Maintaining the Balance

Though Toph had never been known for her subtlety, she still waited a few weeks before asking Kahn, "So, what exactly is your relationship with that stone-headed husband of mine?"
Instead of answering Toph's question, Kahn focused on pouring tea for her and Katara before returning the pot to the stove. Toph had her own place nearby, but she often came by to chat with Katara until late in the evening.
"We're acquaintances who periodically share tea and stories..."
Snorting through her nose, Toph quipped, "You know that isn't what I was asking. I want to know if Rokr was sent to watch over me like you were to protect Korra. Was I just some pity project for him? Is that why he died so early?"
Feeling uncharacteristically anxious, Toph had nearly risen to her feet by the time she was finished speaking. She didn't believe Rokr was the kind of man she was imagining, but neither she nor her children had ever been able to reconcile his death. A man who could shatter mountain peaks with a punch and halt rockslides with his mind wasn't just killed off in his 50s.
Annoyed by Toph's questioning, Kahn surprised the two elderly women by sitting down, crossing his legs, and bringing his fingers together. The last thing he said before a strange atmosphere permeated the room was, "Ask him yourself..."
Immediately following Kahn's words, he opened his eyes to reveal that the color had shifted from vibrant green to a luminous gold. His usually standoffish demeanor was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he gave off the impression of an exceptionally bright and cheerful person as he looked towards Toph, smiled, and said, "You've aged beautifully my little badger mole."
While most women would feel insulted being compared to such a large, smelly, and overbearing creature, Toph practically sprang to her feet, her voice shaking as she asked, "Rockybear...is that really you?"
Shaking his head, Rokr's expression became noticeably more apologetic as he answered, "I'm afraid I'm just borrowing little Kahn's body for a bit. Out of consideration for him, I'll have to ask that we don't hug or kiss. As beautiful as you are, I doubt he would appreciate being kissed by an old lady."
Snorting through her nose, Toph resisted the urge to give Rokr/Kahn a Chi-empowered punch for calling her old. She was, but that didn't mean she liked hearing it.
"You still have that bad habit of saying whatever's on your mind..."
Regaining a friendly smile, Rokr nearly reached out to caress Toph's face before stopping himself, retracting his hand, and whispering, "As much as you learned from me, I learned from you..."
Tearing up a bit, Toph closed her eyes before crossing her arms and asking, "Twenty years ago...what happened? How did someone like you, the Grand Marshall of the Earth Kingdom's Military, one of the greatest Earthbenders in the entire world, end up dying in an alleyway?"
Raising his brows, Rokr asked, "One of the best? I don't recall ever losing to anyone.."
Furrowing her brows, Toph shot Rokr a glare, pointedly stating, "You're currently using the body of a brat to speak to me. If you were the best, you wouldn't have died like a dog. Now talk. Did you get wrapped up in some kind of conspiracy? I want to know everything."
Though she couldn't see him, Rokr avoided Toph's gaze as he scratched his head and muttered, "I knew this day would come..."
Exhaling a sigh, Rokr shook his head before forcing himself to meet Toph's gaze and answering, "I got drunk." in a matter-of-factly tone of voice.
"..."
Expecting Rokr to continue, Toph's expression gradually morphed into a scowl as an incredibly awkward silence permeated the previously cozy and comfortable igloo.
Shuddering in response to the blood-curdling aura exuded by Toph, Rokr raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, reminding her, "This isn't my body. Don't lose your cool and do something that would jeopardize little Kahn's trust..."
Inhaling through her nose, Toph did her best to calm down before asking, "You got drunk?" through gritted teeth.
Scratching the back of his head, Rokr offered a wry and apologetic smile before explaining the circumstances of his demise. He had been attending the bachelor party of one of his junior officers, a young Lieutenant named Guh Bamin. Since the other guests had been acting a little tense, he made a show of opening the first bottle of wine and pouring a cup for the young officer.
Since the Earth Kingdom had a tradition of juniors pouring drinks for their superiors, Rokr's actions had caused quite a stir. To mitigate any potential resentment, he went on to fill the glasses of everyone present before later accepting nearly every beverage offered to him. He was already relatively famous for his tolerance by then, so, as the night progressed and tensions rose, people kept egging him on to consume more and more alcohol.
