Summary: More from the past...

Korra slowly walked down the hall she knew would lead to Asami's bedroom. She came to a closed door. Though she felt hesitation, her hand thrust towards to handle with purpose. Inside, Asami was brushing her hair in front a large vanity. The silk Fire Nation robe she wore clung to her waist, but hung loosely from her shoulders and thighs. This allowed the fabric to pool and hang low, exposing her milky skin. Korra knew Asami was considered a woman who exuded sexuality, but she had never experienced it being directed at her. She felt herself being caught under the spell and unconsciously made her way towards the source.

Asami waited until Korra was only a few steps away before turning around in her seat to face her. The Avatar stopped in her tracks. Asami's only acknowledgment was a smile and flip of her hair. The engineer then turned back to the mirror and brushed a few more strokes before setting the hairbrush on the vanity. Korra stayed in her spot and watched.

Asami rose from her seat and took a few steps to meet Korra. She then pressed herself into the Avatar's quickly accepting arms.

Korra sighed, feeling all stress leave her body at the contact. Asami moved her head so her mouth was right by Korra's ear. Her breath tickled as she began to speak. It sent shivers down the Avatar.

"My love, I've waited so long…"

"What have you been waiting for?" Korra thought.

"Korra…" Asami said in a breathy voice, dragging out the moment. "Will you make love with me tonight?"

The word 'yes' left Korra's lips with little hesitation. Before she knew what was happening the two were a tangle on the bed. Asami kept whispering soft words of encouragement and appreciation. It was making Korra's head spin from the sensory overload.

It was so dark that all the Avatar could see was white patches of Asami's pale skin. It was beautiful and she wanted to see more. Korra let out a growl as her hands wrapped around Asami's robe. She met resistance at first, but kept pulling until it opened.

Suddenly there was a flash of white, and Asami's naked form was on top of her.

"Korra…"

"Say my name again."

Korra's vision started fading, or was the room getting darker?

"Korra… Korra…"

The room continued to darken, and Korra opened her eyes wider in an attempt to see better.

"Korra."

Her world went black but she could still feel the soft flesh on top of her.

"Korra!"

The voice was no longer Asami's and it finally clicked in Korra's brain that she was waking up from a dream. At the realization Korra's eyes shot open and she was looking at her mother.

Senna was seated at the end of the bed, with her right hand lightly shaking Korra's leg.

"Mom?" Korra asked, blinking several times as she sat up in bed.

"I'm sorry to wake you, but it sounded like you were having another nightmare."

Korra's thoughts drifted back to the dream she was just having. That was...

The Avatar noticed for the first time in a very long time the existence of the anatomy between her legs. Not only was she aware of it, but it felt nice. How long had it been since any part of her body felt that way? Frankly this particular area was one of her last concerns, since she could still barely walk.

"Korra honey, do you want to talk about it?"

Korra's face flushed at the thought. She had forgotten all about her mother in that moment. She suddenly felt ashamed for being in her physical state with her mother present.

"No! No. It was just a dream. I'm okay. I'm going to go back to sleep."

The Avatar desperately wanted her mother to leave so she could process what happened. Senna gave her a concerned look, like she wasn't satisfied with her daughter's answer. Korra tried to silently convey she was okay. Senna sighed, accepting defeat, and kissed her daughter on the forehead before leaving the room.

Korra let out a deep sigh and let her head fall back on the pillow. What was that dream? It was like it was from another life or another time. Her and Asami like that?

The Avatar's hand slid down her stomach and dipped into her sleeping bottoms. When her hand made contact with the hair above her mound she caught onto what she was subconsciously doing. Korra let her eyes close as her hand slowly petted the area. Snippets of the dream came back. Asami's pale skin… Her hand ventured a little lower. Asami's lips brushing against her ear... Soon a familiar wetness greeted her fingers; just like the other times she touched herself there. "Korra… make me yours…" the Avatar's eyes flashed open. It was as like she could hear Asami in the room.

Again Korra felt shame wash over her. Asami was a friend, a girl friend. Doing this and thinking about her? It was just a dream... It had been so long since anything had felt good... Asami would never know.

She allowed her hand to continue towards release.

The following morning Korra awoke with a refreshed feeling, for the first time in a year.

Senna couldn't stop pacing. Her husband called when he said he would, but without Korra. Apparently their daughter had been lying to the both of them and never stepped foot in Republic City. No one knew where she was.

Senna was racking her mind, trying to think where she would have gone. She stopped her pacing in front of Korra's room. Perhaps there was some clue inside as to where she went. Senna had not been in the room since her daughter left. Letters were stacked in the corners. So many notes of encouragement over the two and half years Korra was home. It warmed Senna's heart that they never stopped after all that time. A few letters had trickled in over the past few months, but Senna didn't think anything of them to read who was sending them. She just assumed they were from well-wishers outside of Republic City.

She sat next to the stack of unopened envelopes she had been piling on Korra's bed. Senna grabbed a handful and checked the sender's address. Future Industries, Zaofu, Air Temple Island, Republic City, Future Industries. Had she just looked at the letters coming in she would have caught onto Korra's deception so much sooner. A rock began to sink in Senna's stomach. How could she have overlooked this?

Senna put her head in her hands, causing the letters in her lap to slide off and fall on the floor.

She had sensed some deception from her daughter when discussing her plans about going back to Republic City. And no White Lotus escort? How could she have dismissed that red flag?

Senna let out sigh. She ignored the little nagging thought because it was the first time Korra seemed more like her old self. There was still sadness in her eyes, but not the empty despair.

Caring for Korra during her recovery had definitely aged her and Tonraq. The physical demand wasn't nearly as hard as the emotional. These past six months had given her time to reflect on the past years; see the new lines on their faces, the bigger patches of grey hair.

