I've been working on this fanfiction for a good chunk of time. I really wanted to do this scene justice- as well as my two favorite characters. Kuvira is so misunderstood and lost, and not everybody understands that, so I wrote this to give people a closer look into her mind. Perhaps seeing how her mind works will help people be more compassionate about her and the harsh decisions that she had to make.

Kuvira stood pensively in front of her advisor, nodding her head at appropriate intervals in the drone of information she already knew. It was a weekly update, one she usually would be paying more attention to in case some of her information was wrong or misplaced, but today she felt much too light to be dealing with such heavy affairs. All night long she had worked with Baatar on revising and optimizing their itinerary, in between pointless conversations that made her smile. That boy was everything she could have hoped for in an assistant- smart, funny, and willing to do almost anything for her. It was no wonder she'd had a small crush on him for so long. Any girl in their right mind would as well, in her humble opinion.

She still thanked the spirits that she had asked him- and more importantly, he'd accepted the offer- to accompany her on her quest to stabilize the Earth Kingdom. Now, the two of them were well on their way to building up their own nation, their own Earth Empire. No longer would their country be plagued by the horrors of a monarchy- instead her government would rule fairly over all of her citizens, finally restoring balance to their chaotic lands.

And a lot of Kuvira's success, she owed completely to her wonderful right-hand man, Baatar. Her heart skipped a beat at the very thought of him, and she carefully concealed her almost giddy smile from her bored informant. That would not be a good image to project at all, the calm and collected Great Uniter getting all hot and bothered over her bottled up feelings for a boy.

"Kuvira!" At the sound of her name, she turned, completely ignoring the tail end of whatever her advisor was telling her. Approaching from the far end of the hallway was Baatar, and it appeared that he was in a hurry. Waving away her flustered employee with an absentminded hand, Kuvira took the last few steps to meet him halfway. Whatever grovel that harebrained soldier wanted to fill her mind with could wait. Baatar always would come first.

"Baatar," she greeted him with a wide, genuine smile, sincerely pleased at seeing him sooner than expected. Dinner was the next time she had assumed she would be seeing his face. Behind her, the door shut, leaving the two of them alone in her sitting car. "You required my presence?" Kuvira finished her sentence with a teasing tone, giving him one of her secret half-smiles as she looked up at him. He was a good eight inches taller than her, something he just loved to tease her about.

"Can't I just want to see the Great Uniter herself?" Baatar joked, pushing his new square glasses up higher on his nose. Those had been a gift- from her, actually- to replace his old pair. It had gotten broken during a sudden lack of control, where the notion of tickling her had just seemed too good for him to pass up. She had certainly gotten her revenge- as well as a bloody nose from one of his well-placed kicks. If that boy had turned out a bender, they would have been closely matched, that was for sure.

"Flattery gets you nowhere, you know that," she put her hands on her hips, rolling her eyes at him playfully. Inside, however, she was pleasantly surprised. He truly was her favorite person- both here presently and throughout the whole world. Baatar knew just what to say to make her smile. "But, in all seriousness, are you bringing me news?"

"Yes, actually," his face turned much more professional and mature, enough so that Kuvira couldn't tell if it was in jest or if it was the real deal. "The mayor of the town that's been giving you so much trouble has given us his response. It just arrived by hawk, not too long ago."

That snatched up her attention immediately, and her head snapped up to look at him, wide eyed. This town was one of the ones that had been giving them a lot of trouble. Over the past six months, their journey had been relatively easy, the towns mostly choosing to blindly accept whatever terms she produced for them rather than question her motives. However, certain towns were much more stubborn, clinging to their independence. This town, the town of Naquin, had resisted her for a good two weeks, refusing to comply with her terms even though his people were slowly starving to death.

It had been keeping her up at night, pondering over whether or not they would eventually give in, or if more of her people would die before peace took over. That was all she wanted, regardless of what others might think. All she wanted was peace and prosperity for her nation, and nothing would stand in her way to achieve it.

When he doesn't continue right away, she grows annoyed. "And…?" Kuvira prompts him, gesturing with her hands for him to get a move on with it.

His face is completely void of all emotion when he finally speaks, checking his pocket-watch for a brief moment before opening his mouth. "The town of Naquin has joined the Earth Empire as of- twenty-four minutes and three seconds."

He hasn't even finished speaking before she's squealing, bouncing up and down like the teenager she was. If only her soldiers could see her now, hysterically laughing and carrying on. What would they think of their proud and stoic leader? "Oh, Baatar, that's absolutely wonderful!"

