*Author's note: Thanks again to sunnyontheheights! They helped with this chapter like the last one. Might as well say they'll be helping out with the rest of the story.*


Korra dared a look at the world.

Slowly, painfully, she opened her eyes. For a moment she saw nothing but stars. She blinked them away, pushing herself off the ground. A surge of pain seared through her body as she tried to sit up. She clutched her head and pressed a hand against her back, the parts of her that hurt the worst. Gasping in pain, she looked around.

Snow. Snow everywhere. Why? Where was she? Then, her eyes caught sight of a repulsive being.

Amon was sprawled only a few inches away from her. Korra's heart stuttered in fear. She stared at him, tensed to take him on, but he did not stir. Korra fought to steady her nervous heart.

He breathed, but the ragged intake of air did not sound normal. She dared to place a hand on his shoulder to make sure he was out cold. Slowly, cautiously, she brushed her fingers along his shoulder blade.

His eyes shot open, glaring at her through his mask with eyes filled with shock and pain. Korra yelped and scrambled back, the unbearable pain lancing through her again. Panting, she wrapped her arms around herself, careful to keep her eyes on her enemy.

He did not rise from his spot, and it did not take her long to see why. A horrid gash ripped along the left side of his abdomen, a pool of blood staining the white snow. A sudden, unexpected surge of pity simmered through her. Reaching out, she touched her fingers to his bloodied tunic. He hissed in pain, recoiling from her. But he couldn't get far.

Korra bit her lip, but didn't draw back. She wanted to see how deep the wound really was. Yes, this was her enemy, but she couldn't not let him die like this. She was the Avatar—it was her job to help people. It was the only thing that kept her kneeling at his side instead of screaming back across the snow, getting as far away from him as possible.

"I just want to help you." Korra said softly, all the anger gone from her voice. Amon's glare was distrusting.

"You have done enough, thank you." He said through a voice racked with pain. Ignoring the less than enthusiastic response, Korra slid her arms around him, struggling to lift his deadweight. He sucked in a breath through his teeth when she moved him a mere centimeter.

"Does it hurt that bad?"

"Do you think I would be lying here, cringing in pain," he snapped, "Letting you touch me, if I weren't dying of the pain?"

Korra narrowed her eyes at him. "Look, buddy, I'm trying to help you. If you want to die here in the wilderness, be my guest. It would save me a lot of trouble back in Republic City."

Amon's glare softened. He didn't look at Korra as she began healing his wound. He had never been healed before. It didn't hurt, but he could feel his skin begin to sew itself back together. His frown deepened behind his mask when he remembered why he had been hurt in the first place.

That moose-lion. That sadistic, growling, fearsome wild animal had been the cause of all this. Thanks to that beast, he was lying helpless in the snow with the Avatar. His worst enemy.

He risked a glance at Korra as she worked. She wasn't looking at him, total concentration on her face as she worked to heal him. He still couldn't understand why she was helping him. If their places had been reversed, he would've left her to die.

Or would he?

Amon concentrated on Korra's face. Her brows were knit together, a tall tale sign she was completely absorbed in her work. It was quite an amusing sight.

After what seemed forever, Korra scooted away, gritting her teeth as she fought to ignore her own sore muscles and splintering headache.

"That should be better." Korra waited for his response. Getting no reaction, she moved so she could see his face. Even through the shadow of his mask, she could tell his eyes were closed. He had drifted into unconsciousness.

Korra's cautious mind told her to run. To leave him there and escape, but... She couldn't bring herself to leave the man's side. As horrible as she felt admitting it, he needed her and she would not leave a person, enemy or not, in their time of need.

She slid back down into the snow.

It seemed Amon had taken the brunt of the fall. But why? was Korra's question. If she remembered correctly, both were thrown into the air at the same time, same speed. She glanced in his direction.

He was unconsciously gritting his teeth, his hands balling into fists at his sides. He seemed to be having a nightmare with the way he was trembling. Hot puffs of breath slipped from his mouth as he shifted in the snow.

As much as Korra didn't want him to glare at her again, she knew she needed to get them some shelter. She shook him gently, awaking him from his unconsciousness.

To her surprise and relief, he didn't flash his eyes in a menacing glance.

But his voice was just as cold. "What is it?"

"We need shelter," Korra replied.

"And?"

"And we're going to have to build one."

Amon's eyes narrowed when he realized she was going to have to use her bending.

"NO."

"Why not?"

"You will not bend in my presence, whether to save my life or not."

"What a load of crap, considering I already did." Korra snorted, dropping herself back into the snow. "Fine. Then you do it."

He glared at her, trying to discern her motives. "And why do you suggest I build it?"

