Zaheer sat cross-legged beneath a dragon blood tree with its dense, umbrella-shaped canopy and ruddy colored resin. His salt and pepper hair and beard were long and the look on his face severe. Like the great airbending master Guru Laghima, he had managed to empty and become wind yet remained imprisoned, ever-floating in shackles and meditating into the Spirit World. In the end, to outsiders, it seemed like little had changed in his life.
"Welcome back to Xai Bau's Grove, Avatar Korra and… Kuvira, the former Great Uniter. Glad to hear you were defeated," Zaheer said dispassionately.
"Glad to have helped defeat you," Kuvira snapped back. She and Korra were alert and ready to act if need be, though they had no bending in the Spirit World.
"Relax, Avatar. Kuvira. I'm not going to hurt you – unless you give me a reason to." Zaheer half-smiled.
"Then why are we here?" Korra said.
"You tell me. I'm always here. I didn't summon you."
Korra replied: "We just came from the dogfish spirit and – "
Zaheer laughed.
"The dogfish spirit? Silly children. You were incredibly foolish to barge in on her. You're lucky you made it out alive. However, if she let you live then maybe your purpose has yet to be served," Zaheer said, rubbing his beard ponderingly.
"The dogfish spirit said we would end up where we needed to be at this moment. So why here, with you?" Kuvira said.
Zaheer uncrossed his legs and stood, facing the women. He was about their height and had square features. He considered the dogfish and women's presence a moment, began:
"Neither of you understand what it's like in the world. You grew up sheltered and powerful. And now as adults, you're surrounded by powerful people. And all of you could easily abuse your power if provoked, to dire consequences."
"Isn't that why you're in prison – because you abused your power?" Korra met his gaze.
Kuvira squirmed a little at Korra's retort, knowing it was true to her as well. But she sucked it up and kept her gaze on Zaheer steady.
Zaheer continued: "I was a nonbender for the first forty years of my life, and I had an unremarkable upbringing. And yet my spiritual energy and focus made me strong. I knew my purpose and likewise made strides toward it long before I could bend. You two put so much of your identity into this part of you. Korra, remember you are the Avatar of nonbenders too. Likewise, it would make no difference to me if I lost my bending tomorrow. I'm in shackles but here I am in the Spirit World - free. Nothing is more valuable than a person's freedom."
"Not everybody wants to be free," Kuvira said. "Some people just want to be led."
Zaheer considered this.
"You authoritarian-types... to make things go your way, your solution is always oppression – through force," he seethed.
"So, was murdering the Earth Queen an accident, then? Because it sure seemed like you forced the air out of her lungs," Korra said, taking on her no-nonsense Avatar tone.
"I assassinated the queen because she was a tyrant who caused her people to starve and suffer as prisoners to her selfish whims. It was a necessary evil for the greater good."
"You left the Earth Kingdom in chaos. People who were already suffering suffered even more. I gave them stability, I gave them order. The lesser evil was I had to sometimes do what was necessary by force. But I never murdered anybody in cold blood," Kuvira said.
At this exchange, something clicked in Korra's mind. She relaxed her stance and said: "Even if the Earth Queen was tyrannical, murdering her wasn't the solution. Chaos isn't a long-term answer. It can shake things up, but eventually life settles back down and finds balance. What I don't know yet is what the right balance looks like. Maybe it looks different depending on the place and time and circumstance."
Zaheer nodded.
"You may turn out to be a wise Avatar yet, Korra. The more you learn to think for yourself outside of what the White Lotus taught you, the better."
"What I'm saying is you were wrong – you both were. Absolute chaos and absolute order – one inevitably leads to the other. And then what? Rinse and repeat," the Avatar said, looking back and forth from Kuvira to Zaheer.
"I was wrong. I know this now," Kuvira said. "But I was wrong boldly. I was wrong so boldly it caused innocent people to suffer in the wake. And I lied to myself using a kernel of truth to lean on – and anyone who didn't align with my mission was dealt with accordingly – even people I loved."
Zaheer remained steadfast in manner. His calmness frightened Korra but kept Kuvira interested. Kuvira thought about what the dogfish had said about suffering and the sacrifice she would make. What would she give up that she hadn't already lost? She turned to Zaheer.
"Do you not feel any guilt? Any remorse for what you've done" Kuvira said – she had to know.
