Next morning, after breakfast, Korra was ready to start her air bending training. She met Tenzin in one area of Air Temple Island where a bunch of wooden planks stood next to one another. "What is this contraption?" Korra asked.
"It's a time honored tool that air benders used. Jinora can you explain this exercise?" Tenzin asked.
"You need to go through the gates and get to the other side without touching the gates," said Jinora.
"That seems easy enough," said Korra. Maybe air bending wasn't as difficult as she thought.
"While the gates are spinning," said Ikki.
"The key is to be like the leaf, to float without touching anything. Jinora will demonstrate," said Tenzin. He waved his hands, sending air at them; the gates began spinning.
Jinora approached the gates, and slowly moved, avoiding them. She kept moving, soon exiting from the other side. Jinora then waved her hands and send wind at them.
"Seems easy enough. Okay, let's do this," said Korra. She ran at the gates and entered in the device. A wooden plank instantly hit her. And then another plank hit her.
"Don't force your way through," said Jinora.
"Dance, dance like the wind," said Ikki.
"Be the leaf," said Meelo.
Korra kept moving. More and more gates kept hitting her body. After several minutes of hitting numerous planks, Korra managed to exit from the same side she entered, falling on the ground.
"We will be working on this later. Let's meditate," said Tenzin, as Asami approached the group.
Korra saw Asami and blushed. She really hoped that her friend wouldn't see her at that moment. Korra had several bruises on her body, laying on the ground. She quickly stood up. Asami was wearing an elegant red sleeveless dress; Korra was glad that it wasn't showing much cleavage or she would have a nose bleed.
"Oh hey, Asami, what are you up to?" Korra asked.
"I wanted to visit you and take you to see the city, oh what is this device?" Asami asked as Tenzin explained it to her. The gates were still spinning.
Asami approached the gates. "No, don't—"
Korra didn't want Asami to get hurt. But Asami entered the gates, and gracefully moved around. Korra opened her mouth wide, making a silly face. While Asami wasn't air bending, it appeared as if Asami was dancing, gently evading all the gates. Korra was doubly impressed that Asami managed to move gracefully while wearing her red dress. Asami soon exited the other side; she waved her long hair, and walked back to Korra.
"Nice exercise," said Asami.
"Unbelievable Miss Sato, you moved just like an air bender," said Tenzin.
"I am not a bender, I just know how to avoid punches," said Asami. "I guess, I know how to dance, that helped too,"
"Korra, this beautiful woman knows how to be the leaf," said Meelo.
"Yey, dance like her. Dance like the wind," said Ikki.
"And give me some of your hair," said Meelo. Korra showed her tongue, and then looked at Asami.
"Councilman Tenzin, I know that Korra is staying here. I am not sure if she has any more morning exercises; I was thinking to show Korra the city," said Asami.
"Please?" Korra asked, looking at Tenzin.
"Very well. But don't get into any trouble. I trust Miss Sato to be the responsible person," said Tenzin.
"Hey!"
"It's okay Korra, let's go eat at Kwong's," said Asami.
"Korra, you will need an appropriate attire. Ask Pema about dresses," said Tenzin. Korra nodded.
Half an hour later, Korra and Asami stood in the city. "I don't know where this Kwong place is," said Korra.
"It's okay. I got this," said Asami. She waved her hand, and a Satomobile approached them. Asami greeted her butler, and opened the door to the car.
"It's okay, you get in first," said Korra. Asami climbed inside; Korra followed.
When the car arrived, Korra looked around. "Oh, fancy. This place looks expensive," said Korra.
"It has best food in the city. Come, let's sit at my favorite table," said Asami. Korra followed Asami. The two of them sat at a table. Korra looked at the menu, unsure what to order. "It's okay, I will order some things. Let me know if you like anything."
Asami made an order. "This place seems nice. So, can you tell me more about the Republic City? Maybe tell more about yourself? What made you want to learn how to fight?" Korra asked.
Asami looked away. A tear escaped her eye. "My mother … an Agni Kai triad member killed her. Eventually, the police caught him, but I lost my mother," said Asami. Another tear escaped her eye.
"Oh no, I am so sorry. I didn't know," said Korra. She sat closer to Asami, and hugged her friend.
"My father hired numerous tutors so I could learn how to defend myself. And then, one day I decided to protect others," said Asami.
