"I'm here!" a middle-aged man in a shirt and tie burst into the room. "Kuvira, I'm so glad you're okay!" he gasped. "You didn't have to come, sir" Kuvira addressed the head of department. "Nonsense. I am glad you called, I was wondering why you weren't at college".
"Oh yes. A student wanted to come with me" he announced.
"Really? Who?" Kuvira asked. No one wanted to see her, Korra was only there because she had run her over and Asami was there because she was Korras roommate. "Baatar jr" Kuvira felt her hopes plummet at his words. "Baatar's here?" she asked, trying to mask her unease.
"Yes, I am". A tall twenty year old walked into the room. Kuvira looked away. Korra rubbed her hand gently, releasing the tension in her fist. "What do you want Baatar?" she asked softly, her gaze still turned away from his. "Kuvira, I know we've had some troubles in the past. But we can move past it. Mother-"
"Don't talk to me about Suyin" she interrupted him with a growl.
"But I am sure she could help you if you just told her…" he began. "What? Just tell her what? That I'm depressed, why would she care?" she questioned angrily. Snapping her icy gaze around to meet his. "She always thought of you as her daughter" he argued, raising his voice.
"She never acted that way though did she?" she growled accusingly "and she was quick to get rid of me afterthathappened".
"Wait, are you two related?" the Head asked, confused. Kuvira muttered something under her breath. "Yes. My mother adopted her when she was a child"
"No she didn't, I was fostered. The documents were never signed" she told them, still defensive. "What does it matter Kuvira, we're family" Baatar asked. "We are not family!"
Korra could see Kuvira getting worked up, her face had turned slightly paler. "Um maybe you should leave" she muttered, addressing Baatar. "Why should I!?" he growled. "It's not good for Kuvira to get worked up at the moment" she explained.
"Oh yeah? And why should I care!" he yelled. He glared at Kuvira and stopped in his tracks. She had paled considerably. "You shouldn't, no one does" she whispered. "Kuvira. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to" he cried.
"Just go" Asami sighed with exasperation. Baatar took another look at Kuvira before he turned and left the room. "I'm sorry" the Head said sheepishly. "I didn't know you had such a complicated relationship" he murmured.
"That's okay sir" she whispered, emotionally drained. "Kuvira, we're not in school. You can all me Umi-maru here" he told her with a smile. Kuvira shook her head in a feeble attempt to mask her exhaustion.
"Here, we'll let you sleep" Korra said, seeing Kuviras failed attempt of masking her tiredness. She helped Kuvira to lie down again. "You don't have to come here every day" she told Korra. "But I want to" she smiled. And walked out of the room with Asami and Umi-maru following close behind. Moments later Kuvira had fallen into an uneasy sleep.
"Mother. Help!" she screamed. Her mother glared at her. "This is your fault Kuvira" she yelled as she slit the throat of her attacked. "Please mother, I-I'm sorry" she yelled, her panic growing.
"Relax kid, we're here to help". Faces there were so many faces, overshadowed by their police hats. "Leave me alone" she screamed tears streaming down her face. "Mother!"
The scene flashed back to her father. "You killed your mother, it's your fault! You should be dead" he snarled. "No! Please daddy. I can do better. I promise I will. I promise…
"So what happened?" Umi-maru asked Korra as they stood in the corridor outside Kuviras room. "Well, you already know I hit her with my car. Her leg broke and she needed to get stitches up the length of her shin. When she woke up after she was stitched up she collapsed with a bad pain in her leg. A nurse looked at it and it was really swollen. The doctors took another look at it and found a blood clot deep in her vein" Korra explained.
"Oh shit. I shouldn't have said all that stuff" Baatar jr groaned as he covered his face with his hands.
"Too right you shouldn't have. You had no right to go in there yelling at her. She's already depressed never mind you making her feel worse!" Asami spat at him and he shrank back in alarm. "Asami! Leave him alone. He's always been an idiot" she said, throwing a glare at him. "I'm right here you know" he muttered. "I know" she growled coldly and Baatar looked away.
"Is she going to have it removed?" he asked quietly a hint of worry in his voice. "Yes, not that it's any of your business" Korra snapped. "I told you, we'refamily!" he all but shouted. Korra shook her head "not to her you aren't"
Baatar bowed his head before standing up and leaving the hospital. Asami sighed and ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to quell her annoyance. "I'd better be going…tell me if anything else happens" and with that the head of their department left.
"Do you want to leave too?" Korra asked Asami. "I don't shouldn't we wait for her to wake up?" she asked Korra shrugged in response. "We can get a coffee or something in the café next door" she suggested. "Yeah, I could do with a tea" Asami admitted.
"You stupid little pig!" the man roared lashing out with a whip. The little girl at his feet screamed as the whips metal edge met her skin. "Daddy. Daddy what did I do?" she asked, begging for an answer to her punishment. Her father just roared, a stench of alcohol pouring from his mouth as he struck out with the whip again. "What did I do?" she whispered, tears streaming down her face. At last the beating stopped and she scrambled to the corner of the room, chest heaving and breaths shallow.
