So this time around, I thought I'd try my hand at something a little different: friendship!Makorra comfort. :3 I won't give too much away, but I will say that I'm quite proud of this little blurb. ^_^ I hope you all enjoy this, and please review! :D
*EDIT* I decided to re-upload this because it wasn't showing up on the main page, so here it is again. :P
DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Avatar: The Last Airbender". The show and its characters belong to Mike and Bryan, the brillant geniuses behind one of the greatest cartoon shows in the history of cartoons. Their work is legendary, and I salute them for it. I also do not own "The Legend of Korra" or any of the characters associated with it. I am merely a fanboy who is eagerly awaiting the return of one of the greatest shows ever created.
Bad Dreams
Her heart mercilessly thrashed against her ribcage as she ran, feet aching as they pounded against the floor, striving to carry her away from danger as fast as possible. Lungs burning, she looked behind her as she ran, seeing if he was still following her. The cold, metal hall behind her was vacant, void of all life, leaving only darkness in the absence of life.
"You can't escape, Avatar," echoed the slick, steely voice of the horror she was running from, his voice seemingly everywhere at once, leaving her no room for respite. "I will find you, and I will destroy you."
Her heart leapt into her throat at the sound of that voice, knowing of the cruel malignance that lay behind it, and she faced her head forward again, pouring all of her energy into her legs. Her efforts seemed to be futile, for the hallway remained as constant as it had in the previous moment, a never ending corridor that sought to trap her within its confines.
"It's pointless, little girl," came the voice again, seeming almost amused with her efforts to escape from its all-encompassing grasp, as if biding its time to strike. "There is no escape from my power, and you know it."
"We'll see about that!" she defiantly screamed over her shoulder, casting her eyes backwards once more to see if there was anyone behind her.
No one was there.
Triumphantly smirking to herself, she faced forward again only to immediately screech to a halt, suddenly finding herself face-to-face with him.
The sinister, deadly mask of Amon filtered into the dim light, expressing no emotion as the ominous man reached forward with his hand, darkly saying, "You're mine now, Avatar." She couldn't move; fear locked her legs, refusing to acknowledge the panic that urged them to move. Her icy cyan eyes widened with terror as Amon's hand came ever closer to her face, trying so hard to scream but finding herself unable to vocalize her horror.
Finally, after an endless, torturous eternity, Amon's hand grasped her face, ripping her body asunder and making her shrilly scream as the masked Equalist simply stood over her, smiling with grim delight behind his mask.
Korra's eyes snapped open, bolting herself upward in the bed as she loudly screamed, fearful eyes quickly glancing around at her surroundings – the attic of the Probending arena were Mako and Bolin lived, for she was spending the night there after a long, late-night training session - as her screams died down. Sweat and tears drenched her face, her eyes wide with shock and pain as she panted, recollecting everything that had just happened in her dream.
Even now, she could see Amon staring down at her with hidden contempt and overwhelming malice, eyes of menacing gold gazing piercingly at her from behind those black pits of the horrid mask.
She immediately snapped her eyes shut, collapsing against the bed and curling up into a fetal position, raggedly sobbing as she tried to comfort herself, desperately hoping to get rid of the horrible image of Amon's mask to no avail.
The door to the attic burst open minutes later, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps and sudden weight on the bed she was sleeping in. "Korra?" came Mako's voice, followed by the touch of his hand on her shaking shoulder. "Are you okay?" He and Korra were the only ones in the arena at the moment – Toza and Bolin went out on the town after Korra went to bed – and he had heard her scream all the way from the gym.
Korra flipped herself over, resting her head on Mako's leg, still in a fetal position as she brokenly said, "I-It was Amon…h-he was chasing me."
"In your dream?" gently asked Mako, not wanting to upset Korra more than she already was. The shaken Avatar simply nodded her head, her cheek resting on Mako's leg, her tears soaking into his pants as more rough sobs burst out of her throat.
"Amon caught up to me…" Korra continued, finding it nearly impossible to keep herself composed, wanting nothing more than to sob until the morning sun came up. "He…he…" She shut her eyes again, weeping with renewed sorrow and despair, feeling utterly lifeless and hollow in her moment of weakness.
She felt herself being gathered up, as a child would be by their mother, into strong, caring arms, her head coming to rest against someone's shoulder. Gloved fingers stroked her hair, seeking to bring comfort to her through a simple touch, as Mako quietly, soothingly said, "You're safe now, Korra. It was just a dream; Amon's not going to get you, not while Bolin and I are around to protect you."
Finding herself safe and secure in the arms of her friend, Korra smiled as she wrapped her arms around Mako's lithe, muscular chest, closing her tearful eyes as she whispered, "Thank you, Mako." She heard Mako reply to her grateful statement, but she didn't catch what he had said. Regardless, she felt protected in Mako's arms, the only source of solace in the wake of her awful dream.
Despite her ever-growing crush on the Firebender, Korra simply allowed herself to enjoy the moment of friendship between her and Mako, snuggling into the crook of his neck in order to get more comfortable, softly smiling when she knew that she wasn't going to have any more nightmares that night.
