Summary: Kuvira is a dance student apart of Republic City University's ballet program. The ballet exam is approaching fast. If she passes she'll be one of the few in the selected dance classes that help her getting a better chance of entering a company after college. But Kuvira pushes herself over the edge and pays the price.
One two two one two two…
In the middle of the dance studio, Kuvira counted her steps as she practiced her dance for the exam that was fast approaching a month away. From elegant fouettès to graceful arabesques to even simple pilès, Kuvira had the routine down to the bone. The exam tested not only the skill of the dancer, but also whoever so desired to work in a dance company after graduating from the university. If Kuvira passes she'll be placed in the highest-level dance classes Republic City University (RCU) has to offer. Once in those classes she was one step closer to her goal.
Even since she was young, dancing had always been her passion. When Suyin adopted Kuvira and brought her into a world of love and happiness and dance, her perspective changed. Prior to the adoption Kuvira's birth parents were awful to her. They abused her mentally and physically. Bruises would appear on her limbs while her father would call her slurs. Her mother wouldn't say anything. She would just sit and watch as Kuvira's father took out anything he felt onto her. Once she was finally away from their life Kuvira thought she would never have a normal life. She saw the world as an ugly hole of despair. Every night she would wake up screaming and crying. Su would come in and sing her lullabies to calm her down.
One day Kuvira stumbled upon Su teaching a dance lesson. Interested by it, Kuvira began to follow along with the lessons as best as she could. Before she went to bed, she would do a small part of the lesson to keep her mind busy. Kuvira was a fast learner and soon began making up her own dance as she took fragments and pieces from the lessons she saw. When Su found out about Kuvira attending her lessons she decided to become Kuvira's mentor. Su was surprised at how much Kuvira learned from the few lessons. They began in baby steps, which became bigger and bigger, until the day finally came when Kuvira was eighteen and was accepted into RCU's dance program. All her hard work finally paid off, and she felt so relieved to continue her passion. But once in she knew she wasn't at the end of the line. Kuvira knew she wanted to be a professional dancer, and in order to be that she would have to work twice as hard in college than she did in Zaofu.
Back to the present, the olive-skinned young woman leaned against one of the mirrors that covered the wall. She drank her water and poured some onto her head to cool off. Water and sweat mixed from her ebony wet hair and dripped down her flushed face. Her muscles felt on fire but she knew she needed to keep going. If she messed up during her exam she would kiss her dancing career goodbye. I can't think like that. I just need to practice more so that I won't make any mistakes. Day in and day out, Kuvira had been practicing her dance routine for ages. Even at home in her little apartment, which she shared with her girlfriend, Kuvira would still find a way to practice. Deep down she knew she needed to rest more, but that wasn't going to let this goal slip from her grasp. The pointe shoes were tearing up her feet but ignored it. The best way to handle the pain was to get up and continue. She couldn't let her small cuts and blisters get the best of her. Deep breath through the nose and out through the mouth. She was gaining control over her breathing to make it more stable before starting up again.
As she sat on the floor, the door opened and there stood a woman about Kuvira's age. She was an inch smaller than her but had a physical build like no other. Kuvira let out a small smile as she saw her.
"Korra."
"Hey."
Korra was a physical therapy major with a minor in philosophy. She was a part of the Mixed Martial Arts Club (MMAC) at the school. Being a proud member of the club since freshman year, Korra learned a lot from it. Two of her best friends, Bolin and Mako, were also a part of the club. The three were a team when it came down to working together. They would teach each other different styles they knew, expanding their horizons. The club didn't compete with the other schools but it was still a lot of fun. Korra invited Kuvira to join the club, so every once in awhile the ballet dancer would knock the wind out of a poor person at the gym.
The mocha-skinned girl made her way to her girlfriend. They knew each since late freshman year and began dating the summer of their junior year. Being with Kuvira was probably the best times of her day. She loved her so much. People would think that a rough fighter and an elegant dancer would never get along but that wasn't true (well mostly not true. There were times when they got on each other's nerves).
