Chapter 7
Three years later:
Korra frantically paced back and forward in the hallway in front of Asami's office at Future Industry's tower. The secretary eyed Korra in annoyance. Her hand clutched tightly at the small box in her pocket. Was this the right time? Would Asami even say yes? But her trail of thought was broken when Asami emerged from her office. Stunning as always, Asami donned a stunning red dress that draped over her curves in all the best ways. Korra suddenly felt very self-conscious in her traditional blue water tribe dress. Asami sauntered over and pulled Korra into a passionate kiss. Fireworks went off in her mind, she would never get used to that. Blurrily blinking at Asami she sighed in contentment. Now is definitely the right time. She gave the box one last squeeze before offering her arm for Asami to take.
The night went splendidly, but the best part was yet to come. Korra glanced over at Asami as she drove them to the viewpoint just before Kyoshi Bridge. It had stunning views of Yue Bay, the spirit portal, and the new Republic City. Asami still had a slight pout on her face because Korra refused to let her drive. Don't worry. It'll be worth it, she thought to herself and dropped her hand from the steering wheel to grasp her lovers. The sun was just beginning to set as they approached the viewpoint. Korra leapt out of the car and walked over to open Asami's door, holding out her hand to help her out. Asami laughed (which of course sent warm shivers up Korra's back), "My, my. To what do I owe such wonderful manners from the illustrious Avatar?" Korra merely smiled at her and lead her closer to the edge of the cliff that jutted out over they bay. Glorious golds, oranges, and red blessed the sky and reflected off of the water. Asami gasped, "It's beautiful."
"Yes you are." Korra murmured, her eyes never leaving the heiress. Asami glanced at her and chuckled,
"Why'd you bring me out here Korra? I mean not that I don't like sunsets, but we've been here before."
"I know. I brought you here because it this is the place where we had our first official date." She reached over and grasped Asami's hands in her own. "'Sami, I want you to know that I have never loved someone as much as I love you. From the moment that I met you I knew you were special. I have never felt as complete as I do when I am around you. You bring me happiness, joy, love. You bring me life. You saved my life. Those days when you were taken from me were the hardest of my life. I vowed to never let you go again. And I am going to keep that promise. I want to spend every waking moment with you 'Sami. You are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me." Cautiously, she knelt down on one knee, "I don't know if I will ever be able to express how much you mean to me. How much I love you. But if you'll let me I want to spend the rest of my life trying. I love you Asami Sato." She pulled the box out of her pocket, glancing up to see tears filling Asami's eyes. She opened the box to reveal a betrothal necklace. The Water Tribe symbol and the logo for Future Industries sparkled in the sunlight. The spirit portal twisted behind the two symbols. "Will you make me the happiest woman in the world and marry me?" Korra barely got the words out before Asami pulled her into a kiss, "Yes. YES! A thousand times yes!" she whispered against her lips. Korra grinned and pulled Asami in tighter, crushing her in an embrace and kissing her passionately. Slowly, the sunk to the ground and just held each other watching as the sun set over the bay. The moon had risen high into the sky before Korra spoke, "You know your parents both said yes." Asami's eyes pondered her curiously, "I visited them a couple months back to ask for their permission for your hand in marriage." She smiled blushingly, "They both said yes." Tears filled Asami's eyes,
"You-you have no idea how much that means to me." she managed to croak out. She pulled Korra into a tender kiss. "I love you so much. More than you could ever know."
"I beg to differ. Because that's how I feel about you." Korra retorted. Asami pushed her slightly before resting her head on her shoulder. Korra sighed contentedly. Today was the perfect day.
