Counting Down

Asami picked up her pace as she left the garage. Dragon Flats borough was a good half hour walk, so if she wanted to get back quick she had to hurry. Besides that, she didn't know how long she was going to be in Dragon Flats or even what she exactly was planning to do about the protests. Maybe they will listen to me. Mrs. Hisoka has to listen to me. She kept repeating in her mind as she turned another sharp corner.

With a 'hmph' she crashed into something or rather someone. Asami's body was still weakened by the cold and she bounced of the person and landed on the floor. She grunted as she sat up and rubbed her lower back.

"You need to watch where you're going." A stern voice said. When Asami looked up Lin Beifong was extending her hand towards her. She hesitated a moment before she grabbed Lin's hand to get up.

"Maybe…" Asami grumbled. She wanted to lash out, tell Lin that she should watch where she was going. But in her mind she heard Korra tell her that Lin wasn't a bad person. That she should try and talk to the Chief. So Asami took the middle of the road and decided not to say anything at all.

"Where are you going in such a rush? Don't you need to work on your invention?" Lin asked in her annoyed voice. Asami rolled her eyes. Why did she always question her? Where are you going? What are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be doing this or that? It took Asami all her willpower to not get angry.

"Dragon Flats." She said through her teeth, keeping her feelings at bay.

"By foot?"

"Yes, I don't have a Satomobile anymore, but you probably know that already." Asami sneered, not able to hold back.

"Okay, I'll take you." It sounded more like a command than an offer.

"What? You don't have to…" Asami was confused. Why would Lin help her? Unless she wanted to keep an eye on Asami as always.

"But I will." Asami sighed, counting till ten in her head to keep her emotions in check. Without saying anything else she followed Lin towards Lin's automobile. This is going to be an interesting ride. Asami thought as she sat down next to the Chief.

"Raiko! You need to mobilize the United Forces right now!" Korra yelled as she stormed through the doors of Raiko's office. A lot of guards had tried to stop her, Mako and Bolin from entering, but one look at the distressed Avatar had scared them away.

"Korra!? What are you doing here? You can't just storm in lik…"

"There is no time! Kuvira is already here. You need to get the army together." Korra said. A silence followed and Mako considered trying to come between Korra and Raiko. There was no use in scaring the president into mobilizing his forces. But after a few seconds Raiko picked up his phone and dialled a number.

"Yes, get general Iroh on the line right away." He said with urgency.

"Thank you. I will inform Lin and Tenzin." Korra said. Raiko nodded and waved Team Avatar out of his office.

"Phew, what a day…" Bolin said. All the scouting and rushing had made him tired and hungry.

"I need to get to the frontier to get all the defence lines in order. I also need to tell Tenzin about this. The airbenders should get organised as well. The citizens. They need to get to safety. We can't fight with houses full of innocent people." Korra mumbled as she walked through City Hall.

"Wow, Korra. Slow down." Mako said, grabbing Korra's shoulder to turn her around.

"You hardly had any sleep yesterday. You need some rest." He told her.

"I can't!" Korra pushed his hand from her shoulder. Somehow she still felt annoyed with him.

"Yes you can. You don't have to do everything. Raiko and Iroh are going to get the defence lines in order. Bolin can inform Lin and Tenzin and I can discuss an obligatory evacuation of the city with Wu. If you're going to exhaust yourself right now, you won't be able to face Kuvira. We need you to be on your best for that part." Mako explained. Korra knew he was right. She was tired and her mind was getting clouded.

"Okay… Just so I can defeat Kuvira." She reluctantly gave in. "But when I get back there better still be a city to defend." Korra jokingly warned the brothers.

"I will see what I can do." Mako laughed back.

"Awh, all smiles and happiness again!" Bolin remarked.

"What do you mean?" Mako asked, not getting Bolin's strange remark.

"Well you know. After all the: 'You're jealous!', 'You're being inappropriate!' and 'Don't throw things in my face!', it is nice to see you two making up." Korra cringed at Bolin's recount of the fight that just transpired between her and Mako.

"Yeah, well… I might have overreacted. Sorry, Mako. I'm just stressed and Asami… We really became good friends and she's deserves better than just being a silly crush." Korra apologized, looking at the ground.

