A/N: Sorry it took this long. I am so behind on this story. But in my defense, I had two essays to write, a Spanish test que no me gusta, these chapters are about 3,000 words longer than the averages on my previous stories, and I started working out on the Insanity program with my dad which seeps the miniscule amount of energy I had. That and I didn't get as many reviews as I wanted. Now enough of my excuses. Special thanks to ContractKillerNO1. I feel like I'm writing this only for you. Please review and make a highschool student with no life a tad bit happier. :)
Disclaimer: If only I owned Avatar: Legend of Korra. That would make me the happiest peron in the world. Unfortunately, my life is too mundane for that.
Previously on Events Unexpected…
Iroh gasped for air. His whole body felt as though it was on fire and not in a good way. His lungs filled to their capacity and still came up short. His arms could barely keep in front of him. Taking one last steadying breath, he centered his emotions. His arms began the sweeping motions that would channel the electric current through his body. With another twist he sunk his hands into his side, gathering the static energy from his stomach into his finger tips. With a mighty roar he struck his connected index and middle fingers forward and released a streak of livid white lightening.
Kaji's wrists flicked in two small arcs, sweeping in harmony with her hips. Once she felt the familiar power fill her center, she extended her connected middle and index fingers. With an explosive crackle, scorching purple lightening jettisoned forward to meet Iroh's own white electricity. The two arcs met in the center of the arena with such an explosive contusion, as cannot have been described.
"I have won," Kaji stated simply.
"We proclaim you, Crown Princess Kaji of the Fire Nation!" the head sage boomed.
"We proclaim you!" the rest of the sages chanted in unison.
"I wish you luck Crown Princess Kaji," Korra managed to utter.
Korra hadn't even noticed that the sun was setting until she flopped onto her bed and fell asleep staring out her window and remembering two glinting golden eyes.
It had been approximately six hours of sleep that Korra had gotten that night. Six beautiful hours that were weaved in sweet dreams that were hidden just past a veil of fogginess. Korra wished she could remember them. Usually her only good dreams were ones of memories with Mako, Bolin, and Asami. Mostly though, they were memories of Mako.
Unfortunately, she had all of ten seconds to be wistful before the cause of her rude awakening was uncovered. She was, in fact, lying on the floor in a pile of her covers, having been pushed off of her bed by a particular young airbender girl now snoring fitfully. Jinora had apparently snuck into Korra's room at some point and decided to take up residence beside her. Jinora was also known for not being very good at sharing a bed. Her little arms and legs were splayed and she resembled a rather large orange starfish. Korra blew a stray strand of hair out of her face in a huff of annoyance. She had really rather hoped to sleep in after the trying previous day.
A loud bang caused her to jump out of her covers, or rather try to jump out of her covers, as her arms were rather tangled in the light fabric and only one leg was free. In the end, through a torrent of muffled curses directed at all things sheet related, Korra was able to get to her feet. The loud bang, she soon discovered, had been Meelo banging open her door.
"BREAKFAST!" he screamed. Korra had to stick a finger in her ear to make sure that her eardrum hadn't popped from the disagreeable sound. Jinora, on the other hand, simply shifted onto her stomach and dug her head under the remaining pillow.
"Jinora, wake up!" Meelo formed an air scooter under him and started riding it along the walls and ceiling before mowing over his sister. The poor girl had no time to react and was sent hurtling into one of the walls. The thud was followed by a sleepy grunt.
"Meelo, what did we tell you about propelling family members into walls?" Korra chided. It was disconcerting to think that it was a repeat offense for the overly hyper child.
"Not to do it," he said in a monotone. His face broke into a toothy grin. "Come on Korra. The food here's REALLY weird looking. Mom says to try it though."
With that, the ball of airbending energy blasted off down the hall. Korra checked to see if the room's other occupant was alright. Jinora had tucked herself into a comfortable ball on the floor and resumed her snoozing. She would surely be sore later, but for the time being Korra was satisfied in leaving the girl alone.