In the end, the thing that had killed Rokr, the most powerful Earthbender in the entire world, was alcohol poisoning. The only reason the toxicology report came back negative was because his body had filtered out all the toxins by the time it was discovered...
By the time Rokr was finished recounting the circumstances of his death, Toph was sitting in her chair, head cradled in her hands as she muttered, "You stone-brained idiot..."
Unable to refute the claim, Rokr just smiled wryly before stating, "I have to go now. Kahn's mind and body are unsuitable for housing my Spirit. If I stay too long, he could end up in a vegetative state. Take care of yourself, Toph, Katara. I'll see you again when the boundary between the living and Spirits Worlds blurs."
Without bothering to elaborate, Rokr relinquished his control over Kahn's body. When the latter regained consciousness, a painful throbbing unlike anything he had ever experienced shook his mind as blood began flowing from his nostrils like open faucets.
"Kahn...!"
Worried about the boy's health, Katara practically sprang from her rocking chair to check his condition. He did his best to assure her everything was okay, but the older woman refused to listen. She had long since regarded Kahn as one of her grandchildren, so there was absolutely no way she could remain calm when he was practically hemorrhaging blood from his nostrils...
"Just sit still and let me do my job...!"
"..."
...
..
.
Unaccustomed to the aggressively fretful version of the old woman, Kahn just sat in silence as Katara healed the capillaries in his nose and relieved the painful throbbing in his head.
The culprit of Kahn's headache turned out to be a series of minor brain hemorrhages causing blood to pool around his brain. When Toph learned of this, most of her frustration regarding Rokr's departure evaporated into thin air. She was still a little upset, but she forced herself to apologize and express her gratitude before retiring to her private quarters to sulk.
When Kahn first saw Toph drift away, he felt genuine empathy for the old, clearly lonely woman. In the days, months, and even years that followed, they would both be a little nicer to each other whenever they met. More importantly, the evening's incident served as a suitable deterrent against further questioning. Katara was genuinely worried that Kahn would injure or even cripple himself trying to answer their questions, so, in the months that followed, she only asked questions about Korra and her training.
The next time Kahn was asked about his status and the purpose of the Four Avatars was during the eve of Korra's ninth birthday. Two of Katara's children, Tenzin and the Waterbending Master Kya, had journeyed to the South Pole alongside their families. Their main reason for visiting was to celebrate Korra's birthday, but, later that evening, they approached Kahn to ask about the Air and Water Avatars.
While they had yet to find out any information related to Yao Yoko, it had only taken a few days for Tenzin to learn everything there was to know, at least publically, about Regina Akua. After all, the Akua family was second only to the Sato Family in terms of wealth and status.
Regina, though she preferred to be called Akua, was the only daughter of the Akua Family. Despite her young age, she had made a name for herself as a prodigy in the arts of song, dance, and music. Alongside Asami Sato, she was regarded as one of the most graceful and elegant young buds in the entirety of Republic City. Everyone was eagerly awaiting the day the two heiresses would blossom into even more breathtaking beauties.
Since the name Regina Akua wasn't exactly common, it was natural to conclude that the one in Republic City was the Avatar of Water and Virtue. The only problem was that Akua was registered as a non-bender. She had never displayed her abilities in public, so, as far as the people of Republic City were concerned, she was just a normal, albeit exceptional young girl.
Though Tenzin was a member of the United Republic Council, the highest governing body in Republic City, it wouldn't exactly be appropriate for him to request a private meeting with the eleven-year-old heiress of the Akua Family. He had tried meeting with her after one of her piano recitals, but the pale-haired virtuoso had politely refused his invitation before leaving alongside her mother.
Without knowing for certain that Akua was the person Kahn had been referring to, neither Tenzin nor the Order of the White Lotus had a proper justification for approaching her. They could approach her on suspicions of her being the White Demon, but, depending on how things played out, they risked provoking the Akua, Sato, and practically every other affluent, non-bending family in the city.
