Spirits

"Korra, It's going to be alright. I promise." She looked at him in silent horror. "Our child just died inside of me and That's Okay with you?!" Her voice rose as the sentence dragged on, she was almost screeching at him before she finished. Her chest heaved and rivers of tears flooded down her face. He sunk to the ground and wrapped his arms around her quietly, there was a long pause until he spoke."No that's not what I meant Korra. We can always try for another, whenever you're ready. But for now, we know our baby is with my parents and your parents. He or She will be loved and we will see them someday." She turned towards him and wrapped her arms gently around him but pulled him closer and sobbed into his shirt.

Three years later

Korra and Mako welcomed their first son, Draco into the world. He looked exactly like his father except for his eyes which were bright Blue.

Two years later

Draco helped his parents welcome Ren a female water bender That looked exactly like his mother but with Bright amber eyes, And Kishan A male firebender with black hair and skin the shade halfway between his mother's and father's. He had one Blue eye and a half Amber half Blue eye.

Another year and a half later

The family welcomed their last child Riley a female non-bender. She Looked like her father as well except she had stormy grey eyes.

Twenty years later

Mako lay on an old hospital bed. All the work with the triads was catching up with him. Broken bones that had not healed properly, Breathing in the ever constant smoke of the flames that always ignited from scuffles between the triads. He had developed asthma later on in life and now it was threatening to take over. He lay silently on the hospital bed surrounded by family. The only noise that was made was the empty rattling of his respirator as he struggled to breathe. Korra sat beside him, she wouldn't let him see her cry. He had been strong for her so many times now it was her turn to be strong for him. He held her hand tightly until the end. He had been in this hospital for months and his friends and family always came. But today was the day, he could no longer speak he had lost that ability months ago after a seizure. The doctors had informed Korra that it would be easier for him than waiting for him to die naturally. Asthma was not natural. It was more humane if they just turned off the machines. He would die peacefully and after ten years of her husband being in here, she still wasn't ready to let him go but she knew that he didn't like being taken care of. He hated feeling helpless, she knew. She had been with him when he had to learn how to walk again after a sato mobile accident that they had been in before they had kids. The last straw was when the doctors had come to her and told her that he had cancer. A year ago they had informed her that he had six months to live and she sunk down to the floor, she cried for hours. He didn't tell her. When she asked him why he didn't tell her he had sighed and solemnly said "I don't want to die Korra." She kissed him gently. "Ignoring the cancer won't make it go away Mako if anything it makes your chances worse. You can beat it, I know you can. But you have to tell me and the doctors otherwise we can't help you. You don't have to do this alone. And when you can come home we are going to go on a picnic just like we used to. I love you."He smiled "I love you too Korra." and a few weeks later he had his first seizure. He didn't recognize their children anymore, sometimes he didn't even recognize Korra. The only person that he could remember clearly was Bolin. Everyone sat with him on the day before he died. The Airbender family along with Jinora's boyfriend Scoochy, Asami and her family with Mai and Iroh . He hated it, they had later learned after meeting him, being called General all of the time. Bolin and Lily with their two kids And of course his own family sat with him; Korra, Draco who had two children of his own with a girl named Angela that stood huddled by his legs, Ren and Kishan who had finally given up their ceaseless bickering. Ren had her fiancé with her and Kishan had his only child a little boy with him that he had adopted. Riley sat opposite from her mother holding her father's other hand. She had her loving husband with her and also her unborn child. Mako could see them all and know that whoever they were loved him but he couldn't remember the names of anyone but his brother, Korra, and his children. He never had the chance to meet his grand-children or to have known them long enough to remember their names at least.

He could hear a faint beeping and the heart monitor tracked his heartbeat. What wouldn't he give to tell her 'I love you' one last time. That night unbeknownst to his family, the doctors pulled the plug on his life support. He died quickly thereafter and the shrill constant sound was all that could be heard throughout his hospital room. A few minutes went by and no one tried to revive him. His family didn't know as even Korra had been forced to leave after closing hours every day.

Korra sat up with a jolt. Something had changed. She felt around the empty side of the bed, his side of their bed. It was warmer than usual. It was scorching hot. She could see a faint blue glow flash right beside her and disappear. It was in the shape of a human. A very familiar human, Mako. "I love you Korra." A breeze blew through the open window and carried his words to her ears. She cried until morning when the call came from the hospital that told her that he had passed away during the course of the night.

