"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."

― Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther

Chapter 22 - The Bones Are Good

Stopped at a light, she watched a young man emerge from a flower shop with a lovely arrangement. A smile wasn't present on his lips though. He looked towards the ground, eyes sad and shoulders slumped as he turned the corner.

When the light turned green, Asami sped through the intersection only to change lanes up ahead and turn left at the next light and park by the very flower shop the man had emerged from. She too exited the shop, but a knot was slowly forming in the pit of her stomach.

Home was going to have to wait a little longer.

The swirling of warm colors in the skies perfectly complimented the environment surrounding her. Fall had fell before them, but the reds, oranges, and yellows seemed to breathe fire, wrapping a blanket of warmth around everyone, resisting the inevitable changing of the seasons. White, fluffy clouds accented the colors all throughout the skies. She imagined herself and her girlfriend laying on a blanket on a hill, taking in the effervescent, romantic sky.

The sunset symbolized the ending of the day, leading to darkness where the unknown hid and thoughts ran unbounded. Nightmares feasted on young children and troubled adults. The dark concealed the evils of the world, but it too held what was yet to come. And eventually, dark would give way to light as the sun would rise, signaling a new day, a new chapter to begin the cycle once again.

It was all about perspective and what one was ready to face and accept. One had to make the best of the light and the dark.

Soil compressed and decaying colored leaves crunched under expensive heels. Heels were certainly not the appropriate footwear for this terrain, but this wasn't exactly planned. A spur of the moment choice for her, something that she would've thought was uncharacteristic for her, but was becoming part of her daily life.

Flowers in hand, the closer she got to the destination, the butterflies fluttering in her stomach intensified. Why was she so nervous? She visited briefly before not too long ago, but she couldn't form the words she needed to say. Half an hour of silence passed before admitting defeat and leaving.

She stopped a few feet short, not quite close enough. She swallowed, praying she'd be able to articulate the words this time at her parents' final resting place.

No invisible barriers thwarting her movements to get closer to them, she took the final steps, and the inscriptions on their headstones became crystal clear.

Yasuko Sato
122-158AG
Loving wife, mother, daughter, and friend
Generous of heart, honey-eyed spirit
May we pass one another and meet again

Hiroshi Sato
120-174AG
Dedicated husband, father, son, friend, and savior
Revolutionary businessman and engineer
Protecting us from above with the love of his life

"Hi, Dad. Hi, Mom," she greeted, sitting cross legged in between their plots. She placed a flower arrangement in front of both of their headstones, livening up their dull plots with color and life. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything last time. I guess I didn't know what to say, and to tell you the truth, I don't know what to say now either," she chuckled nervously and looked towards the sky, tears pricking the corner of her eyes.

"Dad, I read all your letters. I suppose that's a good place to start, and you wouldn't believe half the shit that's happened to me and my friends the last few months while I read them." A little smile on her lips, she focused on her mom's tombstone. "Sorry, Mom, but I'm not six anymore so I can cuss which I probably got from you too."

For the next hour, Asami told them all her thoughts about the letters and the troubles she and her friends had been through. The light began fading away, alerting her that she should wrap up and get home to not worry Korra too much.

"Me and my friends are going to Sanmyaku next week like you hoped, Dad. Kinu and Takeshi are so excited to host us and show us all around town and Heiwa Springs. I think they're trying to live out their glory days when they were teens with you, Mom. I'm afraid of what stories they may tell me. Kinu already told me the skinny-dipping story," she laughed, drawing up her knees to her chest and resting her chin atop of them, sighing contently with a bittersweet smile.

"I wish you two could still be here with me, but that's just how our lives turned out. Like you two, I found love in a place I never expected it to be and it was only because of what happened with you two that I'm where I'm at in my life right now."

Asami turned slightly to face her father's headstone more directly. "I know you tried your best after Mom's death, Dad. Trust me, I understand now. Raising a little girl, grieving for your wife, and running one of the biggest corporation's must've been difficult for you.

"What you did to everyone was wrong, but I'm thankful you realized how wrong your actions were and I was able to forgive you before you sacrificed yourself for the world. You were able to go in peace."

She recalled this final conversation, his final words, mixing with the crushing sounds of water, ice, metal and bones that she'd never be able to forget, but maybe with some more time, it'd hurt less.

The ice was breaking under the force of Kuvira's mecha arm. "We need to get out of here!"

"Almost there."

Water and ice fell against the window, warning them of the impending danger. Trepidation snuck into Asami. "We have to go now!"

