Chapter 16: Broken Promises

Author Notes

This is the stand where you are given tissues before you start reading this chapter. I advise you take them. Oh, and some popcorn. Here, take it!

"Are you still with me Korra?" Asami panted as the Avatar slipped down her shoulder once again.

So far on their increasingly slow journey upwards Korra had at least managed to answer that same question with a word, or a couple of words. Now all she could offer was a half hearted grunt, barely audible against the sound of water that was nearing both of their waists and a crumbling sound from way back in the tunnel. Another wall caving in against all this pressure.

Ghazan would surely be dead now. Asami grimaced at the sharp twist she felt in her chest. She'd ended up caring for the man who'd put her and Korra in this terrible place to begin with. His death was causing Asami real pain and it angered her. It had all been an act to begin with, the laughing and joking, the sharp comments, but she'd come to enjoy their conversations. She'd take Ghazan's company over President Raiko's any day of the week, and that thought was terrifying, for the future of the United Republic and for her own morality.

"I've got you. We're going to get out of here. Just focus everything you have on walking," Asami assured when Korra's pace slowed to a snail's pace. Clearly, the other girl wasn't keenly aware of just how quickly all this icy water was rising. Much quicker than they were moving anyway. Asami spotted another slope just ahead, into a narrower tunnel, but at least it had an upwards gradient. "This way, Korra. We're almost there."

"...I don't want to..." Korra slurred quietly. "You've got to stop calling me that...I'm Rei...not Korra. Rei...that's who I've always been..." She's getting delirious. That poison must be wreaking havoc in her brain.

"You're the Avatar and I love you, that's why you've got to live," Asami replied sharply. She didn't feel there was much point in arguing about names at this time, especially given how much energy she was already burning through just to keep her aching muscles moving. It wasn't like Korra was going to remember this conversation anyway.

"Why does everything hurt, Asami...?" Korra whimpered weakly before she jerked violently against Asami's shoulder and slipped off into the water with a loud splash.

Asami pulled her up coughing and spluttering from the freezing depths a heartbeat later. Blood was starting to drip down steadily from Korra's nostrils, not just her mouth. Asami narrowed her brows in concern as she wiped the maroon liquid away with her hand, supporting Korra's head with her fingers as the Avatar slumped forward again. "You're okay. I won't leave here without you, promise." She has nothing left to give...

"Today's your lucky day. I've never given anyone a piggyback ride before, just focus on staying awake," Asami explained softly and she lowered herself down slightly, water drifting past her belly button. She felt Korra clamber on awkwardly, barely gripping at all as Asami secured her arms around Korra's scuffed up, bloody knees. Korra's hands dangled limply against Asami's upper arms, her neck resting on Asami's shoulder. The Avatar had fallen unconscious again, edging ever closer to death.

Asami gritted her teeth as she waded forward as quickly as she could manage, making a point of focusing on the beating of Korra's heart against her shoulder blades. The gap between each beat was longer than the last. Her vital organs were shutting down just as Zaheer had intended.

"You won't win your little game," Asami muttered through frantic breathing as she held Korra that bit tighter before entering another dark slope and heading upwards, meter by agonizing meter.

The water always stayed at her back, black and unforgiving. A constant reminder of what would happen if she faltered now. Perhaps, without Korra's extra weight, Asami would be up and out of here by now. But that extremely logical, albeit cruel, option, was one that Asami wouldn't even allow herself to consider for more than second. The mere thought of doing so caused bile to rise in her already aching, tight throat.

Zaheer's lethal airbending technique had left her windpipe and lungs in a terrible state. Every inhale rattled through her entire bone structure. Every exhale sent a horrible spasm up her throat that felt like she was choking all over again.

It's all up to you Sato. Keep your focus. You won't lose Korra today.

"Heads up!" Kuvira warned as yet another piece of the ceiling crumbled down in front of them, blocking their path. She yanked Mako back with metal cables a moment before he'd been crushed. Once he was in reach she grabbed his arm painfully and narrowed her brows. "Don't get ahead of me again. I'm the earthbender here, the only one who can save their own ass from all this falling rubble!"

"Then we need to go quicker!" Mako argued as he waited impatiently for Kuvira to move the rock. "Korra and Asami are alive, and they're both here. I know it! There's no way in hell I came this far just to lose them at the last step!"

Kuvira didn't bothering moving the rock, instead snapping it in half with a heavy flick of her arm and creating a narrow gap from them to squeeze through. "Then you need to keep your emotions in check!"

