AUTHOR'S NOTES: When you think about it, even in the show Korra was probably kind of starved for social attention or affection. She had no real friends growing up in the compound and even in this story, the Red Lotus didn't exactly show her much love apart from a professional approach with their lessons. Either way, here's a chapter that's not all doom and gloom. The fluff (while not about to become an extremely common occurrence) has arrived.
Happy Reading!

BOOK ONE: POWER

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO: RECONCILIATION

Before there would be any apologizing though, Asami marched Korra to one of her side rooms and sat her down in front of a mirror. Korra grumbled, knowing exactly what she was in store for, but knew that there was no talking Asami out of it at this point.

"You'll want a metal comb or brush if you have one," Korra warned.

"Oh?" Asami paused.

"Kwan tried doing my hair once," Korra shrugged with a laugh, "she broke two combs before metalbending one strong enough to get through my hair."

"I have just the thing then…" Asami couldn't help but laugh.

In stark contrast to Kwan, Asami treated Korra's hair gently to the point where any pulling was light enough to not make Korra yell or want to turn around and slug her in the face. She'd have to tell Kwan about this if the two ever crossed paths again. Some time later after Asami finished working her magic; she started running her fingers through Korra's hair, which felt surprisingly delightful. After several minutes of this though, she had to ask.

"Is this part of you doing my hair?" Korra was just curious.

"No;" Asami chuckled, "you just have really fluffy hair that's fun to play with."

"Well it feels nice," Korra cracked a rare soft smile, "I… really like it."

It was an odd and surprisingly relaxing little act that soothed Korra's still-frazzled nerves. Perhaps she would have to ask for this treatment a little more often, especially if it helped her keep a level head. Before the Nakkoa incident Korra felt like she would have little trouble staying cool, but ever since then, she felt like she was still unstable enough that she didn't fully trust her own emotions. She was also still angry and embarrassed at herself that she had let the Avatar State slip in, and in front of her parents no less.

"I'll keep that in mind." Asami continued to idly play with Korra's hair, "thank you."

"No," Korra sighed, "thank you."

As much as she tried to shake it, she wondered about Asami. Hiroshi was somewhat suspicious, and she had a nagging feeling that he didn't exactly like her as much as he let on. Maybe he was just humouring Asami, or maybe she was just being paranoid. After Nakkoa and the Red Lotus, Korra still had serious trust issues that she wasn't sharing with anyone. That woman didn't trust anyone either, and in a way, it had made sense. By teaching Korra, Nakkoa had been associating with and teaching the girl who would later take her life. By extension, Korra had been living with the woman who would later mess up her entire life, all because Korra could not see through the act.

Then it occurred to her: what if Asami was the same way? What if this was all a ruse?

No! She couldn't start thinking that way and spitting in Asami's face after everything her best friend had done for her. Asami was just a kind young lady who wanted to help Korra…

...but at what benefit of her own? Here Korra was, living off of the Satos' yuan, not really providing anything in return while Asami was here as Korra's emotional crutch, also always doing little things for her to cheer her up throughout the day—and not asking anything in return. It was suspicious, Korra felt, but she also tried to dismiss this as her paranoia speaking. They had been friends for almost two years prior to her near-death experience, and never once had Korra procured that same suspicion until now.

Korra told herself that it was for her parents' sake that she waited a day before trying to contact Tonraq and Senna, but really it was also for her own sake as well. Fortunately they had not left the city either, but Asami was able to somehow find them and invite them back to pick up Korra.

While she had looked somewhat proper the day before despite her hair, today Korra had reverted back to her barefooted vagrant look, perhaps as a reminder of her own shame. This humility extended to when she actually saw Tonraq and Senna in person again, for she hung her head and was hesitant to make eye contact with either of them.

"Can we talk somewhere else besides Mr. Sato's front gate?" she asked, having cleared it with Asami that she would be gone for a little while. That her parents led her to a vehicle before climbing in was further evidence of this.

"I'm interested in hearing the explanation behind this," Tonraq spoke as he drove them to the suite they had been staying in. His driving abilities were not as proficient as Asami's considering that there were far fewer vehicles in the Southern Water Tribe, but he still knew how to operate a Satomobile it seemed.

