"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."
― Søren Kierkegaard
Chapter 5 – Burst the Bubble
Asami awoke on her side with her face pressed against her pillow, stirring from light, loving kisses being pressed upon her bare back as someone pulled her shirt up. Craning her neck to peek behind her, she was met with her favorite crooked smile.
"This is an unusual surprise, but a very welcome one. I'm usually the first one up," Asami spoke raspy with her own sleepy smile creeping on her lips, rolling completely onto her back.
"I can't let you have all the fun except I think I'll let you have a majority of the fun in this department," Korra responded, straddling Asami's hips and leaning down until only inches separated their faces. "The sun's barely up and mornings are evil."
"And what do you expect to do with the extra time you have on your hands today?" she teased, but from the mischievous look in the Avatar's bright blue eyes, she had an idea of where this was going.
"I can think of a few things."
And with that, Korra closed the minute distance between them, taking the engineer's plump bottom lip in between hers. Asami threw her arms around her neck, intertwining her hands in the soft, brown hair. Neither woman seemed to care that their friends were nearby. Their kisses became hurried and Asami pulled Korra closer, wrapping her legs around her hips, desperate to be closer, to get friction.
Korra grabbed the bottom of Asami's shirt to reveal her toned body, but a loud shriek followed by several loud crashes penetrating the door halted that.
"Pabu! No, no, no!"
The couple tore apart in a fit of laughs.
"I guess that's our cue to get out there." Korra buried her face in Asami's neck, reluctant to get out of bed and also a little annoyed at Bolin.
"We can finish this later," Asami consoled, kissing the side of her head and petting the back of her head.
They got dressed quickly and joined the brothers in the main area of the airship where Bolin was hastily trying to clean up some broken glass. Mako sat on the couch leaving all the blame on him, shaking his head at the situation.
"Hi, lovely ladies," Bolin greeted them with a nervous smile. "This wasn't an antique or a Sato heirloom, right?"
Asami's eyes darted between the glass in the dustpan and Bolin sweating earth bullets. Asami held her head up high, glaring at Bolin with her freshly done, perfect lips in a thin line. Bolin shook and cringed as he watched his friend come within a foot of him, leering over him. He shrunk in upon himself and became a meek turtle duck in the presence of the wrath of Asami Sato.
"Bolin, are you telling me that Pabu broke some of the last possessions of my parents that I own?" she deadpanned, letting out a singular, loud breath.
Knowing their little getaway was meant to reconnect Asami with her mother, Bolin pleaded for mercy. He fell to his knees, tossed the dust pan to the side and practically kissed her feet. "I-I-I-I'm sorry! I-I-I can be your butler! Or I can be security for you! Please, don't hurt me or Pabu!"
"Bolin, get up!" Shakily, he rose to his feet. Asami tightly grasped Bolin's shoulders, looking him dead in the eye. Light green eyes were filled with the seriousness of a businesswoman, and the medium green were filled with apprehension instead of the easy-going, fun demeanor of Bolin. She leaned forward to whisper something in his ear, but began shaking with laughter and dropped her forehead against his shoulder. "You fell right into that one. You think I'd keep family possessions on my airship?"
After registering the initial shock of her joke, Mako and Korra joined in her laughter and Bolin babbled on about how unfair it was. He pushed her gently off her shoulder, watching her cackle at her little stunt.
"You think you can have it all? You're rich. You're beautiful. You're dating the freaking Avatar. Leave something for the rest of us commoners, will ya?"
"I play to win, Bolin," she winked and messed up his hair. "I'll buy you whatever you want to eat when we land. How's that sound?"
Once Bolin settled down from Asami's prank, they settled down in the little lounge area. Asami slipped out for a moment, returning to her room and retrieved one of the two letters she brought along. She couldn't explain what enticed her to bring the letter about her mother or the next one she needed to read at the last moment.
A bang from the main area snapped her head up from staring at the unopened letter in her hands. Korra was cheering and Bolin was crying again. Taking the letter with her, Asami exited the room to discover Mako and Korra in an arm-wrestling match over the coffee table. Bolin stood beside them, cheering Mako on, but the vein on Mako's head and glaring side-eye he gave Bolin showed he was agitated.
They were so engrossed in their competition that Asami took a seat at a table in the back, away from the action and flipped the seal open.
Asami,
As I write this, it's your 20th birthday. The beginning of a new decade of life for you. It's hard to believe you were born 20 years ago. I never would've imagined not being able to celebrate with you, not being able to see you. You haven't written to me, but I hope you are reading the letters to find solace in your life. I continue writing to find solace myself.
I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. Your mother was asleep, leaving me to fend for myself. You began whimpering and kicking yourself out of your swaddle. I had no idea how to care for a tiny, helpless baby. What was I supposed to do?
