AN: Asami finally talks with Korra ;3


Ch 8: Not a ghost.

Asami had finally taken a step outside her apartment after who knows how long. It had been a breath of fresh air and so far, her day had been normal. She had walked to a local restaurant and ate dinner with her brothers. She even talked to them about some random topics that didn't relate to their family matters so the dinner itself honestly wasn't that particularly eventful but still enjoyable nonetheless. It was honestly an average night out with family, or rather her brothers, but was still a much-needed change in pace.

To sum it all up, the time she has physically spent outside so far was well more than an hour which was a huge improvement than just loafing around at home.

It was nice to stretch her body and get some fresh air elsewhere from her condo's balcony and while her brother had offered her a ride home, she insisted on walking back. She needed this for herself. She needed time to think in a place that wasn't completely isolating and lonely. So that she could collect her thoughts and have time to ponder on what her next step was. She needed a break from being at home and self-loathing herself.

She had thought about what her brothers had done, what Naofumi had done.

She had thought about how her father would react.

She had thought about where her future would end up.

Whether those outcomes would end up becoming troublesome or even a miracle by some chance, it was an answer that she couldn't come up with no matter how many scenarios she thought of. Her father was a dangerous man. He could end her livelihood in a blink of an eye if he really wanted to and that was what horrified her the most. Therefore, thinking about her impending doom was what stressed her the most.

However… if, by some chance, she loses everything, maybe then she could finally be who she really was. Maybe then she could openly tell Korra the truth and apologize for being the horrible friend she was. And, if by some miracle Korra could forgive her, maybe they could be friends again. She would even be willing to keep her feelings bottled up if it meant remaining by her side.

As Asami was lost in her thoughts, she mindlessly stared at the sidewalk before kicking a small pebble and looking straight ahead. The night sky reminded her of how isolated she was. About how dark her world was and how alone she was. She closes her eyes, taking in a deep breath and feeling the cold air brush against her cheeks. She held her breath for as long as possible before slowly exhaling. She then takes in another breath before embracing the city's noises: distant car horns, sirens in the distance, laughter found within restaurants and even screaming caused by a fight.

Wait screaming?

Asami opens her eyes before looking at the direction it came from. She couldn't exactly make out the words but what she could tell was that there were men and women involved. Meaning… someone was in trouble. That spelled trouble and before she knew it, her feet were heading towards the source of the sound for some odd reason. Once she had visuals on them, the moment she could make out who it was, her mouth fell agape. She couldn't believe her eyes and the more desperately she wanted to believe them, the quicker she found herself within their vicinity.

However, what shocked her the most when Kuvira, who she could've sworn was her friend, tossed Korra over her shoulder. When Korra slams onto the floor, groaning in pain, her heart dropped before she found herself sprinting to her side. Then, as if it was some illusion, Asami practically whispered to herself.

"K-Korra…?"

The moment Korra realized that it was her, she looked equally astonished as she did. To both of their surprise, she whispered back. "What the… Asami?" She grunts while rolling over before trying again. "You're…here? You're really here?" That contagious smile that she missed grew on her face. "You're… you're not a ghost."

Asami blinks, feeling somewhat amused by her choice of words. It was so random yet so like her for some reason. That's why, rather than questioning it, she chuckled softly before answering. "Yeah, of course I'm not a ghost you dork."

They smile at each other awkwardly as if they were taking in this moment. The moment they've been craving for such a long time yet were so afraid of this entire time. How have you been doing? Is anything new happening in your life? Would you ever forgive me? Questions and uncertainties filled Asami's mind and it wasn't until a distressed scream broke out that caught their concentration.

"Aaah! Help!"

Korra's face immediately fell when she remembered. "Oh shit—Kuvira!" She finally climbed back on her feet before rushing to her side. "Kuv! Stop! He's gonna die!"

"And so what!" Kuvira punches his swollen and bloody face again. "He's the son of a bitch who cut my arm! It's self-defense so you bet your ass I'm paying him back tenfold." She defended as her injured arm continued to dye her sleeve red.

