A Legend of Korra Fanfic
By Sakura Martinez (aka SMTsukishiro)
Author's Notes:
Okay, so, remember that question I posted at the end of the previous chapter? Well, I read your answers and got the message loud and clear and so here is a new chapter in all of its word count glory. It is long, and boy does it push the plot further along.
Also, thanks to all those who commented and answered that question. I will get back to replying to all your comments when I find time to do so as I am trying to work up a storm of chapters to hand over to my Beta in one go.
Anyways, here's also AN IMPORTANT HEAD'S UP TO EVERYONE: As this was written on the 30th of May, my Beta issued me a challenge. He told me to write a chapter where the infamous 'covfefe' is used. And so, I added that. But not in the way people might perceive me doing it (it sure surprised my Beta). Having said that, however, the added part for the 'Covfefe Challenge' had already been in the original draft of this chapter. I only changed a few words on the original to that infamous word and Voila! I pleased my Beta.
So, yeah. I hope that explains why that part of the story is there. You'll know which part of the story it is when you get there.
ENJOY! :)
Summary:
A promising engineering student. A mysterious woman capable of controlling the four elements. When their paths cross, the resulting collision not only changes their lives and themselves, but the fate of the entire world as well. [Korrasami AU]
The Legend of Korra:
The Schism
Chapter 52: The Avatar's Chosen
Her head throbbed badly. She was tired—mentally, physically, and emotionally—from everything that had happened in that day alone, and night had already begun to make way to the beginnings of dawn.
Fire Lord Izumi only wanted to rest now.
But the infernal dog and the boisterous young man who were their prisoners were not acting as such. And her proud son and his men were doing nothing to put both human and...dog in their place.
She wanted to scream at them, but her father's teachings and his example kept her from doing so.
Thinking of her father, however, frustrated her further and made her feel like she was really not being given any rest, on any front.
And it's all because of this whole 'Avatar' business, Izumi thought bitterly.
No sooner had that musing crossed her mind were the large double doors flung open—almost off their hinges—by a powerful gust of wind akin to that of a mighty mid-summer typhoon.
As one, those in the Audience Chamber turned to face the entrance of the room. The guards had their weapons drawn, the young prince stood just as they did, closer to his mother who had also unsheathed her weapon—a Jiu Jie Bian—from beneath the folds of her clothing. Wielding her weapon of choice, however, was something Fire Lord Izumi had not done outside of training with her father during those bygone days of her youth. It felt strange having the need to do it now, even as there were others willing to defend her themselves. Still, the monarch didn't want to show any sign of weakness, exhausted as she was.
As for the young man and the large, furry creature in their custody, they didn't look terrified in the slightest. They looked inquiring.
Those within the large hall waited with baited breath for what would happen next. All of them imagined different kinds of scenarios—from an insurgent attack emboldened by the destruction that occurred a few hours prior, to one of those strange weather phenomena that was happening on the western part of the world. Even Lord Iroh entertained a notion leaning more on the supernatural, causing him to grind his teeth and grip his sword tighter.
After what felt like several minutes, they heard it. Footsteps, echoing in the corridor beyond.
The people who had weapons in their hands stood at the ready, the lesser experienced of them feeling their heartbeats thumping loudly in their chests as if about to burst. For there was something about the sound of the lone footsteps echoing amidst silence that felt unnatural that made even the bravest men in the room hesitate.
And then, the footsteps...stopped.
It may have been because of the stress and the pressure they were under—or because of the anticipation that something frightening comes—whatever the true reason was, the sudden silence broke one of the fledgling guards who ended up screaming in such a high-pitched manner inappropriate for someone of his gender and line of work.
It would have been comical if the situation they were in wasn't so nerve-wracking and alien to them.
That excuse, however, did not stop both mother and son from thinking of ways to improve their regiment's training even further.
"That...must have just been the wind," another one of the guards spoke, voice slightly shaking as he tried to rationalize what just happened despite the flaw in his deduction.
There was a soft murmur of agreement from the others that were under Iroh's command. None of them wanted to point out the fact that the wind alone cannot make the sound of footsteps.
Just as they were starting to relax, one of the large dog's droopy ears twitched and darkness fell upon the room and the corridor connected to it. Izumi didn't know if there was a correlation to the gigantic animal's subtle movement or if she was just grasping at straws, but she packed that little observation away for the moment as she let her sense of hearing take over, preparing herself should anyone attempt to attack her.
She listened beyond the panicked voices of her men, all wondering what was happening and beyond the sound of her son's voice as he barked an order for two of his command to check the electrical lines. She listened for any sound that was out of place in that room she had known much of her life.
It was faint, but she could hear it enough to pinpoint where the abnormality was and she took action. Whip in hand, she flicked it towards the direction of the noise—which was surprisingly close to where she stood; close to her throne.
The chains immediately unraveled towards the direction of the noise. It moves as a blur—like a snake to its prey—and hit its mark as Fire Lord Izumi knew it would, curling on an appendage and latching onto it.
Whomever her Jiu Jie Bian had ensnared, grunted. She yanked on the chain whip. As she did so, something flew from the direction her chain had went, glinting amidst the darkness and clinking as it hit the floor. Much as she wondered hat that was, the Fire Lord's attention was at the struggling invader she had entrapped. Whomever it was, was strong and had a high tolerance for pain. Her weapon, after all, was like a rose's stem, each segmented length—all nine of them—were chockful of sharp spikes that dug deeper into flesh when exerted upon.
Under normal circumstances, she was not sadistic in nature, but having her home invaded. Izumi couldn't keep the fiendish smile nor the thought of inflicting more pain from clouding her judgment.
Bleed! Yes, she wanted the intruder to bleed.
Asami moved as quickly as she could, remembering the path Lord Zuko already laid out for her in the maze of rooms, corridors, and dead ends.
