The modesty of the Sato family shrine stands in sharp contrast to the rest of the estate. With a soft, simple design carved into its mahogany, the wooden altar lies relatively barren of offerings on its left side. On its right, small trinkets and figurines show a painfully small glimpse into the life of Asami's mother: a tiny architectural model of a bridge, a pocket watch, a protractor, a drafting pencil.
A small piece of white paper, folded to stand in a triangular shape, was the only object Asami touched thoughtfully before beginning this ritual.
Incense has been lit and placed between the portraits of Yasuko and Hiroshi. Asami sets miniature bouquets of white-blue flowers on either side, framing the couple between them. The remembrance flowers have not wilted nor dried out in the five days since they've been plucked, which makes Asami think perhaps they are spiritually significant, more than just traditionally so.
When Asami steps back, Korra and Mako then leave offerings of the fruit her parents had enjoyed in life. Korra sets a small bowl of lychee before Hiroshi, feeling somewhat strange paying respects to the man who hurt Asami so gravely, but simultaneously remembering his sacrifice. His hummingbird suits carving a hole into the Colossus enabled them to end Kuvira's rampage. Hiroshi saved Asami in the end, ejecting her away from himself, finishing this task alone. Words cannot express how grateful Korra is for that final noble act.
When Mako leaves strawberries for Yasuko, his gaze lingers on her portrait. Neither he nor Korra knew this woman, but they have learned about her from Asami's stories. They can see her in Asami's jade green eyes, in the soft wave of her hair, in the way she holds a welding torch. They see it in the way she sketches out her ideas, with an endless stream of creativity flowing freely from fingertips to paper.
Korra and Mako bow, then return to their places beside Asami, giving her all the time she needs to look upon her parents and their urns.
Asami wants to embrace this pain, like pressing fingers into a bruise, but Korra still wishes Asami would speak more openly about all the ways these thoughts and emotions have twisted themselves into knots. So much love and hate for one person may be impossible to tease apart. Her dearest relative, her only living relative, once attempted to kill her in some misguided need for vengeance. Even forgiveness cannot resolve that sort of trauma.
Perhaps Korra could put more effort into helping Asami work through this, whenever she is ready. Asami doesn't need to open her chakras, she doesn't need to meditate or 'overcome' any such grief or sorrow. To be human is to feel and be felt, Iroh said; it is okay and even healthy to allow oneself to feel and process pain.
Korra just wishes there was more that she could do to relieve this heartache, because Asami, more than anyone, deserves to be happy.
"I hope she's not mad," Asami says after a few minutes of silent observance. "I couldn't separate them after all. Mom would loathe what he became."
"I believe your gut instinct knows best," Mako says. "For what it's worth. Maybe she could find the strength to forgive him, just as you did. Knowing what he did for our city and for you."
Asami quietly considers that.
Korra gently slips her hand into Asami's, letting herself be an anchor in this moment, trying to ground her in the present like Asami so often grounds Korra. When she rubs Asami's thumb with her own, it's enough to make a smile appear in spite of the heavy mood.
"Korra, what is the afterlife like?"
It's a fair question, but not one that Korra is well-equipped to answer. It was briefly and intermittently mentioned during her many years of tutelage, but it was always treated as being some big unknowable thing. No one returns from such a place. It isn't the spirit world, and you cannot meditate to observe it.
"I'm sorry, I don't know," Korra answers, sad that she can't be of more help. "It exists, but… it's separate from us and the spirit world. Iroh searched for his son within the spirit world and could not find him. The souls that truly leave us are beyond our reach."
"I hope it's beautiful there. I hope they're able to build there, too. Skyscrapers and trains. Race cars."
"They live on in you," Korra says, thinking of Yasuko. Thinking of Hiroshi. She raises Asami's hand to her lips, kissing it gently. "You have a builder's hands, just like they did."
Asami exhales a shaky breath before turning to look at Mako. When her other hand reaches out so he may support her in this, too, he accepts it. "Keep playing pai sho with me, will you, Mako?"
His eyes flit to Hiroshi's portrait. Perhaps she's trying to remember the best parts of her father, nostalgia making her grasp out for that connection elsewhere. "Of course," he says. "Can I teach you street pai sho? It's much faster."
