Chapter I - "It was supposed to be another day."

Republic City

170 AG

Do you want to know the most annoying thing about living in one of the cheapest apartment buildings in Republic City? The way the sun seeps through the cracks of the cheaply built windows at dawn. It happened every morning, but this morning in particular was one that had pissed me off to no end. I wasn't sure if it was because I had pulled a double shift at Liang's Diner the previous night or if it was because I hadn't really been sleeping well, but either way it was something that had put me in a really bad mood.

I looked up at the ceiling and lay still for several minutes, hoping that the lack of movement would help me fall asleep again. Eventually, after laying still for several minutes, I realized that I wasn't going to get any more sleep no matter how hard I tried, so I swung my legs over my bed and walked towards the rusty old mirror that I kept in the corner of the room. It was my Grandma's, and it had seen better days, that was for sure.

Hell, the same thing could've been said about me.

It wasn't that long ago that I'd been living comfortably with Gran-Gran, in a small, but clean apartment in the heart of Republic City.

I still wasn't sure why, but she had taken me in when I was still a little kid. She took care of me, made sure I went to school, you know, all the basic stuff that adults are supposed to do. She wasn't the most affectionate woman in the world and wasn't really one to show emotion, but I knew deep down that she would always be there for me, no matter what.

That was until she had gotten sick.

I didn't really absorb what the healer had said when she visited, but she gave Gran-Gran's illness some kind of fancy name that up to this day, I can't remember. In fact, I don't really remember much from that time. Spirits knows I was barely home to remember the details.

After Gran-Gran had gotten sick, I was the one that started looking after her. I ended up trying to juggle school and eventually got a job in one of the industrial steel mills close to where we lived. They were looking for able bodies and they didn't really ask too many questions, so it was perfect for the time being. I didn't make a lot and the hours weren't great, but it was enough to put food on the table and pay for the medicine and check-ups that my Grandmother needed.

I kept that up for about a year until Gran-Gran passed. I don't really remember much about that time either. I think that was my brain's way of shielding me from the grief, but hey, I wasn't complaining. I didn't like to think about it anyway, especially after seeing how badly Gran-Gran had deteriorated.

It was like she had transformed overnight. One day, she was the happy, healthy and strong woman I knew, and the next, it was like I was practically living with a corpse. A shell of the person she once was.

In a way, I was glad she wasn't suffering anymore.

That was a little over three years ago, and after the first few months or so, I had ended up on the street, barely getting by with the emergency money that I had left. The money I had been getting from the steel mill just wasn't enough to cover the cost of the rent and eventually I had to leave. The landlord was kind enough to let me stay for the first couple of months rent free, but as he put it, he had "a family to feed too."

As circumstances would have it, I had ended up getting myself into trouble more times than I could count, and eventually I had taken it upon myself to join up with the Triple Threat Triads.

Although I had refused to take part in the more violent activities the Triple Threats liked to get involved in, I did find myself running numbers for them whenever I could and pocketing some of the change for my troubles. Of course, that didn't come without its consequences. I was only about 16 at the time, but I had been in and out of jail so frequently that I had ended up with the honor of getting to know the esteemed Chief of Police, Lin Beifong, daughter of the war hero, Toph Beifong.

Thinking about it ,she was never too impressed whenever they would book me in. She would always give me this look that would simultaneously make me feel bad and scare the shit out of me.

It wasn't until after a year later and multiple two day stints in jail, when I had gotten jumped by a rival gang that I decided that the life of running numbers and dodging gangbangers wasn't for me. Who knew what kind of target I had on my back? Who knew what would happen the next time I looked at somebody the wrong way?

After deciding that enough was enough, I packed what little I had and never looked back. It took me awhile, but I eventually found a job as a dishwasher at Liang's Diner - a little restaurant famous for it's dumplings and noodles. Personally, I thought the dumplings were a little too salty, but that was an opinion I liked to keep to myself, since the place sort of had its own little cult following. It didn't pay much and I absolutely hated it, but it kept me fed, out of Beifong's jail cell and with a roof over my head, so I couldn't really complain.

I looked at myself in the mirror and ran my fingers through the little bit of hair that I had. I had opted for a buzzcut only a few days before, since having it longer was practically unbearable whenever I worked in the kitchen. So much so that I would practically come home soaked in sweat.

Gross, I know.

Just as I began to reach for the small brush on my dresser, I felt a drop of cold water run down my back. I looked up at the ceiling and realized that it was leaking again. I shook my head, sighed and placed the metal bucket Jing, the landlord, had given me underneath the dripping ceiling. I was going to have find Jing and talk to him about that.

After freshening up, and getting myself ready for the day, I made my way to the downstairs lobby where I was more than certain I would find Jing smoking one of his disgusting cigars. Those things smelled like death...and garbage. The man was a slob and I hated him, but there wasn't much I could say or do, since the guy was my landlord and practically held my entire life in his chubby little hands.

"Rent's due on the 5th, Takeo." Jing said, as I passed by him on my way out of the building. He blew a puff of smoke in my direction, making me cough. Man, that thing smelled awful.

"I know," I said, a little rougher than I had intended. It wasn't like I needed his reminders. I always paid my rent on time.

Usually.

Sometimes.

Jing smiled at me, and blew out another puff of smoke.

