Author's Notes: Thank you oh so much to ToasterMarketingBoard for editing this long chapter!
It was a quarter after two when Prince Wu eyed the clock for the fifteenth time since the new hour began. He was currently stuck in another meeting, but had given up on paying attention sometime during the first one that morning. He was too nervous to focus. Wu had received no word from Mako after the firebender departed for Republic City. The last bit of information he had gotten from anyone was Asami, last night, confirming Mako's airship had arrived. Any moment now, someone should burst through the big double doors with an urgent message from Mako.
As if on cue, the doors swung open and a frantic looking Earth Kingdom military officer entered the room. He ran up to an empty spot in the table, and slapped his hands on the decadent wood.
"Excuse me for interrupting, but we just received a distress call on the radio from the pilot of our airship transporting Kuvira."
The prince shot up in his seat and asked, "What did Mako say? Are they okay?"
The officer shook his head. "It was the pilot I spoke with, Mr. Yan Yan."
"Well what did he say?" the statesman from Gaoling asked, slamming his fist on the table for emphasis.
"The radio was shorting out, so I got their coordinates first, then he said something about an electrical fire and the signal was gone."
Wu knew this crash was staged, but Mako was supposed to be the one to call. It was going to be his way of signaling that everything was okay. The prince's heart began to race; there was so much that could have gone wrong on this mission even without that Yasmine woman being on board. What if they actually tried to set the airship on fire to convince Yasmine that Kuvira had died? Or what if Kuvira escaped and fought back?
Wu was so lost in thought he didn't hear the first two attempts to get his attention. The level-headed representative from Omashu, whom Wu had been in many meetings with now, shook the prince's shoulder to get his attention.
"How do you want to proceed?" the older man asked.
"We must send some airships to their aid, right away!" Wu demanded as he rose from his seat, addressing the group.
All the officials and statesmen present nodded. The military officer bowed to the group and then headed towards the door. Wu was about to sit back down, but something held him back.
"Wait! I'm going too."
The sun was close to setting when Lin, Korra and Jinora caught up with the Earth Kingdom group. Their airship cast a long shadow across the sands where it landed. The trio of women swiftly exited and headed towards the smoldering wreckage ahead of them.
The Earth Kingdom airship was nothing more than a charred skeleton. The interior had been eaten up by the flames, making it clear to anyone inspecting that it was not a fire a human could have survived.
Tu noticed the new arrivals and jogged up to them. "Avatar Korra, we're camped up over here," he said, ushering them toward the rock pillar the group was taking shelter beneath.
"Where's Mako?" Korra asked as they walked.
The stocky young man started to scratch behind his head. "He's recovering... but it's not uh... safe to speak freely anymore."
They looked over to where Mako was huddled with his back against the massive pillar. Beside him, in a similar position, was the young woman they had been introduced to that morning.
"The girl's awake," Lin muttered to herself.
"Mako was also knocked out, so be gentle with him, less said the better, he's been slipping outta character."
"We're just here to keep you company until the Earth Kingdom shows up. We'll keep it casual," Lin replied.
Korra broke away from the group and sat down next to Mako. She tentatively put a hand on his shoulder, alerting him to her presence. "Hey Mako, how are you feeling?"
The firebender's body shook from strained laughter. "Like shit Korra, thanks for asking."
Korra's posture fell at the comment.
"I'm sorry Mako, I-" the Avatar started, but Mako interrupted.
"I said I'd follow you into battle, no matter how crazy things get. That was a promise!"
"Maybe this isn't the best time..."
Mako shrugged off Korra's hand and looked away. "And why not? We got plenty of time to kill while we wait for the Earth Kingdom to show up."
Yasmine groggily turned her head to see the commotion happening near her. Lin and Jinora also noticed the tense interaction.
"What's going on?" the young airbender asked Lin.
The older woman crossed her arms, as she dared a glance over. "Give them a few minutes to hash it out."
Mako grabbed at the wool blanket draped over his shoulders and pulled it tighter around himself. "I guess I just don't understand… I know I wasn't the best boyfriend, to either of you but… is this my fault?"
"No Mako. I'm not an expert on this subject, but I know it has nothing to do with you. That sounds bad…" Korra let out a frustrated breath and then adjusted her seated position to face Mako more directly. She pulled her legs up under her chin and hugged them close. "Listen, Asami and I, we just kind of fell in love."
