Chapter 20: Goodbyes
"You cannot be serious," Kuvira hissed into Suyin's face. "This boy isn't fit to run a sewer let alone a country!" She gestured with a clenched fist to the prim haired man at a table in the corner. Mako was trying his best to amuse this Prince Wu, but the guy only seemed to complain about his current living quarters in the library of Ba Sing Se. A far cry for the luxury he'd been used to for sure.
"I don't believe in the monarchy any more than you do, but we have to be sensible about this. The Earth Kingdom is in tatters. Half the country is in the control of bandits or worse. Stability has to be restored, and quickly. Crowning Prince Wu is the best way forward for now. Eventually we'll come back to this issue, but today is not the time," Suyin tried to reassure.
Kuvira shook her head. "What gives you the right to decide how this country should move forward? The people have made it abundantly clear they don't want people like him in charge ever again. They burned down the palace for crying out loud."
"And you think those still loyal to the royal family will just back down? They hold more power and wealth in this city than any other. They won't hesitate to tear down whatever democracy you manage to scramble together in a few weeks. You are seriously underestimating how long it would take to transition from one system to another. It'll take months and months. A year, possibly even more. We cannot allowed the Earth Kingdom to go so long without leadership."
"What about using Izumi's soldiers to secure the city, keep things stable while we figure this whole government thing out?" Mako suggested quietly. They had 200 of them at their disposal.
Suyin looked at the end of her tether. "The soldiers are going back to the Fire Nation. A suggestion from Tonraq. Their presence in the city has become...problematic..." There was no denying that. Ten of them had ended up hospitalized in a fairly organised attack in down town. Maybe the people of the Earth Kingdom weren't ready to abandon their past yet.
Kuvira still didn't look convinced. "And you think appointing this entitled brat will stabilize the city? All that'll do is fuel the Red Lotus or any of their sympathisers. We have to take down the monarchy. Hold elections."
"The Red Lotus are gone," Suyin argued.
"Maybe the core members are, but you can't kill an idea," Kuvira stated firmly. "The last thing you should do is reinstate the royals."
"This decision has already been made and agreed by the rest of the world leaders," Suyin replied with a wave of her hand. "We're going back to Zaofu. The Dai-Li will take charge of Ba Sing Se and crown Prince Wu as King. Perhaps in a few years the question of democracy can be brought up again, when the country is stable again."
When Su tried to place a hand on Kuvira's shoulder she immediately recoiled. "I'm not going back to Zaofu. I won't leave the people of this city to be the play things of some royal brat and his army of shadows." She pulled off her armour plating bit by bit and tossed it to the ground, clenching her hands to bend the metal in a disjointed ball. "I'm standing down as your Captain, I'm sure one of your other caged birds will gladly take the role."
Suyin's mouth hung open for a few seconds before she pushed Kuvira backwards. "And what are you going to do here? What difference can one girl possibly make in this chaos?!"
"All the difference in the world," Kuvira noted coldly as she kept her arms rigidly at her side. "I'm going to support those who are trying to change things. I will not allow this boy to be King."
"You're coming back to Zaofu right now!" Suyin boomed.
Prince Wu looked to Mako and then began to creep his way to the exit of the room. Mako grabbed his arm and pulled him back to his seat. "You don't want to end up being grabbed by her cables, trust me. It's painful stuff."
"You'll have to drag me!" Kuvira shouted even louder than her leader. "Go back to Zaofu and take him with you." She pointed to Prince Wu who shuddered in fear.
"I really like that idea," Prince Wu smiled weakly. He would've probably rather have been anywhere than Ba Sing Se. The city was full of people who'd happily rip his head from his shoulders. "We can get the help of all the noble families from there, away from this hell zone. When the city has resolved its issues then I will return and take my place on the throne." Mako seriously doubted that. If Wu went to Zaofu, he'd probably never come back here. Running a country would be far too much work for this kind of person.
"See – he's a coward!" Kuvira spat. "He doesn't even want to fight for this city. For the people who live here. Why should someone like that ever be in charge of their lives?!"
Suyin looked a little lost for words as she glared between Kuvira and Prince Wu. Prince Wu who had just backed up Kuvira's argument ten fold by his clear desperation to flee the city. She rubbed her forehead in frustration. "Fine...let me speak to Izumi and the others...we can consider introducing a new government...until then, this city needs leadership."
Kuvira folded her arms. "Who?"
