Chapter 17
Bursting through the bathroom door, Korra looks around the main room, which is now set ablaze in a panic. From the hundreds of people aimlessly wandering around, to the flickering emergency light, Korra is about to lose her mind. And on top of it all, she still hasn't seen Asami.
Something catches her eye. On the wall, under where the First Lady was seated, there are words painted in some kind of glow in the dark substance.
This is only the beginning.
Slumped over in a pool of blood, beneath the writing, is President Raiko. Korra rushes over to his side and checks for a pulse. Her fingers keep slipping, due to the amount of blood coating them.
She feels him move slightly, and notices that he's looking at her. He tries to speak but it only results in gurgled noises. He weakly lifts his arm and points upwards. Looking up, Korra understands that he's trying to express his concern for his wife.
"We'll check on her after we get you out of here safe." Korra says, trying not to let her emotions take over her.
Raiko simply shakes his head. Or at least Korra thinks he does, it's hard to tell in this lighting, on top of the fact that it was such a weak movement.
He tries to push her away from him, but fails. "Hold on I'll get help." Korra says, looking at who is around them.
Finding nobody calm enough to properly keep watch over the President, Korra simply returns to his side, and holds his hand.
"Hang in there, I'm gonna get you outta here."
But it's too late. His head is slumped down on his chest, and she can no longer hear the ragged breaths leaving his body. She checks for a pulse once more, just to be sure, and surely enough there isn't one to be found.
Rising from the ground, Korra punches the wall next to her, as her blood stained hands shake. This is ridiculous. Who could've done this?! A few people pop into her mind as she asks that question. But what did the Triple Threats want? Who were they working for? This was a lot to process. And now wasn't the time, nor the place to try and process anything.
Willing herself to leave the President, she looks for a way to reach the First Lady. Not seeing anything more convenient, she climbs onto the table where all the food had been, and jumps onto the overhang, pulling herself over. Once she's reached her destination, she sees the First Lady, laid out on the ground. Rushing to her side, much like she had done with Raiko, she feels for a pulse, and is relieved to feel a strong rhythmic pound against her fingers. She's just unconscious, thank the Spirits.
Pulling out her phone, Korra dials Lin.
"Lin, we've got a problem."
…
"That's not all. The President's dead."
…
"Considering I just watched him take his last breath, I think I'm sure."
…
"I don't know, there's too much commotion. The First Lady's safe, but unconscious on her little balcony thing."
…
"I haven't seen Kya, but I'm sure she's safe, probably helping people somewhere. But I've got to go. I can't find Asami."
Hanging up her phone, Korra looks out over the party, and scans for Asami. Spotting her target, Korra wastes no time jumping over the edge of the railing, landing harshly on the table. Sprinting in the direction she had saw Asami, she makes it to her, and grabs her by the shoulder, spinning her around. "Asami, are you-" The person looking back at her isn't Asami.
Korra backs away, and continues her search. Just when she's about to give up hope and lose her mind, she sees three men, the largest of the three carrying a woman in a dark dress with a bag over her head, exit the building.
"Asami!" She quickly follows after them. Once she makes it outside, she sees them dump the body in the back of a car, and drive off. She follows on foot, refusing to lose Asami. She won't let them take her. But the distance between them is only growing, and quickly. Lungs burning, and legs straining, Korra feels tears slip down her face, as she realizes that she won't be able to catch them. Ragged breaths escape her body as she continues to push herself to the limit, refusing to give up. A car pulls up in front of her and she instantly recognizes it. The back door swings open, and she sees Kya looking back at her.
"Get in kid!" She hears Lin yell, from the front.
Jumping in the seat next to Kya, Korra has no time to even close the door as Lin peels off after Asami's kidnappers.
"What the hell is going on?!" Lin yells, to no-one in particular. "First the President gets murdered, the First Lady knocked out, and now Asami Sato kidnapped?!"
Korra hadn't even heard her. She's too focused on the car they were currently pursuing. Leaning into the front of the car to get a better view, she grinds her teeth. "Can't this thing go any faster?"
