Chapter Text
Awkwardly, Asami sat in her dad's ordered limo facing Bolin. She tried to catch his gaze, at first, but her friend was adamant about not looking her way, so eventually she gave up. The revelation that Bolin was into her came yesterday, and while she had tried to speak with him, she wasn't able to catch up to him before fainting from her injury. When she woke up, he wasn't really present. And when he was, he kept waving her off. So, they didn't get to talk.
Her parents managed to arrange a meeting with the council as well as Suyin and other world leaders that had been invited a week prior to catch up. Asami wanted to share her vision, and the council was also interested in hearing Korra's testimony, so she was brought in as well. Having Korra around was really, really weird, and with the Bolin drama… Asami didn't know how to feel.
That was the main issue, she didn't know how she was supposed to feel.
She wasn't looking to date anyone after Korra, her trust was shattered so badly that she figured her love life was essentially over. But, if she were to trust someone again, it would've been Bolin, or Mako. She just always assumed the two of them were… Well, not into women, so she never considered either of them as an option. So, she didn't know if she could even see Bolin like that, she didn't even know if she wanted to.
Everything was just so… confusing. And with Korra being back it turned even more complicated. She didn't have feelings for this Korra, the traitor, the Equalist. But…
Sometimes, as she looked at her prisoner, Asami saw the person Korra once pretended to be, the person Asami fell in love with, and it was devastating. It certainly didn’t help that Korra was still so fucking beautiful.
“So,” Mako broke the extremely awkward silence between the four of them. “Korra, how have you been?”
Korra looked at him, confused. “Huh?”
Asami also shot him a weird look, and Bolin gently elbowed him with a questioning gaze. Mako, however, just shrugged.
“How have you been?” Mako repeated, ignoring Both Bolin and Asami.
“You do realize I’m your enemy, right?” Her ex asked slowly, her eyebrows clenched together.
“Well, these two ain't talking.” Mako gestured to Asami and Bolin, who locked eyes for a millisecond, before Bolin quickly averted his gaze. “So, I guess you're stuck with me.” He grinned.
Korra studied him, narrowing her eyes in suspicion, before she shrugged. “Been better, been worse.” She simply said.
“What's it like to be an Equalist?” He curiously asked, ignoring the glare Asami sent his way.
“Seriously?” Korra awkwardly asked, surprised when Mako nodded curiously. “Um, okay… euphoric, I guess?”
“ Euphoric? ” Asami repeated, her tone threatening.
Korra shrugged again. “After eighteen years of feeling helpless…” She said, her voice distant. “It felt good to be the strong one, for once.” She explained flatly.
Asami huffed out in displeasure, looking away. Whatever sob story Korra was referring to, she couldn't care less. It didn't justify anything, what she did… what she did was unforgivable.
“How did you even become an Equalist?” Mako asked.
“Next question.” Korra answered sternly.
“Can I guess?”
“No.”
“Okay, so I think a firebender killed your parents–”
“Mako, cut it out.” Bolin attempted to stop him.
“-And you were raised by wolves–”
“Wolves?” Korra asked with an amused smirk.
“Yes! And you lived with them, until Amon found you–”
“Mako, enough!” Asami exasperated.
“But I was getting to the good part!” He pouted.
“Nobody cares how she turned into an Equalist,” Asami exasperated, “She is one, and that's all that matters!”
“Was one.” Korra corrected.
“Who cares?” Asami bit back. “Once an Equalist, always an Equalist– right Bo?” She asked, forgetting for a moment that he wasn't speaking to her at the moment.
Bolin gave her a distant look, but didn't respond. He simply shrugged and looked back out of the window.
For some reason, Korra felt the need to chuckle. “What's the matter, lover boy?” She taunted. “Equalist's got your tongue?”
“Are you looking to die, Korra?” Asami asked, hostility leaking from her tone as her cheeks flushed red.
“You just don't get how hilarious this is.” She simply said.
“Enlighten me,” Asami said, annoyed.
Korra studied Asami, her gorgeous cerulean eyes holding a playful glint to them that Asami didn't quite understand. Asami hated how attractive Korra still was- after everything she did, but she didn't mention it. “Before you knew the truth about me, Bolin hated me, because I had you,” the Equalist explained, smirking to herself, “and I hated Bolin, because I thought he might take you away from me.” Korra chuckled again, shaking her head. “But guess what, lover boy ?” She turned to Bolin with a somewhat malicious grin. He, in return, wasn't really looking at her. “I’m out of the picture, and yet, she still doesn't want you!”
Bolin shot Korra a glare. “And what do you care, anyways?” He asked harshly. “You said so yourself; you're out of the picture, aren't you?” His tone was assertive and confident, like he was onto something.
