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 crossed, the resulting collision not only changes their lives and themselves, but the fate of the entire world as well. [Korrasami AU]

Author's Note:

Okay, seriously, everyone, thank you for the support you have been giving this fanfic. For a first Legend of Korra fan fiction, I didn't think a lot of people would actually like it. I'm really, really glad of that.

Anyways, I hope you will find this chapter to your liking.

Allons-y~!

The Legend of Korra

The Schism

Chapter 21: A New Destination!

Avatar Korra was still in a bad mood the next morning. Her face had taken on a perpetual scowl that mirrored and rivalled Lin Bei Fong's ever since she found out that there was no woman by the name of An Xaio Hai currently taking refuge in the Abbey. Her grumpiness caused a lot of the nuns to steer clear of the Avatar, and had left Asami and Opal with no other choice but to appease the dark-skinned deity lest their hosts finally get fed up with Korra's mood swings and have their stay cut short.

Getting Korra to brighten up, however, was not an easy feat. Especially since she was more frustrated with herself than at anyone else in particular. Well, anyone besides this so-called An Xaio Hai—whomever she may be.

"I should have been able to tell she was lying," it was not the first the Avatar had lamented to her. "I knew something was…off about her, but I just thought…" A sigh followed those words, keeping the sentence unfinished.

Yet, despite how many times Korra bemoaned how easily she was fooled, Asami nor Opal didn't know what the whole story was. They were told that the Avatar had seen the woman all the time during her nightly walks, and that Korra had been intrigued by her, but what exactly the two talked about for what seemed like hours (though Korra continued to deny she was with that woman for that long, despite the evidences presented to her), neither human were told. Not that either of them had asked.

Well, up until Opal had done that moment as she and Korra tended to the animals. Or rather, while she tended to the animals as Korra continued to sulk. Even the animals were being wary of the Avatar and her foul mood for Korra to be of actual help.

"What did she tell you exactly to get you into such a temperament?" Opal had asked. Even though she had asked that, the Historian was certain the mysterious woman Korra had met didn't disrespect her in any way. If that had been the case, she was certain the woman would be nothing more than a smudge on the earth and the main hall where they had spoken with each other nothing more than mere splinters.

"It's not what she said that bothered me, Opal," Korra sighed. She had hoped she needn't explain it to the other girl. "It is the fact that I was fooled into considering her words…into letting my guard down even when I had noticed something was wrong and had threatened her." The Avatar closed her eyes and mused, "I think it was because of her face."

"Okay…" Opal had to stop what she was doing—which was throwing feeds at the chickens—at having heard what Korra said. She smirked, and before she knew it, had begun teasing the other girl saying, "I didn't think the Avatar would be so easily distracted by a beautiful face. Whoever that woman was, she must've been quite the looker. I have to say, I'm kind of offended that Asami and I don't seem to have that effect on you."

"W-What?" Opal watched as the Avatar's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Her face began to redden as she began to stutter her words, which was so unlike the Avatar Opal had pictured when she first read about the said being and had met her for the first time. "N-No! That's not it!"

The Avatar's reaction only encouraged the teasing smile Opal was wearing to blossom even further. She momentarily stopped what she was doing, turning her full attention to Korra before she continued on joshing and asking, "No, we do have that effect on you? Or, no, we're just not that pretty enough?"

"T-That's—" by that point the Historian was certain she could, literally, see steam rising from the Avatar's reddened face. "Why are you even asking me that? Look," Korra shook her head, trying to compose herself and steer the conversation to something she was more comfortable with. Opal let her. "I was just saying that she looked so familiar. I feel like I've seen her before, and recently too."

"Still, if her face made an impression on you, I can only assume she really was beautiful." Opal stated, though at her statement the Avatar shrugged nonchalantly. "Just tell me the truth, Avatar Korra, is the reason why you're avoiding telling us what she told you was because you were so busy admiring her that you didn't actually pay attention to what this woman was saying?"

Korra groaned. "I don't understand why you keep bringing up the possibility that I was attracted to that woman. I wasn't. And just so you know, I was paying attention."

Even though Opal had a perfect answer to the Avatar's dismayed question, she chose not to follow that particular trail of conversation. Instead, she focused on what was truly interesting at that moment.

"So, what did she tell you?" Opal asked as she resumed feeding the animals. From the corner of her eye she saw Korra shrug.

"For starters, that woman knew who I was. She knew I was the Avatar even though you and Asami had me wearing this stupid thing," at those words, Korra looked dejectedly at the robe she was wearing, then glared back at Opal. "Really, if that woman was able to tell who I was even when I am wearing this, then what's the point? I would rather go back to wearing my own clothes than this."

"What else?" Korra's huffed at her words being dismissed like that, even though she could see the look of concern on Opal's face. "Surely you didn't waste all those hours with her just going back-and-forth about being the Avatar…though I can actually picture you doing something like that."

