The wind whipped around Chaeyoung’s glider as she flew through the air, and she regretted not mastering the airbender skill of controlling the temperature of the air around her. With every second she wasted flinching away from the cold, sharp gusts of wind, she fell another inch behind Dahyun.

As they continued to race each other around the Southern Air Temple, Chaeyoung could see that they were getting closer and closer to the second tallest tower. If she didn’t think of something Dahyun would cross the finish line first, and there was no way Chaeyoung was going to lose. Dahyun may have years more experience with airbending, but Chaeyoung was the Avatar. She had more than one trick up her sleeve.

Instead of aiming for the tower Tzuyu was waiting in, Chaeyoung angled her glider so that she flew directly under Dahyun. Surprised, the older girl glanced down, and that was when Chaeyoung struck. She leant up and gave Dahyun a quick peck on the lips, then smirked as Dahyun went bright red. Chaeyoung easily pulled ahead as Dahyun struggled to regain concentration. By the time Chaeyoung crossed the finish line, Dahyun was trailing behind by at least a meter.

Chaeyoung whooped as Tzuyu lifted the flag, signifying her victory. She held on to the glider with one hand and twirled it around to slow herself down, landing right in the centre of the tower. A few seconds later, Dahyun crashed down in a much less dignified landing.

“That was cheating! You saw that, right Tzuyu? Chaeyoung cheated!”

“I’m trying very hard to pretend that I didn’t see anything.” Tzuyu deadpanned.

Chaeyoung had the decency to blush at that, but the smirk still refused to leave her face.

“Sorry Dahyun, better luck next time.”

“Are you serious?” Dahyun spluttered. “How are you meant to become the Avatar, keeper of balance, if you can’t even win a simple race without cheating?”

“How are you meant to become a master airbender if a simple kiss can distract you so badly?” Chaeyoung shot back.

“Actually, I have the answer to both of your questions.” Tzuyu announced. “I’m going to go help Master Jihyo with the baby bison, and you two are going to sit here and talk about why both of you are too scared to do anything more than playfully flirt with each other.”

She grabbed her own glider and flew off, leaving Dahyun and Chaeyoung to very deliberately not look at each other.

“Like you’re any better!” Chaeyoung yelled as Tzuyu flew down towards the bison fields. “I see the eyes you give Mina! Hey everyone, Chou Tzuyu has a crush on the Avatar’s firebending teacher!”

One lemur gave Chaeyoung a dirty look as he scurried by, but other than that no one responded. Chaeyoung still stared down the mountainside for a few seconds longer, hoping desperately that someone else would pop up and ease the awkwardness.

No one did, so she turned around to face Dahyun. Chaeyoung’s smirk was long gone, and now they both had matching shy smiles.

“So…”

“So…”

A lemur chirped behind them. Chaeyoung scuffed her boot against the floor. She wouldn’t say that she regretted the kiss, but she definitely regretted some life decision she’d made that led her to this moment.

“Look,” Dahyun was the one who broke the silence. “I know you like me, and you know I like you. Don’t ever tell her I said this, but Tzuyu’s right. Why can’t we talk about it?”

“You know why.” Chaeyoung tried not to sound too bitter. “Training at the Southern Air Temple is the most fun I’ve had since the Northern Water Tribe started their stupid war, but I can’t just ignore the reason I’m here. Like you said, I have a duty to keep the balance in the world, and that means pretty soon I’m going to have to leave here and move on to learn waterbending, before fighting Chieftain Kallik and hopefully ending this war.”

“I understand that, but why does that mean we can’t be together?”

“Because I can’t save the world if I’m distracted, and you mean a lot to me Dahyun.” Chaeyoung stared straight into her eyes, begging Dahyun to understand. “You and Tzuyu are the first real friends I’ve had since becoming the Avatar, and yeah, I’ve come to think of you as more than a friend, but I can’t afford to be thinking of you at all when I’m in the middle of a battle.”

“And you think not dating will change that?” Dahyun scoffed. “Just because you refuse to label your feelings doesn’t mean they’ll stop existing.”

“I know.” Chaeyoung admitted. “But if we’re not together then you have less reason to leave with me.”

Dahyun nodded, and the grim smile on her face made Chaeyoung frown.

