Book 5: Humanity

by Freedom0153

Korra wanted peace after defeating Kuvira. Then life happened. During her Spirit World vacation, an unlikely gift from an old friend caused a great rift between many spirits and humans. Even conflict with the Earth Empire wasn't over, Kuvira's surrender opening a vacuum. To restore balance, Korra needs any allies she can get, finding her growing love for Asami giving Korra peace.

47. Chapter 47: Living Dreams

Chapter 47: Living Dreams

When Asami came to, she looked around, smiling broadly when she saw who was talking to Korra's parents, yelling, "Mom! Dad!" By the time she got to her mom and dad, she was looking up, asking her mother, "Mom, you're not going to leave me, are you?" Her mother sighed, saying, "Tonraq was just talking to me about this very thing, my little daughter - he wanted me to remind you of what Sharktar and Korra told you about living in the present." Tussling Asami's hair, her mother smiled, saying, "Though, something tells me I will see more of you than you might think, especially if you're going to be six when I see you." Asami cried, saying, "But that's the age I was when you died, mom! I don't like six." Crossing her arms, she said, with authority, "Bad number."

Her father picked her up, asking, "You were 22 when I gave my life, Asami - you aren't going to think that an evil number too, are you?" Asami sniffed, saying, "I guess not, dad. Where's Korra?" Her father put Asami down, saying, "I'm not sure. Last I saw her, she was playing with her polar-bear dog puppy, Naga." Tonraq and Senna laughed when Asami ran off, yelling, "Puppy Naga!" finding Korra playing with Naga in the endless featureless expanse. Korra said, trying to get Naga to stop nuzzling her pronounced tummy, "This place is boring! I want snow!"

With that, Asami found herself in the middle of a howling gale, asking Korra as she shivered, not thinking to wish for a fur coat, "What are you, crazy? I still don't get why you love the cold so much!" Korra laughed, saying as she tried and failed to mount a too-small Naga, "It reminds me of home!" Still shivering, Asami asked, "Is there no way we could have, like, a cool mansion instead? I'm freezing!" Taking a deep breath, Asami suddenly felt much warmer as she released a small flame from her mouth, saying, "Bending is fun!" Korra nodded, saying, "Yeah - especially when you can do all four! Hmmm…" With that, Korra took a deep breath, staring off into the distance, Asami asking a now exasperated looking Korra, "What are you doing?" Korra sighed, saying, "Combustionbending. Or rather, trying to." Pointing to Korra's forehead, Asami said, giggling, "Don't have the tattoos any more! Not when you're four!"

Asami watched as Korra shifted, Asami pleading, "Play with me! Come on - and not like we're 22!" Korra sighed, saying in a much older voice, "Just a minute," trying without success to combustionbend again. Her face twisting slightly, Korra said, "Raava told me humans have to have a killer's instinct and be fairly amoral to successfully combustionbend, and there's no get-around like the one I found for blue fire…" Asami nodded, saying, "Good. I don't want you accidentally blowing your head up like that mean woman P'li did to herself." Korra began crying, saying as she shrunk, "I just wish I could help everybody be good - balance for everyone!" Asami ran over, hugging Korra as she said, feeling herself rise higher and higher, eventually cradling a small Korra in her arms, "Korra, as long as people are free to make their own choices, there will be evil. I think the fact that you can choose between good and evil makes life worth living. I know my choice to help you instead of my father meant a lot." Asami fell backwards, Korra now lying on top of her chest at full size, saying as she touched the diamond on her forehead, "I like to think of Raava as loving all of humanity - even those lost in the dark."

Remembering they were not alone, and that Atokara wanted to help someone who was very much still lost in the dark, Asami said, "Let's get on Naga and go back to our parents. Our daughter wants to help someone still lost in darkness - part of the whole reason we're playing, and not… playing playing." As she hugged Korra tightly from behind, she savored the warmth of Korra's body, not minding the cold anymore. Once they had approached both their parents, Asami hopped off, yelling as Naga whined for a treat, Korra indulging her, "Atokara! Where are you?" Looking around, she didn't see anything in the gale at first, finally spotting a suspicious mound of snow, about the size of a four-year old. About to lightly melt Atokara out, Asami stopped, something telling her that was not Atokara, and that whoever was in there wouldn't appreciate being melted out.

Her suspicion was confirmed when she felt a tug on her arm, Atokara saying, Asami seeing her covered in ice, "There's somebody in there, but I think he wants to be left alone for now! You ever try iceclothes, mommy Asami? They feel good - tingly!" Asami laughed at the same time Korra did, Asami saying, "Yes, I did. Remember your little suggestion to meditate on play?" Atokara nodded, saying as she started to move snow towards Asami, "Yeah - but that was when you were little! Why not now, when you're big?" Blushing slightly, Asami said, "Uh, because Korra's parents are right behind me?" Asami groaned when Atokara put her hands on her hips, asking, "So?", Asami knowing she would have her work cut out for her teaching Atokara appropriate sexual etiquette - and not the way her own father had tried.

As Asami explained why it would be inappropriate to Atokara, her daughter ran around in the cold, Asami hoping she was listening. Given the way she stopped, rolled her eyes, and said, "Got it, mooom," Asami knew she had been listening, but found herself grumbling all the same, asking a laughing Korra, "Were you like this when you were four, going on thirteen, apparently? That's the first time she's ever not called me mommy Asami." Korra blushed slightly when Senna volunteered, "Yes, she was. There were times I heard the White Lotus guards wishing they had never found her. One even thought Korra would have been kicked out by the Red Lotus at some point." As though remembering a particularly hilarious incident, Senna asked Tonraq, Korra looking as though she were about to die, shrinking progressively as her mother spoke, "Remember the time Korra used 'peebending' on Grand Lotus Ataninnuaq's feet?" Tonraq laughed deeply, saying, "Yes, I believe she did that after her first training session, as revenge for being taken away from mom and dad." Korra moaned slightly as Tonraq continued, Korra cross as a four-year old could look, "Until recently, I sometimes wondered if Korra was supposed to be a boy, given her former… 'strong' personality, to put it charitably. Never struck me as the caring mother type until her sacrifice to protect the Air Nation," Senna's light laughter only making Korra bury herself in the snow. Remembering Atokara's special, less inappropriate waterbending form, Asami said to an almost invisible Korra, her childish brown face the only thing showing from the snow, "Forget peebending - Atokara's water jet. We better hope Atokara doesn't decide to be 'funny' with either of our mechasuits. Speaking of the bathroom… I get the feeling we're going to be in those metal things a lot tomorrow. You didn't happen to include 'amenities', did you? Or fresh food and water?"

Korra stood up, saying, still an embarrassed-looking child, "Raava, go fix the suits up! I'm tired. Just make the suits burn the yuck." Rolling her eyes, Korra said, apparently responding to Raava, "Yeah, yeah - I fail to see how gas could…" Korra suddenly began crying, saying as she projected Raava out, "What's 'NBC' protection, Raava? And what were those gas weapons you showed me? Those people on Earth are horrible!" Raava sighed, saying, "For all we know, Jinshu Kuangmai's special project could be anything, that special weaponized gas included. I suppose I should have told you they are now outlawed there, Korra, much like bloodbending was here. Though, there are still people willing to use both…" Raava backtracked, telling a Korra who was sobbing about bloodbending, "Korra - bloodbending can be used to heal, and used responsibly, like you did. That gas, on the other hand… If you'll excuse me, I have some creature comforts and more practical things to add to the mechasuits. Like being watertight and chemical resistant. Beef up the Tophinum shielding too – there's another kind of weapon I didn't show you that even Earth has never used. Don't know what Jinshu Kuangmai is willing to do, though…" With that, Raava vanished, Korra sighing deeply as she knelt in the snow.

Asami asked, curious, "Is the gas Raava was talking about anything like what the Equalists used?" Korra shook her head, crying lightly as Asami's father patted Asami on the back, Hiroshi saying mournfully, "I don't think so, Asami. When I was working in the secret base under our mansion one day on choking gas before Korra's arrival in Republic City, one of my workers accidentally mixed two chemicals he shouldn't have. Luckily, everyone else was far away, and he was the only casualty. Those chemical burns… they haunted my dreams for years, even in prison." Korra looked horrified, saying with a frown, "Burns? Hiroshi - what Raava showed me were boils. Please don't tell me there are multiple kinds of this chemical horribleness?" Apparently having gotten an answer from Raava, Korra began crying, saying as she sat in the snow, "I don't know what plane is worse - the one Earth is in, or this other one. The one with… Azeroth?"

Asami heard a low, muffled crying coming from the direction of the suspicious snow mound, asking Atokara as she looked at the mound quiver, "Why don't you go see if that's who I think it is, sweetie? Mom, dad, Tonraq, Senna - you might want to leave. This could get disturbing." Asami was surprised to see no one budge, Senna saying, "I'm sure our presence will help, Asami. I bet Kuvira would have had an easier time if more people were helping her. Plus, I'm not going anywhere while my daughter is a blubbering mess." Tonraq picked Korra up, saying as he hugged her small form, "Come on, Korra -I know you're sad, but it sounds like you need to help someone else soon, even if I don't know who they are." Korra smiled, saying excitedly before Tonraq put her down, "Okay!" much as Atokara might have, once again her normal size, standing upright. Smiling, she said, Atokara at her side and looking excited, "Come on out. No one here is going to judge you - even those who don't know your story. Yet. There is no shame in having a dark past."

Asami jumped backwards, seeing a small but violent snow flurry erupt around the suspicious mound, remembering that Arthas once held power over ice and snow, just like a waterbender. The familiar, dead-looking four year old boy with gray hair said strongly as he stood up from his former hiding place, "I do not know what you have seen, but I strongly disagree. My past… perhaps I do deserve to wander the endless void forever." Crying slightly, though no tears came out, he said, "Everyone I knew and loved - dead, or turned to his horrible will, or fighting against my reign as 'Lich King'! Ugh - I wish I could just forget everything."

It was Korra who first approached, frowning as she said, "I'm confused. I know what Raava showed me about your life, but what I just learned about free will earlier…" Arthas convulsed slightly, a disembodied voice saying, "Free will is a lie, foolish woman. Those Forsaken - anomalies. Even now, their leader Sylvanas violates others in much the same way I did. We did, Arthas - there is no escape!" Something snapping slightly, Arthas no longer looked as sickly as he said, "What about Darion Mograine, you monster? The power of love… It brought me here, to this weird place!" Asami heard her father say, yelling above an intensifying snowstorm, "Korra! Mind filling us in on what in the blazes is going on here? Yasuko and I can't help if we don't know anything - not to mention Korra's own parents!" Asami could barely hear Korra sigh, feeling a flow of familiar information after a pause.

As the flow began to ebb, Asami noticed a detail she hadn't before - that Arthas had acted as a sort of jailer for the Scourge until the end, much as the horribly scarred Bolvar was acting now. Supposedly… Ignoring the biting wind, she joined Korra's side, saying, "You were still there, even at your darkest hour, Arthas - holding back the tides of evil, right up until your failed invasion." The gale intensified, even as Arthas said, some sort of hope in his voice, "I guess you're right… but how do you know these details?" Asami let Korra speak, Korra explaining infobending to Arthas, Asami disquieted by his slightly negative reaction, the conflicted little boy practically pitching a fit when Korra explained its "offensive" uses - stripping information from someone or erasing memories, particularly Raava's little editing shenanigans with Korra.

