Korra stretched out languidly, a soft mewling noise slipping through her lips as she wilted back into a sitting position and pulled her book closer to her. The sun was just beginning to set and the warm buttery rays were splashed all along her face and torso. It had been a beautiful day. She had woken up to silence in the air temple and upon a little investigated, she had come upon a note from everyone. The air benders were in the city shopping for Rohan and Mako, Bolin, and Asami were making a few stops around the city. There was nothing specific in the note. With a shrug, Korra had washed up and spent the day with herself. She trained for a little while, although she wasn't really in the mood today, and then she pulled an old water tribe legends book from one of her old bags of things and curled up in the sun with that.

And now, as the day was ending, her book almost finished, Korra got the distinct feeling that she wasn't alone. Thinking that someone was back from the city, she rose to bare feet and padded out the door and down the hall. No, it seemed it wasn't someone who lived here, they would have called. Confused, she peaked out the door at the setting sun. There was definitely someone there, but where were they? And who?

She continued to walk, book forgotten in her hand as she leaned on the arch of the stairwell and stared out at the steps and the water and the city. It had mostly returned to normal, a lot was under repair, and the equalists had disbanned since the disappearance of their leader. Korra sighed at the thought and couldn't help thinking of Noatak and Tarlokk. Some small part of her still resented the brothers, but after Tarlokk's story, no part of her could blame them for what had happened.

'They were just children,' she thought, her thoughts turning sad as she sighed and turned back to go to the house. She was just being paranoid. She only made it three steps before a heavy hand landed on her shoulder and spun her around. With a gasp, she stared into the pleading eyes of Amon. Fear immediately gripped her and she looked back and forth for any sign of chi blockers. She jumped away from the man, he didn't follow her, and got prepared to fight. And that's how they stood for a few minutes, Noatak had his arms half extended toward her, his eyes pleading, while Korra glared with her fists raised.

"Korra, I did not come here to fight you," he whispered, his voice jagged and broken. Only then did Korra really look at the broken man in front of her. His hair was unevenly cut and he smelt of fire and ash. His clothes were water tribe attire, looking much like her own, and his eye brow was split and dried with cracked blood. Korra lowered her arms and nodded.

He wasn't here to fight. Turning, she glanced at him over her shoulder and motioned for him to follow her. She heard him pick up her dropped book as they went and said nothing. It was quiet between them for the short while that Korra led him through the compound toward the training courtyard. She sat once they got there and Noatak sat a few feet from her. There was silence. No one spoke until the sun had completely set and the lamps were being lit by the monks.

"Where is Tarlokk?"

Noatak smiled sadly and chuckled.

"Dead. We were going to escape together and start a new life somewhere. It was going to be just like old times," tears were gathering in his eyes now and slipping silently down his cheeks, "We were on one of my boats, leaving, when Tarlokk electrocuted the gas chamber with an equalist glove. Blew up the boat. He died, I found his body as I swam. I was badly injured, broken bones and cuts, the such. I floated for a few days, slowly healing myself with water bending. I can bloodbend until the world ends, but I'm a crappy healer," he laughed, trailing off and turning eyes to Korra.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you, Korra. To all of you. When you got here and I saw you, you were everything my father said you would be. Arrogant, powerful, strong. I felt resentment toward you, because you were what drove my father to hurt Tarlokk and I. And…" he trailed off again, his eyes finding the ground and a strange blush rising in his cheeks before he looked back up at her, "I realized that everything my father told me to hate about you was what I started to love about you."

Korra's heart stopped. What was this man telling her? This man that had hurt her, taken her bending from her, tried to kill her, was telling her that he loved her? What was going on? Confusion and anger rose in her and she crossed her arms over her chest. She wanted this to feel like a trap but it just didn't. This felt sincere and that scared her.

"Why are you telling me this? Why now?" she asked, her voice soft. Noatak looked out at the ocean, watching as it pushed and pulled boats and bodies and everything in it. A sad smile grew on his lips as tears ran down his cheeks and over the smile.

"I want you to take my bending from me," he whispered and the entire world was silent. The fireflies stopped buzzing and the ocean stopped moving and everything was still. Korra turned to him, stared at him with wide eyes and shook her head.

