Hey all! So, the third chapter took a bit, sorry for that. I had a difficult time with the probending scenes, and I also had some medical problems that prevented me from writing, not to mention college. So, I hope to have the next one more quickly, but no guarantees. The next chapter will be a sort of "filler" in the sense that nothing in it happened on the show, but expect character development and lots of Borra! I'll also try to make it a little less lengthy.

Betaed by TaIoRaFoReVeR523, as usual. :)

I hope you all enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: Clearly, if I owned Korra, this is how the series would have gone. But, alas, I don't own it.

Chapter Three

A Leaf In The Wind

"…And in the final round, the Buzzard Wasps won with a decisive knockout!" Korra set down the newspaper excitedly, grinning at her parents, who chuckled a little while they ate their breakfast. Korra was already finished, and Tenzin sat just a little farther down from them, sipping tea with a disapproving look on his face.

"Probending is amazing! I can't believe that we're so close to the area now." Korra looked at the photograph of last night's fight in the paper.

"That waterbender of theirs seems like he could use some pointers, though," Tonraq said thoughtfully, sharing a look with Korra. Senna chuckled, rolling her eyes a little.

"Dad, mom! We should go to a match tonight!" Korra practically jumped out of her seat with excitement. Before her parents could answer, she added, "What do you say, Tenzin, want to come with us?"

Tenzin snorted. "Probending is a perversion of the noble tradition of bending."

Korra was disappointed for a moment, but went on. "Well, your loss! So, mom dad, do you want to-"

"Korra," Tenzin cut across her, his palm lightly slapping the table. She blinked. "As your airbending teacher, I do not want you to attend those matches. You are here to learn airbending, that probending will not only serve as a distraction, but will also impede any teaching I do."

"What?" Korra gasped, actually standing up this time. She scowled. "You can't tell me to not go, that's up to my parents!" She turned to them confidently.

Tonraq frowned. "Tenzin…we are very grateful for everything you have done, but Korra is our daughter."

Tenzin seemed to cool down a little. "My apologies." He nodded slightly toward them. "I don't mean to try and take control. However, Korra is here to learn airbending. I truly believe that watching probending matches would only be a distraction, and would undermine the teachings I will be showing her."

Senna and Tonraq glanced at each other, and then at Korra. "Sweetheart," Senna began, "Maybe while you are training, it would be better if we didn't go to probending matches. At least until you start to learn the technique Tenzin will be teaching you. Maybe in a few months-"

"But mom!" Korra gaped at them. Her parents had said that they wanted to her to live, and now they were saying that she couldn't fulfill a dream and watch a probending match? "Ugh! I can't believe this!"

"Korra," Tonraq stood and approached her. "We're not trying to keep you here. You can still go to the city, and there are plenty of things to do there. This isn't forever. We are going to be in Republic City for a long time. Even if you can't see probending now, that doesn't mean you can't ever see it." He glanced at Tenzin, who nodded reluctantly. "Just, for now, let's settle in a bit, and get your training going first, all right?" He put a hand on her shoulder.

Korra sighed, blowing a bit of hair out of her face, crossing her arms. "Yeah," she muttered. "I guess."

"Sweetheart, we can still do something this weekend together. I've heard that there's a movie theater here. You've never seen a movie before." Senna offered a smile, and Korra felt her posture relax. So she couldn't see probending this weekend. So what? She could be patient. She could.

"That would be great, mom." Korra tried to smile back, but it felt like the muscles in her face weren't working properly.

"With that out of the way," Tenzin stood, gesturing toward the doorway. "Shall we begin the first day of training?"

At this, Korra felt herself brighten. Maybe she couldn't watch probending, but she could train with Tenzin, and it would all lead to her being the best Avatar the world had ever seen! "Yes! Let's go!" She quickly kissed her dad on the cheek, and ran around the table to do the same her to her mom. "See you guys later!" She sprinted out the door, Tenzin following at his own careful pace behind her.

After changing into the air nomad robes (Tenzin was a traditionalist if nothing else), Korra found herself outside, at a part of the compound she hadn't seen much of yet. As they walked along the pathway, a few ring-tailed flying lemurs jumped past her, scaling the wall with ease, fruit held tightly in their mouths. Korra watched them climb in fascination, unveiling their wings to soar across the island. Her eyes followed them until they were specs in the distance.

