Time

Water |Earth |Fire |Air | Spirit

"For whatever we lose (like a you or a me), It's always our self we find in the sea."

― e.e. cummings

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The cemetery was dead silent, save for the light pitter patter of the rain.

Thirty-three-year-old Avatar Korra crouched in front of a particular headstone, a navy blue umbrella held high above her head, the handle grasped between her fingers. The woman's once adventurous blue eyes were filled with remorse and longing as she stared at the slab of rock in front of her.

"Hey, how's it going?" Korra whispered hesitantly, "I…Sorry I haven't been around. A lot's happened since we saw each other. Ten years, huh?" she felt childish for talking to no one in particular, but for what it's worth… "Your funeral was a sight, I tell ya. Tons of yours and Bolin's friends from the station came. So did Toza… Tenzin and his entire family showed up… Ikki and Jinora's boyfriends, too. Can you believe that? Those two girls have boyfriends! Well… they are seventeen and twenty. I swear, Lin cried while she gave her speech. She's older now...way older. Glad she toned down through the years—she was very civil with me for once! Could you believe that?"

Her only answer was the steady rainfall.

"You had such a different life the last time I was here…You were still climbing up the ranks! One of the first firebending cadets… Now I hear that you were head chief for one of the firebending divisions? I am impressed." Korra pats the headstone lightly, as if it were his shoulder she was patting. "…Your wife's beautiful, and so is your son. He looks so much like you, it's…unbelievable. Definitely going to grow up as a lady-killer," Korra fought her trembling lips by forcing out a laugh, "I heard Asami and your wife, Cerci, talk about how you were going to teach him firebending. If you want… I can—"

Her question was left unfinished as a strong howl of wind interrupted her thoughts. Korra thought of all the possible answers she would've received if he were really there.

"Right, there are always other masters that he can go to…Not like I'll always be here; Avatar duties and all…" the wind picked up again, causing Korra steady her crouching position, "Bolin said he's engaged with one of the girls at the station! Of course he'd find someone while on the job, right?"

Silence. Painful silence.

"Ten years," the avatar drawled out with a whistle "Ten years without a simple phone call, letter… visit. We've talked about your life enough, let's talk about mine. I….I'm still single, still traveling with Naga… The world's finally at peace, after my ten year journey. Amazing, right? Well, I doubt it'll be in peace forever…"

Korra's knees wobbled and she felt herself falling forward with a yelp; the umbrella was long forgotten, rolling away in the wind and rain. The avatar heard a faint rip, and she knew the hem of her black dress tore. Once picking herself up, the woman winced when the cold droplets drizzled down on her now scraped knees and palms. She cupped her hands and gathered enough water to heal herself.

"You would've laughed so hard at that, wouldn't you?" the tremble of her voice was terrifying, "Would've said something about how the 'All-Powerful-Avatar' couldn't stand a little storm... " She's now standing fully upright, head hung, long brunette hair damp and wild. "Or you would've congratulated me with that voice of yours, 'Not bad'. R-remember t-that? You said that the first night we met…while B-Bolin taught me how to mo-move those earthdisks…"

"Or-or remember when we hung out at Asami's? Before we found out her father was working with Amon... Remember the awesome races? Too bad I never learned to drive. I'm happy you learned how to drive and ride a motorcycle, by the way. It made you way cooler."

"Or how about when we went around town and disguised ourselves to save Bolin? You lend me your scarf that night, which I used in combat with that huge guy by the door. I'm glad I didn't rip the scarf though… it did belong to your dad."

"Oh! Re-remember the time when I introduced you to my parents for the very first t-time, and my d-dad scared the living Spirits out of y-you? That was hi-hilarious… By the way, my mom and dad said hi. They were really upset that they couldn't make it…"

The steady rain picked up again, and Korra was left alone to her thoughts once more. How she wished he was still alive; still vibrant with life and with that awfully dorky humor of his—it was obvious that Bolin had the better comedic gene. How she wished his honey glazed eyes were still trained upon her during their heated arguments in their youth, the way he challenged her just from a simple stare. How she wished they never drifted apart. They were too young for all these responsibilities and choices; they never took the time for themselves and each other—Korra recalled the pain and disbelief she endured when he decided to end their relationship. She also recalled how she ended up making a decade long journey of bringing peace to the rest of the world after that. Not one phone call, letter, or visit—there was one time she got a wedding invitation, but she burned that to oblivion—she felt as if there was no real closure between them.

And that hurt the most.

