Amoral, Chapter 5

Korra couldn't sleep that night; every time her eyes shut and she'd begin to hover between consciousness and unconsciousness, she'd be shocked awake with her memories of what had transpired between her and Amon. When they'd first arrived on Air Temple Island, Tenzin had tried to offer her more solace, but she could see the dark circles under his eyes, and had assured him half-heartedly that she would be fine and shouldn't he be getting some sleep?

Even if Tenzin hadn't believed her assurances, he didn't argue when Korra insisted she was, or rather would be, fine; using her fire-bending as a torch, Korra walked far more cautiously to her bedroom, the uneasy feeling of Amon's presence still lingering. She extinguished the light after shutting her door, her eyes looking over at the window; she was tempted to close the shutters, but Naga was undoubtedly sleeping right underneath it and Korra didn't want to disturb her or give her any reason to believe something was wrong.

The morning, in a stark juxtaposition to her night, was actually fairly pleasant; at breakfast, Jinora recounted the story she had just finished reading earlier, Ikki and Meelo cutting in every so often with humorous comments or outlandish questions. Despite the bags under her eyes, Korra lit up with smiles and even the occasional peal of laughter as the kids conversed; she could see Tenzin watching her subtly from the corner of her eye, though the soft smile on his lips proved he was glad for her improved spirits. He had been so worried the previous evening, Korra couldn't help but feel a little guilty; the feeling twinged in the pit of her stomach, Korra fidgeting at the table though rather unnoticeably.

"Korra, Tarrlok's been asking if you plan on returning to his task force. He...requested that I mention it to you, and that I bring him a reply this morning." Tenzin wiped a few crumbs from his mouth, Korra's eyes now boring into the table as she thought over Tarrlok's offer. The memory of Amon still gave her the shivers, and not entirely in a bad way; the thought made Korra scowl irritably, and she lifted her gaze to Tenzin after a moment's deliberation.

"I think I need a break from all this political stuff." Her reply was a little surprising, though only a little; Tenzin had a feeling Korra was avoiding something, or perhaps someone, but he wouldn't pry into her affairs. After all, last evening all but proved that being patient would earn him Korra's trust, even if it had been spurred on by Amon. "The pro-bending championship is starting soon anyway, and Mako and Bolin need me." Korra lifted a cup of tea to her lips, the liquid now tepid though still aromatic and palatable.

"Fair enough," Tenzin agreed with a single incline of his head, his hands clasping in his lap. "I will relay the message to Tarrlok, though you have to realize he won't take rejection well," Tenzin added with a frown, Korra's eyes rolling.

"I already joined his stupid task force once," Korra began in an annoyed tone, her body turning until her arm was propped on her bent knee.

"I'm not trying to argue with your decision, Korra. I was just warning you that Tarrlok will most likely keep trying," Tenzin responded, Korra snorting her disbelief. "At any rate, I'm expected at the Council soon. I'll see you all later." Tenzin then stood, pressed a kiss to Pema's cheek, and was off before Korra collapsed onto the floor with a groan.

Mako and Bolin did a double-take when Korra appeared in the practice room, her smile hesitant as she moved to her uniform and pulled it on over her every-day clothing. The quiet lasted for all of thirty seconds before both brothers came swooping in for a hug and began tossing questions in her direction; after all, they hadn't seen her since the night of Tarrlok's gala, and she hadn't had the time to address them properly then.

The team was all a-smile as they practiced, Korra happily forgetting all that had happened with Amon and Tarrlok in favor of focusing mainly on pro-bending; her body twisted and curved with ease, Korra pouring everything into the physical and leaving everything mental alone. It was akin to meditating, but Korra would never use that word; meditating meant stagnation: silence, inaction, and mental concentration. This was precisely the opposite: motion, sweat, heartbeat pounding so loudly in her ears she was certain Mako and Bolin could hear it.

Asami's presence ripped Korra from this physical euphoria, the avatar watching Mako and Asami's interactions with veiled agitation. Her attraction to Mako, while not as strong as it once had been, was still present, and watching him act so affectionately with someone else hurt. That's okay. I've got thick skin, Korra tore her gaze away from them, the two waltzing out of the practice room with the announcement of their 'lunch date'.

It seemed the moment Korra turned around Bolin was there, his babbling interrupting Korra's thoughts; she appreciated Bolin's easy-going nature and his obvious attempt to make her feel better, but now just wasn't the time. "Sorry, Bolin. I've got to go babysit!" Korra didn't notice the crestfallen expression appear on Bolin's countenance, her feet rushing out of the arena's front door as she turned towards Air Temple Island.

