A Legend of Korra Fanfic
By Sakura Martinez (aka SMTsukishiro)

Summary:

A promising engineering student. A mysterious woman capable of controlling the four elements. When their paths cross, the resulting collision not only changes their lives and themselves, but the fate of the entire world as well. [Korrasami AU]

The Legend of Korra:

The Schism

Chapter 39: Asami's Childhood Friend

A great, big, bear hug. Asami should have known that to be Bolin's choice of action once realization dawned upon him that she was who she said she was.

That action was soon followed by a less-than-manly squeal of "Asami!" that was enough to turn the heads of the few people who were still up and about.

The Prodigy, of course, welcomed her childhood friend's warmth. His joy was much-needed to chase away the gloominess Asami's search for the Avatar had caused, as well as the still lingering sense of regret.

The young man, with his hands still on Asami's shoulder, gently pushed her just enough to keep her at arm's length and looked her over. His eyes danced with mirth and child-like wonder. His lips curved into a wide, toothy grin that sent Asami back to their days as children.

"Look. At. You." Each word was stressed, punctuated and exclaimed as such. "The last time we saw each other, I was much taller than you. Now, it's the other way around!"

Asami laughed, a smile appearing on her own lips. "The last time we saw each other, we were snot-nosed kids."

"Ah-ah-ah," he wiggled his forefinger. "I was a snot-nosed kid. You, on the other hand, were a prim and proper princess."

"I doubt my father would describe me as such considering all the trouble we got ourselves into and all the sneaking around we did." The Prodigy countered, remembering the number of times she had come home with clothes unkempt and muddled, hair bedraggled with leaves sticking out, from all the make-believe adventures and misadventures she and Bolin got themselves into.

Bolin looked just about ready to argue—and he seemed pretty confident about it as well—when the young man suddenly went rigid. For a moment Asami wondered what had gotten into him, until she too took notice of the increasing numbers of bystanders that had come to see what was going on. She was certain that he was berating himself (as she was) for being too loud, forgetting for a moment where they were and the possibility of those who wanted to bring her back lurking in the shadows.

"Bolin—" Asami was about to say goodbye to the young man; to cut their reunion short. But Bolin had other plans.

Cutting whatever she was to say off, he took her by the hand and dragged her into a run. He offered no explanation, even when Asami asked what he was doing.

"I would like to catch up with you some more, Asami," Bolin replied. "But we can't stay out in the open. Well, maybe you could. But I can't."

Hearing Bolin say that, made Asami's head conjure all sorts of things. Memories from the past resurfaced: a young Bolin pickpocketing random strangers and stealing wares being sold at stalls; a young Bolin sneaking into her room, bruised when he fought to keep the authorities from catching him; a day that passed, turning to weeks and then months, when Bolin did not come sneaking into her family's compound with a promise of stories waiting to be told and adventure to be had.

Before she knew what she was doing, she had stopped running and had taken back the hand that Bolin was dragging her along with. This, in turn, caused the young man to stop dead in his tracks as well and for him to turn around and look at her with an expression filled with confusion.

"Whoa, Asami, what gives?" Bolin asked. He paused when he noted the expression she was wearing. "Wait, I didn't hurt you with how I dragged you along, did I?" Bolin quickly jumped into such an assumption in less than a heartbeat. But his hyper-active mind was not done yet, as Asami came to realize when he did not give her time to respond.

"Or, wait—!" He gasped, eyes widening to saucers. Such a reaction caused the young Prodigy to step back as well, before Bolin launched into a volley of words. "—did I do it again? Did I forgot a custom—a rule—or something like that? Am I allowed to touch your hand, even? Your father is going to have my head for this, isn't he? B-But, he can't! I still have a lot of things to live for! What about the fans!?"

It was comical. And though she didn't intend to—considering the predicament she perceived them to be in—Asami couldn't help but burst into a fit of giggles.

"What are you going on about?" she asked when she could.