"It's okay. I shouldn't have brought up the past and maybe I shouldn't even think about dating. And you know that I respect Asami. I wasn't planning on hurting her." Mako answered, feeling a bit embarrassed himself. This whole Asami thing was getting out of control. It was no hanging matter. He just thought about going on a date with her after all the Kuvira business. It wasn't like he wanted to marry her right away. It was no big deal.

"Yeah.. Okay, I'm going now." Korra wlked away before the conversation could get more uncomfortable.

"You guys are weird at making apologies." Bolin sighed.

"Whatever Bolin." Mako groaned as he continued his way.

The drive was silent, just like that night a couple of years ago. Asami focused on the scenery outside. She couldn't help thinking that she had unleashed the past and it was now forcing itself back into her life. She had to smile at the thought since it was totally paranoid.

"Hmm… The streets seem to be blocked from up here." Lin mumbled while she parked her car on the side of the road. Up ahead people had made barriers out of sacks of sand and branches.

"It's close enough." Asami said. From here it was barely a five minute walk to Hisoka's hotel. When Asami wanted the open the door Lin did the same.

"What are you doing?" Asami asked.

"I'm coming with you."

"No." Asami said in determination. The Chief stared at her as if she was being difficult, but Asami really didn't want to fight right now. "Look, they're protesting against Raiko and his government. You're part of that government. I'm a non-bender who has spent a lot of years in this borough. Maybe I can reason with them, but they will definitely not listen if I bring the Chief of Police with me." Asami explained as clearly as possible. To her surprise Lin sat down again without protesting.

"I'll be here when you get back." She simply stated, turning the knob of the radio to receive the news.

"Uh... okay. See you later." Asami was flabbergasted. She at least expected some snarky remark. Cautiously she left the automobile and looked back a couple of times to check if she wasn't hallucinating. But she wasn't. She could see Lin waiting patiently behind the steering wheel.

Asami decided to pay it no mind. She had other tasks ahead to worry about.

It took her a lot of strength to climb over the barrier. She was wheezing a little when she jump down on the other side. Being sick really didn't help her.

"Hey! What are you doing!" A man yelled when he saw her jump down.

"Don't worry. I live here." Asami lied, walking passed the man as fast as she could. The streets weren't filled with people, but the atmosphere was tense. Through one of the alleys she could see the marketplace. A mass of people were walking around, carrying signs. Far off voices were yelling something rhythmic, but it was too far away for Asami to distinguish the words.

Without any problems, she made it to the hotel. It looked the same. A bell rang when she entered the hall.

"Asami! Is that you!?" A familiar voice yelled out in excitement.

"Hi there Yori. Is your grandma around?" Asami asked the young man behind the counter.

"Sure, sure. I will get her for you. Good to see you joining our forces." Yori smiled when he turned around and disappeared behind the door.

If only he knew… Asami thought. She looked around the hall. Nothing had changed since she came here the first time, on that nightmarish night. She had spent a lot of time inside these walls. A pang of guilt filled her, but she shook it off. Even though she was grateful that the Hisoka family had taken her in, this place had never felt like home. She was always the outsider.

"Asami, dear, what good to see you." Mrs. Hisoka said while shuffling to the counter. She somehow looked older. Maybe this whole war business was having an effect on her.

"It's been a long time." Asami mumbled, unsure how to begin.

"What brings you back here? Are you joining the protests?" Asami simply shook her head.

"Quite the opposite. You need to evacuate."

"W-what? Why?" Mrs. Hisoka stared at her. It surprised Asami that this took her off guard. Asami never really fought against the opinions in this house, but she also never supported them. She always thought that Mrs. Hisoka knew how she felt, but apparently she was wrong.

"Listen to president Raiko. You need to evacuate before Kuvira reaches the city."

"Lies! He's just exerting is his power, trying to disband our unity as non-benders. These are our streets and I won't leave!" Mrs. Hisoka yelled. Asami closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"You know that's not true…"

"Kuvira is a bender problem! It doesn't matter if we're slaves to Raiko or Kuvira!"

"You know that makes no sense. Raiko is trying…"

"He's just in the back pocket of that Avatar! She never cared! Living it up at Air Temple Island or wherever she was the last few years!"

"Not another word!" Asami tried the high road, but there was no reasoning with Mrs. Hisoka. All the frustration of listening to this deranged view of the world bubbled to the surface.

"Zaheer should have finished his task, then at least we didn't have to worry about that Avatar monopolizing our city!"

