Book Five
Chi

Chapter 20
Consequences

When Mako suggested calling a coroner to help treat their wounded friends, Korra looked at him like he had three heads. As bad as things went with the Chi Eater, they hadn't gone that badly. But when Dr. Lou was rambling on about his life to the brothers, Mako was listening. He knew he had experience as a field medic for the United Forces, and that he had a tendency for working late, so he would be their best bet on such short notice. Korra couldn't take care of everybody all by herself, especially not while she was worrying herself to death over Asami.

Reluctantly, Korra gave in. She would've rather flown solo, but an extra pair of hands couldn't hurt. This afforded her more time to care for her unconscious girlfriend, anyway. While nobody had come out of that battle unscathed, Asami was the one who got the worst of it. She'd had her chi stolen. Not much, but enough; damage had been done, and while Korra was confident she'd be okay after having healed her herself, she could really use the second opinion. If Dr. Lou agreed with her, it might help put her mind more at ease.

"Is… is she going to be okay?" she asked, finally mustering up the courage.

Dr. Lou hummed, examining Asami in a room adjacent to where everybody else was. It was obvious to him that Korra wanted a definitive answer, but he wasn't sure if he was equipped to give her one. He hadn't worked with live patients in quite some time, and the fact that at least some of her chi had been stolen was alarming. But her vitals all appeared to be normal. Her heartbeat was steady, her breathing was regular, what chi she still had was flowing uninterrupted – as far as he could tell, these were all good signs, and no doubt things Korra had already picked up on.

Letting out a breathy sigh, the former field medic concluded his examination. "As far as I can tell, she's going to be okay. At the very least, I don't think her condition is going to deteriorate any further," he hoped.

A look of relief washed over Korra's face. That had been her assessment as well. "I did what I could to make sure she was okay, but I… I've never dealt with anything like this before."

"Neither have I. Honestly, I don't think any healer has," Dr. Lou frowned. "Even if Katara of the Southern Water Tribe were here, I think the best she would be able to do is what you and I have already done. And if you hadn't tended to her as soon as you had, making sure her energy was circulating and healing her major wounds, she might not be so stable right now. From here, we'll just have to wait and see what happens. But… I'm hopeful."

Korra sniffed. That would have to be enough. "Okay," she said. "If you don't mind, I think I just want to be alone with her right now."

"Of course," he replied, "I'll let you two be." Bowing, Dr. Lou exited the room. As soon as he got outside, he reached into his jacket pocket for a pack of cigarettes, but stopped himself. This wasn't the place for that, and he still had more patients to tend to. It could wait until he got off the island. Lowering his hand, he walked back to the grand hall, where everybody else from the raid was currently gathered.

Korra of course had given everyone a brief once over before they ever made it back to the island, so all his patients tonight were conscious and stable, but most of the heavy lifting in terms of actually healing and examining them would fall onto his shoulders tonight. He'd been informed by Korra and Mako of everybody involved in the raid and what injuries they'd sustained, so now he was just going over that information in his head while all eyes settled on him. If the attention bothered him though, he didn't show it.

"Thanks for coming, Lou," Bumi said, exchanging a handshake with the city coroner. "I know you never wanted to be a field medic again, but, I feel better knowing you're here."

Dr. Lou smiled weakly. "It's good to see you again, commander. After Mako told me what happened, I couldn't sit this out. With any luck though, this will be the last time I have to tend to the wounded."

Bumi nodded, letting the doctor through so he could begin assessing his patients.

For Dr. Lou, the two lightningbending related injuries took precedence, Suyin and Tenzin. And of those two, his old commander's brother was the one in worse shape.

The airbender in question sat slumped in an old wicker chair. He was able to talk, and even walk around with some support, but his condition was still less than spectacular. His breathing was labored, and the scent of burnt flesh followed him around from the point of impact. But what really had Dr. Lou worried was the state of his heart. A bolt of lightning was a devastating blow for anyone, but a man of Tenzin's age? The first thing he did when he got to him was listen to his heart.

"…Mm…" the doctor hummed after a moment of silence, removing his stethoscope. The nature of said hum was unclear. Without missing a beat, he moved on, bending some nearby water and running his hand over the burn on the center of Tenzin's chest. This would be a scar the airbender would carry for the rest of his life, there was nothing that could be done about that, but because of Korra's early intervention, it wasn't as bad as it could've been. Still, since there wasn't much to be done there, he didn't spend long hovering over the wound, moving his hand instead directly over Tenzin's heart.

The doctor sat there for over a minute and a half in complete silence, keeping the healing water directly over Tenzin's heart while the airbender looked down with bated breath. On occasion, the water glowed brighter, and a low humming sound could be heard coming from his hand. But beyond this, the room was completely quiet, all conversations having stopped once the doctor arrived. And it was not by any stretch of the imagination a comfortable silence.

"Is it that bad?" Tenzin finally asked, noting the troubled look on the coroner's face.

Dr. Lou sighed, removing his hand from Tenzin's chest. "Your heartbeat is irregular. Just now, I tried to correct its rhythm, but nothing changed. When you took that bolt to the chest, it burned your heart and lungs, which is why you're having difficulty breathing. But more importantly, that lightning traveled through your heart unimpeded and momentarily stopped it. Quite frankly, you're lucky to still be alive, but I fear the damage may be permanent."

Tenzin was silent. Everybody in the room shared a concerned glance.

"If you were a younger man, I would recommend you see a healer and consider starting a routine to help your body right itself. But at your age, even with as excellent shape as you're in, I don't think you have it in you anymore. The older we get, the tougher it is for us to recover from wounds like these. After a certain point, the damage is just too severe for our aging bodies to keep up. Even if your lungs heal, which I believe they may, I'm afraid you will continue to have heart problems for the rest of your life."

"So what are you saying?" Tenzin asked, though he dreaded the answer to that question.

"I'm saying you might never bend again." Dr. Lou stated rather bluntly. There was no use beating around the bush. He was sad he had to be the one to say it, but this was the role he had to play tonight. "At the very least, not the way you used to. The stress on your heart would be too much. If you push yourself too hard, then… well, the risk is just too great."

Tenzin swallowed hard. Ryuuki may as well have taken his bending away. "I see," he replied simply. There was nothing more to be done, then. That should've been a killing blow. It almost was. But he'd survived. Tenzin wondered now if maybe that was intentional, if Ryuuki knew this would happen. Given what he knew of the guy, he couldn't put it past him. But Tenzin was alive, and now he had to deal with the consequences of survival. "…Thank you, Dr. Lou," he concluded, saying nothing more.

The coroner frowned. He could only imagine what must've been going through Tenzin's head right now. As Bumi came in to console his brother, Dr. Lou bowed his head. "I just wish I could have given you better news," he admitted. But Tenzin didn't reply, burying his face in his hands as Bumi placed a concerned hand on his shoulder. At this point, Lin – who had been standing by her sister until now – also came by for moral support.

