Death was supposed to be peaceful. That's what she'd always heard. She expected to drift off to sleep, then wake up as a baby somewhere in the Earth Kingdom, safe and happy, ready to become the next Avatar. Or else wake up somewhere in the spirit world, ready to train that baby to be a better Avatar than she was able to be. Instead she drifted back into pain; agonizing, suffocating pain. She didn't even know what hurt anymore. She could barely tell which sensations were coming from where. Her whole body seemed to be immersed in pain. Every kind of pain imaginable plagued some part of her body, aching, burning, stabbing, searing. The sensations ranged from dull discomfort to sharp agony, and everything in between.

Before she could open her eyes she felt another sensation, one she wasn't used to, a soft touch. Someone had a hand on her's. She could hear a man's rough breathing next to her. So close. Too close. They were back. She had been recaptured. She knew it. Unable to control herself, she started screaming. The hand jerked away. Korra writhed in her bed, though she knew it was no use. Moving only caused her more pain. Screaming seared her already burning lungs, but she had to try to get away. She kicked and punched and screamed as she felt hands grasp her wrists trying to hold her still.

"Korra!" A man's worried voice shouted, "Korra, wake up. Open your eyes! It's me!" She recognized the voice, but her brain couldn't process the words. She fought harder. She wouldn't be imprisoned again! She wouldn't! She was meant to die. She was meant to be reincarnated, to leave this broken body. "Korra, please. TENZIN! PEMA! SOMEBODY!" His voice shouted frantically, arms wrapped around Korra and held her tight, she tried to pull away. It hurt, everything hurt, the added pressure from the stranger's arms just intensified the pain. "Korra, open your eyes. You're safe. I won't let anyone hurt you! Korra, wake up! TENZIN! HELP! Please, Korra, just look at me. It's Mako, you're safe. You're at the Air Temple. PEMA! JAI-LI! Korra, stop. Amon can't hurt you now."

Some of the words registered in Korra's panicking mind. Korra, her name. Tenzin, Pema, Mako; those words meant safety, friendship, love. Amon; that word meant pain and danger, more torment more agony.

Her lungs seemed to explode in her chest. She couldn't remember when, but her screams had turned to coughs as thick, choking liquid filled her mouth. The hands flew from her wrists.

A hand rubbed her back. "It's okay, Korra, hold on." After a few minutes or maybe a few hour, Korra couldn't tell, she finally managed to open her eyes. She could see the arm of a coat, speckled with the blood she was continuing to cough up. She looked up to see Mako's worried face, he was still shouting for help. He was the one holding her; it was his steady hand that was trying to calm her coughing fits.

Tenzin rushed through the doorway to the other side of Korra's bed and started helping Mako rub her back. "It's okay, Korra." He said in a frantic voice that told Korra nothing was okay at all. "Try to calm down. You're home."

A group of Air Acolytes hurried in, pushing Tenzin and Mako out of their way. Korra knew some of them, but some she only barely recognized.

Korra felt water enter her body. She felt as if she was drowning. She gasped and struggled against the Acolytes. One shushed her and gently touched her face in a motherly gesture. Though the pain in Korra's chest didn't disappear, it dulled as she felt the water being pulled out and her coughing ceasaed She gasped for air, but merely breathing was harder than normal. She collapsed back into the bed, feeling exhausted. Mako sat next to her again, not seeming to mind the blood on his coat, or the already forming bruise on his cheek. Had she hit him? She must have, she had been throwing punches in every direction.

"Just relax now," he told her, his fingers brushing the hair from her forehead. She recoiled at his touch. She couldn't help but be wary. Every touch for the past month has resulted in pain.

"It's okay," he assured her with pain in his eyes, "You're hurt really bad. You have to take it easy for a while, but I promise no one will hurt you again."

"Mako..." She whispered, her voice was hoarse and her throat protested letting the word out. "My bending..."

"Don't worry about that now." Tenzin said. "You just need to focus on getting better for the time being."

"We'll find a way to get your bending back." Mako promised. "And we'll make Amon pay for what he did to you. But for now you need to rest."

"Now that she's awake," proclaimed one of the healers, "we should try to get some food in her. It's amazing she hasn't died of starvation already."

"I'll have Pema bring something up." Tenzin agreed. "You should eat as well Mako, and sleep too."

"I'm good for a few more hours," Mako said. Tenzin gave him a disapproving look but didn't argue. Korra felt guilty, when was the last time the firebender had slept? How long has he been sitting at her bedside? Hours? Days? Weeks? No. The pain was too fresh. Still, she couldn't have been at the Air Temple for more than a day or two.

People started to filter out of the room. One healer put her hand on Mako's shoulder, "Don't let her get too worked up."

Mako went to stroke her cheek, but again she recoiled at his touch. He withdrew his hand, she wondered if she had hurt his feelings. "I'm sorry." He murmured.

"No..." Korra tried to explain, she wanted to say it wasn't his fault. She wanted to assure him that she wanted him there; she wanted to enjoy his touch. But contact with another human just made her think of everything that they had done to her. She wanted to explain this, but her body wouldn't cooperate. The only sentence that she could form was a very weak, "Not your fault."

"I was so afraid I'd never see you again." Mako told her. "You have to promise me you'll get better. Please. No matter what, you can't give up."

Korra felt tears come to her eyes. How could she make that promise when she felt every part of her body dying? She'd lost her bending; wouldn't it be better if she did die? She couldn't bend anymore. The word needed an Avatar, not a broken girl who had lost everything. Part of Korra wanted to die quickly, she didn't want to suffer anymore. But looking up at Mako and his desperate face, his pleading eyes, she couldn't let herself leave him.

"I promise." She whispered.

Author's note: I would like to thank my beta again, dares to dream, thank you to everyone who's read this far, especially those who reviewed. Keep telling me what you think. The next chapter will be up soon and feature either Bolin or Asami