***1 year ago***
It was Wan and Ai's first day of the new school year. Korra and Asami made a point to drop them off and pick them up on the first and last days. Wong took care of the shuttling for the rest of the year.
The couple patiently waited their turn to pull into the pickup circle. Wan and Ai attended a private school on the outskirts of Republic City. Zhìhuì Academy was established in the early years of the city. It was Asami's alma mater and she had fond-ish memories of attending. She believed most of her childhood was soured by her mother's death. It wasn't the school's fault.
Their Satomobile did not stick out among the other vehicles, a lot of wealthy families sent their children to this school. They chose it mostly for Wan because it did not include bending on its curriculum. Benders were allowed and encouraged to attend, but physical abilities came second to the mind. Their son was sharp from an early age and they wanted him to be in an environment that nurtured his talents. For simplicity's sake, they sent Ai there too. She was the complete opposite of her brother; Wild, carefree, and not booksmart. Because she was easy going she found her places.
The couple spot their kids toddling down the steps of the old brick building and towards the vehicle. Ai beams and waves both her hands, picking up speed. Wan gives a conservative wave and trails behind his sister.
"Hey, kids!" Korra beams, turning around to look at the two pile into the backseat. Asami turns the Satomobile back on and starts to exit the property.
"Ai, how was your first day of third grade?" Korra asks.
Ai lets out a long breath. "So good. I'm in the same class as Lu Lu and we're even sitting next to each other. We passed so many notes back and forth that we had to sit on the naughty bench and that was great because we just talked until they let us back next period."
Korra tries to hold in her grin. "Ai, being on the naughty bench isn't supposed to be a good thing."
Ai shrugs. "Then they shouldn't put it in the hallway with no one to watch us."
"I'm sure they keep track of how many times you go out there, and that might escalate to a greater punishment," Asami adds.
"I'll try not to get in trouble again."
Korra reaches out and pats Wan's leg. "How about you Buddy, how was your first day of sixth grade?"
"Sucked," Wan huffs, crossing his arms.
"Aww, I'm sure it wasn't that bad."
Ai leans forward and holds up a hand to Korra's ear. She whispers, but Wan can still hear her. "Fenhua's in the other class and he was being kinda weird at lunch. I saw it happen."
Korra knew Fenhua, he was a friend of Wan's, close enough to come over to their home a few times. Son of a prominent family in the city. Now that she thought about it, he hadn't come over at all that summer. They did try to pack in a lot of activities as a family, so it never stuck out until now.
Asami finds Wan's eyes in her rearview mirror. "Hey, it's a new year and a new class. That is an opportunity for a fresh start and to make some other friends too."
Wan slumps his body on his door and looks out the window. "I guess."
***A few weeks later***
"Today we will be discussing the reproductive systems," Wan's science teacher, Mr. Gung announces, writing out the characters on the big chalkboard at the front of the room. He then adds male and female, and underlines them.
At the teacher's words, the small classroom fills with giggles and groans.
The older man turns around to stare down the children. "We all knew this was coming, they are just another system in the human body; like the circulatory system or the gastrointestinal system. Now turn to page one hundred and three in your books."
The room settles. Many kids, including Wan, slump a little lower in their seats. Wan flips to the page and sees the female reproductive organs sliced in half. In the center rests a baby, head down, ready for birth.
"This is how all of us came into the world," Mr. Gung starts, stepping a little ways from the blackboard. "The reproductive system is about reproducing. Making a new life. Our mothers carry us for around nine months in her uterus and then give birth to us typically through the vaginal canal, but sometimes intervention is needed and a baby needs to be surgically cut out. But I am getting ahead of myself, how does this all happen?"
A boy in the back confidently raises his hand. Mr. Gung gestures his way. "Yes, Ken?"
"It's called having sex, right?"
The room breaks into laughter.
"Ken is correct." Mr. Gung moves to his board and starts to draw a circle. "Through sexual intercourse, a man can deposit his semen into a woman's vaginal canal. From there the sperm will swim and attempt to locate and fertilize an egg, if present. Should a sperm and egg meet, the fertilized egg will nestle into the walls of the uterus. There the cells will divide and grow and in about nine months a baby is fully formed. Now we're going to break down all these parts…"
When the class was over and time for lunch Wan booked it as fast as he could to the cafeteria to get his food and get lost. But he wasn't fast enough. Most of the other sixth-grade class who had science one period earlier were in the lunch line.
Funghua stood beside some of his classmates, who were smirking and eyeing Wan. Wan lowers his head in an attempt to not engage. The line slowly shuffles forward to the pickup window.
"Pretty interesting stuff today in science class, huh guys?" Bao asks aloud. Wan was in his class a couple of years ago. He's a nephew of former President Raiko.
See-Jun, another former classmate, nudges Bao but looks at Wan. "Yeah, kinda makes me wonder. Wan, how'd you happen? Your moms' grow you in a lab or something?"
A couple of girls standing behind Wan, who was just in science class with him, lean in to hear the conversation.
"How do they have sex, anyway?" One of the girls Myung, asks.
The other, Kiki shrieks and swats at her. "Myung, that's so rude!"
Unfazed, Myung continued. "Does one pretend to be the man?"
Bao, See-Jun, and Funghua watch with delight as Myung takes over drilling Wan.
Wan keeps his eyes locked on his shoes, but it doesn't stop his face from burning red.
"I bet it's Avatar Korra!" Bao hoots and starts to flex. " She's so big and manly."
"Guys, that's enough! You're embarrassing him!" Kiki protests.
Wan, unable to determine if he was more embarrassed by the teasing or having only one person stand up for him, bolts from the line. He rushes to the cafeteria doors and bumps into Ai.
"Hi, Wan!" She chirps, but he rushes past her.
"So who's your dad then?" See-Jun calls out as Wan disappears.
Funghua spies Ai and jabs See-Jun in the side. "His sister's here, knock it off."
See-Jun scowls. "So? She's a freak too."
