Karah gave her mother a horrified look as she saw her fist slam down towards her brother. She closed her eyes and looked away, tears falling down her face. She heard a loud crack and she couldn't help sobbing. She slowly got up and headed towards her mother.

"Mom, what did you do?" she asked as she saw her mother on one knee, her fist against something. But when she went around her she gasped. Her fist hadn't made contact with her brother's head, but with the ground on the side of it.

Mac slowly opened his eyes and realized his mother hadn't touched him. He looked up and saw his sister standing beside him. She quickly held out a hand and he took it with his non injured one before the little Firebender placed him behind her as she went into her fighting stance.

They heard a noise and stiffened until they realized what it was: their mother was crying. Both children watched as tears ran down her cheeks and her shoulders shook with sobs. They looked at each other and Karah relaxed her stance, allowing her brother to be next to her. The twins were very confused. They didn't know what had made their mother attack them, but they were seeing, or rather hearing the pain it had caused her.

"Mom?" they called in sync.

The Avatar's eyes tightened and she ground her fists into the dent she'd made on the ground. Slowly, as if not to startle them, she rose and turned to face them, eyes still closed. The twins held their ground, not moving partly because they were too scared and partly because they wanted to soothe their mother.

Korra opened her eyes to reveal pure white. The twins gasped.

"Mom, it's ok," Karah began.

"We're right here," Mac added. For a moment the emotion disappeared from the Avatar's face but then she closed her eyes and opened them to reveal their normal electrifying blue as she slumped onto her knees, sobbing once again.

The twins slowly made their way to their mother and threw their arms around her. The Waterbender tensed, shocked her children had even come close to her before returning their embrace tightly.

"It's ok, Mom," the little Firebender repeated. Korra squeezed them tighter and let tears run down her cheeks. They stood like that for a couple of minutes before she pulled them away from her.

"My mother and Master Katara need to check you guys," she said quietly, looking down.

Mac placed his good hand on his mother's cheek. "It's nothing serious Mom. Don't feel bad." She gave him a nod but still wouldn't meet his gaze. He sighed as an idea came to his mind. "Mom?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can you carry us like when we were little?"

Korra almost smiled at the memory. Almost. She closed her eyes and slowly nodded, holding out her arms. The children immediately went to her and she pulled them into her arms, their legs on her hips, and she slowly made her way to the main house.

"Korra? Korra, what happened?" Katara asked as she saw her former student head towards the house, the twins in her arms.

"I-they..." she began, looking at the floor. "They're hurt." Senna immediately took Karah into her arms while Katara took Mac. Korra's legs buckled and finally gave out and she harshly landed on her knees. She thought about what she did. No. What she had almost done. The reality of it all and the exhaustion she felt caught up with her and she slumped forward, losing consciousness.
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When Korra woke up she was in her old room at the aur temple house. She looked to the side and found a familiar Firebender staring at her. She looked away, not being able to meet his gaze. He reached out and caressed her check. The Waterbender flinched but then nuzzled into his touch. She wanted him to hold her so badly. To tell her everything was going to be ok. But she knew it wasn't. It would never be ok as long as that...thing had control over her.

"Korra, talk to me," he whispered. Korra let out a choked sob, still looking away.

"How are the kids?" she asked after some time.

"They're fine. Mac isn't going to need a cast and Karah just has a few bruises on her back."

The Avatar flinched. She was glad they weren't seriously hurt, but the damage had been done. And she'd been the one to cause it.
"Is there something you need to tell me?" he asked. Korra let silent tears fall down her cheeks. She didn't know how to tell them what happened. "It's ok Korra, you can tell me," he whispered whipping the tears away with the pad of his thumb.

She let out another sob before speaking. "I did that," she whispered, almost inaudible.

Mako looked taken aback. "What?"

"I hurt them," she repeated looking down at the sheets. She waited for him to yell at her; for him to scream about what a terrible mother she was. But the yells and screams never came, instead she felt warm strong arms wrap around her, being pulled to an equally warm chest. The Waterbender couldn't take it anymore and she broke down.

"Shh, it's ok Korra," her husband soothed, rubbing gentle circles on her back. The Avatar simply gripped his shirt and sobbed louder. They stood like that for the longest time, until her sobs almost vanished.

"Why?" she asked quietly. He gave her a confused look. "Why are you being so comforting? You should be mad. I hurt our kids. I did that to them."

He gave a deep sigh. "I know. The kids told me. They said not to be mad," he informed her. Korra stiffened. "And I'm not going to say I wasn't. But I wasn't mad for the reason you think."

