Just Like the Good Old Days

Redbayly: Hey, folks, sorry about the delay, I had a lot of work to finish up the past few months. I also had quite a bit of stuff to do for the first few weeks of my summer vacation, in particular going to my cousin's graduation from West Point and then going to Arkansas last Thursday so I could attend his wedding on Saturday.

Sokka: I still say he and his girlfriend were rushing things. I mean, he literally just became a second lieutenant in the Army and now he's married.

Redbayly: Sokka, you and I both know that the only reason you don't like Chandler is because she's a vegetarian.

Sokka: It's just not natural! What kind of sick individual doesn't like meat?!

Aang: *Glares* Ahem.

Redbayly: Well, whatever the case, I brought you all cake.

The Gaang: Whoohoo!

Redbayly: And it's red velvet. Never thought I'd see that in a wedding cake.

Toph: What is red?

Redbayly: How do you not know what red…

Toph: *Grins*

Redbayly: Ohh, uh, right, blind. Sorry.

Sokka: *Mouth full of cake* Wash abou' tha dishclaimer?

Redbayly: Sokka, don't talk with your mouth full. It's rude. And…disgusting.

Sokka: Heh, I'm dead, what do I care?

Redbayly: Fine. Toph, could you please do the disclaimer?

Toph: *Mouth full of cake* Noes proobleh, bred. *Swallows and then belches loudly*

Redbayly: *Slaps herself on the forehead*

Toph: Redbayly does not own Legend of Korra.

Down Once More

Third Person POV:

Night had fallen over the Southern Water Tribe. It was a clear night with a starry sky and a half-full moon. On nights like this, one would not expect something bad to happen. A figure dressed in the armor of a Northern soldier slipped into the embassy, making his way up to where the Northern chief was sleeping. He was not the only person on his way there, though; his mother, the infuriated chieftain of the South was steadily approaching with one goal on her mind: vengeance. Not far off, a group of Southerners, intent on getting rid of Unalaq, were also getting closer.

Watching from high upon a snowy rooftop was a blue crow. His presence went undetected, but he was still there, the ever-watchful guardian. While he was not omnipotent, Kangee did have certain powers to protect children of the South. He had been present at many conflicts in the past; helping those he could to return home to their families. He had been there the first time the North had invaded the South, seen the horrors inflicted on the descendants of Setna; it had been he who watched over the dead chief's eldest daughter, Qimmiq, until she was grown and ready to take back their land. Kangee had been there when the Fire Nation stole the South's Waterbenders; though he could not free them, he stayed to give them comfort in their prison cells until the handful of survivors were freed by Fire Lord Zuko at the war's end. During the war, Kangee had left that post only three times; the first was during the Siege of the North, when he protected young Sokka and Katara without them having realized; the second was when he flew to Ba Sing Se when he sensed the Avatar's life was in danger, it was he who helped channel enough energy into Katara's healing attempt that allowed the spirit water to bring Aang back from the Realm of the Dead; the third time was during the Day of Black Sun and he sensed Water Tribe warriors going into battle, Coahoma had been there as well and helped him to keep the warriors alive.

Now he was in the South, doing all he could to protect its people from destruction. He was alone that night as both Coahoma and Bilagaana had been forced to return to the Spirit World. As Kangee was one of the Higher Spirits, he could move between worlds freely and was able to provide as much help as he could to the Southerners.

A new noise broke through the night's stillness and Kangee turned to see its source. It was the young Avatar and her two male comrades. Kangee had watched these three since childhood, though he knew the boys were more than what they seemed. That the Avatar knew of their pasts as well and was still able to treat them as she always had spoke volumes of her forgiving nature and of Raava's light and goodness within the girl's heart. Only a few Avatars had that ability to see beyond a person's past crimes. It had certainly been a wise plan of the Great Spirit to allow those boys a second chance.

Kangee often had the responsibility to look after Avatars, though it was usually restricted to Southern Water Tribe Avatars. He had been doing as much for the last ten thousand years, though it had started earlier than that when he had been ordered to watch over a little boy with great power.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Kangee took flight. He knew something was going to happen tonight and he would be there when it did.

Korra's POV:

I had spoken to Noak and Tarro after my conversation with Ciqala. The three of us agreed that we couldn't let him do it. It wasn't that we didn't think Unalaq needed to be stopped; it's just that we valued Ciqala's life more. All the way to the Northern embassy, I felt this ominous pall over my head, like a dark cloud warning us that something bad was going to happen. The embassy was up a long hill, overlooking the ocean from atop a high cliff. The building itself looked eerie in the nighttime, like the frozen palace in the legend of Avatar Ehane's journey to the Spirit World to rescue his little brother from Hakidonmuya. It is one of the reasons why Southerners live in humble accommodations rather than palaces, because grandeur leads to pride, pride to arrogance, and arrogance to wickedness.

