Shortly after they sorted out the chaos caused by the Ascending Ashes members, Korra, Ichigo and the others immediately went to the royal palace to tell the Fire Nation ruler about what happened.
They had a couple of complications regarding the guards, but as soon as Korra communicated who she was and their motive, they let them pass without further hesitation.
They walked through the halls until they reached the throne room, the doors of which they quickly opened, allowing them to see a huge hall, and at the far end was a platform upon which sat kneeling the very daughter of the former Fire Lord, Zuko and current Fire Lady, as well as General Iroh II's mother, Izumi.
"I see you have finally arrived, Avatar Korra." said Izumi.
"It is indeed an honor to be in your presence, Lady Izumi." said Korra bowing in respect, as did the others, even Ichigo.
"You can spare me the formalities. My officers have told me about what happened earlier in the square and how you and your friends stopped those radicals." said Izumi.
"Wow. News sure flies around here." whispered Bolin getting a nudge from Ichigo to shut up.
"I thank you personally for what you did earlier." said Izumi.
"It's nothing. We were only doing our duty." said Mako.
"Lady Izumi, we have seen what they are willing to do for your cause and they are worse than we thought." said Korra.
"*Sigh* I know. I still don't understand how we came to that." said Izumi.
"Your son told us that you had meetings with their previous leader." said Asami.
"That's right. For the past few months, the two of us were on good terms. He would inform me of what the village needed, and I would do my best to fulfill it. He was like the voice of the people that I was willing to listen to." said Izumi.
"But, unfortunately, it disappeared, didn't it?" asked Opal.
"Yes. I don't know how it happened. I even ordered to have it investigated, but the members of Ascending Ashes flatly denied it to the point of threatening those in charge of the investigation." said Izumi.
"Clearly there is something they don't want known." said Ichigo.
"I came to that conclusion myself. And it got worse when the new leader, Kazha, showed up at the palace. I thought she came to speak on behalf of the people like her predecessor used to do, but she didn't. What she did was demand that I abdicate the throne, she even dared to insinuate that because her fire was the same color as my aunt, she deserved to be on the throne in my place. I still don't know how I didn't order her arrested for that." said Izumi.
"What happened next?" asked Bolin.
"She told me that if I didn't, serious consequences would happen, and it would all be my fault." said Izumi.
"You have nothing to blame yourself for, Lady Izumi. It's the fault of those deranged people who think they can get something by attacking people and smashing things." said Ichigo.
"Thank you for your words, young man, but that attack earlier shows that they didn't beat around the bush, and I fear that the next time they attack it will be even worse." said Izumi.
"We think so too. That's why we've come to help you in any way we can." said Korra.
"I appreciate that, Avatar." said Izumi.
"What can you tell us about them? Is their current location known or anything like that?" asked Mako.
"No. Even when their former leader was in command, they made sure to keep their location a secret. After Kazha threatened me, I ordered the guards to find it. They went around asking citizens who sympathized with them or supported them, but all they got was resistance to confessing anything, not to mention Kazha using that to her advantage to gain more followers." said Izumi.
"So, we have nothing." said Opal.
"In that case, where should we start?" asked Bolin.
"Since we don't know where they're hiding, we could go investigate to see if we can find any clues." said Asami.
"Yes, that's a good idea. Since they are looking out for the guards and not us." said Korra.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible anymore. We've taken down a few of them before. Surely one of them will have escaped and told their leader about us, so they will be more prepared." said Mako.
"Or maybe we could use that to our advantage." said Ichigo.
"What do you mean?" asked Korra confused.
"You were used to dealing with the guards before, but surely you didn't expect one thing." began Ichigo before pointing at the Avatar. "You, Avatar Korra. I may not know this Kazha personally, but I do know people like her. As soon as she finds out you're here, she'll think she has the power to defeat you and make a mistake that will cost her everything."
"Hmm. It's certainly a possibility." said Izumi agreeing with the substitute shinigami's thought.
"So, what do you suggest we do?" asked Opal.
"The only thing we can do at the moment would be to carry out Asami's plan of going out and investigating." said Ichigo.
"Yes, I think that would be best." said Mako.
"I want you to know that you can count on me and my resources for anything." said Izumi.
