•seven•
Republic city, Island kid's apartment.

Sikenna stared at the ceiling of their apartment as the train zoomed by outside, shaking the walls for a few seconds. This didn't stop Bolin from talking about Korra, though.
The two laid side by side on the floor of the living room, Sikenna's legs up on the couch, her back on the floor. Bolin's head was next to hers, his feet facing the opposite direction, talking dreamily about the Avatar. This had been a constant thing for the last week, since Korra started coming back to fire ferret practices. For the past two weeks, Bolin had been hanging out almost every day with Sikenna and the other Ember Island teens after bending practice. Bolin finally caved and told Sikenna he liked her, and wouldn't stop talking about her.
"You were totally right though, Kin. She bends like she hasn't even missed a practice, I definitely should have known better." Bolin laughed after talking about how magical it was to watch Korra bending. Sikenna rolled her eyes, but smirked and laughed at his innocent affection for the girl.
"Just ask her out, Bo. Save us all the headache." Bolin gasped dramatically at her insult.
"You LOVE hearing me be all romantic." He defended himself.
"I love hearing you talk about someone so fondly, Bolin. But you talk so highly about her you basically vibrate whenever she gets brought up. Just tell her!" Sikenna laughed as she turned towards him.
"We would make a good couple. She's so strong." He said, bringing his eyes from Sikenna's to the ceiling, thinking about it for a moment.
"You're strong" Sikenna said back.
"She's really fun." Bolin added.
"You're fun too. And she's Beautiful." Sikenna mumbled.
"And I'm gorgeous- wait what?" Bolin stared at Sikenna, mildly shocked.
"What? She is beautiful." Sikenna laughed as she looked back at the ceiling.
"She kind of reminds me of my ex girlfriend Lai." She answered nonchalantly.
"Oh, gross, can we not talk about her?" Kona said as he walked through the door with Nero and Raiko behind him.
"Wait you're… but…" Bolin asked, pointing to Nero. Nero walked past Bolin and dropped a bag of fire gummies onto Sikenna's stomach with a laugh.
"She doesn't discriminate." Nero winked at Bolin.
"I'm bisexual, Bo." Sikenna laughed at his confusion as she sat up, opening the bag of fire gummies with more enthusiasm than anyone should.
"Oh. Wow. Okay so you agree, Korra is totally hot, right?" Bolin asked her excitedly. Sikenna furrowed her brows together and nodded, tossing a fire flake into Bolin's mouth.
"Oh yeah! Definitely. That's why you should ask her out." She answered, tossing a gummy in the air to catch it, only to have Kona snatch it from the air for himself.
"OOOOH, Bolin wants to ask out the Avatar, eh?" Kona teased him, ignoring Sikenna's complaints.
"Finally." Nero laughed out, plopping on the couch next to Raiko.
"Hey! I don't talk about her that much." Bolin defended himself, again. Raiko laughed and stuck his hand out for a gummy from Sikenna. (Who promptly glared at him and let out an aggravated huff about having to share her snack more than she liked.)
"You talk about her more than you talk about anything. Including Pabu."
"Okay... so… how do I ask her out?" Bolin asked, bringing a hand to his neck. Sikenna practically choked on a gummy.
"What do you mean? Have you never asked anyone out?" She didn't believe that for a second. Bolin was confident, he knew he was a catch, he never had a problem flirting with anyone.
"Well, yeah. But not one I liked this much. Not one that's, oh, I don't know, an entire AVATAR." Bolin shot his hands out in front of him dramatically, making Sikenna jerk her head back so she didn't get hit. She pinged a fire gummy off his forehead as a warning to watch it.
"Nah uh, you don't need to make her head any bigger. Avatar Korra is already pretty cocky about who she is." Raiko shook his head at the young Earth bender.
"At the end of the day she's just a person, she bleeds just as easily as you. Just like any other bender."
Bolin took in Raiko's words and thought about it for a minute.
"You're right! I'll ask her out the next time I get a chance. Thanks, you guys."
"That's our boy." Sikenna winked at him, offering him another fire gummy. Bolin grinned widely and took a few gummies happily before turning back to Raiko.
"Hey do you know you have the same name as the pres-"
"The president. Yeah. Thanks." Raiko rolled his eyes playfully as Kona shoved his shoulder and laughed.

•¥•
Republic City, Mako & Bolin's apartment.

