"You chickenshit!" Opal laughed. Korra hung her head. "Aww, is Korra all shy now? All embarrassed? You're the motherfucking..." She scanned around the nearly empty lobby and dropped her voice just in case, "Avatar, and you can't even kiss a girl? That's weak. That's really weak."
"Bo, back me up here?"
Bolin shook his head.
"Sorry Kor. I'm sticking with the 'chickenshit'. You like her, she likes you. Quit dancing round and just do something already!"
Korra huffed.
"You guys suck, you know that?"
"Oh, very much so." Bolin replied cheerfully.

Damn Tenzin. Damn Lin. Damn Mako. The mantra repeated inside Korra's head as she vented her frustration on the heavy bag. Their words of warning were beginning to stick and Korra hated it. Asami was a good person, Korra knew it. So why do I get this niggle now? Why do I have doubts now?

What if I'm wrong?

Korra's hand caught the bag wrong and she swore. There was a noise of sympathy from behind her and she turned, finding Asami stood in the gym door.
"I tried to say something but you were on a different planet," Asami apologised, approaching. "And after you threw me for saying hi the other day I didn't fancy my chances if I got in range."
Korra couldn't really argue with that. Asami took Korra's bad hand, pulling off the glove. The hand beneath was still in less than top condition but the raw skin hadn't split again. For a bizarre second Korra wondered if Asami was about to kiss it better.
"Are you even supposed to be hitting things yet?" Asami asked, taking in the old bruises and ugly scabbing. That was the problem with visible injuries; Kya couldn't heal them away without risking raising awkward questions.
"Short answer, no," Korra replied. "Long answer, definitely not."
Asami released Korra's hand.
"Just had to hit something?"
Korra shrugged, pulling off her other glove, turning to gather her stuff.

"Are you ok?" Asami asked and Korra paused. "It's just...since that...since you came up to mine. You've been a bit..."
"I've just got a lot on my mind, Asami." Korra said shortly. "I haven't meant to be 'a bit' anything."
"Anything I can help with?"
The offer sounded completely sincere. Korra was glad Asami couldn't see her face.
"Sorry, but no. This is just something I have to sort out for myself."
Asami seemed to accept that.
"Will sorting that out stop you coming to lunch? Only Opal's buying, sent me to find you."
Korra looked at the hopeful expression and tried to formulate a more gentle but very definite refusal.
"Of course not." Was what her mouth said. "Give me ten to shower though, otherwise I'll stink the place right out."

Korra headbutted the wall of the shower cubicle.
"Chickenshit," she muttered to herself.

Opal's grin could only be described as "shit-eating". It didn't fade as much as a glimmer the entire meal, even in the face of Korra's dirty looks. It felt stupid. It felt ridiculous. She knew Asami, didn't she? But the last time Tenzin had warned her and she'd ignored him she'd ended up having to murder her uncle and nearly doomed the world to ten thousand years of darkness. After going through something like that Korra was rather more inclined to heed his warnings, no matter how cryptic. Why did he even have to say anything? Couldn't I have just had this? Would that have really been so bad...Korra jolted back into reality, nearly dropping the cup of tea she'd been holding off the table for the last few minutes.
"I...sorry, what?"
Opal gave her a pointed look.
"Asami was just saying about how she's got some boring corporate schmoozefest coming up that her dad's insisting on her going to."
"Ok?"
If Opal's stare got any more intense her eyes were in danger of falling out of their sockets. Korra felt something more was expected of her. "uh...that's nice?"
Opal put her head in her hands.

"That was the perfect opportunity!" Opal complained afterwards, when Asami had left. Korra didn't have the energy to argue this time. Bolin nudged Opal and she finally let the matter drop with a quizzical look at the slump of Korra's shoulders.

Bolin caught Korra by the shoulder as she made to duck away from the couple's usually over-affectionate goodbyes.
"Are you going to tell me?"
"It's just stuff, Bo." Korra tried. Bolin didn't look convinced.
"You know it doesn't have to be a potential apocalypse for me to help you, right? I mean, I know we've done more than our fair of that stuff, apocalypses are our speciality, but we're still friends when the world isn't ending." He paused. "Also if the world is in peril I'd like a heads up so I don't have to do my essay."
"I know. Really. It's just stuff." Korra insisted. "No potential doom. No giant evil kites. Just...stuff." Bolin still didn't look convinced. He pulled her into a hug that Korra tried not to seem too grateful for.
"I'm always around for stuff, ok?"