"How's the practicing going?"
"Good."
"Finishing up?"
Kuvira looked at the clock.
"I'll probably be another 40 minutes before cooling down"
Korra wasn't fazed by the lateness. Everyday for the past few weeks Kuvira has been working nonstop for her dancing exam. Korra knew how important this was to Kuvira, so she did the best she could for her.
"Alright. Well I'll stay. I have nothing better to do anyway."
"Don't you have an exam to study for?"
"...Possibly. But I would rather spend my time with the love of my life than my nose in a huge ass textbook about muscles and cells." Kuvira rolled her eyes as Korra kneeled down in front her.
"Don't be like that. You know deep down you want my company." She leaned in and whispered into her ear. "Besides I love watching you." Kuvira's face was a bit red but she simply blamed it on the exercise.
Korra chuckled and pulled Kuvira into a kiss. Their lips brushed against each other's before their mouths opened up. Tongues danced while Korra found herself being pulled into Kuvira's lap. Kuvira wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's back while Korra's arms wrapped around Kuvira's neck, pulling her more into the kiss. Their kisses were soft and playful. Smiles and quiet chuckles left their mouths while their lips entwined. These small blissful moments were some of Kuvira's favorite times of the day. But it was cut short when she pulled away. Korra pouted.
"We were just getting to the good part." Kuvira punched Korra's shoulder.
"We'll have time later for that. Right now I need to get back to practicing."
"Alright, alright. Go have fun." Korra slid down the mirrored wall as the dancer rose from her place.
Kuvira had paused the music when she took a break, so once she got up she turned the music on again. The music began in silence as Kuvira went to the middle of the room waiting for her cue. She stood in third position with one of arms stretched out while the other one rose up above her head with a bit of curve in it.
When the music began, her body began to move through the routine. It started off simple yet had a dark tone to it. The piece was called Escape. Kuvira felt emotionally attached to this dance. She used her body to convey what happened to her when she was child. Her early childhood illustrated from the abuse she had to endure, and even to this day was still affected
by it.
But as she danced, she felt pain in her feet. Ballerinas had some of the worst foot injuries in the world. Kuvira knew if she went to the doctors, they would tell her rest. She couldn't rest. Not until she passed. And even after that she would still dance. She was also afraid of going to the doctor and being told that there was something wrong with her feet. Kuvira was always hard on herself. She strives for perfection in every shape, way, and form.
On the sidelines, Korra could tell Kuvira wasn't her usual self. Even though Korra had only seen bits and pieces of her dance, she could that Kuvira a step behind the music. Her face grew in anger as she tried to keep up with the music. If she fell more behind, Kuvira would stop and restart. She couldn't rest until she got the routine down at least two more times.
The music cued for Kuvira to perform the brisè so she skipped the last part of the en dedans and went straight into fifth position. She sprung in the air with her feet apart.
One two one-
She brought her feet closer with them still pointed. But as she felt the landing approach something felt off. The music was going faster than she realized. Kuvira began to panic. She was too slow. But before she could even think of what to do next, she came crashing to the ground. Immediately, pain shot through her left foot and she fell to the ground. Kuvira cried out in pain as she felt tears surface in her eyes. No way would she cry. She wouldn't dare cry.
Korra widened her eyes as she heard a pop sound when Kuvira landed.
"KUVIRA!" She ran to Kuvira in a split second. She pulled her into her arms.
"I-I'm fine." Kuvira whimpered. She couldn't open her eyes. If she did the tears would come.
"You're not fine. You fell. Come on, take a break."
"No! I can't! I need to practice more!" Kuvira opened up her right eye just a bit and proceeded to leave Korra's arms, but as she leaned up and put weight on her feet, she came crashing down again. This time the tears sprang free.
Korra caught her and held her close. Looking down at her feet, the injured foot didn't seem to look broken.
"I'm going to have a look at the foot. Kuvira, let me help."
After a second Kuvira nodded as some tears slipped from her eyes. Korra gently let go of her and went to her injury. Kuvira sat up and looked down at her hands.