"Both of my parents are alive. When I was four, I discovered that I could bend three elements. I was happy to learn that I was the Avatar, I trained hard for many years," said Korra. "Unfortunately, I never could air bend, not even a little."
Asami looked Korra in the eyes. "It's okay, from what I've heard, every Avatar struggled with one element. You will learn how to air bend eventually," said Asami.
"Yeah. Speaking of Air Bending, how did you manage to get through those gates? I mean, granted I suck at Air Bending, but the exercise is designed as a tool for young air benders to practice air bending," said Korra. "And you aren't an Air Bender."
"Yeah, I am not an Air Bender, or any kind of bender. Personally, if I could bend, and could pick an element, I would pick either air or fire," said Asami.
"Fire, but a fire bender –"
"One fire bender. He was an evil man, and yes, he did fire bend, but that doesn't mean that fire bending is evil. You wouldn't say that Lord Zuko or his family are evil, right? They are fire benders. Avatar Roku was a fire bender. There were so many good fire benders. And fire, I don't know, yes, a fire bender killed my mother, but fire itself excited me. And I would be lying if I told you I didn't imagine creating a lightning before," said Asami.
"Yeah, well … I am a fire bender, but I never created a lightning. I know how to redirect it. I remember General Iroh stopped by at the compound when I was fifteen and taught me some moves. Among several fire bending forms, he taught me how to redirect lightning, and I think I know how to redirect lightning, not how to generate it," said Korra.
"I am sure you will learn," said Asami. "Getting back to your previous question, I am a non bender, but I learned how to fight; one thing I learned early on was how to dodge attacks. Evading is important for a non bender; apparently it's one of the skills that Air Benders also excel at. It also helps that I learned how to dance. My father expected me to know how to be a graceful lady."
Korra laughed. "Ha, are you some noble by any chance? Why would your father expect you to know how to dance? Granted, I heard dancing can be fun; my mother likes dancing, but why would he expect you to dance?" Korra asked.
"You really don't know who I am?" Asami asked.
"You are a badass and a pretty woman," said Korra.
Asami smiled. "My father is Hiroshi Sato," said Asami.
"Nope," said Korra.
"He invented a Satomobile?"
"Is that supposed to be a question?" Korra asked. Asami chuckled.
"He is the owner of Future Industries," said Asami.
"Oh," thought Korra. "Oh, Asami Sato! How could I be so dumb! Asami, beautiful and elegant Asami is a badass rich lady Asami. Eh, shouldn't she be prissy? But Asami is so nice! I want to get to know her more."
"Korra?" Asami asked.
"Sorry, I didn't realize that you are Asami Sato," said Korra, making a silly face. "You are just … you are so badass."
The waiter brought food and put it on the table. Korra was happy to see some noodles, among various meat dishes. The waiter then left.
Asami smiled. "I ordered some Water Tribe cuisine, because I felt you might want something that reminded you of home. And well … call me selfish, but I wanted to order some Fire Nation food. I think my grandparents lived in the Fire Nation; I always liked eating that food," said Asami.
Korra tasted some of the food on the table. "Oh, this food is great," said Korra.
"Maybe I ordered more than needed, but I wanted you to try various dishes," said Asami.
"Oh no, it's fine. I can eat it all," said Korra.
Asami shook her head. "Nope, you can't," said Asami, smirking.
"Watch me," said Korra. She ate a few dishes, and then began eating more. Half an hour later, numerous plates lay on top of one another. "See?"
Asami chuckled. "I stand corrected. I am impressed," said Asami.
"Well, when I was growing up, I practiced bending a lot, and I required a lot of food," said Korra, smiling. She then remembered the night before; the smile instantly disappeared from her face. "And then, I learned that all my training is not enough."
"Korra, is everything alright?" Asami asked.
"I … after you left, I relaxed in my room at the Air Temple Island. A few equalists sneaked in and kidnapped me. I met Amon," said Korra. She saw fear in Asami's eyes. "No, it's okay. Amon didn't do anything to me. Well, he did chi block me, but that's okay. But he horrified me. Amon removed bending from some fire bender. He removed his bending!"
Asami sat closer to Korra, putting her hand around Korra's back. "It's okay, he didn't hurt you. Amon isn't here," said Asami.