Finally speaking, face now dead-looking again, Arthas said, "That's eerily similar to the psychic link I had with everything under my thumb, except I never wiped anyone's memory! And what's this 'bloodbending' I overheard you talking about? Blood… horrible blood…" Korra jumped back slightly, stumbling to speak, finally managing to say, "Why… why don't I tell you all the 'rules' here before getting to that." Perceptive, the little boy shot her a glare with his lifeless eyes, saying, "Bloodbending… people wouldn't outlaw something that lets you heal well, would they? Blood was, and still is, used on my plane for many horrible things, 'strangulation' being one of the worst. The way the person hovers above the ground, helpless…" Korra sighed, extending a hand as she said, "Why don't I just show you everything?" Acting as though he had just seen a ghost, Arthas responded, with slight hesitation, "I guess, if my dad thinks I should…"

Asami watched with baited breath as Korra pressed her hand to Arthas' forehead, realizing that this other plane was just as real as Earth when Korra said, with awe, "Wow. No pulse. I guess you really are undead… but not for long." Korra said, with effort, "Damn. This is going to take a while. Asami, why don't you go make sure our parents haven't gone crazy from what I showed them." Atokara tugged on Asami's clothes, Asami beginning to regret the earlier wardrobe change as she felt the chill of the gale permeate her being. Taking a deep breath, Asami warmed herself back up with firebending that she wished she had in the physical world as Atokara said, "I wanna help, mommy Asami! What should I do? Oh, I know - I can play with him! Maybe that will help!" Asami laughed, saying, "It just might, but let momma Korra finish with the infobending first. Take over for me - I want to see what my dad thought of all that."

When Asami finally came to her parents, they were talking with Senna and Tonraq, her father saying, much to Tonraq's chagrin, "He had some magical blade steal his soul to turn him evil. All I had was the loss of my wife and an irrational hatred of benders…" Her mother said, holding her father's hand, "Whatever that place is, it sounds like it's very different from the world I lived in. And, live in, though I don't know who I am right now. I don't know what you did that you think could possibly compare to what 'Arthas' did. Corrupting thousands, killing his own father…" Her mother grabbed him, making him look her in the eyes as she said, "Oh. I know what this is about. Asami forgave herself for repressing who she really was - and I think it's time you forgave yourself for your own actions. All of them. Being sorry can just be another form of feeling guilty, you know…" Asami joined her mother's side, smiling to see her father nodding, saying, "You're right. I don't want that shame and guilt hanging over my head on the occasions I see my daughter again, from beyond the grave."

After a big family hug, she felt a strong tap on her shoulder, Tonraq saying, "Very, very cold and slightly annoyed spirit here to see all of you." Asami said, not wanting the embrace to end, "Tell him to go somewhere else, warm - like the Fire Nation." Asami did a double-take when she heard a familiar raspy voice say, from behind, "I was just there. And I didn't butt in just to say hello, Asami. I never do." Slowly, Asami turned around, seeing a shivering Sharktar submerged in the snow, only his head poking out as he said, steam continuously coming from his blowhole, "I knew I needed to warn you about the dangers of spending too much time with the departed… and I am but a messenger. Just hear me out, all three of you - Raava just told me that this goes the other way as well." Asami thought over what Sharktar meant, realizing the horrifying implication, getting goosebumps all over when she heard Sharktar said, "Apparently, if the re-incarnated dead contact loved ones from their past lives too often, their current life can begin to have… issues. Major identity issues. Yasuko, your incarnation is fine - for now. She is strong, but has a tendency to obsess over the spiritual, so you need to be careful with how much you visit Asami, lest she piece together who she once was." Sharktar gave Asami a knowing look, saying, "No, I will not say who Yasuko is now, Asami. And not just because it's in that stupid 'rulebook'." Laughing, he continued, "Perhaps I should get Raava to make that book available to Korra. Save both their time." Frowning slightly, he continued, through shiny teeth, "Hiroshi, your current incarnation is barely a week old. It's a good thing young babies are not susceptible as older people to something I'll call 'past life dissonance', but I wouldn't push the envelope. Especially not considering the life lessons she is to learn…"

Asami's father sighed, saying, "I'll just trust this spirit isn't a trickster, Asami. And Sharktar - mind seeing if Raava can wipe all that garbage about that other horrible plane from my mind? I can't imagine that would be too good either, if what you're saying is true." Sharktar's eyes widened, from beads to small circles, saying, "Oh, my. I hadn't even thought about that. Just a moment." Asami heard a sudden loud ear-piercing screech, realizing in the middle it was Arthas' story in reverse somehow, still finding she remembered everything in detail once it was finished. Giving her mother and father a last hug, Asami asked, just to be sure, "Know who Arthas is?" Her father shook his head, saying, "No. What an odd name," Sharktar cursing wildly when her mother smiled, saying, "Yes, I do." Her father vanishing after a wave, Asami turned to her mother, nodding as Tonraq said, "Yasuko, don't hold on to that. Please. My daughter was screwed up enough knowing she was the Avatar at the age of four, and you were alive then. It sounds to me like your current life is a little bit like Jinora. Sticking her nose in things she shouldn't at a young age." Shivering slightly, Tonraq added, "Something tells me she's worse than Jinora – something about obsession…" Sharktar began laughing hysterically, saying, "From what Raava told me, you have no idea how true that is, Tonraq. I can't say anything else, of course." Her mother took a deep breath, releasing a sigh as she said, "There. What? You still don't look happy, Sharktar." Sharktar laughed, saying, "I'm almost never happy. Sort of like the young Zuko, I guess, seeing him in that 'inspired' Earth mover-toon. I can't wait until Zhu Li stumbles on the drug the show's 'creators' took when they saw everything." Before vanishing, Sharktar said an odd, very long name with ordered numbers and terminology that meant nothing to Asami, her mother vanishing shortly after.

Asami awkwardly looked around, not sure what to say to Korra's parents, finally offering to show them her betrothal necklace. Feeling as secure as she had with Kya, she asked if they wanted to see Korra's other handiwork on the back, suppressing the sense of irony she felt about what she had just told Atokara a short time ago. They both laughed, Senna saying, "She probably looks just the same as when she came to me, concerned over her changing body. She never did grow in height that much…" Asami blushed, saying, "The image isn't exactly… accurate," beginning to regret bringing up the subject. Turning away quickly, she snuck a peek at the image, realizing with a start that it didn't include Korra's new tattoos. Turning back around, she said, grinning nervously, "I – uh, need to have Korra update it with her tattoos!" Asami laughed deeply when Tonraq said, "Yet another thing that makes me think she was supposed to be a man."

She stopped laughing when she snuck another glance at the locket, seeing in normal text, "Get your sexy butt over here, Asami – Arthas problems!" Explaining what she had seen on the way over, Asami stopped in her tracks, pausing to watch with concern for a time, not feeling as much panic as she had initially felt.

---

As Asami went off to make sure both their parents weren't "crazy as a loon", whatever a loon was, Korra resisted some kind of block on her infobending of Arthas, thinking strongly, "Whatever you are, in there, interfering with my work, I know there's no redeeming you." Ignoring laughter that was only more bone-chilling than that of Jinshu Kuangmai due to supernatural assistance, Korra searched around, trying to find something that might make the process easier. When she saw an image of a woman in robes holding a staff that made Jinora's staff look like Frostmourne itself, she felt the information begin to flow freely, encountering no resistance. Keeping her hand on a noticeably warmer forehead, Korra thought, figuring she might be able to contact this Jaina much as she had Muhammad, "Hello, stranger."

Korra saw the figure seemingly age ten years in front of her eyes, the warm-looking woman replaced by a vengeful-looking husk with hair that reminded her entirely too much of the corrupt Arthas, feeling an information flow of more recent events than those Raava had shown her. Korra cried slightly when she heard a female voice say, "Goodbye, stranger," the image vanishing, replaced by a set of strange characters she could not read. Pulling back her hand, she asked a visibly distraught Arthas, glad to see emotion on his newly flesh-colored face, "Can… can you tell me what that text said?" After a pause, he said, smiling slightly, "Just kill that 'metal-bending' monster already, you idiot." Korra blushed, realizing the information flow must have been two way. Wanting to distract herself from the nagging voice in the back of her head that told her death was the only option for Toph's wayward son, she asked Arthas, "Does your… alive appearance mean what I think it means?" He shook his head, playing with odd golden hair as he said, "Not quite. This is just the first step, I think." Pointing to Korra's forehead, he said, "I think I need to decide what I want to bend in my next life before we can provoke the darkness within into fighting one last time." Korra frowned when he added casually, "If you can convince me to stay here, that is." For once, Atokara made herself scarce, saying, "I'll stay quiet, momma Korra. Only speak if I need to."

Done with the suits. Something's going on right now, but I won't trouble you with who's having… issues.

Feeling Raava enter her being, Korra decided to demonstrate her native element first, figuring she may as well cut to the chase, saying, "Allow me to show you bloodbending healing. Perhaps you will change your mind about waterbending…" Imagining a profusely bleeding Jaina, seeing her imagination come true, an image of the woman said from a small distance, "Please… someone heal me." Korra ran over, cursing lightly in English when she saw a flash of light appear over the image, grumbling when she heard Arthas say nonchalantly, "Doofus, I was a paladin! The 'Holy Light' can be used to heal, and can't be abused like I saw this bloodbending being. And from what I saw of this 'Ming-Hua', regular waterbending isn't much better. And I saw that acidbending too. Yech." Confused, Korra stammered, not speaking until she heard Raava intone, The inner dream world is half reality, half unreality. Hence why Arthas can use magic from another plane. Korra laughed when Raava added, You will find this most useful for "play" later, I imagine. Call me if you need me.

Knowing water to be a lost cause, Korra said, "Very well. I can understand your reservations about an element that deals with ice and, sometimes, blood. Now the next – earth." Mulling over her next choice, Korra chose to bend directly, saying as she demonstrated, "Earth is unyielding, stubborn, like a rock. You have to wait for the right moment, for the opponent to make a mistake… and strike!" Korra did just that, showing off earthbending in a mock fight with a metallic Jinshu Kuangmai, finishing by submerging an incapacitated form in a pool of lava, adding, "Oh, and if you're really lucky, you can make lava. Pretty cool, huh?" Arthas nodded, saying, "You didn't show me metalbending used to its… full potential. I have a history with blades, and I saw how that image fought. With bladed arms…" Korra frowned slightly when he continued, "And if I were really 'lucky', I could blood-iron bend, just like him. Which brings us right back to the bloodbending. And I don't like waiting to hit anything anyways – when I was righteous, I was a crusader, striking hard, without mercy, incinerating the unclean."

Figuring this a good transition, Korra said, "So I guess no earth. How about firebending?" Producing a blue flame, Korra said, seeing Arthas' eyes light up slightly, "If a firebender draws on the right powersource, their fire is intensified, burning hotter. It is much easier to master blue flame through love than hate – there are two people who have produced blue flame from love that I know of, and only one prodigy through hate." Korra jumped slightly, a series of zombies and ghouls appearing, frozen until Arthas finished saying, "I know of lightning, even from my own plane. Damn shamans. Anyways. I paid attention to your infobending, and am not quite sure why we're doing this, but whatever. I want you to try something. Something I've never done, and may be against the rules here, so to speak. Try making chain lightning." Korra tried and failed multiple times, the mindless horde returning to its starting position when they got too close. Trying a different tact, she created ball lightning, extending her fingers on the hand holding the ball outwards, as if she were flicking the pests away. Much to her surprise, the technique worked, though the electricity did not behave in an orderly manner.

Remembering that all her foes would likely be wearing metal armor, she told Arthas, "Give them appropriate armor, and I'll try again." Korra laughed when she saw the ghouls and zombies don Earth Empire equipment, one "Elite" babbling, examining its armor in apparent curiosity, "Jinshu Kuangmai new Lich King! Want control many spirits!" Given how Arthas was giggling, this speech was deliberate, Korra trying a different form, tossing the ball lightning much as she might have a Pro-bending earth disc, using both hand's fingers to spread the lightning instead of just one. The lightning arced back and forth between targets, some being hit multiple times, those that were hit more than twice reduced to ash. Grimacing slightly, Korra said, "I want to incapacitate, not kill. Just a minute." The unholy abominations were replaced by realistic Earth Empire Elites with conscripts thrown in, Korra aiming to avoid killing if at all possible, but still incapacitate. It took a few tries, and while she found that she could avoid killing conscripts, the elite's excessive metal armor made them particularly… vulnerable. Korra turned around to the source of a yawn, seeing Arthas tapping his foot as he said, "Quit delaying, just for the sake of misplaced mercy. I have some advice for you. You remember the Culling of Stratholme." Korra nodded, saying, "…. Yes. I'm not about to slaughter innocents, like you did. Your point?" Arthas matured slightly when he said, "Consider the conscripts innocent civilians, and the metal bending elites like the zombies and ghouls. After your ally's little trick over the radio, I doubt my assessment is far from the truth. Any elites with a conscience likely fled." Cutting Korra off, Arthas said, now nearly his adult size, still missing his distinctive armor, "Plus, you have an ability I would have died for, Korra – with Raava's help, you can read people. Judge them. Accurately."

