Chapter Text

Korra

Okay, relax. Breathe in and out. Do NOT make a fool of yourself. That last one was easier said than done. Korra was about to meet her idol, her number one hero, the woman who was the reason she put on her mask in the first place. It took every ounce of self-restraint she had not to burst through the infirmary door and just jump around Tempest like a hyperactive fangirl. But no, she was the Avatar dammit, and she was going to keep her cool!

As the door opened, Korra sucked in her breath. And in she came. Everything was just as Korra had pictured it: The sleek red-and-black outfit, the belt laden with all manner of gadgets, the… hang on. There was no mask. And what was more, Korra knew who she was. Sure, the make-up she had on that morning was gone and her hair wasn’t in a ponytail, but there was no mistaking that face. “Asami?”

Tempest… Asami looked at Korra with a shocked expression, which quickly turned to anger. Thankfully, the anger seemed to be directed not at her, but at Landslide. “Hey… you forgot your mask,” he said sheepishly.

“What the hell is she doing here?” Asami asked, pointing at Korra.

“Hey, don’t look at me! Wildfire’s the one who brought her with him.”

Asami facepalmed. “I am seriously going to murder him.” She turned to Korra with what seemed to be a poor attempt at a reassuring smile. “Sorry about that. I’m… not really sure how to do this, so…”

Korra, with her brain still short-circuiting from the fact that Tempest and Asami Sato were the same person, took a while to respond. “Honestly, I’m not too sure either. Um… hi?” she said, extending her hand.

Asami shook it. “You know, despite my little outburst, I’ve been hoping to run into you since you showed up in the city. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“We’ve ah… we’ve met before…” Korra said hesitantly. She wasn’t sure whether she should reveal her own identity. It certainly hadn’t been a part of her plan when she agreed to come to the safehouse with Wildfire. But the fact still was that she now knew another Super’s identity and she had learned it by accident, against her that person’s will. Besides, Tempest was the greatest and Asami herself had seemed like a good person. She could be trusted, right? “We met this morning, actually… I’m a huge fan?”

Asami’s eyes widened in recognition and she nodded. “Let me just get Landslide healed and we can go somewhere and talk about this.”

“I’m cool, actually,” Landslide called from his bed. “The Avatar took care of it.”

“A Super who can heal,” Asami mused. “That could be handy out in the field. Guess that trip back home was a waste, though.”

“Sorry about that,” Korra said.

“I don’t think I’m the one you’ll need to apologize to.” Asami opened the infirmary door and stuck her head out into the hallway. “Wen, you can come in. Everyone else is masked.”

“I’m well aware, Ms. Sato. I heard the commotion,” a middle-aged man, Wen presumably, said. He was short, little more than five feet tall, and balding, but the way he carried himself showed that he was stronger than he appeared on first sight. Korra’s experience around soldiers told her that he was probably ex-military. “Avatar, I hope you don’t mind if I examine your work.”

“Go ahead.”

Wen approached Landslide, who presented his shoulder to him. Wen placed his palm flat on the shoulder in order to feel the flow of water within. “I must say I’m impressed,” he told Korra. “You did a remarkable job.”

“As good as you could’ve done?” Asami asked.

“Perhaps even better, as much as it pains me to admit it,” Wen said.

Asami looked over at a smug-looking Korra. “Well, now that that’s settled, you want to go talk somewhere?”

Korra could barely her excitement at the thought of spending one-on-one time with Tempest. Just the two of them talking, and then Korra would say something funny, and Asami would laugh and then she’d lean in and… No! Bad Korra! Get your mind out of the gutter! She cleared her throat awkwardly. “Yeah, sure. You have someplace in mind?”

“Just follow me.” She left the infirmary with Korra right behind her.

“So who was that guy? The healer, I mean.”

“Oh, that’s Wen, my butler.”

She has a butler? Korra thought. “Why was he waiting outside?”

“He doesn’t know Landslide’s identity. Or at least Landslide hasn’t revealed it to him yet, but I’m sure he’s figured it out. The guys and I hang out in civilian mode a lot, but Wen is respectful enough to not let on until they choose to tell him directly.”

A few doors down, Korra spied Wildfire coming out of another room. When he saw the both of them together, and Asami without her mask, he knew he was in deep shit. He reluctantly approached them. “Hey, Asa--”

“Save it!” Asami interrupted. “Are you done with the gym?”

“Uh, yeah. It’s all yours.”

“Good. Make sure to tell the others no one can come in until we’re done. The Avatar isn’t going to have her mask on.”

“Got it.”

“Now, how hard would it have been for you to call me and tell me something along those lines before I exposed my identity to an unknown?” Asami’s voice lost her edge towards the end, letting Wildfire know he was forgiven, even though she was clearly still annoyed.

“Not very hard at all. Won’t happen again, I promise.” He slipped past the both of them to continue down the hall. “Oh, and it was nice meeting you, Avatar.”

“Yeah, nice meeting you too.”