Gently, she took the left foot in her hands, and Kuvira bit her lip so hard she drew blood. Korra winced but began to untie the ballet ribbon. Once the pale pink ribbon was loose, Korra slipped off the pointe shoe while Kuvira tried not cry out. Thankfully she wasn't wearing tights so Korra could examine the foot thoroughly. But as her eyes led from the ankle to the toes Korra's eyes widened. All over her toes were blisters and old band-aids. Some of the band-aids had dried blood spotted through them. Korra never realized the extent of Kuvira's dancing. She knew that ballet dancers had some nasty injuries, and sometimes after practice Kuvira would be sore and limp for a day or two. But she never imagined Kuvira would go to this level.
Korra took a deep breath as she refocused herself. Her bright blue eyes wandered upward to
the ankle. The ankle was swelled up and already had shown some bruising. It was sprained.
"Kuvira..."
"It-it's sprained isn't it." She tried to suck up her tears. She prayed it was just twisted. Korra looked up at her face, and she knew this hurt Kuvira in a lot more ways than just physically. After a minute went by she replied.
"Yes."
The next sounds that she heard were far worse than the pop sound she heard just a few minutes before. Kuvira lost it. She began to cry out loud. Her hands ran into her hair and pulled at it. Her shoulders shook as hiccups left her lips. She had never felt so angry with herself before. How fucking stupid could she be? She needed the break, and yet she pushed herself until she fucking sprained her ankle. Her eyes were pink and puffy. Her nose had snot dripping down.
Korra never saw Kuvira like this. She knew how much dancing meant to her. And now she thought she blew it. Korra gently placed Kuvira's injured foot on the ground before moving again so that she was on the side of her. She pulled Kuvira into her warm embrace and Kuvira rested her head on her shoulder. Korra's rough hands wiped away the tears that spilt. Her chapped lips gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"You're going to be alright. It's not the end of the world."
"But I-I can't dance. Korra, I may have just ended my dancing career."
"Hey! You didn't! I know you'll rise up from this. It'll take time. We all make mistakes, and we all miss big opportunities sometimes. But in no way, shape or form is this the end of your dancing career. You'll be in this studio again. I promise." She grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
"Now stay still. Thankfully I have stuff in my bag." She let go of her hand and ran to her bag.
As Korra looked through her bag for the materials, Kuvira looked around her. There in all the mirrors was a girl Kuvira recognized from a long time ago. She was small. She was weak. She was pathetic. She was her. She hadn't felt this way since she lived with her birth parents.
How could this happen? How could I let this happen? I should've listened to my body. I should've taken longer breaks. I should've rested more. And now this is the price I pay.
Korra came back to Kuvira in a matter of seconds. She went to her foot and gently took it in her grasp. Kuvira let out a quiet whimper and tried not to think about the pain. Carefully, Korra began wrapping up the foot taking her time. Being a part of the MMAC, Korra dealt with a lot of injuries, both hers and others'. She helped the other members from their dislocated shoulders to their bruised ribs.
With the pre-wrap done, Korra began to wrap Kuvira's ankle in athletic tape. She wrapped the tape around and over again, making sure the swollen ankle was secured. Korra finished up the wrap and took Kuvira's hand in hers.
"I'm going to call Bolin and Asami. They can help us home, alright?" Kuvira just nodded. Korra kissed her on the head before taking out her phone. Right as Korra was going to get up a hand shot upward and grabbed her arm. Korra looked down.
"Please...Please don't leave me."
Korra's heart broke in two. She blinked her own tears away and grasped Kuvira's hand.
"I will never leave you." She brought the hand to her lips and kissed it. With her free hand, Korra dialed Asami's number praying for her to pick up.
After the third ring she picked up.
"Hey Korra-"
"Asami, listen! I need you to get Bolin and drive down to the gym."
"What happened?! Where are you?"
"I'm in the dance studio on the third floor. It's Kuvira. She sprained her ankle."
"Oh, spirits. How bad is it?"