"Oh my spirits!" Asami gasped as her eyes widened when she took a double-take. She could only assume what happened but that didn't matter much since it was too late. Before she could react further, a loud yet clear voice shouted.

"RCPD! Everyone freeze, put your hands up!"

She heard Korra slapping her face before turning around and raising her hands. Of course, Asami found herself cooperating with the authorities as well and compiled for some reason. Her hands went up in the sky and she let out an awkward chuckle. "Well this is… troublesome."

Having heard Asami's complaint, Korra huffed amusingly as she quickly leaned over and pulled up Kuvira to join her. "You're telling me."

That's when Kuvira finally calmed down somewhat. She glanced down to look at the now unconscious guy bleeding out from various spots on his face. Only one thought went through her mind as she let out a dry laughter. "Fuck. I'm screwed…"

Rolling her eyes with an annoyed look, Korra quickly swatted her good arm. "Told you, you ass!"

"I said freeze! What is going on? Someone explain this situation!" The officer exclaimed once again.

Korra and Kuvira looked at each other before gulping.

"Well… the thing is…" Korra lets out a nervous chuckle before giving them a lopsided grin.

Kuvira, on the other hand, looked off to the side in shame. "I should've just let him stab me, Beifong's lectures are worse than bleeding out…"

"Bruh." Korra gave her a stink eye at that comment before angrily whispering, "And leave me alone with this? Oh hell nah, if I'm getting dragged, so are you!"

Blinking helplessly, one moment Asami is shocked by this situation, the next, she finds herself being questioned down at the Republic City Police Department. As she sat in this interrogation room, she couldn't help but think to herself. Well, I never thought this would happen… She found herself keeping up a poker face by reflex. Not that she had anything to be worried about technically. She was just a witness but still, even so, being questioned by police wasn't something that happened every day.

After all, as a Sato, they were raised to remain silent without the presence of a lawyer as you'd expect if they got into trouble for some reason.

Finding herself giving an awkward statement, fortunately, Asami's interview ends early and she was let out once clear. As she walked out of the station, her eyes couldn't help but look for Korra. She knew that the probability of her getting released early was probably zero since she had been directly involved in the ruckus. However, as she passed the other interrogation rooms, she couldn't help but 'peer' into and 'eavesdrop' on the door despite knowing that it was probably soundproof.

After a second of lingering, Asami tenses up upon seeing an officer come through before coolly walking past him and towards the exit. As she passed by more of the personnel, she kept her poker face until she was just outside the station. She let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding in. She then sighs before rubbing the back of her neck. After that, she checks the time before debating whether or not to contact one of her brothers. Sure enough, she sighs again before deciding not to. It would've been smart to call a cab or something but she really wasn't in the mood to talk to strangers.

"I don't want to explain things…" She took her first step to make her way home by foot. "Hah… it's gonna be a long walk…"

xXx

Ever since that encounter the other night, Asami has never stared at her phone this much in her life. She then brings her knees up to her chest before falling over onto her side on the couch. Frankly speaking, she thought about texting Korra more than she would like to admit but, to her surprise, Korra hadn't texted her. Maybe it was a part of her ego that she was certain that Korra would but hadn't. She hadn't.

Was it because she was mad?

Or maybe she was busy?

Asami had no way of finding the answer to that. She tried searching Korra's social media. She even tried looking for any updates on news channels and sources to follow up on their situation. She even searched up Kuvira's information as well but all for naught.

Okay.

Maybe this was a sign.

But then what type of sign?

A sign that Korra no longer wanted anything to do with her?

Maybe.

Or maybe… she was playing hard to get?

Hah! As if. Asami knew she didn't have the right to that so maybe it was a sign for her to get her shit together and finally send the damn woman a measly text! With that being said, Asami looks at her phone intensely before pulling up a fresh notepad and starts typing away because, of course, she had to draft her message before sending it.

