Sorry for not updating everything sooner. It was a hectic weekend (and an amazing one!) so everything's been delayed about a week. So for those of you who follow either For What It's Worth or That's Not My Name, I'm (we're) working on them as fast as possible, so please be patient!
Anyways, I still don't own Legend of Korra…
"You stupid jerk! Last night you said you loved me! Excuse me if I thought that meant something!"
Mako sighed and stared at the ground. He knew better than to argue with the Avatar when she was like this. A couple years hadn't changed that in the least.
Korra continued to spout insults at Mako, who had tuned her out while staring at the lovely wood flooring in Asami's mansion. It was getting rather tiresome, actually. She'd been going on for quite some time. "- and because of your pigheadedness you refuse to actually admit that might still want to be with me!" Apparently it was time to start listening again.
"I told you I loved you already! What more do you want from me?" he yelled, shocking her, and waking up the couple in the room next door. Asami and Bolin woke up and stretched, wondering what they could possibly be screaming about so early in the morning. When she'd found them a few hours earlier, they seemed happy together, but apparently things had changed.
"You also kissed me! But this morning, instead of a 'Hey gorgeous, did you sleep well?' you took one look at me and pushed me to the other side room!"
"I'm not Bolin! Did I ever, in the couple of years that you'd been on the Fire Ferrets, call you gorgeous? Hell no! I just don't do that!"
Korra just looked at him for a moment, and his sudden anger was starting to dissipate. His 'cool under fire' technique was showing in his personal life again. "But what if I want you to?"
And just like that his anger was back. "What part of I just don't do that, can't you understand! Yeah, you're the Avatar, I get that, but it doesn't mean I have to bend to your every whim!"
Bolin stepped cautiously into the room. So far, they had been courteous enough not to set Asami's house on fire, but Bolin didn't know how long that would last. "Um, hey guys. Did you hear about the one with the fire ferret-?"
"I don't care!" they yelled in unison, and immediately went back to their argument.
"You just up and left for three years! How am I supposed to welcome you back? With a hug and a kiss, saying how much I missed you?"
"Well, you pretty much did, Lover Boy. You know, I'm starting to regret coming back to Republic City. There's no one here I need." It was a low blow, and she knew it. "I'm leaving. Thanks for your help, Asami," she said as she stormed out of the room. Distantly, they heard the front door slam. Both Asami and Bolin turned to look at Mako.
"I know, I know. I'm an idiot." They nodded. There was nothing for them to say. He grabbed his father's scarf and walked out after her.
"Ah, young love," Bolin whispered into Asami's ear. She giggled and kissed him on the cheek. "Well, it was nice knowing Mako. Do you think we should make arrangements at the funeral parlor?"
"Not yet. I'm still really tired. Want to go back to bed?" Bolin nodded, and she tugged on his hand toward their room.
Korra was halfway to the park before she finally let herself cry. She'd let her walls down once more for the same man, and she thought they'd finally be happy together. But she'd been wrong. There was nothing left for her there, not with him. He'd made that perfectly clear.
Her body trembled in exhaustion. She hadn't run that far, but fighting with Mako had sapped what little energy she'd regained from her sleep the night before. With him beside her...
She shook her head to banish those thoughts as she sank to the ground. The hard, cold bricks of the alley did nothing to comfort her. They were so unlike the snow covered mounds of home, nor the blistering heat of the Fire Nation. They weren't even like the hardy clay blocks of Omashu. No, Republic City was an entity all its own. And she didn't belong there anymore.
With her mind made up, Korra staggered to her feet and made her way to Air Temple Island.
Mako raced through the city streets he'd always known. The buildings of downtown flashed by as his lungs screamed for relief, but he pushed on. There was nothing more important than her.
He'd been a fool, plain and simple. Once again, he'd been afraid of commitment, and flipped when he realized what he'd done. And he'd taken out on her. But to be fair, she had totally overreacted…
Even with Asami he'd been reserved, never letting her get close. He just put on an act for everyone, including himself. The thought of his parents always came to mind when he thought about Asami. He'd wanted what his parents had had so badly, that same loving commitment and support, that he'd fooled himself into thinking he loved Asami. She was safe and it was easy to be with her. They made great friends.
But with Korra...there was just this spark. She was far too stubborn to be like Asami, and her fiery attitude clashed with his calm exterior so often he knew their relationship wouldn't be the same. But as he started getting closer to her, he realized that didn't matter. No matter how much they fought, they'd always reconcile and get back on their feet.
And then she left him.
The gaping hole her absence had caused was still there, aching at the edges. Mako had finally admitted to her the previous night what he felt, and assumed everything was good, even if it needed some work. But when morning came, he'd forgotten. Forgotten all he'd felt, everything he'd had, but most of all, the something he'd become. In that one moment, he turned his back on everything he'd worked so hard for. And all because of a simple mistake.
He cursed himself as his legs buckled beneath him and his lungs gasped with the much needed air. But he had no time to rest. He had to find her. The only question was, where was she?
"Tickets! Come buy your tickets here folks! Air Bender Island waits for no man! See the beautiful island where Avatar Aang made his home, and where his family still lives today. And after, a bonus trip to Memorial Island. Yes, folks, you heard that right. Two for the price of one! Come buy your tickets on this luxury cruise now, for just fifty yuans!"
Mako knew where she was.
Korra saddled Naga and bid farewell to the air bending family. "Are you sure you must leave, Korra? You know you have a place to stay here. My family and I will always welcome you back into our home, no matter how long it may be." Tenzin offered the young Avatar.
She shook her head. "I loved this place, I really did, and I will always look at my time here with happy memories. But I need to go. My place is in the Southern Water Tribe. My people need me there."
Tenzin shook his head. His old pupil didn't fool him for a moment. "Do your people need you, or do you need your people?" Korra didn't respond. "I understand if you need an escape. Aang would often take Appa and visit one of the Air Temples, claiming he was checking up on them. In reality, he needed the break from being the Avatar. I understand if you need one as well." He paused, took a deep breath, and then embraced the young woman. "But please come back. Eventually. You're part of our family now. And three years is far too long, you hear?"
Korra laughed and mounted Naga when Tenzin released her. "I will. It might take a while, but I will be back. Republic City will need me. Even if it's only for a couple days. It just isn't my home now." She shrugged. "If it ever was. But I need to leave. I don't want Naga swimming in the dark to the next port, and I don't want to stow away on another boat. Goodbye Tenzin."
The air bending master sighed as the polar bear dog dove into the water. He feared the girl was making a mistake, but she was the Avatar. She needed to find her own way.
The ferry ride to the island was taking far too long for Mako's taste. But he wasn't much of a swimmer, and he couldn't bend the water to help him. So it was the fastest way, but it didn't mean he had to like it.
By the time he reached the small pier, he'd nearly gone insane from anxiety. He needed to set things right, and soon. Before she decided to leave him again.
Tenzin stood at the edge of the grass, staring off into the distance. "Do you know where Korra is? Was she here? I really need to talk to her." The airbending master merely stared at the young man before him.
"I'm sorry. She left a few minutes ago."
"A few minutes? That's not bad. I can still catch up. Where'd she go?"
He sighed. "You're too late. She's heading to the Southern Water Tribe."
Mako sank to his knees. He had tried so hard, waited for so long, but nothing mattered now. He was out of options, and nothing he could do would ever be enough. If she had gone so far as to leave the city to run away from him, what would stop her from fleeing every place she's ever known?
Tenzin put a hand on his shoulder. "There's still another option. Take Oogi. He can take you to the Southern Water Tribe. Ask for Katara. She'll help you, and she knows Korra better than anyone I know. And she understands what you're going through better than anyone. She and Aang weren't the happily ever after couple the tales say they were. They had more than their fair share of problems. But they loved each other, and that's what mattered in the end."
