Korra couldn't believe it; the battle against Kuvira was over, Varrick and Zhu Li were married and Asami and herself were now headed to the Spirit World for a vacation. The whole concept of vacation seemed so foreign to Korra, as she had barely had a break since first coming to Republic City. Korra now realizes that, while she was eager to get out into the world and fulfill her duty as the Avatar, she had never once anticipated the amount of work the job required or how much pain she would have to endure. Now though, she had a chance at happiness, a chance at a break… a chance at Asami.
For a while, Korra had always looked at Asami as a best friend. Her whole life she had been surrounded my mentors and, of course, her family, but it was nice being around people her own age group. Sure Mako and Bolin were great, but sometimes Korra felt as if Asami was the only one who actually understood her. Maybe this was just because they were both female but after time and time again of Asami's understanding, Korra began to realize that maybe there was more to it than that. After they had both called it quits with Mako, Korra had begun to feel things towards Asami (though she never said anything or acted upon it). It was only when she was recovering from Zaheer's poison that she took action by writing letters to Asami only, the one person she felt understood her best.
Now, the two stood hand in hand, face to face, prepared to enter the Spirit World. They smiled at one another before the Spirit Portal shot their physical selves into the other world. Once they landed, they realized they were still holding hands with one another. Asami's blush was intoxicating for Korra. She felt compelled to do something about Asami's cute expression and she felt as though Asami would appreciate something too.
"I wanted to thank you," said Korra, not bothering to let go of the other girl's hands.
"For what?" Asami asked.
"For always being here for me. You don't understand how much it means to me… how much you mean to me." With that, Korra leaned in, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips to Asami's. Asami was in shock for a moment, but bit-by-bit, she started to react. It only took a moment more before Korra and Asami's lips were moving together in sync.
The kiss, however, ended too soon. Asami pulled away, surprised. Korra held her breath for a moment before looking away, realizing that perhaps she had made a mistake. "I'm so sorry Asami…" she said quietly.
There was an awkward tension in the air, filled by a pause that should have been filled by Asami's words. Finally, she spoke. "No, don't be sorry," said Asami softly, putting her hand to Korra's cheek. "It just surprised me." She held Korra's chin delicately and lifted it back up again. This time Asami moved in and pressed her lips to Korra's.
For the two women, it felt as though the puzzle had finally fit together. There was such comfort now, such beauty in the moment, and the two savoured it. Finally, they broke apart to breathe. "Wow," Korra panted. "You're better than Mako."
"Well I hope so. He learned from me, after all," Asami joked, winking in Korra's direction. This made Korra blush for a reason she wasn't entirely sure about. In any case, Asami just made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. She recognized the feeling as love, though she also recognized it wasn't the same love she had felt from anyone else, not even Mako. With Mako it had been awkward points and kisses that didn't quite feel right; Mako was always more like a brother to her and she hadn't realized it until they had broken up. She wondered if Asami felt the same.
"So, this is the Spirit World," said Asami, looking out at the vast and beautiful expanse before them.
"Yeah, it is," said Korra, smiling.
"Well, let's go look around."
Asami took Korra's hand, and the two walked off, prepared for a night of exploring the world… and each other.
Morning came too soon. In fact, this day had come too soon. Korra was both weary and excited to enter the Spirit World with Jinora, as it would mean that there could be potential for connecting with her past lives. On the other hand, it would also mean not being able to spend time with Asami for an indefinite period of time, as nobody knew how long this trip would take. Jinora felt more or less the same way, as she was excited for an adventure in the Spirit World, but would miss Kai dearly. Both of the girls chose to focus on the excitement of the adventure though, as worrying about their significant others and lack of time spent together with them would only bring misery that neither of them needed.
Korra and Jinora arrived at the entrance to the portal, followed by Tenzin, Pema, Ikki, Meelo, Rohan, Kai and Asami. The group planned to see the two girls off and then they would continue about their day. Korra and Jinora waved goodbye and sent final glances at their significant others and then walked into the portal.
They arrived on the other side. The two weren't far into their trek before Korra sensed a familiar presence.
"Back in the Spirit World so soon?" Iroh asked, appearing from behind a tree.
"Iroh," Korra greeted. "Yes, but this time I'm here on a quest."
"I see," said Iroh. "Who is this lovely traveller that you have brought with you?"
Jinora smiled and stepped forward. "My name is Jinora; I'm Aang and Katara's eldest granddaughter through their youngest son Tenzin and his wife Pema."
Iroh returned the smile. "Such a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. I don't know Tenzin, but I do see a lot of Avatar Aang and Master Katara in you. I'm glad you carry on their legacy."
"I have siblings too, three of them," Jinora said. "My sister Ikki, and my brothers Meelo and Rohan."
"I know. I'm glad there are many of you. You're much needed in the world to help restore the balance now that the Air Nation has been born anew."
There was a moment of silence before the old man spoke again. "Come sit, have some tea. I know you are on a quest to search for the past lives. I may have some insight to offer you."
"Thank you Iroh," said Korra.
Korra and Jinora followed Iroh back to his tea table. This time, he was seated alone. "I figured you would not want a distraction," he said, as if reading Korra's thoughts. She smiled at him, knowing he would understand.
Jinora and Korra sat down at the table. Iroh poured them some tea and said a prayer in his mind before taking a sip. "So, you would like to know how to find the Avatars who chose to send their energy into the spirit world at the time of their death, is that correct?"
"Yes, it is. Do you have information on how we can begin?" Jinora asked.
"Indeed I do," said Iroh. "I know that you must track the Avatars down in order of the most recent to the oldest. Raava can confirm, but the Avatars who chose to live in this world go in this order: Aang, Kuruk, Yangchen, Oren, Akira and Rai. Aang, as you know was an airbender, Kuruk a waterbender and Yangchen another airbender. Oren was an earthbender, Akira a firebender and Rai an airbender."
"So most of the Avatars we have to find are airbenders," Korra noted.
"Yes. Airbenders have always had a close connection to the spirits and so there are more of them who chose to continue their existence in the Spirit World once they were finished their time in the Material World," Iroh explained.
"Wait!" Jinora exclaimed. "This means I finally get to meet grandpa Aang!"
"This is also correct," said Iroh. "And I know he has been wanting to meet you and your siblings too."
Jinora smiled, almost tearing up from excitement. It wasn't every day that you could meet a deceased relative that you had read so much about and had always wanted to meet.
"I think we should be heading out," said Korra. "Thank you for the tea, Iroh, and the advice. It means a lot."
"Anything to help the Avatar," said Iroh, smiling.
With that, the girls set off in search of Aang, the first Avatar on their list to find.
