Sitting perched on a tree branch I watched over the kids whilst Tenzin and Korra arrived for her first official lesson in air-bending. Since I'd always watched her train before I saw no reason why I should stop now. As a matter of fact I even learned a few new fighting styles by interpreting them from earth and fire-bending and I could learn more through air-bending, so I made sure that I was within earshot as I munched on an apple, waiting for my best friend to show up.

"Korra's gonna air-bend, Korra's gonna air-bend!" Ikki chanted in a cheer as she jumped up and down, standing before the spinning gates that they were going to use for Korra's first exercise.

"What is that contraption?"

"A time honoured tool that teaches the most fundamental aspect of air-bending. Jinora, would you like to explain this exercise?" Tenzin offered to his eldest and mature daughter. Jinora and I got along so well these days, she always had questions that she had to ask me about my home and culture and since the kids hadn't been able to stay to hear the stories about Aang and his gang after the defeat of the Fire Lord, I had told them the stories before they went to sleep whilst Pema got her rest. I can't believe I've had to wait this long to meet my cousins, I already loved them like my own siblings.

"The goal is to weave your way through the gates and make it to the other side without touching them." Jinora explained studiously as she approached the large wooden panels.

"Seems easy enough."

"Jinora forgot to say you have to make it through while the gates are spinning." Ikki added so I leaned forwards, watching attentively as Tenzin stepped forwards then sent a rush of air at the gates, making them spin furiously in their place with a whistle of wind. Straightening himself up, my uncle then released a single leaf into the flurry and I watched as it moved, flying through the gates without ever touching one.

"The key is to be like the leaf. Flow with the movement of the gates. Jinora will demonstrate." Watching in awe as Jinora entered the gates and weaved her way through as if she were lighter than air itself. "Air-bending is all about spiral movements. When you meet resistance, you must be able to switch direction at a moment's notice." He explained. Air-bending is so cool, I wish I could have seen my grandfather in action as a master of the element, he must have been amazing to watch. As Jinora emerged from the other side, she sent another wave back through the gates to make them spin at speed again.

"Let's do this." With a confident grin, I watched as Korra charged forwards headfirst without even waiting to check her stance. She just tried to power through and instantly she slammed into one of the gates, hitting her hard enough to send her off balance and after that it was just awful to watch. I wanted to laugh but I knew that wouldn't help things much so I bit my tongue as the kids shouted out encouragement. This kind of training went on for several days before Korra began to break, getting more and more frustrated with herself and it came out in angry burst which I did my best to hide the children from. "Ugh! Why is this so hard?!" Korra yelled to the sky before slicing a hand at the water, causing a huge wave to erupt and with a squeak I leaped back away from it, shielding my face in fear and Korra winced. "Sorry Kanna, didn't see you there."

"No worries Korra. You need to take some time off, all this training is actually doing you more harm than good." I said to her reasonably whilst pursing my lips in thought. I was kind of an expert on Korra, I knew everything there was to know about her and I knew that she struggled working through a block without taking proper breaks. "I think we could both do with clearing our heads for a little while. You thinking what I'm thinking?" I asked before gesturing my head towards the arena just across the water. "Winding down might actually help you relax a little more. All these rules and meditation sessions are just choking you."

"Yeah, you're totally right Kanna, we need to have some real fun!" Korra grinned so we made the plan to escape tonight. It was easy enough to escape the island, the security wasn't as tight as it was back at the compound so as Korra took the aquatic route I snuck down to the rocks and created myself a small boat of ice before I water-bent it forwards, shooting across the water where I met Korra on the other side where she propelled me out of the water and into a window into the arena. I was a little jittery but only because I was so excited, I've always wanted to see a real pro-bending match! This is going to be fun.

"Hey Korra, check this out." I pointed as we passed a large gym with equipment lying around everywhere, huge discs of stone piled up. "Neat!"

"You said it." Korra agreed as we walked inside to have a look around, however we didn't get very long before we were interrupted by a pretty angry voice.

"Hey! What are you doing in my gym?" Crap! Busted! I spun around in alarm before putting on my sweetest smile, trying to act coy and innocent as the muscular guy stalked towards us with a grumpy expression.

