Senior Year

The night of the semi-finals, thankfully, ended on a more positive note than how we thought it would.  Kuvira came out mostly uninjured, save for the concussion the hit gave her.  Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, though Opal was a complete wreck for the rest of the night.  She eventually fell fast asleep on Bolin’s lap, which we could all tell he didn’t mind the least about.  While we were at the hospital, I insisted that Korra be checked out as well, and she fought me the whole time until conceding to letting a nurse do a quick check.  After the checkup and making sure that Suyin and Baatar Senior were on their way to the hospital, I offered to drive both Mako and Korra home. 

The apartment Mako shared with his brother wasn’t far from the hospital, so it was easy to drop him off first.  After waving goodbye, I began the drive to the docks where the Air Temple Island ferry was.  Korra slumped back in her seat beside me, groaning as she tried to find a comfortable position to try and lay in.  I smiled when I saw her sit up after a minute of trying.

“We’re almost there, Korra.  Then you can go jump into bed and sleep comfortably,” I said, taking a turn towards the docks.

She yawned as she leaned her head against her fist. “I know, but that doesn’t make me any less tired.”

I smiled as I pulled up to the docks.  They were unusually dark for this time of night, so I drove farther than normal towards the main building.  I frowned when I realized that the workers had left for the night earlier than usual.  Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Korra slump forward when she came to the realization that there would be no ferry ride tonight.

“Looks like I’m going to have to swim to the island tonight,” she said as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

I looked over at her, watching her start to get out of the car.  She began to stretch out her body, her muscles already stiff from overexertion from earlier.  She’s already done so much tonight.  It’s not fair that she’s going to have to do more just so she can get some sleep for tomorrow.  Then the thought hit me.

“Korra!” I shouted to her before she could jump into the water.

She stopped mid-launch, catching herself before she could fall into the water.  She looked at me confused and surprised. “Yeah?”

“Why don’t you come stay the night at my house?” I asked.

The silence that followed wasn’t something I had planned for.  I watched as she continued to look at me, her face in a questioning manner, as she thought over my suggestion.  It was one of the few times that I had actually seen her ponder longer than a minute about something outside of food.  I didn’t realize I was clenching the steering wheel, waiting for an answer, when she spoke up.

“Are you sure?” she asked, the uncertainty hinting on her voice.

I smiled. “Course.  We’ve got plenty of space, and you wouldn’t have to swim home.”

She thought over the proposition again before smiling at me.  She ran back over to the car, jumping into the passenger seat.  I rolled my eyes at her childish behavior before putting my car in gear and driving towards home.

Home was on the other side of the city, but there weren’t many people out right now because of how late it was.  The sky was clear of clouds, making for a beautiful view of the stars.  It seemed as if I wasn’t only one to notice how beautiful they were.

“If only the buildings weren’t in the way.  We’d have a great view of the sky right now,” I heard Korra say as I pulled to a stop at a stoplight.

I looked up at the sky then at her.  The way she was staring up at the sky with an amazed smile on her face made my chest clench.  Spirits, how on earth does she do this to me?  As if my brain hadn’t come up with enough ideas tonight, another came storming into my mind, and I smiled at the thought.

“Well, since we’re already going to be out here this late at night, how about we take the long way home?” I asked, the light in front of us turning green.

Korra looked at me confused as I took a left. “There’s a long way to your house?”

I smiled at her.  Even before I got my license, I was traveling everywhere with Dad.  Republic City and the surrounding area didn’t have a pathway that I didn’t know about by the time I was allowed to finally drive myself around.  Punching the gas, we sped out of the city and out into the country where the moon and the stars around us gave us our only source of light.  After taking a concerned minute of gripping the door handle as I sped us away from Republic City, Korra began to laugh as she relaxed.

“You’re crazy, Asami!” she yelled as I easily maneuvered the country roads with ease at our speed, which was nearing ninety miles per hour.

I flashed a smile at her before scanning the surroundings.  There was a certain road I was looking for, and only the trained eye could spot it, especially at these speeds.  I smiled when I noticed it coming up on our right.  I slowed down, taking a sharp turn up the dirt road.  Carefully following the turns, I followed the path until it led to a cliff that overlooked the ocean.  I pulled close to the edge but kept enough distance away for us to walk out in front of the car.  Turning off the car, I got out and left my keys on my seat.  I walked over to a nearby tree, smiling when I found my familiar seat between its large roots.  As I took my seat, I saw Korra had followed me over.

“Like the view?” I asked with a smile.

She stopped just in front of the tree, looking out at the ocean.  Its end blended together with the sky above, making for a breath-taking sight. “It’s perfect,” she said, a smile playing on her lips.

I sat up, pulling my knees to my chest. “I used to come out here a lot after Dad bought my first scooter.  It was peaceful, and I was able to think more about my mom without having to worry about someone hearing me cry,” I said softly as I looked out at the ocean.

Korra sat in front of me, not saying a word.  She leaned back on her hands, her eyes transfixed on the ocean.  I watched her out the corner of my eye; she had a look of at peace, of relaxation.  She seemed more sure of herself here than anywhere near Republic City.  Water had that effect on people, I noticed.

“Are you scared?” I heard her ask softly.

I dropped one of my legs, resting my chin on the raised knee. “About?”

“Amon.  This Equalist movement.  Life in general,” she clarified with a shrug.

I scooted closer to her, sitting shoulder to shoulder next to her. “Honestly, I’m terrified.  So much could go down with this stuff that I’m scared everything I know will change for the worse,” I said, sensing her shift uncomfortably.  I looked up at the sky. “But I have faith.  I have faith that no matter what happens, we’ll fix it, and we’ll get through it.”

“You have a lot more faith than I do, and I’m the Avatar,” Korra said, that deflated tone present in her voice.

