Chapter 24
Snap
Korra froze with fear. Asami spun around to find Kuru and several other men approaching them. The older woman took a defensive stance and blocked the path between the group and her friend.
"Leave us alone, Kuru." The heiress snarled, fists clenched.
"Oh, is your little girlfriend fighting your battles now, too?" He sneered. The crowd behind him snickered. Korra grit her teeth. "Don't worry, sweet cheeks, you're on our list too. In case the snow savage over there didn't tell you from the letters, which I doubt she could even read with her low level of intellect, when you fuck with Sentai, you die. This degenerate made it out alive last time, but that won't happen again." Footsteps from behind revealed additional men, all bulky and ready to fight. They enveloped the pair, their alcohol laced breath replacing the crisp air around them. Asami took a step back to get closer to the Water Tribe girl. "We intend to make up for your little stunt in Sentai's office as well, you fucking cunt."
A fire raged inside of Korra. Red crept into the corners of her sight. She moved past the engineer and extended a protective arm in front of her. Her right hand was adjacent to her face, elbow pointed outwards, in an offensive position. Her fear melted away under the flames. Asami felt a surge from the Southerner that she had never experienced before; Korra exuded confidence and authority, like she was the most powerful being on the planet. "If you hurt her in any way, shape, or form, I will destroy you." Her voice was deep, eyes filled with ire. She was about to snap.
Kuru walked up to the seething girl, cracking his knuckles as he moved. "I think you forgot what happened last time we met. Boys, let's give her a reminder." His left fist flew at Korra's face while the rest of the men charged towards the pair. She sidestepped the punch and grabbed his arm, using his own momentum to throw him over her shoulder. He hit the ground next to Asami, who was turned away from the Water Tribe girl and facing the attackers rushing their flank. Their movements were staggered in a sloppy, disjointed row.
The first person to throw a blow at the engineer missed by a long shot, but not from inaccuracy. Asami ducked with incredible speed under his arm and spun with an extended leg, sweeping his calves in one powerful motion. He fell to the ground as the older woman rose to her feet. Within the same movement, she parried another punch and twisted the assaulter's wrist behind his back, using him as a shield for a separate kick sent her way.
Korra's jaw dropped as she watched Asami maneuver and take down three people within ten seconds. She turned on her heels to face the men approaching her, her back to the engineer. One aggressor ran forward and three followed at his sides. The Southerner dodged the center's punch by stepping back to flatten her body and jammed her fist into his face. Pain shot through her hand from the blow. The second attempted to grab her, but she slid out of the path of his hand. Before she could get a hold of his wrist, the other men tackled her, mashing her between them like a sandwich. The trio fell to the cement. She growled to the sting of new scrapes and the pain in her elbows as the pair pinned her arms behind her.
"Get off me!" She roared, thrashing her legs to try and escape. They put their body weight on her knees to stop her movement. The pressure hurt her joints and forced a cry from her lungs. She looked up to the heiress, who had just kicked another man in the face. More people were surrounding Asami, including the few who had been slammed into the pavement that were able to recover from the initial deflection. Two men were groaning in curled positions, nursing their bleeding and broken noses. Another was still, splayed out on his back and unmoving from whatever the raven-haired girl had managed to do to him.
The assaulters used the same tactic on Asami as they had on Korra, but from more than two angles. Their first charge missed due to her deft pivot to the side, but she couldn't escape the second effort with double the men. She crashed onto the cement and was restrained against the ground as well. Raging green eyes met frantic blue ones. They were brought to their knees, about ten feet apart, facing each other.
The Southerner stared at her friend, disheveled and panting, caught in the middle of this crossfire. Asami… no… this shouldn't be happening to you, too.
A slap across her already-bruised tan face demanded her attention. She heard panicked voices and shouts of pain as the engineer twisted against her captors, somehow managing a blow into one of their groins. Two men pulled her limbs back before she could get leverage and yanked them, forcing a small shriek to escape her lips.
Korra grit her teeth as she watched, helpless to protect her. The fire kept raging inside. She fought the arms that restricted her, but she was too weak. A powerful punch into her jaw sent her head flying. She could taste metallic in her mouth.
"Who the hell do you think you are, you fucking savage?" He struck her again, this time near her cheekbone. Her vision flashed white for a split second on the impact. Kuru continued to assault her. Memories of the last attack began to mirror this one. The right side of her face was bloody and swollen after several strikes. He stepped back and another man beat her until her wounds were symmetrical. Her internal flames started to dwindle. She was losing strength.
It's happening. It's happening again. For real this time. And I can't do anything about it. I can't fight back. I –
"Let me go! Leave her alone, Kuru! Get off of me!" Asami growled, trying to contort away from the men constraining her.
