Sorry it took forever to update! I wanted to get this chapter out ages ago but...life. I should be able to update more often now as I return to a less intense work schedule. Also, I changed the title back to the original one because I really missed it.

I did a very different take on the ending of Book 1 (it doesn't follow the canon at all) so hopefully it a) makes sense and b) you guys like the change. As always, thank you for reading/commenting, and I hope to get the next chapter up in a couple of days. :)

"This plan is dangerous. Are you sure…?" Katara's face looked more worn than Korra had ever seen it. Of course she didn't blame her former teacher. If Korra wasn't the Avatar, didn't have the world depending on her, this idea would be unthinkable.

"I can't bring balance to the world when my own body is out of balance." The White Lotus had drilled this fact into her. "So, yeah. If you're sure you're willing to do it." Korra looked at her hands instead of anywhere else inside Katara's healing chamber.

No matter where she looked, she only saw failure. The pool of water that could heal almost any injury in the world, but couldn't restore her bending. The meditation cushions that brought her no closer to connecting with her past lives than the ones Tenzin made her use in Republic City. The table of herbs and acupuncture tools that did nothing but make Korra feel slightly dizzy yesterday as various Sages tried prodding her muscles and shoving different possible remedies down her throat to no avail.

Korra was at her wit's end. She was desperate. Which was why she was trying this completely crazy idea in the first place. Well, assuming Asami didn't mind. "Are you ready? Would you like to lay down first?" Katara's voice sounded even older than she looked.

Korra hated herself for letting it get to this point. If she had developed her spiritual side sooner, she could've asked Aang for help rather than make his soul mate do something awful. Or if she'd been stronger, Amon never would've laid a hand on her, would never have taken her bending away. Maybe she could've stopped Amon earlier and what if that also stopped Hiroshi? He never would've tried to kill Asami. Asami wouldn't be so devastated now.

No, stop that. Running through maybes and what ifs weren't going to help her right now. "I will, but I need to call Asami in here first." She needed to be warned about what was going to happen.

Katara looked at Korra inquisitively but nodded. Korra crossed the room and slid the door open. She avoided several pairs of eyes that flitted to her face. Instead, Korra focused on the pale green ones that locked on her immediately. "Asami, can you come in here for a minute?"

Asami rose and walked stiffly over to Korra, hugging herself. The cold was getting to her and Korra regretted not giving Asami one of her coats. There were questions in the green gaze but Asami didn't say anything as she slid past Korra into the room. Korra closed the door behind her and motioned to an empty chair at the small table off to the right of the doorway. Asami sat, confused.

Katara was standing near a thick pile of pelts, glancing between Korra and Asami. Korra turned to her soul mate. "We're talking about trying something painful to get my bending back and I wanted to talk to you about it first since, you know."

Asami opened her mouth to speak but Katara spoke first. "She's your soul mate." She smiled at Korra. "So she wasn't in the middle of the earth kingdom as you feared."

Korra blushed as Asami raised an eyebrow. She scarcely remembered telling Katara that all those years ago. "We're just friends right now. And we haven't told anyone because we didn't want to deal with any pressure about…love stuff." She cringed at her poor phrasing. "So please, don't tell anyone."

Katara's eyes shined and she looked at Asami, who, Korra noticed, was suddenly very interested in the ground. "Actually, Korra, I told Lin and Bolin. But only because you were in danger and I thought it would help save you." Asami sounded so guilty.

Korra groaned and Asami shrank away from her. "No, Asami. I swear I'm not mad. It's just that Bolin's probably told everyone by now, which means they're all pretending not to know which is—"

"Awkward." Asami's groan mirrored Korra's before she sat up straight and looked around the room. "So, did you need me for something?"

Just tell her. "I don't know if you noticed but there's a full moon out tonight." Asami didn't get it yet so Korra pressed on. "I thought since bloodbending took away my bending, maybe it could give it back."

Asami paled and her eyes found Katara. "I thought you outlawed bloodbending?"

Katara nodded gravely. "I did and I don't relish doing it, but this is an extreme circumstance. I promised Aang I would do everything in my power to help the next Avatar, and since bloodbending is in my repertoire…" She trailed off as her eyes lost focus, but a moment later, she blinked and looked back at Asami. "I know better than most what this ability can do to a person. But I won't be doing it to hurt Korra. I'm only going to search for something amiss."