"It was just a friendly reminder, bud." He said, making me frown. I wasn't sure if he was doing the nice guy act on purpose to be an asshole, or if it was just me waking up on the wrong side of the bed that morning, but I really was not in the mood for his bullshit.

"The ceiling's leaking. Just a friendly reminder, bud." I retorted sarcastically, making Jing put down his cigar and get up from his chair. He moved closer to me and grabbed me by the collar of my shirt.

"You can always take ya' shit and leave ya' know. I can't tell ya' how many people I have lined up for a place like this. You sass me one more time and yer' outta here, ya' hear me?" Jing said.

I seriously doubted that Jing had people "lining up" for a place in this dump of a building, in this dump of a city, but seeing that I was already on thin ice with the guy, I kept quiet and nodded my head just so that he would go away. Eventually after seeing that I had backed down, he let go of my collar and stalked off somewhere.

It was only around 10 in the morning, but the sun had already started to beat down on the city, and I could already feel beads of sweat forming on my forehead. I could already tell that it was going to be one of the hotter days of the year, so far. It was only the middle of spring but it seemed like with every passing day, the weather had kept improving. If it stayed like this, I was sure that we were going to have one hell of a summer- something that didn't really happen here in Republic City. Being on the coast, our weather was usually a little milder and rainier, so to have a little heat was something that I wasn't going to complain about.

I was also glad that my day off had fallen on a nice day, and as I walked out of my apartment building and down 5th Avenue I began planning out how I would spend it. I figured I could take a walk 'round Republic City Park, maybe feed some of the Turtle Ducks in the pond and then after that I could-

"Help! Please!" Came a voice from across the street.

"Shut up!" Said another, almost immediately.

I looked over at the commotion and spotted where the voice or voices had come from. There were three men surrounding an elderly man who had a phonograph in his hand. If I wasn't mistaken, those guys were definitely Triple Threats.

Fancy clothing, that bordered on tacky? Check.

Terrible haircuts? Check.

Vaguely threatening? Check.

They were Triads alright. I looked over at the old man once again, and then I looked down the street. I mean, I didn't have to step in. If I wanted to, I could continue on and pretend like I hadn't seen anything. I could just go about my business and enjoy my one day off for the week.

But of course, that's not what I did.

Damn me, and my moral compass.

I looked over at the man surrounded by the group of triads and weighed my odds.

I'm not a bender. I thought. If these guys wanted to, they could mess me up pretty badly. I looked over at the elderly man for a third time, and without thinking, I jogged over to the group and placed myself between the man and the three Triads.

"Is there a problem here?" I asked. The tallest man of the group looked at me and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Mr. Chung, here, owes us some money. We're only here to collect what he owes," The man said, lighting a flame in the palm of his hand. Even though he was in the process of threatening me with the fireball he had just lit in his palm, I couldn't help but notice how wispy his mustache was.

It was a little pathetic, actually. It just seemed to be hanging there for dear life, kind of like it was-

"Hey, kid! Did you hear me? Or am I going to have to beat the wax out of yer' ears?" Wispy 'Stache said, jolting me out of my thoughts. I chuckled nervously and did my best to calm him down. I could already tell that he was one of those jumpy Triads that liked to bend at anything that moved.

"That won't be necessary, sir. How about we leave this poor old man alone and we all go about our business? I mean, it is a wonderful day today. I'm sure you wouldn't want to ruin it by hurting Mr. Fung here." I said, patting the old man on his shoulder, who immediately swatted my hand off and glared at me.

"My name is Chung!" The man said, probably less than impressed that I had called him by the wrong name.

Jeez. You call a person that you're trying to help the wrong name and they get all grouchy. I should've kept walking.

The Triads, however, also looked less than impressed and after a few seconds, the three of them had gotten into their respective bending stances.

If you hadn't guessed already, it was at that moment where I had really regretted stopping.

It wasn't enough that I was outnumbered three to one, but they all were benders too? I was counting on Wispy 'Stache being the only bender, not his buddies as well! That was just the icing on the Lychee cake.

After a moment of trying to collect myself, I decided to stand my ground all while trying to do my best to hide my growing nervousness.

"Look, fellas. You do know that extortion is against the law, right?" I said, eyeing the biggest one of the group in particular. He was definitely an Earthbender. The guy was basically a mountain in human form. His arms were massive. He probably could've squished my head like a grape if he wanted to.

Not that I would give him the chance, of course.

I liked my head the way it was, thank you very much.

"He owes us money." The mountain, sorry, Earthbender said, taking a step forward. I too, took a step forward and looked up at him. Now, I was a fairly tall guy, but this guy made me feel like a spider-fly in comparison.

"You should probably leave this poor man and his business alone or else." I continued, wondering where this newfound bravery had come from. Wispy 'Stache looked at me and then back at his friends with the cheesiest grin I had ever seen, making me want punch the grin and his stupid mustache off of his face.

"Can you believe this guy? Threatening me?" He said, making his friends chuckle. "Hey, Dah, tell im' what happened to the last guy that threatened me." He said, looking at the large Earthbender.

Dah scratched his head and looked like he was racking his brain trying to remember what his buddy was talking about.

"Uh, are you talking about that clown that almost ran you over with his Sato Scooter last week or-" Dah began, making Wispy 'Stache turn redder than the jacket he was wearing.