Is this human really trying to get on my nerves? Did I do something to warrant all these teasing? She is teasing me, isn't she? The Avatar found herself wondering, still unaccustomed to the way the humans outside of Nia Bayou interacted with her.

"I wouldn't do something like that. You and Asami told me not to." Korra crossed her arms, her chore completely left forgotten and it didn't seem like she would remember it any time soon. "Although I did use my waterbending to threaten her into telling me how she knew about me."

"Oh, so that's why your sleeves last night were wet," Opal remembered that curious stain that was on the Avatar's right sleeve. She had guessed—and Asami did as well—that Korra was practicing her bending in secret and not using it to possibly scare the living daylights out of another person.

Korra nodded, and knowing that she might get in trouble for harming another human (regardless if the other human was an enemy or not), the Avatar quickly added, "I didn't get to harm her though. She kept saying these strange things and had me believing that she could commune with the spirits as I could."

"And can she?" the interrogation went on.

Another shrug from the Avatar. "She said she couldn't talk to them as I could, she could only hear them and had wanted to pass a message over to me…as if I needed someone to translate the spirits' words for me. I can do that for myself. I am the Avatar: Master of the Four Elements and the Bridge Between Human and Spirits."

Korra puffed her chest as she spoke of her title and responsibility. And even though it was an impressive title—and Opal was in awe of the Avatar already—she couldn't help rolling her eyes at how frequent Korra spoke of herself that way. Her eye roll was lost to the darker-skinned girl who had went from dismissing their chore to playing with the stray dog the nuns had adopted.

"And what did the spirits say?" Opal had to repeat the question twice before Korra took her attention away from the shaggy dog.

"About what?"

"About what the woman said." Opal was surprised she had to expound the question. She stared, disbelieving, at Korra as a thought—one she voiced out—entered her mind. "You did ask them about her, right?"

The Avatar looked blankly at the Historian, as though she was trying to make sense of what the other girl was saying. It took a while before Korra blinked and her mouth took an 'o' shape.

"Oh," was what came out of her mouth next. She gave a nervous laugh, scratching her cheek as she said, "I did not think of asking the spirits about her."

Opal did her best not to face-palm at the Avatar's answer. "Korra…you should have checked with them first. When was the last time you actually spoke with them?"

Korra looked at anywhere except the Historian. "Um…a while? With everything that has happened, I hadn't had the time to."

"Then would this not be a good time as any? I'm sure they can help you get out of the mood you've been in."

Avatar Korra couldn't believe someone had to tell her the logical course of action to take, especially if that had something to do with talking with the spirits. She should have been the one to come up with that! It should have been a reflexive action for her! It was a part of her, after all.

To have a human suggest it to her—even if it was someone she considered an acquaintance, maybe even a confidant—still struck her pride a bit. It made her feel that the suggestion somehow painted her in a light of dependence. Much as that was already the case with how she needed both Asami and Opal to get back to Nia Bayou, Korra didn't want that fact reminded to her in other areas of their journey.

She wanted to be in some semblance of control; wanted to be someone her human companions could depend on. And maybe—though Korra would never confirm or deny it—she missed being revered.

Still, no matter how wounded her pride might have been, she heeded the words of the Historian, going to her own room to converse with the spirits.

The moment she sat in a lotus position, closed her eyes, touched both of her knuckles together, and let herself reach out to the spirits, the markings of the four elements began to hum and glow with power, despite being hidden under a thick layer of clothing. Before long, her entire body was emitting an otherworldly light.

In her mind's eye, she was already in the plane between the human and spirit realm and she was glad to be able to connect with them much easily this time around.

Unlike the many times she had done so in the past, this particular connection was different. Even though she knew she was in the same place she always ended up in, it wasn't as vibrant as before.

The colors were dull and diluted. The music she always loved hearing that was unique to her meditation and communion with the spirits was inaudible. The entire plane of existence seemed to be in mourning. And Korra couldn't pretend not knowing the reason behind it.

The Four Elemental Spirits… there was a pang in her heart, and emptiness that never really went away since losing Alignak and the others. They are feeling the loss as well. No matter what they have told me, they are still gone…

She looked around, searching for any spirits that may be kind enough to speak with her.

Korra was not a deluded fool. She knew not all of spirit-kind loved the Avatar. She knew there were evil and dark spirits that roamed and preyed on the weak—be it the weaker of their kind, or of humans. And so she had to be careful. She had to reel in the negativity that was in her heart and mind, lest she attracted the wrong crowd.

The Avatar patiently—or tried to be patient, at least—wait for any spirit to come to her summons. But no matter how long she waited, there was hardly any signs of the spirits. Those that did show themselves were too cautious to even come close to her. It irritated Korra, but she knew she couldn't do anything about it. Forcing a spirit to speak—especially in a way that demanded them to—was never a good idea. It was something she had learned early on when she had managed to get a lesser Wind Spirit angry.

