Chapter 4 (Rewritten)

"You three are surrounded," Lin said, "you are under arrest for Vigilantism."

Kuo narrowed his eyes towards his mother and dropped the tonfas as he put his hands up. That's when the police started to arrest him and his friends. Kuo's suit had a utility belt and he threw down a smoke pellet that led to a massive volume of smoke and most of the metalbenders not being able to see them. This was the moment for Kuo and his friends to escape the arena by shooting a metal wire out as a grapple and swing out of the roof. Lin was using her Seismic Sense, but couldn't find them so Tenzin used his airbending to clear out the smoke and saw that his son and his friends were nowhere to be seen.

As Kuo and his friends escaped to the rooftop, Kuo pulled out a bison whistle as they were running to an edge of the rooftop. He didn't hesitate to blow it as they were running.

"Are you sure this will work?" Moe asked.

"Let's just hope." Yuji said.

Kuo shrugged as they ran off and started to jump off the roof. They got into a skydiving position and waited until they saw a sky-bison who had a dark green saddle with metal accents with it. They managed to land on the bison safely by rolling as they landed on the saddle. Kuo was the first to get on the reins and whipped the sky-bison.

"Shorty, take us back to Zaofu!" Kuo said. The bison now named Shorty roared as he flew his companion and his friends back to Zaofu.

As they were flying Yuji couldn't help but feel conflicted about their revelation. They were unmasked and Lin didn't hesitate to arrest them.

"What will happen to us?" Yuji asked.

"Mother won't stop until she finds and arrests us," Kuo said, "she never will listen nor bother to work with us, even if we go by her rules."

Moe and Yuji couldn't help but agree, Lin was very strict and by the book when it came to things like this. Kuo heaved a massive sigh as he looked at his friends.

"I'm sorry I dragged you guys into this. First I convinced you all to join me in the Royal Fire Naval Academy, then we all dropped out to go to Zaofu to join Aunt Su's Special Operations Unit, and now this…" Kuo heaved a sigh, "sometimes I feel like I drag you guys down with me if I fail, though I should be the one to take the fall only."

"Dude," Moe said, "if that were to be the case then we won't be true friends won't we?"

Kuo looked at them with surprise, "You guys…"

"We're the Treacherous Trio, we never separate," Yuji said, "we're in this together!"

Kuo smiled as he nodded, "Alright, then let's go to Zaofu. We need to lay low for a bit before we come back."

"How long will we stay?"

"A few days at the most," Kuo said, "We need to return as soon as possible if we want to take down Amon."

They all nodded as they flew down towards the Central Earth Kingdom.

———

"Check the whole city!" Lin ordered, "We need to find those boys and fast, I don't care if it takes all night, just get it done!"

"Yes ma'am!" one officer said. The other metalbending officers didn't hesitate to spread out and find Kuo, Moe, and Yuji. Tenzin was standing by the side as he was watching Lin giving out orders to arrest their son. He was the first to approach her.

"Lin, I've let go of a lot of things you have pulled off, but this is it," Tenzin said calmly, "you basically chased our son off and he can no longer come back to what he considered home."

"Don't give me that," Lin said, "OUR son is a criminal. Vigilantism is known to be illegal in Republic City and you know it!"

"Have you even thought about why he's taking down Amon like this?" Tenzin said.

"I don't care!" Lin said, "It is mine and Tarrlok's Task Force's job to take him down. Not some three irrational late teenagers."

"Lin! You don't get it!" Tenzin said, "The reason why he's doing this is because we weren't there for him when he needed him the most!"

Lin looked to Tenzin as he explained why Kuo turned into a vigilante.

"Our son comes from our lineage," Tenzin said, "he is an Earthbender, trying to live up to your mother's and my father's dream of this city, the whole world for that matter. He already was crushed when he found out he was an Earthbender and you weren't there to comfort him. I failed as a father to tell him it was okay to be an Earthbender when his bending showed up! We were not there to help him move on when he killed that Agni Kai thug in the Sato residence."

Lin stopped when she saw the sad look in Tenzin's eyes.

"The reason why he's this way is because we both failed him," Tenzin said, "we both failed to show him what the right path is for him as a boy. Because of that, he has created a path of vigilantism. Our small boy that we once loved stopped being a boy when he killed the triad member."

Lin's expression softened a little as she saw Tenzin walk away back to Air Temple Island.

An hour had passed and the officers reported back to Lin.

"No sign of Kuo nor his friends, ma'am," the officer said.

Lin sighed as she nodded, "Alright, we're done for the day. I don't think they will return after what just happened."

———

When Tenzin returned, he went into the kids' room. Ikki and Meelo were asleep, but Jinora was wide awake as she was staring out the window.

"Jinora," Tenzin said, "what are you doing up and awake?"

Jinora continued to stare as she sighed.

"Is Kuo ever gonna come back?" Jinora asked.

Tenzin had a sad expression as he knew Jinora was a smart girl so he decided to answer honestly. "I don't know," Tenzin said.

Jinora sighed as she looked out the window.

—Flashback—

Jinora was up late at night walking around the island as she decided to check on the sky-bisons. She smiled as she petted a bison's snout and left the caves.

As she continued to walk, she walked towards the dock and stopped as she saw Kuo and his friends in their black suits leaving Republic City.

"Kuo?"

Kuo stopped what he was doing to see Jinora there in front of them. Kuo sighed as he told his friends to go without him. Moe and Yuji got on Shorty while Kuo looked at Jinora.

"I assume you know what I am," Kuo said.

"I've been eavesdropping on Daddy's calls with your Mom," Jinora said, "they've been trying to get to hunt you down. But now that I know maybe Daddy can—"

"It's not Dad that I'm worried about," Kuo said, "it's my Mother. She just found out who we were and has started to hunt us down."

"What's going to happen?"

