Korra read the words once, twice, then a third time. And she still couldn't wrap her mind around what was happening. She crumpled the paper in her hands and angrily looked at Mako.

"On what charges?"

Mako gave her an exasperated look. "Really, Korra, I know you can read. But, since it's still not clear, let me sum it up for you." He ticked them off on his fingers as he spoke. "Violating the terms of her imprisonment. Faking her own death to escape and evade captivity. Wrapped up with a nice little bow of, fugitive from justice."

He turned and nodded at two of the officers behind him. They immediately moved forward and Korra saw that they had platinum shackles in their hands. Kuvira could barely stand on her own two feet without assistance right now and Mako wanted to put her in shackles, like some dangerous criminal? Screw this, Korra angrily thought.

She quickly placed herself in between Kuvira and the officers, drew herself up to her full height, crossed her arms, and glared at them. It wasn't often she used her status as the Avatar to intimidate people, but she was more than happy to do it right now.

And it worked. The officers stopped and exchanged nervous glances, unsure if it was wise to challenge her. Which, at the moment, it definitely wasn't.

"Korra," Mako said patiently, but she could hear the warning in his voice, "get out of the way and allow my officers to do their job."

"No," Korra defiantly replied, "not until I speak to Lin. As the Avatar, I demand to speak to the Chief about this."

"Korra," Kuvira said quietly from behind her, "just let it go. You're not going to talk him out of this."

Korra ignored her and continued to glare at Mako, who just shrugged. "That's fine, but do me a favor and look at the arrest warrant again. Tell me who signed off on it."

Something in Mako's tone told her she wasn't going to like what she saw, but she uncrumpled the piece of paper anyway and read it again. Sure enough, as she'd suspected, it wasn't Lin's signature at the bottom. To her complete and utter surprise, it was President Moon's. She glared at Mako again. "What's the meaning of this? What happened to Lin?"

"Well," Mako started, impatience creeping into his voice, "when I told President Moon that not only had the former Chief known Kuvira was still alive, but she had also helped to keep it a secret, she was more than happy to fire her, right on the spot."

Korra's eyes went wide, before narrowing again in anger. "This is wrong, Mako, and you know it."

Mako's eyes also narrowed and he took a menacing step toward Korra. "In this case, the opinion of the Avatar is just that: an opinion. The law is the law and Kuvira broke it. Now, are you going to let my officers do their job, or am I going to have to arrest you, too, for obstructing justice?"

"Korra," Kuvira hissed, "let it go. He's right."

Korra turned around and saw that Kuvira had already resigned herself to her fate. Her shoulders slumped. "It's not fair though."

"It doesn't matter," Kuvira replied. She glanced behind her at Nayuh and Korra saw the pained expression on her face. "Promise me you'll stay here with her? She needs someone she knows here when she wakes up."

"I will," Korra promised, "you have my word. And, I swear to you, I'm going to fix this."

Kuvira gave her a small, but clearly forced smile. "I'm not sure you can, but I appreciate you saying it."

Finally, and with a great amount of reluctance, Korra stepped to the side. Mako nodded at the officers again, who moved forward–albeit with a lot less vigor this time and glancing warily at Korra. A few moments later, the shackles were secured around Kuvira's ankles and, more awkwardly, her wrists.

Even though one of her arms was clearly unusable, the officers decided to cuff both wrists, leaving Kuvira to hold her left arm at a weird angle to accommodate. To her credit, she didn't complain, but Korra didn't miss the slight shudder that her entire body gave. It only served to anger her further–nothing good had happened the last time Kuvira had been shackled in platinum, and Korra had a feeling her friend was thinking the exact same thing.

"Where are you taking her?" Korra asked as the officers started filing out. The two who'd shackled her held Kuvira by her elbows as she shuffled out of the room, her head hanging in defeat.

"The city's main prison," Mako answered. "We have a few cells specifically tailored for earth and metalbenders."

Korra nodded once, then turned her back on him, walking over to Nayuh's healing pool and taking a seat. Mako was supposed to be her friend, not her enemy. Sure, he'd changed a lot in the last few years, but she never, in a million years, expected him to do something like this. It broke her heart almost as much as it did seeing Kuvira hauled off.

