Thank you all for still reading!

I must apologize for another late update. I have had a lot on mind the past few months. I hope I will be better at updating from now on ^^

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Enjoy!

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Chapter 14: Compassion

Letting Amon escort her out from the canteen was a challenge. It took all Korra's self-control to refrain from approaching Asami. For whatever reason Asami was here, Korra was certain that talking to her was not a good idea, although she needed answers. Korra managed to repress the urge to speak as she was led outside.

Once again, Korra's emotions and thoughts were a total chaos inside of her. There were so many things which she did not know, so many things that nagged in the back of her mind, begging for her to investigate. But Korra knew better. In this case, she needed to ignore her curiosity and see what time would bring. Asami was intelligent. She had a plan.

Although Korra was certain of this, she could not ignore the tiny voice in her mind whispering disturbing things. Maybe Asami was not here to rescue her. The way she had responded to their eye contact told Korra that Asami was ashamed of her choice. But Korra wanted to believe. It was just hard to believe in anything good for the time being, she mused. The thought almost made her laugh bitterly.

Amon was silent while he led her upstairs, which Korra was grateful for. By the mere sound of his voice, she was reminded of his longing whispers during their hour of need. And right now it was the last thing she needed.

Korra waited patiently while Amon found his keys and unlocked the door to his – their – private chambers. She did not like to think of it as a room they shared, but it was a fact that they indeed did live together for the time being.

Even though the week in the prison cell was the worst thing she had yet experienced, Korra missed the privacy, the... shelter. Although there had been an unnerving silence creeping in on her mind, breaking her down bit by bit, she missed it. Being out of his reach. Being locked away in a musty concrete cell, where she was safe. At least as safe as she could be while still being his captive.

Korra found herself staring at the door even after Amon had opened it for her. As his hand touched her back, pushing her forward surprisingly gently, she snapped out of her trance, almost gasping loudly. Those golden eyes stared calmly at her from behind the mask for a moment. Then he took a step back and allowed Korra full access to the room.

"Get some rest. You look pale." Those words, so softly spoken yet without a trace of genuine concern, made Korra's heart skip a beat. Just once, almost unnoticeable. But Korra noticed it without fail, and with a sneer of self-disgust she passed the masked man and allowed herself to be locked inside.

It was ironical, almost comical. He could treat her like filth, he could torture her mentally and physically, making her hate him with all her heart. And yet, all he had to do was saying the right things, touching her the right places, and her heart would turn in an instant. She hated it; hated her weakening mind, her submissive body – yes, especially her body, as traitorous as it was.

Disgust was still plastered all over her face as she let her body fall back onto the couch. Closing her eyes, she tried to force her mind into a slumber. All that came, however, was a wave of tears as the events of the week were summarized in her mind.

Hiccuping back the tears, Korra tried to calm herself. Yes, the week had been rough on her. So much had happened in so short a period of time. It seemed as if she had been a captive for a month already, and the thought scared her. If this much had happened in one week, how much would she have experienced by the time this whole captivity thing ended?

If it ended, of course. Although she did not like to think about it, it seemed like there was no end to this. She had no idea of what Amon really was waiting for, or what role she played in it. She could only wait and pray that she would somehow manage to keep her dignity – all that was left of it – after all this. Although she was starting to doubt if it was even possible.

It took some minutes, but she managed to contain her feelings. She bit her lip, biting back every sign of weakness that had shown itself mere seconds ago. She had to be strong. No matter what Amon had planned to do with her, she knew that it was far from over. Although Amon had done a great job so far, she could not allow him to break her entirely. There would always be a fight left in her for the day when she would see her opportunity. And once she got out, she would pay him back in such manners that he would regret it all. She would make his world crumble beneath his feet. She would watch coolly as he would stumble and fall. She would watch with contempt as he was punished for everything he had done to her, no matter how many times she then would have moaned his name brokenly during the nights.

He could not break her. She simply would not let him.

With a long sigh, Korra started to relax, feeling a bit better. It lasted only moments, however, as a sudden wave of discomfort washed in over her body, and she fought to untangle her body from the sheets and stumbled toward the bathroom.

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As usual, Amon had waited for all his students and employees to leave the canteen one by one before fetching his share of dinner. Only one person remained by his side for the sheer pleasure of company.