"That should teach her" he growled sitting down beside his wife and dropping the bloodied whip onto its spot on the table. Kuviras mother laughed cruelly. "Don't worry der, she won't be making that mistake again" she chuckled manically. Kuvira sat in the corner, wide eyed and terrified. Her heart pounded against her chest, making the burning pain in her ribs ever worse. Never again, she would never let anyone touch her again. No one could be trusted. No one…
A scream of pure terror split the air and it took Kuvira a moment to realise it was her own. She sat up, a hand pressed to her sweaty brow. The door of her room was flung open and Korra rushed in. "Kuvira are you okay?!" she cried rushing over to embrace the terrified woman.
"Stay away!" Kuvira almost screamed, jumping from her bed, away from Korra. She fell to the ground as a searing pain shot up her leg. "Kuvira, don't hurt yourself" Korra said gently, extending a hand slowly in order to help her off the ground. "Don't touch me" Kuvira yelled, scurrying back to the corner of the room. Her narrowed eyes glanced fearfully back and forth between Korra and Asami.
"Kuvira" Korra whispered and Asami put a hand on her shoulder in order to keep her from approaching the panicked woman again.
Kuvira tucked her legs up against her chest despite her legs agonising protest. She buried her head in her knees and wept. "Stay away" she begged, partially to Korra. Partially to her past father. "Never again. Never again" she whispered, shaking her head and squeezing her eyes shut.
It was an hour later when Kuvira opened her eyes. She must have cried herself to sleep as she was back in her bed of white linen once again. "Are you okay?" Kuvira turned her head to where Korra was sitting in the chair beside her. She nodded slowly. Korra reached out to hold her hand but Kuvira flinched away. "Sorry" Korra muttered. Kuvira studied her for a moment before she relaxed again. "I-I'm sorry too…I just…I can't" she murmured, looking down at her hands which rested on her lap.
Korra nodded. "But. What happened? I mean why is it only now that you won't let me hold your hand?" Korra questioned. Kuvira opened her mouth to speak. She knew Korra deserved the truth after staying in the hospital the whole time but there was only so much that she was willing to share. "I-It's a promise I made to myself a long time ago" she muttered, not looking up from her hands. "I understand" Korra said simply "but I am sorry you had to make that promise. Something horrible must have happened for you to feel that way". Kuvira said nothing and the tanned girl knew that she was right. She sighed and left the room. Kuvira said nothing. Inside she was begging Korra to stay with her, she didn't want to be alone, but she let Korra leave.
Korra shut the door quietly behind. What had happened to Kuvira? She wondered the depressed woman was still so mysterious to her, locked away by painful memories.
Asami pulled Korra into a tight embrace as the troubled-looking woman stumbled back into their apartment. "Any luck?" she asked in a hopeful whisper once she had pulled away. Korra shook her head sadly. "She doesn't like being touched, that's for sure" she mumbled. "I'm sorry Korra, hopefully she'll get over that soon" Asami murmured sympathetically. "Do you want to do anything today?" she asked in a happier tone but Korra just shrugged. A pang of sorrow echoed in Asami's chest, she hated to see Korra upset. "Come on, we'll find something to take your mind off her" she said and Korra put on a small, forced smile.
Three weeks had passed since Kuvira had been rushed to hospital by Korra and now she was finally allowed to leave. "Kuvira! You're finally out" Korra cried in joy and embraced Kuvira gleefully. The wounded woman tensed up and panic flared in her chest. She was instantly thrown back in time to when she was young and hurt, promising herself never touched.
"Kuvira?" the depressed, young woman was thrown back into reality when she heard her voice being called out. Korra stood in front of her with an extremely worried expression on her features. Kuvira swallowed uncomfortably and made an effort to slow the breaths she hadn't realised had quickened. "Fine" she gasped answering Korras unspoken question. She looked relieved instantly. "Come on, the cars out back" she instructed, leading Kuvira around to the back of the hospital to her dirt-splashed Honda CR-V. She climbed into the front seat, being careful on her crutches.
"So do you want to stop by my apartment for a cup of tea or anything?" Korra asked as they drove towards the apartment block. Kuvira shrugged. "Why not" she answered and Korra gave her a smile.
They soon reached the door of Korras apartment. She swung it open with great flourish revealing a tidy hallway which led to a living-room covered in blankets, a bathroom with a towel trailing from its door and a reasonably tidy kitchen. Korra led the way down the hall towards the kitchen, hastily nudging the towel back into the bathroom and closing the door with a light slam, causing Kuvira to jump. She scratched the back of her hand nervously as she took a seat on one of the four chairs around Korras small table.
Korra sat a steaming cup of tea in front of her and Kuvira took it gratefully. "So can you tell me a bit about your past?" Korra asked hesitantly after a while. Kuvira stared into her cup of tea. Korra had been so kind to her in her time in hospital.
'But what if she only wanted to get information?' the small voice at the back of her head asked.
Information?
'Maybe she's trying to hurt you'
No! She wouldn't do that. Would she?
'They did and They were the ones you were supposed to trust most'
But They were evil. They were evil!
She silently battled with the demons that raged inside her head. At last she looked up and opened her mouth, ready to begin her tale.