Not wanting to interrupt them, and knowing they had much to discuss, Dr. Lou turned away and focused on his next patient. And the next one on his list was Suyin. She and her six metalbenders were seated by the northern wall, the group around her comprised of the same six who were thrown out the window by Ryuuki at the beginning of the raid. They'd gotten lucky – the metalbending officers in the airships caught them before they hit the ground – but they were still cut up and bruised. The one in the worst shape though was Suyin herself. Like Tenzin, she was able to walk around with some support, but lightning was one hell of an element.

She, like everybody, was reeling over Tenzin's prognosis. What was the Air Nation going to do now? Could Tenzin still lead it if he couldn't bend anymore? She had a million different questions, and a strong desire to go console her childhood friend with her sister and his brother, but when she saw that Dr. Lou was approaching her, she stopped herself. She swallowed hard as she came to terms with the very real possibility that she may be in a similar position.

"Ms. Beifong, I understand you were wearing armor when you were struck?" Dr. Lou asked.

Suyin nodded, picking up the dented metal breastplate she'd set down beside her. Dr. Lou's face sunk some more when he saw just how badly beat up it was. Ryuuki must've been one hell of a bender.

"If I'm right, then that armor may have saved your life tonight. But I'll have to examine you to be sure. As with Tenzin, your heart is my major concern. Would you like to move to another room?"

"No, this is fine," she replied. Dr. Lou nodded, and her metalbenders formed up around her and the doctor as he examined her chest. Unlike Tenzin, it looked like she would have no real scarring to speak of. She was bruised, and singed, but her armor took the brunt of the attack. As he listened to her heartbeat, he noted it to be normal, but he would have to use his waterbending to make sure. On top of healing any wounds, it helped him 'see' what was going on inside of her. But much to his relief, even on closer examination, her heart appeared to be perfectly fine.

"Everything seems normal," he said, a look of relief washing over Suyin's face. "If I'm right, the electricity mostly flowed around the metal of your armor, rather than straight through your heart. Judging by the damage done to your armor though, and the wound left behind on Tenzin, Ryuuki was not holding back. If it hadn't been for that breastplate, I may well have been seeing you in the morgue tonight."

Suyin nodded gravely. She'd been caught off guard by Ryuuki once. She wasn't going to let it happen again. Next time he showed his face, she'd be ready. "Do I need any further healing?" she asked.

Dr. Lou nodded. "I'd recommend a couple sessions, just to be safe. Some electricity still coursed through your body, so there's probably some minor damage throughout. But from my examination, it shouldn't be anything too serious. In the long term, you should be fine."

Suyin breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Once she'd redressed herself, her metalbenders broke formation, and Suyin was allowed to walk away and tend to Tenzin. By this point, the Airbenders in the room were talking amongst themselves, wondering about the future. Dr. Lou couldn't blame them. Sighing, he moved on to the next person on his list.

"Is Asami going to be okay?" Mako asked as soon as he saw Dr. Lou start walking toward him. Even with as much pain as he was in right now, making sure his friend was okay was the most important thing to him.

"Yes, her condition appears to be stable. The Avatar is with her now. I believe she's going to be just fine," he confirmed.

Mako looked relieved. He was happy to hear it. "I guess that means it's my turn then, huh?"

"Mm. I was hoping should we meet again that it would be under better circumstances. I haven't been a proper doctor in many years," Dr. Lou said, beginning the first of what was sure to be many intensive healing sessions on Mako's arm while they talked. He'd leave the later ones to more seasoned professionals, but the least he could do while he was here was ease the pain and help the wound along. Korra had already covered the basics and dressed the wound, so at least there was no further risk of infection.

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm sure you stopped for a reason. But, it was kind of an emergency,"

"No worries my boy, I understand. Especially after seeing just how beat up you all are," Dr. Lou said, glancing around the room. Mako frowned. "I understand that this is not a normal burn?"

"No. Ryuuki 'healed' me after the premiere the other night. He said he was repairing my chi pathways, and it felt like he was telling the truth. But really, he'd embedded some of his energy in my arm. When he snapped his fingers, his flames erupted and we couldn't put them out. I must've been on fire for a couple minutes, at least…"

Dr. Lou's frown deepened. That didn't sound good. Worse still, Mako's arm didn't feel good. He could tell as he tried to heal it that the damage was severe. "Well, I'm afraid your chi pathways are still damaged. Worse than they were before, in fact. Quite frankly, I don't know that there's anything that can be done to fix this degree of damage. You'll be lucky if you ever bend with this arm again."

Mako swallowed hard. That was what he was afraid of. "So that's it then," he said, "my arm's toast."

The coroner hummed. "Mm… under ordinary circumstances, I'd say yes, but…" Mako looked confused, but Dr. Lou didn't elaborate at first. Instead, he took a moment to mull it over. It was a bit of a stretch, but then, so was this whole Chi Eater case. Dr. Lou had never seen anything like it. There was always a possibility.

"…This is just a theory, so I wouldn't get your hopes up just yet. I think Avatar Korra will be better able to tell you if this will work or not. But if I had to venture a guess, Ryuuki really did heal your pathways initially, he just did so by filling in the gaps with some of his own energy. Ordinarily, damage done to one's energy network is permanent – your chi is what helps you heal, and if its connection is severed in some way, that chi can't reach where it needs to go."

"That's almost completely different from what Ryuuki told me. He said Firebending healers could heal that sort of damage. I guess that was a lie?"

"Perhaps. Firebending healers are remarkably rare in this day and age, and there's little historical information or medical documentation on what they can do. Perhaps they can help with this sort of damage – Firebenders deal more directly with chi than any other benders, after all. But what I was getting at is, Korra may be able to do for you what Ryuuki did, with some of her own energy. She's an energybender too, yes? I can't say I have any understanding of how that works, but… if I'm right, and that's how Ryuuki 'healed' you in the first place, then I see no reason she couldn't do the same."

So there was hope. Mako almost felt like he was going to cry.

"I recommend you talk with her after the dust has settled and tell her about my theory. If anybody's going to be able to help you bend again, I think it's going to be the Avatar. But you should prepare yourself for the possibility that she can't." Dr. Lou concluded.

"I will," Mako said, "thank you."

The doctor nodded.

The only one left now was Bolin. According to Korra, he'd taken less of a beating than anyone else, at least on the surface. And he certainly seemed to be fine, walking around unassisted and talking with his girlfriend while Dr. Lou healed his brother. But he couldn't be sure until he examined him himself.

"Officer Bolin, are you ready?"

Bolin jumped at the doctor's voice, pulled away from his conversation with Opal. Predictably, they'd been talking about Tenzin. But now that Dr. Lou was here, the couple braced themselves for bad news. There was no telling what Ryuuki may have done to Bolin.

"Y-yes, I'm ready," Bolin replied, standing at attention.

"At ease, soldier," Dr. Lou laughed, Bolin's stance instantly relaxing. It was clear he was nervous. He had every reason to be. "You were struck in the chest, correct?"

"Yeah, but… I don't know, he didn't hit me as hard as he could have. He just lightly touched my chest with his hand and I was knocked unconscious. And I don't feel like any of my ribs are broken again…" Bolin described.

Dr. Lou hummed, placing a water-covered hand on Bolin's chest. He was looking for any internal damage, but he couldn't find anything. The only odd thing was… "Curious. It feels as though the flow of your chi has been interrupted somehow."

