Author's Notes

Summary: Avatar Roku once said that friendship can be powerful enough to transcend lifetimes. Assuming his statement his true, then what feats would be possible with an even more powerful bond?

Warnings: The OC in this story will be the centric character, though perspectives from other characters will be thrown in relatively frequently as well. If you tend to dislike stories focused primarily on an OC, then this likely won't be your cup of tea. I don't intend to make him a Mary Sue, but I'm sure some people will likely see him that way anyway - particularly so in earlier chapters. Consider yourself warned.

I've named one of the characters I've created Oogway due to heavy inspiration for said character from the movie Kung Fu Panda, but I want to stress upfront that this is not a crossover and no knowledge from the other universe is needed. I wanted an Iroh-like figure for a certain part of the story and he's simply the character that came to mind first, so I decided to keep the name the same in memoriam. Some words of wisdom popularized through that movie will also likely be used throughout the story.

Pairings: I want the pairings to remain a surprise, but given the history my stories have with group pairings of some nature, I will state in advance that the main pairings will be monogamous.

Rebirth

Chapter 1

Korra

"What's with all the doom and gloom, people? We should be celebrating! Three elements down, one to go!" Staring at the various high-ranking members from the Order of the White Lotus standing along a wooden pavilion in front of her, Korra suddenly felt anxiety well up within her gut despite having just claimed an easy victory in a duel against three skilled Firebenders.

"You are getting ahead of yourself as usual, Avatar Korra." Yemek* - commonly the most vocal among the Masters gathered - promptly responded. "We have yet to decide whether or not you truly have fully mastered Firebending. I, for one, think there is still a great deal of room for improvement."

"There is no doubt that your Firebending is exceptionally powerful, but powerful bending is commonplace among all of the known incarnations of the Avatar. You overwhelmed your opponents easily enough because of that power, but it seemed far from a masterful display as far as I'm concerned." Stoic as always despite how harsh her words were, Lii* met her gaze with an emotionless stare. "The lack of restraint you showed throughout the entire exchange makes it clear to me that you are not yet ready to move on to Airbending."

"Fortunately for us all, neither of you are Korra's Firebending Master." Master Pao* – by far the youngest of the Masters gathered despite being well over forty – chortled before turning and shooting her a small, supportive smile. "The Avatar's Firebending still has room for minor improvement in some areas, on that matter we agree, but her development has reached a stage where any formal instruction I could provide will result in very little progress. The best and most efficient manner for her to improve beyond this point is self-study and first-hand experience."

"Time she is unlikely to have if Master Tenzin were to begin training her in Airbending." Yemek argued. "In my view, the best course of action would be to focus on truly mastering Firebending now before we think to add another element into the mix."

"You make the task sound so simple!" Pao laughed haughtily as he turned his gaze in the other man's direction. "Improving significantly beyond Korra's current level would require years of dedication, discipline and experience in a variety of scenarios - not simply sitting in a formal training environment where everything needs three forms of approval before it can take place. Any noticeable progress she shows beyond this point would be a result of her own natural intuition and adaptability improving. She has mastered all of the aspects of Firebending that I would require any student under my care to know before I deemed their training complete. To be quite blunt about the matter, further formal teachings would serve no purpose whatsoever."

"Perhaps a more experienced Master would be able to prove otherwise?"

Korra could see her Firebending Master bristling at the other man's jab. His relatively young age compared to the other White Lotus members had been a rather touchy subject since the very day he first arrived at the South Pole.

"And perhaps having someone less senile and hard-headed in charge of this compound would have resulted in the Avatar having already mastered all of the elements instead of just three! I suppose we will never know, will we?"

Yemek quickly opened his mouth to retort, but before he could begin to speak, the sound of a feminine chortle echoed through the area. Scowling, he reared about quickly on the source of the noise. "Do you find something amusing, Master Katara?"