Asami wasn’t had no idea what he was talking about, and yet Korra seemed to understand instantly. Her grin dropped, the corners of her lips twitching downwards as her smug expression turned into a glare. Asami’s gaze was iterating between the two in confusion, trying to read into their silent exchange unsuccessfully. She then turned to look at Mako for an explanation, but found none. Mako was just as confused as her, if not more.
She knew she wouldn’t get an answer, but she asked anyway. “What are you two talking about?” She asked them.
Korra gave her an odd look as she did, and scoffed. “Y’know, for someone who's supposed to have infinite wisdom, you can be really stupid.” She said with an anguished look, turning her gaze away once again.
Asami didn’t know what to make of the interaction, so she dropped it. Maybe she should’ve been offended by Korra’s words, but she wasn’t. Something in her gut told her that Korra, this time, wasn’t being mean, or saying what she said out of malice. She knew how Korra acts when she was trying to get to Asami, this wasn’t it.
She didn’t dwell on it, though. She silently got out of the vehicle, asking Mako to bring their prisoner along as she didn’t want to deal with her, and she wouldn't put Bolin through that, too. Bolin was the first to enter city hall, avoiding everyone else, and Asami came in after him. The place was still messy from the Equalist attack on city hall, as well as her fight with councilman Noatak, but that wasn’t the weirdest thing about the room. The three remaining council-people were standing, rather than sitting around the table, and around the table were Suyin and the world leaders; the Earth queen, the two chiefs of the water tribes, the firelord, as well as their spouses. This was an odd sight for Asami, while she met the world leaders before, she had never seen all of them in one place, let-alone the city hall of Republic City.
But the weirdest thing happened the moment Mako and Korra stepped into the room.
The chief of the southern watertribe, Tonraq, jumped on his feet. His hands angrily slammed against the table, as his eyes remained locked on her prisoner. “What is the meaning of this?!” He demanded to know, smoke practically coming out of his ears upon seeing Korra walk in chains.
His wife, Senna, stood up as well. “What is this? Why are you cuffed?” She asked Korra, shocked.
Dumbstruck, Asami turned to Korra, who was absolutely mortified. “Them?” She asked Asami in disbelief, looking like she'd been betrayed. “You brought me to them?”
“What?” The young Avatar mumbled, eyebrows clenching in confusion. Vaguely, she could suddenly remember Korra mentioning that her parents were the leaders of the southern water tribe. She just assumed it was her bullshit cover story, now, it occurred to her that Korra may have been truthful about this detail about her life for some fucking reason.
“Seriously?” Asami asked Korra, unimpressed. “You lied about everything, but you were truthful about this?”
Her ex didn’t respond, though. Her eyes were fixated on someone- the leader of the northern watertribe, Unalaq. if she remembered the family tree correctly- that was Korra’s uncle. However, it didn’t take a genius to determine that something was deeply fucked up with that family. She saw Korra in plenty of dire situations, and she knew that look. Korra’s horrified expression resembled how she looked when she was facing Asami- while in the Avatar state. Nope. This was not a warm, happy family reunion. Something was deeply fucked up here, and she had no idea what.
Oh, I should probably explain the situation to everyone, right?
“Korra here– wait, is that even your real name?” She suddenly asked the spy.
“That’s her name, yes.” Tonraq angrily answered, while Korra just stared at her. “Why is my daughter cuffed?”
“What the fuck is going on?” Bolin mumbled, and in all honesty Asami couldn’t agree more.
“Korra is my prisoner,” the Avatar raised her voice to surpass all of the other voices, “and–”
“Prisoner?!” Senna interjected.
“That’s preposterous!” Tonraq exasperated.
“No, it’s not.” The northern watertribe’s chief said calmly. “She has always been a brat, hasn’t she?”
“Don’t you dare talk about me!” Korra suddenly snapped, raising her fists– wait, when did she get out of her handcuffs? “And stay the fuck away from me or I swear on Sokka's soul; you are a dead man walking!”
“How did you–” Asami stared at Korra’s wrists. “Could you get out of these the entire time?” She asked, frustrated.
Korra looked at her in confusion. “ Obviously .” She stated. “What part of me being here voluntarily don’t you understand?” She asked before turning her gaze back to her uncle.
“Let her go!” Tonraq demanded. “She didn’t do anything-”
“ Okay, enough! ” Asami yelled, using airbending for dramatic effect– which worked, as everyone around her silenced. It worked so well that it was even worth the stab of pain from her healing wound. “Korra is my prisoner,” she repeated, “she’s here to give testimony as an ex-Equalist– don’t even think about it .” She warned Tonraq, who opened his mouth to object, and he shut it as soon as she threatened him. “Afterwards, we can discuss the new information. Understood?”
