Crystalline

Chapter 1: Awakening

"Bolin! Can you get the door?" Mako called from his room in their attic apartment. He had just stepped out of the shower and was not decent for company… yet.

"Yeah, I got it!" his younger brother called back. The knocking finally ceased and Mako finished drying off and getting dressed. He had begun to towel dry his hair when Bolin opened his door and stepped in.

"We got a telegram from Korra." He said, handing the small piece of paper to Mako. The elder bender brother tossed his towel into the hamper and took the paper, reading it aloud.

"Mako, Bo, something came up. Can't meet at gym. Come to Air Temple Island. Will practice there. Korra."

Mako looked at Bolin, who shrugged. "I have no clue what's going on, but we should take what we can get." He said as Pabu snaked over his shoulders. Mako returned his shrug and grabbed his raggedy red scarf. "Guess we're taking a trip. Grab your gear."

The bender brothers grabbed their duffel bags and headed out into Republic City, catching the ferry and arrived at the island in record time. In fact, the guards informed them that Korra was still up with Tenzin and the children, meditating.

"You are free to wander as long as you do not disturb the acolytes. I recommend staying away from the dormitories and the sky bison pen." The Guard stated quickly before stepping aside. The brothers wandered inside, marveling at the quiet atmosphere. They followed the paths and stared in awe as they saw places of the temple they had bypassed before.

Mako was taken aback by the quiet. He was so used to the hustle and bustle of Republic City that the silence almost scared him. Lost to his musings, he turned to Bolin, only to find that he was alone.

"Bo?"

His voice reverberated through the halls, but there was no call back. The firebender sighed and continued to wander the temple in search of his sibling. He eventually made his way into an indoor garden that looked like Shangri-La incarnate. Grass covered the ground, framing a small, bubbling stream flowing from a pond with a small waterfall protruding from the wall of the temple. Sakura trees were in full bloom, and a small family of lemur-bats chattered away in the branches, watching the firebender curiously. Several White Dragon bushes dotted the emerald grass.

He approached the pond and gazed inside to see several large goldfish swimming gracefully through the water. Several water-lilies floated above the surface and eventually flowed into the stream. A bench beneath a Sakura tree looked very welcoming, and Mako soon found himself sitting on the polished cherrywood, placing his bag on the grass beside him.

He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, feeling his chi begin to relax and align. This had to be another meditation area for the acolytes for it inspired Mako to just sit and be content with his surroundings. The Sakura tree seemed to wrap its branches around him, shielding him from the world and encouraging him to relax further…

He quickly reached into his bag and pulled out a notebook and pencil before looking to the bubbling pond and smirking lightly.

The girl woke with a start, her eyes snapping open as she sat up, only to have her side protest quite strongly; a sharp, debilitating pain lanced through her, forcing her to clutch at it through her robe. After the pain eased somewhat, she examined her surroundings. She appeared to be in a dorm of some sort, and a quick look at the window showed that it was daylight.

Had she made it to the Air temple? She closed her eyes and vaguely recalled seeing the temple last night before the cold water took her under, a hoarse cry tearing past her already burning throat before she lost consciousness. She could barely remember snippets of her life, but could recall her name and her abilities….

She thanked the Spirits silently before examining her clothing. She was dressed in a light yellow robe that reached her ankles, but split into four pleats in traditional style. A pair of traditional cropped pants covered her legs.

She gingerly swung her legs over the edge of the bed and let her feet touch the cold stone tiles. The cold was a bit of a shock, but she got used to it quickly. She slowly stood, a small pain lancing through her side, but not enough to alarm. She walked to the door and opened it, peeking side to side.

The halls were uninhabited and quiet. She stepped out and closed the door behind her before padding down the stone halls. She wandered for a short while until she found herself just outside the temple in a garden she had only seen her dreams. The quiet beauty was hypnotizing; a welcome sight after her ordeal the night before

She smiled as a gecko-frog leaped out of the water and keened before hopping away. She followed the little stream to the wall on the other side. A small waterfall poured from the wall and into a pond. A Sakura tree loomed off to the side, its full branches forming an impenetrable curtain.

The sweet smell of cherry blossoms filled the girl's nose, making her inhale deeply and sigh, closing her eyes and drinking in the peace before opening her eyes and freezing in place.

A young man was seated on a bench that had been hidden by the tree's droopy branches. He was handsome, with sharp features and pale skin that contrasted wonderfully with his jet black hair. His eyes were a piercing gold color imbued with hues of the sunset itself. He was broad shouldered looked nicely muscled, but those eyes seemed to captivate her and draw her in.

They stayed in place, frozen as the breeze continued, blowing cherry blossoms across the garden…

Korra sprinted down the steps, eager to see if the girl was awake and ok. With the pro-bending season coming back after the rebuilding project for the arena had finished, she was eager to start practice as soon as possible. She had honestly missed it; bending for fun and entertainment rather than a fight for her life.

She came into the temple and was surprised to see Bolin in the halls, looking rather lost as he looked around.