"So are you going to tell me where you've been going lately?" Mako asked Bolin as he entered the loft apartment. Bolin stopped halfway through the door in shock, staring at his brother.
"W-what?" Bolin laughed out. Mako was less than amused with his brother trying to avoid the question. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the kitchen sink.
"Where have you been going?" Mako asked again, slower this time. He kept his orange eyes locked to his brothers green ones, dating him to avoid the question any longer. With a sigh of defeat, Bolin walked into the apartment.
"Alright, Mako. You caught me. I made a friend outside of you and Korra. Now I KNOW, I know. You think this will take time away from you. But don't worry, bro! You're still my number one bestie."
Mako rolled his eyes at his brother.
"I'm serious, Bolin. It's too dangerous for you to be running around all over the city alone right now."
"Mako, stop. I can take care of myself! I promise, me and my friends are super duper safe, and nothing is going to happen to me!" Bolin tried to comfort his brother, but he could tell by Mako's facial expression it wasn't doing anything.
"See, you say that, and I almost believe you… but then I remember you were kidnapped by equalists a couple weeks ago."
Bolin groaned and threw his head back, walking over to the bathroom and grabbing a bucket.
"That was different! I was working for the triple threats, you know they're a target right now!" Bolin argued when he came back with the bucket. He walked over to the kitchen sink and started filling it with warm water, squeezing more soap than he needed into the bucket as it filled.
"Can you at least tell me who they are and where you're going, so I have something to go off of if you go missing?"
Bolin sighed, frustrated. He hated not telling Mako that he was hanging out with Kenna, Kona, and the other Ember island kids. He hated not being able to tell him that the girl in his dreams was real, that she was here, and really cool. That she could answer questions, maybe even bring back the memories of a time of their life that was lost. That she had stories about their parents, that she was one of the easiest people to talk to that he had ever met, that she felt like some sort of home. It had only been a few weeks, but Bolin had spent a pretty big portion of those weeks with them, and they had gotten incredibly close in that time. Kona and Nero were a lot of fun to go out with, Raiko gave great advice, and Sikenna was one of the most chaotic and caring energies he had ever been around. But Kenna was, for one reason or another, uncomfortable with Mako knowing right now, and he would respect his friends wishes to the best of his ability. Bolin turned off the water and turned to his brother.
"Okay. Her name is Kin. I hang out with her, her brother, and their two roommates. They live over by central city station, a few blocks south."
Mako narrowed his eyes at Bolin.
"Central city station is where shady shin picked you up, Bolin. You're not doing anything stupid, right?!"
"No! Mako! I'm just hanging out with friends. Yeesh. Now can I give Pabu a bath for the match tomorrow? Or…"
"That's it? Some, random girl named Kin and her roommates? A couple blocks near central city station? Come on, Bo, you have give me more than that." Mako pleaded to his brother.
"Fine! Okay! The apartment above the little bakery that sells those moon peach and cinnamon muffins? That's where they live. Are you happy, now? Can you stop asking me questions?" Bolin said, exhausted with the conversation. Mako sighed and nodded, starting on the dishes after Bolin got the bucket out of the sink.
A comfortable silence fell between them as Mako did the dishes. Well, at least as comfortable as a silence can be with Bolin and Pabu around. The fire ferret squirmed and squeaked loudly as Bolin fought with him to get into the bath.
"Work with me here, Pabu! You wanna look spic and span in your new uniform, don't you?" Bolin said to the ferret. Pabu put his paws on the edge of the bucket, but Bolin won in the end, and dunked the fire ferret into the water.
"So, what do you think of Korra, in a "girlfriend" sort of way?" Bolin said to Mako, starting to scrub his beloved pet clean.
"She's great! But I think it makes more sense for me to go for Asami." Mako answered him, his hands still in the sink. Bolin raised an eyebrow and looked at his brother, slightly annoyed.
"I was talking about a girlfriend for me! Leave some ladies for the rest of us!"

•¥•
Republic City, Night.