Kuo knelt to his sister's level and sighed, "I have to go away for a bit."

As Jinora heard about him possibly leaving, she looked down in sadness. He gave her a sad smile and gave her a hug.

"It's going to be okay, kiddo," Kuo said, "I won't be gone for long, okay."

Jinora pulled from her older brother's hug and massaged his noticeable eye bags. Kuo smiled as he patted Jinora's shoulders, "Now get some sleep, okay?"

She sadly nodded as she started to walk away. Before she could walk away further she looked to see Shorty flying away.

—Flashback Ends—

Kuo was on Shorty's head as he was thinking about their next move. They took a quick pit stop in the Southwest Earth Kingdom. He knew this wasn't going to be an easy return back to the City. How was he going to get back to the city without being a wanted man? He grunted in annoyance as he saw his friends coming back to the saddle to resume their ride back further back to the Southwestern part of the Earth Kingdom.

———

Korra was at the Pro-bending arena making her way to the attic where Mako and Bolin are staying.

"I can't believe they're shutting this place down." Mako said sadly as he packed his last clothes in a box.

"Yeah. We had some good memories here, didn't we?" Bolin said in the same sad manner and he's sitting on the floor packing his clothes.

Just then Korra arrives at the attic.

"Great news, guys! You don't have to go back to the streets. I talked to Tenzin and made all the arrangements. You guys can live on Air Temple Island with us!" Korra said.

"Oh, well. We'd love to, but..." Mako stops talking while scratching his head.

"Asami already invited us to live in her dad's giant mansion!" Bolin said excitedly, making Korra's smile turn into a frown.

"Really?" Korra asked.

"Yep! From now on, it's gonna be a lap of luxury for us!" Bolin said.

"Hey, Korra." A voice said and they turned to see Asami arriving. "I was hoping you'd stop by." Asami said. She later looked and didn't see Kuo.

"Where's Kuo?" Asami asked.

Korra looked at her with sadness, "He's on the run. His Mom and Tarrlok have decided to track him down and arrest him. Lin found out that Kuo and his friends were the vigilantes that have been taking down the Equalists."

Asami, Bolin, and Mako's eyes widened, "What?"

"I was invited to a meeting with Tenzin and Beifong, Tarrlok was there," Korra said, "they've made a decision to take not only the Equalists down, but them as well. Though she didn't tell Tarrlok that Kuo and his friends were the vigilantes."

"Really?" Bolin asked.

Korra nodded, "It was weird, who knows. Lin may not want Tarrlok to arrest Kuo."

Asami had an angry look on her face as she said, "I think Kuo should be working together with the cops and the Task Force. Kuo and his friends have been the main contributors to the decreasing number of Equalists."

Korra couldn't help but agree with Asami. She looked up to Asami who had a smirk on her face, "I always knew he was the Earth Spirit Vigilante."

"How?" Mako was asking this question as he was curious about this.

"He always had a thing for doing what was right," Asami said, "even if it meant involving his fists. He has sent a lot of Equalists to the hospital due to his brute force. In a way it was the effect of falling into the pressure of being the Grandson of Avatar Aang, Katara, and Toph."

Mako, Bolin, and Korra now understood. Especially Korra, she is the current Avatar and her friend Kuo is the Grandson of her predecessor, his wife, and friend. But she never knew that Kuo had fallen into a kind of darkness which led to him being astray from peace. In her eyes she thinks Kuo believes in peace through superior firepower. She never saw that side of Kuo before, when she met Kuo he was a nice guy. She never knew what kind of person Kuo truly was. She later sighed as she said in a grim voice, "Anyway, I was just leaving. Guess I'll see you guys around... sometime."

"What about tomorrow? I'd love for you to come visit the estate." Asami said.

"Sorry, but I have to do some airbending training," Korra said.

"Oh, come on, Korra. We all deserve a little rest and relaxation after all this craziness. We could swim in Asami's pool. It'll be fun!" Bolin said holding Pabu in front of his face and talking in a high pitch tone and waving Pabu's paws around and Korra laughed at the act.

"Alright, I'll come see you guys tomorrow," Korra said.

"Great! I can't wait." Asami said.

"Yay! You're gonna come!" Bolin said.

Korra waved and was about to leave until Asami called for her.

"If Kuo comes back, can you ask if he can come?" Asami asked.

Korra smiled and nodded as she left.

———

Zaofu, the innovative city within the earth kingdom. Created by Kuo's Aunt Suyin and Uncle Baatar, Tenzin would take his son there to visit his aunt without the mother due to issues they had. Kuo had a smile on his face as Shorty landed on the landing pad, they were met by a woman who had a tan complexion and a mole under her right eye.

"Kuo," the woman said with a smile.

"Kuvira," Kuo said with a smile back, the two got in for a hug.

"It's good to see you," Kuvira said.

"You two, little cousin," Kuo said, "where's Aunt Su?"

———

A woman with gray hair and green eyes was in her office, filling out some paperwork until a guard came in. "Beifong!" Kuvira said.

"Yes?" Suyin said.

"You have a few guests," Kuvira said. She soon stepped aside as Kuo, Yuji, and Moe walked in. Suyin saw the three boys and smiled as she got out of her seat to give them a hug.

"Hello boys," Suyin said, "I didn't expect you to be back soon."

"Well there are complications," Moe said.

"Really big ones," Yuji added.

Suyin's expression changed as she said, "What's going on back in the City?"

He was explaining the crisis to his aunt who nodded to all the terrible news. Yuji and Moe went into their rooms to get settles and slept

"This is troubling," Suyin said, "Though I would love to help, I can't. I have a responsibility here at Zaofu. Don't get me wrong, Republic City was once and will always be my home and where I came from, but I also have a city to watch over."

Suyin went up to her nephew and put a hand on his shoulder, "I'm really sorry honey."

