Her First Day

The morning arose and Kota woke up and sat on the side of his bed. He stood up and looked at the prized possessions he possessed. There is a collection of photos of him when he was a child.

One of them was with him and Asami when they were kids. Asami was 5 and Kota was 6, they were at Ember Island and their parents were standing behind them. Tenzin had Kota on his shoulder and Lin stood next to him and Asami's father, Hiroshi, he had Asami on his shoulder and her mother Yasuko was there to. Another photo was one of him as a baby and his Grandpa Aang and Grandma Katara was there. The baby Kota was being held by the late Avatar, he never remembered his grandfather, but he heard from his Dad that Aang would come to visit as much as he could. Another photo was of him and Asami with his Grandma Toph behind them. Another photo was one with him on the back and Jinora in front of him. Kota held Ikki and Meelo on his arms and had his goofy grin that was identical to Aang's. They all wore Air Acolyte clothing except for Kota who wore formal earthbending clothes.

He later pulled out a drawer and saw the things he held as prized possessions and noticed that his bison whistle was still there, so he decided to take and get out of his room. He walked down the island and went down to the flying bison cave which me made himself. He whistled it and a flying bison came out, the saddle was unique and Kota knew that this was his old bison, Shorty.

Shorty flew and tackled Kota who laughed at the bison's antics, but he can't blame it for missing its companion after being gone 3 years. "Hey Shorty," Kota said, laughing and petting the flying bison. It licked the earthbender's face and Kota continued to pet it, "I missed you too."

Kota hugged the bison, hanging out with his bison for a while longer.

'With Korra in the Dining Hall'

"And in the final round, the Buzzard Wasps won with a decisive knockout," Korra said excitedly as she finally set the paper down. "What do you say we go to the arena tonight, catch a few pro-bending matches?" she asked.

"That sport is a mockery of the noble tradition of bending," Tenzin replied. Though he was happy for any sort of distraction from that accursed article, he still wasn't pleased about Korra's interest in that nonsense. "It was bad enough that Lin let our son participate in it when he was younger," Tenzin mused.

"Wait, Kota was a Pro-bender?" Korra asked in astonishment.

"He was in the Junior-bending league," Tenzin clarified. "Besides, he gave up on it, when he realized how useless and distracting such a barbaric display is."

"Come on Tenzin. I've dreamed about seeing a pro-bending match since I was a kid," Korra said unperturbed, "and now I'm just a ferry ride away from the arena."

"Korra, you're not here to watch that drivel, you're here to finish your Avatar training," Tenzin said. He was clearly beginning to become frustrated. "In order to learn airbending, I believe you require a calm, quiet environment, free from any distractions," he explained.

"Alright," Korra relented, "you're the master."

Although she said that she agreed, Tenzin could still see the longing look in Korra's eyes as she turned to look across the bay in the same direction as the Pro-bending Arena. Tenzin merely sighed before taking another sip of his morning tea.

'With Kota'

Kota took in the sights of the island as he made his way to the main complex to check in with his father. Overall, not much had changed since he left.

That made sense. After all, the Air Acolytes were trying to emulate a culture which had been wiped out almost 2 centuries ago. Changing to fit the times would kind of defeat the whole purpose. Though the island's grounds may not have changed over the years, the way its people perceived him sure had.

From his earliest memories, Kota remembered the Air Acolytes treating him like a prince, pandering to his every need. Now that he was older, he understood why. He was the firstborn son of the head of the Air Nation and the world's last airbender.

Even as a child, Kota could tell that the Air Acolytes' behavior around him had been changing steadily over the years. It had started shortly before Jinora was born, 3 years after he learned he was an earthbender... like his mom. This change in behavior only became all the clearer after the feast that was held in honor of the first airbender to be born after Aang's death.

He was about 10 years old when Jinora first displayed her airbending. She wasn't even 2 years-old, but when her mother, Pema, tickled her toes Jinora whipped up a gentle breeze in a fit of giggles that swirled around the room they were in. She was the youngest bender Kota had ever seen.

Although the sudden indifference that most of the island's residents now had for him was somewhat jarring for Kota's younger self, the Acolytes still had a certain respect for him as Tenzin's son and were never outright hostile to the young boy. No, the contempt that most of them now had for him didn't come around, even after he left with his uncle to join the United Forces.

