A Spirit of Elements Chapter 30 (Regrets) (Patreon)

In the Air Temple, Tenzin was reading peacefully; Lin was with him, and they were reading new reports about the equalist; a part of him was surprised when Lin showed up at his doorstep before dropping a mountain of reports on his lap, saying she needed a second mind.

Tenzin simply nodded before telling his wife to bring them two cups of tea, surprisingly neither Lin nor his wife looked angry at each other, but the earth bender mostly looked at the reports when she walked inside; when Pema brought them tea, Lin simply said a flat 'Thanks,' when his wife put the steaming cup of tea near her.

When the door closed, a chuckle escaped Tenzin, finding the situation hilarious, but Lin didn't see it as such; she glared at him before telling him to shut up. Tenzin smiled in amusement before taking a sip from his cup, the tea washed his throat, and he already felt better; his chest felt warmer; taking another sip, he was about to change the page when Lin let out a fake cough.

"Where's that brat of yours? I heard you and him weren't talking with each other?" Lin questioned him, her face neutral and not showing much emotion, her lips pressed, forming a thin line; she and the brat were never on the best of terms; the blonde liked to be free, as he always said, but a part of Lin was thankful that he took his duties more seriously than the little Avatar when she had first met the brat, they had almost exchanged blows in the first meeting, back then the kid had been only eleven years old.

It all started with him loudly calling her an old hag in front of everyone, and not just Tenzin's family but in front of the council; many had laughed, some had tried to restrain themselves from laughing instead, and a few muffled chuckles escaped their lips.

The only thing that saved his stupid ass from getting a beat down was that he was still a child, an annoying one, but still just a kid, second, they were in a council meeting and wouldn't do well for her reputation to harm a kid, and third, he was Tenzin's nephew, so her hands were tied.

There were many times when Lin had thought that Naruto had taken more after Commander Bumi rather than Kya, but maybe that was because she didn't know Kya that well.

Tenzin had mentioned many times that Naruto was a mini Kya, except he took his responsibilities a bit more seriously.

"What do you think we should do, Tenzin? Do you think we can fix this?" Lin broke the silence with her question; it had been several days now that Tenzin told her they were in a no-return situation, saying even if Amon was somehow captured and brought to justice, that wouldn't fix much if not making things worse.

Taking a deep breath, his fingers around the cup started shaking slightly, his eyes looking deeply at the center of the cup; his reflection was on the surface of the tea.

If only I had been more like you father, Tenzin thought with a sad look spreading across his face.

He was the oldest Airbender, he was the head of his family and all Airbenders, yet, he wasn't really doing an excellent job at it. Tenzin thought of his nephew; Naruto had done a much better job than him on training Korra, whenever that was because they were childhood friends and the blonde knew how she worked and how to make her listen, Tenzin didn't really know, but he knew one thing with certainty, Naruto could become the best Airbender ever, even if his Airbending moves and ways of teaching were a bit questionable.

His eyes briefly glanced at Lin; thinking of her question, he took a long sip, almost emptying the cup, calming his nerves before he gave the most honest answer he could.

"No,"

Lin sighed, hearing his words, a part of her wondered if she wanted him to lie to her, but she quickly dismissed the thought; she preferred a harsh truth rather than a sweet lie.

"The fuel has always been there, Lin, years of being oppressed by the benders of the city have accumulated with time. It was going to happen; one way or another, it was always going to happen. Amon simply lightened a match; that's all he did. If Amon is captured, the embers will turn into a fire that will swallow the whole Republic City," Tenzin said, looking down at his cup before drinking the rest.

Pouring more for himself, he was relieved that it wasn't something with alcohol on it; if it were, he would have been half-drunk by now.

Lin heard his words, a part of her that followed the rules wanted to say they could arrest everyone who was with the equalist, and that wasn't really possible anymore unless she was planning on arresting at least a quarter of the city, there weren't even enough cells for that.

"What do you think we should do?" Lin questioned him, finally taking a sip of tea; perhaps it could calm her down a little; she wasn't really into tea; it was nothing more than hot leaf juice.

Taking a sip, the taste wasn't that bad; feeling the liquid slipping through her throat, she felt her mind calming down; perhaps Tenzin wasn't crazy after all.