Lin ignores her, while Kya places a soothing hand on her shoulder. "We'll get her back."
"I know." Korra's nails dig into the palm of her hand.
"Hold on!" Lin cautions, as she makes a very sharp turn.
Finally having reached their target, Lin pulls out her pistol.
"Whoa, be careful! Asami's in there!" Korra yells.
Lin simply scoffs, before sticking her arm out of the window, and shooting out one of the tires.
Seeing the car spin out and hit a pole, Korra jumps out of her already opened door, and reaches them just as the three men from earlier all exit the car. She isn't deterred at all. If anything, she's enraged. How dare they touch Asami?
Lin and Kya follow Korra's lead, exiting the car and standing on either side of her. The two smaller men both rush Lin and Kya, leaving the biggest for Korra, just as she wanted.
"Who do you work for? And what do they want with Asami?" She asks as they circle each other.
He only stares at her.
"Don't wanna talk? Fine."
Running towards him, Korra punches him in the stomach, causing him to look at her and smirk. He didn't even move. He kicks her square in the chest, and she hits the ground hard, losing the small amount of breath she had managed to regain, after chasing them on foot.
Rising to her feet, she clutches her ribs. He's tough. This isn't gonna be easy. But Korra likes a challenge.
Figuring that since he's so much bigger than her, he can't possibly match her speed, she takes off running at him again, only this time she throws a swift jab at his gut, then quickly moves out of the way of his fist, trying to connect with her face. She spins around him, coming behind him and kicking the back of his knee, causing him to stumble slightly. She takes the opening, and jumps in the air kicking him in the back with both of her feet. They both hit the ground, but she recovers more quickly than he does. She walks towards his downed form, and starts pounding on his face. He releases a growl and grabs her fist as it tries to connect with his face again, then he switches their positions, and Korra's head spins. He hits her square in the jaw, knocking her entire head to the side. She briefly closes her eyes, seeing stars. Bringing her arms up to protect her face, he pounds away at her defenses. She moves her head to the side as another fist tries to connect with her face, causing him to hit the concrete. She uses this time to kick his body off of her, using all the strength in her body. Once he's no longer hovering over her, she stands on shaky feet, and wheezes. At this rate, she'd lose if she didn't end this fight quickly.
Not giving him the chance to correct himself, Korra sends a vicious kick to the side of his head, but it isn't enough. He rises to his knees, and she jumps on his back, and puts him in a choke-hold. She instantly regrets doing so, as he rams her back into the car that Asami was still inside of. She doesn't let go. He rams her back into the car once more, before simply jumping and landing on the ground, back first. Korra lies on the ground, spread out, as he rolls off of her. He looks down at her and laughs.
Korra tries to move, but her body protests, and she groans instead. He raises his foot, getting ready to stomp on her head, when Lin aims her gun at him. "Freeze!"
He does as he's told, leg hovering in the air.
Kya rushes to Korra's side as Lin handcuffs the men they had fought. "Oh my Spirits, Korra are you okay? Korra?"
That's the last thing Korra hears, before losing consciousness.
Feeling slight discomfort, Korra tries to roll over, when her ribs explode in pain. She gasps, opening her eyes immediately. She doesn't recognize where she is. Looking around the dark room, she realizes she's in a hospital bed. That's when all the memories of the party come flooding back to her. She shoots upright. "Asami!" Her ribs scream in pain, and she hunches over, clutching her mid-section.
Somebody immediately comes to her side, and rubs soothing circles in her back. "Hey, calm down. I'm right here." Asami says.
Once her eyes adjust to the darkness, they focus on Asami's face, and she's instantly filled with relief. "What happened?" She asks, taking Asami's hand into hers.
"I woke up after you and that guy kept slamming each other against the car, and then Lin arrested the three, and brought us here. That was last night. You've been asleep ever since." Asami says, brushing her thumb against a dark bruise on Korra's cheek.
"What? I've been asleep for twenty-four hours?!"
"Well, you broke two ribs, and that was after chasing a car for almost six blocks. I would assume you'd be exhausted." Asami kisses her forehead. "Thank you. They told me about everything you did to get me back. But if something like that ever happens again, please don't push yourself so hard. If Lin wasn't there, they would've killed you."