"I don't feel guilty because it would weigh me down, whereas I am free – I'm no longer bound by earthly tethers," Zaheer said. "But remorse is different from guilt. What actions are you willing to take to unravel and perhaps right your wrongs?"
Kuvira considered again, and a thought emerged that chilled her spine but likewise settled deep in her gut.
"You were a nonbender for most of your life, and you got a group of some of the most powerful benders in the world to follow you, to believe in you," Kuvira said. "As a nonbender you were more vulnerable to the challenges of the world. You saw the world differently."
"And you were always a powerful bender. You are privileged to have opportunities nonbenders would never have access too," Zaheer said.
"You're sounding like an Equalist," Korra interjected. "But you have a point. A nonbender could never participate in a pro-bending match or pick up a lightning-bending gig at the factory."
Kuvira made a tight fist and squeezed as hard as she could. She felt the pressure of her fingers against her palm as if it were material, but it was a projection of her spirit. Still, she dug her nails into her flesh until it hurt. Dread enveloped her; she knew what she had to do to restore her honor, and it meant saying goodbye to a way of life she was accustomed to. She turned to the Avatar.
"Korra, we should go now. I've received my answer," Kuvira said calmly in her husky voice, trying to mask the urgency she felt inside.
Korra nodded.
"OK then," Korra said. She turned to Zaheer, her stance was steady now, her face stern. "We're leaving. Thank you for your help."
"Do I still frighten you, Avatar?" Zaheer said then, looking her in the eyes.
Korra could only keep her gaze and utter: "Yes."
And with that Korvira's spirit bodies dissipated into nothing, leaving Zaheer alone again in Xai Bau's Grove.
When Korra opened her eyes, she saw the most beautiful face staring back at her – emerald green eyes with long lashes, pouty red lips and silken black hair dangling down almost to meet her gaze. She was lying on Asami's lap horizontally on one of the couches in the back parlor. Metal chandeliers dangled from the high ceiling, which was covered in a classical fresco painting.
"You're awake," Asami said tenderly, looking down.
Korra smiled and lifted her hand to meet Asami's. Asami leaned over and kissed Korra gently with soft lips sending tingling electricity through her and a sense of warmth and security. It took a few moments after the kiss for Korra to realize the room was filled with the Beifongs hovering over her looking concerned and curious.
"Where's Kuvira?" Korra said.
"She's right here," Suyin said, moving aside to reveal Kuvira unconscious on the couch across from them. She was flanked by Opal and Bataar Jr.
Kuvira groaned and batted her eyes open. She seemed confused as well but smiled at Opal and Suyin, then Bataar Jr. But her happiness appeared short lived because her olive complexion turned pale moments later, and she sat up abruptly.
"Everything OK?" Opal said?
"Take it easy," Suyin added. "You were both out for eighteen hours. You must be exhausted. Everyone was starting to worry about you."
"I wasn't," Huan said from a corner of the room where he hung back with Wei and Wing.
Wing punched him in the arm. "Don't say that!" Then he whispered not so quietly to his brother, "even if it's true."
Kuvira got up, apparently unphased by the brothers, and noticed the electrode belt around her waist.
"This again?" she said.
"We couldn't take any chances," Asami chimed in. "You can easily unbuckle it, but it would take at least a few seconds - long enough for me to zap you in case you came out of the Spirit World a threat."
Korra smiled uneasily, but Asami had a point. If Kuvira decided she wasn't sorry after all, they would all have to deal with it. But it didn't seem Kuvira turned evil, though she had figured something out, and Korra wanted to know what it was.
Kuvira unbuckled the electrode belt and placed it on the coffee table.
"You won't be needing this. I'm not going to hurt anyone… I just… I need to be alone for right now," Kuvira said, but then she glanced at the Avatar and remembered her mission. "Except for you, Korra. I need to talk with you, alone. Please."
Korra figured Kuvira wanted to confide in her, probably the epiphany. She followed Kuvira to the hallway, leaving the Beifongs and Asami in the parlor. They made it to a space far away enough for no one to overhear. That's when Kuvira abruptly dropped to her knees and bowed down to Korra and took her hand.
"Korra, Avatar. I need you to do something for me. Please. I… humbly ask," Kuvira said.
"What's wrong? I mean, what is it?" Korra said.
