A Breath of Fresh Air
Hiroshi used to say that the Satos held more power than any government or monarch. Cars, phones, airships – the Satos controlled the everyday conveniences people had become dependent on. Take those conveniences away and you’d have an uprising on your hands. Since his conviction, Asami took every story her father had told with a block of salt, but at this very moment, he seemed to be right on the mark.
A reporter yelled, “Avatar Korra, do you regret the way you handled the Unalaq Crisis?”
“Why are you forcing the integration of spirits in Republic City?” Another cried.
Korra stammered, her confidence a shadow of its usual self, “Listen, I've been trying everything I can think of to get rid of these vines, but–”
“Why can’t you fix this?!”
“Are the vines here to stay?”
“Is this part of your new world order?”
Asami grit her teeth. Although she empathized with the safety concerns surrounding the spirit vines, she had a feeling that this paparazzi crew was less interested in infrastructure integrity than road closures and traffic – a suspicion which was only verified by the president’s subsequent comments.
“The Avatar has put us all in a very difficult position,” Raiko gruffed into his microphone. His sheer audacity made Asami of all people want to suckerpunch him straight in the jaw. “But my administration–”
“Oh, I'm sorry!” Korra marched straight towards Raiko. The Avatar had never been one to defer to authority, especially crony politicians and cowards. Without a hint of hesitation, she grabbed Raiko’s chin and forced him to meet her glare. “Did I put you in a difficult position by fighting the giant force of pure evil that was going to destroy the whole world?”
Raiko did not back down.
“Maybe your administration could’ve handled that!”
Asami instinctively began weaving her way through the crowd, ready to provide backup, but just as she reached the steps of City Hall, the Chief of Police descended on the duo. “That’s all!” Lin forced the two apart, putting an abrupt end to their showdown. Then, she addressed the reporters, “No more questions.”
The journalists groaned but didn’t question her authority. Lin escorted the President out wordlessly, and it didn’t take but a few minutes for the crowd to thin out completely. As soon as everyone was out of earshot, Korra’s expression fell.
“This is a disaster,” Korra confessed.
Asami forced a slight smile. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure something out.”
“Easy for you to say. You don’t have my poll numbers.”
Asami raised an eyebrow. Her friend had seemingly forgotten about her company’s near bankruptcy. Even so, Asami wasn’t upset by her absentminded comment. Korra had been on edge lately, after all.
“Eight percent? Who are they asking?” Korra lamented as she fixed her gaze on the ground.
“You can’t take that to heart. People are just frustrated.”
Unreasonably so. Newspaper headlines depicted Korra as stubborn and reckless. They claimed she was forcing her will upon the world with no concern for its execution or consequences. What they never mentioned, because they never knew, was that nobody was harder on Korra than herself.
“I don’t blame them. I should be able to fix this. I’m the Avatar.” Korra buried her face in her hands.
“Who cares what they think? It doesn’t matter whether the vines stay or go – you’re amazing! And no idiot politician or press hound can change that.”
That was what Asami wanted to say, what almost left her agape mouth before she hit the brakes on that train of thought. She gulped. “You’ll…figure it out,” she reassured.
Korra flashed Asami a smile. “Thanks.”
Asami managed a small nod before releasing the quietest of breaths.
Ever since her “epiphany” during Harmonic Convergence, keeping her feelings at bay had been a constant struggle. The ship she was supposed to keep moored had been blown away several times by the wild gust that was Korra. She was always on her toes with Korra, never knowing what the girl would say next that would cause Asami’s heart to flutter or mind to falter.
At the same time, Korra was a magnet, reminiscent of the industrial ones she would gape at in awe as a child. Like the metal scraps in her father’s factories, Asami just couldn’t resist her gravitational pull.
Maybe that was why she was at this press conference and not her office, why she spent more and more meals at Air Temple Island than her lonely mansion, and why, if Korra left for another mission tomorrow, Asami’s bags would be packed by the break of dawn.
She wanted more than a friendship with Korra, but she constantly reminded herself that she had to be a member of Team Avatar first and Asami second. Now was the time to strap on her gauntlet and fight alongside the Avatar, not write love letters to her teenage crush.
Asami cautiously placed a hand on Korra’s shoulder, her fingertips acutely aware of the muscle that lay beneath her skin. Korra didn’t flinch at the touch and quickly placed her own hand over Asami’s.
“Come on, let’s get lunch.” Korra motioned and Asami followed.
The minute the ferry docked on the mainland, Korra bolted for Asami’s car. It was only because of Asami’s begging, and the fact she nearly knocked over an elderly lady, that Korra managed to slow to a manageable pace in the last few blocks. Despite her calm outward demeanor, internally Korra was screaming in joy.
Finally, she had done something right.
Ever since creating the Unalaq Crisis, Korra had wanted nothing more than to make the world happy, yet nothing she had done had been met without controversy or contempt. But the rebirth of a nation? That was an accomplishment even her most ardent critics couldn't deny her of. If her past lives were still out there, it was something they just might be proud of.
“This is so exciting! New airbenders in the city.” Korra glanced back at Asami. “I bet we can find that guy before Mako does–” Korra caught a pair of keys just before they hit her in the face. All thoughts of the new airbenders dissipated as dread settled in. “You know I’m not very good at this, right?”