The announcement in the afternoon's lectures did nothing to raise her mood. She'd known it was coming, at least in theory. It had been looming on the horizon like a storm, one more lump of 'stuff' to worry about, but the actual date had fallen fresh out of her mind. Stupid. Careless. Or maybe there were just too many days to remember now. The Scourging of the South. The New Dawn. Harmonic Convergence. So many days steeped in bad memories, and half of them weren't even her memories. Sometimes reincarnation really sucked.

Maybe I should get out of the city for a while, Korra mused as she brushed Naga down that evening. Go home. See mum and dad, see real snow again. Just...get some distance. Some perspective. Huh, listen to me. Actually thinking things through. Tenzin would be so proud. Well, he would be if he didn't work out that I was doing it to dodge this stupid bullshit enforced trip. If I didn't just want to get out of this whole stinking city before they start the bloody commemorations properly.

Korra went for a wander. Her head was too full to stay still but she'd promised she'd be at dinner that evening so a trip down to the sea cave wasn't on the cards. The island was currently free from tourists which made things somewhat more bearable. There was nothing more annoying than some snap-happy moron clicking away when she was just trying to have a moment to herself. It wasn't even like she dressed like a monk so she'd never quite understood why they bothered taking pictures of what was clearly just a surly student. Of course, if they'd known exactly who and what they were taking photos of she might just have understood it.

She saw the little knot of four White Lotus guards in their formal robes, the cluster breaking up as she approached. The tall woman that passed her gave her a brusque nod and hurried off to do whatever it was that they insisted on doing all day that made them think she owed them something. It wasn't even as if she wanted them buzzing about her all day like big blue flies. Or that Tenzin wanted them on the island. They drew attention even with their cover story; 'Guardians of the World's heritage' her second left buttock, which was precisely what the monks as a whole and Korra in particular didn't want. Unfortunately it was easier to bend platinum than to convince a Grand Lotus of anything that a Grand Lotus did not wish to believe. Korra was pretty sure she'd get Firelord Izumi to do the can-can on the head of the restored statue of Aang before she convinced the White Lotus to fade back into the shadows. At least Xai Bau was off the island now. That guy had always given her the creeps, staring at her like a wolf eyes an unguarded lamb. And if she had to hear one more bloody sermon about Guru Laghima she was going to scream. She'd rather hear Tenzin drone on and on about that guy who never ate again.

It would not have been unfair to see that there was no love lost between the White Lotus and the one they allegedly protected. Sixteen years of bad blood took a long time to wash out and neither Korra nor the Lotus were prepared to put any time into the metaphorical scrubbing.

"Wakey wakey!" came an obnoxiously cheery voice. Korra groaned and pulled the blanket over her head on principle. It didn't matter how glad she was to be free of the dream. "Aw, don't be like that! It's a lovely sunny day!"
Korra saw the world brighten even through her closed lids as the curtains were pulled back. She wriggled more under the covers. "That's not going to work!" the singsong voice informed her, tugging at them. It was a wonderfully pathetic tug of war. Korra felt one arm get uncovered and flailed blindly. There was a rush of wind and a thump as the morning monster was blown into the opposite wall. Korra sat up guiltily as Opal managed to get back to her feet.
"Well I guess that worked." She observed, turning Korra's desk right side up once more. There was no saving the crockery that had been on it though. "C'mon. We're going to be late."
Korra flopped back onto the mattress.

They were late. The three of them pulled up to the car park, watching the minibuses load up. Three buses. Twenty four to a bus, driver included. Seventy five people. It didn't take a genius to do the maths, which was confirmed by Korra's least favourite GTA. Asami waved at Korra from one of the driving seats, beckoning towards her bus, but it was already fully booked.
"Sorry, Ope." Korra said, not sorry at all. "Looks like you're driving. We'll..." Korra looked at Bolin. "I'll pay the petrol. My fault, after all."
Opal waved it away.
"Next round's on you though."

It was definitely better driving in Opal's spacious and stink-free car than the minibuses. They took Bato Bridge over the lake at ten miles over the speed limit with the windows down and the volume high, catching up to the mini convoy of minibuses. The argument over seats had taken a little while to sort out, with Korra eventually being banished to the backseat for her sins, leaving Bolin in charge of the music. Opal had threatened to switch Bolin and Korra after sixty seconds for his choice of radio station. For all they were diligently pretending otherwise this should have been a sombre occasion, and so the journey should not have begun to a deafening chorus of "Itsy-Bitsy, Teenie-Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini".

It didn't take them long to catch up, even after they'd sorted the music out. As they passed the lead bus Opal slowed down for a moment, enough for Asami to notice them in the act of overtaking. The heiress tried to coax a little more speed out of the battered old bus but to no avail. Opal slid on past with a cheery wave and an answering honk of the horn.

