Author's Note: Boy do I have a doozy for you! Enjoy, it took me forever to put this together.


Arael walked out of her room, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes and raising her arms in a stretch. She paused when she noticed Mako still asleep on her couch, remembering the events of the night before. Moving quietly, she went to the small kitchenette and filled a kettle with water, setting it on the stove to boil. She attempted to be as quiet as she could as she moved around the small space, making breakfast. She was determined to put some sense of normalcy into this day, especially after she had this new emotional confusion weighing on her shoulders. Mako had told her he loved her. He had been drunk but she wasn't naïve. She knew that alcohol could unveil someone's deepest secrets. But she couldn't let anything come between their friendship. They had struggled through so much together, why ruin it because something stupid had happened. They could make it through this.

The sound of a heavy sigh alerted her to Mako waking up. She turned to find him slumped in a chair at the table, his head buried in his hands. Wordlessly, she poured him a cup of steaming hot tea, setting it down in front of him. She returned with two plates of scrambled rooster pig eggs and sat down, her blue eyes flitting to his emotionless form every now and then. He finally moved, reaching for the tea and taking a sip. He focused his golden eyes on her as he set it down and she looked down at her plate, finding it hard to meet his gaze no matter how hard she tried.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"No," she replied firmly, not looking up from her plate as she ate. When there was nothing left to distract herself with, she briefly glanced up to find him slowly eating. She got up and set her plate in the sink, moving to the other room when she decided that it was probably best to leave him alone. He was most likely suffering an awful hangover and she figured he was embarrassed and ashamed after last night.

She sat on the edge of her bed, realizing that it was going to be harder to pretend nothing happened than she thought. A few minutes later, she heard Mako in the bathroom and a sigh escaped her. Getting to her feet, she tapped lightly on the door.

"Go away," he said harshly.

She took a deep breath and stepped in, finding him crouched in front of the toilet. Ignoring his protest, she sat beside him and gently rubbed his back, looking away until he was done. He leaned back against the wall beside her, closing his eyes.

"Do you want to go lay down on the couch again?" she asked softly.

"No. Can I just be alone? Please."

She got to her feet and left, busying herself with cleaning up small things around the house. When he didn't come out after an hour, she returned to the doorway to find him curled up on the floor. Hesitantly, she stepped into the bathroom and sat next to him.

"I just want to be alone," he said faintly.

She sighed and scooted over, lifting his head gently into her lap. "Mako, we're still friends. I know things are weird and confusing right now, but I'm not going to let you sit in here by yourself all day."

He closed his eyes as she gently ran her fingers through his hair, trying to sooth him. "I shouldn't have come last night."

"No, but it's done. We're just…we're just friends and that's how it should be. Now I think you should go and find Asami. She's good for you."

It almost hurt her to say those words. A small part of her didn't like Mako and Asami together, but she wouldn't let herself dwell on those feelings. They were new and frankly, they scared her.


A knock on the door distracted Arael from the newspaper article she had been reading, reporting on how Korra had joined Tarrlok's task force against the Equalists. She got to her feet and walked to the door, finding Mako and a fidgeting Bolin standing on her doorstep when she pulled it open. A feeling of resentment flashed through her when she saw Bolin and a look of disapproval flashed through her eyes before she glanced at Mako.

"Can we come in?" he asked, seeming a little uncomfortable as well.

"Sure," she said slowly, stepping out of the way so they could come in. As Bolin walked by her, he met her gaze and immediately looked down. She pushed the door closed and turned to them, wondering what this was about.

"We need you back on the team," Bolin blurted out, looking away after it was out of his mouth.

"What?" she asked in shock, crossing her arms in slight annoyance. "I thought you weren't willing to boot Korra off."

"Korra doesn't have time for the team anymore," Mako said with a hint of resentment. "She's out with Tarrlok's task force all the time now."

Arael's eyes flicked to the newspaper folded on the couch. "I don't know…I'm not completely back to normal yet. I don't know if I could handle it out there."

"Arael, we need you. We're not going to be able to win the next match if Korra doesn't show up to practice," Mako admitted.

She sighed and looked away. "Okay."

"Yes! Thank you," Bolin cheered and then glanced apologetically at her when she shifted her gaze to him.

