Book 4: Balance (Rewrite)

Chapter 2: Fear and Pain

Korra heard voices. They were faint, muffled, and incoherent as she began to rouse, regaining consciousness. As she came to, she began to recognize one of them, but she couldn't quite make it out. The other voice was gruff and unfamiliar. The two were exchanging words, their voices low, but not quite whispers.

She blinked her eyes open several times to find a blue haze above her, light streaming into the darkness. She shot up with a slight sound of pain, perhaps too quickly, and she immediately lifted a hand to her suddenly aching head.

"Feeling better?" the unfamiliar voice asked, and Korra saw that there were indeed two people standing next to a fire, above which was a cooking pot.

Her head throbbing, she chose not to answer the stranger's question.

"Where am I? What happened?" Her voice came out a little hoarse and she realized she was quite thirsty.

"Why don't you ask your friend here? He's only been following you for days."

She shifted her attention to the second figure who had begun to walk toward her. "What…?" she asked, confused.

"Avatar Korra," he said, and as he stepped into the light that streamed into the cave from above the hard, stone bed on which she had been lain, she was met with a pale face, dark hair, and a coat that was brown instead of his usual red naval jacket.

"General Iroh? Wha—I thought I left you back in that town?" said Korra.

"My apologies," he said with a slight bow of his head. "But I've been trailing you ever since. You were obviously in bad shape. I couldn't let you continue on alone."

Mildly touched, but mostly annoyed, Korra scowled up at Iroh. "Thanks, but I didn't need your help. I could take care of myself just fine."

The stranger laughed, and the sound only irritated Korra further. "Sure you could! That's why you got your butt kicked by thin air!"

Korra opened her mouth to protest, but she closed it quickly, remembering what had happened just before she had lost consciousness. She slumped her shoulders, realizing that the stranger was right. "Okay…so maybe I do need help. A spirit led me here and told me I was supposed to find someone. Is that you?"

"Unfortunately, yes. You Avatars can't seem to do anything by yourselves."

"Avatars…?" Korra asked in confusion. A moment later, she swung her legs off of the bed and made to stand. "You mean you knew Aang?"

Iroh watched Korra's movements to make sure she was steady on her feet. She did not falter, so he stood to the side, allowing her to make the old woman's acquaintance for herself.

"Knew him, trained him, saved his butt on several occasions. Oh yeah, we went way back."

Korra stepped forward, producing a flame in the palm of her hand as she stepped nearer the stranger, squinting to examine them in the firelight. When they turned around, Korra's eyes widened.

"I can't believe it… Toph?"

The old woman chuckled. "Nice to see you again, Twinkletoes."

The Avatar lowered her hand as well as her gaze. "I hate to tell you this, but… I'm not connected to my past lives anymore. That connection was destroyed…"

"I'm well aware of your fight with Unaloq," said Toph. "While your connection to them may have been severed, they're still with you."

"It sure doesn't feel like it…" said Korra.

Here, the general stepped in. "Avatar Korra," he began. "You have a lot of healing to do, but I feel that this is a good place to start. My great uncle…he's the one that sent the forest spirit to guide you here. He sent you to find Toph."

Korra looked to the young general. "Iroh did?" She paused. "I suppose you're right then. But what am I supposed to do? I've been searching for an answer for so long, it feels as if I'll never recover from what the Red Lotus did to me…"

"Not with that attitude you won't," said Toph, turning back to her soup pot to stir its contents. "Anyway, it's late now, and dinner is about done. You look terrible. You need something to eat, and you need a good night's sleep."

"But you can't even see me."

"I can see better than anyone, and in this swamp, I can see everything." Toph ladled some of the soup into a bowl and handed it to Korra. The Avatar took it with a word of thanks. She filled another bowl, handing it to the fire nation prince. "I hope you like mushrooms."

"Thank you," said Iroh.

The three of them sat cross-legged around the fire, eating in silence for a few moments. Korra was grateful for the food. It tasted wonderful. Toph had been right; although she had been eating, she hadn't eaten very much since she left the South Pole almost a year ago. Given the little food she'd eaten in that time, she filled up quickly on the mushroom soup.

