I Will Try To Fix You

by AWickedIceQueen

A collection of Korvira and Kuvirasami one-shots. Both canon and alternate universes will be included. Rated M overall for violence, mature themes, and sexual situations, although I'll state the individual ratings at the beginnings of each one-shot. Always open to recommendations for future shorts! Leave your ideas/prompts in a review...thanks!

11. For Good

Title: For Good

Pairing: Kuvirasami

Universe: Canon post-Book 4

Summary: A continuation of "Expectations." Asami still struggles with completely forgiving Kuvira even after over a year of visiting the metal bender in prison, and her road towards forgiveness is made even harder once she figures out that she may have stronger feelings for Kuvira than she might have thought.

Rating: M for language, sexual situations and implications

Point of view: Third person omniscient

Trigger warning(s): Mentions of self-harm, suicide attempt, abusive relationship, and mental instability

A/N: A timeline to keep you all in the know…this would be a little over two years after Book 4. So, if you're someone who likes to keep track of the ages of characters (I know I do), Kuvira would be 25, and Asami would be 26 at the start of this short.

So, Kuvira and Asami try to come to terms with their feelings for each other, they try to start a relationship with each other, things don't go as planned, and Korra has to help out. Also, Korra really loves teasing Kuvira and Asami about their relationship.

Also, there will be a large time jump in this short.

Happy reading!

---

"Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future." – Paul Boese

Asami knew exactly when it started. She knew when she began looking at Kuvira differently. She knew when she started feeling more for the metal bender.

"I need to get out of here Asami."

"You know they'll never let that happen."

"I'm going insane in here!"

"Kuvira…I was lucky they agreed to let me take you out to work on this project, but no one will ever even consider lessening your sentence."

"But people have seen me when I'm out with you. It's been almost ten months since I started working with you. Why can't they be convinced that it's better if I'm out helping others?"

"You hurt a lot of people Kuvira…many of them are happy to see you in jail, to see you losing you mind."

"Do you?"

"What?"

"Do you feel happier when you see me in here?"

Asami hesitated with her response. On one hand, she did feel better when she saw Kuvira in prison. It's what the metal bender deserved for what she did to Republic City. In fact, Asami knew Kuvira got lucky. If it were up to anyone else, Kuvira would have been executed the moment she was captured. But because Suyin had handled Kuvira's sentence, Asami knew the matriarch of Zao Fu wouldn't let that happen to her. Despite how much Suyin claimed to hate Kuvira, Asami knew that the older woman still cared about the former Great Uniter.

"Honestly…the first couple times I visited you…I did. You had destroyed so many lives. I was glad to see that you got the punishment you deserved. But after a few weeks, I saw how you were suffering. You were beating yourself up for everything you had done. It was taking a toll on you. And like I told you many times, no one should suffer in their own mind like that, especially when they don't really have anyone to help them through it."

Asami had already told Korra that she cared about Kuvira, but that moment was when she indirectly told Kuvira the same thing. It wasn't supposed to happen. Maybe Kuvira would try to take advantage of her if she knew Asami cared about her. But it had been two and a half months since that day, and nothing had happened since that would give anything like that away.

Asami knew she was going down a dangerous path. What she was forming with Kuvira…it was something toxic. It was something that would only hurt both of them in the end. And as she walked across the pavilion of Air Temple Island to see Korra, she knew she might already be in too deep. She knew that she couldn't go back now.

"Hey Asami." Korra greeted Asami with her usual lopsided grin and a small hug. "Haven't seen you in a few days…been pretty busy I'm assuming?"

"Yeah…now that the taller buildings have been rebuilt, we're trying to figure out how to reconstruct some of the homes that were destroyed. Since there are spirit vines nearly everywhere in some areas of the city, it's been hard to consolidate living space for the people who lost their homes."

"Jeez…that must be rough," Korra said, shaking her head a little as she looked out across the bay to the still broken skyline of Republic City. "But uh…how are things with you and Kuvira?"

"About that…it's complicated," Asami answered, a soft breath escaping her. "I can't figure out what's going on."

"I'm sure I can help. Let's be real here, I fell for Kuvira first, so I'm pretty sure I'll know what you're dealing with," Korra said back, leaning on the stone railing and giving Asami a smile full of pride. The non-bender just laughed softly in return.

"Okay…I never said I was falling for Kuvira…because I'm not."

Denial was the first step for Asami. Korra easily saw through her best friend. The Avatar knew that Asami was developing stronger feelings for Kuvira by the day. But she wasn't going to push Asami. Korra knew that Asami needed to figure this out in her own time. Of course, Korra knew it wouldn't be too long. After all, she was going to bring this up with Kuvira the next time she saw the metal bender.

"Well, you must have some kind of feelings for her, otherwise, you wouldn't be trying to talk to me about them."

Asami let out a sigh of defeat and glanced out over the water for a moment. "You're right. But I can't figure out what these feelings are. Like, I get that she's attractive but - ,"

"Damn right. Kuvira is hot as fuck."

Asami shot a pointed glare at Korra, the Avatar instantly drawing into herself and avoiding eye contact with the non-bender. She had just tried to lighten the mood a little, but obviously, that attempt backfired.

"Sorry…"

"Anyway," Asami continued, "I'm just confused about…whether or not I care about her…like, in a more than friend's way…"

"Honestly…I think you do," Korra said, resting a hand on Asami's shoulder. "If you didn't, you wouldn't have gone out of your way to make her happier. I mean, think about it; you convinced the prison to let her out so she could help you with that infrastructure project, and now you're trying to get them to allow her to stay out at night with you so you can be with her more and sort of…I don't know, act as some kind of rock for her, someone she can count on. You wouldn't do all of that for her if you didn't feel something for her."

"I know…" Asami sighed out. "Spirits, I know you're right, Korra, but - ,"

"But she killed your dad," Korra finished.

Asami fell silent, her gaze dropping to the ground, and she let herself cave in a little to Korra's touch, letting the Avatar pull her into a hug.

"It-It's still hard for me to get over it," Asami whispered. "I just…I don't know how I can be feeling this way for a murderer…"

Korra pulled away, meeting Asami's eyes with her own. "Hey…you chose to see the good in Kuvira, just like I did. You chose to realize that she's not a bad person. You know her actions were misguided, and you know how much she regrets it. You need to come to terms with your own feelings though."

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

"Well…she's still allowed out until ten…so, ask her to dinner more often. Or…something normal like that. You just need to get to know her."

---

Kuvira was in pain…so much pain. And it wasn't even physical.

The mental, psychological torture she had been enduring for the last few years had finally gotten to her. She had no idea why it was now. She had survived this long fighting off the voices in her head, but something just snapped inside her.

She knew what it was too. She was just too afraid to admit it.

Kuvira didn't want to face the truth: that she was falling hopelessly in love with Asami Sato. It was wrong…so wrong. She had murdered Asami's dad. She had taken away the last piece of family Asami had. She was so desperate for forgiveness from the young CEO, but she had not asked for any of this along the way.

Maybe the voices got the better of her because they knew that she didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve to have Asami in her life. She didn't deserve to have Asami care about her. She didn't deserve the efforts Asami was making so her prison sentence could be a little more bearable. And Kuvira knew that the voices were right. Asami should hate her. Asami should want some kind of revenge on her.

Do you actually think she'll ever feel the same way about you?

"I have to hold onto something…" Kuvira muttered.

She's just doing this because Korra encouraged her to. If it were up to Asami, she would have never come in the first place.

"That's not true," Kuvira growled, her eyes narrowing a little now. "She came back after Korra brought her here. She came back because she wanted to."

Even if she did, she could never love you. She could never care about you the way you want her to.

"Stop it…you're lying," Kuvira answered, her hands balling into fists, her nails digging into her palms so hard that eventually she felt a small trickle of blood leak down her hand.

Am I? Even you know it. You're holding on to this false hope that she'll miraculously return your feelings, but she never will. And you know why?

"Don't…"

Because you killed her father. You murdered the last person she had as family.

"Stop! She-She's trying to - ,"

To forgive you? You think she'll actually manage that? She sees what you really are: a murderer, a monster, a heartless –

"It's not true…I've changed! I'm not that person anymore!"

Her willpower was breaking. She was breaking. It was never this bad. Usually, she was able to dismiss the voices in her head because she had hope. Every time Asami came back to see her, Kuvira was more hopeful that someday, the young CEO could forgive her.

The Great Uniter will always be a part of you, and you know it. For the rest of your life, you'll have Hiroshi's death haunting you. The deaths of those innocent people you murdered will stay with you. And you'll never get the chance to make up for it, because no one will trust you again. No one will –

"Stop…please…just stop…get out of my head!" Kuvira was crying now, the tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

They all want you dead anyway. You should do them the favor already. Get it over with. The people will feel so much better if they know you're –

"Fine!" Kuvira snapped.

She wasn't thinking clearly. But then again, had she ever thought clearly since the day she became the Great Uniter? She was going crazy from the moment she started uniting the Earth Kingdom.

She felt under her mattress until the tip of her finger nicked the edge of the platinum blade she had managed to pry off the razor. She was lucky she was able to have access to one. She guessed, after a certain amount of time, the guards trusted that she wouldn't try anything. Plus, it was only a razor. How much harm could she do with it?

"If it'll get you out of my head…" she growled.

It's what everyone wants anyway. I'm surprised you didn't –

"Shut up!" Kuvira yelled.

And it all happened so quickly. She didn't even feel any pain as the blade sliced through the skin on her wrists. But Kuvira just knew that once her vision went black, the voices stopped.

---

Asami went to the prison the next day, and her mood brightened already at the thought of seeing Kuvira. She had tried to keep her visits mostly to once a week. She figured if she went more than that her feelings might get the better of her and she would only become more confused.

"Miss Sato, I'm assuming you're here to see Kuvira?" one of the guards, Rana, asked. Asami actually grew fond of Rana once she started working as a guard a few weeks ago. She was about Asami's age, and she was one of the rare guards in the prison who still respected Kuvira. In fact, Rana was a metal bender who was trying to improve by studying Kuvira's methods.

"Yes, thank you," Asami said.

"I'm not sure if she can take visitors now," Rana answered, her gray eyes glancing away from Asami, and her expression fell slightly.

"Why not? Is something wrong?"

"She's in the infirmary. I'll have to check if she's stable enough - ,"

"Whoa…stable?" Asami narrowed her eyes and pushed past Rana, making her way down a different hallway towards the infirmary. "What happened to her?"

"Miss Sato, please, I don't think you should be - ,"

Rana stopped speaking once Asami threw open the door to the infirmary. Aside from Kuvira, there was only one other inmate there.

"I'd prefer to be alone with her…" Asami said, and Rana just nodded before she backed away, leaving Asami alone as she had asked.

Asami had seen Kuvira plenty of times in her prison room looking tired and beat up. But never had she seen the metal bender look this…broken.

"Kuvira?" Asami had no idea if Kuvira was just sleeping or if she was completely knocked out, but it was worth a shot. Besides, she didn't even know what happened to Kuvira. She couldn't see any physical signs of harm, and part of the reason was because of the long sleeved, hospital like gown Kuvira was in now.

The metal bender slowly opened her eyes, trying to fight through the high dosage of pain medication going through her at the moment. Her green eyes instantly lit up when she saw Asami, and she tried to smile as well, but only a lopsided grin made its way to her lips.

"Hey Asami…" she got out, her voice raspy and low due to her just waking up. Kuvira managed to sit up in the bed, a small groan escaping her from the amount of effort she needed to put into the action.

"Tired much?" Asami cracked her own grin, trying to lighten the mood a little as she took a seat in the chair next to Kuvira's bed.

"You could say that. I don't know what they gave me, but I wish I could take it every night. That stuff knocked me out cold," Kuvira answered.

Kuvira ran a hand through her hair, trying to smooth it out a little. And then Asami saw it. Kuvira's sleeve fell down her arm only a smidge, but it was enough for Asami to see the bandage on her wrist.

"Kuvira…can I see your other arm?"

"Just to clarify what you already know?"

Kuvira was looking back at Asami with her usual, infuriating (at least to Asami) smirk.

"I guess…" Kuvira eventually said, and she rolled up her other sleeve to show Asami another bandage – as she was expecting – on her left wrist.

"Please tell me you didn't…"

"Well, you know what they say: Don't trust a mentally unstable person with anything sharp."

"I don't think people actually say that, Kuvira."

"Well they do now, because I just said it." A soft laugh escaped Kuvira as she looked back to Asami, but the non-bender didn't even crack a grin. Instead, Kuvira was met with Asami's hard eyes.

"You think this is funny?"

"I never said it was. I'm just trying to - ,"

"No, Kuvira. You tried to…to…gosh, I can't even say it." Asami was pacing in front of Kuvira's bed now, and the metal bender was starting to get a little nervous. "What were you thinking?!" There were tears in Asami's eyes now. She didn't know why, but she knew there was nothing she could do to keep them from falling. "What happened? Were you just…bleeding out on the floor or something?! Do you know how lucky you are to still be alive right now?! Did you - ,"

"Asami…" Kuvira looked to the non-bender with pleading eyes now, her voice growing more desperate as well. "Asami…stop, please…"

"Do you think that no one values you anymore? Do you think people don't care about you?"

"Asami, stop!" Kuvira grabbed Asami's hand, her gaze intense now as their eyes met. "Just…please…stop. I-I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry…"

There was a long silence between them. Neither woman knew what to say to the other. But Asami knew one thing, and that was that she never wanted to let go of Kuvira's hand.

"They let me shower once every few days or so…" Kuvira went on softly. "Sometimes they give us platinum razors. I-I managed to get one of the blades out…they didn't even notice until they closed my door that one of the blades was missing. I was alone for…not even five minutes. I was bleeding…for only a few seconds. But still…I was so close…so close from getting away from everything. So close from escaping - ,"

"I could have lost you…"

It all happened so fast for Kuvira. She didn't know when, but all of a sudden Asami's arms were around her shoulders. And soon her own arms were wrapped around Asami's waist. She had never felt this before with anyone else. She had never felt so safe with someone the way she did now. Never before did Kuvira have the overwhelming feeling that she never wanted to let go of someone, but now she had that feeling.

"I'm sorry…" Kuvira whispered.

Asami shook her head as she pulled away, but only slightly, keeping their faces just a few inches apart.

"Don't apologize," Asami said back, her voice just as soft.

"I-I thought I didn't have anything to live for. No one cared about me. People wanted me dead anyway. I-I figured I would just - ,"

Kuvira stopped speaking the moment she felt Asami's hand on her cheek. Her breath caught in her throat. It was so sudden, so unexpected. Kuvira had no idea how to react.

"I care," Asami said, her voice only just above a whisper.

Kuvira just looked back Asami. She was at a loss for words. The pounding in her chest was almost unbearable, and for a moment she didn't see any of her surroundings. There was no infirmary bed, no pain medications, no prison, no bandages…no pain.

There was only Asami.

---

"So…you wanted to take me out for dinner?" Kuvira smirked a little when she saw the faint blush come to Asami's cheeks.

It had taken them a couple hours to settle down after Asami's initial shock and hurt from discovering that Kuvira had, in fact, tried to end her life the previous night. They had tried to make small talk with each other during that time; Kuvira had asked about the smaller infrastructure projects Asami was working on currently, and Asami had said that there might be an opportunity for Kuvira to help her out with one of them.

But those last couple hours had been awkward. Both women sensed it, but neither of them could voice their thoughts about it.

There was something between them now. Whether it was a friendship or a mutual affection for one another, they knew that they had crossed some sort of line with each other and that there was no going back from it.

But then Asami had given in, and she opened up a little about wanting to take Kuvira out for dinner. Of course, Kuvira instantly took it as an opportunity to mess with Asami.

"Like…a date maybe?" Kuvira continued, raising an eyebrow.

"Wha...where did you come up with that conclusion?" Asami said, narrowing her eyes a little as she tried to keep her composure about this.

"Well, the only times you took me out for a meal were after I was done working on that project you had me helping you with. If you wanted to take me out as a 'more than friends' thing…I figured you would have done it by now," Kuvira answered with a small shrug of her shoulders. "Just saying…plus, the way you're blushing right now isn't helping your situation."

Asami groaned and covered her face with her hands. It was true though. Even Asami could feel the heat coming from her cheeks.

"Okay, maybe it could have been a date. Or…it could have been an opportunity to just…I don't know, start a closer friendship."

"Closer? Really…so how close would you say we are now? I mean, you just saw me mere hours after I tried to kill myself."

"You…are absolutely infuriating sometimes," Asami said, rolling her eyes as she leaned back in her chair. "And don't joke about that. It's not funny," she added, her voice more stern now.

Kuvira managed to let out a small chuckle and nodded in agreement. "Yes, I can be quite aggravating I suppose. And I'm sorry…"

Asami nodded and gave Kuvira a soft smile. "It's okay. I just want you to know that it has more of an effect on me than you might think. I do care about you, ya know," she said, pausing before she continued, directing the conversation back to taking Kuvira out for dinner. "But if you suggested that me taking you for dinner would be a date then that only tells me that's what you were hoping for in the first place," Asami said, and now it was her turn to smirk at the metal bender.

"Um…well…it's just that…" Kuvira huffed out in frustration and looked away from Asami. "Fine…you got me. Happy now?"

"I guess…I think it's sweet though." Asami smiled once Kuvira looked back at her.

They fell into a comfortable silence, both women just enjoying being in the others' company. It was a different feeling for Asami though. She had never felt so…content, so purely happy with someone else before. Yes, of course she enjoyed the time she spent with Korra, but it was different with Kuvira.

Kuvira was someone Asami should never have feelings for. Whether those feelings are for something of a friendship or a romantic relationship, Asami shouldn't be having them. Kuvira was the woman who had killed her father, who had destroyed the lives of so many innocent people. Asami shouldn't even want to have something more with her. But she did. She wanted so much more with Kuvira.

She knew she would never be able to figure out why, but every time she visited Kuvira, she would be pulled closer and closer to the metal bender.

Maybe it was the fact that Asami was working on forgiving Kuvira. Asami realized that there was nothing she could do about what had happened in the past. But the future…anything can happen in the future. And maybe Asami wanted to have something with Kuvira in the future. A friendship or a relationship…she was still figuring that part out for herself.

But nothing was stopping her from giving it a try.

"Does Korra know?"

Kuvira's question came out so quietly Asami almost didn't hear it. And she almost wished she hadn't.

"No…at least, I hope she doesn't."

Kuvira breathed out softly and nodded. "Okay. Don't tell her please. I-I understand that she has every right to now, but I don't want her stressing out over me right now."

"I get it. She's in Ba Sing Se right now too so…I doubt any word about this has gotten to her."

"The city is still that bad?" Kuvira asked.

Asami nodded and looked up at the metal bender. "Only the lower ring though. It's crazy. There's been a huge rise in crime. No one can really understand why, but it's bad."

"I wish I could help…"

"Well, maybe you can. I mean, if Korra thinks it would be okay to have you out there, I don't see why you couldn't help her," Asami said back.

"Yeah but, Raiko would never allow that. They still don't trust me enough," Kuvira replied, her lips turning into a slight frown.

"But if the people out there, in Ba Sing Se, do trust you, then I feel like it would be easier to convince him to let you out. I mean, not permanently, but maybe for a few weeks or a month," Asami suggested, an optimistic smile coming to her face.

"It's worth a shot. But wait until they let me out of the infirmary. I want to make sure I'm stable to go if Raiko approves of something like that."

"You don't think you'll be okay for something like that?" Asami's eyes softened a little when they met Kuvira's. The metal bender's own eyes were more distant now, as if she was being pulled down by the thoughts in her head. Asami wished Kuvira didn't have to go through it anymore. Kuvira had told her a lot about the voices in her head that would constantly torment her at night from time to time.

It was hard to listen to; Asami would admit that, but it was mostly because she was able to understand truly how tortured Kuvira had been since she was put in prison. Korra and Asami were still the only people who had visited her consistently, and even then, they could still only visit once a week. So aside from that and the brief contact with the guards whenever she received her meals, Kuvira was alone, trapped in her own mind with voices telling her that no one cared about her anymore, that she had no purpose in living, that she should just kill herself.

Kuvira fought those voices every day, and she had won – for the most part – for over two years now. But last night was the moment she almost lost that battle.

"I don't know honestly," Kuvira sighed out, turning her eyes back to Asami. "I don't even know if I'll be okay. I just – I wish I could get better…"

"It's hard Kuvira. I can't know what it's been like for you, but you can get better," Asami said, her voice stronger as she wanted to reassure Kuvira that eventually, with time, she would be okay. "That's why I think making the effort to ask Raiko for permission for you to go to Ba Sing Se is a good thing. If you get out there more and the people start to trust you again, I think your mindset about things will improve."

