AN: This story will be coming to a close soon. I hope you've all enjoyed tagging along for the ride. I didn't expect anyone to read, let alone enjoy, my take on the Korrasami journey. Thanks for the encouragement you all gave me to finish what I started, and thanks for reading.

Shout out to bao-haus on tumblr for the wonderful cover art.

Asami inhaled sharply and sat up. A trace of light filtered into the earth tent from a hole at her feet. She looked at Korra, still sleeping soundly next to her. It was a small consolation to know that she'd just been dreaming, but the fear from her nightmare still lingered in her subconscious.

She slipped her shoes on and ducked outside through the hole in the tent. The fog was even thicker than she remembered, reducing Asami's visibility to almost nothing. She sat against a nearby tree and took deep, slow breaths to calm herself.

Asami thought back to something Iroh said: Your emotions affect your surroundings, here in the Spirit World. The more time she spent there, the more sure she became that he was right. She couldn't decide if it was a good or bad thing, but it was definitely something.

"I'm starting to think I might need a vacation from this vacation," she said to herself. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the tree.

Korra wouldn't leave me like that, she thought. I'm her friend. She cares about me. Whatever happens between us, there's no way that will ever change.

A soft rustling sound alerted Asami to someone or something's presence. Her eyes shot open and she scanned the area around her nervously. She poised herself to dart back to the tent and wake Korra if necessary.

She heard a familiar childlike voice. "Hi! You're the Avatar's friend, right?" The small spirit who had recognized Korra at the Tree of Time hopped out of the mist and waved to Asami.

Asami sighed in relief. "It's just you, thank goodness. What can I do for you, little guy?"

"You seem like you're not used to the Spirit World yet," he said. "That's why I came to see you. I think I know someone who can help. Someone not far from here."

"I don't know," Asami said doubtfully. "I don't want to leave Korra alone. What if she wakes up while I'm gone?"

"She'll be able to find you. She's the Avatar. Trust me." He beckoned for her to follow.

Asami glanced at the tent again. "Well, you have helped Korra before. I guess I could use your help, too. Alright." She stood and followed the spirit deeper into the Grove.

Asami was forced to walked carefully due to the reduced visibility, and the spirit frequently had to wait for her to catch up so she wouldn't lose sight of him. Despite the slow going, it was only a few minutes before the spirit stopped next to a particularly large tree and announced that they'd arrived.

"I don't see anyone. We're not waiting for them here, are we?"

The spirit shook his head. "Look on the other side of this tree."

Asami held her breath and slowly circled the tree, giving it a berth of several feet. Nobody appeared on the other side, but when Asami looked at the tree itself she noticed two hand-shaped carvings in the trunk. Dark red sap, still glossy and wet, bled out from them and dripped down the entire trunk to the ground.

"What is this?" Asami said, astounded.

"This is the heart of the Grove, in a way. It's called the Tree of Blood." He giggled. "I think humans named it that. Spirits don't usually have blood."

"And is it related to the Tree of Time at all?"

"Yes! The Tree of Time binds the Spirit and Physical Worlds together. It also connects the past and the future to create the present. The Tree of Blood binds living creatures and spirits together. It's said that its sap is the source of both life and consciousness."

"That's all really interesting, but I don't know if it will work for me," Asami said. "I didn't feel much of anything at the Tree of Time."

"That's because the Tree of Time is equally physical and spiritual, and you aren't used to our world yet. Just like the places with unusually high spiritual energy in the Physical World, there are places in the Spirit World with more living energy. This is one of them. You may not be attuned to spiritual things yet, but you are alive. The Tree of Blood can help you."

"And let me guess, you want me to put my hands in the carvings?" Asami apprehensively eyed the eerily blood-like sap dripping from the trunk.

The spirit nodded and smiled encouragingly.

Asami's intuition told her she should trust this spirit. She normally preferred to make her decisions rationally, but logic didn't seem to work so well when it came to the Spirit World. She took a deep breath, lined up her hands with the ones on the tree, and leaned forward.

As her hands sank into the sap, a low hum rang in her ears and a matching vibration passed from the tree through her body. A comfortable warmth spread from her within her chest to each of her limbs, and the static background of her anxiety and grief dissipated somewhat. She could still feel the pain of losing her father, but it no longer dampened the things that would otherwise make her happy.

She pulled her hands from the carvings and inspected them, surprised that none of the sap had stuck to her.

The spirit jumped onto Asami's shoulder. "Well? How do you feel?"

"Much better, actually," Asami said, pleasantly surprised. "I was sort of expecting a confusing vision or a cryptic message, but instead I just have this...clarity. Thank you."

Korra sat up as Asami slipped back into her sleeping bag. "Hey," she said groggily.

"Hi. Sorry for waking you. You can go back to sleep if you want."

"No, I'm not tired," Korra said, her eyes barely open. "What were you out for?"

"Just a bad dream. I'm fine now. Your spirit friend from the Tree of Time helped me feel better."

"Did he? I'll have to thank him," Korra said, smiling. "What was your dream about?"

After debating in her head for a few seconds whether to tell Korra, Asami resolved herself to be as candid as possible with Korra from now on. Suppressing her emotions had been causing her to feel conflicted and tense, and more than that, had partially resulted in Korra being away from her for three years.

Asami simply said, "I dreamed that you left." She could have elaborated, but she knew Korra would understand.

"Oh." Korra crossed her legs and turned to face Asami. "You know I won't do that again, right?"

"I know. I was just worried," Asami said. "There are a lot of ways to lose someone you care about."

"You're right. I can't promise nothing will ever happen to me, but I can promise that whatever does happen, I'll to be strong enough to face it head-on," Korra said. "Because I'll be facing it with you.

"I'm really happy to hear you say that, but you don't have to promise me anything," Asami said. "Well, maybe except for one thing."

"Anything," Korra said.

"I think we should get a little more rest, then go see your parents at the South Pole."

Korra groaned and flopped onto her back. "Fine. In that case, I've realized that I'm actually very tired and will need to hibernate for at least another month."

"Korra. It's not winter, and you're not a polar bear dog," Asami said, laughing. "I don't mind if we sleep in, but it is a bit chilly, and there's enough room for one more in my sleeping bag..."

"Your city girl is showing, sweetie," Korra said as she cozied next to Asami. "Polar bear dogs don't hibernate."