Chapter 3

Wind buffeted past Asami's helmet as she sped along Kyoshi Bridge into Republic City, creating a constant whistle ringing in her ears. Asami squinted through her green tinted goggles at Yue Bay. The sun was reflecting marvelously off of the water creating a stunning view. But she didn't have time to admire the view, she was on a mission. And an important mission it was. It didn't take long to discover where the Avatar was because she was constantly on the front page of the newspaper for busting one of the gangs or destroying part of the city with her antics (which Future Industries would have to fix and Asami was quite frankly getting tired of receiving calls to come fix the city). The engineer formulated a plan of how to befriend the Avatar, in less than a few hours and in fact it was quite simple. It was well known by now that the Avatar had joined the probending team the Fire Ferrets and their captain Mako was known to be a man who stuck to a schedule. Asami had sent some Equalists to spy on him and record all of his movements for three days. And every day was the same. He would leave the probending arena where he lived with his brother, go to work at the power plant, get lunch at Narook's, go back to work, head back to the probending arena for practice and sleep. That was it and it didn't vary for three days. Mako was Asami's best chance of meeting the Avatar and she was on her way to intercept him. She turned the corner onto Avatar Roku road and glanced toward the factory. Right on time. She spotted Mako's distinctive spiked hair and red scarf weaving through the crowd towards the street. She smirked and sped up a little. He was a few feet from the road. Impact in three, two, one. He stepped out from behind the car and Asami slammed on the breaks and planted her foot on the ground. The moped spun to the side and plowed into the firebender sending him flying through the air. Asami mustered as much compassion she could into her voice, but if she was being honest with herself she couldn't care less if she had hurt him. She had done everything in her power to avoid any and all contact with benders of any kind. So even talking to this vermin was painful for her. If she was being honest with herself, Asami preferred to keep to be alone. To be by herself. And as a result she didn't have many friends of any kind.

"Oh no!" she shouted and hopped of her moped. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you!" she hoped her tone was convincing enough. Mako rubbed the back of his head,

"How could you not see me?" he looked up at her. 'Time for the final blow' she thought. Taking off her helmet, she flipped her hair onto her back and shoulders. A batting of her eye lashes here and there and Mako was complete putty in her hands. "I was ju- uhhh…" he started angrily before finishing lamely, his eyes glazing over. "I was just... uhm. *cough* uh… I was… wow." He cleared his throat a few times. His gaze lingered on her face. She could have sworn she saw him start to drool. It absolutely disgusted her having a bender pine over her like this, but it was all for a good cause.

She stooped down and helped pick him up, silently praising herself for remembering to wear gloves so that she didn't have to touch him. "I'm so sorry. Let me make this up to you. Why don't I take you out to dinner?" Mako started to interrupt before she cut him off, "Meet me at eight. We'll eat at Kwong's. Oh and I'm Asami by the way."

"Mako…" he responded. The words were barely out of his mouth before she turned around and jumped onto her moped, before he could try and decline again. She sped off towards the limits of the city, risking a glance in her rearview mirror. The firebender was staring dumbly after her. His jaw practically on the ground. Asami smirked, satisfied with her work. Stage one was complete.

Stage two was initiated as Asami walked into Kwong's. She had barely stepped into the building before the staff was at her side insisting that all of her needs would be met. Asami smiled kindly and asked them to reserve a private table for two, to hang the suit that her butler had with him, and to reserve the best wine that they had in their cellar. The staff members scuttled off to do Asami's bidding, while she sauntered to the powder room. The lighting was perfect (as could be expected in a fine establishment such as Kwong's) and Asami dutifully touched up her makeup. A few swipes of mascara, a brush or two of bronzer, and a final application of her crimson lipstick. She popped her lips in the mirror before slowly turning, analyzing her dress to make sure everything was in order. It was a strikingly simple, yet tasteful burgundy dress with lighter red touches, but it was completely form fitting, complimenting Asami's fit physique. Her hair admonished a gold lotus that perfectly kept her hair out of her face. "Wasting such a good dress on a street rat." She commented to herself. Glancing at the clock on the wall she realized Mako would be arriving soon and she rushed to the table. The waiter guided her over and brought out the champagne, placing it into the nearby ice bucket. "Let us know if you need anything. Anything at all, Ms. Sato." He said his head bowed.

"Actually, my" she paused not entire sure what to call Mako, "date," the word felt like acid on her tongue, "will be arriving soon, but does not have the correct attire for the evening. When he arrives please send one of the staff members to dress him in the suit I brought. He needs to look presentable." She stated. The waiter bowed and left her alone at the table. Asami fidgeted with her hands as she waited. She had no interest in being in such a close proximity with the bender. And the fact that he was a firebender made the whole situation one hundred times worse. She heard his footsteps before he appeared. She held her breath. The waiter appeared first and the tall bender followed close behind, a small smile on his lips. Asami couldn't help but gasp at such the difference that the outfit change had made. He no longer looked like the street urchin that he was, but instead looked like a presentable nonbender. Asami silently chastised herself for thinking of something so foolish. She stood when Mako approached and quickly walked over to give him a brief hug. She shuddered at the contact, but if Mako noticed he didn't let on. He smiled at her once they parted, "Asami." He said amiably.