"Our practice slot starts in ten minutes," Mako said, either oblivious to the tension between Bolin and Arael or ignoring it. "We'd better get going."


Arael relished the familiar pull of the water as she moved it through the air. She hadn't used her waterbending since the encounter with Amon and the familiarity of the gym was starting to make it feel like the old times, before Korra arrived. A small smile settled on her lips as the boys fell into their bending stances and she let herself forget all of the things that had happened in the past couple of weeks. She was in her element.

With a fluid movement of her arm, she sent a whip of water at Mako, the smile turning smug as she began to work her stiff muscles. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Bolin send a disk at her. Sliding her foot along the floor, she brought a fist up, directing a stream of water to break the disk before it hit her. Keeping the momentum, she sent the water flying toward Bolin. Seeing him in this element suddenly brought back the anger from before and she froze the water, breaking it apart into small daggers. Bolin's green eyes widened and he brought his arms up to defend himself from her attack. A blast of fire fizzled out the ice daggers and Mako was standing in front of her.

"Arael, what are you doing?" he asked in disbelief.

"He lied to me!" she hissed.

"I didn't mean to!" Bolin squeaked in his defense, peeking out from behind his arms.

"What is going on here?" Mako asked, confusion in his golden eyes.

"Arael asked me to go to the gala for Korra with her but we had to be here and that was before Asami asked you so I really thought we did but then you told me Asami asked us to go and I didn't want to be rude and I was afraid to tell Arael so I just went and then she was there and I'm really, really, really, really sorry," Bolin blurted out, his mouth running a mile a minute.

"What?" Arael said, her arms falling to her sides. Mako relaxed as well, glancing between his brother and Arael. "Why didn't you just tell me, Bo?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm just afraid I'm gonna get you hurt again," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Again?" she asked in confusion.

"You almost lost your bending because of me. If I hadn't gone with Shady Shin…"

Arael let out a breath and ran a hand through her hair. "That's what this was all about," she said, her words coming out with a laugh. "Bolin, you're a piece of work."

"Is that a good thing?" he asked with a sheepish grin.

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, relieved that she hadn't been forgotten by one of her best friends after all.

"Now that you guys have had your moment, we have a match at the end of next week to prepare for," Mako cut in, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Let's get to work, then," Bolin said cheerfully.


Arael blocked the blast of fire, counterattacking by sending a stream of water slicing through the air at Mako. Twisting gracefully on her heels, she sent a second stream at Bolin, knocking him backwards. With the earthbender down, it was just her and Mako. He watched her, his golden eyes calculating as he studied her for a way in. But she knew him too well. He would wait for her move. She stepped forward, using her arm to send a ball of water at him. He dodged it, punching two quick blasts toward her. She danced around them before attacking him again, this time sending a whip of water. When he dodged it, she froze the water on the ground beside him and he fell with a loud yelp.

"Hey, no icing!" he said, getting to his feet.

"Foul on Fire Ferret waterbender. Disqualification!" Bolin spoke into an imaginary microphone, mimicking Shiro Shinobi.

Arael grinned and shrugged. "I was never going to knock you over without it."

"So you're admitting that you could never beat me if we were on different teams?" Mako said, crooking an eyebrow with a smug smile.

"I don't know about that," Arael replied. "I just thought you needed a break."

"Uh-huh," he said skeptically.

She playfully pushed his shoulder, looking at Bolin. "Guys, I think we're ready for tonight."

They had been training hard for a week and Arael had quickly fallen back into the rhythm of it. This was how it as supposed to be. Just Arael and her boys training for their matches. It was almost like Korra had never showed up in their lives.

"Hey guys. I am officially no longer on Tarrlok's task force," Korra said, walking into the gym and dropping her bag on the hard floor. "Ready to tra-oh, Arael. Hey! Have you been keeping them in practice while I was gone?"

Mako and Bolin fell silent and Arael glanced between them, suddenly feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"Uh, Korra…our match is tonight," Mako said slowly.

"I know. So we better get started. I might be a little rusty but I'm sure after a few hits I'll be back in my game," Korra said, cracking her knuckles. Arael frowned and crossed her arms, looking from one brother to the next. She was curious as to where their loyalties lay now, whether it was with their oldest friend or the Avatar. Korra noticed their hesitation and put her hands on her hips. "Guys, come on. Hit me!"

