Chapter 1

Asami awoke with her alarm beeping from her phone. Her whole body ached from exhaustion. She sighed, sitting up from her bed, salty air filling her nose. She fumbled around in the darkness, reaching for the blinds of her bedroom window.

As she raised the blinds, Asami could see that night had still fallen on the beach where she lived. Making sure, she checked her phone. It was around 4am. Thank god she wasn't in college anymore.

"Great, forgot this place is a few hours behind," She murmured. She had only been living on the island for three months now, but her body still hadn't adjusted to the changes in time zone. Ember Island certainly had its mysteries, at least to her.

Well, she wasn't going to be going back to sleep anytime soon. Her body had already had it's eight hours. She figured she should at least get up and do something. The last thing she wanted was to just be lying in her bed, bored until the sun finally rose up.

She sighed and got up from the bed, walking over to the bathroom. She splashed water on her face to help herself wake up. Then she looked up at herself in the mirror. Back in college, people used to say she looked like a goddess, but all Asami could see in her reflection was the tired mess of a human being she had become.

Looking out of the window again after she had brushed her teeth, Asami opened it and listened to the wind and the waves crashing against the rocks. It was a beautiful night out there, not too cold for her liking. A little early morning stroll (very early in this case) might do her good.

Having made her decision, Asami then got dressed, pulling on a pair of jeans and a blue shirt. She slipped on her sandals, grabbed her spare keys and tiptoed down to the front door. She opened it and walked out into the open air, the ocean vapour filling her lungs.

The beach was quiet as she headed down, save for the sound of the waves. It was like music to Asami's ears, the soothing noise of the water crashing and rolling back against the rocks. She was right to move here, get away from the big city, away from the regrets and grief she'd left behind.

As she took in the scenery, Asami felt a warm smile stretch on her face. She had always loved the ocean, ever since she was young. Her favourite memories were of her parents taking her to the beach back in California when she was little.

She found her usual spot on the beach and sat down. She glanced up at the sky, counting all the constellations. Her father used to take her out and look at the stars when she was little. She missed him deeply, and her mother. Their faces... their voices.

It had been nearly a year since she'd lost them. A year since she'd gotten the call during her last week of school. Her parents, dead in a mugging. All that pain... but like the sand on the beach, Asami hoped that pain would soon wash away and she could try and move on.

As she sat by the water, she looked out over the ocean. The sun was just starting to rise over the horizon, it's faint glow illuminating the water slightly. As she stared out at the water though, something caught her eye, out on a small atoll not far from the beach.

There was...a person sitting out on one of the rocks. Asami couldn't make them out, but they were definitely there. She felt uneasy. What if they were watching her?

What in...who would be out here at this time of the morning?

She got up very slowly, looking around for something to use as a weapon, in case whoever it was out on those rocks intended to hurt her. All she could find was a really big rock. That would have to do. It was big enough to bash someone's brains in.

Gently, Asami made her way into the water, feeling the waves brush against her thighs. It wasn't too deep here. Her hands were clenching the rock tightly. She would be prepared for whoever, or whatever was waiting out there for her. But as she got closer, she saw that the stranger definitely… was not who she was expecting

As she looked closer, she saw that whoever was sitting on the rocks... didn't seem to be human. There were patterns on their arm that looked like... scales. And they didn't seem to have legs, instead a long blue tail, like that of a fish, also covered in those same scales. And from the outline of their head, Asami noticed that this being had pointy ears, definitely not like those of a human.

Asami's jaw dropped. There was a mermaid on the beach near her house. An actual, real live mermaid. She just thought they were stories, but clearly, she was mistaken. Then she tapped the back of her hand, trying to wake up from this strange, uncanny dream she was having.

But she wasn't dreaming. The mermaid, all of this, was as real as the water brushing against her legs.

...holy shit! She dropped the rock and ducked to the ground, quickly scampering back to the shore. She hid behind a large rock, hoping she wasn't spotted. Maybe they didn't see me.

Then she heard an amused voice say, "I saw you. You might as well come closer so I can get a better look at you."