"Interrupted…? Did Ryuuki put some of his energy in him like he did with Mako?" Opal asked, growing increasingly concerned. But the doctor shook his head.

"No, not as far as I can tell. Though that is something you should ask the Avatar to investigate. It's more like his chi is flowing more slowly than it should be. If I had to venture a guess as to why, it probably has to do with how Ryuuki knocked him unconscious. It sounds like it was a chi-based attack of some sort, something meant to incapacitate him, but not kill him," Dr. Lou described, putting his finger and his thumb to his chin in thought.

"In fact, the same could be said for everyone, even Tenzin. There's no reason he should've survived that blast – I've never seen a lightning wound as severe as his on a living patient before. I think he wanted you all to stay alive."

"He was giving me another chance to take him up on his offer."

Out of nowhere, Korra had appeared, checking up on her two best friends while Asami rested in another room. Mako immediately got up and hugged her with his good arm, which she thanked him for, before returning her attention to what Dr. Lou had said.

"Ryuuki. He wanted to make sure I knew how strong he was without killing anybody in hopes I'd let him go. But it's not going to work. He beat us once, but it's not going to happen again." Korra declared.

"I'm afraid that even if that is the case, your friends did not walk away unscathed. Tenzin is…" the doctor trailed. Korra's stomach dropped.

"Tenzin's what?" Korra asked.

"He'll never bend again." Opal replied after a moment of silence. It seemed that Dr. Lou didn't want to have to be the one to tell her.

"What do you mean? Did Ryuuki take away his bending somehow? I can give it back, he'll be-"

"No, I'm afraid it has to do with his heart," Dr. Lou explained, "he's developed a severe arrhythmia, and his heart and lungs have both been burned. I did what I could to heal the damage, but it'll take multiple sessions for him to be okay again. But even then, I'm afraid the damage to his heart may be too severe. If he over-exerts himself again, it could kill him."

Korra was silent.

This was her fault. The Chi Eater was her problem, and everybody else got dragged into it. And now Tenzin was… the Air Nation…

She immediately ran over to Tenzin, pushing past Lin, Suyin and Bumi.

"Korra? What are you-" Before he could finish his question, both Korra's hands were on Tenzin's chest, enveloped in healing water. She was trying to heal him herself. "Korra…"

"You're going to be fine, I can fix this," Korra said, focusing as hard as she could on healing him. But it wasn't working.

"Korra."

"I can fix this, I promise," Korra repeated, beginning to cry. But no matter what she tried, nothing helped. "I…"

"Korra, it's okay." Tenzin said, placing a hand on the Avatar's shoulder. "It's okay."

"How can this be okay? You… because of me, you're…" she said, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm still alive. I'm going to be fine. The Air Nation is going to be fine. I can never fight again, and my long days of training are probably over, but… I'm still here."

Korra wept. Though it hurt to hold her close to his chest, Tenzin pulled her in anyway, hugging her as she sobbed. "It's not your fault," he said.

"Yes it is. You know it is. All of this – the Chi Eater is my mistake, he-"

"Korra, we chose this." Mako said.

Korra turned around. He, Bolin and Opal were gathered alongside Bumi, Lin and Suyin now. They were all concerned, yes, but there was a fire in their eyes as well. None of them regretted tagging along, even with as badly as things went for them. And as she looked back up at Tenzin, she could see that he felt the same as well.

"None of this is your fault. We were unprepared. We did our best, and it didn't work. We didn't know what we were up against," Mako continued, placing his good hand on Korra's shoulder. "but we wanted to help you. You're our friend. We couldn't let you go into that fight alone. We all knew the risks."

"I knew there was a very real chance I might not have made it back tonight," Tenzin said, though his words didn't offer Korra any comfort, "but I'd made peace with that. All I wanted to do was protect you and my daughter, and I did. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

"I…" Korra wasn't sure what to say. She couldn't understand why they all weren't blaming her for this. Why Tenzin wasn't, especially. "I still feel so guilty…"

"You shouldn't. And even if this was somehow your fault, we'd still forgive you." Mako said.

"Yeah, you can't blame yourself every time something bad happens, Korra. We knew what we were getting into when we joined Team Avatar." Bolin tacked on.

"I know what it's like when somebody gets hurt by following your lead," Lin chimed in, "so I get where you're coming from, but you shouldn't rob us of our agency in the process."

Korra bit her lip. It wasn't that she didn't understand or appreciate what they were saying, but-

"You're not Rin, Korra." Tenzin reminded. This was the affirmation that really grabbed her attention. "You don't have to feel guilty for somebody else's mistakes, even if that somebody else was one of your own past lives. This is not your fault."

Korra felt like she was going to start crying again. She didn't deserve them, any of them. "Thank you…" she said, sniffling. She was still having difficulty coming to terms with all of this, and what it meant for her as the Avatar. But to be told that it was okay by somebody who knew the full story was a comfort to her.

As she stood back up to face everyone properly, Korra's mind couldn't help but wander back to Ryuuki. "What do we do now?"

"Rest," Dr. Lou suggested, reminding everyone he was still here. "Doctor's orders. You're not going to figure anything out tonight, and you all need time to recover. It's probably best you come at this with fresh eyes tomorrow morning."

Korra sighed. He had a point. She didn't even have to look to the others for confirmation – they were all exhausted. A little rest would do them all some good. None of them were in any shape to try and catch Ryuuki again tonight. "…Okay." Korra agreed. "Thank you for your help, Dr. Lou," she said, shaking the doctor's hand.

"Of course. But it is getting rather late. I should probably turn in, myself."

"You're welcome to stay the night on the island if you'd like," Tenzin offered.

"No, no, but thank you. I'll just take a ferry back to the mainland. I wish you all luck with tomorrow."

With that, the coroner left the hall, and Korra was left alone with her friends. She wanted to give each and every one of them a hug right now, even Opal. But she didn't. Instead, she said her goodnights and left the room. More than anything else, she just wanted to be with Asami. So that was where Korra was going to be.

Meanwhile, in a private office hidden in the back of an Earth Kingdom-style restaurant, the Triple Threat triad was in the middle of a meeting. And, from the sounds of things, it was beginning to get heated.

"We're going to what?!"

The sound of something expensive and made of crystal shattering against the floor punctuated the exclamation. In the middle of the office, a man with thick glasses and a designer suit adorned with rings and jewelry took a step forward, only to be pulled back by his associates.

"Easy there, Xing," said the smooth-talking businessman with a golden tooth. The look in his eye and the hand on his arm stopped Xing in his tracks, and the man just grit his teeth instead.

"You and Viper have never seen eye-to-eye, but you should at least hear him out before you go for his throat," added the balding old man with the beard to Xing's right. His hands were folded behind his back, and his eyes were set sharply upon his junior in the organization.

Two more men simply glanced at one another, keeping their hands and mouths to themselves. Still, the looks on their faces were telling. They were not very big fans of the extravagantly dressed Xing, who had now yanked his arm from the smooth-talker's grasp.