Mako vocally growled as he slipped through the gap just behind her. Kuvira seemed to be a lot better at keeping her cool than he was. It wasn't that surprising she'd risen up to the rank of Captain so quickly. He'd been in the company of few so determined as this woman.

"Sorry – lead the way," Mako apologized softly.

Kuvira smiled slightly before turning her head quickly to the dark path ahead, the flick of her long black braid barely visible. Mako increased the size of the flame in his hand to cast a hazy orange glow against the cave wall. It reminded him of hunting for Kuro Shin in the Northern Water Tribe's asylum. This place was just as terrible if not worse. The smell of death clung to the heavy air like a damp towel, and the distant cries of deranged patients had been replaced by a constant rumbling sound. This entire structure wouldn't last much longer against the relentless barrage from the storm outside its stone walls.

He could only hope that Tonraq, Chief Beifong and Bolin had run into as little Red Lotus resistance as they had so far. Most of the organisation's members they'd encountered were absolutely focused on fleeing rather than any kind of confrontation. Mako had tried to grab a few of them, but they'd slipped from his grip, some so determined to leave that he'd probably broken their wrists. What are they all so frightened of...?

"Where do you think the Red Lotus would hold prisoners in this place, Detective Mako?" Kuvira asked with a smirk.

"The bottom. Right at the bottom. As far away from the exit as possible," Mako replied quickly as he shielded his head from a small piece of rock.

Kuvira raised her right hand and held in it place, an indication to stop. "I can feel footsteps ahead. Two people...I think."

"Korra and Asami?"

"I don't know," Kuvira admitted with a hiss as she raised another arm, switching to a defensive stance.

Mako did the same, burning bright flames in either gloved hand. "I'm gonna call out to them." The last thing he needed was for Kuvira to attack his friends by mistake.

"Alright..." Kuvira conceded with a nod.

"This is the Republic City Police! Give yourselves up and you won't be harmed!" Mako ordered sternly, waving his flame as an indication of what would happen if the two approaching figures didn't do as told.

Kuvira stared at him incredulously. "Are you serious?! I thought you were gonna shout Korra's name, not state your authority! If the Earth Kingdom has no legal clout here, then what the hell does the United Republic have?!"

Mako shook his head quickly. That was a very good point. Like the Red Lotus would give a damn that the police were here.

"Korra! Korra is that you?!" Mako called.

There was no reply as Mako felt a distant thudding through the earth, a heartbeat later a man and woman came sprinting from the end of this particular tunnel in quite a panic. They were dressed in black and red cloaks. The enemy then.

"They aren't interested in us, are we gonna let them pass?" Kuvira whispered quietly.

"Only one of them. Get the other one. We need some directions," Mako ordered softly.

The man was frantically shouting something to his companion. "They're all dead! Dead!"

"Zaheer's salvation plan will save us brother, save the Red Lotus!"

Kuvira wrapped cables around the man's arms and legs and pinned him to a wall with a crash. His companion gawked at Mako and Kuvira, but then did the sensible thing, running on ahead and leaving her brother to whatever fate his captor's intended.

"Don't leave me!" their captive cried desperately before Mako grabbed at his collar with some force and burned an intense flame just in front of the man's wide eyes. "Who are you people?!"

Mako leaned his head in close, feeling sweat drip down his brow from the heat of his own flame. "Answer my questions and I won't melt your face off." The man nodded frantically in his grip. "You have two prisoners here, friends of mine who I'd like to take home today. Avatar Korra, Asami Sato. Where are they?"

"They're...they're dead..." the man whimpered. "Zaheer – he poisoned the Avatar and the last I saw he was suffocating Sato. If he didn't get them then the water did..."

Mako head butted the man painfully in his rage before pinning him up high against the wall. They can't be dead! Not now! Kuvira's green eyes widened in concern at his side. She asked the next question. "Is this place flooding?"

"Rapidly..." the man trembled. "Go any deeper and you'll dig your own watery grave..."

Mako ignored his warning. "How do we get to the last place you saw Korra and Asami?"

"Keep following this tunnel, it'll lead you to a huge cavern eventually," their captive explained.

"You better be telling the truth or I'll come haunt you from beyond the grave," Kuvira warned sternly before she released the cables and shoved him away. "If this place really is flooding then that explains why I haven't been able to properly seismic sense since we got in here. Water seriously messes with it."

"We gotta go quicker before all of these tunnels are filled with water!" Mako shouted as he grabbed Kuvira's hand and pulled her down the tunnel, deeper and deeper into the cave system. His small flame was their only source of light. "Chief, we've got an update on Korra and Asami's location!"

