Sorry for the delay, guys. Been busy graduating from high school and stuff! :) Home stretch, last week! If anyone has advice and stuff on how to go about this college transition stuff, please send me a PM! I'd love to hear from you!


Korra sat wedged against Amon's back, her chin bobbing against his shoulder blade as Naga lumbered along across the snow. She yawned, blinking in the faint starlight filtering down from the clear indigo sky.

The freighter hadn't docked until the sun had gone down. From there it had been a simple matter to slip away undetected. Even with Naga's size, she remained easily camouflaged with her white hide against the snowy backdrop. As Korra still didn't know the way to Haya's tiny, out-of-the-way village, she resigned herself to counting landmarks—there weren't many—and struggling not to fall asleep as the night dragged on. Finally, Amon's voice snapped her alert.

"There. Just up ahead."

Korra straightened and squinted through the darkness. Her heart soared. Finally, she could stretch her aching legs. Just over the icy rise a dark column of smoke spiraled up into the night sky.

"What town is that?"

"Haku," he replied, reining Naga in as they drew closer. They crested the small hill and paused for a moment to appraise their surroundings. Korra's brow furrowed.

It could hardly be called a town. Crude igloos, covered in dry animal pelts, strewn together like a haphazard necklace around an icy main street. A few stray dogs lounged around, scavenging in the crates and boxes stacked behind the little dwellings. One looked up and growled at their approach.

"This is it?" Korra asked incredulously. "This is where you grew up?"

"Yes," he replied, coaxing Naga down the slope. "Now try not to be rude. This town doesn't often take kindly to strangers."

"I'm never rude," she grumbled, but rested her chin against his shoulder with a faint stirring of anxiety. This was the farthest away she'd ever been from home. With her once worst enemy, in his hometown. She wondered why she hadn't had any second thoughts before now.

Amon pulled Naga to a stop before the felt-lined door of the igloo on the furthest edge of the little village. He swung down off the saddle, and Korra made to get off as well, but he gripped her shoulder and pressed her back down.

"Stay here. I'll speak with her."

"But—"

"Do you want this to work or not, Avatar?" His voice was clipped, and she realized he was probably just as tired as she was. Flashing him a trademark pout, she relented and slumped back in the saddle while he picked his way over the snow to the little igloo.

He raised his hand to tap against the ice, but the felt-door was brushed aside before he could even get a chance to knock. An old woman stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the orange light of a fire deep inside the igloo—the source of the smoke, Korra realized—and looked up at them. Piercing blue eyes gleamed from a dark and heavily lined face, and her snowy crown of hair glowed around her like a halo in the soft firelight.

"Noatak," she said. There was no inflection in her voice, only smooth recognition.

"Haya." Amon hesitated. "We're sorry to disturb you so late, but there's an urgent matter that needs to be—"

"Oh, I know why you're here." Haya stepped out, opening the door a little wider, and her bright blue eyes found Korra. A soft smile graced her weathered lips. "The Avatar, in my humble village. But I suppose you must be hungry after your journey. Please, do come in."

Korra gaped at her. "Wait—how did you…?"

Haya eyed her shrewdly. "Do you think you are the only one who receives visions from the Spirits, child? Oh no. I've known you were coming for a long time now. A threat such as the one brewing in Republic City needs to be addressed, and quickly. Noatak was right to send you to me. I might provide you with the one way with which you can defeat this new Tamashi warrior." She pushed the door wider still. "But enough talk out in the open like this. My fire's heat is escaping. Now, are you coming in or not?"

Korra and Amon exchanged a glance. Haya eyed them both evenly. Then, slowly, Korra slid down off Naga's saddle and entered the igloo.

Amon lay awake in the darkness, staring up at the soft glow of the moon through the igloo ceiling. His mind swirled with the surprising and perplexing events of the evening.

Haya had indeed been shown their arrival by the Spirits, for she seemed to know all about the proceedings in Republic City and Lue's dangerous new turn for the Revolution. She settled the polar bear dog outside in a small storage lean-to she had available, then fixed them a hasty supper of sea prune stew. Her hospitality was warm and welcoming, and against his will Amon found himself letting his guard down and relaxing. Korra bantered easily with the woman, having a natural knack for making new friends, and the two of them seemed to hit it off right away.

Once Haya had finished putting away the dishes from their brief meal, she showed them where they could stay. The igloo had only two rooms, the main room that contained Haya's simple bed and dinner table, and the side room that held nothing but a stiff cotton mattress that stretched from narrow wall to narrow wall.

