Warning:
Mature content of sexual nature included on the following chapter.
A strong wind carried the distinct invigorating scent of the sea. It filled the air from the small harbor that welcomed the few visitors the island received, to as far back as the elevated vantage point overlooking the dark blue ocean and to the distinct old lighthouse further away. This location had quickly become Kuvira's favorite spot, far enough from the station complex that became her new home. This spot granted her some privacy to train and meditate but it was strategically located to offer a good surveillance point to both the station and the harbor. The fatigued exhalations escaping her mouth created small clouds of white mist and the chilly breeze made her cheeks redden but her body welcomed the physical exertion she had just put it through.
After several years of incarceration, her muscles felt as if they were awakening from a state of suspended animation and her senses eagerly processed every sensory input the new environment fed her. As a consequence of being deprived of utilizing her skill both by force and by the circumstances, bending felt almost foreign at first and familiarizing with her element had been a challenge that kept her occupied for weeks. Being able to bend again was recovering a part of herself that lay dormant and forgotten, and for the first time since her surrender, the deposed leader felt whole. She didn't have a lot of available material to bend but at least she had plenty of space to move around, more than enough to give her muscles the workout she had been missing since her incarceration. Kuvira wasn't crazy about the cold but the rough, pristine polar landscapes had earned her appreciation in their stark, unspoiled beauty. The way the sun sank over midnight blue sea on the horizon brought a skyscape out of a children's fantasy book. At night, the firmament was filled with countless shimmering stars and faraway satellites that never failed to enthrall. As far as detention places went, she didn't mind coping with the cold and the hard life in exchange of views like this.
A formation of rocks that had been suspended in mid-air was deposited with delicacy over a growing heap shaped like a seat. She was practicing precision over blunt force, since many of her tasks at the station required as much precision as brute strength, and being the only earth and metalbender currently assigned on site meant her talents were in constant demand. It felt rewarding to be able to do something after a prolonged period of involuntary idleness. Having a sense of purpose to wake up to every morning no matter how humble or small, provided the motivation, and the fulfilment of an accomplished job was all the reward she needed. Kuvira caught with the corner of the eye an assortment of cargo ships entering the bay and decided she could take the opportunity to watch the disembarking of the vessels and the unloading of the month's supplies as a stopping point to rest. The metalbender shook off excess snow from her thick, blue cold weather outfit in the style of the Southern Water Tribe and readied to sit down on her rocky sculpture of sorts when a watery spiral rising from below captured her attention fully. Atop the gravity defiant column, the Avatar stood suspended mid-air, a smirk unbidden curved on her lips.
"Show off! Aren't you abusing your Avatar abilities with stunts like this?" the former captain inquired as she observed Korra from her hard stone seat.
"This? This is just basic waterbender fare," Korra replied, the water still supporting her feet. "If I really wanted to show off, I would be airbending like this." The water pillar gave way to a wind spiral under her soles that levitated her until feet connected to the ground with a short hop. The gusts of wind reached Kuvira, who let out a frustrated sigh upon realizing her hair had been undone from the bun that held it up.
"Thanks, now you've just messed up my hair."
Korra guffawed at the combination of the metalbender's frustrated expression and the mass of black hair no longer orderly tied up.
"Sorry…I kinda overdid the landing," she replied with an apologetic tone. Kuvira was already dealing with the unruly locks when the short haired woman intervened.
"Nah, leave it like that just for a little while." The approving gaze Korra was bestowing her was all the convincing needed for the former leader to stop. She abandoned her stone chair and proceeded to approach the Avatar with a suspicious glance.
"I'm beginning to believe you did this on purpose."
"Did I?" Korra replied, an innocent expression perched on her face but darkening blue eyes betrayed her intentions. Her arms eagerly circled around the metalbender's waist.
"Yup, perhaps it has something to do with something you've mentioned before." Kuvira's arms surrounded Korra's neck, her green gaze issuing a challenge.
"I think I remember now," the Avatar's face closed in the dark haired woman's ear, her breath warm against her skin amidst the cold. One of her hands was now running through Kuvira's hair.
"You hair like this turns me on." A nip on her earlobe punctuated the last sentence and a shiver ran down the former captain's spine.
"Hmmm…it does the same to me when you look at me like that," the metabender replied huskily and as confirmation, she joined Korra's lips in an effusive kiss. The Avatar replied enthusiastically and for a few instants the cold and the snow were left somewhere forgotten in the back of their minds as they luxuriated in the long waited caress.
"How have you been?" Korra inquired when they broke off the kiss, the backs of her slender fingers sliding down Kuvira's cheek colored pink by the exposure to the arctic weather. The metalbender caught Korra's hand and placed a feathery caress atop the exposed skin not shielded by the glove.
"Good…still trying to get used to the weather but everything else is fine. How about you?"