"We were just looking for a bathroom and we got lost." Korra tried however it didn't wash down with this guy.

"Ah, the old I had to pee excuse. You know, I'm sick and tired of you kids sneaking in and not paying. I'm taking you in to security." Uh oh, Tenzin is going to kill us if we get arrested again!

"We're really sorry to have intruded on you sir, really we are!" I tried, however before I could sweet talk him over, another voice called out and we both looked over to see a pro-bender walking towards us. My mouth dropped a little, seeing a beautiful pair of green eyes with slick black hair and the cutest smile I had ever seen on a boy. Wow…he's so adorable!

"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you guys. It's all right, Toza, they're with me." He said and I exhaled with relief, relaxing as he came to our rescue and Korra instantly caught on.

"Yeah, we're with him."

"So, you see, we're together." An arm went around Korra's shoulder and I blushed slightly and had to look away as Korra straightened, looking to the guy in surprise.

"Well, not together, together. More like friends." She corrected and I giggled behind my hand as our rescuer blushed and shifted a little awkwardly with chagrin as he hastily agreed and tried to explain himself.

"Right, friends. No, no, I didn't mean to imply…"

"Oh, you implied it." Cute and funny, I like this guy.

"Ah, I don't care what you are. I've got work to do." Toza growled, throwing a hand at us before walking away and started to work out, leaving the three of us in peace so our new friend showed us the way out as we thanked him in a whisper, all of us grinning at one another. We were led all the way to the locker room where the pro-benders got ready for their matches.

"What do you think? Best seats in the house, huh?" Both of us lost our jaws as we stared at the arena, never having seen anything like it before.

"Whoa! Unbelievable! This place is even more amazing than I imagined."

"You said it Korra, it's huge! Look at all the people that fit in here." I agreed however as I leaned over the railings I looked down to see the large body of water underneath and instantly I panicked, shrieking and with a hard push I rocketed myself backwards with flailing arms and slammed into someone, making the both of us stumble but thankfully neither of us fell over.

"Watch it!" The harsh voice cut into me sharply as I turned, blinking apologetically before my face hardened at him as I rubbed my arm where it had landed against him.

"Jeez I'm sorry, it's not like I fell backwards on purpose you douche." He blinked at me in surprise, pretty golden brown eyes staring at me before he shook his head and waved his brother over after he had introduced himself as Bolin. "What a jerk." I muttered to myself, ignoring him after that as I approached the edge with more caution this time where Korra asked me if I was okay. "No problems here, just didn't see all that water down there." With a grin we both continued to look out as the stadium filled with thousands of people. I can't believe we got in here for free and get to watch the match even closer than those people, it's a dream come true.

"Hey guys, come here, I want you to meet my brother, Mako." Instantly I was smiling again as I turned around to face Bolin and his jerk brother. He was obviously the nicer of the two. "Korra, this is Mako. Uh…what's your name?" He asked me and I had to clear my throat, feeling a slight lump there out of nervousness.

"I'm Kanna, it's really nice to meet you Bolin. Really nice." I didn't extend the same politeness to Mako as I didn't think he deserved that, however Korra didn't exactly pick up on his frostiness as she held out her hand towards him.

"Mako? Wow, I heard you play on the radio." Mako walked straight past her as he fixed on his helmet.

"Come on, Bolin, we're up." Jeez, he really was a douche. For a fire-bender this Mako was ice cold.

"Yeah, sorry about that, my brother just gets real... focused before the match. Okay, I've gotta go. Wish me luck. Not that I'll need it." Bolin grinned at us both so I waved him off as Korra punched a fist into her palm, telling them to knock out their opponents. I'll have to pick up a manual or something about pro-bending so I can learn the rules, because this kind of sport is something I could get really into.

The water-bender they had with them didn't impress me all that much. He was too slow on his feet and his technique, although different from mine, was not utilised effectively. He was all about striking whilst water could be used much more defensively. I guess they weren't allowed to use ice techniques out there as I hadn't seen anything like that out there, however Korra and I were so engrossed in the game that we were soon shouting and cheering for the Fire Ferrets, showing our support at the top of our voices. "Best idea you've ever had Kanna!" Korra cheered as the Fire Ferrets got in another hit.

"I know!" I've never felt this much excitement and anticipation in all my life, it was incredible to experience. The way the two brothers moved was unlike anything else I'd ever seen and I was on edge the entire time. When the water-bender got knocked over I wasn't all that surprised, however I held my breath as the first round was awarded to the Golden Temple Tigerdillos, they all had such cool team names. "Come on Bolin! You got this!" I yelled, leaping up into the air and waving my arms excitedly, making Korra laugh.

Round two was even more intense than the first, the Fire Ferrets taking back their ground and winning to make the scores even. What happens if they continue to win one apiece? Does it go to a knock out round? This is just too much excitement for me to handle, I've never seen bending used in such a way and it was great to see benders and non-benders coming together to watch this sport. If only they could be this harmonious outside the arena too. Without warning the water-bender suddenly crashed into Bolin, the two of them falling to the ground and their opponents immediately took advantage of it, sending discs at them which sent them shooting into the water. "Oh no!"

"Bolin!" I squeaked without thinking before blushing, my heart racing and my blood pumping. Get it together Kanna, stay calm. With both Bolin and their water-bender out of the game, everything rested on Mako. I do not like where this is going. Three against one? That's tough enough for any bender to handle unless they were seriously talented and skilled. Biting down on my lip I gripped onto the railing as I watched Mako dodge and weave his way around the attacks, carefully committing his movements to memory until finally he struck back, using his opponents' tiredness against them as he used all his firepower to take them out. One. Two. Three. Knock out! That was incredible! "Alright! Go Ferrets! Woo!" Korra and I both cheered at the same time, jumping onto one another for a tight hug before we whistled and cheered for our new favourite team.

"Woohoo, yes! One more win and we're in the championship tournament!" Bolin was cheering as he and his team came into the locker room, grinning proudly before he then sidled up to Korra whilst I still had stars in my eyes. "So, what'd you think Korra? Bolin's got some moves, huh?" He was a smooth talker and my heart, which hadn't stopped racing since the start of the game, suddenly gave this weird double flip before petering out entirely.

"What did I think?" Korra breathed as she grabbed Bolin by his uniform and practically lifted him off the ground. "What did I think?! That was amazing!" I laughed as Korra pushed against Bolin playfully but he practically went flying, however when I heard Mako angrily confronting his teammate I glanced their way, smile fading slightly. It ended with Hasook simply throwing his helmet to the floor and storming out, making me frown slightly however when Mako turned with an irate hiss I quickly looked away whilst Korra continued to rant about how awe inspired she was.

"You guys were incredible out there. Especially you, Mr Hat-Trick." She pointed at Mako however he just walked past her without paying any interest in her enthusiasm.

"Oh, you're still here?"

"Oh, you're still a jerk?" I smirked at her response however when Bolin gave an awkward laugh I decided to step in, lightening the mood.

"All the same, the way you guys moved was unlike anything I've ever seen before. You've taking ancient and traditional styles of bending and turned it into something modern, it's ingenious!" I could barely get the words out fast enough and Bolin grinned at me, slinging his arm around my neck and my pulse quickened once more as he became close enough for me to actually smell the sweat off his skin and feel the heat of his warmed muscles. So many muscles…

"That's right my friend, nothing but genius exists right here, old Bolin likes to shake things up every now and then if you know what I mean." He winked and a heated blush came to my face as I smilingly looked away, however the moment Korra started to speak, Bolin became completely distracted again by her.

"Kanna and I've been immersed in bending our entire lives but we never learned how to move like that. It's like she said, there's a whole new style here. Think you could show me a few tricks?" She requested and I stood up straight once more, signalling that I was also interested in learning.

"Absolutely!"

"Right now? Come on Bolin." Ever the mood destroyer, Mako's droll tone made me groan and roll my eyes, shooting him a dark look however his enthusiastic and optimistic brother merely brushed him off.

