I Promise Part II

Korra rustled herself awake, turning her head to face the musty, dank store room. Despite the light seeping through the doorway at the other end of the room, the darkness still encapsulated the room, reminding Korra of the gut of some great beast.

In the heart of a monster she thought, realizing how true this comparison was. She was restrained, crumpled on a cold metal floor, waiting for Amon to confront her, to do the unspeakable.

To take away my bending she thought, moaning inwardly and feeling tears pool in her eyes. No, she scolded herself. She could not fail, she had to break free. She was the Avatar, a beacon of hope to the nations. She couldn't allow her courage to buckle at a time when she so desperately needed strength.

She took a long, hard breath, willing her eyes to dry and readjusting her head.

And then she remembered who she was here with, who had jumped in the Equalist van to save her, who had comforted her as she lay vulnerable and broken in the same spot she was now.

She looked up at Iroh, leaning her head against his chest and studying his sleeping face. His strong chiseled features did not lose their fierce passion in sleep, yet he seemed more at peace, calmer and perhaps even vulnerable. Except he wasn't. Iroh, strong, courageous Iroh was never vulnerable. He was a true statute of strength, of dignity. To Korra he was her motivation and also her comfort, her feeling of safety. But he was something more to, something that scared Korra to even ponder, but in the depths of her heart she could feel it growing.

Iroh's strong muscled chest rose and fell evenly, like a flickering flame warming the desolate cellar. He shifted once and then his eyes flicked open, quickly moving out of the realms of sleep and back into reality. His eyes turned on Korra and he smiled down at her, pressing his lips to hers softly, almost caressing them.

He pulled back to whipper against her lips, "Morning."

"Good morning to you too," Korra smiled, feeling the soft rumble of Iroh's words in his chest.

If only this had been a normal morning, Korra thought. If only we were safe and sound and I was free to enjoy waking up in his arms. But we're not. We're in terrible danger.

As if coming to the same realization, Iroh smiled weakly, turning to Korra and whispering, "Don't worry. We will get out of here. How long have you been awake?"

"Not long. Maybe five minutes, maybe."

"O.," Iroh scanned the room, eyes flitting around their dungeon, scoping strategically for any hope of escape, anyway to break free of their captors. His intense gaze narrowed, his mind whirled, desperately searching until he found something.

It was a stretch, but it might work, with the proper timing and accurate positioning.

"Korra do you see the beams running across the ceilings?" Iroh tilted his chin up, gesturing to the ceiling of the factory house.

"Yeah. Wait, you mean the wooden ones?" Korra asked, squinting into the dim light.

"Exactly. If we can create a distraction by setting them on fire, they will come to move us. In the commotion we might be able to catch them off guard and break free. From there we'll be on foot to escape, but it's better than sitting here, waiting for the Equalists to take us to Amon. This way we'll be making the first move and we can crewte some sort of coordination…" he trailed off, awaiting Korra's response.

She pondered it, turning the idea around in her head like a puzzle, playing out the plausible consequences of the decision.

"Alright," she stated, resigning herself to the fact that it was the only plan they had. Korra turned to Iroh once more, asking, "Our hands are tied, how are we supposed to bend?"

Iroh's eyes lit up with a twinkling of mischief. He leaned close to Korra, brushing his lips against her ear and whispering, "You want to see a trick my Great-Grandfather Iroh taught? Are you ready Korra?"

Korra's eyes widened in wonder, but she nodded.

Iroh sucked in a huge amount of air and then exhaled in a burst of flames funneled from his throat, showering the whole room in sparks and alighting the beams above.

Within moments the ceiling was ablaze and the sound of footsteps rattled across the floor from behind the door. Five Equalist soldiers burst into the room, spinning into one another as they craned to see what was going on above them.

Korra squeezed her eyes shut, willing her body to lie limp against Iroh's. There was yelling and considerable movement before Korra heard one of the soldiers call "Get the prisoners out of here!"

The smell of smoke was penetratingly acidic as Iroh lay, focusing on breathing and refusing to cough. The fumes wormed their way into his nose, causing his throat to clench, threatening to reject the stench with a bout of retching. He heard the soldiers steps move closer, felt Korra's body shift and ten move off of his own, lifted apparently, by an Equalist.

His heart hammered against his ribcage as two sets of arms wound their way around his torso, lifting him off the floor.

