Dear Mom and Dad
How are the things at South Pole? Is the upcoming sea prune harvest going to be good? Everything is so different here in the Republic City and my first day here didn't go exactly as I had planned. Same could be said about my first airbending practices with Tenzin but now I've started to get the hang of it (he said that I already move like a real airbender so learning to bend the element itself can't be that far). I've also gained two new friends: the bender brothers Mako and Bolin. Soon after meeting them, I joined their pro-bending team "The Fire Ferrets" because their previous waterbender had decided to call it quits- we even made it to the final match of the championship tournament! And we would have won that too, if it wasn't for the fact that the opposing team had bribed the judges to work in their favor so that they could cheat their way to victory. The judges overlooked every fowl they made- from bending elements outside of their zone to actually bending water with rocks inside it! So I doubt that you find it surprising that the final round ended as a knock-out on our part… But as the Wolfbats started to celebrate their "well-earned victory", Amon and his goons suddenly attacked the arena.
Amon… As you've might have heard, he and his so called 'equalists' have caused trouble here in the city. That man spouts phony propaganda about us benders like how we 'are the reason behind every war' and how we 'oppress the non-bending folk'. What a load of rubbish! The bending is a gift that should be nurtured, not stifled! Just because some of the benders use their skills for committing crimes doesn't make all of us evil! After all, the very police force of the Republic city consists of metalbenders who use their skills to protect everyone, including the non-benders! Which reminds me, I've also joined a local task force led by one of the councilmen and our team managed to arrest a bunch of equalists. But as I mentioned before, the attack on the pro bending arena surprised us all – the viewers, the players and the metalbenders watching over the whole event. During the attack, Amon… he…he took away the Wolfbats' ability to bend…permanently. How he possesses such a skill is something of a mystery since -according to Tenzin- only the Avatar has ever possessed that skill before. Tahno, the leader of the Wolfbats told me that he had been to the best healers of the city but none of them had been able to help him. And even though we had never gotten along before inside (or outside) of the game field, I would have never wished such a fate on him. So I promised him to bring down Amon and mark my words, I'm going to fulfill that promise!
Right now, Mako and Bolin are living with me on Air Temple Island since their previous home (along with the rest of the arena) has been closed off. Same goes for Asami, a good friend of Mako's: she had no place to go after some issues with her family so I offered her to join us at the island. We've all had it rough for the past week or so, but getting together like this is bound to liven up the mood for everyone. So don't you guys worry about me: I will learn airbending and once I do, I'll bend that masked freak into a typhoon!
~ Korra
Ps: Send my and Tenzin's best regards to sifu Katara
Korra looked at her letter, re-reading through it and grimacing slightly at the part concerning Asami. She had no intentions of confessing her love problems to her parents or acknowledging Asami as Mako's girlfriend. Because that's what she practically was, yet even so, something within Korra didn't want to –no, scratch that- she couldn't acknowledge it within her thoughts, let alone write it on a paper. That would have made it seem even more official. As she was wrapping the letter into a scroll, the young avatar heard a familiar voice behind her.
"There you are!"
Flinching from surprise, Korra quickly sealed the scroll with an airbending seal, using the small flame she had conjured in her palm to melt the wax. Once she was done, she turned to face the comer.
"Ah, hi Mako, what are you doing out here?" she asked a bit nervously, trying to keep her default face on.
"I was looking for you. Pema says that the dinner's ready."
The handsome firebender now noticed the scroll in her hands then an ink bottle and quill on the floor.
"Why would you write a letter out here in the meditating pavilion? Why not just do it inside so that Asami, Bolin and I wouldn't have had to split up to look for you?
This comment earned him a slightly annoyed look from Korra.
"Is it too much to ask that I can go to someplace quiet in order to think what to write? Sheesh, you sound the same as Tenzin when I first came here."
Korra made a pompous face, imitating Tenzin's deep voice surprisingly well.
"Korra dear, you must understand that all of this is for your own good! The Avatar has many enemies, especially in a city this large. And if the situation requires it, I'll make the White Lotus sentries watch your every move: you may not do so much as go to a toilet without having one of them breathing down your neck."