"I'm sorry I don't have much more to offer you," she apologized. "Haku isn't a town accustomed to having guests. Mine's the only igloo with even a spare room, as I often entertain friends from the neighboring village. Make yourselves at home." She nodded to Korra. "We will start training in the morning, Avatar. I look forward to see where your skills lie."

And then she left them. Amon swallowed. This… had not been what he'd been expecting. The woman's open hospitality, her foreknowledge of their coming, the… single bed. He swallowed again, a little harder this time.

"Er," Korra said, thinking along the same lines. "There's not exactly room for one of us to sleep on the floor this time."

He forced himself to appear cool and collected. No need to make the situation more awkward than it already was. "I'll keep to the left if you'll keep to the right."

"Okay." Korra sank gratefully to the mattress and kicked off her boots, burrowing beneath the thick fur blankets with a yawn that would put a hippopotamus-bear to shame.

Amon hesitated for a moment, and then turned and blew out the candle sitting on the small ledge of ice by the doorway. The sounds of Haya's moving about the igloo on the other side of the thin pelt door had quieted—she'd already gone to bed. She obviously had absolute trust in these strangers sleeping in her house. He wondered if she knew who he really was. He had a feeling she knew more than she was letting on.

Brushing aside any lingering thoughts of doubt he had about this mission, he settled to the bed and stretched out in the darkness beside Korra, maintaining a safe distance. He listened to the sounds of the village. A dog was howling in the distance, somewhere, most likely outside the town line. A soft, eerie wind whistled over the domed roof, skating over the ice with a low hiss. Shivering, he pulled the furs up over himself and rolled to his side, letting his eyes fall closed. He could feel the exhaustion of the day seeping through his body, his muscles taut and overextended, aches and pains from the long, stiff-backed ride in the freighter rippling up his spine. He wondered idly what sort of training Haya had for Korra tomorrow. The Avatar was no doubt as exhausted and sore as himself. He didn't envy her the following morning, having to get up and start whatever vigorous routine the spirit bender had set out for her.

A sudden warmth beside his hand made him tense up. Korra had moved beside him, brushing the edge of her finger against his wrist, whether unconsciously or consciously he did now know. He listened to the tone of her breathing. She didn't sound asleep.

For some reason he could not explain, his heart began to beat faster. He berated himself for it. It had been an accident. She reached out in her tiredness, not thinking about whoever it was that lay next to her. Perhaps her weary mind was thinking of the firebender. He tried to talk his racing heart down from its precipice, but the traitorous organ would not respond.

Slowly, careful not to make a sound, he brushed his hand against hers, just as subtly as she had to his. He thought he heard a soft sigh from somewhere in the darkness, and her fingers slid against his palm, interweaving with his, warm and soft.

There was no way she could not be awake.

He lay there silently in the darkness, listening to the sound of her breathing soften and even out. Her had was warm and small in his, and impossibly soft. He ought to move away, he knew, but he couldn't bring himself to break the contact.

This was dangerous. He knew it from the odd rhythm of his heart in his throat, from the way a slow, smoldering fire had begun working its way up his chest. He was falling for her. He'd sworn to himself that he wouldn't fall and he was plummeting hard. He rolled over to face her in the dark. He could just make out the soft spill of moonlight over her face, silver against her mocha skin. A dark strand of hair lay curled against her silken cheek, moving just slightly as she stirred in her sleep. Warm breath trickled out from elusively parted lips, her lashes fluttering as she dreamed. His throat tightened. Hadn't he prepared himself for this? Hadn't he decided to guard himself against her charms, against her. He knew this was wrong. And yet, every day he was falling faster. He thought back to his behavior along their trip here and winced. He could see it now, the signs of his downfall. The way his mind had replayed over and over that frantic kiss at the Equalist rally. The way his lips itched to reenact that burning fire that had taken him over, his traitorous streak of mischief when he'd teased her back in their makeshift cave. Kissing her like he had… he'd told himself it had all been meant to throw her off balance, to keep her guessing, but he was only fooling himself. He was beyond saving, hopelessly too far gone.

Korra murmured in her sleep and rolled toward him, her warm body pressing itself against his chest. He stiffened. She sighed and tucked her head up beneath his chin, curling her hands in his tunic. Her warm breath tickled the bare skin of his neck, sending a frenzy of tingles through his body. He could just barely feel the soft tip of her nose against his collarbone.

