AUTHOR'S NOTES: This story isn't dead; I just took a two-week hiatus during the holiday season, one of said weeks being without internet. That said, this chapter's title, while also named after the 1st chapter of book 2, is also a play on words. It'll become obvious why pretty swiftly.
Happy Reading!

BOOK THREE: WATER

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SIX: REBEL SPIRITS

"Korra?" Asami had been woken up by Korra's shout, and Korra felt the colour slip from her face even if it was too dark for either of them to see it.

"Babe, I'm sorry; I promise this isn't normal, I was going to tell you when you woke up, and…"

"Korra…" Asami sounded a little more assertive, but Korra continued.

"...and you deserve better than to get dragged into this mess and this is all my fault…"

"Korra!" Asami clutched her arm.

"...and now you're never going to forgive me and I really just…"

"KORRA!" Asami seized Korra's arm with a little more force, causing the Avatar to yelp, and finally stop rambling.

"Korra," she whispered again, coaxing Korra to look her in the eyes in the dim light. "Korra, I'm not mad at you. I heard you shout, and now I'm here to listen to you. What happened?"

"There was this woman…" Korra began as she laid back down, "she sounded familiar but I can't recall from where. She simply loomed there until I asked who she was. She claims she was a figment of my… 'broken imagination'. Was I hallucinating?"

"I'm… I'm not sure," Asami paused, "I heard things, but I wasn't fully awake."

"Babe," Korra's eyes were watering as a rather passionate fear slipped over her, "I don't want to spiral back into that same horrible cycle that I used to be part of! I don't want to stress you out; I don't want to let you down; I don't want to be like this, I don't…"

"Shhh…" Asami pulled Korra into her arms, kissing her forehead. "Love… listen. You're tense, and I think it's encouraging your fears to get a stronger foothold than they deserve. I'm not mad at you… I'm not going to lecture you. I overreacted on the ship because I was stressed out. Sealing that deal with Varrick really helped calm me down, but you've still got Harmonic Convergence looming over your head and I can tell you're worried."

"I hate being like this…" Korra whimpered into Asami's shoulder, "I hate being afraid… I hate that I can't shake that toxic mindset the Red Lotus gave me about fear making me weak; I just…"

Korra growled loudly in frustration as Asami kept her arms around her.

"Don't you ever get tired of saving me from my own chaos?" she grabbed huge handfuls of Asami's hair and smothered her own face with them.

"Never," Asami nuzzled her gently. "I love you, Korra, and recalling how beautifully compassionate you were to me when I blew up at you was another reminder of that. I love everything about you and I don't say that enough."

"Every scar I have…" Korra mumbled, lighting a lamp to give them a little bit of illumination. If someone had been in their room, they had left no trace of their presence. "Every scream, every flashback, every nightmare… every little reminder of how broken I am…"

"...is beautiful." She cut Korra off. "Not that it happened, but that you survived it. The world gives you its worst and you get back up and persevere in ways that very, VERY few other people could, Korra. It's amazing. It's inspiring—and being the Avatar has nothing to do with it. If you need to vent, then by all means you have my ear, but I'm not going to listen to you tell me what a weak and terrible person you are when I know better. You're the opposite of that, and it's the most amazing and beautiful human characteristic I've ever beheld in my life."

For a moment, Korra was silent, before she wrapped her arms tightly around Asami and started to softly sob. She knew in her heart that Asami was right, just as she had been many other times during the last three years of Korra's life where they had lived together and when Korra had been struggling with her trauma on a near-daily basis. She had long since improved since then, but the scars and injuries had never fully gone away, and Korra feared they never would.

The next couple of days were more or less the same as before minus Unalaq's speeches, and he even left Korra to her own devices for the time being, claiming to want to give her space in order to make a properly educated decision on whether or not to accept him as her teacher.

"Just know that it would be wise to make a decision sooner rather than later," he advised her with an almost warm smile, "Harmonic Convergence waits for no one, but the Avatar should be able to learn the truths for herself so we don't get a repeat of the Nakkoa incident."

It gave Korra a lot to think about. Perhaps Unalaq had turned over a new leaf. The hostilities between him and her parents as well as Kwan could have been old grudges that might have predated Korra's existence even.

She decided to find out for herself. She had hoped to find both of her parents together, but Tonraq seemed tied up in a lot more political issues than he was happy about, which kept him from the festival more often than not, unlike his wife who found herself celebrating loud and proud at any given opportunity.

"But politics be damned if I'm going to let them prevent me from taking some time to counsel my little girl," he smirked, putting his large hands on Korra's shoulders. I can see the unease in your eyes. What's on your mind?

