A/N: For those asking, Noatak is almost 15 at this point. He has already learned bloodbending and such, and after reading some reviews I realized that I should have made his character a bit more cold in the last chapter. So I might edit a few things here and there in chapter one. In this chapter he has the sort of personality that he should have around this point.

As for Korra's time traveling, that will be revealed later on. I'm still figuring out how to explain it (• ¬ • )

Anyway, thanks for the feedback! It's really helping~!

II.

Korra stared at the younger teen, a look of utter confusion in her eyes. Noatak, oblivious to her disbelief, merely sighed and headed back inside the tent. He called out over his shoulder, "When you want to come inside, stop acting insane. This is a place for sane people, thank you very much."

She ignored his blatant irritation and remained where she was, practically frozen in place. How could that boy be Noatak? Not the same Noatak from Tarrlok's story, right? Couldn't be... That would mean she had somehow went back in time, didn't it? If not that, there were two possible solutions she could think of. One, Noatak was just a fairly common name in the North Pole, and two, she was just dreaming all of this. This was all just some crazy dream that was distracting her from the war that she still needed to win, bending or no bending. Scowling, Korra, turned away from the dwelling, beginning to wander off.

Unfortunately, her current state of dress wasn't exactly the best suited for this environment. Her shoes, meant for light steps and sneaking about, were unfit for the snowy terrain of the North Pole. It didn't help that snow had freshly fallen, either. Each step sunk her feet deep into the snow, and it soon became rather difficult to walk after only a few steps. Curse these stupid shoes... Another reason to hate Amon. She was half tempted to kick them off. Stupid disguise.

It wasn't long until Noatak pushed aside the entrance flap to his home, peering out to see if Korra was alright. He blinked in surprise, seeing how the girl was now trying to force herself through the snow. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"So long, dream boy! I'm waking up from this crazy dream!"

"Maybe I should have left her in the snow," Noatak mumbled, emerging from the tent and following Korra at a leisurely pace. He would not chase her down, or at least, not yet. First, he wanted to have a little fun with the strange guest. "So, this is a dream, huh? Pretty dull dream, if you ask me. Maybe you aren't creative enough."

Korra shot him a look. Was he trying to irritate her even more? Oh, if she had her bending, she would light his ponytail on fire... Grumbling, she turned back to the direction she was walking in, deciding to ignore Noatak and his little remarks. He wasn't as irritating as Tahno used to be, but spirits, the blank look on his face as he said those things...! What a screwball. Why couldn't her dreams take her back to the younger Noatak, the one that was supposed to be kind and caring? Oh, but no, she got this one.

"You still think this is a dream?"

She sighed. "Yes, I do. Now, why are you following me?"

"Because you're crazy, and nothing interesting ever happens around here." Was he doing this on purpose, just to unnerve her? "Besides, I want to see what happens when you realize that you're just being crazy."

"Alright, kiddo, one more word out of you and I'm going to punch you right in the jaw."

Noatak gave her an unamused look. "This is going downhill really fast. Allow me to show you that this isn't a dream."

Korra stopped in her tracks and turned around, ready to punch him like she said she would, but instead she found ice water being splashed onto her face. It had been quite some time since she had felt water as cold as this, but her nostalgic thoughts were soon pushed away by a budding fear. She gently brought a hand to her face, feeling the icy numbness of her skin. If this was a dream, why was she able to feel that? The stinging of the chilled water as it hit her, the shivers that ran up her spine as the water soaked her clothes, and now the numb feeling that was taking root in her skin... Korra stared at Noatak in horror.

"See?" Some water floated around him, still under the effect of his bending. "This isn't a dream. You're just out of it." Allowing the water to drop back down into the snow, Noatak looked at Korra, a subtle look of smugness dancing about in his eyes. The subtle warmth she had seen earlier had faded.

"I'm really here... It can't be... It isn't possible, but I am..."

Hesitantly, Korra reached forward, her hand making its way towards Noatak. She frowned, hoping that her hand would go right through him, proving that this was all sort of some messed up dream. All she wanted was to wake up and see Mako again... To win the war and somehow regain her bending... Somehow...!

Noatak tensed as she moved towards him, a look of confusion on his face. He didn't understand what she was doing, and he wasn't sure if she wanted to. Biting his lip, he stared at her, unwilling to close his eyes and express the fear and unease that was starting to rise within him. Yet as Korra's fingertips brushed against his cheek, a strange shiver ran down his spine, causing him to clench his fists. He watched as a look of disgust and horror filled her eyes, to which he responded by pulling away, scowling.

"Don't touch me."

Korra turned away from him.

"...I didn't want to."

When the two returned to the tent, they found that Noatak's family had already arrived. His mother was removing fish from her woven basket, while Yakone and Tarrlok were helping skew them onto small, sharp sticks for roasting. They looked like a normal family at first glance, but knowing the full story from the adult Tarrlok, Korra saw past the quaint little scene.

Noatak cleared this throat, drawing the attention of his family.

"Ah, there you two are! I was a little worried," his mother sighed, placing a hand over her heart. Setting aside the basket of fish, the woman stood up and walked over to Korra, taking her hands into her own. "It's good to see you're up and about. The way my son found you in the snow... Oh! Where are my manners? Come, my dear, sit down, you must be tired. My name is Kaeka, by the way, so if you need anything just ask." She brought Korra to where she had awoke earlier, gesturing for her to sit down. Korra awkwardly nodded and managed to sit down, feeling a little strange given the certain circumstances.

What's going on... I'm sitting in the same room as Amon, Tarrlok, and Yakone! Get me out of here, someone...!

Yakone glanced at her, a bit of suspicion in his eyes. "And what is your name? I've never seen you around here before, and your manner of dress isn't quite right for the North Pole. Looks like Republic City clothing."

