Tenzin shook his head after one of the acolytes alerted him to the Avatar's presence on the island. Along with a few of the metal bending officers that were willing to protect him and his family, he strode off to greet his former student. Korra brought along a few of the triad followers and Ms. Sato.
"This is a surprise visit from you." He said, trying to be as polite as he could.
"I'm not here with gifts. I'm here to take your island over. You and your family are to leave and go to the Southern Water Tribe. I believe your dear mother would love to see you all." Her uncanny grin turned into a frown as she adjusted her expensive, buttoned jacket, "This is my only warning or I will begin killing everyone on this island until I chase you and your family off."
"Out of all of the people in this city, why do you give my family and me a chance to live?"
The Avatar's brow lowered dangerously, "Because you were one of few that treated me kindly like a person and not a weapon. Do not test the length of my kindness though. It's not long at all." She then grabbed the Sato woman and pushed her, "Take her too. She needs a home and I will not spare any room for a nonbender in my city."
"And the acolytes?"
"If you must take them, then take them. They will be treated like the scum they are if they stay."
The airbending master nodded with a gruff, "How long do we have?"
"One hour and then I will wreck any remains of this pitiful island that your father created." One of her hands clinched into a fist as the police officers fell to her command, "You won't need these fools. I will be disposing them for you."
"Korra please? As if there has not been enough death by your hands this month, please spare them."
"You now have thirty minutes to pack before I begin destroying this place."
The young Sato woman urged the airbender to just take the deal. Any good attitudes she knew from the Avatar before were gone and there was no point in trying to negotiate. Tenzin turned to look back at his family home. Pema and his children looked fearful.
"Tick-tock. The clock is a'knockin.'" Korra pointed to her watch, "I have things to do."
The airbender nodded and then escorted the young woman towards his home. They would begin to pack what would fit on the bison. What they found was that not all of them would fit. Oogie would not be able to take them all. Tenzin glanced behind him to see that Korra was tapping her foot impatiently. She was going to hold them to the thirty minutes.
"Ten minutes, Tenzin."
"We're all not going to fit Master Tenzin." One of the acolytes said as he handed someone a basket of food.
"Get the young aboard then." He answered back in a whisper.
The acolyte nodded gravely. When the young were on the bison, Tenzin whispered to the beast before hurrying the animal away. Protests were heard from atop of the bison, leaving the man to fight back tears. He turned with a calm look on his face only to see the snarl on the Avatar's. Her anger fumed around her as he was pulling at her bluffing. She adjusted her fedora and sent the gangsters to surround them. Tenzin knew her too well.
"Noble like your father, I see." She responded.
"There are many things to treasure and keep safe in life. Some things that you do not yet understand nor do I feel that you ever will." He said firmly and stood tall. The older acolytes held their heads up defiantly as well, knowing that their silent stance against the Avatar would anger her.
The Avatar let out a breath before grinning, "Fine. I see how this will be. Let's see how high you can hold your head up after this, hm?"
The acolytes around the airbender were forced to their knees. The bloodbender's grin grew larger as the men and women cried out before being let out from her grip to fall to the stone. Only the airbender was kept alive. He was forced to watch. When it was just him left, Korra set him down and smirked.
"How should we let you go? All I have bent lately have been blood and metal on my enemies."
Tenzin shifted until he was sitting like he was about to meditate. He could hear the triad members joke and laugh about what they would do.
"I like that, Ping. Let's see how enlightened my airbending master is. Perhaps a good old Fire Nation treatment will do it." Korra said before producing a flame in her hand. The firebender from the Triple Threats ran off to their ship to find lighter fluid.
"I forgive you Korra. I only hope that your next life will be kinder to the world."
The Avatar snorted in laughter, "I will become immortal; everyone will see that. I will make Queen Hou-Ting look like an honest leader and Fire Lord Izumi will look like a saint after I am done with the world. There will not be a new Avatar after me but enough talk. I am a busy woman and some nonbenders are in the way of my power. Farewell Tenzin."
She then nodded before Ping opened the can and dumped it on the man. Tenzin only closed his eyes to keep with his meditation. Korra turned to the gangsters with a grin.
