"She really is the Avatar, isn't she?" the short, rather pudgy one claimed. The White Lotus was in shock over this young child.
Korra beamed with pride at the strangers. Senna leaned down and picked her daughter up, smiling proudly, as well. "Yes, yes she is."
"Well, it seems we will have to start making arrangements," the older lady stated. "We'll have to make plans to settle here, in the South Pole."
"Ew, you're staying here?" Korra blurted.
"Korra!" Her mother gave an apologetic smile to the council. They all exchanged looks. But they weren't the normal "she's-just-a-child-and-doesn't-know-any-better" look. Senna couldn't exactly describe it, but she knew it was not good. "Korra, why don't we go fix up that hole, hmm?" She said. Before fully turning around, Senna gave the council a look of warning.
Later, after sending Korra to her room to play, Senna and Tonraq sat down with two of the council members to discuss everything. "Well, she seems a bit . . . attention deficit. We also want to ensure her safety. We will be building a compound to keep any outside distractions from preventing her learning. Within, there will be multiple training areas, a gym, a small schooling house, and a barracks. All courtesy of the White Lotus."
"Wow," Tonraq started, "this is amazing. All for our family."
The two suddenly averted their eyes from the couple. "Actually, speaking of which . . . we believe that . . . well it seems as though . . ." the other one mumbled, not wanting to deliver the news.
"We are distractions," Senna stated bluntly.
There was a silence between the four that was unspeakably awkward.
" . . . We're very sorry."
"It's understandable. It's for the best, isn't it?"
They were finally able to rid their home of the White Lotus. The couple tucked Korra into bed and headed straight for bed themselves.
Senna sat off the side of their bed, trying to figure out everything that had happened within the last few hours. She felt the heavy weight on the opposite side hit the bed. "Five years," she said slowly. "That's all we get. Five years." She noticed the tears streaming down her cheeks once Tonraq placed a large hand on her back. Then she cried even harder.
He pulled her into his arms, trying to do whatever he could to keep from breaking, as well. She then felt the wet droplets fall on top of her head; they had passed the point of no return.
They stayed that way for awhile till they heard the familiar, innocent voice. "Mommy?"
Senna ripped herself from her husband to find her daughter's voice. "Korra? Wh-What are you doing? You should be in bed." She tried her best to calm down and wipe all evidence from her face.
"I heard you crying. Why are you so sad, Mommy?" She ran up to the edge of the bed and started to climb it.
"You don't need to worry, Korra. It's fine."
The little girl paused and gazed down. She had heard the adults talking, and though she didn't fully understand most of it, she got the gist. Korra looked back up to her mother's face, noticing the last few tears streaming down. She reached up and tried to wipe away the droplets with her small hand. "I'm sorry I'm the Avatar."
Senna was at a loss for words. That was the last thing she wanted her daughter to think. Suddenly, Korra wrapped her arms around her mother's neck. Senna froze.
They cried together .Tonraq joined in not shortly after. None of them knew how long it went on until they all fell asleep. But Senna and Tonraq were grateful for every second they had with their only daughter, no matter if it were broken or not.
Korra kissed down her husband's neck, smiling against his skin. She snuggled her head into the curve of his neck. Mako brushed his fingers up and down the bare skin of her back, sending tingles throughout Korra's body.
They had finally tucked their daughter, Sahara, into her bed with another one of their adventurous stories. Tonight brought back the old memories of Korra and Mako's first real battle against the bending threat, Amon. After they finished and Sahara fell asleep, the two escaped to their bedroom to get some time for themselves.
Mako suddenly stopped and tensed a little. "Korra?"
"Hmm?"
"Can I ask you something?" He sounded so unsure. She couldn't remember the last time he ever talked like this.
"Of course," she said, trying to ease him.
"Well, this is something . . . it's been bothering me for a long time."
Korra shifted her weight up on her elbow so that she could look at him. "What is it?"