"Why are you so kind to me?" Kuvira asked suddenly, the question catching both women off-guard a little.

Asami hesitated. Why was she being so kind to Kuvira? There was the obvious answer: Because she cared about Kuvira. But then there was the more complicated answer that neither of them was ready to hear: Because she was falling for Kuvira and there was nothing she could do about it, no matter how wrong it was.

Asami settled on the obvious answer.

"I care about you, Kuvira. I know it would be natural for me to hate you, and trust me, for a while after my father's death I did. But I've had adequate time to mourn him. There was his funeral, and I had Korra and my other friends there for me. They helped me start move on even though there's still a long road to completely moving forward and accepting it. And as I've told you before, continuing to hate you wasn't going to bring him back.

"When I came to see you for the first time, I had to hide the guilt I felt for hating you. When I saw how broken you were in here, I realized that you were just as human as the rest of us. You made mistakes, and you learned the hard way from those mistakes. I knew that being stuck in the past wouldn't change anything. I had to think about the future. And…I don't know why, but…I want a future with you in it. Not just because of the…negative…impact you had had on my life, but also because, just like Korra, I chose to see the good in you."

"I just…I don't deserve this," Kuvira mumbled, her gaze shifting to her hands.

"Is that what you think? Or is that what the voices are telling you?" Asami asked, keeping her eyes soft as they lingered on Kuvira's concentrated expression.

"I-I don't even know at this point," Kuvira admitted. She glanced back up to Asami, her normally deep emerald eyes were darkened now and misty with tears. "I feel like they've always been a part of me, so much so that now I can't even tell if my thoughts are really mine."

Asami reached out and took one of Kuvira's hands in her own. It was an action that surprised both women. Asami wasn't expecting Kuvira to respond to it, so of course, the moment she felt Kuvira's fingers tighten around her hand, her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest.

"You'll be okay. You have me. You have Korra. This is something we'll help you overcome," Asami said softly, her thumb subconsciously brushing across the back of Kuvira's hand, causing the metal bender's breath to catch in her throat, and she was lucky Asami didn't notice.

"Thank you," Kuvira managed, her voice a soft whisper. "Really…I don't know what I'd do without you and Korra. You two have kept me grounded…for the most part. I'm forever grateful for that."

The look Kuvira gave Asami in that moment sent the young CEO spiraling even more into her feelings. Kuvira's expression now…it was just pure affection and…happiness. It was an expression Asami had never seen on Kuvira's face before. Her eyes were brighter now. Her smile was soft and genuine. It filled Asami's heart with relief and joy. She had to use all her willpower not to cry.

And it was in this moment that Asami was assured of what her feelings were. She didn't know whether she should be glad about it, because she had figured it out, or if she should be horribly sad and disappointed, because she knew it could – would – never happen. But at least she knew there was no more denying it anymore.

She was in love.

---

Kuvira had been out of the infirmary for five days, and on the sixth day she was graced with a visit from Korra.

The Avatar had returned from Ba Sing Se a few days earlier, and she had called a meeting with the leaders of all the nations to decide how to put together efforts to help the lower ring of the city. There had been a lengthy discussion about certain approaches, and it was actually Tenzin who had suggested that maybe getting Kuvira out there wasn't such a bad idea. The air bending master agreed with Korra that there were still many people in Ba Sing Se who approved of Kuvira's efforts when she initially stabilized the city a few years back. He thought that the city would still be open to Kuvira assisting in rebuilding some areas and getting rid of the bandit groups that had ravaged the lower ring.

Of course, Raiko and Izumi were extremely against the idea. Prince Wu eventually opened up to it, but he wasn't so sure yet. Korra knew it was going to be a hard fought battle for this, but she talked it over with Asami, and when her best friend agreed it was the best option, the Avatar knew she needed to talk to Kuvira about it too.

However, when Korra arrived at the prison, she had been informed about Kuvira's recent discharge from the infirmary. And even though Asami had promised not to tell Korra about what had happened, the guard on duty had no idea how much of a toll the news would have on Korra.

"She what?!" Korra yelled the second the guard told her. "Why wasn't word sent to me about this while I was away?! I would have come back to see her!"

"Avatar Korra, I was not on duty when it happened. I would have thought someone else would give you word," he answered, nervous about the Avatar's rising temper.

"Yeah…then why didn't they?! Did all of them know?!"

The guard nodded. "Your friend too. She was here to see Kuvira."

Korra gritted her teeth and nodded curtly, biting back any remark that threatened to surface before she brushed past the guard and headed to Kuvira's confinement room.

She didn't necessarily know if she was angry or upset with both Asami and Kuvira. She would have thought that at least Asami would have the decency to tell her that Kuvira had tried to kill herself.

I mean, it's not like it's a small thing, Korra told herself. Kuvira is a best friend to me! Asami knows how much she matters to me! Why wouldn't she tell me something like this happened?

"Korra," Kuvira said once the door to her room was opened. "How was your - ,"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Korra interrupted. She kept her voice calm now, but Kuvira could hear the hurt tone it carried.

"I-I knew you probably had a lot on your shoulders in Ba Sing Se. I didn't want to make it worse," Kuvira answered.

"But Kuvira, you know I would have dropped everything and come back," Korra said. "That's something I deserve to know. I shouldn't be finding this out over a week later."

"I'm sorry," Kuvira whispered.

"Sorry doesn't excuse the fact that I could have lost you," Korra said back, going over to Kuvira and sitting next to the metal bender on her bed. "But Asami was here. The guard told me she came to see you and didn't leave your side once she found out what happened."

"Yeah…um, she was pretty shaken up about it," Kuvira replied honestly.

"I would think so. I am too." Korra breathed out softly and turned her head to look at Kuvira. "But I'm not here to be upset with you for not telling me. I can understand you reasoning behind it, and it was your decision anyway. I can't fault you for that. But I actually wanted to talk to you about bringing you out to Ba Sing Se to aid in stabilizing the lower ring. Would you be okay with that?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kuvira returned, raising an eyebrow at Korra. She knew Asami wanted this to happen as well, but hearing it come from Korra's mouth made it so much realer.

Korra nodded. "I think it is. You pulled Ba Sing Se together after Zaheer. I believe you can do it again."

"I-I'm not opposed to it. If you really think I'll make that much of a difference then I'll go."

"The only challenge is clearing it with President Raiko and Lin. I think I can convince Lin to open up to the idea, but Raiko with be more difficult," Korra said back, swinging her legs a little over the edge of the bed.

Kuvira nodded in understanding. "I'll do it. I want to help."

Korra gave her characteristic grin as her sapphire eyes lit up when she looked at Kuvira again. "Awesome! I'll let Tenzin know, and I'll bring it back around to Raiko soon!"

Kuvira smiled a little at the thought of getting out of the prison for an extended period of time. She knew she would still have her restrictions while in Ba Sing Se, but she imagined how amazing it would feel to be outside more, to reconnect with the people of her home nation.

"So…" Korra started awkwardly, bringing Kuvira out of her daydreaming. "What exactly is going on between you and Asami?"

Kuvira blushed slightly as her eyes widened at the question. "What do you mean? We're friends," she answered shortly.

Korra gave the metal bender a small nudge with her elbow. "Come on…we both know that isn't true. Whether or not you two have 'done' anything with each other or if you've actually gone on a date…you both have feelings for each other."

"Do you just want me to admit that I like Asami?" Kuvira returned, giving Korra one of her quizzical glares.

Korra nodded and returned Kuvira's glare with a playful grin of her own.

"I can't do that," Kuvira said, and Korra's expression fell.

"What? Why not?" Korra nearly whined before she groaned out in frustration.

"Because…we haven't even gone out…like, on a date. Plus, we haven't even admitted our feelings to each other – that is, if we even have the same feelings for each other…and that's a big 'if.'"

"Okay," Korra started, raising her hands in mock defeat. "Let's just start with this: Why do you like Asami? And…not in a romantic way…I'm just asking what about Asami, as a person, do you like?"

Kuvira darted her eyes around the small room, trying to look at anything but Korra's expectant and waiting gaze. But also, there were so many things about Asami that she liked. She had to sort through all of them and form a coherent thought.

"Well…uh, I think the most obvious is that she's beautiful," Kuvira answered, and she couldn't help the dopey grin that came to her face as she thought about Asami. The young CEO's pale, smooth skin. Her long raven hair where a strand never seemed to be out of place. Her electric green eyes that were always bright, always alert, and so knowing whenever they were locked on Kuvira. And her smile, Spirits, her smile, Kuvira thought.

"I don't think anyone can deny that," Kuvira continued, managing to pull herself out of her thoughts. "Um…she's brilliant, really. I've seen the things she's invented, how she's improved other designs even. And I've seen what she's doing with rebuilding Republic City. She smart, intellectual. I don't know…I like that about her.

"She's also kind-hearted. I've seen how she tries to hide it sometimes. On occasions when she visited me, especially the first time you brought her here, she sort of…tried to shield the fact that she was a selfless person. She didn't want me to see that she had felt something along the lines of sympathy for me at first. But eventually, she let herself break down a little, and she told me that she cared about me. I admire that about her. To be able to open yourself up, especially to someone who should be your worst enemy, is a hard thing to do.

"She's forgiving too. Obviously, she's still trying to forgive me. But she forgave her father. Even though it took her a while, she still came around to it…realized that he had made a mistake and decided that resenting him for it wouldn't help anything. That's what she did with me. She knows that hating me won't bring back her father. She knows that forgiving me is the only way to truly move on. It's amazing really. Even she knows how hard forgiving me will be, but she's still trying, not because she feels obligated to, but because she wants to. I find that amazing. Not many people have that kind of strength.

"I always tell her that I don't deserve the kindness she gives me. I don't deserve her forgiveness because I can't even forgive myself, and I doubt I ever will. But then she always says to me that I do deserve it, that she knows I'm a good person and that I was just misguided back then. She realized that I was so young to take on all that responsibility while you were gone, Korra. And she…she chose to give me a second chance. She chose to see past my mistakes and make an effort to understand why I did what I had done.

"Korra, aside from you, Asami is the only person I have left. Su and her family haven't even made an effort to visit me more often or to remain in communication with me. Obviously I don't have any family I can count on. I'm sure even your friends despise the fact that you care about me so much, and I don't think they appreciate that Asami cares about me now either. You were the one who kept me grounded for all those months after I was put in here, and now I have Asami for that too. And it was all because she chose to open her heart and mind to the possibility of forgiving me.

"I will never be able to thank her enough for that."

The two women sat in silence for a few minutes. Korra, quite frankly, didn't know what to say. She had never heard anyone talk about another person that way before. Kuvira's tone…it held so much respect for Asami, so much admiration. Spirits, Korra didn't even think she had talked that way about Kuvira when she had told Pema about her feelings for the metal bender.

And then Korra put everything into place, put two and two together. She figured Kuvira would never admit it, but it was worth a shot.

"You love her."

It was a statement, not a question. It caught Kuvira by surprise, and at a moment when her guard was down as well.

Korra's tone was matter-of-fact, as if she already knew it was true, as if she didn't even need confirmation from Kuvira. But Korra wanted it. She wanted to hear Kuvira say that she loved Asami. Korra didn't know why she wanted it so much either. She just knew that Kuvira was never one to voice her feelings that much. She knew it took a lot for the metal bender to break down and open up. And maybe, just maybe, Korra still had feelings for Kuvira, and hearing the metal bender say she loved someone else would finally allow Korra to let go of those feelings.

Kuvira, on the other hand, didn't know how to respond. Did she love Asami? Had she already fallen for the young CEO? In fact, she didn't know for sure.

"I-I…" Kuvira started, but she quickly trailed off. "I'm not sure, Korra," she finally settled on. "I shouldn't be having these feelings for her. It's not right, and I - ,"

"What's not right about it?" Korra questioned, looking to Kuvira with skeptical eyes. "Why is falling in love with someone wrong?"

"It's just – It's hard to imagine. I caused her so much pain and grief," Kuvira answered.

"So you don't know if you love her?"

Kuvira shook her head. "I just don't know, after what I did to her. It doesn't feel right. And yet…she shows me nothing but kindness. She opened her heart to me first. I'm just afraid of hurting her…"

Korra couldn't help the soft smile that graced her lips at Kuvira's confession. "I think you just answered your question," she said back. "She's been trying to get closer to you. She wants to know Kuvira, not the Great Uniter, but sometimes, you hold yourself back from opening up a little too much because you don't want to get close. You don't want to hurt her with your past. You think she'll still see the Great Uniter in you, but that's not true. You're trying to protect her from yourself, and honestly Kuvira, I think that will hurt her more in the long run."

And then Kuvira dropped her face into her hands, and a few moments later, hard sobs coursed through the metal bender. Korra nearly panicked. She didn't know if something she said had set Kuvira into tears, or if something else was going on in Kuvira's mind.

"You're right…" Korra heard Kuvira whisper through her cries.

"About what?" Korra looked to her friend with slight concern, and she rested a hand on Kuvira's shoulder, silently letting the metal bender know that it was okay to talk to her about what she was feeling.

Kuvira lifted her head and locked eyes with Korra, her own deep green ones clouded, and her cheeks stained with tears.

"I love her…"

---

Kuvira wasn't nervous or scared after she had admitted to Korra the previous week that she loved Asami. No…she was terrified. And Kuvira wasn't usually the type of person be terrified of anything. But love…oh Spirits how that word sent shivers up and down her spine.

Of course, when she was with Baatar Jr. she had been able to toss that word around easily. But now, it was different with Asami. Now Kuvira could barely think the word without her heart beating faster and her breaths becoming heavier. It was different now because what she was feeling was pure, unadulterated respect, admiration, and affection for Asami.

She would never be able to pinpoint the exact moment she thought she might have stronger feelings for Asami, but Kuvira did know that she began thinking about what it would be like to be with the young CEO for over a year now.

More than a year…and Kuvira never said anything about her feelings out of fear of rejection.

But Kuvira knew she had to take the risk. She had to take that leap into the vast expanse of her emotions. She had to face this thing head on. Even if Asami didn't feel the same way, at least Kuvira would now instead of continuing on like this in her doubt and anxiety ridden mind.

---

"Kuvira…Miss Sato is here to see you," the guard said, and soon the door was opened, and the metal bender instantly smiled once she saw Asami.

"Hey Kuvira. Sorry I didn't see you last week. I got caught up in one of my projects with the city," Asami said, an apologetic look on her face as she stepped into the room.

"It's fine. What are you working on now?" Kuvira asked, sitting up on the edge of her bed.

"Still redesigning some housing in the areas that were destroyed by the creation of the new spirit portal," Asami said with a small sigh. "It's tough but…I think I found something that might work. And I also might need your help with reinforcing the buildings."

Kuvira nodded and smiled again. "Sure. Whatever you need, I'll do it."

Asami didn't know why she blushed at Kuvira's statement, but she quickly found herself flustered and she lost track of what she had really come here to ask Kuvira. She managed to pull herself together though, and she looked up to see Kuvira's eyes on her.

"Uh…Kuvira, I uh, wanted to ask you something," Asami started, now avoiding the metal bender's eyes again.

"Fire away," Kuvira said back, her usual smirk coming to her face.

Asami rolled her eyes as a soft chuckle escaped her lips. "Look…um, after the whole incident with you in the infirmary… Well, I never had the chance to take you out to dinner. And, I was wondering if you'd like to go out tonight?"

Now it was Kuvira's turn to blush, but she still kept her eyes on Asami as a wide smile broke on her lips. "I'd love to."

---

Asami had taken Kuvira to a small noodle shop that Bolin had recommended to her a couple weeks prior. It was a quaint little place that wasn't too crowded, and Asami was able to enjoy her dinner with Kuvira at a small table in the far corner of the restaurant. It was nice. They were just able to talk freely, smile, and laugh. Asami had also never seen even Bolin wolf down a bowl of noodles as fast as Kuvira did. But then again, it had been a while since they had gone out in the city together, and it wasn't hard to tell how tired of prison food Kuvira was.

They left the restaurant a little after nine, and Asami was glad they had some time to spare before she needed to take Kuvira back to the prison.

She had stolen a few glances to Kuvira as they walked through Avatar Korra Park, and Asami noticed how much thinner the metal bender was now, and she wondered how much weight Kuvira had lost over the last couple years.

Asami never noticed Kuvira's thinner frame because of her baggy prison clothes, but since the metal bender was able to wear more normal clothes tonight – a plain, forest green v-neck shirt and black, slim-fitting chinos – Asami was able to see the change in Kuvira's build. Sure, she still held onto her athletic physique, but Asami could tell that Kuvira had lost some of the muscle she had seen when she was the Great Uniter.

"Thank you…for taking me out tonight." Kuvira's voice broke through Asami's thoughts, and she looked beside her to find Kuvira's eyes staring back at her, a faint glow of the moonlight reflecting off of them.

"Of course. I'm glad you enjoyed it," Asami said back, and she was happy it was dark out, because then Kuvira would have seen the blush on her cheeks.

"We should do this again. I liked spending the time with you…ya know, in a more normal setting…not in prison." Kuvira managed a small laugh, but it seemed a little forced to Asami, and she could sense the sadness hidden behind the metal bender's voice.

"I know you want to get out of there," Asami said softly, resting a hand on Kuvira's shoulder and they stopped walking in the middle of the path cutting through the park. "It'll take some time though. Korra is still working on convincing Raiko to let you go to Ba Sing Se, and I'll put in a word about that as well."

"I know…I know…" Kuvira whispered back, relaxing slightly under Asami's touch. "It just seems to get harder each day. Maybe they can allow you and Korra to see me more than once a week. Even in between the few days I don't see you…it's hard."

Asami's expression softened again at Kuvira's words, and she gave the metal bender's shoulder a soft squeeze of reassurance. "Korra and I will find a way to get you out of there. Even if it's only for a few weeks, I know how much it'll help you."

"Thank you, Asami." Kuvira's smile was genuine. It was warm. It was loving. And before Kuvira knew what she was doing, she had pulled Asami against her into a soft hug, her arms wrapped snugly around Asami's waist.

Asami responded by looping her arms over Kuvira's shoulders, holding the metal bender tighter, wishing she would never have to let go.

---

Korra was worried. She was worried about Kuvira's mental state the most, but she was also worried about how Asami was handling her feelings for the metal bender.

Asami had told Korra about the night a few weeks ago when she had taken Kuvira out to dinner. Even though neither of them had voiced it, they both considered it a date. And Asami had told Korra about the words exchanged between them after dinner and how Kuvira had pulled her into an unexpected hug.

But Asami couldn't even describe her emotions without breaking down into tears. The young engineer cried because she was so overwhelmed by the fact that she was in love. She cried because when she was with Kuvira, she was happy. But she also cried because she knew that whatever was going on between her and Kuvira…it wasn't healthy. Though they weren't even in a relationship with each other, this pushing and pulling – unintentionally, but it didn't excuse the fact that it was happening – with each other's heart strings wasn't right.

Asami shouldn't be smiling and laughing freely when she spends time with Kuvira and then be crying her eyes out over the metal bender when she talks about her feelings to Korra.

She shouldn't be telling Korra that her feelings are wrong or that falling for Kuvira was a bad decision. She shouldn't be telling Korra that she has regrets about continuously visiting Kuvira, because if she hadn't, then none of this would be happening to her.

This was what worried Korra the most.

Korra was happy that Asami had fallen for someone who understood her. She was happy that Asami's feelings were returned by Kuvira, even though the young engineer didn't know it for sure yet.

But that was the thing: Asami needed to know that Kuvira felt the same way for her. Otherwise, Korra knew her best friend would just be stuck tormenting herself and feeling guilty over the emotions that came to her whenever she was with Kuvira.

"Korra?"

The Avatar snapped out of her trance when she noticed Tenzin waving his hand in front of her face. Right, she reminded herself. She was at the council meeting with Raiko waiting to hear his decision on whether or not he would allow Kuvira to go out to Ba Sing Se.

"Are you okay?" Tenzin asked, looking to Korra with a slightly worried expression.

"Oh yeah…I'm fine. Just a little tired," Korra lied, but Tenzin bought it.

"I said yes," came President Raiko's voice.

"Really?" Korra's eyes lit up as she turned her attention to the older man sitting across from her.

"Yes, really. Prince Wu came to me saying that he thought it would be a good decision, and Miss Sato also told me that Kuvira would be a huge help out there."

"She would…uh, President Raiko…sir… A lot of the people there, especially in the lower and middle rings, still respect Kuvira for what she did a few years ago. She actually helped stabilize the lower ring after Zaheer assassinated the queen, and her relief efforts – though she didn't have adequate supplies – were still enough to help a lot of people get back on their feet," Korra replied. "I think bringing her there will get the people to cooperate with us if they know she supports me, Wu, and Asami. Having her there might also scare off some of the bandit groups since they know what happened to them the last time they crossed her path."

