Coming Home
The rugged landscape of the Earth Kingdom countryside whipped past the train window in a blur of browns and greens, specks of dust and debris hitting the glass as the wind threw them in numerous directions. Korra sat with her head resting against the cool window, one leg placed on the floor with the other curled up against her body. She wasn't sure why but taking the train back to Republic City had seemed like a good idea, especially after Varrick had insisted it was now twice as fast as any other form of land transportation invented. The Avatar wasn't convinced he was right; however, since she hadn't brought Naga along this was the next best thing.
It had been two months since she and Asami had returned from the Spirit World, two months since they had taken their friendship to the next level and started a relationship and neither could have been happier. While both led equally demanding lives, they still managed to make time for each other whenever possible; whether it was a weekend away camping in the forest or simply a short drive around the city. Both had agreed they would keep their relationship private for the time being as they had more than enough to deal with regarding the press already, what with the rebuilding of Republic City once again; not to mention the amount of work needed to be done in the Earth Kingdom now the former Prince Wu had officially stepped down. However, they had told those closest to them, all of whom were happy for the couple. Even Mako, who admitted he had figured something had been developing between the two ever since Korra had returned from her three year absence.
The Avatar's thoughts were rudely interrupted as the train came to a sudden halt, almost causing her to tumble face-first into the back of the seat in front. Regaining her composure, Korra glanced out of the window to see a small, mountainside town which could not have been much bigger than some of the remote villages she had visited recently. Noticing the confusion on the other passenger's faces, she stood to get a better look further down the train where the conductor and other various staff members were conversing with the public.
"Is something wrong?" She asked the conductor as she made her way along the train.
"Ah, Avatar Korra!" The man replied, looking slightly taken aback that the Avatar had decided to travel by train. "No, there's nothing seriously wrong but we are afraid you and everyone else will have to get off at this stop and await the next train as this one is in need of repair."
"Sounds pretty serious to me." Korra folded her arms, letting the man pass so he could carry on along the carriage. She knew she had been right about doubting Varrick after all; sure these trains were quick, when they didn't break down all of a sudden.
Stepping out onto the platform, she shielded her eyes from the blinding morning sun, hoping to see somewhere she could sit and maybe get something to eat. The train staff had informed them that the next train would be along in just over half an hour, not too long but long enough when she was hoping to get home by mid afternoon at the latest. Business in the Earth Kingdom had gone on for two and a half weeks which was the longest she and Asami had been apart since the beginning of their relationship, so naturally she was eager to reunite with her girlfriend. Settling herself on a low wall nearby, she gave a disappointed sigh.
"Avatar Korra? Is it really you?" An elderly voice asked as an old man approached the wall.
"Yep, it's me." Korra shot him a smile. "Can I help you?" She continued when she noticed he had a nasty hunch, barely being able to stand straight for more than a few minutes.
"Oh my, yes! It's terrible! Please you have to help me," the man croaked, breaking into a coughing fit. "You're the perfect person for the job."
"Okay, well if you show me the way then I'll see what I can do," Korra replied before taking a look at the town clock. There wasn't much time left before the next train would arrive but she couldn't just leave this man in need. What if he was being harassed by local criminals? Or worse, a rogue gang of Kuvira's supporters who hadn't been brought to justice yet? Whatever it was, she was sure it wouldn't take too long to resolve.
"Oh thank you!" The man looked ecstatic, giving her a toothless grin to show his appreciation.
Following the man through the town, Korra took note of the run-down houses and shops. Some appeared to be decent enough to live in but others were falling apart; their doors and even some roofs were hanging on by a single hinge or nail. Rounding a corner they arrived at what must have been the man's house as he signalled for her to follow him inside. The main living area was quite small, only a table and a few chairs taking up the centre, while there were chests and cupboards lining the walls. Ducking into the nearest cupboard, the man brought out a familiar looking board game.
"You see this? It's a disgrace!" He shoved the game into Korra's hands.
"A Pai Sho board?" Korra blinked, unsure what it was he was trying to show her.
