(Book 2, episode 12)

South Pole

Asami's eyes darted back to the thin treeline. There was no time to catch her breath. Instead, panic and fury filled her lungs. What was left of Unalaq's army of spirits and soldiers, what was left of her machines, could regroup and overwhelm them at any moment.

Dodging branches and felled trees, she followed Korra and their friends towards the column of spirit energy blazing in the distance. They'd escaped from the barricade camp and liberated Korra's father, but time was running out. If Korra's uncle Unalaq managed to merge with the dark spirit Vaatu, the world would be plunged into chaos and darkness.

Korra's father was not in good shape. Tonraq was wounded, exhausted, and barely able to carry his own weight. Mako and Bolin held him from either side, propping him up at the arms as they trudged through the ice-patches and thickets of the ancient spirit forest.

Korra marched ahead with Tenzin. "Once we're inside," she said, "you go find Jinora. Mako and Bolin will take care of Unalaq while I close the portal, so Vaatu can't escape."

A small petty itch in Asami's brain resented Mako for still being at Korra's side. But she couldn't hold that too hard against him. It made sense that he was waiting to tell the harsh truth of the breakup. It was frustrating, but Asami understood. The war was more important right now. Korra needed focus.

"Wait a second," Bolin grunted, easing Tonraq along the ice. "Worst-case scenario: So we're fighting Unalaq, you close the portals, and let's just say something happens to you. Are we gonna be trapped in there for eternity?"

"If everything goes as planned," Korra called back, "We'll all walk out together after Harmonic Convergence. If not…" She didn't find the nerve to continue.

A hush fell over them, leaving only hard breathing and the crunch of ice beneath their boots. They were getting close to the portal. Soon, there'd be no turning back.

"Asami." Korra pointed at the sky bison hovering nearby. "Take Oogi and get my father out of here. I want you in the air before we get to the portal."

The order shook Asami's focus from the treeline. "What? Korra, wait!" She hustled up through the group, taking the girl's shoulder to match her speed. "Please, let me go with you." The others stood ready and welcomed to plunge into the dangers of the spirit world and fight at Korra's side. Asami had proven time and again that she could hold her own in a fight, too. Why was she being benched?

Korra kept her eyes on the spirit portal. "Unalaq took down my father," she said, "and my dad is the strongest warrior that I know."

"That's why I'm coming with you," Tonraq called, limping out from under Mako's supportive arm. He stumbled over the frozen brush towards the girls, but his face contorted as he struggled to hold himself upright.

"No, you're too hurt." Korra reached for her father's arms to steady him. "You need a healer."

Asami took a space on the other side of Tonraq, and he rested a massive palm on her shoulder. He put quite a bit of weight against her, but she could barely feel it in this bitter, overpowering cold. He planted his feet, trying to look strong for his daughter. "Asami can stay here with me," he said. "You run into the portal. We'll try to hold off anyone who comes after you."

Korra shook her head, more vehemently this time. "You'll be only be exposed out here."

"I can fight," Asami said softly. The Avatar had more power within her than anyone here. But this was Korra. Asami couldn't leave her. Not after all they'd gotten each other through. Not at what could be the end.

"We need to reach the Spirit Portal," Tenzin demanded, urging the rest of them to hurry past the argument. His daughter's life hung in the balance. The air master moved with a ferocity none of them had ever seen in him. "We don't have time to debate."

Korra saw the anxiety in Asami's face. "If Unalaq merges with Vaatu, I have no idea what they'll be capable of," Korra said. "It's going to be dangerous for any bender, and I don't…" she frowned at both of them. "I won't be able to protect you."

"I don't need your protection," Tonraq insisted.

"You're right," Korra told him, "you need hers."

Asami blinked. "Me?"

Korra nodded, staring like Asami had missed something obvious. "You're smart, and fast, you can fly damn near anything, and you understand what those war machines are capable of. I don't know what we'll find on the other side of the portal, but I know that you can keep my father safe. I need him safe."

"I'm not going to run," Asami demanded.

"But I'm asking you to." Korra grabbed Asami's gloved hands and held them together. Held them close. "Please, Asami. Please, do this for me."