"But he told me he will take my bending away! And if he does it, I will be powerless to stop him," said Korra, tears escaping her eyes. "I feel so weak, I don't know how I will deal with this Amon,"
"It's okay, everything will be okay. Amon might know how to remove bending, but he is still just a man. Hmm. I know how to help. The Avatar always learned how to master the four elements, right?" Asami asked.
"Yeah, traditionally, Avatars learned about them being Avatars at age sixteen. They then spent years learning the other three elements. Avatar Roku spent twelve years becoming a fully realized Avatar. Avatar Aang had to learn and master three other elements over the summer before the Sozin's comet. But all Avatar's learned how to bend in a certain order. For me, it was water bending, then earth, then fire, and now I am learning, well failing to learn air," said Korra.
"Yeah. You will learn Air Bending. I just thought, yes, you know how to bend three elements, and soon you will learn how to bend air, but perhaps, with how the world has changed, you could use some lessons in how to fight as a non bender as well?" Asami asked.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Korra, hear me out. Yes, your bending is powerful, but there might come a time when someone chi blocks you. If you knew how to fight without bending as well, you could continue fighting bad guys even if you temporarily didn't have bending. And even in a regular fight, knowing how to fight as a non bender would augment your bending abilities as well," said Asami.
"O, Asami, that's brilliant! I could use some fighting lessons, especially since Tenzin is a terrible teacher and I cannot do a simple Air Bending move," said Korra.
"In that case, I think I can recommend a good teacher for you," said Asami. She smiled.
Korra put her right palm on her left fist. "Sifu rich girl," said Korra. They laughed.
"I am going to show you some basics tonight. I was thinking, how about we go and have some fun? My father wouldn't approve of this, but I always enjoyed pro bending; I was thinking, we could sneak into the arena and look around," said Asami.
"Let's do it!" Korra said. "I heard on the radio about some match. I wish I could participate in a pro bending match someday, but oh well. Yeah, sneaking into the arena will be fun."
Korra and Asami finished their meal and journeyed back to Air Temple Island. Asami left Korra there; she planned to meet her several hours later. Korra entered her room and changed; she anticipated looking at the pro bending arena that evening.
"Asami smells so nice. She is so pretty. Her hair, her eyes. And she will teach me how to fight as a non bender! Yeah, Asami is so pretty. I need to ask her out," thought Korra. "But, Asami is so … she is Asami, what if she doesn't feel the same way? I don't want to lose her."
Korra changed back to her regular clothing; she was bored, and decided to read a romance novel.
A few hours passed. As Korra was reading, the doors opened and Asami walked in. she was wearing her black and red leather costume. "Hey Korra, are you ready?" Asami asked.
"Yeah," said Korra.
"I told Tenzin I am taking you sightseeing. I have a feeling he wouldn't approve our plans, so I didn't tell him exactly what we were planning to do," said Asami, grinning.
Korra and Asami took the ferry, and soon arrived in the city. They took a cab, which drove them to the arena. Korra looked ahead of her; the arena was a large and tall building with numerous windows.
"Hmm, I am not sure how we will get inside," said Asami.
"I have an idea. Do you trust me?" Korra asked.
"Yes. What do you have in mind?" Asami asked.
Korra led Asami into the water. "Wet, I am wet," said Asami.
Korra span in the water. She then put her hand around Asami's stomach, and created a powerful jet of water that propelled them into the air. When they were midair, Korra then produced fire behind her feet, which pushed them towards one of the windows of the arena. The two of them jumped into the window.
Korra waved her hands, removing water from their clothes.
"That was an interesting way to get into here," said Asami.
Korra looked to the left and then to the right. "Come, let's check this place," said Korra.
Korra and Asami explored the building; after twenty minutes of walking and looking inside various rooms, they arrived at a large gym.
"This must be where people practice before pro bending matches," said Korra, still looking around. Asami walked around, looking at earth disks and nets.
An old man entered the gym. "What are you doing here? I will call security," said the man.
"I was looking for a bathroom," said Korra, smiling. Asami shook her head.
"This excuse won't work on me," said the man.
A young man, about Korra's age walked in the gym.
"O, hey Toza, they are with me," said the young man, looking at Korra and Asami. "They are visiting me,"
Toza said something very quietly, and then walked away from the gym. "Hey, my name is Bolin, what are you doing here, beautiful ladies?" Bolin asked.