She knew life with her child being the Avatar was going to be hard. The White Lotus warned them over and over. Being told to emotionally prepare for it and actually going through it were two different experiences. Especially as they learned the White Lotus had little information to offer in raising an Avatar.

It was only a few weeks ago that a White Lotus member came to interview the two of them about their experience in rehabilitating Korra. It was like opening up the wounds all over again. She knew it was to benefit future parents of Avatars, but part of her wished no other parent would have to go through it.

After the White Lotus member left, Senna thought about what life would have been like had they had another child. It was something Senna had wanted even before they discovered who Korra was. The White Lotus and Tonraq agreed it would be too difficult for a child to be the Avatar's sibling that they would be forever in Korra's shadow. It broke her heart but she yielded to their opinions. A big part of Senna wished she had fought for that child. A child she could have a more normal life with; one who would stay close to home and raise a family; a child who belonged to only her and Tonraq, and not the whole world.

Guilt flooded Senna's heart. The tears that had been threatening to fall since Tonraq's phone call forced their way out.

After a few moments Senna resolved to not fall apart. She sucked in a deep breath and got off the bed. She bent down to grab the fallen envelopes when the corner of a box under the bed caught her eye. She shoved the letters collected in her arms on the bed before pulling it out.

It was a simple wooden box. Senna wasn't familiar with it, but that didn't mean she'd never seen it in here before. She hesitated for a moment about invading her daughter's privacy. Korra was missing and this could have the answer as to why. Senna flipped the lid and inside were a few knickknacks and a stack of letters bound up with a leather strip.

Perhaps Korra had been corresponding secretly with someone? Senna quickly undid the tie and opened the top letter. She scanned the letter down to the bottom to see it was signed by her daughter's friend Asami. Senna furrowed her brow in confusion. Perhaps it was just a collection of Korra's favorite letters? She had seen some of the drawings Bolin did, they were pretty cute. She picked up the next letter and saw it was also signed by Asami. Again and again Asami was the sender. It was just a stack of Asami's letters.

Senna picked one at random and read it:

Dear Korra,

I know I've said this so many times, but I miss you.

I don't know what else to say, I just felt like talking to you in some way.

I had a dream about being with you in the desert again.

It was so real I could almost smell the sandy night air.

That was a pretty crazy adventure we had...

I have so many fond memories from our trip to find new airbenders.

I hope we can go on an adventure again someday.

I hear the weather has been harsh in the south this winter.

Hope you've been able to get outside every once in a while.

The sun will do your body good.

Always,

Asami

Senna put the letter down. Korra had sent only one letter during the two and half years she was home. She recalled just being so shocked her daughter handed her an outgoing letter that she didn't think anything of who it was addressed to… Why would she?

The answers she was looking for were obviously not here. Senna hastily gathered the letters back together and tied them back up. She sealed up the box, slid it back under Korra's bed and left the room.

Senna decided to make herself some tea to calm her nerves, then sat at the kitchen table while she waited for her water to boil. She was worried about where Korra was, but for some reason the discovery in her daughter's room was at the forefront of her thoughts.

The kettle started to whistle and Senna got up to take it off the heat. She poured the water into her teapot and brought it to the table along with a cup. She impatiently tapped her fingers on the table while waiting for the leaves to steep.

Senna shot up from her seat and went back into Korra's room. She came back to her spot at the table with the wooden box in hand. Senna poured herself a cup of tea and picked up a letter.

The night creatures sang their songs as Korra sprawled out on a limb of a tree not too far from Toph's cave.

It had been three days since she met up with Toph. Three days of a tiny old woman tossing her around like doll. It was humiliating. Maybe Toph was trying to shame in her into recovery. At least it was a tactic no one had tried on her yet.

"What am I doing here?" Korra asked aloud.

The Avatar let out a long sigh. For the first time in a long time her thoughts were not consumed with her recovery. Her pain had become like an old friend. A friend she could count on being there to fill her mind and whisper to her in the night. Since her arrival in the swamp, the voice in her head had started to go quiet.

Korra looked up to see the stars, but her view was mostly blocked by vines. They reminded her of Republic City. She had learned from friend's letters that the city had found a way to work with the vines. Korra wondered what that looked like; it was such a mess when she was kicked out all those years ago.

Asami probably tried to describe it to her in her letters, but all that technical stuff never made much sense. The thought of Asami made her stomach tense. Thinking about her friend was confusing and so she tried to avoid it all together. In a weak moment she wrote to Asami. She wasn't sure why she did or why she never wrote back to anyone till then. Two and a half years of one sided conversations; Korra knew she'd have some explaining to do if and when she got back. She honestly didn't know what she'd tell everyone.

Korra started to feel frustrated. She sat up and re-positioned herself to a sitting position.

How could they understand what she had gone through, was going through? Why write over and over to them that she still wasn't well, may never be well? During those years she felt they were all better off if they just forgot about her. Part of her still felt that now.

Korra groaned and jumped up from her seat. She started punching fire blasts and kicked a few boulders into the dark woods. The sudden disturbance quieted the nearby critters. She needed to push out her thoughts of Republic City and those who inhabited it and instead think about what really mattered; the next steps in her recovery.

The Avatar pushed off from the branch and landed in the mud with a soft splat. She kicked out one more fire blast before entering Toph's cave.

"Remember Twinkle Toes, I'm blind not deaf."

Korra jumped, not expecting Toph to still be awake.

"I'm sorry; I was just venting some frustration."

"Well next time airbend it out, it's much quieter," Toph grumbled as she rolled back over to sleep.

"Goodnight Toph."

The only response Korra got back was a soft grunt. She sighed, curled up in on her bedroll and tried to fall asleep.

To be continued…