There was a narrow walkway on the Future Industries airship that was primarily used for an emergency passage between decks. It ran along the base of the ship from the front to the rudder, sloping up and down several times. It was rather minuscule, providing barely room for one person to pass at a time. Also, in the event of the ship tilting far to one side, it would provide little room to cushion the rider, and they would be tossed overboard with severity.
However, Asami felt completely comfortable leaning along the railing on the narrow passage, primarily because the view of the sunset was to die for. It was a glorious sight as the sky burned bright orange and deep purple, and it calmed her nerves greatly. She nearly forgot that she was trapped aboard a flying prison with people she hardly wanted to be with. She also did not mind that a strong gust of wind would send her plummeting into some poor Earth Kingdom village hundreds of feet beneath her, because at least she could see the sunset on the way down.
Asami wondered if Korra was also watching the sunset. She knew Korra liked sunsets, or at least she had better, since the engineer had nearly killed herself trying to duplicate one. Asami figured that there was a large probability that Korra was watching the sunset at the precise moment she was, and her heart could not help but swoon at the thought. That was one of those romantic clichés that women fell for: two people a considerable distance from each other who were coincidentally looking at the exact same thing at the exact same time. It meant that their destiny was intertwined, a romantic prospect in and of itself. Then again, Asami realized that even if they were both looking at the same thing at the same time, it wouldn't be all that romantic unless they were both aware of it. Without that, it was actually rather awkward staring into the sunset and imagining someone else staring as well. What if Korra was sleeping, or eating, or doing something else that no one should ever peer in on. Perhaps it was really only romantic in the fairy tales. Last time she checked, her life was not one.
"What are you doing all alone out here?" suddenly asked a snide voice behind her. Asami felt her stomach drop. Maybe she would have to reconsider the fairy tale theory; after all, there was a big, bad wolf standing right behind her.
"Watching the sunset," Asami said, trying to conceal the bitterness in her voice. Shang strolled up next to her, wearing little more than sweat pants and an undershirt two sizes too big. He smirked, leaning over the rail to look her in the eye.
"You know they invented these incredible things called 'windows', right? They are really incredible; since they are transparent, you can stare right out of them from inside of a room. You don't have to stand on this walkway of death."
"Maybe I just wanted to be alone," Asami shrugged.
"That's impossible," Shang said dismissively. "I'm here. How could you not want to spend time with me? I am perfect in every way."
"Shang, let's just not do this. I've been in a really good mood all day and I'm not going to let you ruin it by doing something stupid."
"Oh, don't think like that," said Shang. He hopped up onto the railing, turning his back to the sunset. He kicked his feet as he dangled backwards, like a child swimming in a pool. Asami almost prayed that a gust of wind would arrive and blow him off of the edge. "You have so many great things going for you. You've built a slew of incredible devices, you have a genius intellect, and most importantly, you partnered with Ingenious Enterprises, the greatest company in the world. Things can only get better for you."
"For a moment there, you sounded like you were sincerely saying something nice."
"I am sincere," Shang grimaced. He spoke quickly yet poignantly. "Look, let's not beat around the bush. I know you don't like me very much."
Asami opened her mouth to object, but Shang cut her off.
"Lots of people don't like me. And I admit: most of that is probably my fault. I've been told that I can be blunt, inconsiderate, narcissistic, and a whole bunch of other big words that don't matter. And I also know that I don't do any favors to people I am trying to impress. For instance, forcing you to leave on this trip early was wrong, and I'm sorry for that."
The engineer nodded, and rested her head on her palm.
"My point is this: I am a terrible person who does terrible things. I've abused the system to increase profits, arranged to give technology to parties that would misuse them, got hitched to two separate women on opposite sides of the planets without telling either, and frankly just demonstrate dick-ish behavior."
"You have two wives?" Asami asked in shock.
"Yes. It's wonderful. Where was I?"
"You are an awful person."
"That's right. Miss Sato, I acknowledge my flaws so that I can view my actions objectively. Before, I used to be nothing, but now, I feel like a king. I can put aside my ego and my other wife, and look at the people around me effectively. I can see what their strengths are, and I can see their weaknesses. When you see people for what they really are, it changes your whole view on the world. You, Asami… I can see everything about you. You are passionate. You are dedicated. You have boundless ingenuity and more heart than I've seen in anyone for years. You are an incredible, talented young woman, who has helped save the world countless times and always strives for more. I guess what I really mean by this is that I'm sorry for any wrongdoings and—despite all my shady, weird and questionable behavior—I really appreciate the opportunity to work with someone as gifted as you are."
Shang took a deep breath, and hopped back onto the walkway. Asami simply stared at the sunset for a very long while. Shang patiently waited for a response. However, since patience was one of Shang's weaknesses, he could only stand still for about ten seconds before he started tapping the head of Future Industries repeatedly on the shoulder.
"Are you gonna say something or what?" he asked worriedly. Asami turned towards him and crossed her arms. A ghost of a smile was present on her face.
"That," she stated, "was a very interesting way of apologizing."