Asami chuckled, amused by her fumbling. “You’re the Avatar, master of all four elements. You should know how to drive.” Then, out of nowhere, Asami flipped her hair over her shoulder. Korra watched transfixed as the raven locks settled against her pale neck, barely registering whatever Asami was saying about relaxing.
It was no secret Asami was stunningly beautiful. Her fair features had made many girls, Korra included, jealous throughout her life. Somehow, whenever Asami did her signature hair flip, she managed to look even hotter than she already was. Korra wondered if her league of male admirers noticed that as well.
Spending so much time with Asami, sparring with her, sleeping beside her – it made Korra highly attuned to her every feature. She knew the exact pressure points to target to take her down, noticed every scar on her hands from years in the workshop, and could identify the day of the week just by catching a whiff of Asami’s perfume.
“Korra? You okay?” Asami’s voice cut through Korra’s thoughts. Not wanting to draw further attention to her staring, Korra quickly hopped over the side of the car and into the driver’s seat. “Alright, relaxing car ride coming right up!”
Korra kept her eyes fixed on the road ahead rather than the passenger beside her.
Unfortunately for her teacher, the ride was anything but relaxing. Korra hit the pedal and nearly took off a side view mirror turning the first corner. As soon as Korra managed to maneuver the vehicle back in its lane, Asami made Korra practice nothing but right turns for the next fifteen minutes – which turned out to be a nauseating experience.
Just as they were about to declare victory over mastering the turn, Korra’s brain faltered, and she forgot the most essential part of driving a car.
“Clutch! Clutch!” Asami yelled from the passenger seat.
Crap, was that the left or middle pedal? Korra slammed her left foot down and prayed to the spirits. The car skidded to a stop, and Korra’s chest hit the steering wheel painfully. As she recuperated from the impact, she heard the honking of the misfortunate driver behind them and apologized silently.
“That’s the brake,” Asami explained (for the tenth time). Korra stared at her feet, trying to recall which one it was. “Let’s try again. You ready?” Asami asked.
Despite the several near death experiences Korra had just put her friend through, Asami was as patient as when they began. Korra turned towards her instructor and saluted her, trying her best to mimic Mako’s facial expression earlier that morning. It took her friend a few seconds to catch onto the joke before she burst into laughter.
The sound nestled softly in Korra’s ears, drowning out the honking of the old man behind them. Had it been anyone else, Korra would’ve never agreed to go driving in the first place. The pressures of being the Avatar, of being perfect, had made her dislike doing anything she didn’t immediately excel at. These things normally made her feel insecure, but with Asami, that was never the case.
“How long do you think talking to Mako is going to be like pulling teeth?” Korra asked as she turned the key in the ignition. The two began to cruise along at a leisurely speed, their hair billowing in the wind.
“Well, Mako has never been the most ‘in touch with his feelings’ guy.” Korra could practically hear Asami roll her eyes. “But it’ll get better eventually,” Asami reassured her.
Korra wanted to believe that, but she wasn’t convinced. Nevertheless, there was also another question on Korra’s mind, one that she only trusted Asami to answer. “So while I was gone, did he tell you we broke up?” Korra felt her heart pick up pace in anticipation.
“Yeah, we all knew. Sorry.”
“That’s pretty embarrassing.” Korra’s cheeks flushed red. She couldn’t look at Asami, even as she admitted her own embarrassment in a feeble effort to feign self-deprecation.
“Actually, I need to tell you something about that,” her friend said awkwardly.
Now this piqued Korra’s interest. From her peripheral vision, she saw Asami tense up and avert her gaze. She couldn’t recall the last time, if ever, she had seen Asami this anxious. “And I should have told you this sooner, but while you were gone, I…kind of…kissed him. I'm sorry.”
Suddenly, the road ahead of them became a minor concern. Korra stared at Asami in disbelief before bursting into laughter, “No wonder why he’s so nervous around us!” Korra’s eyes darted between the road and her ex-rival, whose face remained plastered in confusion.
“You’re not mad?” Asami asked.
Korra smirked, savoring both the irony of the situation and Asami’s reaction, “No. I mean, I kissed Mako when he was going out with you, so–”
Asami’s eyebrows furrowed into a glare. She growled, “You what?”
Shit, I thought she was over that! Korra’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. She looked over at Asami, absolutely and totally mortified. “I’m so sorry. I thought you knew!”
Seeing Korra’s panic was enough for Asami to drop her thoroughly convincing act. A smile returned to her ruby lips. “I’m just kidding. I knew a long time ago,” Asami said as she leaned back against the seat.
Korra laughed in relief. It was a sort of unspoken game they played, a verbal sparring session in which the goal was to tongue tie their opponent. Although Korra had her moments, Asami was just too cunning of a strategist and outwitted Korra every time.
“Well, whatever happened with Mako, I'm glad it hasn't come between us.” That much Korra meant. It was hard to fathom that just a few months ago, she was willing to bulldoze Asami’s feelings to get to Mako. Now, the only person she wanted to spend time around was Asami. “I've never had a girlfriend to hang out with and talk to before, except for Naga.”
Their eyes met, and Korra found herself mesmerized yet again by emerald orbs. There was so much more she wanted to say. She never had someone to confide in and to give back to. When Korra was with Asami, she wasn’t the Avatar. She was just Korra, and Asami didn’t seem to mind that, imperfections and all.
As much as these truths weighed on her chest, the middle of the road just didn’t seem like the place to confess them. Instead, Korra just grinned and said, “This is nice.”