Eight years
Korra walked into the living room, smiling when she saw Sokka curled up on the couch asleep. Asami was sitting in an armchair nearby with a stack of paperwork in her lap, one hand absentmindedly playing with the pendant of her betrothal necklace. Asami hummed when Korra walked up behind her and propped her chin on Asami's head.
"You work too much, sunshine."
"Someone has to," Asami chuckled, "I'm trying to find the contract from Varrick so that I can take it back—aha!'
She held the papers triumphantly over her head and Korra laughed before snatching them out of her hand and looking them over.
"This doesn't make any sense," Korra huffed.
"That's why I'm sending it back," Asami teased, pushing herself out of the chair with the other papers in her hand, "I need to tell Bataar I found-."
She was interrupted by Bataar shouldering through the door, his arms full of a massive stack of papers. He nearly tripped over his own feet as he stumbled through the door, and when he saw Asami he sighed.
"I can't find it."
"It's ok," Asami laughed before motioning to the papers Korra was still holding, "I just found it a minute ago. I was coming to tell you."
"Oh thank goodness," Bataar sighed in relief, "I was so worried we wouldn't—when are you going to take it to him?"
"I'll go now," Korra offered with a shrug, "Where's Kuvira? I'll make her go with me."
"She should be outside. That's where she was when I started this, at least."
"Then I'll just have to find her," Korra grinned, "Is Varrick at his factory?"
"He should be," Asami nodded before stepping over to kiss Korra's cheek, "Who knows what he's working on though. Look around and if you can't find him give me a call, I'll figure out where he is for you."
"You got it, sunshine."
Korra smirked and tucked the papers under her arm, jogging outside to look for Kuvira. She found Kuvira in the yard with Shady Shin and Latika, with Shady Shin and Kuvira arguing over a Pai Sho board. Shady Shin was sitting cross-legged in the grass, while Latika climbed onto his shoulders.
"Latika," Korra laughed, crossing her arms, "Do you know what Uncle Shin is?"
"A butthole," Latika giggled, propping her chin on top of Shady Shin's head, "Right?"
"Yep," Korra nodded with a grin, watching as Shady Shin rolled his eyes.
"I want to know what possessed you to teach my daughter to say that," Kuvira huffed.
"Uncle Shin's gonna teach me to be a waterbender," Latika chimed in excitedly before Korra could whip out a sarcastic reply.
"Is he?" Korra beamed, ruffling Latika's hair, "I thought you wanted to be an earthbender like your mama."
"Nope." Latika shook her head with a lopsided grin, "Mommy and Gran said they were gonna teach me, but I wanna be a waterbender."
Korra cast a glance at Kuvira, noticing Kuvira's smile was fading. Latika still hadn't shown any bending ability, no matter how much she herself may have wanted to. There was nothing for them to teach her and Korra was sure it bothered Kuvira, though she'd be hard pressed to admit it. She sighed and looked down at the papers in her hand, remembering why she'd gone outside in the first place.
"Kuvira, Asami needs me to take this to Varrick. Do you want to come?"
"Sure," Kuvira shrugged before standing, "I'll drive. Latika? Are you going to be okay here with Shin?"
"Yep." Latika grinned, still seated on Shady Shin's shoulders. "I'll beat him at Pai Sho
Kuvira smiled, bending down to kiss the top of Latika's head before she nodded.
"Alright, we'll be back soon."
Korra raised her eyebrow as she followed Kuvira to the car, laughing when Kuvira opened the driver's side door and huffed at her.
"You really need to learn how to drive, Korra."
"Nah," Korra grinned, sliding into the passenger seat, "Everyone else can. I still have my motorcycle, and my glider. I can get around fine."
"Whatever," Kuvira rolled her eyes as she started the engine, "If that's what makes you happy. I know you only brought me so I could drive."
"I did not!" Korra objected, shooting her a feigned glare, "You better watch it, I'll teach Latika to call you a shithead next."
