So, there comes a time when someone needs a break from writing a chaptered story and goes off and writes a oneshot. And that would be what's going on here.
This should be a really quick Korra fic. I started playing around with ideas in my head abut Korra and what her life would be like, and I decided that I'd break down and write it. So here it is. By the way, Korra is young. She hasn't found out that she's the Avatar yet. This explains the fact that Katara and Sokka are alive.
Music is Born For This by Paramore. And yes, that is meant to be a pun. It's funny.
Destiny
A Korra Oneshot
Kyla sighed as she watched Korra get the waterbending move wrong for what seemed the thousandth time. Korra had been at it for hours, and still had made no progress. It was frustrating Kyla.
"You know, Korra, you could ask Sifu Katara what you're doing wrong. Or me. For some reason I have yet to figure out I'm a better waterbender than you."
Korra shot her best friend a disgruntled look. "I can do this on my own, Kyla. I don't need help."
Kyla sighed and fell back on the snow bank she was sitting on. She loved waterbending, but Korra never wanted Kyla to practice with her. Korra had a raw determination to get things done her own way on her own time, something that bothered Kyla.
Kyla sat on her snow bank for ten more minutes and then got up and walked away from Korra to find Master Katara. Korra obviously needed the old and wizened waterbender to help her, and if Korra wasn't going to go get her, Kyla was.
Kyla found her master talking to her brother, Chief Sokka, Kyla's grandfather. Kyla waited patiently until there was a break in the conversation. She smiled and walked to her grandfather, who, though he was very old, hugged her tightly and asked her what she wanted. Kyla smiled at him and told him that she was there to speak with his sister.
Katara asked Kyla what she needed, and the young waterbender pulled her old master towards where Korra was busily trying to master the waterbending move. Katara looked at Kyla and rolled her eyes before walking over to an intensely focused Korra, who hadn't noticed their presence. Katara put her hands on Korra's arms and guided the girl into the proper stance, instantly improving her waterbending.
Korra looked at Kyla with baleful eyes, and Kyla shrugged. "You were irritating me with your wrong movements, and you would have noticed me trying to help you, so I went and got Master Katara."
The silver haired woman smiled at both her pupils. "You would do well to listen to Kyla, Korra. She's better at waterbending than you are."
Korra groaned "Yeah, thanks so much for reminding me."
XXX
Kyla leaned outside the igloo, listening to her great aunt talk to her grandfather. Something serious was going on, she could just tell.
Korra was walking buy with a bucket full of fish balanced on her head, and Kyla, quietly enough so that her grandfather wouldn't hear her but loudly enough that Korra would, she called out to Korra, how instantly trotted towards her.
"What's going on?" she asked, setting her fish down and crouching next to Kyla.
Kyla shrugged. "I don't know. But Grandpa is talking to Master Katara and it sounds serious. They sound like their arguing."
Korra rolled her eyes. "They've argued almost every day since she moved here. Personally, I don't know why she did it."
Kyla shrugged. "Well, her husband did die. I can imagine she'd want to live somewhere that his presence linger. Plus all her kids moved away. I heard that her son told her that he was going to find the new Avatar when her husband died. I guess Tenzin wanted to feel closer to his dad so he went out to find the new Avatar."
Korra looked at Kyla with very confused eyes. "Tenzin? Do you know him or something? And what do you mean he wanted to feel closer to his dad?"
Kyla laughed quietly at her friend. "Master Katara's Chief Sokka's sister. He's my grandfather. That makes Tenzin my second cousin. And Avatar Aang was his dad. My mom tells me I met him once, before you were born, but I was obviously too young to remember it."
"That's a little creepy, don't you think?" Korra asked. "I mean, what if it were you who turned out to be the Avatar? How would you like it if some guy started following you just because your past life was his dad?"
Kyla shrugged. "I guess it doesn't matter, because the likelihood that I'm the Avatar is next to nonexistent."
"I don't know," Korra disagreed. "You're a pretty good waterbender, and the Avatar is supposed to be Water Tribe this time around. So, for all you know, it could be you."
Kyla whacked Korra on her forearm, something that Korra couldn't feel through her thickly padded parka. "I'm not the Avatar. Don't you think I would know if I were? Besides, I was, then the elders would have already told me two years ago when I was sixteen. It's more likely you, silly."
Korra was about to respond with something witty when Katara walked out of the igloo, her old face contorted in anger. "Korra, go talk to your elders. Apparently, the have something to tell you. Kyla, you come with me. Now."
The two girls looked up at their waterbending master with confused eyes. "Now!" Katara barked, and the girls jumped to their feet.
Katara grabbed Kyla's arm and dragged her away from the igloo. She was muttering about her husband under her breath, and Kyla looked up at her, concerned about what was going on.
"Aunt Katara, what's wrong?" Kyla asked quietly.
"Korra is the Avatar." Katara announced suddenly, and Kyla's legs froze.
"Wha… What?"
Katara wheeled around to face the eighteen year old girl. "Your best friend is the Avatar, Kyla. And she's going to be leaving the Southern Water Tribe to begin her earthbending training."
Kyla couldn't move, couldn't speak. Just seconds ago she had been joking with Korra about which one of them was the Avatar, never thinking that Korra, the girl who couldn't master a simple waterbending move, was really, truly the Avatar.
"But she… she can't be!" Kyla exclaimed, finally regain her voice. "She can't!"
Katara, her temper seemingly cooled off, put her had ok Kyla's shoulder. "She is, and she's going to have to leave. Your grandfather doesn't want to allow you to go with her, but I understand that she's your best friend. You can try and convince Sokka to let you go. Korra needs you."
Katara walked away without another word, and Kyla collapsed into the snow below her. Moments later, Korra walked out of the igloo with her hand in her hair. She didn't see Kyla slumped down in the snow, and she tripped over her, plummeting face first into the snow next to her best friend.
"Master Katara told me," Kyla whispered, helping Korra up to her feet.
"They say you can't come with me." Korra said, looking at the ground in a rare moment of showing her sadness.
Kyla wrapped her arms around Korra's waist and hugged her tightly. "I'll go with you, I don't care what they said. You're my best friend, they can't separate us."
Kyla pulled away and smiled gently. "Besides, you suck at waterbending. Who's supposed help you when you don't know what to do?"
Korra smiled and hugged Kyla. "Thanks, Kyla. It's good to know that you'll be there for me through all that's coming."
END
So I really wanted to juxtapose Aang being an airbending master at twelve with Korra being a mediocre waterbender. And I really wanted her to have a best friend to travel with her through all her training. So I made Kyla. She's obviously Sokka's granddaughter, so I thought if she were the Avatar's best friend, sort of like the whole friendships that last throughout lifetimes stuff.
So, I really hope they do something like this in the actual show. I'd be a happy kid.
- Pidge