Mako took a deep breath. He started, speaking slowly and cautiously. "When we were in the South Pole . . . after what happened to your bending . . . When I found you next to that cliff . . . " Korra tensed up, not ever wanting to have to answer the question she knew was coming. Mako finally looked into her eyes. "Were you really going to do it?"
She averted her eyes and licked her lips. Please, any question but this, she thought.
"Korra?" She sat up and closed her eyes, trying to pull farther from Mako. That was all the answer he needed.
"Korra?" He lifted himself up to match her height, but he still felt miles away from her. He carefully watched her, waiting for any kind of change in her. "So you were really going to do it? You were just going to jump? Leave any chance of what we have now behind?"
"What do you think I was supposed to do?!" She hissed at him, speaking as loud as she dared. She finally looked into his eyes, pain glazing over them. "Just forget that everything had happened and try to be happy? Act like there was nothing more I could do? Mako, I wasn't the Avatar, anymore. I couldn't just sit around and do nothing!" She paused, trying to calm herself. "Look, I knew I would be hurting so many people . . . but I couldn't let the world try to fend for itself. That was the job of the Avatar: to save the world. And if I just selfishly lived on, not being able to help, everything would crumble to ruins again." She paused one last time. "I could never let that happen."
He knew she was right. Every part of him wanted her to be wrong, but he knew she was right. And he knew he was being selfish. Mako wanted to ask her one more thing, but it hurt too much for him to even think about.
Korra could read his thoughts as he opened his mouth to talk, closed it and dropped his face. She knew exactly what he wanted to ask. She closed her eyes, trying to hold everything back. "I still might have done it; knowing everything now."
Mako's head snapped up at her answer. That's when he finally saw her tears. He quickly grabbed Korra's body and wrapped his arms around her. They both knew there were no words of comfort they could exchange. Just the fact that they were there together was the only way to help.
Korra let out all the pain that had built up to this point, crying into his bare chest. Soon enough, she could feel small droplets fall on top of her head, the pace quickening as time went on.
"Mommy? Daddy?" They jumped at the small voice and quickly tried cover up any indecency they had.
"Sahara, what are you doing?" Mako asked, trying to search the floor for his pants. He finally got them on and went over to pick up the little girl.
"I had a bad dream. And then I heard you and Mommy getting upset." She turned to the woman fumbling to wipe away the tears and get her clothes on underneath the sheets. "Mommy, why are you so sad?"
Korra was suddenly hit with the sense of déjà-vu. She was jolted back to the little igloo, pictures of her mother and father weeping in their bed flashed across her mind. "I'm sorry I'm the Avatar."
"Mommy? Are you okay?" Korra tried to bring herself back to reality.
"I think Mommy's just really tired," Mako told her, keeping a wary eye on his wife. "Let's get you back to bed."
He had started turning towards the door once Korra spoke up. "No!" They both looked back at her. Korra's faced softened. "You can stay here tonight, sweetie."
Mako's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but he walked back to the bed and put Sahara down between them. Korra cushioned her daughter's head with her arm, and soon Sahara was fast asleep.
Korra looked up to her husband as he laced his fingers with hers. "You okay?" He whispered as quietly as possible.
She nodded slightly. "When she came in here, I suddenly had this memory of the night I was found as the Avatar." Korra gazed down at her daughter. "I remembered going into my parents room, seeing them holding each other and crying so hard." Mako grimaced, thinking about the sad fate that had fallen on her family. "I ran up to my mother and . . ." she gave an ironic laugh "And I apologized for being the Avatar. And we just started crying together. And fell asleep together."
She squeezed Mako's hand and looked up to his eyes. "I don't want to rip my family apart. Not again."
Mako lifted her hand to his lips, kissing every one of her fingers, and looked up to her again with a soft smile. "We never will."
A/N: I wrote this about 6 or 7 months ago. I was thinking about how the fandom was explaining how in the end of the finale Korra walked up to that cliff and it an implication she was going to commit suicide. Of course, I had to write this angsty piece of work. Hope you liked it! :)