Mako sat up in a daze; suddenly everything had become clear to him. Names, places, dates, everything. And what he was truly confused about, he was back to twenty years old. There were people staring at him and walking towards him. His mother and father sat beside him staring at him. Korra's Parents were walking towards him. What was really odd was that Korra's father, Tornaq held a seven year old girl on his shoulders that hopped down and ran towards him. She tackled him backward and he froze. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. And then two little words changed everything. "Hi Daddy." The little girl had raven black hair and blue eyes with pale skin. He suddenly knew what her name was, he didn't know how. "Hey Luna." He hugged her tightly with one arm as he supported himself his other arm. "Is Mommy here too?" He shook his head slowly. "Not yet Luna." He stood up slowly picking up Luna with him, she scrambled up onto his shoulders. "Grandma and Grandpa really missed you and Uncle Bo." She whispered in his ear quietly as her arms crossed and rested lightly on the top of his head. That's when his parents both wrapped their arms around him. "We missed you so much." Senna and Tornaq came to stand beside them. Mako was surprised when both Senna and Tornaq Wrapped their arms around himself and his parents. And Luna sat on his shoulders quietly with a small toothy smile on her face.

He sat on the edge of a viewing pool with Luna as they watched his funeral. The fire nation symbol was decorated onto a banner and draped on his coffin. What he didn't understand was why. He was from Republic City after all, so technically shouldn't their flag be there instead? Probably, he reasoned, because he was a fire bender and originally they all lived in the fire nation. Korra stood farther back, leaning against a tree. She hid her face. He knew she didn't like people to see her cry not even him, no matter what. Ren and Kishan sat in the front row, they leaned into each other as they cried. Draco and Riley both stood with their mother. Bolin sat with his wife and children and grandchildren in the middle. Bolin was crying his eyes out and he didn't care who was watching him.

A cold wind blew through the park. His casket lay on a slab of stone. 'I love you' they all heard him, each of his family members. "Avatar Korra we call on you to help us send him off to the spirit world." The new chief of police called. From beside the coffin as new officers piled dry tinder around the stone slab. She stayed motionless beside the tree. Mako noticed from his perch on the edge of the viewing pool that she wore his scarf wrapped tightly around her face. She slowly moved from her place, leaning against the tree."Avatar Korra would you like to say a few words?" She moved fluidly down the aisle between the two sides of mourners, one being all police officers that Mako had worked with. But there was something off. Only their children noticed as Draco ran up quietly behind her, seeing that she was close to falling. Kishan made his way around, throught the mourners quickly also coming to stand beside their mother. The brothers both shot glares toward the chief of police. He had forgotten that the avatar was just made a widow by Mako's death. Kishan looked quietly at Draco and they had a quiet conversation. Draco nodded as Kishan continued to make sure his mother was alright as he helped her to the podium beside the casket. Draco on the other hand paced up to the podium quickly and grabbed the front of the officer's formal wear. He drug the officer behind the nearest tree. "Do you enjoy causing my mother more pain than she is already in?" he hissed at the officer. "My Father just died. She never got to say goodbye and you want to call her up to light the fucking funeral pyre? She's not a fucking matchstick!" Draco lit his fist on fire. "Look asshole get your shit together and try to understand what my family is going through." Draco stormed out from behind the tree. His Mother was already speaking about how she met his Father. She finished up quietly and thank god no one saw the constant stream of tears behind his scarf. "Mom just go sit down Kishan and I will handle it okay? We love you." Korra walked slowly back to the old tree while Draco and Kishan both removed their overcoats to reveal blood red dress shirts. Both took their stances on opposite ends of their fathers casket. They used the fire bending that their father had taught them to light his pyre. Only then did anyone at all see Avatar Korra weep.

After the funeral Tahno had walked up to her and started hitting on her again. "Get lost Tahno." She whispered quietly. "What I didn't quite hear you uh-vatar Korra." Draco, Ren, Kishan and Riley all were watching the pyre sadly, leaving their mother at the tree, she remembered the day Mako had proposed to her at that same tree. She growled at Tahno. "I said leave me alone." Tahno just leaned on the tree beside her. "I said Now that he's gone you don't have to feel bad about wanting me." Tahno grinned evilly he knew he had stepped over a line. Korra snarled at him now. "Get lost asshole, no one wants you here. My husband died and You're hitting on me, What the fuck is wrong with you?" She was yelling at him now. Draco and Kishan talked quietly with each other while Ren and Riley both heard the commotion behind them. Riley's head swiveled around quickly, she stood up gracefully, almost catlike. She glared at Tahno. Her mother's hand held a fistful of flames now. "Who the hell do you think you are?" Ren whispered behind him. "That's easy, I'm Tahno, ex-captain of the whitefalls wolfbats." He said and he was really overconfident. Riley grabbed a handful of Tahno's hair and dragged him backwards. "My mother wants you to get lost so I suggest that is what you do, before my brothers who are both cops and my sister, who is a master waterbender come and make you leave. Or I decide to kick your ass." Tahno rolled his eyes "Yeah right, like you could, a pregnant non-bender girl. Now get out of here before I make you wish you had left kid." He scoffed. Mako clenched his teeth, from his place on the edge of the viewing pool he fumed at Tahno. Flames licked up his throat. "Daddy why are you mad? You know if Mommy can't deal with him Ren, Riley, Kishan and Draco can. And she's the avatar, it's not like Mommy is completely helpless. And remember Riley took lesson from Aunty Asami in self defense." Sometimes Mako forgot that Luna was actually three years older than Draco. "I know, that disrespectful creep just bugs me though." Luna returned her attention back to the scene below. And that's when the very pregnant nonbender gracefully raised her knee as fast as lightning straight into the waterbender's groin. He was sent sprawling over the dry ground. Kishan noticed His little sister standing triumphantly and laughed at the sight of that jerk sprawled on the ground. "Hey Bro. Could I press some charges?" Both Brothers raised their eyebrows at her and grinned. "And what would they be?" Riley grabbed The back of Tahno's shirt and lifted him off of the ground, she had definitely inherited her mother's strength. The brothers laughed simultaneously, they always seemed more like twins than Ren and Kishan had. "Well This idiot just harassed our mother, insulted and threatened me… is that enough?" Both Brothers nodded and called back the chief. He promptly handcuffed Tahno and read him his rights. Mako busted out in uncontained laughter from where he sat. The flames danced higher and burned warmer and quicker for a moment.

