#asami fic

She stood before her bed, open suitcases and bags spread out and clothes everywhere. She was packing for her trip to the Southern Water Tribe, and wasn’t quite sure of the length of the trip, and had since decided to pack everything she owned that would keep her warm. 

To be fair, there weren’t many times Ursa needed to bundle up to keep out the cold, but that was about to change very soon. 

Her father chuckled and made his way further into the room slowly, “That’s what I like to hear.” He placed himself in an empty space on the bed, and watched his daughter with sad eyes. Each item that was packed away tugged at his heart strings, and he tried his best not to cry. That would be too dramatic. 

He cleared his throat before speaking again. “I don’t know why you don’t call a staff member to help, you’ve got tons of stuff here,” he attempted to distract himself from his emotions, to keep himself steady. 

“I can do things for myself, and I think now would be the time to show that,” she stated simply, not taking her eyes off of the task at hand. Iroh watched her for a few more moments, mind moving a mile a minute with a thousand different scenarios.

That was a dumb question, because it didn’t help at all. 

“Is this what you feel like watching me pack to leave overseas?” He questioned, voice and heart equally as heavy. 

Ursa faltered for only a second before her hands resume their actions. “Pretty much,” she nodded a few times. “It’s hard, preparing yourself to be without someone you love, but knowing that they’re doing something important is slightly comforting.” 

She placed the top she was folding down into the suitcase and turned her body slightly towards her father. “Watching you leave makes me sad, but knowing that you’re doing great things in the United Forces makes me feel a bit better,” she pursed her lips and swallowed thickly. “Think of it like this, Dad; the Avatar is the key to peace and balance in the world, and I’m going away to teach her. Isn’t that incredible?” 

“It is,” he nodded, and closed his eyes to hide the tears that gathered. “I’m really proud of you, Ursa. These last sixteen years have been hard without your mom,” he paused and gave a breathy chuckle, “--like really hard. But having you makes every day worth it,” he looked at her with eyes full of love and sadness, shining with pride and admiration. “Every time I see you doing something that makes me stop in my tracks, something only you would really do, it’s like I can feel her with me, you know? Standing beside me, head on my shoulder, whispering, ‘that’s our girl.’” His voice broke mid sentence and the Princess felt her heart crack, right down the middle. 

She placed a hand on her father’s shoulder and watched him for a moment before she spoke, taking in every detail that was so familiar ti her and that she would miss oh so dearly. His short black hair was styled as usual, and framed his face handsomely. His golden brown eyes that matched her own seemed to sparkle from the tears in the low light of her bedroom; tears because he loved her and was proud of her, because he would miss her every day and think of her often, because he was scared to let his little girl go but knew she wasn’t so little anymore. 

“I know what you mean,” Ursa comforted softly, feeling the sting behind her eyes the more she spoke. “I saw her, when I was fighting the guards,” she elaborated, “she was standing between you and Grandma, and she had a hand on both of your shoulders. I think that just goes to show that she’s always with us, you know? She’s always watching,” she placed herself gently beside her father, and he wrapped an arm around her. He missed how her eyes traveled to the doorway, and how they stayed glued there. He missed how his late love, the one on his mind and in his heart, stood there with a sweet smile and ethereal glow. 

“Being your dad’s been the greatest thing to ever happen to me,” he whispered, and Ursa’s throat tightened. “I don’t want you to ever forget that, no matter where you are or where I am,” Iroh shakily instructed, and when his daughter turned to look at him he gave her a tearful smile. 

“It’s hard, letting you go,” he nodded as he spoke, choking on his words as he struggled to keep somewhat composed. “Because I want to keep you safe and with me; but I know that you’re smart and can handle just about anything thrown at you.”

“Cause I’m your dragon?” She whispered hoarsely, the tears finally streaming down her cheeks and instead of a sixteen year old girl, he saw a tiny five year old looking up at him with sparkling gold eyes and a frown. 

