In another life, under different circumstances, Kuvira imagined she would have made a wonderful life for herself as a citizen of the Fire Nation. She firmly believed that despite the variables, a person's nature would always win out over their setting, and so no matter where she may have been born, the principles driving Fire Nation life would have appealed to her.
She walked through a town lifted from her dreams, the embodiment of the vision driving her forward while she united her empire beneath her rule. Clean, orderly streets bereft of beggars. Flapping Fire Nation banners hanging proudly from windows and flapping off high poles. Citizens humming triumphant tunes Kuvira slightly recognized, though she did not know the words. Statues of previous Fire Lords standing proud and polished, appearing as if they'd only just been erected. There was an aura of national pride, an unshakable unity towards their homeland, filling the air like a drunken aroma, irresistibly intoxicating.
And, like with the previous two towns Kuvira had visited alongside the Avatar, Lord Zuko's face was everywhere. There were old, fading portraits of him as a boy, gleaming proudly in the afterglow of his coronation. In others he stood in his prime, tall, long-faced and handsome, his raven hair falling down his back and his swords gleaming at his waist. That handsomeness remained as he aged, the snow white of his hair in those portraits lending him an experienced intelligence of a man who accomplished more in a lifetime than most could in two.
The Fire Nation had loved their Lord's father in a way Kuvira had always dreamt her Empire would love her.
Such was evident yet again as Korra and her friend listened to yet another eager mouth flap everything its owner knew. They'd followed the trail for days, hot on the heels of the Red Lotus, who'd done a poor job covering their tracks. Every town they'd passed had been filled with eager witnesses to the terrorists' attempted escape. Slowly but surely they were closing the gap.
The friend, Mako, frowned. An expression permanently etched on his features, it seemed. Korra's satisfied smirk and determined blue eyes were a better sign of their results. "They passed through the forest at the mountain base yesterday morning," she said. "We're catching up."
"Maybe," Mako said. "Maybe they're lying. I doubt the Red Lotus managed an attack on Lord Zuko without help."
"How would people that live miles away from the capital help anyone sneak into the Royal Palace?"
"I'm just saying you never know!"
Kuvira looked away from the argument. It seemed to her these two did little else together besides fight, whether it was against others or between themselves. They had argued every step of the way, ever since the Fire Lord summoned the Avatar with the information gleamed from her "questioning" of those imprisoned in her cells.
"We found their camp two days ago!" Korra shouted.
"We found a camp," Mako muttered.
"You were told the truth," Kuvira said.
Mako and Korra both turned towards her. "How do you know?"
"I know deception, better than either of you. I deceived entire provinces. I know the sound and sight of lying. That man is not lying."
Kuvira stared at the blood-colored roses nestled within a similarly colored vase, sitting atop a table beside a photograph of the deceased Lord Zuko. It was a unique depiction of the smiling Fire Lord just out of his prime and a man with his hands clamped over his stomach as he bellowed laughter. The stranger wore clothes similar to what the Avatar often wore, presumably Water Tribe styling. Kuvira looked at the shop owner's face and saw how his eyes wandered to that photograph. There was only sorrow.
"There, it's two against one," Korra said triumphantly.
Mako shrugged. "Lead the way. I'll be right behind you."
The Fire Nation was oppressively hot at all hours. Even dressed in easy breathing cotton, Kuvira spent far too much time pulling at sweat-drenched clothing that stuck uncomfortably to her body. Korra seemed in far worse condition. She was a child of the Water Tribes, raised in snow. Mako and the firebenders accompanying them seemed perfectly comfortable in the heat, almost invigorated by it. Which made sense, Kuvira knew. They drew their power from the Heat.
"Too bad Zaheer wouldn't tell you anything," Mako grumbled. "I actually thought he might when you told me you were going. He helped you during the fight against Kuvira, after all."
"That's because Kuvira represented everything he hated." Korra winced, looking sheepishly over at the metalbender. "No offense."
Kuvira raised her chin. "I consider that a compliment." To hell with that maniac. He was the monster responsible for the fracturing of her homeland. His opinion meant less to her than a common cutpurse.
"He is still loyal to the Red Lotus," Korra continued. "I never thought he'd help. I only tried because Izumi asked, and I wasn't going to turn her down. He isn't like Kuvira. He has no interest in redemption or atonement. If he was released today, we'd have a dead leader on our hands tomorrow. Perhaps even me."
Mako balled his hands into fists, an unspoken promise to never let that happen. Kuvira hardly noticed doing the same.
The next city along the trail was a sprawling monstrosity beside the sea. Wooden docks poked like perfect teeth into the bay, the great steamship fleets of a half-dozen different companies pulled alongside them, their crews swarming along the oceanfront like ants. They'd hardly set foot within city limits when a young messenger called Korra's name and nearly ran into her. He needed a moment to catch his breath before he spoke.
"Avatar Korra, the Fire Lord sent word of your coming. Mayor Zozan is waiting to speak with you."
Korra lifted an eyebrow. "Well, that was easy. Lead the way."
Ever the distrusted traitor, Kuvira was left to wander the city while Korra was in her meeting. Mako decided to accompany her, claiming a distaste for political discussions that the metalbender was sure held some truth, but she knew the true motivation was the detective's own distrust. She voiced no objection. She had nothing to hide.
The swallowing roar of water and voices proved strong enough a compass to guide Kuvira and Mako to the docks through the unfamiliar tangle of streets and the bodies walking them. The detective's gaze burned at the back of Kuvira's head hot as any fire to spray from his fingertips.
"Is there something you wish to say?" she asked, turning towards him.
