A/N: This idea has been bouncing around after seeing many different reviews, analysis, and rewrites of the last episode of Book One. I feel like the writers neglected Korra's character when she rebounded so quickly-it was as if they were saying Korra didn't think she was a person without her bending, and once she got it back, then she was a person again and worthy to love Mako in return. I don't even believe they're completely in love-it felt very forced in the TV Show. In this rewrite, Korra will not get her bending back and will instead be propelled into a journey towards the Spirit World, leading to my own version of Book Two: Spirits.
Title: Book Two: Spirits
Rating: T
Book One: Endgame [Revised]
"I love you."
Korra pushed Naga to ride faster and faster, fast enough for her to be able to ignore the words pounding in her ears over and over and over again, to ignore the hollow feeling in her gut, to ignore wetness coming to her eyes as Korra realized everything she had hoped for with Mako happened when she couldn't bring herself to be with him. What could she possibly say to him or do now? She wasn't the Avatar anymore—without her bending, Korra didn't even feel like a person. She couldn't love, she couldn't be happy, all she could feel was the pain of losing the one thing she loved more than anything. Korra didn't really feel like Korra at all.
The words ran through her mind again and again as Korra guided Naga to the edge of the Northern Water Tribe—out to the ice cliff overlooking the ocean. These peaks became notorious as a jumping ground for those who wished to take their life. Falling from that high, a person would hit the water like they would hit concrete—that is, if they missed the large bed and spears of ice coming out of the water.
Korra hopped off Naga and slowly walked to the edge of the cliff. The water was unusually still and calm. The slight breeze came here and again, the sound of the wind resounding in the hollow fissures of the ice. Out here, she was truly as alone as she felt: barely any elements besides the ice, no one else to bother her, and nothing else to take her mind off the fact that she wasn't the Avatar anymore.
She thought about the first time she could bend, yelling "I'm the Avatar and you gotta deal with it!" and the proud looks on her parents faces as she learned from the White Lotus; her first ProBender match, when she met her two best friends and finally made progress with airbending; the first time she did airbend—that excitement and joy of actually doing it and then sending Amon straight through that window; the first time she and Mako really became friends. She never expected how much Mako would mean to her.
She had been happier then, in an illusion created by being the Avatar—Korra thought herself invincible in a way, feeling as if something like this would never happen to her. Standing at the edge of the cliff, Korra felt the tears roll down her cheek as the realization that she would never be the Avatar hit her with full force.
What good was she now, without her bending? What kind of an Avatar was she if the only thing that made her the Avatar was lost? Korra couldn't find a purpose to her life in the few seconds she stood at the edge of the cliff. The right thing to do would be to end her life here, allow the next true Avatar to take over. The world would be put out of balance with an Avatar severed from three of the four elements. It was the noble, selfless thing to do, Korra tried to convince herself.
She looked over the edge and a single tear fell down to the bottom, right where Korra wanted to jump. Right where she wanted to land and end her life. But she couldn't—she couldn't find the will or the strength or the resolve to take a single step and ensure the world's safety. Korra failed as the Avatar, as a bender, and now even as a person. How selfish could she be, to put her own life ahead of the balance of the world? Korra felt her emotions well up inside her, feeling worthless at her inability to put the world before herself—failing the Avatar's prime directive—and let out a cry, crumpling to the ground and crying into her knees.
Korra heard the light footsteps of an airbender behind her, the billowing of their cloaks, and felt her heart sink. Tenzin had to see her like this—of course he wouldn't approve of her actions, he would be glad that she failed to kill herself, and lie to her face and say that everything would be alright when it so obviously wasn't. She couldn't bear to look at him or hear his voice or be near him.
"Not now, Tenzin. I just want to be left alone…"
"But you called me here."
Korra lifted her head, not recognizing the voice. She knew everyone who was in the area, and only another airbender could be… "Aang." She allowed herself to smile, her eyes widening with hope. Had he come to save her, to tell her she was still the Avatar, and restore her bending? Was this what she was destined to overcome all along? Aang would solve everything—he was a legend, the Avatar! He was her and she was him, of course she was the Avatar. Aang's presence was a testament to the fact that she was still the Avatar.
He was just as impressive as she imagined. Standing taller than herself, Korra looked up into his eyes and saw resonating peace and strength and wisdom behind them. He would save her, she was sure of it.
"You have finally connected to your spiritual self."
"How?" Korra asked, standing up. She never felt anything connecting to her spiritual self.
"When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change." Korra could sense some pride in Aang's voice, proud that she had come this far and overcome Amon. She saw the previous Avatars materialize behind him: Kyoshi, Roku, Kuruk, Yangchen… all the legends of the Avatars, and then Korra remembered again that she was them and they were her.
Aang put his hand on Korra's shoulder. "You're still the Avatar, Korra."
"And you'll give me my bending back, right?" Korra asked, smiling again at Aang.
He frowned a bit, shaking his head. "I cannot give you what you never lost, Korra." Aang saw Korra's face fell and she backed away from him. "You have not been severed from the elements Korra, nor from your connection to all the spiritual power as the Avatar. Amon used Blood Bending to block the your Chakras—the points of energy in your body—"
"But Katara already fixed that!" Korra yelled, anger swelling up inside her. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen; Aang was going to give her back her bending, make her the Avatar again, make her into what she was supposed to be! Not be… not be entirely useless!
