Asami took in all of the sights. She was speechless.
"It-it's so beautiful!"
"Is it like you imagined it would be?" Korra asked, shyly.
"No. It's so much better!" Asami looked at a purple flower and touched it gently but it wasn't a flower it was a purple butterfly spirit that flew away as Asami laughed as she walked back to Korra.
"You are so beautiful." Asami said but she was just looking at Korra. She extended her hand and stroked Korra's face.
Korra blushed but didn't look away. Asami's face got even closer. Korea could feel her Asami's breath on her lips. She couldn't take it anymore and pressed her lips on Asami's. It was something she had wanted to do for over 3 years. Asami placed her hands on both sides of Korra's face and deepened the kiss. The motion took the Avatar by surprise and she stumbled backwards and tripped in a tree root and started falling Asami tried to stop her from falling but got caught too and she fell on top of Korra. They both started laughing. Asami kept laughing she was still on top of Korra starting her face to face but then Korra stopped laughing.
"What? What are you thinking?" Asami asked.
"I was thinking that...I love you, Asami Sato."
"I love you too, Avatar Korra." She replied in her velvety voice and continued kissing the Avatar.
Three months had passed. They had spent their time in the Spirit World in Iroh's house, who had graciously allowed them to stay there. They spent their time talking, visiting the wide forests, spending time with the friendly spirits, swimming in the gentle streams, reading in silence at Wang Shi Ton's library. Well, in reality it was Asami who read, Korra was more preoccupied glancing up from her book, looking at Asami than reading about old spirit stuff. There was one other activity that they both particularly enjoyed, which was lovemaking. Korra had experienced many things, she had done more in her 23 years of age than most in a lifetime but of all things she had felt, nothing compared to being physically with Asami. She felt weak and vulnerable but at the same time she felt more powerful than ever. She felt complete and happy. So happy.
One morning she woke up Asami was not next to her. She quickly put on her clothes and rushed out to find her. She stopped when she saw Iroh sipping his tea calmly on the porch of his house.
"Iroh, have you seen Asami?" Korra asked panicked.
"She left for the woods about ten minutes ago." Iroh gestured to the left.
"Thanks, Iroh!" Korra rushed in that direction, looking for her girlfriend.
Asami's palms and face felt clammy. She was breathing heavily as she stumbled through the forest. She felt sick and knew that if she stayed close to Iroh's house Korra would do nothing but worry. She couldn't take it anymore. She knelt by a tree trunk for support as she became violently sick.
"Oh, no! NO! No, no, no! Watch it, lady!" A sprit frog came out covered in vomit. "Gross." He muttered in disgust.
"Sorry." Asami mustered a weak apology.
"Oh, you will be sorry." Suddenly the small frog that was no more than a couple inches was now a 10 foot beast towering over her.
"Knock it off, frog." Korra said in a menacing voice.
"Sorry, Avatar." The frog shrank to its original size and leaped off.
Korra looked satisfied with herself, "Spirit frogs," she scoffed, "they're all talk, no action."
Asami nodded weakly and then became sick again this time Korra was there to hold Asami's hair back and stroke her back. After a few coughs Asami was done and leaned weakly against the tree trunks.
"Asami?" Korra was looking for an explanation.
Asami just groaned, "I didn't want you to see that."
"What happened? "Korra asked.
"I just felt sick. It's nothing. "Asami waved her hand dismissively.
"Is this the first time?" Korra raised an eyebrow.
"No." Asami looked away. "This is the third time I've snuck out." She said barely audibly.
Korra pressed her hand on Asami's face. Asami sighed. Korra's cool hand felt amazing on her clammy, pale face. "Maybe the Spirit World is making you sick. We should go home."
"No. That's not what I want!" Asami whined weakly and tried to stand up but got a massive head rush and she fell again but Korra caught her.
"C'mon." Korra wrapped her arms around Asami's waist and helped her up. "We're going home." Korra guided Asami back to Iroh's.
"Good morning, ladies! Can I interest you with some breakfast?" Iroh said with a great smile.
"No thanks," Korra said. "I think it's time for me and Asami to return home."
"Well, that's a shame. You'll be missed." He said. Korra and Asami gathered their things and started walking towards the portal. The stood in front of the bright yellow light. Korra sighed.
"Time to get back to reality." Asami sighed.
"We don't have to leave if you really don't want to. I'm just worried about you." Korra gave in.
"No. You're right. It's probably time we go back anyways and you're the Avatar and I have my company. We both have responsibilities." Asami admitted.
"Yes, but I don't want you to worry about that. You need to get better." Korra said.
"You're cute when you're worried." Asami laughed and kissed Korra. "I'm really going to miss this place."
"We can always come back." Korra reassured her girlfriend and with that they took each other's hand and entered the portal once more.
They emerged from the portal and found Republic City covered in snow.
"Wow. I forgot it was winter already. "Korra laughed.
"Yeah, I guess there aren't any seasons in the spirit world." Asami laughed with her but then shivered.
"You're cold." Korra realized, "I've got this." She whistled and within a few minutes Naga came rushing toward them.
"Naga!" The Avatar flung herself at the polar bear dog and Naga licked the Avatar's face.
Asami approached Naga and tried to pet her fluffy white fur but Naga retracted behind Korra, sniffing Asami cautiously.