"Nevermind!" The man yelled. I shook my head, and did my best to suppress a laugh. These guys were idiots! How they had managed to dress themselves this morning, had me scratching my head in bewilderment.

"So, are you gonna try and beat me up or what? I don't have time for this." I said, crossing my arms and banking on the fact that I could catch their bluff or at least stall until someone had called the cops. Wispy 'Stache stepped closer to me, and held his palm filled with fire dangerously close to my face.

"Kid, you better get the fuck out of our way or else I'm gonna-"

"Or else what, hoodlum?" Yelled a voice from behind the three triads.

Hoodlum? I thought. Nobody says hoodlum anymore. Well, unless you're over the age of 75.

I peered over the shoulders of the three men and watched in amusement as they too spun around to see who was there. My eyebrows raised in shock when I saw exactly who it was.

It was a girl around my age, and judging by her clothes and her accent she was definitely not from Republic City. If I had to guess she was probably from one of the Water Tribes. From my time living among the very diverse population of Republic City, I had noticed that the people from the WaterTribes, the Southern Tribe in particular, tended to have a softer accent compared to the harsher one of the City. It wasn't terribly different, but it was noticeable if you listened closely enough.

It wasn't until I had taken a good look at the girl standing in front of us that I had noticed the smirk on her face. It was the cockiest smirk I had ever seen, and trust me, I had seen a lot.

Who is this girl and does she have a death wish? I wondered, but before I had time to contemplate that thought, the three gang members began to laugh uproariously, making me cringe. Sure, the girl was in way over her head, but she didn't deserve to get laughed at like that. After several moments of taking the time to collect themselves, Wispy 'Stache spoke up.

"Since you're obviously fresh off the boat, let me explain a couple things. You're in Triple Threat Triad territory, and we're about to put you and your vigilante friend here in the hospital." The man said, pointing back at me.

Vigilante? That was new and unexpected, but I kind of liked it. It had a ring to it.

Takeo, the Vigilante. That was definitely something I could get used to hearing.

The girl, however, didn't seem phased at all. She was obviously extremely confident or extremely cocky. I looked at her again. Only this time, her arms were folded.

Yep, she was definitely cocky.

Still unfazed by Wispy Stache's threats, the girl stepped forward and cracked her knuckles. She glanced at me for a second and then focused on the three triads again.

"You're the only ones who are gonna need a hospital. And for your sake, I hope there's one nearby," She said, with a smile on her face.

"Who do you think you are?" Wispy 'Stache asked, obviously getting fed up with this girl's games.

"Why don't you come and find out?" The girl replied, rubbing her hands together, almost as if she was enjoying their back and forth. Deciding that enough was enough and this was getting out of hand, I stepped forward and stood in between the girl and the three gang members.

"Whoa, guys! I really don't think this is necessary!" I said, trying be the mediator. "How about we just forget all this happened and go our separate-GAH."

I barely had time to duck before a large fireball flew past my head. What was it with these guys and aiming for the head? Wispy 'Stache threw another ball of fire at me, missing me again as I rolled out of the way. I was at a serious disadvantage being a non-bender but I made up for it with my hand to hand combat skills.

Well, kind of.

I didn't really have a technique or a fighting style or anything. I mostly just winged it and hoped for the best.

It worked about 60% of the time.

On a good day.

As I rolled away from Wispy 'Stache's attack, I caught a glimpse of the girl taking on the other two Triads. From where I was, it looked like she had frozen the Waterbender's face in some kind of ice...thing, which made him stumble. After letting him stumble for awhile, she raised her foot and kicked him against a Sato Mobile with probably one of the hardest kicks I had ever seen in my life.

He was gonna have a serious headache tomorrow.

Obviously not too happy with her giving his friend a concussion, the Earthbender rushed her as fast as he could, only to be catapulted into the sky and out of sight.

Wait, what?

I didn't get time to finish that thought as Wispy 'Stache attacked me again, this time with several balls of fire being thrown at me in rapid succession. I jumped out of the way again, this time getting closer to him so I could land a punch straight to his 'noggin.

But of course, that's not what happened.

Why did I think things would go my way? Not only did my fist not connect, I felt a gust of wind leave my hands and I watched as Wispy 'Stache ended up crashing head first into a nearby Sato Mobile. The thought that air had just come out of my fist hadn't even crossed my mind.

That first punch obviously didn't stop Wispy 'Stache, as he got up again and fire bent at me, catching me off-guard. I put my hands up to my face in a pathetic attempt to protect myself, only to have the girl step in front of me and bend the flames away from the two of us. She then proceeded to grab Wispy 'Stache by his hands and throw him into a shop window, destroying the window and most likely a couple of bones.

Yeah, he was definitely going to feel that in the morning, too.

Looking at her handiwork, the girl smiled and blew a strand of hair out of her face.

"Got an idea who I am now, chumps?" She said, placing her hands on her hips.

It was then it hit me. She had just Waterbended, Firebended and Earthbended all in the span of 30 seconds. How was that even possible? The only person that had the ability to do that was-

Then it clicked.

She's the Avatar, you idiot. I shook my head at how long that had taken for me to figure out, but then another thought crossed my mind.

Wait, did I just...airbend? How hard did I hit my head back there? Shaking my head again, I dusted myself off and took a deep breath, hoping to go back home and sort through everything that happened. As I got up to leave, I realize that I was surrounded by a group of people who were now staring at me, including the girl who could Waterbend, Earthbend and Firebend, apparently.

