War AU

Asami is growing depressed the longer Korra is gone at war. Their friends help cheer her up until the time comes.

Future Industry's CEO glanced at the picture frame on the table. She felt empty, even as she laid on the couch drinking away her problems. Eyeing the portrait of her loved one wasn't helping. Her wife had been called to duty one year ago. Normally she received a letter from the native girl once a week at least, but she had failed to get one yet. In fact, it'd been almost three weeks since any contact with her wife. And it scared Asami to death.

Asami's heart raced when a knock came on the front door. She panicked inside. What if it was a soldier coming to finally tell her the bad news? This fear bubbled up every time she answered the door. She let out a shaky breath when she heard Bolin holler from outside. "Asami?! Are you home? It's me and Opal. We came to check on you…"

Asami got up from the couch and opened the door. Bolin looked grateful as the door was finally opened. The movie star swooped her up in his arms. Opal smiled gently and laid a hand on his shoulder to let her go. Asami nodded her thanks when Bolin finally let her out of his grip. "How are you feeling? Any news?"

Asami's face fell again. "No. Nothing in three weeks, Bolin."

Bolin's smile faded. "I'm sure she's fine, Asami." That's when he smelled the scent of alcohol. "Asami let us take you out for dinner. I think it would do you good to get some fresh air."

Asami sighed and wandered back to the couch. "I'm fine."

"Yeah, that's obvious from all of the sake bottles lying around." Bolin retorted. Opal smacked him on the arm.

Opal frowned as she spoke up for the first time. "Asami, I know you're worried and scared, and you have every right to be, but please let us help you. That's what friends are for, right?"

Asami sat silent as she let the thought sink in. She sighed. "Fine, what do you want to do?"

Bolin smiled wide. Opal walked in front of him before he got too excited. "Um, let's go find you some fresh clothes to wear while Bolin figures out the details."

Asami crashed into her bed when she finally got home later that night. Hanging out with Bolin could be exhausting. At least the exhaustion allowed her to get a few hours of sleep.

She woke up the next morning by a knock on the front door again. Panic ran through her like a herd of wild elephants. She hastily put on her robe and walked to the door. She shakily grabbed the handle and opened the door. She almost sighed in relief when she saw it was just the mailman. The man tipped his hat to her. "Morning, Miss Sato." Asami nodded her appreciation as the man handed over a stack of bills.

She sat on the couch and threw the mail on the table. It's not like any of it was from her wife. However, something got her attention as she crashed on the couch. She lifted her arm from her eyes as she noticed a dull brown envelope. Her heart pounded in hope that it was from her. She jumped from the couch and sorted through the mail. Bill. Bill. Bill… United Forces.

Asami went wide-eyed. Fear suddenly took her over. She didn't know if this was a good sign or a bad sign. She carefully undid the tape holding it shut and took out a small tattered piece of paper.

Leaves from the vine,

Falling so slow.

Like fragile tiny shells,

Drifting in the foam.

Little soldier boy,

Come marching home.

Brave soldier boy,

Comes marching home.

Asami's breath caught in her throat. She knew those words; lyrics to an old wives tale. She was more confused now than ever. It sounded like her soldier would be coming home. The question remained: would she be alive or dead?

That was the only letter the CEO received in the timespan of 3 months. She had no idea what was going to happen. Either her wife would come home or not, it was as simple as that! Why was it taking so long?

A knock came at the door and Asami didn't bother to answer it. She was tired of living in fear of never seeing her wife again. So she just laid on the couch, unmoving.

Jinora and Opal sighed from outside the door. They had feared that Asami was digging deeper and deeper into her depression. Jinora tried one more time. "Asami, it's us. If you don't open up, we're gonna come in anyway." Silence.

Jinora carefully pried open the door and saw Asami staring into space on the couch. Opal went over to her and carefully shook her shoulders. "Asami, come on, snap out of it. You do remember the gala is tonight?"

Asami finally glanced over to the girl. "What gala?"

Opal sighed, partly in frustration. "How can you forget your own gala? Either way, let's get you ready."

