Yo.

So…this is awkward. I've been furiously splitting my planned chapters into smaller chapters. And when I sit down to write the characters always go off on this tangent. I swear, I had this OC named Izumi die horrifically like six times before I realized that Izumi wasn't going to work.

So, this story has been hiked up to an M rating. I think I've always sort of known that Lost and Found wouldn't be able to stay at T very long, but I'm kind of sad that I had to give in. Since there's a surplus of violence and swearing and sexual themes (enjoy that little tidbit, btw) and you know, other unsavoury things, I guess I should have just started it with M in the first place…

This chapter stole my sanity, so as revenge I stole the characters' sanity

No character shall be sane

*evil laughter*

A curse ripped from her chest as Korra jerked awake. She tried to sit up off the gritty pavement, but all she managed was to shift marginally to the side; the lengths of her arms bound behind her and her legs tied at the ankles. The ropes were so tight she could barely squirm. Korra cursed again, this time at whoever taught those freaks with the green goggles how to tie knots so competently.

Even groggy, heart beating painfully in her skull, Korra was livid.

How dare those nonbenders attack.

How dare they act as if taking on the Red Monsoons, taking on branch eight, taking on Yakuna's sharpest knives, was nothing.

She kicked against her binds, trying to thrash herself free.

And how dare an Agni Kai have the audacity to kiss her.

Suddenly, that kiss wasn't just a kiss. It was a betrayal, a deception, a blatant lie told directly onto her lips.

Scrapes left striations on her bare arms; she had been moved, dragged, into an alleyway that could have been any of the thousands of alleyways in the city. The entirety of the fighters, Red Monsoons and Agni Kais alike, were scattered around her, some tied up like her and others lying still and sprawling. It was strange, seeing enemies thrown over one another in such vulnerable states, a common threat decimating them both completely. Blue and red alike seemed to fade into a dull purple in the dark of the alley. Korra's lines were all skewed.

And yet, all she could think about was one face with pretty eyes.

Mako.

That bastard.

That terrible sub-human whom she was going to murder. She was going to kill him, he would die, die, die, and she would be the one to do it.

Korra rocked back and forth, trying to get a better look at the faces of the people around her. She was looking for Aysu and, with a touch more malice, Mako, but even though she was surrounded by a tangle of countless Triad members, this was next to impossible. It was dark, and she all she was really seeing were arms and legs and the backs of heads. There was a Red Monsoon girl with a broken neck not far from her, completely still with her face turned away. Who was she? Korra strained, trying to give the dead girl a name, and yet praying she wouldn't be able to (but of course she would. Who was there in the Red Knives that Korra didn't know?). She let herself hope it wasn't Aysu.

And if it was Aysu, Korra would be sure to lay every bit of blame of Mako.

Her head fell back against the pavement as she cursed loudly, kicking out as hard as she could and hitting several people in the process as she fought to sit up. All she managed was to heavily turn over, elbow landing on someone's hand and face ending up full of a brown jacket.

She tried to jerk away in vain, letting out a string of curses that echoed throughout the alleyway.

"They're going to put you out again if you keep that up."

Korra suddenly froze as the words vibrated up from the chest under her ear. Of course, how could she have forgotten? She turned her head to squint at the darkness. Indeed, the five masked attackers were watching, faces tilted in her direction. They didn't seem too bothered by her antics, their postures altogether bored as they leaned up against the wall as if waiting for something. The dead one of their ranks, the one Korra had killed, laid on the ground with the slightly melted ice spear still sticking out of his chest.

She scowled, turning her face away even as it meant getting a nose full of the Agni Kai's shirt. It was sweaty and smoky-smelling, and even though it strained her neck a little bit, she turned her face towards the boy's and opened her mouth to tell him where he could put his advice.

Korra jerked in surprise as she came face to face with him, closer than she'd expected and staring at her with golden eyes that made her inner fire swell with fury.

"You." She screeched. Mako smiled pleasantly, calm, despite the fact that there was a livid Red Monsoon with her teeth dangerously close to his throat.

"Hello Korra."

"Don't you Hello Korra me," she snapped too loudly. Nearby someone groaned, almost-conscious, and she hastily lowered her voice to a whisper, "How are you so calm?! Did you know the whole time?"

Mako frowned.

"Did I know what?"

"That we were enemies!"

"We're enemies?"

The scream of frustration building in Korra's chest was barely kept silent.

"Of course we're enemies, you hog-monkey! You're an Agni Kai."

He puckered his mouth thoughtfully.