"Me," Suyin decided with a grimace. "I'll bring some of the Metal Clan here, and properly secure the city. That is if the other world leaders agree. We may need those Fire Nation soldiers to return...but hopefully, with a Beifong in charge...they'll be less hostile..."
Kuvira's eyes were wide. "You're serious about this?"
Suyin nodded. "You don't sound happy about it."
"I just didn't expect you to cave so easily..." Kuvira sighed. "But I won't be your Captain any more. Travelling like I have these past few weeks, seeing the terrible things that I thought I'd left behind as a kid...this city is rotten to the core, and I'm going to fix it from the ground up. From the lower ring. I'll make sure the Red Lotus never have a place to thrive here ever again."
Mako nodded as he placed a hand on her shoulder. The Red Lotus could never be given such a platform to grow again. He wondered how Korra was doing in that wheelchair...or Asami, who somehow managed to look even more haunted than the Avatar. He could only hope Bolin was lifting their spirits. His brother was great for that.
"And I don't get a say in this?" Prince Wu whined. Mako frowned at him.
"You're welcome to run as a candidate in any future election," Kuvira smirked. "I'm sure you're campaign will do well." Wu curled up in himself, looking like he'd rather be anywhere than here.
"With Suyin in charge at the top, and us working at the bottom, we could really fix things here," Mako decided with a smile.
Suyin narrowed her gaze. "I won't stop you, Kuvira. But I think it's best we work together on this. You as my Captain."
"That's not where I'll make the most difference," Kuvira argued. "I've spent far too long on the top...I almost forgot what it was like to live on the bottom. It made me arrogant. Naive to the corruption of this country. You made me blind."
"I took you in," Suyin replied in disbelief.
"I know. You've never stopped reminding me. Like I owe you everything for that act of kindness. I was never really a Beifong, just some street rat you liked to show off," Kuvira stated bitterly. "Let's go Mako." She grabbed his arm and started marching towards the door.
"Wait...wait a minute, are you really going to leave things like this?" Mako argued as he tried to stop her.
Kuvira practically growled at him. "You're either with me or against me." She shook off his grip.
Mako glanced to Suyin, giving her a sympathetic glance, before turning back to Kuvira. "With you. I didn't leave Republic City and my friends to do nothing. I'm sorry, Su. For what it's worth."
Kuvira nodded her approval. "Goodbye, Suyin. Maybe we can work together in the future for the good of the city. As equals."
Suyin remained totally silent, choosing to glare rather than respond.
Korra hated this place. It scared her half to death every time she came here, every time she slept. What she hated even more was that sometimes...sometimes she never wanted to leave.
Part of her knew it was a nightmare. The same nightmare. Another part of her wanted it to be real, because that's exactly how it felt. Nothing in the real world felt like this anymore, not after Zaheer and the Red Lotus.
The dream always started off the same. The streets of Ba Sing Se, before the fall. When all they'd been doing was searching for airbenders. She'd been so frustrated by their lack of success back then. Angry even. How she wished she could go back there now, be whole again. Happy even, despite their setbacks.
Asami walked beside her, heading back to the main palace after a day of fruitless investigations. She wouldn't stop smiling. Properly smiling. Maybe that was because her face was free of any scars. Of any pain. The best part was that Korra could walk too, walk alongside her, and smile right back. And mean it. Not like in the real world.
"We'll find them you know," Asami would say. Her voice had a weird echoey quality here, though Korra could ignore it fairly easy.
Korra nodded. "We will. Together."
She knew what happened next. Asami would say the same thing, the same terrible thing, and this utopia would collapse into something awful. She took advantage before that happened, stretching out a hand to grasp Asami's. Unlike in the real world, this Asami didn't recoil one bit. She didn't have that same fear of the Avatar, because they didn't share the same experiences. This was before everything had been ruined.
Asami beamed at her, a dusting of red on her cheeks. It was strange to see Asami blush. She wasn't easily flustered like Korra could get. Making this inscrutable business woman blush was the best thing in the world, Korra was sure. Even if it wasn't real.
"The Earth Queen is hiding something," Asami warned.
And that was that.
The streets of Ba Sing Se collapsed into nothingness. Blackness. All Korra was left with was absolute darkness, in every direction, and of course the sound of the Earth Queen, shrieking into oblivion. Cursing the Red Lotus Avatar as her flesh burned. Korra covered her ears with her hands, but that only seemed to make the screams louder. Still, she had to try something. Anything to block out that blood chilling sound.
"I didn't want to kill you! You didn't give me a choice!"