"Thank you, lady Izumi." said Korra bowing in thanks before the group left, hoping that in their investigative tourism they might find something or someone.
Meanwhile, in the same mysterious room, Kazha, who was a young woman in red clothes with a symbol of fire on her chest, was on her throne.
All in the room was quiet, until that man who announced himself in the square came through the door.
"I hope you come with news that our plan went well." said Kazha.
"I-It did it, lady Kazha, but…" began the man just as Kazha created a blue fireball in her hand.
"But what? And it better not have been your fault, or you'll pay dearly." said Kazha.
"I-It wasn't! I swear! Everything was going great at first, but then the Avatar showed up!" explained the man.
"Did you say… 'the Avatar'? She's here?" asked Kazha slightly surprised.
"Yes and so are all her friends. Including a boy with black clothes and a big sword." said the man.
Kazha was silent, which made the man nervous.
"Leave me alone." said Kazha.
"A-As you command, lady Kazha." said the man before walking away quickly.
Kazha was silent for a few seconds until she began to laugh and soon after, her laughter increased until it resembled that of a mad person.
"Isn't it amazing? With the Avatar here, I'll be one step closer to taking over the throne!" said Kazha with a crazy grin.
"I wouldn't trust myself if I were you."
Kazha turned her head so that in a corner covered by shadows there was someone due to the fact that, while his appearance wasn't visible, his eyes could be seen.
"From what you've told me, that Avatar must be very powerful." said the person.
"It's possible, but she's never faced a bender like me." said Kazha before wrapping her hands in blue fire and looking at them with mad evil. "See the color of these flames? It is the symbol of power. A power that only Princess Azula had. Neither the Avatar nor Fire Lady Izumi possesses this power. Which means I am the perfect candidate to take the throne and make this nation the most powerful of all."
"Of course. I have no doubt about it. I'm just telling you to tread carefully. Especially if that person is by your side." said the person.
"You mean the one with black clothes and a big sword? Was he the one who brought you here?" asked Kazha.
"Yes and I reckon it's a good thing he ended up here just like me." began the person before stepping out of the shadows, revealing himself to be Draco, the privaron espada. "Because that way, I'll be able to 'thank' him for it."
"Don't forget our agreement, understood?" asked Kazha.
"I would never. After all, I follow the strongest and as far as I'm concerned, you are." said Draco bowing in respect.
"That's the way I like it." began Kazha with a smile before standing up. "I'll go brief my troops to keep an eye on the Avatar and her friends. Especially of that… shinigami, as you call him." said Kazha before walking off, leaving the arrancar alone.
"Enjoy your throne, lady Kazha. You never know how long a miserable human's life can last." said Draco with a hidden smile.
In the skies above the city there was nothing out of the ordinary until a garganta opened in mid-air and out through it came Rukia and the others, who stood in mid-air on an invisible platform (except for Orihime who was on a platform made by the spirits of her pitchforks).
"Mmm. Looks like this world isn't as different as we imagined." said Rukia looking at the city below them.
"I wouldn't exactly say that. I sense a lot of spiritual energy in the atmosphere. Much more than our world." said Uryu.
"What does that mean?" asked Orihime.
"I think it means that people in this world can see spirits like shinigami or hollows." said Chad.
"If that's true, then it's very likely that they've seen Ichigo somewhere. Well, in that case, we'll go down and scout the place to investigate. Try not to draw attention to yourselves." said Rukia receiving a nod from the others before quickly descending to the ground to begin their search.
At that moment, Ichigo and Korra were walking through the streets of the city trying to look for clues.
Unfortunately, they kept getting stares from people, either because it was the Avatar or because of Ichigo's outfit and weapon.
"I'm starting to think I should have worn a costume or something. I draw too much attention." said Korra.
"I think that's a good thing. If they know where you are, they might attack you right away and that way, we could gather information." said Ichigo.
"I guess so." said Korra looking at nothing.
"What's wrong with you? Would you have liked to be with your girlfriend and have a romantic walk?" asked Ichigo with a smile.
"No. Well, maybe I do." began Korra slightly blushing. "But it's just that I keep thinking about Ascending Ashes. General Iroh said this all started after the Earth Republic was formed and I can't help but think if maybe they're right, that it's time for the Fire Nation to change too."
