I finish this chapter with some pride at its believe quality and with joy at the annoyance some of you may feel because of how I lied in the previous closing statement. Those things will be in next chapter. If I had included them here it would have ruined the ending of this one and I would cut out my shrivilled up carcess of a heart before ruining a good scene.

Disclaimer: I do not own Korra or the Avatar franchise now because I have a massive head ache I will some the disclaimer here.


Chapter 7 – Date Night

Mistress Lei was going to kill him when she found out he had bent outside the compound. It was ok though no one was as fast as he was and he was in the outer mountains. Besides he was in the outer mountains, further out even than the compound.

As Nam landed gingerly on a jutting spire of rock he looked back at his home or rather the city his home was built next too. Temple city covered seven mountain top, surrounding the remains of the old Northern Air Temple.

It was an amazing sight, a multi layered construction of bronzed metal housing thousands. Factories could be seen on the upper levels belching smoke into the sky and on the lower levels the fires of dozens of foundries could be seen burning.

Bridges and tram tracks linked the mountains together forming an almost organic looking machine of a city, surrounded as it was by hundreds of airships. Funny they looked like ticks or flies from over here.

Apart from the seven main mountains dozens of other mountains surrounding the main city had small hamlets constructed on them. The city was slowly but surely consuming the entire mountain range.

His own home however he could not see, no one could save for a small mountain opening where supplies could be dropped off. He however was not allowed to return there today, not so long as Avatar Aang was visiting.

"Nam wait up..." called the faint voice Yang chen.


Jerking awake Nam shook himself violently trying to get the dream out of his head. It was not a memory he liked to recall too often, not that that helped in the long run but he could try.

Stretching in his comfortable position on Gigantus' back he toyed with the idea of going back to sleep. But given how much daylight was streaming through the stable opening he had to get moving before A the enormous Bison awoke and rolled over on him again or B Korra came looking for him again.

He sighed rubbing his temple, he laughed bitterly to himself doing so as he considered that he could never get away from the various Temples of his life.

Giving Gigantus a pat on the shoulder in thanks he slipped down of the Bison's massive back and grabbed his new coat off his pathetic stolen staff. The staff was nothing compared to his old one but hey that's the price he had to pay for leaving it at the Compound.

Slipping into the knee length grey coat he marvelled at the workmanship that had gone into it. It was just like his old one only this time he had gone for even brighter bronze buttons and a more flame retardant material.

It had taken him an age to find a good tailor in the city, made even harder by Beifong's Nam hunters on the lookout for him.

Positioning his new goggles around his neck he grabbed the dork staff and walked out on a new day on boring Temple island. Well boring so long as he was avoiding Korra but it was either ignore her or get lectured on his behaviour. In his mind not a real competition of interests.

He shrugged letting the worry float away, he would deal with it when it came. Being around Korra was weird anyway, he didn't like it but he actually like having her around.

Refusing to let confusing thoughts cloud his mind he dashed off towards the kitchens and his usual early morning mission to steal Tenzin's breakfast and newspaper. He also had to prepare for Chens visit tonight.


"Why can't he just get his own breakfast like a normal person?" complained Tenzin as he ate the extra breakfast Pema had made him just in case Nam stole it again, which they all knew he would.

"Oh come on its not like you're missing anything," Pema chided taking baby Rohan's spoon out of his ear where Ikki had put it. Pema had become less irritated my Nam's presence since he replaced all the items in the house he broke in his fight with Tenzin.

How he had the money to pay for them and how he got them to the island was a mystery. Pema much like Korra and everyone else on the island had just come to except a certain lack of sense around Nam-kha.

"My newspaper!" Tenzin pointed out angrily slamming his fist on the extra paper his had borrowed from one of the acolytes, "he stole my morning crossword, for three days now. It's getting ridiculous I mean he's not even using it!"

"What's he doing with it?" asked Bolin who had not yet leant to leave this alone.