"Almost there. Almost there!"

The mecha arm broke free, winding up to eradicate the pesky hummingbird suit. She was sure her heart was going to jump out of her chest. "Dad! Now!"

"Goodbye, Asami. I love you."

Their graves were the only witnesses to her choked sobs. She hugged her arms around herself, trying to control the overwhelming emotions running through her. But then, she remembered why she had to do this.

She finally let herself release all the pent-up emotions from that event, tears rolling down her cheeks. She remembered that almost weightlessness she felt being forced out of the hummingbird suit. So slowly yet so rapidly, her father's presence became further and further until she was out of the vicinity of where he met his chosen demise.

At the time, she didn't have time to cry or process that her father had been killed. Her sole focus shifted to finding Korra and hoping her heart wouldn't have to break even more. Then after all the events and things settled down for a little bit and Varrick's wedding was being planned, she'd cried for him in the privacy of her workshop all alone.

However, it hadn't been enough. All this time, she'd been carrying this extra weight inhibiting her true potential.

Crying in front of her parents' graves after the recent events and reading his letters, walking in their shoes in more ways than one, she finally understood even if all the weight wasn't quite released yet.

"I hope you and Mom are happy to be back together, and she didn't give you too hard of a time. I'll come back after we come back from Sanmyaku and tell you all about it. I love both of you."

Asami kissed her fingertips and laid them upon both of their graves. A few stray tears dripped off her cheeks and disappeared into the ground. She didn't bother to wipe the dampness from her cheeks, but smiled sadly through her catharsis.

With a glance at their final resting places, Asami turned away, heels crunching the leaves again as a gentle, soothing breeze kissed the sides of her body and the friendly evening shadows wrapped around her, protecting her from the rest of the world.


Asami entered her foyer to find it empty, void of anyone living there. That was peculiar. Usually, a certain Avatar was waiting behind the door for her arrival like a clingy polar bear puppy, ready to scoop her up in her strong arms and kiss her. That was when she didn't slink past everyone in Future Industries and sneak into her office with a late-night snack when she was working late these past few weeks.

Only once had she had to leave for two weeks to visit the Fire Nation to meet with Fire Lord Izumi then she had to go to the South for some internal Water Tribe problem that Korra wanted to keep secret between her and her tribespeople. Asami respected that. If she wanted to talk about it, she'd talk if and/or when she wanted to.

She was about to head up to her room, believing she must've fell asleep despite the early hour until she heard voices coming from the dining room. Flowers in hand, she moseyed over to the dining room, prepared to woo her girlfriend.

"You have to tell me what your favorite food is. Our chef's prepared over two dozen different dishes and sides from all the nations. Which is your favorite? Money, preparation, and ingredients are no issue. Don't hold anything back."

Asami couldn't believe her eyes. Korra sat the dining room table with Hisakata and Midori with a large spread of food covering most of the table. Ever since they had been living here, they refused to eat at the dining room table. They were okay if they were in the living room or their room, but never the dining room table. They had acted the same on Air Temple Island, but everyone assumed that was because they believed themselves to be more like captives then.

Asami cleared her throat, and the moment Korra set her eyes on her, her eyes lit up like she was given the best present in the world. She sauntered over to Korra and leaned down to kiss her, but at the last moment, turned her head to get her cheek instead. In the kids' presence, she'd been more conservative about any strong shows of affections in front of them whereas Korra was more liberal until Asami stopped her.

"Do it," she encouraged quietly. Asami and Korra looked over at Midori. "It's nice. And you got her flowers. Kiss her. You love her, don't you?"

Korra raised her eyebrows. Asami responded by cupping a cheek and bringing their lips together in a slow, sweet kiss. She had stolen one before heading off to work this morning after pulling the blanket down just enough over the cranky woman's head, but it felt like an eternity.

"Roast duck. It's roast duck with special sauce," the young girl whispered. Asami and Korra pulled away from their kiss to find Midori pulling away her brother and out of the dining room without another word.

"Roast duck? I don't think he made any roast duck or any special sauce." Korra scanned the plates of foods curiously, scratching the side of her head, puzzled.

Then it hit Asami, staring at the path the kids took.

"They just opened up about a part of their past life."

"What?"

"Korra, think about it. I don't see any roast duck either. I don't even think we've eaten roast duck the last few weeks they've been here. How did you get them to eat at the dining room table?"

