A special thanks to Smootsmoot44 for the personal wake-up call.

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I know I have promised less Asami before, but back then I was not fully aware of the role I was going to give her later on. Now I can certainly promise you that there will not be much more Asami "screen time". She'll appear in the very end, which should only be a handful of chapters from now, and perhaps once in between. I'll figure out on the way. For now, my intention is to go back to focus on Korra and Amon. After this chapter, that is.

Enjoy.

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Chapter 24: Realization

Being locked in a broom closet with very little room for movement, nearly no light, nor anything productive to do, Korra found herself with an awful lot of time to think.

After having spent embarrassingly many minutes trying to connect with her spiritual side – and immediately deeming every single moment wasted – there was no doubt that this was not the answer.

The meditation had been followed up by workout. Push-ups, squats, and imaginary rope jumping. One hundred of each plus four hundred of the latter. In any other circumstances, Korra would have thought her actions idiotic, seeing as she had no access to a shower – but right now she could smell nothing over the stench of day-old piss.

So, finally finding herself running low on activities to perform, Korra had once again sat down in the corner farthest from the bucket of joy and embraced her trail of thoughts.

The day when she had challenged Amon to a duel in the temple on Aang Memorial Island seemed ages ago in the light of the following events, and this was probably the main reason why something abnormally important and fascinating had slipped her mind in the meantime...

The fact that Amon had a secret identity, a heritage of Water-bending. A genetic relation to either the Northern or Southern Water Tribe.

The first thought that had hit Korra was that he must origin from the Southern Water Tribe like she did. The only person she knew who knew of Blood-bending was Katara. It was not impossible that Katara had taught others the technique before she had grown old. Or, at least that made sense to Korra until she reminded herself that Katara would never deem Blood-bending appropriate for teaching. Blood-bending, although with possible good uses, was primarily used with bad intentions. Katara would never allow that to happen. She had no reason for sharing her knowledge of the awful thing. And thus, Korra could find no other way how one might possibly get information about the art of Blood-bending in her home city.

Then it struck her that, just as Katara had brought the knowledge with her from elsewhere, so might somebody from the Northern Water Tribe. Heck, what did she know? Maybe it was even a common practice at the North Pole and had been for generations. She had no way of figuring Amon's origin based on that.

Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair, feeling the lingering dampness of her scalp. The heat from her training session had yet not faded entirely. A layer of semi-dried sweat covered her collarbones and the skin of her upper arms and palms, and the perspiration had left a salty tinge on her lips.

Leaning her head back against the wall, Korra sighed calmly and allowed her thoughts to wander freely on the path, and thus her mind came up with a ridiculous suggestion.

Could she ask him?

He had chosen to reveal his secret ability to her back on the fateful day in the temple. He should at least expect her curiosity to break through at some point. It was quite the surprise, after all. He of all people. That ought to raise questions. But still, would he answer if she voiced them? And, if not, what was he afraid of? Who in the world would believe her if she suddenly started claiming him as a traitor, a deceiver, to his followers and believers? In the end, she could not use the truth in any way other than to satisfy the thirsty curiosity awakened in her.

If she got out to spread the truth, Amon would be found and brought to justice anyway long before she could watch his empire crumble beneath his lies, and then the point of it would be lost. And if she did not break out – which she was believing more and more for every passing day – who could she tell in here? Her words weighed next to nothing in the eyes of the Equalists. Not even a seed of doubt would survive for long in a place like this.

But that was probably not enough to convince him. He had, after all, done everything to preserve his identity even when they were alone. Why would he bother to keep it hidden and then reveal it willingly just because of her curiosity?

There had to be a reason behind his secrecy.

All of a sudden, a bitter smile caught the edges of her lips. Who was she trying to fool? Amon was not that kind of man. Pleasant conversation was probably not his thing, especially not when it came to her. She had been utterly idiotic for believing, just for a moment, that it was possible that he would take her question seriously, let alone answer.