"Anyone up for searching this place for valuables?" she laughed as she lit the ground. She made sure to cuff the airbender's ankles before leaving him to his fate.
She carefully picked through the rooms, taking what she remembered was valuable. A few pendants, her last life's glider and a few other old airbender relics that were left behind were stuffed into a pocket or carried. Then she stopped in his office. There was a photograph from thirteen years ago when she was just turning twenty and Tenzin told her of her mastery. It was right before she forced her way into City Hall to take power and she was still running around with the Red Monsoons despite the airbender's rules on them.
The need for power shined in her eyes but the prideful youth also showed through her smile as someone captured the moment between the one true teacher in her life and his proud student. She had a time in her life to forget that she was the daughter of a gangster. She was the Avatar, the balance between two worlds. All of her past life's friends were standing in the back showing their support. Even old King Kuei was in it.
She had held her father with high esteem. Even after he and Chief Unalaq found her teachers and left her to years of painful lessons, she trusted that her training was worth it. Days of pain and callousness killing turned her from a child needing proper guidance to a young woman that did not hold life close to her heart.
Then she went to Republic City to finish her training. Unlike Chief Unalaq's so called 'friends,' Tenzin had opened his home to her. Of course, his mother was still living there and the acolytes were there but even they treated her better. Katara often gave her strange and forlorn looks. Korra could not tell if it was because she was Aang's reincarnation or the fact that her father tried to kill the past Avatar. Officer Lin Bei Fong would come over with her awkward self and gave into Korra's pleading about wanting to learn metalbending.
She had a form of family that her father never gave her and what her mother tried to do for her. For once in her life, Korra had friends and people that truly cared about her. Genuine smiles came out as she trained and not looks of murder.
But her old self was not completely gone. Between waiting for her mentor and the officer to stop their little fling dates and her training, she would head into the city. She would either torment her brother Tarrlok or run around with the Red Monsoon Triad. Usually trouble followed. Korra often would return to the island at random times in the morning.
It was rare that she returned to the island sober. Some things never changed and the city only gave the young Avatar more chances to return to bad habits. But she was the first person to defend Tenzin in the city if someone made a harsh comment about him. The offender often found themselves stuck in a hole for the police to find later.
Then Pema came into the picture. The nonbender had admitted her feelings for Tenzin. After Lin almost threw the woman in jail and had broken everything off with the airbender, Tenzin started dating the acolyte. This left Korra pondering awful plans for the nonbender. It also opened her eyes to her own unfamiliar feelings about the airbender. She soon left Tenzin in an uncomfortable position when Korra tried flirting with her mentor.
"I'm only two years younger than Pema. I don't see what the problem is, Tenzin? You obviously like younger women." she had shouted at him after running a finger down his chest.
"It's not your age, Korra," the airbender responded, controlling his temper, "This isn't right because of who we are. You are my father's reincarnation and my student. I will not speak further on this. We are strictly in a mentor-student relationship." He then left her to boil in her rejection.
The Avatar then forgot about her teachings of spiritual peace and went directly to City Hall to instate her power with bloodbending. It did not take long for her past purpose to come out. Three years later, Tenzin and Pema had Jinora. What Korra knew as her happy family was now gone and in the past. Blood, money, drugs and sex became her purpose in life. It was certainly not what Tenzin saw in her. He knew her better than what she gave into.
There was a smile on her face as Korra stared at the photo. She lingered longer than she wanted on it before burning it. The triads did not need to see her at a softer moment when Tenzin's words meant something other than empty words of trying to remind her of her duty to the world. It was the same feeling of rejection she felt before.
"Boss," she heard the leader of the Red Monsoons speak, "The sailor boys are sailing into the port."
"Are the mines ready?" she turned her head slightly as to not give away her vulnerability.
"You think I'd be here if they weren't?" the man retorted back before his limbs tensed.
"I'm thinking you need to join the United Forces' sailors in their eternal sleeping with the fishes with that attitude." She turned swiftly on her toes and threw him against the wall before setting the room on fire, "Or perhaps you can burn here with this temple. Both are slow and painful deaths."
"No, I'm sorry Boss. Don't kill me!"
The Avatar smirked before leaving the man bound to the floor. Air Temple Island was soon set on fire.