Chapter 3: What Could've Been
"KORRA! How many times must we go through this? Move like the leaf." Tenzin said softly to her. "Once more." He said with a nod to his daughters who pushed the air through the spinning boards and Korra tried once more.
Korra slipped through a few easily but then missed a step and was then bombarded by every corner. She roughly fell through the hell boards with a grunt. "Ugh! What's wrong with me?" She muttered under her breath.
"Ooh, that's gotta hurt." cringed Ikki.
"BE. THE. LEAF. Wooooo!" shouted Meelo, moving his arms in a fluid manner.
"Korra! You okay?" asked Jinora, helping Korra up from the ground.
Korra rubbed her head with a sigh. "Thanks. I'll be fine, it's just not clicking with me today.."
Tenzin sighed heavily. "Maybe... we should take a rest... You're clearly not in the right mindset for training."
Korra glared at him. "I am completely fine. We should continue." She said as she firmly crossed her arms.
"Ooh, ooh! Korra, how about we take a break, and you can do one of those pretty water tribe hairstyles! Please? Pretty pretty, pretty pleaseeee?" Ikki asked Korra, with pleading eyes.
Korra looked at Ikki, then Tenzin, then Ikki again. She sighed heavily and smiled. "Alright, we can rest."
"YAY!" Exclaimed Ikki, and she started prancing around. Meelo mimicked and followed her.
Tenzin looked at the children, then back at Korra. "I'll be back in an hour or so. In the meantime... take it easy, Korra." he said as he turned, with a swoosh of his cape.
Korra smiled at Ikki. "Ready to begin?" Jinora sat down by a concrete step and began reading her book, while Korra sat Ikki between her legs so that she could work comfortably. Korra took Ikki's hair in her hands and got to work, gently weaving the soft strands of Ikki's hair.
"So Korra..." started Ikki, with a smirk plastered on her face, "How's that handsome firebender boy, Mako?"
Korra jerked unexpectedly, accidentally pulling Ikki's hair. "Ouch!" shouted Ikki.
Korra gasped. "Sorry! What were you saying again?"
"It's alright," said Ikki, "and I was asking about Mako, how is he? Huh?" *nudge-nudge-wink-wink*
Jinora looked up from her book and smiled. "I bet he's finally admitted that you two are in L.O.V.E..?"
Korra rolled her eyes with a scowl. "That is a total misunderstanding. He is a friend..." She paused. "Or well, used to be?" She sighed. "What are we now?" She muttered.
"Korra..." said Ikki.
Korra snapped her attention back to the girl in front of her. "Uh, yeah?"
"...You're kinda pulling my hair again..." said Ikki, looking back at Korra in discomfort.
Korra gasped. "Sorry, sorry!" She cringed. "I'll try to be more gentle." She began to weave between the strands of hair to make a beautiful braid.
Jinora flipped a page in her book and looked at Korra with a raised brow. "Are you and Mako okay?"
Korra's shoulders tensed again, and Jinora noticed. "Did something happen?" she asked, putting her book down.
"No. Nothing happened. Nothing happened at all. I don't know what you're talking about Jinora." Korra rapidly sputtered out.
"Did some lady steal your man?" Ikki said teasingly, unknowingly hitting a soft spot.
"Gyahhhh!" Ikki shouted. Her hair was now fire. Ikki quickly shot up and started flailing her arms. "Korra! My hair!" She shouted.
Korra, in a flash, distinguished the fire in a single wave of both of her hands. "Ikki! I'm so sorry." She could see that Ikki's hair was a bit burnt, so Korra did some waterbending and moisturized her hair.
"Does it look bad?" Ikki said, with tears ready to overflow from her eyes.
Korra and Jinora cringed. Her hair was practically a mess. All the braids were crinkled due to the sudden heat, her hair color at the bottom were slightly lightened, and it smelt horrible. Korra and Jinora gave plastic smiles and laughed nervously. "Its... one of a kind." Korra smiled. "Not to mention that it's the new style nowadays." She added when she saw the doubt on Ikki's face.
Ikki's face perked up and smiled, "Thanks, Korra!" and she ran off to go play with Meelo.
Jinora stayed by Korra's side. "Korra... what is Mako to you?" She said with caution.
Korra looked at Jinora with surprise. "What do you mean? He's a friend."
"No, I mean, what kind of feelings do you have toward him?" Jinora stated.
Korra looked at her in astonishment. "Feelings?" She pursed her lips and thought for a moment. She whipped her head back to her with narrowed eyes. "If you tell a living soul about this, I'll tell your father about your fanfictions." She said evilly.
"Cross my heart, and hope to die." Jinora promised.
Korra looked at her and then with a sigh began to say her thoughts aloud. "The first moment I met Mako is the same feeling I feel till this day. That firebender is an as-I mean!" She started to say as she realized that she is, afterall, talking to a ten year old kid. "What I mean is," She said slowly, "he is a... 'donkey' who is too stubborn to take some advice from a friend. I mean, I can't believe he'd trust some girl that he doesn't even know, you know what I mean? At least I've known him ever since I first came to Republic City. Who does he think he is? Some kind of chick magnet or something?" She grunted. "I just can't believe him, that jerk."
"Korra... are you jealous?" questioned Jinora, with a hint of excitement in her voice.
"Jealous? Ahah! Me? Pfffft. Jinora, don't kid yourself. I am not jealous whatsoever."
"Korra, do you care for him?"
Korra frowned. "Yeah, of course I do! I care for him as a friend." She muttered. She could feel the slight doubt in herself but as quick as the feeling came, she shrugged it off. "Besides, what else would he be to me?" She said to reassure herself.
