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 16

The next morning, Asami woke up with the smell of burning wood filling her nose. She yawned loudly, rubbing her eyes before sitting up. Peering out the doorway of the rock teepee, she noticed Korra and Kuvira sitting around the small campfire, poking at the wood with sticks and talking quietly.

She scrambled to her feet, ducking low and emerging from the rock teepee "Are you nuts?" she asked; her voice scratchy and gravely. Kuvira glanced up at her, quickly working on the buttons of the Future Industries jacket she was wearing. Slipping her arms out of the sleeves, she held out the jacket towards the engineer, who took it with a nod of her head.

Asami wore a red tank top underneath the Future Industries red and black jacket. Her pale arms glowed brightly underneath the sun. Kuvira was surprised that the girl was paler than her, especially since she hadn't been out in the sunlight for a close to a year, at this point.

"No, we're hungry," Korra answered, her lips threatening to shift into a sneer. Asami rolled her eyes. It was known in the Krew that the Avatar hated mornings, and she was much snippier when she would wake up early and not having anything to eat.

"A train could be passing by," the engineer hissed. "Someone could see the smoke in the sky." She bent down and picked up a handful of sand, tossing it onto the flames. She watched as it died down a bit. "How could you two not think about this?"

"It's hard to think when you're hungry," Kuvira answered, rubbing her eyes. She yawned loudly before resting her elbows on her knees. She tossed her stick into the fire pit, entranced as the flames engulfed the dry wood.

"So why didn't you make anything?" Asami asked.

"The food is in your pack," Korra mumbled.

Kuvira looked up from the fire, her olive green eyes locking on the engineer. She brushed a stray lock of hair off of her cheek with her shoulder. "We didn't want to wake you."

Asami glanced back and forth in between the two of them before ducking back into the rock teepee. She rummaged around her bag before pulling out the smaller pack that held their non-perishable foods. It was a line from Future Industries that was to be due out in stores in the next few months. A few of the food items only needed to have water added to it to make it ready to eat. She was able to snatch a few prototypes before leaving.

The engineer re-appeared out of the teepee with the pack of food underneath her arm and three water bottles. She passed one to Korra before tossing the other in Kuvira's direction. The metelbaneder blinked in reaction, but raising her hand and catching the water bottle with ease. "What were you talking about?"

"Disguises." Korra cleared her throat. She uncapped her water bottle and took a long sip. She wiped the excess off of her chin with the back of her hand as Asami passed out the small packs of food. "Kuvira and I already have some. Now it's your turn." She frowned, reading the instructions on the back of the brown package.

"Why would I need a disguise?" Asami wondered. She ripped open the brown pack, poured a little bit of water in, and then refastened the package. The minute it closed, the bag popped and fizzed, puffing up like a balloon. Korra and Kuvira watched in fascination as steam started to pour out from a small opening. A few moments later, the bag deflated. Asami re-opened the bag and started to eat the eggs and sausage from the inside with the fork that came with her food pack.

"Asami, you came up with this?" Korra gasped.

"Well, when I found out about the number of people in…her army," Asami started, titling her head to the side in Kuvira's direction, "I didn't think soldiers would get enough nutrition. So, Satopacks," she concluded. The Avatar and the metalbender glanced at each other before adding the water to their food packs. "You still haven't answered my question."

"Pretty soon word is going to get out across the nations that Kuvira is on the run with the Avatar," Korra mumbled around a mouthful of food. Kuvira watched her, her nose wrinkling in disgust as she shoveled more food in her mouth. "Then, you just so happen to disappear around the same time?"

"I could be away on business." Asam shrugged, pushing a forkful of food past her red lips.

"To a messed up Earth Kingdom transitioning from monarchy to separate states that are still dealing with looters, vandalism, and pure chaos?" Kuvira pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

The engineer paused mid-chew, looking sharply at the metal bender. She exhaled through her nose, before continuing to eat her food. After swallowing and taking a long sip of water, before slowly inhaling. "I'm sure I could spin it some way," she finally answered.

