disclaimer: story cover by SpilarBlue titled Fire check it out on deviant art
And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder: One of the four beasts saying: "Come and see." And I saw. And behold, a white horse.
"Now let us anoint the master who will help us in our new path."
In a sandalwood decorated temple a very important ceremony was being conducted. The citizens from Republic City as well as different esteemed members from the Fire Nation, Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom had all gathered in this ceremonial hall for the induction ceremony of the Airbender Jinora granddaughter of the late Avatar Aang and new second Airbending master in over century.
Up on the grand stand the Airbenders of the new Air Nation stood proudly as they saw their friend and new master in her moment of ascension. Jinora's father the Airbending Master Tenzin had removed the hood that hid his daughters face revealing two things. Her auburn colored hair had been completely shaved off surprising only one of the Airbening disciples, but what came to no surprise to anyone else was the blue arrow now tattooed on the young lady's head.
Jinora removed the rest of her cloak showing off the other tattoos that now where marked on her hands and arms, they too being the blue arrows symbolizing her graduation.
The Airbenders behind her start to bend the smoke from the burning incenses all around them, sounding off the wind chimes that decorated the hall in celebration.
Jinora turned to hug her father in gratitude as well as overcoming with joy at her achievement. Soon the whole hall was full of the sound of roaring applause. Everyone voiced their admiration for the young girl's achievement, all except one.
Sitting in a wheel chair in the side of the grand stand sat a tired warrior. The Yong woman was dressed in her ceremonial water tribe clothing, her hands resting on her lab she too was happy for the girl but at the same time she was sad. Avatar Korra had fought bravely in the past few weeks. While trying to take down an anarchist terrorist by the name of Zaheer she had also been battling the effect of a rare metallic poison that said criminal had infected her with. After giving it her all she soon succumbed to the effects of the poison during her bout with the dark Airbender and would have been killed if it weren't for the timely arrive of the members of the Air Nation. It was through Jinora's leader ship that Korra was alive right now as well as the Metalbending master Suyin Beifong who had bent the metallic poison out of her system. But the poison had been inside her for too long though she was out of mortal danger the road to recovery would be a long one.
So Korra would have to wait, wait to help the citizens of the chaotic Earth Kingdom, wait to hunt down the remaining members of the terrorist group the Red Lotus, wait for the chance to help bring the world into balance. But little did she know her wait would soon be over.
In the center of the grand stand that Jinora had been standing in something strange happened a black crack appeared. From the corner of his eye Tenzin was to first to see it. The master released his daughter form his grip and examined the crack. Being as cautious as possible he tried to analyze what it was. Pretty soon the hall become quite again as the crack got bigger and more noticeable. Before any one could say anything another crack appeared this time going in a horizontal direction going a cross the first one making a giant black plus sign.
Tenzin eyed the black plus only to gaze away from it toward Korra, seeing if she was alright. With everything that had happened in the past few weeks her safety was his prime directive.
"Everyone!" he address the guest sitting in the audience "the ceremony is over please calmly and slowly make way to the nearest exists please" he added the extra please in a way to hide his own worry on what was happening.
Slowly all the guest got up from the floor they were sitting one started to exit the temple, a loud murmur came from all their mouths as they gossiped on what the reason form a floating black plus made of what could be described as dark vapor had been doing there.
Lin Beifong Tenzin's former girlfriend and Chief of the Republic City Police Force ran from the side lines and up to the Master eyeing the black plus as she did.
"So do you think this might be something spirit related?" The chief asked her eyes still on the plus arms ready to bend at a moment's notice."
"Yes" Tenzin replied while stroking his goatee "which is why I need to ask you and your officers to leave"
Lin's eyes narrowed as she looked away from the plus and to her ex "excuses me" she asked in tranquil fury.
"Lin if this is something spiritual related I believe me and the other Airbenders are best suited to handle it, besides if something comes out of those dark cracks and we can't try to reason with it. I'd be better if there was a second layer of defense outside the temple around the stoned foundations seeing as this temple is made of wood you might have a better advantage outside."
He made a good point "alright, just be careful"
Tenzin nodded as Lin gathered her troops and made their way out to make an outside formation.
"Dear" Tenzin saw that his wife Pema along with a few air acolytes came over to him "watch over Jinora" she said as she kissed his check. Tenzin blushed slightly still not all that comfortable about public displays of affection despite how long they had been married for.
"Ikki, Mello let's get going" Pema only got a few feet away before her second oldest raised her voice.
"No! If Daddy and Jinora are staying I'm staying too" Ikki said as she crossed her arms and stomped her foot.
"Yeah me to" Meelo followed his sisters example stomping his feet before crossing his arms.
"Don't worry mom me and dad can take care of them if things turn south besides without their help we won't have been able to save Korra."