"I have been friends with many accomplished Firebenders throughout my life, but few of them would be capable of emerging completely untouched from a spar against three other skilled Firebenders. The idea that Korra has not sufficiently mastered Firebending to progress to the next element is ridiculous." Katara chose to keep her gaze forward despite addressing those off to her side. "Pao is right; Korra is ready to move onto Airbending."

Korra beamed as the woman before slowly letting her gaze shift towards the last and oldest of the assembled members of the White Lotus. Bald and heavily wrinkled, the man's back was hunched forward and he leaned heavily on a forked wooden staff that was taller than he was. Unlike the others, his robes were plain, brown and heavily tattered. Despite the damage to his attire, however, he hadn't replaced his robes since he had arrived in the South Pole nearly three years ago. Truthfully, his clothes made him look so inconspicuous that no one would be likely to guess he held such an important position.

"I suppose that leaves just one vote uncast," Yemek stated. Everyone else quickly followed Korra's example and turned their gaze towards the old man. "Grand Master Oogway?"

Among all of those assembled, Oogway was the White Lotus member she had the least experience with. The old man was always very kind and they met on a semi-regular basis, but his teachings in history and philosophy often left her irritated. Still, despite not enjoying the man's lessons a great deal, she would much rather have the decision ultimately be in his hands rather than the hands of Yemek or Lii.

"Mmm," Oogway hummed, his tongue darting out from between his lips a few times as he used it to moisten his lips. Turning, he gave Yemek a soft smile. "You would ask an old man that question before asking it of the one whose opinion matters the most?"

"…I don't follow," Yemek admitted bluntly, confusion written across his face. "The rest of us have all given our opinions already."

"Have you now?" Oogway lifted his staff and used the forked end to point at Yemek and Lii. "I may be mistaken, but I believe I have heard four people state their opinions on the matter of Korra's mastery of Firebending. You two have made your opinions quite clear." Moving his staff again, he quickly pointed at Katara and Pao. "These two have offered their confidence in her abilities..." He slowly turned the weapon to finally point towards the courtyard. "...Yet I've heard nothing from the very student whose mastery of Firebending we are meant to be assessing."

"Korra? Grand Master, asking whether or not she believes she has sufficiently mastered Firebending is…is…" Yemek's face suddenly grew red as he failed to finish his thought.

"A folly," Lii finished coldly on the man's behalf. "The Avatar is young and brash; it is obvious she will likely do and say anything simply to move on to learning the next element. You may as well ask a child if they want something sweet to eat for dinner."

'No,' Korra told herself, clenching her fists in anger as she resisted the urge to heatedly deny the allegations. 'Not now. It would only prove her point.' Among all of the people who had trained her over the years, Lii was the only one she had utterly failed to ever get along with. While the woman was unquestionably a powerful Earthbender, to say she was cold and emotionless was an understatement.

"It is no folly for the young to want acknowledgement of their growth," Oogway said gravely, shaking his head as he slowly lowered his staff back down to the ground. "If there is any folly here, it is that you two lack faith in your student."

There was a long, almost uncomfortable silence that reigned over the area as Oogway's words sunk in. Lii looked stone-faced as always, but Yemek wore a heavy frown and had turned his head away from the older man. It was to hear Oogway speak negatively of anything, so even a mild rebuke tended to feel like a slap in the face.

"Now then," Oogway continued, his eyes exuding nothing but kindness as he turned and looked at her with a close-lipped smile. "Korra, I would ask that you give us your honest opinion. Do you believe you have sufficiently mastered Firebending?"

"I…" Korra paused, just barely stopping herself short from blurting out the first answer that came to her lips. Oogway had given her many history and philosophy lessons over the years and most of the information within said lessons tended to go in one of her ears and immediately out the other, but some of his more straightforward teachings had managed to stick. One such teaching regarding honesty stuck out in the forefront of her mind as she managed to restrain herself from responding.

'Lies are nothing more than an invention by humans to hide hurtful truths, Korra. Throughout my life I have come to find that it is always better to tell the truth - even if I know the truth in question may hurt myself or someone dear to me for a time. Not only will a lie burden you with guilt for your own deceit, but oftentimes you will find your lies hurting those you care about the most when the truth eventually comes to light.'