"She's too young to know what we're talking about."
"I guess," See-Jun snorts and puts a hand to his now tender rib. The group of kids sees they're up next for their lunch and they drop the topic.
Ai and Lu Lu take their spot at the end of the line. Ai looks back at the doors, waiting for her brother to come back.
"I think they were teasing him," Lu Lu whispers.
Ai looks around. "Who?"
Lu Lu points to See-Jun, Funghua, Boa, Myung, and Kiki walking together with their trays. They sit down at an empty table.
Ai scowls. She watches them joyfully talk and eat their food. See-Jun goes to take a sip of his juice. As he grasps the carton, Ai flicks her wrist and the liquid bursts out the top and covers his face.
Boa nearly spits out his food, with laughter. To ease his swallowing he goes for his own juice, and Ai repeats bending it into his face as well.
Lu Lu covers her mouth, to stifle a giggle. "Better stop or you might get caught."
Ai nods and the two girls focus on the moving line in front of them.
***A few weeks after Jinora's Party***
Zhou Rhen nervously walks through the courtyard of the White Lotus compound on the Fire Nation island of Hamashima to his Uncle Oksuke's office. He wanted to see Zhou Rhen before his departure.
It was a muggy day. Not even the slightest breeze to make the palms sway. But it wasn't the summons or the heat that was causing Zhou Rhen's nervous sweats. It was the fact that tomorrow he left for Republic City and would have to face Jinora after confessing his feelings to her.
That is, in the very unlikely chance she never read his letter. But she must have. How could she not? What if she acts like she didn't? Zhou Rhen, so lost in his spiraling out, nearly crashed face-first into his Uncle's office door.
He knocks and then lets himself in. "Uncle Oksuke?"
Oksuke looks up from his desk and motions to Zhou Rhen to take one of the two chairs in front of him. As Zhou Rhen settles, Oksuke brushes aside a couple of scrolls in front of him. He clasps his hands and rests them on the dark oak.
"Ready for your trip to see Avatar Korra?"
Zhou Rhen nods. "I know motherhood has suited Avatar Korra and she wished for more children. I expect she will be quite jovial this visit."
"I want you to see if you can warm her to the idea of her children speaking with you at some point. We only got access to Avatar Aang's children's experiences growing up once they were near middle age. Which of course was helpful, but time makes you forget and sometimes soften on experiences. Or even embitter. I think a fresher recanting of their time growing up, while growing up would be invaluable."
"I will try," Zhou Rhen starts, envisioning how he could even broach the subject with Avatar Korra without her tossing him into the ocean. She had mellowed significantly over the past fifteen years. But Avatar Korra still had a hot streak when it came to certain subjects, and her children, Zhou Rhen quickly learned, was one of them. "But this is something I need to approach at a tiger-snails pace."
"Of course. You know her best." Oksuke leans back in his chair. "While we're on the subject, your master is retiring this year. Meaning you will need to take on an apprentice. I have a list of potentials for you to consider, but I would like you to come up with some yourself. When you get back we can start taking a look together and set up some interviews."
"That sounds good."
Oksuke stands out of his chair and walks over to the windows of his office. He frees the drapes from their hooks and pulls the thick red curtains across, blocking out the light. He moves to the other side of the room and does the same with the windows there. "So there is something I wanted to discuss with you outside of our usual business."
Zhou Rhen's body scrunches a little in his seat as he watches his Uncle seal the outside world off. Oksuke moves to his office door and looks out the peephole for a few moments.
"Is something wrong?" Zhou Rhen asks, his voice near cracking.
Oksuke continues to stare through the peephole. "I don't know, but lately things have felt a little off around here. Have you felt that?"
Zhou Rhen looks up at the ceiling, attempting to recall anything unusual, but nothing has stood out to him. There was a big possibility he had missed something obvious. Since Jinora came last year, she has dominated his thoughts. Zhou Rhen felt his stomach start to clench. Was this crush affecting his work?
"You're young, I forget. It's been a long time since the White Lotus had any scandal." Oksuke moves away from the door and goes to the windows. He pokes the curtain a crack, to peer through it. He checks the other side and then leans against his desk."I have this feeling there is a secondary group forming within the White Lotus."
"Like the Red Lotus?"
"Yes, it reminds me of that time. I was about five years in when they made their split. Big dramatic show of things. But this was after years of secrecy. My master sensed something was wrong. We are here to seek philosophy, beauty, and truth. Our mission transcends the concept of the four nations, not unlike the Avatar. We also are here to serve the Avatar, especially during their most fragile years. He could feel there was an attitude shift among some of the members. Not a lot, but a few. A resentment of duty to the Avatar."
"And you're sensing this again?"
"Yes. Avatar Korra hasn't been the easiest of wards, especially in her youth. In many ways the complete opposite of Aang. But that is kind of the point. Look at Avatar Yangchen to Avatar Kurik and compare him to Avatar Kyoshi. Many people live to only see one Avatar, two maybe. I'm digressing a little. Avatar Korra has matured greatly and is an actualized Avatar and yet I'm getting this air of agitation from a handful of members. Unprompted. Can you think of a single thing she's done recently to cause any frustration with her?"
Zhou Rhen shakes his head. "Adopting a kid is the only major action she's taken. I know some people do not think same-sex couples should raise children, but that ship sailed eleven years ago for Avatar Korra and her partner."
"Exactly. And it can't be a national issue, the baby is from the UES taken to the United Republic. We put the personal matters of nations aside."
"Do you think it's the Red Lotus back from the ashes, or a new group?"
"I don't know." Oksuke drifts to his nephew's side. He places a hand on his shoulder. "I have no confirmation of my suspicions. This is but a warning, keep your people close. I will be starting an internal investigation. You and only a few of my closest are privy to this information. I need you to speak with Avatar Korra to be cautious of our organization. Limit contact to the White Lotus, speak to us only through you. If an Avatar request comes in and it is not from you, I will know it is falsified."
"I understand."
