HELLO, my dear readers! Yet again I must apologize for my late update. There are no excuses except that my life is batshit busy right now, with school and job and everything.
I've been aching to finish this chapter for a while, because I had most of it written down already. Originally, it was supposed to contain some juicy stuff, but the chapter turned out long enough before I reached that part, so I decided to leave all the good stuff for the next chapter. After all, there might be a lot of it! ÒwÓ
So, yeah, I just kinda spoiled the surprise for you. But I believe that I need to remind you that you'll get to the good stuff soon enough, in hope that you'll all stay tuned for next chapter. And you will, right? RIGHT!? XD
Enjoy, dearies!
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Chapter 18: Longings
Barely had Asami made it through supper when chaos erupted.
At first, nobody had heard the Avatar sneaking out in the hallways, let alone suspected that such thing would – or could – happen. Heck, Asami doubted that more than a few Equalists recruits remembered that the Avatar was, in fact, in the very same building as them. Despite Korra's appearance in the canteen a few days ago, nobody really talked about her or the fact that she was their captive.
But when the sound of the stone floor in the hallway cracking open echoed down to the canteen, more than few reacted instantly by standing up and running toward the scene, including the Lieutenant. And when the Lieutenant was running, something was very wrong.
"What the hell was that?" Shenra exclaimed and stood up, nearly pushing her bowl of rice over in the process. Almost everybody in the canteen followed her example and rose to feet abruptly; some yelling, some screaming, and some simply stunned. Asami was one of those who could only stare in disbelief.
"What is happening out there?" someone asked next to her. Asami did not know the answer, but she had a very good guess. One that immediately put her mind in conflict.
Should she help Korra? Doing so would blow her cover, and she was not strong enough to fight against this many Equalists at once – heck, without her special electrified gloves she was lucky if she could even take down two persons. The chance of she and Korra succeeding an escape attempt right now was nearly zero.
On the other hand, if she stayed calm and preserved her cover, the chance that Korra had the opportunity to escape later was probably going to be non-existent. A man like Amon would never make the same mistake twice. If Korra was caught now, she would probably be locked away in the most secure place in the whole building; a place which Asami had no chance of finding.
Besides, most importantly, if she was not going to help Korra now, would she then ever get the chance to prove her true intentions again? The last thing she wanted was for her friends – the boys and Korra – to believe that she had truly betrayed them.
The thoughts kept her immobilized for yet another moment. Before she had decided what to make of the situation, Shenra had grabbed her wrist and was pulling her outside.
"Wha-" Asami stammered in confusion.
"Well, we cannot just be sitting here, can we!?" Shenra defended. Asami figured that it was better to just follow the stream – and a stream it was, literally, seeing as all the recruits were leaving the canteen at once to see what was going on.
They did not make it far, however, for the crowd was stopped immediately by a few older Equalists telling them to give room. An elemental fight was never to be trusted, they explained. If the Avatar wanted to, she could tear the whole building down in few seconds.
Maybe, Asami thought. But Korra would never do such thing when there are people inside. She is not a killer.
The next couple of minutes felt like hours to Asami. She could hear as Korra and Amon fought on the other side of the barricade, but she could only see the group trying to break through Korra's mess. From what she could make of it right now, it did not sound like victory for the Avatar, and Asami's heart pounded fast, adrenaline pumping through her system, readying her for battle; a battle which never came.
Finally, the second wall was penetrated, and silence took over the crowd. Asami feared that her chest might explode from the inside caused by her blood activity, but nothing happened as they all watched the obstructs intensely, listening for glimpses of the conversation going on on the other side.
Suddenly, a figure appeared from the scene. Asami's heart seemed to stop as she recognized the porcelain mask – the mask without as much as one scratch.
Korra had failed.
Silent, Amon strode toward the crowd, which parted to let him through, no questions, no whispering. Everybody understood that their leader once again stood victorious to the Avatar. The man turned and went upstairs, ignoring the stares lingering to him.
"Go back to your rooms, everyone," someone said loudly, but the crowd did not move. Instead they watched wide-eyed as the Avatar was literally dragged along by a couple of men, the Lieutenant in front.
Again, the crowd allowed them through, but this time a few people started whispering. Shocked into utter silence, Asami could only stare at her friend, whose eyes revealed how much she had indeed failed.
And the only thing Asami could do was looking the other way as Korra was dragged upstairs.
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"Why is he not here yet?" Mako asked with a sigh, shuddering lightly. "It is freezing out here!"
Bolin agreed with a nod.
"She," Tenzin corrected calmly. "And I am sure there is a reasonable explanation. Just keep waiting."
"But we have been waiting for half an hour now!" the boy continued and sighed again, shrugging. "She is not going to show up."
