Stay With Me
Ever since she was little, Korra had dreamed about Republic City. It was the city that symbolized the new world order, a place where people of all nations could live in harmony. While isolated in her icy compound in the South Pole, she had spent countless nights fantasizing about life in the capital. Her first day in the city left her dazzled, albeit a bit shaken from her surprise run-in with the law. That night, Tenzin told her that she would need time to adjust to her new environment and to expect the unexpected.
And was there a lot she didn’t expect.
She never expected to join a pro-bending team.
She never expected to fall head over heels for the brooding team captain—who was already dating Republic City’s top heiress.
She never expected to become the target of an anti-bending revolution.
And she never expected to expose Hiroshi Sato, the father of the city’s industrial revolution and her new friend.
Korra felt a pang in her chest at the last thought.
It was a little past midnight. From the corridor window, she watched the moonlight shimmer off Yue Bay, dancing with the ebb and the flow of the waves. Whenever she felt homesick or low-spirited, she would find solace in this familiar sight. Unfortunately, it wasn’t working tonight. As beautiful as the waxing moon was, it couldn’t take back the events that had transpired the day before. It couldn’t make Hiroshi abandon his Equalist ties, and it couldn’t heal the unimaginable pain Asami was currently in.
Korra would’ve been lying if she said she hadn’t been shocked by Asami’s decision. The ten seconds it took for Asami to strap on her father’s electrified glove had been the longest of her life. For a moment, Korra genuinely believed Asami would betray them—which only made her feel worse once everything was said and done.
“Nice going. Thinking she was prissy was one thing. Thinking she was the enemy...You’re a terrible Avatar,” Korra scolded herself.
Ever since Team Avatar arrived on Air Temple Island that morning, Korra hadn’t been able to tear her eyes away from Asami. She observed the girl keenly, this time, without the jealousy and pettiness. What caught her attention the most was that Asami hadn’t cried once. It wasn’t hard to figure out, thanks to her affinity for makeup. Even when she buried herself in Mako’s arms on the airship, she held it in. She had barely had a moment alone in the past twenty-four hours, but she never cracked once.
That was something Korra supposed she could relate to. For days on end, she teetered on the edge of a nervous breakdown while masking her fear with false bravado. It took a near-death encounter with Amon for her to come clean with herself. Luckily, in her moment of need, she was able to confide in Tenzin, who was becoming more of a father-figure than a teacher.
Maybe I should talk to Asami about her dad , Korra thought.
But what reason would Asami have to talk to Korra? Thanks to Ikki, Asami was now aware of her crush on Mako. If Asami wanted to talk to anyone, wouldn’t she choose her boyfriend over Korra? After all, until yesterday’s spin around the racetrack, Korra had barely acknowledged her presence, and less than an hour later, she turned Asami’s world upside down.
“Maybe I should just stay out of this one,” Korra sighed.
Korra took one last glance at the scenery outside and began to head back to her room, hoping she would be able to catch a few hours of sleep tonight. She shuffled down the dark hallway, bending a small flame in her palm to illuminate the path. However, just as she passed Asami’s room, she heard the older girl scream at the top of her lungs.
“Help me!”
The cry sent chills up Korra’s spine. Instinctively, she lit two fire blades in her hands, turned to face the door, and dropped into a fighting stance. “Hang on, Asami!” Korra yelled as she kicked the door open.
“Dad, stop!” Asami pleaded, “Why?”
The shock on Hiroshi’s face faded to shame upon seeing his crestfallen daughter.
“Sweetie, I wanted to keep you out of this as long as I could. But now you know the truth, please, forgive me,” Hiroshi begged.
The blood drained from her face. A pit formed at the bottom of her stomach. This couldn’t be happening. This had to be a dream!
But it wasn’t.
The secret factory hidden in the depths of the mountains. The plethora of novel, military-grade weapons. The banners of Amon dangling from the ceiling. There was no denying the truth.
Her father was an Equalist.
Asami stared at Hiroshi, shellshocked as he strode towards her.
“These people, these benders . They took away your mother, the love of my life. They've ruined the world, but with Amon we can fix it and build a perfect world together. We can help people like us, everywhere!”
There was a glint in his eyes, and a smile graced his lips. It was a sign of pride and passion. It was the same expression he had always worn when he made a breakthrough in his inventions. Only this time, instead of creating technology that helped ordinary people, he was helping a monster destroy innocent lives.