“You’ll always be my dragon, Princess,” he answered her just as softly, and pulled her in for a hug. He wrapped his large arms around her smaller frame and tucked her under his chin, and she squeezed his torso tightly. Her cheek was squished against his chest, the material of his uniform collecting her tears but neither could be bothered to care; and he tried to memorize the feeling of holding her. Angi knew he’d need it when times got rough. 

This was the most emotional Iroh II had gotten in a long time, and he hardly ever did so in front of others, but it was difficult to hold it back and keep it hidden from his daughter. He had tried, tried so hard to remain the strong hero she knew he was, but in the wake of his only child packing up her entire closet to leave for who knows how long, he couldn’t care less about it anymore. 

The moment was vulnerable, sweet and sentimental and sad all at once. 

When the pair parted from one another, they discreetly wiped their eyes and stood from the bed. Silently, Ursa resumed her packing and her father stood beside her and began to help; but they didn’t need to say anything, everything that they were thinking could be felt by the other. 

All of which were things Azula had been subjected to in her childhood, and had ultimately feared her niece would be as well, but was relieved to see otherwise. Their father, and his legacy, was long gone; and only when she accepted that fact could she truly accept her own growth and healing. And only when she accepted those could she accept that Ursa had all of her best qualities, and some of her not so best qualities, and if they were nurtured and guided correctly she could be like no one else. 

“My, my, Princess; have you been out here all day?” Azula inquired as she emerged from the shadows and took slow steps to the aforementioned Princess, hands clasped behind her back and head held high just like always. 

“Hey, Auntie Zula,” Ursa sighed as she bowed before rising again. “Almost; I’m going over some of the advanced moves I learned, and I’ve almost mastered them all but I can’t seem to get this last one.” She shook her head. “I’m doing exactly what my Master did, and it’s still not right. I know I’m better than this.” 

“You are,” the older woman responded without missing a beat. She paced in front of her young niece. “You are better than this, this is but a mere moment in your path to mastering the element. You’re incredibly skilled, Ursa, never forget that. Before too much longer you’ll surpass your Master and they will no longer be able to do you any good. I was going to step in after that, but I can see that now is as good a time as ever.” 

“Really?” One would have to be deaf to miss the eagerness laced in her question. 

“Of course,” Azula turned sharply in place. “I know exactly what mistakes you’re making; though, it’s not your fault. I hate to tell you this, Princess, but your Master is a doofus.” The younger girl giggled from behind her hand. “Are you a dragon?” 

The question caught Ursa off guard. “Huh?” 

“Are you a dragon?” She repeated slowly. The look in her eyes was familiar, she had seen it in her father’s, grandmother’s, and great grandfather’s eyes many times before. She’d seen it in the mirror only once or twice; it was a look of true seriousness, one you could only get when, you might not know what you’re doing, but, you know that whatever it is you can do it. She tried her best to mimic it in her own matching eyes. 

“Yes. I am a dragon.” 

“That’s what I thought.” Azula stated smugly. “Only dragons can teach dragons, Ursa, and since The Great Dragon of the West is no longer with us, I only see it fitting that I take over as your Master. After all,” she raised one hand in front of her, and blue fire floated in her palm. “We do have twin flames.”  

The pair shared a smile before Azula extinguished the flame and returned her hand to its rightful place, clasped in the other behind her back. Ursa placed one hand, fingers straight and palm pointed to the side, above the other, which was closed in a fist. She bowed deeply, “thank you for teaching me, Sifu Azula.” She rose back up and turned away from her Master. She faced straight ahead, ready for anything. “What should I do first?” 

Lady Azula smiled to herself. “Your punches and kicks were good, but everything has room for improvement. You’re not putting enough power into your jump, and then not putting enough power in the flames. Let’s break it down. Take your stance.” 

Ursa positioned herself in the stance she normally chose. Her grandfather had shown it to her, and she figured out that it was the one that worked easiest with her dynamic. Her left foot forward, right foot behind her. Knees slightly bent. Arms out before her, elbows slightly bent as well. Palms open, fingers relaxed. Ready to strike. 