Since approaching Akua was like trying to navigate a minefield in the dark, Tenzin decided the most innocuous approach was to ask Kahn if she was the person they suspected her of being. Unfortunately, while Kahn knew of Akua's existence, the two of them had never met. He would be able to identify her if their paths crossed, but, for the time being, they were total strangers to one another. All he knew for certain was that they probably wouldn't get along.
When asked why he and Akua wouldn't get along, Kahn explained that his Creator, the Sage Dragon Emperor, had hard-coded personality traits into each of the Avatars. More specifically, they were nearly the antithesis of what people expected when dealing with a specific type of Bender.
Traditionally, Firebenders were aggressive and easily swayed by their emotions. Kahn was much the same internally, but you wouldn't know it from how he acted. His expression was always calm and serene, and no matter how people tried to rile him up, he would just ignore them unless they showed genuine hostility.
Though he had never met Akua, Kahn could already imagine what kind of person she was. Most Waterbenders were as gentle and soothing as the water they manipulated. They could be temperamental at times, but, more often than not, they were the subset of Benders that showed the greatest concern for others.
While they were free to shape themselves into whoever they wanted to be, Kahn knew that Akua would, at least for a time, exhibit the personality traits ascribed to her by their Creator. In other words, she would secretly be a calm and caring person, but, on the surface, she would be as violent and unforgiving as an icy mountain river. The moment you got swept up in her current, your only options were to allow yourself to be dragged along or to swim against it until you were, inevitably, pulled under.
Few could oppose the might of a mountain stream and walk away with a smile...

"We believe it's in Korra's best interest if you came and stayed in Republic City."
Though he had been expecting something like this, Kahn couldn't help furrowing his brows ever so slightly in response to Tenzin's words, asking, "How so...?" in a flat, almost threatening tone.
Feeling the hairs of his beard bristle, Tenzin forced a smile as he combed through it with his right hand and stated, "While your presence has been a positive influence on Korra, she needs time away from you to develop her independence. You have said, time and again, that your purpose here is to support and protect her. At this rate, it is only a matter of time before she develops a dependence on you. If you genuinely wish for Korra to be free, you need to give her some space."
"..."
Looking away from Tenzin, Kahn met the gazes of everyone present in the room. Katara, Kya, and Toph were there, but it was the gaze of Senna that Kahn most focused on, asking, "What do you think?"
Though she had gradually come to accept Kahn, Senna couldn't prevent a wry smile from developing across her face as she answered, "I appreciate everything you've done for my daughter, Kahn. I really do. However, Korra needs to learn how to interact with and socialize with other people. Other children. There needs to be more to her life than her constant struggles to try and overcome you..."
Supporting Senna's argument, Katara explained, "Korra is far beyond the level we expected at her current age. Since many of her duties as Avatar revolve around interacting with and helping others, we have decided to let her attend a nearby non-bending academy to gain a bit of perspective on what it's like to be a non-bender. If things continue as they are, you would remain Korra's one and only friend until you're both young adults..."
Narrowing his eyes, Kahn effectively detailed the conversation by stating, "The Order of the White Lotus sponsors orphanages throughout the Four Nations to rear loyal Sentries. If Korra having children her age to play with was ever a concern, they could have imported hundreds to raise and train alongside her."
Adopting a rare frown, Katara stated, "While it is true that the Order has built numerous orphanages, they are not nearly as malicious as you make them sound. We would never force hundreds of children to migrate to the South Pole just to provide Korra with playmates."
Shaking his head, Kahn refused to comment further. He didn't care how the Order of the White Lotus procured new Sentries. His only goals thus far were protecting Korra and opening up a restaurant that specialized in preparing dishes using ingredients from the Spirit World. The food in the Actualized World of Avatar wasn't bad, but Kahn couldn't help feeling as though it could be better. Once the Harmonic Convergence occurred, he would have access to all kinds of ingredients that could cure illnesses and even extend a person's lifespan by several decades. It would take some time, but he intended to completely revolutionize and rebuild the culinary arts from the ground up.
