Asami woke up with killer neck pain, but in the darkness of her own room. She stretched a hand to the side expecting to find Korra's warm body, but instead she found Akemi, curled up next to her. She propped herself up on one elbow waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, the blue light of the morning seeping through the window letting her see the tousled sheets in Korra's side of the bed.
At least she got some sleep.
Not wanting to disrupt Akemi, she stood up slowly, a pillow taking her place in the bed. She covered the girl with an extra blanket, and when she leaned in, she noticed a dark spot on the mattress near Korra's pillow. It couldn't be blood, could it?
"Korra?" She asked hoarsely, seeing light coming from under the door, rushing out of the bedroom and down the stairs. She found Korra in the kitchen, eating flaming fire flakes by the dozen.
"What in Raava's name happened to you?" Asami exclaimed, the sleepiness wearing off of her as she saw her wife, bed hair, pajamas and scratches all over her face and body. She got closer and examined an especially nasty cut on her shoulder blade.
"A lot" Korra kept chewing "Have some leftovers" she pointed towards the kitchen counter "I thought Akemi would like some Fire Nation dishes, so I got roasted turtle duck, and some dumpling-looking pastries"
"Moshi?" Asami raised an eyebrow.
"Oh yeah, those, I sometimes forget you have Fire Nation ancestry" she gobbled another fistful of fire flakes "Anyways, I got home last night, but you two were asleep- which reminds me, we should feed her earlier, she goes down way sooner than us, and I guess kids are supposed to have dinner before 3am anyways. We don't have the healthiest habits, you know?" Korra was talking so fast Asami feared she would inevitably choke either on the flakes or on her own words. She sat down at the table next to her and placed a hand over Korra's.
"Slow down" Asami interrupted her incessant babbling "What is it?" Korra swallowed hard and looked down.
"I know something about Akemi" she confessed, the words sending a shiver down Asami's spine. She remained stoic nonetheless, squeezing Korra's hand in encouragement. "I think I know why she doesn't want to go back"
"Start from the beginning" Asami prompted her gently, and Korra started talking, slowly this time. She told Asami about the attack, how the Leader seemed to be controlling the spirits, about them raiding the portal. How the Leader referred to Akemi as 'his cub'.
"He had black markings covering the left side of his chest" Korra took a hand to her pec and down her ribs "They weren't like Akemi's scars, nor like the other children's either, but it can't be a coincidence"
"How about the other triad members?" Asami asked.
"No, they were painted all over, but the ones that got caught didn't have any scar at all" Korra responded.
"The police have some members in their custody, that's good, isn't it? Maybe they'll be able to get some information out of them"
"I don't know about that, I stuck around long enough to see some of the questioning, most didn't say a word, and the ones that did kept repeating the same thing about not betraying the family'" Realization struck Asami.
"Now I get why Akemi got so upset" she pursed her lips.
"Yeah, I wouldn't want to go back to that family either" without realizing, they both looked up the stairs towards the bedroom, where Akemi was resting.
"What about the other kids? Did you get a chance to talk to Lin about it?" the engineer asked in a whisper.
"Yeah, about that..." Asami grew concerned at Korra's hesitation "They were able to locate almost every family, most of the kids were Earth Kingdom. The rest seem to be orphans, so they were placed in temporary care here in Republic City until they can find something more permanent for them, you know… families" Asami was still waiting for the bad news to drop, but Korra seemed to have finished talking.
"That's good, isn't it?" She said, confused "Why do you have that look on your face?"
"Lin asked me if she should list Akemi for adoption as well, along with the other kids"
Oh, so that's what's up.
"They didn't find her family?" Korra shook her head and a heavy silence fell upon them. "That doesn't mean anything, it's still too soon, her family could be out there still" Asami sounded a tad desperate.
"All the other kids were missing for at least six month before they were found, plenty of time for a family to report a disappearance" Now was Korra the one holding Asami's hands tightly "That means the unclaimed kids are either orphans or their families live so far off the grid they don't have access to a police station. You know where the odds are at, Sami" Asami knew it made sense, but she didn't want it to, it hurt her to think Akemi didn't have a family to miss her, to be expecting her, a family to return to.
"Wait" Asami said, putting the pieces together "Would you say the tribes in the Si Wong Desert are secluded?"
"I guess so, Why?"
"Earlier today she took an interest to the sand sailer in my office, she mentioned the sandbenders" Asami looked thrilled "We can still find her home" Someone had to be looking for Akemi, she couldn't fathom the girl's disappearance going unnoticed.
"If what you say is true, what is a firebender child doing in the Si Wong Desert? it doesn't make any sense, it can't be anything legal!" Asami didn't expect for Korra to get so upset about it "The Si Wong tribes are centuries old, formed by generation after generation of earthbenders"
"You don't want her to go, do you?" Asami interrupted Korra's rant. The Avatar fell silent, gaping mouth, trying to find her words.
"It's not about that, I-" Korra stammered "I just want answers"
"And you also want her to stay" Asami wasn't asking a question, it was a statement. Korra looked at her with pleading eyes, but Asami lowered her head.
"We need to find a way to make Akemi talk without upsetting her" Korra's voice sounded resigned. "That's what it comes down to ultimately"
And as if summoned by Korra's words, Akemi appeared at the base of the stairs. The women had been so entrenched in their conversation; they didn't hear her coming. She was still wearing the gloves Korra gave her, lacing a loose strand of hair around her finger.
"Hey, tiny, what are you doing up? It's still early" Korra asked, her voice softening. Akemi didn't respond, but quickly approached the women and held her hands up to Korra. The Avatar looked at her wife as she picked Akemi up, her eyes widening in surprise when the girl instantly cuddled up to her, as she had only done with Asami. The voice that muttered into the Avatar's neck was soft, almost imperceptible, but Korra heard her.
"You're back" it said relieved and as if the planets had suddenly aligned, something clicked in Korra's head. She felt a fire lit up in her chest, a fire that seemed to have always been there, only lightless. It felt warm, but abrasive, scorching her with its meaning, what it implied moving forwards and for the rest of her life, their lives. She didn't want Akemi to leave. Asami was right.
"Of course I am, didn't I promise?" Korra responded, the words catching in her throat. Only silence came from the girl, who just shrugged, and closed her eyes. Korra rested her chin on Akemi's head and started rocking her back to sleep.
Asami saw the fire in Korra as well, and her stomach twisted, painfully.
It's been only a day, she thought.
Yeah, for them, it may have only been a day. But for Akemi it was the finish line of a long, tiring race that had once known no end. But she had finally found something, something she was too young to fully comprehend, but could discern nonetheless. It was something similar to the love and security she once had to let go. She was not letting go this time.
Asami saw that too, she knew Akemi had chosen them before she even dare to have a say in the matter. She felt it in the pull of her own heart, screaming bloody murder at her attempts to shut it down. Because Korra was better than her at knowing when to give in and letting herself be led even if she didn't know where to. Asami needed the clear path, an end goal to work towards.
But she also trusted Korra's judgment and Asami would have to trust again, because she knew that nipping the feeling in the bud to protect herself would only hurt Akemi, and she was adamant not to put her through anything more.
Of course, that didn't mean she wasn't still terrified.
"I'm sorry" Asami said, standing up abruptly when she felt the tears beginning to cloud her view. Korra muttered something and threatened to follow her, but didn't, Akemi finally asleep in her lap.
A/N: I split this chapter into two parts, cause it was getting long. Second part next Monday, but know it's a direct continuation of this one.
Also, the idea of Korra fighting a bunch of spirits to then go and pick up dinner cracks me up. So, I included it, cause why not.
Hope you liked it!
-TypingMitten
