Only the grunting of their sky bison broke the calm of the morning, but that didn't mean that the passengers aboard it were still. While Korra held the reins, the rest of them scanned the verdant countryside spread out beneath them in search of their quarry. Asami wasn't used to flying this way, but there was a something exhilarating about not being inside the relatively safe confines of an airship but instead exposed to the open sky. Some day, when all of this was over, she'd have to get Korra to take her out on the bison again, just the two of them.

It was Bolin, peering through a somewhat comical telescope, who first caught a glimpse. He gasped, pointing in the direction of the valley floor. "Hey, guys, I see something! Down there!"

Asami turned her gaze where the earthbender indicated. The soldiers were like specs from so great a height, but there so many of them that they were still easy to pick out as they marched from behind the concealing height of one of the mountains, accompanied by platoons of mecha suits. "Is that…"

"It's Kuvira's army," Korra said, finishing her sentence. "She's already crossed into United Republic territory. She's a week early."

Mako narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense. There aren't any train tracks this way. How are they transporting that super weapon?"

His answer arrived soon enough, though Asami wished that it hadn't. Made of solid metal, the mecha stood two hundred feet tall at least, dwarfing the rest of Kuvira's forces as it came into view. Asami had never seen a war machine on anything like that scale, but in spite of its size, what might have been most troubling was that a massive canon was affixed to its right arm.

"Apparently on a giant mecha suit," Korra said, the shock evident in her voice.

Mako turned to his brother. "Did you know Kuvira was building that thing?"

"Oh, did I forget to mention it?" Bolin replied indignantly. He threw up his arms in an exaggerated gesture of frustration. "No, of course I didn't know."

"Well, we know now," Korra snapped, clearly not in the mood for their bickering. "The question is, what are we going to do about…"

Her words trailed off as the mecha turned in the direction, its canon arm rising. A brilliant pink glow formed at the tip of the barrel, and Asami's natural inclination was to scoff. It seemed inconceivable that they could be attacked from this distance, and yet, Kuvira wasn't given to empty gestures.

"I know what happens next," Bolin screamed, confirming her worst fears. "We gotta get outta here now! Now!"

Korra yanked on the reins and Asami had to hold fast to the saddle as the bison turned sharply. A second later, a lance of pure energy blasted in their direction, raw power of a kind she had never encountered before. The bison dove and the beam missed, but only by a couple of meters. It was close enough that she could feel the heat of the weapon on her face, painful in its intensity.

"Fly faster!" Bolin screamed, while Asami silently willed the same thing. Ahead, the welcoming safety of another mountain beckoned, but the mecha was already turning in their new direction, re-aiming its canon . Asami's heart pounded against her ribs, fear clutching at her heart. That exposure to the open air that had been so pleasant had become nothing but vulnerability, one that she was helpless to do anything about except hope that they would make it in time.

The glow of a second shot was already starting to appear around the barrel by the time they reached the mountain, but they did reach it. The air bison banked hard and they ducked behind its welcoming shelter as the canon fired again. To Asami's horror, the very top of the mountain exploded as the blast struck home, sending a shower of dusty and smoke up into the air, but at least it was stopped.

"Spirits," she breathed as they turned once more, Korra setting a course back to Republic City. The mecha was receding from view, perhaps finally out of range, and it seemed that they were safe. But only for now. In the face of power like that, Asami wasn't sure that anywhere was truly safe, least of all Republic City.


As their air bison circled down, Korra could see a crowd gathered in the plaza below to meet them. President Raiko and Lin, Tenzin and several of the other airbenders, Suyin and her sons; everyone they needed to talk to was there. If only Korra had better news to bring them. In spite of her renewed confidence in her abilities, she was shaken by what they had just seen. She had always known she would have to face Kuvira again, but she hadn't counted on the other alpha having picked up a gigantic mecha with a death ray in the meantime.

She climbed off of the bison, and no sooner had she hit the ground then Tenzin blurted out, "Korra! Are you all right? Why are you back so soon?"

Korra put on her bravest face. She might be worried, but that didn't mean she could waiver. Whatever her past failures, Republic City was in danger and she was the Avatar. That was all that mattered. "It's Kuvira," she said, forcing herself to be calm. "Our intel was wrong. She must have known Zhu Li had brought us the information about her timetable and accelerated her plans."

President Raiko's eyes widened. "What are you trying to say?"

Korra had to resist the urge to scoff. If there was one thing she had learned in her years dealing with the man, it was that you couldn't count on him to keep his head in a crisis. "I'm saying that Kuvira's army is about a day away."

Tenzin shook his head. "We're just lucky you warned us she was coming earlier, Korra. I don't know that we're ready for this attack, but we're closer than we would've been otherwise. Pema and Wu have evacuated most of the civilians and our forces are already partially mobilized."