I looked at her; that confidence I had seen only minutes ago had washed away.  She looked down at the waves as they crashed against the cliff side.  I could tell what she was thinking; she was picturing herself as the cliff, being smacked against by the waves of problems that kept popping up into her life.

I put my hand over hers. “Korra.  I have faith because you are the Avatar.  I have because I know that somehow, someway, you will beat Amon.  You will beat this Equalist movement.  I have faith because I believe in you.”

She sighed. “How do you have so much faith in me?”

I reached around her, putting my hands on her shoulders and turning her so that she was now facing me. “Because I know you can do it, Korra.  Look at tonight; Kuvira could have been hurt far worse if you hadn’t intervened when you had.  We saved Bolin from having his bending taken away when he was kidnapped because you were able to create the smoke screen to cover us.  You have done a lot of amazing things since I met you, Korra.  I know that you have the strength to beat Amon; you have the strength to beat anything that stands in your way.”

She sat there, staring those blue eyes into my green; it was as if I could see the gears in her mind turning, trying to comprehend what I was telling her.  We sat there, my hands on her shoulders, her staring at me, for what felt like a lifetime.  The look of uncertainty on her face was so…so there that I just wanted to lean in and kiss her and help her out of this funk.  Wait…did I just think about kissing Korra?

She smiled and rubbed her eyes, breaking me from my thoughts as I focused on her. “Thanks, Asami,” she said. “I needed that.”

I smiled back, hugging her close. “Anytime, Korra.  I’m here for you.”

She hugged me back, and we stayed there for a few minutes.  And for whatever reason, it felt just right.  Like I don’t want to move from this spot; I just want to sit here in her arms for as long as I can.  But it wasn’t to be.

“It’s getting pretty late,” she said, pulling back slowly.

I nodded, looking down at the time on my phone.  Almost two o’clock. “Yeah.  We should be heading home and trying to get as much sleep as we can.”

She stood up first, holding her hand out to me.  I looked up at her and smiled at my view.  That cocky smile she had on showed her confidence was back.  I took her hand and allowed her to pull me to my feet.  The drive back was a lot quieter but relaxing.  We didn’t stay up long after we got home; Korra had managed to pass out on my bed before she could change out of her clothes.  Thankfully, I had the strength to adjust her so that I could get in bed, and, let me tell you, she was damn heavy.  All that time she spends working out with the guys and practicing for this tournament, I bet.

As I laid down, after finally moving Korra so that she was on one half of the bed, I couldn’t help but think about earlier at the cliff.  Specifically, I was thinking about how I thought about kissing Korra.  I looked at her, watching her sleep peacefully, and began to think to myself.  Is this just like…like some phase?  Or…am I really falling in love with her?  Spirits, why does this have to be so confusing?!  If I could’ve, I would’ve angrily yelled at myself in my thoughts more, but sleep had other plans.

Time seemed to fly the following week, mainly due to it being Finals week for the semester.  Kuvira only missed a day of school and didn’t miss any of her exams.  Su sent Korra a thank you basket full of goodies afterwards as thanks for the quick intervention.  She ended up sharing it with all of us. 

“Too many sweets for this hardworking body,” she said, laughing as she held out the basket.

I smiled at the memory.  I was currently waiting at Narook’s for Dad; he had promised dinner with me before he left tonight for another business meeting.  I wasn’t dressed as fancy as some of the other patrons in the restaurant were, but Dad and I had been coming to Narook’s since I was ten.  The management, restaurant staff, and I were all on first-name basis, so it was easy to come in slightly fancy clothes and fit right on in with them.

“Another lemonade, Asami?” Jose asked, walking by my table on his way back to the kitchen.  He’d been working here for the last two years.

I smiled. “Yes, please.”

He smiled, taking my glass back with him as he left.  I looked down at my phone.  5:52 pm.  I scrunched my nose as I looked up at the door.  Dad usually isn’t this late to dinner.  Hopefully nothing caught him at work.  As if reading my mind, Dad walked in all smiles.  I smiled back, waving him over to the table.

He slid into the seat across from me. “Sorry, honey.  I missed a few checks on one of our newer projects, and I needed to get them done before I left the office today.”

I shrugged. “You’ve been busy, Dad.  It’s alright.”

He sighed and took one of my hands in his. “I know, and I’m sorry.  There’s been a lot of rumors that more businesses are being investigated for ties connecting to that Equalist movement, so everything’s been piling up on everyone’s desks,” he said, a grave look on his face.

I frowned.  This wasn’t good.  If they were rival businesses, then they might come after Future Industries as well. “Isn’t there anything we can do?  How’s this going to affect Future Industries?” I asked, leaning forward onto the table.

Dad waved off my concerns. “Honey, please don’t worry yourself with this right now.  You’re still in school, and I want you to focus on your studies.  I know how much you want to get into Republic City University.”

It was true; the engineering department was the best among the nations. “But this is my company too, Dad,” I countered. “Someday, I’m going to have to run it.”

“Hopefully, that day is far away, Asami.  Until then, I’m still in charge of the company, and I’m asking you to please not worry about it, ok?” Dad asked as Jose came out with my lemonade and Dad’s cup of coffee.  Sometimes we were just a bit too predictable.

I sighed. “Ok, but I want to know if anything else happens.”

Dad smiled as he poured his creamer and sugar into the coffee. “Deal,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee. “So tell me; how’s the tournament going?”

I smiled, relaying to him how the tournament had been going up until Kuvira’s hit.  Honestly, it felt good to finally talk to Dad about things that weren’t business related, but at the same time, it didn’t stop me from worrying about him.  I felt like that’s all I got done now a days when I wasn’t in school.  I was either worrying about him, or I was worrying about Korra.  I sighed mentally to myself.  Just another day in the life of Asami Sato, I guess.