Chapter 33

A voice

"You're here early today. Campus still closed?"

Korra nodded, her eyes on her hands.

"You know the drill. Strip down."

The Southerner removed her clothes, one agonizing piece at a time. She showed no emotion, released nothing but silence, and withheld any and all winces. The metal was cold against her body, the thin layer of paper acting as a poor insulator between her skin and the table.

Urkoma Bent some clean water from the sink nearby and moved it over Korra's injuries. She started with the shallow wounds: a few scratches and gashes on her arms and legs. The younger woman's discomfort did not elude her. The Healer exchanged the spent liquid with fresh fluid from the tap. Her focus shifted to the bruises and inflammation on her patient's back.

Korra clenched her fists, as much as it hurt to, to hold in her groans and fight the pain. She had never experienced so much distress during a Healing session in the South. She shut her lids to push away the stings.

Then again, I've never had injuries this bad before.

Images of darkness filled her sight. Her limbs felt cold again. Her body ached and shook in an uncontrollable battle against her own physical limitations. Views of a snowstorm, a small polar bear dog clawing for escape, murky vision through the dim water under the ice, raw hands digging a shelter, utter blackness… a voice…

A voice?

She jarred upward and almost fell off of the examination table. Water splashed onto the floor behind her. Korra blinked several times.

I don't remember a voice. There was never a voice.

Or was there?

The younger woman shook her head and twisted around.

Urkoma had a disgruntled look on her face, though her eyes showed nothing but shock. She Bent the spoiled water into the sink and pulled new liquid to her patient. The Healer continued her work, not a single word or expression passing between them.

(-)

"From what I've heard, the campus will be open tomorrow. Do you think you'll be able to go to class?"

Korra was leaning against the passenger door, head pressed against the glass. She looked out the window with hazy eyes. Her Healing session had taken more out of her than she thought it would.

Asami came to a stop at the red light. "If you can't, it's okay. I can pick your work up for you from the classes you miss."

The Bender shook her head. "I'll go."

She frowned. "Are you sure? Are you even able to write yet?"

Korra focused on her mangled hand, which was in a firm cast. She glanced to her left, which was in a wrap to manage the sprain in her wrist. "Probably not. But I should go anyways. I can at least sit in the class and listen to what the professor has to say. I've missed way too much these past few weeks."

The signal turned green and the Satomobile moved forward. "Do you need help getting to the rooms? I can help you walk, if you want."

The Southerner dropped her gaze to her bandaged and braced right ankle. "Okay." She lifted her sight to the driver and smiled. "Thanks, Asami. I really appreciate it."

Asami returned the gesture and sped along through Republic City.

(-)

Lucky for Korra, today was the fifth day, and the fifth day was not a day when she had chemistry. Lucky for them both, to be honest. Asami had not returned to Sentai's lecture since the day she had made her reckless move in his office: she had skipped the following class for an afternoon in Republic City with Korra, and the remaining two sessions had been cancelled due to the aftermath of the ice storms in the area. They had both been relieved to avoid returning to that room of despair and were not looking forward to going back tomorrow.

The engineer helped her injured friend down the corridor, ignoring the looks and hushed murmurs the pair received from passersby.

"Do we really have to go to chem tomorrow," the Southerner asked as she limped along.

"Well, we don't have to do anything. We could drop out of college and join the circus if we wanted to."

Korra's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Asami palmed her face. "No, Korra, not really."

"But think about it, Asami. We could travel the world and visit all of the nations! I could work with the animals, and you can… um…uh…" She scratched her head. "Do you know how to juggle?"

The raven giggled. "Unfortunately, I don't."

"Well, you're smart and talented, I'm sure you'd pick it up in a snap."

A hint of a blush covered their cheeks.

"We're not joining the circus, Korra."

The Bender pouted.

"Besides, final exams will be in a few weeks. So we should really go to class to prepare."

She sighed. "Yeah, I know, Asami. I'm just not looking forward to it."

"I don't think anyone does, to be honest."

"You mean Miss Asami Sato isn't eager to break into those exams and show off her brilliance?"

The heiress snorted. "Funny, Korra."

She chuckled. "I thought it was."

Asami smiled and shook her head. They came to a stop outside of Korra's history lecture. "Well, we're here. I'll stop by when your class is over, alright?"

Korra nodded and adjusted her bag on her back. "Thanks, Asami."

They grinned at each other before they went their separate ways.

(-)

"Evening session this time, huh? Classes back on?"

