When Kita's eyes opened the next morning, she felt suffocated. There were pillows, blankets, and what she guessed were body parts not belonging to her, piled on top of her. Long black hair was strewn across her face and she blew it away before lifting her head to look around. Shiori was laying next to her still snoring, Ari's leg was draped over her own, and finally Raavi's head was resting on her stomach. She couldn't help but smile and move a strand of his dark hair from his eyes, admiring his peaceful expression. However, as the back of her index finger was trailing gently across his forehead, he opened his eyes.

"Morning," he greeted before yawning.

"Good morning! I was just going to wake you so I could get up, I wasn't just touching you for no reason!" She squeaked before letting out a weak, awkward laugh.

"I told you she was comfortable to sleep on," Ari chuckled as he sat up and stretched.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you up too?" Kita asked.

"I think you woke everybody," Shiori groaned.

"Are you guys always so...touchy?" Giyan asked as he entered the room, having already changed and gotten ready to leave for the second day of the summit. Ari stood and swaggered in his direction, coyly whispering, "Well how else do you have any fun..?", before passing him by to get some breakfast.

"Ehem...anyway, Jinora told me to check on you because you're late for training."

"Oh no! I have to get dressed!" Kita shouted, scrambling to her feet and darting out of the commons to the dorms, combing through her tangled hair with her fingers as she went.

"Are you gonna make us wait outside the summit for no reason again today?" Shiori asked, her glare aimed at Raavi.

"No..."

"Good, then I'm going back to sleep."

"I may or may not have signed the three of us up as volunteers to set up the food vendor stands though...which conveniently, that section is actually inside city hall," Raavi explained.

"Imagine that, such a coincidence," Ari said, rolling his eyes before taking a chunk out of a pear.

"I really want to punch you," Shiori growled.

Raavi just shrugged with a smug grin as he began picking up blankets. He looked outside just in time to see Kita speeding to the courtyard and kneeling in front of Jinora, profusely bowing. Her master began laughing so hard her head tilted back, then motioned for Kita to stand.

"It's okay, really. I know we have a long day already so I won't wear you out too much. Physically at least."

"Wait, do you mean...are you going to teach me spirit projection?!" Kita shouted, jumping from foot to foot with excitement.

"I'll teach you the first step, you won't be able to do it quite yet, but you'll have the building blocks."

"You really think I'm a good enough air bender?"

"You soak everything up like a sponge, more than any student I've ever had. I know you have more pressure being the Avatar, which is why you impress me even more. Kitala, it means so much to me to be your teacher like my father was to Korra, but they never really saw eye to eye. I know it might be far fetched, but I feel like you and I are mending the problems of their past. I've never passed this technique on to a student, and I'm sure it doesn't require a speech like this, but…"

"No I love heartfelt speeches! It makes this moment even more special. I'm so grateful, master thank you!"

"Let's go to the cliffside," She said, smiling warmly at her student.

"Wow she's really going to pass it to her?" Shiori said, staring after them.

"If it isn't me...I'm glad its Kita…" Raavi sighed.

"Right, because she's the Avatar."

"Uh, yeah...right."

Kita took a deep breath, cracked her neck, and waited for instruction.

"Okay, the way I discovered this technique was by sensing the presence of someone I have a strong spiritual connection with. So let's try someone nearby like Shiori or...Raavi?"

"Spiritual connection okay…I'll just see what I can sense."

She closed her eyes, tuning out the chirping of nearby spirits and doing her best to relax. Tapping into her spiritual energy, she reached out for a similar feeling. It was faint, but there was an almost glow in the far reaches of her mind, a warmth, and then a voice. It was soft laughter, a deep and familiar cackle that instantly made her grin.

"You've got it. Now I want you to picture your soul. It can look like anything you want it to, just as long as it's entirely yours. Picture it floating from your body and above your head."

The first image that came to mind was the same blue hue that had coated Avatar Korra. Kita pictured the same light surrounding her own body, rising out of her physical form.

"Okay I see it," she said quietly.

"Now just imagine it floating towards the other person's energy. The more you do this exercise, the stronger connection you'll have to them, and the stronger your own spiritual energy will be. I expect you'll get it in no time. One day, it'll just click."

"Thank you master, I hope to make you proud."

"I know you will. Now hurry and get dressed we have to leave soon." Jinora said, standing and patting her hair again, something she was making a habit of. Her mother, Pema, used to stroke her hair before bed almost every night when she was a child. It was a comfort to her, and she hoped it could be for Kita too.