At first, she was afraid that she would lose herself in the maze of corridors that made up the Royal Palace. However, she realized that following the loud bangs and yelling coming from ahead of her provided the perfect guide. All along the way, Korra passed disgruntled servants and guests, all seeming to have become acquainted with Tenzin's eldest son. One woman's long hair had been fully wrapped around her face and neck. She and a young man, perhaps her husband or brother, were trying to disentangle her much to Korra's amusement.
Korra had reached her destination, marked by a very familiar deep voice scolding the young boy behind two grand doors. Surely enough, as soon as Korra opened the door, she was greeted by Pema's warm smile and Tenzin's furrowed brow. He seemed to relax when he saw her. Her own face was placid, though she made her best effort to look perkier. A long day and short night paired with her overall disjointedness was not a great combination.
The room itself was very light, a large window pouring the sun's faint rays in. As was the pattern in all of the rooms, large columns reached like great fingers to cup the ceiling. The floor was made of perfect white marble. Light beige curtains hung on either side of Korra and the door she had come from. It was a welcome changed to the ever present red, black, and gold theme. Four small stairways composed of four steps led to a table in a small compression of the floor. The table was laden with colorful foods. A bowl holding some kind of red flakes was placed in the center, the rest of the plates arranged around it. The rice had small trails of steam still rising from it.
"I believe waiting for Jinora and Ikki would simply be a waste of the good food," Tenzin sighed. Pema nodded and brought a forlorn looking Meelo to his seat. Korra sat across from him. Tenzin and Pema took spots next to each other. Two chairs remained empty for the girls.
Korra stacked her plate with the various options of cuisine. She wasn't particularly interested in what they tasted like, but she also didn't want to appear rude by refusing to eat it. She filled her spoon with a large portion of the red flakes. Slightly shrugging her shoulders, she placed the spoonful into her mouth. The event that followed, Korra ensured, was to be covered up considerably in the retelling of their trip upon their return to Republic City. Tenzin watched in horror as Korra's face lit up an unhealthy neon red. The heat radiating off of her was tangible. Meelo let out a peel of laughter at the poor girl's inflated cheeks. Pema tried to place a hand on Korra's back but had to instantly retract it as actual flames shot from her ears.
"H-hot," was all she managed to choke out before flinging herself from the chair and running out of the room.
Korra ran along the corridors, not quite sure of where she was headed. She just hoped that she could find some kind of vase or something that would be a canister of water. The corridors were full of ornate pottery and metal working, but nothing that could be deemed useful for her present dilemma. She felt a surge of heat and acid rise up from her burning stomach and knew that she had to get outside before she burned the whole place down. She flung open the first large and ornate doors that she could find. Unfortunately, they did not lead to the outside directly. She found herself bursting into the throne room, full of its many columns, polished floors, and two very bewildered Fire nation royals. Korra simply didn't have time to think about Inzei and Kaji's confused expressions. Minor flames were already slipping from her mouth. She turned her head toward the windows. A small pond under a willow tree was just beyond the clear glass. Not waiting any longer, Korra ran toward her escape route. Before colliding with the glass, she shot a block of stone through the window and made her way through the hole.
The ground rose up to meet her. Korra swiftly blew a current of air, and quite a large amount of fire, from her mouth and used the momentum to flip herself over midair and land with a splash among the startled turtleducks that were swimming around. Once underwater, Korra released all of the pent up heat in a massive belch of fire. Her head broke the surface of the pond to see the poor little animals flapping to the safety of their small house. The boiling water was burning their small feet. Though it wasn't as refreshing as it would have been cool, the water was welcome sliding down Korra's scorched throat.
A burst of wild laughter sounded from one of the higher stories. Korra spun around to find Kaji hunched over, her body shaking in spasms of laughter. Inzei was behind her, his usual stoic expression chipping slightly from his own amusement. Kaji wiped a stray tear from her eyes and tried to regain her composer. Apparently, seeing Korra soaked and still red in the face was too much and she fell into hysterical giggles once more.
That's it, Korra fumed in her head, I hate that girl.
Kaji and Inzei exchanged a few words before he inclined his head toward Korra and nodded. Kaji then turned her attention back to the miserable, and thoroughly embarrassed, Avatar. She too jumped out of the broken window, emulating Korra's propulsion and flip perfectly, punctuated by her own signature blue fire. However, Kaji slightly overshot her leap and landed squarely on the edge of the pond. Her smirk was so wide it looked like it would split her face in half.