"Please don't," Kuvira sighed, her words coming out as half a chuckle, "It's bad enough you have her calling Shin a butthole. Fairly regularly, I might add."
"You love it."
"No, not really."
When Kuvira went silent, Korra looked out the window and let her mind wander. It didn't go far, and eventually her thoughts settled on Latika. Sokka can't bend either. At least, not yet. How does Kuvira feel about it?
"Does it bother you?" Korra sighed, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Kuvira.
"What?"
"That Latika isn't a bender…that we know of."
Kuvira took a deep breath before letting it out as a long sigh.
"Yes…and no. I wanted her to be an earthbender. I wanted to teach her how to bend. So did Su. Hell, so did the twins. They wanted to teach her to play power disc. But she can't bend. And I've accepted that. The nonbending doesn't bother me. I just got my hopes up and got let down. She's happy, for now. She wants to bend. And I'm so afraid that she's going to realize she can't and think that she's disappointed me. But it wasn't her. It was myself. I don't mind that she can't and I want her to know that. What about Sokka?"
Korra would be lying if she said she hadn't thought about it. She knew Sokka still had a couple of years before she would really know if he could bend, but the thought crossed her mind more than she'd like to admit. She knew she would love him regardless, but like Kuvira, part of her had the desire to train him in whatever element he controlled.
"I guess we'll deal with it when we get there," Korra shrugged one shoulder, "I've talked to Bumi a lot. He's the only one who knows what it's like growing up as the avatar's nonbending kid. He's helped a lot. But Sokka still has time to surprise us. I try not to push it."
"I hope he does," Kuvira sighed, "I really do."
"Well," Korra smiled and shook her head, "Whether he can bend or not, it'll be alright. Bataar and Asami have made it this long, haven't they?"
"To be fair," Kuvira laughed and Korra was glad to hear it, "We can bend and we nearly die far more often than they do."
"True," Korra snickered, "They'll be alright. If it doesn't bother them, it doesn't bother me."
"Yep," Kuvira nodded, pulling the car into park outside Varrick's factory, "So where's he supposed to be?
"Asami didn't say. I figure we can start on the factory floor and work around."
"Sounds good to me," Kuvira shrugged before she shut the door and locked the car.
Korra remembered where the factory floor was from memory, having been there a few times with Asami to see whatever new prototype Varrick had been trying to sell.
"Varrick?" Korra called out, poking her head in the door, "Zhu Li?"
A low humming noise was the only noise that reached her ears, and she frowned as she stepped through the door and motioned for Kuvira to follow her.
"Guys? Anybody?"
The lights were still on in the factory, so Korra shrugged, knowing they would likely return soon. She leaned against one of the work tables and looked around, taking note of all the piles of junk Varrick had strewn about.
"You sure he gets any work done here?" Kuvira chuckled, casting one long gaze around the room, "Looks like a lot of shit, to me. I'm sure Bataar and Asami could tell us the name for every single—what's that?"
Kuvira was pointing at a large mass in the corner, and Korra looked at it for a moment and shrugged to show she had no idea. It was covered in several tarps, with thick wires spreading out from under the covering and around the room. It looked like a power source, and Kuvira unfolded her arms with a frown and began climbing through the clutter to make her way over there. Korra followed, and as she drew closer she realized the humming noise was coming from whatever the thing was.
"Think he'll notice if we uncover it for a minute?"
"It's Varrick, so no."
"Well then," Kuvira grinned, looking over her shoulder at Korra for a moment before reaching for the corner of the tarp, "Let's see what he's hiding under here."
She pulled the tarp down in one swift motion, taking a step back when she saw what was underneath. Korra took a step back as well, recognizing the mass in front of her. Spirit vines. Dozens of them, compacted into a misshapen lump that was glowing a faint pink and humming. Oh no.
"I thought-." Kuvira stammered, taking another step backwards, "I thought he stopped working with these."