"The only thing we can do, perhaps Naruto was right in the end," Tenzin replied, changing the page, reading from top to bottom.

"What did the brat say?" Lin asked with a hint of interest but made sure that Tenzin wouldn't notice it.

A chuckle escaped Tenzin's lips. "He's young, but he's no fool. Yesterday, we talked about this whole situation, and he said...

"Uncle, I think we should have a public meeting with Amon," Naruto said as he leaned against the wall of his solar, his hands folded against his chest, his ocean-blue eyes looking at Tenzin, who paused for a moment when he heard his words.

"And why should we do that?" Tenzin questioned from where he was sitting, a pencil in his hands as he was writing something, half of the page already done.

"Amon is a terrorist, no matter how you look at this, he's doing things the wrong way for a good cause, but if we sat down and talked, we could make a deal; he will stop his attacks, all those that lost their bending will get their bending back. In return, the non-benders will get a large amount of money to be spent on schools, hospitals for non-benders with better tools, better resources, and everything else, and a member that represents all nonbenders will be in the council,"

Lin looked surprised to hear that Naruto had said that; perhaps the brat wasn't that stupid. Tenzin escaped his thoughts when Naruto and Korra suddenly barged inside his solar, both sweating, especially his nephew, whose face was both worried and furious.

Before Lin or Tenzin could ask what the problem was...

"Uncle, they arrested Asami and the others..."

Tomorrow

As Tenzin walked inside the Police Headquarters, he saw Naruto and Korra trying to catch the attention of a police officer, who simply ignored their call and walked inside the interrogation room. "I came as fast as I could," he said once he was close enough to the duo. "Are your friends alright?"

"We have no idea, uncle. These idiots won't tell us anything." Naruto stated, more than a little exasperated by how things were going.

The aged Airbender saw Chief Saikhan walking by. "I'll take care of this. Chief Saikhan! A word, please."

Chief Saikhan slowly made his way to Tenzin. "Councilman Tenzin, I'm very busy at the moment. Can this wait?"

"No, it cannot. Three of Avatar Korra's friends were wrongly arrested tonight. I'd like you to release them immediately." Tenzin demanded.

"They are not going anywhere. They were interfering with police business." Chief Saikhan responded.

Naruto was starting to lose whatever patience he had in himself. "Your so-called 'police business' was rounding up innocent people and claiming they were Equalists! They should be released too!"

The metal bender shook his head. "All Equalists suspects are being detained indefinitely. They'll be released if and when the task force deems they are no longer a threat."

"But the only evidence you have to back your claim is the fact that they are not benders! Following that logic, every non-bender in Republic City is an Equalist suspect. Even children were involved in this! Just how desperate is Tarrlok?" Naruto exclaimed while clenching his fists. To him, Tarrlok was almost as significant a threat as Amon. The fact that they were supposed to be allies and not enemies only made things more frustrating.

Tenzin nodded at his nephew's words. "And besides, those people are entitled to due process under the law. You should know that better than anyone, Chief."

But Saikhan just gave them a shrug. "You'll have to take that up with councilman Tarrlok."

"Oh, I plan to. At the Council meeting first thing in the morning." Tenzin responded. And with that said, he gestured for the Avatar and his nephew to leave with him.

However, Korra would not leave without saying what was on her mind first. "You're officially the worst Chief of Police ever!" she said while grabbing Saikhan's chin.

Naruto joined her right away. "You're nothing but Tarrlok's puppet. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I want that granny to be Chief of Police again. At least she did have some common sense, unlike you."

"Calm down, you two. I'll get this sorted out; we need to be patient." Tenzin said as he started to leave with the two of them. Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks and faced Saikhan. "But you really are the worst! Ever!"

As soon as they were outside, Naruto looked at his uncle as if he had just grown a second head. "Hey, uncle."

"Yes, Naruto?"

"What you said at the end... was awesome."

"I have my moments."

Air Temple

Korra, Naruto, and Tenzin made their way back to the Air Temple after a fruitless attempt on getting their friends back. Tenzin assured them he would do everything in his power to give the wrongly accused prisoners their freedom back as soon as he could. He was afraid that Korra would do something rash, and knowing his nephew, he would join her, even if just to prevent her from doing something extremely dangerous. After warning his two students, he went to sleep.