And as usual, Amon loosened his mask enough to slide it up and let it rest on his forehead. Should anything happen, a simple tap on the edge would push the mask right back before his face.

The Lieutenant's gaze did not linger on his superior's scarred skin longer than he normally looked at anyone; he had known Amon for years and knew the entire story. Nothing new there.

There was something entirely different, however, Amon noticed. The Lieutenant seemed tense in some way. His eyes, thoughtful and dark, told him that the man had something to say. Amon ate peacefully while waiting for the slightly younger man to spill his thoughts.

"Making a girl pregnant," the Lieutenant finally said, and Amon froze for a tenth of a second, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. "It is unacceptable. Of course our recruits are allowed to spend their spare time as they want, but such activities here are not suitable."

Relief spread in Amon's mind as he realized that the Lieutenant was talking about their recruits, not Korra. He knew nothing.

Nodding in agreement, Amon swallowed his barely-chewed food.

"But we must remember that these people are adults and must take responsibility for their own actions. We cannot deny them the freedom to mingle in personal affairs. This is not the military," the leader spoke and led another spoonful of hot stew to his mouth. The Lieutenant grimaced in something that reminded of disgust, then he shrugged.

"I just do not think that those two were acting responsibly," he said. "Besides, having the second-in-command running off to the drug store to get morning-after pills is not exactly something that creates a good reputation for the organization."

Amon could not help but let a small smile tug at the corner of his lips.

"You are only saying that because you felt uncomfortable being the one to go get it," he remarked with a friendly yet teasing tone of voice. Just as the Lieutenant was about to protest, Amon continued: "Although I am grateful that you did. I have had a lot on my hands these days, keeping an eye on the Avatar and our new recruits at the same time."

The Lieutenant's mouth shut again, a pleased look on his face as he nodded. Then his face turned serious again.

"I still think you should talk to that girl. Let her know to be more careful from now on."

Emptying his bowl, Amon stood and beckoned for the Lieutenant to follow him.

"I do believe that the embarrassment of having to ask me directly for help was enough to make her think twice next time. However, I will talk to her, but only this once. As I said, it is none of our business what our recruits are doing in their spare time," Amon spoke as he left the bowl on the table near the entrance to the kitchen for the kitchen boy to fetch it.

"One last thing," the Lieutenant added just as they were about to exit the canteen, and Amon stopped to look at him. "Are you sure that having the Avatar imprisoned in your private chambers is the wisest option?"

Amon slid down his mask and looked at the Lieutenant coolly.

"It is our only option," he answered and pushed the canteen doors aside. "Besides, having her this close to me allows me to control her. This is the safest way."

Hesitantly, the Lieutenant nodded and followed his superior through the doors, bidding the man farewell as they parted in the hallway.

No matter how many times he had asked Amon about the Avatar's current residence, he still refused to believe that it truly was the safest – not to say the only – option. But there was no reason for Amon to keep the Avatar imprisoned in his own room unless he was entirely sure that this was the best thing to do. Right?

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The sight of Korra had ruined Asami's mood. Not that she in any way despised Korra, of course – but the guilt that she was feeling was nearly unbearable.

She knew she should not be feeling guilty at all, because she was doing all this in order to save the girl, but it haunted her to know that Korra might not even know her true reasons. And for some reason she felt guilty for hanging out with people who truly despised the Avatar. Even more, having to ignore their friendship even though they were sitting mere tables apart... It all just felt so wrong.

"You seem kind of down all of a sudden," Larila remarked in confusion. Asami sighed and swallowed.

"I am sorry," Asami spoke with a shrug. "It just feels so weird seeing the Avatar, knowing that she is just a girl about the same age as you and me. I cannot stop wondering how it must feel to bear such a responsibility already – and be the target of so much hate."

When Larila frowned, Asami feared that perhaps she had shown too much pity for Korra in her lie. Then Larila nodded thoughtfully.

"I agree with you that it is indeed weird to think about. In another time, another world, we might have been her friends. But this is our reality, and our reality says that she is an enemy of our goal and therefore also an enemy of us. Also if we do not hate her personally, we should still hate everything she stands for."

