Love and Loss
by
Silver-Eyed Rukia
Rated: T
Summary: You may break up with someone you care for, but maybe it's not a loss, bur rather the start of something new.
Pairing: (hinted) Korra x Asami
Note: This is my very first "The Legend of Korra" fanfiction so please go easy on my with the criqitue. I finished the series just a week or two ago.
Note 2: This isn't beta-ed, so please ignore any mistakes. Or point them out and correct me, whatever you prefer.
The wooden floor beneath the young woman's feet creaked in protest to the weight put on it even though she walked through the halls of the building light-footed, her gracefulness as present as ever despite the fury she was feeling, traces of it clearly evident on her made-up face. Her furrowed brows made the skin right above her nose wrinkle, the gaze of her light-green eyes hard and cold, missing their usual kind and somewhat loving feel.
Asami, like the rest of the Avatar rescue party, just got back from the successful retrieval of said Avatar, who was currently resting in not her own, but a separate sleeping quarter located near the room where they usually had their meals together. The bed and the room in general were bigger and made it easier for everyone to take care of the girl from the Southern Water Tribe.
The raven-head rounded another corner, still in search for the person who was responsible for all the anger she was currently falling a victim to. Asami hated being filled with uninhibited frustration, because frustration leads to fights, and fights lead to war. And no one should experience what the citizens caught up in this war felt, for most of them are innocent.
Being too entranced in her with anger fueled musings the young woman didn't notice the person walking into her direction, making her tumble right into a male. That she could make out after colliding with a chest missing the usual trait of every female. A chest that felt way too familiar to her, for she once used to cling to it for safety and out of love for the owner of said chest.
"Asami, I've been looking everywhere for you ever since we got off Oogi. You just kind of stormed off and left us all wondering just what's going on. Especially me! You should know I care for you immensely and-"
Mako's monologue was cut off short by a well aimed slap to his right cheek which silenced him in an instant and made him fall right on his behind.
"Don't you dare tell me that you care immensely for me Mako. Now that Korra's back, safe and sound, you need someone else you can look after and feel like you actually keep them safe? Where was that compassion back in the sewers? Or when Councilman Tarrlok arrested me and your brother?", Asami's voice rang through the nearly empty corridor, her posture practically screaming aggression. Even though Mako was standing again by now he felt somewhat terrified at the sight, stepping back a few steps to get out of her range of action. He was a bender, yes, but he'd seen what the Sato heiress did to all those Chi-blockers and he didn't want to find out how it felt to be beaten up by her.
"Asami, calm down, what are you even talking about?", the older of the brothers asked, his voice now too dripping with anger.
"I'm talking about your behavior not only towards me but also towards Korra." By the end of the sentence her voice had lost it's intense undertone but still kept it's harshness despite the young woman now having regained her composure, standing in front of Mako with her arms folder over her chest. "I know about the kiss", she continued, "Bolin told me. And don't blame him for it, your brother is just too honest and kind-hearted for his own good."
She walked up to the taller male, facing him with her piercing look.
"You can't have too many irons in the fire Mako. You went and had fun with Korra while you were supposed to be with me, on the other hand you dated me and made me think you were having honest feelings towards me." By now the young bender had at least the decency to look ashamed and had his gaze locked on the floor.
"Don't get me wrong. I mean, of course I'm mad at you for cheating on me, but what really infuriates me is that you went and hurt Korra too. Isn't she going through enough already? With Amon breathing down her neck, her airbending training not progressing at all and the constant fights she has to face Korra has enough problems on her hands already and doesn't need someone like you", Asami said, jamming a sole finger into Mako's chest, "playing with her feelings like that."
The firebender took a deep breath, opened his mouth but closed it again a second later. His shoulders slumped and he scratched his neck, still not making eye contact.
"I'm sorry Asami, but...", he tried to explain but got silenced yet again.
"Don't. I am not here to listen to your excuses. Mako, we're done." Before she went on her way though she gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "We can still by friends though," she said, giving him a small smile. "I don't want this to ruin the relationship we still have left."
Mako gave a rare smile of his own, putting a hand on the Sato heiress' shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "I'd love to be able to call you a friend, Asami."
Again the wooden floor creaked as the female left, leaving behind the amber-eyed boy in the otherwise empty hallway. He kept standing there for a few minutes before continuing on his way towards the room the Avatar was currently resting at. Or more like, should be resting.