Shoot, she had completely forgotten about the gala. Lately she hadn't been caring as much about her work and often put things off. She sighed as Opal dragged her upstairs to her room. She at least had to make an appearance to her own gala, right?

Asami sighed in content as she finally stepped down from the mic. Now that she had made her appearance, she could go home and forget all about tonight. It was hard keeping her composure in front of the crowd for some reason, which is weird because she's usually so confident with anything about her company.

As she neared the final steps something caught her eye, something she almost wished she hadn't. All she saw was the camouflage pattern of a soldier's uniform and that nearly dropped her to the floor in terror. She had feared the worse of course. But from her kneeling position, she saw a white dog, which looked strangely familiar besides a few injuries. 'No, there's no way! Naga?!'

Asami frantically looked up, still expecting a different soldier just returning their dog from combat. She was not ready for what she saw. She saw the knee braces on each leg, followed by a cane in one hand to keep the soldier steady. But when she saw the smiling face of her wife, she knew her time had finally come. Even in heels, the CEO ran over to her.

"KORRA!"

Instead of ambushing the girl, she pulled Korra in tight to her, trying to be careful of her injuries. She hugged her tight, refusing to let her go, crying her name in her shoulders. Korra chuckled and wrapped an arm around her. "I'm home, 'Sami."

"For good?" Asami cried.

"For good, I promise. I'll never leave you again."

Asami didn't even care about the gala anymore. After Korra was able to shortly catch up with their friends, she dragged her back to their apartment. Luckily there was an elevator, so it was easy for Korra to get up their penthouse suite.

As soon as Asami shut the door, Korra dropped her cane and hugged her wife tight. Asami's heart raced and she returned the hug with just as much fervor, both of them crying. Naga barked happily as they all were finally reunited. Asami helped Korra to the bed and Naga came up to her, nudging her with her wet nose. Asami smiled and hugged Naga. She had greatly missed her canine companion too. She noticed bandages covering the dog's legs. She looked to Korra, but saw the tired look on her face and decided to save the talk for tomorrow.

Asami sat at the end of the bed and carefully removed the boots from Korra's feet. The soldier winced and sighed in relief at the same time. Asami moved away to remove her dress attire and threw on a random shirt, rushing to return to Korra's side. Just as she was about to climb into bed, a thought crossed her mind. She looked to Naga. The white German Shepherd was considered huge for her breed and was normally forced to sleep on the floor. However, Asami's engineering mind came up with a solution in hope to brighten up the evening. After Korra removed her army shirt, leaving her in a tank top, Asami motioned to her to slide over a bit. Then Asami leaned over her to the side of the bed. "Naga, here girl."

Naga happily jumped into the bed and snuggled up to her master. Korra smiled brightly and looked to her wife. As long as Korra was smiling, so was Asami. Korra reached up to cup her wife's cheek, making her blush. They hadn't seen each other in over a year, let alone be able to touch each other. It almost brought Asami to tears.

Their mouths crashed into one another's for the first time since her return. Korra's hands wandered into Asami's gorgeous hair, while Asami remained gentle and carefully placed her hands on Korra's cheek.

They slowly pulled apart, peppering kisses on each other's cheeks and neck. Asami finally put some space between them to look her in the eye. There she saw the exhaustion in Korra's eyes. She was tired, but she was finally home. Tears built up in Asami's eyes again and she pressed her forehead to Korra's.

"I'm so sorry I was gone for so long." Korra spoke. She hadn't said much all evening actually.

Asami tearfully smiled and brushed her wife's hair out of her face. "We'll talk about it tomorrow sweetie. You need rest. Let's get some sleep for now."

Korra nodded tiredly. Asami pulled her into her chest and Naga crawled closer to rest her head in her lap. Tears bit the edges of Korra's eyes. Her loving wife and faithful companion were both at her side, and she knew that they'd never abandon her.

For once in a long time, both of them got a whole night's rest.

