"I don't know what I'm doing. They expect me to have all the answers, but I just don't! I have no clue how to save the world or be the Avatar!", yelled Korra, tears streaming down her face. "I'm only seventeen, how can they expect me to fix the world when I can't even fix my own problems let alone everyone else's too.", asked the teen, flames licking up her arms as her pent up emotions manifested in physical form. The polar-bear dog whined back at her, gently licking the girl's hand in comfort as she let her spiritual partner cry into her fur after her body's energy finally gave out. "What am I suppose to do, Naga?", whispered Korra, burying her face deeper into the animal's neck as she fought to breath through her tears.
"You're not alone, Korra."
Korra lifted her face then, the sudden voice behind her pulling her out of her misery, at least momentarily. "Aang.", breathed the Avatar. "Why are you here?"
"You summoned me. From the look of things, I can tell you need guidance in more ways than one, Korra.", responded the airbender.
"Everyone expects so much of me, I just defeated Amon and restored everyone's bending, but I'm still not good enough for them. They think that just because I've mastered all the elements that I can somehow magically make all their problems go away, but I can't. I'm a failure as an Avatar.", said Korra. She wanted to blame them, the world that wanted so much of her, the people that came up to her everyday expecting her to be at their beck and call, twenty-four seven, but it was her. She wasn't ready for this, any of this.
"You saved Republic City from Amon, that is hardly a failure."
"How do you know that?"
"I am a part of you Korra, ever-present inside of you. We are one and the same, so I know what you've been going through.", responded Aang.
"So tell me how to fix it!" begged the Avatar. "Isn't it your job to tell me how to do this, you're suppose to be guiding me?"
"I can only offer help when you are ready to accept it, Korra."
"Oh, so you blame me too, just like everyone else.", spat the waterbender. "I should of known."
"This isn't about what the world expects of you. Why don't you tell me why you really summoned me here."
"I didn't even know I had done that, and what about you being 'ever-present and one and the same', huh?", mocked Korra. "Shouldn't you be able to tell me what's bothering me?"
"I need you to admit to yourself why you brought me here before I can help you.", said the airbender infuriatingly calm.
"Because I lost, I let Amon take my bending away, and I was completely helpless to stop him. If Mako hadn't been there, I, I..."
"Failure is a part of life, Korra. It shows us our weaknesses and allows us to improve."
"And the only reason I got my bending back was because you showed up, I can't handle anything on my own! How am I suppose to be the Avatar if I have no one teaching me what I'm suppose to do? They act like I'm just suppose to know how to fix everything, and all they do is sit around and complain."
"You're straying from the issue again, Korra. You cannot block what is bothering you by pretending it is something else, otherwise you will never progress in your spiritual journey."
"So tell me what's really bothering me, oh wise Avatar Aang. If you're such a genius than you tell me what's on my mind, go on."
"You've lost faith in your abilities as the Avatar. For so long you thought that if you only managed to master all four elements that the rest would simply fall into place, and now that you've faced a real enemy, one that was stronger than you ever imagined, you're terrified. You're scared of the fact that you might not be strong enough to be what the world needs you to be.", replied the man. "Does that about sum it up, or need I go on?"
"How did you know all that?", wondered the teen, all of the previous cockiness gone from her voice.
"All of us who carry the burden of being the Avatar experience this at some point."
"So you felt like this too?"
"Yes, many times in fact as well as those who came before me. During my life, I woke up in a world very different from the one I had left, and found that everyone I had ever loved or cared about was gone, because I had tried to run away from my destiny. I had no idea how to save a world that had faced a hundred years of war and hate, I had no idea how to be the Avatar when my time came to rise up and bring balance back to the world."
"How did you do it? How did you save the world?"
"I didn't try and do it on my own. My friends, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko, and Suki, they took part of my burden on themselves and together we saved the world that had faced a century of pain and suffering, but my time is over now. The world has been thrown out of balance once again, and you will have to face more dangerous threats than Amon as you continue growing into your role as the Avatar, this is only the beginning of that journey. But your path is not meant to be walked alone, Korra, let those you hold dear walk beside you, and bear the weight of your destiny alongside you."
