First off: I have read your comments about the amount of Asami screen time, and I have decided to moderate it from now on. Thank you for your responses!

Actual: This is a rather short update, full of action and topped off with a slightly saucy Amorra scene. I hope this will keep you satisfied until the next big slice of lemon – which is close, I hereby reveal.

Love you all!

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Chapter 17: Bloodbender

Run!

That was everything Korra's mind could come up with. Although the girl had been trained most of her life to be able to handle stressing situations and think clearly through fights, this was all she could process when it finally mattered more than anything.

Had anyone seen her, they would have labeled her a coward. The Avatar did not run from anything, let alone a fight. The identity of the opponent did not matter. She should be staying and fighting, defending her case and her people, and had it been any other man she probably would. But there was something about that marked porcelain mask that forced terrified thoughts into her head in situations like these. And all she could do was run like a little girl.

The sound of Amon's footsteps grew louder in her ears for every passing moment. He was catching up with her; was catching her again.

No, Korra's inner said suddenly. I do not have to run. I can do this.

She had no idea why she was changing her mind all of a sudden. It felt as if her survival instinct was contradicting itself. Running and hoping to get out in time seemed to be the best shot she had at freedom, but still something inside her begged her not to give up just yet. She was strong. And she needed to prove herself and Amon this.

Using her foot against the wall, she managed to somersault and turn her body toward Amon as she skidded to a halt, one hand supporting her upper body on the floor and the other still holding the small amount of water she had brought with her from her prison.

Delighted to see that nobody had heard them and come to assist their leader, Korra smiled inwardly. It was just the two of them. As long she did not have to divert her focus from one opponent to another, she had a fair chance. At least that was what she told herself.

Amon skidded to a halt as well, surprised to find the Avatar standing up to him yet again. Why was she not running? She should be running in fear. After all, she knew what he could do to her. And yet, there she was, watching him with narrowed teal eyes glinting with ferocity.

He was struck by ambivalence. At some point he liked the challenge she offered him, and yet he hated that she was not fearing him enough to give up already.

But mostly, he enjoyed her flash of defiance.

Amon took a fighting stance, one hand resting behind his back and one hand in front of him. He bended his knees to allow his body flexibility.

Korra's first move was to freeze the small amount of water in her palm into ice darts, which she sent flying toward the man's chest. As Amon fended the attack off with a swift move of his body, Korra took the moment to raise the floor behind him, closing the hallway off and separating them from the surrounding threats that was soon to emerge.

Amon did not need to turn his head to figure out what had just happened. He smirked beneath his mask.

"Wise move," he said. "But also very foolish of you."

Korra cursed inwardly when she remembered what card Amon could play once they were alone. His triumph card.

In desperation, she sent bolts of fire toward him, once again trying to create a diversion. Amon threw himself sideways to avoid the raging flames aimed for his face, his shoulder crashing into the stone wall in the process.

As the Avatar, there was a lot of things Korra knew about bending. One of these things was that only the most skilled people could bend something they could not see. A friend of Avatar Aang, the girl named Toph – who was also the mother of Lin Beifong – had been one of the few benders developing this ability, which had passed down to Lin herself. It was a technique passed from bender to bender, among them Tenzin, Korra's own teacher. And for the very first time in her life, Korra believed that this technique might turn out to be the one move which would save her ass.

The moment after she had sent those fireballs toward her opponent, Korra leaped back a bit and created yet another column in the floor, this one between Amon and herself, trapping the man inside a little room.

She would be damned if Amon were among those few who were skilled enough to bend blindly, but she honestly did not think so. Although he mastered the technique of Blood bending, he was not necessarily a skilled bender. Blood bending was a specialization of Water bending. Blind bending originated from Earth bending. It was highly unlikely that someone like him had managed to infuse the technique with another element. She hoped she was right.

Korra did not like what came next. The killing part. Honestly, she preferred to not kill at all, but in a case like this she considered if anyone would gain anything from Amon being left alive. The man was dangerous and uncontrollable. There was only one way to get rid of him, it seemed.

And thus, Korra closed her eyes and focused, seeing her surroundings for her inner eye. She saw the walls around her, the walls that continued down the hallway and provided half of Amon's current cell. Bending her knees, she moved her arms, muscles flexing beneath her tanned skin as she willed the walls around Amon to move inward. They would crush him entirely.

Holding her breath, she awaited the sound of finality.

But it never came.

Instead, she was kicked off her feet by a piece of stone crashing into her stomach. She shrieked in surprise, having not seen anything because of her closed eyes. Before her, Amon had broken through the stone blockage with just a single kick.