I picked you up out of your little crib, not knowing what to do, but cradled you like the healers and doctors showed me. Your lips curled into a little pout and you released these little baby noises. You were so adorable and cute that I smiled down at you and ran a finger along your nose and cheek. This was the first baby I ever held so I prayed I would not drop you and damage you when you weren't even a day old. I never would have heard the end of it from your mother if that happened, and I would never forgive myself.
But then you opened your gorgeous, innocent emerald eyes. It was at that moment, that I knew I'd do everything I could to protect you and guarantee you never yearned for anything in life. To protect you from the forbidding world we all live in. I came from a poor upbringing, and Future Industries was dominating the market. I knew if Future Industries continued to grow and expand, we'd be set for life and for generations of Satos down the line.
Unfortunately, I nearly destroyed it. I hear Future Industries is slowly recovering and becoming a force again. I can't tell you how proud I am of you, but I do worry about your health. When you were born, I never would have predicted you would be the CEO – not by choice – at such a young age. You're considered an adult, but I still imagine you as that baby girl I held on this day 20 years ago.
If I was there with you, I imagine we'd have a drink in my study if you'd allow your old man to be your drinking partner. By dusk, I see you in a beautiful red dress ready to take on the most exclusive restaurants and entertainment venues in the city with your friends. Since I can't be there with you, I hope your friends are celebrating with you tonight.
Happy Birthday, Asami.
Love,
Dad
If she wanted to be honest with herself, that birthday was a blur. The whole Red Lotus situation had happened less than a year prior to that day. Everyone had gone on their own paths of finding their destiny.
Asami's attention was ripped from the words when Korra slammed Mako's hand onto the table and proceeded to jump from her seat, cheering. Maybe Asami wasn't with her friends on her birthday like her dad hoped for, but she was now. Their paths had converged again. If those three years were the price to pay for their paths to be intertwined the rest of their lives, it'd all be worth it.
Asami slipped the letter into her jacket and walked over to her girlfriend. She said nothing, but kissed her forehead sweetly to congratulate her on beating Mako.
A blinding burst of sunlight came streaming through the windows. Everyone gathered against the windows, mesmerized by Sanmyaku. A whole mountain range surrounded the perimeter except for a narrow opening leading to the rest of the United Republic and the open coastline on the far side. It was nowhere near Republic City technologically or density, but a nice in between of city and country. Boats headed out to fish for the day and farmers were plowing their lands while others drove around to get to their offices and shops.
It was easy enough to find a large enough clearing to land. What nobody anticipated was a group of townspeople to gawk at each and every one of them like they were zoo animals as they walked down the ramp. The townspeople and Team Avatar stared blankly at each other until Naga came charging out with Pabu on her head, frightening most of the townspeople.
They decided to explore town to seek out a suitable place for a meal. It wasn't no Republic City, but gorgeous in its own sense. It was certainly much greener – grass wise and not spirit vines – and not nearly as loud or populated.
Asami looked this way and that, looking for something that would jog the ancient memories that resided somewhere in her brain. But nothing was coming to her. Not a single thing. Not the coastline in the distance, not the mountain range, and not the first hand-experience of walking into town.
"Yasuko?" a voice from behind called out. Asami hadn't heard that name being called out for years, stopping her in her tracks and turning around to the voice. A middle age woman in a red silk robe with golden eyes and dark brown hair cascading down her back approached them until she was in front of Asami. "I thought I was hallucinating, but I can't believe it. You're the spitting image of her."
"Excuse me?" Asami arched a confused eyebrow at the stranger.
"My apologies, I'm Kinu," she introduced, bowing at the waist. "I was friends with your mom growing up. It's been so long, Asami."
"We've met?"
"When you were a little girl, much too young to remember. I always wondered if you ever came to visit after your mother's…" she trailed off, giving a sympathetic, knowing smile. "We're often one of the forgotten provinces of the United Republic, but the Sato name has such prestige." She paused, looking Asami up and down, seeing her old friend before her in her daughter. There were differences, but they were very minor, subtle differences. "Is this your first time visiting since you were a child?"
"Yeah, my father wrote me some letters, and he dedicated one to her. How they met and how she grew up here. He mentioned I visited when I was younger, and that he was ashamed of himself for not bringing me here afterwards."
"Oh, he mentioned how he third wheeled our vacation to Republic City?" she chuckled lightly, crossing her arms. "Lovesick fool he was."
"You're the friend my mom was with?" she asked, shocked at this revelation. Of all the people she could've struck up a conversation with in Sanmyaku not ten minutes after arriving.
"With? She was with me," she laughed, throwing her head back. "She didn't want to go to Republic City. Claimed it'd be full of self-center city folks. Yasuko may have moved to the big city, but she was a townie girl at heart."