She looked at Toph. "So…is this where you've been for the last thirty years?" she asked.

"Yep," replied the old woman.

"Why?" asked Iroh. "The world has changed so much in thirty years, and you've been deeply missed. My grandfather always spoke highly of you…"

"I'm sure he did, but I just couldn't take all the noise and all the people anymore. The cities became too crowded, and crime ran rampant. I needed quiet and solitude. So I came to this swamp. I can see everything from here. I see Suyin in Zaofu, and Lin in Republic City. I'm more connected to the world than I ever was."

"I've heard that this swamp is incredibly spiritual," said Iroh. "It's no wonder you would feel connected to the world even in this seemingly solitary place." He turned to Korra. "Perhaps being here for a while will help you to reconnect with your past lives, and with the rest of the world."

"I don't know," said Korra. "I tried to go to the Tree of Time in the Spirit World, but even that couldn't help me."

"If you don't learn to be more positive, you're not going to heal," said Toph harshly. "Life is hard. You're given challenges and you have to learn to overcome them. If you don't…you won't last very long."

Silence fell, and Korra looked down into the hot coals beneath the cooking pot, pondering Toph's words. Optimism was a difficult thing when she had been trying for three years to recover from her paralysis and her brush with death. She had tried, and tried, and that day that Tenzin had visited her at the South Pole, she had thought she was back to her old self again…until memories of her fight with Zaheer ambushed her.

She had thought that returning to Republic City would help, but when her demons chased her even there, she knew she hadn't been ready to go back.

So she had set out on a journey to find Rava in the hopes of reconnecting with the Light Spirit, and with her past lives. But so far, she had found nothing. She had only fallen further into fear, hopelessness, and despair. She had begun to feel like she would never regain her spirit; that she would fail as the Avatar.

After supper, Korra stood at the mouth of the cave, looking out at the moonlit swamp. It looked at once dangerous and beautiful, and she wondered if taking solace in its shallow waters and among its tall trees would, in fact, assist her in her healing.

Iroh came to stand beside her after some time. "How are you feeling, Avatar Korra?" he asked.

She didn't look at him. Instead, she cast her eyes downward, rubbing her upper arm in a gesture of uncertainty.

"Please…" she said quietly, pleadingly. "Stop with the 'Avatar' stuff… I don't feel like the Avatar anymore…"

Iroh looked out over the vast swamp, his face stony and serious. "I can't imagine what you must have gone through these past few years, but it clearly took its toll on you, not just physically, but mentally. I've seen it many times among my comrades. I don't know that you'll ever get over your run-in with Zaheer… But you can learn to accept it."

"I've tried to accept it. I've tried to look on the bright side of things. I've tried to be optimistic, but every time I think I'm on my way to getting over all of that, I see Zaheer…And not just Zaheer, but Amon and Unaloq, too. And I see myself…My own fears manifested, and I keep trying to fight them back, but they keep on winning. I don't know why I can't just accept what happened to me and move on, but believe me, I've tried."

"I believe you."

Korra shifted her gaze to Iroh. She hadn't expected the softness in his tone, or the sincerity in his voice that conveyed true understanding. His eyes met hers.

"Fear is a powerful thing, Korra. It's not always conscious, either. Consciously, you might be doing everything in your power, everything you can think of to move forward. But the unconscious has far more weight and power than you realize. You haven't truly found closure yet. You haven't yet found a way to come to terms with happened to you."

"I don't know if I can."

"Let's hope you can find a way. The world needs you, Korra."

"What do you mean?"

"The world has taken a turn for the worse since you've been gone. Between the assassination of the Earth Queen and your absence, a power vacuum formed, and someone else has stepped up to take control."

"Kuvira…"

"You've heard then?"

"I…had heard some rumors, but I didn't realize things were that unstable."

"They are, and they're only going to get worse if we can't find a way to stop her."

"I don't know if I can return to the person I used to be."

"You can't. Pain has a way of transforming us. I have a feeling it will transform you into something greater than your former self."

