Gotc: Hello, hello, hello LoK fans! I'm GotC and while this is my first LoK story, I've been around for several years now. This idea has been buzzing around in my head ever since the season 2 finale, and after looking through the archives, I was surprised to see no one had thought of this yet. I'm not telling you what "this" is just yet, but read on and you may get a few hints! This plans on being a rather lengthy story and I'll be trying to do one or two updates a week, so buckle up and get ready to come along for the ride!

Disclaimer: I do not own AtLA or LoK, and it's probably a good thing I don't.

Legend of Korra

Book 3: Balance

Chapter 0: Prologue

Energy cannot be created or destroyed. This is a law of the universe that stands true above all others. For energy to be used, it must be taken. Fire, comes from the breath. Earth, forms from the body. Water, flows from the heart. Air, blows through the mind.

But raw power...is drawn from the spirit.

Republic City.. Home of the last of the Airbenders, melting pot of the four nations, pride of the late Avatar Aang. From the great buildings rising along the shores of it's sheltered bay, to the iconic arena where the greatest Benders of the era gather to test their strength, the city is place known the world over as a shining beacon of hope and prosperity.

But even the brightest lights the city can muster are not enough to pierce the heavy fog that rolled off of the ocean to seep through the streets. Instead, it's residents retreat to the warm sanctuary of their homes. Even the criminal element leaves their activities for another night, for fear of blundering right into the laps of the ever-present law enforcement. As such, only the lowest, and most destitute of the city's inhabitants remain on the streets, taking shelter wherever they can find it.

The leaden veil of the fog is not enough to hide a woman as she paced the streets, through buildings forgotten by the continuous march of progress. Thin, pale fingers clutched at the clasp of her cloak, as if it were to fail at any moment and allow the garment to slip away from her shoulders. Calm and measured steps echoed harshly against the crumbling walls of the buildings around her, earning her a bleary-eyed look from a man curled up against some trashcans in a nearby alley. She couldn't make out his words as he grumbled his way back to sleep, but the sound of a second set of footsteps were unmistakeable.

She turned sharply down the alley, nearly stepping on the man in the process. An edge of urgency echoed in every footfall, as her pace quickened in response. Even so, the sound of strange footsteps reached her ears, no matter how she twisted and turned in the city's maze of streets and buildings. They were following her, of that she had no doubt, but they continued to keep their distance. They sped up and slowed as she did, always keeping the veil of fog between them as they haunted her every move.

And to make matters worse, the sound of more following feet were finding their way to her by the minute. At times, she could almost make out the vague silhouette of a person along the edges of her vision. The realization struck home then. They were herding her. To where, she had no idea, but she'd come to the city hoping to lose them in the stone and mortar. Instead, she'd played right into their hand.

She took another step more and came to a halt in the middle of the street, a streetlight nearby casting a cold, and ghostly light into the fog around her. She might not be able to lose them, but she would not willingly be ushered around like a lamb to the slaughter.

"I certainly hope you weren't trying to remain hidden, Jal." She said, raising her voice to the shadows creeping behind her, as she reached up and pulled her hood back, "I've known you were following me since the river."

Long, silken hair the color of ash wood spilled across her shoulders, no longer confined by the hood. Eyes, the shade of new leaves after a rainstorm, scanned the fog around her a moment, before they fixated on a single spot in the mist. It was only a moment more before the mist there took the form of a man with a devil's grin on his face. The shadows seemed reluctant to leave him, the ebony shine of his short hair melding seamlessly into the darkness. Even his face bore a black mark, running in cruel lines from the curve of his jaw to the bridge of his nose, cutting across amused auburn eyes.

"I expected no less from you, Rinowa." He spoke with an easy familiarity, despite the hostile glare she leveled in his direction, "Never met anyone that could get the drop on you. You've got eye's like an eagle hawk-"

He was cut off by a single fluid motion and a flash of silver missing his head by a breath. A knife wobbled back and forth, with its point embedded solidly in the mortar. Jal looked at the knife appreciatively for a moment, before turning back to her.

"And the temper of a rhino lion." He chuckled, pushing one hand through his hair to smooth it back.

"I don't think you've spent the better part of the last two days hunting me just to exchange pleasantries," Rinowa snapped straightening herself and reaching beneath her cloak again, "I thought I'd made it clear I'd erase you and your ilk from the world if you ever crawled out of your holes again."

"Tsk tsk... Such harsh words..." Jal said, mock hurt in his voice, "You speak as if you aren't one of us yourself."

"Our ancestors would weep if they only knew the kind of disgrace you've brought upon our clan." She spat bitterly at his feet, "You are no kin of mine."

"Hmm... Now that's a shame." Jal said with a resigned sigh, the mild disappointment on his face in odd disproportion to the anger and disgust in Rinowa's, "And here I was hoping you would willingly cooperate for a change. Things always go so much smoother than when you have to force someone..."

"If you think you can make me..." Rinowa smirked, almost amused by the idea, "Then by all means... I'd love to see the kind of power you hold that swayed our clan to your deranged ideals."

"Did you know the Avatar is coming to Republic City tomorrow?" Jal said, the change of topic taking her off guard a moment, "To speak about the integration of the two worlds... It's almost funny, isn't it?"

