Hi all. Well, the first season of The Legend of Korra has come to pass, and it left much to be desired in my opinion. Not only to I loathe the Korra/Mako pairing, but the character development was skewed horribly. My solution? Do a fanfiction re-write of course! It will mostly follow the same storyline as in the show, but there will be several changes as well, mostly in terms of some darker aspects. I hope that fans of the show, and those who haven't seen it yet, will enjoy this story. I have several chapters outlined and hope to have the next one up soon.

Keep in mind that this will enventually be Korra/Bolin and Mako/Asami in terms of couples.

Also, a lot of my ideas were refined by The Borra Rationalization by battybravery on tumblr. Look it up!

Betaed by: TaloTaFoReVeR523. Many thanks to him!

Disclaimer: As you can guess, if I did own the series, this is what it would have been like.

Spirits Cry

Chapter One

The White Lotus

Korra was born in the middle of a storm.

Later, Senna and Tonraq would think it was rather fitting, but at the time they hadn't thought much about it. She didn't just cry when she was born: she screamed, and Senna was half sure the rest of the tribe would hear her even over the storm.

Tonraq liked to proudly proclaim that Korra was born kicking ass, and it was true. Her legs kicked out and somehow managed to hit Master Katara in the eye when she leaned too close. The story was retold so many times that Senna knew Korra would be able to recite the tale in her sleep.

Senna knew that all parents thought their children to be special, and she was no exception. Korra was loud, stubborn, and wonderful. Her irrepressible energy threatened to even tire out her father- not that Tonraq would ever admit to it, and if he did, it would only be with pride that his little girl was so strong. She was always the leader; in games with children, when helping Senna or Tonraq, with everything. Before an idea is even fully suggested, there Korra would be, toddling around on her little legs, determined to do it first.

By the time Korra was three, she'd figured out how to bend fire.

She was sitting on the rug, playing with her toys, when a strong wind came through and blew out all the lanterns. With a huff, she'd stood, and before Senna could even make a move to light them, fire had danced in front of her eyes, and the lanterns were lit again; along with the curtains. Senna had thrown water on it without thought a moment later, and looked down at Korra in amazement. Korra was grinning, unrepentant, delighted at her new skills.

The fact that fire was the first element Korra would bend would make sense in retrospect, but at the time Senna and Tonraq were nothing short of bewildered. Senna knew her family history, and there were no firebenders. Tonraq was a little less certain of his family, and they eventually agreed that it must have come from his side. There was a minor thought – what if? – but it was eventually dissuaded. Korra hadn't shown signs of any other bending, so clearly she was just a very odd case of a water tribe girl that could bend fire.

It came so naturally to her, and after a little while her parents adjusted. Among several jokes from Tonraq ("always said you were hot-headed, Kor!") she seemed to teach herself fairly well; nothing too big or grandiose, and once she was old enough Senna promised to find her a proper teacher. They lost several curtains over the next two years, but Korra really was sorry, and tried to make her fireballs smaller.

A little before Korra turned five, she bent water. Playing with the kids in the snow, Korra discovered that when she moved her hands, she could also move the snow, and was able to splatter one of her opponents full in the face without ever making a snowball.

Now their moment of wondering was confirmed. Korra, their little girl, was the Avatar.

In the time it took to notify the White Lotus, Korra had also demonstrated earthbending. When she was too short to reach a treat, she bent the earth beneath her feet so that she could get too it. Tonraq came back in to find a pedestal in the kitchen, his five-year-old daughter sitting on it, happily eating cookies.

To Korra, it was no life-changing event to learn she was the Avatar.

"What's that mean?" She'd asked. "What's the Avatar?"

"Well, sweetie," Senna had begun. "It means that you can bend all four elements."

Korra had grinned. "I already knew that. I could always feel 'em." Then she had gone right on to playing with her toys.

Tonraq had burst out laughing. "Told you," he said proudly, kissing Senna quickly and then mussing Korra's hair. "She was born kicking ass!"

The reply from the White Lotus came, with a sort of haughty disbelief. How could a young couple have so easily discovered what they had been searching for, after all?

Senna didn't know it then, but the day the White Lotus came to meet Korra was the best, and the worst, day of her life.

Moments after the three old men came through her door, Korra jumped into the room, proudly proclaiming that she was The Avatar- and that they had to deal with it.

