Chapter 6

The rattling and shaking of the boat jostled Korra awake as it came to a stop. Bright sunshine peeked into the cargo hold, shining right into her eyes through the window. The young Avatar groaned as she rubbed her eyes, excitement suddenly taking over as she realized that they had arrived. Turning to her two companions, Korra gently shook them both awake.

"Sota, Naga, wake up! We're here!" She said, jumping to her feet.

"What?" Sota asked, his tired mind catching up to the sound of a door being opened up. Blinking his eyes a few times, he suddenly felt the same excitement his sister felt coursing through his body. Hopping to his feet, he quickly grabbed his bad, adding it to Korra's belongings.

Korra looked at him questioningly as he hopped on to Naga, situating himself behind her. "What's all that?"

"I didn't really know what to bring so I grabbed a few things I thought that I'd need," he answered. "My bending scrolls and books, a couple weapons I made with Dad, and some clothes." Sota gave his current clothing a quick once over.

Having put away his parka, his tunic was the same shade of blue as most of the Southerners wore, the sleeves being short and cutting off at his elbows. His forearms were covered by deep blue gloves that started at his wrists and ended just past his elbows. His pants matched the coloring of his tunic, and his waisted was covered by a brown leopard seal pelt trimmed with white fur, and on his feet, were a matching pair of brown boots.

Once the two siblings were situated, Naga took off for the open door, rushing past all the dock workers as her paws padded against the ground quickly.

"Thank for the ride!" Korra cheered, waving to the workers as they rode away. Sota could only shake his head at his sister, before looking around him in amazement. The city was huge! He'd never seen any one place as big as this. As Naga slowed down at the end of the pier, he and Korra looked around at all the sights.

"Wow…look at this place," Korra said, taking in the breath taking city that just seemed to glow in the early morning sunlight. Her head turned to the bridge that was jam pack with people moving about on their way to work. "I've never seen so many Satomobiles."

"I've never seen so many tall buildings crammed together like this," Sota said. "It's gotta be a killer trying to get around here every day."

"All say. Can you believe we actually made it, Sota? We're finally in Republic City!" Korra said, guiding Naga to a railing across from them. Sota turned his head in the same direction that Korra did, amazed at the huge statue that rested in the bay.

Korra found herself mesmerized by the copper sight of her former life, staring at it in wonder. Sota was doing very much the same, silently comparing Korra to Aang. A smile came to his face at the thought of his sister having her own statue one day.

"Hey, look. It's you. You know, back when you were actually-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," she threatened with a glare. Turning her attention back to the bay, she quickly spotted the solitary island off in the distance. "Air Temple Island; that's where Tenzin lives."

Sota had to hide the excitement he felt at knowing that they were just a short swim away from where his friend and her family lived. He couldn't wait to surprise her when they showed up and told them that they were going to be staying while Korra finished her training.

Korra softly petted Naga as she turned to Sota with a grin on her face and asked, "Ready for a little swim, guys?" Before Sota could answer, Naga suddenly took off in the opposite direction, sniffing the air excitedly as she pulled her two passengers along. "Ok, ok! Food first, then Air Temple."

Looking around from behind Korra, Sota shrieked as the dove headlong into traffic, narrowly avoiding getting run over as Naga paid no mind to the metallic monsters. Korra and Sota called out to her, hoping to calm her down or get her attention, but after that seemed pointless, they soon found themselves yelling repeated apologies to the passing motorist and pedestrians. The loud sound of metal hitting metal made them turn around to see that a couple of Satomobiles had collided to avoid Naga, and Sota could feel the panic building in him; they were going to be in serious trouble.

Naga finally slowed down, sniffing the ground near a small food shop before sticking her head into the doorway happily. Sota took this moment to slide off her back, sighing in relief to actually be back on the ground again and that they were all still in one piece.

"Spirits, that was scary," he said, clutching his chest and turning to his sister. "I really hope that those guys are ok. The last thing we need is to get in more trouble for running people's satomobiles into each other."