Crap. He sucked in a breath to calm himself, but only succeeded in inhaling her sweet, earthy scent. His head went light. It was all he could do not to wrap his arms around her and pull her snug against him, bury his face in her hair and never let her go again.

Instead, he tried to move away from her, but she must have unconsciously felt the movement, for her arm suddenly went around his waist, clinging to him like a small child might. She murmured again and wiggled closer, pressing her nose into the hollow of his throat. He caught his breath.

For a long, still moment, all he could do was absorb the feeling of her heartbeat, a sweet, steady staccato against his own uneven, racing rhythm. Then, ever so slowly, he allowed his arms to slide around her, his chin settling to the top of her head. He closed his eyes, marveling at the impossible way she fit so naturally there.

Oh yes, he'd fallen. And he didn't how to get back up.

"So what's first? Are you going to show me how to spirit bend? What is that exactly? Can I learn it in a week? Is it really powerful? Is it like firebending?"

Haya smiled at Korra's incessant stream of questions, and held up a hand to stop her. The three of them sat cross-legged in the snow outside her igloo home, practically glowing in the brilliant light of the northern sun. Korra fidgeted, while the two older Water Tribers sat with practiced stillness.

"Spirit bending is neither firebending nor water, nor air or earth. It is its own element. Similar to energybending, in a way, but it extends far deeper into the soul, manipulates a person's essence." Korra shifted uncomfortably. That sounded an awful lot like bloodbending… manipulating someone against their will. "It is not a power to be taken lightly. Once you spirit bend, you can never go back. So I ask you, Avatar Korra—are you ready for this burden?"

Korra swallowed. Her eyes flickered to Amon, but he'd fixed his gaze on the snow by his feet. So, he was leaving her on her own. She took a deep breath.

"Yes," she whispered. "I'm ready."

Haya stood, brushing her hands together in a brisk clap. "Good. Now, I need to head to the market to pick up some ingredients. I expect a good three hours worth of meditation from the lot of you by the time I get back."

Korra jumped to her feet. "Wait, what? You're leaving? I can't just sit here and meditate all day! I don't even know how to meditate! Tenzin always told me I sucked!"

Haya held up a hand. "To master the delicate art of spirit bending, one must first master the delicate internal balance of her own spirit. Meditation is key to attaining a proper sanctum for a Tamashi. Noatak, you are to be her instructor in this area. You are a waterbender, are you not?"

He blinked, looking like a cow deer caught in the beams of a sato's headlights. "Well, yes, but I—"

"Then you are to be her teacher. Waterbenders are perhaps the only people in the four nations that have learned to master the state of inner calm with such success. You will teach her, prepare her for her training to come. I will be back."

"But—" Korra stumbled after her. "I can't…"

But Haya was already walking briskly away across the snow, toward the main street, without a backward glance. Korra stood, fuming after her for several moments, before turning back to Amon.

"Was she always like this?"

He looked as dumbstruck as she. "I haven't the faintest idea. I didn't many sides of her when I was a boy."

With a huff, Korra returned to his side and plopped down on the snow, crossing her legs and resting her fists on her knees.

"Fine. Show me how to meditate."

"It is not something that can be shown," he replied. "It must be discovered."

Korra rolled her eyes. "Fine. Then help me discover it."

He couldn't hide a smile at her petulance. "Shut your eyes."

"What—"

"Just shut them, Korra. Do you wish to learn this or not?"

With an icy glare, she complied, closing her eyes and sitting stiff-backed beside him. He could feel the tension spilling off of her.

"Now relax."

"I am relaxed."

He knew that laughing would probably only infuriating her more. "No, you are not. Here, like this." He reached out to her, and she gasped when he laid a hand against her stomach. Her eyes flew open.

"What are you doing?"

"Relax. I'm going to help you breathe. Close your eyes."

Her blue eyes were tense with wariness, but she reluctantly closed them again, the muscles of her stomach tense under his palm. Amon closed his own eyes, breathing in deeply.

"You are too tense," he said. "Here. Relax every muscle in your body, feel the chi flowing through you, coalescing just beneath my hand. Let it flow, don't try to block it."

He felt her body slowly melt against his touch, her breathing deepening. "Good," he praised her. "That's it. Now, direct your focus not outward, but inward. Feel the beating of your heart, the rhythm of your breath. Don't think. Simply be."

Her lips twitched in frustration. "I don't think I'm doing it right."

"You needn't do anything at all. All that is required is to breathe in and out, to release your mind and let your spirit be free."