Kuo looked down to the floor in sadness, sad that his aunt couldn't help him in stopping the war, "Though, I can do this for you," Suyin said, making Kuo look at her, "If the issue worsens, then your father and his family are more than welcome to take refuge here while you try to solve the crisis with the Avatar."

Kuo nodded as he got up, "I guess I have to take care of this. It's my mission after all."

Suyin gave him a sad smile as he left the door. When he did, he was met by five people. One of them was the oldest; he wore glasses and had slicked back hair. The other was a little shorter and had one side of his head shaven and was dyed green on one part of it. There was also a group of twins that were boys, one had his hair parted from his left to right and the other twin had his hair from right to left. And lastly, a girl with tanned skin and hair that went down to her chin.

"Hello, Kuo," one of the twins said.

"Hey, Wing." Kuo smiled and ruffled his hair. Wing the one with his hair that was parted from the left to right, "It's good to see you guys again."

"Are you staying for long?" Opal asked.

Kuo chuckled and shook his head, "No, I will have to leave soon after."

———

Korra arrived at the Sato Estate and was amazed at how big the mansion is.

Just the two large front doors open revealing a butler.

"Miss Avatar Korra, right this way please." The butler said escorting the waterbender into the mansion and was impressed with the interior of the house.

"Just how can Asami live in a place like THIS?" Korra asked herself.

In a pool room Pabu is jumping off a statue squealing while Bolin stands at the top of the statue while Asami is sitting on the side of the pool and Mako is standing in the pool next to her.

"Earthbending bomb!" Bolin yelled as he dove into the pool doing a belly flop splashing Mako and Asami. He then resurfaces while the butler arrives with Korra.

"Avatar Korra has arrived," The butler said.

"Hey, Korra!" Mako said.

"Glad you made it!" Asami said.

"Welcome to paradise!" Bolin said as he put his hands behind his head and floated on his back while Pabu got on his stomach.

"Looks like you guys settled right in." Korra said slightly sarcastically.

"Pretty much, except SOMEONE forgot to ask her father if we could stay here." Mako said swimming over to Korra.

"Yeah, but I smoothed it over with him. It's easier to ask for his forgiveness than permission." Asami said.

"This is the greatest place in the world!" Bolin said getting out of the pool with Pabu on his shoulder. "Watch this, watch this. Fetch me my towel, good sir." Bolin said in a formal voice.

"Yes, Master... Bolin." The butler said, taking a folded towel and walking to Bolin.

"Master Bolin! Ha! I love this guy." Bolin said, holding his arms out. "Now, pat me dry." Bolin said.

"As you wish." The butler said, rolling up the towel and pats Bolin.

"Don't forget Master Pabu." Bolin said.

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir." The butler said putting the towel over Pabu and rubs him dry making the Fire Ferret's fur become bushy and as the butler turns around Bolin jumps back into the pool much to the butler's annoyance.

"No Kuo?" Asami asked.

Korra shook her head, "He hasn't come back yet. Tenzin doesn't know when he'll be back."

Korra later decided to change the subject, "So, what do you have planned for us today? Let me guess, shopping, makeovers..." Korra said, dismayed.

"I have something a little more exciting in mind." Asami said.

Later at a racetrack two Satomobiles are driving down the track.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Asami asked.

"Way cooler than a makeover." Korra said.

"This is where Future Industries test-drives their Satomobiles. Ever been behind the wheel?" Asami asked.

Korra shook her head.

"You want me to take you for a spin?" Asami asked.

"Let's do it!" Korra said.

Two Satomobiles stand next to each other and Korra puts on goggles while sitting behind Asami while a man is sitting in the other car and the race starts as a man in blue waves a white flag and Asami falls behind first but keeps up fast as Mako and Bolin heer from the sidelines. Asami overtakes the other mobile while her back wheel is grazing the wall and the man tries to keep up but his front wheel and Asami's back wheel touch and his car starts swaying and Asami wins the race and stops the car.

"That was amazing! I didn't think we'd make it." Korra said.

"Well, you can't be afraid to mix things up sometimes." Asami said.

"I gotta admit, I had you all wrong. I thought you were kind of...prissy." Korra said.

"It's all right, people usually assume that I'm daddy's helpless little girl, but I can handle myself. I mean, I've been in self-defense classes since I was this high." Asami said, indicating her height with her hand next to her waist.

"Dad made sure that I would always be able to protect myself," Asami said.

Korra, Mako, Bolin, and Asami return to the inside of the mansion and Bolin rushes through the doors.

"Emergency, emergency coming through, beep beep!" Bolin said, running for the bathroom with his hands covering his groin.

"Is there another bathroom I can use?" Korra asked.

"We have a lady's powder room upstairs, first door on your right. You can freshen up there." Asami said.

"Thanks." Korra said.

Korra is washing and drying herself and then she picks up a powder sponge while looking at it intensely and then smashes it onto her face and starts choking and then she leaves the room but then she hears something.

"No, no! No, I assure you, everything is going exactly as planned. Uh...uh, yes... luckily, the Cabbage Corp investigation has brought us enough time. Trust me, but the end of the week... we'll be ready to strike!" A voice said Korra sneaks toward the room and looks into the room through the keyhole and sees someone sitting at a desk and it's revealed to be Hiroshi who is talking on the phone and then he hangs up the phone making Korra shocked.

The butler is spraying perfume all over Bolin and Mako and Asami is behind them and Korra runs past them.

"You're both leaving? But I thought..." Asami was cut off.

"Uh, sorry! I forgot, I'm supposed to airsit, I mean, babybend, I-I mean babysit the Airbender kids, Ikki and Meelo." Korra said.

"See you later!" Korra said.

"What's with her?" Bolin asked.

