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 23

Kuvira winced, shielding the sun from her eyes as she and Asami exited the hotel they were staying in. A few passerby's nodded in their general direction, smiling. Noticing the gesture, she looked around the streets, confounded by the bright disposition of the residents of Ba Sing Se's Lower Ring. Even for being known as the most impoverish section, each person acted as if they weren't in dire straits.

This place really has changed for the better. Did Baatar and I really do this? Do people really thank us for creating a difference, even though the rest of the world wants to see us suffer? Not that we wouldn't deserve it…although, if that were true, I wouldn't be running away from my punishment…And yet, this is the only way to prove that I want for things to be different. This is my chance to do it, the proper way, how I initially started this unification project…

"Let's go over here," Asami instructed. Kuvira remained silent as she followed the engineer down the street. They turned a corner and quickly entered the shopping district. Tents, booths, and stalls were set up. Shouting and laughter filled the air as people did their business, bartering for common and expensive clothing materials. "Help me find something in a medium."

"What for?"

"I'm going to have to change my clothes. You as well, I'm guessing." Asami looked over at Kuvira out of her peripheral. "You must be tired of wearing water nation and air nation clothing." Kuvira looked down at Korra's water tribe gear. Tugging the warm material away from her abdomen, she silently agreed. "Besides, the last time I was in the Earth Nation, there was a bounty put over my head for stealing the Earth Queen's airbenders." Asami rolled her eyes. "There's bound to be supporters or the Dai Li roaming around. They'd easily recognize me in my fire nation attire, not to mention this Future Industries emblem on my jacket."

"That would be nonsensical," Kuvira stated. She frowned when an older woman brushed against her shoulder, forcing her way over to a stand that was selling green and gold robes. "Since the passing of the Earth Queen, Prince Wu…King Wu, was next to take over the throne, so-"

"So, you kind of ruined that plan." Asami turned and faced Kuvira, raising an eyebrow. "Or did you forget?" she asked.

"I have not," she answered, evenly. Lifting her chin, Kuvira stared Asami down. "I am only trying to state that the money for the bounty would be King Wu's. I don't think he would continue the warrant out for your arrest." The right corner of her lips twitched as she reached up and rubbed her temple. "At least not without toying the idea of a date first."

Asami tilted her head to the side, peering closely at Kuvira. "…He hit on you too, didn't he?" she deduced.

"Yes, he did make an attempt," Kuvira muttered. She cleared her throat before dropping her arms, clasping her hands behind her back as she fell in line behind Asami, moving through the crowd. She glared darkly at another woman who smacked her in the hip with her purse. "It was ill-worded, clearly him trying to aim high and show off his wealth." She noticed a stall that had pictures of King Wu on the front of t-shirts. "However, he seems to be respected now," she commented.

Asami happened to notice the stall and walked over. Picking up one of the shirts from the top of a pile, she held it up in front of her, gazing at the photo, before handing it over to Kuvira. "Interested?" she asked, her voice light and airy. While an innocent question, the tiniest of glints in her green eyes caused Kuvira to roll hers, at the playful assumption.

"No," she deadpanned. Asami shrugged her shoulders before refolding the shirt, placing it back onto the pile. As Kuvira moved to follow, she noticed a beauty mark on a cheek, sticking out from one of the other piles. Moving the tshirts, Kuvira found herself staring down at her own face. The words "All Hail the Great Uniter" were spelled out in scripture both above and underneath the photo.

"Those shirts are selling like hotcakes," the woman running the stall explained. "It's such a shame about what happened. She really did help provide structure to this city."

Kuvira nodded before running after Asami, who was dodging the flow of people with ease. "What was it you were saying about the Dai Li?" she questioned, once she caught up.

Asami kept her head facing forward, her eyes darting from shop to shop, holding a Ba Sing Se travel book, open to a page on clothing. Kuvira would have asked where she picked it up, but quickly assumed it was from the hotel or the train station. "Growing up, I read many texts books about the 100 Year War. The Dai Li insisted that there was no war, no corruption in Ba Sing Se. That it was the safest place in the Earth Kingdom."

Kuvira snorted. "Zaofu also boasted this claim, and yet the Red Lotus was able to infiltrate the city."

"Very true. Avatar Aang and the rest of the group quickly discovered how corrupted the city of Ba Sing Se was, when he was searching for the sand benders who stole is sky bison, Appa," Asami continued. "Their suspicions of the Dai Li only grew when conversations of Lake Laogai came about."

"The Dai Li was originally created by Avatar Kiyoshi to help protect the city," Kuvira pointed out, "While she is not living anymore-"

"It doesn't matter," Asami interrupted. "The members of the Dai Li still have someone to believe in, and use that to insist that their actions are right, when they are the opposite." She paused outside of a store, tucked away behind rows of stalls and booths. She quickly glanced back and forth between the building's sign and the Ba Sing Se travel book, before closing it with a loud snap.