"It's your brother," Korra fidgeted with her hands, "he seems genuinely concerned about my well-being and my spiritual attunement, and his concern for the Water Tribes and the invading spirits seems equally legitimate. I don't want to make this a feud between you and him; I just want to be able to help the world and to quell the angry spirits to keep the balance; all that."

"Korra," Tonraq sighed again, giving Korra's shoulders a squeeze, "if you want my advice, I'd just say be careful. Keep your guard up, but otherwise I'd honestly trust your judgment. You've been through so much even without us, and it seems you not only pick the right friends, but also the right mentors and companions."

"I mean, the Red Lotus…" Korra trailed off, rather embarrassed at the implications Tonraq had unintentionally just made.

"Well," Tonraq scratched the back of his head as he realized his mistake, "I more meant Tenzin and Kwan, although it's clear whoever's been teaching you elemental control has been fantastic at their job."

He cleared his throat. "But what I mean is, is that if you trust my brother to teach you properly, then I trust your judgment."

"That…" Korra smiled, "thanks Dad. It means a lot to have your blessing… I'm just worried about what I'm gonna do for mom…"

"She's a tough nut to crack on the Unalaq case," Tonraq frowned, "it's not that we disagree on things, or that we'll have to take sides against her, but she suspects a lot of foul play and holds a few deep-seated grudges that haven't left her over the years."

"About that…" Korra put her hands together, "is there something about mom's past that she's not sharing with me? I feel like there's something she's not sharing with me."

"She was something of a rebel in her younger years, shortly before you were born, even." Tonraq admitted, "just things she's not entirely proud of. Don't worry about it."

"You're trusting me, so I'll trust you," Korra nodded approvingly, "Thanks dad."

"Hey," he pulled her in for a gentle embrace, "if or when you see your mom at the festival, tell her I said hi and wish I could be there with her. This whole political thing with my brother's a bigger pain in the ass than it ought to be."

"I'll let her know," Korra couldn't help but slip a little chuckle. "Thanks again for the talk, dad. It really does mean a lot to get your approval on this."

"I'm not perfect," Tonraq nodded approvingly, "but I'll be damned if I don't try my best to make sure my little girl's happy, Avatar or not."

Korra had a slight skip to her step as she returned to the festivities, and sure enough, found her mother among the crowds, at a table that was clearly some sort of gambling game. Based on the stack of chips next to her, she seemed to be winning.

"And look who it is," Senna's face lit up as she saw Korra, "Koga, Kiera, Edak, Maraki, this is my daughter Korra; Korra, these idiots are some friends from Desert Storm." she gestured to her companions, of which only one other (presumably Kiera) was a woman.

"Bold attitude to take for someone risking so much." one of the men quipped.

"I meant what I said, so ante up," she slid a stack of chips towards the center of the table. "And give me a second."

For whatever attitude she had had at the gaming table, Senna's expression softened significantly as she turned to face Korra. "What did you need, dear?"

"Oh, I…" Korra shoved her hands into her pockets, "I was just wondering if following Unalaq is right… I mean I know I can make my own decisions, but it's always nice to have a mom's blessing, you know?"

"Hey, I hate the guy personally," Senna admitted, taking a shot from her hip flask, "But your dad would trust your judgment at this point, because I certainly do. There's been people who I loved but that I hated their kids. Just because Unalaq doesn't like me doesn't mean he might not legitimately like you. If you think this is the right choice to make, Korra, then I support it."

"He's a shady fellow in my opinion," the woman was definitely a southerner as well, "but Cheiftain Senna's got the right of things. I've heard about you, Avatar, like I'm sure many of us have… and frankly if Chief Unalaq's taken a liking to you, take advantage of it; learn what he's offering to teach you, and become all that much stronger. Put those Interregnums in their place."

"Right… right." Korra hesitated for a moment, suddenly curious about how this woman knew of the Interregnum Avatar Cycle, and what her own mother knew or thought about it. She hadn't really told anyone besides Tenzin and Asami much about it, but it appeared to be common knowledge for a lot of people, since the Red Lotus, including Nakkoa and Kwan, had all known about it, and even Hiroshi and Amon were remarkably aware of them too.

Korra did not wind up joining Senna at the table, and instead headed out to try and find Asami. She did pass Kwan along the way, using a water jet to shoot at various moving targets.

"I gotta take my booze withdrawals out on something," she quipped after winning a large plush doll strongly resembling Avatar Zakura, "doctor said it's not good to drink when you're pregnant."

"I mean…" Korra stammered, shocked at the reveal, but also proud of her friend, "AAAAH, Kwan, that's so exciting though! Come on, look on the bright side!" She pulled Kwan into a bear hug, even lifting her off the ground.

"Spirits, kid, but you're uplifting…" Kwan grunted, "no pun intended. I just… I dunno. I guess I never thought it'd be me; I figured my whole line, from Azula on down, was gonna end with me. I'm relieved and a little bit terrified to know my bloodline's gonna continue."