"You should be. I almost..." the Waterbender trailed off, not being able to finish.

" Mac and Karah are our kids. I know how much you love them. You wouldn't have."

"You don't know that."

She looked away and he gently turned her face towards him. "Korra, I know you're upset. I was too. But it wasn't you who was doing that. It was someone else."

"How-how did you-" she began.

"Katara noticed you haven't been acting like yourself. And quite frankly, so have I. We're here for you. Don't forget that."

"I almost killed him," she whispered. "I tried to stop, but I couldn't," she added, tears streaming down her face again.

"I know. We'll get through this," he said hugging her tighter. "I'm not mad at you and neither are the kids. Don't worry."

Korra let her husband embrace her. She snuggled her face to his chest and allowed her emotions to flow out of her. She hated to cry, but at the moment it was all she could do. She knew her husband was right, it wasn't her fault. But it didn't stop her from feeling guilty.

Mako gently rocked her in his arms and continued to rub circles on her back. Finally, after a while she fell asleep. He leaned against the bed frame and wrapped a blanket around her, making sure to disturb her as little as possible. Outside a storm was brewing. He sighed.

Katara came in after a while, noticing the sleeping Avatar in his arms. The Firebender gave her a tired smile.

"How is she?" Katara asked.

Mako's looked down at his sleeping wife, moving a lock of her hair out of her face. "She feels guilty."

"That was expected."

He nodded, not taking his eyes off the woman in his arms. "My children?"

"They're fine, sleeping soundly like their mother."

He nodded again and let out a deep sigh. "She'll never forgive herself."

Katara's face grew sad. "In time. Korra needs to be healed emotionally. Her guilt will eat her up if we don't help her. Perhaps seeing her children in the morning will help ease her pain."

"I tried to make her see that we aren't mad. But I think that upsets her more. She wants us to be mad. She doesn't understand that it wasn't her fault," he whispered.

"Had it been you, how would you had reacted?" the elder asked.

"What?"

"How would you have reacted, if you were in her position?"

"I-" he began but stopped himself. He remembered the day Amon's Lieutenant had taken Bolin as a captive. How he had tortured him. He'd felt immense guilt because he'd thought it was his fault he'd almost died. "I would feel the same way."

The elder Waterbender gave him a small smile. "She will heal. Give her some time," she whispered before leaving them alone.

Korra stirred and he looked down tightening his grip on her. She opened her eyes and managed to give him a small smile. "Thank you," she murmured before closing her eyes once again. He gave her a confused look before realizing she had heard the conversation between Katara and him.
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Thunder roared outside and Korra jumped up in Mako's arms. He groggily whispered, "Go to sleep," before closing his eyes again. The Waterbender smiled and got up from the bed to go to the restroom. She was about to open the door when she felt a stabbing pain in her head.

"You and I have unfinished business Avatar," the voice roared. "Come. NOW."

Far too exhausted to fight the voice, Korra complied and went outside in the pouring rain. She made her way to the clearing where she had battled her children, and in the middle was Azula.

"I told you to get rid of him!" she hollered. Korra shivered against the cold rain. "I'm going to teach you what happens to those who disobey me!" she continued, holding her hand out.

The Avatar immediately withered in pain as she felt her flesh being torn. She looked down at her arms and saw how cuts began to appear, each causing a sickening new pain. Those cuts however, weren't as bad as the ones in her back and around her toned stomach. She felt as her skin was slowly pulled apart, each rip causing a new round of pain in her. Finally unable to stand it anymore she fell onto her knees.

"You will kneel when I command you to," Azula instructed as she made her way to the woman. "And you will kill who I tell you to."

That did it.

Korra's hand shot up and wrapped itself around the Firebenders wrist. Azula's eyes widened. Korra stood up and opened her eyes, revealing white.

"I don't listen to you or anyone else," the combined voice of the Avatars said before launching her across the courtyard.

Azula swiftly landed on her feet and clenched her jaw. "You will not ruin my plans, Avatar. I killed you once. It will be no feat for me to do it again. And this time you won't have any of that miracle water to heal you."

In response Korra sent a series of attacks, which Azula barely managed to avoid. The two went head on in hand to hand combat. The Waterbender was weakened by the cuts and all the emotional turmoil she had been through. She hated the thought of losing this fight but it was a clear possibility.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared. Azula landed a kick on the Avatar that knocked her back.

She used the distraction to conjure up lightning and aimed it towards Korra. "If you will not serve me then I have no use for you," she said before sending the electricity toward the Waterbender.

