"Thanks for the ride Naga!" Asami exclaimed as she slid off of the back of the panting polar bear dog. She walked around to Naga's face and gave her a scratch behind her right ear. Naga leaned into her hand and gave it a soft lick as she pulled away.

As Naga turned to leave, Asami called her back. "One second girl, I've got something for you to give to Korra." She pulled a small piece of rolled paper from the inside of her jacket and secured it to Naga's harness. She pet Naga behind her ears and whispered "Make sure Korra gets this. It's important." She pulled Naga's face towards her for a small hug. Naga licked her cheek and sped off. Asami watched until Naga was out of sight with a soft smile on her lips.

She sighed and turned to face the Future Industries Factory that Naga had taken her to. It would take some time before they were able to make progress on repairing the sabotaged equipment in the facility. Asami straightened her shoulders and walked briskly into the factory, preparing herself for a long day. She was grateful, though. The damage could have been much worse than what is was. Thanks to Korra, the destruction was minimized. They even managed to find the culprit of the sabotage (Damn Cabbage Corp, Asami thought to herself as she observed the equipment before entering the operator's shack). Still, if the entire factory went down, then many of her other facilities and workers would be decommissioned until repairs were made, since this factory produced important bases for her current Satomobile line. She was more than happy that production only had to slow for a few days. With this in mind, she pulled the door open and began speaking to the mechanics in the shack.

(-)

Korra had just exited the lounge of Asami's apartment complex when Naga ran up to her.

"Hey girl," Korra greeted Naga with an affectionate hug around her neck. She had only been in Republic City for a few days after being on her own for six months, and she missed her beloved animal companion. Naga wrapped a paw around Korra in response. Korra smiled and pulled away, tracing her hands through Naga's fur. She hit her harness and felt something unexpected.

"What's this?" She asked herself more than her polar bear dog as she pulled the rolled up paper from the harness. She unrolled it and read the message, in beautiful handwriting:

Dinner at my place, 10:00 PM.

Korra recognized the handwriting immediately as Asami's and felt her cheeks heat up. She hid the note in her pants pocket before anyone could notice her blush, but that smile of excitement remained on her face despite her efforts. She flew onto Naga, propelled by air bending, and directed Naga through the streets of Republic City. She couldn't decipher why she was so happy about this note; she had just eaten dinner with Asami the night before (Man, that was good, Korra thought to herself, praising the cooking skills she learned from her mother). For some reason, Korra just kept smiling.

"What are you smiling about?" A voice shot around her as Naga arrived in front of Tenzin's home on Air Temple Island. She didn't even realize they had travelled there (even with Naga swimming through the water); her mind was focused on other things. She brought Naga to a halt and scanned her surroundings. The voice sounded familiar to her, and when she felt the whip of an air scooter whiz by her ear, she knew exactly who it was.

She flipped off of Naga and sent a current of air in the path of the young airbender. It caught his air scooter and sent him flying forward (much to his surprise). He landed softly, as most airbenders do, and turned to Korra.

"You can't just mess up Meelo the Man's air scooter like that!" He shot air back at Korra. She deflected it and continued to spar with Meelo. She maintained a grin on her face, but this one was much different from the previous one. She was competing, and she was holding her own pretty damn well against the airbender.

"What is going on out here?" An older voice called as he approached the two benders. They both stopped in their tracks, air fading from behind them.

Korra spoke first. "Sorry Tenzin. Meelo and I were just playing." She rubbed his hair, which caused him to pull back and pout. Korra laughed. "Meelo the man is certainly a great bender," Korra smiled down at Meelo, causing him to shrug his shoulders and smile.

"What can I say, I'm pretty good." Meelo crossed his arms as he replied. Tenzin, on the other hand, sighed into his hand, where his fingers were on the bridge of his nose.

"Korra and I have some things to take care of Meelo. Go help your mother with lunch."

Meelo whined and threw up another air scooter. Though it moved enough to sustain him, it certainly didn't have that spirit like the one Korra stopped earlier. The pair watched him speed off before they resumed. Tenzin placed a hand around Korra's shoulders and ushered her away from the temple.

"Come, Korra. We have much to do."