"So," Tenzin said, sounding a little unsure, "My mother informed me that you have not yet been able to airbend?"

Korra shoulders slumped a little. "Yeah. No matter how hard I try, nothing happens. The other elements all came so easily to me."

"That's quite all right," Tenzin put a hand on her shoulder, and Korra looked up at him in slight surprise. "Often the element that the Avatar has the most trouble with is the one most opposite to their personality. For my father it was Earthbending. Besides, you've never had a proper teacher in airbending. The only time my father used the other elements before being taught was when he was in the Avatar State."

The Avatar State. Korra had seen a few illustrations in books, mostly showing a glowing figure controlling all the elements at once. Katara had told her it was a defense mechanism that let the Avatar use the power from all of his or her past lives. It was the most powerful form the Avatar could achieve. Katara had said that Avatar Aang hadn't really been himself whenever he was in the Avatar State, and that seeing him that way had always scared her. Still, she hadn't been able to deny what the White Lotus told her either: that without the Avatar State, Aang never would have won the war, or any of the conflicts afterward.

Of course, part of entering the Avatar State was being able to contact the spirit world, and Korra hadn't been able to do that either. Avatar Aang could do it when he was twelve. He could airbend, enter the spirit world, and learned all the elements in less than a year. What's my excuse?

"Korra?"

She blinked, and looked over at Tenzin again. He was watching her, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Korra," he began, "I don't want you to think this was all easy for my father. He had to face a lot of hardship to get to where he was."

She looked at the ground. "I know." She knew that. Avatar Aang had struggled. Had fought and learned all the elements and helped the spirits, all when he was twelve years old. Korra was seventeen. Aang had done all of that, and so far she had done nothing. Her fists clenched. That is going to change. I am going to learn airbending, and be the greatest Avatar the world has ever known!

"Anyway," she went on, as they began climbing some stairs, "I'm about as opposite from an Airbender as you can get."

Tenzin smiled. "Well, that's why I'm here. Let's begin your first lesson." As if on cue they came to the top of the stairs. Korra gasped, and stopped in her tracks.

Before her was concrete ground, just like in many places. On the side, tall, thin trees grew, stopped from overflowing by rocks. However, midway across the expanse was a circle, on a little pedestal just a bit above the rest of the ground. On the pedestal were several wooden panels, taller than her by several feet, and about as wide as her arms if she stretched them out. They were suspended a little above the pedestal by little wooden stakes. As she watched, the panels twitched in the breeze, rotating just a little. Each panel was also painted with the Airbender insignia, the light blue surrounded by pale brown.

Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo were all standing off to the side. Ikki was jumping up and down excitedly. "Korra's gonna airbend!" she shouted over and over. Jinora watched them calmly while Meelo stared up at the sky, seeming to be watching the birds.

"What is that contraption?" Korra asked, jogging a little after Tenzin.

He smiled. "Its a time-honored tool that teaches the most fundamental aspect of airbending." He turned to his oldest daughter. "Jinora, would you like to explain this exercise?" He gestured at the wooden machine.

Jinora nodded solemnly. She walked up to the panels and lightly touched the closest surface. "The goal is to weave your way through the gates and make it to the other side without touching them."

Korra raised her eyebrows. "Sounds simple enough."

Ikki jumped between them excitedly. "Jinora forgot to mention that you have to make it through while the gates are spinning!"

Without another word, Tenzin stepped closer to the gates, and twisted his hands in front of himself, pushing them – and the very air – forward. The gates began to spin, almost faster than Korra's eyes could really track. Tenzin pulled a leaf out of his pockets, and let it float forward toward the gates. As she watched, the leaf moved between the gates with ease.

"The key is to be like the leaf," Tenzin said. "You must flow with the movement of the gates." He turned again to his oldest daughter. "Jinora will demonstrate."

Jinora nodded once, smiled a little, and ran forward. Korra held her breath as Jinora leapt into the spinning gates, and didn't hit a single one. She spun, seemingly at the last minute, avoiding one gate after another.