“Remember, firebending comes from the breath. Focus on the fire inside of you, and breathe in deeply; allow the air to reach the flames. Let your chi flow freely, the reason our fire burns blue is because it is pure. Your river is unblocked, your chi’s are synced and your power flows through you. Pure, clean, untethered fire. You have the power, be the thing that controls it.” 

Deep breaths. Unlocked chi’s. Flowing river. The Princesses eyes had long since closed, and she envisioned all the things her aunt spoke about. 

“Reposition,” Azula coaxed quieter, seeing the concentration on Ursa’s face. 

The girl’s hands formed fists, clenched tightly, and her left arm straightened itself out. Her right fist drew back and rested right beside her eyes. 

“Now, punch.” 

It was like time moved in slow motion Her eyes snapped open before narrowing into a squint. Her brows drew together and her face scrunched up. She lunged her right fist forward, stepping into the punch with her right foot; bringing as much power as she could for the opening attack. Her fists lit ablaze, encircled with blue, and she punched a rather large fireball straight ahead. Her grunts were barely audible over the loud swoosh of the flames. 

Ursa dealt one strike after the other, slowly making her way forward, sometimes ducking to avoid a blow from an imaginary opponent. “Kick,” Azula commanded loudly. 

One last punch before she kicked her right leg in a half circle, flames following closely.  They lingered in the air and Ursa spun around and shielded herself from view with more blue fire. “Now jump!” 

A moment passed, a moment where the older woman’s breath caught in her lungs. Then, before any particular emotion could truly settle in her bones, Ursa leapt out from the wall of blue flames, a look of ferocity painting her features. She landed on her feet and sprung forward not a moment later; she took one step, two steps, three...

And on her final step she jumped high in the air, and Azula’s voice cut through the noise, “Roar!” 

Flames from her feet propelled her upwards, a gust of blue, and the same shot out of her hands. Her face scrunched up as her cry echoed around the training yard, a stream of fire shooting out of her open mouth. Everything was blue, all Azula could see was blue. And all she could feel was heat. 

But what really shocked her, what really made her brows scrunch together and her jaw drop, was the Princesses eyes, once a piercing golden brown, were now completely blue. The fire around her swirled and moved until it started to take form. The form of a dragon.

Of course. Of course. It made sense, everything about her fit the role. 

“The Spirit of the Dragon…” She whispered in awe. It was a phenomenon that she never thought she would be alive to witness, and she would never tell a soul about the tears that filled her eyes as she watched her great niece display her sheer power. 

When the roar died down, and Ursa’s flames shrunk, and she dropped to the ground, her eyes fell shut and her knees gave out. She caught herself with her hands and shook her head. With a couple groans, and a few deep breaths she was back on her feet. 

“Holy shit.” A voice broke the silence. Azula turned around only to see her older brother; Zuko’s mouth hung open and his arms were limp at his side. 

“That-” the Princess cut herself off to catch her breath. “That wasn’t supposed to happen,” she chuckled lowly. Her eyes flickered from her great aunt and great grandfather. She didn’t know how to feel about what had just occurred. On one hand, she knew that her family would never think any different of her for anything, they had always told her that nothing could ever make them not love her; but on the other, insecurity and fear seemed like the obvious answer. 

What if they thought she was too powerful? What if they feared she would be the demise of the Fire Nation? She didn’t even know what took over her, what if it was something evil? What if, what if, what if- 

“Ursa,” Azula broke her train of thought. She snapped back to reality, heart in her stomach, and looked at the older woman. “Do you know what just happened?” Dread pricked at every nerve in her body and she shook her head. Her fingers began to tremble and she clenched her hands into fists to hide it. 

“That was the Spirit of the Dragon, my dear. A powerful spirit of the very first dragon; it has possessed only few people throughout history, not nearly as much as the Avatar, but hasn’t made itself known in centuries. My, Ursa,” Zuko marveled. “It chose you, how incredible.” 

“I’m not-I’m not in trouble?” She stuttered. 

“Of course not,” Azula shook her head and made her way to the girl, hands reaching out. They rested on her shoulders and she leaned down so their eyes met. “I know what you’re thinking, and you don’t have to worry. What happened to me will never happen to you, I promise you that. Do you know what the Spirit of the Dragon means exactly?” The girl shook her head before her aunt continued. 

