A/N: Hi everyone!

Here is the new chapter, a little in advance because I wouldn't be easy for me to post in 4 days. Anyway. A few things before we start:

/!\ The chapter is rated M for security, even though I don't think it's that explicit. It's a heavy chapter: lots of emotions, bits of violence (not that much physical, though), and love and sweetness of course ;)

/!\ The chapter is very long! (Don't read at work :p Just kidding.) That's why it was a bit cut and next chapter takes place directly after this one.

Now, have a good read!


"Hi, Asami!"

"Hi, Reena. She's in her room."

"OK, thanks!"

Reena was almost hopping while going to her girlfriend's bedroom. She walked past her mother who couldn't help but smile, as always.

Since Reena and Isolina had started dating, the young Airbender would often come to the mansion to join her beloved and spend time with her. She would spend the day there and leave in the evening, always full of enthusiasm and a smile on her face.

Isolina, on the other hand, expected to see her and greatly appreciated her visits. It was quite common to see a light smile discreetly lighting up her face because of a thought about her girlfriend. Her behavior, this behavior, was unlike anything Asami had ever seen concerning her daughter. And she was glad to see her finally wake up.

When she had been with the others, it always looked like those relationships ended as soon as they were out of sight. But Reena brought an unusual joy to the girl. She knew that this time, Isolina was very serious and that she could give her her uncovered heart. She also knew that Reena was serious, so she could only hope it would last.

Strangely, since she knew Reena so well, she didn't care at all about leaving her with her daughter, whether in her bedroom or elsewhere. It even appeased her somewhat. She trusted her and knew that Isolina was safe with her. So in short, she didn't meddle in their business.

Reena, for her part, had entered Isolina's room. She had slipped next to her on the bed, kissing her on the cheek. The blue-eyed girl smiled when she saw her.

"You okay?" she asked her.

"Always when I'm with you."

"Huh huh... Are you going to say romantic words to me all the time?"

"Only when they are true."

"You silly girl," she joked.

She kissed her very lightly.

"Will you allow me to finish my page?" she asked.

"Mmm... What are you reading?"

"Katara's biography."

"Why don't you ask Korra? Or Kya? Or Tenzin? It would be simpler, right?"

"She talks about healing processes a little more precisely in the biography. I'm more interested in her bending than in her privacy."

"Okay…"

Reena didn't try to debate any longer and decided to find a comfortable place instead. Which ended up being Isolina's legs, which she used as cushions. The waterbender laughed.

"Are you comfortable now? I don't bother you too much, right?" she joked, abandoning her book again to look at her girlfriend lying on top of her.

"No, you don't really bother me, don't worry..."

Then, Reena pretended to settle in more comfortably, rubbing against Isolina like a purring cat. The blue-eyed girl laughed again.

"I feel like I'm going to have a hard time finishing this page..."

"You don't have to finish it..."

Reena stood up. She straddled the other girl's legs, taking the book's place a bit as she set out to kiss her girlfriend. Isolina dropped the book to her legs, between their bellies, although she held it very tightly in her hands, almost twisting the cover.

Reena leaned forward again, one of her hand coming to take hers, intertwining their fingers, and the other landing on her hip. Isolina squeezed the book even more, trying to hold back a moan of satisfaction and even more her desire to stick to her and take possession of her mouth first, and then of her whole body.

"Reena… be careful…" Isolina said, a little embarrassed and looking away.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No, it's not that…"

Reena watched her girlfriend's eyes escape, frowning.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked.

"No it's just…"

Isolina sighed, before resuming, looking her in the eyes again:

"It's nothing."

"It doesn't sound like nothing. What's the matter?"

"I told you, it's nothing."

"But, Isolina…"

The blue-eyed girl silenced her with a kiss, before repeating with amusement:

"Since I'm telling you it's nothing."

"Okay..." the latter replied, not very convinced.

"Will you let me finish this page now?" she joked.

"No."

Isolina only managed to let out a brief sound of disapproval, because her girlfriend's mouth was already on hers and her tongue sliding against hers. She felt her hands on her neck, her thumbs on her cheeks, pulling her closer and closer. She gripped the other girl's clothes so tightly that she thought she was tearing them apart.

Out of breath, they broke the kiss. Isolina kept her eyes closed and tried to tame the heat that spread throughout her body. It was a little difficult as Reena hugged her.

"Isolina, I..." she started.

The end of that sentence never came. Instead, the young airbender's lips moved over the cheek of the blue-eyed girl before settling in the crook of her neck. Isolina gasped loudly when her lover tasted at her pale skin.

"Reena, wait!..." she became alarmed, pushing her away a little.

It was too much. She couldn't take it anymore. If she continued, she would no longer be able to control herself.

The young airbender looked at her questioningly.

"It's... Reena, if you keep going... I won't be able to restrain myself from touching you..."

"Okay, that's fine with me. This is what you want to do, right?"

"We don't have to…"

"I feel like you do this all the time," she cut her off, a little irritated.

"What?"

"You never try anything on me. You always keep yourself from even caressing me."

"I didn't want to go too fast. I know you've never dated anyone before. It's okay with me."

"You're lying. You... don't you want to do this with me?"

Isolina watched the slightly fragile and hurt look on the other girl's face. She sighed. It wasn't this. It wasn't this at all... But there was so much to think about. She knew Reena, she knew exactly how it was going to be, and she wasn't ready. She wasn't ready to overcome a fear she had harbored for years.

She dropped her book, put her hand into her beloved's hair and placed a soft, tender kiss on her lips. She leaned against her, pushing her back and leaving her hand a little freer. So she allowed herself to go under the other girl's clothes, caressing her belly, running down her hip, running down her spine. She stopped there, hugging her, her lips against her collarbone.