The healer that had been working on Kuvira was conversing with Asami in a low voice, but Korra kept her attention on Nayuh, avoiding her healer's concerned look. She was on the verge of losing control of her anger, and the only thing she could think to do was sit right here and keep her attention on Nayuh. She'd promised Kuvira she'd be here for her girlfriend and she intended to keep that promise.

That's why it took a while for her to realize that Mako was still in the room. She angrily turned to him. "Why are you still here? Read the room, Mako…we don't want you here." She glanced at Asami, hoping she shared in that sentiment, and saw, much to her satisfaction, her wife was also glaring at Mako.

"Job's not done yet," he simply answered.

"What else could you possibly want?" Asami angrily said. "You already got what you came for."

Mako shrugged, seemingly oblivious to how angry his friends were with him. Or he truly didn't care. And if that was the case, then Korra knew that her friend had definitely changed. Instead of answering Korra's question, he walked over to stand next to her and addressed Nayuh's healer.

"Do you have any idea when she might be waking up?"

Korra's eyes went wide as she instantly realized why he was asking. She jumped to her feet before the healer could answer him. "No…absolutely not. You're not arresting her, too. She has nothing to do with this, Mako."

"She doesn't?" Mako retorted, raising an eyebrow at her. "She's here with Kuvira isn't she? Helped her enter the city, kept her little secret this entire time…I'm pretty sure that falls under aiding and abetting as well as being complicit."

"You want to charge someone with aiding and abetting?" Asami put in, angrily striding across the room. "Then charge me."

Korra's eyes went wide and she opened her mouth to protest, but her wife silenced her with a sharp look. "I'm the one who employs Vira, I'm the one who invited her up here, it was my airship that brought her and Nayuh here, and she was going to be staying at my house."

She crossed her arms and her eyes were full of fire. "This isn't about justice. This is about your personal vendetta against someone who's paid for her mistakes, in full, a long time ago."

Mako suddenly looked unsure of himself. Korra knew that Asami had hit the nail on the head, and it was clear Mako didn't know what to do. He didn't seem like he wanted to arrest Asami, but if he didn't, he'd prove her point about this being nothing but him carrying out a personal grudge against Kuvira.

Finally, he sighed and squared his shoulders. "If that's how you truly feel about it…"

"It is," Asami firmly stated, squaring her shoulders as well. Korra stared between the two of them, wondering if she was really seeing this.

"Fine," Mako said. "Asami Sato, you're under arrest for aiding and abetting a known criminal and being complicit in her crimes." He reached behind him, going for his cuffs, but Asami waved her hand dismissively.

"That won't be necessary," she said, "I'll come willingly." She turned to Korra, who stood stock-still, still staring in disbelief. "Call the attorney and let him know what's going on. With both me and Vira. She's still my employee and he'll know what to do."

Korra numbly shook her head. "Asami…you don't have to do this."

"Yes, I do," Asami replied, her tone far more gentle than it had been mere seconds before. "Nayuh is innocent. I'll be fine. Stay with her until she wakes up, just like Vira asked you to. And call the attorney as soon as you can. And you might want to call your father as well. News of this is going to get out and he needs to hear it from you, not secondhand."

Korra nodded, wondering how Asami was managing to stay so calm right now. If she'd had her way, Mako would be the one locked up right now. Or needing a healer. She took a deep breath. One thing at a time. "Okay," she said, "I will. As soon as I talk to them both, I'll come see you."

Asami leaned in and gave her a kiss. "I love you. Take care of Nayuh. She needs you the most right now. Vira and I will be okay."

"I will, I promise," Korra said softly, feeling a tear slide down her cheek. "I love you, too."

Asami reached up and cupped her face with her hand, before wiping away the tear with her thumb. Korra leaned into her touch for a moment, then Asami pulled her hand away and turned to go. Mako hesitated for a moment, still looking uncomfortable. Then he sighed and followed Asami out.

Korra watched them go, still not quite believing what had happened. First Kuvira, now Asami? Lin fired? She sank down to the ground, her mind swimming. The wave of emotions she'd just experienced in the last ten minutes left her sick to her stomach and unable to formulate a coherent thought.

Take care of Nayuh. She needs you the most right now. Asami's words gave her a focal point, allowing her mind to narrow until Nayuh's well-being was the only thing that mattered. She stared at Nayuh, not seeing or hearing anything else. She'd completely forgotten there was another person in the room until the healer finally spoke.

"Was that the Kuvira your cop-friend was talking about?" she tentatively asked. It took Korra a moment to figure out that she was talking to her, and she finally looked up.

