Korra felt him shudder against her. His teeth were gritted, his whole body stiff. She felt a pang of sympathy. He had gone out of his way to help her. She wished she could do something to help him, too.
The Avatar rolled over so she was face to face with her companion. Even through the shadow of his menacing mask, she could see the way his eyes were clenched shut. After a moment's hesitation, she wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer to her. His tremors ceased. She felt him exhale a small sigh of relief for the warmth, and a strange feeling rose in her chest.
This was her enemy. Amon, the Equalist leader. She was supposed to hate him. She was supposed to be afraid of him. She was destined to win this war and defeat him; he needed to be stopped.
But suddenly, in the chill of this cave, she saw things differently. Yes, he'd been her enemy. But now he was her friend. Her only friend for the time being. Her only way to survive. She needed him.
Korra examined his face in the close proximity. The mask shielded most of him from her, but she could see glimpses of pale skin through the eye slits. She noticed his thick brows and the side burns around his ears.
Korra let her hand wander up to land just below his chin, and it slid beneath the mask, between the skin and the porcelain. The mask was hampering his breathing, and trapping in his body heat, intensifying the temperature of his fever. Maybe he wouldn't mind her helping him out this one time...
Amon opened his eyes. He wasn't sure what had happened, only that his head hurt like nothing he had ever experienced and his body felt like it had been run over by an Equalist tram. He could barely get himself to sit up.
He dragged his hand across his eyes, rubbing the sleep from them. And then he froze.
He expected to feel the coldness of his porcelain mask. But there was nothing.
"Ah, you're awake."
A gentle voice broke him from his growing panic. Amon turned to face its owner.
"You," he hissed, anger rushing through him. His eyes dropped to the mask in her hands. He reached forward to snatch it back from her, but she held it up over her head, teetering back from him. His height would have made it easy to overpower her, had he all his strength. But the fever had weakened him. So he resorted to a low snarl.
"Give it back."
Korra shook her head. "I did this for your own good. You were burning up with fever. You should be thanking me."
Amon saw the genuine concern in her face, and his anger slowly seeped away. He dropped his hand back to his lap.
"I apologize. I had thought—"
"It's okay. Come on, you should eat something." She moved to the small campfire she'd built. He suddenly became aware of the smell of roasting meat. He turned to see a large fish skewered over the flickering flames. He glanced up at Korra, wondering how she'd gotten the food.
As if reading his mind, she said, "You've been out cold for about two days, and I was bored and hungry. I knew it was risky, but I had to do it."
She paused, but then continued, "I took your mask for a reason...I couldn't let you get anymore sick, Am-I mean, Noatak."
Amon let a smile grace his features at the way she hesitatingly said his real name. It widened a bit when he caught a glimpse of the red tint on her dark cheeks.
"Well then, I should thank you. I have not shown my face to anyone." He hesitated. "It only startled me that you were the first to see it."
They sat in comfortable silence for a few more moments before beginning to eat. Even then, they still did not speak.
Korra was too busy trying not to stare at Amon's face. She would throw glances his way every now and then, trying to make it as subtle as possible. He had a strong nose, clear blue eyes—huh, she hadn't noticed the color before through his mask. Long side burns, a firm mouth, dark brows.
And what was worse: he was freakin' handsome.
She jerked her whole face away when he caught her staring. He chuckled softly and she felt her entire face burn with warmth.
"Avatar, if you really wanted to see my face, you could have just asked."
"Would you have shown me?"
He smirked, "Of course not, but it would have been amusing to see you try."
She turned to glare at him, before smiling and giving a small laugh.
Then she blurted out what she'd been thinking since she took the mask.
"You're not scarred." Korra said, and immediately when it left her mouth, she regretted it.
Amon's teasing smirk vanished. His eyes regained their coldness. But all he said was, "Yes, I know."
The air grew thick and uncomfortable. Korra knew it was her turn to apologize, but there was a rage growing within her.
"You lied to everyone," she whispered.
"A very good observation, indeed." He said, adding to the fire.
"Why?"
"Why? Do you think I could win over a crowd as an ordinary man? I needed their sympathy. They needed someone to look up to. Admit it, Avatar, without your bending, you are nothing."
Korra glared at him. She wished she could deny it, but he was right. She was nothing without her bending. She would be as good as dead without her gift.
She reluctantly murmured, "Yes, I would be nothing without my bending, but I'm the Avatar."
"There is no difference. Every bender is the same. They feel they would die without their bending, but do they ever stop to think how the nonbenders feel?"
He paused to let his words sink in. Korra thought about what he had said. He was right, once again. She herself had not bothered to stop and think of all the lives of the nonbenders, why Amon was doing what he was.
She had been brash and stubborn and unthoughtful. Why had it taken her enemy to make her realize her mistakes? Maybe this was why she was so afraid, because she hadn't known the truth. She hadn't bothered to think that the monster behind the mask hadn't always been that way. She hadn't thought that perhaps… he wasn't a monster after all.
"I'm sorry, Noatak." She said, deciding his real name was best. She blinked away the guilty tears in her eyes and managed to smile.
Amon's own expression softened. "Just try to understand," he urged. "Nonbenders are powerless before benders. My mother was a nonbender. My father abused her horribly. I was forced to watch, every day, as he treated her like a slave. That's what she was, to be honest. She was a trophy to him, and once the novelty had worn off, she was left to collect dust."
