Note: thanks to all of you awesome readers. I am super psyched about this chapter for some reason. Also, I feel like I forgot to pay super thanks to all of the reviews. They rock.

Korra couldn't even see the hit coming if she tried. Noatak moved too fast for her and managed to get a hit on her before she could react. The jab was quick but painful. Her shoulder felt the grunt of the pain, but her arm numbed out with a dull sensation. She flicked her still-mobile fingers to see if she could produce a puff of air. Nothing. She glared at Noatak.

"You could go easy on your girlfriend. You know?" Korra said.

"I'm trying to teach you. You asked for a demonstration. On yourself no less. You asked for it," Noatak said.

Noatak reached for Korra's shoulder. He massaged the now tender muscle with the tips of his fingers. Korra moaned at the gentle kneading. Without Korra noticing, he began to bloodbend the area. He couldn't remove the chi block, but the least he could do was to take the pain away. The chi block would go away soon anyway. Korra just wasn't patient enough to wait for that.

"That feels so much better… I was worried for a second that I'd be too sore for tonight," Korra said.

Korra resumed her chi blocking lessons with Noatak not long after their night together. They never did too much chi blocking though. Sometimes Korra get frustrated at certain principles of chi blocking. Sometimes Noatak felt exhausted after a day of work. They just ended up back at Noatak's apartment. They fell into a rhythm with this. First, Noatak and Korra bathed. Then they made tea and ate whatever Noatak grabbed from the food tents. Eventually, they stumbled into Noatak's room to make love. In the morning, they got dressed, and Korra walked Noatak to the docks before running back to the palace. They were used to it after a couple of weeks.

"Seriously. How did you do that?" Korra said.

"I'd rather not say," Noatak said.

"Noa… just say it. You were bloodbending. I can't yell at you though. That seriously felt good," Korra said.

Noa. That's what Korra called Noatak sometimes. At first, she said it mockingly when she noticed Noatak shuffling about the food tents nervously around her. Already in the couple of days, the nickname became endearing. It was her little mark around him. Oh Noa, we really should be getting home- she'd say, clutching his arm, in front of some tent girl giving Noatak moony eyes.

"Do you want to try on me?" Noatak said.

"What?" Korra said.

"Chi blocking."

"Sure."

Korra shrugged. Noatak stood and braced himself. Korra took a few steps back and then ran at Noatak. She let her fingers jab at the several points on his shoulders and arms that Noatak made her memorize. He never flinched at Korra's movements. She hit his chi points hard- jamming her fingers into his body. She stepped back and caught her breath. She smiled as Noatak rolled his shoulders and sighed. He frowned at her.

"What!" Korra said.

"You are putting too much of your body into your jabs. That throws you off balance," Noatak said.

Noatak took Korra's hand and cupped it. He made her hand jab his chest hard but quick. The movement was succinct, never staying a moment longer than needed. He let go over her hand and placed his hands in his pockets.

"The power from a chi block doesn't come from you," Noatak said.

"If it doesn't, then why did it hurt so much when you chi blocked me earlier?" Korra said.

"The power from a chi block is from the energy you create from the act of hitting."

"That sounds like the same damn thing to me."

"Korra… the pullback from a jab is the force behind a chi block. If you can briefly hit me and pull away with enough speed, you should generate enough force to not only block my bending but also render me a bit paralyzed."

"Is that really necessary?"

"I hope not, but if you run into a Black Squall member, you'll probably need to."

"Okay… well… let's go. I'm tired, and I could use a bath."

Noatak and Korra walked back to his apartment. Noatak immediately went into the bathroom to draw up the bath. The steam already started to rise in Noatak's face as he poured bath salts. Korra tiptoed inside and gently closed the door. She peeled off her clothes and rubbed her shoulder despite the fact it was no longer sore. Noatak took off his clothes and lowered himself into the tub. Korra then climbed in and settled herself between Noatak's legs.

"I can try and heal your shoulder," Noatak said.

"It's fine. You healed it when we were at the docks. I was just thinking about something," Korra said.

"What are you thinking about?" Noatak asked.

Noatak took a bar of soap by his side and slid over Korra's back. He let his hand lather the bar in circular movements over her skin.

"It's been over two years now," Korra said.

"Is that so?" Noatak said.

Noatak cupped some water and poured it over Korra's back. He was careful not to waterbend around her anywhere but especially in the bath after Korra admitted that this was where she missed waterbending the most.

"I miss it. I always will, but I also understand there are just things I can't change," Korra said.

Noatak let his hands collapse around Korra's arms. They sometimes talked about their pasts, but they never dwelt on it the subject long enough to really say anything.

