Summertime Sadness
By Nikkel
© to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Koneitzko, and Nickelodeon

"Kiss me hard before you go. Summertime sadness. I just wanted you to know that baby, you're the best."

Golden night settled on Republic City. Asami Sato sat in the waiting room, a cup of hot jasmine tea steaming in her hands. Tucked into her pocket was a bright pink coupon for the Dragon's Arm Salon, a downtown spa. With a vacant expression, she watched as half-naked men rubbed down old women, the soothing melody of a mandolin playing over the radio, as if they were in olden times. It was a contrast to the piercing and tattoo shop next door blasting its big brass music. Asami could hear the rebellion through the thin, bamboo walls.

"Asami Sato?" came an elderly voice. Asami stood to see an old woman with kind eyes and a warm smile, wrapped in a pink kimono. "Please follow me. I will be your masseuse tonight."

The old woman lead her through a pair of dark red curtains into a private room illuminated by soft candlelight. The curtains blocked out the radio and chatter of the other patrons, rendering them in silence.

"I'll give you a moment to undress. What kind of oils do you like?" the masseuse asked, turning to face a cabinet stocked with one thousand different scents and blends.

"Rose, please," Asami replied, folding her clothes into a neat pile and wrapping a towel around herself. "With a hint of hibiscus, if you have it."

"Of course, dear, of course."

Asami laid on the table and rested her forehead on her wrists. She closed her eyes in contentment as the masseuse's warm, leathery hands kneading the knots in her neck and shoulders, working her way down her spine. Asami inhaled, trying to relax; this was why she was here, wasn't it? To relax? Bolin wouldn't have given her the coupon if it wasn't going to work. She wondered if it would be any good, though, as she couldn't keep her mind off of… off of…

"Please relax, Miss Sato," the old woman said. "Your aura is particularly black this evening."

Asami opened her eyes and blinked. "My… aura?"

"Why yes," the masseuse replied with an easy smile. "Your aura tells me you're depressed."

"I… I'm under a lot of pressure, at the moment."

"I don't think so… Stress is usually a yellowy color. This is definitely black, with hues of blue and green. Has something been troubling you?"

"You mean… You can see what I'm feeling?" Asami asked in disbelief. She had heard of seers in the Old World, prior to the industrialization of Republic City. The woman looked old enough to have been alive in that time. At the same time, there were modern-day seers that claimed to see the future, but Asami knew it was nothing but a bunch of hog-monkey dung. "How can you do that?"

"Many years of practice."

"Oh, okay," Asami said. She wasn't going to press or question the woman's skills. She was being kind and sweet. "But no, there's nothing troubling me."

"You're lying," the woman said in a sing-song voice, and Asami blushed. "You can trust me, dear. I won't tell a soul. Promise."

Asami released another heavy sigh. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't sleep, I can't focus, and nothing interests me anymore. I've never felt like this. I don't know what to do."

"I think you need to let go of your frustration. Accept things that have happened, and that they are things that you cannot control."

"I don't know if I can. Things haven't been the same for over a year now. It's… unbelievably hard. Mako says three words to me a month. Bolin tries to cheer me up, but it never works. And Korra is so far away, I don't think I'll ever see her again."

"Ah!" the old woman squeaked in surprise. "Your aura flickered a bright greenish-blue, just now."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you have an overwhelming love for someone you miss. Someone you consider yourself close to."

"Oh, Mako and I used to date a long time ago. It's okay we're not together anymore, it wasn't really working out."

"No, no, not Mako… The other one, Korra," the old woman said. "Ah! There it goes again!"

"She's my best friend," Asami clarified as the masseuse's knuckles dug into the muscle bunched alongside her spine. "And she… Something happened, and she went away to the South Pole. There hasn't been a day that goes by that I haven't thought about her."

"You care for her deeply."

"Yes."

"I had a best friend like that, once. She, too, had something to her that caused her to never be the same again," the old woman said, and pulled up a chair, allowing the oils to soak into Asami's skin. The candlelight flickered in her misty, silver eyes. "I wish I could say she recovered, but…"

Asami sat up, the towel wrapped around her, and laid a gentle hand on the old woman's shoulder. Tears were trickling down the wrinkles of her face.

"Hey, it's okay," Asami said. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I understand."

