Two Steps: Step Two

I owe you one, Avatar Korra.

Once again, Korra found herself pacing in her room. More than once, she crossed and uncrossed her arms as she moved back and forth. A frustrated sigh came from her mouth. The young Avatar practically threw herself on her bed. Why was this happening? It had already been a full three days, and yet she couldn't forget. Not without lack of trying, mind you. Meditation hadn't cut it for her this time around. Ever since she had achieved the Avatar state, clearing her mind had been easier, but now meditation felt impossible. This was his entire fault. If he had only shown up with the rest of the people, whom had had their bending taken away, she wouldn't have felt the need to seek him out instead. Really, she couldn't help it. Somewhere in between restoring bending, she had thought of him. You've gotta get him for me, his words like a whisper had echoed in her mind as she had watched a firebender demonstrate that his abilities had returned. Actually, that firebender had been a member of the White Falls Wolfbats. Though, she couldn't remember the name to match the face. No matter how much of a jerkbender he had been, no one deserved to have their bending ripped away from them. Korra, herself, had felt the horror of it. The experience, however short, hurt. She could only imagine what he had felt after weeks without his element.

However, Tahno hadn't shown up. After a week without his appearance and the number of benders had decreased, Korra had found herself getting worried. That last time she had seen him, he looked completely different from his arrogant self. It had been like his very spirit had been snatched away. Though brief, she had a thought flash through her mind. What if he had taken his life? She had quickly disposed such a thought. A guy like Tahno, who believed he was the gods' gift to the world, wouldn't have left it end in that way. Still, that small thought compelled her to seek him out. Admittedly, she had felt relief just seeing his face that night. The dark bags under his eyes weren't as prominent as they had been. That had been a good sign. His clueless expression had given him away from the beginning. He had no idea about her ability to restore bending. Korra had guessed that he hadn't kept up with the news, otherwise he would have shown his pretty boy face.

He had been so surprised, too. That look on his face had been enough to quell her irritation with him for not listening to a radio. But then he had to go and ruin that by kissing her. Twice. "That stupid…!" Korra growled in thought. Not only was she angry with him, but she was angry with herself as well. She hadn't stopped him. The Avatar pushed herself into a sitting position. Slowly, her fingers pushed against her lips. The first one had caught her completely off guard. The second one had sent her spiraling off the edge. It had felt electrifying, but not in the same way she had felt fighting Equalists with their shocker gloves. She hadn't felt anything like that before. Mako's kisses were never that- Snarling, Korra punched her pillow several times. She tried many times to forget about it. She had done many things to pretend that it hadn't happened. Why had he used his tongue?!

Panting just a bit, Korra stopped, glaring down at her pillow. She picked it up before smashing her face in it and allowing herself to scream. This whole ordeal would have been partly okay had it not been for the dreams. Dreams that went just a bit further than that kiss were not okay. It was because of those dreams that her nights were restless. It was because of those dreams that she had felt horribly guilty. "Korra…?" Flinching, the young Avatar lowered her arms and looked towards her door. His voice came again. As if her body had been struck, she winced. "Are you okay in there?"

"I'm… I'm fine, Mako," she replied, uneasily. "Just fell out of bed!"

"… Can I come in?"

Korra was hesitant on answering him, but she did allow him to enter her room. Her gaze averted to the open window. "Is Bolin still asleep?" she asked. Feeling the bed shift under his weight, the Avatar turned her attention back to her boyfriend. Mako jokingly commented that his brother could sleep through the screeching of a horde of wolfbats. The firebender didn't seem to realize that Korra blanched at the mention of that certain fauna. She awkwardly laughed along with him. "Yeah…"

"Hey, is there something going on with you?" Mako asked. Korra shrugged and shook her head—a vague answer, but it was an answer. "You've been… off for a couple of days now. Is there something you want to talk about?"

"Not… particularly."

Mako became silent for a moment. Then he leaned forward, hand resting on her knee. "I'm worried about you, Korra," he murmured before pressing his lips against hers. When he pulled away, the young Avatar sighed softly though her nose, and then told him that he didn't need to worry. She forced a smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. He returned her smile as well as her kiss. Like all the other kisses they shared, it was nice. Like all the other kisses, this one was… just nice. Korra mentally swatted that thought aside. She liked kissing Mako. Really.