"That's enough!" Asami slammed her fists on the counter and leaned further towards Mrs. Hisoka. "Avatar Korra is doing her best to safe everyone in this city. Even people like you! Without her my father would have destroyed all the diversity that makes this city so great. Unalaq would have pulverised every house. And Zaheer would have thrown us all into chaos. So I swear to Raava, one more insult about Korra and you will wake up in a retirement home far, far away from Republic City." Asami made her thread in a low voice, slowly forming her words. Her eyes pierced through Mrs. Hisoka.

"Now I'm going to tell you what you are going to do. You are going to call all your friends and you are going to tell them to evacuate. I know that you hoped things would change around here when Raiko got elected, but he can't just make poverty and unemployment disappear with a snap of his fingers. Especially when people like you are holding onto old grudges and are unwilling to change. Kuvira is going to destroy everything Raiko tried to fix. Trust me when I say that you are way better off under Raiko's rule, then Kuvira's. So pack your stuff and move." Asami's voice had softened a bit, but her stare was just as fierce. Mrs. Hisoka stood frozen until she slowly turned around.

"Yori!"

"Yes?"

"Get Yang here!" Mrs. Hisoka turned back to Asami. Asami nodded, assuring her that she had done the right thing. She turned around, ready to get back home.

"You have changed." Mrs. Hisoka spoke bitterly.

"No, I stopped pretending." Asami answered before she left the hotel.

Somehow her footsteps were lighter as she made her way out of Dragon Flats borough. Yes, it was tough to leave Mrs. Hisoka behind like that, but she felt that she finally said what she should have said years ago. Maybe I did change after all. She thought as she looked back before climbing the barrier again.

"We are ready to strike again." One of Kuvira's commanders informed her.

"No, stop all the troops and set up camp. I want a running communication between us and president Raiko within an hour." Kuvira ordered. Her commander hesitated, but bowed nonetheless.

"Of course." With that he left the control room of Kuvira's enormous mecha suit.

"Darling, why aren't we going to move forward?" Bataar Jr. asked, being as confused as the commander.

"Remember how we got all the nations of the Earth Kingdom together?" Kuvira asked, turning towards her fiancée and losing up her stance a little bit.

"Hmmm, by train?"

"No, by free will. It took some strong arguments, but at the end they saw that we were their only hope. By now Avatar Korra and her little friends must have spread the news of our presence. I will give Raiko one more chance to surrender." Kuvira explained.

"Isn't that a bit too generous? Raiko is never going to hand over his city." Bataar Jr. was still puzzled.

"Don't worry, we will unite our empire. I will go down in the history books as the great Uniter and Raiko will be the one who chose the violent path towards his inevitable end. Besides, the people of Republic City will soon be our citizens and we want to keep them safe, so we won't make the first move." Kuvira explained. Bataar Jr. nodded and smiled. Kuvira didn't need to give Raiko another chance but here she was, doing just that. For the sake of her people.

"You're going to be a great leader." Bataar Jr. agreed.

"That's the plan." Kuvira smiled.

Asami plopped down beside Lin. She was sort of surprised to find the Chief still waiting for her. The short walk had exhausted Asami and she closed her eyes to catch her breath.

"Did everything go according to plan?" Lin asked as she turned around the vehicle.

"The protests should disappear and Dragon Flats is going to evacuate." Asami said. If Mrs. Hisoka still has enough influence. That comment she kept to herself.

Asami heard a dry chuckle beside her. It was soft, but it made her sit up. Making the Chief of Police chuckle was on her Never-Going-to-Happen-List.

"What?" Asami asked, staring at Lin.

"You remind me of your mother. She knew how to get people to do what she wanted and she was a pain in my ass." Lin spoke blatantly. Now it was Asami who laughed.

"She couldn't have been as bad as me." Asami stated.

"Different…" Lin said thoughtful. "You know you're mother worked for the small counsel?"

"Of course. She stopped when she got me and my father was too busy with Future Industries."

"Yes, I never understood why your father didn't ask her to do the negotiations for his company. She would have made some great deals."

"She wasn't interested in business or profit or automobiles. That's what my father told me…"

"Makes sense. She used to organize these forums and gatherings after she left politics. Giving every idiot in this city a place to speak. Sometimes she organized protests, clogging up the city. My officers had to arrest her a couple of times, but she just didn't stop." Lin spoke freely. Asami smiled. It was nice to hear her mother was annoying. It made her more real. All the people who knew her always told Asami how sweet and considerate she was. Hearing Lin say that her mother was disrupting the public order gave her mother more depth.

