Chapter Four
Sweat dripped from her brow to the ground below, loud, sharp cracks sounded throughout the darkened courtyard. Punch. Punch. Kick. Punch. Punch. Dodge. Kick. Cracks formed and splinters flew from the nearly ruined training dummy, her fists and feet a blur as Korra attacked relentlessly. Emerald eyes glinted in the moonlight as Asami stood, watching from behind and admiring the view as the Avatar's bare arms flexed; the tan skin and pale scars stretching tightly against rippling muscle. Her body was hard as stone, but she moved with the lightness of a feather, the power of a rushing river, and with a burning intensity like a white hot flame. The fully realized Avatar stood before her, shirt soaked through with sweat, her hair matted to her forehead, and with blood trickling from her knuckles. Asami had never seen anything so beautiful.
Korra stopped suddenly, her arms dropping to her sides as she took a neutral stance. Breathing heavily, she took a water skin from her belt and drained it's contents in just a few gulps.
"You should probably bandage those hands, you know" Asami said with a smirk as she began walking forward.
"GAH!" Korra cried, dropping the skin and spinning around, eyes wide as her hands waved frantically. Asami only laughed as she came to a stop in front of the Avatar. "I'm sorry, didn't mean to scare you" she murmured, smiling now as she gently took Korra's hands in her own, turning them over to inspect her bruised and bleeding knuckles. "You didn't scare me, you just... Surprised me" Korra said meekly as she felt her face flush crimson. "Mhm, whatever you say Avatar. Come on, let's get you cleaned up." She said, tugging on Korra's hands as she began walking backwards towards the air temple. "N-no" Korra said, "I mean, it's alright. I was gonna go for a swim to cool down, I can just heal my hands in the water." Asami stopped, her head cocked as she pondered. "Hmm... Swimming? Sounds fun. Alright, lead the way." It was evident in her tone that Asami was telling, not asking, but Korra simply smiled, noting the mischievous glint in her best friend's eye. The two women walked in comfortable silence down the stone path leading to the beach of Air Temple Island. Upon reaching the white sandy shore, Asami wasted no time in kicking off her boots, shedding everything but her underclothes and wading out into the dark water. Korra was mesmerized by the inventor's boldness, and by every inch of pale, flawless skin now revealed to her. "You coming in?" Asami called, now waist deep in the water. "The water's fine", she joked, smirking at the dumbstruck look on Korra's face. "Uh, y-yeah, hang on" Korra mumbled before following suit, pulling off her her tunic and pants, leaving her in more modest undergarments than Asami's, but still feeling extremely exposed. She began making her way towards Asami, who was up to her shoulders by now but hadn't once taken her eyes off the Avatar. Korra waded in until the water was just past her hips before stopping and submerging her hands. She winced, her body stiffening as the salt water invaded the fresh cuts, then began to relax again as a gentle blue light engulfed her hands. Asami watched silently, smiling as Korra's pain was literally washed away. When she was finished, she looked over at Asami, smirked, and sank straight down into the water, disappearing from view. Asami's eyes widened as she looked from left to right, trying to determine where Korra would resurface, when she felt something wrap around her midsection from behind. "Boo", Korra whispered in her ear as Asami appropriately freaked out, certain some awful monster had come to drag her down to the murky depths of the sea. She stilled immediately upon hearing Korra's voice, realizing the serpentine creature wrapped around her waist was actually just Korra's arms crossed over her stomach. "Don't do that!" She whined, but Korra only laughed. "Payback for earlier" she teased, pulling away from Asami. The young genius turned to face the Avatar, whose shoulders still shook slightly from silent laughter. Asami huffed before splashing water at Korra, hitting her directly in the face. Korra's laughter stopped as her face stilled, blinking in surprise before the corner of her mouth slowly tilted upward. "Did... Did you actually just (splash) a water bender?" Korra asked, her hand already moving out to her side to gather water. "Korra..." Asami said slowly, backing away. "Listen, there's no need to do anything rash- KORRAAAAAA!" She screamed as a torrent of cold water washed over her, her previously dry and slightly curled hair now plastered to her head and face, pointing straight down into the water. Korra laughed as Asami scowled, pushing the wet hair out of her face before crossing her arms, a puppy-dog pout, perfected through years of training, already beginning to form on her face. Korra's laughter slowly died down as she moved over to Asami, stopping just inches away from her. "Hey now, fair is f-" her words were cut off as the inventor suddenly reached out to grab her shoulders, pushing down with all of her might, dunking the Avatar into the salty water. She came back up a moment later, spluttering and trying to push her hair out of her eyes. Asami's hands never left the Avatar's shoulders, a silent warning that she would do it again if she had to. Korra and Asami stood there then, staring each other down as gentle waves lapped at their shoulder blades before pushing past them towards the shore. Asami smiled then, her body relaxing as she tried to hold back laughter. Korra had less luck as she snorted suddenly, unrestrained laughter pouring out of her. Asami's hands never left her shoulders as she moved closer, laughing along with her. They stayed like that for some time, holding onto each other and giggling like children, stopping occasionally only to start all over again when they locked eyes.
When they finally calmed down, Korra snaked her arms around Asami's waist again and pulled her into a tight hug, resting her chin on the taller woman's shoulder. Asami was surprised at the display, but returned it immediately, draping her arms across Korra's back and holding her close. "Thank you... I can't even remember the last time I laughed like that. With everything that's happened- everything that's still happening, I... I needed that." Korra said, closing her eyes. "I'm always here Korra, for you, always." Asami whispered, absentmindedly drawing random patters with her fingertips on the exposed skin of Korra's back. Korra pulled away suddenly, but only slightly, looking into Asami's glowing green eyes. She saw the question there, in the bright emerald orbs, saw it reflected in her own pale blue.d
What's stopping us?
Before this, she could tell you. She could give you the answer. But standing there, bodies pressed together, only an inch or so separating their faces, Korra had absolutely no idea.
Her lips were warm in contrast to the cold water surrounding them, soft and sweet. Korra didn't know when she'd started kissing Asami, or if Asami had been the one to kiss her. In that moment she didn't even know her own name. All she could focus on was the ethereal beauty in front of her, the taste of cherries on her tongue, and the softness of her body as her hands roamed freely. As she slowly lost herself, giving in to her pent up desire, she forgot about everything else.
And everyone.
...
So, been a while. I had no idea where I wanted this story to go next, but now I have somewhat of an outline. That said, I can't do this without your feedback. Whether you like the story or not, I need input people. So please, if you want this to continue, please leave a review.