Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. Well, we're out of Book One and into new waters. This chapter is a little shorter then usual, but hopefully you guys will like it all the same. Now, on with the chapter:

Fengbao Dao, Southern Isles. One Month Later.

"'Sure, Ryou, I'll follow you anywhere'. Me and my big mouth," Korra muttered to herself. Whether or not she thought I could hear her didn't matter anymore. She was cold, tired, hungry, and could probably not care less what I thought at that moment. The Avatar was picking her way through a wooded underbrush in the middle of a downpour, involved in the most extreme game of hide and seek she had ever played in her life. She had no idea that I was crouched on a branch about twenty feet above her, watching her every move.

Let me give you a little context. For the past month or so, Korra and I had been involved in what I called The Crucible. Basicly this was Korra's graduation test, to see what she had learned under my training and how she could use her new skills. Which was why we were on a deserted island in the middle of the Southern Isles, to ensure that we weren't interrupted.

The first few weeks had been a camping trip during which we had reviewed everything she had been taught. Now came her test. Korra's objective was to reach a certain point on the island and either avoid or defeat me in combat. Without her bending, she had only her sword and her wits to rely on. Well, airbending too, but that was strictly forbidden.

The whole point of this was to rewrite the way she thought about and approached life. Korra had been whole heartily convinced that her life as the Avatar was over because of the loss of her bending. While I had been able to cheer her up some, it wasn't enough. She needed to be reminded that she had other skills, and being the Avatar wasn't just about bending.

I jumped from the branch, holding my sword over my head as I intended to bring it into a downward chop. At the last second, Korra drew her own sword, turned, and bashed me aside. I landed in a crouch, holding my blade at the ready.

"Well, there goes that part of the plan," she muttered, bringing her sword up over her shoulder so that the point of the blade was pointed at me. Her non dominant hand was held out, as if telling me to halt. I gave my own sword a single twirl before I leapt forward, eager to see what my student had in store for me.

Korra actually held her own. She parried my attacks before going on the offensive, using her lighter frame and higher energy reserves to her advantage. Our blades moved quickly, only glancing off of each other when they met. Jumping back, she grabbed a tree branch and let it fly at me like a wooden whip. I sliced through it before going after her.

She ran through the underbrush, twisting branches so that they swung back at me like the first one. I either rolled underneath them, jumped over them, or sliced through them depending on their height. Suddenly, she stopped and turned to face me, slicing at my face and chest. I slid on the mud and wet foliage, parrying her blade away from me before I landed on my back.

She brought her sword up over her head and brought it down toward me like she was chopping wood. I battered her blade to the side with mine before I kicked my feet out, launching myself into the air and landing back on my feet. I lunched forward and locked our blades together. Both swords trembled as we pushed against each other.

"This isn't what I had in mind for a trip," she grunted. Her face was covered with mud, and water from the rain poured down it. Her hair was pulled out of its usual pony tail and was a mess, her clothes were ragged, but there was a fire in her eyes. I simply gave her a grin, intending to get under her skin. It worked, because she drove her foot into my knee.

Pain shot up my leg, knocking me off balance. She shoved her weight into me, breaking our lock and knocking me onto my back. Taking her chance, she took off at a sprint into the woods. I couldn't help but smirk as I watched her go. She'd taken a play out of my book, and I was proud of her for that. Jumping back to my feet, I took off after her.

It wasn't hard to track her through the underbrush. At the pace she was moving, she was like a sabertooth moose lion with the trail she was leaving behind. Eventually I arrived at a large pool of water with a waterfall feeding into it off a cliff. It would have been a beautiful sight, if not for the rain and the fact that I was keeping my guard up.

I looked around and realized to my frustration that Korra had given me the slip. However I quickly reversed this feeling as I realized that this was the location that she was suppose to be making her way toward. All I had to do now was stand guard and wait.