"It doesn't matter. Even if you use logic and reasoning to try and convince me, the only person who can get me to leave is Korra. You may think you know best, but that's just arrogance. I was created by a being that could erase this world from existence with a thought. He even provided me with knowledge of the future, yet, even with it, I can't say for sure what's best for Korra. All I know for certain is that I want to protect her smile. Tell me, what kind of expression do you think she would make if I suddenly up and left? For some strange reason, I don't think it would be a smile."
Though his expression remained neutral, everyone present could tell Kahn was angry. He was, very clearly, not pleased with them.
"Kahn..."
Exhaling a sigh, Katara promptly decided against trying to convince him and instead turned to Senna, asking, "Can you go and get Korra? While I support our original decision, I can't help seeing things from Kahn's point of view. Even if our intentions are pure, we shouldn't be making decisions about Korra's life without her being present. She may only be nine years old, but she is the Avatar."
Nodding her head, Senna promptly departed the room to go and retrieve Korra. As for everyone else, they were forced to stand around and endure the rather tense atmosphere. Kahn was also only nine years old, but the aura he exuded when angry left them feeling as though they were locked in a cage with an apex predator.
In an attempt to reduce tensions, though it certainly didn't seem like it, Toph crossed her arms and remarked, "You're even more of a blockhead than Rokr, and he turned into a statue. It's not like we were asking you to separate and never meet again. If anything, you traveling to Republic City would have spurred Korra to train harder. You need to stop babying her so much."
"..."
Though Toph was blind, Kahn found himself averting his eyes from her gaze, repeating, "It doesn't matter...even if I were to accept your logic, it wouldn't change the fact that I would be doing something to harm Korra. Unless she is okay with us being separated, I have no intention of going anywhere..."
Rolling her eyes, Toph didn't hesitate to retort, "Yeah, yeah, we get it. You care about your beloved Korra. Man, you two aren't even married yet, and you're already whipped worse than a Goat Dog raised in captivity..."
"..."
Refusing to dignify Toph's words with a response, Kahn sat on the ground and decided to meditate until Korra's arrival. This action nearly resulted in Toph forcing him to stand with a blunted earth spike, but she managed to resist the urge thanks to a nudge and a shake of the head from Katara...
...
..
.
"Korra...Korra...wake up, sweetheart..."
Hearing her mother's voice, Korra awoke to find its owner staring at her with a concerned expression on her face.
"Mom...? Did something happen...?"
Rising to a seated position, Korra did her best to force herself awake until Senna caressed her head, saying, "Nothing like that...I just wanted to ask you something..." in a soothing tone.
Tilting her head to the side, Korra resisted the temptation to rub the sleep from her eyes as she asked, "What is it?"
Sweeping away a few stray hairs from Korra's face, Senna forced a smile as she asked, "What do you think of Kahn?"
Though she was a little confused by the sudden question, Korra didn't need to think about her response before answering, "He's a smelly, know-it-all jerk, but *yaaaaawn~* but I really like him. He's my best friend. And one of these days, I'm going to...going to...beat him..."
Dozing off towards the end of her statement, Korra nestled against her mother with a contented smile on her face. She felt that her mother was behaving strangely, but after a long day of playing and celebration, she was too tired to care about the reason.
Exhaling a sigh, Senna gently caressed her daughter's head before lying her back down. She didn't have the heart to wake her a second time, so, after watching her daughter sleep for a few minutes, she got up to inform the others they would talk first thing in the morning.
What Senna didn't know was that Kahn's Astral Form had been watching the interaction between her and Korra. He typically only used said form to spy on the Order of the White Lotus or search outside the compound, but, fearing Senna might try and manipulate Korra into chasing him away, Kahn went against his own rules and decided to listen in on their conversation.
Feeling a little guilty, Kahn lowered his head in shame before preparing to return to his body. Before he could, he noticed the figure of Senna frozen at the entrance of Korra's room, seemingly frozen in time.
"Wha-"
Interrupting Kahn's reflective remark, a hand plopped down on his head as the voice of a man teased, "You're a lot more uptight than I expected. Loosen up a little. Learn to relax and enjoy life."
Jerking his head away from the hand, Kahn turned around, an expression of shock coloring his face as he found the man that had created him, Vahn Aldrnari Mason, standing less than a meter away.
