Notes: Hello everyone! Sorry it took so long to update this story. I had a few others that came to mind when I was finished with Chapter 3 of this fic, as well a transition from a forty hour work week to school again. After some time, Energy started speaking again and this came to fruition. I hope you enjoy it. I appreciate all of the support that you have given me throughout this story (and my others, if you have read them). I know the beginning of this fic is a bit rocky (writing quality wise), but I'd like to think I've improved over the weeks I've been working on my stories. This chapter should address some of the questions that have been coming up in my reviews as well. I'm thinking this might be an eight or nine chapter thing, since I hope to continue it past "Beyond the Wilds" but finish it before "Operation Beifong". There's sure to be more Korrasami in the future (such as the AU I've been working on) and other fics that come to my mind (including some requests I've received from people). In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this chapter and feel free to leave feedback.

Thank-you again for all of your support. You mean the world to me!


Her breath was steady. Eyes were closed. Torsos clutched. Silent. An external observer would deem them tranquil from their appearance.

They were anything but tranquil.

Their hearts were racing out of their chests for different reasons. Sweat dripped down Korra's exposed back. Her legs were cramped and tired in their curled position. Her arms wanted to shake, but couldn't from fatigue. She felt herself slipping into darkness from the amount of pain pulsing through her body.

Just let it take me. Let it make everything stop, just for a little while.

Korra wanted an escape, a hiding place from her nightmares, from that thing that kept following her. She was brought back by Asami's hands tightening around her shoulders. It was as if the woman could sense her internal plummet.

"Korra." Her voice was a stern whisper that demanded attention.

The Avatar fought to open her eyes, to address the urgency. Her lids unstuck. Her vision blurred into focus on the pale face in front of her. It was much too dark, with only dim light coming from the hallway.

Asami? She tried to speak, but failed.

A flash of light from the storm outside granted Korra a better look, if just for a second. It was enough to take in the situation and make her heart drop. Asami's face was riddled with worry. There were tear streaks from the corners of each puffy emerald. Her hair was somewhat disheveled. One cheek was red with the onset of swelling, while the other was colored with blood leaking out from a fresh, three-inch long horizontal cut.

Spirits.

Sure, Asami had been in plenty of fights in the past. Korra has been a witness to her power and skill. Never had she seen the engineer get injured like this before.

What happened?

The Southerner struggled to bring a now-quivering hand up to the inventor's wound. Her body felt too feeble to manage. She brushed the injury with her fingertips, staining her skin with the warm liquid oozing from it. The older woman held her wince.

"Korra, we need to get you out of here. It's not safe."

Before she could ask for details, Asami rose, pulling the weakened Avatar with her. Korra's legs wobbled to the weight placed on them, like she was back in the Southern Water Tribe learning how to walk again. Her head swirled from the blood rushing into it. Her limbs throbbed, and she began to lose sight again.

The engineer swung Korra's arm around her shoulders to prop her up. "I've got you. Come on, we need to leave before more of them come."

Who? She wanted to ask. Her vocal chords would not work. She panicked. Why can't I do anything? Why am I so weak right now? Move body! MOVE!

Nothing.

Asami half-dragged, half-carried Korra out of the apartment. Her distorted blue eyes picked up on the shadows of slumped bodies around them. Some were against the wall. Others were heaps on the floor. Another crash of thunder brought her back, but it was the metal cable flying towards them that made her jump.

Or at least, she thought she jumped.

A smack of her head against the ground told her otherwise. It made her vision and neck snap from one side to the other. She was unsure as to whether she had tried to get into a fighting stance and failed or if Asami had tossed her to the side out of protection. Either way, Korra's half-fuzzy eyes watched as the CEO dodged a second metal cable and caught a third in a way that reminded the Avatar of their run-in on the train with Kuvira's men a few days ago.

Wait a minute.

She focused on their aggressors. She couldn't see much, but the bright plated shoulder pads were a dead giveaway.

Kuvira's men.

Asami shocked the cord in her hand with her electric glove (When did she put that on?, Korra wondered), and yanked the man down with a turn of her body. It was a calculated shift, as were all of her movements, that allowed the engineer to avoid two metal chunks that rushed past her face.

I need to help! Korra fought to gain control of her body. Come ON. Move! She just managed to crawl onto her hands and knees when the last of the green-and-black suited men fell next to her.

