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 20

Kuvira breathed deeply as she awoke. She winced as she sat up, lightly poking the side of her neck. 'That'll make a great sunburn' she thought, stretching her arms over her head. Glancing over to her right, she frowned, noticing the empty space. "Where…," she muttered. Looking up she spotted Asami sitting across from her, pouring over a textbook on the history of BaSingSe, her jacket punched up behind her back, acting as a cushion as she leaned up against their rock shelter. "Where's Ayaka?" she asked. Asami looked up from her text, and raised an eyebrow. "Where is she?" Kuvira demanded.

"Korra took her to use the bathroom, don't worry." Asami closed the textbook before slipping it into her pack. She pointed over her shoulder towards the giant rock that stood out in the middle of the desert. "They're over there. They didn't want to wake you."

Kuvira leaned over to see where Asami was pointing, groaning as her neck muscles twitched, and sore from sleeping on it at the wrong angle. "How long was I out?" she asked.

"A few hours," she answered. Asami pulled out a snackpack and poured some water in before passing it to Kuvira along with a plastic fork. "We're almost in the city. We should be able to get their by sunset." Earlier that morning, the small group continued on their trek towards BaSingSe. Around the early afternoon, they had stopped so that Kuvira could rest. What started as a quick nap, turned into a deep slumber.

"Thank you," Kuvira said as she received her food. "I guess I haven't really gotten used to being outside again after being indoors for eight months." She chewed her food, focusing on the sounds of the fork scraping against the inside of the snackpack to fill the silence. "Not that I…didn't deserve it…" she mumbled when Asami shot her a pointed look.

The engineer looked over her shoulder, glancing over at the giant rock before facing forward once more. She breathed in deeply, patting her hands against her knees. Clearing her throat, she caught Kuvira's attention. Crossing her arms over her chest, Asami tilted her head to the side. "Why did you lie earlier?" she asked.

Kuvira's eyebrows furrowed as she continued to eat her food. She placed a hand over her mouth, and pushed the bits of food around in her mouth, moving it towards her right cheek.. "Lie about what?" she asked, before continuing to chew.

"When I asked you if you were in love with Korra," Asami pressed. "You lied. Why did you lie?"

The metalbender stopped chewing, her right cheek puffed up with food. She pulled her lower lip into a tight line, staring straight ahead out into the vast desert, refusing to look over at the engineer. She forced herself to swallow the food, which she found difficult to do with her suddenly dry throat. After a small coughing fit, she placed her empty snackpack onto the ground next to her. "I…I didn't-"

"Don't," Asami said gently. She scoffed, slightly shaking her head. "I'm the CEO in a male dominated world," she reminded her. "I know how to act stoic and in control too."

She groaned and slapped herself on her forehead, slowly running it over her face. Before she could respond, Ayaka ran up and dumped herself into Kuvira's lap, snuggling into her chest. The metalbender patted her lightly on the head, before moving to stand. Asami watched her with a raised eyebrow before greeting Korra when she returned to their camp.

"Is everyone ready to go?" Korra asked. She stomped her foot onto the ground, sending the rock shelter back into the Earth. She made sure the top layer was smooth and undisturbed. Asami slipped on her jacket before picking up her pack and placing it onto her shoulders.

"Are we almost there?" Ayaka asked. She lifted her head and stared up at Kuvira, her wide green eyes filled with hope and wonder.

"Are we?" Asami asked. Kuvira held the child close to her body as she moved to stand up. Akaya turned in her arms and rested her head along the metalbender's collarbone, playing with the collar of her shirt.

"We're very close," she announced. "Soon we'll reach the ruins of the Outer Wall."

"That's where Azula used a massive drill to puncture the wall and claim the city in the name of the Fire Nation and Fire Lord Ozai during the Hundred Year War," Korra announced. Asami and Kuvira looked at her in a mix of shock and amusement. "Yes, I read," she said dryly. "Besides, I couldn't sleep last night and Asami's textbook was the only thing that bored me enough to sleep." She wiped her forehead free of sweat before turning on her heel. She lifted a finger in the air and marched forward. "Well then, let's get to it."