Korra tried to stay out of sight on the island, Naga always at her side and nudging Korra's arm with her snout every so often; it seemed fate was against her, though: Ikki and Jinora were filling the food cages with a variety of fruits when she rounded a corner, a few flying lemurs honing in on the newly-refreshed meal with ravenous intentions. "Oh, Korra! I thought you were practicing bending with your fire-bender boyfriend!" Ikki chirped with a carefree smile, Jinora's smile taking on a coy quality.

"Practice is over already, Ikki, and besides, he's not my boyfriend," Korra stated, the flat tones of her voice alerting the two that something was amiss with their avatar friend. Thoughts of Mako with Asami, while still aching just enough to be considered annoying, no longer produced the same heart-wrenching, green-eyed jealousy it had when Korra had first met Asami. "Besides, I am so totally over him." Korra waved off their twin looks of concern with a dismissive gesture, Ikki and Jinora exchanging glances before a subtle cough garnered the group's attention.

"Oh, Pema! H-how long have you been standing there?" Korra wondered aloud, the playful smile on her face a dead giveaway that she'd heard if not all of the conversation.

"Long enough," Pema answered with a bright smile, her footsteps heavy as Jinora and Ikki crept closer. "Boy troubles?" Pema then inquired, her gaze not intrusive and her tone not pushy.

"You could say that," Korra breathed with a sigh, the avatar's hand raising to rake through the few, loose strands hanging around her face. She had already decided earlier that pursuing Mako wasn't smart; it would only divide the team, and he was already in a happy relationship anyway. Inserting herself into the situation would only cause chaos, and her attention had already begun to drift anyway. She supposed that was to be expected considering her personality, and her age, but that wasn't what was bothering her; no, the new object of her attraction was really what was throwing her off-kilter.

Her lips dipped into a deep scowl at the thought, her brain utterly refusing to supply the man's name; she may have conceded the fact that she was losing interest in Mako, but actually accepting that she felt anything other than outright hatred for that man was inconceivable. "Are you thinking about him now?" Ikki was suddenly peering up at her, her head tilted to the side as Pema tried and failed to suppress a giggle at Korra's expense.

"There's nobody to think about!" Korra threw up her arms in exasperation, the trio watching as Korra traipsed off into the distance.

"She's got it bad," Jinora commented with a sly smile, Ikki nodding with a bright grin.

"Don't give Korra a hard time, you two." Pema's lips were slightly pursed, Jinora and Ikki simply nodding before giggling again.

In a word, the first round of the pro-bending tournament was flawless; Korra, Mako, and Bolin flowed, their natural rhythms adjusting to the other's and ultimately spelling doom for their opponents who hadn't honestly stood a chance. The elation Korra felt from the match took a brief nose-dive when Asami appeared, Korra's eyes veering away from the embracing couple a bit awkwardly.

Bolin, however, wasn't about to let that post-match high go to waste; "So, Korra. I was thinking...maybe we could go get something to eat? Maybe a...date situation?" It took a moment before the question registered, Korra finally turning to Bolin with a bittersweet smile.

"That's sweet, Bolin, but I don't really feel...date-worthy at the moment," Korra sighed, arms crossing over her chest.

Bolin blinked away the surprise from his expression before pressing forward; "Are you kidding? You're the strongest, prettiest, bravest, awesome-est girl I know!"

The absurdly enthusiastic tone set Korra's lips into a huge grin, a few genuine chuckles escaping her lips moments later. "All right. You talked me into it!" Korra finally agreed, Bolin's whoops of joy earning Mako's delayed attention.

–

Korra's date with Bolin, while not romantic in the least, proved to be a fun excursion, and easily distracted Korra from unsavory realizations. She quickly realized, though, that Bolin had assumed the 'date' meant more than she did, and had to set him straight after their second match of the tournament. He hadn't outright cried or anything, but Korra felt her stomach drop to her toes uncomfortably with the repressed-heartbroken look on his face.

She could feel Mako's glare from across the room, but the fire-bender remained silent; "I'm sorry," she had murmured before striding away from their box and into the arena's corridors. It would have been so much simpler if she did have feelings for Bolin, or thought that she might develop them over time, but at least Korra could be honest with herself concerning this.

When she'd arrived for their third match of the tournament, Bolin was unnaturally quiet, Mako's silent demeanor not at all uncommon except for the subtle undertone of anger presumably aimed in her direction. Neither spoke a word to her as she pulled on her gear, Korra more than a little unnerved by the silence, though she supposed she deserved it.

The match was brutal; Bolin's fragile mental faculties only made him a target, and Mako 'accidentally' hit Korra a few times with a fire attack. In the end, Korra had somehow managed to knock the opposing team off their end of the platform; dumbstruck, Korra stumbled back to her teammates whose expressions were now joyful and no longer angry or miserable. "That was amazing!" Bolin was the first to speak, Korra reciprocating the smile Bolin directed at her.

