Like Waves Washing Away the Footprints On Sand

Woot, my first ever fanfiction! Just so you know, I plan on there being seven chapters—one for each day of Irosami week.

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Korra, but the plot is mine.

Asami brushed her hair out of her eyes as she scribbled down ideas in her notebook. She was so focused she didn't notice the slender figure that slid himself into the seat across from her.

"All that writing wouldn't be about that fire-rat bender, would it?" Asami jumped, nearly knocking her coffee cup off the table. But a smile, although it was weak, graced her face when she saw who was sitting across from her.

He looked out of place in the quaint café that had become her go to place. No one would expect a guy like him to be willing to come into a place like this, at least in broad daylight.

"Hey, Tahno." He smirked back at her. The two had become fast friends after Team Avatar returned from the Southern Watertribe, Korra's new abilities in tow. He'd been one of the first people in line, waiting to have his bending restored.

However, they didn't officially meet then. Asami had bumped into him after another party in Korra's honor. It had been a painful evening of watching Mako and Korra dance, kiss, and see nothing but each other. She was happy for them, or at least for Korra, but that didn't detract from the fact that every time she saw them she was hit with a fresh wave of pain.

But, when she bumped into Tahno, he somehow understood her situation. He got her through the worst of the pain, but he couldn't get rid of all of it. He said that she'd have to fix the rest by herself.

"So, whom are you writing about? Me, I presume?" The ex-probender tried to peak through her arms, but Asami snatched the book away.

"It's not a who; it's just stuff." He raised an eyebrow. "And you can't look."

He nodded and held up his hands. "Okay, princess, relax." And the moment she did, he grabbed the book out of her hands and began to read it. "Oh," was his quiet response. Asami blushed and looked down at the table. "I never would have pegged you as this kind of girl, princess."

She snatched at the book, but her hand only found air. "Give it back, Tahno."

He flipped through the pages and found more of the same. "Why in the name of spirits, would you want to go there?" Asami rubbed her face with the palm of her hand and looked away from the waterbender. "I mean, I could understand the Earth Kingdom, maybe even the Northern Watertribe, but there?"

"Look, I just do, okay?" She snatched the book away from him, cheeks flushed with color.

He studied her for a minute before saying, "Maybe a little vacation would be good for you, princes." She closed the notebook and looked up into his pale eyes. "It could get your mind off that street rat—give you a fresh start."

She laughed lightly. "Less than a minute ago you were mocking the idea, and now you're encouraging me?"

He shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "Don't get me wrong, princess. I still think the Fire Nation is a horrible place, but if that's where you want to go then I say why not."

She looked down at the table and smiled. "But before you go, you have to forgive him first." Her head snapped up to look at her friend. "I mean it. I don't like the idea of you forgiving him, but to heal you have to do it. And if you don't forgive him before you go, he'll be all you can think about when you're over there."

How could he possibly know that? Tahno was a heartbreaker, not the one who got his heartbroken. Asami was seriously considering ignoring that peace of advice when she remembered Amon.

"Did you forgive him?" she asked quietly.

Tahno shrugged and looked out the window and into the street. "We're talking about you right now, princess." She frowned. "Trust me. It helps."

ooOOOoo

Maybe Tahno was right; maybe the first step to recovery was forgiveness. And although Asami wasn't sure she was ready to forgive, she knew it was time she started healing. She put on her bravest face and picked up the old phone. Her fingers trembled as she dialed the numbers.

"Hello?" came his voice from the end of the phone.

She swallowed and replied, "Hey, it's me. Asami."

There was a brief lapse of silence before he said, "Asami." There was a blankness to his voice that she hadn't expected to be there. "Well, it's been a long time since we talked."

"Yeah."

"So…" He trailed off.

Asami took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She could do this. "Look, I know it's been a while, but I was wondering if you'd be willing to meet up. Maybe like a lunch date, only it wouldn't be a date?" Her words tumbled over each other as they spilled from her mouth.

She hated the painful silence that followed. But it didn't last forever.

"I'd like that."

She sighed in relief. "How about Tuesday at one? In the park?"

"Yeah, I think I'm free then. Hold on, let me check." There was a loud clunk as he put the phone down. Asami tapped her foot impatiently on the ground until he returned. "Yeah," he said, "I'm free. So Tuesday at one in the park?"

Quickly she added, "By the fountain."

"By the fountain," he repeated. More silence. "Okay, so I guess I'll see you then."

"See you then." She put the phone back into its holder before collapsing onto the couch. How could she possibly have a real, face-to-face conversation with him if talking on the phone was so hard?

ooOOOoo

Asami checked her watch for the umpteenth time. It was nearly two, and he had yet to show. She was done. She lifted her delicate frame off of the edge of the fountain and started off towards the parking lot, her hands shoved deeply into the pockets of her jacket.

"Hey, Asami." She didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.

"You're late, Mako." She continued walking away from him.

He grabbed her shoulder and turned her around so that she was facing him. Even now, even after he had put her through, she still couldn't stop the butterflies from fluttering in her stomach when she looked into his fiery eyes.

"I know, and I'm so sorry." At least he sounded somewhat genuine. "I was just with Korra and—" He stopped suddenly, and his mouth hung open a little bit. He searched Asami's eyes, but she didn't let any emotion show.

She sighed. "It's okay. I get it."

Mako looked at the ground in shame, which forced Asami to look down as well; it hadn't been her intention to make him feel guilty.

"So," Mako said, trying to get the conversation started, "you hungry?"

The grumble that came from her stomach answered that question. The two walked in perfect silence to the nearest vendor, who was selling rice and komodo chicken that was "so hot it'll burn your tongue off."

As the man handed them their lunches, Asami reached for her wallet, but Mako was already handing the man the required money. He even dropped a few coins in the tip jar.

The two walked over to one of the park benches and sat in silence as they ate their chicken. It wasn't that hot. Asami chuckled as Mako gulped down his entire water bottle in one swig.

"I thought firebenders like spicy foods."

He smiled, genuinely, at her. "I guess I'm not a real firebender."

She looked down at her chicken and said, "Are you happy, Mako?"

His mouth opened a little at the sudden seriousness of her question. "Yeah, I'm happy. Really happy." Her jaw clenched so slightly that it was barely noticeable, but he picked up on it. "But that's not what you wanted to hear, is it?"

Asami snapped her head up and looked him in the eyes. There was an intensity to her stare that hadn't been there before—ever. But there was rawness to her too; the kind of bleakness that was there after her father revealed himself to be an Equalist.

"No." Mako gulped. "No, that is what I wanted to hear." The firebender gaped at her. "I wanted to know that you were happy."

For a moment, Mako stared at her in disbelief, but he recomposed himself after looking into the nonbender's eyes. "Why? How could you possibly want me to be happy?"

She took a deep breath. This was it. "Because, despite everything you put my through, I still care about you." She was just being honest, yet he looked so ashamed. "I still want you to be happy." With each word, she felt a weight lifting off of her chest: a weight that had been crushing her for weeks.

Mako took a deep breath of his own. "Why are you such a good person?" The two looked off into the distance for a while. "I'm sorry, Asami. Really, I am. I never meant to hurt you."

Asami turned to look at him. "I know." He really did have the most amazing eyes. "And I forgive you, Mako." Somehow, she meant it.

Irosami Week - Day 1: Forgiveness

So, I know this chapter was kind of boring, but I promise it will get better. And I'm sorry Iroh wasn't in this chapter even though this is for Irosami week. I'm a bad person He'll be here later, though. Don't you worry. Well, if you liked it feel free to favorite it, and if you didn't then feel free to throw tomatoes at your screen. Tomatoes are cool.