"I want you to… Please…. Take my bending." Kuvira forced herself to say the last bit with conviction. She dropped down lower to the ground. "I don't deserve it. I need to know what it's like… to be ordinary. I need to pay for what I've done."
Korra didn't know how to respond to Kuvira's self-effacement; it wasn't something she was used to seeing from the proud former Great Uniter. She pulled her hand away.
"What? No. No way."
"I'm serious, Korra! Do it, please. For me, your friend."
Kuvira sounded more desperate than Korra had ever seen her. It was not a good look, and she hated to see her friend like this.
"Even if I wanted to - and I don't - I can't. I don't know how. I can only give people's bending back. Not take it away. Besides, I think you need a good night's sleep, and maybe we can get a fresh start tom-"
"No, no. That's OK," Kuvira said without looking up. She was slumped over on the ground, a look of abject defeat about her. But then she stood up and collected herself and forced a dignified appearance once again.
"I understand. What was I thinking?" Kuvira said flatly. "But I did realize something else…"
Korra looked at Kuvira and nodded silently for her to continue.
"I can no longer be your sifu. I'm sorry Korra. And thank you for accompanying me to the Spirit World. I will always look back and appreciate our friendship," Kuvira said finally, placing a hand on Korra's shoulder and looking in her eye for the last bit.
Korra placed her hand over Kuvira's and smiled warmly.
"I'm really tired," Kuvira said. "I think I'm going to turn in and get some sleep. Good night."
"Sounds good. Debrief tomorrow?" Korra said.
Kuvira turned and walked toward her room down the dark hallway lit by the waxing moon peeking in through windows.
That night, Korra dreamt...
It was the morning Kuvira came to ask Korra to guide her into the Spirit World to seek Judgment. She was seated at the coffee table gripping the handles of her chair watching Asami touch herself while she gave a play by play of her trysts with Kuvira. It turned Korra on to see Asami pleasure herself, and she wanted nothing more than to reach out a helping hand. Asami was dressed as if she was going to a business lady meeting in an open blouse and unzipped pencil skirt and stockings with seams running up the backs of the legs.
Korra couldn't contain herself any longer and ran her hand along the texture of the stocking, starting from the foot and up the long leg slowly until her strong hand pressed against Asami's, preventing her from moving away. Asami moaned deeply, and Korra looked up to catch the satisfaction on her girlfriend's face but was shocked to see the person she was touching was not Asami; it was Kuvira.
"Kuvira?" Korra said. "What are you doing here?"
"Mmm, don't stop, Avatar," Kuvira said.
Kuvira's dark hair hung loose; her lithesome figure shown through her tank top and sweat pantaloons, and Korra was particularly aware of the way Kuvira's tank was see-through and curved around her comely breasts.
"Korra, waddya say we try something?" Asami said.
She was now standing in the middle of the room. They were all close to one another forming a triangle. Korra gulped. Heat collected in her chest and sacrum, and she nodded.
Asami leaned toward Kuvira and kissed her passionately, a single dribble of spittle stretching between their lips as they pulled away.
The room turned dark; spirit vines climbed the walls and twisted around the furniture.
"I've been wanting to try this for a really long time," Asami said, teasing her finger along Korra's collar bone before finding the middle and moving down to graze her sculpted abs beneath her shirt.
"You did? Me too," Korra said, sensitive to Asami's slight touch.
"Me three," Kuvira husked, running her fingers through Korra's hair and bringing her lips millimeters apart from Korra's to hover there momentarily before planting a kiss.
Both of the women were caressing Korra, and she ran her hands along both women, tracing the edge of their skirt and pants, dipping her fingers down slightly to the bare skin underneath.
Korra was lost in a haze of arousal while Asami necked her until she felt a pinch of sharp teeth and winced and said "ouch!"
Asami pulled back to reveal Korra's blood dribbling down her chin and elongated canines.
Korra clasped her hand to her neck to cover the wound, but she was still bewitched by the moment.
"Asami, what's going on," she managed to say.
"Shh." Asami said, pressing her lips again her lover's. "Do you trust me?" She breathed.
"Of course," the Avatar replied.
"What about yourself?"
Korra was silent, and Asami continued:
"Remember that scary mover we saw at the drive-in?"
Korra nodded. "I remember that mover. It gave me nightmares," she said.