Oksuke smiles and pats Zhou Rhen a few times. He pulls him up from his seat for a light hug. "I pray I am just over cautious in my old age. You can kill people, but ideas can be immortal."
***11 months ago***
Asami had her briefcase in hand and was ready to walk out the kitchen when she noticed Wan still wasn't down for breakfast. Ai was finishing up her porridge. Korra had left early that morning for a meeting with President Zhu Li. Asami checked her watch, and then moved to the stairs.
At the top she saw Wan's bedroom door was still closed. She opens the door. "Wan, you need to get up or you will be late for school."
Wan is still in bed, the covers pulled up over his head. "Don't make me go."
"What do you mean?" Asami asks, setting her briefcase down by the door. She takes a seat on the edge of her son's bed. She tugs at the comforter covering his head, but he holds it in place.
"I hate it there."
"Why?"
Wan lowers the covers down a little ways. He looks at his mother's concerned face and debates telling her the truth. "They're picking on me," he whispers.
"Who?" Asami presses.
"A bunch of different people."
Asami couldn't believe what she was hearing. She instinctively scoots a little closer. "Whatever for? You've always gotten along with your classmates, right?"
"This year's different." Wan fidgets with the blankets. "A lot of it is about you and Mumma."
Asami felt her stomach leap into her chest. This was a fear she had for her children, that they might be a target of bullying because their family was different, and they were children of the Avatar and a prominent business owner. They assumed at least their public status would be less of an issue at the private school, since it was mostly wealthy or prominent families that attended. At this point Asami honestly thought they were in the clear. Everyone knew Wan and Ai and who their parents were. Why would suddenly Wan be picked on for it now?
"I'm sorry," Wan whispers, ducking under the covers. "Please don't be mad."
"I'm not mad at you, Buddy. Thank you for telling me the truth." Asami puts her thumb to her mouth. She anxiously runs her bottom teeth over the nail. Likely chipping at the red polish she put on last night. "How about I take you to school today?"
Wan flips the covers off his face and shoots up in bed, "Please don't say anything Mom, it could make it worse if the other kids get in trouble."
"You'll tell us if it gets worse, okay?" Asami asks, reaching out a brushing down Wan's bedhead.
"I will."
"Hurry up, you need to be up and out the door in ten minutes. Otherwise Hong is leaving and I'm driving you."
***Present Time***
When Zhou Rhen's ship docked in Republic City he decided to contact Korra to visit her home first, before going to the temple. He told himself it made more sense since he was already in the city to see the Avatar, but he knew it was to delay confronting Jinora a little longer.
Korra has Kimmi on her hip as she opens the front door to Zhou Rhen.
"C'mon, stranger."
"Thank you for letting me into your home," he says with a shallow bow.
"We'll I'm sure one day people will be fascinated by your documentation of the Avatar's habitat."
"This is Kimmi?"
Korra proudly lifts her daughter a little higher and steps closer to Zhou Rhen. Kimmi reaches out in his direction. She clenches and unclenches her chubby little hands hoping he'll offer a finger or something she can grasp.
"She is very cute," Zhou Rhen says a little awkwardly. He found this kind of sentiment embarrassing, but he knew that's what you were supposed to say about babies.
Korra appeases Kimmi with her hand. Kimmi brings it to her mouth and gums Korra's knuckles. "We have some time before the other two get home and I'd like to take advantage of that by talking about the more heavy stuff first."
Zhou Rhen's eyebrows shoot up. Avatar Korra was rarely so frank with him. He follows her into their sitting room. She puts Kimmi on the loveseat beside her and passes her a proper baby toy, a rubber ring of oversized keys, to chew on. Zhou Rhen takes the armchair opposite and pulls out his notebook tucked in his sleeve.
"So they're doing it again. Making another damn mover about you know, that day."
Zhou Rhen immediately knows what she is referring to. Funny, he was just recently thinking about that time. "How unfortunate."
Korra slumps in her seat, draping her arms around the back of the loveseat. "Fricken Ikki is playing Asami in it. So I gotta go see the damn thing or I'm an ass hole."
"I'm sure if you explained why it would be difficult for you to see, Master Ikki would understand."
It took Korra a moment, hearing Master Ikki was something she had not gotten used to. Also, it was a title almost no one called her. Ikki earned her tattoos, but Airbending Master was not a role she actually took on.
"I don't even want to get close to the truth. I'll just have to tough it out, somehow."
"Do you think the new baby has added to your increased anxiety towards revisiting the event?"
Korra rubs her forehead. "You know I haven't considered that, but probably. Kimmi's alive because her mother's body protected her from a building collapse. Somehow positioned her in a perfect little pocket of space. Her mother made that kind of decision lightning fast. I'm sure half of it was even luck. But that woman knew exactly what she needed to do at that moment."
Kimmi pops the key ring out of her mouth and offers it to Korra. The Avatar notices and looks down at her daughter. Tears quickly well in her eyes and she covers her face with the hand that was previously resting on her forehead.
Kimmi scoots closer, a bit unsure by the fact that she can't see Korra's face. Zhou Rhen watches tears sneak past her hand and down her cheeks. Kimmi makes her distress known and Korra uncovers her face. She pulls Kimmi into her lap and holds her close.
*** Ten-ish years ago***
Korra and Asami had settled into a bit of a nightly routine as they neared the end of the second trimester. Asami would come home from work and Korra would already be there waiting for her, unless on the rare occasion when Korra would be stuck late at the temple, Asami would meet her there. Tonight, like most nights after dinner, they retired to the sitting area of the apartment and cuddled on the loveseat to read for a bit until Asami would eventually put her book down and wander back to the kitchen for a snack.
Tonight was no different. Korra spies Asami beginning to stir, indicating she was ready for her after-dinner snack. Asami places her book on the coffee table, pages down to keep her spot, and then stretches out her arms over her head. Her belly pokes out from under her nightshirt. After getting pregnant, Asami traded her night slips for some of Korra's more worn-out sleep shirts and sweats, but they were starting to be too small too.