Korra nodded, saying, "Thanks for the help and advice, but you still haven't decided. What do you think of fire?" After some time deep in thought, Arthas said, "Perhaps, but then again, the temptation to just incinerate my foes might prove too attractive. And recent history aside, the Fire Nation does not exactly have… exemplary behavior. The Air Nomad genocide… Which brings me to the element I found the most alien – airbending." Frowning, he said, "With all the enslavement, violation of free will, myriad of dark beings and dark pacts, kings and war chiefs of my plane, true freedom seems an almost alien concept, the ideals this Zaheer holds making my head hurt. Care to explain what air means?"

Korra shifted uncomfortably, knowing the best person to talk to on such matters was Jinora, not herself, given the Air Nation's changing nature. Trying her best, she said, "As you know, I assume, for most of their history, airbenders have been peaceful nomads, not even having a standing military. Their idealism almost cost them their very existence in the end, my predecessor, Avatar Aang, being the last airbender. As I showed you, the Air Nation has been re-born, my decision to leave the Spirit Portals open letting those with affinity for the element begin to airbend." Getting to the "new" quandary, Korra continued, "However, these new airbenders – they are not peaceful nomads. Before recent events, there was a rift between Tenzin and his daughter, Jinora, the de facto new leader of the Air Nation, and Opal, over what it meant to take away human life." Chuckling lightly as Arthas strummed his fingers, appearing as though he felt he was being talked down to, Korra said, "As I have shown you, Jinora is now more willing to take life than I am, her nine-year old brother Meelo designing weapons of war."

Korra was surprised when Arthas revealed he was still confused, saying, "I know all that. I want you to explain what being an airbender means, especially freedom. Remember – I come from a plane where breaking free of enslavement is a notable exception, and not the norm." Korra felt chills run through her being as she reminded Arthas of Long Yumao, breathing a sigh of relief when Arthas pointed out, "Not relevant. Even if he wins, humans can still fight back. The Forsaken and Knights of the Ebon Blade breaking free… of my will were historic events on my plane, along with something Raava probably deemed irrelevant." Coughing, he said, "Enough. Explain what it means to be free and live in a world where freedom is common, and to airbend. Even if you have to use infobending to do it."

At first, Korra was hesitant, remembering her own childhood, the former oppression of benders in Republic City, Vaatu's capability of plunging the world into darkness for ten thousand years, Kuvira and then Jinshu Kuangmai's reign of terror, what Long Yumao had in mind for humanity… not to mention what "freedom" wrought in the former Earth Kingdom. A solitary tear escaping her eye, she grabbed her betrothal necklace in desperation, words beginning to flow freely as she began to levitate, slowly looping up, down and around Arthas as she said, "Without infringing on the rights of others, freedom means being able to do what you want, and especially, with who you want, if you know what I mean. But on a more serious note. Freedom has to be fought for, just like on your plane, and the other I have had interaction with – 'Earth'. Not only freedom from tyrannical rule, but freedom from emotional tyranny, such as that suffered by Asami and my cousins, and to a much smaller extent, myself with the White Lotus. But unlike your dark, depressing plane, or Earth's plane, humans have two intertwined allies, one human, one spirit, both part of the same active whole. The Avatar, myself, and Raava, the increasingly active spirit of light. She does not just help humans or the righteous, like the… 'naaru' do from your plane. She is actively trying to become more human, and she's breaking all sorts of rules in the process, freeing herself as well." Seeing a brief glimpse of what she wanted a restored Northern Air Temple to look like, Korra shared the image directly, smiling broadly as she said, looking at the image, "The Air Nation, as Jinora envisions it, will likely be the freest nation on our planet, no longer weighed down by outdated concepts about family and sufficient self-defense. They will even help ensure freedom endures, with their… undesigned military equipment." Remembering the contrast between Opal's new fighting style and the old style, as well as the airbender projectile gloves, Korra added, "You can even strike hard and fast like you used to, as untouchable as you would be inside a shielding bubble, with the agility provided by airbending. And something tells me new airbenders won't run from a fight. I might try and learn from Opal myself, that new aggressive airbending form."

Korra watched with awe as she saw golden armor materialize on Arthas' body, listening as he said, "After living a lifetime of trying to do right and falling to darkness, at first enslaved by another then turning into the master, I want to know what it means to be free. I choose air. Azeroth sucks!" Laughing, he added, swinging his distinctive mace effortlessly, Korra noticing the lion crest replaced with the symbol for Air, "I especially look forward to mastering the power of flight. Maybe I can find a new Jaina…"

Korra looked around, expecting the Lich King to pop up from the snow, yelling in his loud, icy voice, followed by ghouls and other minions. Seeing nothing but a subsiding snowstorm, she looked back to Arthas, jumping backwards slightly when she saw what had happened to his body. Watching beads of sweat roll over his closed, colored eye, the other eye open wide and dead-looking, Korra grabbed her betrothal necklace, trying to see if she could butt in to whatever internal struggle Arthas was having. Feeling herself physically pushed back, a bubble appearing around the uncorrupt half of Arthas' body and a bone shield around the other half, Korra called out for Asami's help. Trying again, Korra entered the Avatar State on a whim, managing to get close enough to the twin shields to see an image of the good, crusader Arthas fighting the Lich King Arthas using the skills of a paladin… and losing. Korra watched in horror as the undeath crept slowly over Arthas' body.

Korra began crying, finding herself now looking up at Arthas as she said, "No!" Korra felt herself lift off the ground, Asami asking, "What's the matter? And why aren't you helping?" Korra sobbed, saying, "I can't get through those barriers! It's like… he has to fight alone! But I wanna help!" Korra sighed when she felt an energy surge next to her, Raava saying, "You are correct. Now that Arthas' fate is entirely in his own hands, I feel free to tell you… he is not the only one in crisis. One of our own is having trouble right now." Korra began sobbing harder, barely able to manage to hear her mother say, sounding like she might cry as well, "… Kuvira. NO! It can't be… I thought she won already!" Asami put Korra down, saying, "I think I might just know what's happening. Korra, you aren't going to be of help to anyone sobbing like a, well, scared little girl." Korra stopped crying and began laughing lightly when Atokara said, "HEY! I'm not cryin', mommy Asami. And neither should you, Korra."

Realizing what Atokara meant by not calling her momma, Korra collected herself, still small as she said, "Sorry. I'm losing my self-control. My emotions are all crazy now, 'cause I love Asami, I guess. Everything's so confusing!" A different, less clothed vision of Asami flitting through her mind, Korra felt herself growing, saying as she hugged Asami and Atokara, "I'd rather have crazy emotions than not have either of you." Remembering Asami's previous comment, Korra asked, with a frown, knowing the answer was likely not good, "Asami, what do you think is happening with Kuvira?"

It was all Korra could to do avoid shrinking back in size out of terror as Asami said, "Her brain may be revolting, like your brain revolted with Dark Korra's help almost half a year ago." At first, Korra was confused, slowly going over those horrible events in her brain, realizing that the catalyst for Dark Korra's memory wipe was Korra reading and accepting the envelope's contents – love. Korra sighed, saying, "Gah! Why does it always have to be a struggle? Even if we can't get in to help Kuvira, I think I know what triggered this struggle. Love, like it did in me. Genuine love – not the unequal relationship Kuvira had with Baatar Jr., or the tumultuous one I had with Mako." Korra felt glum as Raava agreed, saying, "This sounds like an accurate assessment, given how I heard her mumbling Mako's name." Korra felt her spirits brighten when Raava added, "She's not alone, I don't think. Opal, Bolin and Mako were also distressed-looking but still asleep, and once I was done modifying Kuvira's Remorse, Kuvira's tuber-vine co-pilot, Conscience, went to her side as well."

Feeling much better about Kuvira, Korra took a look at Arthas, and was rather baffled, the male half paladin, half death-knight nowhere to be seen, only seeing a large icy gale where he should have been. Forcefully parting the gale, Korra saw a glimpse of Arthas' mouth, noticing with relief that he was smiling broadly, mouth no longer split down the middle, only a touch of gray remaining on one end. Before the vortex closed back up, Korra noticed an odd detail – the lips appeared feminine, as did the chin below them. The hole closing, Korra saw the gale intensify in force, all traces of ice gone from the vortex. Korra waited, laughing when Atokara said, "Hurry up already!"

The wind not looking like it would abate any time soon, Korra took Asami aside, asking, "Soooo… how are we going to manage to politely tell my parents, Raava and our unborn child they need to leave after this?" Asami blushed, saying, "Atokara's easy – just send her to my womb. Raava will likely want to go see Wan. But your parents…? That will be awkward." Korra breathed a deep sigh of relief when she heard her mother say, from the distance, "I want to see if Atokara can come to your father and I's shared inner world!" Korra turned around, saying, "Great idea – just take Naga with you too!" Korra grumbled slightly when she heard a low groan, saying, "No, Naga – bad dog! Go with my mom!"

One pounce, lick and bark later, Korra was puzzled, saying, "Get off me, silly beast! If you didn't groan, who did?" Digging out from underneath Naga, Korra looked around, not seeing Arthas anymore, or any vortex. Thinking the stranger had lost his battle after all, Korra began crying, rooting around in the snow with a small hand as she begged, "Please - don't be… gone!" Whipping snow around wildly, Korra stubbed her toe on something hard, yelling, "Ouch! Who left this hammer here?" Hearing a light cooing nearby, Korra uncovered a small female baby wrapped in cloth with a little auburn hair on top of her head. Korra felt oddly at peace as she saw the infant smile, laughing when it surprised her with a small blast of air. Finally putting her small, tattoo-free hand on the baby, she gushed, "You're cute. Who are you?"

The baby giggled, Korra getting nothing - no answer from Raava, no vision. Turning around, she saw the large hammer she had uncovered, grunting as she tried to move it unsuccessfully. Looking up, she saw Asami and her parents standing over her, Atokara saying as Korra stood up, at eye level, "Wanna play, momma Korra? While Asami and your parents look for Arthas?"

Hearing that name, Korra rubbed her head, feeling compelled to touch the infant again. Groaning slightly, she extended an adult hand, touching the baby's forehead, searching for any clue. Reading the baby's energy, Korra noticed it felt as though a massive amount of energy had coursed through the infant recently. As Korra picked up the hammer, idly swinging it around, she recognized it as having once belonged to Arthas. Looking at it closer, she was shocked to see that she couldn't find a single lion crest on it - they had all been replaced by symbols for Air!

Connecting the dots, Korra tried touching the giggling baby again, at first mortified with what she saw. A vision of Arthas' dark side obliterating him after a long, hard-fought battle appeared, Arthas' golden armor cast aside, cape in shreds, scored chest exposed. Korra heard the vision of the living Arthas say, seemingly with his last breath, "Begin anew… as air… free." Korra saw a brilliant flash of light appear around his body, in this vision of what must have happened earlier, seeing a strong-looking woman with auburn hair emerge holding a hammer, looking initially dazed and confused, asking, "What's this thing? I've never seen an airbender with one. But it feels… right, somehow." When she was first struck with Frostmourne, the woman recollected herself, saying, "I don't know who or what you are, or what that horrible weapon is, but I'm not going easily," proceeding to utterly wreck her foe with airbending, striking with the same hammer Korra had picked up earlier and steel airbending projectiles.

The Lich King Arthas refused to die, saying as he brandished his sick weapon, not bleeding, "Frostmourne hungers! Weak woman, stand aside so I can find that weak little boy, so I may reclaim what is mine - total dominion over our soul! He'll never be free! And, when I find him, neither will you!" Korra was slightly unnerved to hear the woman say, still suppressing a snort from the irony, "You remind me of Earth Queen Hou-Ting. You think freedom is something that you can forcefully take from another, apparently with that sickening mockery of Life's Gift. But freedom is just as slippery as air - you can't catch or contain either, and only one can be snatched from another. Freedom requires the permission of the oppressed to truly take away…" Korra watched as the woman began performing hand movements she recognized from another vision, the woman saying, "But not air. I may not be able to make you bleed, tyrant, to get rid of you, but I can steal your breath. Without air, there is only… darkness." If the corrupt Arthas could have screamed, he would have, Korra hearing a voice cry out all the same as something vile left his mouth, "NO - not the void, again! Wandering forever!"

