A/N: Normally, I don't write a disclaimer, because I think that they're pretty pointless to fanfiction. I mean, if you're writing fanfiction, it's obvious that you don't own any of it. In this situation though, I feel the need to.
Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Korra, nor did I steal the name of Kai from them.
I started writing this story before season 2 started, and only started posting now because I knew i was invested enough to finish the story. I do that, because I hate being one of those writers who posts a story and then never finishes it, and just lets it sit there permanently"in-progress"
Now that that's over and done with, on with the story.
"Why, again, did we have to leave this early in the morning?" Korra groaned as she tried to climb onto the sky bison. "The morning is evil."
"No one wanted to disagree with Chief Bei Fong," Mako replied with a yawn.
"Yeah, because she's scary." Bolin commented.
"What, was that, Bolin?" The voice of Lin spoke from behind them.
"Oh, oh, so he gets to go by his first name, but all I get is Kao?" Kao exclaimed from her spot on Oogi's saddle, "That's nice," she groused, "Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, Chief. Thanks." Lin raised her eyebrow at the girl.
"She's a very sarcastic person in the morning," Tenzin replied as he went to help his old friend with her stuff.
Currently, Korra, Mako, Kai, Bolin, and Troy were sitting on the sky bison. All of them were falling asleep on each other, and Tenzin and Lin couldn't help but share a look. "This is going to be a long trip." Tenzin commented.
"Agreed," Lin commented and then they climbed onto the Oogi, and got comfortable.
"Bye daddy!" Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo called out from the ground waving.
"I love you!" Pema called out as she waved, "Be safe!"
"I love you too!" Tenzin replied before taking the reins of his sky bison. "Oogi, yip yip!" And with that, the group of seven took off into the sky and was flying towards Orta.
X
"Quit elbowing me, Korra!" Mako groused.
"I'd stop elbowing you if you'd stop invading my space!" Korra argued.
"Would both of you shut up!" Troy snapped angrily.
"Hey!" Korra and Mako both turned on the waterbender that hadn't known for very long, "Just because your girlfriend got kidnapped doesn't mean you have to take it out on a happy couple like us!"
"Hey, hands to yourselves back there!" Tenzin yelled authoritatively.
"But we weren't touching anything," Bolin protested in defense of him in Kao, who hit him in the arm. "Hey," he whined, "What was that for?"
"Don't argue," she groused.
"Hey," Mako snapped at Kao, "Don't snap at my brother!"
"Don't tell me what do, hot head, I'm older than you!" Kao exclaimed angrily.
"Yeah, in age, your maturity level is that of a five-year-old."
"You wanna go, pretty boy?!" Kao exclaimed angrily, going to stand up.
"Everybody shut up!" Lin exclaimed.
Everybody shrunk back into their seats. It had been a week and a half since they started their journey, which meant that they had eight days until Min Chang started to hurt Asami. It was fairly early on in the afternoon, and everyone in the saddle was extremely irritable. They were running out of supplies, they were cramped up, and they were all sick of being in such close proximity of each other.
"We're stopping in a small city that's not far from the Northern Air Temple." Tenzin told the group as they descended. "Don't destroy it please." He spoke as Oogi's feet touched the ground.
"Okay!"
"Got it!"
"Got it!"
"Understood!"
"Yes sir!"
And with their replies, the group of teenagers was off. "Be back before sun down!" Tenzin called after them.
"Okay!" Kao replied with a wave before they were out of ear shot.
X
"I don't see why we had to stop here. We should've just kept on going." Troy groused.
The group had set up camp in the middle of some woods on the outskirts of the town they had landed by. They were all sat around a fire in a circle. Mako sat closest to it, making sure it didn't go out. Korra sat on Mako's right, with Bolin to his left, but a little farther back. Kao sat on his left, and Troy was to the left of her. Tenzin and Lin sat across from the group of five. Spaced out far enough from each other, so that you could tell they were just friends.
"Look, man," Mako began irritably, "We get that you're ups–"
"Don't get your wrappings in a twist, hot head. What we need least right now is an argument between two stubborn people breaking out in the middle of the woods." Kao snapped at Mako in reply, and then spoke to her friend with a softer tone, "The reason we had to stop, Troy, is because we were running low on supplies and needed to restock, and between the edge of the Earth Kingdom/Northern Air Temple and Orta is water and uninhabited islands. I get that you're upset about Asami, I really do, but you really need to stop complaining about everything we do. We're all tired and irritable from the trip, and want to save Asami just as much as you do. Ok?"
Troy sighed and gave a small nod, "Ok." He muttered.
Lin raised her eyebrows, impressed at the girl's ability to speak to him in a way that handled the delicate situation so easily. Lin's musings about how well Kao handled the situation so well were cut off by the realization of what the girl said. The only thing between where they were sitting and Orta Island was a small amount of wide-open ocean. The queasy feeling of nervousness filled her stomach at the idea of setting foot on that island after so many years. What if she was there? What if she knew who she was? What would Lin do then if those things were to happen? The Chief of Republic City's Police didn't know the answer to those questions, and that's what made her really nervous, because for the first time in a long time, she didn't know how to react to any scenario that she created in her mind. Knowing that, she became even queasier.
"I think it's about time we go to sleep." Lin spoke, the same time as Kao apparently decided to say,
"I think I'm gonna turn in for the night." Lin met Kao's eyes, and the girl muttered a quiet, "Sorry, Chief," before walking off to where she had set up her sleeping bag and crawling into it.