"I did too."
The humming noise increased in volume as the rays of light it was putting off became brighter Korra reached out a moment later, grabbing Kuvira by the shoulder and dragging her a few feet away from the spirit vines. She remembered very vividly what had happened in Zaofu when Varrick's last project with them had blown up in the dining hall. This looks like it's enough to level the next four blocks of the city. Spirits.
"Want to touch it?" Korra was joking, trying to lift the mood, but she was fighting the urge to just sprint out of the factory and leave the thing.
"Fuck no," Kuvira muttered under her breath, "I want to get out of this godforsaken city and away from…that."
"Me too."
The next thing Korra knew, Kuvira had shouldered into her, her hand balling up in part of Korra's shirt before she began whole-heartedly dragging Korra across the factory floor. Korra followed willingly as soon as she realized they were moving, eager to get out of the building. She knew that if it came down to it, she could try to redirect the energy of the spirit vines if it exploded, but that wasn't something she was keen on attempting.
Before they could reach the door the entire building shook, and Korra looked over her shoulder in horror to see that some of the wiring had caught fire. It took only a moment to begin smoking and spread toward the mass of vines. Within seconds, a beam of light erupt from the top of the vines, ripping a hole in the ceiling. The whole thing is going to blow if I don't do something. She left Kuvira at the door, wading back over to the vines and taking a deep breath. She realized that putting the fire out wouldn't solve the issue, as much as she wanted it to. The vines have already been agitated. It's too late.
"Korra!" She heard Kuvira shout her name, and she ducked as a second beam shot just over her head, tearing a hole in the wall behind them, "Korra what the fuck are you doing?!"
"I'm going to try to calm it down!" Korra shouted back, able to hear Kuvira moving closer to her, "I don't want this thing to blow!"
She felt Kuvira's hand on her shoulder, and Korra closed her eyes as a wave of dread washed over her. I'm not going to be able to stop it.
"Kuvira, go! Get out of here!"
"No fucking chance," Kuvira's voice was near her ear, and Korra grit her teeth, "I'm not leaving you!"
"It'll kill us both if I can't stop-."
"Then I guess we're both going to fucking die."
"Kuvira!"
She started to tell Kuvira to leave again, but she didn't have time. A third ray shout of the vines and obliterated most of the far wall, and Korra took a deep breath, moving so that her body was fully in front of Kuvira. She held out her hands, feeling the energy of the vines pulsing in front of her. Don't contain it. Redirect it.
She closed her eyes for a moment, forcing herself into the avatar state when they reopened. More energy poured from the volatile vines, eventually erupting into an explosion in front of them. Korra felt herself pull the energy away from the vines, arcing it over herself and Kuvira. I can't let it take down the entire street. It needs to go somewhere.
Korra pulled the current away from the vines and forced it upward in a massive beam of spirit energy. She hoped Kuvira was safe behind her, and she used the avatar state to help her navigate the flow of the energy so that it had somewhere to go. Up and out. She couldn't see anything except the pink glow that was surrounding her, and she could hear the factory being torn apart around them. It's not enough. She dug her feet into the floor, setting her weight and forcing all her energy into controlling the excess from the vines. Please work. Please.
"I killed her..."
Kuvira opened her eyes when she heard Korra's voice. She was lying flat on her back, and the only thing that met her gaze was the multi-colored sky above her. Where are we? Am I dead?
"Korra?"
"Oh spirits you're alive." Korra let out a shaky breath, and Kuvira blinked rapidly trying to find her.
She felt hands on her shoulders and she groaned as Korra pushed her into a seated position. Lifting one hand, she rubbed the side of her head as her vision spun, and she took in her surroundings.
"Where are we?"
"Spirit World." Korra sat down beside her with a huff.
"Oh fuck. Are you telling me we're going to have to go on some fucking spiritual adventure to find ourselves and get out-."