“I knew it.” Dahyun sighed. “I had a feeling that was the reason behind your fear. You don’t want me to follow you into this war.”

“No, I don’t.” Chaeyoung admitted. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Well it’s a good thing that’s not your choice.” Dahyun retorted. “I’m not going to sit waiting in the air temple for you to finally get your head together. You don’t want us to date because you think it’ll make me fall even harder for you, right? Well tough luck, I’m already in too deep. Tzuyu and I have been planning on leaving the temple with you for a month now.”

“What?” Chaeyoung gasped. “But you can’t-”

“Why not?” Dahyun stepped closer, eyes flashing. “I’m a better airbender than you and we both know it. Tzuyu and I are ready to get our tattoos. No matter what you do, you can’t stop me from joining the fight.”

“But airbenders are supposed to be pacifists!”

“Yeah, and that worked out really well for the old Air Nation. Oh no wait, they all got wiped out apart from Avatar Aang, who went on to fight and win the war against the Fire Nation.”

“Dahyun-”

“You can’t stop me Chaeng.” Dahyun told her firmly. “The only thing you can control here is how you deal with my decision. Whether you choose to be with me or not, I’m still going north. So, stop trying to be so selfless and choose what will make us both truly happy.”

She walked past Chaeyoung, opened her glider, and dove out of the tower. Chaeyoung was left standing there with a sinking feeling in her stomach.

She and Dahyun had known each other for six months now, and this was their first fight. Chaeyoung had travelled the world and mastered almost three elements, but she had absolutely no idea how to fix this.

Luckily, she had someone to guide her.

Traditionally, the Avatar used the connection to their past lives to ask for guidance on important spiritual issues. Luckily, Chaeyoung was only connected to one past Avatar, and she didn’t seem to mind helping out with some more trivial problems.

“What is it this time, kid?” Avatar Korra asked her, sitting opposite Chaeyoung as she meditated. “Still thinking about getting those airbender tattoos even though you’re from the Earth Kingdom?”

“Yep, but that’s not why I called you here today.” Chaeyoung hesitated, but if she couldn’t even talk to her past life then who else could she confide in? “I’m having girl troubles, and I’m wondering, how did you get together with your wife? I mean I’ve read the stories of your great adventures and battles and how romance blossomed or whatever, but was it really that simple?”

Korra laughed for a full three minutes before responding.

“No.” she chuckled. “No it wasn’t simple at all. I stole her boyfriend, then she got him back, then I took him again, and then we both realised that it was a big mess, so we both decided to focus on our friendship with each other instead of trying to date him. Then we had a bunch of adventures and grew closer, and after I was poisoned she was the friend I relied on the most. Years later when I had finally recovered we met again and she’d gotten even more beautiful, I couldn’t deny my feelings anymore. Then a dictator tried destroying Republic City, we both almost died, and we realised that we wanted to be together so we took a vacation to the Spirit World and that’s how we became girlfriends.”

There was silence in the mediation chamber after Korra finished. Chaeyoung stared at her, speechless.

“So yeah, it really wasn’t as simple as the history books make it seem. But enough about me, what’s the problem with you?”

“Well... there’s this airbender girl that I like, and she likes me back, but you know how there’s a war going on?”

“Stupid Northern Water Tribe.” Korra muttered. “Should have known better than to trust Unalaq’s grandkid.”

“Yeah, I have to fight him now to bring balance back into the world, and I don’t want her going with me in case she gets hurt. She says she’s going to come anyway, and now she’s mad at me for trying to keep her safe. I want to be with her so badly, but at the same time can I really become a good Avatar if I’m devoting so much of myself to one person?”

“You make it sound like you’re going to marry this girl.” Korra laughed. “She just wants to be your girlfriend, right? Say yes. Life comes at you fast, and not even the Avatar can control it all. You don’t have to choose between saving the world and being with the people you care about. If they’re willing to fight, and you can’t stop them, then why not just trust them? Speaking from experience, the Avatar has always been better off with a team.”

“I have a team.” Chaeyoung muttered sulkily.

“Last I checked that team consists of you and a Fire Nation princess who believed it was her royal duty to teach you firebending. You really think you can win this war if it’s just the two of you?”

“The two of us and all the armies allied against the North, yeah.”

