The training grounds at Air Temple Island were unusually silent.
Even the wind that often danced over the cliff's edge seemed to still, as if the world itself held its breath.
Korra stood at one end of the sparring ring, a light gleam of sweat on her brow, hair tied tight, fists clenched in focus. At the other end stood Kaiqok, shirtless, golden chakra cloak humming faintly beneath his skin, and a wooden training blade in hand.
Watching from the sidelines, Asami crossed her arms. "You sure this is safe?"
Tenzin, seated calmly nearby, replied with a sigh. "Not at all. But they insisted."
Korra cracked her neck. "Come on, Kaiqok. You said you wanted to see what I've learned."
He smirked, twirling the wooden blade. "I also said you're scary when you're focused. You sure you're not going to break my spine again?"
"No promises."
They charged at the same moment—a flash of water, flame, and chakra meeting in midair.
Korra led with a fire-enhanced kick, but Kaiqok ducked low, using his cloak to catch the burst and roll beneath her guard. His wooden blade swept toward her legs, but she leapt, bending air beneath her feet for a sudden burst of height.
She came down with a water whip, but he shifted—tiger form chakra armor activating for a heartbeat, golden fangs and stripes wrapping around his arms as he blocked the impact with a roar.
The shockwave cracked the stone under their feet.
Asami's heart raced as she watched, part worried, part entranced.
They weren't just fighting.
They were dancing. Testing. Learning.
Pushing each other's limits.
---
Five minutes later, they stood panting across from each other, sweat-soaked and smiling.
"You're faster," Kaiqok said, lowering the blade.
"You're sneakier," Korra shot back, brushing soot off her tunic.
Tenzin stood, arms crossed. "Enough. That's more than enough for today."
But as the students dispersed, Asami didn't move. Her gaze was locked on the small cut across Kaiqok's chest—just below the collarbone.
He noticed.
"I'm fine. Just a scratch."
"Still…" she walked forward and pulled a small vial from her belt. "Spirit salve. Hold still."
He didn't flinch as she dabbed it on, but the closeness of her hand against his skin, the way her breath brushed his jawline—it sent a spark deeper than chakra could.
She felt it too.
Their eyes met.
"Not the worst scar I've seen on you," she said softly.
"You haven't seen all of them."
She paused. "Maybe I want to."
A silence thickened between them—one charged with a different kind of tension.
Before either of them could act on it, Meelo sprinted past with a loud yell, "KAIQOK'S GONNA MARRY ASAMI!"
They both flinched.
"Meelo!" Tenzin shouted, chasing his son down the path.
Kaiqok chuckled. "He's not entirely wrong."
Asami gave him a look. "We're going to talk about that later."
---
Later that night, back at the inner temple, Kaiqok sat sharpening an actual blade—his chakra-infused spirit steel dagger—one of the few physical weapons he chose to carry.
Korra entered the room quietly, barefoot, hair loose.
"You two looked good out there," she said, sitting beside him.
He didn't look up. "Thanks."
She nudged his shoulder. "You and Asami… something's changed."
He exhaled. "I think I'm changing. Or remembering parts of me that I tried to bury. When you've died once, it's easy to stop living, even in a second chance."
Korra watched the glow of his blade reflect in his eyes. "You know I—"
He met her gaze. "I care about you, Korra. You were the first thing in this world that made me feel like I belonged again."
Her breath caught.
He continued, softer, "But Asami… she makes me feel like I could stay."
A slow nod.
"I think I always knew," she said, standing. "But I'm not stepping away. Not completely."
He smiled faintly. "Didn't ask you to."
Before she turned to leave, she pressed a kiss to his cheek—right where Asami had, days before.
"Fight for both of us."
---
Meanwhile, in a hidden facility beneath Republic City, K—the doppelganger of Kaiqok—observed another sparring match.
But this one wasn't friendly.
His own soldiers sparred in brutal silence. They moved without expression, chakra manipulated through corrupted spirit cores fused into their spines.
One of them collapsed, coughing blood.
K frowned.
"They're not evolving fast enough."
The serpent-masked figure beside him rasped, "Perhaps it's time to reveal the twin bond."
K's eyes narrowed.
"No. Not yet. Let him trust them. Let the girls think they know his heart."
He looked toward a faint projection of Kaiqok, dancing with Korra under golden flame, Asami leaning over his shoulder with a gentle touch.
"When the betrayal comes, I want it to burn through them."
---
Back at the island, Asami stood alone on the balcony again, watching stars dance above the city.
Footsteps approached. She didn't turn.
"You make it hard to think clearly," she said.
Kaiqok stopped behind her. "Good."
She finally turned, locking eyes with him.
"I'm not here to save you from yourself. But if you burn, I'm burning with you."
He stepped forward, lifted her hand, and pressed it to his chest.
"No more running."
Their lips met again—this time slower, deeper, no sudden sparks, just a steady fire building.
From blades to kisses, they clashed and clicked—imperfectly perfect.