Korra nodded, ignoring the stark cold metal against her warm skin. She watched Urkoma with fierce eyes as she Bent water from the tap.

The Healer circled the Southerner and made the liquid around her hands glow. She guided the fluid to her patient's back and began working on her deeper internal wounds.

Korra gripped the edge of the table and slammed her eyes shut. Her jaw tightened to the pain.

Why does this hurt so much? Healing has never hurt this much.

Urkoma shifted her wrists and brought the water closer to the base of Korra's spine, where a large amount of inflammation was still present.

A sharp shock shot through her, but she refused to bow to it. Her arms were shaking to keep her in place. Several small tears fell across her cheeks.

The Healer pulled away and disposed of the water in the sink.

"Hey." She placed a hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "You don't have to hold it in. It's okay."

Korra's watery eyes opened to meet the blue-gray pair in front of her. "Why does it hurt so much?"

"The worse the wound is, the harder it is to heal it." She rose and crossed the room. The Northerner Bent water from the tap and swirled it in front of Korra. "Our bodies are mostly water. Healers use this to their advantage to speed up the healing process and use the restorative properties of water to mend the wound." She brought some fluid towards a small flesh wound on her patient's left hand. Urkoma lowered the water onto the cut. "Healers use our dependence on water to help the body recover. But there's more than that. It's our framework built around water that gets us into the injuries and the cells, but the water is just a catalyst." She spread her fingers a bit and the liquid around the laceration glowed. "It's the energy, and the redirection of chi, that speeds up the healing process and allows us to physically restore our patients."

Korra watched her gash close and heal through the light. When the process was complete, the water dimmed and dripped away onto the floor.

"When we direct energy, we increase how quickly the cells divide and multiply. This, in turn –"

"Heals the body."

Urkoma smiled. "Exactly." She Bent the spoiled water into the sink. "Skin cells are easy." The Healer spoke as she washed her hands under the tap. "The wounds are shallow, so there's not as much complexity to the injury. Bruises are harder. And internal injuries are harder still. Some ailments can't be healed, even by the best Healers in the world."

She turned to Korra and dried her hands on the sterile towel nearby. "I'm sure you've gotten the chance to watch Katara during some of her healing sessions."

A soft smile formed on the Southerner's lips. "I've got firsthand experience. She's healed all of my ailments in the past – well," she frowned, "most of them, anyways."

The older woman titled her head. "What do you mean?"

Korra dropped her eyes to her hands and fidgeted with her thumbs. "When I was young, my parents brought me to her so that she could examine me, see why I wasn't able to Water Bend." She held an elbow in each hand and looked to the window at her right. "My dad thought I was sick, that I had an illness or something that made me unable to Water Bend. An illness. Can you believe that? He kept saying things like 'my daughter needs to be a Water Bender, I don't understand how she couldn't be', and my mother would always reply 'she's just a late bloomer, give her time'." Her hands flailed during her frustrated mimicry. "They would argue about it all the time. Day and night. Like I couldn't even hear them or see them doing it. There were times I was right in front of them!" She crossed her arms. "And the thing is, she was wrong. They both were. I'm not a late bloomer. I'm not physically ill." Her hands slid into her lap at her words. "I'm just not a Water Bender." Her gaze fell to her palms once more, the image of fire shooting out of her fist and the fear of her parent's rejection filling her. "I'm not enough for them."

She wasn't expecting a pair of hands to curl around her shoulders, nor did she think that this Northerner would even understand her plight, let alone comfort her. The single tear forming in each of her eyes were more apparent to her now. Korra wiped them away with haste, frustrated for exposing herself in such a way.

Get yourself together, Korra.

"It's okay. Let it out. You've been holding things in for too long, haven't you?"

The Southerner nodded and took a deep breath.

"Come on, your session is almost over and I haven't done much healing yet." Urkoma released the younger woman and Bent fresh water from the tap. "I'll try to just focus on your lighter injuries for today. But if something hurts, you don't have to hold back, alright?"

Korra bobbed and closed her eyes. Instead of rejecting the feeling of the water on her body, the energy within her, and the discomfort that she was sure would ensue because of it, she inhaled and accepted it. Took in the pain. Took any memories that came with it. But there were no flashbacks this time. No harsh reminders of her past. She couldn't tell if it was her shift in demeanor or Urkoma's focus on her lesser wounds, but the experience was not as painful as it had been a few moments ago. At this point, she didn't bother to question the issue further. With a relaxed exhale, she allowed the Healer to finish her session and tried to push everything away.