Loathe Potion #9

While on vacation in the spirit world, Asami notices that something is still bothering Korra. Realizing she needs to mend a mistake she made long ago, she finds a spirit who offers her a chance to make things right. But, what happens when the results are not what she had expected?

(~)

Asami's green eyes twinkled at the sight before her. She could hardly believe she was in the spirit world, and all from the graciousness of her best friend, Avatar Korra. She always wanted to have a sister, and now she did. It was such a wondrous feeling and it was exactly what she needed. She was so happy, who have thought that a woman could be just as happy with a best female companion than with a romantic one.

The girls had decided to go on a two week vacation into the Spirit World. It was a chance for Asami to unwind after the terrible death of her father. She was so happy to have a friend around to comfort her. That was all she truly needed.

She jumped and giggled like a child as she ran down the grassy hills. "This is amazing! Whooho!" she cheered as she did a summersault while the Avatar simply giggled from afar. She was glad she had suggested this. Seeing one of her friends happy gave her a warm feeling inside. However, deep down at the pit of her stomach, Korra couldn't help but feel that something was missing. She couldn't pinpoint why. She tried to brush it off, focusing on her best friend having fun just as she had hoped, but she couldn't shrug the feeling off. She then spotted a familiar flower and called to the heiress.

"Hey, Asami! Come here, I want to show you something."

Asami approached her and spotted the flower, arching an eyebrow in confusion. "It's pretty but, why are you-" she was interrupted when Korra's finger made contact with the pedal, and the flower transformed into a shimmering butterfly right before her eyes. "Wow! Now that is cool!"

Korra giggled, "That sounds like something Bolin would say." the two girls laughed as they continued their journey into the spirit world. They decided to set up came in the fields, since it seemed to be the most peaceful area they could find. It was lush and bright, filled with beautiful plants and transparent, colorful spirits soaring all around. Asami felt like she was in a fantasy.

"How can anyone not want to come here?" she asked, "It's so beautiful."

Korra's head popped up from inside her own tent, both had individual ones, "That's because this is only one part of the Spirit World."

"Well then let's go see the rest tomorrow." Asami insisted. "We can go find a river or a jungle or even find that spirit library you talked about before!" the heiress's voice was so filled with enthusiasm, but Korra simply arched an eyebrow and pouted her lip.

"The river's rapid, the library's got a large angry bird, there's a fog of lost souls, you don't wanna go there."

Asami pouted as well, "Scaredy cat." she said bluntly…only to get a pile of dirt to the face. "Hey!"

Korra simply laughed and Asami placed her hands on her hips, "Oh, so it's like that, isn't it?" she rolled up her sleeves and swept her long bang over her head, "Bring it!"

The two girls started to throw dirt at each other as if they were little children. For a moment, Korra forgot all about that sinking feeling that made her feel like something was off. Maybe all she needed was to simply submerge herself in the fun. For a good while, that is exactly what she did. She enjoyed the laughter and silliness. However, all of that soon came to an end once she spotted it.

There on the ground stood two flowers. One a bright shimmering clear sky blue and the other was a vibrant crimson red with orange tips on its petals. What was odd was that the two flowers looked intertwined with one another. They looked like the DNA-like effects seen in the spirit portals, only they remained perfectly united and balanced. For some reason, these flowers seemed to draw her attention. She stooped playing and got down on her knees, simply staring at the plants, perfectly woven together like it was meant to be. She slightly tilted her head, both intrigued and mesmerized by the beauty of the plants. Then, that feeling returned. The feeling like something was incomplete. Like an unfinished business that needed to be done or else she would feel this way for good. She thought all of those uneasy feelings were behind her, but clearly there was still one thing that she needed to do first. And as much as she didn't want to say it out loud, she knew what it was.

She was interrupted by her thoughts when Asami placed her hand on her shoulder. "Korra? You okay?" she asked, dropping the piece of dirt that was intended for the Avatar. Korra shook her head and stood back up, dusting the messy brown earth from her cloths. Both hers and Asami's hair were a complete mess and their cloths were just as much.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I guess I just got a bit sidetracked."

Asami stood up, also dusting herself, "Maybe that's enough silliness for today."

