Chapter 13: 'Asami'
Author Notes:
"The atmosphere was kind of ruined when I spotted ropes attached to the head of the monster, pulling it to move around the screen. It wasn't half as scary once I'd spotted the strings." - Mako, Chapter 8.
"You let me speak to Sato! Let me speak to Sato now!"
"Not when you're like this. You are angry brother, and with good reason, but now is not the time," Zaheer spoke softly as he pushed Ghazan back, gesturing to a pair of sentries nearby to exit the room, leaving himself, P'Li and Ghazan, who was still trying to push against him. "We need to leave this place as soon as possible, now that we've exposed ourselves in Ba Sing Se. Especially given the notable figures who were in the palace. The Chief of the Southern Water Tribe's presence is deeply concerning. Perhaps the Avatar's friends are closer to discovering our location than we initially believed."
"It doesn't fucking matter. I killed him in Ba Sing Se. Now I'll say it one last time. Get out of my way," Ghazan grumbled with a trembling fist.
"It does matter," Zaheer replied as he pulled down his brother's raised arms cautiously. "He can't have been there alone. It's best we pack up operations here and move to alternative accommodation as soon as possible."
"...where...?"
"North. The Northern Water Tribe," Zaheer assured. "Ever since Unalaq's children took over the nation's leadership the security of the tribe has been...lacking. It's unlikely our presence will be noted, and if it is, then we take refuge in the Spirit World. The northern portal is not guarded."
P'Li widened her reddened eyes with concern. She'd been extremely quiet since they'd been greeted by the news of Ming-Hua's murder upon arriving back at the labyrinth. "And we can sustain ourselves in there?"
"Yes. The Spirit World is no different from our own when entered physically through the portals. It is just another land with crops and food of it's own," Zaheer replied calmly. "I have meditated into the Spirit World enough times to understand its layout intricately. Xai Bau taught me much in the short time I knew him. There was no one more experienced in traversing that realm of existence."
P'Li nodded very slowly. "I trust you, Zaheer. You got us all out of prison and took down the leadership of the Earth Kingdom. It's clear that you have been chosen to lead this world into a new order of freedom. I'll support you, wherever you take us."
Zaheer smiled in appreciation. "Thank you."
Ever since he'd been granted the gift of airbending it seemed that his companions and followers were much more willing to trust him, to die for him if necessary. The order of the Red Lotus has always been extremely loyal to their leaders and comrades, but this was another level entirely. The cause was just.
Truth be told, although the Spirit World would grant their organisation safety from the rest of the world leaders, it wasn't the only reason Zaheer intended to travel there. If the Red Lotus were to bring down the likes of the Fire Nation monarchy, they needed more power. Lord Zuko and Firelord Izumi wouldn't fall for their pretences so easily.
The Avatar would need to be at full strength if they were to succeed in that task. Rei needed to be able to enter the Avatar State again. Perhaps a trip to the Tree of Time or the Spirit Oasis would resolve that issue. Both were well known for increasing one's spirituality. Rei's initial refusal to end the life of the Earth Queen was understandable, given she hadn't killed before. In the end it hadn't mattered. Rei had burned the Queen to death all the same. She'd taken that first step. There was no going back now.
It tended to be that way for most members of the Red Lotus when they first joined. Their first kill was normally accidental. After that they quickly became used to the feeling until it became little more than an after thought, second nature. That was who Rei would become, with Zaheer's guidance.
And then the final step Zaheer had been preparing since the day Korra had admitted her feelings for that Sato girl during her deprogramming process. The ultimate test of loyalty. Miss Sato's outburst of violence a day ago had made the task that much easier. Some punishment would be required. If the Avatar could kill someone she loved so dearly, on his orders, then there would be no going back to the girl that had been. Avatar Korra would be gone.
"You two...you're acting like Ming-Hua isn't even dead! Wasn't she your friend?! Don't you give a shit?!" Ghazan roared in the silence which had filled the room. Just when Zaheer thought he'd finally calmed down.
