Winding Legacies: A 'The Legend of Korra' Rewrite

The Three Year Gap, Month Thirty-Two: Asami

Asami had finally decided to take Natso up on his offer to go out for a night on the town. Some new late-night spot was opening up in the city and she usually said no, but the stack of unopened letters was getting bigger by the day and she was tired of looking at them. Most were from her father who hadn't gotten the hint at all. A few from Lemaya, though they were pretty much only about her ideas for the epigraph that Asami had requested. Mako rarely wrote as he could always pop in for a visit and Bolin, well, he was an entirely different can of fly-worms.

Her most recent letter from Korra was there, too, at the very top of the stack. Any other time she may have rushed to open it but she didn't know if she even wanted to hear what Korra had to say. The blue and white stamp of the Southern Water Tribe flashed from the envelope's corner and Asami only hoped that she had said whatever was in that letter tenfold to everyone else, too.

"Are you sure?" Asami fumbled for the buttons of her coat pocket as Natso paused on the stone steps up to his house. The light in the living room was on, and Asami's face flushed in embarrassment at the thought that his mom would tell hers about how late she was out. The last thing Asami needed was her mother coming back from a work trip she insisted she take in her daughter's place and giving her some kind of talk. "I can walk you back," Natso continued.

"No, it's nice out, I'll be fine."

He didn't seem convinced, though, and she could hardly blame him. Her attempts to wave off every inconvenience hadn't done much to stop the nightmares that had started coming. "We also have a guest room, you know. You're welcome anytime."

"I have an early meeting tomorrow so it's best if I just get home so I can get my beauty sleep." Sucking in a deep breath, Asami wondered if he'd protest that too. Natso was far too perceptive for his own good and she could tell even in his few short glances that he knew something was wrong.

"Okay then, as long as you actually sleep for once."

He gave her that unconvinced look again, but Asami forced her eyes away as she began to head back out into the street. "I will. I'll call you in the morning about that order for my mom."

"Asami." She didn't turn around and she could tell by his slow steps up to his door that neither did he. "Thank you for coming."

She only took a peek back at the house when she heard the front door slowly squeak shut. The lights all slowly burned out and soon there was no other sound in the street besides the occasional stray animal. Slowly, Asami tightened her black coat around herself and fished out Korra's letter from her pocket. Her head ached from the strong drinks still burning her throat, but something about Natso trying to help her tempered her anger a bit.

The first page was an answer to a question Asami had asked in her previous letter. Korra had told her she planned to leave the South and head to the North and she had asked what she planned to find out there. Myself, Korra answered. It was unbearably simple but Asami couldn't argue with it. She understood Korra far too much for that.

With an irritated groan, Asami shoved the letter back into her coat and began walking. To where she did not know. By the time her thoughts stopped racing and her lungs felt as if they were inhaling knives, she realized she was at the last place she wanted to be. That didn't exactly stop her from knocking, though.

"I guess I was not the only one who couldn't sleep." Zai leaned her head tiredly against the frame of her hotel room door and for the first time, Asami could tell exactly what she was thinking. She was surprised to see Asami at her door, but not taken aback. Rather, grateful to see her face. "What can I do for you, gorgeous?"

"I didn't know you were still in town," Asami said bluntly. It was somewhat true. She had met Izumi for tea a few months or so ago so that they could finally introduce Iroh to Zhu Li. The Fire Lord had mentioned she was going to stay in the City for some briefings with Raiko and that Zai would be there as her father had mentioned Asami knew her. Though, she was supposed to be gone the second that the Fire Nation Royal Ship left the harbor.