"So I still need help, regardless of what I do.",
"Letting others in isn't a sign of weakness, Korra. I had to learn that the hard way during my time as the Avatar, just as you will. My advice to you, young Avatar, is this, trust in those around you that have faith in you. They will be your strength when you doubt yourself, let them be the ones to bear your pain with you, and then you will awaken your full potential as the Avatar. I have faith in you, Korra, you are not alone.", finished Aang his spirit fading slowly until his presence had completely vanished.
"Wait Aang, I still...I still don't know what to do.", whispered the teen, her hand desperately grasping at the vacant air the old airbender had previously appeared in. "Come back, please. I need you.", begged the Avatar, but she was alone again. What does he expect me to get from that? Stupid aribenders, why can't they ever just come out and say something.
"There you are."
"Oh, hey Asami.", said Korra, briefly casting a glance at the other girl over her shoulder.
"Hey yourself. So you want to tell me why you came all the way out to this cliff to cry, or do you want a little more time to try and wipe your eyes?", asked the older girl, a gentle smile on her face.
"It's just Avatar stuff, I'm fine.", assured Korra, brushing past the engineer to head back down to Tenzin's house. "Sorry, you came all the way out here to find me."
"I'm your friend, Korra, you know that right?", asked the brunette, making the waterbender pause in her tracks.
"Yeah, of course. You and me, friends, got it.", said Korra. "Now let's get back to Tenzin's before he blows a gasket and comes storming up here looking for us. You do not want to see him freak out, trust me, I've been there when Mr. Spiritual blows up, not a pretty sight." Korra tried to play off a nonchalance and humor to Asami, hoping to cover up the doubt that was eating away at her.
"Sure, but I just want you to know that I'm here for you whenever you need to talk about 'Avatar stuff', or whatever. I know things started off kinda weird between us, but I think of you as one of my closest friends, Korra, and I hope you'll feel the same about me one day.", said Asami, her green eyes locking with the Avatar's cerulean ones.
"Asami, I do think of you as a friend, I just, have a lot on my mind right now is all."
"Okay, but whenever you want to take some of it off, I'm here, and so are Mako and Bolin, and Tenzin. You don't have to try and handle everything on your own Korra, we're all here for you and believe in you, so don't try and shut us out.", said the engineer before heading back down the path she had taken to get there. Korra watched her walk away, stunned at how eerily similar the older girl's words had been to Aang's. Maybe he was right, I'm not alone anymore. I have people who believe in me now, people who trust me. This is only the beginning of my, our journey. "Wait up, Asami!", called Korra, jumping into Naga's saddle and nudging her down the path after the brunette. "Let's head back together, and it'll be faster on Naga.", offered the waterbender sheepishly after Naga had easily caught up with her.
"Sure, that sounds nice."
Korra offered a hand to the teen, pulling her up onto the polar-bear dog's back behind her before nudging Naga along once again. "Thanks for coming to find me, I think you might of known what I needed better than I did, so thanks."
"Anytime, Korra."
"And you can talk to me about any you know 'engineer stuff' or whatever.", added the Avatar.
"I'll remember that.", laughed Asami. The two girls stayed silent after that as Naga carried them through the cold night back towards their home on Air Temple Island, and easy comfortableness that had been missing since they first met now present.
So many things had happened since Korra had arrived in Republic City, but she would do everything she could to bring the world back into balance, and now she had Asami, Mako, Bolin, Tenzin, and all her other friends to help. She wasn't alone, and she would do her best to share her burdens with her friends and bear theirs as well.
So many things had happened since Asami had discovered her father's involvement with the equalists, but she would move past that. She wasn't alone now, she had friends that would support as she tried to get Future Industries back on it's feet, and she would do everything she could to support them as well.
A/N: Just a little drabble about how Korra might of dealt with all the pressure of being the Avatar in the six months between Book One and Book Two, and truly beginning her Avatar journey with her friends.