In Hiding

Summary: Korra tried hard not to think about Kuvira living in a jail cell waiting for her trial to start – until she finds her sitting on her bed, looking for a place to hide. Set after series finale.

Chapter 14

"What are you doing here?" Korra asked casually. A little too casually. She was acting as if she had bumped into Asami in a restaurant after being out of communication for a few months.

"City wide curfew; I moved some of my work to the house," she answered, her eyes never moving from Kuvira. "What's going on?" Asami demanded. Korra flinched when her voice cracked. She held her hands out in front of her and carefully walked over to the engineer.

"A lot," Korra said slowly. "I can explain everything."

"Did you ask to move in with me, so you could sneak her in here?"

Korra's eyes widened at the accusation. She looked up at the ceiling, over to the wall, to the bed, to Asami, and then back in the circle once more before bitting her bottom lip. "No?" she said, more of a question than responding. Asami's glared deepened. "It was only a little bit of the reason," she admitted. Asami pulled her lips into a straight line before placing a hand onto her hip. "I was going to bring it up to you later, after I warmed you up to the idea."

"You brought the person who murdered my father into my house?" she demanded.

Kuvira frowned. "Your father?" she repeated. Her body became rigid as the engineer turned her attention towards her. Asami walked over and started to harshly poke her in her exposed chest. Kuvira took small steps backward, away from the assault but the engineer followed her with every move.

"Hiroshi Sato, the one you crushed in the hummingbird suit when you tried to take over the city," she practically snarled. Her face turned a light shade of red, making her piercing green eyes that much harder to look into.

"Oh."

"Is that all you can say?" Korra rushed over and grabbed Asami by her elbow pits, pulling her back against her chest.

"Calm down," she pleaded.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Asami shouted, ribbing her arms out the tight grasp. sHE reached up and slowly began to rub her temples. Her green eyes narrowed into dark, sharp squints. Korra breathed deeply, and shifted into a more stoic stance, lifting her chin a bit. Her voice was quiet and soft in stark contrast to her physical features. "She killed my father."

"I may not understand what it feels like to lose someone so close to you, but Kuvira didn't go after your father," Korra answered. "She didn't have agenda to kill him. You warned him that you both needed to leave and he knew the danger of the mission. Asami, you have to trust me on this. She didn't personally betray you."

Asami chuckled bitterly, throwing her hands up in the air. Her green eyes started to widen, and in each passing second they glistened with more and more tears. The end of her nose turned red and breathing started to become more choked up. Her eyes carried indifference and animosity. Korra felt a twinge in her chest, her eyes began to burn and blur as they welled up with tears. She forced herself not to allow them to slide down her cheeks. It wasn't the proper time, not when someone she cared about was deeply hurting about something personal. And yet, the next few words caused them to fall anyway. "No, but you are, Avatar Korra."

Korra's throat tightened as the words filled the empty space. She nodded once before turning away. She cleared her throat, desperate to rid her body of the hard lump that was rising. After taking a few steps towards the door, she broke out into a run, her footsteps echoing down the long hallway.

Asami clenched her hands into fists andtilted her head back, staring at the ceiling, before movement caught her attention. Kuvira paused, a hand outstretched to the clothing on the bed, the other grasping the folds of her towel. She instantly straightened up, regarding the engineer with a blank face. "I want to talk to you," the raven haired girl muttered. "After you get dressed of course."

Kuvira nodded once in understanding before grabbing the clothes in one hand. She gave her a swift bow before walking into the bathroom. Once the door closed she let out a deep breath, once she hadn't realized she was holding. With shaking hands, she started to get dressed.

Why did you agree to this plan? The Sato name may be common, but even you had to admit that this wasn't going to end well. The police may catch up to us soon. Of course she's going to give me up. I deserve it. I deserve everything, and now I got Korra into trouble. Well, no, she knew what she was getting into, but I can't help but feel responsible for that too. I'm responsible for everything. Everything will always be my fault.

She gazed at her reflection in the mirror, scrunching up her nose at the blue and white clothing she was dressed in. After a few scrutinizing seconds, she took a deep breath and exited the bathroom. As soon as she opened the door, Asami pointed towards the corner a few feet away from her. Kuvira walked over and sat down, pulling her knees to her chest. She lifted her head and looked up at the engineer, towering above her.

"So, what are your plans with Korra?" she demanded.

"We were to travel back to the Earth Kingdom, myself under disguise, so I could help rebuild what I destroyed," Kuvira's scratchy voice floated among the shadows of the corner. Half of Asami's face was lit by the lamp next to the bed, the other half was hidden in the darkness, making her look more menacing. "She was to hide me here until things had calmed down enough for us to travel, but it may already be too late. I wouldn't be surprised if we now have to leave in the morning. It would be a way to give back and-"

"You surrendered and agreed to whatever punishment the city deemed fit," Asami firmly reminded her, "but then you escaped."

