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 15
"So, what's your plan on when we get to Ba Sing Se?" Asami wondered, slinging a pack over her shoulder. She closed her satomobile door close with her hip. Slipping her arm into the other strap, she positioned the back around her shoulders and reaching behind her to pull her ponytail out of from between the pack and her back. "Where will she stay?" she whispered.
Korra muttered something as she placed her pack onto her back. Kuvira jumped out of the satomobile, readjusting her blue shirt, a hand-me-down of sorts from the Avatar. Her dark hair was pulled back into a bun that rested on the crown of her head. A pair of glasses sat on the bridge of her nose, reflecting her eyes to make them look bigger than they were. Makeup was applied to cover her beauty mark, something of which she largely protested when Asami was applying the cosmetic early in the morning.
"What did you say?" she asked.
Korra answered a bit loudly, but a passing train laid on its horn as it pulled into the station. Kuvira covered her ears, wincing at the harsh sound. Glancing over at the entrance to the train station, she noticed a group of five men dressed in suits walking stiffly through the front doors. She cocked her head to the side, and squinted.
"What?"
The horn of the train cut off just as soon as Korra shouted, "I said, I didn't get that far." Her dark cheeks turned bright red when she noticed people in the parking lot looking over in their direction. She grabbed Asami and Kuvira by the wrists and ducked down beside the car.
"You don't have a plan?" Asami hissed. Korra jerked her thumb in the direction of the train station, motioning for the two to follow her, still crouched low, moving along the rows of cars. She readjusted the green arm bands tightly around her wrists. She was dressed in the Earth Nation clothing she had acquired during her three year absence. Not many people in the city had seen her outside of her traditional blue, black, and white clothing from the Southern Water Tribe. "You're helping a fugitive cross nation boarders, and you didn't think this all the way through?"
"Well excuse me for not having your genius brain," Korra answered sharply, "and in case you forgot, when plans don't work with Team Avatar, we tend to make things up as we go." She turned towards Kuvira and raised one shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll figure that out soon enough."
Asami readjusted the pack on her shoulders. As they neared the entrance Korra shuffled around one satomobile before straightening up and walking stiffly into the entrance. Kuvira and Asami held back, waited a few moments before hurrying into the train station after the Avatar. The engineer handed Kuvira her pack, before smoothing out her hands on her black skirt. She was dressed in her usual business attire, walking with her head held high and her jaw set. The two made their way over to the giant board of flipping cards.
"So?" Kuvira whispered as she scanned the departure and arrival times.
"Ba Sing Se," Korra answered. She reached up and tapped her fingers on the earliest time. "It's departing soon. Let's hope there are some tickets left." She looked over at Asami. The two shared a long look before Asami stepping around them. Korra reached out and lightly grabbed her by the arm. The raven haired girl turned and looked back at her. "Are you sure? You do have a company to worry about."
"Yes, I'm sure." Asami glanced down at the hand around her wrist. Korra slowly uncurled her fingers. "My vice president can handle things."
"No, that's not what I meant." The Avatar shook her head. "You worked so hard to bring around the reputation of the company after your father was found to be supplying the Equalists with weapons. The company couldn't hit a bigger blow than finding out its new CEO helped a fugitive cross nation boarders."
"She is more wanted to atone for her mistakes in the Earth Nation than here. While she did cause destruction, she didn't decimate the hierarchy or ruling of this city like she did in her home nation," Asami answered steadily. "I do expect some backlash; however, I don't think it will be at the grand scale as my father."
With that, Korra made a hand gesture towards the ticket booth. Asami nodded once, took a deep breath, and made her way over to the older man sitting behind the glass. She put on a bright smile as he looked up from his papers. "May I have three tickets on the next train to Ba Sing Se, please?"
"Are you sure you want to visit, Miss Sato?" the man questioned, pulling out three train tickets. "While the city is making headway on regaining order, it is still a mess."
"Yes, I'm sure," she answered with a nod. "There are some things I need to take care of." He shrugged, stamping the tickets with an approved symbol before handing them to her.
As the three of them walked over to their platform, they passed by numerous people, whispering loudly. "Is that the Avatar and Asami Sato?"
"It's Miss Sato alright, but I don't think that's the Avatar. She looks different."
"The Avatar usually wears blue. That can't be her. Just a copycat; someone trying to act like a vigilantly wanting to fix the Earth Nation, just like the last of them. Don't forget what happened when the Great Uniter came through, offering us false hope."
Kuvira swallowed against the hard lump that rose in her throat. She tilted her head back and blinked hard, before shaking her head. Korra walked up to the platform, her shoulders square, her jaw clenched. Asami handed her the train ticket before passing one over to Kuvira. The metalbender half-smiled in thanks, which she wasn't too sure the engineer noticed because she quickly turned away once the ticket was in her hand. Kuvira inhaled deeply, slowly letting out her breath before glancing down at the other end of the platform.
