"When you reminisce, you don't say, 'Remember that time you got sued by so-and-so?' No, you say, 'Remember when we played here and it was unbelievable, and we went out for that incredible meal and that funny thing happened?' Those are the important moments."

― John Petrucci

Chapter 17 - Reminisce

The next morning, Korra kept Asami company as she worked from home. Well, it was more to make sure she didn't do too much. Gin had come over with more progress reports, contracts, and other business documents for her to review.

The papers had retracted their statements, but there wasn't anything Asami could do about people's opinions because they had already been published and available for anyone to view. All of Republic City, perhaps the United Republic, had seen those statements.

Adversity was no stranger to her. He had manifested himself as another mountain to climb. To get back in the good graces of the public, she had to hike the perilous journey to guarantee and prove she was not a risk to Future Industries.

Asami had yet to step back into her office, something she'd do soon enough. For now, Gin was the bridge between the CEO and Future Industries' environment. The most pressing matter was scheduling a press conference as soon as possible with as many media sources as possible to show the world that she had nothing to hide.

"Very well, Ms. Sato." Gin took note of another of her boss's requests and glanced over at the Avatar who was studying her very closely. "Is there something you need, Avatar Korra?"

"You're going to make sure my girlfriend doesn't over exert herself while I'm absent?" she asked with a pointed look.

"Yes, Avatar Korra."

When she had awoke last night and Asami was missing, her spot long since cooled, she panicked. She flung herself out of bed and slung the newly purchased water skin on her back, running around the house to find her missing girlfriend.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she found her in the dining room reading a letter with a cup of tea. Even with Asami denying any pain and no sign of dishonesty, Korra was still paranoid about her safety and well-being. Leaving the hospital hadn't completely quashed her worry like she expected.

But she did have to admit, sleeping in their bed with Asami beside her offered her the best sleep she'd had in a long time. It was a black void, hours passing away in what seemed like seconds. She wished she didn't have to go to Ba Sing Se and leave Asami. All she wanted to do was lay in bed all day, feel her heat and life, but it was the meaning behind life that forced them apart.

Gin left by midday to report back to Future Industries. Asami was scheduled to have several calls with her executives later, but lunchtime was reserved for Kinu and Takeshi.

After initial greetings and some background on each of them, the conversation shifted to Yasuko. Plates cleared and drinks poured, the more entertaining stories were coming to light.

"Poor thing must've rolled down half of Mt. Gaoda. I felt bad, but I couldn't stop laughing. She had prickles and leaves in her hair and the look on her face was priceless. That got up a rock thrown upside my face, nearly took out my front teeth! She wasn't a bender, but she had amazing aim with projectiles, particularly earth targeted towards me." The man before them wasn't one who'd been abducted from his home, but a man so caught up in his amusing tale that he had to wipe a tear away.

"Yeah, because you have a big head," Kinu teased, measuring his head with her hands. "I have a better memory. We must've been eighteen or so and we went up to Heiwa Springs late in the night. Nobody else was there, and she got a little playful look in her eye. Somehow, she convinced me to climb up the rocks and go skinny dipping. The water was a lot colder than I expected and instantly regretted that."

"That's…something I never needed to know about my mom." Asami glanced at Korra who had a mischievous smirk on her lips and wiggled eyebrows. "Wipe that smirk off your lips, Korra. I am not going skinny dipping with you!"

"Why not? We can do it in the South! It's acceptable to swim naked there, ya know."

"If I'm not going skinny dipping with you here, why would I go skinny dipping in the icy waters of the South?"

"Because you love me," she said in a sing song voice and her ever persistent smirk still present.

"You're ridiculous." Asami shook her head, but couldn't stop from grinning. "I apologize for her behavior. She may be the Avatar, but she's a little kid at heart."

"Don't worry about it." Kinu waved her off. When there was a lull in conversation again, Kinu presented a plain black photo album from her bag. "I actually have a little gift for you, Asami. I located many photos I had of your mother and even a few of your father and you when you visited Sanmyaku."

"Kinu, I-I don't know what to say." Asami began flipping through the photos, leaving the other three to continue their own conversation.

"You both met Asami when she was younger then? What was she like as a kid? I bet she was a little devil."

"I only met Asami a few times, and it wasn't for very long. Yasuko and I kind of drifted apart after she left Sanmyaku, but I was always rooting for her." Takeshi glanced at Asami and smirked a little. "It's clear Yasuko made the right choice. She loved Asami and Hiroshi with every fiber of her body."