"Korra... do you love him?"
"Of course I love him! But-" Korra stopped short and then gasped. She quickly covered her mouth. "No! Wait! That's not-"
Jinora looked at Korra with a smirk on her face. "Uh-huh... says the girl with a massive blush on her face."
Korra could feel her face getting hotter. "You got it wrong.. I just... I don't feel that way!" She said defensively. "Who would love a jerk like that anyways?" She said, looking at the ground.
"Korra... you're pretty bad at lying." snickered Jinora.
Korra was now fuming and you could literally see steam coming off of her head. "I can't believe this. Tell your father that I'll be out for a bit." She said and turned to leave.
Unexpectedly, Bolin came down the temple steps licking his fingers from eating a delicious meal as Korra accidentally bumped into him. "Oh, hey! Korra!"
She unconsciously glared at him, obviously still upset. "Why are you still here?" She interrupted him, her tone icy.
"Well, I uhmm... Pema offered me to a meal, how could I deny?" He laughed, rubbing his stomach. "It was delicious by the way." he said with a gleeful smile, giving a thumbs up.
She looked down at the ground, then realizing that she took out her anger on him. With a sigh, she looked back up to him and gave a sheepish smile. "Hm. I hope you had a good time. I'm off now."
"Hey, want to go together then? Since.. like, y'know... we're going in the same direction?" asked Bolin with a major blush surfacing on his face.
Korra smiled guiltily. "Sorry, Bolin, but now's not the time. I think I need to cool off alone for a bit." She gave a small laugh. "Anyway, besides that, thanks for today. I really needed it. Maybe some other time, okay?"
"Ahh... yeah! Yeah, sure. Maybe... next time." said Bolin, with a disappointed frown. "I guess I'll see you at practice tomorrow." he sighed.
Korra gave a small wave and walked off.
"Bo! I'm home!" shouted Mako. He plopped himself down with a big sigh. "I brought some leftover dumplings from a restaurant I just came back from." He said, tossing it onto the coffee table. "You here bro?" He said looking around the open room.
The door to the attic opened. "Oh, hey... Mako." said Bolin, as he entered the room.
"Where were you all day? You even missed practice." Mako said with a raised brow.
"I was practicing some circus tricks with Pabu today. Just to earn some extra cash, y'know?" shrugged Bolin. He picked up the bag of leftover dumplings and called for Pabu. "Pabu! Pabu! Got some food for ya!" Pabu came down from his hiding place and started to nibble on the dumpling in Bolin's hand.
"Hey! I saved those for you!" Mako sighed.
"Ah, I ate at Air Temple Island. Pema served me a delicious cuisine." Bolin said.
Mako cocked his head. "Air Temple Island, huh? Did you, by any chance, see, er, Korra?" He hesitated.
"Yeah... I saw her." Bolin stated plainly, still feeding Pabu.
"And?" Mako prodded.
Bolin gave him a look. "What else is there to say? I saw her, talked to her, and we said our farewells. Just the norm." He said, slightly defensive.
"What's up with you all of a sudden?" Mako asked.
"Oh, I don't know, you tell me." Bolin said through gritted teeth.
Mako put on a face of confusion. What the... "What are you talking about Bolin? And why are you being so on edge for? It was only a question." He said with a scowl.
Bolin narrowed his eyes. "And it was only an answer."
Mako was speechless. "Did something happen today? ...What? Did ya get dumped or something?" He asked with a teasing laugh.
"With all jokes aside, Mako, just who exactly were you with just now?" Bolin said, shooting a look at Mako.
Mako cleared his throat. "Who else? Asami." He answered. "Is that what you're upset about?"
"What is she to you?" Bolin stared at Mako.
"You've gotta be kidding me." He grunted, pinching the bridge of his nose. "She's my girlfriend, what else would she be?"
"Then, what is Korra to you...?" Bolin looked away from Mako, and continued to feed Pabu.
Again... with this question... Mako thought to himself. He narrowed his eyes at his little brother. "Why would you need to know that? She's the same to me as she is to you." He said.
"The same way as to what I think of her beauty? The same way I adore her blue eyes that are so full of life? The same way I think how fun it is to be around her? The same way how I think about her almost every single day? Can you honestly say that that is what you think of her as well?" Bolin sighed. "The mere thought that you are the only one on her mind, in her dreams, in her every thought... I envy you. Yet, you treat her as if she's a nuisance."
Fun to be around? She brews up trouble for the both of us! The girl is crazy! And her eyes? Has he gone mad? Mako thought. And you're envious of me? What is there to be envious of? Bolin... what are yo- Mako paused. Oh no... No... Bolin don't tell me... "Bolin...are you trying to say that... Do you..." He started to say. "Do you actually like Korra?"
"...Are those the same feelings that you feel toward her?" Bolin looked up at Mako intensely.
Mako furrowed his eyebrows. Once again... this feeling... could it be...? He thought. No... Mako shook his head furiously, shaking the thought away. There's just no way. I... like Asami...don't I?
Bolin looked intently at Mako, then turned away. "If that's not it, then what is it? If you don't have an answer, I believe that you've already found it...You like her Mako, I know you do." He said. Before Mako could answer, he cut him off. "On the surface, you may think that you like Asami. But you are blinded, brother. Deep down, you and I both know that you like her." He said. "Otherwise, why would we both be in this kind of situation?" He asked.
Mako was speechless. He looked at his brother with wide eyes. Before he knew it, he had stormed out of the attic and was running down the stairs so fast that he didn't know where his feet were carrying him.