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure there's a stream nearby. I'll go make sure, wait here." the Avatar dashed off to find the location of the stream, and Asami looked down at the flowers.

The plants seemed to be drawing a picture in her mind. Suddenly, all memories of the past came back. Memories she thought she could burry and never bring back up again. But as it seemed, these were memories that she needed to confront. And she had been pushing them away for so long now. If she was going to keep her friendship with Korra, she would need to confront this past. No matter how hard it mate be.

(~)

That night, the girls found a nice stream where they could clean themselves. Their cloths were still wet but they wore plain white shirts and shorts as a substitute. The shirts were rather baggy and a bit large for them, but it didn't bother them. There weren't any guys around to check them out so they were in the clear anyway.

The stream was somewhat hidden in a half opened cave, with a second opening just above, allowing the evening sky and stars to shine above their heads. There was a waterfall which they used as a shower.

"When we get back you have got to go with me to the spa." said Asami, allowing the water to wet her to the bone.

Korra was laying on the side of the stream, her lower torso submerged in water, and her arms behind her head. "Yeah…no."

"Oh, come on! I came with you to the spirit world, didn't I?"

"This was your idea." Korra reminded her, "Besides, I don't like other people touching my hands or feet. Or putting green goop on my face."

"Well, you have to at least try the mud bath."

"Ha! I once battled Toph Beifong herself in a swamp. That's as close to a mud bath as I wanna get."

Asami rolled her eyes, letting her now loose hair get wet and flat do to the water falling all over her. Then, she noticed Korra's expression. She was zoning out again. The Avatar gaze up at the night sky, her mind deep in thought. The unfulfilled feelings returned once more. The spirit world was so vast and large, and she felt so small…and maybe a tad empty.

Asami sat beside, Korra didn't even look at her, all she heard was the sound of dripping water for her eyes were still on the starts and sky. "There you go again." said the heiress.

"What?" Korra asked, finally looking at Asami.

"Earlier today you zoned out because of a couple of flowers, and now you're zoning out by looking at stars."

"So what? It's not a crime to admire nature, right?"

"Korra, I know we've only became friends three years ago before you got poisoned, but I think I know you well enough to see when something is bothering you. I'm no mind reader but if you want to talk about it I'm willing to listen."

Korra knew this was true. Asami was one of the people she knew she could trust with the truth. But if she told her, what would she think?

"Okay, but please don't take it the wrong way."

"How can I if you haven't told me yet?"

Korra covered her face with her hands in embarrassment, "You know, when I was a little kid, I would sometimes dream about having an older sister with who to talk to about personal things and now, after all this time, I finally got it."

Asam smiled, feeling touched by Korra's words. She took a deep breath before starting.

"Okay….remember when I wrote you that letter instead of sending them to Bolin and Mako?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I never told anyone the whole story as to why." Asami set there in silence as Korra continued, "You see, while I was away and I received all of those letters from everyone, I wanted to write back but I never knew what to say. You guys all saw me as this incredible hero but I still had a hard time seeing it. In my room, I would spend hours writing letters to each of you. Some I actually managed to send. Like to Tenzin and his family and you, of course. But the truth is, and please don't take this the wrong way, but….I actually wrote Mako and Bolin letters before writing yours. It pretty much started the same and I only added the 'don't tell them part.' latter on. I wrote two long letters to them, to Bolin about how much he means to me and what a great friend and brother he was. For Mako….well…"

She was silent for a moment, unsure if to continue. Asami knew this part was a bit harder for her. "Well…?"

"Well….his was nearly three pages long."

Asami's eyes widened. She had no idea.

"I don't know what came over me that day. It was like I was poring my whole entire heart into those three papers. Everything I felt, everything I wanted to say, putting it all on paper. But once I was done…I couldn't send it." her head hung in sadness and regret, "For one thing, I didn't know if he had already moved on and if he did, then I would only be hurting myself. And if he didn't move on and still had feelings for me, then I would be tormenting us both because he would continue to wait for me and I wasn't even sure if I would come back or not. So I didn't send it only to spare us any heartache. Besides, even if I had send it, it would be like I was loosing him all over again….and I had lost too much already."

The Avatar was silent for a moment before speaking again.