"Mmm. You raise a good point, no doubt, but I think that doesn't depend solely on you, it also depends on Lady Izumi and the people of the Fire Nation. Just because there are some who think that way, doesn't mean they all have to think the same way." said Ichigo.
"Yes, you are right. Thanks for the advice, Ichigo." said Korra with a smile.
"That's what friends are for." said Ichigo with a smile.
Opal decided to take advantage of her flying suit to glide over the city looking for suspicious activity, but so far, she found nothing.
"Ugh. How does anyone expect to find anything in such a small city." began Opal thinking about giving up her aerial search when. "Wait a minute." said Opal seeing something that caught her attention a lot, so she quickly descended to the ground.
Once she landed she got a better look at what it was, and her eyes widened in surprise.
Near where she stood was a girl of short stature and black hair, but the highlight was her black clothing and sword.
"That outfit. Is she…? No. It can't be." thought Opal in disbelief before going to check if it was true. "Excuse me." said Opal catching the girl's attention. "You look lost. Can I help you with something?"
"It seems they were right. The people of this world can see us." thought Rukia, who made the decision to use that to her advantage. "Well, yes. I happen to be looking for someone."
"What does that person look like?" asked Opal.
She had a clear idea of who it was she was looking for, but she wanted to make sure.
"Well…" began Rukia before pulling out a notebook and starting to draw. "It looks like this." said Rukia showing her drawing which was a rabbit with orange fur, black clothes and a big sword.
Opal had to cover her mouth with her hands to keep from bursting out laughing at such a childish drawing.
"What's so funny?" asked Rukia with an anime streak running through her head.
"N-Nothing, but I think I can help you with your problem." said Opal.
"Really?" asked Rukia.
"Of course. After all, Ichigo is my friend." said Opal.
That left the vice-captain's eyes wide with surprise.
"What?" asked Rukia.
Bolin, unlike the others, instead of walking normally and naturally through the streets of the city like any other person, was passing from one place to another and hiding, either in a corner or behind a huge vase, acting as if he were a spy while looking at his surroundings with a narrowed gaze in search of something suspicious.
Unfortunately, all he was getting was confused looks from the people around him.
"Mmm. Nothing on perimeter A. Moving on to check perimeter B." began Bolin before quickly jumping up to hide behind a hedge large enough to cover his body and once again, he surveyed his surroundings with a narrowed gaze. "All clear over here. Moving to perimeter C."
Bolin quickly ran to his next hiding place, but then, he bumped into someone.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't see where I was going and I…" began Bolin before realizing that the person he had collided with was a young man with dark skin, tall stature and bangs covering one side of his face.
"It's okay. No harm done." said Chad.
"Hey… You're not from around here, are you?" asked Bolin.
"No. I just got here." said Chad.
"So, I guess you haven't seen anything weird happen around here, then, have you?" asked Bolin.
"In what way?" asked Chad.
"You know… Nothing normal… Out of the ordinary… Suspicious." said Bolin trying to speak without giving away what he was doing, though it didn't seem to be working.
"I'm sorry, but I didn't see anything." said Chad.
"Oh, well, that's fine, but if you really see anything unusual, feel free to let me know. Good morning, citizen." said Bolin before quickly walking away.
Chad turned his head to see Bolin hiding behind pillar and look at his surroundings before running to another hiding place.
"He seems like a nice person." said Chad before continuing his search.
Mako was more serious than his younger brother and so he acted calmly while calmly looking around so as not to appear suspicious.
It was then that he saw something that caught his attention.
It was a boy in white clothes and glasses who was acting the same way as him, as if he was looking for something or someone.
Seeing him as someone suspicious, Mako decided to approach him.
As the two approached, Mako absentmindedly bumped into him.
"Oh, sorry." said Mako.
"Don't worry about it." said Uryu.
"It's just that I was looking for something and no offense, but I noticed that you seem to be looking for something too." said Mako.
"Yes, that's right." said Uryu.
"What is it that you're looking for? Maybe we can help each other." said Mako.
Uryu adjusted his glasses so that they shone.
