Summary: Mako fell for Korra because he wanted to help her. He followed her to Amon because he knew she needed it. He always thought Asami was capable of handling herself, but he was wrong. And now he regrets everything.

Pairing: Masami, Makorra, Bosami if you squint

Rating: T

For some reason, it never struck him that Asami needed any kind of protection; she always seemed like she had it figured out. Even after she had betrayed her father, her only moment of weakness had been the ride in the airship back to Air Temple Island. Once she had gotten off of the ship, she had sucked in her breath, looked over at him, and smiled.

Asami Sato could take care of herself.

That's how Mako had come to his decision. That's why he surrendered his feelings for her, allowing his feelings for Korra to strengthen.

He knew deep down, that Asami could handle whatever life threw at her.

Korra, on the other hand, needed him. As strong headed and powerful as she was, she was naive and she rushed into things head first; often times they backfired on her. He wouldn't tell anyone, but he thought Asami was stronger than Korra. Asami knew how to strategize her moves, she knew how to think ahead, she never got too caught up in the moment.

That's why he was so worried when she was captured. Surely Korra would think irrationally in her incarceration and she'd probably do something to get herself killed.

That's why he insisted on going with her to take down Amon, he couldn't be sure that she would keep a level head, that she wouldn't just rush into things. He thought that she would just run into the situation blindly because she thought that was what she needed to do.

But he wasn't prepared for what would happen next.

Mako wasn't prepared for Korra to lose her bending, or for Amon to almost steal his. He wasn't prepared to find out that Tarrlok was Amon's brother, and that Amon was actually a waterbender- a bloodbender- from the Northern Water Tribe. But somehow he and Korra prevailed, and all his attention had been on her.

All of that changed when they went to regroup at Air Temple Island.

He and Korra had stepped onto the dock, met with an eerie silence and a blistering wind. They exchanged a glance, and he licked his lips. He was ready to be ambushed by Bolin and Asami, he was prepared to explain how Korra's bending had been taken, and how they had to depart to the South Pole immediately in order to seek Katara to try and reverse the effects of Amon's blood bending.

But no one came.

Mako rolled his eyes. Maybe Asami and Bolin were off celebrating somewhere. He had noticed the looks of admiration Bolin had been shooting to Asami, and he knew they must have been spending more time together since he spent most of his time with Korra. But at the same time it didn't seem that Asami liked Bolin that way, she was too focused sending little jabs his own way when his attention had begun to devote itself to Korra.

Bolin came into sight; he was running across the courtyard with what looked like a pitcher of water. Mako's eyes narrowed and he took a running start in order to block off his brother, causing the latter to startle slightly, the water slopping over the side of the jar and onto the pavement.

"Dude what's your game?" Bolin seemed agitated and anxious, as if there was some place he needed to be. Mako's eyebrows furrowed further in suspicion and he frowned.

"What, no hello? Don't you want to know how it went?" Mako asked, crossing his arms. Bolin tried to dodge around him, but he wouldn't have it. What was wrong with his younger brother? Usually he fawned over Korra. An assumption led Mako to believe that Bolin was trying to give them the cold shoulder, that he was secretly miffed that Mako had gone wither. That he was some kind of brother betrayer.

"Well seeing as how you're both here alive, I'm going to assume it went pretty well!" Bolin's voice raised, and he tried to shove past Mako; his older brother kept pushing him back. "What's your deal Mako, quit it!" Bolin's usually friendly green eyes were smoldering with anger, provoking Mako's defense immediately.

"Actually, Korra's bending got taken. But in the midst of the battle she finally unlocked her airbending and- would you stop being selfish for half a moment-" Mako didn't get to finish. Bolin had dropped the pitcher and shoved him away harshly, running off to the girls side of the island. Mako growled a little, his eyes narrowing as he watched his brother leave. "What's his problem?" He demanded. Mako's golden eyes flickered to the entrance, where a few Air Alcolyte women were leaving the accommodations with bloody hands.

Wait, wait a second.

Bolin's angry yell pierced the silence with an earsplitting shatter. "No!" He heard Bolin's muffled voice screaming and cursing profanities he was sure Tenzin didn't want his children to be exposed to. "Don't you fucking leave me!" His voice rumbled through the halls, filling the silent air. Mako and Korra exchanged a soft glance before they took off in the direction Bolin had set off to. Mako's speed exceeded Korra's, he'd never heard his brother so desperate or distraught before. "You were the last person who made me feel like I actually mattered!" Bolin's voice was rumbling through the halls; Mako could spot Jinora and Ikki standing at the end of the hall, their hands clasped over their mouths, their eyes red and puffy.

Mako's eyes locked onto Jinora's as if to ask what the hell was going on, and Jinora's hand slipped away. "Asa-"

That was all he needed. Instantly an unimaginable feeling that Mako never thought he could muster kicked in. He slammed the screen door aside to reveal the room, Asami's room, with Bolin doubled over next to her side choking out ugly sobs; his clammy hands clasped over a limp one. A blanket covered most of her body, but there was a huge blood stain near her abdomen.