———

A few days had passed with Kuo training his hand-to-hand combat and Earthbending skills. He also had polished his acrobatic skill by temporarily joining the circus trapeze troupe for their training. He was currently looking out to the city as he was called by an older man who had a goatee.

"Kuo!"

Kuo looked at the older man and smiled, "Uncle Baatar!"

He got up and hugged the older man, "It's good to see you."

"You too," Baatar said, "I have something for you, I gave it to Yuji already, but not you yet come."

Kuo was confused as he followed Baatar to his secret lab where he developed weapons for Kuo and the boys. Kuo followed Baatar to his work bench to show him two metallic sticks.

"Two Kali sticks made of hardened steel," Baatar said, "Stronger than Platinum and can bend it. Try it on."

Kuo held the two Kali sticks and flipped them a bit. It had a bit of weight, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. He took out his Tonfas that were on his waist and held them up for Baatar to strike. Baatar used the steeled Kali stick to hit Kuo's tonfas and heard a massive clank. Kuo looked at his tonfas and saw they had a dent on them.

"Wow…" Kuo said, "Where did you find the metal."

"I'd rather not say," Baatar said, "it's already bad enough that I kept this lab a secret from everyone except for you boys and Su."

"Alright," Kuo said, "Thanks for the upgrade."

...

The next morning arose and Kuo hugged his cousins, uncle, and aunt. "It was good to see you guys," Kuo said.

Suyin put a hand on her nephew's head and ruffled it, "You too, tell your father I said hi."

"Of course." Kuo later got on his bison, "Shorty, yip-yip!"

Suyin and her family waved at Kuo as he and his friends flew back to the city.

———

As Kuo returned to the city he and his friends were confronted by Lin who was alone.

"We need to talk," Lin said.

As Kuo and his friends got off the Bison, they all walked to the Police Station and saw Tenzin there.

"Dad," Kuo said.

Tenzin nodded as he walked towards Lin, Kuo, and his friends.

"We have made a decision," Lin said, "I've told Tarrlok only of your persona's. So if you do engage in vigilantism, I have no choice but to arrest you or try at least before you escape."

"Well that was anticlimactic," Kuo cynically said.

…

Korra was later outside and went to Naga to deliver some news to Tenzin and Lin, but was surprised to see Kuo there as well. Kuo told her that he came back from Zaofu not too long ago and that Moe and Yuji were resting.

"So, you two think Mr. Sato manufactured those gloves for the Equalists, then framed Cabbage Corp?" Tenzin asked.

"Those are bold accusations, but what proof do you have?" Lin asked.

"Well, we don't exactly have proof, but I know what I heard from Mr. Sato," Korra said.

"No, it can't be. He wouldn't," Kuo couldn't help himself. The idea of Mr. Sato being responsible for such an underhanded ruse was preposterous, almost impossible. Taking advantage of a competitor's misfortune was one thing, but causing said misfortune was another matter entirely. "This is Hiroshi Sato we're talking about. We've known him for years, guys," He looked to his mother and father. "Do you really think he would get himself involved with a terrorist group just for the sake of making a profit?"

"Whether we like it or not, it's undeniable that Hiroshi is benefiting from this. That doesn't mean he's guilty by default, but after all that has happened, we simply can't dismiss potential suspects, regardless of how many years we've known them for. Besides, when you think about it, Future Industries is one of the main leaders of our time in terms of technological advancement. Hiroshi certainly has the means to manufacture Equalist devices on his own... as well as a possible motive," Lin said.

The Avatar blinked. "A motive?"

"Years ago, the Agni Kai Triad broke into the Sato Estate with the intention of committing robbery," Tenzin replied with a sad look on his face, one that his son shared. "The situation got out of control, and their robbery attempt ended with the death of Yasuko, Hiroshi's beloved wife. That tragic incident left the Sato family devastated, and Kuo too."

Lin growled remembering the event, "Our son was there on that day too with Asami." She said

Korra's eyes widened, "Wh-what happened?" she asked

Kuo sighed, "It went like this..."

—Flashback—

A six year old Kuo and a five year old Asami were playing outside and decided to head inside to clean up.

Asami wiped the mud from her face and glared at Kuo, "Really? A mud war! I thought you were going to show me your earth bending?" the dirtied Asami questioned.

Kuo, also covered in mud, shrugged, "I wanted to try out mudbending. It sounded fun." He looked at Asami and then himself, "And it was." He chirped as he patted the dirt on him.

Asami just face palmed.

A scream echoed through the halls.

"Kyaaa!"

Both Kuo and Asami froze hearing such a horrific scream.

Asami turned to Kuo with a bit of fear, "Ko-Kuo, wh-what was that?" she asked in a shaken tone.

"I don't know?" he answered as he took a deep breath.

He placed his hand on the floor, trying to feel the vibrations in the earth like his grandmother had taught him.

He felt...a lot of people entering the house and running around it and...one was heading this way!

Kuo grabbed Asami's hand and ran up the stairs with her.

He found a closet and pushed her into it, "Stay here." He ordered her.

"But-" she tried to argue, but Kuo cut her off.

"No Asami, stay here and I'll try and find aunt Yasuko and see what's happening." He said as he closed the door on her.

He ran though the second floor of the house trying to find someone; anyone that could tell him what was going on.

He finally found Asami's mother Yasuko, "Aunt Yasuko!" he said, getting her attention. She turned to him with a panicked look on her face, "Kuo, run!" she shouted and was hit in the back by a fireball. She flew through the air and landed roughly on the ground, Kuo thought she would get up...but she didn't.

A big stocky man came out of the hallway and looked right at Kuo, "Well well. I think that bastard Sato only had a daughter so you must be her friend or something. What do you say brat, I'll let you live if you bring me to Sato's daughter." He said.

Kuo was frozen, his feet just wouldn't move. This...this monster just killed Yasuko.