"I know, poor baby. My big strong Avatar is sensitive to stuff like that," Asami said, rubbing Korra's arm and squeezing her muscles.
Korra looked over to Kuvira, who had also transformed into a fanged creature of the night, just like in the movers. They wore black and were ghostly pale, Asami's raven hair and red lipstick beguiling and Kuvira's beauty mark beneath her right eye alluring.
"Let's go to bed," Asami breathed in Korra's ear, sending shivers down the Avatar's spine.
Asami took Korra's hand and led her to the bed, laying the Avatar down on her back in the center. The bed had transformed into the massive canopied one from Asami's country home outside of Republic City with spirit vines encircling its posts. Asami climbed atop the bed on one side of Korra, Kuvira on the other.
They were kissing her neck and moving their hands down Korra's abs to her sacrum and beneath her pants. Korra moaned and squirmed, lifted her pelvis up to meet their touches, begged for more.
That's when Asami bit down again on Korra's nape and sucked.
"Ah," Korra bellowed, paralyzed, unable to move, unwilling to.
She felt another piercing bite at her wrist and angled her eyes down to see Kuvira drinking, meeting Korra's gaze with hers. Korra rolled her eyes back in pain and ecstasy until her body was pale and limp.
"Asami, I – " Korra tried to say.
But her love placed a finger over her lips, said "shh."
Both Asami and Kuvira's pale faces had become vibrant and full of color. Korra shivered.
"I'm cold."
"Let me warm you up, baby," Asami said, taking her long nail and scraping it against the top of her breast until a dark red rivulet of blood dribbled down. She sat Korra up and said "drink."
Korra leaned in, hesitantly pressing her lips against the opening and drinking slowly at first but then ravenously as the warmth of the blood filled her shivering body. She drank greedily and felt Asami's body hum against hers as Asami moaned loudly. Korra's heart thrummed and she felt herself coming undone. Wind encircled the bed and debris flew all around. Korra's eyes were glowing – RED. She lifted her lips from Asami's weakened bosom and said polyvocally, "More."
Kuvira offered her wrist, and Korra yanked it greedily, plunging her now elongated canines into Kuvira's throbbing pulse. Kuvira let out a howl and arched her back as she sacrificed herself to the Avatar.
Just then, Korra saw Zaheer hovering at the foot of the bed, his hair swaying with the invisible breeze. The bed was now in Xai Bau's Grove during a reddish orange twilight.
"You are a liability to the world," Zaheer said.
"No," Korra tried to denied him, dropping Kuvira's wrist. "I want to help. I'm good. I'm –"
But then she looked down and noticed Kuvira had disappeared. Asami had fallen into a pale slumber.
"Kuvira? Where is she? What did you do to her?"
"She needed to face her demons. And so do you," Zaheer said, his voice beginning to fade.
"I don't understand!" Korra cried, eyes still glowing red. "Help me!"
...
Korra jolted awake. She was huffing and sweating.
With eyelids half shut, Asami mumbled "What's wrong, baby?"
"Nothing. I had a terrible nightmare, I…" Korra had a hard time finding the words to describe it.
"It's OK. I'm here. It was just a dream. Besides, I won't let anything happen to you," Asami said, placing a reassuring hand on Korra's and entwining their fingers as she snuggled closer.
Korra leaned in to give Asami a much-needed kiss.
"What time is it?"
"Early," Asami guessed.
Korra massaged Asami's back and trailed her hand along her thigh.
"Can I tell you something?" Korra said. She was shaken and slightly aroused from the dream.
"Of course, anything," Asami said softly in her morning voice.
"When I went into the Spirit World with Kuvira, the dogfish reminded me of something… about Harmonic Convergence," Korra began. "When I re-merged with Raava, I think –"
An urgent knock sounded at the door, interrupting Korra. Their heads jolted toward the origin of the sound.
"Korra, Asami," Suyin called as she continued to knock. "Wake up. It's an emergency."
"We're awake," Asami called. "Come in."
Suyin opened the door and stood near the entrance, the subtle morning light casting a shadow over her devasted face.
"It's Kuvira. She's gone," Suyin said.
Korra sat up abruptly. Her body went cold a moment. Asami, seemingly just as surprised, got up and threw her robe on, and Korra forced herself to snap out of whatever early morning, post-nightmare stupor she was in. Suyin motioned for the couple to follow and they made their way to Kuvira's room.
