Today was the day.
Asami woke up before Korra to get a head start, and to avoid any form of pre-meditated goodbyes. She looked over to her counter and saw the precious case holding her betrothal necklace. This world, the South pole, was a magical one. A place where anyone can forget their troubles and live in peace with the ones you love.
This is going to be the hardest thing I've ever done. Is it even worth it to leave? I know I have responsibilities, but… I mean, my company has been doing fine without me, I still get reports mailed here… but… I need her, more than anything else. I'm sure about her more than anyone else.
Her body froze as she was questioning everything she knows. How could she be so sure about this day, that she would leave Korra, for however long she chose to stay here. Deep breaths and the thought of some resolve was the only thing that kept her calm.
But she had obligations. She had to grow up, become an adult. Responsibilities that will go on every single day. Her company, her city, her friends, everyone had relied on her to make a difference for the world, even if it was indirect. Hard work certainly wasn't what she was afraid of, what she was afraid of, was somehow losing all the progress that her and Korra had made in this chapter of their lives.
Coming back to reality she realizes she had to take her clothes from the beautifully crafted drawer into her luggage. Going through her clothes she remembered how prepared she was. She had an outfit for every occasion, but nothing was going to prepare her for the love and heartache she had experienced for this trip. Next up was her cosmetics, of course she had the finest make up. After that was her shoes, and miscellaneous items.
Eventually everything she had brought with her had packed away and the room she stood in seemed much more small than it had been with Korra in it. She leaned over to the window and opened it a quarter of the way, just to let some air in. The sun was still rising and she would have to leave at noon exactly.
Much to her surprise, she heard some stirring around the house, she was very confident that it was Korra. The door creaked open slowly, and she saw Korra's long brown hair drape over her shoulder. Slowly she stepped over to Asami's side, and sat next to her.
"Asami" Korra said in a breathy voice, instantly you could tell that she was anxious over what was going to happen. "We need to talk".
The four words that could instantly tear someone down.
Korra sat next to Asami and placed her hand on her knee.
"Yes Korra?"
"I think I'm going to be here much longer than I anticipated."
"How much longer?"
"I don't know. I also don't know how okay I'll be at the end of this."
"Korra you're going to be fine", more thoughts were racing in her head and her hand started to clench just in the fear of the unknown future.
"I know you want to believe that, but not even Katara is sure of this… It's as if my mental state still needs to heal, there's a lot more progress to be made there." Korra looked over to Asami with somber eyes.
"Korra look, I'm going to wait for you, no matter how many years it takes, I know you constantly think about how the world needs you, but … I've come to need you too."
"That's why, after all of this, please share these weeks with no one."
"What?"
"I need you to be patient. Because we don't even know how our lives will be or even if we can have some kind of normal routine. But, no matter what, I need you to trust me on this."
"How can you know that you're not ready to return to Republic City? You stopped the Everstorm, and you've gotten so much better physically!"
"Asami, this isn't like you."
"I- …" She had to stop, and truly think about what she had been saying.
"Asami, look at me. I'm not mad, I'm not hurt with what you said. We need to look at this chapter in our lives and realize that… The world can survive without an Avatar right now. No one has come to me with any kind of bad news, and for now, the world seems to be at peace. What I owe myself, and you, is to take time to truly heal my body and my mind."
"I understand. But I need to tell you something too."
"Yes?"
"I'm going to keep this with me", she shifted towards the betrothal necklace's case, "every day of my life, until we're together again, and the world is at peace".
Korra didn't know what to say, though she assumed that Asami would keep it on her, she never knew how confident and sure she was about their entire relationship, and promises it entailed.
"I love you, so much."
"I love you too, Korra."
They held each other, in the warmest embrace. They held each other as if it was going to be the last second they would see one another ever again. As if the world would end, right at that very moment. Asami, brushed Korra's hair to the side and kissed her, deeply and longingly. They shifted down on Asami's bed and Korra was on top of Asami, but there was no sexual desire in that moment. They both needed one another, they needed the companionship and intimacy that only either of them could give to one another. But in the end they both had to acknowledge what was right in front of them, uncertainty.
In the middle of a breath, both of the strong and beautiful women stared into each other's eyes. Their love was a unique kind a love, a love that waits, fosters into an embrace, and strives through any kind of challenge in their way. As they spent those last five minutes communicating what would happen while they were gone, Asami's knees trembled as she left Korra's doorway. Instantly she would feel the space that Korra left in her heart, something that she had never felt before.