Tenzin angrily slammed a piece of paper on the table in front of them all. It was followed by a lot of giggling from Ikki and Melo and a silent snort from Korra herself who had seen it earlier.

The paper showed a tiny cartoon version of Nam (it had goggles and a stupid grin) reading a newspaper. This was the third one he had left for them, the first had shown him eating from a plate labelled Tenzin's breakfast (with a big arrow pointing at it) and the second had shown Nam with a fat belly sleeping on a small stack of newspapers.

The cartoons were funny enough, but for some reason Nam only did them on the crossword section of Tenzin's newspaper. The rest went missing and was never seen again.

None of them had seen Nam for days now, well at least she had not and it was starting to annoy her. Everyone else had caught a glimpse of the lunatic flying around. But he seemed to be actively ignoring her for some reason.

Huffing to herself she put Nam out of her mind, she and Mako were going out today when she went to get him from the hospital. Pema had made them a picnic and they were going to eat it in the park (they had gotten most of the Airship out of the water now).

Bolin had laughed himself horse when she had told him excitedly when they had planned. He had not believed she could have wanted to do something so stereotypically romantic. After punching him she had reminded him that every girl wanted to do something truly romantic every now and again.

After breakfast and after wresting a promise out of Bolin and the kids that they would in no way let Nam where she had gone, she grabbed her picnic basket from Pema and after getting to the mainland drove off at what had to be twice the speed limit raced off to Mako.


The day had been wonderful, riding around parts of the City she had rarely visited an till the sun was low on the horizon. Sitting buy the pond in the park and laughing at the mess Nam had made of the pond.

They lay together under a tree, Korra resting her head on Mako's shoulder as they watched the sun slowly sink lower behind the cityscape. There picnic was left half eaten and forgotten, she just wanted to lie there and enjoy being with him before going back to the craziness that was the island.

"Hey has Beifong mentioned the bombings to you at all?" she asked dreamily not really caring that much at this point.

Mako took a minute to respond, she thought he might have been dozing, "Hmmmm...oh no not much, she thinks it was just some opportunists that were taking advantage of the disarray..."

"That's nice..." she relied yawning loudly.

"Classy," he commented with a small chuckle.

She jabbed him lightly in the ribs, "You left he along with your brother and a mad Airbender, your fault if I pick up bad habits."

She laughed again and the slipped back into silence, she may have dropped off for a minute as the sun seemed to be setting really quickly today.

"Hey about Nam..." Mako started at last but Korra stopped him with a finger to his lips.

"I have to deal with him or hear about him all day every day at the moment," she said softly, "let's just enjoy our time here together ok."

He pulled her finger away looking serious, "I was going to ask if him being around is causing any problems with you know..." he trailed off.

"With what?" she asked worried about what where this was going.

"With your past lives," he said sounding almost embarrassed.

"Oh," Korra said in surprise having expected a far more uncomfortable convocation, "no why?"

He shrugged, "He's a new Airbender, you were once the last of them," he really sounded worried for her, "I just wanted to be sure that it wasn't causing you any pain being around him. I could understand if it did."

"Oh there's pain," she said smiling impishly, "just not for Aang. Nam's just really, really, really annoying." She leaned in and kissed him softly in thanks, "Thank you though, it means a lot to me that you care enough to ask and your right I should ask Aang about Nam, maybe he'll have some ideas how to control him."

"He can't be that bad," Mako said laughing, "I know I was against him at first but from what I heard he's just a joker like Bolin."

She gave him one of her scathing glares, "Did you also hear that he's refused to tell us where the other Airbenders are?" she asked and from his face she could tell he had not.

"What!" he exclaimed angrily, "why would he do that, isn't the whole idea to get them to safety as soon as possible."

"I know right," she agreed her own anger at the Airbender rising again, "and that's not the whole of it!"

"What else is there?"

"He doesn't even want to be part of Tenzin's Air Nomads," said replied more angrily that she intended.