Tonraq burst out laughing, and Senna joined in, watching as the three men stared slack-jawed at their five year old. Then their expressions changed, into something she couldn't quite name. For a moment, she stared at them as they circled her little girl, and she had to fight the urge to step between them, and take Korra far away.

There are days where Senna wonders if she would have succeeded.

The moment passed, and the White Lotus declared that they had found the Avatar, and that they were "going to take it from here".

Under the law passed in Republic City, The Avatar now had to follow certain protocol when trained, for their own protection. Senna, Tonraq and Korra were moved outside of the village to a compound, that in record time was full of obstacle courses, firebending training courts, and more. Master Katara moved with them, so that she could begin teaching Korra the basics of waterbending.

Before they all left, Master Katara's son Tenzin, stopped by for a brief visit. One day he would be her airbending teacher, but for now he was a councilman in Republic City, and was needed there. He talked with Korra for a little while, and was gone the next day. After only knowing him for a few hours, Senna liked him more than any of the White Lotus. He was serious, but kind, and patient, which she knew would be needed for teaching Korra.

Moving was difficult, but Senna wanted to keep Korra safe. The world was largely peaceful now, but that didn't mean that there wouldn't still be people that would want to hurt her. The very idea woke Senna in the night, clutching at her husband. His hands would find hers; shaking, and she knew that he was afraid too.

Korra took it all with a wide-eyed excitement. To her, everything was new and therefore wonderful.

After they had been staying at the compound for a few weeks, Senna knew that her initial impression of the White Lotus teachers hadn't been far off. She didn't like them, and she knew Tonraq didn't either. Master Katara, Senna knew, was a kind and wise woman, and would be an excellent teacher. The other teachers however…

The first real glimpse of this came a month and a half after living on the compound. Everything, from a guard tower, to actual trained guards, were now in place, and the White Lotus insisted on getting started on Korra's basic training.

"She's only five years old!" Senna protested. "Shouldn't we wait a few years?"

The White Lotus all seemed to shake their heads as one, giving her a look that seemed to quite plainly say they considered her to rank lower than the snow beneath their boots. "The Avatar is an important figure to the entire world. Before, The Avatar was not told until they were sixteen who they were. However, under the new law imposed by Avatar Aang, each incarnation is to be told of their destiny as soon as possible."

"The idea," Master Katara interjected, ignoring the glances from the members of the White Lotus, "Is that they would grow up with the knowledge, and grow naturally with their talents. It won't come on so suddenly, and they will hopefully be more adjusted to life as the Avatar by the time they are fully grown." She stopped, and smiled sadly, looking down the hall at where Korra was sleeping. "I know how difficult it was for Aang, having it all thrust upon you at once when he was older. Now we will be able to help Korra learn about her abilities so that she doesn't feel the way he did."

Master Katara always referred to Korra by name. The members of the White Lotus almost always called her "The Avatar".

"We won't get into any intense training yet," Master Katara went on. "It will mostly be the basics. Make sure she doesn't flood anything, or set anymore curtains on fire." She smiled, and Senna calmed a little, feeling Tonraq's hand relax in her own.

He hesitated, looking again at the White Lotus, all of whom seemed to literally have their noses in the air. He scowled, and waved a finger at them. "Don't you train her too, hard, you hear?"

"As Master Katara said," the man at the front stood straighter, "We will only be covering the basics. For now."

And so it began. Though Tonraq and Senna loved to watch Korra practice when they could, often they were busy with their own house, hunting, and more. Still, they were usually able to sit down and watch at least one of her practice sessions a day. The best ones to watch were the waterbending lessons; Korra laughed and smiled, and always waved at them.

The other sessions were different.

They had missed the first few. By the time they were able to sit down and watch, Korra had already had several lessons with the White Lotus. The leader, Yrak, always observed the sessions, even when they had nothing to do with the element he was familiar with.

Senna walked over to the earthbending court, watching with a smile on her face as Korra moved a few pebbles on the ground in a circle, her brows furrowed in concentration. One of the pebbles was slighter higher than the other, but the circle was almost perfectly round otherwise.

"No, no, no!" The earthbending teacher, Pon, rapped his heel on the ground. Korra looked at him furiously, the pebbles moving farther away from each other as her concentration was broken.

He put his foot on the pebble that was just a little higher than the others. "This one is not in line with the others!"

"Its just one!" Korra protested crossly, huffing and stepping back.