Asami reached into her purse, depositing the travel book, and pulling out her wallet. She popped it open, gazing at the currency inside. "Shoot," she muttered.

"What's wrong?"

"We're almost out of cash. Once I use my card, it'll be easy to locate us." Asami reached up, slightly readjusting the hair tie that held her ponytail in place. Frowning, she looked over at the store sign. "Around this time, everyone in Republic City would have to know that I'm missing as well."

"Didn't you delegate?" Kuvira questioned.

"Yes, and I paid all of my workers twice their salary to help keep the ruse. I told them, that if anyone were to come asking, I'm away on business," Asami answered, raising a shoulder. She placed a hand on her hip, shifting her weight to one side. "However, with Korra disappearing, along with Republic City's most sought after fugitive, it's only a matter of time before they connect the dots." She wiggled her eyebrows once. "In more ways than one."

With that, Asami walked into the clothing store. She raised a hand to cover her mouth before quietly sneezing. Kuvira coughed, waving her hand in the air, to clear the dust away from her. A thin layer coated every table, counter top, and mirrored surface. Kuvira wrinkled a nose as she followed Asami around the store.

The two moved quietly, shifting through various racks and bins. Kuvira noticed Asami froze when she reached into a box. Slowly, she removed her hand, wiped it onto the side of her jacket, and shuffled over to another section of the store, albeit very stiffly. Kuvira rummaged through the box Asami just looked through and let out a soft cry of disgust when she found a mold piece of bread tucked in between the folds of clothing.

Okay, maybe not everything in this city is progressing. I will have to make sure to tell Korra, to let King Wu know about this problem.

Two men dressed in Earth Nation attire stepped into the small store; one had short brown hair, and the other sported a thick black mustache. Kuvira felt a chill rise up her spine the minute she spotted them. Quickly turning away, she pretended to be interested in a piece of jewelry – which appeared to be fake – sitting on a mannequin. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the men walk around the room, with their hands clasped behind their backs.

Kuvira inhaled slowly, trying to steady her now racing heart. Her hands began to shake, a twinge erupted in her abdomen. She slowly walked around the store; picking up and trying on a few hats, inspecting the laces on a pair of shoes, and glancing at the price tags of belts, to keep herself busy. The two men appeared to stay near the entrance of the store, taking interest in the small trinkets and knickknacks.

Aftet a few moments, the man with the short hair looked up and over in Kuvira's direction. She felt herself immediately tense up when they locked eyes. She felt the shaking in her hands, intensify. Nausea raced up the back of her throat, the bitter smell of chemicals made her stomach roll. The lights in the store began to flicker; Kuvira jumped at each flash.

"Are you or aren't you going to pick something out?" Asami called.

All at once, the smells disappeared, the flickering lights ceased, and her stomach eased. The man who was staring at her before, looked away when he heard Asami called out. Pushing his sleeves up, a button fell off of his shirt, dropping to the floor.

Kuvira looked away from the two men, instead focusing on a rack of dark colored robes. "This looks good enough," Kuvira said, pulling a hanger off of a rack. Dirt brown pants were draped off the lower rack, a sleeveless dark green robe rested on top. An undershirt, the same shade as the pants, was hung on the two small hooks near the top of the hanger. Finally, a black belt and black socks were draped around the base of the hanger's hook.

Asami looked up from a rack of clothing across the room. She eyed the materials in Kuvira's hands with skepticism. "You're not going to try on a few different styles?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We're not here to shop," Kuvira snapped. "We're on a mission, remember? You're mission."

Asami exhaled sharply through her nose. She placed a hand on her hip, eyes narrowing in Kuvira's direction. The store owner stepped out from the back, carrying a few boxes in his arms. He grunted at the two as he made his way towards the front counter of the store. "I know that," she said evenly, "but it's good to have options."

"Fine." Kuvira looked to her right. She found another outfit, in the same style as the first one she chose, but its colors were reversed. "This one is nice as well," she declared, draping the clothing over her arm. Asami rolled her eyes before continuing to browse through the rack in front of her. She ignored Kuvira, who followed silently behind her, sighing impatiently from time to time. "You may want to wash your face," Kuvira said.

"Why?" Asami asked, lightly touching her cheek. She rushed over towards a mirror, checking her skin. "What's wrong?" Reaching up, she rubbed the forearm of her jacket along the glass, wiping off a layer of dust, before glancing closer at her reflection.

"Nothing, it's just your makeup," Kuvira pointed out. "You look too Fire Nation." She stepped up next to Asami, looking at her reflection. "Here in the Earth Nation, we go with earth tones, and the natural look." She pointed at her face, motioning towards the eyeliner, mascara, and light dusting of green eyeshadow on her eyelids. "Less is more."