"What do you mean, the Kuvira?" Korra warily asked, still very much on edge. "And I'm not sure I would call him a friend…not anymore."

The healer looked like she regretted asking and Korra tried to stifle her anger. None of this was the healer's fault. "I mean…uh…you know," the healer stammered, "the one everyone talks about here. The 'Great Uniter' or whatever, the person who tried to conquer Republic City."

Korra sighed. There was no easy answer to that question. "Yes…it was. But also, no, it wasn't. I know that doesn't make any sense, and it's entirely too complicated to explain, but she's not that person anymore. Hasn't been for years."

The healer nodded slightly, but instead of looking angry, as Korra had expected, she just looked thoughtful. "I only moved here about a year ago, so I wasn't here for whatever happened. I was still in the South. I only know what my friends have told me. You said her name was Vira, right?"

Korra nodded. "Yeah, it is now. Like I said…it's a long and complicated story."

The healer shrugged. "I might not know of 'Kuvira', but I do know a Vira. From the Southern Water Tribe." Korra's intensely wary gaze focused on her and she suddenly looked nervous. "Okay, I don't know her, like personally. I know of her. My brother knows her."

Korra relaxed a little, then nodded. "He must work at the factory then."

The healer cracked a smile and Korra saw her posture also relax slightly. "He does. Ever since it opened. He loves it, but I'm pretty sure it's not the work he likes so much."

Korra raised a curious eyebrow at her and the healer chuckled. "The only reason I've even heard the name Vira is because every single time I talk to him, he mentions her. I'm pretty sure he has a massive crush on her."

Korra couldn't help herself and laughed. The healer grinned. "Should I tell him he has absolutely no chance with her?"

"Nah, that'll just break his heart," Korra replied. Then her humor was gone and she sighed. "That's actually her girlfriend you're treating right now."

The healer's eyes went wide and she looked at Nayuh. "Oh. Well then. He really doesn't have a chance."

It was quiet for a few minutes before anyone spoke again. "What are you going to tell her, when she wakes up?" the healer asked.

"The truth," Korra replied. Then she grimaced. "She's not going to take it well."

"No, I imagine she won't," the healer agreed. "I know I wouldn't. Why was Vira arrested anyway? From everything my brother has told me, I don't doubt your claim that she's not the 'Kuvira', or whoever, everyone knows."

Korra sighed again. "Like I said before...it's complicated. Long story short, she's not supposed to be here, in Republic City. She came for work, for the factory, because Asami, who's her boss, asked her to." Korra angrily shook her head. "We should've known better than to try and bring her up here. And now I have no idea how we're going to fix this."

The healer gave her a sympathetic look. "You couldn't have known what was going to happen. And that factory is one of the best things to happen in the South in a while. Regardless of whether he has a crush on her or not, my brother has never said anything bad about working there. The fact that she came up here for work, despite the risks, means she at least cares about something other than herself. That's more than a lot of people can say."

Korra gave her a wan smile. "Now you know why I said she's not the person she used to be."

"Hey, you don't need to convince me," she said, returning Korra's smile. "I'm Lusa, by the way."

"Korra. But, you obviously already knew that." She gave Lusa a sheepish look and the healer chuckled.

"It's still nice to officially meet you. And, I'm pretty sure she" –she nodded towards Nayuh– "is going to be awake soon."

Korra nodded and they both fell silent, watching Nayuh for any signs that she might be waking up. Twenty minutes later, they got some. Nayuh began twitching in the water and Korra mentally braced herself. This wasn't a conversation she was looking forward to having.

Finally, Korra heard a small gasp, then a groan and she stood up, so Nayuh could see her. It took Nayuh's eyes a few moments to focus but when her gaze flicked between Lusa and Korra, Korra knew she immediately understood where she was.

"Korra," she croaked out, "what happened?"

"You were in an accident," Korra answered, and even through the fogginess and pain, Nayuh got the sense that this wasn't the first time Korra had answered that question. "You're at Republic City's main hospital right now."

She gave Nayuh a small, but obviously forced smile. "I'm sure you'll want to judge their healing facilities for yourself, but for now, just try and relax. Lusa here was trained by Katara too, and she definitely knows what she's doing."

