radiation? Or do they run a super competitive business and require hundreds of armed security forces to follow them everywhere they go? Didn't think so."

"Hey, be appreciative of what you have. Before you know it, they'll be gone, and you'll regret not spending more time with them."

"What are you? A public service announcement?"

"Just saying," Mako said softly, lifting Sy off of his lap so he could get dressed. He disappeared into the bedroom, and emerged five minutes later, looking as charming and sophisticated as he did the night before. Sy moaned with delight and batted her eyelashes.

"Meow."

"Very funny," Mako said with a smirk. "I'll be back in an hour. Please don't trash anything."

"Don't worry. I'll be a good girl. Now be a good boyfriend and go! I think the lack of caffeine is making me hallucinate."

"Good luck with that." Mako left with a chuckle. It wasn't a bad sofa, but she did not have any desire to sleep on it for any extended period of time. Sy flopped on his couch, terribly, utterly bored. All that she could do was listen to the radio and wait for him to return. The only problem was that she hated early morning news shows. They sapped the life-force out of her.

Sy was quickly dragged out of her boredom when the phone began to ring. Being the proper lady that she was, she answered it immediately.

"Mako's residence," she answered.

"Mako, are you there? It's Zhu Li. There's something you need to know," said a frantic voice from the other end.

"I'm sorry, he's not here right now," Sy said calmly. "Can I take a message?"

"Who is this?"

"I'm his… maid," Sy said nervously. She didn't know why she lied, but it was too late to back down.

"Fine. Whatever," Zhu Li grunted. "Look, can you just tell him that he should get over to the hospital. Asami went into emergency care last night and I couldn't get a hold of him."

"Gotcha. Bye."

Sy hung up the phone, and continued to relax on the couch. There was no point worrying about anything until Mako got home. So, she decided that she would wait until he came back with her coffee before she freaked out. That seemed like the grown-up thing to do.

Korra waited impatiently outside of the hospital room. Down the hall, the young rays of the morning sun filtered through a square window. The doctors had yet to speak with her, and the anxiety was driving her to madness. Still in her stained, dark clothing, she paced outside of the room, wondering what had happened to the woman she loved. Asami was unconscious when Korra found her precisely where Jinora claimed she was, lying face first in a pool of her own blood. Zhu Li and Varrick accompanied her to the hospital, but she couldn't get any information out of them. It was not due to a lack of effort; between Varrick's unintelligible babbling and Zhu Li's frenzied explanation, she could hardly understand a word the couple said, which only helped to panic her more so. Eventually, the pair passed out on a couch in the waiting room, leaving Korra without answers.

Lin was helping, either. She had done nothing for six hours except lean against a wall and glare at the floor, taking breaks only to use the restroom or get some water. She refused to look Korra in the eye, and the Avatar couldn't tell whether it was because she felt guilty or resented her. Under normal circumstances, she would assume that the Police Chief was remorseful. Under normal circumstances, however, Lin would not have tried to arrest her.

"Is Jinora still sleeping?" Korra asked. She was desperate to break the silence. "What the about the other kids? How are they holding up?"

Lin responded with a cough.

"You've been standing there for hours," Korra said bitterly, her voice dry and cracked. "Do you really hate me so much that you can't even talk to me?"

For the first time in hours, Lin met her gaze. "I don't hate you, Korra."

"You could've fooled me," spat the Avatar. "You tried to arrest me."

"And you almost killed a man."

"A criminal."

"A human being."

"So I could help catch someone worse," Korra said defensively. "I just wanted to help. That's all I wanted to do: help you. Spirits forbid I actually try to help you save lives."

"It's not that simple."

"Really? It's not that simple? How is me doing my job as protector of the realm too complicated for you."

"It's just…" Lin paused, carefully considering her words. "It isn't all about you. It isn't even all about the Hanzi Killer, either. I'm doing what needs to be done for the good of—"

"Yeah, you keep saying that," snapped Korra. "You want people to believe that the police can handle it so they won't freak out. Every time we speak, I get the same lecture. But considering that everyone seems terrified already, I don't see who it is you're going to help by forcing me out of the picture."

Lin cast her gaze away and shifted awkwardly on her feet. To Korra, it was obvious: Lin was hiding something.

"What is it?" the Avatar asked. "You might as well come clean about it. I doubt you can make things much worse than they already are."

The Police Chief groaned. She was left without a choice. "When Zaheer poisoned you, how did it feel?"

Korra froze, taken aback by the mention of the anarchist who nearly ended her life. "I don't… what does that have to do with any of this?"