Korra let out an exhausted sigh. "Busy with the Earth Kingdom elections. Holdovers from the Empire and monarchists have been the hardest to convince but I think they will eventually relent. Some of them have already been organizing in their own parties and are submitting their own candidates but they're not really popular with the general public, which is good."
"I've read a little bit of what has been happening but we don't get that many fresh news here." The former leader seemed eager to soak in on the recent updates from her country, which to her relief, painted an encouraging scenario, taking into account the state she'd found the Earth Kingdom when she took over. As a small comfort, at least it seemed that even with the forced unification her country was still in a better shape now than when monarchy had been brutally and unexpectedly abolished.
"I'll be glad to put you up to date. If you don't mind, there's some Empire loyalists that we're keeping a close eye on so I'll run the names through you later."
"Sure, I'll be glad to help. Speaking of help, don't you think we should help unload the supplies? Besides, the crew is probably wondering where the Avatar has run off to." Kuvira pointed at the ships.
"You're right and poor Naga must be anxious. I brought her with me this time."
"So I'll finally get to meet the famous Naga? I'm flattered." The metalbender's face lightened up at the prospect of meeting one of Team Avatar's cutest and most loyal members.
"You'll love her and besides she's really sweet and soft and warm which is a plus in this place." Korra opened her glider. "Race you there?" she added pointing at the harbor with a challenging grin.
Kuvira was almost done fixing her hair. "You know I'm not supposed to use bending outside the complex and my snowmobile is no contest to your glider but we'll meet there, this time properly as exiled convict and Avatar." she added, fixing a stray lock of brown hair behind Korra's ear.
Moments later, the Avatar and the deposed Earth Empire leader greeted each other as if it were their first meeting of the day, taking particular care in keeping up with the appearances of their respective roles. That was the price to pay in order to maintain the cover for their agreed "awkwardness" but the day was still young. The evening would provide plenty of opportunities to make up for the lost time since they last saw each other. That had been when Korra joined the official escort which delivered Kuvira to the new location to comply with her sentence. After the crates were unloaded, the ships left for their next port of call, leaving the station's crew playing host once again to an important guest, this time Avatar Korra, or how they preferred to call her, "the Chief's daughter," which only sounded just a tad less intimidating than her more famous title.
From the moment the remote, unremarkable island of Blackstone Isle was chosen as the new location for the exile of Earth Kingdom military tyrant Kuvira, the assorted group of workers and tribesmen found themselves receiving with more frequency important visitors like the Avatar or United Forces General Iroh, and of course their newly addition, the deposed leader herself. Regarding their notorious "guest," the crew was largely indifferent to what had happened during the past years, preferring to see her as a welcome addition to help around rather than a burden or a responsibility. They weren't comfortable with the role of wardens to an inmate. Even with the increment of security measures to the complex and the addition of a small Southern Water Tribe garrison to augment their numbers, the tribesmen opted to treat Kuvira as one of their own, following a duty that had been established since before the Hundred Year War when Fifth Nation pirates roamed the seas and later, when Fire Nation Navy ships scouted for fleeing Southern Tribesmen. What was once an outpost, the station eventually grew to include communications and weather surveillance, duties that were the main reason for their current mission.
Flanking the complex, an elaborate conglomerate of modern looking buildings and warehouses shared the secured space. The buildings were property of none other than entrepreneur and inventor Varrick. After finding out of the place, in one of his Eureka moments, he had decided to take advantage of the remoteness and anonymity of the place by assigning some of his more secretive projects here away from the prying eyes of his competitors and rivals. In a curious turn of events, it was now Kuvira who inhabited the large, modern area that once had been designated as Varrick's living quarters. She found the fact that in her exile she had ended up living in one of his properties rather humorous, but it sort of made sense as a trade-off for the full pardon she had once bestowed unto him years ago. The official pardon had allowed the industrialist restoration of legitimacy to his reputation after the "alleged" Raiko kidnapping plot. With his criminal record expunged clean, he was back in business without any sort of legal knots limiting his ventures. Although the place was no longer favored for his company's full time projects, it still received periodic maintenance from Varrick's people and the warehouses were used in full capacity by the crew since they were larger than the old one at the station.
It was inside the comfortable housing quarters where Korra met Kuvira during the evening. After spending most of the day with her fellow tribesmen, the Avatar was ready to call it a day. An enjoyable dinner peppered with lively conversations had been shared in the communal mess hall of the station where she was able to learn more about Kuvira's integration with the crew. She was glad the idea of the transfer was paying off for all parts involved, and the former commander's behavior and attitude with the group told her everything she needed to know about the progress of the once Great Uniter. When Korra opened the door to the metalbender's assigned quarters, she found Naga sleeping contentedly in a corner over a large, heavy rug. Her polar bear dog seemed to have made fast friends with the deposed leader judging by the completely relaxed state of her loyal companion beside the Earth Kingdom native. Meanwhile, Kuvira was leaning over her pet's wide, fluffy body, so completely immersed reading a selection of newspapers the Avatar had brought her from Republic City that she didn't register her entering the room. The image brought a wide smile to Korra's beautiful features.
