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If you would have listened closely enough, you might have heard the distant scream in the air as Asami was dropped from a very perilous height.
“Ouch!” she groaned, slamming into the ground. She lifted her head quickly, looking around to determine where she was. She didn’t expect such forceful impact, her cheeks reddening instantly from the chill and embarrassment. All she could see was white, the sun hiding behind a sky full of clouds and the snow covering her fingers freezing more as the seconds passed. The light jacket she put on prior obviously wasn’t going to suffice, she had to find some kind of shelter soon.
There was something running fast in her direction, the shape quickly turning into someone wearing a bundle of blues and whites covering brown skin. She was amazed that anyone else was even in this deserted, icy area.
She sat for another moment to let herself process her descent from the sky, her right side starting to throb. There would certainly be bruises all over her if she were to check tomorrow. She moved laggardly, observing the area for any major landmarks or even other people. Sadly, the blistering winds and fresh falling snow blocked any visuals for what seemed a mile. She was going to internally groan in both frustration and the frigid air but the short haired, blue eyed person abruptly filled her vision. Her smile was bright and her eyes held visible worry. She looked much warmer than Asami felt, her large fur coat and thick boots giving her much more protection.
“Are you okay?” The woman hardly needed to catch her breath while another breeze blew by, brushing strands of hair from her face to gently flow in the wind. “I thought you were dead! You must have fallen,” she looked up, those blue eyes bursting with shock and wonder. “At least 20 feet!?”
Asami reached her hand out and let the other woman pull her to her feet. She cringed as her body protested from the throbbing that pulsed down her right side. “I’m okay. I guess I’m just lucky.” She trembled under the cold winds that whipped around her face again, her cheeks now a scarlet red. “I’m Asami, by the way.” She held her hand out again, this time for a proper greeting.
“Korra. Avatar Korra.” Asami’s pale skin nearly matched the snow, Korra’s calloused hands meeting her for a firm handshake. “You seem lost…” she trailed off.
Asami was stunned with the legend in front of her, but she knew if she said the wrong thing there would be questions. She forced a smile onto her face, the aches of forming bruises permeating down her side. “Can you-” the wind howled all around them. “Can you tell me where we are, Avatar Korra?” She just about shouted, the last word painfully loud as the wind gave them momentary lull.
“It's just Korra, and the South Pole, right outside of the Southern Water Tribe.” That answer only left Asami even more confused. Maybe she went back too far in time? That wouldn’t mess with the coordinates, but she was sure she triple checked everything. It was all thought out, she had read texts and scoured city plans to find out exactly where her mother would be located at this point in time. Time traveling was new, she literally invented it, so the details and effects of traveling weren’t entirely predictable.
“Great,” she sighed. “I guess I should get back home and tweak a few things." she mumbled to herself prior to speaking up. "I thought I was going to Republic City.” Her shoulders slumped, her joy and anticipation of concluding this personal mission was yet again extended . “I was so focused on when I had to be. I was really hoping my calculations were right..” She chewed on her lip, fingernails digging into her palms from frustration.
Korra interrupted her anxiety tainted thoughts. “I can take you to Republic City.” She said it as if it were the easiest thing in the world. Asami had researched and it wasn't until recently, her time, voyaging to the Southern Spirit Portal was mortally dangerous and took over 3 days to reach.
Asami shook her head. “I don’t have time for that. And as you can see," she motioned over her body to emphasize her wardrobe. " I appreciate your help, though.” Her raven hair spilled over her shoulders and a few strands froze to her lips as she moved to reach for the transportation device in her pants pocket.
“It will only take less than two days time. Traveling isn’t as dangerous as it used to be, at least not with me around.” She proudly placed her hands on her hips.
The green eyed woman was more than a little confused. It was one day less than she studied but a great jump considering all the obstacles people had to encounter along the way. “How?”
“It's been a few years since I've opened it. With incoming tourists and locals wanting to visit, some pathways and shortcuts have been created. It can still be risky if you're not careful but, again," Korra wagged her eyebrows and pointed two thumbs to herself.
The rush of joy, relief and newfound nervousness went through her chest. “How much to take me?”
