Hello again, guys! I apologize for not updating for some days. I really felt I had a nice pace going on. Which is quite ironic, because all my other fan fictions are barely updated twice a year xD I am so amazed by the ambitiousness and commitment I am feeling with this story. It is amazing to have so much inspiration and drive to actually sit down for a whole day and do nothing but write and write. I must say, however, that my few days off did good to my inspiration, seeing as I have had time to think about my story and its plot before I was actually able to write anything of it down. I hope this has helped on the quality in general :)

Oh well, I missed you guys, as you see ( = me rambling) xD

This is, by far, my longest chapter so far. I usually write 6-7 pages; this chapter is 9 whole pages. It feels so good to have so much inspiration! I should celebrate it somehow :P

Anyway, enjoy! ^^

Warning: This chapter contains heavy sexual scenes. Do not proceed unless you are mature enough to handle it.

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Chapter 6: Hunger

Good spirits, being door guard to the Avatar's cell was not nearly as exciting as he had expected. He had imagined that the girl would put up a challenge, being annoying, or at least just doing something. But no, the Avatar had not uttered a single word during his entire shift. He wished he had been there earlier. Hakim had told him of how the Avatar had suddenly hammered on the door, demanding audience with Amon. And when the two finally had started speaking, the girl had shown nerve enough to bargain with the Equalist Leader, saying stuff which could imply... things.

But now, nothing exciting happened. The Avatar was asleep and gravely silent. He could not even hear her breathing anymore.

Wait a second. Maybe she was not even breathing!

Hoping that this meant something, he stood and peeked in through the opening. The darkness made it difficult for him to even see the Avatar.

"Hey," he called in to the cell. No reply, not even a movement. He unlocked the door and went inside, stopping before her unmoving body with a safe distance. She could be faking. He had been warned. But as the girl lay there, her breaths so vague that he could barely hear them from this distance, he was sure there was something wrong. Was she deadly sick? He took no chances.

Locking the door behind him, he strode quickly down the hallway, excitement burning in his veins. He hoped he was not too late in noticing her worsened state. They needed her alive, after all.

He stopped in front of the well-known wooden door, knocking a couple of times maybe a bit too eagerly.

"Come in," answered the voice behind the door. He opened.

"The Avatar's state seems to have worsened. She is barely breathing," he told Amon and watched as the leader rose to feet.

"Go get the medic," he ordered, grabbing a set of spare keys to the Avatar's cell from the desk.

"On my way," said the guard and started running for the medic's chambers. Amon frowned and started walking, too.

He had been so generous and provided the Avatar with dry clothes, and she still kept getting sicker. Maybe he really ought to bring her something to eat, as the medic had advised him to do, he realized. He would let Tenarr take a look at her, and if he withheld that she needed food, he would see to it, he decided as he reached the door to her cell.

The lock clicked as the door was opened, and Amon stepped inside, his gaze directed toward the plank bed. When he realized that it was empty, it was already too late.

Cold water poured down his hood and soaked his uniform, small streams travelling down his mask, dripping onto his chest.

Never had Amon gotten so angry in so few seconds. He needed not to turn his gaze to know where she was. He let an arm collide with her body in such speed and with such force that Korra was sent flying against the wall.

She was given no time to get on to her feet; instantly he was on her, strangling her down against the hard floor, hammering her head up and down. She shrieked in pain, but nothing could stop him. This was her own fault.

"You will regret this," Amon hissed with so much wrath he could muster, surprising Korra, whose eyes widened.

Perhaps it had been a terrible idea, she realized. She stopped wriggling in his grasp, moving her hands up to each side of her face to signalize peace. Amon's grip did not loosen on her throat.

"Forget it!" he growled. "I am not done with you yet."

Footsteps interrupted them. The medic had arrived. Amon did not even turn to greet his employee.

"Leave us," he demanded harshly. "Both of you." Tenarr and the door guard almost froze in terror, then nodded and quickly disappeared, closing the door behind them.

Finally alone and out of danger of being interrupted, Amon let his porcelain forehead rest on the base of Korra's neck, surprising the girl.

"I had never though it would come to this," he panted, his voice now a whisper, but still with such icy coldness that Korra's heart seemed to stop for an instant. "Not like this, anyway."

Korra was given no time to understand what Amon was talking about, before she was dragged toward the bed, tugged by her hair. Once there, she was forced down upon its hard surface, Amon placing his entire weight upon her, pinning her arms down by the wrists by one hand only. He moved his face to her ear.

"I want this to hurt like nothing you have ever experienced before." A shiver ran down her spine. Was he going to...?