"Really bad. But hurry up, 'Sami. We need to get her home as soon as possible."
"Alright, we'll be there soon."
Korra hung up her phone and placed it on the ground. She did the best she could and gently pulled Kuvira into her arms.
"It's going to be alright." Kuvira didn't reply. She just looked at their hands. Korra pressed her cheek upon on her head.
"Remember when I got knocked out last spring? And everyone was screaming their heads off. Well I guess you were, too. But that's beside the point. You said that I would rise from it. Sure I was a bit intimidated about going back into the ring, but I eventually did it. Without your help I probably would have never went back in." Kuvira raised an eyebrow.
"So many people helped me along the way, but you were one of the few that didn't pity me. You didn't look down at me. You helped me up. Sure, Tenzin and Asami and Mako and Bolin helped, too. But you were different. And when you were so confident in me going back, I realized then that I love you." Kuvira eyes widened. Hearing Korra's story made her a feel better. Not a whole lot, but it was something.
"I love you, too." Korra smiled softly and ran her hand through Kuvira's thick matted hair. She began to sing a lullaby. The lullaby was not like Su's at all. First of all, Korra didn't have the best singing voice, which at times helped Kuvira take her mind off things. Second the song was about the frozen tundra and the myth of the waterbenders. How their powers were enchanted by the full moon. Su's lullabies were the old songs of the earth kingdom. They were legends of lovers and fallen warriors.
Some time had passed before Asami and Bolin finally arrived. Asami saw them first, and she knew right then that this sprain was worse than she thought. Even though she was Korra's ex her grudge against Kuvira finally passed several months ago. The two had a heart-to-heart conversation that in many ways helped their relationship with each other. It was still too early call them friends, but Asami assumed that they'd reach that level one day.
"Oh, Raava!" Asami ran over to the girls. She kneeled down onto the floor and saw Kuvira's wrapped ankle. She let out a small breath. It was bad, but thank the spirits Korra was here with her.
"Kuvira! Korra!" Bolin ran to the three women. He was the youngest out of the three but one of the strongest.
"Bolin, wrap your one arm underneath her knees and the other around her back." Korra held Kuvira's hand in hers still. Bolin nodded and gently dropped to the ground before scooping up Kuvira into his arms.
"Kuvira, now just wrap your arms around his shoulders alright?" Kuvira nodded and did what Korra asked.
Quickly Korra gathered up her and Kuvira's stuff before heading out with the others. As they made there to the elevator, Asami looked over to Korra and talked a bit lower so the other two wouldn't hear them.
"Should we go to the hospital?"
"Not yet. She should rest for a day or two."
"Why wait?"
"She's been through a lot, 'Sami. Even before this she was practicing for weeks on end for this dance exam. Which is still a month away, but she'll lose some practice days to recover. It's best for her just rest for a bit before going anywhere."
Asami nodded. Korra knew a lot more about healing injuries than her, so she took her word for it.
"She's going to be okay." Korra sighed.
"Physically she'll be okay in a few weeks, but mentally, she might not be. Dancing is everything to her. If she feels that she isn't ready by the time the exam comes, she'll think she's lost everything."
"She has you, Korra."
"But I can't give her her dream."
"When has that ever stopped you, Korra? I'm sure Kuvira loves you just as much she loves dance. And when one door closes another opens. Even if she doesn't pass the test, she'll still go far. She's a talented dancer, and maybe with a few strings I can pull, she can get somewhere."
"You would do that? Asami, I…" Asami laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Of course. Now come on, we're getting left behind." Hope flowed through Korra. She just wanted the best for Kuvira.
The four reached the elevator and entered in. Bolin smiled softly down at Kuvira.
"Hey, in no time you'll be back on your tippy toes doing those fancy spins!"
"They're called fouettès."
"Fou-ee-ttes." He tried sounding out the foreign term. Kuvira rolled her eyes.
"Close enough." Bolin laughed.
"Ah, Kuvira, even with one foot injured you still manage to be your usual self." Kuvira looked down at her lap. Bolin couldn't do much but maybe if he got her to smile, even just a tiny one, he felt like he was doing something.
