The sad, gaunt face of the little girl still haunted her dreams. Another small pale face with fierce green eyes was superimposed over the girl's. The child who had been abandoned by her parents years ago and was left to fend for herself. The girl who anguished bereft of control, of safety, of warmth.

"I never even knew her name. I never found out that village's name. How many anonymous lives were lost by the incompetence of those tasked to care for the people?" This voice she recognized as her own.

"How many lives did you ruin with your tyranny?" Another voice replied accusatory. "How many families did you hurt with your camps? How many were torn apart by your war?"

"I didn't mean to hurt them…I only wished for a better place in which little girls didn't starve to death!"

"This is what you left behind instead. Behold your handiwork, your legacy!" the voice boomed ominously. A city demolished. Ruins and destruction everywhere eyes could reach. The path of destruction etched in every obliterated structure. Another city lay unprotected bereft of its iconic shimmering domes, its people looking at her with a mixture of confusion and fear. She was one of them. She'd promised to protect them and now she had turned against them. She had betrayed them. The sadness and frustration of those sent to languish in the labor camps. Fear. Resentment. Anger. The emotions their faces displayed as their eyes never left hers in a silent accusation, in wordless judgement. Guilt rose up menacing to choke her. Her breathing became labored and pained, each breath failing in sending oxygen to her lungs. A heavy weight had settled against her chest and she felt she was unable to move under it. Soon she would be crushed by it…

"It wasn't supposed to be this way!"

Eyes flung open as Kuvira gasped loudly, her heart beating fast against her agitated chest. Cold sweat moistened her forehead. Again, the recurring nightmare that relentlessly drove home the fact that she had failed. Even worse, she had betrayed the trust of those who believed in her. Those who once she had vowed to protect and those she wished to save from abandonment and starvation. She wondered if even if she could someday forgive herself, those whom she betrayed would be able to do the same.

Kuvira drew in a deep, cleansing breath in an attempt to slow her accelerated breathing and calm her muddled state of mind and agitated body. She attempted to move but a strong arm was surrounding her waist. Her muscles coiled as her mind shouted an alarm. She'd barely managed to suppress an attack against the invader, cautiously concentrating on fact gathering before launching a response. This reaction startled her because instinct would have made her deal with the intrusion in a swift, expedient manner already but something in the back of her mind prevented her from doing so. Her eyes began scanning for clues when they noticed that the forearm that rested loosely against her waist was clad in a charcoal black glove that went past the elbow. She placed its wearer immediately on her mind's eye.

"Korra?" the metalbender murmured under her breath. Upon realizing the identity of her companion she allowed herself to relax but her wits were still in disarray, attempting to make sense out of the discovery. The rhythmic rising and falling of the Avatar's chest against her back was even and serene. The former captain closed her eyes, allowing her other senses to fill in the remaining pieces of the puzzle. She could hear the faint sound of breathing and her sense of smell placed the scent as uniquely Korra's. Since when she had been here? How did she end up like…this? One part of her mind made her almost leap as she had done when the Spirit Portal opened and she had come to her senses to find herself away from the city and in a foreign world held by the Avatar. However, another part begged Kuvira to remain still, to revel in the warmth and feel of another person against her.

She missed this. She missed the closeness to another human being. The shared warmth, the intimacy. The haunting dreams she had awakened from emphasized even more how the reassuring physical presence of another person helped her ease the bitter aftertaste left by them. She was actually intrigued on how pleasant it felt to be like this with Korra. Kuvira admitted to herself that one of the consequences of the incarceration and her severed connection to family and friends was that she missed and craved human companionship and affection, things that ruefully she realized she'd taken for granted even with her tendency to keep herself guarded. She remembered fondly the years of camaraderie spent among the Zaofu guards and the dance troupe, and that camaraderie had served them well when their mettle was put to the test in Ba Sing Se. Her biological parents weren't affectionate and she would have probably never learned the comfort of the reassuring presence of another human being hadn't been for Baatar and Suyin. Under Su's protection, Kuvira came to learn more about affection and to experience what it was to be cared for, yet she had always perceived an invisible divide that made the term "family" seem incongruous with her actual relationship with the Metal City matriarch and the Beifongs save Baatar. In a sense, it probably was for the best since the idea of being attracted and eventually engaged to a foster brother didn't quite sit well with her.