Korra saw was a large vengeful-looking spirit leave the corrupt Arthas' body instead of air as she heard a familiar icy voice boom, "You have forsaken your legacy, fool, embracing the feminine, and freedom. You cannot remember your true identity, as leader of the Scourge, or even as a man. Goodbye, pitiful female 'airbender'. Useless! You didn't even kill him with hatred or real malice in your heart, even if you were being rather enthusiastic about it. Pity…" After an image of the great angry spirit vanishing, Korra saw only snow and the small baby again, pausing for breath.

Korra felt the baby tug on her hair, laughing as the baby babbled, Korra saying, "Looks like we need to get you to your new home." Projecting Raava out, she told Raava, "Go ahead and see… Jaina? To her new home, if you do that kind of thing. And make everything as normal as possible. Arthas decided to begin anew for a reason… even if his new life sounds a bit much like his old one for my tastes." Raava laughed, saying, "I figured you might have that reaction, as I watched what happened to 'Arthas' with you. Being a 'lovergirl' and all." Korra gave Raava a disgusted look, glad to hear Asami say hotly, "That's a term of endearment, not an insult!" Raava laughed, saying with a shifty look, "Sheesh, sorry for trying to 'razz' you." After Raava spoke one unintelligible word, the baby Jaina vanished, only the hammer left behind, Raava saying, "The only reminder of her former life she will ever have is that hammer." Remembering a crisis closer to home and not sure how Kuvira was doing, Korra said, "Great. One soul helped, one to go. Raava, see if you can break us in." Raava shook her head, saying as she began to shimmer, apparently intending to vanish, "Kuvira's struggle is not a malady of the soul – it is a malady of the physical mind and brain. Just like you, she has many habits she will need to break."

Stopping the shimmering, Raava said drolly, "I really meant what I said about 'lovergirl' earlier. You have new habits you need to adjust, not break. You know what I mean." Korra blushed, saying, "Excuse me if finding true love has made me overly emotional! I feel like the only reason I haven't given up, surrendered to frustration and anger over the past week's bad events, are the good things that have happened. Love for Asami and Atokara, Kuvira's redemption - all decidedly emotional. And why are you complaining – shouldn't you be observing these new emotions, to learn to be more human-y?" Raava laughed, saying with a fierce grin after she stopped, growling, "You need to be more like this…" Raava shifted her expression, trying to appear thoughtful and composed as she said calmly, "And like this…" Raava made a sappy face, saccharine moan and mock tears, "And less like this. Come on, Korra – be strong, and don't let your emotions run rampant! I fear your judgment has been clouded by all these new feelings, and older ones you haven't felt in years." Korra knew that Raava was partly right, Korra remembering how easily she shifted between adult and child in this shared inner dream space, only willing to give her one point outwardly. Korra started by saying, "I guess I will need to better learn to manage my emotions. But I'm not repressing anything. I want to flow freely." Korra listened to Asami say, forgetting what she had wanted to add, "Looks like we're all alone now, Korra. Your parents, Atokara and Naga left, Senna not liking Raava's… tone."

Raava grumbled, "Oh, what do I know – it's not like I'm a supremely powerful spirit or something." Korra rolled her eyes, asking, "Just why are you harping on me anyways? Didn't someone more advanced than you say something along the lines of 'Perfection is a lie; you will never find perfect balance?' Don't give me that look, Raava." Raava sputtered, "But that's between light and dark, not between reason and emotion!" Getting angry enough to yell, Korra said, smiling to see Raava recoil, Korra knowing to be in the right, "You missed a part of your little lecture - on aggression. How you implied I need to be more merciless. Well, he talked about balance specifically concerning mercy versus wrath, and you know it! Well, it applies to emotions and logic, too, and emotions can help you make better decisions! So many of the good decisions I have made in my life have been driven by emotion."

Korra wasn't feeling truly furious until Raava said, "Yeah, like what good decisions? You've made plenty of BAD decisions based on emotional response, or otherwise let your emotions hinder you… How about your hotheaded and impetuous actions in Republic City - romantic, political and otherwise. What about all your ridiculous surliness to your father and rudeness to Tenzin before you discovered Unalaq's real agenda? And what about poor Mako? Your amoral interrogation of that judge? How you let fear and defeatism almost get you crushed between two sheets of ice, facing Unalaq, only a pep talk from me getting you back up?" Not needing to pause for breath, Raava continued, beginning to shift into her larger form, "And more recently. What of your naïve decision to turn yourself over to that liar Zaheer, who manipulated your desire to protect the Air Nation and new airbenders like a master, almost killing you? I wouldn't have died, but having to start over again isn't much better - the Avatar spirit, dead! And what of your decision to run away from the world, and those that loved you? The weakness of will you displayed outside of Zaofu, not crushing Dark Korra headed Kuvira with that rock? Only Zaheer's assistance helping you overcome your misplaced fear of what might have been?" Raava boomed, now towering over Korra, "And what of your most foolish, most recent decision - I don't see anything worth saving in Jinshu Kuangmai, and screw Tonga Beifong! He had his chance! Sob stories are no excuse! Forget what I said earlier, in the Swamp - I don't want to wait to see what his secret project is! KILL HIM! Even Tonga Beifong thinks it warrants death, and you're the one who made that deal in the first place!" Practically hissing, Raava finished, "Honestly, Vaazula disgusts me, the only reason I'm willing to go along with that idea of yours is out of courtesy, and not wanting the prison camp blown up before it can be evacuated!"

Korra felt herself slipping into a rage like none she had never felt before, beginning to shift, feeling more powerful than Raava herself. Finding herself looking down on Raava's spirit form, Korra ignored Asami's horrified reaction, staring at Raava, feeling wrathful, and hurt. Bending over, Korra picked up a comparatively small Raava with a blue hand, saying strongly, "You are blinded by arrogance, and forget that all humans make the best decisions they can based on limited information. You may never truly understand what it means to be human. I won't even bother giving a proper response - my mother and father would be disgusted and furious, if they knew what you had just said. Daring to call me a FAILURE, basically? After all I've endured? It's a wonder I'm not more 'broken', if that's how you see me now!" After Raava said, "Aang left a better legacy than you have," Korra lost it, throwing Raava against the snow with all her strength as she said hotly, "I have a better relationship with my unborn daughter than Aang had with two of his own living children. He had trouble right after defeating Ozai, with the fate of Yu Dao. Not to mention Old Iron, Yakone and Republic City, and honestly? Most of the trouble I'm facing now is because of YOU. Admit it - your decision to give Atokara to Asami and I was based on some small amount of emotion, wasn't it?" After a pause, Korra added, "Seems like you're venting your pent-up frustration and anger over emotions, especially over your own regrets, and starting the Spirit Civil War, on me. I am NOT a punching bag."

Raava's spirit form shrank, now as small as during the first Spirit World meeting, the little girl crying, "You're right. I'm the emotional failure - a horrible hypocrite. Berating you for being human, imperfect, basically, even while I'm trying to… I'm sorry. You've had a whole lifetime to get used to and try to master human emotions, but I've had a mere week, more directly. I have much left to learn, and I hope you will get over your justified anger, and let me come along for the ride. Let me help heal the hurt I know I just caused you…" Korra nodded, feeling her anger dissipate, feeling herself rapidly shrink down to normal size. She bent over to Raava, saying as she hugged the small forlorn spirit, "I'd be glad to. Don't feel bad - about anything, especially not your gift to Asami and I, or any bumps in the road to becoming more 'human-y'. Nothing has turned out the way we had hoped it would, but I honestly wouldn't change a thing. Here - grab my necklace for a minute, and see if that helps you feel better."

Korra extended the necklace to Raava, noticing that Raava's hand grew rapidly, Raava finally saying, "We'll see together tomorrow whether Jinshu Kuangmai has any honor or not, any hope of redemption. On the secret weapon - Jinshu Kuangmai is human too, and both he and Vaatu hate Long Yumao. A lot. For all we know, this weapon could inadvertently help us in the Spirit Civil War. I don't like how quiet things have been lately…" Korra felt a tap on her back, hearing Asami ask, "Look at this betrothal necklace - what the hell is going on with it?"

Korra took her present to Asami with curiosity, noticing that the image of herself on the back was much more accurate now, tattoos and all, the image shifting as she watched, the latest change eliminating the exaggerated proportions. Tracing her hand over the Raava diamond on the necklace, Korra could feel her own energy just as strongly as Raava's. Taking off her own necklace, she traced Asami's body, feeling as though she were actually touching Asami, even more so than usual. When her finger touched the art Asami's stomach, she smiled broadly, somehow feeling like she were talking to her daughter happily. Realizing that both needed an update, Korra recalled Raava, fixing the image of Raava on the back to account for her new "age", adding a picture of a clothed Atokara to the back of her own jade necklace as well as a representation of Atokara tugging on Asami's clothes on Asami's sapphire necklace.

At first, Korra felt proud of her work, saying, "Much better!" Remembering she wasn't in the real world, she grumbled, "Not that it will show up on anything… I'm so stupid. We're not in the real world right now." Looking around, she couldn't see Raava, puzzled - and vaguely relieved, she had to admit. The words still stung…

I'm sure you'll get over it - I'm back inside you now. Why don't you go check on your body, just in case? Bumju's trilling in my ear about "zombie Korra"…

Korra explained what Raava had said to Asami, saying, "I'll go see what's happening. Maybe check in on Kuvira while I'm at it." Asami nodded, saying, "Sounds like a good idea. I won't come - me waking up might boot Atokara out of wherever she is right now. I think I'll go visit the library." Korra took a deep breath, thinking about what had just happened between her and Raava, realizing her spirit felt tired, though not as badly after she had synthesized the Raging Shark Whale. But there was something else there… hurt.

Korra opened her eyes, initially feeling strong enough only to do what she needed to, still feeling sleepy. Looking at her necklace, she could make out Atokara's form on the back, seeing Atokara by Asami's side on the sapphire betrothal necklace. Popping Asami's latch open, Korra was surprised to see the tattoos had appeared as well, in full color.

A little "I'm sorry I'm such an ass" gift. Your spirit did most of the work with the help of your body, while you were yelling at me. Standing up to me took a lot of courage, and strength on your part, Korra.

Korra smiled, standing up slowly as she thought, "Thank you," walking towards where she knew Kuvira was. Looking at Kuvira's face, Korra felt a huge relief, seeing how Kuvira was smiling - and not like she was about to kill something. She heard a voice say, "I am Conscience. Kuvira is more than fine, but I will not say anything beyond that. It is long and complicated. You can feel free to 'play' with Asami without guilt." Korra turned around, seeing Kuvira's Remorse standing at attention. Korra smiled, saying, "You and Kuvira are going to give Jang a fit tomorrow, when he sees the Beifong family crest and the Metal Clan guard uniform." The mechasuit moved at the same time Conscience laughed, the tuber-vine stated, "I will feel no remorse in causing that man any mental anguish he might find from seeing Kuvira in a guard's uniform. Suyin Beifong wears the same kind of armor, after all." Tossing Su a look, Korra saw that was the case, yawning as she said, "Thank you. Time to go back to sleep. Oh - see if you can tell Mr. and Mrs. Tuber-Vine to get Varrick and Zhu Li to practice in their suits in the inner dream world. Aside from Kuvira's metalbending projectiles, they're the only ones who will have to make every shot count tomorrow, even with the extra stores. They don't have unlimited ammunition. Don't bother Meelo though." Kuvira's Remorse nodded, walking towards a snoozing Varrick and Zhu Li, Korra wondering what they could be dreaming of.