"Answer the damn question," Lin demanded. "How did it feel? And I don't mean, 'Oh, it hurt,' or anything like that. I mean, what did it feel like being isolated from the world for three years?"

Korra had contemplated on that question for a long time. The answer was clear. "I felt helpless. Worthless, even."

"Why?"

"Because it was my job to keep the world safe, and I couldn't. The entire purpose of my life is to protect the world. But when I couldn't walk, and I saw that the world managed to get by on its own, I felt like my life was meaningless. It was a dark time, and I don't like talking about it. Is that the answer you were looking for?"

"Pretty much."

"Then—if you know that—why are you trying so hard to keep me away?" Korra asked.

"Because I've been talking to President Raiko recently," Lin confessed. "And he wants me to step down as Police Chief."

Korra was stunned into silence. Lin merely shrugged and tapped her foot against the hard floor.

"What do you mean? He can't make you step down. You can't step down," Korra stated matter-of-factly.

"I know he can't make me do anything," Lin explained, a deep sadness permeating beneath her steady voice. "There's no law that requires me to listen to him. I could stay in position as long as I want. But starting a few months ago, we've been having occasional chats over the phone. Most of them were pretty boring. He asked how my life was going, how I was running the force and things like that. Yet, sometimes during those conversations, he brought up the idea that I should retire early. He mentioned that I've 'been through a lot over the years' and 'probably deserved to take a break'. I just assumed that he was overly sentimental, and I just swatted it down every time he mentioned it.

"But last night, he called again. He told me that people he worked with were losing trust in the force, given all of the murders and… well, this." Lin motioned to her broken arm. "I tried telling him that everything was fine and we were making progress, but he was fed up. I had also taken a shot of something earlier and casually admitted that to him before he started lambasting me, which I'm sure didn't instill him with any confidence. At the end of the conversation, he brought up me stepping down, except that time, he didn't ask me to retire. He very specifically asked me to resign."

Korra, bumbling in her speech, shot forward, placing a gentle hand on Lin's shoulder. "I'm… I'm so sorry. I didn't know that was going on."

"There's no way that you would have known," Lin said comfortingly. "It was probably the worst insult I had ever received in my career. Ten minutes later, the man you attacked burst into the station, and I lost it. The Hanzi Killer case was the perfect chance to show that I was still capable of doing my job. Instead, I got a dozen pieces of shrapnel blown through me in front of every news outlet in the city, and there you were, running around like a vigilante and beating any criminal in sight. So, I tried to rein you in, and now we're here. Is that a good enough explanation for you?"

Korra did not have time to respond. The doctor exited the room with a sigh, and suddenly, Korra remembered why she was there in the first place. She pounced onto the doctor with desperation, and the string of questions immediately began to flow from her mouth.

"Is she okay? Did you stop the bleeding? Why did she collapse? What happened to her?"

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down," the doctor said, annoyed. It was the same youthful woman who had treated Korra's injuries after the bombing at the press conference, and over the weeks she had only grown more tired and frazzled in appearance.

"Sorry," Korra said hurriedly. "Can you please just tell me what's going on? Is she going to be alright?"

"Miss Sato will be fine," the doctor insisted. "We'll be able to release her in a few hours once you sign all the necessary paperwork."

"Oh, thank goodness!" Korra cried. The relief overwhelmed her, nearly sending her to her knees. She leaned against the wall to prevent herself from falling over. "Thank you so much. When I saw her in that pool of blood…"

"Yes, the bleeding wasn't much of a problem," stated the doctor. "There was a thick laceration on her right arm. We think it was caused by a knife or blade of some kind. It was nothing that our healers couldn't fix in a few minutes."

Korra brushed joyful tears out of her eyes. Of course, hearing that her fiancé was attacked with a knife was not something to celebrate, but the fact that she was worried over nothing filled her with happiness. "At least she's okay now."

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say that yet," the doctor said timidly.

"What do you mean?" Korra asked, confused. "You said the bleeding stopped."

"The bleeding isn't a problem, no. What is a problem is the concussion."

"Concussion?" Korra stammered. "How does she have a concussion? Why does she have a concussion?"

"I can't be one hundred percent sure on the matter, but Asami claims that she was kicked in the head."

"She was… what?" Korra could barely formulate words. What happened to Asami on that airship?

"It's pretty serious. She was hardly able to remember basic things for a while, like names or places. We've been keeping her hydrated for the past few hours though, and her head is slowly clearing up. She's back on her feet, but I'd advise that she stay away from any extraneous activity for at least a month. The last thing you want to do is stress that injury further."