"And you're in Branch Eight. Impressive, actually. But I guess you wouldn't do well with paperwork. You like punching things too much." His cheek twitched, and Korra could have sworn he did in on purpose to draw her eyes to the bandage on his face.

"You're right," she growled, "Punching things I hate makes me so very happy. For instance, I would be thrilled if I could break your nose at this very moment. And then maybe the rest of your face."

Mako stared at her for a moment, eyes half-lidded and bored. Korra wondered what happened to the flustered, blushing boy from not even an hour ago; had he just been pretending the entire time? Slowly, his mouth curled into a cruel smile.

"Oh, I see," he said, stretching his chin closer to her face; his breath ghosted over her, "You're angry because you kissed me."

Korra's face warmed, and she could feel her heart beginning to beat faster in outrage. She was pretty sure he couldn't feel it, but his mouth curled into a smile as if he guessed.

"I—no! That didn't happen! Don't be so bloody full of yourself!"

"Oh? So you're saying you didn't kiss me."

"O-of course not! I would never do that!"

Mako looked at her thoughtfully.

"You're not a very good liar." He observed. Korra lunged forward an inch, trying to slam her forehead into his nose. He leaned back calmly, out of range.

"Shut up!" she hissed, suddenly hyperaware of the Red Monsoons scattered around them. Mako hummed in agreement, pressing his lips together. He was mocking her; she knew it from the way he stared at her in amusement. He wasn't allowed to be amused in this situation. He just wasn't.

Off to the side, one of the masked men snickered, and Korra jerked in his direction. She rolled over so that the back of her head rested against the soft part of Mako's stomach. This gave her a bit more mobility to glare at the nonbender.

"You shut up too, or I'll cut you open with a rusty whaling harpoon and feel your guts to a leopard shark you no good, penguin guano-guzzling piece of—."

"Stop antagonizing the people who could kill us," Mako snapped, making her turn her head back towards him sharply. He was scowling at her, no longer amused. On the contrary, he was glancing at the strange attackers with open fear. Korra was silenced for a moment, but then she lifted up her head and slammed in back into his stomach as hard as she could.

Mako squeaked in pain, curling forward slightly. One of the nonbenders laughed, and Korra resumed struggling in earnest, trying to break free of the rough, cuttingly tight ropes. Mako grimaced.

"You're not going to get free like that," He said, voice slightly rougher than before. Korra stilled, lifting her head and letting it fall again half-heartedly. This time Mako didn't even flinch.

"Well why don't you just burn your way out?" she asked, "You're a firebender, aren't you?"

Mako chuckled slightly.

"I can't. Bending's gone."

Korra stared at him for a moment, eyebrows creased.

"What do you mean gone?"

"I mean my bending's gone. Yours is too. Didn't you notice?"

Korra frowned, closing her eyes and trying to sense the water in her pouch. It was there, she could feel it, cold and creeping across her skin as it leaked from the open nozzle. But at the same time, it wasn't there. It wasn't pulling at her blood, wasn't moving or lending her energy or even humming quietly in the way she was as accustomed to as her own breath. It was quiet. Ordinary.

But at the same time, her inner flame was shuddering angrily in her chest, warming her to her fingertips with every breath, as if to try and take up the room left behind by the chill of water and ice.

Korra opened her eyes, staring over at Mako, and finally felt a tiny crack of fear fracture her anger.

"What's happening?" she whispered, as if to hide her words from the bending thieves standing watch over them; but of course they'd be able to hear every word. Mako sighed, closing his eyes as if he were hoping to take a nap.

"I'd guess it's the Equalists."

"The whonow?"

"The—don't you read the paper?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Right, sorry I asked. The Equalists are the people at the centre of the whole anti-bending movement."

Korra puckered her mouth. She had heard about that, at least, but she hadn't really thought much of it. After all, what could a bunch of non-benders do against the power of bending? She'd thought it would be a losing battle. And now she was being held prisoner by them. Wonderful.

"So then what do they want with us?"

Mako yawned, keeping his eyes closed.

"Kill us, probably."

He didn't sound like he minded. Korra huffed in annoyance, rocking back and forth in an attempt to roll off of Mako altogether. He tightened the muscles of his stomach slightly, making her attempts marginally easier, but Korra had made very little process by the time the two vans screeched into the mouth of the alleyway; the Equalists stood up straight in attention.

"Back to work," one of them muttered.

The back doors of the first van were thrown open, and one by one the Triads were herded inside. Or at least the ones who could stand were herded; most, still being unconscious, were carelessly tossed inside.