Here was how draft number one went:

Hey Korra… it's me, Asami if I'm still on your contact list. First of all, I just wanted to apologize for all I've done, well for the lack of it actually, and I'm sorry for not texting back. And well, basically ghosted you… but yes! I'm still alive so sorry for not being a ghost. That's a joke by the way cause it would suck if I was one… or would it? Hmm… ahem anyways, I really appreciate your texts and they make me smile every time. I'm going through a lot of things at home, well mostly thanks to my dad, and shit hit the fan. So… I would love to explain things to you in person so how does a date at the Fire Ferrets Cafe around 12 sound?

She read it over once before shaking her head and immediately deleted the content. "Nope nope nope, no."

Draft two went something like this:

Hi Korra. It's me, Asami. And no I'm not a ghost for better or for worse. Well… unless my dad murdered me and I didn't know! Honestly, if I was one, I'd probably follow you around haha. Not in a weird creepy way of course! I just figured that my dying wishes would be along the lines of not being able to confess and be with you that's all.

Her eye sockets practically snapped open. "What are you doing by confessing! You idiot there's no way she'd like you anyway!" She quickly deleted this draft faster than the first.

Drafts three, four, five, and six followed the same fate and her 'final' draft ended up like this.

Hey Korra… it's me, Asami and I'm so sorry for being such a bad friend if you're still willing to call me that. I owe you an explanation and if you're willing to hear me out… I can explain everything if you're okay with coming over to my place?

Asami lets out a heavy sigh before tossing her phone down. "What am I doing…"

Swiping out from her notepad, she typed her most recent draft into the message bar. Her fingers hover above the send button and she repeatedly hovered her thumb over the delete button but couldn't bring herself to go through with it, time and time again. She groans to herself not knowing what to do.

"Fuck… I hate myself, what do I do…"

With a sigh of frustration, she threw her phone across the couch, and of course, luck was on her side. The moment her head hits the back of her couch, her eyes practically snapped open when she hears the send sound effect go off.

"Oh fuck!"

She lungs forward to scramble for her phone.

"Oh no no no no…"

She stares at her phones, praying for the best. The moment she flips it around, of course, luck wasn't on her side. The message had been sent and she was left struck in terror.

"Oh fuck me! What am I supposed to do! What if she reads it! More like what if Korra already deleted my number!"

She rustles her head in frustration.

"FUCKKKK! I'm doommeddddddd!"

She lets out a teary laugh.

As Asami sat there staring at her phone, an eerie moment passes and she feels like she is going to have a heart attack. Her chest was throbbing and she had a hard time breathing. The suspense was killing her and who knows how Korra would react. After her eyes ran dry, she blinked repeatedly before that moment finally came. She saw the typing bubble appear.

"Oh spirits."

She leans forward, lifting the balls of her feet off the floor.

"What is she going to say, what is she going to say…"

The closer her phone inches to her face, the closer she was to the edge of her cushion. Then, just right when she saw a message notification appear, her phone died.

"WHAT THE FUCK!"

She sent her phone flying.

Groaning in disbelief, Asami dragged her hands down her face. It was official. Life was playing her and she was getting wrecked. Big time at that. She laughs to herself again before dragging her ass off the couch to charge her phone.

"What a joke…"

Angrily shoving the charging cable up her phone's ass—she took a calming breath before setting it down on the counter and walking over to her closet. Raising up her hands randomly in defeat, she shakes off her bad mojo.

"Let's take a shower and calm the fuck down."

Sighing yet again, she pouts slightly before aggressively grabbing a change of clothes and hopping into the shower room. As she took a hot depression shower and her phone eventually buzzed to life with a message in the living room. The message read:

Ocean Eyes (01:39): Time and place?

xXx

Nervously tapping her foot like crazy, Asami was staring out at the city from her balcony. She started pacing back and forth before looking at the time again. She's been at this for almost an hour now and this wasn't helping her ever creeping anxiety. Sleep? Who's that? Asami didn't know her. After she had gotten out of the shower she saw Korra's text., she screamed.