Naruto was alone in his room, hugging his legs; he missed her, and he wanted her to be here with him. Her green eyes looked at him, the most beautiful ones in the world. To caress her lengthy hair, to kiss her lips. He felt his anger rising, but then Naruto remembered that perhaps he should check Korra in case she decided to do something stupid.

Naruto walked Korra to her room. He wanted to have some words with her before leaving her alone. "Hey Korra, I know this is gonna be hard for you, but I want you to promise me that you won't do anything too risky right now, not without telling me first."

"What? You know I can't do that. My job is basically doing risky things if you haven't noticed." Korra responded.

"I know, but right now, we really can't afford to do something stupid, not in the situation Asami, Bolin and Mako are. One more screw-up and Tenzin might be unable to get them out."

"But what about Tarrlok? If I don't do something, he'll keep arresting innocent people!"

The Airbender sighed. "I know, and that's why we have to stop him. And believe me, I want to smack that guy up and down just like you. But Tarrlok won't hesitate to make our friend's life even more miserable if that means he'll stop us. Please think about it, ok?"

The Avatar tried to argue back but couldn't find any arguments. In the end, she gave in. "Fine," she muttered.

"Good night Korra."

"Good night," she said, not too thrilled as she entered her room.

Two hours had passed, and Korra still couldn't sleep. Her mind was too busy thinking about Asami, Mako, and Bolin. She couldn't help but feel extremely frustrated knowing they were spending their time in jail partially or maybe even only because Tarrlok held a grudge with her. If Tarrlok would at least be man enough to keep things between the two of them, everything would be so much bearable. But noooooooo, he just had to involve her friends in this. They were completely innocent, for crying out loud! The other thing that really bothered her is that, knowing the Council and how much of a manipulator Tarrlok was, It would probably take months to get them out of jail, even with Tenzin speaking on her behalf.

Opening the window of her room, Korra observed Republic City and couldn't help but imagine Tarrlok laughing at her misfortunes from his office. That thought angered her. Korra was not patient, and she knew it. She didn't wait for answers to reach her; instead, she stood up and went looking for them.

And that was exactly what she was planning on doing.

Gently rubbing her head, Korra woke up her Polar Bear Dog. "Wake up, Naga. Let's go."

As she walked out of her room, Korra slowly opened Naruto's door to check if he was sleeping. Thankfully, he was. The room was dark, and Naruto was carelessly snoring his way to a peaceful dream.

"I'm sorry, Naruto."

Six hours later, Naruto's dream

Everything was a moving blur. Clarity was non-existent. It wasn't sunny, nor was it dark. It wasn't warm, nor was it cold. It felt neither good nor bad. Everything was... normal. Fiercely normal.

He tried to rub his eyes, but nothing seemed to change. It was like it was meant to be a messy place.

In the distance, Naruto could see a figure coming toward him. He didn't feel threatened. Why should he? He just felt extremely confused. How could he not?

Before anything else could happen, the mysterious figure was already at his side, whispering words that made Naruto's eyes go wide in shock.

"M-Mom?"

And everything went black.

Naruto woke up, catching his breath. He felt a mix of emotions running through his head. The voice of that woman was the voice of his mom.

'Naruto... Korra... Danger... Tarrlok.' Even if he couldn't see her, he would recognize her voice anywhere. But what was the reason behind the dream? Was it a dream at all? It felt more like a... warning.

'What the hell was that about?' Naruto thought, unable to fully process the experience.

The voice of Tenzin threw him out of his train of thought. "Naruto! Wake up! Something terrible happened!"

Quickly he stood up and opened the door. The face of Tenzin was the embodiment of panic and worry. "Uncle? What's going on?"

"Korra has been kidnapped by the Equalist!"

Council Chamber

Tenzin and Naruto made their way to the Council Chamber, the place where every Council meeting took place for their reunions and the place where the Equalists supposedly kidnaped Korra.

