When the Fire Ferrets rallied to beat the Wolf Bats, and Korra decided that if they couldn't win by following the rules, she'd go out with a bang, she hadn't anticipated the arena actually exploding.

One minute, she was focused on taking out Tahno, preferably with a hard hit that would wreck his stupid hair and maybe even his pretty boy face. But then the cheater decked her with rock-filled water and they lost because the refs were obviously not doing their jobs. As Korra resurfaced from being ejected from the ring, she had half a mind to waterbend back up to the stage and show Tahno was real unsportsmanlike conduct looked like. But before she could even move her arms to form a water column, his voice made the water around her feel like it was frozen.

Amon.

Amon was here, and, judging by the pricks of blue lighting up the stands, so were many of his followers. She had to get to Lin and Tenzin and take him out. Movement to her left made her head snap around just in time to see a partially masked man with a thin, black mustache and equalist garb sneer at her from the safety of the concrete platform beneath the ring before plunging two electrified sticks into the water. Korra couldn't bend herself out of the water fast enough to escape. She shouted out as the tines of electricity washed through her, making her muscles seize and scream.

Behind her she heard Bolin thrashing. To her right Mako's limbs jerked, churning the water around him. Korra met his gaze and realized though she was severely hurting, what she felt was her own suffering, nothing more. Mako went limp in the water, and Korra hoped maybe some of her pain would alleviate now that Mako was unconscious and unaware of his torture, but nothing inside her changed. They weren't soul mates, she realized just before she, too, blacked out.

Minutes later, she woke, tied to a support beam for the ring beside Mako and Bolin. She barely had time to register that Amon had stopped speaking and everything was a little quieter when the bombs went off. Debris rained down on the three benders and, despite the ringing in her ears and her heart pounding deafeningly against her chest, Korra strained against her restraints, trying to help Pabu break them free. The thick, black lines snapped and Korra did what she had been training all her years for.

She shoved her fear down but let the accompanying adrenaline and the desire to stop Amon from getting away take over. Who knew how many people had been taken out by the blasts? And the Wolf Bats were still missing in action. She needed to end this. Now. Korra launched herself upward on a cyclone of water.

Everything after that was a blur of action. Lin slinging her the rest of the way up to the metal cables of the departing airship, trying to blast Amon out of the sky, falling back to the glass dome of the arena, fighting the man who'd tied her and the brothers up, falling through the glass and only narrowly saved from becoming a pile of broken bones by the quick reflexes of Chief Beifong.

Korra punched a hole through a nearby stone bench after she and Lin found Tenzin and the boys. Amon got away, the pro bending arena was in ruins, and everyone around her seemed to be nursing a chi blocker related injury. "I can't believe I let him get away. He was right there in front of me." Tonight was a stark reminder at how much more she still had to learn to be a good Avatar.

Chief Beifong slapped her shoulder a little harder than could be considered affectionate. "We'll get him, kid. Don't worry." Lin's metal shoes clinked as she turned about. "If you'll excuse me, there's a few people still left in the upper stands. I'd like to round them up for questioning, see if they saw anything we didn't." She marched up the steps towards a group of well-dressed people hobbling down the flight of stairs in the uppermost level of seating.

Korra sighed and turned to the brothers. Bolin was chatting with Tenzin, both of them frowning deeply and looking thoroughly ruffled. Mako, on the other hand, closed the distance between them and hugged her hard. She couldn't muster the strength to hug him back, not after her failure and the epiphany she had before everything devolved into chaos.

Mako held her at arm's length and gave her a once over. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Korra nodded gently. "I'm more upset that I let Amon get away, especially after everything he just did." She crossed her arms.

"It's going to be okay. We'll get him. And I'm here for you." He leaned down to kiss her forehead but Korra turned away.

She hat to tell him. "Don't. Please. I…Mako, we're not soul mates."

He jumped back like she'd slapped him. "But I thought we agreed we had something."

Korra sighed. "With everything bad going on with Tarrlok and the equalists and Amon, I guess I was looking for something good to cling to. I looked for something to be there. When I saw you react the same way I did in that match, I didn't stop to think that what I was seeing didn't match up with what I was feeling."

Mako's face fell. "Oh."

Might as well make this terrible night even worse, she thought as she pressed on. "And I know we fight a lot, but you're great and you're, well you're hot but I know you don't want to get invested with someone you're not supposed to be with, and you hated yourself when we hurt Bolin, so I think we should just call it. Whatever this is between us, it's not a soul mate bond."

Mako scratched his head and though he looked worn out, his eyes were still bright. "We should test it. Just to be sure."

Korra's stomach roiled. She knew there was no point in testing, but she also didn't want to talk about that equalists getting the drop on her and nearly electrocuting her. She was the Avatar and shouldn't have been taken out so easily, surprise attack or not. So she'd spare Mako the details of how, as they convulsed in the water, she couldn't feel any pain outside her own.

