This chapter is pretty short but it's also an important one. It's basically the intro to chapter 8 which will be an extremely important chapter. Chapter 8 is going to give lots of answers/explain things. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Enjoy! (:


12.26.12 12:31am

Korra watched Amon's chest slowly rise and fall with each breath. There was a full moon out and not a cloud in the sky. Stars twinkled in the darkness above her. The universe was so bright and awe inspiring with no city lights to block it out. But Korra didn't pay it any attention. She could only stare at the man laying next to her.

After trying to heal him, Korra and Amon raided the rest stop. They encountered only a few Others and disposed of them easily. Korra had been able to find blankets and pillows stored in one of the back offices while Amon had raided the vending machines for their dinner.

Amon hadn't spoken a word to her.

When the night descended, Amon had made a pallet in the bed of the truck. He didn't even look at Korra before laying down, leaving just enough space for her to join him. Amon had been laying with his back to her but after falling asleep, his body turned to where he was now lying face up.

Korra's eyes darted to Amon's scarred face. Her fingers reached out as if to touch the pink skin but she didn't dare. Amon had proven to be a light sleeper. Korra was afraid to wake him. She didn't want to see the pain or betrayal in his eyes. The anger she could handle. But the hurt? Korra only wished she could take it all back. She wished she had never even been given the powers in the first place.

Every now and then, Amon's body would twitch. He acted as though he were in a nightmare. Korra sensed he was flinching away from hot flames in his dream.

How could Amon ever forgive her for this? How could she live with herself? She had hurt the one person who had only tried to protect her.

Korra sighed and rolled over onto her back to look up at the night sky. There wasn't very much room for them to be laying shoulder to shoulder. Her arm pressed into his. Korra quickly checked to ensure the contact hadn't woken him up before returning her gaze to the stars.

The nights were getting warmer, but only just a bit, the further south they traveled. The cool breeze on Korra's face was refreshing. Her body was getting hot under the blanket but she didn't want to move. She wanted to stay next to Amon.

What would he say in the morning? Would he leave her?

Korra wouldn't blame him if he did. With a sigh, Korra closed her eyes, seeking rest. She couldn't sleep. She'd had a close call with death only hours earlier yet all she could think about now was Amon.

"What have I done?" Korra whispered as she covered her face with her hands. How could she have been so careless? Whatever these powers were, she needed to control them. If she weren't careful, the next time she used them, she or Amon could wind up dead.

Next time?

Korra stretched her arms out at full length, feeling the strength. She stared at the hands above her head.

Will there even be a next time?

Korra studied her long, thin fingers. She had never truly looked at her hands. They were just tools to her. But looking at them now, Korra hated them. She hated the way the muscles danced underneath her skin as she moved her fingers. She hated the short nails and the tiny freckle just below the knuckle of her right thumb. Those hands had caused pain and destruction. They had hurt someone she had grown to care very deeply about. Maybe Korra didn't love Amon, but he had gotten closer then anyone else could possibly get and Korra had betrayed him.

No. There will not be a next time.

With a deep sigh, Korra dropped her arms and turned to curl into Amon's side. She rested her head on his chest, not caring if she woke him or not.

Amon had said he loved her. Could such a thing be possible? They had only known each other for just a couple days. Yet Korra had already concluded that time was different in the New World. Could love grow in that short amount of time? Korra had thought love was an impossible thing in the New World. She had hardened her heart against the thought. But now Amon had come and changed things. She was no longer alone. She had a companion that she cared about. But could Korra ever love him?

The darkness held no answers. There was only one thing Korra could be sure about. She needed Amon. It wasn't love but was it enough?

"Please don't leave me, Amon." Korra whispered in the fabric of Amon's shirt before closing her eyes and falling asleep to the beat of his heart.

12.26.12 12:43am

Amon felt Korra's body heat next to him. He remained still as she rested her head on his chest.

"Please don't leave me, Amon." Her soft voice was filled with pain and sorrow; it sent a stab of guilt through his heart.

Amon waited until he could tell Korra was asleep by the sound of her even breathing. Rolling to his side, Amon pulled Korra's thin frame into his arms.