It was difficult, regardless of how well her memory worked, thanks to the darkness she had devised. A darkness that was important to the old man's concocted plan.
Her heart beat furiously, not just from exertion (she believed herself fit), but also from brooding fear. The scheme of the wizened leader was a dangerous one—not just for herself, but mostly for Korra, who was (aptly put) thrust into a lion's den while she was still not at her full strength.
The plan was simple. But its simplicity did not erase the dangers of it. She was to cause a blackout within the palace while Korra created a diversion as she made her way with Lord Zuko towards the audience chamber and the throne held within, all so the Avatar could place a gem in the hollow of the throne's crest rail.
"That doesn't sound too difficult," Korra had said. "Nothing could possibly go wrong."
It was one of those things Asami couldn't help but think held a finality to them...as famous last words would often go.
It was that worry-infused thought that propelled her to run faster towards the audience chamber where she was supposed to meet with Korra and Lord Zuko. All the while she kept praying for her friend to be safe.
As she rounded the corner that led to the throne room, her eyes—which had gotten used to the darkness with only her shock glove to illuminate the way—were assaulted by a blinding flash of fiery light.
She skidded to a halt, arms thrown to shield her eyesight.
When the light dimmed enough to not cause blindness, Asami saw what was, unmistakenly, Korra's eyes. Eyes which have taken on an otherworldly color of pure energy. The mark on Korra's right forearm was glowing as well—something that had not happened in a long time—albeit, only faintly. Her fists, up to her shoulders, were aflame.
Whatever had happened in her absence, it was enough for Korra's anger to show itself and for the shorter girl to forget another important aspect of their plan...
That she was not to use her powers as the Avatar until the jewel had been inserted in its proper place.
And seeing that everything in the room was—as the Prodigy suspected—still as how it supposed to be, Korra hadn't succeeded on even that.
"So much for this not being difficult," Asami muttered under her breath as she doggedly pursued a way to get them back on track.
Those in the room were panicking—if their manic pandering on what was going on and the way they all seem to give Korra much berth—was anything to go by. There were, however, two figures close to Korra that stood their ground and neither of them looked like Kai and Naga.
"What manner of sorcery is this?" A familiar voice exclaimed. "I knew it! You are not human! You're...you're a demon!"
Those words uttered with contempt did nothing to calm anyone down. Nor did it serve to douse the flames that the Avatar had donned.
Korra didn't even let them wonder what she thought of those words as she immediately showed them the answer to that by hurling a fireball the size of a full-grown watermelon straight towards the man that had offended her.
Asami could imagine his eyes widening before he barely ducked out of the way; could almost imagine strands of his hair being caught on fire; could almost imagine the heat from the attack that could undoubtedly kill.
The young engineer and inventor quickly shook her head, snapping herself from inactivity. She needed to stop Korra and remind her of their reason for being there.
"Korra!" Her voice sounded hoarse. Her throat seemed to have dried up. She had seen Korra furious before, but had never witnessed the Avatar showing her anger with her Fire Bending the way Korra was doing at that moment. It was—figuratively and literally—enough to make her mouth dry.
"Korra!" she tried again. She was moving, forcing her way to the other girl. Once, or twice, someone tried to stop her progress. Once, or twice, they were met with a violent shock. Asami Sato would not be stopped. "Korra!"
"I am no demon!" She heard the Avatar's voice louder than it should be. "I am the Avatar! Master of the Elements! The Bridge Between Mortal and Spirit Realm!"
The declaration was much different from when Korra had introduced herself to Asami. Back then, the other girl truly looked like a goddess with the beautiful pinpricks of light that made the Prodigy be filled with awe of her. Now, the declaration was uttered to instill fear to those who heard it. Whether they understood Korra's words or not didn't matter, they were fearful of her not because of who she was, but by what she could do and how she looked like then.
"Korra, stop!" She had to stop the Avatar. If fear was drilled into the people around them—fear of Korra—they might continue to hunt her down regardless of whether they could get Fire Lord Izumi to see that her family was to be of service to the Avatar. Humans—Asami knew—had always wanted to (and often would succeed in) destroying the things they were afraid of and couldn't understand. "Don't harm them! Remember your promise! Remember why we are here!"
Avatar Korra was about to throw yet another fireball when she stopped mid-action, Asami's words having reached her even when the Prodigy herself physically hadn't yet.
Korra blinked, seemingly confused at first. But then she blinked again and the light that had surrounded her eyes vanished, returning them to their ordinary sapphire hues.
Relief. That was what Asami felt, and it built up even as the flames that snaked the Avatar's arms died down, little by little, letting the darkness of the room cover everyone and everything.
Before the room could completely go dark, there was a whooshing sound followed by rattling. Then chains wrapped around Korra's neck. It happened so fast the Avatar wasn't able to react quickly enough to free herself. Then the metallic chain was yanked, forcing Korra off balance.
The deity-turned-human was forcefully pulled that she hit her head on the linoleumed floor and saw stars. Korra groaned, her throat bobbed and was rewarded with scratches from the chain's sharp protrusions, drawing blood. Having seen Korra fall, Asami was quick to act, shocking those around her as she scrambled forward. And she was not the only one. Kai and Naga, who had up until that moment watched with mouths agape, bounded to Korra's side, shoving all that were in their way.
Similarly, the Prince and his soldiers began to shake off their fears and get a hold of themselves. Their grips on their weapons that had slackened found new purchase seeing Korra down on the ground. Their feet that had taken step after step backwards, away from the young woman that had seconds ago been controlling fire, now took them forward in renewed courage.
What happened then was a battle between the Royal Prince and his guardsmen against Asami, Kai, and Naga as the latter tried to get to the Avatar who was being pulled painfully back by the Fire Lord's Jiu Jie Bian.
"Korra!"
"Avatar Korra!"
It was a fiasco after that. All three of the Avatar's companions had foregone any notion of restraint, their protective sides kicking in full gear. They disregarded the fact they were outnumbered and growing more so as waves of reinforcements finally arrived into the fray. Even Naga embraced her wild side as her sharp teeth and claws bit and swiped, drawing blood.
"I will not let this opportunity pass!"
Asami was close enough to hear the words of Fire Lord Izumi. She also saw it was the Fire Lord that had Korra in her grasp.
"Korra!" Again, Asami called out, ducking as someone tried to grab hold of her. Then to the older woman on the other side of the fray she said, "Fire Lord Izumi, please, stop!"
It was then Korra locked eyes with Asami and saw something that gave her a little push to act past what must have been excruciating pain. In a bold move, the Avatar grabbed the spiked chains that dangled in front of her, disregarding the bite of its sharp thorns and the way it pierced the skin of her palms or how quickly blood blossomed from them. She then exerted effort in a similar fashion as she did when she dealt with the metal grate in the Great Republic University the first time the Avatar and the Prodigy crossed paths.
Just like then, the metal proved no match against Korra, giving way until it had melted in her hand and snapped into two, causing the Fire Lord to stumble. As soon as the chains were no longer connected, Korra yanked—hissing as she did so—the ones that were still wrapped around her neck before using her air-bending to propel herself in a powerful jump, landing beside Asami and dispelling a strong gust of wind around them, knocking the guards that had surrounded—not just Asami, but Kai and Naga as well—backwards.
"I lost the gem," Korra blurted out, keeping Asami's concerned query at bay.
"You, what?" Her worry was momentarily forgotten as she uttered the question with wide eyes. "How can you lose it? That gem is important, Korra..."
Korra pointed at her mangled neck. "I got distracted. I dropped it somewhere around here."
Asami winced. She didn't think anyone could manage to get a jump on Korra. She had assumed that had happened after Korra had placed the jewel and that the seal simply hadn't been broken because they didn't have the Avatar's Chosen with them.
"We'll find it," Korra assured her, mistaking the expression on Asami's face for something else. "How hard could it be?"
The Prodigy wanted to point out just how difficult it would be to do so. As sizable as the gem was, finding it in a large, darkened room filled with people trying to arrest them was no laughing matter. But the determined glint of the shorter girl's eyes made her hold her tongue.
"Alright, let's get Kai and Naga to help."
What else were they supposed to do?
She should be afraid. It was the reasonable emotion to feel. The strange, young woman was proving herself more than just an ordinary woman.
A fragment of her earlier conversation with her father flitted into her thoughts.
The Avatar. That was what her father and the others who surrounded the strange, young woman had called her. She remembered the myth, having heard it frequently in her youth.
She was finding it hard to deny that this girl might be it...if the Avatar does exist.
Izumi had witnessed her manipulate three of the four basic elements and had heard of her manipulating water from Iroh.
But Izumi couldn't get herself to back down. She felt that she had been challenged, and she was someone who didn't like backing down from one. Or losing.
She'd call it tenacity. Her father would, however, undoubtedly call it hubris.
It was way too noisy—Opal was quick to notice that. It wasn't as though she was deaf to miss it. She wasn't blind as well, though she might as well have been considering how much the darkness impeded her. Trying to get to the door she had been throwing things to had proved to be a dangerous journey. Several times she had stubbed her foot on an unsuspecting furniture, causing her to let out a string of expletives that would have given her grandmother (wherever she may be) aneurysm. Getting to the door, however, proved to be as fruitful as trying to keep ice from melting in a desert.
The door was too thick, Opal realized when she pressed her ear to try to listen in to what was going on outside, to get anything useful from doing so. Not even the loud shouts of the guards that passed by—and there were many—gave her any idea as to what was causing that racket.
She hoped, though, that it was Kai and Naga giving the snobby royals and their guards a good run for their money. Anything to make the night of those who had thought it was good idea to lock her up a living hell was fine with her, if only to get revenge on them.
Opal Bei Fong, after all, had had it with being locked up. Even if she had been locked in a posh room with shelves upon shelves of books.
It was very, very difficult. To reign down the anger she was feeling when these humans were feeding her more and more reason to feel that way was the hardest thing she had done so far.
It was one thing to injure her—she had come to understand what Asami had tried to say about humans and their reaction to fear and to things that do not conform with their reality—it was another thing entirely when they came at Asmai, Kai, and Naga with equal ferocity. It was, as the humans say, another ball game entirely. She was certain she got that saying right.
Finding that stupid gemstone that Zuko had given them to break the seal with was just as infuriatingly troublesome. Several times she had already made use of her water-bending to freeze dozens of guards just so she could clear the path for their search. Every other time she just gave them a good blast of air to send them flying.
Of course, she wasn't as focused to the task at hand as she should be. How could she when one of her companions who was impressively knowledgeable and wise suddenly decided to be recklessly stupid?
Korra gave her friend a sideway look. Asami was caught in a dangerous dance with Fire Lord Izumi, and from how it looked, the Prodigy may have grossly miscalculated the older woman.
"It would be quicker," Asami had said when Izumi rejoined the fray. "for you to look for the gem. Once you find it, you can just insert it onto the throne. I'll deal with the Fire Lord."
"You have lost your mind if you think, for one second, I would let you do something as dangerous as that!" Korra was certain her eyebrows had shot so far up it had gone to her nape.
"Don't worry," for someone who was—at her core—a pacifist, Asami had truly looked ready to fight then. "Fire Lord Izumi won't harm me. I'll be the perfect decoy against her."