Settling back down next to Asami, Korra closed her eyes, staring at the ceiling for a short time, trying to cease the nagging thoughts in her mind. What if she really was an idiot, gullible merciful fool? Could she really afford to be so… emotional, with so many lives possibly hanging on the line? Sighing, Korra said, "Maybe I just need to go back to being determined, not letting much true emotion through, like when I was facing Kuvira after recovery…" Closing her eyes, she saw an odd image - a greyscale version of herself, hunched over slightly, the image smiling in a disquieting manner, long hair obscuring the eyes…

Oh, brother. Not again…

When she finally fell asleep, swearing she heard the sounds of laughter, she found Asami practicing firebending forms in the middle of the vast snowscape she had left her in, Asami smiling, happy as blue fire came into being... Confused, Korra asked, "What about the library? What was there?" Asami turned around, saying, "Nothing, aside from Wan Shi Tong. He is currently in the prison camp, having flown in from the Swamp. He wanted you to know he spotted odd movements between Zaofu and the army outside Omashu, a highly-decorated and rapid-moving airship avoiding the firing range of the prison camp on multiple trips. Jasmine and the spirits in the prison camp think Jinshu Kuangmai is shuttling supplies to the front. Toph is safely in Omashu, slightly grumpy she wasn't taken to Republic City instead, refusing to do anything other than help evacuate. Alyssralove is currently shoring up the mesa that Omashu sits on, in case Jinshu Kuangmai or his military commander decide to go back on their word about not trying to topple the city through bending or spirit weapons. Much like Vaazula did, the Painted Lady and Alyssralove have empowered the spirit weapon's spirit vines in the prison camp and Omashu." Smiling, Asami added, laughing towards the end, "Alyssralove says that Yangchen gave birth a short time ago to a babbling baby girl she named Jaina. No word on Sura, and her fraternal twins. Ask Raava if she knows anything." Korra nodded, saying as Raava told her the answer, "Raava says Aye-zul saw them born a good time ago, both healthy. Sura named the girl Katara, and the boy Sokka. Bet you Noatak and Tarrlok would either find that hilarious, or themselves unworthy of the names. " Asami smiled, saying, "Enough about the fruits of other's love - let's go see what more interesting things the inner dream world has in store. You ready?"

Still feeling drained, Korra said, "No, but I think I know a place where I can get ready. Maybe even do a little bit more than that…" Grabbing an unorthodox body part to ensure that Asami would go where Korra went, Korra focused on the chakra gear pools at the same time she kept hold of Asami's chest, wishing that Asami's clothes weren't in the way. Opening her eyes, Korra saw that her wish had been granted, finding herself naked as well. Hugging Asami instead of groping her - for now - Korra stood still, eventually saying, looking at Asami's chakra gear pools, "How's a skinny dip in your biggest hot tub chakra sound, followed by another trip to the Spirit Library? And not for owls…" Korra wasn't sure if she felt annoyed or turned on when Asami said, "Oh, I don't know if another library visit will be necessary. The earlier talk of the envelope letter gave me an… idea, that I've been sitting on." Asami came over, whispering in Korra's ear what she had in mind, Korra quivering slightly afterwards, saying "Sounds great. But I still think we should go to the library. Something tells me what we'll find there will only enhance the experience you have in mind." Korra heard an internal whisper, as though a ghost were speaking, the thought, "Perverted…" drifting through her mind, Korra feeling uncomfortable. Looking briefly at her own chakra pools, she saw something amiss, but looked away, focusing on Asami, finding her unease vanish as she did so.

After another long, drawn out naked embrace, Korra moved into the seventh chakra gear's inner pool, at first disliking the intense heat, gradually growing accustomed to the heat, negative thoughts banished. Feeling playful, Korra put her head on Asami's chest, sighing contentedly, saying before finally grabbing Asami's bottom, "I could just rest on your chest forever…" Asami chuckled, saying, "Less talk, more spirit healing! And more grabbing…" Remembering that she could bend, Korra got a wonderful idea, asking Asami, moving her hand to Asami's back, "How'd you like a personalized healing session, Asami?"

A giggle sufficient response, Korra proceeded to give Asami a thorough healing, making sure to focus on "problem areas", pretending that Asami had some serious ailment of the breasts and buttocks, feeling herself grow stronger as she did so. Korra finished by "healing" Asami's inner thighs, saying, "I can tell you're not lying now, when you say 'I love this!' Maybe we'll have to try three sake sex some time." After Asami nodded, cheeks flushed, Korra pushed another area with a warmed waterbending form the White Lotus would have thought highly inappropriate, loving how Asami went "AaaAAAHuhh!" in surprise. Blushing, Asami said, pushing Korra away slightly, "That move deserves a night of its own, in the physical world. Maybe we don't need thingies with that… waterbending form, Korra." Pouting, Korra said, "What about me? You can't waterbend." After a slight pause, Asami said, as though confessing, "I have devices with similar… effects. Well, the warmth. Now come on – you feel better? You over what Raava said about you? Enough to go to the library?"

Korra nodded vigorously, saying, "Yeah! I'm not listening to my brain for advice on a good time with you. Other parts are better for that." After a last playful grab, Korra found herself staring straight at Wan Shi Tong in the library, hearing what she assumed to be Professor Zei yelp behind her. Wan Shi Tong looked side to side, saying, "Normally, I'd require clothing in my library, but given no one else is accessing the library right now, and the reason for your second visit, Asami, I suppose 'birthday suits' are allowed. Not to be condescending, but… Just don't try and use anything as a sex aide. Some of these artifacts are very delicate." Korra blushed, imaging herself in clothing as she said, "I might be horny, but I'm not a total degenerate! Sheesh!" Laughing, Korra teased, "Asami, on the other hand… Asami?"

Asami pointed off in the distance, asking, "What is that… thing, on the other side of the library, Korra?" Korra looked, pushing aside a curious Wan Shi Tong, disquieted when he said, "I don't see anything there, Asami." But Korra did. The same greyscale version of herself she had seen earlier was there, walking slowly towards her, eyes still obscured. Asami asked, clearly concerned, "Korra, is there something you haven't told me?" When Korra opened her mouth to explain what had happened earlier, the figure stopped, as though fearful of Korra sharing anything. As Korra told Asami of her little vision and negative thoughts, the figure advanced faster, now standing in the middle of the library's great midsection. The figure held up a palm, slowly, saying in a ghostly voice, "Emotion only leads you astray. Emotion lets you feel hurt." Korra jumped backwards when the vision's palm was finally extended, seeing a pulsing black hole in its center that seemingly spoke, Korra hearing, "You cannot afford to live freely, Avatar Korra. Your responsibility overrides selfish personal desires… such as using the inner dream world for anything but business."

Korra shook her head, glad to hear Asami respond, apparently able to hear the spectre as well, "LIAR! I repressed an emotion, a feeling, for most of my adult life - love - and I've never been stronger since I gave in!" Asami made to strike with bending, but the image laughed, saying, "Foolish non-bender. For you, firebending is only a dream." The image took on Asami's form, saying, "And you, Asami - emotion led you to deeply hurt Korra. Your strike in the middle of her back over a perceived slight hurt her more than anything Zaheer did to her." Getting angry, letting rage guide her fire blast, Korra said, "Piss off! All lies! Where are you from, anyways?" To Korra's surprise, the image did not vanish or turn to ash, instead pointing to its ashen forehead, the hair and skin reminding her all too much of the dead color that Arthas' once was, saying nothing.

With that, it vanished, Korra hearing a whisper, "Let's see you enjoy tonight…" Korra explained what had happened to Wan Shi Tong, the large owl saying, blinking blue eyes, "Given what Kuvira went through earlier, and what Raava said to you, it would appear what was once solved, has been unsolved, as well as old problems coming to the forefront. Raava's words must have struck home, even if she apologized. I recommend re-visiting your chakra pools before beginning the… 'festivities', Korra." Nodding, Korra grabbed Asami, saying, "I never really did get a good look at my chakra pools. Maybe I need to unblock them… again." Wan Shi Tong hooted loudly, saying with a slightly annoyed tone, "Did you not listen? I thought what I was implying was obvious. The vision pointed to its forebrain, not its heart. Oh. Sorry, I forgot you have not read about that yet." Sighing, Wan Shi Tong said, shortly before booting them out gently, "It appears that Raava struck a nerve earlier, talking about emotion. Some part of you doesn't want to die, but much like Kuvira, it's not in the soul - it's in the mind. Unlike Kuvira, however, your foe still struggles. The chakra pool is really only for help."

Korra cursed in English, finding herself looking at the chakra pool once more. She could spot no weeds or rocks blocking the flow of the water, but the final pool was still empty, as well as the sixth. When Korra saw the reason, she recoiled, seeing a small black hole sucking up the water at the junction between the fifth and sixth pools. After she recoiled, the same vision from earlier appeared, saying as it gradually raised its head while sitting in the fifth pool, "Emotions make you weak. Your decisions unsound. Make you soft. Unwilling to do what needs to be done." Korra screamed, stifling her yell when she finally saw the… the dead, void eyes, the figure cackling as it said, "Unwilling to do the logical. To purge the unclean. Unwilling to kill those beyond mercy. Unwilling to snuff out infidels. Distracted by frivolities, such as the depravities you want to commit with Asami. If only you worked harder…" Korra winced as she watched this ashen Korra produce a massive ball and chain, saying as she swung it back and forth with a mesmerizing rhythm, "As the Avatar, responsibility for the world's problems is yours. You have no time for life."

Korra was baffled - hadn't she already dealt with lies? Korra heard two odd sounds, feeling embarrassed to see Wan standing nearby, Raava saying as Korra covered herself, "It appears you are more like Kuvira than you thought, thinking dealing with a problem once solves it forever. Do not forget struggle being without true end. Even the chakra pools, and the chakras themselves, are an illusion, in the sense that they are never truly cleared forever." Laughing, Wan said, "I'm no peeping tom. The only female form I find even vaguely attractive is Raava's and she's a spirit. Raava told me what this logic monster wants, and I'll just ask you this. Doesn't 'purge the unclean… kill those beyond mercy,' sound eerily familiar? It certainly does to me!" The vision screeched as Wan finished, "That's what Arthas thought he was doing, purging the unclean, and if you listen to just cold logic, ignoring emotions… you will find it almost always leads to depravity, like what he committed. Far worse than some 'innocent' kinky sex in a dream, of all things." Raava walked over, Korra hugging her as she said, "See, Raava? This is why I need to pay attention to what I feel, and not just what I think." Laughing as she heard the sound of flowing water and a fading screech, Korra said, "And one of the emotional crimes you listed earlier, Raava, was really a fault in logic anyways, trusting Zaheer. It seemed perfectly logical - but dealing with evil in a logical way will get you, well… almost killed."

Feeling an unbearable pain in her forehead, as though the front of her brain was in revolt, Korra submerged her head in the now-filled final chakra pool. Feeling a light tap on her shoulder, she raised her head, finding herself staring at Sharktar, who said, "Normally, it would take a long time to fix mind issues like this. Oh, say, six months, like the time between running away from the world, and now. But I'll give you a hint, for an easier time - try drinking this water. It won't fix everything, but it will fortify you." Korra's head hurting too badly to do anything else, feeling like an electrical beast was staging a revolution under her forehead, she drank the water greedily, finding it so fresh, it seemed as though it had just been created. Out of curiosity, Korra made for Asami's chakra pools, wanting to drink from them as well, the hot water filling her with warmth. While the pain was only dulled, she felt strong enough to handle anything a mere mass of flesh inside her skull could throw at her, thinking with a broad smile, "Soul over mind!"

Feeling a surge of both sympathy and empathy, Korra asked, "What about poor Kuvira? Can she get help by drinking from these pools?" She heard Sharktar and Raava laugh hysterically as Asami said, "Right. The woman who refused a mechasuit because she doesn't feel worthy and wants to be as vulnerable as Mako would totally go for this." Korra began laughing as well when she heard Raava say, "Plus, given that Kuvira wasn't good until just recently, it might backfire. Even if she did end up winning spectacularly… tonight, at least. It might stick, it might not. Who knows. Not to mention these pools aren't hers or Mako's…" Korra turned around, seeing Wan gone, said, "I feel much better now." Raava nodded, crying as she said, "I'm so sorry my harsh words caused this little crisis, Korra." Bowing, Korra said, "Don't sweat it. It was something I needed to deal with sooner or later, and I'd rather have it stem from something you said, than whatever nightmare Kuvira had to deal with." Giving Asami a glance and wink, Korra said, "Come on - a 'little' bird friend is waiting for us, in his library." Asami walked over, saying, "Forget Wan Shi Tong - what about me and you? I've been waiting ever since we fell asleep to have 'festivities'."

