Chapter Text
Chapter One - Old Friends
Korra was stomping around Air Temple Island, ready to punch anything standing in her way. She made her way to the water, hoping the cool night breeze coming from the ocean could help keep her nerves calm. It probably wouldn't work, but at least she could say she tried. The weeks of airbending training were making her furious, proving once again that there was not a single “calm and light” bone in her body. Tenzin’s voice was still on her mind, annoying her into the point of snapping.
And of course she snapped, yet again, during training. Of course he couldn't take that condescending look off his face, and of course he didn't even try to hide his disappointment of her lack of any substantial improvement.
"Week after week, after week, after week…" she said out loud, probably scaring some poor air acolyte passing by. But the exasperation was too great for social grace. She felt like hitting a wall with her training, and she was not used to that.
Truth be told: Korra hated airbending. Yes, being the avatar was great. And she’d been just fine without any of Tenzin’s sacred knowledge. Every week she would show up, hoping for some kind of practical learning, and every week Tenzin would spend an entire hour talking about spiritual nonsense… And oh, yes, about Aang. The current Avatar had floating feelings about the previous one, sometimes respecting her past life for saving the world and such, sometimes thinking about how he could’ve set the bar just a bit lower.
Her frustration finally bursted out, right when she was near the docks and the air around her - that she couldn't bend - made Korra even angrier. It happened in the form of a scream, and she made one of those decisions that can only be made when one it’s not in its right mind. The kind of decision that one regrets halfway through the action, but it was too late: her foot was already on its way, kicking a very solid rock. The scream of rage became a scream of agony as the impact hit her, and she fell into the ground, cursing.
“Are you okay?” A female voice met Korra’s ears, and the girl raised her eyes. The person standing next to her was, well, not what she was expecting. Instead of a sweet air acolyte, there was a woman in her fifties wearing a hooded robe that couldn’t hide the strings of gray hair falling on the sides of her weirdly familiar face. The Avatar could see the concern in her golden eyes, emoldurated by a pair of glasses that were just as golden.
Korra’s first instinct, still on the ground holding her sore foot, was to scream “stranger on the island” from the top of lungs. Or maybe.. attack? But before she could make yet another stupid decision, Tenzin’s voice came from the distance, sounding both furious and confused. Was this a nightmare?
“What are you doing here?” He repeated the question made only two seconds ago. The airbender was getting closer to them now, his traditional red and yellow robe rustling while he practically ran in their direction. Two White Lotus soldiers came shortly after him, ready to attack. Tenzin was out of breath “The guards saw something in the water coming to the island. And then I heard Korra’s scream…”
Then, the look in the master’s face went from rage to irritation when he got closer and the woman took down her hood. Then, happiness. The stranger hugged him, to what he responded with the most enthusiastic act of affection that Korra ever saw him participate in. After letting go of the hug, they immediately started arguing.“What are you doing here? Where are your guards?” Tenzin repeated himself, while the stranger seemed unbothered. “I don’t need them, I can take care of myself”. The airbender was really offended by this affirmation. “We are not teens anymore”. It wasn't a fight, actually. It was…. bickering? The woman decided, finally, to put an end to the conversation.
“Look, I came one day earlier so I could visit you before the official appointments. It was supposed to be a pleasant surprise, Tenzin. Can’t you just accept that?” His next move was to stare at her in disarray. The woman stared back, holding a silence that lasted for almost a minute before Korra, still abandoned to the ground, decided to clear her throat, catching her master’s attention.
“Oh, Korra, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” he asked, while helping her get up. She carefully tested putting weight on her foot, realizing it was still hurting a litte, but not a big deal. Mumbling something about tripping on a rock, Korra hoped the woman wouldn’t try to correct her and tell him what really happened. After confirming his pupil didn’t need any assistance, Tenzin straightened up, ready to talk.