"It's gonna be hard to be ready for this. That spirit weapon of hers is attached to a giant mecha suit. It's over 25 stories tall and heavily armored."

"Yeah, and really mean looking," Bolin agreed. "We're gonna need everyone working together to even have a chance to take that thing down."

Raiko turned to Lin "Chief Beifong, get General Iroh on the line and tell him the attack is happening tomorrow. We'll need his soldiers sooner than we expected."

"What should the rest of us do?" Bolin asked.

"We can go to my factory and oversee the deployment of the hummingbird suits," Asami offered. "The first batch should be up and running, but I want to do a few finals tests before we send them out to the troops."

Korra intended to say, "I'll head to the front lines," but before she could get past the first word, she felt Asami's hand take hers. The meaning was clear and she instead finished, "Come with you." If Asami needed her, that was where she was going to be.


"I feel like there's still something else I should go back out and do."

Korra paced back and forth across the floor of the living room, trying to settle her nervous energy. They had seen to the hummingbird suits, spoken with the troop commanders about their deployments, and made sure the last of the civilians were evacuated, but Korra remained restless.

Asami came up behind her, her hand coming to rest on Korra's shoulder. "We're as ready as we're going to be, sweetheart. Worrying isn't going to help anything."

"But what about…"

"Korra, stop." A second hand joined the first, this one wrapping around Korra's waist and resting on her stomach. "I know how badly you want to get this right, but you've done all you can, at least until the invasion actually starts. And right now, I need you to be here with me."

Korra could hear the quiver in her omega's voice. All day, she'd sensed that tension, and now she turned in her arms so that she could try to kiss it away. Asami's lips were soft and welcoming, and her chi drew Korra in deeper with its warmth. "I am here," she whispered when their lips finally drew apart. "You know there's nowhere I'd rather be than with you."

"I do…" Asami's voice trailed off and she buried her face in Korra's shoulder. She'd been so strong since Korra's return to Republic City and her uncertainly now was surprising.

"What is it?" Korra asked. "Kuvira's invasion?" Her fingers tangled in Asami's dark locks, and she strengthened her own chi, doing her best to convey silent reassurance until the omega was ready to answer.

"Yes," Asami finally said. "I know you've gotten your confidence back. And I believe in you. It's just… I've never seen anything like the mecha Kuvira has. That canon knocked off the top of a mountain like it was nothing."

"I'm not giving up, Asami," she insisted. "I know it's scary. It scared me too. But I have to find some way to stop it, no matter what."

"That's my Avatar." Asami tilted her head, catching Korra's lips. It was a sweet moment, but a brief one, as she pulled back once more to continue. "I waited three years for you, Korra. I know you didn't ask me to, but I did, because you're the only mate I want. And now we're going to have to fight that thing and the thought of something happening to you scares me more than I was ready for."

"'Sami." She whispered the word almost like a prayer. Her head dipped to kiss away the tears that were forming in the corners of Asami's eyes. "I don't want to lose you either. When I had nothing and I was ready to give up, you gave me the strength to keep trying. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, but I can tell you that I'll fight with everything I've got to stay here with you."

Asami's hand brushed over her cheek. "That's all I can ask for. That, and for you to stay here tonight." She forced a smile onto her face. "After all, who else is going to make sure you get your rest before the battle tomorrow?"

"Nobody." Korra smiled back, her joy at being with the woman she loved shining through her fears and doubts. "Just you."

"Then take me upstairs. Please."

Though she suspected Asami had more than rest in mind, Korra didn't have to be asked twice. She took Asami's hand and the two of them made their way towards the bedroom. The reminder of those three long years apart spurred Korra to move quickly. She'd wasted so much time that could've been spent with Asami wallowing in self-pity, and she wouldn't squander another second of a night that could be their last.

As they climbed the stairs, she could feel the fire of Asami's chi washing over her own, inflaming her desire more with every passing second. Just being near her mate was a delight, anticipation and proximity stimulating her even when only their hands were touching.

By the time they made it to the bedroom, Korra could already feel her clit stirring with the beginnings of her change, and as they crashed through the doorway, she kissed Asami hard. The omega's body felt so good in her arms, and even while they stumbled towards the bed, she began tugging at their clothes in an effort to get down to bare skin. This wasn't the frenzied rush of their lovemaking in the cave, but it wasn't slow either. Neither of them wanted to wait too long for what they needed. For each other.

She slid off Asami's coat, and while the omega undid the buttons of her own shirt and unhooked her bra, Korra stroked the creamy skin that was revealed. She wanted to memorize every detail of this night, to make it a treasure she could carry with her no matter what happened next. Her lips visited first one breast and then the other, and each moan she drew out was another jewel for her to enjoy. Pink nipples strained against her tongue and she licked them eagerly, at least until Asami decided to return the favor.