How could Amon tell her he wasn't mad at her but at himself? How could he explain to her the fear he carried inside? The fear which had crippled him. When he'd seen the Others closing in on her, Amon had been frozen in place with fear. He'd known he wouldn't make it to her in time. But that was no excuse. He should have done better, run faster. Instead, he'd been frozen in his tracks for those few precious moments. Korra's body had reacted on instinct, on pure survival instinct. The radiation must have done something to the cells in her body, given her some kind of power. Amon couldn't make sense of it but it had saved Korra's life.

Amon's arms tightened around Korra's body as he remembered just how close he had come to losing her hours earlier.

Yes, the powers had saved her. But what if they were also putting Korra in danger? Amon had gotten what he deserved. He would bare the scars on his face. It was a price he would pay. He had failed Korra, broken his promise to protect her with his life.

"Oh, Korra. I will never leave you." Amon whispered as he leaned his forehead against hers.

Amon needed Korra now. She was the only silver lining in this dark New World. Without her by his side, what was the point in fighting?

But how to tell her these things without terrifying her?

Amon had tried to confess his love for Korra and it backfired. More than that. It exploded in his face and almost tore his life apart.

Amon was in love with Korra. But she did not love him. That was clear now. Amon had thought perhaps there was a chance she could return his affections but he had been a fool. Korra saw him as nothing more than a companion, someone to have her back in a fight. And someone to fulfill her body's desires.

In Amon's former life, he had never been used. In fact, he was the one doing the using. Women's faces blurred together as he thought back on all the one night stands he'd experienced. No one had ever challenged him. No one had ever caused him to stop and stare. Amon would visit bars, get drunk until he couldn't feel the pain of his memories, and then find a body to warm his bed.

Korra had come into his life like a meteor shooting across the night sky. She saved him both physically and mentally. He had been lost, roaming the dry desert of his life and she had brought the cold, refreshing water.

Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes as Amon realized she would never- could never return his love.

Without his realizing it, a hardness began to grow in Amon's heart that night. It was just a small black spot on his heart. But it was there, digging its roots into his veins, waiting for its chance.

"Amon! Wake up!" A shrill voice is yelling at me somewhere close by. I try to ignore it. I just want to sleep without any thinking at all.

"Get up!" The voice shrieks. "I have no time to wait for your human body to become aware."

I have no idea what this crazy woman is screaming about but I open my eyes anyways. I figure the faster I pretend to listen to her, the faster she'll leave me alone.

"What?" I growl in her general direction.

I try to focus my eyes on the surroundings but I can't make anything out. A dull gray fog has settled on the ground around me. It turns objects into dark blots. Each time I try to focus on one to turn it into a concrete shape, it blurs and fades away.

"We have much to speak of and hardly enough time." Her high voice draws my attention to her.

She is like a black hole, sucking in all the light around her. A black robe hangs from her tall, slender form as it blows in a breeze that doesn't exist. Her black hair floats around her head as if its alive. Her body hangs in the air at least a foot of the ground. This only causes her to look even taller. Her limbs look too long for a human. But it is her eyes that are the most terrifying thing about her. They glow red, like the fires of hell. As she stares at me, my ears fill with the sound of distant screams.

An evil grin spreads across her face as if she can also hear the cries of pain.

"What do you want from me?" I glare at this strange woman. My body is trying to warn me to run from the danger but somehow my brain knows that running will only make her happy. She wants the chase. No, she loves the chase.

"It's not about what I want. But I'm getting ahead of myself." She waves her long fingered hand in the air as if to clear the slate between us.

"My name is Loh. I think you've met my husband, Koh, in a different lifetime. Among the Spirits he is known as the 'Face Stealer' while I am known as the 'Heart Stealer'."


Wow. Okay. Let me just say that I flipping LOVE Loh. The idea for this little plot twist came from my fic Hidden Inside the Gray. If you've read it, then you have an idea what I'm taking about. If not, you'll find out in the next couple of chapters. Anyways, I know this was a really short chapter compared to the last few that I've posted but I really wanted it to end there. It's parallel to Korra's first dream with Aang. But I should shut up before I give too much away. Let me know what you think! (: