AN: Asami's finally moving past her demons!

Korra on the other hand…


Ch 14b: A Turn In Events

Fresh out of the shower, Asami fluffs out her hair with a white towel before plopping down onto the couch. Her body sinks with ease and her mind feels refreshed. It was as if the ice prison she had been enduring for all these years had finally begun to melt. She could breathe without the cold burn suffocating her every weak breath. She could finally look straight ahead, no longer trapped in darkness. She could feel her fingers, her toes, and every fiber in her body that she had tensed up all these years were finally letting loose. She no longer had to fight and put up this fake mask to please others, specifically her father.

Her lips end up thinning at the thought. Her eyes narrowed and for a moment, she let the grief and reality wash over her again. Flashes of her abduction filled her mind and she jolted upright before snapping her head around. Her jaw and fists tighten but she is faced with nothingness. As much as she loved this condo, the convenience and view surrounding it, there was this dull pain that lingered in her chest. Her brothers had suggested that she should move out over that family dinner they had but honestly, she didn't want to. Aside from the hassles that would occur from packing and moving, she found this place home.

"..."

She immediately slaps her cheeks before shaking her head.

"No. No no no, don't think about it. You're overthinking things. I'm done wallowing around, that isn't who I am…" with a sigh, she glances over to the window walls in her condo. She makes eye contact with her reflection, giving it an unyielding look as she makes her way over.

"There's no going back…" she takes a deep breath. "There's only one thing I can do." She had a clear goal to work for.

It was simple: pick Future Industries back up to its former glory and win over her crush.

Korra.

Korra Korra Korra.

With her cheeks feeling somewhat warm, Asami grabs her phone off the counter before taking a seat on her couch again. She opens up her text app before nervously biting her thumb. She hovers over her phone's keyboard and her lips thin out in nervousness before she finally takes a deep breath. She practically had to will herself to send Korra a text. It began with something like this…

Hey Korra, it's been a while, hasn't it? Well, I guess technically not since we met like a week ago but still. Hah… where am I going with this? This will be awkward if I beat around the bush so I'll just cut to the chase. So much has happened within the past months that I don't even know where to begin and well honestly… As I told you before, I'm fed up with telling people I'm okay. The truth is, I am okay. But, I am also not. What more do people expect me to say? You're the only one who understands me…

Asami ends up pulling down her lower lip in a nervous tick before hitting the return bar and continuing.

Anyways… you've told me many times to not say it and I know I know. That's why I haven't. At least in person since you always give me that look. No amount of words can express how I feel about you and now that you're not in front of me, I'll say it one last time. I promise. I am sorry. I didn't mean nor wanted to drag you into my family's mess. I also want to thank you for being there for me. For saving me. Well…we still ended up getting kidnapped together but that's not what I meant haha. If I'm being completely open, you are the reason that I feel okay. You're the reason why I feel so validated and safe. Even more so than my brothers (don't tell them that though). You always see me for who I am and I will never be able to thank you enough Korra. Thank you. Thank you so much. You are more dear to me than you'll ever know…

Blinking at that paragraph, Asami blushes. "I hope that doesn't sound like a confession…" she rubs the back of her phone with her finger. "Though it is…" she clears her throat before hitting the return button again.

So… I know it's overdue but, if you're okay with it, I'd like to take you out for real instead of a coffee run. It'll be my treat and a surprise of course! I have this whole date planned out and I would be honored if you would entertain Republic City's #1 troublemaker! We can't exactly go on a vacation or anything but I think it'll be the next best adjacent. I also got some big news to tell you! Sorry for the long text but hoping for a positive response, lots of love, Asami.

Asami decides to not ponder long on her text. Knowing herself, she'd probably end up deleting the whole message so she just clicks the send button before tossing her phone aside. She grabs the plush by her side and pulls it into a big hug. She squeezes it firmly before burying her face into it and letting out a muffled squeal. After she somewhat regains her composure, she pulls up Netflix and sinks into her couch again. As she mindlessly flipped through the home screen, she couldn't help but mumble to herself.

"Since when was I such a fumbling lovesick teen…" she pouts as she watches the trailer to some bad rom-com. One sigh later, she clicks on that show out of the irony. "Korra, what have you done to me?"

xXx

"Hey, Korra!" Asami cautiously squeaks out while bashfully rubbing her cheek with a wave. "Over here!"

Thankfully for her, Korra sees her and quickly jogs over with a bright smile. "Hey," she pulls Asami in for a warm hug before speaking up in a quiet voice. "Sorry I kept you waiting Sami, I thought I'd beat you by getting here ten minutes early…" She confirms her tardiness by looking at her watch.

