Chapter Text
She heard screaming and bolted up with wide eyes. The shrilling wail sounded so close and so loud that she covered her ears but it was only when her throat started to burn that she realized it was her own voice. Next were the sobs, deep and heartbreaking; she felt a pain in her chest she couldn’t describe and the tears streaming down her face were salty and bitter. She bent at the waist and gripped onto the sheets around her until her voice cracked and broke and her body slumped in exhaustion.
The next time she woke it was to a smooth melody. She stared at an unfamiliar ceiling and let the beat swell and float around her. She wasn’t sure why but it calmed her down, made everything less confusing as she focused on the trills and bass. Her lips twitched upward when a particular part came on; it felt magical and promising and reassuring and it left her yearning for something she didn’t know.
‘Crashed into a trance by beautiful green and jet black
Far away but eyes still wandering
Should I go? Should I stay? Would my yearning put you off?
Filling my world with wonder and warmth
Oh, the woman at the counter has taken my breath away..’
The lyrics were soft but desperate and the voice behind them had a comforting rasp. She felt so at ease that she closed her eyes again, ready to drift off but when she heard someone speak she twitched with fright.
“You’re awake” they said.
Asami looked to her right and straight into astounding blue eyes that stared at her softly. She froze and sat up, surprised and confused by the stranger sitting by her bed and she gripped the sheets. Her eyes landed on the floral patterned walls—she couldn’t recall ever having such wallpaper on her bedroom walls. Her eyes then wandered throughout the unfamiliar space and the uniform structure of it all and then back to the young woman, somewhere in her late 30s.
“Who are you?” Asami felt surprised by how flat and shaky her voice was; almost strained.
The woman’s smile faltered a bit and she looked down at her hands that had been peeling what seemed to be tangerines. Her hair was a deep brown, almost black and her skin a beautiful tan. “She told me it wouldn’t ever get easier,” she mumbled quietly.
“What are you talking about?” Asami didn’t understand anything that was going on. Where was she? Who was this? Was she late for her shift at the record shop? She looked over to the dresser on her left and only saw a radio and a clock which read 11:30 am.
“I’m late” she acknowledged but didn’t feel all that inclined to get up, her body felt a bit achy and slow.
“Late?” The woman questioned.
“For work, I work at a record shop and I’m late” she sighed.
There was a moment of silence where the melodic music filled the air before the woman spoke again. “You don’t work there anymore, not for a really long time”
Asami eyed the woman who placed the bowl of tangerines in her lap and kept one for herself, popping it into her mouth and chewing slowly as if waiting. Asami didn’t process her words right away but when she did her brows furrowed and her heart thumped wildly.
“What do you mean? Who are you? I’ve worked at that store for years!” Asami felt as though something was wrong.
“You quit when you had me” the woman said and something shook within Asami as she stared into those blue eyes, so familiar, she loved them and yet it caused her stomach to twist.
“W-what?” She stuttered. The woman said nothing as they looked at each other, she could read so much from behind those eyes and could tell there were no lies coming from this woman. “I don’t understand”
“I know,” she said forlornly, looking at her hands again. “I know and it hurts, but it broke Momma the most”
Asami paused. “Who?”
“Your wife”
Something crashed inside Asami’s mind as hazy pieces came blurring passed in her mind. Blue eyes, late nights, the ocean; all of it meant something and yet nothing. She looked down at her own hands and saw them shaking, they were wrinkly and blotched. She had to take a moment to close her eyes and draw in a few breaths.
“So..so you’re my daughter?”
The woman smiled and nodded and reached out to grab Asami’s hand. “Yes Mom, I’m Kanai Sato, your daughter” she saw the tears well up in the woman’s eyes.
“I..I don’t remember..” Asami squeezed her supposed daughter's hand and felt sadness consume her.