"We'll worry about that later, " Korra replied as she hopped off Naga as well. "Let's just get something to eat so we can head to the temple."

"Good because I'm starving," he replied happily as they pushed Naga's head to the side, and squeezed into the small kiosk. "Naga, wait," he commanded, a small whine coming from her as she pulled her head back and sat patiently.

The cook looked at the two young water tribers in disinterest as they looked over the various delicious looking and smelling food. Korra quickly ordered one order of everything for them, anticipation causing Sota's stomach to growl. However, when the cook told them the price, Korra realized that she didn't have any money, turning to her little brother in hopes that he may have some, but he too shook his head. The cook snatched back the food, yelling at them. Dejected and hungry, the three walked away from the shop, Korra reassuring them that there was sure to be a place for them to rustle up some food.

An hour later, the three found themselves in the park, Naga walking in the pond as she caught a few fish and tossed them into her mouth. Sota sat by, keeping an eye on her as Korra roasted some fish with her firebending that they had managed to catch. As soon as the first one was done, Korra happily passed it her brother who smiled in thanks as he took a bite into it, gingerly holding the stick so as not to burn his fingers.

Sota hummed in satisfaction as he chewed the fish. It wasn't nearly as good as his mothers cooking or even traditional Southern Water Tribe food that you could get, but it was still pretty good. Seeing that her brother was happy and taken care of, Korra prepared to eat one of her own. Her eyes drifted to the sound coming from her left as the bush shook. A man quickly jumped out of it, shocking her as she tilted back into Sota, knocking him over as well. Looking at her in confusion, his eyes soon fell upon the man as well as he looked at him in questioningly while the man seemed to smile at the two in a rather friendly manner.

"Say, think I could get one of them tasty smelling fishies?" he ask, hands on the lapels of his jacket as he moved his arms up and down like a weird otter pengin.

Korra and Sota looked at each other, blinking a few times, before looking at the man again. "Oh, uh,yeah; sure," Korra said, somewhat uncertainly.

The man happily danced out of the bush, snatching up the last fish she had cooked and began eating at it ravenously. Sota looked at him, slightly disgusted by his eating habits as well as the smell coming from the bum that he could very clearly smell from all the way over there, and looked at his fish dejectedly as his appetite seemed to vanish instantly.

"So…do you…live…in that bush?"

"Yes Presently, that is what I do call home," he said, before turning to look at it longingly. "Took me a while to procure a bush that beauteous. This park is quite popular with all the vagabonds."

Is that what he calls himself? I just thought he was a weirdo. Sota thought, looking around to see if there were any other bums around.

"So, there are, a lot of you, out here?" Korra asked sadly. "I thought everyone in the city was, living it up."

The man laughed a hardly, carefree laugh, pointing to the two siblings. "Yeah, you got a lot to learn, newcomers. Welcome to Republic City!"

A loud whistle interrupted their conversation as the three turned toward the bridge to see a heavyset officer making his way over toward them.

"Hey, you! Stop! You can't fish here!" he cried out, jogging toward them with his baton in hand.

The bum quickly got to his feet, throwing a warning over his shoulder to them. "Best skedaddle," he said before literally diving back into the bush.

Jumping to their feet, Korra put her fingers in her mouth, whistling to Naga who came running out of the water instantly. Grabbing a hold of her little brother, Korra picked him and easily tossed him onto the moving polar bear dog before hopping on herself behind him. Grabbing the reins, Sota began to guild Naga out of the park. The officer continued to blow his whistle a few more times as they got further and further away. Korra and Sota allowed themselves one glance back to see the out of shape officer, huffing and puffing as he tried to catch his breath as well as the bum, waving cheerfully goodbye to them.

Both gave a sigh of relief as they put more and more distance between them and the park and reentered the actual city. Korra decided it was best that they finally made their way to the Air Temple now to avoid any other strange mishaps. Of course, that was easier said than done.