"What about the time us three went to dinner though? Yasuko had come for her girl's weekend with Asami and then we all went up to Heiwa Springs the next day. She made an exception for you to crash it for old time's sake. But back to young Asami, she was very sweet, adventurous and always had a ribbon or a bow in her hair the handful of times I saw her…"

A plethora of photos of her mother through her teenager years and young adulthood helped Asami envision her mother growing up and finding herself. One page was dedicated to her with the Satomobile her dad had gifted her. In the driver's seat, on the hood, leaning against the side, and one that was clearly her napping in the backseat with her mouth wide open and hair a mess after a wild adventure. That one had her laughing to herself.

A few photos of her dad and herself intermingled with her mother, but her mom was the star. It was weird seeing herself as a kid in an area she visited, but had no recollection. The longer Asami went through the photos, the easier it came to create little scenes and stories with each picture. Abruptly, something triggered in her brain.

Her mom wasn't here to tell her girlfriend embarrassing stories. Her mom wasn't here to reminisce about her younger, exciting days with them. Instead, it was her friends, the one physical link she had to her mom.

Her mom didn't watch her grow up beyond the age of six. She was watching her mother grow up from a teenager to a young adult with little glimpses of her as a wife and a mother.

The roles were reversed.

The final picture almost brought her to tears, happy tears. No older than three, she was cradled in between her parents in front of what had to be Heiwa Springs. Like the picture would fade away or break if she was too rough, Asami brushed her thumb across each of their beaming faces, leaving hers for last.

"I guess Asami hasn't changed much then." Korra's words snapped Asami out of her trip down memory lane. "Still adorable, sweet, and a little hellion." Korra pinched Asami's cheek lovingly and leaned in for a quick peck on the lips.

"Plus, I've got the Avatar wrapped around my little finger," Asami teased back, trailing a finger over her cheek, flaming the Avatar's cheeks and earning laughs across the table. "Don't play the game if you can't take the heat, baby."

"There's more of Yasuko shining through," Takeshi emphasized. "I swear, if your eyes were gold instead of green, I'd swear she was right here with us. I know you lost her when you were very young and likely don't remember some of the little things she did, but the little time I've spent with you, you're like her in many ways besides appearance."

"Like what?" Asami placed the photo album off to the side, interested in the little things that made her like her mother.

Takeshi gestured at Asami's face. "Sometimes your eyebrows bunch up. Depending on your mood, they either dip down further or the left one rises and your lips become pursed. There was just something about Yasuko's glare that had me on edge, but at the same time, a bit of her softness and compassion leaked through."

"I can speak more on behalf of your relationship," Kinu chipped in. "I know I mentioned the undeniable connection between you and Korra when we first met, but the little playful, flirty banters between the two of you are much like theirs too. Hiroshi would try to charm her, she'd giggled and flirt back and it often involved touching some part of him, often his cheek or pushing some stray hair from his forehead."

"And I'm sure if we spent more time with the two of you, I'm sure we could find more of her shining through you."

It had been so long since Yasuko physically occupied the Sato estate, but hearing her childhood friends telling her how similar she was to her, made it seem like maybe she'd never left. Yasuko and Hiroshi Sato had since passed, but they both lived on in her, the last living Sato.

Bittersweetness filled her. Her eyes fell on the photo album again. She felt her eyebrow dip down, the left one arching up in contemplation like Takeshi mentioned, now much more aware of her facial cue. She opened her mouth partway, but the words escaped, wondering if she was going to sound like a crazy person and derail their nice lunch.

"Is there a myth or a legend or some folklore about Heiwa Springs and Mt. Gaoda?" Without thinking, she grabbed Korra's hand under the table for support. Korra made no comment, happily accepting the connection.

"And there's more Yasuko and her stories. What story did she tell you, dear?"

"That Mt. Gaoda acts a protector to Heiwa Springs. If someone isn't in the right frame of mind and puts Heiwa Springs at risk of corruption, Mt. Gaoda will unleash its fury. And that the waters have special properties." Takeshi and Kinu side eyed one another at the question before both of them burst out laughing. Korra and Asami then side eyed one another, confused at the outburst.

"Asami, I'm surprised you remember that. That's a really old tale, but one she definitely would've told you," Kinu confessed once she calmed down. "No one really believes that myth and no one listens to it. I clearly remember a few times your mom hiked Mt. Gaoda when she was mad or trying to destress, but she still loved to study it." Kinu tilted her head at the sight of Asami's aghast eyes. "Is that not the response you were expecting?"

"No, no, it's just-" Asami placed a hand against her temple and tried to get a grasp on the new information. "I had a weird dream a while ago, but I thought it was just that – a dream."

How much of that dream was true? What was fact? What was fiction? What was fantasy? The photo album spoke to her, eyes locking on it, imaging the last photo of the three of them. Set in stone, the image came to life in her mind in vivid colors. She was laughing, they were kissing, and Kinu was just trying to get a nice family photo for them.

"The waters may not scientifically be blessed by spirits or magic, but soaking in Heiwa Springs will bring balance and harmony. I think its name speaks for itself. The waters wash away all your worries. You never leave livid at the world or yourself." Takeshi took a sip from his glass and placed it back on the table, a more serious on his face. "Whenever your schedules permit, you two should really try to make a trip to Sanmyaku and Heiwa Springs again. It's absolutely gorgeous, breathtaking. I think I speak for myself and Kinu, we would be honored if we could escort you up Mt. Gaoda to Heiwa Springs."

Korra looked to Asami with a wide smile, squeezing her hand. "What do you say, Asami?"

"It sounds perfect."


Asami was welcomed with a rising sun, a stream of it stroking her face. They hadn't forgotten to close the curtains this time. Korra sat on the bench seat, watching the sunrise. It was beautiful and a sight she would spend every last yuan to see for the rest of her lifetime.

"Are you an early riser now?"

Korra turned away from the window, a sheepish smile on her face. "Couldn't sleep. I'm sorry, I didn't like being boxed in with the curtains closed."

Sleep muddled her brain. Korra's movement kickstarted her brain. Asami shot up in bed and held up her right hand, displaying the light scar on her palm. Korra, thinking that Asami was in some sort of pain, tried getting up again, but was reassured she was in no pain.

"Korra, stay right there. I mean it."

Nothing was wrong. If anything, everything was lining up too nicely. All thoughts of sleep alluded her now, lingering drowsiness wiped away from her eyes. In the bottom drawer of her nightstand was one last letter, a letter that did not match the others. Beside the letters was one of the last photos of the Sato family together.

Looking back at her bed, their bed morphed into the one she had as a child. Where the stream of light struck the bed, the six-year-old version of herself appeared, sitting on the edge and smiling at her.

Asami twisted in her spot to have a front row seat of the scene playing out. Her projection jumped off the bed, much like she did in her dream. She didn't look back at her though. All her attention was on Korra who was not a part of the scene. The closer and closer she got to where Korra sat silent, she began fading away.

The spirit of the six-year-old spun around in front of Korra. Her features barely distinguishable, Korra's concern and presence shined through. The smile was on the last thing Asami saw before she leaned back into Korra, bursting into golden specks above them that only she saw.

"She's waiting for you."

The letter was like a ton of bricks in her healing hand. One last glance at her dad's photo, she shut the drawer and padded over to Korra.

Korra's anxiety was easy to read. Knuckles clutching the edge of the seat, eyes moving all over the room and wondering what Asami had been doing and why she had ordered her to stay put. She caressed Korra's cheek, speaking with her eyes that she was alright. More than alright. The kiss they shared told Asami everything that she already knew.

"You're happy?"

"It's the last one," she whispered against the lips that gave her the happiness she needed.

Korra leaned back, looking down at the letter. That letter was the last written words of Hiroshi. Though Asami and him had spoken and reconciled before his chosen demise, this closure would imprint a new aftertaste on Asami.

She gripped Asami's free hand and placed the other on her hip. "Are you sure?"

Asami's eyes slipped shut briefly and nodded. "I am."

Maybe there was a better or more appropriate time to do this, but the remaining Sato knew there was no point in waiting. The world would wait for no one, let alone them. She wanted to do this with Korra by her side, a new beginning as one journey ended and another began. Her unconscious had been sending her a message and the spirits blessed her with the perfect set up.

Korra relaxed back into the many pillows, letting Asami rest back in between her legs. The sun began peaking over the horizon more and more, joining them on the final leg of this journey and bathing them in light.

"You're beautiful, 'Sami," Korra whispered against her ear, kissing just below it. "I know I've been all over the place emotionally and a little overbearing, but it's because I care about you and love you so much."

Asami craned her neck and smiled lovingly. "You're beautiful, too. There's no one else I would've rather had by my side the past year for all the good and the bad. Thank you for letting me love you." Their lips came together in a slow, passionate kiss, basking in the peace they found together.

"I love you," the younger woman reiterated, murmuring against the older woman's lips. She repeated the same sentiment several times with pecks on the lips between each time. "You're it for me, Asami. No one else in this world can compare. I'll always be there for you."