“The Spirit of the Dragon, like Zuzu explained before, is a very powerful spirit. It has joined with numerous people over the course of time, merging with them and bestowing knowledge and strength upon them like no other. It can’t just be anybody, however,” she paused and looked over at the bench. She motioned to it with her hand and the three of them traveled to it together, and they made sure that Ursa sat in between them. “The kind of people that the Dragon Spirit chooses are powerful, people who are destined to do great things in this world. The power to stand up to people, for people, and with people is incredible. It might sound simple, but most people can’t say they passed the test. You did.” 

“We’ve known since the day you were born that you held incredible powers and an even more important destiny,” the older man took over. “But we never could have imagined this for you.” He chuckled lightly and shook his head. 

Azula took that as her cue to continue. “But we’ve never, ever, feared that you would do something wrong, or that you would be too powerful for your own good. And no matter what happens, to you or to us, and no matter what you have to go through, we’ll always be with you.” 

Ursa nodded her head and wiped her cheeks of any tears. Her eyes were red and swollen, but her hands no longer trembled and her shoulders only slightly shook as she calmed down. 

“Now,” Lady Azula stated, her tone back to the normal smooth and sharp drawl. “Are you a dragon?” 

“Yes.” Ursa looked at her and tried with everything she had to convey just how much she meant it. 

“Who are you?” The question cut through the air sharply, and a moment later the younger girl's eyes changed colors again, both glowing a bright blue. 

“I am Crown Princess Ursa of the Fire Nation, Heir to the Throne; I am the Dragon Princess and I have the power of the first dragon’s spirit!” 

You never really went to formal events but Tarrlok threw Korra a huge party and so you had to go. Airbenders weren’t allowed to accept gifts but general freebies were fair game so you were very much excited to attend. The event didn’t disappoint, Tarrlock had pulled out all the stops and invited a large number of people. You soon wandered away from your family and got into some good mischief when you bumped into your father while he was talking to a man. Hiroshi Sato. “Ahh here she is, we were just talking about you” your father smiled. You paused “because...” trying to work out if you were in trouble, something that happened fairly often. “Remember Hiroshi’s daughter Asami? Well she’s joined him as a member of his company so we were just discussing that, you two are friends aren’t you?”. You smiled just at the notion. Growing up in Republic City of course you knew about Asami freakin Sato and you’d met her a fair few times over the years, the social circles were only so big and everyone seemed to know of you (perks of being the Avatar’s grandaughter). You thought Asami was the most beautiful person in the whole four nations and had ever since you were 12. Therefore every time you saw her you flirted shamelessly hoping she’d somehow fall for you as you’d fallen for her. However you hadn’t thought of any good excuse to see Asami regularly yet so your plan hadn’t worked but it didn’t mean you couldn’t keep trying. So you nodded to your father and Hiroshi “that’s great, is Asami here tonight? I’ll go congratulate her”. “She’s over there with her date” Hiroshi explained and you nodded spotting her immediately.

By the time you made your way over the date was nowhere to be seen and that was perfectly fine with you. You wore the dazzling smile you always reserved for high-level cases such as Asami Sato and stepped next to the richest girl in the city. “I hear congratulations are in order? 18 and joint CEO of a corporate giant? You’re making the rest of us look bad”. Asami turned around and smiled seeing you “y/n, it’s good to see you! Thanks but I'm sure you’ve been doing great too, didn’t you just get back from the Fire Nation?”. You nodded “yep, I was there on official air bender business but left early because apparently I was causing too much excitement. I only broke Prince Iroh’s daughter out of the palace for a couple of hours but after that my dad thought I should come home, the acolytes snitched on me”. Asami laughed “of course you shook up the Fire Nation, aren’t air nomads meant to be all peaceful and stoic?" Asami asked. You chuckled "what gave you that idea? We don’t even believe in proper clothes! I like to think of us as carefree individuals that do whatever the universe tells us to and right now I'm getting strong signals it wants me to dance with you". Asami chuckled at your confidence "Ow really?". You nodded "yep and it's usually good to do as the universe says so how about it?". Asami looked around for Mako, her date, to see if he’d mind but he’d disappeared again so she just shrugged "why not" and took your hand.