“And Dahyun.”

“What?” Chaeyoung got so alarmed, Korra flickered in and out of reality for a few seconds. “How did you know it was her?”

“Just a hunch.” Korra grinned. “You gushed a little too heavily about her last time we talked. ‘I made a new friend and she taught me glider surfing.’ ‘Dahyun and I are going to bake pies together’ ‘Dahyun’s so cool and pretty and smart, I wish I was born an airbender like her.’”

“Ok, ok, I get it.” Chaeyoung waved a hand in defeat. “My stubbornness is dumb and I should just accept my feelings and work with them instead of fighting how I really feel.”

“I love how you always end up doing my job for me. Makes this whole spiritual advisor gig a lot easier.”

"Any other advice?"

"Um... maybe try taking her to the spirit world. It's a lovely place, especially during summer."

Korra gave a two-finger salute, and then she faded away. Chaeyoung was left sitting in a dark, circular room, with even more thoughts in her head than when she’d first entered.

She found Dahyun and Tzuyu down by the bison with Jihyo. Jihyo took one look at her serious expression, and then gracefully dove off the cliff. Her bison caught her on the way down, and all three of them clapped in admiration as their airbending teacher flew up towards the main tower.

Once that spectacle was over, tension lingered in the air between them. Dahyun and Tzuyu were both staring at her, but neither of them looked willing to speak. Chaeyoung knew that she would have to make the first move.

“I’m sorry.” she said. “I’ve been a stubborn idiot about all of this. If you two want to come with me and Mina when we leave to find me a waterbending master, I’d be happy to have you join us.”

Tzuyu smiled and walked over to hug Chaeyoung.

“I was going to come with you anyways.” Tzuyu informed her. “Because Dahyun’s definitely not staying behind and someone needs to save Mina from being forced to endure your gross googly eyes at each other alone. But I’m glad you’re not fighting us on this. Makes things a lot easier.”

“How noble of you.” Chaeyoung said dryly. “I’m sure this has nothing to do with you having the hots for the fire princess.”

“The hots? Please tell me that bad pun was accidental.”

Chaeyoung just grinned, and Tzuyu rolled her eyes. She stepped back and nudged Dahyun, who was glaring at the grass.

“This time, please sort your feelings out properly, or else I’m getting every air nomad in this temple to host an intervention for you two.”

Dahyun’s lips twitched, and her angry glare weakened.

“You’re such a brat sometimes.” She muttered, unable to stop her shoulders from shaking with laughter. “This is the thanks I get for taking care of you all these years? If it wasn’t for me your only friends would be the lemurs and bison!”

“You make that sound like a bad thing.”

Dahyun made the most frustrated looking face, and Chaeyoung couldn’t stop herself from laughing along with Tzuyu. The tension eased, and when Tzuyu left them alone this time they were able to look at each other without it being uncomfortable.

“So.” Dahyun said.

“So.” Chaeyoung smiled sheepishly. “I got some advice from my past life, and I realise that I was being unfair to you. I shouldn’t have been trying to push you away, and I’m sorry.”

“Does that mean…”

“Yeah.” Chaeyoung nodded giddily. “If you still want to, I’d like to be your girlfriend.”

Dahyun’s elated grin was so wide Chaeyoung half expected her to start levitating. Instead, she ran over and pulled Chaeyoung into a bear hug, spinning her around in a circle while Chaeyoung shrieked with laughter.

When Dahyun finally set her down on the ground, Chaeyoung kissed her.

Not just a little peck this time. This was her first kiss with her girlfriend, and Chaeyoung was determined to make it as memorable as possible.

Judging by how Dahyun stumbled dizzily all the way back to the temple, Chaeyoung was pretty sure she’d succeeded.

The euphoria didn’t last, but they all knew it couldn’t. Down in the south life carried on like normal, but every week brought more news of war and destruction up north. Chaeyoung knew she couldn’t stay forever, so when Jihyo told her that she had completed her airbending training, she packed up her things and left.

Mina went with her, because Mina had been with her since this war started. Chaeyoung honestly didn’t know what she would have done without the princess’s carefully planned schedules. She wasn’t sure if in the past the Avatar had ever had a manager, but this was probably what it felt like.