"Yes," Aang said, patiently. "Katara did heal the physical wound Amon imparted on you, but your energies are so much more than what's inside you, Korra. Just like you are so much more than just the Avatar. Your bending doesn't define you, Korra. You are still the same, strong girl you were before Amon attacked."
"But how do I fix this! I'm the Avatar, I need to be connected to all four elements for the world to be in balance. If I can't, I'm better off… I'm better off just letting the next Avatar take over."
"Korra," Aang said, closing the distance once more. "You were born for a purpose—your purpose is not yet finished." He smiled warmly. "You are destined for great things, Avatar Korra, and you will overcome so much that the universe throws at you, because you will be able to handle it." Korra started to cry, wondering why Aang was so confident in her. She was useless, worthless, nothing. "This is your lowest point, Korra. Grow from this experience, reconnect with yourself by overcoming what Amon did to you." Aang began to fade, smiling at Korra with confidence. "I believe in you."
"Aang! Aang, wait! Tell me how! Help me!" Korra yelled, but Aang gave no response and faded with the rest of the Avatars out of the world. She hugged herself tightly and bit her lip. The silence echoed around her as her blood pounded in her ears. What had Aang meant? I cannot give you what you never lost…
"Korra…" She turned, Mako behind her. "I saw…" He sighed. "Come on, let's head back, okay? Everyone's worried about you. It's not safe to be out so close to the cliffs."
She nodded and went back with him, avoiding his gaze. Did he know what she tried to do? What she wanted to do? Did Mako realize just how far she had fallen?
"I met Aang," Korra said, sitting down with Tenzin, Katara, and Lin after everyone else had turned in for the night. "Out at the cliffs…" Katara frowned and gave her a knowing gaze. Tenzin opened his mouth to say something and Lin hit him in the arm nonchalantly, letting Korra continue. "He said I had finally connected to my spiritual self."
"What did he say about your bending?" Katara asked.
"That I never lost it. What Amon did… Aang said it was more than just the Blood Bending. That you healed the physical wound, but that there was more to heal." Korra sighed. "He was so unhelpful… I'm never going to get my bending back."
"Don't say that, Korra," Katara said. "Mm… Tell me again how Amon took away bending."
"He would make the benders kneel in front of him," Lin said, quietly. She opted to relive the traumatic experience to allow Korra a little respite. "He would grab the base of the neck and put his thumb on the forehead. I could feel something inside me constrict and I fell to the floor, weak. I could feel the bending being taken away from me."
Tenzin stroked his beard, thinking. "I wonder… there's a chakra there, you know. The Light Chakra on your forehead, the Chakra of Insight. All Chakras are necessary for bending. Tell me Korra, Lin—what emotions did you feel when Amon took your bending away?"
"Fear," they both said at once.
"Guilt," Lin added. Guilt at how she had let her mother down, by not rising to the occasion and protecting herself as well as Tenzin.
"I felt… ashamed. I do, I mean, feel shame. Like I should have done more," Korra said, exhaling. "Ever since then, all I feel is hollow, like I've lost everything."
"You're grieving," Tenzin said. He looked at his mother and they shared a knowing glance. "It appears that in all this confusion, in all the fear I had at losing my family, I haven't been seeing things clear enough. Amon may have physically blocked your Chakra, but I suspect you yourselves blocked others during the event." He looked between them. "We're going to get your bending back—everyone's bending back—and reverse what Amon has done."
"And we must do this quickly," Katara added. "The Avatar is the symbol of peace and balance. To be compromised like this invites people and spirits alike to sew discord and war in the world. Leaving Korra like this could prove detrimental to the state of the world."
"So… what do we do?" Korra asked.
Katara said, looking at Korra, "Your uncle: the only other person besides the late General Iroh to have traveled to the Spirit World without an inherent connection. You have only just connected to your spiritual self, Korra—augmenting that bond, strengthening it, will inevitably see your successful reconnection to the elements."
Tenzin put his hand on Korra's shoulder. "You won't be alone. We'll be right here beside you, all the way."
"There is, however," Katara added, "one problem. Unalaq, your uncle, the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe, has been missing for several months. Iroh has been searching the world for him, but was pulled away from his duties to assist you in Republic City. To bring balance back to Korra-and the world-we will have to find him. The only person who can find him now is-"
"Kya," Tenzin finished. "But..."
"No one has seen her for years," Katara said.
Korra looked down, tightening her fists. Hope welled within her as the information came together in her mind-there was a chance she could fix things, bring herself back to how she was. Korra wasn't going to let anything stand between her and her goal. She looked up, her confidence slowly returning to her as she remembered the feeling of reminding herself that Aang was her and she was Aang. "Then we best start looking."
A/N: Please read and review! I plan to update this biweekly, rotating between this and my Young Justice fanfiction-Young Justice: Legacy. As of now, there aren't really any pairings in this story, but anything that does happen between these characters won't be forced and will progress in a logical fashion! If that means Korra and Mako end up together, great! If not, then oh well. We'll see! Thanks for reading!