"I want you," she breathed against her skin. "I really do... But now is not the time..."

Reena blushed a little, embarrassed by her girlfriend's confession. She didn't think Isolina was going to tell her that she wanted her. She was not used to it, it sounded strange to her. She wondered if Isolina had imagined, fantasized about this moment. Probably. She had thought about it herself…

"Why?" she asked, once she was able to regain consciousness.

Isolina laughed lightly.

"Too early?"

"I love you."

Isolina chuckled again.

"That is not all."

"Why?"

"You can love me and not want me. You may not want to touch me or not want me to touch you... It's different now..."

"Different?"

"We can no longer pretend to be friends…"

"Why on earth would we do that?"

"I don't want to lose you…"

"And you would lose me by sleeping with me?"

"If it doesn't work... between us... it could create a gap."

"Isolina, no one can be 100% sure that they will end their life with someone. Whether we stay that way or be more intimate, it doesn't change anything."

"My mothers are at home anyway. Now is not the time."

Reena frowned. The more she listened to Isolina, the more she felt like she was being evasive, that she was making excuses. She was hiding something from her, she was pretty sure of this. What she was wondering was what it was. There was little she didn't know about Isolina. Maybe she would be a little pretentious if she said that there was nothing she didn't know about her; except maybe her previous relationships, they hadn't really talked about it. And as always, she decided that she was going to find out what the problem was, whether Isolina liked it or not. (She never wanted to, but... normally, if she pushed her a little...)

So Reena shifted a bit and started kissing the blue-eyed girl who made a protest sound while she couldn't help but reply. She sighed ardently, as she dug her fingers into her skin as close as possible to her own body, attracting her, possessing her.

The airbender wrapped her arms around the other girl's shoulders, her fingers falling on the other girl's upper back. Then suddenly—she didn't really know why—she found herself on her back, both wrists pinned to the bed. Isolina was above her, her black hair falling on her cheek. She was out of breath. Different lights danced in her eyes. Reena didn't have time to try to figure out what they were; they disappeared and Isolina sighed.

"Stop it," she scolded gently. "I just told you that now was not the time."

"Because of Korra and Asami?"

"Among other stuff."

Reena hummed, pretending that she understood and that she was giving up. (She would never give up. But she wanted to pretend for a moment before counterattacking. She was just going to destroy Isolina's excuses one by one, since it was necessary.)

The young waterbender withdrew. She picked up her book, picked up her page, and tried not to meet her girlfriend's eyes. The latter sat cross-legged in front of her and waited. She thought for a moment, still trying to decrypt the other girl.

It had always been her favorite activity. Especially when it was successful. Even when they had been a little distant because of their so different friendly circles (and their different feelings, now she realized that), she had always tried to understand Isolina. She imagined that by understanding her, she could help her, assist her forever, protect her from the torments that had once agitated her mind. But in the end, she was unable to reconcile Isolina's refusal of intimacy and her passionate desire. It was completely opposite... It didn't make sense. There must have been something, but what?

Finally, Reena got up and started to leave the room.

"What are you doing?" Isolina asked, a little confused.

"Coming back," she said, with half of a smile.

Isolina frowned and tried to refocus on the book, something she absolutely couldn't do. Reena's departure troubled her. She freaked out a little. Maybe she had been a little too hard on her... Maybe she was too selfish and Reena needed to deepen their relationship. And who was she to refuse her?

She was struggling so much... She was hurt, tortured by her desires, torn apart by her apprehensions. She couldn't stop thinking about what she had just prevented. A happy disappointment danced in her heart. She groaned, dropping on her bed, the book on her face. How long was she going to last like this? How long were they going to last? Maybe Reena would agree to do as she wanted... Nah, really, she would ask too many questions...

Reena left Isolina's room and went to find Asami, who was apparently doing puzzles or something.

"Do you want to leave already?" the green-eyed woman asked, surprised to see her.

"Oh no, that's not it. I... uh, would it be possible not to come to Isolina's room for a while?"

Asami raised an eyebrow.

"Um, yes? I mean, it's not like we're the type to barge in her room all the time, so... I'm not sure I understand..."

"I mean, not come, even... well, whatever is going on. At a push, the best thing is certainly not to come near the room. Just to have a little... privacy?"

"Oh. Ooooh, okay, right. Uh... Do you want us to get out?"

"I don't want to kick you out..."

In fact, she wanted to kick them out. She readily admitted that she was exaggerating a little. Especially considering that it was to push Isolina to the limit, which would put her in an uncomfortable position. But at the same time, she couldn't resist her curiosity. But it was more than curiosity... It was an overwhelming need to know what was going on in her girlfriend's mind. When she knew, she could decide whether to drop it or help her.

"... but since Isolina told me that it bothered her..." the airbender ended.

"Ah, I see, that's understandable," Asami pondered. "The thing is, Korra is out right now, and... Oh, well! Here she is! Okay then, we'll be off!"

The raven-haired woman started to head for the exit, pushing her wife, who had just crossed the threshold, in order to make her come with her.

"Asami? But... wait, where are we going?" Korra complained, understanding absolutely nothing about the situation.

"I don't know, we'll figure it out the way! We just have to go."

"But why?"

"I'll explain later! Have fun!" Asami finished, winking at Reena.

She waved, a little amused by the situation. She was a little reckless, but Asami still greatly facilitated her task. She was pretty sure it would have been anyone else, she wouldn't have accepted so quickly. Being a childhood friend had some significant benefits. Well, she just had to find what Isolina was hiding now...

She started to be a little nervous too. What would happen once she got her answer? Were they going to... She had no doubts that Isolina wouldn't hesitate one moment. She had admitted it herself: she wanted her. But she... she was inexperienced and, she had to admit, a little lost.

