As the light from the portal engulfed them, Asami's hands tightened around Korra's, clinging to the avatar. The light was too white, too bright, and the longer it blazed around them the more disoriented Asami became. Up, down, right, left, she couldn't tell where anything was. In the blinding light of the portal her senses were utterly useless and Asami's heartbeat began to quicken as panic started to grip her.
Korra's hands slipped out of Asami's and Asami's breath started to come in quick, hard puffs as her alarm grew. However, before fear could truly take hold of her, Asami felt Korra's hands on her hips, and her eyes slid closed contently as Korra encircled her waist and drew her into a tight embrace.
"Don't worry, I've got you," Korra breathed out as Asami's arms gratefully wrapped around her.
"I know," Asami replied softly, tipping her head down to bury her nose in Korra's hair as they rode out the rest of the journey to the Spirit World wrapped in each other's arms.
When the light died away and they were on solid ground once more, Korra pulled back from Asami slightly so that she could take Asami's hands in hers once again.
"I'm so sorry," Korra began apologetically, the words falling from her lips hurriedly. "I should have warned you how disorienting the trip can be the first time thr…"
"Spirits!" Asami exclaimed, her breathy wonder cutting off Korra's apology.
Korra's brows scrunched together in confusion at Asami's interjection, however after observing Asami for a moment, Korra realized that her girlfriend's eyes were focused beyond her, out into the spirit world, and Korra allowed her eyes to drift around her for a few seconds, trying to remember what she had felt the first time she had stepped foot in a brand new world.
"It's pretty beautiful, huh?" Korra said, smiling as she watched Asami continue to take in her surroundings with a look of complete awe.
"It's amazing," Asami breathed out, blinking a few times in wonder before she shifted her gaze down to meet Korra's. "I don't know what I expected, but this is … so much more. It's …"
Asami didn't have the words to describe just what it was, so she let her actions speak for her and flashed Korra an absolutely breathtaking smile before she leaned forward and kissed Korra on the cheek, wrapping the avatar up in another tight hug a few moments later.
"Thank you for bringing me here."
"Anything for you," Korra whispered into the warm curve of Asami's neck.
"Anything?" Asami breathed out, a slightly teasing quality audible in her voice as she pulled back enough to be able to see Korra's blushing face.
"Anything," Korra repeated, softly but firmly, her shining blue eyes never leaving Asami's.
Asami's lips curved up slightly, and her chartreuse eyes sparkled. Her eyes wandered away from Korra's for a moment to scan their surroundings, and then they were back on Korra, observing her with a fondness that made Korra's whole body tingle.
"Since we're all alone out here," Asami began softly, shyly, "how about a kiss?"
Asami's words brought a bright smile to Korra's lips, and then Korra pushed up onto her toes and tilted her head up, pressing her lips against Asami's.
The moment Korra's lips touched hers, Asami released a soft sigh and her hands moved to Korra's waist, taking hold of the avatar as she kissed Korra back, extending and deepening the contract until they were clutching at each other tightly, hearts racing madly.
"I like it when it's just the two of us," Korra whispered dreamily when their kiss finally broke.
"Me too," Asami breathed out before leaning down to place another quick kiss against Korra's lips.
When they parted, Korra reached for Asami's hand again and Asami happily took hold of it.
"Ready to do some exploring?" Korra asked.
"Absolutely," Asami exclaimed, practically vibrating with excitement. "I want to see it all!"
xxx
Hand in hand they trekked through shockingly green fields under an intensely blue sky, stopping often when Asami spotted something that looked interesting and wanted to get a closer look.
News of their arrival spread fast through the region of the spirit world they were in, and much to Asami's delight many forest spirits and animals came out to greet the avatar and her companion. Asami was endlessly interested in all of the spirits that surrounded them, but of particular interest to her were the Dragonfly bunnies who buzzed and dived around their heads, alarming Asami at first, then delighting her, before finally captivating her, her keen green eyes studying them intently, watching the way they moved, contemplating ways to improve her flying mecha tech.
When their stomachs started to rumble and it became clear that it was time for lunch, Korra took the opportunity to show off some of her bending skills in a non-lethal situation by creating an air scooter which she used to float them up into a large, ancient tree. The trees wide, thick branches gave them a secure place to sit and lay out their food, and the height of the tree provided them with a breathtaking view of the area around them – though if Korra had to choose what her favourite part of the tree was, she would have chosen the big, solid trunk which gave her back something strong to rest against while Asami had lounged in her arms, enjoying the spectacular view after they had finished lunch.