Humoring him was easier, she guessed. "Okay, well…" Maybe they didn't even have to test this. "Did you feel anything after I left you guys to go after Amon?"

Mako's eyebrows furrowed and his eyes crinkled, obviously trying to recall something, anything. After a moment, he shook his head. "I didn't feel anything."

"Then that's it. We're not soul mates." She rolled up her sleeve as she said it, showing him the bruise already forming on her forearm from when she blocked a strike from one of the equalists.

With a sigh, Mako slumped his shoulders, ran a hand through his hair, and frowned. "Guess that settles it." He looked miserable but he somehow managed a smile. "Still friends though, right?"

"Of course!" Korra said, barely letting him finish his sentence. "Nothing's going to change that."

Mako looked like he wanted to say more but a commotion behind them drew the clustered group's attention. Korra's stomach, already in knots from, well, take your pick, wrenched harder when she saw Hiroshi Sato ushering his daughter down the steps, Chief Beifong tailing them, saying, "Healers are already posted outside if you really think she needs medical attention."

Hiroshi nodded, though Asami rolled her eyes, an action made more dramatic by the sheer vividness of her green eyes. Korra brushed by Tenzin, Bolin, and Mako and approached the Satos as they stepped down onto the main walkway of the arena. Hiroshi's right arm was around Asami's shoulders while his left hovered, as if ready to catch her if she fell forward.

"Asami! Are you okay?" Tonight would officially be the worst night of Korra's life if it turned out one of her new friends was badly hurt, too.

Hiroshi flinched when Korra blocked their path and he gripped Asami tighter as his amber eyes scanned Korra. Asami flinched too, and went pale, though her smile was pleasant and wide as usual. "Y-yeah, Korra. I'm okay."

Korra looked Asami up and down, and, when she didn't see any sign of something wrong, the tension in her shoulders melted. Still, she couldn't stop herself from asking, "Did the equalists knock you out, too? Did they hurt you?"

Asami bit her lip and, wait, was she blushing? "No, I'm fine. We're fine. Nobody got to us. I just felt some really bad soul mate stuff, but it's gone now. My dad," She looked away to glare at her father, "is being over protective."

"Better safe than sorry," he said mildly, his eyes darting from Korra, then back to his daughter. "We should go, Asami. It's been a long night and Chief Beifong wants us down at the precinct early in the morning for our witness statements."

"Yes, I do," Chief barked, momentarily breaking from her conversation with Tenzin, Bolin, and Mako. "Hey Avatar, get your butt over here so we can come up with our next plan of action."

Ignoring Beifong for a moment, Korra reached out and squeezed Asami's shoulder, remembering the taller girl doing the same to her after an earlier match. "Listen to your dad and get some rest. We'll all meet up tomorrow or something and fill you in, okay?"

Asami nodded, muttered a quick "goodnight," and allowed her father to lead her away. Korra wandered back to the group around her but didn't pick up the conversation until the Satos disappeared through the exit doors.

This is ridiculous, Asami scolded herself as she settled into her seat in the arena. Her father was busy crowd watching, completely ignoring her inner turmoil. Ever since she'd seen Korra heal Bolin's shoulder, Asami couldn't stop thinking of the Avatar. Just because she's a healer doesn't mean she's…or that we're…ugh, pull it together, Asami. She rapped her knuckles against the armrests and tried to focus on the players taking their positions below. Of course, her eyes fell on Korra and she flushed.

The healer theory was only that: a theory. She didn't have exact proof. Not to mention that up until now, she assumed her soul mate was going to be a man. The sudden shift was confusing to say the least. Though she hadn't seen much of her parents' relationship before its tragic end, she could still remember how filled with love it was. Light laughter, kisses exchanged without a care, that deep, resonating something in every look. Asami wanted that and so, when it came to imagining her other half, she assumed she would be just like her mother and fall together with a man. Not to mention how the other girls at school fed into this image during their fantasizing by always referring to her other half as Mr. Sato.

And wasn't it a little egotistical to think you were the Avatar's soul mate? At the very least conceited? Because Korra was the most powerful human being in the world, and while Asami's position in life was nothing to sneeze at, being a Sato and heiress to a multi-billion yuan company, was she really the person meant to be Avatar Korra's soul mate?

Even with these thoughts, Asami watched the match, scouring every move Korra made. The Avatar blocked a bout of water, then earth. Asami analyzed her own body, too. Was she forcing herself to feel something, or did her arms really just tingle immediately after Korra faced the Wolf Bats' onslaught?

Then, Tahno, the slime ball, captured rocks in a globe of water and hurled it at Korra. Asami almost leapt up and swore at the ref but she froze when Korra's head snapped back as the rocks in the water slammed underneath her jaw and…and…

Asami probed her jaw, which felt like the time she banged her chin on the handlebars of her bike when she was younger. It swept the space under her chin, radiated upwards. Did I just feel Korra? Asami trembled.