"I—I didn't mean to leave for so long. You have to understand," Korra felt tears weld up, "I still needed to find my own path as the Avatar, and also being in Republic City reminded me of us so much. I just couldn't stay…" her throat acted as if it were a plug, restricting her breathing, "I'm g-glad you moved on. So glad. You deserved to be happy, to have your own family with a woman that had time for you…unlike me," a harsh hiccup escaped her lips and the tears were falling freely now, "I can't believe the healers didn't arrive in time… Spirits!"

Korra collapsed on the pavement, skinning her knees in the process. Firm hands grasped towards the headstone, begging, regretful; scared. "You can't be dead, please Mako." That's the first time she mentioned his name, "Your family needs you! What's the station going to be like without you? You were so important to so many people, and you just had to be the hero!" Dark, powerful hands pounded on the pavement in anger, "Why did you have to run into that building? You knew they were planning something; Triple Threat Triads, Mako! Lin and Bolin told me… This group saw you as a betrayer, and you knew they were going after you. Why couldn't you just—why did you have to figure everything out by yourself? Why couldn't you just ask for help?"

Korra abandoned her strong demeanor and broke down completely, heavy tears mixing with the pounding rain. She screamed incoherent phrases at the headstone, hoping that he'd hear them in the after-life. The pavement surrounding her broke as she pounded harder with frustration, her earthbending spiraling out of control. It was a wonder how she didn't tap into the Avatar State right there and then.

"Are you okay?"

The powerful figure stopped her actions almost the millisecond she heard his voice; she was surprised to hear his voice above her choked sobs.

Bloodshot cerulean eyes gazed at the little boy, no older than five, with short brown hair and amber eyes, who shifted from one foot to the other under a tree a couple meters back—the navy blue umbrella held loosely above his small body; Katza.

Korra was thankful for the rain; the kid wouldn't be able to tell if the droplets on her face were tears or raindrops, "K-Katza, what are you doing here? I thought you left with your mother."

The little boy trudged towards the woman hesitantly, "I did, but I kinda… wanted to see my dad without everyone else. I saw that you stayed behind, and I knew you'd protect me if anything happened! Sorry if I bothered you though."

The older woman shook her head with embarrassment, "N-no! It's okay, Katza! C'mon over, three's a crowd!" The little boy quickened his pace until he met Korra, he then elevated the umbrella in his hands to accommodate both him and the Avatar. Korra laughed lightly, sounding more of a strangled hiccup, and helped the boy hold the umbrella.

The two entered a comfortable silence as they stared at the headstone before them; one stood—dry while the other kneeled—wet.

"My mom told me that you and daddy used to be together," Katza said, breaking the silence, "…how was he like?"

Korra's brows quirked as she turned her head towards the boy in confusion, "You mean as a teenager?"

Katza nodded, "He used to tell me a couple stories about him when he was my age…but he always skipped ages… eight to…something."

Sad blue eyes glanced back at the headstone, knowing well what Mako wanted to hide from his own son—how long, she didn't know.

"Well your father and I met a couple days after I came here to Republic City! He was eighteen and I was seventeen. It was during Pro-bending season… at first he was really mean to me," Katza gasped at her words; Mako probably never showed a mean side to his son, "but after I helped him and your Uncle Bolin, we became very close friends. We ended up… being boyfriend and girlfriend for a while. He got so much nicer and so much dorkier. You know he made these cheesy one-liners for every criminal he caught before taking them to the police?"

The watertriber's surprised to see the boy let out a giggle and nod, fully-aware of his father's old habits, "Then what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"How come daddy ended up with mom, but not you?" Well, way to be blunt kid.

"I-uh… We got too… caught up with our jobs. Your dad was working very hard at the Station, putting bad people in jail, and I was the Avatar. I'm sure you know what I do," the boy nodded, "You dad… thought it would be best if we stopped seeing each other. He thought it would be best for me to focus on Avatar duties, and while he… figured out more parts of his life. We lasted for six years."

An awkward silence fell between the two, the rain lightening up slightly; Korra wondered how much this little boy knew.

"Is that when you left?"

"Y-yea…I mean, when you're older I'll explain a lot better...But hey! That's also the time when your dad finally met your mother! You should be happy they got together! Without them, you wouldn't be here!" Korra wanted to slap herself so hard that moment. How could she suggest such an act to an innocent kid?

The boy's brows furrowed with confusion, looking all too much like his father, "What's that supp—"

Korra interjected by waving her hands nonchalantly, "Nothing, nothing! I'll save that when you're older, too." Katza gave an unconvinced pout, and the waterbender laughed lightly.