Yrak walked toward them purposefully. "And where do you think Avatar Aang would have been if he had thought that way?"

Senna's brows furrowed as Korra's shoulders slumped. She mumbled something Senna couldn't hear.

"That's right. He would have failed. He had to learn all of the elements in the course of a few months; you have years ahead of you. You are the Avatar. Get it right."

Senna stared at them, a little unbelieving. "Hold on," she called, quickly jogging over. "There's no reason to speak to her like that," she added as she stopped in front of them, catching her breath. Korra wouldn't look at her, and Senna's throat tightened at the sight.

"She's just learning," she went on after a moment.

"Ma'am," Yrak said, his voice full of self-importance, "The Avatar's training is a matter that does not concern you."

"Doesn't?! She's my daughter, of course it concerns me!" She spotted Tonraq walking up toward them, running when he noticed the look on her face.

"What's going on here?" Tonraq demanded, sliding next to them, looking from one face to the other.

"Sir," Yrak turned to him, the tone of his voice making Tonraq stiffen. "As I was telling your wife, because we are to train and protect the Avatar under the law, our sessions with her are non of your concern."

"The hell it isn't! Korra's our daughter, we can do what we-"

"As you said, sir, she is your daughter. And everything we do is to make her stronger, so that she can protect herself and protect the world. If we don't teach her the way that we see fit, someone could come along and hurt her." The words he was saying made sense, but Senna still didn't like the way he was saying them, even though she couldn't quite figure out why.

"You may not enjoy our methods," he went on, "but it is what is necessary for the Avatar, and the world."

Again that night Senna and Tonraq talked to each other, trying to decide what to do. It wasn't as if the teachers were hitting Korra, and they both knew how headstrong she could be. Some people needed a different form of teaching, and maybe this one truly would help Korra.

"I don't like them."

"Neither do I. Senna…I don't like them, but if they can truly help keep Korra safe…maybe, for now, we have to let them…"

"Maybe. They aren't yelling at her all the time or anything." Senna sighed in his arms, her heart feeling heavy. "I know that some teachers in the past were tough, because they needed to be. Korra doesn't always listen very well, even to us."

"I know." Tonraq kissed the top of her head. "I hate it. She's our little girl. But the thought of her in danger, it's just-" his arms tightened around her, and she nodded into his chest. "We have to do everything we can to make sure she'll be okay," he added.

"Yes. But…if this gets worse-"

"-we'll make the White Lotus listen," he finished for her, and she couldn't help but smile.

And so the days passed on. Yrak stopped by to tell them that he thought it will be best if they only watched the sessions from a distance, so as to "not distract the Avatar from her training."

Reluctantly, Senna and Tonraq agreed.

Subtly, they began to notice a change in their daughter. She still chattered when she came home to dinner, still woke up excited, but there was something different still. Something had changed, and not in a good way. Over the months they would sometimes find Korra up late at night practicing moves, even just the basic ones. There was a thirst in her to move forward, to do more difficult techniques. Any problems or mistakes made her furious, the beginnings of tears filling her eyes.

She's not sure who told the story of Avatar Aang originally, though she suspects it was the White Lotus guards. She knew they didn't mean anything by it, but every time someone mentions the story, or the previous Avatar, Korra would stiffen.

All of it went beyond wanting to lead, or do well. It went beyond training hard. She was still confident, shouting to anyone that would hear that she was the Avatar, that she would win, but still, it was different, and Senna couldn't quite explain how.

When asked about how she was doing, Korra always said she was "fine" or "good", and no matter how much they both asked, wouldn't tell her parents anything otherwise.

Korra turned six a few months later, and that same night, Senna heard her crying in her room. Tonraq was already in there trying to soothe her.

"Kor-Korra, sweetheart, what's wrong?"

Senna went in without a word, crouching beside her daughter's bed. Her face was buried in the pillow, her heaving sobs still ringing in their ears. Her words were almost unintelligible.

"Korra?" Senna asked gently, touching her shoulder.

Korra sat up quickly, her eyes red, tears pouring down her cheeks. "I can't get this stupid firebending move right!"

Senna felt relieved for a moment, and then confused. "Korra, I know that can be frustrating sweetheart, but-"

"No!" Korra's palm slapped her bed, hard. "No, you don't understand! I'm the Avatar!" Her voice broke for a moment. "I'm the Avatar. I have to get it right."

