Summary: The last installment from "Moments from the Past."
Bolin stared at the items he had finished laying out on his bed. Five pairs of under shorts and shirts, five pairs of black socks, the two pairs of pants and the jacket sent by Kuvira, a pair of boots, a note book, a few pencils and lastly a picture of him and Opal.
"That's everything on my list." He said to himself as he grabbed his duffle and tossed it on the bed.
The following morning he was scheduled to travel to the Earth Kingdom with Varrick and Zhu Li. He was both excited and nervous to be leaving on this next adventure. The entrepreneur assured him it was going to be an honest gig, with none of the funny business of their last collaboration.
Bolin was initially confused why Varrick asked him to join him to work with Kuvira. He didn't have much to offer in the technical skills department. Apparently Varrick had mentioned his people skills during his pitch to Kuvira and she requested he be brought along. The entrepreneur boasted that Kuvira was willing to even create a job for him if necessary.
Bolin had to admit it was nice to be wanted. The past few months he had felt pretty lost and alone. Everyone seemed to have their thing, accept him. Mako threw himself back into 'the beat.' Opal was away to the Earth Kingdom weeks at a time. Asami got the bid for rebuilding the city. She was initially able to throw him some work moving debris, but he wasn't qualified for building structures, which was the phase the city was in now. And Korra was still in the south recovering.
The earthbender's heart went out to his lost friend. Zaheer seemed to have done more damage than anyone expected or maybe it was just their exaggerated expectations of what the Avatar could take. She is human after all. Whatever the case, Korra proved to be the glue that bound the group together. No one was willing to admit it. Everyone's excuse for not being available had been the crisis in the Earth Kingdom or here in the city. They'd be doing what they were doing even if Korra was around, but he knew the truth. If Korra was here they'd all be back in the Earth Kingdom fixing everything together. Bolin figured he might as well go now and be there for when Korra was ready to get back in the action.
"Maybe I'll write her one more time before I leave.'" Bolin thought to himself. He grabbed his duffel with purpose and placed it near the door. He sat down at his desk and pulled put a few pieces of paper. "I should have enough time before I needed to get ready for dinner at Air Temple Island."
The wind whipped through Asami's hair as the sand glider tore through the desert towards the setting sun. She steered while Korra propelled the craft at the front of the ship. She couldn't help but admire the Avatar's muscular arms and back as she bent the air around them into the sail.
Korra turned around motioned with her head towards their passengers and shrugged her shoulders. Asami interpreted the gesture as wanting to know how they were fairing. She gave a 'thumbs up' and shrugged back. This seemed to satisfy Korra and she turned back around.
Suddenly their ride got a little bumpier as Korra started to airbend harder into the sail. The bigger gusts caused their craft to bounce over the sand dunes. The Avatar looked back sporting her signature crooked smile. The smile that caused Asami's stomach to do flips.
Korra continued to show off, making them stay air-born longer over each dune. Asami figured two could play this game and began to steer hard, causing them to instead ride the curves of the dunes. She slalomed in between the towering mounds of sand.
Korra tried to take back the reins but Asami's control over the steering was stronger. The Avatar looked back at her frustrated, but still smiling. Asami responded with a flip of her hair.
Caught up in the moment they didn't hear the Captains first two attempts to get their attention. Finally Korra noticed the man waving his arm behind the sail. She stopped bending and their vessel coasted a little ways before coming to a complete stop.
"You two finished having fun?" The Captain shouted.
Korra put a hand behind her head and scratched nervously. "Sorry..."
"We were just testing the limitations of this sand glider. I may want to start producing them." Asami said as she winked at Korra.
"Yes, strictly business. Since we're stopped, why don't we take a break?" the Avatar suggested.
The temperature was starting to drop with the sun. The Earth Kingdom crew huddled together on a nearby dune. Korra and Asami chose a separate dune, a little ways ahead of the sand glider. There was still no sign of human life. Just sand as far as their eyes could see. Asami sat down first and Korra followed suit. They sat for a while in silence.
"I'm so amazed sometimes by what you can do." Korra said with her eyes on the horizon.
Asami looked over at Korra, but she didn't move.
"I take for granted my abilities to bend elements to my whim, forgetting there are those who can't even bend one." Korra looked down at her hands.
"What you did today, that was all stuff you figured out how to do. Thank you, for being so awesome." The Avatar said finally meeting Asami's gaze.