"I told the three of you everything I wanted to say, or at least wished I could have said to you all before I left. Heck, even your letter was more of an apology for the whole 'love triangle' thing. I had to shorten it just to save myself the humiliation. If Bolin got his letter and Mako didn't get his, I would be hurting him too. That's why I trusted you with this because you're way more emotionally strong than I was and I both envied and admired you for that."

Asami took a moment to let it sink in. After a few seconds she spoke, "I knew there was a deeper reason as to why you told me not to tell them. We may be friends but even I know you're connection with the boys was a bit stronger. And with Mako, you…well…"

Korra nodded, "Yeah. Even when I saw him I still felt scared. I didn't know what to say. I guess I was just confused and I'm still confused and…." she groaned as she submerged the rest of her body into the water, leaving only her nose, eyes and top of her head visible. Asami felt sympathy for her friend.

"Well, why can't you tell him? You know he hasn't dated anyone since you two broke up. And he most certainly never came back to me in that time either. So what's stopping you?"

Korra sat back up, "Everything! What if he doesn't feel the same way anymore and I end up looking like an idiot?"

"But, you do still have feelings for him, right?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Yes. Kind of. Possibly." she groaned once again, "I'm sorry. This was suppose to be our vacation and I'm ruining it."

"You're not ruining anything." Asami assured her, "I'm glad we could talk about this. It's good that you let this stuff out. But even you need to know you can't keep this inside forever."

"Then what am I suppose to do?"

"Talk to him. At least you won't spend the rest of your life wondering 'what if?'"

"It's not that simple Asami. At least not for me. Mako was the first person to ever truly inspire me to keep going. To keep being strong. His love towards his brother, his thrive to succeed and protect. Even when I was in the South Pole he was still on my mind. I remembered the stories he told me about having to survive in the streets and how resourceful he was. Even now, every time I think of him, he still inspires me. And I've come to realize he did impact me in a way. I know he's made mistakes but, even that doesn't change the goodness I know he has in his heart. That very goodness is what made me fall in love with him the first time, and whenever I look into his eyes I can still see it. It's like this thread that keeps up together even when the world says otherwise."

Asami sighed, "It seems you have a lot to say. Problem is, you're saying them to the wrong person."

"Even if I did have the chance, I know I'll freeze. I've had other chances and I kept wimping out. Maybe the damage is too much for there to be anything between us again."

"You don't believe that. Quit being scared."

Korra turned away, allowing a single tear to roll down her eye. "Asami?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever been in love. I mean, really, really in love before?"

Asami turned her gaze to the water, "I…I can't say that I have."

"Then you wouldn't understand."

(~)

After drying themselves up, the two girls slept in their individual tents. But while Korra managed to sleep peacefully, Asami was stirring and sweeting. She relived the events as if they were only yesterday. The day she hit Mako with her moped, when Korra was jealous, the betrayals, the lies, the misunderstandings, the confusions. And now, it all led up to when she and Korra went off to the spirit world, and the last image she saw was the face of a depressed firebender.

Asami jolted awake, taking in slow deep breaths. That was when it clicked. Ever since the beginning, she had come in between the two, making things more complicated. And now, she was doing it again, keeping Korra to herself because she was still hurt over what happened to her father.

She knew it wasn't entirely her fault and she was thankful that Korra, and even Mako, would put their own feelings aside for her sake. They've been doing this from the start, even if they had made mistakes before in the past relationship wise. But she now knew they could have been fixed, if they had tried. And Asami was somewhat oblivious to it for a while now.

She knew she needed to do something for them both. Korra had been such a selfless friend to her, and even Mako had his generous moments towards her as well, even if Asami herself did put the moves on him after his first breakup with Korra. She couldn't let them suffer anymore. They had helped her, now it was her turn to help them. She loved them both too much to see them suffer like this.

She got up and stepped outside, making sure Korra was still asleep, before taking a midnight walk. Her nightgown bellowed in the soft wind. She had to think of something to get Korra and Mako together again. But what?

As she continued to walk, she heard what appeared to be…singing?

It sounded like a woman, or something like that. She followed the voice, walking farther away from the campsite. She stumbled upon the same stream as before in the cave, only now, there appeared to be someone else there. The singing grew even louder. Asami hid behind the entrance as she spotted it.

