"Korra, c'mon! We're running behind schedule!" Asami yelled from outside.
"Oh, I'm sorry, are you helping carry any of your bags to the car? Noooo…" Korra complained.
Riko giggled, sitting on the front lawn of the cabin. Her arm was still bandaged tightly. Today they were leaving the fire nation and returning to Republic City. As Korra carried the last of the bags to the car, Asami ran back inside to make sure nothing was left behind. She lifted Riko into her arms on her way back to the car.
"Okay, we're all set. Everyone ready?" Asami said.
Korra had already jumped in the passenger seat in excitement. Riko looked excited, too. She had never been in a car before. Korra sat her on her lap and Asami climbed into the driver seat. Riko was giddy with excitement. She gripped the side door as the car engine started.
"Korra, hold on to her. I don't want her flying out of the car." Asami demanded.
Korra smiled and hugged her arms around Riko's waist. "Roger, captain!"
Asami laughed and they sped away.
A few hours later they made it in time for the ferry back to the earth kingdom, which then took another 3 days. Once they made it back on land, it was another day's drive to Republic City.
Towers and bright lights came into view on the night horizon. Asami smiled at the sight of home and she shook the two girls awake.
Riko jumped up in amazement, making Korra quickly grab her before she fell. The girl gripped the windshield and stared at the big city. They drove into the city and Riko couldn't help but to look all around her. The city scene was entirely new to her. She gasped at every new thing she saw.
Her eyes bulged when they pulled into the driveway of a huge mansion. "No way…" She whispered.
Asami giggled. "Yep, this is our home sweet home!"
The house doors swung open as two men ran out to greet them home. "Korraaaa! Asamiii! I missed you!" Bolin cried.
"Bolin, c'mon, give them some space." Mako said, grabbing his brother.
"Where have you been?!" Bolin continued. "Naga has been going crazy as have I with you gone!"
Korra giggled. Riko sat on Korra's shoulders as they approached them.
Both men stared at her. Mako was the first to say something. "Umm, Korra? Why is there a little girl on your shoulders?"
Korra sweat-dropped. Nervously she answered, "Um, well, we, uh, we sort of adopted her."
"What?!" Both men screamed.
"Calm down! You might scare her!" Korra hissed.
"Do you want to introduce yourself?" Asami asked, pulling her off of Korra's shoulders.
"Um, hi I'm Riko." She said, then hid behind Asami.
"You really adopted her?" Mako asked seriously.
"Yes, is that a problem, Mako?" Asami asked sternly. Her hand landed on her hips. Mako didn't want to pick this fight and he was aware of that and said nothing more about it.
However, Bolin bent down to her level and approached her. "Hi, my name's Bolin! That grump over there is my brother Mako. So what happened to your arm?"
Riko giggled at Bolin's funny manner. "Well, uh, I got stuck in a bear trap."
"Wow! That must've been scary!"
"It was, but Korra saved me."
Bolin smiled at her and then at Korra. "I like her, Korra. She's nice."
"That's great and all, but can someone help carry the bags inside?!" Mako pleaded. Bolin rushed over. Korra grabbed a couple bags and Asami pushed open the doors. Korra was quickly ambushed by a mass of white fluff.
"Naga!" Korra screamed happily. She dropped the bags and cuddled with the polar bear dog. Riko stood staring at the creature. Korra grabbed Riko's hand and laid it on the animal's head. Riko smiled and started running her hands through her fur.
"Naga, this is Riko. She's gonna be staying with us from now on." Naga barked back. "Riko, this is my polar bear dog Naga. Don't worry, she won't hurt you." Korra said.
Korra then went to help carry the rest of their belongings in while Riko pet Naga.
While they were unpacking, Asami noticed that Bolin was staring at her. She put her hands on her hips and he still stared.
"Bolin?"
He remained in his thoughts for a minute before his eyes widened and he yelled out. "Asami! D-Did Korra… Did K-Korra p-propose to you?!"
Mako dropped a bag. "What?!" That's when he noticed the blue betrothal necklace around her neck. He turned to Korra. "You asked her to marry you?!"
"Yeah, is something wrong with that?" Korra was starting to get ticked off with Mako.
