Hey all! Happy October! Here's an update to The Arts. Hope you enjoy! I'm hoping to update every few weeks as time goes on and as I work on finishing this part of the fic. Thank-you for your amazing support and divine patience. Much love!

(-)

Chapter 4

Things will get better. And I'll do everything I can to make that happen.

Delicate healing

Her jaw dropped. "Wait, I'm going to the Fire Nation? Why?"

"They decided it would be safer for you there."

Korra's lip pouted. "Who's they?"

"Tonraq and Katara, mostly. But Kya and Senna contributed as well." Asami slid her hands under Korra's jaw line.

Korra looked away, refusing to stare into Asami's eyes. She couldn't help the sense of betrayal she felt in her chest.

And it wasn't hard for Asami to see it. "Korra, Republic City is swarming with Strikers and Triads that might hurt you, and we were ambushed in the Southern Water Tribe twice in one day." She tried to reason with Korra. "Katara and Tonraq need time to investigate why those members of the White Lotus were attacking you before it's safe enough for you to go back."

She pulled herself from Asami's grip and crossed her arms. "The Southern Water Tribe isn't the only Nation with White Lotus, you know." Her lip pouted.

"They're well aware of that. And so is Zuko. That's why you're staying with him, wherever it is that he lives in the Fire Nation. He's going to train you in Fire Bending personally, from what I understand."

This got her attention. She lifted her gaze and met the peridots before her. "What do you mean?"

"They didn't just pick the Fire Nation because it protects its perimeters with a fleet. They wanted a place where you could start healing and honing your Fire Bending skills, where you could 'start your training to be the Avatar.'" She impersonated Tonraq, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

The Avatar?

To be honest, Korra had forgotten all about the truth she was handed in the Southern Water Tribe while talking to Asami. It started to rush back to her, her mind flashing between Katara's words and her own when she redirected Piku's lightning. The phrases claimed that she was the Avatar. Her. Korra, from the Southern Water Tribe. And when the pieces clicked together, it had made sense.

Horrible, painful sense.

The dreams and subconscious trips came back to her, their images crisper now than they had ever been before. A sharp pain flew through her skull. She grimaced and held her head, curling into herself from the shock.

There was no turning back from this now.

"I'm…" she whispered, but the words wouldn't come out from her apprehension.

"Asami, I think we were hit or something because there's something wrong with the en– Korra? Are you alright?" Kya rushed over to the bed, concern in her eyes. She knelt down beside the mattress and looked up at Korra, trying to examine her.

"I'm fine," Korra grumbled, turning away before Kya's hand reached her.

A loud burst of the engine shook the boat. Asami and Kya exchanged a fearful glance.

"I'm going to go check on the engine, Korra. I'll be right back, okay?"

She nodded but didn't look at the woman beside her. She flinched again to another pain in her head.

Asami gripped Korra's shoulder with a single hand before pushing herself up. She wanted to do more; she wanted to sit there and help Korra sort things out. She wanted to hold her and comfort her in any way that she could. But another burst from below refused her the opportunity. She sighed and scurried to the engine room, a mild skip in her heart.

Kya also rose, hoping the motion would be enough to get Korra's attention.

It wasn't.

"I've got to go helm the ship and guard it while Asami makes repairs. I froze their boat out there, but there's no telling whether or not they're the only pirates on the water. Just… stay here and get some rest. Alright, Korra?"

Korra bobbed her head, still silent in her response, though her hands were now laced in her hair from the tension in her mind.

Kya made her way to the door and stopped at the exit, taking another moment to look over her shoulder. She watched as Korra groaned her way to her side and lay still on the mattress, not even bothering to put the blanket over her body.

Korra curled up into herself and never let go of her head.

Kya dropped her eyes, heaviness in her heart.

Things will get better. And I'll do everything I can to make that happen. She paused. And not just for mom, but for you, too. I promise.

With a final glance, Kya zipped out of the room, eager to get the ship running and safe as soon as she could.

