Hello dearies! Here is another chapter for you.

I know some of you have complained about the amount of Asami "screentime", so I chose to take a break from her PoV during some chapters – but I could not postpone it forever, so I'm getting her involved again. But I promise you that she won't have as much "screentime" as before.

Please enjoy!

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Chapter 21: Troublemaker

"Oh no you don't..." he growled airlessly and reached out for her, but it was too late. Korra disappeared into the bathroom and returned immediately with a glass of icy cold water, which she poured over his crotch.

"Your trophy, sir," she drawled provocatively and watched him coldly as he cursed in frustration.

Then, just to top it off, she dropped the glass as well, aiming for his lap again.

With an unexpectedly fast movement he caught the glass mid-air and hurled it back at her. She just accurately managed to dodge in time. The glass shattered to hundreds of pieces against the wall behind her.

Okay, maybe she had crossed the line this time. That blow was fatal. And worst of all, she did not really have anywhere to run to, nowhere to hide from Amon's rage. Her actions turned out to be very ill-planned.

Well, shit, Korra realized wide-eyed as Amon came to feet before her. She backed away.

What could she do? Apologize?

The mere thought almost made her sick. After all she had been through, she did not own him an apology. In fact, she did not owe him anything.

On the other hand, how much pride would she swallow in order to save her own life?

No, he would not kill her. He could not, just like she could not kill him when she had the chance.

But that glass...

He knew she would dodge it. Surely.

Korra bit her lip as she stepped on the damned glass shards in order to create distance between the two of them, but the wall behind her was immovable, and she ended up caught between Amon, the wall, and a cupboard.

She tried to gulp down the lump in her throat, but it was practically impossible seeing as Amon grabbed her throat and pressed her up against the wall. Breathing was almost impossible too.

"That was very unwise of you, Avatar," the man sneered in a voice strangely calm compared to his current mood. But then again, Amon had always prided himself for his ability to shield his emotions, right?

"If you are not playing by the rules," Korra rasped, "I will not play by the rules either."

Apparently, her natural response to a situation like this was keeping her belief in what she did was right. She learned new things about herself all the time. But in a case like this, she was not sure that this particular trait of hers was the best if she hoped to save her ass.

Amon gave a mirthless laugh.

"I do not think you understand this situation fully," he began, his golden gaze piercing into hers. "While under my roof, you are to abide by my rules. Nothing more, nothing less."

Korra snorted – or at least she tried to, but the sound came out half-choked.

"I would gladly leave, but it seems kind of hard," she whispered hoarsely, her face taking on a red colour from the loss of breath and the block of blood circulation.

She was amazing. Even in a situation like this, where her life depended on her captor, she still insisted on being provocative and reluctant. In truth, this girl was severely undisciplined in social contexts, and she clearly lacked respect for authorities. And then there was that damned stubbornness that led her nowhere but into trouble.

"You know, there are still ways for you to earn my forgiveness," Amon continued, twisting the subject. He watched as the girl's eyes narrowed.

"H-how?" she breathed weakly, but it was easy to see that she was in fact not interested in making up to him unless it involved spitting him in the face or kicking him in the groin.

"You know," came his short reply before he tossed her toward the corner by the couch.

While she struggled to remove the glass shards from her bleeding soles and get up, Amon took the time to pick up the towel she had been wearing not too long ago, dry himself off, and get fully dressed again.

"I am waiting for your reply," he said calmly and crossed his arms, watching as the Avatar scrambled to feet, her body shivering from a mixture of pain, anger, cold, and humiliation.

She just sneered at him. But her response was exactly what he had expected it to be, and he smirked mirthlessly behind his mask.

"I thought so," he mumbled and sighed exasperatedly. "Alright, have it your way. But you will not be living here until you find a way to compensate properly for your lack of respect. Now, get dressed."

Still naked from their event, Korra limped over to the dresser where it all began, ripped out the first pair of underpants she could find in her size and slipped them on. Then she found a top, a shirt, and some pants and pulled them on ungracefully, well aware of the fact that Amon was watching her intensely during the whole process.

"Come," Amon ordered coolly, fishing the keys up from his pocket. "And be silent – you do not want to attract attention, do you understand?"

Korra sneered, but followed him out through the door nonetheless.

Grabbing her upper arm tightly once they had left the room, Amon led her down the hallway, past the library and the Lieutenant's private quarters. They stopped at the door at the very end.

"Where are you taking me?" Korra muttered finally. She received only a stern look from the masked man, wordlessly telling her to shut up.

Amon turned the key and revealed a tiny dark room. A broom closet, Korra realized. There was an empty iron rack by the wall, a bucket beneath it, and two brooms at the far corner – which was no farther than two-three metres at maximum.

Amon nodded forward, signalizing for her to enter.

"You cannot be serious about this," Korra drawled.

"You seem to be overestimating my sense of hospitality towards you," Amon replied coolly, pushed the girl into the darkness, and slammed the door.