Korra sucked in her breath. "I'm Korra, and... Um, er, I'm from the Southern Water Tribe... And you're right! Heh, these aren't right for this climate..." She tugged at the equalist disguise she still wore, feeling a bit disgusted by it. "I wore it in Republic City, but I was kidnapped... Yeah... And then I was dumped here for some reason. Kinda crazy, huh?" She grinned sheepishly at the older man, hoping that her lie was somewhat believable. To her relief, Yakone nodded and dropped his suspicious look.

"I see... Republic City is a mess, isn't it?"

"Heh, you have no idea..."

Tarrlok, practically jumping with curiosity, offered Korra a smile. "The name's Tarrlok! Nice to meet you, Korra! You'l be staying with us for a little bit, right? We never have guests, since we all live super close to our neighbors, so it'll be fun having you around." He awkwardly stood up and, not sure if he should go over to her or not, managed to take a few steps before bowing slightly and hurrying back to his seat. Tarrlok then looked over at Noatak, a look of unease coming across his face. "Noatak, did you and Korra go out for a walk? You weren't here when we got back, but..."

"We did. Not a long one, though. We were right over the hill, but then we had to turn back, since Korra isn't well dressed for the snow. You'd think she would know better, considering her background."

Korra felt anger well up within her. "Thankfully, Noatak was hospitable enough to escort me back, like the gentleman he is," she replied dryly, her fingers digging into the furry pelts she was sitting on. If she had her bending still, the things she would do to this kid... She gave him an irritated stare, to which he replied with a chuckle. "A true gentleman, indeed."

This was going to be a long night.

Korra was running as fast as her body would allow her, pained gasps escaping her with each push. She had already lost all feeling in her legs, and her lungs were practically screaming at her to stop and let them rest. Yet no matter how much she wanted to, stopping was not an option. Not with him practically nipping at her heels...

"Now... Where did my little mouse go? Oh, where can she be?"

Her legs gave out at long last, unable to push themselves further. She let out a gasp and tumbled to the cold ground. Her body was numb from her mad run, and now she was paralyzed, unable to run or hide.

"Korra, come out to play...~"

Out of desperation, Korra began to crawl. Her hands pulled her forward, dragging her lifeless body across the cold streets of Republic City. Where was everyone? Mako? Tenzin? Bolin?Anyone? With a pained gasp, Korra gave in, allowing her body to go still. No more pain... She was desperate to escape this pain...

"Take my hand," a voice above her demanded. "Take it, or else you're going to die. Come on, hurry up, I haven't got all day."

Korra looked up, only to see Noatak standing before her, his hand extended. Weakly, she reached up and took it, relief washing over her. "Noatak, you aren't Amon... I can save you, like you are saving me...!"

Noatak suddenly began to laugh, a twisted smile upon his lips. "You sure about that, Avatar?"

Slapping her hand away, he grabbed her by the neck and held her down, laughing with wicked delight. Korra screamed, thrashing her arms about in an attempt to escape, but it was too late. Noatak pressed a thumb to her forehead, while his other hand reached for his own face, removing it like it was a mask. Underneath, there was Amon, his lifeless eyes peering down at her.

"Korra... Wake up..."

"NO! GET AWAY!"

"Korra, wake up. Now."

"MONSTER!"

"KORRA!"

At the loud command, Korra awoke, practically jumping out of her skin. She gasped for breath, as if she was emerging from the water after a long swim, and looked around in sheer panic. This was... This wasn't Republic City... Amon wasn't here... With a sigh, she closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath. It wasn't until she realized that someone was sitting beside her did she jump up, a look of alarm frozen on her face. "W-Who...?"

She met with Noatak's irritated gaze. "Hush, you'll wake everyone."

Korra stared at him before realizing what she had been doing. A look of embarrassment overcame her as she looked around the tent, seeing that everyone was still asleep, despite her panicked awakening. "Sorry, I was having a nightmare."

"No, really?"

"Alright, thanks, Mr. Happy, but I don't need your sarcasm right now. And the way you screamed to wake me up, I'm surprised that you didn't wake your family up."

Scoffing, Noatak stood up and went over to the dying fire, feeding it a few more pieces of wood to keep it going. He rubbed his hands together for warmth. "I didn't scream to wake you up. I was whispering. Maybe you heard it as a scream or something..." The boy paused for a moment, allowing silence to fall between them, save for the crackling of the fire. Korra shifted uncomfortably, wishing that she could just go back to sleep, but thankfully, Noatak began to speak again. "What were you dreaming about?"

The question caught her by surprise.

"...A monster."

More silence.

"What did it look like? Someone you knew? An animal you fear?"

Korra scowled and laid back down, turning away from him. "It isn't any of your business," she snapped, "I hardly know you, and to be honest, I don't want to know you. I want to go back to where I came from, but because the spirits just love me to death, I can't go back. Or at least, I don't know how. And now I'm stuck here with you. It would do us both good to just go to sleep, okay?" She knew she was being too hard on him, but for some reason, she didn't want to stop pouring her anger onto this boy. This boy would one day grow up to be the man that would ruin her life. He would become Amon, and he would destroy who she was. Anger boiled within her, forcing her to clench her fists to keep from lashing out at him again. Curses... Why did this have to happen... Why was she here? Why was she with him? It wasn't fair... Was this some sort of trick played by the spirits to test her? Maybe they wanted her to do something, to change...

Change.

"Noatak, you aren't Amon... I can save you, like you are saving me...!"

Korra rolled back onto her other side, watching as Noatak silently stared into the fire.

Is that why I was sent here? To change the future? If so... Then bring it on.