Past the bravado of leading troops, or the grim acceptance that her responsibility was always to right the world, there was desperation in Korra's grip. She was scared for her father. This was more important than having another body on the front lines. Protecting Tonraq was just as critical to her as stopping all the evil the world was throwing at them. She was trusting Asami with her family.

Asami had to be willing to step away from the fight, if it meant that much to Korra.

"Alright," she murmured. She hated the thin wave of relief that slipped through her. A pressure valve released at the promise to stay behind. It was hard enough to fathom the power of a dark spirit plotting for millennia to drag the world into darkness. Let alone imagine the power that would be needed to stop it. Down in her core, Asami was afraid. They all were.

Korra threw an arm over her shoulder and hugged her tight. "Thank you," she breathed, warm against Asami's neck.

"Korra."

They both looked up to find Tonraq glowering down with as much authority as his aching body could muster.

"Korra, I am your father-"

Her eyes went icy. "And I am your Avatar."

The clearing went silent. Korra's voice was harsh as stone and more immovable than the ancient forest around them. Taking a slow breath, she took her father's wrist and slowly lifted it a few inches up. Tonraq grunted low in his throat, his eyes nearly rolling back at the pain. "Right now, you're a liability," she said firmly. When her father began to drift to the side, exhausted, she latched onto him. But her eyes turned soft. She was pleading with him now. Gentle. "Your people need you. Mom needs you."

Asami watched the standoff fall away. Tonraq's eyes kept hold of his daughter's. He was ashamed of being weak. Of being helpless to protect her.

"This is my fight now," Korra urged.

"Korra!" Tenzin shouted. They were falling behind.

Tonraq pulled his daughter into a solid embrace. "I love you."

"I love you too, Dad," she said. That cold authority of the Avatar flickered in the chill of the wind. Korra held onto him tight and clearly didn't want to let go.

Asami didn't want to break up the moment. She knew more than most how much regret could build up by not telling loved ones how important they were. Resting a tentative hand on Korra's back, she caught her attention. "We should go," she said.

They helped her father towards Oogie, already saddled. Naga climbed aboard first - Korra didn't want to leave anyone exposed at the portal if reinforcements charged them. The sky bison let out a grunt as he adjusted to the massive polar bear dog curling up in the large cradle on his back. Naga silently watched as Korra, Asami, and Mako helped Tonraq crawl in beside her. She nuzzled against him. Tonraq collapsed back against her fur and let out a long, labored exhale.

"Here," Bolin said, threading his hands to give Asami a boost up.

Climbing across Oogie's massive flat head, Asami tucked her legs in. The sky bison shifted, and she could feel the weight of him rocking back and forth as he breathed. She tried to match his slow and steady rhythm, but her heart was pumping too fast. No seatbelts or doors on this ride. A death grip on the reins kept her from sliding off, but she still felt off-balance.

From below, Bolin raised a puff of red fur to her hands. "Take care of Pabu," he said, frowning.

Leaning down, she grabbed the little fire ferret by the belly and dropped him on her lap. "He'll be under my personal protection," she promised. Pabu curled up a little, but soon scurried back to the solid mass of Naga in the saddle.

Bolin smiled weakly, waving as he stepped back to give them space.

Mako took a moment to absently pat the sky bison's shaggy head. Eventually, he looked up at Asami, trying to mask his concern with his typical scowl. "Safe flight," he said.

"With my luck today?" Asami smirked, flashing back to the assault with her plane. She managed to find a crack in his expression, but it quickly disappeared. Too much was at stake right now. Mako was nervous, she could tell. "Watch that blind spot at your left," she said quickly, tapping her own left ear to point it out. "You never went a single match without getting nicked from there."

Mako nodded, patting as close to her foot as he could get on Oogie. "See you soon?"

"You better," she teased.

Korra fiddled with the harness under Oogie's fur, checking and tugging at it, convincing herself that she'd made it more secure somehow. "Stick to the treeline for as long as you can," she instructed, pointing out past the forest. "Then break west to that mountain pass. It's the fastest way back to the village."

Asami stared out at the forest, trying to catch a glimpse of what Korra was describing. The thick tangle of canopy blocked her view.

Oogie grunted and shifted again as Korra climbed across to his head. She knelt beside Asami. "Thank you."