"You don't have to pay me. I'll take you for free." Asami was quite stunned. The Avatar, the Avatar, somehow had time from her busy schedule to help a random woman she found in the middle of the South Pole. She was skeptical and wary of the offer, but she had to remember who the Avatar was. They were always a bridge between the spirits and humans, they did what they could to help who they could around them. It dawned on her that maybe this powerful being was just doing something she would do for anyone. She avoided looking at the generous bender when a whip of wind smacked into her face.
Reminded of the harsh environment, Asami wrapped her arms around herself in hopes to stem off some of the cold, but the action absolutely failed. "Thank you, Korra." She was worried her teeth might shatter from the arctic air.
Korra nodded after a long moment, a lopsided smile making its way to her face. “Okay, but we have to make a stop first for you to get your own coat…maybe some real footwear. You’ll freeze to death without them.” She looked her up and down, her heavily pocketed pants, professional jacket and small bag of perishables not Korra’s first choice for clothing in the south. Shrugging out of her own heavy coat, Korra draped it over Asami’s shoulders delicately. "Let's go."
Asami’s heart was beating fast and her arms tightened around Korra’s waist. As the snow resumed to fall, it picked up until she could hardly see a few feet in front of her. Korra had put her hand to her mouth to whistle and a minute later, a large polar bear dog bound in front of them, a hurried, “Get on,” was verbalized and Asami was assisted in climbing atop the beast. That’s how she now found herself riding with Korra, her gracious and temporary savior, arms wrapped a bit apprehensively around her.
She could tell they were going fast as the wind all but cut her rosy cheeks. Korra on the other hand didn’t seem the least bit phased by the temperature around them. Her exposed muscles flexed and her eyes narrowed as she focused on navigating and guiding her companion. She was calm, confident and Asami couldn’t help but wonder how anyone could be performing any task with no fabric covering their arms. Asami moved her hands a bit lower to sit atop the pelt at Korra’s waist. The cold was sticking to Korra’s skin and her now numb fingers needed all the warmth they could grasp. Not even five minutes passed before structures were approaching. A large palace surrounded by smaller buildings stood out most to her and it took another couple of minutes to get into what she was sure to be the palace. Chattering teeth, stiff body and cold temperatures distracted her from the sights. All she could feel was the cold seeping into her bones, the coat hanging around at a snails-pace to warm her up. She didn’t get a chance to marvel and observe the massive home nestled in Harbor City. Korra was quick to hop off the animal, help her off, then zip them into the warmer building.
The muscular woman led Asami further into the home, soft lights and the smell of food permeating the air around her. Asami was still catching her breath, the warmth from the coat and being inside steadily thawing her out. They soon stood outside a closet and Korra wasted no time opening it to reveal warm fur lined coats.
“Pick any one you’d like. We have a ton.” Korra moved to the side and plucked her coat from Asami’s shoulders. Another shiver went through her body and Asami could care less at that point what coat she had. Without paying too much attention, she pulled the first item her hands touched and gripped it with her life. She couldn’t shake the tremors and she buried herself deep into what she soon discovered was a coat too big. She rubbed her hands together, hoping the friction would speed up the heating process.
“Hang on.” Korra interrupted her frozen thoughts and stepped closer. She slowed her breathing, cupped her hands together, then slowly breathed into her palm. “This should help.” She had an unsure smile, her hands coming to hover over Asami’s hands.
Asami held her breath, Korra’s warm hands meeting her cold ones. She eased into the touch, Korra’s hands gripping her own tighter before moving to her coat covered arms to transfer over more heat. The pink swelling dramatically went down, her near pallid fingers aching less and less. “Thank you.” Her voice had already evened out. “That helps.” She smiled with a big sigh.
“We can go as soon as you stop shaking.” Korra had meant for it to sound light but the concern was written all over her face. She glanced around, eyes meeting the nearest clock to check the time. “The sun will be setting soon, actually.” she added on. “It may be best to wait until morning.”