The last ember of hope sparked in his chest. All they needed was love, after all. He laughed at himself. Never would he have thought himself capable of even thinking those words. But love changed people, and maybe he could change enough for Korra.
"Thanks Tenzin. But there's one more place I need to go before I leave."
He nodded. "I'm sure Oogi will be more than willing to take you wherever you need to go. Even if it's in town. Just be careful. Don't destroy anything too valuable."
Mako bent at the waist. "Thank you for everything, Tenzin. I don't think I can ever thank you enough."
He chuckled and ruffled Mako's hair. Just bring her home, alright?"
"Will do, sir." An air acolyte came with Oogi saddled up and ready for their departure. Makp thanked Tenzin once again and received instructions on how to guide a flying bison.
With a last wave, Mako called out, "Yip yip." And they were off.
Korra was on an iceberg a couple weeks later. She and Naga were taking it slow and taking frequent breaks. Currently, they were fishing for dinner, and Korra had flashbacks of her first day in the city. It made her smile, but she felt no connection to the place.
Distantly, Korra felt a little guilty. Not only was she leaving Republic City just days after arriving, she was running away. The people needed her, and she was turning her back on them, instead going back to the Southern Water Tribe because of a boy. There was nothing worse in her mind.
"Come on Naga. We're almost home. Let's go." Naga quickly gobbled up the last bits of fish and jumped into the freezing waters of the South Pole.
It was only a few hours until Korra could see the small huts of her home. "We're back, girl."
As the polar bear dog swam up to the snow covered bank, Korra felt some of her stress just disappear. She jumped of Naga and ran through the snow toward the center of the tribe, where Katara would certainly be.
She threw her arms around the old water bender and began to cry. No words were needed, and Katara just patted the Avatar's back in comfort. Korra eventually told her everything that had happened during her stay in Republic City. When her story was through, Katara led her through the icy tundra and back to her hut. "There's something I think you should see."
Korra pushed back the flap and let herself into Katara's home, only to turn back around. "What the hell Katara? Why is he here? And in your house?"
A frozen firebender gingerly tested the snow before stepping out of the hut. "I came here to find you, Korra."
She stalked up to Mako and pushed him into the snow so she stood over him. "And you! I left Republic City so I wouldn't have to see your face. Why can't you just leave me alone?"
Katara backed away and left the two to work things out. Neither bender noticed. "Because I have a few things I have to say to you." He pushed himself off the ground and grabbed her hand, pulling her away from the village.
Even though she tried to pull her hand from his grasp, Mako only held it tighter. When they were far enough away, he began too fidget.
"Just spit out whatever it is you're trying to say so you can go back to Republic City. I don't want you here."
Mako took in a deep breath to steady himself. "We've had our problems, and probably always will. But it wouldn't be any fun if we were perfect all the time. And our relationship isn't as easy as it could be. But I love you, and that's what matters. I can't imagine my life without you."
Korra finally managed to yank her hand from his. "And you think a few pretty words will help you. We went through this before. Just go back home. There's nothing for you here."
Instead of sighing in defeat and giving up like she'd expected him to, Mako knelt into the snow, soaking his furs right through. But he didn't care as he pulled out a long thin box and held it out to her. Inside was a hand carved engagement necklace. She reached out a hand and touched the silver Fire Nation symbol. "I want things to work. And I know it won't be easy, with you being the Avatar and all, but I love you. And I'm willing to put up with anything else. Will you marry me, Korra?"
She said nothing. She was too overwhelmed. But she fell to her knees with tears in her eyes and kissed him. The tension finally left her shoulders as he kissed her back. "Of course I will, City Boy."
They had a lot to work out, and it would never be easy. But they were happy together. And that was all that mattered, in the end.
Yay, it's done! And to all of you lovely readers out ther, please review. They make the fiction world go round!