Asami took a fistful of Korra's parka, keeping her close. "Just come back," she said, tugging at the fur in her grip.

Korra nodded, eyes wide.

Asami fought the tremble in her voice. "Because I will come in after you."

A laugh bubbled up from Korra despite herself, and she gave Asami another quick hug. The temperature was dropping all around them. Korra tightened the collar around Asami's neck. "It's only gonna get colder the higher up you get. Keep covered."

The girls held tight to each other's hands, easing Korra to the ground.

"Go," Korra called up.

There was a beat of hesitation, when Asami didn't want to look away from her. If she kept Korra in sight, it was one second longer that she wasn't facing off against Vaatu. One second longer that she was something resembling 'safe'. Asami's nerves got hold of her, and she hitched the reins on the harness. "Oogie," she said firmly, "yip-yip."

The sky bison hauled himself up into the air. Swaying with his weight. Asami's heart leapt up into her tonsils, and she wrapped the reins around her wrist for grip. The ground drifted away, grew small. As Asami steered Oogie to the mountains, Korra and the others disappeared into the brilliant lights of the spirit portal. One after the other, they fell from her reach.

The snow storm picked up around them. Deathly cold whipping against Asami's face. Even through her thick gloves, she couldn't feel her fingers anymore. She tried to focus, tried to keep her eyes open despite the pain rushing through her face. It was hard to not curl up into her coat as deep as she could go and cling to what was left of her body warmth. But, no, she had to stay alert. Perched and awake at the 'pilot's seat'. The way wasn't safe.

They'd followed the treeline as instructed, then threaded the mountain pass. Or, at least, what had looked like a pass. The snow blurred the outlines of rock from up here. The storm was getting worse. Was it natural, though?

She'd caught glimmers of light through the storm. Beautiful shapes, drifting through the air, through the clouds around them. Spirits were roaming. She had to be careful not to attract attention.

Her stun glove was tucked into her jacket, but it wouldn't do any good up here. She was doing this for Korra, she reminded herself. She was doing her part. Though it didn't include crusading into the Spirit World to fight unknown monsters, it still needed to be done.

Asami took slow, deep breaths of painful cold. The air was thin this high up.

"Tonraq," she called back. She could barely see over the hump of Oogie's saddle, but it looked like Korra's father was still huddled against Naga. The polar bear dog was curled up against the saddle's edge.

"Are you still awake?" No answer. "Tonraq," she said firmer, anxiously watching the next range of mountain peaks getting closer. They were avoiding the visual range of Future Industries artillery guns. "You need to stay awake until we get back."

Asami turned her body around and found Tonraq's face was paler than before. He looked a little queasy. "Are you alright back there?" she asked. "Does something hurt? You have to talk to me, I can't examine you from up here."

"I'm fine," Tonraq managed. He sounded winded. "I just don't spend much time up here." He took a venturing glance over the side of the saddle, and seemed to immediately regret it. He took slow breaths, gripping the edge of the saddle for purchase. "We usually travel by ship."

With a sheepish smile, Asami tried to even out Oogie's ascent. Motion sickness, she could handle. "We'll try to be gentler."

"No, it's alright," said Tonraq, raising a hand. "You handle the bison about as well as that plane of yours. I'm impressed."

"Thank you."

"Not that I'm surprised," he continued. "Korra said you were talented. She speaks about you often."

Asami's nervousness was thankfully masked by the shaking in her voice from the cold. "All good things, I hope," she said, struggling to sound relaxed.

"Admirable things," he reassured her. "She told me all you've given up to help her. I'm sorry about the situation with your father."

She stiffened at the mention of Hiroshi. Despite washing her hands of him, his legacy seemed to follow her wherever she went. "He made his choices, and I made mine."

"Family is not an easy thing to come by," Tonraq said, "and even harder still to hold onto. But you showed tremendous bravery sacrificing it for what you know to be right and good."

"Thank you, sir." Trying to ignore the new tightness in her chest, Asami scanned ahead. No sign of any more lights. That was good, but, but little could settle her nerves from her perch on Oogie's head. Only her own balance kept her from tumbling thousands of feet to the ground.

Tonraq continued talking, to fill the silence. Their roles had reversed, it seemed. It had become his job to calm Asami. "You have done so much for my daughter. For my family. I'm in your debt. When this is over, you're welcome in our home, and you'll always have a place with us."

