17. Vengeance
She didn't plan for the night to end this way, didn't plan to have any more blood staining her hands, not that it really matters after the things she's seen, the things she's done, but still, it is neither her job nor her place to deal out death, but then Zaheer drops Mako and Bolins' bodies at her feet, broken and crooked against the bleeding sky, and all she can seem to do is stare blankly, not quite sure what to say, what to do, because they are the closest things to friends she could ever hope to have, and in a world so lonely and cruel, friends are the most precious things one can find, and as she falls to her knees and grabs the cold faces between her palms and physically feels the absence of life within them, she can't help the guttural moan that shakes her chest as her eyes burns and her fingers shake and everything is dyed red, red, red…
And he pays in blood, because even though an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, she really didn't want to see a world without the bending brothers in it anyway.
18. Love
It leaves a bitter taste in Korra's mouth, his touch, his lips, the way his fingers thread so intimately her hair and drag her down because she's not used to drowning in the color amber, and no matter how hard she tries to be brave, she's afraid that maybe the world needs her too much, and she's just not meant to be loved because, like the moon, she belongs to everybody and nobody all at once and promising herself to anybody just wouldn't be fair.
Not to her or to him or to the world.
But then he spreads his hand across her heart and whispers something sweet and meaningless and beautiful into her all too yearning ears, and she knows then that she's just too far gone.
So she makes the mistake of letting herself be completely consumed by the feeling, as she sinks and sinks and sinks until the surface is just too far away.
It turns out rock bottom was closer than she had thought.
19. Tears
The world does not cry for the death of another street rat, they don't even bat an eyelash for the loss of such a precious life because at the end of the day, Mako, much like his parents, becomes just another fourth page news story because people die every single fucking day. And it's sad to think that nobody really cares to grieve for such things anymore because they are all too preoccupied blindly seek cheap pleasures.
So no, the world does not cry, but the Avatar does, and maybe that means even more.
Because tears never came that easy to her, but spirits does it hurt to lose him, and no matter how much she wills the sadness, the harsh realization that his arms are rotting and his eyes are dull and his heart has stopped just keeps pulling her under, so she grits her teeth and sobs away the what ifs, until all that remains are salty trails across her cheeks and bitterness in the back of her throat.
And then she moves on.
20. My Inspiration
She is a household name, unsurprisingly. After all, she is the Avatar and therefore expected to save the world ten times over, and it's nice at first, nice to feel needed, like maybe she means something to the universe. It takes her a while to figure out how the real world works, figure out that she can never, ever, please everybody, no matter how desperately she tries, and it's hard for her to deal because some days the responsibility of the world weighs so heavily on her shoulders that she can physically feel it breaking her back, the overwhelming expectations heavier than the boulders she bends.
But then a little earth nation girls runs up to her on the street and wraps her pudgy arms around the Avatar's leg and thanks her genuinely and beautifully as only children are able to because, you saved the world, Korra.
And it's all worth it.
21. Never Again
The naïve never realize just how naive they are, because how the hell are the blind supposed to see true colors, that is until the world comes crashing down around them, and suddenly, everything that seemed so wonderful, so perfect, is razed and burned, and they're left with the smoldering knowledge of their own stupidity.
Asami Sato realizes too late her mistake, realizes that trusting her father, that following and fighting so blindly for someone who lacked even the decency for honesty, was nothing more than a reckless miscalculation because now he's gone and she's left to pick up the pieces of his, her, mistake. But she's smarter now, you see, and she'll never again let the world use her so cruelly, but still it stings a bit to think she was that easy to fool.
Because I would have followed you to the ends of the Earth.
22. Online
"I don't know what to do Asami!" Korra moans, banging her head dramatically against the cold linoleum of the cafeteria table, "He just won't stop texting me and calling me and stalking my twitter, like I don't get it, we went out on one date, so-"
"You know how Noatak is; why don't you just give the poor kid another chance?" Asami says almost disinterestedly between bites of her sandwich because everybody knows that Noatak has a thing for Korra who has a thing for Mako who has a thing for Asami.
