Disclaimer: I do not own LoK.

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Decision

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Asami inhaled deeply upon exiting the Police Headquarters, grateful for the sun's warmth on her cheeks. It felt as though she hadn't been outside forever, when in fact it had just been two days. That night that she and Mako and Bolin had all been arrested had been absolutely miserable. They were forced to sit in a painfully small, windowless room for hours and hours without any information, forbidden to leave or even speak.

Asami wasn't one for feeling claustrophobic or getting easily panicky, but she couldn't help it as she sat in the too quiet space for those long hours. Where was Korra? Was she okay? Would they be okay? When were they going to get out of there? What if Tenzin didn't come for them? What if he couldn't convince Tarrlok or Saikhan to release them? Answerless question after answerless question plagued her mind, but she kept her mouth shut, feeling as though everything was collapsing in on itself. Babbling frantically as a means of venting wouldn't have helped their situation. So instead she had sat there, going stir crazy from the silence and being unable to move about freely.

She was inexplicably thankful for when the door to the cramped room clicked and unlocked, Tenzin standing there, red and yellow robes and all. She noted the grim, worried expression on his face, but did not say anything about it to either of the brothers. Immediately, she had made to leave the building, desperate to get some fresh air back in her system.

Asami sighed and inhaled once more before turning around, seeing Tenzin and her boyfriend and his brother exit the building. Mako smiled at her before making his way over to her. "It's great to be outside again," he commented, and she nodded. Despite the fact that they had been detained for only two days, the dim, unpleasant room they had been forced into and the unfavourable situation had caused it to seem much longer. All three of them were glad to be out. The Firebender then pointed out something that had not immediately come to Asami, who had been too preoccupied with filling her lungs with clean air. "Where's Korra, Tenzin?" His eyes were bright as he looked for the Avatar, eager to see her. The non-bender at his side pretended not to notice.

Tenzin stood in front of them then, squaring his shoulders. He was scowling now, the lines in his face noticeably deeper, as though he was dreading something. "There's something I have to tell you, three, actually," he said lowly, crossing his arms and peering at the ground. His tone was forced, and Asami's heart clenched. "Korra's... Korra's gone missing. She's been gone since last night, and we've been looking for her all day." The non-bender's heart stopped and Bolin breathed in sharply from his spot beside his brother.

Asami felt Mako's hand tighten around her waist, and she looked up, watching as he comprehended the Airbender's words. His amber pupils flashed, conflicted with emotion. At first there was disbelief, then confusion, and then the inevitable anger. "Who would do that?" he spat out, letting go of her and stepping forward. Bolin fidgeted from beside him, staring at the ground with a look of incredulousness on his features.

Tenzin peered at the young man, frowning. "We have more than enough reason to believe it was Tarrlok. City Hall is torn up – mostly around his office. Korra went after him, and something happened, and now she's missing."

Mako clenched his fists, livid. The fury that was running through his was almost noticeable, like one could nearly see it coursing through his veins. "I'll kill him," he said. "When we find him, he will pay." He gave Tenzin a hard look. "Are you sure you checked everywhere? They couldn't have gone far with her – and besides, it's Korra. Nothing can contain her!"

The Airbending Master sighed, uncrossing his arms. "Half of the city has been looking for her since early this morning. We've scoured the majority of the city and its outskirts. We don't know where Tarrlok took her, Mako..."

There was a glint of desperation in Mako's eyes, and his hands sparked. "We have to find her! What are we doing just standing around here? We should be out looking for her! What... what if she's hurt?" Realizations of what Tarrlok could have done to her hit him in waves, and fear paralyzed his system momentarily, each new thought even worse than the last.

"Mako," Asami called, grabbing his arm so as to restrain him and to try to quell his sudden surge of anger. "Calm down. Getting angry won't get us anywhere – we have to be level-headed about this." Bolin nodded.

"She's right, Mako."

"I don't want to calm down!" he shouted at them, "I want to find Korra!" He pulled his arm away from Asami's grip, frustrated with their words. Huffing, he stomped away from them.

"Mako!" Asami cried after him. Tenzin and Bolin looked at each other, before nodding in unison and deciding to let the couple speak privately, venturing away.

The Firebender ignored his girlfriend's pleas for him to slow down, to stop and listen to her. He couldn't – no, he needed to formulate a plan to find and rescue Korra. He needed to figure something out and execute it as quickly as possible, because if he didn't then she could be kil—Mako stopped, feeling his throat constrict painfully at the thought that was about to cross through his mind. He couldn't think that way, couldn't think about her being... that. Eventually, Mako's anger drained and he was left with an abounding sadness filling him, and he stopped, staring at the sidewalk. He couldn't protect her – he didn't protect her. She had done so much for him, and yet he couldn't even keep her safe. He felt like an utter failure, and he raised his gloved hands to his face, exasperated.

He was just about to continue walking again, when he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned, catching the striking green eyes of Asami. He did not smile warmly like he normally would, instead frowning and turning away from her. The non-bender pulled away from him and whispered quietly, "Mako." He still did not respond, but did not step forward either.