"Of course we do!" P'Li retorted angrily. "But you've got to see the big picture here. We all know how dangerous our lives are. It's a miracle that none of us were more badly injured in Ba Sing Se. But the cause always comes first, it always had. It's how we've survived so long, living in the shadows. Ming-Hua understood that absolutely."
Ghazan slammed his fist into the wall of the cave. The force of the punch was loud enough to block out the squally gales which had been incessantly blowing every since they'd returned yesterday evening. "She did! But she was murdered by one of our own! Someone I trusted to be around! It's...it's...it's all my fault..."
"It's not. Sato is a master manipulator," Zaheer assured as he placed a hand on Ghazan's trembling shoulder. "She claims it was in self defence, but the brutality of the attack. It appears Sato couldn't contain her anger any longer. Ming-Hua was taken by surprise and tried to defend herself, injuring Sato's arm."
"Let me get to the truth of the matter," Ghazan replied with gritted teeth as he cracked his knuckles.
"Physical torture is ineffective with Miss Sato. She barely spoke a word in her first few days of capture," Zaheer tried to explain. Even minimal amounts of the mercury poison would've caused absolute agony, but the Sato girl hadn't cracked once during questioning as to why the Avatar still remained in a meditative state. A higher dosage of the liquid would've been fatal so that had been the end of that line of questioning.
"We'll see about that," Ghazan growled as he tried to shove past Zaheer again, now being held in place by P'Li. "What're you going to do? Blow me up?! Just fuckin do it! You can't let her get away with this!"
"I don't intend to," Zaheer replied. "We'll get to the truth of the matter first, and then punishment will be decided." Zaheer had already decided the punishment. Killing another member of the organisation? Even if it was in self defence? It would be death. There was no middle ground with the Red Lotus. Their strict creed and conduct had kept them alive this long.
"How are you gonna do that?!"
"Rei, the only person Miss Sato with tell the whole truth to," Zaheer stated firmly. "Rei will get the truth and Miss Sato will be punished."
"She'd better be..." Ghazan replied quietly, sounding more exhausted than annoyed now.
"Go and be with Ming-Hua brother. I will come and find you when I have the truth of the matter," Zaheer said as he pulled a bottle of Fire Nation whisky off of one of the shelves, passing it to Ghazan gently. Ghazan grumbled his appreciation before stumbling off in the opposite direction of the prison cells, heading towards the sparring area instead where Ming-Hua's body lay.
P'Li watched him leave anxiously. "Do you think he'll be okay?"
"He'll be fine. Ghazan is stronger than this, he just needs time," Zaheer assured. "Before I speak to the Avatar I must ask something of you."
"Hmm?"
"I need you to prepare the sacrificial chamber. Ready the platinum chains and the metal poison, garrison as many of our comrades as you can in the chamber."
"Alright...but why?"
"It's always good to have an alternative solution if the Avatar doesn't perform as I intend her to. If she disobeys my order today then we will end the Avatar cycle as planned," Zaheer confirmed.
"What order are you talking about...?"
"The one to kill Miss Sato."
"So you've already decided what's going to happen to her?" P'Li asked incredulously. "I suppose the murder of one of our comrades, even in self defence, is unforgivable. Ghazan would leave us otherwise. I'll do as you ask...but Zaheer – if she – if the Avatar doesn't do what you want, how are you going to bring her down?"
"Tranquilizer darts, and then we will chain her up to the walls of the cave, just as we have discussed numerous times," Zaheer explained calmly. Part one of that plan had failed miserably in Zaofu when the metal clan had interrupted their escape. Thankfully it was only the Avatar herself in this place, she didn't have a squadron of guards to defend her anymore if things went south.
"I understand. I'll make the preparations immediately. Stay safe until then," P'Li spoke softly as she bent down to place a chaste kiss on his cheek.
"You as well," Zaheer nodded as he cupped her cheek gently.
It was time to send Rei for her final test of loyalty. Avatar Korra or Avatar Rei. Only Avatar Rei can survive this day, no matter what happens.
The gentle hum of an airship was the first thing Mako heard as his eyes flitted open hesitantly.
