Title: You Came Back

Note: This collection with only be one-shots for Korvira. I can't start a whole story for them – as much as I'd like to – since I have my other fics to complete. Plus, I feel like some fluffy and smutty one-shots with a ton of feels are needed since this ship is not that common and it has wedged its way into my life and I've fallen in love with the idea of Kuvira and Korra together. Also, I don't plan on having Korrasami be canon in these one-shots, although I will say if that is otherwise (like, if there are one-sided feelings – Asami for Korra or Kuvira for Korra).

Anyway…I shall recruit all of you onto the Korvira ship! *Insert evil laugh here*

Universe: Canon

Korrasami: Not canon

Summary: Ever since she was arrested, Kuvira was tormented in prison; regular beatings from the other inmates were often on her daily schedule. Her will to go on was fading quickly, until she received a visit from an unexpected guest.

POV: Third person omniscient

Rating: M for violence, implications of psychological torment, and mentions of a suicide attempt

Trigger warnings: Mentions of a suicide attempt

She felt helpless. She couldn't use her bending to protect herself anymore. She cursed the person who had designed this place. Nearly everything was made of wood, and the bars and nails in her jail cell were platinum. She had nothing.

Even the chains that bound her were platinum. They were long enough for her to move around, yet the shackles on her wrists were so rough that they ended up grinding through her skin at one point.

Although, as the days turned into weeks, Kuvira slowly lost any motivation to try and escape. She knew she would be wanted by all the nations, and if anyone found her she would most likely be killed on sight. I should have backed down when they asked me to, she told herself. This was a common thought for Kuvira to have over the last few weeks.

The metal bender always tried to tell herself that she wasn't in her right mind. She was simply trying to accomplish the things she believed in: Unity and balance. She wasn't "evil," "crazy," or a "monster," as the other inmates of the prison liked to call her. At least, Kuvira tried to convince herself she wasn't those things. Because the more time she had to reflect, the more she thought it was true.

I killed so many innocent people. I betrayed Su. She did nothing but love and care for me, and I turned on her. I almost murdered her and her family, and she'll never forgive me for it.

Yet, the last thought didn't frighten Kuvira as much as she thought it would. She figured she would live the rest of her life surrounded by guilt and regret and that she would never find forgiveness. But she was proven wrong when she was in the Spirit World. When she was with the Avatar.

She was the only one who understood me. She was the only one who showed compassion for me. The thought alone was enough the bring Kuvira to tears, yet she didn't let her tears fall.

But her thoughts were severed as she felt a strong force collide with her head, and she looked up to see another inmate looking back at her, fury in his dark green eyes. But this wasn't the usual guy who beat her up. This was someone new. Either way, Kuvira knew what was coming. Here we go again. She sighed as she glared back at the man. She didn't have the energy to sustain another beating. Although she would admit she was getting used to them.

The guards that patrolled the prison never did anything to stop them, and Kuvira figured it was because they hated her so much. It probably brings them the greatest satisfaction in the world to see me get my face smashed into a wall…

"It took them all this time to identify my brother as one of the dead," he snarled. "You murdered him…"

Kuvira internally flinched at the word. She hated it whenever someone called her a murderer simply because it only reinforced how true it was. And she didn't want to be reminded.

"I'm sorry," Kuvira said back, although she knew it wouldn't do anything. These people weren't like the Avatar. They weren't forgiving or understanding. They only wanted revenge, and now was their time to get it.

"To hell you are. You don't even care."

He lunged at her, and she evaded his outstretched arms by only a couple inches. Kuvira let out another sigh, just waiting for the moment another prisoner joined in on this, which would leave her outnumbered.

The man lunged at her again, and a small smirk played its way onto Kuvira's lips as she easily dodged him now. He was clearly physically stronger than her, but he was too slow to actually get to her, and that gave Kuvira all the advantage in the world.

This time she let him advance on her, and once he reached out for her, she quickly ducked under his arms and propelled herself upwards, slamming her fist into his chin. The man let out a strained cry from the unexpected contact, and before he could even react, Kuvira had spun around, and she landed the heel of her foot into the middle of his back. He fell to the ground, but Kuvira never got a chance to punch his lights out as she felt a stronger force grab her arms and lock them behind her back.

"Good against one, but defenseless against two," another man breathed out. She tried to break free of his grip, but he was too strong.

