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Taken	By : QuaqueNocte Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > Legend of Korra, The Views: 33256 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own or make any money from Legend of Korra or the Avatar: Last Airbender franchise.

Chapter List
- 23
- 24
The train ride home was depressing and exhausting. No one had said more than three ones to the other. Even Bolin wasn't in his usual talkative mood. Tonraq had so many questions about his daughter's disappearance and the circumstances surrounding his grandson's birth. Still, he remained silent and only offered the comfort his daughter needed. Throughout the train ride to Republic City, he kept Korra close with his arm wrapped around her shoulder. She welcomed the comfort and kept her head against his chest while she held her son in her arms. Kajuq was quiet for most of the ride, except when he was hungry, needed a diaper change, or his aching gums bothered him but in that case, his grandfather allowed him to chew on his fingers to quiet him.
Tenzin was thrilled to hear that Korra would be returning to Republic City, though he feared Korra would be more broken than when she left. He did his best to keep her out of the media. The last thing he wanted was her to be bombarded with cameras and journalists asking her a bunch of questions. After the train rolled in and people began to unboard, Tenzin looked frantically around for Korra, Tonraq, or even one of Korra's friends. A sigh of relief washed over his body when he spotted Korra's back in the distance beside her father but that relief quickly turned into dread when she turned around and he saw the baby in her arms.
Like Tonraq, Tenzin had so many questions he wanted to ask Korra but after noticing her silent state, he decided to keep to himself. Mako, Bolin, and Asami went their separate ways while Tenzin escorted Tonraq and Korra back to Air Temple Island. The ride was long and silent, except for the sound of Kajuq's baby noises. He stole glances at Korra. She looked completely lost and desolate. Guilt struck his heart. He felt he could have avoided all this if he had protected Korra more. Maybe then she wouldn't be suffering now. Everyone was surprised to see Korra on the island, but she didn't respond to their greetings and made a beeline to her old room which left Tenzin and Tonraq alone.
"I have so many questions." Tenzin sighed.
"I don't know much more than you do. This…Amon person, she was crying over him and Councilor Tarrlok. She wouldn't even leave the swamp until they were properly buried."
"I…I don't understand why. Both of them made her life a living nightmare. I wonder what happened when they all disappeared."
"I don't know. Korra hasn't said much of anything. I'm so worried about her and the baby. I can't even believe my little girl is a mother. Do you know anything about the father?"
Tenzin suddenly looked uneasy, which made Tonraq's brow frown. "I cannot tell you. Korra has to be the one. She would never forgive me if I told others."
Tonraq released a deep sigh. "I understand. Is the father at least a good man?" Tenzin's silence made him fear the worst.

Korra did not emerge from her room for the remainder of the day. Senna had arrived a few hours after Korra did. Being the mother that she was, she stayed in the room with her daughter, neither of them saying a word. Tenzin, Tonraq, and Pema repeatedly checked on Korra but she was usually laying in bed with Kajuq giggling in her arms and her mother stroking her back. The air bending kids attempted to cheer her up, but she locked them out her room before they could get two words in. No one bothered Korra except to bring her food. Tonraq had eventually joined them at night.
"Korra, don't you think your baby is too skinny?" Senna asked her as she cradled Kajuq. Tonraq had his arms wrapped around her as he looked at his grandson, who was staring back at him with curiosity.
Korra sighed as she folded hers and Kajuq's clothes from her bags into the dresser. "Mom, look at him. He has fat rolls all over his body. I think he's fine."
"What do you think Tonraq? Does he look too small to you?"
The chief scratched his head. "He looks like a regular, fat baby."
Senna held the baby up. Kajuq started gooing at her and reaching out to touch the strange female who looked a lot like his mother. "Korra, honey, I know this may be too soon to ask but we deserve to know what happened to you. You were gone for so long and you come back with a baby. I have so many questions."
Korra closed the drawer and stood still for a minute. She knew she was going to have to explain things sooner or later. She couldn't keep her parents in the dark forever. Her now trembling body made its way to her bed, where she sat down with her head buried in her hands. "I don't know where to begin."
"Who's the father?" Somehow, she knew that was going to be the first thing her father asked. She knew his first instinct was that a boy broke his little girl's heart and left her with a baby. She was afraid to tell him it was much worse than that.
"I…I don't know how to tell you. I…" The tears started forming in her eyes.
Tonraq had moved over to sit on the other side of his daughter. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "No matter what happened, we'll always love you. We just want to know that you're alright."
She couldn't look at them when she told them what happened. She could only imagine the devastation on their faces. After she was done, it was silent, aside from Kajuq playing with his grandmother's shirt. Tonraq left the room in anger to find Tenzin. Senna stayed behind, crying with her daughter.

