Amon didn't return for a long time. Far longer than was necessary for a simple hunting expedition. Korra found herself pacing, antsy and ridden with conflicting emotions. The patter of the rain outside grated across her nerves. When she finally heard the footsteps at the cave entrance, she jerked her head up, relief flooding her.
"You're back!" Her voice sounded far too delighted. Amon cocked an eyebrow at her, entering the cave. Korra cleared her throat, dropping her eyes to her boots. "I mean… took you long enough. I'm starving."
"Your gratitude is humbling," he muttered, stooping to deposit his catch beside the fire. Two plump fox-rabbits and an arctic badger-hare. Korra felt her mouth water just looking at them. She moved to pick one up by a furry hind leg.
"I'll cook these," she offered, desperate for something to do. "You go dry off."
For a moment he looked like he might object, but it was clear the cold was taking its toll. His robes were soaked, and his dark hair lay plastered against his forehead. He nodded once and moved to the far wall of the cave, stripping off his upper robe to set it down to dry by the fire. Korra couldn't help but admire the firm, sleek muscles of his back and waist as he moved away from her. She jerked her eyes away. She couldn't let this go on any more than it already had. She could feel the tension between them, thick as stone. She took a deep breath and forced the unnerving feelings away. There was no time for that here. Not now, not anytime. She had a job to do.
With deft fingers, she skinned the fox-rabbit and spitted it with the blackened fire stick. She placed the little animal over the fire on the two forked sticks, turning it slowly and watching as the brown traveled over the cooking meat.
A stifled gasp behind her made her turn around. Amon had settled himself at the other side of the cave, and she could see the paleness in his face even from this distance. He gritted his teeth, holding his forearm against his ribs. Korra's stomach twisted to see the dark, barely dried blood coating the skin. Guilt took root in her stomach as she remembered she was the one who'd given it to him, with the rough edge of her boot as she'd kicked him off her in their fight.
She spoke without thinking. "I can heal that, you know."
Amon glanced up at her, his eyes narrowed. "No."
"It would be easy. I learned from Sifu Katara, the greatest Healer in the South Pole."
"I said no, Avatar. I will not have you use your bending on me."
Korra felt like she'd just been slapped. Forgetting the cooking fox-rabbit, she whirled on him, angry hands thrust to her hips. "And why not? You seem to have no qualms about using your bending to take the power away from other people."
She knew her words cut him. She saw him wince, and knew he was wishing he'd never confided in her the source of his ability to strip a person of their bending. He said nothing in retort. Instead, he turned his face away from the flames, staring out into the darkness at the back of the cave. Korra's heard ached. She shouldn't have spoken. He was in pain, and she was only making it worse. Leaving the roasting fox-rabbit at the fire, she stood and walked over to him, kneeling at his side. Without waiting for permission, she grasped his arm, turning it so that it rested against her knee.
"Trust me, tough guy," she said, softening her voice. "You'll thank me for this."
To her surprise and relief, he didn't pull away. Korra drew the water from the rain just outside the cave mouth and gathered it in a small, hovering pool just above his arm. Amon's eyes followed it, wary. The water began to glow with a soft blue light. With careful gentleness, Korra lowered the healing water to his wound. Amon gasped through his teeth, hissing in pain. Korra did not release his arm. Working with practiced movements, she let the water slide over the injury, seeping through the lesions in the skin and filling the bloodied cracks. The scabs softened, the blood thinning. The glow worked its way down the man's arm, filling the veins with warmth and healing. She heard the soft exhale of breath as the relief coursed through his system. The skin began to smooth over, the cuts and abrasions closing, knitting together. Finally, Korra removed the water, letting it fall to the ground in a puddle a few feet away. Amon's arm looked good as new, with only a faint white scar to show there'd ever been damage.
"Well," Korra said, setting her hands on her knees and heaving herself to her feet. "Hope that didn't damage your spotless bending record. I just don't like watching another human being suffer."
She walked back to the fire, kneeling again to turn the roasting fox-rabbit. A long moment passed, with the crackle of the flames the only sound aside from the drumming of the rain. Then, a whispered breath sounded from deep behind her.
"Thank you."