Though he was capable of changing his shape and size, the current Vahn was around 190cm tall with a head of wild brown hair, glowing aquamarine eyes, tanned skin, and handsome features that would make most women, even Goddesses, gawk like a young maiden before their idol. Kahn would never describe the man as perfect, but it was remarkably difficult to find so much as a single flaw in Vahn's appearance or demeanor.
Amused by Kahn's reaction, a resonating chuckle emanated from Vahn's throat as he pulled out a brilliant, rainbow-hued crystal and explained, "I may have been a little hasty while designing your Template. It was never my intention to make you a tagalong or selfless guardian for Korra. I just wanted you to keep her safe and prevent the White Lotus from grooming her into a convenient tool."
Tossing the crystal over to Kahn, Vahn's figure began to blur along the edges as he added, "That's a baby version of Rindo's Ultimate Culinary God System. The genuine article would be a little too overpowered, so I removed the Quest Function and modified it so that its primary purpose is to process and store ingredients. You can think of it as a sort of Inventory with extra benefits."
Staring between his Creator and the gently pulsating crystal in his hands, Kahn was a genuine loss for words. Unfortunately, Vahn didn't appear to have the intention of waiting around. Instead, half his figure disappeared into the void as he said, "I removed the parameter that compelled you to behave a certain way. With the amount of time you've spent in the Spirit World, I doubt you'll have any substantial issues. Still, you should expect to experience some puberty-like mood swings until your body and mind reharmonize. Try not to be so edgy in the future, okay?"
Finished with what he had to say, Vahn waved his hand before promptly disappearing into the void. He usually wouldn't interfere like this, but he couldn't just ignore Kahn after seeing how standoffish the young Avatar was becoming. After all, it was more than a little his fault. Loi-chan may have distracted him, but that wasn't a valid excuse. He should have paid more attention when he was preparing Kahn's Template.
Fortunately, the Actualized Worlds were essentially just fiction from the perspective of Vahn and anyone viewing them from the outside. He had seen the person Kahn would become and taken action to prevent it. Now, so long as no unexpected changes occurred, he would be a heck of a lot happier than the Dark Avatar that had shoe-horned himself into being the counterbalance of the Light...
Unaware of the radical changes Vahn had made during his relatively short stay, Kahn just stood in silence for several minutes before exhaling a sigh and implanting the pulsating crystal into his chest. A sensation similar to sinking into a warm bath enveloped his body as a soft, almost mechanical whirring sound began to emanate from the back of his mind. Kahn tried to focus on it, but a gentle, soothing, and distinctly feminine voice disrupted his thoughts, asking, "Oh my, you're a little cutie, aren't you~?" in a mischievous, almost feline-sounding tone.

Over a several-week period, Katara slowly pried information out of Kahn before transmitting everything she had learned to her friends and former allies. Technology had advanced quite a bit since she was a child. Just a few years prior, the only way to send messages long distances in a short time was to use messenger hawks. Now, with the advent of radio, it was possible to communicate with the other side of the globe in real-time.
Upon hearing what Katara had to say, the senior members of the White Lotus that had once journeyed or fought alongside the Avatar wanted to meet in person. More specifically, they wanted to meet with Kahn and ask him for more information about the Elemental Avatars and their purpose in the world.
Fortunately for Kahn, Katara managed to deter the group from convening with an explanation of his quiet and reserved nature. The only person she couldn't stop was Toph, who, upon learning that Kahn was in contact with her husband, journeyed to the South Pole to both ask questions and help in Korra's training.
Though she was severely lacking in experience, Korra was already at the level of a Master Waterbender even before her training with Katara. Kahn had drilled all kinds of theories into her head, and, while she didn't have a great understanding of any of them, Korra had exhibited the rare ability to Bend plantlife, condense water from the atmosphere, and heal injuries.
As impressive as these three abilities sounded, it was Kahn's emphasis on control that turned Korra into a little monster. He had taken advantage of Korra's inability to sit still to teach her various control techniques that she could practice while, as Kahn put it, 'fidgetting about'. As a result, not only was Korra able to manipulate water into various animals, she could control both them and water using nothing but her mind.
