AUTHOR'S NOTES: And now finally comes the chapter where Korra gets that cool tattoo she's sporting in my cover art. Her training is almost completed, and once she unlocks the last few abilities the Red Lotus wants to teach her (as well as the Avatar State of course), then it's just a matter of honing her skills—and that's when the real fun begins. Also, our little Avatar turns 15, and gets confrontational.
Happy Reading!

BOOK ONE: POWER

CHAPTER NINETEEN: THE DESTRUCTION MASTER

Korra's days were unforgiving and somewhat repetitive, but she enjoyed these lessons so much that it didn't really even faze her. Kwan commented that it was risky to put the girl's mind so strictly on a single collective focus, but these remarks were overall ignored. Korra pondered it when Kwan addressed it to her, but ultimately concluded that it was for the better.

"It's like Avatar Kyoshi once told me," she reasoned, "it's a means to an end."

"I understand," Kwan put her hand on Korra's left shoulder and right forearm, (since her right shoulder was currently sporting a rather nasty cut that, while bandaged, was still very sensitive), "I would just hate for it to consume you—and spell your own end."

"Don't worry Kwan," Korra nodded as headed back to her room, "I've got it all under control…"

Once Kwan had left, she sat down at her desk and pulled out her journal, deciding to pen her latest entry since she was still a bit worn out from her latest training session.

Day 301: I can't believe it's almost already been a year since I came out this way. I wonder how Asami is doing… and my parents. It might be nice to see what Ichiro was up to too if Gaoling wasn't so far away. I would have liked to keep in touch. Still, I've learned so much and grown so much. I can't name a day where I wasn't in some kind of pain, but damn these results feel GOOD. Everything seems so clear to me, and Zaheer has even talked to P'Li about teaching me that cool exploding trick of hers. I'll have to get back to them on that.

P'Li was not a woman of many words, but she explained the concept of combustion bending in such a simple straightforward way that Korra was apprehensive and cautious from the get-go.

"Screw up most bending disciplines," she remarked, deliberately letting herself "misfire" a small basic-level fireball, "and you can usually shrug it off and get right back up. Screw up a combustion attack… and it'll tear you limb from limb. If you try to bend it while chi-blocked, it'll straight up blast your head apart."

"I almost want to say that discourages me," Korra looked a bit worried, and her pout hinted at this, "but I understand the risks. I don't imagine I'll be blowing things up on my first lesson, will I?"

"I might be ruthless," P'Li reasoned, "but I am not outright sadistic. Either you will walk away and reconsider your desire, you will learn this ability and use it to great effect, or you will misuse it and it will spell your gruesome and bloody demise."

"So you're trusting an almost-15-year-old kid with this kind of power?" Korra frowned.

"No," P'Li answered to Korra's surprise. "But Zaheer trusts you, and so I will trust his judgment."

"So, another question," Korra raised her hand, looking up at the massive woman in front of her. Both of them may have been sitting with their legs crossed, but even then, P'Li was a good several inches taller than Korra, whose stocky, muscular frame was much less vertically imposing than anyone else at the compound save Kwan.

P'Li did not verbally acknowledge Korra's inquiry, but raised an eyebrow to show she was at least paying attention.

"Will I get one of those tattoos at some point?" Korra's eyes moved up to the 3rd-eye tattoo that graced the middle of the firebender's forehead.

"If you are seeking this art for the sole purpose of a tattoo, just cut out the middleman," P'Li rolled her eyes slightly, "if you are seeking an enhanced focus point for the ability you wish to learn, then you will indeed obtain one after you have proven your proficiency without it."

"Come on," Korra flapped her arms, looking insulted, "Just because I'm a teenager doesn't mean I'm all about stupid edgy tattoos or anything."

"And yet, if Ming-Hua is to be believed," P'Li riposted, "then you have a Fire Nation emblem tattooed on the back of your right hip thanks to that evening where you broke into Kwan and Ghazan's barrel of Si Wong Reserve…"

"What!?" Korra barked, her eyes popping open as wide as dinner plates, "I mean, that stuff was delicious, but I didn't get any tattoos anywhere, let alone on my ass. I can prove it even!"

P'Li simply raised an eyebrow, but spoke up when she saw Korra about to loosen her pants and remove her fur skirt.

"Please," the combustion bender put up her hand and turned away, shaking her head, "I do not need to see your backside, Avatar. Sit down, and take comfort in knowing that I will… take your word for it and reprimand Ming-Hua and Ghazan for spreading misinformation."