The voice on the other end of the radio sounded rougher than usual. "Then get going! We've got Red Lotus company on our side who aren't so happy to surrender! Once you've secured our targets radio in immediately! We'll meet you outside as soon as we can!"

"Right! See you on the other side!"

Asami had been trudging in silence for the last few minutes. Her pace had slowed down dramatically in that time. A combination of extreme exhaustion and the ever rising water making every movement take three times as much energy. It certainly didn't help that the water was freezing cold, locking up every already stiff joint and bone.

A weak voice at her ear halted Asami briefly as she felt a laboured heart beating against her spine.

"Leave me..." Korra murmured through half closed eyes. The white flicker of the Avatar state was no longer present, just Korra's tired, bloodshot, blue eyes. Korra no longer bending a flame had left them in near total darkness. Asami was relying on sound and feel alone more than anything else at this point. "Leave me...please...I can't let you die down here," Korra repeated when Asami didn't answer her.

At least Korra seemed to have regained her sense. Her voice no longer slurred or confused. Part of Asami wished she still was, then Korra's dreadful request wouldn't have sounded so serious, and so heartbreaking. She was giving up – on herself anyway.

"Death by water with my best friend? It's not the worst thing that could've happened to me," Asami muttered with a bitter chuckle as she propped herself up against a nearby wall with a single hand to try and catch a breath, the other retained a tight hold around Korra's legs as the Avatar dug her fingers into Asami's collarbone slightly. It was barely enough for Asami to feel it, but it told her all she needed to know.

Korra didn't want to die down here, despite all her bravado and heroics. The Avatar complex. If she really wanted to, Korra could just drop off of Asami's shoulders right now into the water. Granted, Asami would just pull her right back up again.

"Stop talking like that..." Korra muttered. "Don't make me beg...you know I hate that..."

Asami allowed herself to smile just a little as she closed her eyes over for a peaceful second. The current in the tunnel was strengthening minute by minute. Eventually, it would take Asami off her feet, sooner rather than later. "I mean it. Death by water is fine...death by anything else other than fire. I always told myself I'd be okay with that. That was until I was stuck in an upturned mecha tank with my dad towering over me, bits of glass and metal caught in my hair. But I guess I could never have predicted that happening, otherwise I wouldn't have been in that position to start with."

"You dying is not okay...anywhere, anytime, especially not because of me," Korra replied with a pain filled gasp.

"None of this is your fault," Asami stated resolutely as she struggled to stay upright against the current. Was it really worth it? Fighting to get out of here with no chance of success? Or dying with Korra, actually enjoying her last few minutes with the woman she loved?

The woman she loved.

That answered her question instantly. She'd fight tooth and nail for every extra minute she could get with Korra, every hour, a lifetime if miracles really did happen. Asami wished she had Bolin's optimism about such wondrous and unlikely things.

Still. Today, Asami Sato would do what she'd always done. For Future Industries, for her family, for Team Avatar. For the people she loved, for the things she cherished. She would fight.

"Hold on really tight!" Asami warned as she leaned forward and began wading again, at a much quicker pace than before, despite the fact the water was now reaching well above her elbows.

"What're you doing?! Let me go!" Korra protested as Asami gripped onto her like a vice.

"Never gonna happen," Asami replied quickly as she surged forward. "There's a reason you have a whole team of people behind you, Korra. Sometimes the Avatar needs saving."

"Did I ever tell you I wasn't a waterbender, or that I can't swim?" Kuvira muttered nervously as they stepped through water up which covered their boots and was steadily rising.

"I can't swim either," Mako lied, and Kuvira noticed instantly. "At least, not very well. Also, not a waterbender. Did I ever tell you that fire and water really don't go well together, at least not for the fire guy?"

"Are you talking about bending or your relationship with the Avatar?" Kuvira replied sharply.

"Both," Mako admitted as he moved ahead of her, keeping the tunnel illuminated.

"This is taking too long. We don't even know if this is the right way for sure, or if they're even down here," Kuvira argued as she stopped with folded arms.

"I'll go myself then," Mako decided firmly. It was hardly fair to ask Kuvira to die for the sake of two people she barely knew. This task had always been Mako's responsibility from the moment he slammed open the door way back in the Misty Palms Oasis, sending Asami off with Korra into the night.