Later in the afternoon, when they came across a small, sparkling pool of water and Asami had looked over at Korra, her eyes twinkling with mischief for a few seconds before she took off her pack and began to strip out of her clothes as Korra stared at her in slack-jawed wonder, her eyes glued to Asami's every motion.
When Asami had finally stripped off everything but her underwear, she had then smiled at Korra who was still looking at her in a state of shock and awe, and murmured, "Care to join me?" before jumping into the pool of water.
By the time Korra managed to snap herself out of the haze seeing so much of Asami's skin had sent her into and started to strip off her clothes as well, Asami had managed to swim into the center of the pool. Once Korra was swim ready however, she decided that it would be a good idea to try and earn back some cool points after her embarrassing reaction to Asami taking off her clothes, so bent the water to form a wave which she was able to suavely ride over to Asami.
They had brought equipment with them to camp out, but as the sunset on the spirit world, Korra and Asami came across a small cave that overlooked a field of wild flowers, and decided that it would be the perfect place to spend their first night – a decision they became even happier about when shortly after dinner a large sprinkle of spirit world fireflies descended upon the field of flowers, putting on a stunning display of lights for the two women.
"So," Korra began, making a conscious effort to try and keep her voice calm and cool. "How did you like the first day of our vacation?" She inquired as they lounged on the mossy top of a couch Korra had bent the earth around the cave mouth into.
"Like," Asami breathed out contently, nuzzling her face into the tantalizingly warm skin of Korra's neck, "isn't a strong enough word," she declared, her words making a bright smile stretch across Korra's lips as her dark skin flushed with pleasure. "I loved the first day of our vacation," Asami stated enthusiastically. "It's so beautiful here. Nothing I could have imagined could have prepared me for … all of this," she sighed, extending her left arm out to sweep across field that stretched out before them. "But," Asami murmured, the word making Korra's body tense underneath hers, "I would have loved spending a whole day alone with you even if we were in the physical world just hiding out in the woods around Zaofu," Asami continued, smiling when she felt Korra's body relax and her strong arm's flex around her body, drawing her even closer to the avatar. "Wonderful as it is, the spirit world has nothing on you," Asami finished, smiling sweetly as she watched Korra's skin flush once more before pressing her lips tenderly against Korra's cheek.
"I'd say 'you're going to make me blush'," Korra murmured awkwardly, though Asami's words and actions had warmed every part of her being, "but you've already succeeded."
"I'm unstoppable once I put my mind to something," Asami breathed out.
"I know," Korra replied, sounding absolutely delighted. "That indomitable will of yours has saved my butt more than a few of times," she stated proudly, awed by Asami as always.
Not only was Asami one of the most compassionate people Korra had ever met, an expert in combat, an incalculably clever inventor, the CEO of one of the highest performing companies in all of the kingdoms, and the most stunning person Korra had ever laid eyes on. She was also the sweetest, most devoted and understanding friend and partner Korra could have hoped for, and one of the best people Korra had ever known in a life that she was lucky to say was filled with remarkable friends and family.
"And that fierce heart of yours has saved my life, and the whole world, even more," Asami breathed, lifting her hand up to trace it reverently over Korra's cheek, and then down her strong, sculpted arm.
"Never alone," Korra whispered, tipping her head down to meet Asami's lips. "If I've learned one thing over the past four years, it's that a lone avatar is a weak avatar. Our gift alone is not enough to ensure success. The strongest of us are strong because of who we surround ourselves with. Our people are just as important to our longevity as our bending. I mean, you wouldn't believe what a hot-head I was before Tenzin started training me…"
"I think I could imagine," Asami murmured, and Korra looked down at her and smiled sheepishly. She was sure Asami could imagine she she'd definitely had more than a few hot-head moments since meeting Asami, but Asami really didn't know how much worse she had been before she had started training with Tenzin.
"Before I met, Tenzin, and Mako and Bolin, and you, I thought that I could, that I was supposed to do everything alone. I thought that being the avatar meant having the answer all of the time, and always knowing what the right thing to do would be. I thought that when I was finished training, there would be nothing in all of the kingdoms that could rival my power."
Korra released a rough puff and air through her nostrils and then shook her head at herself.
"I was an idiot," she declared a moment later. "My turtle-duck would have been cooked so many times if it wasn't for you, and Tenzin, and Mako, and Bolin, and Jinora, and Lin, and so many of the people I've been so fortunate to know. After what happened with Zaheer, I … I don't know if I could have found the strength to try and get better without your letters and support," Korra continued, blinking back tears as she looked down to meet Asami's eyes. "I'm so grateful for my friends and family, and I thank the spirits every day for guiding me to you."