Before he could ponder any further on his past, however, Kota was interrupted from his musing as he heard giggling behind him. He looked behind his back and saw two female Air Acolytes with giddy grins on their faces. They seemed to only be two or three years younger than him.

Realizing that Kota had spotted them, they both blushed heavily and turned away from his gaze, but they still had nervous smiles on their faces as they shyly turned their eyes towards him. Kota chuckled at their antics and sent them a small wave before turning away. As he continued on the path, he could still hear the girls giggling and talking in hushed tones, but decided that it wouldn't be polite to listen in.

Perception was a funny thing. It could often change simply depending on where one was standing. To Republic City and the rest of the outside world, most considered Kota to only be a slightly talented earthbender who was content to coast through life on the reputation of his grandparents' legacies. Yet just a few hundred meters from there, on this island, the residents thought that the firstborn son of Master Tenzin was nothing more than a rebellious, bad boy who constantly thumbs his nose at traditions.

Kota wasn't altogether sure which opinion was more correct, or if either was. He just knew that he was trying to live life the way that he wanted. And for the most part, he didn't care if anyone was ever offended by that.

As Kota was making his way to the main temple building where his family lived, he saw his father standing outside the girls' dormitories. Tenzin smiled at his son as he arrived, "Morning, Kota."

"Morning dad," Kota said, "Sorry for taking too long, I was reuniting with Shorty."

Tenzin chuckled, "Ah Shorty, he missed you a lot."

"Oh, I bet."

...

While Kota and his father were waiting for Korra to change into her new robes, Tenzin decided to ask something.

"So, have you stopped by to see Asami?" Tenzin asked, "She kept talking to me about how much she misses you."

"Yeah, she was my first stop?" Kota said.

"You sisters and brother are at the Gates, maybe you should watch them in case there is a fight that are about to spark," Tenzin said to his eldest son.

Kota sighed and walked ahead of them to be met with his siblings. The three kids went up to their older earthbending brother. "Koko! Where's Korra?" Ikki asked. "Dad's showing Korra all of the cool places around the island," Kota said.

"Do you think Daddy is going to show Korra the cave you made for the bison?" Ikki asked.

Kota shook his head, "So what do you think will happen?" He looked down to his sibling as Meelo jumped onto his brother's shoulders and aggressively pull on the collars of his leather jacket.

"Well, they're about to start their first Airbending lesson and then Korra's gonna airbend and then she's gonna learn how to fly and then she's gonna be the first flying Avatar ever!" she said all of that at once. Ikki was known for having a motor-powered mouth.

"Ikki, Korra isn't going to master Airbending after having just one lesson. It's something that takes time," Jinora said as a matter of fact. Ever since he could remember his sister, Jinora had a natural tendency to correct whatever their brother and sister said, which was why they argued on a daily basis. "And besides, you can't fly around like a Raven Eagle just because you're an airbender. That ability has never been confirmed."

"You know what's confirmed? That cockroach over your head!" Ikki replied as she pointed at her sister's hair. Jinora, who was absolutely terrified of insects, almost had a panic attack and began searching for said bug with her hands, whimpering and completely ruining her silky hair while she was at it.

Once she heard Ikki's stifled giggles, Jinora realized her sister was messing with her, and as an act of revenge, she took a deep breath and used her Airbending skills to exhale a gust of wind directed at Ikki's face. Tenzin's youngest daughter ended up looking as if a hurricane had just gone by, with both her hair buns tousled.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Meelo began clapping.

Both girls seemed ready to have a go at it. But before they could start a fight, Kota restrained them, by earthbending their feet and arms. He made sure the earthen prison wasn't too tight. "Alright, let's all calm down and breathe, okay? Siblings have to take care of each other, not fight like two Pygmy Pumas in a cage. Now, apologize to one another and let's move on," Kota said, "Seriously, whenever Pema and Dad are not here, I have to take care of all of you."

Kota let go of the earthen prison he held his sisters in, hoping that his intervention was enough to prevent a childish skirmish from erupting. Luckily, neither Jinora nor Ikki attempted to blast each other, although they didn't apologize like Kota hoped they would. They merely released an angry huff and looked at the other way while they crossed their arms. "Aww, but I wanted to see them fight," Meelo whined. He later got off Kota's shoulders and stood next to him.