She stood, bowed and scurried off to her room. The others were all ready to go and Kai had saddled Pepper up by the time Kita and Jinora were both ready. They flew into town with Kotya trailing behind, and rushed into City Hall with little time to spare. Firelord Urza and Hiro were in a heated discussion over a television show in which they both watched religiously, while Eska sat eerily still, wrinkled eyes closed as if she were napping. President Yanwei was scowling at the three's near tardiness, and stood the second they took their seats to start introductions.

"We have half the time today than we did yesterday, but I believe we've already made significant progress. All scheduled issues have already been addressed, so I'll just leave the floor open to whomever."

"I'll begin," the Firelord said.

"Who knew you were so handy," Shiori groaned disdainfully, glaring at Raavi, who had just effortlessly assembled the frame of a dumpling stand.

"He's just full of surprises," Ari chuckled.

"You guys don't even know the half of it," he responded with waggling eyebrows.

"Don't you even get tired? I feel like this is the millionth one we've done already," Ari whimpered, collapsing on a heap of boxes.

"The fifth actually," Shiori corrected.

"Excuse me, I've come to set up my booth," someone said, approaching the stand. They all turned to see a lanky man in his early thirties, raven hair tucked into a bun and gray eyes aimed down under a plain brimmed hat.

"Sorry we'll get out of your way," Raavi said, nudging his two friends along. Shiori narrowed her eyes, trying to peer into the box he was carrying.

"Someone's hungry already. Honey I don't think he's actually cooked anything yet," Ari teased.

"That's not it…" She muttered.

"What's up," Raavi asked, lowering his voice.

Shiori flicked her head to the side, motioning for them to follow her around the corner into a cramped hallway.

"When I first met Kita she told me three things I'll never forget. First, and the most important, trust my intuition. Second, always read body language. That guy wouldn't make eye contact even for a second." She whispered.

"You're right. I thought he was just shy, or awestruck in the presence of my radiance," Ari joked.

"Stop it, this is serious."

"What's the third thing?" Raavi asked.

"Rub your chopsticks together to scrape off splinters that would otherwise get into your food."

"A tad irrelevant right now," Ari said with a roll of his eyes.

"That tip would be useful at every meal, actually," Raavi defended.

"Anyway! I felt unsettled at even the sound of his voice. Maybe we could keep any eye on him?"

"This is unlike you, aren't you a hard evidence kind of girl?" Ari asked.

"Shut up and just trust me." She snapped, exiting the hallway and striding across the lobby, followed by Ari and Giyan, who looked at each other and shrugged simultaneously.

'I didn't know how to say it but...something about that guy reminds me of Kana…' Shiori thought, sighing and crossing her arms as she walked briskly towards the

conference room.

'Kita will be more helpful than these bozos…' She thought, shooting a resentful glance back at them.

The Avatar, along with her master and Giyan, emerged from the last day of their summit moments later. Kita and Jinora had linked arms, the former resting her head on the other's shoulder.

"Can we go home and nap?"

"No, we all have to make an appearance with the public, especially you," Jinora said sternly.

"It's fairly enjoyable actually," Giyan said.

"You find something enjoyable? Don't get too excited now," Ari snickered.

"O-Oh, hey," he greeted, a faint smile taking place on his lips.

Ari winked and prepared to continue the conversation, but Raavi pushed past him. He playfully bumped Kita's shoulder with his, asking "Are you gonna check out my craftsmanship once the festival starts?"

"Yeah!"

"We've got about an hour before the sun goes down, that's when all the vendors open," Firelord Urza said as she approached them.

"So can we nap until then..?"Kita begged.

"No, no, no, you my friend, have to make a speech," Tila chuckled.

"Hey Chief!" Urza grinned, embracing her.

"Auntie, I've been trying to track you down!"

"Uhhh, Auntie?" Kita questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Well yeah, I snagged her uncle Makko a few more years ago than I'd like to admit." The Firelord laughed.

"Seriously?" Ari asked in disbelief.

"Is that so hard to believe..?" Urza snapped, glaring eyes boring into the blonde.

"Shall we?" Kita laughed, standing in front of Ari before he could respond. The group shuffled out to the front steps of the hall, where a podium stood. Kita hesitantly approached is, flashing back to the last time she spoke to the city.

"There's not nearly as much pressure here, just say a few quick words about the summit and how much fun it's been and so on," Tila instructed. Kita's face twisted into an awkward pout.