This echo of what Yrak had said to her so many months ago was the last straw.

"Korra, Korra you listen to me." Tonraq grasped his daughter by the shoulders. "That's not what it means at all. It's okay to mess up. Everyone does-"

"But I'm the Avatar!" She said again, her voice impossibly small. "I'm special…"

She fell into her father's arms, burying her face in his chest, sobbing. Tonraq looked over her head at Senna, his face set. She nodded. No more of this. The White Lotus was not going to do this to their daughter any longer.

As with most things, it was easier said, than done.

They confronted the White Lotus the moment Korra was asleep, and were told quite coldly by Yrak that any intervention in the Avatar's training on their part was against the law.

"You know," he said, smiling condescendingly, "We do not have to allow you to live with Korra. If we wanted to say that you were a danger to the Avatar, and a disruption, you would be arrested. Or we could advise that it's better for the Avatar to be trained away from you. And you wouldn't be allowed to see her for a very long time."

"You can't do that, you-" Tonraq hissed, raising his fists.

"I'm afraid you'll find that we can, sir." Yrack raised his eyebrows at Tonraq's fist. "I wouldn't do that if I were-"

Two very strong blasts of water hit him square in the face at the same time, sending him flying backwards. His head knocked back against a pole, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Tonraq lowered his hands, and they both whirled around to see where the second water blast had come from.

Master Katara stood there, her eyes narrowed. Senna and Tonraq took only a moment to register this.

"He won't be happy when he wakes up," Master Katara warned.

"Then let's get out of here before he does," Tonraq sprinted back toward their hut, Senna following behind, and Katara a ways behind her.

"We are getting out of here," he said quickly the moment she was inside the door. She could hear Katara huffing behind her, and let the poor woman pass her by to rest for a moment.

"Yes," Senna said, and her husband glanced at her, frantic and worried and determined. "We are getting out of here. I'll get some of Korra's things together. Pack food, clothes, anything we can carry that won't slow us down too much."

He nodded, and she stopped for a moment in front of the old woman. "Master Katara, would you come with us?"

She smiled a little. "Please, just call me Katara. And no. I'll stay behind and send a letter to my son in Republic City. Once he's aware of the situation, he can help us. Now hurry."

Senna nodded, and without another word, ran into Korra's room. She could faintly hear Katara telling Tonraq about a place she thought they could slip through unnoticed. It took only a few minutes to get everything ready, and they were out the door, Korra still asleep and nestled amongst many blankets against Senna's chest.

It's a good thing she's such a deep sleeper, Senna thought, tucking her daughter's hair carefully into the wrap of blankets.

The night was quiet. There was no sign that the other members of the White Lotus were awake, and the guards on top of the walls were still. The snow crunching beneath their boots seemed like it was too loud. Every moment, Senna was half sure the guards would come charging after them.

They slipped past the obstacle courses, the firebending court, and tried to mostly keep against the wall. It was so flat in there that if the guards decided to look their way they'd be spotted almost instantly.

"Katara said that there's a weak spot in the wall toward the back," Tonraq whispered. "She said if I can waterbend carefully, we should be able to soften it, and crawl through."

Senna nodded. "Alright." They hadn't had time to discuss where they would go from there, but she supposed it didn't matter at the moment.

They slowly made their way toward the back of the encampment. "I think it's just ahead," Tonraq said quietly, when a shout broke the utter silence.

Lights flared, and thumps sounded all around them as the guards slid down the walls toward them. Senna could hear the sound of the White Lotus leaders yelling, everything blurring around her as Tonraq tried to fight them off and screamed at her to run.

Her feet were stuck in the snow as she clutched Korra to her breast, her daughter just now waking and demanding to know what was going on.

The lights were so bright in her eyes, and Senna called for Tonraq but didn't hear him respond. Desperately she tried to twist around and look at him while Korra started crying, and the wind whistled in her ears as the lights dimmed.

They were surrounded.

Yrak stood at the front, glaring at them. There was a red spot on his head. The other members of the White Lotus were behind him. "I told you," he hissed furiously. "I told you what would happen if you broke the law."

In the end, Korra is not taken from them. Senna doesn't know what spirits to thank for that.

Instead, rightfully believing them to be under his thumb now, Yrak orders that their letters be checked before they are sent out. Tonraq is no longer allowed to go hunting, and instead someone from the tribe delivers meat to them on a weekly basis. Senna and Tonraq never see who it is.