She had always been excluded from this kind of conversation... She was judged unfit, not concerned, too prudish, because of her enthusiasm and her natural optimism which gave her an angelic and innocent air. But she wanted to be on the same wavelength as her girlfriend. She also wanted to be able to touch her and desire her. Nothing to worry about then, right? Anyway, now that she was there... She had never backed down, it was not today that she was going to start.

She returned to the bedroom, where Isolina had continued reading. When she returned, however, the latter put a bookmark in her book and looked at her, looking curious and a little worried.

"Okay, problem solved!" Reena said lightly (exactly the opposite of how she really felt).

"What problem?"

"Korra and Asami are out, so there are only two of us here."

"Wha-... But... are you really serious?"

"Absolutely! Are we going to resume what we were doing?"

She got on all fours on the bed and walked towards Isolina like an unconfident feline. She stopped when they were face to face, their breaths crossing feverishly.

"And what were we doing?" Isolina asked.

"Undressing? Unless I am mistaken, I think that this is more or less a necessity for this kind of activity..."

"Reena… I…"

The words faded, her eyes closed slightly and she moved imperceptibly closer to her lover's mouth. The latter remained motionless and waited for the contact, quick little puffs of trembling air crossing her mouth. When her girlfriend's mouth touched hers, she took a second to respond, not even closing her eyes.

This second too many, Isolina noticed it. She stopped. She moved back to stare at the green eyes.

"You're nervous," she said.

Reena winced. She hoped it wasn't going to show...

"It's my first time, of course I'm nervous… But that's not important."

"It is important. I do care. If the conditions are bad..."

"Oh sure… Don't you dare tell me that you weren't nervous the first time!" the airbender retorted, regaining a bit of composure during this verbal spar and remembering her first aim.

"There is no comparison to make with this."

"Stop making excuses for yourself. What are you hiding from me?"

"Nothing you don't already know."

"So what's stopping you? I can see that you don't want to. Tell me what it is."

Isolina pursed her lips. And since she couldn't find any valid answer (at least, no answer she wanted to give), she only kissed Reena vigorously. She held her body close to hers as she laid her on the bed below her.

"You have to let me do it, okay?" she demanded, in the hollow of her ear.

"Why?"

"Shht…"

She didn't want to tell her why. She didn't want to tell her that she didn't want her to see her naked. That she didn't want her to see it.

Pretty soon, she gave in to her desires, to her needs to reveal her skin just for her. So she took off her top. Reena let her do it. She stopped for a few seconds, letting her gaze savor this new view which this time was all for her. She let her hand run from her neck to her chest. She gave a look of almost childish satisfaction to her girlfriend who looked at her, puzzled. She leaned over her, ran a hand behind her back to unclip the hook.

"Thank you..." she whispered in her ear.

Reena didn't quite understand why she was thanking her. She hadn't done anything yet, except for letting her strip her and watch her. She felt her bra being gently removed. She was not embarrassed, it was quite the opposite. But it was probably because Isolina had already seen her naked.

The latter raised her head a little, then looked at her with a slightly shy and pleading air.

"Can I touch you?"

Yes? Why was she asking for permission? The airbender was confused. She was okay with letting her do it but... there was something strange, she couldn't put her finger on it.

She nodded. Isolina smiled at her. She thanked her again and kissed her. Reena hugged her, pulling their bodies and their waist closer to one another.

"Lower your hands," Isolina ordered, stopping.

Reena frowned. She had her hands on her back... Lower? She wanted her to put her hands on her butt? Not very practical if she still had her pants on… So she unbuttoned her partner's pants and slid them gently down to her knees. Her hands went up her thighs, until she could really touch her butt.

Isolina seemed quite satisfied and thought she could resume what she was doing. Her mouth took possession of her partner's neck, one of her hands paced her belly with a rigorous slowness until she stopped at the foot of this round and milky hill with a pink peak. She looked Reena in the eyes when she ran her hand over her curves, catching this little peak of flesh between her fingers. And not taking her eyes off her, she lowered her head to lap her nipple. Then it was her whole mouth that engulfed it and she pinched it with her teeth. Reena jumped, not because she was in pain, just on impulse. Still on impulse, she felt her body get closer to her lover's and one of her hands slipped and ended on Isolina's back again, but this time below her top.

The girl also jumped, moving away from Reena as she grumbled.

"Reena... Your hand... Be careful..."

The young airbender frowned. She removed her hand, but couldn't help but wonder. Why did she have this so bothered look? This very much wounded look? Even this scared look? Not to put her hands too high... Not put your hands on her back... On the back... The back!

"That's the problem!" she exclaimed suddenly.

In an instant, she had reversed their positions: Isolina was under her and she could no longer escape.

"Your back?" she asked.

"What about it?"

Rather than answer her, Reena moved her hand which she had kept on the side of Isolina's thigh to stroke her back. But, suddenly, she was stopped by a firm grip on her forearm and a hand on her shoulder which pushed her away, as if to keep her at a distance.

"Don't do that," Isolina asked calmly.

Reena looked up at her, watching her clear eyes and then her face. She looked tenderly hurt, her eyes a little low, her lips trembling slightly with each breath. Her back was arched, as if to move away from her contact as much as possible.

"Isolina..."

The latter made sure to put her girlfriend's hand further away: it was far too close to this cursed place of her body. She took it in hers and raised it to her lips, before resting her forehead heavily on it.

"Don't touch that," she demanded, her throat tight.

"Do you hate it that much?" her girlfriend asked instead.

"I knew it was a bad idea..." she sighed, pulling her legs up against her chest and squeezing Reena's hand. "You never do things like the others..."