"Don't make me go full Auntie Korra on your kids, because I will." Korra threatened.

"Of course you would, you little shit." Kwan punched Korra's arm once her feet were back on the ground, "you couldn't stay out of my life if your own life depended on it."

"And yet here you are, secretly enjoying it," Korra's grin was smug to the point of being punchable, but Kwan was a good sport about it.

"Look, is this guilt-trip Kwan day or something?" she shook her head, "cuz I already owe my life and more to you, Korra… seriously, I…" her tone and expression softened.

"You alone are the reason I'm where I am right now instead of dead in a ditch like my sister for doing something stupid. You're the reason I married a man that you also saved from a similar fate. If you don't realize just how fucking much that means to us both…"

"I do though," Korra assured her, "Not to brag or anything, but it's really wholesome… and it makes me proud to see that my efforts to give you both another chance have paid off."

"Look at that," a masculine voice from behind Korra spoke. Korra spun around and realized it was Tarrlok, who was carrying what looked like a pair of fruity drinks. "You made the notoriously stubborn little lavabender blush, Avatar Korra. I've said it before, and I'll say it again… you're a remarkably influential woman, Korra—and this new start that Kwan and I have is entirely thanks to you, and you alone. Whatever you end up deciding to do about this spirit crisis… I'm sure you'll find a way to impact everyone positively, the way you always tend to do."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say that sounded like a backhanded compliment." Korra quipped.

"I'd be lying to myself if I tried to claim your compassion didn't still blow my mind, Avatar Korra," Tarrlok admitted, "but at the same time I admire it. There's no way for me to beat around that bush, Avatar. You saved our lives."

"And frankly I have no doubt you'll solve whatever the deal with the spirits here is," Kwan added,

"It's kinda just what you do."

Kwan was right and Korra knew it, but she couldn't help but give a sheepish smile in return before she went off to find Mako and Bolin. She found Mako just fine, but there was no sign of Bolin as Korra's eyes darted around to try and spot him.

"He went off with your cousins I think," he shrugged, "I warned him, and figured you would too, but he seemed set on the idea."

"Well, they creep me out too," Korra pouted, eyeing the cotton candy in Mako's hand, "and they smell like a grandma's attic."

"Well, at least now I know I won't offend you by saying that." Mako chuckled sheepishly, "want some cotton candy?"

"Oh, do I!" Korra beamed, taking a piece and making the most adorable little delighted expression as she tasted the carefully spun sugar.

"So not to be nosy or anything," Mako continued as he watched Korra eat, "but I've heard you were hesitant about listening to your uncle? Is he as creepy as your cousins?"

"He's shady," Korra admitted, "but I think he genuinely wants to help me master the Avatar State and the spiritual side of things."

"So do you trust him?" Mako paused for a moment, "What did your parents say?"

"They were cautious too, but they trusted my judgment." korra smiled, "I'm glad you can do the same for me, Mako."

"Hey," he put a hand on her shoulder, "we all make dumb decisions now and again. I was half worried you'd hate me when we first met given the wrong foot I started off on." Mako paused as if realizing his words. "Not to say I think you listening to your uncle is a dumb decision, it's just—you know what I mean right? Foot, meet mouth."

"Of course I do," Korra giggled, "If I had a yuan for each time I put my foot in my mouth I'd be able to buy half of Republic City. For reals though, you're a good friend to me, Mako. Same with Bolin. Speaking of which… should we go find him?"

"Nah, let him have his fun." Mako chuckled, "I'm sure your cousins can't be that bad. Maybe we'll run into him later tonight anyways."

Korra didn't see Bolin for most of the rest of the day, however, nor did she see Asami. Despite that, Korra overall had a pleasant afternoon at the festival, and retired that night rather content, especially after realizing that Asami and Bolin had both gotten back safely.

Korra and elected to sleep with Naga this evening, and it had been almost like a premonition. So resistant to the cold was she that bare feet, sweatpants, and her favourite white sleeveless top were more than enough for her to stay warm—or perhaps Nakkoa's firebending lessons about breathing had stuck with her after all these years. Whatever the case, she slept soundly, snuggled into Naga's fur until her trusty companion stirred and sat up.

"Hm?" she moaned softly, "what is it, girl?"

Naga started growling and then howled.

"Shhh," Korra grunted, clearly still groggy, "Naga, you're gonna wake everyone up…"

But after Naga jumped up and bounded outside the hut and howled again, Korra wondered if that was her intention.

"Naga, what's going…" she paused, before seeing what was in front of them: an enormous dark spirit several times her size had materialized, and now loomed right in front of her

"Dammit," she muttered to herself. "That thing does NOT look friendly…"