Reunion

Korra wasn't surprised to find him waiting for her when the time came.

"Aang," Korra said.

"Korra," her past self said, gesturing to spot across from him. He smiled. Their connection had always been the strongest. Not just because he was the Avatar right before her. Of course, that in itself would have been enough. She and Aang were linked by something stronger though, Katara. They had both loved her, though in different ways. "It won't be long now," Aang said, pouring her a cup of tea. "And I should warn you, it won't be pleasant."

Crossing her legs to sit, Korra nodded. Dying was rarely pleasant in her experience. Though this was her first time witnessing it firsthand.

"What will happen to me?" she asked.

Raava, she knew, would move on. Bringing all the experience that could be gained from ten thousand years of living to the new Avatar. But Korra knew too well that she and Raava were also separate beings. With no body to tether her spirit, would she cease to exist once Raava left her?

Aang watched her. "You'll go to the Spirit World," he said. "Like everyone who dies."

Korra sighed. She'd hoped that was it. Truly, that idea was all that kept her going some days. She took a sip of her tea, the warmth of the cup soothing against her weathered palms.

Then she asked the question that had been on the tip of her tongue since she'd seen Aang, "Did she find you?"

He smiled again and this time it was blinding. "Yes."

"Good," she said, taking a sip of her tea.

Pain tore through Korra's being. A thousand anchors ripping away as her soul split. Korra dropped the cup, spilling tea over the table. Wrapping her arms around herself, she cried out. Not this. Korra knew this. She'd felt it before, as a much younger woman.

As quickly as it came, it ended. Raava was gone and Korra was just Korra.

She felt raw. And light. And younger.

A gentle hand rested on her shoulder. "It's over now," he said. "You're free."

Korra got to her feet, marveling that her bones no longer creaked. The pain, the aching emptiness she remembered from the last time was still there, but it was fading. This was how it was supposed to be, she realized.

Korra ran her hands over her face, down her body, feeling returned muscles. She felt strong again. Neither young, nor old. Only here.

"Better?" Aang asked.

"So much better," she said. "Be glad you never had to get old and rickety. It was awful."

Aang looked away from her and Korra bit her lip. What a thing to say when she'd lived long enough to see her grandchildren. Long enough to grow old with her husband. Long enough to mourn him too.

Korra placed a hand on Aang's arm. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have said that."

Aang nodded. "I lived a good life. And now that Katara is here, I can't ask for more. Still, I wish she and I had grown old together—I hated causing her pain." He flashed her a crooked grin, stroking his beard. "I would have made a dapper old man."

They both laughed.

"Thank you," she said. "For being here."

"Of course," he said. "See you around Korra."

Aang faded and Korra found herself in a familiar, twisted forest. Discarding her parka—which promptly faded to nothing—she started trudging through the underbrush. She opened her hand out of habit, but remembered that she wouldn't be able to bend. She hadn't come through one of the portals. Plus, she was dead now.

Time passed—or at least it felt like it passed, you never could tell in this place. Her surroundings began to lighten; ahead of her she could see vibrant green through the trees. There. She just need to get there.

She was there.

The meadow was just like she remembered, bright as the sun and vast as an ocean. How was she supposed to find anyone in this place? It could take her a thousand years just to search one corner.

An idea came to her. Korra closed her eyes, letting her spirit reach out. It was easier now that there was not body to tether her to the physical world. Energy pulsed and hummed through her, seeking. The tense chord finally struck another, a familiar harmony vibrating through her being.

Korra sighed. Then she reached for the other chord. She felt the world around her blur.

When she opened her eyes, there he was, surprise fading from amber eyes, a lopsided grin on his face.

Three years. She'd waited three years for this moment. It had been worth it.

Mako opened his arms. He only got to take a single step before Korra rushed forward, flinging her arms around his neck. They spun once, twice, three times. Her feet hit the ground again as he curled around her, holding her so close, she thought they very well might become one person.

"Korra," he said, his lips brushing against her ear. "I missed you." He kissed her jaw. Her cheek. Her nose. Her eyelids before finally bringing his mouth to hers.

She tried several times before she stopped kissing him long enough to speak. "I missed you too. So much."

Mako smiled. "Don't worry. I don't plan on leaving you again."

"Never again," she affirmed. She felt complete in a way she hadn't in so long. More complete even, never before had she been so aware of how their spirits resonated with one another, twisting together, complimenting each other.

"You're going to love this place, Korra," Mako said. "The things I could show you."

Fingers curling in his hair, she brought his mouth back down to hers, shivering as his hands brushed over her body, pulling her as close they'd ever been.

"Tomorrow," she whispered.

"Yeah. Tomorrow."

As you can probably already tell, these drabbles are going to be very time fluid. Some of them will happen after the series, some during, maybe even some before. Basically, I'm just using this list as an excuse to explore/develop some Makorra headcanons. Might even throw in a few AUs...dunno. Gonna try and explore some different formats too...maybe.

And I know I'm a little iffy on the whole Spirit World thing. I'm also probably using a lot of artistic license. I got the feeling from LoK that not everyone who dies goes there, but as you can tell if you've read my fic The Avatar's Bargain (which I totally need to adjust so that it fits airbaby canon), I like the idea of Korra and Mako getting to have an endless life of adventures once their done muddling through the physical world. I also liked the idea that Korra is more than just Raava (as established in Book 2), so I imagine that while Raava takes all of Korra's memories and experiences with her to the next Avatar, a part of Korra gets to move on, freed from the Avatar cycle. Cause we all know the Avatar deserves that.

Hope you enjoy. Reviews make my heart sing. Angsty reviews give me the power of a thousand suns.