"When? Was it while you were writing all those letters to each other? I wrote you too, you know," Mako grumbled, pivoting his body away from Korra.
"I only wrote to her once and I'm sorry you found out about that."
"It hurt, all those years of wondering if you were getting better. We were all worried about you."
"I know, part of what took me so long to come back was facing everyone after all that time of not communicating. Please understand, I just couldn't will myself to write to everyone over and over that I still hadn't recovered and was starting to feel I never would. I now know that was a mistake, that I shouldn't have pushed you all away."
A moment of silence fell between the two. Korra looked down at her boots. They had sunk a ways into the sand. She wiggled them free as she thought about what to say next, but Mako beat her to it.
"I saw you two together outside the temple when you got back from the Spirit World… I arrived at the same time you did. Asami was fussing with your hair, which seemed a little strange, and then she kissed you. I was so surprised it knocked the wind out of me. I didn't know what to do so I left the temple and then the city..." Mako paused, his mouth moving, trying to formulate the words. "I still love you Korra…"
'Asami was right,' Korra somberly thought to herself. Even after her girlfriend explained her reasoning, Korra never fully believed it.
"And that's why you left?" the Avatar asked in a hushed tone.
"Yeah," Mako whispered back.
"I'm sorry this hurts you that much."
"Don't be sorry. You deserve to be happy."
Korra dared to put her hand on Mako's shoulder once more. "So do you."
Mako turned to face Korra. He felt his heart swell with all kinds of emotions. Tears threatened to spring loose from the corners of his eyes.
Korra continued, "Thank you for following me into battle, despite how crazy it's gotten. We couldn't have done this without you."
The quiet camp was suddenly taken over by the loud hum of two Earth Kingdom airships. They hovered directly above the wreckage site, stirring up the sand around them. The group stopped all conversations to cover their faces from the gritty air.
Mako was relieved at the Earth Kingdom's arrival and wiped away the tears that had escaped, knowing he could blame them on the sand. Korra gave his shoulder a squeeze before getting up and joining the others to greet the new arrivals.
Korra rejoined Lin, Jinora and Tu and watched the doors of the two Earth Kingdom airships open and troops swiftly march down the ramps.
The Avatar could feel her companions tense at the intimidating military presence of the Earth Kingdom, and then it was gone as soon as she heard the familiar nasally voice of Prince Wu.
"Mako?" the prince exclaimed as he jogged down the ramp, pushing a few guards aside to get through. "Where is Mako?"
"Prince Wu, I'm so glad to-" Korra started, extending her hand before getting brushed off by Wu. Her and everyone else's eyes followed the eccentric young man as he threw himself at Mako.
The firebender toppled over, weak and surprised by his friend's forceful embrace.
"Mako I was so worried about you!" Wu cried as he dramatically pawed at Mako's body.
The firebender coughed a few times from the sand kicked up in the air, before responding, "Good to see you Wu."
Wu pulled back a bit so he could look Mako in the eyes. "What happened?"
Mako shook his head. "Talk to Tu, I honestly don't remember much."
"Don't remember?"
"Yasmine and I…" Mako started to explain, causing Wu to become aware of his surroundings, and realize he had shoved himself in between Mako and Yasmine and was nearly on top of her as well.
"Oh, excuse me," Wu said, repositioning himself to an appropriate distance.
Yasmine lifted her head to look at the two men beside her. "We were electrocuted, it knocked us unconscious, we didn't wake up till after the crash."
Lin cleared her throat as she walked over to the three. "Prince Wu, let me show you around the wreckage and explain the information I gathered from the pilot who made the distress call."
"Oh, uh, yes Chief Beifong, that sounds like a good idea," Wu replied as he walked behind Lin. Once Wu was up the soldiers trailed behind him to the smoldering airship.
Korra stared out the window as she, Lin and Jinora made the short trip to Suyin's campsite. The sun had set and with no light pollution in the desert, the night sky was littered with twinkling stars.