Asami's face was beginning to get warm, but once Korra's eyes met hers, it was red hot. She quickly turned away. Asami pretended to cough as a cover and flipped her hair. "You were pretty amazing yourself today Avatar."
Asami sneaked a peak at Korra through her hair. Korra was grinning wide and Asami wasn't sure why.
And then Asami woke up, as she did every time she had this dream. She knew how it ended, the Captain shouts at them about continuing on their journey and so they got up and left.
This dream was a memory, but she's dreamed it so many times Asami has begun to wonder if it ever really happened. Korra herself has started to feel like a dream. A year had past and still no word.
Asami rolled over in her bed, to see out her window. It was late morning she could tell that much. Fortunately it was Sunday, so it really didn't matter what time it was. She did need to get up and some point to prepare for dinner at Air Temple Island.
Pema attempted to start a weekly dinner with Team Avatar every Sunday. Asami bowed out most weeks, claiming to be busy, but tonight she had to go. Bolin had an important announcement and would not take no for an answer.
The engineer sighed, admitting mental defeat. Wait any longer and getting out of bed was going to be a real chore.
Asami ended up being the last to arrive. So many familiar faces were seated around the long wooded table of the airbender home. Many she hadn't seen in months, Tenzin's family plus Bumi, Bolin, Opal, Lin and Kai. Bolin flagged her over to the table and she took the only empty spot between Ikki and Meelo. She noticed they both bigger since the last time she saw them. She couldn't even place the last time that was.
Bolin stood up from his spot. The table went quiet.
"Everyone, thank you for coming tonight. And Pema and Tenzin thank you for hosting tonight, and every Sunday night. I'm really going to miss this and all of you!"
"Miss us? What are you talking about?" Mako interrupted.
"I was getting there. I wanted to make sure you were all here tonight because I have an announcement. I got a job with Kuvira and will be shipping off tomorrow night with Varrick and Zhu Li."
Opal stood up from her seat next to Bolin. "What? You're going to work for that woman, after she betrayed my mother and family?"
Bolin turned to face her. "What do you mean?"
"I told you what she did! Were you not listening?" Opal shouted.
"I did… but that really doesn't have anything to do with her work. She's doing so much good in the Earth Kingdom. You're doing so much good. I want to be a part of the solution over there. I want to do what Korra would do over there." The earthbender was now addressing the whole table. Everyone remained silent.
Opal fed up with the conversation pushed passed Bolin. "Korra wouldn't be working alongside a tyrant!"
Bolin looked around the table for some instruction; everyone gave him a blank stare, still overwhelmed by the conversation that had just transpired. When he made eye contact with Asami she motioned towards the direction Opal had exited. Bolin nodded and ran off after Opal.
"Well that went well." Bumi said allowed to no one in particular.
Pema rose from her seat. "We should all be sure to go see him off tomorrow. We don't want him to leave thinking there is any ill will." No one spoke up in disagreement.
Next Mako stood up from the table. "I need some air..." He murmured before walking off. Asami watched him go and debated on following him or not.
Pema must have sensed her internal debate. "You might as well go too; maybe you can get them to all come back. You've tamed tougher beasts."
Asami met Pema's eyes. Asami suddenly felt very guilty for all the Sunday dinners she didn't come to. She made a silent vow to be better about visiting with her...Family…?
"I'll see what I can do. I'll be back next Sunday, I promise." Asami said leaving the table.
Lin decided to break the silence. "Well that was awkward. What's with those kids lately?"
"They all miss Korra," Jinora sighed.
"I miss Korra! When is she coming home?" Ikki interjected.
"We don't know sweetie, when she is ready." Tenzin answered shifting in his seat.
Ikki slumped down in her seat and poked at her food. "Ugh you keep saying that, but what does that even mean?"
Tenzin stroked his beard before answering. "Korra is going through a very difficult emotional and physical process. At this point, when she gets better is really up to her. Only Korra will know when she's ready to come back."
"I bet she'd feel better sooner if she was back here." Meelo added.
Asami found Mako by the dock, waiting for the next shuttle.
"Need a lift stranger?" Asami called out.
Mako turned around, "if you're offering."
"Com'on, let's get out of here." Asami said as she got onto her boat. The firebender followed.
Asami's 'Satoboat' cut through the dark waters towards Republic City. She always loved the view from the ride back. All the city lights twinkled and danced on the water. Asami would look at it and think, home.