Sikenna walked along the snowy streets of Republic City with her hood up, anger radiating through her. Her fingers sparked lightly, an indicator of how angry she actually was. She hated feeling this angry. Sikenna loved everything about her element. She loved that it was wild, and free, and didn't do as it was told. That it demanded respect, and a deep understanding of how it worked to form a relationship with it in order to bend and attempt to manipulate it. She loved the feeling it gave her, the warming sensation traveling through her body when she took a stance, the way her skin and veins tickled when the sun hit her every day, she even loved the spark, the charge and adrenaline rush electricity gave her. But she hated feeling angry enough where she couldn't control it, like it felt like it was going to burst out of her, and she hated that the anger put a different, stronger power behind her bending. She felt like she was 7 years old again, down at the dock waiting for her friends that never arrived after losing her own mother. It made her feel weak, and small, and fragile. Sikenna was anything but those things, but when she got angry like this, that's exactly what she was. And she hated it.
"Kenna, stop!" Came a voice from behind her. She ignored it and kept walking, flexing her hands in and out of a tight fist to calm the sparks of electricity.
"Sikenna!" Said the voice again, this time closer. Sikenna recognized it as Kona this time, and sped up her walking pace to get away from him. If anyone could calm her down right now, it would be Kona, but she just didn't want to deal with any of the boys in that stupid apartment at the moment.
"Kin! Stop!" Kona's hand slammed down on Sikenna's shoulder, causing her to jump and push him away.
"No, you stop! I just want to be alone!" She hissed at him and walked away.
"You can't be right now, Kenna. It's too dangerous." Kona said as he walked behind her.
"I would rather be out here alone than with any of you right now." She didn't know if she heard him, but honestly, she didn't care.
"Why? Because we agreed it seems like you might have a crush on Bolin?" He said with slight humor in his voice. Guess he did hear her.
"Yes! Because of that!" She spat at him over her shoulder and kept walking. Kona laughed and grabbed at her arm.
"Come on, Kenna, we were just teasing you!" Sikenna shook him off her arm again and turned to him.
"No, you were feeding into Nero's bullshit jealousy! You took his side over mine!" Kona blinked at Sikenna vapidly as she said it.
"Wait. You guys were really fighting?" He asked, totally oblivious. Sikenna rolled her eyes at her brother.
"Yes. It was a real fight. Hence the screaming. This is why you're single.." She turned on her heel and walked away from him again.
"I- Hey! Kenna!" Kona caught up and ran in front of her, walking backwards at her pace as he talked.
"Look, I didn't realize it was a real fight! I thought he was picking on you and you were getting mad at him. And it's funny when you're mad-hey!" He dodged a small fire ball she shot as his feet.
"-It's funny when you're mad, so I went along with it. I thought it was all in good fun." Kona finished.
"It wasn't. He actually thinks I have a crush on Bolin and is acting like a jealous, spoiled brat about it." Sikenna seethed.
"You just fed into it, validated his feelings and how he was treating me, and now, I feel like I have to pick between my boyfriend, and my best friend!"
"Hey! I thought I was your best friend?!" Kona shouted back defensively.
"Try acting like it." She spat back at him, not ready for his humor to push her into forgiveness.
"Kin, stop." Kona said softly, putting a hand on each arm gently to stop her from walking.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I should have realized that you guys had been having issues for a while about this topic and it wasn't a joke. I didn't mean to make you feel ganged up on or alone." Sikenna sighed as she looked at her twin. His matching blue eyes bore into hers, showing her how sincerely he meant his apology. Her eyes went into a roll before she could help herself.
"Fine." She said, realizing her finger tips weren't sparking anymore.
"For the first time in my relationship, I miss the days when you didn't like Nero." Sikenna laughed, starting to walk again. Kona walked beside her, content that she wasn't mad at him anymore.
"I never disliked Nero. I disliked him for you." He corrected her and shoved her shoulder with his. Sikenna scrunched up her nose at him.
"Okay, General Iroh. You got anymore wisdom to share?"
Kona chuckled at her joke and shrugged.
"You don't work together, Kin. Not really. Nero is a good guy but you're too big for him. Not like that- stop-" he put a hand up at her dropped jaw.