Asami watched in horror as the gentle hands that had always caressed her offered an electrified glove.
“Join me, Asami.”
Asami caught a glimpse of the Fire Ferrets eyeing her. Asami looked back at her father and his outstretched hand eagerly awaiting her decision. In that moment, Asami knew that the loving man she had once known was gone. In his place was a mindless cult member, hellbent on ridding the world of benders.
She knew what she had to do.
“No! I won’t help you ruin innocent people’s lives, and I won’t let you hurt my friends!”
“You foolish, insolent child!”
“Arghhh!”
Asami cried as Hiroshi electrocuted her.
Her entire body convulsed in agony before collapsing onto the ground. Her head slammed violently against the cold, marble floor. Her vision became blurry, but just before she slipped into unconsciousness, she heard the unmistakable bone-chilling laughter of the anointed one himself.
Amon, Asami panicked.
Using what little strength remained in her, Asami shakily lifted her head off the ground. Her three friends were kneeling before the dark prophet, who had his back turned towards her. Asami watched in horror as he placed his hands on her friends and their limp bodies slumped to the ground.
“No! What have you done?” Asami cried.
Tears streamed down her cheeks and she shut her eyes.
“Now that you’ve chosen to align yourself with these filthy benders, you can perish alongside them!” Hiroshi roared.
Hiroshi grabbed her hair and jerked her head upwards, forcing her to meet his gaze. Reluctantly, Asami opened her eyes. When she did, her blood ran cold.
Hiroshi’s body was the same, but his face morphed into that of Amon’s.
Ice blue eyes leered at her from behind the sinister mask.
“W-What are you?” Asami gasped.
The combined voice of her father and Amon whispered, “ We are the solution.”
Blue sparks began to fly from Hiroshi’s gauntlet as the monster reached for her forehead.
“Help me!” Asami shrieked.
Mere seconds before the monster ended her life, she heard a distant ‘bang!’ followed by a familiar voice.
“Hang on, Asami!”
Wait...Korra?
Asami sat up in bed, panting as her heart thumped violently against her chest.
It was just a nightmare, Asami realized.
Asami recollected herself and scanned her surroundings. Korra was standing in the doorway, crouched in a fighting stance with fire blades in her hands. After finding no intruder in sight, the Avatar extinguished the flames and turned her attention to the heiress.
“I was walking back to my room, and I heard you scream. I thought you were in trouble,” Korra explained.
“I appreciate it. Don’t worry. It was just a nightmare,” Asami replied, her voice trailing off towards the end.
Neither girl spoke. The atmosphere grew thick as an awkward silence settled in. Assuming the Avatar would leave shortly, Asami allowed her thoughts to wander back to the dangerous zone it had been mired in for the past day.
Her mother was gone.
Her father betrayed her.
Asami was all alone.
Despite Tenzin’s hospitality, she didn’t feel at ease on Air Temple Island. It just wasn’t her home. Then again, what was? The Sato Mansion used to be, but now that she knew the truth about her father, the thought of returning there sickened her. Her past had been tainted, and her future was uncertain. She had never felt so lost in her entire life.
Asami sighed and looked up. To her surprise, the Avatar was still there.
Korra stood upright, looking stiff as a tree. Her left hand was shoved in the pocket of her slacks, while her right hand rubbed the back of her neck, hidden by her thick brown locks which flowed loosely around her shoulders. She averted Asami’s gaze, choosing to stare at the floorboards instead. Squinting in the dim room, Asami noticed the corners of Korra’s mouth twitch, as if the teen was struggling to find the right words to say.
Wait.
Was Korra nervous?
Soon enough, Asami’s thoughts were miles away from her father. She had never seen Korra so flustered before. Even though she had just arrived in Republic City, she had already developed a reputation as hotheaded, wild, and intense. The teen that stood before her, however, was nothing short of an awkward mess. It’s actually kind of...cute, Asami thought.
For the first time since the Equalist ambush, Asami genuinely smiled.
Asami studied Korra intently, perplexed yet fascinated. After a moment, Korra met her gaze, and Asami realized she had been staring at the younger girl. Asami blushed and silently prayed Korra hadn’t noticed, but the bender’s subsequent chuckle was confirmation she did.
“You checking me out or something?” Korra asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
“W-What? No, I just—”
“Relax, I’m just messing with you,” Korra chuckled.