Korra couldn't help but snicker to herself, if only the rest of the world could see this side of Asami only she was privy to. All of Asami's maternity wear for work was high fashion as usual, but as soon as she got through their door at night she went right to the bedroom to change into something loose and comfortable. Korra looks back to the pages of her book, expecting Asami to return by her side, but she continues commotion coming from the kitchen. Cabinets getting opened, the rustling of packing being shoved aside. Eventually, Asami calls out to her.
"Babe?"
Korra puts her book down next to Asami's and slides off the loveseat. "Yeah?" She asks, shuffling into the kitchen.
Asami peaks out from behind a cabinet door. "There's nothing I want to eat."
Korra smirks. "That can't be possible, we have so many snacks." She moves to Asami's side and peaks into the cabinets. Each shelf has a couple of different kinds of crackers or cookie packages.
Asami leans against their refrigerator. "I want Sorbete."
"We don't have any?"
Asami shakes her head. "I specifically want Taro Sorbete."
Korra crosses her arms and flashes her classic lopsided grin. "You want me to go down to the corner store?."
"I can come with you," Asami offers.
Korra shakes her head. "No, no. I can go." She moves through the sitting room to the apartment door. On a hook rests the light jacket she got for bumming around at night. She also picks up her small coin purse and stashes it in her sweatpants pocket.
Asami peaks at her through the doorway into the kitchen. "Thank you." She moves closer as Korra slips on her boots. Korra looks up and Asami's lips capture hers in a light kiss. Korra rises, her boots on, not letting their mouths separate. Now standing face to face, Korra has to lean slightly to one side, around Asami's belly, to keep the contact.
"Don't be gone long," Asami breathes as their kiss ends.
It was a little brisk out as Korra ambled to the corner store. The shop wasn't far, just a few blocks away. The cold felt good on her hot face, still warm from Asami's kiss. She kept waiting for the flutter in her stomach to lessen over time, but the thrill of kissing Asami never went away. Not after a couple years of marriage and now with their first child on the way.
A little bell rings as Korra opens the door. The kind face of an older gentleman greets her, with a little nod and smile as she enters.
"Another late-night snack for the Misses.?"
"You've got it," Korra winks, heading to the back of the small store.
"Third time this week!"
Korra angles her body to fit through the narrow aisles. The shop was nothing more than a hole in the wall, but the man stocked it like it was four times the size. "She claims we have nothing to eat."
"I think you and I both share the same philosophy, happy wife, happy life. So, what is it this time?" The older man asks.
Korra pops open the small freezer at the back of the shop. A burst of cold mist hits her face. She peers down into the tubs of frozen treats. "Taro Sorbete, but it looks like you may be out of that flavor?"
The store owner nods. "A young man came in earlier, bought three pints, must have been the last. Do you know what he even told me? It was for his pregnant wife."
Korra looks up from the freezer. "No kidding. I don't know what to get her instead. Nothing else is like that flavor."
"Best get a couple of options."
Korra reaches into the freezer and pulls out a pint of red bean, pineapple, and vanilla Sorbet. She scoops them into her arms and walks them to the register.
"Want a bag?" The store owner asks as he tallies the items. The total appears on a small window of the register with a bing!
"Yes please," Korra replies, fishing out the appropriate coins.
Once the transaction is complete Korra swings the bag of pints over her shoulder and heads to the door. The bell jingles as she enters the dimly lit street.
A few feet from the store, Korra hears a rumbling. She stops, her arms lax and the bag of Sorbete slips off her shoulders and dangles down at her legs. Korra is about ready to keep walking when she hears the rumble again. She closes her eyes, trying to focus on the vibrations.
Korra can sense a flurry of activity beneath the pavement. She fears it's possibly an earthquake but then a fuzzy snout breaks through the concrete a few feet in front of her. It dips below the surface as quickly as it rises. Korra stays back, waiting to see if the creature will reappear in the hole, but to her surprise, it bursts from the ground again behind her.
Then like a rapid fire, more puncture the surface through the streets. This causes enough noise and shaking that the store owner ambles out of his shop. "Avatar Korra, what's going on?"
Korra whips her head around at his voice. She spies the older man shuffling into the crumbling street in his flip-flops. She runs over and ushers him back towards the store. "Something weird's going on, you should stay inside."
"Is that badgermole?" The shop owner stammers.
Korra looks back to the streets and long sharp claws recede into a hole and are replaced by a long furry nose. "I think you're right. Do you have a phone in the shop?"
The older man nods and leads Korra to its cradle. She dials the police station number. "It's Avatar Korra, I need to speak with Chief Beifong."
"Korra?" Mako replies.
"Mako! Something weird's going on downtown. Badger Moles coming up through the pavement."
"ATTENTION CITIZENS OF REPUBLIC CITY!" A male voice booms on a megaphone.
"Who the hell is that?" Mako barks.
Korra moves as far toward the window as the phone's cord will let her. A badgermole is sitting in the middle of an intersection and standing on top of it is a man, short in stature, drab brown clothing, big goggles, and a helmet.
"ALL BOW BEFORE THE MIGHT OF THE BADGERMOLES!"
"There's some nut on the back of a badgermole."
The earth groaned and grumbled, giving way for a few more badgermoles and droves of similarly dressed people.
"Just get you and the rest of the station over here ASAP and you can see what's going on for yourself." Korra pushes the tab on the phone to hang it up and starts dialing the temple.
Asami looks up from her book as she feels a small tremor beneath her. Her eyes go to the door, but Korra isn't there, and her return wouldn't cause such a disturbance.
Asami's mug of tea shutters on the side table and it's enough to get her to her feet. She grabs her jacket by the door and steps into the hallway. Her neighbors, an older couple down the hall, peers back at her from their doorway.
"Do you feel that too?" One calls out.
Asami nods. "A small earthquake maybe?"
"Should we get out of the building?"
The floor trembles.