"Would you like some assistance?" Kaji offered her hand to Korra. The turtleducks were now curiously peering at the newcomer and their previous assailant.
"No, I meant to do this," Korra slapped the hand away and pushed herself up. Kaji didn't seem to be bothered by her hostility.
"What was that about?" the crown princess inquired innocently.
"I think someone is trying to assassinate me," Korra said seriously. The comment only seemed to make increase the other girl's glee. "I'm serious. If I hadn't been the Avatar, those red flakes could have made me spontaneously combust!"
"Red flakes?" Kaji's brows rose slightly. "As in fire flakes?"
"Whatever, they were in a large bowl in the middle of the breakfast table. I took a spoonful and it felt as though a dragon erupted from my stomach."
Kaji couldn't hold it in anymore. She let out another peel of laughter. Korra simply glared, dripping and frustrated. Seeing that the other girl was nowhere close to finishing her fun at Korra's expense, Korra decided to be productive and bend the water out of her clothing.
"You-ha-you're not supposed to eat a whole spoonful of fire flakes. Haha. You need to build up a resistance to them. If that was your first time eating them, you should have taken one or two. A spoonful, even I can't eat all of that in one go. You truly are impressive, Avatar," Kaji said, leaning against the stooping tree trunk and holding her sides.
"Oh," Korra couldn't get anything else out. She wasn't quite sure whether to take the last comment as an insult or a compliment. Instead, Korra decided to glare at the smug look Kaji wore. It hadn't been her fault that no one had warmed her of the effects of the stupid hell flakes. "Right, well… umm… I guess I'll be going back to Tenzin then. Sorry about the window."
"Don't worry about it. The glass worker will fix it in no time," Kaji waved off Korra's apology.
Korra turned to go then stopped. Her surroundings were completely unfamiliar. The corridors and multiple doors could have led anywhere. She hadn't taken stock of where she had been going in her mad dash to evacuate the palace. Squaring her shoulders, Korra decided to take her chances with the palace. Anything was better than having to ask for help from the irritating firebender behind her.
"Do you need help finding your quarters?"Korra gritted her teeth in annoyance.
"No," she bit out.
"Well, I have to talk to Tenzin on behalf of the Fire Lord anyway. I'll simply be following you."
Korra wanted to face-palm herself. She wanted to smack Kaji or push her in the pond. She wanted to crawl into her bed and get a few more hours of uninterrupted sleep and forget the morning's mishaps. Unfortunately, none of those things were going to happen. Instead, Korra chose to go to her right and entered a random door lining the building ahead of her. She figured that the palace couldn't have been that big and she would find her way eventually. Hopefully Kaji would get tired of her and leave.
"The rooms are actually in the opposite direction," Kaji commented.
"I-I knew that," Korra stuttered, pouring as much confidence in her words as she could. "I was taking the scenic route."
It was perhaps the stupidest thing she had ever said in her life. However Kaji only gave a quick "Alright." and they continued on Korra's random journey.
It had been hours. Or at least it felt that way. Korra was tired and achy from her plummet to the pond. Her stomach was now beyond the point of numbness, and had reached the part where it was rumbling in discontent. With each rumble, a throb of pain ran up to Korra's throat. Even more annoying than the obvious fact that she was lost, was the fact that Kaji was still following her like some loyal puppy.
Korra's temples throbbed and her eye started to twitch. She stopped so suddenly that Kaji almost ran into her back. Her shoulders were rigid and shaking with anger. In the end she just couldn't hold it in any longer. "Alright, I am lost! Now would you please stop following me and go on your way? I will eventually find the guest quarters but I don't need the constant pressure! I don't want to be stuck wandering the corridors of this palace, but the only thing that I want to do less than that is traverse them with YOU!"
Her blue eyes flicked to the girl behind her. Black bangs hung over Kaji's face. The golden eyes were hidden by the shadows the sleek strands created. "If you would like me to show you the way, you need only ask," Kaji's voice was biting yet there was something underneath her sharp words, something almost… sad?