The next week:
Asami gripped Korra's hand tightly. All of their friends knew about their relationship and were more than happy for them, but it was different telling them about their engagement. Asami had called Bolin, Mako, Opal, Lin, Su, Bataar, Wing, Wei, Huan, Senna and Tonraq, Kya, and Bumi to all come out to Air Temple Island for a few days. They had big news to share. The day approached quickly and here she was holding Korra's hand as they ascended the stairs to the pavilion where everyone waited. Bolin spotted them first waving like a maniac. Opal grinned brightly next to him holding their first child, Toph, in her arms. Mako close by, a beautiful woman whose chocolate hair was pulled back into a tight bun (that neither Korra nor Asami recognized… they would have to ask later) clutching his arm. Jinora and Kai stood off to the side leaning against the railing, knowing looks on both of their faces. Tenzin and Pema stood next to Tonraq and Senna. Meelo and Rohan were racing around while Ikki chased after them. The rest of the Beifongs stood near the back. Senna let out a small squeak of excitement when her eyes landed on the betrothal necklace around Asami's neck. Bolin squealed and pulled his wife and child along after him as he raced forward to pull Asami and Korra into a bear hug, "I don't think I've ever been this happy. Besides when I married Opal or when Toph was born…" he added quickly. Tonraq and Senna came by next hugging both of the girls and giving them their congratulations. Pema and Tenzin were next to congratulate the girls. Pema and Senna went off to the side talking excitedly about planning the wedding. Mako was the last to approach. "Korra. Asami." He smiled at them before pulling the girl on his arm closer, "I want you to meet Xian. She works at the station as an emergency phone operator. I met her when we were evacuating the city." The woman smiled at them,
"Congratulations. Both of you. No one deserves more happiness than you two. And it's a pleasure to finally meet you both. Mako has told me nothing, but amazing things about you." Korra stepped forward and slapped Mako's arm,
"I like her already." Korra grinned. Xian beamed.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Xian." Asami stated for both herself and Korra. She raised her voice a bit, "Now that everyone knows, I think it's time we celebrate!" Wing and Wei 'whooped' in unison as they charged off towards the tents covering the practice grounds. Everyone gradually followed except for Mako. His new girlfriend was chatting away with Opal as the pair made their way towards the party. Korra came forward and grabbed her hand. "You coming, 'Sami?" she questioned. The heiress shook her head, "I'll be there in just a minute." Korra smiled and nodded before following everyone else. She walked over to Mako and leaned on the balcony next to him. The comfortable silence was broken when Mako finally spoke, "You know I am truly happy for you two." His eyes shone brightly as he turned and looked at her, "You and Korra are my best friends and I am so happy that you two found each other. You two deserve nothing but happiness for the rest of your lives. You know I love you guys both, right?"
Asami smiled brightly and gently gripped his arm, "We love you too. And thank you, Mako. Thank you. It means so much to both of us knowing that you are supportive." She said quietly.
"I told Korra this a while ago, but you should know too. I have and always will have your guys' backs. No matter what happens. I will always be there to help you two in any way that I can." Asami was at a loss for words at Mako's touching speech, so she simply pulled him into a hug. When she pulled away from him she spoke again, "Well I think we should get back to the party. I mean I don't want to miss my own engagement party. Plus, I need to hear all about this new woman in your life." She chuckled softly when she saw how Mako's eyes gleamed at the mention of Xian.
"She's amazing Asami. I have never felt this way about someone. I think she could be the one." Asami stopped dead in her tracks and all but squealed in delight as she pulled Mako into another embrace, "Come on! We have to go tell Korra!" She grabbed his hand and raced off towards the party.
One month later:
Korra groggily opened her eyes. Sunlight filtered in through the window heating the room slightly. Sighing she rolled over her eyes closing once more. Her hand reached over to the side of the bed where Asami slept, but when her touch came up empty Korra's eyes snapped open. She sat straight up in the bed and looked around. Asami wasn't in anywhere in the room and she wasn't in the bathroom. Korra hoped out of bed, a hiss left her mouth as her feet touched the cold floor. She tip toed out the door and into the hallway. She popped her head into each of the open doors, but each turned up empty. Korra made her way through the mansion until she came to the pool. Asami was sitting on the edge still in her lavender nightgown and bathrobe, her feet were dunked into the water, gently swirling patterns in the water.
"'Sami?" Korra questioned softly, but there was no response. Korra walked over quickly and gently lowered her feet into the water and sat next to the engineer. She tenderly picked up her hand and held it. She knew Asami would talk when she was ready, but until then she needed to know that Korra was going to be there for when she was ready.
Minutes passed until Asami finally spoke, "I-I think I want to go see her." Korra's brows furrowed in confusion before realization dawned on her about who she was talking about.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I had a nightmare about falling to my death. After I landed I woke up in this cloudy place and I felt so trapped. I was confused and everywhere I turned I saw Kuvira. I think it was more than just a dream. I think I'm finally remembering what happened to me in the spirit world. It was terrifying. I think that if I face Kuvira, if I see her in jail, I won't have to be afraid anymore."