The two heroines entered the gym and Korra pulled off her helmet as soon as Asami shut the door behind her. “Finally, I can take this thing off!”

“Is it that uncomfortable?” Asami asked.

“Not really uncomfortable, just heavy as shit.”

“May I?” Asami asked, extending her hand. Korra handed the mask over, and Asami hefted it in her hands. “You weren’t kidding.”

“I know, right? But this baby’ll stop anything short of a bullet.”

“You know, I could probably make one just as durable and about a third as heavy.”

Korra took her helmet back with a reluctant smile. “As awesome as that would be Asami, I don’t think I could afford it.” There was that, and the fact that Korra loved her outfit exactly as it was.

“Oh, I wouldn’t charge you. I did the same thing for Landslide and Wildfire. You wouldn’t believe what they were running around in before I met them.”

Crap. Korra had to think of another way to let Asami down easy. Maybe the truth would work. “Listen, I really appreciate it, but I kinda want to keep my outfit exactly as it is. It reminds of home. Sorry.”

“It’s alright.” Asami offered a reassuring smile. “Trust me, I totally get the sentimentality. You wouldn’t believe how long it took me to work that scarf into Wildfire’s outfit in a practical way, but he refused to part with it.”

That managed to get a chuckle out of Korra. After that, they lapsed into a silence which was awkwardly broken (as was becoming the norm for them) by Asami.

“So you’re the Avatar, huh?”

“Yup. And you’re Tempest.”

“So how much of a fool did I make of myself asking you about you this morning?”

Korra laughed. “Wait, you’re embarrassed? How do you think I feel? I started geeking out about Tempest like crazy in front of you!”

“I’m always happy to meet a fan,” Asami said, smirking.

“And apparently, you’re also one of mine. So what’s with all the interest in me?” Korra asked.

“Well, you can bend all four elements. Noone’s ever heard of someone who can bend more than one element, let alone all of them. How does something like that happen?”

Korra hesitated. She had never shared how she got her powers before. She got them at one of the darkest points in her life. The Civil War still haunted her at times. What she had to do to ensure her people’s victory… still, she could always leave that part out, at least for the moment. However, before she could start, it seemed Asami had picked up on her reluctance. “Hey, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“No, it’s alright. It’s been a long time since I’ve thought about the past, but I can’t leave it buried forever.” Korra took a deep breath and began her story.

Five years ago…

Korra was exhausted. It had been another long day of running, keeping ahead of the Northern Water Tribes forces. Ever since her father’s imprisonment, the Southern Resistance had been falling apart. The lieutenants that remained spent more time bickering than fighting without Tonraq’s presence.

She still couldn’t believe all the atrocities her uncle had committed. It made Korra ashamed to remember how she once looked up to the man. How, when he brought his troops South, he had manipulated Korra into trying to convince her father not to fight, to just give up. How could she have been so blind?

It didn’t help that some of the men in the camp somehow expected her to take her father’s place. She didn’t see how she could measure up to that. She wasn’t a leader, she wasn’t even a waterbender! She was just a sixteen-year-old girl. And she was very tired.

Korra collapsed into her cot, determined to get as much sleep as she could, before the scouts outside reported enemy movement and the whole cycle of running and hiding started all over again. At least she had a tent all to herself. Perks of being the Chief’s daughter, even if he was in an enemy prison. It seemed that she had just shut her eyes when she felt a bright light shine on her face.

She groaned, expecting to see a soldier with a lantern when she opened her eyes. Instead, she saw what appeared to be a giant luminescent white and blue kite, floating in the middle of her tent. Had she finally lost it?

Greetings, Korra of the Southern Water Tribe.

It… spoke? Korra sighed. If this was a hallucination or some form of extremely vivid dream, it was marginally better than her reality. She decided to play along. “Um, greetings to you too… who are you?”

My name is Raava. I am here, Korra, because your world is in grave peril and requires my protection. I have chosen you to become my Avatar.

Okay, so a great big mystical kite was in her tent, speaking of grave peril. Well, it came about two years too late, in Korra’s opinion. Still, being an Avatar sounded cool. It sounded like some title bestowed upon a legendary warrior or something. “So what does that mean, exactly?” she asked.

I will combine my essence with yours. Through me, you will wield a great power. Enough to protect this world from whatever might threaten it.

To Korra there was only one thing “great power” meant. “You mean… I’ll be able to waterbend?”

You will be able to bend, but not just water. Once we are joined, you will have mastery over all four elements.

This deal was getting better and better! Or was it a deal? Korra hadn’t heard Raava offer her a choice in the matter. She just said she had been chosen. “What happens if I refuse?”

Then I will find someone who is willing. It is a great burden to be my Avatar, and a permanent one. Once our essences are combined, the only way to separate them again would be through your death. This is never a burden I would give to someone who is unwilling.