"Airbending is all about spiral movements," Tenzin went on, watching Jinora with unmistakable pride. "When you meet resistance, you must be able to change direction at a moment's notice."

Jinora emerged out the other side, the gates starting to slow down. She blew a gust of air at them, making them spin rapidly again.

Korra stood straighter, and punched her fist into her palm. "Let's do this!" Without another word, she charged forward-

-and ran into the first panel. She bounced off of it, smacked into another one, and stumbled inside. Before she had time to register more than the swirling gates, she crashed into another, and another, no matter where she turned or how she tried to run she just kept hitting them, and all of a sudden she was flung forward by another gate though the end. She tumbled in the air and rolled on the ground.

For a moment she was dizzy; the sky and the sun seemed to swim before her. Then she growled, and jumped to her feet, ignoring the way her shoulders and head stung. Korra charged at the gate again. Vaguely, she could hear Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, and Tenzin all shouting instructions to her, but the details of it were lost as she slammed into yet another plank.

It was over in a matter of seconds. Disoriented, Korra had the faint impression that she had been sent flying out of the gates again, before her world went black.

When she came to (surrounded by both Tenzin, Pema, their children, her parents, and several Air Acolytes) the frustration settled in. Ultimately, she left with nothing more than a bruised head, but even thinking about the gates made her fists clench.

Later, Korra sat on her bed, back against the wall, her knees drawn up to her chest. The faint buzz of the radio next to her provided little distraction from her thoughts.

Why can't I get this right?! She made a low noise in her throat. What am I doing wrong?!

With a huff, she stood up, and twirled her wrists like she'd seen Tenzin and Jinora do. She aimed at the newspaper from earlier, sitting on her windowsill. "Airbend!" She called, as if voicing it would suddenly bring the ability to her. With a growl she punched the air more aggressively. "Airbend!" She punched the air two more times, each more violently. With a roar, she leapt forward, fire growing in her palm, lighting the newspaper.

Korra watched it burn. The flames licked at the edges of the paper, and even from a few steps away she could feel the heat on her body. As she stared at it, watching words eaten by the flames, with everything from ads from some Future Tech company, to a headline about Lin Beifong, her shoulders slumped. She carefully smoothed out the flames with her fingers, and flicked the ashy remains of the paper out the window. The flakes fell to the ground, out of sight.

Again, she felt the tightness in her stomach return. What if I can't do this? What if I can never learn to airbend? If she never learned to airbend, no one would remember her. She would be a failure.

Lightly, she wacked herself on the head. "Stop it," she muttered. "I can do this. I'll be the best Avatar there ever was."

She practiced late into the night. Every so often her frustrations would cause her to firebend again, but with little to burn she sometimes settled for kicking the walls.

She didn't airbend once. She fell asleep only when she was too tired to move anymore.

The next day wasn't any better. Or the one after that. Or, the one after that. After four days of unsuccessful training, meditation, and too many arguments with Tenzin to count, Korra felt her fears creeping in again. She tried not to think about it too much, but even Tenzin seemed to have little faith, or patience, with her.

Meelo was only five and he could airbend; Korra was the Avatar, and she couldn't. Avatar Aang had probably been born airbending.

Her parents were supportive, but they didn't really know how to help her. Korra knew that they loved her, but they couldn't understand how important this was. The entire world was waiting for her to be a true Avatar, to be just as great as Avatar Aang, and fix everything. She couldn't let them down. She couldn't be a failure.

The best comfort was found with the radio. Every night they broadcasted Probending matches, and every night Korra sat eagerly nearby, hanging on every word. The audience favorites were the underdogs, the Fire Ferrets. They were newcomers, and were surprising everyone with how quickly they were rising in ranks. Mako was the team captain, the firebender on the team. He usually handled the one on one tie-breakers, and had a history of hat tricks. Bolin was the earthbender, and Mako's younger brother. He was known for taking out his enemies with a single, strong, shot, and for playing up the crowd a little. Hasook was the waterbender, and though he wasn't a bad player, more often than not he ended up knocked out of the arena. Every word the announcer spoke could send Korra to the edge of her seat, or clutching at her hair in despair. In no time at all, she too found herself a fan of the Fire Ferrets. Every night she went to sleep with impatience, and not just for her airbending. She wanted to see a probending match, to cheer with the crowd and see new types of bending. She wanted to watch Mako pull a hat-trick, or Bolin knock an enemy clear off the arena. She wanted to see it all.

