A Legend of Korra Fanfic
By Sakura Martinez (aka SMTsukishiro)


Summary:

A promising engineering student. A mysterious woman capable of controlling the four elements. When their paths cross, the resulting collision not only changes their lives and themselves, but the fate of the entire world as well. [Korrasami AU]


Author's Notes:

Okay, first up a bit of a "fun fact" about this chapter. I wrote this a few weeks ago. A fraction of it was written while I (and my team from work) was stranded on an island during a typhoon. It was kind of traumatizing (especially the boat ride back, what with the massive waves and all), but I had this chapter to busy myself with and kept me sane during our prolonged stay on that island. Heh, not-so-good times.

Anyways, enjoy reading this chapter. If you guys are up for some more trivia about a couple of things included in this chapter, feel free to read the notes at the bottom.

Dream on; Fly on! :)


The Legend of Korra:

The Schism

Chapter 55: The Ball


She looked at the mirror and her brows knitted together even further. Her eyes had both fear and anger in them—emotions, more often than not, always found side-by-side.

She hadn't slept much. Questions swirled in her mind, unceasing. Her eyes had sunken more than it had before. Her exhaustion was bone deep.

Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the edge of the sink. Her eyes trained on the bandages wrapped around her right arm. It was tight and secure, and she planned to keep it that way.

Suddenly, there was a knock on her door—the door to her room. It was quiet, during the first few raps. As though the person outside was hesitating.

She ground her teeth, certain it was another one of those servants who had come to pester her. She didn't have time for them. She didn't want to entertain them.

But then the knocking became louder and incessant. The person outside was not going to be deterred, it would seem. Which was new. So far, the servants who had come knocking had stopped trying after a few taps on her door.

The desire to simply ignore whomever it was was strong. And that had been the course of action she had chosen, until the knocks were finally accompanied by a voice. A very familiar voice from the one person she both wanted to see and wanted to hide from.

"Korra?"

Asami, she wanted to curse.

"I know you are in there," Asami went on. "And I know you're awake. One of the servant girls told me."

Korra did curse then, letting out a mumbled stream of profanities using a dead language...which she knew was pretty sacrilegious but was too wound up to care.

"Come on, open up. There is something important I need to discuss with you."

"There is something important I also need to speak to you about," was what Korra knew she needed to say. She had something dire she knew she had to share. But she couldn't bring herself to say the words.

Coward. The sensible part of her mind screamed, and so she tampered that voice out.

"I am not in the mood, Asami." She said, instead. Loud enough for her voice to carry over from the bathroom she had been in for the past hour or so. "Can it not wait?"

...Until I have figured some things out? The Avatar wanted to add.

"Not unless you want to put a hold on your duties as the Avatar," There was a pause before Asami's voice began to have a hint of irritation in them as she said, "Can you please just open this damn door and let us continue this conversation inside your room? People are starting to stare at me."

Avatar Korra wanted to tell Asami that it could wait. But telling her that would only warn the human that something was wrong. She would worry. She would ask questions. And the Nia Bayou native couldn't bear questions be thrown at her. Not when she herself needed some answers.

"Very well," Korra huffed, leaving her sanctuary for the past hour to unlock her room and welcome the girl in.

"Finally!" The Prodigy let out a sigh of relief as she quickly went inside. "I really don't like it when people stare."

There were many things Korra wanted to say to that. Like how impossible it was not to stare at her. That it would be akin to ignoring the grandiose tip of the Hollow Mount as it is basked in the incandescent glow of sunset and bring to life the spectacular and magical lights of the Aurora Borealis. Or like turning a blind eye to the snaking wonder that is Nia Bayou's lambent Uvlugiak River that shows its majestic wonder at night reflecting the beautiful stars on its calm surface.

But Korra couldn't say those things. Voicing those out would require that she not only explain those places, but that she would elucidate why she would liken those things to the act of staring at Asami Sato. Just thinking of how she would get her thoughts across had already made the young Avatar sweaty and panicky inside; her heart beating as though she had just run a whole marathon. Maybe even two.

She gulped, pushed those things as far back as she could, and instead decided to make use of the only kind of verbal skill she had to fend things off and pretend everything was, as humans would like to say, "hunky dory".

Her chosen reply to Asami's statement was, "Then, perhaps, you should not have caused a ruckus outside of my room."

The taller girl breezed past the Avatar. She took several steps into the room, before she turned to face Korra with an expression that was not at all regaled by the latter's statement.

"And whose fault is that, Avatar Korra?" she asked.

Korra shrugged. Something told her not to keep sassing the other girl. She could feel Asami's eyes searching, looking at her as if gauging what was wrong; trying to figure out why she had locked herself up in her room.

Asami's eyes landed on the bandage rolled around Korra's shoulder. She frowned, but before Asami could question the need for it when she had used the Spirit Water and had seen the Avatar's wounds healing before her eyes, Korra immediately asked, "What was it you wanted to speak to me about? That important thing you mentioned? More importantly, how are you?", as she walked back to the center of the room where the sofa set was and plopped down on it.

"I'm fine. I just needed a little bit of rest." The Prodigy scrutinized her for a couple of seconds more before she joined Korra on the sofa and handed her an envelope, sealed with wax embedded with the Fire Nation's crest in response to her question.

Korra took the envelope, looked at it, then at Asami. She blinked in confusion. "What...is this?"

Asami blew a puff of air, eyes focused on the ceiling as she replied. "It's an invitation to a ball."

"A...ball?" The Avatar asked as she turned the envelope around. "That bouncing thing used by human children in games?"

"Not that ball," she shook her head as she chuckled. "A ball is...a party."

It was Korra's turn to shake her head as she handed the envelope back. "I still do not know what that means."

For a moment, Asami forgot what she was to say. "You have no idea what a party is?"

Undignified as it was for an Avatar to do so—though it wasn't the first time that she did—Korra crossed her arms and pouted as she looked away from the girl beside her and muttered under her breath, "I wouldn't have asked if I did."

"You don't have to pout. I just thought that was something you would have an idea of."

"Why?"

Asami, as always when it came to explaining things that was so normal to other people, found it hard to give Korra a sense of what it was she was talking about. But she tried, digging into the most textbook description of a term alien to the shorter girl.

"Well, a party is a social event where entertainment, foods, and drinks are provided. It's usually done to celebrate something." The young heiress felt like a dictionary reciting these things to the Avatar, but it was better than saying something that might offend Korra.

The chocolate-haired girl absorbed the explanation in, hands underneath her chin as she did so. After a while, her eyes sparkled as though she had managed to put two pieces of a difficult puzzle together.

