Note: This takes place after episode 10 (I believe that is the episode in which they are kicked out of their safe house, but correct me if I'm wrong). And if they are OOC, then I apologize in advance for massacring their personalities.
X X X
Korra puts on a brave front.
She's cool, collected, and though her muscles are coiled beneath her skin, nerves wound tight, she seems in control. It's as if she has all the confidence in the world stored up inside, and it's inspiring to see, because it almost looks real. But it's all hollow, empty words rumbling through her chest. A cracking facade.
Far from prying eyes, in the company of one, Korra falls apart. She doesn't know what to say or what to do. She doesn't know how to cope with every second life throws at hers. Nothing before this had ever come close, Korra never had anything she couldn't handle. Sticky situations rolled over her like water and she took them in stride.
But now, high above, in the once bustling streets, it's a massacre. Riots are breaking out everyday, each more violent than the last. Nonbenders are cruising the streets, looting bender owned or associated stores, smashing shop fronts, daring anyone to stop them. But no one will. The police are gone, and no one does a thing when benders are pulled from their homes, thrashing and screaming and fighting for all they're worth and hung in the streets.
It's haunting, when they take small scouting excursions, dressed up to avoid suspicion, and all they see lining the streets are bodies, swaying in the wind. There is always blood splashed across the ground, and the sound of broken glass underfoot echoes along the walls.
How do you deal with something like that? To know that every person you see, eyes glassy and chest still, died praying for their savior to come, and as their life faded came to realize she wouldn't appear. They were on their own. Abandoned.
Korra draws in a shuddering breath, arms tightening their hold. Her fingers grabs fistfuls of shirt, soft and warm and the only certainty she has. She doesn't say much anymore, no longer presses all her fears into Asami's collarbone. There is nothing left to say. The way Korra's body shakes speaks for itself, and she comes here to forget, or try to, head tucked against Asami's shoulder.
Korras wants to be as strong as she pretends to be. Like the weight of the city that has been placed on her isn't slowly breaking her shoulders. She hates being so afraid, a little child with monsters under her bed. Except this monster is real, and his image is tattooed on the back of her eyelids.
"I hate this," Korra whispers. She doesn't need to speak, it's something that has been said before, but she feels the need to break the silence that always falls around them.
"I know," Asami rests her chin on top of the Avatar's head, hands rubbing gentle circles on her back, tracing patterns along her spine. She hates it too, being unable to put Korra back together in a far more permanent fashion. "Just try and sleep."
Sleep is hard to come by these days, so Korra never sleeps much anymore. Dozes for a few fleeting moments, before nightmares or unwanted thoughts jolt her back awake. There are bags under her eyes, and her vision is usually hazy, but somehow she manages to scrape by, as if she's doing fine. By the time morning rolls around and the long night is over, she'll pull herself back together and act like everything is fine.
She'll pretend as if they aren't seven steps behind Amon and falling fast behind.
X X X
Sometimes Korra really wants to forget.
She comes to Asami, angry and broken, and seeks solace in the older girl's body. In the grand scheme of things, the small moments of pleasure are just tiny blips on a larger scale, but Korra prefers writhing in pleasure to writhing in agony. Anything that can shut off her mind, no matter what the length of time, is something she will jump on when she has the chance. Whether it's genuine love or some type of pity that has Asami mapping out Korra's skin, the Avatar doesn't know sometimes, and often times she doesn't much care.
"It's almost over," Asami says one night when they're through. "Amon is gearing up for the end game."
"I know," Korra says. She can hear the other girl's steady heartbeat, head pressed against her bare chest, and the sound reverberates through Korra's body, a familiar, comforting rhythm. "I just... worry we're going to get played."
Asami runs a hand through Korra's hair, humming a small tune as she thinks. "He's definitely going to make sure we fight on his terms. His grounds. It won't be easy, but we don't have choice. He's had us backpedaling for weeks and our back have hit the wall. We're going down fighting."
"One shot to make it right." Korra murmured, closing her eyes. "Why do we have to wait so long, until so many people have lost their lives? I'm the Avatar, I'm supposed to protect them, yet here I am, huddled underground like a baby badgermole left behind by it's mother."