Dahyun and Tzuyu came with them as well. Both of them had blue airbender tattoos and short hair, and Chaeyoung was more than a little jealous because the whole aesthetic was totally her style. Dahyun had been insecure at first, but Chaeyoung had reassured her over and over again that the buzzcut and tattoos made her look even more beautiful.

They travelled north to the Earth Kingdom, because while the Southern Water Tribe had many a master that could teach the Avatar, they all agreed that stopping this war as quickly as possible was the main priority, and that Chaeyoung could probably risk it with only three elements mastered.

It turns out that they shouldn’t have worried at all, because in Republic City they found a pro-bender by the name of Momo. She had little to no formal training, but Mina confirmed that she was as skilled as a fully trained Master. Momo couldn’t seem to explain how, other than claiming she had good instincts, but it was entertaining to watch Mina unsuccessfully attempt to puzzle it out.

It turned out that pro-bending was kind of hitting a financial slump, so it didn’t take much convincing for Momo to join them on their journey. Together, the five of them flew further north. The closer they got to the heart of the warzone, the more nervous Chaeyoung became. Dahyun always seemed to know when the fear was hitting her hardest, because Chaeyoung would feel her girlfriend grab her hand, and hold it until the nerves eased.

Most nights, Chaeyoung fell asleep gripping Dahyun’s hand as tightly as she could.

Dahyun never complained about it. She just wrapped her arm around Chaeyoung and snuggled in closer.

"Hey Chaeyoung?" Dahyun whispered one night, when the rest of their friends were fast asleep. "Do you think Momo likes Mina?"

"What? I thought she liked Tzuyu."

"Really?" Dahyun flipped over so that she was facing Chaeyoung. "But did you hear how she was complimenting Mina yesterday? It seemed way too over the top."

"What does it matter?" Chaeyoung mumbled, burrowing herself further into her sleeping bag.

"It matters because of Tzuyu's big crush on Mina, remember? I don't want to see her get her heart broken Chaeng. Not all of us are lucky enough to find someone who loves us back."

Chaeyoung stared up at the stars, listening to the crackle of the fire as it slowly burnt itself out.

"You love me?"

"What?" Dahyun looked so adorably alarmed it almost made Chaeyoung laugh. "I mean... yeah. I just kind of... I'm sorry, i shouldn't have assumed. You don't have to-"

"I love you too."

Dahyun froze, looking down at Chaeyoung. Even with the dim fire as their only source of light, Chaeyoung could still track every second of Dahyun's panicked expression slowly turning into a huge, cheesy grin.

"Shut up." she whispered.

"I didn't say anything!"

"Your face said enough."

"Whatever you say, oh love of mine." Dahyun winked.

"Go to sleep, you nerd."

Chaeyoung rolled over so that Dahyun wouldn't see just how big her smile was.

Chaeyoung remembered the day everything went wrong. Every detail was vividly burnt into her memory, and even the parts that she thought she'd forgotten soon came back to her in the form of nightmares.

July twenty second, facing the Chieftain of the Northern Water Tribe and the bulk of his army. The battle lasted all day, right up until the full moon rose in the sky.

Despite the power boost the moon gave the waterbenders, the United Forces still had the advantage. Momo and Mina were tackling hordes of soldiers by themselves, and Dahyun and Tzuyu worked as an excellent team, helping wherever they were needed most. The world around them was chaos, but they found a rhythm in the fluid back and forth of bending. Together, they pushed the Northern Water Tribe all the way back to the palace.

Chaeyoung fought Chief Kallik alone. He was a formidable waterbender, but he was no match for a fully trained Avatar and he knew it. She could see the anger on his face growing darker and darker, and just when she was about to finish him off, he turned to her left and sneered. Ice spikes burst out of the ground, all directed by Kallik to Chaeyoung's left. She turned to look at his new target, and every inch of her seized up in horror.

Dahyun stood with her back to them, sending air blasts towards the men attacking Momo. She noticed Chaeyoung out of the corner of her eyes and began to smile. Chaeyoung screamed a warning, trying desperately to block the spikes of ice, but she was too far away. By the time Dahyun noticed what was coming at her, she didn't have enough time to stop it.

Blood splattered on the ground, and Chaeyoung saw white.

