The sun was just beginning to crest the eastern horizon when Koji slunk outside. Since it was still so early, no one expected him to be awake. It made sneaking out of the guest house easy. He quietly made his way along the walkways until he came to the pillars in the training field. Set atop each one, were the chunks of metal. Since these were used for practice, they had no distinct shapes. He ignored the beginners materials and went to the steel glob. He took the chunk between his hands and focused. After several seconds, the metal began to shift under his control.

"What are you doing?"

A voice from behind caused him to jump. He quickly stashed the chunk behind his back as he spun around. Aiyeka was standing nearby with a stern expression on her brow very reminiscent of Mako.

"N-nothing," he stammered as he backed up against the pillar he had gotten the steel from. He tried to secretly replace the chunk on its pedestal, but he couldn't quite reach from behind his back. There was a loud thud when it landed on the ground behind him.

Aiyeka eyed it suspiciously.

"Can you metalbend?" she asked.

"What? No. Of course not. I can't metalb—" He was forced to defend himself when Aiyeka threw a metal slat from her uniform at him. Without thinking, he bent the metal from the air and redirected it. He winced when it ricocheted off a pillar before wedging itself into the ground.

"Can't metalbend, huh?" Aiyeka mused, her stern countenance never faltering.

He hung his head upon being caught. "I'm not very good though," he said anxiously.

"No. Clearly not," Aiyeka bluntly stated as her gaze went to where Koji had inadvertently sunk the slat. "Does Uncle Mako know?"

"No!" Koji snapped louder than he'd meant to. "I haven't told anyone. I don't want Ryu to get upset."

"Ryu?" Aiyeka echoed. "What does he matter?"

"He gets jealous," he anxiously answered. "I don't want to make him mad because I figured out how to metalbend before he did."

"Who's to say he'll ever be able to metalbend," Aiyeka countered. "I've watched both of you boys. He throws boulders around while you peg pebbles. Like my father, he lacks finesse. If you can metalbend, you should be showing-off such an achievement, not hiding it away."

He let out a sigh. "I still don't thi—"

"Very well. I'll keep your little secret," Aiyeka interrupted. "It's not really any of my business what the Avatar does anyway."

"But I'm not—" he slapped his hands over his mouth as Aiyeka raised a suspicious eyebrow at him. "…I'm not not the Avatar," he hastily corrected.

"Of course you're not," Aiyeka replied, with just a hint of a smile, before walking away. Her attitude made it impossible to tell if she actually knew the truth, or if she was just baiting him.

Later that morning, the teens went to their separate training sessions. The boys with Bolin and Mari with Mako.

On her training field, Mari prepared to face-off against one of the rookies from Zaofu's defense force while Mako and Aiyeka watched from the sidelines. It was essentially her final exam after all her training for the past year.

"Be ready, Delun," Aiyeka instructed her charge. "As you can see, you have a formidable opponent. Don't hold back."

The man gave her a firm nod, but it was obvious he was nervous about sparring against the Fetchling.

"You can begin."

Delun began the match and immediately hurled metal blades at Mari. Mari deftly dodged the blades and those she couldn't dodge, she flicked away with her tail. They barely made a dent on her hard scales. As she continued to close the gap between them, the man bent a wall of stone to shield himself. Mari easily smashed the barrier with her horns. While Mako had trained Ryu to keep his distance in battle, it was different for Mari. As a non-bender, and a Fetchling, it was better for her to get in close. Although she didn't share Mako's speed, she soon closed the gap with her opponent.

Now, Delun was forced to dodge as she threw punch after kick. She even used her tail, and he danced as she slapped at his feet.

"That's the way, Mari," Mako encouraged her. "Keep him off-balance. He'll have a hard time bending if he can't stay on his feet." Even though he had shown her what he had learned through the years, many of the tail techniques she had adapted to suit her own style of fighting. It was to the point that she could use her tail better than him.

Mari continued to slap at the man, but he wasn't completely helpless. Even off-balance, he managed to bend a stone from the ground and lobbed it at her. Mako cringed when Mari blocked the stone with her arm. As a Fetchling there were certain things that she had to be careful about. Fortunately, she quickly brushed off the attack and resumed her assault. While the man was distracted by her fists, she managed to snag his ankle with her tail and pulled his feet from beneath him. He landed on the solid ground where he was a sitting duck for her snapping tail.

"That's enough." Aiyeka ended the match with a firm shout.

When Mari heard the command, she rushed to Delun.

"Are you all right?" she asked as she crouched by him. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

While Mari aided her opponent, Aiyeka leaned close to Mako.

"She'd be one excellent chi-blocker, Uncle," she whispered to him. "With that tail, no one could touch her."

They took a moment to watch Mari as she helped Delun to his feet and brushed him off.

"Not to mention, she doesn't have the constitution to injure anyone," Aiyeka added.

A smirk covered Mako's face. He'd seen first-hand what his granddaughter could really do with her horns and tail when she was threatened. The rookie had gotten off easy.

Once Delun was straightened, he gave Mari a firm salute. "It was an honor sparring with you ma'am."

"I, uh…Thank you for the match, sir," Mari replied with a polite courtesy.

With the match over, Mari bound over to her grandpa while Aiyeka dismissed Delun with a resolute nod.

"Great job, Mari," Mako proudly stated as he gave her a hug.

"Thank you, Papa." Her tail curled around her leg as she blushed under his praise. "Maybe one day I'll be as good as you."

"Don't sell yourself short, Mari," Aiyeka firmly stated. "Uncle Mako has trained you well, but don't constantly compare yourself to him. It will only hold you back."

"I…ummm…" Mari didn't know how to respond to such a statement that dismissed the man that had raised her. Instead, she remained silent as her tail curled tighter around her leg.

"Why don't we see how the boys are doing?" Mako finally said. Although he mostly agreed with Aiyeka, her bluntness could be hard to swallow.

At the far training ground, Ryu dodged stones hurled at him and immediately countered with his own attack. His stones flew across field and hit Koji in the chest, knocking him backward onto the ground.

"Hey, man!" the other boy yelped as he sat in the dirt. Unlike Ryu, who was dressed in padded clothes similar to a pro-bender, Koji was only in his average clothes. The hit didn't really hurt, but there was definitely going to be a bruise.

"Ryu…" Bolin sighed for what sounded like the millionth time. "You're not supposed to be attacking. Earthbending is about standing your ground, and in pro-bending, sometimes you need to take a hit to get the advantage on your opponent." He demonstrated by planting his feet on the ground in the traditional horse stance.

"Whatever…I get it…" Ryu grumped. He was on the ground a moment later when a rock hit him on the side of the head. It was a good thing he had a helmet or he would have been knocked unconscious.

"What the flameio, Koji!" he hollered.

"I thought you were ready," Koji responded, though it was obvious the attack was meant as retaliation.

"Watch those head shots, Koji," another voice interrupted.

They all turned to see Mako approaching the practice field with his usual morning coffee firmly in his hand. Walking with him was Mari, with a pleased smile on her face, and Aiyeka.

"Y-yes, sir," Koji nervously replied before he returned to using Ryu as a target dummy.

"Oh, hey you guys." A happy smile spread across Bolin's face when he spotted them. "Come to watch?"

"Just wanted to check-in," Mako replied as he placed himself next to his brother.

The entire time Koji had been sparring, he had made sure to focus solely on earthbending. No Metalbender here. Aiyeka's appearance however, rattled him enough that his shots started to go wide, some of them missing Ryu entirely. Fortunately, she didn't say anything, and seemed content to watch, but the expression on her face told him that there was a time-limit to how long she would keep his secret. He finally relaxed when she left several minutes later.

"Have you figured out which one's the Avatar yet?" Mako soon asked over a sip of coffee.

Bolin took a moment to examine the boys. Koji seemed to be enjoying his job as "live ammo" a little too much and it was clear Ryu was starting to lose his patience. That temper was something else the boy had to work on.

"And watch that temper, Kid," Mako squeezed the comment in before Bolin could answer.

"Yup. It's Ryu," Bolin confidently stated.

Mako's face betrayed nothing as he took another sip of coffee. As an added precaution, his tail was wrapped tight around his waist. That way it wouldn't unintentionally betray him.

"You're sure?"

Bolin hesitated, his confidence shaken.

"Koji?"

Mako remained silent.

"C'mon, bro. At least give me a hint," Bolin pleaded.

Still nothing. Even after the incident with Ryu slipping into the Spirit World, Bolin remained clueless.

"How about you, Mari? You can tell your great-uncle who it is," Bolin suggested with his sappiest tone.

Mari chuckled. "Sorry, Uncle Bolin. You'll have to figure it out on your own." She wasn't going to give it away either.

Bolin crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, I intend to."

They returned to watching the boys whose sparring match had turned into a earthbending brawl while their attention was diverted.

"Ryu!" Bolin scolded again. "Only defense!"

Mako had to chuckle to himself. Ryu's antics were even starting to wear thin on his ever jovial brother. It was probably good that they were going to be moving-on.

"Anyway," Bolin continued. "Do you really have to leave? It's been great having you and Mari living so close. I didn't realize how much I miss you."

"Sorry, bro. The Avatar still needs to learn air and waterbending. I also don't want that Fetchling assassin to show-up. We've been lucky so far, but I don't want to push it," he replied.

"C'mon, Mako," Bolin persisted. "This is Zaofu, probably the safest city in the world. And Opal or Uma could train Koji." It was a feeble attempt to ferret out the identity of the Avatar. One that would go unheeded.

"We can't stay, Bolin. I'm not going to put your family at risk to protect mine," Mako adamantly replied.

"Don't forget, you're my family too," Bolin huffed as he rubbed the blue scale tied around his neck.

"You know what I mean," Mako replied with an equally annoyed huff.

"Fine…" Bolin finally relented. "…But you're all coming to the dinner tonight. No excuses."

"Yes. We're all coming to the dinner tonight," Mako agreed with an exasperated sigh.

"I can't wait to see everyone," Mari added with a sweet grin.

For their last night in the city, Bolin had planned a large dinner for them, and had invited any extended family that lived near or in Zaofu. It was basically going to be a chance for Mako to catch-up with members he hadn't seen in years; some of which probably didn't know he was cursed or even had grandchildren. It was going to be an interesting night.

"And make sure you go with the grain," Mako instructed the boys while he watched from the bathroom entrance. "It will help prevent cuts and in-grown hairs."

At age fifteen, both Koji and Ryu were beginning to become young men. After Nagato, Mako never imagined he'd be teaching anyone else how to shave. Fortunately, it quickly came back to him despite his decades long gap.

"Why don't you have to shave, sir?" Koji asked as he wiped the thin fuzz from above his lip.

"Because he's not manly enough to grow a beard," Ryu smirked as he cleared his own face.

"Growing a beard has nothing to do with 'being manly,' Kid," Mako huffed at the deliberate jab. "The reason I don't shave is because, after I was cursed, I stopped growing facial hair. It's just another one of the less obvious things that happened when I became half-spirit, like my night-vision."

Ryu paused mid-swipe to gape at him. "Night-vision?! That's how you catch me when I'm out during the night?"

"I never told you that? Huh…?" Mako casually replied, making it obvious he had deliberately omitted the information. Ryu responded by slamming the bathroom door in his face. He shrugged it off and went to the living room to wait. Mari soon emerged from her bedroom. She was wearing a simple, spaghetti-strap dress that went just below her knees and had a hole in the back that partially hung over her tail. The teal garment was accented by a lighter-colored scarf that she had loosely draped over her elbows.

"How do I look, Papa?"

Mako was having a hard time seeing her looking so grown-up.

"Isn't there a jacket or sweater that goes with that dress?" He was trying to make it clear that he'd prefer that she were covered properly, or at least to his expectations.

"There is…" Mari cautiously agreed, "…but then my fur will get crunched and I think it looks better with the scarf." She spun around to further show-off the outfit.

"I just…don't want you to be cold, sweetie," he persisted. It was a weak excuse, but he didn't want to pull the whole "because I say so" card. Even if he was having a hard time accepting it, he knew she was getting a little too old for that.

She gave him a soft smile. "Okay, Papa. I'll get my sweater."

The tone of her voice told him she was doing it to appease him, which he would accept as long as he was able.

"Thank you."

While she went to get her sweater, the boys emerged from the bathroom. They were dressed in similar outfits of slacks and button-up shirts, however, Ryu had his hoody thrown over his shirt in-place of the proper jacket Koji was wearing.

"Do we have to wear these?" Ryu grumped as he fussed with his collar. Juji "helped" by pecking at the boy's fingers.

"We agreed, Kid," Mako replied. "You get to wear your sweatshirt, but I want you to look halfway presentable. This is your family now, too."

Ryu let out an exaggerated groan which was imitated by Juji. If he wanted to be trapped in a room full of strangers, he'd go get himself arrested.

Sonata pulled her car to a stop on an old logging trail outside the dome where she lived. She had been instructed by Shouma to contact him if any opportunity to breach the Beifong estate presented itself. Although it had been nearly a year since The Fetchling's arrival, she was finally able to give Shouma the opening he was looking for. According to a caterer for the event, a banquet was being held at the Beifong estate in The Fetchling's honor. Security would still be tight, but with so many people coming and going, it would be the best opportunity to sneak into the family's dome. After informing Shouma, she had been told to wait out in the nearby woods to meet his contact to discuss details.

The chill of the evening air nipped at her as she stepped out of her car. Why did she need to meet his contact all the way out here? It would have been just as easy to meet at her place. The snap of a twig made her nearly jump out of her skin. She anxiously turned to the source and soon spotted a pair of large, yellow eyes amidst the shadows. They emerged from the woods attached to a grotesque toadman. Her fingers fumbled to find a door handle as she pressed herself against her car.

"You know where The Fetchling is?" the beast croaked.

"Y-you're the contact?" she managed to sputter.

"Can you take me to The Fetchling?" the creature repeated with an exasperated huff.

It sounded to her like this creature was having an extremely difficult time talking. She pushed aside her shock and composed herself as much as possible.

"I uhh…had made arrangements for you to sneak into the Beifong dome," she began to explain, but seeing him now was putting her plan in doubt. "I was going to slip you in with one of the catering vans but…"

The large, amphibian eyes that stared back at her, made her skin crawl.

"Just get me close to wherever he's hiding," the creature croaked. "I'll manage the rest."

"S-sure thing," she finally managed.

When Ryu imagined being stuck in a room full of strangers, he didn't realize how accurate that would be. The room was packed with nary a face he recognized. As the group entered the banquet hall, almost the entire crowd came to a standstill to gape at The Fetchling and his three charges

"Mako!" Bolin broke the sudden silence, and the crowd, as he pushed through the group to greet his brother. "C'mon, everyone's been waiting."

They followed the old Earthbender through the sea of people, with Mako and Mari occasionally pausing to say hello to several distant relatives.

Koji seemed at ease despite the lack of familiarity. He politely bowed to anyone he was introduced to and made simple small talk. Apparently, he had come from a similarly large family and was accustomed to such events. Ryu was having a harder time. He wasn't used to such gatherings and shied away, with an embarrassed scowl, from anyone that tried to take an interest in him. Eventually, Bolin lead them to a corner where his immediate family was mingling. His wife Opal was there along with Aiyeka, Una, and an entire entourage.

The man introduced the group, or reintroduced in some cases, to his other two daughters, their spouses, and kids. Most of the kids were around Mari's age or younger, but this was her first time meeting any of them. Her Nana and Papa didn't visit Zaofu often, so this was one of the few times she got to interact with her extended family.

While the adults chatted, five teenage members of the group broke away. Mari followed them, along with the boys, to a separate corner of the dining hall.

Mako gave them a wary glance as they left. His concern was meant more for Ryu than the other teens as he didn't want the boy to cause any trouble. He was about to address them when Una distracted him.

"They'll be fine, Uncle Tail," she assured him. "We're all family here, and I'm sure the kids don't want to listen to us talk the entire time. I know my two don't." Amongst the group were her two oldest children, Ahkiro and Jade. "Let them have some space."

He heeded her advice, but he wasn't happy about it.

"What are you doing?" Mari asked as she joined the group now huddled around one boy, her distant cousin Ahkiro. The other teens all exchanged nervous glances. Whatever they were doing, they clearly weren't sure if they should share it with the unfamiliar trio.

"C'mon," one of the others persisted.

"Fine…" Ahkiro huffed. He opened his sports coat to reveal a slender reptile with a hard shell. In the dark recess of the corner, they could barely see the blue iridescence of it's armor. Most of the small group gapped in awe at the animal, except Koji who took an anxious step back.

"You got a scarab-snake?!" one of the other teens spouted excitedly. "Cool."

"Mom told you to leave him at home, Ahkiro," his sister Jade scolded with a frown.

"He got to bring his stupid bird." Ahkiro shot an angry glare at Ryu.

"Hey! Don't call Juji stupid, stupid!" Ryu growled in response. He didn't care if this other boy was supposed to be family, nobody insulted his companion. On his shoulders, Juji began anxiously pacing as he warily watched the snake.

"Aren't scarab-snakes venomous?" Mari asked, which broke the building tension.

"Only king scarabs," Ahkiro answered, seemingly more than happy to talk about his unique pet. "Their shells are red instead of blue. This is just your common garden variety."

"Can I hold him?" One of the others asked.

"I guess…But be careful." Ahkiro pulled the snake out of his coat and was about to hand it over when it lunged. The snake managed to grab Juji's leg and held tight as the squawking bird frantically took to the air.

When Mako heard the commotion, he tried his best to ignore it and keep his focus on his conversation with Bolin. If he didn't look, it wasn't happening, right? Besides, there were a lot if people here. Anyone could have started whatever ruckus was going on behind him.

"Pleassse tell me that's not one of my kids," he grumbled under his breath.

"Juji! Stop!"

His head fell into his hand at the confirmation. It hasn't even been twenty minutes.

"Ahkiro!" Una yelled from where she was standing nearby.

Apparently Ryu wasn't the only one that was going to be in trouble.

Mako finally turned around to see the room in chaos. People were ducking and running as Juji flapped around the room with something attached to its leg. The bird was being chased by Ryu, Ahkiro, and several other teens from the family. Blasts of air came from some of the Airbenders in the room as they tried to either knock the bird down, or force it away from them; frightened by whatever was attached to its leg. It took several attempts but, eventually they were able to wrangle the bird from the air when Aiyeka snagged it with metal cable she pulled from the wall. Half the room went dark when some of the electrical wiring was cut in the process. Once they had the bird, Una's husband, who apparently had some experience with such animals, rushed over and carefully removed the snake. Then he released Juji who immediately returned to Ryu, though not without giving the snake a firm hiss. With the threat neutralized, the crowd went into damage control while the culprits were reprimanded.

"Ahkiro," the man said as he firmly held the snake. "I thought we told you to keep Shelbert at home."

"Yeah, but…" He pointed at Ryu. "His stupid bird—"

Ryu shot the boy an angry scowl. "I said not to call Juji stupid!"

"Enough," the man firmly stated, breaking up the fight. He was soon joined by Una who gave her son a disapproving frown.

"Can someone bend us a…"

A metal cage, made of utensils from the looks of it, was suddenly shoved into her arms.

"Do keep a better eye on your kids, Una," Aiyeka stated in her typical, flat tone. Una gave her sister an annoyed scowl. Easy to say for someone that didn't have children. However, her Airbender training to "turn the other cheek," made her hold her tongue. Una held the cage while her husband placed the snake inside. Then she handed it to her son.

"Don't let him out again, and your grounded when we get back home," she finished.

"Fine…" Ahkiro sulked and slunk to a corner with his pet.

While Una took care of her kid, Mako went to his three. He took a deep breath to calm himself and made sure his tail was belted tight before addressing the teens. Mari and Koji stood patiently while Ryu gave the floor an angry scowl.

"Is Juji okay?" he began as patiently as possible. The bird certainly seemed okay as it gave him its customary hiss.

"Yeah. He just got some scratches on his leg," Ryu replied as he continued to stubbornly stare at the floor.

"Do we need to put him in a cage?" Mako firmly added. He hoped it was clear to the teen that he wasn't happy about the situation.

"It wasn't my fault, Chief!" Ryu countered, defensively. "That scarab snake—!"

Mako cut him off. "I don't want to hear it. This is important to me, Kid. One hour is all I ask. Then, you can go back to the house and do whatever you want. Keep Juji under control until then." It was about as close to an order as he would give the teen.

"Whatever…" Ryu grumped.

With that resolved, the group returned to the corner and rejoined Bolin's family. While Mako and Mari went back to visiting, Ryu found a chair against a wall to sulk. He was joined by Koji.

"You can't blame the Chief for being mad," Koji began. "From the sounds of it, he and Mari haven't seen their family in a long time. And don't you want to be a part of it?"

It was secretly true that Ryu wanted a family that accepted him, but this was too much. He was perfectly fine with the way things were without knowing all his adoptive relatives.

"Just shut-up, Koji," Ryu grumped.

Dinner was served a short while later. While they were eating, Opal turned to Mako.

"Have you gone to visit her yet?" she asked.

He paused mid-bite. "I, uhh…no," he anxiously replied.

"You've been here for nearly a year and you haven't seen her even once?" she persisted.

"Well…It's…you know," he stammered as his tail flicked on his lap.

"I know it's hard, believe me, but…you may not get another chance," she finished.

He poked at his food as he thought it over. "You're right. I'll go see her after this."

Once the meal was over, he gave Ryu his escape.

"I have something to take care of…alone. If you want leave, that's fine," he firmly told the teen. "Can I trust you to not cause any trouble on the way back to the house?"

"Don't worry about me," Ryu mumbled.

"Is it okay if I stay, Papa?" Mari interjected. "I still want to visit."

"Of course, sweetie," he replied. "I'm glad you're having a good time."

Now that he was free, Ryu immediately headed for the exit.

"C'mon, Koji," he directed his friend. Koji hesitated for a moment as he decided whether he wanted to follow his best friend, or stick with Mari. The choice was made for him when Mari left the table to visit her family without him.

"Wait for me, man," he said as he quickly trotted to catch-up with Ryu.

Mako knew Mari was in good hands with his family and stepped out into the night. Although they technically weren't part of his family, there was one other person he needed to see while he was in Zaofu.

As they left the hall, Koji spotted the Chief walking along the streets.

"Where do you think the Chief is going?" he asked Ryu.

"Who cares," Ryu grumped. After what had happened during the banquet, the other teen wasn't interested in whatever the man was doing.

He absently followed Ryu's steady march until he realized they were headed the opposite direction of the house.

"Where are you going? The Chief said to go back to the house," he said.

"Noooo…The Chief said not to cause any trouble on the way to the house," Ryu corrected. "I'm gonna go to the training ground and see if I can metalbend or lavabend before we leave the city."

He nervous gulp escaped him.

"What's the big deal about metalbending anyway. I mean…you can bend the other elements. Who needs to metalbend?" he stammered. "Hey, I know! We can go back to the house and watch some T.V."

"Don't you ever get sick of watching movers?" Ryu huffed.

He should have known that wouldn't entice his friend.

"Fine…" he moped as he continued to follow Ryu. This was how it always worked between them. Ryu would get some idea in his head, and he had to decide if it was worth getting into trouble. In this case, what harm would it cause if they went to the training grounds instead of the house.

Neither of them notice the pair of large, yellow eyes that followed them through the darkness.

Mako hesitated as he approached the house several blocks away from the banquet hall. He wasn't sure if he still wanted to go through with it. Of course, if he didn't, he would certainly regret it. He let out a deep breath as he cautiously knocked on the door. It wasn't long after that a middle-aged man, with thick arms, appeared on the opposite side. From what Mako understood, it was the live-in aide. The man gave him a quick once over.

"Finally decided to drop by," the man began. "She didn't think you would."

"She knew, huh," he replied, though he wasn't surprised. She probably knew the second he'd stepped foot into the city.

"C'mon."

He followed the man to a quiet sitting room where an elderly woman was relaxing in a recliner with a book. She had completely white hair and dark age spots dotted her wrinkled arms and face. It wouldn't be accurate to call her frail, but age had clearly taken its toll on her body. Despite that, she still had a fierce glint in her green eyes. As he entered the room, the aide quietly excused himself.

"Finally decided to show-up I see," the woman scoffed when she saw him. "I never took you for a coward."

Ouch. He deserved it though. It was fear that had been holding him back all this time. This was the woman that had seen his potential all those years ago and encouraged him to join the police. Then, after he had been cursed, she had steadfastly stood by his side and continued to push him to pursue his career goals. It had all been worth it in the end as, when she finally retired, she had been proud to turn her position over to him.

Seeing his mentor and longtime friend looking so old, was difficult. Out of all the friends and family that had already passed before him, her passing was going to be one of the hardest. Although, she might yet outlive him as stubborn as she was.

"Hey there, Chief," he finally managed as he took a seat on a small sofa across from her.

"Chief," she acknowledged with a firm nod. "I hope Republic City is staying in one piece while you're galavanting around the world."

"Don't worry. Shizu's watching the city while I'm gone. It's in good hands," he replied.

"She always was a smart woman."

An awkward silence smothered the room.

"Opal tells me you found the new Avatar," the woman continued. "I hope he's not as reckless as Korra was."

A brief chuckle escaped him. "No. He's actually worse," he said. "He was brought to the precinct after being arrested for car theft. He's not a bad kid though. Just needs some guidance."

"Then he couldn't be in better hands," the woman responded. Even now, it was rare to hear praise from her.

"Thanks."

The brief exchange broke the awkwardness.

"Did you know about Mari? She's one of our grandkids. She's been traveling with us," he began. "Maybe I can bring her over to visit before we leave."

"Maybe you should. Then I can tell her how much grief you caused me while on the force," she said with a good-natured huff.

"What grief?" he replied. "I was a good officer." It was true, but they both knew there were times they had butted heads when they didn't see eye-to-eye on something.

They shared a brief laugh and then continued to chat about days long gone.

Koji followed Ryu as he marched onto the training field where the pillars, holding metal chunks, sat silent in the night air.

"Here."

Koji briefly fumbled the solid chunk of aluminum that was suddenly in his hands.

"I'm taking this one." Ryu confidently strut to the hunk of steel.

Koji did his best not to roll his eyes. It was no wonder Ryu couldn't metalbend yet. Steel was one of the more difficult materials according to Aiyeka and, in Ryu's constant need to prove he was the best at everything, he ignored that fact. Koji watched in silence as his friend rolled the chunk between his hands as he futilely attempted to bend it. If he wasn't so passive, he might even be annoyed at Ryu's blatant defiance. Instead, he focused on his own chunk.

The flimsy aluminum deformed in his hands without bending. He flipped it a few times to make it look like he was trying to bend it before finally "giving-up."

"Guess neither of us can metalbend. Let's get back to the house before the Chief catches us out here," he said.

Ryu groaned. "Why do you always have to be such a worry-wart. The Chief can't get upset if we're training. That's what he's all about."

"But…"

"Go back to the house if you're so worried," Ryu huffed with Juji adding a firm hiss. "I'll be there once I figure out how to metalbend."

Koji took a line out of Ryu's book. "Whatever, man." he grumped as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned back to the house. That's when he spotted a squat figure with a pair of yellow eyes, crouching in the grass. The figure squinted at him through the dim light.

"Are you the Avatar?" it croaked as it crawled along the ground towards him.

"Uhhh…Ryu?" Koji stammered as he slowly backed away from the creeping creature.

Ryu turned from his metalbending to see Toadman advancing on Koji.

"Hey!" Without a second thought, he hurled his chunk of metal at the assailant. Toadman flinched when it beaned him straight between the eyes. Thanks to the Chief's training, his accuracy really had improved.

Toadman countered the attack with an angry glare. "I guess it won't matter which one of you is the Avatar if I take you both down," he growled and launched a salvo of goo balls at the teens. The acid globs dissolved against hastily bent walls of stone from both boys.

"We need to get the Chief!" Koji shouted as he rushed to join Ryu behind his shelter. It was always one of the Fetchling's rules that if they came across Toadman, they were supposed to run.

Ryu sneered at the abomination. He didn't like having to flee, but he knew he still wasn't strong enough to face the assassin. Unfortunately, Bufo was between them and the streets where they had last seen the Chief. They were forced away from their shelter when Bufo's tongue ate through the stone.

"Dammit! If I could only metalbend!" Ryu yelled as they fled from Bufo who scrambled after them on all fours.

"Why? His acid eats through metal," Koji replied.

"Did you see how I hit him with that chunk?! At least the metal would hurt him or maybe slow him down," Ryu answered as they continued to dodge Bufo's lashing tongue.

Koji had to hide his chagrin. While they ran, he spotted several metal plates set on the ground as decorative walkways. Hopefully, he was skilled enough to use them. A grumble escaped him as he shifted direction.

"Follow me," he huffed to Ryu.

"What?"

He normally wasn't the one to give orders so he wasn't shocked when Ryu didn't immediately listen. Fortunately, Bufo was enough of a threat that it encouraged the other teen to follow him. Once they hit the metal plates, he slid to a stop and turned to face Bufo as he charged directly at him.

"Koji! What are you—" Ryu hollered.

Just as Bufo was about to reach him, Koji flipped one of the metal panels vertical. A loud clang rang through the air as Bufo slammed face-first into the sudden wall. A moment later, the Fetchling fell to the ground along with the heavy panel which landed on top of him. Apparently, it was enough to incapacitate the assassin as he went still under the plate.

Ryu stood stunned. "You can metalbend?" he stated.

His friend sounded a lot calmer than he was expecting. He thought for sure Ryu would be mad. "Sort of. I mean…I'm not very good yet," he stammered as he nervously rubbed his neck.

"You can METALBEND!" Ryu angrily repeated. Juji agreed with a loud squawk.

There it was.

"I know you're mad. That's why I didn't say anything. I figured once you eventually figured it out, then I could act like I learned it from you," he explained.

"Mad?"

Koji cowered as he waited for Ryu to tackle him, punch him, something. He was surprised when Ryu shouted instead.

"This is great!"