We finally made it into the embassy and, right away, I heard noises. There was a scuffle going on in the central meeting hall. We rushed over and flung the doors open. I had been expecting to find Ciqala struggling alone against Unalaq, and I wish I had. Ciqala had reached Unalaq, but so had his mother. My aunt had a number of scratches and cuts, clearly having been fighting Unalaq while Ciqala attempted to sneak around them and take him out. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to notice much else, because then the unthinkable happened.

No sooner had we entered the room than Unalaq sent a blast of water that my aunt dodged easily. However, what she hadn't realized was that she was standing right in front of her son, who was beside the main window overlooking the water. Everything seemed to slow down but not one of us was able to move quickly enough to stop what happened. Even Noak and Tarro weren't able to stop it.

The water impacted with Ciqala, sending him crashing through the window and falling to certain death in the water below. For a moment, we all stopped, staring in silence. Then, the air was rent by my aunt's enraged scream.

Noatak's POV:

"YOU KILLED MY SON!"

If ever there was a person who could frighten me, it would have to be Chief Kaliska in that moment. Rage and pain filled her eyes like nothing I had seen, not even five years ago when she received word that her husband had been killed in a hunting accident up North had she been this distraught. She charged at Unalaq, clearly intent on killing him then and there.

That was when the resistance entered the room, just as Ciqala had warned Korra. The three of us weren't sure what to do. I knew I wanted Unalaq dead because he had killed Ciqala, someone who was so dear to all of us. The resistance clearly had their minds set as they attempted to join Chief Kaliska in her attack; however, Unalaq's guards must have heard the disturbance and soon everyone was surrounded. The guards seized the Southern warriors and Chief Kaliska, the latter of whom was now hissing and spitting like an angry cat.

"YOU BASTARD!" she screeched. "It wasn't enough that you had my husband murdered, threatened my sister and her family, and invaded our tribe. You murdered my only son!"

"Your son came here with the intention of killing me," Unalaq replied smoothly. "Just like you and these thugs." He gestured towards the group of Southern men who were now being unmasked. I recognized one as Unnuk, a burly man who had a short temper. The others were ordinary citizens of the South, I even noticed Tonraq's friends, Hakan and Len, were among them. Unalaq turned to us. "I assume you three came here to stop the assassination attempts against me."

"In a manner of speaking," I replied coldly. "We just didn't want anyone to get hurt."

"I am surprised that my brother isn't here," Unalaq said, now addressing the resistance.

"He wouldn't help us," Unnuk snapped. "He's a traitor. Just like the Avatar!"

I could feel Korra tense beside me. I felt a surge of anger at the man's words. Everything Korra had done she had done for the sake of her tribe. Who was he to call her a traitor?

Unalaq called for his guards to arrest the men, but Chief Kaliska was released.

"What, not man enough to arrest an old lady?" she snapped furiously. "I won't rest until your head is on a platter, Unalaq."

"I am not afraid of you, Chief Kaliska," Unalaq retorted. "I am releasing you for the sake of your people. Though I think they would be better off with you locked up."

"You just don't have the balls to take me down," she yelled. He turned and began to walk away. "Coward! You couldn't even kill my husband yourself! You had to have your lackeys do it for you!"

That's when we all looked at each other. We had always thought that Ahote had died in a hunting accident. If Unalaq had had him killed, then this war was not just a sudden thing. Unalaq must have been planning to attack us for at least five years. I could see that Korra and my brother both realized the same thing.

Third Person POV:

Unalaq entered his private office and sat down at his desk thoughtfully. Things were not going as easily as he had hoped. Allowing Chief Kaliska to walk free would ordinarily have been a bad idea, but he could not afford to stress things to the breaking point by making her into a martyr, though he suspected she would now do as much for her son and husband. He did not enjoy having to resort to violence, but so far it had been the only course of action he could take to protect his interests.

Ahote's death had been a tragic fluke. The man had discovered his plans to take control of the South and was going to let it get out. That Ambassador Yue had seen him give the orders for Ahote's death was another unfortunate event, but having her removed would be too much of a gamble, and he also didn't want more blood on his hands at the time, so he had settled for threatening her and her family if word ever got out. Not that Yue knew, but her husband and sons were not actually in any danger as they were supporters of the North and of Unalaq.

Ciqala's death had not been an accident in the slightest. The boy needed to go away in order for Unalaq to secure a stronger hold on the South. Now that their chief's only son was gone, there would be a question of leadership. Unalaq had known that there would be an attempt on his life, it was just a matter of luck that Ciqala happened to be there and in such a prime position for him to strike.

"Trouble sleeping, Your Highness?" said a silky voice from the shadows. Had Unalaq not recognized who it was, he would have attacked.

"Hei-An, I am honored by your presence," Unalaq replied, standing up to bow respectfully at the spirit.

Hei-An slunk forward. He was not quite human in shape but was an anthropomorphic being of inky black energy; in fact, his closest resemblance to a human was the shape of his head, though he had no noticeable features except for his eyes, red sclera with yellow irises and slit pupils, and glinting white teeth with large fangs. While he did have a human form, he seldom appeared in it, preferring a spirit form.

