I've been reading books of old
The legends and the myths
The testaments they told
The moon and its eclipse
And Superman unrolls
A suit before he lifts
But I'm not the kind of person that it fits
-The Chainsmokers & Coldplay
Something Just Like This
Chapter 24 - The Legends and The Myths
The whole world depended on the Avatar to keep balance between all four nations. There was a problem with balance, it was all relative. True balance could never be achieved in the world. Because of that, ideologies from all nations, ethnicities, and backgrounds emerged, picturing a perfectly balanced world that would never be.
But for Asami, balance would be with her friends, with Korra. It didn't matter where they were or what they were doing, if she had them, there'd always be a little balance within herself. With that little bit of balance, she could help bring balance to the rest of the world in any way she could.
Traversing up Mt. Gaoda with Kinu and Takeshi with her friends, the rest of the world ceased to exist. Varrick was stealing the spotlight and enlightening everyone about his latest projects and Varristones. In the process of enlightenment, he veered off topic one too many times and confused everyone more than anything.
Asami tuned him out and observed the path they walked on. Korra stood beside her with their hands swinging lightly in between them. Every now and then, the Avatar would squeeze her hand and stroke her thumb along the back of her hand.
Unlike Varrick, she appreciated the quiet from her girlfriend who understood that she was trying to connect herself with a path that Kinu said her mother had trekked on many times. Time had passed, growth had occurred, but the core of the path was the same for a new generation to walk along it and experience Heiwa Springs.
They came to a ravine of rocky terrain and Korra doted on Asami the whole time, holding her hand the whole way. At one point, she grabbed Asami by the sides of her Future Industries jacket and pulled her up, a kiss planted on her lips once she was stabilized on the ground.
Asami was so caught up in their little antics that she hadn't taken in what laid on the other side of the ravine. Fall had long fell upon the world, more leaves covering the ground than sheltering trees, but this scene seemed to defy nature.
Before them was the continuation of the worn dirt path, surrounded by trees that appeared to be in full bloom of cherry blossoms and warm colors of leaves and shrubbery. It looked more like a scene out of a painting, a work of fantasy and fiction imagined from a perfect world.
Everyone else except Korra, Asami, and Kinu flew out of the ravine to take a little break and admire the beauty of nature. Asami didn't think anything of Kinu falling behind with them since she had a camera and a backpack.
When the three of them returned to the path with the others scattered about, Asami released her grip from Korra's and walked over to thumb a fully bloomed cherry blossom.
So pure and delicate with their white petals. Cherry blossoms were only supposed to blossom in the spring, a time of renewal and new beginnings. Such short lifespans they had, but they made the most of every moment to bring festiveness to those who witnessed their blossoming.
The popping of a camera capturing Asami's candid moment with the flowers broke her out of her trance.
"They're shikizakura or winter cherry blossoms," Kinu informed like she could read Asami's mind. "Sanmyaku was one of the first Fire Nation colonial settlements during the Hundred Year War, and it's said that the colonists planted the shikizakura to remind them of home since they're more commonly found in parts of the Fire Nation."
"They're gorgeous," she murmured, bringing her nose to one of them to smell its sweet fragrance. Another camera pop went off and a pair of strong arms wrapped around her from behind and kissed her cheek. Another camera pop. "Let me guess, the shikizakura were another one of Mom's favorite parts of Heiwa Springs?"
"Very much so. This little strip is all that's survived, but it's said that many, many decades ago, the rest of the path leading to Heiwa Springs was covered in them."
Kinu smiled at the couple and walked a few feet away to speak with Takeshi who was engaging in a serious conversation one on one with Varrick, leaving the couple to their own devices underneath the shikizakura.
"How're you feeling?" Korra whispered and planted kisses along her neck.
"Good with you by my side." Asami planted a kiss atop of her head, feeling whole. "I really can't believe I don't remember all of this. It's absolutely breathtaking."
"Our surroundings are breathtaking in their own right, but come nowhere close to how breathtaking you are 'Sami. You take my breath away every day I wake up beside you, but put you and our surroundings together, you're divine and deserve the best in the world."
Asami's breath hitched and turned in Korra's arms to come face to face with her. The Avatar's face was glowing, beaming with undeniable devotion. Happy tears pricked at Asami's eyes from the compassionate, loving tone. If Korra's arms weren't supporting her, she was sure she'd melt to the ground.
She stroked the side of Korra's face in gratitude. "I love you." And she melded their lips together in a kiss as stray cherry blossom petals fell from above and onto them, a light breeze kicking in.