Nayuh looked up at the healer standing on the edge of the pool she was in. It felt like it took an eternity for her brain to make the connection, but eventually, it did. "Lusa...I think I remember you. Weren't you a few years behind me in training?"

Lusa smiled. "I was. And the fact that you could recall that tells me your memory wasn't affected by the accident. But, just to make sure, do you feel up to answering a few questions?"

Despite the fact that her head was throbbing and it felt like trying to form any kind of thought took an enormous amount of effort, Nayuh nodded. She'd treated head injuries before and she knew this was part of the protocol. The only question now was, how much could she actually remember?

"Where are you?"

"Republic City," Nayuh immediately answered, making a mental note that at least her immediate short-term memory was working. "At the main hospital."

Lusa nodded, smiling slightly. "Good. What's your name?"

"Nayuh." Then, knowing what question was coming next, added, "My mother is Kia and my father is Tarrak. I have two brothers, Tulok and Panuk."

Lusa chuckled. "Should've seen that one coming, given your training. Alright, let's try something a little harder. What were you doing six months ago? Doesn't have to be specific, just give me the first memory that pops into your mind."

Nayuh took a few moments to answer, as she tried to think back to what she was doing six months ago. Then she smiled. "I was on Kyoshi Island, for our annual vacation." Nayuh saw Korra smile as well, remembering. It had been an amazing two weeks for the four of them–

"Vira!" Nayuh said, suddenly remembering why the trip had been so amazing. "Korra where's Vira?" She tried to sit all the way up, but her body protested and she had to settle for leaning against the back of the pool.

Korra suddenly looked very uncomfortable, as well as sad, and Nayuh was sure her heart stopped for a few moments. "Korra…" she said in a small voice, "...please tell me she's okay...please…"

Korra exchanged a look with Lusa, who seemed to nod imperceptibly. "She's okay," Korra finally said, her voice soft. "But…" She trailed off and a look of profound regret crossed her face.

"There's really no good way to say this." She held Nayuh's gaze, seeming to steel herself for her next words. "She's been arrested. By Mako. For violating the terms of her house arrest order."

"What?!" Forgetting for a split second that she was still seriously injured, Nayuh bolted upright in the pool. Then the pain came roaring forward and she sank back down with a groan, squeezing her eyes shut against the roiling nausea.

"I really need you to lay still," Lusa said, her tone making it plainly clear that despite the fact that they were both master healers, she was in charge and Nayuh needed to remember she was the patient. "You're a long way from being able to get out of there yet. And it's going to keep getting longer, the more you try and move."

Nayuh grunted her acquiescence, knowing she was going to get sick if she tried to talk. She did as Lusa asked and laid as still as possible, trying to let the warmth of the healing water soothe the searing pain coursing through her entire body.

Finally, the nausea subsided, as did the pain, to at least a more tolerable level. She cracked her eyes open again, leveling her gaze at Korra. "How did Mako find out?"

"You and Vira were extremely lucky you survived the accident," Korra said. "The driver wasn't as lucky. Mako got called in to investigate and…well…"

"He recognized Vira," Nayuh finished, in a resigned voice. Then something occurred to her. "But, Lin is the Chief of Police, right? Can't she overrule him or something?"

Korra grimaced and shifted uncomfortably. "Lin was the Chief of Police. Honestly, I'm still not entirely sure what happened, but I have a good idea. I'm betting Mako went around Lin and straight to President Moon, the first chance he got. He must've told her everything because the President fired Lin immediately and Mako showed up here with an army of guards to arrest Vira."

Nayuh took a few minutes to let her sluggish brain process that. She could kill Mako. For everything he'd done to Vira in the last few months. He was lucky she was lying in this pool right now, injured. If she wasn't, he'd be a dead man. Cop or not.

"Was she at least not as injured as I am?" Nayuh finally asked.

Another look was shared between Lusa and Korra, then Korra said, "Not exactly…her injuries were pretty serious as well."

"And he still took her?" Nayuh incredulously asked. Although, she didn't know why she was so surprised. Mako had managed to kill Vira, for at least a few minutes. Why should he care if she was injured or not?

"Yeah…" Korra said. "I tried to stop him, I swear, but…Vira asked me not to."

Nayuh closed her eyes for a moment and sighed deeply. "That sounds about right. So…what now? Is there anything we can do?"

Korra half-heartedly shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. I was hoping Asami could help me figure it out but…she got arrested too. Which reminds me…are you okay if I step out for a few minutes? I really need to call Future Industries' head attorney as well as my father."