She didn't know what to say. Here was Tonraq - a stranger in all respects but their mutual concern for Korra - offering his admiration. He was one of the most important people in Korra's life. With that declaration of loyalty, of family, it seemed that Asami was, too. A pressure had begun to build behind her eyes. But tears were only going to make her even colder right now. "Thank you," she murmured, somewhere quiet in her throat. The wind drowned out the small words she'd mustered. "Th-thank you," she said louder over the roar.

Chittering came from behind her shoulders, and she nudged at the fire ferret with a few fingers to urge him back towards Tonraq. "You should hold onto Pabu," she said. "He's a little space-heater. You'll keep each other warm."

Through the veil of the storm, Asami thought she could see lights. Not the flickering, dangerous beauty of spirit energy, but the dim, welcome lights of homes.

"Hold on for a little longer," she called back to her passengers. "We'll be there soon."

The closer they got to the glow of the distinct village, the lighter her breathing felt. They would be behind walls soon. With friendly faces. Safe.

But clawing in a corner of her mind was that chance Korra wouldn't make it back. It terrified her. Maybe as much as it terrified Tonraq. Asami had done what Korra had asked of her. Not for the last time, she thought that maybe Korra hadn't been honest with her. Had Korra's plan been to keep them both as far from the fighting as possible? Not to have her most trusted friend protect someone precious, but to protect two of them?

(between Books 2 and 3)

Republic City

Another war won. Another agent of darkness defeated by the Avatar. In a battle of incredible spiritual power, Korra had tapped into a primal force, her innermost spiritual energy. Off the coast of Republic City, a world away from where their battle had begun, two massive spirits had clashed. Humanity was safe again.

That was the easy way to tell it. The simple tale of good defeating evil.

Under Aang's guidance, Republic City had been carved out to be a symbol of progress and civilization. Of what humans could accomplish when they cooperated.

But the foundations of the world had shifted. Korra had chosen not to restore the barrier between the spirit and the mortal worlds. It would no longer be the Avatar's mission to be a bridge between them.

The spirits were reclaiming their ancient territories. Boulevards, waterways, and stone monuments, where lush forests and springs had once stretched across the land. This place that spirits had long been absent from now once again teemed with their energy and influence. They were stretching their limits, and the citizens of Republic City were caught in the middle of those growing pains. Ancient, living vines had thread their way through homes and skyscrapers alike, tearing up concrete and stone. Digging into the earth to become part of something new.

Asami and Korra drove out from the docks towards the center of the city. At least, as close as they could get before the overgrowth of spirit vines would block their way further. Soon, the streets would crumble in their path, and the jungle would take over.

Behind them, the streets were loud and raucous with too many people. Those living in the core of the city had fled their homes to the edges, filling and cramping what little space there was to accommodate the crowds. In the wake of the battle, the massive spirit vines had taken over: pushing, growing, ensnaring the city in their grip.

Ahead the road was empty. For now, it led to nowhere.

As they hit the clear stretch, Asami instinctively hit the gas harder. She found meditation in the sensations of driving. Wind roared through her ears, blocking out everything but the grip of the wheel in her hand, the vibrations of the engine through the car's frame.

Glancing over to the passenger's seat, she caught Korra gripping on the door as she watched the road out in front of them. Her eyes were shut against the wind. Her hair blew wildly around her face, which bore the thinnest hint of a smile.

"You're starting to get a thing for this. I can tell," Asami said, smirking. "You could always give Naga a break if you ever want to borrow a roadster. After a few more driving lessons, that is."

Korra opened her eyes, chuckling. "No, thanks. I think Naga's just my speed." She'd volunteered to come along as a favor, but Asami had her suspicion that what Korra actually wanted was a distraction. Her break-up with Mako had been amicable, but very final. He'd been scarce the last few days; probably burying himself in his work to get his mind off it. For Korra, working with Raiko on recovery plans meant putting the public at ease about their displacement. More cameras and reporters, demanding answers, explanations, or apologies. Staying at the Air Temple meant facing Tenzin, who wanted Korra to focus solely on how her single decision, for better or worse, had redirected the entire course of existence.