"Keep your filthy hands to yourself, Han," Xing cursed, brushing his arm as though the smooth-talker had gotten dirt all over it and straightening out his jacket. Though his lip was still curled in disgust, Xing kept the rest of his thoughts to himself. He wasn't looking to start a fight tonight, but with the way he was talking, Viper sure seemed to be. If he pushed things much further, he'd have a full-fledged coup on his hands, as far as Xing was concerned.

"Easy, easy," Viper requested, lifting his hands. As always, he had a sly smile on his face, like he knew something no one else in the room did. Two low-level enforcers stood by his side, a firebender and a waterbender. "I get where you're coming from, I do, but like Zhen just said, you should listen to what I have to say before you start making choices you'll come to regret," he warned. "Still, never thought I'd see the day you stuck up for me, old man," Viper smirked, looking in Zhen's direction.

The old man smiled, bowing to his superior. "For better or for worse, Zolt chose you to take over in his stead. I owe it to the old man to let you speak your piece before judging your decisions," he replied. The irony of him calling Zolt an old man considering his own rather advanced age appeared to be lost on him.

"Yeah, well, all this has me thinking Zolt was going senile. Who knows what that masked freak's bloodbending did to his brain," Xing complained, a glare from Zhen shutting him up. He defensively raised his arms and took a step back. "I just mean," he stumbled to defend, "joining the other triads in, what, some sort of super-group? Really? The Triple Threats were created to wipe out the other bending triads and take this city for itself! Not… this."

"I have to admit, I'm also a little concerned," another of the assembled captains chimed in. It was one of the two who'd remained silent during Xing's earlier outburst. He looked to be the most physically imposing of the five, but was also the most ordinarily dressed, lacking a shirt but wearing a simple vest and an everyman's slacks. His heavily tattooed arms were crossed in front of him as he spoke.

"I don't like it, but Xing has a point. It took us a long time to get where we are now. We already practically run this city. The other bending triads barely factor into the equation for us. If we start divvying up our property and trading with the competition now, we'd be running opposite our founding principles and putting our supremacy at stake," he went on to elaborate.

"See? Salim gets it!" Xing said, glad to have another captain backing him up.

"On the other hand… this would provide ample opportunity to double-cross the other triads when the time is right. We'd presumably have their leadership standing right in front of us, willingly. We could move to wipe out three of our biggest competitors in one fell swoop," suggested the last of the five captains, a man with a rather plain looking face who was dressed in ordinary Earth Nation business attire. He didn't look like anything special, but maybe that was the way he liked it?

"Alright, alright, that's enough," Viper declared, quickly taking control of the situation before his captains started voicing more unwanted opinions. "Zhen. Xing. Han. Jiro. Salim. I didn't gather you five for a debate. I gathered you to let you know what's going down. My decision is already made. If you don't like it, you're free to vacate your positions. There are plenty of others in the organization who would be eager to take your place and who would gladly follow along with whatever I say. Capiche?"

The five men shared a look. Throwing unruly captains to the wolves was absolutely in Viper's nature – it was one of the ways he cleaned house when taking over the organization from Zolt some three years ago. So, in fear of losing their positions (and their lives), the five instinctively fell silent, none of them willing to contradict the boss to his face any further. But, it was still clear to Viper that they wanted a little more explanation than just that. Luckily for them, he was feeling generous tonight.

"Now, I don't have to like it, but my old pal Ravi has a point. No matter how big we are or how many cops or politicians we own, we can't take this city for ourselves if the rest of our competition is teaming up against us. And, no matter how talented any one of us may be, none of us stand a chance in going toe-to-toe with the Avatar," Viper explained, the mere mention of the Avatar causing a couple of those gathered to become tense. Jiro in particular, who adjusted his tie and tried to maintain his composure.

"I get what you all are saying, really I do, but I've already though this over. Fact is, we've been put into an interesting position here, one which could easily make or break us. Now, I know Ravi pretty well, I trust him, but the other two? I'm about as skeptical as the rest of you. But if you ask me, I don't see us as having much of a choice in the matter. Not even we can fight the Terras, Agni Kais, Red Monsoons, RCPD, and the Avatar all at the same time."

"Haven't we already been doing that?" Xing accused. Viper waved his finger.

"Not as a united front we haven't. They've always been separate problems to deal with, but Ravi, he's weaseled his way into the Avatar and her fiancee's life real close. He would have no problem manipulating her to take us down if it came down to it. And with three competitors working in tandem against us, with their own corrupt cops to rely on, we'd be mauled from all sides. It doesn't make any sense to me to stand alone and get ripped apart. Times are changing."

The five captains shared another look. Viper wasn't wrong, but that didn't mean they had to like it. And Xing really didn't like it. But it was what it was. The boss' decision had been made and his reasoning was sound. If they were going to challenge the Avatar and the remainder of the city, they'd stand a better chance with some help from the other triads.

Before any of those gathered could say another word, however, there was a knock at the door.

"I thought you'd told the restaurant staff not to bother us?" Zhen asked Viper, who looked none-too-pleased with the sudden interruption.

"More than that, the enforcers we left by the door should've stopped them before they could get close enough to knock," Salim replied, the look on his face hardening.

On reflex, Viper's hands reached back for the pouch of water he kept concealed behind him, just in case. "Who is it?" He asked. But there was no response – just another knock.

By now, all the captains were on guard as well, the room of the mood growing tense as they all turned toward the door. But none of them moved to answer it. They wanted to see if there would be an answer. But there was not.

"I said, who's there?" Viper asked again.

This time, there would be no knock to follow. Instead, the door would swing open, nearly kicked off its hinges by a blue-haired man with scuffed shoes and a beat up and bloody dress shirt. On reflex, two of the five captains attacked, blocks of earth bent by Salim and Jiro sidestepped in such a manner that it looked like an accident.

"Ah, so treacherous! Here I was knocking so politely, and not only do you rudely neglect to let me in, but you attack me when I let myself in!" Ryuuki complained. Though the captains were prepared to strike again if they had to, when they saw the face of their intruder, their stances loosened immediately, the threat level falling.

"Wait a second, aren't you that mover guy?" Xing asked, the first of the six to return to a casual standing position.

Ryuuki clicked his tongue. Rookie mistake. "You shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Just because I'm an actor doesn't mean I'm not dangerous, you know," he warned, letting himself into the room. He was careful to close the door behind him as he did.

"Ryuuki Ayatsurishi? What in blazes…?" Jiro asked, obviously confused.

Ryuuki just bowed like an actor in a play, swinging one arm wide and bringing the other in close as he formally introduced himself. "The one and only."

"Looks like you just got out of a fight," Xing remarked.

"Oh? Is he supposed to be the observant one? Yes I did, dear, but you should see the other guys," Ryuuki replied with a wave of his hand.

Xing looked like he was about to blow a gasket. "Excuse me?!" Did this guy not know who he was talking to? Xing threatened to attack, but Ryuuki stared him down all the while, grinning, and unmoving. By now, Viper should be-

"That's enough, Xing."

Ah! There he was! Three words, and Viper was back in control of the situation. Xing stood down and his four remaining captains stood still and compliant. Good, they were followers. Ryuuki waved hello.

"You've got some balls, busting my door down like that. What did you do to my men out front?"