"A revelry, I see."

It was such an old way of saying it, but Asami was glad Korra understood what it was.

If she knows what it is now, maybe getting her to come to this party with us will be easier than I thought, Asami mused.

But that line of thinking shattered when she saw Korra's expression changed, darkening upon remembrance of something Asami knew not of. The darker skinned girl then glared at the envelope in the other girl's night hand, as if it offended her.

"This...this ball, this party," Korra spit the word 'party' out as if it was poison, standing up as she spoke. "I will not attend it. And I forbid you from going as well!"

"You...forbid me?" Asami scoffed, both wondering what it was that had made Korra change her demeanor and why she thought she could forbid her from doing anything. Again. "Are we really going back to you ordering me around, Avatar Korra?"

The Avatar glared at the Prodigy, which the latter returned with a glare of her own. Having met with such defiance, Korra's brow dipped further.

Korra let out a teed off sigh, running a hand over her face. It sat on her eyes, hiding the sapphire orbs from view but not the emotions of the shorter girl which seemed to be all over the place.

"Why must you always be so...so...complicatingly vexing!" The words came out as a hiss, barely audible. It was like one of those things the subject of those words wasn't meant to hear, but the speaker was unaware of having spoken it out loud. It was the reason why—despite having a retort ready at the tip of her tongue—Asami kept silent, letting herself mull over Korra's choice of words and wondering how she could possibly be complicated to the deity-turned-human.

The hand that had stayed shortly on her eyes then traveled to her mouth, allowing Asami a good look on them. The Avatar's brows were still furrowed, but her eyes now lacked the intensity of the angered expression on them.

The words that came next were muffled by her hand placed over her own mouth, but clear enough to be understood.

"I didn't mean it like that," Korra said. "I simply do not wish to attend such a gathering and I insist—vehemently so—that you keep yourself scarce of it. Because if you force me to go to this party—" Again, Korra's tone changed as she spit the word out. "—you will be making my life extremely and painfully difficult. You be making it hard for me to keep my promise, tempting me to just let go of it."

Korra's words did not help ease the perplexity she felt. Asami knew there were some who didn't enjoy socializing; who would rather lock themselves inside their room than be cajoled into meeting and mingling with people. Opal was like that (she had learned of an occasion where her best friend had tried to lock herself up just to not attend a gala). But even Opal wouldn't go so far as telling her that being asked—or, in Korra's mind, 'forced' (despite the fact she hadn't even started to sell the idea of going to the party just yet)—to go to such a gathering was painful.

Having been silent for quite a while as Asami tried to process what Korra had just said, made the shorter girl think that the other was trying to come up with ways to get her to change her mind.

It was that mindset that had Avatar Korra mumbling and complaining, "What's the point of telling me not to kill or harm anyone when you're just going to go and drag me to go watch someone be used as a sacrificial lamb in my honor?"

Asami blinked. Then blinked again, wondering if she had, indeed, heard what Korra had said correctly. When that didn't work, she had the Avatar clarify what she had just said, asking, "What? What are you talking about?"

An eyebrow curved upwards as Korra replied, "This party, it's being thrown because of us, is it not?"

"Yes...?" The answer came out slowly, tentatively, and with a lilt that made it sound like Asami was unsure. "What does that have to do with sacrificial lambs and...?" She trailed off as she put to and two together, understanding—from Korra' perspective—why the shorter girl was one step away from restraining her to keep her from going to this event. "Oh."

Korra, not really following Asami's thought process, did not know what to make of her eyes growing as wide as saucers. Or why she suddenly looked pale-faced.

Neither was she certain why Asami had uttered her name after that with such a hint of sadness and why the taller girl had stood up and flung her arms around her, and enveloping her in a hug she was much too surprised to reciprocate.

"What...is it for?" Korra asked after Asami kept telling her she was sorry. "I think I have failed to comprehend the flow of this exchange."

"I'm so sorry," the Prodigy repeated. "I didn't know. Those people..."

Korra turned to look away, her head the only part of her body she was able—and willing—to move. Her next words were filled with an emotion she never thought she, as the Avatar, would feel: shame.

"I didn't feel anything for them whenever it happened. I never even asked for it to be done." She said. It felt like she was shifting the blame, but the blame kept being thrown back at her. She felt...complicit. "It didn't happen often, but when it did it was during the worst of my people's lives. 'To appease the Avatar!' Some of them would say," she chuckled bitterly. "I didn't feel appeased, though. Like I have said, I felt nothing. I don't even think it did anything."

A memory resurfaced. Though Korra kept it to herself. It was during one of the revelries held in her honor. Like many of the ones before, the Head Chieftain was gone and lower-ranked Water Tribesman was the one given charge of Nia Bayou.

A plague had set in the hidden village, it had killed dozens she had heard Kai say. Thinking back, she supposed that was the reason why the Head Chieftain was gone. Perhaps he had gone out to search for a cure. Korra didn't really know. She rarely paid attention to the people who had worshiped her like a god. She had been too focused on the spiritual aspects of her duty as the Avatar to bother with them, after all. How the people didn't just forsake her and turn to some other deity, she was not certain...and it was something best left to ponder about some other time.

As it went, the one left in-charge (Korra had forgotten his name) had set up the whole event. Kai had informed her, after the fact, that that man was also the one who chose the sacrifice—a child, no more than several moons old. She wasn't even certain of the child's gender. It was after the sacrifice has been offered—with Korra, younger as she was then, summoned and made to sit at the chair of highest honor to watch—when the Head Chieftain returned.

The embers from the large sacrificial pyre had yet to be extinguished. The smell of the burnt offering still permeated the air. The strangled cries of the woman who had nursed the child still rang through the open space. But above all that, the one thing that super-imposed itself on Korra's remembrance was the fury the Head Chieftain had let out.

He was so angry at the man he had left in-charge. It was so strange for the Avatar then. She couldn't grasp why the Head Chieftain was so upset or why he had the man thrown into prison, stripped of his rank. Or why the Head Chieftain had looked sadly at her—a look that seemed to be a mixture of pity and regret; a look that had gotten her so angry that she had willed the sacrificial pyre to roar back into life from its dying embers.

She didn't understood things back then, but she did now. Still, it was one thing she could never share with Asami. A story she could never bring herself to air out.

"It wasn't your fault," Asami had eased up on her embrace to get a better look at Korra.

"Isn't it, though?"

"You said you didn't ask for it."