Mako just looked confused at that, "That doesn't make any sense," he observed, "there are barely any Air Nomads out there and he wants to keep them all apart?"

"Hey don't ask me," Korra replied, "I'm just repeating their argument. He won't listen to anyone about it and he's not even been talking to me for the last few days. I just have this horrible feeling he's going suddenly vanish and we'll never see him again."

For some reason that seemed to annoy Mako more than Nam being uncooperative, "Is that really such a bad idea?" he asked out of the blue.

"What?" she asked confused by his comment.

"I just mean you should worry about all the other Airbenders he's hiding and not just this guy!"

She frowned at him, "That's not the point here," she said peevishly, "he's as much a part of the Air Nomads as anyone else. If I'm going to save them I need to save them all!"

"I'm just scared you're getting too personally involved with this problem," he said not meeting her eyes.

Catching onto what he was getting at she gave him a smug smile, "Mako are you jealous of Nam?" she asked mockingly.

"What!" he said incredulously, "Korra that's ridiculous!"

"Well he is handsome I guess," she observed in a semi serious tone.

"Korra..."

"And an amazing bender!"

"Korra listen..."

"And if I'm honest what he did with the Airship was really heroic!"

"Korra..." she cut him off with a kiss, deeper this time.

"I'm with you," she said softly as she broke the kiss, "and that won't change because of Nam or anyone so long as you don't want it to."

They kissed again and continued to lie together as the sun sank fully beneath the towering buildings that marked the horizon. Time meant little when you were with someone to loved, she could have happily stayed there for years an till her cycle ended and the next Avatar took over for her.

Morbid though, but welcome in this moment. Odds are they would take over punching Nam for her.


Back on the island Korra bid Mako good night at the entrance to the men's sleeping quarters. He was back to work tomorrow and needed his rest. Still feeling awake however she decided to have a walk around and try and find Nam again, hopefully she would catch him as he slept this time and he could not get away.

She wondered around aimlessly enjoying the lights of the city at night. She had almost forgotten about Nam when she heard the faint whisper of voices coming from the beach. Sneaking closer much like a few days ago she hid behind a large rocky outcropping and looked out and carefully as she could.

Nam was there as she had guessed and standing with him like the second part of a grey coated set was Yang chen the criminal Airbender. They were standing quiet casually, Nam in his new coat and goggles that she had never seen was sat on one of the small rocks that were buried in the sand. Chen was leaning against her metal glider that she had stuck in the ground.

They seemed to be speaking quiet normally to each other.

"...and no I have not told them where to look," Nam said lazily as if rounding off a small speech.

"Is that going to change?" Chen asked, it was odd hearing her voice quietly and not shouting at her.

"It might if they agree to my conditions," Nam replied pointedly making it clear she could not change her mind.

They were quiet for a moment, Chen seemed a little uncomfortable in his presence. If Korra had to guess she would say that Chen was feeling guilty, though that may be wishful thinking on Korra's part.

"The bombings..."

"I know it's not you," Nam said at once shocking Korra a little, when Chen did not ask why Nam elaborated, "it did not fit in with your plan."

"What do you know about my plans!" Chen retorted angrily.

"Are you saying you did set off the bombs?"

"...no..." she replied looking a little embarrassed.

Korra did not like to take things at face value but from the way Chen responded she could tell she was telling the truth. But that did beg the question of "Who did set off those bombs?"

"Where have you been staying?" Nam asked his voice still sounding bored, none of his usual good humour coming through.

There was a pause, "...I can't tell you," Chen said at last, she sounded like the statement caused her pain.

"You don't trust me." It was not a question, it sounded like a statement.

The sadness on Chen's face almost broke Korra's heart, her enormous feline eyes had a shine to them that made Korra think she was about to cry.

"I just can't tell you," she replied at last her voice shaking a little.

"Is that a yes because I'm going to need a definite answer at some point?" Nam put a bit of his usual cheer into his voice making a Chen laugh weakly. Maybe he was not a clueless as Korra had imagined.