"Ah, Mr. Viper! You are just the man I wanted to see!" Ryuuki greeted cheerily. "Oh, them? Ah, well, wouldn't you know it, I went to ask them to let me in to speak with you, and all four of them had fallen asleep! That's just so unprofessional, wouldn't you agree?"

Viper narrowed his eyes. "Yeah. Mighty unprofessional," he agreed. Of those gathered, Viper was the only one who hadn't relaxed his stance. He was still ready to water whip at a moment's notice. It seemed to Ryuuki that he was the only one here with any sense of the situation. "I'll ask you again. What did you do to my men?"

"Really, boss? This guy's just some prissy actor, do you really think he could've taken down four of our own?" Han asked.

"Yeah, I mean, it is pretty late. Maybe those idiots really did just fall asleep," Xing added.

"Yeah, 'boss'. Maybe you should've picked a better night crew," Ryuuki mocked. "Don't you worry, I'm sure they'll be just fine," he assured, though Viper clearly didn't find it all that reassuring. "More to the point, I've come here tonight to offer you all some exciting new employment opportunities!"

"Oh? Mr. Mover Star wants to hire us? What for, you want a little extra protection for your next premiere?" Han asked.

"Or maybe some extras for your new film?" Xing almost excitedly interrupted. Ryuuki chuckled. Seemed he had a fan in the room tonight.

Viper, however, was taking things a bit more seriously. He considered his next words carefully as he tried to read the room. As soon as they saw it was him, all of his men were lulled into a sense of security. Clearly, none of them saw Ryuuki as a threat. But Viper just couldn't shake this feeling. The hairs on the back of his head were all standing on end. And the way Ryuuki was carrying himself – he was mocking them. Mocking him. And he was none too happy about that.

"Hire you? Oh, spirits no!" Ryuuki laughed. "I'm here to lead you."

Suddenly, nobody was feeling all that talkative or secure anymore. The captains just stared blankly for a moment, then looked back at Viper, who at first, appeared about as stunned as everybody else. Viper smirked, and then laughed, easing the tension in his body and returning to a more casual position.

"So you're here to make jokes, got it," Viper dismissed, walking out from behind his desk to stare Ryuuki down. "The Triple Threats are mine, bub. Who put you up to this? Was it Ravi? No, this doesn't seem like him. For something this stupid, it's got to be Atsushi. What, did they ask you to play errand boy? Rough you up a little bit? Hm? Go on, mover boy. You've got my full attention. Why are you really here?"

"…What?" Ryuuki was puzzled. Is… is that what he thought? Really? And to think, for a second there, he thought Viper might actually be a threat. "…Oh, I get it. I guess you haven't heard the news then, have you?" he asked, the look on his face souring. He didn't like to be looked down upon.

"And what news is that?" Viper asked, smiling, a look of confidence on his face that made Ryuuki want to smash it in with a crowbar.

"I'm not just Ryuuki Ayatsurishi anymore, Mr. Viper. I am the Chi Eater." Ryuuki stated, his grin long since faded.

Viper froze. The smile on his face was gone now. "I'm sorry?"

"You heard me. I am the Chi Eater, and I've come to make the Triple Threats my own." Ryuuki explained. "I would suggest you bow to me now."

"Okay, this has officially stopped being funny. Get out of here, now, before I make you wish you were never born." Viper dismissed yet again, turning his back to Ryuuki to head back to his desk.

Rookie mistake.

"Boss, look out!"

One of his enforcers had caught it before Viper had, a burning blue fist of fury closing in on Viper from behind, poised to punch clean through his back had he not pushed him out of the way. Instead, the blow that was meant for Viper collided with him instead, the man spitting up blood and then screaming as he was suddenly engulfed in Ryuuki's signature blue flames. He fell to the floor, trying everything in his power to put out the fire, but it would not yield to his command.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Viper seethed, his eyes wide and enraged while Ryuuki's had gone blank. The sight sent chills down Viper's spine. Those were a killer's eyes.

Ryuuki held his fist in the air and then looked down, opening his hand and just staring at it for a moment while the five captains assembled behind him, looking for an opening to attack. But even though he was just standing there, none of them felt confident enough to make a move. In fact, they suddenly felt kind of sick, like all their insides were churning.

"I see. None of you are spiritually inclined, then," Ryuuki surmised, closing his hand and sighing. "Do I have your attention now, Mr. Viper? I'm not here to tell jokes. I'm here to take control. You can either agree to serve under my command, or you can die. Given how callously you just dismissed me though, I assumed you'd chosen the latter. Was I wrong?"

"Over my dead body!" Viper shouted, rising from the ground and unleashing a water whip in Ryuuki's direction. Ryuuki, meanwhile, shook his head. Yes, that was kind of the plan.

"Didn't think so." Ryuuki sighed, dodging the water whip by tilting his head to the right. He lazily kicked the ground in front of him, a small burst of flame causing the still unsteady Viper to stagger back while his captains watched on in awe. By this point though, Ryuuki was beginning to grow annoyed. Not by Viper, though yes his dismissiveness was certainly part of the problem, but by the enforcer screaming in agony on the floor to his right.

No matter what he did, he wasn't able to put out the flames, and the second enforcer who'd been by Viper's side – the waterbender – was having equally as little luck in solving the dilemma via bending. Supposing he could spare the man some mercy, if only to get him to stop. screaming. already, Ryuuki raised and then lowered his right leg. At his command, the floor sprung to life, reshaping itself into a large, jagged spike which impaled the burning man and put him out of his – and Ryuuki's – misery.

Viper meanwhile nearly fell over again, reaching back for his desk for support while his captains shouted in confusion. Did he just earthbend? "What the fuck?!" he exclaimed.

Ryuuki just raised an eyebrow. "Are we done?"

"Fuck no! Triple Threats, attack!" Viper commanded. The five captains immediately sprung into action, and Ryuuki sighed.

Zhen led with a burst of fire which Ryuuki swatted away with the back of his hand, the blue-haired, blue-eyed man running up to him with death in his eyes. Zhen stumbled back at the sight, but Ryuuki made no immediately threatening movements, letting the other four close in around him.

Ryuuki caught the earth thrown his way by Xing, Han, and Salim with some Earthbending of his own, plucking their boulders from their control as if they'd never even had any and throwing them right back at him. Ryuuki only deigned to move when Jiro began bending lightning in his direction. The sight of another lightningbender elicited a small grin from Ryuuki's lips.

Small jets of bright blue flame ignited from the soles of Ryuuki's feet, propelling him forward as he knocked Zhen aside and began skating around the room. He dodged the first bolt of lightning, then swatted away the blasts of fire that followed, making his way for the three Earthbenders who he reckoned would be the biggest obstacles of the encounter.

Lightning began to trail Ryuuki as Han threw up a wall to shield himself, but it wouldn't be enough. Ryuuki skid to a halt and began funneling lightning right into the center of the wall. It began to glow a bright red as the electricity just kept pouring from Ryuuki's fingertips, and then white, and as smoke and steam began to rise from the slab of earth, it finally exploded into pieces, throwing Han to the ground as the lightning soared just overhead.

