Sekitan smirked as she stared at Kuvira. She could see the fear in the woman's eyes despite the efforts she took to maintain her composure.
Beside them the older woman danced backwards. Sekitan had to admit she hadn't expected anyone else to be here but it didn't seem to be a problem. The woman was clearly an earth bender but in this room all she could do was dodge.
Finally she slipped up and a stray jet of water caught her foot. With a grunt she took a direct hit to the chest and slammed into the wall. Sliding to the ground she lay still.
"Who was that?" She asked. "Someone important?"
Kuvira didn't answer for a moment before replying slowly.
"Suyin Beifong."
Her mother or close enough. She had lost her own mother because of this woman, it would be fitting...
"Beifong?" One of her crew asked nervously. "Isn't she a friend of the Avatars."
She stared at man silencing any further protests but he had a point. No use drawing any extra trouble considering Kuvira had barely reacted at all. Or had that been her goal.
Kuvira was still staring at her but now her mask was absolute. Her green eyes scanned over her body analyzing everything until they came to rest on her fore arm.
"Recognize it?" She said with a grin as she held up the number. "I'm guessing, you understand why I'm here then."
"You want to kill me."
"I want to burn you," she said igniting her hand. "You took my life. Threw me in a work camp all because I was a fire bender and didn't fit in your perfect Earth Empire."
Sekitan waited for Kuvira to beg. They always did when they knew what was going to happen to them. Some cried, some bargained and some would even try to apologizes , but they would always beg.
And then Kuvira began to laugh.
"You're pathetic. If you want to kill me go ahead, you'll only save someone else the trouble. Yes I recognize the number. 8467. That marks you but not as a firebender. Fire and Water benders weren't given numbers only criminals. 10874 of you. Those who saw the chaos as an opportunity for their own gain. You disgust me."
Sekitan glared at the woman. This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
"And what did you see it as. You abandoned everyone to become the Great Uniter. You're know different than I am."
"I did what needed to be done to protect my people from thugs like you. We are nothing alike Sekitan."
The others around her gasped and she silently cursed the fools as they whispered behind her.
"How do you my name?" She hissed.
"I remember everyone I took down personally," Kuvira smirked. "Don't think your special."
How was this happening? Kuvira was in control despite being trapped and powerless. She needed something to regain control. Something to hurt her.
A smile appeared in her face as she remembered.
"How's your fiance doing?"
The smirk dropped from Kuvira's face.
"Leave him out of this?"
"I don't think I will," she replied. "Because you're right. I did use it. The Kingdom was in tatters and I jumped at the chance. I would kill my own fiance to get what I want. Killing yours will be easy."
She nodded and a blast of water hit the glass freezing on contact. She stepped back, taking a deep breath and blasted her rage through the fire. The glass shattered and Kuvira dived out of the way to avoid it.
Rushing forward she let loose a burst of flame that caught Kuvira on the back sending her back to the ground. Before she could recover, Sekitan jumped down pinning her to the floor.
"10874," she whispered into the metal benders ear as she lit up a dagger. "Let's add one more to that."
It took all her effort not to scream as the white hot flame burned into her skin. Fist clenched she bit into her free arm determined not to give the firebender the satisfaction.
She lasted until the third number before the pain was too much and it erupted from her mouth as she writhed on the floor but the three prisoners kept her anchored.
Finally it was over and she forced herself to look at her arm. 10875 was branded forever into her arm, the flames had been so hot, no blood remained on her arm having instantly cauterized.
"Get her up."
The voice sounded so far away, as she was pulled to her feet and slammed into the cold wall but even that felt disconnected from the pain in her arm and the voice in her head.
Give into me Kuvira. You can trust me. I can protect us.
Vaguely she could feel the back of her shirt ripped down, her bare back exposed to the air.
Kuvira. You cannot let them win. I will punish them for what they did to us.
She couldn't. She didn't even know what this voice. Weather it truly was a Spirit or if she was crazy. Either way she couldn't trust it.
Have I ever led you astray? Have I ever given you reason to doubt? You have been betrayed and lied to, but I am your salvation.
It was true. Everyone lied. Used her to fix the Earth Empire and then thrown her away when they couldn't accept the cost. They told her Baatar was dead and-
Crack
She screamed in agony as a whip of fire struck her driving her back to her body.
Crack
They were yelling at her, taunts and insults, but the agony was too much and the words wouldn't form.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
She slumped forward, the two thugs holding her arms the only reason she remained standing but thankfully they had stopped. Was it over? Were they finally going to kill her?
"Get away from her!"
The voice was familiar but she couldn't place it even as Sekitan roared in pain, a shard of glass stabbed into her shoulder.
She hit the floor as her supports left her and she looked over to see Suyin being hit by a jet of water. Sekitan kicked forward catching Suyin full in the chest before a slab of ice crashed into her head and fell unmoving onto the floor.
"This time kill her," Sekitan yelled. "We're out of time."
"No..."
Kuvira!
