Bolin blinked up at her, a few bruises and cuts on his face. "Hey, Ping... I heard you got really hurt. Moustache Guy is still freaking out... You okay?" He gave her his normal goofy smile.
"It's nothing major," She shrugged, taking a seat beside him and smiling. "... I just went to heaven for a little while, but I came back."
"Whoa! You mean you actually did die?" Bolin's green eyes widened.
Ping reeled back, and waved her arms. "But I'm here now, it's all good thanks to Korra. But yeah, I... I died. I guess." Her forehead creased, unsure of her revival herself.
"Well, between you and me, I'm super glad Korra managed to see you. I would have missed ya!" He grinned brightly.
Ping blinked her eyes and stared at him before blushing and turning her head away, "Really?" she thought that Bolin would have started to treat her differently since she was an Equalist. She expected him to be more serious and stone cold but he wasn't, and she was glad. Bolin taking her for who she was made Ping smile.
"... Hey, Bolin... would you like to find out what heaven looks like?" Ping looked up at him, her green eyes meeting his.
The earthbender shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I do... Just not anytime soon, you know? I mean, I got a full life ahead of me, and so do you. So we'll see heaven when the time is right, yeah?"
Ping smiled and scooted closer as an idea came to mind, "No silly. I meant that I can describe what it looks like, or better yet," She pushed him against the bench and leaned closer, "I can show you."
Bolin blushed and stammered for a moment. "Describing is good, I don't feel like dying..." He thought about the other innuendo, but he wasn't even close to ready for that sort of thing.
Ping pouted and pulled away, "So much for the intimate moment; I almost died. At least let me have one kiss." She sighed and chuckled. "But I understand, Bolin. I just... I want you to know that I started to really like you... as more than friends. I-I mean if you like someone else that's fine, but I just wanted to let you know. Before, you know? I die again." She made a face. "Just in case."
?"Oh, a kiss?" Bolin smiled and leaned over, kissing her lightly. "I'll happily kiss you anytime, Ping..."
Ping blinked, her cheeks tinted in pink as she turned her head slowly to look into Bolin's eyes. "E-err..." Then she snuggled close to him, taking note of his arm. "Thanks, Bolin." She smiled.
Bolin smiled and carefully wrapped an arm around her. "No need to thank me, but you are welcome..." He kissed the top of her head.
?"Now I know why I was kicked out from upstairs." Ping nuzzled him, "So I can be here in paradise with you."
The young man's smile widened and he laid his head atop hers. "I'm glad you're back, Ping. We need to have a proper date!"
When Ping pulled away she nodded to Bolin, "I look forward to it! We have to go to a noodle shop - you know a lot of places, don't you?"
"Tons! But I don't think we can go back to Republic City for a while... So, I heard your brother mention 'Amorra'... What's that?"
"Ooh! That's my campaign, or at least I'm thinking of starting a campaign to support the boss and Korra." She smiled, clapping her hands together in excitement. "It's a combination of their names."
"Wicked cute, just like you! I'll hop on board that campaign!" Bolin chuckled, carefully hugging her.
"You really think so?" Ping blushed and giggled, hugging him back. "You're my first member, sweet!"
Bolin grinned. "So I heard Korra talk about her wedding? Are they really gonna get married? Not that I mind anymore, it's just a little weird cause they used to be enemies."
"I don't see why the boss and Korra shouldn't, they are an odd couple but that's the beauty of it." Ping took strands of her hair and checked the blood that dried on it. She pushed her hair away and swung her legs, "But a wedding would have to wait because we're still at war."
"Well yeah, but if we beat Tarrlok, then what? Won't Amon still try to take bending from people? Or will they just up and run away and we never see them again?"
"... I haven't... thought of it that way." Ping brows creased and she looked away. "I-I'm not sure, Bolin. Maybe. I'm confused now..."
Bolin hugged her again. "Don't think about it, Ping... If we want to know, we can ask Amon and Korra, right?"