Pema looked at her oldest still not believing that her quite little book worm had grown so much over the past year. She sighed a little before conceding to them.
"All right you two listen to your father and sister, and run the second….." Pema turned around and faced the black cracks noticing they had gradually gotten bigger "…the second something bad happens"
"aye aye sir" Meelo saluted his mother as he stood at attention. Pema let out a chuckle as she secured her infant son Rohan in her arms as she and the other air acolytes exited out of the temple from the back of the grand stands.
Tenzin saw that the temple was now empty san himself, his Bending children, the members of the new Air Nation, the brothers Mako and Bolin, Southern Water Tribe chief Tonraq, Asami, and KORRA!
Asami wheeled Korra over to Tenzin and the others as she faced the paralyzed avatar toward the black plus.
"Asami what are you doing!" Tenzin addressed the mechanic.
"I'm sorry when that thing first appeared I tried to get Korra out of her but…" Asami looked down to her friend as she looked on to the crack her tired eyes never leaving its sight.
"I'm still the Avatar Tenzin" Korra quietly said "even if I can't move and can't bend with a finger I'm still the bridge between this world and the spirit world I won't run away." Korra broke her gaze and looked at her chair "or I guess in my case I won't wheel away" she smiled sadly just a bit at her own joke.
Tenzin looked at chief Tonraq as he stood behind Asami with his arms crossed "the first sign of trouble I'm getting Korra out of here" it looked like he too didn't approve of Korra's choice to stay but when she wanted to be she was more stubborn than a Badger mole .
Tenzin turned back around only to see Jinora approach the crack. The young master was only inches away from touching the mysterious cracks only for a hand to grasp hers, a hand that had come out of the crack. The plus had instantly expanded and stretched out now forming a rectangle.
"Jinora are you all right!" Tenzin asked in alarm still confused as to what was happening.
Everyone shifted into defensive positions Tonraq stood in front of his daughter blocking Korra's view on what was happening.
"I'm fine he's not hurting me I think he wants me to pull him out" Jinora yelled as she placed her other hand on top of the golden one sandwiching it as she leaned back using her body weight to fall down in hopes of pulling the arms owner out of the darkness.
"Jinora you don't know who that hand belongs to it might be a dark spirit" Tenzin warned his daughter.
Jinora didn't listen as she still held onto the glowing hand desperately trying to pull the owner out "I don't think so dad" she argued between grunts "last time I checked dark sprits weren't surrounded in golden aura"
Jinora looked around and saw her younger sister and brother Ikki and Meelo watching her while in their defensive stances ready for if and when something bad happened.
"Hey do you think you two could help me" Jinora asked.
Ikki and Meelo looked at each other as they both exited their stances and not needing a second more for persuasion ran over to their big sister and grabbed on to the hand.
With all three children pulling the hand started to come out of the darkness. First the hand and then an arm that was clothed in a black material wrapped tightly around it, a sleeve of what could be described as belonging to glowing jacket bathed in the same gold light as the hand. And finally a shoulder followed by a head.
The three children fell backwards, getting themselves right back up quickly as they could. Only to see a young man with gold spiky hair and whisker marked cheeks stuck in the black door way. The young man looked unconscious as he just floated in the middle of the darkness his arm hanging down and swinging. He didn't look evil or malevolent but there was always the chance he was.
Tenzin approached the young man keeping his keen eye for the first sight of suspicions movements. He nearly fell over at the sound of a loud voice going off right in his ear
"Hey he looks like he's our age!" Bolin former mover star turned Lavabending globe trotter had his face right next to Tenzin's.
The lovable goof approached the golden haired stranger and slowly started to poke him on the top of the head.
Mako Bolin's older Firebending brother ran up to him and held on his arm stopping Bolin from future continued pokes.
"Would you cut it out we don't know who or what this guy is he could be dangerous!" Mako yelled
"Could you guys stop yelling, I'm trying to sleep" a tired voice mumbled out. The brothers stopped and faced the golden young man who had just spoken up.
The glowing stranger still had his eyes closed but his mouth started moving around smacking his lips as he did. He slowly opened his eyes reveling red irises with slit pupils giving off the look of an animal's eyes.
Bolin started to inch his way closer to the strangers sliding his foot forward along with the rest of his body after taking cautious strides.
"heeeelllllllooooowwwww" he said dragging the word out "My name is Bolin!" he gestured his hand over his chest as his voice picking up in volume "what is your name" he asked pointing over to the stranger.
"Hi my names Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki" Naruto raised his hand in greeting.
Everyone was so mesmerized by the shining young man that they didn't notice Korra's eyes widening in shock as a small tear from a lost memory rolled off her cheek. "N…..Naruto?" she questioned quietly no one hearing her soft voice.
Bolin gasped "I think he understands me" Mako only held his arms together as he raised an eye brow at his rock head brother.
The golden boy now known as Naruto stared to shift around in the open black portal he was stuck in. He desperately tried to pull out his other arm along with the rest of his body.
"I think I'm stuck could you help me?" Naruto asked looking around addressing everyone in his line of vision. The Airbenders had all looked around each other shrugging and not knowing if they should, their eyes all drifted toward Tenzin for the answer.
The middle aged master too was at loss. On the one hand they didn't know who this boy was or if he would be a danger to everyone here. But his morel dilemma was answered by the new Airbening Master beside him.
"All right what do you think is the best way to pull him out" Jinora, Mello, Ikki, and Bolin had all formed a semi-circle around Naruto all thinking on the question Jinora just asked.
"Why don't we all just grab on his arm like you guys did before and just pull harder" Bolin suggested.
Jinora shock her head "that's not a good idea if all of us are pulling on his arm there's a good chance we might dislocate it from his shoulder"
"Oh I know" Ikki said raising her arm up like she was answering a question in class "why don't we get some sky bisons and tie them around his arm, they could defiantly pull him out that way!"
Jinora glared at her sister "no that would just rip his arm off Ikki"
"We could tie him to an Airship" Meelo suggested jumping in the air bending it a bit to let him raise higher, everyone just ignored him.
The sound of slurping broke their concentration as they all turned to Naruto. Said boy was currently chewing one something, most likely the context from the plastic cup he was holding in his free hand, with a pair of chop sticks sticking out from the top. Everyone watched him as he finished chowing; the aura from his arm grew and formed into the shape of two small hands. The hands held the chop sticks and feed Naruto another helping of noodles. He chewed his second helping slowly his eyes closed as he enjoyed his noodles. Opening his eyes he saw everyone was looking at him.
"wah" he asked with his mouth still full.
"Where did you get those from" Mako asked suspiciously "and how did you do make those glowing arm things?"
Swallowing the noodles he answered "I got these from my home, I was practicing a teleportation technique before I got stuck like this, the stuff around me must have followed me in this portal" Naruto saw everyone's face still puzzled but not for the reasons he was thinking
"Oh I'm sorry did you guys want some" Naruto shook his cup lightly.
Bolin's eyes lit up as he raised his hand Naruto handed him the cup. The Earthbender picked up the chop sticks and started to feed on the remaining noodles. After chowing and swallowing a small amount his face drained in color as his hands started to shake. He turned to face Naruto pointing to the cup as he asked "what…what is this it's not just noodles is it?"
Naruto laughed a bit at Bolin's quarry "no that's a cup of ramen"
"Ramen….is the BEST FOOD EVER!" Bolin inhaled the rest of the cup as fast as he could.
Mako's grumpy factor only increased "Bolin would you quit it this is…" he never got to finish as his younger brother shoved a portion of the ramen into his mouth.
The young officer chowed on the noodles his face lessening his scowl turning into a slight smile "hey these are pretty good!"
Naruto let out a breath of relief "oh that's good I'm glad you like it, I'm even more glade you guys passed."
"We passed?" Bolin asked
"Yeah I didn't know if you people would be good guys or bad, but all good people like ramen so you passed."
"You were afraid of us?" Meelo asked looking up at the older boy.
"Well yeah just a little I mean I can tell all you guys are strong you all have such powerful energy I sure wouldn't want to get any of you mad." Naruto said smiling. The Airbenders behind Tenzin and the others all rubbed the back of their necks form humility of Naruto's words as he addressed them as well.
"Especially you" Naruto pointed to Jinora "you're the one who pulled me out first right?"
Jinora stood tall as Naruto addressed her "yes my name is Jinora it's nice to meet you Naruto" she said politely and bowed.
"Could you come over here a minute" Naruto asked as he reeled his index finger back and forth. The young master approached him.
Naruto placed his hand on top on Jinora's bald head and closed his ruby eyes what happened next surprised everyone. In one moment Jinora's bald scalp was shrouded in a flowing body of auburn hair. Jinora's new due was longer then her old style as it reached all the way down her back.
Everyone was speechless as the girl placed her hands on her head feeling not so naked anymore, she ran her fingers through the thick clean strands of hair trembling a bit at what the shining man had done.
"Me next! Me next!" Meelo's loud happy voice broke the silence as he ran up to Naruto and his sister.
Naruto laughed at the young Airbender's antics as he placed his hand on the boy's head he closed his eyes and repeated the proses. In one moment Meelo's chrome dome was now covered in a stylish chestnut colored afro.
Meelo felt up his new hair felling his poof "what does it look like?" he asked Jinora while facing her.