The stood there in silence, Asami considering inquiring about what she had been wondering for the past few days she had known. Ever since Ikki had told her that Korra liked Mako, it had stuck in her mind, seeping in whenever she let it wander. The knowledge made her pay more attention to the pair's interactions, watch a little closer. She quickly noticed how much happier both seemed around each other, how they brought out the best – and admittedly, worst – in each other. Korra smiled more often around Mako, and he became more optimistic. Despite all of their feuding, it was obvious to see the attraction they shared.

She would be lying if she said she wasn't jealous. She enjoyed being with Mako, and while it was mutual, the tension between the Avatar and him was too prevalent for them to ignore. He liked the challenge and passion Korra brought to his life, while Asami was his gentle, comfortable safety net. He didn't display the same fervour with Asami as he did with Korra, and knowing this hurt her. She hated feeling animosity towards Korra, because she wanted to be friends with the girl, but at the same time, couldn't help but feel burning envy when the pair shared a glance that was a bit too long, a smile that was too happy.

It had been eating away at her since, and deciding she could take it no longer, she spoke her mind. "Mako, do you like Korra?" It was an easy question, with a complicated answer, she could tell, when he tensed. Biting her lip, she awaited his answer patiently.

The Firebender stopped, blinking at his girlfriend. The question had come out of the blue for him – how did she know? He liked to think he was subtle in his interactions with Korra; that his true feelings for the Avatar didn't shine through all too brightly. But apparently not, for there his girlfriend was, standing beside him, calling him out on them. "O-of course, I do," he lied pathetically, "She's my friend, how could I not?"

Asami gave him a serious look. "Mako, you know what I mean..." He watched as the pain flashed on her face, her features downcast.

Sighing, he looked away and whispered, "Yeah... why?"

"I just... wondered," she fibbed. "You're just so driven about finding her."

"I care about her... a lot," he admitted, still refusing eye contact with her. "More than I probably should, but I can't help it." Asami nodded, forcing herself to understand. She did, but his acceptance of his feelings and outward confession only caused her heart to swell with hurtful realization.

An awkwardly long silence passed between them before Asami asked him, "Has anything... ever happened?"

Mako couldn't lie to her any longer – he had kept it a secret for a few weeks now, ever since it had happened, in the hopes that his feelings for Korra would diminish and that he could get on with his relationship with Asami. But alas, this was not the case, for they had grown exponentially instead. "We've kissed," he confessed, "a few weeks ago."

Asami felt a sting in her chest, and resisted tears, just barely. She choked out, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought I could get over it, forget about her and focus on us," he stepped closer to her, finally looking at her, instantly feeling horrible. The look in her green eyes mirrored his betrayal and the subsequent ache his telling her had caused her to feel. Raising a hand to the back of his neck and rubbing it, he continued with, "I care about you, too, Asami. I didn't want something like kissing Korra get in the way of us... I still don't."

The Sato heiress laughed a bit then, bitterly, and her boyfriend cocked an eyebrow, confused by her reaction. "Why do you lie to yourself so much, Mako? I know you want to be with her."

Mako blinked, knowing her words were true, yet not allowing himself to immediately accept them. "I... I want to be with you," he told her, his voice shaky and uncertain. It was a somewhat truthful statement – he still wanted to date her, because he did truly like her, but he wanted to be able to call Korra his, as well...

"You want to be with her more, though," Asami stated, crossing her arms. "I know you do." The falter in his words had told her all she needed to know.

Mako's head hung low at this, his heart tugging at her words because they were utterly correct. "Please, can't we talk about this?"

Asami laughed again. "We just did. And besides," she pointed in the direction they came, "the longer we stand around, the more time we're losing that we could be spending finding Korra." She began to walk away then, trying to dismiss him and her feelings for the moment. She could sort them out later when they weren't still raw and new in her mind.

"Asami—" he reached out to grab her shoulder, but she twisted away.

"You can make your decision when we find Korra, Mako," she told him. "Until then, don't speak to me about it. Please." At this, she walked off, not quite knowing where their relationship stood now, but feeling utterly heartbroken as she continued to resist an onslaught of tears.

Mako stood there, staring at the retreating frame of the woman he wasn't even sure was his significant other anymore. Sighing, he realized she needed some time alone to think, as did he. They needed to be apart, some space put between them – they had spent nearly every waking moment together since they had arrived on the Island, and were growing weary of the other's company.

He followed behind her after a few minutes, deciding she was right – they should be looking for Korra. Because as soon as they found her and Mako got over his initial feelings of intense relief of seeing her again, he knew that a decision, of what woman he wanted to be with, would show itself and need to be made.

And both the non-bender and Firebender knew that, when it came down to that one moment, that one decision, it wasn't going to be Asami that he chose.

~P~

Author's Notes: I see something like this being very plausible next week. Maybe (probably) not so dramatic, but something along the same lines. I don't like this much, but it generally portrays my prediction well enough.

Without Korra around (for the time being), Asami can confront Mako about what Ikki told her... maybe now she'll learn about the kiss? I hope so! Not because I want them to break up (they are, admittedly, cute together), but because she has a right to know.

...Poor Asami if this does happen. D: