The Lost Avatar

by KlkBass

Korra's gone. Mako's cursed. And the new Avatar is a sham. Can Mako keep Korra's reincarnation safe until they can take their place as the rightful Avatar? *Author's note: Story takes place after the events of the graphic novels in the LoK universe. Contains many OC's outside canon, references to blood, alcohol, death, and mild swearing. *I wanted a Mako story so I wrote one.*

2. The Wilds: Runaways

Sirens blared as the police cruiser sped along the streets of Republic City. Ahead of them, a sleek black Satomobile swerved around cars as it raced through the city. The driver was a lithe, teenage boy with a mop of dark hair above his amber eyes and a loose, hooded sweatshirt over his plain teeshirt and pants. On the passenger seat, a terrified iguana parrot with red feathers desperately clung to the cushion. Its claws left deep gashes in the leather.

"Now this is a rush!" the boy exclaimed with a wide grin. The iguana parrot squabbled at him in response.

"Oh what do you know Juji," the boy sneered at his pet. He cranked the steering wheel and the tires squealed as the car made a sharp left into an alley. A blue police cruiser suddenly appeared at the opposite end to block his exit. The boy slammed on the brakes but it was too late. The car collided into the side of the cruiser causing him to lurch forward in his seatbelt. Smoke floated up from beneath the newly crinkled hood and the boy groaned as he rubbed the fresh bruise on his forehead.

"Ride's over," an officer said when they arrived at the dented car. The boy dropped his head onto the steering wheel and grumbled to himself at getting caught.

At the Republic City Police headquarters, Mako tapped his pen on his desk as he reviewed case files. As Chief of Police, the mornings were always the busiest for him as he had to catch-up on anything that happened during the night. It made him understand why Chief Beifong had always been so cranky. As usual his wife, and second-in-command, Shizuku, sat across from him. She pushed her grey hair from her face while she assisted him with the files and added her own unique perspectives. it was only when a semi-familiar sensation crept up his furred spine did he pull his eyes away from the papers.

"Chief?" Shizuku asked, when she noticed his sudden agitation.

"We haven't arrested any Fetchlings recently, have we?" he asked.

"Th, There hasn't been a Fetchling sighting in years," Shizuku replied. "Besides you of course," she finished with a chuckle.

"Of course," he smiled in response, but he couldn't ignore the feeling that something strange was definitely happening. He stood from his stool and left the office to investigate.

"I don't understand. We took you in, gave you a nice home, and this is how you thank us! By stealing cars!"

In the booking area, a couple was chastising a teenage boy wearing a rust-colored hoody with white sleeves. The man was animatedly yelling at the kid while a woman was quietly standing next to him with a look of sad disappointment on her face. The boy didn't seem to care as he slumped in his chair with a sour expression across his brow.

"Yeah, well I didn't ask you to take me in. I do just fine on my own," the boy grumped.

"Excuse me." Mako stepped forward to intervene. "Are you this boy's parents?"

"We are," the woman stated. She spooked momentarily when she spotted his horned visage. It was a common reaction. Many residents of the city were aware of his odd appearance but weren't accustomed to seeing him in-person.

"Foster parents," the boy angrily corrected.

"Not anymore. We're done. He's all yours officer," the angry man huffed.

Mako watched as the man dragged his wife out of the precinct. Once they were gone, he turned his attention back to the boy. He didn't look like a Fetchling, but he was definitely the source of the odd sensation he was feeling. The boy glared back at him.

"If it isn't Republic City's Freak of Police," he sneered.

Mako remained silent as he stared down his nose at the boy. The nickname wasn't new to him. He'd heard it often enough in recent years as an insult to his half-spirit appearance. Mostly from the younger criminals that were brought into his precinct. He's learned to ignore it.

"Have him brought to my interrogation room," he ordered the officer still guarding the boy.

"Right Chief," came the quick reply.

A short while later, the boy was sitting at a metal table, surrounded by metal walls, with a scowl plastered to his face. He didn't even look up when Mako entered the room.

"You have quite the rap sheet Ryu," he began as he slapped a file onto the table. "Theft, carjacking, evading police…And you're what? Fourteen? You're not even old enough to drive."

The boy didn't respond, his face obstinately turned away from him.

"I also discovered that you've been in the foster system since you were an infant and that couple? Is the fifth one you've run from," he added as he took a seat on his stool and let his tail fall to the floor. "Care to tell me why?"

The boy remained silent.

Mako removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Who are you?" he finally asked. That got the boy's attention as his head snapped up to glare at him.

"You just told me who I am right?" the boy spat. "My parents abandoned me as a baby. All my 'families' didn't know what to do with an 'angry' Firebender so they dumped me. And the police won't let me alone. What else do you wanna know?"

"I want to know why I'm sensing a spirit from a kid? Have you been messing with the spirits?" Mako replied.

"What? You're crazy. I'm not some freak like you," Ryu snapped.

"Watch it Kid. Believe it or not, I'm looking to help you." Mako scowled as his tail angrily twitched behind him. It often relayed his emotional state whether he wanted it to or not.

"I don't need, or want, your help so get off my back Mako," Ryu firmly stated.

Stunned expressions covered both their faces. The boy had said the name with a little more familiarity than expected. He immediately went back to sulking.

"Excuse me a moment." Mako exited the room and went to the adjoining surveillance room where Shizuku had been listening to the entire conversation.

"What just happened?" she asked as she looked at the boy through the one way glass. "He, he—It sounded like he knows you."

"That's because I think he does. He just doesn't know it yet," Mako answered.

"B, but he said he's a Firebender. Doesn't that mean the cycle sk, skipped an element?"

"If we take into account when Korra died, the Avatar should be nineteen years old. The same age as Bian. That boy is barely fourteen. That means we're missing five years…" Mako pondered.

"S, Something happened to the earth Avatar when…when they were just a child," Shizuku gasped, putting the pieces together.

He nodded. "They were probably too young to even know. It would also explain why no one has been able to find the earth Avatar in the Earth Republic. It's because there's a good chance he's a Firebender from Republic City. We just need to be sure."

"Thank you corporal." Shizuku nodded to the officer who was more than happy to hand over the flailing iguana parrot. The animal had come in with the teenage boy Mako was currently supervising. It continued to frantically squawk at her until she stroked its head.

"You're o, okay. I'm going to take you to your person." She reassured the bird. It calmed down as she carried it back to the interrogation room. As soon as she released it, it flew straight to its owner and snuggled into his cheek.

"Juji!" The boy exclaimed as he hugged his companion.

"C'mon. We're going for a ride," Mako stated as he motioned for the boy to follow.

Ryu gave him a suspicious scowl. "Where are we going?"

"To meet some friends of mine."

Soon, they were in Mako's personal police cruiser with Shizuku behind the wheel. The seats of the cruiser had been designed specifically to accommodate his tail. They had a gap between the backrest which was wide enough for the scaled base of his tail to rest comfortably.

Meanwhile, Ryu was in the backseat with his iguana parrot on his lap. A tense silence hung in the vehicle like a cloud while the boy sulked. Shizuku broke it when she spoke.

"I, I like your iguana parrot," she said in an attempt to reach the boy. "You said his name is Juji?"

"Yeah," came the curt reply.

"He's very pretty," she added and gave him a pleasant smile through the rearview mirror. The boy didn't respond and the silence quickly returned. She then glared at Mako who responded with a confused expression. A quick tilt of her head towards the boy expressed her intent. Say something.

"So…Uh…I want to make it clear that you're not in any trouble," he began. He wasn't good at small talk. Especially not with a teenage boy he'd only just met. Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say because Shizuku rolled her eyes at him.

"If I'm not in any trouble—why are you still holding me?"

"We're not holding you," Mako corrected. "It's just a short ride."

"If you're not holding me, then I think I'll leave now."

The pair was surprised when the back door suddenly popped open and Ryu leapt out, his pet following. Mako watched through the side mirror as the boy tumbled onto the sidewalk, barely missing a lamp pole, then sprinted down the street away from them.

"How did he…?" Shizuku gasped as she glanced through the rearview mirror to the empty back seat. The back doors of the cruiser locked from the outside and couldn't easily be undone from the inside.

"We can worry about it later," Mako replied. "Stop the car."

Shizuku quickly pulled to the curb after which he stepped out onto the sidewalk. He exchanged his glasses for a pair of goggles that hung around his neck.

"Why do they think they can run…" he sighed. One of the side-effects of being cursed was that he could run at a top-speed of around twenty-five miles per hour. Most of the time he only used half that which was more than enough to catch any criminal that foolishly thought they could out-run him.

Surprisingly, the boy was staying two steps ahead of him as they darted through the narrow alleys of the city. Mako had to give the kid credit. He was quick. And clever. The boy kept abruptly changing direction and making sharp turns forcing him to temper his speed. He was forced to a come to a complete stop when the boy squeezed down an alley too narrow for him.

"Dammit!" He scowled after the kid. He'd have to catch the boy on the other side. Pedestrians quickly scrambled out of the way as he sprinted to the front of the building. Once he rounded the corner, he slowed to a trot. There was no sign of the boy. He pulled down his goggles to scan the area. Nothing. He couldn't even sense the spirit within him anymore. Gone without a trace.

Ryu climbed through the broken window of a vine-covered building, Juji flying in after him. His home, if it could be called that, was an old abandoned building in the depths of the city's Spirit Wilds. One of many that had been devoured by Spirit Vines when they took over a chunk of the city years ago. The tilted room contained an old broken sofa, footrest, and televeiwer. A single floor lamp, powered by a small electric generator he had pilfered, illuminated the confined area. This was where he came when he wasn't trapped in the system.

"Hey Ryu. Where have you been?" Another boy his age was sitting on the sofa. He had similar dark hair with hazel eyes, a narrower face, and a slightly smaller frame. The two could easily be mistaken for brothers. Ryu immediately recognized him. They had met several years ago when the other boy was on a school trip to the Wilds. The chance encounter had made them instant friends.

"You won't believe it Koji! I just gave the Chief of Police the slip," Ryu stated proudly.

"What? No way! You escaped the Freak of Police?" the other boy blurted.

"It was easy since he can't make tight corners," Ryu replied as he plopped down onto the couch.

"Since when are you an expert on the freak?" Koji asked.

"Oh, c'mon. It wasn't that hard to figure out." Ryu knit his fingers behind his head and threw his feet up on the old foot rest. The question made him pause though. How did he know about the corners? Then there was what happened at the precinct. He clutched his shirt at his chest. For the briefest second, he felt like he knew the Police Chief. Like he was more than just another annoying authority figure. He forced the thought aside. It was only a fluke. Deja vu or something like that. He went to a televiewer across the room and flipped it on. "Let's watch some T.V.," he finally said, eager to get his mind off the subject.

"I, I examined the rear door of the cruiser," Shizuku began as she entered the office.

"H, He melted the lock." She tossed a chunk of slag onto the desk in front of Mako. "He was Firebending right under the nose of the world's most powerful Firebender an, and neither of us noticed."

Mako scrutinized the chunk and sighed. To melt a metal lock through a door with such precision was quite the Firebending feat. It was more evidence of who the kid really was. What was still an oddity however was how Ryu had hid his spiritual aura. He had to admit, his ability to sense other spirits was limited to a few meters, but there was no way the boy could have gotten out of his range so quickly.

"Wh, What are you going to do?" Shizuku stirred him from his thoughts.

"I'll have to try and track him down tonight. I'm worried what might happen if news of his existence reaches the Earth Republic," he replied. He was positive a certain someone wouldn't be happy once the truth was revealed to the world.

"Mira! MIRA!"

Juji squawked and flew into the air when Ryu suddenly sprang up on his couch. Cold beads of sweat rolled down his face. He'd had a nightmare, or rather, he dismissed whatever it was as a nightmare. It seemed so real. He was chasing a ball and it bounced into a river. The water was cold—and dark—and deep. He remembered bubbles, and a woman screaming.

"Pretty clever."

Ryu turned to the sudden voice. Crouching in a tilted doorway, backlit by the moon, was a horned figure with a long tail. The Freak of Police. How did he find me?

"I figured since you possess a spirit, you might be here in the Spirit Wilds. It wasn't easy tracking your specific chi through all these spirit vines." The figure rubbed his head in frustration as he stepped into the room. "It was really messing with my senses."

Ryu slowly inched towards a broken window away from the freak.

"Please don't run again. I don't know if I'm up for another chas—"

Juji was suddenly in the freak's face biting and clawing. Ryu took advantage of the distraction and made a break for it.

Mako managed to brush the pest off his face just in time to see the boy slip out the window.

"C'mon…" he groaned. He squeezed out the window after the kid and chased him across the rooftops. Again, the boy was managing to stay ahead of him, mostly because he was being cautious on the vine-covered buildings. No telling where unseen gaps or holes could be hiding. Apparently for good reason too because the boy suddenly disappeared with a yelp. He raced ahead and found the kid hanging off a window ledge several stories above the ground. Too high to drop without getting injured. The boy looked up with an expression of sheer desperation on his face as he clung to the sill.

"Hang on Kid." The window was too low to reach so he carefully climbed over the edge and lowered his tail as a rope. "Grab on."

The boy hesitated, clearly afraid to touch the odd limb.

"It's either my tail or the concrete Kid," he stated. That must have been enough incentive because the boy finally grabbed it. As an additional precaution, he coiled the extra length around the boy's arm. He was about to climb back up when the iguana parrot was in his face again.

"Kid! Call off your bird!" he hollered as it clawed at him. At this rate, they were both going to fall.

"Juji! Juji knock it off!" The boy scolded his pet but it was too late. He lost his grip.

"Hold on!" He twisted in the air and placed himself between the boy and the ground. They slammed onto a pile of debris and rolled about a meter before coming to a stop.

Ryu groaned as he pulled himself out of the dazed freak's grasp. Juji landed on his arm a moment later.

"You really need to start listening to me better buddy." Ryu scratched the bird's chin as he scolded it. He was about to run again when the freak's voice made him stop.

"Are you all right?" The horned man was on his feet with a worried expression on his face. Blood ran down from a gash on the side of his head while he gingerly grasped his limp right arm.

"Your arm…" Ryu felt an ache in his chest when he realized the freak was injured. "You have…brittle bones." He clutched his head as the foreign thoughts invaded it. "Why? Why do I know that?! Why do I care?!"

A lopsided smile covered the man's face.

"Because, in a different lifetime…The Avatar was a close friend of mine," the freak said.

Ryu couldn't believe what he'd heard. Was the freak saying what he thought he was saying?

"No. No way! I'm not the Avatar. I'm a nobody. That guy Bian. He's the Avatar," Ryu spouted.

"I can't explain right now. Right now we—" The man paused suddenly as his eyes surveyed the area. "Someone else is here."

In an instant, the freak was in front of him startling Juji into the air. Blood erupted from the man's back as several somethings hit it.

"Are you…?"

"Never-mind." The freak slung him onto his back with his good arm, his tail an oddly convenient seat. "Don't let go."

Ryu clung tight as the freak broke into run. Wind rushed past his face as they darted around buildings. Several times he flinched as he thought for sure they were going to crash. How can he see anything in the dark going this fast? He really is a freak. Although now he felt bad just thinking the term. However, he wasn't sure if it was his muddled brain, or the fact that the man had saved him not once, but twice in the past ten minutes.

He continued to hold tight and, just when it felt like his arms were about to give, they came to a stop in front of an average looking house on the outskirts of the city. There, the freak fell to his knees in the grass.

"Shizu!"

A petite, grey-haired woman with blue eyes, wearing a blouse over her mid-length skirt, burst out the front door. Ryu recognized her from the police station. She was accompanied by a dandelion and a four-tailed fox spirit.

"Get him inside." The freak shoved him towards the woman.

"Come on." She gently took him by the arm and escorted him to the house. "Tema, help the Chief up."

The small fox instantly transformed into a giant, nine-tailed beast and grabbed the freak between its jaws.

"Can I have an ounce of dignity?" the man remarked as he helplessly hung there.

The spirit ignored him and carried him into the house like a dog with its favorite toy.

Mako sat on the bed with his exhausted legs stretched-out in front of him and his bloodied, blue-scaled back exposed to Shizuku. Blood stained several patches of the white fur that ran down his spine.

"I swear if I ever meet the, the, the meathead Metalbender that invented these ridiculous slugs. I'll turn them inside out!" Shizuku cursed as she pulled the metal chunks from his back with a pair of pliers and dropped them into a nearby bucket. The damage would have been much worse if not for his thick scales. He'd probably be dead. As it was, the damage was still pretty bad as the slugs had gone far enough to penetrate the skin beneath. The other problem was that all the damaged scales were going to have to be pulled to make room for their replacements. That was never fun.

"What happened?" she finally asked.

"I think someone else is already after the kid," he replied.

"H, how? We just found out today. Who else would know?"

"I don't know, but I'm pretty sure there was another half-spirit there. I sensed them before we were attacked." He grunted as she removed another slug.

"Th, that shouldn't be either. S, Someone's breaking the rules," Shizuku scowled. Once the final slug was pulled, she snapped the pliers together several times. "Are you ready? It's going to be at least s, seven."

Mako took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself for what was coming next.

"Let's get it over with…"

In the living room, Ryu sat on an odd couch with a gap between the rear and seat cushions. Like the cruiser, it was probably meant to fit the freak's tail. He quietly listened to the commotion coming from down the hall. It sounded horrible. Pained grunting and thrashing. What's going on in there?

While he was waiting, his eyes fell to the fox spirit that was laying curled up on a cushion in the corner. It was staring at him, or more like staring through him. It felt like its golden eyes were reaching into his very being. His head suddenly felt light and he found he couldn't look away.

"Are you o, okay?"

He was able to shake himself free of the gaze when the woman reappeared. She had her hands buried in a bloodied towel and was looking at him with eyes full of worry.

"Fine. I'm fine," he hastily replied as he used a hand to brace his woozy head. "Is he okay?"

She let out a sigh. "After all these years, I've gotten p, pretty good at healing the Chief," the woman replied. "H, His arm is fractured beyond my abilities but otherwise a, a little rest and he'll be good by morning."

They were interrupted by something clattering against the rear door through the kitchen. The woman peeked out the door's window to see.

"Seems your pet found you." She opened the door and the iguana parrot streaked inside straight to him.

"Juji!" Ryu exclaimed as the bird snuggled into him.

The woman gave them a happy smile. "This way." She motioned to him. "You two can stay here for the night."

He followed her up several steps and down the hall to a bedroom. The walls were painted dark red with several shelves lining them. In one corner was a chest of drawers opposite a wooden desk which sat in front of a window. Against the far wall was a neatly made bed with an old stuffed dragon on it. The red felt was worn bare in several spots from overuse. It was clear it belonged to someone else.

"Who's room is this?" he asked.

"It, it once belonged to our s, son," the woman replied, pain hidden behind her smile. "You'll find s, some fresh clothes in the d, drawers. F, Feel free to use wh, what you like. The b, bathroom's up the hall on the left for you t, to clean up."

"Thanks…ummm…" He had no idea how to address her.

"You can call me Shizuku. If, If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask. I'll be in the living room," she smiled and quietly closed the door.

Ryu wandered around the room as he pondered his situation. This morning he was enjoying his freedom, getting away from the latest in a line of caregivers that really didn't give a crap about him. Now, he was being told he was the Avatar and staying in the home of the Freak of Police. It was all too bizarre.

He looked out the window. The skyscrapers of the city broke the night sky with the glowing yellow light of the Spirit Portal even further in the distance. He'd have to jack a car if he wanted to return to the city proper, otherwise it was going to be a long walk. How'd the freak get me out here on foot so fast? Gurgling from behind him drew his attention. Juji had made himself comfortable next to the toy dragon and was sound asleep. It wouldn't hurt to stay for one night, right? He went to the dresser and dug through the clothes. They were a little dated but at least they weren't soaked in blood. After finding a suitable teeshirt and pants, he headed for the bathroom.

As he walked down the hall, he spotted the freak through a cracked door at the end of the corridor. The man was laying on his left side, fast asleep in bed, with his long tail hanging limply over the edge. There were multiple bare spots on his scaled back and his right arm was in a sling.

Ryu felt sick. How many hits did he take to save him? Of course, Mako never hesitated to protect people. More images suddenly bombarded his psyche. There was a tossed desk, and a man that looked very much like the freak except without the horns or tail. He shook the images from his head as he fumbled backwards into the bathroom.

For a second, he didn't recognize his own face in the mirror. He rubbed his eyes with his fists and when he looked again, everything was normal.

"I don't think I want to be the Avatar…" he grumped at the reflection.

Shouma woke to his phone ringing. The rotund man rolled over in his satin sheets and hastily grabbed the receiver.

"Hello?" he answered, his tone relayed his unhappiness at being disturbed at such a late hour.

"You were right. The Fetchling lead us right to the Avatar," a thick voice croaked over the line.

Shouma sat-up in his bed, the call now receiving his full attention. "And did you take care of them?"

"No. The Fetchling carried him off," the voice replied.

"Then why didn't you follow?! You're a Fetchling too!"

"Because I can't run that fast," the voice stated matter-of-factly. "Do you want me to remind you what I can do?" it threatened.

"Never mind." Shouma quickly dismissed the topic. "Do you know where the— he is now?"

"No. The Fetchling probably has the boy tucked away somewhere."

Shouma grumbled to himself.

"Keep looking. We need to find him as soon as possible." He hung up the phone without waiting for a reply.

It had been nearly three years since he began touting Bian as the new Avatar. The entire world had swallowed his little pill except for The Fetchling who had informed the Air Nation. He had put The Fetchling in his place a long time ago but the Air Nation proved a bit more difficult. Initially, there was pushback as they tried to prove Bian wasn't the Avatar but he had stacked the pieces in his favor. Some well placed bribes and staunch rebuttals left them with nary a foot to stand on for evidence. If anyone questioned why the boy couldn't bend the other elements, he chalked it up to slow learning. After all, the previous Avatar took years to learn Airbending. In the end, he had forced them to back down as well, but he knew they weren't going to give up. Once they found the real Avatar, his charade would be over along with all the power he'd gained.

That's why he had placed moles in the Republic City Police Headquarters and on Air Temple Island. One of them would eventually lead him to the next Avatar. It was also why he'd secretly made his own Fetchling. One that could challenge The Fetchling if the need arose. He tucked himself back under his sheets. It was going to be a game of cat and mouse until the real Avatar was disposed.

Sunlight poured in through the bedroom window onto Ryu's face. He crinkled his nose as he squinted into the morning light. The first thing he saw was his clothes cleaned and folded on the desk. That Shizuku lady must have been up all night taking care of things. He quickly changed, settled Juji on his shoulder, and went to the window. As nice as they had been to him, he didn't need anyone's help before and he didn't want it now. Especially not from the freak. He'd find his way back to the city, car or not, and get back to his normal life; none of this Avatar nonsense. He slipped out the window and dropped onto the dandelion-filled grass. For some reason he thought someone as straight-laced as the Chief of Police would have a better kept lawn. He ignored the weeds and headed for the road. He didn't get two steps before a large shadow fell over him. Juji spooked into the air as the shadow spoke.

"Where do you think you're going?" The giant fox spirit from the night before grinned as it stood over him, its fanged smile unbelievably wide.

"I uhhh…" It was all he could manage before the fox's jaws closed around him.

Shizuku was busy in the kitchen when the door opened. She hardly noticed when the Deceiver deposited Ryu onto the floor. Saliva dripped off him as he sat on the ceramic tile.

"I, I would have been suspicious the moment I realized the window wasn't locked." Shizuku smartly smiled at him over her shoulder. "And you call yourself a thief."

"No fair having a guard dog," Ryu muttered as he shook the drool off his arms. They had suspected he might leave and had set a trap.

"Actually, we have a g, guard dandelion. Tema is just the enforcer," Shizuku replied. The fox shrank to its smaller four-tailed form, bounced off his head, and made themselves comfortable on its cushion in the living room. With the spirit aside, Juji returned to his shoulder.

"Hi!"

Ryu was startled when a white fluff of a dandelion spirit, with leaf hands, suddenly appeared in front of him. Unlike the fox spirit, he didn't feel like he was being swallowed by this one.

"Mako said to make sure nobody came in or out!" The fluff's brows knit together as a leaf went to his forehead in a firm salute. It was obvious he was trying to look stern but his childlike demeanor made it impossible to take him seriously. The little spirit was also the explanation for the dandelions in the yard. They were actually spirit spies.

"Speaking of…W, Will you see if he's awake Yuku?" Shizuku asked.

"Okay Zuki!" The fluff excitedly dashed off to fulfill his assignment leaving a trail of seeds in his wake.

Shizuku then pointed her cooking spoon at the wooden oval in the dining area. "I have breakfast ready on the table."

Left with no other choice, he took a stool at the table. Breakfast was a modest spread: a bowl of rice, leftover charred fish, and some cubed fruit, most likely for Juji. He offered a piece to the bird who snatched it from his fingers and slowly munched on it.

His meal was a stark contrast to the setting across from him. A thick steak chopped into cubes and a pile of pills. Is that what the freak eats? As if in response, the freak suddenly appeared and seated himself at the table behind the mismatched plate of food. The freak gave it an ugly sneer and Ryu couldn't be sure, but he thought he spotted a set of fangs in the man's mouth.

Although his arm was still in its sling, the freak was already properly dressed in a button-up shirt, pressed slacks, and suspenders. Ryu wasn't surprised. The freak seemed like the type—a regular stiff. Only thing missing was the police uniform jacket.

"He's awake! He's awake!" Yuku squealed the obvious as he zipped into the kitchen.

"Thank you Yuku." Shizuku patted the fluff's head on her way to the table. Then, she set a large glass of milk in front of the freak, along with a mug of coffee, before seating herself.

"How are you doing?"

He jumped at the freak's sudden question.

"Fine. I'm fine," he mumbled and dug into his food. After what he had seen last night, he was having a hard time looking at the man.

"I, I already called the precinct and told them we won't be in for a few days. Fetchling business and, and whatnot. They're to contact us only in case of an emergency," Shizuku said as she sipped her mug of coffee.

"We have that big trial against Touzaru coming up. I don't want to leave it," the freak stated.

"Captain Danzo knows. H, He's going to make it his top priority," Shizuku replied.

The freak responded with an annoyed snort.

"It'll be fine. Danzo knows what he's doing and wh, what's at stake," Shizuku said reassuringly.

"Alright. Thank you Shizu."

Ryu stared down at his food. He didn't know what else to do. They were chatting as if having him at the table was just another ordinary day. Like a normal family might do, except it was the freak, the supposed Avatar, and whatever role Shizuku served. Like some kind of twisted joke. He glanced up to see the freak poking at his food with a chopstick like a child. Does he not like steak? How could he not like steak? Apparently Shizuku noticed his behavior as well.

"Would you just eat. A, After what happened last night, you're going to need the extra protein," she scolded him.

The freak frowned at his plateful. "I'm going to make myself some eggs," he replied. He was about to leave the table when Shizuku stopped him.

"Sit. Down. It's rude to leave food at the table when we have guests," she stated. Her voice was calm, but stern enough for the freak to return to his stool. His tail twitched as he glared at the food. Finally, he awkwardly stabbed a chunk with a chopstick and popped it into his mouth.

Ryu watched quietly as the entire confrontation unfolded. It was almost comical. Here was the big bad Freak of Police being scolded by his wife like a child. Is she really his wife? The freak looked to be middle-aged but she was clearly older. Way older.

"What's the deal with you two?" he finally asked, drawing both their attentions. "Are you really married? She looks old enough to be your mom."

The freak gave him a stern look while Shizuku simply giggled over her food.

"C, Can't fault him for being honest Chief," she smiled, not the least bit offended by the comparison. From her tone, it wasn't the first time they'd heard such things.

The freak huffed.

"Because of what happened to me, I age slower than regular people," he calmly explained. "Believe it or not, I'm actually older than Shizu."

Ryu nearly spat out his mouthful.

"No way. You really are a…"

A second glare from the freak made him rethink his phrasing.

"…different," he finished. They quietly resumed their meals when a second question occurred to him.

"So what now?"

The pair paused again.

"If I'm the 'all powerful Avatar'—What happens next?" he reiterated.

"Next, we get you to Air Temple Island where you'll be safe and start your training," the freak answered.

"So you're going to dump me off just like everybody else." Ryu slumped in his chair.

"We're not 'dumping' you. That's just how it works Kid—"

"Ryu," he firmly interrupted. "If you don't want me calling you freak, then don't call me Kid."

"Fine. Ryu," the man corrected before continuing. "Here's how it works. The Avatar dies and is reincarnated into the next element of the cycle. Then, they train with benders from all over the world to master the four elements. I don't know what happened to the earth Avatar but—"

"Her name was Mira…" Ryu interrupted again, his expression grim. "I think she drowned."

The freak exchanged a surprised look with Shizuku.

"H, how do you know that?" the woman asked.

"I had a…dream, I think? It was so real. Like I was there," he answered.

He was stunned when Shizuku suddenly had her arms around him. He wasn't used to such affection and sat like a statue while she held him.

"You poor boy," she said as she hugged him. "T, To experience something so tragic. It had to have been horrible."

"Have you seen anything else? Any other dreams?" the freak demanded.

"It wasn't a dream but, last night, in my head, I saw you. Except you didn't have horns or anything," Ryu continued. "I remember being angry for some reason and I saw an overturned desk."

The freak's face drained.

"Care to explain dear?" Shizuku asked expectantly.

Ryu was also curious. Mostly because he thought it might explain what had triggered the vision.

The freak's fuzz-tipped tail anxiously twitched as he cleared his throat.

"I will say that…it was something that happened…a long time ago…between Korra and me," he explained before his tone suddenly shifted. "If you want any more details, you'll have to ask her yourself if you ever decide to communicate with the past Avatars," he finished, abruptly ending the conversation.

"Why don't we head out. I think Jinora should meet you as soon as possible." The freak stood and tried again to escape his half-finished meal. A firm tap on the table from Shizuku stopped him. She pointed to the glass of milk. He grabbed the glass, slammed it, then shook the taste from his tongue.

"What's the matter? The Chief of Police can't drink his milk?" Ryu mocked.

"Kid. You don't want to know what was in that glass," the freak replied with a disgusted frown as he wiped the remains from his lips.

"Can I help you?" A thirty-something woman asked as she stood in the front door of a brick home tucked in the city.

"Is there a Koji that lives here?" A police officer, dressed in a blue uniform, politely replied.

"That's my son. He should be in school. Is he okay? Did something happen to him?" the woman worriedly spouted.

"We just have a few questions for him. Nothing to be concerned about. When he gets home, can you call this number?" The officer handed her a slip of paper. She scrutinized it a moment.

"Of course officer Zenosuke. Whatever we can do to help," she replied.

His business concluded, Zenosuke went to a second vehicle where another officer, dressed in an armored uniform, was waiting for him.

"Well?" the second officer asked expectantly.

"He wasn't home. I gave his mother my private line. I'll be the first to know when she calls," Zenosuke replied. He glanced at the round figure hidden beneath a cloak in the back seat. He couldn't explain why, but the figure gave him the creeps.

"Good. Then get back to the precinct. We'll stakeout here just in case this boy proves to be uncooperative," the second officer finished.

Zenosuke gave the second officer a firm salute before retreating to his own cruiser and driving away.

"Now all we do is wait," the cloaked figure croaked.

Ryu gazed out the car window, Juji on his lap, as they drove through the city. When they were leaving, he was half-expecting the freak to carry him on his back like he had when they fled the Wilds. Fortunately, the man had a Satomobile stashed in his garage, and a pretty nice one at that. The latest in Future Industries' sports line.

"What do you think?" the freak asked.

The question stirred him from his thoughts.

"About what?" he replied flippantly. He wasn't in the mood for conversation with the man.

"The car. I figured someone with your…expertise might have an appreciation for Satomobiles," the freak said.

"It's okay," he muttered. He wasn't about to admit how much he really liked the car.

"The owner of Future Industries is a friend of mine. She often lets me in on the latest models," the freak continued. "I could introduce you to her sometime if you like."

"The Chief is, is kind of a motor-head himself," Shizuku added from the passenger seat.

He withheld his excitement. He'd been drawn in by such nonsense before and it always ended in disappointment. They were already pawning him off on some other group of people that were going to pretend to be his family. He knew enough not to get attached.

"Yeah, whatever…" he mumbled and returned to staring out the window. He continued to watch the buildings pass until he realized something was wrong.

"Wait a minute? Isn't Air Temple Island the other way?"

"It is, but I have another meeting place I prefer to use," the freak answered.

They drove around for another fifteen minutes or so until they finally came to a stop in front of an odd building. It was hidden beneath an overpass in a rundown area of the city. Only someone looking for it would know it even existed. Ryu felt heat emanating from the structure and something else. It was like a wave crashing into him. What's in there? He cautiously stepped onto the curb, Juji on his shoulder, and stood motionless before the structure.

As they stood in the warm summer sun, Mako noticed the boy's hesitation. Is he already sensing Spud? He wouldn't be surprised given the fact the boy was already connecting with his past lives. It was obvious he was spiritually gifted.

"L, Let's all get inside before we freeze to death," Shizuku chided as she lead the way into the building. Heat billowed out to join the already warm air as she opened the door.

Through the door was a quiet tea shop; the interior decorated in hues of browns and pastel greens. It was small with only enough room for four round tables and a couple booths against the large, lone window. Maybe twenty people could sit comfortably if it were at max capacity. Several patrons glanced at them as they entered, then went back to their business. Mako's appearance was nothing unusual to them. The Blue Flame teashop was one of his secret safe houses. He'd built-up a series of them throughout the city. All of them were owned by trusted friends and guarded by spirits that he had helped over the years.

"Chief! And Mrs. Chief!" The barista, a young man with several piercings in his right ear, cheerfully greeted them as soon as they entered. "What brings you here today?"

"Meeting an old friend Hayato. We'll be sitting downstairs," Mako replied.

"Of course. Of course," Hayato answered with a polite bow. "Shall I bring your usual?"

"That sounds perfect today."

Shizuku elbowed him.

"With extra milk…" he added with a roll of his eyes.

"And I'll have a mint chai," Shizuku politely smiled.

"And for the kiddo?" The barista looked to Ryu.

The boy responded with a clueless expression across his face.

"I'll think of something," the barista finally grinned, deciding for him. "You head downstairs and I'll bring them right down."

Mako nodded and lead the way to the back.

Downstairs was through a secret door in the back of the shop's kitchen. Ryu quietly followed the couple down a narrow set of stairs. The entire time, the wave grew bigger. Soon, they were in the basement with the furnace. Except for the boxes of supplies that lined one wall, and the single table, it looked similar to the main room upstairs. Shizuku took a seat at the table, which was far too large for the three of them, while the freak went to the furnace. He watched as the man knocked on the metal door.

"What's he doing?" he asked Shizuku as he took a seat next to her.

"You're about to m, meet one of the Chief's oldest friends," Shizuku smiled.

"Hey Spud," Mako cordially addressed the spirit hiding in the furnace. Spud wasn't its real name but a fitting nomenclature nonetheless.

More heat flooded the room as the iron door of the furnace creaked open. Inside was a squat spirit, almost too big for the cauldron. It resembled a paunchy cat, if it didn't have fur, and it's face looked like it had been flattened by a Satomobile. It was the source of the heat that permeated the building.

"Well, hello Fetchling," the spirit purred as it addressed him. "Haven't seen you in a while."

"Almost too long. You're going to need to shave off some energy if you want to stay here," he stated as he leaned on the iron door. Being a Firebender, the heat was barely an inconvenience to him. "I don't know if I can find another stove big enough for you otherwise."

A small fireball escaped the spirit's mouth as it sighed.

"Oh alright. I'll blow off some extra steam," the spirit replied amicably.

"In the Spirit World this time," he firmly stated. "I don't want another unexpected heatwave like last time."

"But I get so cold," the spirit whined in response.

"You'll be fine. Try to do it soon though."

The spirit grumbled as it rolled onto its back. Then, it locked eyes with Ryu.

"Is that Rava?" Spud gasped.

Mako nodded. "It is, but we haven't told anyone else yet. As usual, whatever you hear stays in this room, clear?"

"Of course Fetchling. I am indebted to you after all."

"Uh…Mako dear," Shizuku interrupted the banter.

He turned around just in time to see Ryu's eyes roll back in his head. The iguana parrot flapped off the boy's shoulder before he passed out onto the floor.

Visions attacked Ryu while he was unconscious: a giant, golden dragon bird spirit carrying him through the air, dog-like spirits with odd hats, dark shadows with glowing yellow eyes and angry auras. He quickly defended himself as one lunged at him. That's when he woke.

"Here we go. Easy now." The freak was crouched at his side.

He groaned as he sat-up while Juji anxiously bounced along the floor and gurgled at him.

"What happened?" he mumbled as the man helped him to his feet.

"That was my fault," the freak answered. "I didn't realize you'd have that kind of reaction when exposed to a greater spirit like Spud."

"You were right. He does have a strong spiritual aura." Another woman, with grey hair and brown eyes, was standing over him. She was dressed in a tight red and grey outfit and had blue arrows tattooed on her forehead and both hands.

"Ryu, this is Jinora. The friend I told you about," the freak introduced the woman.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Ryu," Jinora smiled. "We've been waiting a long time."

"Is he okay Papa Mako?" Another, younger voice interjected.

Papa Mako? Ryu looked past Jinora to see a girl, about his age, sitting at the table with Shizuku. A pair of silver horns curved from her forehead over her long dark hair and a blue and white scaled tail, with a stripe of white fur, swung behind her. She was the spitting image of her "Papa Mako" except she had blue eyes that matched the scales of her tail.

"He's fine sweetie," the freak answered.

They returned to the over-sized table where Ryu took a seat next to the strange girl. She was wearing a cropped hooded jacket over her blouse, a checked skirt, and a small white purse was hanging at her hip.

"I'm Mari." She shyly smiled over the rim of her soda glass. "I like your iguana parrot."

"Sh, She's our granddaughter," Shizuku interjected. "She's supposed to be in school on Air Temple Island today but decided she had to come along to, to see her papa," the woman finished firmly.

Mari responded with a guilty smile and lowered her face.

"Uhh…Thanks…" was all Ryu could think to say to her.

"You're sure he's the new Avatar?" Jinora asked, getting down to business.

Mako nodded.

"Rava's in there. Even Spud noticed." He thumbed to the furnace spirit. "And someone else knows it too. That's why we were attacked last night."

"How is that possible? Didn't you only find him yesterday?" Jinora asked.

"There must be a mole at the precinct," Mako scowled, his tail twitching his irritation at the thought. "That's why I want to get him to Air Temple Island as soon as possible, but I don't think we should reveal him to the world yet. The fact that he's the Avatar doesn't leave this room. Not until we can ferret out whoever's after him." Although he had a pretty good idea who that was, he just lacked the evidence to prove it. "That goes for you too Mari," he firmly addressed his granddaughter.

"Of course Papa," Mari replied with a solid flip of her tail. They had taught her early on when to follow orders and she was good at it.

Jinora placed a hand to her chin. The expression was very reminiscent of her late father Tenzen.

"We can certainly start his training. We can tell everyone he's a new Airbender, then move him to another temple to learn the next element. It will be difficult but we should be able to keep his true identity hidden until we're ready," Jinora said.

A soda had been set at the table for Ryu. He set his chin on the table and glared at the bubbles as they floated up the liquid. It was always the same. A bunch of adults deciding what to do with him; passing him around like an unwanted pet. He hated it.

"Don't look so sad." Mari gave him a sweet smile. "Air Temple Island is pretty and all the Airbenders are really nice."

Ryu grimaced through his soda. He wasn't going to stick around long enough to find out.

An escape plan was already forming in Ryu's head as Jinora showed him around the island. The Airbenders didn't seem to have much for security. From what he could tell, they didn't have any formal guards or anything like that so getting away should be easy. Eventually, she lead him to what would be his quarters. The second floor room was secluded and had a single window. Perfect.

"If you need anything, be sure to ask. Anyone here will be more than happy to help," Jinora said.

"Yeah sure. Thanks." He bowed as politely as possible. Didn't want the woman to get suspicious.

"I really am glad that your here Ryu. Having the Avatar back will mean so much to the world," she added.

Ryu made sure to hide his disgust. "Right. That's me," he finished with his widest, fakest grin.

Jinora gave him one final nod before leaving him alone in the room.

"Finally…" he huffed to Juji once he was sure the woman was out of ear shot. With her gone, he immediately dug through the room's bedding closet and his meager belongings. Between the two, he was able to scrounge up enough material to tie together as a makeshift rope. All he had to do was wait until nightfall.

As soon as darkness covered the the area, he tied his mishmash of clothes and blankets to the room's heavy dresser and repelled down the side of the building. The "rope" was a little short and he landed on his ass after he dropped the last meter. He rubbed his backside while Juji squabbled at him.

"Shh…I'm fine Juji," he hissed as he regained his feet. "Be quiet." Couldn't have the bird giving away his location. Like he had observed earlier, there were no guards or anyone else waiting to grab him. Hopefully, that meant he was home free. As he slunk through the shadows of the buildings, a voice caught his attention. He froze, sure he was caught.

"Leaving already?"

He slowly turned and spotted Mari leaning out the window of her barracks. The light of the half-moon reflected off her silver horns as she smiled down at him.

A relieved sigh escaped his lips. It was only her.

"Yeah. I'm not real interested in the whole 'Avatar' life," he finally answered. "Besides, I need to get back and tell my friend Koji what happened."

"But nobody is supposed to know you're the Avatar," Mari cautioned.

"Don't worry. As far as I'm concerned—I'm not," he replied. Juji gurgled from his shoulder as if to agree with the sentiment.

"Well, unless you're a really good swimmer, you're not going to get very far," Mari stated. He gave her a confused expression in response.

"It's called Air Temple Island," she finished, putting heavy emphasis on the island part.

"They have to have boats or something," he said with an insistent shrug.

"There's a ferry that comes several times a day," she offered casually.

He couldn't wait around that long. "There has to be something else. How do the Airbenders get to the city?" he asked.

Mari hooked her tail on the window sill and lowered herself to the ground. He was surprised by how she used the odd limb.

"C'mon, I'll show you," she said.

Moonlight streamed into the stable as Mari shoved open the large doors. Inside were two rows of huge, six-legged beasts with short horns. The striped, white-furred animals barely acknowledged them while they dozed or lazily chewed their cud.

"Whoa!" Ryu exclaimed excitedly as he walked into the building. "I've never seen a sky bison up close before!"

"Pretty neat right? This is how the Airbenders get to the city. Or anywhere really," Mari explained.

"Have you flown one?" he asked.

"Me? Oh no. We usually take the ferry when I leave the island," she answered.

"When you leave the island? You live here?"

"Only during school. Then, Nana and Papa come get me during breaks and after classes. They visit pretty often," she said.

"So they dumped you here too, huh," he said with an angry frown.

"They didn't dump me!" Mari snapped while her tail twitched angrily behind her. Clearly, he had hit a nerve. Her demeanor soon shifted as her tone became morose. "When I was little, a boy was mocking me for how I look. I told him I couldn't help it but he wouldn't stop. I got angry and I bit him." She pulled her cheek aside with her finger to briefly show-off a set of sharp incisors on her top and bottom jaw. "He was okay, but Papa was pretty disappointed. He explained that when I behave like that, it will only prove to people what they already think. That I really am a…" Her chest heaved and she anxiously rubbed her arm as she trailed off. "That's when they decided it might be better if I go to school here. Airbenders don't care what I look like."

"That's just dumb," he scoffed. "Your 'Papa' runs around the city and does whatever he wants. It's not fair that you have to stay cooped-up on this island."

"Well…I mean…He is the Chief of Police," she said, though he could hear the doubt creeping in her voice. "People have to respect him."

He wondered if she knew what people really thought about her papa the Freak of Police. Talking to her now made him realize how difficult it must be for someone who looked like they did.

"It's time people respected you too. Let's both get off this island," he firmly stated.

"I don't know…" She nervously shuffled her feet while her long tail curled around her leg. "Papa would get pretty upset if he found out I left without permission."

"Always do what Papa says?" he chided with a smarmy grin.

"No!" Mari snapped. "I just…"

"It'll be fine. We'll go to the city, hang-out for a while, and be back before anyone knows we're gone," he said.

"Alright. But only for a little while," she finally agreed.

"Great! Now help me lasso one of these bison," he said as he searched the stables for some rope.

Mari screamed as she clung to Ryu's waist, Juji squeezed between them. Neither of them knew how to saddle a bison so they were both riding bare-back on its head. The bison weaved back and forth at top speed while Ryu "steered" it with the makeshift reins. A loud bellow broke the night air as it fought against the inexperienced handler.

"This is crazy!" she hollered over the rushing wind. "You're going to crash!"

"You can't crash a bison," Ryu responded as he continued to "steer" the beast. "At least…I don't think you can."

"What?!" She had to hold on even tighter as Ryu forced the bison into a sudden dive. Juji let out an angry squawk as he was nearly crushed.

"You're a bird Juji. You can fly away at any time," Ryu reminded his pet. The iguana parrot didn't seem inclined and continued to dig its claws into its owner's back.

The bison spun like a top as the ground raced up to meet them. Then, it spread its legs, making itself as wide as possible, and belly-flopped onto the vine-covered ground. It slid several meters before coming to a complete stop. The two teenagers took a moment to catch their breath as they made sure they weren't dead.

"See. Can't crash," Ryu smirked over his shoulder.

Mari sat slack-jawed behind him, her hair strewn all over her face and horns.

"Hey. You okay in there?" Ryu asked and carefully poked a horn.

"That was amazing!" she suddenly exclaimed. "I've never done anything like that before in my life!" She slid off the beast and excitedly hopped across the ground. "How'd you learn to fly a bison like that?!"

"I don't know," Ryu shrugged as he joined her. "I've always been good at things like that. You should see me in a Satomobile."

Freed from its kidnappers, the bison leapt back into the sky and headed back to the island.

"Oh no…" Mari frowned as she watched it leave. "How are we going to get back?"

"We can worry about that later. C'mon, I want to show you where I live." He grabbed her hand and she felt her cheeks suddenly flush. She quickly hid her face so he wouldn't see her blush as he dragged her through the vine-covered Wilds.

It was rare that Mako shared the bed with Shizuku. There were several reasons, but the main one was that he had nearly taken her eye out once when she had accidentally rolled into one of his horns while they slept. After that, they had both decided it would be safer if they had separate sleeping arrangements. He didn't mind too much as he usually slept better on the squishy floor cushion that accommodated his extra features anyway. It was when he was sound asleep on his cushion when he heard the phone ring.

A groan escaped him as he buried his face from the noise. A call at such a late hour was never good news. He fumbled his fingers up the nightstand to the receiver but Shizuku snagged it first.

"Hello?"

He patiently listened as she exchanged dialogue with the voice on the other end.

"Jinora? Wh, What? Do you know when? No, no…I'll tell him. B, better he hear it from me. Thank you. Keep us posted." There was a slight ding as the receiver was returned to its cradle.

Shizuku peeked her head over the edge of the bed to address him. "Th, That was Jinora. Ryu left the island. A, Apparently he broke into the bison pen and took one. They—The Airbenders are already on the look-out for him."

He grumbled into his cushion. Running away was the kid's M. O. but he thought being stuck on an island would deter the boy. Stealing a sky bison had never even occurred to him. Although Jinora wouldn't have approved, he should have sent officers along to guard the kid.

"He probably came back to the city. I'll find him," he said as he dragged himself from his cushion and started to get dressed.

"Th, There is one other thing," Shizuku continued. "Mari is missing too."

A dark scowl covered his face.

"I'm going to kill that kid," he growled and threw his clothes on even faster. It was one thing for the boy to go missing and a completely different matter getting his granddaughter involved.

"I think k, killing the Avatar would be considered extremely bad," Shizuku joked.

"Nobody knows he's the Avatar," he replied as he stuffed his tail through the third hole in the rear of his pants. "I could do it and nobody would be the wiser." He was only half joking. If something really did happen to Mari, he might not be able to stop himself.

"Well, just make sure you b, burn the evidence afterwards," Shizuku grinned. "I, I'll wait here just-in-case the Airbenders call or Mari decides to come home."

"Alright." Mako gave her a quick kiss. "Hopefully I'll be back soon."

"This is where you live?" Mari surveyed the dilapidated structure illuminated by a single floor lamp.

"Yup. Just me and Juji. Come and go as we please. And no annoying adults telling me what to do," Ryu proudly replied as he plopped onto his couch. A pillow of dust emerged from the old cushions.

"Doesn't it get lonely?" she asked.

"Nah. Me and Juji get on fine by ourselves," Ryu answered. Although he didn't sound as confident as he had a minute earlier. The bird gurgled, seemingly in agreement.

"Ryu?"

They both turned to see another boy climbing up a ladder through a broken hole in the floor. He was dressed similarly to Ryu except he had a green jacket over his teeshirt.

"Koji?" Ryu recognized the teen.

The other boy quickly pressed himself to the wall when he spotted Mari.

"I didn't know there was a second freak!" he stammered.

"Hey!" She gave him a dark scowl and angrily snapped her tail.

"It's alright," Ryu interrupted. "Koji, this is Mari. She's Chief Mako's granddaughter."

"Granddaughter?!" Koji echoed incredulously. "The Freak of Police has kids!"

"He's not a freak!" she snapped at him. Koji cowered deeper into a corner to get away from her wrath.

"Enough with the freak talk already sheesh," Ryu berated his friend. "Mari's cool, and you won't believe what happened to me today."

"You'll have to tell me later, man," Koji said, his tone turning serious. "I came here to warn you. Some police officer showed-up at my house. He was asking me all kinds of weird questions about you, like if I ever saw you act weird or bend any other elements? He wanted to know if I knew where you lived and stuff."

Ryu exchanged a knowing glance with Mari.

"What did you tell him?" he asked.

"Nothing. I'm no snitch," Koji defensively replied.

"What was the officer's name?" Mari suddenly asked.

"What? What does that matter?" Koji asked with a skeptical shrug.

"Nana Zu says every detail is important no matter how small. What was his name?" she persisted.

"I don't know. Senosuke? Zenosuke? Something like that," Koji replied.

She took a small notepad from her purse and jotted down the name.

"Maybe we should go back and call Nana and Papa. Let them know we're okay," she finally said.

"No way!" came the staunch reply from Ryu. "I'm not going back there!"

"But you said…"

"I said what I said so you would help me, but I wasn't ever going back. You can leave if you want but I'm not interested in being the Avatar." Ryu's eyes went wide when he realized what had slipped from his mouth.

Koji's jaw dropped and his head slowly swiveled towards Ryu. "What?" the other boy stated.

They were interrupted when a puddle of goo fell from the ceiling and hit the floor a meter from them. Steam hissed from the goo as it ate through the concrete leaving a decimeter wide gap. All eyes shifted upwards to the source. Sticking to the ceiling was a grotesque figure partially covered by a cloak. They watched wide-eyed as it lowered itself down by its tongue and squatted over the new hole.

From what they could tell, it was mostly toad with a round body and short legs. Only the upper right quarter of its body, and right half of its face, looked remotely human. The large yellow eye on the left of its face glared at them from its slime coated visage.

"It's a Fetchling…" Mari whispered as the teens cautiously backed away from the creature.

"There you are," the toadman croaked. "I wasn't sure which of you was the Avatar until you opened your big mouth." The creature gave Ryu a sinister smile. "Either you come quietly with me or we can do this the hard way." Its long tongue emerged from its mouth and quickly licked its large eye.

"Sorry. Not going anywhere with you freak," Ryu stated. Then he noticed the scowl on Mari's face directed at him. "What? That guy really is a freak."

"Look out!" Koji yelled.

Juji took to the air as the pair dodged to opposite sides to avoid the toadman's tongue as it barreled towards them. It smashed into the sofa and, anything touched by the saliva, melted to goo.

"Gross," Mari cringed.

"How about this Toadman!" Ryu launched several fire fists at the creature. The toadman blocked the flames with its slime-coated arm where they fizzled to nothing.

"That's not going to work on me," it said through a toothless grin. The smug expression changed to shock when the floor beneath its feet suddenly crumbled away. It plummeted through the hole to the level below. Across the room, Koji had his fists dug into the concrete.

"Did I forget to say Koji's an Earthbender," Ryu told Mari when he saw the surprised expression on her face.

"Let's get out of here!" Koji yelled as he disappeared down the ladder.

Mari and Ryu quickly followed, leaving the beast behind.

They ran through the maze of rundown buildings until they found a safe pocket to catch their breath.

"What was that?!" Koji huffed, worn-out from the mad dash.

"It was a Fetchling, a human cursed by a spirit, like my papa," Mari began between breaths. She was winded too but not nearly as bad as the boys. "But there's not supposed to be any other Fetchlings. The spirits promised a long time ago to stop cursing humans."

"Aren't you a Fetchling?" Ryu asked.

"Not really. My papa was cursed by a spirit, I just inherited his features. I'm not actually half-spirit," she explained.

"What do we do now? We can't fight that thing!" Koji sputtered, returning to the main concern.

"Maybe now we need to find your grandpa," Ryu said.

Mari nodded in agreement.

"What's going on? Is somebody there?" A voice echoed through the Wilds.

The teenagers peeked out from their shelter and saw a man, clad in metal armor, searching the area with a flashlight. Behind him was an idling police cruiser. Its headlights had been left on and bathed the nearby field in a yellow glow.

"It's the Metal Police," Koji said. "They should be able to help us."

The trio cautiously exited their shelter and had to quickly shield their eyes when the officer aimed his light at them.

"You kids shouldn't be out in the Wilds so late at night. The spirits might come and gobble you up," the officer said with a playful grin.

"You won't believe it!" Koji waved his arms excitedly as he spoke. "This monster came out of nowhere and attacked us! It had a big bug eye and—" He was about to walk towards the officer when Mari blocked him with her tail.

"Only officers from the Bureau of Spirit Investigations are allowed to patrol the Wilds. They have an insignia on their uniform that proves they have been trained to negotiate with spirits." Mari's face scrunched up into a scowl as she scrutinized the officer. "That man doesn't have one."

"Pretty smart for the Chief's kid." A dark grin spread across the man's face as he dug in a pouch on his belt. "He's going to be real upset when I tell him how I found you all dead in the Wilds!"

"Run!" Mari yelled as she shoved the boys ahead of her.

The officer sliced his arm through the air and sent a salvo of metal slugs from his fingertips at the teens. Mari winced as three of the slugs lodged themselves in her back.

"Are you—?" Ryu asked while they ran. It was the same thing that had happened with the Chief.

"Never mind me and just go," she replied, still shoving them. They dashed through a vine covered wall into the ruins.

The officer tried to follow but ended up tangled in the dense plants. It was as if they were deliberately preventing him from chasing the teens. By the time he freed himself, they were long gone.

Ryu lead the others through the ruined buildings. Even when he was in a foster family, he would often escape to the Wilds so he knew the area well. He scuttled through cracks and debris until they were positioned in a small enclosure on the opposite side of the officer. There, he took a moment to spy on the man through a hole while the others collected themselves. The officer was frantically searching the area with his flashlight. Occasionally, a large cloud of dust would float to the sky as a structure collapsed at his bidding. It was sometimes easy to forget that Metalbenders were also Earthbenders.

"Oh crap! You're bleeding!" Koji quietly exclaimed when he saw Mari's back. "Are you going to die?!"

"Calm down. I made sure the slugs hit my scales." She pulled down the collar of her shirt to reveal the blue chips that started at the nape of her neck. "But I'd be lying if I said it doesn't hurt."

While they bantered, Ryu continued to watch the Metalbender. It wasn't long before Toadman appeared. The pair exchanged words before they split-up to continue their search.

"Toadman showed up," Ryu stated. "He's working with that officer."

"Why is this even happening? I mean…What did we ever do to them?" Koji stammered.

"It's because they're looking for the Avatar." Ryu frowned and slid to the floor. "You're in this mess because of me. Maybe I should have stayed-put on that stupid island."

Silence hung over the shambled enclosure.

"What are we going to do now?" Mari asked.

"How should I know? I'm just a kid! I'm not ready to be the Avatar!" Ryu exclaimed, letting out his frustrations. He didn't want any of this. Not to be the Avatar, and certainly not to be trapped in the Wilds while two maniacs hunted him down. Now his friends were going to be killed because he stupidly thought he could have his normal life back.

Mari squatted in front of him and placed a reassuring hand on his knee.

"I'm not asking the Avatar. I'm asking the idiot who stole a sky bison, crashed it into the Spirit Wilds, and took me on the craziest adventure I've ever had in my entire life," she said with a soft smile. Ryu gave her a crooked grin.

"I didn't crash it," he stated.

"You certainly didn't land it," Mari said as she helped him back to his feet.

"Crashed it. Landed it. Whatever! Did you two forget we're about to be killed here!" Koji hissed.

After Mari's "pep talk" Ryu felt his confidence returned. He scanned the area until his eyes fell on the cruiser. The officer had left it abandoned in the field.

"We're not dead yet. I have an idea," he said with a sly smirk.

As quickly, and quietly, as possible, Koji bent an underground tunnel to the cruiser. The teenagers emerged from the ground only about a meter away from the vehicle.

"Nice work Koji," Mari praised him.

"Umm…Thanks." He quickly turned away so she wouldn't see him blush.

"Would you look at that," Ryu grinned as he peered through the window. Dangling in the ignition was a set of keys. "Quick. Everybody in."

Ryu jumped behind the wheel while Koji climbed into the passenger seat. Mari was last to get in and both boys had to look away as she clambered over Koji's lap and squirmed into the backseat. They didn't want to accidentally look up her skirt or get slapped by her tail. Once they were settled, Ryu gunned the engine.

The rumble of the engine drew the officer's attention.

"Damn brats!" he cursed and watched helplessly as his cruiser disappeared out of the Wilds.

"We did it!" Koji exclaimed once they were on the road. "We—"

The celebration was too soon. The vehicle bounced on its suspensions when Toadman landed on the hood with a smug smile on his face. Glass rained over the teens as he launched his long tongue through the windshield. The slimy appendage zipped between Ryu and Koji, and flew over Mari's head as she quickly ducked. It stopped at the rear cushion where it melted the seat to goo.

"I don't do hitchhikers!" Ryu shouted and cranked the steering wheel. Both Koji and Mari had to hold on tight as the vehicle went into a controlled spin. Now Toadman's slime worked against him. The Fetchling was unable to keep his grip and slipped off the hood onto the street. Mari watched out the rear window as he tumbled down the road.

With the unwanted rider gone, Ryu quickly regained control of the vehicle. "Now we did it," he said confidently.

"What now?" Koji asked, once they were several blocks away from the Wilds.

"Now we go to my grandparents and tell them what happened," Mari answered as she squeezed herself between the seats to reach the dash. The sirens blared as she flipped several switches. Both boys looked quizzically at her.

"This way everyone will think we're on official police business," she explained. To prove her point, cars moved aside as they drove through the city proper. "See."

"Cool," Ryu said. Mari's knowledge of the police was coming in handy.

Safe in the knowledge that they were home free, they all relaxed.

"Where'd Juji go anyway?" Mari finally asked as she gazed out the rear window. "Will he be okay out there alone?"

"Don't worry about him. He always finds his way to me," Ryu replied.

Toadman arrived back in the Wilds with a disgusted expression on his face.

"I lost them," he grumped, rubbing his aching shoulder as he rejoined his Metalbending cohort.

"Don't worry. I'm pretty sure I know exactly how to find them again." Wrapped in the officer's metal cable was a frantic, squawking iguana parrot. It flailed in the coil as it desperately tried to break free.

Shizuku stirred when she heard sirens. She dashed from the couch where she had been dozing to the front door. "Parked" on the road was a dented-up police cruiser. Ryu, Mari, and a second teenage boy she didn't recognize, hopped out of the dented vehicle and raced to her.

"Nana Zu!" Mari shouted as she approached, her arms open wide.

She exchanged a hug with the girl.

"Mari! I'm so glad you're safe. Wh, What happened?" Blood coated her arm when she removed it from Mari's back. "You're hurt!"

"I used my scales to block some metal slugs," Mari stated proudly.

"Slugs! Gracious. Wh, What were you kids getting into?"

All three teenagers spoke at once.

"We rode a bison."

"Crashed a bison."

"There was this giant toadman."

"And a metal cop."

"I dug a tunnel."

"We took his car."

"And I told him 'no hitchhikers.'"

"Okay. Okay. M, Maybe it's better we talk inside," she eventually interrupted and ushered them through the front door. With the teenagers safe inside, she lingered a moment and warily scanned the area. "Make sure y, you keep a close eye out tonight Yuku."

The dandelion spirit appeared before her.

"Okay Zuki."

The little spirit focused and soon a thick bed of dandelions covered every inch of the yard.

Inside, the boys waited on the couch while Shizuku tended to Mari. Through one of the doors, they could hear the girl's pained squeaking.

"What's going on in there?" Koji whispered.

"I don't know, but the same thing happened to Chief Mako after he was hit by slugs the other night. I heard him too," Ryu explained.

"Chief Mako? Since when is it Chief Mako? You've got a lot of explaining to do man," Koji said.

"I know…"

They came to attention when Shizuku re-entered the room. In her hands was a bowl of water tinted red with blood. The three metal slugs inside made a slight zith sound as they slid along the bottom of the container.

"Is she okay?" Ryu asked.

"H, Her back is going to be sore for a while but she'll be fine. Y, You can go see her if you want," Shizuku said and directed them to the door.

Koji lead the charge and went straight to Mari's room while Ryu lingered.

"It's my fault she got hurt. I'm the one that convinced her to leave the island," he said, hanging his head in shame.

"And if, if she hadn't…you'd probably be dead," Shizuku replied with a soft smile. He looked up at her in surprise. He thought for sure he was going to be in trouble. He quietly listened as the woman continued. "M, Mari takes after her grandfather, and not just his looks either. She won't hesitate to protect anyone in need."

"No one should get hurt protecting a nobody like me. Even if I am supposed to be the Avatar," Ryu frowned.

"The Chief and Mari protected you because they believe you, Ryu, are important. They don't c, care that you're the Avatar. They did it because they wanted to protect you. It, It's just who they are." She tilted his chin to look at her. "I, I will say that if you don't want others getting hurt protecting you, then you need to f, find the strength to protect yourself and I know you can do it," she finished with a warm smile.

He didn't know what to say. He wasn't used to being treated as anything other than a burden. An unwanted pet. That's why he had run away from all his foster families. For the first time he could remember, he felt like someone else actually cared about him.

"Now go on. I, I'm sure you'd rather be talking to your friends than this silly old woman," Shizuku smiled.

"Okay. Thanks Shizuku." He went up the few steps and gave her one final look before disappearing into Mari's room.

Mari's room was an almost identical reflection of the room he had spent the previous night in except the walls were pale blue. Everything in the room was neatly arranged; not a single item tipped over or out-of-place. Apparently, she was a very orderly girl.

Koji swiveled on the stool in front of Mari's desk while she sat on her bed with a pillow clutched to her chest. Her tail was wrapped tight around her ankles and red rings rimmed her eyes.

"Are you really okay?" Ryu asked, concerned. "Your grandma said you were okay."

"I am," she replied with a slight sniffle and wiped the remaining tears from her eye with the ball of her hand. "It's just…I've never had my scales pulled out before and it turns out it really hurts," she explained. "Even after Nana Zu used her Waterbending to ice the area."

"She pulled out your scales?" Ryu echoed.

"Uh-huh," Mari nodded. "Broken scales need to be pulled so they don't cut the skin or interfere when new ones grow-in. Here." Mari pulled a small wooden dish off a shelf in her bed's headboard. It was filled with blue scales, including the freshly broken ones. "This is where I keep the ones that I normally shed," she finished.

Koji peered into the bowl. "Can I have one?" he asked.

Ryu scowled at him. "Dude, that's rude. You don't just ask someone for their scales." Even saying the sentence out loud felt weird.

"It's okay," Mari said with a slight giggle. "As long as you don't try to sell them. Then we're all going to be in trouble."

Koji dug in the bowl until he found the perfect one.

"Cool," he said as he gazed in awe at the blue chip.

"You can have one too Ryu." Mari pushed the dish at him. He hesitated a moment before finally reaching into the bowl. Eventually, he pulled out a scale with a near perfect circle cut out of it. One of the "slug" scales. The tip where it had been pulled from her skin was still stained red from blood.

"Are you sure you want that one? It's broken," Mari frowned.

"I'm sure," he replied. He gazed at it a moment before slipping it into his pants pocket. It was going to be a reminder for him to get stronger so that no one else would get hurt because of him. He wasn't going to be a burden anymore.

Koji spun on the stool and gazed around the room. "I still can't believe we're in the Freak of Police's house," he said. "It's unreal." Mari's pillow hit him in the face.

"Stop calling my papa a freak!" She scowled and slapped her tail angrily on her bed as a warning.

"Sorry. Sorry…Bad habit," Koji cringed.

"Why do you live with your grandparents?" Ryu asked as he took a seat on the floor.

Mari tucked her knees under her chin and looked as if she were about to cry again.

"Because my parents didn't want me," she stated sadly. Both boys listened intently as she continued. "According to Nana Zu, my dad—didn't like Papa much because he's half-spirit. I guess he resented him so much, that he ran away from home when he was a teenager. He only came back once and that was after I was born." Mari wiped more tears from her face. "He left me here because he didn't want to raise a monster."

"That's horrible," Koji frowned. "You're not a monster."

Ryu rolled his eyes. This coming from the guy that just called her grandfather a freak two minutes ago.

"In the end it was for the best though. Nana and Papa have given me this nice home where they love and accept me. And since I'm so like Papa, they know exactly what to do if I'm sick or hurt," Mari finished.

"Guess that makes us orphan buddies. My parents dumped me after I was born too," he added with a dejected scowl.

"Yeah, but look at you now," Koji spouted excitedly. "The Avatar! I bet your parents will be kicking themselves in the ass when they discover they dumped you! Oh! And that means you can Earthbend now too, right? I can teach you!" He swiveled to Mari. "And I bet Mari can show you some cool Firebending stuff!"

"Exceptttt, I'm not a bender," Mari said. Both boys were stunned.

"You're not a bender? Really?" Ryu said, as if trying to convince himself. "But your grandfather…"

"Is the greatest Firebender in the world, I know," Mari huffed and rolled her eyes. Apparently, it wasn't her first time having this conversation. "And Nana Zu is a Waterbender, and I guess my dad was a Waterbender. Even my Aunt Kazumi and all my cousins are Firebenders. I inherited everything from Papa except bending."

"Weird," Koji said.

They were interrupted by something clattering against the window.

"Juji?" Ryu opened the window to let the frantic bird inside. "Sorry we left you behind buddy. Things got pretty crazy there," he said as he stroked its head.

Mari stared intently out into the darkness.

"Something's wrong," she stated. The bedroom door suddenly flew open and Shizuku entered.

"Mari. I want you to take the boys down to the basement," she said. "Quickly now."

Mari knew when to follow orders and quickly climbed off her bed, making sure to stay low.

"C'mon. And stay below the window," she hissed, motioning for the boys to follow. They did as instructed and followed her out of the room.

"Mari? What's going on?" Koji whispered as they followed her through the house.

"I don't know yet but I don't argue when Nana Zu says to take cover," Mari replied.

Ryu glanced over his shoulder past Juji to see the old woman stepping out the front door. He had a sinking feeling in his gut that whatever was going on, it was because of him.

Shizuku stood in the front door with a firm expression on her face.

"I'm giving you one chance to walk away from here," she shouted into the night. "This house is guarded by spirits, and now one very angry Waterbender who also happens to be the second-in-command of the Republic City Police. If you're looking for a fight, I suggest you head elsewhere. Of course you idiots never listen to me, all more afraid of my Fetchling husband than his frail, little wife. None of you ever really learn." She didn't even flinch as a metal blade zipped past her head and lodged itself in the door jamb.

"That was a warning Captain Shizuku," a voice replied. "Just give us the Avatar and nobody else has to get hurt."

Shizuku put her finger to the metal slat and plucked it like a violin string. It made a low sound as it vibrated in the wood. "You must be the one that injured my granddaughter," Shizuku said coldly. "And yet you address me so formerly. My husband was right. We do have a mole in the precinct."

She waved her arms, bending water from the air and grass, and made an ice barrier that was pierced an instant later by several metal slugs.

"I don't like being interrupted!" she snapped. "Why don't you come out of the shadows so we can fight like civilized people!"

In response, two figures emerged from the darkness across the street. The first was an officer from the Metal Police division while the other was a grotesque looking frog/man hybrid. The apparent "Toadman" as the teens had put it.

"What kind of spirit got a hold of you Bufo?" Shizuku sneered at the abomination, Bufo being a fitting nickname for him. She had seen some messed-up Fetchlings in her lifetime but this guy took the cake. She was surprised when gob of goo flew from his mouth and ate through her ice wall. A few centimeters to the right and it would have been her face.

"Last warning," the officer shouted.

"For you!" Shizuku replied. Daggers of ice formed around her fingertips which she launched at her attackers. The icicles shattered against the officer's metal armor and dissolved to nothing when they hit Bufo's slimy hide. After the ineffectual attack, the pair advanced onto the walkway leading to the house. Finally. Dandelions immediately coiled around their legs as soon as they entered the property. The officer tried to rip his feet free, and threw metal blades at the vines as they ensnared him, but there were too many. Soon, they had him completely entwined. He fell to the grass, unable to move as the spirit weeds held him tight. Bufo however, was a different matter. Any dandelions that touched him shriveled away to black husks as his acidic slime instantly destroyed them. He was still advancing on Shizuku when Yuku appeared.

"Leave Zuki alone!" the fluff shouted. White seeds filled the air as he expanded himself. They stuck to Bufo's slime and oversized eye. The Fetchling tried to brush them away but, like the officer had discovered, there were far too many. As a secondary measure, he spat wads of acid at the spirit. Those too proved ineffectual as they only managed to eliminate small swaths of seeds. Then, he decided to take a different approach. He began to inhale. As he sucked-in air, he gulped large clumps of seeds. Yuku squealed when his core was suddenly caught in the draft.

"Yuku!" Shizuku hollered.

Yuku's seed composition made it so there was nothing to grab or hold to rescue him. She could only watch helplessly as he was swallowed, seed-by-seed, by the voracious Fetchling. Soon, all that was left was a single leaf that slowly floated to the ground. That's when the Deceiver appeared from nowhere. Enraged by their companion's apparent death, the giant, nine-tailed fox descended on the assailant. In an instant, they had the Fetchling pinched between their jaws; devoured in a single bite.

If there was one thing to know about spirits, it was to never incur their wrath. They didn't always follow human laws, or justice. If no one was there to negotiate, any offense was often met with swift and harsh punishment; spirit vengeance. And they weren't shy about dolling it out. It was the main reason why Mako had suggested the Bureau of Spirit Investigations after "the incident." When Korra had opened the Spirit Portal in the middle of Republic City, a new system had to be put in-place to help keep the peace between humans and spirits. The Avatar couldn't always be around to help.

Assuming that was the end of the fight, Shizuku breathed a sigh of relief. She was about to check on the Metalbender but stopped when the Deceiver's eyes suddenly went wide. They went completely still and she watched in horror as their bottom jaw split in half. A chunk of their tongue fell on the Fetchling, dissolving to goo, as the toadman walked through the great spirit's jaw like it was nothing. Whatever slime this Fetchling was secreting could eat away spirits. Once free of the mouth, the toadman launched his tongue out and struck the spirit's front shoulder. The leg detached and fell to the ground before evaporating into gold particles.

"Tema! Get away from him!" A wave of water came over the roof as Shizuku pulled it from the swimming pool in the back yard. She bent the water into a thick wall of ice between them and the spirit killer.

The enraged fox spirit wasn't about to be deterred. They stomped the ice wall to shards and spread their nine tails out, focusing the gold eye patterns in the fur on Bufo. Their objective was to make the assassin submit to his deepest desire, and then trap him in an illusion that catered to that whim. The end result was usually fatal if not reversed. Before they could cast their spell, the rogue Fetchling spat a large wad of acid goo at the wide target. The goo severed the seventh tail in the middle and removed chunks from the sixth and eighth leaving a gapping hole.

"Tema stop!" Shizuku yelled again. She waved her arms and bent the remaining ice into a cone of water which she used to hose Bufo. It rolled off his oily skin doing little more than give him a bath. However, it was enough of a distraction for the Deceiver to finally take the hint and flee.

A metal blade suddenly sliced her arm breaking her hold on the water. Without Yuku to control the dandelions, the Metalbender had managed to break free of his weed prison. Shizuku now had two opponents to face.

In the basement, the teens watched the fight through a narrow window. Mari griped the sill as she steadied herself on an old box.

"Tema!" she hollered as the fox spirit vanished into the ether. She'd grown-up with the spirit and seeing them injured, broke her to tears.

"What are we going to do? If your grandma can't hold them off, we're toast!" Koji sputtered from where he was standing next to her.

"She told us to stay here," Mari sniffled.

"Well, I'm not going to sit-by anymore. I'm tired of people getting hurt because of me," Ryu adamantly stated.

"And what are you going to do?" Koji said.

"I'm supposed to be the Avatar right? I'm going to do Avatar stuff," Ryu replied with a nonchalant shrug. Then he marched up the stairs with Juji firmly planted on his shoulder. Mari and Koji exchanged a worried look before they resolutely followed him.

Outside, Shizuku huffed as she continued to battle her opponents. Multiple cuts were all over her body that oozed blood onto her clothes. The teens emerged from the front door just as Toadman launched his tongue at her. She tried to dodge, but exhaustion slowed her reflexes. It hit her in the shoulder and slammed her into the overhead garage door.

"Nana Zu!" Mari screamed as she watched her grandma slump onto the ground.

"Leave her alone!" Without thinking, Ryu threw his fists forward. Twin cones of air came from his arms and sent the surprised assailants tumbling into the nearby hedges.

"Whoa! You just Airbended!" Koji exclaimed. "You Airbended them!"

Ryu didn't think Airbended was the right word but he didn't argue. "I did," he finally said as he gazed at his hands in disbelief.

Mari shoved past them to aid her grandmother.

"Nana Zu?" She fell to her knees, fearing the worst. The woman's shoulder had a gaping hole in the skin which was slowly being eaten by the acidic saliva. She was still breathing but barely conscious. "Guys, she's hurt. She's hurt bad!"

The boys rushed to help but had to stop when the two thugs returned. The air blasts hadn't sent them far enough away.

"Now we have you, you little punk," the Metalbender sneered. Suddenly, a stream of blue flames hit the man from behind. He screamed in pain as all the metal on his back turned into a glob of red-hot molten slag. A second later, he was tumbling across the yard, sent there by a pair of sliver horns that had smashed into his spine. He moaned as he laid on the ground in a heap.

"Papa!" Mari exclaimed.

The teens watched as Mako stepped in front of them, his eyes locked with the toadman.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked.

"Nana's hurt…" Mari quickly replied, her tail anxiously flipping behind her. "I don't think we can move her."

"Alright. Make sure she stays conscious until I finish this. It won't take long," Mako replied as he faced down the toadman.

The rogue half-spirit gave him a nasty grin.

"I've been waiting for this fight. I'm eager to test my abilities against The Fetchling." The toadman licked his eye.

"I'm going to make you regret that you ever wanted to challenge me," Mako scowled. He immediately launched several fire punches at the toadman. Although the toadman was knocked backwards, the mucus soaked skin boiled under the flames but never burned. The toadman countered by launching his tongue out. Even with his speed, Mako barely dodged the strike. The tongue managed to snag his glasses and left behind a shallow burn as it grazed his cheek. It did give him an opening however. He pulled his injured arm from its sling and grabbed the slime-coated limb.

"Papa!" Mari yelled. The teens had all seen what that slimy tongue was capable of. What it had done to Shizuku and now his glasses which were partially dissolved on the asphalt driveway.

Mako's hand remained untouched however. He was Firebending directly through his skin which was counteracting the acid. At the same time, it wasn't enough to roast the tongue, the constant slime acting as a suppressant. It was a stalemate. The two Fetchlings' abilities canceled each other out.

"How about we try something else," Mako scowled at the toadman. The fur on his tail stood on end and the smell of ozone filled the air. Toadman's eyes went wide as he frantically tried to free himself from what was about to happen. Lightning surged around Mako's arms, down Toadman's tongue, and into the wide mouth. The toadman let out a garbled scream as his insides were cooked. In a last, desperate effort to escape, the toadman thrust his legs straight out in front of him, hitting Mako in the stomach. The tongue slipped from Mako's grasp as he reeled backwards; at the same time, Toadman rolled down the driveway away from him. A moment later, the assassin was running off into the distance. Mako left him flee.

"What are you doing?" Ryu shouted and tugged at his arm. "He's getting away!"

"You need to learn your priorities Kid," Mako flatly replied. He marched past the boy to where his wife was laying. Tending to the injured came first. The second boy stepped aside as he knelt to examine Shizu's shoulder. The acid was still slowly eating away at it.

"T, There you are Chief," Shizu weakly smiled. "I'm sorry, but I, I had to drain the pool to water the yard. You understand."

It never ceased to amaze him how she could joke even in the most dire of circumstances.

"Is there anything you can do Papa?" Mari asked while tears streamed down her face.

Shizu was the healer. As a Firebender, the best he could do was cauterize the wound and hope she didn't lose her arm on the way to a doctor. He rolled up his sleeve, heat already emanating from his hand, as he prepared to burn the wound closed.

"This is going to hurt Shizu," he said.

"Promises, promises," she smiled back at him.

Ryu was watching from several steps back when images flashed into his head. He saw a petite, blonde-haired woman bending water from a tree, then, what he thought was him, was bending water over the shoulder of a man in a pro-bending uniform. Juji squawked and took to the air as he grabbed his head and tried to make sense of the visions.

"Ryu? Are you alright?" Koji asked when he saw his friend doubled over.

"Mako stop!" Ryu finally blurted. "Korra can help." The visions had to have come from her.

"You're not Korra, Kid," the man stated while his hand hovered over Shizuku's shoulder.

"No…" He hesitated before committing himself. "But I am the Avatar. I can do this."

Mako didn't look entirely convinced and gazed down to Shizuku. She gazed back at him with trusting eyes.

"Alright." The man shook the heat from his hand. "I'm leaving it up to you."

Ryu rushed forward and took Mako's spot at Shizuku's side.

"I, I know you can do this," Shizuku said softly.

Ryu nodded and closed his eyes in an effort to hold on to the visions he'd seen. With a wave of his arms, he pulled a bubble of water from the soaked yard and spread it over the woman's shoulder.

"Glow!" He cursed the water as he bent it over the wound. "C'mon—Glow!"

The others watched as light began to emanate from the water, and it wasn't the only thing.

"His eyes," the second boy gasped.

Mako was also surprised. Ryu had unknowingly slipped into the Avatar state.

The acid dissolved away as the wound slowly closed under the healing bubble. When Ryu was finished, the glow faded from his eyes and he passed-out onto the ground.

"Ryu!" The second boy rushed to help his friend and was joined by an equally concerned Juji. A moment later Ryu stirred, only temporarily drained.

"Did it work?" the teen moaned.

Shizuku pushed herself up against the garage door while Mako examined her. There was a dip in the tissue but otherwise the shoulder was in-tact.

"Looks okay," Mako answered. "Nice work, Kid."

Ryu let out a relieved sigh. After Shizuku had been so kind to him, he couldn't bare to see her hurt.

"I'm getting too old for this," Shizuku smiled up at Mako.

"I'm older than you remember," he smirked, and winced when she carefully replaced his cracked arm in its sling.

"What? Y, You don't look a day over forty," she remarked with her usual humor.

He simply smiled at the jab. Despite how old he looked, they were both going to be feeling it in the morning.

"Nana! You're okay!" Mari wrapped her arms around the woman, nearly tipping her over.

"Yes, I'm fine dear," Shizuku said, allowing the girl to help her to her feet. "Why don't we all go inside and take a, a breather."

"I'll be there in a minute," Mako said as the others headed for the house. "One more thing to take care of." He turned to the Metalbender who was still laying in the yard. The man was desperately trying to drag himself across the grass in a vain effort to escape. He wasn't getting far however as his vertebrae was probably fractured after being hit by Mako's horns.

"Looks like I get a consolation prize," Mako said as he marched towards the man. Heat radiated off him in waves as he started Firebending through his skin.

"Chief. Chief! I can explain!" the man exclaimed as he rolled onto his back and shoved his heels into the grass in a last-ditch effort to push himself away. "That half-spirit he…he messed with my mind. Yeah. He was controlling me. Forcing me to help him. It wasn't my fault!"

Mako wasn't buying it. He had enough experience with spirits, and half-spirits, to know it wasn't the case here. One at a time, he wrenched the man's arms backwards and melted the metal bracers he was wearing with the solid lump already on his back.

"Chief. Chief!" The man's pleas fell on deaf ears as Mako dragged him to the dinged cruiser still on the street. He popped the trunk and tossed the man inside.

"You can't do this to me!" The man's tone changed from pleading, to anger. "I'll see to it that you get put in a cage you monster!" That was probably the worst thing the man could have said while still at the mercy of The Fetchling. He slammed the trunk closed and melted the latch shut. As a finishing touch, he melted some holes in the lid with his finger. Couldn't have the man suffocating to death before properly arresting him.

Afterwards, he entered the house to find everyone had vanished. From what used to be his son's room, he heard animated conversation and laughter coming through the door. The three teens likely recalling the night's events. For them, it had probably been an exciting adventure. For him, it had been a nightmare and an assault on his family.

"Mari." he shouted across the house. The cheerful banter paused. "Bedtime. And that goes the same for you boys." He still didn't know who the second boy was but he was certain Shizu would have followed protocol and contacted his family, if he had any. They knew from personal experience how freighting it was to not know where your child is.

"Ten more minutes Papa?" Mari responded through the door.

Normally, he wouldn't haggle with her but it had been a long night. What was ten more minutes with her new friends.

"Ten minutes. Exactly."

"Thank you."

He crept through the house to his own bedroom. Shizuku was already tucked into bed, resting. Fortunately, all of her obvious injuries seemed to have been healed by Ryu when he'd accidentally shifted into the Avatar state. Despite that, she looked old and frail. It made him inwardly frown. One of the worst parts of being cursed was watching his friends and family out-age him.

"That was quite the night wasn't it Chief," she said when she saw him. "I, I hope you weren't too harsh on that soon-to-be former officer."

"I left him some air holes," he replied. Whatever else he did to the man he'd leave up to her imagination. He plopped next to her onto the bed, letting his tail flop over her lap, and gave her a kiss.

"How bad?" he finally asked, knowing he had arrived late to the fight.

Shizuku let out a heavy sigh and shifted herself so that she could lean against the headboard.

"Yuku's gone and Tema had to retreat to the Spirit World to recover. They were h, hurt pretty bad," she explained. "That Bufo really did a number on them. Fortunately, none of the kids were injured."

Mako didn't bother to get an explanation for Bufo.

"You know…You could have…" They both knew she could have destroyed either of the assailants had she used her full abilities. Abilities very few knew she even possessed.

"No," she firmly stated. "W, We are not monsters, remember."

"I remember," he replied with a flip of his tail. Then he changed the subject. "That kid…" he grumbled. "If only he had stayed put on the island—"

"Then the Airbenders would have been attacked instead of us," Shizuku finished the statement. "Y, You think that Metalbender is the only mole planted in the city? You know better than that."

He did. He just hated the fact that at least one had infiltrated his precinct.

Shizuku continued, "That boy is going to be strong if h, he survives long enough to reach his full potential." She gave him a stern stare. It told him exactly what she was insinuating.

"I can't just leave you and Mari. Who knows how long it will take for him to master his abilities. It could take years," he replied.

Shizuku took his hand between hers. "Even so. He didn't ask to be the Avatar but, because of that, his life is now at risk. H, He deserves to survive long enough to decide what kind of person he wants to be. And wh, who better to protect the Avatar from a Fetchling than The Fetchling," she said. "And you c, can take Mari with you. You know she'd be disappointed if you left her behind."

"You're right," he sighed.

"Of course I'm right. I'm your wife. I'm always right," she responded with a sly smile.

"Are you going to be okay on your own?"

"You d, don't need to worry about me. I'm a big girl an, and can take care of myself," she replied. "That, and someone needs to be here when Yuku and Tema return."

He gave her another kiss. She really was amazing. "I'll start making arrangements in the morning," he said.

"Well then, you can start making calls now."

Out the window, the stars were already fading from the night sky.

"I'm going to need a lot of coffee," he groaned.

Shouma straightened his suit jacket in the mirror, ready to start his day. Once he felt he was presentable, he headed for his bedroom door. Standing on the other side, hidden beneath a cloak, was the toadman. Slime dripped off him onto the decorative hallway rugs.

"What in the flamio are you doing here?!" Shouma sputtered angrily. "Did anyone else see you? You can't be here!"

"I feel sick," Toadman answered as he dragged himself into the room. A dandelion seed flew from his mouth when he burped. "The Fetchling electrocuted me last night. He's guarding the Ava—"

"Shhhh—" Shouma pressed his hands against the toadman's slimy mouth. "Don't utter that in here you idiot!" He glanced up and down the hall to make sure no one else was listening. Even in his own house, he was paranoid the wrong person would hear.

"How long do I have to stay like this?" Toadman asked from behind Shouma's hands, his deformed mouth too large to be contained.

"Until the job is done!" Shouma snapped in response. He snapped open a handkerchief from his pocket and used it to wipe the goo from his hands. "Once that boy is gone. It'll be another decade or so before the next Avatar is found. By then, Bian will have served his purpose and I'll have everything I want."

Toadman growled and stomped across the room, forcing Shouma into a corner.

Shouma cowered beneath the toadman's glare but kept his tone firm.

"Watch it now," he cautioned. "Do anything to me, and you'll never find the spirit that was used to curse you. You'll be stuck like that forever."

Toadman roared and lashed his tongue across the room. It crashed down on the satin-sheeted, king-sized bed and reduced it to kindling.

"That was an antique!" Shouma blurted.

Toadman ignored him and squeezed out the window, leaving a trail of slime behind.

"Inconsiderate brute," Shouma mumbled to himself as he straightened his cuffs. With that ugliness behind him, he left the house to start his day.