The Element of Freedom

(Disclaimer: I don't own LOK, only my OC's)

CHAPTER 1: ACQUAINTANCES

(Air Temple)

"Huuuugh" A young man yawned as he woke up from his sleep. He slowly rubbed his bright brown eyes, trying to get himself to start his day as calmly as possible. "Man, that was a good sleep." He said in a relaxed, unstressed voice. He took a look around his room before getting out of his bed, one of the hardest tasks in his life.

This young man had medium-long brown hair that reached near his always shaved chin and a lightly tanned skin. His body was tall and muscular, with muscles not very big but certainly defined, giving him an athletic build. This 18 year-old young man was Kenai.

Kenai, however, was no normal teen, for he was one of the few airbenders left. Picked from a young age, he was adopted by Tenzin and Pema by request from his fathers. His bending abilities were a complete mystery to him. When he asked Tenzin, he would always say that he was gifted by the spirits when he was a child. For some reason, Kenai had the feeling there was more than that, but never knew how to get more answers from his airbending master and surrogate uncle.

As Kenai walked around, he stopped to look at Zosu, his Raven Eagle pet. Zosu was covered in brown feathers around his adult body, with white feathers from his neck up and red streaks decorating his neck and the sides of his head. His beak was golden yellow and his eyes were black red. Raven Eagles were known for their longevity, and Zosu was big enough for Kenai to actually ride him, much to Uncle Tenzin's dismay. The majestic bird opened his eyes to find out who dared disturb his sleep, just to see his owner looking at him with an amused smile on his face. With an annoyed glare, he turned his head and went back to his peaceful animal dreams.

"Tch, lazy bastard. You are even more of a sleepy-head than me." Kenai said between chuckles, a flashback of his first day in the island passing by in his head.

|Flashback 10 years ago...|

Kenai was 8 years old and had just arrived to his new home. Upon hearing he was going to stay in the island for a while, Kenai was a bit sad to leave the place he called home all his life, but the sadness quickly turned into joy when he saw where he was going to stay.

"Wow, this place is huge!" Kenai shouted in excitement. "Master Tenzin, how old is this temple?"

"Well, my father built this temple many years ago, when the Hundred Years War finally came to an end thanks to him. This place was built for the future airbending generations that were to come. It's part of his legacy to the world." Tenzin responded, relieved that the boy at least seemed happy for his new home. He could only imagine how Kenai felt, leaving his parents at a young age to live with him and Pemma, both adults he barely knew.

"Really? That is so cool! The Avatar Aang must have been awesome, right Master Tenzin?"

Tenzin could only nod in agreement, a small smile inevitably coming out of his mouth. "Yes Kenai. My father was indeed... awesome, as you put it." As soon as he finished his sentence, he noticed how the little kid's facial expression dropped, leaving a sad look on the boy's face. "What's wrong, Kenai? Is there something bothering you?"

The young airbender looked at him, a mix of sadness and disappointment in his eyes. "Master Tenzin... Why my daddy and mommy didn't come with me? I miss them." Kenai asked. The innocence of the question only made it harder for Tenzin to answer.

"I know this may be hard for you Kenai. But you have to stay strong. Your parents asked me to train you in the art of airbending while they are on a journey... A very long journey." Seeing that the boy was still a little disappointed, he decided to cheer him up. "Don't worry, young Kenai. If you dedicate yourself to the airbending lessons, I am sure you will make them proud."

Kenai's eyes widened in anticipation. "You promise?"

"Yes, I promise you. In due time, I am certain that you will become a fine airbender."

The 8 year-old airbender looked thoughtful for a minute. Then, a huge smile was matched with a determined look on his eyes. "Alright, then I will be the greatest airbender of all time! I'll have this airbending stuff down in a month, and then I'll be the one teaching you, Master Tenzin!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Kenai. Airbending is an ancient art that requires both time and patience. Without either of those, you will never truly master airbending." Tenzin said seriously, though he felt glad that the boy was eager to learn.

"Okay, then I'll be the most patient guy ever!" Kenai said, determined to make his parents proud of him. He was sure that if he learned airbending like they wanted, they would come to the Air Temple. Tenzin could only smile in amusement.

"That's good to know."

|Flashback ends|

Wearing a white tank top and orange boxers, the young airbender made his way to the kitchen, feeling a dire need of a huge and tasty breakfast. Not that anyone could blame him, since his rigorous training sessions demanded him to have an appropriate diet. Over the last years, Kenai decided that mastering airbending wasn't enough.

With the rising activity of the Equalist group and the Triads, going around as one of the few airbenders alive wasn't the smartest idea ever, and if the situation ever came that he needed to fight without revealing his bender nature, then learning martial arts were in order.

Before learning any, Kenai thought it would be better to get some fitness. He spent several months working on his stamina, speed and muscle. With a rigorous training program he made for himself, the young airbender started building his body, doing push-ups, sit-ups, jogging, lifting weights, etc. Several months later, the results of his training were rather obvious, a sculptured body being the prime evidence of his intense workout and unbreakable conviction. Strong arms, ripped torso and muscular legs replaced his once average looking teenage body. He also let his bright brown hair grow, ignoring Tenzin's pleads of cutting it.

Having memorized almost every airbending movement, Kenai decided to implement some moves of his own. Being an airbender, he was used to move like such. But his brash and head-on personality made it uncomfortable for him to engage like his uncle Tenzin taught him. With this in mind, he mixed airbending movement with attacks that resembled a firebender or an earthbender. This form of attack suited him a lot more, but he was aware that he shouldn't rely solely on what fit him more. With this in mind, he made sure to avoid neglecting his airbending teachings. After all, he WAS an airbender. The outcome of his self-taught style was his own fighting style based on fast and agile movements mixed with strong punches that resembled earthbending and kicks that resembled firebending. The particular fighting style was still unnamed, but Kenai was working on it. 'An awesome martial art like mine deserves an awesome name, after all.' Kenai thought.

When he was young, he used to wear the standard air nomad attire, but when he reached his teenager years, he decided to stop wearing it and started wearing more casual clothes that suited his personality. He now wore a black pair of boots along with black pants. On his upper body he wore a gray jacket with torn sleeves. He also wore white bandages wrapped around his forearms. Overall, he looked like no other airbender. Tenzin constantly begged him to wear more appropriate clothes, but realized over time that it was useless. The boy simply didn't change his mind, arguing that he may be an airbender, but he was no air nomad. The old councilman couldn't argue that fact, eventually giving up on the discussion.

Kenai was lazily walking towards the kitchen. As he entered the room, he saw Pema cooking his favorite breakfast, consisting on a big glass of milk and slices of bread with scrambled eggs.

He couldn't help but smile. Ever since he lived with the air nomad family, Pema had always looked after him, making sure he was feeling well and taking care of him like a son. It didn't took him long to consider her as family, eventually calling her his aunt.

"Good morning Pemma. How's the most wonderful, sweet, kind and lovable aunt in the world doing?" Kenai asked as he hugged her good morning.

Pemma let out a small giggle. She was used being treated like that by her surrogate nephew, but liked it nevertheless. "I'm fine, thank you. How is my nephew, the most requested young man by the ladies of Republic City doing?" Pemma asked in a teasing way which made Kenai chuckle.