"Yeah! Why didn't you tell us?! Or at least me?" Bolin cried out. "I can't believe it. I'm so happy for you two! When's the wedding?!"
Korra laughed. "Bolin, settle down. We haven't sat down to discuss the details yet. And I didn't tell you because… Well, because I was scared that if Asami said no…"
"Korra." Asami cooed. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "You had nothing to worry about. There's no way I would've said no to you."
Korra blushed and gave her a peck on the lips.
Mako groaned and marched away. He tried to remain indifferent to the girls' relationship, even though he still liked both of them, but if they got married his chances were long gone.
Asami sighed when they boys finally left. She was really tired and she could tell the girls were too, since they had fallen asleep on the couch. She shook Korra awake, and then Korra carried Riko to bed with them. Again, Riko slept in the middle of the two girls and they cuddled her as they slept.
Riko woke up when someone shook her the next morning. "Nghhh, nooo, I don't wanna get uppp…"
"Oh, but I thought you wanted to see the city so badly?" Korra teased.
Riko blinked her eyes open and quickly sat up in bed. She smiled and Korra carried her to the bathroom down the hall. Asami was still in the master bathroom getting ready.
Korra and Riko were waiting for Asami by the front door for another hour.
"I wish I could just take you on Naga." Korra complained.
"Why can't we?" Riko asked.
"Sigh, Asami wants to buy you new clothes and stuff. So we have to take the car."
"I hope that's not a problem." Asami said, coming down the stairs.
Riko smiled nervously. "No, that's fine."
Asami parked along a street full of shops. Riko jumped out of the car before Korra could grab her. She ran after her and swooped her up in her arms. Both of them laughed and Korra put her on her shoulders before following Asami to a clothing shop.
Korra facepalmed at the store. Of course, Asami only wanted her child to wear the best, but this was overdoing it entirely. It was one of the fanciest stores in the whole city.
"Asami, I know you want what's best for Riko, but this is too much. She doesn't need or want expensive clothes like this. I mean, she's only ten. She'll feel intimidated. She needs something comfortable and easy to run around in." Korra said, halting before they walked in the store.
Asami sighed. "Fine then, Avatar, where do you suppose we go shopping?"
Korra smiled and dragged them to a different clothing store down the street.
"Korra, this is an everyday type of store." Asami complained.
"Exactly." She replied. She pulled Riko off as they walked in.
Riko smiled. This store seemed more of her style. Korra walked with her through the clothes racks. Asami pouted, but Riko was enjoying herself. She watched as Korra picked out some clothes and sent Riko to go try them on. Asami smiled. Korra was picking up the responsibility of parenting a lot easier than expected.
Korra jumped when her fiancée grabbed her waist. "I like seeing you do things with Riko. I knew I was right when I thought you would be a good mother."
Riko peeked out of the stall and smiled. Asami had crept up from behind Korra and made her jump. Riko giggled as Korra blushed at her simple touches. She opened the door and the two women smiled at her.
"Those are perfect!" Korra exclaimed.
They were simple training clothes, but it was comfortable. The couple bought multiple other outfits. Training gear. Regular clothes. Dress up clothes. Pajamas. Everything you could think of. And of course Asami was paying for all of it.
Riko saw the total cost ring up at the register and jumped. "Asami, you don't have to do this. Really! That's a lot of money and I don't need all of this!"
Asami shoved a hand over her mouth and bent down to her level. "You still haven't realized who I am, have you?"
Riko peeled her hand away slowly. "Um, I know you're probably related to the Sato's."
"Riko, I'm the daughter of the creator of the Satomobile. I inherited the company from my father. I'm the CEO of the company now. And I have no problem for paying for your clothes or anything you need. You're my daughter now and I'm gonna take care of you."
Riko's eyes widened as she took in the information. Eventually she smiled. "So I have the Avatar and the CEO of the Sato Company as mothers. Heh… That's crazy."
Korra picked her up to put her on her shoulders again. She and Asami carried the bags back to the car. Then they showed Riko more of the city. It was more than she could've ever imagined. She gasped when they drove past the statue of Toph.
"Is that Toph?!" Riko yelled.