"I didn't," Korra nodded, then looked at her. "But if I had cared enough about the value of life, then, I would have spoken up on the absurdity of it all and not have to rely on others to do it. I may not have been the one who dragged people away to be sacrificed; I may not have been the one who ended their lives...I may not have done it, but I didn't try to stop what was being done. I just watched. I am not proud of that. Not one bit. And I am not even certain why I am sharing this with you. But if this will dissuade you from going to that party, then..then I..."

Seeing as Korra was starting to lose control, and worried at what the implications would be—if she would start going all Avatar on her again—Asami quickly placed a hand on her cheek, hoping that the contact would snap her out of it; that it would calm her down and get her to focus on something else other than the memory she was stuck in.

It seemed to work as Korra stopped talking, her words trailing off. It gave Asami an opening to speak and to ease the Avatar's worries.

"It's okay, Korra. It's okay." She said. "I get it. Parties? Where you and Kai are from? They are not fun celebrations. But things are different here. No one is going to get offered up as some sacrifice to try to conciliate you. This invitation is just to some honest-to-goodness celebration, I guess to get everyone on friendlier terms."

"Are you sure of that?" Korra didn't sound convinced. "I have never heard of such a thing."

"To be fair, Korra, you haven't heard of a lot of things." Asami smiled, hoping a little lighthearted jest would life the other girl's spirits up. "I, on the other hand, have some experience to these things and I have fared well with them. It will be fine. There's a buffet, music and dancing...You might even enjoy yourself this time around. Maybe you and Kai can even share to the people of Nia Bayou the proper way of throwing a party when you return."

"You want to go." It wasn't a question. Korra could see how Asami's eyes sparkled as she talked about her version of a party; she could hear the longing for it. Seeing her come to life as she spoke of it, explaining things to Korra, the Avatar couldn't help but be entranced.

"It's not a matter of wanting to." The young inventor replied, going somber once more. She dropped her hand from caressing Korra's face as she walked to the small living space's table where she dropped the invitation. "We need to have our presence felt here. We have to mingle with them and get them to see that we—well, you, most of all—are no threat. And above all else, we need them to help us."

Korra didn't say anything. She just carefully watched Asami, feeling as though there was still something else. But when Asami just looked quizzically back at her, the Avatar began to question whether her intuition was right, or if what she had felt was something only she perceived.

Such self-questioning only intensified when the taller girl chuckled awkwardly and asked, "What?"

Korra quickly shook her head, responding with "I was just thinking," before she focused her attention at the door, acting as though it was the most interesting thing in her room. Asami, for her part, left her to her ponderings. She too had thoughts of her own.

Shortly thereafter, Korra voiced one of her concerns, "Will my presence really be necessary?"

"Well, it is true that a lot of people—especially those who knew what had happened with the Fire Nation's Coast Guards, and about last night, would be unhappy and frightened about seeing you—"

"That does not instill one with confidence to hear."

"—And it's impossible to believe none would try to harm you or call people to arms against you. Maybe even against those of us who are friends of yours—"

"If this is your way of encouraging me to attend and letting all of you go to this celebration, you are doing a pretty awful job of it, Miss Sato." Korra cut her off once more, sounding amused.

Undeterred by the Avatar's teasing remark, Asami capped off her short exposition, saying (as innocent-sounding as possible), "And since all three of us—Opal, Kai, and myself—have agreed to attend the party for the sake of obtaining the help that we need, wouldn't it cause you less anxiety to come with us?"

Korra looked at Asami with squinted eyes and a frown. "I cannot believe you would be willing to throw that argument at me." She crossed her arms, "Using my concern like that...this is unbelievable. It's quite manipulative of you."

To be fair, the heiress hadn't really planned on doing so. She hadn't even thought about it until after the sentence formulated itself in her mouth. When she had actually voiced those words aloud, Asami however, felt that it was a good as argument as any—and a quicker way to get Korra to agree to join them.

Of course, it wasn't just the idea of having the Avatar along as a deterrent for any danger that had Asami desire her presence, she also genuinely believed that letting those who had seen what the Avatar was capable of doing with her powers witness her mingling among them—being normal—would help their cause. They needed to show that Korra was not the monster they initially pictured them to be, and neither was she something completely different from them. They needed to show that despite what she has done and what she could do, Avatar Korra was still just Korra.

Beyond that, Asami also wanted to change the other woman's perception of a party. She wanted Korra to catch a glimpse and to experience a taste of something nicer while she was outside the land she calls home.

"I am merely presenting facts as I see them, Korra," Asami shrugged, nonchalantly, as she crossed her legs. She didn't want to look pleased, but she was.

"And you think those are actual facts?" There was a challenging tone in Korra's voice as she asked.

In reply, the Prodigy threw Korra a question of her own using the same tone of voice. "Do you deny it?"

If that question had been asked to her months ago, Korra would have confidently denied she felt any sort of worry or feared for her companions' safety. She would have even burnt, maimed, or even blasted the insolent person who would question her or assume such things of her. Now, however, despite the annoyance that her perturbation of them was being used against her, Korra could only blow a frustrated breath as she rejoined the human on the sofa, sitting next to her.

"I'll take that as acquiesce." There was a combination of smugness and giddiness to Asami's words that had Korra huffing once more. "Don't worry, though. I promise you will have fun in our kind of party."

"You're fortunate that I am fond of you," Korra grunted. "Had that not been the case, I can assure you I would have wiped that overweening look completely off your face."


He watched as preparations were made in the ballroom. Dozens of maids and servants rushed about to complete their tasks in the short amount of time they had been given. Though there were those who were responsible for overseeing that everything went smoothly and were in order and though he trusts that they would, Lord Zuko still found himself loitering in the one of the upper balconies surrounding the room.

His mind had already been set. It would go against what his friends would have wanted, but he found the need to do it. Things have progressed in a different direction and in a much different phase that they had all anticipated. Complications had arisen—the proof of which was in the small, rumpled note he had been playing with in his hands.

"I find it counter-productive, this roundabout way you have decided to do things, Lord Zuko." Her voice reached him before she made her presence known. "Nothing will change, they will still know about the troubles in Republic City. And they will be much closer to it all the same."

"Perhaps," He didn't bother to look at her. It wasn't out of discourtesy, but even know he found it difficult to gaze at her. Though they did not share the same blood that flowed in their veins, Zuko had viewed her as a child of his own. And, after what had happened...well, there were just some things that were still raw and painful to acknowledge. She was among those. "But it will be better than throwing them into the lions' den."

"Yet, who's to say you aren't simply throwing them down a dragon's maw, my lord?" She retorted.