The omega peeled Korra's shirt up over her head and unwrapped her breast band before kneeling down so that she could kiss her way down the plane of her stomach. Asami lavished attention on each curve and dip, and by the time she reached the laces of Korra's pants, the cock beneath them was fully erect, straining with the desire for release from its confinement.

Asami didn't grant it though. Instead, she stood back up and her next kiss was gentle, accompanied by a retreat of her chi's heat. "Korra, I have to ask you for something."

Korra swallowed hard, trying her restrain her own, inflamed desire. "Anything. What is it?"

"When we…" Asami hesitated, guiding them towards the bed while she found her words. They sat down together, and Asami nuzzled up close to her, resting her head on Korra's shoulder. The dark waves of her hair fell over Korra's face, tickling the skin, but she enjoyed the sensation. "When we make love," Asami started again, "Stay inside me. Don't pull out."

'Sami…" Korra tilted her head, returning the earlier, gentle kiss she'd been given. Her cock throbbed almost painfully at the thought, and yet… "Your meds haven't come yet, haven't they?"

"No, they've haven't," Asami admitted. "My doctor's evacuated the city along with everyone else." Her smile was nervous, but behind that anxiousness, Korra could see hunger as well. "But I still want you to finish inside of me."

"Are you sure? What if…"

Asami's hands wrapped around her face, and she kissed Korra again, but there was more heat there now. "If I die, then it doesn't matter. And if we make it through… I know things have happened fast with us, but I want to be your mate forever. I want to have a family with you, Korra, and if that begins tonight, then that's okay with me if it's okay with you."

Korra's heart swelled in her chest. Asami was right. It was sudden, and yet, as she pictured the idea of a future mated to the engineer, raising their children together, she knew it was what she wanted as well. She had known Asami for years, trusted her without hesitation, and loved her without reservation. There was only one more question she had to ask.

"What if you're the only one who makes it, Asami? What if you get pregnant, and I'm not there anymore?"

The question brought a tear to Asami's eye, but her voice was still clear when she answered. "Then I'll still have a piece of you with me, and I'll love that child as much as I love you."

Korra didn't trust her words at that moment so she just replied with another kiss. She drew Asami deep into her embrace, and the two of them dropped down together, their bare chests pressing together. Asami's chi had flared once more, brighter than before, and Korra's responded, enveloping her omega with the power of her aura. The thought of claiming Asami fully, of filling her, of perhaps making a child with her, stirred every primal instinct within Korra. She wanted this, wanted it with an intensity, a need that she hadn't realized was in her until that moment.

Asami's hips were grinding against her, and even through the layers of clothing, the contact made Korra's cock pulse. Now that this was real, she needed to be inside Asami immediately. She made swift work of her own pants, and when her length sprang out, her omega wrapped her long fingers around it.

"You're so hard," Asami whispered huskily, brushing her thumb across the swollen head and coming away with a drop of silky fluid.

"For you, 'Sami. All of it, all of me."

Korra set to work on Asami's pants as well, though it wasn't easy to get the buttons undone with the way that the omega's hand kept gliding along the shaft. Somehow, though, she managed, and once she slid off Asami's pants and underwear, Korra gasped at the sight of glistening pinkness beneath them. Her fingers dragged through the folds and came back covered in slick liquid that she pressed up to her lips for a taste.

"And that's for you, Korra." Asami turned onto her back, gently guiding Korra to lay on top of her. Korra angled her hips so that the tip nudged Asami's clit, drawing a moan out of her lover. She made a few more passes through the slick folds, and by the third one, Asami's voice cracked. "Please, Korra. I need you in me."

Another time, Korra would've worried about the lack of foreplay, but the underside of her shaft was already coated in wetness. With the way Asami's hips were bucking in a desperate attempt to take her inside, not being ready definitely wasn't a problem. Her lips caught Asami's once again, and while Korra drank in the desire of their kiss, her hips slid upwards, the broad head of her cock pressing against Asami's entrance.

Every inch that she buried inside surrounded her with more velvety bliss. Asami's hands were on her back, urging her to continue, and it was an invitation she couldn't refuse. Once was Korra was buried to the hilt, the omega beneath her let out a sigh, a sound that mixed desire and relief. Asami's inner walls pulsed around the shaft, and the warmth of her chi was a sea that Korra could lose herself in without a single regret.

This is where I belong, she thought as he hand brushed back Asami's dark hair so that she could take in all of her beauty, Where I've always belonged.


Those familiar with the show may have noted the good guys have a little more time than they did there before Kuvira's army arrives. That's because of Korra's warning, leading all of their preparations to begin earlier.