The woman nonbender flipped Korra over with her foot (Korra may have let out a little squawk of indignation at this) and grabbed her by the ropes lashed around her arms. Korra was hauled onto her feet; she stumbled as she automatically tried to take a step forward with her bound legs. The nonbender caught her easily, beginning to drag her towards the van that was fast filling up. She watched as Mako was treated similarly, except where she continued to struggle and thrash, he stayed perfectly still, calm and accepting. For some reason, it pissed her off. She jerked her shoulders forward.

"You piece of shit!" She screamed, kicking against the ground best she could, "You're not even going to try?! You're just going to let them, oh let go of me." She planted her feet on the ground and shoved herself back, slamming into the nonbender hard enough to make her release her hold.

With a cry, Korra pushed herself forward, towards Mako, and immediately fell to her knees.

Someone grabbed a handful of her hair, yanking her head back sharply; she screeched and struggled, still yelling that she would kill Mako, that he would be dead.

The Equalist holding Mako grunted in amusement.

"Alright, lovebirds," he said, voice muffled slightly by the mask, "I know just the thing for you two."

Suddenly he yanked Mako towards the second van, which still stood empty and open as the other filled up, passing Korra by with what she imagined was a grin. The Equalist totting Korra released the hold she had on her wolftail in favor of her arm binds, jerking her after Mako and the other one wordlessly.

The cold metal floor was biting as she was thrown unceremoniously down, half on top of Mako's leg. She swore, beginning to thrash again.

"Stop it." Mako snapped. Korra turned to yell at him some more, only to see with a start that his eyes were closed and a small smile was playing around his mouth.

"Are you—," her anger burned, "Are you happy about this?!"

Mako didn't answer. A moment later the Equalists returned to their van, totting a slew of prone Triads. The first person, an Agni Kai, was tossed right in front of Korra. He flopped like a dead fish, limbs splayed, and landed face-up. His neck was at an odd angle and he stared up at the ceiling blankly. Korra felt the urge to scream building in her chest as she realized just what the second van was for. Mako glanced at the boy coolly.

"Ah," he said, "Marzoc. Too bad."

He didn't sound like he thought it was too bad at all. At least, not like Korra did. Not as the dead began to pile up around them, and familiar faces flashed empty, lifeless eyes at her. She felt like throwing up, a bit of her heart breaking at each blue-clothed person dead. The grief coiled around her mind, chocking her thoughts and creating a deep-set ache. When Kimi landed next to her, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth and blue eyes wide with a last surprise, Korra let out a strangled sob.

With a slam, they were enveloped by nearly complete darkness. But by the light that snuck through the crack between the ceiling and the door, and the light of her memory, she could still see Kimi. Dead.

Korra felt the fact like a strike in the chest, and she choked a little. The inner fire was acting up again, and alongside the grief clawing at her mind, everything began to grow hot. Her hands stung like she had burnt them on the inside of her gloves, palms growing unbearably warm. The sting ran up her arms, all the way to her elbows where the binding ropes ended.

No. She shuddered, trying to force down the rebellious flame as she always did, Stop it.

But the flame was out of her reach already.

The van started up with a rumble, making Korra jerk slightly in surprise. She turned her head away from Kimi and was instead assaulted by the vague outline of Marzoc's face, staring at her.

Kill us.

That's what Mako had said the Equalists wanted with them. But then, why didn't they do just that? They could have easily killed every single one of them, silenced a good chunk of the bending Triads, taken some of the power from the benders. But they hadn't. They had an entire van full of alive, incapacitated Red Monsoons and Agni Kais, on their way to who knows where. They turned a corner, and Marzoc's head flopped a little bit to the side.

They were going to be made an example of.

Her fingers ached hotly, as if she were holding them in a candle flame.

Her family, her brothers and sisters, were dead because of these people. Irik and Kilee had doubtless been their work, and now Kimi had joined their numbers, along with the other Red Monsoons piled in the van full of corpses. And those who hadn't died yet would be put on display and humiliated. Shown just how much the all-powerful Triads could be torn down. Aysu wouldn't take well to that. Even if she wasn't dead already.

And there was always the possibility that she might be dead.

Surely, none of them would be alive much longer.

Korra's inner flame roared, filling her blood with searing pain as she inhaled sharply, her whole body seizing as she flinched, mouth opening in a scream that couldn't seem to make it out of her chest.

Mako's eyes were open again, smile vanished, as she arched her back in pain, nudging his leg. The van hit a bump, making them both lurch, and Korra hit her head off the metal floor as she struggled with the pain.

Her inner fire was a roaring inferno in her chest, making her skin slick with sweat.

She swore one more time, voice cracking through her chest harshly, and glared at Mako.

"I hate you," she said

And with that her hands exploded into flames, burning her restrains to ash.

Her gloves incinerated to nothing; the dust of the fabric sticking to her hands as the fire cleared away quietly. Korra raised her arms in front of her, staring at her dirty palms. Her inner fire was purring like a contented cat-lemur, settling down and pulling the heat away from her blood.

And Mako; Mako was staring at her.

Korra could feel his wide eyes and utter shock. She grit her teeth, feeling around her waist for the knife she had tucked there earlier that night, hoping beyond hope that the Equalists had overlooked it.

Luck was on her side, and a moment later she pulled away with the slim, sharp blade between her fingers. She bent over her ankles and started to saw at the ropes.

Mako's voice croaked, "Wha—what was that?"

Korra scowled at the restraints, pressing harder with the knife. It would be easier if the knife had been a little bit serrated—

"Hey!" Mako's voice was a little louder, although it still shook a little, "How did you do that?"

Korra pulled the knife away from the ropes, running a fingernail along the cut she'd made to see how far through she'd gotten: a little more than halfway.

"How do you think I did it?" she asked.

There was a long stretch of silence as Korra went back to cutting at the ropes. Her hands were shaking, and she wondered how she managed to keep hold of the knife at all.

"Well," he said quietly, "For a second, I thought that maybe—but it wouldn't make any sense."

"What wouldn't make any sense?"

"I mean, it looked like you just bent fire. But—I know that you're a waterbender. So that would make you—,"

Korra waited, but it didn't seem like he would say it.

"Make me…?"

"The Avatar."

And there it was.

With a snap the ropes fell away, and Korra threw them off with one movement and turned and punched Mako in the face with another. His head snapped to the side, and before he could turn it back to look at her she had her hands full of his collar and was barring her teeth an inch in front of his nose. His mouth was opening and closing comically, and Korra let out a sharp, bitter laugh.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't slit your throat right now." she growled.

Mako stared at her for a moment, wide eyed. The van passed close to a streetlamp, and the inside was lit up with dull orange light for an instant. Everything was cast sharply into clarity, softer than it would have been in the sunlight, and Korra caught a glimpse of a crazed expression on Mako's face. Then he leaned forward and kissed her firmly on the mouth.

Korra shoved him back, her fist cracking against his cheek. He didn't seem to mind; a smile had broken out over his face when he looked back at her.

"You exist," he breathed, "You didn't disappear. Everyone was saying you disappeared, but you're here—"

"Wrong," Korra snapped, "The Avatar doesn't exist."

"What?" Mako's smile was terrifying, "Don't you know what this means?! The Avatar is here! She's here, and she can fix everything, she can fix the city and give all these people the hope they need and you can free—"

SMACK

Korra hit him across the face a third time, a little harder than before in her panic.

"Shut up!" She said, her voice rising in pitch, "Just shut up!"

Mako blinked a few times, his crazed smile slowly fading away.

"I—sorry. I didn't mean—or—um," he shifted his shoulders, bringing her attention to the fact that his arms were still bound behind him, "Do you think you could—"

Korra flipped him over violently, pulling out the knife again. For a moment she clutched it in a trembling fist, considering.

A moment later the rope snapped free. Mako quickly turned back over. Korra didn't give him a chance to rub his tender wrists before she was handing him the knife and turning her back on him, standing and walking towards the doorway. She inspected the edges, but it appeared to be locked from the outside, the metal cold and unyielding under her fingertips.

Her breathing had turned sporadic, and she may have been a little closer to tears than she'd care to admit. It stung to have someone know who she was, cut deeply into her safety net, but it wasn't nearly as painful as she'd thought it would be. Which made absolutely no sense, considering Mako was the one who now knew. She kept switching her thoughts between the best way to kill him and how much of a relief it was to have someone in on her little secret for once.

But that didn't mean she wanted him to keep saying it.

"So you're really the Avatar then?"

The words smarted, and Korra said nothing, keeping her hand resting against the door.

"If I can ask, why the Red Monsoons?"

Korra shrugged.

"Circumstances."