Asami didn't look reassured in the slightest. She met Korra's gaze. "So does that mean it will hurt you?"

"Unfortunately there's no painless way to bloodbend someone," Korra said. "Which is why I called you in here. I didn't want you to panic about the sudden pain. But also, is this okay? I know it will affect you too."

Green eyes widened. "You're asking my permission?" Korra nodded as she felt Asami study her face. Her friend sighed. "If it's what you need to do, then do it. Don't worry about me."

Impossible, Korra thought as she frowned. "Thanks for understanding. If you don't want to watch—"

Asami cut her off. "I'm not going anywhere." She got up, marched over to Korra, and grabbed her hand. "Not this time." The intensity of her gaze set Korra's skin on fire.

"Then let's get started," Katara said. "Korra, lay down here, if you would." She pointed to the furs on the floor.

Korra did as she was instructed and Asami sat beside her, refusing to relinquish her hold on Korra's hand until Katara asked her to. Korra watched as her mentor breathed deeply for a few seconds. Then, Katara's hands snapped up, her fingers curled sharply, and Korra was no longer in control of her body.

It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, but Korra supposed that stemmed from the fact that Katara didn't actively want to hurt her. Still, her muscles cramped uncomfortably and more than once she grit her teeth when a particularly harsh sensation prickled her. Sometimes, she swore she could feel her blood being pulled through her veins. Asami tried (but failed) to hide her grimace for Korra's sake. A dull throb pulsed through Korra's head.

Just as quickly as it started, the sensation disappeared and Korra flopped back onto the pile of furs, stiff but able to move her body freely again. Aside from the lingering tenseness in her muscles, Korra didn't feel any different. Did that mean it didn't work? Did she really make Katara break her own law all for naught? She sat up too quickly and was hit with a rush of vertigo, but she managed to regain herself. When she did, she noticed Asami helping Katara into a chair. The old woman wiped her wrinkled forehead against the sleeve of her coat and sighed.

"Korra." She knew what the next words out of Katara's mouth were going to be: her tone gave her away. It made Korra's heart clench and she felt like screaming. "I'm sorry. I couldn't restore your bending."

Even though she expected them, the words were like a blow to the gut. She made a mistake. She never should have let Katara bloodbend her—someone Katara cared about, someone who shared a bond with her late husband. And it hurt Asami. Asami who'd already been in so much pain over what her monstrous father almost did to her. Korra buried her face in her hands. She was being so selfish, hurting people to get her bending back.

"Korra?" She heard Asami take a step towards her but no closer. She was probably trying to figure out a way to comfort both Katara and Korra, because that's just who Asami was.

"She's beating herself up," Katara said. "Korra, remember I offered first. I agreed to go through with this. Don't blame yourself for my choice. I'm only sorry for what pain I caused and that I couldn't do more. I've healed many people with these hands, including Aang when he nearly died in the Avatar state, but now…"

Did she feel like she failed both Korra and Aang? "You did everything you could. Thank you for even making the attempt. I'm sorry you broke your code for nothing." Numb. She was so numb. Every word felt mechanical in her mouth.

"It wasn't for nothing." Korra snapped her head up. Really? "I was better able to sense your chi paths. They weren't being blocked but there were tiny indents along all of your paths, like they'd been pinched repeatedly. I smoothed them out up until a point. I can't touch the ones in your head because it's not blood or water twisting everything up."

"Then what is it?" Korra asked. What little hope she initially felt flickered out.

"I think I've figured out how Amon's technique works," Katara said. "A bender's chi allows a person to manipulate an element. Amon used bloodbending to constrict chi paths, which in turn forced all of the body's energy to pool where he directed it. In this case, it's a spot behind your forehead. But that much chi near the brain can be dangerous."

"It would probably overload and cause hemorrhaging." Asami's weak voice stirred Korra from her seat on the ground. Her friend looked even paler as she hugged herself. "My dad had books on chi networks in his library. Guess I know why now." Asami.