The debriefing with the Earth Kingdom soldiers seemed to have gone fine. Korra and Jinora had watched Lin walk them through the situation. Korra was relieved the police chief was willing to take over the explanation, given her own limitations with words, especially on the fly. Fortunately there wasn't really much left of the ship to scrutinize the details of their story. The lightning chair caught fire and there wasn't the time or motivation to fuss with all of Kuvira's locks and save her before the ship 'blew up' right after they 'crash landed.'
Korra just hoped that story would be enough for the higher-ups back at the Earth Kingdom palace. Kuvira's price was paid, maybe not in the way they had imagined, but the result was the same.
'Speaking of price…' the Avatar mused as she reminded herself of the one thought she had been trying to avoid this whole trip.
Korra let out a strained chuckle. It was the solution to the 'Kuvira problem' she had felt herself unwillingly careening towards from the moment she got back from the Spirit World. Taking Kuvira's bending away was the only satisfactory punishment, besides death. Maybe it would be easier for her, had she never had her own bending taken away. The very thought of inflicting a pain she never wanted to experience again on someone else was tormenting her and no one seemed to understand. Korra knew Lin was the closest, but the police chief would never be faced with doing it to someone else. The Avatar couldn't even count on this being the one and only time she'd have to do this.
At this point, Korra was even willing to turn this airship around and discuss her love with Mako some more instead. Korra felt her gut tighten; she had to admit she was glad that hard, but necessary conversation was now behind them. Hopefully Mako would find peace in the Earth Kingdom and be able to come home soon.
The three women's airship touched down less than an hour after their departure from the wreckage. They wearily exited the airship, the full day having finally caught up to them. No one from Suyin's airship came to meet them, so they took it upon themselves to walk across the cool sands and up the boarding ramp. Suyin answered the door after a few knocks and led them inside.
"Korra, Lin, Jinora, it's good to see you all. I take it everything went well with the Earth Kingdom?"
Lin moved past her sister and plopped down on one of the benches in the deck. She let out a long and tired breath, before answering. "I think we're in the clear. So, where's the guest of honor?"
"You're sitting next to her," Suyin replied dryly.
Lin sat up straight and looked to her left. She was so tired she hadn't noticed the dolly cart resting on the bench next to her. Kuvira's eyes were closed, but Lin wasn't certain she was asleep, considering all the commotion.
"Now that you're here, I'm going to solicit your help watching Kuvira while she takes care of some basic needs."
The police chief groaned, getting up from her seat.
"She's been in this dolly all day?" Jinora asked in a quiet voice.
"We didn't feel comfortable unlocking her without her bending removed. But this day has gone on longer than I planned."
Korra took a step towards Kuvira. "Got it, let's just get this over with, for all our sakes."
After Kuvira was returned to her dolly cart, Korra and Jinora took the next shift on guard duty. The two girls positioned themselves on either side of the former dictator and got comfortable.
"So… what were you and Mako talking about?" Jinora asked, breaking the silence.
Korra's face flushed, being brought back into that moment. "Uh… me and Asami dating. We never really got a chance tell him before he left. Turns out we didn't need to, he figured it out on his own."
"Sounded like he took it kinda hard."
"Yeah… he said he still has feelings for me and that's why he left. I'm just surprised, after breaking up twice and three years apart, I thought we were on the same page." Korra slouched down in her seat. "I really hurt everyone by being gone so long, didn't I?"
Jinora put a hand on her chin and thought a moment. "I can't lie and say that it didn't affect everyone in some way. Now that we can reflect back on that time, it was clearly what you needed. The rest of us, we didn't have a debilitating injury, we were all free to move forward with our lives. I think it was healthy that we all did. I guess, you just have to take it as a compliment that even though it must have seemed like everyone was carrying on fine without you, that wasn't the whole truth. Some were really stuck on you."
"Oh the trials and tribulations of the Avatar," Kuvira murmured dryly.
The two girls jumped at her voice. The former dictator hadn't said a word since their arrival.
"Could you spare me your little pity party over your non-existent issues, Avatar."
Korra looked to her feet, feeling a bit shamed by the truth in Kuvira's words. "I know you must be pretty upset with me for what I've put you through. I'm sorry we couldn't tell you what we were planning. You must have felt pretty abandoned by us."
"Hmph, actually I was impressed. I thought you were finally going to follow through on a threat. But no, you're still the anxious and immature girl you revealed to me in prison. More worried about relationships and feelings, over what really matters."
