Hello everyone! I hope you have a wonderful New Year's Eve and, if I don't post tomorrow, a happy New Year's Day. I want to thank everyone for taking the time to read and support my story throughout this year. Writing this fanfiction and getting to share it with you has definitely been the highlight of my year. I look forward to sharing more of the story with you in 2016. So here's to you, my lovely readers. You rock my socks heehee.
Happy New Year!
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Chapter 34
The sun
The Strikers charged at her, electric gloves poised for a shock.
Korra glanced beside her, noticing that her father and friend were not only chi blocked, but they were bounded and attached to the mast. She brought her attention back to her attackers and strengthened her stance.
She was more than ready for them.
She slipped them with ease, delivering powerful punches into their faces and strong kicks into their ribs. Korra even managed to send several of them overboard and listened as they swam away in panic of her polar bear dog below.
Tonraq and Kya watched on, unable to do a single thing to help. Tonraq was a bit groggy from the fight, the image of his daughter fending off the Strikers swirling in his eyes.
After five Strikers plummeted to the deck, the others stood back in caution, realizing just how powerful this Water Tribe girl was.
Korra took a step in front of their prisoners and crouched into an offensive stance. "Is that all you've got?"
They didn't respond, didn't even move a muscle.
All of the fighters stood, motionless, waiting for someone – anyone – to make a move.
One part of Korra's gut told her to lunge forward and make short work of them. The other told her to hang back – stay as close to dad and Master Kya as possible – and wait for the Strikers to come to her.
She came to the conclusion that all of this standing around was pointless.
Maybe I can…
Korra tried to focus on her chi, which had simmered just a bit inside of her with the onset of her thoughts. She grabbed a piece of it and attempted to move it out to her hands. She took a breath and wound up for a punch.
Please let this work.
Nothing shot out of her extended arm. If anything, the pain she intended on dealing to the Strikers shot back at her in the form of a horrible jolt in her skull. She grimaced and cried out, the power of the throb too much to keep her on her feet.
No…
She dropped to one knee, holding her head with her hand while the other was flat against the deck.
The Strikers used this to their advantage and charged at her.
"No! Get away!" Korra pushed herself up into a spinning kick, taking the first attacker by surprise.
While he managed to dodge her heel, the Striker behind him had no such luck.
She ground her foot right into his jaw, feeling it dislodge from the force in her heel. She steadied her stance and ignored the pain in her head as she fended the assailants off. Korra was on the defensive, dipping and dodging to the best of her ability. They were closing in, pushing her farther from Tonraq and Kya and forcing her to the edge of the deck. When the back of her legs hit the ledge, she panicked.
Relax, Korra. You can do this. Just focus. Breathe. Breathe and extend. Let the fires consume you.
The fires are rage. I can't let them consume me. It's… it's not the right way.
Do you want to fall over the side of this ship?
No.
Then let the fucking fires consume you.
No.
Korra refused in her stubbornness, still recovering from the last time she shot fire at the Strikers in a fit of fury – though there was a minor hint of her internal sun that time. Her head ached again as she tried to pull on her chi, failing to Fire Bend in the way she had been hoping to since she met Master Zuko. The pain in her skull forced her to stagger. She looked away for a moment to gather herself, her eyes coming back to a fist flying at her face.
Do something!
She rolled under it, effectively moving herself out of the circle of Strikers enveloping her.
You can do this.
She emptied her mind for a moment, tempted to pull on the white fire within to send all of them overboard with one blast.
Yes, do it. Do it.
No!
Instead of the hate-filled flames, she went for the sun. She felt it on her skin, felt it within herself, as hidden and somewhat weak as it was. She pictured what kept her going after all of the shit she'd been through, zipping through Master Zuko's questions in her head.
"What is it that keeps you going? What is it that makes you want to survive, day in and day out? What is your purpose, Korra, for being alive?"
Her face came to sight; it was the only thing she could think of at this exact moment, and in all honesty, it was all she needed.
Asami.
Korra wound up, fighting through the pain in her skull. She refused to picture Asami's horrified eyes, using her reassurance in the ice tent about her Fire Bending as fuel to block the memory. Korra sucked her energy up with a draw of her breath and pushed it out of her sweeping back leg. A flame shot out of her heel and forced most of the Strikers overboard. The blaze was cut short when the rotation on the ball of Korra's stationary foot spun her towards her father and Master Kya.
They looked onto her in utter shock.
She had forgotten they were there. And now, they knew for sure. Her secret was out. She could Fire Bend. There was no hiding it from her dad now.
And by the look in his eyes, there was no going back from it either.
Her heart wrenched and dropped to the bottom of the river. Something blocked her internal sun, its glowing pale light burnt out to the point that even the white flames died down inside of her. She made quick work of the last two Strikers, taking advantage of the few spurts of energy left in her.