Raiko gave a few nods of approval. "I'm allowing her out for one month," he said. "This gives you some time to get the people there to work with you and to start your relief efforts with Kuvira seeing what's going on. If you want to get her out for more time…well, that will take a lot more convincing on my part."

"Yes sir. Are there any restrictions you've set on Kuvira for that time?" Korra asked.

"That's up to Prince Wu. I'm sure he'll figure out something. If it were up to me, she would be watched by you at all times. But, since you will be in the prince's jurisdiction, his restrictions are as he sees fit, so I'm sure Kuvira will have more freedom."

Korra nodded in understand and couldn't help the small smile that broke onto her face. "Thank you President Raiko. You really have no idea how much this will help."

"Mhm…just don't make me regret it," he said, his tone slightly threatening, but Korra brushed it off.

She trusted Kuvira enough not to try anything while she was out of prison. Besides, she had been out plenty enough with either her or Asami. If she had wanted to escape, she would have done something by now.

---

Two weeks later

Kuvira sat on the small couch in the corner of the train car and stared out the window, watching the rocky terrain flash by as the train sped along the tracks towards Ba Sing Se. She was surprised Raiko had agreed to let this happen, but she was relieved nonetheless. She didn't have to wear prison clothes, eat prison food, or deal with being alone and trapped in her own mind all day and night.

Now, she had Korra and Asami with her, and Tenzin said he would join them in Ba Sing Se for a week. But Kuvira kept wondering if Su or even Opal would bother to show up at some point. She had received a few stray letters every now and then from Baatar Jr., asking about how she was doing and simple things like that. No doubt they would have a strained relationship with each other for the rest of their lives, but Su…Kuvira was having a hard time accepting that the older woman didn't even bother to visit her more in the last three years.

After all they had been through with each other, and after all the pain Kuvira had caused her, the younger woman figured Su would at least have the decency to try and build back a relationship between them, no matter how difficult it was.

"Hey…"

Kuvira looked up to see Asami walk through the doors of the train car, carrying a tray holding two cups of tea. The metal bender smiled instantly, and she tried to push away the flutters she felt in her chest at the sight of Asami.

"You look deep in thought," Asami commented, sitting in the cushioned chair next to the couch, and she set the tray on the small table in between the couch and chair.

Kuvira nodded and resumed looking back out the window. "You could say that…"

"A yuan for your thoughts maybe?" Asami cracked a small smile, and Kuvira turned her gaze back to the young engineer.

"A whole yuan?" she returned, raising her eyebrows and smirking a little. "You're going to be here for a while."

Asami shrugged and leaned back in the chair, taking her cup of tea. "We have two more days on this train. I'm here to listen."

Kuvira let a smile tug gently at the corner of her lips, thinking back to when Korra was the only one who used to listen to her vent her thoughts after she was put in prison. And now she had Asami.

"Just…a lot of stuff," Kuvira mumbled, taking a small sip from her own cup of tea before she set the cup back down. "Mostly about Suyin though," she admitted.

"Oh yeah…what about her?"

"It's been nearly three years. I just…I figured she would have reached out more to me by now… We went through so much together. We loved each other, Asami. She cared about me so much, and to think she wouldn't visit me more or send letters every so often…it's hard…"

"She didn't take a light hit from you, Kuvira," Asami said back. "I mean, you betrayed her and left everything you two had had together in Zao Fu. You two tried to kill each other on a few occasions…and you nearly murdered her and her children."

Kuvira shot a pointed glare in Asami's direction, and the young engineer nearly flinched from the expression, but she managed to hold her ground.

"Thanks for your support…" Kuvira growled out, turning and staring out the window again, letting out a small huff of frustration.

"I'm sorry Kuvira…but it's the truth. I don't want to - ,"

"You think I don't know that?" Kuvira interrupted. "I've spent nearly three years in prison, in solitary confinement. Do you think I haven't recognized how I've hurt everyone that used to be close to me?"

Kuvira's tone was accusing, and Asami didn't appreciate it. Also, Asami had no idea why Kuvira would be snapping at her of all people.

"I never said you didn't," Asami shot back, her tone becoming more defensive now. "I'm just saying that you damaged a relationship you had with someone who cared about you, someone who loved you."

"So you think I deserve this?" Kuvira looked back at Asami now, her gaze hard and unwavering as she stood up, pacing around the train car a little – something that made Asami nervous for some reason. "You think I deserve not hearing from her for all this time?"

Asami groaned out in both frustration and anger towards the metal bender. "I don't think you deserve any of this Kuvira!" she snapped. "But you threw away your whole relationship with Suyin once you left Zao Fu! Once you left, you turned your back on her and everything you had together!"

Kuvira took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. "I just think that maybe…it would be out of common sense and decency to at least send a letter or…visit – one more visit would have been fine – to see how I'm doing."

"Well maybe Suyin isn't as forgiving as you thought she might be," Asami said, and now it was her turn to glare back at Kuvira. "You know most people won't forgive as easily or as quickly as I did."

"Are you serious? Asami, it took you a whole year to finally agree to see me!" Kuvira said, her voice raising a little, and if looks could kill, Asami would have been six feet under by now.

But this look from Kuvira didn't just kill…it hurt. It was like taking a knife right to the chest. It was like, after these last few years of Asami trying to forgive Kuvira, she was having all of it thrown back in her face.

But instead of letting Kuvira's expression and words hurt her, Asami just snapped out of anger.

"You fucking murdered my dad!" Asami yelled, and now she was standing as well, and before Kuvira could react she was shoved hard into the wall of the train car. "Any other person wouldn't have come to see you at all! They wouldn't have even bothered to try and forgive you for what you did! You took away the last piece of family I had! You managed to ruin every relationship you had with people who cared about you because your stupid fucking ego got in the way of everything! You had to be the one to pull the Earth Kingdom back together. You had to be the one all high and mighty and the one people looked up to. But that's not how it turned out. Instead, you're just a cold-hearted murderer who manipulates others into helping you get what you want!"

"Asami…don't - ,"

"You never really cared about me at all, did you? You just strung me along and had me convinced you changed so I would help get you out of prison."

"Asami, that's not true and you know it." Kuvira was breaking inside. Asami's words hurt. They cut. They burned. They stung. But she wouldn't let it show on the surface. She kept it masked instead by an expression of pure anger – eyes bright and glowing with rage and muscles tensing with the urge to lash out at something.

"Is it? Because I'm starting to doubt you, Kuvira. You had no right to throw my forgiveness back in my face like that! After everything I've done for you…to help make you feel better because I saw that you were suffering, and you just…have the fucking nerve to tell me that my forgiveness isn't real enough? Damn it Kuvira you had me in so deep too! You had me fucking wishing I could have a future with you and had me falling the fuck in love with you - ,"

"Asami…"

The young engineer didn't look back at Kuvira. She knew that if she did, she would drown in this sea of emotions she was helplessly stuck in, trying to keep her head above the surface.

"I-I should probably go," Asami got out, her voice weaker now as she still avoiding turning her eyes to Kuvira.

"No, Asami…wait, please…"

Kuvira could only watch as Asami left through the doors of the train car, and for the first time in a while, Kuvira felt absolutely helpless. She slid her back down the wall of the car until she was on the floor.

And she cried.

For what? She really didn't know. For a lost opportunity at love maybe. For the fact that she had, yet again, ruined a relationship with someone who genuinely cared about and loved her. There were a lot of things Kuvira could have been crying about, but even she couldn't make sense of what those reasons were.

She just cried.

---

It was an awkward next couple of days on the train between Asami and Kuvira. Both women avoided each other at all costs, and even when they were in the same room with each other, they didn't speak to one another. It also put Korra a little on edge too. She had no idea what had happened between Asami and Kuvira a couple days prior, and she figured that she might not want to know anyway, because whatever it was…it was bad.

Asami was giving off the angry vibes, so Korra decided she wasn't going to get involved with that. And Kuvira…well, Kuvira just seemed sad and distant. The metal bender spent most of the remainder of the train ride sulking in her train car and staring out the window. Korra had tried talking to her at one point, but all she received in response were a few shrugs and 'I guess's' from Kuvira, so she just dropped it altogether.

But now, as the train pulled into the station at Ba Sing Se, Korra noticed a drastic change in Kuvira's behavior. She seemed livelier now, and a small smile was glued to her face.

"What has you looking so excited?" Korra asked, keeping her voice down a little as she noticed a side glare coming from Asami.

"Well…I guess I should give the people some more confidence in my coming here to help them," Kuvira said back, turning to give Korra a grateful smile. "Thank you for convincing Raiko to let me come here."

"You know I'd do anything for you Kuvira. Asami also put in some words of encouragement to the president," Korra answered.

"Uh…yeah…she told me," Kuvira said, and her mood changed all over again.

Korra shot Asami a questioning look behind Kuvira's back, silently asking the engineer 'what the hell is going on between you two?'

But Asami just brushed it off and exited the train once it came to a stop.

There was actually a small crowd gathered around the train station. Once Prince Wu had told the citizens of Ba Sing Se that Kuvira would be returning to help stabilize things, the people of the lower and middle rings became extremely excited about the news. The people truly believed that Kuvira could help, given her previous reputation in the city, and they trusted that she would do everything she could to bring as much peace and stability as possible to the city, especially to the lower ring.

Kuvira was happy to greet some of the people waiting outside the station, and she received plenty of light-hearted 'welcome back's'.

Prince Wu greeted them shortly after they stepped off the train, and the young prince was ecstatic as well to have Kuvira in the city.

"Kuvira!" Wu called as the trio approached the car that would be taking them to the palace. "It's so good to see you! You're looking a little thin though…I'll have my chef make an extra big dinner for you tonight!"

Kuvira rolled her eyes but grudgingly let a small smile come to her face. "Prince Wu…it's always a pleasure with you. And thanks for the hospitality and concern about my health…but I'm fine."

Wu gave a dismissive wave of his hand and scoffed lightly. "Pfft…don't kid yourself. I know you need a break from all that gross prison food."

The prince's driver opened the car door for them, and Korra purposely sat in between Kuvira and Asami, as some part of her believed that if she let those two anywhere near each other they would rip each other to shreds. Obviously she didn't know what was going on, but Korra definitely felt the tension between the two women.

The ride to the palace wasn't extremely eventful, and it just consisted of Wu telling the three women of how he planned to have Kuvira assist in the rebuilding efforts in the lower ring. He would need the metal bender out there quite a bit to assess which specific areas she thought needed the most immediate attention, and if they needed specific supplies or anything like that, Asami would call everything in from Future Industries.

Korra nearly cringed at the thought of having Asami and Kuvira work together now. The barely looked at each other on the way to the palace; how were they going to stabilize and entire section of Ba Sing Se together?

---

"I hope you know we're going to have to talk to each other at some point."

Asami stiffened the moment she heard Kuvira's voice behind her, and she kept herself facing away from the metal bender as she leaned on the stone railing of the terrace belonging to the office Prince Wu had allowed her to set up her belongings in.

"We're working together to basically rebuild the entire lower ring of this city," Kuvira continued. "I'm only here for a month, and that's not nearly enough time."

"Then I'll talk to you when we have to work," Asami said, her voice a little more bitter than she had intended it to be. Luckily, she didn't see the look of hurt pass over Kuvira's face. If she had, she would have felt even guiltier about how she had been acting for the last couple days.

"Why are you pushing me away all of a sudden?" Kuvira asked, taking a few steps towards Asami. "Did I do something to hurt you? Because if I did…then I'm sorry."

"Yeah, you did do something to hurt me," Asami said, turning around to face Kuvira, her eyes narrowed and bright with anger at the metal bender. "You killed my dad."

"I don't believe that's the only reason you've been avoiding me," Kuvira said, keeping her voice soft as she looked back at Asami, her own emerald eyes calm and understanding.

"Really? Then what do you think another reason is?" Asami shot back.

The engineer's tone hurt, Kuvira would admit that to herself. But she didn't react to it on the surface.

"I think this has to do with what you said to me on the train." Kuvira wrung her hands together, fidgeting with her fingers nervously as she dropped her gaze to the ground.

"Why should it matter to you?" Asami mumbled, turning her back to Kuvira again. "I got emotional and said some things I didn't mean."

"After you walked out on me…did you even think about how I was feeling? Did any thought cross your mind that maybe I feel the same way too?" Kuvira returned her steady gaze to Asami, and she worried at her lower lip as she waited for a response.

She saw Asami's shoulders fall a little as the engineer exhaled slowly. Asami was trying to hold herself together now. She knew that if she let her emotions get the better of her she might do something she would regret…like yell at Kuvira again…

"I'm sorry for some of the things I said on the train," Asami settled on instead of answering Kuvira's question. "It was uncalled for and…I know I probably hurt you with what I said. You didn't deserve that, especially after how kind and appreciative you've been towards me."

Kuvira took the final steps so she was standing next to Asami now, and she gazed out over the view in front of them. The sky was almost dark. Only a faint glow of deep orange remained where the sun had set a little while ago. She could faintly make out some sections of the lower ring, and beyond that stood a vast desert that stretched on for what seemed like forever.

"You said 'for some of the things,'" Kuvira returned, leaning on the railing and turning to Asami now. "So what aren't you sorry for?"

Asami knew she was stuck. There was no way to get out of this now. Kuvira was too good at picking apart her thoughts and getting her to say what she desperately didn't want to admit out loud again. But there was no going back from this. She had already gotten herself in too deep with Kuvira.

"Look…" Kuvira started, "if you don't want to share it, that's okay. I'm not going to force you to talk about something if you're not - ,"

"That I love you…" Asami whispered.

"Wait…what?" Kuvira's gaze was a little more intense now. She wasn't even sure if she heard Asami correctly. Of course she had heard what the engineer said on the train, but hearing it again, hearing Asami say it to her face…it seemed surreal, like this couldn't possibly be happening.

"Please don't make me say it again…" Asami's voice was weaker now, and she folded her arms across her stomach, closing in on herself a little.

Kuvira kept her eyes on Asami, watching the engineer start to slowly break down in front of her.

"Say something Kuvira…"

That was the hard part. Quite frankly, Kuvira had no idea what to say. She wasn't expecting all her feelings for Asami to come crashing down on her all at once right now.

"Kuvira please…I just need to know…" Asami's eyes met Kuvira's now, and the engineer's gaze was almost pleading as she searched Kuvira's own eyes for something that would give her any indication of how the metal bender was feeling.

Kuvira had always been good with words. She was always able to get her thoughts out smoothly and have them make sense. But now, her mind was complete mush. She couldn't form a coherent thought even if her life depended on it right now. Because here she was, standing in front of the woman she had loved for the past two years, the woman she was in love with right now, the woman she desperately wanted to have a future with, and that woman had just said that she loved her too.

Now wasn't a time for Kuvira to use her words. Sure, she could tell Asami that she loved her too, that she had fallen for her a while ago. But Kuvira didn't know if her own love confession was something she could handle right now.

So instead, she went with her gut, with what she had wanted to do ever since Asami first took her out for dinner over two years ago.

She took Asami's hand in her own and locked eyes again with the young engineer, trying to silently tell her that she felt the same way, before she gently pulled Asami's lips to hers.

Asami was surprised…if that was even the right word for what she was right now. It took her a few moments to actually realize that, yes, this was happening. But once she finally made sense of the fact that she was kissing Kuvira, she instantly relaxed against the metal bender's lips, wrapping her free arm around Kuvira's strong shoulders.

The kiss was soft, gentle, and somewhat cautious. Neither women put any heat into the kiss, nor did their feelings explode in a burst of fiery passion for each other. None of that happened. But what did happen was that instead, their feelings were put out in front of each other. Both of them had made themselves vulnerable in front of the other, and they both knew that they had taken that step across whatever line they had initially been afraid to cross with each other.

The kiss ended too quickly for Asami though, and when Kuvira pulled away, the engineer found herself moving forward, wanting to feel Kuvira's warm lips on her own again.

Kuvira placed her other hand on Asami's chest, a soft chuckled escaping her. "Slow down there," she said teasingly, her usual grin coming to her face.

Asami rolled her eyes and let out a soft breath. "Is it so bad I want to kiss you again? I've been waiting two years for that you know…"

"Then we're on the same page with waiting too long," Kuvira said, and she glanced out to the now dark sky, the moon just resting over the horizon. "We should get some sleep…Wu is expecting us at nine tomorrow morning."

"That's too early," Asami mumbled, and she found herself getting more comfortable in Kuvira's arms as she rested her cheek against the metal bender's shoulder.

"Really? I'm sure you've had your fair share of early mornings."

"I have…but it's our first day here. We should have some time to just regroup and get ready to see the chaos down in the lower ring," Asami replied.

"A day of sleeping in wouldn't hurt, I guess," Kuvira said, and without thinking she pressed a soft kiss to the top of Asami's head. Damn it, Kuvira thought. I'm too fucking in love. This won't end well…

And at that last thought, Kuvira pulled out of Asami's embrace, taking a few steps back. "I'm going to head to my room," she said. "Want me to walk you back to yours?"

Asami nodded, trying to push away the desire to feel Kuvira's arms around her again and they walked back inside the engineer's office room with each other.

They stayed silent as Asami walked back to her room, Kuvira trailing a few feet behind her. It was a little awkward if both women were being completely honest with themselves. And once they reached the door to Asami's room, neither woman knew what to say.

So, Asami took initiative this time, and she leaned forward, pressing a soft, chaste kiss to Kuvira's lips.

"Goodnight, Kuvira," Asami whispered, a small smile coming to her own lips.

"Yeah…goodnight, Asami. I'll see you tomorrow," Kuvira said back, her own voice quiet as she pulled Asami into a soft hug before she turned and walked down the hallway, heading back to her own room.

Asami sighed out once she shut the door to her room, and uncontrollable smile remaining on her lips. She couldn't stop the fluttering in her chest from what had just happened. It almost didn't seem real to her. There were so many emotions going through her right now.

One of them – the most obvious – was happiness. She had finally been able to tell Kuvira how she felt, and it was even more surreal to know that Kuvira shared the same feelings.

But then there was also fear. Asami hated to admit it, but she was afraid of loving Kuvira this much. Part of her was afraid of loving someone whose heart was so broken and scarred. She was afraid of loving someone who had hurt her so much. She was afraid of loving someone whose personality clashed so much with hers, for better and for worse.

But most of all, Asami was afraid that this love between her and Kuvira could turn into something beautiful and deadly at the same time.

It was a love that could, in the end, hurt both of them more than anything else before.

---

Asami had purposely avoided walking past Kuvira's room the next morning. Instead, she had gone straight to Korra's room, her heart pounding in her chest as she knocked on the door.

Asami smiled and laughed a little when she heard Korra groan and mumble incoherent things, but eventually she heard soft shuffling from the Avatar's room, and within a few more moments, the door opened.

"Not to sound rude but…it's not even seven yet; why are you here?" Korra mumbled. "We don't have to be at breakfast with Wu until nine."

"Yeah, um…sorry. I just…I wanted to talk about…stuff," Asami managed to get out, stumbling over her words as she tried to find the right things to say.

"Oh…uh, yeah sure." Korra nodded and let Asami into her room, closing the door behind her. "So…spill all your relationship details to me," Korra said, more animation in her voice as she shot Asami a playful grin, motioning for the engineer to sit next to her on the bed.

Asami rolled her eyes, but in reality it was true: she was here to talk to Korra about her relationship. Or…lack of one so far.

"Stop being obnoxious," Asami said. "But…it is about Kuvira…"

"I figured that much. I can tell you've been…thinking about what you have with her a lot," Korra replied, keeping her voice soft. "I'm here…so you can tell me anything."

"She kissed me last night," Asami blurted out, and once the words were out of her mouth she blushed furiously and turned her gaze to the floor, almost ashamed to look back at Korra.

"Whoa…" Korra trailed off as she thought for a moment. "Well, I was not expecting that."

"Neither was I. But Korra, the problem isn't that she kissed me; it's that I liked it," Asami admitted. "I just…I wanted more from her but…I know I can't."

"You can't?" Korra raised an eyebrow at Asami, her expression more knowing now. "Or is it that you think you shouldn't?"

Asami sighed out in frustration. She hated that she was feeling this way for Kuvira of all people. But at the same time, she knew she deserved to be happy with someone. So did Kuvira…and if they both loved each other – at least they thought they did at the moment – then what was stopping them from trying to be together?

Well…a few things actually, Asami told herself.

"Korra…it's still hard to move on from what she did to me," Asami said, her voice even quieter now. "I…I hate her but I love her at the same time. Nothing about this makes any sense…"

"Well…what you just said actually doesn't make any sense," Korra answered, giving Asami an honest look. "You don't hate Kuvira; you hate what she did. There's a huge difference. If you actually hated her then you wouldn't be having these issues with your feelings right now."

"I just can't believe that, out of all the people I know, it had to be her," Asami whispered. "I mean, what will our friends think of me if they find out?"

"You're getting too ahead of yourself, Asami. You need to take this one step at a time. Love works in weird ways, and you never know, this might work out between you and Kuvira, and it might not," Korra said back, giving her shoulders a small shrug. "But the more important thing right now is helping the people of Ba Sing Se. I think, with you and Kuvira working together, you two will really be able to work things out and maybe…experiment a little and see how a relationship would play out between you two when, ya know, she's not in prison."

Asami managed a soft chuckle at Korra's last statement, and after a few moments she gave a small nod of her head. "You're right Korra. I need to focus on helping the lower ring first. I know Kuvira will want to do that too. Thanks for talking to me about this."

"No problem! You know I'm always here for you. Trust me Asami, I love you and I love Kuvira. I want the best for both of you. I think that…if you work through your feelings about what she did almost three years ago, you'll be able to really move into the future and have something with her."

---

"Good morning to my three favorite ladies!" Prince Wu greeted as Kuvira, Asami, and Korra walked through the doors of the large dining hall of the palace.

Kuvira just rolled her eyes, which was her general response to basically everything Wu said and did. Korra smiled and greeted him back, and Asami just acknowledged him with a small nod.

"I have news from my guards that there's an area in the western end of the lower ring that has been ravaged by bandits. Homes that were just rebuilt have been destroyed, and people have been robbed of what little they had left," Wu continued, his voice more serious now, which came as a surprise to Kuvira.

"Have the bandits left?" Kuvira asked, eyeing a bowl of fruit that had been set in front of her by the chef.

"Oh no…the bandits have basically taken over everything there: the small homes that are left, the businesses, and the supplies," Wu answered, shaking his head sadly. "I'm glad that I have you to help with that though. Bandits fear you, Kuvira. You kick their asses all the time!"

Once again, Kuvira rolled her eyes. "I just know how to handle them," she said back, taking a handful of grapes and popping a few into her mouth.

"Then it's a good thing you're here," Wu replied, and he leaned back in his chair a little, but he soon yelped in fear and clung to the edge of the table as his chair nearly tipped over. "Whoa…I almost died…"

"Then don't do that," Korra said with a small laugh. "By the way, where's Mako? I thought he was still your bodyguard?"

"Oh, he is! But I don't need him constantly by my side anymore. I've learned a few survival techniques from him. He just went back to Republic City to help Lin with a new case."

"Oh yeah? That's good for him then. When is he getting back?" Korra smiled a little, feeling glad that her friend was at least back at doing what he loved.

"Probably in a few weeks," Wu answered. "It just depends on how long the case takes them."

Korra nodded and looked to Asami. "Won't that be great? We haven't seen Mako in a few months."

Asami smiled and set down her glass of water. "Yeah…it sounds like he's doing well though. Plus, if he comes back while we're still here, he can be another person to help us rebuild."

"Oh come on Sato, have some faith in me," Kuvira teased, shooting Asami a playful grin.

"I have no doubt that you will be able to get all these new homes built in one month," Asami said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Hey…you have Korra too. We're earth bending masters. Of course we'll get it done," Kuvira answered, giving Korra a proud smile, one that the Avatar only returned.

"I know that, doofus," Asami said back with a roll of her eyes. "But that's not what I'm worried about. I have some plans to reinforce the homes with platinum. That way, it'll be harder for the bandits and anyone else to destroy them. The platinum will give the new homes a stronger foundation throughout it. But I need more people to help establish it."

Kuvira waved her hand and let out a small breath of forced air. "Don't worry about it. I'll get it done. I'm no master, but I think I can handle it."

"Wait, what?" Asami and Korra questioned at the same time, and even Wu gave Kuvira a puzzled look.

"Oh…shit…I didn't tell any of you…"

"Tell us what?" Korra asked.

"I can bend platinum."

"What? That's impossible!" Asami exclaimed. "Platinum is too pure for anyone to bend."

"Yeah, well…I figured out a way to do it," Kuvira said. "When they put me in prison, the engagement ring Baatar had given me was platinum, obviously. Sometimes I would wonder if it could be possible, if maybe, I could be the first metal bender to do it."

"No way…prove it," Wu said from his position across the table.

Kuvira huffed out and stood up. "Fine…" she mumbled, and she left the dining hall. She was only gone for a couple minutes, and when she came back, she was holding the engagement ring.

"You still have that?" Asami asked, feeling a flare of jealousy go up inside her.

"I kept it to practice," Kuvira said, and she gave Asami a knowing look, trying to silently tell the young engineer that there was nothing to worry about, that her having the ring really didn't mean anything. Because it didn't. Baatar Jr. and her were only friends now…if she could even call them that. Their contact with each other was still strained, and Baatar had been able to move on with the help of his family.

"Alright 'Miss I can bend platinum now,'" Korra said with her usual dorky grin. "Show us what you got."

Kuvira rolled her eyes but smirked back at Korra nonetheless, another action that made Asami even more jealous. Not that she had any reason to be. But knowing Korra's past feelings for the metal bender and knowing how close their friendship was, it still made it hard for Asami to believe that absolutely nothing happened between them at all.

"Like I said…I'm no master, but I think I have enough skill to help Asami with reinforcing the new buildings with it," Kuvira replied as she placed the ring in the palm of her hand.

She took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes for a moment. She was still getting used to connecting herself to the element of the pure metal, but it only took her a few moments before she felt that connection, and when she pulled her hands apart, the platinum ring rounded and smoothed into an elongated rod. She compressed her hands shortly after, turning the platinum into a perfectly round ball.

"Holy shit…" Korra got out through her amazement.

Asami and Wu had the same expressions of pure astonishment on the faces as well, and Kuvira glanced up, surprised to find all their faces so intense.

"That's incredible," Asami commented after Korra.

"I still need some practice, but I think I can excel at it," Kuvira said, a humble smile now plastered on her face, and Asami couldn't pull her eyes away from the metal bender.

"How though?" Korra asked. "Like, how were you able to bend platinum?"

"It must have been something learned when I first began metal bending," Kuvira answered. "When metal benders are taught, they're told to connect to the small bits of earth inside the metal, which is why platinum was impossible for any of them to bend: because it's so pure. There's no earth to connect to at all in it. But, I think I connected with just the element of metal. When I used my metal bending, I never searched for the earth engrained in it, no matter how small those pieces might have been. I just felt the metal. I felt the element in its purest form, and that's how I think I was able to learn how to bend platinum. I dedicated myself to connecting with metal, not earth."

"Spirits, you're amazing."

Kuvira smiled at Korra's comment. For some reason, it always humbled her whenever Korra complimented her. Even though they were best of friends and would always be there for each other, Kuvira still held the utmost respect for Korra given her Avatar title and her talent with the four major elements, so to hear Korra praise her gave her the best feeling sometimes.

"Wait…when exactly did you figure out you could platinum bend?" Asami asked, and she raised a curious brow at Kuvira.

"Uhh…about a year into my imprisonment," Kuvira answered.

"And you never tried to escape?" Wu chimed in.

"Why would I want to escape?" Kuvira said back, giving a genuine smile to both Korra and Asami. "When Korra visited me about a month after I was put in prison, I had a new sense of hope that maybe, one day, I could redeem myself for the mistakes I made. And then one day she brought Asami with her. They turned into the only two people I had left for comfort. Why would I want to escape that?"

Asami couldn't help the deep blush that spread across her cheeks at Kuvira's words. Everything the metal bender said and did only caused Asami to fall deeper in love with her. Even though she hated the feeling, she knew she couldn't get out of this.

"Well…that will come in handy when we're building those new homes," Asami said, trying to distract herself from her feelings and the fact that both Wu and Korra had probably noticed her blushing when Kuvira did…anything really.

Kuvira nodded and shifted her eyes to Asami. "I'm just glad I'll be able to help people now."

"Plus…this kinda makes you the most powerful metal bender…ever," Korra added. "I mean, if people see that you can platinum bend…that's a whole new level of respect they're gonna have for you."

"I suppose…but it also means I'll probably be moved to a wooden prison," Kuvira said back.

"Yeah, and then you'll learn how to bend wood too," Korra playfully retorted, and the trio shared a small laugh, but in all of their minds they knew it probably would be true if it happened.

"We should head out now if we want to get a few homes built by the end of the day," Asami said, and she stood up from the table, a few of Wu's personal servants gathering up their plates and glasses and taking them away.

Kuvira and Korra nodded, and all three of them followed Wu out of the palace.

"So…" Kuvira started somewhat awkwardly as she looked to Asami, her eyes shifting up slightly to accommodate their small height difference. "What kind of homes do you have planned for the people in the lower ring?"

"Well…first we have to see just how many homes were damaged. If we can repair some of them then we will. But, I'm thinking about just building more apartments. That's what they had before, and there's really not enough room to build a lot. Plus, I'm sure that's what they'll want too."

Kuvira nodded as they walked onto the small airship waiting for them in front of the palace. "It's crazy how after all these years, things in the lower ring are still so bad," Kuvira commented.

"I have to say though, you did a really good job of stabilizing it just enough when you took power," Wu said, giving Kuvira an encouraging smile.

"He's right," Korra added. "When Zaheer took out the queen, everything was pure chaos, and I'm sure you quickly figured that out. But from what Tenzin told me the few times I saw him during my recovery, you made a lot of improvements. Crime dropped, more people were getting back on their feet, and it was easier for people in the lower ring to earn a decent enough living to move into the middle ring. Don't sell yourself short and only focus on your mistakes…you did a lot of good things for the Earth Nation."

The ride to the lower ring wasn't long in the airship, and they soon landed in an open pavilion area of the western end. And true to Prince Wu's words, there was a lot of damage. Most buildings were caved in either partly or all the way, some were completely destroyed altogether, and the amount of people living on the streets was nearly overwhelming for Kuvira. From her own experiences on the streets as a little girl abandoned by her parents, she wished no one had to live like that, but it was a harsh inevitability to face.

The sight was dreary and depressing. Most of the people walking through the torn up streets had tattered clothes and looked way too thin for their age. However, once the airship landed and the people saw Kuvira step off, the shift in mood of the small area was drastic. Smiles were planted on people's faces, and there were the occasional cries of joy at seeing the person who had once brought so much positive change to their lives.

"You think everyone hates you, but these people hold nothing but admiration for you," Asami said quietly as she walked up next to Kuvira, and she gave the metal bender a small nudge, prompting Kuvira to look at her.

"I doubt they even know what I did. If they did…they wouldn't be reacting this way," Kuvira mumbled.

Asami rolled her eyes and took Kuvira's hand in her own, not caring at this point if anyone noticed. "Like Korra said: stop selling yourself short. True, you made a lot of mistakes, especially when it came to Republic City, but you pulled Ba Sing Se out of pure chaos. People here felt comfortable under your rule, and they knew you would do anything you could to help them."

Kuvira nodded, but she didn't respond. Asami could tell the metal bender was getting lost in her mind again, which was something she hated to see. But Kuvira was Kuvira, and she was going to do whatever she did, and Asami couldn't stop her. It drove Asami mad sometimes though. She wished she could just pull Kuvira up from this hole she had dug herself into, but she knew that Kuvira could only do that for herself. It would be a hard battle no doubt. Asami had seen what the mental trauma had done to Kuvira. But Asami believed that Kuvira would pull herself out of this, no matter what.

---

Asami had been intrigued by many things in her life, but watching Kuvira earth and platinum bend had her completely transfixed. Kuvira moved with such a poise and grace. It made her seem unstoppable and invincible. The way Kuvira was so effortless in her motions had Asami enveloped in the beauty of it all. Asami also found herself unable to tear her eyes off the rippling yet lean muscles in Kuvira's arms and shoulders with each movement by the metal bender.

Kuvira quite literally turned heads of the people surrounding them when she began to bend the platinum that would be used to reinforce the apartments. No one knew how it was possible, but indeed, Kuvira was now the most powerful metal bender ever.

With Kuvira and Korra working diligently throughout the day, they were able to get about half of the first apartment building completed. At this rate, they would be done with the four total buildings they were tasked with constructing in a week.

"Phew…that was more tiring than I had expected it to be," Kuvira said, a few small pants escaping her as she took the flask of water Asami handed her.

"Well…you didn't use your bending for a while," Asami answered, giving Kuvira a slightly sympathetic look. "That's understandable. But you looked fine. At least, from what I gathered since I'm not a bender or anything."

Kuvira smiled at Asami's words, the small encouragement meaning a lot more to her than Asami would ever know. In fact, Kuvira would never admit it, but she needed small compliments like that. Even while she was constructing the apartment building, she felt a little rusty, especially with the platinum. It had taken her a solid ten minutes just to connect herself to the metal, and even when she did, her work with it was still slow. And as Asami had said, it was understandable. But for Kuvira, it only meant she was weak…or at least, not as strong as she used to be.

It made sense. She had lost a little weight in prison, but she was still able to maintain her athletic build by doing crunches, push-ups, and a few other things in her solitary confinement room. But still, Kuvira wanted to get stronger instantly, even though she was smart enough to know it would take some time no matter what.

"I'm surprised we haven't run into any bandits yet," Kuvira commented as the trio began walking back to the airship.

"We will soon," Korra answered. "They usually do their damage at night when it's harder to identify them."

Kuvira growled out in frustration. "I just want to kick them out of here. These people need their possessions back. It's all so unfair to them."

"You can't do everything at once," Asami said. "Get these apartments finished, and then worry about the bandits."

"Fine…" Kuvira mumbled, and both Korra and Asami shot questioning looks at each other.

"Is everything okay?" Asami asked, trying to keep her voice soft so she wouldn't provoke Kuvira. Spirits knew how easily that could happen, especially with whatever this push and pull relationship that was going on between them was. She knew how unstable their emotions were around each other, and if Kuvira snapped at her now, there was a very high chance she would snap back.

"I'm fine…just drop it," Kuvira said, her tone a little harsher as she walked onto the airship.

So Asami did just that: she dropped it, and she fell behind the metal bender, walking next to Korra now.

"What has her wound up so suddenly?" Korra asked quietly, occasionally glancing to Kuvira, who was now standing by one of the airship's windows, looking solemnly out at the lower ring.

Asami shrugged and furrowed her brows in confusion, her green eyes darkening slightly as she thought. "I'm really not sure. If I had to take a guess though, it might be that she was reminded of something from when she was the Great Uniter."

"Ah…well, those will always be hard memories for her to handle. The best thing to do is let it wash over. She'll be okay tomorrow," Korra answered.

"But what if she's not okay tonight?" Asami looked back at Korra with worry in her eyes now.

"Asami, when she said to drop it, she meant it." Korra's voice was harder, more serious, and Asami thought Korra's eyes would eventually drill holes into her own with how stern her gaze was. "I know that you care about her…a lot…but if you go after her tonight with questions and things like that, she'll only get mad at you."

"I know…I just worry…ever since that night she tried - ,"

"Don't remind yourself of that," Korra cut in. "You mean too much to her for her to try something like that again. She wouldn't want to leave you."

Asami couldn't help the smile that came to her face at hearing Korra talk about Kuvira's feelings for her. It was a nice reminder to have. Even after the kiss between her and Kuvira, she still wondered if the metal bender truly felt the same way for her. Asami wondered if Kuvira also had the same regrets about her feelings, if Kuvira thought that this was wrong, that they shouldn't love each other, that this could tear them apart.

But, Asami figured, that was a conversation for another day.

---

Kuvira had waited until she was sure everyone on the airship had gone to sleep for the night. By the time she had deemed it okay – at nearly one in the morning – she made her way silently to the entrance of the airship, and sure enough there was a guard.

"Let me out," Kuvira said, and the guard immediately fell into defense mode.

"Relax, it's me, Kuvira," she said.

"Why are you asking me to do that?" he returned.

"I need some fresh air. There has to be another way out of the ship. Opening the main hatch will wake everyone up."

The guard raised an eyebrow. Clearly, he wasn't convinced. "How do I know you won't try to escape?"

Kuvira rolled her eyes and stepped towards him, and he took a step back. Kuvira smirked. She still had the ability to intimidate someone without even doing much.

"I don't want to escape. I think I've made it pretty clear that I'm here to help. Ba Sing Se means a lot to me…I want to stabilize it as much as anyone. I'm not asking for a lot…just twenty minutes outside."

After a few moments of tense silence, the guard nodded. "There's the emergency hatch. I can disable the alarm."

Kuvira nodded, and she followed the guard as he led her down a level on the airship.

"Why don't you want anyone knowing you're out?"

"It's one in the morning. I don't think they'd appreciate it," Kuvira answered shortly.

The guard just nodded. He was unsure of why he was even granting Kuvira her request, but he figured no harm could come from it. Besides, even if Kuvira tried anything on him or if she tried to escape, there would be no place for her to go.

Once the emergency alarm was disabled and the hatch was opened, Kuvira dropped onto the rough ground. She smiled once her bare feet hit the earth, the ground cooler in the night now as the summer season began to fade into autumn.

Kuvira took in the night sky, and endless black void that stretched on for how long, no one would ever know for sure. The stars were bright. Kuvira saw a lot more of them out here than she did in Republic City. She figured that was because of all the lights in the big city, whereas out here there were only the occasional street lamps, not nearly enough to pollute the air.

She noticed that the guard wasn't behind her. He must have gone back into the airship. He sure is putting a lot of faith in me, Kuvira thought.

Kuvira sat on the ground, tracing her fingers in small patterns along the earth, and eventually she found herself lying on her back, gazing up at the stars again. She had never felt so at peace before. Even when she had meditated with Korra those few times, she had still been in prison, and that was always enough to rattle her from the inner peace she had been trying to attain.

But now, out here, all alone, Kuvira felt free. She wasn't thinking about her prison sentence. She wasn't thinking about her feelings for Asami. She wasn't thinking about…well…anything. Her mind was just blank. And there was something about that that calmed Kuvira's spirit.

"Can't sleep either?"

Kuvira jolted upright at the sudden voice, and she stomped her foot on the ground, raising a small boulder from the earth.

"Whoa…relax. It's just me."

Asami's familiar voice calmed Kuvira, and the metal bender let out a small huff of air as she set the boulder down.

"Sorry…" she mumbled.

"It's okay. I kind of snuck up on you," Asami said. "So…what are you doing out here at this hour?"

"I feel like I could ask you the same thing."

"True. I couldn't manage to fall asleep."

"How come?"

"Thinking…"

"A yuan for your thoughts, perhaps?" Kuvira grinned a little as she dropped into the lotus position on the ground, and Asami joined her shortly after, stretching out her legs on the cool ground.

"You," Asami answered. "Just…you. Ever since we kissed, I haven't been able to stop thinking about what's going on between us."

"What do you mean?"

"What are we?"

Kuvira was taken by surprise by how straight forward Asami was being with the subject. They had always skirted around the core of their issues with their feelings for each other, or they had simply run away from them. Either way, they never actually talked anything through with each other. But now Asami was making an effort to start talking things through. She knew that if they continued to play this game of guessing how the other felt, they would accomplish absolutely nothing.

"I…I don't know," Kuvira answered. "What do you want us to be?"

Kuvira looked back at Asami, her gaze steady but inquisitive as she tried to figure out what was going through Asami's mind right now.

"Something more," Asami said, her answer not yet finished. "I think we both know we have stronger feelings for each other. I just…I can't make up my mind. I want to be with you but at the same time…it all feels so wrong."

Kuvira could have sworn she felt a pain strike through her chest at Asami's words, but nonetheless, she had to respect what the young engineer was saying.

"I completely understand your hesitance," she said back softly. "I think about that same thing a lot. How could we possibly make this work given our history with each other, given what I did to you? It's been over three years now, and I know you haven't forgiven me…I don't blame you. I haven't even forgiven myself."

"Then maybe that's what we should work on," Asami replied. "Maybe you should forgive yourself first. I think that would make it easier for me to forgive you too. Seeing you drown yourself in your memories of the time when you were the Great Uniter only makes me hold onto that time as well. I think if you learned to let it go and move on, it would help me do the same."

Kuvira nodded in understanding as she held Asami's gaze. She was still trying to figure out what the young engineer was thinking. It was hard though. They were both good at hiding their true emotions. Neither of them is an open book. Kuvira thought maybe that was another reason to why they were struggling to start a more…intimate relationship with each other. How could they be together when they could barely tell each other what's on their mind without exploding on each other?