Kuvira grabbed him by the shoulder. "That's not what I meant, sharkbrows. You think I'd come this far just to walk away?" She straightened her posture. "Maybe now that we're deeper in the structure I can try and seismic sense them in the tunnels below us." She slammed a foot down with locked eyes, concentration and strain etched across her features.

"Anything?" Mako asked, unable to hide the desperation in his voice.

"That guy wasn't kidding about water. I can feels torrents of it smashing off the walls in the really low levels, and practical rivers in other parts. If your friends aren't dead yet they're about to be," Kuvira spoke grimly. "But I think there's some kind of disturbance in the water two levels below us. Little ripples that keep hitting off rock. It could be them...but I don't if they're alive or-"

"Then let's go!" Mako boomed as he yanked Kuvira forward.

"Asami – stop a second!" Korra spluttered as she tried to free herself of Asami's insanely strong grip.

"Not letting you go!" Asami replied instantly as she waded on ahead.

"That's not why I'm asking you to stop..." Korra murmured as she tried to focus her senses, her waterbending in particular. The distant sound of rumbling filled her ears, confirming exactly what she was feeling. More water, surging their way at an alarming pace and crashing through any wall in its way. Once it hit they'd be swept away, and Korra really wasn't confident in her swimming abilities at this moment in time. Every movement was agony.

Finally Korra wrenched herself free of Asami's grip and was instantly forced to swing her arms, the depth of water now above their shoulders. The current was stronger than Korra anticipated as she nearly lost her footing, or perhaps it was just how weak her body felt at this moment. Her legs really didn't seem to be responding to any of her mind's commands. When she finally managed to right herself she turned Asami around to face her and grabbed onto her shoulders with all her remaining strength.

"You gotta hold onto me! There's a torrent of water coming our way!"

Asami's eyes widened in alarm as the distant rumbling of water against rock suddenly became a deafening roar.

A wave of icy water crashed into through the cave wall a heartbeat later as Korra sunk under, instantly knocked off her feet as she flailed her arms in any which direction, trying to grab onto anything to stabilize herself. She only had her sense of touch to rely on in this dimness, reaching out desperately as her fingers caught against rock and dirt. She managed to hold on for a few seconds, but her muscles had nothing left to give as the current pushed against her.

Again she was on the move, at the total mercy of her native element. Korra would've laughed at the irony of it if opening her mouth was still a possibility. Instead, she kicked upwards, at least was felt like upwards. Her spine screamed at her to stop exerting her legs. Korra was really glad she was so stubborn as her head burst through the surface.

She couldn't stop herself from coughing and spluttering for air as the torrent sent her in any direction it pleased. Korra raised her arms into a waterbending stance and tried to redirect the current around her, anything to keep herself in place and not be dragged deeper into the cave system, into death.

"C'mon!" Korra grimaced as her arms shook with strain. It was taking everything she had just to stay in place, and she was loosing her control of the current bit by bit as it pushed her back. You're supposed to be the blood of both water tribes. The water tribe Avatar. You have to hold on. "Asami! Asami!"

There was no vocal reply, just the roaring of the torrent as it destroyed everything it came into contact with. It reminded her of white water rafting back home, except this water had even more force, almost otherworldly in it's power. She'd experienced it once before, in the Spirit World with Jinora.

Korra searched the darkness, trying to sense for any disturbance in the water that a drowning person would cause. The strength of the current made it extremely difficult to hone in on anything. Each sway and swirl of the water made her loose focus. "Wherever you are just hold tight! I'm coming for you!"

Sure enough, Korra felt something shifting other than the rush of water. It was so minimal she'd almost missed it. Korra kicked her way over in that general direction as she spat out some blood that had dribbled into her mouth. She breathed a sigh of relief when her shoulder bumped into something soft and snagged against the cave wall.

Asami's sleeve had got caught on a sharp piece of rock. The blue material was ripping away thread by thread. A few seconds more and Asami would've been washed away completely, swept into the depths of this place where Korra could no longer reach her.

Korra stretched out one arm to keep the current at bay for the moment, pivoting her wrist rapidly. The other arm she looped around Asami's neck as she lifted her head clear of the water. Asami came to with a panicked start when Korra flicked her across the face with a finger. "Sshhhh – it's okay. I got you, you banged your head I think," Korra assured, though with gritted teeth as the torrent pushed at her outstretched arm.

"Korra..." Asami smiled wearily after coughing up a lot of murky water. A small line of blood trickled down her forehead from a nasty cut. "You're waterbending...how are you even managing that...?"