It was a rhetorical question, but Asami answered anyways. "And what would have been the better option. A suicidal attack when we were clearly out numbered and outmatched? Getting yourself killed wouldn't have solved a thing."
"I know." Silence falls around them, and it's the ugliest thing in the world. Silence has come to mean indecision, fear and agonizing waits. It happens when everyone is unsure what to do, how to proceed, or respond to a new development. It means death. It's what follows in the streets when dozens of dead eyes stared angrily back at the girl who failed her. Korra hates it.
"You're father is going to try to kill you." She begins, wishing the quit away, even if it means facing tough topics and swallowing hard answers.
"Not if I kill him first."
"Do you think you're going to be able to? He is your father."
"That man isn't my father." Asami responds, tensing up at the thought. She stills for a moment, and Korra can imagine the small scowl marring her features, a small flash of cold anger sparking in her eyes. "I don't know when my father was replaced. Maybe I was just blind, but that isn't him. The Hiroshi I know wouldn't try to kill my friends. He's better than that."
"Maybe he isn't."
A sigh swells in Asami's chest and escapes through her lips. "No matter what, he isn't escaping. If that means he's dead, or jailed, I don't care, I'm just going to make sure that no one sees his face again. He needs to be taken down."
Korra lets the subject drop, turning her head and pressing a kiss against Asami's shoulder. It's hard to forget everything that has happened, and what will come to pass. She feels bad, suppressing all the gruesome events, putting away all the angry, imaginary voices that scream at her for leaving them to die. But if she dwells on it for too long, she will break into tiny pieces and no one will be able to put her back together.
There are times she wishes Asami would stop putting her back together.
X X X
Morning rolls around and Korra is all confidence and false bravado, whole and seemingly well. She looks like hell, but then again, so does almost everyone else. She forces down a few spoonfuls of gray slop, having no real appetite for the thick goo that has become a routine meal. The group gathers around the fire for breakfast, and there is small talk and occasional laughter, though everyone is on edge by now, and precious few things are funny.
Stirring her spoon around the suspicious food a few times, Korra sets the bowls down by her feet and stands. A certain someone is missing from breakfast and she intends to find her. No one looks up from their meal, for Korra wanders away after eating her fill on a consistent basis. She glances to the man sitting next to her. "Hey, Mako, you know where Asami is?"
The firebender looks at her over the edge of his bowl, a small frown just visible. Korra fears he is seeing past the crumbling tough facade more and more with each passing day. He can see the frayed threads that hold the Avatar together, the way they eventually break under pressure. She can tell he is aware of how fast she is unraveling, that she may just fall apart at the seams. She knows that he, along with everyone else, has no idea what exactly happens when she and Asami are together, only that somehow it makes things better. A better Avatar means a better group. "I think she went out to the drainage pipe, the one you can see Air Temple Island from."
Korra offers a small smile that seems to lessen the tugging at the corners of his lips. "Thanks," she says, and sets off. The walk takes little over a minute, and sure enough, standing at the edge, is the girl Korra was looking for. She instantly relaxes and once she is near enough she wraps her arms around Asami's waist, burying her face between the older girl's shoulder blades. "Hey, you. Enjoying the view?"
"It's peaceful," she replies automatically. "A good place to just sit and stare at the ocean or the sky and think about nothing in particular."
"Well," Korra removes one hand and quietly bends to excess water that has pooled by their feet, creating a dry place for them. "Why don't we sit?"
Asami chuckles and works free of the Avatar's grasp, taking a seat on the ground and tugging Korra down with her. The pair settles against the curve of the pipe, Korra taking hold of Asami's hands, playing with the gloved digits. Days are far easier than nights. She can busy herself with any type of work around in order to forget, walk away from a problem should it get too hard. Life almost seems normal, like nothing ever happened. Korra can be herself. She doesn't have to be inspiring or on the edge of breaking down. She can simply sit and watch the sky with the person who keeps her grounded.
"You know, there were a few people in the Southern Water Tribe, they'd do palm reading," Korra says after a moment, turning Asami's hand over and tracing her palm through worn leather. "They would look at all the lines, and tell your future from it."
"Really now?"