"I mean big, like, personality wise. You have big energy, a big spirit, a lot of love to give to many different people in your life time, in many different ways. You're going to see great things, do great things, meet amazing people from all over. Nero is more simple than that. Come home from work and have you and the kids ready and waiting for him to eat dinner, kind of guy. He's a 'stay home and cuddle every night' kinda- yeah, see? exactly my point." He said with a laugh, pointing at the disgusted face she made as he spoke.
"There's no shame in it, Kenna. You guys got together when we were, what? 15? You're not the same people anymore. And that's good, you're not supposed to be. But sometimes, we grow up and the relationship we had with certain people, we grow out of too." He shrugged and looked forward. Sikenna let what he said sink in, thinking it over. It was nice to have Kona actually being a brother instead of a pain in the ass, and when he pulled through with that brotherly love, he really pulled through. With a big sigh, she rested her head against his shoulder as they walked.
"Thanks, Kona." She said quietly.
"Don't thank me yet- I see your boyfriend. HEY, BOLIN!" Kona shouted down the street. Sikenna shoved him as hard as she could, yelling at him to shut up, and that he wasn't funny. By the time Bolin had walked over to them, a big, goofy smile plastered on his face, Sikenna and Kona both were dodging tiny fire balls they playfully sent at each other's feet.
"Hey guys!" He shouted happily.
"Hey Bo!" Kona laughed back, sending one last ball at Sikenna's feet.
"What are you doing all the way out here?" Sikenna asked after landing from jumping over Kona's fireball.
"I could ask you the same thing. And I am, so… whatcha doooooing?" Bolin asked them with a brow raised, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"Sikenna got mad earlier and I had to chase her down the street so she didn't blow something up." Kona answered non nonchalantly. Sikenna glared at him with arms crossed, but he wasn't exactly wrong, so she kept quiet. She took a second to look around her. Coincidentally, they were near Republic City port, just a few blocks from the Pro-bending arena… and Bolin and Mako's apartment. Sikenna cringed internally when she realized she had subconsciously started walking towards Bolin's house, after getting into a huge argument with her boyfriend over Bolin himself.
"Oh. You okay, Kin?" Bolin asked as he turned to Sikenna. Try as he could to look concerned, though, he couldn't wipe that goofy smile from his face. Over his shoulder Sikenna could see the glowing outline of Air temple island. Her eyes shifted back and forth between the Island and Bolin's goofy smile a couple of times before she gasped, pointing at the island excitedly.
"BOLIN are you coming from KORRA'S?!" she shouted enthusiastically. Bolin crossed his arms over his puffed out chest, his handsome face plastered with a proud smirk.
"...Maybe."
"You asked her out?!" Sikenna asked him excitedly, her smile reaching her ears. It only took Bolin a few seconds to cave, dropping the proud act and turned to the twins fully, back to his goody self.
"Yeah! After the match tonight! We had a great time, I think! We ate noodles, you know, at Narooks, of course. And she told off Tahno, that wolf bat jerk." Kona and Sikenna both grimaced, Kona added a gagging noise for extra effect.
"Then we had a burping contest by accident, and she kicked my ass, and she's so pretty." Bolin's eyes were big in adoration as he thought back about their date. Sikenna watched with a smile as he told them about the rest of the date, his hands flourishing their typical grand gestures when he's telling a story. He was adorable, and a good guy. Korra was lucky to have someone like Bolin to care about her the way that he does, and Sikenna really hoped she knew it.
"Hey! Are you guys coming to the tournament match?! I can get you tickets, if that's the problem. Just you two, though, I don't want to push my luck." Bolin asked the twins when he finished his story.
"I- wait- so are you guys going to go out again?" Sikenna asked him, shaking her head from the whiplash of his quick subject change. Bolin shrugged and put his hands in his pockets.
"Don't know yet. I'm sure we will, she was laughing the whole time. We'll see after the match! I'm going to ask her then, I have a plan and everything." Bolin winked at Sikenna and she laughed.
"But, uh- yes, also." Kona interjected, a finger in the air to call attention to himself.
"I, at least, would love tickets to the match."
"Yeah! Of course I'll go, I love watching the fire ferrets." Sikenna nodded in agreement. Bolin nodded at them, his smile growing impossibly bigger.
"Okay, I'm gonna run," he threw a thumb over his shoulder towards the arena.
"I'll swing by your route sometime tomorrow morning and give you the tickets. I can't believe I just had a date with Korra." He squealed quietly. In one quick motion Bolin launched forward and pulled the twins into a bear hug, squeezing them before they could take in a breath.
"Thank you, guys. For pushing me to do this. Okay bye love you!" He said as he dropped them, messing Sikenna's hair before taking off in a jog back to the bending arena.