But he would always pull away before things got… heated. Not tonight, though. She would do it. Definitely. A flash of Tahno appeared in her mind. He had seemed so confident the second time he had kissed her. She wanted to try feeling that with Mako. The moment her tongue darted out and grazed his lower lip, he reared his head back, surprise showing on his face. He blinked a couple of times, cheeks gaining a pink hue. Two steps is all it took. With two steps, doubt crept in. With two steps, an unfamiliar coldness had replaced the warm body of the firebender between her arms. With two steps, a wedge had been formed. With two steps, she had almost felt the universe shift. "Wh-What?" she sputtered, confused with his reaction.

"Ah, nothing… It's late, so I should probably head back." His rushed sentence only caused more confusion. Mako rubbed the back of his neck, backing further away from her. "I'll—I'll see you in the morning." Then he was gone. Korra could only stare slack-jawed at her sliding door. What was that about?! She had always been the one to initiate their kisses. Why had he been so awkward about it this time around? For as long as he and Asami had dated, she was sure that they shared a number of kisses that went beyond just kissing. In fact, she was certain. She had happened upon an embarrassing—and infuriating—conversation between Asami and Ikki. The little troll had wanted to know all about how they had showed their affection for one another, to which Asami broke down and told. But back to the matter at hand… Why didn't Mako want to go further with kissing like he did with his ex-girlfriend? Speaking of the Sato heir, she had gone back to her mansion, intending to fulfill her duty of rebuilding her company's reputation. Had Korra been too fast for him so soon after breaking up with Asami? What that it?

Korra wanted to scream.

Of course, she couldn't do it here, not on this island. Tenzin would have her head if his newborn child awoke because of her frustrations. She needed to get away. The air around her suddenly felt stifling. Frowning, the young Avatar stood up and went over to her window. The cool breeze tickled her skin, causing goose bumps to form. For a moment, she closed her eyes, listening. At night, the crashing waves had seemed to penetrate her ears and lure her into slumber. However, tonight, it was though the water was calling out to her. Slowly, Korra opened her eyes. She moved quickly pass her window. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she broke out into a run. She ran faster and harder than she had run before. Blood pumping furiously through her veins, she didn't hesitant in leaping from the cliff with her arms spread wide. As the water's surface neared, Korra moved her arms forward so that her body was in position to dive. Swimming came as a second nature for her, but right now she wasn't in the mood for a relaxing swim. Bending the water around her, the Avatar propelled herself forward. She didn't stop until she had reached her destination.

Aang Memorial Island.

For several moments, Korra panted, and then she stared up at the massive statue of her previous life. It was here that she first had a vision of Aang… after the fear of Amon's ability had been instilled in her. Her body shivered and not because of the wind blowing against her wet skin. The threat of Amon was gone, but it would take some time before she would get over that frightening ability of his. After she calmed down, she bent the water off her body. She shifted her gaze to Republic City. It was still aglow, alive with the life of the night cat owls. Still, there weren't any citizens on this small island. The museum had been closed for the night. She had the perfect spot. And so without notice, Korra inhaled, and then let out a mighty yell.

Her loud voice caused many sparrowkeets to fly off in fright, but she continued to scream until she was out of breath, and then she screamed some more until she felt the burn in her lungs. Everything had been going so well. Amon was out. The Equalists' numbers were dwindling, according to the reinstated Chief Bei Fong. She had learned how to airbend. She had achieved the Avatar State for Yue's sake. So why did the spirits find it necessary for change, complicating her life after everything that had happened? Korra had half a mind to contact her previous life, but she didn't feel like hearing vague remarks from Aang. He tended to do that. A lot.

"What are you doing?" Immediately, her screaming was cut short. Her body tensed, recognizing that voice. It was the voice that haunted her dreams—the voice that had sent her body convulsing. So close… Too close. Eyes widening, Korra sharply turned, aiming a fist right between his smug eyes. But they weren't smug. If anything, he looked stunned by the fact that her fist loomed closer and closer. Still, he managed to dodge the attack by sliding his dominant foot back. For a moment, she only stood there, fist still leveled with his eyes. Then his voice broke through the tense silence. "Good to see you again, too, Uh-vatar."