"Yes, look here!" The man held up the box where all the pieces were kept. "One of my precious rock tiles has gone missing!"
"Um, can't you get a replacement?" The Avatar sighed inwardly. Was this really the big emergency?
"No! I need my original tile! What kind of Earth Kingdom citizen can I call myself if I don't even have my original rock tile?"
"Well, do you remember where you last had it?" Korra had a feeling this was going to take longer than half an hour but she knew if Asami found out she had left a poor Pai Sho player a tile short she wouldn't be too impressed.
"All done!" Asami announced to herself in the kitchen of the Sato mansion. Placing a folded table cloth over the basket of food she had been preparing, she pushed it to one side. The last few weeks had been some of the slowest she had experienced in a while, even with the mountains of work flowing into the company due to the reconstruction needed in the city. Republic City just wasn't the same without Korra and she couldn't wait to have her back.
"Hey Asami, what're you doing?" Bolin entered the kitchen with Pabu sitting in his usual place on his shoulder. He, Mako and the rest of their family were still staying at the mansion until alternate accommodation became available.
"I was just making a picnic for when Korra gets back later; I'm hoping we can go for a drive into the country," she replied. After their phone conversation the previous night, she wanted to surprise Korra by meeting her at the station, rather than meeting at the mansion as they had agreed. She had even gone into the office extra early that morning just to be able to leave earlier.
"Ah, young love." Bolin grinned, draping an arm around Asami's shoulders. "A picnic sounds like a great idea! The last time i went on a picnic was-" He paused his trail of thought, realising his last picnic had involved Opal yelling at him before storming off; even Pabu's little ears drooped at the memory. "Um, never mind. What matters is yours is going to be awesome!"
"I hope so." Taking a left over sandwich off the counter, she popped it in his mouth before he could start commenting on what they would be getting up to after the picnic; more than likely making use of the word 'smooch' multiple times, which in turn would cause her to turn several shades of red. "I want to get to the station in plenty of time so see you later."
"Bye!" Bolin waved, gulping a big bite of sandwich."Give Korra a smooch from m- I mean hug, give her a hug from me! I need to stop saying words I'm thinking out loud."
Sliding into the driver's seat of her Satomobile, Asami checked everything was ready before setting off into the city. The roads surrounding the estate were pretty quiet for that time of day, something she was thankful for as it would often be the case that members of the press would swarm her, Korra or anyone involved in the battle against Kuvira for any information that wasn't already public knowledge. However, turning into the central streets brought her to a stop as she joined a queue of what must have been at least one hundred vehicles.
"What's going on?" She said to herself, leaning out of the car to get a better look down the street. A parade of people lined the central square of the city, some wearing masks while others wore full costumes, each carrying vibrant banners and pictures of an animal Asami instantly recognised. It was the day of the annual cat deer festival, an animal now believed to be extinct. She recalled Korra mentioning seeing Avatar Wan befriending one in a flashback a few years ago so it was no surprise the people of the city wanted to celebrate such an animal.
"Miss Sato, what's your opinion on the legendary cat deer?" A reporter caught up to her car, resting his notepad on the edge of the door.
"Miss Sato! When will work be finished on the new bending arena you're currently constructing?"
"Hello Miss Sato, how are you coping after the unexpected death of your father?" A gang of them surrounded the car.
Closing her eyes, Asami gripped the steering wheel with both hands and sighed. The sooner she got to the station and was reunited with Korra the better.
Korra felt a pang in her chest as she heard the whistle of the next train leaving the station. She had been searching the man's house non-stop since she had arrived but there was still no sign of the rock tile, or any hope of her getting home anytime in the near future.
"Maybe I lost it in my garden." The man motioned for her to follow him outside where a little garden was kept. "I did play out here once with some friends."
"Right." Korra scanned the area, only seeing flowers and a few dead bushes. She was tempted to earth bend the lot of them into the air in the hopes the tile would be revealed but she knew it would only upset the man further. Starting with the first bed of flowers, she gradually began sorting through them.