When he'd opened them previously the sight he had been greeted with was horrific. Bodies everywhere, Red Lotus and Dai-Li alike, and the smell of burning flesh in the air had been so strong that he would've retched if he'd had the strength. However, those sights and smells, as terrible as they were, paled in comparison to what he saw next. Something he desperately hoped didn't come back to haunt him in later years.
In those few seconds he'd found the energy to open his eyes in the throne room he'd spotted several of the Red Lotus across from him. Zaheer and Ghazan amongst them. And Zaheer...Zaheer was carrying someone...someone that Mako barely recognised. It was Korra, dressed in the garb of the Red Lotus and unconscious, blood all over her torso.
Mako could barely move a finger at the time, let alone call out, but he'd tried. With every ounce of strength he had remaining he'd called out, called out to Korra, but when he'd opened his mouth nothing came out but an inaudible whimper.
He didn't get a second chance, dragged back into the darkness a few seconds later as the massacre in the throne room had faded away.
"Wow! Stay! Just stay down a sec! Little help here?!"
That voice. That stupid, boisterous, heart warming voice. He hadn't heard it in weeks.
"Bolin...?"
"The one and only," Bolin grinned confidently as he held his brother down by the shoulders. "Hold still, you took quite a beating in Ba Sing Se, don't want you hurting yourself more."
Mako's head drifted around lazily as he took in his surroundings. An airship. But not a Zaofu airship as he'd grown accustomed to of late. This was...this was a Future Industries airship!
"Asami?! Korra?! You got them back?!" Mako gasped as he wrenched himself upwards, a pain shooting down his back at the movement. "Gahhhhh!"
"What did I just say?!" Bolin huffed as he held Mako still, his green eyes becoming quickly moist. "We don't have the girls back...I'm sorry..."
Mako pushed himself out of the bed, unable to stop himself yelping out in pain again. "I know where they are! I know where the Red Lotus are! We've got to get there before it's too late. Suyin showed me the location on a map!"
"We're heading there, don't worry," Bolin assured.
"Where...where is everyone? What's going on here?" Mako groaned as Bolin slipped an arm under him, supporting his weight as they stumbled forward out of the room and into the corridor. "Tonraq, Suyin...Kuvira...they were all with me in Ba Sing Se – don't tell me – don't tell me they're dead...? Please don't tell me they're-"
Bolin grabbed his shoulders causing Mako to cry out again. "Oops, sorry! - They're okay, sorta okay, I mean. We didn't find you guys in the best way...let me take you into the conference room. Everyone else is awake."
"Bo – what do you mean sorta?"
"Sorta – so sort of. Just concentrate on walking, okay?!"
"Fine...it's really...it's really good to see you..." Mako conceded with a strained smile.
"You too," Bolin agreed softly.
They entered the large conference room of the luxury airship a minute or so later. The table in the centre of the room was notably emptier than it had been a few weeks ago. All of Team Avatar had been present back then, even the extended edition with Tenzin, Bumi...pretty much everyone. If Mako focused hard enough he could see them all now, especially Korra and Asami.
Korra perched on the edge of the table with her legs swinging, Asami sat down directly in front of her, elbows resting in the space between Korra's legs. Both of them giggling like school children at something the other had said. Would it ever be like that again? After how he'd saw Korra in the palace...dressed like the Red Lotus...was she truly one of them?
Instead, the table was occupied by Tonraq, Kuvira, Chief Beifong and Kya. Tonraq had about a million bandages around his forehead and his arm was in a sling. Kuvira was also bandaged around her forehead, but otherwise appeared unscathed. Mako exhaled a breath of relief at the sight of Suyin who he'd last seen sprinting off to fight with P'Li.
Kuvira beamed when their eyes met. "Put him down here Bolin." She tapped her hand against the empty seat at her side. "Are you...are you feeling okay?"
"I've been worse," Mako smiled wearily as Bolin shot him a suspicious glance before taking his own seat across the way.
"Good to see you back on your feet detective," Chief Beifong nodded firmly before she laid an armoured hand down on the huge map which covered the table. "I hate to get straight down to business, but from what Captain Kuvira has told me we have a very small window of time before the Red Lotus disappear off of our radar, taking the Avatar with them."