"Same here."

They didn't need any fancy words. They'd made similar declarations the last few weeks, under pressure from recent events, but in the sanctuary of their home, those simple words officially sealed their commitment to one another without any formal proceedings. They were just two women, a woman with Fire Nation roots and a woman from the Water Tribe.

Both women understood what the other was saying.

After a nuzzle of her cheek, Korra leaned back and laid several kisses along her shoulder where she had been stabbed, trying her best to accept what happened. Asami was here and alive, well on her way to recovering. Asami was a fighter and would never give up.

Asami whispered her love and reassured her once more that everything was going to be alright. She encouraged Korra to wrap her arms around her and gave her a blessing to read the final written words of Hiroshi Sato with her.

Asami,

You finally allowed me to see what a beautiful young woman you have become. While you may not have changed much physicality since I last saw you – though you look much more like your mother now – I can see how you changed through your striking eyes. The eyes are the doorway to the soul they say.

It wasn't until you pushed my letters closer to me that I noticed them. Seeing those unopened letters on the table separating us, wiped away any inkling of hope I had that you read my letters over the years. I could handle if you never wrote back, but knowing I hurt you so bad that you couldn't read – let alone open – my words of regret and sorrow over the years, destroyed me in a way words could never describe.

You wanted to look me in the eye and cut all ties with me. You stood up and suddenly I had to summarize four years' worth of thoughts into an executive summary. It wasn't enough though. You ran out of there with tears spilling over your cheeks, leaving little drops of my failures and mistakes in my sights.

My heart shattered knowing I caused you more pain and that was the last time I'd ever see you in person and hear your voice. I ruined one of the best things in my life. Rightfully so, my body and mind have suffered the consequences of trying and learning to live with all my regrets. If I could absorb everything you have suffered because of what I have done, I would do it in a heartbeat. I would do anything to soothe and eradicate the hurt you feel.

I was laying in my cell trying to get some sleep when a guard came and said I had a visitor. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but no one else visited me for four years. He pulled the door open and when I caught sight of you, my heart pounded furiously. All that mattered was that you came back.

I tried to read your face, but I taught you too well. When you said you wanted to try, that was all I needed. I didn't deserve forgiveness, but the fact that you came back to try, brought me true happiness, hope I had not felt for years, Asami.

Watching you play Pai Sho brought back memories of when I first taught you when you were a little girl. When life was much simpler. Things have changed so much since you were the little girl I'd hold on my shoulders and teach everything I know about engineering and business in our workshop, but like I told you, you are the greatest thing I ever created. Anything I developed for Future Industries or leisure pales in comparison to you.

I'm not sure if I'll continue writing you letters, but I will continue to write. These past few years of writing has immensely helped me process my thoughts and blessed me temporary catharsis. I still have the letters you returned to me, but I hope one day, maybe we can read them together. To tell you the truth, I forget what some of them contain. But through them, I can continue to make amends to you.

No matter what happens, I know our relationship will never return to its previous state because of my actions, and I will take full responsibility and accept it.

I love you, Asami. You are the greatest thing I ever created and always will be.

Love,

Dad

Tears fell from eyes so familiar yet so different than her mother's. The tears weren't a symbol of sadness, unease, turmoil, and what ifs like the first letter. These tears were wholly happy tears, symbolizing the nostalgia of both her parents.

Hiroshi Sato's fall from his pedestal and wayward actions would always be a part of history for the world and Asami. While the rest of the world only remembered the misguided and malevolent side of him, Asami would be the one who could remember the good, compassionate side of him too.

She had forgiven him because she wanted to. Not because society told her she had to. Not because of a gut feeling that one or both of them would die in that hummingbird suit. Like he had made the choice to join the Equalists and turn against her and her friends, she had made the choice on her own free will to forgive him. His sins were not forgotten, but she could still recognize and see the man that was her dad.

Korra remained silent and felt drops of tears hit her hands. She couldn't understand the pain of losing parents, but she did understand the pain of knowing Asami was there yet not really being there. Hiroshi and her both watched Asami from the outside, pleading, begging with the spirits that she was okay and safe when there was nothing they could do.

While the Avatar initially had skepticism about him when Asami mentioned visiting him when they reunited, his words opened her eyes to how similar they. They both sought to protect and love Asami even if it was the last thing they did.

Hiroshi had acted at both extremes of the spectrum for his daughter to save and protect her from the forbidding world. For him, he was so consumed by the radicalization of the Equalists that he tried killing her, spewing words he never would have uttered otherwise. He had failed to kill her, but in exchange to express his ultimate apology, gave his life for her and her friends.