As quickly as the Queen started howling, the shrieks faded back into nothing. Korra couldn't even hear her breathing in this place. Maybe she didn't breath here. Though she was still more alive here than the real world. On her feet at least. Standing.
"You always had a choice, Korra," a familiar voice stated coldly from behind. Her own voice. Her own face.
It was that thing again. The Avatar, clad in the uniform of the Red Lotus, with chains around her wrists, eyes white and hollow all at once. Korra spun around to face her other self. Rei...
This creature was no longer restricted to the realms of her nightmares either. She'd started appearing in the physical world too...and no one else seemed to be able to see her either. Or maybe she wasn't there at all. Maybe you're as crazy as you feel...
"You always had a choice," the creature repeated with a slight smirk. "No one forced you to work with Zaheer, to attack the Earth Queen. To go to Ba Sing Se in the first place. No one forced you to hurt Asami. You hit her so hard you broke her nose. Nobody made you do that. You took out all your anger on her. On them."
"That's...that's not true..." Korra muttered.
"It is. And you'll do it again. You can't control yourself, not anymore. Just look at the mess you made of the Earth Queen. A simple piece of earth would've knocked her away, a gust of air. But you burned her instead. Another choice of yours, you wanted her to suffer for what she'd done," the creature replied as they stepped forward, chain rattling with every movement. "You can pretend it was an act all you want, but you're still Rei. You will always have her in you, because she is you. She's just as much a part of you as Raava."
"Then I'll stay away. If I stay away from them all, then I can't hurt anyone..." Korra muttered with clenched fists. "If I stay in that chair, I can't hurt anyone."
"You can try," Rei smirked again. "But how much do you trust yourself not to?"
Korra closed her eyes as the rattling of the chains ceased. She knew exactly where she'd wake up. In that bed again. That same room. Stuck staring up at the ceiling.
"What do you think?" Asami asked as she held up a mirror in front of Korra's face, always keeping a grip on her shoulder as she leaned over.
Korra barely even looked at herself in her water tribe finery. Getting that dress on really hadn't been easy, and Asami had seen the full extent of Korra's scars for the first time. She'd had a hard time keeping her emotions in check after that.
"It's great...thanks," Korra stated without even the hint of a smile before glancing towards a suitcase sat on top of her bed. "And for the packing. Did you put the picture in?" Asami nodded. A framed picture of team Avatar taken in Zaofu curtsey of some portable camera tech Varrick had been developing. Personally, Asami thought the camera was far too clunky. It's why Bolin had been carrying it, not that Korra hadn't tried to before him. Those two often ended up in contests of strength.
Now Korra won't have a hope in hell of even lifting that suitcase. "It's not like you have much to pack. Not like me. If I'd been coming with you all my luggage would've sunk the boat." It was meant as a joke, but Korra didn't smile, and neither did Asami. Still, if she didn't try and make herself laugh, or Korra, she'd probably end up going insane.
"We should probably get to Jinora's ceremony before others arrive," Korra muttered. Asami immediately began pushing Korra's wheelchair out of the room. It was easy to tell Korra had lost quite a lot of weight in the past few weeks.
Once they were out in the sunlight, they were bombarded by the airbender kids. Two of the three anyway. Milo clambered into Korra's lap without even asking, whilst Ikki decided to keep to Korra's side, wrapping an arm around Asami's. Asami almost immediately shooed them off, fretting that they'd injure Korra in their carelessness, but she stopped when she saw how Korra smiled at them. A real smile.
Asami could feel her heart tearing apart at the sight. She couldn't do that for Korra no matter how hard she tried. These kids could do it just by being.
"Road trip!" Milo howled as they made their way across the island and up to the temple.
"I like your hair, actually I love your hair," Ikki grinned as she leaned her head down to the Avatar. "If Jinora gets to go bald then I get to cut my hair like Korra's!"
"You're such a copy cat," Milo teased. "And so is Jinora. I've been shaving my head for years."
Korra laughed at that, a light chuckle. "You can both do whatever you like with your hair. But you'll both have to go bald eventually. Your dad told me so."
Ikki shrieked at that. "I won't let dad do that to me!"
"I'm only joking," Korra smiled. "If everyone listened to what your dad said we'd all be bald and I'd still be...still be walking around in airbender robes." The kids didn't even notice the way Korra's voice had started to crackle.
