Disclaimer - Don't own it. Bryke does. I'm not Bryke.

a/n - Damn, so sorry about not posting this sooner. Been very busy. This ain't dead, I promise.

An especially *interesting* chap for yall. Sorry for making you all endure that cliffy.

Chapter 13 - Last man standing

There was no way to have prepared the young Avatar for the multitude of responses her body would have to her bending coming back. By some invisible force of nature, it was decidedly granted back to her. Korra's subconscious could barely handle keeping the Avatar upright as not only her body, but her mind was released from the hell of not being able to bend.

The veins throughout Korra's body that had previously felt empty opened up, a sensation washing through her as her entire being was made aware of even the smallest drop of liquid within a good fifty feet of her. She was suddenly conscious of a sewer somewhere below her, the pipeworks of Republic City becoming a compelling maze to her senses. Not only that, but she felt the trembling of the earth, the hard concrete of the foundation of the building they were in, and how the ravenous onlookers stamped their feet at the stone in anticipation for Amon's next move. On top of these euphoric sensations that left her speechless, Korra's body suddenly came alive in a swell of fire from deep within her as her internal heating system flipped back on.

Despite this overwhelming rush of a physical response, Korra's mind quickly found itself being comforted with the knowledge that her elements had returned. Unfortunately such a comfort was short-lived, and the teen was now staving off the panic and realization that hit her like a slap in the face. Of all the places she could have been, this was probably the worst trouble she could have gotten herself into.

Korra mentally went through a list of things that were rather inconvenient in that moment. Most importantly, she was facing a man who - by some strange twist of fate - could remove bending. This was extraordinarily bothersome, because unlike everyone else who was in line for their bending to be taken away, she was the Avatar. As the Avatar, she could have just busted a move out of there, but of course Mako and a good chunk of the non-benders in Republic City were watching her, and Korra wasn't ready for her current 'on vacation' status to change anytime soon. Other than getting caught up in Mako and Bolin's triad business, life as a nondescript Earthbender was fantastic.

"Here we have one of Zolt's henchmen," Amon addressed the crowd before turning to Korra and motioning for her hands to be untied, "Though you may simply be caught up in this, Zolt's evil and oppression toward his non-bending counterparts trickles down even to the lowest scum in his association. For participating in these atrocious crimes, your bending will be taken from you." By now she was blocking out the roars from the crowd the best she could.

She glanced back at Mako, who now was fighting his restraints and being held still by several of the men who had accompanied them onto the stage. She wasn't sure if it was his sudden awareness that he would be losing his bending along with the Triad Leaders or if he was trying to help her, but the firebender was giving the surrounding thugs a run for their money. She watched Mako grit his teeth as he bucked and shoved off anyone who dared to try to hold him still. She watched his arms flail around as he did his best to release himself from his restraints.

Amon took several steps toward her, his hand extended like the weapon it was. Korra simply took an equal amount of steps back.

"Could we talk about this for a sec," after thinking for a moment she added, "...in private?" The teen tried in a desperate attempt to defuse a hopeless situation. Her effort was laughable though. What was she going to do? Go sit down and have a meeting with this psycho. 'Hey, I'm the Avatar... which means I'm in charge of deciding the rules of the bending world, so please don't kill me.'

"Like Zolt, you will be given the chance to fight for your bending," the masked man explained as he sprinted toward her with dangerous intentions. He was in no mood for games.

Korra did her best to dodge the man and find some source of rock to aid her. The building was made of both metal and concrete, so that was the obvious answer to her source. It was finding the earth to bend that was impossible. Anything that rested as the foundation of the building was currently covered by the feet of a non-bender. While these people were clearly not her friends, she wasn't going to bend earth out from someone's feet and possibly kill them. She was the Avatar, not a murderer. Her other option consisted of the concrete that ran along the walls. Korra analyzed the auditorium she was in as she continued to do her best at avoiding Amon's fury. Finding a piece that wouldn't collapse the entire building if removed was proving to be more difficult than she anticipated. A combination of finding suitable bending material and avoiding her assailant was overwhelming enough, but as she glanced to check on Mako, her stress level went up another degree completely.