"Lin? Lin! There you are! Is President Raiko ready to address the public?"
Lin and Tenzin had found each other in the crowd of people waiting for the new president outside of the police building to address the issue of the Equalists. The war had still raged while Korra was gone. The Equalists still controlled half the city and today, president Raiko was to address the issue and offer up some sort of a peace treaty. The entire crowd was restless, full of undercover Equalists and ordinary citizens tired of the fighting that had dragged on for so long.
"How's Korra?" Lin had asked Tenzin as they walked up the stairs where the podium was.
"She's…as to be expected, but I think she'll be alright. I tried to keep her arrival as secretive as possible. The last thing Korra needs is to be bombarded with personal questions from the media."
"I heard she had a kid."
"Bolin told you, didn't he?" Tenzin looked slightly irritated. He was worried about Bolin running his mouth about everything.
"Actually, Mako told me. All he talks about is the kid. You'd think it was his son."
"Well, that does seem rather unusual but I can't blame him. He's a lovable baby."
Everyone started hushing when President Reiko approached the podium. It was a heavy silence as people waited for some kind of hope that everything will be alright.
"My fellow citizens of Republic City. As you know, the Equalists not given up their fight for control of the city, even as their leader, Amon, remains missing along with the Avatar. I am willing to negotiate and come to peaceful terms with Amon's Lieutenant. The state of the-"
The crowd suddenly parted. Fearful cries were heard as a group of Equalists made their way through the middle of the crowd, with the Lieutenant leading in front. He had taken complete control since Amon had left but he still had faith that his leader would return to them.
Lin was ready to give a signal for her policemen to attack if necessary, but Raiko cut her off with a flick of the wrist. "We are not here to fight, Chief Lin, so call off your dogs. We want to send the president a message, directly."
Raiko's brow frowned. His intensity could be felt a few feet away.
"You want to negotiate. Fine. You give us the rest of the city and give Amon complete control and we'll call off all the attacks and leave you unharmed."
"Is that a threat?" President Raiko retorted.
"If you are not siding with us then you are against us. As long as you side with benders, you are fair game like everyone else here."
"I am not going to stand here while you threaten each and every one of us! Lin! Arrest these terrorists!"
Everyone was in a panic. The Equalists, including the undercover ones, were ready to spring into action. Electric sticks were pulled out, policemen were surrounding the area, and everyone was trying to get out of the cross fires.
"ENOUGH!"
Everyone looked at the source of the cry. Whispers carried through the crowd, even among the Equalists.
"You're not suppose to be here.." Tenzin whispered.
"I didn't say anything." Lin reassured the man.
Korra stepped through the crowd, everyone staring at her as if they had seen a ghost. In the back, Asami, Bolin, and Mako could be seen with the latter holding Kajuq. The crowd was unsure of how to react to the sudden appearance of the Avatar.
President Raiko stepped out of the way as Korra approached the podium, only for Tenzin to come over and cover the microphone with his hand as he spoke to her.
"What are you doing here? No one's suppose to know you came back to Republic City." Tenzin whispered. Though he was angry, she could hear the concern in his voice.
"I have to do this." She tore his hands from the microphones.
Everyone had still remained silent, even the Lieutenant, despite his hatred for the Avatar, though it was likely he was quiet because he was in shock she had returned but there was still no word on his leader.
Korra took a moment to think about what she was going to say. Her eyes scanned the crowd carefully. She knew there was all types of people there. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, friends, co-workers, aunts, uncles, husbands, wives, even among the Equalists. They were all scarred and hurting, even if some didn't admit it or realize it.
"This war has gone on long enough." She began, licking her dry lips from her nervousness. She had to do this. She saw the journalists writing down her words and taking pictures. She knew someone was likely recording her as well. "This war…has scarred a lot of people. It's taken so many lives, too many lives, and ruined so many more. Some people will never heal from this. All because some people couldn't let go of their past and hurt feelings."
She took a deep breath. "Amon is dead." There were shocked gasps among the crowd. She ignored it and continued. "He was hurt. Not physically, but emotionally. This war started because he truly believed bending was evil because it was the source of his pain. But bending had nothing to do with it. He suffered so much abuse during his childhood. I'm sure Equalists all feel abused by benders but, it's not the bending that's the problem. It's the people. The Equalists are prime examples of how you can hurt people without it. You can fight all you want, but it won't solve anything except cause the pain you're trying to prevent."
She glanced over at the crowd where her friends were standing. She saw Kajuq being held by Mako with his back pressed against the older male's chest. He was smiling at her. She returned it with a small smile.
"I don't hate Amon. I wanted to help him, believe it or not, even after everything he did. He…He wasn't what you people thought he was. I was stuck with him for about a month and he wasn't the leader you thought he was nor the monster the rest of you thought he was. He lost his will to live eventually. He was tired of the pain. I think now, if he came back, he wouldn't want this town divided anymore. I don't want it divided. I'm tired of all the fighting and pain. I'm declaring this war over."
She stepped from the podium and made her way into the crowd. It was still eerily silent. Usually, people would hound her for questions or yell insults but today was different. People listened. For a moment, she could pretend that people cared. The Lieutenant was eyeing her warily as she approached him. He tensed up, ready to attack her if necessary but what she did threw him and everyone off completely.
She hugged him.
Lin stared at the display with wide-eyes. "Since when did she go from a tougher-than-nails tomboy to a let's-hug-it-out girl?"
Tenzin shrugged. "Becoming a parent changes everything."