"Thought you had me there for a moment," the other man said as he stood up from the ground. "Keep her as still as possible…"

Kuvira didn't bother fighting back anymore. She knew it was pointless. So she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, simply waiting for the pain that was going to come to her.

His first punch landed on her nose, and Kuvira held back a cry that was threatening to escape as she heard it crack. Someone else had already broken her nose last week, and she wasn't given proper medical attention after it happened. So she spent all this time with a constant, throbbing pain shooting through her whole face. It was hard for her to eat, let alone talk, without having the searing pain course through her.

She felt the blood start to leak from her nose.

Next it was her jaw. Luckily, she didn't hear anything snap, yet the pain was still there as the blood came to her mouth as well. It trickled from the corners of her mouth, down her chin, until it eventually dripped onto the ground.

And then he took to her stomach and ribs, and he had a fun time with it too. Almost everyone in the prison knew the injuries Kuvira came with. After all, fighting the Avatar is never easy. She had a fractured nose at the time – not too serious though, and two broken ribs – one on the left and one on the right. So, whenever she got a beating, they always targeted the area.

Blow after blow was landed to her ribs, and Kuvira could feel a strangled cry catch in her throat as the pain coursed through her, lighting her entire torso on fire. She could only hope her ribs weren't damaged any further, although she knew that was probably the case.

After the six or seventh punch – Kuvira had lost count after the third – she was finally dropped onto the ground, and the two men left as if nothing had happened. Her breathing came out short and ragged, and blood continued to drip from her nose and mouth, now creating a small puddle of crimson on the wood floor. Kuvira swore she would pass out any minute now.

She let out a few strained coughs, forcing more blood out of her mouth, and forcing more pain to shoot through her whole body.

She subconsciously ran her fingers over the red marks on her neck. She had tried. Her chains were long enough, but a guard found her before she could end it…

"Prisoner 309," someone said, but Kuvira was too weak to turn her head to look at them. Not that it mattered. They didn't even refer to her by her own name here. "We're taking you back to your cell. Someone is here to see you."

Korra didn't necessarily know why she was here. Maybe she felt obligated to at least see how Kuvira was doing, or maybe she just came because her heart was telling her it was the right thing to do. Either way, she didn't expect the guards at the prison to give her such a hard time about seeing the metal bender.

"She's a highly dangerous inmate," one guard said.

"You honestly think she would try anything now?!" Korra shouted back. She wasn't the kind of person who had a tremendous amount of patience to begin with, so these guards were really getting on her nerves.

"You never know. We had to take special precautions when imprisoning her."

"I don't care! I want to see her, and I'm not leaving until you let me!"

The guard let out an exasperated sigh before he looked back at Korra again. "And why exactly do you want to see someone like her?"

"Someone like her? Excuse me? Don't talk about Kuvira like – oh…nevermind," Korra breathed out, a small groan of frustration escaping her. "And I want to see her simply because I want to see how she's doing."

"She's doing fine, Avatar Korra," he said, leaning back in his chair.

"Yeah…like I believe you. Just let me see her."

"Fine…" The guard groaned as he hit a button on his radio. "Is Prisoner 309 back yet?"

"Yes sir. Why?"

"There's someone here to see her."

"Well tell that person they can't."

"It's the Avatar, sir."

"Oh…then let her back. I'll make sure there are guards around the cell."

"No," Korra cut in. "Tell him no guards."

He grudgingly obeyed, and once he got confirmation that it was okay for Korra to see Kuvira, he led the Avatar back through the halls of the prison. It wasn't until they had passed all the cells did Korra narrow her eyes at the guard in front of her.

"Where are you keeping her?"

"This whole place is made so earth and metal benders can't escape. However, like I said, we had to take extreme measures when imprisoning Prisoner 309."

"For goodness sake, her name is Kuvira!" Korra yelled.

"Well obviously we don't refer to her as that here."

"You're all unbelievable…" Korra muttered as they stopped in front of a larger jail cell. There were no other prisoners surrounding the cell as they had passed all the other inmates a little ways back, and the cell was so dark Korra could barely make out the figure slumped against the back wall. Well…it is nearly ten at night…so, yeah…But still, shouldn't they give her a little more light? After all, the only illumination in the cell was the moon rays streaming through the platinum bars of the window.

"How long will you be staying?" the guard asked.

"As long as I see fit. Now let me see her," Korra said, her voice more demanding, and the guard quickly unlocked the cell.

"Do you want it kept open, Avatar Korra?"