"Am I forgiven now?" Korra finally looked over at Mako, the fire-bender's arms crossed over his chest.

"I guess so," Mako grunted before breaking into a smile as well, the two bumping fists as Asami strolled in and insinuated herself into his arms.

"That was amazing, Korra. I've never seen a comeback like that before," Asami complimented, Korra scratching idly at her cheek with a sheepish grin.

"Thanks."

The island was quiet when Korra finally got there, the White Lotus guards nowhere in sight as she crept through the brush and bushes towards the temple. She didn't need to avoid them per se, but lately they'd been asking for play-by-plays of her pro-bending matches when she'd get home, and all she wanted to do was collapse and sleep for years. Her eyes were already beginning to feel droopy when the silhouette of the temple came into view, a few of the torches flickering eerily against the stone walls and the dry, earthen ground.

All was silent, save for the chirping of crickethoppers and the slight sway of the tree branches in the wind; had she been more awake, Korra was certain the surroundings would have sent a shiver down her spine. Lips pursing, Korra slowed her steps, her eyes surveying the Republic City skyline pensively; reaching a hand to the back of her neck, Korra trembled as the skin there froze from her touch: it must have been much colder than she'd realized.

"Remembering, Avatar?" That voice which haunted both her sleeping and waking hours tore through her, Korra turning with disbelieving eyes towards a tall tree several yards away. No. There's no way he's here... The White Lotus had to have noticed him! Korra tried to reassure herself that this was a dream, or perhaps even a hallucination from lack of sleep lately. There was simply no way Amon, leader of the Equalists and terrorizer of all benders was standing fifteen yards away from where she slept at night.

Fists clenching, Korra sent a few fire balls in his direction, though predictably, he dodged them with a practiced ease Korra couldn't help but envy. "Ten-" Korra had started to shout for her mentor's name, but Amon's strong hand had instead wrapped around her neck, her feet dangling inches off the ground.

"I would prefer we keep this private, Avatar." Korra had to fight away the flush from her cheeks, her hands clawing at his with ferocity though ultimately to no avail.

"Wh-what do y-you want?" Korra finally managed to sputter, Amon grip loosening slightly as Korra breathed as deeply as she was able.

Korra had expected the question to provoke some sarcastic answer, but Amon's silence puzzled her; if he really wanted to hurt her, he was doing a rather poor job of it, marks on her neck aside.

"Your demise," Amon finally answered, the porcelain of his mask cool against her hot cheek. She wanted to ask him more; if he was so hell-bent on her 'demise', then why wasn't he just getting on with it already? And did he have to be so damned close? He then lowered her until her feet touched the ground, Korra more than tempted to unleash some form of earth-bending barrage on him.

"I wouldn't, were I you," Amon's voice ghosted across her neck, the air surprisingly cold.

"Yeah, well, you're not me," Korra taunted, though it had no outward effect on her adversary. Before she could even take a proper stance, Amon had out-maneuvered her; Korra fell to the ground in an unceremonious heap, Amon looking down at her.

"Have you not realized that, had I the desire, I could have taken your bending already, or even killed you?" Amon wondered aloud, Korra leaning forward until she was upright, her elbows on her knees.

"Then why haven't you?" Korra finally asked quietly, Amon visibly starting at the question; her eyes watched his every move, and she concluded that that had had some effect. "You hate benders, right? I'm the epitome of all benders." Korra's arms swept in a wide arc. It was this question which had been plaguing her when she wasn't stuck on the fact that she felt the tiniest, most minuscule attraction towards this horrible man.

"That, Avatar, is a question I, too, would like answered," Amon finally replied enigmatically, Korra lifting an eyebrow, her jaw agape.

"What does that mean?!" Korra then cried in outrage, the avatar taking heavy steps towards him with narrowed eyes. "Who else but you would know? Start making some sense!" Korra's voice rose in timbre, the avatar wanting to shake some sense into him, literally.

"Consider that you, too, have not alerted your guards, nor have you tried to attack me." For the most part was tacked on to the end of that statement, but it was understood all the same. Korra paused where she stood, the anger dissolving from her face as his words sunk in; as horrible as it was, he was right.

"Don't try to shove all the blame onto me!" Korra finally stated emphatically, a hand perching on her hip. "You're the one who started messing around on the island the other night!" Korra finally accused, her forefinger pointing at him. Shifting the blame to him was childish, she knew, but the alternative was worse.

Amon was silent for a long while before he finally spoke, his tone gravelly and darker than she'd ever heard before. "You are correct, Avatar. Make no mistake, however, that I do despise you, and I will destroy you."

Before Korra could retort, Amon began to stride away only to pause again, his mask glowing in the moonlight as he turned to face her. "May your dreams be haunted just as mine are."