Asami! No, this can't be happening!
A punch to her solar plexus left her gasping for breath. Several men took turns using her as a punching bag. The pain was too much. She started to slip.
"Lift her up. I'm getting tired of bending over." Kuru demanded after a forceful kick into her ribs. Korra yelped in pain. Tears ran down her cheeks. She stood on her feet, but her legs were weak.
"Leave her alone!"
He brought his knee into the Water Tribe girl's abdomen and she cried out. "What's wrong, sweet cheeks? Don't like what you see?" He spun around and slammed his foot into Korra's face. Asami could see the blood fly out from the younger woman's mouth and spatter onto the cement.
"Just stop, Kuru! I never thought you would be like this. You were so kind when we first met, but now – Just stop this! Leave her alone!" The engineer demanded, though her voice cracked. She struggled to hold back her tears. The tension in her limbs tightened and stung.
He ignored her pleas and continued his attack. Multiple men hit her at once. A punch to the back. A jab into the side. A kick to the knee. The blows were relentless. They wouldn't stop until the Southerner was a bruised, bloody mess.
No… please…
She couldn't support her weight anymore. The men let her fall to the ground. They stomped on her entire body.
Please…
Korra closed her eyes and took each hit in silence.
I can't.
Her sobs were quiet. She just wanted this to stop. She wanted it all to go away. The pain was unbearable. Everything was on fire and it hurt. It hurt so fucking much.
I can't… take it…
Her being grew limp. Darkness beckoned her, and she wanted to run into it. The flames died down. Her nerves were ablaze. Her muscles ached. She was sure a few bones were broken. Her ankle cracked under another hit. A kick forced her onto her back. Her mind swirled. Her cheek felt cold against the pavement.
"Stand her up."
Her head snapped back and dropped forward as they brought her to her feet.
"Korra!"
Asami's voice pierced her ears. She forced her eyes open and found the engineer, a look of complete horror and pain on her face. Tears streamed from her peridots.
Asami… The injured woman reached out to her, though the action was mental, not physical.
"I'm getting sick and tired of your fucking mouth, you little cunt." Kuru turned to her. The other men did the same, leaving a single attacker to restrain the Water Tribe girl. "You see what I did there? Huh? You see what I did to that snow savage thing over there?" He stepped aside, leaving a clear line of sight between the two women. Their eyes met, both pairs begging and full of fear. "I'm going to do the same fucking thing to you. And you're gonna watch." He turned to Korra and smacked her with the back of his hand.
She strained to keep her head up. The men turned to Asami and cracked their knuckles.
No…
The assaulters holding Asami pulled the raven's limbs. She grit her teeth and said nothing, refusing to give them the satisfaction of a scream.
Asami.
Kuru raised his palm in the air and the group halted. They spread out into a circle around the pair. "I get first dibs on this little bitch." He laughed to his own statement. It was the same cackle that haunted Korra's nightmares.
Leave her alone! Korra yelled in her head. She felt a flicker of life shoot through her. It pulled her from the darkness she had welcomed just a few moments before. Each of Kuru's footsteps pounded in her ears, like slow motion thunder.
Don't you dare touch her!
Thud. He was nine steps away. The fire grew inside of her. Her heart sped up.
Get away from her!
Thud. Eight. The fire swelled. Korra set her jaw. Her lungs protested as her breathing increased.
Leave Asami alone!
Thud. Seven. Time was slow. The flames expanded. Strength began to spread across her body. Adrenaline coursed through her.
I swear to the Spirits…
Thud. Six. Her eyes focused more. Her limbs tensed. The man holding her didn't notice. It was happening too fast inside of her, yet everything she saw was delayed tenfold. Heat filled her.
If you lay a hand on her…
Thud. Five. He was almost there. She clenched her fists. She flattened her feet against the pavement. The faces of the men surrounding them held malicious grins. The stabs of pain were overwhelmed with the red fire raging inside of her. It crept into her eyes.
If you hurt her in any way…
Thud. Four. This step echoed through her whole being. Asami stared him down. Korra looked on. She felt powerful. She felt invincible. She was filled with a flame too strong for her to handle.
I will stop you.
Thud. Three. Three steps away. Three feet. He was within striking range. The heat consumed her. Any pain in her muscles or her bones or her skin was shadowed and forgotten. It, too, was devoured by fire. Fire and rage and the need to protect and the need for justice. The flames brightened.
And I will destroy you.
