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“Past lives. This was supposed to be a way to talk to my past lives,” Korra said flatly, staring in disbelief.
“Technically, this is the past, and it is your life,” Asami pointed out, somewhat unhelpfully.
Korra stared at her younger self, frustratedly practising her airbending moves. “This is not what I had in mind.”
When the spirit had told her they could send her back into the past to gain some of the wisdom she'd lost when her past lives were taken from her, she'd been excited. They said they could erase the event from history afterwards, keeping it only in her mind, leaving her with the knowledge she needed without changing any important timelines.
But now, rather than talking to Aang or Kyoshi or Yangchen, she was staring at the one Avatar she didn't need guidance from right now: herself, aged seventeen.
“We should leave.”
Asami frowned. “Um, did we have a solid plan for getting back?”
It was possible they hadn't really thought that far ahead. There were some serious spirit issues going on, and Tenzin had been sure one of her past lives would have the wisdom to deal with it. Asami had refused to let Korra go into the past alone. And now they were... here.
“We didn't,” Korra said exasperatedly. “I guess the spirit will take us back after a certain amount of time? I mean, I hope. In the meantime, we need to avoid any interaction with–”
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
“–me,” Korra finished, sighing. Of course. Of course her past self had to find them right at that moment.
“Oh my– what? Who are you?” younger Korra asked, registering their appearances for the first time and staring at them in disbelief. “How is this possible? Is this a trick?”
Korra rolled her eyes and traded glances with Asami, who looked like she was trying to hide a smile.
“Looks like we have some explaining to do.”
After the initial 'time shenanigans' discussion was over, younger Korra seemed excited to learn about her future. Asami was initially against the idea – time wasn't something to mess with, in her estimation – but Korra pointed out that this was all going to be erased anyway, so it didn't really matter.
“Do I defeat the Equalists?” seventeen-year-old Korra asked first, her hand clenched into a fist. Korra shook off the strange dizziness that came with looking at her past self, and nodded.
“You do. We do.”
“Huh. That's a relief, I guess.” Young Korra looked at Asami, frowning. “You know, future me never did explain exactly why you're here.”
The stiffness in her past self's tone made Korra cringe. Ugh, she'd kind of forgotten about this part. The awkwardness with Asami. She guessed they might be a little past the hostility phase, but well before the true friendship. Just wait, this girl will be everything to you one day, she thought. But maybe saying that aloud was a little much.
“Are you – we – friends with her now?” Younger Korra asked before either of them could answer her previous statement.
Asami smiled sideways at Korra, a hint of mischief in her eyes. “You could say that.”
Younger Korra frowned. “Okay... so... what does that mean?” She looked around, seeming awkward for the first time. “What about– I mean, how do I–?” She shook her head and re-phrased, looking at Present Korra with a kind of anxiousness that was startling because Korra was used to feeling it, not seeing it. “Do... do we find love?”
Korra was tempted just to say it right then and there. But she caught Asami's smirk and decided to mess with her past self, just a little. “Yes.” She raised an eyebrow, not providing any further information.
“So, uh, let me guess,” Past Korra said, rubbing the back of her neck and looking a little sheepish. “Tall?”
Korra bit the inside of her lip to keep from laughing, determinedly not catching Asami's eye. “Yeah.”
“Black hair?” Past Korra asked next, blushing.
Asami let out a barely stifled laugh, and Younger Korra shot her a glare.
“Yeah,” Korra said, before her past self picked a fight with her girlfriend.
Past Korra looked around, seeming to want to establish her ground before she took a real guess at who the person she 'found love' with could be. “Fire Nation heritage?”
Asami clapped both hands over her mouth, laughter sparkling in her eyes. Korra elbowed her, trying to suppress her own grin. “Yeah.”
“So... we do end up with Mako?!” Past Korra half-asked, half-exclaimed, grinning broadly.
“Ummm... about that...” Korra said, wondering how best to actually break the news. “Turns out Mako... wasn't the one for us.”
“But you told me I found love,” Past Korra said, frowning at her.
Korra caught Asami's eye and then leaned over and kissed her right on her smiling mouth, pulling back after a moment, but keeping her arm around Asami's waist. “You did.”
Younger Korra stared at them in absolute disbelief, her mouth falling open, her eyes practically popping out of her head. Korra cracked up at that. It was just too perfect, the ridiculous journey she and Asami had had, the absolute incredulity her past self was reacting with.
“You– I– girls– kissing– her?” Younger Korra managed after a moment.
Behind them, someone knocked against something. Korra, Younger Korra, and Asami all turned at the same moment.
“No way,” Korra whispered.
Asami – not her Asami, eighteen-year-old Asami – was standing a little distance away, half-frozen in the shadow of a tree, her eyes wide.
“Asami?” Past Korra asked.
“Spirits, I wasn't even subtle,” Present Asami whispered.
Korra turned to her, raising an eyebrow. “Subtle?”
“Sometimes I... liked to watch you. I didn't even mean to, just, I'd see you airbending or whatever and...” Asami blushed. “Wow, the fact that I didn't realise sooner is quite incredible.”
Korra grinned. “You had a crush on me!”
Asami elbowed her. “Shut up.”
“Um, can someone explain what's going on?” Past Asami asked, looking like she'd just seen a ghost.
“Um, I'm Korra, she's you, we're from the future, we were meant to be going somewhere else but we ended up in your time instead.”
Past Asami frowned. “Okay, I've read about time travel. It can be a spirit thing, but human science is still a long way from achieving it. Not that, though. What's, um, going on?” She gestured towards Present Korra and Asami, still sitting with their arms around each other.
Asami smiled at her, still looking mildly disturbed by the sight of her past self. “I think you know.”
“We're...” Past Asami trailed off.
“Together,” Past Korra squeaked, staring around her in absolute shock and confusion.
“Oh,” Past Asami breathed. “Oh. That... that actually makes a lot of sense.” She muttered the last sentence, but not quietly enough.
Korra's Asami laughed, Korra herself tried to hide her grin, and Past Korra's eyes widened even further. “It does?”
“Oh, um...” Past Asami stared around like she was regretting her life choices. “Yes?”
Korra caught her Asami's eye and succumbed, once again, to laughter.