Korra, beyond confused by the events of that night, was not told the full details of what happened. Senna and Tonraq knew that she would not completely understand, but vowed to tell her when she is older.

Katara, thankfully, was not punished. Yrak, not realizing that there had been two waterbenders to hit him in the face that night, still sought her wisdom, though he has a clear distaste for her familiarity with "the Avatar's parents".

All they can do is try and give Korra a place to come home to. A place where she is wanted, simply for being herself. They do what they can, but Senna has a feeling that it didn't help much. Korra was still being told on a daily basis that she was the Avatar; special, deserving of praise for merely existing, but also flawed, something that needed to be fixed, because she was not like the Avatar they had all read about.

The years passed.

Korra continued to get stronger, faster, and yet…

There is still that change to her every action. It was a change that Korra didn't recognize or understand, but one that hurt her every day.

When a small polar bear dog pup is found just beyond the walls by the White Lotus, Tonraq took it back home with the plan of nursing it to health and releasing it in the wild.

Korra had other ideas. Ignoring all warnings of how vicious polar bear dogs could be, she eventually convinced her parents to let her keep it, because at least this way she would have some company. And so, at the age of fourteen, Korra raised, tamed, and trained, a polar bear dog. She was the first person to ever do so.

Naga turned out to be a wonderful pet and companion for their daughter, and Senna was grateful every day that Naga made Korra smile. But there was still a darker aspect to it all.

Korra tamed a polar bear dog when no one else had. But more importantly, Avatar Aang hadn't either. Senna had a feeling that on some level, Korra saw it as the only thing she had done to ever "one-up" her predecessor, and Senna cursed the White Lotus all the more for what they had done to Korra over the years.

Still, there was brightness in their lives. Korra grew to look like a perfect combination of Senna and Tonraq; Senna's blue eyes and pointed chin, Tonraq's nose and brown hair. She grew to be taller than her mother, but still shorter than her father. She was beautiful, from the inside and out. She grew to be stubborn, generally kind, with a desire to help others, a little selfish, impatient, and easily frustrated, but witty and determined, and with a smile that could light up a room.

Not too long after Korra turned seventeen, she finished her firebending training. Tenzin, the son of the previous Avatar and the only person who could teach her airbending, would soon be flying down to stay with them. He had occasionally sent letters over the years, and Senna knew he was a different sort than the White Lotus. She hoped he would help Korra. He had to.

(~-~-~-~-~-~-~)

The sky was clear.

Korra rocked back and forth on her heels, Katara at her side, searching that clear sky for any sign of a sky bison. She'd seen pictures of them in the books Master Katara and the others had her read, but she hadn't seen a real one in a long time. She fought to keep herself from jumping up and down. Finally! Finally she would be able to learn airbending, and then she would know all the elements, then she would be a true Avatar.

She would be able to leave.

She spotted a moving shape in the distance, and actually gasped aloud as the sky bison – Oogi, Katara said his name was –landed in front of them with a thump. It looked at her with dark eyes, kind of like Naga's, shaking its head a little to clear its thick fur coat of snow.

A high-pitched voice could be heard from the creature's back. "-we're there aren't we? Oh daddy, please tell me we're there!"

"Yes, Ikki," The middle aged man sitting on top of the bison said tiredly. "As I've been telling you for the past fifteen minutes, we are finally here."

"Yippeeeee!" A small orange and yellow clad girl leapt off the back of the bison, followed by another, older girl. They easily and gracefully moved the air around them to a soft landing.

The middle-aged man, Tenzin, Korra knew, slid off Oogi's side, a little boy sitting on his shoulders and pulling at his ears. "Hello mother," he sighed, walked toward Katara. "Please," he said in a lower voice. "Help me."

Katara laughed as Tenzin bent over, and she pulled the young boy from his father's shoulders.

"Ahh! Unhand me, strange woman!" The boy yelled, wiggling in her grip.

"That's your grandmother, Meelo," Tenzin said, seeming a little more awake now that his son was no longer trying to pull his ears off.

Ignoring this, Meelo, like his sisters, easily bent air and flipped over Katara, landing on her other side and running toward his sisters to play in the snow.

Katara shook off her surprise and turned toward her son. "Its so good to see all of you."

Tenzin nodded, but was distracted by the woman climbing down the Bison with some difficulty; her belly rounded by pregnancy.

