It had been weeks since the young Avatar finally tapped into her spiritual side. She spent some time recovering and spending time with her family in the South Pole before making the trip back to Republic City to continue her airbending training and help restore balance in the city.

Things were going fairly well. After the equalists had discovered that their leader deceived them, they were easy for the Avatar to gain their trust. Afterall, she was the one who did speak the truth, and she was the one who was very vocal about somehow bringing equality and safety for non-benders. Though she still struggled with public speaking, she publically spoke about pushing for non-bending representation in the council, and had the support from the council themselves.

Things were going well, but something was still off.

Korra should have been happy. She was starting to get the hang of airbending. She was starting to be able to gain more control over the Avatar State and contacting her past lives. She was dating the boy that caught her eye since she came to Republic City, but something wasn't right.

She often found herself up at night thinking about all the events that happened the day that Tarrlok told the story of how Amon is actually his brother, Noatak. She would think about the sad story that he told about their childhood, and she realized that she no longer feared or hated Amon. Amon was just the creation of a misguided, abused boy who never got a chance to grow up and be happy.

She often found herself wondering what had happened after Amon (or should she say Noatak?) made his getaway. She knew that when they looked for Tarrlok at the airtemple, he was gone. There wasn't a struggle or anything, so she wondered if Noatak had taken him away. She also heard some reports of some remains from an equalist boat that washed up on the coast. There wasn't any known reason as to what it was doing or how it got destroyed.

She wondered if they were both safe. She wanted to help them somehow. Sure, they would have to be punished for their crimes, but she wanted to help fix them. They were broken, Noatak being the most broken thing she had ever seen. She wanted to understand why he wanted to take the bending away from every bender. She wanted to understand him. She wanted to know him.

Needless to say, her curiosity got the best of her one night. She was unable to sleep, and decided to go out for a walk and swim in the middle of the night. Since there were still issues of some equalist rebels remaining, security was quite high on the island. Tenzin wanted to make sure that his family, the Avatar, and her friends were all safe, and was quite overprotective of the lot. It was hard for the Avatar to even go out during the day to just take Naga out for a run by herself, so it would be impossible for her to go out on her own at night.

Well, that is if she played by the rules.

With her new abilities, Korra was able to truly "be the leaf" and get by the guards around the temple with too much ease. She briefly thought about eventually telling Tenzin that the security on the island wasn't as good as it probably should be but brushed the idea aside as she made her way to the water.

It was a cool night, and the moonlight sparkled on the water of the harbor. Breathing in fresh air deeply, Korra smiled and took a moment to just look at the lights from the city. It really was beautiful at night still even though there was still noticeable damage. Repairs moved slower than the impatient girl would like them too, but what else was she supposed to expect after a war?

Korra decided to strip her jacket and boots, hiding them in a bush, before diving into the cold water. Even though the water might have been freezing, she felt just at home surrounded by her natural element. She almost forgot what her goal was for that night, getting distracted by the overwhelming urge to just play in the water like a dolphin. After resurfacing quickly for some more air, Korra made her way to her destination.

It didn't take long for her to reach the part of the shore where remains of the boat had washed up. She wasn't sure why, but she felt like it was related to the disappearance of the brothers. She quickly dried herself off before exploring the area a bit. There wasn't much around, and she was wondering if she had just wasted her time. She didn't know what she was looking for, but whatever it was, she wasn't finding it.

Just before decided to head back, something caught the young Avatar's eyes. There was a small cave that she didn't notice before, but there was something even more peculiar about it. She could have sworn she saw a light inside it. It was so dim that she wondered if it was just her eyes playing tricks on her and a clever trick by the moon, but she drew closer just to be certain. When she reached the mouth of the cave, it was certain that there was a fire inside it. Not sure exactly what it was, she silently made her way deep into the cave's walls.

"Who's there?" a deep, familiar voice called out. Though they sounded familiar, there was something off about the voice. It wasn't until the young Avatar stepped into the light that she got a good look at the face to put the voice to.

"Amon?" she asked, confused. What was he doing here? And what were those scars on his face?

"Avatar Korra," he managed to get himself to say, but he didn't say it in the same tone that he used to. He sounded so sad. "Please. Call me Noatak. Amon is dead. He died long ago." He couldn't help but to scoff. "But then again Noatak died, too, so I guess it doesn't really matter."

"How?" Korra was unsure as to how Am- no, Noatak, was sitting right in front of her. It also felt like someone was missing. "Where's Tarrlok?"

"So no one pieced together the puzzle." He sighed. The look on his face told Korra that it wasn't something that he really wanted to talk about, maybe something he was trying to forget. "After it was discovered I was a waterbender, I made my way back to the island to get Tarrlok. With my plans for the revolution dead, I had nothing and no one. No one except my brother who I abandoned once and hurt so much. I thought we could run off a start a new life together, but I don't think he was as optimistic." There was a long pause, and it made Korra uncomfortable. Her stomach grew uneasy in anticipation as to what the fallen leader had to say.

"I took him to escape on a boat, and we were talking. I knew exactly what he was doing, but I didn't stop him. I don't know why. I guess he just wanted to end this sad story and a part of me wanted to, too. He used one of the gloves to create a spark above the gasoline tank. That's how I got these scars. That's how my brother is no more."

Korra didn't know how to process all this information. She didn't think the sad story about the two brothers could get much worse. She never thought… It never crossed her mind that either one of them died.