"Not easily..." Korra grimaced painfully as she moved her wrist back and forth. "I can't hold on much longer..." she gasped grimly whilst fighting against the force of the water, trying anything to hold them in place. Her arm felt just about ready to snap away from her shoulder. "I – I just wanted to say that I'm – that I...that I'm sorry for this, for what I did to you..."

"Don't waste our last seconds apologizing, I forgive you, for whatever happened," Asami stated weakly. Her lips curled into a slight smirk. "And let's not talk about Mako either...as much as your impression makes me laugh."

Korra did laugh at that. Somewhere between a laugh and a bout of coughs which burned her throat. When she finally got her breath back she smiled widely, trying to ignore the shaking of her arm, the aching of her wrist. The aching of her entire body. Just focus on Asami. That made everything else fade away. "I am really glad that you hit Mako with your moped. And I'm glad you still let me be your friend later, even after how much I messed you around with my jealousy. You could've just walked away. I would have, but you stayed, and you fought for me every second we were here. I'll never be able to repay that..."

Asami leaned their foreheads together gently. Korra could feel warm tears running down both their cheeks, a stark contrast again the numbness of her flesh. "You don't owe me anything. I'm just sorry this is how it all ended. Searching the Earth Kingdom with you and Team Avatar were the best weeks of my life."

"Was it worth it? Those few happy weeks?"

Asami ran a freezing cold hand against Korra's cheek. "With you?...Yes. Every, single, minute."

Korra pulled Asami in tightly with both arms this time, her current level of bending was no match for the strength of the water. There was no point in fighting it. Instantly they were propelled forward down the tunnel. Korra closed her mouth and eyes firmly, but still retained a tight grip around Asami's waist. She felt Asami's own hands doing the same at her shoulder as they plunged under the water.

An eternity of darkness and swirling seemed to pass, Korra's lungs burning from their current lack of oxygen. Soon, they would be filled with water. It made sense somehow, just like Asami had said. That this was how she would die. That is was an okay way to go. The Avatar cycle was safe. Zaheer hadn't won.

Besides, how else would the water tribe Avatar die? Roku had died by fire, trying to save his home. Dying trying to save Asami wasn't so bad. They'd probably build a memorial to her back in the south or something, or maybe even in Republic City if Raiko was feeling especially kind, or wanted a sneaky boost to his PR. The people always celebrated a martyr in death more than they ever had in life.

"Down here!" a hazy voice called from somewhere in the back of Korra's mind, blurred by the rushing of water in her ears. The lack of oxygen circulating in her brain.

"Damn it! I missed them!"

That time it hadn't sounded so hazy, or imaginary. The first voice had been particularly familiar. Like fire. The second, metal.

"Try again!" Fire...

"They're too far down the tunnel! - Hold up! Don't you dare jump down there!"

Korra flung her eyes open to see a small crack of light in the roof high above them, and a good 10 meters back. Way too far to swim back to. Not that Korra had a chance of swimming against this kind of current.

With a powerful kick of her legs she surged herself and Asami upwards, breaking the surface of the water but still being swept away from the small veil of light.

Korra swung a hand behind her, trying to keep them still for just a few seconds. Her other hand kept a firm grip around Asami's waist as she tried to wake her up. Korra quickly realized to her horror that her voice was nothing more than coughing and spluttering. Each spasm of her lungs made her lose her control of the water that little bit more. It wouldn't have surprised her if the force of the water had broken her wrist by this point, but her bones were far too numb to really feel anything.

Just as Korra thought she'd found the energy to speak Asami starting shaking her head, black strands of hair stuck to her face.

Asami stared at her in a dazed confusion. "Are we dead...?"

"Not yet," Korra strained as the throbbing of her outstretched arm reached her shoulder. "There's a hole in the roof a few meters back, it's way too high to reach, but I could use the water..." Actually, Korra wasn't sure she'd actually be able to with her remaining strength for even one person, especially not two.

"Can you do that?!" Asami questioned anxiously.

Korra nodded. I'm sorry, Asami. You broke your promise to escape if you had the chance. So I'm gonna break mine about not hurting you again...I don't know if you'll ever forgive this. "I'll use whatever I have left in the tank!"

"What're you going to do?!"

Save you.

"I have an idea, do you trust me?!"

Asami's eyes widened considerably before she nodded firmly. "Always."

"Then you're gonna have to let go of me! I need both hands free to waterbend!" Korra explained.

Asami looked extremely reluctant to do just that as Korra mentally and physically prepared herself for the moment, waiting for Asami to release the tight grip she had of her shoulders.