"You guys look adorable. I knew Naga would like you too."
"Shhh…keep your voice low, she just fell asleep." Kuvira said, petting the soft, white ears of the large animal. "We played for a little bit while you were radioing Republic City. How's my progress report?"
"Outstanding. My exact words were 'the prisoner is making continuous and remarkable behavior improvement which can be validated by several Southern Water Tribe witnesses.' It took me a while to come up with something official sounding instead of 'Kuvira is no longer evil.'… Hmm, Varrick sure likes to live life wherever he goes. This place is swanky." Korra gave the large room an admiring glance.
"A bit too much for my taste but it sure beats the prison cell. I'm not even sure why there's a fireplace here if there's no chimney." Kuvira gently nuzzled against Naga and proceeded to stand up. As Korra continued her awestruck examination of the room and its amenities, the raven haired woman busied herself at the area that served as a small kitchen. Moments later, she placed two mugs over a small table and gestured at Korra to join her on a couch.
"Must be a touch of visual flair," Korra commented referring to the mock chimney as she picked up her mug. Noticing the abundant brownish froth and the steaming beverage, she inhaled deeply the aroma coming from the mug. "Hot cocoa? Now we're truly living on the lap of luxury!"
Kuvira smiled, taking a sip of her mug while nodding in approval. "I know. After years of prison food, this is the closest thing to heaven I've known," she commented as she savored the sweet, rich taste of the cocoa.
"You're sure about that?" the Avatar mumbled almost unintelligibly, a playful banter implied in her tone.
"You said something Korra?" Dark eyebrows arched inquiringly.
"Nothing important," Korra quickly replied smiling inwardly. Apparently, she seemed momentarily distracted by her own thoughts that weren't related to warm beverages and more inclined towards warm companionship as she continued enjoying her drink. Suddenly, Kuvira guffawed, almost spitting her own drink in the process and Korra stared at her confused. It wasn't the most dignified of the once Great Uniter's reactions, but it did reveal a more goofy side to her. Lately, more of the seemingly hidden layers of the metalbender's complex personality were slowly revealed to Korra. The Avatar took complete enjoyment in the small discoveries that were allowing her to see past the notoriety and to delve more into the person. Now that person was taking delight in making fun of her with an exuberant expression that lightened up her roguish features.
"Pfff! You've just made a mess out of yourself" And to demonstrate her point, the metalbender slid her index finger above Korra's upper lip, wiping off residue of the beverage. She displayed a cocoa dipped fingerprint at the short haired woman.
"See?" she added. A mischievous idea crossed her mind and suddenly she cleaned her finger with Korra's cheek.
"There, now you are a mess!" she exclaimed, seemingly proud of her contribution to the Avatar's messy state.
"Very funny," Korra pouted, attempting without much success not to laugh.
"Come here, let's get you cleaned up," the former captain said as she brought the Avatar closer, her eyes shimmering a gentler shade of green.
It began innocently enough as Kuvira took the opportunity to play out an idea that had lodged on her mind. One thing led to another and the perceivable electricity of anticipation increased from mischievous playfulness into something far more intimate. Kuvira's consciousness became a blur and when a sliver of awareness pierced the hazy, sensuous haze the former captain had plunged into, she became aware of hints of cocoa intermingled with other flavors at the tip of her tongue filling her mouth, flavors she savored as uniquely Korra's.
The moment of clarity allowed her to recall how she went from kissing the chocolate froth clean from the Avatar's lips and cheek to what had followed the teasing yet tender intimate moment. Then their mouths clashed and a need that had been building during the day was keenly made evident as the kisses became more ardent and profound and their hands no longer reacted out of their own volition but followed an instinct that had a life of its own. At some moment they had abandoned the couch when it no longer was comfortable enough for what it would follow and somehow between caresses and eager kisses, they finally located their way to the bed as their sleep clothes fell down, scattered haphazardly on the floor and discarded in haste.
The bright sound of laughter gave way to ardent whispers and moaned requests. Kuvira laid on the bed, her back prone against the mess of tangled sheets, her head sunk deep over Korra's chest, sensing her strong heartbeat and quickened breathing against her lips. Her arms snaked around the muscled back. Her fingers reached the nape of her neck with the short brown hair ends tickling her knuckles. Korra's breathing was coming out in short gasps. Her nails dug over Kuvira's shoulders, her responses becoming more frantic due to the metalbender's fervent attention to her breasts. Korra's back arched in a silent mandate, one Kuvira was more than eager to fulfill. Their glances met, emerald green drowning in the depths of darkened blue. Korra dove down as her mouth invaded Kuvira's, leaving her breathless as she conveyed a desperate plea, one that Kuvira could not deny her anymore. The ache had become almost unbearable. Kuvira needed this. She needed to demonstrate with actions what words were inadequate to communicate, the profound nameless emotion she knew went beyond lust or mere gratitude and she could only dare to convey through this intimate connection.