"Pema!" He was at her side in an instant, saying tenderly, "Let me help you."

She swatted his hand away. "I'm not infirmed, I'm just pregnant! Stop being so overprotective!"

The older girl ran up to Katara, asking her something about someone's mother, but Korra didn't hear her, watching Tenzin, her insides feeling tight.

Finally he turned his eyes toward her, and her insides relaxed. Like his children, he was wearing orange and yellow, styled rather like ancient robes. He was bald, with a tattoo of a blue arrow on his head. He also had a long, pointed, brown beard. He smiled warmly. "Korra?" His wife, Pema, looked over at her and smiled as well. She was rather pretty, with brown eyes, and brown hair pulled back into a bun. She was wearing the same colors as the rest of her family, although hers was fitted as a maternity dress.

Korra jogged over to him, her hands twisting behind her back. This was Avatar Aang's son. He looked her over, and she wondered if he was searching for some sign of his father in her face, impossible as it might have been.

People always did that, though. Surely some part of her had to be like Avatar Aang; some early kind of proof that she would be just as amazing as he was.

"Its so good to see you again," He went on, putting his hands on her shoulders. Her memories of his one visit were faint, but she rather thought he looked like how she remembered.

"You too," Korra grinned. "I am so glad you're here Master Tenzin! I can't wait to start my airbending training!"

At this, Tenzin hesitated. "Yes. Well…"

His wife shot him a glance. "You're going to have to tell her sometime, you know."

The tightness began to return to her stomach. "Tell me what?"

He hesitated again. "I'd rather tell you when we're with the White Lotus. They wanted to meet with me straight off anyway."

Katara was looking at him sadly. "You…" She stopped for a moment, and then went on. "You're not staying, are you?"

Tenzin glanced at her, and then shook his head. "I'm afraid not." He ran a hand over his head, and looked at his wife again before turning his eyes toward Korra.

"What?" She asked, shock at war with her devastation, "Why?"

He shuffled uncomfortably. "I really would rather talk this over with the White Lotus at the same time I tell you. Come on." He walked in the direction of the White Lotus's tents, Korra trailing after him, her heart thudding in her chest.

What if- what if he knows? What if he can tell? Her hands twisted anxiously as she jogged after him, praying that it wasn't true. Tenzin was her only option to teach her airbending. Her only hope.

(~-~-~-~-~-~-~)

Korra stood in the doorway, the darkness framing her body.

"Korra?" Senna walked out from the kitchen, Tonraq standing from his place by the fire, a half carved something on the floor. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Korra stepped farther into the tent. She wasn't crying, but standing there, she looked so...defeated. As if she had lost everything. "Tenzin didn't come to town to teach me," she said, and her voice cracked. "He just came to say that he couldn't. He's going back to Republic City tomorrow." She took a deep breath, like she wanted to say more, bright blue eyes shining, and then she turned and ran back out the doorway.

"Korra!" They both ran after her, catching sight of her retreating shape in the dark, headed toward the stables, and Naga's comfort.

Senna stopped, and grabbed her husband's arm as he was about to keep chasing after her. Senna felt like her voice wouldn't work. She cleared her throat, and tried to speak. "He won't be staying here. Won't be teaching her."

Tonraq's shoulders slumped, and he turned back toward her. "I know."

Her hand clenched on his arm, and this time when she spoke, her voice was strong. "We can't let that happen. If he isn't going to stay here, then he's going to take her with him."

He was startled for a moment, and then he smiled sadly, smoothing back her hair and kissing her forehead. "That's my girl," he said fondly, and she leaned into his strong arms- her own comfort, resting her head at his heart. They didn't hold the embrace for long, and soon they were rushing toward Katara's hut, where Tenzin was staying. They had nothing to fear from the White Lotus; surely they wanted Tenzin to teach Korra as well?

The moment that they arrived, Katara stepped out, looking slightly surprise. Her expression molded into understanding. "Good luck," she said quietly. "Where is Korra?"

"The stables, with Naga."

The old woman nodded slowly. "I'll leave her to that, I think." She glanced back in toward her hut, and then walked around them. She stopped behind them. "Tenzin is just as stubborn as Korra in some ways. But I think he will come around." She continued walking a little, leaving them in turn to argue with her son.

Senna and Tonraq burst into the hut, ignoring the startled glances that Tenzin and his wife shot at them. There was no sign of their children; they were probably in the small back room that Katara had wanted in case the family came to visit.

