"You!" Korra snarled.
"Hey, Korra," Mako greeted, regarding her with mixed feelings. He decided to be humble for the minute, as he truly had no right to talk down to Korra after what had happened back at the South Pole.
"Why are you here?" she demanded, clenching her fists together.
"That's a good question," Mako muttered, then took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm here with Bolin. You've already met him, and I know what you did."
"I've got nothing personal against him," Korra stated, "but you, you don't even have a shred of good credit right now! I'd like to kill you, and have wanted to ever since I fully understood what your words back then meant!"
"I'm so, so, sorry for that, Korra," Mako told her, looking her straight in the eyes, pouring his heart into every word. "But can we please get the other problem out of the way first before we talk about Kalla?"
"Don't you dare utter her name with your filthy mouth!" Korra ordered, although deep down, she was startled. The young Avatar hadn't even once considered the possibility of Mako apologising to her for anything ever since the meditation to unlock her combustion bending with Azula.
"I need to explain the circumstances of why we're here," Mako said. "Taking away anybody's bending isn't something you should do just as it comes to your mind. Did Bolin tell you anything?"
"I gave him tons of chances!" Korra replied, but her interest was spiked. She was very curious as to how Bolin could turn into someone so angry. She decided to hear Mako out. "But fine, it is strange why he would turn so dark. Unlike you!"
"This isn't Bolin's fault," Mako began, ignoring the comment. "It all started about a year ago, when we moved to Ba Sing Sae, because Bolin and three of his close friends, wanted to start up a lavabending school there. He met them all in his first classes in Zaofu. They were all great guys, good people. Their names were Nel, Mo and Ling, Ling being Bolin's best friend by the time I arrived."
"He probably stopped talking to you after what happened at the South Pole," Korra interjected snidely.
"Actually, it was something entirely different," Mako revealed, raising an eyebrow from Korra. "Remember the drug operation with the Red Monsoon and the Agni Kai's? Remember how I killed Kenichi Shinoda?"
"The Red Monsoon and the Agni Kai's…" Korra muttered, racking her brain, then she suddenly remembered the raid which ultimately led to her fleeing Republic City. It seemed like a lifetime ago, given everything that had happened in the meantime. "Yeah, I do! That cunt Hazukk framed me as the villain!"
"Hazukk ran away, I caught him red-handed dealing with the Triple Threats on a different case later," Mako told her.
"I knew he had something to do with the Triple Threats!" Korra stated, although a tiny smirk broke her constant scowl, just for a second, as she cracked her knuckles. "That just gives me more of a licence to beat his head in when I eventually find him."
"Anyway," Mako continued, "Bolin and I had a really bad fight afterwards in the hospital. Bolin said that I was no better than Shinoda for killing in revenge, and we didn't talk again for the best part of the next year."
"Even your own brother could see what a despicable man you are!" Korra jibed.
"I know," Mako agreed, his shoulders slumping in shame. Inside Korra's head, this really rocked her. She'd imagined him laughing about all of the bad things he'd done in the scenarios she made up in her head, yet here he was, accepting how he was guilty. Korra brushed it off as an act to get on her good side, still itching to blast his body apart.
"We made up in Zaofu," Mako went on, "and I went to Ba Sing Sae to help decriminalise lavabending officially there. During that time, I stayed with them, as I had nowhere else to go with my life. The others were all fine with me as their roommate, and for the next eleven months, their classes grew at an astounding rate, so much so, that they were taking in over 1400 students a week. Everything was looking up for Bolin, as well as his friends. But then, Omashu declared war."
Korra looked at Mako tensely, not liking where the story was going. She vaguely remembered what Bolin had shouted at her when he gave a reason for not giving in.
"There were eighty students in the class one evening, about a month ago," Mako went on, nearly jumbling his words up. This part was very hard for him to recall willingly. "It got bombed, killing fifteen children. I was knocked out, but was saved by Bolin, Nel and Ling. From what I heard, it was a bitter, vicious fight. Nel got his oesophagus pierced, and was cut open in too many places to count. He was in intensive care when we left. Then, during the fight, Ling was… Ling was…" Mako took a deep breath, then counted to three, before speaking: "Ling was murdered too, stabbed right in the back."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Korra said, toning down her boldness a little. She felt a lot of sympathy for Bolin's loss. "Is that why you two went to war?"
"I never wanted to go to war," Mako told her, getting his breathing back under control. "Never. But Bolin became driven by hate and a desire for revenge. He couldn't let Ling's death just slide. I begged him not to go, but he wouldn't listen. I swore that I wouldn't abandon another family member, so I came with him. We got here three days ago.