Hours later as the sun began to set, the small group of four arrived in BaSingSe. They hopped on a train from the inner ring up to the middle ring. The lower ring, to Kuvira's surprise, was advancing further in the past few years she assisted the city. While there were many whom were still homeless and jobless, it wasn't in too much disarray.

A pit formed in the middle of her stomach when she spotted a 'Great Uniter' flier on one of the train station's walls. She looked into her harsh, cold eyes, frowning at her stoic face. Reaching up, she ripped down the poster off of the wall, bunching it up in her hands and throwing it in a nearby trash can.

Once the group disembarked the train and entered the middle ring, Ayaka skipped up to a fountain that was erected in the middle of the Square. Kuvira quickly ran after her, fear rising up her spine as the little girl passed an older man sitting on the sidewalk. His clothes were tattered and torn, his hair unkempt. He reached out towards Ayaka when she was in close distance. Kuvira stormed up to the man and glared at him, growling low underneath her breath. He shrank backwards, muttering an apology.

"This city looks to be doing okay," Korra commented.

"When I left, there were many things that still needed to be done," Kuvira muttered. She grabbed Ayaka by the arm and pulled her out of the way as a cabbage merchant's cart rolled down the street at high speeds. The merchant chased after the car, yelling at everyone to get out of its way.

"It looks like King Wu is doing a fantastic job," Asami added. "I'll go get us some rooms for the night." She pointed over to a hotel across the street around the fountain. Kuvira elected to stay outside and watch Ayaka when the child made it clear, by screaming, that she wanted to stay by the fountain.

"Welcome to BaSingSe's Four Nations, how may I help you?" the woman behind the counter asked. Asami stepped forward, pulling her wallet out of her pocket. Korra stood next to her leaning against the counter. The woman glared at her and smacked her on the arm with a rolled up newspaper.

Korra jumped back, frowning, and rubbed the spot on her arm. Asami gently pushed her to the side before clearing her throat. "We would like two rooms please," she answered with a polite smile.

The woman nodded before flipping open the book that sat on the counter. She picked up a stamp with her left hand, hovering over the book as she scanned the pages. "One," Korra said. The woman looked over at her before clicking her tongue. She pushed the book to the side before pulling another one out from underneath the counter.

Asami looked over at the Avatar as the woman began to flip through the pages. "Why one?" she asked.

"Why two?" Korra countered.

"For you and me," she answered, pointing in between the two of them, "and then for Ayaka and…her."

Korra smiled politely and held up a finger. She turned towards Asami and placed a hand on her shoulder. The woman pulled the blue book for two-room reservations back towards her and began to flip through the pages once more. Leaning forward, Korra turned her head to the side and dropped her voice. "Look, Kuvira has to stay under my watch. Just to make sure nothing happens." She looked out at the doorway of the hotel where Kuvira was sitting on a bench. She watched as the little girl found interest in the fountain sitting in the middle of the city's Square. "She can take one bed and we can take the other," she said at regular volume.

The woman behind the counter snapped her fingers and moved to press the stamp onto a blank box. Korra reached out and grabbed her by the wrist. She shook her head, before smiling brightly. The woman looked over at Asami with a raised eyebrow. The engineer shot a quick glance over at the Avatar before nodding once. "Fine, she gets her own bed, but I don't feel comfortable sharing-

"Oh," the woman interrupted. Asami and Korra looked at her, sharing a frown. The woman's eyes glittered with happiness and understanding. Kuvira sighed loudly as she entered the lobby of the hotel, brushing her bangs out of her face.

"Hey, what's taking so long?" she asked. Glancing over her shoulder, she checked to make sure Ayaka was still playing at the fountain. The little girl giggled happily when a turtle duck landed on the water's surface, gently floating along the ripples.

"I understand now." The woman smiled. Korra and Asami looked over at Kuvira, who stared back at them with raised eyebrows, before facing forward. The woman's smile brightened as her eyes fell on Kuvira. The Avatar coughed loudly, her cheeks turning pink as she rubbed the back of her neck. Kuvira looked in between the three of them in confusion as Asami rapidly shook her head.

