"The Healing of Harms-" by Andrew
A depressed Korra receives a visit from a strange little earthbending girl, and finds a way out of the dark.
"Bring me out!
From the prison of my own pride
My God, I need a hope I can't deny!
In the end I'm realizing,
I was never meant to fight on my own!"—On My Own
It was still quiet. As far as Korra could remember, the island had been quiet ever since she got back. Two weeks ago? Three? She was starting to lose track, and the days were blurring together. She spent most of them sleeping. She stared out the window, at the patch of sunlight she could see. Aang's statute was out there, again standing tall in the bay. She could hear a few birds, and some wind chimes, but that was it. Silence, a void.
"What are you doing?" A girl's voice piped up, startling her. Korra rolled over in bed, facing the door.
A teenage girl was standing there. She had black hair put up in a bun, and wore the traditional green tunic of earthbenders, and was bare foot despite the cooler weather.
"Who are you?" Korra asked weakly.
"I asked first." The girl said, walking into the room. "Why are you just sleeping all day? What's wrong with you?"
"Tenzin!" Korra tried calling. "Get this kid out of here."
"He can't hear you." The girl said, shaking her head with amusement. "He's off somewhere. So answer my question. You're too weak to make me leave, anyway." There was silence for a few moments, Korra visibly fuming.
"I don't know, okay?" Korra said. "I just feel horrible, all day." The girl in green stopped looking so amused, and now looked a little sympathetic.
"Twinkletoes had this once." She said, walking over and sitting down on Korra's bed, making Korra move her feet back so the girl wasn't sitting on them. "He couldn't sleep, for days. He was completely losing it." Korra didn't speak, didn't bother ask who the girl was talking about. "Of course, you've got the opposite problem. Sleeping too much."
"Thanks, I didn't notice." Korra grumbled. The girl made a face.
"So is your problem here-" the girl rapped her knuckle over Korra's heart, "or here?" She rapped on her forehead, making Korra weakly try to bat her hand away.
"I don't know. Just go away, okay?" Korra said. The girl smirked, shaking her head, making her long bangs swish. Korra abruptly noticed that her eyes were gray and discolored, like they had a layer of something over them. Blind. Korra realized.
"Your problem isn't the poison, or almost dying." The girl said. "It's in your mind. Or your heart. An airbender would say it's in your spirit."
"What does it matter?" Korra asked, exasperated. "Everything will be fine without me. Or better. Republic City wouldn't be covered in vines if it wasn't for me."
"Actually, the witnesses said a huge red evil giant did that." The girl laughed. "He did some motion that looked like bending, and, bam! Vines. Maybe they would've gone away if you closed the portals, maybe not."
"Just, go away, okay?" Korra said, rolling over. "No one needs me." They were both silent for a few long moments. The girl "looked" at her, and Korra wondered if she had guessed right. The girl didn't act blind.
"Life's not about who needs you, Korra." The girl said slowly. "Life's about who loves you. Who fights to keep you safe. Who cries when they see you hurt. This island is full of people, people who would charge forward and risk their lives for you without hesitating. That's a lot."
"But I'm the Avatar." Korra said. "I'm supposed to be saving the world, restoring balance. Not be a regular person, just trying to have a family and friends." The girl laughed again at that.
"Too bad no one told Twinkletoes that." She grinned. "He was pretty close to a regular kid. He told dumb jokes, had to get rescued sometimes, spent a week unable to sleep from nerves, and got depressed when a play said Katara had friendzoned him. He's a hero now, because he came through when it counted—like you. Because that's what a hero is. A person who comes through that one time. Everyone has all their stupid moments, or the times when they fail, and have to be rescued. Even me."
" 'Twinkletoes?' " Korra repeated blearily, having heard that name several times now
"Yep. He was a little lighter on his feet than you." The girl said. She shook her head. "Korra, I'm gonna go. You've got two choices. Stay here and mope that right now, people can survive without you." The girl stood up, brushing her tunic, and took a step away, then paused. "Or, get up." She held out a hand, and Korra stared for a moment. Something started rising up in her throat, anticipation, fear, and for the first time in weeks, excitement. She felt like she was standing at the crossroads of two paths, and she wouldn't get another chance.