Tonraq grimaced at that. "She was there...in the palace. I heard her voice calling out, but I never saw her. I don't know if she was being held against her will."
"Probably shouting about that mess someone made of the Earth Queen," Beifong replied sharply. "We'll find out what Zaheer has done to the Avatar soon enough."
Mako coughed loudly, Kuvira placing a hand on his shoulder in concern. "I'm trying to get their attention..."
Kuvira smiled slightly. "Oh – right..."
"Would someone mind and tell me what the hell is going on? What were you to two doing in Ba Sing Se? How are any of us still alive?!" Mako exclaimed whilst pointing at his brother and boss.
"Airbender mission. We were heading back from the Air Temple to collect the few remaining airbenders in the city. Kya came with us to help heal some of the injured I'd found last time we were in Ba Sing Se, but when we got there the city was burning," Beifong explained with a slight jitter in her voice. "Suyin had told me she was called to a meeting with the Queen in the palace...so when I saw it was burning I flew us over to the palace grounds. We found the rest of you inside the throne room, here and there. Captain Kuvira regained consciousness quickly and told us what happened. We picked you all up and took you on an airship. Oh and the Earth Queen is dead."
Mako's eyes darted from Lin, to Kya, to Suyin, mouth gaping. "But you – you fought P'Li...how are you still standing?"
"P'Li was overconfident, she brought down a room on top of me with one of those combustion blasts, but she didn't bother to check whether I was alive or not," Suyin explained slowly before she gritted her teeth. "But my survival didn't come without a price, her damn attack crushed my hand." Suyin raised her left arm, at least not her favoured side, and revealed a bandaged up stump where a hand had once been. "If it weren't for Kya I would've lost my whole arm." Kya nodded in appreciation.
Kuvira bristled beside him at the sight of it. Mako placed a hand on her knee under the table. "I'm so sorry Su...I should've known better...the Red Lotus played us all..."
Suyin shook her head resolutely. "Nonsense. If you hadn't warned us that the meeting was compromised in the first place we would've all been blown to bits." Mako didn't really have anyway to reply to that. The Red Lotus has still injured them badly none the less.
"I saw Korra...Tonraq..." Mako finally admitted as he stared down at the map. "She was injured...unconscious...I couldn't tell if the Red Lotus were holding her prisoner or not..."
"I'll make them all pay!" Tonraq snarled as he smacked a hand against the table.
"Cool it ice head," Lin chided. "The Red Lotus have a lot to answer for, believe me." Her eyes darted to Suyin briefly before refocusing on the map. "We should be flying over this market town Kuvira told me about in two hours. Once we're above the area we'll drop down and find this cave system those rats are holed up in. We'll get the Avatar and Miss Sato back, and we'll end the Red Lotus. Are we all agreed?"
"Korra and Asami first, if we leave this any longer we might never seen them again," Tonraq replied sharply before anyone else got a chance. "The Red Lotus come after. We save the girls above all else. The Red Lotus can be dealt with later when we are at full strength."
"Fine," Beifong huffed reluctantly. "Are we all agreed to that?"
Everyone in the room nodded. "Good, then I suggest you go and get as much healing as you can off of Kya beforehand, so that you're at least able to fight."
Tonraq waved off that offer as he stepped away from the table, going to stand beside a nearby window, rain lashed down against the glass outside.
"You are gonna take Kya up on that offer," Kuvira warned when Mako tried to move. "Your back was a mess when we brought you in." Tears were starting to form in her dark green eyes. "You shouldn't have done that you know? Took the brunt of that combustion blast for me like an idiot. It was stupid."
"It wasn't. P'Li was aiming right at you. She would've blown you to pieces if I hadn't tackled you," Mako replied quickly. "A few scars on my back is nothing compared to that."
Kuvira turned away from him, gritting her teeth firmly as tears gently streamed from her eyes. Mako took a firm grip of her hand and tried to tilt her head back towards him. "Why do you do this? Do you really think so little of yourself than you think you're not worth saving or something? Is that why you're always so tense?"