"The others?"

Isolina was silent. Reena thought. She must have been talking about her exes... What kind of relationship could she possibly have with them? Reena didn't like to think about them, or talk about them with Isolina, but...

"You didn't let them touch your back?"

The girl still didn't answer.

"Isolina... I'm not like them."

Still no response.

"You trust me, don't you? I'm your best friend, remember? I know you better than anyone. I know what happened to you... I know about your back."

"That's not true."

"You told me about it, you don't remember?"

"Nobody knows. The only ones who know are my mothers. No one else has seen..."

"I already saw you in a swimsuit, remember?"

"You couldn't see..."

"Not entirely. But I know it's there. It won't change anything whether I see it or not..."

"I don't want you to see it. I don't want anyone to see it."

"I want to see it."

"Looks like we're stuck then," she said cynically, letting go of her girlfriend's hand and burying herself definitively in a cocoon of security which was intended to cut her off from the world.

Reena moved closer. She kissed the other girl's head.

"Isolina... I love you."

Maybe she sighed, or chuckled, or sobbed. Or perhaps quite simply, the sound she uttered was only some heavy and irritating breath which fought erratically and furiously against these words. Reena wasn't sure. She couldn't see much. She was keeping her head in her hands. She was staying in this ball, protected from the affection that her girlfriend wanted to convey to her.

Somehow, the latter tried to take her in her arms. The hug was awfully clumsy and uncomfortable, but she couldn't really do it another way. However, she had to succeed, she had to penetrate these borders, to go beyond this protective wall. It shouldn't be, not with her. She approached her ear, hidden behind a barrier of dark hair.

"Look," she whispered to her, "I will take your t-shirt off."

"No..." she moaned.

"I will. It is necessary."

The sky-blue-eyed girl then raised her head, her imploring expression furiously facing her girlfriend's tenderly determined expression.

"Please... We can resume what we were doing, but don't take it off," she said, kissing her as if to prove to her what she said. "Please don't take it off."

"It hurts you. You have to trust me. You won't be afraid once I see it."

"You won't love me anymore when you see it..." she moaned, putting her head back in her arms.

"Nonsense... Why wouldn't I love you anymore?"

"It's horrible... I hate it. It's awful."

"I'll tell you that when I see it."

She stopped talking. Isolina wondered if that meant she dropped it for a moment. She felt a kiss on the top of her head. She raised her head a little and was surprised to find Reena's lips on hers almost immediately, in a fiery kiss. She allowed herself to be distracted by this warmth, this sweetness. She shouldn't have, because the airbender took the opportunity to pass subtly and quickly behind her.

"Reena!..." she started to scold.

"Shh…"

She was gentle and calm, trying to appease the injured girl as much as possible. She wrapped her arms around her, slipping her hands over her stomach, and kissed her on the shoulder blade. Isolina couldn't help struggling a little, feeling the naked heat of her girlfriend contaminate her back. The latter arched to move away as much as possible, but Reena's hands on her stomach prevented it. She was trapped in this tyrannical cocoon that the young airbender had woven around her.

They stayed like that for a while. Reena waited for Isolina to calm down. Then she grabbed the hemmed of Isolina's top and tried to pull the material up with her hands, but the blue-eyed girl curled up further, preventing her from moving.

"Reena, please... don't do this..."

"And please trust me. I love you. I really love you. Don't let this scar come between us. It's nothing. It's nothing at all. Trust me."

Isolina said nothing. Simply, she didn't force any more than that. Reena waited a moment, then as if the rigid protection of the blue-eyed girl had become softer, she managed to release her hands despite her reluctance. She struggled to remove the top, mostly because Isolina was like a frozen stone statue in a very bad position. But finally, her hands were back on her stomach, she was hugging her lovingly against her, while her bare chest rested against the bare back of the one she loved.

"You see, it wasn't that complicated," she reassured. "Everything's fine. I still love you as much as before."

Isolina giggled, even if it wasn't funny to her, even if this whole situation didn't contained any tad of lightness.

"Can we stop there then?" she asked weakly.

"No, we can't. You have to show me. I want to see you completely naked."

"Don't look," she asked again. "I'll let you do whatever you want, but don't look at it…"

Reena didn't answer. She placed a kiss on her shoulder, then in the hollow of her neck, descending as best she could along her spine until she met the first rough edges of the pale skin.

Isolina shivered. No one had ever touched or kissed her there...

Unable to go any further, Reena put her head back on the blue-eyed girl's shoulder.

"I'm going to take off your bra now," she warned.

Meeting no protest, Reena released one of her hands, trying to find the bra hook. She did her best not to touch her back too much, just the fabric, thinking that it would be better to keep going step by step. So she remained huddled against her, not looking at her pale and wounded back, although she could already feel the mountains that covered this milky plain against her body.

She had a little trouble removing the bra with one hand, and it would surely have made Isolina laugh if she was not so busy keeping her eyes closed and breathing in rhythm, taming this unreasonable fear that woke up furiously with every touch, this immense disgust that she had concerning this part of her body that reminded her so much that she could never forget her past, that it was etched in her, on her.

She let Reena strip her naked, though she still didn't want her to look at that part of her. She still had a slim hope, although she thought it to be totally ridiculous. Rather, she felt that Reena wanted to unveiled her completely. And deep down, she knew it was going to happen... That was one of the reasons she had done nothing so far. Out of selfishness, maybe a little, to protect herself, to keep deep inside of her everything she wanted never to be known: nightmares, fear, blood, pain, grief... Everything what she never wanted to experience again.

When she was done baring her bust, her girlfriend did nothing, much to her relief. She pressed herself against her and hugged her gently. That was all then? No, she knew she wouldn't stop there... She never stopped until she got to the bottom of it.