"I know I still have some small improvements to make with my Firebending, but like Master Pao said, I think I've reached a point where I've learned all I can from these lessons I'm taking. I'm confident I've mastered all of the basic and advanced lessons he put me through but..." Korra's brow scrunched, vaguely recalling something Pao had said near the start of their lessons together. "Masater Pao once told me that Firebending is kind of like the name of a dance known by lots of people, but the dance itself change from person to person. I know all the steps I can use for the dance and how to link those steps together, but I won't know what changes to make to it for real situations I might come across until I actually experience those situations myself." Glancing up at Oogway and seeing his wrinkled face slowly stretch into a wide smile, she knew she had said something right. "Heh, sorry. I know that probably sounds a little weird, but I think that's the best way I can describe how I feel about it."

"The Dance is known by many, but the steps are meant for One; through the Dance of the Dragon, I shall wield the power of the Sun." Oogway suddenly looked over to Korra's Firebending Master. "Hearing the philosophy of the Sun Warriors come from someone born in the Southern Water Tribe is a joy I never thought I would experience in my life."

"Indeed." Pao chuckled as he beamed at Korra. "It is only right that such wisdom should be shared freely to all those who are willing to listen."

"Very true, my friend. Very true." Oogway suddenly tapped the butt of his staff firmly against the wooden floor of the pavilion the White Lotus members all stood upon. "I have decided. I will cast my vote with Pao and Katara. Korra has sufficiently mastered Firebending and is ready to progress to the next stage of her training."

"Woohoo!" Lowering her arms from her cheer as the assembled group all turned and stared at her, Korra grinned at them all and bowed. "Thank you all for believing in me."

"Most of us, at any rate." Pao pointedly glanced at the two no-votes before returning his gaze. "I believe that is all that will be required of you for the day. We will have to reach out to Tenzin to discuss arrangements for his relocation."

"I can't wait!"

"That's something we're all quite aware of, I assure you. Still, his response will likely take a few days, so enjoy a few days of rest in the meantime." Pao suddenly brought his hands up and bowed formally towards her - a gesture she quickly reciprocated. "Our time together was short, but it was a pleasure teaching you, Avatar Korra."

"It was an honor to learn from you, Master Pao."

Mako

"Did anyone ever tell you that you're a terrible teacher?"

"Good thing this isn't a Firebending class then. I doubt you could afford me as a teacher. Let's go again."

"Seriously?" Mako didn't even bother glancing up at the man he knew was directly across from him. Instead, he took the brief respite for what it was and continued gulping down air. Hands on his knees, he stayed hunched over with sweat dripping liberally down his brow. The air surrounding him was stifling and the thick, padded gear he wore did him no favors concerning the heat. Fortunately he had forgone a protective helmet or he would have been suffering far more. "Come on, give me a bit. We've been going at this for hours."

"If I wanted excuses, I would have trained with Shaozu.** Again."

Mako pushed himself up with a silent groan. Taking in a deep breath and trying his best to center himself, he steadied his balance and slipped into his normal Firebending stance. The man standing across the field from him wore no protective armor - in fact he was more or less in normal attire for Republic City: a tight, long-sleeved, high-collared black shirt, loose black trousers, a long, red tunic held secure along his breast with three golden pins, and a pair of knee-high brown boots his trousers were tucked into.

Without warning, the man flung a fist forward that launched a small fireball directly towards his face. With well-practiced ease, Mako swatted it away only to see that three more had quickly been sent behind the first. Pivoting, he let two fly by him unchallenged and swatted away the third while sending out a small wave of flames from his foot - a wave quickly canceled out by a matching wave of flames his opponent sent to counter. Fortunately the grass in the immediate area had long-since been scorched by their earlier bouts.