"No," Asami said slowly. "I don't think you do."

"It's none of my business what you do behind closed doors," the woman answered. She stamped an empty box in the book for single rooms. Asami blinked as the woman closed the book with a loud snap. She placed two sets of keys onto the counter before plucking the cash out of Asami's hand. "The Earth Nation prides itself on being progressive."

"No, ma'am," Asami insisted. "You're mistaken. We're not-"

"Enjoy your stay," the woman cheerfully greeted. She placed Asami's change onto the counter before folding her hands together, placing them onto the counter. Korra quickly scooped up the three items before grabbing Asami by the elbow, who in turn was insisting that nothing was going on, and leading her away from the counter. Kuvira stepped out of the lobby and picked up Ayaka, before following the two of them up to their floor.

"Well, there's a tabloid headline for you," Asami muttered, crossing her arms over her chest: "Sato Escapes to BaSingSe; Enjoys Three-day Weekend Threesome."

"The Earth Nation doesn't print trash," Kuvira said. Ayaka yawned loudly before squirming in Kuvira's arms. The metalbender groaned as she received a kick to her abdomen. The young child whined, fighting against Kuvira's grip. "We pride ourselves in distributing true and important news," she muttered.

"And besides, you're not Asami here, you're Ami," Korra reminded her, her blue eyes lit up in amusement.

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" the engineer demanded.

"Hey, I can't help it if the Avatar is loved by many." Kuvira froze as Asami looked over at her. She quickly shifted Ayaka in her arms and began to rock back and forth, whispering an Earth Nation lullaby into her ear, stroking the back of her head. Asami plucked a set of keys from Korra's hand before unlocking their hotel door.

Korra flicked on the light and tossed her pack by the side of the bed before jumping on top of it. She pulled her shoes off before leaning back, sighing happily as she relaxed on the soft sheets.

"She gave us a room with one bed," Kuvira commented. Ayaka continued to whimper in her arms. She removed her hand from the young girl's hair to her back, lightly dragging her nails along her spine. "I'll sleep on the floor," she offered.

"No, it's okay," Asami muttered. Kuvira looked over at her, watching in silence as the engineer placed her pack on the floor by the dresser. She pulled her hair down from her ponytail, fluffing it up with her hands. She took a deep breath, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "It's big enough for all of us. Ayaka needs some comfort and she's basically attached to you so-" she was interrupted by a loud snore from Korra.

The metalbender and the engineer looked over at the sleeping Avatar. She was curled up on her left side, her arms tucked underneath the pillow. Asami walked over and shifted the sheets from underneath her girlfriend, before moving them up to her chin.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Kuvira said once Asami straightened. She began to rock back and forth, lightly bouncing the little girl in her arms.

"You're welcome."

"I'm not sure I understand, though. I thought you hated me-"

"I do," Asami answered quickly. She then lifted one shoulder before shaking her head. "I did. Or, at least I thought I did…but I don't know you enough to hate you," she added. She slipped off her jacket before hanging it up in the room's closet. Taking a seat on the end of the large bed, she made sure not to disturb the sleeping Avatar. "I do dislike you though," she finished. Kuvira grunted before checking to see if Ayaka was asleep. The minute she felt the deep breaths on her neck she slipped the young child into the bed next to Korra. Pulling up the sheets, she tucked them underneath the girl's chin. Kuvira ran a knuckle down the girl's cheek before patting her lightly on the head.

Asami watched as Kuvira walked over towards the door, turning on the overhead light. The metalbender jerked her head, motioning for the engineer to come over. The raven-haired girl patted Korra's sheet covered leg before getting up and crossing the room, her arms over her chest.

"Dislike me all you want, I can handle it," Kuvira whispered. She raised a shoulder, her olive green eyes darkening with guilt. Asami watched as she lowered her head, chewing on her bottom lip. "I deserve it after what I did," she added, "but why did you ask me about the nation's background records?"

"…Because I need your help," Asami answered.

Kuvira rolled her eyes, sighing hard as she lifted her head. "So you say. What do you need my help with?" she demanded.

"I want to know if I have any family here."