"Are you tired of living under the tyranny of benders?" A skinny man yelled into his megaphone as he stood on a table. The man was very skinny and small, but very loud, even without the megaphone, and based on the shrillness of his voice, it was obvious that he was also very annoying. This instantly caught their attention as Sota slowed Naga down to a walk, eyeballing the poster behind him of a masked man who's eyes just seemed to bore into them, creeping them both out a bit. "Then join the Equalist! For too long, the bending elite of this city have forced non-benders to live as lower class citizens!"

Shock registered on Sota's face as he looked at his sister, who was just as shocked. What this guy was saying just didn't sound right to them. They were new to the city, yes, and may not have known about all it's going ons, but even that could tell that what this guy was saying sounded like complete and utter nonsense.

"Join Amon, and together, we will tear down the bending establishment!"

"What are you talking about? Bending is the coolest thing in the world!" Korra cried out in protest as the crowd turned to face her.

"And it sounds like you're just some loud mouth crock-pot if you ask me," Sota added.

"Oh yeah?" he asked snidely. "Let me guess, you're both benders, right?"

"Yeah, we are," Korra replied confidently.

"And I bet you'd just love to knock me off this platform with some waterbending, huh?"

I highly doubt that water would be the first thing she would use, Sota thought, though he could see the very obvious trap his sister was about to walk into, and attempted to stop her from saying anything that would make them look bad.

"I'm seriously thinking about it," Korra said back, crossing her arms over her chest. Sota could only groan as he smacked his forehead with his palm. She just had to say that, didn't she?

"This is what's wrong with the city! Benders like these two only use their power to oppress us!" he shouted, turning to look at them again with a victorious snarky grin as the crowd began to cheer in agreement as well as shout at the two of them. Korra then seemed to realize what had actually happened as Sota glared at her, a sheepish look on her face.

"I'm not oppressing anyone!" she tried to say over the crowd. "You-you're oppressing yourselves!" she finally shouted, a disgruntled look on her face.

Sota had finally had enough and grabbed the reins once more, guiding Naga away from the crowd as the speaker yelled out, "That didn't even make sense!"

The sour look stayed on Korra's face as they left the park and finally made it back onto the streets. Sota understood how she felt; that guy seemed really annoying just downright idiotic, but the crowd easily fed into what he was saying and were eating out of his hand. Of course, some of her frustration should have been on Korra herself as she had blatantly walked into the trap. Looking back at her, Sota spoke.

"So…that could have gone better," he said, a small smirk on his face as his sister glared down at him. Facing forward, he continued by saying, "Don't let that guy get under your skin, Korra. He doesn't know what he's talking about and everything he said is just a bunch of bull. Even if you didn't make any sense."

"Just shut up and steer over there," she ground out, pointing to a street with a row of shops. Hoping off Naga and walking next to her, she looked around at the various establishments and people roaming and perusing the various merchandise. "Let's see if someone can give us directions to Air Temple Island."

Sota nodded steered her forward with Korra at her side as they looked from one shop to the next for someone who may be willing to help them. They finally came to stop in front of a shop with two people sitting in front of it, playing a game of Pai Sho. One was an elder woman dressed in various purples, the other a young man in various shades of browns.

"Excuse me," Korra said, grabbing their attention. "I think we're lost-"

"We ARE lost," Sota corrected, receiving a look from his sister. He simply rolled his eyes but kept quiet nonetheless.

"How do we get to Air Temple Island from here?"

"You just head down this street, and-" the elderly woman began but suddenly stopped in panic as a fancy red Satomobile swerved around the corner, barreling down the street toward them. Jumping up, she quickly said, "Get moving you two; it isn't safe!"

Sota and Korra looked at the Satomobile in confusion as it came to a stop a few feet away. The front was made of gold and shaped with what looked to be a lion-turtles face on it. The vehicle was hooded, and inside were three men who climbed out, walking up to one of the shops. The three men were clearly of different nations given their clothing. The owner paused in his cleaning of his music player, fright coming to his face as one of the men spoke to him.

"Mr. Cho. Please tell me that you have my money, or else I can't guarantee I can protect your fine establishment," the waterbender threatened with a smile as the man on his left, a firebender, lit a flame over his palm with a similar smile.