"Oh stop it, you are embarrassing me." Kenai responded waving his hand dismissingly.

Truth be told, Kenai was certainly eye candy to most of the female population in Republic City. Ever since his training took place, he noticed as he accompanied Tenzin to some of his daily chores as one of Republic City's councilman that girls his age were whispering to one another. Small giggles and faint blushes were heard and seen by the young airbender. At first he was slightly confused so he looked for advice from Pemma herself, who apparently knew about this kind of stuff. Of course, she enlighten him and explained that it was completely natural for girls to feel attracted by handsome boys such as him. She then taught him how to behave around girls. Soon enough, the confused glares were changed into charming smiles and occasional winks, which in turn made the females blushes and nervous laughs increase considerably. Tenzin noticed this and made Kenai promise to not get distracted or act irresponsible. Even though Kenai was amused by their reactions, he was never the playboy type of guy and never wanted to be one, for it was a 'completely ungentlemanly behavior' as Pema pointed out.

As he took a seat he began to eat every single slice of bread Pema made for him. She was always amused by Kenai's appetite. "Are you ready for the big day Kenai?"

"Huh, what big day?"

"Don't you remember? We are going to the Southern Water Tribe to visit the Avatar and Katara."

"Really? I didn't know it was today. I thought it was going to be next week." Kenai said as he reached over his glass of milk.

"Looks like time flies when you spend your days training like a maniac and riding a giant Raven Eagle Spirits know where." Pema said humorously. Kenai joined her in her laughter.

"What can I say? Working out is a great activity and Sozu needs to go outside and stretch his wings. Besides, flying on an oversized bird should be something in everyone's 'to-do' list. Its way cooler than riding Oogi, that's for sure."

"Excuse me." said a voice from behind the couple. It was Tenzin, who was already dressed and ready to go to Republic City. "Do I need to remind you that Air Bisons are one of the most important symbols of airbending culture and history?" Tenzin asked with a raised eyebrow. One thing he did not appreciate from Kenai was having him say such things. It worried him and made him think that the young airbender didn't took his airbending teachings seriously.

"Good morning to you, uncle Tenzin." Kenai greeted him with amusement. Sometimes uncle Tenzin just could be a little exaggerated for his taste. Tenzin just sighed and approached his wife.

"Good morning Pema." He said as he kissed Pema's cheek.

"Morning Tenzin." Pema replied with a smile.

After moving back from his wife, the old airbender watched his 'nephew's' current... sleeping attire. It was quite baffling, almost insulting what he was wearing. 'By the Spirits, he is almost completely naked. How can he feel so little shame?' Tenzin thought frowning. "Kenai, I understand that you may not be very fond of this temple's traditions, but do you really need to have breakfast in such... revealing clothes?"

Kenai laughed rather sheepishly. "Sorry uncle Tenzin. But it's really not that bad once you get used to it. You should really give it a try. Who knows? You might like it." He said while smiling all the way. 'Yeah right. The day I convince him to walk around the temple like that is the day he will become a die-hard Probending fan.'

"I think I rather keep my dignity, thank you very much." Tenzin answered, feeling almost scandalized by the proposal. "Pemma, have you seen the children?"

"Mmh, let's see. Ikki was feeding Oogi along with Jinora about an hour ago. I think Jinora is in the library right now. As for Meelo, it seems he's still sleeping. Doesn't it remind you of a certain someone, Kenai?" Pemma asked the young airbender, who in return simply winked at her. He was used to being teased by his aunt for his astonishing sleeping prowess.

"By the way, at what time are we leaving for the South Pole, uncle Tenzin?" Kenai asked.

"I believe we should part as soon as I finish my chores at Republic City. (Sigh) Only the Spirits know how much work I have today." Tenzin responded.

"You want me to help you with that?"

"Oh, that won't be necessary my boy, but thank you anyways. Now why don't you get dressed and meditate outside? It has been a while since I saw you attending your spiritual side of your airbending."

'There we go again.' "Sure, I guess you're right."

"Good." Tenzin said as he turned his back. Before he left the room, he was stopped by the voice of Kenai.

"Hey Tenzin, have you received any letters from... well, you know."

Tenzin sighed. "I am afraid I haven't received any recent letters from your parents Kenai. If you want, I can send them one."

"Yeah, that... that would be nice."

(On the way to the South Pole)

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Jinora?"

"Why does Kenai always flies with Sozu instead of Oogi?" Jinora asked while pointing at Kenai who was flying a few meters behind them. They were in the middle of the journey to the South Pole to visit the children's grandmother, Katara. Before they leaved their home, Kenai said that he would travel with them, but that he was going to ride Sozu, his Raven Eagle companion.

For some reason, ever since Kenai met Sozu they shared a special bond. He founded it when he was 12 years old while exploring the forest nearby the temple. Sozu had hatched a few days ago, abandoned by his mother. Kenai found him trying to eat bugs from the ground. He felt sad for the poor animal and decided to adopt it. Tenzin was hesitant at first, thinking that a pet would only distract him from his airbending lessons. But seeing how Kenai was so happy with his new companion, he let it slip. As time went by, Tenzin discovered that the young airbender's teachings sank faster than usual and that he was in a happier mood than before. When Tenzin asked his student, he just shrugged and said that he was excited because of Sozu keeping him company. The old airbender was not completely convinced, feeling that there was more than just that.

"Well Jinora, you know Kenai has always been very close to Sozu. He doesn't like keeping him locked in the temple and for what I can tell, Sozu enjoys long distance travels. Though if you ask me, I think that it is most reckless of him to travel with Sozu the way he does. Always going fast and barely slowing down. Most reckless indeed." Tenzin answered to his oldest daughter, who nodded in response.

"You know, I read in the library that Raven Eagles are supposed to be solitary and rarely seek the company of others. But Sozu isn't like that with us, at least with Kenai. How come Sozu likes him?" Jinora asked with her characteristic curiosity.

Before Tenzin could answer, a little bun-haired girl interrupted the conversation.

"Because Kenai has always been nice to Sozu and feeds him and patted his head and and and also he gives him lots and lots of attention! Isn't that right daddy? Is it? Is it? And how old is Sozu? And how much can he fly? Why is he so big? How much can he eat?" Ikki asked his father, who could only frown and sigh at her daughter's antics. He may be an airbender, but even airbenders as experimented as him could run out of patience.

"You see, Raven Eagles are supposed to-"

"Daddy, can I fly with Sozu like Kenai?" Meelo asked, again interrupting the conversation. The little airbender looked up at Kenai ever since he was born. To him, Kenai was like the most awesome guy ever.

"What? Absolutely not! For Kenai to be riding Sozu is dangerous enough. Besides, the last time you tried to get close to Sozu, he almost turned you into his dinner, remember?" Tenzin said immediately. The thought of Meelo trying to ride Sozu was unnerving, to say the very least.

"Awww, no fair! Why does Kenai gets to do cool stuff?" Meelo pouted.

A few meters behind the air nomad family, Kenai was doing one of his favorites things in the world: flying. Ever since he managed to ride his Raven Eagle, Kenai found himself something that he had been lacking in the island since he got there, the sensation of true freedom. When he was flying, all of his worries disappeared. The adrenaline that came from flying fast and the violent pounding inside his chest was such a powerful feeling it was intoxicating. He would return to the island happy and unstressed.