"Yes, but take the stairs."
The couple moves past Asami, while she seeks out the doors of the other tenants on her floor.
After making a second call, alerting Tenzin of the attack, Korra rushes out of the corner store to confront the attackers. They hadn't gotten far, above ground, badgermoles are quite clumsy and slow.
There were about seven of them marching down the street, two to three people riding on their backs. The man with the megaphone stood on his Badgermole and continued to shout the same sentiments as earlier.
The Badgermoles were taking swipes at anything in their path, mailboxes, light poles, parked Satomobiles.
Korra ran after them, summoning a wall of earth in their path to corral the beasts. She heard a siren's wail behind her a wave of relief washed over her knowing Mako and Lin were there to back her up.
The Badgermoles made quick work of Korra's earth walls and soldiered on.
"They're all over the fricking city," Lin starts, with a brief touch of Korra's shoulder. "We had to divert most of our officers before catching up to you."
"There's like, Badgermole people riding them," Korra says, directing their gaze to the stubby people.
Mako shakes out his wrists, warming up for the impending scuffle. "Any ideas as to what they want yet?"
Korra shrugs. "Shall we subdue them before they make any more of a mess?"
Mako and Lin nod and signal the police force behind them to proceed.
The riders rolled off the badgermoles and take cover behind their large bodies. Once out of sight, they earth-bent themselves below ground. Spinning around as they descended like small drills.
The badgermole's massive claws easily swatted away the metal whips the Republic City police rained upon them.
Korra and Mako pivot to fire attacks. Just enough to corral the beasts. They didn't want to inflict real harm on a creature that was considered sacred.
"I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but we need Wu," Korra shouts to Mako. "He can speak to these guys, right?"
"That's what I heard. He's actually supposed to arrive tomorrow."
"How do you know that?"
Mako throws another fire punch at one of the hulking Badgermoles. It hisses and swats at the flames with its massive paws. "We're getting dinner the following night after he's done his diplomatic business."
"Then I guess we have to handle this on our own till he gets here."
The flames are enough to get the seven badgermoles to bunch together against the wall of a department store. Lin gets ready to instruct her unit to use their metal whips to tie up the beasts when they all collectively notice the riders are no longer present.
As if on cue, the badgermole people burst up from the ground, two to three of them on a police officer.
Korra and Mako each have two soot-covered assailants popping up from the street at their feet. They are shorter than the average Republic City citizen. Their eyes are pale and their nails are long. The wide-brim hat they all wear has the Badgermole stripes and two felt ears.
"So, what is it you want?" Korra barks at the two small people in front of her.
"We want Republic City. This land was stolen from the badgermoles after the hundred-year war!"
Korra groans. "Didn't you hear what happened when Kuvira tried to take Republic City back?"
One of the badgermole people spits on the ground. "She had no more right to it than you all do!"
As they were talking, Mako tossed a fireball at the two little people, sending them down the street.
"For the record." Korra looks and sees that Mako has taken care of his two assailants as well. "I had them. I was just getting some intel."
Lin runs up to the pair. "These little gremlins are all over the place. When are the Airbenders supposed to arrive? We need troops who can get an aerial view."
Bolin charges out of his townhome in the city, in nothing but his boxer shorts and undershirt after seeing the second badgermole pass by their window.
Opal pokes her head out the front door. Her two sons were at either side, holding onto her legs.
"It really is badgermoles," Bolin shouts, out of breath. "I got to go find Korra." He squats and bends a moat of lava in front of his stoop.
"Bolin, you can't make a lava pit and leave!"
"Remember we have a backdoor."
Opal groans and ushers her kids into the house. "Be careful, okay?"
"I will my love," Bolin replies, and then blows his wife a kiss. He then charges down the street, in the direction he saw the badgermoles go.
Asami had just finished knocking on the last apartment door on her floor when something crashes through one of the hallway windows. Asami braces herself against the wall, narrowly avoiding any glass shards. Once it settled, the mass that came through the window moved. It was a badgermole person. His thick cloak and leather cap shielded him from any cuts. He shakes off the bits of glass and then snarls at Asami. She braces for an attack, but instead, he puts two stubby fingers in his mouth and whistles.
Soon more of them come leaping in through the window. They dangle from the upper ledge of the window and then swing inside. Asami wishes she had her glove, or at least more clothing on, but was prepared to kick her way through these strange little people until she could get back to her apartment. The group strikes. Asami swipes a few off their feet, but one gets a rag in her face and she finds her world quickly go black.
Bolin huffs through the streets dodging the odd citizen or Satomobile fleeing from a badgermole or badgermole person. Down the street a ways he could hear the crackling of metal whips, he was all too familiar with. He hoped either Mako or Korra would be where the police were.
A burst of flame confirmed his hope. "Mako! Korra!"
Bolin's shout catches the attention of a badgermole man, he pulls at his reins and turns around the tri-color creature to stare him down.
"Bolin!" Mako shouts from the other side. "Is Opal and the boys okay?"
Bolin attempts to dodge the badgermole and get around to his brother, but the creature blocks his movements. Fed up, he squats down and clenches his fists. The gravel beneath the badgermole begins to turn yellowish-orange. It takes a moment for the heat to penetrate the rough pads of its feet. Soon enough the badgermole feels the burn and scampers out of Bolin's path.
Korra and Mako rush to meet Bolin.
"Opal and the boys okay?" Mako repeats.
Bolin nods. "Yeah, I left them a lava moat. What about you guys? What the heck is going on with these guys?"
The three look around. Republic City Police officers subdue the remaining badgermole people. They cuff them and load them into their trucks, but are unsure what to do with the badgermoles. Once the riders are taken down, most of the beasts burrow back into the earth, leaving massive holes in the road. A few feisty ones remain in the area, trying to get past the police and to their riders.
"They're not too hard to stop, there are just so many of them," Mako says, catching the eye of Lin. She starts towards the three.
"Yeah, they were outside my house and all over the place when I came to find you guys."