"We're both naked now," she said. "Well, at least for the upper part..."

"That's what I thought..."

She said nothing more, and a moment elapsed.

"Are you going to stay like that for long?" Isolina asked.

"Until you allow me to look."

"I don't want you to look.

"I know. But I don't want that kind of thing between us. I want all of you. And it's part of you, everything there was before I met you..."

Like a snake, she slid one of her hands down the pale-skinned hip. She reached the very bottom of her lover's back and began to move up.

"N-No!" the latter cried.

She grabbed her hand to remove it from her back. She pushed it against the mattress, her nails digging into Reena's palm. The green-eyed girl said nothing. She just watched Isolina tremble.

"Does it hurt?" Reena asked, curious and calm.

"No," the latter replied. "Not anymore…"

And yet she wanted to scream. Even such a tender touch made her rather want this filthy back to be lacerated, torn off, forgotten.

"Let go of my hand," Reena ordered calmly.

"I can't…"

The airbender did not insist. Or rather, she thought that she would need to use other persuasive ploys. She began to place many kisses on her lover's skin: first on her shoulder, then on her nape, and on her neck, just behind her ear... She played with her lobe, her still-free hand went up along Isolina's belly to settle between her breasts. She heard her sigh peacefully and raise her head a little more to give her more access to her neck.

"Are you trying to trick me with kisses?" she asked her.

"Yes. Is it working?"

"Could be…"

However, she didn't let Reena caress her more intimately. She covered her hand with hers, running her fingers between hers to take it off her skin. She brought her imprisoned lover's hand to her face and kissed the palm of her hand, keeping it against her cheek and breathing calmly.

At least Reena had that gift. Calm her down. It always had been this way. She hoped it could continue. The other girl said nothing, but seemed to close more around her, like a protective and warm barrier.

"Let me see..." she asked her again. "Let me see what they did to you..."

"It's just a scar..." Isolina ended up saying, slightly softened. "It's ugly and it's not interesting."

"I don't care…"

"Why do you want to see it then?"

"Because I know what it means to you... I want you to trust me enough to share this secret with me."

"It's no secret... You already know what happened."

"I know and I love you."

Isolina giggled bitterly. She turned around and wedged Reena between her and the wall. Dark, injured in the past, she kissed her aggressively continuing to exert strong pressure on the hand she had taken hostage and sinking her claws in the skin of her neck. Reena couldn't help but make a sound of pain.

"Love me, huh?" the raven-haired girl. "And who do you love, Reena? Do you also love the little girl they used and destroyed? The one that caused many people's deaths? The little girl who killed so many people? Because that's the truth, Reena. If you love me... then you love a killer, you love a murder. Love me... Can you really love me?"

"Isolina…"

She was crying. She knew she was crying. She couldn't see anything. She could only gasp and let the tears run, trembling. All these things were horrible. Why did she say all of that? Usually it didn't exist. Usually, they were silent, they let her live. But today... Today, she couldn't bear it anymore. Today she was in pain, she was in terrible pain and she was afraid.

She needed Reena. She knew she couldn't love anyone else, she couldn't trust anyone else, she couldn't surrender herself to anyone else. It was either her or nothing. But could she truly love this monstrosity that was herself? She wouldn't blame her if she couldn't stand the truth, if she hated her, if she disgusted her. But she knew she wouldn't be able come back unscathed from this. This moment, this terrible fatal and frightening moment that she had dreaded so much, it was double or quits.

She felt two hands slide down her back and hugged her gently. She couldn't help but put her hands on Reena's biceps and push her away with a painful moan, as if she was fighting against an enemy; but the other girl held on.

"Shhhh," she reassured her, kissing her on the neck where her head was. "I love you. I love everything about you. I love you... you and your back, if that's the question."

So Isolina giggled, crying. Reena continued to kiss her skin, all along her jaw while pacing very gently and slowly her flesh with her fine fingers. But it was a touch that was meant to be comforting, not an intrusive and curious touch. She didn't touch her back anymore, and instead put her hands up her arms, waiting for Isolina to relax a little.

And she also ended up relaxing, dropping on the lap of her girlfriend who reached for her lips in a soft kiss. Her hands wiped the tears on her pale cheeks. Isolina covered them with her own hands. She opened her eyes and gazed at the worried and loving emeralds. She no longer had the strength to fight against her obstinacy. She wanted so badly to believe her. She hoped so much that she was telling the truth. She needed this proof of her love even if it terrified her. Because she loved her. She loved her so much.

She wrapped her arms around her, clasping her to her as she took possession of her lips again. It may have been a little brutal and desperate, but it was both a proof and a security for what was going to happen after.

"Okay..." she finally uttered, her voice still weak and hoarse.

She kept her eyes stubbornly closed, but she felt Reena's excitement. She couldn't help but be afraid of it, she couldn't help thinking that she had just been tricked, she couldn't help thinking that she had been weak out of tenderness but that it wasn't her own decision. Her embrace tightened a little more on the one she loved, as if to fight.

"You're letting me see?" Reena tried to make sure, as she could still feel this resistance, voluntary or not.

"I…"

She couldn't finish this sentence. Her voice abandoned her, she shivered despite herself and she breathed feverishly.

"Isolina..."

Reena tried to relax her again with hugs and a kiss. Then she withdrew, waiting for an answer.

"Again," Isolina demanded.

"Isolina…" Reena began to growl, seeing in this a new way to escape her request.

"Kiss me. Kiss me and I'll show you."

There was a vague hesitation concerning Reena, but she eventually gave in. Isolina sighed. She kissed her again and again. Make the most of this for a little longer. Of her. Of her love.