•¥•
Agni Kai territory, the next morning.

A soft, light blanket of snow covered the ground of Republic City as snow flakes quietly drifted down from the sky. Children were laughing, throwing snowballs at each other with what little snow they could scoop up into their tiny hands. The shop keepers seemed cheerier, the atmosphere on the street completely changed from the anxiety riddled energy it was usually coursing with since the equalists became a threat. Everyone seemed happier, in a better mood…
Except one petite fire bender with bright, blue eyes.
Sikenna stood outside the shop of the creepy keeper she refused to talk to, a hot spiced tea in her hands pulled up to her chin, a scowl permanently cemented on her face since she woke up. She mumbled grumpily into her warm tea as she waited for Kona to come out, desperate to get to the next shop so she could warm up for a minute.
"Stupid snow." She grumbled as she kicked at it.
"So cold. Can't even feel the sun. Stupid. So stupid." She closed her eyes and took a sip of her tea to stop her teeth from chattering.
"Oh KINNNNNNNNNNYYYYYYYY!" Came Bolin's sing songs voice from behind her. She grimaced at the pitch and slowly turned around, keeping her tea as close to her as possible, clinging to the warmth. She narrowed his eyes at his cheerful demeanor. How can anyone be this happy when it's so cold?! Bolin looked at her, confused at her harsh expression to his positively delightful greeting, until a snowflake landed on Sikenna's nose. She screeched at the sudden chill on her face, wiping it off dramatically. Bolin laughed at her, holding his stomach as he did so.
"It's not funny, Bolin! How are you happy right now?! It's freezing!" Sikenna stomped her foot in protest. Her mind went to the conversation she had with Mako when they were younger, about how it snows here, and how she never wanted to be cold. The scowl on her face deepened and she shook her head, trying to shake the memory. Bolin wiped a tear from his eye as he finished laughing at her.
"It's barely freezing. Other places get even colder. Don't be a weird island kid, it's fun! and PRETTY!" He said, bending down to scoop some snow into his hand. Sikenna glared at his hands as he formed a snowball.
"I will set your entire outfit on fire right here, right now, if you throw that at me, Bolin."
"Good thing it's not for you. Look alive Kona!" Bolin hurtled the snowball through the air. Sikenna shrieked and ducked as it flew over her head towards her brother. Kona smiled and lit a large flame in his hand, melting the snowball before it could hit him.
"Hey Bo!" He laughed, walking up to the pair. Kona handed Sikenna a small basket of fire flakes, which she happily took.
"Hey! Brought the tickets." Bolin flashed a brilliant smile and waved the tickets around a bit. Kona snagged them from the air and looked around.
"Yeah, Bolin of the fire ferrets waves around tickets to the pro bending tournament on a crowded street. That's not asking to be jumped or anything." Kona shoved Bolin's shoulder playfully. Bolin shrugged, looking around the street.
"I'm not worried. People are too happy with the snow- uh…" he stopped when he noticed Sikenna's eyes narrow at him at the mention of snow.
"Everyone except Kenna." He corrected himself with a laugh.
"Lotus, too! She refused to come out with me today. I even said we were going to see you and everything. Spoiled little brat hid in my blankets on my bed and wouldn't come out." Sikenna pouted and looked down at her tea.
"I wish I was a fire ferret right now…" she mumbled.
The three turned and started walking to the next shop, dodging people with smiling faces enjoying the beauty of the snow. Sikenna scowled at them all.
"Can we hurry? This is awful." Sikenna groaned and shoved some fire flakes in her mouth, hoping the spicy snack would at least keep her mouth warm with the tea that was almost gone now. Bolin laughed at her and draped an arm over her shoulder as they walked.
"You'll get used to it, I promise. Hey can I talk to you for a minute? Just you?" He whispered to her. Sikenna nodded and looked at Kona.
"Can you go get me another Tea, Kona? Please?" She pouted at her brother, making her eyes as big as she could when she pleaded. Kona rolled his eyes at her but turned to the closest tea shop anyway, leaving the two alone. Bolin didn't waste any time.
"Can we talk about telling Mako?" He asked her. Sikenna felt her heart drop as she looked at him.
"What? Why? I don't want to overwhelm him before the tournament ends, Bo. That's not good for the fire ferrets." She argued.
"That's the thing, though! Mako has been doing great! We're finally getting somewhere with the fire ferrets, we're a sponsored team now! He's got a great girlfriend, great friends… the only thing distracting him is thinking he's losing his mind with these dreams. I just think it would help him more than hurt him." Sikenna furrowed her brows at him in confusion.
"What dreams?" She asked quietly, her head tilted in curiosity. Bolin looked at her for a moment, shocked that he had said it. Then, he took a deep breath and prepared.
"His memories are coming back in dreams. He's having dreams about you guys. Back on the island. Things he doesn't remember." Sikenna laughed lightly and shrugged.
"You don't know they're about us, Bolin." She smiled at his imagination, but his face stayed serious.
"Yes, I do. You've told me exact stories he's had in his dreams. He knows there were five of you on the island, two girls, a sibling pair of fire benders. Your name is muffled in his dreams but he's had so many, he can almost make out now. I have to call you 'Kin' when I talk about you because he freezes up every time he thinks he hears a name close to yours. Your full name, Sikenna." Bolin said to her hopefully. Sikenna frowned at him, both at the information and the use of her full name.
"Bolin…" she began, but he cut her off.
"Please, Kenna." He asked her desperately. She contemplated for a moment as she took in his facial expression.
"He freezes up when he thinks he may have heard a name similar to mine, Bolin. How is meeting me going to help him?" She argued back quietly.
"Because then he'll know your real! And he's not going crazy! And I think the memories we lost are good ones. I mean, you and Kona, Raiko and Nero, you aren't bad people. I think it would help him, because having good people in your corner always helps." Sikenna bit her lip as she thought for a second. Bolin took a step forward and grabbed her wrists gently, bending a little lower to make eye contact with her.
"Please? You're my best friend, Kenna. I want him to have that in you guys, too."
Sikenna sighed an exasperated sigh at Bolin's puppy dog eyes.
"Fine. Fine. But you have to be there." She said, pointing at him. Bolin quietly celebrated, muttering a string of victorious "yes!"es as she agreed.
"Yeah yeah yeah of course! Tonight after the match? I'll introduce you two and then I can ask out Korra for our second date. You can meet Korra, too! Oh this will be great!" Bolin said with excitement. He picked Sikenna up in a bear hug and swung her around. The fire flake basket shot from her hands and fell onto the ground, she mourned them in silence. Honestly, the idea of meeting Mako tonight, so soon after agreeing to meet him, was terrifying. But Bolin was so happy about it, she didn't want to tell him no, that it was too soon. Kona came out with her new, hot spiced tea as Bolin put her down. She took it happily and focused on the warmth the liquid provided once she wasn't wrapped in Bolin's arms anymore as the boys talked Pro-bending and girls. Years of wondering, searching, protecting the bending brother's memory on the island was finally coming to an end. She would meet Mako, her old best friend, who didn't remember a thing about her and didn't want to, tonight after the bending match.
She was petrified.