Mako seemed to accept this answer, and as he cut his ankle binds loose Korra fell back into trying to slow her sharp breaths. Mako stood and made his way over to her. The van turned suddenly, making him lose his footing and throwing him, just for a moment, into her side before he caught himself and drew back. Korra thought she saw a flush of colour on his face through the dark. He quickly turned around, walking the way he had just come from a moment before, picking his way through the bodies towards Marzoc. Kneeling down next to the boy, he reached out a hand, resting his fingertips against the front of Marzoc's jacket.

The harsh sound of a zipper being pulled cut through the buzz of the van's engine.

"What are you—"

Mako pulled away, letting Marzoc flop over, with a small sack clutched in his hand. He untied it and poured five walnut-sized orbs into the palm of his hand, poking inside the bag again and withdrawing something small and plastic wrapped. Squinting at him through the dark, she thought it looked white and shapeless, while the orbs were very dark and smooth enough to have a slight shine. Mako stood and walked past her to the door, handing her one of the orbs wordlessly without stopping. The van turned again as Korra held up the tiny object to the limited light. It was black and had a hair-thin fuse poking out of it.

"Explosives," Mako said shortly just as Korra figured it out for herself. He kneeled in front of the door, unwrapping the white lump and ripping a chunk off. It seemed to have the consistency of clay, "Marzoc carries them around."

Korra frowned, tapping a fingernail against the tiny bomb's shell.

"They don't look like they pack much of a punch," she said.

"They don't. They're pretty much useless other than as distractions. But they have their moments, especially when you use a lot at once," he pulled away from the door. The four walnut-bombs were clustered around the lock, held in place by the white clay. He reached behind him without looking back, and Korra dropped the fifth bomb into his hand, which Mako stuck almost directly on the seam between doors.

"Could you light these for me?"

The question echoed.

Korra held out her hands in front of her, unsure. For once, the fire was snuggling against her chest contently, not being unruly and flaring like it was whenever she didn't need it. She flicked her arm, trying to feel a difference in her inner fire's mood with the movement, but nothing changed. She grimaced.

"Uh, how do you…" she made a vague gesture that equated to 'fire' in her head but probably resembled a pentapus more than anything. Mako wrinkled his nose, clicking his tongue, and nodded very slightly; he looked a little bit disappointed, but Korra could tell he trusted in her abilities anyways. She felt a little bit bad about that.

He placed a finger over one of the bombs, brow furrowed like he was trying to bend his fire, but failing.

Mako sighed, dropping his hand and jerking his head at Korra in a 'come here' motion.

"Hold your hand a little bit away from them," he instructed, stepping aside to give her room. She did, right hand out and fingers spread. Her scar stared up at her like a bad joke. Mako nodded slightly in approval.

"Alright, now just work up your fire chi—."

Korra turned her head slightly to glare at him.

Mako pouted at her (actually pouted) but inclined his head in understanding.

"Right. Deep breaths. Try to center the air in your chest, right by your heart," he bent his arms slightly into what looked like a firebending stance. It was an automatic movement, without thought behind it, "Imagine the air feeding your power, your fire. Then exhale and let the energy and heat travel through your arm and into your hand in a steady, continuous stream. It helps a little if you picture it."

Korra followed his instructions best she could, but almost immediately he stopped her.

"You're too loose. You'll never get a decent flame like that," he tapped her arm, "tighten up. This isn't waterbending."

She felt her anger grow, and she tightened her upper body sharply. There was a burst of light beneath her fingers, and Korra jerked back in surprise. She had missed the bombs altogether, and a patch of metal off to the right was glowing a faint red. Mako laughed quietly.

A flush spread over Korra's cheeks.

"Too much heat, not enough flame. Take a sharper breath this time."

Korra scowled, shaking out her arm slightly, trying to get a feel for the energy he was talking about.

"Aye-Aye, Captain."

The second attempt turned out with a poorly-aimed flare of fire, and they both ended up needing to stamp out a Red Monsoon's jacket. The third time was the charm, and Korra was able to get a slightly sputtering flame going long enough to run her fingers over the five fuses and light them successfully. They two of them took a few steps back automatically as the bombs fizzled.

BANG!

Korra flinched slightly as they went off, the doors buckling but the locks holding firm. Mako had lied, they did pack a punch. There was a black halo around the lock and visible warping, not just from Korra's failed firebending attempts (although she had a hunch that that had contributed partially).

Mako lifted his foot and slammed his heel down against the lock, hard. It dented slightly around his foot, the boom sounding throughout the van and making Korra flinch. She stepped up beside him and at the same time they both kicked at the door as hard as they could. With a squeal the metal buckled and snapped, the doors breaking free of the lock and screaming open, slamming against their hinges a couple of times, each boom sending a shiver down Korra's spine as she thought of the Equalists sitting up from. The racing air of outside was cold.

