"Sorry, I'm back." Kuvira mumbles walking back into the room, as Baatar makes his move.
"You okay, Vira?" Korra asks looking up from the paper in her hand, her hand moving quickly.
"Yeah, Yeah, I'm fine." she nods not meeting her eyes as Opal jumps up and gives her her spot back. She vaguely sees Korra rub her temples before putting the paper on the table, leaning back onto the couch cushion. And closing her eyes perhaps a bit too long.
"Are you okay, Korra?" Wing asks not looking up from his game with Wei.
"Um, yeah, sorry, bad headache." Korra responds.
Kuvira looks at her, frowning deeply, "I thought you were fine a little bit ago?" She makes her move keeping an eye on Korra.
"I am, it's just a headache. I'll just go sleep it off." Korra nods, standing, only to stumble putting her hand on the table to balance herself. Kuvira and Baatar both jump up, the eldest child grabbing her shoulder Kuvira doing the same with her other shoulder.
"Korra, are you okay?" Kuvira repeats, feeling Korra lean further forward as if she can't stand on her own.
"It's just a headache, I stood up too quick. I'm fine." Korra mumbles.
Baatar uses his free hand to run his knuckles against Korra's forehead, "You don't feel fine." He murmurs, "Sit down, Korra. Huan, go get mom." Kuvira and he both push Korra back a bit, making her sit on the couch as Huan leaves the room quickly.
"Hey Ope, can you and the twins go to your rooms while we figure out what's wrong with Korra here?" Kuvira asks running her own hand against Korra's forehead, almost pulling back from how warm she is, "We don't want you getting sick too." she notes Korra's hands are shaking, all of her muscles have tensed up, and her skin is pale as a spirit.
"She's sick?" Wei asks.
"We don't know." Baatar responds as Korra lies down, the younger kids tentatively leave the room as Huan returns with Su and Baatar Sr. Aiwei following close behind.
"What's wrong?" Baatar Sr. asks as his wife walks towards the couch.
"Korra started getting a headache and she stood up and all but passed out." Baatar tells him, "She's burning up." Korra mummbles in protest.
"She was fine an hour ago." Su says, running her own hand across the girl's forehead, frowning when sure enough, "She's warm."
"'M fine." Korra tries to tell the matriarch between gasping breaths.
"How fast did this come on?" Su asks the kids.
"She was fine, then she said she had a headache then everything else happened pretty fast." Kuvira responds, "Maybe fifteen, twenty minutes."
"Su, if I may, it looks as though it's just a case of the flu." Aiwei offers, messing with his ring.
Kuvira opens her mouth to argue, before sighing and closing it. Su must notice cause she responds, "Aiwei is probably right, but if she gets worse, or she's still like this tomorrow morning, we'll call the healer." She seems to be directing her answer towards Kuvira.
"Let's get her to her room." Baatar Sr offers motioning his sons and Kuvira away from the couch, carefully picking up the Avatar and carefully angling her out of the room. Su and Aiwei following close behind.
Kuvira grabs the paper Korra had been drawing on ugh before following the adults with Baatar following closely behind her.
"I'm sure she'll be fine tomorrow." Kuvira hears Aiwei say patting Korra a couple times on her forearm.
"Aiwei's probably right, Kuv." Baatar tells her, she nods, but something in her tells her that this isn't just the flu.
"You kids let Korra sleep, we don't want you guys to get sick too." Senior tells them.
"I'll get Opal and the twins." Kuvira mutters, walking towards their rooms before looking towards Baatar and Huan, "Want to play a game, all five of us?" receiving a nod from both of them.
•••
Despite Kuvira's best efforts, Su doesn't let her or the others see Korra that night. "It's just a flu, best to let her sleep it off." Su responded running her hands through her black hair, as she looks over the papers on the Red Lotus escape again.
Kuvira had nodded and left it at that, holding back the feelings in her gut.
She ignores the feeling until after she should be in bed, thinking that it'll eventually go away. But it doesn't, and thus in the early hours of the next morning does she open her bedroom door silently. Moving quickly down the hall, she knocks softly on the door right next to her's before opening it.
She hears a small groan before a small light is on, illuminating the room in a soft glow, "'Vira?" A raspy voice asks.
"Hey," Kuvira says softly, now that she's face to face with the other girl she's not sure why she was so worried, she sits on the edge of the Avatar's bed, running her hand across the younger girl's forehead, she feels Korra lean further into her hand at the stark difference between their two temperatures, Kuvira tisks softly, "Still pretty bad, huh?" though Korra had gained some color back at least.
Korra nods, "I don't get sick, 'Vira. I don't know why whatever this is is hitting me so hard." She turns towards the clock on the wall, attempting to see what time it is.
"It's a little after one." Kuvira tells her, "Sorry, I probably should've waited till morning but…" she sighs running her hand through her hair.