"It is?" he asked as he cautiously peeked out from behind his arms.

"Yeah," Ryu continued. "That means you can teach me once we're back on the road!"

He was surprised to hear that from Ryu. It sounded more like something Mari would say. Apparently, their time with the girl was rubbing off on his friend.

"I guess it does, doesn't it," he finally said.

The sound of groaning interrupted them. In response, Ryu jumped on the panel holding Bufo causing him to wheeze.

"Come get us, Toadman," Ryu sassed as he and Koji ran back towards the main buildings to find the Chief.

A dark scowl covered Bufo's face as he watched the pair run off. It was humiliating. He was a Fetchling now. He shouldn't have any problem taking down two little hooligans. Especially since their guardian was no where to be seen. The edges of the metal melted in his grasp when he seized the panel and tossed it aside. Once he was free, he raced after the two teens.

"…and that's when Shizu let it slip that we were taking Mari to the Ba Sing Se city zoo for her birthday. Mari was excited of course but, it did ruin the surprise," Mako said with a smirk.

"Shizuku never did know when to stop talking," Lin replied with a knowing smile.

The pleasant conversation was interrupted when Mako felt the fur on his back stripe. The familiar sensation had to be Toadman. It was only a matter of time before the assassin found them which was exactly why he wanted to leave Zaofu.

"Seems our unwanted guest has finally arrived," he said with a sad huff. He was actually enjoying his conversation with his friend and former mentor. Having to leave prematurely was disappointing. He really should have come to see her sooner.

"Still need to be the protector, huh?" the woman noted as he stood to leave.

He simply shrugged. Couldn't stop being who he was.

"That's why I gave you the job," she thoughtfully stated. "Be careful out there, and do come see me again before the funeral. Yours of course, not mine."

She really was determined to out-live him.

"Right, Chief." He knew she still wasn't one for hugs so instead, he gave her a sharp salute before exiting the room.

One of the abilities Bufo had gained after being cursed was that he had excellent movement detection. It allowed him to easily track the two teens through the streets. Unfortunately, it also made him extremely far-sighted which is why he had trouble recognizing which one was the Avatar. One of them had to be it though.

He chased the teens until they disappeared into a large, ornate building. Presumably the hall where The Fetchling was supposed to be hiding. He couldn't go back to Shouma empty-handed again. Not after coming all this way. If The Fetchling was in there, he would just have to take his chances in another confrontation. The metal wall sizzled as he pressed his hands against it. Soon, there was hole large enough for him to easily step through.

At least a hundred pairs of eyes immediately turned to him. A swallow, sounding more like a croak, escaped his throat. He was aware of the banquet for The Fetchling. What his informant had failed to mention was the number of people that were in attendance. Why were there so many? Had all of Zaofu come to see the man? He took an anxious step backwards when many of the faces shifted to angry frowns. In the very back of the room, he spotted the two boys along with a girl that had silver horns. The boys made faces at him from where they were hiding amongst the crowd.

"You must be the toadman Uncle Mako mentioned." A woman, with a stern expression behind her glasses, stated as she strode up to him. "Quite the fool I see."

She was soon joined by a stout, white-haired man with green eyes, along with multiple others; some bearing the blue arrow tattoos of Airbenders.

He cowered from the group. It was definitely more than he'd bargained for. Slowly, he slunk backwards through his hole only to stop when he bumped into something.

"Looking for someone?" A familiar voice stated.

Behind him was The Fetchling with an angry scowl across his brow.

"Sonova—"

A blast of blue flames sent him tumbling back into the crowded hall.

"Be careful not to touch his skin!" Mako shouted to his family as they moved to subdue the assassin. "And don't let him hit you with his tongue!" Toadman was already lashing out at the crowd. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to get hurt.

Slats of metal went hurtling at Bufo, all of which dissolved to slag when they hit his slimy hide. Despite the overwhelming number of benders in the group, they were having a difficult time pinning down the assassin as he bounced around the room. With such close quarters, everyone had to be careful that attacks didn't accidentally hit other family members.

"Everyone stand clear!" Mako shouted above the commotion. He was already charging-up electricity as the group moved away from Bufo. Once they were clear, he sent a lightning bolt down his arm directly at the toadman. Bufo vibrated as he was electrocuted, and eventually fell to the floor in a heap. Those closest to the wreck had to pinch their nose from the sudden stench of charred toad.

"And this is why we need to leave, Bolin," Mako told his brother as the man came to his side.

"But we caught him. We'll just put him in a cage and you guys won't have to worry anymore," Bolin argued.

"And what happens when the next assassin comes, and the next. I said it before Bolin, I don't want your family getting hurt protecting mine." He paused as he glanced over the crowd. It didn't look like anyone had been seriously injured but, several people were nursing superficial acid burns. Burns they wouldn't have received if he hadn't been here. "I promise, we'll be fine," he finished.

Aiyeka stepped up to the conversation. "In the meantime, I have a cell for this toadman. We'll see if his acid can melt platinum."

"Thanks, Aiyeka," he replied.

"I'm not doing it for you, Uncle," Aiyeka stated with a scowl. "I don't like threats in my city either, and you brought one right to our doorstep."