So Korra hadn't blocked her number.

That was a good sign, right?

It should be.

It was.

However, Asami would beg to differ. With minutes, no, even seconds remaining, Korra was about to walk up to her door at any moment and end her life. Why was this so nerve-wracking? Presenting a speech in front of hundreds of guests couldn't compare to this. At this rate, with the amount she was sweating from anticipating this encounter, the more calories she was gonna burn in total from being cooped up in her condo for these past few months. Then, as if on cue, finally, the sound of her doorbell going off makes her jump in terror.

This was it.

This was the moment.

Her life practically flashed before her eyes when she weakly walked over to open the door. When she finally manages to grab ahold of the stupid doorknob, she twists it open before feeling a slight breath of relief when she sees Korra's face. She looked as good as ever before they made eye contact. There was this tense moment before Korra cleared her throat and took the initiative to speak first.

"Hey…" she pauses to look at Asami's features. She frowns somewhat before pointing out an observation. "You've lost some weight…"

Asami's lips part before she spits out a random response. "I've been on a diet."

Korra makes a funny face which makes Asami jolt. They both know that was an obvious lie but Korra didn't comment on it. Asami felt guilty for some reason and sucked in some air before quickly spitting out:

"Sorry! No. That was a lie." She shrunk a little, "I um… haven't had an appetite these past few weeks…"

Letting out a soft hum, Korra frowns sadly. "I see…"

"Yeah…" Another moment passes before Asami finally realizes Korra was at her door and steps aside before gesturing into her home. "Sorry, uh why don't you come in? I have a lot of explaining to do and this isn't exactly where I pictured that to go down…"

Korra looks at her before laughing softly. "True."

Once she enters her condo, Asami shuts the door before swallowing back her nausea. She awkwardly fiddles with the hem of her shirt before clearing her throat and offers:

"Feel free to make yourself at home and would you like a drink? I have um, water, juice, and tea?"

"Mmh… thanks for the offer but I think I'm good," Korra replies as she takes a good look around her condo. Her eyebrow went up at a few spots but nonetheless, she kept her opinions to herself.

There goes her last excuse to procrastinate this moment. Come on, just rip off the band-aid Asami… taking a breath, Asami walks over to Korra's side before gesturing at her couch. Korra simply complies with her gesture and takes a seat. Asami was a ball of mess but even so, she was trying her best so she took a deep breath before leading on.

"Okay. I'm gonna be honest."

"Mhmm…" Korra gently urges on as she patiently waits on Asami to tell her story.

"Things are awkward and weird for the both of us but I'm just gonna rip off the band-aid and say it."

"Okay…" She urges yet again with patience and anticipation.

"..."

"..."

Opening her mouth, Asami looks up to meet Korra's eyes before immediately looking away. "I— I'm sorry, I don't think I can look at your eyes while explaining myself."

She could feel Korra smiling softly for some reason. "Don't worry, that's fine. You don't have to look at me if it makes you uncomfortable."

Asami pursed her lips before sighing in defeat. "I'm sorry."

Korra blinks.

Asami takes another breath before expanding. "I'm sorry for being such a bad friend Korra. I just… I really have no excuse."

A moment of silence lingers before she starts again.

"I… the truth is… it's a long story but for you to understand, I have to start from the beginning." She pauses to see if Korra was okay with that before continuing after she gives her a soft hum. "You see… my father, Hiroshi Sato, he… he investigated us."

Feeling confused, Korra twitches at the comment but remains silent nonetheless to hear her out.

"He's… he's afraid of the public thinking that we're a lesbian couple and you know how it is. Some of the world may be accepting of the LGBTQ+ community but, being the only daughter of a multi-millionaire company has its… judgment and restrictions."

Asami frowns sadly at her couch.

"You know… growing up, I never really did understand the concept of marriage. What I mean by this is that I don't understand the stereotypical idea that when a man meets a woman he loves, they get married and live happily ever after."