“There’s no way my daughter is an Equalist.” The southern chief said sternly.
“That would be right, Tonraq.” Korra coldly said. “Because you don’t have a daughter.” She spat out, scowling at him.
Ouch . Asami thought to herself, but she didn’t mention it. “Settle down,” she demanded of the two of them, “we’re not here to discuss any of this. Korra is here to give her testimony, and Suyin is here to validate it. That’s it.”
“Y’know, kid,” Beifong said, unimpressed, “I really thought I’m done taking testimonies when I retired.”
“Sorry.” The young Avatar mumbled.
Suyin got up, disregarding Asami’s apology and heading in Korra’s direction as Mako re-cuffed her. Asami used her airbending to bring two chairs for them. They sat down and as they did Asami noticed that Korra was shaking, and she scoffed. Liar liar, pants on fire.
“Don’t lie.” Su sternly said to the Equalist. “I’ll be able to tell if you do.”
“I know,” Korra breathlessly replied, her eyes flickering to Asami for a second, “I’m counting on it.” She said confidently.
Suying nodded, her expression as stern and unreadable as always. “Start with your name.”
“Korra.”
Suyin studied her, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Now, tell an obvious lie.”
“Um…” Korra mumbled, eyebrows clenching in concentration. “I’m a four-hundred foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings.” Korra improvised awkwardly.
The former chief blinked at her, surprised. “You’re a good liar.” She commented.
“Years of practice.” The Equalist said, somewhat bitterly.
“But not good enough.” Su said. “So I recommend you stick to the truth anyway.”
“Of course.” Korra agreed.
“So, go on.”
And Korra went on to tell her story, the same story she had told Asami previously. That she deserted the Equalist army, that she faced off Amon, that he was a bloodbender… everything. Well, almost. Conveniently, she left out the fact that she was a waterbender. Asami wasn't sure why, but from the anxious looks Korra was giving the members of her family, she assumed they had something to do with it. Asami couldn't help but wonder- what the hell happened to that girl? What did they do to her? The mere sight of her family members made Korra look terrified for her life, so what in the name of Vaato happened between them?
Were… were they the reason she joined the Equalists?
Suyin's voice snapped her back to reality.
“She's telling the truth.”
Asami blinked a couple of times, processing the information. “What?” She asked in disbelief.
Her theory that Amon was a bloodbender that didn't require the full moon had been so far-fetched, that Korra coming in and approving seemed like a blunt lie, told to get Korra on Asami's good side. But… Korra was telling the truth?
“Are you sure?” The Avatar urged, nervous. “You said it yourself, she's a good liar!”
“Positive.” Suyin confirmed, frowning. “Escort the former-Equalist out of the room, we need to discuss the information.”
“I told you so.” Korra grumbled towards Asami while being led out by guards. Before she left completely, though, she shot another panicked look at her uncle, while her father looked at her helplessly.
As soon as the door was closed behind her ex, the former chief spoke again. “There are only two recorded bloodbenders that do not require the full moon,” Suyin said grimly, fire burning in her green eyes. “You've encountered one–”
“Noatak.” The Avatar interjected, a shiver running down her spine as she remembered their encounter. “And the second?”
“Yakone.” Su said, dread and hostility lingering in her tone.
Asami recognized that name from her dream, her vision. “Yakone…” She mumbled, eyebrows furrowing in thought. “I… I heard that name before. He did something…”
“He did a lot of things.” One of the council people said, his expression solemn.
“He did something…” Asami turned back to Suyin, horrified. “... to Lin. My-” she stopped herself from saying ‘daughter’ . Ew, just ew. Past lives are so weird. “Your sister, Lin.” Asami completed instead. “What did he do to Lin?”
At the mention of her sister’s name, Suyin tensed. A look of grief flashing through her face. She took in a sharp breath, closing her eyes to compose herself, before she spoke.
“He killed her.”
Asami's heart was racing as she processed the words. She had never seen Su like this, never this emotional, never this broken. She knew there was truth to her words, she felt the pain within them, and yet, those made no sense within the context of her vision. She didn't want to pry, she didn't want to open that painful wound, but she realized she had to.
“You said she went after him.” Were the Avatar's next words. “In my vision, you told me– well, you told Avatar Toph, that she went after him.”
The former chief nodded, her gaze stuck at the ceiling. “Yakone had plotted to take over the city,” she explained, her tone unreadable. “He wanted… he wanted to bring the diplomats down. The council, the politicians, the Avatar…” She inhaled deeply, frowning and looking back at Asami. “But he was a coward.”
“He targeted their children,” councilman Bumi of the air nation said, his own eyes glassy with sadness and grief. “Too afraid to attack themselves, he used his bending to target who he viewed as the weaklings. Lin Beifong, the Avatar's non-bending daughter…” he sighed sadly. “Councilman Aang's non-bending daughter, Kya… my sister…”
“And countless more people.” The former chief continued. “He used his bloodbending to kidnap people and use them as leverage. He held them hostage, tortured them, destroyed their souls, their lives…” Suyin explained, angry. “He was caught eventually, and was neutralized…”
“How?” Asami asked, horrified by the details of the man's crimes.
“They removed his hands,” she said, “and since he - thankfully - couldn't use his mind to bend, his era was no more.”
“Lin and Kya couldn't accept that he got to keep his life.” Bumi continued, his gaze dropping to the ground. “They... they left. They went after him, and were never seen again. My parents and my uncle, Sokka, went after them, but they never found a trace of them.”
“Holy shit…” Bolin mumbled, and Asami had to agree. The story made her sick to the stomach, and really put things into perspective. If she was dealing with a man with these skills, she had to be ready…
“Amon must be related to Yakone and Noatak, then.” Asami said decisively. “We need to be ready to face him.”
“Yeah,” Suyin said, her voice determined. “We must.”
The interactions of that day lingered in Korra's mind as she attempted meditation. Kya used to hold meditation sessions, but she wasn't very good at it. Seeing Tonraq and Senna again was bad enough, but Unalaq… she had only seen of him few times since the dreaded summer she spent up north, and every time she felt like the same helpless child he abused. It was worse now that she was suddenly a water bender, she didn't want to let her family know. If they knew they would be ecstatic in the worst fucking way possible… she couldn't let Unalaq find out.
It all stressed her beyond belief, and ahe had to clear her mind, try to compose herself, calm her nerves, so she meditated.
It didn't help.
As she was attempting to meditate, the door opened and someone walked in. She tried not to let it disturb her, to ignore it and continue her meditation, but it proved to be a difficult task.
“Tonraq and Senna had requested to see you.”
Korra couldn't help the way her heart lept in her chest at the sound of her voice. Asami's voice was so soft, so mezmorizing when she wasn't even trying. Her heart began beating even faster as she turned around, drinking in the figure in front of her. Asami lost some weight, recovering from her injury. She was paler than usual, exhausted. Her recovery took a clear toll on her, and yet Korra was still certain that the young Avatar had to be the most beautiful being in existence, inside and out.
So beautiful that it hurt, physically hurt. Asami and her could never happen, not after she betrayed the Avatar. She would never trust Korra again– and she shouldn't. Korra didn't deserve forgiveness.
“What did you tell them?” Korra had asked sadly, trying to shoo her stupid feelings away.
Asami smiled sadly, and Korra thought she might die on the spot. She was so gorgeous, how could she even be real..?
“I told them you're not allowed visitors.” Asami said, and much to Korra's surprise, she sat down in a lotus position in front of her.
“I’m not allowed visitors?” Korra asked, curious.
“I… hadn't really thought of that.” The Avatar admitted. “But you're my prisoner, and I need to keep you safe.” She said. “I don’t know what they did to you, but it's clear that you do not feel safe with them.”
Korra smiled weakly, shaking her head. Of course she noticed. “Thank you,” she said, genuinely relieved. “We're not exactly on the best terms…”
“I could tell.” Asami said awkwardly, clearing her throat. “I… I need to ask you something.”
Korra raised an eyebrow, baffled. “Ask me what?”
Asamk looked at her with a serious expression. “I want you to tell me why you became an Equalist.” She said sternly.
Korra felt like she got hit by lightning. Out of everything, she hadn't expected Asami to ask her… that was the last thing on her list.
“Why?” She questioned, confused.
Asami hummed, looking at the ground beneath her. “You told me about the opression non-benders experience,” she started, still not quite meeting Korra's eyes, “but I feel that you've only scartched the surface of it.” She continued to explain, finally her brilliant green eyes landing on Korra, determined. “I need to understand whyat makes people join the Equalists, so that I can make the world better for non-benders too.”
And Korra melted. She had always been told by her fellow Equalists that the Avatar was their enemy, their foe. A person that's supposed to help the world, but in reality is corrupted. How can the Avatar protect them from benders, when the Avatar was a bender themselves?
But they were wrong. They didn't know Asami, she cared. Asami's heart was so, so pure, that's what made her a great Avatar, that's what made her a great person. Asami was so unbelievably and undoubtedly good, that it made Korra realize she was bad– because how could she be good, when her biggest foe was so, so great?
“I’ll tell you everything, if you'd like.” Korra said breathlessly with an anguished look. “But, you're not going to like what you hear.” She warned.
Asami nodded. “I know.” She answered. “I’m prepared. Tell me everything.”
And so, Korra did.