"No, I can't do that. I can't be you. I'm the avatar, I'm supposed to give bending!" she cried, panicking. She would never, not even to this great enemy, take a person's bending away. That wasn't who she was. She remembered the fear, the empty feeling, the panic when she realized she couldn't bend anymore. No, she wasn't going to do that. She shook her head frantically and was about to get up and leave when she felt a hand on her knee and she followed the hand up to Noatak's desperate face.

"Korra, please. You need to do this for me. I can't, I can't have this power anymore. Everyone was right, only the avatar should have this power and I can't stand the idea that I could hurt other people with this again, hurt you with this again. I wasn't lying when I said I love you, Korra. You're strong, you're protective, you're so fragile and beautiful. You're everything my father taught me to hate and that's why I hurt you, because it was sick to me that I was falling for exactly what I had been taught to hate. I'm sorry, I should have accepted my own feelings and stopped, but I'm sorry. I need you to fix me." He was breathing hard now, new tears were gathering in his eyes and he was shaking. He was quaking, hard enough that Korra could almost feel the earth crying with him. Reach out instinctively, she wrapped her arms around the former equalist and held him for a moment as she looked up at the sky. The moon was shining brilliantly and silently, she called out for help from her past lives. Faintly, she could hear Aang's voice, deep inside herself.

"We can't always do what's best for ourselves, but what's best for the world," she whispered as she stroked the hair of the man sobbing into her shoulder. It hit her then that he had never grown up. He was still that scared teenager who ran from his father and the south pole all those years ago. And with his bending, he was never going to grow. He was forever going to be trapped in the past that haunts him.

'I have to do this for him. If only this one time,' she decided as she gently pushed the man from her. His eyes shone brightly in the lights from the lamps and far away, Korra could hear people returning home. This needed to be quick. Standing in front of the kneeling man, she pressed her fingers against him and took a deep breath before closing her eyes and called from strength from her past lives.

The light was bright and blue and hot against his skin, and when he opened his eyes, he felt more empty than he had ever been, but also more complete than he thought was possible. He was breathing in gasps and his heart was hammering against his chest when Korra stumbled back away from him and wrapped her arms around herself. She was staring at him with wide, sad eyes and she was trembling. Standing on shaky legs, he stumbled forward and with arms wide, he took her to his chest and held her tightly. She was hesitant to his touch and she trembled for a moment before relaxing and clinging to him. It was brief but it was sweet and when she pulled away, he couldn't help himself. He leaned into her and pressed his lips against hers gently and held her.

She was shocked and after a tentative minute, she returned the kiss just as gently. She knew that he needed this, needed this comfort and this security. He needed it from someone. And right now, she was willing to give him with one thing. Despite what he had done to her, despite what he had broken and hurt, she knew that it was over. And that this man that she was kissing wasn't Amon. This man was Noatak, a scared teenage boy that could finally start growing again.

When they pulled away, she smiled softly and stepped out of his arms. She looked out toward the water and sighed. They were calling for her now, Mako and the rest. They were probably still worried about her. A lot had happened lately. Fingers tracing her lips gently she looked back at the water tribe man in front of her with a smile.

"Go, Noatak. You aren't Amon anymore, go and live your life the way you want to live. And remember, I believe in you and I forgive you." His eyes widened for a moment before he smiled softly and nodded. With a slight bow, he took her hand and kissed it.

"I will always remember you, Avatar Korra. As the girl who I loved and the girl who saved my life. Thank you." With that, he stood and walked away from her. He took the back path off the island, not wanting to be seen. He was almost out of sight when Korra stopped him. He turned to look at her, the blush on her cheeks and the strange look in her eyes. He turned to look at her fully, his eyes wide as she jogged after him and held something out to him. The book she had been reading. He looked at her curiously.

"Its a book of water tribe legends, a gift from me. So that you always remember me and you always remember where you came from," she explained with a smile as she walked backwards away from him. "Goodbye, Noatak." She turned then and ran toward the voices calling for her. He could just imagine the firebender holding her, kissing her and making sure that she was okay. He could see her living her life, happily and safe now. A small part of him wished that he could be a part of it, but he hid that part easily and smiled for her and her happiness. Holding the book tightly against his chest, he turned and left her to her life. He needed to go and build a life of his own. With one last lingering look at the temple, he smiled.

"Goodbye, Korra. Good luck."

Korra looked back toward where she had been talking to Noatak and couldn't help her sad smile among Bolin's chatter and Mako's hand on her waist.

"Goodbye, Noatak. Good luck."

-fin-