Asami never pulled her eyes away from Kuvira's. Both women sat there for what seemed like forever, just looking into each other's eyes, trying to figure the other one out. It was impossible.

Sometimes, Asami tried to tell herself that she was just physically attracted to Kuvira. She tried to convince herself that there were no feelings involved here. She was simply lusting after Kuvira, wanting her, needed her in a physical way.

Anyone could see that the metal bender was lean, toned. She had sharp features. A definitive jawline. High cheek bones. Eyebrows that could kill. And then there were her eyes. A deep emerald that was so mysterious, held so many secrets. Sometimes they were dark, cold, closed-off. Other times they were warm, inviting, knowing. Asami had experienced all of those things flash across Kuvira's eyes. In a way, she felt privileged. She doubted many other people saw the true compassion that sat behind the wall Kuvira had built around herself.

She could only think of one other person who had truly seen Kuvira in her most vulnerable state: Korra. Asami hated that she still felt jealous whenever she remembered Korra's feelings for Kuvira. Even though Korra had told her that she had moved on, Asami didn't think that was true. Kuvira didn't seem like the kind of person someone could get over so easily.

In some ways, Asami felt as if something had happened in the past between Korra and Kuvira. It wasn't glaringly obvious. But Asami noticed. The small but comforting touches, the lingering gazes, and even the way they effortlessly bantered with each other. Asami knew she shouldn't be thinking like that. But she couldn't help it.

"Let's go back into the airship," Kuvira said, rattling Asami out of her thoughts.

"Oh…yeah…"

"Something on your mind again?" Kuvira went back to the emergency hatch, which had been left open by the guard, with Asami following close behind.

"Are you sure nothing happened with you and Korra?" There. The words were out. She hated asking the question, but she needed to be sure.

"Of course. Asami, Korra never acted on her feelings for me. I can assure you of that," Kuvira answered, and Asami heard the honesty in her voice. "I swear, I would have told you if something did. Besides, I'm sure Korra would have been gushing about it to you if we had been a couple at one point."

Asami nodded. Kuvira was right. Given how Korra usually was with her feelings, she wouldn't have kept it secret from Asami of all people if she had been in a relationship with Kuvira.

"I believe you. I just…"

"I get it, Asami. Really, I do. But you have nothing to worry about. My heart is set on you…nothing can or will change that."

Kuvira nodded to the guard in silent thanks as he closed the hatch, and soon Kuvira was standing in front of Asami's room. She didn't really know how she should part ways with Asami. She figured a kiss might be okay, but then again, she wasn't sure.

"Can you stay?"

Asami's question was so sudden that it caught both of them off guard.

"Uh…"

"Like, can you stay with me tonight?" Asami asked, trying to straighten out her feelings as much as she could. She wasn't succeeding too much at it though.

"Yeah…sure," Kuvira answered, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I don't want to push you if you don't feel - ,"

"No, no…I mean, yes, I do…I-I want to stay," Kuvira got out, albeit tripping over her words, which was not something she normally did. Yet, Asami seemed to always bring out a lighter, dorkier side to her.

Asami smiled and blushed slightly as she took Kuvira's hand, pulling the metal bender into the small bedroom. Once the door locked behind them, Kuvira stood in front of the bed, swinging her arms awkwardly at her side.

"Uh…should I…"

"You can take some of your clothes off, Kuvira," Asami said with a small giggle. She found Kuvira being flustered like this all too adorable. "I mean, I certainly won't oppose to seeing your body. Plus, it's not like we're going to…uh…yeah, anyway…" she trailed off.

Asami had already been in her night clothes when she went out to sit with Kuvira. However, Kuvira still had on her plain white tank top and loose green pants she wore while she was rebuilding the apartments earlier the other day.

Kuvira slowly took off her pants, figuring she would be fine in just her tank and underwear. But she couldn't help but feel as if they were stepping over yet another line, crossing another barrier in whatever relationship they had right now.

Kuvira was able to shrug off the weird feeling for a few moments as she slid under the covers next to Asami, and the young engineer turned on her side and looked at Kuvira, a frown on her face, but Kuvira could quickly tell that it was a playful one.

"Damn…I was hoping to see your abs tonight," she teased, giving Kuvira a wink as she poked the metal bender in her side.

"Ah…don't do that," Kuvira said with a soft laugh, and she took Asami's hand in her own. "Maybe another time…"

"I'll be waiting. Until then…goodnight, Kuvira."

Asami smiled and turned over, pulling Kuvira's arm with her, which forced the metal bender to shift in the bed so Asami's back was pressing against her chest. Kuvira made herself more comfortable, now resting her arm over Asami's waist, and the young engineer quickly laced their fingers together again.

Asami liked this feeling, of having Kuvira so close against her. She felt protected, safe.

She quickly fell asleep from listening to the sound of Kuvira's steady breathing, feeling the slight rise and fall of the metal bender's chest against her back.

Kuvira, on the other hand, stayed wide awake for most of the night. It took her a while to completely take in her surroundings. She was in bed with Asami, and they were…cuddling. The word felt so foreign to Kuvira. She could remember scarce moments in prison when she had cuddled with Korra. Korra had always been the one with her arms around Kuvira. The metal bender would admit that, at the time, she did need to feel protected, and Korra did just that.

But now was different. Now, Kuvira was the protector. Holding Asami against her now, it gave her a new feeling, something she couldn't necessarily describe. But it made her heart beat faster and it made her think about what the future held for her…for her and Asami.

Kuvira held Asami's hand a little tighter, afraid that if she let go now, she would never get Asami back. She absentmindedly played with Asami's fingers, the non-bender was out cold, and Kuvira took the opportunity to shift her position a little. She looked down at Asami, a love-struck smile splayed on her face. She glanced down at Asami's hand, wondering what it would be like to see Asami with a ring on her finger. She wondered what it would be like to –

Kuvira cut off her thoughts immediately.

No… Kuvira quickly caught herself before she went any further, and she settled herself back down on the mattress. I can't think like that right now.

In fact, they weren't even in a relationship with each other. At least, neither of them had said it was official. They couldn't rely on their own assumptions and deem that they were without talking it through some more.

Kuvira shook her head a little, clearing her mind, even if it was only for a moment, and instead she focused on the present. She was here, with Asami – the woman she had fallen in love with – lying next to her.

And that alone let Kuvira fall asleep with a smile on her face for the first time in over a year.

---

Kuvira woke up with a start to the loud pounding on the door. With a groan, she threw the covers off of her, and in the process her hand hit a solid body right next to her.

"Forget we slept together?" Asami asked as she sat up in the bed, smirking slightly to Kuvira.

The truth: Kuvira did forget that she had stayed with Asami, but she couldn't admit that.

"Uh…sorry…I was startled."

"It's fine. I've been awake for a little bit anyway," Asami said back, and before Kuvira knew what was happening, Asami pulled her in for a soft kiss.

This…wasn't right, Kuvira thought. They shouldn't be acting all mushy and sentimental with each other yet. But the feeling of Asami's lips on her own made Kuvira forget about any hesitancy she had for the moment. Eventually though, Kuvira pulled away and got out of bed. She quickly put her pants back on and went to the door, another round of knocks sounding just before she opened it.

"Oh…hey, Korra."

The Avatar gave Kuvira a soft smile before her expression turned serious again. "Morning. I hate to be the 'bringer of bad news,' but we have a situation outside the airship. The bandits that basically own this area don't appreciate that we're here to help."

Kuvira set her jaw and nodded. "We'll handle them," she said.

"What are we handling?" Asami asked, walking up behind Kuvira. In that short time, Asami had managed to get fully dressed, wearing her usual Future Industries jacket, form-fitting black pants, and her black work boots. The young engineer noticed Kuvira's eyes move up and down her body, which was something she appreciated.

"Bandits in the area," Korra said, immediately leaning against the door frame and shooting a knowing smirk to both Asami and Kuvira. "But…I'll let you two take you time. It looks like Kuvira will have a fun time tearing those clothes off of you."

At that comment, Kuvira and Asami both blushed furiously, and Kuvira instantly tried to sputter out an explanation.

"Korra…I think uh, you're mistaken. Nothing like that is uh, is going on between us…um, right now…"

"Right now…which means later it will."

"Korra! I swear - ,"

"Okay, okay…calm down. Jeez, can't I just enjoy the fact that you two finally got it on? I mean, seriously, the sexual tension between you two is unbearable most of the time. I can't believe it took this long for - ,"

"Korra…nothing happened between us," Asami said, and she took Kuvira's hand as she slowly began pulling the metal bender in the direction of her room, knowing Kuvira would want to change into a clean pair of clothes.

"And nothing will happen anytime soon," Kuvira said, only to receive another one of Korra's smug grins in return.

"Okay 'miss platinum bender'…whatever you say." Korra laughed softly to herself before she turned and walked the opposite direction, waiting for Kuvira and Asami by the main hatch so they could handle the bandits together.

"Nothing will happen?" Asami asked once they reached Kuvira's room, and the metal bender could see the hurt in her eyes.

"I…I didn't mean that Asami. You know I didn't. Spirits, we already kissed and…I don't know what that was last night, but that's not something people do if they aren't…never mind." Kuvira shook her head as she pulled out a plain green tank top and some black, loose-fitting pants. "We can talk after we deal with the bandits," she finished.

Asami turned away when Kuvira changed. Both of them knew it wouldn't be right at this point to see the other naked. That, Asami thought, could wait for another time.

Asami couldn't stand to admit it, but last night she had been craving Kuvira in a way she had never thought about before. When she felt Kuvira's arms around her, their bodies pressed together, Kuvira's cool breath hitting her neck on occasions as they slept, she couldn't help but wish their clothes were gone. She wished she had been under Kuvira, writhing and moaning the metal bender's name in pleasure as Kuvira –

Damn it… Asami shook her head, and when she turned around Kuvira was fully dressed. She knew she needed to push those thoughts away. Besides, Kuvira was too shy with her own feelings. It would take a miracle for the metal bender to take more initiative like she had with their first kiss. But, Asami thought, if Kuvira was in the mood, then maybe she would have no problem taking control.

---

Korra, Kuvira, and Asami made their way through a few small streets, and Prince Wu trailed behind them. He figured if he kept all three women in front of him, he would be completely safe from the bandits. In fact, Wu didn't even know why he was going in the first place. He should have just sent the Avatar to take care of it.

They arrived shortly at a beaten down motel building. But, compared to the rest of the area, this building was in top condition. They had been told by the citizens that this was where the bandits camped out and stashed all their money. The information was true, as once the trio approached the building, several bandits came out of the entrance.

"Well…it seems we have been graced with the Avatar's presence. Although, I must say, I wasn't expecting the world's most notorious metal bender to be accompanying you, Avatar Korra."

Korra instantly took the man to be the leader of this group of bandits. He was intimidating. Well…not to Korra. But he was as tall as Korra's father, and he had the same build too. His expression was hard and his dark green eyes remained still and cold. His brown hair rustled in the slight wind, and a tense silence settled on the group. Around them, people looked on, hoping that Korra could put an end to these bandits robbing them of what little they had left.

"We're here to get back the money you stole from all the people here," Korra said, keeping her voice firm. She knew reasoning with this man was impossible, but it was a way to annoy him and potentially provoke him to make the first move.

"You think we're going to just give it back? You know, Avatar Korra, we were suffering too. We were living on the streets and had no money. We were just lucky we were better earth benders than these people around us," he said, a small smirk playing its way onto his face.

"You've gone too far," Korra answered. "These people are starving. They have nowhere to go."

"Well…I guess if you want to get their wealth back, you'll have to take it from us."

And then they were outnumbered: eight to three. To any onlooker, it seemed unfair. But then again, they were fighting against the Avatar, a master metal and earth bender, and one of the most skilled woman in melee combat.

Asami had her Equalist glove ready. She and Korra had fought off a group of bandits before back when the Queen was still ruling. There was no reason they couldn't do it again. Plus, they had Kuvira, which made this fight all the more easier.

They spent a minute just staring each other down, waiting for the other to attack first.

It had actually been Kuvira to make the first move. She didn't do anything drastic, just kicked up a few rocks and launched them at the leader of the bandit group. He dodged them easily, and a cocky grin came to his face.

"Really? For a first attack, I'm surprised at how weak that was," he said, and he focused his sights on Kuvira, his other men converging on Korra and Asami, and they became engrossed in their own battles.

Kuvira didn't respond. Instead, she kicked up a few more rocks, sending them towards the man. She wasn't even throwing them as hard as she could. Rather, she sent them in different directions. She was studying the man's footwork instead.

Once Kuvira paused, the bandit quickly lifted his foot and slammed it into the ground, but Kuvira was already one step ahead of him, and she rolled out of the way well before a pillar of earth shot up where she had just been standing.

He gave the same attack she had thrown at him, except he fired the rocks harder and faster. Kuvira dodged them effortlessly though. That kind of attack was exactly what she had done in her earth bending training.

"You're solid on your feet," he commented. "For being in prison without bending for so long…I'm impressed."

He attacked quickly again, launching larger boulders now at Kuvira while sending a rippling wave of earth towards her feet. Kuvira wove through the oncoming boulders, and at the last second she pushed her hands towards the ground, a block of earth shooting up beneath her, propelling her into the air and over the ground attack.

Once she landed, she quickly locked her eyes on the armor plates the man had across his chest, sides, and back. She smirked.

"I know what you're thinking," he said, settling back into his earth bending stance. "Don't even try. They're platinum through and through. Even a master metal bender like you knows it's impossible."

"You see, when I was in prison, I thought about that word a lot," Kuvira answered, taking a few glances to Korra and Asami. They only had two men left, and she knew those bandits would be defeated soon. "And then I realized something…"

"Oh, I'm very interested. Do tell." He smirked as she shifted his foot forward, and Kuvira knew if she slipped up now, he would spring into attack mode, and it would be difficult to counter.

"Impossible…at least to me…is nothing."

Kuvira closed her eyes, breathing out slowly, and the bandit leader took the opportunity to strike. But before he could even move his hands or feet, he was crashing to the ground, his wrists and ankles bound tightly by his platinum armor. He looked up to see Kuvira with her feet wide, firmly planted on the ground, and her fingers relaxed from their curled position, but the platinum didn't budge.

"H-How?" he got out.

"Never mind that…you were foolish for even thinking you could win this," Kuvira said. "I admire your strength in your attacks, but you're very sloppy. You're too predictable. Plus, I could tell you underestimated me, which is always a big mistake."

"So…you're just gonna take all our money now and leave us the poor ones?" he growled, narrowing his eyes at Kuvira.

"We're not taking all of it," Korra said, walking up behind Kuvira. "We have to believe at least some of it is yours. But you have seven potato sacks in there filled with money…we'll be taking six of them."

"I have seven other people I need to share that with!" he shot back.

"Oh, cry me a river and drown in it for all I care," Kuvira said, rolling her eyes. "There are plenty of families here with just as many members who are starving. There are small business owners who need to rebuild their shops because you destroyed them. This city fell into chaos once Zaheer assassinated the queen, and bandits like you stealing from others only made it worse. If you just stopped and got by on what you had like everyone else, it would have made stabilizing things easier."

"Are you really here to help the Avatar, or are you just playing her so you can try to take over the Earth Nation again…Great Uniter?" he taunted, shooting a wicked grin to Kuvira.

Kuvira didn't even hesitate as she slammed her foot into the ground and thrusted her right hand forward, crashing a block of earth into the man's head, knocking him unconscious.

"Whoa," Korra exclaimed, resting a hand on Kuvira's shoulder. "Take it easy…he was baiting you into that."

"I don't care!" Kuvira snapped, shrugging off Korra's hand. "Who does he think he is? Accusing me of something so horrible. I would never revert back to how I was. It's been almost four years now. Korra, I've changed. You know that. You know I'm here to help."

Korra gave Kuvira a soft but encouraging smile. "It's okay. You can't let people like him get to you. There are plenty of others who still think you're the Great Uniter, but I know you aren't. I've seen you through these last few years. I know how you've changed, how you've realized your mistakes."

Kuvira nodded and took a few deep breaths, and the trio made their way into the motel, collecting the sacks of money and giving it to Wu. The prince then began distributing a small amount of the money to the citizens around them based on how large or small the family was.

Wu had called in his royal guards to take the bandits into prison, and Kuvira helped Korra and Asami restrain them with platinum cuffs.

"Ya know…I'll still never get over how you stay so light on your feet as an earth bender," Korra said once they had helped the bandits into the police airship.

"I was a dancer in Zao Fu, remember? It helped a lot," Kuvira replied.

"But still, you're so agile, so quick. It's not common to see an earth bender have that style. I mean, even I get flat-footed sometimes when I'm earth bending."

"I guess that's why I kicked your ass way back when we fought outside of Zao Fu." Kuvira smirked and gave Korra a playful nudge, to which the Avatar just rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, I had just come back from a three year healing period," Korra said back, folding her arms over her chest.

"I'm just giving you shit, Korra. I know you could hand my ass to me if we fought again."

"Yeah, well luckily that won't be happening. Now, I get to have you fight with me." Korra smiled a little at the thought. "Which is awesome. I don't think I've mentioned that to you yet. You're such a talented metal and earth bender. Sometimes I'm jealous. I mean, I'm the Avatar and I can't even earth bend or metal bend as well as you."

"Well…you haven't been metal bending for that long," Kuvira said. "It took me a few years too before I really got the hang of it. If anything, you need to fully connect yourself to the metal. You can't treat it as a sub-element; you have to treat it as if it's one of the main elements."

"You should give me some pointers when we have time," Korra answered, a wide smile coming to her face at the thought of learning from Kuvira.

"Really?"

"Yeah! Man, that would be awesome! See, I never even had the chance to ask you in prison because we both knew they'd never let you use your bending…even around me. But now that we're here, I'd love to get some advice from a metal bending master!" Korra had a look of pure elation on her face now, and it warmed Kuvira's heart to think that Korra still respected her so much as a bender given their close friendship already.

"Well…in that case, I'd love to help you out," Kuvira said, her voice almost carrying as much enthusiasm as Korra's, something that didn't go unnoticed by Asami who was trailing a few feet behind them.

Her eyes instantly narrowed. She knew she shouldn't be thinking that way. Korra and Kuvira were just friends. Kuvira even assured her of that last night. But still, Kuvira might not have feelings for Korra, but that didn't mean Korra lost her feelings for Kuvira too along the way.

---

"Are you helping Korra with her metal bending tonight?" Asami asked as she stood next to Kuvira on the roof deck of the airship, both women looking out over the west end of the lower ring of Ba Sing Se.

It was remarkable how quickly the scenery changed. In the upper ring, there were mansions, expensive clothing and jewelry, and top of the line shops and businesses. But then, as the city shifted into the lower-middle and lower ring, that's where the poverty was glaringly obvious. People were living on the streets, homes were damaged or completely destroyed, shops were robbed, and people just managed to get by with the little money they had.

However, looking over the vast expanse of desert, both Asami and Kuvira saw the beauty. The rolling sand dunes cast large shadows over certain areas of the land, and the sunlight reflected off of the smooth surface of the sand.

"No. We were thinking of waiting until we return to Wu's palace. It'll be easier to train there," Kuvira answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I thought maybe we could sneak away tonight and go out somewhere. Just the two of us. On a date," Asami said, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"I'm not opposed to that. Where would we go?"

"The middle ring isn't far, maybe a few minutes' walk. There are supposed to be some nice, small restaurants a little bit east where the middle ring is actually doing well."

Kuvira nodded and returned Asami's smile.

"Sounds perfect."

---

Kuvira, considering she was technically still in prison, just on a temporary parole of sorts, didn't have many clothing options. She had been extremely nervous about that before she had gone out with Asami. She was the kind of person who wanted to look nice and classy if she was going out with a beautiful woman, especially if that woman was Asami Sato.

But, she had made it work. She just kept on her green shirt from earlier, and she had gotten lucky when Korra pulled through with a pair of nice, more form-fitting black pants.

Asami had just kept on her outfit she wore that day. Kuvira didn't mind at all considering Asami looked gorgeous in basically everything she wore.

They had gone to a small but seemingly popular restaurant in the middle ring. It was a little crowded, but Kuvira and Asami had found a table near the back of the place, away from most of the action.

It was nice though. The place had great food. Asami especially enjoyed their noodle soup, something Bolin had managed to get her basically addicted to a few years back.

Both women enjoyed themselves. It was a casual night for them, and it was the first time Kuvira could actually just sit back and relax without having to worry about returning to prison like all the others times before whenever she went out with Asami. It was nice, knowing they could take their time, talk, laugh with each other.

It wasn't until after they left the restaurant did Asami actually bring up their relationship. Well…at least, whatever qualified as a relationship between them.