She put her hands on her neck, then let them escape on her hip, on her chest. She felt Reena jump.

"Isolina…" she started again, grumbling.

"Shhht, I know. Let me do it. Please."

Reena stopped her protests, but put her hands on Isolina's back to remind her of her promise. The latter remembered. She knew very well. But a little longer, just a little while longer…

She tried first to control herself and not to take Reena's hands from her spine. She just got even closer to her, distracting herself from fear with intimacy, with desire. She kissed her lover's skin, sometimes earning a few sighs and moans, so much so that she eventually took her hands off her back to gently push her away.

She had taken her hands in hers and was looking at her.

"I want to make love," she said, "but you have to let me see first."

"You promise?"

"I promise?" she repeated, confused.

"That you will let me make love to you after you see it..."

"Of course."

"Okay…"

Reena thought they had finally agreed on something, but Isolina leaned over to ask for another kiss. So the airbender pointed out to her that this wasn't what they had agreed to.

"One last kiss," the young blue-eyed woman demanded.

"Isolina..." she growled again.

"I need it... It's... not easy... I can't do it without that."

The airbender softened.

"I know," she said to her. "I know I'm asking you something difficult."

So she got closer to give Isolina the kiss she asked for. The girl closed her blue eyes and she didn't open them again. She didn't open her eyes when two hot lips came to rest on hers, neither when she slipped her tongue into her partner's mouth, nor when she put her hands on hers holding them against the mattress, nor when she stepped back on all fours. But when she broke the kiss, she opened them again, her stormy blue eyes looking deep into the two green opals. She put one last kiss on her lover's cheek and, unable to prevent her eyes from giving her a last terrified look, turned around.

She closed her eyes again, curled up a little in spite of herself and grabbed hold of the sheets as if to reassure herself. She tried to tame her body as much as her irrational thoughts.

Don't hate me. Don't be disgusted with me. Please... I love you...

She said nothing. She waited. For a long time, she waited, a too long time.

Reena was frozen for a moment. She brought a hesitant hand to this cursed place to which she shouldn't have access. But it was over now. It would no longer be a condemned place. Isolina gave her permission. Then, at last, her delicate fingers proceeded to touch this land still not trodden by love, accompanied by her curious gaze.

After, she saw these innumerable bumps which—with a light and immaculate skin—covered all the suffering which formerly had made the bloody flesh redden and cry. She saw all these folds which crossed and separated, like an immense crossroads which one would have buried under sumptuous quantities of white sand. It was a spider web, thick and delicate, solid and ancestral, which ruled, mistress of a distant memory.

She didn't find it ugly. Unusual, yes, but it was not that awful. What the scar represented was awful, for Isolina it certainly was terrible to have to see every day of her life that so much suffering was etched in her flesh; but it was not ugly.

"You know..." she started, kissing the scar.

She hugged Isolina again from behind, whispering in her ear:

"You are very beautiful... You are gorgeous... And the scar is beautiful too. If it wasn't there, we might have never met..."

"Mmm... That's a way of seeing things..."

Reena put her hands on her lover's hands, loosening her fists made of mad fear. She kissed her on the neck.

"I will love it as I love you," she whispered in her ear. "I will love everything."

"You won't abandon me?"

"I won't abandon you. Never. "

She emphasized her promise with a kiss her cheek. Isolina then turned around and gave an almost shy smile to her girlfriend, before pouncing on her to kiss and hug her passionately. A last tear escaped and fell on Reena's cheek.

"You're crying..." the older girl noticed.

"I'm happy. Terrified... But relieved."

"Isolina…"

The latter silenced her with a deep kiss.

"You promised me that you would let me make love to you."

"But you're crying..."

"If that's all, I'm going to make you cry too, that way we'll be even."

"What?"

She approached fiercely her ear to whisper provocatively:

"With pleasure. "

But instead of doing what she said, she got up to look Reena in the eye. She saw there a form of perplexity.

"You have to trust me too... I trusted you for my body, trust me for yours."

"I trust you! That's not the problem."

"Then there's no problem. Let me love you…"

She started to play with her mouth, using her teeth and her tongue. She knew that Reena was still nervous. She may have been able to see through her, but the other way around was just as true. But she felt in the intensity of their kisses and in the intimacy of their caresses that this nervousness vanished facing envy. She felt it in each of her breaths, in the least of her movements, in all the touches. For a moment, she pulled back imperceptibly and opened her eyes to check. She only saw desire. It was short, an abrupt and rapid glimpse; Reena didn't let her mouth go any longer than that.

So Isolina naturally kissed her back and unbuttoned her pants to get rid of them. Shortly after, the airbender was absolutely naked below her. So she pulled away from her mouth to appropriate her skin. She bit here and there the skin of her neck, she took possession of her chest as much with her hands as with her mouth. She felt her lover's body react more to her touch. Her breathing became more irregular and stronger, her body opened to her and welcomed her greatly.

She felt Reena's hand slide from her back to under her panties, the only piece of clothing she had left. She couldn't help moaning when she felt her lover's fingers brush against her heated intimacy. And yet she knew that she would not go further, which frustrated her more than she would have liked.

"Take it off..." she ordered perhaps a little too harshly.

"Impatient?" Reena laughed.

"You can't imagine how much."

She just chuckled as she slipped off the only piece of clothing that kept them from being both naked and threw it on the floor. Then she thought it fit to have fun with Isolina's chest as the latter had had fun with hers. She squeezed her hips and let her tongue slide from her navel to her chest where she played with the fruits of desire.