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The muscles in his arms clenched as he continued to get his wrists unbound. His sudden reaction to fight was spurred as he, in the height of awareness, watched Kor be pushed to the front of the stage. Bolin would kill me if I let this happen to her. He reasoned with himself the best he could, but knew very well that his own begrudging tolerance for the girl was betraying him. He was regarding her like family, his intense reaction to fight his restraints would have been the very same if it had been Bolin up there. She was becoming a staple of his life. Family. And he wasn't at all sure if he liked it at all.

The intensity of his actions heated up as he realized he was in line to lose his bending. There was no way in hell this guy was going to do that to him. Zolt was the type of guy to deserve it. Zolt used his bending for evil. He used it to terrorize others. And while it was apparent Amon was not an opponent to be trifled with, the Triple Thread Leader had been brash and acted with a stupid amount of confidence. Mako wasn't interested in fighting the guy anyway. He was more interested in grabbing his Earthbending companion and getting the hell out of this twisted nightmare scenario.

If he had his fire right now, everyone around him wouldn't have stood a chance. He would have incinerated the bonds that held him. Instead, Mako's continued lack of firebending was only increasing his aggravated state, and therefore only fueling his suddenly explosion of rebellion. Thugs surrounded him as he focused on tearing his arms apart, flailing as if he were attempting to ignite the fire that lie dormant inside of him. As more men were called upon to restrain him, his eyes met Song's. The handsome triad leader looked disheveled, but between the two firebenders, he was definitely more level headed at that very moment. Song smiled at Mako, as he held up his hands, as if to brag that he was free.

The Triad leader administered several quick jabs to the current Equalist that was trying to grab hold of Mako, causing him to fall to the ground. "Chi-blocking," he explained and busily began to work on Mako's restraints, "It's good to have a way to fight without your bending. Fen has her looks, I have this."

Mako felt his wrists fall apart, free at last. The bonds had left large red friction marks where he had been struggling against them. The crowd suddenly began to roar in fear at the sight of their captives' new-found freedom.

"How - ?" he stopped as Song turned to an approaching Equalist in order to engage the thug in combat that was ultimately futile for the Amon-supporter.

"I got out while they weren't looking," his voice was pure silk, just as his movements were. For a firebender to learn such a fluid and precise art like chi-blocking, he had to have a special gift for controlling his movements. Mako privately began to wonder what his firebending appeared like, and if it was as graceful.

"Anyway," Song shrugged nonchalantly, "I owed you for getting them distracted. It's the last of any of my favors for you, Triple Threat."

Mako, who had finally collected himself, simply nodded before turning to Kor. She was shielding herself from her attacker with a thin wall of stone from a nearby wall that looked like it was about to collapse. Amon didn't seem to be tired, nor concerned about the state of his current prisoners breaking free. Song, in an act of complete surprise had taken the time to free Fen as well. The crowd was bursting with excitement and panic at each and every action they witnessed in front of them.

He was helpless without his bending though. He couldn't do anything to help, and that frustrated him beyond measure. "Kor!" his voice seemed to pierce the girl's concentration like a sharp knife. For a split second, all of her attention was on him, taking in his state of freedom and giving him a look of relief along with a small, annoying smile. That split second was just enough though, as Amon had finally taken his opportunity to strike, grabbing the girl by the arm before shoving her down to her knees, just like Zolt had been.

Not knowing what else to do, Mako's body ran completely on instinct. Gathering as much hitting power as he possibly could, he tackled the masked man to the ground in a successful attempt to separate the two at any cost. The audience to the event began to scream in terror, many of the patrons seeking exits in order to evacuate to safety. The consequences soon became apparent to him the moment he hit dirty ground. He scolded himself for not thinking before he acted. He was an idiot for putting himself in the proximity of the one man who could take away his bending.

"Kor," he barked in a combination of frustration and relief as he stood up. Upon impact Amon's mask had fallen off, causing the Equalist leader to scramble in order to retrieve it. He took advantage of this fortunate distraction and ran to catch up with Kor.