The thug later looked closer to Kuo and his eyes widened, "Oh I know you. You are the grandson of Avatar Aang. You're a shrimp, I thought you would be more intimidating."

The man laughed at him, "You want to fight me?" he said in a joking manner, he rolled his shoulder, "Your funeral, maybe they can have a two for one to save some cash after we rob this place blind." He joked as he shot a fireball at Kuo.

Kuo jumped to the left of the hall and slammed his foot on the floor, causing it to collapse under the firebender.

"The fu-!" he tried to say, but he fell through.

Kuo, not being able to control his bending just yet, cracked the floor under him too and fell.

Kuo stood up from all the rubble and heard some rubble moving and turned to see the firebender, just as he punched Kuo right in the face, sending him flying.

"Little brat, you're dead!" he shouted.

"Kuo!" the voice of Asami cried out.

Kuo turned to see her friend in tears as she watched him get hit.

The fire bender saw her and smiled, "Well there you are, time to end you too, so just stand there as I choke the life out of your little friend here." He said in a polite manner.

He wrapped his large hands around Kuo's throat and started to squeeze and Kuo flailed around, trying to fight back, but sadly he couldn't.

Suddenly a rock hit the fire bender in the eye, causing him to bleed.

He growled as he turned to Asami just as she threw another rock at him. He swatted it away, "Fine, you can die first!" he said as he got up and was about to launch a fireball at her, but stopped when he looked down and saw a large earth spike going right through his stomach.

He turned his head slightly to see Kuo in a striking pose and tried to gasp for air as the spike went through his lung. He died right then and there.

Kuo collapsed on his knees and looked at his hands. He had killed. He killed someone! He just wanted to save Asami and he took a man's life in order to do so.

He started to cry and felt a pair of arms wrap around him and saw Asami crying as she hugged him tightly, which he returned. The two stayed like that till the metal bending police arrived and arrested some of the fire benders while Lin and Tenzin ran up to the two.

"Kuo! Asami!" she said in a frantic tone. She quickly scanned the scene and her heart sank when she saw a fire bender impaled by an earth spike.

She and Tenzin saw their son who's shaking and crying as Asami held him and the two wrapped their arms around the two and tried soothing them with sweet nothings as she was also shedding tears.

It was a few minutes later that they found the body of Yasuko Sato.

—Flashback Ends—

"Kuo..." Korra muttered in sadness as she heard that he had killed someone at such a young age.

Tenzin had bowed his head at remembering their son had not been his usual self for about a month till he started to talk about it with Lin and himself.

He always asked if he was a bad guy for killing someone.

They told him that killing was indeed a bad thing, but he did it to save someone's life.

"It was a tragic event. It's possible that he's been harboring anti-bending sentiment all this time." Tenzin said.

"I will speak to Hiroshi in private about the matter." Lin said in a neutral tone.

They started to head home as they would deal with this in the morning.

Kuo stood up and started to head towards his bike, but Korra grabbed his shoulder, "You believe what I said... right Kuo?" she said in a soft tone.

Kuo winced as he turned to look into her eyes, "It's not about believing you or not Korra. I'm just trying to make heads or tails of this whole thing. I mean, the old man has been nothing but family to me. I want to believe you, but I also want to believe that the man I grew up around isn't an Equalist either." He said carefully.

Korra looked a little hurt that he didn't believe her right off the bat, but she could understand since he just didn't want it to be true.

Deep down, she hoped she was wrong...for Kuo's sake.

———

The butler had opened the door to reveal Lin, Tenzin, Korra, and Kuo.

Lin and Tenzin headed up stairs to Hiroshi's office as Korra and Kuo followed them, but they were stopped by Asami and Mako.

"What's going on? Why are they asking Hiroshi more questions?" Mako asked.

Korra was about to talk, but Kuo covered her mouth, "We can't discuss the matters of the investigation at this moment." He said in a monotone voice.

Asami got right into Kuo's face, ""Take off that stoic face of yours Kuo and tell me!" she demanded.

Kuo averted her eyes, telling her that he wouldn't talk about it. She scowled at him and turned to the stairs and started to head to her father's office.

Mako stared at both Korra and Kuo for a few seconds till he headed up too.

Kuo sighed and headed up too and Korra quickly followed.

As Kuo entered the office he already saw his mother and Hiroshi conversing.

"Hiroshi, we just wanted to ask some follow up questions." Lin said in a neutral tone.

Hiroshi raised an eyebrow, "By all means Lin." He gestured to her to continue.

"Kuo." She said and he stood forward.

"There had been word throughout the grapevine that you have possible ties with the Equalists." He said in a monotone voice.

Hiroshi looked shocked at this. Asami on the other hand walked up to Kuo and slapped him across the face as he remained stone cold.

"Kuo, Aunt Lin!" Asami screamed in indignation, "How could you even think that?" she asked

Lin answered for them, "We need to follow all possible leads Miss Sato, but due both mine, Tenzin's and Kuo's relation towards you both, we wished to keep this as private as possible. Sadly we are still mandated to ask if we can search your warehouses...no matter how much we wish not to." She said with regret.

Hiroshi raised his hand to calm his daughter, "It's alright Asami. Lin is just doing her job. You can search all of Future Industries as much as you wish." He stated.

Lin nodded and walked out the room with Tenzin as Kuo and Korra trailed behind.

Korra leaned closer to Kuo, "Why did you stop me from answering before?" she asked in a whisper.

"Because, by doing that you would have really hurt your friendship with both Asami and Mako. So I told a little lie." He whispered back.

Despite his words Korra was worried because her friend was now risking his own friendship with Asami just so hers doesn't get damaged.

———

As his mother and the other officers looked through Future Industries, Kuo was staying out of the way per his request as he didn't wish to do this. His mother and father understood and he stayed out of the search.