(-)

Asami reviewed everything in her head as she prepared the meal. It had been a long time since she had cooked, let alone made anything this fancy. She was trying to recall the recipe, her mind quite tired from working on repairs in the factory. She noticed her reflection in the windows as she set the table. At least I look nice, she thought to herself, trying to compensate for her doubts in her cooking skills. Just as she had put two unlit candles on the table, a knock penetrated the working silence. Asami smiled, straightened her outfit, and walked to the door. She pulled it open to see a smiling Korra who was dressed classier than Asami would have presumed.

"Hey!" Korra greeted Asami with a big smile after pausing to take in Asami's red and black silk dress. Asami smiled in response, taking the time that Korra paused to observe the many shades of blue of Korra's Water Tribe Outift. She gestured Korra to enter and shut the door after. She watched Korra take in the atmosphere she had set up with a proud smile on her face.

"Wow, Asami, it looks great in here. And look at these plates! And the food!" Korra bent down to inspect the meal on the table. "You really know how to show me up!" Korra laughed and strode to Asami. She chuckled in response.

"It's all looks Korra. Trust me, my food won't taste nearly as good as yours. It's definitely…" she had to pause for a moment to think of the correct word, "edible, though." Korra merely smiled in response. She put her hand on Asami's shoulder.

"I bet it tastes great." Korra smiled wider and walked towards the table. Asami followed and realized there was something missing. The candles, she thought.

"I'll be right back." She left the room and dug around her kitchen for her lighter. Korra's eyes followed Asami until she was out of sight. She looked back to the table and pondered. What could possibly be missing? She thought to herself. When it occurred to her, after hearing many drawers open and close to no avail, that the candles were unlit, she put a smug smile on. She shot two little flicks of fire from her fingers and lit the wicks. By the time Asami returned, Korra was leaning against the wall, still looking smug.

Asami looked at the candles, dumbstruck for a split second, until she realized what happened. She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow, though she shot a smile at Korra.

"What? I'm a firebender." Korra pushed herself off of the wall and sat across from where Asami was standing. All Asami could do was shake her head and chuckle as she took her place at the table.

(-)

"Asami, that food was so good" Korra exclaimed as she plopped onto Asami's bed. She stretched her arms out on either side of her and looked up at her ceiling. With a sigh, she closed her eyes. "Your bed is so comfy" she murmured, thinking back to all of the floors she slept on in her six months alone.

Asami chuckled and sat at the edge of the bed to remove her shoes. She looked over her shoulder to Korra as she stood up to change out of her dress. She took in Korra's figure while she could; muscular and lean (maybe too lean, Asami thought, remembering that Korra had spent months on her own and wondering what her diet was like), but there was something else about her. Korra looked very beautiful in her dress clothes, Asami couldn't deny that. But she also looked… drained was the best word Asami could think of. She thought of the bruise she scraped the night before. How many bruises did she have? Asami wondered.

"Is everything okay?" Korra brought Asami out of her thoughts. She had caught Asami staring. Even though her face showed concern, her eyes had a mischievous light to them. Busted, Asami thought. She gave Korra a small smile and reassured her that everything was fine. She wandered to the bathroom to change. When she emerged, Korra was also changing out of her dress clothes.

"Did you remember pajamas this time?" Asami asked and smiled when Korra froze. Dammit, Korra thought as she kept her last layer of clothing on. She stood rigidly from her bent position and turned to Asami with an embarrassed look on her face. Asami chuckled. "It's fine Korra, I've got some you can wear." She didn't move to get them though. Instead, she moved to Korra and rested her forearms on Korra's shoulders. She could see the exhaustion in those blue eyes. She slid her hands down Korra's arms and laced their fingers together. "Come on" she pulled Korra to the bed. Korra sat down and crossed her legs. Asami sat behind her and placed her hands on Korra's shoulders.

"What are you doing… Asami?" She sighed Asami's name as Asami started massaging Korra's shoulders and neck. Korra was in complete bliss: there were few things she loved more than a good massage, and with all of the training and fighting and everything else that had been going on, she welcomed the massage with no hesitation.

Before she realized it, Asami was whispering in her ear. "Lay down." Korra felt a surge travel across her skin from her neck down to her waist. She followed instructions without question. Asami crouched over Korra and continued the massage. Korra could feel the stress melt away, until Asami accidentally struck a particularly painful bruise. Korra winced and Asami stopped immediately.