"Mako," she responded, "how are you? I hope I didn't hurt you too badly when I hit you with my moped earlier today?" she stated as they sat down. Mako smiled up at her sheepishly,

"Oh no. Don't worry about it. I get hit harder by my brother in practice." Asami feigned confusion,

"Wait… practice? Are you a probender?" Mako nodded and his cheeks darkened slightly.

"Well that makes this so much worse! I would have felt terrible if I had really hurt you!" Asami placed a hand on her face to try and convey guilt. Hopefully, the show she was putting on was convincing the firebender. Mako looked at her before gently placing a hand on hers. Asami had to physically force herself to not pull back in absolute abhorrence. "Really Asami. Please don't worry about it. I'm completely fine." Apparently, her charade was working, the fool didn't suspect anything. Asami tried her best to smile sincerely at him, hoping her repulsion didn't show through,

"Well that doesn't mean I don't still feel bad." She chuckled and quickly moved the conversation to a new topic, "So what team do you play for?" she questioned.

"The Fire Ferrets." He responded, "We were supposed to go to the championship tournament, but it's not really in the cards for us right now." Asami glanced at him,

"What do you mean?"

"The tournament requires a fee and our team can't afford it this year."

Asami hummed in response, "Well… I think I can help you out with that. Don't worry about the fee. I'll cover it. And think of it as a payment for running you over today." Mako's jaw fell again,

"Asami. I cannot accept! It's too much money. I wouldn't ask you to do that." He said seriously.
"Trust me, it's not an issue at all. My father owns Future Industries, the amount won't be an issue." Mako's face paled significantly,

"Wait… you're Asami Sato?" she nodded slowly, "Wow. I can't believe I am having dinner with a celebrity." He stated disbelief evident in his voice. Asami giggled,

"I should be saying the same thing."

The rest of the night went smoothly. The conversation was easy and despite her complete displeasure Asami flirted with the bender. Here and there she would lay a hand on his, stare a little too long into his eyes, bite her lower lip, scoot closer a little closer. The advances seemed to be working, for Mako kept turning redder and redder. The atmosphere was perfect for the date. The low light, the deep shades of crimson and chocolate, the low hum of conversation in the background kept it all so sensual and romantic.

After the bill was placed on her tab, Asami suggested they take a little walk through the park. Mako offered her his arm and Asami took it begrudgingly. The conversation eased to a comfortable silence as the two strolled through Republic City Park. Eventually, they came upon a stunning fountain. The spotlights dancing off of the glimmering water, casting dazzling shadows across the ground. Mako paused to watch the display. He sidestepped slightly closer to Asami until their shoulders were touching. Asami sickeningly laid her head on his shoulder. After a couple minutes of watching the fountain Mako slowly turned until they were face to face. Asami braced herself for what was to come next. She willed the bile forming in the back of her throat down. The bender leaned closer and closed his eyes, his head tilting slightly to the right. 'Oh spirits this is going to be awful' she thought to herself. She closed her eyes and leaned in. She jolted when his lips came in contact with hers. It was disgusting, vile, horrendous, nauseating… yet tender. Soft. Gentle. Unassuming. Cautious. Sweet. Her stomach did a flip. While the kiss was not the best, something exploded in Asami's mind. This kiss. The one she had been avoiding with the firebender. It… it… she couldn't explain it. All she knew was that she didn't completely hate it. To her dismay she wanted to explore it a little. She wanted to see what would happen if she deepened the kiss and she did. She stepped in closer and gripped the front of his jacket with one hand and placed the other on his neck. The bender cautiously placed a hand on her hip. It was nice. It was warm. It was inviting. It was… She snapped out of her revere. Her eyes shot open and she pulled away, leaving Mako slightly stunned, his lips still pursed. Her heart was racing painfully against her ribcage.

"I-I'm sorry…" she stammered. Her mind was whirring. What had just happened? "I think I should go home." Mako shook his head slightly, but nodded and complied none the less. He held his arm out for her and led her back to the city. The journey back was a blur. Asami stumbled into the estate. Her mind was a complete mess. Her breathing ragged. She couldn't comprehend what had just happened. She barely remembered getting back to her room. But once she was there she slammed the door shut. She leaned her back against the mahogany panels and slowly slid to the floor. Resting her elbows against her knees she rubbed the heals of her hands against her forehead. She shuttered. Her heart was still racing. She felt giddy. She felt happy. The corners of her mouth twitched into a slight smile. She felt content. And more than anything she wanted to continue kissing Mako. "What's wrong with me?" she cried.

Author's note:

Oh no Asami! Are those feels I see you catching? Oh and for those who are thinking "I thought this was Korrasami?" don't worry, all in good time.

As always comments are welcome and if you like the story favorites are great :)