His next action answered her question. He let his free hand travel up under her dark shirt, his cool skin against her feverish and still moist skin. He was so cold that it was almost uncomfortable. Almost.

His hand cupped her breast, his rough thumb running over her hardened nipple, causing unwanted reactions in the lower part of her belly. Her breath hitched for a moment, causing a devilish smirk on Amon's hidden lips.

His hand left her breast, travelling downward to work the buttons of her borrowed pants, slipping in beneath the fabric once he had finished. He granted himself access in between her thighs, caressing her soft skin playfully, making the girl arch against his touch unwillingly.

"S-stop it," she stuttered, her eyes betraying the anger she felt while the rest of her body seemed to have forgotten it, including her voice. Amon let a finger slide along the underside of her panties, feeling the damp fabric. He pressed lightly against her, receiving a gasp in return.

Despite her harsh words and growing defiance, her body was weak to his touch. Perfect and deliciously horrible. It only made him want to tease her more.

Letting a finger find its way in under the final layer of fabric, he pressed against that well-known spot, making Korra bite her lower lip in order to suppress the mewl that threatened to reveal itself. He heard it, however, sending his own hormones on a frenzy. Avatar or not, Korra still possessed a body with the ability to make him eager.

Without warning, he slipped that one finger inside her, pressing against the roof of her core, rubbing, teasing. Korra tried to yank her arms free of his touch, and Amon decided it was about time to paralyze them, which he did with a few stabs of his finger.

"Bastard," hissed the girl, knowing how helpless she had just become.

Now, with two hands available, Amon started to peel off her clothes. Still with a finger inside of her, stimulating her, he tugged her shirt and bindings up, revealing those creamily soft breast which he had only had the pleasure of touching until now. He slid the shirt above her head, watching intensely as the girl's eyes narrowed at him.

Using the same hand, he slid down her pants and the last piece of underwear, her body now flashed entirely before him. Greedily, he took in the sight of her tanned, soft skin. Especially those round breasts and the hardened nipples decorating them caught his attention.

Korra was surprised to see as Amon removed his hood and pushed his mask aside, although very little, revealing only his lips. The darkness around them made it difficult for her to see his features.

Then, taking her by surprise again, he bent down and caught one of her nipples between his teeth, biting her, which sent a jolt of pain and pleasure though her body.

As Amon's body pressed against hers, she felt his cold and wet clothes against her skin, making her shudder. It still dripped a bit, the stray drops of water running down her skin.

He could hold himself no longer, Amon realized. The whole scenario had excited him to a level he had not experienced in years. Korra thought she caught glimpse of a smirk crossing his lips as he withdrew his finger and crushed his hard crotch against her sensitive skin. And Amon thought he saw the Avatar's eyes roll back a bit. He heard her throated moan for sure.

Korra felt a pang of disappointment as Amon withdrew his body from hers. Then she felt her insides burn with longing as she realized that he was undoing his pants. Lastly, she froze when she realized that she enjoyed it as Amon leaned back in over her and placed the tip of his erection at her entrance.

No, she thought with a frown. This must not happen!

But it was too late already. Without warning, Amon pressed himself halfway inside of her, receiving a broken cry of pain in the process. He caught her lips with his and drowned her next sound of discomfort as he pressed himself in entirely, breaking the seal of virginity for good.

Her body had tensed against him. She was feeling pain. Good.

Roughly, he grabbed Korra's thighs and made the girl wrap her legs around him surprisingly willingly. Beginning to rock his hips against hers, he felt how pleasure started to build up inside of him, slowly but definitely.

When he decided that Korra was only feeling moderate amounts of pain from his thrusts, he released her lips, thrilled to find her moaning shortly after. It was amazing how much her sounds affected him, he noticed, suddenly slamming their bodies together. As predicted, Korra cried in a mixture of pain and pleasure.

She did not want him to stop. The feeling of him inside of her... The feeling of the orgasm building itself up, the familiar tightness in her belly. She hated to admit it, but she wanted him to finish his work now that he had started it. She needed it. And it was more than visible on the way she moved against him.

"Enjoying yourself?" asked the man above her, his own voice slightly moved by their activity.

"Shut up," she bit back lowly, receiving a series of rough thrusts for her disrespectful words. It did not quite feel like punishment in her nether regions, however, and Korra moaned even louder now, exciting Amon even more.

Then, out of the blue, she came. And she came hard. Throwing her head back into the blankets, her hips arching tightly against his, forcing Amon even deeper into her.

Such a move was crucial, Amon noted, as he was pulled over the edge of pleasure instantly, too.

He almost did not manage to pull himself out in time. Withdrawing himself, he came on her stomach, sending waves of warm liquid against the soft flesh of her belly.