Kuvira's enthusiasm was contagious, and a wide smile cracks across his face as well. "We're almost a third of the way there, Kuvira. We are really making progress here." He laughed with her, sharing her happiness. The look on his face sparks feelings for him she had been valiantly repressing for years now, and she impulsively launched herself into his arms for a fierce hug before she realizes what she is doing.

Baatar dropped the papers he was holding in shock to catch her in time, stumbling backward wildly before tripping over his own notes. It is more shocking than terrifying for Kuvira, and she lets out a little gasp and hangs on as Baatar landed on his back with a groan of discomfort, the metal floors providing little to no cushion for his landing.

Ohmyspirits, what did I just do?

"Oh!" she quickly crawled off of him, worried that the weight of her armor would be too much for him. "Oh, Baatar, I'm so, so sorry! I don't know what came over me!" Her hands flew over his body, trying to assess whether or not he was hurt. Quickly, she checked to make sure he was breathing, relaxing slightly when she felt his sharp inhale. Kuvira's eyes travelled back up to look at his face, still not seeing any signs of a deadly injury. Baatar's eyes were squeezed shut, probably from bracing for impact, and she didn't breathe a sigh of relief until he opened them.

"You're bleeding," was the first thing he croaks out, raising his arm to wipe at her face. In her panic, she had bitten clean through her lip, and a thin trail of blood was drying down her chin.

Kuvira impatiently brushed his arm away. "That's not important, are you hurt?" Baatar shook his head, accepting her hand when offered to help pull him up into a sitting position.

"I don't think so, more startled, really, than injured." He mused with good humor, brushing his arms over his rumpled clothing in an effort to make himself appear more presentable. The sight was completely endearing to Kuvira, still kneeling by his side from where she had scampered to assess his bodily condition. "I was more worried about you getting hurt."

Her face flushed with delight, her hand coming up to brush away the strands that had come loose from his military style haircut. The tender look on his face makes her own soften. "You don't need to worry about me."

"But I do," he told her, looking completely serious. "I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

Kuvira snorted, rolling her eyes. "Baatar, it was just a little fall, I think I'll live."

He shot her a look of exasperation. "Spirits, can't a guy worry over his girl every now and then?"

Kuvira's eyebrows shot up at his choice of words. "Your girl, huh?" she smirked at him, noticing how he blushed at the realization of what he'd just said. "Is that so?"

Baatar opened his mouth to defend himself, but whatever it was he never got to say it. The words were muffled by her lips when she crushed them to his own in a courageous leap of faith.

For a horrible, tense moment, he remained frozen, her lips the only ones moving, but then he reciprocates the embrace. Kuvira closed her eyes, seeing him do the same, his hand lifting up off of the floor to rest on the back of her neck. A blush spread down her face, making the room feel hot and sticky, and just absolutely perfect altogether.

But then her mind caught up to her body.

What the flameo was she doing?

With a gasp, she pulled away, her eyes snapping open to stare at his own wide ones. Baatar's lips are flushed and swollen, just as her own, tinged pink from Kuvira's lipstain. She could feel the color drain from her face as Baatar looked up at her in shock. Mind racing, she shakily climbed to her feet, backing away from him and averting her eyes. Right now, he's in a state of shock, and can't form a complete sentence- but she doesn't want to stick around to see what it is he might say.

"I shouldn't have done that." It comes out as mostly a whisper, hoarse and cracking on the last word. "I shouldn't have-" Abruptly she turned, hurrying towards the shut door, unable to face him any longer. A flick of her wrist, and she's running down the hallway, hearing the confused cries of Baatar echoing behind her. She's crying, she noted with disdain, the tears blurring her vision and swirling down her face in swollen tracks.

She can't believe that she just did that. That had to have been the worst screw up she's ever accomplished. Kuvira let out a little sob, blindly following the twists and turns of the train, ignoring the shouts and calls from the startled people she passed. She must have looked a fright- all disheveled and tearful and rumpled, the very opposite of what she presented herself as.

With a gasp, she found herself clutching the rail at the very back of the train, the wind roaring in her ears and whipping across her face. Kuvira sunk to her knees less-than-gracefully, still clutching the bar in her glove-clad hands. The wind pulled strands from her already mussed up bun, all but ruining her intricate hairdo. Her eyes closed against a torrent of tears that she could no longer hold back, her whole body shaking with them.

Her whole life, she had spent perfecting her image, masking the shaking and abused child with cold indifference. Long gone was the little girl that nobody wanted, including her own parents. Kuvira had buried her deep inside of her very being. For anybody to get anything done in the world, you had to show strength. And so she did. When she fell, she got back up, without the tears. She worked furiously to maintain her image, and now that small crying child was rearing its ugly head once more.