As it turned out, the royal was frustrated enough of Asami to give her a real fight. Still, as dangerous and deathly as Fire Lord Izumi's metal chain whip was, Asami and her Shock Glove were able to stand up against them toe-to-toe.
That didn't mean she could slack off.
Her eyes once again scanned the ground around her. She willed her sight to be clearer, stronger. She gave the ground a good, short blast of flame to illuminate her surroundings.
Something glinted in her periphery. Immediately, she whirled around to its direction. A sigh of relief blew past her lips when she laid eyes on the fist-sized, rube-colored stone.
With considerable speed, the Avatar took the gemstone in her hands. She turned to Kai, waving her hand that was holding the gem to let him know not to bother searching for it any longer and just focus on getting through the impromptu skirmish. Her faithful Steward got the message, grinning as he punched a guardsman right at the opening of his helmet, knocking the poor man unconscious. He took the man's weapon then—a spear—for his own. Korra couldn't help but think he was enjoying the whole thing a tad too much.
She shook her head. Now is not the time for people-watching. She chastised herself.
As the Avatar was making her way through the chaos towards the throne, she caught a glimpse of the man who had tried to take Asami away—Zuko's grandson, Iroh. He was surreptitiously making his way towards Asami—who was oblivious to the fact. He crept, his weapon had been sheathed and he held it with the pommel aimed readily on Asami's head. It was no question he meant to knock the Prodigy out.
Suddenly, Korra's options of helping Asami dwindled. She didn't want to use her bending for fear of accidentally hitting the young heiress and injuring her. The Avatar wouldn't reach Asami in time either if she were to rush towards her, and calling her out would only put her in trouble even more. It was with those in mind that Korra decided with the course of action she took: hurling the large gem in her hand over at Iroh, letting the wind guide her aim.
The jewel hit the Prince's hand, causing him to let out a string of curses as he lost his weapon and alerting Asami of his presence as she was narrowly missed by the Fire Lord's broken whip. As it happened, Asami also took note of the gem as it clattered on the ground beside her.
Hurriedly, she scooped it in her hand and ran towards the golden throne.
Asami didn't know what it was that possessed her to do it. She knew, after all, that Korra should be the one to insert the prized jewel on the throne's crest. Perhaps it was due to the desire for an end to the fighting. Perhaps it was the adrenaline that gave her a momentary lapse and spurred her to do what needed to be done in the heat of the moment. Whatever the case was, the young prodigy slipped through the attacks that wanted to incapacitate her, jumping aside as Iroh tried to get a hold of her, and panting, slammed the jewel right at the socket.
The ruby-colored gem fitted perfectly, locking in place with an audible click that was louder than it should have been as Korra finally caught up with Asami. The two of them stood in front of the throne, waiting for something to happen.
It wasn't difficult to notice that something had changed. Even the members of the Royal Regiment felt that something was, as they say, up. They saw how the two, ferocious women had stopped fighting and had simply stood by the seat of power, expectant looks on their faces. It made them stop and look as well.
Slowly, the fighting trickled down to a halt and then, from the crest of the throne where Asami had inserted the gemstone, light—brilliant and blinding—burst forth.
There was a collective gasp and everyone threw their hands up to shield their eyes once again. When the light dissipated, everyone found something new to ponder about for both Korra and Asami had vanished. From where they had stood, only a sliver of red light—like a woven thread—remained.
He supposed, he owed them all an apology. He certainly caused mayhem in his bid to help the Avatar. But that apology would have to come at a later time. There must first be an explanation. Spirits knew that was going to be something both sides would demand him to give.
Lord Zuko shrugged. He was ready for that.
He then walked inside the Audience Chamber, waltzing in as though nothing was out of the norm. Every head turned to look at him, each of them mirrored the look of utter bewilderment and confusion tinged with feat that everyone else wore.
"Father, what is the meaning of this?" Izumi barreled down the steps leading up to the throne. Her tone suggested she was not going to allow him to dodge the question. "Where did that demon go? Where is Yasuko's daughter?"
"What is going on, grandfather?" Iroh joined them, throwing a question his way as well.
Turning to face his daughter first, he looked condescendingly at her and said, "She is not a demon, my dear. I know you've come to realize that already. As for Miss Sato, you need not worry about her. She is fine. I am certain of it."
"But where is she?" Izumi pressed.
Zuko looked at the now-fading tendrils of red light. "She is where the Avatar's Chosen should be."
She felt...weightless. Disoriented. She felt like she was somewhere and nowhere at the same time. And it was bright. So blindly bright. Even with her eyes closed, the back of her eyelids were not as dark as it should be.
Asami didn't want to open her eyes. She wasn't ready—she was sure of it—for whatever she was to see. At the same time, she was curious to find out what had happened. In the end, her curiosity won out and she opened her eyes to find she was not floating or drifting as she had suspected.
Nor was she anywhere that resembled a room in the Royal Palace or in Lord Zuko's home. She was somewhere unfamiliar to her. Somewhere completely devoid of color other than white. Somewhere vast and open.
And then she noticed the thread of light dancing around her as though it was loosely embracing itself around her. As she traced one end of it, she saw the thread ending on her right arm—encompassing the entirety of it—wrapped around as a bandage would on a wound. It felt warm and familiar. But it was not normal.
To say it surprised the young inventor would be an understatement. She took quickly to her feet, moving away from the thread of light, swatting it. Though the red lights glowed faintly in the action, it didn't completely disappear. It also didn't untangle itself from Asami, even when she vigorously shook her arm.
"What in the world...?" she couldn't figure it out.
Following the opposite end of the thread of red light, Asami saw she was not the only one they seemed to want to wrap themselves around. There was, also, Korra who was flat on her back and unmoving. Where the thread were coiled around Asami's right arm, the opposite was true for the Avatar. It was mantled around her left.