"Look, I'll just make it easier on you guys. I have house hunting to do anyway," Arael said bitterly, tossing her helmet to the ground and walking to the door.

"What's her problem?" Korra asked, just before Arael reached the door. The waterbender paused, struggling with herself on whether she should turn and take out her frustration on the Avatar or to just leave. No, she was the bigger person. She wouldn't let Korra get the best of her. She shook her head and pushed her way out the door, feeling tears stinging at her eyes. Even when she thought everything was back to normal, Korra had to come and ruin it all again.


Arael stepped through the door to the locker room, feeling the sudden nostalgia of entering such a familiar place. She walked to the balcony overlooking the arena, fully aware that the match had already started. She leaned against the railing, watching as Mako, Bolin, and Korra fought against the Rabaroos, her jealousy rearing when she saw how well they worked together. That used to be her out there, but now she had been replaced. What kind of game were they playing?

She watched as they easily knocked the opposing team off the back, winning the match. Was this how her life was going to be now? Pushed away from all she knew by the Avatar? This wasn't how she would live. Korra couldn't just butt into her life and replace her.

"Arael? What are you doing here?" Bolin asked, walking up to her. His cheeks were flushed from the exertion of the match and his green eyes held the sparkle of victory. Arael's anger softened slightly upon seeing him like this. Bo was like a younger brother to her and seeing him so excited was enough to soften any hard edge she had.

"Am I not allowed to watch matches anymore?" she retorted.

"Oh…no-I mean yes, but I just thought after earlier today…ya know?" he stumbled.

"I get it, Bo."

"So…I'm looking for a second opinion on something," he began, hesitating slightly before lowering his voice. "What do you about Korra? And me. Together. In a couple thing."

Arael was surprised by the question and her gaze flicked to Korra and Mako talking by Mako's locker. A small spark of anger flickered in her gut. "I don't know, Bolin. I don't want to get into this. I need to talk to Mako."

She left Bolin and approached the firebender, pausing just far enough away to let them finish their conversation.

"…I really like you and I think we were meant for each other," Korra said quickly. Arael's fists clenched and that feeling of jealousy she hadn't felt in awhile reared up again. Was this some kind of sick joke? Was Korra trying to enrapture both the boys?

"Korra I'm really sorry, but I just don't feel the same way about you," Mako replied, giving Arael a little relief. Korra muttered something and walked away, leaving Arael to cut in and lean against the locker next to Mako.

"Nice going, Romeo."

"Arael? You heard that?" he asked, almost in shame.

"What are you playing at Mako?" she asked, her anger finally breaking through.

"I told her I didn't like her!" he growled defensively, suddenly looking a little flustered.

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the team."

"It's not my fault you quit."

"I didn't quit!" she said loudly. She clenched her jaw and then lowered her voice, looking away. "You just let Korra push me away."

"That wasn't my fault. You walked out, Arael. You're the one letting Korra push you away."

"You didn't say anything when she waltzed in like she hadn't been gone!"

"I didn't know what to say! You can't expect me to fight your battles."

"Congratulations guys! You were so amazing out there," Asami said, waltzing in through the door and ending Arael and Mako's conversation. Arael gave Mako one last hard look before storming out.

Maybe she wanted him to fight her battles. She wanted him to stick up for her. It was like he didn't even care about their past together. But she did. And seeing Korra and him or Asami and him together gave her that same feeling of jealousy. Maybe part of the reason she was so angry about Korra coming into their lives…was because she had feelings for Mako too.

She paused on the steps outside of the arena, looking back at it with sad blue eyes. Mako was with Asami. There wasn't any way something could happen between them. Besides, she had already turned him down. Her fingers went to her lips in reminder of the kiss they had shared. A sigh escaped her and she continued down the steps.


Mako walked toward where he knew Korra would be, growing frustrated with himself. They could have thrown that match away if Bolin hadn't been doing so well. The sudden awkwardness that had grown between he and Korra was going to ruin their chance at the jackpot. He needed to fix this now. He saw her standing there under a gazebo and he took a deep breath. It wasn't always easy facing people in an awkward situation like this.

