I've been asked about Mai, and after much consideration... I remain undecided as to her fate.
If you chose to believe that she has passed on, feel free. If you chose to believe that she was at the funeral but was lost in the background of Azula turning up, or didn't go because she simple doesn't do funerals, then that's up to you the reader.
I might clarify her status later on, depending how the story develops.
Doing, Not Talking
Korra realised that they'd walked into a trap about five seconds before it was sprung.
The 'raiders' were surprisingly well armed; they had a motley collection of older model Tundra Tanks that looked like they'd seen action during the Hundred Year War, a couple of early Mecha Tanks that still had the Equalist insignia painted on their armour, all be it faded by time, and what appeared to be a former Equalist airship. Along with the infantry, bender and non-bender alike, they seemed to have enough equipment to start their own city-state, so the Avatar couldn't help but wonder just why they were going out of their way to take the Air Temple intact, when they would have been more than capable of levelling the entire structure. Not that she minded that they were taking it somewhat easy; she had friends, people she considered family, inside, and she very much wanted to see them safe and unharmed. It was clear that the temples defence still held, and if the mote of lave protecting it was any indication, Bolin was still very much in the fight. Korra was grateful for his presence, even if it did mean that his wife and infant daughter were in danger; given its close proximity to both the Fire Nation and the Southern Water Tribe, the Southern Air Temple had a far smaller defensive garrison, having been considered relatively safe from attack. Only a handful of the newly discovered airbenders living there had been trained to fight, while the Air Acolytes who managed the day-to-day running of the temple were by nature pacifist.
Azula had been the first to strike; crippling an engine on the airship with a long-range lightning bolt before Tenzin had a chance to even try and find a peaceful end to the attack. The raiders seemed caught between the mountain the temple was perched atop and the relief force, but it was then that their own reinforcements appeared from the clouds above, the time equipped with more modern airships and even a number of Biplanes. A vicious battle soon enveloped the skies as Tenzin, Kai and Zuko directed Oogi, Lefty and Druk to try and head-off the newcomers. That left the others to try and deal with the forces already on the ground. Toph and Lin went after the Tundra Tanks, ripping them apart with their metalbending, while Tonraq and Kya used their waterbending to ice up the mechanisms of the Mecha Tanks, entombing them in ice. That left Korra, Bumi, Jinora, Iroh and Azula to tackle the infantry, and it soon descended into a general mêlée.
Korra spun-kicked a fireball at one group of raiders to keep their heads, then erected a wall of solid rock to surround them. Unfortunately, one of their number was evidently an earthbender, and they quickly brought it crashing back own again. Switching tactics, the Avatar used a powerful gust of wind to send them flying across the tundra, and they landed in a tangled heap, at least temporarily out of the fight. Getting a closer look, she noticed that their clothing bore the mark of the Red Lotus, and she felt her blood run cold as she was bombarded my memories of her near death at their hands. She knew that Zaheer was helpless in prison, one of her first acts upon regain her powers being taking his airbending away so that he'd never hurt anyone with it ever again, but that didn't stop the icy hand of fear clutch her heart with near physical force, almost knocking her to her knees.
"Think fast, Avatar!" Azula warned, a wave of electric-blue flame rolling behind Korra like a wall, saving her from a hail of razor-sharp rocks aimed at her by a Red Lotus earthbender.
Korra didn't aim to kill; it wasn't in her nature to deliberately take another's life if there was any other way, but part of her noted that some of the raiders she put down looked like they'd never be getting up again. The thought sickened her, but she steeled herself by remembering that she had a wife and three young children, including her newborn son, who were expecting her to come back to them safe. Her resolve steadied, she pushed herself to fight harder, neither giving nor expecting any quarter. She could hear Azula laughing behind her, age having had no apparent affect on her almost legendary prowess as a firebending prodigy; it was as if the fire was an extension of her will, as much a part of her as her hands. A voice somewhere deep inside Korra tells her that Azula is as much a threat as the Red Lotus, but actions speak louder than words: the princess stood back-to-back with the Avatar, the two of them fighting almost as one as they were charged by countless assailants.
"Is it me," Toph asks as she opened a gaping hole that swallows up the last of the Tundra Tanks and one very unlucky Mecha Tank, "or was this actually harder when we were younger?"
"It's almost embarrassing what passes for an evil warlord with dreams of global conquest these days!" Azula replied with a wicked grin, "None of them have the showmanship, the style, the panache we had back in my day."
"Are you two completely insane?" Korra asked, yelling to be heard over the sound of battle.
"It seems that they don't make Avatar's like they use too, either." Toph laughed it off, "You've got to learn to relax a little, kid, otherwise you'll end up with an ulcer." She stamped her right food down hard, and a column of rock shot up and sent one of the raiders flying through the air, where he was struck by a blast of air from Bumi, "Learn to find the funny side; to laugh while the world is going to hell around you. You'll live longer."
The Red Lotus raiders regrouped and redoubled their efforts, their attacks clearly aimed at separating Korra from the others.
"I can't help but feel that they aren't paying us the respect we deserve." Azula observed, a noticeable hint of annoyance in her voice.
"Bloody kids these days!" Toph used her eathbending to send a bolder the size of a small house into the last Mecha Tanks, knocking them down like nine-pins, "What do you say we step it up a notch; leave them something to remember us by?"
"My dear Toph, I thought you'd never ask." the Fire Princes grined as she started to move her hands through an intricate patten, tiny sparks of electricity arcing between her fingertips, "Let show these whippersnappers how we did it back in our day!"
"I AM THE MELLON LORD!" Toph actually cackled as she summoned rocks about herself, creating a suit of armour that allowed her to wade into the thickest of the fighting. She soon had a Red Lotus raider in a headlock under each arm, while a rock-encrusted foot to the groin gave a third something to think about for a very long time to come. "FEAR MY MELLONY WRATH!"
Azula simply laughed as she unleashes a bolt of lightning that blows strait though one of the circling airships. Secondary explosions erupt throughout the envelope, and debris falls from the sky as the stricken ship rapidly loses hight, its captain trying to turn a crash into an emergency landing. He manages to get it down, only for the flames to reach the rest of the gas bags, and the entire ship explodes like a miniature sun, the boiling flames enveloping one of the biplanes. Korra looks around; even with the losses they've taken against the far more powerful and experienced benders fighting at her side, the Red Lotus are holding their own. And it's clear that, for all their talk, the older members of her side are starting to flag; their spits willing, but their bodies weak. It was only a matter of time before the tide of battle turned against them, and Korra knew there was little option but to enter the Avatar State.
The only thing was, she hadn't done that in almost seven years; not since her battle with Zaheer.
At first it was because she hadn't be able to, the affects of the poison used on her temporarily robbing her of the ability to access that part of her powers. But after she had regained control of her body and the elements, she'd felt somewhat afraid. She could remember well the raw power that had flowed through her during that fight, the sheer destruction she had wrote. But she also remembered how totally out of control she had felt. There were two forms of the Avatar State; the conscious state, where the Avatar was in control, and the subconscious state that served as a defence mechanism, allowing even an untrained Avatar access to their full powers. But while it was impressive, it was as uncontrollable and indiscriminate as a hurricane, and Korra was worried about hurting the others if she lost control. But circumstances demanded that she at least try, so she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened the door she had kept locked for so long...
Asami surveyed the battlefield from the window of the airship; it was strewn with twisted metal and scorched earth, a few small fires still burning. The radio message that had summoned her had been short on details but long on urgency. All she knew was that the raiders had been defeated, everyone was safe, and she needed to get there as soon as she could. Trying to get more information out of Tenzin had been like pulling teeth. Even Pema had been unable to get him to say any more; he just insisted that Asami got to the Southern Air Temple as fast as she could. Looking out now, she could see where Fire Nation and Water tribe troops were securing the area, guarding prisoners and trying to clear as much of the debris as possible. While she was still too high up to recognise individuals, she could see a pair of Sky Bison beside a grounded airship bearing the insignia of the White Lotus Society.
The engines of her on ships changed pitch, an indication that they were coming in to land themselves, and Asami quickly made her way to them embarkation ramp. She didn't even wait for it to be fully lowered, and simply jumped the last few feet to the ground, landing not far from Tenzin, who had a troubled look on his face.
"Where is Korra?" Asami demanded, eyes already scanning the faces on the people around her for clues.
"She's... nearby." it was clear from the tone of his voice that Tenzin was keeping something from her; he was by his very nature a terrible liar, "She's okay... we think."
"You think?" Asami snapped, feeling an odd mix of rage and fear, "What do you mean, you think she's okay?"
"It's... complicated." Tenzin stepped aside, beckoning her to follow, "It's probably easier if I just show you."
Walking briskly, they rounded the White Lotus airship, and Asami stopped dead in her tracks: Korra was floating in the air, sat in the lotus position as if she was deep in meditation. But the glowing eyes, the ball of swirling air and the twisting ribbons of rock, water and fire that surrounded her made it clear that she was deep within the Avatar State, even if she was doing nothing but sitting there.
Six feet off the ground.
"She entered the Avatar State to end the battle, but she still hasn't exited it." Tenzin looked and sounded genuinely worried, "I can remember my parents telling me of a couple of times dad entered the Avatar State, and only mom was able to bring him out of it." He looked at Asami with desperate hope in his eyes. "We were hoping that you might be able to do... something."
"I could always shoot her with lighting." Azula suggested from where she was standing off to one side, "It worked with Aang."
All eyes turned on her, the ambient temperature seeming to drop by several degrees.
"What? Too soon?" the princess asked, seemingly surprised by their reactions, "It was 80 years ago, people; learn to let go."
Toph reached up and slapped her former enemy turned long-time friend around the back of the head, earning her a glare hat should have by all right transformed her into a pillar of blue flame.
"About sixty years ago you told me I could do that exactly once, for free." Toph smiled sweetly, "I've been saving it for a special occasion."
"Damn you and your excellent memory!" Azula snarled, but there was a hint of amusement that took the edge off of her tone of voice.
"Well, okay then." Asami took a deep breath and stepped forward, "Let's do this."
Much to her surprise, the rings of rock, water and fire stopped spinning as she approached her wife, an opening appearing in the sphere of air so she could walk right up to the Avatar. Up close, she could see a faint smile on Korra's face, the kind she had when she was having a pleasant dream. Reaching up, she tentatively placed a hand on her wife's knee.
"Korra, honey," her mouth felt suddenly dry, "are you okay?"
The Avatar blinked, the glowing light in her eyes fading. The wall of air and the ring of fire vanished, the rock and water falling to the ground as she almost seemed to step back down to the ground.
"Asami?" She looked at her wife, an odd look of calm surprise on her face, "When did you get here? I though you were staying behind with the children?"
"Korra, the battle ended hours ago." Asami reached out and took her wife's hand, "Tenzin called me because you seemed to be stuck in the Avatar State."
"Sorry, I kind of lost track of time." There was an absent-minded feel to Korra's voice, almost as if she was distracted, "I was... talking. To the others."
"Who?" Tenzin risked stepping forward, concerned for his friend and student, "Who were you talking to?"
"Avatar Kyoshi and Avatar Roku." Korra looked at him and her face lit up with a wide smile, "Your father was there too. He asked me to tell you not to worry, that Katara's with him now, and that she's happy."
To Be Continued...
(yep, me and my cliffhangers)