"Tenzin and the Air Nation should be here any minute," Lin announces as she joins their little circle. "Once we have eyes in the air we can better coordinate our defense and hopefully wrangle them all."
Bolin's face twitches for a moment, as he considers why something feels off.
"Where's Asami?"
Korra's eyes bulge. "Shit! I was on a snack run. I got to go check on her."
The Avatar turns on her heels and dashes down the street back towards the apartment. During the attack, they ended up a couple blocks farther down the road from the corner store. As she ran, it felt like she was miles away.
Bolin and Mako consider chasing after her when they hear a deep cracking noise, followed by a kaboom.
Lin puts a hand on both their shoulders and inserts herself between them. "Boys, Korra and Asami will be fine. Let's go see what the heck these little pests did now."
The brothers nod and follow Lin to a police vehicle.
Korra hears the same explosive noise coming from across the city but stays on her course to their apartment building. As she runs, she wished she had brought her glider staff. Korra made a mental note that maybe she just needed to bring that with her all of the time. Especially while Asami was pregnant.
Korra reaches the outside of their building. Her neighbors are all clambered out front. All dressed in their pajamas, a few smart enough to grab their coats before coming outside. No one was going to freeze, but there was a definite chill in the air. She did not see Asami in the crowd.
Many of the people are looking up toward the top of the building. Korra's eyes follow theirs to a broken window. She recognizes it as the hallway window near the elevator. It was their floor.
Korra dashes to the main entrance of the building and straight to the stairs. Her legs were tired from her sprint, so she summoned flames at her feet and jet-propelled herself through the stairwell to the top floor. Korra lands at the top, and flings open the door into their apartment floor's hallway. Glass shards litter the carpeted floor.
Korra moves to their apartment. The door is shut but unlocked. She dashes through the rooms, calling out for Asami, but there is no sign of her wife. Korra returns to the hallway and the shattered window. Panic starts to spread through her stomach. She can feel the organ contorting with anxiety. Something isn't right. Asami would have stayed with the neighbors or at least called Lin or Tenzin or even Opal.
Korra inspects the glass on the floor. Something brown and fuzzy catches her eye. She moves a big chunk of glass and reveals what looks like a felted badgermole ear. Like the one on their badgermole men's caps.
"They must know who she is," Korra sighs, picking up the ear. She shoves it in her pocket and tries to imagine where those rodent people could have taken her wife.
Korra goes back into the apartment and locates their emergency radio. She moves the dial to the police frequency. "Lin, it's Korra. Asami's been taken. What's the situation down there? Over."
She waits a few moments. The static of the radio hisses and hums. There's a crackle, then Lin's voice. She brings the radio receiver eagerly to her ear. "We've captured a high-ranking badgermole person. Maybe a General. Offered negotiations with Wu. The airbender team is rounding up stragglers. Still many out there causing a mess. Will ask about Asami. Stand by. Over."
Korra keeps the receiver close as she paces around the sitting room of their home. In the corner was a half-built crib. Asami, the engineer that she was, struggled to put together their store-bought crib. It was touted as super adaptable and could be used up to age three. The instructions read like they were translated from another language. They were both about ready to toss it in the trash and buy a basic model.
Korra's stomach flips. They were so excited about this baby. What if she had to come back to the home again without them? She furiously shakes her head. She can't allow herself to go down that train of thought.
The radio chirps. Lin comes back on. "Badgermole men were sent to kidnap her as a hostage. Location unknown. Where are you, I will send a backup. Over."
"I'm at our apartment. I'm going to the rooftop. They might have broken in that way. Over."
"Airbenders are on their way. Be careful. Over."
Korra chucks the radio on their couch and marches out the door.
She eyes the broken window in the hall, rushes to it, and jumps out. Again, a burst of flames at her feet propel her into the air giving her enough lift to land on the roof.
The sun has just started to rise, casting a yellow glow on all the mess the badgermole men had made upon Republic City. She shields her eyes with a hand to get a better view of the cityscape. A reflective glint catches her attention.
Korra runs over to the edge of the roof. Two grappling hooks are latched onto the wall of the roof, which was about waist high. Korra peers over the side and sees they are part of a rope bridge connecting to another building about a street-width length away. Her eyes follow the bridge to what appears to be a couple of rodents and Asami.
The badgermole men have noticed her and are pointing her way. One quickly goes to hooks on their building and ditches them off the side. The bridge swiftly falls and collides with the side of Korra and Asami's apartment building. The clang of glass shattering can be heard as Korra imagines the grappling hooks colliding with someone's window.
Korra is unphased. She doesn't need the bridge to get over there. She gets ready to jump to the side and fire-jet herself over to the next building when a screechy voice stops her.
"Stay back Avatar Korra! You try and come over here, we'll see if you're that good a flyer." The stumpy badgermole person shouts as he tugs Asami closer, demonstrating his control over her movements.
Korra adjusts her position on the edge of the roof. "You've already lost. We've captured your leader. Let her go!"
A thunderous cracking sound, followed by a muted chorus of screams catches all of their attention. They look in the direction of the noise to see a fifteen-story apartment building leaning at a precarious angle like it stopped mid-fall.
"We're still in the game Avatar Korra!"
Korra's head moves rapidly back and forth as she tries to keep tabs on the leaning building and the goons holding Asami.
Another large metallic groan echoes through the city as the building loses its battle with gravity and starts to lean more towards the ground.
"Times up Avatar!" The two badgemolemen on either side of Asami start walking her towards the end of the building. She struggles in their grip, but it's no use.
Korra lowers into a crouch preparing to save her wife, when the screams from the apartment building bring her back from her focused state. The broken part of the structure has given up and begins to crumble, sending the top half of the building careening to the earth below.
Korra's eyes begin to glow blue, and then dart between the two catastrophes, her mind spinning, her body radiating with the Avatar state.
"Raava, what do I do? I need your help!"
"Korra, I can't make this decision for you."