Korra gave a disdainful pout that wasn't directed at anyone in particular but then sat down. For how rebellious she had been with Nakkoa and Kwan, Korra was a very compliant person when it came to being taught and instructed.

Day 315: I've got a new goal. I want to get that 3rd-eye tattoo before my 15th birthday or so help me. Combustion is scary, but I can definitely see myself having fun with it. It seems all that focus training that Unalaq and Zaheer drilled into my head had an external purpose after all. I quite like my limbs, as well as my head, so I have no desire to get myself blown up. It makes me wonder if any other incarnations of the Avatar had learned this ability or not… surely they have. Maybe one of the Interregnum Avatars knew it or something.

Day 356: Not a day before my birthday, I got P'Li's approval. I gotta get Kwan to take my picture again for this occasion. Well, and I need to get a photo for my mom's scrapbook. I can't let my 15th birthday go undocumented now, can I? I would have said the only thing that could make it better would be if I got another piece of the Interregnum Puzzle, but I learned two nights ago who the Avatar between Imalek and Fa Su was. Avatar Koroda reminds me of myself in some ways, except he seems much less subtle than his predecessor or successor. I don't imagine I could scheme as much as he did though, and he wasn't cool enough to get a combustion tattoo on his forehead like I did. I *really* need to get a photo of this.
UPDATE: Holy crap it's beautiful! Stings like a fucker, but IT'S SO PRETTY!

Korra did not trim her bangs, but her forehead now bore a vertical "3rd-eye" with three pairs of symmetrical, slightly curved lines jutting out of it on either side. She checked herself out multiple times over the next several hours and into the next day. Korra's birthday wasn't really much in terms of a celebration, although Kwan did make her day a little more special by giving her a bag of her favourite candy to enjoy. Korra also took this day off as a time to rest up a little bit. It wasn't every day that the Avatar turned 15, and only one other Avatar in recent history had wielded so much diverse elemental knowledge at that age, and said Avatar was Korra's predecessor. Not that she necessarily wanted to one-up Aang (since she couldn't exactly go back in time and master the elements at age 12 like he did), but she wanted to present herself as a formidable fighter even at her young age.

For how serious and no-nonsense they were, both Unalaq and Zaheer even wished her a happy birthday, which came true enough in her books. Ghazan and Ming-Hua may have spiked her drink with some more of that "Si Wong Reserve", but the end result was simply Korra having a very giggly and comical evening as she started 'seeing' and rambling about all sorts of nonsense that wasn't there. Fortunately for her, she did not in fact get a tattoo on her backside.

Whether it was luck or her own sheer resilience, Korra managed to sober up before the night was over, and as she was taking a walk under the evening sky and taking in the scenery, she happened upon a black-haired woman that she had had a bone to pick with for some time now.

"Nakkoa," she called out, approaching the woman with a steeled resolve, "We need to talk."

"Are you here to complain about how I don't give you any special treatment, Avatar?" Nakkoa did not turn around, "because, if so, then I'll quote the words of a certain little Water Tribe girl who once said… "You gotta deal with it"."

"No," Korra put her hand on Nakkoa's shoulder, pulling the older woman around to look her straight in the eye, "I want to know what your problem is with me. I don't care about the subtle jabs you make about me or the way you might gossip about me behind my back, but I'm not okay with this kind of treatment. If you have a problem with me, say it to my face, and we can sort this out like adults—or settle it the old fashioned way." her left fist went into her right palm.

"Child," Nakkoa chortled, "if everyone settled their differences by fighting, there would only be one nation remaining today, and it'd likely be the Northern Water Tribe. Do you want to know what I have against you?"

There was a pause, before Nakkoa's hand seized Korra's face beneath her chin, her long nails poking into Korra's lower jaw. "I want to kill you."

"That's what this is over?!" Korra recoiled, not exactly believing her, "What's taking you so long then? Try me!" Flames appeared around Korra's hands, and with her new tattoo she did look bit more menacing than she did before.

"And what," Nakkoa flicked her wrist, essentially "stealing" the flames from around Korra's hands and wrapping them around her own, where they turned blue. "Face the wrath of your uncle who watches me like an eagle-hawk, and incur the wrath of Zaheer and my sister as well?"

"But WHY do you want to kill me?" Korra looked a little shocked as she realized that Nakkoa had just caught her off-guard. "Are you even being serious about that?"

"You…" this time Korra caught Nakkoa off-guard, "are handling this remarkably well. Here I expected you to attack me the moment I said I wanted to kill you. Perhaps I am merely overreacting to this entire situation."

