Fire.

A flash of smoldering heat, a lick of flames just barely missing my hair. Instinct demands me to duck, rolling off to the side just in time to avoid a second onslaught of the roaring blaze, only to come within a hairs-breadth of contact with a soaring disk of earth. It's a dumb move, but my body reacts by throwing an arm up to block my face, letting the impact connect with my shoulder instead.

"Shit!" I gasp and lose my balance, stumbling backwards until I fall onto my back, clutching my injured limb. I groan as the dull ache set in, a throbbing that leaves my entire body tense.

"Korra! Korra, are you okay?"

Mako comes sprinting towards me, almost on a slant. The pain makes my vision twist and contort until it's nearly impossible to figure which way is up and which is down, and why he is now running completely sideways.

"M'fine, okay," I grumble indignantly as he kneels beside me, embarrassed and frustrated that I'd been so stupid. Again.

"You're lying," he sighs, picking up my arm gingerly and rolling up the sleeve, examining the already blooming bruise on my rich skin. Long fingers brush against me, leaving trails of hot silky fire beneath them.

Really? You're thinking about that right now?

Bolin, who was standing in shock and guilt while dumbly staring at me, finally manages to make his way over to me and his brother, apologizing profusely. "Oh gee, Korra! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hit you like that. It was an accident I swear! Really, I'm so, soooo sorry!"

"It's okay, Bo. S'my fault," I say through grit teeth as Mako prods the bruising spot a little too roughly, "I shouldn't have blocked like that."

"Damn right, you shouldn't have," the firebender scolds in response under his breath.

"Don't get mad at me for this!"

"I'm not mad! I'm just frustrated."

"That's the same thing!"

"Is not! What? Would you rather I be laughing hysterically at you for pulling such a dumb move?"

"At least I'm not a jerkbender!"

"At least I'm not a cocky, irrational, close-minded, stubborn-"

"Yes you are!"

Mako lets out an impatient groan, rolling his eyes at my remark and lowering his accusing tone. "I don't understand why you can't even at least try to be careful."

"I do," looking away, I sigh, "I'm just not good at it."

We sit in silence then, me defiantly staring down at the ground while Mako finishes examining my hit. "Looks like it'll be fine. Just internal bruising at the worst."

"I can heal it later," I say quietly, now feeling a pang of regret for being so harsh on him. All he wanted to do was help me, make sure I was okay. Shouldn't I be grateful for that? Shouldn't I be glad that Mako cares so much about my safety?

"Yeah," is all he responds. He stands, then offers me his hand for leverage. I pull myself onto my feet, taking care to not put my injured arm under any stress, and start walking towards the locker room.

"We should just call it a day. Practice can wait until tomorrow," Bolin adds to the stifling silence, trying to lighten the mood. Clearly the earthbender is uncomfortable being stuck in the middle of the ever-increasing tension between me and Mako.

The comment seems to go unnoticed though as Mako runs to catch up with me, taking my bag up on his shoulder before I can grab it. "I'll help. You're not gonna be able to carry all of this with a messed up arm."

"I'm not dying, Mako. I can carry a bag!" I fight back, grappling with him to reach my stuff.

"Calm down. Let a guy help out for once. You don't have to be so independent all the time, you know."

"I'm not. I just don't need help." It's not like I'm completely impaired like this. It's just my shoulder, after all. I can still function properly, aside from the increasing pain that is now creeping up into my back from the shock of the hit.

"Whatever," it seems as if he couldn't care less about how "fine" I feel, "I'm helping anyway."

"Told you that you're stubborn," I stick my tongue out at him, and he gives me a look of such complete exasperation that I can't stop myself from laughing.

My chuckling continues until we get to the locker rooms, the doorway split on two side. I turn into the girl's room, and am shocked as Mako follows me in, not even hesitating at the door.

"Woah, excuse me Hot Man," I turn on my heels, stopping immediately in front of him, "where do you think you're going?"

"To help you?"

"This is the girl's locker room."

"Yes."

"So?"

Mako stares at me, looking dumbfounded for reasons I can't figure out, "There's no one else here. We're the only team that practices Thursday nights."

Does he really not get it? "Mako, I am a girl. You are a boy. You go that way. I go this way."

"I said I was helping you."

Throwing my hands up in frustration, I almost yell, "Helping me what? Get undressed, you creep?"