The earthbender shook his head, 'Sometimes I feel like you may be related to Mom, Meelo.' Kota loved his siblings to death, but he lacked the patience to put up with their constant bickering, although he supposed it was natural for siblings to argue about everything when they're kids. What he hated the most is whenever the three would try to tattle on each other to him.

In that moment, Tenzin arrived at the scene, followed behind by Korra. The Avatar was wearing traditional monk robes that were identical to the ones worn by Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo, and truth be told, she didn't look anything like an airbender at all. Her physical features, mainly her darker skin and blue eyes, pretty much screamed 'Water Tribe here' and no robe would make her seem similar to any of the females living in the Air Temple. 'It's not necessarily a bad thing, but that outfit does look weird on her,' Kota admitted to himself.

"Korra's gonna airbend! Korra's gonna airbend!" Ikki cheered.

Korra thanked the enthusiasm will a small smile, eager to begin the lessons that would finally make her a fully-fledged Avatar. She glared at Kota who was laughing at her, "What are you laughing at?"

"I never would've guessed you were into monk fashion," Kota said.

"What? Oh, you mean this old thing?" Korra asked as she looked down at her robes. "Yeah, not exactly my kind of clothing, but your dad said this is the standard Airbending uniform and I don't really have a choice in the matter,"

It was true. Korra felt strange wearing clothes that weren't Water Tribe. It would've been a lot more comfortable for her to just wear his usual outfit, but she decided not to make a big deal out of it given that she only had to use the robes while during her lessons.

"Anyways, what's that giant contraption for?" Korra asked while she pointed at the air gates in front of her.

"We will start your training with the gates exercise. It will teach you the very foundation of Airbending," the monk replied. "Jinora, would you care to explain?"

She nodded. "The goal is to weave your way through the gates and to make it to the other side without touching them."

"Seems easy enough," Korra said with a smirk.

"Jinora forgot to say you have to make it through while the gates are spinning," Ikki quickly piped up.

And then, almost as if for emphasis, Tenzin stepped forward, raised his arms, and then thrust them forward, sending a massive gust of wind into The Gates. The result was almost instantaneous, as the heavy wooden panels suddenly all began to spin almost blindingly fast.

"The key is to be like the leaf," Tenzin said. As a way to clarify, he pulled a small, green leaf from out of his robes.

"Flow with the movement of the gates," he explained. Sure enough, the leaf made its way through spinning gates, before exiting out the other side without ever touching a single one of the twirling, wooden boards.

"Jinora will demonstrate," Tenzin prompted. Jinora then dashed up towards the spinning gates and quickly entered them, bobbing and weaving, twisting and turning as she expertly avoided touching any of them.

"Airbending is all about spiral movements," Tenzin continued. "When you meet resistance, you must be able to switch direction at a moment's notice." Jinora exited The Gates just as her father finished his explanation.

After making her way clear of the spinning panels, Jinora then sent her own gust of wind into them in order to reset their speed. Kota couldn't help but smiled in pride as his little sister executed the exercise perfectly. She really was a natural prodigy.

"All right," Korra said with determination. "Let's do this." She then charged directly into The Gates.

Just as she was about to run into the gates, a hand grabbed her shoulder, stopping her.

"Hold up there, Korra," Kota said.

"What?" Korra asked, slightly frustrated. "I just need to get the timing right."

"Are you sure that you're actually a Water Avatar, and not an Earth Avatar?" Kota asked bluntly. "Because you really are as stubborn as any natural-born earthbender," he said, smirking.

Korra merely frowned and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Trust me, Korra," Kota assured her. "There's no way that you're going to be able power your way through those gates. Do you see all the scuff marks right under all the air symbols? You know, right where it hit you in the face," he prompted.

Although Korra was slightly peeved that Kota felt the need to point out how she had gotten smacked around by a piece of wood, she decided to give it a quick look anyway. And sure enough, upon closer inspection, Korra did notice that that particular portion of each gate seemed to be more worn down than the rest of it.

"You wouldn't be the first person to get it in their head to try to force their way through, regardless of how many times you get hit," he continued. "Unfortunately, the only thing you're going to get out of it is a concussion."

"Okay, then. How exactly do I get through them?" Korra asked cynically. "The only advice Tenzin gave me was to 'be like the leaf.'"

"Okay," Kota said, trying to lead her thinking. "What do you think he meant by that? Why did the leaf make it through The Gates, but you didn't?"