"What are we doing?" Asami asked softly, linking her arm with Kuvira's as they entered the lower ring.

"What do you mean?"

"Like…with each other? Why do we keep falling into this pattern of opening up our feelings only to shut each other out right after?"

Kuvira took her time to think about her answer, and by the time she responded, a few minutes of awkward silence had passed, and they were almost back to the airship.

"I-I don't really know. Maybe it's because we're still unsure about getting into a serious relationship with each other? Maybe it's because we know we have feelings for each other, but there are still things we need to move on from? It could be a lot of things, but I think the main thing is that we're hesitant. We don't want to hurt each other because we both know we have the power to do that to each other."

Kuvira was so right it was almost scary. It was something Asami didn't want to think about, but she knew it was true: They could hurt each other. And they already had.

"But if we want to move on," Asami started, "We have to do that together. We can't push each other away. We can either acknowledge our feelings straight on, or we can continue hiding from them, but I think we both know which one will hurt us the most."

Kuvira nodded as they approached the airship, and the guard opened the hatch for them. It was nearly midnight, and Kuvira would admit, she was tired. But she didn't want the night to end just yet.

"You're right," Kuvira said softly as she walked Asami to her room. "Maybe we should just take the dive into whatever this," she motioned between them, "Whatever we are, and maybe it will help us figure things out. If it doesn't, then oh well. But if it does, then we can keep going at a steady pace together."

"I'd want nothing more than to spend the future with you Kuvira. I mean it. I love you."

The words came out so easily, so freely, and yet Asami knew how true they were. She knew how much she wanted something more with Kuvira. She knew it was wrong, and yet it all felt so right. Never before had she been in love like this. She had never experienced this kind of exhilarating, treacherous, dangerous love, and yet it thrilled her all the same.

"And I love you."

Hearing Kuvira say the words back immediately pushed Asami over the edge. In that moment, she knew this is what she wanted, needed more than anything. Looking back into Kuvira's magnificent green eyes, Asami saw the pain, guilt, regret, and love Kuvira held inside her.

And without a second thought, Asami pulled Kuvira's lips to her own.

They stumbled back into Kuvira's room. There wasn't much distance to go between the door and the bed considering the rooms on the airship were near tiny, but Kuvira and Asami took their time. They were completely lost in each other's embrace, and every time they parted their lips for air an article of their clothing came off.

Kuvira wasn't thinking about the past she had with Asami. She wasn't thinking about how she had hurt Asami while she was the Great Uniter. She wasn't thinking about whether or not she would regret this in the morning.

There was none of that.

Instead, Kuvira let her mind empty for a rare moment, and she knew now that this is what she wanted.

So she let herself be carried away by the overwhelming feeling of what was about to happen. A part of her mind told her she shouldn't, but when Asami pulled her onto the bed, Kuvira never looked back.

---

Asami woke up early the next morning, and immediately she was confused. Why wasn't she in her room? Why was she naked? And why did she feel a sudden soreness between her legs?

It took her a few moments to grasp her surroundings, and then all the memories from the previous night came rushing back to her. The young engineer bolted upright in the bed, her breathing heavier and her heart pounding in her chest. The finality of what had happened last night didn't completely settle in until she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist.

"Hey…are you alright?" Kuvira asked, and Asami could have sworn she fell in love with Kuvira's low, raspy morning voice.

"Did…uh…we…last night…" Asami couldn't even get the words out in one coherent sentence, nor could she even bear to look Kuvira in the eyes right now.

"Yes. We did. Why? Do you regret it?" Kuvira sat up now and looked intently at Asami, waiting patiently for an answer.

Do I regret it? The question kept playing over and over in Asami's mind.

On one hand, no, she didn't regret it at all. In fact, Kuvira making love to her last night was, quite probably, one of the best moments in her life. The way Kuvira kissed her, touched her, loved her brought Asami the greatest amount of pleasure she could possibly imagine. And the way Kuvira had held Asami in her arms after the young engineer came completely undone beneath her gave Asami a sense of security and safety she had never felt before with anyone else…not even with Korra.

On the other hand, yes, she did regret it a little bit. Asami still wasn't over the fact that she had fallen hopelessly in love with the woman who had murdered her father. Yes, she knew that had happened nearly four years ago now, but there were times when the pain would surface stronger, when Asami would be overcome with grief that she didn't have any family left. And Kuvira had been the one to take that away from her.

But in the end, Asami knew that the real thing that mattered was the love she shared with Kuvira. She knew how much Kuvira cared about her. Spirits, Asami was certain Kuvira would die for her if any situation like that presented itself. And, Asami realized, Kuvira didn't have any family left either. Sure, Suyin might have served as some kind of family to Kuvira, but in the end, Kuvira had been abandoned by her parents at a young age and has never seen them since.

Asami shook her head. Her thoughts were so jumbled. There were so many reasons for her and Kuvira to hate each other, so many reasons why they shouldn't be together, so many reasons why last night shouldn't have happened, but at the same time there were just as many reasons why they fell for each other, why something about this felt right, and that's what mattered most to Asami.

"No…I can't say I regret it," Asami finally answered.

"But…" Kuvira raised an eyebrow a little, waiting for more to come.

"But I can't help but think, maybe it happened too early?" Asami lifted her head and looked into Kuvira's eyes now, and she could see the confusion laced through the metal bender's emerald orbs.

"Too early? Asami, it took us two years just to kiss each other," Kuvira said, keeping her voice calm despite the mixed emotions going through her right now.

"I know, and that was, what, barely a week ago? And last night we went out on our first real date, and maybe we just…got carried away…"

"So you do regret it? Asami, I'm confused. First you say you don't regret what happened between us last night, but now you're saying that you think we should have waited. But wait for what, Asami? Wait until I go back to prison when you can only see me a couple times a week and when I have to be back by ten every night?"

"Kuvira, no…that's not what I meant. You're here for another four weeks. We have more time to go out and spend more time with each other and just be together. There's no prison, no guards watching over you all the time. We could have had more time to decide if this is what we really want," Asami replied, her voice growing a little desperate now as she could sense the slight anger coming through Kuvira's tone.

"Asami, if I didn't want what happened last night, I would have told you," Kuvira said, narrowing her eyes a little as she got out of bed and quickly threw on a fresh pair of clothes. "I hope you believe me when I say this, I would never regret that, not in a million lifetimes. Asami, I love you."

"And I love you, Kuvira, but we still have things that happened between us in the past that we haven't fully moved on from! We need to work through those past grievances before we commit ourselves to each other!"

"Before we commit ourselves? Asami, we had sex last night! How much more committed to each other can we get right now?!" Kuvira yelled back, turning and glaring at Asami.

The young engineer felt the daggers in Kuvira's gaze, and she merely shook her head as she got dressed.

"We need to work out our emotions together," Asami said softly, her voice cracking a little as she tried to hold back her tears. "We need to do that before we continue this…whatever this is between us. In the meantime…we can't do this, Kuvira. I can't give myself to you like that again until I know that we've moved on from the past."

"I think you're the one who's still stuck in the past, Asami." Kuvira kept her gaze hard and her jaw set, her eyes unmoving as she looked back at Asami. "I think you're the one who truly needs to move on from what happened. We both know that won't be easy, and we both know the pain from losing your father at my hand will be with you the rest of your life. But you said it yourself, Asami, that you're giving me a second chance, that you've seen how I've changed, that you know I'm not the Great Uniter anymore. But you have to face your own feelings head on too.

"I'll always be honest with you, I'm still working on forgiving myself, I'll admit that, but at least I've faced how I feel about you. At least I know that I love you, no matter how many times the voices in my head tell me I don't deserve you or that you could never love me back. Sometimes I believe them, but then I remember that I couldn't help it. I couldn't help falling for you." Kuvira paused as she metal bended a few platinum strips around her arms, and then she walked to her room door. "Everything about you drew me to you, and I love every part of you, Asami. Falling in love with you…I'll never regret that."

And then Kuvira walked out, leaving Asami to her own feelings and emotions, and the young engineer knew that Kuvira was right about everything.

---

"Alrighhhtttt! Let's go build some apartments!" Korra exclaimed once she saw Kuvira exit the airship. She had been awake since early in the morning, and she had been practicing her metal bending while she waited for Kuvira. She was already covered in sweat, but she wasn't tired at all. In fact, she was looking forward to helping the people of the lower ring some more. Getting rid of the bandits the day before had felt so good.

Kuvira managed a small smile when she saw Korra. "Well…you're up and early."

"Yeah well, I didn't want to wake you. I mean…last night must have been tiring for you."

From the way Korra was smirking at her, Kuvira already knew she was in for it.

"Uhhh…" Kuvira trailed off, her mind going blank as she continued to look back at Korra's smug expression.

"It was either tiring for you or Asami's voice is going to be really sore today."

At that comment Kuvira blushed furiously and hid her face in her hands, groaning out loudly as she shook her head.

"This is so embarrassing," Kuvira mumbled.

"Well, you two weren't really quiet about it last night. Plus, this is a small airship. The walls aren't necessarily soundproof."

"Korra…stop…" Kuvira shook her head again, and in another moment she snapped out of her flustered daze. "I'm not going to deny anything, but Asami and I aren't together."

"What? Of course you are! You two had sex last night!" Korra exclaimed, giving Kuvira an incredulous look. What the metal bender was saying wasn't right, Korra thought. There was no way Kuvira and Asami could have spent the night together and not decide to be in a relationship with each other the morning after.

"No…we're not," Kuvira said back, letting out a small sigh, and Korra detected the defeat in her tone.

"This wasn't your decision?"

"It actually was. I mean, Asami…I-I saw the regret on her face when she woke up. She still hasn't gotten over what I did. I told her that I've moved on. I'm learning how to forgive myself for my mistakes, but she's the one still stuck in the past, and I wouldn't be in a relationship with her until she figures it out," Kuvira explained, not able to meet Korra's eyes.

"Wow…that's uh…that sounds cold," Korra said.

"Thanks for your words of wisdom."

Korra cringed at Kuvira's deadpan and motioned for the metal bender to follow her. "I'm just saying. I mean, didn't you think to talk it through with her?"

"What was there to talk through, Korra? She told me that a small part of her regretted it and I…I don't want to make her feel like she's obligated to be with me," Kuvira said back, looking down at her feet. "She needs to move on from the past."

"And you're the person who can help her do that." Korra gave Kuvira a soft smile, and the Avatar's eyes were filled with so much hope and knowing support that for a moment Kuvira knew it would have been so much easier if she had just fallen for Korra too.

"How can that happen if all we do is fight and push each other away once we start getting close again?"

Korra breathed out softly as they reached the site of the now partially constructed apartment building. Luckily, no one had damaged it during the night, and Korra and Kuvira quickly set to work on laying out the foundation for the second half of the building.

"That's something you need to be more forceful about, Kuvira," Korra said as she pulled up a pillar of earth from the ground. "You need to sit her down and make her face her feelings. If Asami keeps turning away from you she'll only be hurt more, and I know that's something you'd never forgive yourself for doing, even if it's indirectly."

Kuvira grunted out in response as she smoothed out the earth around the pillar, allowing Korra to raise a few more foundational pillars.

"You know I'm right," Korra said, looking over to Kuvira. "Look, all three of us are insanely stubborn. If you want to get Asami to confront her feelings for you with you, you're basically gonna have to beat it out of her."

Kuvira raised an eyebrow at Korra as they stopped their earth bending. They had to wait for Asami to bring Kuvira the platinum so they could reinforce the foundations.

"Not literally!" Korra quickly jumped to recover from her previous statement. "I don't mean actually beat her or anything. I just mean you have to be more assertive. Come on, I know you can do it with your whole 'I always get what I want' attitude. And don't lie, you still have that side of you."

Kuvira just huffed out as she stomped her foot against the gound, raising a fist to bring up a small block of earth, and she sat on it with another huff of frustration.

"You're brooding now," Korra commented, taking a seat next to Kuvira. "I don't want you to brood all day. So talk to me please…"

"I'd be surprised if Asami actually showed up today," Kuvira mumbled. "You're right though…I shouldn't have left her like that."

"Hey…" Korra put a hand on Kuvira's shoulder, and once the metal bender's deep green eyes were locked with hers, she continued. "You left because you knew that if you stayed things would have gotten worse. You were trying to save yourself and Asami from more pain. Sure, watching you walk away might have been hard for her, but if you two just fought…you might have said some harsh things, and sometimes that's harder to work through than this."

"I know…it's just…Korra, last night was so perfect and I-I could never regret that with her. I love her."

"I know you do. I know how much you care about her, and she feels the same way. It might be hard to be convinced of that now, but she really does. Trust me, Asami is smart. If she didn't want to have sex with you last night, she would have stopped you."

"But doesn't she know that it hurts me too?" Kuvira bit her lip. She felt tears coming to her eyes, which was embarrassing for her, because she never cried in public. But now she was breaking down.

Korra let out a soft breath and took her time thinking about her response. She knew how much Kuvira was hurting. She could see the pain in the metal bender's eyes.

"I think she realizes it at some point," Korra settled on. "Maybe she doesn't think about it at first because she's too caught up in her own pain, but once you leave, she knows. Kuvira, Asami doesn't think you're the Great Uniter anymore. In fact, a lot of people don't see you like that now. She knows you're hurting and she knows that she needs you, even though she might not admit it to you."

And then Kuvira felt a tears slip down her cheek. She didn't know why she was so emotional all of a sudden. In some ways she hated it; anyone could see the former Great Uniter in tears right now. But she also didn't mind it. It felt nice to just…let out some of the sadness she had always kept inside of her.

"I love her so fucking much, Korra," Kuvira got out, her voice a little hoarse and just above a whisper. "The first night she asked me to stay with her…I-I was awake after she fell asleep and I…I was just imagining what it would be like to…fuck, Korra, I thought about marrying her. I thought about what it would be like to propose to her and we can't even sort through our feelings for each other.

"Korra, this…this is fucked up. Love shouldn't be like this. Love shouldn't destroy you. I feel like my heart is already broken from this. And yet…I don't want it to stop. I need her too. I need her physically and emotionally. I need her to tell me that she loves me and not have a look of regret on her face once she does. I see it, Korra. I see how she physically hurts from admitting it. That shouldn't happen…"

Korra pulled Kuvira into a soft hug, her free hand tracing patterns absentmindedly across Kuvira's back, and the metal bender found the action extremely comforting.

"No one said love was easy," Korra replied, her voice soft as she kept Kuvira against her. "But if you two really commit to each other and work together to sort through your feelings…it'll all be worth it…"

---

Unlike Kuvira, Asami did brood all day. Even when she showed up to help out with the reconstruction of the apartments, she barely even looked Kuvira's way. Maybe she had done it intentionally just to see how Kuvira would react; in a way, Asami wanted Kuvira to come back to her and as her to talk. Or, maybe she had done it simply because she was upset with herself, and she didn't want to constantly look at the woman who had taken away the last piece of family she had, who had been the cause of her downfall, but who was also the person bringing her back up.

It was so confusing to Asami. So maybe she brushed Kuvira off during the day because she did need time to herself to figure things out, even if she knew she needed Kuvira to help her with it.

Once they had finished working earlier in the evening, Asami had gone right back to the airship and to her room while Korra and Kuvira decided to stay out for dinner. She had been sulking, and even she admitted that it was somewhat immature of her to do. After all, she was nearly twenty-seven. She should be able to talk about her feelings with someone, especially with Kuvira.

Asami had just been relaxing in her bed, drinking a cup of tea when the comfortable silence was interrupted by a knock at her door, quickly followed by Korra's voice.

"Asami?" Korra called out.

"I'm in here," Asami said.

"Um…can I come in?"

Asami sighed and set her tea on the nightstand. "Yeah, sure."

Korra entered the room and gave her best friend a soft smile. "Hey uh…Kuvira and I are going up to the deck. She's gonna help me with my metal bending, and then we're probably gonna spar. You wanna join?"

Asami took her time to think. Yes, she did want to join them, and maybe even spar with Kuvira to let out some of her frustration. But at the same time, she wanted to stay here and not see Kuvira for as long as possible. It was all so confusing for her.

"If you don't want to…that's totally okay. I uh, I know things are pretty rough between you and Kuvira right now, but…I think it would be good for you two to uh, ya know…actually talk to each other," Korra said quickly. "I don't want to pressure you into joining us up there, but the - ,"

"It's fine…I'll come," Asami said, cutting Korra off as she got out of bed, grabbing her Future Industries jacket as she followed Korra out of the room.

"Great! Kuvira will be so happy I got you to come out!" Korra blushed when Asami gave her a skeptical look, one eyebrow raised and her lips pressed into a thin line. "I-I mean…she'll probably be glad that you uh, um…joined us to spar…"

Asami's expression softened a little as they started towards the airship's deck. "I should be the last person Kuvira wants to see…" she mumbled.

"Nonsense," Korra said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Kuvira loves you. It…actually hurt her a lot that you didn't as much as look at her all day."

"Thanks for making me feel better about myself," Asami deadpanned.

"Jeez…those are the reactions I get from Kuvira whenever I say something about you two. It makes me wonder…" Korra tapped a finger to her chin in mock deep thought. "If you two would stop using me as a medium for your relationship problems and actually talk about things with each other…then mayyybeee you wouldn't be in this position."

"I get your point. It's stupid of me to push her away, but sometimes that's my first instinct, to just…get rid of the thing that's causing me pain. But Kuvira has given me much more happiness than pain in the time I've gotten to know her," Asami admitted as Korra opened the hatch to the covered observation deck.

"Well, I'd suggest working through those problems with her tonight. We only have a few more weeks until Kuvira returns to Republic City and Raiko puts her back in prison. You need to take advantage of the freedom you have with her now."

Asami sighed and nodded. She knew Korra was right about everything she just said. In fact, Kuvira returning to prison was something she really didn't want to think about right now. If anything, it just made her feel guiltier that she truly hadn't been taking advantage of all the time they have to be together. Instead, she just kept pushing Kuvira away.

Even after Kuvira had made love to her, after the metal bender had stripped her down to her most vulnerable side but still made her feel safe and protected, after Kuvira said she loved her, Asami still pushed her away.

It wasn't right, and it wasn't fair to either of them.

Asami opened the door and stepped onto the open deck of the airship, and her eyes instantly found Kuvira's. The metal bender managed a lighter expression, and Asami could see the smile tugging at the corners of Kuvira's lips, but Kuvira didn't let it happen.

Korra nearly grimaced at how awkward this already was, but she pushed it away and went over to Kuvira. She was here to get some metal bending tips after all, not to fix a broken relationship. That part of it could happen once she was finished. She even thought it would be a good idea to let Kuvira and Asami spar with each other. Korra figured both women would love to beat the shit out of each other right now and let out their frustration on each other.

"So um…you can just…chill for a little bit if you want," Korra said.

Asami nodded. "Yeah…I'll be over there. It's nice out. I'll just enjoy the fresh air."

Korra watched as Asami walked to the far end of the airship deck before she turned and went to Kuvira.

"I'm surprised she came up here," Kuvira commented, her eyes staying on Asami for a few more moments.

"Honestly, so am I. She's trying to act mad at you, but her resolve is breaking. I can tell it is."

Kuvira gave a curt nod as she turned her eyes to Korra. "Well…I can deal with her later. Let's just…focus on making you a better metal bender."

"Sounds like a plan Captain," Korra said with a small grin, giving Kuvira a playful salute.

"You're ridiculous. Anyway…get into whatever stance you use when you metal bend."

Korra nodded and instantly dropped into her earth bending stance, her feet planted firmly on the ground, her gait wide, and shoulders broader.

"Oookkayyy…" Kuvira drawled out. "Get into your air bending stance."

"Wait, what?"

"Your air bending stance. Ya know, the form you use when you're air bending," Kuvira said, sarcasm dripping in her tone.

"Okay…I'm just…confused about that…"

Korra shifted her stance, bringing her feet in and standing up a little straighter. Her arms were looser as well, out in front of her but not appearing big. She looked nimbler already.

"Sooo…why am I doing this again?" Korra asked.

"This is the stance you want to use when you're metal bending. Like I told you when you asked how I learned to platinum bend, you need to treat metal as its own element, not as a sub-element of earth," Kuvira answered. "Now…I'm going to throw some metal bands at you. Keep your air bending style and redirect them or use them for your own offensive purposes."

Kuvira took her position about thirty feet in front of Korra. She had brought the metal strips she usually used on her armor, and she lifted a few of them, keeping them hovering next to her.

"Don't go easy on me, Captain," Korra said with a playful wink. She knew how to play at Kuvira's competitive side, and she figured this would be a situation where she would regret it.