"Stop it, Aiyeka," Una scolded her sister. "If you really want to place blame, then ask why your security team didn't catch this toadman before he entered Zaofu."

If Aiyeka was a Firebender, they would have seen steam roll off her face as it turned beet red.

"Why…if…" Aiyeka angrily sputtered before turning away. "I'm taking this slug to a holding cell where he belongs!" Several family members helped wrapped Toadman in some curtains before Aiyeka finished the package with several metal cables. Even unconscious, Bufo's slime was slowly eating away at the materials as he was hauled out of the hall. Hopefully a platinum cell would be enough to hold him.

"Are you okay, Papa?" Mari asked once her and the boys finally made their way through the crowd to his group.

"I'm fine, sweetie. What about you three?" he said.

"You should have seen it, Chief!" Ryu excitedly began. "We were at the training grounds when Bufo came out of nowhere. He started chasing us and Koji slapped him with one of those giant metal plates."

"Metal plates?" he echoed as he turned his attention to Koji. "You can metalbend?"

"Yes, sir," the teen anxiously replied. "I figured it out a while ago but, I didn't want to say anything."

"That's great, Koji!" Mari beamed with a bright smile. "You really are a talented Earthbender."

The teenager blushed under the praise.

"Wait a minute…" Mako interrupted the moment. "What were you two doing out on the training grounds? I thought I told you to go straight to the guest house."

"Uhhh…"

Ryu quickly took over when Koji stalled.

"No. You told me to not get into any trouble on the way to the house," Ryu corrected with his typical sass.

Mako folded his arms across his chest. "And how did that work out for you?"

The boys exchanged a guilty glance. Had they just gone back to the house like they were told, they wouldn't have been out in the open to be found by Bufo.

Ryu slumped. "We're going to be scrubbing The Rampage again, aren't we…"

"Maybe just cab," he responded. The boys had disobeyed him but, he couldn't deny that Bufo showing-up, wasn't really their fault. At least they'd had the sense to find help.

"That proves it!" Bolin suddenly shouted. "Koji is the—"

Mako slapped a hand over his brother's mouth. Only a select few, even amongst their family, knew he was traveling with the Avatar. And he wanted to keep it that way. He gave the crowd, that had suddenly turned to them, his widest, fakest, grin.

"It is exciting that Koji can bend metal," he hastily stated with an anxious twitch of his tail. Fortunately, most of his extended family couldn't read the emotional cues of the appendage. If they could, they'd know he was trying to cover his tracks. "I bet his parents will be so proud."

That was enough to dissuade the crowd who went back to their own conversations.

"Sorry…" Bolin abashedly whispered.

Mari gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'll tell you Uncle Bolin," she said, finally taking mercy on the man. His eyes went wide as she whispered the true identity of the Avatar in his ear.

"Really?" he asked in disbelief after hearing the answer.

She nodded in response.

The elder Earthbender took a moment to examine both boys. Neither one gave the slightest hint to confirm her statement.

"Naw. Are you still playing with your great-uncle?" he teased Mari.

"What she told you is the truth," Mako concurred even though he hadn't heard her. Like him, if she had been lying, her tail would have revealed it.

"What? C'mon…" Bolin practically pleaded. "That can't be true."

"Believe what you want, bro," Mako replied with a shrug. "Anyway. We should probably get going. I want to be out of the city tonight, before anymore trouble arrives."

"Yeah, okay," Bolin replied with a dejected frown before wrapping his arms around him. "I love you, Mako."

"I love you too. Once this is all over, I'll make sure we come visit again," he said.

Aiyeka casually strolled between the holding cells to check on their new "guest." The cell holding the Fetchling assassin was bare save for a toilet and small cot. She rapped on the metal bars to wake the sole occupant who appeared to be buried under a blanket.

"Uncle Mako believes you're not acting alone in your pursuit," she firmly stated through the bars. "I want to know who hired you."

Silence was her response.

"Wake-up you!" she hollered. The large lump still didn't move. A noisy rattle came from her belt as she grabbed her keys and unlocked the door.

"I won't be ignored by some thug—" She stopped when she ripped off the blanket and found toadman replaced by a pillow and the waded-up remains of the curtains that had been holding him. "WHAT!" It was impossible! The room was solid platinum. The greatest Metalbender couldn't breach it. Even her uncle's flames were unable to melt platinum and he was, supposedly, the most powerful Firebender in the world. How had the assassin escaped. The only other feature in the room was a small vent in the ceiling, barely large enough for a child to squeeze into. She squinted to examine the vent, which was curiously missing its plastic grate, and had to quickly move aside when slime dripped from it. When the goo appeared to be harmless, she bent down for a closer look. Cautiously, she poked it with her keys and, when they remained unscathed, she poked it with her finger. Her skin didn't even tingle. Instead of acid, it was almost like oil. While she rolled it over her fingers, she gazed back up at the vent. That was how the toadman had escaped. He had used his own secretions to slip through the narrow opening.

She crushed the keys in her hands in an angry bout of metalbending. Her uncle hadn't warned her about that, and now the escape was going to be a blemish on her spotless record. Family or not, he was definitely going to be in trouble the next time she saw him.