"You know, maybe I didn't drop it out here, perhaps I left it at a friend's house..." The man pondered to himself, an exasperated Korra wincing behind him when her hands came into contact with a bunch of nettles. "But it's better you check here first, just to be on the safe side."
Moving on to the next batch of flowers, Korra decided to pass the time by thinking of Asami's reaction when she told her about this. She knew her girlfriend would laugh at first before breaking into a smile and telling her how sweet it was of her to take the time to help an elderly man with his Pai Sho collection. Then she would lean in and place a soft, tender kiss on her lips and tell her how much she had missed her over the past couple of weeks. The mere thought caused the Avatar to blush furiously and she lost her concentration, almost pulling up a handful of flowers by mistake.
The last fortnight had not been the easiest, especially as she had been staying in Wu's palace during the majority of her stay in the Earth Kingdom. The former prince had shown great hospitality, often checking in to make sure she had everything she needed and always welcoming the chance of a conversation when he was certain she had a free moment. However, this hospitality had also started to become annoying and even inappropriate at times the longer her stay had extended. Some nights Korra was sure she heard Wu singing softly outside her bedroom door and would often have to wait until he was asleep before she could use the telephone.
"Alright, I think I'm done here!" Korra called to the man who had disappeared into his house.
"Thinking it over, the tile might have been trodden into the ground. Do you think you could dig the top layer of grass up for me?" The man reappeared, carrying a shovel.
"My bending will be quicker." Korra was about to start bending the earth but was abruptly stopped.
"No, no! Your bending might be too forceful, use this instead."
"If it makes you feel better." The Avatar took the shovel, fighting the restraint to throw it over the back fence.
Having somehow managed to reverse out of the traffic and into the opposite lane, Asami had backtracked along the road until she found a clear side street that she knew would lead her to the station. Passing by a few shops, she caught sight of a large billboard with a picture of a pro-bender in the middle and was reminded of the match she and Korra had watched in the temporary arena the weekend before she had left for the Earth Kingdom. Neither was familiar with the teams playing at the time but Korra had insisted the Fire Ferrets could have beaten both of them with ease. The evening had ended with them buying ice cream, most of which ended up on their faces and clothes by the time they returned to the mansion; neither wanting to take responsibility for initiating the food fight but both finding it highly amusing nonetheless.
Snapping out of her thoughts, her hopes of getting to the station soon were dashed as she met with a large truck blocking the alley. Stepping out of the car, she resisted the urge to frown when she saw an image of a cat deer on the side of the truck, reminding herself that it was simply an unlucky coincidence that today would be the day a festival would consume the city.
"What seems to be the problem?" She asked the anxious looking driver who was stood at the front of the truck.
"Oh, Miss Sato! Well the engine started making weird noises all of a sudden then the truck came to a complete stop." The driver explained. "I was about to open her up but I'm not too sure what I'm doing."
"Let me take a look." Asami motioned for the man to move to the side before lifting the lid of the engine. A cloud of thick, black smoke oozed into the air, causing both to stumble back in shock.
"It looks worse than I thought," the man said, breaking into a series of coughs as the smoke wafted around them.
"I think I know what the issue is." Asami returned to her car to collect the tools she always kept there for times like this. "I'll have it fixed as soon as I can."
It took the best part of an hour but Asami finally managed to fix up the truck to a point that it would run better than it had done previously. Closing the engine, she wiped the excess oil from her hands onto a rag before glancing down at her clothes which were also covered in smoke and dry oil. It certainly was not the look she had been intending to turn up to meet Korra with but there wasn't much time to spare. Sitting in her car once more, she caught sight of her face in the mirror which had received its fair share of oil and smoke stains and sighed. At least the street was clear enough to actually drive along now.
