Somehow, Korra felt even happier on this morning than she had the three mornings before.

She thought about slipping out of the bedroll, but Asami's hands were still pinning Korra's arms tight around her waist. And there wasn't a speck of light graying the dark outside the tent. Mako would be up soon to start a fire and make a breakfast. He was responsible like that. The Fire Nation soldiers accompanying her would be as well. There was no reason to get up. Why not catch a few more winks, spend those few more moments cuddled up with Asami?

After all, it had been too long since they'd done this. Sure they took advantage of every chance to be with each other, and to be with Mako and Bolin, and they were always quick to assist each other with whatever pressing matter demanded their attention, but it had been too long since it all focused on the same objective, since Team Avatar was back in business. Really, not since they were hunting the Red Lotus eight years ago. That was probably the last time Team Avatar spent a night on the road together in hunt of bad guys to beat up.

Korra groaned. The Red Lotus were why she had to wake up. She tried to slip her arms from the shackles holding them in place, but Asami's grip was as tight as handcuffs. Korra yanked, but Asami pulled her back. "You've been awake this whole time?"

Asami snored entirely unconvincingly.

"Come on, I need to get up. You can stay in bed if you want but I can't."

"No, you don't," Asami grumbled, voice that perfect stony rough to bend ice down Korra's spine and make her throat rumble like a landslide. "The soldiers will come get you if there's anything urgent. Mako can whip them into shape if they're lazy. Just lay here with me a little bit longer."

Korra pulled away again, and Asami pulled her back. The struggle devolved into a half-hearted struggle that ended with Korra holding her fiancé's shoulders down, astride her waist with lips buried between Asami's neck and shoulder. The taller girl relaxed that little bit Korra needed to slip free and jump to her feet. Asami groaned and narrowed her angry green eyes.

"Sorry, Sami. Duty calls."

"I know," Asami said with a sigh.

It was hot, like it was always hot no matter the hour. Korra made a beeline for the water bottles, past the soldiers already awake and breaking down camp, and took a long chug from one. When she was finished, she froze what remained and rubbed down her face, neck, and arms. It helped little, but it was better than nothing.

Bolin was already up and about, joking with everyone in sight while he helped take care of the morning chores. His enthusiasm endured strong as the day he arrived. He was usually the first one awake, and always the last one to sleep. Mako was with the cook by the fire. All of the soldiers were up as well. Kuvira had had the late watch and would be off scouting ahead, most likely. The triangle of canvas tents were half-broken down already. Korra walked over to the cook fire to wait for breakfast, saying hello to Mako, her stomach loud as thunder.

Asami followed minutes later, dressed, painted, and wide awake somehow, already in out-of-bed Asami mode. Korra smiled. The difference between in-bed Sami and out-of-bed Sami was one of the big surprises in their relationship. Out-of-bed Asami was the woman the world saw, and it began the second she set her feet on the ground. Active, focused, intelligent, articulate, driven, every hair perfectly in place, makeup lacking even the slightest smudge, she became a woman ready to take on the world and own it.

You'd never think the same woman could possibly be in-bed Asami. Something about her body lying horizontally made her lazy and sloppy, made her mumble her words and stole all the grace and class she presented to the rest of the world. Her hair tangled and shot out in every direction. Her mouth hung open, and not even a smudge of makeup remained. Her imagination remained intact, though, Korra thought with a blush. Oh man, did her imagination remain intact.

They set off as the first sprinkles of sun reached over the high peaks surrounding them to chase away the gray morning. By midday, Kuvira returned with the other scouts. Korra felt guilty about her relief. She had no reason at this point to doubt Kuvira, but the doubt remained nonetheless.

"I find it hard to believe the Red Lotus hideout hasn't been known for quite some time," the metalbender said. "They're not exactly hiding, and the layout is highly suspicious, even without prior knowledge of who resides within those caves. There is even a guard post built at the mouth of the base."

"How far away?" the Fire Nation sergeant, Azao, asked. He was a tall man with thick hair framing a thick jaw, and thick shoulders meeting at a thick neck. He was certainly one of the most imposing men Korra had ever seen, and once she'd seen an exhibition of his firebending, she understood why he held command.

"A few hours. We could attack today, but I'd suggest we wait until tomorrow. Attacking on unknown ground in the dark seems inadvisable."

Azao's thick jaw clenched and Korra waited for the rebuttal. She had tried her best to be patient about his distrust and dislike over "taking orders" from a traitor. She understood perfectly, but right now, she was ready to sock the stubborn idiot in that stupid thick jaw.

"Numbers?" the sergeant asked.

Kuvira frowned. "Hard to tell. Could be five. Could be fifty. I wasn't about to risk the caves with your men to find out."

Azao nodded and scratched at the thick hair at his cheek. "I agree with her, Avatar. We should march the bulk of our force up the road towards the caves, while a smaller force diverts south to the mountains for cover. While the larger force draws attention, the smaller can hopefully infiltrate the caves unseen and find whoever leads these bastards, eliminate them as a threat, and catch whoever responds to the larger from behind."

"Okay." Korra would not smile yet. Now was time for authority, and her goofy grin would kill that authority. "Kuvira, you will go with Azao and his men as the sergeant's second. I'll take Mako, Bolin, and Asami into the mountains. Everyone agreed? Then let's march. I'd like us to have as much time as possible to relax before morning comes."