Cursing loudly, Korra climbed to feet and backed away from Amon, who was now reeking of killer intent as he slowly strode toward her. It was clear to him what she had just been trying to do.

"It seems that you are not fully aware of the advantages of Blood bending," he laughed in a tone that was not amused at all. "You know, I can control my own blood as well."

No further explanation was needed. Korra quickly realized that the man in front of her was able to strengthen his own muscles through bending. It was truly impressive that he had managed to polish the skill of Blood bending this much on his own. But it was no time to be impressed, Korra knew. It was time to be sickly horrified.

As she backed away from the masked man, Korra sent chunks of crushed stone flying in his direction. Most of them were dodged skillfully, the rest were simple shattered against his arm guards. Again, Korra was amazed by how casually Amon managed to bend, as if Blood bending was a power of his mind and not a form of physical manipulation of the elements. Any other man would have his arm crushed by such treatment. After all, she was bending with a lot of force, although it was far from her entire strength. Had she not been partially chi-blocked still, she would have attacked him with such speed and force that not even Blood bending could prevent his bones from shattering by the impact. But she had to manage with whatever amount of power she had at the moment.

"So, when are you going to give up? You know you cannot possibly win in your current state," Amon spoke calmly as he deflected a few more flying rocks, the smirk on his mask reflecting the one on his lips.

"Do not keep your hopes up," Korra answered bitterly, still backing away. Did he really think she would surrender now? His tricks did not scare her.

Well, that was not exactly true. But she tried not to be intimidated by his psychotic abilities. Fear was the first large step toward defeat.

Amon snorted, amused by the feisty facade the Avatar was carrying in situations like these. Indeed she was an interesting person. She was a game he intended to win; a mind he wished to break, a soul he longed to damn. And a person he wanted to own. The Avatar was such a great trophy to win in this war.

In a time like this, Korra hated the fact that she was still unable to Air-bend. The blocked hallway resulted in no accessible water supply, and all she had was Fire and the floor and walls to destroy and manipulate. And Earth bending seemingly did not work as long Amon was countering her attacks with his own bending. Left was only Fire bending, which was the element with less variation. It was entirely offensive, and all she really could do was throw fire and flames in his direction. Nothing to push him over with, nothing to freeze him, nothing to force him away; merely simple attacks to dodge. And he was just as good ad dodging physically as he was verbally. Maybe this was why he was such a great threat to her kind. A fighter and a politician in one person was never to be meddled with.

By now, the sound of several Equalists trying to break down the barriers Korra had created caught their attention. Yet again a victorious smile crooked the corners of Amon's lips.

"It seems you are running out of time, Avatar."

Korra cursed under her breath. All she had done this far was cornering herself, really. All physical attempts seemed futile against him in this situation. This fight begged for a new approach.

"I am willing to make a deal," Korra said suddenly, stopping her feet from taking her backwards. Amon's eyebrows rose in disbelief. He had not expected the Avatar to be willing to negotiate, especially not when she had nothing left to trade. But he wanted to hear her naive solution out before ending their fight entirely.

Nodding for her to continue, Amon stopped moving too. Korra sighed soundlessly, gathering courage.

"What if I could promise you a permanent seat in the City Council in exchange for my freedom and the promise that you will stop your bender hunt immediately?"

Amon thought her words through. Not that he considered her offer the least, but he wondered why she really thought she could give him her part of the deal.

"I do not believe you have the authority to grant me a seat in the City Council. And what makes you think that I will ever give up on my ideology? After all, I am not looking for world domination," Amon spoke coolly. "Not entirely, anyway."

"I just believe there is a reasonable solution to this problem," Korra continued with a shrug. "A solution that benefits your kind and mine altogether."

"Do not make me laugh, girl," Amon replied with a snort, allowing himself forward to stop right in front of the Avatar. "There is no solution that will please both of us. Only one of us can win this war."

Before Korra managed to reply, Amon had raised his knee to strike her in the stomach. She was sent flying backwards to the wall, the back of her head taking most of the blow against the massive concrete. For half a second she went out.

When she opened her eyes again, he was on her, pinning her to the floor with an arm pressing on her throat and his knees forcing her arms down. He felt as she tried to wriggle her arms free and gasped for air, her eyes clenched shut as she bit down on her lip hard. It was a beautiful sight, he concluded, savouring the fear her face showed.

"You see?" Amon said in an almost whisper, his golden eyes watching her intensely. "There is no way I am giving up. You are mine already. Nothing you can give me is worth your freedom anymore."