"Did she just bend all four elements?" Came some whispers from a few people in the crowd.

"That boy just airbended, I thought there were only four airbenders left in the world?" Whispered another.

"She must be the Avatar!"

"He must be the reincarnation of Avatar Aang's airbending spirit!" I looked at the man that had said that and he immediately recoiled. That didn't even make sense! Was it even possible to reincarnate as a...bending spirit? I didn't even want to think about it.

Suddenly, at the realization that all of these people had just seen me airbend, my heart began to race, and I couldn't help but feel a little dizzy with all of these people so close to me.

What had just happened? One minute I was getting my ass kicked by a Firebender with a terrible mustache and another minute I was bending...air?

That wasn't possible.

I wasn't a bender, my Grandmother was an Earthbender and as far as I had known, so were my parents, but there was no way that I could've been-

"You're an airbender?" The girl said, interrupting my frantic thoughts. Her face was a mixture of excitement and shock, and she stepped forward, getting a little closer to me.

A little too close.

Instinctively, I took a step back, a little intimidated by the girl in front of me who had just taken on three benders without breaking a sweat. Deciding that I needed to dig myself out of the hole I had created, I tried to lie.

"What? No! Me? An Airbender? That's crazy! You're crazy!" I said quickly. Her face changed into one of irritation and I wasn't sure if it was because I had called her crazy or if it was because she could see through my terrible attempt at lying.

I had never been a good liar, anyway.

"I just saw you airbend that guy into that Sato Mobile over there. Why are you being so weird? This is amazing! I thought-" I interrupted her immediately.

"Yeah, yeah, you thought there were only four benders in the world and now you're absolutely amazed because you think you saw one more. You saw wrong, okay? Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be." I said, turning my back to her and walking off.

Technically, that was a lie too. I didn't really have anywhere to be, but anywhere seemed better than there at that moment. Before I had even had a chance to walk a foot away from her, she grabbed my arm and marched me towards the crowd of people that were still discussing the events that had happened minutes prior.

"You're not going anywhere," She said to me as she she turned towards the crowd of civilians that had gathered. "Who else saw this guy airbend?" Several people put their hands up in agreement.

Of course they would. Again, things never seemed to go the way I wanted them to.

I grabbed her arm, which was freakishly muscular by the way, and pulled her just far enough away so that people couldn't hear us.

"Would you keep your voice down? I don't know what this thing is and I sure as hell can't control it. I don't need you telling the entire city that I can airbend!" I said, sharply, hoping that she would get how serious I was being.

She chuckled, instead, and completely ignored me.

"Aha! So, you admit that you are an Airbender!" I rolled my eyes and let go of her arm, wanting to slap myself for indirectly admitting that I was an Airbender. I wasn't, damn it! It was a fluke!

"Just keep it to yourself, please." I asked, already fed up for the day and I was pretty sure it wasn't even 10:30 yet.

"Sure." She responded, walking away from me.

"That didn't sound convincing at all." I said to her. She was probably one of the most exasperating people I had ever met, and I had met her less than ten minutes ago! Just as I was about to follow her, I felt something warm and wet on my back, only to be tackled by a huge Polar Bear Dog.

A Polar Bear Dog.

In Republic City? Oh man, this girl really was fresh off the boat. The Polar Bear Dog then proceeded to lick my face and cover it in animal saliva.

"Can this day get any worse?" I muttered under my breath.

The girl smiled and patted the Polar Bear Dog's side.

"Aw, Naga likes you. She's a great judge of character." She said, putting her hands on her hips. I noticed how often she did that. It seemed to be her "thing".

"That's awesome! Can you ask Naga to get off of me? I think I'm losing feeling in my face." The girl gently spoke to her animal companion and pulled me up off of the ground with ease. I was surprised at how strong she was as I had a couple inches on her, easy. I then proceeded to wipe the Polar Bear Dog saliva off of my face with my sleeve.

It smelled weird.

After a moment of wiping saliva and spirits knows what else off of my face, it occurred to me that I didn't even know her name.

"Hey, so I don't know your name and I'm pretty sure 'Avatar' isn't it." I said sticking my hand out. "I'm Takeo. Nice to meet you." She took my hand in hers and shook it.

"Korra." She said, smiling back at me. It was genuine. The first genuine smile that I had encountered in awhile. Unfortunately, our little meet and greet was cut short by the sound of police sirens blaring in the distance, followed by several metal bending officers jumping out of the large airship above.

My face changed into one of confusion as I watched the Metalbenders use their cables to land in the street. Seeing Metalbenders and an airship was rare, as it wasn't often that they would get involved in petty gang disputes like this one. So that meant one thing.

Someone was about to be in a lot of trouble.

"Cool, Metalbenders." Korra said, with a look of bewilderment on her face. I looked over at her and smiled.

Here's a girl that can bend all four elements and literally has the entire world on her shoulders, but she's still able to get excited about seeing Metalbenders. I thought. In a really strange way, I found it charming.

Without wasting anytime, Korra walked towards the metalbenders, with Naga and I following closely behind.

"Hey, officer. We caught the bad guys for you." She said, stepping aside to show the officer the mess she and I had created.