"Once she had this big protest in the middle of the city. Totally unauthorized. I really wanted to lock her up, just for one night so she might finally realize she was obstructing the police. But when I went inside the interrogation room she had you on her lap." Lin glared at Asami, as if she still took it personal.

"Really? My first jail visit." Asami smirked.

"You kept looking at me with those big green teary eyes. As if I was ruining your life right there and then. Your mother kept telling you that the scary chief didn't mean to yell. Of course you started to cry. You made so much noise for such a small girl."

"I always aim for perfection." Asami joked.

"I couldn't lock up a mother with her crying two-year-old. I swear she had put you up to it. She bought you ice cream as soon as she was outside." Asami started to laugh. She couldn't remember that her mother would buy her off with ice cream, but it made her feel warm inside. She didn't have a lot of stories about the little adventures she and her mother had.

"Sorry I made it impossible for you to arrest my mother." Asami said through her laughing fit.

"Don't worry about it. At least her protests were always non-violent." Asami could have sworn that there was a hint of a smile on Lin's face when she recalled that time.

"I wished she had listened to me once though…" Lin sighed all of a sudden. Asami cocked up her eyebrow, seeing a drastic change of mood. Without saying a word Lin stopped the automobile on the side of the road and turned towards Asami.

"When I became Chief of Police I knew that there would be people I could not safe. That's a fact I had to live with. But some people that slip through your fingers stay with you." Asami swallowed a lump in her throat, knowing what Lin was trying to say.

"I told her not to protest against the Triads. In that time they were just small-time criminals, but Yasuko wanted to voice the concerns of the poor people suffering from them. At the rally nobody dared to speak up, so she was the only one that spoke out against them. A week later they raided your house." Asami's hands started to tremble. Up till now her mother's death was always ascribed to a break-in. Now Lin made it sound like they were planning to kill her mother.

"I saw you and your father at the funeral…"

"Stop!" Asami yelled out of the blue. "I don't want to hear this." She didn't like to talk about that particular day. She had accepted it by pushing it away. She didn't want a recap.

"I only wanted to say I'm sorry." Lin decided.

"You knew this all along?"

"What?"

"My mother. That is was a murder, not an accident." This fact shouldn't be so upsetting. Whether her mother was collateral damage or a victim of murder, it wouldn't change the outcome. Still, Asami wanted to know. She needed Lin to say explicitly what she just had suggested.

"We couldn't proof it. The people we had arrested insisted on a break-in gone bad." Lin simply replied. Asami closed her eyes. This was just perfect. Why would Lin tell her this now? Her mother was a martyr, should that fill her with pride? It only made her bitter. An accident was an accident, a murder was something else. Her mother had put herself in danger, dying for her ideals instead of living quietly with her family.

"If you want to see the documents, you could." Lin offered, seeing the struggle on Asami's face. She wanted to tell Asami that she knew how hard her life was. That she never meant to make it harder for her. But this information had more impact on the young woman than Lin had initially thought.

"No, just drive me back to the garage. I need to work." Asami said with a blank stare. She couldn't deal with this right now. And that is why you never talk about your past, cause it sucks you right back in.

"I won't give over my city!" Raiko couldn't help the angry tremble in his voice. Or maybe it was fear, probably a mix of both.

"I respect your commitment to Republic City, but your first line of defence didn't held up. It would hurt me to see more men and women fall for a lost cause." The voice of Kuvira boomed through a little box placed on the table in front of the president.

"I haven't heard anything about that." Raiko tried to remain calm.

"That might be all the proof you need." Kuvira said, slightly amused by Raiko's lack of information. With snapping his fingers Raiko signed one of his assistants to find out if Kuvira was telling the truth. Avatar Korra and her friends already warned him about the position of Kuvira's army, but he hadn't heard about an attack yet.

Across from Raiko, Tenzin was staring at the little box from which Kuvira's voice appeared. This was bad. He knew that Kuvira was telling the truth. She wasn't the kind of person that would bluff.

"We will see." Raiko grumbled. It took him long enough to get everyone mobilized. Such an early defeat wouldn't be good.

"I am a patient woman. Just know that I will get what I want in the end." Kuvira threatened. Raiko gave Tenzin a look of concern, but there was nothing Tenzin could do right now.