Thirty five years Later

"I miss you Mako." She rested her back against the enormous tree that stood beside his grave where his ashes were buried. She could still remember the urn that the police had swept him into. "I love you." She would go every week if not every day to visit his small place beside his parent's shared grave. And beside Mako there was a small stone carving of an angel sitting on a well kept plot. She never bothered to clear the moss on the engraving away. It only held their child's name, "Luna" it read and only two people needed to know who was buried here, one of them was dead. No one knew where she went every day at dawn, his favorite part of the day. Naga Lay in the unmarked grave beside Luna. Korra stayed and looked over the sea beside the tree.

Korra lay under the old tree, she was staring up at the sky and felt the life drain out of her slowly, ebbing and flowing. Like the waves of the ocean or a melting glacier. Her eyes drifted closed and she could hear a squalling of a newborn child, a emerald eyed babe. Crying out in their first breath of life. Shapes blurred together for moments and then everything was clear. There were eight men standing by a babbling stream smiling at her. Two seemed like Water tribe men, one more familiar than the other. Two fire nation men, one had a scar over their left eye while the other wore fingerless gloves, but the color she searched for was not among them, the brilliant red that comforted her so many times.

Two Air Nomads one, both familiar with tattoos and beards. A general in full dress uniform was currently using the shorter airbender as a toy. And A green eyed earth bender whom wasted no time in running and tackling her in a massive hug. "Bolin!" Korra shrieked in laughter. Another man, followed by nine women fawning over a little girl on his shoulders hurried past the gathering and toward korra. That familiar red clung around his neck. Korra pushed herself off of the ground and ran to him. "Mako?" she whispered. He nodded and she threw her arms around him as the men strolled over and joined the group of women, each with their respective partner. The little girl had jumped from mako's shoulder and now hugged Korra's legs,

"I'm glad I can meet you now Mommy." The blue eyed child whispered. And Korra, without missing a beat, picked the girl up and held her close. "Hello my little Luna." No one spoke for a long while. Until Mako began to introduce people. He gestured to the general and the airbender, "Bumi and Tenzin, you knew them." It was a shock to korra, everyone of them was only twenty some odd years old-looking. And then the pretty brunette at Tenzin's side.

"and Pema, you knew her as well." And his eyes roamed till they rested on a water tribe man and Woman. "And your parents." She ran over and embraced they both, smelling the icy smell of salt water off of their clothing. They embraced her as well mumbling 'We missed you's' and 'we're proud of you's.' Mako then gestured to the other water tribe man and the earth Kingdom woman. "Sokka and Suki." They both smiled at Korra brilliantly. Then the two women in earth kingdom clothing. " Toph and Lin Beifong. You knew Lin, Toph's daughter. The two young women, one obviously blind smirked at Korra, their facial expressions almost identical. He then gestured to the slightly older fire nation couple. "Zuko and Mai. You knew Zuko when we were teenagers."

The man with the scar smiled warmly at Korra and Mai remained, well, indifferent to all except Luna who ran about trying to make Mai laugh. "You also knew Bolin's wife Lily." Mako gestured to the grey eyed girl Standing beside the smiling earth bender. "Aang and Katara." The Master water bender fluidly embraced korra tightly And the airbender wrapped his arm around them both. "I proud to have mentored you Korra." They released her and Mako grabbed her hand. He then pulled her over to a fire nation man and earth Kingdom Woman. "Mom, Dad this is Korra, my wife." Korra felt the over whelming urge to cry as the couple smiled and pulled them both into a group hug which everyone joined.

She whispered, "Thank you."