“Hum, okay. I guess it’s time for proper manners. Avatar Korra, this is Firelord Izumi. Firelord Izumi, this is Avatar Korra” The girl found herself about to faint, having the realisation that the Firelord’s first impression of the new Avatar was said Avatar having a mental breakdown and kicking a rock. She was about to attack the leader of the Fire Nation a few minutes ago. Izumi said something in the lines of “It’s an honor to meet you” and Korra bowed in an unnecessarily respectful gesture, consumed by desperation.
After a few excruciating minutes of small talk with the literal ruler of an entire country, the Avatar was free to limp back into her chambers, where she could take a bath and forget about the last couple hours. Or days. Or weeks. The whole firelord thing was enough to keep her mind busy for a while, thoughts far away from the airbending disaster that was her life currently.
The way Tenzin and Izumi talked and bickered at each other was still on her mind while she brushed her freshly washed dark hair in front of the mirror. She never knew that Tenzin was in such good terms with the Firelord. They looked even like friends. Of course, that made a lot of sense considering the previous Avatar was great friends with the previous Firelord, Zuko. Still, the fact that Tenzin never even bothered to mention this woman, who he clearly had a lot of history with, left a bad taste in her mouth. Korra considered herself close with her master, but maybe it was all an illusion. No wonder airbending training was going nowhere. Maybe they just hated each other.
Before Korra left, Izumi asked Tenzin if she could spend the night in Air Temple Island, for “old time’s sake”, and the airbender agreed, although seeming a bit ruffled. The firelord invited the young Avatar to a lunch in the next day, putting her in a position where there was nothing to be done, except respectfully accept. After that, they parted ways. Yet, she could see a tiny part of the island’s gazebo from her window, enough to catch the adults talking the whole night through, while she remained sleepless for a couple hours. The conversation sometimes seemed to make both of them angry, sometimes they would laugh for entire minutes. At some point, Tezin spent a long time talking, his shoulders down, staring at the ground. Izumi came closer to him, rubbing her hand on his back in an affectionate gesture. This was the point in which the girl decided that her voyeuristic actions had gone too far, and climbed into the bed, looking away from the intimate moment they were sharing.
The next morning, the guest and the residents of Air Temple Island had breakfast together. No one seemed to find the Firelord’s presence strange, or maybe they did, and were all doing a really good job hiding it. Izumi was talking with Tenzin’s kids and wife as if she was the cool aunt they never get to see. Ikki and Meelo kept running around her screaming, and the firebender even let Jinora borrow her golden glasses for a few minutes.
In a way, Izumi’s presence was a good thing for Korra. There was no airbending training neither that morning, or afternoon - her master was too busy catching up with his old friend to tutor the Avatar, and the Avatar had a lot of petty feelings about it. Also, she had no idea about what to do with herself during the time between breakfast and her lunch appointment, which she was very nervous about. Her thoughts trailed to Izumi’s father, Lord Zuko. She never even met the man, and wondered if his daughter would be expecting to find someone great and powerful like Aang, not an angry - yet powerful - teenager like herself. Their first encounter was already awkward enough, why was the Firelord seeking more of it?
Korra distracted herself to the best of her abilities: tidying up her room, working out, trying to train pro bending on her own, playing with the airbender kids. She even attempted meditation for a bit, unsuccessfully. The thoughts about how Tezin hid their relationship - and the nature of that relationship - were still bothering her. When all of the activities were done and even Tenzi’s kids were sick of playing, it was still too early, nowhere near lunchtime. So she resorted to merely wandering around the island. It was a nice, sunny day, which meant the skyline of Republic City could be seen clearly across the bay, the buildings pointing to the sky. It was easy to forget about the very industrial town’s atmosphere on the island on cloudy days, the mist transforming it into a weird scary gray shadow in the distance. Korra had not left Air Temple Island for a couple of days, trying to focus on her training, and missed the excitement of the city, as well as her friends.