"I-" Korra didn't know what to say. Her stomach twisted, and not from the pain caused by the fire flakes. She felt like a real ass. Kaji hadn't exactly been the epitome of sympathy, but she wasn't deserving of Korra's anger. "I'm sorry."
Kaji's head snapped up, a smug smirk playing on her lips. Korra's heart dropped into her discontented stomach. The girl had simply been putting on an act. Feigning mock excitement Kaji answered Korra's apology in a sickly fake sweet voice. "It's quite alright. I wasn't offended."
Kaji took the lead and, after a series of turns and ornate rooms- none of which Korra would have thought to go through- they came upon the rooms designated for Tenzin, his family, and Korra. Korra spent the entire time staring daggers in between Kaji's shoulder blades.
"Thank you," Korra mumbled. The words came out a snarl, but she wasn't one to be called rude. She would leave that to the infuriating girl next to her.
"Not a problem," Kaji replied. "I must go to Master Tenzin now. I hope that you feel better. You can probably heal yourself, but in case you have any lingering aches, ask a servant for some cucumber or watermelon. They will soothe you."
With that, she turned and walked around a corner. Korra hadn't really taken the time to notice her clothing until then. The rich burgundy color blended with the walls, and yet, it had a certain perfection in the way it clung to the girl's curves. The robe accentuated the hidden strength and feminine softness that seemed to be in harmony along Kaji's skin. Kaji's suddenly sincere advice put her off guard. Her body was another distraction altogether. She caught herself staring and quickly retracted her head into her room.
Korra made it a point to ask one of the passing servants for the items Kaji had recommended. The cucumber was a familiar plant to Korra and, as Kaji said, it worked miracles. The watermelon was something new entirely. Korra spent most of her afternoon gazing out of her window and placing the delicate pink cubes in her mouth.
The evening came with a welcoming cool breeze. Korra had to eventually leave her spot on the terrace in search of a more comfortable place to relax. A plush armchair was a welcome reprieve for her legs. She hated the dusk. It reminded her of a pair of bronze eyes that she longed for. Closing her eyes didn't help to keep the images from running through her mind. In fact, the black background of her eyelids only accentuated Mako's fair skin, his piercing warm gaze. She had once wished for the looks he gave to Asami to be directed toward her. Now, it was simply one of the whims she had learned to ignore. He was with the green-eyed beauty and, surely, no one would give up someone like Asami to be with someone like herself.
Korra sighed as her eyes started to sting. She decided that sitting wasn't a good idea after all. Getting up by swinging her legs against the chair and pushing her upper body forward with her arms, Korra reached for her door. She saw a servant passing. Seriously, do these people ever get a day off? She flagged the man down and asked him for the nearest path to a park or open area. He dropped whatever it was that he had been doing and escorted her. His eyes flicked nervously from where he was going to her face. Korra focused on the golden beams tracing the hallways they passed.
"Here you are Avatar Korra. It is a training ground but it is very spacious and has a small glade of cypress along a pond if you continue forward. The area itself is deserted at this hour, but you will be able to find servants in any of the adjoining rooms whenever you would like to return to your quarters."
"Thank you," Korra said. The servant bowed and scurried off to complete whatever chores he had left.
The sun had finally set. The western sky was still somewhat light, but soon Korra's vision of the sky was blocked by the massive trunks and spiraling needles of the cypress trees. The servant's directions proved to be true. The pond-which was actually the size of a small lake- was glistening in the faint light of the full moon. The stars above twinkled as though they were precious stones. Korra pulled off her boots and stuck her toes in the water to test it. The day's warmth still permeated the surface so she lazily dipped the rest of her feet in, followed by her legs up to her knees. The small ripples expanded and interwove until they disappeared and the pond stilled once more.
The soothing scenery was calming to Korra's nerves for a few more minutes. Suddenly, the loneliness returned to her with a vengeance. Her tears were inevitable this time. Hot streaks poured down her cheeks and collected under her chin. Small droplets fell upon her clenched hands, fingers entwined in her baggy shirt over her stomach. At first she tried to choke in the sounds, afraid that someone would come looking for the source of the noise. She soon gave up her efforts and let the misery diffuse from her. Her voice broke the stillness, the sobs wracking through her body. All of the feelings of abandonment, by Mako, her parents, her home-whichever one it was now- escaped through the salty bitter tears that flowed and rippled the water without end.