Now Naruto was not one to panic easily. His uncle taught him that a very important aspect of being an Airbender was to learn how to keep one's emotions in check in order to find peace and tranquility. However, peace and tranquility were exactly NOT what Naruto was feeling at the moment. A million questions were wildly taking the place of Naruto's usually cool and relaxed demeanor. 'Korra was kidnapped? How? When? Why here?' and a ton more questions like that. But the one he kept thinking the more was this one: 'Why didn't I save her?'

'Naruto... Korra... Danger... Tarrlok.'

Naruto gasped after remembering those words. It all made sense now! That wasn't just a strange dream; it was a premonition, a warning from his mother regarding Korra. But why his mother? And what did Tarrlok have to do in any of this? Korra was kidnapped by the Equalists.

Right?

Upon entering the crime scene, it was more than clear that a fight had taken place there. The ground was shattered, and almost every wooden chair in the room was destroyed. Tenzin approached Tarrlok, who appeared to be bruised and had several cuts on his arm. A waterbender was healing his injuries. "What happened? What was Korra doing in City Hall?"

Tarrlok stood up. "As I already told Chief Saikhan, Korra came to my office late last night. She was upset that I arrested her friends. She asked me to release them, and... That's when the Equalists attacked. I tried to protect Korra, but we were severely outnumbered. Then, I was electrocuted. When I woke up, the police had arrived, but Korra was gone. I'm so sorry." he said as he lowered his head.

'Damn it, Korra! I told you not to do anything stupid without at least telling me!' Naruto thought, irritated. "Was Amon here when that happened?"

"I'm afraid I'm not entirely sure. I was knocked out before the fight came to an end. There were chi-blockers, that much I'm certain. But I don't know if Amon took part."

That was when Naruto noticed Tarrlok's bruises on his body. There were only a few, and they were healing fast thanks to the waterbender healer, but that was not what Naruto was interested in. From what he had seen in his encounters with Amon's henchmen, chi-blockers relied on speed and accuracy in order to block the chi points in the human body, and that was what Naruto couldn't understand. Bruises were caused by hard impacts to the body, like a jab to the face, for example. So why Tarrlok had bruises if he was attacked by chi-blockers? He could understand Tarrlok's burn on his arm, the product of an Equalist electrocuting him, but that didn't explain the rest. Also, there were a few things that were sketchy now that he thought about it.

"Chief Saikhan," Naruto said, focusing his gaze on the new Chief of Police. "At what time did the police force arrive here?"

"We received a call from an anonymous witness that reported a series of shouts inside the City Hall, along with the sound of a Satomobile leaving the scene at high speed. An investigation squad arrived here ten minutes later and requested backup as well as medical aid to treat councilmen Tarrlok's injuries." Saikhan replied.

Naruto pondered about this new information. 'The anonymous witness said something about a Satomobile leaving the place. That was most likely the Equalists escaping the City Hall. So that means that the police arrived here ten minutes later after the fight was over. Ten minutes is more than enough time to retrieve some evidence, like that Equalist glove on the ground. Why would they leave that thing behind, knowing that it might work as a lead towards them? It doesn't make sense.'

'And in that case, why would they leave Tarrlok here as well instead of taking him with them? Leaving him here means that he will continue to be a threat to them with his task force. Taking away Tarrlok's bending would be a perfect message from Amon to Republic City, as well as capturing Korra, so why didn't he?'

'Lastly, how did the Equalists know that Korra was going to be here? She didn't tell anybody as far as we know. A plan on kidnapping Korra should be organized and well-executed, not some random attack on City Hall, leaving not only evidence but Tarrlok as witness as well. Unless there's a mole working close to the Council, which I highly doubt, this doesn't look like something the Equalists did. But if it wasn't them, then who?'

"Chief Saikhan, mobilize the entire police force. We have to find the Avatar." Tarrlok declared.

Air Temple

While Tenzin was in his office making calls and alerting every influential figure of Republic City he knew, Naruto was in Korra's room wondering what to do to find her. The feeling of helplessness was tormenting to him. He didn't have a single clue he could use; Asami and his friends were in jail, and the police efforts to find her were fruitless. His frustration could only grow bigger with every minute as he pondered about Korra's whereabouts.

'Naruto... Korra... Danger... Tarrlok.'

The words of his mother were rumbling in his head. Having enough of this, Naruto went to Tenzin's office to ask him about his premonition. At least, maybe now he could make some sense of what he heard.