The exchange continued back and forth for several minutes. Mako began to feel himself breathing heavily as he continued weaving around various attacks when he could and swatting it away in the situations he could not. He attempted to throw in offense when he could, but in the rare circumstance where there was an opening he noticed, his offense was quickly countered before he was pushed back on the defensive.

"You're staying defensive too long again. You won't accomplish anything other than exhausting yourself if you don't actively work to create openings."

'And you're getting too cocky again.' Mako's eyes narrowed as the attacks against him came to a momentary halt. His heart was pounding in his ears and he could feel sweat pouring down his face, but his opponent looked only as if he had finished a light workout. The man had long black hair pulled back into a ponytail and left two thin bangs framing his face; it should have been making him sweat at least as much as Mako, but the only sign he was feeling any heat at all was a sheen of sweat at his brow. 'Your stamina might be insane, but I just have to wait for you to make a mistake. One slip-up is all I need.'

Suddenly the man took in a deep breath, raised his hands, audibly slapped his palms together and swung down. A huge arc of flame roared across the field as it shot forth from his fingertips.

'Crap!' Mako quickly jumped to the side, his heart racing even faster at the unexpected speed and power of the attack that went soaring by him. His eyes widened in surprise as three sizable fireballs all immediately followed suit. He dodged one by pivoting, swatted another one away, but was forced to take the remaining shot on his hip. The padded armor he wore protected him from any potential burns, but the force of the fireball sent him skidding back with a wince. When he opened his eyes again, instinct took over as his opponent had crossed the vast majority of their sparring area and was quickly closing what little distance remained.

"You're a Pro-Bending expert, but you've grown too used to fights that have strict rules for what you can and can't do!" Mako clenched his jaw in preparation. Jerking his head to the left, he dodged a punch by such a small window that his opponent's knuckle clipped his ear. Mako then instinctively went to block a right-hook that was quickly following suit, but it ended up being a feint and he found himself completely blindsided by a left-handed uppercut instead. Stumbling back, he yelled in surprise as his legs were forcefully kicked out from under him and he landed harshly on the ground. Blinking away the spots in his eyes with a pained groan, the small smirk the man standing over him wore was nothing short of infuriating. "Still, for someone that spends most of your time training for the ring nowadays, I guess you aren't too out of practice."

"You sure didn't make it seem that way." Mako pushed himself up enough to sit instead of being laid out on the ground. He frowned as he rubbed his jaw and gingerly flexed it. "The fire wasn't too bad, but that last punch was nasty."

"Better to get socked by a friend than someone actually out to hurt you. Besides, I never would have offered to train with you if I thought you would quit just because you got hurt. You've got good instincts, so I think you'll adapt to the way I do things pretty quickly." Suddenly smiling, Sozin extended a hand down to him. "Come on, I think that's good enough for this morning."

"Sounds good to me." Reaching up, Mako took the offered hand and slowly pulled himself up to his feet. He staggered momentarily, the world spinning in front of him due to the punch he had taken, but quickly found his footing.

"Want some lunch?"

"Eh...probably not a good idea. I'd feel bad blowing money on food when Bolin isn't here to get something too."

"You think I'd leave him out? We'll get him something too, don't worry." Chuckling, Sozin clapped one of the shoulderpads Mako was still wearing. "Come on. I feel a little bad for that last hit, so it's all on me. I'll pay for some take-out for you guys before I meet up with my team."

"You're meeting up with your team today? Outside of practice?"

"Yeah, we're all going to have lunch together." Sozin glanced at him and sighed. "Probably not one of my better ideas to be honest, but I can't just keep ignoring them forever."

"Ah. Well, me and Bolin will probably be at our place most of the day if you need to hang out afterwards or anything. You know where the key is if you need us."

"I might take you up on that. Thanks." Catching his eye out of the corner of his own, Sozin smirked. "Don't think that means I'll take it any easier on you next time just because you're being nice though."

"Hmph." Mako shrugged, a small smile pulling at his lips. He would've been disappointed with anything less. "Worth a shot."

Sozin

"'Ow wash eet?"