She sniffs instead of laughs, but that makes another smile spread, stronger this time. "For you? Certainly. Just don't tell Bolin. He's been on my case about that for years."
"And you don't tell Beifong I aided and abetted theft. She would love an excuse to throw me in the slammer."
"Ditto. We're partners in crime." Signaling that she's done paying respects for this moment, Asami carefully disengages from them and moves away from the shrine. "Thank you both for staying with me for this. Korra, I'm sure you're eager to get back to the temple and catch up with Tenzin."
"Oddly enough, yes." Korra's thoughts drift to her next hurdle, the sound chakra. It centers around discovering one's inner 'truth' and embracing honesty, although she doesn't consider herself that much of a liar. Feeling unsure about the path forward, Korra says, "I think I will need his counsel for this next one."
"Please take some time for yourself, too. Don't push yourself too hard." When they approach the front doors of the mansion, Asami offers a warm hug to them both. "I have two bouquets for your parents," she tells Mako, patting his cheek when she withdraws from him. "When you're ready, let's go visit them together."
When Asami and her luggage have all been dropped off, Mako and Korra resume their flight home on Oogi.
It's a bit awkward landing a flying bison in the middle of downtown, but at least there aren't many satomobiles to avoid as vines continue to spread and block off much of Mako's street. Spirits are common here, as well, thanks to its close proximity to the spirit portal. Electricity has been restored but it's still an uphill battle returning to any semblance of normalcy. This may very well be the new normal.
Korra helps pull Mako's belongings down from Oogi's saddle. Since he didn't overpack this time, Mako should be able to carry the bags upstairs by himself, but Korra doesn't want to leave his side just yet. They haven't had much time alone, and she wants time alone with him desperately. For any and every reason.
He must feel the same. With his luggage set on the ground outside of his building, Mako picks Korra up next, lifting her off her feet in a strong hug and swinging her side to side. She laughs and relishes the feeling as he squeezes.
"I don't want to part ways," Korra tells him once she's set back down, standing on her toes so she can kiss him. Agreement rumbles out of his chest and into her mouth when she presses in closer. It's intoxicating how he matches her enthusiasm so perfectly whenever their lips meet.
When they part, Mako continues to hold her close with his arms around her waist. As Korra's hands wrap around his neck, she adores their height difference and how his body can envelop hers like this. She sometimes has to stand on tiptoes with Asami, thanks to a difference of a few inches, but he makes her feel even smaller.
In the light of day his amber eyes shine so vividly, particularly when they're locked on hers, so close and illuminated with a smile.
"I don't mean to ask 'what are we', but…" He laughs to himself once, letting his nose brush hers. "So is this official? Are we really dating again?"
"What were those words I dumped on you in the arena?" Korra asks, remembering her brief time with the Fire Ferrets. She was unable to rip her eyes away from the way Mako would flip and kick and bounce across the field. That light-footed style was so unique and captivating, and it grabbed her attention immediately. She's been a hopeless sucker for him ever since. "'I really like you, and I think we were meant for each other'?"
That makes his grin spread in the most charming of ways. "You didn't have much of a filter back then."
"Neither did you, Mr. Hat Trick." She toys with black hair near the nape of his neck, curling and combing her fingers through its softness. It's so easy to recall those memories, being with him like this again. "Yeah," she says with more tenderness. "We're official. We'll make this work. Third time's the charm, or so they say."
"It'll be better this time," he promises. "I'll prove to you and Asami that I'm worthy of this chance."
"I don't want you to go out of your way to prove anything. Just be you." Hesitantly, she slides her hands down to his neck and chest, not wanting to part but realizing they must. "I still think you're pretty great."
No, he doesn't want to leave her just as desperately. When he dips and catches her mouth again, it's so deeply passionate she wants to climb him like a tree and let him carry her upstairs. Even if there's too many stairs for that, she imagines he would put in that effort. Then he'd throw her down on his couch and give her what they both want.
Korra pants against his mouth, twisting her fingers in the collar of his jacket. She doesn't have to let go of him or his jacket. It's too easy to imagine riding him with only half of their clothes off again, overeager and frenzied by reawakened lust. Tenzin could wait another hour.
