38 Maintaining the Balance: Ch. 38

After one of the most enjoyable days of her life, Korra fell asleep faster than a baby after a playdate.

Under normal circumstances, Korra's dreams were a blurry collage of memories, most of which belonged to her previous lives. As such, she generally found it difficult to recall what she dreamed about, much less what she did during them.

Contrasting her previous experiences, Korra 'awoke' within her dreams to find a world filled with vibrant colors. Everything, even the grass beneath her feet, seemed to radiate light while the sky overhead almost resembled a painting.

Voicing the first thought that entered her mind, Korra muttered, "Is this the Spirit World...?"

"While this is indeed the Spirit World, it is a version reconstructed from the memories of past Avatars. You still have a way to go if you want to enter the actual Spirit World."

Instead of being surprised by the feminine voice echoing within her mind, Korra was uncharacteristically calm as she turned around to find a large, paper-thin entity comprised of pale, bluish-white light. It had a diamond-shaped eye at the center of what Korra assumed was its head and a very familiar pattern covering its body, vaguely resembling a ribcage formed of blue light.

Though it was their first time meeting, Korra found herself adopting a faint smile as she muttered, "Raava..." in a nostalgic tone.

Despite lacking a mouth, Raava managed to give off the impression she was smiling as she softly replied, "It's been many years since I was able to speak freely with one of Wan's incarnations. I would say it's a pleasure to meet you, but I've never left your side since the moment you first drew breath."

Nodding her head in affirmation, Korra asserted, "I think I had a dream about you the day my Avatar powers awakened. Since then, it feels like you've been calling out to me, but I could never quite make out what you were trying to say."

Exhaling a light chuckle, Raava shrunk herself down so that she was the size of Korra, explaining, "Wan never intended to pass on his burdens to another, so the Avatars who followed him were largely oblivious to their purpose. A few Air Nomads managed to uncover the truth, but you're the first person since Wan to harmonize with me to this extent. And at such a young age..."

With Raava swirling around her body, Korra exhaled a chuckle of her own before readily admitting, "It's thanks to Kahn. Without his companionship and guidance, I'm not sure I would have become this strong. I still have a long way to go, but I'm confident that the two of us, together, can take on any threat."

Using one of her whispy tendrils, Raava cupped the side of her 'face' and exhaled a sigh. She was well aware of the existence of Kahn and, thanks to the memories of Aang, she had some insight into the 'Elemental Kings' and the being referring to himself as the Sage Dragon Emperor.

"I understand you trust that boy, Aldr Kahn. However, as you carry the burden of every Avatar, past, present, and future, I ask that you remain cautious. I sense no hostility in that boy's heart, but until we know their actual purpose, the remaining Avatars cannot be trusted."

Furrowing her brows, Korra refuted Raava's claim, stating, "I trust Kahn with my life. He would never betray me."

"..."

Not wanting to upset Korra, Raava remained silent for several seconds before replying, "Very well. If this is your chosen path, I will support you to the best of my ability. Just know that Kahn and his ilk are not native to this world. If their actions jeopardize the balance between the Human and Spirit Worlds, it is our duty to protect both."

Adopting a serious expression, Korra, once again, affirmed, "I can't speak for the others, but I know for a fact we can trust Kahn. It doesn't matter if he's from another planet. He saved my life as a child and has continued to support me ever since. Now, we're working together to make the world a better place for everyone. If I couldn't trust someone like that, who could I? Besides..."

Averting her eyes from Raava, Korra was about to declare her love for her bronze-skinned protector, but it was ultimately unnecessary. Raava knew better than Korra how much the latter cared for Kahn, so the Primordial Light Spirit could only sigh as she conceded, "You're probably right. Given the might of that man, Ragna Rokr, even the full power of the Avatar State might not be enough to defeat him. I dare not imagine what the remaining three could accomplish by working together..."

Blinking in surprise, Korra couldn't help asking, "Seriously? I've heard the rumors, but was Rokr really so powerful that not even Aang could oppose him?"

Despite her distinct lack of facial features, Raava managed to give off a grim aura as she admitted, "That man's mastery over the earth was unlike anything I had ever witnessed. To weaken the industrial might of the Fire Nation, he forced every volcano in the region to enter a dormant state, all without leaving the confines of Ba Sing Se. He's also the one who erected the Great Land Bridge connecting the northern and southern territories of the Earth Kingdom, carving a path through several mountains in the span of three weeks..."

"Three weeks!?"

Though she had never seen the Great Land Bridge personally, Korra knew it was a structure more than 50m tall and nearly a thousand kilometers in length. The outer walls of Ba Sing Se were technically larger, but they had taken generations and thousands of skilled benders to construct. Carving a path through multiple mountains in only three weeks was something you would only hear about in legend...

Nodding her head, Raava answered with an affirmative, "Indeed..." before looking to the sky overhead. It was beginning to distort along with the rest of Korra's dreamscape, so it wouldn't be long before the latter awoke.