"Sleep tight," he grinned against the door before locking it and returning to his own room.

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Running a hand through her midnight black locks, Asami sighed tiredly. She could not sleep, even though the clock had passed midnight long ago. There were so many thoughts in her mind that she could not let go.

She could not sleep yesterday, either.

The stone tiles felt cold against her skin as her bare feet brushed across the floor. She was not sure where she was headed, but away from the private quarters at least.

She stopped where the hallway met another. Normally, in her spare time, she would turn right. Down that hallway were the living rooms and the game room. But it was all dark now, seeing as it was blocked and closed off until the reparations had been made. During Korra's latest escape attempt she had destroyed the floor and walls and created several barriers down the hallway. She had been heading for the firebreak door at the very end. But she never made it that far.

Asami frowned. She allowed herself to show compassion, but nobody was awake at this hour to see her anyway. Everybody was asleep.

Well, except for her.

She turned left instead, towards the dim light illuminating the centre of the building. This way led her toward the kitchen, the training halls, and the stairs leading upstairs and down to the basement.

When reaching the stairs, she stopped, looking tiredly from one staircase to another. She had only used the stairs once during her entire stay, back when Emima had brought her down to Jayak and the equipment storage rooms to get her uniform on her first day. It seemed so long ago now.

This place was sick, Asami decided. These people were sick. Unless you really enjoyed the painful training aimed at hurting benders, or savoured the hurtful jokes and spites directed at benders. Everything revolved around benders, and how they should be treated as abominations.

Asami felt a pang of hatred in her chest. These people were unbelievable – but then again, it was her own fault that she had ended up here among them. It was a part of her lousy plan to save Korra. And look how far that had gotten her.

Nowhere!

Heck, she could not even assist in Korra's attempt at escaping the other day. She just stood there, watching as her friend was dragged back, watched her wounds and her blood and the tears that made her eyes swell and go red. And all she could do was just watch and... regret.

I probably would have been of more help if I had stayed with Mako and Bolin, she thought to herself and sighed again. Damn, she really missed the boys. Mako especially. Did he even know how she felt about him? And how did he feel about her now that she had pretended to betray them?

With a frown Asami pushed her thoughts away. These were the very thoughts that had kept her awake for two nights now.

She was so tired.

Looking upstairs to the darkened hallway, she saw light and heard noises. Someone was awake.

"Larila?" she called out gently. She did not want to wake up Amon or the Lieutenant, spirits no. As if it was not enough that Amon suspected her already – finding her sneaking around in the middle of the night would only add to that feeling. And with good reason, too.

"Asami?" came a muffled voice. For a moment she was unsure if she had heard Larila's voice or someone else's. Perhaps... Could it have been Korra?

She had to find out.

Looking around to make sure she was not caught breaking the rules, Asami decided on going upstairs.

With one gentle step after the other, she climbed the stairs soundlessly, her breath bated in anxiety. The light came from the room just to the right. The library.

Peeking inside at first, she found a familiar face with red hair. Her heart sank in disappointment, but yet she felt relief. It was Larila who had called out.

"Asami? What are you doing here?" Larila whispered and got up from the couch on which she had been sleeping. "You cannot be here, you know that."

But as Larila was the only one in there, Asami entered and threw her arms around the girl, pulling her into a silent embrace. She did not know why – Asami was not the kind of person to go around and hug people, but... she needed it. She needed the comfort, for once.

And Larila did not push her away or complain – she wrapped her arms around the slightly taller girl, a smile spreading on her lips.

"I cannot believe you came for me. Even after what happened the other day," Larila sighed and pushed away, smiling apologetically.

"Forget about that," Asami whispered. Larila nodded.

"But really, you cannot be here. If someone sees you there will be consequences."

"Alright, but I want you to come with me. No more hiding," Asami answered sternly. Larila agreed with another nod.

The girls moved to the door, and Larila turned off the lights in the library.

A sudden knocking – no, hammering – sounded from somewhere in the hallway. The girls gasped in surprise, but Larila calmed down almost immediately. She knew what was happening.

"It it just the Ava-" Larila began, but was cut of as the door to Amon's bedroom was ripped open and the leader himself appeared. The girls pressed their backs up against the wall, not even daring to look out through the door to watch, not even daring to breathe.

Asami's heart felt like bursting out through her ribcage.

Amon's angry footsteps sounded along the hallway, until he stopped at the far end.

"I told you to go to sleep," the man hissed, his deep voice venomous in the silence. Neither of the girls had ever seen him this angry, let alone heard him this angry before. Whatever the Avatar had done this time, it was most likely something very bad.

They heard Korra's furious voice through the door, but neither of them could work out what she was saying. Well, except for Amon of course.

"Too bad. As you sow, so shall you reap," Amon whispered firmly, coldly, and then he returned to his room.

Korra, you fool, Asami though. What the hell have you done this time?

Amon's door closed, the lock turned, and then silence came once again.

They waited a few seconds.