(-)

Korra stared at the wall for what seemed like hours. Because it was, in fact, hours. She couldn't even remember the last time she blinked. Everything just seemed to blend together and stretch out, as if she were still drifting along in that never-ending pool of darkness. Her dry eyes watched the shadows flick across from her, their intensity fading with the life of the fire. She didn't want to think at the moment; it was still too hard to. Her head was throbbing, and at this point, she believed it would just be a permanent part of her life now.

Now that she was the…

She muttered it in a whispered mental voice.

The Avatar.

A mild shock bounced off the walls of her skull. She grimaced and clenched her jaw, wishing for the pain to just stop. Her ears picked up on mild clinking and banging in the engine room. Asami was in there, working hard as she always did to try and get that damn engine to run.

That was when Korra realized what boat they were on; this was not just any ship. Rather, this was the vessel they had stolen from Future Industries to flee Republic City.

But how? The Strikers took it from the Aakaga when they retreated in the Southern Water Tribe.

Her insides shrugged.

Maybe they abandoned it when they realized how shitty it was.

Then why did we take it?

Another shaking and a burst echoed across the room. A muffled scream forced Korra upright.

"Asami?"

She crawled her way to the edge of the mattress and struggled to her feet, each attempt at moving her body around more painful than the last.

When will I ever be not-tired or sore?

Korra groaned to the exit and looked around, searching for the engine room. When she came across the familiar door, she lowered herself to the ground and slid down the steps, one at a time; she wasn't looking to make her injuries worse if she could prevent it.

You could prevent it by listening to Kya and Asami and staying in bed.

Can it. She growled her mental response as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Korra pulled herself to her feet and glanced around. Steam was billowing from a pipe and filling the room. The visibility was low, if at all existent.

"Asami?" Korra called out, holding her injured front with her free hand.

"Korra?"

"Asami!" She meandered through the steam, thankful that it wasn't too hot for her to navigate.

That didn't mean there wasn't a decent sting on her skin.

It didn't take long for her to start sweating. Nor did it take long for her to lose her sight completely. "Asami?" She called again, hoping that she was near.

"Kor –" Asami's response was cut off as Korra tripped right over her torso.

Korra smashed into the ground with a pain-laced "oomph" and groaned; this was not helping her injuries in the slightest.

"Korra? Are you alright?"

"I – should be asking you that." Korra rubbed her forehead, convinced she had a new bruise there.

"What in the hell is going on down here?" Kya approached them, Bending the steam as she did so. She cleared the area around them to find Asami on her side, a small amount of blood leaking from the side of her head and Korra on top of her, rubbing what was sure to be a similar injury – minus the blood. She raised an eyebrow and if she hadn't been Water Bending, she would have put her hands on her hips in frustration. "Korra, I told you to stay in bed. And Asami, what happened?"

Asami squirmed from under Korra and sat up, her greasy palm to her injury; she had abandoned her gloves hours ago, their surfaces too oily and slippery to hold the tools she needed. She brought her hand back into her sight, too weary to remember where her gloves even were or why it had mattered at that instant. What she wasn't expecting were her fingers to get wet with blood. "I was checking through everything – as we started up… and one of the steam pipes burst. I think the end got me."

"Can you stand?"

"I – I think so." Asami rolled over to her hands and knees when she stopped at the sight of Korra. She brought her focus to Korra in an instant. "Korra, are you okay?" She gripped Korra's shoulders and helped her sit upright.

"I'm fine. Just had a tumble, that's all."

Kya shook her head. "Why are you down here, Korra?"

"I heard Asami scream and I got concerned." There was a bit more anger laced in her voice than she was expecting. She attributed it to her protective nature when it came to Asami; she wasn't going to just sit around if Asami was in trouble or she needed her – not if she could help it.

And I'm not going to just send her away, either, a bitter thought in Korra's mind bit back.

Kya sighed. What did she expect? In all reality, she would be more surprised if Korra wasn't down here to check on Asami after that scream; she had heard it all the way in the helm. "Let's just get you two out of here so I can check your wounds."

Asami shook her head. "I need to fix this pipe. We need to get moving." She pushed herself to her feet and wobbled into the wall, finding it hard to keep her balance. She felt dizzy and looked around. Kya faded in and out of focus for a few seconds. She used one hand to grip the wall and the other to hold her head injury. Her eyes searched through the steam until she found the blown pipe hanging from its broken flange, the other end ripped off and dangling after smacking Asami in the skull. She squinted from the small amount of light in the room, her eyes almost burning from the sight of it. It forced her to stagger, though she caught herself against the wall before she fell.