The Avatar didn't even have time to look up at Asami before she was being tugged down the hallway. How am I running? She looked to her legs with incredulous eyes. Each step ached almost as much as the grip around her wrist. Black and red claws crept into the corners of Korra's sight. Her head was hammering and fading away from her.

Asami ran as fast as she could, her peripherals scanning every inch of the area around them for metalbenders.

"All hail the Great Uniter." The man's voice echoed in her head.

She tried to shove the thoughts away as they rounded a corner. Korra's knee gave out and she slipped. She heard a thud against a door nearby and pulled the shorter woman to her feet.

"We will destroy the Avatar." The voices returned. The banging amplified.

Adrenaline fueled her muscles and made her function in ways she never thought possible. The engineer tackled the stairwell door open.

Where… where are we… Korra's body started growing limp despite her efforts to stay awake. What is… happening… to me…

Korra?!

Asami skipped several steps. She grabbed Korra's arms and whipped her onto her back before the younger woman could tumble down stairs. The panting of her breath and the pounding of her heart filled her ears. She pulled the drifting Southerner closer.

Come on, Korra. Stay with me. We'll get through this.

"The Earth Empire will rise and you will all fall beneath us."

She carried the Avatar out into the pouring rain with a charge of the exit. The inventor was sure she would have bruised shoulders in the morning (well, bruised a lot of things), but she didn't care.

"You can't escape."

Asami brought her fingers to her lips and let out a sharp whistle. They bolted from the apartment and never looked back. The storm soaked through their clothes and the gusts penetrated their burning exteriors with a chilling blast. The combination reduced visibility to a radius of just a few feet.

A faint bark reached her ears after another high pitched call. Thank the Spirits. Within seconds, Naga joined them and knelt down in front of the pair.

"We need to get to Air Temple Island!" Asami yelled over the wind as she hoisted Korra onto the polar bear dog's saddle.

"A – Asami…" Her voice was but a whisper. It was all she could muster, though she was surprised she could speak at all. She felt the engineer wrap her arms around her torso, holding her in an upright position against the front of her body, while she took Naga's reigns.

Before she could say another word, darkness consumed her.

(-)

The storm raged outside and filled the silence. A crash of thunder shook the building. Asami was unfazed in her defensive stance, electric glove at the ready. She took another step towards the bed where the Avatar lay, unconscious and cold. The faint plume of white drifted from her mouth in the darkness. She risked a glance over her shoulder at the slumbering woman when an object flew past her face and stuck itself into the wall. She rolled to the side and stood in a half-crouch, examining the situation. Another piece was shot in her direction. She titled her left shoulder back to dodge it and looked to the doorway. A man with a buzz cut blocked the exit. The dark colors of his uniform were muffled in the low light of the room, but the metallic shoulder pads of his armor reflected it well.

"Give us the Avatar."

Asami blocked the path between Korra and the metalbender. "What do you want with her?" If tones could kill, the man would have dropped to the floor as a lifeless corpse.

"The Avatar is a threat to the Earth Empire. She must be eliminated."

"If you want her, you're going to have to go through me first."

The man chucked in a deep, disturbing way. "We will destroy the Avatar."

"Over my dead body."

His grin was even more off-putting. "It's settled then." He lurched forward and bent more plates at her. Asami maneuvered around them and closed the gap with each movement. The man retreated into the hallway, but the engineer was too quick. She advanced and ducked under a metal cable sent her way. With a quick spin, she swept the calves of her aggressor and sent him to the ground. She kneeled over his body and shocked him with her glove before he could retaliate.

Asami rose to her feet when she heard another voice, but it was too late. Metal cords constricted her abdomen and hauled her away from the bedroom into darkness. She screamed in her head.

Korra!

(-)

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

Her question resonated against the silence.

"Asami? Naga? Tenzin? Anyone?"

Nothing.

Where is everyone? Korra rubbed her eyes and tried to focus on her surroundings. When she was greeted with darkness, she brushed them again and attempted to blink the lack of imagery away.

"Not again." She sighed, turning full circle to search for any sort of change in what she saw. Every inch was black. It felt different this time, though she couldn't explain it.

What was it?

"Wait, I can move." Korra flapped her arms and kicked out her legs. Though she couldn't see them, she felt the movement. "And I can talk." She paused and cupped her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice. "Asaamiiii! Naaagaaaa! Can you hear me?!"