“It’s okay, I’ll always remind you” she smiled tearfully. “Momma did it and so I will continue”
Asami sat still for a moment and then brought up their intertwined hands to her cheek and pressed it against her skin, feeling the warmth of the woman. “I think I knew someone with the same eyes as yours, was that her? My wife?”
Kanai nodded.
“Can you..can you tell me about her? What was she like?” Asami brought their hands into her lap and placed her other one on top. She didn’t know this woman who claimed to be her daughter but she couldn’t deny how just looking at her face brought on such pulling emotions.
Kanai chuckled. “Momma was a lot of things” she started softly. “Silly, unpredictable, doting and stubborn”
Asami found herself listening intently and smiling softly as she listened to her beautiful daughter tell her about a time she didn’t have any recollection of, about things that happened and who her wife was. She told her of a time when Kanai was six and her wife lost her at a warehouse mall and ran around like a lunatic until someone called the security on her. She told Asami about how the three of them would have weekends where they went to many different places to eat and experience. She spoke of a sketchy ice cream vendor, a pretty park and many other things.
Asami listened to all the recounts as the music in the background caressed her ears lovingly as if aiding in the tales. “I really like this song” Asami found herself saying. “It’s calming and pretty”
Kanai hummed. “Momma always took pride in that, considering she made it for you”
Asami raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
Kanai smiled, got up and went over to the dresser. Asami watched as she pulled open the top drawer and took out a CD case and handed it to her. Asami took it carefully and ran her thumb over the top; it had a really well designed picture of a big tree hovering over a lone bench and looking out on a smattering of lights.
“The Woman at the Counter” Asami read.
“I could recite from memory the tale of how the both of you met. It was Momma’s favourite story; the day the woman behind the counter she always came in to admire spoke to her first” Kanai said.
“How did she do this?”
“She always told me she was part of a band in her college days, they got a deal and everything and put out a pretty successful album but it just didn’t last and she took to producing music instead” Kanai explained.
“She used to play this for me when I was a baby and hum it to me at nights when I couldn’t sleep when I got older” her daughter smiled sadly at the CD case in Asami’s hand.
The door opened suddenly then and the two looked toward the woman dressed in a casual uniform. “Sorry to interrupt but it’s time for Mrs. Sato’s lunch and medicine”
Asami was alarmed at the new person and looked at Kanai who nodded and smiled. “Of course, I had to get going too”
“Mom, I’ll be back next week..I’ll bring my boys to meet you, they’ve grown a lot” Kanai looked momentarily hesitant and Asami wanted to know what was going through her mind until her daughter leaned down and engulfed her in a tight hug.
“I know you won’t remember me by the time I return but I love you so much mom and so did Momma” she whispered.
Asami looked at her and felt stabbing pain as she watched the woman move to leave. She wanted to get up and run after her and ask her to tell more stories of her time being her mother, of being a wife. She wanted so desperately for her brain to conjure all this up so she could remember and relive it. She wanted to laugh and smile at their small family antics, she wanted to know, she wanted to know something so badly she turned and called out.
“What was her name? What was my wife’s name?” She asked the woman.
She turned around, tall and sturdy, yet so feminine and beautiful; a wonderful contrast mixed into one. “Momma told me that if you ever asked, tell you to flip to the back of the CD case” she said and then she was gone. But as much as Asami felt a loss of time and memories she felt a bit better knowing the woman would be back.
The woman dressed in uniform came over and handed her a pill and some water. “You’re smiling today, Mrs. Sato” she said.
“Am I?”
Asami took the pill and looked down at the CD cover, paying no mind to the uniformed woman who said she’d be back with her lunch. Her heartbeats increased as she started to flip it over and on the back she stared at a picture of what looked like a much younger version of herself smiling broadly at the camera in a gorgeous white gown and headdress. She was being cuddled close by a gorgeous woman with starry blue eyes and a crooked grin in an equally crisp white suit. Asami smiled as tears spilled.
To my one and only, whose world is as fascinating and beautiful as her. You made me who I am and I love you with everything in me.
Your wife, Korra.