Asami lowered one of her hands down onto Korra's shoulder, and was pleasantly surprised when the Avatar raised a hand up, resting on top of Asami's and squeezing down. It had to be quite the strain. Korra was barely capable of holding up a glass let alone her arm. She held on all the way to the temple steps where a small party of officials and family stood.
Korra looked just about ready to have the ground swallow her up as President Raiko stepped forward.
"Avatar Korra, good to see you," he stated curtly. Unlikely everyone else that spoke to Korra, he didn't even bother to lean down to her level. He paused to scratch at his chin, clearly trying to find the right words to say.
Tonraq placed a hand on his shoulder and gently moved the man to side. "Best you go and get your seat, Mr President. Front and center." Raiko nodded with relief before darting off with some other officials.
"You look beautiful, sweetheart," Tonraq smiled with a heavy heart as he leaned down to place a kiss on his daughter's forehead. When he straightened himself he nodded at Asami, acknowledging her part in getting Korra ready. Even getting her out the door of the healing hut. Senna nodded too, though something about her expression unsettled Asami, or at the very least confused her.
The ceremony went as smoothly as it could have, and Asami had found herself on the verge of tears just at the sight of all the airbenders in the room, annotating Jinora to the level of master. For a long time Asami hadn't felt part of that world, the world of benders, and especially not the Air Nation. It was her opposite. Yet she couldn't hide her pride at having helped bring them back.
Korra had been crying too, very subtly. But it wasn't because of Jinora. Asami was sure of that. The Avatar had been staring at the floor or her clasped hands for most of the ceremony.
Now they were back in Korra's bedroom, making sure the last of her things were away for the early morning ferry ride tomorrow. They could hear music from elsewhere on the island, a party following the ceremony. Korra hadn't wanted to stick around, and neither had Asami. She wanted Korra all to herself. Knowing this would be the last time for a few months. It was hard to imagine a life without Korra in it, which was really strange given she'd only known her for a year at most.
"She looked like Aang," Korra noted wistfully as she stared out a nearby window, still sat in the wheelchair. "I wish I could talk to him...to any of them. He was a good Avatar...a great Avatar..."
Asami dropped down to her knees in a second, taking a hold of Korra's hand. "So are you. You still are."
"I wonder if any other Avatar's kept balance from a wheelchair..." Korra smiled bitterly, tears building at the corners of her eyes.
"This won't be forever," Asami said as confidently as she could muster. "Katara is the best healer in the world, and a bit of an expert when it comes to the Avatar. She'll help you."
Korra nodded weakly at that. "I'm...I'm sorry for what I said. About the kiss. I didn't mean any of it." She glanced up at Asami with a genuine smile. "But you already knew that. You're a bit of an Avatar expert yourself. Maybe not quite Katara level, but she has a lot of years on you."
"You better write to me," Asami said lightly. "Full length poems. One a month. I expect no less."
"That's a lot of poems," Korra muttered quickly.
"What?"
"Nothing – poems. Once a month. You got it," Korra winked with a grin, though she couldn't quite look her friend in the eye.
Asami felt that pit in her stomach again. It didn't matter how much Korra said it, or how much Asami tried to believe it. This goodbye wasn't for a few months. She reached a hand up to Korra's chin, running a finger gently along a light scar there. There were so many now it was impossible to tell where they'd all came from, or who had dealt them. If this really is my last chance...
Korra shuddered against her touch.
"Does that hurt?" Asami asked in alarm as she pulled her hand away.
"No! No. It felt...nice..." Korra replied quickly, though she still sounded in two minds about it. The Avatar swallowed hard. "Asami...you're looking at me really weird right now, and your hand is still sticking in the air..."
Asami laughed awkwardly at that before bringing a finger back down to that same scar. "Do you know how you got this one?" she asked softly.
"I stopped trying to remember," Korra sighed. "It's not like it matters...they were all bad people there. Blaming one or the other wouldn't make any difference. Not like yours...I caused those..." Korra recoiled into her chair slightly.
It seemed like no matter how many times Asami tried to grant Korra forgiveness, the Avatar firmly rejected it. It felt like a pointless gesture now, and only ended in arguments.
"You're absolutely sure you don't want me to come with you?"
Korra nodded firmly. "It's for the best."
Asami steadied herself.
"Then...then can I...kiss you?" Asami asked hesitantly. She began to stumble over her words after that. "It wouldn't matter – you're going home – I'm staying here. But why should be deprive ourselves of just a little bit of happiness...? We're alive. We fought to survive. That's worth something. Actually, forget I said anything!"