Kallik died with a sneer frozen on his face. When Chaeyoung came out of the Avatar state, the battle was over, and so was the war.

None of them felt like celebrating.

Chaeyoung remembered learning about airbender funerals during her time at the temple, but standing in front of the weeping crowd, her mind went blank. She couldn’t think of a single custom or ritual, so she just said what she needed to say.

“I loved her dearly. She was a great friend, and one of the bravest people I ever knew. She chose to leave the temple and fight the war, not because she had to, but because something in her knew that she wouldn’t be satisfied if she didn’t try to help. And she helped, she helped all of us so much. I know dozens of soliders out there who owe their life to her.”

The words sounded lifeless, even to Chaeyoung’s ears, but perhaps that was suitable. Part of her had died when she saw those spikes ripped through the airbending tattoos, and she knew she wasn’t alone in feeling that way.

Still, there was something else she needed to say.

“She shouldn’t have come along, but she did and she died, and all we can do now is try to honour her memory.” There was a lump in Chaeyoung’s throat as she tried to force the final part of her speech out. “It was my fault she was in that battle, and it was my fault she died. Out of all the losses we suffered during this tragic period in our history, hers is the one that weighs heaviest on my heart.”

If this was an Earth Kingdom funeral, she would probably look to the parents of the deceased. But since the room was packed with air nomads, her eyes found Jihyo’s instead. The airbending Master had dark circles under her eyes, and her lips trembled like she was about to break down crying. But Jihyo was strong, and she merely nodded at Chaeyoung before standing up and taking her place.

Chaeyoung left the funeral, ignoring the looks and the whispers that followed her.

Dahyun was waiting outside. She took Chaeyoung’s hand in hers, and this time Chaeyoung was the one who let her squeeze it tightly.

“Do you think she’ll be mad at me for not going in?” Dahyun asked.

“I think Tzuyu would have understood.” Chaeyoung replied quietly. “But at the same time, she wouldn’t want you to feel guilty. She loved you too much for that.”

Dahyun hummed thoughtfully, and they began walking down the hill.

“I heard your speech you know.” Dahyun said. “You say I shouldn’t feel guilty, but then you claim it’s your fault she died? She may have followed you into the war, but she traded her life for mine.”

Chaeyoung stayed quiet, letting their entwined hands swing back and forth gently.

“I dream about it every night.” Dahyun continued dully. “I see the ice spikes coming towards me, I feel her push me out of the way, only this time I push her back, and she survives.”

They reached the memorial, a simple rock engraved with the names of airbenders who died during the war. Chaeyoung watched as Dahyun reached out, tracing Tzuyu’s name with her finger.

“She was my little sister, you know? We were raised together, and ever since I can remember I was always looking out for her. But the one time it really counted… I failed.”

“I know.” Chaeyoung said softly, reaching out to wipe the tears trickling down Dahyun’s cheeks. “We won the war, but I can’t stop feeling like we lost something much bigger.”

“Yeah.” Dahyun said, still tracing Tzuyu’s name. “We did, didn’t we?”

They fell silent, a gentle breeze drying the last of Dahyun’s tears.

“So what’s next for you?” she asked. “I’m guessing everyone wants your help rebuilding the world? The Northern Water Tribe needs new guidance for sure.”

“Maybe so, but I think I’m going to let the politicians handle it, at least for a week or so.”

“Really?” Dahyun seemed surprised. “Then where will you go?”

Chaeyoung turned to look at her, and Dahyun’s eyes widened at the look on her face.

“Wherever you want to go.” Chaeyoung replied simply.

“But you’re the Avatar!”

“And you’re my girlfriend, who I love with all my heart. After everything we’ve been through, we deserve some peace, don’t you think?”

Dahyun swallowed, but Chaeyoung could see her warming up to the idea.

“Yeah.” she said. “Yeah alright, let’s do it. But I really have no idea where to go now. My whole life before you came along was spent at this temple, but without Tzuyu… I can’t stay here. Not anymore. Take me anywhere Chaeyoung, it doesn’t matter as long as I’m with you.”

An echo of an old conversation rang through Chaeyoung’s head, and she felt herself smile at the bittersweet memory.

“I heard that the Spirit World is lovely this time of year.”