But Xing and Salim weren't going to let him go uncontested. Viper, too, had joined into the fray now. Ryuuki frowned. He didn't feel terribly threatened by the earthbenders, but a waterbender was his polar opposite – if Viper knew what he was doing, this could be a problem. Xing and Salim crushed rocks into bullets and Ryuuki disappeared in a blur, skating across the room in a streak of blue fire as the jagged pieces of stone struck the floor and walls in a trail behind him.

He was taking the long way around the room to do it, but Ryuuki was running up to Viper from behind him, hoping to catch him off guard. He was already in the middle of bending another water whip when Ryuuki disappeared, but he quickly caught wind of what the Chi Eater was doing, changing gears to turn that water into jagged ice he launched behind him, turning to face his attacker.

The speed and precision with which they were thrown combined with the close proximity were enough to get a few cuts on Ryuuki's face, but he'd nonetheless dodged the attack. Before he could go for the killing blow however, Ryuuki clicked his tongue. Viper was smarter than he'd given him credit for, and had re-liquefied the ice as it flew past Ryuuki. With a forceful yank, Viper recalled the water, and Ryuuki back flipped over the attack as razor sharp water threatened to cut him clean in two.

When the water made it back to Viper, he circled it around him, firing it back out in another attempted water whip to strike at Ryuuki as he landed, but much to his chagrin, the Chi Eater countered by seizing control of the water from him and stopping it in place. "Motherfucker, he can waterbend too?!" Viper cursed. "Fine then, how about this!" he exclaimed, releasing his hold on the failed water whip to begin moving his arms wildly around him.

It was not without purpose though. The room began to shake, and Ryuuki's eyes narrowed. He could hear the pipes in the building grown in agony under the mounting pressure. He would not be allowed to counter however, as Xing and Salim flocked to their boss' side to provide a double layer of earthen cover while Han and Jiro attacked with more stone bullets and a bolt of lightning, respectively. Once again, the Chi Eater was forced to dodge, or else be peppered with holes and struck by lightning.

Ryuuki jumped back, nearly hitting the wall behind him, which he briefly made note of, before countering both assailants with blasts of fire. The lightning struck harmlessly where Ryuuki had been, and the stone barrage came to an abrupt end when a burst of fire came soaring for Han's face. He and Jiro jumped out of the way just in time to avoid Ryuuki's attack, and to avoid Viper's, the wall behind the Triple Threat exploding as a massive wall of water came barreling for Ryuuki. Naturally, it bent itself around the earthen barrier meant to protect him from Ryuuki's lightning.

But Ryuuki stood tall, defiantly stepping forward and literally pulling the oncoming wave apart with his hands. Even with the waterbending enforcer helping Viper to command such a wall of water, Ryuuki was able to effortlessly wrestle control from them, pooling the water into an orb behind him. Ryuuki then jumped back, over the sphere he'd collected which he held with one hand while he sunk his fingers into the wall behind him with his other hand. As he began whipping his arm out in front of him, the water followed suit, sending powerful cutting discs of water out with every motion which cleaved through the earthen barriers and almost through Viper.

Zhen and Jiro both retaliated with lightning, firing it not at Ryuuki but at the sphere of water he'd collected and was weaponizing, causing it to explode into water and steam all around him. Ryuuki clicked his tongue, releasing his grip on the wall and falling to the floor.

"All this fighting is getting old. I'm just going to kill you and assume control now." Ryuuki declared.

Viper grit his teeth. "As if!" he cried, the two men running straight for each other. For a moment, it looked like they were going to fight hand-to-hand, but half-way to their destination, both men began bending their native elements. Ryuuki into flames around his open fingertips, and Viper into a sharp, dense spear of water. But this time, Viper was just the tiniest bit quicker on the draw, and Ryuuki found himself impaled and coughing up blood. The fire left his fingertips as the water solidified into ice.

Before he could get a word in edge-wise, Viper acted yet again, cutting Ryuuki off by slicing open his throat with another, smaller blade of water with his other hand. Ryuuki went limp, and the water was re-liquefied, his body allowed to fall unceremoniously to the floor.

Water continued to leak from the pipes and broken wall, but aside from that, the room had fallen deathly quiet. All five captains lowered their guard, feeling as though the battle was over. Viper, meanwhile, remained alert, not taking his eyes off Ryuuki's body. He was panting, but victorious.

"Ha… ha… maybe we can defeat an Avatar after all…" The head of the Triple Threats supposed. Han laughed nervously in response.

Suddenly, Ryuuki sprang back to life, and next thing Viper knew, the Chi Eater's hand was clasped tightly around his face. There was fire in his eyes, and before Viper could so much as scream, a fire inside of him. Or that's what it felt like, at least. In truth, rather than let a good bit of chi go to waste, Ryuuki decided to make a meal out of Viper, sucking every last drop out of his body as it quickly shriveled up into an empty husk.

"Boss!" Han cried.

Releasing his grip on what was left of Viper, Ryuuki let the corpse fall to the floor, the massive wound in his abdomen still visibly closing up slowly but surely. By now, the cut to his throat was almost completely gone. The five Triple Threat captains and the lone enforcer looked on in horror as Ryuuki righted himself and adjusted his cuffs.

"You… how…?" Zhen asked.

"Really, you lot should pay closer attention to the news. Haven't you heard? I'm immortal." Ryuuki shrugged.

"You… you killed him…" Xing sputtered out.

Ryuuki smiled, stepping over Viper's corpse as he approached the six remaining men. So he had. "So. About those 'exciting new employment opportunities'…"

When Asami next awoke, it was on a familiarly uncomfortable bed on Air Temple Island.

She'd spent many a night in beds like these when Korra was first recovering. Sometimes, it was only her being there beside her that calmed her down enough after her nightmares that she could get back to sleep, or that would help keep those nightmares at bay.

It was just as awful now as it was back then. According to Tenzin, the firmer beds were better for the back, but that didn't stop Asami's from aching. Though, whether that was due to the bed or the battle earlier on remained unclear.

The battle…

Asami remembered enough about it to be surprised to have opened her eyes again. She'd genuinely thought that that was going to be the end of her. Did this mean they'd somehow won?

Her green eyes fluttered as they adjusted to the low light, a million different thoughts flitting through her head, and as she squinted for better vision, she could feel her face ache radiating outward from her nose. Her skin was still a little tender from the singeing by Ryuuki, and she still felt like her nose was broken, but as she tentatively reached up to touch it, she could feel immediately that it was not. Korra must've tended to her and immediately healed the damage, then.

…Korra.

Asami rolled over in the bed, finding her lying there beside her. Thank goodness she was okay.

Even though she was asleep, the look on Korra's face was only half-peaceful at best. There was concern set in her brow, a frown caught on her lips – she'd been worrying about her. But it didn't look like she'd been crying, at least not recently.

Briefly, Asami closed her eyes and sighed with relief. Upon opening them again, she pulled herself closer to her fiancee, careful not to aggravate a wound and even more careful not to wake her, the only thought left on her mind being that she needed Korra close now. Though she wanted nothing more than to wrap her in her arms, Asami resisted the urge and opted for a simple forehead kiss, instead, sure she wouldn't wake her with such a gentle gesture.