Sun hovered in through the curtains. Asami moved to get up and close them, but the weight on her chest stopped her and she was happily reminded of the events from yesterday. She finally took time to examine Korra's body closer up, seeing as the girl was still asleep. She hadn't slept in a real bed in over a year, so Asami was happy to let her sleep in. Asami held her hand, noticing how callous they had gotten. She inspected her arms, noticing the small cuts and scars along her muscled arms, leading to under her shirt. She looked down to the braces on her knees, wondering what had happened on the battlefield. Whatever it was, it had kept her away from home longer than she was supposed to be away.

Korra squinted her eyes tight before opening them to see Asami watching over her. She blushed. "Morning 'Sami."

Asami was brought out of her reverie once she heard Korra speak those words. It had been so long since they woke up to each other. She urged the tears away, leaning down to hug the woman. "Good morning Korra."

Korra slowly sat up, cracking a few bones in the process. Asami winced at the sounds. "It's been so long since I slept in a real bed. My body's not used to it." Korra chuckled.

"A shower might help. You probably wanna take a nice warm shower anyway." Asami replied.

Korra smiled and nodded. She nudged Naga to get off of the bed, swinging her legs over the side. Asami was already up and collecting some of her old clothes for her to change into afterwards. She sat them down beside her, but then saw that Korra wasn't moving, just looking down at her legs. Asami kneeled in front of her. "Korra, sweetie, do you need help?" She asked cautiously.

Korra grimaced and nodded sadly. However, Asami just patted her on the shoulder. "It's okay to ask for help, sweetie. I need to freshen up after the gala from last night anyway."

Asami found clothes for herself to wear and then set both piles on the bathroom counter. She came back to her wife, cautiously grabbing her hands. Korra looked up expectantly and let the CEO help her out of her clothes and into the shower.

Korra stood in awe of her wife's body. She couldn't believe that she hadn't seen the woman in over a year. Her growing depression fought against lust as she took in the beautiful view.

However, even though Asami appreciated Korra's body, she wasn't overcome with lust, rather more concern. Bruises littered Korra's legs and back. "Korra…"

The girl looked up at the mention of her name. She frowned when she saw worry sketched across Asami's face. She gripped her hand harder to keep her balance but more so to get her attention.

Asami sadly looked up at her, just to see her bright smile again. She bit back the questions burning to come out. She grabbed the soap and washcloth and began cleaning Korra's body. Korra's legs began to hurt and so she wrapped her arms around her wife's shoulders to keep herself standing. Asami smiled at her as she finished. She pulled the shower curtain back and helped Korra sit on the toilet cover. "You need to rest your legs, hun. I'll be really quick." Asami said. Korra pouted but understood. She grabbed a towel and dried herself off while Asami cleaned up. Korra eyed Asami's shadow as her curiosity peaked. She nudged the curtain a bit to get another look at her wife's body.

Asami saw Korra peek through the curtain and a smirk overcame her features. She kept her back turned to her and bent over to clean her legs.

Korra went wide-eyed and gasped. A deep blush flooded her cheeks and she urgently pulled away from the view. Asami giggled and quickly finished up. She stepped out to see Korra bundled up in a large towel, blushing and trying to cover herself up for some reason.

Asami kneeled in front of her, wrapping her arms around her lovingly. "You know I love you Korra."

The girl gulped and nervously looked to her wife. "I love you too Asami. I missed you so much."

Asami couldn't stop herself once she heard those words. She urgently placed her lips on Korra's. Korra moaned and deepened the kiss.

Asami pulled away before it got too intense. "Let's get dressed so I can make you breakfast."

Korra smiled as the smell of bacon wafted through the apartment. Asami happily laid down two plates of eggs and bacon on the living room table and cuddled up to Korra on the couch. Korra smiled wide and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks Asami!"

Asami laughed as Korra dug in. Then a thought hit her. Her soldier probably hadn't had a decent meal since she left for war. She ran her hands through her hair and sat up beside her. Korra paused and looked over, frowning when she saw her wife's sullen expression. Asami ate a few bites before slipping the rest of it onto Korra's plate. Korra rose a brow and silently refused to eat Asami's part. The CEO sighed at Korra's selflessness. The girl turned away from the plate, leaving Asami's part where it was, and laid down on the couch. Asami climbed up to lay down beside her, carefully wrapping her arms around her. Neither knew how to begin the eminent talk.