"Why was Asami arrested?"

"For bringing Vira into the city," Korra answered. "Mako wanted to arrest you, but there was no way either one of us was going to let that happen."

Nayuh gave her an angry look. "You should've let him arrest me. That way, I'd at least have a shot at ending this, once and for all."

"Mako's a good man," Korra said with a sigh. "I don't know what's gotten into him over the last year. He's changed so much, and not for the better. I don't know…maybe it's my fault for not spending as much time with him as I used to. Life just got so crazy busy and…"

She trailed off and shook her head. "Anyway…we're going to figure this out, I promise. I'm not going to let Vira sit in prison for the rest of her life. Not with everything that's happened over the last few years."

Nayuh nodded, as best she could. "We can't let that happen. Go call your dad and the lawyer. See what they have to say, then we can maybe start working on a plan to get her and Asami out."

"Alright," Korra said, getting to her feet, "I'll be back as soon as I can. I'm sure I don't even need to ask, but as soon as you're cleared to leave, do you want to go over to the jail and see if we can visit both of them?"

"Absolutely," Nayuh replied. She glanced up at Lusa, who shrugged.

"It's still going to be a few more hours before I think you'll be ready to go, but I'll try and see if I can speed up the process. You can help by relaxing completely. I know it's probably hard to do, but you have to try."

Nayuh grimaced but nodded. "I'll try."

Korra left a few moments later. Nayuh tried to relax into the water as best she could, knowing that the faster she healed, the faster she could leave, and the faster she could go see Vira. It felt like she was dreaming and she kept waiting for the moment that she'd wake up and see Vira lying next to her, sleeping peacefully.

Instead, she was in a waking nightmare, one where her deepest, darkest fear was coming true, right before her eyes.

Kuvira kept her eyes trained on the ground as she shuffled after the police officers in front of her. She focused on putting one foot in front of the other, both to keep her mind off the searing pain that would jolt through her body with every step, and to avoid the eyes of everyone she passed. She knew people were staring–she could feel their eyes on her, judging her, even if they didn't know what was happening.

Speaking of what was happening, she still couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that she was shackled again and being hauled off to prison. This can't be real, was the only thought that kept floating through her mind, even though, deep down, she knew it was very real.

And on top of everything else, her mind kept wanting to remind her of what had happened the last time she'd worn platinum shackles. Every time an image would flick through her head, her whole body would shudder, which only added to the growing pain. Even if she had been able to fight back, she wouldn't of, for fear any defiance would be met with unending pain and torture.

This isn't Lake Laogai, she tried reminding herself. But reality didn't seem real anymore, so maybe this was Sying's doing. She chanced a glance at the officers in front of her, needing to check and make sure that her mind was just playing tricks on her. She sighed in relief, seeing that they were indeed wearing the uniforms of the Republic City police force, and not the ones the Zaofu guards wore.

She took a few deep breaths, trying to force the memories away. It worked, somewhat, but the terror was still there, bubbling just underneath the surface, threatening to break free.

It felt like it took an eternity to leave the hospital, but finally, they walked outside. It was daylight again, and Kuvira squinted against the mid-day sun as she was led to a waiting paddywagon. Instead of forcing her to try and step up into it (which Kuvira knew was never going to happen in her current condition), one of the officers bent the earth underneath her feet and lifted her up high enough that she could step inside.

The two officers who'd been holding onto her arms this entire time stepped in with her and forced her to sit on one of the benches. Then the door was shut and Kuvira swallowed hard, hoping against hope that these officers weren't planning on violently assaulting her like Rao and Yaisu had.

Fortunately, they didn't seem too interested in her at all and spent the entire ride to the city's main jail discussing the most recent pro-bending matches. They grabbed ahold of her arms again once the vehicle stopped moving, and forced her to stand. Kuvira had to squint against the sunshine again as she emerged from the truck, but when her eyes finally adjusted, she froze.

Someone had tipped the media off (and Kuvira would place every single bit of money she had on Mako), and there were two men with cameras waiting at the entrance to the jail. As soon as they saw her, they rushed forward, cameras flashing.

Kuvira ducked her head, letting her hair fall around her face and trying to block their view as best she could. Maybe they'll see how injured I am, and realize I'm not a threat to anyone anymore. But even as she thought it, she knew that wouldn't be the case. This city despised her, and rightfully so. Seeing her hurt and locked up would only satisfy them.