Shang chuckled. He leaned against the wall and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Well, one of those flaws I mentioned is that I don't speak no good sometimes. My mouth just outruns my brain."
"Don't worry. Korra can be like that sometimes," Asami said kindly. "I don't dislike you, Shang. I'm not sure if I really dislike anybody. I haven't really been trying to push us forward these past few weeks either. I've been dealing with a lot of stress, and I haven't been acting like myself. But I'm about to start a new chapter of my life; a better chapter. And now that I actually feel like me again, I want to put all of this animosity behind us. We're partners now, so we might as well make the best of it."
Asami held out her hand, and lovingly smiled. "Apology accepted. Are we good?"
Shang reached out instantly, and firmly grasped her hand within his. "Of course, partner. Glad we could work this out."
"Of course," Asami said in agreement. "Just promise me you won't say anything else horribly misogynistic or offensive."
"Just promise me you won't say anything to my other wife."
"I don't know who your wife is."
"And let's hope it stays that way. I tell you, having two wives is great and all, but stressful as hell. Still, I don't think I could ever get used to the drag of monogamy. People who settle down are wasting their time… except you, obviously. You found a wonderful gal."
"Just remember who my fiancé is," said Asami confidently. "Because I don't think you would ever want to say something like that in front of her if you want to keep eating solid food."
"Gotcha."
"Just letting you know," Asami said with a small laugh. "You're lucky that I'm don't get agitated as easily as her—"
As Asami laughed out her words, she felt the walkway beneath her buckle. The airship was struck with a forceful wind at that precise moment. It croaked under the pressure, and rocked briefly to its side with a formidable groan. In merely an instant, Asami felt her legs fall out from under her, and she was flipped around so that her stomach slammed into the railing, and the breath was knocked out of her lungs. Then, she found herself helplessly turning as the momentum carried her over the edge, and pushed her away towards the empty sky. She was vertical, her eyes wide as she came face-to-face with the rocky terrain hundreds of feet below. Her stomach churned and the vertigo overwhelmed her; her hands clawed at the wind for something to grab, yet nothing was there. Time seemed slowed for ages as she hung like a bat from the side of the ship, the tug of gravity begging her to fall. And then, after what felt like an eternity yet merely took the length of a heartbeat, she was grabbed the feet, and yanked back onto the walkway at full force, while the ship quickly realigned. Asami heard her heart beating in her ear as she pressed herself against the wall forcefully and regained her bearings. If Shang had reached out a second later, she had no doubt that it would have been her end. She looked up at her savior, her partner, who was mimicking her movements and panting heavily.
"See," he stated, "this is why you should watch the sunset from inside the airship."
The normal schedule for Masaki Sugiyama was for him to walk home from the park after sunset, following a strict pathway that would bring him home in the fastest time possible. It took him several weeks to calculate the proper route, given his preferred walking speed and overall necessity to arrive home at a decent hour, but he was very proud of what he had accomplished. His home was actually quite a distance away, and though he was given more freedom than a twelve-year-old should be given, he still followed a strict curfew.
One of the many streets that Masaki walked on his way home passed through the slums. Typically, a child might show some concern about traversing an area so dangerous at such a late hour, but Masaki showed no such fear No, Masaki was a brave child. He did not fret over some mugger or crook threatening to harm him. Masaki could face those bullies without a problem. He was tougher than he looked, or at least that was his preconception. This minor uncertainty did cause his detour through the slums to be quite brief, as he only traveled across three blocks before ducking back into more crowded areas of the city.
Tonight, his path was no different. Close to the end of his journey, Masaki dived right into his shortcut, moving briskly in the dying sunlight. He passed by the many familiar obstacles during his walk that he encountered every week. He walked passed the homeless man who smelled of musk and rats sleeping by the perfume sign. he saw the three rebellious teenagers who huddled around their drugs and stared cruelly at him from the other side of the road, like sharks waiting to feed. He passed the abandoned car two minutes later, which had its windows broken, tires slashed and steering wheel ripped out years ago. He passed the desperate prostitute wallowing in a drunken stupor by the steps to a run-down apartment complex, in mourning for a lost friend; to be fair, that person had only started showing up very recently.
However, something different did happen right before he turned away from the downtrodden ruins. As he went to pass through the alleyway, a large, slug-like man, with a thick bald head and round spectacles, darted passed him, accidentally knocking the child over. Masaki glanced back at the fat creature, who was shuffling away as fast as his stubby legs could take him. The man turned around, and Masaki noticed that he was carrying what appeared to be tools and chunks of scrap metal in his thick arms. Their eyes met; Masaki could see the fear behind them, the sense of dread and panic that was consuming the poor creature. The man halted briefly, taking in Masaki's form for only a second or two before turning and bolting off like a frightened animal. Masaki casually stood up, watching the man scurry away. He did the only thing he knew how to do: he smiled.
"Have a good night!" Masaki called out, waving his hand in the air. He hoped all went well for the slug-like man. Then, with the thought out of his head and a large grin on his face, he turned around, moved quickly through the alleyway, and continued on his way home.