~Always Good Enough~

Mako watched silently as Korra beat the wood out of the practice dummy. He'd lost track of how long he'd been watching her and no doubt his brother and Asami were looking for him but they could wait. He was where he needed to be, that much he knew. It had been a long night for all of them and when Korra had marched off without so much as an explanation after they had arrived he had been worried about her.

Tenzin had shown them all to their living quarters and given Mako the silent go ahead to slip away while he distracted Bolin and Asami. Mako had been surprised that the Airbending master had known that he was worried about Korra but in retrospect it wasn't so surprising. Korra had told him once that Tenzin was able to pick up on a person's worries and thoughts easily, and maybe he was able to do so even more easily with Mako because he too had been worried about the young Avatar. Regardless of reason, Mako had been thankful for the assistance.

As he had searched the grounds for her his mind had been putting together a more heartfelt apology. He had been pretty cruel to Korra and shouldn't have threatened to cut her off like that simply because he had thought she was trying to drive a wedge between him and Asami. When he had reflected on how hurt and surprised and disgusted she had looked when he had suggested such a thing he had felt absolutely horrible and actually still did; he really was a jerk. What kind of friend was he…?

Korra's fierce cry brought Mako out of his reverie and he focused back on her. He was growing increasingly concerned with the young woman; she'd stopped Firebending some time ago and had been punching the dummy with her bare hands. Focusing on the dummy to see what sort of damage it had sustained, he was alarmed but not surprised to see blood amidst the charred wood.

He let out a sigh and ran a hand over his face.

Korra, please…don't do this to yourself. None of this is your fault. I'm sorry, I really am, but…I don't think anything I say is going to make you believe me. Not that I blame you, I just…I just…

He paused in his thoughts, frowning.

I just…what? What do I want? What…I don't…

Once again, Korra brought him out of his musings, this time with a sad cry. With one more punch, she sent the dummy flying. It hit the ground with a great disturbing noise and Mako couldn't help but wince. If anyone had heard that…

He waited a few seconds, relieved when he didn't hear any feet hurrying in their general direction. He didn't think it would do Korra any good if anyone saw her like this, including him which was why he was keeping to the shadows. He had never seen her so upset before and from the looks of it she had never been that upset before. He could read her well and he could tell that she was having a difficult time dealing with whatever it was that was going through her head.

He really couldn't even begin to imagine either, what she was thinking. What did the Avatar think about? There had to be a lot. All of the responsibilities, all of the people that expected her to do great things, the legacy of Aang she had to live up to…it had to be a lot, soul-crushing and life-sucking even.

It was then that Mako realized just how different she was really was from the rest of them and how he really couldn't relate to her at all. She wasn't just some Bender, she wasn't just some political figurehead…she was the Avatar. She had a duty to the planet and its people; she always had to put others before herself because she had to. Whereas he had never more responsibility or duty then he'd wanted to, whereas he had never had any expectorations thrust upon him or legends to live up to, she did. True, from the sound of it she'd had a loving and caring family and had been well taken care of, but that was all gone from her now. Her life was not her own but rather the people's; her life had never belonged to her from the moment she had been born into the world.

A sort of sympathy rose within Mako at this thought and his heart ached for her. How lonely it must be, knowing all that and still being forced to carry on. Being Avatar wasn't all fame and glory, it was blood, sweat, and tears too.

Mako watched as Korra looked up at the night sky, a look of helplessness and defeat in her stormy blue eyes. He had to fight every urge he had to run over and hug her and tell her that it would all be ok. It wasn't his place to do that nor was it something that she needed. Korra was strong, she'd get through it and come to him when she felt necessary. He had to trust in her ability to know her own limits and know when she needed help, no matter how painful it was for him to watch her as she broke down inside.

A strange noise left Korra's mouth and nearly made Mako jump out of his skin. He blinked once, twice, to make sure that the girl standing before him with her head turned up at the starless night was really Korra. Indeed it was; his eyes were not playing tricks on him. Tears had formed on in her eyes and had started to fall, seemingly without her notice.

Mako felt his heart start to pound as a multitude of emotions began to fight for dominance on her once lively face. He watched in awe and appreciation as she fought against the darkness rising within her. He silently cheered her on, praying to whatever god was listening to have mercy on her.

He couldn't stand it, couldn't stand seeing her so lost and torn and unsure. This wasn't Korra, this wasn't the girl he had fallen in love with. This was a shell of the strong girl he'd met, of the girl he'd fought side by side with. He wanted Korra back, his Korra. But he also knew that if he were to go to her now, when she was in her misery, that he might never see her again. Korra was fragile at that moment in time, like a porcelain doll. If she were to be touched or disturbed, who was to say that she wouldn't break?

Mako's eyes widened in concern as Korra sank to the cold ground slowly. The tears were mixing with the blood staining the stone beneath her and Mako had to fight himself to keep from rushing to her side.

Korra was strong and she didn't want others to see her like this. She was the Avatar and she was breaking and she was the symbol of hope and no one could see her like this because it would crush her to know that they had seen her at her weakest.

She started to choke and for a second Mako thought that maybe he would have to intervene to save her life. Her choking quickly turned into sobbing though and Mako barely restrained himself, relieved that she wasn't dying but devastated to see that the Korra he loved was losing to this darker Korra, this Korra that looked like she wanted to give up and die.

As she crumbled to the ground completely, he tore his eyes away from her pathetic form, unable to watch her pain and suffering any more. He wanted more than anything to be with her at that moment, he wanted to embrace her and tell her that it would all be ok. He wanted her to be his and he wanted to be the one she went to when she was afraid or lonely or upset or scared. He wanted to be the one to protect her, he wanted to be the one to chase away everything that was after her. But he couldn't, and not just because of Asami. He couldn't because she was the Avatar and because it was her duty to be this, it was her duty to be strong, it was her duty to be the one to protect.

As her sobs intensified, Mako sat on the ground next to the tree he'd been standing by. His heart was beating wildly and his insides were a mess. He didn't know what to do, and that was new for him.

"Please," he said quietly to whoever was listening, "please help her. Please. Please." It was all he could do; he was useless, so very useless. So much was expected of her and she'd been trying her hardest…it wasn't fair, wasn't fair one bit. But that was life and life was a cruel joke played upon mankind by the deities of old, the very deities that he now prayed to.

Almost as if someone had heard his silent begging, the clouds moved a little and the light of the moon enveloped the fallen Avatar, bathing her in soft light as she lay in her agony.