It was only then that Lord Zuko chanced a glance at the woman beside him. Her manner of speaking pushed his reservations away. And yet, he needn't have worried about catching her visage, for it was hidden beneath the shadows of the many curtains of the yet-to-be-fully-illuminated elevated space. All he could see of her face was the bright, vert (almost chartreuse-colored) eyes that were staring, unflinchingly, at him.

It was hard not to understood the reason behind the look was all about.

"You are...upset," As far as observations go, he was on-point. It was unappreciated by the woman, however. "That is quite understandable."

She rolled her eyes at him. "You were reckless. You almost undid everything we have done."

"How so?" He asked, genuinely confused. "I believe I have pushed things nicely along, after all, Korra has been introduced to the Avatar's Chosen. She has done wonderfully in unlocking the seal on my kingdom, and everything else that comes along with such success. I thought you, of all people, would be pleased about this development. After all, you knew this was going to happen."

Her eyes dimmed as she frowned. Movement followed, which Zuko could only assume was the woman crossing her arms over her chest. "I didn't know things will turn out the way it did. I can't foresee the future, Lord Zuko."

"But you led them here. Guided them." The old Fire Lord pointed out. "Even know, you are watching over them. Surely, you had an inkling this was how it was going to turn out."

She shook her head. "There are some things—like how it is with you and the others—that I had deduced would happen. Others, I only hoped. Asami's role—how important it is—was not among them. It was simply my desire to see them to safety, and as you have said, to guide them...whenever I can."

"I see..." There was silence then. After a while, Zuko admitted, "I had thought it was arranged as thus. Some sort of 'poetic outcome' after..." He shook his head. "Fate certainly has a strange way of doing things."

"It does," she agreed. Changing the flow of the conversation back to where it was before it could take an unwanted detour, she said, "You are sending them in a dangerous territory, unarmed and unawares."

"They will not be without help," he countered. Even he had thought of the dangers Korra and her group may face.

The green-eyed woman scoffed. "You are sending them to a land of political intrigue with a troubled woman and a young man whose eyes are too focused on the clouds."

Lord Zuko couldn't help but laugh at how she described them. It was quite on point, though she didn't do them much justice. "There are more to them that meets the eye, my dear. They both have...the gift. Not only that, I am not sending them off completely blind, I am sending them directly to the Bei Fongs, despite how Miss Opal may feel about that."

That placated the woman, somewhat, but not completely. She knew, as Zuko, did that sending Korra and her group to the Bei Fong clan did not ensure that their mission would be much easier than it had been in searching for the Elemental Core of Fire. It may seem like a straightforward shot. The Bei Fongs were responsible for the Elemental Core of Earth, after all. But darkness had been stirring awake. Nay, it had awoken. And it had been doing everything it could to derail everything Avatar Aang did, all the plans the heroes of old had put in place.

Sensing her inner turmoil, Lord Zuko tried to calm her down, sharing the words his old friend once shared with him: "Don't worry." he said. "I'm certain everything will work out."

She could only hope that they do...and that what Zuko had intended for this party would not bite them all in the rear in the future.


It wasn't a large gathering, not by any stretch. She and her father had merely chosen those of importance—the lords and the ladies of houses, the members of the Royal Regiment, and those that had witnessed the power of the Avatar and had seen the pillar of light burst forth—only numbering in the hundreds.

Despite being told the reasoning behind such gathering, Fire Lord Izumi still didn't agree that this was the best way to go about doing things. She still had her reservations even as the first of their guests arrived and the ballroom slowly began to fill with people.

And yet, she knew so little about the Avatar or her role in things. That was her father's forte. And that was the reason why she let him be.

The ruler of the Fire Nation took a deep breath, then exhaled. It would do her no good to keep stressing about things that were beyond her control. This was a party meant to bolster everyone's mood, lift their spirits up, and bring people together (or so her father had said), and she intended to make use of this moment to indulge herself.

In wine. Plenty of it.

Glancing beside her, she couldn't help but think about doubling the amount of alcohol she would ingest. "Must you be brooding even here, Iroh?"

In response, the crowned prince crossed his arms in defiance and said, wretchedly, "I am not brooding."

Had they been in the privacy of their own, she would have snorted. Everything about her son at that moment had been the very definition of 'brooding'. Many had already seen his somberness and the way he dejectedly sat on his seat of honor, swirling the wine in his wine glass, as he watched the lords and the ladies mingling about, exchanging pleasantries.

She wished he would do the same and save them all the rumors that would be brought to life by his demeanor. Izumi wasn't even certain how their own guests of honor would interpret the young man's current attitude. Not that there was anything to worry about in that regard for the moment, neither Yasuko's daughter, the Bei Fong child, the young man with unruly hair, or the Avatar herself were in attendance.

Again, she looked at her son and wondered what he could have said or done that would keep those people from coming; for she knew he had something to do with it. Iroh had said he would take it upon himself to personally invite Asami Sato and her group. He had seemed excited by the prospect and he had returned moments later less enthused. It was not difficult to come to such an understanding after that.

Fire Lord Izumi didn't question him then, and she didn't question him now either. That would surely be a one-way ticket to the young man's temperament darkening some more. And so, she let him be. It would only be a matter of time before he snapped out of it, especially when the women in court began to vie for his attention.

As the night dragged on with no signs of the Avatar or her group, Izumi began to fret that this gathering would be for naught. Already she had seen the Mover Star and his Secretary. Both of them were socializing, with the former waving his hands expressively about, no doubt regaling people of his stories. She caught the woman with him looking at her. Whatever she was plotting, Izumi chose to acknowledge her rather than pretend to not have noticed. Duo Xing extended the same courtesy.

When her father walked close by, the Fire Lord stood from her seat and caught up with him, despite how heavy her Juunihitoe was.

"It seems your guests have decided not to attend," she said, not bothering to hide her disdain about the whole thing.

"They will be here," her father was confident of that. Where his confident came from, she knew not. Even their other guests were starting to wonder what the point in all of this was. "Give them some time."

Her hand shot to her father's arm. She tugged at him, causing the old man to stop in his tracks and turn his attention towards her fully.

"We are running out of it, father." she said. "Our guests are getting restless. If you want to introduce her, now would be the time before they all decide to leave."


In retrospect, perhaps it wasn't such a great idea to allow Korra to prepare by herself. She should have known she would pull something like this.

"I am going to strangle her," Asami said as she slammed the door to Korra's room shut with much force than was necessary. They were already late. So very late.

"I won't stop you," Kai said as he fixed the mandarin collar of his borrowed attire: a crimson Achkan Sharwani accentuated with black embroidered patterns paired with a black pair of churidar. Though the cloth was loose fitting and comfortable, it was much too formal for the young steward. "If I had known it would be alright to bail, I would have done as she has done."