"No worries," with a soft grin, Asami parts from their hug and internally curses herself at the loss of warmth. "I just got too excited and came way too early."

Korra laughs softly before looking at her outfit. "You look good."

Asami immediately blushes at her comment before pulling down her baseball cap. "I'm dressed like I'm about to attend a baseball game." She then glances down at her sloppy attire.

Her crush bursts out laughing at that. "Hey, baseball caps, hoodies, and leggings are the best."

She truly loved that laugh. "Come on," Asami pesters before latching on to her arm and pulling her towards an alleyway right off to the side of their local park. "There's a lot I want to do."

Korra only gave her a look as she matched her pace. "I'm curious about what you're gonna put me through." She then glances at her similar outfit, "You said to wear something easy to move in like sportswear. Now we look like we're gonna hit up a gym or something, not that I would mind though…" she then cocks an eyebrow while looking her in the eyes, "Just not what I'd thought if that was the case."

Asami turns to look her in the face. She giggles before giving her a flirtatious look, "What were you thinking then? That we were gonna get down and dirty?"

"Wha—" that makes Korra's cheek turn somewhat pink, "N-No! Of course not! Kuvira and I dress like slobs most of the time when we hang out!"

With her lips jutting out somewhat, Asami gave her a judging look. "For some reason, I don't believe that."

Korra scoffs in offense. "What's that supposed to mean!"

"Mmh… well…" she then eyes Korra's body up and down, getting her to twitch in the process. "From what I can tell, Kuvira seems to be the type to ooze with confidence so she probably comes at you whenever you don't dress nicely. You on the other hand…" she then smirks a little, "don't like to show off."

Korra was most definitely getting teased. "That's—"

Asami interrupts her before she could finish though. "You haven't had breakfast have you?" She then points at the food vendor stand on the street. "I've always wanted to try their hotdogs."

"Hotdogs?" Korra repeats with a slight pout. "For breakfast?"

With a silly grin, Asami tilts her head at Korra. "Why not? It is a sandwich, you know that right? And people have sandwiches for breakfast all the time."

Korra scoffs with a baffled face. "Oh no…you did not just— hotdogs are not sandwiches!"

"Yes, they are. It's meat and condiments between bread." She easily retorts.

"You're out of your mind! That's like saying a cinnamon roll is a cake!"

"Psst—" Asami couldn't help herself, "It is."

"Is not!" Korra shoots back in all offenses.

"Then if not a cake, what is it then? Bread?"

"Asami!" Korra dramatically says, "I didn't know you were this type of person. How could you! Cinnamon rolls are their own thing! It's not a cake or bread!"

"Mmhmm…" she urges on, "Then what are their cinnamon roll cakes and monkey bread."

"They are not the same thing!" She looked like she was about to explode, "In the first place, monkey bread isn't even a cinnamon roll!"

"Yes, it is!" She spits back while sticking out her tongue, "It's just cut up into smaller bite sizes." She deadpans with an equally smug look.

Korra scoffs like no other. "I'm disappointed in you Sami, I didn't think you were this type of person." She crosses her arms before mumbling, "Hotdogs are just hotdogs… not sandwiches! And a cake or bread… pfft hah! As if… cinnamon rolls are just cinnamon rolls…"

Asami couldn't take her eyes off of Korra's endearing face. She smiles before whispering out loud, "You're a cinnamon roll…"

"Huh?" Korra turns her head at that, "What was that? Did you say something?"

Smiling softly again, Asami uses her hand to gently push Korra's back forward. "Nothing, we're holding up the line so we should hurry and order." She then nods her head at the menu, "Maybe we can share drinks to… I kind of want a peach lemonade and soda… and maybe some nacho fries too?"

Korra finally perks up at that, "Sounds like a deal to me."

Spirits, why is her dorky grin so cute? Asami got lost in her thoughts and Korra's eyes for a brief second before she snapped out of it. "Perfect, let's put our order in then."

xXx

Cupping her mouth, Asami suppressed a gag. "Urgh… I think I'm gonna be sick…"

Korra snorts before stopping in place and resting her hand on her hip. She then places one of her feet on a nearby medium-sized rock before speaking up, "And who's idea was it to eat a heavy meal, hotdogs and nachos fries may I remind you, and then hike up this very long, longggg path up to a shrine?"