She starts curling her fingers inwards and outwards.

"I never really did understand why two men or women couldn't get together or why there aren't any stories like that, you know? It was always 'Prince Charming meets his princess or some damsel in distress gets saved by some handsome knight.' It was these same stories over and over again. I never understood why the same gendered sexes couldn't do what they did and save their partner and be with another."

She then starts rubbing her thumb over her knuckles.

"Looking back at it now, I guess somewhere along those lines I think my younger self was probably attracted to both sexes that's why I couldn't see relationships in hetero lens. I didn't tell anyone at first of course. I dealt with this confusing thought for pretty much my entire teenage years. It didn't help that earlier on in my life, when I was six, my mother passed away. I honestly didn't have the emotional capacity nor time or energy to think about why I was so confused about this. Eventually… when I was about sixteen or so, I realized that I was bisexual. It wasn't until I was eighteen that I accepted it though."

Her eyes narrow slightly before she pulls her knees up and hugs them.

"I actually came out to my family a little more than two years ago. Would you believe it? I've never doubted who I was when I was certain about my sexuality and I could have just said nothing. I had been living a lie for so long around them but it never really felt right lying to them. It didn't feel right to lie to myself. Thankfully, my brothers were supportive but as for my father…" she sighs before continuing, "We got into a huge argument, pretty typical as one could imagine… He has that one-sided, conservative point of view and always said things like 'it's just a phase' and that 'I'll get over it' or that once 'I find the right man, everything will be okay.'"

Scoffing at herself, Asami smiles bitterly before cupping her face.

"Would you believe it? My own father said that it was a phase that will pass over one day. This didn't sit well with me so from there on out, we would always argue about my romance life. In his attempts to 'fix' me, it started off with him introducing me to all these different 'male candidates' and eventually, potential marriage proposals. I rejected whoever he introduced me to of course but, from then on out, he began forcing me to attend these parties and banquets on behalf of the company. I honestly don't mind the work… I just wish that most of the time, it wasn't about meeting 'future' partners. Especially only men."

She chuckles to herself before running a hand through her hair.

"Actually, if I'm being honest, I think I prefer women over men. Maybe it's my subconscious trying to spite my father but I find myself leaning towards women. They're just so… more beautiful and understanding than stubborn dickwads who can't take no for an answer."

Korra snorts at that comment which makes Asami smile softly.

"Anyways, as I was saying… What I'm trying to get at here is that my father saw us in public together on social media somehow, so, because of that, he investigated your background…"

Asami picks at her fingers nervously about how Korra would react. Would that scare her off? Being background checked by someone let alone a rich person wasn't normal. Or maybe she would be traumatized by this situation. It wasn't right nor normal. People shouldn't have to go through this for just being friends with someone. It was an invasion of privacy for stupid reasons.

After a short pause, Asami continues. "That struck a nerve and it pissed me off more than ever. This is far worse than going on a date with some random guy. Like, how could he! Harassing me is one thing but dragging my friend into it is another."

With a guilt-ridden face, Asami finally looks up to face Korra in the eyes.

"I like you Korra. I really do but I'm scared…" her voice quivered and her body subtly shakes. "I'm scared of my father. I'm scared of what he can do to you… to me even."

She drops her head back down at her couch.

"When I found out that he had background-checked you, something inside of me snapped. We got into another argument and he… he…" threatened me. "He tried taking matters into his own hands. Our fights have never gotten this aggressive before so I'm scared of what he will do."

Feeling somewhat courageous, she looks back up to face Korra with teary eyes.

"I even stopped showing up to school as a precaution and stopped messaging or contacting anyone just to be on the safe side. I don't know him anymore… I don't know what he is planning nor what he is going to do so that's why I cut everyone out! I don't want anyone getting hurt because of me. It terrifies me just at the thought that if something bad happens to you then it would be my fault."

