DISCLAIMER: Korra ain't mine.
"Korra, are you even listening to me?" Katara demanded, letting the water whip she had been demonstrating splash onto the snow. Korra had been making astonishing progress with her Waterbending training, and as a reward Katara decided to let the girl learn one of the more advanced techniques her element had to offer. But something was wrong today; Korra was struggling to perform the maneuver, and half the time Katara suspected her pupil hadn't heard a word she said. The elder bender set her hands on her hips, a posture her children had seen many times.
Korra bit her lip. "I'm sorry, Sifu. I….I just…." With some alarm Katara noticed the girl shaking, fingers trembling as she curled them into fists. "I want to learn the water whip; really, I do. But there's...something I need to ask you. Something I need to know." Korra shut her eyes tightly and blurted "Do you hate me?"
Katara simply gaped like a koi, dumbfounded. At first she had balked at teaching her husband's reincarnation, but as soon as she met Korra, there was an instant connection between them. Katara had astonished the White Lotus members, along with Senna and Tonraq, when they saw her ability to get Korra to behave when nobody else could. That had been three years ago, when Korra was five, and their bond only grew stronger with each passing day. "I—what—why would you ever think that?" she finally stammered, reaching out and placing both hands on the Avatar's shoulders. "Of course not!"
"I—when I—" Korra's eyes were still screwed shut, but tears began to trickle from beneath the clenched lids. "When I was born, Aang died! It's my fault he's dead…" She broke into sobs, shoulders shaking. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Sifu…"
"Oh, Korra." Katara pulled the girl close, feeling immensely guilty as Korra threw her arms around Katara, buried her face in Katara's parka and cried. "I don't hate you," she repeated, pressing a soft kiss to her pupil's hair. "People have to die. That's the way life is. Aang would have passed on whether or not he was the Avatar. And remember that he was actually 166 years old," she said with a slight chuckle. "Most people only live half that long."
She felt the girl's trembling diminish even though Korra didn't take her head from Katara's chest. "I loved Aang with all my heart," the elder bender continued, feeling the ache that was still there even after almost ten years. "He was my soulmate. But you're like another grandchild to me, Korra, and if getting my husband back would mean losing you, then I wouldn't want that."
"Really?" Korra sniffled, pulling back slightly to wipe her eyes. Katara nodded, gently placing a hand underneath the young Avatar's chin and tilting it up until their gazes locked.
"I promise."