"Rough, but it's always that way when I'm working with someone new." Blowing gently on some noodles he held between a pair of chopsticks, Sozin glanced up at the couple across from him. "The Ferrets are Rookies, so they've been focusing all their time on practicing for the ring. It will just take a while to break them of bad habits."

"I thought you were only training Mako?" Ling*** looked as poised as ever even while stirring the noodles within his own bowl with lazy swirls of his wrist. He looked almost regal in comparison to the woman practically inhaling her own food next to him.

"Nah, 'e's friens wit' Bowin too."

"...What was that?"

"Heh, sorry." Yala*** said shamelessly to the Waterbender next to her as she finally finished a mouthful of noodles. "He's more friendly with Bolin, so he's probably training with the pretty boy as a favor for him. Right, Sozin?"

"Kind of. I'd say Mako and I are friends too, but I do tend to get along a lot more with Bolin. I'll be training with both of them, but I'm not really doing this as a favor." Sozin paused, slurping up some noodles and consuming them before continuing. "I've been slacking in my own training outside of the ring the past few months, so I was looking for a good training partner. Mako is the second best Firebender in the circuit and we already knew each other, so it made sense to partner up with him to push my limits a bit. Bolin wanted to join in whenever he was free, so I agreed."

"...So you defaulted to asking members from a team we will soon be competing against to train with you rather than asking your own teammates?" Ling arched a brow. "Is there any particular reason why?"

"Yeah! We woulda helped you out if you wanted to get some training in!" Yala grinned, raised an arm, flexed it and patted her heavily-toned bicep. "A few boulder runs would've shaken off the rust in no time!"

"Heh, I'm sure they would have." Sozin closed his eyes briefly, a bittersweet smile pulling at his lips as memories of the two people before him flashed through his mind. The smile slowly morphed into a frown and he let out a heavy sigh. "First of all, you guys aren't Firebenders. The best way for me to practice Firebending outside of the ring is with another FIrebender. Even if the training will mostly benefit Mako, it certainly helps me as well. Secondly…" Sozin paused again, quickly thinking out his words before he said anything. "...While I'm sure you two would have helped me shake off the rust a lot quicker than Mako and Bolin, I think it's best that we still keep some space between us for now."

Yala's cheery attitude took a nosedive immediately. Her smile faded, her shoulders drooped and her bowl of noodles suddenly became far more interesting to stare at.

"That's...understandable." Ling offered a small, hesitant smile. "You know that you can count on us if you need help, right?"

"...I know." Sozin intentionally avoided the response that immediately sprung up in his mind; it had grown far easier to do so over the past few months. Guilt welled up in his gut as he glanced at the now-sullen Yala before he returned his gaze to Ling. "I'm trying. That's all I can promise to do."

"I know. We both appreciate it," Ling suddenly reached over and gripped Yala's shoulder. "And that's all that we will ask of you."

Leisurely strolling down the dark streets of Republic City, Sozin watched his breath slowly wisped up into the air and disappeared. Lunch with his teammates had left him feeling drained, so the rest of his day had been spent alone within the woods surrounding the city. It was only once the sun began to dip below the horizon and a chill began spreading throughout the air that he began making his way home.

"Where's the money, Chung?!"

"I-I-I t-told you I-I'm n-n-not Mr. Chung! I-I just w-w-work for him!"

'Triads are at it again.' Sozin eyed two men standing in front of the phonograph store across the street. Given how the large gangster loomed over the meek, young teenager standing before him, the shakedown couldn't be any more obvious. 'Must be some new blood. I don't remember seeing him around here before.'

"You're so fulla crap! Cough it up already!"

"I-I really do-!" The teen's words turned into a surprised yelp as the large man grabbed the front of his tunic and hoisted him a good foot in the air to be face-to-face. "P-Please don't hurt me!"

"Oh, finally willing ta say something else once things get a bit rough, huh?!" The large man suddenly shook him back and forth roughly. "Where's the money, punk?! I won't ask again!"