"I'm afraid what I'm looking for is different from what you might be looking for." said Uryu.
"I see. Well, if you have trouble in your search. Feel free to let me know. I have a good eye for things." said Mako.
"I don't doubt it. Nice to meet you." said Uryu before continuing on his way.
"He's definitely suspicious. I should keep an eye out in case I see him again." thought Mako.
"He really is shrewd. I'll have to watch out for him if I meet him again." thought Uryu.
In another part of the city was Orihime, who, like the others, was looking around for some clue that would tell her where Ichigo was.
"Ichigo, where are you? Oh, I wish I was getting some sign." thought Orihime looking up at the sky thinking about her 'friend'.
That's when she bumped into someone and ended up falling to the ground.
"Oh, I'm so sorry."
Looking up, she saw that the person she collided with turned out to be Asami, who reached out her hand towards her to help her.
"Are you okay?" asked Asami.
"Y-Yes." began Orihime before accepting the helping hand and getting up. "I was a little distracted."
"Hey, are you new in city or something?" asked Asami noticing her outfit.
"Yeah. I just got here a little while ago. I'm looking for a friend." said Orihime.
"Oh yeah? Do you want me to help you?" asked Asami.
"No, thank you. I wouldn't want to interrupt whatever you were doing." said Orihime.
"I insist. I'm looking for something too, and this way we could help each other. Four eyes see better than two." said Asami.
Orihime wanted to turn down her offer, as she didn't want to involve her in her business, but she couldn't do that after she offered it to her like that.
It wouldn't be polite of her.
"Right. I'm sure the two of us together will find it faster." said Orihime with a smile.
"By the way, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Asami Sato." said Asami.
"Orihime Inoue." said Orihime.
And so, the two girls set out to walk through the streets of the city while looking around, one to look for clues about a revolutionary organization and the other to look for a missing person.
"So, what can you tell me about that friend of yours?" asked Asami.
"Well… It's about someone very important to me." said Orihime with a sweet smile.
"Oh, is he your boyfriend?" asked Asami.
That made the orange-haired girl's face turn red.
"N-N-No! He's not! Why do you think that?" asked Orihime.
"Because you smiled the same way I do when I talk about my girlfriend and vice versa." said Asami with a knowing smile.
Orihime looked down in embarrassment as her feelings were more obvious than she imagined.
"Relax. I won't say anything. Your secret is safe with me." said Asami winking at her.
"T-Thank you." began Orihime feeling less embarrassed than before. "By the way, what exactly are you looking for?"
"Oh, I'm looking for…" began Asami about to share information when…
"What do you think you're doing?"
The two girls turned their gaze to the front to see where that voice was coming from.
Near where they were standing were two men and in front of him was a boy who was protecting a child.
"That boy stole our money!" said the first man.
"I-I didn't do it, I swear! I just tripped unintentionally!" said the child.
"Unintentionally by accident, you brat! Give us back the money or we'll take you to the hospital ourselves!" said the second man.
"Stop it! He said he didn't do it! You probably lost the money in some bar or gambling as you seem to do!" said the boy.
"You stay out of it! It's none of your business!" said the first man.
"If you don't leave right away, it will be my business!" said the boy earnestly.
"Very well. You want to play the hero? Fine. Then, unlike the brat, we won't send you to the hospital, BUT TO THE CEMETERY." said the second man before launching a fireball that the boy dodged by ducking.
Quickly, the boy grabbed the man's arm and threw him against a wall.
The first man was taken aback by this before throwing a wave of fire with a kick, but the boy dodged it before coming at him.
The man tried to hit him with his fists, but the boy dodged a couple of punches before elbowing him in the chest then kicking him in the face that knocked him down.
It was then that the second man got up and created a fire dagger to stab him in the back, but just as he lunged towards him to do so, Asami stepped in the way and punched him in the face before grabbing him by his shirt and slamming him to the ground.
Needless to say, Orihime was shocked to see that the engineer was such a good fighter.
"Are you okay?" asked Asami.
"Yeah, I could have taken care of him no problem though." began the boy turning around to look at her, only to be shocked when he recognized her. "Wait, you're Asami Sato, right?"
"The same one who dresses and fits." said Asami.
