"She's…" Asami paused for some time before replying, "She seems to be doing very well."
"Explain in more detail," Akashi replied, his tone calm, and his gaze growing sharp.
He was the same man who praised the North Water tribe fleet for trying to ambush him at sea.
But he was also the same man who annihilated them for daring to think of killing Korra.
He had even made them fight against each other, forcing them to kill one another.
"What do you mean?" she asked, as if he had said something crazy.
"You said she failed, and the Lava bender escaped," Akashi said.
"I find it cute, Akashi. You, worrying about the Avatar, out of all people." Asami laughed. "Well, I guess that's the sweet side of you. Don't worry, I'll explain."
So, the story was like this.
After Zaheer managed to escape, the Order of the White Lotus asked Korra for help. They had anticipated that he would try to free his previous colleagues. And since the Earth Kingdom was the nearest, where the Lava bender resided, they went there.
It was a plot twist when Zaheer appeared to be one of the Order of the White Lotus members, dressed in their armor.
And Korra hadn't anticipated that she would lose consciousness when that man knocked her out by pulling the air out of the room suddenly.
He didn't kill her, though, and focused on releasing his teammate.
It was shortly after that Korra, unconsciously, entered the Avatar's state.
And in this version, she still maintained the connection to the previous Avatar.
Let's say that even the Lava bender wasn't the only one of its kind by then.
Zaheer and his teammate didn't have a chance, so they took some hostages and escaped. Then, with some luck and prayer, they managed to lose the Avatar, who was chasing them.
After they had gone, Korra deactivated the Avatar's state and fell asleep. And now, she was being treated in the hospital.
"So, that's why you have been waiting here." Akashi sighed in relief.
But when he looked at his hand, it was still shaking. For a moment, Korra almost died. Sure, Zaheer wouldn't dare to kill her, considering that she wasn't his target, but the Avatar's spirit, Raava. The only way to get rid of the Avatar for once and for all was by killing them in their Avatar's state.
'Would it be fun to kill him, or make him feel fear?' Akashi rubbed his chin, thinking. 'He has some girlfriend in prison. How would he feel if I asked him nicely, using her life, to change his beliefs? He would then make a whole new life. But would I be at the right time, considering that I have a rebellion to lead and a queen to kill?'
Asami smiled and tilted her head. "What are you thinking of?"
"Nothing. You should go with your dad and rest at home." Akashi said.
"Thanks," Asami walked to Akashi and kissed him on the lips. Akashi kissed her back. Hiroshi just stood there, frozen, rubbing his eyes, not believing what he was seeing.
Asami pulled away and said, "See you later."
"Alright." Replied Akashi.
She walked back. As Hiroshi pointed his finger at Akashi, Asami pulled him.
"But he's already in a relationship…" Hiroshi complained. "And he's seducing you?"
"It's complicated, father."
"What's there…"
"You shouldn't talk; you should rest."
Akashi smiled at the argument between the father and daughter before turning.
-x-X-x-
"Damn it." Korra muttered as she looked at the hospital food. "Mashed beans. Give me some real food and discharge me."
After that small fight with Zaheer and the Lava bender—well, more like her chasing after them and failing—she had been admitted to the hospital. Being deprived of oxygen, even for a short while, had a negative effect on the brain. And she had to be seen by doctors, who helped her feel better. They told her to rest for a couple of days and avoid any fighting.
"Well, I thought you would say that."
Korra turned her head to the door to see Akashi getting in with a bag, which had a rich aroma.
Korra smiled, "What took you so long?"
"Just heard about what happened," replied Akashi, handing her the bag.
Not seeming really concerned about why he was late, Korra grabbed the food. Some crispy french fries, a sandwich, and some olives.
"Where have you been?" Korra asked, taking a bite from her food.
Akashi considered it for a while. "Would you believe me if I said I went to Ba Sing Se, kicked the asses of the guards of the queen, took her as a hostage, and made them release Asami's father, and flew him back all the way?"
After some bites, Korra was about to reply, but she couldn't.
Akashi reached behind him, handing her a soda can, which she drank.
"Yeah. I believe you completely. It makes sense since you're telling it." Korra replied, "Though, if it was someone else, I would say it's impossible."
Akashi sat on the bed next to Korra and hugged her.
Asami wouldn't have believed him, despite seeing her father in front of him.
But Korra didn't give it a second thought.
It made him feel guilty for every time he told her a white lie.
Seeing him hugging her, Korra chuckled, "Relax, it's not like I was about to die. I just failed to stop their escape attempt."
Akashi crossed his arms and scolded, "You realize since they knocked you out, they had time to kill you if they desired?"
It seemed that she thought that she was invincible just because she was the Avatar.
"You're not going to stay lucky forever, and one day, you may end up dead in a moment of carelessness." Akashi added.
Korra narrowed her eyebrows, "Don't need a lesson, Mom."
"If I were your mom, I would have beaten you with a broom," Akashi got his face closer to hers, "From now on, I'm going to train you. Forget about it; you're going to learn every sub-bending category out there."
Korra jerked back a bit. "Gosh! I just slipped once, don't make a big deal out of it."
She could understand his concern about her life. She was flattered, in fact. But she believed that she wouldn't get caught off guard. And she wouldn't die to those Red Lotus Order. After all, when she had lost her awareness, she had immediately entered the Avatar's state. Next time, she wouldn't fall off.
Akashi thought for a while. Freeing the whole team would take some time. So, Korra may have a few months before the Order of the Red Lotus make a movement.
"For now, relax." Akashi said, "Stay in bed and do anything."
"How can I relax when those bastards are out," Korra replied, standing up. "Did you know, when I was a child, they tried to assassinate me."
"For now, they are busy, so don't worry about them." Akashi crossed his arms, "After finishing the rebellion in Ba Sing Se, I'll train you to master bending the sound."
Korra nodded, then paused, as if she had just heard something bizarre.
"Finishing a rebellion." Korra narrowed her eyebrows. "The one led by Amon, against the Earth Queen!"
Akashi shrugged, "Yeah, I agreed to help the rebels. Enemy of my enemy is my friend. And the Avatar can't interfere in internal nation affairs."
"Don't give me the bullshit. I'm over it since my uncle. And if you got caught in some danger, I'd snatch you, even by force." Korra stood up. "But to join that rebellion? Do you even understand what that means?"