"Yeah, they consistently said I'd have a long, happy life and I was going to do great things in my lifetime. Never put much stock into it. I mean, c'mon, I'm not gonna let my hand dictate how my life goes. It it ends up that way, fine, but it wasn't because of the lines on my hand."
"Did you ever pick up that skill?" Asami asks, catching Korra's eyes, a smile forming. "Can you read mine?"
"'Course." Korra responds, sliding the glove off and picking up the girl's hand. She examines it closely, eyes narrowed in focus, tongue poking out through her lips. She runs her fingers over the lines, taking them in. "I see... a handsome young Avatar in your future."
Asami laugh at this, using her free hand to give Korra a little shove. "You little sneak, you can't read palms!"
"No, no, wait, let me finish. I see an Avatar in your future, and she loves you very much. She would tear open the earth and shake the heavens for you. She would do anything to make you smile, would walk through fire to keep you safe. And she is the luckiest girl in the world, and can't thank you enough for keeping her together."
"Korra-"
"And she wants you to know, no matter what comes to pass, that your were the best thing that ever happened to her and without you she would have long since crumbled to pieces. Thank you, Asami, for sticking with me even though I've given you hell."
X X X
"Fuck!" Korra slams her fist against the nearest wall. It splinters, a spiderweb of cracks rippling outward from the point of impact. Her hand throbs with every heartbeat, and as she drops it down to her side, a trail of blood follows in her wake, smeared across the wall from where her knuckles were split. "How did this happen?" The ferocity in her gaze causes the entire party to take two steps back, and no one answers. Forcing herself to take a deep breath, she tries again, barely managing to keep her tone calm.
Bolin is the first to speak up. "They found us," he begins, glancing briefly around. "I think they knew where we were all along, they just chose now to attack. Caught us off guard, chi blockers and robots took us down and they... took them. We couldn't move."
Korra's injured hand twitches as she processes the information. She doesn't know if she wants to break everything in sight, or fall apart on the spot. The anger is evident on her face, because once again the party shrinks back, giving her space in case she blows up. They know the anger isn't directed at them, but they fear that they may end up getting hurt all the same.
"I'm going after them," Korra decides almost instantly, stalking off in the direction of the nearest exit.
"Korra, wait!" Asami grabs her by the wrist, forcefully tugging her to a stop.
"Let me go!" Korra hisses, tearing her arm free. She's seething, rage burning up her veins and she wants to fight- something, anything- before it's gone. Before it leaves and she breaks down completely in front of everyone and they see she isn't nearly as strong as they thought. "I'm ending this. Now."
"You'll just get yourself killed and you know it. We aren't prepared to start a fight now."
"And what am I supposed to do? Stand by and let Amon extinguish an entire race right in front of us? We need the airbenders. The world needs them, the Avatar needs them. I'm going to save them and you can't stop me." For a moment all the anger drains away and an unrecognizable emotion flickers across Korra's face. She reaches out, to touch Asami for possibly the last time or maybe pull her into kiss but stops. "I'll be back."
And then she's off running before anyone can blink. Asami runs after her, shouting, "It's a trap!" with all her might but the Avatar is faster, disappearing into the darkness ahead, leaving the group in stunned silence, wondering if this is the last time they will see Korra alive.
X X X
"It was foolish of you to come here, Avatar."
Amon's voice echoes throughout the darkened room and Korra whirls around, expecting to see him looming above her, but he isn't there. She turning around twice, muscles tense, ready to fight, but the masked man doesn't appear. "Surely one of your friends you that this meeting isn't in your favor? Yet here you are, because you are too oblivious to see obvious facts."
"Show yourself!"
"They say the only way to break the Avatar cycle is too kill one in the Avatar State." His voice is behind her, but his body is not. "But I have a question for you, Avatar. Will the cycle be broken, if the time rolls around for the Avatar to be reborn as an airbender, but none remain?"
"You didn't!" The slight shaking of her voice betrays Korra, worry leaking through her anger-laced words. All of a sudden, her muscles lock up and she is forced to her knees, body quivering from the effort she exerts to try and break free from what she quickly recognizes, with a jolt at the revelation of what that means, as bloodbending.