"I'm just a means to an end, helping you fight the Red Lotus, save your friends," Kuvira murmured angrily.
Mako shook his head. "You're not. Do you think that I tackled you to the floor because you mean nothing to me?" Mako cupped her cheeks gently. "You're worth dying for, okay? Worth saving."
Kuvira's eyes widened as she launched herself forward, kissing him furiously and desperately. Mako was taken aback a little, taking several seconds to respond as he felt the warmth of Kuvira's tears running down his face. Eventually he found the brain power to kiss back, though not with quite the same fury, fearful of breaking something on either one of them.
"OOOOOOOHHH!" Bolin shrieked out from across the room. "Mako?! When were you gonna tell me you had yet another girlfriend?!"
Mako pulled away with a bright red face. He'd almost forgot about Bolin. "When we met up again. Didn't feel like something I should be announcing across a radio. And what do you mean by 'yet another girlfriend'?"
"I think they're cute," Suyin commented as she levitated a piece of metal with her intact hand. Now Kuvira turned bright red. "But you're going to have to tell Baatar Jr. He's not going to be very happy."
"We kissed one time at Wing and Wei's birthday, and he was drunk!" Kuvira muttered awkwardly.
"I don't think he's forgotten," Suyin smirked as she followed Kya out of the room, tapping Bolin on the shoulder as she exited.
Mako whispered smugly. "You'll need to tell me about that kiss sometime."
"Never," Kuvira spluttered.
Suddenly Bolin was behind them, hands firmly on their shoulders. "Oh man this is so great! I've got Opal, you've got Kuvira! Now we just need to find someone for Korra and Asami! When we get them back, of course."
Mako shook off his hand. "I don't think they need our help. They'll figure it our on their own."
"Good point. Your advice on the ladies is just awful," Bolin gasped dramatically.
Kuvira pointed up to Bolin with a smile. "I reeaaallly like your brother."
"And I reaaallly gotta talk to Tonraq," Mako mocked as he stood, leaving Kuvira and Bolin to chat as he joined Tonraq by the window, watching silently as rain water poured down the glass.
Mako stood watching it for a few seconds, unsure how exactly Tonraq was feeling at this moment in time. At least he did seem to be more focused on the rescuing of Korra and Asami rather than retribution against the Red Lotus. That had been Mako's mantra all along.
"Stormy out," Tonraq commented distantly. Great. Small talk.
"Yeh...at least it's good for waterbending," Mako replied awkwardly. "Tonraq...about Korra...you don't think she did it do you? Killed the Earth Queen?"
"No," Tonraq stated firmly. "I don't know what happened in that room, but I don't believe that is something that Korra is capable of, even if Zaheer has brainwashed her. Her body simply wouldn't allow her to kill unless she had no other choice."
Mako nodded his head slowly. "You're right about that. I mean...Korra's own spirit is so strong that she was able to defeat eternal darkness. Must be pretty unbreakable."
"The strongest," Tonraq smiled as he wiped a stray tear away from his cheek.
"Asami too, I know you don't know her very well, but I – I get the feeling she'd do anything to protect Korra," Mako commented softly.
"I'd like to properly meet this girl I've heard so many wonderful things about, I hope I get the chance..." Tonraq smiled wearily as he pulled something from inside his navy blue shirt, glancing at it for a few seconds before he passed it to Mako.
A letter? No. A picture.
Mako turned it over carefully and almost immediately burst into tears. Asami and Korra, with an arm around each other's shoulder and smiling like they didn't have a care in the world. Bolin had taken that picture when they'd just arrived in Zaofu using one of Varrick's latest designs. Korra must've sent it to her parents.
"I...I was starting to forget what they looked like..." Mako admitted. "Well...what they looked like happy. I just keep thinking of them scared and in pain."
Tonraq nodded as he placed a hand on Mako's shoulder. "I do too, but this photograph helps me, along with the letter Korra sent. I can hear her voice in every word. She sounded the happiest I've heard her in months, years, even."
"We'll get them back," Mako assured. "I promise."