Hunching over, Asami almost let Korra see her uncanny side. "S-Sorry… I thought it'd be fine." She swallows back whatever came out before glancing up at Korra. She raises an eyebrow at her friend. "And how is it that you're fine? You ended up finishing the rest of those fries…"

Scratching the back of her head, Korra hums. "Well… I do work out more than you. That and… well let's see…" she eyes Asami's body up and down. She pretends to do some sort of analysis before giving her a shit-eating grin and deadpanning, "I'm just better than you."

Asami just rolls her eyes. "Uhuh, sure. Congratulations, what an accomplishment. Eating more than a skimpy dropout college kid."

That comment makes Korra frown with a concerned face. "Hey…" her eyes linger at Asami's body again, "I never made a comment because of our…situation but you lost a lot of weight you know. You're practically skin and bones now."

"..." That's… "Sorry Korra, I didn't mean to…"

This time Korra shakes her head. "No no, you have nothing to apologize for. Besides… not all genesis finished college. With a brain like yours, I betcha one day, you'll be at the top of Future Industries and make those who laugh at you regret it!"

Asami bites back her lip. Oh, little did you know Korra…

She continued her rant. "Hey! Maybe even someday, we can like… do a collab? Now that you know my secret, I don't have anything to hide…" she then walks over to offer Asami a hand. "Let's take it easy the rest of the way since we're almost there. Just reserve your strength and I'll do most of the talking."

From her hunched-over position, Asami just lets out a heavy breath before taking her hand and getting up. "Sure… I guess."

Korra gives her a warm smile before leading the way. "Anyways… as I was saying…" She then looks straight ahead, enjoying the forestry and privacy of the trail to the remote shrine. "One day, when that day comes, I'll be taking after the tribe as Chief once my dad steps down. Of course, it'll be further in the future but that's my last stop so before that happens, I wanted to do the best I could as a physical therapist." She looks over to look Asami in the eye, "I wanted to put out as much good as I can to help others, you know? There are countless people out there in this city let alone the world so I wanted to start with what I can versus what isn't in my direct line of sight."

They trudge past some tall tree roots before continuing their way up the dirt-stoned stairs.

"When I was little, I got into a sort of big incident after… after a bad experience when I was younger. My back got pretty messed up back then but thanks to the village's healer, Katara, I made a full recovery. It's all thanks to her that I can continue my day with no trouble. That's why I wanted to become a physical therapist in the first place. Not all heroes have fancy titles, you know? Since I was little, being the chief's daughter and all, I always knew I had this big role to fill up eventually. Of course… leaders are elected back at home but my family is sort of well known for having a big place in our village's decisions. That's why it'd be natural for me to take over and I'm fine with that. However, until that time comes, I wanna do my best and help in any way that I can."

Korra then looks over at Asami to make sure she was listening before continuing when she smiles at her.

"You know how it is, being the kid of a 'prestigious' family has its tolls. But… even so, in the end, we can't escape our roles because we grew to love them as we were young. Even if we pictured life without it, it wouldn't be the same."

On that note, they finally made it to the top of the hill where the remote shrine was located. Korra was the first to have a big grin before she ran up ahead.

"Woah! This place is so pretty, what the heck!" She then turns to Asami, to ask, "Where'd you even find a place like this Asami?"

Asami's lips part as she takes in the sight in front of her. Korra looked stunning in front of that small shrine surrounded by nature. The way the grass somehow made Korra glow and the way the leaves danced on the trees behind her made her look so… so magical. She was a being that was too pure and perfect to exist in the human world. Her thoughts naturally flowed elsewhere as she admired her crush. Spirits, why is this woman so perfect? One blink later, she remembered Korra asked a question before she managed to answer it without knowing the question in the first place.

"My mom used to take my brothers and me here. It's remote because most of Republic City ignores this forest to the North. It is a pretty bland trip here but, if you know where to go, it's the best place to get away from everyone with the best reward."

Korra gives her that soul reviving, lopsided grin of hers. "Thanks for sharing your secret with me then! My lips," she raises her hand to her face, "are sealed!" She then swipes her fingers across her lips to indicate zipping them shut.

Asami just smiles at her lovingly. "You're welcome, you should see the view here when the sakura trees are in season."

"Hmm..." her friend mindlessly responded, "I can only imagine."

With a warm and fuzzy expression, Asami eventually walked over to stand by Korra's side before looking at the shrine. "..." remaining silent, she looks at the shrine's dusty donation box before mumbling to herself. "The last time I was here, I was with my mom…"

Looking to the left, Korra almost missed that statement. After a second, she decided to respond. "You must've loved coming here…"

"I did." She then smiled at the memory. "I would always race my brothers to the top when we were close to the top. We… We scattered her ashes here. She loved this place more than anything so we were grateful that the owners let us do that." She then reaches into her pocket to pull out her wallet and places a hefty sum of cash into the box. She then rings the bell before standing straight and placing her hands together with her eyes closed.