"Can you at least not rub it in?" Korra sighed, "I want to apologize, but if I'm just going to get patronized, I'll jump out of this car right now and deal with whatever comes my way from there. I just want to do it when I have your full attention, rather than distract you when you're weaving through traffic."

There was a curt nod, before Tonraq and Senna eventually took Korra to their suite and seated themselves across from Korra.

"Have a seat," He invited her to sit as well, where she still refused to make eye contact. "And feel free to explain yourself when you're ready."

"I…" Korra glanced side to side. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I felt like shit after you left, and even now I'm still hitting myself for even remembering that I literally threatened to kill you."

"That was honestly the most shocking and frankly terrifying threat I have ever faced in my life," Senna admitted, "and that's even counting the incidents in Desert Storm. Death threats from horrible people such as renegades, criminals or terrorists is one thing, but to receive a death threat from my own child, who I know full well is capable of carrying out that threat without remorse... we were just as frightened as you were, Korra."

"I know!" Korra whimpered, "I love you guys! How do you think I felt after realizing that I got hijacked by the Avatar State and threatened to murder you both in cold blood like that?!"

"...hijacked by the Avatar State?" Tonraq leaned forward, tilting his head slightly. "That's a phrase I've never heard before."

"It wasn't a choice," Korra explained, "It… just kind of happened. It's an Avatar defense mechanism; everyone knows that… but for me it's become something of a reflex. Like, whenever my spirit thinks I'm in danger, it kicks in, even when I'm not in any actual danger. For some reason I felt threatened when you spoke to me… so I brought up my defenses and threw my own threats right back at you."

There was a moment of silence before Korra shifted forward, letting herself fall to her knees. "What's wrong with me!?" She cried, burying her face in her hands, leaning forward until her face nearly touched the floor. "I've got trust issues because of that woman, dad… I didn't trust you guys and you've been there for me for over 14 years…" They hadn't exactly been there for her 15th year or the beginning of her 16th year, but at this point Korra was pretty convinced she wanted her parents to be there when she turned 16—or at the very least, to keep in regular touch with them at that point. "And now I'm worried that the Satos are trying to exploit me behind my back and that doesn't even make sense! Like, where the heck am I getting these paranoid delusions from?"

"Korra…" Senna had crouched beside her daughter, putting her fingers under her chin in a (thus far) vain attempt to coax Korra to look up, but it seemed Korra did not want to look anyone in the eyes right now. "From everything you've said, both about the incident and about your behaviour… I think I know what's doing this to you."

"What is it?" Korra looked up for a moment before shaking her head, "What's wrong with me?"

"I've seen this before in someone else," Senna replied, "your behaviour is caused by stress which was in turn caused by formidable trauma. Sometimes, events happen in our lives that our minds are not fully able to process… and so we struggle to get a grip on everything that actually happened. And so every time those memories show their faces, it can trigger various stressful reactions that prevent your mind from healing. It's a vicious cycle, and I think that's what keeps forcing you into the Avatar State even."

"Is it?" Korra glanced up, mostly at her parents' feet rather than either of their faces, "where did you learn about that?"

"Just because your dad gave me a few ins and outs of combat doesn't mean I never learned about healing as well," Senna explained, running her hand through Korra's hair in a way that actually soothed the young Avatar, "not to mention my military career before your dad helped me settle down… and master Katara knows a great deal about healing not only the body, but also the mind. Based on your behavioural patterns and what she has taught me… I believe that that may be what's wrong with you. I apologize that it took us so long to realize it."

"But what do I do then?" Korra remained where she was, settling for Senna's fingers in her hair, "if it's an endless cycle of my actions refusing to let my mind heal, then I'm just fucked, right?"

"Korra, that wasn't necessary," Tonraq intervened, "but no; you're not beyond repair. Soldiers and mercenaries often experience similar conditions. I've seen it in some of my men myself. Sometimes, life might kick you down… but when it does, you have to pick up the pieces and get right back up." He thought back to his own past shortly before Korra was born, where he had been exiled from the North and sent south with little more than his name. It was not a relevant story at this point however, considering that he did not want to take away from the moment that his emotionally-fragile daughter clearly needed right now.