6 Months Later..
"Come on Kajuq, come to mommy." Korra encouraged the toddler as she squatted down with her arms out. He was a year old now but for some reason, he didn't walk as much as Korra hoped he would. Pema assured her that he was just being lazy, but it still worried her. He knew how but for some reason, refused to do it. Right now, they were outside on Air Temple Island early in the morning with Naga sleeping a few feet from them. Kajuq sat on the ground, laughing. She was starting to think her son was simply trying to tease her.
He had grown a lot and each day she thought he looked more and more like his father. Everyone commented how much he looked like her but she thought otherwise. Although, her father claimed his grandson looked just like him. Korra could only laugh at his statement. Since she returned to Republic City, her parents had been visiting her once a month to check up on her. She was a little annoyed at first but she could understand how worried they must have been to want to see her so often now.
Sighing, she stood up and walked over to her son to pick him up on his feet. He was still laughing. "You're just a troublemaker, you know that?" She said as she ruffled his short, black, messy hair before he proceeded to toddle to her leg and cling to it. She groaned.
"Korra, I have some news you might want to see."
She looked up to see Tenzin approaching her with some papers in his hand.
"Oh, hey Tenzin. What is it?"
"President Raiko approved your request. He's going to fund your support groups."
Korra gave him a sad smile. "That's great."
"Is something wrong? I thought you'd be happy about it." Tenzin placed his hand on her shoulder but she moved out of his reach to sit against Naga while pulling Kajuq into her lap.
"I am. It's just, sometimes I feel like it's not enough."
"You've done so much since you got here. You ended the rebellion peacefully, convinced Raiko to pass stricter laws for child abuse, started a training program for child psychiatrists and therapists for victims of all types of abuse and trauma, you even convinced him to fund a schoolhouse and now you have support groups and shelters for people to seek help in. This is more than anyone's ever done."
"But I still don't…feel like I'm doing everything I can. What if there's still someone suffering?"
"Instead of focusing on how many you can't help, focus on how many you can help. Unfortunately, no matter what you do, someone will always suffer but that doesn't mean you have to stop trying. You're making a difference. Don't forget that."

The next day…
"I feel nervous doing this."
Korra and Mako stood outside a small building on one of the busiest streets in Republic City. Mako held Kajuq while the toddler repeated "Dada" over and over again. Raiko had apparently already renovated the building they were standing outside of before he even passed the bill for Korra's support group funding. Now the only thing left was to start the first meeting.
"Korra, you have nothing to be worried about. You'll be helping so many people. You're just nervous because of that whole mess with Unalaq. You'll be fine."
She inhaled deeply then exhaled. People were already starting to go inside the building. "I guess it'll be starting soon."
"I'll see you later. I'll drop Kajuq off with Pema, I have work in a couple of hours."
They waved to each other before he walked off. Kajuq gave her an awkward wave as he attempted to imitate what Mako was doing. It warmed his mother's heart.
"I hope we're not too late."
She turned around to see Tenzin and Lin behind her. It confused her. "Hey, what are you guys doing here?"
There was an awkward silence between them. Lin looked slightly irritated and Tenzin looked nervous. Korra raised an eyebrow.
"When I was younger, someone tried to touch me when my mom wasn't home. Tenzin thought it'd be a good idea if I come here to 'talk it out' since I was never able to tell my mother about it." Lin's face softened as she spoke. Korra nodded in response.
"I'm here for support." Tenzin felt the need to explain himself as well.
"Well, I guess we'd better go inside."