But alas. Avatar duties.
"When you're all settled in, please reach out," Mako says once she reluctantly draws back. "I want to spend time with you. I want to learn everything about you again – everything I've missed, and more."
"You will," she tells him, and means it. It takes all of the willpower in her body to let him go.
When she finds Tenzin, he praises her for being able to properly follow an itinerary and schedule. Korra praises Oogi for his excellent navigational skills and patience island-hopping with people other than his bonded person. This was likely an odd trip for him, but Oogi did fantastically and seemed to enjoy himself well enough.
"I opened both fire and air chakras while at the southern temple," she tells Tenzin when she hugs him. "I need to thank you for being forthright with me, telling me about the statue room. It hasn't discouraged or dissuaded me, but coming to terms with the past really does help you grow from it. Meditating among them helped me move beyond my grief. I feel like I know myself and Raava better."
"That is fantastic to hear," Tenzin says, and pride seems to truly radiate from his smile.
What is less fantastic is when Korra tells him he needs to dedicate a full day to meditating with her.
"This next chakra, the sound chakra, deals with honesty and authenticity," she reminds. "I can think of no one better to spiritually guide me through finding my inner truth than you. I need your help, Tenzin. After that, just one chakra will remain closed. I can figure that one out myself."
Resting one hand on Korra's shoulder, Tenzin's gaze studies hers.
"I can tell how serious you are in this matter, and I respect that greatly," he says. "I admit I must remind myself that I still have a duty to you, as your airbending and spiritual mentor, even if you are so grown. I will find a way to clear my schedule for one day. Be here at daybreak tomorrow with an empty stomach, and I will try my very best to guide you."
"With an empty stomach," Korra repeats, wondering if it's because they must fast to meditate properly.
If only she were so lucky.
"For the onion banana juice," Tenzin explains. Obviously.
When Asami warmly welcomes her into bed with open arms, it feels so right. They're back home. Back to this. Back to simplicity, comfort, and connection. Even if everything's changed, it can feel as though nothing has when they're together like this.
When Korra explores Asami's lithe body with her mouth, it's deliberately slow and unhurried this time. She peppers kisses across the inside of Asami's ankle, her calf, her knee, the smooth skin of both thighs. Korra's fingers squeeze there, feeling how soft and supple those thighs are compared to the rest of her.
Her mouth then lingers in the crux between one leg and where Asami really wants attention, savoring her radiant warmth and wetness and the heady, earthy-sweet scent of her desire. Then Korra moves away, upward, kissing the arch of her hip and below her navel. She finds Asami's tight nipples with fingers and tongue and teeth. When she nibbles and pinches and tugs, Asami's responding whines quaver with pleasure and she tries to push Korra's shoulders back down.
"I'll tie your hands to the headboard if you try to rush this," Korra warns, and the way Asami's mouth falls open and her back arches is enough to let Korra know that she'd love that. Recalling the sashes from their robes, Korra pockets that idea for another time.
"Please take me," Asami begs when Korra delights in licking the undersides of her breasts, then across her ribcage, knowing how sensitive and almost ticklish she is here. "I want you."
"Imagine," Korra says, at last letting her head drift back down. She pushes Asami's legs up, letting knees tuck closer into her chest. "Imagine I'm the one wearing the harness this time. Pushing in, all nice and slow. Stretching you. Fucking you until you forget your name."
"Please."
The mere sight of her is irresistible, her swollen lower lips petaled open at this angle, exposing her pink folds and the needy bud of her clit, everything glistening wet. Korra can see her flutter, wanting, aching to be filled as a drop of pearly fluid slips out of her to trail toward the bedsheets below.
Some nights she would focus on bringing Asami to completion quickly, as if there is some time trial to beat, but tonight there's no rush. Korra finds that moisture with her tongue, swiping up with the flat of it, collecting her exquisite reward. When Asami gasps, flexing up, Korra only spreads those legs wider so her tongue can dip and curl inside.
She settles on teasing leisurely flat licks up the length of her slit, experiencing all of her.
When she finally begins to focus on her clit, alternating those terribly slow and deliberate swipes with soft suckles and kisses, Asami offers some indecent words of approval and encouragement.