Mako gritted his teeth, but stayed silent.
"Nothing? Nothing at all? Perhaps you wish to express your anger over my release? Or your hatred for my past? Would a threat towards my wellbeing if I hurt the Avatar make you feel better? Please, voice it now. Stand strong and confront me rather than sulk in my shadow."
The firebender glared angrily, but kept silent. Kuvira turned and continued towards the smell of salt and water-beaten metal.
There was no doubting which ship she was looking for once the buildings of the city fell away to reveal the waterside. Nor was there any doubting the gear emblazoned upon the side. What proved a surprise was the broad, strongly built form that sprinted their way and crashed into Mako, nearly knocking him off his feet.
"Bro!" Bolin shouted, lifting his brother off his feet. "It's so great to see you! It's been three months! Can you believe this, Team Avatar back together! It's been too long, way too long!"
Mako's face twisted in confusion. "What-?"
Bolin bowled over him, every bit the rolling boulder of enthusiastic energy he'd been when he served in Kuvira's army. "Don't get me wrong, I love Republic City and my movers, but it's so fake. And it's never as much fun as hanging out and kicking butt with you guys!"
Ms. Sato came striding over next, eyes settling briefly on the two brothers and Kuvira before searching further. The disappointment on her face was chased quickly away by a smile. "Hi, Mako!"
"Hey, Asami," Mako greeted, disentangling from his brother.
She moved forward to hug Mako herself. "Thank you so much. I'm so grateful you sent your letter. How's Korra doing?"
The firebender furrowed his brow, clueless. "Um…"
He looked side to side, and caught Kuvira's eyes. Thankfully, he seemed to catch the hint. Kuvira had penned and worded the letter as generically as she could, and tried to include a few speech patterns she'd heard from Mako over these past few weeks. Whether Ms. Sato believed the letter came from Mako or not was irrelevant. She needed to believe it came from Mako.
"She's handling this as best she can," he said.
"She always has," Asami said.
"Korra's fine," Bolin said dismissively. "She's probably missed Team Avatar just as much as the rest of us. Once we're all together again, she'll hoot and holler like always. So let's go get her and have ourselves a party!" He only then, as he jumped and fist-pumped into the air, noticed Kuvira. "Oh…uh…hi, Kuvira."
"Bolin," she greeted. "You seem to be doing well."
"Um, yeah." Sweat began pouring down Bolin's face in swift rivers.
"Korra should be done speaking with the mayor by the time we head over," Mako said. "So let's start walking."
Finding their way to the mayor's office was far more difficult than finding the docks. There was no smell or sound to guide them, unlike before, and even the troops escorting them lost their direction twice. Korra was waiting outside, leaning against a wall with a worried twist of her mouth, when they finally arrived. One look at Bolin and she smiled like Kuvira had not seen since before Ba Sing Se. She ran towards him, smiling madly and screaming, and nearly knocked the muscled earthbender off his feet when they collided. Deceptively strong as ever, Kuvira thought with a grin.
Ms. Sato was next, the two women fighting to restrain themselves to a fierce hug and a single kiss. Korra rested her head on her lover's shoulder, eyes searching for explanation. When they landed on Kuvira, the metalbender smiled and nodded. The blue brightened with gratitude.
They spent their night at a preferred inn while Korra planned their next step. When she was done, "Team Avatar" spent the rest of the afternoon and evening trading stories, uncaring of the frightened stares whenever someone yelped with laughter or the anger in the innkeeper's eyes when prospective guests were frightened away by a playful wrestling match. Kuvira waited until it had grown dark outside before heading for her room, leaving the four to their reunion. She had no place among them that night.
The metalbender was striding quickly down the halls when Korra called out. Kuvira turned to find the Avatar running quickly her way. Still intoxicated with happiness, Korra hugged the taller woman tightly. "Thank you so much," she said, grinning madly. "This means a lot."
"I'm fairly talented at reading people," Kuvira said. "It was clear you needed Ms. Sato around. And I suppose it's a stroke of fate that Bolin accompanied her."
"She said she couldn't resist him," Korra said, still stupid with joy. "He came to visit, saw her packing, and when he asked, Asami couldn't lie to him. Bolin never gave her a chance to tell him no. I don't think she ever wanted to."
"Bolin is like that."
"Are you going to bed already? Come on, the night's young! We're having lots of fun out here, you should join in!"
Kuvira frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"Of course it is, it'll be fine. We're all so happy, this is the perfect time for you to start making friends with some of us. Things might be a little awkward, but-"
"But I'm the woman who manipulated Bolin. And tried to kill you. And did kill Ms. Sato's father. Tonight is not a night for you to focus on reintegrating me into society. Tonight is for you and your friends. I promise, I am alright. Please go have fun, that will make me happy."
Korra frowned. "It's somehow easy for me to forget all that."
"And it is easy for them to remember."
"Alright, I'll forget it tonight. But they're coming with us to take down the Red Lotus. And I don't care how hard I have to work, I'll get them to like you before we're done. Even if they don't want to."
Kuvira couldn't help but smile. "See you tomorrow, Korra."
The Avatar clapped the metalbender's shoulder and ran back towards her friends.
Writing this chapter with the little Sokka cameo almost makes me want to write a grown up Gaang fic.
I'm probably going to be looking to end this somewhere around 20 at the latest. Not set in stone, but that's the plan. I don't know if anyone else has read my other fics on this site, but once the main story is over I tend to take chapter requests. So start thinking about if there's anything you'd like to see a chapter about! I'll at least consider any idea, be it before, during, or after what I've written.
And as always, thank you for reading and do not hesitate to point out errors.