Part 2
After about an hour of calm travelling, the trio had stopped. Asami's hands shot up to her blindfold, only to be stopped and pulled away by stronger ones. The suspense was putting the engineer on edge. How much longer would this take? Where are we going?
One arm wrapped around her torso to hold both her body and her hands in place. The other was gripping the polar-bear dog under them.
"Okay Naga, let's do this." The Avatar tensed and they began to move forward, even slower than before. A few cautious steps later and they were surrounded by bright yellow light.
Asami felt familiar a rush of light-headedness, though she couldn't quite remember from where. The fabric around her eyes was strong enough to keep everything dark, and the ear plugs prevented a single sound from penetrating her drums. A moment passed and she felt grounded once more. The cold crisp air of Republic City was replaced with a warm, humid aroma. Where have I felt this before? She pondered for quite some time.
Another hour of slow traveling brought them to their destination. It was a small little house with a picnic table in the front. A teapot sat in the middle with three people sitting around it. Korra had held her position around the engineer's body the entire trip. Asami couldn't ignore the occasional kisses the Avatar left on her bare skin during the journey, nor could she disregard the smile she felt from the shorter woman as she read Asami's soft moans of approval.
The inventor reached up to grip the forearm around her, anticipating another airbending departure. Instead, the Southerner pivoted their legs around Naga's neck and slid the pair down onto the somewhat-squishy ground. Wait a minute, I remember this.
Korra stopped their advances as if she could hear her girlfriend's thoughts. She turned the taller woman around and pulled the earplugs off. The sound of a soft breeze and many passerby Spirits filled her. The Spirit World! I knew it!
"You can take off your blindfold now."
Asami ripped the fabric off and opened her eyes to the brightness around her. Her first sight was that of her smiling beloved. The bright green grass and a beautiful bluish sky filled in the rest of the background.
"I can't believe it. We are in the Spirit World again! It's been so long since we've had the chance to visit." She gave Korra a deep kiss and started to look around. Strong hands on her shoulders stopped her.
"You have to close your eyes."
"Again?"
The Avatar raised her eyebrow. "Should I get the blindfold?"
"No, no. I'll close them." She shut her eyes with half-reluctance, half-excitement. The shorter woman rotated her once more.
"Okay, open them." She whispered in her ear. Asami shot her eyes open and couldn't believe the sight in front of her.
"Dad?"
She ran up to him and embraced him before he could respond. He rested his chin on her shoulder and murmured her name. The engineer pulled away, wiping her tears away.
"I can't believe it. It's actually you. Here. In the Spirit World. I never thought I would get to see you after what happened." She gave him another hug before Korra interrupted.
"I need you to close your eyes again," she requested with a pat on her shoulder.
"Are you serious right now Korra?" Her excitement dropped to irritation. It felt like this was the first time she was truly seeing her father in four years, even though they had worked together to help defeat Kuvira. This was different, somehow, she reasoned. Although she was still hurt from his attempts on her life, they had become something far and distant from her. She had forgiven him before his sacrifice. This finally felt like a fresh start.
"Trust me" was her only response.
She complied with a huff and shut her lids once more. The Avatar spun her away.
"Okay, go ahead."
There was a woman of similar height in front of her. She had the same raven curls and bright green eyes but was about ten years older. Wait, why does she look like – Complete shock struck her body. Everything felt frozen except her hot tears. She struggled for breath against her shaking knees.
"M-Mom?"
The woman smiled and placed a hand on her daughter's cheek. "Asami."
She flung herself to her mother and collapsed onto the ground once they made contact. She buried her face into the older woman's shoulder and sobbed. Her mother held her close and reciprocated the cries of happiness. They remained in that position as Hiroshi, Korra, and Iroh, who had just joined the group, watched on.
"I – I can't believe it. I can't believe it's you." Asami pulled away to look into her mother's eyes, only to shove her face back into her collarbone. "I've missed you so much." Her voice was muffled. "I never thought I would get to see you again. It's been so long."
"I've missed you too, my beautiful daughter of mine."
The engineer tightened her grip around the woman and continued to weep. She had never cried this hard in her life before, except for one other time when Korra almost…
She snapped up and ran to Korra. Iroh and Hiroshi sidestepped away as the Avatar caught her girlfriend. Asami kissed her hard. None of this would be possible without her, without her opening the portals, arranging the gathering. I wondered why she was meditating so much. She smooched her again, the tears never stopping.
"Merry Christmas, Asami."
(-)
The five of them gathered around Wan's teapot to enjoy Iroh's famous Jasmine Tea. It took two cups to calm Asami down from her joyous heaves. Korra watched with content as the three of them laughed and embraced. She had never felt as happy as she did at this moment.
"Korra?" Iroh called to her.
"Excuse me." She set the cup down and walked up the small hill to Iroh's cabin. Naga followed her by habit and waited outside of the porch.
"Yes, Iroh?"
He walked up to the Avatar and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You did an excellent job."
The Southerner smiled. "I couldn't have done it without you, Iroh."
"All those times you meditated into the Spirit World to arrange this really have paid off. Why don't you let them enjoy their time together?" He walked over to the corner of the room towards a small, circular table. "They need this opportunity to heal. Besides," he sat on a stool, "it's been a long time since we've played a game of Pai Sho." He grinned and flipped a tile between his fingers.
Korra gave one more glance out to the Sato family and smiled. "Alright, Iroh, you're on. But I'll warn you, I'm not very good."
The Spirit laughed. "That's not much of a warning, now, is it?"
The Avatar stooped across from him. "I suppose it's more of a guarantee." She chuckled and slid her first token onto the board.
