Full Summary: AU Amon is a non-bender with spirit powers and he took Korra's bending. What if that night on Memorial Island, Amon had taken Korra's bending? What if Korra was too ashamed to return to Air Bender Island and wandered the streets of Republic City? A lone non-bender out on the streets is a sitting turtle duck, as Amon soon finds out. When he rescues her from a would-be mugger, Amon is left with a wounded and frightened Korra.
Author's Note: My first stab in the LOK fandom. This was just a random plot bunny that bit me and wouldn't let go. Apologies for any grammatical or spelling errors and poor writing. Enjoy and leave a review!
They'd waited for her. In the dark shadows of the museum, the Equalists had laid their trap, all of them poised for it to spring. Amon had felt no guilt, the Avatar was a powerful bender, one who stood against them. She had to be stopped. So they stopped her.
Amon saw the raw, unmasked fear in her eyes, and he had reveled in it. The Avatar herself on her knees before him, trembling with terror. He hadn't worried about her when he took her bending. She had allies. And he was too drunk on victory to think about the young water-tribe girl he abandoned at the monument of her predecessor.
Amon was often reminded of the Avatar. It was almost impossible to avoid, the entirety of Republic City was searching for her. At first it had worried him. Why had Korra not returned to her allies at Air Temple Island? But eventually the Equalist leader realized: She was far too proud to return to them, wretched and powerless. A shadow of her former self. At first he had been worried, but as the months went by he became less so. If Korra was too proud for her own good, then what concern was it of his?
Of course, knowing that someone could be in trouble was entirely different from actually knowing they were in mortal peril.
Amon didn't often go for walks. It was risky a city where everyone knew what his mask looked like. But occasionally, the stoic man would forgo the disguise in favor of a few hours with his thoughts. As was his habit, Amon ghosted down long forgotten alleyways, flitting from shadow to shadow like a phantom. Amon knew that many benders frequented these abandoned walkways, seeking easy prey. Tonight they would not find it. A lopsided smile found its way to his face, anyone who tried to rob him would find themselves in for a surprise.
"Well, well, well." A voice broke through the silence of the night. "What have we here? A little girl, all alone."
Then someone answered. "Back off. I'm not in the mood." The voice was tired, worn down by the world. The voice was Korra's.
"Aw, don't be like that sweetheart" the man entreated.
"Hey! I said Back Off. Don't touch me!" Korra snapped, and there was a soft thud, possibly from the thug getting a well-deserved kick.
Amon froze. Korra, here, and apparently in trouble. He almost wrote it off. Korra was fully capable of taking care of herself. There was no need for him to intervene, she could smack around a couple back alley thugs with her eyes closed.
"Oh, feisty." The thug sneered. "I like feisty." The sound of skin on skin reached Amon's ears and Korra cried out, then a sharp crack.
A moment too late, Amon realized that Korra couldn't smack around anyone anymore. He'd made sure of that. While he was in no way obligated to help the Avatar, Amon couldn't ignore a non-bender in trouble. Especially one in a fight so steeped in their opponent's favor. His mind decided, Amon slipped the mask onto his face (just because he wasn't wearing it didn't mean he didn't have it with him) and leapt into action.
Korra was curled into a tight ball against the dirty wall of a nearby building, the thug had one leg reared back to unleash a devastating kick to her form. Amon easily unbalanced the bender, but before he could use his long trusted Chi attacks, his opponent summoned the earth to his will.
The two men exchanged a flurry of attacks, the earth bender was no armature and managed to land a few blows. But Amon had agility on his side and avoided a majority of the bender's attacks. He finished the impromptu match with a sharp blow to a specific pressure point, one he knew would render the man unconscious for longer than was strictly necessary. A small curl of vindictiveness curled through the Equalist leader, he could take this street thug's bending now and leave him in the alley helpless.
Just as Amon was placing his hands over the Chi points, a small sound attracted his attention. Korra! He didn't pause to wonder about his sudden concern for the former Avatar. Amon knelt beside the former bender and realized she was unconscious.
Gently as he could, Amon inspected his foe's body for wounds. Crimson blood ran down her right cheek like a tear tracing its sorrowful path on her cheek. Amon followed its trail back to the source and found himself wincing in sympathy. Sometime before he had gotten there, Korra had gained herself a rather impressive head wound. Doubtlessly she had a concussion.