But, as if on instinct, Korra stirred, awoken by the familiar sensation of those warm, soft lips. Korra groaned, muttering her fiancee's name as she tentatively opened her eyes.

"…Asami?" She asked, hoping this was not a dream.

"Hey." Asami greeted, her voice a little hoarse.

Korra scanned Asami's form. She looked like hell, but in the most beautiful way. There was still some dried blood beneath her nose she'd missed when she was healing her, and there was a mark on her throat from where Ryuuki had grabbed her, partially obscured by the betrothal necklace she'd given her. But she otherwise seemed okay. Korra's eyes lingered on the necklace for a moment, then traced a line back up to Asami's face, and finally, her eyes. Spirits, those eyes...

"Hey." Korra replied, confirming for herself that it wasn't just a dream. She was awake. Stretching slightly, she let loose a quiet yawn, her mouth finally curling back into a smile. She shuffled in closer on the bed, pulling her fiancee close to her, but being careful with her as she did. She didn't want to hurt her, but Asami seemed unconcerned, eagerly accepting Korra's invitation and wrapping her body in her arms, pulling her as close as she could bare and holding her as tightly as she could muster.

She breathed in deeply just the scent of Korra's hair, reveling in the sensation of her heartbeat on top of hers and the nuzzling into her neck that Korra couldn't keep herself from doing. Though they were already as close as physically possible, Asami still wanted her closer, and her grip on her fiancee tightened.

Korra clung back with a complementary eagerness. As she nestled her head in the space between Asami's head and chest, she wrapped her arms around Asami's body, mindful of her ribs and wrist and anything else that may have been hurting. Though Korra was hurting too, it was nothing she wasn't used to.

For a couple of moments, the two of them laid there together just like that, clinging to one another like they were holding on for dear life. The thought that this could've ended so soon was weighing heavy on both their minds, and it showed in the way Korra's fingers tightened around Asami's back, and the way Asami buried her face in her fiancee's hair, occasionally kissing her on her head.

After a couple moments more, the two of them separated, but only barely. Though they were no longer trying to fuse themselves into a singular being, they were still remarkably close, and Korra couldn't take her eyes off the beautiful girl in front of her and the bright green eyes that glimmered curiously in the moonlight. The way the blue of the night reflected off that green was something she couldn't quite describe, and it left her breathless. Asami was in a similar state, only just now noticing how the lighting accentuated Korra's.

"I was so scared you wouldn't wake up." Korra admitted, the first to break their silence. "I could feel you were still in there… he didn't have you for very long, but I have no idea how his power works. I thought that maybe I'd–" she stopped herself there. It was okay now – everything was okay now. She could let that fear go. And with a deep breath in and out, she did. "I love you." She concluded.

Asami smiled weak, placing a gentle kiss on her Avatar's face. Korra still blushed when she did that, even now. Asami's smile deepened at the sight. She felt privileged to get to see this side of her. A couple more moments passed and things were quiet between them, Korra just playing idly with Asami's hair while Asami just looked at her like she was the world. Next time, it would be Asami who broke their silence.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

Korra became confused. "…Why?" she asked, lowering her hand from Asami's hair and down to her left cheek. Asami's eyes darted to the right, away from Korra's face.

"I'm just… you must've been so worried about me," sshe replied with some shame. "I thought I could take care of myself, but in the end I just got us both hurt and probably scared you half to death. I hate to make you worry." Korra frowned, brushing a stray lock of hair from Asami's face.

"Look at me," she asked softly. Asami did as was requested. Korra wasn't scared, or upset, or anything of the sort. The look in her eyes was full of love, and the look on her face as serious as Asami had ever seen, so when Korra continued with her response, Asami knew she wasn't lying. "There's nothing you need to apologize for. We didn't know what we were up against. And besides, it's my job to worry about people, especially you. I wouldn't be a very good girlfriend if I didn't," she smiled.

Asami let out a single laugh, lowering her head. What was she getting all worried for? She knew Korra better than that.

"Sorry. …For, uh, saying sorry, I guess," She laughed again, realizing how ridiculous it sounded. "This is new for me."

"I know." Korra replied, very gently resting her nose against Asami's, careful not to hurt her. She was still a little tender, but the tingling sensation it created was kind of… nice, all things considered. "I love you," she repeated.

"I love you too," Asami finally replied.

The two girls craned their heads closer to each other so that their foreheads were now touching, just soaking up the other's presence, and in that moment, nothing else really mattered. All of Asami's earlier concerns fell to the wayside and Korra cast aside her thoughts about the day and the two of them just settled back into each other, back into where they were before the anxiety pulled them out.

If Korra was being honest though, part of her wished they were naked. She felt like she needed the skin-to-skin contact above everything else right now, like she still wasn't close enough, though she wondered if even a sheet of paper could fit between them right now. It was taking everything she had to not just start undressing now, be it herself or Asami, but she kept herself at bay, hoping to continue with conversation instead.

"I um, I did the best I could to heal you," Korra mentioned somewhat nervously. Asami could tell. Korra seemed tired. She'd probably expended a lot of energy tending to her, watching her… never mind their friends. And then there was that fight. It was no wonder she was actually sleeping when Asami woke up. Asami kissed her on her lips, thanking her for her service.

"My hero," She teased, prompting Korra to blush again. "Thank you." Korra's smile deepened. "Is Jinora okay too?" Though their foreheads were still touching, she could feel Korra ever-so-gently move her head as if to nod before replying to the question verbally.

"She fell back unconscious pretty quickly, but, she's going to be alright. Her spirit is healing," Korra explained. Her grip on Asami tightened some. "We owe Mako a lot," she remarked.

Asami hummed. She supposed they did. "Everything that happened is kind of a blur, but I remember seeing a bright flash before I passed out. I thought that maybe it was… well, it doesn't matter now. I'm just glad he underestimated Mako's stubbornness." Asami said. Korra laughed.

"He's an older brother, it's in his blood," she replied, "it's like he has a sixth sense when people are in trouble and pushes himself past his limits for them. Maybe we got lucky, but, I'm not going to let that luck go to waste." She assured. Before Asami could ask her what she meant by that, Korra had already returned her kiss, surprising her. But she wasn't one to complain, or to pass up an opportunity to kiss her Avatar, so Korra would quickly come to find that Asami was kissing back.

Before long, the two of them had found themselves in the most passionate make out session the two of them had had in weeks, kiss after kiss as their bodies tried to pull the other closer, Korra occasionally kissing around Asami's lips and along her face while Asami would reach for her neck whenever the opportunity presented itself.

It wasn't long before Korra had taken control of the situation, however. As tired as she was, she still had more energy than Asami did. But again, she wasn't one to complain – Asami just let Korra take over, laughing as Korra loved her, loving every second of it.

In order, Korra kissed her along her lips, her cheeks, her jaw – she was showering Asami in kisses, and every one sent a different message. Some of them said 'I missed you'. Others said 'I love you'. Others still whispered 'I want you'. Asami treasured them all, reflexively pulling Korra even closer, her grip on the girl growing tighter as she sunk her fingernails into her back, tugging on her body.