On the fifth night, after yet another day of meditation where the minutes crawled by like hours and the gates beat her up and spit her out, Korra decided that she would see it, Tenzin's preferences be damned.

Maybe if she spent the night out and cleared her head, she would be able to airbend tomorrow. Or maybe if she saw new types of bending, she would learn how to improve her technique. And Tenzin would never have to know.

But, she did want some people to know.

She walked quietly down the hallway, telling herself that there was no reason anyone would be suspicious of her visiting her own parents. She hesitated carefully outside the door, listening, making sure she wasn't, well, interrupting anything (considering the hut they'd lived in before, it had happened more than once, and Korra was not keen on it happening again). They were talking quietly, seriously, and she faintly heard her name mentioned. Fighting the urge to eavesdrop, she took a deep breath and slid open the door.

"I'm sneaking out."

Tonraq eyed her as she stood in the doorway. "You seem to be forgetting the 'sneaking' part."

"I didn't want to worry you again," Korra said, arms crossed, her eyes on the floor.

Senna glanced at her husband, but then smiled. "We'll hold down the fort." She paused. "Sweetheart, we shouldn't have defaulted to Tenzin on this. We were just talking about it, actually. Tenzin is a good man, and we know he means well, but we still should have stood our ground. We just…we're so grateful to him, that-"

"We wanted to repay him, in any way we could," Tonraq added. "It didn't seem like such a bad thing to wait, but…" He ran a hand over his head. "You're frustrated, and I think you could use a break." He smiled, raising his eyebrows. "And you're letting us know you're running off this time, too."

Korra laughed a little, relief washing through her.

Senna smiled, and then hesitated. "But, Korra, we don't want Tenzin to worry either. Try not to be gone too long. If he asks us where you are-"

Korra nodded. "I get it. He can't have the Avatar disappear." She grinned. "Don't worry. I'll be back faster than you can say 'platypus bear', I promise." She leaned forward and hugged them quickly. "I'll tell you everything about the match when I get back!"

"Be careful," Senna said, stroking her hair gently.

"No running from the police this time, alright?" Tonraq teased. He added in a more serious tone, "Kor, just be safe. Defend yourself if you have to, I don't care what the law says. Keep yourself safe. Come back to us."

Korra stepped back. "You're not going to insist I take a White Lotus guard?"

Tonraq shook his head. "They'd never let you go, not that they could stop you," he added. "In some ways I think its safer if you go without them. You're less recognizable that way."

Senna nodded, and even though she was smiling, Korra saw that her forehead was wrinkled, eyebrows furrowed in worry. "Its true," she said. "But like we said, please, sweetheart, be careful."

Korra nodded, and stepped around them. "I will be!" She called, walking across their room, crawling carefully out their window and into the night.

She looked back and saw her parents silhouetted in the light from the window, watching her. Warmth washed over Korra's chest. They were letting her do this. She fought the desire to jump up and down, and ran quietly, but swiftly, across the yard. She stopped as she reached the edge of a building, peering carefully around it.

She could see the cabin where the White Lotus guards slept. The ones on duty were gathered around a small radio inside, whooping and laughing. She could faintly hear the voice of a very familiar announcer. Korra grinned. Looks like I'm not the only fan of probending, she thought. Taking a slight breath, she shot across the way, darting behind trees where she could. The White Lotus never looked her way, and before long she was standing at the bay. Excitement vibrated through her body, and she dived into the water, bending it around her as she fell so that there was no splash.

The cool water fit around her like a second skin, and Korra moved through it just as easily. All of the elements felt this way to her- all except airbending. Even underwater, she scowled, and moved her thoughts away from that. Tonight was about probending, and having fun.

