Avast, mateys, the long awaited showdown! Don't hate me after this chapter guys, I promise it doesn't end here. I've been sitting on pins and needles just thinking about writing this scene for the longest time. I really want to do it justice.
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Korra fixed her eyes on the water's edge, watching the moonlight play over the sandy shore. She stood tense, folding and unfolding her arms across her chest, pacing the thin strip of beach.
"Korra, you're going to waste all your energy before she even gets here," Amon admonished.
"I don't care. What's taking her so long?"
"She'll show up when she's ready," Tenzin said. "We just have to be prepared for her."
Korra through up her hands. "Whatever. I just want to get this over with. I'm sick of waiting for this crackjob to make a move."
"I'm glad to know you feel that way, Korra," said a smooth voice. "I'm quite eager for this too."
Korra spun, her heart in her throat. A lithe figure stood in the shadows of the sand dune, one hand popped on her hip, violet eyes gleaming from the darkness. Korra felt her feet turn to stone.
"A pleasure, as always, Sakura," Amon replied, his voice smooth and fearless as ever. He shifted his form ever so slightly, so subtle that an untrained observer wouldn't have noticed a difference , but Korra knew he was now poised to attack on the drop of a dime.
The young women's painted mouth tipped. "Been looking forward to this, have we, Noatak?"
He stiffened at the name, but it didn't show in his voice. "How about we finish this now, Sak? Make this as painless as we can for both of us."
Sakura's smile broadened. "Oh, I don't intend to make it painless at all."
Korra gulped. She shifted into a bending stance, trying to keep her body from shaking. Sakura shot her a derisive glance.
"Oh, come now. I'd prefer not to have this little exchange with an audience."
Mako stepped up beside Korra, glaring as he moved to an defensive firebending pose. "I'm afraid your preferences have been noted and declined."
Sakura pouted. "Oh, please. I promise I'll keep it fair play."
Korra clenched her fists. "I don't think so. We're ending this right here and now. Let's get to it."
Sakura sighed. "As you wish."
Then, without warning, Tenzin and Bolin flew backwards through the air. Mako snarled and lunged forward, only to have Sakura turn and raise an eyebrow at him. He suddenly rose up into the air, every limb seizing up. A strangled cry gurgled from his throat, and his neck twisted so far backwards Korra thought it would snap at any moment. An agonized gasp shuddered and died in his chest. His golden eyes clenched tight in pain.
"Stop it!" she shrieked, lunging forward. "Let him go!"
"Gladly," Sakura purred. "Just tell them to back off, and I will."
"No," Amon snapped. Then he rushed her, snapping his fists and launching a tidal wave of water from moonlit surf. Sakura fluttered her fingers, deflecting the attack and sending it reeling back in a barrage of ice shards. Amon dodged them, slipping underneath the attack to land a would-be devastating blow against her side. But instead of falling paralyzed, Sakura stepped nimbly out of the way, driving her elbow down into the square of his back. He dropped with a surprised grunt.
The move distracted the bloodbender enough for her to release her grip on Mako, and the firebender tumbled to the ground, gasping. Korra fought the urge to run to his side, and wheeled to face Sakura.
"Korra, look out!" Bolin yelled.
She spun just in time to see a snake of icy water screaming toward her face. It caught her around the throat, and would've ripped her wide open if she hadn't slipped on the wet sand. The ice blade sliced a bloody strip across her left temple, and she saw stars. Catching a breath, she dropped to a crouch, spinning around to see Sakura turning her glare on Tenzin and Bolin once more. Her two friends staggered back, as if yanked by invisible strings. Korra heard an awful cracking sound, like bones snapping in two. Tenzin dropped, and did not move again. Bolin looked like he was fighting with all his might, but his limbs twisted around at excruciating angles, his eyes rolling back into his head.
His bloodcurdling scream made Korra's stomach twist, and angry red flashed before her eyes. She sprinted forward, summoning a rush of fire. She slammed the fireball into the sand at Sakura's feet, sending an explosion of earth into her face and breaking her concentration. Bolin dropped to the sand with a choking gasp.