"Come on," she all but whined when her patience had run thin. "I just need a little bit of your time!"

But the spirits were all acting wary of Korra. As though they did not recognize her. A part of Korra wondered if that was because Alignak and the others were not with her. For a moment, the Avatar shook that thought away. She needed to focus on one thing at a time.

Just when Avatar Korra was about to give up—planning to try again at a later time—one of the spirits, a light spirit—a small, chubby-looking, yellow spirit with twin leaves on its head—ran towards Korra.

"Korra, please wait!" the light spirit called out, its voice similar to that of a bubbly child.

Finally! The Avatar let go of the breath she didn't realize she was holding. She knelt down to one knee as she wait for the spirit to get close to her. When it reached her, it climbed up her leg and unto her knee.

"What took you so long, little one?" Korra know she shouldn't complain, but she did wait an awfully long time for any of the spirits to answer her call. That alone was worth an explanation.

"I'm sorry," the light spirit apologized, looking abashed. "I tried to contact you sooner, but there is something strange going on in the Spirit World…" the spirit trailed off. It shook its head and opted not to finish its sentence. "That can be dealt with some other time. You came here for a reason, Korra? Is there something you need help with?

Though the Avatar wondered why the light spirit was shaking something that seemed so problematic about their world off, she decided to respect the spirit's decision and instead told the little light spirit of the events the previous night.

Asami did not expect to see her friend, in the barn, doing a chore meant for two people. Her brows furrowed as her bright, emerald eyes scanned for the wolf-tailed girl that was supposed to be helping Opal care for the animals and found no sign of her. With a sigh that ruffled the strand of hair that had fallen on her face, the Prodigy made a detour towards her friend, carrying with her the basket of fruits and vegetables freshly picked from the gardens.

Once inside the barn, Asami wasted no time in saying—almost begging with the way she spoke, "Please tell me Korra didn't ditch you and had you working here by yourself."

The sudden appearance of the young engineer surprised Opal who, up until that point, had been humming a happy tune to herself. In her surprise, she almost dropped the bag of feeds she was holding.

"Asami! Geez! Do you have to scare me like that?" Opal clutched the middle of her chest, willing her galloping heart to return to its normal rhythm. "How long have you been there?"

Asami raised an elegant eyebrow. "I just arrived and I had just asked you a question as well. Where is Korra?"

"Korra's fine," the History, Arts and Literature major waved a hand as if to dismiss what she had mistakenly thought was a question laced with concern. "She had something to take care of. Avatar business."

"Avatar business?"

"Yeah," Opal resumed with her chore as Asami took a step back from the Turkey Duck that had taken interest in her. "About the woman she had supposedly met last night. Our dear Avatar Korra's off meditating in her room, validating what she had been told with her spirit friends."

Asami puckered her eyebrow as she looked over at the rows of dormitory buildings and to the one she knew had been lent to the Avatar. "How long has she been at it?"

"A while," the Historian dusted her hands and straightened up, an accomplished look on her face at having finished her daily chore. She then turned to face Asami and caught her still looking morose over at the dorms. "It so happens that it slipped her mind that she could communicate with the spirits and clear things up with them. I guess Avatar Korra had a lot on her mind, but hopefully this will lift her spirits up a bit."

"Or get her to obsess over it some more," Asami sighed. "You know this could become a problem if she suddenly decides to search for whomever it was she met last night. This could get really complicated, really fast."

"Well, you can't really blame her," Opal said as she placed the bag of feeds back to the cabinet where the nuns kept it. "We were the first outsiders who knew about her. And just when she thought we were the only ones outside of Nia Bayou who knew, people started popping up that could tell who she was and what she could do. Add to the fact that those people want to do her harm? Well, we're just lucky she's not strong enough to go to her full Avatar State and have the entire world wiped out. Not that I think she would do that considering who she is, but…it could happen. The Avatar could do that."

Not Korra, though. Asami was sure of that thought. Even when push comes to shove, she felt with absolute certainty that Korra was not going to do anything that would put countless of innocent lives in danger. At least, not the Korra that was traveling with them now, showing a bit of humanity.

"And what if she does decide to find that woman?" the Prodigy found herself asking, turning to face her friend.

"Then we drag her to the opposite direction of where she thinks the lady is," Opal's tone was one that said it was the most obvious thing to do. "Unless Avatar Korra is back to her full power, we're not going to let her get into any kind of trouble. Isn't that one of the reason we came with her?"

"I haven't met someone that matches your description, Korra," the light spirits said, cocking its chubby head to the side. "As far as I can tell, you're the only person we can communicate with. Although…"

"Although, what?"

"There is a human. A child." The light spirit spoke tentatively, hoping that its words would not upset the Avatar. "She could speak with us as well, much like how you could."