"Yeah sure," she answered once she stepped into the cell.

"I'll be right down the hall. However, no other guards are around."

Korra nodded and gave the guard a small thanks before she turned her attention back to the cell, and all rational thought abandoned her once her eyes settled on Kuvira.

Her hair was loose and disheveled and not the wavy majestic-ness Korra had always known it to be. She could barely even make out Kuvira's face as well. There was dried blood covering her nose and mouth, and there was some staining her cheeks and neck. She was clutching her ribs, and once Korra moved her eyes back to Kuvira's face, she saw the immense pain the metal bender was in.

"Holy shit…what did they do to you?!" Korra exclaimed as she rushed across the cell, leaning down next to Kuvira as the woman turned her head to make eye contact.

Even her eyes, Korra thought. The once bright green orbs belonging to Kuvira were now dark and sullen…depressed almost. She just looks…broken…

"What are you…doing here?" Kuvira got out, needing to take deep breaths every few words, and she winced as the pain became stronger.

"I'm visiting you smart one." This registered a small grin from Kuvira, no matter how much pain it caused her to do so. Yet before she could form a response, Korra was halfway down the hall already.

"Get me a large jug of water," the Avatar demanded.

"Um…okay…" the guard said, slightly confused yet he went away to take care of Korra's request.

And soon the Avatar was back next to Kuvira, and for some odd reason the older woman felt a little safer. Korra wanted to reach out and hold Kuvira just like she did when they were in the Spirit World, but she was too afraid she would hurt the metal bender.

"Y-You came back…" Kuvira got out, her voice seeming even weaker now.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing," Korra answered, looking down to Kuvira, her eyes filled with empathy instead of pity.

"And how do you think…I'm doing?"

"Not too well I'm assuming."

Their small talk was interrupted by the guard walking into the cell, and he set a large jug of water next to Korra. The Avatar thanked him, and he left with a small nod. Korra turned back to Kuvira, her heart breaking all over again when she saw the woman's pained eyes looking at her.

Korra swiftly bended a large mass of water from the jug and slowly moved it towards Kuvira.

"Wait…wh-what are you…doing?"

"I'm helping you," Korra stated simply as she moved the water over Kuvira's worn down gray prison shirt. "Do you mind if I lift this up for a moment?" Korra asked, motioning to the metal bender's shirt.

"Depends…" Kuvira rasped out.

"It'll make the healing process go faster."

"Oh…then I guess…it's okay."

Korra nodded and slowly pushed Kuvira's shirt up, trying to be as gentle as possible, and her breath caught in her throat once she saw the dark purple and blue bruises almost completely covering Kuvira's abdomen.

"How can you even breathe?" Korra asked as she moved the water over Kuvira's stomach.

"It's rough…" the older woman got out in response. "This won't hurt, right?"

"Just the first few seconds, but it'll quickly ease the pain. It'll help heal your wounds," Korra assured. "How are your ribs?"

"They'll start healing but…the guys just…beat them up again. So…they're still broken…" Kuvira said back.

"What?!" Korra yelled, accidentally freezing the water and dropping it onto Kuvira's chest. And for a rare moment in her life, Kuvira let out a strangled scream of pain as she fell onto the ground clutching at her chest.

Korra was in too much shock at the fact that they didn't even give her proper medical attention for her wounds. And another hand of anguish pulled at her heart when Kuvira basically admitted the other inmates were beating her up. Korra was snapped out of her daze as another round of tormented cries filled the jail cell, and her eyes widened in guilt once she realized she had hurt Kuvira.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Korra said, putting her arms around Kuvira's waist and pulling the broken girl back into a sitting position, not caring at this point that she was causing Kuvira more pain. She needed her upright if she wanted to heal the metal bender.

However, Korra couldn't pull away, and she found the reason behind that being that Kuvira had locked her arms around her shoulders. For a moment, Korra was nervous that Kuvira was trying to harm her in some way, but that feeling quickly passed once she heard soft cries coming from the girl beneath her, yet no tears escaped Kuvira's eyes.

They were cries of pain, and Korra could tell they were only causing Kuvira even more pain. The Avatar kept her movements slow as she unfroze the water and positioned it back over Kuvira's torso.

"It'll help…trust me, okay?" Korra said softly.

"O-Okay…" Kuvira managed to get out in between her sharp breaths, still struggling to take in air.