She shrugged. "I didn't. I told them I was going to have the chef prepare an assortment of dishes for us to sample to learn more about their taste palettes. I made two plates for them and was headed upstairs when I found them sitting at the table."

Asami finally took a seat, rubbing her chin in thought. "Maybe they're more comfortable with us than we realize and how they outwardly show it."

"Are those for me?" Korra asked with her crooked smile, pointing to the flowers in her right hand. Asami giggled, having forgotten all about the flowers. She offered them and Korra to which she accepted and smelled their fragrance. "What's the occasion? Surely I did nothing to deserve flowers from the great Asami Sato."

"No occasion. It was more I was already at the flower shop although I should get you flowers more often, but you're always deserving of flowers and much more." Asami bit her bottom lip and twirled a strand of her hair. "I went to my parents' graves, and I spoke with them this time."

Immediately, Korra pushed aside her dish, placed the flowers on the table and took Asami's hands in hers, resting them in between them. "Are you okay? I know you didn't know what to do or say the last time you tried. I would've gone with you and supported you."

Asami shook her head. "No, I had to do this myself. For the first time at least. You can come with the next time, and I can officially introduce you as my girlfriend," she giggled, but Korra's lips stretched into a thin line. She squeezed her hands reassuringly.

"Korra, it's alright. It was nice to be able to air out everything to them even if they're not really here with me. Like my father with his writing, speaking at their graves felt good, purifying. They're not physically here anymore, but I like to think being at their graves brings me closer to their spirits and maybe some of what I've said makes it to them so they know I'm doing good."

Korra studied her momentarily, looking for any hint of dishonesty. When she found none, she raised the delicate but deadly hands up and kissed the backs of them, paying special attention to the right one. It had since healed after the trauma, but if she pushed too hard on an engineering project, it'd cramp and tense easier than the left.

When they laid in bed at night together, she ran soft kisses and feathery touches along the areas she'd been cut and on her neck. It was in no way ideal that she'd been injured, but the routine quickly became a favorite for both her and Asami.

The Avatar's nightmares featuring Asami dying had nearly vanished. She'd had one the first night she was away and went to the Fire Nation, but besides that, they were minimal. Both she and Asami rarely had severe nightmares about that day nowadays, but continued on and accepted that it happened to continue their regular lives.

The heat and scrutiny from Tokuga and the Dai Li had diminished, but very much still there, a spark waiting to be set ablaze again. No one was naïve enough to believe that case was done and closed with. They were almost certain there was someone out there with a connection with the case, but whether that connection was a strong one or not was not known.

If there was still someone out there, waiting to reveal their hands, she'd be prepared.

But for now, the world continued on.

And right now, a large part of Avatar Korra's world was right in front of her.


Autumn was a season to embrace change as the highs of life slowed in preparation of the final stages of a year. The leaves in the park changed to shades of yellow, orange, and red and covered the dulling grass, making a beautiful sight as the sun fell below the horizon. Couples walked in the park, kids played in the leaves, and families relaxed on picnic blankets.

A hiccup in time, everything felt peaceful in Republic City. No worries about crimes or life. Almost everyone was basking in the tranquility of autumn and the cool breeze.

The same couldn't be said for a certain CEO. She sat at her desk, hands rubbing her temples and elbows perched on her desk. Varrick stood on the other side of her desk completely on a tangent from their original topic.

"And that's how I got the idea of this! Pretty nifty, eh?" Varrick leaned over Asami's desk with one hand and wiggled his eyebrows.

"You know Bolin's been a lavabender for years now?" she reminded him. How she got sucked into this conversation was beyond her understanding.

"Three of them we were sucked into Kuvira's web then Tokuga then Guan then Tokuga and the Dai Li! Not to mention I got married and Zhu Li became president in between all that. That's beside the point!" he hollered, slamming his hands on Asami's desk. "The point is now I can have unlimited pumice stones for myself and my wife and I can market them and make more money! I can't believe I never thought of this before. In a few short weeks, you'll be hearing all about my new division of Varristones, pumice stones to make your skin glow and jewelry to compliment that new glow!"

"And Bolin's on board with all this?"

"Absolutely! He seemed to be enjoying working with his hands and having a bit of a hobby using his bending. He's getting a nice chunk of cash too. Without him, this wouldn't work!"

"So, you're stealing one of your wife's assistants who is competent and gives her easy access to the Avatar? And you're dumping the President's workload all on poor Kaida until Zhu Li can find another competent assistant?"

