Responses to Reviews:

RonaldM40196867: Yes, yes, yes, and very.

Thunder: Unfortunately, Raiko is the President and had a large squad of soldiers with him, so Asami unfortunately does answer to that Weasel, however reluctantly.

As always, Please Review!

Asami

Asami Sato sat on a stool in the corner of the healing building on Air Temple Island, and watched as Korra was lowered into a pool of water by a pair of Acolytes.

Kya took a deep breath, and then began to move her arms back and forth rhythmically, causing the water to pulse with a shining blue light that particularly concentrated around the Avatar's head.

As soon as the telling-off was over, Asami had insisted on rushing Korra here as fast as possible. She had thought about taking the airship, but there was nowhere to land it on the island, so she had settled for a fast boat. As soon as she had docked, Opal Beifong had materialised next to her and grabbed Korra, helping Asami move her towards the healing room.

"What happened?" She demanded.

Asami remembered that her family had been in danger and so didn't take the lack of greeting personally.

"Kuvira attacked Zaofu," she replied. "We got almost everyone out."

"You got almost everyone out? Who did you miss?"

Asami hesitated.

"Lin and Suyin," she said. Opal's eyes widened and Asami anticipated an angry outburst.

"They wanted to!" She said. "They had the opportunity to leave but threw Bolin and Korra back instead!"

"Bolin's here?" Suddenly Opal's whole demeanour had changed. She clearly didn't know whether to be angry or happy.

"Kuvira didn't tell him she was attacking your family, and he defected as soon as he found out," Asami explained.

"So where is he?"

"He's been arrested."

"He's been-what?"

"Raiko and his politics," Asami grunted. Opal just shook her head.

"What about my family?"

"They're going to set up temporary housing for the refugees outside town," Asami said.

Opal did not say anything for a while.

"Thank you," she said eventually. "For going to help."

"It was nothing," Asami replied modestly.

"I wanted to go," Opal continued. "But nobody told me until it was too late."

"We can't be everywhere," Asami replied sympathetically. Opal appeared to consider that for a moment.

"Then I must go where I am needed," she told her. "My family need me."

"I think they do," Asami agreed.

"Thank you for telling me everything," Opal told her, as they reached the doors, and knocked. "And I know it wasn't your fault what happened to Lin and mum."

With that, Opal embraced Asami, with some difficulty because of Korra, and then walked away just as the door opened and Kya took in the scene in front of her.

Now, five minutes later, Asami watched the glow continue to envelop her friend's body. She knew that this was not going to do wonders for Korra's self-confidence. She had fought Kuvira twice and lost twice.

Korra's eyes opened for a moment, and then widened, seemingly surprised to find herself in the pool. She made direct eye contact with Asami and smiled. Asami smiled back reassuringly, and then the Avatar's eyes closed again and she sighed as the healing water lapped at her.

Asami turned her thoughts to Bolin. She knew she wasn't going to let Raiko keep him in prison for long, and she certainly wasn't going to let the President possibly sacrifice him for the sake of peace by giving him back to Kuvira. She got the feeling that Kuvira wasn't one to forget a slight, and after his betrayal she wouldn't be in a very forgiving mood. That meant she had to bust him out, preferably without letting Raiko know who had done it. It wouldn't do to end up in a cell herself, not when the Republic needed her. Mako would help, she was sure of it, and so would Korra. She was sure that Opal and many other Airbenders could also be convinced. After all, Bolin had helped to rescue them from the Red Lotus.

And then... well, deny everything, of course. But if that failed, who knew. Making an enemy of Raiko, for a woman in her position, could be a very bad thing.

Kya continued her movements. The whole scene was strangely hypnotic, and Asami felt herself go into a bit of a trance as she continued to think about plans for the rescue of Bolin.

She was just thinking about how to get him out of the country safely, and musing whether getting an Airbender to fly him to one of the Temples would be the best solution, when there was a mighty gasp and Korra sat up in the water. Both Kya and Asami started, and the watery glow abruptly ceased.

"Korra!" Asami jumped up and rushed to meet her. "You're alright!"

"Asami!" Korra greeted her. "Where am I? This isn't Zaofu..."

She paused, and then began to get up frantically.

"Zaofu! Where's Kuvira? The city is in danger!"

"Calm down!" Asami grabbed her. "You're alright. You're in Republic City."

"Am I?" Korra rubbed her head, and then noticed Kya for the first time. "Hello!"

"Hi Korra," Kya waved.

"Thank you for healing me," Korra told her uncertainly, looking down at the water.

"You're welcome."

"What happened?" Korra asked.

And so Asami told her. The Avatar's eyes widened in shock when she found out what had happened to Lin and Suyin, and then narrowed angrily when Asami recounted what had happened to Bolin.

"That-"

Wait!" Asami held out her hand to stop the Avatar, who had struggled angrily to her feet. "We need a plan!"

Korra looked like she wanted to argue, and then slumped.

"I suppose you're right," she said. "I lost again."

"Hey, look on the bright side!" Asami went next to her and put her arms around her shoulders.

"We won! Our plan worked. We got everyone out, or almost everyone."

That reminder of Lin and Suyin brought the mood down again. Kya spoke up.

"Everyone loses fights," she told the Avatar. "I should know, thanks to Zaheer."

She spat the name.

"Not everyone is the Avatar," Korra pointed out.

"That doesn't matter," Kya insisted. "Being the Avatar doesn't make you omnipotent, and you aren't expected to be."

"Yes, but people rely on me," Korra said miserably.

"And you haven't failed them!" Asami said. "We rescued the Airbenders from Zaheer! We got Wu out of Ba Sing Se! We saved those civilians from Kuvira! You didn't fail because you weren't alone, you have us. You will always have us."

Korra smiled weakly at her.

"Besides," Asami told her. "I think you'll like what Raiko wants you to do next."

"What?" Korra groaned. "I vaguely remember shouting. I don't think he was too happy we disobeyed him."

"No, he wasn't," Asami agreed. "But he's sending you home."

"Home?" Korra looked at her sharply. "The South Pole?"

Asami nodded.

"Why?"

"He wants you to get your dad to agree to help defend the United Republic if Kuvira invades," Asami told her. "Mako is going to do the same in the Fire Nation."

"But my dad isn't in the Fire Nation," Korra said seriously.

Asami swatted her arm playfully. "You know what I mean."

Korra looked at her for a moment, then her facade cracked and she laughed. Asami joined in.

"That was a terrible joke," she told the Avatar.

"Oh, I know."

The laughter slowly petered out.

"What about you?" Korra asked. "What are you going to do?"

Asami noted that she sounded vaguely hopeful.

She shook her head.

"Raiko wants me here," she said. "He wants me developing my project. He fears we may be about to need it."

Korra looked disappointed, but nodded.

"So now what?" She asked. Asami moved her head closer conspiratorially.

"We need to get Bolin out without letting Raiko know it was us," she told the Avatar quietly.

"Do you now?"

Asami jumped guiltily, having forgotten that Kya was in the room.

"You know that's a very serious crime," Kya folded her arms and glared at them. "Jailbreaking a criminal, disobeying the President's direct order. I think I'm going to have to report this."

Asami's eyes widened.

"We'll see what Raiko thinks of this..."

And then Kya couldn't control herself anymore and doubled over in fits of laughter.

"I'm sorry, but look at your faces! Did you really think I would turn you in?"

Asami and Korra stared at each other.

"That's not funny," Asami complained.

"It's a bit funny," Korra corrected her.

"Whose side are you on here?"

"You were saying?" Korra prompted her to continue.

"Look," Asami leaned in again. "I have a cunning plan..."