Korra continued turning the fox-rabbit over the flames, watching the skinless meat simmer in the golden glow. She drew in a deep breath, trying to still the way her heart reacted at the sound of his voice.
"You're welcome," she whispered.
The silence stretched as she finished cooking the three game animals. Rising to her feet, Korra scooped the still steaming meat up into her arms and carried them over to Amon. She dropped the larger of the two fox-rabbits in his lap.
"That one's yours. Enjoy." She turned to go, but his hand reached out and caught her wrist. Korra looked down, alarm coursing through her.
"What?" she snapped.
"Nothing has changed between us, Avatar," he growled. "Remember that. Once we return to civilization, I become your enemy once more. I will not have mercy."
Korra's heart sputtered a little, but she swallowed back her fear, untwisting her arm from his grip. "Spill out all the threats you want, Amon," she replied, fighting to keep her voice even. "You don't scare me. I have nothing to prove to you. I saved your life because it was the right thing to do. I live by a code of honor. By the looks of it, you do too. After all, you saved my life, and you don't take people's bending unless you have to."
Against her better judgment, she dropped the meat she was carrying and crouched down to his level, glaring at him until he raised his eyes to meet hers. "Why can't you see that we're not that different?" she demanded. "We both want to fix things in Republic City. We both want to help people. Why don't we try working together for once, instead of always fighting? The Equalists and the benders could live in harmony for once. Together we'd be a force worth reckoning with. We could bring about a change for good."
"You know as well as I that won't happen."
"You could at least try!" Korra exploded. "All you do is lie and manipulate. You use fear as a tool when you should be using hope, and peace. Don't you realize this revolution will mean nothing if it doesn't end in peace?"
"I want peace just as much as you," Amon hissed. "But you are a fool not to realize that bending is the source of all this strife. There's nothing we can do to bring peace if we don't eliminate it."
"Amon, you're a bender. What on earth happened to you to cause you to hate your own people so much?"
"That's the problem with you, Avatar. You divide the benders and nonbenders into separate groups of people. You pick the benders as your own, and leave the powerless to be cast aside, trampled and used by the world. Do you have any idea how much the homeless population in Republic City has risen in the past seven years? All of them—all of them, are nonbenders. Will you see a bender on the street, fighting and scraping for his life? Of course not. Benders are privileged, talented, always with the advantage. Benders are the—"
"Two of my best friends are street children," Korra snapped, cutting him off. "And they're benders. They've never lied or cheated anyone to get to where they are. No one's given them any special privileges. In fact, if it wasn't for your friend Hiroshi Sato, they wouldn't have even gotten to play in the pro-bending championship. Why can't you just let go of your hate, Amon? You can't polarize people like that. Not all benders are bad. Not all nonbenders are good. We're just people."
"I was once as naïve as you." Amon sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. "You'll come to realize in time that people are never as they seem. There is a root of darkness in all of us. You are right in one thing. Benders and nonbenders alike cannot be trusted. You would be wise to realize this soon, before you get hurt. One day, your friends will no longer be there behind you. One day, when you're counting on them the most, they'll disappear. And then you'll fall, with no one to catch you." He closed his eyes. "Don't learn it the hard way," he murmured, his voice much softer.
Korra felt her anger evaporating at the broken sound of his voice. Forgetting herself, she reached forward and laid a hand over his. He stiffened.
"I know you've been hurt," Korra whispered. "And trust me, I know that with scars like that, it won't be easy to heal. Or to move on. But you can't go on living your life behind a mask, afraid to let anyone see your real face. Do you even have any real friends? You say that the worst thing is when they won't be there when you need them. But if you don't have anyone at your back, there won't be anyone to catch you when you fall. You can't let the pain from your past keep you from hope in your future."
Amon glared at her. "You know nothing of pain, child."