Her bedroom featured origami metal sculptures and prototypes of metal weapons and armor as well as esoteric cultivation books from the library scattered about. The window was wide open with the drapes swaying gently in the breeze and a humble full-sized bed beneath it.
The center of the room was open and clear except for a few droplets of blood sprinkled on the floor and a crumpled mass of copper, both of which Korra inspected. She followed Suyin to the washroom and found hair. Everywhere.
"I found this and a note that simply said 'donate it'," Suyin said, lifting up Kuvira's long thick braid. "But that's it. No other word. Opal said she found the room like this."
Opal stood in the doorway, leaning against the foundation and silently watching the other women snoop about the room for clues. She wasn't crying but her eyes were red and puffy as if she had been.
"What do we do, do we call the police?" Asami said, deferring decision making to Suyin and Korra.
They were all quiet a moment, finding themselves in a difficult position.
Suyin picked up an open book which sat at the foot of Kuvira's bed. A couple of pages were ripped out where it was open, and she inspected it. Recognizing this book and realizing what pages were stolen, she closed her eyes and slammed it closed.
"Here's what we do – nothing until tomorrow. Or the next day. We'll call the authorities in Republic City to report that Kuvira escaped, eventually. But she's no longer a threat – to anyone," Suyin said.
"What do you mean?" Korra and Asami both said at the same time.
"I mean, we'll give her an ample head start," Suyin said finally.
A tear shone in Opal's eyes and she covered it up before heading out of the room abruptly.
The night before…
Kuvira made up her mind, and if the Avatar wasn't going to help her, she had to help herself.
Standing in the middle of her room, she bent a clump of rare metal from where it rested with her other projects. This type of metal was known for its strength and resiliency. It floated in front of her and she concentrated on pushing and pulling at it, kneading out its impurities as specs of dust fell to the ground. She had worked on this project a month as a strength training exercise to level up her metalbending.
The shiny metal reflected her face, which broke a distorted sweat. Maintaining her focus and making gestures with her hands and arms, she separated it into two even clumps, forming them into daggers with sharp edges and ready-made hilts. Finally, she etched her signature flower at the base of the daggers before lifting them up to eye level as she inspected them. The daggers spun and flung toward the wall, hitting it precisely where she aimed and not a millimeter away.
Satisfied, Kuvira walked over to retrieve the daggers and grab a pouch of tiny needles, another precision tool she had practiced with in recent months.
Next, she sat at the foot of her bed and studied the sacred text detailing various acupressure points in the body and how they each contributed to bending, paying particular attention to the main channel along her center. If she destroyed or blocked these special points, her bending would be gone forever. The thought had intrigued her, but she didn't think then that she would eventually use it on herself.
It was almost time to sacrifice what she prized most – her power, her bending. As one of the most powerful women in the world that even the almighty Avatar could hardly stand up to, she would never know what it's like to live as an ordinary person. She would never truly understand the world or relate to the people in it, and she would never truly be sorry for what she's done until she broke away from her sheltered existence at the Beifong Estate where she had spent most of her life a ward – a daughter – of Suyin.
She thought of Opal then. Dearest Opal, the little girl she used to scorn but who now made her heart pound out of her chest at the thought. And the sight of Opal – well, it would be too difficult to look her in her big eyes. Either way, Kuvira would probably never see the girl she had come to love again, because she was never coming back. Not until she paid off her debt to society; not until she restored her honor. And that could take years, if not the rest of her life. She decided if she was going to do anything, it would be with great dignity.
Taking a pen and paper then, she wrote Opal a note. It read:
Dear Opal,
I want you to know I care about you more than anyone I've ever met, which makes it difficult to write this. You deserve happiness – something I can't give you. But maybe Bolin can. Don't break up with him. He's a great guy – I know, I was his boss for three years.
Anyway, I'm sorry. For everything.
L
Kuvira
She sealed the letter in an envelope and placed it with other accoutrements she had packed for her journey.
There was just one more thing she had to do to prepare, and it was almost as hard as the deed itself. If Kuvira no longer possessed the strength of a warrior, then she no longer deserved her braid.