"I'm sorry," Mr. Cho apologized nervously. "Business has been slow. Please, take one of my phonographs." He offered as he held out the shining red machine that he had been polishing moments ago. The firebender continued to smirk as he left his foot and brought it down on the phonograph, igniting it in the process as Mr. Cho stubbled backwards in fear, causing him to fall to the ground.

Korra and Sota stared at them in shock and anger; how could someone try t beat up and shake down a nice old shop owner like that, and then destroy his property like it was nothing.

"My friend here, is not a music lover. Give me the money, or else-"

"Or else what, Hoodlum?" Korra asked, a confident smirk on her face. The three benders turned to look at her in confusion then at each other before they started laughing.

"Listen, since you're obviously fresh off the boat, let me explain a couple of things; You're in Triple Threat Triad territory, and we're about to put you, in the hospital."

"Yeah, no. I don't foresee that happening," Sota said nonchalantly as he leaned forward on the saddle to relax for the show his sister was about to put on. "You really don't wanna get her more riled up then you already have."

"Shut it, kid. We'll deal with you after we get done with her."

"You're the only ones who are gonna need a hospital. And for your sake, I hope there's one nearby," Korra said, cracking her knuckles.

"Who do you think you are?" The waterbender asked, clearly annoyed with the two.

"Why don't you come and find out."

The waterbender could feel his eye twitching in annoyance as he dug into his coat, whipping out a large ball of water at Korra. The young Avatar easily caught it in her right palm, pushing it backwards and into his face where it instantly froze over. Stumbling forward as he tried to balance his now top heavy body, he was quickly disposed of as Korra gave his ice covered face a swift kick, sending him crashing to the front of the car. The ice shattered as he slid down to the ground.

Sota cringed as his head made contact, though he couldn't help chuckling at him. "I told you guys. You should have listened to my warning." Turning back to the fight, he saw that the earthbender was now trying to take a shot at Korra. "I'm telling you, you REALLY don't wanna do that."

Before he could even shift into position, Korra did first, kicking the ground and sending him flying into the air.

"What just happened!?" The elderly woman asked, her face pressed up against the young man's.

"Did she just earth bend!?" he asked as they watched the Triad come back to the earth, hitting a wire and a few ceiling tops before tearing through a flag and landing on a bunch of fruit where he then proceeded to fall to the hard ground.

"Yes, yes she did," Sota answered with another smirk. The firebender, now extremely freaked out, twirled his hands as he built up a fiery blast between his palms. Sota sighed, shaking his head. "What is with you guys? Didn't you learn from those last two idiots?"

The fire shot out toward Korra who easily bended it way and jumped into it, repeating her actions from her firebending test just a few days ago before grabbing his hands and pushing him backwards.

"Can she firebend too?" the Elderly woman commented again, quickly followed up by the young man.

"Can she be…?"

"Yep, she is," Sota answered for them as he watched his sister give the man a good toss through the window of an adjacent shop. He rolled his eyes at her overkill of attack but said nothing while he let her gloat.

"Got an idea of who I am now, chumps?" Korra boasted though it was short lived as the Satomobile came back to life, screeching as it drove by and nearly hit her. The firebender quickly hopped out the window, chasing down the vehicle. The earthbender gave him a boost as a bit of earth shot up from under him and tossed him into the back seat. Korra, none too happy, shouted, "You're not getting away!" as she bent the earth that chased them like a snake. The rocks hit the back tires, flipping the car into the air and sending it crashing into the ground once more where it lost control and plowed into a shop at the end of the street.

Korra ran to it, making sure that they were down, and smirked as Naga walked up with Sota on her back.

"You may have over done it a bit there, sis," he said. "Also, do you always have to jump into the fire when you bend it?"

"Hey, it's the best way to get close to an opponent. And I caught the bad guys, regardless, what more do you want?" she asked before a loud wail sounded through the air. Looking up, the two were shocked to see an airship hovering above them.

"Republic City Police! Freeze where you are!" a man said over the loud speaker.