Jinora crossed her arms. "You know feelings aren't such a terrible thing. I'll admit Korra can sometimes be too caught up in them,"
"Hey!" the Avatar protested.
The young airbender continued, "but your opposite approach is just as detrimental, if not more. I think your current situation is proof of that. Sitting here and I see two very similar people who took two very different approaches to life. Kuvira, I don't know you like I know Korra, but through talking to her, I can see she is trying to learn from your shared experience. That she saw herself in you, she saw a person she could become and heeded it as a warning of what happens when taking ideals too far."
"Jinora, you know I'm sitting right here?" Korra added.
"I know, but every time you two talk to each other, it just turns into an argument. I'm trying a different approach. If I'm misinterpreting anything, feel free to correct me."
Korra shrugged and slouched down in her seat a bit, and continued to listen.
Jinora turned back to Kuvira. "I know you are baffled by our actions. We came to talk to you and tried to instil hope. I think we might have, and I bet that was scary for you. I'm sure it was all the more hurtful when it seemed like we did that, only to ditch you. It's true, we had to stop contact and that was the only way to save your life."
"Why? I didn't ask for this. You're all fools for sticking your necks out for me. If you had any sense you would have let me fry like an enemy of the state should," the former dictator replied, turning her head away.
"It is the beliefs of my people, that everyone deserves a second chance. I am here as a representative of the Air Nation to put those beliefs into practice."
Jinora turned her attention to Korra and waited for her to speak, but the Avatar looked away.
Again Korra felt shame wash over her. This was Kuvira's darkest hour and all she could think about was her own confliction over what she had to do tomorrow. A real Avatar would attempt to comfort Kuvira or inspire her. A real Avatar would know why she was even doing this, but any answers she could come up with weren't truly her own.
The young airbender sighed, accepting her attempt to get Korra and Kuvira to talk was not going to work. They spent the remainder of their time together in silence.
The group was awake as soon as morning broke. The commotion stirred Kuvira from her sleep, not that she had gotten much that night. Once everyone was present on deck Suyin turned to the Avatar.
"Korra, it's time we got this over with. You need to get back to Republic City and we've got a trip to the Fire Nation," Suyin said, resting a hand on the young woman's shoulders.
"Okay," Korra replied, letting out a deep breath.
The Avatar slowly stepped towards Kuvira. Suyin motioned to her sons to flank the former dictator. They each took a side of the dolly, placing a hand on the back and a hand on Kuvira's shoulders.
Kuvira flinched when she felt their hands clench around her. Her heart began to race. It felt like the organ was banging against her rib cage. Kuvira was relieved that she wasn't facing her death anymore, but that offered very little comfort in this moment. A part of her very being was about to be extracted, forever, a part that was tied to so much of her self-worth.
The dictator looked up to meet the Avatar's eyes, but they were closed. Korra's brows were furrowed in deep concentration. Her lips were silently moving, as if she was talking to someone.
The room had gone fully silent once Korra started to glow. A pale blue aura surrounded the Avatar. Her short brown hair started to flutter, as if there was a breeze blowing on only her.
Korra's hands rose from her sides and clenched shut. She then put her two closed fists together, knuckles to knuckles. Once they made contact Korra's eyes shot open. Her pupils were gone; her eyes were completely taken over by an electric blue glow.
Kuvira started to sweat as she fully took in the Avatar. In that moment Kuvira was reminded of the last time she saw Korra in the Avatar state. She had tried to harness the power of the spirits and in retaliation they sent after her the living embodiment of the two worlds. At that time Kuvira was awestruck by the power Korra possessed. She felt like an insignificant speck in the universe. A tiny bug that, if squashed, would have no effect on anything or anyone. It was exactly how she had felt about the Earth Kingdom citizens who pushed back against her.
It was something about the Avatar's compassion in that moment together in the Spirit World that had changed her mind, so much so she willingly surrendered; a move Kuvira had never envisioned for herself. Her original plan if she lost, which she had never foreseen happening, was to go down swinging.
The Avatar took slow and purposeful steps towards Kuvira. The former dictator felt no trace of the woman named Korra anymore. A dark hand stretched closer, thumb posed to press against her forehead. Blood gushed through Kuvira's veins, pumping harder and faster than she had ever experienced in her life. Her eyes darted around the room, quickly locking on the blurred faces witnessing what was about to be taken away.
