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There was a solid stone wall behind her. A shadow in front. She scrambled to find something - anything - to fight back with. Her hand closed over the hilt of a small dagger, and she forced herself to focus through the pain as she pulled it free and threw it.
Gasping, she slid down the wall until she was sitting down, her knees pulled close to her chest as she tried to keep her breathing even. She looked down at herself and gritted her teeth through a wave of nausea and dizziness. Soaking through her clothes, coating her skin, and puddling on the street, was blood. Distantly she recognized it as hers, recognized that there was far, far too much of it, but she couldn’t move without her vision turning white, so she didn’t.
Between her own shallow breaths, she heard a voice calling her name. She knew that voice. She was positive she knew that voice, but who… the world faded to black before she could find out.
She awoke hours - or was it days? She couldn’t tell - later, lying flat on her back on something soft and fluffy. Her head was propped up on something, and she would have thought it was pillows if not for the slow, steady movement of whatever it was. She twisted to see what it was but stopped as fire shot through her veins. She hissed and let herself return to the position she had been laying in before. She closed her eyes, breathing and trying to ignore the pain.
“You idiot. You’re not supposed to move.” Korra’s eyes flew open and she smirked. She couldn’t believe she had ever forgotten Asami’s voice.
“Yeah, well. I had to figure out what I’m laying on.”
Asami shook her head, black hair swaying gently. “Naga didn’t want to leave you alone. She’s been by you this whole time.”
Korra grinned. “Of course. And which of my other favorite beings have been to see me?”
A smirk. “Just me. Too much excitement and you would have woken up before you were ready.”
“Aw. You’re being all protective.”
“As soon as you can walk again I’m going to stop being protective and start asking you what head trauma you experienced that erased all your brain cells.” Asami smiled, but Korra’s eyes had gone distant, and her voice was sharp when she spoke next.
“What do you mean, ‘as soon as you can walk again’?”
Asami blinked slowly, registering the panic in Korra’s eyes. “Your legs are fine, Korra. Your only injury is the stab wound. You’re alright. You’re going to be alright.”
Asami stepped across the room and sat next to Korra, gently stroking her hair from her face until the panic faded. For a few minutes, silence. Then, “You should have left the knife in. It would have staunched the bleeding.”
Korra’s relaxed countenance shifted. In an instant she was on guard, her scowl rivaling the anger and fear of a cornered animal. “If I had left the knife in, the attacker - whoever they were - would have killed me. I would be dead.”
For the second time in five minutes, Asami was looking at Korra like she was trying not to cry. “You could have used your bending. You weren’t powerless.”
Korra stared at Asami. “My… right. Yes, you’re right. I should have done that.” A pause. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what? Almost dying? I’m the one who’s sorry you almost died. I don’t know what I would do without you. I just… why didn’t you bend?”
Korra looked away, unable to meet Asami’s intense stare. “I forgot I could. I forgot I’d gotten better, I forgot I had healed. I thought that if I had no weapons in my hand I was going to die because I couldn’t bend and had no other options.” She wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry. I thought I was better.”
Asami reached over and wiped the tears from Korra’s face. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for. Healing doesn’t happen in a straight line. Don’t expect it to.”
“Okay.” She sniffed. “Okay. I’m okay.”
“You don’t have to be.” Asami grinned. “Besides, you’ll be sitting in here until you’ve got clearance to leave the house. Clearance from me, of course. Until then, you’re staying right here.”
“But-”
“Nope. I’m getting you some tea. Naga, make sure she doesn’t try to get up.”
“Hey! I can manage perfectly fine on my own. It’s not even that big of a deal. I was only lightly stabbed.”
“Too bad. You’ve got bed rest for at least three days. More if you complain.”
“Mother hen.”
“Is that complaining I hear? Think carefully before you speak.”
Korra scoffed. “Fine. I’ll be good.”
Asami smiled. “Wonderful.”
The last thing Korra remembered before falling asleep was Asami quietly reading and handing her the mug of tea whenever she requested. The two of them had managed to work out a system that hurt Korra the least while still making sure she didn’t choke. Basically, she was drinking hot tea out of a straw. When she awoke, the sun was filtering in through the thin curtains, casting stark shadows behind the sofa and table.
“Are you okay? You were out for a long time, but I didn’t want to wake you.” Asami’s forehead was creased with worry, and she was carrying a few rolls of paper and had a pencil tucked behind her ear.
“I’m alright. How long did I sleep for?”
“Over fourteen hours.”
Korra blinked. That was… longer than she had been expecting. If she kept this up, she’d have even less ground to stand on to maintain her “it’s only a minor wound” attitude. “Did you get some work done while I was out, at least?”
Asami shook her head. “I tried, though. I even sat in the office for a full ten minutes before I came to check on you. After that, I sat at the coffee table. You have got to stop scaring me like this.”
“It’s part of the job description. I can’t change that. ”
Asami huffed a laugh. “Sure, but I think you could put more of an effort toward not dying.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“At your job, or at trying not to die?”
Korra paused. “Both, I suppose.”
When Asami’s back was turned, she gritted her teeth and pushed herself onto her elbows. Even her determination to be quiet couldn’t silence the hiss of pain that escaped her, and Asami immediately turned back around. “What exactly are you doing?”
Korra froze. “Nothing.”
“Sure looks like nothing. Lay back down. You’re not supposed to move, you could reopen the wound.”
Korra grumbled but did as she was told. “How long do I have to stay here, again? I was only slightly stabbed.”
“Longer every time you ask. And stop brushing it off - you can barely move. Here, eat this.”
Korra took the plate, trying to angle her neck to see what was on it. “Could I at least sit up? I can’t lay like this for days.”
Asami considered it, then sighed. “Fine. But go slow, and wait for me to set this down so I can help you.” Asami took the plate from Korra and walked through the door to the kitchen. Korra made sure she was occupied, then took a deep breath and forced herself into a sitting position, scooting back enough to brace herself against the wall.
After another few seconds, Asami walked back in. “Okay, I’m ready to…“ A sigh. “I should have expected that, honestly.”
Korra grinned. “You should have. I told you it wasn’t that bad.”
“Korra... I need you to be more careful, okay? You can’t keep getting hurt like this. One day someone won’t be there to catch you, or staunch the bleeding, or get you to a hospital or clinic. One of these days you will end up dead if you aren’t careful. And if you die, everything that is good in this world dies with you. Please, Korra, be safe.”
Korra looked away for a moment, then turned back and faced Asami. “From now on, I’ll be more careful.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Asami smirked. “Great. That means you sit here until you’re fully recovered.”
Korra groaned. “No, please, let me out. You can’t trap me here,” she said, but she was smiling. Asami’s smirk grew into a grin, and she sat next to Korra, the cushions making a dull whoosh as they adjusted to the added weight. Korra grabbed Asami’s hand, and they sat there, sun streaming through the windows, smiling softly into the sun.