Asami let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding in and laughed at her silly behavior. Given that Korra hadn’t left yet, Asami guessed the girl must’ve had a few things on her mind she wanted to share. In all honesty, Asami needed some company. With her boyfriend asleep on the other side of the island and the island’s gender separation policy, Korra was more than a welcomed presence.
“Do you, uh, want to sit down?” Asami asked.
Korra nodded in response. Asami scooched over, making room for the Avatar on her small bed. The bed creaked as Korra sat beside Asami. Asami gripped the sheets lightly, unsure of how to proceed. Fortunately, Korra broke the silence between them.
“Listen, I know we didn’t get off on the right foot, but I just want to let you know I really appreciate you saving us yesterday, and I’m sorry about your father. It must’ve been so hard.”
Asami tensed at the mention of her father. Instinctively, she brought her knees up and hugged them to her chest, half hiding her face in the process.
“It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault. It was his decision to join the Equalists,” Asami whispered, trying not to let her voice crack.
“You...haven’t cried yet.”
Asami’s jaw dropped.
She lifted her face out of her arms and turned to meet the younger girl’s gaze. Her sapphire eyes were etched with concern, and her facial features appeared softer than usual. Has she been paying that close attention to me? Asami wondered as she watched the Avatar in shock.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it in a bad way,” Korra panicked, lifting her hands up.
“For days I had awful nightmares about Amon. I was really scared, but I pretended like I wasn’t. Tenzin kept telling me that there’s no shame in admitting your fears, but I wouldn’t listen. After meeting Amon face-to-face, I finally lost it. I broke down crying in his arms, but in the end, I felt a lot better.”
Asami felt naked, exposed by the Avatar’s keen observation. Asami had been putting on a brave face for the sake of her friends. They had a dangerous revolution to quell. They couldn’t afford for her conflicted feelings towards her father to interfere with their mission. She had been wearing a mask, but the longer she wore it, the more it was beginning to crack.
“If you feel like crying, you should because nobody will judge you for it,” Korra continued, “I definitely won’t.”
The mask shattered and fell.
Asami’s eyes stung as tears began streaming down her cheeks. She buried her face into her hands, muffling her hiccups and ugly sobs. She cried and cried, not knowing or caring how much time had elapsed since the dam burst. At one point, she felt Korra place a hand on her upper back, lightly stroking up and down in an effort to comfort the heiress.
“The truth is I am scared. My dad’s been harboring so much hate against benders since my mom died, and I had no idea. There was an Equalist factory right underneath my own house, for spirits sake! I looked up to my dad my entire life and never saw the anger growing inside him. How can I be so blind?”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Your dad had us all fooled. Maybe your dad did love you, and in his twisted, messed-up mind, that was his way of showing it.”
“I know, but still...I can’t help but think if I can’t even trust my own family, who can I trust? Then again, it’s not like I have a family anymore.”
The hollowness Asami had felt when her mother passed away returned, intensified by the fact the last of her immediate family was gone. Asami had to assume the worst: Hiroshi was beyond salvation. And if he can’t be saved, then I can’t see, speak, or hear from him ever again, Asami realized despondently.
Before Asami could spiral further into the dark abyss of her mind, she felt a strong arm wrap around her, pulling her in. She tilted her head upwards, surprised to find Korra had tugged her into a side hug.
“Katara told me when Aang found out that the Fire Nation wiped out his people, she told him even though the Air Nomads were gone, he wasn’t alone. She and Chief Sokka were his new family, and over time, they added Toph, Suki, and Lord Zuko to their family too.”
The unexpected physical contact zeroed Asami’s attention on the Avatar. Asami listened intently to her words while trying to parse out this feeling. Korra’s muscular arm was hard, like that of Mako’s, but at the same time, soft to the touch. It was warm and calming, and in it, Asami felt more secure than she had the entire day.
“You’re not alone, Asami,” Korra emphasized, “We’re a team now, and we’re your family too—if you want that, that is! Sorry, that came out weird.”
Asami giggled, genuinely touched by the younger girl’s words.
“It’s okay, Korra. Actually, I needed to hear that,” Asami sighed.
The two sat in a comfortable silence, and all the while, Asami never left Korra’s embrace. Her father may have abandoned her, but her friends hadn’t. Sure, it was a bit strange for Asami to be in the arms of the girl she was in a love triangle with, but strange is exactly what she would expect from the Avatar. Most people in Korra’s situation wouldn’t have been so kind, wouldn’t have put their own feelings aside to take care of a rival, but Korra was far from most people. Beneath the tough exterior was a kind-hearted, selfless girl. With Korra beside her, everything that had happened didn’t feel so scary.