"My name is Korra. She is Asami. We were checking the arena. I have never been here," said Korra.
"That's nice. I came here to practice some moves before the match tonight," said Bolin.
"I always wanted to see pro benders practice behind the scenes. Show us," said Asami.
"Yeah, so look. I am an earth bender. I stand strong, ready to punch the discs into my opponent, currently the net. And then I do this," said Bolin, quickly sending the discs at the net.
"That's cool. Can you teach me that move?" Korra asked.
Bolin looked at her in confusion. "Hmm, let's see. I am not sure how this will translate into your water bending," said Bolin.
"Bo, what are you doing? Why did you bring your fangirls to our practice?" another young man has entered the gym.
"Hey Mako, I was about to show Korra and Asami some moves. I am not sure how my earth bending will translate to Korra's water bending," said Bolin.
"Oh no, I am an Earth Bender," said Korra.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to assume. Just, you are wearing traditional water tribe clothes," said Bolin.
Korra looked at Asami who chuckled. "No, you are right. I am a Water Bender. And a Fire Bender," said Korra.
"Hmm, I am confused," said Bolin.
"You are the Avatar, and I am an idiot," said Mako.
"You are correct, grumpy pants," said Korra.
"Mako, Mako, she is the Avatar!" Bolin said. Asami approached her friend.
"Her name is Korra," said Asami. She put her hand around Korra's back.
"Yeah, sorry, I am just surprised to meet the Avatar!" Bolin said. "So Korra, want to check our match tomorrow evening?"
"I will try to sneak out from my Air Bending training," said Korra.
"Bolin, quit being silly. We need to practice for our next match," said Mako. He took a stance, and sent a few fire balls in front of him.
"Why is he so grumpy?" Korra asked.
"Mako is just being Mako. It's okay," said Bolin. He then showed the gym to Korra and Asami, before returning to practice some earth bending moves.
Korra and Asami returned to Air Temple Island several hours later. "This was fun. I liked sneaking out," said Korra, grinning.
"Yea. I like being a proper lady that my dad wants me to be, but sometimes I like being a rebel," said Asami.
"Okay, so, will you show me some fighting moves today?" Korra asked with excitement.
"No," said Asami.
"No?"
"What I meant to say is that you need to know the basics. We will get to actual fighting techniques soon. But if you want to master them, you need to first learn the basics. How about we dance," said Asami.
"Dance. How is this relevant?" Korra asked.
"Dancing and fighting can be similar. It's all about graceful movements. If you know how to dance, your body moves fluidly, and you can avoid direct attacks. I believe you should first learn how to evade, and then I will teach you how to attack," said Asami.
"Aye, Aye, Sifu Asami," said Korra. "So what do I do first?" Korra asked.
"Come towards me, and put your hand around my waist," said Asami. Korra blushed, but did as she was told. She put her right hand around Asami's waist, while taking Asami's hand with her left hand.
Korra felt her body heat up a bit. Her heart was beating faster than usual. Asami began moving; Korra was awkwardly trying to follow Asami's lead.
"Good, ease your mind. Let go of your worries, and dance. Enjoy this evening," said Asami, as she and Korra were moving slowly in circles.
Asami once lifted her right leg and put it around Korra's waist. She then imitated as if she were falling. Korra held Asami's hand and pulled her back to her. The two women then laughed.
When they finished dancing, Korra and Asami sat on a bench. "Thank you for doing all this, Asami. Dancing was nice," said Korra.
"I thought it would be a good way for you to begin your non bending learning using a simple dance," said Asami. "We can practice some more dancing tomorrow. I would like to each you some evasion techniques tomorrow, before I teach you how to go on an offence. And I also plan to teach you how to chi block."
"Wouldn't it be anti-bending?" Korra asked.
"You would know how to deal with chi blockers. It doesn't mean you have to yourself chi block. It would help you anticipate their attacks. I do think that using some chi blocking might prove useful against some enemies you face in the future. I don't know … I just want to teach you everything I know," said Asami.
"You are so sweet," said Korra, hugging Asami.
Next morning, Asami sat on a bench, observing Korra's Air Bending lessons. To Tenzin's great amazement, Korra managed to pass through the gates, only hitting the wooden planks twice.
Note: And so Asami began teaching Korra how to fight as a non bender using dancing.