Korra thinks of the way Mako kissed her that first night shared between the three of them, how measured and languorous and intense he was, pouring himself into her. Recreating that here is especially obscene, but she can't help but mimic the movement of his lips, his speed, the soft explorative probe of his tongue. Korra knows Asami won't be able to orgasm at this pace, but that isn't the point right now. She's appreciating, teasing, expressing herself in a way perhaps more powerful than words.
Maybe Asami understands her intentions, because she slumps back into the bed, letting her legs fall relaxed, pushing a hand back through her own unrestrained hair. It isn't about the destination but the journey tonight. Korra wants this to feel like making love, and judging by the look they share when their eyes catch, it does.
When Korra sucks hard, Asami's eyes roll back, and when she does it again, so does her head.
When two of Korra's fingers slip inside, only to stay put entirely, Asami groans and shifts the angle of her hips to encourage movement. But Korra doesn't give it to her. The firm clench of muscle around her digits is profoundly arousing as Korra sucks and flicks at her clit with increasing fervor.
"Can we try –" Asami starts to ask, but pauses as Korra's tongue swishes across her from side to side. She only speaks again when Korra lets go of her suction with a lewd pop. "Mm. Can you fuck me without the harness?"
Korra raises her eyebrows. Those two fingers finally curl up, pressing into that spot she likes, making her squirm and laugh.
"Let me show you what I mean," Asami says, reaching down for her. Korra reluctantly withdraws, wiping her mouth and chin before she crawls up and over Asami as requested.
Asami guides her even closer, letting their hips slot together. It takes a bit of adjustment – Asami letting her legs fall wide apart again, Korra settling in quite closely, spreading the both of them so they may have full contact – but then their best parts are aligned. When Korra's clit rubs firmly against Asami's, the breath leaves them. Carefully, methodically, Korra begins to rock against her.
"Is this a thing people do?" Korra asks cluelessly.
"I don't know," Asami answers, letting her hands settle at Korra's ribs, helping guide her movements. "Oh, I hope so. This is – It's –"
"Really good," Korra breathes in agreement. With this method she can see both of their breasts sway as she moves. It feels like an amalgamation of sensation, dichotomous, the firmness of their pelvic bones paired with the soft squishy wetness of the rest. Korra tries to find the right pace, rolling her hips with pinpoint precision so their bodies align just perfectly.
After a while, Korra is able to understand how to make this work for both of them, grinding more than thrusting, swiveling, using her hold on Asami's hips and thighs to retain control and leverage.
It's a bit of a learning curve, and does take some time, but it's easier than figuring out the clutch on a satomobile.
When Asami comes first, her whole body jerking as she cries out, Korra can feel her body throbbing and contracting like never before. Korra's right hand moves up to find the curves of Asami's cheek and jaw, drawing her in close, letting herself lick at the perspiration beginning to form there. The scent of her neck is so delightful, her skin mixed with something faintly floral like Asami's favorite perfume, and Korra wonders if she put it on just for her tonight. Maybe Asami was planning ahead, knowing Korra would be here, knowing Korra would prioritize what they have above all else.
"Good girl," Korra pants at her, using her hand to tilt Asami's face, encouraging their eyes to meet and stay locked.
A particularly sharp gasp of pleasure from Asami is what finally tips Korra over the edge. When she finishes, she jolts hard against Asami, her precision lessening, thighs trembling and overly sore from this new kind of exertion.
"Fuck," Korra groans once she's able to collect her thoughts. "Oh, we've been missing out on this one."
"Yeah. We can figure out the angles," Asami says, seeming to be just as pleased by this new discovery. "We should – Mm." She's distracted for a second when Korra thrusts forward again, just to feel how overstimulated and wet they are. "Practice makes perfect."
"Y-Yeah. We'll keep working at it."
Asami makes a noncommittal noise and gestures for Korra to lay down beside her. When Korra does so, flopping and settling into Asami's arms and their pillows, Asami lays a kiss below Korra's ear. Her voice is low and sultry when she whispers, "I want to learn how to do that one thing for you… The harness made you lose control. Drenching me and our bed. Can we recreate that sometime?"
Oh, fuck.
