To and From

Chapter 8: The Joyful Nightmare

"But is it, Avatar? How do you know what's really real?"

Zaheer was injecting the poison again. Her limbs ripped apart again and again and her brain exploded as pain forced itself upon her.

Their voices blended into one. "The world doesn't need you Avatar! No one needs you! You're nothing!"

She cried, tears pouring down her face. "I thought it was all over. I thought that was in the past. Why can't it just leave me alone?"

She put her head down and hugged her knees, just wanting it all to end.

Finally the voices stopped.

"Korra." One word.

What.

She hadn't heard that voice in a very long time.

"Aang?

"Hi."

"Hi? You've been away from me for over four years and all you can say is "Hi?" Some guide you are." She crossed her arms

The Air Nomad imitated her stance and scrunched his face in a weird way.

"What are you doing?" Korra asked.

"I'm trying to imitate you. Now hold still. It's hard to do with all the hair on your head." Aang took a breath and focused.

Korra was impatient. "Not trying to be rude or anything, but when do we you know, come to the part where you teach me something? Or explain something? Like why are we here right now?"

Aang let out his breath and Korra felt herself fly back, luckily stopping herself quickly enough to prevent breaking her neck.

"Alrighty then! Straight to business." Aang sat down and crossed his legs, which Korra mirrored.

"So, congratulations on beating Amon, how's the world been since then?"

Korra was so confused. "Wait, don't you know anything? You're my past life!"

Aang yawned and leaned back, his head cupped in his hands, a strange position for a grown man.
"Not really! I feel like I've been sleeping for three years or something like that. I haven't been with you for a while. Guess you better fill me in, looks like we've got time."

Korra rolled her eyes and began telling Aang past Avatar listened intently, never interrupting, only pausing her momentarily to interject a comment like "That sounds like something Toph would do" or "I knew Katara would do that."

"Well, there's got to be a reason why we're here like this. Keep talking" He said. "How are your friends doing?"

"Well, Mako's fine, I guess. Bolin's with Opal and me and Asami are well, um involved." Korra said hesitantly.

"Involved?" Aang looked puzzled. Then he got it, his eyes wide as snowballs. "Whoa! Haha! Roku, that crazy old man was right! Being the Avatar does help your chances with the ladies! Good for you kid. Good for you. I would hug you but that doesn't work here."

"That's it?" Korra said in disbelief. "I figured you would be more upset about it. The Avatar has always been about balance and me marrying Asami wouldn't be very balanced. We're both girls. It's not the right way." She felt awful for betraying the way of the Avatar.

"Alright, Korra let me tell you something. If being the Avatar has ever told me anything worn knowing, it's that there is no right way when it comes to what you do. When I had to stop Fire Lord Ozai, you know how it all happened right?"

Korra shrugged. "You beat him, that's all that mattered."

"Exactly, but not really. I didn't want to kill him because it went against everything I believed in, but my friends were sure that killing him was the only way. Even the past Avatars believed it was the only way. I took his bending Korra. I didn't kill him. I did the right thing while still staying true to myself. I'm sure you'll do right thing to."

"I guess so." Korra said, unsure. What he was saying sounded like how she had been when she was younger. She hated that old part of herself. It was all in the past.

"And one more thing, I think you should see Mako again." Aang said.

"That's none of your business." Korra shut him down.

"Actually it is, I'm part of you forever Korra and I'll never leave you." Aang corrected her. "You know, the other Avatars really didn't care about theatrics. Lucky for you, I kind of do. Time for me to go. Yip-yip!" He called out the signature phrase for flying bison and a giant sky bison larger than Oogi flew from the sky carrying the past Avatar. It was Appa.

"Bye Korra! We'll see each other really soon. I promise." Aang stared in Korra's eyes and she felt sure of herself again. The airbender nodded and jumped in the air, letting out a laugh of pure freedom as he landed on the bison's soft fur. "Come on, boy. Let's go." He said.

The bison roared in agreement, but not before he stretched his tongue out and licked Korra's face.

She jolted awake again, only this time she was really back.

"Korra?" Asami's sleepy voice asked. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing. Nothing's the matter." Korra said, wedging herself into Asami's arms. "Everything's fine."

She felt Asami's wistful sigh of relief as her breathing slowed and she drifted back to sleep. Eventually, she felt herself begin to fall asleep, held tightly in the arms of the one person she trusted the most in the world.

One thing still bothered her. Why were the nightmares back again? What did it all mean?

All she knew was that it frightened her. At least this time she wasn't alone.