"Everything good down there buddy?" Kenai asked his majestic bird, who gave him an eagle-like squeal in response. It was quite interesting, really. Over the years, the young man and his feathered companion understood each other so well, it was almost as if they used a special language between them. They couldn't understand each other's words, but they could understand each other's feelings. It was also like a tough-love kind of relationship. Sozu might look grumpy and uncaring at times, but in reality, he cared a big deal over his master. The same thing went for Kenai.

Kenai had to admit, he was pretty excited about meeting both Katara and the Avatar. From what Pemma had told him, Tenzin had a soft spot for his mother, hence the nickname 'Mama's boy'. The first time Kenai heard about his master's nickname, the young man nearly passed out because of the laughter. Apparently, Katara was the greatest waterbender of her time. Married to Avatar Aang they had 3 children: Tenzin, Bumi and Kya. Other than that, he didn't really know more about her.

Now, about the Avatar. Because Tenzin was the only airbender alive (except for his children and Kenai himself, of course), it was obvious that at some point they would meet each other to start the airbending lessons. Therefore, Kenai would also learn more about him/her. There was no way he would pass the opportunity to learn about the reincarnation of Tenzin's dad. Unfortunately, there was nothing more Kenai knew about the 'Avatar in training'.

Deciding to leave his thoughts for later, Kenai softly kicked Sozu with the back of his feet.

"Come on boy, let's see how fast can you go!"

To say that Korra was excited was an understatement. Katara agreed that she was ready to start her airbending lessons, and so Tenzin and his family were on their way to meet her. 'I'm finally going to learn airbending! About time!' she thought while practically leaping in joy. Ever since the White Lotus discovered her, she was taken away from her home to start her Avatar training. What they didn't tell her was that she was to be isolated from the rest of the world in order to be in a 'peaceful environment, far from any possible distractions', or so did the White Lotus elders stated. True or not, the fact that she was stuck there, almost in captivity, was something she never liked. She was seventeen years-old for crying out loud! She didn't want to be kept and being constantly watched over like a baby.

But now, everything was going to be different.

(South Pole)

"Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" Ikki asked out of control.

"Yes Ikki, as I've been telling you for the last fifteen minutes, we are finally here." Tenzin said after what seemed to be his sigh number 34 of the day. Not that anyone could blame him. It had been a long ride from the Air Temple to the Southern Water Tribe. Tenzin was constantly worried for Pema and her pregnancy. At first he didn't want her to travel with them, but after a very short one-sided argument between him and his wife, he agreed. After all, it didn't hurt to have her there to calm Ikki and Meelo.

He realized that Kenai was a little further away from them. Tenzin frowned. 'Kenai, is this really the time?', he asked himself.

A soon as they landed, the two little girls jumped out of Oogi, created small air spheres and started running from one place to another, completely out of control. Katara held back her laughter and approached her son.

"Hello mother, I can't tell you how good it is to see you." Tenzin said while his son and daughters attached themselves on his body. Meelo placed himself on his shoulders and started pulling his father's ears back and forth. "Please mother... help me." Tenzin whispered to his beloved mother. Katara simply laughed again and reached for the boy on his son's shoulders.

Meelo didn't like that. Not one bit.

"Unhand me, strange woman!" he demanded with imagined authority. At this, Tenzin sighed... again. 'And that makes it 35.'

"Meelo, that's your grandmother, don't say such things." Tenzin said. At this, the boy freed himself from Katara's grip and proceeded to run around in circles before returning to his father.

The old waterbender turned her attention to the young girls near her. Both of them were smiling in joy, one full of curiosity that needed to be quench and the other full of excitement. Needless to say, it was Jinora and Ikki respectively. Katara smiled and at the two. "It is so good to see all of you again. You both have grown quite a lot."

Jinora bowed respectfully, being the well-behaved and sweet little girl that she was. "Gran-Gran, I've been reading all about your adventures. I've been dying to ask you, what happened to Zuko's mother?" Jinora asked innocently.

"Well Jinora, it's an incredible tale-"

"Gran-Gran, you look old. How old are you? Why is it so cold in the South Pole? Can we make a campfire and all huddle around it and tell scary stories and make snowmen? And then can you make the snowmen move with waterbending and chase us? Wouldn't that be fun? Huh, wouldn't it?" Ikki interrupted out of nowhere. Tenzin had warned her mother, but she still didn't expect her grandchildren to be so... active... as her son told her she was. Still, she managed to hide her sweatdrop and smiled nonetheless.

Meanwhile, Tenzin was helping his pregnant wife to get off Oogi. When it came to his family, he was very overprotective. "Here, let me help you Pema." he said while reaching her arm.

"Stop dotting on me, Tenzin. I am pregnant, not helpless." Pema said while rubbing her stomach. She thought it was sweet that her husband was constantly concerned about her health, but at times he could act so worried it was almost bothering. She then went over Katara and hugged her. Katara returned the embrace and laid a hand on Pema's unborn child.

"The baby is strong." she said in a matter-of-fact voice. "I sense another airbender coming."

Pemma looked baffled at the statement and immediately backed off. "No, no, no! All I want is one child like me. Someone who didn't airbended in my face every five minutes."

Almost as it was meant to be, Meelo cried her mother for attention. He was covered in snow.

"Mommy, look! I'm a snowbender!" Meelo shouted as he airbended the snow around him, blasting it at every direction. Destiny seemed to make Pema his favorite toy, for a splash of snow landed right on her face. Seeing this, Tenzin slowly retreated. He had no intention of facing her loving wife's anger.

Katara then remembered something. "Tenzin, where is this young man you talked me about? I don't see him anywhere near."

"Ahh, yes. Young Kenai said he preferred to travel with Sozu, his Raven Eagle companion. He thought that riding in Oogi was not as 'cool' as riding Sozu." Tenzin said while he hand-gestured the word cool. This attracted Katara's attention.

"A Raven Eagle? I haven't seen one in a long time. But aren't they a little too small?"

"Normally I would say the same, mother. But Sozu is a unique specimen among his peers. For some reason, this particular Raven Eagle that Kenai founded years ago in the Air Temple has grown a lot. Definitely a lot more than a normal Raven Eagle. His size is so big that he allows Kenai to ride him. He should be here at any moment."

Tenzin responded. His answer surprised Katara, which was no small feat. She had lived a long life and had seen a lot of things, so for something to actually impress her it had to be something remarkable.

"Is that true?" Katara asked both Pemma and his son. Pemma couldn't help but giggle a bit, the both of them nodding.

As Tenzin turned away, he saw a young girl near him. She was wearing typical water tribe clothes. Her skin color was mocka-brown and had bright blue eyes. She had her long hair in a ponytail and had a big smile on her face as she jogged her way to him. He instantly recognized her.

"Korra?" Tenzin asked. "Look at you, so big and strong. You've grown into quite the young Avatar."

Korra bowed to him, happy to finally meet her airbending teacher. "I am honored to meet you, master Tenzin." she said respectfully. For so long, all she wanted was to learn airbending, and that time was now. The moment itself was almost too good to be true.

