This chapter may seem a little dark, but it sets up something important and, well, it's this or another time-jump.
Also, sorry it took so long; for some reason, I just didn't feel like writing anything for a while.
And I Am Never Further From You Now
The Sandbender camp had been all-but obliterated by the Raiders; sand-sailer's lay in twisted heaps amid the tattered and burnt remains of tents and wind-brakes. And then there were the bodies, left where they had fallen, their blood staining the sand. Korra had seen battlefields, had taken lives when there had been no other choice, but it was not something she did lightly and without good reason. But the devastation before her was violence for the sake of violence, almost as if the Raiders were taunting the United Forces, taunting her. At first, it had looked like there had been no survivors, but Korra had caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye, and had looked around to see Avatar Kyoshi standing beside one of the ruined tents. The vision had simply pointed at the collapsed structure then vanished like a mirage, but it was clear to Korra that there was something her former incarnation wanted her to find. Pulling aside the tattered, burnt canvas, she had been sickened the find the body of a young woman, a number of deep slashes across her back, but this soon changed when she heard a cry that cut her to her very soul from beneath the young woman. Cartful pulling the dead youth aside, she had sunk to her knees when she saw what the woman had given her life to protect.
The baby was maybe a few weeks old at most, weak from dehydration and exposure, but still fighting to stay alive. Korra had scooped it up in her arms, saying a pray for the woman who had given her life for another, then rushed over to where the army medic had been standing. There had been much commotion, with the reporters and photographers trying to get a photo, but Korra had stood her ground and forced them to back off and let the doctors work. Fortunately, the little girl had been found before any permanent harm had been done, but then came the question of what to do with her; as a military expedition, they were hardly equipped to care for a newborn, but Kai had flown to the nearest town large enough to stock baby formula and other necessities. He also asked around to see if anyone knew if the attacked Clan had any relative who might be able to take the child in, only to discover that they were considered outcasts, even by other Sandbenders; even if they had been able to track down a blood-relative, they would have been unwilling to take the child in. If ever Korra had needed a reminder of just how hard and uncaring life could be, that was it.
So, as one of the few people without set duties, the Avatar had found herself caring for the infant, who she had tentatively named Dusa, which meant Soul in an old Earth Nation dialect.
And oh how the press had loved that; for the first couple of days, it had been impossible for her to go anywhere without someone trying to shove a camera in her face, something that had brought back unpleasant memories. But she had drawn a when she caught one reporter trying to sneak into her tent to get a photograph of her feeding Dusa. After that she made it clear that any member of the press that came within ten feet of the child would be given to Naga as a new chew-toy. And given just how protective the Polar Bare Dog tended to be of children, it was no idle threat. Still, they wrote their stories and took what photos they could, and life went on.
A soft crying woke Korra from a fitful sleep, and she sat up in bed to look at the makeshift cot one of the soldiers had made for her out of an old packing crate and some blankets. Dusa just waking herself, and the Avatar reached out to comfort her.
"Good-morning, little one." She smiled, "Who needs an alarm clock with you around?"
The infant cried louder, so Korra lifted it up into her arms to comfort it.
"Well, it doesn't smell or feel like you need changing, you're too young to be teething, so I'm going to guess you're hungry." She did her best to comfort the child as she looked around her tent, "Now, how to heat up a bottle for a crying baby without putting the baby down..."
There was a polite cough from outside, followed closely by Kai poking his head through the flap, eyes squeezed tightly shut.
"Korra?" He asked hesitantly, "Are you decent?"
"That parts of me that require covering are covered, yes." The Avatar managed a chuckle, "Come in and hold Dusa for me while I get her breakfast sorted out."
The young Air Ranger stepped into the tent, slowly opening his eyes to make sure Korra was telling the truth, only to find a crying baby thrust into his arms as the Avatar hunted for one of bottles of baby-formula she had prepared the night before. He held Dusa like she was a bomb that could explode at any moment, which only made Korra laugh more.
"You know, in a couple of months time, you're going to have one of those of your own to deal with." She reached over and ruffled his hair, then adjusted his arms so he was cradling the baby correctly, "Consider this a chance to get the technique perfected in advance."
"Yes. Right." Kai looked even more uncomfortable then he had at the idea of walking in on a naked Avatar, but he took a deep breath and did his best.
Keeping an eye on his, Korra hunted around until she found the bottle she was looking for, then used her fire-bending to gently heat it to the correct temperature.
"Now, hold her in the crook of one arm," She made sure he had Dusa held safely before handing him the bottle, "and use the other to hold this."