The first officer to land on the ground stopped in front of us. He looked at Korra and then motioned to his squad of five or six men behind him.

"Arrest the three triads over there and arrest them too." He said, pointing at Korra and I. My eyes went wide and Korra gasped.

I couldn't get arrested again! I had been laying low since I had found a job and after several incidents (that totally weren't my fault) I had been warned that if I was brought in again, I would be put away, for good.

I couldn't get arrested again. I just couldn't.

Seeing that most of the officer's attention was on Korra, I began to back away slowly, hoping to make it to the alleyway and make a run for it. Korra however, was immediately on the defensive and stood her ground.

"What do you mean we're under arrest? Those are the bad guys over there. They were smashing up a shop! Me and Takeo here were protecting these people!" I stopped backing away, and reluctantly walked back to where she was standing. I couldn't just leave her there. I sighed internally, cursing my moral compass for the second time in the span of half an hour.

"Uh, yeah, officer. Those guys were threatening Mr. Chang so we decided to step in." I interjected, now standing at Korra's side.

"My name is Chung!" Mr. Chung yelled out from the crowd. I cringed at the glare that Korra gave me, which probably made the officer even more unconvinced at our story.

"From the looks of it, you smashed up a whole lot more than that." He said. Seconds later, he threw his hand out and wrapped his metalbending cable around my wrist.

"Wait, you can't arrest me! We can explain!" I said, struggling against the officer's cable that was reeling me in. Now, this would've been a time where my airbending would have come in handy. But of course, with my 60% success rate that didn't happen.

"You can explain all you like yourself down at headquarters." The officer said as he pulled me in closer, only for the line to be retracted as Korra intervened. I was free! I watched as Naga pushed one of the officers into a wall and lowered herself to let Korra on her back.

"Get on!" Korra called to me from on top of her Polar Bear Dog.

Oh no, there was no way I was getting on that thing.

"No way! You know what? I think I'm just gonna-AH" She grabbed my hand and pulled me onto Naga's back. Immediately, we sped off onto the main road. Just as we were about to head down 7th Avenue, I felt yet another metalbending cable wrap around my wrist, and just as it was about to yank me off of Naga, the line retracted and a metalbending officer went flying.

"Did you just kick that officer off of Naga?!" I asked, in total shock.

"Yep!" Korra answered nonchalantly.

"You just assaulted an officer!" I yelled in disbelief. Korra looked at me and frowned.

"I had no choice! He was coming after us and he would've grabbed you!" She replied.

It was official. This girl was nuts.

I shook my head, and held onto Korra for dear life as we continued on Naga's back, speeding through the city with the metalbending officers hot on our heels. After several minutes of trying to lose the police force and me holding on for dear life, an airship appeared and wrapped Naga up in it's cables. Our little adventure had come to an end. I hung my head, scared of what was coming next.

REPUBLIC CITY POLICE STATION

"Hey! Watch the shirt." I said struggling against the handcuffs and the rather large metalbending officer who was holding me by my collar. Korra and I had been apprehended a few minutes before and now I had no idea where I was being taken.

Stupid. I thought. You should've kept walking, but nooo, you had to be the hero. Look where that got you. In jail.

"Wait here, someone will be in shortly for questioning." The gruff metalbender said. I looked down at the handcuffs and then at the officer.

"I don't think I'll be going anywhere anytime soon." I said. The look the officer gave me made me recoil.

The officer sat me in the chair and handcuffed my hands to the table. There was no way I was going to get out of here even if I wanted to, and now all I could do was wait. After several minutes of staring into space, I looked up at the ceiling and noticed a spider-fly perched in the corner and the web it had made.

I wondered where it came from, or how long it had been up there. Why did it choose that particular spot-

I was really bored, wasn't I? I sighed and slumped down further into the chair. This day really wasn't going how I thought it would. After a few moments of feeling sorry for myself and cursing under my breath, a portion of the door slid open and Korra was led in and sat on the opposite side of the table by the same metalbending officer that had brought me in. I waited for the Metalbending officer to leave before I said anything.

"Well, if it isn't my partner in crime! It's about time you showed up! You know, this is definitely a story I'll tell my kids one day. The story of how I ended up sharing a jail cell with the Avatar!" I said, dramatically.

"You're not funny." She deadpanned. She paused for a moment and then began pulling on the cuffs to no avail.

"Don't bother. I already tried getting out of these things a hundred times, so unless you're a metalbender, that ain't happening," Well, that wasn't exactly true. I had tried getting out of them once and gave up. She frowned and gave me a curious look.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked, slightly weirded out that she was staring at me.

"So, what's it like being an Airbender?" Korra asked.

"I already told you that I'm not an Airbender." I replied quickly.

"Why do you keep saying that? I saw you Airbend!" She replied. I began to protest, but she shut me up immediately. "And don't try to deny it! I saw you! What's your problem anyway? Being an Airbender is like, the coolest thing in the world!" Korra said, making me raise my eyebrows.

"I guess you would know, being the Avatar and all." I said. Korra's face fell immediately, making me wonder if I had unintentionally hit some kind of sore spot. Sure, I wasn't a fan of her at that moment, but that didn't mean I wanted to hurt her either.

"Actually...I'm not an Airbender. That's why I'm here in Republic City." She admitted.

I thought about what she had just said. Thinking about it, I couldn't recall actually seeing her airbend when we were fighting off those Triads.