Naruto opened the door of the room where Tenzin was. "What is it, Naruto? I already told you there have been no significant advances in Korra's search."

"Uncle, I need to speak with you about something. I believe it's very important."

The aged Airbender nodded and gestured for Naruto to take a seat. "What is it that you want to talk about?"

The younger Airbender sighed. "While I was sleeping, I had a strange dream. A strange dream that I think was some sort of vision or warning. I don't remember every detail, but in my dream, my mom appeared and talked to Me." he started to say.

Tenzin was now visibly surprised. "Are you absolutely sure it was your mother?"

"Yes. I couldn't see her, but I could recognize her voice. I'm certain it was her."

"And what did she say to you?" Tenzin asked.

"Just four words: Naruto... Korra... Danger... Tarrlok. When I woke up, you came to my room and told me Korra had been kidnapped. I don't know what to think, and it's been eating me up inside." Naruto said, frustrated.

Tenzin made a thoughtful expression. "Given the circumstances, I think it's safe to say it was no coincidence. What you experienced was indeed a premonition regarding Korra's abduction. However, what I don't understand is what does Tarrlok has to do with the warning."

"I was thinking about the same thing. And regarding the kidnapping, I'm not sure anymore if the Equalists were the ones behind this." Naruto said, shocking his uncle with his answer.

"What do you mean by that, Naruto? There is enough evidence to say it was Equalist doing."

"Exactly. There is way too much evidence. Amon's henchmen would never do such a messy job by leaving that much evidence behind. Not when they had enough time to cover it." Naruto started to explain. "Also, how did the Equalists know when and where Korra was going to be? Unless there is a mole working on the City Hall, I don't see how they could've known. According to Tarrlok, when Korra came to his office late at night, the only ones who were remaining in the building were himself and his secretary. The police force already interrogated Tarrlok's secretary and determined that she had no part in this."

"I must say, kid. You're smarter than what I first gave you credit for." a voice said from behind. Up until this moment, neither Tenzin nor Naruto noticed the group of people listening to the conversation. Lin, Asami, Bolin, and Mako were standing near the door. Lin was wearing her usual metalbending armor beneath a grey coat that covered it.

"Asami!"

"Naruto,"

Before anyone knew it, they were hugging each other tightly; the blonde hugged her close, afraid that she would disappear; taking a deep breath, he missed her, his hands going through her beautiful long hair. Asami looked into his eyes before kissing his lips with all the passion she could muster, with the Blonde returning it fully. The others looked away in embarrassment except for Lin, who was annoyed; letting out a fake cough made the young lovers pull away but still hold each other close.

"I missed you," both said, his thumb touching her cheek, making her smile and blush grow in her cheeks; she had missed looking at his beautiful eyes.

"While this is very wholesome, can you two stop it before I vomit," Lin said with a deadpan look.

They both rolled their eyes before turning their attention to Tenzin.

"And I thought you were in the hospital!"

Lin, however, was not alarmed by Tenzin's outburst. "I figured you could use our help in finding Korra."

"Do you have any leads?" Mako asked.

The son of Aang stood up. "Unfortunately, I've been on the phone all morning, but nothing yet."

The firebender persisted. "What about Naga? She can track Korra!"

"I'm afraid her Polar Bear Dog is missing as well."

"Then where do we start?" Bolin asked.

"My guess is that the Equalists are hiding underground, in a maze of tunnels beneath the city," Lin said.

Asami frowned heavily after hearing this. "Underground, just like my father's secret factory. Figures." she bitterly muttered. Naruto grabbed her hand, hoping to make her feel better.

Bolin nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense. When those chi-blockers had me in their truck, it sounded like we drove into a tunnel."

Mako looked thoughtful for a minute before an idea came into his head. "I know where to start looking. Come on," he said as everyone started to leave. Asami soon noticed Naruto's hand slipping from hers, not following her. "Naruto, what are you waiting for? We have to find Korra!"

"I know, but it's just that... I need to go meditate first." Naruto said as calmly as possible.

Everyone in the room looked at him like he just grew a second head. "Meditate? How is that going to help us find her?" Bolin asked the question that was wondering in everyone's mind. Tenzin was just as dumbstruck as the rest, but taking into account what they had just discussed, he decided to support his nephew's idea.