"I know you do, and that's why it's important for me to tell you, that no matter what, you must be there for your friend," the woman said, her voice taking a hard edge. "If she ever returns, know that not everyone may be accepting of her change. She will need you. It will be incredibly difficult."

It was as if this woman knew how Asami felt without being asked.

"I will be," Asami replied.

"You promise?"

"Absolutely."

"Good."

"If… you don't mind me asking…" Asami began, hesitant and not wanting to be rude, but her curiosity was getting the better of her. "What happened to your friend?"

"She lost her mind when she was only fourteen. I tried to help her when I could. It was hard, at first. There were days I felt like you do today. I, too, was lost, stressed, and confused, and no matter what I did, I could never take my mind off of her."

Asami sighed. "That… sounds pretty accurate."

"Her brother moved her into the best mental hospital in the world, but compared to today's standards, it was a prison," the woman said with sad bitterness. "Instead of treating her, the doctors sedated her. For a while, I was in charge of keeping her from attacking visitors that came to see her… Not that there were many. If she was able to get help from the doctors here in Republic City, I like to think she would have gotten better. Nobody knew how to treat her back then, but I did."

"How so?"

"I loved her," the woman replied, and for the first time, a smile brightened her features, dark eyes lighting up that reminded Asami of a firebender's. "I loved her more than I've loved anyone else. I don't know if she ever felt the same way, as these things were hard for her to understand, but I think she did. She never wanted to admit it, though. She was too proud. Since I was a child, I always believed that love was the best medicine, and that is why you must let Korra know about the way you feel."

Asami blushed. She hadn't been expecting the conversation to turn the way that it had. Her fists clenched and unclenched. "I don't know. I want to tell her, but I don't know how. What if she rejects me?"

"With a love as deep and natural as yours? I don't think so," the woman said in a mocking tone, chuckling. "Korra may not admit to the way she feels at first, but do not be afraid. She is probably just proud, like the woman I love."

"She is proud, and I'm proud of her," Asami replied with a genuine smile. "She's strong and brave and I wish she could see all of the things that I see about her. It wasn't until she moved away did I realize how much I admired her."

"Then, if she returns, tell her. It doesn't have to be direct or right away. She will know just by looking at you. We women are sensitive creatures, even the most distanced ones, and she will be able to tell."

"Thank you. I think… I think that's something I really needed to hear. None of my friends seem to understand."

"There is always some out in the world that does, though," the woman replied with a sagely nod. She stood up and handed Asami her clothes back. "Your massage ended twenty minutes ago, but I appreciate the conversation."

"It was my pleasure," Asami said, pulling her shirt over her head again. "I think I might come here more often. You did a wonderful job on my back, and I really liked talking to you. Maybe when Korra does come back, I can bring her to you, too. She has knots that I can't work out at all."

"Excellent. I am glad I could be of service to you, Miss Sato."

"When I come back next time, who should I ask for?"

The masseuse responded with a deep, respectful bow that had clearly been ingrained her from the days of old. "You may call me Ty Lee."

"Thank you again, Ty Lee."

"You're welcome. I hope you have a wonderful evening."

Refreshed, Asami paid for her treatment at the front counter. Despite the pink coupon Bolin had given her, she paid the full amount. The cashier looked up at her in both confusion and surprise, as he knew that this was not the most upscale parlor in town.

"Excuse me, miss. I believe you've overpaid," he said.

"Actually, that's my tip. Please make sure it gets to Ty Lee."

The man nodded. "Of course. Thank you, and come again."

"I most certainly will."

The salon's door bell jingled as she left and stepped out into the busy, night time streets. Cars rushed past her, the tattoo parlor next door was still blasting its music, and Asami looked up at the sky, feeling the wind rushing through her. She thought about what the old woman said, and her eyes strained to see the pinpricks of stars through the amber haze of the city lights. She knew, at that very moment, that Korra was looking up at the same sky.

And she was.

Korra stood on the balcony of the Southern Water Tribe Royal Palace, gazing up at the dancing lights and glittering stars. Sleep did not come easy to her anymore. With her hands on the cold, icy balcony, Korra found herself longing for the warmth of Asami's hands in hers. Knowing that this was impossible, Korra sighed and hung her head, returning to her room. By candlelight, she sat down at her desk and pulled out a piece of parchment paper, brush, and ink pad.

Perhaps she would start writing to her best friend.