Korra looks away sheepishly. "He only won because I was tired after chasing them down. Regardless, we're both here in one piece, so I'd say they failed."
Asami glares at Korra, but doesn't say anything more on the matter. "Lin's been interrogating them the entire time. They haven't said much. The investigation at the party, hasn't turned up much either." Asami sighs.
"They'll come for you again."
"I know. Or at the very least, they'll send Viper."
Korra nods. It was all so confusing. "What do they want?"
Sighing again, Asami shrugs. "We won't know until they want us to know. But even still… killing the President? This is bigger than I originally thought."
"What's going to happen, now that the President's dead?" Korra asks, as she gently lays back. She was still tired.
"Well, naturally the Vice President is going to take over. But the country's going to be in a state of chaos for a while. The President was just killed, and we don't even know who did it, nor why they did it. All in all, this is a very bad situation."
Nodding again, Korra closes her eyes. Asami had described it perfectly. This is a very bad situation. They know the Triple Threats are involved, but it was obvious they're just being used. They're nothing more than puppets. The problem is, who exactly is the puppet master. And what do they want?
Sighing, Korra opens her eyes and looks to Asami. "When can I leave?"
Just as she asks her question, Kya walks into the room. "You can leave tonight, but Asami will have to monitor you again. Your ribs are in terrible condition, and you took a nasty hit to the head."
Korra pouts. This is like deja vu.
"Your ribs are fractured, so you'll have to take it easy for six to twelve weeks, while they heal. So that means leave fighting to the professionals." Kya smirks.
"You're one to talk. What happened to your lip?" Korra asks, referring to Kya's bottom lip, which is split, and slightly swollen.
"We're here to talk about the person who tried to fight the hulk by themselves, not me." Kya laughs.
"Whatever." Korra huffs, before groaning in pain.
"If it makes you feel any better, he's got a few lumps and bruises covering his face."
Frowning, Korra shakes her head. "But he's not laid up in a hospital bed, is he?"
"And you won't be, in a few minutes. In case you forgot, we weren't there to fight. We were there to rescue Asami, and we did. We won, so cheer up." Kya says, before lightly tapping Korra's forehead with a clipboard, then exiting.
"She's right. If you stop pouting, I'll massage your back when we get to my place. I know it must be killing you."
Now that Asami had mentioned it, Korra realizes her back really does feel like crap. "Okay."
Asami gives Korra a bright smile. "Alright then, let's go. We have to pick up some stuff for you, so you can make a full recovery."
"So how exactly, is a back massage going to work while my ribs are broken?" Korra asks, lying on her back holding an ice pack against her chest.
"Um… I really didn't think about that, when I offered." Asami says, sheepishly. "The offer still stands, whenever you're up to it. I'm sorry."
"It's alright. It's my fault for letting him crush me with his body weight." Korra frowns.
Smiling, Asami shakes her head. "You put up a good fight, from what I saw, and I only really started watching towards the end. I would've helped, but whatever they drugged me with, left me really drowsy."
"That was a terrible fight. The odds were against me from the start." Korra disagrees.
"And you still fought, knowing that you'd most likely lose?"
"Of course. I couldn't just let them have you."
Asami sighs. "Korra he was going to kill you. I don't want you to get killed, because of me."
Struggling to sit up, Korra grabs Asami's hand. "I can't help it. I'd rather die knowing I did all I could, than live regretting that I didn't do anything."
Giving Korra a sad smile, Asami brings Korra's hand up to her lips and kisses her swollen knuckles. "And I love that about you. I just don't want to be the reason you get hurt. It's a weird mix of feelings, I know I'm not making much sense. In simpler terms, I want you to keep helping people, but I don't want you to get hurt, especially because of me."
"I understand. I'll try to be more careful." Korra says, as Asami continues to play with her battered knuckles.
"Do you want to try and take a bath? I'll fill the tub for you."
"Please?"
Asami responds with a smile and brief kiss, before disappearing into the bathroom.