It was sort of ironic. This was a man who once hid behind a mask claiming he had scars from a firebender that took his family, but he only used make up and lies. Now he's not hiding behind anything but the scars that kiss his face and down his neck. She couldn't help but to wonder how much those scars covered his body.

Noatak looked back up to the young Avatar. Their eyes met, and all Korra saw was a broken man. No. He seemed much younger than a man but so much older, too. The look in his eyes seemed like he was someone who never got a chance to grow up, but after losing everything, there was no light in his eyes. He looked so sad and broken, and she couldn't help herself from running towards him and embracing him.

He was startled. He didn't really know what compelled the girl to take him in her arms like she did. Her tight embrace seemed to just pour emotions into him. He was used to not feeling much of anything anymore. He had to otherwise he would break, and here is this girl who seems to be tearing down those walls effortlessly.

Korra placed her hands on his shoulders and created some space between the two. It seemed like the man she once knew who hid everything behind a mask now had no barriers. Noatak was now crying, and showed no signs of trying to hide the tears. The next thing Korra did was even more impulsive than her previous actions. She found herself kissing the man, and he kissed back. It wasn't like any kiss she had before. No, the kisses she was used to seemed so childish now. This kiss was full of passion and pain, something the two seemed to have their fair share of.

It wasn't long before their tongues intertwined and the two were trying to get as close as possible to one another. It wasn't enough to have their bodies pressed together and their fingers grasping onto the other's hair. Clothes needed to be removed, very urgently. Neither one was thinking much anymore, they were just doing. Noatak needed to express his pain and Korra wanted to heal his scarred heart.

Things seemed to have been happening quickly, but they slowed down quite painfully after Noatak had been completely stripped of his clothing and Korra was now on her back with just the wraps hugging her waist. He was hovering over her with his pained erection against her thigh and forearms giving him support. Things froze as they looked into one another's eyes. There was so much pain behind those icy blue eyes of his, and Korra's own oceans seemed all to welcoming. This was his only chance to really express himself.

Noatak broke eye contact, and moved his lips to the young woman's neck. He left a trail of kissing going lower, and she arched herself towards every touch. It felt like he was putting flames against her, and a fire within her began to grow. Her eyes fluttered shut as his lips reached her naval, and he gently pulled the wrapping down her body and swiftly casted it aside with the clothing that had been almost torn off moments before.

She expected him to come up to give her some more kisses, but was shaken to feel his lips against her inner thigh. He worked his way up, slowly, painfully before he reached the spot that pained the Avatar. His tongue burned against her, and she couldn't help the moans that escaped her lips. For the first time, a smirk made its way to Noatak's lips. He was tempted to tease the girl, but fought against it. This wasn't a time to talk. It was a time to express.

Korra grew impatient, and Noatak too felt as though this was to be done quickly. He lifted himself back to how he was before, lifted the Avatar's legs to his hips, and positioned himself at her entrance. He looked into her eyes once more, as if silently asking for permission. She nodded, probably a bit too enthusiastically at that, but that was all he needed.

He drove himself into her quickly, and a painful gasp escaped Korra's lips. He held still, waiting for her to get used to of the sensation before continuing anymore. When she bucked her hips, he knew she was ready.

If Noatak had his normal control, he would have built this up more slowly, truly savoring this moment, but that was a luxury he no longer had. He kept pushing himself into her faster and harder, and it was clear that both of them were at their limits. He brought his right hand to the bundle of sensitive nerves to help her reach her climax. Just as they were both to come undone, he crashed his mouth to hers, moaning into one another as they rode off their orgasms.

Breathless, Noatak rolled off and onto his back. Instictively, he lifted an arm to put around Korra and bring her close to him. Also breathless, she clung to him. Slowly, their heart rates and breathing settled. Korra would have fallen into a deep sleep if Noatak didn't move. It seemed that they weren't going to cuddle for the rest of the night.

Without really looking at the other, they both put their clothes back on. Noatak remained without a shirt, and Korra took a spot sitting next to him. They just sat there in silence for what seemed like forever before Noatak placed his hand over hers.

"Avatar Korra." He sounded defeated. "Can you do me a favor?"

A bit struck by this, all she could do in response was nod her head and look at the man. He turned to face her with determination with his eyes. Where did that come from?

"Will you take my bending away?"

"What?" Soon she found herself backing away from him. "Why would you want me to do that? I give back people their bending! Not take it!"

He placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. His eyes now pleading. He didn't need to say another word. He had already won this battle. After all, who was she to refuse a broken man a simple wish.

She nodded her head and stood up. She fumbled a bit, legs still weak from what happened just moments ago, but Noatak made sure she wouldn't fall. He now kneeled in front of her, and she placed her hands on his forehead and chest. He closed his eyes, and there was a glow.

He caught himself from falling over and took a moment to process what just happened. A sad smile went across his face.

"Thank you, Korra."

She didn't have anything else to say. What was there to say? It was obvious that he wanted to be left alone, and she knew better than to sullen anything with pointless talk. She made her way out of the cave and back to the shore.

She stood there for a moment with just her feet in the water. She didn't know why, but she felt like it wasn't time for her to leave yet. It was several minutes later that her eyes caught something. It seemed that Noatak also made his way out of the cave and climbed a bit up the mountain towards a cliff. It was obvious what he was planning on doing, and she didn't know why she didn't move to stop it, but by the time she came to her senses, it was already over.

He had already jumped.

He was already gone.