"What do you count as an extraneous activity?" Lin suddenly chimed in.

"Driving, running, jumping, playing sports; anything that requires excessive motor skills. The best thing you can do is keep her well-rested and comfortable," claimed the doctor. "Personally, I'd take her out for a nice dinner. The woman looks like she needs it."

"Can I speak to her?" Korra asked. The doctor nodded, and stepped away from the door.

"She'll be happy to see you. She's done nothing but talk about you for hours."

Korra tried to shake off her nerves as she walked to the door. The doctor kindly reached forward, and turned the knob. The Avatar carefully stepped inside. The room was plain and white, perfectly matching the rest of the hospital. The only thing that was not plain was the woman who sat upright on the bed, green eyes focused on her. She wore a sleeveless white shirt and baggy sweatpants, both stained deep red with blood. Her unkempt, tattered hair fluttered across her pale face, her thin lips tightened into a grimace. A thick bandaged consumed her arm, which she scratched with her long, chipped fingernails. Their eyes locked, and it seemed as though all of time stood still, waiting for them to make a move. Korra studied her fiancé's form.

She was a mess. She was a disaster. She was perfect.

Korra pulled Asami into a tight hug, wrapping her muscular arms around her chest. Asami wasted no time in returning the favor. They sat there together, motionless, arms locked into place, savoring the familiar touch they had longed for since before the nightmare began. Asami's was warm and soft as always, and Korra sighed deeply into her thick, dark hair as an overwhelming calm washed over her.

"I've missed you so much," Korra said softly.

"Same here," Asami whispered, cracking a faint smile. "It's been hell without you."

"Well, I'm here now," Korra assured her, "and I am never going to let you go again."

"I can live with that," said Asami. The doctor slowly backpedaled out of the room.

"So, I'll give you two some privacy," she said uncomfortably. "I'll be around if you need me. Just give a call."

And then, it was just the two of them, alone for the first time in what felt like forever. Korra broke the embrace, and pressed their foreheads together so she could see Asami's face. Their fingers instinctively intertwined on her lap. Finally, Korra felt whole again.

"I am so glad you're okay," Korra said gently. "You had me worried back there."

"You were worried?" Asami joked. "There were a few moments when I couldn't even remember your name. For a while, I thought they were going to tell me I had severe brain damage."

"No, your brain is perfect. It's perfect in every single way," Korra said slyly. "But you really forgot about me?"

"Of course not. How could I ever possibly forget Avatar Korra?"

"Even though, a few seconds ago—"

"It was for ten seconds," Asami insisted. "That's not amnesia. That's a brief lapse of memory at best."

"But you're better now, right?" Korra asked worriedly. Asami brushed a hand over Korra's cheek.

"Definitely." She smiled and kissed Korra on the nose, causing the Avatar to burst into a fit of giggles.

"Hey, cut it out," Korra laughed. "No extraneous activity."

"Oh, that's extraneous? What about this? Or this? Or this?" Asami peppered Korra's face with kisses, pressing her soft lips on her cheeks, forehead and lips. Korra playfully shoved her away.

"Seriously, stop messing around. You're hurt, remember?"

"Come on, Korra. Give me a break," Asami moaned. "I've been having a really bad week. Let me have a little bit of fun."

"Trust me, we'll have plenty of fun later," Korra giggled, brushing the hair out of Asami's face. Asami wasn't the only one who was having a bad week, after all. "Right now, I want to know how this happened to you."

Asami groaned. "It's not important."

"Yes, it is," Korra said forcefully. "You told the doctor that you were kicked in the head, and you have a knife wound on your arm. I don't see how that isn't important."

"Well," Asami explained, "a lot of it is very blurry. I can only really recall some slivers of what actually happened to me."

"Can you try to remember? Please?"

"Yeah," Asami nodded "I was with Shang, Varrick, and Zhu Li. We were flying south. Something went wrong… what was it? It might have been a problem with the airship's engines. For some reason, we had to make an emergency landing outside in a valley somewhere. And then we were fighting and… wait, no, that's not right…"

Asami strained to recover more information. Korra gently squeezed her hand.

"It's okay. Take your time."