Easier said then done, considering I was in the middle of a downpour. Rain limited both sight and hearing, both of which were critical when it came to either hunting or guarding. The sound of a branch snapping off to my right caught my attention, and I was just barely able to duck as Korra exploded out of the growth, swinging her sword at my head.

I somersaulted before coming up, parrying her blade with mine. We traded blows back and forth, probing but never managing to find a way through each others defenses. I swung my sword wide, intending to strike at her side. But Korra leapt over the blade, twisting her body through the air so the toe of her boot came down on my hand, knocking my sword from my grasp. The weapon landed in the mud, and Korra pounced upon me with a yell, forcing me to the ground yet again.

Now she was sitting on my mid section, her sword held up with the tip pointing right at my face. Her chest heaved as she sucked air in, the adrenaline rushing through her. I brought my hand up, my palm slapping the blade away from my face before I surged upward and grabbed Korra by the wrists. Her sword fell from her grasp as we rolled through the mud, battling for dominance. She kneed me in the stomach, and I countered with a punch to her kidneys.

We came up out of the roll with both of us in a crouch, watching the other intently to see what they would do. At the same time we glanced off to our side. There was Korra's sword, a short distance away sticking straight up and down out of the mud. She snarled, and we both lunged for the weapon. As we neared it, Korra jumped and kicked me. I lost my footing in the mud and fell, allowing her to reach it first.

Before I could get back to my feet again, Korra was upon me. She planted her foot into my chest, forcing me onto my back. This time when she pinned me down, she used her legs to keep my arms from moving. She then pressed the blade against my throat and held it there waiting to slash.

"Dead," she growled, determined to end this once and for all. I lay there panting as the rain pelted my face, unable to move.

"You've done well, my student," I said, conceding defeat. She slowly got off of me and helped me to my feet. I recovered my sword from the mud, collapsing it and returning it to my belt.

"So what happens now?" she asked as she sheathed her own blade.

"Now you follow me," I answered as I started toward the waterfall. I passed through the torrent of water, into the cave entrance that was hidden behind it. The cave was illuminated by the luminescent crystals that were popular in the Earth Kingdom, casting a green glow on the tunnel. Korra followed me into the cave, sticking as close as she could. Water glistened on her skin in the light, but I was focused on the task at hand.

"Wow," she breathed.

"You haven't seen anything yet," I said over my shoulder before leading the way deeper into the cave. The tunnel had a downward slope as it led deeper into the mountain side. It was such that water from the waterfall ran like a stream down the cave floor, but not steep enough to where we would be sent sliding to our deaths if we lost our footing.

For several minutes we walked, following the cave deeper and deeper into the earth. I could tell Korra was bursting with questions, but she had refrained from asking them. Finally, the tunnel opened up into a massive cavern. The room was round, with four spiraling pillars of stone rising up from the center. We were on a ledge the circled around the room at a slope to create a ramp, about halfway between the floor and the roof. Crystals illuminated all parts of the cavern, but the main focus of it all was the pool of water located at the center of the four pillars, which was elevated from the cavern floor by four sets of stairs.

A ring of water surrounded the raised pool. Four waterfalls from cave entrances like ours like the four points on a compass. Water also flowed from the pool itself, falling into the ring in four waterfalls that were on the opposite sides of the ring from the outside water. Unlike the cool conditions of the surface, the cave was actually a comfortable temperature.

"What is this place?" she asked in awe as we started down the ramp toward the cavern floor.

"A temple, of sorts. Although I believe Oasis would be a far more accurate term," I answered. We reached the bottom of the ramp and stood before a small stone bridge which connected to the stairs that led up to the pool.

"Wait, Oasis? You mean like the Spirit Oasis in the Northern Water Tribe?" she asked as we walked up the steps to the pool. The water had a pristine, mineral rich glow to it. It churned slightly as a current came up to the surface from somewhere below.

"Exactly. This is one of four such places, located in the far corners of the world. The Oasis in the North is another," I said. Korra looked up at the pillars around us. The familiar swirl symbol of the Air Nomads was carved into the stone on each one, facing the pool.