Kuvira noticed the sudden shift in Asami's demeanor. Glancing sadly at her reflection, Asami reached up and touched the makeup around her eyelids, before running her thumb against her dark lips. Clutching the clothing to her chest, she marched over towards a dressing room. "I'll just be a moment," Asami said quietly.

Kuvira nodded, taking a few steps back. She stood near the dressing rooms, close enough if Asami were to call out, but giving her enough distance for privacy. The two men continue to stand at the front of the store, however, they didn't easily conceal that they were watching Kuvira. The man with the short brown hair smirked, before winking over at her. He then turned and started chatting with the man behind the counter, smiling gently.

Before Kuvira could move, Asami emerged from the dressing room, her backpack dragging along the ground, her head bent at a low angle. Kuvira followed as the engineer walked over to a floor length mirror. Quietly, Asami took a breath before glancing at her clothing in the mirror. She was wearing light green pants with a dark sleeveless green dress robe on top. A green headband was wrapped around the crown of her head, and her dark raven hair, was pulling back into a loose ponytail. Black forearm length gloves covered her hands, which matched her dark black shoes. "So?" Asami faced Kuvira, releasing her hold on her backpack and holding her arms out to the side. "What do you think?"

Kuvira remained silent, her eyebrows raising. She closely scanned Asami's face, sweeping past her eyebrows, towards her eyes, to the bridge of her nose, her lips, and then finally her chin. Kuvira held up a finger and plucked a smaller mirror off of a nearby table.. Wiping the dust off of the surface, she held it up in Asami's face. "…You look like me," she announced. Frowning, Asami received the mirror, peering at her own make-up free reflection.

"L-let's just pay, and go," she said quietly. Passing the mirror back to Kuvira, she placed her backpack onto her shoulders. Stepping around the metalbender, Asami headed towards the front counter. Kuvira turned and looked at the front door, hoping that Asami would take a look at the two men in the store, but they were nowhere to be found. Kuvira placed the two Earth Nation outfit she picked out onto the front counter. Asami waited, tapping a finger impatiently, as the store owner continued to unpack clothing from the boxes.

Kuvira walked towards the front door of the shop. A light crackling sound filled the silence when her foot came down on something small. Asami crossed her arms over her chest, sighing, a bit harder this time, when the man behind the counter finally noticed her and began to ring up their items.

Moving her foot, Kuvira bent down and picked up the small circular object. Rolling it around in her hand, she noticed that it was a button; however, it wasn't the type robe or shirt button. Printed on the front was a small lightning bolt. Kuvira's entire body turned ice cold as she inhaled sharply. Standing up, she stormed out of the shop and into the bustling streets. Ignoring the men and women who would bump into her, she looked over the numerous heads bobbing up and down with the flow of the crowd, trying to find them.

Asami exited the store, shoving the few yuan bills and coins into the pocket of her new Earth Nation clothing. "What are you doing?" she asked, once she spotted how alert Kuvira was, constantly shifting her position to look into the sea of people.

Kuvira turned to answer her, but paused, her eyes slowly widening. The two men were standing off down the sidewalk, staring at her with intent. Glancing down at the button

"Doctor," the guard with the keys greeted a man sitting in a corner reading a magazine. He looked up at the mention of his name and gave a curt nod, before taking in the sight of a battered and bruised Kuvira. He bit the inside of his cheek as she took in her surroundings. The two guards who had brought her into the room, picked her up and dumped her into the chair.

Kuvira grunted as the wind was knocked out of her. She gasped for air as the guard with the keys motioned for the other two to leave the room. As they turned, Kuvira caught sight of the icon on their shirts: small lightning bolts. They both smirked over at Kuvira before heading towards the exit. One of the guards reached into the breast pocket and pulled out a pair of Republic City police badges. The two fastened them over the lightning bolts on their shirts before exiting the room. Kuvira stared at the swinging doors, watching as her only means of escape closed.

"It's them," Kuvira said. She grabbed Asami by her upper arm, ducking back behind a stall. "It's them."

"Who?" Asami asked.

"The doctor," she hissed. "They worked with the doctor."

"What doctor?"

"They were on the train. Beifong's police force." Kuvira jerked Asami to her feet with a hard tug. "Run!" she ordered, tearing down the street, practically dragging Asami behind her. She sped up her pace when she heard shouts behind them, and then the barrage of footsteps.

Asami reached her hand behind her, slipping it into the top of her backpack and pulled out her electric glove. She slipped her hand inside and locked it onto her left wrist, firing up the center. Kuvira spotted the electricity and faltered over her two feet, stumbling to the ground.

"No," she shouted, when Asami reached out to help her stand back up. Glancing over her shoulder, Kuvira spotted the two men catching up to them. Rolling herself over onto her back, Kuvira rolled backward, popping herself back up to her feet with a kip up. She then dropped low, placing both of her hands on the ground as if she were to do a cartwheel, and began to swing her legs around in the air, performing an airflare.