The walk around the island led her to the gazebo, but before reaching the wooden steps of it’s stairs, her eyes landed on the Firelord, sitting there in quiet rumination. Izumi’s face was tense, the wrinkles in her forehead deepend by a pair of furrowed eyebrows. The Avatar stopped for a second, unsure about the best course of action. Running away very fast? Saying hello? Choosing the latter and clearing her throat to make herself noticed, she bowed briefly before sitting next to the firebender, who’s expression cleared in the sight of the teenager. Korra noticed how the preoccupied mask became blithe instantly, wondering how many years of practice one would need to be in such control of it’s facial expressions.
“It’s a little earlier than we scheduled, huh?” Although Izumi said it ironically, the Avatar couldn't think of an answer and nothing but an awkward chuckle left her mouth. During a few moments, the only sounds were those of the world surrounding the two: the soft murmur of the sea, the whisper of the wind, the bird’s peeps, all coming together to form an almost relaxing silence. When the Firelord talked again, already getting up, Korra felt like waking up from a trance. “Well, I should get ready for our appointment, Korra”. Watching the woman turn her back and start walking away after a formal goodbye gesture, the girl’s tongue betrayed her and the question in the back of her mind since the last night slipped through her lips.
"How do you and Tenzin know each other?”
One, two, three seconds passed by before Izumi even moved, getting closer to the gazebo and sitting on the spot emptied just a few moments ago. The woman ignored the inquirer’s blushing and sighed. “That was one of the subjects I wanted to talk to you about”. Well, that was way more interesting than the official encounter to discuss politics she had on her mind. “Me and Tenzin go way back…”.
“When I was about your age, I lived here for a while. Your... Hum, Avatar Aang was my protector as a favor to my father. They were a second family to me” Korra leaned over, listening closer to the Firelord’s story.
Republic City, 36 years ago
Izumi was nauseated. Yes, that was a good way to describe the feeling you get after flying at a weirdly fast pace on the back of a smelly and very furry giant bison. To travel with Oogie and that young air acolyte was one of the many kindnesses Avatar Aang had offered her. Not only was the airbender volunteering to be her protector and guardian at Republic City, he also promised to join her firebending training once in a while. The latter was the most exciting part. The honor to train with the Avatar himself. Still, she thought, covered in bison fur, there were better and more sanitary ways of travelling, even if the bison was the safest - and the fastest - one.
Nevertheless, now she was on land, and absolutely nothing else mattered. The year in Republic City was a fresh start, far away from the monotony of the Fire Nation palace. From the information she could gather about the city, interrogating every single one of the court members who had ever stepped there, the place was bubbling with newcomers from all over the world, a mix of cultures, food and music in one single place. Amongst the buildings and paved streets, there was everything a girl like Izumi could ever dream of.
Before she could take the boat and finally meet the city, there were more important matters. Specifically, introducing herself to her new host family. Despite the fact that the young princess knew the Avatar, Master Katara and their kids already, she hadn’t seen them in a few years, since the Firelord always visited the city completely alone. Thereby, new introductions were more than necessary and the girl had an excuse to flaunt her spotless etiquette.
After a brief conversation with her travel companion, full of “oh thank you so much” on her end and “no, let me handle that” on the air acolyte’s, she had her luggage in hands and was already straightening up when the Avatar’s family appeared. Wishing for a more presentable first look, preferably not covered in big strains of white fur, all the firebender could do was to put a radiant smile on her face. The two airbenders and the waterbender walked the island’s main courtyard, meeting her in front of the now sleeping bison.
Skimming through the family, the princess noticed immediately the slim figure of the Avatar and his son. They were the spitting image of each other, except for the airbender tattoos all over Aang’s body. The teenage boy looked nothing like his mother, having neither her cinnamon colored skin or her bright blue eyes. He looked pale and shy, even with the welcoming smile lightening up his face.