"Ugh… something was wrong with the engine, and Shang asked me to fix it. I was working to find out what went wrong, and then—I think—that was when the ship came under attack. Pirates ambushed us. They wanted to steal our cargo, or at least, I thought they did. They were led by this crazy woman named… oh, what was her name? Bi-something. Bile? Bisa—Bison! That was it: Bison! She had an eyepatch. I don't really remember anything else. She had her crew surround me, and then I saw her move to kick me, and… then it kind of goes blank after that."

"That's it?" Korra asked, concerned. "You don't remember how you got the knife wound or how you managed to get back here?"

Asami shook her head. "Everything after that point is really hazy. I didn't even realize I was bleeding until Zhu Li tried to clean it."

"At least those two were looking out for you," said Korra. "What happened to Shang? Did Bison get him?"

"Shang?" Asami asked, confused. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she shot out of the bed like a rocket. "Shang! That son of a bitch! I can't believe he did that to me!"

"Did what?" Korra asked quickly.

"I remember that," Asami said with determination. "It's fuzzy, but I remember. Zhu Li and I were thrown into the cargo hold. Bison had Varrick taken up with her to the main bedroom. Zhu Li managed to break us out, and we went to rescue him and escape the ship in a Satomobile stored with the rest of the cargo. We fought our way through a dozen guys, or she fought through them, technically."

"And then?"

"And then," Asami said bitterly, "he betrayed us."

Zhu Li dropped another pirate with an elbow to the throat. Asami watched from her slumped position on the wall as something attempted to sneak up behind her. Its face was distorted and grey. Was it a friend? An enemy? Did it even matter? The blur moved swiftly, but Zhu Li took it down with a stiff knee.

Zhu Li called to her, but her voice was muted and far away. When Asami did not respond, Zhu Li took her forcefully by the arm and dragged her away. Close up, Asami could see that her face was stricken with panic. She said something else, but Asami could only make out a few words. Varrick. Captain. Move. They shuffled together as Zhu Li tried to support her weight on her shoulders. Asami's feet refused to listen. They dragged behind her and stumbled every few steps. Asami asked where she was. Zhu Li mumbled something unintelligible.

How long had the world been trapped inside a haze? Asami could not fathom a guess. Time did not make any sense to her. One second she was lying on the grated floor and the room was spinning, and the next, Zhu Li was spinning into a roundhouse kick that drove a man to the floor. "Pirate," was something that came up often, but Asami knew of no context. The only object that grabbed her lackluster attention was the big, beautiful door that led to the captain's quarters. Zhu Li briefly let go of Asami to kick open the door, and Asami instantly collapsed, only barely catching herself with her hands.

"Shit." Asami caught that word clearly. Zhu Li pulled her upright, and ran fingers across her temple. "You… doctor… stay… Asami?"

"Mm hmm." It was the best response Asami could give considering it felt as though someone was drilling her brain with a jackhammer. Zhu Li wrapped her arm around Asami's shoulder and mumbled. She kicked the door down with a grunt that cut through the fog of Asami's mind. They charged in, holding each other for support. More grey blobs were waiting for them. Screaming. Movement. It all happened so quickly. Before she knew it, Asami was taken away and shoved against the wall. A blob moved in close, and suddenly, Asami saw Shang's face right in front of her, clear and quizzical.

And then, he slapped her across the cheek, and the fog vanished, and her memories came rushing back.

The captain's quarters were lavishly decorated. Shang spared no expense at designing his room to be a perfect reflection of his character. Every part of the room was a different color, from red bed sheets to violet carpets and green and yellow walls. The only consistent color was gold, which appeared frequently on his chairs, desks, and portraits of his twin families. A separate door led to his private bathroom; a door that a terrified Bison was backed against. Varrick was tied up on the bed, frantically yelling behind a piece of tape over his mouth. Blood was gushing down her arm, undoubtedly caused by one of the dozen pirates that attacked her, but compared to the pain in her head, it was hardly noticeable.

"There, she looks much better," Shang declared.

"She's concussed, you idiot!" cried Zhu Li. "Don't slap her!"

"What the… where am I?" Asami moaned. "What's going on? Why is—"

"Shhh, Asami," Shang interrupted. "There's no need to worry. Everything's fine."

"Baby, stop stalling and get rid of her already," Bison said timidly. The fearsome demeanor she wore mere hours prior had all but disappeared. In fact, as Asami's head cleared, she noticed that the eyepatch the pirate wore was also missing. The flesh that replaced it was ordinary.

"Baby?" Zhu Li asked, confused. "Who are you?"

"Please, don't hurt me," Bison cried weakly, shrinking to the floor as Zhu Li approached. "I didn't want to hurt anybody. I promise."