Korra moved her hand in a slow, circular motion as she kept her other arm around Kuvira still. The water glowed softly at first, and quickly intensified as the healing process began. Kuvira let out a small, strained cry of initial pain, but she soon relaxed as a soothing sensation washed over her. The water felt surprisingly warm over her skin, and it sent tiny, calming vibrations through her abdomen and chest.

"This will help with the bruises," Korra said, drawing Kuvira out of her moment of bliss just enough so she could focus on the Avatar's voice. "Your ribs, however, will take some time…multiple healing sessions before they'll be back to full strength."

"Just…do the best you can with them," Kuvira answered, closing her eyes as she tilted her head against Korra's chest.

Korra smiled at this, and for some odd reason she felt her heart beating a little harder from the action. She held Kuvira a little tighter as she continued the healing process for a couple minutes longer, and she felt as if she never wanted to let the metal bender go.

And soon the water's glow faded as Korra bended it back into the jug. Kuvira still kept her eyes closed as a warmth filled her chest and her mind began to drift away. Is this what it's like to fall asleep? Kuvira asked herself, for she hadn't known a good night's sleep ever since she arrived at the prison.

Korra continued to hold Kuvira, and she took out a small cloth from her bag and wet it in the water. She splashed some of the water onto Kuvira's face to help loosen up the dried blood, which caused the older woman to open her eyes with a start.

"Wha-ow! Fuck! Ow!" Kuvira exclaimed as the pain shot through her face, and she had to resist holding her nose, since she knew that would only make it worse.

"Crap…Sorry! I just – I want to get this blood off your face so I can heal your nose," Korra said, her tone soft as Kuvira pushed herself upright against the wall again.

"I think you gave me a heart attack instead," Kuvira deadpanned, her voice a little less raspy as she could breathe more easily now that a big chunk of the pain in her torso was gone.

Korra tried to hold back a laugh, but she failed and it came out as a strained snort instead.

"What kind of sound was that?" Kuvira asked, raising an eyebrow at the Avatar.

That thing she does with her eyebrows…damn…wait, what? Korra quickly pushed the thought away as she held the wet cloth out to Kuvira.

"Not sure… Anyway, I'll try combining the healing process as I wipe the blood off your face so I don't hurt you that much."

"Why can't I just wash off the blood while you heal my face?" Kuvira returned, and Korra could sense a slight hint of playfulness in the metal bender's voice.

"Oh…yeah, that works too!" Korra handed the cloth to Kuvira before she bended a smaller blob of water out of the jug, and she held it over Kuvira's nose. The older woman closed her eyes, although a small grin remained on her face.

"I feel like this would appear very strange if someone walked past us right now," Kuvira commented as she gently moved the cloth across her cheeks and mouth, the dried blood slowly coming off her skin.

"If they haven't seen a water bender heal someone like this, then yes, it would look very strange," Korra affirmed, this time letting a small laugh pass her lips as the water's glow brightened. "But…are you hurting anywhere right now?"

"Not as much…" Kuvira mumbled, the same comforting warmth spreading across her face now. Soon, she had wiped all the blood from her face, and she heard Korra take in a sharp breath as she lowered the cloth onto the ground.

Kuvira snapped her eyes open, her crystal green eyes meeting the Avatar's warm blue ones. Korra bended the water back into the jug, and then they just sat there, looking at each other as if nothing else in the world mattered in that moment.

However, Kuvira felt herself growing increasingly awkward since she had never truly been this close to another person for as long as she could remember. Sure there was Su and her family after they took her in. Then there was Baatar Jr., but she never felt a real connection with him. And now there was Korra; she was someone who really understood her and actually made Kuvira feel like she belonged somewhere in the world.

And the thing that scared Kuvira the most about this was that she had interacted with Korra on a level other than trying to kill her only once before. And yet, in that short time in the Spirit World with her, Kuvira felt as if she had never been closer to anyone before.

Well, they say you know your enemies the best.

But were they really enemies now?

"Uh…so…" Kuvira started, trying to distract herself from noticing how close she actually was to Korra. "Why did you just do that for me?"

"You were in pain," Korra said softly, her voice cracking a little, and Kuvira noticed tears filling the Avatar's eyes.

"So? Last time I checked, no one cared if I was in pain or not," Kuvira snapped, and she wasn't fully aware of her tone until she saw the hurt flash across Korra's eyes. "Shit…I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to jump at you…"

"No, it's fine. I'm just trying to understand you more."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Korra sighed and shifted her position so she was leaning against the wooden wall next to Kuvira, and the older woman sensed the same awkward feeling passing through her as their shoulders brushed ever so slightly.