"What am I going on about? You're the one I should be asking that question to," he paused, as though remembering something, before adding, "And I did! You were giving me that horrified look, like I've done something terrible…like kick a puppy…"

At that, Asami sobered. She crossed her arms and muttered, "Who's to say you didn't?"

It wasn't really a question Bolin was meant to answer. It wasn't even something Asami thought the young man could hear. But hear it, he did.

"What?!" Bolin looked appalled, as someone who had been thought ill of would. "I don't…I don't understand. Why would you think that about me?"

Asami looked away, arms crossed. "You drag me off running, and hearing you say sound so paranoid of people seeing you reminded me of all the bad stuff you got yourself into when we were children."

"…And you think it's because I am running away from authorities?" Bolin did not look nor sound as offended and surprised as Asami thought he would. There was a brief pause, before Bolin's face morphed into an expression of incredulity. "Are you serious? You sound like you don't know…"

Whatever he was about to say, Bolin changed his mind with a shake of his head and a sigh.

"Well," he said. "I suppose there's nothing I can say that would put your mind at ease. Knowing you, if I tell you not to worry, you'll just worry even more." He grinned at that, ignoring the look the Prodigy was giving him, before adding. "The best way to tell you is to show you."

And with that, the young man grabbed hold of Asami's wrist again and dragged her along for a jog to the other side of town…

Mako struggled with his binds.

With no one else on the airship, the Mercenary took it as the opportune time to make a break for it. If only he could free himself…

He had been at it for a while now, and hadn't yet managed to even loosen his chains one bit. It was frustrating. And though he channeled that frustration into trying to break free—and even with the Avatar being far away—it proved more than a challenge, so much so that he wondered about the futility of it all.

That wasn't all he had thought about while in captivity for the past—how many has it been?—days. It was already hard to tell how long he had been stuck, bound to that metallic chair, and held captive. But, more interesting than counting the days since he had been held against his will was the strange behavior Asami Sato and Opal Bei Fong had exhibited during the times they had graced him with their presence. Albeit Asami was less frequent than the young Bei Fong who seemed to have been given the chore of checking up on him and dropping off his food.

The thought of food made his stomach rumble and growl. It had been ages since he last ate. And though he was truly and absolutely famished, putting faith that Opal would come and give him food was not something he would hold his breath for.

He sighed. Thinking about food was not doing him any good. And so, instead of dwelling on it, he decided to think of something else as he worked to grant himself the freedom he so very much desired.

Again, his mind wandered to the Bei Fong girl who looked far more troubled than she had when all this stuff about the Avatar had started. Although, when he did try to strike a conversation with her, that expression would morph. Gone would be the worried Opal and in her place would be a furious one.

Mako didn't need anyone to explain to him why she had turned hostile. He knew why. The Sato Heiress. He was certain she hid nothing from Opal and had told her what he, himself, had admitted. That he had come to take her back to her father whether she wanted to or not; that he would be willing to do anything to ensure that he got his job done.

Still, he doubted that was the reason behind the peculiarity he sensed from those who had been on-board with him.

He sighed. He would not have been wondering about such a thing if it had not been a part of his job. He was tasked to report changes within the Avatar and her group to his new employer. It was, he had found out the hard way, more trouble than it was worth.

He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. He felt tired.

Remember why you're doing this. Mako found he had to constantly tell himself that nowadays. Remember who it is for.

The Mercenary was dragged out of his reverie, however, when he heard a laughter echoing in his room. Eyes snapping open, Mako scanned the room…or as much of the room as he could while bound to the chair. He saw no one.

For a moment, he thought he had just imagined it. That his mind had decided now would be the best time to play tricks on him. He was hungry, after all, and hungry people tend to hallucinate.

But then, he noticed something peculiar. And frightening.

There, near the south-western corner of the room, behind him, a pool of shadows were congealing. Morphing and twisting, as though the very color on that part of the room was being sucked, it elongated until it reached the ceiling. And then there was a sound, a pinging of sorts, before a strange-looking creature, large and imposing, with a kite-like shape and crimson-colored markings appeared.