"I didn't plan on it, Avatar…" Kuvira nearly growled out, and within seconds she sent a few metal strips careening towards Korra.

The Avatar followed Kuvira's advice, staying in her air bending form. She wove through the metal strips, and she even sent a couple of them back towards Kuvira, but the other woman easily regrouped them and held them in the air around her.

"That's all you got?" Korra taunted, and she saw Kuvira's eyes narrow, and soon the metal bender began her second round of attacks.

Korra dodged the metal strips with ease. She remembered how, during her fight with Kuvira that time in Zao Fu, she had easily been defeated because she had tried to beat Kuvira with her earth and fire bending. She was too explosive and erratic. She needed to stay light on her feet the way she was now.

Kuvira switched up her attack now, sending one metal strip high and one low. Korra jumped over the one aimed at her feet and flung the strip going towards her wrist back at Kuvira, but she failed to notice a third metal strip coming right at her, and within seconds her vision was black.

"Ah!" Korra yelped as she was knocked to the ground by the force of the impact. "That was low!" she yelled at Kuvira as she peeled the metal strip off her face.

"You were focused too much on attacking me," Kuvira said. "You have to be more aware with metal. It's an elusive element." Kuvira went over to Korra and offered the Avatar her hand. Korra accepted, and Kuvira pulled her off the ground.

"So then how am I supposed to attack you if your own attack never ends?" Korra raised an eyebrow.

"It will eventually. You need to redirect my attacks and wait for the right moment to go on the offensive," Kuvira answered. "Also, you turned away from me. I get that sometimes in battle you'll end up backwards or something, but with metal bending, you need to try your best to face you opponent at all times. Like I said, metal can be more elusive than the other elements. It can be manipulated so it's smaller and faster. You won't always be able to detect it as quickly or as easily as some of the other elements."

"Try that same thing on me again," Korra mumbled, playfully shoving Kuvira away from her. "And stop making me look bad. I get that you want to impress your girlfriend, but I'm the Avatar."

Kuvira laughed and went back to her initial position. "You might be the Avatar, but I'm one of the best metal benders in the world. Don't feel bad."

"Will you just shoot those metal things at me already?"

Kuvira grinned and shook her head, but she did as Korra asked and started with a slow attack, letting Korra get into the groove of her metal bending. The Avatar deflected the metal strips, keeping them within her range of motion, and once Kuvira started the same attack that had stumped her last time, Korra shot the metal bands back at Kuvira.

And Kuvira wasn't wrong when she said she was one of the best metal benders in the world, because once she saw the metal strips flying right back at her, she instantly launched herself forward, and she slid under one of the bands. At the last second she pushed herself off the ground, kicked up one of her feet, and sent all three of the bands back to Korra in a horizontal line through the air. The Avatar ducked beneath them, but Kuvira had anticipated it, and she moved too quickly for Korra, because once she had regained her stance, the metal strips latched onto her wrists from behind, the third one wrapping around her eyes again, and Kuvira brought her to the ground with one swift downward motion of her arms.

"Ugh! Why do you have to be so good at this?!" Korra groaned.

Kuvira just laughed and took the metal bands off of Korra's face and wrists. And once she was freed, Korra swung her legs around, creating a low whip of wind that knocked Kuvira off her feet, sending the metal bender to the ground.

Kuvira yelped once her back hit the cool platinum deck of the airship.

"Exactly," Korra mumbled, and she stayed on the ground, enjoying the light breeze that flowed over her skin.

"What was that?" Kuvira lifted her head and looked at Korra for a moment before she dropped it back onto the deck.

"If I was allowed to use all four elements, I'd kick your ass."

"Well…if I'm recalling correctly, you did use all four elements the first time we fought and I still kicked your ass," Kuvira said back.

"Don't be a dick, Kuvira, once I went into the Avatar State you stood no chance."

"Hey, everyone knows the Avatar State is the most powerful thing on this planet. But just your regular bending…face it, Korra, you're extremely proficient in water and air bending, but with your earth and fire bending you're too predictable," Kuvira said, keeping her voice steady and she sat up, keeping her eyes on Korra.

"Then from now on I want you training me every day in earth and metal bending," Korra replied, a small nod confirming her determination on the subject.

Kuvira shrugged and smiled a little. "That's fine with me."

"And even when you're back in prison, I'm requesting that they let you train me."

"Korra…I doubt Raiko or Lin would let that happen."

"They will once I convince them to," Korra said, gritting her teeth a little.

"Well, I know nothing I say will deter you from doing that so…thanks? I guess."

"Thank me once I make it happen. Anyway…go fight with your brooding girlfriend."

"I don't want to fight with her anymore," Kuvira said back.

"No, I mean literally…fight with her."

"No, Korra…I don't think - ,"

"Hey, Asami! Come here!" Korra called. "Kuvira said she wants to spar with you!"

"Are you insane?" Kuvira hissed out, glaring at Korra, a look the Avatar instantly backed away from.

But, Asami was already standing in front of them within a few moments.

"I uh…I never said that," Kuvira mumbled, keeping her eyes away from Asami.

Korra waved her hand and stood up. "Pfft…sure she did. She said she wouldn't use her bending. Just a melee sparring session between you two."

Kuvira groaned as she got off of the ground. "I think that's a bad idea. I don't want to hurt her."

"You know I'm standing right in front of you, Kuvira. If you have something to say to me then look at me when you do," Asami said, her gaze hard as her eyes finally met Kuvira's.

"Oookayyy well…I'm gonna get some water. Try not to kill each other please," Korra said quickly, and she nearly ran back into the airship. She couldn't handle the tension much longer, and she figured as long as she didn't hear anything explode, everything would be fine.

"So…" Asami started, resting a hand on her hip. "Afraid of hurting me?"

"Yeah…well, um…I just - ,"

"Save it, Kuvira. You've already hurt me, a few cuts and bruises from sparring with you won't mean anything at this point."

"I already hurt you…look, I'm sorry from walking away, but - ,"

"I don't want to hear it right now. You left me when you saw that I was breaking down!"

"Do not blame that on me!" Kuvira yelled back. "You were the one pushing me away! You were the one saying you regretted what happened last night!"

"Yeah, okay…and you're the one saying how we need to talk to each other about our feelings, yet you were the one who walked out!" Asami balled her hands into fists, her arms almost shaking with rage, her green eyes bright with a fiery anger. "You were the one who killed my dad right after I managed to forgive him! You should have stayed and endured whatever I had to say to you! But instead, you just walked away and made me feel even more alone!"

"Oh no…you do not get to talk about feeling alone," Kuvira nearly growled out. "You lost your mother at a young age, so did I. My father left us and then my mother was gone soon after. After your mom died, you had your father, your company, and then you had your friends. For fuck's sake, Asami, your best friend is the Avatar. You don't get to complain about feeling alone…at least not to me."

"Both of my parents were murdered!" Asami's voice was louder now, and she could feel the tears welling in her eyes. "Both of my parents were torn away from me and I had to watch it happen! Yours just left you the exact way you left me this morning! At least my parents loved me!"

The moment the words were out of her mouth, Asami regretted them. She saw the look of pure hatred that washed over Kuvira's face, and in that moment…she was scared.

"Fuck you!" Kuvira yelled, and she instantly charged at Asami, slamming the engineer into the wall of the airship's observation tower. "You know nothing about my parents!" She pulled Asami back, slamming her hard against the wall again, and Asami felt the wind knocked out of her lungs.

Once Asami steadied her breathing, she managed to bring one of her feet up, and she kicked it into Kuvira's stomach, knocking the metal bender off of her. Kuvira charged at her again, but Asami was ready. She dodged one of Kuvira's fists and deflected the metal bender's arm to the side, countering with a strong punch of her own directly to the center of Kuvira's nose.

Kuvira yelped out as pain flooded her face, and she felt blood leaking from her nose, soon dripping off her chin. She was rattled for a few moments, and in that time Asami kicked her feet out from under her.

Kuvira landed hard on her back, but she quickly regained her composure and extended her arm, flicking her wrist and sending two metal strips flying towards Asami.

Asami jumped back, dodging out of the way, but Kuvira was relentless.

"Just because my father didn't love me doesn't mean my mother felt the same way!" Kuvira shouted, launching the metal strips at Asami again, and the engineer just barely spun out of the way of the second one.

"My mother loved me with everything she had!"Kuvira continued, her own tears blurring her vision slightly. "She made up for everything my father wasn't. Every time I felt alone because my father barely even acknowledged me…my mother was always there!"

Kuvira took a couple more metal bands, and she fired them at ragged intervals at Asami, and the engineer couldn't time herself well enough. She managed to dodge the first of the bands, but she wasn't able to anticipate where the next one was going, and she had to react at the last second, but one of the bands struck her along her jaw, drawing a deep gash on her face.

Asami nearly yelled out as the stinging pain engulfed her face, and she fell to her knees, clutching the left side of her face, and she saw the dark crimson spilling over her hand.

But Kuvira wasn't done. The metal bender pushed Asami onto the platinum flooring, and she grabbed the lapels of Asami's jacket.

"My mother loved me more than anyone ever could!" Kuvira tried to keep her voice strong, but Asami heard it cracking. "She always supported me and defended me!"

Kuvira slammed Asami back onto the ground, but Asami was too frightened and too weak to even fight back at this point.

"She never stopped loving me. Up until the day I watched her take her last breath…I knew she loved me and I knew she was proud of me! And I…I…"

Kuvira couldn't even get anymore words out as she suddenly collapsed against Asami's chest, still clutching at the engineer's jacket. Asami could feel the metal bender's entire body shake with her harsh cries, and soon enough she felt Kuvira's tears seeping through her shirt.

"And now I have you…someone who…could love me…un-unconditionally…and I-I hurt you Asami…"

Asami managed to lift her head just enough to see Kuvira's broken expression staring back at her, and she quickly dropped her head back to the floor, looking up at the darkening sky…either that or her vision was fading.

She felt herself being lifted off the ground. She knew Kuvira was carrying her. She wanted to tell Kuvira that she already forgave her, that she was stupid for saying those things, that she regretted every moment she pushed her away. But she didn't have the strength.

She didn't even remember when she blacked out.

---

"What the fuck was that?!" Korra yelled angrily as she burst through the door of Kuvira's room.

The metal bender nearly jumped out of her skin at the harshness of Korra's tone, and she sat up in bed, wiping the tears from her eyes. The contact on her face sent small waves of pain through her nose. She had refused to let Korra look at it even though she was pretty sure it was at least fractured. In any case, Kuvira's own emotional breakdown was too strong that she completely forgot about her physical pain.

"I just spent two hours healing that gash on Asami's face. She's probably going to have a scar from it, and every time she sees it, she'll be reminded that it was you who did that to her!"

"Korra, stop! I already feel guilty enough about it! I don't even know…I-I just snapped and…"

"And you could have fucking killed her if you didn't break down from your own grief!"

"Do you have any idea of what she said to me? Do you know what - ,"

"No…and right now, I don't fucking care."

"Korra…I - ,"

"Get out."

"What?"

"Get the fuck out of here and go to Asami!" Korra yelled, her voice carrying a new kind of ferocity Kuvira had never heard before. "You better fucking be there when she wakes up! You better fucking be the first person she sees every morning after this!"

Kuvira didn't realize Korra had even been advancing on her until the Avatar grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and pulled her until their faces were mere inches apart.

"And you better fucking tell her the truth about what you did, because she might not remember all of it since she blacked out. I only knew what happened in the physical fight between you two…but you haven't told me why you snapped, and quite frankly, I don't want to hear it right now.

"But if I find out that you didn't tell Asami everything the way you told me…I swear on Raava I will not let you see her again when you get back to Republic City. Hurting her is the one thing you told me you never wanted to do. Well guess what…you fucking did, and if you ever hurt her again this way, not only will I not let you see her, I won't even let you contact her. No phone calls, no letters…nothing. And I'd do the same to her if she continues hurting you emotionally.

"I can't watch you two destroying each other. She hurts you emotionally and you lash out at her physically. For fuck's sake, I can't let you two stay together if this continues. Because you know what happens if a relationship like this does go on? You two get used to it. You end up hating each other but you can't leave each other. You'll just keep going back for more until it's too late.

"You two have the potential to work through this and be happy together. What you told me, about how you imagined marrying her…I'd want nothing more than for that to happen for you two. But by Raava if you keep hurting each other like this, I won't let it happen, because I can't continue watching the two most important people in my life slowly killing each other inside."

Kuvira nodded, and she felt a tear slip down her cheek. Korra quickly wiped it away with her thumb, and she pulled Kuvira into a tight hug.

"I love you Kuvira…and I-I know that Asami makes you happy. I see your face light up whenever you so much as talk about her. Please…please…I'm begging you, make things right with her," Korra whispered, pressing a soft kiss to Kuvira's forehead.

"I will…Korra, I promise," Kuvira said back. "I-I've never loved anyone this much before. What you said…about not letting us see each other. I believe you. I know you'd do that because you care so much about both of our emotions. But my heart physically ached when you said that. Just thinking about not having Asami in my life like that anymore…that's not something I ever want to experience."

"Then go…I was serious when I said to go to her," Korra replied, her voice softer now. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. I was just upset and angry at both of you…but really, go be with her. I know it'll make her feel better instantly if she sees you there when she wakes up."

Kuvira nodded, and she gave Korra one last hug before she stood up and headed to Asami's room.

---

Asami opened her eyes and instantly groaned once she was aware of the pounding in her head. It took her a few moments to get a grip on her surroundings, and she noticed that she was in her bed, and someone was sitting next to her.

"Hey…"

Asami smiled and felt her heart warm at the sound of Kuvira's voice, and she reached out, fumbling a little until she found Kuvira's hand. She felt the metal bender lace their fingers together, and she let her eyes adjust to the light filtering through the window of her room.

"Kuvira…what happened? I-I was on the deck with you and Korra last night and then…we started fighting…"

"Yeah…we uh, we had a pretty bad fight. You've been out since last night," Kuvira said. "I hurt you, Asami…"

"What happened though? Like…why were we fighting?"

"We said some things to each other…"

"Oh gosh…I'm so sorry. What-What did I say to you?" Asami had managed to sit up in the bed, and she was looking back at Kuvira, guilt already filling her eyes.

"Just…stuff about my parents…I did the same to you," Kuvira answered.

"No, like, what did I say?" Asami's gaze was intense, but her voice was laced with guilt, and a part of her didn't want Kuvira to answer her. If Kuvira had hurt her physically because of what she had said then it must have been serious.

"Well…you said that you weren't necessarily abandoned by your parents, that they had been torn away from you, and at least they loved you and didn't just leave you the way mine did," Kuvira said. She wasn't holding anything back from Asami. Even though she was certainly thinking about it, Korra's words echoed in her mind every time she did, and she knew the Avatar would hold up her promise of not letting Kuvira see Asami if she hurt the engineer again.

Asami sighed out, her shoulders falling a little as she glanced away from Kuvira. "I…I don't even know what to say," she whispered back. "I'm sorry is sort of an understatement."

"Asami, I forgive you. You were upset and…I understand that sometimes we say things we don't really mean when we're angry. Sometimes - ,"

"No, Kuvira…it was wrong. I had just assumed that, because you were abandoned, your parents didn't love you. I shouldn't have done that, and I certainly shouldn't have used it to hurt you, no matter how angry I might have been. You…You had every right to lash out the way you say you did."

Kuvira shook her head and rested her other hand over Asami's. "No…nothing excuses the fact that I physically hurt you. The emotional damage we do to each other is enough. You don't need the physical aspect of it too."

"Then let's actually keep our word this time," Asami says, reaching out and taking Kuvira's hand again. "Let's really work with each other. I know we've said that a lot and we've never followed through, but I-I want to apologize Kuvira, not just for what I said last night to you, but for how I've been treating you in general.

"It was easier for me when you were in prison. I saw you, we talked, we went out a few times…but this…this is so much different. Right now I can take a moment and realize what a life with you would be like. You were right when you said I was the one still stuck in the past. I was trying so hard to find a reason to still hate you and to convince myself I shouldn't fall in love with you. But I know that I can't do that.

"I fell in love with you because I got to know the person you really are. You are so kind, Kuvira. And you have so much love to give and it's never been returned. But I want to be the person to return it. I want to be the person to make you feel wanted again. I might have been stuck in the past, but you're still stuck in your mind, Kuvira. You're still being brought down by those voices and they still get to you and make you feel like you don't deserve me, like you don't deserve love.

"But you deserve it, Kuvira. You deserve so much more than what life has given you. I've treated you so horribly when you've done nothing but show me kindness. You let yourself be vulnerable in front of me, and I only pushed you away after it. And I-I'm so sorry…"

Kuvira pressed a soft kiss to the back of Asami's hand, and she laced their fingers together. She took a few moments to study Asami's face. She saw the light bags under Asami's eyes; she could understand. Even though the last couple nights they had been able to sleep since they were with each other, the last couple weeks had taken a toll on them. Both women had often stayed up once they finished working on the new apartment buildings just thinking about their feelings for each other, and they wouldn't realize how late it was until they eventually dozed off simply because their bodies couldn't keep themselves awake anymore.

"And I'm sorry too," Kuvira whispered back. "I-I never could have predicted anything that's happened between us. The first time you visited me, I never would have thought I would fall in love with you. It's all been such a crazy, emotional ride for the both of us. I mean, we both know that everything between us has been unexpected. Every time we think we have something figured out with each other another thing comes up, another obstacle, and we have to work through it together.

"We've been through so much, both from our own lives and then from the pain I caused you, but I want you to know that I couldn't help falling in love with you. Sure, sometimes it feels unbearable and sometimes I feel like it will never work out, but when you look at me and smile, it gives me hope that maybe this time I can be happy…that we can be happy."

A wide smile spread across Asami's face as she met Kuvira's eyes again. She would never tire of looking into the metal bender's eyes – a sea of emerald that Asami was always ready to dive right into. They shined brightly as the sun streaming through the window reflected off them, and Asami was suddenly filled with such an immense amount of happiness. Her heart swelled with love and pride at the fact that she had fallen for Kuvira just as much as the metal bender had fallen for her.

And Kuvira was right – as she always was: Asami could have never predicted this would happen. She always thought Kuvira and Korra would end up together, given the bond shared between the two women. And maybe Asami would never quite understand what Kuvira saw in her that she didn't see in Korra. But Asami knew exactly what she saw in Kuvira.

She saw a woman who was broken and vulnerable, a woman who had been beaten down by not only those around her, but by her own inner demons, by the voices in her head. She saw a woman who was misguided and who made terrible mistakes. But then again, didn't everyone?

She also saw a woman who was strong despite all the adversity she faced. Asami remembered how people had instantly doubted Kuvira when they heard a young woman not even twenty at the time was trying to pull the Earth Nation together. But Kuvira had actually succeeded. She had found a way to persevere and get through all the roadblocks that stood in her way.

Asami admired Kuvira for that.

But the love Asami held for Kuvira was so much more than any feeling she had ever experienced.

And Asami started crying in that moment. She didn't know what came over her. One moment she had been smiling lilke an idiot back at Kuvira, and now she was burying her face into Kuvira's chest, her tears soaking the metal bender's shirt.

"Asami…wh-what's wrong?" Kuvira asked almost frantically, afraid she had done something wrong again.

Asami shook her head slightly before she pulled away and wiped her eyes, though they remained misty once she pulled her hands back.

"I just love you so much, Kuvira," Asami got out, her voice just above a whisper. "It's true that we can't know what the future will be like for us. You still have to serve the rest of your sentence and…I'm sure to have work and probably help Korra with her Avatar duties. But I just…I like to think that we can have something lasting with each other. I will admit that sometimes it's hard. We've been doing this push-pull thing too much, and it leaves me wondering whether you'll still love me tomorrow…and the day after that…and the day after that…"

"Asami, I will love you until I die. We'll never be able to explain or know just why we came to love each other the way we do now, but I'm so glad it happened. I feel like this is something in my life that can be stable. I can count on you, and that's something I don't really feel with anyone now aside from Korra. You're like my rock, Asami. Even though, I'll admit, you can drive me insane sometimes, you're still the one who can calm me down and bring me back to the real world.

"I want you to believe me when I say that now, realizing what my future holds and looking back on the mistakes I've made…you are the love of my life. Every time I see you, my heart flutters and my mind goes blank. You have this effect on me, and I can't even describe what it is, and it fascinates me yet terrifies me at the same time. But it makes my life beautiful in a way I never thought it would be. I want you to believe me when I say that I will love you, Asami…

"Always."