"How many of your friends do you want to die for you, Avatar?" Sakura snarled, a rasping cackle rumbling from her chest. "Seems like you have a tender spot for that fire boy, huh? What about I make him the first?"
A feral snarl ripped from Korra's throat as she surged forward, concentrating all of her fury on Sakura's sneering face. She wanted to tear that painted smirk off her perfect white lips. But Sakura was waiting for her. A shield of water cascaded through the air between them, dousing her flames in a shower of steam. Blinded, Korra tried to jerk back, but steel fingers closed around her wrists, ripping her forward. Sakura drove the front of her skull into Korra's forehead, and stars exploded before her eyes. She fell backwards, landing on her back with all the air rushing out of her. A foot planted itself on her stomach, and before she could recover she heard Mako's scream.
"No," she gasped, struggling beneath the sudden weight.
She heard the thud as her friend hit the ground. Sakura's knees dropped to her chest, crushing the wind from her lungs. Two pairs of iron hands tightened around her throat. Korra choked. Her world spun.
Then, without warning, the weight lifted from her. Sakura let out a startled grunt as she was blasted back through the air. The bloodbender crashed backwards in the sand, arms thudding to the ground on either side. Her violet eyes were wide and stunned. Korra sucked in a ragged gasp, fighting to breathe. She rolled her head to see Amon approaching, a deadly gleam in his golden eyes.
"Leave. Her. Alone," he growled.
Sakura's blood red lips twisted into a smirk. She slowly rose to her feet, not taking her eyes from her brother.
"So," she whispered, her voice deadly sweet. "It is as I suspected. You have feelings for her. For the Avatar, of all people. Do you have any idea what our father would say?"
Amon advanced on her, his hands curling into fists at her sides. "Father is dead."
"Mm, of course, Tak. But I still see him. Right there. In you. You spent your whole life trying to run away from him, but you've ended up becoming exactly what he wanted you to be. Instead of destroying the Avatar, you've befriended her. Trying to turn the tables, hmmm? I suppose the time has come for me to intervene."
Amon snarled and lunged for her, but before he could even get three steps Sakura's smile widened. He skidded to a halt, his back going rigid. His arms fell to his sides, and the half-wave of water he'd started to form collapsed on the beach. His eyes widened.
"Don't," he rasped, and there was a note of fear in it that Korra had never heard before.
Sakura laughed. The sound scraped like knives down Korra's spine. "I'm sorry, Tak. But I've waited far too long for this. Here's to the vengeance of my fallen brother, your first murder."
"Sakura—"
His whole body seized, stumbling forward toward Korra's prone form. The Avatar struggled to rise, a sudden rush of premonition surging through her.
"Amon…"
"Hush, Avatar," Sakura cooed. "Dear Noatak is about to learn a valuable lesson. Exactly how does it feel to have someone you love ripped from you, in front of your very eyes? How does it feel to see her blood drip down over your hands, feel her heartbeat pounding away into silent oblivion? Oh, I'm going to enjoy this. So much."
Korra rose to her feet, every pore in her body shaking. An icy fear gripped her. The look in Amon's eyes had changed. It was no longer fighting. No longer defiant. Only cold. Blank.
Dead.
"N… Noatak?"
"I should have destroyed you from the beginning." That harsh, cold voice slipped off his lips like ice. Korra felt her stomach plunge. "I should have ended you in that cave."
"Noatak," she pleaded. "She's controlling you. Please. You're not thinking straight."
He advanced on her, steps slow and deliberate. Korra stepped back. Straight into Sakura's viselike hold.
"Tut, tut, dearest," came the hiss in her ear. "Let's not run away for our long-awaited lovers' chat. I'm sure he has quite a lot to say to you."
"Let him go!" Korra cried, struggling. "Release him, you monster!"