"Why did your parents give you up?" Korra asked, her voice quiet and small as she avoided looking at Kuvira.

Kuvira's lips thinned into a straight line. The only other person who knew why she was abandoned was Su. Am I really ready to tell Korra? Is this crossing some sort of line? Well…we both know each other's greatest weaknesses now, so I guess I really have nothing to lose at this point.

"They were hit by a hard economical time. They could barely afford to put food on the table every night. They wanted to pull themselves out of that depression, and the only way to do that was to get rid of the things that drained what little money they had…and that thing was me…" Kuvira said, her voice soft as well yet it contained no emotion.

"They left Zao Fu in hopes of finding a better life, and they left me behind with only the clothes on my back and a small amount of money that didn't even last me a week. I managed for that long without anyone becoming suspicious, until a patrolling guard came up to me one day and asked why my parents were never with me. So, being the eight year-old that I was, I told him my parents left and they weren't coming back.

"He immediately brought me to Su. I was frightened, since I knew she was highly respected around the city of course. But she responded by letting me stay with her. She gave me clothes and food, and then she offered to take me in permanently. And of course, I was only eight, so I accepted. Even though I never felt like a complete part of her family since I was employed as a guard, it was still nice to know I had people who cared about me again. And now…I'm here…" Kuvira's voice faltered a little as she gestured to the jail cell, and she turned her head, looking intently at Korra. "I betrayed her and her family and almost killed all of them…"

"But she loved you," Korra said back, a hopeful smile on her face. "She cared for you. She taught you how to metal bend when your own parents wouldn't do that! She wanted the best for you, and - ,"

"Are you done making me feel worse about myself?" Kuvira interrupted, her eyes narrowing slightly at the Avatar. "I already know she'll never forgive me for what I did, and she's right not to."

"Don't say that Kuvira." Korra paused as she looked back at the older woman, and eventually Kuvira's eyes softened again. "Su isn't the kind of person who doesn't forgive. It'll take some time, but she'll come around. But, for what it's worth…I forgive you."

"What? Why would you even say that? Are you just trying to make me feel better now? Are you - ,"

"No, I mean it!" Korra exclaimed, her voice rising slightly as her tone became somewhat desperate.

"After everything I did to you, you can honestly forgive me? I killed your friend's dad! I hurt everyone you were close to one way or another! And you're just willing to forget all of that and - ,"

"It's not forgetting!" Korra cut in again.

"What?"

"Forgiving…it isn't forgetting. I can't forget the pain you caused Asami when you killed her dad. I can't forget the physical and mental torment you put my friends through. But what I can do is let go of the hate," Korra said, her voice soft again as her eyes met Kuvira's, and the Avatar felt another tug at her heart, the same one she felt when she saw Kuvira looking so broken and the same one she felt when Kuvira held onto her.

"I hated you for the longest time," Korra continued. "I wanted you gone, and I didn't want anything to do with you after that happened." Kuvira flinched at Korra's words as they brought back the memories of her parents abandoning her. "But when I saw you lying on the ground after your canon went out of control…something changed."

"What are you talking about?" Kuvira was so confused right now. Not to mention she also felt even more awkward now that she couldn't decipher the look in Korra's eyes. She was always good at reading people's expressions, but now she really didn't know. But Korra looked back at her not just with affection…but with something more, and it frightened Kuvira that she did not know what it was.

"When that spirit blast was coming towards you, you knew you didn't have enough time to get out of the way. I thought it was weird at first…I wanted you gone yet there I was saving your life. But in that split second I saw you lying there, I saw myself."

"Yes, you told me."

"No…it was different. I saw the way you looked at that canon. You were afraid. You were afraid because you didn't want to die. And your expression what the same one on my face when I looked at Zaheer. He was killing me, and I never thought someone actually had that power over me. But all I knew was that I didn't want to die like that. I couldn't just sit by and watch you get blown to bits right in front of me…I couldn't live with myself if I did."

"So it was just to make you feel better about yourself then?" Kuvira raised an eyebrow, and Korra couldn't stop the small blush that came to her cheeks, and she didn't know why she was blushing either.

"N-No…something in me wanted to save you. And when we got into the Spirit World I knew why I did it. And it was because of exactly what I said: I see a lot of myself in you Kuvira. I also knew that your intentions were good, but you were going about them in the wrong ways."