Korra's eyebrow shot up, her eyes widened. This was news to her. "A child who can commune with the spirits? Who is she?"

"A member of a nomadic tribe. A descendant of the last of the Air Nomads. I don't know what she is called, but I can tell you where to find her."

The Avatar crossed her arms. It was tempting to find this child. She was curious about her ability. And maybe she knows who that woman was. But the thought of postponing her return to Nia Bayou did not sit well with her. She didn't even think it would sit well with her human companions.

And so, Korra shook her head. "Maybe some other time. I have to return to Nia Bayou and figure out what Alignak and the others meant by their parting words."

"I don't know if you already have a plan, Korra, but from where you are right now, Makapu would be the most ideal way to go. That way, you can take out two birds with one stone!"

"Two birds with one stone? I don't understand what you mean…"

"There is a ship that travels from Makapu to the Southern Water Tribes." The light spirit explained. It always amazed Korra how much these kind of spirits knew about the human world. "You can take one from there and you will be homeward bound. Not only that, but the child I spoke of? Her family is currently in that village as well. See? Two birds with one stone!"

"Makapu Village, huh…" the Avatar thought about it. And as she was thinking of it, she remembered the words of the mysterious lady. She too told her to head for that village, promising of a quicker way home. It couldn't just be a coincidence.

Korra eyed the light spirit who looked at her with concern and asked, "Is there something wrong, Korra?"

"Nothing. It's just…that woman I had asked you about, she told me to head for Makapu as well…I'm finding it hard to believe this could just be a coincidence."

The light spirit shook its head fervently, causing the twin leaves on its head to bounce and jiggle around.

"Not a coincidence, Korra." The light spirit said. "There is no such thing as a coincidence. There is only the inevitable."

Afternoon had rolled in, and still Korra had not emerged from her room and from her meditation. Neither Asami nor Opal knew if that was a good thing or not. Neither of them thought of checking up on the Avatar as well, for fear of causing her to lose her concentration.

And so, after lunch with the nuns, Asami and Opal decided to use their time doing something productive. The latter tinkering with her Shock Glove, while the former writing in her journal. The two friends worked in companionable silence with Opal occasionally humming the tune that was stuck in her head.

That peaceful and tranquil working environment, however, was shattered when the door flew open with such force that it shook on its hinges. Asami immediately bolted upright, her right hand equipped with the Shock Glove she had been tinkering with. Opal, likewise, stood and had grabbed the closest, most menacing thing she could use as a weapon: a broom.

It took seconds for them to realize they were not under attack and that it was only Korra who had burst into the room, saying, "Pack your things, humans. We're leaving."

Korra was about to say more, but stopped when she saw the looks on both of the humans' faces. Instead, she asked, "What is up with you two?"

"Could you—both of you—" Opal said, glaring at Asami as well, "—stop doing that! You're going to give me a heartattack before this day ends!"

Opal slumped down on her chair, the broom she had taken for a weapon clattering on her feet. Asami, on the other hand, was giving the Avatar the most disdainful look she could muster.

"What?" Korra asked again as she stepped into Asami's room, foregoing the notion of closing the door behind her.

A sigh was all Asami could muster in response as she flicked the Shock Glove's buzzing energy off and took it off her hand. She didn't even bother to tell the Avatar to close the door as did it herself. When neither of the two girls did anything to prepare for the journey, Korra crossed her arms, pouting.

"Why are you both dilly-dallying?" she asked. "Hurry up and pack. We're leaving. Now."

"Why?" Opal asked.

At the same time, Asami looked intently at Korra and asked, "What did you do?"

Korra looked from Asami to Opal and back again. She didn't understand why they needed to ask those questions, especially Asami.

"You didn't do anything that would make the nuns kick us out, did you?"

"What? Of course not!" Korra huffed. "I just finished my conversation with the spirits."

"Oh?" that got Opal to perk up and be more invested in the conversation. "What did they say about your mysterious lady friend?"

"She's not my friend," Korra was quick to say. "But the light spirit I spoke with did agree with what that woman wanted me to do."

"What she wanted you to do?" Asked Asami. As she voiced that question, she hoped it wasn't something stupid or dangerous…or both.

Instead of explaining herself, Korra merely told the two of her plans and their next destination. "We're heading for Makapu Village."

Post Chapter Notes:

Yes, Makapu Village is the trio's next destination...though it would be a slightly different Makapu than what was in the ATLA Universe.

I've also inserted a sort-of-but-not-really mantra in this chapter, which I often say when it comes to coincidences (it's a line I have also have in the book I've published a couple of years back). I just couldn't help myself and the flow of the conversation just ended up going in that direction. :p

Anyways, thoughts about the story so far? As always, I would like to hear what you guys think.

Until the next update, dream on; fly on!