Korra had no way of telling how long she had been there. It could have been hours or seconds. However long it was, she was so enraptured in her sorrow that she barely had any time to dodge the flying fist that almost collided with her face.
"The hell?" her voice was broken and cracked.
"This is a training area," a familiar snide voice said. "And you must have the worst peripheral vision I have ever seen."
Korra gaped at Kaji, now standing in front of her, fist wrapped in blue flames that licked up to her elbow. The girl was wearing an outfit similar to the one she had on when she challenged Iroh, only the sleeves of her dull yellow shirt were longer. All Korra could stammer out was, "Y-you almost hit me."
"Well, it appears that your ability to state the obvious is in perfect condition," Kaji stated before going in for another jab. Korra dodged with room to spare that time.
"What in the names of the spirits are you doing?" Korra almost yelled.
"What does it look like? Now are you going to show me some offensive moves or just wait to get your ass kicked?"
Korra growled. She was not in the mood to be made fun of. She deflected a few more of Kaji's punches before directing a flood of water in the direction of the firebender. Kaji's azure flames quickly evaporated the attack and she followed up with a few fireballs launched toward Korra. Korra bended a wall of earth to deflect the attack. She then opened up a hole under her feet and disappeared. She used her seismic sense to find her target. Kaji gasped in surprise as the earth below her erupted and an enraged Korra flew out below her. Kaji was unable to block Korra's stone covered knuckles from hitting her full force in the chest. The firebender was catapulted a good few yards from the pond. She landed hard on her back and rolled a few times before being stopped by a tree. Kaji had no time to recover. She was unable to regain her breath by the time Korra was on her. The crown princess moved out of the way of the icicle barrage that struck the tree that had been behind her. Through sheer force of will, she ran from the figure moving after her. Korra bended a hole under once more and disappeared from Kaji's line of sight. Not again Avatar, Kaji thought before jumping into one of the trees.
Korra had Kaji in her sights until the girl's form suddenly disappeared. At first Korra thought that it was a fluke and redirected her senses to a wider area. Kaji's presence remained as masked as it had been before. She exited her burrow, keeping aware of her surrounding in case of an ambush. The wood had grown quiet, the sudden flurry of movement now turned still.
A flash of blue caught the corner of Korra's eye a second before Kaji burst from one of the cypress trees. Korra blocked with her own orange flames. Both girls were knocked back from the force of their fists meeting. Korra grunted and threw up a pillar of earth. Kaji was not to be caught off guard and used the momentum of the moving earth below her to jump into a back flip and land on her feet. Korra caught her wince and debated whether she should end the fight. The girl had asked for it though and Korra's anger had been sparked. The bitterness and sorrow she had felt before was converted into poor energy. Her fists erupted into flames.
"Come on then," Korra began walking toward Kaji's crouched body. Her heart was hammering in her chest and her chi was burning her veins. "You were the one who wanted a fight."
Korra didn't wait for a reply; she raised her fist and brought it down on Kaji. The princess jumped out of the way and circled the Avatar. Strong arms encircled Korra from under her arms and wrapped behind her neck. Her hands dripped flames and the hem of Kaji's shirt sleeves caught fire. If it hurt, Kaji made no sign. She simply kept the hold. Korra's anger only grew when she realized that she was trapped. Not taking time to think, Korra pressed her legs to the trunk that was closest to her. Kicking out with a burst of flames, she threw herself and Kaji back. The firebender released her hold in order to catch herself. Korra wasn't going to allow the girl to regain her bearings. She made a twist in midair, utilizing her airbending skills, and grabbed Kaji's wrists. Clear golden eyes met furious cerulean ones.