He leaned against one of the buildings and took out a photo which showed a baby Kuo with his Grandpa Aang, Grandmas Katara and Toph.

"Am I doing the right thing guys?"

"Kuo!" he heard as he turned to see her and quickly put the photo back in his jacket.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Check this out." she said as she handed him the letter.

He read it and raised an eyebrow, "Are we sure about this?" he asked as it could be a trap or something.

"We got nothing else to go off on," She said.

He nodded at her, "Let's go then, let's get the boys while at it."

———

"I have a bad feeling about this," Moe said. He, Yuji and Kuo were standing near the start of the Silk Road Bridge. This was the place where they were supposed to meet someone who could tell them the 'truth' about Hiroshi Sato, whatever that meant. Korra, Tenzin, Lin, and a small squad of four metalbenders were waiting for him, and had it not been for the uniqueness of the situation, Kuo would've gone home to enjoy a hot bath and go to bed. This conspiracy was really getting out of hand, and Kuo just wanted to put an end to it.

With a weary face and heavy shoulders, Kuo and his friends walked under the Silk Road Bridge, where they met Korra, Tenzin, Lin, and two agents of the Metalbending Police Force. "The meeting is about to start. Is everyone ready?" Lin asked, receiving a nod from everyone except from her son and friends.

"May I ask what are these two doing here, Chief Beifong?" Kuo asked, jerking his chin up at the two other metalbenders.

"I told them to come with us in case we're walking straight into an ambush. We can't be careless right now," Lin replied, to which Kuo nodded in understanding. "Anyways, let's meet this stranger. With some luck, we might get some useful information out of all of this,"

The group started moving, keeping their eyes wide open. Whoever had delivered that note hadn't specified in which exact place of the Silk Road Bridge he was going to be waiting for them and this location was rather ideal for a setup, which made the Sergeant of the Police Force feel tense. Kuo and Korra were walking next to each other, but they weren't exchanging words or even glances as they had yet to smoke the pipe of peace together after their brief discussion earlier that night.

Besides, this was hardly the time or the place to talk about that. They would have to wait until later before they could patch things up. It wasn't like they were going to break up over this... Right?

'Spirits, what I wouldn't give for some Chimaru tea and a bottle of aspirin,' Kuo thought.

After fifteen minutes of walking, they were stopped by the sound of a loud whisper. "Pssst, over here,"

A figure slowly appeared from behind a column, wearing a trench coat, a flat cap, and fingerless wool gloves. The collars of his long coat were raised, making it difficult for Kuo to get a clear view of his face due to how dark the night was. Whoever this guy was, it was obvious that he didn't want people to recognize him, and Kuo felt the urge to get his blade out just in case.

"You have nothing to worry about. There's no one else here except for us," the man said.

Lin took a step forward, retracted the sole of her boot and stomped her foot on the ground, making use of her seismic abilities to detect any other presences nearby. After half a minute later, she went back to her previous posture and slid her boot sole back out. "The area is clear. I'm assuming you're the one who wrote that note and gave it to Kuo here."

The man nodded. "That's right. I generally don't like acting with such secrecy, but there was no other way to arrange this meeting. My name is Teru. I work at one of the warehouses you guys raided,"

"What do you have on Hiroshi Sato?" Korra immediately asked, but Teru raised his hand at her.

"Not so fast. Before I speak, I want something from Chief Beifong and Avatar Korra. I want the two of you to promise me that I will not be sent to jail over the hypothetical activities I may or may not have taken part in regarding this conversation,"

Kuo didn't like where this was going. The way Teru spoke suggested that he had indeed engaged in at least one crime in the past, but he wasn't admitting to it, not from a legal perspective anyway. "That's a bit too much to ask considering we don't know how important or reliable your information is. We can discuss reducing jail time if it comes to that, but-"

"But nothing. These are my terms, and whether this conversation continues or not depends entirely on you. If you do agree to these conditions, you will understand why I placed them on the table. Do you agree, or should we go home and pretend this never happened?"

Just when Kuo was about to protest, Lin sent a sharp glare his way, and he begrudgingly closed his mouth. "If your information turns out to be just as important and truthful as you claim it is, the Police Department is willing to consider you as a protected witness, and you will not be held accountable for any wrongdoings you may have committed unless those wrongdoings are beyond exoneration. You have my word."

Teru remained silent for a while, and then he nodded in consent. "Very well, then. I'm not gonna waste my time explaining them, but for a couple of reasons, I joined the Equalists about a year ago. I thought Amon could make life better for us non-benders, but not like this. His war against the city has gotten way out of hand,"

"And what does that have to do with Hiroshi Sato?" Tenzin asked while his eldest son placed his hand on the ground, checking for Teru's heartbeat pattern.

"It has everything to do with him. He's the one who's been manufacturing the equipment used by the Equalists all along, the same equipment that was found during the raid on Cabbage Corps. Amon and Hiroshi are allies, close allies,"

Kuo flinched, and his hand started to tremble. Moe and Yuji started to notice this and knew something wasn't going to end well.

"I knew it! I knew Hiroshi had been up to something all this time!" Korra exclaimed, smacking her open palm with the side of her fist.

"And there's more. Hiroshi has been working on a new invention, a weapon that will give the Equalists a huge advantage. It has yet to be tested, but once it's ready, only the Spirits know what kind of destruction will Amon and his followers unleash upon Republic City,"

"Where exactly is this new weapon being developed? We checked all of Future Industries' warehouses and found no evidence whatsoever," Lin said.

Teru looked over his shoulders as if making extra sure that they were out of earshot before adjusting his hat. "That's because there's a secret factory where Hiroshi manufactures the devices used by the Equalist movement. I've been there myself, and I've seen what kind of stuff is being developed inside that factory,"

"Where is it?" the Avatar demanded to know.

"... Right underneath the Sato Estate."

