A/N: When I wrote this, I'd intended it to be for my 30 Days of writing challenge, but it decided to become more than just a little drabble. So now it can continue to flourish as its own story. Yay. :D

Disclaimer: These characters belong to Bryke and Nickelodeon. I just play with them.

Alter the Ending

one

"What… happened?"

It was an agonizing effort just trying to sit up, and I squeezed my eyes shut, gasping at the white hot pain that bloomed in my left arm. Worse than that was the throbbing at the back of my head. It was like some angry little earthbender was chucking boulders against the inside of my skull. If this were a cartoon, I might have had little polar bear dogs circling above my head with how dizzy the pain was making me. The more I moved, the more likely it seemed that I might puke, so I gingerly let myself lay back against the pillows.

It wasn't normal to wake up in so much pain and not remember the cause of it, so I determined that I must have gotten in a fight with someone.

And lost.

But a fight with who? Who was crazy enough to challenge the Avatar?

Thugs, maybe? I thought, recalling the morning I arrived in Republic City. Naga and I had taken off as soon as the ship docked, and on our little excursion through the city, I'd managed to get into it with some thugs. The metalbending police came soon after and arrested them. And me. Then Master Tenzin came and bailed me out. He was about to send me back home to the South Pole, but then he changed his mind and agreed to let me stay and start my airbending training.

My memories after that were fuzzy.

When I find out who did this, I'm gonna give them an ass whooping they'll remember in the afterlife.

My eyes refused to open, glued shut with sleep. I had to reach up with my good arm to rub the crust away. Just how long had I been unconscious anyway?

A soft snore came from nearby and I turned my head in the direction of the sound. There was a boy with broad shoulders and wavy, black hair asleep beside me, his hulking frame piled into a chair much too small for his body. Thick, muscular arms cushioned his head as he rested on top of my blanket, his mouth open and drool escaping. A curl of black hair dangled over his forehead, and I had the urge to flick it.

"Hey," I said, inadvertently whispering. My vocal chords felt unused and it took a couple tries to kick-start my voice. "Hey, wake up," I tried again, poking him in the cheek. The boy finally stirred, cutting off mid-snore.

"Wha…? Did I fall asleep again?" he mumbled as he rubbed at his eyes. When he noticed me watching him, he became instantly awake. "Oh, thank the spirits, you're alive!" he cried exultantly, capturing me in a tight hug.

I grunted, not expecting him to throw himself at me. It was like being hit by a brick wall, and I was glad my arm had the good fortune not to get caught between us or I'd have been screaming. My lungs complained at the sudden lack of air, and I feebly swatted at his shoulder with my weak right arm. "Can't… breathe…"

"Sorry!" the boy wailed, pulling away enough for oxygen to flow into my lungs once again. He swiped a finger under his runny nose, his cheeks dimpling as he smiled. The boy's face was all snotty and wet with drool and tears, and the sight had me cringing in disgust. But the boy was clearly happy to see that I was alive, and continued to stare at me with watery, green eyes. "We've all been so worried! How are you feeling?"

"I'm… fine," I croaked out. Well, except for some aches and bruises – and whatever had happened to my arm – I felt mostly fine. "So, tell me… to whom do I owe the ass whooping?"

The boy scrubbed the wetness from his cheeks and beamed handsomely at me. "Oh, don't you worry about that. We already got him."

"Righteous."

"Yeah… it was no biggie." He gave a casual shrug of his shoulders, but I had a hard time believing that taking down the guy who did this to me was no biggie. If this piece of work could put me, the Avatar, out of commission, I couldn't imagine what kind of tough guy you needed to be not to get totally creamed.

"You?" I asked skeptically.

"Maybe…" was his cool reply. A sneaky smile crept over his lips and I couldn't help but smile back. This guy had some charm about him.

"Now that I'd have liked to have seen."

"I'll tell ya about it later. But right now, first thing's first," he said, gently patting my bound, injured hand. "Do you need anything? Water? Food?"

"I'm good."

"Of course you are." He gave a tender smile and I wondered at how odd it was to be so comfortable around a complete stranger. Even with all the pain I was feeling, being around this guy put me at ease. "I'll go let the others know you're up."