Kuvira could feel the heat radiating from Korra's digit as it hovered just above her forehead. The metalbender flinched as the fight-or-flight part of her brain started taking over. Involuntarily her body started to rock, to try and wrestle free from her bindings. The two hands on her shoulders pressed down harder to steady her body. The twins' fingers dug into her flesh so hard it started to sting.
The Avatar attempted again to bring her thumb to Kuvira's forehead, but the former dictator turned it away from her. She flailed her head from side to side, trying to create an impossible target.
"Hold her head!" Suyin called out in a stern and strained tone.
The twins obeyed their mother and let go of Kuvira's shoulders to instead grab her head. Their vice-like grip made her feel claustrophobic. This was it, she truly was trapped. To her relief and shame, the tears she had been holding back for days broke free and cascaded down her cheeks. Kuvira clenched her eyes closed and braced for impact.
"I can't do this!" Korra's voice called out.
Kuvira dared open her eyes to see Korra, out of the Avatar state, walking away from her. Korra pushed through the small crowd and made contact with the airship's wall. Her palms slapped against the wooden panelling, followed by her forehead.
"Korra," Suyin started, using her stern motherly tone, "you don't have a choice."
Korra turned around to face Suyin. "I'm the Avatar, that means I always have a choice!"
The matriarch folded her arms. "I knew this was a terrible idea. I should have convinced Asami to leave well enough alone and just let her and I live with the guilt of lying to you for the rest of our lives. Is that what you would have preferred?"
"No," Korra snapped back.
The matriarch marched towards the Avatar.
"Stop!" Jinora ordered, positioning herself between the two women. "Before you end up saying things you'll regret."
The young airbender turned to Korra, who had gone back to leaning face first against the wall.
"What do you need in order to do this?" Jinora asked, placing one hand on Korra's back.
"It can't be like this, you saw her. I felt like such a monster…" the Avatar whispered.
Kuvira strained to hear what the two young women were talking about, but she couldn't hear anything over her still rapidly beating heart.
Suyin leaned over to her sister. "Lin, what the hell do we do with Kuvira if Korra refuses to go through with this?"
"Stick her in the swamp with mom?" Lin replied with a snort.
Kuvira finally started to feel her heartbeat and breathing return to a manageable level. She looked around the room. Everyone had broken off into small groups. Her gaze stopped at Korra and Jinora in the far corner. The young airbender was rubbing Korra's back in what appeared to be an attempt to calm her down. For the first time since she could remember, Kuvira felt guilt. She was amazed she could feel anything beside fear at that moment, but like a rock in her stomach, the feeling pulled down on her insides. She was supposed to be executed, but all these people stuck their necks out in order to save her life. Even after everything she did to them. She didn't understand why, but she realized that shouldn't stop her from being grateful.
"Let me bend!" Kuvira called out to the group in a hoarse voice. "Just let me bend one more time… and then I'll give it up quietly."
Everyone turned to look at Kuvira. Korra stepped forward from the group. "How?" she asked.
"Spar with me, Avatar?"
"Korra I don't think that's a good idea," Opal whispered.
"Let them do it," Suyin said, looking to her twin sons. "We'll cover you."
Opal threw her hands up and walked away from the group. "This is ridiculous!"
Korra looked over to Jinora. The young airbender gave her a nod.
"Okay."
At the Avatar's word, Lin moved behind Kuvira and started to loosen her straps. She released the locks that hooked Kuvira to the dolly cart, but not the chains around her wrists. Lin quickly pulled down on the chains, jerking the dictator back. One of her shoulders popped from the force.
"No funny business or that story about you dying in the desert will be true," Lin whispered into Kuvira's ear.
"Real original Lin, you think you're the first one to threaten me with that in the last twenty-four hours?"
The police chief responded by swiftly tugging Kuvira back at the dolly one more time.
Outside in the sand Bolin made a fist with his right hand and punched it into the air. From the motion, a rock pillar, the size of a small post, rose from the ground. The earthbender then made a circular motion with the same fist, as if he was stirring a giant pot. The pillar moved around him, carving through the sand, creating the outline of a circle.
Opal walked up to her boyfriend, who was putting the finishing touches on the 'arena'.