"I think I've figured that out Avatar. Thanks for reminding me," Kuvira said, a small grin on her face as she casted a side glance over to Korra.

"Still…I also thought you deserved forgiveness. And like I said, it's not forgetting about what you did; it's about letting go of any hate I held for you," Korra replied, a soft smile gracing her lips as their eyes met again.

Kuvira, for a rare moment in her life, was at a loss for words. She never thought she would gain anyone's forgiveness let alone the Avatar's. But honestly, it was all she needed. She felt as if she had a little more closure now and that maybe she might pull herself out of whatever darkness life had thrown her into.

"I um…uh, thanks." She stumbled over her words momentarily before she got the 'thanks' out quickly, and she looked away from Korra as she felt her cheeks heat up.

"Of course," Korra said kindly, and soon Kuvira felt a hand on her shoulder. "How much do they hurt you?" she whispered soon after, and she gently ran her thumb across a bruise on Kuvira's cheek. The older woman was glad it was dark in her cell, otherwise the Avatar would have seen her blush grow stronger.

"I'm used to it," Kuvira grumbled.

"But you're still in pain. My healing abilities can only help so much right now."

"But you said you could heal me fully…"

"I can, but it will take some time. Your ribs are damaged badly…so is your nose," Korra said.

"They beat me up. What more is there to it?"

"Well, there's the fact that I care about you and I don't want anyone to hurt you anymore."

"Why do you care about me so much? All I've done is cause you pain and yet you came back for me…" Kuvira said, her voice faltering slightly as she looked back at Korra.

"I don't think I'll ever know the whole reason. I guess part of it is because you've been broken before in your life, and I don't want that to happen again."

And Kuvira was even more startled when she felt warm hands on her own, and it took her a few moments to realize that Korra had laced their fingers together.

"Why do they keep you in chains?"

Kuvira shrugged her shoulders. Even she didn't know. There was nothing she could do to escape. "I guess it's just to make them feel better…more secure in a way."

Korra nodded, and when she looked back up at Kuvira, she noticed the red marks and scratches on the metal bender's neck. She could make out the faint pattern of the chains, and her eyes instantly welled with tears. Kuvira followed Korra's line of sight, and she let go of the Avatar's hands and quickly brought her own up, trying to cover her neck.

"Kuvira…" Korra said softly, her voice cracking as she pushed Kuvira's hands away. "Did you…?"

Kuvira didn't know what to say again, and she let Korra place her soft hands on her neck. It was weird for Kuvira, having someone this close to her for such an extended period of time. And it was even weirder that she was letting Korra touch her like this. It was strange…and yet it was oddly intimate if Kuvira dared admit it to herself.

"Why?" Korra's voice brought the metal bender out of her daze, and she was met with blue eyes filled with sadness and…hurt? Why would she feel hurt about this?

"The guilt. The regret. The pain. It was all too much for me at the time…" Kuvira whispered, her eyes never leaving Korra's. "When they threw me in here I really had time to think about what I did and what you said to me in the Spirit World. I realized how horrible my actions were, and I hated myself for it." Kuvira didn't stop the movement of Korra's fingers as they lightly ran across her neck still. There was something comforting about the motion, and true comfort was something Kuvira rarely felt in her life.

"It didn't matter," Kuvira continued. "Ninety percent of the nations wanted me dead anyway, so I figured I'd do their job for them. Besides, after what I - ,"

She was cut short when she realized Korra had been crying this whole time.

"Wh-Why are you crying Korra?" Kuvira asked a little hesitantly.

Korra took her time responding, because even she didn't know why she was crying. Although, the Avatar felt that she had formed something along the lines of a friendship with Kuvira, but there was another feeling she couldn't quite decipher. And it scared Korra.

"Because I care about you!" Korra got out, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, and within a few moments the tears stopped falling down her cheeks. "I don't want you feeling like you're worthless and that you mean nothing to everyone! I know it'll sound crazy for me to say this now, but you mean something to me. You're important to me."

And Kuvira's heart nearly burst right out of her chest at Korra's words. She tried to get words out. She tried to say something, anything, to the Avatar, but all words and thoughts failed her. And then she put her arms around Korra's waist, buried her face into the younger girl's shoulder, and she cried.