Which left Amon in a rather interesting moral predicament. While he was perfectly fine with leaving the would-be mugger in the alley, Korra was a different matter. He felt partially responsible for her predicament. After all, had he not taken her bending, Korra could have beaten the earth bender into next week. But thanks to him, she had been helpless as a newborn saber-tooth moose lion (Amon pointed ignored the fact that this comparison cast him as the angry moose lion mother.)
However, bringing an enemy, even a former one who was now all but helpless, into Equalist headquarters (which was the only place he could possibly take her, certainly not to a hospital, Korra had done her best to remain hidden and the least he could do was honor that) was not something to do lightly. After some internal debate (which was mostly just the part of himself that still resented the Avatar screeching about helping an enemy) Amon was decided. He would bring her back to headquarters and allow her to heal there.
Carefully, very aware of Korra's head wound, Amon lifted the teen. Almost immediately she cried out and pulled against him and he set her back on the ground. For a moment he was puzzled with this behavior, there was no way she knew it was him helping her, which he supposed would be a good reason for such action. Then realization dawned on him, perhaps there was another wound he missed. A gentle examination of her ribs revealed the truth. Several were cracked, possibly broken, but definitely painful.
Eventually he managed to lift the still unconscious girl in a way that wouldn't aggravate her injuries and began his trip back to the Equalist headquarters.
Amon paced the room impatiently. Korra still hadn't woken up. It was nearly a day since he rescued her in the alley. (Distantly he noticed that the words made it seem like she was some dog he'd found and brought home.) But still the former Avatar hadn't so much as opened her eyes.
Amon forced himself to resume the seat beside the bed occupied by the sleeping teenager. It would do no good for Korra to wake up to him standing over her. He could see how the months on her own had affected the girl. She was thin, formerly concealed cheekbones now prominently on display. Her hair, once neatly bound, was left to grow, matted and ragged down her back. Formerly clean clothes now ripped and stained beyond what any clothing article should have to go through. Heavy bags under her eyes left Korra looking older than she actually was.
Then she was awake.
In an instant, Korra was in motion. With a strangled shriek that had to be hell on her ribs, Korra lunged away from him, taking half the thin hospital blankets with her. The fabric tangled around her legs, causing the former bender to panic even more. Amon rose instinctively, years of fighting experience overriding his mind. Korra became frantic to escape the tangle of blankets, her legs thrashing desperately for freedom. Once freed, the terrified girl bolted for the door.
Amon followed her with a curse, glad that most employees had already gone home. Korra wouldn't get far with her injuries and the unfamiliar terrain.
After some searching, Amon found her in a huddled in a broom closet. Korra had shoved herself deep in the cleaning supplies, curled in a shadowed corner. Amon paused outside the slightly ajar door, uncertain as to how to proceed. He was reluctant to enter the closet, being trapped in an even smaller space with the man who had taken her bending away would not do anything good for Korra's already frayed nerves. And she was already hurt and panicking, despite not being able to bend the elements to her will, Korra could still be dangerous with nothing but desperation on her side. Any attack would be useless against him, but she could wound herself further.
So Amon sat beside the door, knowing that Korra could see him. Her breath shuddered and Amon could pick out small sobs in the sound. Weather from pain or from his imminent presence he was uncertain, perhaps a combination of both. "Korra." He spoke gently. Her breath stopped altogether, but she did not respond. "I'm not going to hurt you." Amon promised. Still Korra remained silent.
He risked a glance over to her and caught Korra's frightened stare before she buried her head in her knees. With a sigh, Amon settled himself to wait beside the door. Eventually her breathing evened into a steady rhythm and Amon found she had fallen asleep among the cleaning supplies.
The second time Korra woke up, Amon was ready. He had brought her back to the hospital room and tucked her back into the blankets once he was certain she would remain asleep. This time her coming around was more gradual (thanks to the mild sedative Amon had slipped into her IV) but no less stressful for the former avatar. Amon waited outside the room until he was certain she was fully awake, not wanting her to fly into a half-conscious panic again. The impromptu race had only aggravated her injuries and from the way Korra was wincing, Amon was certain she was feeling the consequence of her actions.
He opened the door quietly and stepped into the room. Instantly he had her entire focus. Amon made a bit of a show of locking the door behind him, not to intimidate (though it certainly had that effect) but to let Korra know that exploratory ventures to the hall were out. Amon stood silently by the door, and both former enemies stared at each other, trying to figure the other out.