Korra watched, feeling her heart ache for him. She wanted to know just who did this to him.
"What happened to your mother? Where is she now?"
"She exists only in my memory." He murmured. Korra's face softened.
"Who was your father?"
"...Yakone."
The name brought chills crawling up her spine. She shivered as her eyes went wide, "You… you're Tarrlok's brother?"
He looked at her for a long moment. Then he whispered, "Yes. I am."
The silence filled the cave, and settled between them for a long time. Then, finally Korra stood.
"Well, this is all quite some information, Noatak." She hesitated. "Thanks…for telling me."
Amon felt a warmth begin to grow in his chest. His name rolled so smoothly off Korra's lips, almost as if it was made especially for her to say...
"So. No more secrets?" Korra held out a hand for him to shake.
He smiled at her, and her heart fluttered. "No more secrets."
He took her hand, even as his brain yelled at him to draw back. He couldn't allow himself to get close to the Avatar. She was his enemy. He couldn't afford to feel anything toward her. And yet… something had changed in him. He couldn't deny it.
When he pulled his hand away, Korra missed the lingering warmth of his skin on hers. She gave him a small smile.
"Now what?" she asked.
He regarded her for a moment. Then he turned toward the cave entrance, looking out at the clear snow. "The blizzard is gone," he noted. "The snow's stopped falling. We can begin making our way back to the cabin."
"Already?" There was hint of sadness in her voice, and the two of them were surprised.
Korra straightened her back, flushing at her response. She found it a bit hard to do once she noticed Amon's amused look.
"I mean, I can't wait to get back to Republic City and kick your butt."
Amon only smirked at her. "Likewise." He held out a hand. "Shall we?"
She took it, and hand in hand, they walked from the cave.
Her hand felt so small and warm in his, he resisted the urge to wrap both arms around her. He was alarmed at the direction of his thoughts. The desire to defeat the Avatar was losing its flame.
Korra watched silently as Amon's grip on his mask tightened and he finally strapped it on. A sad feeling grew in her chest and her frown deepened. She knew they could not go on like this. As soon as they reached the cabin, they'd be enemies again. That shouldn't hurt her heart so much, but it did. It felt like someone had dropped a cold stone right in the pit of her stomach.
They had a war to fight. They could not afford a friendship now. Perhaps if they had taken the time to get to know each other more before all of this started, maybe they wouldn't be here right now.
She had liked the sight of his smiling face before her. There was a warmth she felt grow around them whenever he smiled. It was a gentle, welcoming smile. A smile of honesty and kindness. A smile she was afraid she'd never see again.
"Noatak..." She began after they'd traveled a distance from the cave. He glanced down at her, and she caught a glimpse of pain in his eyes. Her heart jolted when she realized he didn't want to leave her either, though of course he'd never admit it.
"I don't want us to be enemies anymore," she blurted.
He sighed softly. "Korra..."
"No, really. I've thought about it, and I don't see much difference between our motives."
"There is nothing we can do. To the world, we are still enemies. We both have very distinct jobs to do."
"But if we work together, we could just stop this war altogether!" She was gripping his arm by now, nails dug deep into his sleeve. He stared at her with concern in his eyes.
"We've been through this. Everyone must be worried about you. We have to go back."
She knew he was right. For the third time that day, Amon was right. Tenzin, Mako, Bolin, and Asami...They were all probably worried sick about her. Mako and Tenzin most of all...
And the City. Were the people afraid for her? What about the Equalists? Neither the citizens nor the revolutionists had their leaders. They'd been left in the lurch.
Korra let go of his hand, and his fingers instantly missed her warmth.
"Fine," she muttered. "Let's just go." She tried to inject some optimism into her voice, peering up into the sky. "At least it'll be a nice day today."
"That doesn't mean there couldn't be storm clouds lurking. We ought to move quickly."
"You know, Noatak, I think you're the storm cloud." Korra huffed, crossing her arms.
"Me?" Amon chuckled.
"Yeah, you're always making everything gloomy."
"Do I make your days gloomy, Avatar?"
"Most of the time, yes. But I am the sunshine and bring joy to the land!" She spread her arms out in front of her, reaching out and feeling the tiny rays of sun that shown through the thick clouds. He couldn't help but laugh at her antics.
Suddenly, she stopped. "What's that?"
"What?" But she was already running off. Rolling his eyes heavenward, Amon followed her at a light jog.
"Is that a shortcut?"
"I don't remember passing a bridge on the way to Tarrlok's cabin."
"Oh come on, maybe it's a shortcut!" She pulled him along by his arm.
He knew it wasn't a shortcut, but perhaps if he just agreed this one time, her curiosity would die down enough so they wouldn't have any more distractions. And besides, he had to admit, he wanted more time with her.
He let her drag him along to the bridge.
"You're more curious then I had expected." He admitted.
Korra shot him a brilliant smile, and his breath caught in his throat. "You've only scratched the surface of who I am."
It wasn't until he set foot on the 'bridge' that the first thrill of danger coursed through him. They felt something move beneath their feet.
"Korra, I don't think this is a bridge..."
Author's Note: Ahh! Another chapter! I hope you guys liked it, annnddd! Thank you, sunnyontheheights! As always. Till next time, guys!