"How?"

Iroh's face softened, and his expression became sad, regretful. "I don't know."

When her face fell, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "But…if you'll allow me, I'll accompany you on your journey to heal."

"You're duty to the Avatar, right?"

He shook his head. "I do have a duty to the Avatar, however I am also in your debt. You saved my life, and I was never able to repay you." He paused, unsure if he wanted—or was even able—to verbalize his more heartfelt reasons for wanting to stay by her side.

Watching over her during the past few days had touched him. He had very much disliked having to hide in the shadows, watching her suffer alone. He had wanted to speak with her, to comfort her, and strangely enough, he had even wanted to hold her when she looked so broken that not even tears could fall from her blackened eyes. Watching her struggle on by herself had broken his heart. His compassion moved him to want to hold the pieces of her frail and fractured spirit together until she found the strength to fuse them again.

Recalling her strength and courage made the reality of her brokenness even harder to bear. The woman he had been following for days was not the Avatar he had met several years prior. He wanted so badly to see that strength and courage within her again.

Although he did not voice this, something in his eyes told Korra that he was not simply looking to repay a four-year-old debt. Touched, she simply said, "Thank you."

x-X-x

"You've gotta help me get back into Avatar fighting shape. I…I'm getting my butt kicked by losers all over the Earth Kingdom," said Korra in frustration. Then she said much more softly, "The world needs me…"

"Get over yourself!" said Toph, and Korra stared at her, taken aback. "The world doesn't need you one bit."

Korra put her hand on her hip, countering that statement. "But while I've been the Avatar, I've stopped some really bad people from doing some really bad things."

Iroh said nothing as he stood leaning against the wall of the cave created by massive tree roots. He simply listened, intrigued, as Toph stood and walked passed Korra to the earthen shelf behind her to pour herself some tea.

"Listen, when I was chief of police of Republic City, I worked my butt off busting criminals. But did that make crime disappear? Nope." She turned back to Korra. "If there's one thing I've learned on the beat, it's that the names change, but the street stays the same."

Korra stared at the old woman for a moment, brows furrowed in suspicion. "So…basically you're saying that everything I've ever accomplished has been pointless." She looked away from Toph for a moment and grumbled, "And I thought Bei Fong was grumpy."

"I'm the original Bei Fong!" said Toph proudly.

Iroh let one corner of his mouth creep up in amusement.

"So you're not gonna train me?" asked Korra.

"Well, I was planning on soaking my feet in mud for a few weeks." She heaved a heavy sigh. "But I can't stand you being so pathetic and getting your butt kicked all the time!" She smirked before continuing. "Alright, I guess I can help."

"Thank you!" shouted Korra, excited as she stepped toward Toph, arms outstretched for a spontaneous embrace. She was stopped in her tracks as Toph erected a pillar of earth for the Avatar to run into instead, and Korra fell backward onto the ground.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah! If you want to hug something, go hug a tree! We're here to work!"

The three of them headed out of the root cave and into the open air of the swamp. General Iroh planted himself on a root of a tree to watch the first of what he assumed would be several training sessions between the Avatar and the former Republic City chief of police. He hoped that Toph could assist Korra, and so he watched with fixed attention as the two of them stood apart from one another, Korra taking up a fighting stance and Toph standing, arms behind her back.

A moment of silence pervaded before Toph called, "Ok, bring it!"

Without hesitation, Korra rushed toward the elder Bei Fong, throwing gusts of air at the earthbending master, which she easily evaded. Toph summoned up a mound of mud to carry her away from the air attacks and around to Korra's back side. She threw a clump of mud at Korra, and it hit the Avatar square on her torso, sending her flying back onto a bed of intertwined roots and vines.

Korra sat up quickly and was hit in the face with a patch of grass. A squirrel-frog landed on her shoulder, seemingly laughing at her. She exchanged a look with it, glowering as it croaked.

"Tell me what you did wrong," said Toph, walking towards her.