The five men from earlier were standing in a small clump, their hands clasped together in front of them. A loud train whistled echoed around the station as it pulled up in front of them. Asami stepped forward and boarded the stairs, handing her ticket to the conductor. Korra filled up behind her, handing over her ticket. Kuvira noticed the five men entering the train at the back end.
"Ticket?" the conductor pressed.
Kuvira blinked, before facing him. She slapped her ticket into his hand before brushing past him. She immediately tensed up when she felt a strong grip on her elbow. Korra and Asami paused looking back at her, sharing a slight look of worry as the metalbender slowly turned and faced him.
"Here's your stub," the man said with a smile. The metalbender nodded once and received the piece of paper. She offered him a smile before following Korra and Asami through numerous compartments. Eventually the two picked one that was the most empty, only holding a handful of people. Kuvira immediately took a seat and looked out the window, glancing at the other people rushing around the station. A few moments the train departed. Soon they were leaving Republic City and heading for the Earth Nation. As they moved out of the station, Kuvira looked at the destruction in the lower end of the city. Frowning, she glanced at her hands, her shoulders slumping and her pulse racing, heading towards her uncertain future.
Many hours later and the train still hadn't reached Ba Sing Se. The sky had turned a light purple as the sun began to set, stars glittering in the velvet background. Asami deduced that they were taken a different route because of the destruction of the tracks leading into the city from Prince Wu's kidnapping attempt. Luckily, she had thought ahead and brought a few spare bottles of water and food. While Korra desperately wanted to purchase some food from the cart that passed by every hour on the hours, Asami convinced her otherwise, not wanting to leave an electronic money trail.
Kuvira was seated on one side of the train on a bench, staring out the window. Korra and Asami sat opposite of her, with one train seat in between the two. Asami was reading the newspaper for the fifth time while Korra people watched. Every so often she would catch a young child's eye and make funny faces at them, causing the child to bust into a wide smile.
The metalbender shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She glanced down at the train car and spotted the five men wearing business suits, looking back at her. The minute their eyes locked they became engrossed in the radios hooked on their side pockets or in the books they were holding.
"What's wrong?" Korra asked, tapping Kuvira with the tip of her shoe against her shin.
"They entered the train station before we did," Kuvira answered quietly, jerking her head in the men's direction. "They didn't have any luggage on them."
"So?" she asked.
"Something's wrong," Kuvira muttered in Korra's direction. Asami glanced up from her newspaper before shifting her gaze over to the five men seated near them. She instantly folded it up the paper and tucked it underneath her seat. Leaning over, she grabbed Korra by the wrist, she squeezed hard. "I think they're watching-"
"The one with the mustache," Asami hissed. "He was one of those two cops who were giving Mako a hard time when he became was a beat cop a few years ago," she explained. "They're part of Lin's police force."
"She knows," Korra gasped.
At that moment, the air cracked to life. The five men jumped up from their seats, shooting out spools of metal from their jacket sleeves. Korra wrapped an arm around Asami's waist pushing her over to the opposite side of the train. Kuvira reached out and placed her hands on the engineer's shoulders, steadying her.
"Thanks," Asami muttered, instantly pushing away. Korra picked up a briefcase and three it over her shoulder, followed by an umbrella, and then a book – which she snatched out of a stranger's hands. The few other people in the train car gathered up their belongings and their children before bum rushing to the next compartment.
The two remaining metal cables looped around the nearby polls, propelling the police officers forward. Kuvira quickly held her hand out, curled her fingers into a fist, and twisted her hand to the right. The pole that held one of the metal wires broke in half, sending the undercover police officer to the ground. Korra did the same motion, causing the other metal pole to slightly bend. She grunted in pain as the police officer grabbed the metal pole and swung his body around, kicking her in the abdomen. Kuvira snapped the metal wires before grasping the frayed end in her hands. She quickly jumped to the other side of the train car onto the seats, bending the wire around and around in circles up the police officer's body before he toppled over to the ground.
Korra grabbed her side, standing back up as the metalbender inspected the dented pole with a raised eyebrow. She flicked it before turning her green eyes towards the Avatar with a half-amused look. "What was that?" Kuvira asked, motioning to the pole.
"Metalbending isn't one of my strong points," Korra admitted breathlessly.
Kuvira rolled her eyes before sighing hard. She gasped, pushing Asami out of the way before ducking as a food cart was jettisoned towards her head. Korra cried out as it clipped her shoulder. Kuvira glanced over as Asami fell to the ground, grunting in pain and grasping her arm.