Later that day..
Korra and Pema sat outside near the air bending training area in the afternoon with Rohan and Kajuq. They watched the boys chase each other around and try to steal one another's toys. Korra was tickled by how fast her son and Rohan had become friends. She even decided to let Kajuq dress in traditional air bending clothes to match his friend.
"He only seems to want to walk when Rohan is around." Korra sighed.
"Each baby is different. The important thing is that he is able to walk. It's up to him when he chooses to do so."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just can't help but worry."
"It's normal. All mothers worry. I was a nervous wreck when Jinora was born but Tenzin was always there to calm me and reassure me." Pema reminisced the first time she became a mother. Korra felt a little jealous that she didn't get to have the same experience as Pema and other mothers, but she was grateful for her son anyway. Nothing would change that.
"Mako's been really great with him. Kajuq's even been calling him 'dada' but I'm not sure how he feels about that. I don't know if he wants Kajuq growing up thinking he's his father."
Pema nodded. "I was watching Kajuq one day. I had just fed him and Rohan and Mako walks in to talk to Tenzin about something. After I had told him that you and Tenzin were out training, Kajuq waddles over to Mako with his hands in the air just waiting to be picked up. It was the first time Mako heard him say 'dada'. He had the biggest smile on his face when he picked him up and hugged him tight. It was precious."
"It's hard watching him grow up. He'll be a young man before I know it. I worry so much that someone will hurt him." Korra's voice grew soft, full of fear and doubt.
"And that's alright. Everything in life has a downside. Parenting is no different. I'm always worrying about my kids, even my husband but you can't let that fear control your entire life. If it controls your life, it'll control their lives as well."
Korra nodded at Pema's words. She didn't want to be afraid but sometimes she couldn't help it. Sometimes she was even afraid to leave him with Pema but she knew she had to learn not to let that fear control her just like she learned not to let Amon control her.
In the distance, Mako was walking towards the group with a giant box blocking most of his view. Kajuq and Rohan were wrestling on the ground over a toy satomobile. Kajuq was closing to crying while Rohan kept repeating "It mine" over and over again. Both of them suddenly noticed the older male coming towards and after making a haste towards him, forgot the toy they were playing with. Korra stood up to greet Mako half way.
"Well, it looks a giant box is coming our way." She teased.
"Hey, Korra, can you give me a hand?" Mako asked, feeling the two toddlers suddenly cling to his legs. He was afraid of dropping the box with them around. Korra grabbed the box from his grasp and carefully set it on the ground.
"What's in the box?" She asked.
Mako bent over to pick up Kajuq, who had his arms out to be picked up while babbling "Dadadadada." repeatedly. "I'm not sure. From some people named Eun-Hee and Chung-Hee."
"Oh!" She suddenly seemed excited. She ripped open the box top to see a bunch of toys inside. Stuffed animals, model cars and biplanes, blocks, all sorts of things that would appease a kid. On top of the pile was a note.
Dear Korra,
Hope you and Kajuq enjoy the box. We'll be seeing you in a couple of weeks. Eun-Hee does have a date, after all.
- Chung-Hee
P.S.- I do NOT have a date! Especially with that Bolin guy!
-Eun-Hee.
Korra smiled as she watched Rohan clumsily climb into the box. Kajuq was too busy trying to touch Mako's face to notice all the new toys he had gotten.
"Guess who got a promotion." Mako beamed.
"Let me guess, Asami?" Korra crossed her arms, returning a beaming smile to an excited Mako. "I'm kidding, congratulations."
Pema came over to pull Rohan from the box before walking away to give the two more privacy.
"I'm taking you and Kajuq out for a celebratory dinner tonight. My treat." He tried to move his face out of the toddler's reach, though it ended with his nose being pinched by the child. He decided it was time to hand him back over to his mother.
"That's really sweet Mako but you don't have to."
"No no, I want to. It'll be a family dinner. I'll pick you up later tonight." He started walking away and waving before she could even protest, not that she didn't want to go. It'd be a nice evening for her and Kajuq, after all.
Korra laughed lightly and shook her head. "I guess I need to figure out how I'm going to entertain your grandparents AND your aunt and uncle in two weeks, huh?" She said to her son. He smiled at her and buried his face into her chest, giggling for some reason. She rubbed his head before walking off to look off into the distance with the sun shining high above.
She knew life would still be challenging. An Avatar's life is never easy but she was determined to do her best regardless, especially since her son needed a safe world to grow up in. There were going to be days where she won't even want to get out of bed. She knew that, but she wouldn't let that stop her. She thought back to the journey that lead her right where she was today. It was a hectic journey, full of pain, trauma, and, strangely enough, compassion. She knew there were going to be even more journeys for her.
Despite everything she was doing now, she still felt like she wasn't doing enough for the world. She wanted each city all over to have a safe haven for victims and she wouldn't rest until she did so. It was a hard challenge but she wouldn't know if she could accomplish it all unless she tried. The world was large, after all and the nations were still divided in a sense.
"It's a big world out there. Are you ready to tackle it?" She spoke to her son. He responded by humming softly into her chest, though she knew he didn't quite understand what she was saying yet. "It's alright, because until you're ready, I'll tackle it for you."

A/N: Well, that's the end. Thanks to everyone who read and/or reviewed this train wreck of a story. (Okay, maybe it's not that bad but I'll be revising some parts of it at some point.) I'm thinking about making a sequel with Kajuq and Rohan more grown up, around 11/12, and bringing back Amon/Noatak and Tarrlok and someone..more sinister). Anyway, hope at least one of you enjoyed the story and ending.
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