The world further caved in on Asami, fading to black, but she was alright with that. All that was in her world at that moment was Korra in her arms and their loving kisses.
No one disturbed their little moment underneath the picturesque scene, but camera clicks continued going off.
"It's a place where you can soak all your troubles away to achieve balance, peace, and harmony. It's the great, legendary Heiwa Springs of Sanmyaku!"
Asami thought the strip of winter cherry blossoms was breathtaking, but the sight of Heiwa Springs in the dazzling light of the day was right up there too, if not surpassing breathtaking. Her mother's dedication and enthrallment with Heiwa Springs was now clear to Asami.
High perches of dark rocks and greenery surrounded Heiwa Springs for complete privacy besides the opening where the path laid. The rocks were set in a way that made it possible for visitors to climb to the highest peaks and dive into the crystal-clear blue-green waters. Those waters reflected all the rocks and greenery around all, exposing and surrounding them with natural environment around them.
One large, powerful waterfall that fell at the far end of Heiwa Springs and several smaller waterfalls along the curvature of the rocks flowed into the rest of the water pooling beneath it. However, it appeared there was a hidden area peeking out beyond the edges of the powerful waterfall, but Asami couldn't be certain with how far it was. For all she knew, it could've been a crevice in the rocks and creating an illusion.
Asami viewed Heiwa Springs with a new perspective, taking in every little detail to imprint into her mind and not forget this magnificent sight she had seen several times before as a young child.
The others began shedding their clothes for their bathing suits underneath their clothes and settling in around the perimeter of the waters, but Asami delayed. Korra was talking with Kinu and Takeshi so she took the opportunity to step to the edge of the perimeter and gaze down at her reflection.
A young woman with loose raven hair blowing in a light breeze, fair skin that had endured afflictions and stroked by feathery kisses, and light green eyes that were familiar, similar yet so different stared back at her with a stoic expression. She wore a Future Industries jacket with a burgundy sweater beneath that. Her pants and boots were her usual ones, seeing no point in wearing anything fancy for their hike.
She wasn't the CEO of Future Industries.
She wasn't the girlfriend of the Avatar.
She wasn't technically an orphan.
She just looked like Asami in the crystal waters, the base and foundation of who she was before any titles bestowed upon her.
Her bare right hand reached up and danced along her cheek, down to where she had been electrocuted, the mark long gone now unless one really looked for any remnants of a scar. The water rippled, disrupting the water's static image of her and jarring her from her assessment of her reflection.
Bolin had jumped into the spring and was pulling Opal in with a squeal. Behind her stood Korra was who still with Kinu and Takeshi for whatever reason, but she was paying no attention to them. Her undivided attention was on Asami, creating a little flutter in Asami's stomach.
She and Korra lazily waded along the edges of Heiwa Springs until Varrick stole Korra away from a pouting Asami. Those two sat on a little rock landing by the large waterfall in the back that she had yet to explore.
She climbed out of the water and sat on the edge of the spring, her lower legs submerged in the water. While it was fall, the waters were refreshing and bathing her in something. It may not have been any special properties like the myths accounted for, but something magical she couldn't understand.
Another camera pop drew Asami's attention to Kinu approaching with her trusty camera around her neck.
"You're probably sick of hearing this, but you look just like your mother sitting right here with your feet in the water," she mentioned as she took a seat next to her and looked off into the distance, a melancholy smile on her lips. "I remember a few days before she left Sanmyaku to return to Hiroshi, us three came up here for a going away party the whole day. We talked about everything and nothing. There were no tears, no mentioning of her imminent departure. It was just three friends being young adults at their favorite local hangout."
"You forgot to mention the most important part, Kins. We brought some alcohol and snacks, but Yasuko broke the alcohol bottles in the gorge," Takeshi added with a laugh, taking a seat on Asami's other side. "Two firebenders and a nonbender can't do much about spilled booze, and we didn't want to go back."
Kinu rolled her eyes. "While she may have left Sanmyaku and our group, and inadvertently drifted apart a bit, she was always welcomed back here and in our group. The point I'm making besides embodying Yasuko into you once more is that you have a pretty great group of friends, Asami."
Off in the distance, Varrick was gesticulating wildly in his usual fashion, and Korra was rubbing her temples. Mako, Bolin, and Opal were climbing the rock cliffs to get to the top to cliff dive.
"We've been through a lot together, that's for sure. We're a family," she asserted and smiled. "We all have an unbreakable bond that will withstand the test of time. Like the legends and the myths my mom told me, we'll create new legends and myths for generations down the line."