She amplified her imitation by stroking her imaginery beard and Mako was having a hard time to prevent himself from bursting into laughter. He still couldn't help letting a smile creep upon his lips, an act that wasn't missed by Korra. She smiled shyly back at him and then bended over to pick up the items on the floor, using her normal voice now as she spoke.
"But once he saw that I'm more than capable of protecting myself, he loosened up a bit with that attitude. Honestly speaking, he wouldn't even let me watch a single pro-bending match let alone join one." She rose up back to her full length, grinning at the firebender.
"But as you know, I didn't let that stop me."
Mako smirked approvingly "How typical of you." Then his features hardened.
"But that still doesn't answer my question: Why did you seek out an isolated place just to write a letter? Is it that official? And who are you writing it to?"
Korra took a look at her letter, her gaze turning a bit sad now.
"It is for my parents. I promised to write them every once in a while and I've been in here for over a month now so I thought that I should let them know how I'm doing."
Mako was worried to see her mood drop so quickly. For a while he pondered if he should even ask about it in case it was something really personal. Maybe the avatar had some problems with her family? Should he even try to interfere? Finally, he decided to risk it anyway.
"Then how come you look so sad? Aren't you looking forward to telling them how well you performed in the pro-bending tournament?"
Korra sighed, letting her gaze fall to the ground. The orange sunset shining behind the pavilion and over the Yue Bay made their shadows look exceptionally long. A slight breeze swayed her pigtails.
"I understand now how you feel about protecting your brother. You're not just shielding him from physical pain but emotional as well…"
The gears in Mako's head started turning as he began to realize what Korra was getting at. The young avatar now looked at her letter, focusing her eyes on the small swirly insignia on top of the seal.
"I wanted to tell my parents how 'everything is swell in here and how I've only had some minor problems' but I couldn't. I can't keep them completely in the dark about Amon because folks at the South Pole receive regular reports from our respective councilman. That, and the fact that if the fishermen sail out far enough on their fishing trips, they can actually hear the radio broadcasts of the republic city from their radio. So I merely told my parents stuff they probably knew already while leaving out the things they don't need to hear."
Mako decided to test the water once more "Like what kind of things?"
Korra exhaled quickly and then started to list items with her hands.
"Like how your brother almost lost his bending, how even rich snobs like Hiroshi Sato are supporting the equalists, how their forces now possess electric gloves and platinum robots because of him, how our police force is having a hard time dealing with the said weapons , how this place has practically become a war zone and how…"
Korra's gaze now seemed unfocused, distant. Her eyes were playing images that only she could view. And something in her gaze reminded Mako of a cornered pygmy puma. He didn't like it … He didn't like it at all.
"How what?" he asked carefully, hoping that Korra's distracted state would make her spill the beans instead of retreating into her shell.
"…How Amon ambushed me." Korra whispered quietly to herself, completely lost in her thoughts. She could see that incident again in her mind: those heartless eyes, how their glare practically drilled into her and how Amon's strong hand roughly held her chin…
"WHAT?"
Mako's yell of outrage made Korra snap out of her trance. The quill and the ink bottle she had been holding fell back to the floor. As the ink bottle rolled in the background, Korra turned to look at Mako. The firebender now looked like an enraged buffalo yak: his golden eyes were blazing with anger and his breathing had become faster. Realizing her slip of tongue, Korra tried to fix the situation by pretending to be as indifferent as possible.
"What do you mean 'WHAT'? You were there too: Amon ambushed us all at the pro-bending finals!"
Mako's expression became even more hardened. "Don't you even try lying to me! You were really talking about the time when you challenged him to a duel at the Aang memorial island! Yet you told me and Bolin that he didn't even show up!"
His rage seemed to be contagious as Korra also became fired up. She took a defiant stance by placing her curled fists to her sides "I didn't lie! He didn't show up and that's it! ...Besides, it's none of your business!"
"It IS my business because you're my friend!"
For a while they both stared at each other, their shoulders swaying from their heavy breathing. Finally Mako broke the silence, speaking now with a less agitated tone.