Korra picked up the squirrel-frog by its tail and set it down for it to scurry off. "Well, I was thinking that you were gonna—"

"Exactly! You. Were. Thinking!" She turned on her heel. "Go again!"

Iroh watched as Korra jumped to her feet, taking in a deep breath and winding up for another attack. She shot blast after blast of air at Toph, followed quickly by streams of water, but the master earthbender evaded each assault.

Iroh frowned at her recklessness and her lack of balance. She was trying to land a blow, but she was far too focused on a speed that she did not possess. Toph was correct. Korra was thinking instead of paying attention to her opponent's movements and attempting to identify Toph's cues. Granted, Toph was flawless, and spotting cues that gave away an incoming attack was nearly impossible, but Korra did not seem to be attempting to find those cues at all.

Sure enough, Korra's lack of attentiveness and defensive strategy led to Toph taking out her footing and throwing her several yards away so that she landed face down in a pool of water.

Slowly, and with heavy breaths, Korra rolled over onto her back.

"Pathetic," said Toph, reaching Korra's side. "Of all the Avatar's I've worked with, you're by far the worst."

Korra got to her feet and stretched her sore back, unaware of the elbow leech that had attached itself to her.

"I know that's only one other Avatar, but still," she continued, walking past Korra and pulling off the leech.

Korra gave a yelp, and turned to face Toph. "Hey!"

"That's hardly fair," Iroh commented as he approached Korra.

"It seems like you're enjoying having someone around to beat up an awful lot."

"Yeah," said Toph, sitting on top of a large, mossy tree root. "The swamp benders out here really can't take a punch."

"So, what made you want to drop out and disconnect from the rest of the world?" Korra asked.

"I'm more connected to the world than you've ever been. The roots and vines, they run all over the world. I can see Su and Lin, Zaofu and Republic City. I see everything!"

There was a pause before Korra attempted to gather a stream of water to throw at a seemingly unsuspecting Toph. But the Avatar was thrown back by a splurge of mud before she even had the chance to strike.

"You're blind compared to me!"

Korra sat up with a huff, glaring at the old woman.

"Why don't you spar with me?"

Korra looked up at Iroh, who had moved quietly to her side.

"So you can kick my butt, too? No thanks…"

"Don't tell me you're a quitter and a loser!"

Korra growled, but was interrupted from her anger when Iroh's gloved fingers touched her shoulder.

"Just focus on me."

She nodded as he helped her to her feet. Iroh walked several paces before facing her once more.

"The first move is yours."

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself, and focused on Iroh just as he'd said. Though Toph was no doubt more knowledgeable, the general was likely to be a more forgiving teacher.

Korra threw fire at her new opponent, and he dodged or blocked each of her blows. She watched his movements, waiting for the moment he'd eventually strike back. What she didn't expect was for him to take one of own fireballs and send it right back at her. She drew up a wall of water, but wasn't fast enough, and so she found herself in the mud yet again.

"Ugh! What's wrong with me?"

"What's not wrong with you?"

"Listen, your negativity isn't helping!"

"If you have a problem with honesty, that's not my fault."

"Korra."

"What?" she snapped.

"You're distracted."

"Well, I wouldn't be distracted if she—"

"Blah, blah, blah! It's always someone else's fault, isn't it? Maybe it's time you take responsibility for your own failures. Maybe then you'll actually learn something."

Korra fought back a retort, glancing back at Iroh. He stood calmly a few yards away, hands behind his back as he waited for her to make a decision. She let out another breath, feeling the tension leave her shoulders.

"You're right. Both of you. I'm too distracted, and when I'm distracted, I get frustrated."

She got to her feet and took up her fighting stance once more. "Give me your best shot."

He shook his head. "We need to go back to the basics and move forward from there to find the problem."

"…Ok."

"I want you to firebend at me. I'm only going to block you."

She nodded.

"Whenever you're ready."

Concentrating only on Iroh, Korra threw basic firebending attacks his way. He blocked each one, and when she began to try too hard, her reigned her in with a gentle reminder that this wasn't meant to be a strenuous exercise. With patience, Korra began to regain precision in her movements and in her attacks.

