Huh?
Korra jolted awake as she felt something strangely ominous pass over her.
That was weird. Probably nothing.
She lay back down next to the sleeping form of Asami who had snuck into her bed after being unable to sleep because of her excitement.
Korra had lain staring at the ceiling and feeling the cool air of the Southern Water Tribe gently breeze into her room. She was so incredibly happy and she was glad Asami was to. Asami had been so good to her even when Korra hadn't been and she intended to make up for that fully.
She felt her snuggle up against her in the covers. "Hey, you." Asami whispered.
"Hey. What took you so long?" Korra whispered back taking Asami's hand into hers.
"Sorry, Ikki wouldn't stop talking. At least it wasn't 3 years you know." Asami responded.
Korra felt herself redden. "I'm so sorry! How many times do I have to apologize? We're getting married for crying out loud! How comeYou're laughing. Don't do that to me!" Korra felt Asami's body shaking in silent glee.
"I deserve to." Asami teased. "I'm going to do that to you for the rest of your life. And you're going to hate me every moment of it."
"I can't hate you. I never could." Korra said, taking Asami's face into her hands, wanting to memorize every last detail, from the soft slope of her nose to the way her eyebrows curved when she smiled. Even when she had no makeup on and was noticeably tired with small bags under her eyes, she was still gorgeous.
Korra continued to memorize her soon to be wife's face as she slowly lost the battle with sleep as it eventually overtook her. Her eyes began to droop and her mouth opened slightly as she yawned. "See you in the morning, I guess."
"I'm not going to sleep. I'm going to watch you sleep until you wake up. I want to be the first face you see." Korra assured her.
"Korra don't be stupid, although that does sound hopelessly romantic, you need to sleep, just like I need to" Asami trailed off as she slept peacefully.
Korra fell asleep exactly ten seconds later.
But now she was up and felt something strange. Maybe sleep would make her better.
She reached to put her arm around Asami's side. Her hand passed through.
What the?
Korra realized she felt strangely weightless. She could feel something calling her, so she let it take her. Better not to interrupt any kind of Spirit World stuff.
She saw Air Temple Island and the young air benders playing. Jinora didn't have her tattoos yet, Ikki and Meelo were so little.
She saw the pro-bending arena and the old Fire-Ferrets. Her, Bolin and Mako. They were so young and so stupid. "Why are you showing me this?" She yelled. "Who are you?"
She saw Asami and her father as she played pai-sho with him.
She saw the Northern Water Tribe and the portal that connected the Spirit World to the physical world open, so many spirits flying out.
She saw the spirits of Raava and Vaatu locked in their eternal war.
She saw herself defeating Kuvira once and for all, the metal bender's reign of terror put down. She saw Mako again, only this time he had his hand outstretched, smiling at her.
She saw his mask. "The era of bending is over. Forever!" "Oh no. No! Not again! No! No!" She screamed. "
Raava was destroyed, part of herself disappeared forever. Vaatu's bone-chilling cackle of joy. "No! That's not real! You're not real!" She wanted to hide. She wanted to get out of there. She wanted Asami.
"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.