"That's incredibly unfortunate," Korra admitted. "But why are you telling me this? You're deluded if you think that I have any nostalgia to the old Team Avatar!"
"I'm asking you to give Bolin his bending back, firstly," Mako pleaded. "It's his life, you know it is."
"Absolutely not!" Korra stated definitively, not even a second of hesitation with her answer. "He had his chances, and turned them all down. If I'm going to stop this war, I can't go back on my punishments just because it made the person feel bad!" She jabbed a finger at him. "Who are you to go asking me for favours, anyway?! You rejected our daughter back at the South Pole!"
"I know," Mako said solemnly. "But can we please talk about Bolin's-"
"He tried his hardest to kill me!" Korra interrupted. "If he wants it back so bad, maybe he can come to me in a year, and I'll see how he's changed. That's it, that's my final decision. You're not asking a favour from a friend, Mako!"
Mako went quiet for a few moments, then gave in with a sigh. He hadn't gotten his hopes up too high beforehand, as he had doubted that Korra would have a sudden change of heart. He was still very angry at what she'd done to his brother – the uncle of her child – but her mistake paled in comparison to all of his.
"Lost your guts?" Korra asked, trying to get a reaction out of him. "Because I can assure you, you lost them all long ago."
Kill… him…, Vaatu whispered in Korra's head, trying to force his way back out.
Later, Korra responded. I want to see him grovel for forgiveness before I end his life. Although Korra couldn't put it into words, what she really wanted was the satisfaction of seeing Mako humbled before her, feeling regret for his actions.
"Do you really want to kill me?" Mako asked sadly, as if he could hear their conversation, although that was impossible.
"I might not," Korra answered, "depending on how this conversation goes." That was a lie.
"I should start," Mako vouched. "I'm the one in the wrong." In his head, he remembered how Ling had said that if Korra really wanted to kill him, then she wasn't fit to take care of Kalla, but he kept that to himself. She was deservedly angry: This was the first time they'd spoke since he had pretty much disowned their child.
"Sure," Korra allowed, acting nonchalant, although secretly, she was unsettled. She hadn't expected this response from him at all. Korra bore holes into his head with her glare.
"Please let me finish until you make your final decision," Mako prefaced, shifting uncomfortably from her look.
"I'm waiting," Korra told him, rapping her fingers.
"Thank you. I'll guess I'll start way back with Hazukk," Mako began. "When you fled, I didn't know about anything about Kalla. I was still a commander back then, and Hazukk was pretending to be my friend. But after he got famous off of you, he ditched me, as he didn't need me to make connections any more. One day, I went out on a walk with him, on the orders of Beifong to get information, with the pretext of socialising being what I told him. But we didn't get off to a great start, and things got pretty heated. He made fun of me, and I reacted poorly. We fought, but he beat me, leaving me alone in the pissing rain."
"Hazukk beat you?" Korra asked, surprised. Her only memories of Hazukk were him getting beaten the shit out of, on the raid. She hated Mako with a passion, but she knew that he was nothing less than a capable fighter.
"He had me riled up," Mako told her, his words coming out thick and fast. "After that, when I woke up, he was long gone. I thought that was the last we would see of each other, but I was wrong.
"Later that night, I managed to listen in on a couple of Triple Threats that had just robbed a bank," he went on. "I followed one of them on the way home, and fought them. I got the details of a meeting with a mysterious client at the docks, so I went to the docks, early the same morning."
"Let me guess," Korra interjected. "Hazukk was the client."
"Yep," Mako answered. "I can't remember the exact reason why at the time, but I confronted them, instead of bringing the information back to the station to analyse. But I got electrocuted, and was at their mercy. Hazukk was confident that he'd left no trace behind, and let me live, just so that he could rub it in that he was better than me, to get his revenge for replacing him so quickly in probending, all those years ago. He didn't break his leg, by the way."
"Where is he now?!" Korra demanded.
"He ran off," Mako said. He noticed a subtle change in Korra's demeanour. When she was a teenager, she had been hot-headed, and stubborn. After she came back to face Kuivera, she was a lot more mature and level-headed.
But now, she was mature and… aggressive. Not hot-headed, where she would be willing to beat someone up to get her point across. But someone who wouldn't have any qualms about how badly they hurt someone as long as they had a reason. Or maybe she was just giving off that vibe to him specifically. "I had no proof, and the case was dropped within a week. After that, my mental health really went to shit."