"Why were you gone for so long? Why did I stop getting your letters?" Asami whispered.

Korra grimaced, thinking about where to begin. "We got ambushed…" Asami looked up at Korra scared. Korra sighed painfully as she recalled the event. "We were passing through a village, handing out food and supplies… A group of men stood to the side, refusing our help. We knew they were armed, they always are. But usually they just watch and let us help out the people who need it. We didn't see the other men walking out of their houses. Next thing I knew was that Tahno had been shot…" Tears began dripping from Korra's eyes.

Asami quickly brought her closer into her embrace. "You don't have to tell me all at once, dear. I can't imagine how hard it's been for you."

"No, I've been gone too long to not give you answers." Korra rubbed her eyes hard, trying to stop the tears. "As soon as that shot went off, the place turned into a battlefield… I helped the civilians back into their homes, while the rest took cover around buildings and fired back. I stood guard by the doors in case someone got passed my men. Suddenly all the firing stopped… I heard footsteps approaching the door." Korra looked like she was reliving the moment now. "They busted down the door and hit me hard in the gut before I had a chance to shoot. They dragged me into the middle of town…"

Asami rubbed Korra's head. "Stop, sweetie. You don't have to tell me everything right now. I can tell this is hard on you."

"No!" Asami jumped at Korra's outburst. "You need to know!" She cried. Asami gulped and decided to let her continue on. "Luckily I hid Naga with one of the kind families there. As they dragged me across the dirt road, I saw all of my platoon scattered around, dead. I knew I was as good as dead, at least I thought so. They hit me a couple times before one guy stepped up, I'm guessing it was their leader. He forced me up by my hair and then said that I was to be a message to the United Forces. Then his men continued beating me until a passed out… When I woke up again, I was in one of the homes nearby. A woman was leaning over me, cleaning up my wounds. I might've been imaging it, but it looked like she was controlling water to heal me. Naga was beside the bed, wagging her tail stupidly."

Asami scowled a bit. Korra had to have imagined that part, right? Controlling water? It sounded absurd.

"The people took care of me until reinforcements came two weeks later. I don't know why it took so long, but eventually I made it to safety. I couldn't tell you anything about it, so at the first chance I got I had a friend send you that one letter…"

"Soldier boy comes marching home…" Asami whispered.

"Yeah. I wanted you to know I was safe and that I would be returning soon. But I had to undergo intense therapy first before I could come home."

"Why couldn't you have your therapy here at home?" Asami asked curiously.

Korra let out a sad chuckle and hung her head. "I was in a wheelchair. I couldn't move."

Asami gasped and covered her mouth in fear. She glanced down to the braces on her knees, surrounded by bruises. "So the braces?"

Korra looked down as well. "Yeah, they're to help me walk for now."

Suddenly Asami took ahold of Korra's face. "Are you okay?! Does it hurt?"

Korra chuckled again. "I can't say that I am okay, but now that I have you I know everything will get better."

Asami felt the underlying message in her voice and kissed her on the forehead. "What can I do to help, hun?"

"Maybe install a seat in the shower." Korra joked.

Asami smiled good-naturedly. "Of course, sweetie. I'll make any adjustments you need."

"Thanks. Can we take a nap now? I'm kinda tired." Korra responded.

Asami chuckled. "Of course, we can do anything you want." Asami held Korra tight and the couple fell fast asleep now that they were reunited.

The days following Korra's return, Asami made several adjustments around the apartment, including a cushioned seat for the shower, an electric chair for the stairs, and rails for the hallways. A physical trainer was hired to help Korra in their own home, as well as a maid for when Asami was away with work. Korra's physical state was healing, but the same couldn't be said for her mental state.

Asami fell asleep happily with Korra in her arms. Korra was already asleep, snoring on top of Asami's chest. They thought that Korra had left the war behind, but it followed her home.

Korra felt hot and sweaty, like she had been laying in the sun for days. She opened her eyes to just be met with the scorching sun and blue sky. She scowled. It felt like she was back in… Boom! Korra jumped up. She was back in the war, just as she thought. A bomb went off not too far away from her. She jumped up to the best of her abilities, but her legs were hurting. None of her teammates were in sight. She limped away, trying to find cover. Suddenly she was pulled by her short hair and thrown onto the ground. Hooded figures started kicking and hitting her, until a tall man stepped up. "Don't kill her. She is to be a message to the United Forces." They then continued beating her until she passed out.

Korra shot up, falling out of bed. Pain tinged in her legs and she scooted to a corner. Asami woke up when she pulled from her grasp and sleepily looked around for her. "Korra?" She asked when she saw her huddled in the corner. She was quickly brought out of her sleepy state when she saw Korra's condition. "Korra!" Asami slid from the bed and approached her wife. When Korra didn't respond, Asami touched her leg.

Korra finally looked up when she felt something soft touch her leg. Asami? "Asami, what're you doing here? You shouldn't be here!" Korra began panicking. Asami realized what she was thinking and abruptly hugged her.

"Korra! You're not in the war anymore! You're home."

Korra's frantic breathing slowed to small gasps. "What?" That's when her vision cleared and she saw their bedroom. She placed a hand to her head to calm herself. Asami brought her head to her chest in a calming manner. "It's okay. You're home. You're safe."

After finally calming down, Korra tried to get up to go back to bed, but pain shot up her legs. She groaned in pain and sat back down on the ground. "What's wrong?" Asami asked.

"Ngh, my legs are killing me right now."

"It must've been when you fell. Here, I'll help you up." Asami threw Korra's arm over her shoulder and helped her back into bed. Korra gasped for air when she finally landed on the mattress. Asami climbed up with her and sat in between her legs. "W-What're you doing?"

"Calm down. I'm gonna try something. Don't worry." Asami reassured. She gently placed her soft hands on Korra's knees and carefully rubbed them. Korra didn't have a chance to say no when it suddenly felt relieving. Asami saw Korra's body physically relax into the bed. She was careful not to be too forceful with the massage.

After a few minutes, she heard a snore from above. She giggled when she saw Korra passed out at last. She carefully crawled over her and settled beside her before falling back asleep herself.

Korra's health got better with more time. She was beginning to be able to walk longer and her nightmares were far and few in-between nowadays. Asami was so in-tuned to Korra, just like she was before the war happened, that she could stop Korra from jumping from bed before she was even awake.

"Go long, Naga!" Korra yelled, throwing a blue frisbee. Asami smiled and clutched to Korra's hand tighter. Korra looked up to the taller woman with that bright smile of hers, making Asami's heart skip a beat. She leaned down to give her a peck on the cheek, making Korra blush a tiny bit. Naga returned with the sopping wet toy for Korra to throw it again. Korra laughed and did as she wished. The couple continued their walk through the park while still playing fetch with the German Shepherd. Korra was so happy to be able to go on walks again, seeing as the park was one of her favorite places in the city. And Asami couldn't be happier to fulfill her wishes to take them to the park. Naga seemed to appreciate getting out of the apartment as well.

Asami eyed the dog tags around Korra's neck. She looked away to hide her scowl. She didn't like those dog tags. It made her feel like Korra belonged to someone else, had another obligation. Naga wore hers too. Asami hated it. She knew Korra would never leave her, especially not to go to war since her injury marked her off of the recruitment list permanently. But she couldn't help these thoughts still…

Korra must've seen her face and gently held her cheek to make her look at her. Asami shook her head in apology. Korra smiled and brought her closer to kiss her passionately. Asami pulled away and looked down in embarrassment. But that's when she saw the wedding rings on both of their hands. She smiled, remembering their wedding day, which was just months before Korra was deployed. She chuckled and returned to kiss Korra again. There was one thing she was sure of, Korra would never leave her.