Katara continued on, blind to the internal drama Korra was privy to. "Thankfully, a bender's body seems to have some sort of survival mechanism to prevent damage to the brain. Your chi contains itself in an energy shell. At least that's what it felt like when I probed that area and I couldn't bend it. And I bet Lin has a similar spot in her head. I'd bet it's the chakra point that Aang pressed when he bent Ozai's and Yakone's energy." Katara took a moment to compose herself and Asami sighed beside her, looking considerably more relieved. "So I'm inclined to guess that's what I felt knotted up between your eyes."

Korra thought everything over. "So my bending isn't blocked up, it's compartmentalized." Katara nodded. "Then how was I able to airbend if Amon contained all of my chi?"

"The Avatar has an exceptional amount of energy. As skilled as Amon proved to be, I doubt he could've contained every ounce of your power. Instead of shutting off one element, as he'd done time and again, he had to shut off four, and that would take more time and precision to draw the essence from you body," Katara concluded.

"So you think I need to learn energybending to release the chi in my head," Korra surmised. Aang was given the gift by a lion turtle, but no one had seen one since then. And no one knew about energybending until Aang told everyone. Aang, Aang, Aang. Everything seemed to be leading back to him. But she hadn't received any recent visions of him either. She didn't know what to do. Korra huffed and stood. So her bending wasn't gone, but she also wasn't any closer to linking it back to her body.

Katara eyed her for a moment before she shuffled to the door and opened it. "Tenzin," she called. A moment later, the airbending master joined them in the room. Katara caught her son up on what transpired. He stroked his beard for a while in silence, just listening. Asami linked her hand with Korra's again, though she seemed lost in thought.

Finally, Tenzin turned to Korra and said, "If you need to learn energybending, you'll need to speak to my father."

Korra wanted to say, "I've tried that already," but it wouldn't help to yell at Tenzin, so she asked, "How?"

Tenzin was thoughtful for a moment. "My father often connected with Avatar Roku during times of need. He told me Roku sometimes even sought him out when it was dire. Perhaps Aang is attempting to do the same, as he did with your visions of Yakone." So he had no idea. Great.

Then, Asami gasped. "Wait, if Aang took an event from his life and related it to yours, maybe you need to do the same to contact him. Find a significant place from his past and feel for his presence."

"Where could I even go? I tried meditating at Air Temple Island, his home, Asami." She tried not to sound angry but her voice shook. Not Asami's fault. She's trying to help. Don't snap. Don't snap.

"The Iceberg Memorial is probably the closest spot," Katara suggested. Her eyes crinkled as she smiled at some distant memory. "Aang was frozen there in the Avatar state when I found him."

Tenzin perked up beside his mother. "Maybe there are traces of Avatar energy there. The ice was saturated with spiritual energy for a century after all. Perhaps your Avatar spirit will pick up on it."

That was an awful lot of maybes for Korra. "I don't want to wander around a historical site unless there's a good chance this could help me get my bending back."

Asami shifted to stand in front of Korra. "Let's go to the memorial. It can't hurt. You can't give up yet, Korra."

Four days of failed attempts was starting to wear on Korra, but she tried to feel inspired by the hope lacing Asami's voice. "Okay. We'll head out in the morning." Asami seemed to like the idea of being included because she smiled and hugged her.

"We'll figure this out," Asami said. "I promise." It was different, hearing the phrase from her. Dozens of people told Korra not to worry, that all would be well soon, but she brushed it off. She believed Asami, though. This girl lost her family and home, yet still had the strength to not only keep moving forward but comfort Korra as well.

"How did everything get so messed up? My bending. Your father. It's not fair." Korra clung to Asami tighter and when her friend ran a hand up and down Korra's back, it was almost soothing.

"Don't focus on the how or why right now. It'll only consume you." Korra couldn't tell if Asami was talking to her or herself. "Just think about getting some sleep tonight."

"Okay," Korra said. But as they parted ways for the evening, returning to their separate rooms, Korra lay awake for hours, silently pleading for a sign from Aang.

The sun was blinding overhead, but Asami wondered if it had frozen over because she couldn't feel a single, warming ray hit her face. She expected some teasing when she waddled outside in her three layers to meet up with Korra for their journey to the memorial site, but instead was met with a solemn look. Korra barely said a word to her and concentrated on prepping Naga for the ten-mile run. In fact, Asami began to wonder if Korra even planned on talking to her at all until her friend approached slowly.