"Bad feeling?" Korra responds.
"Yeah." Kuvira sighs, "Stupid, huh?" She gives a small smile.
"Nah, I agree." Korra sits up with a groan, "But then this could be whatever this is." She shrugs.
"You're still really warm." Kuvira whispers, grabbing the cup of water from the bedside table and holding it out to Korra.
"Yeah, nothing much has changed since this morning." taking a small sip
Kuvira bites her lip, Should I tell her? She wonders before sighing, "Yeah… when you're feeling better, Korra, I need to talk to you about that."
"What happened?" Korra asks quickly.
"Nothing that can't wait." Kuvira responds measuredly, "Calm down, if it was you know I would tell you." Korra nods softly, slowly lying back down, "Sorry, I should've waited until morning." she stands running her hand through her hair.
"Everything okay, Kuvira?" Korra asks as the metalbender starts to walk away.
Kuvira pauses, her hand resting on the door knob, turning back to face Korra, forcing a smile that she silently prays to Raava that Korra believes her lie, "Yeah, of course I am. Of course it is." She walks back to Korra, brushing her bangs away from her face, "I promise. Now," she sees Korra's eyes begin to droop, "I'll let you sleep."
"Night, 'Vira." Korra murmurs as she leaves the room
"What are you doing up, Kuvira?" a voice behind her says.
"Just checking on Korra." Kuvira sighs, turning to look towards Aiwei, "Shouldn't you be home?"
"Su called a late meeting."
Liar Kuvira knows Su had had everyone go home before the domes closed, like she always does, so they don't have to open the gates and weaken Zaofu more than necessary, especially when she's so worried about the Red Lotus, "Oh yeah." she nods, before walking down the hall to the restroom.
When she leaves Aiwei is still lurking in the hall, she frowns, before walking to her room, leaving the door open slightly. Lighting a candle on her desk, before sighing, sitting down, she knows the moment Korra knows that Su is aware of the fact that she is the Avatar, she'll leave Zaofu, and Kuvira didn't think anyone could stop her. She already lied to her, what's a few more days or months, to further prepare the Avatar before she ran off and got herself injured again. However before she can even begin planning, she hears the door next to her room open again.
Frowning she stands, walking out of the room to the hall, seeing Aiwei in Korra's room, she lets out a gasp, causing the truth seer to turn his attention towards, "Kuvira."
"What are you doing, Aiwei?" she growls, putting her left foot down attempting to sense where everyone else was, the earth and metal throughout the house was almost continuous. All the others were in bed Baatar wasn't in the house, so he was probably in his workshop, and Su was pacing in her office.
"I was just checking on young Korra, Kuvira." he pats her shoulder only to receive a groan from the Avatar, "Suyin asked me to do so."
Kuvira nods slowly, though still remains tense, not trusting the man, at one in the mourning, Su wouldn't have sent anyone to check on any of the kids but her and Baatar, mostly because when woken unexpectedly, Kuvira, Korra and the twins all wake fighting, and Opal, Baatar and Huan aren't much better. As she remains standing in the doorway, Aiwei walks up to her, slinking around and retreating down the hallway. Hesitantly Kuvira walks towards Korra, looking her over in the soft light from the street lamps, she notices, Korra looks worse than before, any color she had regained, now gone, her hands are shaking softly again, her heartbeat too fast against Kuvira's hand. "Korra?" she asks softly, only to get a groan in response, frowning, she runs her hands down the Avatar's arm, "Korra!" she says only just quiet enough not to wake up the others.
Korra opens her eyes slightly, "'Vir…" she begins, only to be cut off by a cough, after which she can't seem to catch her breath.
"Hey, Korra." Kuvira soothes, running her hand over the Avatar's back, grabbing the cup of water, which Korra grabs and drinks greedily after she catches her breath, "I got you, you're okay, it's okay." she looks at Korra's shoulder and for a split moment she swears she sees a small drop of crimson, but just as fast as she spots it it seems to disappear.
After a few minute she hears Korra's breath even out again and sees her eyes close, hoping she's asleep, Kuvira slowly moves away from the Avatar, if nothing else, she really does need sleep, and Kuvira can't figure how Aiwei could do anything. She leaves the room, closing the door silently, but instead of returning to her room, she keeps walking til she's against the wall in the hall, slowly falling against it, resting her head against the metal accent. She checks to see if Aiwei is still in the house, only to frown, The others are still in bed, Baatar Sr. is still not in the house, Su is still pacing and Aiwei is walking down the hall to her office, but instead, he walks past the office and straight to the front door. Kuvira frowns, bringing her knees to her chest, that fucking liar. She thinks, "What was he doing then?" she whispers, settling in for the night, there's no way she's getting any sleep that night.