Author's Note: Thank you guys for the review, I had to update chapter 16, because I was supposed to write that it had been three months later. The last chapter was a bit sad, but in this chapter Korra will remember! This is also the first part of the fight scene that we are going to have. Keep reviewing and letting us know what you think!
"Is that you?"
Korra clenched her eyes tighter together, she wasn't ready to open her eyes and see all the destruction. Korra shoved her face farther into her pillow and let out a tired sigh. Korra slowly opened her eyes and the first thing she realized was that she had fallen asleep on the wooden ground. Korra also realized that she was wrapped up in Asami's arms facing each other. Korra let out a small chuckle when she realized the soft pillow that she was just shoving her face into was Asami's chest. They must have fallen asleep after Korra had her small meltdown.
Korra shimmed out of Asami's tight embrace and listen to the floor creak under her footsteps as she walked into the bathroom. Korra glanced at her disheveled appearance in the mirror and she giggled when her hair almost instantly grew bigger when she took out her ties. For a day that promised so much pain, it felt nice to laugh. Korra looked at herself dead in the mirror and realized that she might never see this room again. Korra turned and looked at Asami on the floor and a smile found Korra's lips. She made some amazing friends, and they were worth dying for.
This was the day that she would either save the world, or be the first of many to die trying to save it.
Zaheer opened his eyes and slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position with his legs off the bed. The sheets where pulled off of his legs, only a corner landing over his waist covering his most private areas. Zaheer's hand rubbed his hair coated chin and covered his mouth as he glanced back. Wrapped in the green satin sheets was a small curved frame of a young woman; brown wavy hair poured out over the pillows leaving everything but her red swollen lips hidden.
Memories of the past night's passion hit him like a train and he held his head in his hands as the guilt raked over his body. The moans and groans that escaped those swollen red lips echoed throughout his mind. Yet the memories of that young woman whose name he didn't dare to speak still plagued his mind. It did not work.
Zaheer jumped a little when he felt small feeble hands run up his back, and over his shoulders. The young lady in his bed had awoken; she ran her hands on Zaheer's chest and pressed her breasts up against Zaheer's back. Placing small kisses on his broad shoulders, she tried to gain his attention. Zaheer simply grabbed the lady's hands and pushed them off of himself. The woman was shocked, but not deterred.
"Get out." Zaheer said with his head still in his hands; not wanting to see the young woman's face. Zaheer slowly stood up with his back still towards the young lady, the sheets slid off of his body leaving nothing to cover his bare flesh, but when she began to speak he turned to face her.
"Wha—?" The young woman began, but was quickly cut off when Zaheer grabbed her upper arm and all but flung her off of the bed. Zaheer grabbed the sheets and threw it at the young lady without turning to look at her.
"I said, get out." His voice left no room to argue; the young woman quickly scrambled to wrap the sheets around her nude body. After covering herself she quickly scampered out of the room leaving Zaheer alone with his thoughts. Zaheer did not turn and look when he heard someone lean up against his doorframe.
"Breaking yet another girl's heart?" P'Li's voice rung out from the doorway and echoed throughout his brain.
"I never promised her anything." Zaheer spit out, still refusing to look at the vile woman who refused to let him live his pitiful life in peace.
"But you gave me a promise," P'Li all but whispered; sorrow filled her voice but as quickly as it was there, it was gone. Her voice was once again filled with vile and disgust, "Yet you left me broken."
Zaheer didn't say a word, nor did he turn towards P'Li; he just continued to stare blankly at the bed filled with guilt.
"Well get ready to leave." P'Li said as she turned her back on the man and walked away. P'Li took one last glance towards the man that she use to call her own, with a quiet sigh she closed the door and left him once again alone with his thoughts.
"Well we can't just give them Korra!" Tonraq said as he slammed his fist on the table. "They will kill her!"
"Dad," Korra said softly as she gently placed her hand on his larger shoulder. "There is no other way to save the air benders. The Avatar can always be reborn, if the air nation is wiped out, they won't come back." Tonraq turned to face Korra and grabbed her face in his hands and looked her in the eyes.
"But my daughter can never be reborn." His voice trembled at the thought of losing his only daughter. He pulled Korra into a tight hug and whispered into her ear, "You give meaning to my life; I wouldn't know what to do if I lost you."