"I don't even think the boss and Korra would know." she leaned against Bolin, welcoming the warmth. "This whole movement means a lot to the boss, and although he was willing to give it up for the baby... I don't know if he still will after what happened to Korra." Ping looked up and caught sight of Asami reuniting with her father, and Ping embraced herself as she recalled memories of her parents. "... I don't know if I can too." she replied.
"After what Tarrlok did to that poor baby, after he hurt Korra, after he killed you, I can't either... People who abuse bending shouldn't have it... I want to help you guys."
"... I wish more benders were like you." Ping smiled up at him.
Bolin smiled and nuzzled her forehead. "Well, not all benders can be as awesome as I am!"
Ping cracked laughing, and snorted. She hugged Bolin again, feeling that their connection was strong and unbreakable. Korra was right, they were meant for each other.
Meanwhile, Mako sat back and watched everyone from the corner of the airship and he hung his head when he saw Bolin with an Equalsit. They looked so happy, and he felt so stupid for trusting Tarrlok. He should've listened to Korra. She was his friend.
Mako looked up from his seat and searched for Korra and Amon, and noticing they were gone the firebender pushed himself off his seat and went in search for the couple.
Korra heaved an exhausted sigh and she leaned against Amon as she looked down at the water they were flying over. She wondered where they were going. She looked up at Amon. "How's your shoulder?"
"Numb." Amon answered, cringing under his mask as he tried to move his arm under the sling that Korra had tied. He was somewhat uneasy with one of his limbs unable to be of any use; it slowed down his agility and despite the airship flying among others, the Council could still easily send out blimps of their own.
But he tried needn't worry. The airship would soon be concealed within the clouds. Amon rubbed Korra's arm as he pressed closer, "How about you?" He tried not to be specific, but Amon was worried for Korra's mental health. His girlfriend just lost her baby; of course she would not be okay.
"...I'm not okay. I'm really not. But I'll get past it..." Korra turned slightly and hid her face in his chest, her hands clasping together as she held onto him.
Korra was scared Tarrlok would do worse. He killed her child and he almost killed Ping. And he had succeeded in killing Ping. Had it not been for her healing and Ping's family, Korra would have lost her friend.
Amon smiled and moved to kiss her forehead, only to chuckle at the barrier that kept him from doing so, and that was his mask. He pulled away, rubbing his thumb on Korra's forehead to ease the bump. "My bad."
"... I hope I'm not interrupting." Came Mako's voice from behind them.
Korra smiled at Amon's attempt to comfort her but she jumped when she heard Mako's voice. She turned to face him, and almost stalked over to punch him. But she stayed by Amon. "Hey Mako..."
Mako looked at Amon and then back down; how was Korra able to see through that mask? From afar the leader was still a threat to him, Mako was still suspicious - or maybe it wasn't Amon. Maybe it was him, refusing to believe in the change. "I just..."
"I will let you two discuss," Amon said, moving away from Korra. "I'm sure you have plenty to talk about. Go on, boy." So Amon wasn't fond of Mako either; at least the both of them could agree on one thing. Amon walked away.
Korra rubbed her arm as Amon left and once he was gone, she looked up at Mako. "So, what do you want to talk about?"
"... I wanted to thank you, for helping Bolin." Mako looked up, his brows pulled together. He couldn't even take looking at her before turning away again. "I was so stupid Korra. Tarrlok offered to keep us safe... I believed him. I was so stupid. I'm an idiot."
"Yes, you are. But the important thing is you see that he's the bad guy..." Mako probably still saw Amon as a bad guy, but she didn't care about that. "And I wasn't going to let Bolin get hurt..."
"And thanks for that." Mako smiled softly and raised his head to look at her again. "And Korra, one more thing... you're a good friend and I've been an asshole. I'm still not sure about trusting Amon, but I'll try to see through that mask just as you have. I promise."
"Thank you, Mako... You're a good friend too... As for Amon, I'm still trying to understand him completely... Anyway, just don't piss anyone off here, okay?" She grinned.
He nodded and returned the smile, "I should check on Bolin, and I'm sure I have more to talk about but you look tired. You should get some rest, okay?" Mako left to return to the bridge again.