"How did that feel?"

Korra looked down at her hands. "Honestly? Too easy. I know how to firebend."

"Yes, you do. But this isn't about what you know or don't know. It's about your reactivity. You did better controlling yourself rather than simply reacting. Let's go again, but this time I'm going to attack, and you're going to defend. Remember your basics."

They resumed their stances, and Iroh threw simple fire attacks her way. She was able to dodge them, but he knew he'd been correct about the problem being her reactivity. He could see the tension in her body as she performed the simplest of defensive moves. He watched her closely, choosing not to say anything as he watched her body language morph from relaxed and flexible to stiff and rigid. Her movements got sloppier with each defensive strike.

"Breathe, Korra."

She sucked in a breath she hadn't realized she'd needed, but it threw her further off balance, and she failed to evade his last attack in time. She threw up a blast of air in an attempt to stop it, but the force of her own defensiveness knocked her to the ground again.

She got to her knees and looked down at her murky reflection with disappointment and disgust. Iroh approached and crouched down in front of her.

"You did well."

"No I didn't."

"How about a break?"

She slowly looked up at him and nodded reluctantly. "Clearly I'm not going to make any progress right now."

"You will," he said as they stood. "It'll just take some time."

"Time? It's taken too long already…"

"You can do it. I believe in you."

Korra glanced up to see him smiling, and there wasn't a hint of doubt written in his features.

A while later, they resumed their training, and Toph surprisingly kept her comments to a minimum, content with observing. Iroh continued to reinforce the basics, reminding Korra that she had to be just as in touch with her own body as she was with her opponent's moves.

"You're too rigid, especially for a waterbender."

"I am? I hadn't even noticed."

"You have to loosen up. Try tensing your muscles one muscle group at a time. First your arms and hands. Take a deep breath and hold it."

Korra did as he asked, drawing in a breath as she clenched the muscles of in her arms and balled her hands into fists.

"Now…release."

She exhaled and relaxed. "Hey, that does feel better."

"Now your neck." He led her through the steps of progressive muscle relaxation, from her head to her toes, and he nodded in approval when he could see the change in her body even standing as far apart as they were.

"Now… Let's go again."

X-X-X

Korra trained with Iroh over the next few days, and her confidence was beginning to return as she made progress in being able to hold her own against the general. When she struggled to find balance, he led her again through the relaxation exercise, which greatly improved her reactivity.

They practiced basic and some more advanced movements, but Iroh also led Korra through some traditional firebending forms, including the Dancing Dragon. By implementing these latter exercises, Iroh hoped Korra would be able to get back in tune with the flow of energy through her body as it manifested into her bending. Indeed, he nodded as he watched her move more fluidly through each of the stances.

"See, you're getting better already."

"Thanks to you," she smiled. "You're a really patient teacher."

"It accomplishes nothing to rush the sea."

Korra paused in thought before meeting the general's eyes. "I want to try it with Toph again. I think I'm ready."

"If that's what you wish. I'll admit, I'm curious to note your progress. She's not likely to go easy on you."

"I think I've had it easy long enough. What do you say, Toph?"

"Huh, fine by me," the old woman laughed. "I never get tired of schooling people."

"Are you sure you're ready?" asked Iroh.

"I won't know until I try, right?"

Toph slipped off of the large root she'd been lounging on with a grin. "I'm sure I'll still wipe the floor with you, but I was getting bored just watching anyway."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," said Korra.

"Anytime. Now, show me what you've got."

Iroh stood back to observe, hoping for the best, but also aware that Toph was right. Korra had made significant gains during their training, but she was far from being a match for the ruthless earthbending master.

He was pleased when Korra was able to hold her own longer this time. Her movements were more fluid, and she was even channeling her evasive airbending maneuvers into her defensive strategy. She used the forms he'd taught her, which allowed her to better control her chi.

However, the longer he watched, the more he noticed her slipping back into sloppy form and erratic movements rooted primarily in defensiveness. Since her physiological reactions could so easily through her off-balance, he started to wonder if she was dealing with something more than just PTSD.