"If you had run off with Korra, I can assure you that we will not be so lenient with you when we end up finding you." Opal fixed the selection of fabrics in her arms—which were supposed to be the clothes Lord Zuko had borrowed for Korra to wear. Even she could not hide the disdain she felt for the Avatar's unexpected (though she wondered if that really was the case) disappearance. To Asami she asked, "What are we supposed to do now?"

It was a great a question as any. What can they do? Then again, there really was no other course of action for them. They were already dressed to the nines with the outfits they had been lent and which they were grateful for...as itchy and a little bit revealing as they were for Opal.

"We go to the ball," Asami responded, whatever excitement she had mere hours before knocking on the Avatar's room had long vanished like the Avatar herself.

"And if they ask where Lady Korra is?" Kai questioned. "I don't think anyone from this nation who has come across her would find relief in knowing she is loose in the palace..."

None of them thought it was right to speak of Korra like she needed to be constantly watched, but they were not stupid to believe that anyone in the vicinity would not stress over the fact that no one—not even her friends—knew where she was.

"We'll just say that she let us go first; that she's in her room...meditating." It was the most plausible excuse they could make up. "And with how Korra has acted towards the servants, it wouldn't come as a surprise to anyone...hopefully."

And so, soon after dumping the clothes they had found in Asami's bedroom, the trio made their way to the ballroom where the party was already underway.


There was something to be said with the way mother and son perked up upon the arrival of the strange group. Even though his attention were not at them, Lord Zuko could see the air around them changing when the three entered. There was relief on both his daughter and grandson at the sight of them.

It wasn't just Izumi and Iroh who had looked up at Asami Sato and her friends' arrival, even the other aristocratic lords and ladies momentarily paused whatever they were doing, whether it was exchanging gossip or drinking the contents of their wine glasses. The silence lasted for a second before time resumed itself with a new fodder for gossip. Already Lord Zuko could hear the strange things others spoke of concerning their young guests. The only one who, interestingly, was genuinely delighted to see the trio (apart from himself) was the young Mover Star, who squealed with happiness before bounding towards the group who was equally and pleasantly surprised to see him.

He eyed the secretary, Duo Xing, wondering what she might think of all of this. After thorough investigation from the Royal Capital's White Lotus who were not at all happy at being kept from reporting that their precious Avatar was in the Fire Nation capital, it had come to Lord Zuko's attention that Korra and her friends had made use of Bolin's airship, hitching a ride. It was the reason why the Mover Star's reaction did not surprise him. It was doubtful, however, that Duo Xing would know of her charge's involvement in ferrying in a person believed to be a dangerous criminal. It was also doubtful that she knew he and the White Lotus have uncovered and traced calls connected to someone in the fallen Republic to and from her person.

Lord Zuko closed his eyes and expelled the short breath he had taken. Now was not the time to deal with whatever intrigue the woman had brought on his shores. There was something else that was of great importance; something much more imperative he should be focusing on; namely, the fact that the young heiress' entourage was short of one person.

He excused himself from the group he was associating with and made his way to Asami Sato. At the same time, he noted that Izumi had moved, her son tailing her. She too was heading for the young woman's direction.

Now, this is interesting, he thought to himself, the crimson tail of his haori flapping as he moved and excused himself from those who tried to take his attention away. He didn't expect either Izumi or Iroh to make the first move to speak with any of the three people they had, in one way or another, caused problems for.

He arrived at the group first and was quickly greeted by an exaggerated bow from the young Mover Star. The others quickly followed, though with much less enthusiasm, which he could not fault them for.

"Lord Zuko! I am very much delighted about this party!" Bolin had begun to say, winding up for what he knew was going to be another of his long-winded stories.

Quickly, Zuko raised a hand to stop him. His attention was on Asami as he asked, "Korra?"

Bolin's eyes widened at name and he blurted out, "You know about Korra?" in a much louder voice than any of them in that group would have liked as people immediately turned their attention towards them. Whether they knew who Korra was or was just taken aback by the outburst, the old monarch tried not to think about.

With a smidgeon of effort, Asami ignored Bolin, gave a small, innocent smile and replied, "She will be here momentarily. Korra is just meditating. It's sort of her thing being the Avatar...keeping the balance between the physical and spiritual realm and all that."

"I see," Lord Zuko nodded with a gentle brush of his overgrown beard, his eyes never leaving the young woman's who met his gaze.

"I do hope your Avatar Korra doesn't take too long," Izumi supplied, arriving just as Asami had been giving her answer. "And I do hope you are not lying, Miss Sato."

Zuko knew that her daughter was not trying to rile up Yasuko's daughter; that she was not antagonizing her and her friends. What he didn't know was that if Asami knew that. The whole point of this was to get everyone together and to spread word of Korra and her friends as an envoy of the Fire Nation. Already, those two objectives were in danger of not being met. He didn't need his daughter to jeopardize it further.

"I don't control the Avatar's time, Your Grace." Defiantly, Yasuko's daughter said. "We are fortunate she would even listen to me."

It was a dig. Everyone who knew what had happened two nights ago would see it for what it was. Lord Zuko kept his face neutral, even as his mouth twitched and ached to smile. Not for the first time he saw Yasuko in Asami. He—along with Kai and Miss Bei Fong—kept silent and watched, wondering how the Fire Lord would respond.

To everyone else in that party, they would see the group and wonder what made the people in it special enough to warrant the attention of all the members of the Royal Family. To those who were a part of that group, what they felt was tension, high-strung and crackling.

It was much to everyone's comfort when no bitter words were said by the current ruler of the Fire Nation. She merely nodded, saying a curt, "Yes, fortunate indeed.' before turning around and walking away.

As she did, Iroh quickly stepped forward. He seemed insecure, which was a first for his grandfather. Rarely, if ever, did the young prince found his confidence lacking.

"I am glad you have changed your mind, Lady Asami." Iroh bowed, hand already reaching for the young heiress', only to be stopped by the seemingly incognizant Mover Star who unknowingly stepped between the two. The Prince was irked by this while Asami was glad for it, though she hid it well except to those who knew her.

"Wait a minute!" Bolin cried. "All of you know each other?"

"I wouldn't say it like that, but..." Opal muttered, her voice was like a beacon Bolin immediately sought.

"Oh, good." He didn't even wait for the young Bei Fong to finish. "I had thought all that secrecy and the sneaking around to get you guys here was pointless. That would have been pretty frustrating. My airship got blown into smithereens, after all."