Dream or reality, Korra knew she had to make a decision. If she agreed, and this wasn’t a hallucination, she would apparently face the responsibility of saving the entire world. If she said no, that job would fall to someone else. Still, that threat wasn’t here yet, and Korra was facing a much more immediate one. She just had one more question. “If I agree to this, will you help me win this war?”

I will.

She gritted her teeth. ”Then I accept.”

Korra looked up to see Asami staring at her with rapt attention. “And then what happened?” she asked.

“Well, the next morning I kinda caused an avalanche that slowed down the Northern troops that were chasing us. That’s what convinced me it hadn’t all been just a crazy dream. Later I used my nifty new earthbending to break my dad out of prison and he took charge of the rebel troops again.”

And then came the question Korra was dreading. “So what did you do after that?”

“Well, I only ever told my parents the full story, and even if some of the lieutenants were told of the full range of my abilities, they never knew who I was. I was mostly called in when our troops were being overwhelmed. I’d show up, rain some fire on the enemy, and they’d run away scared. Two years later, the war was won.” She left out exactly how the war had been won. That wasn’t something Korra was eager to relive.

“So you single-handedly ended a years-long war?” Asami asked, clearly a bit skeptical.

“Not exactly,” Korra admitted. “You know that really obscure Avatar myth I told you about? I hadn’t even heard of it until after Raava found me. But apparently enough people knew about it, so we were able to weaponize it. My existence became kind of an open secret among the troops. Turns out believing a mythical hero has returned to fight at your side does wonders for morale. After the war was over, my dad was elected Chief pretty much unanimously, and I stayed to help him rebuild for a while, and now I’m here!”

Asami took some time to digest all this information, but it was clear something was still bothering her. “Okay, that’s great and all, but what about this warning of grave danger Raava mentioned? What was that all about?”

“I uh… I honestly don’t know.” Korra shifted nervously. For some reason, the fact that she didn’t know what was up with the whole world-ending threat was a bit of a sore spot for her. “After Raava and I fused… joined… whatever, I got a few flashes, kind of like memories only… I think they were from other Avatars. Like, the people Raava chose before me. I think I saw another mystical kite, like Raava but this one was all red and black and I think evil?”

“Hey! What’s wrong with black and red?” Asami teased.

“Nothing, if you can pull it off.” Korra replied. “But I just got a bad vibe from this guy. That’s actually another reason why I came to Republic City. Tenzin, er, Mayor Gyatso is an old friend of the family. His really big into meditation and communicating with your inner self and all that. He’s trying to teach me to get in contact with Raava, figure out what hell’s going on.”

“And in the meantime, you attend college, have an internship, and regularly go out at night to beat the crap out of people,” Asami said with a laugh. “I can’t believe you thought I was the intimidatingly impressive one this morning.”

“Hey, I think that’s true more than ever now. I mean, you’re friggin’ Tempest. Do you have any Idea how awesome that is?” Korra mentally kicked herself for letting the fangirl leak out, but Asami didn’t seem to mind.

“Very?”

“I was thinking more along the lines of ‘extremely’.”

Asami laughed again, and damn, if that wasn’t a sound Korra was quickly coming to love. However, Asami’s laughter was soon interrupted by a yawn. “Guess the adrenaline’s worn off, huh?”

“I guess. I should turn in soon either way. I have an early meeting tomorrow.”

“Seriously?” Korra asked. “On a Sunday? That sounds… awful.”

Asami gave Korra a wry smile. “One of the downsides of having clients all over the world. Put your mask back on. I’ll walk you out.”

They made their way back to the elevator, Wen joining them as they passed the infirmary. Once they were back in the garage, he got into the passenger seat of Tempest’s car.

“Are you sure you don’t want a ride?” Asami asked Korra.

“I’m sure. My dorm’s not too far from here,” Korra said, pointing in the general direction of the university.

“Alright, then. I guess I’ll see you around.”

As she turned to get into her car Korra called out, “Hey, Asami?”

“Yeah?”

Oh. Didn’t think this far ahead. Dammit! Korra’s instinct was telling her to just ask Asami out, but it was thankfully overridden by the rational part of her brain. After the whole Ikkuna fiasco back home, Korra had a strict “straight until proven gay” policy. It still didn’t mean that Korra wanted her relationship with Asami or with Tempest to be simply bumping into each other every so often. “Listen, I’m pretty new to this whole superhero business. You seem like a really cool person, and have been doing this a while so… would you maybe want to hang out sometime?”

“Of course. Are you free Wednesday afternoon?”

“Yeah, all my classes are in the morning.”

“Great! Just drop by my house any time after two.” With that, Asami got into her car, leaving Korra dumbfounded.

She tapped on the car window and Asami rolled it down. “Um… I don’t know where that is.”

“Oh, right… just look up the Sato Manor online. It’s technically a City Heritage site, it shouldn’t be too hard to find.” With a final wave to Korra she put her car in reverse and drove out of the garage, leaving Korra a giddy mess inside. She had a (kind of) date with the greatest superhero of all time!

She ran all the way home.