True. Because you have taken it already, Korra thought, feeling a bitter anger taking over as she reminded herself of his hour of need, of his uninvited rough hands on her skin.

Groaning defiantly, she summoned flames to her palms and moved them as close to his legs as possible, forcing the man to move away. He used his hands to push himself back onto feet to avoid being burned. Meanwhile, Korra fought to climb to feet. She was not fast enough, however.

In a swift move, Amon took control over her body, his hold over her blood and veins strong enough to lift her from the ground and throw her against the other wall. Again she hit her head, just enough for it to start bleeding this time. The air was knocked out of her lungs as her spine cracked sickly.

She was coughing by the time he reached her. With a strong hold around her throat, Korra was lifted up again and pressed against the wall, blood from her wound smearing onto the stone surface. Amon then let his mask rest against the girl's shoulder, the cold porcelain sending a shiver through her body.

"Give up, Korra," the man whispered, nuzzling his nose against the sensitive skin of her neck. "You are not going anywhere until I let you. There is no need to fight for freedom when we both know you would come back looking for me eventually anyway. You need me just as much as I need you."

Korra froze, a weird sensation tingling in her belly. This was the first time she had heard him say her name. She had believed that he did not know it, or perhaps that he refused to use it. But here he was, murmuring her name tenderly, saying that they needed each other. For a moment, his change in behaviour made her feel things which she would rather not be feeling, but she quickly pushed his words aside.

"I do not need you," she hissed back. Grabbing his wrist that still held her throat, she dug her nails into his arm, watching him as he did not even flinch at her ferocious attack.

Amon held back a laugh. It was ridiculous that she denied their mutual need; just as ridiculous as all the times he had told himself that he did not need the Avatar at all. Now he knew it was a lie. He wanted her more than ever, and not only for his plan. And he refused to believe that this was one-sided. Her sweet and lusty moans, her hand grabbing his hair to force their lips closer as she rolled her hips against his – those were actions and wants of her own. She could tell herself one lie after another, claiming her independence, but in the end he knew she was just as addicted.

He would remind her.

Using his body to pin her to the wall, Amon allowed one hand to slide into her pants. Golden eyes watched the girl intensely as a finger slipped inside of her; she winced, but not in pain. The moan rolling in her throat was close to exposing itself, but it was contained just accurately. Amon knew it was there, however.

"What are you doing?" Korra hissed lowly, wriggling in discomfort. This was no time for such activity. But Amon seemed to think otherwise.

"Proving you wrong," the man said darkly, his voice betraying the smirk beneath his mask.

Korra could have groaned at his never-ending stubbornness. He was always out to prove her wrong about something, or at least make her uncomfortable. Right now was no exception. She just knew that if he continued like this, it would not feel uncomfortable much longer. She knew very well where it led.

But just as Amon was about to slip in another finger to start his game entirely, the sound of the outer wall breaking down reached their ears.

Withdrawing his hand, Amon chuckled to himself. His laugh was rather unamused, however.

"Saved by the people you call enemies. How ironic," the man spoke and dropped the Avatar, letting her fall to the floor. "But it is not over yet."

Grabbing her by the hair, he forced her back straight. Expertly he blocked her chi-paths with a series of quick stabs. She had no time to shield her face as she was thrown back onto the floor.

The final barrier was broken down by a group of Equalist recruits, the Lieutenant in the front. Of course. He was always there for their leader, Korra noticed bitterly. And yet the poor man had no idea what his boss was actually spending his time doing.

"Sir," several young people exclaimed as they ran to approach Amon. The Lieutenant followed them silently, watching the area and assessing the damages rather than focusing on Amon, who was, unsurprisingly, unharmed.

"What happened?" the Lieutenant asked finally, observing as the Avatar struggled slightly to climb to her feet. Barely had she straightened her body when several Equalists grabbed her and wrung her arms to her back painfully. The girl hissed in pain, but nobody responded with compassion.

"Do not worry. Everything has been taken care of now," Amon spoke coolly as he passed the small group of people gathered before him. "Bring the Avatar to my room, and make sure the door is locked. I will be in my office."

Just before he disappeared through the hole in the nearest barrier, he stopped and turned to look at everybody.

"Oh, and make sure somebody cleans up the mess by the stairs."

Korra shook from a mixture of emotions as she watched Amon disappear silently; strongest was the feeling of total defeat.

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Once again, thank you for reading. I hope this made up for the large amount of Asami screen time.

See you all in the next chapter!

- MAL