Korra slowly closed her eyes and let out a scream of pain when the lightning hit her dead on in the chest. She held her hand out in an effort to deflect it but it was too late. She slowly came tumbling down and her body made contact with the concrete.

The Firebender sneered as her body twitched because of the lingering shock. "It's too bad," she commented as she walked past her. "Together the city would have been ours for the taking, but you chose your son instead. It's over now," she shook her head sadly before heading inside.

The Waterbender continued to twitch but once she made sure Azula was out of range held out two fingers and released the lightning into the sky before her hand went limp.

"It's not over yet," Korra whispered before darkness tainted her vision.
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The twins were sleeping peacefully together a few rooms down from their mother's. The storm outside seemed to be far from vanishing. Thunder clapped and the kids immediately sat up in bed. They looked at each other and smiled. It was just thunder. They lay back down in their bed until they heard a voice echo against the walls.

"Mac...Karah..." it called.

The twins sat up and gave each other a confused look as they searched around the room, finding no one there.

"Korra...help her..." it continued.

"Aang," they said in sync. Quickly they threw off the covers and ran to their mother's room, opening the door. Their father was in bed, but their mother wasn't. They gave each other a worried glance before leaving the room.

"Let's split up," Karah suggested. "We'll meet here after we search the whole house." Her brother nodded and both children went off in opposite directions. A few minutes later they met up again.

"Any luck?" Mac panted, his hands on his thighs. The little Firebender shook her head.

"Outside...hurry..." the voice instructed. Both twins bolted outside and looked around not knowing where to start. "The courtyard..."

The children took off in the direction the voice directed and stopped dead in their tracks. A few feet away from there a figure lay on the cold cement. Karah looked down, eyes wide as she saw a trickle of blood crawl towards her.

"Mom!" Mac called immediately by his mother's side. The little Firebender knelt beside her, gently shaking her mother. Korra let out a small whimper at the touch. Karah sighed in relief. Their mother was alive.

"I'm going to go get Dad," she told her brother. "Try not to move her too much." The little Waterbender gave her a nod and pulled his mother's head onto his lap, earning another whimper from the weakened Avatar.

"It's ok, Mom," he soothed, patting her face.

"Stay...away..." she murmured. He shook his head.

"No. I'm staying here with you. None of this is your fault." The Avatar's eyes tightened as she weakly shook her head.

"Azula...stay way..." she repeated, and that's when he understood. She wasn't telling him to leave, she was telling him to stay away from what did that to her. His fists clenched. He'd had enough. Azula was going to pay for what she did. His thoughts were interrupted by his father's scream.

"Korra!" he yelled as he knelt down beside her. He gently turned her around to face him and caressed her face. He tried to carefully cradle her in his arms but she still let out a shriek of pain. The twins ran ahead to awaken Katara and their grandmother.
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"Is she going to be ok?" Mako asked as he saw the water glow in the tub his wife lay in. Katara gave a deep sigh.

"These cuts are very deep," she replied.

"But you can heal them right?"

"I'm not only talking about her physical wounds, Mako. I'm also talking about her emotional ones."

The Firebender nodded, holding his wife's hand. "I'm here for you," he whispered kissing it. "We're here for you. Please pull through, Korra."
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The twins looked up when the door to the infirmary opened. Their father had their mother in his arms, who was wrapped up in a blanket. He motioned them to follow him and they made their way to their mother's room, where he gently laid her down, covering her up with another set of blankets.

"You two need to get out of those clothes before you catch a cold," he instructed. The children nodded and quickly ran to their room.

"Karah," the little Waterbender began as they turned their backs against each other to change.

"Hmm?"

"I think it's time."

"Time for what?" the little Firebender asked confused.

"We need to tell everyone about Sozi," Mac whispered.
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Mako sat on a chair next to his wife's bed, holding her hand and stroking her cheek tenderly. Korra remained motionless, breathing irregularly but nonetheless holding onto life. He began to stroke her hair when he heard the door open.

"Mako, I need to speak with you," Katara whispered.

The Firebender sighed and turned to look at the elder Waterbender. "What is it?"

"We know who has been controlling Korra." He stiffened. That had gotten his attention.

"I don't want to leave her," Mako stated. The elder Waterbender nodded.

"I'll get everyone."
------------------------------------
"I told you I had a bad feeling about her!" Zuko roared. Katara had just told him what the twins had discovered about his grandniece and he wasn't too happy about it. "She's dangerous! Just like her grandmother!"