Korra shoved Mako towards the opening with one arm.

"Jump!" she yelled, taking one running step and launching herself into the air. For a split second she was flying, hurtling towards the pavement at speeds far too fast to be safe, and then she hit the ground hard, rolling to absorb as much shock as possible. Skidding across the pavement, flipping over a few times uncontrollably, she protected her head and tried to wait out the momentum, biting back a hiss as the skin of her shoulder ripped against the ground, leaving a long cut on her shoulder. Without pause Korra rolled to her feet and took off at a sprint, not glancing back for Mako as the van screeched to a halt. She rounded a corner, taking in the sign that told her what street she was on with bleary eyes.

Bexley.

"Naga," she gasped, forcing herself to run harder. There were footsteps behind her, and she hoped that they were Mako's. She knew this street. This was her street. She put two fingers in her mouth and whistled, a shrill, sharp sound. She could see Naga's warehouse, "Naga!" she screamed, "Naga, come!"

There was a bark, quiet and damp in the night air, and then the metallic bang of something huge slamming into a wall.

Korra's feet were slapping against the street like gunshots as she ran harder for the warehouse, keeping it stuck in her vision. She whistled a second time, and this time Naga responded to her call, howling a long, terrifying note.

"Are you doing that?!" Mako's voice rasped from behind her. She ignored him, whistling once more. There was a loud crash that echoed through the empty, silent streets, and Korra's cheeks pulled her mouth into a smile of relief just before the Equalists overtook Mako.

There were two of them, and with a few easy hits Mako's feet fell from beneath him. He let out a small sound of pain as he hit the ground, shaking as he struggled onto all fours, only to be knocked down again with a hit to his back. With a shout of frustration Korra skidded to a stop, yanking the small knife from her belt and holding it level to the masked attackers.

"Hey assholes!" she shouted, waving the knife back and forth. It felt insubstantial in her hand as they looked up from the groaning Mako.

They both stared at her for an instant, incredulous at the sight of the bruised and bloody girl pointing a knife at them. Then they lunged forward, fists raised. Those hands, Korra knew, were a thousand times more dangerous as a knife. But as they descended on her she slashed just the same.

By chance, luck, or skill (most likely luck), the knife slashed deeply into something. There was a howl of pain that wasn't her own, and Korra kept blindly slashing, hitting air. She just needed to keep them away until Naga got here, just a moment more—

Mako had finally managed to push himself up onto his knees, forehead dripping blood into his eye and a rock clutched in his hand. He was winding back as if to throw it just as a howl cut through the silence again, making the Equalists pause in their attack. Korra stumbled backwards, away from them with her knife held out in front of her.

"Naga!" she yelled, hand beginning to shake, "Naga!"

The massive polar bear dog rounded the corner at top speed, sliding sideways as she turned too fast. Thump thump. Thump thump. Thump thump. Korra wasn't sure if the sound was Naga's massive paws bounding against the pavement or her pulse in her ears. Her canines glinted in the light of the streeplamps as Naga pulled her lip back. Mako dropped the rock in surprise; it clattered on the ground.

"What in the—,"

The knife fell from Korra's fingers, her hands rising over her head desperately as if to signal to the beast, even as Naga kept her eyes fixed on Korra with an unwavering concentration. Naga's eyes shifted from Korra to the Equalists with glowing green goggles, and a roar thundered through her. She passed Korra in a white blur, bearing down on the Equalists with snapping jaws. They barely avoided her teeth, jumping out of the way only to he assaulted by Naga's swiping paws a moment later. They retreated back further, still facing them as if considering continuing the fight; but as Naga growled, her hackles rising, and planted herself firmly between them and Korra, they turned tails and fled.

Naga made to chase after them, but Korra shouted a command to stay. She ran forward, grabbing Naga's blue leather reigns, and slumped into the polar bear dog's warm side as her knees beginning to fail.

"Good girl," Korra gasped, her heart still beating wildly, "Perfect girl," she put a foot in the holster, trying to pull herself up but failing, "Fantastic girl." Giving up, Korra sank to the ground, two fists curling into Naga's fur.

Naga whined as groans rose up from the ground, and Korra looked over her shoulder at Mako.

"Can you stand?" she asked, her voice more of a whisper than a proper volume.

There was a beat of silence.