"Face it, Asami. We have to lay low right now, and this will be the only way," Korra said gently. She then turned towards Kuvira, pointing at her clothing with her fork. "People have already seen you in Earth Nation gear but if we keep her mole covered up, she keeps wearing those fake glasses, and maybe change one or more other things, then she'll be fine."

"What about you?" Asami wondered.

"I blend in fine," Korra grunted. "Just trust me on that one." The engineer peered closely at the Avatar, noting her discomfort. The darker girl had pushed her empty snack pack to the side. She began to bounce her right leg up and down. Kuvira had noticed her change in disposition, but remained quiet, continuing to eat her food.

Help.

Kuvira frowned, before looking over her shoulder towards the forest on the other side of the railroad tracks. The leaves rustled, but no wind was blowing. The intensity from the sun caused her to begin to sweat. A drop slid down her forehead and into her eye, burning with intensity. She flinched, and wiped at her eye before returning her gaze to the forest. Everything was still.

"Okay, what's your plan for me?" Asami asked.

Korra gulped loudly. She snuck a quick glance over towards Kuvira, who shook her head and took sudden interest in a bug that crawled along the cracked ground. "You're not going to like it."

"Try me."

"Well, changing your clothes will be simple, but we need something drastic." Korra cupped her hands together, resting her elbows on her knees. She pressed her lips against her knuckles, and remained silent. As the moments passed, Kuvira grew bored of watching the bug before looking up at the Avatar. Korra locked eyes with her and raised her eyebrows high.

The metalbender rolled her eyes before clearing her throat, catching Asami's attention. "You're going to have to tone down your makeup a bit," she muttered. "People in the Earth Kingdom don't follow the same makeup styles as those from the Fire Nation." Kuvira looked over at Korra with a raised eyebrow before shoving a forkful of food into her mouth.

Asami looked in between the two of them, noting their eyes narrowing as they were caught in a staring contest. "Someone say it," she ordered, causing the two benders to jump in their seats.

Korra breathed hard, slowly shaking her head. She cleared her throat twice before looking at the engineer with her bright blue eyes, filled to the brim with discomfort. "I think you should cut your hair."

The engineer threw her fork and snack pack into the fire. Kuvira's eyebrows rose in shock at the fast reaction. The pale girl shook violently, her green eyes sharp in a glare. Her lower lip trembled. "No," she said firmly. Her voice cracked. A tear clung to the edge of her eyelashes. "It's the last thing I have of her. I won't let you," she sobbed. As a tear slid down her cheek, she turned and ran back into the rock teepee.

Korra moved to stand up, but paused when Kuvira reached out and grabbed her by the elbow. The Avatar shrugged and motioned toward the rock teepee, nodding once. Kuvira cleared her throat, and walked towards the shelter, stopping to pick up the Future Industries jacket the engineer had dropped when she fled.

Stopping at the entrance of the teepee, she crouched down, peering through the doorway. Asami sat with her back to the entrance, sniffling and running a comb through her long hair. Kuvira crouched low and shuffled into the shelter. The engineer paused when she heard the dirt shifting. "Korra, I just want to be alone right now," she snapped.

"I'm not Korra," Kuvira murmured. Asami glanced over her shoulder, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion, before scoffing and returning to her grooming. The metalbender walked up behind her, taking a seat on the ground. She folded up the jacket and placed it next to the engineer on the cool ground. "I understand what you're going through."

"How?" Asami slammed her comb onto the ground before turning, her green eyes blazing. The redness from her tears caused her green eyes to stand out even more.