A minute later the assistant returned. Nodding his head with sadness dripping from his face. Kuvira wasn't lying. She had broken through their first line of defence. Republic City wasn't ready for another confrontation with this kind of power.

"I can't hand over the city." Raiko said more to himself than anyone else.

"I'm in a good mood. I give you till midnight to decide what you want to do. Just remember that the result would stay the same." The soft sound of static replacing the cold voice as Kuvira broke off contact.

"We can't win. Not now." Raiko was on the edge of desperation.

"We must evacuate the city immediately. That gives us space to confront Kuvira." Tenzin spoke up.

"We don't have the forces! Definitely with that spirit weapon that keeps burning holes in our defences. If only Varrick would make us one." Raiko stood up and walked to the window. He couldn't shake the feeling that this might be one of the last times he could look over his city.

"Varrick and Korra have decided against spirit energy weapons and we should respect that. We haven't lost yet. I will contact Lin and Wu so we can make the evacuation obligatory."

"That's just postponing the inevitable." Raiko mumbled. Tenzin sighed and turned towards the door. He wanted to say something to motivate Raiko, but to be honest, he didn't know what to say. The situation was pretty dire and Raiko might be right. Evacuation would bring down potential victims, but won't save the city. For the first time in many years he felt that fear again. The fear of losing hope. But Tenzin also knew he couldn't give into that fear. Whatever Kuvira would throw at them, they had to stand tall.

"So Tenzin was with Lin before Pema?" Asami asked in awe.

"I know! Apparently for a long time too." Korra confirmed before taking another bite out of her sticky bun. After she took a nap she decided to bring around some late lunch to Asami in Varrick's garage. She still felt partially responsible for Asami's health.

"Who knew Tenzin was so popular?" Korra asked.

"Well, who doesn't like a bald man with tattoos? Oh and that goatee, yum." Asami said in a sultry voice, elbowing Korra. Korra almost choked in her lunch.

"Ugh, stop! That's Tenzin we are talking about! He's like my dad!" Korra yelled out. Asami bent over laughing at Korra's stunned reaction. She was quite easily shocked.

"You are a terrible person, you know that?" Korra said, trying hard not to burst out in laughter herself. It felt good to see that Asami was doing better. And joking around with her made the tension around Kuvira more bearable. What if I can't defeat her and I won't be able to do this again? The thought just lingered in Korra's head for a second, but her face must have given her away.

"Hey, you're okay?" Asami asked, seeing the sudden distress in Korra's eyes.

"Yeah, it's just… This is nice." Korra decided.

"I agree." Should I say something? I like you more than a bald spot and a goatee? Asami's train of thought was interrupted when she saw Korra frown in confusion at her. You're staring. Stop staring! Say something smart…

"You have lunch on your face." Asami said slowly. She wasn't lying. There was a small smudge on the corner of Korra's mouth.

"Oh, really? Where?" Korra asked, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"No, wait. Let me… Sit still." Asami laughed. It took some effort to get Korra's hand out of the way, so Asami could wipe away the smudge with her thumb. The gesture was small but tender, giving the room a certain heaviness. Asami froze. Should I do something?

Bolin started to walk faster when he heard voices coming from down the corridor. He had spent some time in Varrick's garages and workplaces, but he still got lost. There were just too many halls, with too many doors to too many rooms and places. When Lin asked him to look for Korra and Asami he was actually scared that he might get lost.

When he got closer to the door the voices got louder. It were definitely Korra and Asami. Thank goodness, I hope they know the way back. Bolin thought in relieve as he pushed the door open.

"Hey there! I… I…" Bolin stopped in mid-sentence as he saw Korra and Asami sitting on a workbench. Asami's hand was on Korra's face and their faces were closer together than faces normally were on friendly lunches.

"Bolin! Hi!" Korra yelped as she practically jumped off the workbench. Asami turned towards the intruder and looked more annoyed than surprised.

"Hello… I… huh… Lin." Bolin babbled.

"Lin?" Korra asked, looking back at Asami, but she just shrugged her shoulders.

"Yes, Lin. She has an announcement to make in the main hall! That's it. So, do you two have time?" Bolin recomposed himself.

"Sure. Of course, why wouldn't we?" Korra asked a bit uneasy as Asami stood up from the workbench as well.

"I guess lunch time is over." Asami said softly in disappointment.