"I agree with Naruto. This morning, he had a vision regarding Korra's kidnapping. Maybe by meditating, more things will be revealed to him."

"Look, I'm aware that I might sound crazy right now, but this is something that I have to do. I'll catch you guys later." Naruto firmly declared before leaving the room, not giving a chance to his friends to protest.

For some reason, that dream he had made a great impact on him in more than one way. There was this little voice in his head that was begging him to meditate about this, and he obliged. Once he reached a secluded area of the temple gardens, he took a seat on the soft grass and made the Lotus position of meditation. He started by taking deep breaths and closing his eyes, letting his body catch his own rhythm as he did so. Soon his mind was in a state of peace and clarity, one that he had never felt before in his life. If he had to describe the feeling in one word, the only thing he could come up with was... detached. He wasn't aware of his surroundings anymore. Time was now something irrelevant, almost non-existing.

After what felt like a couple of minutes to him, Naruto started to see an image in his head. Blurry at first, the image continued to slowly reveal itself until it was crystal-clear. In his head, he saw a cabin hidden in the snowy mountain. The next thing he saw was Naga, who was in the middle of the snow, sniffing the ground, trying to find her master. Finally, the last thing he saw was Tarrlok, driving a Satomobile and making his way to the cabin. After that, everything went dark.

Naruto opened his eyes and started to gasp for air. The experience was so real and unexpected that he forgot to breathe for a moment. It took him a while to realize he had been meditating for hours now, for the once clear sky was now obscure, and the moon had taken the place of the sun.

'Naruto... Korra... Danger... Tarrlok.'

Now everything was truly clear. The premonition he had was a warning that Korra was in danger from Tarrlok! She went looking for him last night, they fought, and Tarrlok was somehow able to win against Korra and abducted her. Now, Korra was being held somewhere in the mountains while Naga was looking for her, and Tarrlok was making his way to her.

'So Tarrlok was the traitor all along.' Naruto thought, infuriated. 'When I get my hands on him...'

He went to his room and put on the same puffy jacket he wore when he first met Korra at the South Pole, along with a pair of black gloves. He also prepared a bottle full of water in case she needed it. When Naruto was ready to go, he went to Sozu's bird nest and woke him up. "Sozu, we need to go to the mountains. Korra is missing."

Sozu opened his eyes and woke up from his slumber. 'I swear, brat. That female of yours can't keep herself out of trouble for more than one day.'

"Yeah, you can say that again. Come on; we have to find her as soon as possible. Her Polar Bear Dog shouldn't be too far away." Naruto said as he mounted Sozu. The poor bird squealed his annoyance out and started to flap his wings, gaining altitude little by little before launching himself toward the mountains.

One hour had passed since Naruto, and Sozu reached the mountains looking for Korra and Naga, and they were yet to see either of them. The wind was blowing hard, making it difficult for the search party to distinguish what they were looking at. Even with Sozu's enhanced sense of observation, something inherent in all Raven Eagles and especially Alfas, the task was indeed a tough one. What made things even more problematic was Naga's white fur, which made her even harder to tell apart from the snow.

'Hey, brat, are you absolutely sure that your female is here somewhere?' Sozu asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. And would it kill you to call her by her name? In case you forgot, which I highly doubt, her name is Korra." Naruto answered.

Sozu let out an eagle-like scoff. 'Like I care. I don't know why she's even your friend. She's just a bag of problems,"

Naruto didn't hesitate to answer. "She's been my friend since forever, and I'm not going to give up on her easily. Sure, she has some flaws and all, but those flaws make her unique. Yet still..."

'Still what?'

"I just can't help but feel guilty if something happens to her. She's strong, and she can take care of herself, most of the time at least. But that doesn't change the fact that I feel responsible for her somehow. It's like I have no one else to blame but myself if she is in danger like she is right now. Maybe I'm being a little overprotective of her, but I can't help it."

'What do you want me to tell you? She's the Avatar. Her life will involve dangerous situations. You need to understand that part.'

The Airbender sighed. "I guess you're right. Heh, out of all the living creatures in this world, I'd never thought I would talk to you about my friendship problems."