"I'll show you how," Korra agrees, even if it's never been an exact science. It's so thrilling to speak dirty like this, Korra can feel arousal still burning through her veins, coalescing deep inside her. "It's just – quite messy, is all."
Asami laughs and her hand dips down to touch between her own legs. When she raises her fingers, spreading them, Korra can see a clear, sticky string of her wetness being put on display. "Do you think I mind a mess? I know you don't, with that oral fixation of yours."
"I'm never going to forget how you sucked Mako's fingers clean," Korra says on impulse. If any specific frame in time stands out from that night, it is that one. As much as Korra likes making her partners feel good, she wouldn't have even thought to do that. Perhaps it was performative, specifically meant to titillate Korra, but it was the most erotic thing she's ever seen. Especially because it was Mako's cum that spilled across her, profuse and so familiar.
Korra isn't so surprised when Asami presses two wet fingers to Korra's lips, letting her find out how their bodies taste when combined. Korra sucks her fingers like Asami had done for Mako, drawing them in deep and cleaning maybe a bit overzealously down to the knuckle before letting them slip from her mouth.
"I… don't know how to phrase this," Korra starts as Asami runs a fingertip along Korra's lower lip appreciatively. "Is that something you like? His release?"
Korra knows she personally likes the feel of being connected, not letting Mako withdraw, but being painted with the stuff feels more intimate somehow. It's definitely more humiliating, even if Asami doesn't seem to be humiliated by anything.
"The taste?" Asami smiles, but lies back to fully relax into their pillows. "Neither here nor there. Watching someone else's expression, though, knowing you're driving them wild? There's nothing better. I want to live in their brain forever, the knowledge of what we did keeping them hot and bothered in the night."
"You know you're driving me wild." Korra didn't know sex could be like this. There's still a number of inhibitions between them, but Asami is knocking them down one by one, with each new experience being more mind-blowing than the last. "It feels like just yesterday I was getting flustered by the thought of kissing you. I didn't want to smear your lipstick. Or lip stain, whatever you're using. I didn't know how gentle I should be. I didn't know if I should take initiative, or… Because, I mean, you're the girly one, but you're also… taller…"
Asami shakes a laugh against her. "I don't think it works that way."
"I didn't know! We had to test the waters. Neither of us have had girlfriends before. How was I supposed to know who does what?"
"You're thinking in binaries."
"I don't know what that means. Anyway… As much as I love when you lead, I also love pressing you down into the mattress and having my wicked way with you."
"You know, I do secretly love how voracious you get when you do."
"That's not a secret. I believe you've always been... more than accommodating of my predilections." Korra's fingers sneak their way back between Asami's thighs, feeling all the moisture that's begun to cool there. Asami is more than welcoming of the attention. Her clit is still perky, as if asking for more as well, and Korra tends to it with small half-circles. "Is there anything else we should try? I can tell you've been brainstorming, my darling engineer."
"Nothing but the filthiest of thoughts," Asami agrees. She cants her hips so Korra can slip her fingers inside easier. "There's a few things I've considered for when Mako joins us again, if you don't mind hearing…"
Even as she wakes up before dawn, Korra realizes she must rush to Air Temple Island to be there in time for her meditation session at first light. She doesn't want to mess up the singular day she has to meditate with Tenzin before it's even begun. She showers quickly, forced to leave Asami pouting sadly in their bed.
On her way out, Korra stops back by Asami's room to leave her with a kiss. Comfortably laid back, blanket held just below her breasts, hair a bit of a mess, sleepiness and residual bliss coloring her features… Korra is struck again by how breathtakingly gorgeous Asami is. It makes her weak in the knees, and just as with Mako, she desperately does not want to leave her side so soon.
"I'm gonna knock out the sound chakra today, even if it takes all day," Korra tells her, swiping a thumb across her cheekbone as their lips meet. "And I'll do it thinking about how good you are to me."
"Good luck, sweetie," Asami says, smiling as they press their foreheads together. It's reminiscent of their very first kiss, hidden in a little alcove at Varrick's wedding, and makes Korra feel like her heart skips a beat. "You always see the best in me."
"You are the best."