"So why are we here?" she asked. I removed my sword hilt and sat it on the stone floor beside the pool.

"Your chakras have been blocked, preventing you from being able to bend. And since you're too fidgety to stay in one place long enough to meditate, we're going to try bathing you in the Spirit Oasis in order to unblock them," I said as I began to undo my boot laces.

"And this will help unblock my bending?" she asked, sounding skeptical.

"Each of the Oasis is a place where the bounds between the Spirit and Human realms are non existent. With any luck, we'll unblock your bending and make contact with your past lives," I replied as I pealed my shirt off. Her cheeks instantly gained a shade of crimson, and she suddenly found one of the pillars rather interesting.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"The pool needs as little contamination as possible for the best results. And frankly we're both covered with mud and who knows what else from rolling around outside," I answered frankly as I undid my belt.

"So your solution for me to get my bending back is for me to skinny dip in some spirit water?!" she asked. She did not sound happy to say the least.

"Not fully naked. Your wrappings would be fine," I said.

"You're out of your mind," she huffed as she folded her arms. I rolled my eyes before shrugging off my trousers, leaving me standing only in my briefs.

"You want your bending back, this is how you get it back," I said. For the longest time she just stood there, her cheeks red as she half pouted, half tried sneaking glances at me. I'm not overly toned, but I'm solid enough from my lifestyle, workout, and diet. The thing is that I've been around long enough that nudity, or near nudity in this case, doesn't bother me. I've seen cultures and customs all over the world, and they all handle the human body in different ways. Some were more traditional then others, the Water Tribes being among them.

"Fine. Just turn around," she finally said.

"As you wish," I said before turning and folding my arms as I waited. I heard her gasp in surprise, and suddenly I wasn't so confident in my body anymore. Sure I could probably walk across Kyoshi Bridge in the buff and not bat an eye, but there was something on my back that I was a little self conscience of.

"What...happened to you?" she asked. I felt her fingertips brush the raised flesh, and I flinched away from her touch out of instinct. Burn scars, the vast majority of my back is covered in crisscrossed burned scars. A painful memory, for a very painful experience.

"Can we focus on why we're here, please?" I asked. I felt her pull her hand way, and then heard the rustling sound of fabric. After a minute or so, I heard the sound of water splashing, and took that as my cue to turn back around. Korra's clothing, boots, and sword were all in a pile next to the pool. The Avatar herself was in the water, submerged up to her neck with her hair covering her face in an unkempt manner, as if that could hide the fact that her face was as red as a tomato.

"Don't you think you're overreacting just a little?" I asked. Her response was to sink further until the water was up to her nose. I couldn't help but roll my eyes again before I stepped into the pool. The depth of the pool only came up to my stomach, so she was sitting on her knees or was crouched.

"The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get off this rock and back to civilization," I said. A spray of water came from under her nose as she huffed again, but she reluctantly rose out of the water some.

"So what happens now?"

"Now, we'll do two things. We'll make contact with a past life, while at the same time unblocking a chakra," I answered.

"So, we'll be making contact with Aang?"

"And unblocking the Air Chakra," I finished.

"Then...what do I need to do?" she asked. I held my hand out to her.

"Now, you need to trust me." She looked at the hand and then back at me. There was nervousness and uncertainty in her eyes, but she took the hand all the same. I pulled her close to me, and her cheeks turned pink again. However I had no intention for romance at this moment.

"The Air Chakra deals with love, and is blocked by grief. Focus on letting go of your grief, and concentrating on what you love," I instructed. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. For a moment she was silent, then she visibly twitched and her face contorted with sadness. However this quickly passed, and her expression melted into a relaxed one.

"Good. Now, I want you to think back to your earliest memory, and then try and think back further. Hurl yourself against that block. Force yourself to go back until the memories aren't yours, but that of another," I intrusted. I took a firmer grip on her as her face turned into a scowl of concentration. This was going to be the part where she would need a little nudge.