"Wow. It's nice to meet you. I'm Hiroshi, but everyone calls me Hiro." said Hiro introducing himself and shaking the engineer's hand.
"That was awesome!" said the child with a smile of excitement.
"Thank you, kiddo. Now, would you mind telling me why you actually took the money from them?" asked Hiro.
"Wait, what?" asked Orihime surprised to find out that child actually stole.
The child lowered his head in shame and guilt.
"I didn't want to do it, but lately my dad isn't doing well at work and we're a lot of mouths at home. I just wanted to contribute in some way." began the child before pulling out a couple of small bags of coins and handed them to Hiro. "Sorry."
Hiro tossed the bags back to their unconscious owners before crouching down to the child's level.
"Hey. It's okay. It's very noble of you to do something for your family even if it was something like that. Just remember not to do it next time, got it?" asked Hiro with a kind smile.
"Yes." said the child.
"Okay. And for having understood, take this as a gift." said Hiro before giving the child three small bags full of money, to everyone's surprise.
"S-Seriously?" asked the child in complete surprise.
"Like I said, it's a gift. Don't worry about anything else." said Hiro.
"Thank you! Thank you very much, sir! Thank you!" said the child with a big happy smile before running off.
"That was very kind of you." said Orihime.
"Yes. In fact, I would have done the same thing had I been in your place." said Asami.
"I thank you, but it saddens me that there are children who are forced to steal to help their families. I wish the royals would help people like them more." said Hiro.
"I'm sure Lady Izumi does everything she can to help." said Asami.
"I know, but I would like to talk to her personally to express my opinions on behalf of the other people." said Hiro.
"And why don't you do that? They might let you see her if you asked." said Orihime.
"It's complicated. Anyway, I have things to do. Again, nice to meet you, Miss Sato." said Hiro.
"Call me Asami." said Asami.
Hiro gave her a nod before leaving.
Shortly after that, Asami and Orihime continued their walk/search through the city and so far, neither of them found what they were looking for.
"I'm sorry we didn't find your friend." said Asami.
"That's okay. I'm sure he'll be fine wherever he is." said Orihime.
"You know? We could talk to my friends. One of them is a policeman. I'm sure he can find clues to his whereabouts." said Asami with a smile.
"Really? Thank you, Asami" said Orihime with a smile.
"And no need to look any further. There they are." said Asami pointing straight ahead.
Orihime turned her gaze in that direction and was completely shocked at what she saw.
Nearby were several people.
One was a guy in uniform, another was a guy in a suit, and another was a brown skinned girl with short hair.
However, none of them were in her gaze, but a certain orange haired boy with black clothes and a large sword.
"Ichigo" said Orihime in a low voice.
"Huh?" asked Asami confused by the fact that she knew the name of the substitute shinigami.
"Ichigo!" shouted Orihime rushing towards him.
Ichigo turned to the side as soon as he heard a certain familiar voice calling him and in the next instant, Orihime rushed towards him and gave him a hug.
"You're okay! I was so worried! I was afraid something might have happened to you!" said Orihime with a relieved and happy smile.
"O-O-ORIHIME?!" asked Ichigo completely in shock to see that she really was his friend.
"Ichigo, do you know this girl?" asked Korra.
"W-Well, yeah… I… Wait" began Ichigo pulling himself together enough to push Orihime away from him as he rested his hands on her shoulders. "Orihime, how did you come to be here?"
"Oh, you see. What happened was that…" began Orihime.
"Ichigo!"
Hearing another familiar voice, Ichigo, like the others, turned his gaze to the side to see, not only Opal, but also Rukia, Uryu and Chad with her.
While Ichigo was surprised to see them all there of all places, those from Team Avatar were confused, as they didn't know what that was all about.
"Guys?! What are you doing here?" asked Ichigo.
"What do you think? We came for you." said Rukia.
"Though it looks like we worried in vain, since you seem to be having fun." said Uryu.
"Still, we're glad you're okay." said Chad.
"Uh… Excuse me, but can someone tell us what's going on here? Ichigo, who are all these people?" asked Korra.
Ichigo let out a sigh as he realized he had a LOT of explaining to do.
"It's a long story, but they… they're my friends." said Ichigo.