Then, as soon as the pleasurable throbbing had faded in both of them, they remembered their surroundings. With a sneer, Korra used her legs to push Amon away from her.

"Do not ever touch me again. Ever!" she hissed, confused, ashamed, angry, and most importantly betrayed. By herself.

Amon stood up and quickly dressed himself, sliding on his hood and correcting his mask into place.

"That is not something for you to decide," Amon replied monotonously, having regained his facade already. He pressed his fingers against her arms in the same pattern as before, letting his touch remove the blockades he had created in her nerve system. Movement crept into Korra's arms gradually, and she pulled on her clothes again.

"I hope this has taught you a thing or two about behaviour," Amon commented dryly and left her cell. The lock clicked as the key was turned.

Korra buried her face into the blankets and lost her fight against the tears.

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When night had come and left most of the Republic City dark, a few lights here and there by those who were still awake this late hour, Tenzin and Lin met in front of the neighbour house to the first location from the youngsters' list. The plan was to go through the list chronologically just like they had done before their disappearances. Eventually they would stumble upon the same as they had done.

The first place was a cellar from one of the city's bookstores, in which suspiciously many Equalists had been spotted in the last week. The store had been closed for many hours now, the lights behind the windows extinguished. There was no way that Lin wished to break into a closed store during the night. Closing her eyes, she let her foot collide with the pavement just outside the store, sending waves of movement through the ground. As far as her powers reached, she found no signs of life or any other kind of activity in the cellar.

"Nothing," Lin informed shortly and watched as Tenzin drew a cross on the map. When done, they moved to the next building.

Having taken precautions, both of them, they had dressed in something similar to civilian clothes, hiding their faces with hooded coats. Only those who recognized their voices, or perhaps their bending techniques, were able to identify them from a distance. So far they had yet to pass by any familiar face.

"We will have to split up our search over a few nights. I really do not have the time to sneak around forever. I have work to do in the morning," Lin said as they strolled down the road. "But I am sure you already know this." Tenzin nodded in agreement.

"I do not have infinite amounts of time either," Tenzin sighed. He really hoped that they were lucky and found the youngsters in time, and it would be icing on the cake if it were tonight. But with their current luck, something told Tenzin that it was most likely not going to be the case. He just hoped that they came in time. After all, Amon usually stocked up his captured benders for the weekly purification ceremony. If he remembered correctly, they still had three days left to search.

It took them some time arriving at the next place. Tenzin sighed as it turned out to be a dirty alley with nothing but an entrance to the sewers.

Tenzin sent Lin a dubious glance, receiving only a shrug in return. Then the police chief started to remove the heavy iron lid from the sewer entrance.

"I hope you are going to make bubbles with fresh air around us, because this will get messy."

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Korra awoke with a feeling of emptiness inside of her. She almost smiled wryly as she concluded that this was the first time during her imprisonment that the emptiness had been more physical than mental. She had not eaten in... what? Four whole days now? She was losing grip of time as the time passed by, the days merging into one long night filled with darkness, cold, and nightmares. And loneliness.

Her stomach churned greedily.

She was blessed enough to have clear water most of the time, which was the most important resource for her survival, but the days she could go unfed were coming to an end. She was getting weaker for every passing day, and without her bending there was almost no strength left for her to use should she need to. And now that Amon had forced her to do something which she had not even expected him to want, she had a feeling that she would soon need her strength. Especially if she should have any chance of escaping at the next given opportunity.

Korra's stomach growled again, letting a feeling of hollowness spread inside of her. She sat up and wrapped the blankets around herself.

I really do not want to kneel before Amon and beg for food, but at this rate I am not going to make it out alive. And I am not getting stronger by this, Korra thought with a frown. And I wish to defend myself if Amon should try anything else with me. I need more strength.

She would have to beg him for food. She doubted that he would accept more trades from her until he was paid for their first trade, which she was not even planning to do at all. Amon was not the only one playing it unfair. She could lie and manipulate as well.

Leaning back against the stone wall, Korra closed her eyes, thinking. Another frown brought the corner of her lips downward. Never had she been the type to beg for anything. Why should she change herself just because of Amon? If she agreed to kneel and beg once, she would probably have to do so every time she needed anything, just because Amon could force her.

No, she would not beg him for food. She would bite her lip and wait until the Equalist Leader was forced to feed her in order to keep her alive. It had to be done eventually. Why was it her who needed to go on a compromise with herself? It did not have to be. She could take control of her situation. It only took some work, and time.

Almost startled by the sudden knock on the door – since when had people started knocking? They usually just barged inside – Korra turned toward the vaguely familiar man who entered her cell. It was the medic, she recognized.

