THE AIR MASTER {LOK/ATLA}

(XIV)

"I can't believe Amon got you too," Lin told Korra sadly.

"Hey, at least you unlocked your airbending!" Bolin tried to cheer her up, but it didn't work as he hoped.

"Not the time, bro," Mako scolded him.

"You saved Republic City," Uncle Tenzin reminded her with a slight nod.

"But Amon got away," Korra sighed tiredly.

"Yeah, but we are all safe. And that's all thanks to you," I reminded her.

She smiled back weakly. I wanted to say something else, but before I did, I noticed the incoming ship coming our way. The dragons on the front were unmistakable, and so was the man shouting out from it.

"Dad?"

"Yay! Uncle Bumi is here!" Ikki celebrated.

"Great. Now I have to entertain my brother," Uncle Tenzin muttered tiredly.

***

The wait was killing us.

The minute we landed on the South Pole, we took Korra to Gran Gran, hoping she'd be able to restore her bending. It was a longshot, but it was worth trying. If Korra didn't get her bending back, she would be the first Avatar in history not to bend all four elements. And I'm not sure how that would impact the world's balance. Or more importantly, if she'd ever be able to be herself again after something so awful.

Suddenly, the door slid open, and Gran Gran came out first. She didn't look too encouraging.

"I've tried everything in my power, but... I cannot restore Korra's bending."

"But you're the best healer in the world, you have to keep trying!" Chief Beifong insisted.

"I'm sorry, there's nothing else I can do. Korra can still airbend, but her connection to the other elements has been severed."

"What? No... This can't be happening. Gran Gran... There's got to be something else you can try," I insisted, but she shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Zaya."

Korra finally came out, and she looked terrible. She couldn't even make eye contact with me.

"It's going to be all right Korra," Uncle Tenzin reassured her.

"No, it's not," she said, stomping out without another word.

My heart broke for her. I wanted to be supportive, but I also didn't know how to make her feel better. Maybe there really wasn't anything to say that could help. Losing your bending... It had to feel horrible. It probably feels like losing a part of who you are.

Mako went after her. I followed a little later, and as expected, I found him watching her get on Naga and leave without looking back. Mako looked disheartened. Something had definitely gone down between the two.

"Mako... Give her some space."

"But... I love her."

"She's mourning. She needs time to let what happened sink in and figure out how—or if—that will change who she wants to be."

"But we're her friends. We're supposed to be there for her."

"The best way to be there for your friends is to simply let them figure it out on their own, sometimes," I said with a sigh.

Suddenly, I felt a chill down my spine. It was powerful enough to make me grunt and stagger back, clutching my stomach. Mako looked at me worriedly.

"Zaya. Are you alright?"

I wasn't sure what had just happened, but whatever happened, it must've been really big. And for some reason, I was already starting to feel a hundred times better.

***

Miracles just kept happening, it would seem. Korra told us how she had finally connected with her Spirit Self, and it had been Avatar Aang himself who restored her bending. On a more personal level, she had told me that she and Mako had finally come clean about their feelings to each other, which was also great news.

Using her new power, Korra managed to return her bending to Chief Beifong and the other officers whose bending had been taken away by Amon.

"I am so proud of you, Avatar Korra," Uncle Tenzin told her, with a respectful bow.

And I can assure you, we all were. She was going to be a great Avatar in her own right, and I knew it. I was happy she was going to be the Avatar of my time on earth. But right now, as we all gathered together to celebrate our victory, I was just happy that Korra was my friend.

I didn't know it then, but she would remain my friend, for a very long time.