Sometime after getting on Naga, the young Avatar felt herself drift off to sleep. The gentle rocking of the beast was almost as comforting as a soft lullaby she had heard when she was a child. Everything had finally crashed down on her and the Waterbender allowed herself to rest. She could feel the stings from her cuts and the soreness of her muscles as much as the bruises that were forming from hitting that tree. Moments before falling into a tired bliss, Korra allowed herself to think about what others were doing right now.
They would be searching for her, that was certain, but she wondered if they would suspect the famous Councilman, who had turned out to be not only a Bloodbender but also the son of Yakone. Mako would be furious and worried because of her absence. Since they had met he had been protective over her and she could already picture him pacing back and forth, wondering where she was. Katara would be worried too, and if her parents arrived while she was missing…they would lose their minds and probably yell at Tenzin for not taking care of her like he had promised.
"Korra!" she heard someone shout.
The Avatar gathered all the energy she could, forcing her eyes to open and settle on a blur that seemed like the sky bison, Oogi. She heard Tenzin say something and then Lin as she tried to lift herself up a little more on Naga's saddle.
"Give her some space!" the same voice shouted.
When she lifted her head towards the noise she saw a familiar blotch of red heading towards her. Warm arms picked her up, holding her close to an equally warm chest and she snuggled her face against his shoulder, a shiver escaping her.
"I was so worried," the Firebender whispered, noticing how cold she was. She must have been somewhere very cold. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Korra answered tiredly, her own exhaustion catching up with her again. "I'm glad you're here."
The Firebender placed her on the beast's saddle, caressing her cheek. Despite the situation he couldn't help the smile that tugged in his lips. Korra was safe. His girlfriend was safe. He sat next to the Waterbender before taking off his coat and pulling her close to him, giving her body heat and covering her shivering for as much as he could.
Before long they were back on Air Temple Island and as soon as they landed, Mako took the now sleeping Avatar into his arms once again before heading over to a her room, finding Katara half way there. The elder quickly walked up to the Fire Ferret captain to look at her surrogate daughter. A wrinkled hand pressed against the teen's face and forehead.
"She has a fever," the Waterbending master stated. "Bring her into my room. I can heal her wounds and lower the fever there."
Mako didn't argue with that, knowing as Korra had once mentioned that Katara was the best healer in the world. He gently lay her down before being pushed out of the room since the elder would have to change her clothing. Asami volunteered to help and the Waterbender agreed, knowing an extra set of hands would be helpful.
The Sato heiress took in a deep breath when she noticed the deep cuts on the younger teen's arms and body. They stripped Korra of her clothing, leaving her in bindings and shorts she usually slept with. Asami brought a bucket of water and Katara immediately began to heal the wounds while the Nonbender gently pressed a cloth against Korra's forehead, who had begun to lightly toss restlessly.
"Mako," Korra mumbled, her tossing increasing slightly.
"Not even in her state does she forget about that boy," the elder commented as she continued to work on the cuts.
"Is she going to make it?" Asami whispered while trying to soothe the young Avatar.
"Korra's strong," Katara replied. "She'll be fine."
But even she didn't know whether her former pupil would make it through. She was dehydrated, sick, and completely bruised, but she also knew how strong and stubborn the girl was, and there was no doubt in her mind Korra had a possibly of making it through. The young Waterbender was a fighter after all.
After what seemed forever, the glow of the water died out and Korra's tossing ceased. Her breathing was still uneven, even ragged at some point and her lips were chapped because of the fever but the worst was over for the most part. Asami placed a white shirt over the girl's head as she sat her up, in an effort to help her breathe.
The Firebender paced back and forth outside the room, wondering why neither the Sato heiress nor the elder Waterbender had given him any news. Tenzin had dropped by earlier to lend him one of his white undershirts and to see how Korra was doing but he hadn't known anything. His younger brother let out a groan causing his head towards him, wondering what was wrong.
"What's wrong Bo?"
"You made me dizzy from all your pacing!" the Earthbender grumbled.
The elder brother was about to reply when the door opened and Asami stepped out. Mako quickly went over to her side, wanting to know how Korra was doing.
"How is she?" he quickly asked.
"The fever is mostly gone," the Sato heiress answered. "She's just unconscious, you can see her now."
The Firebender didn't need to be told twice as he almost as quickly entered the room, feeling his heart sink when he got a sight of his girlfriend. The young Waterbender's skin was slightly pale, her pink cuts visible against her skin even after the healing session. He quietly walked over to her and sat on the chair next to the bed before picking up her hand, noticing the bruised knuckles, and bringing to his lips.
"I'm right here," Mako whispered kissing her hand. "You have to get better. You have to."