Korra bit her lip and leaned against the railing of the balcony. "..." She pused away from the railing and wandered around, looking for Amon.
Amon had retreated to the study and was writing calligraphy. It helped him ease the pain, and let him forget about the events that occurred recently; especially his time spent in prison.
He tried to make careful strokes, but his hand wasn't cooperating. Amon realized that he was trembling, and he went to put the brush away, and knocked the bottle of ink over. Amon stood up to clean the mess, but he collapsed right after on all fours.
Korra ran towards the sound of a thud and she walked into the study. "A-Amon?" She knelt beside him, bending the ink back into the bottle before placing a hand on his back.
Amon wanted to tell her he was fine, but he wasn't and it didn't feel like an asthma attack. Something flashed in his vision, and he pitched forward even more, on his elbows now.
He smelt smoke, and another flash of memory invaded his mind and in was fire. Oh no. No. No. It was coming back. No. It wasn't supposed to come back.
Korra lifted Amon and pulled him into an embrace. "Amon, what's going on? Are you alright?" She almost called for Koh, but she didn't. "Is it an asthma attack?"
He coughed and suddenly couldn't breathe. Whatever or whoever had managed to trigger what he learnt to control would be deeply sorry later. The only problem was the people around him.
"Get away." Amon rasped, trying to warn Korra. "Get away from me..." His voice was barely a whisper as a much longer flash of memory passed through his mind. There in front of him, he saw the charred bodies of his parents. He felt the smoke suffocating him.
Then to Amon's horror, one of the bodies bent awkwardly. It moved, and twisted so that it walked on all fours. Then it came. It came for him. And as the nightmare ended he threw up blood, and blacked out in Korra's arms.
Korra's eyes widened and she shook with fear as she held Amon. "Amon...?" Her voice was shaking. Was he alright? She gently shook him, looking down with fearful blue eyes. All of the stress must have been getting to him.
Amon was alive but unwell. Blood trickled down the side of his mouth, and he still had trouble breathing. The fact that he kept his mask on was not helping.
Korra lifted his mask and sat it beside them. She couldn't bloodbend without the full moon, and even then, she couldn't do it at all. She shifted him slightly, laying him on his back. She decided to try mouth-to-mouth and see if that helped. She pressed her lips to his and breathed into him.
When Amon opened his eyes he was greeted by flames. He coughed, looking down and finding tiny hands planted on the floor, marred by fresh burns. He moved and they moved with him. They fought to stay up and he felt the pain - they were his hands of when he was a child.
Amon began crawling across the burning hut. He had to escape and take control. This couldn't be happening again. He couldn't let his past demons take will. Not again. Not ever.
But Amon knew he was losing, and he collapsed coughing violently. He rolled to the side, and his eyes widened. There beside him was Korra, unconscious and surrounded by fire. Amon forced himself up, "Korra!" He called to her, reaching out. A burning plank fell in front of him, before the girl he loved was lost to the flames. "No!" He cried, and woke up to reality, gurgling up more blood. It stained Korra, but Amon could careless about it, or that he was bleeding a moment ago.
"K-korra?" He whispered, his voice almost childlike. His eyes filled with fear.
Korra held Amon carefully, pressing her forehead to his. "I'm right here, Amon... You're okay. You're safe..." She realized then how little she really knew about Amon. Well, now she knew what to ask about when he was feeling better.
?"Korra..." Amon whispered again and took her in his arms, breathing in her scent, feeling her body to see if Korra was really there. He felt so helpless, and the lost of control was damaging his ego. He hated being weak.
Korra kissed his cheek softly, still trembling. "I'm here, Amon... A-are you..." She couldn't ask if he was okay. "...Feeling a little better?"
?"No." Amon answered, sitting up with a grunt and noted the blood on the floor. He shut his eyes, and gritted his teeth when he began to stand up and felt pain from his side. He wrapped a gentle arm around his waist and pulled away from Korra.
Korra reached out but pulled back. "Is there anything I can do to help?" She knew there was probably nothing she could do, but she chose to offer.