"This is really going to suck." Korra announced, still sat in the back seat with her legs now dangling out the open door. The other two had to agree, and it had nothing to do with the way the sky was beginning to go grey, rainclouds rolling in. They looked from the square of asphalt that made up the car park to the little monument a short way off.
"It should be bigger," Bolin said, and this time only Opal nodded. "Kor? You don't think so?"
"Shouldn't need a monument." Korra said, a little distantly. "Shouldn't have to stick a dirty great slab up and say 'here's where the massacre happened'. People shouldn't need reminders to remember stuff like that, you know?" she shook herself. "And what do you want to bet that wanker tries to downplay it?" Pre-emptive anger was better than introspection. Or at least it felt better. "How'd we end up with the fucking sympathiser taking our seminar? Hell, this isn't even our damn seminar and he's still fucking here!"
"Not here yet," Opal said, in the voice of someone determined to find some kind of silver lining. It wasn't much of one. Korra just shrugged. They could see the minibuses in the distance. "Bo..." her voice softened. "Do you want to do anything? Y'know, before everyone gets here?"
Bolin shook his head. Opal's gaze flickered ever so slightly to Korra, but the Avatar just shrugged and stuck her hands in her pockets. Opal had a sneaky suspicion she knew exactly what Korra was thinking and was fighting the urge to slap her for being an idiot, but Bolin was looking like an abandoned puppy and the others would be there soon. Probably best not to be seen slapping someone across the face at a memorial. People could misinterpret it. She took Bolin's hand instead and squeezed it.

It did not escape Opal's notice that somehow Korra and Asami ended up standing beside one another. And while Korra's hands were still firmly in her pockets there was a definite bumping of elbows that Opal definitely wasn't reading too much into. She certainly wasn't over analysing that sympathetic glance Asami gave a totally oblivious Korra. Opal was mentally begging for Asami to just put an arm round her when she felt Bolin jolt beside her. Korra too had stiffened. Apparently Korra's instincts regarding the GTA were as good as ever and Opal had been too busy trying to mind-bend Asami to hear what crap he'd said this time. She looked back towards the monument a little guiltily as the silence descended and Bolin's hand tightened round hers just a fraction. They'd never had this in Zaofu. How could they? It was the only place in the world where benders were the majority.

Some of the group moved forward, a slow shuffle to the memorial. Most stood back in respectful silence. Bolin detached himself from Opal, taking his turn to place two small stones at the foot of the monument. He'd polished them to the point of gleaming but otherwise there was nothing particularly special about them. Just two small stones, one a dull red, one a dark green.

They were in no rush. The minibuses were already pulling away before Bolin turned away from the monument. Korra didn't fight for the front this time. They sat in the silent car as it began to spit, tiny raindrops spotting across the windscreen.
"I think I need a beer." Bolin said at last. Nobody objected. Opal started the car.

Korra rested her head against the windowpane, not quite trying to doze off but not putting any energy into staying awake either. In truth the day had not been quite as horrible as she'd feared, even with the bile coming out of that prat's mouth. Opal hit a bump as they neared the centre of the bridge and Korra's head cracked painfully against the window. She sat up, rubbing her head.
"Nice driving."
"Blame Raiko," Opal said dismissively. "Not my fault the roads are shit."
"Whatever. Honestly, how can you 'be the leaf'" Korra intoned, complete with hand motions, "With your lead foot and shitty reflexes?"
"Big talk from the girl with no licence."
"Yeah, well..." Korra didn't get to finish her sentence. She didn't get to finish her sentence because ahead one of the minibuses had lurched without warning towards the crash barrier, slamming into it sixty miles an hour and ripping through, the crumpled bonnet sticking out over the drop. Opal barely managed to hit the brakes in time, veering off, nearly taking out a white van on the other side of the road. The second minibus wasn't so fast. It hit the first head on. And the first bus went over the edge.

Korra was out of the car before it had stopped, skidding to a halt at the broken barriers. The white roof of the minibus was visible, rapidly sinking into the lake below. She looked back, seeing Bolin and Opal running towards her, saw the other drivers begin to emerge from their cars. She saw the second minibus driver, staggering out with his bloody nose. Saw the third, the GTA. Saw who wasn't there.
"Korra!"
The yell came too late. She'd already dived.

See what I end up doing without reviews? Nah, I'm kidding, that was always the plan. They certainly don't hurt though! C'mon, I need some feedback here! It's very unnerving to throw something like this out there only to be met with a wall of silence. I'm encouraged by the people favouriting/following but there is something very surreal about basically reading a story to a growing but silent auditorium.