Isolina couldn't restrain a slight cry and a sort of reprimand in the name of her lover, who was doing far too well. She wanted to be able to give Reena pleasure, but at the same time, she had never wanted so much to be touched, she had never wanted so much to surrender herself to someone, so she didn't know if she was going to be able to carry out the task she had started and fight her painful desire to be fully satisfied. She did have an intermediate solution…

She pulled Reena's mouth away from her body to put hers on, and intertwined their bodies together so much that you couldn't tell where one started and the other ended. But above all, she glued their centers so that each friction caused them a groan of pleasure.

"It feels good," Reena noted, amazed.

"And this is only the beginning... "

She then slid her hand between her lover's legs, until entering her intimacy. She felt a disturbed gasp emanate from her owner, so she looked up, worried.

"Is this okay?" she asked her, checking that she hadn't gone too fast.

"Y-Yes... It's just that... your hands are cold."

"Not that cold... If you want my opinion, it's rather than you're hot," she joked with a sly smile before becoming serious again. "But if there is anything..."

Reena nodded, understanding the implications. Isolina also nodded, seriously. She wanted to do this well. She watched Reena, when she started to put her hand in motion, caressing a particularly sensitive area. The young airbender couldn't help but jump and tighten her grip, which made the blue-eyed girl giggle slightly.

"Everything is fine," she said reassuringly.

"I know everything is fine!" Reena persisted.

Isolina chuckled again, then kissed her, caressing her with the hand that was in her hair. She started to move again, setting a certain pace this time.

The green-eyed girl began to gasp, her skin glistening with sweat, and she didn't know what to think because she couldn't understand what her body was doing. She felt Isolina on her, in her, and...

"Ah! Stop it!" she asked expressly, with fierce suddenness.

No, it was too much for her head, for her body, for everything... She couldn't bear it.

"Not now..." Isolina refused. "Just…"

She made one last effort. And at that moment, Reena arched in full length, letting out a scream that she had surely been holding for too long, before falling softly on the mattress.

"... there," the blue-eyed girl finished, removing her hand from her crotch.

She leveled herself to behold her girlfriend's reddened face, her half-open and gasping mouth, her chest rising in rhythm and the thin layer of sweat covering her skin.

"You want to kill me," she ended blurting out after a few seconds.

Isolina then laughed, laying down next to her and kissing her shoulder.

"Are you sure you didn't inadvertently use your bloodbending?" she added. "I feel like I'm going to die..."

"You're exaggerating," the waterbender mocked her.

She let a few seconds pass, then she began to worry. What if Reena had really felt unwell? If she hadn't liked it? She got up a little, worried.

"Tell me, when you say you feel like you're going to die... it's just a figure of speech, yes? Or did you really not like it?"

As an answer, Reena rolled to the side and hugged Isolina.

"I love you," she told her.

It was really her answer to everything, huh? But the blue-eyed girl smiled, finding her cute.

"I'll take this for a 'no'," she replied, with a sly smile.

They stayed within the embrace like this for several minutes, during which Isolina stroked Reena's hair. She took the opportunity to delight her eyes, to continue to detail each part of her girlfriend's naked body. She soon realized that far from having satisfied her, it made her want to do it again... Well, if Reena was in good shape...

"Stop looking at me like that..." the airbender grumbled, burying herself in her hair out of embarrassment. "I feel like you're going to eat me."

The blue-eyed girl burst out laughing.

"That's more or less the idea," she accepted with a sly smile.

In an instant she had put her hands on her partner's butt pressing her against her thigh. She bit her just above the breast and Reena moaned.

"Ready for a second round?" she asked her like a vile temptress.

"I think it's your turn."

Despite her desire to keep the gentle pressure that Isolina exerted on her crotch, she got up slightly to overhang her girlfriend. She quickly realized that her arms were shaking slightly when she leaned on them. It surprised her, but she solved the problem by leaning on her elbows instead. She looked for Isolina's gaze and the turquoise sea invited her. So she leaned over to kiss her. Their embrace was calm and gentle, and neither of them felt the need to inflame it for a moment.

Isolina still put her legs around her lover's waist, feeling the need to keep her close, to take advantage of every inches of skin that was offered to her, of each caress that the contact caused. She buried her hands in the brown hair. Then Reena turned away from her mouth and gave her the same cares she had given her a few minutes before.

So intoxicated with her touches in just a few seconds, Isolina hugged her to her chest, her breath escaping with sighs of contentment. O how much she had desired, dreamed, fantasized this intimacy, this contact, these caresses, her love. But she couldn't have imagined how different the amorous warmth that flowed through her body would be different from what she had felt until then. For the first time, she felt that she could completely let go, surrender to those hands and that mouth that she wanted and wanted her.

Then, a little breathless, Reena looked up. Already horribly missing the contact of her lips against her skin, Isolina instantly propelled her mouth towards hers. She tugged on her upper lip, then collided deeply with her mouth. Surprised by the violence of her lover's need, Reena was unbalanced and advanced her knee, accidentally hitting her girlfriend's crotch. The latter jumped with a muffled noise.

"Oops, sorry," she said, stepping back a bit and smiling apologetically.

"No problem," Isolina whispered, amused by her clumsiness. "But… Reena…"

She took one of her hands, which she kissed before guiding it to her center, placing it and holding it on her sex. Reena shuddered. She felt the warmth and humidity at the entrance to this temple of intimacy.

"Please..." the blue-eyed girl asked in a whisper, brushing her lips with half-closed eyes.

Reena was intensely surprised by the sight of Isolina's state. It was like she was ruled by an uncontrollable thirst, something that went beyond her and made her so vulnerable... Was she the same when Isolina touched her? Did she also have this awful need for her to satisfy her? Was her whole body drowned in desire?

Probably.