They paced slowly down the path to the docks, and Naga loyally walked behind them. Even she grew somber as she realized that one of her best friends would be leaving for a very long time. Everyone down the path saw the two of them, saw how broken up they were, and distantly, everyone hoped for the best.
"You think you're sad Naga, imagine how I feel", Korra said just to lighten the mood briefly.
Korra paused briefly once more, and stood exactly where their picnic was yesterday and looked Asami straight in the eyes.
"I truly hope you know how much you mean to me, I would fight every day of my life, just to be in your embrace again. I want you to know, that however long I need to stay here, I'm staying here because I want to be better for you and for me." Then she began fighting back tears…
In a deep breath, she inhaled all the emotions she was about to speak.
"Asami, when you leave, I know it's for the better, but, there's going to be such a large hole in my heart, and it won't be filled with letters or gifts, it's going to be there until we see each other once again. And it's hard, it tears me up inside, and it hurts. But we're going to make it through this okay? And when we see each other, I'm going to do something so amazing for you, I'll take you anywhere, anywhere you want to go, I promise."
Asami trembled again, and her heart was pounding harder than it ever was before. Words couldn't come out; she could not even think in that moment. All she could do was hug her tighter than ever and hopelessly feel like it would suffice. And for the moment, it truly did.
After those long moments, they continued walking towards the docks. Korra helped Asami with her luggage and they shared a few more moments of loving affection. But then it had to truly come to an end. Naga even started to whimper as Asami was about to leave.
Those moments, watching the boat slowly leave the docks, tore a hole deeper than before, and Korra never again wanted to know what it felt like to watch someone you love, leave you. The sun was high in the sky, and Korra waved and looked into Asami's eyes, she saw her black silky hair wave lovingly in the wind, and finally, when Asami was merely a dot in the distance, Korra knew she had to leave, but she knew she wouldn't be able to work up the courage. So she sat there, waiting for hours at the edge of the dock. No more boats came, or went, and there was a silence, even from the fishermen. Everyone knew what a truly broken heart looked like.
It was dark by the time Korra walked home, even Naga left earlier because she grew hungry. The walk back home seemed to drag on, shop owners and even pedestrians looked upon Korra with sympathy. Even though not everyone knew how deep their relationship was, they knew that their Korra, wasn't the same.
When Korra opened the doors to her house, her parents were worried, but knew all along what happened. Senna prepared Korra's favorite dish for dinner, hoping it would cheer her up, but in the end it got her nowhere. Weeks would pass until Korra felt motivated enough to make more progress mentally. When she did try once more, there was a fiery determination in her, she knew what needed to be done, she would choose to confront her problems head on, and she had a mission.
Back at Republic city, it was as if nothing had changed, except Asami. No one in her building had the slightest idea what had happened, and she wasn't going to tell anyone. Not even her closest friends Mako and Bolin. Besides, both of them were miles away. People she worked with assumed that she was just sad because she missed her best friend anyways. Some of them did nice things like bring her sweets, or flowers, but even though she was grateful it just put a band-aid on a bigger issue. Asami too, had a mission, and when Korra would come back she'd do the same thing for her.
This fire in her eventually led to the creation of Avatar Korra's park, a place that Asami built from the ground up and would eventually take Korra there for their picnics. Asami did however, become very embedded in her work. This of course was very good for the city, but for her, well that's up for debate.
Eventually, Asami worked up the courage to write Korra:
"Dear Korra. I miss you. It's not the same in Republic City without you and it's not the same for me either. How are you feeling? Things are going well here. I just got a contract to help redesign the city's infrastructure and make some new additions so I'll be keeping pretty busy for a while. Just remember, that I'll keep you in my mind and heart no matter what."
Months passed without a reply, and for a while, Asami thought she would never get one. It wasn't until the world grew unstable that they would see each other; and they wouldn't share each other's embrace again until the world was peaceful once more.
Everyday Asami clung to her necklace hoping that her prayers would be answered and that Korra would return to her once more, and in the end, they were answered.
Well guys, the story is finally told. I would've felt horrible if I left this hanging for another year or so, but at least all of us can get some resolve. Whether or not this was the ending you all were hoping for, I really did pour myself into this. This entire story. Over the course of the two years, I'd like to think that my writing has gotten much better, and that sometimes less is more.
I'm also extremely happy to say, I am working on another fanfiction (although for another fandom) so keep you eyes peeled on my account. Now that I'm in college, I will have to work around my schedule, but I will get it done. Thank you for whoever stuck around this long, I know sometimes patience is hard, believe me. But I owed it to everyone who ever viewed this fic, and to myself. This is the end of their story (at least until book 4) goodbye!
- Ryuji 274