"Well, yeah. You're gonna need help." I make a face at him, and quickly he tries to correct himself, "Korra, you're arm is hurt. You're not going to be able to take your padding off without a second pair of hands. And it's only creepy if you make it creepy," he adds with a smirk, pushing past me and entering the locker room anyway.

"Stupid jerkbender," I gripe under my breath, following reluctantly and then leading him to my locker. "Alright," I sigh once we find it, "you can help me take off the padding, but after that you're turning around, got it?"

"Okay, okay. Relax, will you. I'm not going to try to sneak a peak or anything. Nothing I haven't seen before anyway." His face seems serious enough, and his tone suggests he means it, aside from that last comment which makes me scowl, and so I lift my arms with a slight wince and let him work on unbuckling, untying, and every other process involved in getting my layers of protection off.

Who was the idiot who forgot to make better padding for shoulders?

I hiss in pain when Mako pulls the chest padding over my head, arms stretching uncomfortably above me. "Are you okay?" He asks immediately at the noise, stopping with the padding only halfway off.

"Just- ah. Get it off," I growl, biting back the pain.

With a quick, white-vision-inducing yank, Mako pulls the rest of the gear off, making my head spin at the blinding stinging in my arm. No, it's more than a sting, really. It's more like ten thousand earthbenders pummeling my arm with bullets of solid rock repeatedly in one spot. I stumble a little, struggling to keep my balance as the dizziness returns, and let my back fall against the lockers, using it to support myself.

"Korra," Mako instinctively moves to hold me up, a hand gripping my good arm and the other on my waist. His amber blazing eyes are filled with concern, as if he's staring at me on my death bed.

I let the breath that has been knocked out of me for a moment return before speaking, talking a little too slowly, "It's…okay. Just a little… woozy." I somehow get myself off of the lockers, waiting for Mako to take his hands off of me so I can finish getting dressed. It has only just dawned on me that I'm standing there in just my wrappings on top and the sweaty cotton pants that I had been practicing in. His large hands singe my skin, though it's probably only my imagination that tells me they are that hot.

"Look, why don't you sit down," he indicates to the bench next to me, "and I'll help you get dressed. I don't want you passing out on me. What would people say if they saw me dragging you, unconscious, half naked, out of the girls locker room, after all," he tries to joke, but honestly my ears are to concerned with the new ringing sound that has just appeared out of nowhere to care what he is saying.

I let Mako gently push me down onto the bench, and he grabs my clothes out of the open locker along with a roll of wrapping tape. Bandaging my arm with deft fingers, he's careful to put as little pressure as he can on my shoulder. I can't help but shiver each time his hand grazes against my back, watching with odd fascination the speed of his movements. He tosses the tape aside when finished, then rolls my shirt up in his hands so it will be easier for him to slide up over my head.

"Lift," he orders quietly, and with a soft whine I bring my arms up as far as they will allow, which is only about midway. He slips the sleeve holes over my hands and pulls the shirt up my arms and over my head, messing my pulled back hair in the process. Tugging the hem of it down, his knuckles skim against my sides, and my teeth chew on my lower lip, trying not to focus on the tickling feeling.

Almost without pausing, Mako hooks his fingers into the waistband of my pants and starts to pull, waiting for me to lift myself up so he can slide them past by butt and underwraps. Eyes carefully trained on his own hands, he removes my pants completely and reaches for the clean ones, sticking my legs in them with a hand guiding my ankles.

"Mako, I can-" I try to stop him, my cheeks turning an embarrassing shade of red at my exposing attire, but he silences me.

"Up," he merely says, and I push myself up again with one arm so he can finish his work, sliding the pants up to my hips. He sighs when he finishes, crouching before me and placing his hands on my knees. "I promise, I didn't look," he almost smiles, but instead he glances at something just above my head, scrunching his eyebrows. He's up and suddenly behind me before I can say anything, hands easing off the clips in my hair.

"W-what are you doing?" I stutter, the feeling of his fingers running through my chestnut locks, pulling out the tangles carefully, leaving me stunned.

"Fixing your hair. It was messed up."

"Oh," I breathe, trying to relax as he finishes combing with his hands, then begins pulling the strands up into their usual wolf-tails. It feels almost soothing to have his fingers lightly scratch my scalp, working to gather all of my hair together. I lean back a little, letting my back rest on his stomach while he continues, the pain starting to settle deeper and making it hurt to sit up. I'm not ready to move when he finishes, nor am I ready to give up his fingers toying and fumbling in my hair, but everything is in order once again, and I let out a barely audible huff of disappointment.