Telepathic Bending, according to Kahn, was one of the most crucial skills any Bender could possess. He used the armless Waterbender, Ming Hua, the Combustion Bender, P'Li, and even Toph to illustrate how a person's mental image superseded the need to adhere to a specific form.
While Martial Arts could amplify the power of Bending, Kahn likened the average Bender to someone who was basically 'flinging' Chi out of their body in the hopes of something sticking. His teaching methods focused on directing and manipulating the flow of Chi within the body rather than trying to force it out through movement. Not only did this make a person's Bending more potent, it drastically increased their strength and durability.
Though most Avatars possessed relatively average strength in their base form, they would become monstrously powerful when they activated the Avatar State. Most people assumed this was a unique trait of the Avatar, but the truth of the matter was that their massive influx of Chi enhanced their senses and made their bodies exponentially stronger.
Thanks to the 'games' she had played with Kahn, the eight-year-old Korra could empower her body with Earth Elemental Chi to lift even the heaviest weights in the gym. It was one of the things she most enjoyed, as, even if he pushed himself, the six-month-older Kahn could only lift around 40kgs. Compared to Korra's 350kgs, he was far behind.
Fortunately, while there was no way he could compete with Korra in terms of physical strength and durability, Kahn more than made up for this with raw speed and destructive capacity. His mastery of the Lightning Infusion Technique effectively made him untouchable, and, thanks to his ability to condense plasma and siphon the heat from a person's body, conventional defenses were useless against him.
So long as he didn't agree to arm-wrestle her or something similar, there were few activities where Kahn didn't have the upper hand against Korra. Even wrestling and sparring were no exception as his spatial awareness and control over his body were head and shoulders above hers. She may be a martial arts prodigy, but, without cheating, there was no way for her to keep up with Kahn's speed and surgical precision. And if she did cheat, Kahn could simply use Chi Blocking to level the playing field or altogether disable her.
The only instances where Kahn had lost against Korra was when he had unintentionally brought her to tears. It was rare, but there were moments when Korra would just stop in the middle of a fight, sit on the ground, and start crying. More often than not, this was the result of sustaining a heavy blow to one of the more sensitive parts of her body, particularly her shins. Other times, however, she would get so frustrated by her inability to land so much as a grazing blow on Kahn that she would break down and start bawling.
As resilient and determined as she was, Korra was still just an eight-year-old girl. Her ability to press forward despite numerous losses was one of her most commendable traits. Even so, she was far from perfect. Losing dozens, if not hundreds of times in a row, was bound to take its toll. She did her best to keep it from Kahn, but, every now and then, the pain and frustration became too much to bear.
Though he often wore a mask of indifference, Kahn was quick to reveal his true colors whenever Korra was in pain. He hated seeing her cry, so whenever Korra broke down, he was quick to try and console her. Korra would generally reward his concerns with a few frustrated punches and kicks, but, once she had gotten everything out of her system, she would become remarkably docile.
While it was difficult to argue that these occasions were a kind of triumph in Korra's court, Kahn certainly didn't walk away from them feeling like the victor. It didn't help that Katara had taught her how to make puppy eyes...
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..
.
Despite standing only 152cm tall due to her advanced age, Toph Beifong gave off the impression of an immovable mountain whenever she adopted her trademarked Neutral Jing Stance. At first glance, she appeared to be standing rather casually with feet shoulder-width apart, elbows tucked in, and palms turned up. In reality, she was compensating for her blindness by sending vibrations through the air and ground like an advanced form of sonar.
Feeling the hairs along the back of her neck stand on end, Toph slid her foot in a counter-clockwise motion before raising her hand to intercept a large boulder. Upon contact with her palm, it immediately reduced to sand before reforming into a series of dulled, cork-like projectiles that barreled towards the young girl standing near the very edge of the elevated arena.
Clicking her tongue, Korra flexed the muscles in her gradually developing calves and thighs in a manner that deformed the arena like the surface of a trampoline. The cork-like projectiles promptly flew over her head before the ground beneath her rebounded, propelling her several tens of meters into the air.