Kuvira pointed to her cheek, right on her cheekbone to where her beauty mark rested underneath her eye. "I have the same birth mark as my own mother." The minute the sentence left her mouth, Asami physically deflated. "I always hated it when I was younger. I was teased all of the time for not being clean enough, always missing a spot on my face." She traced a finger on the ground through the dirt, making various swirls and shapes. "The kids would say we were too poor to own any soap." She swallowed against the lump that rose in her throat, her breathing began to shake. "Then, when they left, looking in the mirror was the only thing I had of my parents. While I did harbor a lot of pain, confusion, and resentment towards them, they were my parents for eight years. Now, this mole is all I have left of her."

Asami remained silent, picking up the comb, brushing it through her long raven locks once more. She watched the metalbender with a new intensity as her tears still slid down her cheeks. "When Korra helped me leave Air Temple Island to sneak into your place of residence, I cried when they covered up my mole with makeup," she admitted. "I didn't look like myself and I didn't feel like myself." Kuvira bit her bottom lip. "Most importantly, I didn't look like my mother anymore. At that point, I felt like she was gone for good."

"I still have a family picture from when I was six," the engineer blurted out. Her eyes widened as she gasped in shock at her admission. She slowly shook her head, looking off at one of the rock walls in disbelief.

"Then, that is something you can hold onto," Kuvira said gently. "Hair always grows back. It'll be hard to deal with at first, but you still have something physical to hold onto." She reached a hand out, shaking, moving it towards the engineers shoulder. She paused before placing it back into her lap. Instead, she leaned forward and pushed the jacket even closer towards her. "That's just my two cents."

Asami slowly dropped her hand, placing her comb onto her jacket. She turned around and faced the metalbender. Her dark locks fell over one eye, a few strands sticking to her forehead from the humidity and heat. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

"You're welcome," Kuvira answered. The muscles in her right cheek twitched, tugging at the corner of her lips, trying to push out a smile. The two sat in silence, glancing at each other other, breathing calmly.

"I need to ask you something," Asami muttered. "It's about Korra-"

"Asami, Kuvira, come here! Quick!" the Avatar shouted, her voice echoing around the rock teepee. The two woman got to their feet in an instant, crouching low as they stepped out of the shelter. Kuvira winced and shielded her eyes against the bright sun as she followed the Avatar's voice across the train tracks over to the forest.

"Look," Korra whispered, pulling a few branches out of the way. Asami and Kuvira stepped forward, looking into the foliage. A little girl wearing tattered green clothes, barefoot and her hair a mess, looked up at the two of them with her large green eyes swimming with tears. She swayed on her feet, exhaustion tugging at her eyelids.

"She must have left Ba Sing Se, looking for help," Korra muttered. "She doesn't look to be more than three, four maybe."

"I knew I wasn't making that up," Kuvira whispered.

"What do we do?" the Avatar questioned.

"We can't take her with us," Asami said firmly. The darker girl and metalbender quickly turned in her direction, their hair whipping around and striking them in their faces. The engineer blinked rapidly, reaching up and tugging at her earlobe. "That would bring a lot of unwanted attention," she pointed out. "Besides, how would it look to have three woman enter a city with a baby?"

"Toddler," Korra corrected her. Kuvira crowned down low, making herself eye level to the little girl. She reached out and brushed a clump of mud off her the girl's cheek. The child looked up at her with her green eyes, suddenly becoming calm, her crying ceased. Kuvira cupped the little girl's cheek, marveling at its softness.

"We're not leaving her," Kuvira said. The little girl stretched her arms out, grabbing at air. The metalbender reached forward, wrapped her arms around the child, lifting her off the ground. The girl instantly relaxed in her arms, quickly dozing off.

"But-" Asami started. She slowly pulled her lips into a straight line when Kuvira turned in her direction, a harsh glare set upon her features. Her olive green eyes flashed dangerously. Korra lightly placed a hand on the engineer's elbow. "Okay," she said quietly.

Kuvira balanced the little girl on her hip, placing a hand on the back of the little girl's head, pulling her close into her chest.

"I'm not abandoning her," Kuvira said quietly.