She gave him a thankful smile, "Thanks without you I'd be -"

He interrupted her with a stressed tone, the screaming of the crowd now giving him a headache. Worst of all, he still couldn't release with firebending, "Get us out of here with your Earthbending and we'll be even."

She nodded, and without another word Kor grabbed him by the hand and led him in a direction that he had previously seen Song and Fen escape to. He didn't ask how she knew where she was going, but the way her smaller hand held his gave him a small bit of comfort that if they died due to her misdirection, at least he wouldn't be alone.

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Korra didn't know where she was going.

She had no idea where the Equalist thugs that escorted them into the auditorium-like room had gone. She just wanted out and away from her own personal hell. She led Mako through a darkened corridor, unsure of where it led to. Eventually she was certain she could tunnel her way out, but she wanted to be far enough away from Amon and his buddies.

They both were shell shocked from what had just occurred, not willing to discuss it out loud before their minds had processed everything. However, Korra's mind completely refused to accept the reality of what Amon was capable of doing. While sure, Zolt could have just been momentarily incapacitated, the performance by the Equalist Leader shook her to the core. She was the Avatar. That was her power. No one else held the responsibility she had, and although she was simply escaping from her own duties and said responsibility, it didn't mean she was willing to let everyone else suddenly get a share of the Avatar powers.

They turned the corner and were greeted by a face full of flames, and a disheveled looking Song and Fen. Korra stepped back in reaction, bringing up a wall of stone inches from Mako's face, just in time to defend the pair from the plumes.

"Oh, it's you guys," Song smirked.

"How did you get your bending back?" Mako immediately questioned.

The Agni-Kai Leader shrugged, only offering a mocking explanation, "I do yoga."

Fen seemed to still lack her bending, as the woman was out of breath and not in any mood to joke around like her counterpart. She craned her elegant neck toward Korra, "Why don't you do us all a favor and earthbend us out of here?"

The Avatar sighed. It was a common misconception that all Earthbenders could tunnel their way to and fro underground. Like they had a whole system under the city and were just tunneling left and right. Tunneling wasn't a simple earthbending activity. What the other benders didn't realize was that it took an immense amount of concentration to displace and move dirt at the same time, whilst also making sure that the tunnel itself didn't cave in. Bolin and she were able to accomplish the feat because they were both very skilled Earthbenders who weren't being rushed. "Tunneling isn't as simple as -"

Her words were interrupted by Fen's sudden alert glances, who was the first to see the shadowy figures sprinting toward them from the direction the group was headed. The older woman looked back toward Mako and Korra, noticing a similar scene from the other end. "We're surrounded," she analyzed dryly.

At least six Equalists were approaching, three from each direction. Normally for two Triad leaders, the Avatar, and a proficient Firebender in Mako, this would not be an issue. However one of the Triad leaders was currently useless without her element, the Avatar was under the guise of a simple Earthbender, and Mako was also incredibly useless without his element. Nonetheless, Mako took a fighting stance next to her.

Korra was somewhat restricted in the small and narrow hallways when it came to using her element. In order to avoid injuring Mako accidentally, she decided to play defense and erected a large wall that blocked off the Equalists from both she and Mako's side. It would take them a while to break through the thickness of the concrete.

"It will be easier to fight one at a time," she explained before turning to see how Song was handling his foes.

Fen leaned against the wall, making her Firebender do the majority of the work. Song chuckled suggestively as Korra rolled her eyes as the woman. The Triad Leader engaged the first of the Equalists. "She likes to make me do all the work. I don't mind it though, right Fen?"

Ignoring Song's unrequited advances upon Fen, Korra looked back to the wall she had created, noticing cracks forming. She did her best to mend them as her training had taught her. She couldn't help but feel the heat of Song's Firebending near her, and as his movements became more aggressive, the fire grew more out of control. The smell of burning flesh entered her nostrils, and she could tell that the man was going for overkill with his fire. Yet in his fury and intense violence, Song didn't seem a bit phased. This recklessness and killer instinct was what made him the perfect leader for the Agni-Kais. He resembled the very epitome of his fiery element at that moment, dancing gracefully along beside the flames he produced.