"Better," he acknowledges with approval, and comes back around to help me gather my gear into my bag. I can't bring myself to look at him, afraid I'll inevitably say something completely idiotic if I do.

"Thanks," I finally mumble as we head out of the locker room, "you know, for helping me and all. Sorry it was such a bother."

Mako shrugs, "It was no big deal. I just didn't want you to hurt yourself."

"Right."

"Yeah."

We walk silently to the apartment that we share just a few blocks away, since the old home in the attic of the arena had been destroyed years ago. I still don't know how I got Tenzin to allow me to stay here after turning twenty a few months ago, but I'm living with the team, and everything is going well.

Aside from that annoying crush that I may or may not have been developing on Mako.

It's true; Mako and I have always had a weird connection since we first met, but things hadn't worked out like we thought they would after everything with Amon settled. It was amazing for a while; he took me on dates, we kissed, we cuddled, all of that jazz. We really were in love, and he never let me forget it. We were together for months, and he was my first, too. I cared about him so much, I still do, but things started to get rough after a while.

Once the Arena was rebuilt, we tried to put our focus back into pro-bending, but it was hard to ever get anywhere when every time the opposing team took a shot at me, Mako would play hero and take the hit instead. I can't even count how many times he ruined our strategies because of it. I tried to tell him to stop, insisted that I can handle myself on my own in the ring, but of course, Mako cared too much to risk me getting hurt. There was a series of fights after that, a lot of pestering and arguing mostly because we were frustrated with each other but were too scared to confront the real issue.

It got to a point where both of us were miserable. The Fire Ferrets were losing almost every match, Bolin couldn't stand to be in the same room as us, and every night I would either go to bed crying after a fight or punching a hole in the wall of my room. I guess I was getting tired of paying for the repairs, because I broke it off with him one night after a bad loss. There was a lot of crying, and begging, and false promises that I didn't want to hear anymore, but eventually it was all over.

It took months for the two of us to get back to a state of normalcy, to be able to be in the same room and have a conversation without a sense of discomfort and guilt. Eventually we got the team into shape, and although it took a while, Mako and I were able to move past it all and bring the team to success. We dedicated everything to Pro-bending, working the Fire Ferrets from rookies to champs in no time. It was easier like that, without a relationship in the way. We wanted to be winners, right? And we are now.

But it still feels like pieces are missing.

We walk in expecting an empty apartment, but it looks as though our night is about to be a lot more exciting than we expected. Asami and Bolin are sitting on the couch, bottles of some sort of liquor in hand and Iroh sits across from them on the floor, laughing as the alcohol spills down Bo's chin, mostly missing his mouth completely.

"Aren't you a little young for that, kiddo," Mako interrupts, snatching the bottle out of his brother's hand and taking a swig. Bolin and I are the only ones not old enough to drink still.

"Like you care. You let Korra drink."

"That's because Korra's not my younger brother," he teases, handing me the bottle, to my surprise. Usually he never encourages it if I drink, but he never stops me either.

"C'mon, Mako," Asami cuts in with that sultry tone of hers, the one that he can hardly refuse when he hears it. If she wasn't with Iroh, my already hopeless fantasies of dating Mako would be down the drain instantly. "Just let him have a few. It's not like he hasn't already downed half of that bottle anyway."

"Alright, fine," he gives in too easily. "But if you wake up with a hangover and whine about it, I'm not going to pity you in the slightest."

Bolin cheers and thrusts a fist in the air, then grabs the other bottle out of Asami's hand and gulps down an obscene amount. I take a short sip from the drink in my grip as well, then hand it off to Iroh, who easily downs the fiery liquid.

It seems like the night is going to be pretty casual, just sitting around and drinking, but not shockingly, Bolin and the heiress to Sato Industries grow impatient and bored, deciding it would be fun to mix things up.

"Let's play spin the bottle!" The earthbender chirps excitedly, a small hiccup escaping him.

Asami agrees enthusiastically, but Mako quickly declines the idea, "You realize that's a terrible game, right? Iroh, you wouldn't want your girlfriend kissing me or Bo if she had to, would you?" He looks to the general for help, but the older firebender just shrugs.

"Can't say it would really bother me that much. It's just a game. I know it wouldn't mean anything to her if she had to."