Korra suddenly smiled at Asami. She slowed the car down and pulled into the police station. Riko exclaimed when Korra picked her up out of the car and put her on the sidewalk. Asami got out of the driver side.
"Korra, what're we doing here?" Riko asked, curious.
"This is the police station, home of the metalbending police. Toph's daughter is chief of police here. Do you want to meet her?"
"Would I ever!"
"I'm forewarning you, she can be quite the grump." Korra warned.
Riko pouted. "More of a grump than Mako?"
Korra had to hold in a laugh. "Yes, definitely more than Mako sometimes."
She held Riko's hand as they walked in. Desks were on both sides of the room and many officers frantically ran about the room. They heard yelling come from the back office, making Riko gulp in nervousness.
"Get out of here and don't come back until you have that evidence!"
Korra laughed as another officer fell victim to Lin's rage. He ran out of the room and into the streets. Korra inhaled deeply before knocking on the metal door.
"Who is it now?! It better be important!" Lin yelled, yanking the door open. "Korra, what do you want?" That was when she noticed the little girl with her. She took a deep breath to calm herself in front of the child. "Who's this kid? I've never seen her around here before. Did she do something?"
Korra laughed nervously. Some of the officers were silently listening. "Chief, why don't we talk in your office?"
The Chief sighed and allowed them in the room. She could feel the nervousness rolling off of the child. Her curiosity peeked her interest. "So?"
Korra laughed nervously again. Riko pouted and grabbed her hand.
"Well, uh, Lin, we sort of, err… How do I say this?" Korra mumbled.
"We adopted her." Asami spoke up.
Both Lin's and Korra's eyes widened. Riko grabbed Asami's hand, too. While Lin took in the information, Asami smiled. However, Korra grabbed her shirt and pulled her close. "What the hell was that?! You were so blunt about it!" Asami casually pushed her away and they awaited Lin's reaction.
Suddenly Lin shook her head and laid a hand to her forehead. "I'm sorry. I thought you said you adopted her."
"I did say that."
Lin sighed. "Well…that's great girls. I'm happy for you. Just make sure she stays out of trouble."
Now Korra smiled. "T-Thanks, Chief! I promise she'll stay away from trouble! Except for wanting to meet you."
"Why would she want to meet me?" Lin asked.
Asami leaned down to her daughter. "Why don't you introduce yourself, hun?"
Riko nodded and stepped up nervously. "H-Hi, I'm Riko, and I'm an earthbender…"
Lin's brows raised. "An earthbender? Oh, okay! That makes sense now." She paused. "What happened to your arm?"
Riko squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed her arm. "I got trapped in a steel bear trap. It injured me pretty badly."
"That's awful!" Lin replied honestly.
Korra and Asami told Lin bits and pieces of their story.
Lin chuckled. "Have you told Tenzin?"
Korra started freaking out, her hands grabbing her hair. "Oh no! Tenzin! I haven't even told him! Oh crap! What do I do?!"
Asami took hold of her arms. "Korra!" The Avatar paused. "We can just go tell him now, okay?"
Korra loosened up and nodded. "Yeah… Yeah, okay. I'll just go tell him. Right…"
Asami sighed and started leading Riko out of the station. "See ya, Chief!" She called.
Korra stood for a second before following them. "Korra!" She looked back at Lin. "Riko seems like a nice girl. You better be a good mother to her, or I'll have to beat you up."
Korra snickered before running off. "Will do, Chief!"
Lin chuckled as the door shut. She saw the necklace around Asami's neck. Korra had failed to mention it to her, but she knew.
Korra became even more of a nervous wreck once they sat down on the ferry to the island.
"Korra, it's gonna be fine! You're an adult now! It doesn't matter if Tenzin doesn't agree with it, even though I highly doubt that he will!" Asami said, trying to comfort her. Riko held her hand during the boat ride.
As they approached, the air children ran out of the house in excitement. "Korra! Asami!" They hugged them and then went to Riko.
"Who are you?" the boy asked.
"Um, I'm Riko."
The kids smiled nicely. "Nice to meet ya! I'm Meelo! These are my sisters Ikki and Jinora!"
They seemed like they were around her age or a little older. Suddenly a younger boy came spinning out to them.