The only response was the dying echo floating away from her.

"Where am I?"

(-)

Asami's back smacked against the wall. A white flash filled her sight for a moment and she groaned from the impact. She slumped to one knee and held her ribcage. Her body was free from the metal cables that yanked her into the living room. The faint sound of water boiling seemed melodic as it clashed with the harsh gusts that pounded the windows, demanding entry. This eerie combination was augmented by the tension filled silence. All noise was cut by the swoosh of a spinning wheel and the rip of a cord coming at her.

The engineer rose in an instant and took hold of the cable, much to her attacker's surprise. She tensed her hand and sent a shock down the wire. The man screamed and collapsed from the electrocution. Several other invaders that were approaching the bedroom changed their direction. Their stances grew aggressive and they bent metal plates in unison at Asami. She retreated to a nearby corner and ducked behind the wall, spine to plaster. The ground to her left shifted and a pillar of earth shot out.

She had no time to react.

The beam struck the side of her face and forced her to stagger into the hallway. The moment she was exposed, she was showered with metal pieces. She twisted her body and took a step back to the left. Only one plate hit its mark, but it was enough to create a deep cut on her right cheek. She winced but continued her full-circle motion, bringing her face to face with Kuvira's men.

"No… No!.. Not you again!" A muffled growl from the bedroom filled Asami's ears.

Korra!

She took the offensive and charged forward.

"Get away from me!" Korra's voice grew louder as she got closer to the entryway.

She jumped to the left to avoid another column of earth and used the momentum to push off of the wall to evade two cables aimed for her torso. The leverage allowed her to soar over the two metalbenders. She flipped halfway during her descent and grabbed their backs, still in midair. Asami sent a pulse to her glove to electrify one of the assailants and used the rest of her somersault to send them both crashing to the floor. With a spin, she pounced on the other man and fried him as well.

"Leave me alone!"

"Korra!" Asami called with no reply. She sprinted towards the bedchamber and rolled under another wave of metal. She utilized her position to slide between two of the benders. The engineer grabbed one of the men's arms and swung him into the other until they were both pinned against the wall. She shocked their necks at the same time.

"Get. Away!" The sound of an air blast in the other room was followed by the scuffling of a battle.

Just as Asami turned to face the last man, a hand with a grip of steel closed around her throat and pushed her wrists behind her.

(-)

Korra walked. She didn't know where she was going, or what direction she was headed in, but there was ground under her feet. She was sure of it. It felt like a cold stone against her warm soles. Her eyes were open too, though everything was dark.

"Asami!" She called into the vast distance. Still no reply.

I wish I could see. The bender bit her lip in concentration. If I can move around here, maybe I can – She punched forward before finishing her thought. A small amount of fire escaped her fist and illuminated a thin path in front of her until the flames dwindled. It was enough of a light, though, to see who was standing in front of her.

Korra shrieked when a pair of glowing eyes opened. She turned to run away, but a chain wrapped around her ankle. The hallucination jerked her to the ground and dragged her body across the cement.

"No! Get off of me! Let me go!" The Avatar shot elements towards the apparition. Every shot missed. She tried breaking from her restraint to no avail. "What do you want from me?!"

The eyes faced her once more and bore into her soul. A sharp tug sent Korra flying forward in an arc. She crashed through the earth with a painful smash. The scenery grew bright. Bright and… familiar.

No.

She was on the ground again, but the substance underneath her was a different kind of terrain. An uncontrollable blow pushed her from one boulder into the other. She could feel the poison coursing in her veins. The Avatar state raged within her. She was helpless again.

Zaheer descended on her, his body floating in eerie mastery. He bent the air around Korra's head and sucked the oxygen from her lungs.

No! Not again! Please, not again.

Tears streamed down her face. The burning of asphyxiation consumed her. She fought for breath and failed.

Raava. Someone. Anyone. Please, help me…

Korra clasped her hands around her throat. The world swirled. Her vision blurred. Her body weakened. Sparks flew into the corners of her sight until everything she sensed fell into darkness once more.

(-)

"Get off of me!" Asami struggled under the man who was holding her against the wall.

"You can't escape." He tightened his grip. She tried to inhale and fought to free her restrained hands.

"Who are you?! What do you want from me?!" Korra's voice punctured the engineer's ears.

The assailant ignored her cries and continued with his threats. "The Avatar can't escape either."