"Kuvira there's a portal right there," Korra said calmly, her voice having lost the fear it contained only moments before.
"A portal? Where did the fucking portal come from?!"
"I…uh…made it."
"You made a spirit portal?" Kuvira turned so she was facing Korra, and she blinked at her, "How the fuck-."
"I guess all the energy from that shit Varrick had did it," Korra shrugged, "I just went into the avatar state and was able to redirect it."
"So we just have to walk out?"
"Well," Korra rubbed the back of her neck and looked at the ground, "We should be able to. I haven't tried. I didn't want to leave you here. There was definitely a lot of damage done to the factory, so I don't know if we'll be able to get out or not. We can try. It may have just leveled everything."
"You mean it disintegrated all of Varrick's shit?"
"Probably."
Kuvira sighed and covered her face with her hands before falling backwards and landing on her back again.
"Great."
"Do you want to try to get out now?"
"Just…just give me a minute," Kuvira grunted, waving Korra off with one hand, "I just have to…absorb all this. You created a fucking spirit portal. You didn't just open it. You made it."
"Yep."
"How are you so calm about this?"
"I expected to die, that might explain that for you. I'm experiencing…giddy surprise? Relief? I don't know."
"Oh my god. We got taken to the Spirit World."
"We did."
"Stop talking."
"Just keeping you grounded."
"I hate you."
"You don't."
Kuvira opened her eyes again and turned her head so that she was looking up at Korra's face. She had always known how powerful Korra was deep down. But this? She literally tore a hole into the Spirit World. No one else has ever done that before. Kuvira was in awe of her sheer power, and was having a hard time processing what exactly had happened.
"How long have we been in here?"
"No idea." Korra shrugged, "That's why we should probably go. Half the city is probably outside trying to figure out what hap-."
"YOU CREATED A FUCKING SPIRIT PORTAL."
"—pened."
"Ok." Kuvira sighed, forcing herself to take a deep breath and managing to push herself to her feet. Being here isn't helping me. I want real earth. I want real air. "I'll deal with this when I'm in the real world."
"Kuvira this is real-."
"Nope. I want my real. Any time you come to the Spirit World bad shit happens. Hell, last time you came here, you made a deal with a spirit and came back pregnant! I'm not fucking with this! I knew I should have never came back to this godforsaken city."
She reached down and pulled Korra to her feet, huffing when Korra embraced her.
"I'm so glad you're alive, Kuvira." Korra murmured, squeezing her tightly.
"I'll be glad too when we're fucking out of here."
"What the fuck happened?" Lin asked Saikhan as the pair of them looked up at the portal in front of them.
"No idea," Saikhan murmured, his eyes wide as he watched the portal, "Wasn't this where Varrick's factory was?"
"Yeah," Lin nodded once, crossing her arms, "Where's Varrick?"
There was a huge crater around the portal, the ground covered with spirit vines that were pouring out of it. Varrick's factory was gone, leaving this in its wake. If Varrick and Zhu Li were here, they're dead. Poor bastards.
"Well we've been here for…ten minutes now…" Saikhan grunted, looking at his watch, "The only thing that's come from that thing are the spirits pouring out. So what do we do?"
"Aunt Lin!" She jerked her head around at hearing Bataar's voice, only to see him and Asami jogging towards her, "What happened?"
"The factory," Asami's voice was deathly quiet when she stopped, and Lin watched all the color drain from her face, "What happened to the factory?"
"That is…a good question," Lin sighed, "We don't know. The factory was here. People started calling in and reporting some kind of…pink death beam…and now this spirit portal is here and the factory is gone."
Lin watched as Asami's mouth fell open, and Bataar swallowed hard as Asami stumbled forward onto the vines, looking up at the portal.
"What?" Lin asked, raising her eyebrow at Bataar.
"Korra and Kuvira were here." Bataar replied quietly as if he couldn't believe it, "They were dropping something off for Varrick."