It was a strange feeling for Kuvira. She rarely cried when she was a kid, and after her parents gave her up she learned to simply suck up her emotions and deal with the pain of being rejected all the time. But now – now she was being accepted. Korra was letting her in more than Su ever had, more than anyone else in her whole life had. Korra was giving her the support and comfort she needed to go on. She was silently saying 'I'm here for you Kuvira.' And it was the best feeling in the world for the metal bender.

"Wait…why are you crying now?" Korra asked, her voice still soft, yet it was lighter as she put her arms around Kuvira's shoulders in return.

"Your-You're the first person in my life to tell me that I'm im-important to them…"

And finally Korra realized what the feeling inside her was. Ever since her fight with Kuvira, she would always stay up at night thinking about what was said between them until she was too tired to think about it anymore. Even then, she would find her thoughts randomly drifting away to the metal bender during the day.

The Avatar wondered why Kuvira had this effect on her. When they were in the Spirit World and Korra reasoned with Kuvira, she felt as if she had a chance at friendship with her. But now, as she held Kuvira – the older girl still crying in her arms, Korra felt her heart beat faster again, and it frightened her more than anything to even think about it, but she couldn't deny it anymore.

At first she thought it was too soon. After all, throughout the whole ordeal with Kuvira, she had only talked with the woman for what…and grand total of fifteen minutes at most? Probably not even that much. Yet, Korra instantly felt a connection with Kuvira in the Spirit World. It was the moment the metal bender fell into her arms – quite literally – that Korra knew there was something between them.

They bonded over their common feelings of being afraid and getting hurt by others or themselves even when they were trying to do the right thing. Kuvira denied it at first, but once Korra started talking to the young – and former – dictator, she saw Kuvira's eyes soften. Korra knew that Kuvira understood her words. She knew the metal bender realized that what she had done wasn't right. She was able to get through to Kuvira, and it was all because they shared a connection between each other they never knew was there until that moment.

"K-Korra?" Kuvira opened her eyes – her dark green orbs still glassy with tears – when she felt the Avatar getting closer to her.

But Korra pushed forward – she was always the one to dive headfirst into her feelings. She was stubborn that way. And within a split second their lips were joined.

Kuvira ignored the slight pain shooting through her face at the sudden contact, and she allowed her eyes to close. She had never felt like this just from a kiss. When Baatar Jr. had kissed her, she never felt anything behind it. But this…Kuvira could literally feel the passion Korra was putting into it. The Avatar's hands now rested comfortably on Kuvira's shoulders, and the metal bender tightened her grip on Korra's waist in response.

But the kiss ended as quickly as Kuvira felt it started, and Korra pulled away abruptly, her eyes wide in shock and…embarrassment?

"I-I'm sorry," Korra stammered out, her cheeks flaming as she let go of Kuvira and quickly grabbed her bag and the jug of water.

"You don't have to apologi - ,"

"No, I do. I-I shouldn't have done that. I probably…freaked you out or something. So uh, I'm just gonna go now and get my thoughts sorted out because IthinkI'minlovewithyou and yeah…" Kuvira barely heard the last of Korra's words because they were so rushed, but she felt her heart soar with happiness once they were spoken.

But before Kuvira could say anything in return, Korra was gone.

The metal bender looked after the Avatar with longing eyes though. She didn't quite know what to make of that whole ordeal, but there was one thing she could sort out of it for sure.

"I love you too…" Kuvira whispered.

And then she was alone again.

But she knew Korra would come back.

A/N: So yes, I've absolutely fallen in love with this ship. I think Korra and Kuvira would make such a great couple. Korvira is now one of my OTPs along with Korrasami. I can't say that I ship one more than the other…maybe I ship them equally. But all I know is that once I started thinking about the possibility of Korvira, I never looked back.

It's such a beautiful relationship actually, especially since the idea that Korra would visit Kuvira in prison is very likely.

I will certainly be writing more of these one-shots. I'm pretty sure most of them will be in the canon LoK universe, while only some will be an AU. Again, I'll also state whether or not Korrasami will be canon in the current one-shot, because if it is then that would mean Korra would be getting into a poly relationship and I don't know how many of you would like that (although I'm sure you wouldn't mind).

I know…long Author's Note xD But Korvira has just grown on me and I NEED MORE KORVIRA FAN ART YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND

Anyway…be sure to tell me what you think, and if you have any suggestions/requests for a certain kind of one-shot you'd like me to write, don't hesitate to message me or leave a review you're your request!

As always…happy reading!

- A