Around her, people were booing as the Wolf Bats basked in their undeserved victory, but Asami couldn't begin to care about the awful officiating of the match. Korra…the pain…was she…? They were…

The idea terrified her; she recalled some of Master Katara's accounts, how the waterbender tossed around words like "blistering" and "blinding" in reference to the conflict in Ba Sing Se, where Avatar Aang nearly died in the Avatar state. Can I handle it if I really am Korra's…? she thought, not allowing herself to even think the word. Head swimming by this point, Asami tried to search the water around the raised platform for Korra's form, but then Shiro Shinobi's commentary forced her attention to the center of the ring.

Her heart stopped as her eyes glossed over Amon. He held himself with confidence and a strange power that made Asami shiver, though being a non-bender knew she wouldn't be his target. He spoke to the masses and Asami was vaguely aware of flashing blue dots all around her. Something in the back of her mind told her it was chi blockers, but now her efforts for finding Korra doubled. She had half a mind to leave her father's private viewing box, but just as she stood, he grabbed her arm.

It was odd, how soft and calm her father's eyes were in spite of the screams and the pounding of feet fleeing, or the presence of the leader of the equalists spewing twisted ideology at them. "Asami, what are you doing? It's too dangerous to go out there. We're safe in here," he pleaded.

"I can't just sit here while there's an attack going on, dad! I have to find my friends and make sure they're—" She choked off into a wordless scream as her entire body shuddered in pain.

Asami thought the room suddenly burst into flames as her legs buckled and her knees slammed against the ground. Her muscles ached, like invisible fingers were tugging on every single tendon. She barely managed to throw her arms out to catch herself as the floor zoomed up to meet her. Seconds passed and she was distantly aware that her father was asking her if she was okay. Then, everything stopped and she took in a sharp breath of air. Eyes that she didn't realize were closed, flew open as the searing receded from her limbs. Every inch of her body had hurt and she knew why. A split second ago, she'd seen the waters light up, forks of electrical shocks swarming over the water. And as far as she knew, Korra was still down there. Which meant they really were soul mates.

Her father's hands fluttered uselessly around her as she regained herself. She tilted her head up to see him and recoiled at the unabashed anger on his face. He hated to see her suffer, she knew that, but this was extreme. She was thankful his eyes were not on her, but outside the box, probably on Amon.

When he met her gaze a second later, though, everything morphed on his face and he was her sweet, caring father again. "My dear, are you all right?"

"Yeah." Should she tell him what happened, or should she confront Korra first?

Korra. Asami still hadn't seen her. She tried to stand but the sudden rush of her shared connection left her woozy. "Easy," he father chided as he helped her back into her chair.

"I have to go, dad." She held her head in one hand, trying to regain some semblance of control. "I have to find K—"

The ground rocked beneath them as several bombs detonated in sequence. Asami's hands flew up to cover her ears. Her father's body shifted over her and she realized with horror he was acting like a shield. Everything stopped quaking and booming a moment later and, to both her and her father's relief, nothing had fallen on them.

"We should evacuate quickly," her father said, looping an arm around her back and pulling her to her feet. "There could be more charges placed."

She nodded dumbly, still reeling from the fact that there were bombs, explosions, and she'd been so close to it all. As had Korra. She jerked out of her father's arms and scrambled to the door. She expected another plea but instead her father swore. Asami spun and saw Korra spiraling upward on a column of water, chasing after a retreating Amon. Asami's heart skipped as Korra started to fall but then beat harder as Chief Beifong slung Korra up the rest of the way, through the shattered glass ceiling, and out of sight.

"Quick," her father urged, racing over to meet her.

As he laid a hand on her, a few quick jolts flickered through different parts of her body. Above, Asami could make out enormous plumes of controlled flames dancing on the other side of the glass. Korra was fighting and there wasn't much Asami could do to get up there and help her. All she could do was bear witness to the blows the Avatar received. She shrugged out of her father's hold as she cringed.

Shards of glass rained down and Asami caught sight of Korra falling again, only to be saved at the last minute by Chief Beifong. Her father blocked her sight, so Asami didn't see the two benders land, but from the lack of sensation, she assumed they were okay. Her father guided her out of the room and to the stairs, where a few other wealthy patrons were trying to evacuate as well. Asami sighed as she spotted Korra's high ponytail in the group clustered at the foot of the stairs, as well as the grouchy face of Chief Beifong as she clambered up towards them.

Asami's nerves were shot already and she'd only just figured out Korra was her other half. She wanted to turn to her father and tell him everything about her discovery, hoping he could help her accept her reality. It wasn't that Korra was off-putting—the opposite in fact, Asami thought, recalling how easily it had been for her to imagine Korra's healing hands the prior evening—it was the fact that she was in a dangerous role that had Asami shaking.

But as she neared the end of the steps, when Korra's blue eyes locked on her green ones and Asami saw them brimming with concern, she couldn't help but smile, relax a little. She knew she'd have to talk to Korra first before telling her father. Not tonight, after everything that had just happened to both of them (she really needed to take some space and sort all of this out in her head anyways), but perhaps tomorrow.