In the stark brightness of their surroundings, it was difficult not to see how much damage the Avatar had sustained. It was especially difficult not to be frightened by it when blood had already pooled around Korra's neck and underneath her open palms.
"Korra!" Really? How many times had she uttered nothing but the other girl's name in the past twenty-four hours? She sounded like a broken record.
As Asami knelt beside Korra, she didn't know what to do. Should she shake the Avatar awake? Would that aggravate her injuries? How could she stop the bleeding without further harming her friend? She didn't have anything that could work well for stemming the flow of blood. Her clothes couldn't possibly work, even if she were to rip part of it to shreds and the thread, thick as they might be, were made of light. Not that they were tangible to begin with.
"Dammit, Korra," she wasn't one to cuss (not that often, anyway) but this was one of those rare occasions. And, well, no one could make her feel bad about it in that strange place. "This is why I keep telling you to be careful!" She wasn't going to cry. She was sniffing already, but she was not going to let out some water works! And when tears fell from her eyes and cascaded down her cheeks, falling on the Avatar's face like droplets of rain, Asami still adamantly refused her tears to fall freely.
She was not a crier. Or so she would like to tell herself.
The Prodigy scrunched her eyes, hoping it would keep the errant tears away. It was this action that kept her from noticing the glinting, sapphire orbs that found her reaction equal parts amusing and endearing.
"It is flattering to know someone would shed tears for me," Korra croaked, throat sore from her wound. Her sudden vocalization surprised Asami who still thought the Avatar was badly wounded and unconscious. When Asami stared dumbfound at her, Korra couldn't keep the obnoxious grin from stretching her lips. "It is nice. So much different from people crying to you. I am not equipped to deal with those kind of tears."
For a while, Asami didn't speak nor blink. She just stared at Korra, whose massive grin started to falter.
Still flat on her back for reasons Asami couldn't fathom (not that she tried, at that moment, to understand), Korra poked the other girl's forehead with her forefinger, careful not to put blood on her porcelain skin, and asked, "Hey, are you alright?"
The question was enough to snap Asami from her stupor—as did the poking—which was all well and good for the Avatar whose jesting has turned to genuine worry...until her human companion started hitting her shoulders out of sheer frustration.
"Korra, you big, stupid, air bison!" It was un-lady-like, but Asami did not care at that point. "I thought something genuinely bad has happened to you and you were faking it?"
"H-Hey, cut that out!" Korra wanted to grab Asami's hand to stay it and keep her from pummeling the Avatar further, but her palms were a mess. "I was not 'faking' it, I promise. Come on, Asami. That hurts."
The Prodigy gave one last punch before she harrumphed and turned awkwardly away from Korra, arms crossed.
The Avatar gave a short-lived chuckle, winding as her neck hurt in the process. Blowing a raspberry, she muttered, "Is it possible to just stay lying like this? I do not want to move an inch. My whole body is sore."
Asami glared at the shorter girl despite pitying her sorry state. "Are you really not the least bit concerned that we're no longer in the palace—or anywhere familiar, for that matter—and that there are these strange..." Asami didn't know what to call them, so she settled with, "...things surrounding us?"
Korra opened one eye, then the other. After which, she frowned. Clearly, she hadn't noticed their predicament prior to Asami pointing out what was rather obvious. A couple of seconds later, the darker-skinned girl closed her eyes once more and hummed. It was not at all the reaction the young engineer had thought she'd give.
"You know this was going to happen..." It was an accusation Asami didn't bother to hide.
The wounded girl snorted. "Of course not."
"Then why are you acting like you do? Like you're not fazed by this?"
Groaning, she replied, "Because, right now, I cannot really force myself to care. I just want...one moment...of rest. Just long enough to regain a bit of strength to Waterbend myself some Spirit Water."
Asami knew Korra was hurting. She couldn't imagine the pain her friend was going through with the rawness of her wounds. And really, she had resigned herself to not being any help to her on that regard. But the mention of the magical, healing liquid reminded the young heiress of the small vial tucked securely inside the hidden pocket of her belt. A vial that contained the last of the Spirit Water Korra had provided for them before.
Hurriedly, Asami patted around her belt for the secret pocket, exclaiming "Aha!" when she found it and causing Korra to open her eyes once more and ask what she was doing.
The Prodigy showed the half-filled vial, wiggling it as it dangled between her thumb and forefinger. "Our ticket to putting you back in shape so you can quit sounding like a bum."
The sentence was punctuated by the sound of the cork popping as Asami opened the vial. Kneeling, once again, beside Korra, she gently poured some of its contents on the other girl's throat. She watched, fascinated, as the properties in the water gave the skin the ability to mend itself before her eyes.
The process was not one without pain, however. As skin and muscle regenerated, Korra's face had scrunched up and though she did not make any whimpering sounds, the gritted teeth and hissing breath she expelled, along with a series of curses.
When the last sinew of jugular muscles and skin had finally been stitched back together, the Avatar's pained breaths made way for a sigh of great relief.
"I will never get used to seeing that," Asami whispered, awestruck as her fingers gently skimmed Korra's throat—now devoid of wounds or blemishes. She felt the Avatar swallow heavily under her light touch. "This Spirit Water is truly amazing."
"It is," There was something in the way those two words were uttered that had Asami's eyes snapping to meet Korra's. But when emerald met sapphire, the Avatar quickly averted her gaze, cleared her throat, and said, "Their job is not done yet. My hands..."
She let the words hang as she glanced down at the aforementioned appendages still trickling blood.
The young engineer followed Korra's line of sight, then nodded. "Right. Of course." even as she was perplexed by what had just happened and what was happening still.
She scooted a little bit closer to Korra's hand, touched her by the wrist as she turned the Avatar's palm upwards. Asami tried to look at the wounds clinically and with emotional detachment, it was far too much of a challenge. She could feel her eyes starting to water yet again.