"Korra," Asami breathed, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears of happiness as she gazed up into Korra's sky blue eyes.
She wanted to say more, but there were no words, only feelings, feelings that overwhelmed her, that made her skin tingle everywhere her body was in contact with Korra's. Feelings that made her heart pound so wildly she feared that it might give out.
Korra gasped as Asami's mouth was suddenly on hers, her face cradled in Asami's strong hands as Asami kissed her with a tender hunger that made Korra's heart swell and her body flush with warmth.
Korra responded to the kiss Asami had initiated enthusiastically, and found herself moaning into Asami's mouth a short while later, when Asami's hands slipped under her shirt and began to caress Korra's bare skin.
Korra's head tilted back luxuriously as Asami's lips assaulted her neck and her left hand crept higher and higher up Korra's torso until it came to rest over Korra's breast. Asami squeezed, and Korra made a sound that traveled through Asami in a flash, setting her blood on fire.
Asami's lips left Korra's neck and found her lips again, kissing her desperately as Korra arched in to her hand.
Korra's hand moved to cover the one Asami had on her chest even as she wrenched her lips away from Asami's and drew in series of deep breaths, dazedly watching the spirit fireflies as they danced above their heads.
"We're going to end up putting on a show for the fireflies if we don't stop," Korra breathed out roughly, gazing up at Asami as she held the woman's hand against her, maintaining the intimate contact but keeping Asami's dexterous hand still.
Asami simply stared down at Korra for a few seconds, but eventually her eyes closed and she breathed in and out deeply a few times before releasing a shaky breath and relaxing back into Korra's arms.
"Sorry," Asami murmured a little sheepishly, her cheeks colouring as she thought about how far she taken things and how much farther she longed to go.
"Please don't ever apologize for that," Korra said softly, reaching for Asami's hand so that she could link their fingers together. "I really, really liked that," Korra continued, blushing along with Asami. "I just … what we were doing felt really good and I thought that if we didn't want our first time to be on a couch I made out of dirt while a couple hundred spirit fireflies watch, that I should probably say something … while I still could."
"While you still could," Asami repeated softly, her fingers toying restlessly with Korra's as her mind luxuriated on that thought, imagining what it would be like when they were finally able to give in completely and keep touching each other, when she could not only slip her hands under Korra's clothes, but take them all off, when …
"We should change the subject," Asami declared, her voice a little too loud and her words a little too sudden, as her brain made her aware of just how much her body was enjoying what she had just been thinking about.
Korra looked over at Asami surprised by her strange tone, but when she saw Asami's flushed skin, large pupils and heaving chest she understood what the cause of Asami's discomfort was.
"I had some thoughts about what we could do tomorrow," Korra said, pleased to feel Asami's body relax slightly after she spoke.
"Really? What were you thinking?" Asami asked, grateful to Korra for letting her slip in control go without commenting on it, and also genuinely excited to find out what Korra had planned for the second day of their vacation.
"I thought we might try and find General Iroh," Korra replied a bit shyly, hoping that Asami would like the idea. "I think you'd really like him, and he's the only person I know who could pose a real challenge to you in a game of Pai Sho."
"That sounds amazing!" Asami said excitedly, thrilled by the idea of meeting the famous General Iroh as well as getting to play Pai Sho against him. She was a very, very good player, but people spoke of Iroh's prowess with awe and she was sure she could learn a great deal from him. "Will we be able to find him?" Asami asked as Korra smiled down at her, pleased that her idea had been well received. "From what I've learned today, the spirit world is a very big place."
"We'll find him," Korra assured Asami, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. "I promise."
Asami nodded her head happily, and relaxed against Korra again.
If Korra promised that was all she needed to hear.
"I was thinking," Korra began as Asami's thumb stroked across the back of her hand, "that you might also like to try and track down some Knowledge Seekers."
Asami's eyes widened in wonder and she clutched tightly at Korra's hand.
"Please," she breathed out, looking at Korra beseechingly.
"Anything for you," Korra murmured, laughing a moment later when Asami shifted so that she could begin raining a series of kisses all over Korra's face.
When Asami finished with her surprise burst of kisses, she rested her head on Korra's shoulder again and began to speculate about the books and parchments that had been lost to the physical world that the Knowledge Seekers might be able to lead her to, and Korra smiled serenely, holding Asami securely in her arms as she soaked up the sound of Asami's voice, feeling truly at peace for the first time in as long as she could remember.
The End