Except for Kuo, everyone in the group exchanged surprised glances. No one had considered the possibility of a secret factory built underground. The Sato estate was located high up in the hills, and the terrain was big enough to hide a factory below the earth's surface, which would allow Hiroshi to design and produce technological objects in favor of the Equalist cause while offering his cooperation to the Police Department without getting caught. Of course, it would've been foolish to believe a complete stranger based on his word alone, which was why Kuo used his seismic sense to detect any abnormal change in Teru's heartbeat pattern in case he lied.

"Kuo, is this man telling the truth or not?" Lin asked while Tenzin, Korra, and the two agents of the Metalbending Police Force were holding their breath.

Kuo got on his feet very slowly, almost in a robotic fashion. A small knot formed in Korra's throat when she saw her friend's face. He was pale and weary, and he looked like he was seconds away from throwing up.

"... He told the truth."

———

"Raiding the Sato mansion is a risky move with Tarrlok breathing down your neck." Tenzin commented to Lin, "If you're wrong..." he trailed off.

"I know, I can kiss my job goodbye, but protecting Republic City is all I care about...even if I have to go against a friend." Lin said with sadness, "We can't let Amon get his hands on this new weapon." She finished

Kuo was sitting with Korra as he was shaking slightly and taking some deep breaths. This was it; he was going to find out what's going on in Hiroshi's head and hopefully talk him out of this. Moe and Yuji were doing their own thing as they had other priorities like patrolling the city for any Equalists.

Korra looked at Kuo with worry, "You okay?" she asked softly as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

Kuo shook his head, "No, not really. What if I can't talk him out of this? This is going to hurt Asami so much. Aunt Yasuko wouldn't want him to do this; she would only want him to use his genius for peace, not war." He said as he swallowed hard.

"It'll be okay." Korra weakly tried to make him feel better but knew it wasn't helping much. Damn she sucked at this sensitive stuff when it mattered!

Kuo looked at her with a hopeful smile, "Hopefully." He muttered as the Airship flew over the Sato mansion and began to descend.

They entered the mansion and the other officers slammed the door open and saw Asami, Mako, and Bolin with Pabu, sitting around.

"What are you doing here?" Asami asked in surprise.

"We have reason to believe that there is a factory hidden below the mansion." Lin stated

Asami got up in anger, "I think I would have noticed if there was a factory under my house. Aunt Lin, my dad isn't an Equalist, you've known him for years!" she exclaimed and she turned to Kuo, "You too Kuo, has he ever been cruel or mean to you?" she asked as Kuo averted his eyes from her.

"Where is your father?" Tenzin asked, wishing to get her attention away from Kuo.

"In his workshop behind the house." She answered in a calmer tone.

They group walked to the workshop with the other kids in tow as the metal bending officers secured the perimeter.

They entered the shop and did a quick sweep of the shop.

"Dad? Hello?" Asami called out as she entered the workshop.

"Chief, the estate has been secured. No one has left the workshop since we've arrived." An officer said.

"Perhaps we just couldn't see him leaving." Lin said as she walked to the center of the room.

She raised her foot and the slot under it shot open, exposing her foot and she slammed it down and used her seismic sensing.

"There's a tunnel beneath the workshop running deep into the mountain side." Lin said

"What? There's no tunnel." Asami stated

Lin lifted her arms and the metal floor crinkled and she lifted it and threw it to the side.

They stared down the tunnel and saw how deep it went and a trolley that went down it.

"Whoa, do you think your dad knows about this tunnel?" Bolin asked in a loud whisper.

"I don't understand, there must be an explanation." Asami argued weakly.

"Maybe...you don't know everything about your father. I'm sorry." Korra said to her.

Kuo took a deep breather and patted Asami on the shoulder, "It's going to be okay, I'll talk to him." Kuo said to her and Asami nodded at him.

"Officers, into the tunnel. Be careful." Lin ordered

Asami, Mako, and Bolin were about to follow, but Lin stopped them, "Uh-uh, you three stay up here. Officer Song, keep an eye on them." Lin ordered despite their protest.

They descended down the trolley and they entered the ground floor and saw many Amon and Equalist banners.

"Hiroshi truly likes to go for extravagance." Lin commented.

"The man was always a big spender." Kuo joked weakly which made Korra laugh a bit.

They continued walking and they saw some kind of humanoid robot or something.

"And I'm guessing those are the new weapons." Korra said as she looked at them.

"Hiroshi was lying alright, but where is he?" Tenzin questioned

Suddenly a giant wall of metal blocked the exit for them, taking away the light.

Lin ran up to the wall of metal and tried to bend it, but realized she couldn't.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to metal bend that wall Lin." Said the voice of Hiroshi as suddenly rows of green lights lit up the room.

"It's solid platinum!" he said as the mecha tanks came to life and surrounded them.

"My mecha tanks are also made of platinum as well. Not even your renowned mother could bend a metal so pure." He said from the mecha tank.

Kuo walked in front of the group, "Hiroshi!" he yelled.

"Yes, Kuo?" Hiroshi asked as he knew what the boy wanted to talk about.

"Why? Why do this? Aunt Yasuko would never want this! She loved your inventions when they were used to help people, but now... now you are making weapons to bring war!" he shouted in betrayal.

Hiroshi flinched at the mention of his lovely wife, but he knew that such a feeling would come up when he descended upon this path, "I am doing what I believe in Kuo. Nothing more and nothing less." He answered.

"How could you! Kuo trusted you, he did everything to defend you and now you just betray him and his mom like it's nothing? Why don't you come out here and-" Korra shouted

"And do what, young Avatar?" Hiroshi said as he cut her off, "Face the wrath of your bending? No, I think I'll fight from inside here where my odds are a little more equal." He said

"That source was a set up. You lured us down here!" Lin exclaimed

"Indeed Lin." Hiroshi said as his mecha tank's arm launched a cable with a weight at the end of it. Kuo broke off from the group and a mecha tank followed him.