"Just ignore him. Yeah, I could show you the basics. I'm just not sure how my earth bending would translate to your water bending but we'll figure it out." Korra and I glanced at one another before sharing a smile, the both of us leaning into our hips where our hands rested, our grins only deepening knowingly.

"Won't be a problem. I'm actually an earth bender."

"And I'm an ice bender. Water isn't exactly my thing." I added simply as Bolin blinked then cleared his throat quickly.

"I'm sorry, no, no. I didn't mean to assume…because I, you know, I was just figuring, with your Water Tribe getup...that you are... a water tribe... gal." He stumbled over his words and I smiled endearingly to him, finding his bashfulness just the sweetest thing. He was such a nice guy, I'd never met anyone like him. All the guys back at the South Pole were just jerks, to be honest, always picking fights and showing off like idiots.

"No, you're right I'm a water bender...and a fire bender." Korra assured him, making Bolin frown again as he became completely lost.

"And soon to be an air bender." Together Korra and I grinned before bumping fists, watching as Bolin glanced between us before frowning deeply.

"Okay. I'm very confused right now." I saw Mako lift his head and exhale, realising exactly what a douchebag he's been.

"You're the Avatar and I'm an idiot."

"Both are true." Well that's an understatement. I smiled at Bolin as he totally freaked out, slapping his hands to his face and staring at Korra as if she were something completely alien. I have to admit, Korra basked in the awe, feeling a little smug that she had such a status. I don't blame her to be honest, I would do the same thing.

"No way! The Avatar!" Suddenly he looked at me, peering closely with a frown. "So if she's the Avatar, does that make you her sidekick or something?"

"Sidekick?" I was affronted, slashing out a hand before grinning broadly. "No way! Korra and I have been best friends since we were five years old, if anything I'm the brains and she's the brawn around here, though we both got the beauty." Lifting my chin proudly Korra laughed and punched my shoulder, making me relax and chuckle. "So, now that we're all properly introduced, how about those moves, Bolin?" He was more than happy to hang out with us, however I noticed how his interest remained solely on Korra. I was a little put out, but hey, a girl has to do what a girl has got to do. "Hey Korra, mind making some of those out of ice for me?" I asked her, pointed to the water tank in the room.

"Sure thing, hold on a second." She nodded before beginning to channel the water towards us before making me a pile of ice discs which I could bend. "You were watching right? Stay light on your feet and strike with all the power you got." Nodding my head I gave Korra a high five before she stepped backwards, tugging Bolin back as well. I rose onto the balls of my feet, making sure to move lightly from side to side before all at once I struck forwards with a punch before then swinging my leg over in a roundhouse kick, shooting three ice discs in quick succession directly at the net with so much power that they shattered upon impact.

"Hey, that actually works really well though it feels completely different." I mused, lifting up another ice disc to hover it in the air. "You know Bolin, you could probably block more effectively if you use this technique I learned from Korra's earth-bending master." I said to him and instantly he was paying me full attention. I smiled slightly when his eyes were on me but I cleared my throat and showed him. "Instead of using the broad side, try spinning them like this." I demonstrated with the disc, spinning it like a coin. "It actually helps to dissipate the momentum of the opponent. Equally, you could build them up one after the other to make them stronger." I lined up three discs one behind the other before turning to Korra who helpfully send an earth disc my way. It smashed through the first however as I spun the discs around it knocked the earth disc off balance and sent it flying away, leaving me with two discs spare for protection. "Of course you'll have to be careful where it deflects to."

"That's awesome! I can't believe I didn't think that up myself." Bolin mused as he came over and punched my shoulder gently. "You're a real natural at this, beauty and brains is always the best combo in my opinion." He said and I blushed heavily at his compliment, beginning to fiddle with my hair. Mako had already left to go to bed which had left the three of us, however after a while I suggested that we get back to the island before Tenzin figures out we were missing. As we said goodbye to Bolin we promised we'd be back to see another match before Korra leaped out of the window and dove into the ocean whilst I formed another ice boat for me to drop into, zooming off over the water and into the night, though I looked back to wave at Bolin who was staring after us with his jaw dropped open wide. So cute.