Following Raava's gaze, Korra instinctively understood what was about to happen, her expression and tone softening as she asked, "Will we be able to meet like this again? If possible, I'd like to spend more time with you..."

Exuding a smiling aura, Raava exhaled a soft chuckle and admitted, "That depends on you and Kahn. I don't know if it's intentional, but he seems to be drawing out and enhancing your power as the Avatar. Whenever you're in a heightened state of emotion...our consciousnesses briefly overlap. If you reach out to me then, we should be able to meet here as often as you would like..."

Though she was relieved by Raava's words, Korra immediately sensed something was 'off' about them. She was well aware that Raava's crest would sometimes appear on her body, but she never suspected that their consciousnesses were overlapping. If so, didn't that mean...

Confirming Korra's suspicions, Raava nodded her 'head' and said, "Worry not. While it is true that we share senses, I am far beyond such things as worldly pleasures. Just be sure not to prioritize carnality over your duties as the Avatar..."

Smacking her forehead, Korra groaned, "You seriously need to work on your people skills...I get what you're trying to say, but..."

Before Korra could finish speaking, the world around her suddenly went completely black. The next time she opened her eyes, she found herself staring directly into Kahn's eyes, their noses close enough to graze one another as she clung tightly to his muscular frame.

Confused by the sudden change of scenery, a wry smile marred Korra's face as she said, "Uh...good morning...?"

Nodding his head in approval, Kahn calmly replied, "I got to awaken in the arms of my beloved girlfriend. It's certainly a good start..."

Punctuating his statement, Kahn planted a chaste kiss on Korra's lips, silencing whatever she was about to say. He knew she had experienced 'something,' but he wasn't going to force her to reveal the specifics if she didn't want to. Instead, he gave her naked bottom a gentle squeeze and said, "We should hurry and get up. I need to prepare breakfast, and you need to feed Naga..."

Though her body tensed when Kahn grabbed her butt, Korra immediately recovered her usual vigor, a taunting smile developing across her face as she reciprocated the gesture and teased, "The world can wait a few more minutes..."

Returning a smile of his own, Kahn replied, "So it shall..." before leaning in to kiss his devilish girlfriend. He was a little worried that Korra was feeling pressured after their encounter with Akua, but that didn't seem to be the case as she eventually brought the impromptu makeout session to a close on her own. She 'really' wanted to keep going, but their conversation from the previous day was still fresh in Korra's mind. She wasn't ready to be a mother, so until she could get her hands on some reliable contraceptives, she intended to spare Kahn her growing intrigue...

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After parting ways with Korra, Kahn made his way to the Air Temple to find Tenzin waiting for him with a serious expression on his face. He already knew what the man intended to say, so he beat him to the punch, stating, "Nothing happened. She just snuck into my room, and we slept in the same bed. Same as usual."

Exhaling a sigh, Tenzin replied, "I trust you, Kahn. I truly do. However, you have a habit of acquiescing too quickly when it concerns Korra. Just look at all the mountain of clothing and gifts you purchased yesterday. Korra is still a growing woman. A few months from now, and most of those clothes won't even fit her."

Shrugging his shoulders, Kahn's expression remained a mask of neutrality as he replied, "Then they can go to Jinora, Ikki, and the female Acolytes. I doubt Korra would mind."

Furrowing his brows, Tenzin was tempted to state that Air Nomads had no need for such garments. However, considering Kahn's contributions to the restoration of Air Nomad culture, he didn't have much ground to stand on.

Exhaling yet another sigh, Tenzin massaged his temples and said, "Well, it is your money...how you spend it is ultimately up to you. Just keep in mind that many people are paying close attention to both you and Korra. Here, take a look..."

Accepting the newspaper Tenzin handed to him, Kahn's brows furrowed as he saw the front-page headline. There was a picture of him and Korra riding around on Naga beneath the words 'The Avatar Spotted Traipsing About Republic City With A Mysterious Man!?' in bold lettering at the top of the page. Beneath it was a speculative article concerning his identity, but the thing that stood out the most, at least to Kahn, was the smaller column asking, 'Does the Avatar care more about boys than her duties?'

Returning the newspaper to Tenzin, Kahn narrowed his eyes and stated, "Utterly asinine..." in a cold tone. At the same time, he made a mental note to look into the company that had published the paper. Anyone that would go out of their way to smear the Avatar purely for ratings must have more than a few skeletons in their closet.

Noticing the glimmer in Kahn's eyes, Tenzin narrowed his own and said, "Don't do anything drastic, Kahn. As someone close to Korra, your actions will drastically affect how the public views her. Leave matters such as this to myself and the other Council members."

Since he would be acting in secret if he did decide to take action, Kahn remained silent and simply nodded in response to Tenzin's words. He had serious doubts about the Council's ability, but he trusted the middle-aged Airbender to at least try and support Korra. In Kahn's mind, that was more than enough. Everything else could be left to him...and perhaps Akua...

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(A/N: Party hard~)