"It is not too bad." Korra assured her, as though Asami was the one in need of it.
"It's bleeding." There was anger and frustration in her tone—one that threw Korra off. But before she could ask what was truly bothering the raven-haired girl, Asami had dumped half of what remained of the Spirit Water at Korra's right hand and then emptied the rest on her left.
The way Asami had made use of the Spirit Water was so sudden Korra was not, in any way, prepared.
"Spirits!" the Avatar shouted. To which Asami could only offer an apology.
When Korra's hands were finally fixed, the Avatar pushed herself up to a sitting position. She still looked tired, but at least Korra was no longer losing blood.
It was only then that Korra actually paid any mind to their surroundings. Including the red threads of light. She poked at them curiously, like a child. There was wonder and amazement twinkling in her eyes, dancing along the confusion that was there as well, when she noticed those lights connected her to Asami.
She didn't say anything about it, though Asami noticed.
It was a while after that, when Korra had grown bored with her poking and prodding, that she said, "Well, I suppose this answers our question."
An elegantly raised eyebrow accompanied Asami's question, "Which one?". After all, there simply was too much of those.
Korra stood fully then and offered Asami a hand, which the Prodigy took.
With their hand still intertwined, the Avatar replied, "The Avatar's Chosen. I guess that refers to you, Asami."
When Asami Sato heard those words, she felt heat creep up her neck and flushed her cheeks. The cause confounded Asami. There was no reason to blush from such a statement given that with the way Korra spoke those words she might as well have asked her if she was.
"W-What?" Similarly, there was no reason to sound so surprised to the point that it could have been mistaken as revulsion. She tried to tone it down a bit, even with her heart thumping furiously. "How did you come up with that?"
Raava's human incarnation looked at Asami as though she had just asked a stupid question. Had Asami not gotten used to Korra and the way she thinks and reacts, the Prodigy would have taken offense from it.
When Asami asked what the look was for, Korra replied, "Did you really just ask that?" Asami crossed her arms. "I would have thought you, of all people, would have deduced that much. Look around, we certainly seem to have succeeded in unraveling the seal. And, considering you are with me here, it is easy to put two and two together." She paused then, perhaps to emphasize the words that were to come. "Besides, do you not feel it?"
Whatever that unnamed thing was, Asami could feel it. She just wasn't completely certain it was what Korra was feeling; if it was just a connection born from really being the Avatar's Chosen, or it if was from something...more.
The expression—thoughtful as it was—on Asami's face, coupled with silence, was taken by Korra as admission and acceptance.
"For the record, I am glad, though." Korra went on, walking ahead and feeling for something in the air other than the threads. "I am glad that it is you. I would not be thrilled had it been someone I did not trust."
It was strange to hear those words that sent warmth blossoming within her. It made her question why Korra didn't know who the Chosen was and why she was pleasantly surprised when—again—it was called 'the Avatar's Chosen'.
Should she have known it was me—if it really is? That question keep asking itself in her mind. Why is it called that if Korra, herself, doesn't actually have a say in who it is?
There really was so many things she didn't know about the Avatar. So many things even Korra herself didn't know. So many things Lord Zuko seemed to be the only person to have answers to and know about. The intellectual within her wanted to sink its teeth on any and all information the old Fire Lord could provide.
It felt like they have walked a good mile before they stopped, with Korra holding Asami back, keeping her from taking another step forward.
"What's wrong?" Asami asked, understandably back to being confused.
"There is something here," Korra supplied, gesturing towards the space before them. "I can feel it."
The space before them shimmered briefly, like diamonds reflecting light. It was quick, but it was enough for both young women to take note of the shape of whatever was before them.
It looked like a pedestal, twice as wide as Asami was, reaching just above her waist. Atop the pedestal were what looked like orbs—two of them—laid out, side by side. Whatever else was on the pedestal, they didn't know. Whatever had caused it to shimmer disappeared and left it, once again, hidden from sight.
Korra and Asami both shared a look. Both of them wondered if the pedestal and its contents were their purpose for being there. Both of them knew how likely that was.
"Why don't you touch it, Korra?" Under any circumstances those would not be what Asami would suggest the Avatar do. It was unwise, after all, to go poking at things they knew nothing about. But, considering again their reason for being there, it was the only logical thing she could think of that may turn the invisible, visible.
Even Korra was of the same mind. It was the reason why she didn't argue or hesitate in doing what the Prodigy suggested.
The Avatar stretched out her arm, fingers splayed. The moment the tips of her fingers brushed the surface of the pedestal, it became translucent before once again turning invisible.
"I suppose my touch was not enough," Korra narrated the rather obvious. She then gestured from Asami to the invisible pedestal. "Why don't you give it a try, Asami?"
"Me? Why?"
It was Korra who raised her eyebrow this time as she replied, "You are asking that question way too much. Did we not just go through with this? You are the Avatar's Chosen. You might be able to get it to appear."
It was a sound argument...if she truly was the Chosen. And since Asami would rather not go round in circles arguing the fact that her being there with Korra could just be a coincidence, all she could do at that point was bite her lower lip and concede to the Avatar's point.
When her finger grazed the pedestal, the only thing that was different was a pinging noise similar to that of a struck tuning fork. It reverberated for several seconds—the same length as the pedestal's reappearance—before both the sound and the pedestal vanished once more.
"Well, that was interesting," Dry as her mouth seemed to have turned, Asami managed to push those words out. She was surprised that it actually reacted to her, further giving proof that she might truly be the Avatar's Chosen.
Korra nodded, equally fascinated—though for a different reason. For though the only thing Asami had noticed was the ringing and the translucent pedestal, the Avatar picked up one other thing: a change in the aura of the atmosphere.