"Ready?!" Asami asked, her grip lightening a little, but not gone yet. Still, it was more than enough for Korra to carry out her plan.

Korra nodded, smiling sadly. "I'm sorry, Asami. You dying today is not okay."

Korra pushed Asami forward with a powerful shove, back in the direction of the crack in the ceiling, before bringing both hands in front of her and sending a jet of water streaming forward with everything she had left. Asami's green eyes widened to a size Korra had never seen before when she suddenly understood what Korra's plan had actually been. Korra could practically feel Asami's horror from here at the realisation as she was sent crashing back towards the hole in the ceiling.

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

The power of the surge sent Korra shooting backwards at some speed, deeper into the cave and well away from the light. She barely spotted a pair of dark cables cutting down through the hole, pulling Asami up and out of the water. To safety.

Korra's head plunged below the water again as she felt her eyes closing over, cascading further into the cave system, downwards, to its depths. Exactly where she'd started in this place. Everything was so dark and cold.

The poison still remained heavy in her veins, weighing down every single muscle as Korra sunk deeper. This time, her body had nothing else left to give as blackness closed in. Her system finally shutting down after all that punishment and trauma. She couldn't exactly blame it, frankly, she was amazed she'd even managed that last move without the assistance of the Avatar state.

Without the poison, maybe she would've had a chance. Could've saved them both. But saving Asami was enough, a redemption of sorts. Though she doubted Asami would see it that way. It didn't matter anyway. Korra wouldn't be around to argue with. Mako and Bolin would be the ones to bare the brunt of Asami's anger, and heartache. She hoped they could handle it.

No lights in sight. No salvation. Maybe she wasn't deserving of it. Rei's actions and conscious were too heavy a burden for Korra to carry.

Dying in icy cold water really wasn't so bad Korra decided as she drifted deep below the surface.

She'd grown up in this stuff. It had forged her into the Avatar she was, the person she was. A person her parents would be proud of no matter what, and someone who could inspire Asami to live, to thrive, and make the world better in her name.

Mako pulled a drenched and strangely still Asami clear through the hole in the floor Kuvira had just created a few seconds ago. Neither had expected Korra or Asami to pass below so quickly that Kuvira hadn't even stood a chance to snatch them both up. Mako had prepared himself to jump down into the swirling darkness below after that, but Kuvira had dragged him back and slapped him across the face, trying to knock some sense into him.

"Go and get Korra!" Mako ordered as he lifted Asami's chin up gently, water pouring from her hair. He recognized her look instantly, having experienced it himself many years ago. The emotionless nature of her expression, the tiny size of her pupils, the way her mouth hung open. She was in shock.

Kuvira nodded and slammed a foot to the floor, seismic sensing again.

"Asami – Asami it's me! Mako, can you hear me? You've got to get it together!" Mako shouted, his anger at the Red Lotus slipping into his voice accidentally. Asami's face was so different to how he'd last seen it. Her make-up free skin was dotted with varying sized scars and cuts, her eyes sunken into her head. Gaunt and haunted. And she smelled like she'd been living in the sewers for months. Yet you still manage to be one of the most elegant, beautiful people I've ever seen.

His words didn't seem to reach Asami at all as Kuvira came sprinting back down the tunnel. "We gotta go!" She grabbed him by the shoulder and tried to wrench him upwards.

"Where is Korra?!" Mako shouted as he shook off her grip.

Kuvira avoided his gaze. "She's...I'm sorry...but she's gone. The torrent washed her away. I can't sense her body any more." She grabbed his arm again. "Now we've gotta get upwards! There's more water coming from up ahead. We can't go any further forward!"

"I can't leave her!" Mako argued, but this time he didn't shake off Kuvira's grip, hearing the roaring of water that she was referring to in the darkness ahead of them. They'd have to go back.

Kuvira smacked him across the head. "We'll all die if we stay here! You have Asami, that's better than saving no one at all! Don't condemn her for a lost cause! You know Korra, that's the last thing she'd want!"

Mako shook his head furiously and rubbed away a series of tears before they streamed down his cheeks. Kuvira was right. She was so horribly right.

He felt the first of another torrent drifting against his knees before he straightened himself upwards, keeping an arm under Asami's trembling shoulder. They had to go. Maybe Korra could survive...waterbend her away out of this one. She was the Avatar after all. Korra was probably in less danger than the rest of them. At least, that's what Mako told himself. Anything to get his legs to move forward.