"Is there anything else you want to know about your dad?" Korra gazed upon the headstone once more, a sigh threatening to escape. Katza shifted from one foot to the other, deep in thought before speaking again.

"Did you love him?"

"…So much. I still love him, kid. He probably thought I hated him the minute I left Republic City." Korra was surprised how much she let her guard down for this little boy. "I loved him so much, that it hurt when I got your parents' wedding invitation. I didn't know I could be replaced so easily…"

Katza placed a small hand on Korra's forearm comfortingly, "I'm sure daddy didn't mean that. He was the nicest, coolest, awesomest daddy ever! He would never hurt anyone!" The way this little five year old boy praised Mako practically broke the Avatar to pieces. She felt so much regretted for never coming home sooner to witness Mako parenting this adorable little kid.

"I'm sure he was the best dad ever," Korra agreed, a light smile etching her face. The two allowed a comfortable silence to wash between them, finally taking that the once heavy rain subsided, leaving the earth moist and new. Katza let go of the umbrella for the first time since arriving, and walked towards the headstone, unbuttoning the top of his coat to reveal a very familiar red item of clothing. Korra felt her throat clog and eyes sting as the memories of that scarf came crashing down on her.

"Daddy never takes his scarf with him to work," the little firebender started, "He said he was afraid of ripping it while on the job. He takes this though…" he rummaged through his coat's pocket, bringing out a very familiar watertribe arm band. The arm band Korra, Senna, and Tonraq made for Mako while they were still together. They made one individually for him, Bolin, and Asami—yet Korra knew out of all of them, Mako cherished their gift the most.

Katza placed the arm band at the base of the stone, "He said it made him feel safe like his scarf. He left it at home the day he…died…I think he forgot."

Korra's too stunned to respond, but instead placed the umbrella gently on the ground, finding courage to approach the slab of rock. Mako kept that armband all this time; he never threw it out in disgust, but kept it as a hopeful reminder and safety net while on the job. That dork. Once she was close enough to both Katza and Mako's grave stone, she got onto her knees once more and hugged the little boy.

"You definitely grew up with the best father in the world. I'm sorry you had him for a short amount of time, Katza, so sorry." The avatar lets go of the boy so she could look him in the eyes. Deep blue met amber. Eyes just like Mako. "I promise that I'll be here for you when you need me. I overheard your mom and Aunt Asami talk about your firebending…and if you want, I could—"

"Teach me? Please! The Avatar as my teacher! That would be soooooo cool!" Katza babbled on excitedly, his little hands waving around, "You're like one of the best firebenders ever! Please do it!"

The avatar chuckled, very amused, "Alright, kiddo. Well since my ten year travel has finally come to a close, I have nothing to do. Of course I'll train ya." She stood up, her knees stiff from being in the same position for so long. Katza yelled out a cheerful whoop, and turned to the headstone, "Hey daddy! Did you hear that? Korra's going to teach me firebending!"

"That's Sifu Korra to you, squirt!"

"Katza!"

"Katza, where are you?"

The two turned their backs at the headstone towards the direction of the voice. Cerci, Katza's mom—Mako's wife—was calling for her son.

"I think it's time we left, Katza." The woman extended a strong hand towards the shorter boy, the umbrella in the other, "I have no clue how long we stayed here…" The firebending boy reached out and grasped her hand, "…but we'll come back, right?" he asked, finishing Korra's thought.

"Young man, if you aren't here in the next minute!"

Blue pierced gold. Korra smiled assuring, "Of course. We can't have all the fun in the world, right? Your daddy might get jealous." Katza giggled lightly and nodded. "C'mon, Sifu Korra! Mom's scary when she gets mad!" the firebender hurries out of the cemetery, tugging the much older and taller woman behind him.

Korra turned her head back to give one last look at the grave. She never took the time to appreciate the flowers that surrounded the simple, yet dignified, stone. Reds, oranges, blues, and purples surrounded Mako's headstone—it was absolutely beautiful and just so…Mako. The flowers were not extravagant, but they held enough beauty to captivate anyone. But nothing could compare to the watertribe armband that rested at the foot of the rock, a symbol of Mako's hope and forgiveness; a symbol of safety.

An abrupt jolt to her arms brought Korra back to reality and she realized Katza dragged her all this time, "Sifu Korra, please! It's past a minute! Mom is very mad now!"

Loud chortles and sighs of anxiety echoed through the cemetery, a definite parallel to an old friendship Korra once knew. One that involved the Avatar and an idiot.

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Small side story. I have two more stories in the process, so not sure when this will be updated next.

Reviews are appreciated though :)