Korra hugged her dad and squeezed him as hard as she possibly could and leaned back to look into his eyes although Tonraq did not seem as willing to let his daughter go so easily.
"I will be okay, dad." Korra said with a sad smile on her face, "I am a tough warrior, I did learn from the best."
"Don't worry; we will be by her side the whole time." Mako said stepping towards the father and daughter. Tonraq let his daughter go and turned to face Mako; Tonraq took a step forward and pointed at Mako.
"Nothing better happen to my daughter," Tonraq said in a low voice, "I am putting her life in your hands."
"You have nothing to worry about, sir." Bolin said wrapping his arm around the young Avatar causing her to laugh a little.
"We will also have an air ship in the sky just in case anything goes wrong." Lin said in a matter-of-fact voice. "The air ship will be filled with the best metal and earth benders that I have. You are welcome to come aboard if you wish to."
"I think I will." Tonraq said glancing down towards his daughter.
"Well we better get ready to head out soon," Kora said as she embraced her dad one more time. When she pulled back she saw everyone nod in her direction and with a confident smile on her face Korra left the room to get ready.
"Are you sure about this Korra?" Mako said as the four of them trudged through the harsh sands of the desert.
"There is no other option," Korra said as a sad smile filled her lips, "This is my duty." Mako stopped in his tracks, grabbed Korra's upper arm and pulled her back to him and he wrapped her in a tight hug.
"I love you" Mako whispered as he kissed Korra's forehead. Korra simply looked up into his eyes and her lips trembled. She couldn't say it back to him; she realized that she did not love him.
"I know." Korra whispered back; Mako leaned down and captured Korra's lips in a soft tender kiss. Korra pushed her lips against his in response, but she knew this kiss meant a lot more to him than it did to her.
"Ew gross, get a room." Bolin yelled; the group laughed at Bolin's outburst but it was a stale laugh. There was a heavy air around the group as it was beginning to seem like this was the last time the group was going to see Korra alive.
The group pressed through the desert for another mile or two and no one said a word. It got to the point where Korra was almost praying to hear Bolin complain about the walking, but even the usually silly man was serious and deep in thought. Soon the group could see the image of four people in the distance; as the group grew they could see fifty or so people sitting behind the four darker blobs. As they got closer they also realized that that Ming-Hua had a water tentacle with a sharp ice point wrapped around Zaheer's neck.
"Welcome, Avatar." P'Li called out to the Avatar and her group as they were no more than forty yards away. The harsh winds whipped against the groups face, but Korra did not react to the wind burn.
"Are the air benders okay?" Korra called out; Korra couldn't tell for herself since all of the air benders were kneeling and had hoods covering their faces.
"They are alive." Ghazan said when he saw the Avatar try and take a step towards the air benders.
"What will it be?" Zaheer said in a monotone voice as he raised his tired eyes to look at the young Avatar. His head was no longer bald, but he had hair past his shoulders. His hair was pulled back into a pony tail at the base of his head; a beard covered his face resembling how he looked after he escaped prison.
"I trade myself for the safe return of the new air nation." Korra taking another step forward with her head held high.
"As you wish." Ming-Hua said with a smirk on her face as she created two new water tentacles to wrap Korra up with her arms pinched against her sides. Ming-Hua lifted Korra in the air and pulled her towards the Red Lotus.
"Let them go." P'Li commanded waving her hand in the air. Zaheer took a deep breath and closed his eyes bringing his hands up by his face and moving his finger like a puppeteer.
Simultaneously the air benders stood up as if being commanded and began to match around the four Red Lotus members and towards the remaining three members of Team Avatar. Zaheer suddenly began to whip his arms around his body as he moved his fingers causing the air benders to begin to sprint towards the group. Korra could do nothing while she was in the air watching as the air benders began to attack the group. Korra tried to squirm out of Ming-Hua's grip but the water turned to ice and tightened around the young Avatar.
"Try not to hurt them!" Mako yelled as he flipped an air bender over his shoulders and punched another in the gut.
"Uh, sorry, but that might happen!" Asami yelled as she shocked an air bender with her glove as she kicked another in the groin.