Asami was surprised to hear such harsh and determined words coming from such a gentle and cheerful girl, but she had to remember that only people who really did want bending to stop were in the Equalists. And no matter how sweet Larila seemed, she had her own reasons for hating bending. Which reminded her...

"Can I ask you something?" Asami suddenly said.

"Go ahead," Larila replied.

"For what reasons are you here? In the Equalists, I mean." It was not something Asami had thought about until now. The Equalist soldiers she had fought so far had all been aggressive and self-confident, and in many ways Larila did not seem to share the personality of those recruits. The girl was pure at heart and fond of life. There had to be a reason.

A sad smile spread on Larila's lips, and the girl shrugged lightly.

"It is not something I usually tell people. But I feel I can trust you," the girl said and gave Asami a glance that sought approval. Asami nodded, her eyes glinting with interest, so Larila continued: "When I was nine, I was bullied in school by a group of fire benders. I used to draw back then, and the gang seemingly enjoyed taking my drawings and burn them before me while I was held down. Seeing as I had no power to defend myself, I let them have their fun with me, desperately trying to ignore them. My older brother could not stand to watch me giving in to the bullying like that."

Larila paused only to beckon for Asami to sit down with her on the benches they were passing, and Asami followed her silent wish.

"One day the gang crossed the line. I was getting good at ignoring them whenever they would pester me, and it seemed to have pissed the leader off. That day, they came for me during a recess and dragged me out in the schoolyard where they held me down and ripped off my clothes until I was wearing only my underwear. Then they started burning my clothes piece for piece. I remember that I was wearing my favourite dress that day, and when they destroyed it, I could not help but scream and cry. But nobody heard me, and those who did had no desire in helping me. Everybody was afraid of the gang. That day I came home from school and wished that I could just die."

Larila paused again, and this time Asami saw moist start to gather in the corner of her eyes, but Larila managed to suppress the tears as she spoke.

"My brother was furious. He was fourteen at the time, only a few years older than those benders in the gang. He went to the corner where the gang used to hang out in their spare time, where they could throw stones at anyone passing by. My brother approached them, blinded by hatred, and although I had followed him there and begged him to stop, he jumped the leader, holding him down against the pavement as he hit him in the face several times. He would not stop and kept charging for the leader even after the leader had managed to kick him off."

Sniffing back her tears, Larila embraced herself, her gaze suddenly far away.

"They killed him. I could only stand there and watch as the boys gathered around my brother and burned him alive. And what did I do? I ran for my life." The last sentences were spoken in a voice that was rather disgusted than sad, and it was clear to Asami that Larila blamed herself.

Asami shook her head, placing a caring hand on Larila's shoulder.

"It was never your fault," she spoke softly. She wanted to say something more, but Larila quickly took the lead.

"So they say. But I blame myself for not fending off the gang in the first place. I should have been brave and stopped them myself. My brother should never have gotten involved," Larila said, her voice turning angry now. "So this is why I am here. To avenge my brother by stopping those with the power to hurt anyone like that."

Asami nodded and pulled the girl into an embrace even before she had thought of it. Although she had never hugged anyone that she barely knew, this felt right. Larila accepted her arms and leaned in to the embrace, sniffing again.

"I will help you," Asami whispered and brushed a couple of red locks behind Larila's ear.

"Thanks," Larila replied and sniffed again. Standing up, Larila dragged Asami along by her hand.

"Come on," she said with a brave smile. "All this talk is making me depressed. Wanna go get some hot chocolate?"

Asami nodded and trailed after Larila as they went back towards the canteen. The girl still not let go of her hand.

All of a sudden, Asami felt her blood run cold as she realized what promise she had just made.

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Amon decided that he would postpone the current paperwork to the morning. Before the capture of the Avatar, he had spent most evenings in his office, hovering above a stack of pages which had needed to be read and signed. Those evenings used to be his favourite. Sitting there alone with nobody judging him, nobody bothering him. He would sit there and muse about the fruit of his work, the feeling of contempt growing for each day. But for the time being, the largest fruit of his work was locked inside of his room, and he intended to go enjoy it.