"..." Korra looks at her curiously but remains silent out of courtesy before doing the same and putting her hands together as well. They end up standing there for a moment as they think about their prayers.

Mom… I miss and love you so much. Things have been crazy and you wouldn't believe it if I told you. It's about dad. He… well he did something unforgivable and horrible. He'll have to explain that himself whenever the time comes. But long story short, I'll be taking over Future Industries so I hope you'll look after me. Things are hectic so I could really use your help. That… that and um well…

Asami scrunches her eyebrows before cracking an eye open to spare Korra a glance. She looked as flawless as ever as she stood by her side. Asami found herself blushing again. She quickly snaps her eyes shut before continuing her prayer.

I-If you can, can you like… um… Help me with Korra? I really, really like— no… I love her and I'm afraid that I'll lose her. That I'll mess up somehow. I feel that she might like me too but I don't want to jump to conclusions. She's just… she makes me feel whole. She makes me feel warm and safe like you did yet she has this spunk that gets me excited I lay my eyes on her. I love her that way and I want to share so many new experiences with her. A-Anyways! I shouldn't bother you so much anymore! I love you and promise to visit you more often so please wish me good luck!

Finally clapping her hands together, Asami took a quick breath before looking at Korra. "Korra, I have something to tell you."

Korra opens her eyes as she twitches when she hears Asami's statement. "Y-Yes…?"

Asami faces her firmly before taking another deep breath. Well… here goes. "I… the truth is…" her friend gulped and Asami clenched her fist before ripping off the bandaid. "I'm taking over Future Industries."

With her mouth dropping slightly, Korra simply blinks in shock. "You're what?"

Asami's lips thinned out before she took in another breath before repeating herself more firmly and loudly. "I'm taking over Future Industries. As their CEO. Me." She looks at Korra with anticipation and she could've sworn that Korra let out a breath of relief for some reason.

"That's… that's amazing Asami! Congratulations!" She then grins before stepping in close to hug her. "I wasn't expecting that but that's amazing news!" She then pulls back before continuing her praise, "If anyone can do it, I know you can. You are more than capable of leading Future Industries!"

Asami couldn't help but cock an eyebrow at that. What is that supposed to mean? Nonetheless, she ignores that strange reaction before looking her in the eyes. "Thank you Korra, that means a lot coming from you."

They smile at each other before Korra offers Asami her hand out of nowhere. She raises an eyebrow at that before Korra continues with a slight grin, "Nice you meet the CEO of Future Industries."

"Ahh…" Asami smiles back before quickly accepting and shaking her hand. "The pleasure is mine, Korra."

Surprisingly enough, Asami was the first to break from their hold. "Anyways, we should make our way back. There's still one thing I want to do back in the city before the day ends."

Korra tilts her head curiously. "Okay? Sure, sounds good."

xXx

"Woah— urk—" struggling to maintain her balance, Korra slides all over the icy floor before she ends up slipping and falling over. "Ow!"

Snorting out loud, Asami covered her mouth as she skated over to help her up. "You okay there?"

Korra lets out a frustrated groan as she pulls herself up with Asami's help. "No. No actually. Ice skating? Really? Of all the things you wanted to do, you chose ice skating."

Asami couldn't help but snicker. "And how was I supposed to know you had two left feet? You're from the south aren't you!" She teases yet mocks at the same time.

Her friend only rolled her eyes. "Just because I'm from the south doesn't mean I know how to ice skate! I usually walk in boots or use a dog sled, not travel in ice skates!"

Laughing happily, Asami had to wipe away her tears. "This is great! I would have never thought…" she held her stomach while biting back her lip in an attempt to restrain her laughter. It didn't work.

Korra groaned before exclaiming, "Stop laughing! It's not funny!"

"B-But… just look at you!" She ends up snorting, "I-I'm sorry but you just look so…" she looks at Korra's legs shaking profusely in an attempt at standing up straight. "Pfft—"

"Hey! Don't insult me in Japanese!"

"Sorry sorry! You're just… so cute!"

"Asami!" Shaking her fist, Korra attempts to chase after her. Of course, she stumbles like crazy and Asami ends up circling her around as gracefully as possible while laughing her ass off. "Why you— when I get a hold of you I'm gonna—"

With a cheeky grin, Asami quickly skates around behind her back before coming up to her back and playfully slapping her ass. Korra yelped at that before she skidded left and right in place.