A pair of azure eyes closed as the owner left the scene, stepping into the cold night air of Air Temple Island.
The chilly breeze did a good job at cooling down the raven-head after her emotional outburst a good thirty minutes ago. Asami would still get lost on the shores of the island despite her living there for some time now at times but she didn't mind. She enjoyed walking down the rocky beach, the path she followed illuminated by the moon's radiant glow. She often strolled besides the water like this when she couldn't fall asleep, or when nightmares of her father woke her from her slumber. She was used to it.
What she wasn't used to though was encountering the current Avatar of her time standing a good ten meters away from the shore, everything below her waist swallowed by her natural element. And everything above her waist being...
Asami was glad that the other girl was facing the coast of Republic City and not her because it certainly made it easier to hide the blush that adorned her pale cheeks from her. She had never seen the Avatar without her trademark blue, sleeveless watertribe-shirt, not even after training when the girl took a bath.
The moon's white, gentle glow radiated off the Avatars tanned skin, the bandage across her upper chest being a heavy contrast to it. Her well defined abs tensed with every graceful movement she made, her also strong arms guiding the water flawlessly and with such grace, that it was hard not to get lost in the motion. The tides rose and fell like the air the young woman breathed in and out, making it look like she controlled them. Or did she, actually?
The Sato heiress was too mesmerized to notice that she was approaching the currently bending girl with short but determined steps, but when she did notice she jumped in surprise, making her loose her footing on the slippy rocks of the shore. Out of reflex she gave a short scream of fright and closed her eyes, turning her body so that her back was facing the rocks as to not fall on her face. Bracing for the impact she put her hands around her head...but the impact never came.
Moist yet warm arms wrapped around her feminine form and the young woman found herself held up by the Avatar, her midsection barely touching the naked abdomen of her counterpart. She found herself staring yet again, this time her gaze found its way into the ice-blue eyes of her heroine.
"You usually don't trip when you walk around here, where are your thoughts heading that they make you lose your concentration that much?", the slightly smaller girl said, helping the taller of the two girls stand on her feet again, both of them standing in the water with it reaching the clothing above their knees.
"First off, thanks", Asami smiled, realizing she was still clinging onto the Avatar's arms and immediately letting go off them, blushing a nice shade of red again. "Well, I saw you bending and I got sidetracked I guess...wait. I usually don't trip around here? How do you know?"
Now it was Korra's turn to graze her cheeks with a soft red hue.
"I'm at the shore every night, so I tend to kind of watch when you walk by?", she offered as an explanation, finishing with a goofy grin. "Sorry, but it's amazing to watch."
"What exactly now?"
"How you jump from rock to rock. It looks like a rehearsed dance and the way you move...you're very graceful, you know that? And not just your jumping, but everything you do looks like you've never done anything in your life besides being gracious."
"That coming from you. Did you ever see yourself while waterbending? It's so different from when you are in the arena, or even during practice. Such amenity...it's astonishing."
They shared a moment of silence before they fell into a fit of merry laughter. Asami was the first one to recover and motioned for her companion to join her to sit on one of the larger rocks. Korra took the offer and sat down besides the raven-head, arms brushing against each other.
"Korra", the taller girl started, "why are you even out here? Shouldn't you be resting?" Green eyes wandered over strong arms and naked skin, taking in the well-trained body of the Avatar but also the cuts and bruises. "And why did no one take care of your injuries yet?"
The last traces of a smile left the tanned girl's face, leaving behind a rather stoic expression. A rare sight on the face of the otherwise more energetic and happier girl.
"I couldn't sleep", Korra nearly whispered, the last part of the sentence nearly getting drowned out by the noise of the now stronger waves crashing against the rocky shore, "the nightmares keep me awake. As for the injuries... They are a sign that I am too weak. Too weak to win against Tarrlok, too weak to fight against Amon and too weak to protect Republic City. They are a reminder that I am a failure, not only as an airbender but a failure as an Avatar, too."
The young woman was surprised when a pair of soft yet strong hands gripped her shoulders and forced her to look into a pair of dazzling emeralds, one of the owner's leg brushing against her thigh.