Its eyes—or what Mako assumed were its eyes—looked at him. The Mercenary found himself being frozen by fear. He found it hard to breathe, even as he gasped.

And then, just as quickly as that being appeared, did it disappear. In a blink of an eye, the strange-looking creature was gone, and so too was the darkness that had emerged beforehand. In their place, however, was the hooded woman.

She said nothing, merely looked at him. What expression she might be sporting, Mako did not know. He couldn't see, and he doubted she would let him catch a glimpse of her face even.

"Well, this is a surprise," Mako spoke, sounding much more confident than he felt. He didn't like the silence she brought into the room. It was stifling and (dare he say it) nerve-wracking. "I didn't think you'd come visit. I was certain visiting hours were over."

"What are you doing?" the hooded woman asked, her voice cold, harsh, and the least bit curious—even with how distorted she made the sound out to be.

He decided, the best way to deal with her right now would be to look at anything but her. There was just something about that woman that was disquieting…and that was saying something, considering how Mako would like to believe that nothing unsettled him.

"Oh, just hanging about," he tried for sarcasm. He felt, the moment those words escaped his lips, however, that it was not a good idea to try the hooded woman. "What does it look like? And I doubt you actually need me to answer that. We both know that you knew what happened and what has gotten me into this mess: The Avatar."

"You were bested by her."

Mako had to try not to roll his eyes at the statement.

"Unlike you, we ordinary humans are completely at her mercy…even when you say that she is at her weakest right now." He paused, cocked his head to the side and ask, "So, did you come here just to gloat? Or did you actually come to help me?"

The hooded woman said nothing, but a flick of her finger had the binds restraining Mako evaporate into nothingness.

Mako groaned as he pushed himself off the chair, glad that he was finally able to walk around again. He rubbed the soreness off of his wrists, then looked at the hooded woman who had not moved at all from where she had appeared.

"Thanks," he said and he truly meant it. "So, what does my employer want with me that she would go so far as to come to me directly? I'm sure you didn't just come here simply to help me."

She didn't answer immediately. There was a couple of heartbeats of silence, as though she was gauging something, before she actually replied.

"Republic City. It will begin soon. Amon will need you by his side." It was as cryptic an answer as any, but Mako had an inkling of what it was she spoke of.

"And what about the Avatar and the Sato Heiress? I thought you wanted me to keep an eye on the Avatar and drag Asami Sato back to her father?"

"Were there any changes?" came the hooded woman's question.

Mako shrugged. "There might be. Though I doubt it's the kind of thing you would be interested in. Not that I am even certain what was going on during those days I was being held captive." He paused, there was confusion written all over his face when he added, "I thought you would know more than I did, actually. You seem to know more than anyone else."

"I wouldn't have asked if I knew," she replied. Her head moved, looking to the left and beyond the wall that stood there, to somewhere Mako could not really see. "The Fire Nation is much too protected for me to see anything beyond the veil. The Fire Lord has done well in keeping things hidden from me here."

Whatever those words meant, Mako did not know, and frankly, he would much rather steer clear of things that did not have anything to do with him. All that mattered was the job he was given and was being paid for, anything else was just background noise.

"Well, trouble seems to be brewing within their group. What that trouble is, I really have no idea. Being a prisoner doesn't give you much a privilege of knowing those kinds of things." Again Mako shrugged, his tone dismissive.

The hooded woman hummed. "Nevertheless, you can come back to them some other time. Appealing though it may be to have Asami Sato with us when we return, we cannot waste much time right now." She turned back to Mako. He could feel her gaze piercing even under the hood she wore. "Make haste."

And with that she was gone with no indication she was ever there to begin with.

Again, Mako rubbed his wrist, then rolled his stiff shoulders. Instead of moaning at the feeling of relief it brought, the words his employer had uttered came back to him and it made him groan.