Asami stared at the plasma saw with all of her strength, hoping to will it back to life. Damn Ming-Hua and her stupid jealously.
The device was shoddy enough without that bit of intervention. The metal nozzle on the very front of the saw had been bent out of shape by the attack, and now the saw was cutting with a squint. This had resulted in the platinum taking twice as long as it had to cut before. And time was running out, most definitely running out. Zaheer hadn't accepted her defence for a second, her argument was lost before it'd even begun. Asami was going to pay for this.
"Think. Think. What would dad do?" Asami muttered to herself. If was difficult to hear her own voice over the gales blustering outside the cave system. What a horrible day this was turning out to be. The wind did however have its advantages, drowning out the sound of cutting and her voice from the guards who still patrolled outside her cell.
They wouldn't protect her though, not when Zaheer came for her blood, or Ghazan. They'd step aside in an instant. She hadn't heard a word about Rei at least. That seemed to suggested Mako had indeed saved Korra in Ba Sing Se. The downside of that was the Red Lotus wouldn't have any reason to keep her now. Over the past few weeks it had appeared as though her life depended on Korra's existence and vice versa, for whatever reason. Asami didn't have the time or the patience remaining to figure it out.
She searched around her cell with determination, wondering briefly if it would be more efficient to just start smashing the floor with the metal leg of her bed. Doubtful, given the floor was made of platinum. She'd utterly exhaust herself without even making a dent.
Besides that, the injury Ming-Hua had dealt to her arm was still painful. She wouldn't be able to swing very hard. Asami had also abandoned her Future Industries jacket, Ming-Hua's ice having practically ripped the sleeve off.
Asami planted herself on the floor, lotus position, hoping to calm her thoughts. To think with clarity. All of her knowledge, everything her dad had taught her in those days and nights spent in the workshop, on the factory floor, everything she'd learned afterwards herself, rebuilding the company, saving the world, saving the airbenders. There had to be something in there.
But instead Asami found herself thinking about Korra. Her stomach churned at the thought, filled her with a sense of dread. She couldn't calm herself down enough to think through a basic chemistry equation let alone find a way of escaping. Why was Korra interrupting her thoughts now? Of all times?
Asami slapped herself on the forehead. How do you know she is truly safe...? Having faith in Mako is one thing...but having faith he could beat the Red Lotus...? Isn't that too much of a leap? With so little evidence. He's never beaten them before. What made Ba Sing Se any different...? This Captain Kuvira he has with him. She was at Zaofu too. But still not enough. Not enough for the Red Lotus. No contest.
The sound of the cell door being opened splintered her thoughts as Asami kicked the plasma saw hastily under the bed, grimacing as her arm bent slightly. Was this how she was going to die? In this cell? No. Zaheer would make a show of it. In this game they'd played for weeks, months, Zaheer would want a grand ending, not an anti-climax. The cell door clicked shut.
"Get on with it," Asami trembled as she stared at the floor.
A pair of hands gripped her shoulders tightly. "Get on with what?"
"Rei?!" Asami's eyes widened as she came face to face with the Avatar. No. Mako had failed. "What're you doing here...?"
"Why do you sound so surprised to see me?" Rei asked softly as she glanced towards the cell door and then to Asami's bed.
"I just – I thought Zaheer would keep you away, after what happened with Ming-Hua..."
"He sent me here to question you, to find out what really happened so that a just punishment can be decided under the code of the Red Lotus," Rei explained with a tremble, she gripped Asami's shoulders a little more tightly.
"I told him what happened already. Ming-Hua attacked me. I tried to defend myself but she didn't give me a choice, she would've killed me otherwise," Asami explained.
"I believe you," Rei replied resolutely. Her hands were starting to tremble against Asami's shoulders.
Asami's eyes widened considerably. "You do...so easily? But – but why?"
"Because I know how that feels...to not have a choice. You've probably heard about the Earth Queen..." Rei muttered as her clear blue eyes started to cloud over.
Asami nodded very slowly, reaching up a hand to wipe away one of the tears which had dribbled down Rei's cheek. "I know she's dead, Ghazan killed her apparently."