You had three wonderful dances with Asami before Tarrlock made his announcement and your father said you had to leave. Back home on Air Temple Island the Avatar found you with a big goofy smile on her face. "Hey great work tonight y/n" Korra called and you paused “I agree but can you elaborate”. “That girl Asami...” she explained and you smiled “I know, she’s so out of my league isn’t she!". Korra frowned "wait y/n you know who she is right?". "Duh, Asami Sato unofficial princess of republic city. I’ve had a crush on her since we were kids but I’ve never got to dance with her before...tonight was a good party". Korra frowned "no she’s Mako’s date! That guy I told you about who I’m on a pro-bending team with". "Wait she’s the girl who hit Mako with her motorbike? Classic Asami". Korra nodded "sickening isn’t it...but no this is good. If you woo her then I can have Mako and you get Asami". You frowned "well I'm not pursuing her just because it’s convenient and I didn’t know she had a boyfriend...maybe I should back off". "No! Come on y/n we both like them so it's not malicious! Just run into Asami again and work your lesbian magic" Korra cried. You laughed "magic huh? Am I a gay enchantress? sapphic sorcerer? woman-loving witch?". Korra chuckled "whatever you want to call it just point your magic in her direction. That’s all I ask". You frowned, “I’ll always be nice to Asami but I'm not breaking them up”. “Sure” Korra winked walking away and you sighed. “I mean it Korra!” but the Avatar was long gone.

Thanks to Korra you soon started seeing Asami a lot more and whenever Korra was invited anywhere you were also dragged along in the name of friendship, like to Asami’s pool party. Korra had been less than excited to receive the invite but when you suggested she just didn’t go then she was adamant you both had to go and forced you into it. "Y/n, Korra!" Asami cried as soon as you walked through the door. You smiled as Asami swam over and you perched next to Korra on the chair. “Hey Asami, cool pool”. Bolin proceeded to tell you how awesome the rest of Asami’s house was and Korra instinctively started digging at her. "So we're just gonna lounge around the pool all day?" she asked “must be nice”. You rolled your eyes "you're from the water tribe" and splashed her. Korra gasped in shock and you grinned in response. Korra tried to grab you to get revenge but you just airbent and skipped over the pool to the other side. Asami chuckled watching and you got lost for a few seconds in her smile. You regained your mind and decided this would be a great time to get to know Asami more. So you changed into your bathing suit and while Mako was distracted swam over to Asami. "Nice suit" Asami called "I don’t know why but I didn’t think air benders could wear bikinis". You chuckled "you have so many misconceptions about air benders and I can’t wait to disprove them all. I promise you we’re not all innocent little birds". Asami chuckled "somehow that doesn’t surprise me. We’ve not hung out much but you don’t strike me as a naive shy girl". "How dare you!" you cried before grinning at her. “I know, it's my best quality right?" you asked winking at her. Again Asami laughed and you smiled to see her cheeks a bit flushed "it’s admirable yes" she relented "most people are kinda nervous around me but you're not. I guess having the Avatar as a grandfather did that? Not to mention literally all your family is famous". You nodded "yep! I am 100% royal lineage, I was just chatting to the Earth Queen my close personal friend the other day". Asami splashed you smiling "I was being serious". "So was I but it was actually the Fire Nation" you grinned "but yeah you're probably right, that must be where I get it from. My mother says I took being the next generation of airbenders right in my stride. They all thought I would be the new leader of the Air Nation...then they found out I have a mischievous side". Asami smiled interested and went to speak when Mako called over to her. "Hey babe do you think we could do something else? Korra forgot her swimsuit". You knew Korra hadn't, she just wanted to go somewhere not on Asami’s turf. You were annoyed Korra had stopped you and Asami chatting by the pool but what could you do? "Sure" Asami smiled and climbed out of the pool. You followed her and nudged Korra with your elbow. "Liar". She just stuck her tongue out at you in reply. 

