Just the Two of Us

Key to Victory

Takes place after "Light in the Dark," a battered, but victorious Korra emerges from her fight with UnaVaatu and has a talk with Tenzin. Korra thanks Asami for taking care of her family and visits a healing Jinora.
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She was battered. She was bruised. But she won.

But what a painful victory it was.

Korra felt a wave of reassurance when Tenzin placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. But she also felt pain, that arouse from the guilt of losing her connection. Her connection to the past avatars. She lost the last piece of Aang that existed in both worlds.

Now Tenzin had no connection to his father.

She may have been victorious in the battle, but she may have lost a key part to winning the war.

"I'm so sorry Tenzin." Her mouth started moving before she could even command it. Her mentor turned to look at her, his glance was one of understanding.

"Korra, you did well," he huffed. "You prevented 10,000 years of darkness. You defeated Unalaq and brought peace to the tribes. You even finally connected to your spiritual self." He squeezed her shoulder.

"I'm proud of you."

Korra held her tears back, but was unable to stop one from stinging the scars on her cheek.

"But I lost my avatar connection! I lost the only thing that connected me to Aang and even Wan! Over ten thousand years of knowledge gone! All because I couldn't hold my ground against Vaatu! I ruined everything...." Her voice was strained by tears. Tenzin sighed.

"You didn't ruin anything. Vaatu overpowered you. You were the only avatar besides Wan who had to deal with a spiritual entity with power like that. I have no doubt that any other avatar wouldn't have fared better than you."

Korra didn't answer. She just let her tears silently stream down her face.

"Besides I learned something in the Fog of Lost Souls. Something I could have gone my whole life not knowing, if all of us never got in this situation in the first place." Korra nodded as she strained to listen to his advice.

"I met my father in that fog and he told me that I'm not supposed to be a reflection of him. I was never meant to be him. I can only be myself, Tenzin, spiritual advisor to a hot- headed avatar." Korra cracked a smile at this.

"The point being, the more you beat yourself over how you should have been more like Aang or any other avatar, the more unhappy you'll make yourself. Don't spend so much time trying to be someone else, but focus on being the best you, you can be." Korra sniffles at the words, and wiped her face to rid any evidence of tears on her parka.

"Thanks, Tenzin. I don't know what I'd do without you." Tenzin chuckled at the praise.

"Just trying to be the best Tenzin I can be." He straightened up, a serene smile evident on his face.

~~~

The group soon arrived at the compound, with a swooning Bolin and Eska in tow. Korra fought the urge to gag, as she watched her best friend and her creepy cousin getting it on like Pabu and noodles.

"Korra!" Korra turned her head to see Jinora in the healing tub, awake as can be. A miracle compared to her lifeless body just hours ago.

"Jinora! You're okay!" She wrapped her aching arms around the young airbender. Katara and her father watched in from the sidelines, tired smiles on their worn faces.

"Of course I'm okay! You saved the world!" Korra felt herself pulling away to study the airbender's face.

"Couldn't have done it without you. You and your weird spirity powers." Her mind raced back to Jinora floating in front of her as she delivered the finishing blow to UnaVaatu.

"It was nothing. I-" She was interrupted by another hug, but by Tenzin this time. Korra decided this moment was for them and backed away slowly, only to bump into someone.

"Asami?" The engineer behind her laughed.

"Korra, you're stepping on my boots." Korra felt her face redden as she jumped away from the industrialist, who currently wore the same tired grin like those around her.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Korra yelped, as Asami waved her off.

"Don't be sorry, they're just boots." Korra gulped loudly and her mind was set on her kiss with Mako along with her regained memories of their breakup.

"Boots.. right... That's totally what I was apologizing for." Korra offered a sheepish grin at the confused Asami, as she tried to push any thoughts of Mako away.

"Ummm... Thanks for taking care of my dad. Really means a lot that you would help me, even after all the stuff I pulled with Mako."
Asami's face morphed into recognition as she glanced at the broody firebender, who was next to his lovesick brother and Eska.

"Oh Mako." Asami's tone was one of realization. "Yeah, that was kind of jerk-y of you and Mako."

Korra scoffed. "Jerk-y. Really?" Asami rolled her eyes.

"Shut up. I don't know any other words to describe you and him that's kid-friendly." She gestured to a laughing Jinora and other kids huddled with the refugees in the compound.

"Ok, point taken." Korra laughed nervously. "But seriously, thank you for everything. You're honestly one of the strongest people I know and I'm glad to have you on my side."

"Strong how?" Asami raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at Korra's description of herself, a non-bender who wasn't even close to the battle.

"Are you kidding me?" Korra's voice was incredulous. "You betrayed your father, just to hang out with a couple of benders you barely know. You stick with those benders even though one of them cheated on you. You're trying to run a tainted company at 19. You try to help me save my home even though I stole your boyfriend. You do so much. How could I not think you're strong?"

Asami took it all in. The mighty avatar herself called her strong.

"Also, you let me drive your car. Which is probably the bravest thing I've ever seen in my whole life." Asami laughed as she recalled her Satomobile rammed into a pole.

"Brave indeed. I think I'll be even braver and give you lessons." Korra's eyes twinkled.

"You'd do that for me?!" Asami nodded simply.

Korra's eyes stopped gleaming. "You do know that there's a fine line between bravery and stupidity." Asami winked.

"I cross the line often. Lessons start when we get back to Republic City." Korra chuckled.

"I guess if I have no choice," she sighed over dramatically. "I can see the headlines now, 'Sato Coerces Avatar into driving into Local Cop'" she jabs a finger in Mako's direction, while Asami let out another laugh, like chimes in the wind.

"Looking forward to it Korra." Korra beamed at Asami and looked around at the clutter of friends and family around her.

She may have lost the key to winning the battle, but she may have found the key to winning the war.