A/N I want to give a big thanks to Niknaclol who beta read and edited this whole story just to make it better.

Beyond the Void

Chapter 1

Korra urged her legs to stand up again, to ignore the pain and press on. Her plan to turn herself over to the Red Lotus to save Tenzin and the other airbenders had gone horribly wrong. Lashing out when she saw Tenzin, Kya and Bumi injured was the start of this four on one battle she was locked in.

Originally she thought the Red Lotus wanted her to be their student and adopt their sick way of thinking, but as the expert benders pummeled her she wondered whether this had been their plan all along.

A stream of water knocked her down and she struggled just to get back to her feet. She directed a blast of fire to put distance between her and them. The floor under her started to turn to lava and she jumped out of the way. She screamed as some molten rock splashed her. Trying to quell the burning, Korra bent water to her face trying heal as much as she could. It was clear she was going to lose this fight; just how badly was the question. A blast of air threw her into a wall. Blindly, she hurled flames towards her attackers. She was flung into another wall that collapsed on top of her practically crushing her chest, and definitely crushing her legs.

From under the rubble she could hear the Red Lotus members approaching and felt what remained of the wall being lifted off of her. A hand grasped her throat and she felt herself being pulled away from ground; her feet dangling uselessly. Weakly trying to grab the arm attached the hand, Korra struggled to breathe as the hand became tighter and tighter, closing off her windpipe. Zaheer addressed her dismissively.

"You were such a disappointment, Avatar Korra. I guess I'll have to start over."
Part of her expected to assume the avatar state but even she knew she was probably too far gone for it to do any good. She could feel the air leaving her lungs and then the sensation of falling. Is this what it feels to die? She thought as she entered the void beneath her.

.o.

Zuko urged his dragon faster, hoping that he would be able to catch up to Korra before it was too late. He knew she and Aang were different people, but at that moment he was trying to save his best friend. From the air he could see the Northern Air Temple burning and air bisons filled with people fleeing the temple. At the corner of his eye he saw an arc of fire. He commanded Druk into a dive as he watched in horror as Korra was flung into a wall that collapsed on top of her. He was helpless as she was pulled from the rubble only to be dangled over a steep cliff. His heart dropped when he saw Zaheer let her go. The Red Lotus must have not bothered to look too closely at the cliff, as Korra only fell twenty feet into a tree nor did they seem too concerned about her once it was clear she was not going into the avatar state.

Zuko flew the dragon towards the tree that had caught her and Druk grabbed on to the cliff wall with his claws. Zuko gently pulled Korra from the broken branches. She was barely breathing and had a weak pulse but she was alive. He gently cradled her in his arms, wrapping her in his outer robe before signaling Druk to fly away from the temple. Looking back, he saw a fleet of air ships arrive at the temple. The Metal Clan? He thought.

Zuko looked down at the young woman in his arms, and was conflicted for a moment. He could take her back to the metal clan, do his duty to the world, and let it be known she lived, but Zaheer was still free and she would be in danger. He could take her far away and protect her like he would his own daughter. He could let the whole world mourn her passing, but keep her safe. World Leader or Protector? He turned away from the air temple and urged Druk towards the Fire Nation. Whether it was right or wrong, he chose to protect.

.o.

Lord Zuko walked down a long hallway toward the room where Korra lay sleeping. It had been two days since the attack on the Air Temple and he had heard little news of what had happened. What he did know didn't please him; the Red Lotus had once again vanished, however, all the new airbenders and Aang's family were all safe and accounted for back in Zou Fu. Zuko wondered how long they would stay in the steel city.

He stopped in front of an oak door and knocked gently. Hearing no answer, he opened the door and saw two sleeping figures, one laying on the bed, and one sitting back in a chair. Zuko shook his head as he looked at his grandson, General Iroh, sound asleep in what looked like a very uncomfortable position. How long had he been there? Since the early morning? Had he stayed there all night? When had he returned to Ember Island? Still shaking his head, Zuko turned his attention to the figure in the bed. Korra laid there, heavily bandaged, eyes covered in gauze, and legs wrapped tightly in casts.

Iroh stirred from his sleep. "Grandfather, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question. Last time I checked, you were on a ship protecting Republic City. What are you doing here?"

"When I got word of the Earth Queen's death I requested to come home so I could protect mother, but when I got here last night..." he paused, "mother told me that a friend of mine had been injured and was staying with us. She brought me here and here I've stayed. Grandfather, what happened? Why is Korra here and so…so broken?"

"She fought Zaheer and the others alone and she lost." Zuko watched as Iroh reached out and took the Avatar's hand.

"How bad is it?"

"She has quite a few broken ribs and some internal bleeding, along with several deep lacerations. Both of her legs were crushed, and the doctors have braced the shattered bones with steel but the likelihood of her walking unhindered is unlikely. The more serious matter, however, is the burn on her face. The waterbending healer did the best she could, and it will only leave a silver scar over her eyes, but she will never see again. I had really hoped that her eyesight could have been saved, but not even water from the spirit well could restore it. If she lives she won't be the same person you knew."

Iroh looked at his grandfather not in shock, but rather in grief. "And how likely are these wounds mortal?"

"She's been through the worst of it, according to the doctors, but she has yet to wake up. I fear that during my flight here she might have actually left this world for a moment, but she came back to us. I won't be sure until she wakes up so I can ask her."

Iroh nodded, "I'm not going to leaving her side until she does wake up."

"You need to rest, she's not going anywhere."

"Grandfather, she's going to wake up in complete blackness and in a unknown place. She deserves to wake up to a familiar voice."

Zuko nodded, "I will stay with her until you at least take a bath and get yourself a new set of clothes. She doesn't need to wake up to the smell of an un-showered soldier."

Seeing that he had been defeated Iroh nodded and kissed Korra's hand. "Don't leave us, Korra, please." He whispered before leaving the room.

A/N: Ok first part done don't worry there is more. Just as a clarification this chapter was written only a few hours after I watched the 11th episode so I had no idea what the final would entail while this was being written.
Originally, I wanted to have this published before the final aired but as you can see it took me a bit longer than anticipated. So please comment if you feel so compelled. See Yah later! ~C.C.