Izumi opened with a polite “Thank you for welcoming me into your home, Avatar Aang”, responded with a witty “There is no need for titles, Princess Izumi” by the patriarch, his eyes shining like a little boy’s. The tension in her muscles was slightly relieved as the airbender started bombarding her with all sorts of enthusiastic questions: “How was the flight?”, followed by “Isn’t Oogie the best boy?”; “How is your father?” and “Did he find the bison whistle I was looking for?”. Tenzin offered himself to carry one of her bags, and the procession walked into the island’s main house. The enquiring stopped only for a few moments, when she proudly pulled the wooden whistle off her belongings and Aang was too excited to come up with any new material. Katara, who was watching the whole thing with a mix of affection and embarrassment on her face, took advantage of the quiet seconds to say, in the loveliest voice possible:
“Sweetie, let’s give our guest a little time to breathe, shall we?” Izumi smiled thankfully at the woman, even though her husband’s questions were a really kind way of making the girl feel at home. Aang’s excitement was clearly genuine, and enough to calm her nerves. However, the pause gave her an opportunity to analyze the family’s house. The living room was very bright and clean, none of the luxuries one could expect to find in the home of the most famous war hero of the century, the Avatar. But, of course, said war hero was an air nomad, thus against the materialistic impulses more and more common within society.
The furniture was simple, but still the room was nicely decorated, with potted plants, colorful and fluffy pillows spreaded through the sitting room’s rug and some framed pictures and paintings hanging on the walls. Izumi’s eyes stayed for a few moments on a picture of the entire family: Katara seemed to be holding a laugh while baby Tenzin, in her arms, was pulling a lock of her dark hair. Aang, playfully glancing at the camera, had one of his arms resting on the woman’s shoulder, the other on his daughter’s, a small four year old-ish version of the waterbender, with an intricate braided hairdo emoldurating her tanned face. The oldest son, almost hiding in the back, his head appearing between his parents, decided to pose with a solemn frown. It was not an official portrait, the kind of picture that would be on the papers or used as reference to a painting - the framed black and white picture emanated the calming, relaxed and overall happy energy the household seemed to have.
After Katara’s comment, the rest of the firebender settling down went smoothly, the Avatar’s effusive energy making everything chaotic just in the right amount. There were a lot of pleasantries, jokes and house rules overviews. What time the lunch and dinner were served. House chores distribution. Curfew arrangements. And, finally, Izumi was shown her temporary new room. It was a decent sized bedroom, very simple compared to her apartment in the Fire Nation palace. Shiny wooden floor, clear white walls, a canopy bed. The soft white drapes around the bed’s structure matched the ones framing the open windows, the salty wind coming from outside making the fabric gently dance. The princess placed her biggest bag on the ground next to the small dresser, the one with her books and writing supplies on the soft orange window seat, and the one with her personal products on the small but very bright and clean bathroom attached to the room.
Izumi changed clothes and freshened up, allowing the cold tap water to wash out the flight’s nausea. Just a few minutes of work, and she was looking good as new, finishing the process by letting her hair down from the tight knot it was on and putting away her golden princess headpiece. Leaving the Fire Nation and coming to a different home, looking like royalty seemed like the right thing to do. Now, being familiar with the laid-back house rules, she regretted that decision, carefully wrapping the crown on a piece of fabric and tucking it away in one of the dresser’s drawers.
When the girl went down the three steps that separated the kid’s bedrooms from the rest of the house, Aang was nowhere to be seen. Tenzin and his mother were having a low voiced conversation, the woman standing on one side of the kitchen island, while the son was sitting on one of the stools in front of her. Noticing her presence, Katara gave Izumi a warm smile, politely asking what she thought of her accommodations, to which she responded with an even politer compliment. Seeming satisfied with her own work, the waterbender moved on to a new topic.
“From what I could gather from our brief conversation, you are very excited to see the city” There was a small pause, and the girl nodded in agreement “So, I thought maybe Tenzin could take you to dinner!” The look in her face was as if the sentence should be accompanied by a “ta-daa”. Absolutely shocked with her kindness, but also worried for poor Tenzin, sitting there in a silence that emanated shyness, Izumi was able to think fast.