Korra laughed, asking Raava, "Is there any way they could be made a surprise?" Raava nodded, walking over as she said, "Yes, but I'd have to do that myself. Just let me hold your hand for a bit, and I'll see what wacky dreams suit you both best. Korra's first, since she just went through verbal abuse from me, and an experience I'd rather not ever see again." Giving Raava her hand, Korra was vaguely surprised to hear Raava say, "Read complete. I can still sense some hurt over what I said. I feel bad…" Hearing Raava whimper slightly, Korra re-assured her with a hug, saying, "It's okay - there's a cost to anything, including finally feeling alive again. I hope you don't decide to become the serious spirit you once were, only vaguely human, over any mistake." Raava nodding weakly, Korra said, looking her directly in the eyes, "No matter how grave a mistake. I've never made a mistake that cost someone their life before, but I imagine holding that kind of hurt inside forever would destroy you…"

Korra heard a rustling from the nearby bushes, hurriedly imagining herself with clothes. Korra turned around, seeing Asami must have done the same, smiling to see who was paying them a visit. Uncle Iroh had a morose look, Korra knowing what this was likely about, saying, "It's okay, Uncle Iroh - your son, Lu Ten, and his love for you, never truly died." Crying lightly, he said, "You are right, Korra. The hurt of losing a loved one ever truly goes away. A bittersweet memory is still slightly sweet." Sighing, Uncle Iroh continued, "At first, the loss of my only son, soldier boy, left me confused, torn between grief and rage, devastated." Smiling weakly, he said, "Outside the breached outer walls of Ba Sing Se, getting that dispatch and thinking on it, something shifted, knowing at some level that his death was not the Earth Kingdom's fault. It was mine, and the Fire Nation's. For our stupid, STUPID war, and the suffering we had caused. He should never have been 'little soldier boy'…" Finally returning the hug, Uncle Iroh said, "Rather than letting grief consume me, I allowed it to be a catalyst for change," walking off towards Raava, saying, "I think you are doing just fine. Keep yourself open to change, Raava - even if you perceive it as weakening. To be human is to be both weak, and strong, but often because of that same weakness. You are too far down this road now to turn back - and I wouldn't want you to, either."

Sighing with slight disgust, Uncle Iroh continued, "As much as I hate to leave personal matters, I'm afraid I must. Raava, I need your advice on something. There has been much dissension between myself, Sokka, Iroh II, Raiko, Baatar Jr and a man who only calls himself the 'Lieutenant' on who… why are you laughing so hard, Korra?" Not bothering to compose herself, Korra chuckled, "Amon's second in command… He's still kicking around, after all these years, leading the Equalist holdouts, I suppose?" Uncle Iroh nodded, saying, "I know who he is, but I do not understand why you are laughing. You are non-bender's Avatar as well." Korra felt slightly sick, remembering very clearly the pleading of the nonbender woman in Republic City, Korra unable to do anything to stop Tarrlok's tyranny. With a deep sigh, Korra said, "I suppose it isn't funny. What are you all fighting about?"

Uncle Iroh laughed, pointing to himself as he said, "In a way, myself. Sokka, Iroh II and Raiko think I should be in command tomorrow, Baatar Jr. wants to prove himself redeemed and thinks an immortalized human spirit commanding a battle would be bad news in the oddly cool Spirit Civil War, and the Lieutenant fancies himself a neutral third party, even though he keeps slurring benders with every other word. Personally, I don't wish to lead. What do you think, Raava?" Raava walked over, saying, "I try to think on this logically, but I get nothing. Let me try something… different."

Raava took a deep breath, humming slightly with her eyes closed. When she opened them again, she smiled, saying, "Going with something humans call their 'gut'… I believe you are all right, in a way. Jinshu Kuangmai has a spirit second in command that is trying to mimic a dead human - your niece, Azula - so I don't see how an immortalized human spirit assisting could be any worse, in Long Yumao's point of view." Chuckling, Raava continued, "If anything, he and other like-minded spirits probably see that as worse - a spirit, mimicking the human. Just like Vaatu and myself… Before I give my advice, I just have one question, Uncle Iroh - how many Earth Empire defectors have been picked up, if any?" Stroking his distinctive beard, Uncle Iroh responded, "I've been too busy… discussing this inside a Republic City Police airship to get an exact count. I am not sure, exactly, but there are a fair number, all they can talk about Jasmine and her speech." With a slight smile, he added, "I've heard Baatar Jr. pestering them nearly as much about her speech as intelligence, when he's not arguing about wanting to lead. To restore, of all things, his honor. Shaming his family name not once, but twice, he says…" Raava smiled slightly, saying, "I'm sure you find that last bit either sad, or hilarious. Probably both, knowing you. My best advice: each command their own, you and Sokka staying out of it unless spirits are involved somehow, or someone is about to make a really big tactical or strategic mistake. And no offense, but make sure your namesake gets extra… tutoring, from both you and Sokka." Uncle Iroh nodded, saying, "That sounds like a lovely idea, Baatar Jr. leading the Earth Empire defectors, I assume. I want to talk to Iroh II - I have the feeling Sokka may be a little too harsh. I believe, perhaps, Sokka would be better off with the Lieutenant, Sokka never having been a bender, and to keep an eye on him." Turning to leave via the bush through which he came, Uncle Iroh stopped, saying, "Have fun, whatever you two decide to do."

With that, he vanished, Korra confused as to why Raava was blushing slightly. Raava stood up straight, saying, "Ahem! Now, to read Asami's inner desire… this should be pretty easy." Asami laughed as Raava took her hand, stopping when Raava said, "Read incomplete. I can see why your current strongest inner desire is to slap me across the face, for how I treated Korra earlier. Korra's already forgiven me, and accepted hurt as just a part of daily life. I can't find anything with you glowering like that." Asami said, softening her glare, "I guess you're right, but Korra's not the only one with wild emotions lately… What that ashen Asami told me hurt too." Rolling her eyes slightly, Raava said, "Aw, geez. Asami, remember, you're pregnant as well as in love - ignore those stupid lies." After a short awkward pause, Asami laughing again, Raava said, "Read complete. Much better." Korra snickered when Raava said, blushing, "Now go do your thing, so I can get to my own! And before you ask, no, I'm not going to screw Wan. My dream is a little… different." Raava sighed slightly, as though hearing Wan saying something, vanishing after saying, "If they don't like the supreme spirit of light dreaming she's fully human, then I don't care!"

Korra saw an image of Wan and a white-haired woman holding hands on the back of what she recognized as Wan's old home lion turtle, thinking, "Guess you're just as sentimental as I am, Raava, Miss 'Aggressive'," snickering when she saw the woman slump her shoulders slightly.

You got me. Sort of. Now just go already!

Feeling good, Korra thought, "Not just yet. You should probably share all the technological changes with those not in the know about that latest first," without any sort of smugness, glad to hear Raava intone, Thanks for not being a pest, and good catch. Don't want Uncle Iroh's advice to be seventy years out of date, even if certain things never change in war. Korra laughed when she heard Raava intone, Including infighting. Maybe Ikki can calm everyone down. Let me use you for a second.

Korra's body moved without her command, feeling a sense of oneness with everything when her hand touched the seventh chakra pool. After a short time passed, she felt a tap on her shoulder, hearing Asami ask, "You ever going to quit working, and start, well… you know?" Korra shrugged, saying, "Pay me now, pay me later… but now I'm all yours," feeling anticipation rise higher and higher.

Taking a step to face Asami, Korra found her foot striking a familiar marble floor, and as she looked around, Korra found herself standing in the private home she shared with Asami. Taking off her boots, not seeing Asami, she noticed the floor felt pleasantly cold, seeing Asami appear in front of her before she could take off anything else other than her shirt. Realizing they were no longer in the Spirit World, Korra said, wondering why she hadn't simply appeared naked, "Hey. I don't know what's so interesting about this dream… aside from you, that is." Korra found herself agreeing with Asami when she said, "I don't need a dream's assistance to feel fascinated by you."

Korra felt an odd shift, seeing the room was now decorated with all sorts of new objects, hearing Raava intone, You have many inner desires - and this one is the strongest, by far. And, the cleanest. Confused, Korra looked around the room, taking in its new décor as she said, "Raava said this was my strongest inner desire. Wonder what the other one was? Whatever this one is, given I'm fully clothed again, it must not be about sex…"

Korra felt her eye drawn to two framed pieces of paper over the headboard, ignoring what appeared to be a hunting trophy above the bed. Rubbing her eyes, she noticed one was in English, the other in normal script. Climbing up on the bed to get a better look, seeing out of the corner of her eye Asami staring at a series of picture frames, Korra began reading the one in English, hardly able to believe her eyes, seeing a small portrait in the corner, denoting the letter's unlikely source.

Hoping this dream would become reality, Korra read out loud, "Dear Avatar Korra, I thank you for your visits to my prison, and your patience and empathy. When you first came, I thought you a fool, wasting your time, better spent defeating that monstrous spirit who locked me out of my one refuge - the Spirit World - in the first place. When you removed that mask the White Lotus had put on me, to stop me from hurting others, I knew something else was going on. You weren't there to belittle me, or even taunt me with your new way to fly - you wanted to help me." Korra continued, ignoring a little voice of doubt that said, "Get real! Zaheer would never do this, and you know it," feeling a hand on her shoulder, "At first, I ignored everything you said, still believing the natural order of the world to be chaos, and governments evil. That all changed when you began to grow frustrated and hurt, showing me images from another plane - the source of the language in which I am writing now, from the Northern Air Temple - of endless war and suffering, on the continent called… Africa?" Korra felt slightly confused, saying, "I don't remember any geographical place aside from that America place. Raava, mind showing me this Africa?"

Yes, I do mind showing you that right now. Just… trust me on this.

Korra shrugged it off, continuing to read, "The first time I saw these things, I felt ready to break, seeing so many children forced into war, just like… my beloved P'li would have been, by that warlord?" Korra paused, having a hard time imagining Zaheer exiting the void, so to speak. Korra continued reading, "Seeing the endless procession of corrupt governments and warlords there over the many visits you made over the years made me think. Especially when I started contrasting them to what you labeled as the 'West' and their imperfect governments, similar to the United Earth Republic in ways. All this recently made me realize that there are governments for a reason. People want them. They can provide hardship, but they can provide things anarchy cannot actually give. Peace, and stability, and hopefully, freedom. This letter is to tell you I now feel whole enough to… do my best to help act as a counsel, having finally exited the void?" Korra hugged the paper, saying, "This stuff is great! Here - I want to see what this other one says. Redeeming Zaheer…"

Korra looked to the other paper, seeing it was written in two different hands, a smaller portion with crude characters, the letter opening in clear script, "Dear Avatar Korra, Thank you for the dual bending, and the humanity. I do not think Tonga Beifong would have ever come around without my eventual help. Without your intervention at the Great Banyan tree and the Painted Lady's healing, I imagine… he might have gone insane, caving to the depraved designs of his military commander 'Wuqing' out of grief?" Korra shivered slightly, remembering what that name meant, and what Jinshu Kuangmai had said about this half-decent commander named 'Chin', hearing Raava intone, Now that's about the most likeliest thing you've read so far, Korra, given the feelings he had, seeing Vaazula bleed out.

Korra felt happy, saying, "One 'unlikely' event down, a whole lot more to go! Let me finish this… 'Unlike the person I named myself after, he has proven able to slowly, painfully, overcome his inner demons. Now that I have heard Zaheer has been rehabilitated, I hope to see you soon. Signed, … Raazula? Hello, Korra. Tonga here. You need to help me. I feel like I'm still… three years old?' Hah! Wow!" Korra turned around to Asami, saying happily, finding herself looking up, "I like helping people!" Asami smiled, saying, "I guess you really are a lover." Laughing, Asami added, "You should see the family portraits. But first - is that thing over the bed what I think it is?" Korra looked up, unable to read what the plaque behind a few large teeth said, saying, "Asami, lift me up!"