He started to move out of his chair, but I stopped him, reaching over with my right hand to clutch the boy's sleeve. "Hey. Thanks for all your help and all, but… who are you?"

His head snapped back around and he gaped at me with wide, startled eyes. But then his tense shoulders relaxed as he folded his arms loosely across his chest, an easy smile replacing the thin line of his mouth. "Ha ha, Korra. Very funny."

"Huh? What's funny? I don't get it."

He stared blankly at me for nearly a full minute before creasing those bushy brows of his. "You're just kidding, right?" he finally said, beginning to look very distressed.

"Why would I be kidding?" I asked with a frown. "Why won't you just tell me your name?"

"Wait wait wait. You don't… you don't remember me?" he squeaked out, those muscular arms falling limply at his side.

"Should I?"

"Korra!" My attention was called towards the entrance of my room at the sound of my name. I could still feel the boy's eyes staring when I found another guy I didn't know standing in the doorway. He rushed at me and I tensed, fearing another attack. I was prepared to fight if it came to that, though with my arm screwed up it wouldn't be easy.

It was quite a shock when the guy gathered me into his arms and forced his lips onto mine. At first I was too stunned to react right away – that's one way to subdue an Avatar, I suppose – but when I finally realized what was happening, I spluttered and thrashed against him and his unsolicited kiss.

"What the hell?!" I shouted, furiously shoving him away. "Who are you people?! And why are you all so damn affectionate?"

Mr. Lips stared at me, his eyes utterly stricken. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the two jokers who keep throwing themselves at me!"

"M-Mako–!" the green-eyed boy stuttered, frantically tugging on the taller guy's sleeve.

"Mako? Who's Mako?" I demanded, feeling frustration and annoyance boil up inside of me. I was in far too much pain to be dealing with crazy people.

Mr. Lips babbled incoherently before he regained the ability to speak, his face red and twisted in anger. "What do you mean who's Mako? Is this some kind of joke?! Cause you need to cut it out right now!"

"Cut what out?!" I yelled.

"Korra–!"

Footsteps raced down the hall, and Master Tenzin appeared in the doorway, his orange robes swishing about his ankles. "Oh thank goodness! You're awake!"

"Tenzin, what's going on? Who are these people?" I asked, gesturing at the touchy-feely welcome party I'd awakened to.

"Why, Korra… they're your friends…?" Tenzin and the two boys exchanged uncertain looks, but I was unconvinced.

"No no no," I said, laughing, "I don't know these guys."

"What?!" Mr. Lips screeched furiously. "Korra! It's me! Mako!"

"And Bolin!"

I glanced at the pair of boys, seeing the shorter one pointing desperately at himself. But it was pointless. I'd never met these guys. "I'm sorry, I don't… know you…"

Mr. Lips recoiled as if I'd slapped him. "We've been dating for months!"

"You were one of the Fire Ferrets!"

"We helped you defeat Amon!"

"Creepy guy in a mask with a bunch of chi blocking minions? Any of this ringing any bells?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I think you're confused…"

Mr. Lips suddenly made a grab at me, too quick for me to react. He held me by the shoulders and started shaking me, amber eyes boring intently into mine. "Korra, c'mon! It's us! Youknow us!"

"Stop it stop it STOP IT!" I shouted, pushing him away with a brutal shove. "I don't know you!"

"Enough!" Tenzin hollered, and all three of us flinched at the awful boom of his voice.

"Ow…" I muttered, squeezing my eyes shut as the pain in my skull flared and throbbed. All the shaking and shouting and general confusion of what was going on was not helping my raging headache, and I rubbed uselessly at the soreness in the back of my head. I didn't know who those two boys were, but they apparently thought they knew me.

"Boys, I think it would be best if you gave Korra some time alone," Tenzin urged.

Amber Eyes stormed away, but the green eyed boy lingered a moment longer, watching me hesitantly. A second glance at Tenzin got him moving, but he chanced one last look at me at the doorway.

"Don't worry, Korra," he said heavily. "We'll help you get your memories back."

To be continued...

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