"I can't choose."
"You must."
"I love Asami more than anything else. And the baby, I haven't even met our child! If they die I might as well die along with them. But I can't do that because I'm the Avatar!"
"I…I love them too."
"Then help me save them!" Korra pleads. "I need all of your strength!"
Raava's reply was a surge of electricity pulsating from Korra's core to her extremities. Korra closes her eyes. She can sense every spirit vine in the city, their original sprout of growth to every sprawling tendril. Her right-hand reaches out and calls them near with her right hand. Moving her fingertips to conduct the vines to grow and curl towards the careening building.
With her left hand, Korra feels the rush of water in the pipes of the city below. With a punch, she breaks the nearest one open and guides the water through the streets into the sky. Her left-hand flicks and parts the stream into two, directing them to the men on each side of Asami. They wash away in an instant by the geyser's pressure.
The burst of spirit vines opens like an octopus, engulfing the side of the falling building. The structure groans as it settles into the embrace. Korra takes a breath, now that the building is no longer falling, and then urges the vines to push it back upright.
The badgermole goons had their arms still on Asami when they got pummeled with water. They let go as soon as they felt the water blast, in an attempt to protect their faces, their quick release caused Asami to lose her balance.
Korra's rapid eye flicking stops, spying Asami's fumble in the air. Her left-hand works quickly, redirecting the water back towards her. The two streams become connected behind Asami, then like a lasso, Korra whips the water back, with Asami in tow.
They crash together, water flowing over them and then down to the streets. Korra wraps her left arm around the back of Asami's middle, gripping her as tightly as she can. Her right arm screams as it directs her full Avatar power to the spirit vines as they hold the building in place.
"Korra," is all Asami can think to say.
Korra pulls her as close as her bulging belly will allow and presses her lips to Asami's in a crushing kiss. A few moments pass and their lips separate. "I thought I might lose you both."
"Close," Asami touches Korra's face. "But you saved the day."
This reminds Korra of the building and gives it her full attention. She closes her eyes and wills the spirit vines to hold their place until she commands otherwise. Her body goes slack, exhausted. Asami bends to drape her wife's arm around her shoulder.
"Common, we got to see if it's actually over or not."
Wu arrived in the knick of time to smooth things over with the remaining badgermole men and badgermoles, offering them above-ground sanctuary in the United Earth States.
To Korra's relief, very few homes, outside of the building she stopped from collapsing, were destroyed. Most of the damage was to the streets and public property. No one was going to be able to drive comfortably until the roads were repaved, but few had to spend the night in a shelter.
Korra went to bed that night wide awake, despite spending the night prior fighting. She laid on her back and stared at the ceiling until she could tell Asami had drifted off. Korra waited another thirty minutes to ensure her wife wouldn't notice her slipping out of bed.
The night air nipped at Korra's face as she opened her glider and took off for Air Temple Island. As she flew overhead she noted the contrast of the night prior, from her height, she could hardly tell anything had happened at all.
Korra touches down in front of the male dorm and quietly seeks out Zhou Rhen's room. He was in town until she and Asami left for the South Pole to have the baby. Kaya, who's their midwife, had to leave the city a few months ago to take care of Katara who is insistent she spends her final days in her motherland.
Korra gently knocks on the door. After a few moments a sleepy, Zhou Rhen appears in the doorframe.
"Avatar Korra?"
"I need someone to talk to."
Zhou Rhen smiles sleepily. "Then I'm your guy."
Korra makes Zhou Rhen walk with her out to the courtyard, as far as they can get away from the Air Temple dorms. The two end up on the beach. Zhou Rhen took a seat on a log, while Korra chose to pace.
"It happened, the moment happened."
Zhou Rhen pulls out his notebook and flips it to a fresh page. He notes the date, assuming it's already the following day since it feels so late. "The choice? Like the big one?"
Korra stops a moment to answer, "Yes," and then resumes her anxious laps along the rocky beach.
"Everything turned out okay, so you did it. You faced your fear."
"I didn't though." Korra bends down and collects a few stones. She thinks about chucking them into the water but instead lets them slide out of her hand. "I couldn't make the choice. I refused and somehow got lucky and was able to save both Asami and that building from collapsing. I begged Raava for more strength and she lent it to me. "
"Well, you still made a choice," Zhou Rhen urges.
"Was it the right one though?"
"Explain."
Korra collapses into the seated lotus position, not caring if the beach is a little wet. "The correct choice for the Avatar is to put my personal feelings aside and save the many over the few. Regardless of how important they are to me, right? If I don't save the world, there is no place for those I love to live. So if I really want to save them, I have to save the world. But that still usually means they don't get saved. Ever since you told me I've gone over it in my head. Reminded myself of my duty. Mediated about it. I have no Avatar's I can consult with. Though I can guess most Avatar's in recent memories responses, it would still be nice to know how they got there mentally."
Zhou Rhen chews the tip of his pencil for a moment. "I don't think beating yourself up for this is going to be helpful to you. You made choices, you took action, and it resulted in everyone being saved."
***Present Time***
Korra plants a few little pecks on Kimmi's head.
"I'm sorry this moment still troubles you so much, Avatar Korra."
"Mumma, we're hooooooome!" Ai calls out from the foyer. As she often did if Korra wasn't there to meet the children as soon as they returned from school.
"We're in the sitting room," Korra hollers back.
Ai soon appears, with Wan a few steps behind her. She stops at the site of Zhou Rhen. The children have seen him before, but he usually represents Avatar business at Air Temple Island. He was out of place sitting in their home.
"Kids, you know Zhou Rhen. He's come to meet Kimmi."
Ai gives him a little wave, and then quickly scoots to the loveseat Korra occupies. She stands behind it bashfully. Wan comfortably takes the other empty armchair beside Zhou Rhen.
"Do you like having a new baby sister?" Zhou Rhen asks, as sweetly as he can muster.
Ai shyly nods. "Yeah. She's so cute."