"Take a breath," was the only warning she got before I plunged her underwater. She didn't struggle, but her hand's grip on mine tightened into one that could have bent steel. Despite this, I pushed her down until she bumped into the bottom of the pool. For several heartbeats it remained like this, with her pinned to the bottom of the pool and me holding her there.

Then, suddenly, her eyes flew open. They glowed with the brilliant white of the Avatar State as she surged upward toward the surface. As she broke the water, she took in a massive gulp of air. The air currents in the cavern reacted instantly, swirling around us like a mini tornado. After a brief moment, the wind died down, and Korra's eyes returned to normal. I managed to catch her as she threatened to go back under do to a sudden wave of exhaustion.

"What was that?" she asked.

"The bottom of the pool is the closest point to the Spirit World. By striving you toward your past life and then having you make actual contact with the Spirit World, I was hoping to have a break through. Obviously something happened. What did you see?"

"I...I saw Aang. He said that I've finally made a connection with my spiritual self," she said.

"Did he say anything else?"

"Yeah, he said that since I've started opening the elemental chakras, I need to finish what I started if I want to stay in balance," she said.

"Then we'll finish what we started," I said. When Korra had recovered her strength, we both climbed out of the pool. After what she had just gone through, something as trivial as me seeing her in her bindings was long forgotten. Since she had snuck glances at me, it was only fair that I snuck a few at her while I had the chance.

Korra was thin, but not in a starved teenage girl sort of way. She had worked out and trained her whole life and as a result her whole body rippled with muscles. Her breasts were large, yet taunt, her legs were long and coursed with power. Overall, Korra was a near seamless blend of feminine and muscular traits. If she wanted, she could flaunt her body and get what she wanted, and then crush you into a fine powder without a second thought.

She must have liked me looking at her, because despite the pink that had returned to her cheeks, she had a small grin on her face. We both put our clothes back on, although with some reluctance. They were still wet and covered with mud, and we weren't overly thrilled about having to wear them again.

"You know we could just walk back to camp in our underwear," I suggested, making it clear that I was joking by my tone of voice. Korra still punched me in the arm for that. As I returned my hilt to my belt, we started back out of the caves. For a while, we walked in silence. But I could tell that something was bothering Korra.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I was just thinking...about your scars..." she answered uncomfortably. I took a deep breath, in through the nose, out through the mouth.

"I know you're curious, so ask."

"What happened to you?" she asked. I remained silent for several minutes as we walked.

"I was taken prisoner by the Southern Raiders about fifty or sixty years into the War. The Captain of the frigate I was held on was a...less then kind man. His preferred means of keeping prisoners in line was the fire whip," I finally said.

"Wait, you were a prisoner of war? I don't remember you saying anything about escaping from a prison," she said.

"I didn't. Several of the other prisoners on the ship including myself rose up and took control. After that I became a privateer of sorts, raiding the Fire Nation Navy for about twenty or thirty years."

"So you got captured, escaped, and became a pirate? Just when I thought your life couldn't be any stranger," she said.

"Privateer, not pirate," I corrected.

"Potato, potato." I rolled my eyes at her antics.

"Did ya find what ya were lookin' for?" the Captain asked as we stepped onto the deck of the Silverbird. I'd hired/bartered with the Captain when we'd left Republic City for the trawler to be our main mode of transportation. The promise of cash, and abundant secret fishing grounds was enough for him to grant us passage.

"In a manner of speaking. Did the grounds turn out like I promised?" I asked. The trawler had been fishing while we were on the island. He broke into a wide grin at that.

"Aye, they did. The hold is fit to burst," he said with pride.

"Good."

"And as per our deal, where do ya want to sail next?" he asked. I handed Korra my rucksack to take down to our cabin before following the Captain up to the bridge.

"This island here is where we're going next," I said, pointing to an island in the southern Fire Nation. The Captain looked this over before looking back up at me with a concerned look.

"You know these waters are teaming with pirates and other dangers," he said.