"Is it okay if I spend today with Mako?" Asami asks suddenly, looking a little hesitant as she draws the covers a bit closer to her chest. "We're going to go to his parents' graves. I'd like to talk with him a bit, after. About work and other things."
"You don't need my permission," Korra says, a bit bemused by why she thinks she needs that. "I know you two are close already. There's no harm in spending more time with him."
Asami sighs. She settles back down into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. "You're right."
The onion banana juice is particularly foul as it assaults all senses. Korra got her hopes up thinking perhaps he'd use sweet onions and overripe bananas, but of course it's sharp, astringent and not sweet at all. Her eyes and nose burn as she is forced to chug a whole glass of it before their session can begin. At least Tenzin has the courtesy to join her, though he seems only mildly bothered by the taste.
Korra fights the urge to get up and call it quits before they've even settled into position. But she has to do this. She has to try, for the other Avatars and for herself. Whatever it takes.
Tenzin and Korra sit within the meditation pavilion on Air Temple Island. Warmth from the sun's first rays greet them as she and Tenzin mirror one another a handful of paces apart. Legs crossed, palms face-up and resting loosely on either knee, Korra settles in for another long day of over-thinking. She misses that magenta tomcat spirit, the one who had assisted opening the water chakra, and wonders if it might be able to find her again.
"The sound chakra," Tenzin begins solemnly with eyes closed, "involves acknowledging your true nature. You must be open and honest with yourself and with the world. Is there anything you feel the need to come clean about?"
Korra hesitates, pondering what secrets she could possibly be hiding. She is a very forthright and blunt person, to a fault when she becomes heated and mouthy. She has always been quick to tell people off, quick to vent her frustrations. With Asami's guidance and patience, she has also become significantly better at being transparent about her weaknesses and worries. What is something else the world doesn't know?
"I'm dating both Asami and Mako now," Korra offers. "Simultaneously. Like, as an arranged thing."
Tenzin opens his eyes immediately, even as his face remains blank. "Delightful news, Korra. But I meant lies, more than secrets."
Korra gauges his reaction. No one else has been informed so far, and Korra has begun wondering what others might say. Not that it matters at all. Pema might share a story about her own bold history with romance. Kai's jaw would hit the floor, while Jinora might elbow him and say I told you so. Bolin might cry, or laugh, or cry laughing, while Opal would smile nervously and offer some sort of congratulations. Wu may very well sob when he realizes all three of them are no longer single. Or he'd waggle his eyebrows and ask to join in as their fourth.
Tenzin sighs and closes his eyes again. He continues, "Openness and honesty are great virtues to have. I do not know how the rest of the world may perceive this choice. You may face misunderstanding from those who cannot view the world from any perspective but their own. But the air nomads had open hearts and minds, and loved freely. They would not judge you for this. Feel the tension in this secret and let it release from you."
Korra takes a deep breath, trying to imagine the weight of it falling from her shoulders.
"It's less of a secret," Korra says, "and more of a… very recent development. I kind of just wanted to see how you'd react."
"... Are they courting each other as well? Forgive my lack of familiarity."
Korra pauses, considering that. She hasn't taken much time to wonder about whether Mako and Asami would ever want such a thing. Their own sort of arrangement has been ongoing for years, but they're certainly not romantically involved whatsoever. Korra smooching both of them shouldn't change the dynamic they've already established.
"No?" Korra answers, uncertain of how to define 'courting'. "Should they be?"
"Only if their hearts intend it."
She frowns. "There's some painful history there. They're friendly, but… I don't know."
Korra remembers that night in the Fire Nation, the way Asami held his hands, admitting she was too scared to let him get close and apologizing for treating him poorly in some capacity. But that conversation seemed awfully personal, referencing a time when Korra was not here, and it doesn't seem like her place to pry for any more information. Korra had let that conversation fade as quickly as it had appeared, letting him hold Asami that night and alleviate whatever sadness was gripping at her.
The next morning, Mako told Korra, "She's just processing. Don't worry about it."
When he was no more forthcoming, the topic dropped again.
"It was just curiosity getting the better of me," Tenzin says. "No matter."
The breeze blows cool across Korra's bare shoulders. Sometimes she imagines these gusts of air are like messages from Aang, just a soft touch, reminding her to stay focused. But it's just the wind. None of the Avatars are with her, and Aang will never again come to counsel her nor restore the powers she's lost.
