(See the end of the chapter for more notes .)

This piece will connect to my Equalist Asami piece, "Parts to Play". I've kept references to that AU mostly out of this work, so far, to keep it as a standalone. That background has little bearing on their relationship at this point in the series.

Takes place during the Season 3 finale, in the two weeks between their final confrontation with the Red Lotus and Jinora's tattoo ceremony, and the days immediately after after that.

Chapter Text

Air Temple Island was the busiest that Asami had ever seen it. Dozens of men and women in full air acolyte garb were hustling around the main courtyard. Some pulled carts of construction materials: carved stone and wooden beams. Others were repainting sections of the temple that had cracked or faded.

For decades, only Tenzin and his family had resided here. Though the Temple was not in disrepair, much of the temple had never been inhabited. There was plenty to do to around the island - rooms to clean and furnish, gardens to tend, storm-proofing the coastline. The beginnings of an entire nation now called the temple island home. And on top of that, Tenzin had announced that Jinora would be receiving the markings of an airbending master. Preparations for both permanent settlement and a celebration were well underway all around her. It was bustling and rowdy. Asami could only imagine how Korra was faring with a mob of her biggest fans now crawling over her home when she was trying to recover.

Four days had passed since they’d returned to Republic City. Four days of no word from Tenzin other than that Korra was awake. The scramble at Sato Industries to aid in reconstruction efforts had kept Asami busy, but she could have broken away at any time. The truth was, she hadn’t mustered the strength to sail to the island till now.

She couldn’t shake the memory of Korra’s broken body at the bottom of the canyon. Half delirious, her body shattered, her mind and soul ravaged by the poison flowing through her.

They had captured Zaheer that day and stopped his plans, but he had taken so much along the way that Asami was hesitant to believe that they had truly won.

Nightmares brought it fresh to her mind every night. There was nothing she could have done to save Korra from that pain. Asami needed to know that she was going to be alright.

Asami silently avoided meeting eyes with anyone as she made her way to the temple. Most of the acolytes and airbenders only knew of her by name, and she managed to slip past the crowd and make her way into the living quarters of the temple. Where once there had been the easy quiet of a home and the sounds of children, a ruckus of construction and strangers filled the halls.

Asami turned down a hallway, and Korra’s mother nearly collided into her with a tea tray.

“Senna!” Asami grabbed the other side of the tray to steady them both. She smiled at the woman, but only found a very exhausted mother looking back at her. “How is she?”

The older woman let out a measured breath. “Korra’s out of immediate danger. The healers have set all the bones, and helped manage the pain. She’s been resting.” Senna adjusted her balance on the tray. “I was just about to take her something to eat.”

Asami nodded gently, studying the tea set and bowl of soup and noodles. “Mako and Bolin said they stopped by yesterday, but they didn’t see her?”

Senna took another long breath. Asami recognized an attempt to not cry. She guessed Senna had been holding herself together like that for some time. “Yes. She...she wasn’t up for visitors.”

Asami saw that Senna’s hand trembled a bit under the tray, and she reached out again to support it. “I wouldn’t technically be a visitor if I’m bringing her lunch, would I?”

Senna managed a small smile.

“Please, Senna, go rest. Let me help with this so you can get a little sleep.”

Korra’s mother hesitated for a moment, but when Asami lifted the tray from her hands, the woman’s shoulders visibly relaxed. “That’s very sweet, Asami. Thank you. I’m sure a friendly face is something she needs right now, even if...” She trailed off.

Asami watched her eyes for a long moment. “Senna?”

“...Be patient with Korra,” she finally said. “She’s trying to process everything and she’s not quite there yet.”

The dread that had been creeping in the back of Asami’s mind reared its ugly head. She nodded and turned down the hallway towards Korra’s room, but it took some doing to force herself to move forward.

Asami slowly entered Korra’s bedroom, balancing the tray in her arms. The blinds were shut, leaving the room drenched in shadows. Only thin beams of sunlight pierced through the wooden slats over the window. Naga’s massive white form was curled up against the side of the bed. At the sound of Asami’s footsteps, the polar bear dog lifted her head for a moment and chuffed at the girl.

In the dim light, Asami could make out Korra’s form propped up by a mountain of pillows. She wasn’t asleep, though; the Avatar’s head reclined back as she stared up at the ceiling.

Asami stepped to a dresser without speaking, the stoneware teakettle clanging gently as she set the tray down. She began steeping loose tea when she heard rustling from the bed.

“I wasn’t making too much noise, was I?” Asami asked, slowly stirring the tea leaves.

“Asami,” Korra breathed, “I...I wasn’t-” Asami glanced back to see Korra slowly sit up, pulling her blanket up further to cover her chest bindings. “Where’s my mother?”

“I offered to help,” she said, “I hope that’s okay.”

The two young women slowly met eyes. Korra nodded quietly.

A shell of a human stared at Asami from the bed. Korra looked so small, like a child, overwhelmed by a sea of blankets and bedding. Bandages spiraled down her arms and around her stomach, holding her fractured bones together. Her right arm was strapped in a sling to immobilize it. She looked trapped and restrained to the bed. Her dark hair fell down her shoulders, unkempt and loose. Her skin was a sickly pale. Her face sunken, dull.

This was not the girl that Asami had escaped the desert with, or fought off the Equalists side by side with. Zaheer’s poison and brutality had taken their toll. Korra had not survived their battle whole.

Asami didn’t mean to stare, but Korra caught the look, and dropped her gaze to the bed, embarrassed. “I kept telling Mom to rest.”

Asami tried to smile. “Well, then, it’s a good thing I’m here. Are you hungry?” She began pouring out herbal tea into two cups. “There’s soup here.”

“No.”

Naga craned up to rest her head on Korra’s lap and nudge her for attention. Korra’s fingers reached out of instinct and wandered through the soft white fur.

Asami cradled a half full tea cup in her hands, stepping to the bed and offering it to Korra. “What about tea?” she said, “Something to help you relax.”

“No.” Korra stared out at the window, as though she could see past the blinds to the bay. After a long moment the Avatar spoke, her voice hard, tired. “I can’t feel my legs,” she said.

Asami’s chest tightened. The words had left Korra with a heavy weight of finality. Asami had never heard her sound so defeated. “That’s what the healers are for,” Asami managed out. “It’s only been a few days, Korra.”

Naga whined softly when Korra stopped stroking her fur. She lay back against her pillows and returned to staring at the ceiling.

Asami lowered herself to the edge of the bed, taking a slow drink of tea from Korra’s cup. She sat in silence in what increasingly felt like an empty room.