Thank BG-13!

Korra's POV

I quickly realized how the council handled things. According to what I was witnessing, with each law or debate that presented itself, it was always Tenzin against Tarrlok. The other council members were basically Tarrlok's supporters, spineless cowards without minds of their own. Whatever Tarrlok said, they agreed to. My Airbending master didn't stand a chance.

I had been listening intently to all the discussions, my mind never wondering and obsessively cataloguing everything in case it was of any importance down the road. You never knew. I could see Tenzin occasionally glancing at me and I knew he was puzzled by my lack of distraction...either that or my lack of opinion. I hadn't said a word yet.

Finally, it was down to the last order of business. According to Tarrlok, anyway. "These so called Equalists are threatening our fair city," he began, his voice smooth and demanding attention. Of course, the other three council members gave it to him. "They are allowed to wonder freely and attack Republic City without warning. And everyday their numbers grow. So effective immediately, I suggest a curfew to be given to all Nonbenders, while also taking into custody anybody who is associated with this 'Nonbending Revolution.'"

Asami immediately came to mind and I knew I couldn't let this corrupt politician go through with this. But I had to be smart about this.

"I don't think your measures are appropriate, Councilman Tarrlok," I said.

The council members' attention snapped towards me. I could tell that none of them had expected me to say anything. Tenzin himself looked surprised but he quickly composed himself, waiting for me to continue.

The Northern Tribe Waterbender looked taken aback for a split second before speaking once again. "Oh?" he said. "And why is that?"

"There has to always be balance," I explained. "You cannot favor one group over the other. Benders and Nonbenders are the same people. They aren't separate."

He raised an amused brow at this. "Forgive the intrusion, Avatar Korra," Tarrlok began. "But since when do you side with the Nonbenders? If memory serves, you yourself had a very low tolerance for them, something we both had in common."

I clenched my jaw at the reminder before sitting up straight to look at him in the eye. "My personal preferences are not something I would bring into the council, Tarrlok," I replied, my tone still formal but slightly clipped. "Didn't you take an oath to serve all the people, without prejudice?"

The Waterbender's eyes narrowed at the insinuation before shifting his gaze from me to Tenzin. "I don't think that a child should be involved in business that only involves adults."

I stood for my seat, trying to control my temper. "May I remind you, I'm the Avatar, and I have a right to see what kind of business is conducted during these meetings."

He began to chuckle, rising from his seat as well. "You are but a half baked Avatar," Tarrlok replied calmly. "Now the only thing you have left is the title." I felt my fists clench and unclench against the desk. He continued to smirk. "Is that why you're siding with the Nonbenders? Because you're just like them now?" he tsked. "And I thought we weren't supposed to bring our personal preferences into these meetings?"

I could feel my blood boiling at this. Just as I was about to respond, Tenzin stepped in. "That's enough Tarrlok," he said sharply. "Korra has a right to be here and voice her opinion."

"Voice, yes," the councilman replied. "Decide, no. Keep that in mind, Tenzin. Meeting adjourned."

Senna's POV

Korra had gone straight to her room when she and Tenzin returned from the meeting. According to the Airbending master, it hadn't gone well. It would seem that she and Councilman Tarrlok had disagreed, which I must admit was unheard of.

I needed to talk to my daughter...but I didn't know how. I shook my head, took a deep breath and went to knock on the door only for it to open before my hand even made contact. "You can come in, you know," Korra said, walking back over to the windowsill.

I lowered my hand and stepped into the room, shutting the door behind me. I took a seat on the bed while Korra sat on the windowsill, staring out across the bay at the arena. I tried to think of what could fascinate her about the worn out, run down building but nothing came to mind.

We were silent for a moment, giving me time to organize my thoughts. I felt awful; not knowing how to talk to my own daughter. She spoke before I could. "I didn't mean to do that. The other night... When you woke me up...it was just a reflex, an instinct."

"I know," I replied. I did. I knew she hadn't meant to. I'd seen the look of surprise and then the look of regret after she flipped me over. Then she had just kept saying sorry, over and over.

"Why are you here?" my daughter asked after another moment.

To be honest I didn't even know. I knew that I had missed my daughter for the last five years. I still missed her. She was different since she'd come back and I couldn't decide whether it was good or bad yet.

"Come," I said, gently grabbing her hand.

We walked in silence until we reached a spot that I knew my daughter had liked. Every six months when I came to visit, I would find her here, staring out at the bay. I never knew what she was looking at. Whether it was Avatar Aang Memorial Island or the Pro Bending Arena or something else that I couldn't see.

Korra walked over to the tombstone that was there and kneeled down, trying to wipe off the dirt with little success. She pulled her shirt over her head and I placed a hand over my mouth as I took in all the scars and burns on her back.

"It's mine," she finally said, turning to look at me when she managed to clean it enough to see her name.

I nodded swallowing the lump in my throat. "What happened to you in that prison," I asked, my hand hovering over the damaged skin.

She flinched at the contact and shook her head. My hand recoiled at this and I understood. "I don't want to talk about it," my little girl whispered. "Not yet."

"When you disappeared I used to come up here with your father. We waited for weeks for you to come back. But those weeks turned into months. That's when we realized you weren't coming back," I said, my voice cracking at the memory.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry I'm not the Korra you expected to get back."

I shook my head, placing my hand over her cheek. Regardless of how she came back, I was happy to see my daughter alive. "I know it's hard," I began. "I know you probably aren't ready but you need to talk about what happened. You need to let someone in, whether it's me, your father, whoever." Korra flinched again. "You've been avoiding us," I continued. "You're so close yet so far away from us."

"I know," Korra whispered. "I-I just can't," she added standing up and leaving me sitting there.

Sitting there by myself, I could no longer hold back the tears and I broke down. After Tonraq had planted the grave, I would come up here and…talk to my daughter. I would tell her how the Airbending kids were doing, about Mako enrolling in the Police academy, about her father and the big fish he'd caught.

Now she was finally back, within an arm's reach. So why did it feel as if we were miles apart? It seemed that I was closer to my daughter when I thought she was gone than when she was here, alive. And I hated this feeling, this feeling of unbearable pain that this fact caused my heart.