"Well, the leaf is light, I guess," Korra reasoned. "I was trying to be light on my feet, but I still got tossed around," she defended bitterly.

"Having less weight has nothing to do with it. After all, leaves get blown into things all the time," Kota explained. "During autumn, there's always a huge pile of them under my window. That's where they all fall after they hit the temple," he elaborated.

"What is it about The Gates that makes it possible for a single leaf to make it through a maze of spinning panels that are moving so fast that it's almost impossible to keep track of them?" Kota asked.

Korra was silent for a moment before finally giving a small shrug as she failed to come up with an answer.

Kota sighed. "It's the air currents," he explained. "The leaf was pushed around by the air currents created by the spinning gates, ensuring that it would be moved out of the way before it ran into any of them."

"Hey," Korra said indignantly. "I said that the leaf was able to make it through because it was light, but then you said that weight had nothing to do with it. And now, you're telling me that it was only able to make it through because it was blown around by 'air currents.'"

"Okay," Kota relented, "so you were half right, but you had no idea why," he said as he gave her a half-lidded stare.

Korra huffed as she'd finally had enough of an earthbender telling her how bad she was at airbending. "Hey Tenzin," she said, getting the wizened master's attention. "Aren't you the one who's supposed to be teaching me?" she asked, jerking her thumb towards Kota.

"Actually," Jinora interjected, "Koko knows more about airbending than anyone besides Daddy himself. He even knows more than I do."

"Jinora is right," Tenzin confirmed with a slight amount of pride. "Kota has studied the techniques and philosophies of airbending since he was a small boy. I have faith that he will give you good instruction."

"Alright then, Master Koko," Korra said with an annoyed sigh. "You were saying something about 'air currents.'"

"Yes," he continued, although slightly irritated, damn that woman. "As you probably already know, airbenders are masters of evasive tactics. They're able to sense incoming attacks by feeling changes in the air around them."

Kota could tell from her slightly absent expression that Korra still didn't fully grasp what it was that he was trying to say. He gave a heavy sigh as he tried to come up with a way for her to understand.

"Alright. Come over here," he instructed as he motioned for her to stand just a few feet in front of The Gates. "Now, close your eyes."

"This better not be another trick," Korra warned him with narrowed eyes.

"It's not," Kota assured her.

Korra took a deep breath before closing her eyes as instructed. "Okay, now what?" she asked impatiently.

"Now, try to feel the air around you," he said. "Is there any wind? If there is, what direction is it coming from? How strong is it?"

Korra gave it a moment as she tried to focus and feel any sort of wind. "Well, there's a gentle breeze coming in from the West," she said with some hesitation as she pointed to her left.

"That way is south actually," Kota corrected absently, "but you're right. That is a natural breeze that you're feeling. The key to making through The Gates relies on your ability to feel the disruptions in the natural air around you."

Even with her eyes closed, Korra couldn't help but smile at the small amount of praise that the young man had given her.

"Now hold your hand out directly in front of you," Kota commanded.

Korra did as she was told with her palm facing out and her fingers splayed. Her hand was less than a foot away from one of the spinning gates.

"Do you feel the air being blown into your hand by the gate?" Kota asked

"Yeah, a little...I think," Korra answered with some uncertainty.

"Okay, try to focus as much as you can on the sensations in your hand," he said. Kota gave her a moment to concentrate before continuing.

"Now, turn your hand around with your palm facing inward. Feel the air currents with the back of your hand," he commanded.

The result was almost immediate as what had only felt like soft fanning a moment before, now felt like a strong, cool gust of wind.

"Woah," Korra said in astonishment, opening her eyes and looking at Kota. "I can totally feel it now!"

He smiled. "That's because the skin on the back of your hand is much more sensitive than your palm," Kota explained. "Forcing you to focus your feeling in your palm only helped make the difference feel even more intense."

...

Korra was utterly amazed. She'd felt the wind blow against her skin countless times throughout her life, but she'd never felt it like this before. She wondered if this was how other Avatars had felt whenever they first discovered a new element. Did all her past lives experience this same sense of wonder and excitement?

Korra, herself, had been able to bend the other 3 elements for as long as she could remember. She never had to try to explore different sensations like this; she merely needed to dig deeper into what she had already known. This sense of discovery, this thirst for knowledge, was all incredibly new to her.