"We may not be able to fully understand what you went through or what it's doing to you, Korra," Senna lightly scratched Korra's scalp, this time successfully coaxing her daughter to look up at their smiling faces, "but like your friend Asami, we want to be there for you when you need us."

"And White Lotus be damned," Tonraq cracked a half-smirk mixed in with his otherwise warm smile, "We are not going to force you to be monitored, followed, or otherwise locked up. You've already seen and done things that some men and women twice your age only hear about in stories. You've earned autonomy, at the very least."

"I've considered mercenary work," Korra suggested, "I mean, nothing too dangerous I don't think… but what better way to let off steam than a bit of self-defense every now and again?

"I can't argue it without becoming a hypocrite," Tonraq confessed.

"Neither can I," Senna raised her eyebrow. She wasn't exactly some idle layabout prior to meeting Tonraq, after all. Her gentle demeanour merely hid a much fiercer side, such as the one she showed Kwan when she was fighting to reach her daughter.

"Just… make sure it doesn't get to your head." Tonraq warned, "As much as we love you, Korra, what you did at the South Pole was not okay."

"I regret not finding a way to make sure everyone was out before I attacked," Korra admitted, "but I don't regret tearing that damn place down. Still…" her eyes were red, betraying that she had likely been softly crying when her face was against the floor, "thanks for believing in me—and putting up with me all these years."

"We put up with you for 14 years just fine," Tonraq chuckled. "What's a few more and a couple of minor heartaches in between?" He opened his arms, inviting Korra into them where he pulled his daughter into a loving embrace.

"We aren't perfect," he continued, "but I don't care how old we get. No matter how old you are or how strong you become… know that we love you—and we'll always be there for you."

Koora did not reply, but nuzzled against Tonraq's shoulder for several moments before turning to give her mother the same affection.

"Times like this make me feel like even the Avatar isn't worthy of having you guys as parents." Korra sighed, smiling weakly.

"You gotta deal with it." Senna smirked, exchanging glances with Tonraq.

"Deal with it! Deal with it! Deal with it!" Tonraq suddenly burst out laughing. It took a moment for Korra to process what he was saying, but the moment she realized he was imitating her as a toddler after they first discovered she was the Avatar, her eyes went as round as dinner plates before narrowing and accompanying a disgruntled pout.

"I was 4, okay!?" she threw her arms up.

"Deal with it." Tonraq winked at her. Korra laughed properly for the first time in several months, and for some reason, she felt like it was one of the most wholesome noises to escape her lips in her entire life.

The rest of the meeting went swimmingly, and there was a great deal of more hugging and holding than Korra had had in over a year. The Red Lotus didn't mistreat he, per se, but none of them exactly gave her any affection or care beyond ensuring that she remained in good health. As such, it was a welcome change of pace, because after being deprived of it almost completely for over 18 months, Korra realized just how much she needed and craved this type of affection in her life—especially at her age. All in all, Korra left the suite a much happier girl.

Having made things up with her parents, Korra returned to the Sato Estate with a noticeable skip in her step that Asami couldn't help but call her out on.

"I take it that your meeting went well?" She smiled.

"It did," Korra beamed, shortly before Naga tackled her to the ground as her way of welcoming her master back. She didn't even try to get up. "I feel like I've got purpose to my life now… and I think I might be able to find a productive use of my time."

"It sounds like it went well then," Asami offered her hand anyways, and Korra eventually took it, "I'm happy for you, Korra. You really do have a beautiful smile—and it reminds me of the awkward little 14-year-old girl I ran into on my moped all those months ago."

"Well, I'm sure I'm not always going to be sunshine and rainbows," Korra admitted, "but I think I'll be able to get up from this mess I've been wallowing in, and finally be able to put it behind me where it belongs…"

Korra was a woman of action, and not one for idle talk, and so that night she already started mentally devising methods of how to set about with starting her line of work. She wasn't sure when she finally drifted off to sleep, but for the first time in over a month, Korra's dreams were peaceful and pleasant, and so was her demeanour.