Sheesh… high school.
Korra sighs, picking the pepperoni off her pizza, and really Asami's right, the kid deserves a chance, but something in her gut twists at the idea at being alone with him once again, so she does what she's taken to doing when it comes to problems like this; she ignores him.
A month later Noatak shows up on the front page of the newspaper.
Boy Murders 3 Classmates, Claims Equality, Investigation Underway
23. Failure
That's when her plan goes horribly wrong and instead of having the element of surprise, Amon's ready for her, waiting patiently with a smirk on his face, and instead of her slitting his throat and ending the battle, he ties her to the bed frame and reminds her that he is stronger and no matter how hard she tries he will always own the city, own her.
She doesn't remember much after that, after the pain and muffled grunts and the feeling of his hands pushing down possessively against her throat, but she does remember him whispering into her ear that he's going to kill those little scum teammates of hers first. She feels the fear, bubbling in the pit of her stomach and bringing up a sour taste in her mouth; she closes her eyes, but he just keeps going, his gaze boring into his eyelids with profound intensity as he explains, in gruesome detail, the way he's going to defile them, the ways he's going to make them regret ever being born.
Because you've failed Avatar.
24. Rebirth
"This is what I have to do, Tenzin," she whispers, her face stiff, emotionless,afraid to break any more than she already has.
Because she cannot be the Avatar without bending, and it would be a mockery of the position to pretend like nothing will change now that Amon had so brutally robbed her. That's why this is the only option, that's why she has to kill herself, only then will the cycle reset and the world have a proper Avatar, and even though she's terrified, the universe deserves better than a half-baked Avatar who still, despite months of intensive training, has absolutely no connection to the spiritual world.
Her parents cry when she tells them, Asami understands, Mako screams because even though the world wants absolutely nothing to do with a bendingless Avatar, he loves her with or without her connection to the elements, and all he's ever wanted was for her to be happy, so tell me, Korra, how can you be so fucking selfish.
It stings, but she knows he doesn't mean it, she knows he's just angry, at her, at the way things never seems to go exactly as planned, and more than anything, she knows that his life will go on without her, and even though it's a selfish comfort, she clings onto that hope even as she takes her last breath, and everything fades to black.
25. Breaking
"I am sane," Zaheer whispers to himself in the quiet of the night, repeating it like a mantra because some days he is not so sure, and no matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to shake the thought of the Avatar. She lurks in his dreams, so close yet so far, like a snowflake dancing to the ground, elusive and deceptive and always an arm's length away, and it drives him crazy to think he was so close to possessing her, so damn close.
And that's when the insomnia overtakes him, and he rises like a shadow, lurking subconsciously towards the surrounding forest, careful not to wake the rest of the group because they're already suspicious, and the last thing he needs is them thinking he's gone crazy.
Because he hasn't. If only the damn Avatar would get out of his head.
26. Forever and a day
She remembers finding Naga like it was yesterday; she had snuck her way out of the compound and had made her way an hour North before she started losing feeling in her fingers and toes; she remembers, vaguely, how dumb she was for thinking that forgetting her Avatar duties would be as easy as running away because now she knows it will never be that simple. After an hour and a half, her pudgy limbs failed her, and her legs gave out and she fell face first into the snow, wind whipping the fur of her collar, and it was a cold she'd never felt before, numbing and scary because no matter how hard she tried, the black crawling in the corners of her vision just wouldn't let her get up.
But then something bit at her collar and pulled her into a nearby cave, dropping her hood and wrapping it's body around hers, giving her it's body heat. She doesn't quite remember how long she sat there, surrounded by the kindness of a stranger, but eventually, her limbs warmed up enough that she could pull herself lamely to her feet to face her savior. A polar bear dog barely bigger than her stood across from her, head tilted and eye's wide, and from that moment on, the two were inseparable.
I'll love you forever, Naga.