Asami let her head hang tiredly, pulling the coat closer to herself. Was it the smart thing to do? She wasn’t sure. This was her first success of transporting, so not knowing if she’d have the same achievement made her unsure if she should go back home and try again. It had taken a year for her to transfer herself just from one building to another, so the thought of going home just to re-examine everything anew was nerve wracking. Her mission started when she was just a teenager, her father going to jail after being caught killing one of the men that murdered her mother. He used an electric glove, a brilliant invention of his, to take down the unsuspecting fire bender.
Being forced to take over the business, Asami had spent endless nights wishing that she could go back in time, change past events so that she didn’t have to be at the hands of internal suffering. She missed her father, she missed her family. She missed everything before she lost her mother.
Maybe waiting a few extra days wouldn’t hurt.
“Have you eaten anything?” Korra asked.
Before Asami could respond, a woman stormed into the room with distress written on her face. “Korra, are you alright? I was just told you brought a guest with no explanation…” The new woman's words trailed off and Korra brushed past Asami to greet her. A sheepish smile curved onto her lips. “Mom, sorry. I was out checking the perimeter when I found her.” She turned to look back at Asami and beckoned her way. “This is Asami. Asami, this is my mom, Senna.”
They acknowledged each other with a handshake. Senna’s hands were warm and her smile was warmer, the concerned look mirroring her daughter. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yes, I just got lost on my way to Republic City.” She was hoping to get away with as little details as possible. “I don’t know how I got so turned around.” She dodged any prying eyes and focused on bonding more with her new coat.
“I’m glad Korra found you. It would have broken my heart to know someone was close but didn’t make it.” Senna pulled Asami into a hug and green eyes somehow managed to meet Senna's again .
"I guess I'm just lucky. " She repeated her statement from earlier with a large smile. "Thank you for allowing me in your home."
Senna released Asami from her arms and started to back away. "Korra show her to the living space and I'll bring you both some tea."
Asami brought a tea cup up to her lips. Her and Korra had been enjoying the small span of quiet when the omnipotent being questioned her. "What's bringing you to Republic City?"
The inventor answered before taking another sip. “I came to find my mother.” The liquid was soothing going down her throat, her mind racing to find ways to explain what she’s doing without fully giving herself away.
Korra acknowledged her words with a nod. “I’m guessing it’s been some time since you’ve seen her?” Korra took a few gulps of her own tea, her blue eyes locked onto Asami and her mysterious actions with full attention.
Asami set her cup down and removed the oversized coat. The line of questions, the hot tea and her racing, impatient heart were becoming too much. She chewed on the inside of her flushed cheeks, pondering if revealing any truth would foil her goals. “I haven’t seen her since I was a little girl.” She tucked a piece of her long hair behind her ear. All at once her mood shifted, the tea unappealing and the coat too much. She pushed the item away from her, eyes burning as tears threatened to fall. “I don’t mean to get sappy." she wiped at at tear that didn't get a chance to fall. " I just really miss her.”
Korra was kind, an arm already outstretched to lay on her shoulder in comfort. “I’m sorry.” she nearly beamed with her next words. “Well, in less than 48 hours you won’t be able to say that anymore. You’ll be together again.” The way her eyes shone, Asami could believe her.
“Yeah, hopefully.” Asami crossed her arms with an apologetic smile thrown towards Korra. “I’ve been working so hard to see her again. Now that I’m almost there?” she released a deep exhale. “I can’t believe it.” she said hushed. "You could have left me out there.”
“I couldn’t leave anyone out there, not much less a beautiful woman.” She sent a curved smile at Asami, blue eyes twinkling.
There was more silence that sat between them, but it wasn’t awkward or unpleasant. It was calm, full of pondering thoughts and questions. Asami took notice of Korra tapping her foot, her smile now a thin line as she looked in every direction aside from Asami.
“What’s wrong?”
Korra stilled at the question. “Nothing.” She looked at Asami, her expression unchanged. “It’s a personal question. I don’t want to intrude.”
There was next to no chance that they would see each other again after this journey. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to share a bit, possibly telling someone would help ease her distress. “It’s okay. You can ask me anything.” She said softly.
“Why haven’t you seen your mother in so long?” It looked like she almost regretted the question as soon as she spoke, nervously scratching the back of her neck. “I’m sorry.”