Iroh's eyes snapped open, just in time to catch Korra's glimmering in the flames.

He swung his legs up, twisting around and shooting flames from his feet, then rolling quickly to regain his balance, only to kick out once more, planting his foot into an oncoming chi-blocker. He spun around, searching for Korra, desperate to find her.

Mingling with the smoke tendrils and the dark background, he could just make out the flashes of flames as she flung herself away from her captors, running to join him as they fled.

They ran for the door, using the smoke as cover. Iroh was nearing the door when he heard the creak, a monstrous groaning sound.

He whirled around once more to see the blazing beam above Korra's head splitting. His eyes widened in terror and before he could think, he lunged, knocking into her with his shoulder and flinging her to the ground. He fell beside her, shoulder jarred by the brutal impact just as the beam shattered against the floor, only few feet from their bodies. Sparks took to the air and Iroh felt himself being pulled to his feet by Korra's steady hands.

Somehow Korra had managed to break her restraints and she now pulled Iroh along be hid her, trudging toward the door. Smoke imploded her lungs and she felt her mouth growing dry, her temples aching with nausea. When she reached the door she didn't pause to see if it was locked, she hammered it with her heel, sending the door flying open.

The pair dashed through the threshold, through a small garage and out another door.

The cool night air blasted into their faces, the salty sea air affronting their noses, but they both knew better than to stop and relish the freedom. Hearts punning and adrenaline racing Iroh and Korra sprinted through the city, snaking around corners and through alleyways.

Iroh had no clue as to his whereabouts, he simply followed the sound of the waves, searching for the water, the bay, searching for the safety he had promised Korra.

They ran on into the night. Like two liberated birds they soared through the city, veiled in blackness and relying on one another to bring them strength. Everytime Korra felt like stopping, like taking a break, she felt the pull of Iroh's hand against hers, saw the sweat on his brow and knew she had to continue on. Every now and again she would indulge herself, squeezing Iroh's warm, strong hand gently and he would squeeze hers back, glancing behind him to reassure himself that she was alright and they weren't being pursued.

When Iroh felt the need to stop he would look back at Korra, so trusting, so brave, and strong and he knew he could push on.

And so the two continued this way far into the night, even when they knew they had probably left the Equalists far behind.

As the sun climbed lazily over the horizon, the two clambered into the bay where the Ursa, Iroh's warship was docked. The relief washed over them like a wave, sending joy through their hearts and tears to their eyes. They slowed to a walk as they approached the ship.

Korra stopped, spinning Iroh around to face her, She looked up at him, into his eyes and saw him so clearly it scared her. Past his bedraggled appearance, his mussed hair, and sweat, and sleepless face she saw hope and passion in his eyes. She saw the care he had for her, but it was more than just care, it was something deeper, more meaningful and endlessly powerful.

As Iroh gazed into Korra's glistening eyes he saw the same thing, this beautiful, passionate caring, her insurmountable trust in him.

"Iroh.." Korra began but she was cut off as he pressed his lips to hers, hot breath bleeding against her skin, and thundering heart making hers pump faster. She pressed her body against his, wanting to be closer to him, closer than she had ever want to be to anyone. One of his hands cupped her head, brushing stray locks of hair from her face and holding the kiss, the other cradling her, place in the small of her back, supporting her. Korra threw one arm around his neck, pining her to him, while the other lay plastered against his chest, picking up the racing of his hear beneath his soaking tunic.

"Korra…I…" his words were choked and for the first time in his life Iroh was lost for eyes, his body, his actions had conveyed it all, but he still felt the need to tell her exactly how he felt.

"Korra.."

"Korra! General Iroh!" Bolin screeched, dashing across the piers to reach them, followed by Asami, Mako and several of Iroh's Officers.

"Man thank the spirits you guys are alright! We just got back. We've been searching for you all night," Bolin panted when he finally reached the two.

"We were just about to go out searching again," Asami added.

"Yeah once we broke free of the Equalist, we headed straight here," Korra stated, clutching Iroh's hand firmly in her own.

"So they did capture you," Mako asked, eyes searching Iroh and Korra, narrowing at the sight of their clasped hands. "Can't believe you got away," he sniffed, averting his eyes from the two and spinning to head back to the ship, shoulders hunched in a visible pout, eyes fuming.

"Yes well we had too. You see…I made a promise," Iroh said, giving Korra's hand a tight squeeze.