Mako wanted to speak, but he couldn't.

There in front of him lay Asami Sato, the girl that he thought could handle everything.

Dead.

The worst part? Her eyes were still open. Her skin had a pasty, sickish taint to it, but through all that he could see the warmth seeping from her skin. He felt shell shocked, surely Asami was not dead. She couldn't be. It wasn't possible.

"As-sami." Bolin was choking out, and he could see the tears that were rolling from Bolin's eyes over Asami's hand.

Mako was staring at her, her open eyes, slowly identifying the growing pit in his stomach. No, no, it wasn't possible. How did? How was? His hands were clenching, and suddenly all the thoughts of Korra had slipped from his mind. Through his chest, he could feel his heart beating harder and harder.

For the first time in a long time, Mako felt fresh tears flowing from his eyes. These tears wept, paying no heed to any control he tried to enforce over them; the case was hopeless and he could feel them dripping off of his chin and with soft patters onto the tatami mats. His shoulders shaking as she dropped to his knees, crawling over to her bedside as he took her other hand.

"Asami," His voice croaked. Through the smell of the metallic blood that hung in the room, he could faintly smell her perfume, the scent of the shampoo that she used. Hesitantly his hand slipped up and he closed her eyes, unable to look at the empty green depth any longer. Behind him he heard Korra weep, but she wasn't crying at the magnitude that he was; not even Bolin was crying at the magnitude that he was. The room blurred through his golden eyes, and all he wanted was to see her emerald eyes full of life again.

He stayed there. Korra had to leave to find Tenzin and tell him her losses. He could tell that it bothered Bolin that he stayed there. Neither of them spoke a word; after their tears had dried they sat in silence.

"What happened." Mako asked, his eyes glaring over at his brother. Bolin and Asami had stayed together, so what had happened?

Bolin stared at him, shocked at the tone that Mako was addressing him with. It wasn't his fault, Mako knew it wasn't his fault, yet the tone still came out forced and demanding. Mako's fingers clenched the sheets, his eyes pleading with Bolin. He forced all the desperation, all the sadness, and the emotions up to prove to his brother that he wasn't angry. He was just upset.

"S-sh-" Bolin started, his gag reflex kicking in as he strained to remember. Mako could see the shudder of his brothers stomach, and he got up, rounding the bed to place his arm around Bolin. "She was using a mecha-tank to destroy some of the planes. Mr.-Mr. Sato attacked her. I was too late," Mako stared at Bolin dead on the best he could, watching the sheer terror in his brothers eyes. "She was still c-conscious when I got to her, and I knew it was a horrible idea but I just, I had to move her. We got her back to the island and the Alcolytes tried their best." Bolin's eyes fell as he clenched at Asami's sheets.

"That's why I was running. One of them needed water for the wounds, to clean them. I was trying to make sure I got there before it was too late." Bolin's eyes squeezed shut and his bottom lip quivered. Mako identified with the sheer terror his brother was feeling. It was probably the same feeling he had when he saw his parents get taken down by a firebender.

"I'm sorry Bo..." Mako didn't know why he was apologizing. He didn't realize Bolin and Asami even had a friendship that would impact his little brother like so. "Do you think I could...get a moment with her?" His tone was cautious and his eyes were gentle. Bolin's gaze flickered from him to Asami with unease, but he rose to his feet and left the room.

Mako was alone.

He stared at Asami, his eyes softening at how gentle she looked, even struck by death. Her lips were parted in the slightest degree, and her lipstick was still a deep, dark color. Mako's hands picked up her cold one, and he held it, as if to warm it up for her. "Asami..." His voice was a mangled whisper, but he didn't care.

"I'm so sorry..." He could feel a wave of tears overcoming him. After his parents had died, he swore he would never let anyone close to him die again. Not if he could control it or prevent it from happening. "Damn it, this is all my fault!"

It wasn't his fault, but somehow he felt it all was.

He'd built a sense of security with Asami, to the point where he was able to push her away; he was ensured that she was able to protect himself. As his feelings for her took the back burner should he need a safety, he had moved on to the wild card, Korra. He'd even contemplated telling her that he loved her, after a spike in his feelings for her during her abduction left him with sleepless nights.

But now, now he knew the truth.

He didn't love Korra, he lusted for her adventure, always knowing that after that drive for spontaneous trips burnt out, he would have Asami to come back to. But he didn't. Not anymore. He left her on the verge of a breakup, just holding onto her with a small thread. But she'd cut that thread.

She was gone now.

"Asami, I am so, so sorry." The words didn't feel like enough, he felt like screaming, like getting to the edge of the cliff and screaming her name. But he couldn't. He knew they would take her body as soon as he and Bolin left it, they would clean it up and prepare it for a proper burial. He only had so much time with her, and he was going to milk every last second of it.

Mako wasn't prepared for this loss. He wasn't prepared for the emotional trauma that would seep into him, and he wasn't prepared to have to clean himself up for her funeral.

But all of that would come in the immediate future, and all he could do to prolong it was kneel by her side and sob into her cold hands.