Suddenly, Asami yawned, and she was reminded of the daunting task of falling asleep.
“So aside from admitting your fears and crying it out, how do you make the nightmares go away?” Asami asked tiredly.
“Honestly, they don’t go away completely, but I manage a lot better than I did before. It definitely helps to have Naga sleep beside me. Sometimes, she’ll wake me up in the middle of the nightmare, and other times, she just comforts me once I wake myself up. She’s been doing it since I was little.”
“That’s amazing...My mother used to do the same with me. She’d sleep with me if I ever felt too scared to go back to bed.”
Korra’s eyes widened in realization and she turned to face Asami.
“I have an idea...It might sound a little weird, but trust me on this?”
Without a doubt, Asami thought as she nodded in response.
Korra led Asami down the dark hallways, trying to ignore the fluttering feeling in her stomach as the two made their way to her room. Upon reaching it, Korra slowly slid the door open, careful not to startle the half-ton polar bear.
“Well, welcome to my room, I guess,” Korra whispered.
“It’s lovely,” Asami replied softly as she scanned her surroundings.
Aside from a few Water Tribe trinkets and Naga curled up in the middle of the room, it was identical to that of her own. As Korra closed the door, Naga’s ears perked up and she cracked open one eye. The pet glanced at Asami, who stood awkwardly in front of Korra, hugging her pillow to her chest, before giving her owner a questioning look.
Korra rolled her eyes and glared back at her animal guide. I know it’s against the rules, but she can’t fall asleep on her own. What was I supposed to do? Korra communicated silently. Naga lifted and tilted her head in response, seemingly understanding the situation.
Korra turned her attention back to the heiress, who sat on the edge of the bed, directly beneath the rays of light filtering through the window. The moonlight danced off her pale skin, which was only half-cloaked by a thin satin nightgown. Standing beneath the light only accentuated her jet black hair and the emerald color of her eyes. Korra couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the older girl truly was. No wonder why Mako’s so into her, Korra thought .
“Um, so, do you have a sleeping bag or something I could lay on the floor?” Asami asked, breaking Korra from her trance.
Korra smiled at the girl, hoping it would ease her nerves.
“Nah, you take the bed.”
“Huh? Where will you sleep then?”
“On the floor with Naga. Speaking of which, I don’t think you two have had a proper introduction.”
Korra quietly whistled, and on cue, Naga lumbered over to the two girls. Asami gave Naga her palm, allowing the polar bear dog to familiarize herself with the new girl’s scent. After a few whiffs, Naga began licking Asami’s hands, making her laugh from the ticklish sensation.
“Not that I doubt Naga is a big ball of fluff,” Asami said as she scratched Naga behind the ears, “but I can’t kick you out of your own bed. I think it’s big enough to share, if you’re okay with that.”
Korra’s throat went dry at the thought of sleeping beside Asami. Something about the prospect made her nervous, but it didn’t matter. Tonight was about Asami, and Korra would do whatever it took to make her feel better.
“Fine by me,” Korra replied.
Asami placed her pillow beside that of Korra’s and lay down, flag against the wall. Naga returned to her end of the room as Korra climbed into the bed. Korra pulled the sheets over them and lay on her side, facing away from Asami. Despite Asami’s best effort to give her space, the mattress was simply too small for Korra to ignore the girl’s presence. Korra could feel the heat radiating off Asami, smell the jasmine in her hair, and hear her breaths come out in little whiffs. Relax, this is just something normal girl friends do, she told herself.
Then it hit her.
Huh, I guess we are kinda friends now, Korra realized.
Korra smiled at the thought. Asami was brave, kind, loyal, and had the strongest moral compass of anyone Korra had ever met. In every sense of the word, Asami was incredible, and Korra couldn't believe she was only now starting to realize it.
“Hey Korra,” Asami whispered.
“Yeah, what’s up?” Korra asked.
“Thank you, for tonight.”
“Of course...Goodnight, Asami.”
She heard Asami mumble something indistinguishable before falling asleep. Korra turned her head, observing the girl and giggling at her soft snores before closing her eyes herself. If she could mend her relationship with Asami and help with her problems, maybe she wasn’t such a bad Avatar after all.