"As great as this little reunion has been, maybe we should move this conversation to a restaurant? Getting my butt whipped by the Avatar and Asami Sato wounded my pride that can only heal with food," Bolin interjected, but Korra elbowed him in the ribs, knocking the wind out of him.
Realizing how rude she was being, Kinu introduced herself formally to the others. She insisted she be their guide in her quaint town and went into a whole spiel about Sanmyaku for them.
"Unfortunately, I'm afraid we don't have as much variety here in terms of food. Primarily, we have Fire Nation and Western Earth Kingdom cuisine. There's a few Water Tribe places, but they've had to make variations of authentic cuisine to cater to Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom palates. Kind of ironic considering we're on the coast and this is the perfect location for waterbenders," Kinu mentioned as they walked down one of the busier streets with a diverse array of shops and several restaurants.
Bolin wanted to try a so called "fusion Water Tribe joint" as he so eloquently put it. Asami frankly didn't care where they ate, but Korra was reluctant. Give her a criminal any day, she'd be ready to kick ass. Give her a non-authentic Water Tribe place, she was ready to walk the other way. Mako, on the other hand, wasn't listening in on the conversation at all. His attention was on a well-kept building that had all its windows and front door boarded up.
"Why's this building all boarded up?"
Kinu turned to the building in question, sighing. "That's Takeshi's shop. He's a good friend of mine. He's very good with his hands and always crafting things with scraps. He doesn't have any kids so he'll even spend time with the kids in town, teaching firebending sometimes. Wonderful, amazing man. But several weeks ago, he just vanished." The four friends eyed each other, thinking the same thing. "At first, we thought he skipped town, but several others began disappearing too. Then we heard the whole United Republic was facing the same phenomenon."
Asami took the lead, hoping she wasn't overstepping any boundaries. "If it's not too much trouble, would we be able to discuss this more at your home or my airship, Kinu? "
No matter where they went, no matter what they did, everything always came to them.
Fear lingered on the shoulders of Sanmyaku. Takeishi was one of the most popular figures there. In addition to him, one adult fisherman and two children had vanished. The fisherman was an elite waterbender who brought in massive fish hauls, and the children were from two prominent families. Like those in Republic City, they were demanding answers.
As Mako, Korra, and Bolin brainstormed, Kinu pulled Asami up her stairs and to her room. Inside her closet, she reached up on the top shelf and retrieved an old, worn box. The two sat side by side on her dark green comforter covering her large bed.
Within the box was several photo albums. She shifted among the albums until she grasped one with black binding.
"If you haven't figured it out from all the photos of my family downstairs, I'm a photographer," she chuckled, placing the box with the remainder of the albums on the other side of her. "Thankfully, technology has advanced since I began, but all the moments I have captured over the years personally and professionally all tell a story no matter how minor or major."
Before Asami's eyes was her mother. As a teenager, a young adult. Individual photos of her. Photos of her with Kinu and with other friends.
"We met when we were young teenagers and became fast friends." Remembering her younger years brought a sad smile to her face. For her friend who was no longer with them, for the passage of time. "When I was first learning photography, I was terrible, but she made up these stories about them to make me feel better. As I improved, she continued to tell these elaborate stories. Some true. Some complete fantasy."
"She used to tell me stories all the time," Asami quietly added, feeling a little ache in her chest. "I think she enjoyed story time as much as I did."
"It wouldn't surprise me one bit. She was fascinated with tales of lore and fantasy as much as she was of reality. It was her grip on reality that nearly prevented her from returning to your father."
"What?" Asami gasped, looking up from the photos.
"You…didn't know?" She flipped a few more photos to come upon a photo of Hiroshi and Yasuko in what appeared to be the park, leaning up against a tree. From the looks on their faces, they weren't aware they were about to be photographed. "Your father had gifted us the latest Satomobile to return home. Your mother kissed him right before we left then got cold feet. Once we hit the road, she began babbling about how that kind of stuff doesn't happen in the real life, only fantasy."
"I didn't know," she whispered in disbelief. Did her mother or father ever tell her this? Or did she just forget it? Oh, how things would've turned out so differently if Yasuko hadn't taken that leap of fate.
"Hey, it all turned out alright." Gently, Kinu reached up and placed a hand on her cheek, envisioning Yasuko before her several decades ago in a very similar situation. "As much as it broke my heart to see my friend leave, I convinced her that the love I saw between them was undeniable. Yasuko may have grown up in a more rural area, but she was destined for bigger things than Sanmyaku. You always find the thing you need most when you're not looking for it. That's just how life works. We find love in the places we'd never expect them to be, but that's what makes life special and exhilarating as a journey."
Asami was well acquainted with that sentiment. The Asami from several years ago never would've expected to meet Korra who happened to be the Avatar and interested in her boyfriend. That Asami never would've predicted she'd be in a loving relationship with Korra that she wouldn't trade for anything in the world.