"You...can't airbend?" I asked, hoping that she didn't hear the surprise in my voice. What kind of Avatar can't airbend? I thought.

Now, I wasn't an expert on all things Avatar, but from the books I had read, I was sure that Avatars liked to use all four elements when bending.

"No. I can't." She said, shortly. From the expression on her face and the way she had answered me, I realized that that was definitely the end of that conversation. I looked at her and then looked down at my own cuffs, an idea suddenly popping into my head.

"Listen up." I said, waiting for Korra's attention. "Someone's probably going to come in here soon, so let me do all the talking and we'll be outta here in no time." I said from the opposite end of the table. She smiled at me and rolled her eyes, which irritated me immensely. Was she really brushing me off when she was the one that had gotten us into this mess in the first place? I wasn't the one that had dropkicked a police officer.

"Takeo, I'm the Avatar and you're a friend of the Avatar. They're not gonna keep us in here. I'll just let them know that it was a big misunderstanding andwe'll be outta here in no time." She said leaning back, obviously satisfied with her plan.

I rolled my eyes and sat back in my chair. First of all, we weren't friends and second, there was no way they were going to buy that 'Avatar' crap. She had no clue.

"Playing the Avatar card isn't gonna work, you know," I said. She straightened up, getting defensive.

"And how do you know that, tough guy?"

"Let's just say I have some experience being in here." I replied. There was no point trying to hide anything from her. Everything was pretty much out in he open at this point.

"What?! Are you some kind of criminal? Because if I had known I wouldn't have helped you escape-" She said, getting flustered.

I rolled my eyes again and began to laugh, which seemed to make her even more annoyed.

"Escape? Listen, kid, we're two rooms away from a jail cell." I said.

"Did you just call me 'kid'?" She exclaimed.

Before either of us could argue any more, Chief Beifong entered the holding room and slammed her clipboard down onto the middle of the table, startling the both of us.

She was pissed. So naturally, I tried my luck.

"Chief Beifong, you are absolutely glowing today! Did you do something new with your hair?" I said, piling on the charm. She looked at me and frowned.

"Cut the crap, Takeo. You want to tell about that little stunt you pulled this afternoon?" Beifong asked. I looked down at the ground and then back at her.

"Uh, just so we're on the same page, what exactly did you hear? Because I can guarantee it's not as bad as it sounds," I said, trailing off. What was I going to say? It's not like I could've made something up. She would've known immediately and Earthbended me into a jail cell that very second. Beifong shook her head and began to pace around the small table Korra and I were seated at.

"Let's see, multiple counts of destruction of private and city property... not to mention evading arrest. You two are in a whole mess of trouble. Especially you, Takeo." She said, placing her hands on the table.

"But there were some thugs threatening a helpless shop keeper and I had to- " Korra interjected, trying to explain herself before Beifong shut her down. I was silently thanking her for taking the heat off of me a little.

"You should have called the police and stayed out of the way." Beifong said.

"Well, yeah, but I couldn't just sit by and do nothing. It's my duty to help people. You see, I'm the Avatar." She said with a nervous grin, obviously hoping for the best. If I had had enough range of motion to bang my head against the table, I would have.

"Oh, I know exactly who you are." Beifong said. "Your Avatar title might impress some people, but not me," Beifong then turned to me again.

Great, I was kinda enjoying not being on the receiving end of the Chief's tongue lashing.

"And you! What were you doing taking on thugs with the Avatar?" She crossed her arms and waited for my response.

"Well, technically, I was dragged into this...but I swear, Chief, I didn't even know who she was until she started Earthbending...after she had started Waterbending...after she started Firebending..." I trailed off.

"Hey, I was trying to help!" Korra yelled from across the table. I could see the fire in her eyes and I could tell she was not happy. It probably wasn't the best idea to throw her under the Sato Bus like that, but hey, she was the one who had gotten the both of us into this mess. "You were getting your butt kicked until I came in and saved the day!" She continued on. I looked at her incredulously. Was this girl for real?

"I was not! You told the guy you were gonna put him into a hospital!" I said, then turning to Beifong. "I don't know about you Chief Beifong, but that sounds like a pretty serious threat." I said, throwing Korra under the bus again. I cringed at the facial expression she made, and I was sure that I would've been in danger if it wasn't for those handcuffs and the table between us. Chief Beifong put her hand up, silencing the both of us.

"That still doesn't explain why you were seen trying to flee from the crime scene."

I leaned forward and lowered my voice. "She pulled me onto her Polar Bear Dog and there was no way I was jumping off of that thing."

"Hey, that thing is my best friend!" Korra said. Her voice getting dangerously low.

I looked at her and raised my eyebrows. "That's kinda sad, actually."

Korra tried to lunge at me from across the table and at that moment I felt like the luckiest guy alive that she was handcuffed. Note to self, don't talk smack about the Polar Bear Dog.

Like, ever.

At our antics, Beifong ran her hands through her hair. Was she frustrated or confused? I couldn't guess. After a few moments of probably wondering what she did to deserve being stuck in a room with the two of us, she stood up straight and looked at me. I could feel her green eyes piercing into my soul. I was terified.

"Takeo, what have I told you about this nonsense? I warned you, third strike and you're out. I'm going to have to put you away for this." She said, reaching for her clipboard and began furiously scribbling something on it. Somehow in the span of 2 minutes I had managed to piss off not only the Chief of Police, but also the Avatar.