"How are you feeling?" asked the man. Like last time, there was absolutely no trace of compassion or concern in his voice. Despite this he was the man who had cared most for her during her captivity, technically.

"The fever is gone. But I still have a cold," Korra replied, offering the medic just as much personal indifference as she was receiving. The man nodded and, much to her dismay, proceeded closer to her. When he bent close to her, his face on the same level as hers, she felt panic and pressed herself back closer against the wall. The man's rough hand grabbed her chin and examined her face briefly, releasing her again shortly after just in time to receive a growl from the girl's stomach.

"I thought so," he muttered silently to himself. "When was the last time you ate something?" Korra was surprised by his question, but she was also kind of flattered. As a medic, he had to take note of her condition and health in general. Although a part of his job, he still was the only one where who actually did something to keep her healthy. It would have been a bit less unpleasant to be their captive if Amon had had this in common with the medic. A sneer wrinkled her nose. But of course Fate had chosen the worst thing possible on her behalf.

"The evening before I was brought here," Korra answered, still not sure how many days had passed since her fight with Amon on Aang Memorial Island. Everything seemed so distant now.

Without words, the medic nodded and left her cell.

It took Tenarr less than a minute to reach Amon's office. As usual, he knocked twice and was allowed inside. And as usual, Amon was sitting behind his desk, bent over some kind of paperwork, scribbling things down. He looked up once having finished the page.

"What can I do for you, Tenarr?" the masked man asked and folded his hands in his usual sitting-and-talking position, the fingertips resting against each other.

"The Avatar needs food," the medic informed his superior monotonously. "She will not last much longer like this."

Having reconsidered the subject before, which had led to disagreement because of the Avatar's ambush, Amon was in no doubt about this whole deal. The deal was that the Avatar had to beg before she was given anything to eat. And as far as he was concerned, this had yet to happen.

"Temporary starvation is a part of her disciplining. I cannot ignore my schemes." Amon's voice was stern. The man was just as stubborn as the Avatar, the medic noted with a sigh.

"She will die otherwise," the medic pointed out. "And we need her, right?" His words seemed to have an effect. Amon stood up and mused for a moment.

"I am quite sure that the Avatar will beg at my feet just in time," Amon then said, receiving an amused huff from Tenarr.

"She is just as stubborn as you are, Amon. Would you have given up in her place?"

"Of course not," answered the mask without any trace of doubt. The medic smiled in minor victory.

"My point exactly," he then said. "Besides, Horan is already cooking for us. What is a bowl of food more or less to us? In this case, it can save the life of someone whom we will have to feed eventually, anyway. I see no need to postpone it furthermore." Tenarr watched as Amon tensed for each word. The masked man let his arms bend back and rest against the lower part of his back, starting to move toward the medic.

"I am well aware of this whole situation, Tenarr, and I do not doubt the severity of the ongoing process of disciplining the Avatar. But you must understand that this is an internal struggle between me and her which I cannot lose. I want her to know that she is nothing special just because of her title. This is what equalism is about." Amon's voice was calm and calculated as if this very speech had been prepared for Tenarr already. A wry smile tugged at the medic's lips.

"No," he then said. "Equalism is about making us even. I do not see equality in any of this. You get to eat thrice a day while she is not eating at all. I do not see how you can justify this." Behind the porcelain mask, Amon's golden eyes narrowed. Then, an act completely unexpected to the medic, Amon smashed his fist down against the surface of the desk.

"This is non-discussable," Amon said harshly, his eyes gleaming with ferocity. "And if you will not support the methods I use to reach our goal, I doubt we do share the same goal." His words had been carefully selected, but Tenarr did not miss any of their true meaning. Feeling that this was the clue he had been waiting for, the medic turned away from the white mask glaring at him.

"Perhaps you are right," he said calmly. "I think this has gone too far. You do not have my support anymore, and until this is over I do not wish to work for you."

Silence.

When Tenarr realized that Amon was not going to reply, he nodded and left, a strange feeling of relief in his chest as he closed the door behind him.

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Although she was on the verge to falling asleep, Korra registered voices muttering softly from outside the door. Change of guard, she concluded. She had figured out the system already. Usually, the twenty-four hours of the day would be divided into four shifts of approximately six hours each. One of the regular shifts happened just around dinnertime in the evening. The new guard had eaten just before he would replace the other, while the newly dismissed guard would be heading straight for wherever the Equalists ate. She supposed it was together in some sort of cafeteria. The guards, whose brief chatter she had heard through the small opening in the door, seemed to know each other too much for them to be dining on their own every day.