She looks down at her hand, unable to grasp the idea of how someone like her could possibly protect anyone. It was already shaking enough as it was from the thought of her father and this counter so how in the world could she protect Korra when she couldn't even look her in the eyes properly.

It was her complete defeat and she bitterly knew it.

"I am powerless Korra. Even with my brothers' support, I am powerless." She wanted to cry but that would prove that everything she had been thinking these past few days was true. "I just… I just want to be me, Korra. I want to be accepted for who I am and I don't care what people think about me. I just don't want the people I care about to get hurt because of it. I don't want him to destroy the only good thing that has happened in my life in such a long time. Just imagining what he could do to you makes my heart shatter into pieces."

Sighing in distress, Asami runs her hand up her face and through her hair.

"Distancing myself is all I can do to protect you. If I showed him that I don't care about you, maybe then he would leave you alone. That's all I can do. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being such a bad friend and I am so sorry for ghosting you Korra. I am so, so sorry. I didn't mean for our friendship to turn out this way. You're the only person I can call a friend besides my brothers. I don't want to lose you but if my father dares to threaten you then… then I would gladly walk away. I won't ask you to forgive me Korra. Just know that I do care about you and am truly sorry for whatever pain I may have caused you. You don't deserve me. Someone like me should just…"

Korra finally spoke up for the first time.

"Just what?"

Somewhat surprised at the interruption, Asami's eyes widened before she looked into her eyes.

Korra kept eye contact before asking again.

"Someone like you should just what?"

Asami felt shivers go down her spine from Korra's brilliant gaze. The way her ocean blue eyes pierced her heart made her weak yet, at the same time made her feel safe. The softness in her eyes was as clear as the sky after a raging storm. She could tell that Korra pitied her but at the same time didn't look down at her. She could tell that Korra understood her and that no matter what she said, she would listen to her words. Every, single, last one. Asami's lips parted and she found it hard to admit what she was about to say.

"I… someone like me should just…" disappear. Her lips came together and she couldn't say it out loud. Korra's gaze still hadn't left hers and if anything, it made her forget her worries. It was comforting and Asami truly thought everything would be okay.

Breathing out a steady breath, Korra shifts before moving closer to Asami. Then, once they were within touching distance, Korra slowly reached out to her before pulling Asami into a warm hug. She embraces her tightly, nuzzling her face against her head. "Thank you for telling me your story." She starts rubbing her back comfortingly. "I am so sorry that your father can't see how much of a beautiful and brave daughter you are. You are so strong Asami… so strong."

Asami frowns as her lips thinned out in a shaky line. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing would come out. It was as if something was blocking her vocal canal. No matter how hard she tried, how much she tried to speak, she felt like choking up. She could only bite her lip as her last line of defense before leaning into Korra's warmth. But… as much as she resisted, her eyes pooled with tears and soon enough, it began spilling down her cheeks. She tried pulling back by reflex to wipe it or even hide her face but Korra didn't budge. She was caught in her tight, warm, and soothing embrace.

"I'm so sorry he is such a fool Asami. He doesn't deserve you. You are such a brave and strong woman. You are not powerless. You are doing what you think is best. I can see that. I can see how strong you are. It's okay. You're okay. We're okay."

Shutting her eyes, Asami weakly brings up her hand before shakily grabbing a hold of Korra's shirt. "I… I'm so sorry Korra… we can't…"

Korra holds back her urge to cry before squeezing Asami even tighter. She then took a deep breath before repeating firmly. "It's okay. We're okay."

"I…" Asami couldn't suppress her horrible cry anymore. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry."

"It's okay… we're okay…"

The young heiress began sobbing out her heart. Her frustrations. Her sorrows. It was as if a dam had been released and tears wouldn't stop flowing from her eyes as she cried out her weak pleas for help. Unable to do much for her friend, Korra simply repeated her words of affirmation knowing that they couldn't be together as friends let alone anything further than that. She continues to rub her back soothingly as she frowns behind her back.

"It's okay Asami… it'll be okay."