Korra still refused to quit even when knocked down. Though she gave herself breaks, she was determined to land a hit to Toph. It never happened.

"That was terrible," said Korra several hours later.

"Ha, maybe for you! I had a great time! I never realized how much I missed tormenting the Avatar. I wish you were putting up more of a fight, but it was still fun!"

"You were tossing me around like a ragdoll all day long."

"I know, and I'm an old lady! Imagine me in my prime! I would have destroyed you!"

"I just don't understand why I can't get back to my former self. It's like I'm a step slower, I'm tentative, I'm out of sync. I just can't get back in the groove. I thought I was making progress with Iroh, but maybe that was just wishful thinking…"

"You did make progress, Korra," he said. "You did far better than you had the first day."

"But I used to be so much better than I am now. I did better against you. It's like, the harder things get, the more I mess up."

"Probably carrying around that metal doesn't help."

Iroh and Korra's heads both rounded in Toph's direction.

"What metal?" asked Korra.

"The little bits of metal poison stuck in your body. Are you trying to tell me you can't feel metal in your own body? You really are the worst Avatar ever."

"I thought Su got it all out," said Korra.

"Oh, my girls never really picked up metal-bending all that well if you ask me," said Toph as she sat back down.

"Wait… You mean the metal the Red Lotus poisoned her with?"

"Of course that metal!"

Korra beamed, a sudden expression of confident hope that Iroh hadn't seen from her in the last month.

"That's been my problem this entire time!" She grasped Toph by the shoulders. "I've got to get it out! You can get it out for me, right?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" said Toph, pushing Korra back out of her personal space.

"Maybe she's right. Maybe that's what's holding her back."

"Even if I did get the metal out, and it wouldn't be that easy, it's Korra who needs to choose to get better."

"Are you saying I'm not trying hard enough?"

"Yup."

"Well, I disagree," said Korra, getting to her feet. "You've been watching me train with Iroh for days. He just said I've made progress."

"Not much."

"Please, Toph. I really need your help."

The elderly woman let out a loud sigh. "Fine! I'll try. But I don't want to hear any whining."

x-X-x

Korra laid on the stone table she'd woken up on a few days earlier as Toph reluctantly moved to stand at her side.

"Ok, if you want me to bend out this metal, you need to relax."

"I am relaxed."

"Ha, seriously? Your body is like a twisted tree trunk."

After her training session with the earthbender, Toph was correct. Korra's body had regained the tension that had been absent for the last few days. Before Iroh could concur, Korra insisted that she was ready.

Toph cracked her fingers and stretched her neck, focusing her breathing before setting to the task of trying to bend the metal in Korra's body with movements that almost mimicked waterbending. Iroh mentally crossed his fingers as Toph set to work.

But as soon as Korra felt the metal poison being drug through her veins, she experienced a sharp pain from its burn. She lurched forward, clutching at her torso.

"It wouldn't hurt if you would just relax! Stop fighting me!"

"I'm not fighting!" Korra flopped back down on the table.

"Yes, you are!"

"Just try it again. Please."

Korra looked to her right when she felt Iroh's gloved hand cover clenched fist.

"No, she's right."

The gentle reminder was easier for her to digest than Toph's surliness, and Korra took a deep breath before closing her eyes and leading herself through the progressive muscle relaxation. When Iroh felt the tension dissipate, he stepped back.

"Ok. Now I'm ready."

She waited to feel the pull of the metal beneath her skin, and she noticed the burn as soon as Toph began bending it down from her torso toward her legs. It wasn't as sharp as the first attempt.

'I can do this. I need to do this.'

But just as some of the metal slithered around her lungs, the burn of suffocation returned to her memory, and she was reengaged in the flashback with Zaheer as he attempted to suck the life from her body.

She shot up with a scream and curled in on herself once more.

"Korra," said Iroh, moving to her side again and placing a soothing hand between her shoulder blades.

Toph threw her hands up. "Alright, that's it! You're going to have to do this yourself. Clearly you want to keep the metal in there."