"..." He took a step forward and almost fell down again, catching himself on the desk. Amon growled through his teeth as he pushed himself up. "... Go find Koh or Ping and tell them to send message for my medic."
Korra nodded and hurried out, seeking out Koh. She figured Ping was with Bolin and she didn't want to intrude. "Koh?"
Koh glanced over his shoulder and stopped walking when Korra called his name. He ordered for the rest of the Equalists hauling in injured to go ahead while he went to speak with the Avatar. "What is it?"
"Amon told me to get you... He needs his doctor, he vomited blood..." Korra said quickly, pulling Koh's arm.
Koh blinked his eyes in shock, "Amon never vomited blood before." He let Korra pull him along until he turned towards another corridor where the communication lines were. He called for a medic. "Avatar I need you to get Amon to his quarters. I will be back with some medical supplies."
Korra nodded and went back to Amon. "Koh told me to take you to a bed..."
"You can probably just drag me there," Amon said sarcastically, "I'm sure I'm as light as a feather now that most of my blood has left my body." He stepped forward and groaned, catching himself on one knee again.
Korra frowned and walked over to help him up. "You don't have to be an ass about it..." She wrapped an arm around him and wandered towards his quarters.
?"It wasn't my intent to offend you, but I don't see how taking me to bed will help." He tried to help Korra as much as he could, but he was too tired and they limped to his room. "Next time, don't listen to the Lieutenant."
"Don't be so stubborn, Amon." Koh came with a bowl filled with water and a towel hung around his arm. He helped Korra bring Amon inside the bedroom and had the Equalist leader lie down on the bed. Amon grunted and coughed. "You're a mess. What's going on, boss?"
"I'm bleeding, idiot. That's what's going on." Amon snarled.
The Lieutenant frowned, "You're not changing into a woman are you? Because only women usually get angry when they're-"
Amon punched his bed weakly. "You'll have to pardon me, but I'm in no mood for playing games. I just... n-nevermind. It's nothing important." He settled down and went quiet.
Korra covered her mouth to smother a snicker at Koh's attempted joke, and looked at Amon. "If it's why you're bleeding, it /is/ important."
"... It's nothing." Amon said, not making any eye contact. It would be better if Korra didn't know. Nothing had happened earlier, which meant he was still in control.
She sat beside him on the bed. "I don't believe you." She reached out and touched his shoulder.
?"... Recalling past events is all." Amon murmured, "There's no need for you to worry about me." He could handle himself.
Korra sighed softly and leaned against him carefully. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Amon winced as the Lieutenant moved his arm slightly to clean the blood off his suit. "It's fine. I'm only waiting for the doctor now; you shouldn't worry so much."
?"If you're sure..." She replied, pulling away and watching Koh work. "Is the doctor on board or do we have to wait?"
"We have medics, but not for Amon." the Lieutenant answered, "Or at least not for what his condition is right now. Unfortunately another medic will be coming, the regular doctor said that he was found out by the Council and must hide away for a while. He's entrusted us with his prodigy - whoever that is." He continued to work and Amon let his eyes close. He felt tired.
Koh nudged the Equalist leader, "Hey boss, you better not be blacking out."
"I am only resting my eyes." Amon waved at them tiredly.
Korra sighed. "I'm a healer, remember? Or is this something even I can't fix?"
"Hm. I've forgotten about that, hey boss, you up for the Avatar healing you?" Koh nudged Amon, but the Equalist leader had fallen asleep. Koh moved away for Korra to give a try, "Here. I don't understand why the boss hadn't asked you to heal him, but it's a lot easier than calling up a medic."
Korra nodded and shifted, pulling some water from the bowl Koh had brought. "Where am I healing?"
Koh nodded to Amon's stomach and moved the leader's arm away, but Amon shifted and curled up, wincing in pain. The Lieutenant sighed and rolled his eyes, "Goddammit."
Amon only curled up tighter when Koh tried to move him.
Korra smiled slightly at Koh. "Go wait for the doctor, I got this."
Koh gave a wave and rolled his eyes before walking out. Whatever. He closed the door shut.
Amon made a quiet noise and resumed balling up.