Why would he give her the pleasure of knowing his identity even if she could do nothing with it? As far as she knew, he would do nearly everything to watch her suffer psychologically, and this topic, although small and insignificant compared to his other secrets, plans and schemes, was still an aspect of confusion and mystery, and thus a part of his game. Even this small victory was out of her reach.

And by that realization, Korra dropped all intentions of asking him and went back for another round of workout to kill time and thought.

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"I presume you have heard about our plans for the weekend?"

Right then and there, Asami could have stopped breathing forever, and she would not have minded at all. Everything was better than being questioned like this.

Unable to gather control over her voice, she chose to nod instead. Golden eyes kept watching her through splits in the porcelain facade.

"What are your thoughts on the subject, if I may ask?"

Twenty minutes later, Asami found herself standing in the hallway, knees wobbly, head spinning, heart still pounding harshly against her ribs in the aftermath of great anxiety. Bile even pressed at the bottom of her throat, but she stubbornly held the sickness at bay.

That was an act of pure evil, I swear!

She was supposed to return to the training hall after their meeting, but the thought of being watched by one more human being seemed unbearable to Asami. Instead, she teetered back to the living quarters and returned to room eighteen, where she tossed herself onto her bed like a worn rag doll.

Taking a deep breath, Asami tried to calm herself.

In... Out... In...

The breathing exercises took the edge of her nerves, but when she exhaled she could still feel a shiver lingering in her pelvis.

At first, she had wondered why exactly Amon was keeping an eye on her like that. If she had had an opportunity to free Korra, surely she would have tried already. No need to check up on her for that.

Then it had hit her. It was the weekend he was concerned about. That she would somehow mess with his plans, spoil his schemes in some way or another. Was it common knowledge that she was a suspect? Was it the reason why Talan hesitated to fulfill her wish?

Thoughts buzzing around, Asami closed her eyes. It was unknown to her how long she just lay there, pondering, but gradually she managed to still her thoughts, and from pure exhaustion she ended up falling asleep.

Behind her closed eyelids, nightmares took shape. Lost in a foreign forest, Asami sprinted forwards to escape the group of Equalists following her, hunting her. Suddenly, she ended up by a wall, trapped, and a voice from behind her whispered "Caught you."

With an airy gasp, she sat up in bed, only to find Shenra and Kiin staring in what Asami interpreted as mild disgust.

"Weiiird," the brunette chirped with a well-practiced eye roll before moving along the bunk beds, the giggling Kiin closely following.

Utterly disoriented, Asami looked around for the clock. Twenty minutes to supper.

No way! I can't have slept that long already.

Getting up, she went for a quick shower, unable to shake the feeling of unease as she let the hot water pour down over her.

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It had not been easy, but Asami had finally managed to push all thoughts of wicked dreams and paranoia to the back of her mind, although only temporarily, she knew. Perhaps breathing all that steam had helped in the matter; having just dried off her hair, she found herself slightly dizzy and blissfully empty-minded.

It might very well be said lightheadedness that caused her to fail to notice the young and slender, but obviously muscular man luring in the corner of the hallway. Not until she was about to pass him by did she notice his presence; just as she was about to join the stream of people entering the canteen, Talan grabbed her wrist and pulled her aside.

"Oh," Asami mumbled as the surprise made her mind clear once again.

With a smirk, Talan led her into the closed off hallway in the training wing, letting the door glide shut behind them, leaving them in total darkness.

It quickly became apparent to Asami what was happening. Barely had Talan pulled her close before his lips met hers in pure hunger. Shocked, Asami broke off immediately, turning her face away.

"Sorry. I'm not entirely awake yet," she brushed him off, adding a shrug.

"It's alright," Talan replied, clearly disappointed, but not bitter in any way. Letting his hands leave her hips, he grabbed her hand in one and carefully brushed a black curl behind her ear with the other. The sudden intimacy made Asami uneasy. He was acting like a lover. Had it been a mistake to seduce him?

"What happened earlier, anyway? You never came back from your meeting," Talan almost whispered, his voice oddly tender. Sighing, Asami rubbed the bridge of her nose. She knew that if she voiced Amon's suspicions about her, Talan would be even more hesitant to bring her on Saturday. She would have to lie to escape this one.