At the same time ass Korra was mulling over what that change could have meant, Asami's mind was racing with a possible solution to their dilemma.
Despite their predicament being a fantastical one, the Prodigy's idea was simple.
"Shall we try it together then, Avatar Korra?" She asked, plucking the Avatar from her thoughts.
Korra nodded slowly. It wasn't as though the thought hadn't crossed her mind...it did, fleetingly. And she also happened to have dismissed it just as quickly, before hearing it from Asami made her remember Zuko's words as well.
"Well," she said, stretching her left arm once more. "the old man did say we are supposed to break the seal together..."
"Right," Asami nodded, stretching her right arm. "Together."
The moment both of their hands touched the surface of the pedestal, the same pinging sound that had rung out before filled the air once more, louder. The pedestal that was translucent turned visible and completely tangible right before their eyes, showing the finer details that had been hidden prior.
They may have been suspecting such a development, but that did not prevent either of the two, young women from watching in wonder, mouths agape and eyes wide. It was one thing to conclude Asami's role in the Avatar's fate, it was another thing entirely for it to be made irrevocably apparent.
There really was no denying it.
When the ringing and the shimmering stopped and the pedestal was now completely present before them, Korra and Asami gingerly inspected it—from its granite material to the strange hieroglyphics carved around its body, and finally, the two identical crystal balls the size of fists that sat atop its surface.
While Korra chose to take a closer look at the twin orbs, Asami busied herself investigating the strange writing.
At first, the young heiress was merely tracing the strange symbols, not really bothering to understand them, knowing that was not a feat she could accomplish. After all, the symbols looked old. Ancient. It was like those she had once encountered in Opal's books of Lost and Dead Languages.
But then, something strange happened as she was looking at a long line of hieroglyphics. It was like a switch was flipped in her brain. For the symbols—of what she guessed was a dead language—was suddenly readable to her.
Looking at them was like looking at a super-imposed image—one sitting atop another. And it wasn't just that she could read it. She could also understand what the words meant!
"To return what was lost...to rebuild what was broken..." Asami read the inscription slowly. When Korra noticed what she was doing, she stopped trying to rip the orbs out of the pedestal and instead followed the Prodigy's eyes...and her reading.
The Avatar's mouth was drawn in a thin line. She wanted to ask how Asami could understand the written language of the Spirits. Looking at Asami's face, Korra could see that even the human, herself, was befuddled.
Despite the surprise Korra felt, she was also further in awe of Asami and how fluently she read.
That was, until the porcelain-skinned girl made a mistake that had Korra trying very hard not to laugh when Asami read: "Let the cov...fe...fe..." and paused, browns furrowed and eyes almost cross. "...be fulfilled..."
"What?" Asami straightened up, running a hand through her raven locks. She looked at Korra, who had masked the grin on her face, and asked, "What does that mean? 'Let the covfefe be fulfilled'. I don't understand..."
"I will very much be surprised if you did," Korra finally let her soft laughter free. When Asami looked questioningly at her, the Avatar explained, "You read it wrong. There is no such word in the Language of the Spirits or the language of man." She pointed at one of the symbols that looked like a crudely drawn orange, "That reads 'cov', that is true, but—" then to the symbol next to it that looked like a skeletal skunk (though Asami thought it was a windswept toupee), "—that translates as an 'en' in your language, not a 'fef'. And that—" Finally, Korra pointed at the last symbol in the sequence. It was a pair of small hands similar to those that went along with drawings of stick figures. "—reads 'ant', like the insect. Not an 'e'."
"Covenant, then." Asami put the translation together. "Let the covenant be fulfilled...with the help of the Chosen."
Having glanced through the inscriptions, Korra nodded. She commended Asami for the job well-done, but then cheekily added, "Do not feel bad about the mistake. I know children from Nia Bayou often make the same mistake at first."
Asami glared at the shorter girl, though there was no ice in her looks or bite in her words. "Are you calling me a child, Avatar Korra?"
With a mischievous grin, the other girl answered, "No, ma'am," in a way that put into question the sincerity and truthfulness of the reply.
Though Asami wanted to continue their banter, she knew it was not the time for that. Though they felt safe, she didn't know what the effects of that strange place would be to her, a human. Getting their job done and getting out of that place in the soonest possible time was imperative.
"What does that mean, though?" Asami wondered aloud, getting them back to the task on hand. "Return what has been lost? Rebuild what has been broken? And what do they mean by 'covenant'? What covenant?"
"You really do love asking questions," Korra smiled gently as she spoke. "A true intellectual. Though I'm quite surprised you are not asking about the last part of the inscription."
The Prodigy laughed. "That line is, perhaps, the one with the most obvious explanation of all. Whatever these words are asking you to do, I would undoubtedly help you with it."
An emotion flashed through the deity-turned-human's face, too quick to grasp.
"Well," sapphire eyes focused on the pedestal. "perhaps you can help me with this first, my Chosen." She didn't try to get the words to come out so stiff and authoritarian, but it ended up that way. Again, she cleared her throat. "I have tried pulling the crystals out, but it would not budge no matter how hard I tried."
"Then maybe we're not supposed to take them," It was the only conclusion Asami could think of at the moment, distracted as she was.
Just as how she did before, the Avatar's Chosen tentatively reached out to one of the orbs of the pedestal. With one final glance at Korra, Asami placed her right hand atop it.
Nothing happened. That did not discourage her, however. The inscription did say that she was only to help the Avatar, not unseal whatever it was that was keeping the Elemental Core of Fire from Korra's grasp.
Again, Asami looked meaningfully at the other girl. She gave a small, almost imperceptible nod at the other crystal ball. The Avatar shook her head and sighed, she had her misgivings about what it was her companion thought they should do, but she decided to humor her.
"It cannot be this simple," Korra muttered as she placed her own left hand on it.
Asami wanted to argue that nothing about getting to that particular moment in time was simple.
She wasn't able to do so, however. The moment Avatar Korra's hand met the surface of the orb, what was a cool and clear surface quickly turned hot, its color mirroring that of the stone they had set on the Fire Lord's throne.
As the crystals began to get warmer and warmer, the fear of getting her hands burned made Korra turn to Asami and tell her, "Let go, Asami. You might get hurt!" with much anxiety.
"I can't!" Asami replied when she attempted to do just that. "My hand is stuck!"
Asami struggled to free her hand as the temperature of the crystal where it lay increased. Even when Korra tried to help, her assistance did no good. All she ended up doing was hurting Asami.
Not that Korra fared any better. Even she was stuck and the heat was starting to get unbearable for her as well.
Is this a trap? She wondered, feeling helpless. Did we just land ourselves into a trap? Did I just dragged Asami into such danger...again?
It was a galling situation.
Ahead of the Avatar blaming herself (and Lord Zuko who had propelled them), a sudden burst of coruscating, orange light exploded in front of them. It happened so suddenly and without warning that neither of them had time to shield their eyes or look away.
Momentarily blinded, unable to see anything but indiscernible shaped and non-existing shadows, with each of them having one of their hands stuck and practically useless, Korra and Asami found themselves utterly and completely defenseless.
That was when tongues of flame appeared out of thin air, coalesced and formed the majestic visage of the Elemental Spirit Lord of the Flames, Suzaku. His feathers, with each stroke of his powerful wings, breathed out small licks of flames. The long plumes of his tail feathers changed from one color to another—from the colder part of diffusion, yellow, to the blue of the hottest flames.
Though they could not see it, the Phoenix's eyes gazed upon them. He scrutinized Asami before turning his attention to Korra, where those beady eyes lingered longest; searching, as though who stood before him was an enigma.
After the prolonged examination of the two, Suzaku let out a loud screeching squawk. The avian's cries had words in them that Asami was taken aback to understand.
"And so the cogs turn once again," the Elemental Spirit Lord of the Flames said, as though speaking through his mind rather than his voice.
Realizing whose voice she was hearing, Korra's jubilation showed in her face as she called out the Phoenix's name, "Suzaku!"
But Suzaku did not say another word. Leaving them with just that enigmatic phrase, the fiery bird disappeared in a burst of light that dispersed as flaming particles. Each of those particles occupied the insides of the crystal balls, as though being sucked by them.
The heat, though no longer damaging, throbbed under their hands as the flaming particles danced. From the pedestal, a wave flames rushed forth. They did not harm the two, young women, but wherever the wave touched, the white, empty space transformed into something different.
Jagged molten rock surfaced. The ground separated itself between the rocky surface of land and a bubbling lava surface. The walls curved and extended, changing from the smooth surface of a boxy room to the rough insides of a volcanic cave.
The ground where they and the pedestal stood began to rise up, forming a rocky dais. The surrounding area turned into magma with their only way back to safety was in a form of a narrow, elevated stretch of land.
Seeing the changes happened right before their eyes was jaw-dropping, even for Korra. It became even more so when flame spirits of different shapes and sizes began to appear at a distance. They watched the two, but never got close to them. It was as if an invisible barrier stood between the two and the flame spirits that had gathered.
And then, ever so slowly, they felt a different kind of sensation from the orbs.
Korra winced. She felt as though her hand was being pricked by thousands of sharp needles. She looked over at Asami, troubled that she might be feeling the same pain as she did. But Asami didn't look like she was in pain at all. If anything, the look the Prodigy was giving the orb and her hand was one of complete wonderment; like she wanted to dissect what was happening.
It was strange, and Korra wondered if it was because she was not like Asami. If the pain was something she could feel because she was the Avatar.
When it finally ended, Korra felt even more weary than she did before, while Asami looked energized—as though ready for another adventure such as this.
The particles of flame within the crystal balls leisurely began to disappear. As it did so, Suzaku's voice entered their minds as he spoke, "The time has come."
Once the words were spoken, Korra and Asami found their hands finally freed.
Before they were whisked away, as the fiery realm around them slowly vanished, Asami saw a humanoid figure bathed in bright, blue light standing deep within the crowd of spirits.
She couldn't get a good look of who it was—not that Asami would know even if she had managed to see their face, after all, she knew no one in that strange place—but there was something about how the mysterious figure stood that felt familiar to her. It sent her a strange notion that she should know who it was.
Neither could expres anything about what had just occurred, however, for they found themselves transported by another flash of light back to the Audience Chamber and in the company of people who looked at them with fear, reverence and awe.
"Welcome back, Avatar Korra and Asami Sato," it was Lord Zuko who spoke. He had a smile on his face and his eyes full of pride. "We have been waiting for your return."
Post Author's Notes:
And there you guys have it.
Covfefe Challenge, done! (And I get a prize from my Beta for that :D)
Korrasami moments, check!
And that bit at the end to get you guys thinking. :)
You guys have no idea how much fun I had writing this chapter. This was, in truth, one of the first chapters ever conceived by my brain that got me into writing this fan fiction. And, well, you guys know what that 'red thread' is all about, but believe me there is more to it than that. ;)
Just so you guys know, there won't be an update this coming week (again). I will be traveling and I'm not sure there is any signal where I am going...and if my Beta can give me the chapters before I leave. But, the chapters will (again, probably) be just as long as this. Unless, the pacing requires that I shorten them. For updates, you guys could always check out my Twitter Account (points at my Profile Page).
Comments? Reviews? Their very much appreciated, as with the time you guys have taken in reading this story.
Until the next update, dream on; fly on!