"You might want to lose that face."

Before she could get a word out, cameras flashed, and she did her best to ignore them.

"Eherm…" She started, clearing her throat.

"Uh Hello. I...I've learned so much from this experience, and uhm...well, meeting all the wonderful leaders of our world has helped me begin to realize the kind of Avatar I want to be. But enough politics, now we get to celebrate this united nation we work so hard to preserve. I think my first summit has been amazingly successful, and I look forward to many more, thank you!" She waved to the crowd, who seemed to be responding rather enthusiastically to her words.

"That was great!" Tila congratulated as the Avatar turned to face her.

"Much better than last time, that one was a trainwreck," Ari agreed.

"Do you always have to do that?" Giyan asked.

"Do what?"

He only shook his head.

"What? Seriously do what?" He persisted as the Prime Minister walked away.

"Hey, Giyan what?!"

"Wow...this is by far the best part," Kita groaned as she longingly gazed at the almost endless row of meat skewers, pastries, and other foods she didn't even recognize.

"She's in love," Jinora laughed, following behind alongside her son.

As the sun hung low in the sky, the festival began. Leading from the front doors of the city hall, the vendors were set up on both sides of a single path that etched its way through the center of the city. An assortment of sparkling bulbs and dimly lit lanterns of all shapes and colors were strung back and forth across the aisle to completely encapsulate the festival in a tunnel of light. The steam and smoke wafting from cooking food filled the space with a mouthwatering aroma, and the pitter patter of small feet echoed throughout as playful children sped through the crowds. At the end of the expansive road was a wide circular space with a small stage at the back end. A band was setting up there, and a throng of guests anxiously waited for music to dance to.

Kita couldn't help but gaze at the sight of it all, mouth hung open and blue eyes catching sparkling glimmers from the light above.

"On duty tonight, or do I actually get to spend time with my niece?" Urza asked.

"Sorry, but I've got a bomber to look out for." Tila answered.

"Seems like there's plenty of security here though," Ari noticed, eyeing the wall of officerss lining the outside of the stands.

"Yeah there was plenty at the arena too." Shiori countered through gritted teeth.

"I don't want to take any risks. The President is trying to rationalize his decision to keep the festival as planned by saying terrorist groups usually claim their first attack before staging a second."

"Which is just ridiculous. Statistically it happens that way more often than not, but we can't expect these people to be predictable!" Kita shouted.

"Don't worry. Let's just say we've got more than just my officers too," Tila comforted.

"Isn't it kind of strange that the President is so insistent on this?" Raavi said.

"A little…" Kita agreed. He lowered his head to hers and whispered, "You don't think he's got anything to do with the bombing do you?"

"I really hope not…" She murmured, but couldn't rule it out as a possibility as she thought back to his secret meeting.

"Hey, Chief Beifong has it covered right? If she's not scared, we shouldn't be either. Let's try to have some fun," Raavi chirped with a bright smile.

"Okay," she agreed, giving a fake smile that didn't seem to fool him. Kita's stomach was churning in that way she knew too well, an uncomfortable tightness that only came when something was very, very wrong. Raavi loosely held his arm to her back and gently lead her in the direction of grilled squid on a stick. She absentmindedly munched on a tentacle as they all walked along, the crowd growing immensely by the minute.

While Urza and Tila chatted at the back of the group, Hiro Sato was slowly meandering his way through and heading straight for them.

"Kitala, having fun?" He asked, eyeing her as she devoured the last bite of her squid.

"Oh, hi Master Hiro," She said with a polite flash of a smile.

"So we-Uh…" He cut himself off as the others caught up with them.

"Chief Sato," Tila greeted curtly.

"Hey T…" He sighed, head tilting just slightly as a warm grin spread across his lips, but it was fleeting.

"Don't call me that...I've uh...gotta do a perimeter search right about now. I'll catch up with you guys later," She said, looking at the floor and nodding to Jinora, Kita and Urza before slipping away.

"Okay I knew something was up with you two!" Kita shouted, stomping her feet excitedly.

"I don't know what you mean," He lied, followed by a wheezy chuckle.

"But y-"

"Please excuse me," He interrupted.

"Wait-"

"Nope!" He shouted, patting Kita on the top of her head and escaping. She huffed and turned around to face the rest of her companions. Raavi put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a confident grin.

"Alright, listen up men! This festival is a beautiful collaboration of culture and friendship and...and magical...togetherness! I am determined to have fun, and you!" He shouted, then abruptly turning Kita to face him, "I want to see you smile for real, not that phony thing you've been showing me all night!"

"Erm, oh...kay…?" She squeaked, scrunching her shoulders with a small grin.

"There it is," he said, awfully proud of himself.

"Uh, one problem with your little battle plan," Shiori started.

"What?!"

"Uh, you haven't noticed that Firelord Urza is gone, your parents bailed, and Ari and Giyan skipped off somewhere?"

"Are you kidding me!?"

"This is really so important you had to split off?" Giyan asked.

"I didn't ask you to come along, yet here you are," Ari smirked as he picked up another wooden ball, aiming at the board set several feet away with past avatars painted on it, holes cut out where their mouths are to serve as the goals. He took a shot, hitting Avatar Roku's left eye.

"Damn I can't get it! I really want that stuffed tiger bear, it would be so plush and perfect on my bed!"

"Here," Giyan said with an outstretched hand. Ari slipped the last ball into his hand and stood aside.

The band was in full swing and the circular tail end of the festival was crammed with all walks of life. Blue bloods dressed casually and letting loose, low end shop owners in their finest suits, and everyone in between.

Jinora rested her head against her husband's chest as they lazily swayed.

"This is familiar…" he sighed contently.

"Mm...let's hope this time our son doesn't get arrested…" She responded with the slightest laugh.

"Nah, I think that's all over...I'm proud of him."

"I always have been. He just lost his way for a little…"

"I wonder what brought him back?" Kai chuckled.

"Raava…" She murmured, taking a deep breath as he kissed her forehead.

"So...just the three of us…" Kita said, shuffling her feet as they walked along.

"Oh yeah, I'm having lots of fun. What am I enjoying more, the fear of impending doom or being the third wheel with you two?" Shiori mused with a roll of her golden eyes.

"What, third wheel, pft, what even...aha...you're just...hilarious...ehem," Kita rambled weakly.

"Right? What is she, like...insane...or something," Raavi agreed, clearing his throat.

"Uh...huh...so convincing. How about some dumplings?" Shiori asked.

"Not that again," Raavi sighed.

"I'm hungry," Shiori growled, shooting daggers at him. "Besides, I'd like Kita's opinion on something."

"I could go for some dumplings. They are one of my favorites," She agreed innocently.

"They are? You know, I have a great recip-"

"Yeah yeah, let's go!" Shiori interrupted, hooking her arm around Kita's and dragging her away with Raavi earnestly attempting to keep up.

When they finally maneuvered their way back to the lobby of city Hall, Shiori rushed towards the stand, a smug grin on her face as she cockily tapped the man on the shoulder. When he turned around, it was someone entirely different.

"Where's the guy who was here before?!"

"I dunno, apparently he had an emergency so I had to fill in."

"Who was it?" Kita asked her friend.

"I don't know. He just gave me a bad feeling."

"Maybe you were picking up on whatever emergency he had. I'm so proud of you, tuning your intuition like that!"

"Hm…"

"Can we go now? That band was really kicking, we could get some dancing in, huh?" Raavi asked, expectedly gazing down at her.

"Sure but uh...I could still go for some dumplings," She beamed.

Shiori huffed and followed behind once Kita and Raavi were ready to trek to the end of the festival. The entire length of the celebration was now packed to full capacity and though it was difficult, the three made it to the end where they reunited with the rest of their comrades. Jinora embraced Raavi briefly and Kita pulled Ari close to her and whispered giggle-ridden secrets to him while Giyan gazed at them with narrow eyes as if trying to read their lips. Once their snickering was through, the two of them grabbed Shiori from either side and began swaying her arms, forcing her to dance despite her contradictory grimace. The music was wild and upbeat, almost drowned out by the buzz of the crowd but the beat from thunderous drums could be felt in the air. Jinora cupped Shiori's face in her hands and expressed a motherly concern, giving Raavi the opportunity to steal Kita away. They linked arms and skipped in circles, laughing merily and stumbling as they bumped into the surrounding festival goers. Soon they were all in one cluster again, the Firelord and Hiro making their way over as well. Raavi's hand brushed against Kita's and their eyes met, soft smiles taking place as they were shoved closer. They both opened their mouths to speak, but the band abruptly stopped and the twinkling lights above their heads flickered before going out completely.

Republic City was submerged in darkness, and it's quiet suspense was soon broken as the crack of gunshots sounded.