Tenzin prompts her with, "What are the lies you tell yourself? What are the lies you tell others?"
"I fear I won't be able to accomplish my goal," Korra says. She wants to wrap her arms around herself, as if she could shield this part of her that still struggles to admit she's scared, and guilty, and ashamed, and grieving. Opening those chakras has not entirely prevented feeling such things. When she thinks about this final step, of reaching beyond into some unknowable space and pulling their souls back into existence, like a hand reaching to the sky to pull down the stars, she cannot imagine it, because it cannot be possible. "I don't know where to begin with reconnection, even if I'm at my strongest. Even if I reach enlightenment, whatever that is. I don't think I truly have the spiritual sense to be able to restore the connection. Where do I go? What must I do?"
Tenzin's voice is level and nonjudgmental. "None can say what the future holds."
Korra's responding laugh is not amused at all, but angry. "That statue room shows that the cycle ends with me. This was my destiny all along, and it's my stubbornness and arrogance making me think I can bend reality and do the impossible."
"The monks predicted something long ago," Tenzin acknowledges. "Perhaps they were mistaken, or perhaps we misunderstand their intent. They may have known about Harmonic Convergence and the statues are merely symbolic of the first era… Even if the connection is restored, you still have introduced this world to a new era, where spirits and men may now live together in harmony. You are the reason our worlds have reconnected. You have restored the air nation and thus brought on a new age of elemental balance. That makes you the first in this new cycle, regardless of whether the other Avatars are truly lost to you."
Korra breathes deeply, trying to absorb his words. What's written in stone isn't written in reality. She's writing the reality of this world, tearing holes within realms. When she opens her eyes, they drift over to the yellow beam of the spirit portal, far in the distance across Yue Bay. It shines like a beacon, reminding her of Asami, and home, and the future.
"I tell myself I can do this, but I still doubt." Her hands ball into tight fists, letting her nails dig into the skin of her palms. "I can feel that I'm weak, with my body still recovering. With my connection to the Avatars lost, I have no guidance. Who can I turn to for advice when this task has never been done before? When no one can say what must be done?"
Tenzin's eyes open again to observe her face, taking in her mood and posture. She isn't meditating at all now, staring out at the portal, thinking of all she's accomplished and questioning whether any of it was truly for the better.
"You are perhaps the strongest Avatar," Tenzin intones. "You bonded with Raava when she was at her strongest. Avatar Wan bonded to her at her weakest. Even without the others to guide you, your Avatar state is likely more powerful than any that came before it. Remember this, when you look upon that spirit portal."
Her throat feels tight. She looks down at the grain of the wooden planks beneath them and wonders if Aang helped build this pavilion. When she closes her eyes, she feels Tenzin's stare, and it feels like Aang, too. The weight is heavy, disquieting, even as Tenzin tries to express his support.
Tenzin continues, "Remember, too, that every person who touches your life is guiding and shaping it. Just as with the Avatar cycle, where every person who came before adds strength: you are a culmination of others' efforts, and their strength is reflected in you. Your teachers, your family, your friends, and your partners. Each one has left their mark upon your soul with the intent to love and help guide you."
Korra sniffles and thinks of Katara. Even if Korra was a troublesome student, her waterbending teacher loved her and showed unparalleled patience. Every time Korra waterbends, it is a reflection of Katara's love and the goodwill she imparted.
Even as children, Katara and Aang and all of their allies brought Fire Lord Ozai to his knees. They shaped the world to their whim. Aang built not only this temple, but this entire city, the entire United Republic.
She can feel Aang's statue looming near, within the bay, and wonders how they knew the path forward.
"I pretend to see the path ahead, but I'm clueless," Korra says. "How can someone bring destroyed souls back into existence?"
"That, I do not know," Tenzin replies, and for the first time he seems a bit saddened. "That is something you do not need an answer for just yet. Acknowledge this dilemma, and step forward in spite of it, not letting the fear of the unknown hold you back."
Of course that's what she must do. Korra wipes at her eyes, not yet crying but feeling as though she could.