"Whoa," Sota said in awe. He's never seen anything like it before, and was even more amazed as people jumped out from the sides, firing off metal cables that jetted into the brick walls, allowing them to ease themselves onto the ground.

"Cool, metalbenders," Korra said as the landed and began walked up to them. "I caught the bad guys for you officers."

"Arrest them," an older officer said, pointing to the Triads. Sota recognized his voice from the loud speaker a moment ago, figuring that he was probably the guy in charge of this unit. As the three criminals were tied up, he walked up to the two of them, stating, "You two are under arrest too!"

Korra gasped in shock as Sota's face suddenly turned extremely pale. Fright ran through him as his mind processed the fact that he just heard that they were about to be arrested.

"What do you mean we're under arrest," Korra protested. "Those are the bad guys over there; they were smashing up a shop!"

"From the looks of it, you smashed up a lot more than that," he said unhappily.

"There's gotta be some mistake, officer," Sota pleaded. "You see, my sister is-"

"In a whole lot of trouble, and if you keep talking, you're gonna be too, kid," he said in a cold tone. Sota instantly shut up and watched as the officer shot his cables out at Korra who dodged and grabbed them.

"Wait, you can't arrest me; let me explain!" Korra tried to reason.

"You can explain yourself all you'd like; down at headquarters!" Retracting the cables, he began to attack Korra who continued to evade. Sota had little time to react as Naga slammed her body into the officer, knocking him down and running to Korra, allowing her to hop on. The other officers quickly gave chase, promoting Sota to pull on the reins and guide Naga away, the polar bear dog putting on her full speed.

As they turned a corner, one of the officers lunged at them, but was stopped as Korra put her foot out and kicked him back. Sota would have laughed if he wasn't so scared at the horrible situation that they had found themselves in. One of the officers suddenly appeared above them, firing his cables at them, though Sota was able to pull to the right just in time to avoid getting hit. The officer continued his pursuit on the metal cable above, firing again. With a swift yank, Naga turned a corner and headed for a small bridge.

The same officer who had been following them from the rooftops jumped into the air, firing his cable once more, only this time, it hit its mark as it wrapped tightly around Korra's ponytail. Korra groaned in pain, quickly throwing her arms up to create a wall of ice that the officer wasn't able to stop in time to avoid. The pressure on her head suddenly became slack as the cables fell, the officer sliding painfully down the ice. The siblings felt a sudden wave of relief at the thought that they had gotten away, though it was short lived.

Naga climbed up a pair of stairs, narrowly avoid another satomobile as she ran on the upper bridge. A scrapping noise alerted them that they were still being pursued by the metalbending police. Korra reached over Sota, grabbing the reins for a moment and yanking them to the right. Naga followed the direction she was being led and jumped over the railing, landing very ungracefully on a moving train car. Once Naga had righted herself, both Sota and Korra gave a sigh of relief that they were ok.

Looking up and to their right, they could easily make out Air Temple Island, as if it were waiting for them. Distracted, the two didn't notice the airship over head until it was too late and already wailing at them. Pulling on the reins, Korra pulled them toward a building, having Naga jump toward it, but she was quickly intercepted by metal cables that suspended her in the air, pulling her further and further from the ground in a very uncoordinated swing. Before either bender could react, they soon found themselves wrapped in the same cables, unable to move as they were carried off to the police station.

Sota's head laid limply on the table as he tried to hold back the tears of fear and regret he was feeling.

"Less than 24 hours, and we're criminals. We're going to have police records, Korra," he mumbled into the metal surface, his mind running with all types of possibilities of what was going to happen to them, especially once their parents found out.

"Calm down, will you?" Korra said, though she was secretly panicking a bit too. "I'm sure once I explain what happened and tell them who I am, it'll all be fine."

"We're doomed," Sota said, looking up as the door opened, Korra gave him a quick glare, but dropped it as an older woman with a scar on her face walked in with a clipboard in hand and am angry disposition about her.

