CHAPTER 2: Hey take it easy, Amon!

Korra lunged, letting go of Asami's hand so she could attack their hated foe. "Korra!" she heard Asami cry out as she blasted at Amon with her air bending.

He grinned, nimbly flipping out of the way, curse his acrobatic skills! Korra crouched into a fighting stance as Asami did the same, coming up to stand beside her.

"How are you here, Amon, or should I say Noatak?" Korra demanded, her forearms twisted palm up as she readied her fire bending, twin plumes of flame burning inches above her hands.

Amon stood there, nonchalantly, his hands dangling at his sides as he spoke in his dark somber evil tone of voice. "It's good to see you again too, Korra and Asami Sato…how I've missed you. As to how I am here, well…I was in the pit of lost souls, but I was rescued. I don't know how long I was in there, or who got me out, but as you can tell I may be a little…unhinged…."

He stepped a few paces in their direction, his sick smile widening as he continued on, "I'm sure my treacherous brother Tarrlok has moved on to what we might think of as a proper afterlife, but this isn't about him…this is about you, Avatar." He cast his eyes fleetingly in Asami's direction as he finished speaking.

Asami tensed beside Korra, her brow furrowed in worry, she sure did not like how he just said that and looked at her.

"Enough talk, it's time to put you back in the pit, Amon!" Korra said as she prepared to attack.

Asami stopped, resting her hand on Korra's shoulder to stop her too as she said "wait, Korra, it might be a trap, why would he goad you into attacking since he's just a spirit, he has no water bending, no blood bending!"

Korra turned as she dropped her hands, the flames disappearing and she blinked at Asami, turning back to face Amon. She was right, he couldn't do much without his bending, but he could still touch them, hurt them, hurt her. Hell no!

Korra shook her head, she had to protect Asami, even though she knew full well she could take care of herself, she wouldn't let Amon touch her, spirit or no spirit. She rose up as a slim funnel of wind picked her up as she entered the Avatar state, her eyes glowing with the spirit of Rava within her. "Korra, don't!" Asami tried to call up to her, shielding her eyes from the torrent of wind that kicked up many leaves and blades of grass from around the meadow…

Korra moved against Amon quickly, blasting him with curving jets of powerful wind tunnels, out of each of her fists came twin twisting blasts of air, four altogether. Amon tried to dodge, but he couldn't outpace 4 jets of powerful air bending blasts, 2 of which caught him in his side and his leg, sending him pin-wheeling to land in a pained sprawl on the grass.

"I can't believe we can still feel pain…this existence after death has grown very tiresome, very quickly," he muttered as he climbed to his feet.

Two jets of flames shot forth from Korra's fists as she flew up and over Amon, spinning in the air in a maneuver neither he nor Asami had ever seen, the stream of fire blasts creating a ring around Amon before Korra landed daftly on the other side, Amon now trapped between her and Asami.

Asami's voice rang out over the high circle of flames blocking them from each other's view as she shouted "woo, way to go, Korra!"

Amon disappeared, obscured though he was from their views, reappearing behind Asami and as he did, he grabbed her in a choke hold quickly, cutting off her voice and he whispered in her ear as his madness washed over her like a sickness. "Korra ruined my plans, my life…I can't take revenge on my damn brother for killing us, but I can on her…and what better way than through you…her girlfriend."

Those were the last words Asami heard as Amon shimmered and became a glowing emerald green energy which phased into the young industrialist. The strain was too much on her and everything went black as she lost consciousness, crying out as she fell to the grass.

Korra heard Asami's cry and she formed a sphere of wind beneath her feet like Aang had done in the past, riding it and rushing around the tremendous heat of the circular wall of flames. She found Asami on the ground and the wind sphere vanished as she rushed and knelt at her side, taking her into her arms. "Asami?! Asami? Wake up!" she said as she patted her face.

She blinked out of the Avatar state, standing and lifting Asami in her arms. She grunted from the effort, her arms straining as she was both tired from her ordeal and her strength was a bit weaker outside the Avatar State. Not to mention her worry for Asami now. She turned and started back towards the spirit portal, knowing she had to get Asami back to the city. She ran, but still tried not to let Asami get jostled too much. "Hold on Asami, hold on!"

She heard a roar and saw a dragon descending from way up high in the sky and as it neared she saw it was Iroh. Thank goodness…. Korra thought as he landed a few paces away, dismounting quickly.

"I saw the fire, and I knew something was wrong, what happened?" asked the old wise man, taking Asami from her so she could get up on his dragon. She rushed to explain as she reached down and took her girlfriend into her arms while Iroh got back on his dragon and bayed him to fly fast to the portal in the distance.

"We saw Amon, you know of him right? He was in the pit of lost souls after he died, but someone got him out, but we didn't know who, I attacked him to defend Asami and I was going to send him back into the pit but…I don't know something happened to her, please, hurry!"

As they arose into the sky, they both looked back at the dwindling ring of fire, not seeing Amon anywhere. "I'll look for him when you go back, I have connections in the spirit world after all these many years, we'll find Amon, now go!" Iroh landed his dragon not long after, who laid a wing down at the ground so Korra could simply slide down and off. She nodded her thanks as she rushed into the great golden column of light and back into the middle of Republic City.

As she scrambled up the sides of the vine pit in which the portal had been created just a day ago, she didn't see Asami's lips twitch into a brief smile, but one which was not hers, for it was the smile of a damned soul with nothing to lose…and vengeance now to gain.