"What do you think? I thought it'd be fun to model it after a pro-bending arena," Bolin said proudly.
"It's wonderful, but can't you see how insane this is?"
"The woman is never going to bend again..." Bolin replied with a shrug.
"That woman is a convicted war criminal who is lucky we all took the time and risk to save her ass."
The earthbender threw an arm around his girlfriend's shoulder. "Aww c'mon Opal, it'll be quick. Besides, I think Korra needs this just as much."
It wasn't long before the rest of the group paraded out of the airship. Korra and Jinora led, while Lin and Kuvira pulled up the rear.
The Avatar selected her side of the circle. She stood legs wide apart, poised and ready. Suyin and her twin sons moved behind the line at the opposite side of the circle. The matriarch stood in the center, and her boys flanked either side. Bolin and Opal moved to stand behind Korra, and Jinora joined them. Lin walked Kuvira into her half of the circle and then unlocked her chains.
Kuvira stood, completely free for the first time in weeks. She looked down to her pale and bruised wrists. They looked so weak, she hardly recognized them as her own. Already she was feeling fatigue, but she had to push through it. This was the last time she was ever going to bend and she was going to relish every moment of it.
The former dictator looked over to her opponent. She remembered the last time they fought like this, outside of Zaofu. How weak Korra had seemed to her then. The Avatar everyone was awaiting the return of wasn't even half the force she had been before. Kuvira was disappointed by that fight and it only solidified her convictions that she was truly what the Earth Kingdom needed.
"You ready Kuvira?" Korra called out, bringing Kuvira back to the present moment.
"To wipe the ground with you one last time Avatar?" Kuvira asked as she cracked the knuckles of her hands one at a time. "Never been more."
Bolin stepped out into the center of the circle. "Alright ladies, I want a clean fight. No metal, just good old fashioned earthbending! First one to knock the other out of this ring, wins. You can start once I get out of the way!"
The stocky earthbender dashed out of the arena. Seconds after he stepped out of bounds, rocks collided in the center.
The two women began their match, tossing and dodging large chunks of rock. Despite Kuvira's extended period of not bending in jail, she was still an even match to Korra. The group of observers' heads moved back and forth, as if watching a game of power disc.
Exhilaration coursed through Kuvira, like blood through her veins. It had been too long since doing anything physical, she neither had the will or the space to. Her start was a little shaky, but her muscles remembered how to move the earth beneath her. Kuvira felt almost like herself again, the person she was before she left Zaofu. Then it hit her; she would never be that person again. There was no going back to any part of her old life, including her bending. All of her was about to be wiped away.
The corners of Kuvira's eyes started to sting as the reality sunk back in. She forgot herself, her situation, her impending future the moment she got to move rock with sheer will alone again. It wasn't fair. After all she had done. All the people she had helped. Her thanks was to have her bending taken away in a scalding hot desert, then get dropped off at the Fire Nation's front doorstep like an an abandoned baby in a basket.
Kuvira felt a surge of energy and used it to pull up a huge bolder and chuck it in Korra's direction. The Avatar managed to break it open, and return the two halves. Before they even got close, Kuvira shattered the two pieces and sent a cloud of earth bits at Korra.
Something must have gotten in Korra's eyes, because she turned away and started pawing at them, instead of fending off the attack. Kuvira wasn't going to waste an opening and moved the earth beneath Korra's feet upwards, lifting her from the ground.
Korra clumsily jumped off the earth pillar, still rubbing at her eye. She landed near the line of her circle. The Avatar gritted her teeth and steadied herself.
"She's bleeding!" Opal hollered across the circle at her mother.
Korra quickly turned her head around. "I'm fine," she barked, swiping at the blood on her brow. Another pillar shot up beneath her, but Korra was ready this time and dodged it.
Kuvira could see the blood Opal was talking about now. It was likely just a scratch on her forehead; face wounds could be deceptively bloody. She would take all the advantages she could. Kuvira clenched her fists shut and started to raise them towards the sky. She pulled another large boulder, and this time shattered it right away, sending another cloud of shards and sand at the Avatar.
Korra was ready this time and punched up a sheet of rock to hide beneath as the gravel rained down on top of her. She threw her palms in the sand and sent a ripple of shock waves across the court through Kuvira's half of the circle.