"Let's see…" she said, reading the list of infractions as she walked around the table they were currently handcuffed to. "Multiple counts of destruction of both private and city property, not to mention, evading arrest." Flipping the clipboard over, she slammed her hand down on it, a deafening thud coming from the table that instantly made Sota sit up straight and Korra to recoil back. "You two are in a whole mess of trouble."

"Can I sell out my sister for a lighter sentence?" Sota asked in mock seriousness, though he did hope that there was actually a chance at a real plea bargain.

"But there were some thugs threatening a helpless shopkeeper, and I-"

"Can it!" The woman said, picking the clipboard back up and walking around to the other side of the table. "You should have called the police and stayed out of the way."

"But I couldn't just sit by and do nothing; it's my duty to help people. You see…I'm the Avatar," Korra said, hoping that this would give her a bit of leeway.

"Oh, I am well aware of who you are, and your Avatar title, might impress some people, but not me."

"And we're doomed," Sota said, hanging his head as he held back the childish "I told you so" his sister so rightfully deserved.

Korra ignored his comment, and looked the officer straight in the eyes, saying, "Alright, fine. Then I wanna talk to whoever's in charge."

"You're talking to her," she said, pulling her chair out.

"Seriously, Korra, just stop," Sota begged. This was getting worse and worse by the second, and he was really starting to wonder if there was any way for it to get much worse from here. "I'm Chief Beifong."

Ok, maybe it could. Of course you are, he thought bitterly.

"Wait, Beifong? Lin Beifong? You're Toph's daughter!" Korra said as she put the pieces together.

"What of it?" Lin asked in disinterest.

"Well then why are you treating us like criminals? Avatar Aang and your mother were friends; they saved the world together."

"That's ancient history, and it's got diddly squat to do with the mess you're in right now. You can't just waltz in here and dole out vigilante justice like you own the place!" A side panel opened up to reveal another officer.

"Chief, Councilmen Tenzin is here," he said.

"I retract my earlier statement," Sota said, glaring at his sister. "NOW, we're doomed."

Lin sighed in exasperation; she really didn't have time to deal with all of this. "Let'em in."

Standing up and turning her back to the two children, she watched as the door opened to reveal Tenzin, a very displeased look on his face as he eyeballed them.

"Tenzin," Korra said sadly, pausing as she tried to figure out how she was going to explain all of this. "Sorry, we got a little side tracked on our way to see you."

"Seriously? What part of "stop talking" do you not understand, Korra?" Sota asked, avoiding the scrutinizing gaze of the airbending master.

Taking a deep calming breath, Tenzin looked to Lin, putting a smile on his face. "Lin, you are looking as radiant as usual."

"Cut the garbage, Tenzin," she said. "Why are the Avatar and her brother in Republic City? I thought you were supposed to be moving down to the South Pole to train her."

"My relocation has been delayed," he said, looking at them as he spoke next. "The Avatar, and her brother, on the other hand, will be heading back to the South Pole immediately. Where she will stay put, and he will be grounded and working in the compound animal stables for the next six months as punishment from what I recall his parents saying."

Sota groaned in exasperation as he silently prayed to the spirits above to take him away and never bring him back. He knew that there were going to be consequences, but that just seemed like overkill in his opinion.

"But, Tenzin-" Korra started, but stopped as Sota kicked her and gave her an angry look. He was already in enough trouble because of her mouth; the last thing he needed was her making it worse.

"If you would be so kind as to drop, the charges against them, I will take full responsibility for today's regrettable events, and cover all the damages."

Lin looked over her shoulder at them unhappily as she considered his offer. With a heavy sigh, she waved her hand, releasing the cuffs and saying, "Fine. Get them out of my city."

"Always a pleasure, Lin. Let's go, you too."

The two rubbed their wrist as they followed behind him, looking like the children that had just gotten in trouble that they truly were in that moment. As the passed by her, Lin pointed two of her fingers at her eyes and then at them, signifying that she would be watching them. Korra, being the immature teenager she was, made a nasty face as she mocked Lin and followed after her brother and Tenzin.

The three stood quietly as they waited for Naga to be released into their custody again. After a few moments, Korra decided to speak once more.