And then her world went red.
Korra hit the ground hard, the crowds of protesters having just realised something was wrong, scattered as she sprinted towards the doors. Burst of fire exploded out of windows, glass raining down and screams of fear. The entire prison was now a danger just to be around.
The first prisoner met her at the door as he tried to escape in the chaos. She knocked clean out, not even needing to bend at this proximity. She was onto the the next two before he hit the floor.
She hadn't thought to bring water with her and the prison itself had limited earth. Air and Fire would have to be her weapons then.
Another group turned into the room halting as they saw her, clearly wondering what a civilian was doing there. One of them, feeling freedom so close, rushed her sending a blast of fire she dissipated with ease before knocking him back with a blast of air.
The others raised their hands instantly realising who she was.
"Go back to your cells," she said. "More guards will be her soon."
They paused for a moment, weighing up the risk, before all the stories and legends of the Avatar came back to them and they wordlessly complied.
Korra ran running to where the fighting sounded the loudest stopping only to help the overwhelmed guards. How had this happened? Wasn't there supposed to be safeguards for this? She could only hope that Suyin was okay. The prisoners couldn't match her skill or power with Earth but if she didn't have any...
Bursting through a door, she turned to see the open courtyard. From there she might be able to end this.
Pushing herself forward she ran and jumped into the middle of the fighting. The ground rushed up towards her and she met it with a punch that shattered the earth, the shock-waves sending biddies flying.
"Enough!" She shouted letting the voice of Raava speak through her. "Cease your fighting now or face the consequences."
The prison went very quiet as all eyes turned towards her. She met their gazes her own glowing eyes shutting down any thought of defiance. Wordlessly the courtyard dropped to their knees hands behind their head in surrender.
Pushing down she jumped into the air landing back into the above walkways. The guards could handle the rest of this now. She needed to find Suyin and Kuvira.
Her feet pounded on the floor as she sprinted through the halls until she finally reached the doors of Kuvira cell. The door lay in the ground off it's hinges as small pool of blood beneath it.
"Suyin," she yelled as she ran into the room expecting to see the worst. "Suyin!"
She froze as she looked into the cell her mouth open in shock.
The glass wall was gone scattered and broken all over the ground. Suyin was lying unmoving at the other end of the room bleeding from wound to the head. Kuvira lay next to her, face down, her back a mess of blood.
Everyone else was dead.
"All the wounds are consistent of Earth bending," the doctor said. "But as you can see..."
"There isn't even a speck of Earth in this room." Lin muttered. "Not even the prisoners were stupid enough to bring it with them."
"Uhm... Yes."
"Then how the hell did she do it," she muttered more to herself than the doctor.
"What? You think she did this?"
"She's right," Ren said. "Kuvira was the target, not Suyin. She would have been taken out immediately. Kuvira shows signs of torture so she was the only one who could have done this." She sighed. "Doesn't change the fact its impossible."
"Is it possible the room isn't pure?"
"Its pure. Its held highly talented earth benders before and if Kuvira could bend the walls, why wouldn't she have done so before now? She could have vanished into the night and maybe even escaped."
This was clearly bothering the Kyoshi Warrior and if this wasn't so serious Lin would be more amused. She had to admit she didn't like the Kyoshi warriors. What ever they had once been, they were now a bit too similar to the Dai Li for her tastes. Back when the Equalists were first starting up she had some officers look into them to see if there was any link between them and the masters of chi blocking. Nothing concrete had come up but still, it had left her even more uneasy of them.
"Mom!"
Opals voice rang out over the room and Lin turned to see the young airbender pushing past the guards. Two firebenders made to move towards her but she raised a hand to stop them.
"She'll be alright Opal," Korra said trying to reassure her as she continued her efforts to heal Suyin.
Opal didn't seem listen trying to push past the Avatar to where her mother lay still unconscious on the floor. Holding her back Korra shot Lin a pleading look.
"Opal let her work," she said putting her hand on her niece to pull her back but before she could, Opal threw her arms around her. "Umm Opal."
"muh muh muh," she mumbled, her voice muffled by Lins clothing.
Lin awkwardly placed her arm around her niece. She still wasn't that great at being an aunt.
"I'm sorry," Opal said pulling back. "It's just..."
"I know but don't worry Korra has been trained by the best... don't her I said that," she muttered as Opal laughed slightly. It was something. "And your mother is as stubborn as I am. She'll be alright in no time."
Opal looked slightly happier at that but still hesitated for a second before speaking again.
"What about Kuvira? What happened to her?"
"Honestly kid. We have no idea."
Tenzin sat cross legged waiting. He was early but if the alternative was sitting in another meeting about Kuvira, he was more than happy to meditate a while.
They had received word that Suyin had woken up an hour earlier and although beat up would recover quickly. That was reassuring at the very least, though she was unable to shine any light on how either was alive.
A soft hum filled the air before the slight ringing that signalled the arrival of his daughter.