A strangled noise clawed its way out of her throat, only to be drowned out by the roaring wind. Kuvira felt her face completely crumple, and she angrily dug her nails into her cheeks, furious at herself more than anything. She had no idea what had come over her in that room. Sure, she might possess some sort of feeling for Baatar, but was it really worth this? All of her careful strategizing and planning- and she had probably just thrown it all away. For her feelings. Spirits, how she hated her feelings. They ruined everything.

"Kuvira?" She instantly froze, mid sob, her throat closing up at the sound of Baatar's anxious voice behind her. Kuvira's whole entire body tensed up, and she closed her eyes. In the cold winter air, she was trembling, dressed in nothing but a thin outfit and her usual armor. She had no idea how long she'd been like this, crying outside, but the sun had gone down and the starts were beginning to appear in the darkening sky.

The sensation of a hand on her cheek made her jump and reopen her eyes. They focused on Baatar's confused and concerned ones. "You're cold as ice."

Her only answer was a violent shiver, and Kuvira didn't protest when he bent over, scooping her up from under her knees as if she was a mere child and not a grown woman. Her fingers were almost frozen around the railing, and it took him a good chunk of time to carefully pry them off. She closed her eyes when he began to carry her back inside of the train car, a tear slipping down her already stained cheek- feeling quite embarrassed to be seen. Unbidden, she slid her arms around his chest, burying her face in his warm shirt with a violent shiver. Kuvira felt his heart stutter when she pressed her face into his body.

She remained silent, the only sound being her teeth chattering furiously until he came to a stop. Baatar carefully lowered her onto something soft, and immediately set to work removing her frozen armor, wincing when the cold bit into his flesh. Kuvira kept her eyes on the bedspread, noting it was not her own. She did not look up until all of her armor was removed, and then she realized they were in his own bedroom.

"Please look at me," Baatar's voice begged her, and she couldn't deny him what he wanted. Her green eyes met his own soft ones, and her face flamed red-hot. She did not remove her eyes, however, waiting for him to speak. Kuvira had said her piece, and there was nothing left for her to do but wait for his response.

She had made her own bed, and now it was time for the Great Uniter to lay in it.

"Why did you run from me?" he asked her plaintively, and she winced, having anticipated the hurt tones of his voice.

"You know why."

"No, actually, I don't." he shot back, leaning forward to cup her hot cheek in his chilled hand. "I really think you don't…but you think you do?"

Kuvira simply looked at him, too tired to play any games with him. "I don't understand, Baatar. But I am truly sorry for embarrassing you- I should have never kissed you."

He flinched. "Wow, you're more oblivious than I thought. Did the thought ever cross your brilliant, beautiful mind," Baatar caressed her face, slowly leaning in closer and closer to her. "That I wanted to kiss you too?"

And with that, his lips are on hers again, Kuvira the one stunned into motionless for once. When Baatar pulled away, he looked at her seriously, and she could feel some of the ice melting and the walls she'd built up in her heart come falling down.

"I've loved you since we were ten," he suddenly said, looking bashful.

Kuvira was stunned speechless.

"Well," she breathed out, trying to lighten the situation. "I've been pining for you since the night of my dance recital four years ago, so how about we call it even?"

He barked out an incredulous laugh, probably thinking back to that night. Kuvira had fallen and twisted her ankle onstage, much to her mortification. When the crowd had gone silent, Baatar had stood up in the audience, cheering for her, and soon everybody else had followed suit. She had been enamored with him every day the latter. "Spirits, Kuvira, I love you. Will you be my girlfriend?"

Kuvira looked up at him with her secret half-smile once more, her face flushed with happiness instead of mortification now. Any and all of her fears were long since abated, and a tingling warmth was spreading throughout her body. She hadn't ruined it at all, like she'd thought. She'd done something right with her feelings, for a change. Kuvira couldn't believe her luck.

Her arms looped around his neck, pulling him closer to her until their faces were almost touching, the tips of their noses mere millimeters away. "I thought you'd never ask, you dolt."

I've always been a huge shipper of Baavira- they've always intrigued me. What went on behind closed doors? Was Kuvira's cold demeanor just a mask, or was that all she was? Was there something else beneath her cold exterior? And as for Baatar Jr., how and why did he fall for and choose Kuvira? Certainly there must have been a reason and a deciding factor.

So I've been exploring these with my writing, piece by piece. My other story, "Kuvira's Life in Snapshots" will also be developing their friendship/romance at a slow, realistic pace.

This couple is easily my favorite- I still ship them, even after the finale. Kuvira made some hard decisions, but I don't think that they were cold and heartless. It was a sacrifice- not an act of cruelty. I hope that the way I write Kuvira will give you more insight to how I think her character is inside of her! And I hope you enjoyed