"Are you okay Korra?" Korra nodded and laid herself flat again (she didn't even realize she had jumped up to lean on her elbows from the pain). Korra closed her eyes and hoped she didn't ruin the moment. She was convinced she had until Asami ran her hands underneath Korra's shirt. Korra let out a very faint moan to the softness of the palms against her. She felt Asami lean down to her ear again as her hands moved higher up her back. They brushed over her bindings and were now on Korra's shoulders. "Maybe we should get this shirt off," Asami whispered.

Korra sat up immediately and helped pull her last layer off. She lay back down and Asami analyzed her back. It was incredibly toned, but also marked with bruises and cuts of many shapes, sizes, and colors. She noticed four fresh lines on Korra's left shoulder that moved right over a bruise. Asami blushed when she realized those marks were from her nails last night and continued massaging around Korra's injuries and bindings to hide her reaction. Throughout the massage, Korra let out small sighs and moans of pleasure, just soft enough to be audible. Korra's volume increased when Asami travelled to her lower back.

"Your lower back is really tense" Asami commented as she increased the pressure. She noticed a shift in Korra's body and couldn't quite place it, but the sound Korra let out made her believe she was enjoying it. She heard Korra mumble "harder" and Asami followed suit. She put as much pressure on her back as she could. She moved over Korra's spine and Korra jolted. Asami jumped off of Korra's back and onto the bed next to Korra. Korra was arched upright, her hands were gripping the sheets, and her eyes were glowing. Korra was in the Avatar State, and her face showed an immense amount of pain. Asami began to tremble and reached out to Korra.

"Water" she heard Korra's voice mixed in with another's. She ran to the sink in the bathroom and filled a large cup up with water. She entered the room but before she could reach Korra, the water was bent out of the cup. Korra was in the same position as her hand, now surrounded by the water, glowed as well. She moved her hand to her back where Asami had been massaging and the brightness of the water intensified. Korra's face grimaced further and she began to sweat, still in the Avatar State. Asami watched, stuck in her tracks, as Korra twitched and continued moving her hand around her lower back. Her body was tense but her movements were gentle, like flowing water. Tears streamed down Korra's face as her hand pulled off of her spine. Asami saw a wave of light follow Korra's hand, as if Korra was pulling something out of her back.

The mass around Korra's hand was larger and brighter than before. It flew to the ground as Korra collapsed onto the bed. She was motionless, except for her deep panting. Asami rushed to her and flipped Korra so her back was against the sheets. Korra opened her eyes weakly, tears no longer flowing down her cheeks. That didn't stop Asami's though. They dripped down onto Korra's chest, mixing with her sweat.

"I'm okay" Korra whispered. She tried to sit up, but Asami held her torso down. Korra put her hand up to Asami's face and wiped away her tears.

"What… what happened?" Asami wasn't sure if she said that aloud or not. Korra's face perplexed for a moment. The Avatar herself wasn't even sure what happened. Asami watched as she tried to recall the events.

"Energy" Korra muttered, closing her eyes and steadying her breathing. She opened them to a confused, but calmer, Asami. "Energy… flows throughout… the body," Korra explained in between deep breaths. She hadn't quite recovered herself yet. "They flow through… different chakras…" Korra continued. Her hand was now on Asami's shoulder. Those green eyes looked into Korra's intently. "And… these chakras… can get congested… when energy… swirls" Korra struggled to explain the concept. "I think… I think you found a spot where the energy was pooled…" Korra tried to sit up again. Asami let her this time and sat beside Korra, her hand around Korra's shoulders.

"Did I…" Asami's voice caught up in her throat again, but only for a second. "Did I hurt you?" Korra shook her head.

"In waterbending healing, we are able to heal and sense energy in bodies." Korra's breath was catching up. "When you put pressure on my back, I don't know how, but I went into the Avatar State" Korra paused and grimaced. "I saw Zaheer again," she continued, lowering her eyes. "But I think I pulled some of the pooled energy out. I don't remember completely."

"You did something with the water I brought you. You had it around your hand, and it was glowing." Asami tightened her grip on Korra and placed her free hand on Korra's forearm. Korra looked even more exhausted then before. Asami pulled her closer and Korra melted into her. She felt the tension in the Avatar's body drain. "Let's get some rest," Asami whispered as she moved them both into a laying position. Korra wrapped her arms around Asami and closed her eyes. She took in Asami's scent and softness as Asami played with Korra's hair.

Before Korra fell into a dreamless sleep, she felt Asami's lips press against her forehead.