Korra bristled at the condescending tone. "I don't, don't I? Did you know I was taken from my parents at age four? I've seen them nine times since the White Lotus locked me up in that cement compound. I'd lie awake for hours at night, trying to remember their faces, and sometimes I'd start to panic when I realized I couldn't remember the sound of my mother's voice. I've only ever met my blood sister twice. You think I don't know what it's like to hurt? To feel like your heart's getting squeezed out of your chest in a merciless fist?" Korra took a deep, shuddering breath, suddenly ashamed at the hot tears that pricked her eyes. Amon's golden eyes were riveted on her face. She lowered her voice to a ragged whisper. "Do you want to know why I came to Republic City? I'll tell you a secret. It wasn't to fulfill my Avatar duties. It wasn't to deliver the city from some anti-bending revolution. It wasn't even to help people, like I should've been focused on. You know the reason I jumped at the chance to get out of the compound? I just wanted to see a human face. One that wasn't going to sneer at me if I messed up a fraction of an inch in my bending form, if I couldn't make an ice shield exactly round and perfect. I wanted to find friends. Real friends. I wanted the family I never got to have." Korra closed her eyes, amazed at herself for spilling all this. To her enemy of all people. She'd never even told Bolin or Mako this. But she felt herself compelled to continue. She had to get it out. "And I found one. Tenzin, Pema, Mako, Bolin, Beifong… they're all my family, now. And, no matter how much pain it caused me to get to them, I wouldn't trade them for the world. Do you understand? That's the kind of thing that lasts, Amon. Not glory. Not honor. Not even an ideal, a symbol. If you somehow win this war, if you have the city on their knees at your feet, will you be happy?" She leaned in closer, suddenly very much wanting to see the answer in his eyes. "No. You won't. You won't be happy because you'll have no one behind you. No one to share in the moment with. You'll be alone."
Korra lowered her eyes to the floor. The silence rang in her ears, harsh and cold. She shut her eyes. A tear slipped down her cheek, pooling in the dust at her chin. She could feel her chest shaking, but bit back the sobs that threatened to burst forth. Why had she dredged up all those old memories, all that buried pain? To what gain? Just to comfort this man before her, the enemy of everything she stood for? What had gotten into her lately? Korra lowered her head, dropping her chin to her chest. Her breath shuddered.
A soft touch against her cheek made her jump, her eyes flying open. Amon had lifted his hand against her face, slowly brushing the tear away with a forefinger. His golden eyes were full of… surprisingly real pain.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. Korra let her eyes fall closed, leaning into the touch. His palm flattened against her cheek, warm and steady.
"I know I must be the cause of much of your pain," he murmured. "And I can honestly say I regret that. I regret all that I've done to you in the name of my revolution. You're just…" He swallowed, his voice growing ragged. "Just a girl."
His hand slid down to her jaw, cupping around the back of her neck. Korra felt her lips tingle as he drew her forward. Her hands found his collar, and she twined her fingers in his tunic, curling her other hand across the back of his head.
This kiss was stronger than the two before. Raw passion simmered in her veins, and Korra lunged forward, landing in his lap. His arms trailed around her waist, drawing her into his chest. She melted into him, feeling their lips moving as one entity, his breath in her mouth sending coils of fire shivering in her stomach. Her whole body felt aflame. Her mind left her in a rush, and she had no thoughts, there was only him, and this moment. His arms slid down her spine, leaving burning trails in their wake. She felt his hands move down to her hips, fumbling with the zipper on the side of her half-skirt. His lips broke off from hers, moving down to close on the warm hollow of her throat. She gasped, shuddering against him.
"We shouldn't—" she rasped, kissing along the side of his jaw. "—be doing this—"
He pulled her chin back up, capturing her mouth and effectively silencing her. "You're right," he panted. "We shouldn't."
His lips trailed down the length of her jaw, across her ear, and down her neck. Korra shivered, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Her head swirled. The exhaustion of the day was catching up with her, sapping her strength, draining her muscles, seeping away her energy. The warm, blissful feeling of his kiss muddled her senses. She slumped against him, feeling her breaths slowly peter out. The warm darkness took over, filling her mind. She smiled softly, amused at the irony of the situation. Here she was, falling asleep, in her enemy's arms, thwarting his plans yet again. Oh well, she thought vaguely, slipping into the gentle blackness. Perhaps another time, Amon…
Amon felt her relax in his arms and sighed against her hair. A low chuckle formed in his throat. He stroked her hair back from her peaceful face, gently lowering her in his arms. Her eyes slid beneath her lids, moving in tender sleep. He laid his palm against her cheek, lowering his forehead until it touched hers. He took a steadying breath.
"Oh, Korra," he whispered, closing his eyes. "You're going to be my undoing."