"What's the matter, girl? You love Asami." Korra asked. Naga shook her head and gave Asami a playful lick and wagged her tail. Korra hopped on Naga's back and helped Asami up. Asami wrapped her arms around Korra's waist and they rode back to Temple Island.
"Korra's back!" Meelo shouted. Immediately all of Tenzin's family rushed out to greet the pair. Korra and Asami slid off Naga's back.
"Hello, Korra and Asami. "Tenzin greeted politely. "I'm glad you girls are back. Would you like to have dinner with us?" Korra hadn't realized that it was almost night in Republic City.
"Sorry, guys not tonight. We're a little tired." Korra was thinking of Asami who looked tired, cold, and a little queasy. "But we'll join you guys tomorrow maybe we can ask Mako and Bolin to join us."
Tensing could tell something was going on but decided not to question it. "Very well, I hope you have a restful evening and we will see each other tomorrow."
"Thank you, Tenzin." Korra said.
"Good night." Asami looked at the family and followed Korra to her separate little house. After Kuvira's forces destroyed all of Temple Island Tensin had worked on restoring it but he had mad the Avatar a little house with a gazebo that overlooked the city.
"You didn't have to do that." Asami stated as she came in. "We could have gone to dinner."
"Asami." Korra sighed. "You don't have to do that. I know you're not feeling well. Let me take care of you. Please." Korra insisted.
Asami gave in. "A bath would be nice."
Korra smiled. "Coming right up!" She rushed to the bathroom to draw the bath.
Asami shivered again. She had forgotten how cold it could get in Temple Island. She knelt closer to the chimney and opened up her palms to warm her cold hands but when she did that the fire expanded drastically like a small explosion that caused Asami to retract quickly. It was odd.
"Asami! The water is ready." Korra called back from the bathroom.
Asami blamed the little fire incident on just being tired.
She came in to the bathroom and got rid of her clothes, knowing that Korra was watching, and got in the water.
"Join me?" She asked suggestively. Korra smiled and took off her shirt and pants and joined Asami in the large bathtub.
"Are you ok?" Korra asked lowering her gaze. "I can try to use this water to heal you."
"I'm more than ok." Asami grinned and came closer to the Avatar and started kissing her neck.
After their bath they went to bed. That's when the nightmares started. They were incoherent flashes but that did not make them any less terrifying. It started with Asami being surrounded in a room full of flames. The next flash was Asami laying on a bed screaming the most agonizing shrieks Korra had ever heard and Korra felt completely powerless. She couldn't tell what was making Asami scream like that. The last and most disturbing flash was Korra holding Asami. Asami's face was extremely pale and covered in sweat but Asami was smiling weakly.
"Asami stay with me!" Korra pleaded with tear filled eyes.
"Please take care of her." Asami said almost inaudibly.
"Stay with me!" Korra's eyes got teary and her pleading intensified. "Please!"
"I... Love... You." Korra felt Asami's body go limp. She was dead.
Korra shot up from her bed. She was sweaty and had to catch her breath. The Avatar was no stranger to nightly terrors but this particular vision deeply disturbed her. She looked to her side and found Asami sleeping peacefully on her side. That reassured her a lot but she was sure she wouldn't be able to go back to bed. She kissed Asami's forehead and stepped out of their bed. She left the house and started walking towards the cliff if the air temple she had always liked it there. It has a nice breeze.
"Hello, Korra." She heard Tenzin's deep voice.
"Hi, Tenzin! I forgot you like to meditate here too..."
"Well, I can leave if you'd like some privacy."
"No. It's okay." Korra didn't want Tenzin to leave. "Please stay."
"Is everything alright?"
"I don't know, Tenzin." Korra admitted. "Before I woke up everything was perfect. Absolutely perfect. But then I woke up and found Asami getting sick and then I had this nightmare..."
"Wait a minute. You said Asami got sick in the spirit world? That's impossible... One cannot contract illness in the spirit world. It's very odd. What was the nightmare about?"
Korra reiterated every detail of her nightmare while Tenzin just listened.
"Well, you know, bad dreams are just ghosts of our fears and worries haunting us while we sleep."
"I don't know. It seemed so real."
"Possibly because your feelings for Asami are so strong." Tenzin chuckled. "I've got to admit you certainly took us by surprise when you announced you were leaving for the spirit world with her."
"Because she's a girl?"
Tenzin laughed. "No! Because it always seemed like you and Mako would end up together."
"For a while I thought so too but after Zaheer poisoned me...I realized that Asami had always been there for me and she understood me, maybe better than I understood myself. I love her and she loves me."
Tenzin nodded, "Avatar Roku always said that if love is true, it finds a way. I'm happy you found love."
Korra hugged Tenzin. "Thank you. That means so much. And thank you for looking after Republic City while I was gone. So, no threats from equalists, dark spirits, crazy anarchists, tyrannical lunatics?"
"No thankfully the most dangerous threat we encountered was Meelo's uncontrolled flatulence after he ate some of Pema's steam buns."
Korra laughed. "I'm glad everyone came out alive."
"Yes. It was a real threat." Tenzin said sarcastically.
Korra yawned.
"You should get to bed Korra." Tenzin insisted. "Everything will be ok. I promise."
"Alright. Good night, Tenzin."
"Good night, Avatar. It's good to have you back."