"I dislocated my shoulder once." Kuvira raised her head.
"How?"
"You promise not to tell anyone? Like, you can't repeat this to anyone."
"Alright, alright. I promise. What happened?"
"Well I had just seen that the big dance play you were in."
"You mean Turtle Duck Lake?"
"Yeah, that's the one! By the way, you were amazing in it. Anyway, that night I found myself trying to do all those fancy moves. I ended up on my kitchen table pretending I was the prince waiting for his turtle duck queen, but then Mako and Opal walked in, and I was so shocked I fell off the table and landed on my shoulder."
Kuvira bit the inside of her cheek. For some reason, she pictured Bolin in spandex and a tutu and she couldn't keep her laughter inside. The injured dancer snorted and chuckled. She wore a small smile. Bolin saw and he smiled back.
In a matter of minutes the four reached the first floor of the building and were outside heading towards Asami's car. The car was a newer model from the Sato line with parts specially customized by the engineer major herself. Korra went to the car and jumped in the back seat.
Bolin approached Korra and gently placed Kuvira inside the seat. Korra wrapped her arms around her as Kuvira laid her head on the fighter's shoulder. Asami and Bolin both jumped in front seats and soon enough they were on the road.
The gym wasn't far from Korra's and Kuvira's apartment driving-wise. They lived off campus, so it could take a few extra minutes than driving to on-campus housing. The sun was setting in the distance. Colors of pinks, purples and baby oranges painted the sky. Korra mumbled sweet things to Kuvira who just smiled softly, wanting this day to be over. After some point, Bolin turned around and faced the two girls.
"I brought my old crutches for you, Kuvira. They're in the trunk. They might be a little big for you though." Kuvira looked over at him.
"Thank you, Bolin. I'm sure they'll be fine. And Asami…Thank you as well. You two really saved my ass today." Asami smiled gently as she glanced in the rear view mirror.
"Not a problem at all, Kuvira. We're happy to help," Bolin said.
The rest of the car ride was quiet. Bolin and Asami mumbled to each other while Korra soothed Kuvira. Her eyes were still puffy but not as a pink. To be honest she looked like a wreck. Korra wouldn't be surprised if she felt like it, too.
They reached the apartment complex. Living on the fourth floor of an eight-floor building had its ups and downs. The two were over three levels for some advantage, but still had four levels above them. The stomping was the worst.
Asami pulled the car into a slot before placing it in park and shutting the engine off. Bolin got out of the car and went to Kuvira's side. He leaned a bit down and scooped her up into his arms. Korra left once Kuvira was out. She went behind the car to the trunk to fetch the crutches. But as she reached for them, Asami grabbed them.
"I got this."
"You sure?"
Asami nodded.
"Alright. Thanks."
The raven-haired girl picked up the crutches and followed her friends into the building. Thankfully the elevator was not in use so they all piled in and up they went. The elevator dinged when it stopped on the fourth floor. The doors opened up then Korra led her friends to the apartment. They reached the door, and she quickly took out the key and opened the door.
Korra's and Kuvira's apartment wasn't fancy. There was a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom, and a bedroom. There was a small television that sat on a wooden cabinet in the living room along with the big gray couch. Framed pictures of flowers and oceans decorated the walls.
Asami followed the other two into the bedroom. The bedroom wasn't amazingly fancy, yet it gave off that sense of home. The bed was a queen size that had a window behind it. The view was of Yue Bay. There also were two closets on each side of the walls for the girls to use.
Asami could definitely tell which side was whose. Korra's side was decorated in all different shades of blue and had a bit of mess with clothes on the floor and papers everywhere, while Kuvira's side had different shades of green and was perfectly clean, with nothing out of place. Korra mentioned once to Asami that the two had balanced each other out. They were two halves of a whole.
Quickly Korra went to the bed and placed a pillow at the foot of the bed. Bolin carefully placed Kuvira onto her side of the bed. She let out a small sigh of relief, happy to be back home. Asami placed the crutches near Kuvira so that she could easily access them if she needed to. Bolin smiled and gave Kuvira thumbs up.