Asami busied her hands by grasping her cup of tea. “No, it’s okay. I did say ask anything.” After a long pull, she settled the cup into her lap for added comfort. “She–” She cleared her throat, nerves abruptly taking hold of every word. She could feel her voice shake when she spoke. “She was hurt. I lived with my dad after and he didn’t take it well. He grew resentful over the years, trying to protect me while gradually planning revenge. He made mistakes and now he’s in jail. He’ll be in there a long time, so I’ve been finding every resource available to get back to my mom since.”
Korra fixed a look of determination on her face. “Thank you for sharing that with me.” She stood up and paced for a few moments. “I’m going to get you to your mom as soon as possible. I promise you.” She ended the sentence taking a seat next to Asami and, once again, took hold of her shoulder with a bit of a firmer grip. She removed her hand when their eyes met for confirmation. "I promise."
They had been traveling since the sun first touched the Southern Water Tribe's sky. They had been traveling by Korra’s polar bear dog, Naga, once more. They took small breaks to eat and for Naga to rest, little words said between them as they were both desperately focused on getting to the portal. Korra mentioned that they were ahead of schedule when the sun was close to setting. Though Naga did most, if not all, the heavy lifting, Korra and Asami found themselves exhausted from the trip. The winds seemed harsher than the day before, more flurries of snow blanketing the ground, but Naga had no trouble escorting them to their destination.
Once the sun set for the evening, Korra had them set up camp and rest for the night. “Optimistically, within the next couple of years, we can make the travel here easier so more people have access to the portal.” She started to gather her things from Naga. “We’re about a few hours away from the sacred forest. Do you want to leave at sunrise tomorrow, again?”
Asami pulled her sleeping bag from atop Naga after, then Korra bent them a temporary shelter. “Yes, please.” Though she was bundled up, she was cold to the core of her bones. She grabbed a few parcels of food and two pouches of water hanging from Naga’s saddle. She proceeded to prepare for sleep, fatigue creeping into her eyes. She turned at the sound of ice and earth moving and watched as Korra finalized their current living space, the gusts and howls of the evening winds now completely blocked out. She breathed out a, “thank you” and hurried to take her boots off so she could snuggle in her sleeping bag. Korra tossed her a few extra furs and she couldn’t be more grateful. With the cold blocked off, Korra kindly patted her sleeping bag down with hot hands in the most conservative and considerate way she could.
“Thank you.” Asami repeated feeling some true heat trickle into her.
Korra was settling in her sleeping bag as well and she seemed much better off when it came to temperature. She got comfortable and turned on her side so that she could face Asami. She yawned, Asami glancing in her direction then mirroring her posture. Korra looked to be debating with another question, but before Asami could push, Korra blurted her next inquiry. “How did you get here? The South Pole I mean.” Her voice sounded more serious than her past questions from yesterday, hesitation on the tip of her tongue.
Asami fumbled for words. Up until this point, Korra didn’t address where she actually came from earlier and she was assuming, and wishing, that it would stay that way.
“I know that if you fell from some plane, you would have asked for more help. Someone would have come back for you, possibly sent an alert.” Korra shook her head, her eyes giving away her moment of recollection. “I’ve seen spirits and dictators, all types of bending. But I’ve never seen anyone just appear from the sky. You came out of nowhere.” The hesitation from before was now covered with curiosity and disbelief.
Knowing no one was around, Asami still couldn’t help but look over her shoulder. They were alone and essentially in the middle of nowhere. They were miles away from the nearest person. What were the chances that she'd be believed or that she wouldn't be gawked at. She's held this secret project in for so long, even her friends back at home were unaware of what she had truly been up to. She never said it out loud, everything was either written by by hand or memorized in her mind. “You probably won’t believe me.” She picked up and brought her pouch of water next to her sleeping bag to her lips, chugging the drink to ease her aching throat.
“Try me.”
Asami leaned in closer to Korra with a low voice. There was no turning back now. “I created a time traveling device: I’m from the future.”
Blue eyes widened. “The future?” She balked, sat up straighter and flung half of her sleeping bag out of the way, legs still laying under the covers.