"You are blowing things out of proportion," Iroh growled the words out, showing to all how displeased he was of the interference. "Your airship was not 'blown into smithereens'."

"Of course you will say that." Bolin crossed his arms, showing off his bulging biceps. As though Iroh could be intimidated by such things. "You're a member of the ruling powers that needs these things to be swept under the rug."

"What does that mean?" His grandson was already looking confrontational, his hands were already poised on the sword sheathed on his side.

As entertaining as it was watching the drama unfold before his eyes, the fact that people were already beginning to blatantly look at them and listen in was not something he wanted. Judging by the discomfort Asami and Opal were already showing, they were not enjoying being near the center of it...something that could not be said of Kai.

"That is enough, children," Zuko finally spoke up, breaking the fight before it could even truly begin. "This is neither the time nor the place."

Sounding scandalized, Iroh turned on him. "Grandfather, I am no child!"

He looked at him, unimpressed. "Then stop acting like one in front of our guests." Bolin looked ready to gloat, and he turned on the Mover Star as well and said, "As should someone of your stature, Master Bolin. It reflects poorly on both of you."

His words managed to have the desired effect on the two men in the group, getting them to back down. Nodding to himself and being certain that they would behave, he returned his attention back to Yasuko's daughter and her friends.

"I apologize for keeping all of you," he told them. "You must all be famished. My grandson," he looked pointedly at Iroh, before continuing on, "Will take you to your table. Indulge yourselves. Relax. Have fun as we await Korra's arrival. I can assure you, no harm will come upon you in this gathering."

Though skeptical (and it was understandable why), Asami accepted the invitation. She bowed in thanks and followed an eager and overzealous Prince Iroh. As they moved away, he caught a look from the Avatar's young steward. Even without giving anything away, an understanding passed between them. Whether young Kai would share what it was with Miss Sato and Miss Bei Fong, Lord Zuko did not know and would not wait to find out.

When he was certain Iroh was being courteous and hospitable, the wizened, old man gave his daughter a brief nod before he ducked out of the room.


She was thankful, having the perks of an Avatar. Then again, she likewise felt cursed by it. It was her ability to bend the elements, particularly the wind, that enabled her to camp—not hide—out in the palace's highest tower, away from prying eyes. Similarly, it was (probably, she wasn't entirely certain of it) her powers that caused her to have to be up there in the first place, soon after laying eyes on the clothes she was asked to wear.

Wearing a dress was not a big deal. Well, normally it wasn't. But the circumstances she had found herself in upon returning from that in-between place had not been normal. Not even remotely so. The dress was revealing enough as it was, but the sleeveless cut was what really sealed her decision for her.

Perhaps if Asami had not seen her the afternoon before; if the bandages on her arm had just been hidden from the human's sight; then, maybe, she would have been able to wear the strangely-cut set of clothing. But Asami had seen the bandages. Even with the lack of questions, Korra could tell it wasn't because she didn't have any but because she chose not to express them. It was out of courtesy—at least, that was how the Avatar took it as. She, however, doubted such courtesy would be extended to her twice.

She could no longer make any excuses about not healing whatever injuries plagued her. Even if she did lie and say she her energies were still depleted causing her unable to create Spirit Water, that would still cause her friends to fuss over her and that could eventually have led to the lie being unraveled far before its time.

No, she told herself. This is the only way.

As much as she didn't like it.

As cowardly as it made her.

Much as it would, without a doubt, anger and frustrate Asami and the others.

I am in so much trouble, she groaned. So, so much trouble. She laughed bitterly as the words tumbled out of her aloud, "Spirits, what have I become?"

"That is a question that requires deep introspection," Korra almost jumped out of her skin when Lord Zuko spoke to her from behind. The look she must have had must have been something for the old man to laugh merrily at her. "And you have picked quite a time and place to have such deep musings."

Korra's nostrils flared, embarrassment coating her every pore. "What are you doing up here, old man?"

"Ah," he chuckled, still thoroughly amused. "I find that question more suitably directed at you, my dear. The last time I checked, I was told you were coming to the ball and that you will be there shortly." Lord Zuko eyed her from head to toe, noting the same clothing she had worn when she and Asami had charged in on the Audience Hall, before adding, "This, to me, does not look like you being prepared to attend such festive gathering."

She kept silent, not bothering to confirm or deny whatever suspicions might have rooted itself on the old man's head.

That didn't mean Lord Zuko kept silent. The old man took the opportunity to speak. "I am quite surprised that you would allow your friends to attend by themselves, surrounded by people whose intentions are not known to you. I had thought you were overprotective of them, to the point where you give Aang a run for his money."

"Then again, I suppose this is your way of trusting in them and your faith in their strength?" Zuko's goading did not stop, despite the lack of a reply from the young woman. "Of course, you needn't worry. I can assure you of their safety. And, I suppose, Iroh will ensure that no harm would come to Miss Sato. I think he is really going beyond himself with that, perhaps as a way to apologize for the trouble he had caused. He is a friendly and caring person, once you get to know him. I am certain Miss Sato will enjoy his company during this party. The food isn't—"

Whatever else the old man had to say was lost as Korra blasted him with a fireball, which Lord Zuko merely absorbed with quick movements from his hand. Annoyance completely overtaking her features as her hand from whence the ball of fire came from remained outstretched, palm open. Disregarding the fact that had the fireball hit its intended mark and caused some damage, she would have rekindled the Fire Lord's anger, Korra proved she was ready to do it again as she let the flames dance around her open palm.

"Your temper rivals that of my daughter," Lord Zuko pointed out, unperturbed, though the jovial tone in his voice had been replaced with that which held warning to the Avatar.

"I do not particularly care." Korra retorted in the same tone. "Do not test me, old man. Not tonight. Not after what you have done to me. You have no idea how much I am holding myself back—how difficult it is—just to ensure I do not break my promise and get Asami and the others in trouble right now."

"I would feel remorseful if I know what it is you are talking about, Korra." He said, scratching his beard. "If this is about the ball, I can assure you I have no—"

"This isn't about your stupid party!" the Avatar shouted, grinding her teeth. As soon as the words were out, Korra took the opportunity to show him what it was she was blaming him on. In one, quick movement, Korra yanked the bandages she had rolled around her arm and allowed Zuko a good look at the cause of her anxiety. "This," she said, gesturing to her arm, "This is what you have done to me!"

Korra had expected there to be surprise registered on the old hero's face. She expected his eyes to widen, for those golden orbs to be filled with the similar sense of confusion at the mystery. She expected there to be an apology whispered, an admittance of not knowing. There were many other things Avatar Korra expected Lord Zuko to do or display upon her revelation, what she didn't expect was how he merely took everything in stride. It was as though he was expecting such an outcome.