The metalbender slowly straightened up, narrowing her eyes, her lips shifting to a deep frown. A sense of calm washed over her body as she became rigid, tensing up her muscles. As the train rocked along the tracks, she remained upright. Her mind cleared off all thoughts as she began to see red, focusing on the two men in front of her. Slowly lifting her hands, she curled her fingers into fists, placing them right by her cheek bones. Cracking her neck, from the left to the right, she shifted her stance before bouncing lightly on her feet.
Asami nudged her on the arm, causing her to jump. Kuvira instantly relaxed, loosening her stiff muscles. She dropped her hands, her tunnel vision widening, before she turned towards the engineer, who wearily stared at her, her green eyes filled with betrayal and fear. Kuvira glanced at her in confusion, before noticing the raven-haired woman pointing up at the ceiling.
Kuvira crouched down low before lifting her arms in the air. She slightly curled her fingers and moved her hands apart. The metal roof of the train split down the middle, before scrunching up against the frame. Wind quickly enveloped the compartment, blowing loose leafs of paper around. Asami quickly scaled one of the poles up to the roof of the train.
The metalbender helped Korra to her feet before pushing her over towards a pole. As the Avatar shimmied up, Kuvira bent one of the spare poles and flung it in the direction of the five undercover police men. It smacked them all in the chest, sending them back a few feet before they double over in pain. Kuvira bent the metal to wrap around them, locking them in a tight embrace.
She then scaled one of the few poles that were left intact, climbing up onto the roof of the train. She glanced around, noticing a wall of trees on one side of the train, and vast desert on the opposite side. Kuvira crouched down low and moved her hands together, bending the metal of the train roof back in place.
"Jump!" Korra shouted. She waved her arms in the air, creating a small vortex. Looping her arm around Asami's waist, the engineer automatically placing her right arm around Korra's neck, the two of them jumped off of the roof of the moving train. Kuvira leapt after them, feet first. The minute she touched the ground, she bent the earth to catch her weight, causing her to sink down until her upper body was sticking out of the ground. She pressed her hands down and pushed herself up before brushing the dust off of her clothing.
Korra and Asami landed gently beside her, the air she conjured up acted like a cushion. "Are you okay?" she asked, glancing worriedly in Kuvira's direction. "How are your knees?"
Kuvira bounced lightly, testing her joints. "Everything is fine."
"We're still a way's away," Korra commented. She watched as the train continued on down the tracks, disappearing behind a bend. "We're going to have a lot of walking to do tomorrow." With that, she dropped her pack to the ground before glancing at their surroundings. Flat ground stretched for miles, but on the other side of the tracks was collection of trees. Judging by how little foliage was left in the area, Kuvira concluded that the land was going to be used for expansion, but the project was never picked up.
"Wait, where are we going to sleep tonight?" Asami asked.
"Here," Korra answered, pointing at the ground.
"Where?" she questioned. Korra and Kuvira looked at one another before stomping a foot into the ground. Two slabs of rock popped up from the ground, forming a teepee. "We're going to sleep on the ground?"
"Asami, you slept on the ground when we were in the Spirit World and when we were hiding out in the sewers when the Equalists attacked," Korra pointed out.
"The ground was Spirit Ground and formed to the curves of our bodies," the engineer said slowly. Kuvira dug her heel into the ground, turning it from left to right. The ground in the rock teepee began to smooth out. She glanced back and forth between Asami and Korra, watching their argument unfold. "When we were in the sewers, the other evacuees had makeshift bedding. This will kill my back."
"We're just going to have to make do with this for now," the Avatar answered stiffly.
"I understand that, but if you had let me bring the air mattress-"
"It would have brought too much attention to us at the train station."
"We already brought enough attention to ourselves, especially since we just had to jump off a few moments ago-"
"There you go," Kuvira interrupted, pointing to the inside of the rock teepee. The two women looked over at her before peering into the opening. The metalbender had moved the ground so that it was flat of rocks and resembled sand. Asami stuck her boot in and rubbed it against the ground. "I'll sleep out here."
Korra frowned in confusion. "But you can bend a shelter," she pointed out.
"I've been locked up indoors for months," Kuvira answered, glancing up at the night sky. Her eyes widened a bit s she glanced at the vast night sky glittering with stars. "I want to feel the Earth," she added.
Korra shrugged before offering up a quiet goodnight. She grabbed her pack and Asami's before stepping to the side, allowing the engineer to enter before her. Asami glanced at her out of the corner of her eye before ducking down under the narrow opening. Korra silently followed her, glancing over her shoulder to see Kuvira making herself comfortable, as much as she could, before passing Asami her pack.
The engineer flashed a brief smile of thanks before unzipping it, digging around and muttering something about a flashlight. Korra snapped her fingers and ignited a small flame in her palm, moving it closer.