Despite having saved the world, again, no one was willing to just let Korra sit for a breath.

The Sato roadster turned a corner, and as the engine slowed into the turn, only a dull echo of noise reverberated through the buildings.

Asami was sure they were near the Future Industries satellite office, but the turn had opened up to an unfamiliar view. Vines coated the building facades and the road was rough going. Bent and contorted street signs were the only way to be sure they were heading in the right direction.

"It's so quiet," Asami said, awed by the emptiness.

"Reminds me of back in the south," Korra said. "That sense of really big space. Naga and I used to go camping out in the wilds whenever we could sneak away from the compound."

"You? Sneaking out? I can't imagine," Asami teased.

Korra reclined in her seat, watching the sun flutter between the shadows of buildings. "Just the two of us and the wide open tundra. I mean, sure there was always a White Lotus guard a hundred yards back, but sometimes we could sneak up over a drift and just pretend they weren't there."

Asami changed gears and sped up a bit as the road stretched out again. "Sounds nice."

"We'd be out there for days," Korra sighed into the wind. "Hunting, fishing, running around like fools." She frowned at the dash for a few heartbeats. "I really need to take Naga out like that more."

"Do you miss home?"

"I miss my parents," she admitted, "But it doesn't feel like home so much anymore. I spent most of my life at the compound, not in their village."

"Is Republic City home now?" Asami tried not to make the question sound too eager.

"No plans to leave," Korra said, her smile reassuring. It slipped a little as they turned another corner. She stared out the windshield at what lay ahead. "Especially not now..."

Future Industries Research Support was a satellite office across town from the main tower. It stored redundant equipment and research initiatives secondary to the company's main profit industries. Where pet projects came to languish and die. It had been a stately building, with massive windows of running from either side of its entrance up to the glass atrium at the third story.

In the invasion of spirit vines, half the building had been crushed in. Glass peppered the sidewalks around it. Asami parked a few blocks from the building to avoid losing a tire in the litter. A large double doorway had once allowed the entry of forklifts. Korra and Asami had to slip into an opening in the vines barely the width of their bodies.

The research office was now a greenhouse on the inside. Korra and Asami stared up at the shattered atrium, sunlight pouring down into the humid lobby.

Korra spun slowly to take in the scope of the destruction. "I did all this."

"No," Asami said firmly. "You didn't know that this would happen."

With a grateful, albeit weak smile, Korra got into step with her. "So. Where's the archive?"

Asami ran through her mental map of the building.

Future Industries had been in the business of war machines for too long. Asami had resolved to dismantle as much of the company's military arsenal as possible and retrofit it for civilian applications. Construction, repair, emergency services. Before they had left to for the South Pole, she'd filed her sketches and estimates for the plan here in the research center. Put them away for future assessment, since the Board didn't seem to think that it would be as profitable.

But now, Republic City was in shambles, and a legion of construction machines suddenly sounded like a very good idea to them.

"It's up ahead, left of the stairwell…" Asami slowed to a halt as she found a pile of rubble where the stairs had collapsed, completely blocking the hallway. "Oh my." With a shoe, she tested the waist-high knot of vines that had clumped together at the base of the stairwell.

"I got it," Korra said. She planted her feet and tightened her arms into an earthbending pose.

Asami grabbed her arm quickly. "Korra, wait. That could be load-bearing."

Studying the rubble for a while, Korra finally took a breath to relax her shoulders. "Okay, so we're passing on the plan?"

"Our construction fleet in the Earth Kingdom is only a day or two away," Asami said. "They'll be able to help dismantle buildings that are in bad shape like this."

"Are you sure?" Korra asked. "I'm sure I could do it gently."

"I know you could, but it'll be a good first showing for us." She examined the rubble, plotting out logistics in her head. The right angle to dig into the concrete to loosen the pile, possible points of structural instability.

It took her a while to realize that Korra was waiting for her. The girl's expression was patient, and a touch amused.

"Sorry," Asami smiled. "I just need to make a few notes." She pulled a small journal and pencil from her coat pocket. "Um…" Her eyes searched around for a flat surface to use, but the vines have taken over all the tables. She looked back to Korra. "Can I borrow your back for a minute?"