Korra gritted her teeth and tried to focus on the sound of his voice, what he was telling her, and for a moment, she thought she got it. She breathed in, breathed out, felt herself relaxing…

And then her mind began to take over. She thought of the new threat of the Equalists, thought of Mako's indignation with her for her newfound friendship with her former enemy, thought of… thought of the way that former enemy's lips had tasted during that panicked kiss in the Equalists' weapons room…

She opened her eyes. Amon sat beside her, his face blank and relaxed in the depths of meditation. She allowed herself to study his features in the bright morning sunlight. He looked younger than his brother, she realized, and with his face so relaxed as it was he seemed to have lost ten years of the stress and tension that usually clouded his features. Smooth tan eyelids, closed now, but she new curtained the most stunning blue eyes she'd ever seen. She'd never thought she'd liked blue eyes before—she'd always thought Mako's golden ones were the prettiest ones she'd ever seen, but that morning when she'd seen Amon sitting beside her bed in the healing wing after she woke up… she realized she'd been wrong. High-set cheekbones and a proud nose set over full lips and a strong jaw. A dark, somewhat messy hairline… and Korra suddenly felt the ridiculous urge to run her fingers through it… which she resisted, of course.

She shut her eyes and tried to force herself to relax again, but she was just wound way too tight. All this was too much. She needed a release. She needed to shoot a barrage of firebending at someone and just burn away all this tension and stress.

"You're not concentrating," he said, startling her.

Korra opened her eyes again. His were still closed, but he seemed to have sensed her stiffness, the strain in her muscles.

"I can't do it," she huffed.

A smirk twisted his lips. "Ah. The world's famous Avatar is defeated by something as simple as mediation. If only I'd have known this weakness sooner."

Korra glared at him, wanting wipe that smug grin right off his stupid face. With just the smallest twitch of her finger, she pulled up a sphere of swirling snow from the ground, melting it in one fluid motion, and hurled it at his face.

He coughed, choking in surprise, and blinked the water out of his eyes to stare at her. Water streamed down his face, his dark hair plastered to his forehead. Korra guffawed.

"And the stunning display of your maturity continues," he said dryly.

"Oh, come on," she laughed. "It was just a little water."

"Just a little water?" he said, a dangerous note in his deep voice. "I'll show you a little water."

And before she could react, a tornado of snow crashed into her face, spinning her backward across the ice. She coughed and spluttered, the half-melted water clinging to her face, and shook her hair free of the snow. With a cry of mock outrage she bent a stream of water at him, hosing him right between the eyes. Then she squealed when he lunged for her, bending two roaring spheres of ice water around her and bursting them over her head. The shock of the cold stole her breath away, but she was laughing even without air. Gathering all the water in the snow around her, she shot back an icy blast, but he was already dodging. She squeaked in surprise when he hit her in the side, his momentum knocking them both backward across the snow. The water sphere she'd been gathering above her for a second strike broke, dousing them both. Coughing and blinking her eyes clear, Korra looked up… straight into his blue eyes. Her breath caught.

He was closer than she'd realized. She lay flat on her back on the snow, he crouched atop her, his hands supporting himself on either side of her face. They were both out of breath, their noses mere inches apart. Korra's heart starting to race, beating against her chest like a trapped butterfly-sparrow. She swallowed. She should roll out from under him, get up, move back into the house. She shouldn't just lie here like this. She shouldn't just… but she didn't want to move. She wanted to lie there staring into those blue depths forever. They were mesmerizing. Heart stopping.

She didn't realize that the space between their faces had thinned to just a sliver, no more than an inch apart. She could feel the warmth of his breath dancing over her lips, tantalizing and heady. She fought to keep her head clear. And then, ever so slowly, Amon closed the gap.

His lips touched hers gently at first, warm and smooth and frightening all at the same time. Korra closed her eyes. She tried to stay coherent, tried to keep her head from swirling into a stupor, trying not to give in to the sensations rocketing around her body. She felt his hand reach up to cup her cheek as he gently lowered himself atop her, his lips growing firmer, more insistent. And Korra gave in. Her hand slipped up to twist in the dark hair at the base of his neck, her other palm rising to smooth itself across his chest. A low rumble sounded in the back of his throat, and his teeth just lightly grazed her lower lip.

And then her mind took over again, and she panicked. The hand on his chest turned to all nails and claws, shoving him off with all her might. He gasped in surprise and lurched backwards as she shoved him, falling sideways to the snow. Korra took a ragged breath. Her mind was a stormy haze. Picking herself up off the ground, she whirled and stormed toward Haya's igloo.