"Wait, Chief Beifong, please! If you would just let me explain-" My pleading was interrupted when a small section of the wall opened, and a cop peaked into the room. At least it wasn't the big guy that had brought me in.

"Chief Beifong, Councilman Tenzin is here." The metalbender said. Beifong couldn't look anymore irritated if she tried.

"Let him in." She sighed.

Moments later, a fairly tall man dressed in orange and yellow robes entered the room. So, that was Councilman Tenzin. He was Avatar Aang's son and the only Airbending Master in the entire world. The guy was practically a celebrity and I had to admit, it was a little weird being in the same room as him. Korra was the first to greet him and I could see the nervousness etched across her face.

"Hey…Tenzin. I got a little side tracked on my way to see you." She said, laughing nervously.

The Councilman furrowed his eyebrows, and I could tell that he was none too impressed with the Avatar and her antics. He looked at Korra and then turned his attention to Chief Beifong.

"Lin, you're looking radiant as usual," He began.

Good luck, buddy. I thought. I already tried that and failed miserably. As expected, the Chief shut him down quickly.

"Can it, Tenzin. Why is the Avatar in Republic City? I thought you were supposed to be moving down south to train her?"

"My relocation has been delayed. The Avatar, on the other hand, will be heading back to the South Pole immediately, where she will stay put. If you would be so kind as to drop the charges against Korra, I will take full responsibility for today's regrettable events, and cover all the damages." He said.

"But, that's not fair-" Korra said, beginning to protest. The Councilman ignored her and turned to me, watching me carefully with a face that I couldn't read.

"And who is this young man?" He asked. I could hear the curiosity in his voice, so I decided to be polite and greet him first. You know, good first impressions and all that jazz.

"The name's, Takeo. Pleasure to meet you, Councilman Tenzin. I would shake your hand, but, you know." I said gesturing to my cuffed hands from across the table. Lin looked at the two us and decided to answer Tenzin's question.

"This one aided the Avatar on her journey of destruction and-"

"AND HE'S AN AIRBENDER!" Korra yelled out. In unison, Tenzin, Beifong and I looked at her. I had no idea what the other two were thinking but, oh boy, was I not happy.

"You promised you wouldn't say anything!" I said. Looking frantically between the three of them. Even Beifong looked a little caught off guard.

Huh, so she did have emotions other than straight up pissed or slightly unimpressed.

"I'm sorry, Korra. Did you just say that he is an Airbender?" Tenzin asked, as if he hadn't heard correctly.

Korra looked at me with a smile on her face and I shook my head, trying to get her to stop, but for what was probably the millionth time that day, she ignored me.

"I was just as surprised as you, Tenzin, but I know what I saw. Come on Takeo, show em'." She continued.

I glared at Korra, but she seemed...oblivious. No, not oblivious. She was definitely doing this on purpose. I sighed, realizing that there was no way I was talking myself out of this one.

"Okay, fine, yes...I think I might be Airbender, but I can't control it. To be honest, I don't know what happened back there when we were taking on those Triads. Everything just happened so fast. " I said, sincerely. I really didn't understand what was happening to me or why it was happening to me. I spent almost nineteen years of my life without any bending whatsoever and then all of a sudden, I was shooting air out of my fists.

The universe had some serious explaining to do.

After I had finished, there was silence for a few seconds, as if both the Councilman and Beifong were mulling what I had just said, over in their heads. Before I could say anything else, Beifong frowned and yet another tongue lashing ensued.

"I'm sorry, but unless I see some proof, I'm having a hard time believing that this isn't some kind of scheme to try and get you out of trouble." Beifong chimed in. I rolled my eyes and leaned back as far as I could.

"Chief Beifong, you wound me." I replied.

"One more quip out of you, kid, and I'm throwing you in a cell."

I stopped being a smartass after that.

"Okay, just let me try and prove to you both that I'm telling the truth," I said, looking at the both of them. After several moments of silence, I spoke up again. "You have to uncuff me first, though." I said, praying that it would work, because if it didn't...I shuddered at the thought.

"You must be out of your mind to think that I would uncuff you-" Beifong began, before Councilman Tenzin silenced her.

"Let the boy try, Lin. We're all master benders here anyway. He wouldn't get too far if he tried anything."

Ouch. That kinda stung. It was true, but it stung all the same. I wasn't that useless.

I had my moments.

Sometimes.

With a flick of her wrist, Beifong uncuffed Korra and I, and let us both stand up. I rubbed my wrists where the handcuffs had been and then I looked at Korra who nodded her head and smiled. I guessed that that was her way of telling me to "go for it". I took a deep breath and got into one of the stances that I had seen Korra do.

Well, I tried anyway.

I wasn't exactly sure of what I was doing and I probably looked like an idiot, but I tried. That was all that mattered. Or so I thought.

I punched the air and nothing happened. I did it again and then tried again a third time. Nothing. I looked over at Chief Beifong, Councilman Tenzin and Korra. Tenzin looked unimpressed, Beifong looked like she was ready to lock me up anytime now and Korra just looked disappointed. I punched the air for the fourth time.

I don't know why I thought that would work.

"Enough of this nonsense! This is a waste of my time and-" Chief Beifong said, but before she could get any further, Korra interjected.