"What do you mean? Why would I want poison inside me?" Korra retorted.

"I don't know. Maybe so you have an excuse not to go back to being the Avatar. If you don't get better, you can't do your job, so you don't have to worry about getting hurt again."

"Wha—that's ridiculous!"

"Whatever. When you want it out, you can bend it out. I can't deal with all your issues for you."

"Wait, what am I supposed to do now?"

"How should I know?" said Toph, sitting on a raised rock and assuming a meditative position facing away from them. "Ask the spirit that brought you here. The good news is, if you're looking for a place to hang where no one will bother you, you picked the best swamp in the world!"

Korra turned away from Toph, sitting off the side of the table. Iroh watched her get up and walk out into the swamp, her body bent in on itself as she clutched at her chest.

"Don't you think that was a little harsh?"

"Nope. We all have a choice, and she's made hers by allowing fear to control her. No one can help her unless she's willing to help herself first."

He couldn't argue with Toph's assessment, and perhaps the old woman's brashness was what Korra needed to spur her forward out of that fear and self-doubt. That was the philosophy of military training, after all. If one couldn't deal with harsh words, then they were sure to be ill-equipped to deal with war.

He'd known Korra to be quite brash, bull-headed, and even defiant before the Red Lotus's assassination attempt. The young Avatar was no stranger to hurling fists as well as insults. But Iroh had learned from his grandfather that a gentler hand at a critical juncture was often needed to counteract feelings of failure and boost a person's confidence. Such was the lesson Korra had been in the middle of learning, and one that might aid her as she struggled to overcome the barriers within herself.

He found her outside, some distance from Toph's cave as she sat looking down at her murky reflection once more. He quietly took up a position next to her, and they sat in silence for several minutes.

"Do you think she's right?" Korra finally asked.

A loaded question. Iroh took a moment to compose his answer. "Remember what I said the other day about fear being subconscious?"

"So it is me."

"Yes and no. What happened to you wasn't your fault, but it was traumatic. As the Avatar, I'm sure sometimes it feels like you're invincible. Then to realize that you're not…"

"I know what happened—I mean, how can I forgot? I just don't know what I should be doing differently! How does a person just get over almost being killed?"

Her momentary outburst sparked a surge of pain in her abdomen that shot up her spine, and she lurched forward again.

"You're in pain."

"Of course I am," she snapped. "I didn't realize how badly the poison could still hurt me."

"It wasn't just the poison, though…was it?"

"No… I don't think that relaxation thing is going to help me this time."

Iroh was silent for a moment, unsure how Korra would respond if he made a suggestion.

"I have an idea. To stop the pain. I-if you're ok with it, that is…"

"Anything would be better than this," she said as a bead of sweat ran down her temple, her arms around her midsection.

As the sun sunk lower in the sky, casting the swamp into growing shadows, Korra sat facing away from the fire with General Iroh at her back. Toph sat on her rock, meditating as was her ritual before bed each evening. Feeling self-conscious, but desperate for relief from the pain, Korra removed her tunic and loosened the bindings around her torso as she looked out at the darkened wilderness outside the cave. Her body felt cramped, contorted, and sore, but at least she could no longer feel the burn of the poison being drug through her veins.

"This shouldn't cause you any more pain, but it may produce momentary discomfort. If it does become too uncomfortable, I'll stop."

"Ok…"

Iroh removed his gloves and set them aside before slowly focusing his breathing and placing his palms against her bare shoulder blades. Korra drew in a sudden breath, then sighed as the unexpected heat seeped instantly beneath her skin to warm and relax her muscles. She felt like she was melting as he moved downward, his fingers pushing and pressing into pressure points along her spine.

"What are you doing to me?"

"It's a common therapeutic practice in the Fire Nation. I've had it done a few times. Believe it or not, the older you get, the less your body bounces back from taking a beating."

She gave a gruff chuckle. "Great. I guess I have that to look forward to."

"While the cold can make the joints and muscles stiffer, heat can loosen them. I'm not very good at it, but I've done it for some of my men until they could be seen by a medic."

