Avatar: The Legend Of Tao Book 1 Episode 1 1/3

Earth...

Avatar Kyoshi jumps and stomps the ground, sending a slab of earth into the air. With a swing of her right arm, she sends the earth flying forward. Avatar Kyoshi then turned to her right, lifted a second slab of earth as she raised her left arm, and proceeded to slam the earth forward with her right arm.

Fire...

Avatar Roku stands sideways, hands in the air. Spinning to the other side, Avatar Roku fires several shots of fire with quick flicks of his hands. He turns once again to his other side and sends a blast of fire with another quick flick.

Air...

Avatar Aang stood balancing on a single finger of his right arm, before swinging his legs near the ground to create a mighty whoosh of air. Spinning back to his feet, Air simultaneously sends a shot of air through his right hand and foot, balancing completely on his left leg.

Water...

A young Avatar Korra summons water from the ground with the flowing movement of her arms. She spins a part of the water in a circle around her arms and fired it to her side. She quickly waterbended more water from the ground and with a spin spun it around her body and fired it forward.

When I was a boy I was told the story of the Avatar. The story of how Raava, the spirit of peace and light, fused with Wan and become the first Avatar to stop the evil spirit Vaatu from creating ten thousand years of darkness, and of how with each death they would be reborn as the new Avatar, fighting to achieve eternal peace.

It has been over ten thousand years since Wan first became the Avatar, and yet his dying wish has yet to be fulfilled. With each new reincarnation the Avatar struggles to create an everlasting peace, and after the current incarnation Avatar Korra defeated the tyrant Kuvira, eternal peace seemed within grasp.

But now a new threat approaches, threatening to destroy the peace we had worked hard to create, and now the Avatar is needed once more. Can the Avatar save the world once more and finally achieve eternal peace?

AVATAR: THE LEGEND OF TAO

---

One a sunny day in Republic City, a woman sat outside a cafe drinking Jasmine Tea.

With her brown skin and her attire she was clearly of Water Tribe descent. She sat at one of the tables of a small but thriving cafe wearing a light blue sleeveless tunic with blue shaded pants and a fur skin tied around her waist, an attire that she’d always felt comfortable in since she was a teenager. The only sign of her being middle age was her half dark brown, half grey hair that was tied back in a ponytail. Her light blue eyes however were covered by a pair of dark sunglasses; a pair that she had not taken off since arriving in Republic City this morning.

Not that she was only one wearing sunglasses, for the sun was high up in the days late morning and a gentle breeze made for a very pleasant day. The spirit portal stood as strong as ever, radiating to the sky as a sign of the eternal connection between the mortal world and the spirit world. Already the streets were packed with people and spirits going about their business for the day, many spending the day to shop around the cities many stores. The woman guesses several of the people were out using their spare time here to shop and sightsee before the big upcoming event.

It was busy, but it was peaceful so the woman with sunglasses took the chance to appreciate the peace. As she sat drinking her tea she watched passerby’s; she saw a group of kids and a tall, young looking spirit with monkey-like ears and nose who stood on two legs dart through the street on skateboards. She saw a young father holding the arm of his small daughter before stopping in the middle of the street to talk to what was seemingly a female friend. She saw a young women wearing what was likely the latest fashion – light blue jeans and a shirt that exposed her belly button – chatting away into what looked like a pale white brick, but the woman knew that it was one of those ‘Walker Phones’ which were popping up around the world.

The woman knew all about them; her daughter was the leading manufacturer and backer of the whole thing. The woman herself however didn’t think it’d catch on. Who'd want to carry a brick thing like that around with them?!

The woman sighed. Looking at how much the city had changed over the decades made her feel old...but strangely that didn’t bother her much. After the many trials and tribulations she went through in her life, seeing all this – people and spirits leaving in harmony, technology booming, peace being undisturbed – it gave her a deep sense of satisfaction that what she’d been through was worth it all.

With her tea being fully drunk, the woman stood up and was about to depart peacefully. After making sure her sunglasses were properly aligned, she grabbed her backpack on the ground beside her and the small staff leaning on the empty chair beside her. She took some satisfaction that she hadn’t been spotted so far. For once she’d be able to go through a city without everyone noticing her.

But then she saw her, in the corner of her eyes. Something only someone who’s been in the midst of battle several times could’ve spotted. The little girl who was with her father had seemingly pried her hand out of her father’s hand and was innocently walking towards the road, neither the father or the woman he was speaking to had noticed where she was.

The woman also saw the car heading straight towards the girl, and because the driver wasn’t slowing down it was clear he/she hadn’t spotted the dawdling child.