The journey across the bay was quick; her arms didn't even get tired. She popped her head up above the slight waves, staring at the huge arena. It had a domed roof, and was lit up with more lights than she could count. She could see a crowd outside the front gates of the arena, holding signs and cheering, seeming to be straining to hear anything from inside. Korra frowned. She wasn't getting in that way. Her eyes scanned the side of the building, and she grinned as she spotted a second story window with light shining through it.

She twisted her wrists, almost like she was tightening the cord on reigns, and moved herself upward with waterbending. Flowing with the stream of water, she pushed herself through the window. The water splashed a little against the floor as she rolled inside, dripping. With a slight spin, she quickly bent all the water out of her clothes and hair (a neat trick both her father and Katara had taught her early on).

She'd landed in a hallway. Taking a guess, she turned around and walked farther down the hall, peeking around doorways occasionally. Eventually she came across a huge room full of mats, weights, nets, and other equipment she couldn't name. This must be the gym, she thought as she walked forward, trying to take everything in. The room really was huge, with plenty of room for the probending players to practice.

"Hey." Korra jumped, and whirled around. An old man was walking from the right side of the gym. He was slightly hunched and had a potbelly, but was still muscular, with white hair pulled back into a short ponytail, and sideburns. He looked like he had a permanent frown on his face. "What are you doin' in my gym?"

Whoops! "Um," Korra plastered on her most innocent smile. "I was just, uh, looking for the bathroom."

The man rolled his eyes, grunting a little as he set a heavy weight on the ground. "Ah, the old 'I had to pee' excuse." He stepped forward, scowling, actually waving a finger at her, his voice rising a little. "You know, I'm sick and tired of you kids sneakin' in here without paying! I'm taking you to security!"

Korra's mouth dropped open, but before she could respond, another voice called out behind her. "Oh, there you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Korra blinked, and looked around. A boy around her age jogged toward her, grinning. He had thick black hair smoothed back over his head, one curl popping over his forehead, thick eyebrows, and deep green eyes. He was muscular and somewhat stocky, only a few inches taller than her, and was wearing a red and white probending uniform. His smile was easy, and despite herself she felt a smile creeping up on her face as well. She'd never really seen any boys around her age. A few of the White Lotus Guards were somewhat close to her in age, and she'd even had crushes on a few of them, but still, standing next to a cute boy close to her age gave her a thrill.

"Its alright Toza," The boy said, still grinning. "She's with me."

The old man – Toza – didn't look particularly convinced.

Korra quickly played along. "Yep, I'm with him!"

"So you see, we're together," The boy went on, and Korra frowned a little.

"Well, not together, together. More like friends," Korra jumped in. Cute or not, she didn't know this guy.

The boy looked embarrassed, and glanced at her. "Oh, right, friends. I didn't mean to imply-" He lifted his hands slightly in a gesture of peace.

"Oh, you implied it," Korra muttered under her breath. Again, she almost found herself smiling. She didn't even know him yet, but already she liked messing with him.

Toza grunted, and she looked back over at him. "Ah, I don't care what you are,
he grumbled. "I got work to do." With that he turned around, and using earthbending, moved a few stone weights into the air.

"Right this way, miss." The boy was grinning again, and this time Korra did join in, chuckling a little.

"Why thank you sir." She followed after him out the doorway and back into the hall.

"I've got the best seats in the house," he said as he walked, looking back at her. "Unless you really were looking for the bathroom," he added.

Korra laughed. "Nope, you got it right. I'm looking for some great probender action!" She pumped her fist.

His smile grew. "Great!" They turned a corner, and he opened a small door.

Korra gasped. The inside of the arena was even bigger than it looked from the outside. They looked to be in a sort of open locker room, or probending lounge. There was a railing ahead of her, and the outcropping they were on was both above and a little forward of the crowd. From the sounds of stomping feet above her, there were even more seats above the ceiling where she couldn't see. She couldn't even get a clear look at the rest of the crowd; all the people seemed like splotches for the most part, with occasionally flashes from a newspaper photographer. Even though the match hadn't started yet, the crowd was still cheering, and Korra walked in almost reverently, trying to see everything at once.

"What did I tell you?" The boy said from behind her. "Best seats in the house."

"This is unbelievable," Korra breathed, walking over to the railing and leaning a little over it. "Its even more amazing than I imagined!"

