Asami woke up slowly. She lay on her back, hazily staring up at the wooden ceiling of the room she was in. Spirits, she couldn't remember anything. This was obviously the Air Temple but-

"You're awake!" Suddenly her vision was obscured by a mass of brown hair and a worried face. "The healers said you'd feel strange after last night, how much do you remember?"

She gingerly sat up in bed, pushing Korra's face away with one hand. "I'm fine." Asami's voice sounded raspy and uncertain, even to herself.

The last thing she remembered was the earth prison, and then.. Oh, she'd been an idiot. Of course she couldn't go that long without her medication- and getting into a fight? Pushing through the fever was hard enough, even without physical exercise.

Speaking of fever- it was gone. Her body was sore and strangely heavy, but there was no overbearing heat in her core. Asami frowned and glanced up at Korra- an unspoken question written across her face.

"Oh! Yeah, the healers brought in a-" The watertribe girl hesitated. "Actually I'm really sorry, we might have invaded your privacy by accident. The healers found some stuff and I'm not sure if you wanted to hide it or didn't know, but if it's a secret I promise I haven't told anyone or-"

"Korra," Asami's throat felt like sandpaper. "You're rambling. Can you get me some water?"

She didn't mean to be so blunt, but her head was pounding. Korra seems to understand though. The Avatar nodded, slipping out of the room- it gave her time to think at least.

So, Korra knew about her condition. Asami swung her legs over the side of the bed and rubbed her eyes. She appreciated the other woman keeping quiet, it wasn't exactly something she wanted the world to know. But the way the Avatar had reacted bothered her somewhat- she didn't want Korra to pity her. Agni's fire, she'd done enough of that years ago.

The fact that she needed medication didn't take away from her accomplishments. Asami knew that, but the idea of her only friends treating her differently suddenly made her feel very, very small.

Korra came back rather quickly, glass in hand. She gave it to the heiress who took a long sip before speaking. "So what were you trying to say?"

"I-" The Avatar sat down and scratched her neck, her awkwardness only serving to reaffirm Asami's anxieties. After a full minute of silence, Korra finally blurted- "Do you know you're a firebender?"

Asami choked on her water.

Whatever she was expecting, it wasn't that. A bubble of anger rose in her throat. Korra should know she was emotionally vulnerable, it wasn't the time to joke. But.. the Avatar didn't look like she was joking. She'd had the same expression of certainty all those nights ago in Hiroshi's workshop.

"I'm not a bender, Korra." Asami couldn't help a slightly exasperated tone. No matter how honest the other woman was being, the idea was still ridiculous. "I'm immunocompromised. I've just run out of medication, once I find a supplier I'll be fine- spirits, where did you even get that idea?"

Korra looked at her sadly. She didn't say anything, just held out her hands and let a tiny flame flicker between her palms.

Asami opened her mouth to give a slightly firmer rejection, then gasped. There was a swelling in her core. Fever exploded like some great beast shoving at the walls of its cage. She clutched her chest, sweat rolling down her face, and then-

The Avatar closed her hands; heat snuffed out to smoldering embers.

Asami stared wide-eyed at the floor and took a long moment to compose herself. Her heart was racing.

That wasn't a normal reaction to fire. But she wasn't a bender- that was impossible. She'd know, and even if it was somehow dormant why would that change? What was different? The only notable thing was.. She was off her medication.

Medication provided by her father.

Asami swallowed. Memories of a childhood spent bedridden flashed in her mind. The crippling loneliness, the awful fevers. She remembered having to work ten times harder than anyone else after her recovery- all the sleepless nights and looks of pity.

Oh, there was no blissful ignorance for Asami Sato. Her mind was too fast for that. All the little puzzle pieces slotted together and distantly, she realized she was crying.

Daddy's fucking helpless little girl.

Grief quickly turned to anger- as it so often did. She didn't even consider the bending. It was the time lost that filled her with a sharp sort of rage. Time taken by her father while he sat at her bedside and offered gentle reassurance. He'd seemed so honest that night under the estate- so sure that bending was the cause of all the injustices in the world.

Asami stood up and hurled her glass at the wall. It shattered, shards flying out and turning the floor into a mess of broken blades. Korra flinched. "Asami-"

She whirled on the Avatar. "How the fuck do you keep knowing things about my life before I do?!"

The expression on Korra's face took all the fury out of her. She shouldn't lash out at the other woman, she was better than that. Asami sat down and winced apologetically at the broken glass on the floor. "Sorry. Sorry, I.. I shouldn't have reacted like that."

"It's okay," Korra gave her an awkward half-grin. "It's kind of a lot huh? I don't blame you for being upset."

Of course she wouldn't- Korra always seemed to wear her heart on her sleeve. It was a baffling way to live, but Asami often wished she could be as open with her emotions. "I still shouldn't have taken it out on you though, not when you're only trying to help." -not when she was only ever trying to help.

"That's nothing, you should see me fighting with Tenzin." Korra sighed, scratching the back of her neck. "You probably don't want me piling more things on top of you at the moment, but there's something else you should know. Apparently whatever was messing with your chi didn't stop your body from producing the stuff, and now it's just sort of.."

"..trapped?" Asami finished, unconsciously placing a hand over her core.

Korra nodded. "The healers had to bring in a chi-blocker otherwise you would've, um.. Exploded." She looked sheepish.

"But it's okay!" the Avatar continued, rambling past Asami's misgivings. "You're not in danger anymore, and I'm sure we can figure out how to release it safely- then I can teach you firebending moves! They're pretty similar to how you fight anyway- I guess that's because you're from the Fire Nation, wait, are you from the Fire Nation? Or did you grow up in Republic City? You never actually said, but anyway.."

Asami blinked. Spirits, Korra really just said whatever came into her head. It was refreshing to not have to constantly guess what the other woman was thinking at least. "What exactly do you mean by 'release it'?"

"If we let your pent-up chi out safely, your fevers will stop." Korra offered a reassuring grin. "Tenzin thinks you should learn the basic firebending forms first, but once that's done we can go someplace secluded for you to release your fire if that's what you want to do."

"What about Mako and Bolin?"

"We haven't told them, we weren't sure if you wanted anyone to know."

Asami nodded to herself. Spirits, this was a lot- but now that there was a plan she felt more in control of the situation. She was nothing if not adaptable after all, and she found Korra's grin to be rather contagious.

Asami Sato, the firebender.

It was odd to connect the title with herself, the word didn't quite seem to fit.

Firebender.