"Everything in the world causes movement in the air," Kota said, regaining Korra's attention. "Everything from a flying boulder or a fire blast to a single wingbeat from a spider-fly; they all create disruptions in the natural air flow. And airbenders are able to perceive the world around them by feeling these changes in the air against their skin," he explained.

"That's why most of the Air Nomads shaved their heads. Your scalp is extremely sensitive like the back of your hand," Kota said, motioning to his bald father as an example. "And I bet you just thought he did that to cover up his receding hairline," the younger man added with a smirk.

Korra and his younger siblings couldn't help but snort in amusement at Kota's 'lesson.' While Tenzin merely rolled his eyes, he chose not to interrupt.

"I want you to close your eyes again. Visualize the spinning gate in front of you," Kota continued as he crossed his arms. "I want you to try to predict the speed of the gate's rotation. Feel the ebb and flow of the air as it spins. The air current should be at its strongest when the gate is closest."

Korra tried to feel this 'ebb and flow' that Kota was talking about, but no matter how hard she tried, it just felt like a constant breeze to her. "Hey Tenzin," she said, trying to distract from that fact.

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you try to teach me this stuff?" Korra asked. "You just told me to 'be like the leaf,' then you let me run face-first into this deathtrap," she said motioning to The Gates. "Why is Kota the one teaching me about all this feeling-the-air-currents stuff?"

"Wait a moment," Tenzin said. "Are you saying that you didn't read the introductory material I left for you when I visited the South Pole?" he asked with a distinctive edge to his voice.

Then it all came back to her. Korra did seem to recall the numerous tomes and scrolls that Tenzin and his family had brought when they visited her the last time. After telling her that her training was to be postponed, Tenzin had told her to read through them so that she would be 'adequately prepared' for when he finally came back to begin her training. In her frustration at being delayed and her haste to reach Republic City, Korra had completely forgotten about them.

"Oh...um, of course I read them," Korra obviously lied. "But...uh, you don't mind reminding me of what was in them, right?" she asked with an uneasy smile.

Tenzin sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Most of what was in there, Kota already briefly explained. I thought that you just might have needed a brief review to help you get into the groove of things," he explained.

"Luckily for you, I have copies of those documents which you will review every single day, until you finally master The Gates," Tenzin informed her with a predatory grin.

"Wait, so I just have to make it through them, right?" Korra reasoned as she hoped to avoid hours upon hours of sitting around and reading.

"I can do that, no problem," she said. And with that, she charged right in once again.

Unlike the first time, she made it several feet in. And although she was hit multiple times, they were mostly glancing blows rather than the full-body hits she suffered the previous time. Nevertheless, she was forced out in the same direction she had entered.

She tried again with the same result. However, her third attempt was more reminiscent to her very first as she was once again thrown bodily out of the spinning contraption.

And just like before, Korra was ready to charge headlong into The Gates once again when a hand grabbed her shoulder, stopping her. It was Kota...again.

"Korra, it's okay to not be able to get it on your first day," Kota said, trying to console her. "You just aren't ready yet. You need more practice."

Korra was a do-er, not a thinker. She learned best through actions, not by sitting around in a library and reading. She needed to master airbending as quickly as possible. She promised the people of Republic City that she would protect them. Korra wanted to know why Kota was trying to hold her back, to slow her down. What did he know about the expectation of becoming an airbender?

"Oh yeah?" Korra asked in frustration. "Well if you're such an expert, then why don't you try making through those gates?"

Kota frowned deeply at Korra's spiteful response, but he didn't bite back with any sort of angry retort. Instead, he had a smirk and stepped up to The Gates, he began to roll his shoulders and turned his head, causing his neck to pop as he loosened up.

"Wait, he's not serious, is he?" Korra asked Tenzin in surprise. "He's an earthbender!" she said to Nima as Kota seemingly called her bluff.

Both remained silent as they observed the young man.

"Ikki, Meelo, reset The Gates," Kota commanded.

"All right!" Meelo exclaimed, throwing his fist into the air in anticipation.

Both of the young airbenders enthusiastically sent an incredibly strong gust of wind into The Gates. In their excitement, they accidentally made their blast a bit too strong as Jinora was forced to move out of the way. "You guys are messing up my hair," she complained.

Kota ignored the bickering of his younger siblings as he stepped up to The Gates, completely blinded. Korra held her breath in anticipation as she waited for Kota to inevitably get mauled by the spinning panels just as she had been.