"Oh, but I think I want to see how this plays out. Don't you?"
Sakura released her, shoving her forward so that she fell to her knees in the sand. Korra looked up, tears gathering in her eyes, to see Amon stop, just a few inches from her. Those golden eyes, once so warm and potent, were glazed with a frightening chill.
"Noatak," she whispered. "Please. Don't do this."
His hand shot forward so quickly she had no time to dodge it. In one fluid blow, her bending was taken away, and she slumped forward. He caught her by the chin, forcing her head up at a painful angle. Tears lanced her eyes.
"Please," she rasped.
"Be silent." The voice was so cold she thought she could sob. He went to one knee, his grip tightening on her face. Korra's breath caught in her throat.
"Look into my eyes while I end you," the voice hissed. "I want to see your life fade away."
She knew it was Sakura's words, Sakura's thoughts forcing Noatak's tongue to move, to betray her like this, but the sound of it coming from his voice, from his mouth—a mouth she'd touched, kissed—made her bones twist with agony. A tear escaped her, tracing a line of fire down her cheek.
"Please," she whispered, her voice broken. "Noatak, you're not Amon anymore. Not to me. You don't have to do this." She took a shuddering breath. "But if you do… if you can't fight it, just know this. Please… know this." Another tear slipped down her face. "I love you."
The golden eyes flickered. Something living pushed its way through the lifeless hollow of his gaze, fighting for control.
"Korra," he whispered. His voice choked, as if cut off.
"I will end you," the cold voice snarled.
"Korra!" he cried, his grip convulsing on her jaw. Something inside her snapped at the sound of his tortured cry. Something deep within her rose forth, an ancient energy surging up from her chest, through her arms, curling her fingers into a position she'd never found them in before.
She raised her hands and the air exploded from her with the force of a bomb. Noatak flew backwards, snapping through the air to land with a sickening grunt on the ground. Korra knelt there, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She stared down at her shaking palms. Did… did I just airbend?
"You cheat!" Sakura snarled. Korra whirled just in time to see her leaping through the air, driving her fist with all its force into her shoulder. She yelped and crumpled backwards, pain rocking her collarbone. On some instinct—one that saved her life—she kicked out, catching the older girl in the gut. Sakura grunted and fell sideways, rolling on the sand. Her sleek black hair spilled into her eyes, which had begun to burn with a frightening, violet intensity.
"Forget about ending my brother," she growled, her voice so soft it carried death itself. "I will destroy you, Avatar. I will pull you inside out and string your teeth around my neck for pearls. Let the world see how their hero meets her end! You will burn!"
Korra had no time to react. Sakura was on her before she could raise her fists, fingers curled into claws, pressing down on her windpipe, slamming her flat back into the sand. Korra choked. Stars danced before her eyes. Sakura's snarling face flickered. She heard something snap, deep inside her. Crack. Break.
"NO!"
The bellow carried such volume it seemed to shake the ground. Noatak dove into Sakura, knocking her off Korra and tackling her to the sand. Korra rolled sideways, dragging in a breath. Her ribs and neck screamed with pain. Something felt broken. So many things felt broken.
She turned to see the two bloodbenders rolling in the sand, each fighting for a death hold. Sakura's blood red lips were fixed in an ugly snarl, while Amon's mask had been knocked clean off his face, lying face down in the sand. His face was fixed in an expression of the purest fury Korra had ever seen.
The rolled over and over on top of each other, fists flying and water streaking by in icy blasts as each tried to bend their native element into a killing tool. Korra could only watch, crumpled on the beach, while friend and enemy grappled with one another. It would be over in minutes. There was no stopping it. One of them would end.
Then Sakura rolled him over, pinning him to the sand, and a wicked ice blade materialized in her hand. Noatak's eyes widened. Her lips curled into a wicked smile. Korra felt the scream tear from her, but she didn't hear it. There was nothing she could do. She stumbled forward, hands reaching out… but she was too late.
Sakura plunged the ice blade into Noatak's chest.