The thought about dining with Tenzin's family, her own family, or even her friends, caused a pang of sadness inside of her. She remembered the evening just before she was to meet Amon on Aang Memorial Island. Pema had provided them a wonderful supper, but she had ruined the atmosphere at the dinner table. Tenzin had once again tried to persuade her to stay home instead. He had been afraid that she was not strong enough to survive, or that she would have her bending taken away. But she had been stubborn and angry, yelling that she knew what she was doing and that she needed to face Amon in a final battle. Oh, how she wished she had never gone in the first place. Then everything would have been like before. Although it had not been perfect back then, it had been rather pleasant and not even nearly as lonely as now.

Korra sighed. The loneliness was the worst part of being imprisoned. Even back home with the Southern Water Tribe clan it was ten times more lively than here despite her clan living in a small encampment outside of town. She missed those cold winter nights where she and her family would gather around the bonfire over which her mother had cooked a delicious stew. They would sit tightly side by side with a bowl of food each, eating, chatting, laughing.

Just as sleep embraced her weary mind, the door to her cell was opened. Korra sat up in surprise and watched as two vaguely familiar men entered. Through the heavy shadows she recognized them as the chi-blockers.

"Get up," one of them demanded. Having neither mental nor physical strength to resist, Korra pushed herself upon feet, swaying in weakness. Usually one of them just stood and watched her with cautiousness as the other stabbed her back with those unbelievable uncomfortable fingers, blocking her chi paths. Now the second man held her tightly by her shoulders to make sure she did not lose balance during the chi-blocking process. The quick, hard stabs could easily push her over when she was this weak.

Having gotten used to the process, Korra just stood expressionless as her bending was once again taken away from her temporarily. At first she had hoped they would forget to chi-block her just once. A mere spark of her bending abilities would be enough for her to escape. But she had come to realize that the Equalists were sharply observant when it came to benders. Never had she even been close to regaining her powers. They came almost every day to perform the procedure on her back, and it annoyed her that she was getting too used to it. It should anger her, should make her scream and struggle against their touch, but she did not. She just stood there and accepted what they did to her.

When they had finished, the two men left, and Korra sat down on the edge of her bed. She watched their backs turn to the right in the hallway, her mind indifferent until she noticed that the door was left open behind them. Before the opportunities were intercepted by her mind, someone came in.

Korra watched the person with wide eyes, her mind going blank by the sight of the filled tray in his hands. Food. Sweet spirits, it was food. For her. She almost could not believe her own eyes.

The man placed the tray beside the girl, whose gaze still clung to the bowl of soup which sent her senses into a frenzy. She could almost cry in bliss. Almost.

Korra literally threw herself over the tray. It was the first decent food she had seen in almost a week now. The possibilities of the food being poisoned or dangerous in any way did not even cross her mind. And if it did, she ignored it.

Wrapping her cold hands around the warm bowl, she almost sighed in happiness. The feeling of warmth like this had been so remote for far too long now. The spoon on the tray was never put to use; Korra drank from the bowl slowly, savouring the taste of life. She was far lost in thoughts when the man, who had stationed himself at the door, started to speak:

"I was told to inform the Avatar that Amon will be away for a short while. He also wished that I tell you to behave while he is gone, seeing as he will be informed of your every move from now on."

Korra was almost choking on her soup. Amon was away!? What could he possibly be doing away from his captive whom he did not even trust to behave? Korra put the bowl down for a moment.

"What is he doing away?" she asked, immediately taken aback and surprised that her voice had sounded sad in a way that it certainly should not. Luckily, the mad did not seem to have noticed.

"He said that you would probably ask," the man replied with a hint of provocation in his voice. "It is not anything of your concern, however."

"I see," Korra answered. She could not help but feel a bit disappointed in Amon's choice of secrecy. Or perhaps it was the fact that it had not been Amon himself who had told her. Korra shook her head. No, it was a good thing that he had decided to stay away, she decided. After what he had done to her, she would rather not see him at all.

Korra finished her meal in silence, a frown on her face. No matter how much logic she used to explain her own reactions and feelings, she did not believe herself entirely. She could not help but feel angry about the fact that Amon had been a chicken and fled without a word. It seemed that she was not the only one regretting what had happened earlier that day. And somehow, even though she knew it was wrong of her to think so, she could not help but feel disappointed that Amon also did regret it.

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I hope you enjoyed the chapter, seeing as it has major importance for the further development in Korra and Amon's relationship. Things will start to happen from now on.

Please leave a Review and let me know what you thought of it. Loved it? Hated it? Was it too unrealistic and too OOC? Tell me :3

Love, MAL.