Mako gives him a displeased look, having fully expected Iroh to back him up. "Am I the only one here with a sense of sanity?"

I give a short snort of laughter and mutter sarcastically, "Right, says the guy who insisted on going into the girl's locker room with me."

"I was just being a good friend, okay?"

"Taking off my clothes is not something normal 'friends' do, ya know."

"Well maybe if you actually remembered to block yourself sometimes it wouldn't be a problem!"

"Listen here, City Boy-" I point an angry finger at him, but am cut off as a strong hand grips my wrist.

"No, you listen here," Mako growls, and I feel myself shrink back. "What's your problem, Korra? You're acting like I'm some creepy stalker or something. Every time I try to do something friendly, you get all weird on me. What's going on?"

"Nothing! Nothing's going on," I shoot back, eyes dropping down to stare at the floor.

Mako glares at me in silence, as if reading my lies like a book. "I know you're hiding something from me."

"No I'm not."

"So you might as well just tell me now."

"I'm not hiding anything."

"You know, it's really easy to tell when you're lying," he adds casually.

"I'm not lying either!"

"When you lie you look down to the left. Like you're doing right now."

Damn him for knowing me so well. "Sh-shut up, Mako."

"What? Have I left the Avatar speechless?" I can smell the alcohol on his breath, and the stupid smirk on his lips makes me flush with anger and embarrassment at the same time.

"I'll show you speechless," I snarl, and instantly Mako is thrown against the wall, a thick layer of ice sealed around his wrists and ankles, holding him to the wood, and one thin strip across his lips to keep him quiet. "Don't you think that maybe you should watch what you're saying to the most powerful being on the planet? I mean, I could singe your ass off in a second if I really wanted too."

Mako's eyebrows scrunch in anger, and a muffled protest escapes him, but I simply smile and ignore it. Asami's on her feet, looking between me and Mako with uncertainty, as if she can't decide whether or not to try to stop me or get herself pinned to the wall right next to him. Bolin stands beside her, laughing heartily at his brother's helpless position, too drunk to realize the potential of the situation.

"Korra, don't hurt him-" Asami cautions me, but really don't want to hear it.

I turn on her, directing my anger in her direction instead, "He deserves it though! He's been provoking me all day. I'm just teaching him a lesson."

Asami opens her mouth to retort, but is cut short again as her eyes flash behind me, and suddenly I'm off my feet and on the ground, pinned with my hands behind my back. My shoulder feels like it's been torn off of my body and I almost scream from the pain.

"Firebender, remember?" Mako hisses, and I curse myself for being so stupid. I should have used earth, dammit!

"Mako, I swear to Agni I will put an icicle through your head-"

"Go ahead! Can't do much without your hands."

"I'll bloodbend your ass all the way to Yue if I have to!"

"Yeah right, I'd like to see you try-"

"WILL YOU TWO SHUT IT ALREADY?" Iroh booms amidst the arguing, and without warning or reason the lights flicker, then with a loud pop go out, and a deafening rumble shakes the apartment violently. Asami screams and I force myself up to reach for the closest thing near me, gripping it like iron as I lose my balance and fall over again, landing on something unusually warm. The quaking continues for mere seconds that in my head feel like hours, and I clench my eyes shut, willing the fear to go away. What if it's an attack? What if Amon's forces have returned after planning for years in secret to take their revenge on the Avatar?

As quickly as the whole thing starts, the shaking abruptly stops, and the lights shuddered back on like nothing happened. Even after the apartment stills, I refuse to move, at least until whatever is under me decides to make me.

"Korra," Mako grunts, "get offa me."

I open my eyes and look down to see Mako being straddled beneath me, my cheeks instantly turning bright red at the sight. "Oh shit," I gasp and scramble off of him, sliding away from his outstretched body. "You okay?" I ask as he groans and sits up.

"You're a lot heavier than you look," he grumbles, rubbing his spine.

"Really? Even after we almost die, you're gonna insult me?"

"Mako! Korra? Are you guys okay?" I hear Asami yell, and I look around the trashed apartment for her. She's tucked into Iroh's strong embrace, probably after running right too him when the shaking first started, and they're hiding under the kitchen table along with Bolin.

"Yeah, we're fine," I answer and try to stand, but I can still feel the shaking in my legs, and that combined with the shaking from my own fear makes it nearly impossible to regain my balance.

"Speak for yourself."