"You're early Bo." Korra laughed, catching the earthbender's attention. He smiled and jogged to Korra, embracing her in a friendly hug. "You didn't specify a time in your message, so we just headed over right away." He chuckled back, pulling away from her. Korra looked passed his shoulder, trying to find the other brother.

"Speaking of which, where is Mako?" she asked.

Bolin looked around. "I kind of lost him. The guards told us you were meditating and we could wander a bit as long as we didn't disturb you or anyone else." He explained, scratching his head.

The young Avatar shrugged. "He couldn't have gone far. I just gotta take care of something real quick and then we'll find him ok?"

Bolin nodded and followed Korra down the hall to the injured girl's door.

Korra frowned, noticing that the White Lotus Guards weren't at their posts. She knocked on door, opening it when there was no response. Korra froze when she saw that the bed and the room was empty.

Tenzin was going to be PISSED.

"What's wrong Korra?" Bolin asked. Korra turned, grabbing him by the shoulders, scaring Pabu half to death.

"WE HAVE TO FIND HER!" Korra half-shouted through gritted teeth, dragging the earthbender as she took off down the hall.

"Find who?" Bolin shouted back, voice cracking slightly.

"I'll explain along the way!"

Mako was frozen in place as he stared at the girl in front of him. She could've been an acolyte, judging by the way she was dressed, but something seemed off.

She sported a rather large bruise on the side of her face; the purple blotch stretching from her eyebrow well down the side of her mouth, edges yellowing slightly. Despite that, she was breathtakingly beautiful. He had never seen a girl like her.

Her skin was the color of creamy ivory and looked just as smooth. Her hair was actually multi-colored, with different shades of brown, red, and black, even golden tones that caught the light at different angles. That thick mane of hair framed a heart shaped face with soft features; a small, pert nose, high cheek bones, and full lips that actually looked a little pale. Her eyes were exotically strange, just like the rest of her; one was as brilliant as blue ice, and the other was as dark as rich volcanic soil.

She was first to break the silence.

"I'm sorry if I'm intruding…" she blushed, breaking away from his gaze. Her voice was hoarse; barely understandable.

Mako shook his head. "You're not. I'm sorry for disturbing the garden. This must be your meditation spot." He apologized, closing his notebook and shoving it into his bag as he stood. She quirked a brow at him, then realization dawned on her.

"You think I'm an acolyte!" she chuckled roughly, coughing slightly at the end.

The firebender blushed slightly. "You…aren't?

She shook her head. "No. No, I'm not." She replied, looking down shyly. Mako walked towards her, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He held a hand out to her, bringing her mismatched gaze back up to his gold one.

"I'm Mako." He introduced himself, hand still outstretched to her. She lifted her hand into his and shook it gently. "I'm—"THERE YOU ARE!"

Mako recognized Korra's booming voice and felt the girl flinch in his grasp. His head whipped to where the Avatar and his brother stood. They were breathing heavily and flushed, Korra gripping the wooden railing of the covered boardwalk that bordered the garden.

"We've been looking all over for you!" Bolin shouted too, jumping over the railing, followed closely by Korra. The girl pulled away from Mako and stepped back. He flashed his amber gaze back to her and tried to form words as the girl backed away in fear. "It's ok. They're friends." He reassured, clapping his brother on the back and hugging Korra.

The Avatar then turned to the girl. "I'm just glad I found you before Tenzin did! I would be in so much trouble!" she crowed in relief.

"You're being rude." Mako chastised, mock-punching Korra in her back. The Water Tribe girl shot him a glare before turning back to the girl.

"I'm Avatar Korra. This is Mako and Bolin, my teammates on the Fire Ferrets." She said sweetly, smiling and offering her hand out like Mako had. The girl smiled back, shaking Korra's hand.

"I'm Saya."

Saya couldn't believe it. She had shook hands with 2 of the Fire Ferrets, one being the AVATAR. She felt honored, and had to hold back her squeal of delight. She had snuck into the bending arena on several occasions to watch their matches. She now sat with them in the courtyard.

They didn't pressure her about trying to figure out what happened to her the previous night, only concerned about her current condition. Was she in pain? Did she need Korra to heal her?

But Mako, the firebender with the intense gold eyes made her fidget nervously. He probably didn't mean to be, but he was VERY intense. He gazed at her intently, her eyes catching his every now and then.

"Are you a bender?" Saya turned to Korra, who stared at her with big blue eyes.

Saya nodded and lifted her hands, swirling them as she concentrated greatly, sucking the moisture out of the air to make several bubbles of water that followed her fingers. "I'm a self-taught waterbender." She answered, smiling.

The Avatar's eyes widened as Saya let the bubbles float to her. "I've never seen anyone but Master Katara bend water from air! That's amazing!" she laughed as Saya relinquished her control of the spheres to Korra. She giggled before firing one playfully at Mako. The little sphere collided with his face and he sputtered, glaring at the giggling Avatar before he fired a small jet of flames at her.

The Avatar ducked, still laughing.