Once they were down she turned to the prisoners but avoided looking at their faces. She ran to them and crouched beside the pair, fidgeting with the metal chords wrapped around their torsos and wrists. She freed their upper bodies and they plopped onto the deck, still unable to move their limbs. Korra tried to get through the hand restraints when several more Strikers emerged from the lower levels.
There was no way in hell she would be able to fight them.
Korra panicked and pulled Kya up to her chest. She glanced over the side to see Naga swimming beside the boat.
"I'm really sorry for this." She tossed Kya over the edge. The woman plummeted and splashed into the water. Korra grabbed her father and hauled him to the ledge, wasting no time to see if Kya was safe.
She had to move, and she had to move now.
Korra pushed Tonraq over the side, watching him until his feet were out of sight. She turned to the Strikers, who were sprinting towards her at a rapid pace.
Her heart pounded in her chest. Fear flowed through her. Her flight instinct kicked in. She grabbed the wire used to contain their former prisoners and held it tight in her hands, hoping to somehow use it as a distraction. She picked up movement at the very corner of her eye, pulling her attention away from the charge before her. Korra looked up for a split second to see men in blue and white uniforms cascading down the glacier, propelling themselves on a wave of ice made by the Water Bender in the front.
The White Lotus? What the hell are they doing here? Did they hear the attacks all the way from the compound?
The other members that weren't Bending called to her, though their voices didn't project, muffled by their distance and the noise around them.
Fuck that, how much did they see?
Korra had no time to ponder it, despite her heart skipping a beat to the thought; the Strikers were getting closer and she couldn't afford to worry about how many people saw her Fire Bend. The badger mole was out of the cave for this one. She glanced at the wire in her hands and acted on instinct alone. She tossed it at the leading pursuer and bolted. They stumbled for just a second – just enough for Korra to throw herself off the boat. She screamed as she plunged, smacking into the cold river water on her side. Everything turned black for a moment, her limbs timing out from the shock of it all. She opened her eyes under the dark water as she made her descent, the chill sprawling to her core. She made out the faint image of her father and Master Kya bunched together near Naga's front.
She got them… they're okay… they're… alive…
Korra sunk further, her lungs burning for oxygen that wasn't there for her to use. She reached out, her bruised knuckles and blue Water Tribe bands in her blurry sight. Her head was swirling. Sparks were forming in her eyes. Her lids started to flutter when the voice echoed into her mind.
Korra.
The pain was undeniable, but it was enough to snap her out of her stupor. She put her palms to her throat, dying for air. Her legs kicked without her command. She forced her way to the surface, each inch getting lighter and lighter in color until she emerged from the watery depths of her almost-death.
Korra gasped for breath, shaking and racing as she treaded water. She searched for her polar bear dog and swam to her, a relieved smile on her face. Kya was still conscious but Tonraq was out cold. For Korra's sake, it was probably the better of the four possibilities; she didn't look forward to the conversation between her and her parents about her Fire Bending that was sure to come.
She shook the thought away and grabbed hold of Naga's side, too tired to continue swimming on her own.
Naga paddled the best she could, her body in a similar state. She struggled to keep her head above water, as well as the heads of the people she was carrying in her mouth by the backs of their robes.
By the time they reached the shore, all of the docked boats were gone, including the one they had stolen from Future Industries.
Good luck getting far on that one.
Naga and Korra crawled onto the solid ground and collapsed, panting in exhaustion. Kya and Tonraq crashed into the snow upon their release from Naga's jaw.
"Korra!" The voice of her sun penetrated her ears. She sprinted up to the group and slid next to the fallen Southerners. "Korra, are you okay?" Asami rolled her over onto her back and held her tan face in her palms. Her worried peridots met the pair of tired blues once Korra separated her lids.
"Asami," she whispered with a smile, happy to see her alive. She lifted her bruised hand up to Asami's pale cheek and held it there, appreciating Asami's warmth.
Asami relayed a gentle grin back to her, lowering herself down until their bodies touched. She almost laid her lips on Korra's but stopped herself at the last second, realizing this was most definitely not the time to do such a thing. Instead, she pulled Korra into an embrace, burying her nose into Korra's salty wet hair. If anything, Asami was grateful that they were all alive, that they had made it out of the battle with the Strikers.
Still.
Part of her wondered what would have happened if she had just surrendered. Would they have been met with the same fate, but with her restrained and unable to help?
Probably.
She didn't want to think of it, couldn't bear the thought of watching Korra get hurt again, especially when she could do nothing about it.
And that's when it hit her.