"Asami, you might have a concussion. You need to sit down and let me check you over and heal you."

She refused once more, taking a steam filled breath to steady herself. She worked her way over to the small passageway connecting the engine room to the boiler room. From there, she crawled inside and felt around for the boiler. While her steps were groggy and her mind was in pain, she was still sharp enough to know not to touch the vessel. Once her palms got close enough to feel the heat radiating off it, she brought her hands to the relief valve on the top and cranked it open.

A loud hissing sound filled her ears. It didn't stop her. She twisted it just one more quarter turn to relieve the pressure built up in the boiler. From there, she meandered to the feed valve and rotated the handle until the fuel flow stopped. The fire in the boiler kicked off and soon, the steam stopped flowing from the broken pipe.

Asami sighed in relief and slid down to the floor against the wall. She held her head and closed her eyes, hoping to make her double vision fade.

"Asami?" Kya dipped through the opening and rushed over to her. "Come on, you're coming upstairs to the cabin. You need to rest and get out of this heat." She threw Asami's arm over her shoulders and helped her to her feet. "How are you feeling?"

"Where's Korra? Is Korra okay?"

"Korra is fine, for the most part. She doesn't have anything more than a scrape. She's right over there." Kya motioned with her head as they passed the broken pipe.

Korra was leaning against the wall rubbing her scalp with one hand. Her vibrant blue eyes looked up at the pair, a gentle smile washing over her face at the sight of Asami on her feet. She motioned to get up and follow, but Kya stopped her.

"Korra, stay there. I'll come back for you."

She pouted and crossed her arms, wanting nothing more than to help in any way she could. Once Kya and Asami were out of sight, she tried to push herself up to her feet, using the wall as a support. She took a step and faltered, realizing just how much her fall and her injuries were affecting her.

Okay, maybe Master Kya's right on this one.

Korra slid back down with a groan and closed her eyes, listening to the quiet drip of the condensate from the broken pipe. She split her lids and stared at it, wondering just how the pipe could have flown off the way it had. She shrugged in defeat, knowing full well that she had no knowledge on the subject matter; that was Asami's expertise.

"Korra?"

She twisted her head to see Kya coming her way, a small bit of Asami's blood on her robe.

"Is Asami okay?"

"I'll find out in a minute," Kya knelt down and wrapped Korra's arm over her shoulders. She held onto her torso and heaved her up.

"Thanks, Master Kya. I probably should have listened to you and stayed in bed." She blinked slowly. "I feel like I'm going to throw up."

"As long as you don't vomit on me, then I won't be mad at you." Kya replied with a gentle chuckle to lighten her serious tone.

They made their way to the steps and took their time climbing them.

"I was just worried about Asami," Korra mumbled, her words starting to slur in her exhaustion.

"I know you were, Korra. But you need to rest. You've been unconscious for two days already. Your body needs time to recover." She paused a moment, tightening her grip on Korra. Her face grew grave and she turned her head to the wall beside them. Her voice lost its hint of airy humor and returned to solemnity. "To be completely honest, I wasn't sure you were going to wake up. Every time I checked on you, I couldn't feel you at all."

Korra met the corner of Kya's eyes as they reached the top of the stairs. Her heart somersaulted to her tone and concern. She looked away, unsure of what she should say in this situation. 'I'm sorry' just didn't feel like enough. At the same time, it didn't feel right either; it wasn't Korra's fault that she was knocked unconscious by some man's lighting. Well, not entirely. She shuffled between blame of all sorts in her head and let it go when they reached her chambers. It wouldn't do much to help anything right now, she decided. She was halfway in her chambers when she noticed the second bed in the room. It was the same one Asami slept on during their travels to the Southern Water Tribe – that is, when she was actually afforded the gift of sleep. It was where she laid now, a hand on her bleeding injury to stop the flow.

"Just lay down, Korra. And stay here."

When she saw where Kya was trying to take her – the bed across from Asami – she stiffened her legs to stop the movement and shook her head. "I wanna be by Asami. I wanna make sure she's okay."

