Spiritual Connection
Summary: Set during series finale – in new Spirit Portal area. Korra and Kuvira have a talk among the Spirit Flowers and have a connection. Written for Kuvirasenpai. Korvira!
The first few lines were taken from "The Last Stand" episode from The Legend of Korra, created and written by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino. I do not own it.
"Don't pretend you know what it felt like! The Avatar is adored by millions! I was cast aside by my own parents like I meant nothing to them." Kuvira dropped her head a few inches, clumps of her tousled hair fell into her face. "How could I stand by and watch the same thing happen to my nation, when it needed someone to guide it?" Tears started to slide down her cheeks, carving new paths through the dirt and blood stains.
"You wanted to create a place where you and your people would never be vulnerable again. I may not have been an orphan, but believe me, I understand what it feels like to be afraid." Korra lowered herself to the ground. She locked eyes with Kuvira before looking away at the vibrant purple flowers surrounding them. "After I was poisoned, I would have done anything to feel in control."
Kuvira swallowed hard. She remembered the battle with Zaheer vividly. While she wasn't in the vicinity, watching as the injured Avatar was freed of the poison, she had heard the stories of the aftermath on her way back to Zaofu. The metalbender frowned, remembering that while worry about the wellbeing of the Avatar, she was questioning when she'd be recovered enough to help her nation, like her job title expected her to do. "I'm sorry that it happened," she muttered.
The Avatar half-smiled. She pulled her knees to her chest before wrapping her arms around them. After a pause, she shrugged. "In a way, I'm not," she admitted.
"What do you mean?"
Korra breathed deeply before exhaling slowly through her nose. A dragonfly-bunny spirit popped up from in front of her feet. She smiled gently before reaching down and gently scratching behind its ears. "We all need something to occur, to show us the error of our ways. We need something to give us a wakeup call. I learned that I was the Avatar when I was four years old." The dragonfly-bunny spirit chirped happily before making its way over to Kuvira. The metalbender regarded it with a raised eyebrow. The spirit cocked its head to the side before leaning in and pressing its nose lightly to Kuvira's. "Aside from learning bending, fire was the first element I discovered. It was by accident by the way. One temper tantrum and I almost melted a part of my house," she laughed.
Kuvira waved her hand in the air, shooing away the dragonfly-spirit. It chirped angrily at her before slowly floating back towards the Avatar's side. "I don't understand how this-"
"Let me finish," Korra ordered gently. Kuvira glowered in her direction before curtly nodding her head. "While growing up, isolated, in the White Lotus compound, I was trained and taught to become a fighter to help protect the world. I wasn't Korra anymore, I was the Avatar." The dragonfly-bunny spirit landed on the darker girl's knees and nuzzled into her warmth. "I liked that title because it made me strong. I am a strong figure in a man's world. Unfortunately, it spurred my ego a bit. It made me feel invincible, like I was above everything because of my title, and then I was poisoned. It helped show me, that despite my title, I'm still like everyone else."
The metalbender reached up with her left hand and wiped away the tears and blood from her cheeks with her wrist. "I used my past anger and pain from what my parents did, as a way to justify what I was doing," she said slowly. "I wanted to finally be in control of something. When that Spirit Canon jammed, I lost all control. That was the most scared I've ever been."
"They aren't your parents." Korra shook her head.
"What?"
"Real parents wouldn't have abandoned you. They would have made sure you were well looked after even if it meant placing you with another family," she explained gently. "They shouldn't have given up, especially on an eight-year-old."
Kuvira moved her right hand from her side, inspecting the injury from underneath her palm. She winced while shifting a bit, trying to find a new comfortably position on the ground. "So, you said that some people need a wakeup call. Was me being abandoned my wakeup call?"
"No, the Spirit Canon pointing at you was." Korra moved her arms from around her knees before stretching her legs out. The dragonfly-bunny spirit nuzzled her on the cheek before floating, cautiously, back in Kuvira's direction. "You said it yourself. You lost control and in that moment you found yourself inches away from death. That was your turning point."
The dragonfly-bunny spirit landed among the flowers in from of Kuvira. Its ears were pulled back as it gazed up at her with wide eyes. The metalbender softly reached out and placed her hand on the spirit's head. With jerky movements, she pet the spirit on its head. The dragonfly-bunny spirit's ears lifted high in the air as it chirped happily. "When we get back, I'm going to take responsibility for everything."
"As you should." Korra nodded in agreement. "It has to be for your own reasons though."
"I'm not forfeiting," Kuvira sharply correctly. The Avatar raised her hands in self-defense. "You're…surprising, Korra, but in a good way."
The Avatar half-smiled. "You called me Korra. You haven't done that in awhile."
"That's because you're not the Avatar, but of someone I can't compare with. You're surrounded by friends and loving people, and are full of good."
"So are you." Korra held out her arms. Kuvira looked wearily at her. "Come sit in my arms for a second." The metalbender squinted at her words. She winced as she pushed herself up to her feet, clutching her injured side. Korra spread her legs and waited patiently as Kuvira sat down in front of her, scooting herself back until she rested against the dark girl's chest.
The Avatar instantly wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace. Kuvira tensed up at first, squeezing her eyes shut against the pain in her side before relaxing. She looked out at the landscape, skimming the trails of purple flowers moving off into the distance. "Do you see what you created?" Korra asked.
The purple flowers turned a bit more vibrant against the dark sky. The golden Spirit Portal in the distance shined excellently, casting a soft glow over everything, lighting up the dew on the flowers, causing the field to glisten. Numerous spirits filled the sky, floating gently in an invisible breeze, journeying towards the new portal, gathering at the base to phase through the connection of the two worlds.
Do you want to leave now?" the Avatar asked.
"Give me a few more minutes," Kuvira whispered.