Tenzin bowed back. "The honor is all mine, Avatar Korra. Allow me to introduce you to my wife Pema." The airbending master said pointing at his wife. "These are Jinora, Ikki and Meelo, my daughters and son." He said, now pointing at his children. "My nephew is missing at the moment, but he should be arriving-

Before he could finish the sentence, an eagle-like squeal was heard in the sky. Everybody looked up and saw a giant Raven Eagle flying near them with what appeared to be a man on its back. The unusually big bird was now starting to swiftly descend from the sky.

Both Katara and Korra were looking in awe at the scene. The White Lotus guards also noticed this and started to approach the beast in order to protect the Avatar if said animal proved to be hostile. Korra stepped back and went into a fighting stance, but when she saw the strangely calm face of Pema and Tenzin and heard the shouts of excitement from their children, she felt immediately confused. Katara also seemed surprised, but made no effort to move back or prepare herself. 'Hummm, am I the only one who thinks that a giant Raven Eagle landing right in front of us is a little weird?' the Avatar thought. If anything, Tenzin even looked slightly annoyed by the whole thing.

-any time soon." Tenzin said, finishing his once interrupted answer.

When the Raven Eagle finally landed, a stranger jumped out of his back. He was wearing black boots and pants with a grey winter coat on his upper body. His hood was on and had a white scarf covering half of his face from the middle of his nose down. He also wore black leather gloves. The stranger then suddenly took of his hood and his scarf, revealing his face to all the spectators.

"Okay Sozu, we're here. Now stay put, alright?" the young man asked his companion, who merely sat down and closed his eyes in response. "Datt'a boy." he said with a grin. He then faced Tenzin, the smirk still on his face. "Hey uncle, sorry for the delay. Sozu and I wanted to check the place out."

Tenzin just nodded. "It's fine, Kenai. We arrived here not long ago, actually."

"Really? That's good to know." Kenai said. He then made his way to the elderly woman, whom he supposed she was Tenzin's mother.

The son of Aang decided to introduce his nephew. "Mother, this is my 'nephew' Kenai. Kenai, this is my mother Katara."

Kenai just grinned at the woman, pretending to be surprised. "Are you really Tenzin's mother?"

"Why yes I am, young man. May I know why are you so surprised?" Katara asked with curiosity.

"I'm sorry, I just thought you were the Avatar's mother. You don't look older than forty to me. I apologize for my mistake." Kenai said as he bowed. Tenzin slapped his face in frustration. 'Always the charmer.' he thought. On the other hand, Pema smiled in amusement. 'I taught him well.' she thought.

"Enough with the flattery, Kenai. I already get enough of that here." Katara said, though it was clear she was amused with the antics of the young man.

"I have no doubt you do, Ms. Katara." Kenai retorted with a wink that earned him a warm smile from the aged waterbender and a glare from his uncle. After his charismatic introduction with Katara, he looked at the Avatar. He was surprised by the girl in front of him. She was barely smaller than him, with a curvy and toned body from the looks of it. Her physical appearance resembled one of a typical water tribe female, with her dark hair, brownish skin and intense blue eyes. 'Now that's what I call attractive.' Kenai said to himself.

"Hey, you're Korra right?" Kenai asked the girl who was staring at him.

"Huh? Oh yeah that's me." Korra managed to say while trying to hide the fact that she was flustered. She was amazed by that guy's looks. Bright brown hair combined with brown eyes and a slightly tanned skin. Judging by his height and the size of his arms, she deducted he had strong and toned muscled behind his clothes. 'Holly Spirits, he's hot. Wait, did I really just thought that?' Korra asked herself, a slight blush coming out of her cheeks.

Kenai, who knew EXACTLY what her thoughts were, decided to take it easy with the girl. "Nice to meet you, Korra. My name is Kenai." the young airbender said as he extended his hand, a friendly and relaxed smile on his face.

Korra took his hand and shook it, relieved by the fact that she was able to hide what was inside her head. "Nice to meet you too. You're Tenzin's nephew, right?" she said, allowing herself to smile a little. The guy seemed pretty cool and friendly, making her feel a little easier in his presence. She also noticed that he didn't call her 'Avatar Korra' or any other honorific title she was used to hear. That was another thing that pleased her, like he was treating her as a completely normal person instead of the celebrity she supposedly was. It felt like a breeze of new air to her.

"Yeah, Tenzin's my uncle alright. Don't let his looks deceive you, though. He may look grumpy at first, but he's pretty cool once you get to know him. Right uncle?"

Kenai said now looking at Tenzin. Tenzin, not feeling like engaging in such a childish argument about him being 'cool', decided to nod at the question. "If you say so Kenai. If you say so." He loved the boy, but why did he had to be so good at getting in his nerves? Looking at the reaction of his clearly annoyed airbending teacher, Korra giggled a bit.

"Anyways." Kenai said now returning to Korra. "Now that you'll start your airbending training, I hope I see you around. If you don't mind, of course."

"Sure, I wouldn't mind at all." Korra responded happily. She was eager to learn airbending, as well as getting to know her new friend.

Tenzin, however, didn't look so thrilled. "Yes, well... about that..." he started to say, unsure of how to continue.

"Tenzin, you have to tell her eventually." Pema said to her husband.

"Tell me what?" the young Avatar asked in confusion. Katara looked at her son and his wife and realized what was going on.

"You are not staying, are you?" Katara asked sadly.

The airbender sighed before answering. "I'm afraid not, mother. We are here just to stay the night. Then I have to return to Republic City."

His answer took both Korra and Kenai by surprise. Kenai was disappointed, but Korra was even more. "Wait, but... No, you're supposed to move here. You're supposed to teach me." she said in both disbelief and sadness. For some reason, the young airbender didn't like seeing her down like that and decided to back her up.

"You know uncle, if we were only going to stay the night you could have at least told her beforehand."

"I'm sorry, Korra. Your airbending training is going to have to wait." Tenzin said ignoring the comment of his nephew, even if he agreed with him.

(Inside the White Lotus compound)

Korra, Tenzin, Kenai and a couple of the White Lotus members were in the dining hall. The sheer awkwardness of the situation was almost palpable. Nobody felt like making small conversation. After finishing the meal, Korra spoke up her doubts.

"So how long until you can teach me airbending? A week? A month?"

"It could be much longer, I'm afraid." Tenzin responded. He didn't like seeing her so frustrated, but it had to be done.

"I just don't get it. Why are you making me wait?"

"I have a responsibility to Republic City as one of its leaders. The situation there is... very unstable right now."

"Maybe, but you also have a responsibility to teach me. Believe me, I'd be happy to find another airbending master but you're the only one. We're stuck with each other."

"I wish there was another way."

Kenai was hearing everything in silence. Then, realization struck him in the face. "Wait, if you can't stay here, how about we bring Korra over to the Air Temple? I could watch her over while you attend your meetings at Republic City." he said trying to support Korra. When he found out that the White Lotus had kept her locked up almost her entire life, he felt genuinely angry at them. 'They treat her like she's some kind of animal of an extinct species or something. Nobody should live like that.' Kenai said to himself.

"Hey, you're right! I can stay with the kids and Pema at the Air Temple and visit Republic City with Kenai, It's perfect!" Korra perked up at the words of Kenai. She didn't expect him to agree with her regarding her airbending training, but felt happy that someone supported her.

"Absolutely not!" an old White Lotus member interrupted with near indignation at the proposal. "It's far too dangerous for you to go around Republic City as it is."

