Hiya! Sorry for the wait! (and sorry for the pessimistic attitude in last chapter. x_x) I've kept on debating with myself if this chapter was ready enough to be published and making minor edits while reading and re-reading it. I'm not really sure if I captured adult Aang that well, since I may have made him a bit too serious. Since we hardly see him at all in the first season (sadly! D':), it's hard to get a good idea of how he'd act. Anyway, don't mind my mindless rabblings that I put in my AN's. XD
Reviews are always appreciated! :D
"Aang…"
His lids slowly opened, soft gray eyes warmly embracing her. "Come, sit." She walked over and sat down a few feet in front of him. Warm sunlight illuminated her cocoa colored skin as the cool, moist grass cushioned her. The sweet smell of fresh flowers beginning to blossom wafted into her nostrils, calming her racing heart.
"What happened? How was I sent to the past? Why was I sent to the past? "
Aang smiled. "To answer your first question, you were first in the spirit world for a few moments before being sent to the past. Here, time is nothing. The moment the human world began and the moment it ended are all one. Here, the illusion of the events of the world being separated by hours, days, and years is gone. Sending you back in time to be around young Noatak and Tarrlok was a simple task, though many of the spirits have frowned upon my actions."
"But… How did I appear as a human to them, instead of just being a spirit?"
"That was a very difficult and complex task that required me combining the strength of many of my spirit allies to perform such a thing. Though you may want to know the full detail of the how, it is not essential to what you need to know during this journey to the Spirit World. No, what needs to be discussed is the why."
"Ok… Why?"
"The duties of the Avatar are simple: maintain peace and balance in the world. Unfortunately, many of the past Avatars have interpreted this statement to mean that it's required to actually kill the people who threaten the balance.
"While I was just a child, I was faced with a task that I dreaded-defeating Fire Lord Ozai before the world was consumed by his unrelenting flame. When I asked a few of my past lives for advice, they all told me that I had to kill him in order to end this war.
"I had a difficult time accepting this, but right as I was going to accept this fate, I came across a lionturtle, one of the most ancient and wisest creatures in the human world. He showed me that it is possible to stop your adversaries, but still show mercy to them at the same time. This is what I'm trying to tell you, Korra. Even though bashing in the heads of all who oppose you is very tempting when you are the Avatar, it is not the right thing to do. Instead, it is time to show mercy and restraint."
Korra frowned, not being able to help but feel as if her past life was condemning her. "Aang, thanks for your advice, but no thanks. It's better to not risk having your enemies come back and try to kill you, or have children and try to make them kill you. Now, why did you send me back in time, other than to make me wander around in the wilderness and almost get killed multiple times?"
"Because I needed you to see how there is good in Yakone's sons."
"Why? It's a bit late to tell me that Tarrlok is actually a nice guy who wasn't always so cunning."
"I didn't send you back to see Tarrlok. I sent you back to see Noatak."
"Why? I've never even met Noatak until now!" Korra had to restrain herself from yelling, her impatience nearly unbearable. Aang raised a brow, but continued to speak.
"You actually have, but under a different name. How familiar are you with a man who calls himself Amon?"
The first thing Korra noticed was that she was sprinting away from Aang as far as she could, the second was that Aang wasn't chasing after her, and the third was that an enormous river was quickly approaching. She continued to run, trying to escape what Aang had just told her. Why would he say that? Is this his last resort to get me to not hate Amon?
The leaves and grass hissed at her as heavy footsteps trampled them. She ignored their threats and quickened her pace, shoving aside the fruit and flower laden branches that clawed at her bare arms. Once at the river, she hesitated, unsure if it were safe to dive in. The swift, murky water seemed to growl a warning. While she waited for a sign, her thoughts finally caught up with her actions. What are you doing, Korra? Once you're far away from Aang, where are you going to go? She found herself walking back to Aang. He was still sitting peacefully in the clearing, unsurprised that she had returned so soon. She sat down, still simmering.
"Are you ready to stay put?" His eyes twinkled with amusement.