The plaque now at eye-level, Korra read, occasionally looking at a few large conical red and purple teeth embedded in a shiny black base, seemingly knocked from a great beast's terrible jaw, "The last remnant of Long Yumao the Opportunist, slain by Master Avatar Korra and her allies during the second, and likely final Battle for Republic City. The United Republic of Nations gives it as a gift to Master Avatar Korra as a recognition for all of her service. Presented by President Raiko." Korra laughed, saying, "Figures Raiko would be the only one to call me 'Master'! Stuffy old…" Korra giggled when Asami tickled her, saying from much closer, "Enough reading - let's play! Bending match!"

Wanting to keep things fair, Korra said, "Okay - I can only use water, and we'll fight down in the basement! Sound good?" Asami nodded, Korra eagerly attempting to open the secret door in the floor once she was on the floor, accomplishing nothing but frustration. Crossing her arms, Korra said, "I wanna see this wonderful, peaceful world! Damn it! Maybe even live in it!" Korra heard a loud sighing from behind her, seeing Raava towering over her, saying as she idly tossed Life's Gift back and forth, "I'm afraid you'll have to settle for this room, Korra. Going outside and seeing your true inner desire achieved fully - peace and balance, for both you and Asami, and the world - would be very bad." Korra started crying, saying, "Why, big meanie? Is it because you would prefer I tossed Zaheer in with Aiwei and killed Tonga? I wanna stay here!" Raava sighed, saying, "No, because I would prefer you stay as grounded in reality as possible. As of this moment, Kuvira seems better grounded than you, after her victory. If you don't promise me you won't be crushed if anything you have seen so far doesn't come to pass as you hope it will, I might even just take this memory away. I hadn't anticipated you wanting to live in unreality, before reality…" Seeing Korra not respond, Raava said, "Another name for living in unreality is being insane. You don't want that, now do you? You'd have your idyllic dream, but lose everything else - including Asami."

Korra felt sick to her stomach, like she had eaten some bad sea prunes. Oddly enough, deciding she only wanted to see what the future could hold, and not stay stuck in this dream, forever, the feeling only intensified. Looking over at Asami, Korra noticed she had a similar look, Asami saying, "Why do I… not feel good, Raava?" Asami blushed when Raava responded, "I can tell you want to directly see everyone in that family photo, the Raava Sato family photo, especially the obscured ones, and the one holding Atokara's hand. But that will have to wait - and you can't have kids if you're CRAZY!"

Korra nodded, feeling something vile-tasting leave her mouth after she said, "I'd much rather see how the future plays out for real, and not some overly idealistic dreamworld, Asami. And this is coming from someone who wants to see both Zaheer and Toph's wayward son as friends!" Korra watched in mute horror as Asami gopped up some odd multicolor globule of a fair size, growing to adult size after, Korra looking down and seeing a smaller one near her own body. Instinctively knowing it to be some kind of malignant tumor of the spirit, Korra created an acid ball, dissolving the form that vaguely resembled her own body as she said, "Reality at all costs! I'm not getting trapped in here! I want to LIVE live, not frolic in madness' mansion!" Korra looked over at Asami, noticing with a smile that there was now a burnt cinder in front of Asami. Spitting, Asami said, "Good riddance! I've had a lot more experience with that… thing, 'unreality' I guess, than you have, Korra. I don't know how often I wished my dreams were real, wanting to live there and not in the world, when I was younger, still repressing myself…"

Standing up, Asami said, Korra following her gaze, "Why don't we see what else is in here, before leaving. I'd love to see everything in here come true, Korra, but life is never perfect." Standing up, Korra saw what must have been the Raava Sato family portrait, noticing that only Asami, Korra and a teenage Atokara were visible. Looking closer, Atokara appeared to be holding someone's hand, but all Korra could make out about the figure was that it was there, the image's silhouette rapidly cycling between fat and thin, girl and boy, holding up a flame or water globule, piece of rock or ball of air… Korra felt her cheeks flush in anger when Raava said, "You think I'd let you see that? Seriously? I already told you - surprises are best left surprises!" Korra turned around, saying, "Tell me who it is, damn it - and how do you know who it is, anyways? How do you already know?"

Raava looked side to side, saying, "Uhhhhh… memory wipe time?" Korra laughed, saying, "No - more like Raava scram time! Don't you have some dream to get back to, anyways?" Raava nodded, saying with a surprising amount of nervousness, considering she was supposed to be the "boss", "Yeah, sure thing. Just wanted to add - with that… thing out of you, you should find any other dreams 'easier', and have little to no problems handling going from bizarre dream to regular reality. It will help, when you two decide it's time to partake of the… more interesting inner desires." Korra sighed, saying, "What, world peace isn't interesting to you?" Waving, as though goodbye, Raava said, "No, but after ten thousand years, I just find the idea very unlikely. Avatar Kuruk and Garkan were both lucky, living in a time of peace. Peace that didn't last, ultimately…" With that, Raava vanished, Korra mumbling, "I can still hope…" under her breath.

Korra found the family portrait in front of her face, Asami saying, "Cheer up! You must really want kids - this frame is almost as long as my forearm!" Korra smiled, blushing as she thought of exactly how those kids would come into being as she said, "We're both only children, and if every kid is as good as Atokara, I don't see why not." Asami raised an eyebrow, saying, "Easy for you to say. You haven't had to deal with the bizarre food cycles that come with Raava's energy being in the child you're carrying. Though, I guess you already have experience talking to voices in your head…" Korra laughed, saying, "Okay, enough with the family photo we can't even see most of. Though, I want to count. Let's see… One, two, three, four… that's not that big! Have you ever seen Mako and Bolin's extended family size? Or what about a Beifong family portrait - including adoptees and romantic interests!" Asami laughed, saying, "I guess you're right. Four - half makes me wonder if we'll somehow get all four bending types." Laughing at the absurdity, Korra said, "No - Aang didn't have a firebender, or an earthbender! That's just ridiculous." Deadpan, Asami said, "If you had told me as we walked into the Spirit Portal that my baby daughter would be talking to me significantly less than a week after having an 'immaculate conception', I'd have asked you where you got cactus juice from."

Getting an idea, Korra said, "Cactus juice…. That reminds me, of something else. We can try almost anything in here without risk." Asami's eyes lit up, her lips pursing slightly when Korra asked, "Three sake sex?" Asami shrugged, saying, "I don't know - you'd probably end up blacked out after two, given how well you handled that little drink the first night." Grinning widely, seeing the décor of the room shift back closer to reality, Korra said, "Let's find out!"

Originally, it had been Korra's intention to go slowly, both with the sake and stripping. Feeling a buzz after her first few drinks, much as she thought she would, Korra ended up taking everything else off faster than she had originally planned, finishing the first glass as quickly as she could after. After finishing and feeling woozy, Korra said multiple times, feeling sentimental as she hugged Asami, "I love youuu," accidentally spilling part of her second glass of sake on herself after a slight hiccup threw off her grab for the glass. She made to bend it off and into her mouth, but stopped, Asami holding up a hand, saying, "Uh-uh. Let me… help with that. I like where it is."

Feeling increasingly giddy, Korra leaned over, playing with Asami's jet black hair as she said, "Ssuuch pretty haiiir, Asssamii! Hic!" Ignoring Asami's attempt to re-direct her hands to other black hair, Korra said, "Not yet! I wanna hug first!" Asami groaned deeply, saying, "We already hugged. Damn it! If I had known you were a silly and sentimental drunk, I would have said no sake." Korra started crying slightly, saying mournfully, "I just wannnt to maake youu happee… Tell mee whaat to dooo!" She was confused as to why Asami was mad. Only knowing that a hug wouldn't fix anything, Korra let Asami direct her, Asami saying, "Sorry. You're like putty in my hands right now…" Remembering something as though it were a distant dream, Korra said, "If you saay, I'll do!" Korra felt the drinking catching up to her in a different way. Letting out a loud belch, making Asami recoil slightly then laugh, Korra pretended Asami was a bending instructor, following her every direction. The last thing Korra heard coherently after taking another half-glass of sake from Asami was, "Seems like you want me to… direct you. This is a lot better than my earlier role-playing idea… now let's see what I want you to do. Hmmm…" Time passed in a pleasant blur, Korra following without question, feeling like if she had any more sake, she'd pass out. Korra felt nothing but a wonderful blur of oneness, arousal and giddiness.

Slightly more lucid, Korra craned her neck up, and found herself looking towards the tops of Asami's feet, feeling a familiar, welcome sensation at the same time. After Korra asked, "What are we doing?" the sensation stopped, hearing Asami say, "That, with style. Why did you stop?" Stopping for a moment, Korra remembered Asami telling her to do something with Arabic numbers, asking, "What do two Arabic numbers have to do with anything? How do I do numbers?" She heard Asami laugh deeply, realizing that the sound was coming from behind her head somehow - near where the sensation had been… A particular position she had seen previously coming to mind, Korra blushed slightly, saying, "Oh. That kind of that, then. Well, I'm not your little puppet anymore, and - " Feeling the sensation return, Korra gasped lightly, "On second thought, this is more than fine." Her neck beginning to hurt, Korra returned her head to a more comfortable position, pressing against Asami with her chest as she hugged around Asami's back, among other things.

Even though she hadn't seen any glowing or felt any energy surge, Korra didn't feel tired, and apparently, Asami didn't either. All the same, she eventually found herself still, saying as she turned her head to the side, savoring the warmth of Asami's body, "Let's just stay like this, and be." After Asami said, "Sure thing, lovergirl," Korra closed her eyes, idly wondering aloud, "I wonder what those other inner desires are…" Korra found her head nodding in of itself, even with her position, when Asami said from behind, "Let's save those, for something special, or when we need to forget something…"

Remembering there was going to be a battle soon, tomorrow, Korra choked up slightly, a single tear streaming down her face, knowing they wouldn't likely be celebrating anything the first time. Asami's long, drawn out sigh did nothing but reinforce this notion, Korra saying, "I don't think we'll be celebrating, Asami… Don't say anything, about tomorrow. Or even think about it…"

Korra felt slightly better when Asami said, "I wasn't thinking about tomorrow - I was just enjoying the moment." But only slightly.

After some time, lying on top of the one she loved but feeling morose, Korra felt an odd tug on her mind. Letting whoever it was speak their peace, she was mortified, feeling embarrassed about her position for the first time. Thankfully, she didn't actually see Atokara – only heard her. Korra heard her say strongly, "That's no way to end – all sad, momma Korra! I didn't see what you did, or what you're doing, but I can tell you're not happy."

Knowing Atokara was right, Korra got up slowly, telling Asami what she had been feeling, and what Atokara had said. Asami smiled, saying, "I wouldn't trade Atokara for the world. Korra, we still have no idea what exactly happened to Kuvira. Why don't we see that? Raava's passing references are making me really curious." Still feeling slightly down, Korra agreed half-heartedly, hearing an odd whirring and click in the room. Turning towards the source of the sound, she saw a pedestal with two sets of hand print depressions, recognizing them from the library earlier. Taking Asami's hand, she walked over, looking forward to seeing what Kuvira triumphed over.

At first, Korra cried alongside Asami, finding the dreams that Kuvira had to endure worse than anything she had to deal with after the poisoning. When they reached the part where Kuvira fell asleep, and her inner nightmare, she could barely keep standing up, relieved to feel the pedestal sink lower, letting her kneel at Asami's side on the floor. Watching the portion, where Kuvira was fighting as Korra and not herself, Korra felt her spirits sink lower, only lifted slightly when she heard Asami say, "I… I don't regret my father's decision to sacrifice himself anymore. This is just sickening – and all too likely…"

Watching Asami's death made Korra wonder why she didn't just remove her hand… Trying, she found it was stuck, hearing Raava intone, Just wait. Korra found herself surprised to feel worse than she had watching Asami die, knowing what followed was more "real" as she watched Kuvira apparently almost lose her sanity, given the odd sucking feeling that was transmitted. She actually cried out "YES!" when Kuvira spoke back, turning her ashen tormentor into cracked garbage.