The ground beneath Kuvira became completely uneven; she had to continually move her feet around to stay out of the cracks and crags that were forming below her. With Korra still hiding behind her slab, Kuvira felt it was time to see what the Avatar was up to, so she flipped it up into the air.
Exposed, Korra stopped her attack on Kuvira and looked up at the rock sheet about to fall on top of her. Korra kicked up a leg and broke the slab in two. The two rectangular pieces flanked each side of her as they crashed into the sand.
The two combatants looked at each other across their arena. The sun had started to rise, warming the sands and air. Sweat began to drip down the middle of Korra's back. She had to admit, it felt good to be bending like this again. After all the chaos Kuvira had caused, things had been pretty quiet back home. Korra wasn't about to complain about the peace; she had full intentions of going on a vacation to the south with Asami as soon she got home, but the warrior inside of her was relishing in the moment.
'Speaking of relishing... this is Kuvira's last time bending…' Korra thought to herself. 'This is her moment and here I am thinking about myself again.'
Jinora's words from earlier echoed in her mind. "What do you need in order to do this?"
'Kuvira what do you need?' Korra pondered the question as she dodged a chunk of earth being thrown at her.
'You need this, obviously since you asked for it before I take your bending. Do you need to win this match? Will beating me one more time give you the confidence you need to move forward?'
The Avatar returned her own chunk of earth in Kuvira's direction, followed by two more.
'No, that might just make you all the more upset about losing your ability… It's clear to me now, in many ways you preferred death to all other punishments, because you're a very proud and stubborn person. I know what that is like…'
Korra felt her mind drift back to the when she was still recovering in her wheelchair. Nothing was working and she was so frustrated that she even lashed out at Katara. A flash of blue light clouded Korra's vision and she could hear the older woman's voice as clear as if she was speaking to her now.
The light cleared and Korra was standing next to Katara, looking over at her former self. She almost didn't recognize that person before her. How far she had truly come from this point in her life.
Katara bent down in front of Korra's wheelchair.
"Can you imagine how much pain Aang felt when he learned that his entire culture was taken from him?"
"That… must have been so awful."
"But he never let it destroy his spirit. He chose to find meaning in his suffering and eventually… found peace."
"And… what am I going to find if… I get through this?"
"I don't know, but won't it be interesting to find out?"
In another blue flash Korra was back in the desert. She looked around and saw all eyes were on her; even Kuvira had stopped attacking.
The Avatar took a few wobbly steps towards the center of the ring. Kuvira positioned herself to fend off an attack. Korra threw her hands in the air to show she wasn't sparring anymore.
"Kuvira, I understand now why I am doing this," Korra shouted as she jogged closer.
"What?" Kuvira asked, taking a step backwards.
The group of observers all started to cluster together outside of the area.
"What's going on?" Suyin asked.
Lin shrugged. "Should we go check on them?"
"No, we should give them a few minutes to hash it out," Jinora said, looking up at Lin with a grin.
Korra caught up to where Kuvira was standing. "When you asked me why I was doing this, I didn't really know why, but it felt like the right thing to do. Now I see this as a greater punishment for you. Death would have been easy. We're challenging you, Kuvira. I am challenging you, to build a new life for yourself, from the very bottom. And when you do, you will be all the better for it."
"How do you know?" Kuvira asked, finally lowering her defensive stance.
"Because I've been to the bottom. There was a point while I was trying to recover from my poisoning, when I believed I had truly lost my abilities and therefore, who I was. A dear old friend of mine reminded me that I was not the first person to endure intense suffering. When you are in that place you can either let it consume you or you can find meaning in it. I found that I needed to have empathy and compassion for others… I'm still not perfect at it. I'll admit, this whole time I've been more focused on my own stress over having to take your bending away."
"Really?"
"I actually have had my bending removed, by Amon," Korra said.
"I didn't know he did that to you. Obviously it was reversed."
"Yes, Aang's spirit was somehow able to restore my abilities. That moment haunts me to this day, so the thought of inflicting that upon another has been difficult."
"I always believed a leader should never ask something of their people, that they themselves would never do."
"I admired that about you, even while you were kicking my ass."
Kuvira let out a soft chuckle. "So… what do you think I am going to find from my experience?"