"What-" Tenzin began, but Senna cut across him. "You have to teach Korra airbending!"

He blinked, and for a moment looked frustrated. "I can't right now. Republic City needs me too much, things are very restless there right now-"

"Then take Korra with you!" Tonraq stepped forward.

Tenzin drew back a little. His wife was watching them with concern. "I can't do that, I'm sorry," he went on, clearly trying to calm them down. "Its too dangerous for-"

"Please, you have to!" Senna clasped her hands together imploringly.

"I can't do that!" he repeated, this time truly irritated. "Republic City isn't a safe place for Korra right now-"

"She can't stay here any longer!" Tonraq moved closer still, seeming to restrain himself from shouting, his hand clutching at his wife's. "She is a prisoner here. Because of the law that is supposed to protect the Avatar- the trainers from the White Lotus have gone too far! We're not allowed to leave!"

Tenzin frowned, and glanced at his wife, then back at them. "What do you mean, you're not allowed to leave?"

Senna wiped at her eyes. "I- I know the law was written with good intentions- everyone's heard of how good a man your father was- but those men from the White Lotus have twisted it! We're all prisoners here. Korra hasn't seen or interacted with anyone her age since she was five. Her trainers, her guards, and us- we're the only people and things that she knows. They don't- they don't think of her as a person! She's just the Avatar to them and because of that- that damnable law they're keeping her here, and its only hurting her!"

"They won't let us leave," Tonraq added. "We tried- once we realized what this was doing, we tried to run, to find some way- your mother tried to help us- but under the law, we are disrupting the training of the Avatar, and they will use their guards to stop us if we break that law."

Tenzin's mouth hung open. "They- they can't do this! This is not what my father wanted to happen-!"

"It's the law, right now." Tonraq said, his face set in stone. "And you know how long it can take for laws to change."

Tenzin looked at the ground, his hands fisting. "I cannot- I cannot believe that they have perverted the law this way," He spoke quietly. "The moment I get back to Republic City, I will deal with this, I promise you."

"And Korra?"

Pema took her husband's hand. He was still frowning. "I want to help- but Republic City is full of unrest right now. I would fear for Korra's life if she were to go."

Senna and Tonraq looked at each other, and then at him. "Right now," Tonraq said softly, "She hardly has a life to loose. She doesn't even know it, really- thinks that it's normal. The praise and the pressure and this- this belief that she's just the Avatar, and nothing else, do you understand? She needs to live, and she can't do that here. But if she goes with you for training, she can."

"We don't want to put Korra in danger. We love her so much, but please, you have to take her with you."

Tenzin looked at them, and this time there was fire in his eyes. "Yes," he said finally. "I will take her. But you are coming too. I won't leave you here to be prisoners, and I will not separate you from Korra."

(~-~-~-~-~-~-~)

Avatar Aang was patient. I'm not.

Avatar Aang was selfless. Endlessly kind. Not like me.

He never picked a fight. I always pick fights.

He saved the world when he was twelve. I haven't done anything.

Avatar Aang was wise, and always knew what to do. I never know what to say or do.

The thoughts flew in circles.

I'll never be half the Avatar he was.

Korra stared at the ceiling above her, feeling Naga's warmth around her entire body.

Tenzin said that he couldn't teach her because of the dangers in Republic City, and couldn't take her there either. What could be going on that was so dangerous?

And still the thoughts poked at her. Maybe he realized that you'll never be like-

Thudding footsteps jolted her out of her thoughts. Naga raised her head, and Korra jumped to her feet, ready to shout herself hoarse at whoever was coming toward her. She blinked as her parents made their way toward her. Both of them were grinning, and her mom and tears in her eyes. Before she could say anything, they had pulled her into a tight hug.

"Wh-what?"

Her mom pulled back, smiling wider than Korra had ever seen her do before. "Korra, sweetheart, we talked to Tenzin. We're all going with him to Republic City, so that he can start your airbending training!" She hugged her again.

The words didn't seem real. Korra felt frozen. And then, like water breaking through thin ice, the excitement flew out of her. "Whooo-whoooooo!" She jumped into her parent's embrace, hugging them back tight enough to make them gasp.

She turned back toward Naga, and threw her arms around her neck. "Can you believe it, Naga? Republic City get ready: the Avatar is on the way!"