With a swift move, Kuvira flipped them so she was now towering over the brown haired woman, her head craning down to possess her mouth hungrily, wincing when Korra bit on her lower lip as she grabbed her hair tightly. Kuvira almost chuckled mentally realizing once more that Korra wasn't exaggerating when she claimed her disheveled look turned her on. Any notions of humor were quickly quelled under the imperative of her lover's aching need. Her fingers deftly slid over soft curves and firm muscles, running greedily over the soft, tan skin eliciting a flurry of approving sounds on their way down. Korra whispered something inaudible against her swollen lips but she didn't need to understand anyway. Her body was revealing every request and every demand and she was determined to satisfy them all.
"You're a loud moaner" Kuvira breathed hotly against Korra's ear, hands circling ever closer to her objective as they slid past her sculpted abdomen and kept moving lower and lower.
"Shut up!" Korra barely managed to mumble breathlessly with a hoarse voice, visibly showing the effort to suppress the involuntary sounds that escaped her under Kuvira's onslaught to her senses.
"Make me," her lover purred in a teasing response, steadfastly continuing her relentless attack once her objective was duly reached. Korra's body coiled in tense anticipation. Kuvira had kept very obediently fulfilling each and every one of the Avatar's pleas. She would have never imagined that this would become part of her exile and for the umpteenth time, she thanked her lucky stars for it.
"I...I ...I..." the phrase was cut short. Korra wasn't able to organize coherent thoughts, much less a string of words as her body shuddered from head to toe, a long whimper unbidden on her lips and eyes tightly shut, as the pleasure wave hit powerfully overcoming her until the promise of relief began to take over. Kuvira waited for Korra's tremors to subside and when they did, she gathered her exhausted lover gently into her arms. Her touch was soothing now and Korra surrendered into the gentle relaxation, her pounding heart steadying its beat. Kuvira wasn't sure if she was still experiencing the most vivid, intense daydream she'd had or if she was really holding the most precious and unlikely thing to ever happen to her in her arms. She dared to open her eyes and there she saw it. Blue eyes staring at her intently with a content expression perched on her face.
"Spirits, why do you have to look so damned sexy like this," Korra sighed as she captured a long strand of black hair between her fingers.
"I think you wanted to tell me something but something got in the way?" Kuvira teased. She kept staring lovingly at Korra, her fingers gliding soft as a feather against her shoulders. The Avatar stared at her back now with curiosity.
"I'm flattered. I've never seen that expression in you before."
"What expression?" the former captain questioned.
Korra was bestowing her an affectionate glance. "That one. You look...vulnerable. I like it."
Somehow the notion of allowing herself to be vulnerable with someone else did not seem like an alien concept nor a weakness anymore. It was strange how removed she now felt from the Kuvira who had erected walls stronger than platinum to protect her damaged core, the one who projected an image of the epitome of control and detachment. But with Korra looking at her with genuine admiration and gratitude, she could be the living embodiment of vulnerability for all she cared as long as she was rewarded with the glance the Avatar was giving her right now.
"I'm glad you like it and that can give you this. It's all yours. You've earned it."
Korra suddenly moved to straddle the metalbender's waist with her legs as her hands eagerly skimmed over Kuvira's torso, her fingers tracing with care the scar that remained from the assassination attempt. The former captain drew in a sharp breath in anticipation. The brown haired woman placed a feathery kiss over its irregular surface and began a trail downwards that brought a deep sigh from the dark haired woman's lips as a familiar tension began to build again spreading warmth to every inch of her body.
"We've earned it. Together." Korra placed soft kisses over her face, enjoying the caress of Kuvira's hands sliding down her back. A playful smile curved on her lips to which the metalbender lifted an eyebrow in response.
"You've earned something else," Korra affirmed suggestively.
"What?" the former Great Uniter inquired enthusiastically as she brought the Avatar closer.
In response, eyes so blue she felt she could lose herself within its depths locked with her own. The incipient pale sunrise was sneaking golden tendrils through a nearby window and its soft light allowed Kuvira to bask in the beauty of the woman who was now looking at her with all kinds of mischief curved on her lips. Her heart skipped a beat. With a quick nip at the bottom of the metalbender's lower lip, Korra affirmed:
"It's my turn to shut you up now."
Author's Note
*Exhaling* Well, that was something else. We're almost at the finishing line. Hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have writing it.