"Sometimes when I speak with you, I feel as though I'm speaking with Aang," she tells him. "He told me when we reach our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change. I have hit so many lows, and have changed in so many ways, but I still feel as though I can't see my true purpose."
"Those are kind words, but I fear I am much different from my father." Tenzin stops making a show of meditating, instead shifting to withdraw something from his sleeve. "When my father was given the task to kill Fire Lord Ozai, he faltered in his conviction. Upon meditating, he encountered a lion-turtle. Let me share its wisdom with you if I may."
They reach toward each other across the distance, Tenzin handing Korra a little rolled up piece of paper. Inside, just a few sentences are handwritten. Korra reads it aloud:
"The true mind can weather all the lies and illusions without being lost. The true heart can touch the poison of hatred without being harmed. Since beginningless time, darkness thrives in the void, but always yields to purifying light."Her eyes read over it several times. It feels like more fancy prose that she can't understand. Light overcomes dark. Conviction is empowerment. A clear mind can see beyond illusion.
"Embrace the light inside, and let it purify you," Tenzin says, but she doesn't take in the meaning of his words.
As she reads it again, and again, her eyes continually catch on that one word.
"Illusion," Korra says, pointing down to where it's scrawled. "This word keeps popping up, everywhere I go. It's related to the light chakra, which I've already opened. Toph told me about the 'illusion of separation'. She knew metal contained earthen impurities. She can see every corner of the world through roots and vines, because nothing is truly separate. Wan Shi Tong mentioned the 'illusion of separation', too, when he spoke of shifting the library between realms, sinking it into sand, into sky."
Tenzin's face draws together in a frown.
Illusion.
The separation of their realms isn't a hard line.
Korra thinks of the statue room. It may be another illusion, throwing her, making her believe the line must end with her.
"When you base your expectations on what you see," Wan Shi Tong lectured, "you blind yourself to all possibilities."
She thinks of Mako and Asami, who never left her thoughts nor heart, even with half a world and years to separate them. And she never left theirs.
She thinks of the Avatars, the dreams of them falling between her fingers like sand. She wonders if she could find them again in the way that Toph sees others with vines, in the way that Korra once found Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo in the swamp – a distance away, and not distant at all.
"Is nothing separate?" Korra asks Tenzin, insistent now. "Are the other Avatars truly not separate from me, after all? Their absence being just another illusion?"
Korra hands the paper back. Tenzin reads it himself, studying its words.
"I… do not know," he says slowly. "But that's a very astute observation."
And thus went hours upon hours of spilling her heart to Tenzin, drawing forth every insecurity, every ugly truth, every lie both spoken and unspoken. They dissected the folly of every thought that came to her mind, and ripped through her emotions until she could at last make sense of them. She cried, and yelled, got up and left and returned again. They ate in silence, meditated in silence. Drank more onion banana juice. Talked again. Reflected, reminisced, rended her open again. Exposed who she was at the very heart of her being.
Then it was a matter of building her up again. Affirmations of honesty, authenticity, compassion, kindness. Clarity, communication, confidence. Speaking her truth.
It was well past Asami's usual bedtime when the task was completed. Feeling at her throat, her voice raw from overuse, the chakra within felt no longer blocked. She scrutinized them all, double checking, uncertain.
But they all prove to be flowing clearly except for the final one at the crown of her head.
It is nearly midnight when Korra finally arrives at the mansion, exhausted and sore. Her throat is sore, her eyes are sore, her butt is sore. Her mind and heart and everything else feel awful after a full day of intense psychoanalysis.
It is a surprise to find not only Asami sleeping on the sofa in her lounge, but also Mako. He is sitting upright but his head is slumped backward, with his hands in his lap, holding that little book he read from the other night. Asami is curled up in the two spaces beside him, still in her daytime clothes, as if they had never intended to sleep here. Even as they're not touching, Korra can tell they must have dozed off reading that book again – waiting for her, as Mako always does.
They're both too sweet. Her chest pangs with such immense love for them both.
This mission is almost complete. Soon this will all be over and they may truly rest.
The singular chakra that remains, the thought chakra, supposedly requires divesting herself of such earthly attachments.
There has to be an alternative to giving up this happiness she's found at last.