When Raiko arrived on the island, he glared at me frostily but I just smirked at him, folding my arms as he and Tenzin greeted one another before we both showed him up to the top of the temple tower where we'd set up an operations base for him to work from. Lin was there too, she at least gave me a warm greeting. "I still don't like having to abandon my office and the city." He said as he walked into the room, standing tall and erect with his hands knotted behind his back.
"Air Temple Island is the ideal location for your base of operations, and you'll be safe here." Lin told him bluntly just as I heard numerous footsteps walking up the stairs so I turned and immediately brightened when I saw Korra.
"There's something we need to discuss with you." She announced, bringing Bolin, Asami and Mako with her.
"Kanna!" Asami saw me and immediately rushed over so I smiled and welcomed her with a hug, the two of us finally reuniting. "It's been forever. Wow look at you! I like you're new look, very fashionable, you look beautiful." She complimented and I was about to respond when someone else said my name.
"Kanna?" I paused, looking past Asami as she turned and her shoulder moved out of the way so that I could see Mako standing there, looking at me with such a strange, twisted expression on his face. Truthfully, he looked like he was about to cry. Not wanting to hold onto the past, I smiled at him warmly, opening out my arm to him.
"Hey Mako." Seeing that I was openly inviting him, Mako quickly took up the invitation and came over, wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug as he inhaled sharply.
"I'm sorry." He whispered, breath seeming to hitch in his throat as I returned with a squeeze of my arms around him.
"Me too." He loosened his grip and we both looked at the others, Asami smiling as she stepped into the hug with Bolin and Korra following. This was the first time in three years that we had all been together, so we took a moment to savour the feeling as we all hugged together, finally reuniting.
"Ahem." Damn it Raiko, can't you see we're having a moment?! "Touching as this is, didn't you say you had something to discuss?"
"Oh, right." Korra remembered, clearing her throat as she then let go and we all stepped back in order to hear what she had to say. Asami continued to hug me, our cheeks pressing together as I grinned and Mako rested his hand on my shoulder, giving me a sincere smile before we all then looked to Korra, Asami lacing her fingers together to loop them over my shoulder and resting her chin there. "The four of us have been talking and we want to take out Kuvira's spirit weapon before it gets too close to the city." She announced so I quickly lifted up my hand to shove all five fingers.
"Five of us. Of course I'd be coming too." She turned a smile back at me.
"That sounds like a risk we don't need to take. The evacuation is on schedule and General Iroh is getting his army in place." Tenzin said, wary about allowing us to take up such a dangerous mission.
"I know Iroh can go toe to toe with Kuvira's army, but that weapon…"
"It's too powerful! It can destroy the city!" Bolin interrupted, making wild motions and hand gestures to emphasise his point as I nodded gravely.
"That weapon is no joke and can easily take down even the tallest city buildings at long range. Kuvira won't even have to get close to the city, she can just sit back with her army and fire away at us, destroying more and more of the city until we have no choice but to surrender." I reasoned, all of us banding together against the older adults.
"We can't let it get to our doorstep." Mako agreed, his hand still resting on my shoulder.
"We'll sneak behind enemy lines and disable the weapon."
"If it works, it'll even the playing field." Asami finished, pretty much saying that there was no choice here. We were going whether they allowed it or not.
"But if you get caught…"
"It's worth the risk." Korra said, and Raiko hummed thoughtfully before he then acknowledged that the plan was a good one.
"I agree, and it might be our only shot at preventing an all out war. Good luck."
"We'll head out tonight." With permission given, that gave us a little time before we needed to leave for us all to go somewhere quiet and talk. Asami immediately hugged me again, squealing lightly.
"I can't believe I'm finally seeing you again! I was so put out you couldn't come to dinner with Korra. When this is over, we'll make sure Raiko overturns his order to ban you from the city, then we should all go and celebrate somewhere." Asami said, tossing back her beautiful hair. "From the letters you sent, it sounded like you really had a wild time out there. What was it like being a rebel and resistance fighter?"
"Pretty awesome. Oh right, you guys should meet somebody. Fang!" I whistled loudly and in the next moment or so, Fang materialised out of thin air in front of us all, his wolf-fox features keenly observing Mako and Asami as new and unknown so he started to sniff them as they both stiffened in surprise. "This is Fang, my spirit companion I told you about." I introduced before scratching his neck, making his tail wag happily. "Fang, this is Asami and Mako. Now you've met all of Team Avatar, these are my friends so be nice to them all, okay?"
"Wow, you actually have a spirit companion? That's amazing Kanna." Mako said before he then looked away and rubbed the back of his head bashfully, looking guilty and slightly ashamed. "Listen, I said some pretty harsh things to you last time, and I must have hurt your feelings pretty bad when I thought you were going to…you know…well, I'm really sorry. I know you're probably still mad, I mean, of course your mad, you didn't talk to me for three years, and uh…that's totally okay, but I…you know, I was worried, and I couldn't find you, but then Bolin started getting letters…" He rambled apologetically, getting awkward and lost the way only Mako could when he was embarrassed about something. Jeez, it's like him being awkward around Korra and Asami all over again.
"Get over here, you dumb pyro." Grabbing his arm I tugged him into me so that I could throw my arms around his neck, standing on the tips of my toes as I affectionately ruffled at his hair on the back of his head. "I'm not mad anymore. I had a lot of time to think and deal with my emotions, so now I've finally found inner peace. My family has worked everything out, I'm back with my friends, and I couldn't be happier. I missed you. I missed you all. Let's never go without seeing each other for three years ever again." Laughing together, the others joined in on the hug as Mako put his arms around my waist, seemingly gazing down at me as he did so.
I couldn't pick a better moment in all my life so far. It was perfect. We were all there together, finally having moved past any old grudges or misunderstandings, no awkward feelings or dumb romances getting in the way. It was just us and our strong bond shared between us, Fang placing his head over the top and making us laugh as he started to snuffle and nibble at our hair. I was so happy that I didn't even care about Kuvira and her dumb weapon. She'll get what's coming to her, because Team Avatar was back in business.