"I-I-I-"

"I have it."

Having jogged across the street and approached during the interaction between the two, Sozin watched as the large man's head slowly turned back towards him. He looked furious, but the expression quickly gave way to a look of recognition.

"Now, how about you let the kid go while we talk about your money?"

"...'Course," the big man chuckled nervously, slowly lowering the teen to the ground as a bead of sweat quickly formed at his brow and dripped down his face. "Sorry, I got a little ahead of myself and wasn't thinkin'."

"Happens to the best of us from time to time." Leaning around the gangster, Sozin eyed the kid still rooted to the ground in fear. "Scram."

The teen hesitated briefly, but he then gave a shaky nod, turned and scurried away.

"Look, I don't want no trouble here, but my boss'll kill me if I don't get some protection money outta this guy."

"No he won't. You'll get yelled at, maybe have some of your pay docked or get a beating, but you won't get killed and we both know it." Lifting his hand and channeling Chi into his palm, a flame slowly came to life and lit up the night. Sozin stared silently into the gangster's eyes as he slowly began increasing the heat of the fire. "Unless you'd like to keep pushing your luck with me, that is."

"You don't gotta do that! Ya made your point, alright?! I already said I don't want no trouble." Slowly raising his hands, the man quickly stepped back several feet. "Even I ain't stupid enough to tussle with someone who can go toe to toe with Zolt."

"Then get out of here already."

"It ain't as simple as that. C'mon man, you gotta know better by now." The big man chuckled, though he wisely kept backing away. "The owner of this shop ain't payin' his protection fee and you know what that means. I'll get outta here for now like ya want, but you know they're just gonna send more guys."

"Is that so?" Channeling more Chi to his palm, the flames that had still been crackling there suddenly roared to life and began burning bright blue. "Then I would suggest you warn those guys of what will happen if I catch them. If Zolt can't handle me, then I doubt any of his lackies will fare much better!"

The gangster decided not to say anything more; he simply turned around and ran away as fast as his legs would carry him the second he saw the flames' color transition. It was unlikely he even heard Sozin's final words.

'So much for a simple night. I probably just caused the owner a lot more trouble than what paying the protection fee would have been worth.' Relaxing, Sozin's Chi quickly returned to normal and signs of the bright blue flames he had been creating quickly faded away. 'Oh well, at least I saved a kid from getting lumps he didn't deserve.'

Walking back across the street, Sozin slowly began making his way back home again. He made it no further than a quarter of a mile before the sounds of footsteps echoing behind him caught his attention.

"H-Hey! Mister! Wait up!"

"I thought I told you to scram, kid?"

"Y-Y-You d-did, b-but I-I…" Finally turning around, Sozin idly looked over his pursuer. The teen was looking down, his fists clenched tightly as his sides. "I'm s-s-sorry. I w-wanted to come back and help you b-but…" His fists suddenly unclenched and he sighed defeatedly. "I was too scared."

"Hey, don't sweat it. The Triads are no joke and they've got some nasty guys working for them. You shouldn't mess with them unless you mean business."

"But you did it so…" The teen finally looked up and his eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Y-Y-You - Sozin?! Sozin from the Ember Island Dragons?!"

"The one and only." Sozin smirked. He had seen hundreds - probably thousands - of kids with the same look on their faces before. "I take it you're a fan?"

"Yes! I love Pro-Bending! I've been a fan of yours since the Dragons first popped up!" The teen suddenly blinked rapidly, putting two and two together. "Oh man, I got saved by the Sozin! I can't wait to tell everyone about this! My uncle is gonna flip too knowing you helped protect his store!"

'Probably not in a good way if he knows how the Triads work around here.'

"Heh, always happy to help." With a wave, Sozin turned around to leave.

"W-wait! Sozin sir?"

"Just Sozin is fine," he said, turning around again at the call.

"S-S-Sozin then," the teen nodded, clearly nervous again. "D-D-D-Do you think I c-could...that is...i-i-if it isn't too m-much trouble…"

"You want an autograph?"