Korra grinned, "I don't know, but won't it be interesting to find out?"
"Does this mean you're forfeiting the match? I technically win if you do."
"I am."
"I see now why people can't help but believe in you. I guess I can't resist you anymore," Kuvira said as she started to kneel in the sand. "I'm ready now, Avatar."
Korra let out a deep breath and took another step towards Kuvira, positioning herself only a few inches away. She put her fists together and let her eyes close. Her vision turned blue as she felt her spirit connect with Raava's.
"Korra…" the spirit whispered.
"We're ready this time, please guide me."
The Avatar felt energy surge through her body, like a jump start from a satomobile. She was present inside herself, but in a way felt like she wasn't fully in control. There was a will and force there with her and together they controlled her body as one.
Korra's eyes shot open and she looked down at the woman before her. Kuvira was clearly doing everything she could to appear calm with the situation. Her eyes were closed, with the indication of strain around the corners of her lids and eyebrows.
The Avatar lifted her right hand and extended out her thumb. Such a small action seemed to take forever to achieve. She lowered it down until it collided with Kuvira's forehead. At first she just felt sweat and skin.
'You can now look into her spirit…' Raava's voice whispered in Korra's mind. She let her eyes close to concentrate everything on reaching inside Kuvira's spirit. In her mind's eye she saw her hand press through Kuvira's forehead and reach down inside her. Her hand was passing through what looked like the night sky of the Spirit World. A dark boundless abyss, with small twinkling lights twirling around inside. Her hand stretched deeper until she came upon a glowing green orb. It was the size of an apple, twisting and flickering in the darkness. Korra grasped the orb and felt a surge of energy vibrate through her hand and up her arm. The Avatar pulled and was met with some resistance.
"Let go…" Korra whispered. On her command the ball of light stopped resisting and allowed itself to be carried away. The Avatar's hand pulled fully out of Kuvira's spirit and held out the orb in front of her.
"Where does it go?" Korra asked.
"Back to me. It will be passed on to another some day," Raava whispered back.
Korra felt a smile pull at her lips. "I'm glad."
The Avatar closed her fist around the orb and felt the energy race through her forearm and into her core. When her hand opened it was empty.
Suddenly, Korra's eyes shot open and she was out of the Avatar state. Her thumb was still firmly pressed to Kuvira's forehead. She pulled her hand away and let it fall to her side then took a few steps back to give the other woman some space.
"Kuvira," she whispered.
The former dictator's eyes were tightly closed. Tears stained her cheeks. She bowed her head down, keeping her eyes closed, and let out a sigh. Wordlessly she slapped her hands on her thighs and eased herself up. Once she was standing she turned away from Korra and looked out to the desert.
"Thank you… Korra."
An hour later Korra, Lin and Jinora were ready to take off for Republic City. The Beifongs, Bolin and Kuvira stood in the sands to see them off.
"Don't worry, we'll make sure to find a good spot in the Fire Nation for Kuvira," Suyin said to the three women leaving.
Jinora clasped her hands together and turned to Korra. "Asami's bag!"
"We almost forgot!" Korra exclaimed as she turned and ran up the ramp of the airship. Jinora trailed behind.
Suyin gave Lin a questioning look, and her sister just shrugged back.
The girls quickly returned; Korra had a duffel slung over her shoulder. She walked up to Kuvira, slipped the bag off and passed it over.
"This is from Asami, she figured you could use some clothes that will help you blend in."
Kuvira looked down at the duffel. "Tell her thank you and that she is a very lucky woman."
Korra blushed and put a hand behind her head. "I think I'm the lucky one… but-"
Before Korra could finish Kuvira pressed her lips to hers. For a briefest of moments Kuvira dragged her lips over the Avatar's and then pulled away. Korra could hear the collective gasps from her friends. Kuvira then threw the duffel over her shoulder and started walking towards Suyin's airship.
Korra's face was bright red when she turned to look at her audience, who were just as flabbergasted.
"Uh… can we all agree to never tell Asami about this?" the Avatar pleaded.
Everyone quickly nodded.
Bolin raised his hand in the air. "Wait, so, uh?"
Opal sighed and put his hand down. "Just don't."
"I always said she was complicated," Suyin said, crossing her arms.
To be continued...