Korra moaned in a mix of pleasure and mild pain, but kept on kissing her regardless, finding a way to get in closer like Asami wanted and slowly guiding her kisses down to the girl's neck. Then, when she finally got there, she started kissing more all along its length.

She was sure to be careful, to check if she was causing pain as she navigated around her neck, but the only look on Asami's face was the red of her cheeks and a very elated smile. She'd closed her eyes to soak in the sensation. So, Korra continued, kissing longer, and deeper, and lower, lightly sucking on her neck as she did. With that, Asami gasped and bit her lip, her fingernails digging deeper. It was unexpected, but, not entirely unwanted.

"I'm still really tired," she admitted before things escalated any further. "I feel like I can hardly move."

Korra understood, kissing her neck just a little bit more and tracing a trail back up to her lips before replying. "It's okay. He didn't take much, but he did still steal some chi. It'll take some time for that to come back. Thankfully, since Mako acted so quickly, you'll probably feel better by the morning... the day after, for sure." Korra explained. Once again, the two of them set aside a second to be grateful he was there with them.

"I just…" Korra continued, biting her lower lip. "I just I really want to love you right now," she admitted almost shamefully, looking back up at Asami with eyes like a polar bear dog pup. Those big, sparkling blues of hers just caused Asami's cheeks to burn even redder.

"Wow…" She whispered. Korra laughed knowingly, planting another kiss on the border between her neck and her jaw, then another near her ear. Asami savored the sensation.

"I almost lost you tonight," Korra said. She hadn't, thank the spirits, but she almost did. "I almost lost this tonight," she continued, referring of course to her fiancee's body. She loved her form as much as her soul, after all. "I just want to love you while I can because I was so scared I never could again."

Asami bit her lip. "I mean… I wouldn't be opposed to more of this," she said, referring of course to Korra's soft kisses, "wherever you want to take it," she just as shamefully admitted. Korra's smile widened.

"You don't need to return the favor right now," she assured, moving back to Asami's neck, and then down to her collarbone. "Just… rest, and relax, and let me love you. I love you." She affirmed as she reached the hem of Asami's shirt. That was going to need to come off now. Those shorts of hers, too, eventually. Asami offered up no resistance, and in fact just encouraged her actions, so Korra eagerly proceeded, removing her fiancee's shirt.

"I love you too," Asami whispered with a shudder, her breathing growing shallower. Korra flashed a knowing smile. There was more than one way to heal, she thought to herself.

She knew Asami probably wasn't feeling the best right now, physically, but she was intent on changing that. She was intent on just… experiencing her, for right now. To memorize every inch of her while she could. So that was what she did, with every kiss, with every touch, with every caress.

Nights like these, she remembered just how dangerous her life could be, how fragile things were. How she needed to savor every second of peace like this that she got. And with everything going on right now, it's not like she would probably be finding many more anytime soon. Things were going to be busy, and dangerous, and difficult, and…

Oh, to hell with it, she needed this. They both needed this, she confirmed, Asami's body shivering beneath her kisses. Oh, how Korra loved it when Asami shivered – she loved every reaction.

As she discarded the last of her fears and inhibitions, her actions became even more steady and focused and it wasn't long before she had Asami audibly gasping at the sensation. If she were being honest, this was what Korra lived for.

"Korra…" Asami moaned, and then repeated, "Korra," she asked, her Avatar pausing to hear her out, if only for a moment. "Tomorrow, when-" That was all she needed to hear. Korra didn't want to talk about that anymore, so she kissed Asami again, somewhere it she knew it was hard for her to worry when it felt the way it did.

"Tomorrow is tomorrow. Just focus on now." Korra begged.

"Okay," Asami whispered back. The last of her clothing was thrown to the wayside shortly thereafter.

She was so happy to be alive.

Ravi checked his watch. Viper should've been here by now. He, Atsushi and Chiasa all stood impatiently outside a Future Industries warehouse. At first, they still expected him to show up. But as the minutes dragged on into an hour, it became clear that he wasn't.

Ravi sighed. "I'm sorry. I think he may have just told me what I wanted to hear," he admitted.

"You think?" Chiasa asked, her arms crossed. "Figures that little piss-stain wouldn't show. Looks like it's going to be us against the Triple Threats after all."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

An unfamiliar voice, and the three mob bosses turned around. Behind them, an unexpected face smiled hello, Ryuuki extending his hand to shake Ravi's. He had changed into a new suit, and was eager to meet the big man with the plan.

"Ryuuki?!" Atsushi asked, stunned. Ravi and Chiasa exchanged a confused look, before Ravi cautiously accepted his offer for a handshake.

"Hmm… not quite," Ryuuki said, "Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am the Chi Eater, and as of tonight, I am the new head of the Triple Threat triad. I'm afraid Viper is no longer with us."

Ravi immediately recoiled at this revelation, Chiasa forming spears of ice all around Ryuuki's head while Atsushi grit his teeth. What did he just say?

"What sort of game are you playing?" Chiasa asked, threatening to skewer Ryuuki's face at a moment's notice.

"Ugh, please, let's not do this again. I don't want to kill another mob boss," Ryuuki groaned, rolling his eyes. With a wave of his hand, Chiasa's ice was turned back into water, though not without some resistance. Ryuuki could tell she was much more powerful than Viper was if she was resisting his bending, if only for a moment. He smiled at the thought. "Oh, I like you," he said.

Chiasa shuddered.

"You can waterbend?" Ravi asked, knowing Chiasa never would've backed down on her own. Ryuuki's smile widened.

"Among other things, yes. Like I said. I am the Chi Eater. I am absolute." Ryuuki reiterated. Ravi and Chiasa shared another look. This certainly changed things.

"So, you bumped off Viper, huh?" Atsushi asked, the first of the three to accept this new Ryuuki. In fact, he greatly preferred him to the old one. "Good riddance, I say."

Ryuuki laughed. "You must be Atsushi. And Chiasa, and Ravi, correct?" he asked, the three nodding in response. "Good. You see, I know all about you and your triads' little plan to take the city, and I've decided I want in. So, I took the Triple Threats for my own, and now I'm here in Viper's stead."

"How did you find out about that?" Ravi asked.

"Well, you did have your meeting outside a club I was attending, how could I have missed it?" he asked. Chiasa shot Ravi an icy glare. So somebody had seen them. "But that's not really important, is it? No. You see, I just beat the Avatar and her friends. They're still alive, for now, but I think together, we can change that. You want Republic City? I can give it to you, free of charge. All you have to do is help me kill the Avatar."

"The whole point of us joining forces was to avoid fighting the Avatar," Chiasa explained.

"Oh, I know. I know everything about your little plan that Viper did. I know you planned to use Asami Sato as leverage over the Avatar to keep her from acting against you. It's a solid enough concept, but awfully short-sighted. I mean, what happens after? Wouldn't you like a more permanent solution?" Ryuuki asked.

"…" Ravi was silent.

"I may not be who you expected, but I assure you, I am here to play ball."

Looking to Atsushi and Chiasa for approval, as they gave a nod – Atsushi excitedly and Chiasa tentatively – Ravi looked back to Ryuuki. He guessed that was that then. "…Okay then, 'Chi Eater'. What did you have in mind?"