"Do you think my mom would've liked Korra? Approved of her as my girlfriend?"
Kinu began flipping through the album again, revealing more photos of Yasuko. "Yasuko would've loved her. The look in each of your eyes when you catch each other's gaze across the room, it reminds me of the undeniable connection I witnessed between your parents."
Similar to her mother, Asami found something that she wasn't expecting on a little getaway. It wasn't romantic love, but a part of her mother was now with her like her father hoped for. There was certainly more to uncover and experience in Sanmyaku, but seeing all the photos of her in her youth was priceless.
"You must've only been three or four here. Your mother came to visit and proclaimed it a girls' weekend." Yasuko sat on the edge of a body of water, soaking her feet with a young Asami in her arms. Both women smiled brightly at the camera.
"Is that Heiwa Springs?"
"It is. It's located on Mt. Gaoda on the other side of town with a worn path you can't miss. The handful of times she visited, she always made it a priority to go there. It was one of our favorite hangout spots growing up. Since you're aware of Heiwa Springs, I'm assuming you and your friends will be visiting?" Asami nodded. "I have one more thing to show you before you head off then."
Downstairs, Kinu led Asami through a side door that led to a garage. She turned the lights on to reveal a Satomobile. This wasn't just any Satomobile though.
"That's…" Asami trailed off, astonished she was looking at one of the early models of her trademark product.
"The very car your father gave us," Kinu confirmed. "Your mother gave it to me once she moved to Republic City. I never had the heart to sell it since it represented how strongly Hiroshi felt for her. Your father was a wealthy man then, but nowhere close to what he was in his prime."
"I can't believe it." Asami tentatively walked over, running her fingers along the black hood. "Does it still run?"
"Of course. My husband and I have our newer Satomobiles, but over the years, I've always made sure to run her a few times a week and give her proper maintenance."
"How come…how come you didn't give it back to my dad after she died?"
Kinu sighed sadly. "I tried to. I insisted he take it, but he refused. I let it go for a while because I knew he was grieving, but when I tried contacting him again, he wanted to hear no such thing about it again. I tried several more times, but he never responded." Kinu walked up to Asami, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder and smiling. "Drives my husband crazy that it takes up room in our garage, but I'm thinking he may get his garage back. You've got your airship, you've got your father's brains, I'm sure you can formulate a safe operation to move her from here back to your home in Republic City."
"You can't be serious?"
"Asami, I've had this car for over two decades now. I have no reason to keep it besides to relive my glory days of riding back from Republic City in the latest Satomobile. I see no one more fitting to possess the car than you, the real symbolism of your parents love."
"You are the greatest thing I ever created."
A single tear escaped from Asami's left eye and fell to the hood of the car.
"I-I don't know what to say, Kinu," she stuttered, choked up on all her emotions bubbling to the surface.
"You don't have to say anything. We can arrange the details later. I think it's about time you and your friends go to Heiwa Springs."
Talking and remembering her parents made Asami a little emotional. She and Kinu emerged from the garage and walked back to the living room where her friends were. The second Asami came into view, the Water Tribe woman's eyes drifted away from the conversation with the brothers, twinkling softly a look that only Asami could draw from her.
Not saying a word, Asami padded over to her friends. Korra's eyes followed her the entire few seconds it took to reach them like she hadn't seen her for years. Reaching the younger woman, she crouched down, giving Korra a slight height advantage sitting on the couch. Fair, nimble fingers reached around and tangled themselves into short brown hair. Those same fingers guided the Avatar's lips to hers, capturing them into an electric kiss filled with burning passion.
"I love you so much," Asami whispered gently across her lips, resting her forehead against hers.
"I love you too. Did you learn anything interesting about your mom?"
"More than you could ever imagine. I'll tell you more later." She removed herself from Korra, finally acknowledging the brothers whose conversation ended and were taking in the couple. "How about we go to Heiwa Springs now?"
Kinu bid them farewell and provided some light snacks for them which Bolin gratefully accepted. On the way towards the trail that would lead to Heiwa Springs, the brothers and Korra enlightened Asami about their talks about the kidnappings. There wasn't much they could conclude, but Mako took notice how here more prominent and well-known citizens were taken whereas in Republic City, no one of rank was taken, making it a possible lead.
They were just about to embark on the path of Mt. Gaoda when Asami's name was hollered behind them.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Sato. I've been trying to track you all throughout town," the captain of her airship huffed and puffed, hunched over and resting his hands on his knees.
"What's wrong?"
Straightening out, he answered, "Chief Beifong is ordering all of you to return immediately. There've been incidents in Republic City including several major businesses and Future Industries is one of them."
Posted: January 3, 2021
Tumblr: mysky27 (Chapter 6 teaser, chapter title reveal, and beginning quote will be posted later this week!)