"Asami!"

Having the time of her life, Asami skates playfully around in the rink, past the other skaters, before circling up to Korra again. She had one of the widest grins on her face as she couldn't help but tease. "At that rate, you're just gonna be buried in my icy dust!"

"Urghhhh!" Grunting in frustration, Korra pushed back her hair. "I hate you."

"Hate you too Korraboo!"

"Don't call me that!" Korra lets out another annoyed huff before pointing her finger at her when Asami laughs at her. "Ohhhhh, it's so on Sato! It's on!"

An hour or so later, until the very end, Korra never caught her even once.

By the time they called it quits, Korra was wobbling to the seating area. She sits down with some extra flare before immediately yanking off her stupid skates. As she undid the shoe ties, she let out a frustrated groan before immediately sighing in bliss once her foot was free from its prison. She quickly does the same with her other ice skate before dramatically placing one of her feet over her knee and rubbing it tenderly.

"Geez... my feet are killing me."

Asami follows in her steps right behind her but at a more leisurely pace. "Yeah but you have to admit, it was fun."

"That's…" Korra gives her a stink eye before switching her foot. "Debatable."

With a soft shake of the head, Asami starts taking off her skates. "Well… either way, I'm glad you put up with it for me. It means a lot to me… more than you'll ever know Korra."

"Of course." She mindlessly responds, "How could I say no to a friend in need? Especially after what you've been through. I just… I couldn't take you off my mind honestly. It gives me peace of mind when I see you acting like… you." She then messes with her hair with a low groan. "That sounds kind of weird, I don't know how to explain it."

"Korra…" she finishes taking off her skates before smiling and scooching in closer to her. Her eyes locked on the sweat that was dripping down her neck and Asami's heart began to race. She swallowed her nerves before tenderly reaching out for Korra's hand. "Korra, I need to tell you something."

Tensing at her touch, Korra freezes before slowly inching her head to face Asami. "What…" her voice was soft, "What's wrong Asami? You okay?"

I can do this. I can do this! Asami keeps eye contact as she slowly leaned in closer. "Korra I… I've been thinking about it for a long time and I've finally sorted out my feelings. You mean a lot to me more than everyone has. You stayed by my side and saw me for who I am rather than what I am. I, I lo—" love you. She cuts herself short, afraid that she might scare Korra away, before clearing her throat and trying again. "I like you Korra, I like you a lot. Will you… will you be my girlfriend?"

There was this sudden change in Korra's expression. Her face went from tired to… scared?

Korra takes a deep breath before letting out a shaky response. "I… Asami I…" her eyes wavered and she had this heavy expression before she confessed. "I, I like you too Asami."

Asami didn't quite understand Korra's reaction nevertheless, her heart swelled up in joy. "Then—"

"But!" Korra quickly cuts her off. "But, I'm sorry Asami… I can't… I can't date you." She then stands up in a haste before rushing to find her shoes.

"What…?" Deflating from that statement, Asami felt as if someone doused her with a bucket of ice water. That was when she realized Korra was on the run. "W-Wait! Korra!" Extending her hand, Asami quickly chases after her before grabbing her wrist. "W-Why? I don't understand. If you like me then why can't we—"

Gritting her teeth in pain, Korra snapped. "It's not you Asami! It's me…" her voice quivered as she turned to face Asami. She had this forlorn look before softly apologizing. "I'm sorry, I can't… I just can't be with you Asami." At her last comment, she yanks back her hand before quickly grabbing her shoes and scurrying away.

Asami was left utterly speechless and dumbfounded. Shocked by this turn of events, she couldn't wrap her head around the reason why Korra rejected her. She confessed that she liked her as well so why…? Why did she say no? Just like her excitement came, it quickly depleted like a bursting balloon.

"I…"

Tears welled up in her eyes as she felt her heart crash and burn.

"Why…?"


AN: aight aight, I know I know.

Y'all: "Enough pining shipper! Give us bleeping korrasami!"

Yuh yuh, I hear u BUT the summary of this fic does say "or will Korra's past rob them of what they could have?" LMAO so u can't get too mad at me. Don't worry. This situation will get resolved basically by the end of next week. The long awaited korrasami will come and I DID extend this fic by like 5 chapters so I can serve u some korrsami instead of ending it there. You're welcome. I am still suffering/writing the end because of it (wish me luck DX).