Standing in front of an oval-shaped mirror in the wash room, she bent a pair of scissors high in the air and, holding her braid up, snipped. She continued to cut across the braid, sawing through the hair until it was nothing but a coil of silken rope, which she placed on the counter. Her hair was a stump in the back and longish on the sides, which wasn't quite her vibe, so she continued to cut until it was cropped close to her head in a pixie style. In the mirror, her reflection showed her beauty mark and thick eyebrows appeared more dramatic as did her severe bone structure and a jagged jawline. Not too bad, she thought, though she lamented the loss of her hair, which took years to grow that long – and under soon-to-be former circumstances.
If she was honest with herself, she thought she would miss her hair more, but it made her lighter, more agile. She wore a black outfit made for action and style, but the copper adornment was too brassy for the simple life she was about to lead. She bent most of it off of her, leaving slots only for her daggers and needles as well as a simple arm bangle which she kept to remember her unexpected friendship with Korra. And if she was being extra honest with herself, she would say Korra had become her best friend. Too bad the Avatar would never know how much of an honor it was to be her sifu.
Finally, it was time to say goodbye.
Kuvira lit incense, placing them at an alter in her room and took a seat on her knees in the middle of the open space, the tiny needles piled next to her. She closed her eyes; a delicate wind rustled against her neck, sending shivers down her spine. After several minutes of quiet contemplation, she bowed down low, letting her head kiss the ground three times before kneeling with her back pin straight.
Keeping her eyes closed, she bent three needles in the air to hover a few feet in front of her chest in a horizontal formation. In order to do this delicate procedure, she would have to focus in the utmost, channeling her awareness inward. The key to precision was not only focus, but do so in such a way that nothing else existed, that all else faded to black.
She focused on those inner acupressure points until nothing else in the world existed and they throbbed within her. And with conviction, she flung the needles straight through the points, through her body and onto the floor behind her, sending the former Great Uniter tumbling over like a toppling tower.
She coughed and wheezed, feeling her body constrict as if parts of her were shutting down. It was too much for her to take and she fainted out of shock.
Sometime later, she never figured how long, she awoke, weak and thirsty for water. She coughed and droplets of stale blood sprayed on the floor in front of her. Everything was so heavy, all of her limbs and bones. It was as if something inside of her was missing, but she couldn't figure out what, until she collected the needles and realized they felt dead in her hand. They no longer hummed, no longer bent to her will.
Kuvira decided to test it out further, letting the needles drop to the ground and trying to bend them upward to no avail. She looked at her hands. "What have I done," she said dryly to herself. But what was done was done. What was done could not be undone.
Taking a jug of water, she took a long glug.
She limped to her bed where she had her bag packed and a large forest green cloak, which she draped around her, lifting up the hood to obscure much of her face. In her pocket, she realized she had placed a letter to Opal, which she positioned at the edge of the bed next to the book. She knew Opal would look at the book if she came in.
And with that, Kuvira took one last look around, too weak to process what she had done and needing every drop of energy to make it somewhere deep in the Earth Kingdom or beyond, where nobody would find her and she could repent alone. Likewise, she knew that once she left, she would not allow herself to indulge in looking back, lest she collapse and it would all be for naught.
The night sky was billions of speckled stars and a violet halo emanating from the ground up because it was the time of night and year when the moon had set and the sun had yet to rise. And Kuvira climbed out of her room window to meet it.
End of Part 1
To be continued...
Notes:
Coming up in Part 2... Kuvira alone
And... we catch up with Asami and Korra as Asami starts a racing team in Republic City
Plus... Mako on the detective beat
For those of y'all who made it this far, thanks for sticking around! I didn't expect my first fanfic to turn into a full-blown story, but here we are.
Also, I wanted to note that the Kuvira haircut scene came about because I pictured Kuvira with the same haircut as S5 Catra from She Ra, and it looked cute in my mind. Sometimes I'm really that simple.
Anywho, I'm in the middle of finals, so I have to switch gears and bust out a couple of papers last-minute because I spent most of my time zipping through this novella.
Also noting that I have an epic end game in mind and a satisfying story arc for each of the women. But I also want to discover parts of the journey along the way as well as practice writing erotica - making lemonade. And I want to tell a complete story in a reasonable space to idk level up as a human? I feel like that happens under such circumstances.
Also, to the folks who gave it - thanks for the feedback.
Welp, peace.
SD