"Thank my uncle then," Korra stayed defensive, "and honestly, I think you're lying."

"My reasoning for wanting you dead is because it would be easier for us to achieve our goals if we started you younger." Nakkoa replied bluntly, "giving someone as wild and uncontrollable as you this much power is a mistake in my opinion."

"Look," Korra frowned, her lower lip sticking out in an unintentionally endearing way, "You're a great liar, and I really don't want any trouble. If you hate me, do something about it, but don't just let it fester. Speaking of which… should I be afraid that you're going to try and kill me when you teach me blue firebending, or are you just going to refuse to teach me at all since I'm apparently 'too powerful already' or whatever it was?"

The dramatic expression Korra made when she waggled her fingers almost made Nakkoa crack a smile behind her otherwise stony facade.

"I'll teach you, but it might kill you," Nakkoa shrugged, her voice still betraying none of her actual feelings, "but I suppose Ghazan and P'Li could say the same thing about their lessons as well. And call it a hunch, but I'm pretty sure Ming-Hua's tried killing you at least once."

"That's different though," Korra shook her head. "If that's what you mean by 'trying to kill me', then maybe you're not as bad as you think."

"Why are you like this?" Nakkoa squinted.

"Why am I like what?" Korra tilted her head, "Why am I not an ass like you? Maybe it's because I like to treat people as equals? Maybe it's because I don't think you're quite as wicked as you think you are? If Kwan can turn her life around, so can you."

"That seems unlike you, Miss Avatar," Nakkoa blew a small stream of flame from her lips, "I thought you liked hitting things first, asking questions later."

"Meditation did me a bit of good, I guess," Korra shrugged her left shoulder, "I mean look. I'm happy to accept a challenge, but I really hate this bad blood between us, and if I had to take a stab in the dark… I don't think you like it either."

Korra did not wait for Nakkoa to respond, which surprised the firebender a little, for she had opened her mouth and uttered half a syllable already before Korra had walked off.

Day 391: Nakkoa finally started teaching me the intricacies of lightning and blue fire, although after combustion, it's coming pretty easy to me. I think she's still holding up that ruse of wanting to kill me, but I still don't think her heart is in it. I wish she'd just open up and tell me what was wrong, but I guess it's none of my business if not even Kwan can get it out of her. I've also finally learned more about who Serenez actually was, and I'll just say she's a scary one. What is it with the quiet ones being the freaky ones that get things done? On that note, I also figured out who the Interregnum Avatar before Serenez and Kallian was. It was an Airbender named Xilingshi, and much like her predecessor Sakai, who I also learned about only recently. She's one of those early Avatar incarnations who was seen more as a hero than a schemer. I wonder where they went wrong? Was it Imalek? I've got 14 of the 21 stories down… two-thirds of the way there. Persistence, Korra. That's how we're getting things done around here.

With the various other lessons Korra was now taking, she saw less of Zaheer and Unalaq, but she didn't mind the change of pace. They stayed at the compound too, doing whatever it was that they did, and tending to Korra's training-related needs when they saw fit. Korra found the whole thing to still be extremely exciting, and spent many of her afternoons blowing things up with her mind, or "duelling the sky" with lightning bolts. She still had a great deal of training to do before she could qualify as a master, but if this was her power without even unlocking the Avatar State, Kwan was not the only one who wondered just how powerful this young woman would become once she had realized her full potential.

PAST LIVES DISCOVERED:

Koroda (Water Tribe, Male): The 15th Avatar in the Interregnum Cycle. A Water Tribe man who tried to follow in his predecessor's steps, but lacked the subtlety. Despite this, he still managed to be a very convincing man, and as such he still managed to elevate the Avatar to a level of power that would allow some of his successors to wreak havoc on the world—even if most of his efforts helped keep the world in balance, albeit by force.

Xilingshi (Air Nomad, Female): The 6th Avatar of the Interregnum Cycle. An Air Nomad warrior and hero, she became particularly famous during a defense against a siege on the Eastern Air Temple, and while she was hailed as a saviour, she did not really challenge the status quo. Her mellow and sometimes indecisive attitude was not harmful on its own, but was ultimately detrimental in a time when the world needed the opposite.

Sakai (Fire Nation, Male): The 5th Avatar of the Interregnum Cycle. A curious and opportunistic Fire Nation man who led many social experiments in an orderly world left by his predecessor. Since none of them were necessarily harmful, his impact on the world was viewed fairly positively, and as such he was instrumental in elevating the social position of the Avatar like many of his successors.

TOTAL PAST LIVES MET: 19