"I—No. Just give me a minute—"

Considering Korra had failed to even climb onto Naga's back before collapsing, she couldn't really fault him for this. But they were still in danger from the Equalists. If they were to come back with greater numbers, they might even be strong enough to take down a full-grown female polar bear dog. So she hoisted herself up, tettering slightly before catching herself, and this time managed to half-throw herself onto Naga's back.

"No time," Korra said, yanking on Naga's reigns to bring her closer to Mako. She leaned over in the saddle to grab his arm, "Just try not to fall off, okay?"

"Huh?"

Gripping the fabric of his jacket tight, Korra hauled him up one-handed with one great strain. His hands immediately snapped to steady himself, one landing on her shoulder and the other on the saddle horn. Korra was thankful when he got his feet under him and stood with his own power, her arm falling onto her lap weakly. She scooted back and offered him the other hand, although this twisted her body into a slightly difficult angle. He hastily took it, pulling himself onto Naga's saddle with all the unsteadiness of a beginner and settled in front of her, awkwardly nestled between her legs, and grabbed the saddle horn with both hands. Korra squeezed Naga's sides with her heels, pushing her at a run towards the bay, where the safety of the Red Monsoons' deep territory was waiting for them.

But even with the possibility of safety coming within reach, her breath was coming in and out in panicked gasps; in response her inner flame was getting agitated, furling about and licking at her insides.

Everything was wrong. Backwards. Kissing an Agni Kai, nonbenders defeating Triads, Aysu gone.

Someone knowing.

Someone actually knowing that she was the Avatar.

And worse of all; she wasn't sure on whether or not she would kill the one who had found her out. It hurt to have someone know, like her life was being torn down around her as the shards of her past cut her into a million pieces. But at the same time, it was a relief. Her life was already collapsing in on itself without any help from Mako, and she had someone to cling to as it all fell down. Her insides were hot and screaming, but her skin felt cold. Korra choked on a sob.

Mako looked over his shoulder at the sound, brow creased over those amber eyes.

With a jerk Korra yanked Naga to a stop. Mako opened his mouth, as if to ask what she was going on, but before he could speak she had grabbed him by his stupid red scarf and thrown him off Naga completely. He collapsed onto the pavement, landing on his side. With a pained groan he slowly flipped onto his back, frowning up at her from the ground.

"Do you enjoy hurting me, Avatar?" his mouth shaped around the final word happily.

Something in Korra snapped.

"Don't call me that!" she screamed, pointing down at him violently enough for her inner fire to flinch, "Don't ever call me that! Do you have any idea—" her voice cut of as a sob broke through her words. She slapped her hands over her mouth as another sob ripped through her, and soon she was hyperventilating in a seesaw of air that felt like drowning. Mako sat up.

"Are you—?"

She shook her head vigorously, trembling. Her blood was rushing, she couldn't breath, everything was falling apart around her and cutting her and it hurt. A hand touched her shoulder.

"Hey. Korra. Calm down. You're overreacting."

A sob broke through her fingers, and she doubled over, black spots beginning to cloud her vision. She was grabbed by the upper arms and pulled off of Naga's saddle. She slid off without a fight, slumping into Mako as she weakly tried to shove him away with her elbow.

"Breath," Mako's voice was telling her, "Korra, it's okay. I promise it's okay. Just breath. Breath."

She could barely hear him. Stop it Korra, she thought as a sobbing gasp ripped through her painfully, Stop it. You're better than this, stop it. His arms were around her, lightly enough that she could have shoved him away easily if she'd wanted, and his hand was on her back. He stroked her back gently.

"Shhhh," he hushed, like a parent to a child, "Shhhh. It's OK."

Gradually, Korra's breathing slowed to normal. She was still shaking a little, and tears were soaking into Mako's shirt (when had her head fallen onto his shoulder?), but her heart rate calmed and slowed. She clung to him, her hands fisted into his jacket. His hand moved to the back of her head, fingers running over the tangled hair softly.

"I'm sorry," he said, "That was my fault, wasn't it? I'm sorry."

Korra pulled away slightly, looking at Mako with bleary eyes. The tape of his bandage had come loose, exposing the scabbed cut for the world to see, and his face was smudged with dirt and soot. But he was still handsome, so handsome, and his amber eyes stared down at her.

They were so pretty.

He was so pretty.

She leaned up and kissed him hungrily.

For a moment he started in surprise, but then his fingers were in her hair and he was kissing her back. Korra's palms fumbled to touch his cheeks, to draw him closer, and her hands touched something wet. Tears?