"I've been looking through those books for you. I haven't found anything yet, but I still haven't found the book I used to find the technique in the first place. I think if I found it, we could see if the solution is in there," Noatak said.

"You don't have to. I know you've tried. Besides… I heard that there's no answer in those books," Korra said.

"Where did you hear that?"

"Just some where."

"I see. Then we'll try something else. I haven't been to the Spirit Oasis in a while, but there might be an answer there. Meditation might provide an answer."

"Noa… I haven't been able to meditate. Ever"

"It's not hard. We could meditate right here."

"How are we going to do that? I swear you're like some dirty old man."

"I was being serious. We're very relaxed. This is a perfect time to try."

Noatak sat up straight and held Korra flush against his chest.

"This is just going to be practice. We won't do any actual meditating. Right now just breathe. Close your eyes too," Noatak said.

Korra shut her eyes and just breathed. She felt Noatak lean his head by hers. She heard his slow and steady breathing. He snaked his hand around her waist and placed it on her stomach.

"Breathe deeper- from your stomach. Drawing air from that part of your body. There's a well of chi stored in your stomach. Can you feel that?" Noatak said.

Korra's stomach slowly pushed against Noatak's hand. She knew what Noatak was talking about. The sea of chi. She learned about it when she learned about firebending all those years ago. She breathed deep to feel the pool of energy there.

"Now concentrate on breathing like that. Hear how you breathe. In and out. Like the tides. Pushing and pulling you," Noatak said.

Korra felt her mind slip. She listened to each breath that entered and exited her body- filling her with energy. It helped that Noatak spoke to her like that. His deep voice whispering into her ear relaxed her. She pushed her back into Noatak's chest. She thought about not meditating.

"Noatak," she said.

Korra gripped her hands on Noatak's thighs and slid them up and down. She grabbed the bar of soap and started to rub the bar on his calves. Noatak's hand still rested on her stomach. As Korra made movements that ran further up Noatak's legs, Korra noticed Noatak's hand moved to her breast. He kissed her shoulder and neck as his fingers teased her nipple. Korra leaned her head back while Noatak kissed her jaw line. His other hand moved to her pearl and gently nudged it in slow strokes. Korra fell back onto Noatak already noting how hard he became. Korra pulled herself up from the tub.

"Is something wrong Korra?" Noatak asked.

Korra turned a bit. Noatak looked at her with his head cocked to the side. He looked too dry, Korra thought. She took a hand of water and poured it over his head. She watched the water trail down his head and to his chest. The water glistened on his chest. She traced the water down from his muscled chest to his hard stomach. Noatak growled a bit as she trailed her hand lower. Korra liked looking at Noatak's chest rise and fall dramatically.

"Turn around. Trust me," he said.

Noatak gripped her hips and let her turn around to let her nest back into him. He lifted Korra up and thrusted a little at her core. She giggled and adjusted her body. Korra then let herself sink onto Noatak's rigid length. She rose and fell awkwardly at first. Noatak whispered into her ear to tell her to just listen to her body, to go at her own pace. Korra nodded and resumed her slow pace. Noatak leaned forward and reached for her clit. Resting his head by hers, he hummed into her ear as he rubbed Korra's bud. He enjoyed being so close to her as she breathily moaned by his ear. The more Korra became comfortable, the quicker she went. She felt encased in slow burning heat, and she had a feeling that Noatak did too as he occasionally thrusted to meet Korra. She teetered on the edge to a welcome release. Noatak let his finger dance some more around her pearl, teasing her. When he finally touched her bud, she found herself consumed by waves of passion.

"Noatak!"

Noatak felt Korra's waves pull him to his end. He grabbed her hips and bucked into her as she rode out the pleasure. Her fingers sank into his thighs, gripping them tightly. Noatak let out a muffled shout and let himself go. Korra grabbed his head and kissed him hard. Her eyes looked into his. She saw the man that was raw and vulnerable but only to her. She knew he loved her.

Korra dispelled the air and reached for the stopper to drain the tub. They toweled each other off and dressed lightly for the night. Noatak prepared tea for Korra like he always did. Korra only slightly grimaced as she drank the tea this time.

"So Noatak…"

"Yes Korra?"

"It's my birthday next week. There's going to be a ball."

Noatak sipped his glass of water.

"Is that so?" he said.

"Yeah… it's a masquerade. Maybe you can go."

"Maybe. Probably not. Masks aren't my thing anymore."

"That's too bad. They're sort of my thing now."

"So it's your birthday… What do you want?"

"Nothing really."

It didn't really matter what she wanted. Noatak already had in mind the perfect gift. He was just going to have to allow himself to play the part of the fool to Nanuq's crazy scheme.