Yet, to her astonishment, Kota deftly dodged every obstacle as he glided through The Gates just as Jinora had. However, unlike his younger sister who had moved through in a relatively straight line, Kota seemed determined to move through every square inch of the network of spinning gates. He was moving with almost unnatural agility and speed that made it seem as though he was being carried by the air itself.

Just when it seemed as though Kota was about to exit The Gates out the opposite side, he astounded Korra once again as he abruptly stopped and began to move backwards towards the position he had originally entered.

Kota had been making his way throughout The Gates for several minutes by the time he finally made it back out from his point of entry, so the spinning gates had become noticeably slower than they were when he had first entered. After exiting, Kota brought his arms around in a sharp, circular motion. Using his earthbending, he turned the round, stone slab that The Gates were built upon. This caused the wooden panels to catch air as the entire structure was spun a full 360 degrees.

With his demonstration seemingly done, Kota used his metalbending to summon and reattach his chest plates to the rest of his armor before making his way towards the mediation pavilion. He took off his makeshift blindfold without saying so much as a word to the stunned Avatar. All the while, The Gates continued to spin as though they had been reset by a master airbender.

She later started to take a deep breath and began running.

It was all going well and good until the moment she entered the gates, which was when things started to get messy for Korra, and that was putting it lightly.

BAAM BAAM BAAM BAAM

Korra seemed to get assaulted by every single gate that was spinning. Once she got hit, there was no way for her to get back on track. The point of the exercise was to pass through the gates without stopping, because if you stopped, you were going to get hit inevitably. Korra's mistake was to believe that she had to rely solely on her speed, which was fine by her given that she was fairly fast thanks to her training in the South Pole. In reality, it was much more about timing and swiftness, as well as 'allowing your body to move with complete freedom.'

Eventually, Korra was thrown out of the gates and landed on her lower back. It was fair to say that Korra's attempt was rubbish by all standards. The Avatar stood up, both her body and her pride feeling sore, and walked up to Tenzin with a rather annoyed look on her face. "How was that for a first try?"

"Don't you worry, Korra. Not even the most talented airbenders in history were able to master this exercise straight away. It requires patience and time just like everything else," was Tenzin's appeasing answer. He was far too kind and gentle to label Korra's first attempt as a failure, even if it clearly was. "Why don't you try again?"

Taking a deep breath, the Water Tribe girl got ready and gave it a go. Her second attempt wasn't much better than the first one as Korra was getting pummeled yet again. Kota flinched every time he saw Korra getting hit, which happened to be very often in case you were wondering. The Sergeant shook his head and looked at Tenzin. "I think I'll just leave now,"

"I thought you wanted to see Korra's training," the airbender said.

"I do want to see Korra's training. What I don't want to see is her getting beaten into a pulp," Kota stated. "And besides, I think Pema needs some help... Should I send someone over with a medical kit?"

Tenzin sighed. "Please do. We will need it,"

'Hours Later'

"Airbend!" Korra shouted as she attempted to produce at least a gentle breeze of air, using an old newspaper with the picture of Lin in it as a target. "What's wrong with me? Airbend!" she exclaimed as she tried another time. Needless to say, she got the same results.

To say that Korra was frustrated was an understatement. Korra had been trying to Airbend for the last half hour and not a single time did she feel like she was getting close to actually doing something that resembled Airbending. Why was it so hard when all the other elements came to her so easily? When she was 5 years-old she was already capable of bending water, fire, and earth, but even after 12 years of intense training, her Airbending had yet to manifest itself. She thought that things would change for the better by moving into the Air Temple, but everything was as useless as ever. Was it some kind of joke from Aang or one of the previous Avatars?

"Maybe I'm just not cut out to be an airbender, huh Naga?" Korra asked her Polar Bear Dog that was sitting close to her. She was about to leave the place when she heard a familiar voice from behind.

"Of course you are," a voice said from the shadows of one of the many trees that surrounded Korra and Naga. "You're the Avatar. You'll get it eventually." It was a voice that Korra had become quite familiar with over the last week.

"Kota," she said, startled and somewhat embarrassed at being caught using a picture of his mother as target practice. "I haven't seen you all day." She stopped short of adding 'after what happened at The Gates.'

"Just because you haven't been able to see me, doesn't mean I haven't been keeping an eye on you," he said cryptically, his expression unreadable.

"Okay, that's kinda creepy," Korra said with a slight cringe.

Kota merely rolled his eyes. "It means that I've been using my Seismic Sense to monitor your position," he explained. "It's one of the main reasons that I was picked for this assignment."

"Oh," she said simply, "I just assumed you were avoiding me after...you know..." she trailed off.

"You mean, after you lost your temper because you weren't able to instantly master an exercise that took me more than two years to get a handle on?" Kota supplied.

"TWO YEARS!" Korra exclaimed. "I thought Tenzin said that The Gates were supposed to help teach me the fundamentals."

"Yeah, of airbending. I'm an earthbender, remember?" he reminded her. "You'll get it a lot faster than I did."

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course," Kota assured her, "but like anything else in life, it takes patience and a lot of hard work."

"Yeah, well, patience isn't exactly my strong suit," Korra said, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly.

"I've noticed," Kota stated simply.

"Hey, it's not polite to point out a lady's shortcomings," she said as she lightly elbowed him in the gut. "Seriously though, I'm sorry for snapping at you like that," she apologized, taking on a more serious tone. "You were trying to help me, and I let my frustration get the better of me."

"Apology accepted," he said with a smile. But before either one of them could continue, they were interrupted by the sound of a radio coming to life from the White Lotus sentry station just up the hill.

"Ladies and gentlemen I'm coming to you live from Republic City's Pro-bending arena," the voice of Shiro Shinobi came in. "Where tonight, the best in the world continue their quest for a spot in the upcoming championship tournament."

"You know, I've found that after a long day, the most relaxing thing in the world to do is to sit down and listen in as a bunch of guys try to beat the stuffing out of each other," Kota said, grinning.

Korra smiled as well, and she quickly began to move towards the guard station.

"Hold on, Korra, those guys will see us coming from a mile away," he advised. "Come on, I've got my own radio back in my room."

The two teenagers quickly made their way into the main temple, trying to be as quiet as possible on their way to Kota's room. Despite the rather loud creak as the door to his room opened and closed, they managed to reach their destination without drawing any attention. Korra decided to sit on the bed as Kota pulled out the chair to his desk and tried to find the right station.

It seemed that luck was on their side, as Shiro Shinobi announced that the match was about to get underway just as Kota found the correct signal. "Grab your snacks, and grab your kids, because this next match is gonna be a doozy."

"Well, you heard him," Kota said as he held out something wrapped in wax paper to Korra.

She accepted the package and unwrapped it, smiling as she smelled the sweet aroma. It was a piece of fruit custard pie. "Where'd you get this?" she asked.

"I grabbed it on the way here," he answered as he took a bite from his own slice.

"But how? You were with me the whole time," she said in confusion.

"A true master must be as swift and silent as the wind..." Kota said as though he were quoting some piece of ancient wisdom.

"What? Is that some sort of airbending proverb or something?" Korra asked, curiously.

"Yeah," he answered, "it's from The Annals of Snack-Snatching by Kota Beifong, Third Edition."

Korra merely chuckled and rolled her eyes as she settled in to listen to the match. They both spent the next half hour of so intently listening in, with Kota explaining any rules or strategies that Korra didn't quite understand.

"Why would he intentionally retreat into the zone behind him when he didn't have to!?" Korra asked heatedly as the athlete didn't do things exactly the way she would have. "Isn't the whole point to gain ground, not give it up?"

"Yeah, but you can only move forward by how many zones you've pushed your enemy back," Kota explained. "Since Bolin got knocked back, even if he and Mako managed to push back Yomo, Bolin'd still have to stay one zone behind Mako, where he'd have to worry about not hitting his teammate in the back. But now that Mako's retreated, they can work together to push those guys back."

"Oh," Korra said in understanding as she and Kota turned their attention back to the radio.

"This Mako's got moxie. He advances, fires two quick shots," Shiro announced with excitement. "And Yomo is hammered back to zone three."

Kota sent a self-satisfied smile to Korra as his prediction was seemingly proven true. "The clock is winding down, can Yomo hold on?" Shiro asked in anticipation. Although he couldn't know it, Korra shared in his anticipation as she was on the edge of her seat, waiting for him to announce that her favored team had won the match.