He had moved to massaging her shoulders and now moved along her arms, feeling her body relax with each pass of his hands.

"Not very good at it? Well let me know when you obtain your degree in heat massages," she teased.

When he reached her hands, he massaged the joints one at a time and pressed his fingers into each palm before working his way back up her arm from the inside. Korra hadn't realized how sensitive such a simple part of her body would be. She kept her clothes clutched to her chest as he worked, and when he released one arm, then the other, she found her limbs were almost weightless.

When he asked her to lie on her stomach, she complied, placing her head on her arms and closing her eyes. Iroh chose not to ask the Avatar to remove her breeches. That would have made them both incredibly uncomfortable. Instead, he pushed up her pant legs and worked the muscles in her calves and just above her knees. He was unable to see her expressions since her face was turned away from him, but the periodic sounds she made told him that she was feeling a great deal of relief from his ministrations.

"Can you roll over for me?" he asked gently.

Korra opened her eyes slowly. "Uh…sure…" Keeping her clothes carefully against her bosom, she reluctantly rolled onto her back. Her face heated, but she was relieved to notice that he didn't attempt to look up toward her chest. He held an expression of concentration as evidenced by the creased brow, the slight downturn of his mouth, and the focused state of his gold eyes. The movement of his hands caught her attention as he laid them against her abdomen, and her embarrassment was quickly forgotten.

She let her lids fall closed again as she felt the warmth pool beneath her skin and spread like molten fire.

Iroh's eyes flicked unwillingly to Korra's face at the drawn out moan that escaped her lips. He couldn't recall ever seeing her face that peaceful, that relaxed, that beautiful.

He forced his eyes toward the darkened swamp outside, exhaling steam through his nose. Perhaps he shouldn't make a habit of this, but then he couldn't say he regretted being able to replace her pain with even a temporary peace.

Korra gave a slight frown when she felt his hands leave her body. When she opened her eyes, he was replacing his gloves. She let the protest die before it had a chance to leave her lips.

"Better?" he asked, sure to keep his eyes on her face.

"Y-yeah. Much. Thank you, General Iroh."

"Of course the effects won't last forever, but if it can provide you with even short-term relief, then that's something," he said as he pulled the legs of her pants back into place before rising to his feet. "I'll leave you alone to redress."

Korra rose up on her elbow, watching him walk past the fire to the back of the cave. She heard him begin to prepare himself a cup of tea, giving her as much privacy as he was able.

Turning away from the light of the fire, Korra retied her bindings and replaced her tunic. She felt tired, but in a good way, and after stretching, she laid down beside the fire to rest.

"Maybe I ought to get one of those massages," said Toph as she made herself comfortable on her bed made of stone.

"They're quite beneficial," said Iroh. "If you'd like, I could—"

No sooner had her head hit the stone slab was Toph out cold, her snoring interrupting the quiet. Iroh shook his head in amusement.

Through half-lidded eyes, Korra watched as Iroh sat against the wall opposite her with his tea.

"She's a character, isn't she?"

"That she is," said Iroh. "She's just as gruff as my grandfather always said, but I feel privileged to have met her." There was a short pause before he said, "You should rest, Korra."

'How can I when you're way over there?'

Startled by the thought, she shifted her gaze to the dimming fire between them. It took no time at all for her to fall asleep, even with Toph's raucous snoring.

Iroh watched her body rise and fall with her steady breathing as she fell into a more peaceful slumber than he'd seen from her since he'd begun tailing the young Avatar. He took another sip from his cup before focusing on the darkness outside. Once he was finished with his tea, he set the cup aside, lifted his collar, and sunk into the comfortable jacket to sleep as he leaned against the wall of the cave.

In his dreams, his mind replayed the evening, and Iroh found himself leaning over Korra's shoulder as he ran his hands down her arms. She leaned back into him as he murmured her name, the steam from his heated breath fanning across her face. It wasn't long before he was leaning down to press his lips to hers while she lay on her back, drinking up the reality that he'd been able to replace her pain with both pleasure and peace.