Tenzin shook his head to himself. Mako reminded him so much of himself as young. Strong-hearted and loyal. And very impatient.
He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"You must learn to be patient. This mission is delicate, and it could ruin everything if you were to rush instead of waiting. Remember who we are dealing with."
"He is right," a female voice came from behind them. Mako, Bolin, and Tenzin all turned around in surprise. Leaned up against the wall was a cloaked woman, her red hair peeking forth from beneath the hood.
"Besides, I am risking a lot by coming here. I had to take some precautions before I could show myself. I could have been followed. Or you could have been followed."
Signalizing for them to move further into the shadowy alleyway, she slid off the hood and revealed a surprisingly young face.
Tenzin opened his mouth to explain that they had in fact been looking out, but was cut off by her hand.
"Hush. I do not have much time. So you will listen for now."
The three nodded.
"Tomorrow evening at ten, in the basement of the candy factory. Go behind the building – there you will find a door leading downstairs. There will be guards, as you probably know. I will be one of them, and I will make sure you get inside. But there can only be one of you, otherwise it will be too suspicious. You guys are not exactly unknown to the Equalists."
Mako and Bolin looked at each other, then nodded in silent agreement.
"I will go," Mako said.
"Alright," the girl continued. "And remember; no matter what is going on or being said on the stage, you will not interfere. You might blow my cover as well."
"Of course," Mako agreed.
"When the ceremony is over, it takes about half an hour before Amon leaves the building. Usually all spectators and supporters have been shown out beforehand, for reasons of security. If you come out in the hallway during the ceremony, I will show you a room in which you can hide until then. From there you will have to sneak upstairs alone. Amon's vehicle is parked at the goods delivery entrance, but it will be heavily guarded. There you will be on your own."
"I will be careful," Mako added.
"Good. Any questions?" the girl then asked and pulled her hood over her head, hiding her face once again. Mako shook his head, trying to process all the information he had just been given.
Without a word, the girl started walking toward the exit.
"Oh, just one thing," Mako added quickly. "What is your name?"
"You can call me Kina." And then she was gone.
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Korra's eyelids fluttered as she awoke.
The back of her head was throbbing painfully against the thin pillow. She shifted, sighing inwardly. Closing her eyes again. It was difficult to remain asleep. Lying on her side, the arch of her spine awakened another kind of pain, the one all the way down her backside just beneath the line of swollen, purple bruises. She shifted again.
She could live with the pain – being an active bender, she was used to physical pain and small wounds already. Her bad mood was endurable as well. But she simply could not live with the humiliation. That was the worst.
That moment when she was dragged back to her prison, defeated in combat physically and mentally, while half of the Equalists in Republic City was watching... The memory, although still young, was painful to her. She curled her toes unconsciously.
There was one good thing about her current situation, however; ever since their fight in the evening, she had not seen Amon at all. She had no idea where he had gone to, and why. After being tossed back into the room and locked inside, she had not even seen as much as one person. And that was a huge relief. For she could not bear to look another person in the eye right now, whether it was Amon, Asami, or even herself...
After another few minutes, Korra tossed her blanket aside angrily and got up, tired from constantly trying to ignore her aching body. For a brief moment she was about to stumble, her entire body stiff and sore and her feet unwilling. She cursed inwardly and regained balance.
Sighing, she went to one of the the two small windows allowing a very limited view of the shore and water outside. She let her forehead rest against the cold pane, savouring the thought of feeling outdoor climate. The deep blue water splashed angrily against the rocks separating water from earth, sending small waves across the dirt. Seagulls moved away from the water whenever it came to close, cackling in confusion as they battered with their wings.
Holy spirits, she really missed the great outside; missed the unmerciful breeze in her hair and the feeling of rain patting against her bare skin. Missed the ability to go wherever she wanted, and with whomever she wanted.
Before realizing it, she felt a few drops crossing her cheeks on their way down. She then sniffled angrily, drying her face with the back of her hand.
I promised myself I would not cry, she reminded herself.
Closing the curtains, Korra sat down on the edge of Amon's bed, sighing again. The more she thought about what she was missing, the harder it was to forget about it. And she could not afford to rouse a longing for those things which she could not have, especially now that she did not know when this whole thing would end, or how.
Caught in a trail of thoughts, she let her fingers clutch and caress the soft, almost silky linen beneath her, involuntarily remembering the feeling of the fabric against her exposed skin.
Stop it, her mind hissed at the first image crossing her mind. He does not deserve me. He is cruel, sadistic, and entirely incapable of loving anyone but himself, driven by his own needs and desires, sacrificing the mind and body of others in order to turn them into his pawns in this sick game of his.