Movement caught her eye, but it wasn't Jal. A new figure rushed from the haze, the grays of his clothes making him nearly invisible against the dreary backdrop. But not intangible. Rinowa lithely twisted to one side, swinging up a leg to catch him about the middle and slam her attacker to the ground with enough force to crack the pavement. She looked up in time to find Jal nearly breathing down her neck, swinging a blow for her neck. She threw up an arm in time to block him, but the force behind his strike jarred her through to the core.

She struck back at him with her free arm, forcing him to back away. She shook her head in an attempt to clear it, worry starting to creep into the pit of her stomach as he started her down with that same, cocky grin. But there was more to it now, a kind of hunger that made the very air around them feel thicker than it should have been. She didn't have time to dwell on it though, before another figure lunged at her from the shadows.

This time, Jal didn't wait for her to dispatch the new foe, before he was on the attack again. Rinowa all but dove out of the way of Jal's assault, using the momentum to trust the ball of her foot into the newcomer's chin, before bringing her foot down on top of Jal's fist sailing toward her. Using the opening, Rinowa managed to land a solid strike to the hollow of his neck. Sputtering and hacking, Jal stumbled backward, but before Rinowa could continue her assault, one of the fallen assailants had found their feet again and struck her hard in the small of her back. Rinowa buckled forward and met the pavement face first, but had enough wits about her to roll to the side in time to dodge the heavy blow aimed at her head. Her own fist found its mark, and the snap of tendon and bone that accompanied her treatment of her attacker's elbow gave her hope that she'd not need to worry about him any longer-

A searing pain turned the world around her white for a moment. She heard a scream from somewhere, only vaguely realizing she was the one screaming. She tried to roll onto her hand and knees, only dazedly recognizing she'd been thrown almost 20 feet. Her muscles felt like jelly as they tried to support her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Jal striding toward her again, shadows trailing after him more alive than they should have been.

She forced herself onto unsteady legs and pulled a deep breath into her lungs to anchor herself again. With one hand she pulled at the clasp holding her cloak and let it fall away, leaving only the emerald green dress beneath it to cover her form. It was hardly made for fighting in, though the garment had obviously been tailored with that possible situation in mind. Long slits ran along her thighs, leaving her legs free to move, and the upper portion had been given much of the same treatment. Thin straps held the dress up, and the bulk of the material began just above the top curve of her breasts, displaying the curling mark tattooed on her skin just above her heart. The material itself clung to her like a second skin, tight but not restrictive.

Rinowa could feel Jal's eyes on her, watching her with a predatory gleam. She needed to get out of here. He'd landed one blow, and it had floored her, a second might be the end. She scanned the area around her and quickly realized why she'd been herded to this spot. The alleys led to dead ends, and the main street was the only way to run. Her fingers absentmindedly brushed the mark over her heart, as Jal continued to advance.

"That's it...Let it go. You know you don't stand a chance without it..." Hungry indeed. Jal sounded as if he could have devoured the whole of the city and still been hungry for seconds in that instant, "Not that you do with it... The tables have shifted at last, and now there's nothing left standing in our way..."

Rinowa only had time to blink before Jal's nose was a hair's breadth from her own.

"Except...you."

She made up her mind then, releasing the breath she'd been holding and felt the rush of energy spread through her limbs as it left her. Jal's face lit up with a venomous green light, before Rinowa struck him hard in the chest, crackling green energy seizing his body as Rinowa lunged forward again. She moved in twirling arcs of lesser and greater circles, the zig-zag of electric green trailing her fingertips as she moved. In close to Jal she spun, weaving through the writhing mass of shadow that surrounded him. She brought down one hand against the mass of shadow, only to have it shriek in pain and dissolve against the pavement in a crackle of green light.

Her vision spun even as she did, and the burst of renewed vigor was already beginning to fade away. She could see Jal now, through the living tangle of shadow. She had to end this now, before her body failed her completely. He was there, within arm's reach now, and the shadows had parted ;leaving their master exposed in a single critical moment. Rinowa turned, pooling the last of her strength to strike Jal down when his form melted into a blob of shadow, and something hit her square in the chest with a dull thump.

The world seemed to be moving much too slow as she turned to see Jal standing there, his hand wrapped around the hilt of the knife she'd thrown at him earlier. The blade itself, was buried straight through the mark on her chest. Her arms fell limply to her sides and the strength in her legs failed as she stared at the knife in her chest, before Jal pulled it free. His hands caught her slumping form gently and laid her against the ground, while sticky crimson seeped unchecked from her wound. The fog seemed to be creeping closer to her now, it's chill pressing in on her skin and clouding her vision. She could only just make out Jal kneeling over her. Air was becoming tight in her lungs and she couldn't manage to pull more in as the world started to fade. She looked up at Jal, as he reached out a hand to smooth an errant strand of her hair back and smiled.

"Shhhh... Your job isn't over... I told you I needed you help, and now, your death is going to bring the Avatar right to my front door..."

Gotc: BUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Well, I shouldn't be enjoying that death as much as I am, but I'm excited for what's soon to come. Pairings are not yet set in stone, though I do like Makkora and may lean that way in future chapters. Anyway, If you liked it, hated it, or even just had some thoughts, please let me know via reviews (FYI: Reviews are to authors like catnip is to cats). I'd really like to continue this story, but will only do so if there's interest, so take a moment, drop me a line and I'll get to writing the next installment! Laters!