Kuvira kept her eyes trained on the ground, focusing on the footfalls of the two men as they advanced. Once they crossed the street and stepped onto the sidewalk, Kuvira landed on her knees, slamming both fists into the ground. Two rock pillars popped out of the ground as the men stepped down with their right foot, sending it off in a different direction, causing them to drop into a split.

As they cried out in pain, Asami rushed over and shocked the two men with her glove. Kuvira ran up and gripped the engineer tightly by her upper arm, tugging her down an alleyway. Kuvira released her hold on Asami's arm, tearing down the maze of twists and turns.

"I think…they're coming," Asami wheezed.

Kuvira tried to slow down and look over her shoulder at the same time. Her heel caught on a protruding object, shifting her weight, causing her to begin to lean backward. Glancing over her shoulder, Kuvira spotted a dark opening behind her. Waving her arms to catch her balance, she spotted the two men emerging around a corner. Asami quickly stepped forward, reaching out for Kuvira's hand with her electric glove covered hand. The metalbender quickly moved her hand away, the motion causing her to topple over into an open cellar.

Crash landing on her hands and knees, she groaned as pain erupted in her joints. Coughing, Kuvira slowly got to her feet. Limping towards the door, she reached her arms out, and caught Asami as she was pushed through the opening. The force of Asami colliding into Kuvira's arms caused the two to fall to the ground.

"It looks like you did our job for us," one of the guards said, sneering down at the two of them. "Now, we just need to call up Chief Beifong and get her here as soon as possible." Kuvira helped Asami to her feet, checking her over for any injuries or bruises. The two men laughed as they each grabbed a cellar door, closing it shut. The light tinkling sound of metal floated on top of the air, soon followed by a quiet click. Kuvira growled darkly. She thrust her hand out, clenching it into a fist. Closing her eyes, she twisted her hand from the left and to the right. The metal chains and padlock didn't budge. She gasped in shock, slowly dropping her arm.

"Nice try," one of the other guards jeered. "These chains and locks are made of platinum. Only the best from Chief Beifong."

A sweat broke out over Kuvira's skin. She quickly turned away from the door, glancing around the stone walls and the racks of food and beverages. A rat squeaked loudly as it brushed by her feet, holding a piece of bread in its mouth. Asami brushed past her, pushing hard on the wooden door. Kuvira's hands began to shake as she looked around the room.

"We're trapped," Asami muttered. She whipped her forehead free of sweat. "The door won't budge." Placing her hands on her hips, she slowly walked around the perimeter of the cellar, lightly kicking at each piece of rock. "Everything looks pretty solid."

Kuvira hugged herself, rubbing her arms with her hands. Breathing shallowly, she placed her back against the wall furthest from the door. Kuvira's hands made its way into her hair as she collapsed onto her knees. "It's too small," she whispered. "It's like a cell."

"We have to find a way to tell Korra." Asami walked back towards the cellar door. Peering through the space of the wooden door, she made a noise of discomfort when she spotted the two men standing a few feet away. "She'll know how to get us out of this." Turning, she paused when she spotted Kuvira on the floor, rocking back and forth.

Kuvira's olive green eyes were in Asami's general direction, but they didn't seem to focus on anything. Her fingers ran up and down her scalp, causing her hair to loosen from the bun at the crown of her hair. Strands of her dark hair fell around her face.

"So small," she muttered. Asami rushed over, dropping to her knees. "…so small…the room…the doctor…" Asami gently placed a hand on Kuvira's shoulder. The metalbender flinched away, smacking her hand away. Kuvira pulled her knees to her chest, sitting down on the ground. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she dropped her head into her lap. "Don't touch me!" she shouted. "Don't let him touch me,"

"What's wrong?" Asami asked.

"I'm sorry," she chanted. "I'm so sorry. Please, don't." Kuvira lifted her head when she felt Asami's hand on her arm. Looking over at the engineer, her olive green eyes widened in fear. "Don't." she shouted. "Don't!"

"Look at me." Asami placed her hands on Kuvira's cheeks, turning her head in her direction. Kuvira's heavy breathing intensified with each passing second. "Everything is okay." Asami grunted softly when Kuvira pushed her away. The metalbender dropped to her side, pulling her legs up, nestling into the fetal position. "Everything will be okay," Asami said quietly. "Breathe in through your nose, and out of your mouth."

Kuvira gasped for air, before shakily inhaling through her nose. Asami nodded encouragingly, demonstrating the same action. When Kuvira glanced in her direction, they locked eyes. Asami didn't turn away; she kept her gaze steady, forcing herself not to blink. She smiled softly when she noticed the color returning to Kuvira's face. Asami grabbed a hold of Kuvira's hand, rubbing her thumb along the back of her knuckles. "You're safe," she whispered.