"That wouldn't be a problem. I know Republic City fairly well so I could show her the not-so-dangerous areas around, and from what I've heard, Korra seems capable enough to take care of herself if any trouble came to her." Kenai retorted.

"Hmpf, you are clearly too naive and immature for a task such as protecting her, boy. Avatar Aang tasked us with keeping the next Avatar safe from any danger in order to fulfill it's destiny. She will stay here and master the four elements as it is meant to be."

Tenzin immediately bit his lower lip. 'Oh Spirits, this is not good.' Kenai was usually a respectful, educated and friendly young man most of the time. Sure, he could be a little arrogant in occasions, but that wasn't really a problem. Yet if there was one thing he didn't respond well to were insults. He could care less about who he was talking to, if someone bad-mouthed him, he would get right in their faces and get as nasty as needed. The White Lotus members were certainly not an exception.

Kenai's facial expressions changed from calm to pissed off in a matter of seconds. "Hey, who are you calling naive and immature, old man?" he snapped.

The White Lotus member couldn't believe what he just heard. "How... how dare you?!"

"Believe me old man, I dare. I'm not taking any insults from a hypocrite like you."

"Alright, that's quite enough of you two. I'm sorry Korra, but I can't take you with me right now. When the time is right, I will introduce you to the ways of airbending. For the time being, you should stay here and try to improve your bending skills in the other elements." Tenzin said before things heated up more between his nephew and the White Lotus. He had enough stress for the day.

"Whatever." Korra said as she stood up and leaved the table to go to her room, leaving the dinning hall again in complete silence.

"Anyways, I'm tired. I'll go get some shut-eye. Good night uncle." Kenai said.

"Good night Kenai." Tenzin replied with a small nod, glad that the situation didn't escalated.

Korra was currently in her room, not feeling happy at all. She had been waiting to learn airbending and leave the South Pole for so long, and when the opportunity finally presents itself, all she got was a spit in her face. She was even wondering if the whole thing was a fiasco, some sort of mean joke from the White Lotus just for the sole purpose of messing with her. Heck, if it wasn't for Katara, whom she trusted her with her life and was the one who agreed she should start her airbending lessons, she would suspect of the White Lotus actually being behind all of this.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a knock on her door.

"Can I come in?" the voice behind the door said.

Expecting to be one of the White Lotus members bringing her some dessert, she opened the door ready to grab whatever they had for her. She would shut her door as soon as possible anyways, not feeling like talking right now with anybody.

What she was not expecting, however, was the guy behind the door.

"Kenai? What are you doing here?" Korra asked.

"Just wanted to check on how you're doing." Kenai answered simply. Still not used to the cold South Pole weather, he was still wearing his grey jacket.

"Oh. Thanks, but I'm okay, really." Korra said in a not so convincing way.

"Yeah right. That face of yours tells me otherwise. Mind if I enter?"

Korra stepped aside, letting out a sigh. The young airbender entered her room, looking at the mess in front of him. Clothes were on the floor along with scrolls and other things like that. Kenai let out a small chuckle. "Wow, real tidy room. Reminds me of mine back home." he said, earning him a small laugh from Korra despite her obvious sadness. His attempt to make her feel a little better succeeded.

"So, why are you really here?" the Avatar questioned.

"I told you, I'm just checking up on you." Kenai answered.

"Really? You are not here to try to convince me that Tenzin is right and that I'm better of here?" she asked again in disbelief. Every time she and the White Lotus had an argument, they would come to her room and tell her how everything they were doing was for her own safety. And she had about enough of that.

"Hey, I had your back there in the dinning hall, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that." Korra said while laughing sheepishly, scratching the back of her head.

Kenai then sat on Korra's bed, patting his left side as a way of telling her to join him, which she obliged.

"What's on your mind?" Kenai started.

The young Avatar sighed. "It's just not fair. I've been waiting my whole life for this, and now I'm stuck again." Korra said as she stared at Kenai's brown eyes. He listened to every word she said while thinking what could cheer her up. He hated seeing her so down like that. "Hey Kenai, can I ask you something?" the water tribe girl asked, stopping Kenai's thoughts for the time being.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Why did you side with me back there?" Korra asked. When Kenai's right eyebrow went up, she decided to elaborate. "Don't get me wrong. I'm glad you did, but I... didn't really expect it. You know, you being Tenzin's nephew and all."

Hearing her explanation, the young man grinned at her. "Well, I do have a couple of reasons. Three to be exact. Number one, keeping somebody locked up like that is not only cruel, but also wrong. Even if you are the Avatar, you are also a person. Number two, these White Lotus members may not have realized this, but they're actually making it harder for you to be the Avatar by keeping you confined like this. How are you supposed to help maintain balance in the world if you have no idea how the world is? By trying to protect you so much they ended up hindering you, so to speak. That's why I called that White Lotus old fart a hypocrite. That and because he called me an immature and naive boy."

Korra pondered over what she just heard. She had never seen things that way. She wanted to explore and get out of the South Pole, that was for sure, but what Kenai just said to her made her realize how right he actually was. She specially recalled one thing he stated. 'How am I supposed to help maintain balance in the world if I have no idea how the world is?'. It really was an eye opener. Not to mention, the face master Noribu (A/N: 1) had when Kenai called him an old hypocrite was enough for her to feel genuine joy. Master Noribu had always been strict with her regarding her training and keeping her secluded from anybody else, including her own family.

"Wow, I never really thought about it like that. What about reason number three?"

Kenai let out a small chuckle. "Well, number three would be that you seem like a pretty cool girl to hang around. I like the idea of having you in the Air Temple."

The Avatar blushed at the compliment. She didn't expect him to say that out of nowhere, especially the very same day they just met. But she didn't really care either as she was very pleased by what she heard. After a few giggles, she turned around to meet his eyes. "Thanks. You look like a nice guy yourself."

"Ouch, I come here to make you feel better and all I get is a 'you look like a nice guy yourself'?" Kenai asked in a mocking way, pretending to be hurt.

Noticing that he was teasing her, she smirked. "Yup. That's all you're getting from me."

"Damn. I was expecting you to at least say something like 'Wow Kenai, you are the most awesome guy I have ever seen' or something."

"Aren't you being just a tad bit cocky?"

"Cocky? Me? Not at all. I'm just pointing out a fact." Kenai responded before both of them started laughing at their own joke.

The young water tribe girl was fairly surprised with Tenzin's nephew. Before he entered her room she was sad and in no mood to talk with anybody, but after a few minutes with him she started to feel better about the whole thing. She was still upset about not being able to start her airbending training and all, but at least she now had someone to talk about it.

"You know, I could go here and visit you from time to time. I don't think any of these White Lotus guys keep you company like this, am I right?" Kenai asked.

"Really? I'd love that! But, I'm not sure the sentries would like the idea of you 'disturbing my Avatar training' and all. Especially after your little scene with master Noribu back there." Korra responded with a frown on her face. She knew that those old geezers would do anything in their power to prevent Kenai from visiting her. They wouldn't allow her own family to come see her, so why would they let him?

"Don't worry. If anyone has a problem with me coming here, I'll have them introduce to Sozu, see if they change their minds." the young airbender responded with a grin.

"Sozu? Who's that?" Korra asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sozu is my Raven Eagle companion. You know, that awesome big bird I came here with."