"Yes…" Korra huffed in reply. "Why did you do all of this? Why didn't you just tell me what I needed to do?"
"Because I knew there was no other way to show you that taking your enemy's life is not the optimum route."
"Well, I guess you wasted my time, because I'm going to take Amon's life and avenge all of the benders who suffered because of him."
"Do you honestly think so?"
Memories of her journey here flashed through her mind. Fighting with Noatak over the smallest things, defeating the saber-toothed moosewolves, talking together under the full moon, the kiss that she quickly broke… Even though she hated to admit it, he was a pretty damn good kisser. I wonder if he still's that goo-Whoa, whoa, whoa. What is wrong with your mind, Korra? You're thinking about kissing a guy as old as Dad! Korra managed to pull her attention back to the question and answered, "…No, I guess not."
Aang smiled. "You're time was not wasted, then."
"So, what do I do now? Even though I won't kill Amon, I still have to stop him and his equalists before my bending is removed!"
"There is another way. Before the Avatar, it was not the elements that were bended, but the energy within ourself. To stop Amon and end the drive to remove bending from the world, you must expose his ability to bend, then remove it from him."
"But… How?"
Aang stood, and Korra followed. He placed one thumb on her chest, the other on her forehead. Pure light momentarily overtook her vision, flooding her senses with warmth as her heart seemed to soar. As soon as the feeling came, it disappointingly left. "To bend the energy within Amon, you must first be sure that yours is unbendable, otherwise you will be corrupted and destroyed. Wait for the opportune moment. It is coming soon."
When her eyes opened, she found herself back in the cell. The sweet, heavy fragrance of the Spirit World vanished as the familiar, but unwelcome, must filled her nostrils once more. Her spine, aching from being stuck in her meditative position for an unknown amount of time, cracked and popped in several places eagerly as she stretched. "Ahh, home sweet home." She grumbled sarcastically, reaching for the cold plate of various shellfish. Well now I know why Amon keeps on giving me water tribe food. She grabbed the cup of water and eagerly gulped down the liquid, soothing her parched throat.
"They always say that home is where the heart is." Korra's head shot up to the corner of the cell that was to her right, trying not to spew out her mouthful of water in surprise. As soon as her eyes adjusting to the poor lighting, the darkly garbed Amon was revealed, his pale mask contrasting sharply with the rest of his dark toned apparel. He leaned calmly against the wall with his arms folded, clearly no longer intimidated by the Avatar. Cocky bastard...
Korra quickly regained her composure and gulped down the water in her mouth. "Tell me, how much do you miss your home up in the Northern Water Tribe, Noatak?"
Amon tensed, but quickly covered over his initial reaction by moving all of his weight onto his feet as he stood up. "I believe you have me mistaken for someone else."
She smirked. "You know, you could've had a good career as a fortune teller instead of being the leader of a terrorist movement. You did a pretty good job at foretelling that you would become a monster."
Amon continued to stay put. Although she couldn't see a thing underneath the eye slits, Korra could feel his death glare boring into her. Shoving down the knot in her throat, she continued to act unafraid.
"So, tell me, Noatak, what was it like to attack your own brother and remove his bending? You know, when I confronted Tarrlok and told him that he was just like you, he went over the deep end because he loathed being compared to you. Guess you didn't succeed in stopping him from-" Korra was cut off as Amon swiftly crossed the short distance between them and struck her across the face.
Blood slowly welled up and began to trickle from her split upper lip, filling her parted mouth with its metallic taste. The left side of her face, which was originally numb from the blow, began to throb, the tempo matching the rapid heartbeat that echoed in her ears. Still in shock, her hand slowly rose up and gently pressed against the injury. Pain stabbed at her face as her fingers only gently brushed against the tender area.
"You need to learn your place, Avatar." He stormed out of the cell, slamming the door hard enough for the ground below her feet to shake.
Korra gaped for a few moments, then slowly changed her expression to a self-satisfied smirk as she began to eat her meal. Even though she had an impressive bruise forming on her face due to Amon punching her, she had won. By his reaction, he had revealed his identity. Tomorrow, he would be forced to admit this