While Kya wanted to let out a loud sigh, there was something about Korra's tone that made her stop. She took a quick glance, analyzing the way Korra was looking at Asami on the bed. She thought of their words and the way they acted around each other in the Southern Water Tribe – before, during, and after the attacks thrust upon them.

Of course.

Her smile was soft in the firelight. She brought Korra over to Asami's bed. Who was she to deny them? "I'm going to put you at the foot against the wall so you can sit with her and see her, but I'm going to be working on some delicate healing, so try not to move too much, alright?"

Korra nodded, a gracious grin on her tired, mumbling lips.

Kya shook her head and helped Korra onto the mattress. She paused for just a moment to watch them automatically stare at each other, a mixture of worry, relief, and hidden love in their eyes.

Lovebirds, she whispered in her mind as she popped the cap on her Bending water sac. Lucky for her, she hadn't tainted it yet during their travels from the Southern Water Tribe, so she could use it on Asami without worrying about infection.

I suppose that's the benefit of being surrounded by the sea and icebergs, she chirped in her mind. She cleared it to concentrate.

"Alright, Asami. I need you to focus on me." Kya grabbed her attention and brought a small amount of water to her brown hand. She kept it swirling in her palm and made it glow. Once the peridots were on her, she continued. "I want you to follow this light, alright? But use just your eyes. Keep your head still."

She nodded and watched Kya's hand, moving her head as she did so.

"Asami, keep your head still. Just use your eyes. Do you understand?"

Asami blinked several times and squinted, trying to focus her vision. She didn't give Kya a response.

"Asami?" Korra called to her, her hand sliding over to Asami's. Her palm met the back of a greasy hand.

Kya brought her glowing hand up to the side of Asami's head and examined her pupils. Both were the same size and dilating in the same way. She sighed in relief. "Asami, I want you to close your eyes this time. I need you to sit as still as you possibly can. I'm going to do some healing and look over your brain. Can you do that?"

"Asami?" Korra squeezed her hand after she didn't respond.

"I'm here. I'm here, Korra."

"Can you hear me, Asami?"

"I can hear you, Korra."

"Can you close your eyes and sit still? Master Kya is going to try and heal you."

"I can do that." Asami shut her lids and rotated her hand so that her palm was touching Korra's. She gave it a squeeze.

"Just relax and breathe, Asami. In and out. Nice and deep." Kya Bent more water from her pouch until both of her hands were surrounded. She made it glow and started at Asami's feet, moving her hands up at a slow pace. Her eyes were shut and her face was a bit scrunched as she analyzed Asami's body. "There's nothing here, thank the Spirits. But that means most of your injury is in your head."

"Korra?" Asami called out, too dazed to even realize Kya was addressing her.

"I'm right here, Asami. What do you need?"

There was no reply, just a light squeeze of her hand.

Korra met Kya's eyes with frantic ones.

"She definitely has a concussion. If it wasn't from the pipe, then it was from the fall." Kya moved up to Asami's head and allowed the water to split between her two hands. She murmured in minor amusement, if only for Korra's relief. "After all the fighting she's been through and the hits she's taken the past few days, a pipe ends up taking her out."

A small grin stirred in Korra, but it wasn't enough to show on her worried face.

Kya noticed this and refocused. She closed her eyes again and lowered the glowing water into Asami's skull, searching her brain for the injury.

The skin around Asami's flesh wound started to heal as Kya concentrated on that chi path. Once the surface cut was dealt with, she moved deeper, somewhat thankful that Asami's injury was bad enough to keep her still; while it was a terrible thing to think, if Asami had been shaking violently or recoiling the way Korra had when her and her mother tried to heal her in the past, she wouldn't be able to do a single thing to help.

There was a slight amount of pain on Asami's face as Kya moved towards a very minute inflammation within Asami's skull. Kya focused her chi around the injury and sped the natural healing process up just a small amount; if she went too quickly, she would cause more damage than she would prevent. It was an advanced form of healing, whenever it involved the brain; it took her years to study and she still wasn't even quite a master – not in the way that her mother was. She shook that away and focused. She could handle a little surface inflammation, but she had to pay attention.