Having been distracted by more personal things she was seeing, the first good look Korra got at this "Kuvira Mind Colossus" chilled her to the bone. It had all the features the original had lacked. There was no way a hummingbird suit could have even hoped to penetrate its defenses. Hearing Raava intone, You might want to get a better look – Kuvira's mind no longer has the blueprints on lockdown, Korra saw the image of struggle replaced with a representation of this weapon Kuvira's subconscious had designed, either to use in battle against Kuvira herself… or against the world.

Examining the design, Korra was surprised to see features she had never thought of. Given Asami's horrified gasp, she must have felt the same, Korra hearing Asami say, "Jesus Christ… look at this thing!" Confused, Korra asked, "Why are you using his name as a curse, exactly?" Korra laughed for what felt like the first time in an eternity when Asami said, "I'm not going to say 'Wan, that's crazy!' or 'For Korra's sake!', am I? Or 'Raava damn it!' It seems… awkward. Not to mention you can actually talk to Wan or Raava. Anyways… I know you're just as horrified as I am by this thing, but… what if we actually made it? It looks capable, to say the least."

At first, Korra said, "NO!", re-considering her position when Asami said, "If Kuvira can think of this all by herself, apparently against her will, who's to say Jinshu Kuangmai and that bright-sounding officer Chin won't come up with something similar – or worse?"

While I believe Asami is right, she might want to watch the rest before giving it such glowing praise.

The images resurfaced, Korra hearing Kuvira calling her name in horror, saying, "I wish I could have been there for her… like I was there for her, against Koh and Long Yumao." The image paused, hearing Raava intone, This was mainly a malady of the mind – we should feel lucky that Mako, Bolin and Opal ended up getting in. Even Su couldn't get in – and she noticed Kuvira's call for her. With that, the image resumed, Korra listening intently to what was said, and given how Asami was mumbling, she was paying attention to the technology mainly. When Korra said as much, Asami said, "Someone needs to. We have no idea what we're facing tomorrow, or possibly the day after that."

There is something later that I have not told you about that will make a two or three day battle a possibility – Su, along with Kuvira and Opal, want to perform a jailbreak on Zaofu itself.

Korra liked the idea, thinking, "Hurry the rest of this up, and only show the most relevant parts. Asami, the tech and fight, and me, mainly the emotional stuff." By the time the infobending session was done, Korra vaguely wished she had asked for the tech, finding Kuvira's biological father and his final choice viler than what Tonga Beifong had become. Wondering what would have happened had he been given the control he "sold his soul" to try and get, Korra saw an image of a vaguely familiar man with a small mustache with an all too familiar symbol on his armbands, hearing Raava intone, Some people are one promotion or elevation to leadership away from depravity worse than anything Kuvira committed. Seeing her father's nature, he may have been one of them.

As Asami told Korra about everything she had seen, Korra smiled slightly, saying, "Sounds like this Kuvira Mind Colossus isn't so great after all, if Kuvira almost beat it. Not to mention the royal whooping it suffered at the hands of the four mechasuits." Remembering one detail she had seen, Korra added, "Although, if she really was holding back until Mako, Bolin, Opal and especially Kuvira managed to cripple her with increased friendship with each other, a real person piloting that thing could do much more damage. Just remember what Kuvira did to Republic City with the inferior model…"

Korra saw an image in an oddly familiar art style, recognizing it as the style the Earth mover-toon "The Legend of Korra" used. Looking at the aerial shot, she saw the city appeared much less damaged than it really was in reality. Wondering how it was relevant, she cringed as the image shifted to reality, and then shifted again, showing the kind of devastation depicted in Kuvira's horrible nightmare. It shifted a third time, showing a burned-out husk of a city from father away, followed by a similar image of a city she had never heard of: "Hiroshima."

Given how Asami was crying, she must have seen it as well, Korra finding her hand able to move. Turning around, she saw an unexpected duo, Wan holding Raava's hand as she said, "I never thought that portion relevant until just now, and didn't want to trouble you with a direct image of what Korranium weapons can do. I do not know what Jinshu Kuangmai, or whoever it is, is planning, but… both Alyssralove and Hei Bai say they've detected disturbing energy outside Zaofu – and not spirit energy." Korra felt herself shrinking out of terror, Raava saying softly as she walked closer, "If they really have weaponized Korranium, we'll need everything we can get. Including Kuvira's new Colossus, eventually."

Raava paused, Korra saying, "I… I trust Kuvira, even when others don't. It will take a long time before anyone but myself is open to the possibility. You can see Asami's look… But why? Why make that thing?" Raava's lips turned up slightly, saying, "With all of its ball turrets and advanced Kuviracomputer, it's practically a walking fortress, probably able to shoot down the first attempts to use Korranium weaponry – a simple large bomb. You both saw those last few images. Life isn't a children's 'mover-toon', Korra." Korra looked to Wan, who simply said, "No matter how it's weaponized, and by who, I want you to promise me. That you won't let this… happen to any of our cities. Even if means building a Colossus. In fact… there is another kind of weaponization you need to see. It's a long shot, but… you never know."

Korra promised, both out of sincerity, and wanting to avoid seeing the image, but she saw it nonetheless. A familiar ball explosion appeared in the western part of a city that had streams of somewhat advanced-looking tanks and lighter vehicles punching through a thin line around the outside of half the city. Korra expected the whole scene to be vaporized, but it wasn't. Instead, the tanks stopped moving, men hopping out, screaming and crying in a foreign guttural tongue she had heard Raava speak in before. After a slight delay, she heard a translation of a distraught-looking man's speech. Given his dress and more advanced-looking tank, he must have been an officer, Korra hearing him say: "Those capitalist pigs! The French – a neutron bomb, on Berlin! Just to stop us and the Soviets from uniting Germany again! All that radiation… Gheck! I feel only sickness now… We're as good as dead, comrades. See you… on the… other… side…" Time passed, Korra watching as the few remaining men collapsed, some faces covered with nasty burns. The grass around them itself eventually turned a dead brown after a few sunrises and sunsets, as well as all the trees in the city, and for what seemed like miles beyond, Korra seeing some animals that closely resembled a skinny hippo cow keeled over. Nothing stirred - not even scavengers were moving anywhere nearby. But the city itself, and the surrounding countryside's terrain… was not destroyed, beyond the initial substantial blast site inside the walled-off section.

Seeing an image of Omashu and its own walls, Korra suddenly realized what relevance this had – Jinshu Kuangmai didn't want to destroy Omashu, but he could care less about the people in it! The image vanished, Korra saying as she bawled, "I thought this was supposed to be uplifting! What's wrong with you? I just want to have peace…" Seeing Raava start to cry and Wan sigh deeply, shaking his head as if to say "Good luck with that", Korra felt herself shrink smaller, all she could "say" was "Waaaah. Waaah!"

Raava picked her up, saying, "Shhhh – don't cry." After Raava rocked her back and forth for a while, Raava continued, "Any Asami particle or 'radiation' weapon would leave a lot of remaining bad stuff behind in the city, particularly in certain metals." Korra sniffed, feeling slightly better, saying, "Tonga wouldn't make metal bad! Seems like all he likes is metal." No longer feeling quite as small, Korra said, "Can we do something fun now? Please? Oh – show me something good from Earth!"

Raava smiled, saying, "I had hoped to save this for later, but it seems like you need it now. You remember the 'blue whale'? How would you like to see a dream of one, or another whale?" Korra nodded her head, saying, "Other whale! One that wasn't almost extincted." Raava laughed, saying, "That really narrows down the list. Here – just look in this guide book with Asami, and choose which one you want to see. Oh – and none of them will try to eat you, unlike shark whales. Even the 'killer whales' are relatively friendly, and 'dolphins' have been known to save drowning people."

A book appeared in front of Korra, lying down on the floor as she happily flipped through the pages with Asami. Asami stopped her hand on one page, pointing at a large creature that vaguely reminded Korra of a spirit she had seen, except black, and with a funny head and white flippers. Reading the text about this "humpback whale", Korra said, "Yeah, that one! I want to hear it sing!" Korra laughed when she saw Wan had joined them, saying in a high voice, "Me too!" Raava smiled, saying, "I guess we can do a double 'date'. I'll have to make it so you can breathe water – the necessary equipment for extended deeper diving hasn't been invented here just yet."

Korra found herself bobbing on the surface of seemingly endless water, seeing an island with what looked like an active volcano in the distance. Looking at her hands, she could see she must have grown in size, seeing how there were tattoos on the back. Looking around, she saw Raava next to Wan and Asami beside herself, Raava saying, "Hmmm. Looks like although we're not really here, I couldn't make it totally uninteractive. Just a minute…" Korra had noticed a speck in the distance earlier, but couldn't find it, Raava saying, "We want to 'interact' with whales, not people. Let's go."

Korra watched as Asami stuck her head underwater after Raava and Wan did, still taking in just how huge this world must be, for only one landmass to be seen in the distance. Feeling a tug on her mind, Korra dove underwater, finding that she could somehow breath the salty water and see perfectly. Korra spotted Raava and Wan, hearing Raava intone as they headed towards the deep, You'll have to communicate with thought here – our kind of communication doesn't carry underwater. Wan wants to see a different kind of whale. He might know about them, but he's never seen a sperm whale up close, even if just in a dream. And neither have I. I'll see you later, Korra. Korra scanned the endless expanse of water, wishing she could breathe underwater in the real world.

Eventually, she found what she was looking for, using bending to swim over to Asami, who looked lost in thought. Seeing her approach, Korra heard Asami's voice say internally as Asami's lips moved, "Just wondering if there's a way to do something close to this for real. It sounds like there is, given Raava said something about 'not having the technology yet'." Korra rolled her eyes, thinking, "Now you're the one who needs to quit working, and start relaxing!" Korra heard Asami laugh, Asami's voice coming in clear, "Guess I don't need to try and talk. Let's see if you can find a whale with your Avatar life thing."

Closing her eyes, Korra envisioned this "humpback whale" they were looking for, seeing an image that denoted direction and distance to the nearest whale, smiling to see what looked like a baby. Grabbing Asami, Korra bent her way over, making sure to slow down once they got closer, having read that whales could be spooky. About fifty feet away, Korra stopped, just watching as mother interacted with calf, vaguely reminded of airbison as she watched. Time passed rapidly, hearing Asami think, "This is much safer, and better than a Spirit World vacation." Korra heard Raava intone, Nobody but you can take vacations to Earth locations, able to tell Asami was happy when Korra told her this was special.

After a while, Korra saw more whales approaching from the distance, one stopping farther away.

That was when she began to hear the unearthly singing.

Korra felt shivers run up her spine, listening to the beautiful cries, some part of her brain telling her it was a love song, of all things. Swimming over to Asami, Korra playfully grabbed her butt, thinking, "That's a love song." Korra heard Asami think, "I want to check out the calves!" as she pointed to the younger whales. Cautiously approaching, Korra was surprised to see one peel away from its mother, staring at her with the single intelligent-looking visible eye. The calf clearly not feeling threatened, Korra touched its bumpy snout, feeling wonder as she did so.

Korra could tell some kind of information flow was trying to take place, and remembering what Raava had said about interactivity, she allowed it to happen, hearing Raava's warning of, No, don't it's sad! too late. Seeing the images, Korra somehow knew she was interacting with a real humpback whale's soul – but a dead one. Korra's heart broke as she saw an image of the mother whale nearby being taken by a whaling ship, seeing the calf's grim fate of starvation. When no more images came, she heard a sad voice ask, "You're not here to finish the job, are you, human? You don't have any ship. You don't seem bad, like those people…"

Thinking, "No, I just came here to watch you be, beautiful creature. Seeing that happen to you made me feel terrible," the calf rubbed it flipper against her, hearing a voice say, "You're a funny human. You can breathe underwater like a fish, and do funny things to the water I've never seen anyone do. Want to swim with me?" The answer an obvious yes, Korra climbed onto its back, thinking, "Asami, find a calf, and we'll go humpback-riding! Sounds a lot better than otter-penguins!" Korra laughed when she heard the same small voice say, "I still need to breathe, remember. But what's an otter-penguin?"

Re-surfacing intermittently and riding on the back of her temporary friend near Asami, both of them hugging their bodies against their calf, Korra finally began to feel what she had wanted out of this dream world in the first place. Given how she could see Asami smiling, she must have felt it as well.

Peace.