"I can appreciate that you try to shield others from worrying about you. But no-one should bottle up all their worries inside them- not even the Avatar."
Korra stayed silent, considering his words for a while. Without a word, she suddenly turned around and headed to the back edge of the pavilion to pick up the ink bottle that had rolled over there. The footsteps coming from behind told her that Mako had followed. Stopping at a few steps away from her, the firebender watched as Korra turned her back on him to gaze out at the Yue Bay, looking at the sunset that was barely gleaming from the horizon.
"I wasn't 'bottling up' anything… Tenzin was there to help and hear me out so you don't have to worry about it." she finally spoke defensively.
"Even so, I want to hear the truth: what happened to you?" Mako replied seriously. Korra could practically feel his eyes staring at her back. What she didn't see however, was his genuinely worried expression. Taking a slow breath, Korra started to talk quietly, almost whispering.
"Amon was waiting for me inside the memorial. After I'd waited for him for some time, seemingly in vain, I decided to leave and made the mistake of getting too close to the museum entrance. All of a sudden, I was pulled inside by his henchmen and had my chi blocked. I was completely at their mercy."
Her grip on the railing tightened, making her knuckles turn white. Mako on the other hand was unaware that he was actually holding his breath. He could imagine how the things had went, how Korra had been overpowered by a large number of equalists and how after a brief, desperate struggle she had been forced on her knees… Just like Bolin at the equalist rally."
"Then, Amon finally arrived… He- he grabbed me by my chin, stared into my eyes… But then he didn't take away my bending."
Mako nodded automatically even though Korra was unable to see him.
"Obviously not, but why? Why didn't he just defeat his worst possible enemy when he still had a chance?"
Korra's head fell down. The dark ocean water flowed beneath her as the last rays of sunset finally disappeared behind the horizon.
"He said that 'if he took away my bending now, I'd only become a martyr who'd gain the support of the benders from all of the four nations. So that's why he would save me as his last opponent.' Then he knocked me out cold."
"It does make sense." Mako answered. "It is still too early for him to get that much attention from the benders. He intends to get the support of non-benders first by focusing his efforts on criminals and cheating scum like Tahno. Once he has gained enough followers, he'll turn his attention on the rest of us as well…"
Korra was clearly shaking now and the firebender knew it had nothing to do with the gentle breeze coming from the bay or the overall temperature. She might be the avatar, the most powerful being on the planet, but she was still a human just as much as anyone else.
"It was…the most frightening thing I have ever experienced." she whispered as she wrapped her arms around herself.
Suddenly, Korra could feel a warm hand on her shoulder. Her body tensed up like a drawn bow.
"Listen…" Mako started, speaking softly. "You've done so much for Bolin and me while we haven't given you anything in return."
"You didn't have to." Korra cut him off. "You're my friends."
"Exactly.", Mako replied "We're your friends.… And that's exactly why we want to help you in return like real friends should. Talk to us when the avatar worries are weighing you down. Because what terrifies me more than them is the thought that you're carrying all that burden inside you, completely alone!"
Mako now remembered how Korra had seemed a bit too cheery when she had finally returned to the gym to practice for the pro-bending tournament. He should have known that she had been hiding something from them. The thought of how she had been pushing herself just to keep smiling for their sake infuriated him: How could he have been so stupid to believe that everything was alright?
Korra closed her eyes as she let her head rest against the firebender's hand.
"Thank you, Mako."
For a few seconds they remained still until Korra suddenly turned around to give Mako a confident smile. "Let's get going. Pema won't like it if the food gets cold."
The avatar scurried to pick up the quill still lying on the floor. "And Asami's probably wondering where you've run off to so we'd better hurry."
Mako nodded and together they started to head back towards the temple. As Korra took lead, speaking something about the magnificent messenger hawks they used at the temple, the firebender listened only partially. He had just realized that even now, Korra was still pushing herself though for different reasons than before. She had pulled away from his touch with haste, obviously for the sake of his relationship with Asami. That thought stirred many emotions within him: gratitude, sadness but above all…
"Mako?" Korra gave him a questioning look "Are you listening?"