"I can't bend this earth!" Bolin yelled as he began to just run from the swarm of air benders; once and awhile turning around to punch one and hit one with a face of sand. Soon mental benders began to drop down from the air ship from above. "Yes!" Bolin yelled his voice filled with excitement.
"I am coming, Korra!" Tonraq yelled once his feet hit the sand. Tonraq began to charge towards the four Red Lotus leaders; behind him was a group of mental benders.
"I've got this!" Ghazan yelled as he started to spin three medium sized rocks in between his hands making a lava star. Ghazan let out a yell and began to run toward the group of mental benders letting the star of lava lose.
Tonraq continued to run towards the woman holding his daughter, even as the mental benders began to fall behind him. Scream of pain echoed throughout his ears as he saw men's legs cut off from the star and men just turn to dust from the combustion blast from P'Li's third eye.
Ming-Hua separated her water arm that held Zaheer from her body, but left it around Zaheer's neck. Ming-Hua pulled as much water as she could from the air and created another arm with a pick made of ice at the tip of it. Yelling she flung the pick at Tonraq with as much force as she could. Tonraq pulled water from the carrier at this waist and made his own ice spear and deflected Ming-Hua's attack.
Ming-Hua quickly recovered and threw another attack this time just grazing Tonraq's face; Tonraq let out a grunt of pain when blood began to drip down his face. Ming-Hua easily dodged his attack and quickly whipped him with a new water arm this time tearing at the bare skin on his arms. Ming-Hua wrapped a tentacle around his ankles and flung him into the ground.
"Dad!" Korra screamed as she could do nothing but watch Ming-Hua try and kill her farther. Korra closed her eyes and let out a loud yell. When she opened her eyes they were the blueish white that told everyone she was now a different person.
Korra pulled her arms out of the water tentacle and grabbed the tentacle causing it to instantly freeze. With a sadistic smirk on Korra's face Korra broke out of the ice arm and plummeted towards Ming-Hua. Korra smashed Ming-Hua into the ground with such a great force that a cloud of dust appeared around them. Korra opened her mouth and let out a stream of fire towards the woman that she stood over.
Ming-Hua opened her eyes and saw the blast of fire coming at her fast enough to roll out from beneath Korra. Getting out of the way fast enough so only her feet got burned, but her feet got badly burned causing it to be extremely painful to do anything. Korra began to twirl her arms around her head and began to slowly draw the breath right out of Ming-Hua's mouth.
"You will not hurt my family." Korra said in a deadly voice, but Korra stopped dead when she heard Zaheer scream out in pain. Ming-Hua began to gasp for air as Korra's eyes began to flicker between their normal blue hue and the glowing white as she watched as Mako shoot yet another bolt of lightning at Zaheer who was already on the great clutching at his chest.
"Zaheer?" Korra whispered in pain as if it was her being shot with lightning. Korra's head felt like it was about to explode as Korra's eyes continued to flicker. "Is that you?" Korra's voice came out in a raspy tone as if she was truly speaking for the first time in six months as she took a step and reached out towards where Zaheer as lying on the ground.
Korra's eyes went fully white as all of the memories hit her with a huge amount of force. Korra felt every kiss on her lips, she felt his hands running through her hair, and felt his arms wrap around her. Korra saw them laughing underneath the tree and kissing up against the wall. Korra saw them swaying in the wind with no song except for the song in their own heads. Korra heard the harsh words she spit at him when he pushed her away. She remembered wanting to go see him, she remembered her almost dying, she remembered trying to go to him, and finally she saw him tell her he loved her as he clutched her body to his chest.
Korra's eyes went back to their normal crystal blue and she remembered everything. Korra turned her head and saw Zaheer dying on the ground, and then she turned and saw Mako shoot another bolt of lightning at Zaheer. Korra's eyes filled with tears as a lump formed in her throat as she called out for the one she loved.
"Zaheer!" Korra screamed out and Korra began to sprint towards Zaheer. As if everything went in slow motion, Korra jumped into the air at the right moment for the bolt of lightning to hit her right in her old scar.
Zaheer's eyes went wide and filled with tears as he watched as Korra's body fell to the ground.
"Korra!"