It looked like a spirit of some kind, female with a sparkly, blue illuminated body filed with sparkles all around. She had no legs but what appeared to be some kind of ghost-like tail and hair styled into a braid-like look, the same color as her skin. Her ears were long and pointy and she was no bigger than Pabu. The spirit was stinging underneath the light of the stars in the opening of the cave.

Looooove….

Love is strange

Many people….

Take it for a game

Once you get it

You're in an awful fix

After you've had it

You never wanna quit.

Asami slowly entered the cave, hiding behind various rocks as the spirit somehow managed to create lovely flowers all around the cave, which sparkled like moonbeams. The heiress was fascinated by all of this and the spirit herself had a lovely singing voice.

People

They don't understand

They think love is

Is money in the hands

'Cause sweet loving

Is better than a kiss

Once you've had it

You never wanna quit.

Asami stumbled and a rock slid into the waters, starling the spirit. "Who's there?!" she asked.

Asami hesitantly stepped out from behind her hiding spot, "Um, hello. I'm sorry if I disturbed you but-"

"Oh, you have no idea!" said the spirit, sounding like any other female and not too frightened by Asami's presence. "When I heard humans could visit the spirit world I didn't think to find one tonight."

Asami looked around the cave, admiring the beautiful flowers. "You made all of these?"

"Oh, me? No, no, no. I was just enjoying them bloom. They grow in this cave once every few weeks. Tomorrow, many spirits will come over to find flowers for their beloved."

That was when Asami gained a great idea. "Really?"

"Oh, yes. These flowers are told to have special properties. They was fix broken hearts and rekindle any dimmed flame."

"They can do that?" Asami asked, finding herself very interested in these plants.

"Oh, yes. I adore seeing them blossom. They are a wonderful gift to give to someone you love."

Asami tapped her chin in thought, "Do you think I maybe could have one?"

"Do you have someone special in your life?"

"No, not really. It's more for a friend. Or, two friends, actually. Let's just say they're having some…communication troubles recently and they could use a little boost. Maybe these flowers can help them in any way."

The spirit tapped her chin in thought for a few moments before speaking, "So, you want your friends to feel the love, right?"

"Well, yeah pretty much."

"Tell ya what, you seem like a nice gal, so why don't I do you something better!"

"Like what?"

The spirit looked around and whispered in Asami's ear, "I can whip up a little elixir for you to give to your friends."

Asami's eyes widened, "Elixir? What do you mean?"

"The kind that will rekindle their dying flame, of course." the spirit giggled as she spun around the air like she was swimming and took a petal from the flower. "All you have to do, is sprinkle this into their drinks, but make sure they drink it at the exact same time. And once they do, they'll feel the butterflies, the tingles, the blush, before you know it, they'll be smooching before lunch!"

Asami was rather hesitant at first, "I don't know. It doesn't seem right to give this to them. I mean, they already care about each other."

"Exactly! The potion will only remind them of it. Trust me, It'll do the trick. No one can force anyone to fall in love, not even me. But I can help get the ball rolling. The rest will be up to them. I give you my word, it's 100% safe."

Asami pondered. Was this a good idea? Korra was still hesitant to speak with Mako. Maybe this would remove any fear she had. Talking wasn't enough and she couldn't let the two keep this up any longer. She cared about them too much for that.

"Okay, I'll take it."

The spirit cheered as she began waving her arms around the petal, twisting it and allowing some kind of powdery substance to fall into a bottle she made appear out of thin air. She placed it in Asami's hand, the bottle sparkled in a purple light.

"Remember, make sure they drink it at the same time. Then let Love take its natural course."

"And you're sure, if I give this to Korra and Mako, it will remind them of how much they mean to one another?"

"I guarantee it honey. True Love will be the victor."

The heiress nodded her head in gratitude and headed outside of the cave. Once she returned to her tent, she tucked the bottle away.

There was a lot of work to do once they got back home.

(~)

Bet you can't guess who the 'Spirit' really is, can ya? Take a wild guess.

Again, I warned you, this is a Makorra fanfic. And it will be rather short, mainly two chapters at best.

Hope you enjoy it, and don't worry, I haven't forgotten about "Tales of Equestria."