"We'll be fine. I leave the finer details to you," I said before leaving the bridge and making my way down to the cabin I was sharing with Korra. Opening the door, I slipped inside before closing it again. Korra was standing with her back to me with her shirt off. After what had happened on the island, her reservations about hiding her body from me seemed to be vanishing.

"So where are we headed next?" she asked as I sat on the lone bunk in the room and began to strip off my boots.

"North, to the Fire Nation," I answered. Korra stepped into the small bathroom that was just off the cabin and was looking herself over in the mirror. She pulled her hair back with her hand for a moment before letting it fall again.

"I wonder if I should cut my hair," she thought out loud.

"Maybe. The White Lotus might be looking for us, not to mention your face has gotten around a lot thanks to the papers in Republic City," I said.

"So should I keep it or get rid of it?"

"That choice is yours and yours alone," I answered. Korra pulled it back again, judging her appearance between the two lengths of hair. Finally she reached down and pulled her sword from its scabbard. With a quick, single swipe, she cut her hair clean off. What had once gone to the small of her back now stopped at her jawline.

"This is gonna take some getting use to," she said as she sheathed her sword. I stood and came up behind her so we were both looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"I think you look good." She blushed and smiled at the complement. Turning her head, she kissed me and pressed her body back into mine. Now this was something I could get use to. After what felt like hours, she broke the kiss and looked up at me.

"As much as I like where this is going, I'd like to sleep in a proper bed first," she said. I couldn't help but smile at that.

"I can honestly say I can't blame you." It was probably one of the better nights sleep I've had in a long time. Korra slept in her usual undershirt and trousers, and clung to me all throughout the night. I didn't mind, I welcomed the warmth she offered. When the gray light of the dawn finally poured in through the cabin's porthole, I slipped out of Korra's grasp, put on a shirt and some loose fitting pants before making my way up to the deck.

It was a beautiful morning. The sea was calm and the sky was clear. It was the kind of morning that even Korra would have a hard time disagreeing with. I leaned against the railing, staring out at the openness of it all. There is some form of timeless comfort in the open sea. No past, no future, just the here and now.

"Nice mornin' isn't it," the Captain greeted. I nodded in agreement, my eyes not leaving the horizon.

"We're makin' good time. Should see your new island off our bow within a couple days time," he continued.

"Then I imagine you'll be putting into the nearest port," I said.

"Aye. Got this big hall to offload and a crew to pay, after all."

"I appreciate everything you've done for us," I said.

"After this? The least we can do is ferry you and your lady friend around," the Captain replied.

"Captain, ship sighted, starboard side! Steamer, single stack!" came a shout from a crew member above us. The Captain took out a pair of binoculars and looked in the direction the lookout had been pointing. He studied the horizon for several moments, and I stood next to him trying to see what he could see without any aid.

"That's odd. Looks to be a warship, light class, like a destroyer or somethin'," he said. I strained my eyes, trying to make out what he saw. The only thing I could see was a pillar of black smoke coming from the ship's smoke stack.

"Cap', I see her colors. Black raven," the lookout reported. The Captain lowered his binoculars, his face now a sickly pale color.

"The Yubari," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. I cocked my eyebrow at him.

"I haven't been to sea in a while, care to elaborate?" The Captain looked at me like he was about to tell me my pet fish had fallen overboard and been eaten by a shark or something.

"Pirates, son. It means pirates."

And that's a wrap! Now, let's discuss a few things. First off, I wanted to warn you all that I'm pretty much doing away with Book 2 and replacing it with different content. Honestly Spirits was my least favorite out of the series, and I'd really rather not get bogged down rewriting it. Second is the topic of...lemons. I'm seriously considering adding one in to this story. After all, this is in the M rating so it's not out of the question by a long shot. But I know that some people aren't comfortable with that stuff. So, like before, I'll leave the choice up to you: the reader. Drop a review, leave a PM, let me know what you liked or didn't like, and I'll see you all next time.