Throwing the bag to the floor the woman jumped over the cafe railings and with a kick to the ground went flying in the direction of the girl, air bellowing around where she kicked and shocking and knocking over everyone in its vicinity. With but a split second to spare the woman reached the young girl and grabbed her tightly in her arms. The woman swung her body around so she landed on her back, protecting the child.

For a second she laid there, getting over that split second action and the adrenaline that had come with it. She slowly lifted her head and looked at the girl in her arms, safe but frozen in shock at the suddenness of what had just happened. With a slight groan the woman knelt up and saw that the entire street – busy as it was – was focused solely on the two of them. The driver who’d nearly ran over the girl had swerved to the left, staring in shock at them as he held a walker phone in his hand – giving the woman yet another reason to not like them – whilst the father’s open surprise slowly turned to open horror at the realisation of who the woman was holdin.

“Su Li!” The father cried, quickly running over and grabbing his daughter out of the woman’s hands. He sobbed as he hugged the still shocked girl, sobbing apologies over and over into the little girls shoulder. The woman slowly stood back up with a grunt. Part of her wanted to tear the man a new one for being such a careless parent – she knew she would’ve done in her early parenting days – but after such a sudden excursion she lacked the energy for it.

“Thank you miss!” The man said to her, running towards her with his daughter still in his hands and bowing his head over and over “I can’t thank you enough for saving my little girl! I won’t be so careless again, I swear mada-”

The man stopped mid sentence when he took a look at the woman’s face. The woman raised an eyebrow at this but quickly noticed that the other people looking at her were now mumbling to each other and growing more and more in excitement.

“That’s her, isn’t it?”

“She looks exactly like she does on the news, and she Airbended!”

“It’s her! It’s Avatar Korra!”

Korra slowly lifted her right hand to her face and realised that amidst all the chaos her sunglasses had fallen off, revealing her identity to everyone. Of course she realised her using Airbending just then gave a strong hint at it too.

Korra sighed, “Great, so much for keeping a low profile.’

---

As morning changed to afternoon the sun the city was fully awake and alive. Even as Korra flew through the sky on her Glider she could hear the bustling of the city as everyone went on with their lives, and over the years Korra had found comfort in that noise. Nowhere else in the world felt and sound as alive as Republic City did; it was no wonder the city had become the heart of the world. As Korra flew further and further from Republic City the noise slowly died down, being replaced with the crashing of the waves on the rocks of Air Temple Island.

Much had changed in Republic City over the decades, but one of them was not Air Island Temple. The tall temple building had stood the tests of time and looked as magnificent as ever, and the island stood as a symbol for the Airbenders of the world as a place of sanctuary and a place to call home. Of course over the decades several more Air temples had been set up throughout the nations as the Air Nation had expanded from a handful of Airbenders into a small army, but the original temple in Republic City was the home of its leaders and hub of an entire nation.

Avatar Korra had been fortunate enough to call several places home during her life, and the Air Temple had been one ever since she first arrived at Republic City. It had been a place of happiness and love because of all the friends that had lived there. From Jinora, Ikki and Meelo, the siblings she’d never had, to Tenzin, her Airbending teacher and a father-like figure who she missed every day. There were so many good memories here that Korra always smiled when she saw it once again.

It was also a place of peace and often quiet, as Korra was relieved to say. Ever since the incident with the kid she’d quickly had a mob surrounding, wanting autographs, pictures and in some cases lockets of hairs. It hadn’t taken too long for Reporters to show up in their vans, followed obediently by cameramen, wanting her thoughts on saving the young girl or the upcoming event in Republic City. This wasn’t the first time this had happened to Korra, and it wasn’t the first time she’d found herself being chased down the street.

Thankfully for her reporters hadn’t learnt how to fly yet, and at the first chance she got she opened up her staff’s wings and took to the sky on her glider. It took Korra but a few minutes to reach Air Temple Island, as she landed perfectly on the island, she took a deep breath. She knew the reporters wouldn’t chase her to this island. Not after last time.

“What happened to being discreet?”

Korra looked up toward the ascending pathway that led to the temple and saw a young man walking down towards her. The man in question was in his late twenties and had light skin and the small tufts of a beard and a moustache; the sign of not having shaved in the past few days. His eyes were a deep blue and had messy brown hair hidden under the hat of a Metalbending Police Force uniform. He naturally wore the entire attire, which had not changed much over the decades, though Korra knew that constant refinements, tiny and big, had been made constantly over the years and had become more efficient uniforms to fight and defend its wearers with. Future Industries had even had a helping hand in those refinements.