"Not cool Korra." Mako growled, wiping his face with a gloved hand.

She shrugged, standing up. "We gotta start practicing anyway Mako." She fired back, sticking her tongue out. Saya watched the exchange quietly as Bolin stood, laughing. He grabbed Pabu from his shoulders and looked at Saya, smiling as he held the Fire Ferret out to her.

"Mind watching Pabu while we go at it?" he asked sweetly. The waterbender nodded, taking the small creature into her arms. He quickly snaked up to her shoulders before lying down like a scarf, nuzzling her cheek as he squeaked. "Hey! He likes you!" the earthbender cheered as he grabbed his bag.

Saya went to stand when a familiar gloved hand came into her line of vision. She looked up to Mako and smiled, taking his hand. He pulled her up easily. She fluttered a thank you before proceeding to the other end of the courtyard. Korra bended a slab of earth up to form a makeshift seat for the spectator, winking at her before pulling her sparring gear on.

Pabu squeaked in her ear, walking down her arm to settle in Saya's lap. She petted his head as the bending began. Korra was quite the sight, expertly bending the water in a nearby tank to shield herself from jets of fire and make-shift clay disks.

Bolin was enjoying himself, laughing as he dodged blasts of fire and streams of water, blocking the other elements with disks before firing them back at his teammates.

Saya then turned to Mako and she felt her heart flutter like a typical fan girl. He was intently firing shots of flames, ducking and dodging the other elements thrown at him with a strangely fierce grace. A small smirk would grace his lips when he landed a good shot, even winking at a disgruntled Korra when she failed to dodge a jet of flames.

They were quite a sight to behold, and Saya continued to watch them practice the day after, and the day after that. She watched every practice they held at the Temple, not wanting to leave her cooped up as she recovered from her injuries.

She was completely content on watching the pro-benders spar.

Tenzin had somehow convinced the Chief Bei Fong to leave Saya in his care. Seeing as her mother could not be contacted and Saya was adamant on staying, the son of Avatar Aang had welcomed her into his family. Korra had been overjoyed and has convinced Tenzin to let her share her room with Saya.

Apparently, as close as Korra was with the Sato heiress Asami, things were strained by something unknown to Saya. The young Avatar was eager to have a girlfriend to talk about girl stuff with, and the young waterbender welcomed Korra's friendship, never having had a female friend either. Weeks passed and the friends grew closer, welcoming Saya into the group warmly, treating her as though they had known each other for years rather than a mere month and half.

Now the girls were standing on the beach, waterbending together when Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo zoomed down to their spot.

"Korra! You got a message!" Jinora said, waving a small telegram in the air.

"Yeah, it just came!" Ikki added as the airbending trio came to a halt at the shore.

"It's from the guy with the weird eyebrows and his brother! The one with the Fire Ferret!" Meelo added before sticking a finger up his nose.

Korra walked over, shivering in the cold breeze and grabbed the little piece of paper, a grin spreading across her face. Saya quirked a brow as the Avatar jumped up in excitement. "We got the opening match of the season!" she screeched, running to the water and kicking the sand into the surf.

Saya grinned and bended a particularly large wave that knocked Korra off her feet and onto her butt, thoroughly soaking her with freezing water in the process. The children laughed uncontrollably as the young avatar leveled an icy glare at her friend, standing up in her drenched clothes.

"I'll get you for that. I know where you sleep." She growled, tearing a laugh from the waterbender.

"Likewise, Korra. And I can stay up a lot longer than you can. Just remember that." She winked, earning the tell-tale Korra pout. "Anyways, you got the opening match?" she asked, helping Korra dry off as she walked back onto the sand.

"Yep. Opening ceremonies and the match are tonight." Korra answered grinning like a loon. "I gotta go tell Tenzin then we're heading into the city, ok?" she continued as she rolled her pants down and pulled on her boots.

Saya gave her a confused look. "We?"

Korra nodded, still grinning. "Yeah. I'm gonna get you ring-side seats."

AN: And that's a wrap for chapter One. Hoo! It feels good to be back! It's been a while since I've written anything on here, and my newest obsession with ATLA and LoK has spurred me to write a new fanfic and take a break from my novel that I've been grueling over for a while now.

So, I have introduced another OC, and it's not because I hate the idea of Mako and Korra. I find them to be the Zuko and Katara we never got from ATLA, and I ship them somewhat. I just couldn't really see this particular OC with anyone else, not even super sexy General Iroh, since I ship Iroh and Asami. Saya just seems to work better with Mako, and since I also ship Tahno and Korra, I figured I'd put our little Avatar with her Pretty Boy.

Oh, and about Mako's drawing ability... i like it when character's have a talent besides the main, almost like an extracurricular kind of thing. I like to think Mako can draw. Bolin can train animals abviously, and I like to think Asami can sing. They'll all have a little quirk like this as the story goes on.

So, review as the chapters get posted please! Reviews always help, even the negative, cuz I get to laugh at people who try and bring my work down and say I'm a terrible writer.

Lots of love! Lili-chan!