The ground was covered in grass which cushioned Kaji's fall somewhat. The impact was still a shocking one however and she felt her head whiplash as her back hit the earth. Korra's added weight caused them to slide down the slight slope of the glade. Kaji's eyelids had closed to protect her eyes from any loose earth fragments that might have hit her face. Once their velocity had been nullified by the ground's friction, the firebender risked a quick look. Her eyelashes were long enough to cause a dark haze to cover her vision. No pain registered to her eyes, though there was plenty elsewhere. She took that as a good sign and fully opened her eyes. Korra was straddling her, gasping for air. Her light brown hands were iron shackles around Kaji's pale wrists. The contrast between their skin tones was so evident with the proximity of their flesh. Kaji returned her attention to the Avatar's face. Kaji had her own eyes shut tight. Her brow was knit together, lines clearly visible on her dark forehead. Her hair was blowing freely in the wind. She had lost her ponytail at some point during their slide.
"Ava- Korra?" Kaji corrected herself. Titles held no power here. The girl above her was fragile and needed to be reminded that she was a human too.
Kaji's voice was like cold water being splashed in Korra's mind. Her eyes snapped open and her large irises opened her pupils to account for the lack of light. She was looking down into Kaji's face. The girl was giving her a questioning look, as if to ask if she was alright. It was an absurd look. It was quite clear that Korra was anything but alright. She was currently straddling the girl and cutting off the circulation to her hands, while only a few seconds beforehand, they were attacking each other and Korra had barreled her down a hill. Korra knew that she should have let Kaji go, lifted herself up and demanded whether the other girl had some kind of mental disorder for assaulting people out of the blue. Instead, Korra simply tightened her grip and stayed frozen in her position.
Kaji felt Korra's hands tighten. She tried not to let the pain show in her face. She could see the warring emotions in Korra's face. The girl's blue eyes were as wide as a deer-antelope's. Her body began to tremble, her hands now almost as chalk white in the moonlight as Kaji's.
"Do you feel a little better?" Kaji asked hoping her concern didn't show too much. The last thing she wanted was to insult Korra by commenting on her fragile state.
Korra hated to admit it, but she did feel better. Not just a little better, she felt cleansed. The battle was a sort of necessary catharsis that she hadn't even been aware that she needed. The observations of her body position in relation to Kaji's became apparent to her once more, this time with more clarity. She quickly composed her face to its usual stoicism before the color could darken her cheeks.
The indecision disappeared behind a façade of stone. Korra's fingers began to uncurl from Kaji's wrists. The tingling sensation of her blood pouring into her hands was a minor nuisance. She didn't know what was going through her mind but the last thing Kaji wanted was to lose contact with the girl above her. Kaji didn't know what it was about the exotic beauty above her that made her heart hammer as though a war drum. Taking a deep breath, Kaji steeled herself. Her next move could end in extreme pleasure or extreme pain.
Korra had released Kaji's wrists and was now using her free hands to push herself off of the princess. She wasn't looking at Kaji's face, opting to find a very interesting blade of grass off to the side of the other girl's face instead. She didn't even feel Kaji move until she felt a warm hand against her left cheek. Her eyes flashed back to the girl under her a second before Kaji's full lips crashed into hers. At first Korra wanted to push her off and set her on fire or incase her in stone. However, the soft velvety feel of the soft lips against her own and the warmth that permeated from Kaji's body into her own from the contact soon turned all of Korra's thoughts to incoherent jumbles.
Kaji felt a surge of confidence at still being alive and connected to Korra. She pushed herself up onto her elbows and then pushed off with her hands behind her back. Korra's own hands moved back a little so that Kaji had space to sit up. The kiss was still innocent, only a slight pressure on each other's lips. Kaji burned for more, to taste the dark exotic beauty that was Avatar Korra, no, just Korra herself was enchanting enough. It had nothing to do with their titles. The girl simply radiated with power and passion.
When Kaji finally ran out of breath she broke the contact. Korra couldn't help but let a small whine escape from her throat at the sudden rush of cold air. It was then that Korra noticed that she was completely out of breath as well. The first gulp of air was almost painful. The second was cooling. The third was leveling. Kaji herself was also calming her frantic gasps. Korra looked down so as not to meet the fiery gaze that was surely being directed at her. Kaji's back stiffened at Korra's lowered head and hidden expression. She wasn't quite sure what to say at that point. She sure as hell wasn't apologizing, but she didn't want Korra to feel resentment against her.