“A little girl and an idiot in a car happened.” Korra retorted, smiling as the man finally reached her.

The man sighed, “Let me guess; driver had a Walker phone in his hand?”

“Good guess.”

“Great. Another one.” The man sighed again, shaking his head, “we’ve had a few incidents like this. People think that they can drive and take a call at the same, and it almost always ends up with someone injured or worse. Me and the chief are actually working with Zia and Mom in making preventive measures.”

Korra shrugged, “you could just have them all confiscated and sent to me. I’d enjoy smashing each and every one of them.”

The man laughed, “And I’m sure sis would refuse to talk to you for 20 years!”

Korra’s smile widened, and she affectionately reached out and wrapped her arms around the man in a tight but warm hug, “I’ve missed you little man. How are you Taro?”

“I’m fine, Mama.” Taro replied, returning his mother’s hug with equal affection, “tired, I must admit. Getting everything ready for Fire Lord Zuko and Fire Lady Reimi visit has been exhausting. We’ve got people from around the world wanting to meet and see the new Fire Lord.”

“It’s not every year that there’s a new Fire Lord.” Korra replied as she released the hug, feeling a tinge of sadness. It’d been two months since Fire Lord Iroh had passed away in his sleep. Due to their hectic lives and responsibilities neither had had chance to speak often but Korra had fully trusted Iroh and considered him a great leader and a good friend. It’d had saddened her deeply to hear that he’d passed away.

“I’m grateful for that. The cities already packed and they’ve not even arrived yet!” Taro exclaimed. Taro’s eyes then widened slightly, “Oh heck. Better get going actually. Chief Mako wanted me to be back half an hour ago and he tends to get grouchy when I make him wait.”

Korra chuckled. That sounded just like Mako, “he just relies on you a lot son. Go on, I’ll get going and let everyone know that I’m back.”

“Okay. Last I checked Mom was with Auntie Jinora and Master Riki, talking over the Fire Lord’s arrival. Zia’s here too, but she went out to take a call.” Taro explained.

“Gotcha. Take care son, and tell Mako I said hi!” Korra said, patting her son’s shoulder before letting go and letting him walk off.

Korra walked up the Air Island pathway leading to the main temple, the tower rising higher and higher as she got closer and closer. The temple was quieter than usual; over the decades it was often bustling with Airbenders and Air acolytes, but today it seemed most of the Airbenders were out on missions or assisting the Police on security. That suited Korra just fine; she wanted to get to her family as soon as possible.

Korra entered the temple through the main entrance. She quickly felt a wave of nostalgia hit her as she saw the familiar rooms. So little had changed since she had first arrived here when she was only 16, it was a welcome source of familiarity and comfort in a city that was constantly changing. The inside of the temple was almost as quiet as it was outside, but Korra could hear the muffled voice of a young woman talking loudly in another part of the room. Korra followed the voice, walking through the temples corridors and various rooms, quickly recognising the voice once closer.

Korra reached the large hall leading directly to the office of the Air Nations leader, Jinora. The office was signified by the two massive doors of ancestral Air Nomad design whilst the hallway outside was large, spacious, and despite the warm day just a little too cold for Korra’s taste. The tower really needed to get a heating system installed. She loved the place and respected it commitment to historical preservation, but this place could be murder for some of the temples inhabitants, especially in the winter.

It was neither the massive door nor the cold that Korra noticed first. It was the women in her early thirties speaking into a Walker Phone pressed closely to her face. She was of Water Tribe descent with pure blue eyes and her brown hair tied back in a short ponytail. She wore a black work suit and dress, and judging by the slight shade of dark under her eyes she looked as if she’d just came directly from work. Then again, massive belly which signified pregnancy may have been slightly responsible for that too.

“No dear, tell uncle Varrick that he can’t use the laser cutter for that......well remind him what happened to him last time he used it……well remind him how many strings mom had to pull just to stop him from getting exiled from Republic City again!” The women exclaimed, turning off the phone in a huff. It was only then did she notice that Korra was in the room, and almost instantly her frustrated face turned to one of utter delight “Momma! You’re back!”

“Hello Zia.” Korra said, pulling her daughter and eldest child into a tight hug, though careful not to be too tight considering Zia’s condition. Letting go, she looked Zia in the eyes and smiled, “everything okay, sweetie?”

“Everything’s fine Momma.” Zia shrugged, rubbing her inflated belly, “me and Shins’ little boy is gonna be coming soon. The doctor says it’ll be a month at the most.”