"Tenzin, please, don't send us back home," Korra begged.

"Yeah, I know we kinda made a mess of things here, but please, don't send us back. Especially not to the animal stables," Sota said, cringing as a violent shudder ran through his body at the memory of the last time he had to clean the stables.

"You blatantly disobeyed my wishes, and the orders of the White Lotus," he said before turning to Sota. "And you disappeared without your parents' knowledge. They're absolutely worried sick about you."

"Katara agreed with me that I should come. She said my destiny is in Republic City, and when Sota hopped on the boat with me, he was right that he needed just as much of a chance to find his."

"Don't bring my mother into this!" Tenzin said angrily, the top of his head turning red. In spite of how serious this was supposed to be, Sota had to hold back a laugh at the man to avoid further trouble.

"Look, I can't wait any longer to finish my training. Being cooped up and hidden away from the world isn't helping me become a better Avatar. I saw a lot of the city today, and it's totally out of whack. I understand now why you need to stay; Republic City does need you, but it needs me too, and I need Sota. His destiny is just as intertwined with mine as yours is, and it wouldn't be right to deny him a chance to find himself either. Who knows what this city could hold for him?"

Sota was quiet as he watched Tenzin silently contemplate his choice, stuttering to find a response. Luckily for him, he didn't need to as the animal wrangler returned with Naga who proceeded to lick his head, messing up his hair even more. Sota was grateful that he sister was pleading his case as well as her own, and could only hope that this would get through to Tenzin, though he had a good feeling that it wouldn't.

Sota and Korra took one last longing look at Republic City as they stood on the dock of on Air Temple Island in front of three White Lotus Sentries. With a sigh, Korra began walking toward the boat. Sota hesitated for a moment before he followed behind her. The sound of moving air caught their attention as they turned around to see Jinora, Ikki and Meelo sweep past before touching down behind them.

"Korra!" The three yelled, running up to her and embracing her in a hug. Jinora pulled away, running up to Sota and pulling him into a hug as well which he gladly accepted, though sadly. Here he had hoped that the next hug he would get from his best friend would be the one where he got to tell her that he was staying in Republic City. Instead, it was almost an exact repeat of the last time they hugged just a few days ago, only this time, he was the one leaving.

"Are you coming to live with us on the island?" Ikki asked. Jinora looked at Sota hopefully, but could tell by the sad look on his face that they weren't.

"No, I'm sorry, Ikki," Korra said sadly as she knelt down to their eye level. "We have to go home now."

Standing back up, she turned and began to walk again with Sota and Naga at her sides.

"Wait," Tenzin said, halting their movements. Surprised, the two southerners turned to face him. "I have done my best to guide Republic City towards the dream my father had for it. But you're right; it has fallen out of balance since he passed. I thought I should put off your training in order to uphold his legacy." Placing a hand on her shoulder, he continued. "But you are his legacy. You may stay and train airbending here with me. Republic City needs its Avatar once again."

"Yes! Thank you! You're the best!" Korra said, excitement lighting her features. Spinning around to face her brother, her face instantly fell at the sad look on his face. Sota said nothing as he prepared to turn and head onto the boat that would take him home, only this time, he'd be alone. "Wait," Korra said, moving to place a hand on his shoulder before facing Tenzin again. "If I get to stay, so does Sota. I can't and don't even want to try to do this without him, and he needs to find his way too, Tenzin."

"Please, Dad?" Jinora pleaded, yanking on his robe lightly. Tenzin smiled to them as he stepped forward to put his hand on Sota's head.

"I wouldn't dream of sending you back now," he said. A large smile broke out on Sota and Jinora's faces at his words. "It's like Korra said; your destiny is intertwined with hers, and just like it is her time to find hers, it's you need to find yours."

"Thank you, Daddy!" Jinora said, hugging him before turning back to Sota. "Isn't thins great, Sota!? You get to stay!"

"Tenzin, I….thank you," Sota said, truly at a loss for words. Soon, everyone was scoped into a group hug by Korra, and Sota couldn't be more ready to find out just what his destiny was here in Republic City.