Rei shook her head furiously, the light stream of tears that had been present a moment ago suddenly a torrent as she slumped onto her knees. Asami followed suit, keeping a light grip of the other girl's wrists as she stared at the floor with half shut eyes. Her mouth was slightly open as her dark lips quivered, as though on the edge of something.
"No – no he didn't! It was me! I killed her Asami!"
Asami felt her heart stop. Her voice caught in her throat as she audibly gasped.
Her name. Her true name. Rei had used her name. Not Sato. Not the name she'd been called by every single day since Korra had been taken away. Not one person in this place had ever used her true name, 'Asami', since then. It was not common knowledge. And it shouldn't have been in Rei's pool of knowledge either. It had been so long since Asami had heard her own name that it almost sounded alien to her.
But she'd said it. Rei had definitely just called her Asami. There was no doubting that. That name could only have come from one place.
Now is the time. I have to. Whatever happens. This is moment. I'll say what I know to be true.
Asami gripped under Rei's chin lightly, forcing those blue eyes away from the floor. Now her gaze was focused on Asami. Her expression was one of doubt, confusion, uncertainty, anxiety.
"It's you. Isn't it? Korra...please tell me it's you..."
Korra nodded furiously as tears soaked her cheeks, unable to meet the other girl's gaze as she shook in place.
Asami didn't hesitate for a moment, wrapping Korra in the tightest embrace she'd ever given anyone and clinging on. She could feel Korra's hands doing the same at the back, strong fingers pulling at her blue shirt with all her strength. She was sobbing, and sniffling, and shaking terribly. All Asami could do was hold on for dear life, hold Korra so tightly that all of that pain would drift away.
"I killed her...killed her...burned her..." she murmured over and over again.
Only after several minutes or so did Korra seem to stop crying, stop shaking. Asami pushed her back slightly, to gage her face. No longer the face of the puppet. She still maintained a firm grip on Korra's arms, feeling Korra do the same.
"How long...? How long have you known?" Asami murmured softly, tucking loose pieces of brown hair behind Korra's ears.
Korra scratched the back of her head anxiously. Such a Korra like gesture made Asami smile in relief. "It's...it's complicated. I – I forgot a lot of things after what Zaheer did, I felt so lost and confused about everything, who I was. Who my family were. My own name at times. But I...there was one thing I never forgot. Held onto. I never forgot who you were, how I felt about you. When you grabbed me that first time and Ghazan tried to pull you away, I recognised you in an instant. Seeing you told me I wasn't going crazy, that the little pieces I remembered...they were true. When you gave me that water tribe armband, I remembered where I came from. My mom and dad, the cold of home."
She smiled a little. "I – I remembered the last conversation we had, in the prison cells. What you'd told me. 'You need to buy me some time. I can get us out of here. But you need to get Zaheer to trust you, at least for a little while. Pretend to buy into his ideology and maybe we won't end up dead so quickly," Korra explained quietly.
"You remember every word...?"
"Of course. I promised to nab you some batteries for that saw," Korra replied with a slight smirk as she glanced towards the bed. "Who do you think busted the generator so you had to go and get new ones?"
"I didn't even think...and you...you just trusted me to keep the escape plan going..."
"Yeh," Korra replied incredulously with a raised brow. "I just had to keep Zaheer onside. As long as I did that I knew you'd be kept alive, at least I hoped. I did try to keep my distance...I really did...but seeing you...seeing you in so pain and so alone. I had to stick by you, protect you as best I could."
"But wait...what about the punishment? Beaten until remorseful?"
"I had to throw up a lot after that...but Zaheer would've killed you otherwise," Korra explained as her skin went a sickly color. She grabbed Asami's shoulders. "But I can explain everything, everything, later. Right now you've got to finish that hole. Zaheer will come along soon enough."
"Plasma saw is busted," Asami replied weakly. "The metal nozzle on the top is bent out of place."