Korra gently pushed Amon onto his back and placed a hand firmly on his chest to keep him from moving. "Okay... Let's get you patched up, yeah?"
Amon responded with a whimper and turning the other way. His short hair clung to the side of his face and his brows creased together. He looked like he was having a nightmare, and not just suffering from pain.
Korra placed a hand to his cheek and sighed softly. She placed her free hand on his stomach and began the healing process.
Amon's stiff form relaxed and he melted in Korra's arms. It wasn't until about a minute later that when Korra brushed over further to the other side that Amon's eyes snapped open and he jerked, elbowing her in the process. He cried out, beginning to writhe on the bed and balling up, which made the pain even more unbearable.
"Amon!" Korra shouted, trying to hold him down. "It's okay, hold still, I'm trying to help you!" She grabbed his shoulders and forced him flat on her back, resorting to sitting on him to keep him still.
Amon obliged and tried to keep still. "W-what happened to me?" He whispered to Korra hoarsely. When she brushed over the same side again, he shouted, clawing the bed sheets. Something was definitely damaged internally.
"T-Tarrlok's bloodbending must have messed up one of your organs or something... Or broke a rib..." She placed both hands on the side that was causing him pain, bringing more water to her to try healing again.
That made sense. Amon didn't see any other reason why he would be coughing up blood, and speaking of which. "..." He turned away when blood ran up his throat and out, staining his silk bed sheets.
"K-korra..." He rasped, feeling another pain coming up as the Avatar continued to heal him. Amon cried out again, and tears almost came to his eyes. He growled just thinking of Tarrlok, but he tried not to dwell on the councilman. There would be time to get him back later. For now-"Aaargghhh!"
Korra jerked backwards. "A-Amon? Did I do something wrong? Are you okay?" She placed her hands on either side of his head, lifting one to touch his cheek.
Amon was covered in sweat when he looked up at Korra and smiled tiredly, "... No, but I believe your repairing a broken rib; otherwise it wouldn't be this painful." He chuckled and grunted in pain again.
"Heh. I feel so helpless."
Korra nodded and resumed trying to repair the rib. "I'm sorry it hurts... I think I'm almost done, okay?" She offered him a small smile.
Amon returned a tired smirk and closed his eyes. After Korra had finished healing him, he took her hand and gave a gentle squeeze, "Lie down with me?" He wouldn't force her if she didn't want to. He was so tired.
Korra smiled and curled up next to him, resting her head on his chest. "Like you have to ask..." She yawned.
"I apologize for the blood," Amon shifted slightly as to make room while Korra settled down next to him. "I promise to not release any more while you're beside me." He winced at the tiny pain at his side, yet smiled. His body would have to heal the rest.
"Good..." Another yawn. "Because I don't feel like bathing yet..." She nuzzled him gently and closed her eyes.
"The way you mention it, it sounds very suggestive." Amon chuckled. He was teasing. But he nibbled at her ear; the things Korra makes him do. Sigh.
Korra made a squeaking noise when he touched her ear and she poked his nose in retaliation. "...Did you... Want to talk about the baby? Or do you want to wait...?"
?"Only if you're ready to discuss it." Amon stated, watching her shift about. He wished he could comfort her with his entire body, and not just lying down. He was useless right now. "But if I could say something, we shouldn't dwell on what we lost. It's what we gained before that. You loved the little one despite its short time here and that is what matters, Korra." He caressed her cheek.
Korra nodded slowly. "I should have been more careful... I was trying to save Asami, I didn't even think about Tarrlok hurting the baby..."
He closed his eyes at the mention of Tarrlok and clenched his fist. "I should have been there." Amon said, "But you did your duty as Avatar. I am sorry for everything that Tarrlok has ever done to you, Korra."
"You shouldn't apologize... I mean, it's not like it's your fault." Korra murmured, hiding her face in his chest.
If she only knew. Amon smiled and took her in his arms again. "Yes, I suppose." He pulled away her hair bands, and set them aside. "There, now you're ready to sleep."
Korra chuckled softly and nuzzled him again, falling into a light sleep.