The men with cameras were shouting questions at her, but she ignored them, trying to hurry as best she could to get inside and away from them. Mercifully, the guards seemed even more annoyed than her at the sudden attention, and all but drug her the rest of the way to the door.

Then they were inside and everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. She'd been through the in-processing here before and numbly went through the motions again. All she wanted was to be taken to whatever cell they were going to place her in and lie down. The pain was becoming unbearable and she wasn't sure how much longer she was going to be able to stay on her feet. And unlike at home, she couldn't have Nayuh grab water from the sink and do an impromptu healing session on her.

Nayuh. Just thinking her name brought tears to her eyes. She tried to blink them back, not wanting to show any weakness in front of the officers. She knew they'd pounce on that and it would only make her time here even more miserable.

I hope she's okay. Kuvira longed to see her, to hold her, to hear her voice. She wondered what Nayuh would say when she found out what happened. Hopefully, she wouldn't be too upset with her for completely ruining their trip up here.

The betrothal necklace. She'd completely forgotten about it and now, terror even greater than the kind she'd felt thinking that this was a repeat of Lake Laogai, seized her. Kia will actually kill me if I lose that. She tried to think back to where she'd placed it, then remembered she'd packed it in her bag the day before they'd landed in Republic City.

Now, because of the accident, spirits only knew where her bag was. She'd need to ask Korra as soon as she saw her. If she even comes to see me, she thought, then immediately chided herself. Of course, Korra would come to see her. She'd tried to stop this entire thing from happening. She still cared, just like Nayuh still cared. It was the only pleasant thought she'd had in the last hour or so and Kuvira tried to cling to it the best she could.

It wasn't easy to focus on much of anything though, and her thoughts were a jumbled mess as she was finally led into the lift. She knew all the specialized cells for benders of every element were located on the uppermost floors–it was where she'd been initially held until her very first tribunal hearing. After that, she'd been taken to what she'd deemed the "super-prison", which was deep in the mountains outside of the city.

When the guards finally stopped outside one of the cell doors, Kuvira froze. The last time she'd been held here, the fact that the entire cell was made out of wood hadn't fazed her. Now…now, she stood rooted in place, staring at the solid wood door, her feet refusing to move even an inch forward as the door swung open.

She could hear the guards yelling at her to move but she wasn't in Republic City anymore. She was under Lake Laogai, staring into the entirely wooden cell she'd been held in. It was the second time today she'd been assailed by an intense flashback, the kind which she hadn't experienced in a couple of years.

It was only when one of the guards shoved her hard, in the back, did she snap out of it. She stumbled forward into the cell but took too big of a step to try and balance herself. The shackles on her ankles pulled tight, but her momentum kept her going. She just barely managed to turn her body in midair as she toppled over, saving her damaged right side from taking the brunt of the impact.

Fierce pain tore through her anyway as she hit the wooden floor, unable to catch herself since her hands were cuffed. She didn't make any attempt to move or get up as the guards laughed. Even if she'd wanted to do either, she couldn't. Her entire world was nothing but pain and she was powerless to stop the tears from streaming down her face as she helplessly lay there.

"Welcome back, Great Uniter," one of the guards mockingly said, as he removed the cuffs and shackles. He and the other guard laughed again, then Kuvira heard the door slam shut and lock.

It took a very, very long time before Kuvira found the strength and willpower to try and sit up. When she did, she crawled over to the small bed and leaned against it, taking stock of the cell. It was as plain and basic as she remembered it being the last time: a small bed, a tiny slit for a window near the ceiling, a platinum sink/toilet combo in the corner.

She sighed heavily and tried to force the images of Lake Laogai from her mind again. It was no use. She was too tired to fight them off, andin too much pain to do anything other than submit to the terror that had been trying to overwhelm her since she'd gotten out of the healing pool. Her body trembled uncontrollably, from both the pain and the fear.

This can't be real. But, even as she thought it, Kuvira had to wonder if this had always been her reality, and her life in the South had been nothing but a dream. It certainly seemed that way right now. Nothing but an amazing dream, one she'd had to wake up from at some point.

She closed her eyes, hoping that when she opened them up again, she'd be back in her dreams. Back in the South, in her apartment, with Nayuh lying next to her. Back where she truly belonged.