The Avatar's job was to keep the spectrum in balance. Sooner or later, that spectrum would tilt and require the Avatar's presence. While she wished she could protect the woman she loved from the dark side, she knew she never could because she'd always run into the fire alongside her. What she could do was always be there for her, in life and in battle.

Asami continued staring ahead into the side bay window in front of them, cheeks still wet with tears. Korra laid kisses along her cheek, rubbing her right side gently.

"I didn't know what to expect from reading his letters, but I'm glad I never burned them. They put into perspective words he didn't have time to verbally express to me." They truly did. With the possibility of Kuvira overtaking the world, there wasn't exactly time to air out all their dirty laundry.

"Are you okay? How are you feeling?"

Asami shifted to meet blue eyes brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Lost in the moment, she took brought their lips together for another slow, passionate dance. "I know there's still things I have to process with my dad and my mom, but I feel lighter, comforted."

Asami sighed happily and turned back to rest her back fully against Korra's front, returning to gaze out the window. The sun continued to rise higher, casting the skies in hues of oranges and yellows to calm the world before reality set in.

"Before I woke up in the hospital, I had a few dreams that I haven't told anyone about before yesterday."

She blinked slowly at the window, thinking about how to explain them without sounding silly. One hand ran up and down a dark forearm and the other still held the letter. Without any warning, Asami removed the hands from around her waist and set the letter off to the side where it wouldn't be disturbed. Korra thought she'd done something wrong until Asami began elaborating, leaning forward towards the window.

"The dream I referred to yesterday with Kinu and Takeshi was my parents and me visiting Sanmyaku when I was really young. I was freaking out until I realized what was going on." Asami's body blocked Korra from seeing out the window. Her chuckle was only seen by her reflection. For a moment, she stared at herself, examining the woman she had become.

Happy.

Free.

In love.

A lopsided smiled on her lips, she completely opened the window. A light breeze immediately blew into their room, the brunt of it blowing back black hair and cooling fair skin.

"That's why I asked about Heiwa Springs. My mom had told my younger self about it because my dad asked to refresh his memory about the myth. Part of the dream rang true at least, and it was nice seeing us as a little family again.

"Another one was set up just this," she explained, but leaned back into Korra's embrace, continuing to face forward and look out the window. "I was looking out the window like you were doing when I turned and saw myself as a kid sitting on the bed. Our whole conversation was by this window. But you know what was funnier?"

"What?"

"Before that dream, I had a dream where my parents were alive." She laughed under her breath, another breeze striking her skin. "The two of us were maybe a few years older than right now and we ate dinner together, discussing our lives, joking and laughing. It was a dream that held no truth to it, no chance of ever being reality."

Asami straddled Korra's lap and cupped her face, speaking what she knew within herself. "I can't touch the past to rewrite it. The future hasn't been written so I can't touch that either, but I do have control over how it's written. I told my younger self that I could never change what's happened because all of it has led me to you, Korra, in this exact moment."

Asami paused, the past several years flooding her mind. At the core of all her memories was Korra. Emotions washed over her, throat tightening a little, but she pushed through.

"Maybe we would've gotten together in another chaotic chain of events, but the truth of the matter is that I can't physically have you and my parents in the same reality. The memories of them, part of them will always be inside of me, but I don't know what I would do if all I had were memories of you, Korra."

Korra moved the hands on her face down to her chest over her heart. Every beat, every vibration, every ounce of love she had for the woman before her. All of her attention was on the expressive, exquisite green eyes before her.

"I don't know what I would do if all I had were memories of you either, Asami. But I promise with all my heart, that I will do my damnedest to prevent that from ever happening. To either of us."

Their lips met in the middle once again, Asami's hands still pressed against Korra's heart, feeling the moment it sped up when their lips melded together. Eliciting such a response from Kora with a simple, affection kiss sent a tremor through Asami's body, goosebumps breaking out on her skin.

"We really need to get up and get you ready to depart with Beifong," the Fire Nation descendant reminded and put some distance in between their faces. The strong arms wrapped around her back wasn't making it easy. "You have a job to do as do I, but at the end of the day, we'll always have each other."

Asami collected the final letter, but left the window open, airing out the room and opening themselves to the world waking up.

As Korra made her way towards the bathroom and Asami was returning the letter to its collection, she made one final remark.

"By the way, you still can't drive in my dreams."


Posted: April 1, 2021

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