"I suddenly felt queasy and had to lie down for a bit. Fell asleep almost instantly."

"You alright now?"

"Completely, although I might be slightly absentminded from my slumber," Asami assured him with a wave of her hand that he couldn't see in the dark.

"Good," Talan mumbled thoughtfully. "Actually, I have considered your request. From the other day."

Catching her undivided attention, he continued:

"I will get you inside. But not because of your... offer. I'll help you because I really like you and you seem to want to be there. And," her paused momentarily, "they say you used to be a friend of the Avatar's. If you wish to bid her goodbye in your own way, you should have the chance. After Saturday, as you know, she will forever be gone."

The tone of his voice told Asami that the man beside her did not particularly like the plans of the weekend, but he accepted it.

Hurriedly, Talan added: "The reason that I always stay behind is that I don't necessarily approve of our methods. All that killing and such. But please don't tell anyone I ever said that. As a highly ranked instructor, it is utmost despicable of me to reveal such an opinion."

Taken aback, Asami was unsure what part of his words took her most by surprise. First of all, it impressed her that he would break a rule for some girl he had nearly only met and even for such an honorable reason, and then there was the fact that he had just spilled deeply personal and possibly dangerous thoughts. Even though they were not supposed to have this kind of relationship already, Asami felt grateful for his trust. Behind his good looks and nonchalant smirk there truly was a sensible, thoughtful being. And a once, Asami felt bad, knowing that she was soon going to turn his friendliness against him and the entire organization.

Perhaps, she mused, the two of them might have made it far together if only the world had looked much different. If benders and non-bender had managed to co-exist peacefully, and none sought to overpower the others.

Wrapping her arms around him, Asami held him in her embrace for a moment while she placed a delicate kiss on his jaw, whispering a "thank you" in the process; then she let go of a very baffled Talan and resumed her mission to retrieve supper.

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After many hours in solitary, Korra found her senses to have sharpened significantly. A few weeks ago, when she had been imprisoned in the stone-floored cell, the effect had not occurred to her at all, but now that there was not much to think about – by now, most thoughts had been thought already – it suddenly hit her. How it was so easy to maneuver around the small and nearly completely dark room where only a piece of glass the size of her hand allowed light in through the door. How she would catch the sound of a softly creaking door once in a while whenever someone would enter or leave a room in the hallway, or even when people passed by downstairs. How she could almost taste urine in the air if she allowed her mouth open in a moment of forgetfulness. How she could clearly feel the subtle imprint of grain in the wooden handle of the hammer, although it was impossible to see.

As sad as it was to admit, the sense of sharpness might be the first feeling of physical power Korra had felt in some time. Too long time. The only victories she had had recently were the few times when she had rebelled against Amon's will, and even though the resistance had kept a spark of spirit ignited inside of her, it was truly difficult to admit defeat when it came to the physical aspect. Korra was not used to being the underdog. It felt horrible.

As the thought had passed through her, however, a new realization shook her violently: It was not true. That she was physically weak. Back in the stone cell, she had been chained to the wall, and she had tried with all her might to break the chains. When finally they had let her loose, she had still been locked behind a massive metal door. Unlike benders like Chief Lin Beifong, metal was out of her field of expertise. She had never stood a chance against her old prison.

But now everything was different. The metal here was not used to restrain her. It was locked in with her – for her to use, if she figured out how and when. The only material holding her back was a simple wooden door, and she needed no tests to conclude the door an immediate loser in a fight with her. She was allowing herself to be held back by of a mere slice of wood no thicker than the length of her little finger.

It was embarrassing to know that she had given up like that. The tiny spark of will had been extinguished along with Amon's psychological games, but it was not his fault. She had been too quick to deem herself lost. Imprisoned. And now, knowing she was locked up here in a damned broom closet because she had failed to act, it all became painfully clear to her: She could get out. She would get out.

There was just one thing she needed to do before she did.