"Come," Larila whispered. "We need to get out of here now. If Amon finds out what we just heard, we will be in great trouble."

It was very heard to know exactly where Korra was and still leave, but Asami knew that with Larila around and Amon this enraged she would never be able to get Korra out in time. Just like so many times before, she had to leave her friend to the mercy of the masked man, and there was nothing she could do about it. Not yet.

And so, she allowed Larila to grab her wrist and drag her downstairs silently.

Once again on safe ground, Asami breathed out a couple of times.

"It seems that the Avatar is causing trouble again," Larila explained as they headed back to their room. "I saw as she was dragged into the broom closet about an hour ago. Apparently she managed to piss Amon off greatly. But I do not know how, though – Amon's room is soundproof. But I cannot help but wonder..."

"When has she ever behaved?" Asami though out loud, a nostalgic smile on her lips. No, Korra had always been a troublemaker, and it did not surprise her that the girl would still act up even in imprisonment. The Avatar never gave up.

A trait that Asami ought to learn something from.

"But I really cannot blame her," Larila said with a shrug. "She only has one week left. Every person with the will to live would struggle like she is doing."

Asami stopped in her tracks, heart stopping as well.

"What?"

"Lower your voice," Larila shushed in surprise, stopping as well. "I do not want to wake the entire organization."

"What you do mean with one week left? What happens in one week?" Asami spluttered, trying to keep her voice down to a whisper, but failing rather miserably. Larila sighed.

"Have you not heard?" the redhead asked with a confused look on her face. "I was sure that every new recruit was instructed thoroughly about our plans an an organization..."

Asami watched her, dumbstruck. Larila sighed heavily.

"You see, in order to seize the benders, we must take away their protector, their icon. Because the Avatar resembles hope to them, she means peace and harmony to them, and as long she is alive we cannot extinguish the benders' hope. Kill their leader and the group will disperse, as we say. Without the Avatar it will be so much easier to rob the rest of their powers."

Asami shuddered in terror, watching her friend wide-eyed. The girl in front of her was not the Larila she thought she knew. Larila was kind and gentle, she was honest and could never hurt anyone. But this girl, she was... an Equalist, right down to the heart.

Why was she so shocked? Of course Larila was an Equalist. Of course she shared the dislike of benders. Otherwise she would not be here, spending her days training to be able to take them down, right?

The way she talked about sacrificing the Avatar just seemed so... inhuman. And Asami had believed Larila to be the most humane person in this whole goddamned place. Maybe she was wrong?

No, Asami thought. Larila is good at heart – she just fights for what she believes in, and it so happens that her beliefs are wrong.

Asami swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to calm down. She could not blow her cover yet.

"A-are you going to be there? At the ceremony?" she finally asked. Larila frowned.

"No. Only the most trusted and experienced members are brought along to the ceremonies. Seniors, teachers, extraordinarily skilled fighters, Amon's personal choices... You know, everybody standing above us trainees in the hierarchy."

An idea struck Asami.

"What about someone like Talan?" she asked, a smile playing on her lips.

"Yeah, I guess so..." Larila drawled with a shrug. "But I do not recall that he has ever attended a ceremony. He always volunteers to stay here and watch out for eventual threats while Amon and his men are gone."

Oh, so heroic Talan acts, Asami snorted inwardly. But perhaps I can change his mind?

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Mako used all his strength to push open the massive wooden door leading him inside the great building on Air Temple Island, his temporary home.

Ever since Korra's abduction, Tenzin had concluded that it was safer to keep the young friends of the Avatar close. They were not safe in the heart of the city where the Equalists ruled in the night, he had said. But in truth, they were not safe anywhere. As long you possessed the ability to bend an element, you were a definite target.

Clutching his side – he was sure a rib was broken – he made his way to the living room slowly, knowing that Tenzin and Bolin were waiting for his return, waiting for the good news about the recently discovered location of Korra's prison.

He was going to disappoint them so badly. Not only did he fail his mission, but there were also unexpected news – terrible news.

Barely had he crossed the threshold to the living room before the two men had jumped to feet eagerly. But it only took a brief glance on the young Fire-bender to realize that there was no reason to get excited.

"What happened?" Tenzin mumbled, his eyes wide in concern. Bolin darted to his older brother to help him down onto a chair.

Mako sighed.

"I was discovered," he explained flatly. "I was hiding in the trunk, and everything seemed promising, until I made a stupid mistake. Amon found me..."

An expression of terror washed over Bolin's faze."

"- Don't worry, he did not take my bending," Mako assured quickly. Bolin nodded in relief.

"But I was discovered so early that I did not even manage to figure out which direction Amon was headed," he continued.

"Damn it," Tenzin muttered, stroking his bald head which had started growing stubble at his negligence.

"But that is not even the worst part," Mako sighed wearily. "Amon is a bender too. A Blood-bender."

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Da-da-da-daaaaaaam! :O

I hope you girls liked it.

Please leave me a Review – it means the world to me!

Love you all.

- MAL