After a few quiet, still minutes, Asami's expression relaxed. She didn't feel as lethargic as she did before, nor were her thoughts swirling around in a thick stupor. While she did have a mild headache, she didn't feel nearly as bad. She cracked her eyes open once she felt Kya's presence draw away. She flinched to the light of the dying fire, still a bit sensitive to its glow. Several blinks later and she adjusted.

Kya was crisp and clear in front of her. Korra was beside her, a smile of relief on her face. She gave Asami's hand a gentle squeeze.

"Can you hear me, Asami?"

She brought her attention to Kya and lucky for her, there was only one of the Healer this time. "I can hear you."

Kya lifted her glowing hand up again. "I'm going to move my hand around. I want you to follow it with just your eyes, alright?"

Asami nodded. This time, when Kya waved her hand around, Asami's pupils tracked it. Her head didn't move an inch.

"Good. Now, push against my hands, would you?" She dumped the water she had been using to heal Asami to the floor and put her palms against Asami's boots.

Asami pushed on them.

"Good, now pull."

She did as she was told.

"Good." Kya ran through some more tests with her, from "which toe am I squeezing" to "touch your nose with your finger". When it came to the dual hand tests, she noticed the reluctance between the pair for having to separate their palms. She put it in the back of her mind and continued the examination. She helped Asami to her feet and had her walk around the room. Her steps were still groggy, but much better than before.

When Asami returned to the mattress, she sat on its edge and stretched. Korra crawled up to her with a smile on her face.

"Tell me what you remember, Asami." Kya sat on her other side, evaluating her pupils as she did so.

"I was starting the engine up and checking on the steam pipes when one of them burst."

"Good, you remember."

"Can I go fix the boat now?"

"Absolutely not."

Korra and Asami both frowned.

"Why?"

"Because you need to rest, Asami. For at least a few hours, if not a full day. One wrong move and you could end up right back to the way you were, or worse."

She slouched her shoulders just a bit. "Can't I at least fix the pipe?"

"No."

"But how are we going to keep moving, Master Kya? We can't just sit in the open water all day, not with pirates chasing us."

Asami frowned and cocked a brow at Korra. "The pirates are chasing us?"

"Well, I mean, I'm not sure – I wasn't allowed to leave the room, but –"

"We'll be fine, Korra," Kya replied with slight exasperation. "I've seen no signs of the pirates lately. And the Earth Kingdom shouldn't be too far from here. We can get to the shores and dock there for as long as we need to; a ship doesn't need an engine to sail."

"But you healed me. I'm fine. I can work," Asami shot up to her feet in determination and faced one of the worst head rushes in her life. She tumbled to the side. Lucky for her, Kya was there to catch her.

Unlucky for Korra, however, she also jumped up to grab Asami and also experienced a ridiculous gush of blood in her skull that made her stumble. But there was no one there to catch her. Korra crashed into the floor with a groan and a few new bruises.

"Oh, for Spirits sake! Both of you. Bed. Now." Kya put her foot down; she had enough. She laid Asami onto the mattress behind her and forced Korra onto the one across the room. "Neither of you are to get up and leave from this room at all unless it's an emergency. Got it?"

They nodded, a bit sheepish from their actions.

"Good. I'm going to Bend us to the nearest shoreline. I'll come by to check on you once we're there, however long that'll take." Kya turned and shut the door tight without another word, going so far as to Bend a small amount of ice into the large handle for the time being. She shook her head as she travelled to the deck, rubbing her eyes in the process. She was faced with a whimpering, yet growling polar bear dog once she reached the top. "Korra and Asami are fine, Naga. They're resting. You'll get to see them in a little while."

Naga mewled and dropped to the boards.

"I know, Naga. I know." Kya stretched her back and looked out to the ocean with a sigh. The sun was setting, which was enough to give her a general sense of direction. And once the sun was down, the moon would be out, and her Bending would be even stronger than before. She would get them to shore, even if the movement was slow. After a crack of her neck, she widened her stance and started sweeping her arms in massive motions. Soon, the ship was moving from the power of her Bending towards the shores of the Earth Kingdom.

(-)

Chapter 5: Sentiments