The boy looked pleased. "The name's Bolin, by the way."

She turned to him, practically bouncing on her toes. "I'm Korra!"

Bolin gave her his easy, friendly smile again.

All of a sudden, his name registered with her. "Wait- Bolin?" She gasped excitedly. "You're the earthbender for the Fire Ferrets!" She tried to imitate the announcer, "One of the fabulous bending brothers!"

His eyes widened, and he looked both prideful and shy. "You've heard of me?"

"Hell yeah! The other night, when you knocked out the other earthbender on the Buzzard Wasps team? That sounded amazing!"

His grin hitched up a few notches. "Well," He shrugged, taking on a slightly self-involved tone, "What can I say? I've got some moves."

She laughed. "I'd say you do."

"Bolin." Korra looked at the doorway, surprised. Another boy around her age stood there, wearing the same color uniform. She had to admit, he was rather handsome. He was taller than Bolin by several inches, and had dark brown hair rather than black. He had amber eyes, and was leaner in build, though still muscular. He was frowning, and when he looked at her, his frown deepened. He jerked his head toward the lockers along the back wall, and Bolin nodded. Bolin turned toward her and gestured to wait a moment.

Korra turned back to look at the crowd, peering more closely at the actual probending court below. It was split down the middle, and had three half circles painted in different colors on both sides. The zones, Korra remembered from all her nights of listening to the radio. The court itself was on a raised platform surrounded by water. When a probending member was knocked off the court, he fell into the water, and was officially out of the round.

Bolin was still talking quietly to the other guy, who, now that Korra was looking again, kept glaring at her. She glared back. Asshole. I haven't done anything wrong. It looked like Bolin was trying to win him over about something. She caught the word "special", but that was it. Finally, Bolin turned to her again, and he was smiling once more.

"Korra," he called. "Come meet my brother, Mako."

"Mako?" Korra walked over, excited again. "Oh, I've heard of you too! You're mister hat-trick!"

Mako looked at her flatly. Then he looked at his brother. "Come on Bolin, we're up."

Korra raised an eyebrow, trying not to show the hurt that flashed through her. "…or I guess I can meet him later."

Bolin winced a little, but spoke lightheartedly. "Yeah, sorry about that. My brother can get really…focused…before a match." He grabbed a helmet off of the nearby table, and slid it on his head. It looked like a slightly tight fit, but none of the uniforms were meant to be flattering anyway. "Okay, I gotta go. Wish me luck! Not that I'll need it," he added hastily.

Korra grinned again. "Good luck!" She punched her fist in the air. "Knock 'em out, hard-hitter!"

He gave her a slight salute, still smiling, and jogged after his brother. There was a moving platform that Mako and the waterbender – Hasook, Korra remembered – were already standing on. Bolin hopped on quickly. Mako seemed to start saying something to him, and Bolin waved an airy hand. As she watched, Bolin turned around again and waved at her.

Korra laughed, and walked up to the railing, watching as they approached the court. A hush seemed to go over the crowd as the two teams gathered on opposite sides of it.

"Introducing the fantastic Fire Ferrets!" The announcer's voice echoed through the crowd and reverberated in her ears. "I'm Shiro Shinobi, and welcome to tonight's Probending match!"

The crowd roared in response, and Korra cupped her hands around her mouth, shouting along with them. Her heart seemed to pound with every cheer. Her hands gripped the railing tighter, and her jaw was starting to hurt from smiling. She heard a few shrieks from the crowd of girls declaring their love of certain players, and then the referee struck the bell.

"And, they're off!" Shinobi shouted and Korra leaned over the railing, trying to get an even closer look at the action. If only she could be everywhere at once!

Below, Bolin quickly ducked a fireblast from the other team, kicking up one of his earthbending disks at the same time, but said firebender destroyed the disk with more fire. Mako sent his own fire toward the opposing earthbender, only for him to dodge it as well. Hasook blocked a blast with water gathered up from beneath his feet, but was scooted back several inches by the force of it.

"-first to feel the heat of the Tigerdillos! And there goes Mako, showing off his trademark, 'cool under fire' style-" Shinobi was describing every second of the match, and Korra tried to concentrate both on his words and what she was seeing. There was just so much to take in!