Lying back on the duvet, Korra closed her eyes, taking in the scent of the man whose painted face filled her with fear and something else which she could not quite identify.
So why can I not hate him?
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Something wet was pressed against Amon's chin.
He opened his eyes when he noticed this small source of discomfort and realized that he had been sleeping. Pushing his mask aside, he dried the saliva off his face with the back of his hand, quickly sliding the mask back afterward.
Before him, now lying disarranged on the desk, were rapports, papers, contracts, and notices. Checking the contract where his head had been resting, he was relieved to find the paper untouched by his stray mouth water.
Sighing, he pushed the papers aside, not wanting to look at one more line of text for the day. The preparations for the upcoming ceremony were extensive. There were so many things to be arranged before the big show. Luckily, having stayed in his office most of yesterday and today had allowed him to catch up on the so far neglected work.
Standing up, he stretched his back, savouring the sound of it cracking and the feeling of mobility returning to his body. His shoulder still ached slightly from the fight, but he ignored it. He had felt much worse pain.
He turned to look outside through the window behind him, surprised to realize that it was almost midday. The wind was particularly hard that day, he noticed indifferently, watching the furious waves reaching far in on land.
The big show. It was a very precise title to describe what was coming up. Precisely one week from today. Somewhere inside he was glad that it was not until next week. Had it been this very evening, it would have meant that everything would end already. It was too soon.
He found himself longing for the end only half-heartedly. It was wrong of him, he knew. He should be excited more than ever, and more than anyone. After all, this was what he had wanted all along. His plans were successfully coming to an end.
And yet, why could he not help but feel bad? Not for the Avatar, but for himself. As if he would lose something along with her.
It was ridiculous. He was winning everything.
But then again...
Growling in exasperation, he went away from the window. He could not afford to think too much. Especially not about her, and how much he would miss her when she was gone.
Shaking his head, he chuckled to himself. He was going crazy. Definitely mad.
Amon, the revolutionary leader of the Equalists, fighting against the tyranny of the benders for an equalized society, was not capable of missing another human being. Even his parents, slaughtered in cold blood by Fire benders, were not blessed with such role in his mind. Nor his older brother, who had raised him all alone. No. Amon was not capable of experiencing such feelings at all. Or at least this was what he told himself.
No, the plan had to be carried out entirely. It had been planned long ago, before he even knew the identity of the Avatar; Back when he had looked at his small, weak hand stained with the blood of his mother; Back when he had decided that the world would be a better place without those gifted with the power over nature. It was close to thirty years ago now. And finally, his goal was within reach.
Touching his wrist where her nails had left faint red marks, Amon smiled thoughtfully to himself. The loss of such fine Avatar – no, woman – would certainly be a shame. But it had to be done. It was better for everyone. The loss of the iconic leader of the benders, and so-called protector of peace, would bring a new era of equalization and a fair and even distribution of power. This was what they all needed.
And, most importantly, it was necessary for him to cut loose from that vixen. Her aggressive and passive-aggressive behaviour put his patience and self-control to the test in several ways, all of which were dangerous to him. He could not fall into the trap, could not allow himself to get attached to her being. It would mean his defeat in the end. He could not afford to lose this war, especially not when all he wanted from her was something he could get from any woman... right?
It was just a shame that no woman had ever managed to turn him on as much as she did. That slim, muscular body with almost inhuman strength flexing just beneath smooth skin; Agility that promised hours of fun and sexual experimentation of which he dared not imagine. And the way she felt against him when he pushed himself inside, her aroused whimpering breathed into his ear. Her hips arching against his, their moist skin gliding, tongues dancing a forbidden and sinful dance...
The uninvited throb in his manhood told him that his mind had crossed the line again, just like many times before. He should not be thinking of her in such ways. But the lines had already been crossed long ago, too much to take back.
Sighing, Amon closed his eyes. He really ought to stop the game while the going was good. And good it was.
Sitting back down, he took a deep breath, telling himself that this small flash of lust was something he could easily overcome. But no matter how much he tried to force it all out of mind, the images of her naked frame returned, bringing along vivid memories of recent happenings.
It throbbed again, his pants growing tight against his arousal.
Alright, clearly he was unable to control himself this very moment. And leaving the room in this condition was not an option, although his body was growing restless with several kinds of hunger. He could not seek her out, either. No more physical interaction with the Avatar.
But nobody said that you could not imagine it, right?
Closing his eyes, he unbuckled his pants, images of a naked, wet, and flushed Korra flashing though his mind.
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Shit will get serious in the next chapter. Stay tuned! :D
Thank you all for reading. Please Review and let me know what you think!
Love, MAL.