"Uh, yeah," Korra said, slowly turning around. "Sure." Locking her hands on her knees, Korra bent forward as Asami rested the journal between her shoulder blades. Asami flattened the spine of the book and scratched a few straight lines across the full width of the page. Korra craned her neck around, but she couldn't see what Asami was drawing. "Seems like you've got this all planned out," she said.

"I'm trying," Asami muttered through the pencil in her teeth. She was using her thumb to measure a distant angle. "This is incredibly complicated. I've never organized construction on this scale before."

Korra stared at her shoes as Asami began to sketch again. "I've missed you like this," she said.

"What, using you as furniture?"

"No," Korra chuckled. "I don't know. Enthusiastic?"

She didn't say 'happy,' Asami noticed. "Defeating the forces of evil will do that," she smirked. Sarcasm aside, she did feel more focused. "I don't have much a right to sulk when there are people out there who have it worse than I do."

"Hey." Korra wriggled out from under the journal and turned around. "Asami, no one said you had to be stone. You're allowed to feel. You have the same right to pain as anyone else."

Right now, Asami was grateful to be coddled. Being cool and collected, being a razor's edge, had its place. But sometimes, in the lull, it felt far better for someone to just let her be. Let her process in her own way. Korra was getting good at that.

A flicker of guilt slipped onto Korra's face. "I know we didn't talk much after I got back-"

"Life got busy," Asami nodded. "What you did in the bay was…" Her words fell away.

"I'm sorry if I scared you," Korra said, hesitation in her voice.

When they'd gotten back to Republic City, the papers had been filled with bystander accounts of the battle with Unavaatu. Only a few blurry photographs had surfaced from that night. Towering over the statue of Avatar Aang, a being in Korra's form, made of pure spirit energy, had leapt down from the sky. Raw power and light had torn up the coast, toppled buildings, and parted the waters of the bay. Korra had been a force of nature. Brilliant and terrifying.

"No," Asami murmured. "I just can't imagine what it must have felt like."

"Like my world suddenly got bigger," Korra said. "And it keeps getting bigger. Faster than I can catch up with it."

"Scary?"

"A little, yeah." They both gawked up and around the vine-infested atrium. "Your company's gonna make a fortune fixing all this."

"I don't like the idea of making money off other people's suffering," Asami muttered. A second later, she caught herself. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Ask the people who worked here," Korra insisted. "You'll be helping people. But look at all this. I've only been in Republic City for a year and look at everything I've done to it."

Asami tucked her journal back into her pocket. "Just means that there are bigger and better things on the horizon. And we will just have to prepare ourselves for more 'weird'."

Korra grinned. "As long as you're the one with the plan to put the world back together after, I'm sure we'll survive." The two had found an equilibrium of sorts. They bolstered each other, even when they couldn't muster the strength to do it for themselves.

Asami threw an arm over Korra's shoulder, hugging her from the side. Her lips found their way to the crown of Korra's head before she could stop them. "You're going to do incredible things," Asami promised, resting her head against Korra's. Breathing her in. "I'm glad you're okay," she said softly.

Korra squeezed her in the hug. Her words sounded a little strained. "Me too."

Pulling away, Asami wandered towards the exit. "Let's check around the building," she said, "see if there's another way inside." When she didn't hear a response right away, Asami turned back. The Avatar, still standing where she'd been, was blushing pink from ear to ear. Asami couldn't hold off her smile. "Are you coming?" she called.

Korra got control of her feet again, and she broke into a jog. "Uh, yeah. Yeah," she said quickly. "Wait up for me."

Asami held open what was left of the shattered door. "Always."

THE END

Thank you so much for reading! Please Read and Review. This story was a labor of love, and hearing from my readers is the best reward I could ask for. In fact, as a thank you, I am providing INSTANT GRATIFICATION!

My story is continued (with pure unadulterated Korrasami loveliness) in "Parts to Play: Books 3 & 4"

Special Thanks to cd-fish, for alpha/beta reading my work. I NEVER would have gotten this far without your guidance and suggestions!

To all my commenters, who puff me up with enough enthusiasm to keep me excited to finish this. You are all such sweethearts, I love you all!

And to all my readers. Even though I may not hear from you, your presence and kudos are felt and appreciated!