I'm glad this story is getting a little farther along than I expected! I will do my absolute best to update each day or every other day. I'm glad people enjoy this!


Chapter 2: Smiles

Asami does this thing, Korra noticed, this thing where she puts on a delighted face despite the events that just unfolded. She smiles brightly in the face of sadness, in the event of a tragedy, and, even though her eyes are full of nothing, she laughs and worries about others.

Korra noticed this when Asami's father was just discovered to be a traitor, a traitor who believed he was doing what was best for his daughter, but ultimately drove her to hatred and resent toward the man.

It was the night Tenzin welcomed the young lady to take refuge on his island. The Avatar had exchanged awkward conversations with the girl before retiring to her own sleeping chambers. Sleep came to the young Avatar very quickly, but did not stay with her for more than five hours or so. Korra sat up in bed and stretched. Her hair was messy from her sleeping position, and her shirt was a bit sideways from it as well. I'm hungry, she pointed out to her tired self, rubbing her eyes. She turned so that her bare feet touched the wood floors before standing and making her way out of her room.

Korra walked throughout the hallways and toward her desired location: the kitchen. She found the small room in no time and sluggishly trudged to the cabinets. She sparked a small flame from her fingertips so she could see what was available to snack on. She decided on a box of cereal before shutting the cabinet door and turning back around. Her bed was sounding very nice until she noticed a figure sitting at the small table in the kitchen. Well, sitting was perhaps not the quite term; the figure was slumped over with whomever's head lying down on the wood.

The Avatar squinted through the dark before lighting her flame again. Dark brown locks with flecks of orange from Korra's fire made their way into her adjusting vision. Her eyebrows furrowed in worry. She knew this mass of beautiful hair was none other than Asami, but she was stumped as to why the girl was at the table. She approached the girl cautiously and shook her shoulder.

"Asami. Asami, wake up. You fell asleep at the table," Korra tried. The sleeping girl simply let out an almost inaudible groan before burying her face further into her folded arms. Korra rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Come on, Asami. I know that's not comfortable for you," she tried again.

Asami slowly began to wake. She sucked in a breath and sluggishly lifted her head from her arms. When the light from Korra's flame hit the other girl's face, she sucked in a breath.

Asami's face was completely blank with the exception of a very noticeable tear track coming from both of her pretty green eyes. Korra knelt down to be at Asami's level.

"What's wrong? What happened?" the Avatar asked, worry clearly in her tone.

Asami's eyes were squinted at the sudden light in her eyes. She closed them once more and then opened them again, a smile now plastered on her pale face.

"Nothing!" she said, her voice thick with false excitement, "Just fell asleep doing some work!"

Asami quickly shuffled the papers on the table together and stood up to walk out of the room. Korra blinked a little, still a bit confused and groggy from her sleep. She stared for a few minutes where Asami was sitting and noticed a paper the girl had left behind. There was some kind of wet stain on the paper, and the paper itself just contained a few lines of scribbled out sentences.

Korra's expression turned from one of confusion to one of sadness. She placed the paper back down on the table and walked out of the kitchen with her cereal box. On the paper sitting on the table, the only word that could be seen through the pen scribbles was "father."

The Avatar made her way to Asami's room. She knocked on the door lightly. No answer.

"Asami, open up. It's Korra. Can I talk to you?" she asked. No answer. Korra began to get a little annoyed.

"I know you're in there," she said, grasping the handle of the door and pulling it open. "Just-"

Korra stopped when there was nobody in the room. The bed was made nicely, and there were no signs of anybody ever sleeping in it.

She exited the room and looked left and right down the hallways. No sign of Asami. The Avatar sighed. I need some fresh air, she thought. She found the house's exit and hopped down the stone steps to the courtyard. She turned her head left and right to find a nice spot to sit, but had to double take when she saw the young lady for whom she was looking to her left. Her face fell as she saw the poor girl sitting with her shoulders slumped down and her head hanging low.

Korra approached Asami slowly before plopping down next to the girl and abruptly pulling Asami close to her chest with her left arm. Asami jumped and struggled to sit up. Once her back was straight, she put on that awful fake smile again for Korra.

"Korra," Asami started with false enthusiasm, "I didn't know you were still-"

Asami's phony small talk was cut off by a slap to her face. Her eyes were wide, and her cheek stung a little. She placed her right hand to her right cheek to relieve herself of the pain. Her eyes welled up with tears as she looked at the smirking Avatar's face.

"W-what was that for?" she stuttered out, her voice wavering. Korra's smug countenance shifted to one of guilt at the other girl's tears.

"I think I got a little carried away," Korra says, pulling Asami's hand from her cheek and placing a small kiss on the reddening skin. Of course, Asami's skin just became even more red as if Korra had slapped her a few more times.

"I just wanted to slap that fake happiness off of your face," Korra explained. "I would rather see how you're really feeling than this mess."

Asami's eyes began welling up with more tears that weren't from the sting of the slap. She closed her beautiful green eyes and turned away with a sob, tears now sliding down her face. Korra said nothing, but instead wrapped her arm around Asami and pulled her into her side the same way she had done when she sat down next to her.

"M-my father," Asami managed to choke out before burying her face in Korra's chest. Korra flinched as the girl nudged her breast a little roughly but continued to comfort the girl, stroking her arm as she cried.

"I-I don't have anything anymore!" Asami sobbed. "Sure, sure I have money and every other material possession that everyone would ever want, but that doesn't make me h-happy!"

Korra let go of the girl and stood up, grabbing Asami's arms and pulling her to her feet as well. The Avatar wrapped her arms around Asami's waist when they were both standing to place the girl in a more comforting embrace. Asami wrapped her arms around Korra's neck, burying her face into her.

They stood there for a few minutes, Korra letting Asami empty herself of her repressed tears. Once it seemed the other girl had started calming down, Korra pulled away, brushing the tear-stained pale skin with her fingers with a smile.

"You have us. You have Bolin and Mako and Tenzin and Lin! You have me, and I'm pretty great," Korra said, raising her eyebrow for effect. Asami laughed a little with a slight hiccup. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"We all care about you. We love you. We're your family. I know your dad was your dad, and nothing can replace him, but he hurt you, Asami. And right now, he doesn't deserve your tears, and you don't deserve to be so upset about a jerk who hurt you," Korra explained, her hands now grasping Asami's and squeezing tighter with each sentence.

Asami sniffed and smiled before leaning her head on Korra's, closing her eyes for a few minutes of peace. When they both pulled away, they smiled at each other, and this time, Korra could see that Asami's smile was genuine.

Korra plopped back down to the ground, Asami joining her soon after. They both hung their legs over the side of the wall on which they were sitting. Korra reached behind her and pulled out the box of cereal she brought from the kitchen. She opened it up and pulled out a handful of the snack before shoving it in her mouth. She stretched her arm with the box over to her companion to offer her some. Asami reached her hand in the box as well and pulled out a handful of her own to place in her mouth.

Asami smiled.


Alright. I hope you liked it! I will attempt to upload another chapter either later tonight or later tomorrow. Thanks again for the reviews!