Like he had known.

And though it should have made Korra feel, at least, a little bit relieved that someone knew this was going to happen and that perhaps Zuko may know a way to fix it or know some other things that will help bring everything back to normal, all it made the young Avatar feel was resentment and anger.

"You knew!" she roared, her anger causing flames to burst from her skin. "You knew this was going to happen, and you hid it from me!"

"I am sorry, my dear." He sounded so sincere with his words, his eyes full of sadness. "But would you have done things differently had you known? Would you have forgone your duty? Would you have hesitated?"

"That is not the point, human!" The desire to destroy the whole palace, to set it aflame was tampered merely by the thought of the safety of her friends. "You hid this from me! You kept something so crucial from me!" She paused, willing herself to calm down—which was a difficult feat, one she barely managed to do. "I want you to fix this."

Again Lord Zuko apologized. "I am sorry, but there is nothing I can do. What happened to you upon unsealing the Elemental Core of Fire is only the beginning, Korra. This is something you will not be able to escape, with every Elemental Core you free. This is your burden."

"That's...that's..." Korra wasn't going to lie. She had feared as much. But to actually hear it as something inescapable, something inevitable, was a hard blow. It left her speechless and numb. As numb as the arm she had been hiding underneath the bandages could, at times, be.

"I really am sorry, Korra." Zuko took a step forward. And when Korra didn't try to harm him, took another. And another. Until he was close enough to place a hand on her shoulder. Gently he squeezed, trying to express sympathy for her plight. "If it is any consolation," he said, words barely above a whisper, "her fate differs from yours."

The Avatar didn't need to ask whom he was referring to or what he meant. She understood. And despite that crushing feeling of hopelessness that weighed heavily in her, Korra did feel some form of comfort in knowing, even when sadness also filled her heart.


Korra appeared just after she had humored Prince Iroh and accepted his invitation to dance and they were midway through a song. The only reason Asami knew the Avatar had arrived was through the ripples of whispers. Whipping her head to where it had originated, the Prodigy saw her enter the ballroom with Lord Zuko, wearing an Ao Dai in the colors of the royal family. The clothes fitted her perfectly, despite it being borrowed. Instead of what expression they had expected she would wore upon her arrival (not that they knew she was going to come, only that they hoped she didn't ditch them), she had an unreadable look on her face. She didn't even seem to particularly care about where she was going, or where the old monarch was taking her.

Asami could hear words tumbling out of the prince's mouth, but she was no longer listening to him. It was a disrespectful thing to do to a future Fire Lord, but Korra's demeanor worried her greatly. She wanted to go to quickly go to her side, but was unable to. Not only was she still held in a dance by Prince Iroh, but the sea of people dancing on the floor in a choreographed waltz, which she was a part of, was thick. She wouldn't simply break formation, she would also bring the dance to a halt if she were to excuse herself. That simply would not do with what she and the others had agreed was the objective of attending the ball. And so she could only hope that the Avatar was alright; that maybe she had just eaten something bad earlier during lunch.

Lord Zuko whispered something to Korra, to which the Avatar brusquely nodded to. Seconds later, the old monarch left Korra standing on the side, arms crossed as her gaze raked over those in attendance. As the song began to conclude, their eyes finally met. For a moment, Asami saw Korra's eyes crinkle with a smile, before she glanced to the Prodigy's side and saw her companion for the night, asking her for yet another dance. The smile vanished as Korra looked away.

The music stopped then, forcing dance partners to break away and look at the elevated platform that housed the Royal Family's seat. As all eyes turned, a sudden quietness descended. It grew when Fire Lord Izumi stood beside Lord Zuko who had called everyone to attention.

Finally, Asami thought to herself, believing there was more to this gathering than to simply 'honor the Avatar' as a disgruntled Iroh had put it.

When Lord Zuko was certain that everyone's eyes and ears were all on him, he gave those in the crowd a warm smile and—as though the night was still young—welcomed them and expressed his gratitude that they had come, regardless of how sudden the invitation was or how it seemed like the wrong time to hold festivities.

The promising, young engineer couldn't help but agree to the sentiments of the multitudes who had murmured the strangeness of such a decision, though she did so silently. Worried was she that saying anything might offended the prince beside her and make everything she had to put up with that night all end up in vain.

Asami chanced a glance at Korra, wondering what was going through her mind. She wouldn't be surprised if Korra had something sarcastic to say. But the deity-turned-human looked on gravely as Lord Zuko spoke. There was not even a hint of a smile on her when the old man acknowledge her presence. She just stood there, as still and rigid as a statue; fearsome as a warrior just about ready to go off on battle.

The Prodigy found it difficult to read what was on Korra's mind. She hoped the Avatar wasn't acting that way because of her remembrance on the morbid version of a gathering she had grown up with in Nia Bayou. She made a mental note, just as she turned her full attention to Lord Zuko speaking, to ask the other girl if she was alright as soon as the chance presented itself.

"As you all know by now," the Hero of the Hundred Year War was saying, "strange things have been happening all around the word. You all witnessed the volcanic eruption that occurred months ago; have no doubt heard that it occurred simultaneously to other volcanoes—most have been believed to be dormant—suddenly erupting as well. You may have also heard rumors of a lone village escaping the great calamity one of these volcanoes had sought to ruin it with." He paused, sure enough there were those who spoke about it in hushed voices, sharing their thoughts to those who would listen.

Lord Zuko let his gaze travel across the people in the room, before he continued speaking. "Likewise, rumors have spread of citizens from our proud nation, numbering to the thousands, disappearing; whole villages and cities bursting with life one moment then suddenly being devoid of it the following day. Some here may have even bear witness to strange creatures appearing through darkness and shadow, engulfing anything and anyone in its way; monstrous beings that take no certain form and are impervious to all weapons known to mankind."

"And," he gave another dramatic pause. "Most of you here have seen, with your own eyes, the pillar of light that now stands in this palace, the heart of the Royal Capital; have witnessed the exact moment that it appeared...among other things." Zuko looked at Korra then, and those who noticed, followed his gaze to the unflinching, young woman. The murmurs grew stronger then, so much so that Lord Zuko had to raise his hand and call for silence.

The crowd headed, though not completely. Yet all waited in bated breath to hear what the famed hero had to say about all of this. Looking at the Fire Lord herself, even she was intrigued. As was Prince Iroh, though his had a mixture of annoyance still.