"Supposedly!" he emphasized, shoving his face into hers. "He has neither accepted nor denied my offer to work for me yet. I told him he better decide by the end of the year. If he chooses to work for me, he can finish out the year with Zhu Li, but then I need that boy and his fancy handwork for all my jewelry."

Asami shoved Varrick away, not needing to smell his overly minty breath. "I did not ask to hear about Varristones, Varrick. We were supposed to be finalizing the HSV plans and actually begin building the prototype."

Varrick could not take a hint. He hopped up onto her desk, knocking some of her papers and supplies on the ground. Asami glared at him, but he either didn't see it or ignored it.

"You'll want an interest in Varristones," he smirked mysteriously, lacing his fingers together. That action reminded her a lot of the Varrick when he saved her from going bankrupt, putting her on edge. But Varrick left no room for questions, swiftly changing from that to his usual exuberant expression. "We should call it the VarrSato! Sounds meaner, faster, everything you need in a vehicle! Plus, it rolls off the tongue better. You'll be manufacturing them; I'll just be shipping them, marketing them, and using them! We can call it the VS for short."

Varrick joined Asami on her side of the desk as they poured over the diagrams and made adjustments and notes for their next prototype. When Varrick set his mind to it, he was a very successful and innovative man.

That lasted all of thirty minutes, but praise the spirits, it was enough to finish the plans and get approval from both of them to start building the prototype.

"You excited to be going back to Sanmyaku this weekend?" Varrick inquired, grabbing his jacket and preparing to leave with Asami.

"I will be so long as you don't come anywhere near me with your Varristones in Heiwa Springs. I can't believe you convinced me to let you come along. Opal I adore and don't mind, but you're Varrick. You know we're not using any vehicles or animals to climb Mt. Gaoda, correct?"

"Of course, I know that! Do you think I'm an imbecile?"

Asami didn't bother to answer that. She continued trying to organize her desk after Varrick's ass wreaked havoc on it. For being such a string bean, his ass sure did a lot of damage in her office. She was picking up the previous day's paper when the headline caught her attention again.

Future Industries Donates $5 Million Yuans to Orphanages Across Republic City

Donations weren't anything unusual for Future Industries. However, both she and Korra had been spotted with the kids in Republic City separately and together. A few times the reporters got too in their faces, and Asami almost did have to bail the Avatar out of jail for assault.

They made no official statements about them, but did state they were in their care for the time being and left it at that, resulting in Future Industries' donation being a headline. The same thing happened when Asami made a sizable donation to a suicide prevention center.

The media would never leave them alone, but dragging the kids into it crossed the line. After ambushes from reporters, they noticed the kids shrunk into themselves more than usual, staring at their feet and their moods thoroughly ruined in the city. To say both women enhanced their death glares barely scratched the surface.

But if Asami's hunch was correct about the roast duck with special sauce, she hoped they were acclimating and learning to trust them.


"Give me a minute, sweetie. I just need to drop these papers off in my office," Asami called out to Korra, opening her home office.

She clicked on the light and dropped the files and newspaper with the headline onto her desk, not giving any thought of organization after having to be forced to listen to Varrick on their way out talk about how survived in the Si Wong Desert for a week without water or food which was just preposterous. Then he went on a rant about new components to add onto the VarrSato to make it adaptable to deserts until Asami hightailed it out of there.

And Tenzin thought Bumi's stories were exaggerated.

What she needed was a nice, warm bath and perhaps a glass of wine. There was surely a more than willingly woman in the house who would join her. She'd have to throw in some fresh fruit if she joined and likely that would result in a very creative way to keep the water from spilling over the tub.

Asami was on her way out when her eyes bugged out. On the left side of her wall, a relatively new bulletin board hung with minimal notes about what they knew about the kids. She'd put it in there to not pressure the kids into talking about anything they weren't comfortable with. But shuffling towards the bulletin board, there was a new note hung to it.

A note that wasn't in her or Korra's writing, but an almost illegible scrawl.

Her name was Liang. She was an earthbender and made the best roast duck with special sauce. Arrested a few times as an orphan teen and tangled up in some minor crimes. She worked in town for some guy, said she ran numbers and did some management work. Died due to health problems.

He was Adrik. Waterbender. Lumberjack. Triad-like second job we think, very sketchy. Might be dead. Might be alive. He left all of us.

We're from Shinrin, a smallish city up north from here. Forced into the system there - Southside's Children Institute. The director wanted to adopt me out, but I wasn't leaving him.

We ran and never looked back.

-M&H


Posted: May 10, 2021

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