"Why don't you leave me alone?! Why do you keep coming back?!" Asami noticed a faint glow light up part of the hallway in her fading vision, stemmed from Korra's firebending. Black grains crept up in her eyes. Her limbs began to limp from lack of oxygen.

"The Earth Empire will rise and you will all fall beneath us."

Come on, Asami. Stay awake. Fight this. Fight!

The intensity of the combat in the other room accelerated. She could hear the blasts of air and see the peaks of light from flame after flame escaping the Avatar's extremities.

The man grinned as he listened to Korra's struggle and watched the life slip from Asami's eyes. He spoke in a sinister, almost brainwashed tone. "All hail the Great Uniter."

The sound of Korra collapsing, gasping for breath was too much. Something went off inside of her. Rage boiled over. A fire surged through her. It was so powerful, she was convinced she could firebend if she wanted to. Her aggressor noticed this and brought a second hand to her throat.

Big mistake.

The change in placement freed her constrained arms. She mustered all of the strength she could and punched the man in his diaphragm. He stumbled backward, wheezing in a poor attempt to readjust his breathing. Asami did much of the same, but took much less time to recover from her near-suffocation. She planted her foot to the side and swung her leg upwards into a circular kick. The impact against the man's face brought him to the ground. She completed her rotation and latched to his ankle. His terrified eyes cringed under the ferocity of hers before she sent a final pulse into his body. He convulsed in her grip until his cries quieted and his figure was motionless.

The hushed sound howling wind and crashing rain filled the silence once more. The pot of water had long been knocked off of the stovetop. Soft heaves replaced the sobs of her electrified victim.

"What do you want from me?" It escaped Korra's lips between pants for air.

Asami rushed into the bedroom to find the Avatar on the floor, hunched over on her hands and knees. The heiress scanned the room. There wasn't a single body to be found. Parts of the curtains were on fire. A gust from the open window sucked the fabric into the storm, where the falling water extinguished the flames. Other items, such as the nightstand, were knocked over. Papers were everywhere. She approached Korra with caution and placed a palm on her shoulder.

The Southerner flinched and fell backwards. Her lids were open, but her sight was unfocused. Tears forced their way down her cheeks. She scurried on her side until she hit the wall.

"Korra?"

She responded to her voice by rubbing her eyes. It didn't seem to have an effect on her.

Asami took another careful step towards her. "Korra…" She placed her hands on her shoulders. When Korra didn't jerk away, she pulled her into an embrace.

She trembled in her arms. She simmered somewhat and melted into the woman cradling her. The Avatar shut her eyes and whimpered under Asami's caresses across her back.

The world needs you. I need you. Don't leave me again. I'm here for you. You don't have to do this alone. Please… Let me help. The words repeated themselves in her head but they never translated to her vocal chords. They were not unfamiliar words or feelings. Three years of separation was plenty of time for these emotions to keep her up at night, wondering what had happened to the woman she cared so much for. It hurt. It was a sting at some moments and a dull, unrelenting ache in others. Her connection to this woman, the number of times she caught herself thinking and worrying about her, all of the newspapers she tossed in disgust when they bad mouthed the Avatar and the many clenched fists she used to control her temper when others had the audacity to speak ill of the Southerner… it all hurt. It was terrifying, at first, to think Korra could have such an impact on her very being without even being here. But with time, she began to sort through the agony and navigate all of the pain she had felt. She recalled all of their times together, everything from their first meeting at the gala before the Equalist fiasco to the last moment she saw her before she returned to the Southern Water Tribe in wheelchair. The concoction of emotions blossomed into a form of love that she had her suspicions of way back in their Earth Kingdom expositions. It was a love she wasn't sure she could admit to anyone, wasn't sure was even reciprocated, until she got her first letter from Korra in two years. Then it all made sense. Everything fell together. The worry never left, but her positive feelings had a strong structure to build upon. So she waited. She waited, and waited. Ached and ached. She felt helpless, and during the six months that the Avatar went missing, she was helpless.

The pain coursed through her, the very real physical and emotional scarring she had been enduring. The room swirled to black. Korra slipped through her arms and was gone once more, plucked from her very hands. Her fears became reality.

She panicked. Her eyes flicked around the darkness.

"Asami?" A familiar voice called to her.

She tried to respond but her throat was too sore from the struggle. Tears slid down her cheeks.

"Asami!"

Korra!