Her thoughts about Baatar had been oscillating between yearning and profound guilt. Yearning brought by countless joyful memories of their years in Zaofu. Of accomplishments and victories celebrated when their shared purpose was still unspoiled. That Kuvira truly believed she was destined to share a lifetime with him by her side, that together they would lead a triumphant nation into the future. Until lust for power crept inside her heart and surreptitiously replaced and erased the love she held for her fiancé. She couldn't pinpoint when or how it came to happen, only that the more she cared about accomplishing her unifying goals, the less she came to care about Baatar as her loved one. Guilt gleefully reminded her the fateful moment he became just another accessory to her mission: when under the insanity that overcame her she had deemed him expendable enough to sacrifice in order to achieve total victory.

Kuvira believed she had exhausted her capacity to shed tears the first months of her incarceration when her conscience finally caught up with her and faced her with the utter callousness of her actions. Her initial despair she had sunk into made her lash against her most loyal collaborator and believer with accusations of treason through scathing letters from which she never received a response. When a more stable state of mind brought her clarity, the realization of what she had truly done hit her and hard and with it, the deep shame that was preventing her from writing again. Of all the things she'd come to fear, even more than death, was the possibility of becoming such a heartless monster again. Perhaps the solitude she now endured was the atonement due for her actions. Kuvira had resigned herself to detachment from human contact but now Korra was reminding her of the price of a life in solitude.

Assessing her present situation, in other circumstances Kuvira wouldn't have expected she wouldn't have enjoyed a close moment like this with a former enemy, much less Korra of all people given their history. It wasn't because she didn't think Korra wasn't likeable or attractive. Quite the contrary, but their relationship was…complicated to say the least and her feelings towards the Avatar in many ways were still undefined. In her current state of mind, she still struggled to come to terms with the aftermath of her actions and the seclusion itself scrambled her emotions even more. She was still musing on these thoughts when she sensed Korra stirring from her slumber. The movement put distance between them and the metalbender's body immediately regretted it. Even with closed lids she could sense the Avatar staring at her intently and when she heard the sound of the chair scraping against the floor, she opened her eyes finally allowing herself to move and shift into a sitting position. She was met with a kind blue gaze and an expression of curiosity perched on her face.

"Bad dream? You seemed very agitated when I came in." Her voice reflected genuine concern.

"Yes. Recurring nightmare." She directed an inquisitive look towards Korra. "For how long you've been here? You should have woken me up."

"I've been here long enough. Have you tried meditation? I used to have lots of nightmares after facing the Red Lotus but I found that meditation helped clear my mind and spirit and in time, they became less frequent and vicious. I can teach you different techniques if you wish."

"Yes, I think I would like that. I've tried on my own but so far I haven't been successful." She slicked back the damp strands of hair that had fallen over her forehead in disarray. "So, what brings you here?"

"I wanted to give you the news personally." Korra extended her a folder.

"What's this?"

"The date of the last hearing of your trials. The details are there and you should know that Suyin and her family will be there."

Kuvira inhaled deeply. "I see." She will be facing them face to face one more time. She scanned meticulously the documents inside the folders and when she lifted her head, she met Korra's compassionate glance.

"I won't be able to make it in time to be there." Korra added. "I will be at the South Pole and hopefully Asami will be able to meet me there so she won't be at the trials either. She is still processing the loss of…you know."

"I understand. I know that the point is moot now and it won't make an iota of difference but I didn't mean to hurt Ms. Sato. 'I'm sorry' sounds empty, even shallow when you are apologizing for taking a life but I do mean it and I don't know if there's any other more effective way I can convey this."

A shadow of sadness crossed over Korra's face. "I can't really imagine how hard that might be. She is a good person and she was able to forgive him before his passing. Their relationship hadn't been the best in the last few years but in the end he redeemed himself to her, which has made the loss harder to manage."

"I don't expect her to forgive me but I still need to come clear with what I did and how I feel about it." The once leader of the Earth Empire looked contrite. Another specific consequence to her actions to fuel her nightmares. And they were plenty.

Korra nodded. The dark haired woman noticed her visitor seemed preoccupied and less enthusiastic than her usual self.

"Your mind seems to be somewhere else. If you have business to tend to, please go take care of them. I appreciate that you came in person to deliver this information."