•¥•
Republic City bending arena, that night.

That night was the semi final match, and Sikenna and Kona were acting like two kids set loose at the fire festival for the first time. The seats Bolin had gotten them were great, they were easy to find and close to the snack bar- the most important thing. The twins waddled there way back to their seats before the match started, arms stuffed with snacks.
"This is great, I love this for us!" Kona clapped excitedly as he situated himself in his seat, surrounded by a sea of snacks. Sikenna nodded enthusiastically, tears into a piece of candied mango. She got through half of her supply of them before the announcer started to speak, and the crowd erupted. Sikenna and Kona stood to their feet, screaming as loud as they could, joining into chanting "Fire Ferrets!" With the rest of the crowd as they made it to the stage. Sikenna noticed Avatar Korra immediately, who she was and what she looked like wasn't exactly a secret. She felt her heart skip a beat when she looked at Mako, her stomach turned as she feared it would.
"Spirits, he's handsome." She thought to herself, silently gulping.

To say the match was rough would be an understatement. Kona and Sikenna had never yelled so loudly at someone who couldn't hear them in their life. Mako and Korra were an absolute mess; tripping over each other, getting in each other's way, it was honestly a disgrace. The first round was lost so easily, at one point, Sikenna had to grab Kona and stop him from walking out.
The fire and water bender weren't much better in the second round, but they managed to squeeze a win out of it off of Bolin's back. Sikenna cheered her friend on enthusiastically, he was playing phenomenally tonight. He dodged every opposing element and took them out like it was the easiest thing in the world.
Round 3, it was just about a repeat of round 2. Mako and Korra looked defeated before the round started, and they played like they had already lost too. Sikenna was annoyed by how selfish they were being by acting like that. Bolin was bending his ass off for them, the least they could do, is try. Bolin, savior of the match, miraculously pulled a tie in round 3.
"Thank the spirit's Bo's taking this tie breaker. They're a mess tonight. I'm so mad they're ruining this big of a match to me." Sikenna looked at him disgusted and slapped his bag of popcorn out of his hand and onto the floor.
"Shut up, Kona. It's not about you. Don't be gross."
"You owe me popcorn, you ass!" Kona pointed to the ground, annoyed. She rolled her eyes and shoved her bag at him just as Bolin and Chang, the Boar-q-pines' earth bender, rose onto the tie breaker podium. Sikenna cupped her hands over her mouth and cheered for Bolin as loud as she could, Kona quickly followed suit.
It looked almost too easy, to he honest. It felt like they were on the platform for about a minute before Bolin landed an incredible blow, sending Chang off the podium. The stadium erupted in applause at his defeat. Sikenna's heart swelled with pride, thinking of him as just a little toddler and now, an amazing Earth bender. Bolin spotted Sikenna and Kona from their seat and waved enthusiastically at them, and the small fire bender felt her heart lurch. She felt her chest tighten and her neck get warm, her nerves finally settling in. The match was over, and now it was time to meet Mako.