"Give it here," Korra offered as she gripped one of Asami's hands, running her fingers across the pale skin in a soothing motion. "I can straighten this out with some metal bending. Give me a sec." Korra moved the fingers in her free hand back and forth, adjusting the saw accordingly. "Here, that should work."
Asami took it carefully, giving Korra's hand a quick squeeze before glancing towards the door. "What about the guards? They'll probably hear this even above all that wind?"
"They won't hear it," Korra explained as she moved hers arms back and forth, air flowing around them. "They'll just think the wind got really loud." Korra leaned over, forced to whisper into Asami's ear above the sound of the airbending. "Start cutting."
She tried to pull away but Asami gripped her hand like a vice, pulling Korra close again. "And what about Zaheer, what do we do if he comes here before I'm finished?"
"Well we can't blast our way out of here. Avatar state is out of commission for some reason, I can't even meditate into the Spirit World. There's a lot of Red Lotus between us and freedom. This is the only way."
"You didn't answer my question," Asami spoke sharply.
Korra smiled warmly. "Then I'll keep you safe. I'll hold him off and you get the hell out of here. I won't let you die in this place, it's what I've been fighting against for weeks and weeks." Korra kissed the top of Asami's forehead before her expression became deadly serious. "When the chance comes, you take it. Don't you dare wait for me. You escape. You promised me as much when we first got here."
"You know I can't do that..." Asami replied angrily as she paused sawing momentarily.
"Well, tough, you're gonna have to," Korra said far too lightly as she began airbending again. "If you saw really quickly it won't come to that."
It better not. I won't leave this place without you. Not when I've just got you back.
End Notes
I've been waiting for this moment for 13 chapters. I MEAN C'MON GUYS. The title of the story is, 'Not Gone, Just Lost'. That's a big clue xD Korra was never gone, just lost.
-But I hope this reveal explains a lot of things from previous chapters. It reveals that Asami's getting of the batteries wasn't down to luck at all, but Korra's actions. It's also how she's managed to keep that escape plan hidden. Korra was always keeping an eyes on things and making sure it wasn't discovered.
-By this point in the story Korra remembers everything, who she is, where she's come from. Killing the Earth Queen would've been the final straw, so far away from her own being that she knows this isn't her, Rei never could be her. It's not in her nature. Korra also wasn't planning to keep it a secret from Asami for any longer, when she went into the cell to interrogate her, Korra always planned to reveal the truth and see how much the escape plan had progressed.
-I was actually shaking with emotion trying to write that damn final scene. That's what happens when you build things up.
- I deliberately made sure that no character referred to Asami by her first name in the Red Lotus. If you go back and check the other chapters, that should be the case, hence the uttering of her name by Korra confirmed the truth without Asami even having to ask. Basically, Korra's been surviving this whole time, even in a confused state, on the memory of Asami and how she feels about her, that inherit goodness. She's been living on that, and it's kept her grounded. Made her sure that the Red Lotus were bad news, and knowing all along that escape was their only solution.
-She could of course have just left the Red Lotus when they took her to Ba Sing Se. But that wouldn't have ended well for Asami. As you can well imagine.
-Basically, Korra has been doing everything in her power, even going against her nature, to keep Asami alive and safe, and Asami's been doing the exact same. (Godddd they're sooooo in love)
-Also, sorry about Suyin's hand, but at least she's not dead right? That would've sucked way worse. Nobody gets away with a one on one fight with P'Li unscathed.
-And now to Zaheer. Basically, the reason he allowed Rei to develop affection for Asami was so that he could test her loyaltly to him and the Red Lotus. An ultimate test. But he's well aware, given Rei's refusal to kill in the Queen, that she might not obey him. Hence prepping that creepy sacrificial chamber. Pretty much a nice replica of the one from Venom of the Red Lotus.
-Next up we take a bit of a back pedal. It's a Korra POV chapter! The first in agggggeees. All of that explaining Korra was talking about will be done, from her initial manipulation, the beating, and all those inner workings you never got to see.
Chapter 14: 'The Balancing Act', will maybe take a little longer. It's requires organisation, and getting back into Korra's mindset.
-Please leave your thoughts and comments below! Would love to hear from you!
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