"You kidnapped my husband, knocked me out, locked me in the cargo hold, and sent your hounds after me," Zhu li growled. "Do you expect me to let that go?"

"Come on, Zhu," Shang said calmly. "There's no need to get testy over this. Her name is Katarina. And I would really appreciate if you didn't destroy her face."

"Are you kidding me?" said Asami. "That woman kicked me in the head."

"Yes, but I told her to do that," Shang added, gently grabbing Asami by the shoulders.

"What?" Asami yelled furiously, shoving Shang away. "What is going on here? Who is that woman?"

"Her name is Katarina," Shang repeated. "She's my wife."

Asami glared at the terrified pirate, who was curled into a ball on the floor. She was not in either of the family portraits Shang kept on his desk. "Her? That pirate is your wife?"

"I'm not a pirate!" Katarina yelped. "He just asked me to go along. I swear that I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Can you please stop talking?" Asami groaned. "I need to think."

"Shang was worried because the pirates didn't have a leader, and they didn't look convincing, so he called me to act as their leader," said Katarina.

"Thanks, Kat. I appreciate that," Shang said discouragingly. The dull throbbing was starting to return, as Asami put the pieces together.

"You sabotaged the engine," she stated. "You tried to have me killed."

"No no no," Shang said, shaking his head. "I never tried to kill you. That's unfair."

"Then why did you do this?" Asami asked. It was only then did she notice the plethora of blueprints lining the desk before her. She cautiously walked towards them, and studied. Even with the ever-present ache of the concussion, she could easily recognize the schematic, and it filled her with dread.

"Asami? Are you okay?" Zhu Li asked while she untied her husband.

"These are schematics to make a machine that uses Phosphorescent Particles," Asami said with terrified certainty. "Shang, do you have any idea what you're trying to make?"

"Of course, I know!" Shang declared. "Do you think I'm stupid? You build a device that can harness the power of the sun, and the most you can think to do with it is a parlor trick? Think bigger, Asami! Kuvira's spirit weapon is nothing compared to what we can do with this kind of power. People all over the world will be lining up to get their hands on it."

"You used me to make a profit," Asami barked. "I thought you were interested in being an inventor, not an arms dealer. What happened to dreaming about rockets?"

"That wasn't a lie," Shang said dismissively. "I do dream of rockets. They just happen to be sailing in different directions than yours."

"This isn't a rocket. It's a bomb powerful enough to destroy a city. Who do you think is going to want to buy a weapon like that?"

"People I trust to use it accordingly."

"We're in a time of peace!" Asami shouted, grabbing the schematic and tearing it to shreds. "There's nothing to fight. You're going to start a war."

"And what's the problem with that?" Shang shouted, frustrated. "War is how the world works. Do you honestly think that peace is going to last? Peace never lasts. Humans are nothing but violent, savage animals, and if they plan to wipe each other out, who am I to do anything but make the most of it? Don't hate the player; hate the game. And believe me: I am very close to winning. I'm a few days away from turning your little "bomb" into pure, concentrated, controllable energy. Once that's done, I'm gonna make more money than anyone else on the planet."

"Is that why you damaged the engines? You needed to stall for time before you were ready to show your buyers."

"Well, that," Shang said with a shrug, "and I needed to find some test subjects for the weapon. Blowing a few pirates away will do wonders for my image, plus I know that no one important will be need to be sacrificed for studies. A good businessman doesn't risk selling faulty products."

Shang dashed to his bed, and reached underneath, pulling out a small, black box. He opened it, and took out a metallic, vase-shaped object, shoddy and covered with wires. Asami instinctively backed away, but Shang held it in his palms as if it was made of pure gold.

"Be careful. You're going to kill us!" she warned.

"If I can't get it ready in time. That's why you're here: You're going to finish this for me. If you help me, I'll bail out Future Industries as promised, and we can all move on with our lives, wealthy and happy."

"You honestly think I'm going to help you make weapons?"

"If you want Future Industries to survive," Shang reasoned. "Come on, it's easy! Fix the machine, sell some weapons, make money, and live happily ever after with our wives. Or, end up in the dirt with the rest of your bankrupt little company. You wouldn't want your family's legacy to fall apart, would you?"

Asami clenched her fist. The decision was clear. "Sorry. I'd rather lose my business than my integrity."

Shang sighed. "You're really making this hard for me, Sato. How about this: we—"

Without warning, Asami reached out and punched Shang in the jaw. He fell backwards, collapsing into an unconscious heap on the floor. Katarina shrieked. The unfinished device rolled onto the floor, and Asami carefully scooped it up. She turned towards Katarina, who crossed her arms in front of her face for defense.