"She wants me to quickly head back to Republic City?" he looked around, thinking perhaps he could make use of the airship. That idea was quickly thrown out of the window when he remembered how badly damaged it was. "How am I supposed to do that?"

Asami gaped at the luxurious inn that stood before her. It was far more opulent than any of the inns she had stayed in. Despite being Hiroshi Sato's daughter, Asami was never one for extravagance. She was one who always chose the practical. The only times she had to stay somewhere that was within the territory of lavish, was when she was forced to attend one of the conferences Hiroshi was invited to. Even then, it wasn't as grand as the one she was standing in front of now.

It was the most impressive architectural structure in Shu Jing—not counting the old castle. It was also the brightest lit of all, making it seem like the surrounding area was still bathed in sunlight.

Its walls were artistically crafted and carved by who could only be the Fire Nation's best. The pillars that supported the exterior of the inn had golden dragons curling and snaking around them, their gaping maws breathing light instead of fire. The spaces in-between these pillars had large, potted, flowering plants.

The doors leading inside the inn were equally grand, lined with silver and made with dark wood, it was more than apparent that the inn's owners did not leave a single dime unspent. Asami did not need to peek through those doors to know that the interior mirrored the inn's exterior.

"W-What are we doing here?" Asami hissed. "Why did you bring me here, Bolin?"

Bolin grinned. "It's awesome isn't it? My team made sure to go all out. They wanted to ensure I was comfortable."

"Team? What team?" Again, Bolin was making no sense to her.

Instead of replying, Bolin merely chuckled. Confidently, he strode towards the entrance and Asami found herself equally mortified and curious. She did not know what Bolin was thinking. This was far too high-end, and even if he introduced her as Hiroshi Sato's heir, it would do them no good.

Her father wanted her back by any means necessary. He had probably alerted establishments such as this to keep an eye out for her. And, even if that was not the case, how would she pay for a room if Bolin suddenly went on ahead and rented one on her behalf? Either way, it was bound to be a disaster.

"B-Bolin, wait!" She tried to catch up to him before he traipsed further into the inn. Much to her dismay, however, he was already climbing the red-carpeted stairway that led to the upper floors of the inn.

Whether the young man heard her or not, Asami was not so certain herself. And, the moment she stepped inside the inn and had every head in the open lounge and the lobby turning towards her, she did not particularly care if he did or not. She was far too embarrassed, looking so out of place and under-dressed.

She tried not to look at any of them; tried to hide much of her face as she could without looking suspicious…or looking like an idiot. She was equally uncertain if she managed to pull it off or made herself even more of target for unwanted conversations.

Bolin, I won't let you get away with this! She gritted her teeth as she rushed up the very same flight of stairs Bolin had taken.

She found him standing by a single door on the third floor of the lavish inn. He looked bored, brows furrowed and arms crossed, though he quickly beamed at the sight of her.

"There you are!" he exclaimed. He looked relieved to see her. He laughed nervously as he added, "I thought you decided to leave."

"Leave? With you alone in here just about ready to cause some trouble?" Asami had to keep herself from shouting. "I would do no such thing! Now, let's get out of here before we cause any more scenes…or before we get escorted out."

Instead of feeling ashamed, Bolin only laughed. "Relax, Asami. That's not going to happen. We're very much welcome here. Like I've said, my team prepared a room for me here." He pointed towards the lone door on that floor. "That's my room."

"How can you have a room in such an opulent place as this?" The Prodigy was incredulous. She couldn't help but think this was Bolin's way of pulling a prank on her.

The young man crossed his arms and pouted, "Really, Asami? Have you been living under a rock or something? How can you still not figure it out?"

"Figure what out?" Asami's patience was running thin. This had already proved to eat too much of her time, and she has yet to find the missing Avatar.

Bolin turned around to open the door to the room he claimed was his and then went inside. Asami, surprised and befuddled as to why he would have a key quickly followed after him. Ready was she to fire one question after another at him, but upon entering his room, all of those questions died in her throat.