Sliding her feet and repositioning herself so that she was oriented in the approximate direction of Korra, Toph spread her hands before bringing them together above her head in a circular, slapping motion. A massive dome of earth formed around her petite frame just as Korra unleashed a literal flamethrower-like breath of flames on her position.
Believing she had forced Toph into a corner, Korra used a combination of Air and Firebending to propel herself toward the dome of reinforced earth like a spinning ax. It was a ludicrous display that no one in their right mind would expect from an eight-year-old girl, but Korra was able to time it so that she came out of her spin just as her foot was about to make contact with the dome. When it did, a massive crack divided both the dome and the arena below, but Toph was nowhere to be seen.
"What the-"
"Nice try, brat."
Emerging from an unscathed section of the area, sand pouring from her body, Toph thrust her right hand forward before twisting it in a counter-clockwise motion and closing her hand. The dome that Korra had broken through immediately turned to sand, and, though she did her best to try and escape, the young Avatar failed to flee the dozens of sandy tendrils that coiled around before enveloping her entire body up to her neck.
"Ugh...I can't...breathe...!"
Wriggling her body, Korra attempted to use Earthbending to break free, but Toph was several steps ahead of her. She had turned the entire arena into an eddy of perpetually shifting sand, so the more Korra struggled, the worse her situation became.
"Give up, brat. You may be the Avatar, but I'm the greatest Earthbender in the whole world. You're ten, no, fifty years too young to defeat me without the Avatar State."
Gritting her teeth, Korra refused to give up even as her head was about to be pulled under the encroaching sand. She hated losing, but she would rather lose a billion times over than simply give up.
Unfortunately, despite Korra's heartfelt bravado, it did little the change her situation. The training she was currently undergoing was supposed to help her achieve the Avatar State. She believed it was the only thing that would allow her to defeat Kahn, so, even though Katara and Toph had told her it was too soon, Korra insisted on unrestrained sparring.
Using her seismic sense, Toph was able to monitor Korra's state as the young Avatar's body sunk deeper and deeper into the sandy quagmire. The moment Korra lost consciousness, she immediately commanded the sand to bloom outwards before turning towards Katara and Kahn, her pale green eyes focusing on the latter as she asked, "What? Are you going to attack me? Korra asked for this herself."
Though Kahn could hide it from others, Toph could sense his Chi and the fluctuations of his heart. She had spent nearly sixty years alongside her husband before his death. Kahn was a distinctly different person, but his internal structure was just as 'flawless' as her husband's. She had learned to sense the subtle changes in Rokr's emotions by observing the changes in his Chi, so Kahn may as well have been an open book in front of her.
Ignoring Toph's remark, Kahn inhaled a steadying breath before jumping up and propelling himself onto the stage using thrusters at his hands and feet. He found Korra lying near the center of the arena with half her body still covered in sand. Fortunately, thanks to Toph's truly masterful control, no sand or dust had gotten into her mouth, eyes, ears, or lungs.
Pinching Korra's nose, Kahn waited for her to startle awake before asking, "Can you stand...?" in his characteristically calm tone.
Seeing Kahn's face just a few centimeters away from her own, Korra felt a fluttery feeling in her stomach that was quickly suppressed by the notion she had, once again, lost.
Exhaling a disheartened sigh, Korra freed herself from her sandy confines before glaring at Kahn and saying, "Turn away..."
Though he rolled his eyes, Kahn promptly turned away so that Korra could use a combination of Earth, Water, and Firebending to oust the sand from her clothes, clean her body, and dry off. She used to not care about such things, but, as she grew older, she became progressively more concerned with things like cleanliness and maintaining her appearance.
"You can turn around now."
Finding Korra 'glaring' at him with her hair down, Kahn exhaled a sigh of his own before pulling out the incredibly expensive hair comb Katara had gifted her during her eighth birthday. She had subsequently entrusted it to Kahn, who, during one of his attempts to stop her from crying, helped to comb Korra's hair. She usually let her mother take care of it, but, from that moment onward, whenever Korra felt upset, she practically forced Kahn to comb her hair.
Fortunately for Korra, it was therapeutic and calming for Kahn as it was for her...

Chapter 12: Chapter 12