Aw, crapbaskets. She slowly looked up and saw the mermaid watching her with her arms crossed and smirking a little. With the sun having risen a little more, Asami could get a better look at what the mermaid actually looked like. Walking closer, Asami observed the strange being.

Her hair was dark brown, the colour of polished oak and her skin was tanned from what had to be a lifetime in the sun. Blue tattoos went up and down her muscular arms. Hell, she looked like she could kick Jason Momoa's ass two ways to Sunday.

Asami gulped as she stared at the gorgeous mermaid. She knew mermaids were supposed to be angels of the ocean... but this mermaid was on a whole other level. Her cheeks flushed red and she brushed her hair from her eyes shyly. "Uh...good morning."

"Good morning."

"Wow..." Asami whispered. "You're a... Mermaid."

"And you're human. Seems we've got that out of the way."

"I... I never thought you'd be real."

The mermaid grinned crookedly. "Well, I'm glad to prove you wrong."

Asami blushed. This mermaid was just utterly beautiful. Part of her wanted to stroke her cheek. There was a sense of warmth and happiness rising in her chest. She felt her heart beat softly as she just lovingly stared at the maiden of the ocean. "W-What were you doing outside my house?"

"I live here you dingus," the mermaid giggled. "I usually only come out at night though. I'm surprised we didn't cross paths sooner."

"Oh... sorry, I haven't really been here long."

The mermaid smiled. "I noticed. That house hasn't been lived in years."

"Well, it actually belongs to my aunts," Asami told her. "They gave it to me when I moved over here." She laughed. "Oh god, I can't believe I'm making small talk with a mermaid."

A soft chuckle came from the gorgeous water maiden. Her voice was just adorable to listen to, slightly deep, yet gentle and sweet. "Suppose I should introduce myself since we'll be neighbours. I'm Korra, or at least, that's the best way a human could pronounce my name."

"That's a beautiful name regardless," Asami admitted, blushing at how well it fit the stranger. She didn't know what Korra meant, but it conveyed a sense of compassion and great strength. And considering the warm smile and big muscles, Korra had that in spades. "I'm Asami," the Asian woman replied back.

"Asami...that means morning beauty, doesn't it?"

That made her eyes widen. A mermaid... that spoke Japanese? "Yeah. How did you know that?"

Korra grinned. "I migrated to Japan for the winter once. Stayed off of Kyoto for a few months. I didn't interact with people much, but I picked up a few words."

"Ah... I've never actually been there," Asami admitted. "I'm only half Japanese, on my mother's side. Dad was from Korea."

"Ahhh I see," Korra acknowledged. "Well, your name certainly does fit you well, Asami. You have that delicate beauty, you know? Like the pale dawn over the rosy horizon."

Asami blushed again, this time her cheeks growing even redder. If she didn't know better, she'd say this mermaid... was complimenting her. The way she was looking at her, and the way Asami was staring back into her gorgeous blue eyes... was there something going on between them?

"Are, are you flirting with me?"

"Perhaps," Korra whispered. Just then, the mermaid leaned close to Asami, her hands wrapping around her neck and the gorgeous creature of the ocean giving her a soft kiss on the lips. Asami closed her eyes, feeling the soft tender touch of the mermaid's lips against her own.

It felt so beautiful... until Asami realised what was happening. She gasped and pulled away, fingers touching the salty feeling that coated her lips. "What...what was that for?"

Her new acquaintance simply smiled. "It was nice meeting you Asami." She turned away, cutely looking over her shoulder. "We'll meet again soon, you can be sure of that." She then skipped off into the water, swimming away into the rising sunshine.

Asami just stared, her jaw dropping. That... had certainly been something alright. Plus, it had made her feel good about waking up early that morning after all.

xXx

Author's note: This wasn't the first mermaid Korrasami thing I did with Guppy, and it probably won't be the last. Honestly, I just love mermaids. This one does have an idea for a part 2 in mind so please, do comment if you'd like to see more of this particular setting. Anyhoo, onto the last fic for the night!