She didn't try to find the end of the story. She kissed the blue-eyed girl who began to moan to find—finally—the touch of those beloved lips. However, she hesitated a little more before doing what Isolina had suggested. It wasn't that she was particularly uncomfortable, only... had she been told some time ago—or even this very morning— that she was going to touch her there, she wouldn't have known what to think about it. And she still didn't know what to think of it.

So she just stopped thinking when Isolina repeated a nearly desperate "please" to her. She knew one thing: Isolina had given her pleasure that she had never dared imagine and she wouldn't think twice if she could return her the favor.

So, she decided to get into her, instantly gaining satisfied gasps from her lover. The latter got even closer to her, desperately seeking as much contact as possible, urging her to relieve her.

She did what she could to achieve this end. She wasn't so sure of herself, but she gained confidence as she watched her lover's reactions. She thought she would suffocate under the voracity of her kisses, only saved by the few sweet words slipped between two short breaths, the few wishes, encouragements to continue, not to stop, especially not to stop.

It wasn't long before she came, ending up in basically the same state as her girlfriend a little while ago. The latter smiled both cheekily and joyfully when she saw her expression. She was a little proud of herself too. Just a little bit, because she was pretty sure she wouldn't have persisted until then if Isolina didn't know what she was doing. Well, they would have ended up finding…

"Thank you," the blue-eyed girl said.

She was going to ask her the reason for this thank—hadn't she just done the same for her a little before?—but she added:

"You can't know how good it feels..."

"Eeeeh... I'm pretty sure I do?"

Isolina chuckled before standing up, straddling her and gently putting her lips on hers.

"No, you don't know," she said to her. "I had never felt this before..."

"But... I thought it wasn't your first time?"

"No, you're right, it wasn't... Wasn't the second either, but... It's the first time with the person I truly love. It's different."

Reena stared at her, a little puzzled. She was even a little irritated deep down. She had hated Isolina's previous relationships. All of them, without any exception. And now she hated them even more, because she had agreed to be intimate with those morons. And that wasn't even the problem! She knew very well that she had gone that far, and she wasn't possessive enough that she would resent her for it. No, what bothered her was that she had been used again without any consideration for her feelings.

"Why did you agree to do it with people you didn't like, Isolina?" she ended up asking her. "It's... weird, even... disgusting."

"Do you really want to talk about this now?"

"Yes. Tell me."

"Mmmm… I liked them, in a way. I felt… different. They accepted any version of me that I offered them. It was a bit like a contract, you see? They dated me not knowing much about me, I showed them what I wanted and I complied with what a relationship required. I thought it was going to work out in the end... that I was going to love them completely, that I would forget you..."

She rubbed her nose against Reena's cheek, kissing her cheek.

"But you're the one I love..." she went on. "It has always been you, it will always be you. I love you... I love you so much, if you only knew. And I'm so happy now... I never thought it would ever happen, that you would love me and that I could make love to you... Thank you. Thank you for falling in love with me and giving me all of this."

"Stop with your 'thank you's... I'm sorry I took all this time to realize your feelings... I didn't want to make you suffer..."

"It was worth it. It may have taken years, but it was worth it."

Reena hugged Isolina close to her, a little moved by everything she had just told her. Isolina had already told her that she had fallen in love with her in middle school—so it wasn't quite recent—but to hear her say how much she had struggled against her feelings when all she had always wanted was for Isolina not to suffer ever again because of everything she had already experienced; it baffled her, it terrified her, it saddened her.

Part of her, a little selfishly surely, was happy that the young blue-eyed girl never managed to get rid of her feelings though, since that had allowed them to find each other even if it was much later. And she had high hopes that this time it didn't change. She would make Isolina happy and protect her from any suffering because she deserved a life of happiness.

And eventually, Isolina took refuge in her warmth and hugging each other, they ended up dozing off for one moment, a peaceful and warm moment, cradled in a sparkling rest.


A/N: So… what did you think? It would be great if you leave a comment/review in the box just below! Thank you for reading!

Other pieces of information:

- The story is totally written: last chapter is chapter 30, it'll be released on two months at most.

- I have a few side stories that I want to share with you guys, and I don't know yet whether I'll publish them in this story or I'll make a special story for that. You can tell me if you prefer one of those two options. (On FFnet it's more complicated than on AO3 where I'm pretty sure I'll be separated and linked to the main story.) I'll keep you updated anyway and there will be a link somewhere, whether it'll be in here or on my profile, don't worry. Plus, you can still send me a PM if you don't find them.

Anyway, I'll see you guys next time! Maybe it'll take less than a month. Depends how busy I am. See you all!

Lion


Answers reviews "guest":

Guest : Hi!

Aw, that's cute. I would never abandon my fans on such a long and heavy story, don't worry ;) But thank you for your review! It's thanks to that I can keep working and not abandoning even when it's hard and tiring :)

I hope to see you again!

Lion

no name guest: Hi!

First: I love your pseudo :p

Then, thank you for your review!

Oops, sorry about the time jump? A few readers already told me it was weird how I worked on the end of this story, but actually everything was settled for this chapter. The one I truly wanted to write was chapter 28 and it needed the other ones, that's why it appears a bit rushed, but let's be honest: developing everything would have taken me at least 100 chapters and that was not the purpose. So, sorry if it confused you.

Concerning Isolina and Chitra's first time, I don't think I'll write it because it wasn't interesting enough… For me, at least. Basically, it was awkward, Isolina wasn't really into it and was really wary but let her do, and yes, Chitra certainly cheated because of this later. (Can't really blame her that much, though… And Isolina doesn't blame her for this either, because she just doesn't care one bit.)

"glad isoline got rid of that boy before Korra fed him to naga": loved that line :D

Thank you again for your review! Hope to see you again next chapter!

Lion