Korra's eyes narrowed a little. Asami readied herself for rejection, feeling utterly selfish and stupid for asking in the first place. Korra was in no position for this. She was emotionally vulnerable. But maybe this...maybe this will be enough to make her want to keep fighting...to come back to me eventually... Surely it was worth it.
"I can't believe you asked...most people just sort of go for it..." There was a hint of playfulness in her voice.
"People like you, you mean?" Asami teased.
"This is dangerous territory. We're getting awful close to bringing up..." Korra stopped herself. "Someone who has a name beginning with M, and ending with O. Oh no." She smiled again. A real Korra smile. Asami's heart soared at the sight. It took a lot more effort than the airbender kids, but she could still make Korra smile for real. "Permission granted...just don't get lipstick all over my face...my parents would ask a lot of questions...like did I just try and put on makeup?"
Asami didn't let Korra witter on for any longer, leaning forward and bringing their lips together very gently. She could feel the smaller scar their almost immediately, it's rough texture very different from the softness everywhere else. She leaned back, gauging Korra's expression. Korra nodded quickly before she started kissing back. Asami felt like she was about to melt. Unsurprisingly, it took them a while to actually find a matching speed.
Korra from a standing start seemed to be wanting to go a million miles per hour, almost definitely smudging lipstick on her face and only really having herself to blame. Whereas Asami was restraining herself, trying to take the slow and steady approach in the hope of not overwhelming Korra, or not knocking them both to the floor, wheelchair in tow.
Eventually, they met somewhere in the middle. Asami brushed some stray hairs away from Korra's face, and kept her hands there, running them through the shortened locks, which were actually just as soft as Korra's long hair had been, if not more so. She felt Korra's hands rub softly against the back of her neck, burrowed deep in her own hair, before eventually lowering them to her upper back and pulling Asami forward with a little too much force.
What had been an incredibly passionate kiss a few seconds ago had ended with them bumping noses and Asami nearly falling into Korra's lap. She pushed herself upwards using the armrests on Korra's chair, trying to stop herself shaking. They both laughed when they made eye contact, and Asami released a sigh of relief. It had been worth it, for just that blissful minute.
"Sorry...I really did a number on your lipstick..." Korra smiled breathlessly. "I didn't think I could pull you that hard anymore."
"It's your face that got the worst of it," Asami teased as she wandered over to her bag and pulled out some wipes. "Let's get you cleaned up and ready for bed, you've got an early start tomorrow."
Korra nodded with a strained and desperately sad smile. But she'd made her choice. Korra wanted to go home. Alone. She'd decided that was for the best, and who was Asami to argue with that? Korra was the one with the healing knowledge after all.
"The mornings are evil," Korra stated plainly before getting flustered again. "But umm...thank you for that. I hope it made up for the last one, which was definitely more rushed...but somehow less messy..."
"It did," Asami smiled as she finished wiping Korra's face clear of red smudges, taking extra care around the scars.
It took them less time than usual to get Korra into her bed clothes, although Asami couldn't help but notice Korra staring off into the corner of the room every few minutes with something close to fear in her eyes. Or maybe it was just exhaustion. She said nothing of it anyway.
Once the Avatar was properly curled up in bed Asami sat herself down on the edge, staring out at the sun setting over the city across the bay. She looked back to Korra whose pupils looked a little dilated. She tapped the top of Korra's legs before cursing herself. Korra couldn't feel that. "Do you want me to stay the night?"
"No," Korra replied quickly before shaking her head. "Sorry – I'm okay, honestly. I just need to sleep, but if you want a room, I'm sure Tenzin will find you somewhere to sleep, and it saves you travelling over from the city in the morning."
Asami nodded. That was definitely for the best. Korra had a long journey ahead of her. They both did.
"Goodnight, Korra."
"Goodnight, Asami..."
End Notes
Well look at that. Some fluff. Holy hell. This was the last chapter of book 3 as I already said. And I guess now I can also reveal the title of book 4! *drum roll*
Book 4: Convergence
I'll let you all work your little theories out in the comments below about what the hell that might refer to. It's not harmonic convergence before you all jump on that bandwagon. But it refers to quite a lot of things that'll happen next series or whatever.
Anyways, I really hope you enjoyed this book 3 divergence! I'd really appreciate it if you could leave your thoughts for this one, not just about the chapter, but the story so far. Even if you've never commented before! Remember there's going to be a bit of gap between this and book 4. Lots of planning to be done! There will be a few in between chapters though...
Until then, lots of love ;D
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