His attacks grew so intense that sparks and embers flew her way, catching the notice of Mako.

"Control your fire!" he growled, feeling out of place next to the bored-looking Fen. All he had were words. Korra could tell his anger came from his lack of control over the situation. He couldn't control anything without his fire. He couldn't fight to control the outcome and he sure as hell couldn't help her fan away the flames of the Triad leader, who grew more reckless and violent with each movement he took.

Korra held both of her hands onto the slab of makeshift wall she had bent, concentrating on each of the individual cracks and chips that weakened it. Sweat dripped from her brow. She wasn't sure how long she would be able to last.

Suddenly, a blast of fire grew out of Song's control, filling the hallway. The plume managed to take out the final Equalist in a particularly painful manner, but also seemed to recoil and grow after it had engulfed its target. She could hear the screams of his seared victim, but the brightness of the flames backfiring toward her blocked out the excruciating sight.

She swiftly removed her hands from the wall of rock before her. Within the slightest moment of hesitation, Korra closed her eyes and made a silent hopeful wish that none of her allies were watching. She produced the smallest wrist movement, her senses taking over control of the energy and heat within the flames. In an instant the element was suppressed. Korra knew she had just firebent, but the real question would be if anyone else knew.

She turned back to see Mako facing the stone wall that separated the Equalists from the group, large cracks forming within the concrete. Korra moved her hands back to wall in order to reinforced the structure with a quick bit of earthbending. Unlike Mako, Fen was staring at her, an astonished look gracing the Ice Queen's features. Shit. Fuck. She hastily went through any other curses she knew of. Hopefully Fen would attribute it to Song's firebending... or something. The day could only get worse if she had a triad leader knowing she was the Avatar. And of course it was going to be one of those days.

Not willing to risk anymore mishaps, she did what she should have done in the first place: gotten out of the damn building. "Mako, hold your breath for as long as you can," she told him sternly. She took his hand, as she had once earlier in order to guide him from the danger, and pulled him closer to her. As soon as Korra could tell that he had registered her command, she felt the familiar feeling of being pulled into the earth and away. Difficulty be damned. She was the Avatar, and she wasn't going to let common sense stop her.

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Mako gasped for air as the two found the surface somewhere in a grassy park. He looked up, the starry night sky never seeming more wonderful than at that moment. Kor knelt on the ground next to where he lay, equally gassed. They had traveled underground for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was probably no longer than a minute.

The two benders made eye contact for a brief moment before Mako spoke, "I was wrong about you... I should have trusted Bolin."

"What do you mean?" She sat with her knees to her chest, staring at him. The tunneling process had given her a headache. She had no idea how she had managed to get them out of there.

Mako marveled at each blade of grass around him, how free he felt. Without his element, he had never felt more dead inside. Like a burnt out lightbulb or extinguished flame. However, on the outside he felt like he was connected with everything. The feeling of just pure euphoria and relief that washed over him made him aware of his mortality more than ever before.

"I didn't trust you," he tried to explain to her.

He felt no annoyance at this moment for the girl next to him. In a life full of disappointment and having to look after Bolin, he had never had anyone place his well-being high enough to give a damn about him. Aside from Bolin, being cared for was an anomaly that he reacted to with skepticism and suspicion. People always wanted something. He laughed out loud at the thought, "You really aren't up to anything though."

Kor looked down at her lap, "You saved me back there as well."

He did. Unlike before, he didn't see this as a debt that was repaid by her. He didn't even see it as a debt.

"Friends do that," he spoke quietly. He could practically feel the girl glow beside him. It was as if he had finally conceded. He had finally let down his walls enough to understand Bolin's trust for her.

"You can let go of my hand now," she gave him a small smirk as he quickly withdrew his hand from hers, an action he hadn't even noticed was occurring.

He sat up, going back to his smug self. This time it was a more light-hearted smugness, "Don't push it. Let's get home. Bolin's gotta be freaked out."

A/N -

As always, pleaaaase review. Getting reviews motivates me and reminds me to work on this story. It's awesome feedback and doesn't take long. :) Also, I will reply. Sorry to anyone I haven't replied to.