One light fizzles to life, casting dusty fluorescence down on Korra. Footsteps slap against the ground and Amon steps calmly into the light, hands clasped behind his back, the perfect picture of a hunter who has his prey exactly where he wants it. "I told you I would save you for last, and the time has finally come for your destruction. The city is in ruins, all the resentment towards benders coming to a violent head. It's mass murder out there, but you know that. Everyone has lost hope in you." Korra can't tell under the mask, but she would bet the man was smiling. "And I didn't have to do a thing. I at least thought you would fight, rally the benders to give it all they've got. Instead, you abandoned them. And they lost. You destroyed your image for me."
"You bastard," Korra chokes out, trying in vain to break free. The man was a filthy liar, a waterbender himself. But why would he go to such lengths? What gain could he possibly achieve? Thought she fights with all her might, her blood forces her to the floor, cheek pressed against the cold, dirty ground.
"All the while you were busy cowering below ground, falling to sorry pieces. Very unbecoming of an Avatar. I expected a grand finale, one last, massive battle for control of the city. Instead, you come to me, broke and hurting without a plan, only to die here with merely a whimper."
"Shut up."
"How many people have you disappointed? Avatar Aang, the good citizens of this city-"
"Shut. Up."
"The Airbenders, certainly, that poor girl Asami-"
"I said, shut up!" It's sudden. The hold Amon has on her snaps, and Korra jumps up, firing a wall of fire his way as she steps back, chest heaving. The rage flowing fast through her veins is frightening, but she has no time to think. Doesn't want to. All she knows is that this man has hurt far too many people and now he has to pay. If it's the last thing she does, she'll make sure he dies with the image of her eyes, glowing white like a fire drained of color, ingrained in his mind. She won't fall apart again.
X X X
The room, and hallway leading to it, is a complete mess. The walls have crumbled and are missing massive hunks. Support beams from the ceiling have rained down to the floor below, splintered in many places, missing the nails that hold them together. Through it all, Asami navigates, followed by medics and friends who are just as nervous as she is as to what sight awaits them beyond.
The mayhem ends inside the room, which is strewn with broke tables, ripped cloths and bits of ceiling that have come apart. Light filters through hole in the walls, catching the dust stirred up by their footsteps. Asami keeps a hopeful mask over her features, though she fears the worst. And when her eyes find a motionless body clad in the blue towards the back of the room, that mask all but falls apart.
She rushes over to the fallen Avatar, stumbling over debris. A wooden beam pins the girl to the floor by her legs and Asami struggles to lift it off, finally managing to toss the piece aside. She gathers the Avatar's broken body in her arms. Korra is a mess. Cuts of varying size line her face and body, and a spear of ice of a worrying size is lodged in her chest, just beneath where her heart is. Asami is too preoccupied trying to get the girl to respond to realize how odd that fact is. "Korra," she says, quietly at first. "Wake up. It's over. You won."
The Avatar remains as limp as a doll, not even a shallow breath rattling through her lungs. Asami gives her a gentle shake, mindful not to irritate any wounds. Her voices rises. "Korra, we found them. They're alive. I don't know what Amon told you, but he was bluffing. Tenzin and the others are fine." Again, she receives no response, and panic is starting to rise. The others gather slowly, unsure of what to do. The medics are the first to realize there is nothing they can do. Bolin and Mako look on in shocked silence, unable to comprehend the sight before them.
The first tear falls on Korra's face, almost on the corner of her eyes, and for a moment looks as if she herself is crying. It traces a path across bloodied skin, disappearing into dirty brown hair. At any moment, Asami expects to hear, "Hey, I'm the one who's supposed to come apart, right?" but it never comes. This time, it is Asami's who breaks into barely recognizable pieces, and there is no one there to comfort her now.
X X X
Authoor's Note: Well, this is the longest one-shot I've written so far. 3,458 words, spanning six and a half pages. It started out one way and kind of ended up another, so I apologize if it starts to seem disconnected about half-way through. It's an okay one in my opinion. Anways, I wanted to make a darker story for LoK (I don't know if it worked) and I've had it in my mind lately about changing the story slightly so that Amon is killing benders instead of simply taking their bending. It's become a sort of theme in a few unfinished oneshots of mine. Now, I'm going to take this space to say that Korra wasn't killed in the Avatar State.I couldn't fit it into the story, so I'm telling you here that the cycle is unbroken.