"Shut up. Rub some dirt on it."

Mako just rolls his eyes and chooses not to fight back, a wise decision on his part since I'm already emotional enough right now.

"What the fuck was that?" Bolin says, crawling out from under the table.

"I don't know," Asami sighs, "but it feels like the spirits are mad at a certain pair of benders for fighting so much," she glares at me and Mako accusingly.

"What are you talking about?"

"The Avatar's Fury."

"What?" I ask. If there's something called the Avatar's Fury and I'm the Avatar then how the hell have I not heard of this? Someone really should be telling me these things.

"You've never heard of the Avatar's Fury?" Iroh gives me a quizzical look, and I look between him and Asami dumbfounded, waiting for an answer to my obvious confusion.

"It's a very famous legend that's been retold for generations on end. In fact, my grandfather used to tell it to me when I was a boy."

"'Scuse me, lived in the South Pole. We don't have worldly legends like that down there. Please explain," I demand.

"The Avatar's Fury," Iroh begins to elaborate in a way that sounds oddly similar to a textbook, "is a legend that dates back to the very beginning of the Avatar cycle. It is said that when the current Avatar, meaning you, misuses her powers or becomes overwhelmed by her skill, her predecessor will take the liberty of putting her, so to speak, 'back in her place'. Teach her a lesson," he smirks at the last phrase, and I shake my head, almost laughing.

"That has to be the most ridiculous story I've ever heard. A previous Avatar would never do something so childish. Right?" I look at Bolin and Mako for support, but the brothers both shrug in confusion.

"I'm sure it can't be real. It's just a legend, right?" Mako looks to Iroh, and Iroh gives a coy smile.

"I don't know. We'll have to see. Maybe if strange things start happening to Korra, we'll have our proof. But for now, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Like you said, it is just a legend."

"Right," I breathe, looking out the window. I can see Avatar Aang's memorial from our apartment, and I feel a shiver run down my spine. Can an Avatar really do something like that?

"We should go, Iroh. I should go check on the mansion," Asami pulls on his arm, tugging him towards the door. "We'll catch you guys around. And Korra," she turns back to me from the doorway and says with a wink, "watch out for those spirits."

It takes almost an hour for us to at least tidy up a fraction of the mess created from the "earthquake", as Mako is now referring to it as. By the time we're done, and Bolin is already passed out on the couch after watching us clean for a good five minutes, it's past midnight. I'm tired and hungry, but the headache pounding against my temples is willing me to ignore the grumbling in my stomach and just go to bed. Mako looks just as beat as I feel, his raven hair frazzled and mussed from him running a hand through it out of aggravation so many times.

"I think we should call it a night," he finally sighs after sweeping up a shattered plate that had fallen off the counter. "We can finish this up in the morning."

"Yeah."

There's a long silence between us, and I know Mako and I are both thinking about the same thing. I have been acting weird around him, we both know that, but telling him how I feel and risking everything we've worked for with the team just doesn't seem like the right thing to do. That would be selfish, and as the Avatar, my duty is to be selfless.

"Korra?"

"Yeah?" I turn around expectantly, and the fleeting memory of my first kiss with Mako flashes through my mind. Don't think about it. Don't think about his lips. Don't think about his mouth. And don't you even dare think about his tongue.

"Are you sure everything is okay?"

"Positive," I deadpan, and finish sliding one of the bookcases back into place against the wall.

Mako lets out an annoyed huff, "Well, it really doesn't seem that way to me."

"Well it is."

"Then what's with the attitude? Why are you freaking out every time I touch you? Why are you so angry with me all the time?" He approaches me, cornering me between the bookcase and the wall.

"I… I don't know what you're talking about." And the position we're in is definitely not helping to solve the predicament either.

His hardened expression melts into something that is more like a mix of confusion and desperation, golden eyes practically ripping at my heart for hiding the truth from him. "Why don't you trust me anymore?" He sounds beaten, like he's given up fighting and just wants an answer, but I can't give one to him. His eyes are imploring, begging me to tell him what's going on, and the guilt that I feel for it is nearly overwhelming.

I break past him, mumbling a pathetic "I'm sorry" as I push by. Without looking back I almost run for my room, and I can here Mako grunt out "Dammit, Korra" just before I slam my door shut. The tension is so thick I can barely breathe, and I almost wish that maybe Avatar Aang will take me away from all of this just for a day, even if it is to teach me a lesson.