"How so?" Korra asked, expressing no sympathy.
"Although I didn't want to admit it," Mako explained, not taking any offense, "Hazukk was my only friend by that point, so when he betrayed me, I was left with no friends. No-one would come over when I invited them for drinks, so I'd just get drunk on my own. It got me really, really down, so I'd be drinking four nights a week to avoid the pain. I buried myself in work otherwise, trying to act like I was neglecting a social life for the sake of being professional, but in fact, it just messed up my work life. My reputation fell and fell, but I grew a huge ego, to make people think that my life was great. In reality though, I wanted to kill myself."
"You should have!" Korra snarled. She didn't know where the insult had come from, as she hadn't been planning it, but deep down, she revelled in the look of hurt that appeared on Mako's face. Her eyes were drooping a bit, but she just put it down to the exhaustion of dealing with Vaatu.
"Maybe," Mako agreed, unable to hide how deeply that struck a chord. He could feel his voice beginning to get higher as he became upset, but took his time to calm down. When he felt okay again, he continued:
"Anyway, I was forced along by Beifong to the South Pole. I was in a shitty state by that point, both on the inside and outside. You were found, as we both know, and I committed an unforgivable sin, by… by not accepting Kalla." Mako looked Korra straight in the eyes. "I regret what I did there every morning I wake up, and every night I go to sleep. I know that's it's incredibly high and mighty to come before you now, when you have all the authority, and pour out my life like this."
"It is," Korra agreed, putting her only good hand on her hip. "I can't even begin to find words to describe how much it revolts me." A question came to her mind. "But why have you come back now? You were extremely definite when you told me that Kalla wasn't your daughter."
"I would be the same if I were you," Mako told her. "But I absolutely know now that I am the father. I got fired from my job by Beifong for a number of stupid things, all of which were all my fault. I wandered aimlessly around Republic City, and stumbled upon the spirit portal. You had reopened it by then, and an old homeless man started talking to me. He told me how the Tree of Time remembers all, and I tried it out. I suddenly remembered everything when I meditated in there, and after that, I developed a resolve of steel to make up with everyone I had wronged, and be a part of Kalla's life. Please listen to my next few words carefully.
"Why should I?" Korra posed the question. "What do I possibly owe to you?"
"Nothing," Mako admitted with a heavy heart.
"How about this, then?" Korra said. She looked carelessly to the sky, as if it had just crossed her mind. "If I don't accept your apology tonight, then you will never come back or interfere with Kalla's life again. Ever."
Mako was taken aback by this suggestion, gasping as soon as Korra proposed it. This was the exact last thing he wanted to do. But the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like a decent idea. The odds were hugely stacked against him, but…
After a minute of hard thinking, Mako looked up at Korra: "I've come to my decision, Korra," he announced, "and this is my final answer. I can't accept that offer. Even if you don't accept me tonight, which is completely fine, I know that I won't be able to just forget about Kalla like that. So, I'm going to ask you of one final favour, even if it's something I really don't deserve. Just hear my apology out tonight, and you can take as long as you want to consider it. Days, weeks, months, however long you need."
Korra blinked, astounded how Mako had turned that on her. She'd only been playing with him, to see the look on his face when she would tell him 'no' after a seemingly long period of consideration. She had wanted to let him know a little of the anguish that she had felt when he rejected Kalla back at the South Pole. But he had just unwittingly walked around her assumptions, kicking at the foundations of her view of him. She decided that it was at least worth hearing:
"Go on," Korra allowed, still furious.
"Thank you," Mako told Korra. He proceeded to get onto his knees and bow his head down, touching the ground with his forehead.
"You are her mother, and the one who has always cared for Kalla," Mako began. "I was a selfish prick, who didn't even bother to consider your claim. I grew up without parents ever since I was eight, so I should know of all people what it's like not to have parental love. The unconditional love that you have always bestowed upon Kalla. I've spent the last year glued to every report of your sightings, but I haven't been able to find you. Not once have I ever wavered in my belief of what I'm about to tell you.
"I am so desperately sorry!" Mako stated, his voice cracking u. "From the bottom of my heart, it gets harder and harder every day to know that there is a very real chance that I may never see Kalla again! I know the struggles of growing up dirt poor, and I would never willingly let my own family go through that, when I'm capable of protecting her! As the Avatar, the chances that you will die young are stupidly high. If I don't get your blessing, I would never feel entirely comfortable taking care of Kalla in such an undesirable scenario."