"Heh...t-that o-obvious huh?"

"I've been through this a time or two before. No big deal. Got something for me to sign?"

Fortunately the kid did. Taking out a pen he kept in his pocket just for such requests he ran into from day to day, Sozin quickly signed the back of the delivery order the kid gave to him and handed it back.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Ping."****

"Well it was nice to meet you, Ping. Make sure you tell your uncle to see about getting some security for his shop or something, alright? There won't always be people around to protect you guys from the Triads."

"I...I'll tell him. I-I d-don't know if he'll listen, b-but I'll t-tell him."

"That's all I ask," Sozin said with a wave before he turned around. "Have a nice night."

"Y-you too! T-thank you again!"

Walking away again, Sozin got a few hundred feet away before he heard a cheerful cry echoing throughout the street - a cry clearly belonging to Ping as his excited shouting echoed out for the world to hear. Despite his concerns about the Triads causing issues for that shop in the future, Sozin couldn't resist the smile that crept across his face.

Sozin's home was far from what most people would consider fancy by Republic City standards, but it was undeniably sizable. The modest-looking home was built relatively shortly after the city was founded and was one of several houses partially built into a hill overlooking the Republic City Harbour.

'No sunset show today, I suppose.' Looking out at the harbor, the light of the moon reflected off of the water and still offered a beautiful view, but it wasn't quite as spectacular as the sunsets tended to be. 'Oh well.'

Continuing up the path to his home, Sozin sighed upon seeing someone lingering along the veranda. 'Great. What is it now?'

"Mister Sozin, I presume?"

"That's me." Eyeing the stranger with more scrutiny, Sozin quickly noted the man's traditional Air Acolyte robes and his bald head. "What can I do for you?"

"I come on behalf of Master Tenzin. I am to pass along a message to you."

"Oh? What does he want?"

"To give you this," the man continued, pulling out a scroll and offering it to him. "I am also to offer you a ride to Air Temple Island after you read the contents of the scroll if you so choose."

'It isn't like Tenzin to send someone else here. ...Well, here's hoping it isn't bad news to top off everything tonight.'

Taking the offered scroll from the man, Sozin opened it and quickly scanned the contents. By time he managed to finish reading the message, he once again found a smile he was unable to prevent pulling at his lips.

"You said you're to offer me a ride to Air Temple Island if I so choose?

"That is correct."

"Give me a few minutes to pack before we go. I need to write a few messages and I'm going to need to dig out some warmer clothes."

End

Author's Notes

(Chapter edited as of 4/5/20)

*There are a number of older White Lotus members watching Korra's Firebending display at the start of the show. As far as I'm aware these characters were never given any names within the show because they had minimal dialogue, but as I needed them to speak a bit to give some early back-and-forth in the chapter, I decided to just give them names rather than referring to them in some other manner throughout the entire chapter. I've changed some details about the characters seen in the show and have omitted one person who was there all together, but Yemek, Lii and Pao are all just names I've created for these characters; they are not OCs and will likely only be mentioned in passing after Chapter 2.

**Shaozu is the name of the Firebender for the Wolfbats. Yup, the Firebender actually has a name. I didn't recall it at all either until I found it on the wiki. He might come into play occasionally throughout Book 1 for reasons that are likely obvious, but he won't be important overall.

***Ling and Yala are OCs meant to fill the roles of Sozin's teammates. Their presence will be a somewhat frequent occurrence throughout at least part of Book 1. I'm not particularly fond of adding in a bunch of OC supporting characters in fanfiction, but I found it to be necessary for the plot I have in mind.

****Ping is the definition of a forgettable minor OC who will be lucky to be included in any future scenes in this story. Don't be like Ping, kids. Go out and be somebody.

This is my first time writing a story that has a heavily integrated OC and various other OCs as side characters, so any constructive criticism concerning those particular aspects is very much appreciated going forward.

Hope you all enjoyed the read. Here's hoping I can actually stick with a story I'm writing for once.