Hasook fired a blast of water at the Tigerdillos' earthbender, but the boy nimbly cart wheeled out of the way. Bolin sent two more earth disks arcing toward the firebender; the first missed, but the second clipped him in the shoulder and he staggered back. Korra whooped, jumping up and down. "Go Bolin! Go Fire Ferrets!"

Mako easily dodged both a shot of fire and an earthbending disk from the other team, shooting his own fire back in return. Without wasting a breath he crouched to the ground to avoid more earthbending disks, and shot forward with two more blasts of fire. The waterbender stumbled backward, but managed to catch himself on the railing before he crossed the zone line.

In the next second, the Tigerdillos sent a blast of water and fire directly at Hasook and Bolin; Hasook was sent scooting back into the second zone, and Bolin followed a moment later, stumbling after a fireblast.

"Gah! No!" Korra clutched at her hair. "Come on, Ferrets! Don't let 'em push you back!" She knew that they probably couldn't hear her, but still she had a feeling she may shout herself hoarse as a result of the match.

At the same time, Mako leapt forward, spinning in the air and dodging both a water and fire blast, but the moment his feet touched the ground, an earth disk slammed into his chest, sending him scooting backward. His foot stumbled back over the line, and a horn sounded. The referee made a motion in the air, and Shinobi shouted "Oh, the Tigerdillos move into Fire Ferret territory as all the team members are forced back into zone two!"

"No, no, no! Come on, Ferrets!" Korra called as the crowd either cheered in delight or moaned in despair.

The match seemed to go by in seconds. Korra gasped, cheered, and practically leaned over the railing watching them. Hasook was knocked out of the arena, and had to wait for the next round to re-enter the game. Bolin managed to push the waterbender back into zone three, and Mako, showing movement that seemed to imply his ancestors could have been birds, was able to dodge many attacks from the Tigerdillos. However, both Mako and Bolin were eventually pushed back into zone three as well, and the first round went to the Tigerdillos.

Korra clutched at the railing, her heart pounding. She felt as if she'd just run across the city. Every inch of her seemed to be buzzing with anticipation, fear, and excitement. "You can do it, Fire Ferrets!" She called again, pumping her fist in the air.

Mako seemed to be yelling at Hasook, and Bolin was between them, his hands up in a calming gesture. The Fire Ferrets rearranged themselves and took their places again at the head of the zones. The Tigerdillos faced them, seeming almost cocky.

Round two went better for them. Bolin knocked the earthbender straight off the arena, while Mako and Hasook knocked the water and firebender respectively back into zone three. It all seemed to be over in a matter of seconds; the Fire Ferrets had pulled ahead to a tie, and there was only one more round to go.

(~-~-~-~-~-~-~)

Bolin drummed his fingers on the table, Pabu curled contentedly around his ankle. Mako was cooking dinner, and despite his earlier arguments with Hasook, was in a good enough mood to be bobbing his head to the music on the radio.

Bolin stared out into space. The match had been great! Mako had led them to a victory in the end, but he couldn't stop thinking about Korra. He'd only known her for one night and he knew that she was different from the excited fangirls that always ran up to them after matches, looking for Mako's autograph. They hung on every word, giggled, and no matter how pretty or funny or nice they were, they never, well, they never picked him up, that was for sure. But Korra had.

When the match was over he'd strutted toward her, and the next moment had been a blur as Korra picked him up – picked him up –and all of a sudden he wasn't sure what was going on. Korra was saying something, shouting, even, but he didn't hear a word of it because her face was right in front of his and did she seriously just pick him up? Spirits, she was pretty, and her eyes were so blue-

Bolin shook his head, trying to snap out of it. He thought about it over and over in his head, thinking about her blue, blue, eyes and how strong she was, and how she looked when she smiled. She'd been really willing to learn too! She'd even asked him to show her some probending moves, and she listened to everything he said, and improved right away. She definitely had a natural knack for bending. Her original stance was very traditional, and while it was good, in Probending Bolin had learned that it was better to be light on your feet.

