"Korra?" The sound of footsteps grew louder as she approached the door. "Korra, are you alright?" her soft yet strong voice sounded worried. Shortly after, the door handle turned and the door slowly creaked open. A bright beam of light shone across the wooden floors of the room and onto the closed blinds of the small window. The sound of music and laughter flooded through, bringing with it unwanted memories of better times…happier times. Asami quietly stepped through the door then swiftly closed it, along with all the happiness and light that shone through. I remained in the bed on my side, as I continued to stare at the blank wall.
"Is there anything you would like? Pema's made some great water tribe food, you're favourite, and everyone's just dying to see you." She stepped in front of my face and kneeled down so she could see me clearly. I could see her examining me, trying to find some kind of improvement. Seems like she couldn't find any. Her beautiful light green eyes peered into my dull, blue, showing her concern for my well-being. So much had changed in just 3 weeks including one of my best friends. After that day and I completely shut down, she stepped up and cleaned me up, encouraging me to complete daily activities such as bathing and eating, watching my progress and pretty much doing anything she could to fix me up. Of course, nothing really worked, but if it wasn't for her I would've been in this room for the last 3 and a half weeks in bed, doing nothing but breathing and taking up space.
"Korra, honey." She whispered in a voice that sounded like she was talking to a cornered animal, "We all know what you've been through. We all understand and we don't expect you to do anything. You're acting exactly the way you're supposed to be after all that, and frankly no one's judging you for it. But I just want you to know, I'm here for you. Tenzin's here for you. Your parents are here for you. The airbenders, the kids, Kai, Opal, Su, Lin, Zuko, Bolin, Bolin's family…" she stopped and swallowed.
"….Mako, they're all here for you including me and we all want you to get better because no matter how we act…" Her words suddenly drifted off and I realised that she was talking about one certain person in particular. "We still love you, all of us." Her soft hands clasped mine like they always did when she gave me this talk, the talk about how much I was loved and no one was expecting me to bounce right back. But during the first week, I just didn't care anymore.
Every tie that was holding me to the ground snapped off and floated away and even the one thing I was sure of, the one thing I had always been certain of, being the Avatar. Even that soon floated away after Tenzin assured me that the airbenders would be taking over my responsibilities until I recover. Asami had reassured me enough to make me believe that he didn't mean it like that but it didn't stop it from causing the devastating amounts of pain and worthlessness I felt. I don't know what's wrong with me. No one needs the Avatar anymore. Why can't I just accept that and get on with my life? Ever since I came to Republic city, people have been telling me that I'm not needed anymore, from Amon, to Unalaq, to President Raiko, the people, Zaheer, the Earth Queen and the Red Lotus. The age of the Avatar is over, right? Ugh, why can't I just move on?! The familiar ache between my temples returned as it slowly crept across my head. I closed my eyes as my mind began to fog up and all my thoughts become hazy.
"Korra? Is the headache happening again? Do you want me to get Katara in here?" Asami asked frantically, panic at the edges of her voice.
"No…no. It's not that bad, just…just give me a minute." I managed to choke out. I sounded horrible. As if I was completely lifeless and dead on the inside, revealing what I was feeling. That's why I tried not to talk. I opened one eye to make sure she hadn't left and instead saw the conflicting emotion flash across those gorgeous eyes as she struggled to watch my pain. The pounding in my head started to dull before completely disappearing in a couple of seconds. I relaxed and opened both my eyes.
"Is it gone?" Asami placed the back of her hand softly on my forehead. I quickly nodded and turned my eyes to look back at the plain white wall.
"I'm so worried about you, Korra. You used to be so bubbly and full of life but now-"Her voice cracked, letting loose some of the emotions she was struggling to hide. "-You're so, dead. Sometimes I feel like you're not even really here, as if you're somewhere else and you've left behind your body or something. Some nights I even wake up to check on you because I'm so scared you'll be gone in the morning." Tears filled her eyes and at that moment nothing could stop me from feeling the unmistakable guilt I felt. I glanced up into her eyes again and instantly got glued to them. The sapphire was blurry from tears and the rims of her eyes were red but even then she was absolutely beautiful. When I first met her, I was too jealous to really notice her beauty but now I can't help but admire it. Back when I was happy, I used to just wonder how a girl could be so undeniably lovely on the inside and on the outside. So as her eyes continued to fill with tears that threatened to overflow, I couldn't help but feel a sudden desperation to do whatever would make her happy. That's why I decided to go out into the dining hall to meet the others. Asami was delighted that I agreed, it would be one of the first times I left the room apart from bathroom needs. I was hoping to just get it over and done with but Asami insisted that she do my hair before we leave. Since I was in a wheelchair, I didn't get much of a choice these days so after spending 15 minutes styling my hair and applying some weird lotions and beauty products on my face, she tightly grasped the handles of the wheelchair and wheeled me out.
AUTHORS NOTE
*EDIT* Hey guys, oh my god I CAN'T BELIEVE that my fanfic has reached 355 views! That's crazy! Thankyou so much to everyone who is currently reading this . It's my first ever time writing a fan fiction so it's great to receive such a positive response to 'Everything Has Changed.' Don't worry, there WILL be new chapters, I just finished writing Chapter 2. Well, thanks again for all the support, more chapters are on the way and hopefully I'll be able to publish a new one every week. Keep on reading fanfics as we all wait for the last ever book of LOK to come out on October 3rd!