•¥•

"BOLIN!" Sikenna shouted as she jumped onto his back as he walked out of the entrance of the arena after the match, squeezing him tight. Bolin screamed, frighten at first, but laughed when he realized who it was.
"KENNA! did you see me?! Oh man I was GREAT! I was all, pow, BAP, Wham! And then the crowd was all, 'AHHHHH, AHHHHHHHHH' and we're IN THE SEMI FINALS, KIN!" he shouted. Sikenna jumped off his back and laughed happily.
"You were amazing, Bo! I've never seen you bend like that! That was…" she threw her hands out to her side.
"I'm honestly speechless. I am so proud of you!" She smiled big and launched at him, giving him a proper hug this time. Bolin laughed loudly and spun her around.
"Oh! PERFECT! Look at this, Kenna, this is fate. Talking about destiny." He wiggled his eyebrows and dashed off to the cart at the curb. He ran back with a bouquet of flowers and a big goofy smile.
"Screw a second date, I'm asking Korra to be my girlfriend. I'm feeling good about this, Kenna. I'm feeling goooooooood about tonight! Let's go!" He grabbed her wrist and took off, mumbling something about seeing Mako and Korra go this way earlier. Sikenna tried to focus on her breathing as she was pulled along, nervous about meeting Mako again after all these years.
"Bolin wait-" she said, pulling her wrist from his hand. Bolin turned, but didn't stop walking. Instead he walked backwards, facing her as he spoke.
"Kenna, don't worry. Mako is going to love you just as much as Pabu and I do, I know it. And Korra? She's the coolest. You'll get along great with her. She loves fire bending, honestly, I bet she'd spar with you!" They were walking out towards the gazebo by the time he finished his sentence. He turned quickly from her and stopped short, causing Sikenna to almost bump into him. He was silent, and still.
"Bolin, wha-" Sikenna peaked out slightly around Bolin's arms just in time to see Korra, pulling away from Mako's lips. Sikenna gasped quietly as Korra noticed Bolin over Mako's shoulder. Mako's head whipped around and looked at Bolin, his face struck with fear and regret. Suddenly, Bolin's shoulders shook and he burst into tears. He threw the flowers on the ground and turned away from them, running away.
"Bo-" Sikenna tried, reaching out to him before he ran. She looked back at the pair that caused Bolin this pain, her brows furrowed in anger. She locked her eyes onto Mako's, and though she lost her breath for a moment, she took the time to glare at him for a few moments before turning and running after Bolin.
what a disappointment.

•¥•
Mako's POV

Mako walked out of the bending arena, furious with himself and how he played tonight. Something was on his mind and it was bothering him enough to effect his performance, so he needed to address it. His yellow eyes scanned the area around the arena when he noticed Korra, leaning against the gazebo looking out into the water.
"Perfect" he thought, hopping down the arena steps with determination.
"We need to talk." Mako said as he reached Korra. He took a deep breath and spoke before she could stop him.
"Look, sometimes you can be so infuriating. But I-" he tried to finish his thought, but she interrupted him.
"Save your breath. You've already made it clear how you feel about me." she said to him sadly. Mako narrowed his eyes in annoyance at being interrupted, but licked his lips and got ready to continue. He was done feeling all these emotions at once, he needed so put some order into the chaos his life had become.
"No, I haven't. What I'm trying to say is: as much as you drive me crazy, I also think you're pretty amazing." there. He got it out. Korra knew how he felt, he acknowledged what he felt, and he was getting over this mess. He tried not to match Korra's smirk as his words set in.
"So… you do like me?" She said slyly, taking a step towards him.
"Yes, but, I like Asami, too. I don't know, things are complicated. I've been feeling really confused, and-" again, she cut him off, but this time with her lips. They collided into his and after a moment of shock, he kissed her back. He didn't think, he didn't process's, he just reacted to her lips like it was natural to be kissing her.
Korra pulled away and looked up at him, a blush on her face. He was about to smile back at her, but she saw something over his shoulder and shrunk. The distantly familiar smell of fire flakes and mangoes reached his nostrils from the direction Korra looked. He turned, and his eyes met Bolin's big, watery ones.
Oh no.

