Begin Again

She thought this time would be different. She had loved, lost, and learned. There was no reason for love to fail this time. She believed they were built to last; she knew this as she knew the stirring of the air around her, or the vibrations of the earth beneath her feet, or the churning of the clouds before the rain, or the inferno smoldering within her own heart; to her very core, she knew this.

However, no matter how much she told herself she had learned from her mistakes, it did not stop the soft hands from taking hold of hers, the gentle whisper that trembled with regret, the green eyes glistening with tears, or the soft footfalls that echoed long after they were gone.

Korra stared out across Yue Bay with glazed eyes; the fire that always seemed to simmer beneath the surface appeared snuffed out.

Despite the setting sun, the air around her retained its balmy temperature, clinging uncomfortably to her skin and dewing in her hair. Beside her sat Naga, panting quietly, watching the gulls swoop around overhead. The polar bear-dog was a second sun, radiating heat like a large, furry furnace. Korra dug her fingers deeper into her friend's fur, clinging to her one constant in a world that seemed insistent on shifting every time she found her footing.

"How did we get here, girl?" Korra sighed, absently stroking Naga's back.

The polar bear-dog blinked her wide, dark eyes slowly and tilted her head, as if to say I know; I'm sad, too. A breeze blew passed them and Naga stiffened, sniffing the air, and sharply turning her head to see a familiar boy—now a man—making his way towards them. Naga barked once, a happy sound before clambering to her feet and bounding towards him, tackling him to the ground.

"Naga!" he laughed, pushing the beast away before her eager kisses could find his mouth. He stood up, scratching her under her chin and murmured, "I missed you, too." He glanced up and saw Korra standing a few feet away, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Hi, Mako." Her greeting was soft and filled him with relief. He reached for her and enveloped her in his arms. He smelled of firewood and pepper, familiar and entirely his own. She returned the embrace, squeezing his waist tightly. When she pulled away, he was grinning.

"Tenzin told me I'd find you here. How was your trip to the Earth Kingdom?"

Korra shrugged. "Uneventful. Elections for Parliament representatives will be in a few weeks; I'll probably have to go back to oversee those. Economy is stabilizing. Crime rate is still high but it is dropping and local enforcement seems to have a handle on it. For now, at least, everything seems to be going okay."

"I'm glad to hear it. We missed you."

"I missed you too." Her lips twitched into what was supposed to be a smile, but the expression felt wrong on her face when her mind and her heart were so bogged down with grief.

Mako's eyes narrowed. "Anyway," he said, choosing not to ask, "I have some news."

"You do?" Korra asked. "What kind of news?"

"Not here. I'm meeting Bolin and Opal for dinner to tell them. C'mon; we can pick up Asami on the way." He reached for her hand but she jerked it away from him.

"No." Her tone was sharp, abrupt. Mako's eyes widened; even Korra felt surprised at her outburst. She clamped her lips shut.

"I'm sorry."

Korra glanced up and met Mako's amber gaze. "Why are you apologizing?"

"I don't know. I guess I thought I overstepped my bounds or something. Sorry."

Korra sighed, exhaling her breath and her misplaced anger. "You didn't anything. I'm just not hungry. Go on. Go have fun with everyone. I'll catch you guys later."

Behind her, Naga whined.

In all the years in which Mako and Korra had known each other, neither was really known for walking away, not when something was obviously up. So, when Mako remained rooted where he stood, eyeing her speculatively, she wondered why she ever thought that would change.

"Did something happen between you and Asami?"

A lie danced on the tip of her tongue. Of course not. We're fine. Why would you say that? It would be easy to allow the words to flow out her mouth and silence his pitying glance and probing questions. Easy, except she knew he would see through her anyway. Perhaps it was better to share her own news than to allow silent speculation.

Korra reached for Naga and dug her fingers into her fur, an anchor. "Asami and I broke up earlier." She turned her gaze out across the bay towards the setting sun, reliving the moment in her mind. "Actually, she sort of dumped me and I begged. Pathetic, right?"

A warm hand gently gripped her shoulder. She turned, following the lines of the fingertips, up the arm, across the connecting shoulder to Mako's face. His amber eyes glowed brightly in the dying sun's light. His brows and his lips gently turned upwards—the former saying, I understand, I'm sorry, and the latter saying, you'll get through this. For the first time since the initial shock, Korra's eyes pricked with tears. They pooled along the brim and threatened to spill over onto her cheeks.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

The first of the tears trickled down her chin. She shook her head. "Not right now."

"Okay." His hand slipped away from her shoulder. "Do you want me to go? Or should I stay?"

Korra chuckled weakly, wiping her eyes. "It's okay; go on and have fun. You hardly get to see Bolin anymore. I'll be fine. Really."

"If you say so." Mako opened his arms to her again, an invitation. Korra sighed and stepped into them, accepting the comfort. "I'm here for you, Korra; you know that, right?" She nodded once into his shoulder but made no reply. For a moment, they remained still, two hearts that understood what it meant to truly break.

"Hey, Mako?"

"Hmm?"

Korra pulled away and looked up at her friend. "Before, you wanted to tell me something. You seemed pretty excited…"

"Oh. That. It can wait."

"No. Please tell me? I don't want to be the last to hear the big news."

Mako rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'm starting a new job next week."

"Wait. What?"

Mako laughed. "See you later, Korra." He turned on his heel.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." She reached for his hand and yanked him back towards her. "You can't just drop a bomb like that and then give me no details! I thought you liked being a detective."

"I do. This is just me being a detective on a more global scale."

Korra quirked a brow. "I'm confused. What exactly is this new job?"

"You're looking at the newest member of the White Lotus."

Once again, her world shifted. Korra sputtered. "Why are you—? When did you—? How?"

"Tell you what: you go relax or blow of some steam or whatever. I'll be back later, after I'm done with dinner, and I will tell you all about it."

"Fine." She wanted to be petulant; petulance would have been appropriate given her earlier mood. However, the promise of later was an unexpected light in her otherwise gloomy day, like stars appearing after a storm, distant yet bright and constant in her view. So, she smiled softly and waved him on his way.

Her smile stretched into something almost like a grin as an amusing notion struck her. "Well, girl," she murmured to Naga, "it looks like we may be stuck with him."

The polar bear-dog's tail beat against the pavement. She barked once as if to agree.

Author Note: Hey, everyone! I know I'm late to the party, but here is my first submission for Makorra Week. I will be posting all my submissions both here and on tumblr, just so everyone is aware. Anyway, happy Makorra week!