Korra took the girl's hand, feeling a little surprised at the rough texture, like the girl spent all day holding granite. The blind girl smiled warmly, tugged—
And Korra fell out of bed with a loud thunk, faceplanting on the hardwood, almost leaping up in indignant shock.
The girl was gone, and Korra was alone. Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and Mako threw the door open, taking in the room and her awkward position.
"Are you okay?" He asked, sounding concerned. Korra shook her head ruefully, her lips tugging up into a smile at the situation. She laughed, and reached up a hand. Mako froze, half shocked, half trying to hide a look of happy delight at her change. He took her hand and pulled her to her feet, taking one arm over his shoulder, supporting her under her right arm. She nodded her head towards the door, and they started walking outside. Moonlight was drifting in from outside, and cool night air rushed over them. Korra looked around again, at the familiar wood and windows, at the burning lanterns. Air Temple Island was built to be peaceful and safe and warm, a refuge from everything in the world. She was glad to be back. Maybe the Water Tribe was supposed to love the bitter cold, but she far preferred being away from the ice.
The wooden floor felt soft and polished against her bare feet, the lanterns hanging on the walls giving a warm glow, making the Temple feel safe, whole. Korra had fought to protect this place before... it had been worth it.
"Gleaming in the moonlight
Cool and clean and all I've ever known,
All I ever wanted!
Sweet perfumes of incense,
Graceful rooms of alabaster stone,
All I ever wanted!
This is my home!"
"Help me out for a few more minutes?" Korra asked, testing the strength in her legs. She felt alarmingly weak compared to her days as a Fire Ferret, but she would get it back. Mako complied, supporting her as they slowly made their way down the hallway, towards the moonlight drifting in from outside.
"How long were you sitting outside my room?" She asked wryly.
"About six hours." Mako said quietly. He looked tense, but sounded hopeful, like she was some timid doe that might flee if he was too loud or sudden. "Lucky you, my shift was ending in two hours."
"You guys didn't give up on me." Korra half asked, half stated. A tear threatened to well up, but unlike at the airbending ceremony, it wasn't despair. It was a tear of relief, of indescribable gratitude. Her step strengthened, and she started walking normally, on her own. Mako adjusted slightly, but didn't move away. His hand moved slightly, now resting on her lower back.
"We'll never give up on you, Korra." Mako said softly, helping her down the steps, towards the lantern-lit courtyard. Above, the moon was full, and in the distance, Republic City glimmered, proud and strong and full of life.
Korra stopped leaning so strongly onto Mako, feeling strength return to her, life becoming promising again, but left her hand on his back. Mako hesitated, but didn't move away, didn't go to find the others, and she felt his hand come to a rest on her lower back. She was reminded of the last time they had been here, kissing in the moonlight. So much had happened. Yet they had made their way back, somehow, still alive. Pema had told her before, that when they had found her after her brush with Tarrlock and his brother… Pema told her Mako had stayed by her side for hours, looking stricken but hopeful. Korra hadn't let herself believe it then, but she did now. Tears welled up again, and she looked away, hoping Mako thought she was enjoying the view again.
"Hey." Mako said, putting a hand on her cheek, making her look at him. "You don't have to be tough all the time, you know that?" The Korra from a view months earlier would've pushed him away, would've wiped the tears and pushed on. That Korra had also ended up damaging the three most valuable relationships she had, because of her pride.
This Korra let out a stifled cry and buried her face in Mako's shoulder, sobbing into the smoky-smelling jacket, feeling the terror and grief and despair leave her. It might have been two minutes, it could've have been twenty, but the tears stopped and an overwhelmingly feeling of relief and gratitude.
"You alright?" Mako asked, brushing her cheek with the back of his hand, smiling a little. "I've been pretty worried."
"I'm good." Korra said feeling the weight leave her, smiling back. For the first time in a long time, life was good again. "I'm glad you're here, Mako." She felt his warm hand tight on her back, and she ran a hand up into his hair, and suddenly they were kissing, warm and breathy and intimate. She pulled away for a breath, and Mako was grinning, then pulled her close for a second. It was just as good.
"You didn't give up on me, huh?" Korra asked. She had asked almost the same thing a few minutes earlier, but it was different, asking something else entirely.
"Never."
"Sometimes the shadows of the past can be felt by the present."