"Give me a hand," Mako grimaced, needing to keep an arm free in order to firebend a decent light, one that would be vital in guiding them upwards. Kuvira shifted over instantly, looping Asami's other arm over her shoulder so Asami was wedged between them.

"Got her," Kuvira confirmed with a nod. "Let's go!"

Before they'd even taken a step back on the route they'd came Asami began writhing and squirming suddenly, her shock seemingly having dissipated and now replaced by panic and fury. She pulled out of Kuvira's grip in a few seconds and shoved her into the water before stumbling in the direction of the hole in the floor.

"Are you crazy?!" Kuvira spat as she raised two fisted hands upwards, closing over the hole with earth moments before Asami had reached it. "I'm not pulling you out of there again!"

Asami started clawing and slamming fists rapidly against the freshly sealed stone in a desperate effort to open it up again. Droplets of water sprayed up everywhere. "I won't leave without Korra! I won't leave without Korra! I won't leave without Korra!"

Kuvira angled her hands in a manner that indicated she was about to launch cables. Mako dropped a hand on her arms to lower them. "You don't need to do that. Let me get her, she's just in shock."

"Don't be such an idiot! There's no time to play nice here!" Kuvira shouted as the water level continued to rise. She wriggled from Mako's grip and sent a cable shooting at Asami's arm, pulling her back to them with a considerable struggle as Asami kicked and flailed and screamed her protests.

Mako tried to block it out, but it was impossible. He'd never seen Asami this distraught. What had the Red Lotus done to her? The thought alone made him feel incredibly nauseous.

"Asami! You need to stop! We're trying to help you!" Mako shouted with hands on her shoulders when she was finally in reach. His words didn't seem to have any effect at all as Kuvira gritted her teeth to try and keep the cables in place.

"If she doesn't stop I'm going to end up breaking her wrists!" Kuvira warned breathlessly.

Mako didn't even get a chance to think of another solution before Kuvira darted forward suddenly, right behind Asami, and swung an arm back before bringing her hand down precisely into Asami's head. It knocked her out instantly. Mako stared with a gaping mouth for a moment before shaking his head clear.

At least Kuvira was willing to do what he couldn't bring himself to. Mako would still be trying to reason with Asami by this point with no success.

Kuvira picked Asami's limp body up and hoisted her over her shoulder roughly before splashing forward, waving a panicked hand at Mako as she dashed beside him. "Lead the way! I've got her!"

Mako sprinted as quickly as the rising water would allow, taking them up a different slope from before when he spotted more water cascading towards them from the other way they'd just came. As long as they were going up, that seemed like the best plan right now. If Kuvira hadn't taken control, they'll all have drowned a few seconds ago.

"Chief! Target is secure! Target is secure! You need to get the hell out of here!" Mako shouted into the radio. There wasn't much point in revealing what had happened with Korra at this point. It would only result in Tonraq dying here too, crushed to death as the cave collapsed.

"Received Mako! We'll meet you at the airship!"

"Did you have to hit her so hard?"

Bolin...?

"Do you really think I wanted to? Not much went to plan today. We didn't have a choice."

Asami lifted her body upwards slowly. Every muscle burned in absolute exhaustion. She recognized the room she was in instantly. The infirmary on the largest airship in the Future Industries fleet. Everything else was a terrible blur as her brain tried to snap out of the post sleep haze which had consumed it.

Firm hands pushed against Asami's shoulders, preventing her from rising fully. "Get off of me!" she rasped. Her voice sounded awful. Dry and rough and...painful. Speaking was uncomfortable. That was Zaheer's doing. The thought of that maniac made Asami punch out at who ever was holding her, but her arms lacked any strength. The blurred figure above her easily grabbed her wrists.

"Wow! Asami – It's okay! You're safe, the Red Lotus are gone," the voice assured softly. "Try not to move about too much, you're pretty beaten up. I mean, even your hair is mess. I think that's a first."

"Bolin..." Asami smiled wearily as those big green eyes stared down at her. His thick black hair was spiking up at random points as always. "How long have I been out? What happened...?"

"You don't remember?" a rougher voice questioned. Mako stood just behind his brother with firmly folded arms. He looked a little relieved for some reason. Captain Kuvira stood just to his right, unable to look Asami in the eye.

Asami rubbed a hand over her face, feeling a bandaged wrapped tightly around her forehead. Actually, she seemed to have bandages almost everywhere. Around her knuckles and fingers which were dotted with patches of dried blood. The tightest of them all was around her ribcage, but there was no sign of injury there. Just a dull ache. Her long black hair was below her shoulders for the first time in weeks, a dirty water tribe arm band lay against the white bed covers.