"Feel better, O Great Dancer." Bolin mockingly bowed. Kuvira rolled her eyes but mumbled a thank you to him anyway.
Korra kissed her forehead.
"I'll be right back. I'll get you ice. Keep your foot on that pillow." Kuvira nodded.
Korra, Asami, and Bolin left the bedroom and headed into the kitchen. Korra went to the freezer and took out a large ice pack. Asami smiled at Korra.
"We should probably take our leave now. Hopefully she'll feel better soon."
"Right. Thank you guys so much. It means a lot to both of us."
"What are friends for, Korra." Bolin gave her a giant bear hug. She chuckled and wrapped her arms around him hugging back. They pulled away, and Korra went up to Asami. The two girls gave a gentle hug to each other.
"Take care, Asami."
"Will do. Call if you need anything." Korra smiled and nodded.
Her two friends found the door and left. Korra sighed gently. Today was exhausting but she was happy to be home. She left the kitchen and grabbed a towel from the bathroom before entering the bedroom again.
"And I'm back with the pack and towel. Here, let me." She went to Kuvira's foot and gently picked it up and placed the towel underneath it before putting it back down on the pillow.
Slowly she applied the ice. Kuvira let out a small hiss. Carefully she wrapped the ankle in the pack. The ice pack was extremely cold, quickly cooling the swollen area. Kuvira knew this would help in a lot of ways, but it didn't mean that she enjoyed it. She sat up and reached for her right foot and took off the other pointe shoe. The shoe dropped to the wooden floor. She didn't care if she was in her workout clothes still. She would shower tomorrow.
Korra quickly got undressed and put on a tank top and blue cotton shorts on. She then slipped into the bed and wrapped her arms around Kuvira. As she opened her mouth to say something, Kuvira beat her to it.
"I… I overheard you and Asami." Korra bit her lip.
"Oh... you did? But isn't this great? You might have a second chance-"
"Korra, that's not the point." Korra raised an eyebrow.
"Then what's the point?"
"That you thought my love for dance was more important than my love for you." Korra sat on the bed stunned. She didn't know what to say.
"I-I didn't say that!"
"You didn't have to. But I know you thought it. That you have been thinking about it! That somehow dance was the only thing I cared most about? How could you possibly think that? Dancing is my passion, and I love it to bits and pieces, but do you honestly think for one second that I would choose that over you?" Korra felt tears surface in her eyes.
"I love you, Korra. Nothing will change that. Dancing can give me things like fame and money and talent. But you can give me something dance will never give to me. You can give me your love. Your goofy smile. Your hard-ass workouts. Your slightly bad cooking. I love every single thing about you, Korra, and nothing, I repeat, nothing will ever top you. Never." Korra's eyes swelled with tears. She hiccupped a few times.
"You idiot. You said more than one thing." Kuvira's gaze softened. She pulled Korra into her arms.
"And you know what? I am going to take the exam. You were right. It's not the end of the world or my dancing career. I'll rest for a few days then go to the doctor and see what they say. And even if they say I will never be able to dance again, I still have you. I'll be heartbroken and depressed, there's no doubt about it, but I know you'll be with me every step of the way. My goal in life is to be a part of the Republic City Dance Company and dance until I physically, mentally, and emotionally can't anymore. Goals change and they modify. Dreams are the wishes and prayers you want to come true. Dreams are for the most important thing or person in someone's life. Korra... My dream is to be with you, whether we're girlfriends or friends or wives, I don't care. As long as you're in my life somehow, someway, I am living my dream. And I'm living the best damn dream anyone could ask for."
By this point Korra tightened herself in Kuvira's embrace. She felt a few tears slip from her eyes, but she was just so happy. So relieved. Korra buried her head in Kuvira's shoulder. Kuvira gave her kiss on the head.
"I love you, Kuvira." Korra looked up.
"I love you, too, Korra." Their lips touched and the night ended in silence.