She had been racing towards the forest when the explosion hit. A flash of purple so bright Asami couldn't look at it filled the sky, and she stopped short, diving into an alley and shielding her head with her hands. For a few seconds, the roar of the energy blast drowned out everything else, and then, as suddenly as it had begun, the corona of energy retreated, pulling back into itself.
Once the coast seemed clear, Asami ran back out into the street and looked in the direction the blast had come from. What she saw was shocking. The forest of Spirit Vines that had occupied the center of Republic City was gone, and in its place, a massive column of yellow light now soared up into the sky. Asami had no idea as to the how of this, but one thought still filled her head: It was Korra. Somehow, it must have been Korra who did this.
Asami's heart caught in her throat. From here, at least, the devastation at the heart of the blast seemed total. Could anyone or anything have survived a catastrophe of that magnitude?
Whatever the answer, she had to know, and as she ran towards the blast site, she tried her best to calm her racing thoughts. Korra was the Avatar, she reminded herself. If anyone could come through this alive, it was her. And yet, the thought of having lost her refused to relinquish its hold on Asami. They had barely begun to explore their new relationship after that first afternoon, and she couldn't believe that now they might never get the chance. It was an overwhelmingly cruel thought, especially after what had happened to her father.
Tears started to gather in her eyes at the thought of him, crushed by Kuvira's titan as he finished carving an entrance for the strike team, but Asami did her best to hold them back. Later, she would mourn for the man she had only just begun to forgive. First, she had to find Korra and know if she would be grieving for her too.
When she reached the crater at the center of the blast, though, there was nothing to give her hope. The ground had been scythed clean, the shattered remains of the titan's canon stood propped up there, and the Spirit Vines had been obliterated, but of the Avatar herself, there was no sign. Others had started to gather as well: Tenzin and his children, Mako and Bolin, and many of the others who had fought against Kuvira, and all of them ran over the area, searching for any sign of Korra. There were no answers, though, only increasing frantic calls that echoed the growing panic in Asami's heart.
Just because Korra wasn't there, though, didn't mean that nothing was happening. All around the rim of the crater, varied and colorfully glowing creatures were manifesting, and Asami realized that the beam of light must be a new portal to the Spirit Realm. For a moment, everyone else was diverted from looking for the missing Avatar, starring instead at this new development in awe.
It was Tenzin who broke the silence "The spirits have returned."
Asami wasn't so easily distracted, but seconds later, she too saw something. Two figures were emerging out of the portal, and her heart soared as she realized who one of them was.
"And so has Korra," she cried out.
The other person was quite interesting too. Kuvira had her arm slung over Korra's shoulder for support but even aside from that weakness, she seemed utterly broken. Not just physically, though she'd clearly had better days, but emotionally. Her head was hung low, her shoulders slumped, and there was no doubt that she had been profoundly defeated.
Korra, by contrast, looked remarkable. Certainly, she was disheveled from the battle she'd just been through, but she still radiated power. When she'd come back to Republic City, she'd seemed better than when she'd left, and better still after she confronted Zaheer, but now the aura of strength around her was palpable, even at a distance. Seeing it filled Asami with a mixture of relief, joy and, an unexpected but pleasant tingle of arousal.
Bolin gave voice to the excitement all of them were feeling, yelling out, "Ha ha, you're okay!"
There was no time to enjoy the moment though. A number of the Earth Empire's mechs had made their way to the crater, and now they advanced, forming a semi-circle around the assembled group. One of them whom Asami presumed to be their leader demanded, "Release Kuvira or we will attack."
Surprisingly, it was Kuvira herself who spoke next. "Stand down," she ordered her soldiers. "This battle is over. I owe the Avatar my life. Her power is beyond anything I could ever hope to achieve. I'll accept whatever punishment the world sees fit."
Instinctively, Asami knew Kuvira was right. In that moment, she had no doubt that Korra could have easily destroyed the enemy forces if she had to, but there was no need. The ever-compliant soldiers of the Earth Empire lowered their weapons and as they backed away, Kuvira held out her wrists, allowing Chief Beifong to place a pair of restraints around them without complaint. It was strange to see her like that, and Asami suddenly thought of the way Korra had been after the battle with Zaheer. Her girlfriend had never possessed Kuvira's cruel arrogance, but the powerful bender's loss of confidence was still hauntingly familiar.
As she was led away, Kuvira turned to the woman who had raised her, saying, "And Suyin, I'm sorry for the anguish I caused you and your family."
Suyin did not seem to take the apology well, only telling Kuvira, "You're going to answer for everything you've done."
Asami could hardly blame her for anger. After all, it was Kuvira who had killed her father, but the engineer didn't give voice to her own feelings. She was too relieved that Korra was alive and whole, and she reached out to the Avatar, putting an arm around her shoulder.
They hadn't told anyone else about their relationship yet. Given how big a surprise they expected it would come as, and how crazy everything had been, the time hadn't seemed right. Now, though, Asami needed to feel the reality of Korra's survival, and she was prepared to risk some exposure to do it.
Even more than usual, the Avatar's muscled shoulder felt solid under her touch, but though the sensation was enough to make her shiver, no one else noticed. They were all too busy giving expression to their own joy. Bolin came in for a hug of his own, and Tenzin's children followed close behind. Soon enough, the entire group was gathered together in a single, massive embrace, all of them taking a moment to appreciate that, once more, they had made it through.