By late afternoon, a couple hours before the sun fell below the horizon and an hour after it slipped behind the mountains to the south, camp had again been set up after an easy, short day marching. A short day everyone was grateful for. The march since leaving the capital had been forced and hard, the party desperate to catch up to the fleeing Red Lotus. Korra was happy to give those who followed her this little bit of peace ahead of the coming fight, though she wished she could give them more.

Asami found her sitting against a rock up the mountainside. With a toss of her perfect, out-of-bed Asami hair, she sat down. There was no hiding the worry in Korra's eyes, so she didn't try. "This feels too familiar," she said. "Let's hope it goes better than last time we fought the Red Lotus, huh?"

It was a bad, terrible, incredibly dumb joke, but Asami was too good a person to chastise her. "At least there's no Zaheer or his cronies this time, huh?"

"Do we know that for sure?" Korra said. "That's what has me worried. I have no idea who these Red Lotus are. At least last time I did know what I was walking into. I was scared, but I knew what I was scared of. I prefer a face to shadows. And we know there were Red Lotus members higher up in the organization than Zaheer was. What if they are waiting for us in that cave?"

"Then you'll defeat them. Just like you did Zaheer." Asami put a hand on Korra's shoulder. "You're a different person than the girl who fought Zaheer. You're a different Avatar. This time there are no airbenders held captive, no poison in your body, no doubts in your mind about who and what you are. And you aren't alone. We'll beat them Korra. You know we will."

Korra leaned on her lover's shoulder. "No matter how I try to balance, the world always seems to swing too far the other way. I stop the Red Lotus and create Kuvira. I stop Kuvira and the Red Lotus come back. The spirits' attitude towards humans seems to change from moment to moment. The Earth Kingdom's transition to democracy is going well right now, but it only takes one greedy governor to justify the return of the monarchy. I can never create the world I want. I wonder sometimes if I'm worse at being an Avatar than others were."

"If you're waiting for the day that the world stops facing problems, I have some bad news," Asami said. "No Avatar ever made a perfect world. They spent their life dealing with them as they came. You'll never stop having to solve the world's problems, as much as I wish you could."

"And that doesn't bother you?"

"Only when I'm not at your side."

Korra grinned goofily. "I suppose it does make a big difference when you're at my side. I always fight better when I'm trying to impress you." Asami shoved her lightly, no real attempt to create any distance. "I love you, Sami. I'm so glad you're here."

Asami kissed her forehead. "I love you, too. And there's nowhere I'd rather be."

"I know you won't believe me since you found me sitting her moping, but I really don't want to think about tomorrow. What say we walk around and find some way to have fun?"

"I don't believe you, but I'm game. What do you have in mind?"

The giddy Avatar leapt to her feet and pulled Asami up with her. She tried her best not to show the worry still weighing like a boulder on her thoughts. Something about this felt wrong, felt like more than it appeared. She wondered if it had been too easy to find the Red Lotus, if they weren't hiding because they wanted Korra to come to them. She'd have to be careful. She couldn't let her friends get hurt by bumbling recklessly into a trap like she might have when she was seventeen and fresh out of the South. As Korra dragged her girl by her hand back down the slope, she shook her head to bury the worry deep down. Tonight would be a night of fun.

They found Bolin and Mako outside the ring of tents. Far enough, Korra noted, that their practice wouldn't endanger the others. They tossed rock and fire at each other, fast enough to demand attention but slow enough to avoid serious risk. Korra stopped at a distance where she knew she'd be little more than a silhouette in the dark. She grinned at Asami before her eyes took on the powerful glow of the Avatar State. When Bolin stomped a chunk of rock from the ground and sent it at his brother, a well aimed throw at the chest, she manipulated it just enough for Bolin to wonder. When Mako sent forth a vertical arc of flame, Korra split it in half.

It wasn't until she returned one of Bolin's projectiles flying back at his face that the brothers looked Korra's way. Asami's laughter was well worth the annoyed glare on their faces. "Having fun?" Mako spat. Of course he'd be unnecessarily angry.

"Not as much as I want to," Korra said. "Come on, come with Sami and me. We want to have some fun. It's been too long since Team Avatar got crazy together and caused trouble."

"What kind of fun?" Mako asked suspiciously.

"Who cares?" Bolin said. "Whatever Korra has in mind has to be better than sparring. All I ever do anymore is spar, I'm ready for a real fight."

"Come on, Mako, do you really think Korra would get you in trouble?" Asami said. "Who would she get you in trouble with? She's the Avatar, she's the lead authority here. No Beifongs to worry about for thousands of miles."

"Yeah, come on, Mako," Korra said.

"Come on!" Bolin shouted.

Mako pouted and crossed his arms as they continued. Korra wasn't fooled. He was smirking as much as the rest of them. "Okay, Korra. You're the Avatar here. What fun will we be having out here?"

"Actually," Korra said, "I think Ms. Sato here is the creative one of the group. So I defer to her."

Asami tapped a finger against her pursed lips, thinking it over. When she smiled, it was the mischievous smile Korra usually only saw on in-bed Asami's face. Maybe leaving the decision to her had been a mistake. "Just how much does the Avatar State take out of you, babe?" she asked.

Bolin whooped loudly.


This is kind of a do nothing chapter because I wanted a moment of peace before poop hits the fan.

I'm hoping not to take any more time writing chapters over the next few, but I might. I really want each member of Team Avatar, and Kuvira, to have a badass moment during the coming fight. I'm also not sure who the hell will be in that cave. I have an interesting idea, but I'm not sure if I want to do it. I have to think about it a little more.