Asami wouldn't look Korra in the eye. “Yes. I came back to save my mother.” She confessed. After several long seconds of silence, Asami turned to lay on her back. She couldn’t help but feel regretful at her admission, not sure how crazy she sounded at this minute. She debated her own thoughts, questioning if Korra was starting to feel regretful as well. She had trudged hundreds of miles with, in all honesty, a total stranger. They knew next to nothing about each other, but the tid-bits Asami shared inspired the Avatar in front of her enough to trudge on a hazardous journey. “I would have told you sooner... actually, no I wouldn’t have." She yawned. "You would have never brought me here if I had confided that to you.” Her voice sounded small, and then she got placid as she turned to face the opposite direction of Korra.
The continued lull felt too long, Asami contemplating apologizing for her admission when Korra at last spoke. “I don’t know what to believe.” Asami could hear the rusting of covers and she held her breath until Korra stood in her line of sight. “I’ll get you to Republic City. I promised you that.” Green eyes glimpsed up at the bender before her, lower lip shaking from holding in her tears. “You don’t have to tell me anything else if you don’t want to. But I’m here to listen.” She bent down to place a hand on Asami’s shoulder gently as she now frequently did. She gave her a cheerful smile before getting back up to return to her sleeping bag.
“Good night, Korra.” Asami whispered, the last words spoken between them until the sun rose again.
They had been traveling for about an hour now, the sun still making its way up into the sky whilst the morning went on. It was a surprisingly clear day and Asami couldn’t be more thankful. Yes, it was still cold, the sharp temperature managing to prick her skin, but it was tolerable without the bite of wind and heavy snowfalls.
Asami had her arms wrapped tight around Korra’s waist again, her thoughts racing and roaming on the same scenarios that have been running through her mind since the first successful transportation tests were completed. She had the address memorized, she knew just how she was going to knock on the door, but she didn’t know how she was going to explain what was going to happen without having that door slammed right back into her face.
She was in the middle of favoring her bottom lip when Korra made stopped them in their tracks. “Look,” She turned her head around and shook Asami’s shoulder. “We’re close.” Asami brought her head up and squinted ahead, the light blue beam in her eye sight.
“Oh! We’re really here!” She increased her grip on Korra, heart swelling with hope before fear crashed through her mind. They stood still, Korra giving Asami an opportunity to take the achievement in. After nudging Naga to continue their journey, she took a free hand to pat atop Asami’s in support.
They were a few miles closer, the ray of spiritual light shining had Asami almost squint at the brilliance of it. Goosebumps rose on her skin, the anticipation and excitement gradually overpowering the doubt in her head. Asami felt for the device in her pocket and she could attest that it felt heavier than it ever did before.
She could do this. She had to do this to save her family and the multiple people that got hurt because of one single event. She didn’t care how much it changed the future, she wanted her mom and dad, she wanted to bask in the feeling of when she last held true joy and love in her heart. There was no going back.
“Can I ask you one more question?” Korra’s voice was steady this time. Asami motioned her head up and down into her back. “What are you going to do when you see her?” An obvious question but it still caught Asami by surprise. Multiple strategies and actions ran through her head, but one question constantly came to the front of her thoughts: Would she even be able to speak to her?
She hadn’t seen her mother since she was a child, the last words she ever spoke to her, “I love you.” She never got to have her as a teen, now as an adult. She had so many questions, so many ways that she could convince her mother to take her as a child and run. Preferably far, far away.
Rolling her lips, she made sure to speak in her ear clearly. “I don’t know. If I'm fortunate, the right thing.”
Half an hour came and went and Asami could reach her hand out and see the glow of the spirit portal reflect onto her hand. They had just arrived and Asami couldn’t climb off the polar bear dog fast enough. She did it. She had made it to Republic City; everything was going to change. She turned to Korra and embraced her. “I don’t know how I could ever repay you.”
“We’ll see each other again.” Blue eyes sparkled under the sun, accompanied by a wide smile.
Asami placed one foot into the portal and turned around to face Korra one last time. “Yeah, maybe.” She took a step forward, the rest of her body going into the ray of light before Korra could respond.