(-)
If Korra hadn't felt exhausted from the weeks of working as a peacekeeper in the Earth Kingdom, spending her nights traveling into the Spirit World, and neglecting her own sleep regiment, she felt it now, after ten straight Pai Sho losses.
"Perhaps you've had enough Pai Sho for today." Iroh picked up on her fatigue and returned the pieces to their velvet bag. "But I must say, you are improving tremendously."
"Thanks, Iroh." Korra rubbed her face and stumbled off of the chair. She returned to the window and spotted the Sato family lying in the grass a few feet away from the picnic table. Hiroshi sat beside his wife, who was leaning against a tree. Asami was curled up next to her mother's other side, pointing out the Spirits that floated in the sky.
"You should get some rest, Korra. You look tired."
"Is it obvious?"
"The dark circles under your eyes don't lie." He chuckled and left to clean up the discarded tea cups.
Korra followed him out of the cabin with a stretch and a yawn. Naga greeted her with a wagging tail and a lick on the face. "You did great today, girl." She pet her behind the ears. The polar-bear dog lifted her up with a nudge of her head. "Okay, okay, we can play. I guess it has been a while since we've gotten to see each other, hasn't it?" The animal whined and slobbered her cheek again. It was difficult to bring Naga along on her escapades since she often worked with the Air Nomads and their Flying Bison.
The Avatar found a discarded stick on the ground, ensured it wasn't alive as a Spirit, and chucked it down the other side of the hill, towards the open fields away from the picnic table. Naga chased the wood with incredible speed and returned to repeat the process. This continued until Korra's shoulder blade in each arm were too strained to throw.
"Alright, girl, let's take a break." She slumped against the polar-bear dog and snuggled. Naga made short work of the stick and curled her head into Korra's lap. "I've missed you." She spoke as she scratched the animal's head. It wasn't long until the giant was asleep under her fingers. The Southerner looked down the hill to find the four of them hunched over a Pai Sho board on the picnic table.
Korra chuckled. Asami's parents might be good, but they were nowhere near Asami and Iroh's level. She knew firsthand how amazing the pair was at the game. The Avatar brought her girlfriend to meet the wise man during their first trip to the Spirit World after Varrick's wedding and, like most visits to the little cabin, tea and Pai Sho ensued. The Water Tribe girl lasted all of three turns before the two had left her in the dust.
She watched them with a smirk until her lids had drifted shut.
(-)
"Korra?"
"Hmmm..?" The exhaustion was not even close to leaving her body. She rolled over and re-snuggled into the polar-bear dog, hoping to continue her slumber. A nudge forced her to sit up.
"Asami fell asleep. As much as I want her to stay, she should probably get going now."
She rubbed her eyes and focused on the bearded man in front of her. "Are you sure Hiroshi?"
He nodded and offered her a hand.
"Sorry Naga." She played with her fur before accepting the help to her feet. The polar-bear dog grunted and laid her head on the ground. Her sleepy blue eyes scanned the area to find Asami resting in her mother's lap. The Avatar couldn't help but smile until she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Thank-you Korra. This means more to us than I could ever put into words."
Korra took Hiroshi's sincerity with a nod. He made his way towards his family and she turned to face her animal companion. "Come on, girl. We're going home." Naga let out a yawn and followed the Avatar with a wagging tail.
Asami was groggy and on her feet by the time the Southerner arrived. She made her way into tan arms without hesitation. She nuzzled her face into Korra's neck and almost drifted back to sleep.
"Korra." Her mother stepped forward and met her eyes. "I am so grateful for you – for you reuniting me with my family." She placed a hand on her bare shoulder. "Thank-you so much." Her slender pale arms wrapped around Korra and her daughter in a final embrace. "Please take good care of my Asami."
The Avatar gave her a determined gesture, similar to the one she gave Hiroshi. "I will." She scooped the engineer up and carried her onto the panting polar-bear dog.
"Please come again soon Korra. It was nice to see you." Korra bowed to Iroh and mounted Naga. She waved to the Spirits, adjusted the sleeping Asami in her arms, and steered her companion away.
(-)
Asami startled awake when they exited the Spirit Portal and returned to the Mortal World. Korra brushed her lips on her forehead and continued the journey home. The engineer nestled into the Avatar and watched with half-open eyes as they passed all of the closed shops and businesses in Republic City. She shivered when she felt the cold wind travel up her dress. The Southerner draped her pelt around her girlfriend until they reached their apartment.
The Water Tribe girl pulled Asami closer and airbent them to the ground. She led the trio inside with the inventor in her arms. Korra was too spent to make it to the bedroom, so she set the CEO down on the couch. With a quick motion, she shot a flame into the fireplace where the wood had been waiting for them. Part three of the day would have to wait, she thought as she plopped down beside her girlfriend, who crawled onto her and straddled her lap.
"Can we do this every year?" Pale fingers were caressing the shorter woman's jawline.
She smiled. "Of course we can."
"Thank-you Korra." Red lips met tan ones in as passionate a kiss as they could muster in their half-asleep states. Asami continued down the Southerner's neck, leaving a lipstick trail. Maybe part three didn't have to wait. The younger woman moaned and bent her head to expose more skin. Her exhaustion could not inhibit her feelings of arousal.
The raven-haired girl giggled and hugged her girlfriend. "Don't worry," she whispered into her ear with a handful of dark-brown hair, "I'll take good care of you in the morning." She nibbled on Korra's lobe as a final tease before pulling her down onto the couch.
"It's my turn," the Avatar mumbled as she assumed the big-spoon position. I can wait until the morning, she thought as Asami melted against the warm body behind her and laced their fingers together.
"Merry Christmas, Asami."
"Merry Christmas, Korra."