His eyes widened, a strangled moan of shock and pain tearing from his parted lips. Blood rushed out over his clothing, staining the sand beneath them. Sakura pulled back, melting the ice blade and then re-freezing it to his chest, intensifying the pain. Noatak arced his back, a mangled yell of sheer agony escaping him.
And Sakura laughed.
The sound alone seemed to still time. The world stopped moving. Korra was aware of only one thing. The frantic beating of her heart, growing louder by the second. The whole scene began to burn up. Sakura became not a bloodstained, shadowed body, but a being of light. Noatak's writhing form on the ground became a pulsing glow, a beacon, something that anchored her to the world. A hot blast of energy surged through her, and something dark, burning and ancient, rose within her.
Korra felt her feet leave the ground.
Sakura's smile died on her face. She turned to look at her, and that smirk faded into an expression of horror. Korra continued to rise, feeling the world's steady pulse around her, the beat of energy in every living soul, the energies of the stars, the moon, the skies, all coalescing within her. Water swirled around her, streaks of fire braided within a whirling spiral of earth. The air surged, forming a kind of shield around her. She towered over the two figures on the sand.
"You have upset the balance," rumbled a voice from deep within her chest. A thousand voices, voices of ancient beings, woven together as one. Korra's own voice was lost among them. She watched the blood drain out of Sakura's face. "Your thirst for vengeance has awakened a darkness within you that you cannot hope to control. The time has come for you to be stopped. It is the end."
Sakura rose from Noatak's now still form, her whole body beginning to shake. She raised her hands, and if Korra had been that—simply Korra—she would have laughed at the girl's audacity to think she could bloodbend her in the Avatar State.
Aang's voice reverberated inside her, soft and still. She is lost, he said. Her life has been consumed by vengeance. She knows nothing else. We can offer her a chance.
Korra looked down at the girl before her. Sakura's violet eyes were narrowed, fear emanating from her. Her eyes shifted to Noatak. His eyes had closed, his breathing stilled. Her heart constricted. He wasn't… no…
"Sakura Natsuki," thundered the thousand voices, coming from her lips. "I see you for what you are. A child with no hope. No family, and no home. I offer you mercy. I offer you a second chance at redemption. You have only to take my hand. It does not need to end here."
For a startled moment, Sakura's eyes flickered. Something vulnerable swirled behind the violet depths. But she quickly quashed it down. A wicked snarl twisted her features, those blood red lips curling into a sadistic sneer.
"How touching. The Avatar, holding my life in her hands, and she offers me redemption. This should be answer enough for you. After all, it was your own reply to me not three days ago."
And, pursing her lips, she jerked her head forward and spat in the sand at the Avatar's feet.
"Very well," Korra replied, her words ringing with the voices of all her past lives.
Sakura closed her eyes.
The world exploded. The ground beneath the bloodbender's feet opened up into a gaping chasm. Sakura slipped, her arms flailing, but she was pulled into the great abyss. The sand glowed with white fire, churning around her, swallowing her whole. A single, piercing scream tore from her lips.
And then it was over. Korra couldn't see what had happened. She hadn't been controlling it. The Avatars inside of her had formed the giant chasm, sucking down her enemy into the black hole. The furious glow of the world slowly faded, the shadows of the night returning to their normal darkness. Korra felt a sudden weakness surge through her as her power dissipated. She sank. Her feet touched the ground, and she crumpled to her knees. The world was still spinning.
Finally, at long last, she was able to clear her vision.
And then it swarmed again with tears. For there, atop the pool of dark blood, empty in the light of the stars, was no one there.
Noatak was gone.
"No," Korra gasped, flinging herself forward, her fingers scrabbling, clutching for anything—anything—in the bloodstained sand. She buried her face in the beach, the sobs ripping from her chest.
"Noatak," she screamed into the night. Her breath shuddered down to a whisper, her tears soaking down into the sand, mixing with his blood.
"Noatak…"