"Oh, that's right! Now that I think of it, where did you find a Raven Eagle so big? I have never seen one like that."

"Sorry, I'll tell you next time."

"Oh come on! Why next time?" Korra pouted in a childish way, earning her a laugh from her friend.

"So I can have an excuse to tell Tenzin to go visit you, of course."

Korra pouted again. That Sozu pet seemed so cool, she was wondering if Kenai would let her meet his Raven Eagle. Kenai seemed to be very fond of him. She shrugged and deduced it was the same kind of human-mascot type of relationship she had with Naga, her Polar Beard Dog.

Kenai yawned. "Well, I'm going to sleep. See you in the morning?" he asked.

The young Avatar smiled. "Sure, good night."

"Good night Korra." Kenai said as he started to leave her room. When he opened the door, however, he was stopped by the voice of the girl behind him.

"Kenai?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for the talk. I actually feel a little better now." she said truthfully. After having him come to her room to check up on her when he didn't had to, she thought she should at least thank him for his kindness.

"Don't mention it. It's the least I could do." Kenai replied with a wink as he closed the door, leaving a young Avatar with a slight pink blush on her cheeks, thanking the Spirits Kenai wasn't there to see her flustered like that.

|Next day|

The next morning the airbending family was up and ready to go. Tenzin and Pema were gathering their children, who were sad to leave the place. Both Ikki and Jinora were already sitting on Oogi with their mother, waiting for Tenzin to stop Meelo from trying to sit on Sozu's saddle. On the other hand, Kenai was looking for Korra to say goodbye to her and remind her that he would visit her when he had the time. Unfortunately, he couldn't find her anywhere, which was not really his fault considering the South Pole was huge and he didn't quite know his way around yet. Seeing that he was unable to reach her, he walked towards master Katara, who was waving her son's family goodbye, a sad expression on her face and a few tears running down her eyes.

"Master Katara?" Kenai slowly said, trying to avoid any possible awkward moment between them.

Katara sniffled a bit before turning her head. "Yes dear?" she asked.

"I was wondering if you could tell Korra I said goodbye to her. I can't find her and I have to go now. Just let her know I promise to visit her whenever I can." he said before looking down.

Aang's wife sighed before looking at Kenai, a sad smile placed on her mouth. "Sure, I'll let her know. That girl needs more people like you in her life. I don't think this is what my husband wanted for her."

"I agree. Living in the same place secluded from the world outside because of a destiny she didn't choose is not living at all." Kenai said as he walked away from her. He then putted on his gloves and placed his hood up. Sozu approached him and kneeled so he could ride him, not feeling very comfortable with all the snow of the place.

"All right Sozu, let's go." the young man said to his Raven Eagle, who started flying after a single jump. It wasn't long before the two of them were a small dot in the sky.

Katara sighed. "He is just like his mother." she whispered.

|Air Temple|

Kenai, after having breakfast and doing his exhausting morning workout, took a shower and searched for Pema. His exercise routine consisted in push-ups, sit-ups, speed training using weights, airbending exercises and continuous spars with imaginary opponents performing moves he created in his unique, yet to be named fighting style, among other activities. This particular workout allowed him to hardness his body as well as his airbending. Instead of relying on defense, he used his airbending in a lot more offensive way, incorporing kicks and punches of all kind.

"Hey, aunt Pema." Kenai greeted her as he made his way to the gardens.

"Yes sweetie?"

"I'm going to Republic City for a while. I have to buy more food for Sozu."

Pema looked at him with curiosity. "Didn't you buy him enough food for a month the last time you went?"

"Yeah, but apparently somebody left Sozu's bag of food open. Any ideas who might've been?" he asked with humor. It was more than obvious who was the author of the crime.

His aunt giggled. "Meelo just wants to fly with him for once. The other day I saw him wearing feathers all over his body. He said he wanted to fool Sozu by making him believe he was a baby Raven Eagle."

The airbender sighed. "That boy is gonna get himself eaten one of these days. Anyways, I'm taking off. See ya' later auntie."

"Fly safe!"

|Republic City|

Kenai was walking near the shopping district he normally went for Sozu's food. He was wearing his typical outfit, a pair of black boots with black pants along with his favorite grey jacket that had its sleeves torn, revealing his defined arms at sight, much to the pleasure of every girl that saw him. He was also wearing bandages in his wrists. Overall, he looked like a firebender except for the color of his hair, eyes and skin.

As he made his way to the shop, he noticed a satomobile parking near a store that sold phonographs and things like that. Three men walked out of the vehicle and Kenai recognized them instantly.

Triple Threats members.

The young man growled. Ever since the Triads gangs became a problem in Republic City, dealing with them was one of the things he wanted the most. Of course, his training demanded him to stay put in the island and Tenzin absolutely disapproved the idea of Kenai involving himself with them. He knew the boy for ten years now and was certain that he would jump at the chance of confronting them, which could easily involve the complete and utter destruction of an entire block if Kenai was angry.

That was another thing that Tenzin, to this very day, couldn't understand. Kenai was a very talented airbending master... in his own way. His mentality as an airbender was almost the exact opposite of what it should be. It was a mix between a firebender and an earthbender, trying to make his way right into the obstacle rather than surrounding it. Meditation had been a pain on Kenai's lower back during his first years as an airbender. He eventually managed to calm himself and stay still, but not before hours and hours of relentless practice.

Back to the present, Kenai made a decision. He had tried hard to ignore them and let the police officers take care of the problem, but they were not here. Before he could draw the attention of the gang members threatening the shopkeeper, a voice was heard from the other side of the street.

"Or else what, hoodlum?"

On the other side of the street, a young girl wearing blue traditional water tribe clothes was standing near them, hands on her hips and smirking confidently at the Triple Threats.

'Oh Korra.' Kenai thought while smiling.

The three stooges stared at her in confusion before laughing at her annoyingly loud. When the laughter died down, the guy that looked like the leader of the other two spoke up. "Look girly, since you're obviously fresh off the boat, let me explain to you a couple of things. You're in Triple Thread Triad territory and we're about to put you in the hospital." he said with a condescending voice.

Korra had an amused expression on her face. "You're the only ones who will need a hospital. And for your sake, I hope there's one nearby." she replied crackling her knuckles.

The leader's face quickly changed. "Who the hell you think you are!?" He was not going to let that little girl disrespect him like that!

"Why don't you find out?"

That was it.

The gang leader brought some water hidden out of his coat and threw it at her with the use of his waterbending. Korra immediately stopped the attack once it was at arm's length. Before her enemy could react, Korra threw the water back at him, splashing his face and turning the water into ice. The man lost his balance and started tripping over, just to receive a kick in the head by the same girl. The kick sent him falling head first into their own satomobile, smashing his head right into the front part of the vehicle. The blow was so hard the ice that was still covering his head was shattered, leaving him knocked out.

The other two thugs were astonished by how easily that girl defeated their boss. But before they could react, another figure took the spot. In a grey and black flash, the earthbender of the squad received a punch to his guts followed by a spinning kick to the jaw that threw him to the ground. When he tried to get up, a fast punch to his forehead left him out cold.

Korra was too busy handling the firebender, a skinny and pale looking guy who was craping his pants at the moment, to notice the stranger that fought the other guy.