"Bolin, this isn't what you think!" He tried to defend himself. Bolin threw the flowers down and ran away from them, his loud cries echoing as he did so.
Mako looked back to where Bolin was just standing to meet another pair of eyes.

There stood a girl, tan skin, long dark hair framing her face. Her eyes, the same color blue of his favorite paint when he was little. Mako winced as a multitude of memories he had forgotten flashed in his head quick as lightning.
*Flash*
Thanks for coming to my party, Koko."
*Flash*
Her face, younger and rounder with bangs laughed at him. "It's just a nickname, Mako. It's not going to hurt you."
*Flash*
She was laughing on the beach, he could hear the waves in the background of her laughter as he shouted at her. "It's not funny, Kenna!"
*Flash*
Her faced blushes as she turns to him. "Have you ever kissed somebody?... Don't be stupid. it's just a question."
*Flash*
He could feel her lips on his until she pulled away to laugh and run away from him.
*Flash*
"I'm glad I decided to kiss you…"
*Flash*
"...you make me laugh more than you make me mad."

The eye contact broke as the girl turned and ran after Bolin. Mako thought he snapped out of whatever just happened to him, and turned back to Korra. A wave of anger and confusion crashing out of him.
"Great! Look at what you did!" He shot at her angrily. whispers that sounded like the voice of the little girl from his dreams started swirling around his head quietly. Korra looked back at him in disbelief.
"You're blaming me?!" She spat, pointing at herself.
"You kissed me!" He pointed at her accusingly. Korra returned the gesture.
"You kissed me back!"
Mako felt his forearms heating up and clenched his fist to stop himself. The whispers in his head slowly started getting louder, and clips of short scenes with the girl he had dreamed about kept flashing in his head as he tried to speak to Korra. There was a flash, and he saw her running through an unfamiliar field with his hand in hers. Another flash, and he could see her sending a basket with a piece of paper in it down a string from her window to his. The whispers grew into a dull roar, her laughter made his ears ring, it was all too much. Mako raised his fisted hands and growled in frustration before turning his back on Korra to chase after his brother.

Mako should have known better, honestly. Every time he tries to figure stuff out, he ends up messing things up even more. By trying to work out his own emotions, he messed up his relationship with Korra, Asami, and his brother. He huffed loudly, mad at himself, as his eyes searched the streets of Republic City for Bolin. A shrill, happy laughter rang into his ears so loud it felt like his ear drum was vibrating. Mako winced in pain and closed his eyes tightly. He saw the girl from his dream laughing, the same laugh he swore he heard the day Asami hit him. He opened his eyes to try to look around again but he was slapped with another memory. This time the girl was angry, and she shot a fireball in front of where they were standing. But she missed, and the ball of flames set a small hill on fire. He heard an adult voice behind them yell her name.
"SIKENNA."
The name echoed for what felt like forever, bouncing around his skull like a rabbiroo. Mako roared loudly in frustration, bringing his fist to the side of his head, trying to get whatever the spirits was happening to him stop. The blue eyes bore into his every time his eyes closed, he couldn't take it. He couldn't deal with this right now, he had to find Bolin. his head was throbbing, whispers and squeals of laughter from memories long forgotten swirled through his head like a flash flood. Mako tried to push past them all, he would have to deal with this later, he had something more important. Then a voice spoke, and just as quick as they started, it stopped.

"Hey kid." Said the suave voice in front of him. The flashbacks in his head stopped and he looked up to meet Varrick's blue orbs instead. Mako flinched at the familiar color scheme of them.
"You alright?" Varrick looked at him mildly concerned. Mako gulped and nodded, standing to his full height.
"Yeah. Yeah I'm alright." He answered him.
"Your brothers not." Varrick scoffed, his usual cool demeanor returning quickly.
"Saw him head towards little water tribe just now, crying like a baby. Had a friend of mine chasing after him. How does he know feisty fla-"
"Little water tribe, of course. Thanks, Varrick." Mako interrupted and took off in a trot towards little water tribe to find his brother.