27. Lost and Found
She ran, not because she's afraid of Zaheer or his gang of criminals, not even because she wishes to escape her inevitable capture, she ran because she was putting her friends in danger and it's me you want, so leave them alone. And even though they don't realize it at the time, everything she's ever done, she did with them in mind Bolin, Asami, Mako… And she'd rather be alone if that meanr protecting them.
She leaves them a note signed with a teardrop.
It's better this way.
But somehow they manage to find her, slouched in a cave somewhere near the outskirts of Omashu, and she's confused at first because don't they understand that she is nothing if not a liability to them all, but still they embrace her like family and tell her that if she ever tries to run like that again, they'll tie her down because they understand the risk, they always have, and for Spirit's sake, Korra, how in the world could you think we would let you do this alone.
28. Light
She doesn't talk about Raava much, not after the night her Uncle tried to kill her, but every once in a while, Make swears he can see the light inside her stirring, can feel the way her energy surges and the air seems to dance like raindrops around her, and he wants to ask, what does light feel like, Korr? Does it tickle you from the inside, like a feather fluttering around you stomach, brushing against the most sensitive parts of you, or does it burn the tips of your finger like electricity begging to be free of its constraints, to be shown like a prize to the world. Does it hurt, sometimes? Does it feel like you can you cup it in your hands and watch as it lights up my world?
Are you scared?
29. Dark
Zaheer's words keep her up at night because maybe it makes more sense to her than she cares to admit, and it scares her to think that there was a part of her that wished the Queen was six feet below the ground because the people of Ba Sing Se deserve so much more than that, and even though she hasn't seen anything else like it, she's no fool, she's aware oppression has always and will always hang like a blanket over the entire world.
And even though she is an advocate for peace and understanding, something inside her wishes she would have slit President Raiko's throat when she had the chance.
And what if she's playing for the wrong side?
30. Faith
Tenzin tells her to meditate on in, to think long and hard about her past lives and maybe, just maybe, she'll remember, and everything she used to think she knew would break like a dam, flooding her with what was forgotten, and she will be whole again. Please Korra, because even though Tenzin doesn't say it, he feels that her lost a piece of his father when Unalaq destroyed her past so viciously, and she can't help but feel responsible. But no matter how hard she tries to remember, to call back her lives like they are a loyal pet, nothing seems to work, and some nights, she questions everything she's been taught about the omnipotence of the spirits.
Because they sure as hell have no miracles up their sleeves.
31. Colors
She's no stranger to bruises, to the way the skin puckers and stretches tight over too much flesh, because after a few months of probending training, her skin is littered with beautiful little patches of imperfection, marks that say 'I did something, I am someone' and it's nice in a way and, admittedly, she learns to love them. That is until Tahno hits her square in the stomach with a sloppy chunk of rocky water and the breath is completely knocked out of her as she's flung back one, two, three zones, falling ungracefully into the water below
Later, after the match has been won and revenge has been had, Mako can see the hurt in her eyes, the way they scrunch up in discomfort, but she's far too proud to admit to pain, that is until he takes matters into his own hands and gently lifts up her undershirt to see the black and blue of her stomach, the way the corners have rusted to a putrid yellow, and if it feels even half as bad as it looks, he's sure her head is spinning.
Those bastards will pay, he decides.
32. Exploration
"Come on, Mako! Pema told me to go out and have a good time," she pleads with him, and damn her for having those ocean blue eyes because, admittedly, they could convince him of almost anything.
"I don't think vandalizing the local park was her particular idea of a 'good time'," he huffs, looking up at the sky to avoid having to look at her, "Plus, I'm a cop; I could lose my job for something like this."
And really he should have known she was up to no good when she showed up at his apartment looking for Bolin armed with two cans of spray paint and three dozen eggs, but Bolin wasn't home, so she grabbed his arm instead and dragged him down the stairs in a way that promised a good time, and he probably should have stopped her then because, really, she has no right to drag him anywhere, nor does he have an obligation to follow, but the night was young, and so were they.
Don't worry, it'll be fun, City Boy.
A/N: Here you go! As always, reviews are super helpful, and just let me know if you'd like to possibly see any of these turned into full blown one-shots! Stay fabulous, my friends!