"He's teetering on the edge of the ring now. The Fire Ferrets line up to strike—" The broadcast was cut off as Kota quickly reached up and changed the station at the very climax of the match.

"Hey!" Korra said in irritation. "Why'd you—!?"

"Shut up!" Kota urged her as he placed an index finger on her lips and the other on his own. "Hang on to this," he ordered as he grabbed a book from the shelf and shoved it into her lap. He then grabbed one for himself and quickly sat back down by his desk.

...

Tenzin was on the lookout for a certain, young Avatar. After they'd had supper, Korra said that she was going out to get some fresh air. He'd told the young woman to be back in 10 minutes, so that they could review the material she had neglected to go over before she ran away from the White Lotus compound at the South Pole. After her 10 minutes were up and she still hadn't reported back, Tenzin had gone out to look for her.

Naga was easy enough to find as she was taking a nap in a clearing just outside the dining hall. Unfortunately, the dog's rider was nowhere to be seen. Tenzin searched the surrounding area, including the guard station where he caught a group White Lotus sentries listening to a Pro-bending match, but found no sign of his wayward Avatar. He even looked for her in the library and, eventually, her room on the off chance that she actually went to bed early. However, after he'd entered Korra's room, he could hear noises coming from the other side of one of the walls. The wall that was shared by Kota's room. Tenzin felt his blood running cold at that realization.

He'd thought it odd that, during his search across the island for Korra, he hadn't come across Kota either. It had seemed as though Kota had been specifically avoiding Korra and his father after she'd snapped at him during the first exercise of the day. Because of that, Tenzin hadn't even considered the possibility that they might have been together, until now.

Despite claims that 'he's always been an old man,' Tenzin had indeed been young once, so he knew what two teenagers could get up to when they were alone. And no matter how much he might wish he could, Tenzin didn't have the ability to dramatically tear down the stone wall separating the two rooms like his earthbending son could. Instead, he was forced to almost completely circumnavigate the temple as he tried to reach Kota's room as quickly as possible.

As he made his way down the last hall, Tenzin thanked whatever powers that be that most of the Air Acolytes had already retired for the evening, leaving his family and Korra as the temple's only residents. After that morning's news article, he didn't need rumors circulating throughout the island that Korra and Kota had been alone in the young man's bedroom, completely unsupervised.

Approaching the door, Tenzin could hear voices coming from within the room. Whatever it was that the two of them were up to ended now. He loudly slammed the door open without any sort of preamble, but the sight before him took him by surprise. While both Korra and Kota were alone in the room, as he'd suspected. And while Korra was on Kota's bed, the young man himself was sitting at his desk on the opposite end of the room, and both of them had heavy tomes sitting in their laps.

"...and so Monk Tang Xu completed the ninety-seventh day of his historic fast," Kota continued to read, completely unfazed by his father's over-the-top entrance.

Korra, who didn't seem to be all that interested in reading from her own book, finally acknowledged the older man's presence. "Oh, hey Tenzin," she said as she noticed his disheveled look. "What's got you so worked up?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Tenzin cleared his throat and straightened his messy robes. "Nothing," he quickly denied. "Anyway, didn't I say that the two of us were going to review the introductory material after supper?"

"Oh right. Sorry, Tenzin," Korra said with a nervous smile. "I came across Kota when I went outside, and I felt like I needed to apologize for how I treated him this morning. After I did, he offered to help me study."

"I thought that the tale of Monk Tang Xu would be a good place to start. You had me read this when I was little so I figured I could have her read it too," Kota elaborated as he closed his book and set it on the desk. "His story teaches the values of patience and the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity."

"That was indeed a wise choice," Tenzin said with some pride. He tried to cover it up with a small cough. "Nevertheless, in the future, you should consult me before you choose to do independent research," he said imperiously. "That way, I can, um...recommend the correct course of study," he defended.

"Alright," Korra shrugged.

"Of course, Dad," Kota said.

"Good," Tenzin said in relief. "Now, I believe we should all head to bed," he suggested as he directed for Korra to follow him. "We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Okay," Korra relented. "Goodnight, Kota. Thanks for the, uh - help," she said with a knowing smirk.

"Anytime, Korra," Kota said with a matching half-smile. "I'm always happy to help with your...studies."

Tenzin couldn't help but groan. Neither one of them had any sense of subtlety. He could already feel a migraine coming on as he worried what it was exactly that they were 'studying.'