"That is not true Korra and no one believes that. Who rescued Bolin from the hands of Amon when his bending was about to get taken from him? Who stood up for all the non-benders when Tarrlok's tyranny got out of hands? You Korra, you did. Your loyalty towards your friends, your determination to do what you think is the right thing to do, all those traits you have don't make you weak: They make you strong. You may not have been able to face and defeat Amon yet, but you will be, because you're not alone. You have Tenzin and Lin, Bolin and Mako, heck even Naga and me! And don't forget Pabu", Asami jokingly added but turned serious once again. "Korra, you helped me realize who my father really was and even though the truth hurts, I'm glad it turned out like this. So thank you, for everything you did for not only me, but for everyone in Republic City."
The tanned girl got pulled into a hug and had a hard time keeping her emotions at bay, but when she heard those words whispered into her ear a few tears spilled out beneath closed eyelids.
"Thank you, Avatar Korra."
A few moments passed as the two girls remained seated like that, the sound of water flowing over rocks and sand being the only thing breaking the comfortable silence.
The two of them resumed their earlier positions and this time it was the young Avatar that spoke first.
"I should thank you, Asami. You are the first person making me feel like I actually did something right for a long time. Back when I still lived at the South Pole everyone took care of me but never actually cared for me except Katara. To them I was only the Avatar who needed to master all the elements. Everyone always expected me to do things I wasn't capable of doing."
Korra turned to face the woman beside her, taking her pale hands into her own, tanned ones.
"But not you. You accept me for who I truly am, not who I should be. And for that, I am truly grateful. I can't believe Mako did that to you after everything you've done for him..."
Emeralds widened in surprise and mild shock as the owner pulled her hands out of the grip of the azure-eyed girl, placing them over her heart.
"How do you...?"
The brown haired teen folded her hands as if doing a silent prayer and looked down at the water around their feet.
"I overheard your conversation some time ago. I didn't mean to, I was on my way to the dinning room when I nearly crashed into the two of you. Asami, I'm really sorry."
"You don't have to be", the older girl said, standing up to walk a few steps deeper into the water, staring at the reflection of the moon on the water's surface. "It just didn't work out between the two of us. But we're still friends in case you're concerned about that."
'Then why did you get so angry when you found out he practically cheated on you, on top of that with Korra?' the Sato heiress asked herself, watching a lone fish slip past her feet. 'Because it was Korra for God's sake! You weren't angry at him that much for cheating on you, but for playing with Korra's feelings, admit it.'
Asami turned around and came face to face with the tanned girl. 'When did she...?' But her thoughts were interrupted when she felt strong hands slipping around her waist and the face of the Avatar inching closer by the second, hesitant, as if asking for permission.
"I'm sorry he hurt your feelings. I'd never do that to you Asami."
The husky question to that statement startled the smaller girl a bit but left her smiling with a clear "Yes" visible in her facial features.
"Was that a promise?"
The feeling of soft lips pressed against the skin of her cheek made Asami's face burn with heat, making her take a few steps further into the water, the liquid now reaching the abdomens of both of the girls. Having forgotten how slippery wet rocks can be in the time the two spent together the taller one slipped yet again, this time having the Avatar above her rather than behind her to catch her fall. They both submerged in the more or less deep water, the Avatar making a move as to lift them above the liquid again with waterbending when two hands gripping her wrists stopped her.
This time it was the heiress that brought her face closer to that of the Avatar, a questioning yet daring expression on her face. This time it wasn't the cheek that the girl was aiming for.
What the eye does not see, the heart does not grieve over.
Well that was...wow. I did that in one go and I actually got the idea just a few hours ago. I'm proud of myself xD
Nah, just kidding. But still, I'm glad I did this :)
As I mentioned earlier I just finished the series not too long ago and I want to say: I DO NOT LIKE MAKO. Plus he treats Asami like dirt AND he's a coward for not telling her anyting... Also, the romance between Korra and Mako is just awful. I'm not against it because it's a hetero pairing but because it feels way too forced, not like real romance should be.
Important Info below
On another note though I wanted to tell everyone interested in my work AND the Korra x Asami pairing that I am currently working on a bigger project than just an One-Shot about those two ;) Other characters will be involved too, like Lin, Tenzin, Bolin and the bunch. So for everybody interested I advice you to make an Author Alert or to check my profile in the next few weeks more often because I am certain I will upload something from my project :)
PS: No, that was not me trying to lure people into reading my stuff and the like, I just wanted to be nice and inform you beforehand...
Phrase of the Day
I've got a dream, a song to sing to help me cope with anything
"I have a Dream" by ABBA
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