Something had been bothering him today, however, and he had not been able to identify it until the moment the Lieutenant had asked him that question. Was it smart to have the Avatar imprisoned in the very bedroom of the Equalist leader? When he thought about it, it amused him slightly. Of course it was not smart at all. Had the Avatar been anyone else than an attractive, young and particularly feisty woman, said Avatar would have been chained to a wall down in the cellar instead. Certainly Jayak would not mind a bit of company, not even if that company was the Avatar. The old fool would probably be honoured in some kind of way, too.

The amusement left Amon's mind as he passed a couple of recruits on his way to the stairs, recognizing one of them as Asami, the former friend of the Avatar. Although recruits usually ignored their leader or greeted him respectfully whenever seeing him outside of the training halls, this particular girl stared into the eye holes of his mask with a look that told him that she knew exactly what he was doing.

He did not like it.

Ignoring the girls, he continued upstairs, the feeling of unease starting to grow again. How many exactly knew of the location of the Avatar? If any of the recruits knew, rumours would spread like a stomach flu. And he doubted that any of those rumours would be particularly flattering.

It concerned him, too, that the Lieutenant seemed to doubt his decision about keeping the Avatar this close. It was true that their main headquarters did not have prison cells, seeing as it was technically their training facility – but if he wanted to, Amon could easily find somewhere else for the Avatar to be. And somehow he knew that the Lieutenant knew this too. It was hard to come up with believable excuses and lies to convince a man who was not stupid at all. At least the Lieutenant was truthfully loyal to him, and this was the only thing that kept him from suspecting things, Amon believed.

But that Sato girl... If anyone in the entire organization were to suspect something, it would be someone who did not trust him at all. And despite her submissiveness and engagement that she had shown today – he had kept track on her – he could not allow himself to believe that the girl was actually trustworthy. Nobody could turn their back on their friends just like that.

He needed to make sure that she was no threat to him or his plans. He would have to keep an eye on her.

Finding himself sighing, burdened with a growing annoyance, Amon stopped in front of his door to look for his keys. At first the noises inside did not break through his chain of thoughts, but when they finally did, he found himself almost kicking the door in.

He found her with her head down the toilet bowl, her body convulsing pathetically as she repeatedly relived her dinner with thick and broken cries.

He knew he should not feel compassion with the Avatar, but it was a reflex rather than a decision when he knelt by her side and placed a comforting hand on her shaking shoulder.

Korra stopped and swallowed, surprised by his touch. It took her a brief moment to remember everything, and with a frown she slapped his hand away. It was his fault that she was in this situation in the first place. And a touch on her shoulder would not prevent the side-effects from the morning-after pill she had taken.

Offended by her direct hostility, for which he did not really see an apparent reason, Amon stood up and left the bathroom without a word.

He made it barely to the middle of the bedroom before his jaw tightened and anger washed in over him. Had he been alone, he would have smashed his clenched fist right against the stone wall. It was not the fact the Avatar had rejected his rare kindness, because he was used to her resistance by now – no, it was the fact that he had allowed himself to show compassion for her when it was clearly not that kind of relationship they shared.

He felt angry and disgusted with himself for having softened up around her. He had felt signs and traces of it before, but this time it had been too much. A moment of total weakness. This was not how it should be. She was here so that he could break her down bit for bit, but the breaking down seemed to be mutual. And she was not even doing it on purpose.

Amon considered it for a moment. No, it was not the Avatar's doing at all. She had done nothing wrong in this matter. The fault was his own, for being too weak; for exposing himself to an undeniable temptation that existed in the warm and pleasurable company of a young and passionate woman. That kind of company that he had secretly been longing for for years. Had she been any other woman of her level of beauty, he would have done the same. This was what he told himself, at least.

He needed to stop whatever the hell he was doing. Sleeping with the enemy was far beyond foolish, even if it was an attempt to break her. There were other ways. He just had to find them.

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Thank you for reading!

This chapter is about compassion. Whether we like it or not, feeling compassion for others is a part of being human. In this chapter you will see as Asami struggles to find the line between compassion and friendship, all while Amon has his own share of troubles. The question is how much compassion changes us as human beings, and how much it takes to ignore the compassion for those we should not be feeling compassion for at all.

Please let me know what you think about the chapter. After all, your Reviews are what keep me going!

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Love,

MAL.