---

A/N: Yes I put a note in the middle of this because I can do what I want xD Okay, so we have a large time jump here to focus on a more developed Kuvirasami relationship. So Asami is 31 now and Kuvira and Korra are both 30. However, I wanted to put some more trigger warnings for this part juuuussssttttt in case. They are: mentions of an abusive relationship – mainly emotional abuse, and mentions of cheating (I know it's not really a huge trigger…but still, some people are affected by it.)

---

Five years later

It was rough; Kuvira would admit that.

Keeping a relationship with Asami while she served the rest of her sentence wasn't easy. However, by helping rebuild the lower ring of Ba Sing Se and stabilize other sections of the Earth Republic, Asami, Korra, Tenzin, and Lin had made a case to President Raiko to reduce Kuvira's sentence. So now, she only had one more year left in prison and then she would be a free woman. Well…sort of free; she would still be under a "house arrest" of sorts for another five years. So basically, as long as she was in the custody of either Korra or Asami, she could go wherever she wanted.

Kuvira knew that she would live with Asami once that happened. Her girlfriend – yes, they decided to make it "official" with each other two years ago, even when they had already been through nearly three years of a dedicated relationship to each other before it – had made it quite clear that Kuvira would be staying with her in her mansion. Kuvira wasn't opposed to the idea at all.

Even though they were undoubtedly in love with each other, their relationship didn't come without an abundance of rough patches. They had gotten better at working through their grievances with each other though, and they were usually able to make up with each other in a matter of days. Whenever this happened, Asami would always steal Kuvira away for the day on claims that she was helping her with a new invention. This wasn't true, of course, and their "making up" would actually consist of rough, angry sex where each of them would just say the most horrible things to each other. In fact, Kuvira could recall well enough how, during these rough escapades, Asami would often scream 'Great Uniter' at the top of her lungs.

However, once they were done and were lying next to each other in Asami's bed, breathing heavy with exhaustion, they would open up and actually talk to each other about whatever what wrong.

But, once incident had been particularly bad. In fact, both women might have said that they broke up with each other during the time.

They had gotten a new healer in the prison: a younger woman around twenty-four named Catori from the Southern Water Tribe. She had striking similarities to Korra in her facial structure, except her eyes were a lighter shade of blue, and her hair ended at the middle of her back and was often kept in a loose braid.

They had brought Catori in since she was more skilled than the previous guy. She had had some training with Kya actually, and they needed her to heal one of the inmates. He had gotten into a fight with Kuvira when they let her out of her cell. However, Kuvira had simply bended his platinum cuffs so tight around his hands that one of his wrists shattered. Even though she had been put in a wooden cell with no platinum, the other inmates still had their own platinum cuffs. So now, Kuvira wasn't even allowed out of her prison room around other inmates unless she was with Asami or Korra.

It was Catori who had actually stopped by Kuvira's cell. One reason being that she had never heard of a platinum bender, and the other…well, she had to meet the notorious "Great Uniter," even if Kuvira had long discarded that title and abandoned all affiliation with it.

The younger woman had instantly taken an attraction to Kuvira, and she would make excuses to see Kuvira all the time. In fact, Catori took over the job of bringing Kuvira her meals just so she could see the metal bender more often.

Kuvira actually didn't mind it. Korra and Asami still had limited visitation rights due to Raiko being, well…Raiko. So, seeing Catori consistently every day brought Kuvira another sense of relief and comfort. She had someone to talk to on a daily basis now instead of having to wait another week for Korra or Asami to visit her again.

However, Kuvira had been completely oblivious to Catori's subtle hints: the playful banter and flirting – but Kuvira didn't really pick up on the flirting part, the way Catori would sometimes zone out whenever Kuvira talked to her because she was too busy daydreaming about the metal bender.

But Asami certainly wasn't oblivious to Catori's obvious advances at her girlfriend of over two years now. She had passed it off though, tried to ignore it. She had been visiting Kuvira on a few occasions when Catori would bring Kuvira her lunch, and Asami could clearly see that Kuvira wasn't interested in the younger woman in any romantic way at all.

In fact, Kuvira would never have known Catori had feelings for her until the younger woman kissed her. It was harmless really. Catori had kissed her, said she shouldn't have, and then just left Kuvira mildly confused in her solitary confinement room.

Their next meeting had been more awkward. Catori had tried to apologize in a blabbering mess, which Kuvira had found extremely adorable. But they had gotten nowhere with Catori's apology, because the next thing the water bender knew she was on her back on the mattress, sweating and panting, with Kuvira's face between her legs.

Of course, Kuvira hadn't felt guilty about it until after Catori left her cell. She decided she would just pass it off as a one-time thing, and Asami would never find out about it. In fact, Kuvira had never even told Catori she was with Asami already.

Except it wasn't a "one-time thing." No, Catori was still delivering Kuvira's meals, and almost every time she did she would end up under Kuvira, writhing and moaning the metal bender's name.

Kuvira wasn't sure why she was doing this. She knew it was wrong. She had tried to figure it out though. She thought maybe it was because Asami and her…well, aside from the make-up-slash-hate sex they had on occasions, their sex life wasn't very happening at the moment. However, Catori was someone she saw every day. She was there, and she was willing, and Kuvira wasn't going to turn down the offer to release some of her pent up emotions when she didn't have Asami or Korra to talk to.

They had gone on like this for a solid two months, until one day Asami found out the hard way. Yes, she had gotten to Kuvira's cell, and just as she was about to push open the door, she heard Catori moan her girlfriend's name – considering Kuvira was in solitary confinement and her cell was in an isolated corridor of the prison, they never had to worry about being quiet.

Asami hadn't told Kuvira she had heard it until a week later when she visited the metal bender.

*Flashback*

"Do you want to tell me what's going on between you and Catori?"

"Uh…I…"

"Just spit it out, Kuvira…I heard you two last week when I came to visit."

"Fuck…Asami, I'm so sorry. I - ,"

"I don't want to hear your stupid fucking apology, Kuvira! How long has this been going on?"

"…Um…a couple months…"

"What?! You're saying that for two months you've been fucking that water tribe girl?! Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"Asami…just let me explain - ,"

"No. There's no explanation for that! You cheated on me, Kuvira! Fine…if you want to keep fucking her then go ahead, but I'm not going to deal with it. You always told me how much you loved me and how you never wanted to hurt me…well, you fucked that up now!"

*End flashback*

Asami had left with fresh rage. Even though she knew it wasn't okay to leave Kuvira like that to break down, she had no idea what else to do. She was so overcome with a feeling of betrayal that she couldn't even look at Kuvira in that moment.

So, she had walked out of Kuvira's confinement room, and she refused to see Kuvira for two months.

And now, Kuvira had been without a visit from Asami for three months. However, Korra had had enough of seeing Kuvira sulking around. She had made a plan to force Kuvira and Asami to talk through this.

She had told both Asami and Kuvira to meet her by the bay just past the pier of Republic City. It was a nice secluded area, and she figured they would need their space to talk things through. Neither Asami nor Kuvira knew the other would be there, and Korra instantly regretted the decision the second they saw each other.

"Why is she here?" Asami spat, motioning to Kuvira standing by Korra's side.

"Because you two are acting childish about this whole thing!" Korra shot back, narrowing her eyes a little. "You two are my best friends. I can't stand watching you act like you hate each other! You need to talk through this!"

"Talk? What is there to talk about, Korra? She cheated on me!" Asami didn't even cast a glance to Kuvira. It hurt her too much to even think about the woman who had built up her trust and love and then broken everything a few months ago.

"I know…and that was a shitty thing for her to do," Korra said, giving Kuvira a short but stern glare. "But I've talked to her about it. You need to give her a chance to explain. I'm not going to say anything on Kuvira's behalf, but I'm leaving you two here alone. Please…try not to kill each other."

"Wait…you can't be serious," Kuvira said, her eyes darting between Korra and Asami.

"Do I look like I'm fucking joking?" Korra snapped. "You two need to get your shit together. I know you still love each other, and you can't even deny it, because if you didn't, neither of you would be tearing yourselves up over what happened."

And with that, Korra turned and stormed off, not even glancing back despite Kuvira's and Asami's protests.

Kuvira was the first to look at Asami, but the engineer refused to meet her eyes.

"I know you don't want to hear an apology," Kuvira started, and she took a step towards Asami. "But at least give me a chance to explain why it happened."

Asami kept her eyes to the ground as she folded her arms over her chest. "I shouldn't even give you a chance," she said, her voice only coming out as a hushed whisper. She was trying to stay strong in front of Kuvira, but the softness and guilt in the metal bender's voice was melting her heart on the inside.

Asami had been able to keep herself from visiting Kuvira for three months, but being here alone with Kuvira let her know that keeping herself away from the metal bender had hurt her more than she would have thought. She knew it was only a matter of time before she gave in to Kuvira.

Kuvira studied Asami's face for a moment. She saw the small scar on Asami's left cheek from the fight they had all those years ago, but it still haunted Kuvira to think that she had hurt Asami that way.

After a minute of waiting in tense silence, Kuvira finally gave up on giving Asami the chance to actually look at her, so she started to speak again.

"No explanation will excuse what I did, but I feel like you think I just cheated on you without giving it a second thought. Asami, that wasn't my intention. I…we…we hadn't been spending as much time together and…when Catori kissed me first I just…I had so many feelings and frustrations pent up from not being able to see you as often and I…I just went with it. I wasn't thinking about what I was doing until after it already happened.

"I thought it was just going to be that one time, but it wasn't. We hadn't gone out in a few weeks and spirits…it had been months since we last slept together. Asami, I'm so sorry, but I was…craving someone and…Catori had been there consistently. Gosh…I feel like more of an asshole just saying that…"

"No, I-I can…understand that," Asami said, but she still kept her eyes glued to the soft sand of the bay at her feet. "I know that keeping a relationship between us had been hard and…you were right, we weren't spending much time doing fun or romantic things with each other. We were just fighting almost every time we saw each other. So I can see where you're coming from…Catori was there, she's attractive, and you weren't getting enough of me. I understand that.

"But what I don't understand is why, after the first time it happened with her, you didn't tell her you were in a relationship with me. If you had, then she would have stopped, and this conversation wouldn't be happening. But…you aren't the only guilty one here…"

Kuvira furrowed her brows in confusion. "What do you mean? I cheated on you…that…that's inexcusable. You have every right to be angry with me."

Asami shook her head and finally found the courage to meet Kuvira's eyes, and she nearly broke down by just looking into Kuvira's beautiful emerald eyes for the first time in three months.

"I shouldn't have left you that whole time," Asami said, her voice cracking slightly. "I-I just couldn't believe it had actually happened. I was in shock for a while. But…I should have come back to see you. It wasn't right of me either to just walk away and not even bother to come back.

"But it was hard, Kuvira. Don't think it was like a walk in the park for me to do. Every day I had to will myself not to visit you. I purposely found different projects or inventions I could work on to distract myself, because I knew if I let my mind wander to you for even a minute I would be going to the prison and forgiving you."

"No…you had every right to leave me. I would have walked out on myself if I could have," Kuvira answered, taking another small step towards Asami. "But hey…we're talking right now. Asami, we can't stay mad at each other forever simply because we love each other and we long to be together. We've long reached that point where we can't push each other away anymore."

Asami nodded. She knew Kuvira was right. In fact, she liked to believe that that moment Kuvira was talking about was the night over five years ago when Kuvira had first made love to her. After that night, Asami knew she would always be weak for Kuvira. Her guard would always be down around the metal bender.

Asami didn't react too much when she felt Kuvira's hand resting on her cheek. She found it comforting though, and within moments Asami stepped forward and allowed herself to be taken into Kuvira's arms. The embrace was familiar, and it was something Asami never wanted to live without.

Asami returned the affection, wrapping her arms around Kuvira's waist and holding the metal bender tightly against her.

"I'm so sorry…" Kuvira whispered, burying her face into Asami's neck, trying to drown herself in the comfort of her lover.

"So am I. I forgive you, Kuvira. Please don't beat yourself up because of this." Asami pulled away just enough so their eyes could meet again, and Kuvira tilted her head up just slightly to accommodate their height difference. "I forgave you for what happened with my father. That was over eight years ago. I'd be an idiot not to let go of that. Of course it will always cause me pain when I think of it, but I always remember that I fell in love with you. I love you now, and I'll love you forever. I'll always find it in me to forgive you."

---

Two months later

Korra saw the difference in Asami's mood instantly once she had made up with Kuvira. Her best friend was happier and less irritable. Kuvira also changed. She wasn't as gloomy and mopey the way she had been when she had cheated on Asami.

Kuvira had even come to terms with Catori about what had been going on between them. She still kept the water bender as a friend. Sometimes it became slightly awkward between them, but it was something they were able to get over.

Kuvira only had about eight months left on her prison sentence, and she was already anticipating her release and spending her first real day as a free woman with Asami.

Kuvira's birthday was also in another month, and she had made plans to go out with Korra and Asami for a nice dinner and then spend the night with Asami. Kuvira was excited about it, and that was probably an understatement. She and Asami had been fine for the past couple months, but Kuvira wanted this opportunity to be close to her girlfriend. They would have the chance to be intimate together, which was something that hadn't happened in over a month. Both women would admit that they were longing for the other's touch again.

---

"Hey…" Kuvira whispered, a lopsided grin coming to her face as she turned on her side, her eyes quickly finding Asami's.

"Please tell me you aren't ready to go another round," Asami breathed out, an exhausted laugh escaping her.

Kuvira couldn't help the smirk that surfaced before laughing softly as well. "Don't worry…we both know you would probably pass out," she said, wrapped her arms around Asami's waist, pulling her girlfriend against her. Kuvira smiled a little once their bodies touched, a small layer of sweat still lingered on Asami's chest and stomach.

Over a month without being intimate with one another took its toll on both women. In fact, while they were out for dinner with Korra to celebrate Kuvira's birthday, the Avatar clearly saw the way they looked at each other, and she had ended the dinner early, knowing Kuvira and Asami couldn't wait to get home so Asami could give her girlfriend her birthday present, which was simply hours of lust filled, desire driven sex.

And now that Kuvira thought about it – they had gotten back to Asami's home around eleven and now they were just settling down at two in the morning – she couldn't help the small chuckle that passed her lips.

"What?" Asami asked, raising an eyebrow at the metal bender.

"We're both thirty-one year old women and we still go at it like teenagers," Kuvira muttered though she gave a proud grin to Asami.

Asami just rolled her eyes but kissed Kuvira's chest anyway. "I mean…we haven't done this for a whole month what did you think was going to happen?"

Kuvira gave a small grunt in return before she took one of Asami's hands in her own, absentmindedly playing with Asami's fingers. Kuvira was in a moment of pure bliss right now. The last couple times she had seen Asami had been in prison, and they ended up fighting each of those times. But now, Kuvira could just enjoy being with Asami. She still imagined what it would be like to see a ring on Asami's finger, and she wondered if she would ever have the courage to ask that question. It only made sense; she had been with Asami for nearly six years now.

But something about it still scared Kuvira. She and Asami still had things they needed to work through together. She knew a part of Asami was still holding back from forgiving her fully. She knew Asami would always be damaged by the fact that Kuvira was the one who killed her father. No matter how many times Asami assured Kuvira it was in the past, she had grieved, and she had moved on, Kuvira could see the pain in Asami's eyes.

"Hey," Asami said softly, tilting Kuvira's face towards her own. "What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing…" Kuvira mumbled, her eyes flickering anywhere but to Asami's own green orbs.

"Kuvira…don't do this…please. Just talk to me." Asami kept her voice quiet and patient. She didn't want to push Kuvira; they both knew pushing each other only made things worse. But she knew something was troubling Kuvira. They had been together long enough at this point that they had each other well figured out.

"I just…it still makes me nervous…that you haven't forgiven me," Kuvira said, her voice shaking slightly.

"Kuvira, I've told you this so many times. I forgive you. I know you - ,"

"But it still affects you…"

"It will always affect me. There's nothing either of us can do about that. I lost my dad…nothing can take that fact away. You get so down on yourself about this and constantly second guess whether or not I've moved on. I worry about you doing that but at the same time it shows me how much you care…and how much you love me.

"You're so worried about losing me over something that's long in the past now, and I don't think you've truly realized that I was able to move on from it with you. Kuvira, you were the one who helped me get over losing my dad. You were the one who showed me that people change and that it isn't impossible to forgive someone who caused you so much pain. You were the one who hurt me yet you showed me compassion first. You were the one who was misguided and made mistakes yet you were the first one to guide me towards forgiveness and you were the first one to help me move on from my own mistakes.

"You were the one who was broken yet you made the first effort to help me put my own broken pieces back together. Kuvira, you were suffering more than I could ever imagine after you surrendered, and yet you still made sure you were there as a support line for me and Korra. I saw you change, Kuvira. I saw past your mistakes and realized that you were just a broken spirit who needed help, but you were always willing to put someone else before your own healing process.

"I know you still think you don't deserve me or your freedom, but you do…please believe me. I-I don't know what else I can say or do that will convince you to let go of your feelings of self-hatred, but it hurts to see you doubting yourself like this."

"This part of me will never go away," Kuvira said softly, meeting Asami's eyes now. "The voices…they'll always be with me. Being with you and Korra helps to keep them away, but sometimes they come back. It's a part of me that will stay. But it's times like these, when I'm with you, that make me feel loved and make me feel safe from the voices.

"Asami…worrying about whether or not you've forgiven me isn't the only thing that's been occupying my mind. Recently…I've been thinking that…uh, I um…"

"Kuvira, you know you can tell me anything…"

"I know…it just uh…I don't know how you'll feel about it."

Asami ran her hands softly up and down Kuvira's arms, something that always calmed the metal bender. As an instant reaction to it, Kuvira's breathing steadied and the muscles in her shoulders and arms relaxed noticeably.

"Well…if you don't tell me then I guess you won't get to find out how I feel about it," Asami said, a teasing grin tugging at her mouth as she slowly trailed her lips across Kuvira's jaw, earning a small shiver from the metal bender.

"I uh…Asami…" Kuvira placed her hands on Asami's shoulders and held her girlfriend away just enough so their eyes could meet again. "I'm really, really…really in love with you and I-I'm not too sure how to handle all my feelings for you even after being with you for so long…but I know that I um, Asami…I want to marry you. I was so nervous to tell you because I've been thinking about it so much over the last few months and I just didn't know how you would - ,"

"Yes."

"Wait…what?"

"Yes, Kuvira…of course I'll marry you!"

"Really?"

Asami couldn't help but laugh and ruffle Kuvira's hair, something that made the metal bender pout and grumble incoherent obscenities at her girlfriend, but it only made her more adorable in that moment.

"Kuvira, you dork, I've been waiting three years for you to ask me to marry you," Asami said, her voice light and her tone carrying nothing but happiness and love.

"Are you serious?" Kuvira returned, her jaw nearly dropping before she groaned out loudly. "Ughhh…why was I such a wimp? I dragged this out for so long…urgh!"

"Aww...don't beat yourself up with this Kuvs…what matters is that you finally grew a pair and told me. But in all seriousness…how much thought have you actually put into this?"

"Um…just that, uh…we could have a small wedding with your friends there and uh…maybe I could get Suyin and her family to come. And then, I don't know…I guess we could go anywhere we wanted for our honeymoon. I mean…I was only in the Spirit World for a short time with Korra, and I know you two went with each other but I've always wanted to go back and see it…maybe reconnect spiritually a little bit. We could have that time all to ourselves. Just the two of us. I know I'm probably making no sense right now, but I've been thinking about it so much and I can't think of anything that would make me happier than to marry the most amazing woman in my life, someone who came to me at my lowest point and showed me forgiveness and compassion and love when I needed it the most…someone who showed me that it was okay to be afraid and vulnerable and someone who showed me that is was okay to have regrets and make mistakes. I'll always fight for what we have because you've changed my life for good, and I never want to lose you."

"You won't lose me, Kuvira…I promise. In a million lifetimes I never would have thought that I would fall for the woman who used to be my worst enemy. Trust me, I have enough regrets in my life, but loving you isn't one of them. All the extra pain we went through together…it was worth it. I'll always need you, Kuvira, and I'll love you tomorrow and every day after."

Kuvira couldn't stop smiling as she pulled Asami against her into a tight hug. She was so happy, so at peace. Asami was right, everything they had been through together to get to this point was worth it. If Kuvira had to go through it all over again to get her…she would.

"So…how does all my thinking sound? A small wedding and then a trip to the Spirit World?"

"Sounds perfect."

---

A/N: *ugly sobbing* I'm just too Kuvirasami trash to function rn. Anyway, I hoped you all liked this! Came out to be over 36k words and 78 pages of Microsoft Word…holy smokes!

I put in a lot of time to this and I hope it paid off.

Leave suggestions for any Korvira or Kuvirasami short you would like to see next…I'm open to really anything!

Until next time: Happy reading!

- A