Now Bolin was leaving home. He and Mako were just as much natives as she was to Republic City. It wasn't till Korra decided to go back to the south that Asami remembered that Republic City was not her home.
Korra was like a whirlwind in all of their lives. Everything changed when she met Korra. So much that it wasn't till she left and things calmed down that Asami had a moment to reflect.
Asami thought about the nights she wandered her mansion, going into the dozens of rooms to see what was even in there. It was amazing how even one other person had made the home not feel so empty. She had spent so little time home since her father's arrest, that is was just finally sinking in.
Asami purged each room of any reminder of her father, storing everything in his study. A closet was a better use of the room considering the ideas that he formed in there.
The one room she couldn't bring herself to touch was the same room her father couldn't, the master bedroom. It had become the shrine to her mother; everything left the way she had. Even her brushes and make up were left in the very last position she placed them in. Her father slept in his study so he wouldn't disturb it. Asami wondered if the separation from his wife and the room they shared only fed into his bitterness.
Asami docked the boat and they both jumped out. They both stood there for a moment unsure of what to do next. Finally Mako spoke up. "Want to go grab a drink? I could really use one."
The engineer nodded in agreement.
The two ended up at a small bar not too far from the docs. The lighting inside was dim, only a few couples were inside drinking in the dark corners. The pair sat at the bar and waited to be served.
"I want to be happy for him, but... something doesn't feel right." Make said breaking the silence, rubbing the back of his head as he spoke.
"I know how you feel. I'm glad he's finally found something, but the military? It just doesn't seem like Bolin."
"I want to trust his judgment, but it doesn't have the best track record."
"We were all a little fooled by Varrick," Asami added. "So far it seems that man has finally turned over a new leaf."
The bartender finally made his way over to wait on them. Asami and Mako paused their conversation to order. The bartender quickly came back and placed the two glasses in front of the pair. They each took a swig of their respective beverage.
Mako placed his glass down on the counter with a little thud. "The other thing that concerns me is Opal's reaction. I don't know what Kuvira did, but it really seemed to have really pissed her off. And I've never seen that girl angry."
"I don't know much about Kuvira. I've seen her in the paper from time to time, but it's pretty general reporting. Whatever she's doing, it's proving to be affective. Bolin's got a good head on his goofy shoulders. If it's not right for him he'll come home."
"You're probably right…" Mako paused to take another sip. "I'm probably just overreacting because I feel guilty. I haven't spent much time with him lately and now I'm really going to miss him. I feel like I always take things for granted until they're gone. I never thought my own brother would be one of them."
"Bolin's not going away forever. He'll come home at some point." Asami said patting her hand on Mako's shoulder.
"Yeah, just like Korra will be back at 'some point'." Mako said finishing off his drink and slamming it on the counter.
Mentioning Korra was all you needed to do to end a conversation. She couldn't think of that last time she heard someone speak her name aloud since Bolin did tonight. Everyone seemed to be affected by her absence. It was clear that Mako had been spending just as much time away from the group as she had.
Asami swirled her drink before taking another sip. She watched Mako order another round for the two of them. When it came he slid Asami's in front of her without a word and took a sip from his own glass.
The pair had found themselves in a familiar scenario, hurting and lonely. Asami knew how easy it would be to seek comfort from him. Mako wouldn't make the first move, but he wouldn't turn away any advances either. All sheneeded to do was put her head on his shoulder or hang onto his arm and he'd give into his own loneliness.
Asami wondered, would he also be thinking about Korra. She suspected the firebender still carried a flame for Korra. He always did choose her in the end. And Asami herself…she knew whys she'd be thinking about Korra, for reasons she was finally willing to admit to herself. She was in love with Korra, just admitting that fact silently made her stomach tighten. When Asami caught herself falling for the Avatar a year ago she wasn't surprised, she was furious. The feelings she'd been working so hard on suppressing always seemed to come back.
Korra was not the first girl Asami has ever had feelings for. As far back as she could remember she was attracted to girls. Asami quickly learned what she was feeling was something she should keep to herself. It was her father who made her feel the most ashamed about it. When she was fourteen, she had a close friend who seemed to reciprocate the attraction Asami felt for her. Somehow her father caught wind of the situation and confronted her about it. "It would break your mother's heart if she knew you were that way."