"Korra!" He recovered in half a second, catching her by the wrist. "What did I do?"

A harsh laugh tore from her lips. "Don't start!" she snarled. "You know exactly what you did!"

"You kissed me back!"

"I—" she tried to jerk her arm from his grasp, to no avail. "I was just startled. That wasn't kissing back. That was just—just…"

He laughed, but it wasn't a pleasant sound. "What would you call it, Korra? You're going to deny there's been something… between us?"

"No! Yes!" Korra shoved him back. "There—there's nothing…" Spirits, why did he always reduce her to a stuttering, pathetic excuse for an Avatar? "You know what, you're a real jerk!" She jabbed a finger into his chest. "You've been playing around with me from the moment we started this stupid mission. I've had enough of your messed-up games!"

"I've played no games."

"Ha! Kissing me back in Naga's cave and then pretending like nothing ever happened? Then deliberately trying to push my buttons? Then acting like everything's all fine and dandy again… By Yue, you're sending out so many mixed signals I can't even tell what your real intentions are anymore!"

"My real intentions," he repeated, his voice a low growl.

"Yes! I mean, I could deal with that kiss if you'd just made yourself a little clearer instead of just—"

She was cut off abruptly when he suddenly grabbed her by the hips and slammed her against the igloo wall, crushing her lips with his own. This was nothing like the last two times he'd kissed her. This was fierce, and aggressive, a raw passion barely contained, held in check by the thinnest of gates and simmering with frightening intensity. One hand slid up her waist as he held her in place with his body, his powerful frame crushing her into the wall while he reached up to tangle his fingers in her hair. Korra's hands, pinned to the ice wall above her head, jerked in his grip as she struggled to stay above the rising tide of heat that threatened to overtake her. She felt his tongue invade her mouth, strong and hot, gliding across her teeth as his lips bruised hers. His teeth closed on her lower lip, and a flash of pain tingled through her, just sharp enough to send a rush of fire surging into her belly.

Finally, he released her mouth, but not her body, leaving her gasping. Blue eyes burned into hers.

"Does that make clear to you my intentions, Avatar?"

Korra just struggled to regain her breath, staring at him with wide eyes. Her heart hammered so loudly in her ears she wasn't aware of any other sound, save the ragged tint of his breathing mingling with hers.

"I…" she rasped. She couldn't choke out any more.

His eyes ticked between hers, gauging her expression. Then, more slowly this time, he lowered his mouth to take hers. This kiss was much gentler, and Korra found herself reciprocating, moving her lips in synchronization with his. His right hand, which had been gripping her wrists in one viselike fist above her head, moved to cup the back of her neck, tilting her head back to deepen the kiss. Her hands, now free, moved to press palm-flat against his chest, soaking up the burning warmth of his body. For several heady moments, the only thing in Korra's world was the sound of both their hearts beating as one, the feel of his breath in her mouth, the gentle scrape of his teeth along her lip.

He drew back, just slightly, trailing his lips down the edge of her mouth to her jaw, then down across her neck. Korra shivered, a low moan whispering from her throat.

"Do you deny what we have now?" Amon murmured against the hollow of her throat, his lips tickling against the sensitive skin there. She swallowed, his throat bobbing against the bridge of his nose.

"I…" she struggled to form coherent words. "I don't know." She shut her eyes as he kissed along the delicate curve of her throat, a tremor rippling through her. His lips left a trail of liquid fire in their wake.

"Amon," she gasped. "We can't do this—"

He dragged his lips back up to her mouth, catching her mid-sentence. Korra's resolve weakened, and she melted against him. When he finally let her go again, they were both trembling. Her breath shuddered in her chest. Amon centered his forehead on hers, keeping his gaze fixed on her mouth.

"You're right," he whispered. "We can't do this."


Yeah, I know. Hate me. It's kind of a sucky cliffhanger, but I need some feedback before I can proceed. :) I need you guys for this! Okay, so don't worry, the plot is slowly coming to a head; I'll need every one of you to PLEASE drop a review, because… ta da! I'm putting this next plot twist up to a vote! I know I said Bosami in the summary, but I might want to chagne that depending on what y'all decide. What would you like next? Cuz it's going to be imperative to the story:

1. Bosami

2. Masami

3. Irosami

Also, shoot me a review or an email as to what you guys would like to see with spirit bending, cuz honestly right now I only have a vague idea as to how it's going to work. Most of you guys have had brilliant ideas in the past, and I'd love to see more! :) PLEASE REVIEW!

Love you guys! —Sunny