"Korra I-" she began but was stopped when Korra snake the fingers of her left hand into Kaji's right. Kaji gave her a reassuring squeeze to console her. The Avatar's light pressure on her legs shifted closer to her. Caged sobs escaped Korra's clenched teeth and she soon found herself grabbing Kaji's shirt and pulling her into another kiss, this one urgent and searing. It was almost like her first with Mako, only Kaji didn't pull away. Kaji returned it with all of the force that Korra was putting into it.
It was Korra who broke the kiss that time. She gave up on holding in the tears and opted to bury her head into Kaji's shoulders and let all of her emotions escape. Kaji simply encircled her arms protectively around Korra's back. She was taller than the weeping girl and so was able to rest her cheek against Korra's head. She stayed that way until she felt Korra's sobs start to quiet and her deep gasps stilled to a more even breath.
Korra's head shifted away from the crook of Kaji's collarbone and neck. Her mind was reeling. The last few minutes were unexplainable. She was stunned into silence, unsure whether to run or to bury herself into the girl who was kneeling beside her. A small pressure on her arm made her eyes flick to where Kaji's delicate hand was resting. Korra couldn't explain why she shrugged it off. Maybe it was the fear of connecting with someone romantically again. Perhaps it was the fact that she shouldn't have felt any feelings toward the girl at all. Korra didn't have any analysis. The olny thing she knew was that she couldn't look into the golden eyes, no doubt brimmed with a hidden confusion or pain at her iciness.
"I can't do this," Korra whispered. Then louder, "This is wrong."
She was almost hesitant about seeing Kaji's reaction to her words. What Korra did see when she lifted her head nearly broke her heart again. Kaji was effectively looking at where her long fingers wove in and out of the blades of grass. Giving a nonchalant shrug, the fire prodigy simply nodded. Her face was a blank mask of porcelain until it broke into a wicked grin. A grin that, suspiciously, did not reach Kaji's previously molten eyes, now dulled bronze.
"As long as you feel better. The air around you was thick with depression and self pity before I got here. It was ruining my evening stroll."
Korra's face brightened in anger. She had ruined Kaji's evening! The girl had just kissed her and then acted as though it meant nothing. As though Korra meant nothing! "Well, excuse me for having problems. Speaking of which, what's yours? You just happen to walk by and decide to throw a fire ball at me! Then you go and kiss me. And to top it all, you act like I inconvenienced you!" Korra was practically yelling at that point.
"Well, at least you don't look like you're about to slit your wrists anymore," Kaji motioned against her own for emphasis before pushing herself up off the ground.
"That's because I want to wring your neck with them and the hands connected to them!"
"Whatever."
Korra was seething. She hadn't seen that much red since leaving the palace halls. This hue had nothing to do with the brilliant crimson paint that the building was themed on. Korra had to mentally make sure that steam wasn't spilling from her ears.
"Do you need an escort to your room?" Kaji asked. Her face was covered by the shadows of her bangs again. Korra had a strong urge to cut them with a blade of water. Kaji's right hand was stretched down, offering Korra help up.
Korra slapped it away but muttered, "Yeah."
The way back was submerged in an awkward silence. The tension could be cut by an ice dagger, which was exactly what Korra was mentally throwing at the back of her companion. When they finally reached Korra's door, she didn't so much as look at Kaji, opting to simply push her way through the door and attempt to slam it into Kaji's face. The only reason she wasn't successful was because of a firm, velvety grip around her left wrist. Korra whipped her head around, about to verbally blast the other girl through the adjacent wall. However, Kaji's expression stopped her dead in her tracks, mouth half open with unuttered words.
"I apologize for tonight Avatar Korra. Forget about it if you will… I am glad that you are feeling better. Before I leave, you should know something. You are deserving of the most love in this world. If you forget everything else, don't forget that," with that, Kaji turned and made her way down the candlelit corridor. Korra debated going after the girl and asking her what she meant. Those eyes, full of regret and loss, were haunting images of her own. It was as though Kaji had taken Korra's sadness into herself. But, the Fire Princess was already gone and Korra was not about to get lost searching. She would see Kaji again, it was inevitable.
P.S. I am sorry for any errors. I reread this thing five minutes before I copy/pasted it onto fanfiction and it's late so my brain is only half on right now. Hope you enjoy and I will attempt to get chapter 4 up soon. REVIEW! Please.