"I see the plan is moving forward," Hei-An said, casually drifting over to lean against the wall. "Your service to the spirits is greatly appreciated, Chief Unalaq."

"My duty and honor is to serve the spirits," Unalaq replied.

"And you will be well-rewarded for it, I assure you. However, now you must remove an obstacle to your goals."

"What is it?"

"Your brother Tonraq. As long as he is around, Avatar Korra will not listen to you. It is imperative that the Northern portal be opened before the Harmonic Convergence. The only way to do that is to get the Avatar to open it."

"You want me to kill my brother?" Unalaq inquired. Though he and Tonraq seemed to immensely dislike each other, the truth was that the hatred ran deeper than anyone realized. Ever since childhood, Unalaq had been shunted aside in favor of Tonraq. Their mother's poor health had been attributed to difficulties during Unalaq's birth, so her eventual death was considered Unalaq's fault. Even in banishment, Tonraq had found countless ways of causing Unalaq anger. One action in particular stood out above all the rest and had been what pushed Unalaq even further into the Dark.

"I am not saying you should kill him," Hei-An replied. "Yet. But you cannot let him walk free. Avatar Korra's trust in you has sustained a heavy blow and you need to find some way of gaining control over her again."

Unalaq bowed his head.

"I will do everything I can," he said.

"Good. Remember, if you need any assistance, call on my servants and they will aid you."

With that, Hei-An drifted back into the shadows, disappearing back to the Spirit World. Unalaq watched him vanish before removing something from a drawer in his desk. It was an old, faded photograph that had a tear down one side where a man's face had once been, though now it showed only a young woman with a bright, smiling face. Unalaq stared down at the picture, hands trembling as a surge of anger went through him.

"It's all for you," he muttered.

Korra's POV:

We rode home in the early hours of the morning. I had managed to convince Unalaq to give the Southerners a trial, though I wasn't sure if he intended to have it be a "fair" trial. When we finally got home, I paused at the door. I had been thinking a lot lately and I realized I hadn't been very respectful towards my father. That I had been unduly harsh with him. I looked back at Noak and Tarro.

"We'll give you three a minute to yourselves," Tarro said, leading Noak away.

I took a breath and opened the door to find my mother and father sitting down to breakfast. They looked up at me in surprise.

"Is it okay if I come in?" I said.

"Of course," my mom replied. "We heard what happened. Are you okay?"

That's when I broke down. All the pain and anger I was feeling finally burst through and I threw myself into my dad's arms. I thought of Ciqala, my cousin who was more like a brother to me than anything, falling through that window to his death.

"Why - why did he have to put himself into danger like that?" I sobbed. "Now, Ciqala's gone forever."

"It's going to be alright, Korra," my dad assured me. "He wouldn't have gone if Varrick hadn't incited the others. Ciqala was only trying to protect his fellow tribesmen."

"I'm so glad you weren't with them. I don't know what I would've done if you were."

"I had no idea how far Varrick was willing to go. My brother and I may have our differences, but I would never attack him."

"There's something else," I said and pulled away slightly. "Aunt Kaliska said that Unalaq killed Uncle Ahote five years ago and has been threatening Aunt Yue and her family."

"What?" said my mom. "How could he do that?"

"I don't know. But I do know that I am not going to let him hurt either of you. I am so sorry for how I've been acting lately and for all the pain I've put you through."

"I'm the one who should apologize," my dad replied. "But, Korra, I want you to know that I am so proud of you. I never should have held you back."

"When your father and I found each other, all we wanted was a simple life," my mom continued. "But then we discovered you were the Avatar and simple was over. We knew one day the world would need you and you wouldn't need us."

I stopped. It had never occurred to me just how hard my being the Avatar was for them. That all they wanted was to be normal people after having had such notoriety in the past with my father having once been the crown prince of the North and my mother being both the daughter of the Southern chief and the niece of the previous Avatar.

"Mom, Dad," I said as I pulled them into a hug. "Of course I still need you."

At that moment we heard someone enter the igloo. I felt a spike of irritation when I saw that it was Unalaq.

"We weren't expecting you," Dad said.

That's when four soldiers entered the room behind him.

"Tonraq, Senna, you are under arrest and will stand trial," Unalaq said.

"Trial? For what?"

"For conspiring to assassinate me."

Redbayly: Whew! Finally got this done. And I had to hurry because my dad needed the computer.

Sokka: Whatever, can we go eat now?

Redbayly: Sokka, you just had a huge piece of cake.

Sokka: Doesn't count. Besides, I need comfort food now that you've KILLED OFF MY GRANDSON!

Redbayly: Don't forget, Sokka, the story's not over yet. Oh, and a note for my audience about my plans to rewrite the first few chapters. I am now going to wait until the end of the series before I consider revision as there might be some new things for me to include. Anyway, I'll try to update again soon. Please review.