"Tahno," Korra bit out, dropping her arm. "What are you doing here?" It was her chance to get a good look at him. The last time she had seen him, he looked a mess. Now, he looked a lot better—back to his former self, ridiculous glossy curl and all. He didn't appear to have so much eyeliner on, though.

"Pardon me for thinking this was a public place," he retorted, narrowing his eyes a bit. However, his pale eyes weren't hostile at all. "After healers told me that there was nothing they could do, I came here a lot, a part of me hoping that…" He trailed off. Korra didn't need him to finish. She knew exactly what he meant. But in the end, it hadn't been Aang. It had been her. "Anyway, now it's just a habit. I didn't think anyone would be here… screaming their head off. Frustrated?" How could he say that when he was the reason?

"This is your fault! You kissed me!" Korra shouted.

"It was just a kiss. Surely you and that Fire Rat have-"

"NO!" she blurted out before she could stop herself. Damn it. Glaring heatedly, the young Avatar pointed a finger. "You shouldn't have kissed me! You just shouldn't have!"

"It happened. Make a bridge and get over it." He smirked. "Or is it… you can't because it was the best you've ever had?" This obnoxious little…!

"I can see you haven't changed at all!" Korra frowned and crossed her arms. "Maybe I shouldn't have returned your bending."

"I have changed." The sincerity and slight anger in his voice caused her irritation to falter. "Returning my bending—no, returning bending to those who lost it—is one of the best things you'll do in your lifetime. Driving away nightmares is-" Most likely, Tahno believed he had said too much, so he abruptly stopped. He sharply turned away from her and began to walk away. Korra felt a bit panicked at his retreating back. For some reason, she didn't want him to go just yet.

"You still have nightmares, don't you?" she questioned. He stopped. "That's something we have in common." Tahno slowly turned, shock etched on his face. "Amon took my bending away from me." Korra's gaze lowered to the ground. She bit her lower lip, remembering how she felt so… vulnerable and afraid. "Things would have turned out differently if my last element—air—hadn't been unblocked." Subconsciously, her arms wrapped around her own body. "I'm sorry I said that. I shouldn't have said it, especially to you. Being surrounded by your element, but not being able to control it—even the sight of water must have caused pain."

"You don't need to pity me anymore. I'm all better," Tahno replied with a shrug. He faced her again, an almost frown on his face.

"I do not pity you, pretty boy! I'm just trying to… to sympathize!"

"That is literally the same thing, little girl."

"No one asked you, curl for brains!"

"You don't have to pity me in order to receive more of my… thanks."

"Th-That's not it! That's totally not it!"

Her feeble sputtering had been ignored because Tahno had taken several strides in her direction, closing the distance. He leaned forward, causing Korra to lean back. Still, their faces were mere inches apart. The young Avatar swallowed hard, realizing her legs were trembling. She felt heat rising to her cheeks and no amount of regulating her inner fire could push that heat back down. His pale blue—almost silver, she couldn't help but notice—eyes bore into hers. She almost felt self-conscious. "Oh…?" He smirked, arrogant as always. "I beg to differ, Uh-vatar." Body tensed, she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for it. However, it didn't come. Slowly, Korra opened her eyes to see Tahno slowly rearing his head back. "But all you have to is ask… or take it by force, as you tend to do. Either way, I wouldn't mind." A small peck to her cheek sent the young Avatar into a tizzy. "I'd love to bend whatever water that's inside of you." Fuming and embarrassed, the young Avatar shot several fire blasts his way. Tahno merely danced out of danger, keeping that infuriating impudent smile on his face.

"The only bending you'll be doing is over!"

"You've really got to watch what you say in front of me. I might just take you up on your offer. Boyfriend or not." Boyfriend? What--oh Tui's scales, she had forgotten for a moment. Damn this pretty boy! With a two-finger salute, the waterbender took his leave. Though he wasn't laughing, Korra could just sense the mirth coming off him in waves.

"You monkey-feathering chump…!" she called out to him. Monkey-feathering…? Where did that come from?! The young Avatar crossed her arms, watching his retreating back until she could no longer see it. Gradually, her body relaxed and her expression softened. Despite the way they had parted ways, she had to admit that she did feel better. Whether it was from screaming or Tahno or a combination or both, she was still deciding. Korra sighed, and then turned, intending on heading back to Air Temple Island.

She wasn't aware of the smile on her face.