"No!" she said with mock sincerity smiling at Nam and wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

"That's better," he said with a grin before returning to his more serious persona, "So why did you call me here?"

"I just wanted to talk," she said softly her voice more confident now.

Nam laughed at that, shortly and bitterly, "You mean you wanted to make me see reason?" he replied coldly, "Or to tell me to stay out of your way!"

"Nam..." Chen replied weakly but was cut off by Nam.

"No don't Nam me!" he said anger rising in his voice, "I think I've been pretty understanding in this hissy fit you've been throwing here."

"Nam this is for our people!" Chen countered her own voice rising, "you said it your sell years ago. We have to create for ourselves a place in the world just for the Air Nomads. Make ourselves strong so that the genocide could never be repeated!"

"Nearly twenty years of carefully planned secrecy!" Nam yelled furiously moving to stand in front of her so quickly it created a blast of air that forced Korra to look away from them for a second, "Almost twenty years of hiding what I am, what everyone of us is and you destroy that chasing some ridiculous dream of mine you did not even understand!"

"It's not just your dream!" she yelled back equally angry, her tears finally flowing, "Stop treating me like a child or your little sister. I'm not either of those things!" she look away from him trying to hide a small sob she could not stop. She looked back at him tear streaming down her face and cried, "I'm someone that loves you, someone that wants our people to live in the sun and one the air like were meant to. Not in a mountain on the edge of our ancestors gave!"

For once Nam was truly speechless, he was not smiling or cocky. He could not even look Chen in the face it seemed. He stared instead at her staff, running a gloved hand over the dark metal.

Growing inpatient it seemed Chen grabbed her face in both her hands and pulled it down to her level. She kissed him, forcefully but still tenderly. Korra was often clueless in these things but even she could see that it was something Chen had wanted to do for a long time.

A small knot of tension started in the centre of Korra chest. Was she feeling for Chen's situation? Was she jealous? She couldn't be jealous, she had Mako. But all the same she felt a longing for the world these two came from. A world of secrecy and hidden passion, where all they wanted was to be free and have the right to live as they wished.

After almost a minute they broke their kiss, Chen gripping the massive folds of Nam's coat refusing to look up. Nam looked like he was truly in pain, she could not imagine him crying and she knew he would not in front of Chen but...those long grey eyes were shining with a pain Korra could not begin to understand.

"Nam?" she said it like a question.

"You stole me staff," he said so quietly Korra almost felt like leaning in to make sure she caught what he had said, "Just like you would steal us a place in this world."

"Nam!" she said through renewed sobs pressing her head against his chest and shaking with the force of her grief.

Taking her by the shoulders he forced Chen to look into his eyes, "If we want a place in this world, we have to win it. The prize cannot me stolen!" he stroked her cheek affectionately, "We must earn what we want in this world, I wish you could see that..." and he let her go.

Chen stole frozen in place for a long time constantly on the edge of tears and fury. Then without a word to the man she loved, Chen grabbed hers stolen glider and took off into the air.

Within seconds the only record of her having been there at all was a small hole were her glider had been and a half broken Airbender that Korra was finally beginning to understand.

Rising to her feet and clearing her throat to let Nam she was there Korra said firmly, "We have some things we need to talk about!"

Looking over at her with no hint of a smile or grin on his face, Nam replied simply, "Ye I think we do..."


For those of you ready to strangle me for finishing up there do not dispair. I will be working on the next part soon as it was ment to be part of this chapter, it will also be a shorter chapter as will only cover a big Korra-Nam scene that is in my opinion the central scene of this whole story. Or is is if you combine it with the Nam-Chen scene you just read or I hope you just read. If your reading this before the story then shame on you and you are now banned from reading further or you would be if I could stop you or even knew if you had.

Anyway please review and enjoy the rest of the story as and when i write it.

Next Time: Korra confronts Nam on his actions and on his past and how its effecting his present. But will this open a dam on her own feeling as well?