Oh shit.
"I'm sure they're…here somewhere." Lin motioned half-heartedly at the crater before them. "It is Korra and Kuvira after all-."
Which means they shouldn't have been left alone. And also that they're probably dead. Though if they are, this wasn't what killed them. They probably made it. They do have a knack for miraculous survival whenever they're together.
Judging from the look on Asami's face, she didn't think the same things Lin did. She was standing a few yards away from Lin with her shoulders sagging, her mouth hanging open as she kept her eyes on the portal. Lin expected her to sob, but the only thing that gave away anything she was feeling was how pale she was, excluding the shakiness in her hands. This is bad.
"What happened to my factory?" Varrick's voice came from behind her as half a whine, and Lin lifted one hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. Great.
"What do you want me to do about it?" Korra threw her arms up into the air as they crossed through the portal, "I can't just make it go away, Kuvira. It's here now, we're stuck with it."
"Oh my god," Kuvira groaned, rubbing her temples, "I'm just so glad we're going back to the real world."
The second she passed through the portal, Kuvira dropped to her knees, kissing the ground in front of her. Or what would have been the ground, except it was now covered in spirit vines. Great. More of this bullshit. She heard shouting, but she was too busy being thankful that she was out of the Spirit World. Though, she was surprised when she heard Bataar's voice next to her ear, and she leaned against him when he embraced her.
"We went into the Spirit World," She told him quietly, still thankful to be on what she considered to be real ground.
Bataar lifted her to her feet, and she chuckled until she realized he was crying.
"Bataar?" She looked at him with a worried frown, "Bataar what's wrong?"
"We thought you died," He muttered into her shoulder as he held onto her.
She found Asami a few feet away, latched onto Korra as if her life depended on it. That was when Kuvira realized the factory was completely gone. All that was left was a vine filled crater in the heart of the city. Oh. Holy shit.
"See?" Lin huffed, though her voice betrayed how worried she'd been, "I told you they'd be fine."
"But what about my factory?" Varrick whined.
"Fuck your factory," Kuvira heard Asami grumble.
Korra started laughing, and all Kuvira could do was shake her head. I hate this fucking city. But I love the people in it, for some reason.
"I'm more worried about the damage to the rest of the city, honestly," Saikhan piped up, "Varrick, you have enough money to build a dozen new factories."
"But I had so much work in this one!"
"Including a fucking ball of spirit vines," Korra growled.
"That exploded on us," Kuvira added.
"Huh." Lin's eyebrows went up and she crossed her arms as she looked back to the portal, "So that's where this came from?"
"Yep." Kuvira and Korra said together.
"Raiko is going to be pissed…" Lin muttered, crossing her arms.
"How?" Asami asked, releasing Korra long enough to look at her.
"Korra bent it," Kuvira explained, "The energy started coming out, and when it exploded she redirected it around us and the next thing we know-."
"We're in the Spirit World," Korra finished.
"I'm never sending the two of you to do anything together ever again," Asami replied breathlessly as she shook her head and came over to hug Kuvira, "It never ends well. Ever."
"I think this went pretty well," Korra objected, "I mean…we have a new spirit portal, which means visiting my parents just got a lot easier. Plus nobody died. That we know of."
"I'll look into that," Lin rolled her eyes, "Let's hope no one did."
"The worst thing that came out of this was that Varrick lost a factory," Korra chuckled, "Considering the mess he had in there, it's not much of a loss on anyone's part but his."
"Let's hope that's the only thing that comes out of this," Kuvira huffed, shooting Korra a glare, "If there's anything else, I'm letting you take the blame for it."
"That seems fair," Korra shrugged before she laughed, "I took the blame for the spirit vines last time with Harmonic Convergence, and the city is already full of spirit vines so there shouldn't be any more…how could this be any worse?"
"Let's hope you're right, kid." Lin sighed. "I'm sure Raiko will be calling you very soon."