(-)

Korra woke up to some of the worst back pain she had ever felt in her life. She was on her side when she opened her eyes, unable to even roll over. She tried to put her hand on her lower back but couldn't. She tried to move once more and groaned. Asami entered the room immediately, carrying a tray of tea.

"Korra, you're awake. Are you okay?" Asami asked as she set the tray next to the bed. She crawled beside Korra and placed a hand on Korra's bare shoulder. Korra looked up at her compassionate eyes with tired ones.

"Asami, my back. It hurts…" That was all Korra could mutter. Asami ran her fingers over Korra's lower back and the dull ache intensified.

"I think I have a heating pad somewhere. Do you want it?" Korra nodded to Asami in response to her question. Asami pulled a blue, cloth covered item out of her drawer. "Can you sit up?" Asami asked as she plugged the device into the nearest outlet. Korra shook her head with teary eyes. Asami gave her a soft smile and slowly moved Korra to a half-sitting position. Korra groaned as she was moved onto the pad. Asami positioned it on Korra's back and turned it on. Heat started flowing to Korra's back and Asami noticed the tension leave Korra's limbs.

"That feels really nice…" Korra sighed as she reached for the tea Asami was handing her.

"You didn't sleep very well last night," Asami admitted with a touch of worry in her eyes. "You were really tense and you were panting. I tried to wake you up but you wouldn't. Were you having nightmares?" Asami's hand was on Korra's again. Korra shook her head.

"I didn't see anything in my sleep last night. I felt a lot though…" Korra finished her tea and placed it on the table next to the bed. She couldn't quite explain what she felt in her sleep.

"I'll get you some more tea and some food." Asami brushed some hair behind Korra's ear and kissed her forehead. Korra looked to her with grateful eyes and a grateful smile. As Asami left, Korra could feel the exhaustion creep into her body once more.

"I'll just close my eyes for a little…" Korra whispered to herself before she fell asleep.

Asami returned with the same tray full of food and tea. She nearly dropped the tray when she saw Korra. Korra was asleep, her whole body limp, but some sort of white mass was floating out of Korra's mouth. It was faint and moved in little waves like the steam of the tea. Asami rushed to Korra's side and checked for a pulse. When she found one, she placed her hands on either side of Korra's face and pleaded for her to wake up. Korra remained motionless. Her breaths were slow and steady, but faint.

"What have I done?" Asami asked herself, tears streaming down her face, as she held Korra's hand in hers. "What have I done…"

***EDIT (12/1/14): Hello everyone! I wanted to thank-you for all of your feedback and reviews. It is very much appreciated. Since I've had some guest reviews that I can't reply to privately, I'm going to reply here! I will also address the user-reviews here as well.

Dreamer: I am so glad that you like my story so much and apologize for the stress it may be inducing. I understand quite well the pains of reading a good story and having to wait and wait for an update. Rest assured, though, as I plan to update within the next week or so (depending on how well my schoolwork/exams go). The Avatar life can be quite mysterious! Korra and Asami's relationship is definitely stronger than your typical friendship and will develop further throughout the story. I very much appreciate all of your compliments! I spent quite some time developing this story. Korra always has a room available to her at Air Temple Island, but she likes to go to Asami's apartment in Republic City as well (different from Asami's Mansion where Mako and Bolin's family is staying). As a note, this is supposed to take place in between episodes eight and nine of book four. Depending on how the story plays out and how Bryke take the rest of the episodes will affect how many chapters this particular storyline will have (though I doubt any others that I write would be unrelated). I hope this answers all of your questions and concerns and thank-you again!

Guest: Thank-you very much for your style comments. I will definitely try to improve upon describing emotional shifts more clearly and redundancy while writing. As I typically tend to overwrite, I was trying to avoid making this chapter too long, but this is definitely something I will work towards improving. I really appreciate your compliments and advice! I hope you continue to enjoy my story as I update within the next week or so.

Danyu: Thank-you for the compliment! I plan on updating within a week or so!

SilverWordsmith47: I'm curious to see where I take this as well. I'm really trying to let the characters speak to me while I picture what could happen. It takes quite a bit of acting out both in my head and physically for it all to make sense. I appreciate your interest and hope you continue following the story!

As of now, this will be my last update on this chapter to address reviews! In the meantime, I will be working on the second chapter. I will still take reviews and private messages if you would like to contact me. Otherwise, I hope you have a wonderful day and I thank-you again for your support!***