"No problem…" Korra appreciated the sincerity that was reflected in her former enemy's words. Silence echoed through the cell as both women remained engulfed in a polite silence, as if each allowed the other enough time to regain composure following the difficult subjects alluded in the previous conversation.

"Kuvira…" the Avatar decided to break the silent pause. "Can I bother you with something?" The meatlbender gestured in affirmative.

"It's just that I'm worried about me and Asami. It's just that lately things between us seem to be…different."

The former Zaofu captain raised an eyebrow. Among all the things in the world, she would have never imagined herself as serving as sentimental confidant of sorts to the Avatar, much less with her own personal history in that regard. Her detainment had brought in many changes to her life but this one was completely unpredicted. Then again, all sorts of unexpected things happening to Kuvira seemed to be directly linked to Korra since she decided to befriend her.

"Different in what way?"

"It has been what…? I believe about two years since we began our relationship as a couple. The first few months were simply amazing, spent in filling in the gap of my three years of absence and all the things that had happened to each of us. I had lost so much when I had to part from my friends and later when I decided to face my demons alone that I was determined to make it up for all of it. Then between her duties as head of Future Industries and her collaboration with Republic City's government, she began to be busier every day. Her company is her livelihood and after her father's passing, it's her responsibility to maintain his legacy. I've been pretty busy too and before we'd realized it, we were engaged in a long distance relationship because she couldn't just leave her duties to go gallivanting the world with me every time it needed saving. In the beginning we got used to spending every spare time together, but now sometimes a couple of days go by before we even get to talk to each other. It has been really hard to keep up and I worry that now we might become even more distant than when I was away recovering from the Red Lotus."

"But you'll be meeting her at your family's home, right?"

"That's the idea. She said she was going to try really hard to make it. I really need to do this, to see Asami, actually see her again and spend time with her to sort out my feelings." The brown haired woman was deep in thought, her face displaying how distraught she was by her sentimental situation. Kuvira thought to herself that Ms. Sato should really consider herself fortunate because it was evident how profoundly Korra loved her.

"I don't think you should worry. You know exactly where your feelings lay but distance and insecurity can distort them and it can make one doubt. Try not to worry and just concentrate on enjoying your time together. She must be in the same situation as you but getting back together should help you return to your annoying, energetic self."

Korra smiled. She seemed less disturbed now.

"See? You aren't so bad after all. But seriously, thanks for this. I think I really needed to clear my mind for a bit. Sorry for unloading this on you but I wasn't sure if I wanted to involve my friends because I'm not sure if they would be able to just listen without trying to stage a crisis intervention for me and Asami."

Kuvira was amused by the thought of what a crisis intervention might end up becoming with the likes of Bolin and Opal involved. It might seem that having the isolated prisoner as confidant wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"You're welcome. I'm no relationship expert but I can listen and I have no sides on this. Under these circumstances I could even listen to Bolin ramble on about his Nuktuk movers and pro bending and I would listen on mesmerized."

"Okay, you really need to pick up something to do here if you are that desperate!" Korra snickered at the scenario, not failing to notice how some of the distinctive hardness seemed to be fading from the former military leader's face. She smiled inwardly, glad to have followed her gut instinct to approach Kuvira more as a person and less as an existential threat.

"I think you're right. I'll stick with meditation then until prison authorities feel comfortable enough to grant me some privileges that can take me away from these four walls for a few hours. Apparently, that might happen sooner than I had anticipated" the metalbender added with an optimistic tone.

The Avatar stood up. "That's good news! Hopefully by the next time I drop by, you'll have earned those privileges and even get some much needed fresh air and sunlight on you. Well, I gotta go now. Thanks for listening. And best of luck in your trial. I don't think the outcome will surprise us but at least it will finally be over."

"Enjoy your trip and Korra?"

"Huh?"

"Thank you for keeping me company while I slept even if you ended up sleeping on the job too."

Kuvira offered her a complicit look. The short haired woman blushed, realizing that not only her supportive gesture had been noticed, but that she'd failed spectacularly in remaining inconspicuous. Before she could attempt to apologize for what could be perceived as a trespass, the former commander approached Korra and gently placed a hand over her shoulder offering a conciliatory smile.

"Best of luck to you too."