After neutralizing him with little to no effort (and smashing several stores in the process), she turned her back around to face the last guy of the gang. To her surprise, the big guy was lying unconscious on the ground. A boy was standing near him, and she deduced he was the one who took down the earthbender.

"Hey, thanks for the help with that. Not that I needed it, but still." Korra said.

"And you said I was the cocky one, Korra." the guy said, still not turning his back around.

'Why do I find that voice familiar?' Korra thought. However, she was too distracted to remember. "Huuuh, do I know you or something?" she asked with a frown.

Only then the stranger turned his back. "I don't know, do you?"

The Avatar gasped. "Kenai! W-What are you doing here?"

Kenai smirked. "I think I could ask you the same thing. Not that I'm not glad to see you or anything, but aren't you supposed to be in the South Pole?"

Before she could reply, a metalbending squad came to the scene.

"Cool, metalbenders!" the native girl from the Southern Water Tribe said. It was her first time in the 'big city' and she had seen so much. She was somewhat disappointed with the place, however. Republic City was a lot less impressive than what she had originally expected. "I have a responsibility to Republic City as one of its leaders. The situation there is... very unstable right now." Tenzin's words echoed inside her head.

'I guess this is what Tenzin was talking about.' "Don't worry officers, we caught the bad guys for you."

"Getting here a little earlier would've been nice." Kenai muttered. "Still, we stopped the thugs blackmailing the shop's owner. That's the most important thing right now." Korra nodded in agreement.

"Arrest them." the metalbending leader ordered to his squad. Without much delay, three metalbenders shot their cables and captured the gang members. Two of them were way too injured to put up a fight and the other one was still knocked out. When the criminals were dealt with, the same officer pointed at Kenai and Korra. "Arrest them too."

"What!?" both of them shouted. "But why? We just stopped the bad guys for you! They were smashing up an old man's shop!" Korra shouted in her defense.

"From the looks of it you smashed a lot more than that." the officer said while pointing at the street. A few other stores were smashed apart, product of Korra's less than subtle way of dealing with the gang members. "Plus, it's illegal to apply justice with your own hands."

"Maybe so, but that wouldn't have happened if you guys actually were here to apply justice like you are supposed to do." Kenai argued back.

"You can explain yourself all you like, back at the Headquarters." he responded while gesturing to one of his subordinates. Said subordinate immediately shot a cable at Kenai, wrapping him tightly and leaving him tied from the shoulders to the hips. Kenai did NOT take being tied with metal cables well.

"Hey, back off!" he shouted while trying to break free. The metalbender just smirked and started pulling him closer to get a proper hold of him.

'Oh, you so not should have smiled.' Kenai thought angrily. Without thinking much about the consequences, he made his move. "I said back OFF!" the airbending master shouted before launching himself towards his captor and blasting him of backwards, using both of his legs to kick him in his stomach.

His comrades approached the young man and caught each of his legs with those damned cables of theirs. Kenai landed on the ground and was taken to the squad vehicle while Korra was attempting to outrun them with Naga.

On his way to the Headquarters, Kenai had one thought in his mind.

'Totally worth it.'

"Let's see. Multiple counts of destruction of city property, evading arrest and acts of violence towards the city's law enforcers. You two are in deep, deep trouble." the woman said to Kenai and Korra, who were brought to the interrogation room after being apprehended. She had grey hair and green eyes and was wearing the standard metalbending armor. Judging by her looks, Kenai deduced she was the one in charge of the building. Korra, on the other hand, wasn't as calm as her companion.

"But some thugs were threatening a helpless shopkeeper and we had to-"

"Can it! What you should have done was to call the police force and stay out of the way, not starting a ground war in the middle of my city." the frowny woman said, interrupting Korra from explaining themselves.

"I know, but I just couldn't sit there and do nothing. See, I'm the Avatar." Korra explained looking sheepishly at the end, praying to the Spirits the Avatar card worked. Oh, how wrong she was.

"Oh, I'm well aware of who you are. And your little Avatar title might impress some people, but not me." she said condescendingly. The woman now turned to see Kenai, who was sitting right next to Korra. "What's your excuse, brat?"

"How about you treat me a little nicer for starters. I don't like you insulting me over nothing, granny." Kenai responded. That woman rubbed him the wrong way. If she expected him to respect her after openly calling him a brat, she was in for a big surprise.

The lady's face expression turned into a murderous one. "What did you just call me, kid!? I am Chief Beifong and you will address me as such!" The nerve of that brat! How dare he treat her in such a dismissing way? Besides, she wasn't even that old.

"Wait a minute." Korra realized. "Beifong? Lin Beifong? You're Toph's daughter!" she exclaimed.

Lin shrugged. "What of it?"

"But if you're Toph's daughter, then why are you treating us like criminals? Avatar Aang and your mother were friends. They saved the world together."

"That's ancient history and it's got diddly squat with the mess you two have gotten yourself into. None of you can just walk in here and go vigilante like you own the place."

Kenai smirked. This was going to be fun. "In that case Chief Beifong, may I know why your so called law enforcers are never around whenever a crime is being committed? Every time I walk through the streets of Republic City, the triads are always taking advantage of the less fortunate. Maybe this wouldn't have happened if you actually had this city under control."

"Are you trying to tell me how to do my job?" Lin asked with a dangerous tone.

The young man just shrugged. "Not at all, Chief Beifong. I'm just pointing out how much you suck at it." 'Once again, totally worth it.'

Before Lin could metalbend the crap out of Kenai, a small panel in the wall slid open, revealing the face of a police officer. "Chief Beifong, I am sorry to interrupt your interrogation but Councilman Tenzin has arrived and wishes to have a word with you."

Lin was fighting with herself. She knew she had to deal with Tenzin, but the urge to smack the loud-mouthed brat to death was very hard to control. In the end, she just sighed and indicated her subordinate to let the councilman in. The police officer nodded and opened the door, revealing a certain airbender that looked stressed out of his mind.

"Sorry Tenzin. We got a little side-tracked on our way to see you." Korra said sheepishly.

Tenzin said nothing as he glared at them. Letting out a sigh, he turned to face Lin with the most charming smile he could do. "Lin, you are looking radiant as usual." he started to say.

Hearing what his uncle just said, Kenai had no other option but to bit his lower lip hard enough to feel blood in order to suppress his laughter. 'Like that wrinkled mummy would ever buy such a thing.'

Of course, she didn't. "Cut the garbage, Tenzin. Why are the Avatar and her boyfriend here in Republic City? I thought you were supposed to be moving down to the South Pole to train her." Upon hearing the word boyfriend, both Kenai and Korra reacted. Kenai simply smiled amused by the whole thing while Korra blushed significantly. The thought of having Kenai as a boyfriend sure sounded tempting, but she quickly dismissed the idea. They barely knew each other, and while he seemed to be pretty friendly, the odds of being in a relationship were slim at their best. It wasn't like he would be interested in her anyways. With his looks, he probably had every girl in Republic City drooling and throwing themselves at him.

The voice of Tenzin brought her back to the real world. "My relocation has been delayed. The Avatar on the other hand will be heading back to the South Pole immediately, where she will STAY PUT." Tenzin said.

"But-"

"If you would be so kind as to drop the charges against Korra and my nephew, I will take full responsibility for today's regrettable events and cover all the damages."