'Maybe now you will recognize my wisdom and realize you're still nothing but a clueless brat.' Sozu mocked.

"Tch, whatever. Hey, wait, I think I saw something!"

'Where?'

"Over there!" Naruto shouted as he pointed with his finger toward a frozen river not so far from them.

The Alfa Raven Eagle descended from his flight and landed near the river. Naruto jumped out of Sozu and turned his head to the trees nearby. True enough, Naga was a couple of meters away, sniffing a tree, hoping to obtain Korra's scent to follow it. "Naga!" Naruto yelled to the Polar Bear Dog. Naga was startled at first but quickly recognized the scent of Korra's friend. She made her way to Naruto and started licking his face in recognition. Naruto then turned to face Sozu. "I'll go looking for Korra with Naga. You check the skies and squeal if you see anything," he said as he mounted the Polar Bear Dog. Sozu squealed in return and parted away while Naruto started to ride Naga.

Thirty minutes later, the sound of an Alfa Raven Eagle squeal pierced the sky. Naruto and Naga looked up, and they could see a small amount of snow falling from the top of one of the smallest mountains two kilometers ahead. Naruto grabbed Naga's reins tightly and gestured for her to follow the sound of Sozu's squeals by tapping her stomach with the back of his heels. Naga understood and started to run toward the dissipating snow.

After a while, the Airbender and the Polar Bear Dog reached the place where Sozu landed. At first, Naruto saw nothing, but then he recognized a body lying unconscious on the ground. When he was close enough, his eyes widened.

"Korra!" Naruto shouted as he ran towards her. When he reached her, Naruto kneeled and held Korra close. Her cold and shaking body was covered in snow, and a little bit of blood was coming out of her wounds, which consisted of minor cuts on her face and arms, as well as a couple of bruises. Her lips were dry, indicating a lack of hydration. Naruto immediately took off his snow jacket and covered Korra with it before taking out his water bottle. Korra's eyes trembled a little and slowly opened.

"Naruto?" she weakly asked.

"The one and only," he replied as he placed the bottle full of water on Korra's lips. "Here, have some."

Korra's mouth instinctively reached the bottle and started drinking its content, spilling a little water due to her eagerness to have some. Once she finished, she started to gasp for air out of fatigue. Naruto stood up and lifted Korra with his arms before placing her on top of Naga. "Sozu." he started to say. "I'm going back to Republic City with Korra. Can you please watch if anyone is following us?"

'Sure thing, brat.' Sozu squealed before he started flapping his wings.

Naruto mounted Naga from behind, keeping Korra close to him with his left arm and grabbing Naga's reins with his right hand. "H-How did you...?" Korra started to ask, but Naruto placed a finger on her mouth, effectively keeping her quiet.

"Don't worry about anything right now. You're safe with me."

The Avatar stared at him for a few seconds before a serene smile was placed on her face. "I know," she whispered as she curled into his warm and comfortable chest. Feeling safe with the strong arm of her friend holding her close, Korra closed her eyes and started to sleep. Naruto tapped Naga's stomach with his heels once again, and the Polar Bear Dog started to jog their way to Republic City.

Republic City

Tenzin, Bolin, Mako, Asami, and Lin were riding Oogi. Their search For Korra was in vain. They were starting to go back to the Air Temple, but then, a loud howl was heard in the streets, reaching the crew's ears.

"That sounds like Naga!" Mako exclaimed. Tenzin nodded and turned left, where the howl seemed to be coming from.

In one of the many random streets of Republic City, Bolin spotted Naruto and Korra on top of Naga. "There they are!"

Once they landed, everybody jumped out of Oogi. "Korra! Naruto! Oh, thank goodness you two are alright." Tenzin said as he approached them.

"Where's Tarrlok? How did you get away?" Lin questioned Korra.

"Not now, Lin," Naruto answered as he jumped out of Naga before grabbing Korra and carrying her bridal-style onto Oogi's back. Nobody said a word as Naruto held Korra close to him while she curled even further into Naruto's chest. With everyone now on board of Oogi, Team Avatar, along with Tenzin and Lin, made their way back to the Air Temple. Asami watched the way Korra was clinching into her boyfriend with a smile.