"You don't know what it was like in jail," Kuvira said, slowly shaking her head. She jumped as a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. She shifted herself slightly so that the window wasn't in her vision, not even in her peripherals.

"I've been arrested before." She answered dryly.

"You don't know what it's like to be a prisoner."

"So?" Asami's face lit up as more lightning crackled outside. "I'm supposed to feel sorry for you?"

"Not at all." Kuvira tried to steady her breathing, but with the fierce glare Asami was sending her, and the storm picking up outside, it was hard for her to sit still. She wrapped her arms around herself, and lowered her head, before gently rocking from side to side. "Korra and I had a talk in the Spirit World and she showed me that I can't have control over everything, no matter how desperately I craved it." Her voice began to shake as tears started to blur her vision. "My parent's abandonment left a deep see of doubt in myself. I felt like I needed to prove myself, prove my worth. I helped reshape the Earth Kingdom in three years."

The only sound that filled the room was the howling wind outside. Kuvira looked up as Asami gently lowered herself to the floor, her green eyes softer than they had been in a few moments ago. The shadows on her face were chases away by the light from the lamp I nthe room. The metalbender got a clear look at her: bags underneath her eyes, and exhaustion traced every line. "Your parents abandoned you?"

"When I was eight," Kuvira answered slowly. "They told me that they'll be waiting for me to return home from school to buy me some new clothes. I walked back into an empty house. Everything was left behind, as if they went to the grocery store. So I waited for them to come home, and they never did."

"My mother passed when I was six-years-old," Asami supplied. "A firebender murdered her in a robbery gone wrong."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"I kind of lost my dad," she said, traces of anger returning to her face, "Before you made me lose him permanently." Kuvira blinked slowly in shame. "He was working with Amon and the Equalists, trying to bring neutrality to the city. I didn't agree with his ways and he sided with the enemy. The loss of my mother really affected him.

"I know an apology won't help anything, but I'm sorry for the pain I caused you."

The fierceness returned to Asami's sharp green eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest. "If you do anything to hurt Korra, I will kill you myself," she vowed.

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Kuvira answered quietly. She titled her head to the side, peering up at the engineer. Asami frowned, tightening her arms over her chest, popping a hip out and resting all of her weight on it. "You really love her don't you?" she finally asked. Asami's jaw instantly relaxed. She blinked a few times, confusion flashed across her face at the abrupt topic change.

"She talks very highly about you. In fact, whenever she returned to her room from one of those meetings she complains about, or had a misfortune when playing with the air bending children, or even having a simple lunch outing, she always finds a reason to smile." The corners of Kuvira's lips twitched up into a smile. "Most cases, you're that reason, and when it happens, she has the most beautiful smile I've ever seen," she admitted.

Asami regarded her with a raised eyebrow. "Do you-"

Korra appeared at the door, knocking on the frame with her knuckles. The two women turned to look at her. Asami instantly took a few steps back, bringing a hand up to her mouth. "Mako, just called. Lin, Tenzin, everyone knows that you were here," the Avatar reported, holding a radio. Her blue eyes were a duller shade than the vibrant color they usually were. Her voice was flat and dull, with next to no emotion or inflection. "We're going to head out in the morning for Ba Sing Se. They're probably patrolling the city right now. This will give me time to figure out transportation to the train."

Asami glanced over at Kuvira, who was still sitting on the ground in the corner. Her olive green eyes lit up a bit in the dark shadows. She pursed her bottom lip, before taking in a deep breath. "I'm coming with you," she declared, before looking over at Korra.

The Avatar looked as if she wanted to respond but bit her lip instead. The two stared at each other, a wordless conversation passing between them. Kuvira looked down at her wrists, a light scare encircling each one. She followed every bump and ridge with her eyes, before looking up at the ceiling. She started to count the tiles, anything to keep herself as small and unnoticeable.

"Your company," Korra finally muttered.

"It doesn't matter right now," Asami said firmly. "What does matter is getting her to Ba Sing Se…safely." As Korra stepped into the room, walking in Kuvira's direction, the engineer held up a hand. The darker girl instantly stopped walking, and nodded once before leaning up against the wall. Kuvira licked her lips and swallowed hard as Asami dropped to her knees in front of her. "There is something I could use your help with when we're in the Earth Kingdom."

"What is it?"

"Do you know how to get into the nation's background records?" Asami asked.

AN: Think of Asami and Kuvira like Katara and Zuko from A:TLA. That will give you a hint on how I plan on portraying their...relationship, if you can call it that. Plus, Asami calling Korra "Avatar Korra" is pretty significant, so pay attention to that in the upcoming chapters.