Thud. Two. Two steps. He was close enough. He altered his stance and lifted his left hand up to his shoulder. The fire grew white, and for a brief moment, that was all Korra could see. Adrenaline poured into her veins. Her heart pounded into her ears. Too many things were flowing through her. Too many uncontrollable substances, too much pain, an overflow of energy and emotions and thoughts. Something snapped inside of her. Something changed. She didn't know what it was, but everything felt different, like some sort of chemical reaction had just gone off. A surge exploded inside of her, a mixture of blood in her brain and oxygen in her veins, fueling the fire within. She could feel energy course through her cells and dispelling within her body. Anger. Rage. Sadness. Disappointment. Desire. Every emotion she ever shoved down and buried and denied and refused to admit, every tear she ever shed, every wound she ever nursed, all molded into a blind form of vexation.
A strong smack of skin on skin penetrated her. She watched Asami recoil, her cheek reddening on impact. Kuru lifted his hand for a second slap and everything erupted.
"NO!" Korra screamed as loud as she could. She twisted her hips backwards and elbowed her captor in the spine of his neck. The rotation allowed her to send a punch at the engineer's aggressor. She was still too far to land a physical blow, but a helpless lunge into the air was all she could muster, all she thought to do on her instincts. The energy in her body spread as she swung forward, ignoring the man who had just fallen at her feet from her escape.
The Southerner put everything she had into her attack. Every ounce of strength and fight and blinding white fire and bright light were sucked from her feet to her head and pooled into her stomach. She took a breath and released it all from her fist. She extended her right arm, aiming at the offender who dared to strike the raven-haired woman.
A powerful flame shot from her knuckles and created shadows of the battle as it flew towards the assailants around Asami.
Korra's face shifted from pure anger and authority to one of complete shock and fear while she watched the fire flow from her body. She followed its course, ignoring the baffled faces of the men circling her. A look of dread was in Kuru's eyes. The other men displayed the same.
But it was Asami's expression that destroyed her. Confusion was plastered on her skin and a sense of absolute terror filled her pupils.
Asami…
The older woman's brows furrowed when the blast hit Kuru. He screamed and flew into the ground, cradling his cheek. The men restraining her were distracted enough from the blaze that they loosened their grip. She buried her toes and pushed her knees upwards to her chest, using their shoulders for leverage. Asami slammed her heels into their groins and flipped off of them. She was standing on solid ground again, free from the hands of her attackers.
Korra.
She spun to find her motionless, arm still stretched, staring at her hand. The Water Tribe girl's trembling was evident.
I… I Fire Bended? I'm… I…
"Korra, behind you!" The engineer yelled as she rolled underneath a poor excuse for a grab and swept the man's calves.
Asami's voice snapped the younger woman out of her daze in time to duck from an oncoming fist.
No more.
She took an aggressive stance and punched the man square in the face. Pain shot through her right hand and her knuckles made a sickening cracking sound, but she didn't care. The attacker fell onto the pavement with a loud thump. His blood covered her tan fingers.
"Come on!" Asami snatched Korra's wrist and dragged her away from the closing circle of drunken men.
They sprinted as fast as they could, never looking behind their shoulders. The Southerner's body burned with pain, the amplified source of power lost. Every step hurt. Her throat and lungs ached as she struggled for breath. Adrenaline was fueling her now, and the white flames that flashed in her eyes had died down. Each movement brought flicks of red and black into her sight instead. Her nerves stung in pure agony.
Asami surveyed the area through her peripherals as they ran. She made a straight line path to her apartment.
Almost there. Almost there…
She fished her access key from her pocket as they approached the building. She slammed her right hand against the scan port and it lit up green for approved entry. She pushed it open in the same motion and flung Korra into the living room in one half-rotation of her body. The engineer heard a crash inside but ignored it as she slammed the door shut with both palms. Her green eyes peered through the small sight-hole. No one was outside. Their attackers hadn't followed them. They were safe. She turned and pressed her back against the door as she slid to the floor, panting. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she shut her lids.
It's over. We're safe. We're okay.
Violent coughing interrupted her thoughts. Asami scanned the room to find Korra keeled over on all fours, choking on blood. The glass and metal table in the living room doorway was smashed, evidence of the Water Tribe girl's collision with it when the older woman threw her into the apartment. The engineer crawled over to the injured girl and pushed on her shoulders.
"You need to sit up and clear your airway." She positioned the younger woman so her torso was straight. A small amount of fluid spilled out of her mouth before a loud gasp escaped her. She continued hacking, but she was breathing now, and that's all Asami needed. She pulled the Southerner into a tight embrace, a mixture of feelings flooding through her.
Korra remained silent. She rested her chin on Asami's shoulder and stared at her hands the entire time, bloody, bruised, and shaking. A million thoughts infected her mind.