He didn't think he would ever get used to the sight of Jinora like this. Blue and ethereal, she sometimes looked more like a spirit than Korra. The feat was still unequaled with even the new airbenders who could meditate to the spirit world unable to replicate her accomplishment.
She opened her eyes smiling as she did so.
"Hi dad."
"Hello Jinora," he replied. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, what about you?"
"I'm okay just a little tired. I had forgotten what council work was like. Not something I miss."
"It's good. We had new arrivals yesterday from the North Pole. A father and his daughter. He isn't an airbender but wants to becomes an acolyte to stay close to his daughter. I said that was fine."
She looked up at him as though she was afraid she had overstepped her boundaries and made the wrong decisions. Which of course she hadn't.
"Please tell him I look forward to meeting him when I return. I trust your mother is taking care of him?"
"Yeah she's showing him around... Dad are you sure you okay."
He forced a smile, trying not to burdern his daughter with any more problems. She deserved the rest of how little childhood she had left.
"I'm fine Jinora really. How are your siblings doing?"
They talked for a little while longer, Jinora telling him how Meelo had tried to stage a coup for control while Ikki and Bumi were competing to see who was the better teacher. Honestly Bumi was worse than Meelo sometimes.
Only after the candles melted down to nothing did Jinora finaly say her goodbyes and vanished leaving Tenzin alone. Until he realised he wasn't.
"Izumi. How long have you been there?"
"Not that long," the Fire Lord said stepping from the shadows. "Long enough to hear Bumi is trying to compete with your daughter. I see he hasn't changed."
"You would be surprised."
"I doubt it. Though if anything would change him I suppose airbending would." She walked gracefully around him a small smile on her lips as seemed to reminisce on old times but it fell back into its passive mask as they came to their end. A fan flicked into her hand and she casually fanned her face. "So Tenzin I think it's about time you told me what you really think about Kuvira."
"Izumi please," he sighed. "Can't this wait until the morning?"
"What? So you can avoid answering anything of substance?" She smirked. "I think not."
"What are you talking about?"
"Tonraq is biased because of his daughter. Suyin is... Suyin. And do I even have to point out the problems with Deskna and Esna?"
"Eska and Desna."
"Whatever, the point is yours is the only opinion on the council I trust and you refuse to give it. Why?"
The two former friends stared at each other as Tenzin tried to keep his face blank. He had know Izumi long enough to know she would pounce on any sign of weakness.
"You haven't answered my question."
"If I haven't answeted it's because I don't know. Honestly I think the only person who has made up their mind about that woman is Korra."
"Suyin seems to have."
"You think so? Suyin is in hospital right now because she defended Kuvira without anything to defend herself with. She's more lost than anyone."
Somehow this seemed to satisfy the Firelord who, after a brief pause turned and walked towards the door Leaving without saying a word.
Tenzin sighed letting himself sink into a nearby chair. It saddened him slightly to think about the young girl he had once known. He may not have been apart of the fight that had split their group apart but he wished he could have done more. All he could do was make sure his own children didn't make the same mistakes and grow up too fast.
Kuvira awoke screaming. She thrashed around and soon she felt strong arms holding her down and shouted flor her to calm down. More shouting then she felt a sharp prick in her arm, a metallic taste in the back of her mouth then consciousness left her.
The next time she awoke her mouth was dry but she didn't feel pain. A numbness filled her body and she felt groggy but she forced her eyes opens despite that.
Wooden walls surround her and strong ropes tied her arms and legs to the bed she lay on. Apart from that it was completely empty. She was still in a prison it seemed despite her condition.
Who had saved her, she wondered. The last thing she remembered was- Suyin.
She lives. I intervened to save us both.
"What?"
If you had given yourself over to me sooner, I could have saved you some pain. Your body will take some time heal.
"I... Thank you for saving her."
I saved us. Not her.
"But you said-"
A side effect I assure. Though an enjoyable one. It's been such a long time inhad forgotten.
Kuvira swallowed the voices smug contempt to the people it had murdered unnerving her.
As though hearing her, the voice laughed and images shot through her head.
Training in Zaofu she grabbed her partners arms twisting it around her back until her instructor pulled her off. She would have broken it if he hadn't. Still it had been effective.
Blood covered her hands as she stood over the broken body of a bandit. She hadn't meant to kill him just... Still the battle was over and the village was safe. Later she'll convince herself it was just adrenaline not pride she was feeling.
The avatar kneels before her, eyes barely open and defeated utterly. There had been a moment when she had thought it was over but she had been right. Korra had been in no state to fight and now she would have to die.
The memories ended and she was back in the room her breaths coming in ragged bursts.
"No that wasn't it," she said. "You're twisting it. I didn't want to kill her. I didn't want to kill anyone."
You can't lie to me Kuvira. You love proving your better. Love showing your power. You are everything they say you are and you always have been.
With great effort she managed to break the connection and her mind went blank. It would be back though, she knew it. She just hoped she still had the strength to fight it when it did.