"She's alright," Wan replies with a shrug.
Zhou Rhen spies Wan looking at Korra to see if he was in any trouble for the comment. She doesn't show any reaction. How excited about a baby could you expect an eleven-year-old boy to be?
Ai leans over to Korra and holds a little hand out to cover her mouth. She whispers in that loud way kids do. "Does this mean we're not having a snack today?"
"I'm sorry sweetie, I forgot to make the afternoon snack. I can do that now." Korra hoists Kimmi and herself up. "We can talk more at the temple."
Zhou Rhen grimaces. He wanted to put off going to the temple as long as he possibly could. "I could wait. I don't mind. I've got some notations I need to make about our conversation."
"Alright, that's fine." Korra leaves the room with Ai closely at her heels.
Wan stays put and examines Zhou Rhen. "You're in the White Lotus?"
"I am."
"What's the difference between the Red Lotus and the White Lotus?"
Zhou Rhen drops his notebook. It flops on the floor. A few loose pages and notes spill out. He quickly bends over to collect them and his head at the boy's odd question.
"How do you know about the Red Lotus?" Zhou Rhen asks, plopping the book and papers into his lap to organize.
"I've just heard of both. There's one that works for Korra and then there's another that doesn't."
"The Red Lotus was an organization that was…" Zhou Rhen's face contorts. How does he answer this? What was he allowed to say to this child? Probably not that this organization wanted to kill one of his mothers. "They were bad guys. Into all kinds of bad things. But they were taken down by your mother and her friends."
"Bad, that word is kind of subjective, isn't it?"
Zhou Rhen looked around for any sign that Avatar Korra was returning and hopefully putting an end to this conversation that was making him almost as uncomfortable as the thought of confronting Jinora later.
"Subjective is a word I learned today," Wan starts. "We're learning one new word a day and we have to use it in a sentence."
Korra re-enters the room with a small tray of sliced fruits. Ai, once again is her shadow. When the tray is placed on the coffee table, Ai eagerly takes a piece in each hand and then plops herself on the loveseat.
Zhou Rhen jumps up from his chair. "You know Avatar Korra, I probably should get going. Best to get to the temple before dark. Why don't you come by sometime tomorrow and we can speak more."
"I can have Hong give you a ride to the docks if you'd like."
"That would be lovely."
***6 Months ago***
Wan opens his eyes and Tenzin is still asleep at his side. "Because I am a man with dangerous ideas," echoes in his mind. Wan was prepped for strangeness in the Spirit World, but this man was not anything he expected.
Wan waits for Ikki to come and notify them it's time for lunch and to wake the old man. Wan is tempted to share his new ability but knows as soon as he does, Tenzin will be far more vigilant about him having a chaperoned in the Spirit World. His moms would also want to get involved or caution him about the dangers. This new independent space would be lost.
Wan did have trouble getting back into the Spirit World. He thought he had it sorted out, but every meditation was like rolling dice. It seemed the times he tried when he wanted it more, he was less likely to make it in.
One afternoon at the end of a particularly frustrating school day, Wan found himself transported back in that eerie red grove. He remembered the man he found there. How could he not? He was linked to his early entries into the Spirit World. In the pit of Wan's stomach, he knew he should not seek that person out. The Spirit World was known for harboring all sorts of tricksters. This man openly admitted he had dangerous ideas. Still, there was something about him that intrigued Wan.
Perhaps it was his frankness. Everyone in his life was always so careful about what they said. It made Wan feel like a little kid. Like he couldn't handle the full truth of a situation. It was the same at his new school. The bullied transfer kid of the Avatar, tread lightly.
The man did not appear to be there. Wan walked around for a little while. He did a look into Xai Bao at the Air Temple after his encounter with the strange man. There wasn't much on him, at least in Tenzin's study. But as the man said, he wasn't a part of Tenzin's curriculum.
It was the first time he had ever heard anything critical about Master Tenzin. It was hard to believe anyone could think ill of such a revered old man. Wan was starting to learn that just because someone is an adult, doesn't mean they necessarily have all the answers or did things correctly every time.
He heard his mother's talking before he interrupted them with his embarrassing accident. Korra had been sneaking around not unlike a little kid and Asami wasn't happy about it. His mother's rarely fought, but if someone was in the dog house, it was typically Korra. Usually for silly things like communicating about schedules.
Wan reaches the end of Xai Bao's grove. The red upside down
upside-down-looking trees come to an abrupt stop. He looks out at a valley of uneven rocks. Small scrubby bushes and trees sparsely fill some of the cracks and crags. Wan turns around and looks back into the grove.
How does a person get their own spot in the Spirit World, Wan wonders. He never heard of any places named after Avatars, not that he knew many places outside of the North and South Pole and the fog of lost souls. Something he was very sternly warned about by Tenzin.
"Xai Bao was the creator of the Red Lotus," a raspy male voice says from the woods.
Wan looks around but cannot see anyone. He scurries to the center of the grove and pivots his foot to make a full circle to find the voice. "It's you again, right?"
"My name is Yorru." The bearded man walks from the trees, appearing almost out of thin air. And you are the Airbender, though once again you are not in novice robes. You don't live at the temple."
Wan shakes his head. "No, I live with my parents in the city."
The man walks towards and then past Wan. Reclaiming his spot beneath the big tree once again. He eases his body down into the lotus position. "You attend regular school then? Your parents don't want you to grow up a monk?"
"Yeah, school sucks, but I don't want to be a monk either."
"You just haven't found the right teacher." The man closes his eyes. "My students will be here shortly. You must go."
Wan takes a curious step closer. "You teach in the Spirit World?"
The man grins and holds out his arms."Where else can you hold a classroom where students can gather from all over the world at the same moment?"
"That is pretty cool."
"Find me and this place again, and I'll consider taking you on as a pupil." The man raises his arm and flicks his hand. Wan feels a slight push, somehow. It startles him enough that he wakes from his meditative state and is back on the floor of his bedroom.
To be continued…