“Oh I am so happy for you both sweetie.” Korra said warmly. She reached and rubbed her daughters belly tenderly, and felt her heart leap with joy when she felt her future grandson poke her hand. She couldn’t wait to see her beautiful Grandson. “But really sweetheart, you shouldn’t be working. You’re taking care of two people now. You need to stay home and look after you both.”

“Oh relax Ma, I’m only working four days a week instead of five now!” Zia stated plainly “besides, Shin’s taking care of Future Industries whilst I’m away. He was alright before Uncle Varrick decided to drop in and borrow stuff for one of his experiments.”

“After last time? And the time before that?”

“Yep. Being sawn in half and then nearly sawing the city in half won’t stop him.”

Zia chuckled, with a hint of nervousness, “anyway Ma, how long you been back in Republic City?”

“Just about an hour ago.”

“Huh. Why didn’t you call me or mom to tell us you’d arrived?”

“Well...” Korra replied sheepishly, “I didn’t spot any phoneboxes on my way....”

“Mamma. You have that perfectly good Walker Phone I gave you for your birthday.”

“I know sweetie...” Korra said nervously, noting her daughters growing frown, “...but you know how much trouble I have with those things.”

“And you’ll never get better if you don’t try!” Zia exclaimed. With a sigh and a shake of the head, she stated, “once all this is done I’m gonna re-teach you on how to use your Walker phone.”

“Yes sweetie.”

Zia smirked, “And once you’ve mastered that I’ll have a go trying to teach you to use a computer!”

Korra almost fainted at the thought of it.

With a glance at her watch, Zia said, “Sorry Mama, but I better get back to the office and make sure Uncle Varrick hasn’t nearly bankrupted us again. I’ll see you at the party tonight.”

“Alright sweetie.” Korra said, hugging her daughter warmly a finale time, “but take care not to stress yourself out. It won’t do the baby any good.”

“I know, I know.” Zia said with a roll of her eyes, “I’ll be careful. See ya!”

With that Zia departed in the direction Korra had arrived. Korra looked back at her leaving and smiled. She loved her children equally, but there was no denying that Zia was a lot more like her than Taro. Taro was more like Asami; quieter and more reserved, whilst Zia was like Korra in her open stubbornness and outgoing nature. She even looked like a younger version of her! Many had found it hard to believe that Zia was adopted, but really she’d just taken so much from Korra.

Korra walked to the two large doors leading to the office of Air Nation leader Jinora. As she stepped closer she could hear the faint muffles of people talking inside; two female and one male. With a deep breath, Korra pushed open the large doors with great ease and stepped inside.

Like the rest of the temple the office was old fashioned and a testament to the temples ancestry, but surprisingly for Korra there was a large computer on the massive desk at the rooms end, and a TV had been fitted onto the wall on Korra’s right. Standing in the middle of the room were three people, all three of which Korra knew very well, but the person in the middle was someone Korra couldn’t take her eyes off of.

Compared to Korra, one could often mistake Asami for being much younger than she looked. Ever since she’d first met her she’d been a bombshell in looks, and several decades later none of that had changed. Her hair was shorter, being cut to her shoulders and only the tiniest of grey hairs could be seen. She wore a black suit jacket with dark red collars and a black skirt and black stockings. Asami had certainly changed since they had first gotten together, but to Korra she was just as beautiful as she had always been, and every time Korra saw her heart skipped a beat.

As Asami turned around to see Korra, her expression instantly turned to a smile, “Korra!” Asami and Korra ran to each other and embraced in a loving hug, Asami being lifted off her feet as they embraced. The two loosened their hug but stared lovingly into each other’s eyes. They had been married for over 35 years and not a single spark in their relationship had been lost.

“Hello...President Sato.” Korra said with a hint of mischief. Asami chuckled slightly at it, before leaning in closer to kiss Korra on the lips. The same kiss that always made Korra feel lighter than air. As they pulled apart Korra whispered, “I missed you Asami...”

“I know. I missed you too.” Asami hummed, resting her head on Korra’s forehead, both of them closing their eyes, “we all do, but I’m glad you’re back.”

“Ahem!” unsubtly coughed the other lady in the room. She was easily the shortest person in the room, with brown neck length hair that curled at the end. She wore the traditional attire of the Air Nation member, and down her forehead was the blue arrow tattoo that signified an Airbending master.

Korra and Asami released their hug and turned to the woman, still holding each other’s hands, “sorry Jinora. I know we were in the middle of talking.” Asami apologised, her face flushing slightly.

“On the contrary, I interrupted because I didn’t want you to hog Korra all to yourself!” Jinora laughed, before walking over and embracing the much taller Korra. She looked Korra in the face and smiled, “it’s good to have you back Korra.”