"You," Asami said angrily. "You really deserve to… to…"

Suddenly, the haze returned with a fury, and Asami fell to her knees in shock. Her arms shook violently, and her ears became clouded with white noise. She held down her vomit, but the pain overwhelmed, and she fell on her face, eyes glazed over.

Zhu Li hoisted her to her feet while Varrick shouted and grabbed the machine. She couldn't walk or speak. Her body trembled against her will. She wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and dream. That was when her memory failed her.

Asami lied down and stared at the ceiling, exhausted. Korra traced the back of Asami's hand with her thumb.

"Varrick and Zhu Li took the prototype to one of my vaults. Shang's out in the wild somewhere, probably hiding out with one of his families. All that time, I really thought he wanted to help me," Asami said, disheartened. "I can't believe I was so stupid."

"You're not stupid," said Korra. "There's no way you could have known what would happen."

"But I could've been more cautious," Asami lamented. "One kick. I've made it through so many fights unscathed, and I get taken out with one stupid kick to the head by someone who doesn't even know what they're doing. I'm better than that."

"Don't stress too much about it. So you made a mistake. You'll recover and learn. I mean, you're Asami Sato, the most talented woman on the planet. I doubt a few scrapes and bruises can do much to take away from that."

"Thanks, but I'm just feeling kind of sick of myself right now," Asami stated, turning toward her fiancé. "And I know I'm acting like a jerk right now. You've probably had it a lot worse than me these past few weeks."

"It's fine," Korra said, although her voice betrayed her honesty. "Really, I was more concerned about you than anything. As long as you're here and you're safe, I'm happy. You're more important to me than any psychopathic killer."

"Wow. Pulling out the psychopathic killer line? You really know how to make a girl feel special," Asami said with a smirk.

"I know some other ways to make you feel special."

"Don't do it."

"Don't do what? This?"

Korra tickled Asami's ribs, causing the older woman to squeal and kick her away.

"Knock it off," Asami commanded weakly, giddy with laughter. Korra flashed a devilish smile.

"Knock what off? I'm not doing anything," she snickered as her fingers danced over Asami's arms and legs. Asami playfully shoved her away, but was no match for the Avatar's superior strength and determination. She cracked under the pressure, descending into a mad fit of giggles.

"Please," Asami begged in-between laughs. "You have to stop. I'm ill."

"Well, I'm… chill," Korra retorted.

"What does that even mean? That's not a comeback!"

"You're not a comeback."

"Hey! Korra!"

The Avatar snapped to attention. Lin stood in the doorway, watching their childish games with a bizarre look of disgust and adoration. It was remarkable that in only the span of a few minutes, Korra completely forgot the massive trouble she was in with the law. It suddenly dawned on her that she would have to tell Asami, and her heart sank like a stone.

"I'll, uh, be right back," Korra said nervously. Asami stared at her, confused but understanding. She gave her one last playful kick off of the bed, and rolled over. Korra took a deep breath and followed Lin out of the room, shutting the door behind her. "So, how much of that did you see?"

"Enough to not want more of it," Lin said plainly.

"Look, about Raiko. I didn't know that you were going to lose your job. I would have been more cooperative if I knew what was at stake. But I couldn't sit back and do nothing."

"I know," Lin sighed. "And I should've realized that trying to hold you back was pointless. That's something I learned the hard way years ago. Still, I hope you understand that you can't keep running around like some masked avenger in the middle of the night."

"So, you still plan on arresting me?" Korra asked timidly.

"I could arrest you, though I think there's something much more useful you could do with your time," Lin stated, placing a hand on Korra's shoulder. "Asami needs you right now. For the next few weeks, you're going to stay by her side and take care of her. Don't worry about the Hanzi Killer. Don't worry about saving the world. Just be there for your wife, let us do our job and I'll wipe the slate clean. Do we have a deal?"

"Yeah," Korra agreed, laughing to herself.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Korra said, a big, goofy grin plastered on her face. "It's just… that's the first time anyone ever called her my wife before. It feels really, really weird."

Lin cracked a smile. She turned to leave, before adding, "And also, follow the doc's advice and the girl out tonight. You both look like you need it."

Korra was elated. Excited to share the news, she rushed back into the hospital room to tell Asami of their new plans for the evening. Their night would be full of fun and thrills, and nothing in the entire world could stop them.

It would be the last normal evening they ever had.