"Yeah, sorry. Lin said it was urgent." Bolin apologized as he turned towards the door. Korra and Asami followed him.

Soon Asami took the lead to the main hall when Bolin was taking too long making up his mind about which turn to take. As Asami walked she couldn't help but get a bit lost in her thoughts. She had talked to Lin just an hour ago. She hadn't told Korra anything about her short adventure in Dragon Flats, mainly because she was in desperate need of some fun and pleasantness. Besides that, she still didn't know what to make of the information Lin had given her.

"So… You and Asami?" Bolin whispered as Asami was walking a fair distance in front of him and Korra.

"What?" Korra asked, not expecting Bolin's question.

"You guys are friends?"

"Yes, we are close friends." Korra said in confusion. Bolin nodded.

"Really close friends." He whispered. Korra frowned. What was Bolin doing and why was he smiling so smugly?

"Ah, there you are!" Lin yelled from across main hall. Varrick, Zhu Li and Mako were already standing around her. Mako waved them over and Korra decided to let Bolin's weird behaviour go and focus on the really important stuff.

"So as you all know, Kuvira has entered the United Republic of Nations." Lin started as Mako mouthed an 'hello' to his friends.

Asami had heard this news as soon as she and Lin returned to the garage. It was all over the radio broadcasts and people were falling over themselves to leave the city. Her visit to Dragon Flats borough shouldn't have been a second later.

"Team Avatar is going to secure the borders of the city while Raiko is negotiating with Kuvira." Lin continued.

"Negotiating? I thought we passed that phase." Korra said annoyed. Negotiation at this point seemed like a setback.

"Apparently Kuvira has contacted Raiko. We don't have a lot of hope that she might retreat, but it does buy us time. Varrick's Global Industries and Future Industries will work further on the Hummingbird Mecha Suits for air support. Kuvira has her Giant Mecha Suit with the spirit weapon. We need our own surprise weapon." It was supposed to motivate Asami, Varrick and Zhu Li, but Asami didn't know if her Hummingbirds were any challenge for such a big mecha suit. Still, she had to try, but it did make her nervous.

"In order to help the development I have called upon the help of one of Republic City's greatest minds." The doors behind Lin opened and four guards walked in with Hiroshi between them.

"Dad!" Asami yelled in surprise. Since Korra stayed with her she hadn't visit him. It was strange to see him outside the confinement of a cell. One look at his face made her realise how much she missed their weekly Pai Sho games.

Without thinking Asami ran to her father to embrace him. Hiroshi wanted to do the same, but his hands were still cuffed.

"Asami, it's good to see you." He said with a smile.

"He can work with you, but he will be under constant surveillance." Lin explained. Korra nodded. It was weird to see Hiroshi Sato. He had gotten grey and a lot thinner since the last time she had seen him. The way he smiled at Asami made him look more like a doting father than a criminal. Still, Korra couldn't get the Equalists out of her head.

"It's an honour to work with you on your project Asami. I'm so proud." Hiroshi said once his daughter let him go.

"I can't believe we're standing in a garage together again." Asami answered. Then Hiroshi turned towards Korra and her friends.

"I know I caused you a lot of hardship. You have no reason to trust me. We do have one thing in common though. We both love Republic City. What I did in the past I'm still paying for. Let me help you for this battle so I can serve my city one more time." Hiroshi almost pleaded. Asami saw the conflict on Korra's face. She wanted Korra to forgive her father, at least partially. But she also knew how hard it must be on Korra. It hasn't been easy for Asami as well.

"Of course you can help." Korra mumbled. How could she deny the city the knowledge of a great engineer. Furthermore, how could she deny Asami the help of her father?

"Thank you Avatar Korra." Hiroshi made a small bow.

"Alright, let's get to work. Korra, Mako, Bolin, you need to come with me to the president." Lin commanded. Team Avatar nodded. When Korra walked passed Asami she could hear a soft 'thank you'. Korra smiled at her as they went their separate ways.

Thanks again for reading and for the great comments from last time. I'm grateful for the support. This chapter took a bit longer. I had a version in which Lin's and Asami's conversation had a happy ending. I changed it though, since I think it's more interesting this way. I'm not deliberately trying to make Asami's life a living hell in this story, but the drama gives good tension. It will get better for her (but it might also get a little bit worse first. We all have seen the series so we know what's going to happen XD) Anyway, till the next one!