He dodged a cable and ran up the wall while magnetizing his feet to let him stay up there for a bit and he grabbed his Steel Kali Sticks and started to hit the mecha tanks, denting them. He started to open the door of the mecha tank and threw the Equalist out and then started to jump towards Hiroshi's tank, but a cable shot out and shocked Kuo, leading to him being unconscious.

Hiroshi exited his mecha tank and looked at the down benders, "I'll say that that was a near flawless test run. Load everyone into the transport and deliver them to Amon." He ordered.

He walked over to Kuo as two chi blockers picked him up.

"Drop him by his mother and father." Hiroshi said and the chi blockers nodded as they dumped Kuo next to his mother and father.

What they didn't see was Mako and Bolin sneak in and pick up Korra and Tenzin and drag Kuo and Lin.

"Thanks boys~" Kuo said in a low tone.

"Anytime buddy." Bolin replied

"Not so fast boys." Hiroshi said as he wore two electro gloves and the Lieutenant had his electrified kali sticks ready to strike the brothers.

Bolin dropped Lin and used Tenzin's arm to wave at Hiroshi, "Hello, wow what really... swell... scary factory you have here under your giant mansion." He said

"Sponsoring our team, supporting the Avatar, it was all just a big cover." Mako stated in understanding.

"Yes and the most difficult part was watching my daughter traipse around with a fire bending street rat like you!" Hiroshi responded in anger.

"What about Kuo? He's been Asami's friend for years? Do you hate him too?" Mako asked back.

"Yeaaah?" Kuo said as he wanted to hear his answer.

Hiroshi paused and took a deep breath as he looked at Kuo with what everyone could identify as sadness, "No. Kuo is in fact the only bender I can respect, due to what he has done for me. If it wasn't for him I would've lost Asami that day which would've left me with no reason to live anymore. His relationship with Asami is something I will never take away, which is why I can't hate him."

However my hatred towards you benders is far greater and I'll do anything to make sure Amon wins this war."

With that, Kuo lost all hope for Hiroshi coming around.

"But once Amon purifies him of his bending, hopefully he can forgive me and we can try to regain the friendship we had, as he is a much better choice for her then you, boy." He said with a sneer as he charged his electro gloves.

"Dad stop!" said the voice of Asami.

Hiroshi turned to face his daughter in shock.

Asami's face held nothing but betrayal, "Why?" she pleaded

Hiroshi lowered his head, "Sweetie, I wanted to keep you out of this for as long as I could, but now that you know the truth please, forgive me." he asked

Asami just continued to look at her father, unsure of what to do.

"These people...these benders...they've been the cause of people's suffering for ages. All the bending rulers like Chin the Conqueror, Fire Lord Sozin, Fire Lord Ozai, Yakone, and every other bender who craved control over all nations have been responsible for countless deaths and wars that resolved nothing towards peace. They took your mother the love of my life from me and they almost took you too. Don't you see that Amon can be the one to do what even the Avatar can't do; he'll create a peace that'll last forever by eliminating bending. Without Bending there would be no one who could rise to power to try and rule all nations like the previous benders have tried to do, there'd be no gangs and no thugs to threaten innocent people. Without benders we could live in a world where everyone would be treated as equals and no one would have the power to kill anyone else with bending or technology once we create the new world!" Hiroshi paused for a moment.

"If it wasn't for bending, Kuo wouldn't have been forced to perform an act that no child should ever do just to protect you from them. They've ruined the world, but with Amon we can fix it and build a perfect world together! We can help people like us everywhere." He took off one of his electro gloves and handed it to Asami, "Join me Asami." He asked.

Asami just stood there, afraid and confused, but after a moment she gained a determined look in her eyes and she walked forward and took the glove and placed it on.

"No..." Mako whispered in sadness.

"I love you dad." Asami said as she shocked him.

The Lieutenant went to attack her, but she kicked his first kali stick out of his hand and caught his other arm and shocked him with the glove.

"Let's get out of here!" Mako as he grabbed Kuo and the steel Kali sticks. He and Bolin headed to the hole they came from just as the other mecha tanks came to life.

———

Korra helped Mako lay Kuo on a bench in an airship.

Kuo cracked his eyes open and saw Asami who was standing by herself. He struggled, but managed to get up and walked towards her. He put a hand on Asami's shoulder. She seemed to react to Kuo's hand and looked to Kuo with an apologetic look, but he just pulled her in for a hug as she cried into his chest.

"My metalbenders are on their way to Amon and its all my fault. Tarrlok's right, I failed as Chief. First thing in the morning I'm handing in my resignation." She said in sadness.

"No! You can't give up like this." Tenzin argued.

"I'm not giving up." Lin said with a grunt as she sat up from the bench she was laying on, "I'm going to find my officers and take Amon down, but I'm going to do it my way… outside the law." She said with determination, she now understood why Kuo and his friends took the Equalists down through vigilantism.

Mako approaches the Avatar.

"Does your offer to live at Air Temple Island still stand?" Mako asked.

"Of course it does. Asami's welcome too." Korra said.

"Thank you so much." Mako said. He turned around and saw Asami who was hugging Kuo close as she was crying. He was for some reason now developing a jealousy as he saw his girlfriend holding on to her ex-boyfriend.

Moe and Yuji were approaching Kuo as they arrived at the airship. Asami was with Korra and Mako which makes Kuo by himself for private conversation.

"You boys are good here," Kuo said, "I need a favor. I need you guys to lay low."

"What?" Moe said.

"Mother is resigning her position," Kuo said, "so things won't be easy for us."

Yuji and Moe wanted to argue, but they saw Kuo's face that made them want to not argue anymore. The two boys took a deep breath and simply nodded.

"Okay."