Turning the corner out of the back alley, Asami could not believe what she was seeing. Yet another stream of traffic occupied the road making her believe that somehow, the vehicles on the previous road had followed her to this one just to prove a point that she couldn't bypass the traffic. Noticing a cluster of thick spirit vines arching to the side of the line of traffic, she slammed down the acceleration and without thinking, drove the car right up over the vines. Flying a few feet into the air, the car shot over the queuing traffic, landing with a bump at the head of the road. Swerving down another lane, Asami frowned when she was greeted with another line of traffic. However, at least she was over half way there now and had managed to get away with what was more than likely a driving offense in the process.
Covered in dirt and ready to give up, Korra trudged after the man as they walked around town, still on the hunt for the missing rock tile. The afternoon had consisted of visiting various friends who the man had played Pai Sho with, searching their houses and even digging up their gardens as well. Hearing the familiar sound of the train whistle, Korra caught sight of the next train pulling into the station. However, this wasn't just any normal train; this was the final train of the day, her last chance to get home. Checking the clock, she calculated she had roughly five minutes before the train would take off.
"We might have to carry on with this search tomorrow," the man said, not even stopping to look behind.
Using the moment to her advantage, Korra ran into the nearest shop and demanded the shopkeeper sell her a Pai Sho set. Parting with the last of her money, the Avatar exited the shop, ripped open the game and claimed one of the rock tiles for herself. Handing the rest of the game to a group of children playing outside the shop, she caught up to the man and tapped him on the shoulder.
"You found it!" He yelled in delight. "Where was it?"
"Um, on the ground, right over there." She pointed to a particular patch of grass a few feet away. "I guess you must have played out here one time."
"Yes, I must've." The man tapped his chin in thought. "How can I ever repay your kindness?"
"No need!" Korra shouted back as she ran towards the train. "Keeping the balance is what I do best!"
The train slowly started moving, the sound of the whistle blaring throughout the town. Korra was inches away from the thing, if only she had been a couple of minutes faster this wouldn't have been happening. Deciding she wasn't going to make it into a carriage, she airbent herself into the air, whooshing on top of the train with a thud. Collapsing onto the metallic surface, she broke into a huge grin as she was transported away from the town into the setting sun.
Korra had never been so grateful to see Republic City train station. The rest of the journey had been uneventful with only a handful of stops before she arrived at her destination. Leaping off the train roof, she gasped at the amount of people littering the station, endless queues forming at every platform. Making her way outside, she was met with the onslaught of the festival, hundreds of people and vehicles crammed in tiny spaces, eagerly trying to get to other parts of the city.
"I'm glad I didn't ask Asami to meet me here." Korra sidestepped through two parked cars.
Making her way further into the crowds, she was often stopped by passersby who wanted to take photos with her or have a chat about the goings on in the Earth Kingdom. Taking one final picture with two children dressed as cat deers, she hoped no one else would want her attention. Concluding that the best way to get out of the chaos was to go up and over, Korra leapt on top of the closest empty car before hopping across the moving traffic without a second thought. The method proved to work well as she jumped and airbent her way through the streets faster than walking would have gotten her anywhere. Landing on a particularly tall lorry, she was about to move on when the driver sped up all of a sudden, sending her flying off the edge where she landed in the lap of the driver behind.
"I am so- Asami!" Korra's face broke into the biggest smile she had managed all day.
"Korra!" Asami forgot her surprise at being landed on, returning the smile.
The two gazed at each other for a moment as the press swooped in to capture the return of the Avatar to Republic City.
"I've missed you so much," Asami breathed, ignoring the crowd of reporters gathered around them.
"I've missed you too," Korra replied. Not interested in why her girlfriend was covered in oil, she leaned closer and threw her arms around her before bringing their faces together, pulling Asami into the kiss she had been longing for since the day she had left.
The press were going wild.
"Miss Sato, do you realise you are kissing the Avatar?"
"Avatar Korra, did you know you have a Pai Sho rock tile stuck to your shoe?"
But neither of the women paid attention to the frantic questions, all that mattered was they were together again. Korra broke the kiss and took Asami's hand; she didn't care if the world knew they were an item now because she was finally back with the person she belonged with. She was finally home.