“It’s good to be back, Jinora.” Korra said with a nod, “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

“Nor could we handle this without you.” Said the final person in the room, a tall but thin man in his late forties, he too wore the outfit of the Air Nation and also had the Air Tattoo on his bald head. He had a kind face with no other facial hair, and despite his small stature had a deep, booming and smooth voice. The man stepped forward and bowed, “it is indeed a great relief to see you again Avatar Korra.”

“Riki, what have I told you? You don’t need to be so formal with me.” Korra lectured, before pulling the man in for a big hug. The man was taken by surprise by the hug and her strong grip, and laughed nervously.

“Sorry Korra, old habits die hard.” Korra chuckled. Korra released her huge and smiled. She’d know Riki since he was 4 years of age. He was now one of the strongest and wisest Airbenders alive, but he’d always be that little boy who idolized her to Korra.

“Sorry if I interrupted something between you three.” Korra said.

“Not at all Korra. We were actually talking about the arrival of Fire Lord Zuko, Fire Lady Reimi and Princess Ursa.” Asami explained.

“Oh right. I guess they’ll be here so-” Korra stopped abruptly for a second, frowning, “wait, they’re bringing their baby daughter too?!”

“Well of course.” Riki nodded plainly, “I’m sure everyone wants to see the new heir to the throne.”

“But she’s only a few months old!”

“And both of them would be heartbroken to be separated from them.” Jinora rebutted, putting her hands on her hips, “I’m not complaining. I’m dying to see my baby granddaughter again.”

Korra couldn’t argue her point there. Considering how excited she was for Zia’s child to be born she couldn’t fault Jinora for wanting the princess to come too. Korra smiled inwardly; the story of Fire Lord Zuko and Fire Lady Reimi’s romance was a popular one across the world. Reimi was Jinora’s daughter and a talented Airbender, and when Zuko had met Reimi when he was a Prince studying at Republic City the two had quickly fell in love. Korra remembered the worldwide attention the announcement of their marriage had caused. There were naturally a few who opposed the future Fire Lord marrying someone of non-Fire Nation descent, while others saw this it as an act of symbolic peace between the Fire Nation and the Air Nation after the latter’s genocide via the former.

Korra saw it for what it was; two people falling in love and marrying regardless of who told them otherwise.

“I’m sure Kai is excited to see them too. Is he around?” Korra asked.

“Afraid not. He was needed at the Air Temple near Ba Sing Se.” Jinora said sadly, “he sends his love though.”

“I see. Tell him I said the same when you next call him.” Korra said, “so, I take it we’re all gonna head to the airport and greet them as they arrive?”

“Not all of us, no. Fire Lord Zuko has asked for a more low key arrival. We’ll all officially greet him at the party tonight.” Riki explained. He then said in a quieter tone, “and Chief Mako has called. He’s aware that you’ve arrived back in Republic City and he’s asked that I take you to him as soon as possible. We have matters to discuss.”

Korra narrowed her eyes “you mean about...”

“Yes. Them.” Riki nodded, “Just you and me though. President Sato and Master Jinora will meet Fire Lord Zuko at the airport within the hour.”

“We’ll meet you at the party tonight.” Jinora stated, smirking, “and make sure Mako comes too. You know he’ll get absorbed in his work and forget to attend if you don’t push him.”

“Gotcha.” Korra smiled and nodded. Riki and Jinora turned towards the door and left the room. Korra was about to follow suit before Asami grabbed by the hand.

“Hey Korra, is everything okay?” Asami queried, worry etched onto her face, “Mako called about the incident this morning. You weren’t hurt, were you?”

“Oh...no I’m fine my love.” Korra said, taking Asami’s hand in both of hers, “just the usual. A little kid needing to be rescued at the wrong time.”

“I heard, and then you got chased around the city by the Press. Again.”

“Yeah...” Korra said sheepishly, “I’m sorry Asami. I know I should’ve just called you on my Walker phone and get picked up. It would’ve caused less of a stir.”

“Maybe.” Asami said, smiling, “but then again, if you had you wouldn’t save a poor little girl from being run over.”

Korra smiled back, “you always know how to make me feel better about stuff, don’t you? Have I ever told you how that I love you?”

“You have...but you can say it again if you want.” Asami whispered, leaning in again and kissing Korra on the lips. With no one around they held their kiss longer, enjoying the moment for every second. Asami released the kiss and whispered, “because I love you.”

“And I love you.” Korra whispered back. The two stared at each other lovingly for a moment, before making their way out of the room, holding hands.