She stopped in front of Asami and reached up with her bare hands. For a moment, Asami thought Korra was going to cradle her face, but then fingers were tugging at the thick blue scarf Asami had wrapped around her neck and the lower parts of her face. "Don't, it's so cold!" She flushed at how childish she sounded.

Korra laughed for the first time in almost a week. Asami's chest swelled at the sound. "You wrapped it wrong. Here." Korra tugged Asami's hood down, readjusted the scarf about Asami's neck, and set to work re-wrapping it. Occasionally Korra's fingers brushed against her cheeks, which sent tingles across her face and made her heart thump even louder, which was weird. Maybe the cold was affecting Asami more than she thought. Korra stepped back. "Better?"

Her face was definitely warmer already. "Y-y-yes." Asami frowned. Her teeth weren't chattering anymore so she wasn't sure why she had such a hard time talking.

Korra tugged Asami's hood back up. "Good, then let's get going. I've got the map but you'll have to read it while I guide Naga." She passed a roll of parchment to Asami. "Why don't you climb up first? I can hold the reins from behind you and you'll have enough space to hold the map in front."

It made sense but suddenly Asami felt anxious. She didn't argue though and quickly took her place on Naga's saddle. A rush of air buffeted her clothes as Korra airbent up from the ground and leapt onto Naga, landing lightly behind Asami. The polarbear dog barked and took a few steps forward. Asami started to unfurl the map in her hands when arms grazed her hips. She tried not to jerk upright at the contact. Korra picked up the leather reins and then she leaned against Asami's back.

The first thing Asami picked up on was how warm she suddenly was. Korra emitted a pleasant heat and Asami almost wanted to turn around and snuggle into her friend's warmth. The second thing she noticed was how nice it felt to have Korra's strong arms around her like this. She wondered, as they started off at a brisk pace, if Korra felt the same way when their positions were reversed. That was a strange line of thought though, so Asami concentrated on identifying landmarks and telling Korra which way to head.

It was hard to keep a conversation with Naga's panting and the constant crunch of snow under giant paws, but sometimes Korra would rest her chin on Asami's right shoulder and use one hand to point out things on the map unrelated to their trip. "A little to the east is where my tribe hunts for tigerseals," she said once, pointing to a gray portion before grabbing the reins again and drawing Asami's attention elsewhere.

Her chin on Asami's shoulder was one thing. Her hands resting on the tops of Asami's thighs were another entirely. It was incredibly distracting. Of course she didn't expect Korra to hold her hands up awkwardly for the entire trip, but this was almost, dare Asami think it, intimate. She caught herself more than once imagining Korra's warm hands trailing up her legs, but she shook it off, embarrassed.

Asami wasn't sure how much time had passed since leaving the compound, but suddenly they were at their destination. The hills of ice and snow fell away to reveal a chasm. A wooden post with a bronze plaque stuck out of the ground, the only marker around for miles. Korra halted Naga in front of it and dismounted. Asami followed. Korra wandered to the very edge of the cliff face and looked down to where the sea cut through the ice twenty feet below. Large, white chunks of ice floated around one large, blue iceberg that looked like it once held a globe.

"I have to go down there," Korra said.

Asami tore her eyes from the sight to look at her friend. "Do you feel something?"

Korra fetched a rope from a saddlebag and began to uncoil it. "I dunno. Maybe." She tied one end around the post, just below the plaque that told the tale of how Avatar Aang was discovered here. Then she edged towards the lip of the chasm. "I think I can airbend most of the way down, but," she tested the strength of her knot with a few tugs, "just in case."

Asami was seized by an urge to say something before Korra could slip out of sight. "Wait! Before you go." Asami waited for Korra to look at her. "This probably won't mean much coming from a non-bender but you're strong on your own. Without your bending. Granted I don't know what it's like to have something like that taken from me, but I do know loss and…and I also know it's hard to keep going down your path after losing so much, but I wanted to tell you that if this doesn't work today—" she really hoped it did, though, "—I won't stop trying to find a way for you to get your bending back, even if I have to scour every inch of the world with you for a solution. And I'm certain that everyone back at the compound feels the same way."