They fell to their knees, never breaking the kiss, and devoured each other. She grabbed a handful of his hair and forced his head back, licking his cheek in one long stroke. It was salty with grief. Mako moaned, running his hands down her back and up again. She shoved him over onto his back, hanging over him, panting for a moment before diving in and kissing him again. She had just started to unbutton his jacket when Naga barked.

Korra froze, her hands still on his jacket as he continued to kiss her, oblivious.

Naga growled, her hot breath brushing against the back of Korra's neck.

With a gasp she shoved Mako down, twisting around to look at her polar bear dog. Naga's soft brown eyes were wide, her head cocked to the side as if asking Korra if she needed any assistance. Korra stood up, half-stumbling to Naga's side and throwing her arms around her neck.

The middle of the street. She was about to fuck him in the middle of the street. She buried her face in Naga's fur.

"What's wrong with me?" she whispered, and Naga groaned empathetically.

.o.O.o.

Aysu hurt all over.

She groaned loudly, noting somewhere in the back of her head that the air smelled salty and thick and her bed felt awfully gravelly and rough. There was a groan near her, coming from a male, and she stiffened, trying to remember why exactly she would have fallen asleep with a guy in a strange smelling place. She hadn't had that much to drink last night, and the last thing she remembered was that fight on Badgermole Way—

With a gasp Aysu sat up, arms flailing around her for a second as the world flipped. She hissed slightly as the stinging pain coming from her wrists. Rope burn, it looked like, but Aysu didn't remember ever being tied up, only the fight. And the strange, green-goggled nonbenders. She didn't really remember fighting them; just taking one hit, then everything else going black.

She glanced around, still rubbing her wrists. They were piled in a parking lot directly off the bay, other Red Monsoons surrounding her. Kanshu was the one groaning like a whiney baby, and Lakir was giggling manically in his sleep. Aysu kicked him.

"Ow!" he said as he jerked awake, "What was that—"

"What happened?" Aysu snapped. Lakir frowned at her, putting a hand on his forehead.

"Hell if I knew. Where the heck are we?"

Aysu glanced around, spotting the probending arena a kilometre or two down the bay. She jerked her chin towards it, and Lakir seemed to take that as good enough of an answer. Aysu rubbed her temples, trying to massage away the aching.

"Ok," she said, getting up onto steady feet, "Quick headcount. See who's missing."

Lakir grunted in agreement, kicking Kanshu awake to help them. Aysu went through every unconscious body she could see, glancing at their face to note away their name in the back of her mind, then kneeling down and checking vital signs. Lakir and Kanshu did the same. When they came back together and compared notes, it created a grim statistic.

"That's nine people missing." Aysu echoed for the third time. She didn't say it, that Korra was one of those missing. Just like how Lakir didn't comment about Kimi.

"But there are fifteen here," Kanshu said, "We need to get them somewhere safer."

Aysu frowned, rubbing her chin.

"That's bothering me, actually. We already seem to be fairly safe. But why would those nonbenders attack us, just to drop us off by the water?"

Lakir shrugged.

"I don't see any Agni Kais. Maybe they're vigilantes? You know, fighting to stop Triad violence but don't like the police?"

It didn't sound right to Aysu.

She reached over and slapped Lakir on the shoulder.

"Alright," she said, "You're our runner. Go to HQ and get some help with these deadbeats. We'll wake up as many as we can."

Lakir pouted at her, but did as she said. Aysu turned away and poked the side of Mabir's face with the toe of her boot. Kanshu frowned at her.

"Hey," he said, "Are you okay?"

Aysu brushed her braids behind her ear.

"Never better," she said shortly.

And for the rest of the night she made sure to keep her mind firmly on her lost baseball bat, and where she planned to get a new one.

Yes, Korra just had a panic attack and nearly jumped Mako's bones. Yes, I made that bit up as I went. Yes, I've never kissed a boy.

On another note, I actually planned for Korra to conveniently escape near Bexley and find Naga. After reading it over it kind of sounded like an ass-pull, but that was pre-plotted.

Also, Mako's crazy, Korra's crazy, Aysu's… not really crazy yet but give it a chapter or two I promise she'll be crazy. I'm bringing back Asami soon, too, next chapter or (more likely) the chapter after. She will also be mildly crazy.

You know what, just assume everyone is a little crazy at this point.

Good? Good.

REVIEW BECAUSE THE FRUIT OF YOU SLAMMING YOUR FINGERTIPS INTO KEYBOARDS MILES AND MILES AND MILES AWAY FROM ME IS BEAUTIFUL AND I LOVE IT DEARLY.