The old woman felt her last moments in this world ticking away, no longer able to leave the bed, or to keep food or water in. Nonetheless, she did not fear death; in fact, she had come to terms with her pending passing. For nearly a decade, she had been looking forward to this day - the day she would meet her soul mate again.
A soft sigh escaped the woman's lips as a servant came knocking at her door. Poking his head inside the door, he said respectfully, "Miss Sato, there is someone to see you."
It took much effort, but she managed to nod slightly. The servant nodded and disappeared for a moment before opening the door wide to allow the young boy inside. Asami didn't have to look at him to know he was about eight years old.
"I must admit, I am surprised the White Lotus let you come visit me," she began, her voice brittle and weak. "But I wanted to see you at least once, and share a story with you, Avatar Zhou Ten." Other than her lips, Asami barely moved; she was too weak to even lift an arm or her head.
The young boy nodded and sat down at the bedside without speaking even a single word. He knew he was the Avatar, and he knew the White Lotus was supposed to train him. But he did not know who this woman was, or why he was here. Right now, he was not the Avatar but just an uncomfortable young boy visiting an old, dying woman he had never seen before.
"I am sure the White Lotus has told you about your previous life, as Avatar Korra," Asami began, speaking slowly. The old woman closed her eyes and pictured the face of the previous Avatar in her mind, a small smile coming to her lips. "She was my partner, the love of my life," Asami explained, "and she lives on within you." The non-bender sighed softly as she remembered all the things she and Korra had been through. "All of my friends are gone now. Korra was the last to pass away." She continued her story, drifting away from what she wanted to tell the boy a little.
"You may eventually remember pieces of a story I want to tell you. A story in which Avatar Korra never gave up." The eyes of the old woman started to water a little. It had been so long ago, yet it still felt like yesterday. "There was a war, one of the many this world saw in Korra's time. Non-benders were hunting benders, for no reason other than sports." With some trouble, Asami gulped before she continued, "Bolin and Eska were captured; Mako just disappeared. Only at the end did we discover he was no longer with us." A single tear rolled down the weathered face of Asami. "One day, some of the non-benders decided to take down the Avatar, and they wanted to do so through me."
The young boy shifted uncomfortably in his seat, not too sure where this story was heading or what the point of this all was. Asami didn't notice, though, and continued speaking. "Korra knew of this, and we went in to surprise them. After all, we knew they had our friends." Asami coughed heavily, opening her eyes, and turning her head to the young boy. "Forgive me for skipping ahead, I don't have long anymore," she said with a faint smile.
Zhou Ten could only nod in response, unsure how else to act. "You're a good boy, Avatar Zhou Ten," Asami said before continuing her tale. "The numbers of hostile non-benders seemed never-ending to me as Avatar Korra and I made our way deeper into their headquarters. I myself thought we would get lost for sure, and I doubted we would find our friends. It was Korra, whose determination to press ever onward, that not only brought us to our friends; it also saved me. Had we turned back, we would surely have been captured by the non-benders. We would not have been able to fight them all."
Asami took a brief moment to pause. "It was that determination that brought us to their prison cells. Which allowed us to free not only Bolin and Eska, but also half a dozen other benders. Without them, we would not have gotten back out." Tired eyes took in the young boy for a short moment, "Remember, determination will bring you far, but you can't make it in this world without true friends. Avatar Korra managed to end that war, and, it would be the last war in her time. I hope you will not have to fight for balance and peace as often as Korra had to. But, I also hope you will be able to learn from the lessons Korra, and the Avatars before her, learned."
Slowly, the old woman managed to lift her hand and, with the last of her strength, she touched one of Zhou Ten's cheeks. To Asami, however, it was no longer the young earthbender sitting next to her, but the love of her life she had missed for so long. Asami smiled, and managed to mouth three last words before her eyes went dull and closed, and her hand dropped down from the boy's cheek. "I love you."