At first, Asami thought she overstepped because Korra was quiet for a long time. Then there was a sniffle. Korra wiped away a stray tear and smiled up at Asami. "Thank you. I really needed to hear that." She bit her lip, then added, "And it does mean a lot. Coming from you." She looped the rope around her waist and leaned back over the edge of the cliff. "See you in a few."

Korra twisted over the side on a gust of air and Asami watched, slightly terrified as her friend leapt from ledge to ledge until she reached the deep blue sea below. Then Korra let the rope fall limp against the cliff and vaulted on to an ice floe. Asami wanted to go out there with Korra but she also didn't want to be a distraction. So she stroked Naga and watched as her soul mate used the air currents around her to steer out to Aang's iceberg. When Korra made it without a hitch, Asami let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Then, Korra sat in the center of the hollowed out ice and sank into a meditative pose.

Minutes passed with nothing happening. Asami didn't dare call out or say anything, lest she interrupt some spiritual, Avatar stuff that may or may not be happening. After several more minutes, Asami started to feel her toes go numb. The wind picked up and Asami leaned forward, thinking maybe something was finally happening, but then Korra bit back a sob that even she could hear twenty feet up. Asami's chest flared.

It didn't work, she thought. Oh Korra. Asami felt like crying. She'd talked Korra into coming all the way out here and for what? Nothing. Nothing at a—was the ice around Korra glowing? It was definitely getting bluer. Then Korra spoke and, impossibly, the words echoed back to Asami on the wind. "Aang?"

The blue light of the ice bled out into the air and circled Korra. And then Korra was floating up off the ground and glowing. She shot straight up on a twisting column of air until she was almost even with Asami. The power rolling off of her made the air crackle with energy. Naga whined and Asami had to cling to the polarbeardog's side to block out the buffeting breeze emanating from her friend.

Then, a spot on Korra's forehead glowed, grew, shattered and suddenly waves leapt up from below before crashing back down in a spray of salt. The ground trembled beneath Asami's feet as chunks of rock were ripped from the cliff, only to rise up and circle Korra. Fire shot out of Korra's hands in huge plumes. Even far away, Asami felt the heat of the flames. "Wow."

Sometimes, it was hard to remember Korra was basically an omnipotent being. The display reminded Asami of the awe-inducing power housed in her dearest friend. But more importantly, it made her ecstatic. Korra had her bending back.

Then, Korra drifted to the snowy grounds near Asami and dropped to her feet. The glowing faded, leaving Asami locked in the gaze of a set of stunning blue eyes. Korra grinned and tears fell as she ran towards Asami. "I did it! I felt Aang's power and I tried to draw it to me and he materialized. All the Avatars did. Roku, Kyoshi, Yangchen. On and on. And I could talk to him, Asami! Aang told me how it felt to energybend, so I focused right here." She tapped her forehead. "And I tried to feel the shell around my chi and when I found it, I bent it. I did. I didn't even know I could do that, but Aang said it would be easier for me since he mastered it in his life time and we're so close together in the cycle." She paused to catch a breath and Asami scrambled to take in everything Korra said because from her viewpoint, all she'd seen was Korra meditating and floating before going full Avatar. "And then it was there. Water. Earth. Fire. Like it never left. I've never felt so powerful before in my life."

"You were in the Avatar state," Asami said quietly. She was still in awe that the beaming girl in front of her was also the goddess-like being from a moment ago. It was thrilling and terrifying all at once. Then her elation caught up to her and she hugged Korra. "I'm so glad you got your bending back and were able to connect to your past lives. Is it permanent?"

Korra nodded vigorously and hugged Asami back. "Thank you." Korra's lips brushed against Asami's ear. Asami shivered, and it wasn't the chilly climate that set her off this time.

"For what?" she asked. Standing around for a few minutes watching Korra hardly seemed like much help.

"For making me come here. For not letting me give up. For believing I could be the Avatar again. Take your pick." Korra pulled back far enough that they could look at each other but still be in each other's arms.

"You never stopped being the Avatar," Asami said. Korra looked like she was going to disagree, so Asami kept talking. "And I believed in you, Korra. You're strong, brave, selfless, and capable and that's all you, not the Avatar spirit."