Lin looked surprised for a second, but her surprise quickly turned into annoyance. "This little brat is your nephew?" she asked with a frown.

"I thought I said you should stop calling me brat yo-" Kenai started until Tenzin cut him off.

"Yes, this young man is my nephew. His name is Kenai and he is, like me, an airbender."

"An airbender!?" Korra asked/shouted in shock. Of all the things that had happened this day, finding out that Kenai was an airbender was the craziest one by far. "Kenai, why didn't you tell me?"

"I kinda wanted to give you a surprise. Bombarding you with my awesomeness all at once didn't seem fair." he replied calmly.

After a few seconds, Lin sighed and unlocked both of the teen's handcuffs. "Just get them out of my city." She really didn't have time for this. Her current investigations demanded all of her attention and while the idea of smacking the little punk tempted her, she decided to wait for him to do another of these stunts in order to claim vengeance. Maybe he got away with it once, but by the Spirits he wouldn't get away with it twice.

Tenzin visibly relaxed as he spoke to Lin. "Always a pleasure, Lin. Korra, Kenai, let's go." he said as he gestured the Avatar and his nephew. As Korra was leaving, Chief Beifong gave her an 'I'm watching you' glare along with a hand gesture, which Korra didn't hesitate to return. Kenai gave her a quick wink before closing the door.

And so, the three of them exited the room, leaving a very angry and frustrated Chief of Police behind.

|Outside the interrogation room|

"Tenzin, please don't send me back home." Korra pleaded the aged airbender.

"You blatantly disobeyed my wishes and the orders of the White Lotus." Tenzin responded.

"But Katara agreed with me that I should come! She said my destiny is in Republic City."

At the mention of Tenzin's beloved mother, Kenai inwardly snickered. 'Oh, this is gonna be even funnier.' "She's right, you know. Before I returned to the Air Temple during our little visit I had a talk with her. When I asked her about how she felt about Korra's current situation, she said and I'm quoting right now: 'I don't think this is what my husband wanted for her.' Therefore, she agreed that Korra should leave the South Pole. You can ask her if you want." 'AHA! We got you mamma's boy!'

The face of Tenzin turned red instantly. "Don't bring my mother into this!" he shouted.

Korra ignored Tenzin's outburst. "Look, I can't wait any longer to finish my training. Being cooped up and hiding away from the world isn't helping me become a better Avatar. I saw a lot of the city today and it's totally out of whack. I understand now why Republic City needs you, but it needs me too."

Before Tenzin could argue back, a voice was heard on the other side of the room.

"Is this you Polar Bear Dog, miss?"

|Air Temple docks|

Kenai watched as a ship waited for Korra in the docks. He really hated seeing her go back to her so called home, which was filled with moody White Lotus old geezers that kept her in captivity. Before she left, Kenai decided to say some parting words, if only just to make her feel a little better, very much like the other night at the South Pole.

Approaching the girl, Kenai spoke up. "Hey there."

Korra looked up and saw the airbender in front of her with a sad smile. "Hey Kenai."

"Listen, just because you're going back doesn't mean you won't see me around. I promised I would visit you from time to time, and I intend to keep my word."

The young Avatar looked him with surprise. "You really mean it?" she asked.

Tenzin's nephew grinned at her. "Yeah, I really do. What kind of friend would I be if I let you all alone in that snowy hell?"

Korra was stunned. Kenai was acknowledging her as a friend, something she had always wanted since she was a little girl. Sure, she had Naga and Katara who were there for her, but it just wasn't the same. Ever since they met a couple of days ago in the South Pole, Kenai had treated her kindly and with genuine interest. He didn't saw her just as the Avatar, but as Korra, the hotheaded girl from the Southern Water Tribe. Not only that, but he also promised to visit her when he had the time, and now she really believed him.

Overwhelmed by her emotions, Korra walked right into Kenai and gave him a bone-crushing hug. Kenai was a little surprised by her actions but quickly returned the embrace. "Thank you." she whispered into his ear.

"No problem." Kenai responded. They kept hugging each other for a minute before Korra realized she was hugging Kenai a little too hard. She couldn't help but notice that Kenai's torso was very hard, yet also soft. She quickly ended the hug and stared at her friend.

"Sorry about that." Korra said while rubbing the back of her head, a small blush coming out of her cheeks. Kenai, in return, gave her his signature smirk along with his infamous wink, the ones that made him so popular around Republic City's gossipy girls. The Avatar could only feel her cheeks slowly heating up upon seeing his gesture.

Suddenly, the three children of Tenzin and Pema landed right in front of them using their gliders.

"Korra!" they all shouted in excitement.

"Are you going to move to the Air Temple?" Ikki asked with excitement.

"No. I'm sorry Ikki, but I have to go home now." Korra said with sadness as she knelt down and placed her hands on both Ikki and Jinora's shoulders. The three airbenders 'aaaaaaaaaaaaaaawed' in unison.

Kenai approached the airbending trio. "Hey guys, glad to see you too. It's nice to see you care for your beloved old cousin for a change." he said pretending to be hurt.

"Kenai!" The three kids shouted. Meelo ruan towards him and clenched to his leg, not letting it go.

"How's it going, squirt?" Kenai asked his surrogate cousin.

"Hey I'm not a squirt, I'm a full grown man!" Meelo shouted in anger.

Kenai just shrugged. "Sure thing, squirt."

"Are you gonna let me ride Sozu now?"

"Maybe I would've let you if you hadn't let his food bag open. Now I have to buy a new one."

"Aaaaaaaw stinky." Meelo pouted.

Now it was time for Jinora to step in. "Kenai, why were you and Korra hugging?"

Before either of them could answer, Ikki opened her question-cannon mouth. "Are you dating Korra? Are you her boyfriend? Did you two kissed? Are you getting married?"

The young airbender saw this coming a mile away. The same thing could not be said about Korra, if the steam coming out of her tomato-red face was anything to go by.

Before any explanation could be said, Tenzin spoke up. "Wait." he said gaining the attention of everyone. "I have done my best to guide Republic City towards the dream my father had for it. But you are right. It has fallen out of balance since he has passed. I thought I should put off your training in order to uphold his legacy, but you are his legacy. You may stay and train airbending here with me, for Republic City needs its Avatar once again." he finished while placing a hand on Korra's shoulder, which made her gasp.

Unable to resist the urge, Korra shouted. "Yes! Thank you, you're the best!" She then proceeded to hug Meelo, Jinora and Ikki, who were also cheering out of joy.

"What about me? Don't I get a second hug?" Kenai asked.

Korra ignored his plead as she continued to hug the kids. Kenai then turned to face his uncle and gave him a look that clearly said 'Thanks softie.', which went with a crap-eating grin.

Tenzin send him a glare back. 'Shut yer' mouth Kenai.'

As they were making their way back to the Air Temple, Kenai was thinking about everything that happened since the day of their visit to the South Pole. He had no idea what the future would bring him, but one thing was certain. There was this sensation he couldn't get out of his head, and he didn't mind.

'I have a feeling that things are about to get a lot more fun.' he thought with a smile.

Review, Favorite and/or Follow please. Tips are always welcomed.

Thanks to jaimed1968 for beta-reading this chapter.

Peace!