It wasn't the grandeur of the room—which one could say was a Master Suite-kind—but of what was in the room that left her speechless.

Apart from the common furniture one would find in a rented room, it was also chockful of boxes with rolled up posters of various kinds sticking out of them. There were also more than a dozen life-size standees and cardboard cutouts that littered another side of the room. Near the entrance, rows upon rows of clothes—costumes, to be exact—were laid out in the open. Some of them suspended by iron hangers hung on numerous garment racks. Another part of the room had various movie paraphernalia and high-end camera equipment that Asami could only guessed cost as much as the rental for the room would be.

But perhaps, the strangest thing of all was that all the posters and life-size standees—even the humungous poster that was pinned on the middle of the room's wall—were of Bolin. Though each featured a different looking Bolin, all of them were still undoubtedly him.

Glancing at Asami, Bolin could tell she was utterly shocked, which only cemented what he had concluded shortly upon meeting her: Asami Sato had absolutely no idea how much fortune had favored him.

"I wasn't sure at first," Bolin said as he ushered Asami inside and closed the door behind them. "I thought you simply were just used to the idea of meeting famous people or something. I mean, you are Asami Sato. Heiress to Future Industries. I'm pretty sure you've met countless of them. But when you actually thought I had been up to no good? That was when all my doubts were pushed aside. You really have no idea, do you, Asami?"

"What is all of these?" Asami asked once she had found her voice.

"What else could they be? They're things the production staff had prepared. My show really has took off over the past year, so now we're preparing for the big screen. Hence, all of this stuff." He laughed, scratched his cheek, slightly embarrassed that he needed to tell Asami these things. "Of course, even though I said this was my room, I'm not the only one who makes use of it. The head of the production staff and the director also share the room with me. They must still be out drinking or something. I'm not really sure where they are."

The young prodigy closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "You're telling me you're an actor now?"

"Yep," his grin was broader than ever. "Surely you've heard of my show—" he switched into a low, bellowing voice as he declared, "—The Adventures of Nuktuk the Brave."

When all he got was a blank stare that morphed into an apologetic expression, Bolin sighed, frowned and then pouted once more. "H-How can you not know? It's like the biggest thing out there in forever!"

"I'm sorry," Asami was quick to say, "You really can't fault me for that. I haven't followed these things all that much, especially since I was accepted at the Universtiy."

"Ah, that's right. I've actually heard about you getting accepted there. I actually had to stop myself from belting out during a shoot that you were a friend of mine." Bolin laughed. And though his words weren't meant to make Asami feel guilty at being unable to track her friend, it had that very same effect on her.

Asami was guilt-ridden. Again, she apologized. And Bolin being who he was simply waved it off.

"No harm, no foul. I'm just surprised is all." He smiled warmly at her. "So, now you see, I didn't turn out to be a criminal and you have nothing to worry about at all with me."

It was only then that the Prodigy laughed. "I can't say that I won't be even more worried about you. Don't you have dangerous stunts or something like that? And what about overly zealous fans?"

"Well," Again Bolin scratched his cheeks and looked somewhat abashed. "That's all part of the job, I guess." He then shook his head and focused the conversation on her, instead, by saying, "So, what is one such Asami Sato doing in a place like Shu Jing? And don't say that your being here has something to do with your father because I will not buy that one bit. If your father was here, or anyone else from your father's company, they would have been staying in this hotel, and so far, I have not bumped into anyone wearing your company's logo."

"How very astute of you," Asami muttered. She hadn't counted that Bolin would be quick to rule out what she had hoped would be sufficient explanation about her reasons for being so far away from Republic City at such a time when exams would certainly be underway. Hearing him admit that he had kept an ear to the ground when it came to her, also ruled out other stories she had come up with to mask the truth.

"So?" Bolin sat, unceremoniously, on the carpet then patted the space next to him to get Asami to sit down—which she did, after clearing up the voluminous amount of roughly bound papers that she supposed were scripts. "What are you doing here, Asami? And the truth, if you please."