"That way…" Putting her feelings in such a manner and the mention of Asami's mother was all she needed to motivate her to change her behavior. So over the years she worked very hard to 'fix' herself, and then a certain firebender crashed into her life. Asami couldn't believe the overwhelming approval she got from her father when she introduced him as her boyfriend. All that work had paid off and knowing it pleased her father made it easy to date Mako. Of course it turned out to be a lie, her father didn't care about her dating life, and he was just using her. It also turned out Mako didn't love her, he loved Korra. It was hard to know how she felt after that experience.
And if she pursued him now, it would be a lot like the second time they were together, for the convenience. Out on her ship that night a few years ago Mako was hurting about Korra, she was hurting about being manipulated again. It had been so long since she had any physical contact, she figured why not? She knew Mako was safe; he wouldn't push her into anything. Even now, she could just seek out to be held in his arms and not worry about him pushing her for more. Then tomorrow they could both pretend like it never happened.
She snuck a peek at the firebender. He was spacing out looking at the bottles behind the bar.
"Yeah, like Korra will be back at 'some point…" His words echoed in her mind.
Asami shook her head. "Enough!" she mentally screamed. She couldn't believe she was even considering playing that stupid game again with Mako. She was sick of living in the past. She was sick of not living at all. She needed to move forward with her life, because there was every chance Korra would not return.
'I'm sorry Korra… Maybe you were right, maybe you are broken, but I can't help you if you won't let me in. And I can't keep waiting around for you to do that…' Asami thought with a heavy heart.
Asami grabbed her new drink and quickly chugged it down, slamming the empty glass down. She then turned to a surprised Mako. "I'll see you tomorrow at Bolin's send off?"
"Yeah," He said hesitantly.
Asami pulled out a few bills and left them next to her empty glasses. "See you then. Good night Mako."
"Bye…" Mako murmered as he watched her go, still trying to process what had just transpired.
Over the next year Asami stayed true to her word. She attended dinner at Air Temple Island every Sunday. Her time over there inspired her to create the wing suites for the Air Nation. She donated them as a way to say thank you for taking her in to their family. The city was rebuilt and she began her next project of working on the rail system. During that time Asami started seeing a woman. She finally reached a comfort level with whom she was that she had planned to bring the woman to the next Sunday dinner at Air Temple Island to introduce her to the family. Asami was about to make the call to set up the plans when a letter from a certain someone arrived.
Her secretary Kali casually placed the mail on Asami's desk unaware of what she was holding in that stack of letters. Asami looked over at the pile and right on top was an envelope with a return address from the Southern Water Tribe Palace. Asami never stopped writing to Korra, after year of writing to her almost once a week it was a hard habit to break. She also didn't want her friend to think she had been forgotten. So Asami used her letters like a journal and wrote to Korra about the events in her life, well most of the events. And just like the first year of letter writing, not a single word back from the Avatar, until now.
Asami wasn't sure if she should be elated or furious. Asami settled on furious as she knocked the stack of letters off her desk.
"Why now Korra? After two fucking years, why bother to write back now?" Asami shouted at the scattered pile.
Her office door opened again and Kali poked her head through the door. "Miss Sato, is everything okay?"
Asami bowed her head, ashamed of her outburst. "Yes, sorry for the noise."
"I saw the letter… I know it must be hard for you." As her secretary spoke Asami looked up in disbelief. "How did she…"Asami wondered.
"Maybe it's time you read what he had to say, he still is your father."
Asami almost fell out of her chair, her father of course. Her secretary had seen all his letters over the years, there must be one from him somewhere on the floor. It was a true cosmic joke, the one person she wanted to write to her never would, and the other she never wanted to her from again wouldn't stop.
Kali continued. "You know… It might give you some closure if you at least heard the man out. Maybe he'd stop writing if you visited…"
Asami got out of her seat and walked over to her. "I think you're right. Could you please clear my schedule for the day, I need to take some personal time."
The girl nodded and looked towards the mess on the floor.
"I will take care of my own mess Kali."
Her secretary bowed and left the room. Asami let out a sigh. She was embarrassed by her reaction, but at least Kali thought it was over her father. There was some truth to her words. Maybe Asami should go see him, only if it was to get him to stop writing. Not today though, she was going straight home where she could read Korra's letter in private.
Asami read the letter over and over, each time feeling guiltier for giving up on Korra. It was clear that her friend had been suffering a long time, but had not forgotten her, the Avatar still even considered her a confidant. This past year forgetting Korra was all she wanted to do. She felt sick and put herself to bed early.
That night Asami felt the wind whip through hair as the sand glider tore through the desert towards the setting sun…
To be continued...