Asami was crushed into another hug. She felt like laughing. Her head felt so light as Korra, so warm, so happy, embraced her like the sun on a clear summer day. Her heart beat hard in her chest as Korra whispered another, "Thank you," hot against her neck.

"What are friends for?" The word "friends" felt funny on her tongue but she didn't mean it any less.

Korra shook her head. "No, that's...that's what soul mates are for." Her hands gripped Asami's jacket harder.

When Korra pulled back the second time, she exhaled and her hot breath turned into a white, misty cloud. Asami let out a shaky breath, too, and their clouds mingled. She couldn't stop staring at her best friend, couldn't stop taking in the sheer happiness etched in every inch of Korra's face. Her eyes were bluer than any of the sunlit icebergs around them. Her cheeks dimpled. Her lips, chapped from riding in the arctic wind all morning were parted to reveal dazzling, white teeth.

Korra was so cheerful Asami felt her own mood lift and she grinned back. They were so close their noses were almost brushing. Then, Korra's eyes drifted down. Asami's heart hammered and her eyes slid past the crinkle between Korra's eyes, traced the bridge of her nose, and settled on those chapped lips again. If she leaned forward far enough, maybe tipped her head down just a little, they'd be kissing. She'd feel the rough skin move against her own lips and—woah, what?!

Asami sucked in a sharp, fresh breath of air so cold it stung her lungs. Kissing? Where did that come from? She didn't want to kiss Korra. They were…were… Without meaning to, her eyes fell again to Korra's mouth, which was moving. Words were coming out but Asami was too busy watching how each sound was shaped and wondered what shape they'd take while pressed against her lips. Oh no. What did the girls used to say back in school? Once you imagine kissing someone, you're doomed to eternal pining until you do?

Then, Korra's arms disappeared from around her. "Look, Mako and Bolin must've followed us! Tenzin, too. Guys!" Korra jumped and waved. She took off, using her waterbending to glide across the ice and snow.

Asami turned slowly to watch Korra scoop each person into a bruising hug as they jumped off Oogi. After everything she and Korra had been through, Asami was glad one of them got a happy ending. Though the way Korra looked at her, called her name, dragged her into the center of a Team Avatar hug, made the horrible weight of betrayal and anger at her father lift long enough that Asami could be happy for the day, too.

Then, Korra pulled her away from everybody. Bolin winked as they left and Asami did her best not to blush. When they were out of earshot of the others, Korra fidgeted with her hands before finally blurting out, "I don't want you to think I've forgotten about you and your problems. You've still got a place at Air Temple Island and Mako and Bolin and I have been talking and we wanted you to know that even though your dad's in jail, you're not alone. We're your family now, if you'll have us."

Tears spilled down Asami's face. "Of course. Thank you." She was so afraid of what would happen next. Her father was out of the picture, but did that mean the mansion and Future Industries were finished, too? At least Korra and her friends were a reassuring constant to look forward to.

Korra pulled her into yet another hug, this one far gentler than the other embraces. "It's the least I can do. I haven't been the easiest person to be around the past few days, and I know we talked a little about how messed up everything was but I'm here now, if you want to talk or vent about…things." She meant Hiroshi, but upon hearing he almost murdered Asami, Korra seemed to find it difficult to broach the subject without growing outraged.

"Maybe I'll take you up on that later. Right now, let's just enjoy today." She didn't ever want Korra to stop hugging her, but Bolin was yelling about freezing so they started to loosen their holds. As they parted, Korra turned her face inward a little, presumably to look up at Asami, and her lips accidentally brushed against Asami's cheek. Korra yanked away quickly, her face bright red. "S-sorry."

"It's okay," Asami breathed as the patch of skin on her cheek tingled.

Korra said something about getting Naga and Asami could only stand there, frozen in place, her fingers reaching up and touching the spot where Korra…Korra kissed her. Unintentionally, but Asami counted it. Her stomach fluttered and this time she couldn't stop the blood rushing to her cheeks. She brushed her lips with her index finger before letting her hand drop completely. If only Korra missed her cheek and brushed her lips instead. Asami sighed. She was definitely doomed.

END BOOK 1