"Who's he?" She asked.
"Oh, that's our little brother, Rohan." He looked about maybe 5 years old, but he was already airbending.
"Kids, c'mon in. We need to have a talk with everyone!" Asami called from the porch.
Riko followed them inside past a kitchen to a nice dining room. She saw both of her moms sitting there alongside a man with airbender tattoos and his wife. Asami pulled her down to sit next to her. The four children sat in the empty seats around them.
Korra coughed. "So, uh Tenzin, how's everything been lately?" She was attempting small talk before revealing their surprise.
"Ohhh, things have been alright. Rohan is airbending more every day. Everyone seems to be growing up lately."
Korra and Asami chuckled nervously in response. "Well, that sounds great Tenzin! Asami and I just returned from vacation in the Fire Nation. It sure is different there and I missed Republic City." Korra rattled on and on.
At some point during Korra's rambling, Pema noticed the necklace around Asami's neck. "Asami?" Everyone looked at Pema. "Um, did Korra…?" She motioned to the necklace around her neck.
Korra's face went completely red. "Um, yeah! About that, ummm…"
"Korra, did you propose to Asami?! Why didn't you tell us?" Tenzin asked upon seeing the necklace.
Asami blushed a little bit. "Just so you know, I said yes."
The air family jumped up and squished the couple into a big hug. Riko slid away to give them space in their moment.
"Riko?"
She looked up. Asami was motioning for her to come to her. "You're a part of this family now, too."
Quietly, she slid into Asami's side and hugged her.
"I don't mean to implore, but did that mean something more, Asami? I could just be overthinking it." Tenzin asked.
The Asami laughed nervously again. "Yes, well…"
She looked to Korra. Everyone let go of them and were waiting for an answer. Korra took a breath. "This is our daughter that we adopted. Her name is Riko."
Tenzin and Pema stood there shocked. In the meantime, the kids had rushed Riko with affection.
"So we're kind of like cousins now, huh?" Ikki said.
"Yeah, we're family!" Meelo yelled.
Riko smiled while they continued babbling on about being family.
"Where did she come from?!" Tenzin asked.
Korra scratched the back of her neck. "Well, we sort of stumbled upon her while on vacation in the Fire Nation, but she's from the Earth Kingdom."
Pema told the kids to go play outside while the adults talked. "Well, I think that's a lovely thing for you to do Korra. There's so many orphans still in the world."
Tenzin sighed, agreeing with his wife. "So, what's her story?"
The couple sighed as they retold Riko's story.
"So that's what happened to her arm. And she's an earthbender? I would've never guessed." Tenzin exclaimed at the end of their tale.
"She went through an awful lot for a kid like her." Pema commented.
"Yeah, she did. I could see it when I first saw her. That's why I wanted to take her in." Asami replied dotingly. She saw the kids running around outside through the window. Riko looked like she was having fun.
"We'll come back right? I had so much fun with them." Riko whined.
Korra laughed. "Of course we will. They're family."
Night had already fallen by the time they arrived back home. Riko had fallen asleep in the car. Korra carried her inside and laid her on their bed. Asami hugged her from behind and started kissing her neck. "I think we need to get Riko her own room."
Korra held in her groan. "Asami, we can't, not now…"
"Korra, she's passed out from exhaustion from today. C'mon, I'm gonna go take a shower. You're welcome to join me." Asami whispered, winking at her.
Korra stood there for a minute while the shower turned on. She slapped her forehead and walked into the huge bathroom. Asami was sitting naked on the sink, looking like she had been waiting for her. Korra blushed, but still slammed her hands on either side of the sink. She inched closer and closer until their lips touched. Asami helped her out of her clothes before slamming her into the shower wall.
Riko jumped at the sound of something hitting a wall. She blinked her eyes open before they widened at the sounds coming from the bathroom. She blushed when Korra started moaning.
"Shhhh!"
"Well you're the one who started it!"
"Just shut up already."
Riko sighed and went back to sleep.
She smirked when she felt the two women climb into bed with her some time later. She hid her face in the pillow so they wouldn't see her smirk. They wrapped their arms around her like every night and happily went to sleep.
