Standing out in the courtyard I watched as Oogie grew bigger and bigger until finally, he landed on the ground. Naga was the first to jump off, giving a bark as she leaped forwards and crashed into me, flattening me into the ground with her tongue slathering all over me. "Naga! Naga I'm glad to see you too girl, come on now, get off me already! Here, I have something for you." As a means to bribe and distract her, I pulled out the treats I had tucked away in my pocket and quickly flung them away so that she woofed happily and gave chase, allowing me to stagger to my feet only to be accosted by Bolin.

"Kanna! Man we were so worried! I mean, Korra did the whole turning into a blue giant thing then she kidnapped you then you didn't come back with her and I was all like, what?! But you're here! And you're whole which is good because we like you that way, right Mako?" Bolin questioned excitedly, crushing me against him and squeezing all the life out of me until I was barely able to stand without Bolin grasping me against his shoulder.

"Calm down Bolin, we were all worried about Kanna but Korra assured us she was fine." Mako flicked his brother on the forehead, forcing him to let me go before turning his soft smile towards me. "Hey, it's good to see you again."

"Yeah, good to see you too." I coughed, rubbing my ribs which were now hurting rather painfully however when Mako reached for my hair I blinked and looked up, seeing that he was looking at it closely.

"You changed your hair, where did all the braids go?"

"Oh, I took them out for a while then Ikki demanded that I let her play with my hair every day so until she gets bored with that I have to keep my hair down so she can plait it herself and all those kind of things." I explained before frowning self-consciously, gripping onto it with worry. "Why? Does it look weird?"

"No, it looks fine I guess. I'm just used to seeing all those braids and hair clasps, that's all." He shrugged before smiling and placing his hand on my head to gently pull me in for a hug. "I told Korra." Mako lowered his voice and I straightened a little, pausing momentarily before placing my arms around him in turn. "She said that she got all her memories back when she was in the Tree of Time, so there weren't any explosions or catastrophic destructions. Actually, she took it pretty well."

"That's good, I'm glad you came forward and were honest. From now on, stick to one girl at a time, okay?" I told him sternly but with a light tease in my voice as I pinched his cheek playfully before then letting him go.

"Kanna!" Suddenly I had both my mom and Korra latching themselves onto me, embracing me tightly and I once again lost my breath.

"Okay, you guys need to seriously stop crushing my ribs…can't breathe, can't breathe!"

"Oh, sorry." Korra apologised, giving me a guilty smile however from that one look, I knew that there was something hugely different about her. As my mom fussed over my hair and asked Pema about how I had been and whether or not I was still injured, Korra and I just looked at one another. She looked tired and drained physically, emotionally and spiritually. I could see it in her eyes but there was still that glimmer of her old self in there, so I didn't question her about it right there and then, deciding to save it for later, but she seemed to get it. Her smile deepened further and our hands remained interlocked even as Jinora slid down from Oogie and called out my name.

"Kanna, it's me!"

"Who? I don't know this person, not this person who has travelled to the spirit world and back and helped to save the entire world! I don't know you at all! Wait, is that…no it can't be, Jinora?" I faked gasped then grinned, lifting Jinora up into the air and she giggled brightly as I hugged her against me, glad to know that she was safe and sound though Pema was watching her like an eagle-hawk. I couldn't blame her, I think Jinora being trapped in the spirit world scared us more than the fact that there was a crazy man trying to bring about ten thousand years of darkness with an evil dark spirit. It's fine now, everyone is safe, home and we're all together.

After I had finally let go of Jinora I hugged Asami and Bumi, welcoming them back and before long the kids were tearing up the courtyard on their air scooters so I chased them away, playing a game to keep them occupied whilst everyone else settled back in and relaxed for a little while, resuming our quiet little life on our island. I savoured it whilst I could because I knew it wouldn't last. The balance of the world has shifted and changed, nothing is going to stay the same from now on, in fact I'm certain that many things will be different. For one thing, we have all these spirits now hanging around everywhere.

They glided through the night sky as I sat on the roof, hugging my knees against my chest as I watched them in awe and fascination but also trepidation. Just as I suspected, it wasn't long until Korra joined me. "Do you think I did the right thing?" She asked me before she had even sat down next to me. "Keeping the portals open. Do you think it was the right choice?"

"Well, all I know is that for the last ten thousand years, spirits and humans have lived separately. Avatar Wan made the choice to close the portals and now you have made the choice to open them. There's no telling which decision was right and which was wrong until we give them both a try, right? It's going to be hard for humans to adjust, especially since most people know so little about spirits, but I think that we can pull this off. We just need to be patient and let the spirits guide the way." I told her and I sensed her shed all the self doubt and second guessing she had been carrying with her ever since leaving the South Pole.

"You sure have a way with words, Kanna. Thanks. I knew you'd know exactly what to say." Korra murmured, nudging me gently before opening out her blanket and placing one half around me so that we could share. "I want this to work, more than anything. I really believe that this is the way forwards, a new era."

"Well, you are the first in line for a new generation of Avatars so it's only right that you should make your own path." I answered her simply though Korra bowed her head slightly. "Hey, losing your connection to your past lives was not your fault. Besides, I don't think you could have lost them completely for good, Raava must be able to help you bond with them again since she is the thing that connects you all. If you need to talk to Aang or someone, we'll find a way. Okay?" Finally Korra smiled a real smile, grinning at me broadly.

"Where do you get all this confidence from? It's almost like you're turning into me."

"Maybe I stole it from you in the first place." Sticking out my tongue Korra laughed before we both wrapped an arm around one another, leaning into each other as we gazed up at the spirit filled sky. "They're really beautiful Korra. I think they'll make our world a better place." I told her sincerely and she nodded her head in agreement.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see what's going to happen." She murmured before lapsing into silence, the both of us gazing upwards until finally she spoke again. "I broke up with Mako. For good this time. We decided that we just didn't work out."

"I know, Mako told me. I'm sorry Korra, I know you had genuine feelings for him." Korra rested her head against my shoulder as I rubbed her arm comfortingly. "If you want, I can freeze Mako butt naked to a wall or something. Would that make you feel better?" She spluttered and snorted with laughter, grasping her face to try and stifle the sound however I started to laugh too, the mere thought of all the terrible things we could do to poor Mako making us genuinely consider some of options. We planned and schemed on that rooftop, clearing the air and eventually Korra felt better for it. When we eventually retired to bed, Korra crawled in with me and slept with my arms wrapped around her, just like old times and, to be honest, it was the best night's sleep I had gotten in a long time.