“I wouldn’t like to disturb you, if you had already made dinner plans, m’am.” Inside, she was hoping Katara would let them go. Being confident enough about her social abilities, she knew the boy’s shyness was not as great as her desire to finally meet the big city she heard so much about. Also, having a local as a guide was perfect. Luckly, the girl didn’t need to hide her disappointment, as the waterbender answered with a series of “Please, do not call me m’am”, “You would never disturb us”, and “Off you go, then”.
Tenzin left first, with the excuse of asking an air acolyte to take them to the city. Alone with Izumi, the woman whispered a playful “Anyway, me and Aang hardly have any nights just for ourselves”, which the girl found slightly disturbing. They walked together to the outside of the house, and Katara moved up the stairs on the side of the building. Only then the princess realized the couple’s apartment had its own entrance, separated from the other rooms. Now entirely alone, Izumi made her way to the docks, where she could see the faded silhouettes of the airbender and the marine pilot, taking in the stunning view once again.
“Hey, I’m sorry about my mom” The girl blinked once, confused. It was the first sentence Tenzin said directly to her since their greetings, almost spitting the words the moment she got close enough to hear it. Seeing the look in her face, he sighed. “She’s very excited about having another teen around. I think she hopes we could be friends” The boy helped the firebender get herself inside the boat, offering his hand in a gesture that wasn’t shy at all, but actually firm and confident. He seemed more relaxed outside the house, his body language was less formal. Tenzin’s hand was smooth and strong at the same time, and he didn’t stagger when Izumi let him support almost half her weight on his arm.
“Don’t chief Beifong and her kids live in the city too? Aren’t you guys friends?” She asked, now standing safely in the boat, holding on to the gunwale. As he hopped on and landed by her side, a blush crept from his cheeks to his ears.
“Suyin it's just a kid, but, yes, me and Lin do get along'' Izumi noticed a slight grin forming in the corner of his lips, and the boy cleared his throat “Still hum, my mom worries about our lives in the city. She worries too much, that’s all”. His tone told the girl that he wasn’t interested in talking about it anymore - suddenly, the airbender was back to his former self, formal and stiff. The boat started moving and the silence fell between the two kids. Weirdly enough, the absence of conversation didn’t bother her.
It wouldn’t be honest for Izumi, sitting in front of Korra at the Air Temple Island’s gazebo, to say they didn’t know what their lives would become. They did know it, better than anyone. There was no choice for Izumi but to be the ruler of the Fire Nation, and Tenzin had even less to say about his future, training the new Avatar and carrying on with the air nomads traditions. From where the two were standing, the future seemed foggy and certain at the same time, a straight line, getting closer and closer to the moment when there was nothing to do, but to meet the expectations of their families, their friends, their people. The Firelord’s teen years, while living through them, felt like both preparing for something and dreading the moment it would come.
Nevertheless, calling her youthful self unhappy would also be a lie. Looking back, Izumi could see clearly the non-linear aspect of time. Instead of a line, she saw a map, a road sprinkled with little towns here and there, small bubbles isolated from the rest of the path. That moment, the first afternoon the best friends would spend together, the boat slowly making its way to the bigger by the second silhouette of Republic City, the blue sky stretching above their heads, the ocean stretching below the creaking floor of the watercraft they were standing on, was a cul-de-sac, a dead end off the road, where they could both get lost. The woman, now in her fifties, wondered if she could have enjoyed more the lazy days, the nights talking on the top of the temple’s roof, the quiet meditation in the first hours of the day. She regretted the fear, the weird feeling in her stomach, all the moments she lost while in distress, worrying about the years to come. Now, looking at the teenager beside her, she felt a wave of affection both towards Korra and her past self. The bottom line was very simple: they were doing their best.