"Can I just say I'm here to sightsee?" She tried. It was the most believable thing she could come up with. Though with the way she voiced it out, she might as well not have tried.

"Without a bodyguard?" Bolin's eyebrows rose. "I don't see Mister Sato letting you go wherever without any semblance of security."

"I'm not a kid anymore, Bolin. I can take care of myself." Again, she crossed her arms and huffed. "I went to the University on my own as well, I'll have you know."

"That's different. The Great Republic University is one of the most secured places there is in Republic City, Shu Jing on the other hand…" he let his words hang and Asami really could see his point—the very same point her father had seen and the reason why she didn't have any of her father's men hanging around near her while she was still studying there.

"Of course," Bolin added, "That was before the infamous break-in. Who would have thought, huh? That something like that would happen at Republic City's finest institution?"

"Yes, who knew?" The Prodigy spoke casually of the event she, herself, was a part of. "I suppose they were too eager to make such acclaims about their own security that they did not plan for anything that would be out of the ordinary."

"Out of the ordinary, huh?" Bolin mumbled to himself. He gazed at Asami who kept looking out the window. "So, apart from the reasons you gave me—which, frankly, I have a hard time believing—what other reason is there?"

Asami sighed. "Why does it matter to you, Bolin? I see that we're both glad to be reunited and are curious of what's been going on in each other's lives, but don't you think that perhaps I do not wish to share my reasons with you?"

"Touché," Bolin smiled, raising his hands up in surrender. He didn't want to start a fight with Asami, and he really didn't mean anything by it when he had asked. He just honestly thought it surprising and strange to have bumped into his childhood friend, all alone and at night. He told her that much, and added, "I won't ask what you're doing here in Shu Jing, but will you at least tell me why you looked as though you were so distraught when we bumped into each other?"

"I didn't look troubled," Asami bit her lip.

"And I'm the Legendary Fire Lord Zuko," Bolin quipped. "Please don't lie, Asami. All I want to do is help, because you really looked like you needed it."

She scoffed, raising her own eyebrow in response. "When we bumped into each other, you had no idea who I was. Had I not told you, I'm pretty sure you would have babbled on about not causing a scene or suing you." She sighed, getting frustrated at Bolin wasn't going to do her any good. She reminded herself to keep her temper in-check. He was just being a good friend. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"That's okay, though it only proves my point." His smile turned gentle. "You rarely get snippy unless you're really upset…and I doubt that is something you've outgrown."

"You don't know that." But in the end, she just gave up trying to dissuade Bolin from asking again and again. It would be easier to let him know a little bit, she decided. And so, she said, "I just had a rough couple of days. I am traveling with a couple of…friends, and I ended up unintentionally hurting one of them. And that, in turn, caused a rift in our small party."

Bolin didn't say anything, and his silence urged her to continue speaking. Once the dam had broken, the words came spilling out.

"We didn't know much about each other, and we only ended up traveling together because of circumstances, but I suppose you can say we've grown to trust each other. But then, just recently, I ended up misjudging her. And it was bad. I didn't think I would actually hurt her." She paused, wondering if she was saying too much or too little for Bolin to understand. But when she looked at him, he didn't look confused.

"Why? What did you do?" Bolin finally asked, and then quickly added, "If you don't mind me asking."

Asami wondered how she could best explain it without giving away much in details. Although she counted Bolin as a friend, she hadn't seen him in a long time and had wondered as to what kind of person he had become. She wondered if this caring side of his was just a front to get her to open up at the behest of others, or if he genuinely did care for her. She found it hard to trust him—to trust anyone, really—after what had happened with Mako.