"Relax Zuko," Katara patiently replied. "And lower your voice."

"Relax? You want me to relax, Katara? May I remind you that last time you told me to relax was when that child came here! 'Just because she looks like her doesn't mean she's like her'. Well guess what? Apparently it is her! And now we have a half dead Avatar because you told me to relax!" he spat. The children winced along with Mako.

"I don't think Sozi knows what she's doing," Karah interjected. The adults turned to look at her.

"Is that a possibility?" Mako asked. Katara thought about it for a moment.

"It is," she finally replied.

"What makes you think that?" Zuko asked as calmly as he could.

The twins looked at each other. "Sometimes it seemed as if she was coming out of a trance," Mac began.

"Like she didn't know where she was or what she had been doing," his sister added.

"So there is a part we can save?" Rohan asked sleepily.

"It looks like it," Ty answered.

"But how do we test the theory?" Tenzin asked. Bolin, opal and Lin had been called to the island after they found Korra to help with the...predicament.

"There isn't a theory to test! We need to get rid of her while we still can," Zuko replied impatiently.

"That's enough Zuko," Katara said sharply, all patience leaving her. "How can you be cruel to your own flesh and blood?"

"Am I the only one person here?" he asked with disbelief. "She almost killed the Avatar!"

"But it seems Sozi doesn't have control," Mako whispered, caressing his wife's cheek.

"I thought you wanted to protect your wife," the elder Firebender said sourly. Mako stood up from his seat next to his wife.

"Are you insinuating that I don't care about Korra's well being?" he asked, as his hands turning into fists.

"Calm down, both of you," Tenzin said stepping between the Firebenders. Everyone remained silent for a while until the Nonbender of the group spoke up.

"I've heard stories that your mother could...tell when someone was lying?" Bolin said to Lin. The Earthbender gave her a nod.

"Yes, she could tell by sensing the person's heartbeat," she explained to everyone.

"But Azula was able to get past that," Korra weakly whispered.

Everyone's attention snapped to the Waterbender who was trying to sit up in the bed. Mako immediately sat down and pulled her close so she could lean on his chest.

"That's right," Katara agreed. "Azula was the only able to get past Toph's 'lie detector'."

"We need to take her down. Now," Zuko repeated.

"No," Korra whispered again.

"You know, one thing I admired about you was that you faced a problem head on, Korra," the elder Firebender began. "You aren't the kind to beat around the bush like Aang was. She needs to be stopped. May I remind you how she almost made you-"

"That's enough!" Mako yelled as he made a move to stand up. Korra let out a small whimper at the sudden movement and he immediately sat back down, apologizing. She took in sharp breath before answering the elder.

"I know what I almost did," she began. "But Azula inhabits a body of a child. I won't take her life. It's not who I am. There has to be a way around this."

Zuko groaned. This sounded way too familiar. "Aang, do you mind? I'm trying to talk to the new Avatar here," he mumbled.

"It's not Aang," Korra replied, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"So how are we going to stop this evil spirit lady?" Bolin asked.

"There isn't anyone who can," Tenzin commented.

"There is," Korra said. "Me."

"No," everyone in the room replied.

"Korra, you're hurt. You can't fight her," Mako said. She shook her head trying to get away from his hold.

"I'm the only one who can," she said, breathing heavily at the effort she was making.

"No Korra, you need to rest. Let us handle this," Katara replied. The Avatar finally gave up trying to get up and collapsed against her husband's chest, grinding her teeth in pain.

"Let's discuss this in another room," Tenzin suggested, seeing Korra yawn. Everyone followed. "Mako, we need you too."

The Firebender hesitated in leaving his wife's side.

"We'll stay with Mom," Karah said. He nodded and laid Korra down, covering her and giving her a light kiss on her temple.

"What about you, kids?" Lin asked.

"We'll stay here too," Sam replied. Ty snorted, knowing that was far from the truth.

Opal eyed the kids but nodded as she followed the rest of the adults to another room.

"What are we going to do?" Rohan asked sensing his cousin had something up her sleeve.

"We need to confront Sozi. We can't let anyone hurt her. Korra doesn't want that," the nonbender explained.

"You go, we'll stay here," Mac said taking a seat next to his mother.

"Yeah, Mom needs us."

The group of three nodded.

"If we don't come back in half an hour," 2 began.

"Then we probably need you to look for us," Sam finished.

"Not while I'm around," Ty said with a smirk. The twins nodded.

"Be careful," they whispered.
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