He wanted to know everything about her. When she'd finally had to leave she had seemed almost sad – he was sad to see her go, too – but hadn't said much about her home or parents, just that they lived on Air Temple island. She'd also promised to be at their next match, and Bolin had immediately cleared her presence with Toza and the guards. Mako hadn't been pleased, and Bolin's stomach squirmed a little at that. Once he got to know Korra though, he was sure that Mako would warm up to her. Still, Mako hadn't forbidden her from coming, so Bolin thought that was a good sign.

But why had she moved from the South Pole in the first place? Did she have any siblings or pets? Oh, he could show her Pabu at the next match; Bolin knew they would get along great.

As if hearing his thoughts, Pabu looked up, giving a few chattering sounds, poking his nose against his calf. Bolin grinned, mussing Pabu's head a litte.

"Food's almost done, Bo," Mako called, still bobbing his head to the music. Bolin grinned at the sight (Mako would never admit it, but he was a good dancer, though he didn't like the crazy dips and twists that Bolin loved.)

Did Korra like Water Tribe noodles? He figured that she must, but then again he didn't like a lot of traditional Earthbender foods so he'd have to ask.

Bolin glanced out the window, toward Air Temple island. He wondered what Korra was doing right now. Was she sleeping, or practicing the moves he'd shown her? Maybe she was eating dinner with her family…

For a moment, a half-forgotten thought from long ago filled his head, of Mako and himself at a high table, while a woman with eyes like his cooked dinner, laughing, while another man tried to get her to take a break and dance with him-

Bolin shook his head again. Memories hit him at strange moments; sometimes it was the scent of certain flowers, or the smell of dumplings, or even when he looked at his own face and eyes in the mirror. He didn't remember his parents as vividly as Mako, who sometimes at night would bring up his own memories. When it was late, after they'd had a good match or one of them had woken the other from a dream, sometimes Mako would look at the ceiling and say: "Bo, do you remember when…?"

Sometimes just Mako's words would bring the memory forth, but other times Bolin didn't remember anything. Mako could draw, too, and sometimes Bolin saw him sketching mom and dad's faces, but even then there was something almost vague about them. It would take a moment for Bolin to recognize them, and the moment he looked away the image would fade again.

More vividly he would remember nights of empty bellies and dirty, narrow ally ways, crawling beneath the things people threw away in order to stay warm or dry. He remembered Mako standing in front of him when fights broke out with the others, as they often did, protecting him.

Pabu crawled up in his lap as Mako slid the bowl of noodles on the table for Bolin. He grinned at his brother, who smiled back, and began to eat.

Bolin hoped he'd be able to start seeing Korra outside of Probending matches, but since she'd told them she was the Avatar, he supposed she might be pretty busy.

Still, he glanced out the window again, and he hoped.

First time I've ever written Bolin's POV, so hopefully I did okay. I feel fairly satisfied with it.

Reviews!

Once A Blue Moon: Thanks for enjoying! As you can see, I did in fact update! :)

NetsirkBlue: Yes, the plot in LoK was a bit disappointing overall. I have a lot of plans for this rewrite, so I hope I make enough changes to satisfy people! I'm glad that this shows promise. Thanks so much!

DeathscytheVII: Wow, thanks! I really wanted to nail her characterization here, so I'm glad its coming across well. I'm also gla dthat she is sympathetic, but also in character. I really wanted to include Senna and Tonraq because there are not too many kind or stable parents in the ATLA 'verse, and I really wanted them to be a part of Korra's life. I'm glad that Yrack infuriates you! As for Amon...well, only time will tell. :)

PurpleFlyingToasters: Thank you! I didn't update "soon", but I updated!

Akela Victoire: I'm glad you're enjoying this. Thank you so much for the review!

Kelev: Yes, I wish that it had been touched upon as well. There are hints of it, but it is not nearly as fleshed out as it should have/could have been. And, well, logic is important. Thanks! I'm really glad you like it. :)

LoneGrayWolf: Thank you! Yes, she will have a crush on Mako at first (honestly it makes sense for her character) but she will eventually get with Bolin. :)

That's all folks! I feel so happy to be getting such a positive response toward this fic. Thank you all so much for your comments!