"Chief Beifong, wait! I think I know how Takeo can prove to you that he is an Airbender." She said.

"You know, that really would have been helpful about 30 seconds ago." I said, sarcastically.

"Shut up and think fast." Korra replied.

"What do you mean think fas-"

Before I could even register what she had meant, a ball of fire was hurtled at me. Instinctively, I raised my hands up to protect my face. A few seconds later, I lowered my hands and opened my eyes.

Tenzin's jaw was almost on the floor, Lin looked shocked and Korra had a smile plastered on her face. Judging by their reactions, it was pretty safe to assume that Korra's plan had worked. Saying that, I was a little worried that Korra was so willing to throw a fireball at me. What if that hadn't worked?

After a few moments of overthinking and awkward silence, Tenzin was the first to speak, He put his hand on my shoulder and looked me dead in the eye. I was a fairly tall guy, being a little over 6 feet, but standing next to Tenzin made me feel like a toddler. He had to have been pushing 6'4-6'5, easy.

"Son, you do realize how important this is, don't you? As of right now, there are only four airbenders in the entire world, including myself. I have so many questions. Where are you from? Are you-" Thankfully, Korra saved me from his interrogation.

"Whoa, Tenzin! At least give him some time to answer your first question before you ask anymore." Korra said, obviously amused at the councilman being so flustered. Tenzin straightened his robe and turned towards Lin.

"Right. Lin, if you would be so kind as to drop the charges against Korra and Takeo here, I will take full responsibility for today's regrettable events, and cover all the damages." Beifong turned her head to the side almost as if she was contemplating locking us up or not.

Come on lady, I just airbent in front of you. Cut me some slack. She exhaled and crossed her arms, scowling at the three of us.

"Fine. Get them both out of my city."

"And you." She pointed at me, my eyes grew wide. "If I see you in here one more time, I swear to the spirits I will lock you up. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am." I said quickly. I would be lying if I said I wasn't absolutely terrified. She seemed to soften a little before she spoke again.

"Good. Now it looks like you've been given a gift here. Don't waste it."

"Always a pleasure, Lin." At that, Tenzin turned and ushered both Korra and I out of the room, and I had happened to turn around just in time to see Lin doing a I've got my eyes on you gesture at Korra. Korra returned it and tromped out of the room, obviously satisfied with her triumph for the day. However, it was short lived as Tenzin laid into her in the office area. I made sure to stay in the background.

"You, young lady, blatantly disobeyed my wishes, and the orders of the White Lotus." Tenzin started.

Korra wasn't having any of it. "Katara agreed with me that I should come. She said my destiny is in Republic City." Katara? Wait, the Katara. The Katara that had defeated the Firelord with Avatar Aang? She was Tenzin's mother, right?

Tenzin's face turned red and I could've sworn I saw steam coming out of his nostrils. "Don't bring my mother into this!"

Yeah, she was his mother alright. Korra ignored his outburst and carried on.

"Tenzin, I can't wait any longer to finish my training. Being cooped up and hidden away from the world isn't helping me become a better Avatar." Korra sighed and continued. "I saw a lot of the city today, and it's totally out of whack. I understand now why you need to stay. Republic City does need you, but it needs me too." She walked past Tenzin and walked towards me, putting her hand on the small of my back and facing Tenzin. She continued again.

"And look, if I hadn't come to Republic City, I would never have met Takeo. You see Tenzin, there's hope for the future. You're not in this alone." Tenzin stroked his beard, clearly looking like he was considering his words. Korra was right. I decided to speak up, hoping I wasn't overstepping any boundaries.

"She's right, Councilman Tenzin. I'm sure Korra being here in Republic City under your supervision will be good for her and I know she's going to listen to everything you say from now on. Right, Korra?" After not getting an immediate response, I nudged her gently. "Right, Korra?"

"Yeah, sure."

"I would like that, Takeo. But I'm afraid that for her safety, I cannot allow Korra to stay in the city." He paused for a few seconds almost as if a million and one things were running through his mind. It stung a little to see Korra's face drop like that. She may have been hot-headed and stubborn but I was starting to like her. In a way, it was nice to be around people whose heart was in the right place. It was nice to be around good people for a change. .

"Is this your Polar Bear Dog, miss?" A police officer said, walking into the reception area. Naga licked the officer, making his hair stick up in three different directions. Korra and I looked at each other and immediately burst out laughing. Even Councilman Tenzin looked like he was trying to hide a smirk. Still laughing, Korra took the leash out of the officer's hand and thanked him. The officer stomped off, muttering under his breath.

A/N: Hey, guys. It's been a while, huh? For those of you that don't know, I had this story up on here a few months ago, but I decided to take it down because I realized ...I had no idea where I wanted this story to go and I felt like you could see it in my writing. So, I took some time off, did some brainstorming and here we are again. The characters are the same, Takeo's still the same but this time around, I feel like his journey is going to make a LOT more sense.

I've decided to do ~10k chapter updates, that way the story flows a little better and I do remember a couple people saying they preferred the longer chapters. My plan is to write ahead and release them on a weekly (ish) basis, so by the time you guys are reading this I should be well into the heart of the story...hopefully lol.

Anyway, if you've gotten this far, thanks for reading and I hope you guys enjoy this one.

Peace.

-Twerk.