Silently, they observed the brothers and Opal getting closer and closer to the top of cliff. Bolin occasionally turned back to wave at Asami at the bottom and she waved back. Asami looked back to where Varrick and Korra were, but found them missing. She looked around the area, but they weren't in her sights.
"Varrick might've drug her onto a beaten path for something. Let me tell ya, that man is something else. He was trying to give me tips on how to become better with my hands and his techniques were very peculiar."
"Sounds like Varrick," Asami agreed and gazed down once more, seeing her sandwiched between her mom's friends. "I wasn't ready before."
"What do you mean, dear?" Kinu asked and leaned forward to meet Asami's eyes in the water. Takeshi followed a moment later.
"When we first came to Sanmyaku a few months, I wasn't ready to come to Heiwa Springs. I wasn't emotionally mature enough regarding my mom and dad to come to Heiwa Springs and truly enjoy it." Asami slid her feet through the water, distorting their reflections. "I hadn't thoroughly processed what happened with either of them, but in the last few months, I have. I'm still processing it and growing through it, but I've taken that first monumental step."
Asami glanced between the two sets of eyes in the water and continued on. "I never would've imagined reading my father's letters would lead me here. There's been a lot of darkness in my life, but accepting all of that and at this moment in time, I've never felt more gratified, at peace in my life."
"Just like your mother," Takeshi sighed and rested a hand on her right shoulder. "Heiwa Springs has blessed you with peace and negated all the darkness in your life momentarily, protecting you and bringing balance and harmony to you like those myths say."
"Yasuko would've been so proud of you, Asami." Kinu placed a hand on Asami's left shoulder, smiling into water. "She may be gone, but I know she wouldn't change anything because out of all of it, she was given a beautiful daughter and loving husband during her time."
"Earthbending bomb!" Bolin jumped from the high perch of the rocks, diving into Heiwa Springs and spraying water all over the rocks. Mako and Opal followed shortly, but with less large dive bombs.
"Hey, Kinu, let me have your camera before Bolin accidently destroys it with water," Korra suggested from out of nowhere. Kinu complied with the request only for Korra to throw the strap over her head and jump into the water in front of the three of them, being careful to keep the camera away from the water. "Not exactly getting the old gang back together, but close enough, right?"
"Baby, do you even know how to use a camera?"
"Of course, I do!" She fiddled with the camera and grunted, doing nothing to support her statement. "Okay, got it! Now smile you three!"
The two friends eyed each other apprehensively until Asami threw her arms across the backs of both their shoulders. Their smiles were priceless and the pops of the camera went off on top of Mt. Gaoda at Heiwa Springs.
"Shit, it didn't look this high up from down there." Asami peered down from the high rock cliff that she and Korra stood atop. Their other three friends since had jumped and were patiently waiting in the waters for them, looking up and anticipating their leaps.
"I didn't take you as being afraid of heights, baby," Korra teased, but didn't touch her in fear of accidently scaring her and causing her to slip. She offered her left hand and a kind smile. "I won't let anything happen to you. Do you trust me?"
With no hesitation, she grabbed the tan hand with her right hand and squeezed tightly. "I do."
On the count of three, the couple leapt over the cliff hand in hand and glided through the air. The natural world pushed its forces against them, pulling them down to its center. That drop in Asami's stomach, that exhilarating adrenaline rush from falling from such heights was a natural occurrence that everyone was subjected to in life.
Everyone was always afraid of taking that leap of faith, afraid of what would be at the bottom of it. What laid at the bottom of every fall was different, sometimes unknown. That was why so many were afraid of falling.
But for Asami, what laid at the bottom of this fall was clear.
They broke the surface of the water and sunk below by the forces of gravity. Water was considered the element of change. They were bathed in one of the world's natural elements that could provide and sustain life but at the same time, take it away in an instant.
Submerged in the water and sinking, time seemed to slow. Their hands hadn't disconnected on the whole way down. She slowly took in Korra's entire body. Starting at her feet, up her legs, over her ripped torso, and finally landing on her face, a joyous smile on her lips. With a squeeze and a head nod, the two pushed against the natural forces together.
She broke the surface of the water, refreshed from the purifying immersive experience of water.
She flipped her hair back and away from her face, spraying water against her friends and squinted towards the sky, blinded by the welcoming fall warmth of the bright sun.
"Asami!" Asami lowered her sights from the sun to four friends all looking at her questioningly. Her girlfriend's hand unclutched their hands and wrapped it around her waist underneath the water, a worried expression on her face. "Did the fall hurt you on impact?"
"No," she replied with a gratified smile, feeling something she couldn't explain. "It was timed perfectly and very refreshing."