Korra's breath caught in her throat as she noticed that Mako had started crying. She wasn't sure if she'd ever witnessed that before, even in all the time that they'd spent together as a couple, or even just as friends.
"I am sorry beyond words!" Mako wailed, looking up at Korra's blue pupils, while still kneeling down. Tears streamed freely out of his own amber ones. "So I am begging to please let me back into Kalla's life! If you can overlook me on this one time, I promise that something like this will never happen again!" Mako broke down even more, sobbing endlessly into the ground. Korra just stood there, silent.
She was rattled. Korra had never, not even in a million years, expected something as heartfelt as this from Mako. She had always imagined him, since she had unlocked the power to combust bend, as a despicable man. Because that honestly was the type that rejected their own children. Korra had met many vile men from all walks of life, many of whom she had placed in the rock bottom category of how she viewed people. Up until recently, Mako had been rooted to the evillest part of that category, truly the scum of the earth, in her opinion. But now, he was slowly being pulled out of those murky depths. Korra even felt herself relen-
Don't listen to him! Vaatu murmured suddenly, breaking her chain of thought. They are all lies. Humans love to lie to get themselves out of trouble, no matter the detriment of others.
Why should I listen to you? Korra asked the spirit who was over a million years old. You've never tried to help me, you were desperately trying to take control just five minutes ago!
Isn't it a bit convenient that as soon as he learns that his brother's bending has been taken away, he comes to you, after a year's absence? Vaatu posed the question.
He couldn't have known where I was! Korra responded, while Mako's tears slowly dried up. He looked at her, shivering, awaiting her verdict.
Very well then, Vaatu accepted. Then why is he in the middle of a foreign war?
He wants to protect Bolin! Korra countered, but then doubts started to creep in. Joining a war just to protect your brother seemed very extreme, even for a pair as tight as them. Mako hadn't come with Bolin to all the war-torn parts of the Earth Empire, when there were riots everywhere after the Earth Queen's murder.
Exactly, Vaatu's voice echoed. He is only lying for the sake of a deeper purpose. Perhaps one that he doesn't want you to know?
I can sense for his heartbeat with earthbending, Korra thought suddenly. I wasn't paying attention while he spoke just there, but all he has to do is repeat it, and I'll be able to tell if he's lying or not.
He worked undercover, didn't he? Vaatu said. Korra didn't know how Vaatu knew that fact, but ignored it. Lying is probably a second nature to him. You are very rusty at your earthbending too, to add to the fact that you were never very good at sensing heartbeats in the first place.
What would he want, then? Korra demanded. She was teetering on the edge of accepting or declining Mako, incredibly torn with the decision.
Revenge, Vaatu answered simply. He wants revenge for his brother's loss of bending. It doesn't matter how long it would take to catch you off guard, he will be prepared to avenge the only family in his life that he cares about. The first chance you let your guard down, he will stab you in the back.
Mako took deep breaths to calm himself as he prayed that Korra would accept his apology. He had poured every last piece of affection he could into it, and now just had to hope that Korra would forgive him. He peered meekly at her, while she stood there pensively. He really hoped that they could be friends again.
Why? Korra asked Vaatu. Why does it matter to you? For all I know, you could be lying to me!
It's in my personal interests to keep you alive, Vaatu told her. He does not matter to me.
So this is all for your benefit, then? she asked. You're just trying to wait for the perfect moment to take control yourself!
I am simply an outlet of your true feelings, Vaatu told Korra. The ones that you stifle to fit in with your view of an acceptable being to other humans. I am not the tide that forces the ship to change direction. While you are behind the wheel, I am the mast that pushes you on, that keeps you moving. Without me, you couldn't have brought yourself to kill Azula. You desperately wanted to make her pay for killing that girl, Azami. I let you do so.
Korra's opinion of Mako, which had been slowly lifting itself out of its degenerate category, was hauled back down, and to add to that, Korra impaled it there, keeping it in place permanently. She felt Vaatu's influence dripping into her mind, untying the string of guilt, and tightening the string of hate. The string that had been elongated by Mako's betrayal to their daughter. Korra didn't quite go as far as going into the Avatar State, but the imaginary cork on Vaatu's bottle loosened considerably. She snapped back into reality, to Mako eagerly awaiting her verdict.
"I-" she started.
Please, Mako thought, getting his hopes up. His entire body tingled with anticipation.
"-am going to kill you!" Korra finished, and glared at her former lover, now the person she hated most in the world.