Disclaimer: I do not own Korra, Tahno, Amon, or any other element of Legend of Korra you may find in this story. It is written purely for my own amusement, and now I'm sharing it with you. Please enjoy!
Prompt: How about some interaction between Tahno and Korra after the former's bending is taken away? (from tumblr)
Most of my fanfictions are written from prompts I receive on Tumblr. If you would like to request a prompt, you can message me directly, here, or go to my rp blog on tumblr, freshkorra. Thanks!
He wasn't sure how long he had been out. He remembered very little, and what he did remember, he didn't want to.
The masked was permanently etched into his mind. The eyes—those horrible, yellow slits of eyes—pierced his memory.
Where was he? He wasn't sure. There was smoke, destruction, and silence. It seemed vaguely familiar, like he could have known it in a past life, but where ever he was, it was beyond recognition now.
He was locked in a fetal position on the floor. He hadn't realized it until that moment. His arms were shaking and pulling his knees uncomfortably tightly to his chest. White knuckles seemed glued to his legs.
"The era of bending is over!" Oh, spirits, the words. They echoed like a scream in his mind. "The era of bending is over!" "The era of bending is over!" "The era of bending is over!" He shut his eyes trying to block them out, but the mask returned to his imagination all too clearly.
A blood-red spot. Two topaz eyes. A haunting scream.
Suddenly, he realized he was out of breath. The scream stopped as he gasped for air.
That had been him screaming.
Slowly, he forced himself to relax. His hands released his legs, and he collapsed lamely to the floor. He forced himself up onto his knees, body quivering with the effort. As he sat up, his vision focused on bits and pieces of the surrounding area. A grate here, some circular holes there. Pieces that looked as though they once released supplies, now empty. Used completely.
The flashback hit him like a bolt of lightning. Shocked him. Sent him reeling.
The Pro-Bending Arena. The Tournament Finals. Amon. An ambush.
He had pulled the nearest bender to the floor. It was just Tahno's luck that it had been him. Amon's voice howled, "The Era of Bending is Over!" Pressure was applied to his forehead and shoulder. Amon's eyes fixed on the waterbender's. Then Tahno blacked out.
The scene before him would never show the grandeur that the Arena had once portrayed. He couldn't imagine the battle that could have ensued.
It couldn't have been long ago. Dust, smoke, and debris still riddled the air of the once-great shrine to bending.
On weak legs, he stood. Surveyed the area. Just as he did, he noticed a soft, blue, angelic form float down onto the platform. With heavy bounds, she sprinted over to him.
"Did he take your bending?" Korra demanded.
Take his… bending? He hadn't thought…
"Here." Suddenly, in his hand was a cup of water. "Just make sure please."
Confused, he set the cup on the water on the ground, and casually went to lift the water in a stream.
Only it stayed exactly where it was.
Frantically, he tried a somewhat more elaborate move—an attempt to push the cup over with the force of the water inside.
But it didn't so much as shake.
Panicked, he tried every move he could muster before falling to the ground in front of him. Sobs racked his body.
A gentle hand caressed his back as he hunched over his own form. "It's okay, Tahno," she whispered. "You'll be fine."
"How?" he asked, swiftly turning to look at her as streams of tears lined his eyes. "I don't know who I am anymore!" he screeched. "Amon didn't take my bending—he took my identity!" He groaned. "You don't understand, Korra. You can never understand what this is like."
The look of pity on her face. The way her shoulders fell. The shame in her demeanor as she looked down, away from Tahno. He could see that the words resonated with her deeply.
Guilt washed over him for how he treated her. She was just trying to help, and he'd screamed at her.
He carefully embraced her, afraid he was breaching personal space, but her arms snaked around his waist in return.
"I'm so sorry for what happened to you, Tahno."