"We need to talk," he started. "I don't have feelings for you, Korra."

"Save your breath. You've already made it clear how you feel about me."

"I didn't want it to come out like that, though. You're an amazing girl, Korra."

"That doesn't seem to have any effect on you though," she pouted.

"I'm with Asami! We're just not right for each other. I know how you feel right now but-"

He was cut off by her lips on his, an unpleasant surprise. He broke the kiss quickly, taking a few steps back. "Korra! I just told you I don't like you in that way!"

"Oh no," she said softly.

He turned to see his brother standing there with a bouquet, a look of shock on his face. They all stood there in silence for a few heartbeats before Bolin let out a wail and ran away.

"Great, look at what you did!" Mako shouted, sending a venomous look at Korra.

"I didn't…you're blaming me?"

"You kissed me!"

"You came to talk to me!" she retorted. He let out a frustrated growl before starting after his brother. He paused when he saw a movement out of the corner of his eyes, turning to see Arael standing there with her arms wrapped around herself and a hurt expression on her face. His heart dropped to his stomach and he began to reach out to her, but hesitated, glancing in the direction his brother ran. Should he comfort her or go after Bolin? He returned his gaze to her, conflicted. Family comes first. Bolin always came first. He started after his brother again, glancing back at Arael over his shoulder with an apologetic look one last time.

He was officially the biggest jerk ever in her eyes. He hadn't stuck up for her when Korra pushed her away and she just caught him kissing another girl, accidentally or not, when he was in a relationship. Any hope he had of her even remotely returning his feelings was squashed. She probably wouldn't want to be friends with him anymore either. Good job, Mako. You're doing a great job showing her how much you care about her.


Arael watched Mako chase after Bolin, her heart crumbling into little pieces. She hugged herself tighter and closed her eyes, ignoring the cold breeze that blew against here. She came out here looking for Mako. After a week of struggling with her newly realized feelings, she had pushed back and forth on whether she should tell him and tonight she had finally decided she would. And this was what she got. Maybe the universe was trying to tell her something.

She turned and started down the road, feeling tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. If her life hadn't already been falling apart, this was the final blow. Korra had officially ruined everything. She couldn't believe this!

"Love is such a cruel and terrible thing, isn't it," a familiar voice purred and Arael's eyes widened. She looked up to find the mask that had haunted her nightmares staring back at her.

"Amon!" she gasped, taking a step back. She looked around, realizing she was surrounded by chi-blockers. She must have wandered into their usual haunts without realizing it. She hadn't exactly been paying attention to where she was going. And now she was surrounded by Equalists. She fell into a waterbending stance, looking around wildly for water.

Amon's deep laugh rumbled through the alley, sending shivers up her spine. "There's no need for that, Arael. I've come here to negotiate with you."

"Wh-what do you mean?" she asked, failing at trying not to sound as afraid as she was.

"You and I have a similar enemy. I'm merely offering you a way to keep your bending. You join me in my quest to equalize the Avatar and I will permit you to remain a waterbender," he proposed, taking a menacing step closer to her. "Or I could take it away now."

She was unable to step back any further and she looked up at him with fear filled eyes. Did she hate Korra enough to help Amon? She thought about the past few weeks, how the Avatar had slowly shattered her life and stole her friends.

"How do you know about…about what happened?" she asked, wondering how he had known about her heartbreak.

"I have spies everywhere. I've been keeping a close eye on everyone close to Avatar Korra."

She glanced around, taking in the glowing green eyes of the chi-blockers surrounding them. How many of them were people they saw on the streets every day? How many people were rallying behind this man?

"I'll…I'll accept your offer."

She was really doing this. She was joining forces with Amon to take down Korra. And after saying the words, it felt like a weight was being drawn off her shoulders. Who knew that turning bad could feel so good?


A/N: I did just do that. I bet you're jaw dropped when you read that. :3

Anywho, I have a little bit of a request. Are there any artists out there? I kind of want a cover for this now that FF is allowing images. If anybody with great artistic skill is reading this, perhaps you could draw me a cover of the original Avatar group plus what you imagine Arael to look like. Any questions/offers/insults can be PMed to me!

That's all I have to say. R&R!