"Because you can bend too. And don't even try to use some kind of pathetic excuse to say otherwise," She looked him in the eye, "That was low, even for you."

"You know nothing of my intentions, Avatar."

"I know you're a jerk and pathetic liar! I know you want to take everyone's bending away!" Korra paused, a thought squeezing its way to the front of her mind, "But why?"

Amon glanced at her, his cold stare gone, "You should begin building the shelter."

Korra stretched out her arms, the dreadful pain surging through her once more. She ignored it for their sake. They needed some place to keep warm. She knew they had fallen far from the slope behind Tarrlok's cabin, so it would take a while to get back.

With one flick of her arms, a rather small dugout sprouted from the snow. The icy dome glittered, cold and frozen, and Amon noticed it was barely wide enough for the two of them. They would have to duck or kneel to keep their heads from destroying the roof.

Nevertheless, he moved into it, his side aching, his head spinning. He was just grateful to have something to protect him from the harsh winds. Korra followed him, wincing in pain as she crawled her way in beside him.

She heaved a tired sigh, completely drained of energy. She let herself fall to the ground, sleep taking her instantly… and almost landed in Amon's lap. He scooted away as far as he could, loathe to be near her.

Although something was telling him not to wake her up, to let her have some much needed rest, Amon leaned down to her level. "Avatar," he whispered hoarsely into Korra's ear, "I need you to make a fire."

Her eyes opened in bewilderment. He wanted her to bend again?

"Why?" She murmured, unconsciously inching her way closer to the only thing radiating warmth.

"Do you wish to freeze to death?"

"I'm too tired, Amon." Korra let herself fall into the heated object.

Amon stiffened when he realized Korra had let herself descend onto his crossed legs. She must have been searching for warmth. His scowl deepened. This is why I told her to make a fire.

"Avatar..." His bitter tone awoke her.

"What?" Her eyes were still closed, her arms finding their way around one of his legs. Amon felt his whole body go rigid. He could feel a foreign heat creeping up his neck. Gritting his teeth, he managed to loosen her tight grip around his thigh.

"I need you to make a fire," he repeated, swallowing his initial shock and shaking her.

Korra slowly opened her eyes, irritated at being pulled from her exhausted sleep. Then she realized she was clutching someone's leg. More specifically, Amon's.

Korra yelped in surprise and jumped away. But a horrid pain in her back refused to let her move with ease. She reached behind her to clutch the sore spot, her eyes once more on her enemy.

"I already told you, I can't." Korra didn't know why, but she felt hot tears begin to form in her eyes. She was exhausted, weak, and trapped with her arch nemesis in the middle of nowhere. She was scared.

Amon regarded Korra's sudden display of emotion, and something she'd never seen before flickered behind his dark eyes. With a sigh, he slumped back into the snow, "It doesn't matter," he murmured after a long moment. "We'll just have to survive using our own body heat."

Now Korra felt bad. They needed warmth, and they were certainly not going to huddle together to achieve it. She shivered at the thought. That would be disgusting!

True, she was almost too drained to get up, but the thought of being able to rest away from her enemy sounded far more tempting than having to rest against him.

She held out a hand and started to dig into the snow, hoping to find some dry ground beneath it. Once she did, on her other hand, she uncurled her fingers from her fist and a small fire lit around them.

Amon had been watching her with thinly veiled interest. She seemed to put everything she was into bending, weak or not. It would be almost a pity to take away such a core part of her being. Almost.

"There. Now let me sleep." Korra ignored her back pain, rolling over to her side so she was facing the wall.

There was a long silence, before Amon began to hear her soft snores. He cracked a smile. That was certainly new information.

When he was too beginning to nod off, he realized he had not thanked her for healing him. He thought about what could have happened to him had she not been there. He would probably still be lying out there in the snow, his life blood draining into the snow around him, dying in slow agony.

Amon shook away the frightening image and turned away from the Avatar like she had done from him. He hesitated, before finally forcing himself to assuage his guilt, if just a little.

"Thank you, Avatar."

The words seemed to echo and Amon found himself thinking about her benevolence and humility. This wasn't like the Avatar his father had told him about. That Avatar was cruel, malevolent, and unforgiving. This Avatar, however, had helped him through his pain. She had shown him bending could be used as a force for good.

Amon glanced down at his side, where the blood still darkened his clothes, but the wound was nearly gone. She had been concerned for him, for her enemy. He closed his eyes, not wanting to think about it anymore. He allowed himself to drift off also.

Neither Avatar nor Equalist leader thought to remember that fire melted snow.


*Author's note: So, yup, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think.*