Her irrational fear – the one that had been bubbling under her skin since the first time Korra had Fire Bended and made itself even more evident in that ice tent in the outskirts of Republic City – had become very clear to her at that moment. She wasn't afraid of Korra being a Fire Bender because of the whole – well – Fire Bending part. She wasn't afraid of Korra hurting her as a Fire Bender because she knew in the depths of her heart that Korra would never do such a thing.
No, she was afraid of Korra being a Fire Bender because of this, right here: the woman she loved dying in her arms, dying as her mother had so many years ago. She wasn't afraid that Korra was a Fire Bender at all.
Okay, perhaps she was at the initial seconds that Korra shot flames from her fist when Kuru attacked her, mostly because she wasn't expecting it in the slightest. But the Bending had saved her life. Her love and forgiveness was pure when she found Korra in her dorm, because at that point, she didn't give a single flying fuck about whether Korra could Fire Bend. All she cared about was that Korra was alive.
And this? This moment right now? It was pretty much the same.
Perhaps it was the breach of her trust that had made her feel such conflicting things in the ice tent. And yes, she realized her statement about not being afraid of Korra was a lie at the time. But it was more because she couldn't place the fear than the fear itself.
But now she knew.
Korra being a Fire Bender, Korra travelling to the Fire Nation and Air Temple Island unannounced, Korra disappearing and being attacked by the Triple Threats, Korra fending for herself against the Strikers time and time again… this all put a target on her back, every last bit of it since the first instant she shot a flame from her fist.
And that was why Asami was afraid.
She had seen Korra get beaten before and the images still haunted her in her sleep. She had heard Korra whimper and cry in her slumber, knowing there was little she could do to help. She had seen the woman broken and trampled in a heap of her own pain and sadness.
They were all sights she tried to force away from her memory.
Asami tightened her hold on Korra, wanting nothing more than to protect her and keep her safe, to shield her from all of the bullshit in this world.
Because she loved her. She loved her with all her heart and didn't want to lose her. And that's why she was afraid.
"We have to get you somewhere warm and safe." Asami departed, diving into the weary oceans before her.
Korra nodded, unable to speak in her exhaustion. She lifted a weak hand up to point at Naga, Kya, and Tonraq. The polar bear dog was upright, though she still wasn't on her feet. Kya was conscious and on her side, watching the pair leave their embrace. Tonraq was very still, but breathing.
"Korra!" Katara called to her as she approached them on a wave of her own design. She landed on the ground with a gentle splash and knelt down beside her. She put a hand on Korra's forehead and closed her eyes, taking in the state of her being the best she could. "We need to get her home, Asami. She needs heat and fluids. Her body is shutting down."
Asami bobbed her head in determination. She pulled Korra's arms over her shoulders and lifted her with Katara's help. Korra managed to keep her strength and lock her fingers near Asami's breast plate, allowing Asami to hold onto her legs and wrap them around her torso.
"What happened here?" Several White Lotus members ran up to the group, sweat dripping from their brows. "We were on our way to see Tonraq when we saw Korra and Naga jump out to the boat. Is everything alright?" They eyed the almost-unconscious Water Tribe girl on Asami's back.
"A group called the Strikers attacked in an attempt on my life, the life of Korra and her family, and to capture Miss Sato," Katara motioned to the engineer beside her. "But I'll give you the specifics later. We need to focus on helping the dying victims of the battle and trying to stop those boats before they leave the Southern Water Tribe; there are still prisoners on board some of them."
Another White Lotus member stepped forward. "Go let Piku and the others know what happened and what we saw," he spoke over his shoulder to the third member behind him.
Asami thought she saw something in his eyes. Or perhaps it was his voice. Or perhaps it was just her being protective and tired from the battle. She couldn't really tell. Either way, she shook it off when he brought his attention to her.
"Do you need help, Miss Sato? We can escort you somewhere safe, if you'd like." He reached out to her to help adjust her hold on Korra.
Asami opened her mouth to respond when Naga blocked the path between the group and the White Lotus member, growling as she did so. She stood on shaky legs and struggled to keep herself upright.
Her snarl was pure, though, pure and strong.
"Naga – will do just fine," Asami chose her words with care. "She gets protective of Korra around people she doesn't know." Her eyes narrowed on the men for a split second, her instincts trusting the polar bear dog in front of her.
"Of course, Miss Sato." He turned to Katara. "Can we be of assistance?"
She nodded and ushered them to follow her.
Asami watched after them for another moment, hesitant to leave Katara alone with the men.
I think you're just too caught up in everything that happened. Besides, did you see her fight? She could fend them off without a problem.
Yeah, you're probably right.
She adjusted the woman on her back, who muttered her name in her ear upon the shifting. A pulse of heat crawled south when Korra whispered the word.
Really? Right now? Is this really appropriate?
Asami blushed and moved forward, ignoring the feelings she couldn't control. Naga wavered by her side, ensuring Korra was safe and that Asami was heading in the right direction.
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