When you found out you were going driving you were really pissed at Korra. While you had a license you also had a sky bison so needless to say you’d hardly ever driven in your life and you weren’t great at it. Apparently nobody else besides you and Asami had a license though so Asami said the two of you would go first to show the others. You told her you weren’t the best driver and she just smiled at you telling you it’d be fine. So you sat in the driver's seat and sighed as you started the car.

Of course not only did you embarrass yourself by doing some awful driving, you also crashed the car into a wall and watched as it smoked just to prove how damaged it was. "Wow you really aren’t a good driver" Asami commented coming to stand next to you and you nodded. "I can literally fly, so yeah I don’t drive cars much". Asami chuckled "that makes sense I mean why would you?". "I can pay for the car” you said awkwardly and Asami shook her head "don’t bother we can use it for parts so it's totally fine. Plus I rather enjoyed this". "How?" you asked and Aami smiled "before you crashed the car I was fairly sure you were perfect. Now I know you’re not". You laughed and your good mood returned "well maybe not in this aspect but in a lot of ways I am...also I'm so humble". Asami burst out laughing and you grinned "I love the sound of your laugh...it’s so beautiful". Asami blushed and you worried you’d made her uncomfortable but she smiled at you "thanks...your laugh is nice too". "Thanks" you smiled and Asami nodded "no problem". Her eyes quickly fluttered over you before she looked away bashfully. Boyfriend or not your plan might be working.

So of course Korra had to ruin that too by accusing Asami’s father of being the evil mastermind backing Amon. You were at Asami’s house when Korra burst in and announced she heard Hiroshi admit the whole thing on the phone. "That's insane my father isn’t a criminal!" Asami cried. "I heard what I heard!" Korra replied and you froze looking between them. Your eyes went to your father who stood behind Korra and you sighed "dad what's going on? Are you really raiding his house?". "Yes, Korra is convinced and that’s good enough for me" Tenzin replied. "Don’t you believe me?" Korra asked and you hesitated as both Asami and Korra stared at you. "Well I’m not sure because it just seems so unlikely" you answered honestly "Hiroshi has been pretty nice to us and we’re all benders" you pointed out. Asami’s expression lightened but Korra glared "I can’t believe this". "My father is innocent” Asami said coming to stand next to you. "We’ll be the judge of that" Lin said and they all strode into the house.

You watched with the others as the police swept into Asami’s house before you felt someone watching you and caught Korra glaring. She noticed you watching her and stormed away but you followed. “Korra come on, are you seriously mad at me for pointing out it’s a bit unlikely”. “Of course I am! You’re my friend and you totally embarrassed me in there”. “All I did was point out a flaw in your logic, I don’t have to agree with everything you say just because you’re my friend”. "No but you're only siding with Asami because you fancy her!" Korra cried and you rolled your eyes "you know that has nothing to do with it" when the door behind you closed with a loud noise. You both jumped and turned heart pumping...to see Mako standing there. You let out a breath of relief before realising this could still be bad considering he was Asami’s boyfriend. "Mako...hey" Korra said and he stared at you before looking to her "I just wanted to say I think it's best you don’t come back for a bit". Korra looked crestfallen to have him tell her that of all people and your friend instinct came back. “I think that’s a good idea” Korra said in a small voice and you placed a hand on her shoulder “we’ll head back to Air Temple Island then, can you let Asami know we left?”. Mako jolted as you said her name and he stared at you “sure”. You smiled awkwardly and led Korra away “he is so not passing on my message”. “Y/n I’m so sorry!” Korra cried and you shook your head “it’s fine. I’ve had more awkward situations believe it or not. For better or worse Mako now knows...whatever happens it’s too late to stop it now”.

_____

That was the first part of my two part Asami series! Asami Sato is Kyoshi level good and coming from me that’s a pretty serious compliment (notice how I didn’t say Rangi level though? That high praise is reserved for the Azulas and Korras of the Avatar world).

Anyway Asami is great and it’s sad there’s not a lot of content for her out there. So I'll hopefully be writing more Asami stuff in the future!