I'm sorry, Asami. You dying today is not okay.

"Korra?! Where is Korra?!" Asami asked desperately, grabbing Bolin viciously by his hands so he couldn't move anywhere. There were tears gleaming in his bright eyes that he wasn't able to wipe away. No...that didn't really happen...she...she can't be...

"She's gone, Asami. We've had the airship circling for hours to try and find her, but the Red Lotus lair collapsed against the storm. There's nothing below us now but bits of rubble and the sea," Mako explained softly. "We can't stay here much longer, the airship needs to refuel."

"Not yet!" Asami spat as she stumbled out of the bed. Bolin held her upwards. "If you cared about Korra at all you would never have left her behind!" Asami screamed in Mako's face.

Bolin interrupted her instantly. "Hey! That's not fair! He did-"

Mako silenced him with a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. She's right. If I'd only been concerned with saving Korra then maybe she'd be here right now." His amber eyes then focused on Asami who was still leaning into his face breathlessly. "But I wasn't just there for Korra, I was there to save you as well. When I got the chance to get you to safety, I had to take it."

Asami wanted to hit him. To scream in his face again. But she didn't have the energy left. She slumped down against the side of the bed in defeat, Bolin following every step of the way with an arm around her shoulders. She wanted to cry again, but even that seemed impossible now. Pointless. She'd was sick of crying and feeling sorry for herself. Of not being in control of her fate, able to protect the people she loved. The closest she'd felt to that was those few seconds she'd been able to airbend. To offer some resistance against the Red Lotus monsters.

"We can't leave yet..." Asami repeated quietly this time. She turned her head up to Mako who watched her with a mixture of guilt and concern. "Let me pilot the airship. If she's handled properly, I can extend our flight time. Even if it's just another hour...we have to try..."

Kuvira finally spoke. "Nonsense. You can barely walk. You're in not fit state to pilot anything."

"And whose fault is that?" Asami replied coldly.

"Your current injuries have nothing to do with me hitting you on the head. I made sure to deliver the least long term damage possible with my blow. Which wasn't exactly easy when you were squirming violently and water was swarming towards us," Kuvira stated plainly. "The Red Lotus are the people who hurt you. I was trying to help."

Asami ignored her. "Mako – give me a chance. Give Korra a chance. Let me pilot the airship." She didn't dare use the words trust me. Not after how Korra had used them to trick her. Why did you have to be so damn selfless?! I wanted to die with you...I chose to!

"She's going to crash us all into the sea in this state, I only just got dry," Kuvira warned with narrowed brows.

Mako shook his head and then looked to Asami, offering out a gloved hand. "Can you still fly this thing with a few broken ribs?"

"Absolutely," Asami nodded as she took Mako's hand firmly, granted Bolin's assistance was required in actually getting up off the floor. A broken rib...? Had Ghazan done that the very first time she'd met 'Rei'? He complained about it later she remembered vividly. Asami couldn't help but wonder if he'd smile at actually having been successful in breaking one of her ribs. Probably.

"I never doubted it, Team Avatar has the world's best pilot," Bolin smiled with a wink as he supported Asami's weight on one side. Mako supported her on the other end.

"Let's get our pilot to the controls asap little bro, the quicker we do, the more time we have to search."

And to save Korra.

End Notes

Do you trust me?

-That line was straight out of Asami's crazy vision in the Spirit World. Which actually, has turned out to be a prediction of the future, and not some alternate universe. Here's the section to save you going back (Chapter 11):

The spirit was incredibly strong too, not budging an inch as Asami's hits became weaker and weaker, oxygen leaving her muscles as water filled her lungs. When the blackness finally came the water remained. Asami could see it everywhere, drowning her all over again.
"I have an idea! Do you trust me?!"
Korra's voice and the sound of splashing. So distant. Not really here. The Avatar was a hundreds of miles away, in Ba Sing Se.

My favourite line though, which just sorta punched me in the gut when I typed it was this little bit:
"Was it worth it? Those few happy weeks?"
Asami ran a freezing cold hand against Korra's cheek. "With you?...Yes. Every, single, minute."

I don't really know what else to say about that one other than it was super emotional to write. So i'll let you guys do most of the talking, shrieking and shouting in the comment section. Or come throw things at me on Tumbr: asami-snazz

Thank you for reading and supporting me! (Also both Asami and Korra were my absolute heroes in this one. They pushed themselves more than Zaheer would've ever though possible.) Power of love.