And so she tried to be as vague as she could get saying, "We were…attacked on our way here." At Bolin's wide eyes and the outburst that he was just about ready to let loose, she hastily added, "It wasn't that bad, we got away unscathed…mostly. And it was thanks to her. Those people who attacked us wanted to take me away, and even though we could have gotten away with making use of diplomacy, she didn't see it that way. She saw them as a threat, and I suppose with the way things were going they were, and she fought back. We ended up raising arms as well." She took a breath. "In the end, we managed to win against them. And well, my friend looked as though she wasn't through with them. I…feared for the worst, thinking that she would take their lives. And so, before she could do what it was she intended to, I made a move and attacked her from behind…"

Asami closed her eyes, she could still see it happening slowly, frame by frame. "In the end, even when I had harmed her, she still went through with what she had planned and it turned out she wasn't trying to kill them. She just wanted to throw them overboard." Opening her eyes, she looked at Bolin and added, "You should have seen the look she gave me. I don't think I will ever forget it. It wasn't one of anger or even hatred at what I have done. She wore a pained expression, like I've done something more than just the injury I've caused her…And now she's gone missing, and I am afraid to think that she had left us because of what I did."

"I can imagine," Bolin admitted. "Whoever she is, she must've been wounded by what you did."

"Well, she did end up having a scar from it," she admitted, though she kept the part about it having all been healed for herself.

"I didn't mean it like that," the Mover Star shook his head. "I mean, sure you injured her—as you have said—but I'm guessing you did more to her than that. The way I gather it, she's someone who is pretty strong if she was willing to go head-to-head against whoever attacked your group."

Asami laughed drily, "You have no idea."

"Well, I really don't have any idea. I haven't met her before, have I?" At the question, Asami shook her head. She doubted Bolin and Korra ever crossed paths. "Anyway, the way I see it you either don't know exactly what you did and what it made her feel, or you're just trying to forget and act like you don't—which would be the easier of the two to accept, but the hardest to live by…and the loneliest."

"I—"

But Bolin did not let her speak, holding a hand, he plunged right through with what he wanted to say. "You said it yourself. The root of your troubles at the moment. You said you feared her and what she might do. You were afraid that she might have left you and your group. And, I suppose, in that moment when you were being attacked and she was doing her part in ensuring everyone's safety, fear was the most prominent emotion within you. If I had to guess further, you were more afraid of her at that time, than of the situation you were in."

That gave Asami a pause. Was she more afraid of Korra then?

"You let fear get the better of you and then acted out on that fear instead of trusting her. And, based from my experience, doing things out of fear doesn't always bode well…" Sage-like words continued to flow from the Mover Star's mouth, though he said them without criticizing or condemning the Prodigy. If anything else, it was uttered with an almost pensive tone. As though a memory was resurfacing and he was drawing wisdom from that. "I think your friend might have been crushed by the fact that you didn't trust her enough not to hurt those people. I think that was what hurt her the most. But, that's just my take on it. I don't know what your friend is really like or how her mind works. But if it was me, that was how I would feel."

As soon as his piece was said, Bolin leaned back on the couch. He let silence dawn on them, giving Asami time to assimilate and dissect what he had said. He hoped she would find something useful from it; something that would help her. It was the least he could do now, after all, Asami had helped him quite a lot during those bygone days.

The old man watched as the troubled, chocolate-haired, young woman made her way out of Piandao's Castle. There was something about her that piqued his interest. There was also something about her that made him melancholic.

He was curious. But his duties and responsibilities far outweighed what curiosity he had of her. He was needed back at his own castle. With what was going on with his grandson, he didn't see it fit to prolong his stay in Shu Jing.

The wind blew, causing the fire burning on the candlestick he was holding to dance. He glanced towards it, his eyes focused intently on the lick of flame.

The old man frowned.

Whatever the fire had showed him, it was enough to give him pause and make him want to hasten even further back to the capital.

Post Author's Notes:

And there you have it, for everyone waiting for Bolin to make a proper appearance.
I know this did very little to move the plot along (considering this chapter is very much into character development), but it did clarify a couple of things (I hope) about Mako.

The next chapter will focus more on what is going on in Republic City, pushing along the whole Amon plot. Plus, will Korra and Asami make up then? We'll see.

Until next time, dream on; fly on!