Korra lifted the engineer's hand to her lips and left a quick kiss on her knuckles, "I'll come with you. I'll be there with you every step of the way."
The two quickly got dressed and got into Asami's satomobile. Korra sat in the driver's seat since only her, Su, and some of the White Lotus knew where Kuvira was being held. The drive was around two hours long and wound them around a mountain top. Korra pulled over to the side of the road and motioned for Asami to get out, "We'll have to walk from here." She grasped Asami's quivering hand and trudged to the crown of the peak. When they finally reached the top they were greeted by a massive crater filled with crystal blue water. Floating in the middle was a tiny wooden cage. "We had to keep her as far away from metal and earth as possible. Although, I don't think she is going to try anything. She seemed pretty repentant in the Spirit World when I last talked with her." The two took the staircase down the crater where a couple of White Lotus guards greeted them and told them how to proceed. With a stomp of their feet a large pathway emerged from the water and Korra and Asami, hand in hand, crossed the bridge.
Korra stopped and pulled Asami into a hug, "Is it alright if I talk with her first?" Asami simply nodded into Korra's hair. She released the raven haired girl from her grip and stepped towards the prison cell. The guard unlocked it and Korra stepped inside. It was completely wooden. Only a desk and a bed tarnished the void space. Korra faintly heard the click of the lock as she searched the face of the woman in front of her. She was a ghost of what Kuvira once was. Her hair was thin and graying slightly. She was skinny and pale. Her eyes were dull as they looked up at Korra, but once their gazes met a flicker of hope swept through her olive eyes. Anger surged through Korra as she looked at the pathetic woman in front of her. She was the woman who killed Asami, she had taken the one thing that mattered the most to the Avatar from her. She had made sure that Kuvira would never see the one she loved again and had thus built this floating prison herself, along with the help of Su and Lin. She handpicked the location, saw to Kuvira being thrown into it, and left her there to rot. Yet she couldn't help but feel slightly bad for the woman sitting in front of her. She steeled her emotions and took a step forward.
"I'm not here to see you Kuvira. I think you are trash and I still hate you with every fiber of my being. You took everything from me. I'm only here to help someone get over their fear of you." She paused and took an angered breath, "And if you so much as look at her the wrong way, I swear to all of the Spirits that I will personally rip you apart limb from limb." Kuvira's eyes flashed in panic for a moment before she nodded in compliance. Korra turned and knocked on the door. The lock clicked and Asami stepped through the door. Korra took her hand, her eyes never left Asami's face. Anger flicked across the heiress's face for a brief moment before it softened. It was only scuffling and a loud thud that pulled Korra's eyes away from her love. Kuvira was on the ground and scrambling to the other side of the room. Pure panic adorned on her face, "How? You- you… I saw you… die?" Asami took a step forward. Kuvira promptly pushed herself further into the corner of the prison cell.
When she finally spoke it was soft but full of hatred, "I did die. You did kill me Kuvira. And you killed my father. But Korra braved the Spirit World to bring me back. I suffered in The Fog of Lost Souls for a while before Korra found me. And when she did, the fog had poisoned me into thinking she was you. I hurt her terribly because of that. I suffer on a nightly bases from nightmares of that day. Of what happened to me after words. All because of you. All because of what you did. I am here to tell you that you will no longer have any power over me. You are weak and powerless and I will no longer be afraid of what happened. Instead I will look forward to a future where I am surrounded by the people I love." She looked at Korra and grabbed her hand, while the other traced lightly over her betrothal necklace. "I will live on while you suffer and rot in here for the rest of your life, away from everyone who ever loved or cared about you. I hope you enjoy your time here Kuvira. You deserve it." She quickly turned on her heel and pulled Korra along with her.
They made it all the way home before Asami broke down and cried in Korra's arms.
Asami would later visit Kuvira on a weekly basis. They would talk about everything that happened that day. They would talk about what was going on in the world. And eventually Asami began to see improvement in Kuvira's health. When Kuvira was finally released 50 years later, it was an old Asami- Korra by her side- that greeted Kuvira, as old friends.