Korra seemed to have picked up that he'd been zoning out. He'd have to come up with something quickly before she started questioning why.
"You're right, the messenger hawks are kinda cool… I've never used one, though." Mako tried to reply, mentally cursing at himself for uttering such a lame comment.
Luckily for him, Korra either didn't notice anything out of ordinary or was considerate enough to accept his reply (he was sure that it was the latter). Realizing that they had already arrived to the main courtyard, Korra abruptly stopped, causing Mako to almost crash into her.
"I, um… I think it's for the best that you go on ahead by yourself. "
Surprised, Mako just looked at back of her neck, trying to figure out what was going on inside her head.
"I saw Bolin and Asami go in already as we ascended the stairs. You should go join them and tell everyone that you're all free to start eating without me."
"But… Aren't you coming then?" The words had come out on their own and Mako could feel a heavy lump forming inside his chest. Was Korra avoiding him now? Or to be more precise: being with him when nobody else was around… Was she doing this because of Asami? Because of Bolin? Both?
The avatar turned around and gave him a puzzled look.
"Of course I am, silly! Why wouldn't I? But you all must be starving by now and I still have to go to the messenger hawk coop to send this."
She pointed her letter towards a small building at the corner of the courtyard. The dining halls resided at the opposite direction. Still, it wouldn't have taken them that long to go there together and strap a single piece of paper to a bird. As Mako was going to voice this out, Korra continued.
"You guys have waited enough as it is because of me…There's no need to be THAT courteous just for the Avatar's sake. So go now before Bolin passes out from hunger or something."
Defeated, Mako replied "Oh, okay then. See ya later." as casually as he could and started heading towards dining hall. Making sure she was out of hearing range, the firebender let out a small sigh of relief. Maybe he was overthinking Korra's actions or at least some of them. But the thought of him being a partial cause of her sadness still nagged inside him. Remembering her shivering form at the pavilion didn't help either: back then, Mako's emotions had almost taken over and nearly made him embrace her before his senses had caught up with him. Even so, he could still feel it: the urge to just go there and wrap his arms around her. To comfort her, to protect her. Strangely enough, his need to protect Korra even surpassed his need to protect Asami, his own girlfriend for spirits' sake! ...Then again…Was it really so strange after all?
Taking a one last glance towards the hawk coop, Mako muttered to himself. "It seems I'm having struggles of my own, Korra."
Author's comments:Since the folks at Nick were so generous to NOT provide us a new Korra episode last Saturday (Iwould have published it then, but the site restrictions prevented me from doing that), I hereby present to you my first published fanfic. Yes, published. Because even though I wrote my first fanfic back in 2009 (an unfinished Transformers Animated fic, in case you were wondering), it hasn't been until the last few months that I've really gotten more into writing.
THIS fic however, I just got the idea for it even before I found out about the episode delay, I think. Please be gentle when it comes to critique since English isn't my native tongue :(. I'm not saying that you shouldn't point out mistakes, it's ok, just do it gently and in a constuctive manner. You know, I actually used the Word's higlight function to search all the "and" phrases from the fic at one point, only to find a total of 81 of them ^^;. Some of them were actually part of longer words but that still didn't justify the grocery list-like feel the fic originally had to it. So I had to revise it some more until it started to look a little more than a catalog for actions and dialogue.
I personally feel that I'm better at writing introspect than descriping actions/surroundings/dialogue together. I hope the lack of description for surroundings doesn't bother you guys as much as it bothers me. And I hope that I managed to get Korra and Mako's personalities somewhat right since I really tried to make this fic seem like something straight out of the show. That meant a minimalistic amount of Mako x Korra fluff considering the situation the episode 7 showed us. I told myself "Stay true to the show, no sudden hugs or kisses between those two." So this ended up having a rather sad feel to it. Lastly I hope that there ain't too much dialogue. Hopefully I'll learn to write less of it as my writing skills get better. More atmosphere, less talking, I guess.
I may write some follow-up to this if it gets enough attention. Bear in mind however, that my vision for the follow-up also is also meant to stay as close to canon as possible. Therefore it's going to be more of a description of thoughts and feelings rather than a tale of action.