The five friends engaged in lazily treading the water for a while until Bolin decided he wanted to chicken-pig fight. Couple against couple. Mako being the odd man out, joined Takeshi and Kinu and discussed firebending and lightning bending. Then Varrick had to butt in and throw them off on a tangent about one of his outrageous adventures in the Fire Nation with Zhu Li in his younger days.
Everyone reconvened for lunch. Bless Kinu for being an excellent cook and Mako, Bolin, and Takeshi's willingness to haul it all up Mt. Gaoda for them.
Asami had been annoyed before when Varrick droned on about his new division of Varristones, but watching the animation in Bolin's face as he once again did it, made it a little less annoying. She had a good feeling that he was going to accept that offer.
Mako was kind of the odd man out in this whole situation unless he considered Varrick his partner among the pairs, but at least it seemed he was having a good time speaking with Kinu and Takeshi about bending when Bolin and Opal were lost in their little world and Varrick made himself scarce. That made Asami think for a moment. Mako was a very advanced firebender, but he didn't really have any mentor to look up to for firebending as far as she knew. Perhaps he did now.
Everyone split off once again to do their own things at the conclusion of lunch. Asami willingly let Korra pull her towards to the other end of Heiwa Springs where the large waterfall was. The closer she got, the clearer it became there was some sort of hidden area behind there.
"Not a problem," Korra said with a smirk at Asami.
Korra bent the water from the waterfall away revealing another beautiful sight. Streams of light shined through openings in the rocks, bouncing off the glowing, clear blue water and the waterfall. A few rocks and a little flat area rested at the back of the small enclosure. It was like a smaller natural spring protected within Heiwa Springs, hidden away and private from others who would explore only the outwards appearance of Heiwa Springs.
"I really…can't believe I don't remember any of this," she sighed, swimming towards the center of the water with Korra. "I know I was just a little kid the last time I was here, but it's not like I go out into the wild that often. You'd think I'd remember something like this."
"This is the wild?" Korra playfully questioned, earning her a little shove in the shoulder. "You're older now, and I know you won't forget it this time." Korra began trailing little kisses along her shoulders. "Can you cover your eyes for a minute? I wanna try something."
"Korra, I swear, if you try something with your bending in here while our friends are on the other side of that waterfall-"
Korra laughed and pulled away from her shoulders. "When has that ever stopped you from trying to be clever and sneaky around them with me?" She peeked her lips. "But I promise, no funny business."
With a few grumbles about her mischievous girlfriend, she covered her eyes. Her hearing amplified with the loss of her sight, it sounded like Korra swam away from her. A few rumbles of what sounded like earth and whooshing of air passed by her. Did she know of a secret tunnel in this hideout that would lead them to a more secluded area?
"Korra?" she called out with her eyes still covered, not hearing any movement or bending for a while. "Korra, are you still here or did you leave me here like an idiot with my eyes covered?"
"Keep them covered! Sorry, that came out more aggressive than I intended! Just…give me a minute." Asami thought she was going to doze off until she heard her say, "Open your eyes, 'Sami."
It took a moment for her eyes to adjust from complete darkness to absorbing the miniscule light the waterfall allowed through, but when they did, she couldn't believe her eyes.
A soft, orange glow now illuminated the hideout from little candles on the tiny ledges of the rocks that she hadn't noticed earlier in the dark. Asami's back was towards the opening and waterfall, and Korra's was towards the back of the cave, bathed in the flickering candles light.
This time around, Asami took in Korra's face, a soft expression there. She moved down her slender neck that had little droplets beading down the side. Next, her slim yet powerful shoulders she so often buried her face in or wrapped an arm around. The portion of her torso that should have been next was obscured with her hands where a necklace with a dark blue ribbon and pendant was offered on her hand.
Asami's wide eyes shot back up to Korra's, mouth open a little in awe. The Avatar gnawed her lip bottom briefly through a nervous smile.
She took a final deep breath and confidently began, speaking through her heart.
"Asami, I love you. Growing up in a compound with not much socialization with other people in the South, kind of put a damper on my social skills. Besides my parents, I didn't really witness the concept of love through my own eyes. I think you saw and heard about some of my blunders early on." She laughed lightly and shook her head a little.
"But I know for certain, that I've learned what true love is through you, Asami. I love you with every fiber of my being. I know if you weren't here with me, I wouldn't be the woman, the Avatar I am today without your love and your full support. You're the amazing woman who has been by my side through all the ups and downs that come with being the Avatar, and I hope you will continue to be that woman for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me, Asami?"
Posted: May 25, 2021
Tumblr: mysky27