"That pillar is the symbol of our nation's true strength." Lord Zuko's impassioned words continued. He began moving about around the stage he had set, looking people in the eye as he spoke. "For a very long time, it was sealed in order to protect our nation and those with The Gift. Some of you may see the pillar in all of its fiery glory. Others can only view it as a hazy column. That tells how strongly in-tuned with The Gift you are. To those who see it as clearly as anything tangible would, your affinity to our nation is strong, and The Gift would have undoubtedly began to manifest itself after years of being suppressed. To those can only see it like a mirage, you have the potential to something else."

Stunned silence greeted his words, but the Hero of the Hundred Year war did not mind them. "But now, an evil like no other is stirring. It has been seeping and causing chaos. Those rumors of villages being consumed by darkness; of creatures appearing out of thin air to gobble villagers whole—those are caused by this evil that had laid dormant until recently. This darkness will continue to plague us and ours. It will continue to reach far and wide, beyond our borders. And it has. Its strength is unparalleled. There is nothing even I can do against it, but support the ones who can."

Throughout the course of his speech, the old monarch had traversed the length back to where Korra had stood, the people in his way parted and created a path out of their own accord. And now he faced her yet again, both stood tall. Understanding dawned to all those in attendance of the one whom the old Fire Lord spoke.

"Lady Korra," his words were now laced with humility and an emotion Asami found difficulty to grasp. Like there was something more, underlying each word he was about to speak from that point on towards the deity-turned-human; the young woman she considered her friend. "I know we—the Royal Family and the Fire Nation—have done you great disservice in your travels in our land. We had made your journey, and that of your companions, much more difficult than it should have been. We have caused you great distress. I know you think little of me after what had happened, but there is no one we could turn to. And though I know it is asking too much of you, our nation needs you to dispel this darkness that is threatening to sow even more seeds of chaos and ruin. The world needs you. Please, bring balance back to the world."

As if those words were not surprising enough, Lord Zuko suddenly lowered himself to the ground, kneeling before the Avatar.

"Grandfather, what are you—?"

Whatever Iroh had to say was cut off by the collective gasps that followed. Everyone turned their heads towards the source and found that the Fire Lord herself had also silently followed her father's example as she, too, knelt at the Avatar from where she had been standing. Her eyes, though still filled with defiance, seemed to have some new sort of understanding in them as well. It made Asami wonder if the defiance was directed at Korra, or at the force much larger than themselves that Lord Zuko had talked about.

"Mother?" It seemed too much for Prince Iroh, but when all gazed turned to him—which included his mother's—he lost whatever choice he might have. In a dignified manner that hid whatever complaints and ill feelings he had about the situation, the Prince mimicked what his elders did.

Soon, everyone was doing the same thing. Some even prostrating themselves, whether it was just to follow what the Royal Family did, or out of a sense of fear, awe, and respect for something they cannot fully grasp just yet. In a few minutes, the only ones left standing were Korra, Opal, Kai, and Asami herself.

Kai, out of a sense of duty and pride spoke up—much to the astonishment of many that caused them to startle—saying, "Whatever you decide, Lady Korra, I we are with you!". Then he and Opal bowed as well.

Left standing with Korra, the shorter girl looked at her. There was something in her gaze Asami could not place; something she wanted to dissect, but felt there was some other time for that.

She smiled at the Avatar, choosing not to say anything, but instead knelt much like the others had.

Perhaps she was expecting that Korra would find the reception familiar; that it would give the young Avatar something that tied her with the life she had had to leave behind.

Perhaps she thought it would give Korra that sense of comfort in knowing that, slowly and little by little, people may come to respect the Avatar as the people of Nia Bayou did.

But instead of giving that self-assured, cocky smile at the sea of people kneeling and bowing themselves at her, Korra's lips were pursed into a thin line.

Instead of proclaiming herself the omnipotent Avatar, capable of doing anything, as she had done on numerous occasions where opportunity presented itself in the past, Korra merely nodded, silently yet resolutely accepting the new-found weight on her shoulders.

It was like a different Korra altogether, one that was foreign to the Prodigy.

And it was something that made Asami even more certain that something was wrong with Korra, and made her purposely decide to confront the Avatar about it and get to the bottom of this mystery.

One way or another.


Post-Author's Notes:

So, once again, I incorporated a little bit of real world culture in this story via the clothes the Royal Family and our heroes wore. For those who do not know what those clothes are below is a quick rundown of that (based from my research):

First up, Fire Lord Izumi's Jūnihitoe (or as I have written it here 'Juunihitoe'), is an extravagant kimono worn traditionally by Japanese women of the court popularized during 10th century Heian Era (which was around 790 to 1185 AD, a time when Buddhism, Taoism, and other Chinese Influences in Japan were at their peak). As it's name suggests, the jūnihitoe is a freakin' twelve-layer robe with an inner most white silk garment followed by various other layers such as the (oh boy): Kosode, Nagabakama, Hitoe, Uchigi, Uchiginu, Uwagi, Kouchigi, Karaginu, and the Mo. And, get this, the entire ensemble's weight could add up to 20 effin' kilograms!

Next is Kai's Achkan Sharwani. This is something I am a little bit unsure of, even after my research since, on one article I read them as two separate types of clothing; on another (and this is the one I used here) it (the Achkan Sharwani) was a type of Sharwani (a long coat-like garment worn in India that is similar to the frock coat or the zupan). The difference between the normal Sharwani, from what I read, was the length and the front opening. It is worn during the 20th century by the general population and by the princely states in India.

Churidars are tightly fitting trousers (or pyjamas) worn by both men and women around South East Asia and are a variant of the common salwar pants. Unlike the salwar pants, however, churidars narrow more quickly in a way that reveals the contours of the legs. They are also naturally stretchy.

I believe I have already told you guys about the Haori, but just in case you guys forgot, it's a Japanese hip-length (could also be thigh-length) kimono-like jacket. It is worn open (unlike the more commonly known Yukata but can be closed by a string that connects to the lapels. The Haori was not cheap, it was only during the Edo period when the middle class managed to afford it.

Korra's Ao Dai is a traditional Vietnamese clothing. The tunic is made of tight-fitting silk tunic worn over trousers. Worn at the court of the Nguyen Lords at Hue in the 18th century, it evolved into an aristocratic gown worn during the 19th and early 20th century. The Ao Dai has a lot of parts as well that made up its Ta Sau or back flap and its Ta trước or front flap.

I'm not sure if I have forgotten anything else, but if I did, feel free to tell me and I'll add them in. Also, if you guys want to know what these look like, Google is your friend. :D

Again, comments/reviews are very much appreciated and are fodder to my muse. :)
Until the next update, dream on; fly on!