"Okay." Kai took the bottle and looked down at the precious life that was literally in his hands, "I mastered how to use a wing-suite; I can do this."
Fortunately, Dusa didn't require much prompting to start feeding, and was soon silently content.
"I'm guessing you didn't come in here for an early-morning lesson in looking after a baby." Korra cocked her head to one side, "What's up?"
"We... received a Message Hawk from Ba Sing Se, apparently from King Wu's office." Kai nodded towards a message pod sticking out of his pocket, "It's addressed to you and marked personal."
"Interesting; not many people use Message Hawks these days. I know Wu can be a little crazy at times..." Korra took the offered message pod and pulled out the paper inside. Squinting, she managed to read the small writing, "From King Wu the First, Lord Protector of Ba Sing Se, Ruler of the yada yada yada... I am happy to inform you that I have issued a Royal Proclamation officially granting full guardianship of the orphan child known as Dusa to Avatar Korra Sato!" She re-read the sentence again, before continuing, "The other nations have been informed of this, as required by international treaty. I wish you both long and happy lives, King Wu, (dictated but not read)."
The Avatar stood looking at the message with a blank expression on her face for a moment as she tried to comprehend what had just happened.
"Congratulations," Kai offered her the now fed baby with a hesitant smile on his face, "it's a girl!"
AVATAR ADOPTS DESERT ORPHAN!
In a move that will surprise few who know of
her implosive but caring nature, Avatar Korra
has officially adopted the infant known only as
Dusa, the baby girl orphaned after raiders
massacred her Sandbender tribe.
The Avatar, who already has three children
with her wife, Asami Sato, had taken to looking
after the little girl after rescuing her from certain
death in the Si Wong Desert.
Yesterday it was announced that King Wu has
personally signed off on the paperwork, making
their relationship official!
Asami looked at the newspaper as if the headline was about to jump-out and attack her. She would be the first to admit that she didn't know the woman everyone kept insisting was her wife as well as she might, but she felt sure that this was something even someone with an apparently well deserved reputation for implosive action would have at least mentioned to her family. As it was, Senna had almost fainted when she'd heard the news, and had rushed off to try and find a radio that could contact her daughter, wherever she was.
In the week since she had left the hospital, she felt like... well, she wasn't sure exactly how she felt. The house didn't feel familiar, but it did feel comfortable, lived-in. The same went for the bed and the cloths that she'd been told were hers. Her mind might not have known them, but her body did, if that was any conciliation. More than once she had found herself idly walking through the house, ending up exactly where she wanted to be, but that never seemed to work if she tried to consciously plan her rout; then she'd end up lost or somewhere else entirely. She'd been a little worried, but Kya had assured her that it was a good thing, a sign that her old memories weren't lost, just mislaid somewhere inside her head.
She'd tried reading her diary, hoping that a first-hand glimpse at her old life might help, but she had soon regretted that. She didn't know much about the person she had been before the accident, but some of the things she had written down, chronicling in great detail some of the more intimate moments she had shared with Korra... well, they had stirred up feeling she didn't fully understand. She'd broached the subject with Kya, only for the healer to laugh and suggest that maybe some things were better left until she was feeling more like her old self, or at least more settled into who she was. With that experience in mind, finding a way to pick the lock on the red box hidden at the back of the closet had probably been a mistake. Asami didn't know what half of the items she found were for, and wasn't sure she'd want to know, either. It was bad enough that she'd be able to guess what some of them had been. Instead she had re-locked the box and put it back where she found it, burring it under blankets and shoes before closing the door and locking that as well.
Despite that, Asami was starting to feel something akin to a connection to her past. True, the memories were still gone, but there was a distinct feeling of home that was starting to grow inside her. The little sights, sounds and even smells of the house seemed to spark something inside her, even if it vanished like morning mist if she tried to latch onto it. She somehow knew which was her favourite dress, which suites she liked to wear to the office, which mug she had her first cup of tea every morning in, same as she somehow knew which side of the bed was hers. And yet there was something missing, something she was tentatively calling 'her', a way of not admitting that she had somehow gotten use to having Korra around, even if she couldn't remember their life together. It wasn't until the Avatar had left for the Earth Kingdom that she had realised just how much she had enjoyed just being around the other woman, all be it on an subconscious level. That was why she had taken to following Korra's mission in the papers and on the radio.
And now... now Korra looked to be moving on with her life, finding a new family without Asami, and she wasn't sure how that made her feel.
To Be Continued...