The chaotic aftermath of the battle took a while to settle down. Every time Korra thought it was over, more people would appear, bearing reports of damage, coordination of the Earth army's withdrawal, and concerns over the new spirit portal that had to be addressed. She dealt with them as best she could, but in the back of her mind, the need to talk to Asami was ever-present.
Once there was finally a lull in the stream of reports, she gave the engineer a little tug on her sleeve. Asami turned to look at her, and the smile on her face was enough to make Korra melt a little bit. Even though they hadn't had much time for themselves since their second (and third, and fourth, and a bunch more) kisses, she was finding that just the fact of their relationship could be enough to make her happy.
"You have a minute, Asami?"
"Of course."
The two of them begun making their way out of small crowd of people doing damage control. As they walked, Korra was conscious of how many eyes were on them, and especially on her. Being the Avatar meant she was seldom anonymous, and today's events weren't going to do anything to change that.
Perhaps sensing her thoughts, Asami said, "You realize people will find out about us pretty soon."
"Yeah, probably," she agreed, coming to a stop outside of an abandoned noodle shop she had eaten in once. "I mean, it's not that big a secret or anything, but they might be surprised." She paused, failing to suppress a grin. "Plus, I think Mako's head will explode."
"I imagine so." Asami gave her another of those gorgeous smiles of hers. She makes it seem so effortless, Korra thought to herself. Even covered in grime and ash, she still looks so elegant.
Now that they were away from any possible onlookers, Korra gave in to the impulse she'd been feeling ever since coming back out of the spirit portal. She slid her hand around Asami's head, and stepped closer to her, allowing herself the luxury of a long, slow kiss. Asami seemed to have waiting for this as much as she had, because she leaned into Korra's embrace, wrapping her arms around the Avatar and holding her close while the kiss went on and on.
"I think he'll just have to get used to it," Asami laughed when it was done, "Because I don't think I'll be able to keep you a secret for much longer."
"Definitely." Korra realized that she must be blushing. Nobody had ever made her do that as easily as Asami, but when she looked into her girlfriend's green eyes, she saw sorrow mixed in with undeniable happiness and she knew what the source must be. "Are you okay, Asami?" she asked. "I mean, I saw what happened with your dad…"
"I really don't know." Asami stayed close to her, but her head slumped down, resting on Korra's shoulder while the Avatar kept her arms firmly around her girlfriend. "There hasn't even been a chance for me to think about it."
"We have a little time now." She sorely hoped that was true. After everything they'd been through recently, some free time sounded not just pleasant but necessary.
Asami nodded, pressing her face more firmly against Korra's shoulder as she did. "It's strange. I spent years hating him. For what he did, but also for taking himself away from me. For so long, he'd been the only parent I'd had, and when I found out he was an Equalist, I lost that. And now, just when I was starting to get him back, he's gone for good."
Her girlfriend stepped out of her embrace and walked over to a hole in the street left behind by the giant mech her father had given his life fighting. Asami slumped down, taking a seat on the edge of the depression. She sighed, the grief that must be filling her breaking through. The thought of seeing Asami in pain brought a tear to Korra's eye, and she sat down next to her, placing a hand over the engineer's shoulder, but waiting for her to say the rest of what she had to.
"A part of me wonders if he wanted it this way." Asami's voice was distant as she continued. "If he'd survived, Lin just would've thrown him back in prison along with Kuvira. Maybe he thought it would be better to die a hero. I didn't want that though. Even in jail, I'd rather have had a father than a martyr."
Korra pulled her arm tighter around Asami. "He did it for you. He wanted you to be safe. And… I think he wanted you to be proud of him one more time."
Asami turned, placing a soft kiss on Korra's lips. "That's nice of you to say and you might be right. I guess I'll never be sure. I just know I'm just glad you're safe. When I saw that explosion, I was so afraid…"
Korra ran her fingers over Asami's face, brushing away a little of the dirt that had gathered there. It was night now, but the glow from the spirit portal provided enough illumination that she could clearly see the relief etched into the engineer's beautiful features. She'd been through so much, but at least she'd been spared the grief of losing Korra as well. "Hey, I'm not leaving you so easily," she assured Asami. "Besides, you heard Kuvira. My power is beyond anything she could hope to achieve."
Her overly pompous delivery got the laugh Korra had hoped for. "Have I ever told you how adorable you are when you're full of yourself?"
Korra smirked. "I think you might have. I wouldn't mind hearing a little more about it though."
Asami rose, brushing the dust of the street off her pants. "How about this: we go back and finish up with rest of these report, and afterwards, I show you just how cute you can be."
Korra popped back up to her feet as well, taking Asami's hand. She enjoyed their flirting, but she didn't want to take advantage of her girlfriend's grief. "Not complaining, but are you sure you feel up for that?"
"I think it will be a long time before I feel entirely better, but right now, I need to focus on something good. On you."
Korra blushed once more as she bent in for another kiss. Asami had done so much for her; caring for her after her injuries, waiting for her all the time she was gone, and supporting her when she got back. Now, her girlfriend was the one who needed help, and Korra had no intention of doing any less for her.
Getting near to the end, but there's still smut and formal wear before we're done. Please keep leaving your thought; I appreciate the feedback.