"Ow," she hissed, pulling her arm back. Korra had moved the flame too close and brushed it against the engineer's jacket.
"I'm sorry," she muttered, snuffing out the flame in her palm. "I was just trying to help." Korra rolled up the sleeve of Asami's jacket, checking her pale skin for a burn mark. The engineer brushed her arm away, before pushing the sleeved back down.
"I know," Asami answered with bite. Korra nodded once, lowering her eyes. "This is fire proof. I'm fine." she added.
Korra huffed, rubbing her hands over her face. Asami reached her arm back into her pack and let out a light cry of happiness when she found her flashlight. Flicking it on, she set it down on the ground, casting the light at the top of the rock teepee. A moment later, she reached into her pack and pulled out a blanket. "Can we talk about it?" the Avatar asked.
Asami flicked the blanket up in the air, before snapping it out. Korra jumped at the sound, watching as the engineer covered herself with the blanket. Sighing and placing her hands into her lap, Asami looked over at the darker girl with a slight raised eyebrow. "This isn't exactly the time to talk about it. Let's just focus on getting her a safe place to stay in the city."
With that, she pulled the blanket up to her chin and rolled onto her side, presenting her back to Korra. The Avatar ran a hand through her hair before nodding twice. "Thank you for helping."
"You're welcome," came a curt reply.
"Good night, Asami," Korra said gently. She pulled her pack over and laid it horizontally on the ground. After pressing her hand into it, finding the softest spot, she laid down, with her back towards the engineer. Crossing her arms over her chest, she breathed deeply before closing her eyes. The Avatar held her breath, listening to the raven-haired woman's steady breathing, her heart sinking with her steady pulse.
Korra couldn't help but smile when she heard Asami breathe, "Good night, Korra."
She didn't call me Avatar Korra. That's a good sign. It's something.
Asami shifted before opening her eyes. She yawned loudly, rubbing her eyes before sitting up. Peering out the doorway of the rock teepee, she noticed Kuvira lying by the now extinguished camp fire. She was sleeping in the fetal position, her hands used as a pillow, her feet curled up underneath her.
The engineer shook when she felt a gentle breeze flow in through the door opening. Next to her, Korra was still sound asleep, her head propped up on her pack. Her bare arms weren't covered in goose bumps, unlike the ones sprouting up underneath her jacket.
The wind outside of the rock teepee was much stronger, blowing the foliage in the area, causing a loud rustling sound to fill the silence. Kuvira shook violently against the gusts of wind. Asami glanced at the blue clothing the fugitive was wearing, noting that they were a tad bit too big, and were a bit threadbare in a few places. The engineer had mention to Korra that she needed to go shopping for new clothing numerous times, and whenever the Avatar returned from the trip she'd be sporting new workout gear.
The engineer sigh hard before crawling out of the rock teepee and waking over to Kuvira. With every step, she worked on the buttons of her jacket unfastening them with shaking hands. Slipping it off of her shoulders, Asami held her breath and lightened her footsteps, walking cautiously towards the sleeping woman.
Kuvira's eyes snapped open and she sat up. Startled, Asami gasped and jumped back, causing herself to trip over a log from their campfire and landing, hard, on her backside. Her face turned a bright red as she scrambled to her feet. "What's going on?" Kuvira asked sleepily. "I heard your footsteps." Another gust of wind picked up and blew her disheveled hair around.
Asami didn't answer. Instead, she walked behind the metalbender and crouched down onto her knees. She gently grabbed Kuvira' right arm and slipped it through the jacket sleeve. Once it was fully rested on her shoulder, she moved onto her left arm. As soon as she jacket was placed fully onto her shoulders, Asami shuffled to the front and buttoned up the jacket.
Kuvira watched silently, her head cocked to the side as Asami placed the jacket on her. The minute the last button had been fastened, the two locked eyes. The wind died down, causing a soft stillness to the area. Kuvira furrowed her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes. In return, Asami clenched her jaw, regarding the metal bender with a raised eyebrow of her own. As the seconds passed, the two continue to stare at each other, their gaze turning harsher and harsher.
The two women jumped as an animal in the brush let out a loud growl. The engineer cleared her throat, tearing her gaze away from the fugitive, brushing a lock of her dark brown hair behind her ear. Kuvira swallowed hard, glancing down at her clothing, running a finger along a threadbare patch. Asami turned back towards her and sighed hard, catching the metalbenders attention. When they locked eyes once more, Kuvira faltered. The engineer's green eyes were softened with exhaustion and what looked to be a slight glimmer of compassion. Before she could comment on it, the glimmer faded.
"Good night," Asami simply said before making her way back to the teepee. Kuvira watched her leave before glancing down at the jacket, the tips of her fingers sticking out of the sleeves. She half-smiled before lying back down and dozing off to sleep.