"Alright, the water's all nice and warm, whenever you're ready. If you need help, just call and I'll be there." She helps Korra off of the bed, and into the bathroom.
"Thanks Asami." Korra says, as Asami leaves.
Shrugging out of her dress, proves to be more difficult than she thought it would. As it hits the ground, she frowns at it's tattered and torn form. There's no way anybody is wearing that dress again. It's sad too. They made her legs look great.
As she sinks down into the water Asami had ran for her, she releases a long sigh. It had been a long day, and she just wants to lie back and let the water wash away her tension. So she does just that.
After a solid ten minutes, of just letting her body soak, she decides it's time to clean herself. She soaps up her rag, and gets to work. This also is gonna be harder than she thought, because as she tries to wash her stomach, she hits a particularly tender area, and sucks in a sharp breath.
She bites her bottom lip, as she thinks about calling Asami for help. Maybe she could do it herself. She tries again, and doesn't make it very far. Each time she touches her mid-section, it bursts in an unimaginable amount of pain.
By the time she gives up, a few tears have escaped. "Asami..." She calls out softly.
"Korra? Are you okay?" She can hear the concern in Asami's voice, and it warms her heart.
"I need help."
"Okay, I'm coming in."
Korra covers her chest with one arm, as Asami slowly enters the bathroom.
"Oh my Spirits, Korra are you crying?" Asami kneels outside of the tub, and wipes away one of Korra's tears.
Chuckling, Korra gasps and new tears roll down her face. "Heh. No."
Watching Korra in so much pain saddens Asami. Her face sits in a slight pout. "How bad does it hurt?"
Korra tilts her head towards the ceiling thinking, and Asami's eyes drift toward the curve of her chest. "Hmm, maybe a nine?"
Asami's hand hovers over Korra's stomach. "Can I?"
Nodding, Korra braces herself. Asami lightly pokes her mid-section and Korra clenches her teeth.
"Spirits Korra." Asami breaths. She had barely even touched her. "Maybe we'll just be extra careful with your ribs."
Asami leans over the edge of the tub, grabbing the rag, and starts cleaning Korra's wounds.
Korra takes shallow breaths through her mouth, with her eyes closed. When she opens them she sees Asami, leaning over the edge of the tub, on her knees. That can't be comfortable at all. A wild idea forms in her mind…
"You know..." Korra starts.
"Hmm?" Asami continues scrubbing lightly.
"You could join me. If you want." Korra says, blushing fiercely.
"Are you sure?" Asami asks, with a smile already on her face.
Korra simply nods.
Standing, Asami starts to shrug out of her dress. Korra lowers her eyes, onto the suds in the water.
"You don't have to look away." Asami says so softly, that Korra thought that she had imagined it.
When Korra looks back up, Asami's dress hits the floor and she stands before her, in her underwear. She realizes that Korra's eyes, are already starting to darken, and it sends a shock of electricity throughout her entire body. Removing her last few articles of clothing, she spots Korra subconsciously licking her lips.
Once Asami is fully disrobed, Korra opens her arms wide, and invites Asami into the tub with her. The look on Asami's face, fills Korra with an indescribable longing.
Climbing into the large tub, Asami sits directly in front of Korra.
Korra can't take her eyes off of Asami, and Asami can't stop ogling Korra.
Grabbing Asami by the chin, Korra gains her attention. "My eyes are up here, Asami."
Having been caught staring, Asami's entire face turns red, along with her upper chest and neck. Korra finds her entire reaction beautiful, and can't resist pulling her face closer and sharing all of her emotions through a single passionate kiss.
So much for taking it slow.
A/N: So I tried a bunch of new things in this chapter, that I'm not used to. Let me know what you think. Esp about the fight.
It would seem things are heating up, for our two favorite girls. Not only relationship wise either! For the sake of keeping this story rated T, I won't add any smut. BUT if you would like to read about their adventure in fine detail let me know, and I'll post a separate story, solely for that reason.
Anyway, with all that being said, I hope you enjoyed, and if you did leave a review telling me! And if you didn't, leave a review telling me!