"It looks like a bush just grew out of your head" she answered as she still ran her finger through hers.
"Cool!" Mello ran up to his father bouncing around in excitement "You should ask him to give you hair Daddy, get it like mine!"
Tenzin composed himself from shock by coughing in his fist "you look very…..nice Meelo but I prefer my head shaved."
"That's amazing how did you give them hair like that" Bolin asked "are you a hair spirit?"
Naruto just leered at the Lavabender "what!, no I'm not a hair spirit I just used the same trick I used when I replenished Master Bushy Brows's charka and regrew Master Kakashi's eye."
"Oh" slowly Bolin's face grew in the most surprised look of his entire life "WAIT A MINUTE DID YOU JUST SAY YOU REGREW YOUR MASTER'S EYE!"
"Well yeah" Naruto looked down at his free arm his palm containing the symbol of the sun and life energy "ever since old man Six Paths gave me his power"
Bolin nearly jumped out of his skin as he ran toward Asami and Tonraq whose body was still blocking out the young woman in the wheel chair behind him. Bolin grabbed onto her chair's handles and maneuvered past the Water Chief and stopped abruptly in front of Naruto.
"CAN YOU HEAL MY FRIEND?" Bolin lowered his head and clasped his open hand together as if he where preying to a higher power.
Naruto looked down at the girl in the chair as she lifted her head, their eyes making contact. Naruto's face ran from a spectrum of emotions confusion turned to nostalgia, nostalgia to deja vu, deja vu to concentrating, from concentration to realization, and from realization to pure astonishment.
"K….K….KORA! Your KORA RIGHT!" he screamed as his eyes started to flow a small stream of tears.
Kora smiled softly "hello Naruto it's been a while" her voice was low smooth as she too had tears rolling down her cheeks.
"But….b….b….but your…"
"I know how you feel" she said stopping his stuttering " the last time I checked childhood imaginary friends where just that, imaginary"
"Korra!" Naruto said his face as bright and happy as the sun but his eyes still wet from the tears as they didn't stop running down his "your real! I remember your my friend, from my dreams, my warrior princes"
Korra blushed a little at his nick name for her before one of her memories unfog as his did "that's right my whiskered champion"
Naruto blushed lightly too as he rubbed the back of his head "she used to call me that because of the whisker birthmarks" he stated toward Jinora and the others.
Naruto looked back to Korra "stay right their let me get out of this stupid portal first."
Naruto used his free arm to expand his aura into the shape of a giant animal arm. The arm stretched and touched the wooden floor of the temple. A second later a giant tree sprouted out of the middle of the floor creating a border between him and Korra.
Everyone was more confused as ever due to the fact Korra the girl who had spent most of her life trapped in the South Pole seemed to now Naruto the mysterious boy stuck in the darkness.
As the tree finished sprouting Naruto lifted his golden light shrouded animal arm and grasped onto the trunk of the tree he then pulled as hard as he could forming other smaller arms all over his body each one grabbing onto an uncoupled spot on the trunk. As he managed to free his other arm he used it like the first and formed an animal arm, using it to grab onto the top of the trunk.
Like pulling a coin from putty Naruto freed himself from the portal, said dark mass slowly started to close just before eight black spheres came out of it followed by a few books, an open scroll, some empty ramen cups and a pair of boxers.
When the portal sealed shut it had actually formed into a ninth black sphere, said spheres orbited around each other before levitating directly behind Naruto.
The yellow haired ninja let go of his grip on the tree floating in the air as he did. He moved passed the tree and came down in front of Korra.
His happy smile slowly shifted to a sad frown as he know noticed the state his friend was in. the dark circles under her eyes, the tired expression she had on her face, the weakness of her energy that he started to sense, and the fact that she was in a wheel chair rather than a rolling one.
"Korra?" he questioned at what had happened to her as he slowly fell to his knees.
Kora raised her hand gently placed it on Naruto's face touching his whisker marks remembering the first time she did. She guided his head on her lap as she placed her other hand on his hair stroking it not knowing the hums escaping her closed lips.
All the inhabits in the temple form the Airbenders now Korra was acquainted with, to the friends that she cared for, to her father that loved she loved deeply where stricken at the uncharacteristic display of affection that the tough as nails Avatar was giving the boy who slowly wept in her lap.
To know this friendship, to find its beginning let's take a step back.
Before Korra opened the spirit gates
Before Naruto saved the shinobi world
Before Korra faced Vaatu
Before Naruto befriend a nine tailed beast
Before Korra learned the ways of air
And even before the first rasengan
Let's go all the way back to when the boy with spike gold hair and the girl with the short pony tail first meet in the forest that connected their dreams from across the universe.
Season four of Legend of Korra starts Oct 3rd