I know it seems like Satori never will be able to defend herself, but I promise she will eventually. You just gotta wait and find out how.

Chapter Four

Satori's P.O.V

I'm pretty positive I haven't quit staring at the wooden doors that lead to Tenzin's and Pema's for at least twenty minutes, and that's just an estimation. While I've been standing there, with my gaze never moving, my hand reaches up to knock but I always let it drop back down before I do so. I've never been very good at going through with situations that I am worried about how the outcome will turn out; still not, for that matter, since I just can't seem to brush away my nerves and go negotiate with Tenzin about how my banishment from the city should be removed. But, if you've ever dealt with a stubborn Tenzin, especially if he's already sorta angry with you, you know my issue.

Turns out, when Korra went to wish Mako and Bolin good luck, she ended up joining their team because Hasook never showed up for the match. From what Korra told me, she wasn't ready for pro-bending like she thought she was, but right at the end she came through by using her air bending forms to block the attacks. This give Mako and Bolin an advantage to knock the other team out of the ring, and they won the match that declares that are now have a spot in the championship tournament. Mako and her resolved their problems with each other, even though I think they are still iffy around each other, and Korra permanently joined The Fire Ferrets. All sounded like good news until she told me Tenzin showed up furious with her. But, he stayed and watched how she used her air bending moves and that night they, too, resolved their issues and now Korra can go to the city as long as she is still focused on air bending.

Although, just because she is free to enter the city streets, I still am not. Which means, Korra gets to spend all the time she wants with Bolin, since they are on the same team, and I don't - I refuse to let that happen. I like Bolin and I am not going to lose another guy because of my sister again. Of course she is going to be around him, too, but I am going to try and make it as obvious as possible that I am into Bolin. But, to do so, I have to get Tenzin to lift my banishment – the hard part.

"Satori?"

I don't glance over when I respond with, "Yes, Korra?"

"What are you doing?" she asks confusingly and I can practically feel the strange look she is most likely giving me.

"Trying to work up the courage to speak to Tenzin about letting me go back into the city."

She snorts. "Good luck with that," she remarks.

This time, I tare my eyes away from the door so I can glare at her. She's standing there with a smirk and her arms crossed when I say, "What do you want, anyway?"

"Just wanted to tell you that I'm headed to practice."

"Okay."

"If you're cuffs are broken, you should come down and pay us a visit," she says with a smile.

I nod, smiling, too. "I plan to," I reply.

"Good luck." She gives a small wave before twisting on her her heels and jogging down the hall.

I fix my gaze on the door again, take a deep breath, and reluctantly knock. When there is no response, I knock a second time, but, once again, no one answers me. Courageously, I grip the handle and push the door open wide. I contain a chuckle when I find both Tenzin and Pema fast asleep on their bed. Tenzin lifts his head up off his pillow, obviously awaken by my entrance, and cocks an eyebrow at me. "Satori?" he questions sleepily. "What are doing in here?"

"I, uh, needed to talk to you, if that's okay," I say, rubbing the back of my neck nervously.

He lets out a drowsy sigh and climbs out of bed, careful to not disturb Pema. I mentally thank the spirits that he wears non-embarrassing cloths to bed as he gestures me to follow him out of the room and down the hall. I oblige and once we're far enough away to not bother Pema, he turns to me expectantly and questions, "What is it, Satori? I wish to get back to sleep since it's only six in the morning."

I note that he's in a grumpy mood, probably because he was awaken by a girl he isn't content with at the moment. A part of me wants to quickly mutter never mind and sprint down the hall, but my conscious is chanting over and over again for me to go through with it already. So, I listen to my conscious, figuring no time like the present, right?

"I think I should be allowed to go into the city alone," I state bluntly.

His eyes widen slightly in surprise and frowns. "No."

"But, my banishment is entirely ridiculous! I -" I am about to rant but he rudely cuts me off.

"You deliberately disobeyed me, Satori! I granted you my trust you and you broke it, so why do you expect me to take back my word? I never do."

"This is different! You're not taking back your word you're just giving me a second chance," I shoot back. "I've hardly disobeyed anyone in anyway before but yet when I do one tiny, bad thing I am punished this severely? I honestly believe that I deserve better than that." I cross my arms over my chest, sending him a confident, pointed look.

He just stares down at me, his expression emotionless, until he releases a troubled sigh. "You have to be on the island by the time I tell you or I will set this punishment on you again without ever taking it back, unless you have a logical reason," he says.

A awfully large grin spreads across my lips and I fling my arms around him. "Thank you so much, Tenzin! You won't regret this decision, I swear," I promise him.

He awkwardly pats my back before I withdrawal and begin backing down the hall with the same smile never leaving my face. "I'm going to go watch Korra practice in a little, so I'll be back by nightfall, correct?"

"Correct," he says reluctantly, but smiles anyway. "Have fun."

"I will!" And before he can change his mind, I turn and hurry toward my room.

xxxxxx

I practically sprint off the ferry, beaming in joy as I suck in a large gulp of city air. As my transportation exits the dock, I stroll down the pathway to the arena while my eyes dart around at my surroundings eagerly. It's been only been a few days that I've been stuck on the island, yes, but in that brief period of time I became incredibly bored, as well as a little claustrophobic even if the island is very spacious. I got the same way back at home so that's why Korra and I ventured out of the tribe a lot.

I open the abundant doors to the arena and peek in to find no one around. I slip through the entrance and do my best to trace my steps from the last time I was here. Finally, I discover the gym were Korra told me they would be and right when I enter, Mako is sliding on the ground on his back and stops at the tip of my feet with a weight ball clutched to his chest. I peer down at him quizzically and say, "Uh, hey, Mako..."

"Hey, Satori," he responds, scowling.

I smirk as he gets to his feet. "I assume practice is going well?" I tease.

"Spectacular."

A giggle escapes my lips and he grins at me. I look forward and both Korra and Bolin are staring at us with slightly peeved expressions, plus some other emotion I can't put my finger on. I ignore it though as I step up to Bolin with the best flirtatious smile I can produce. "Hi, Bolin. Thanks for helping me the other day," I say.

"No problem," he assures, his negative facial expression back to his usual jolly one. But, to my disappointment, it's not as flirty as I hoped. "I was worried about you these past few days, but Korra told me you were holding up fine." I try my best to hold in my glee that he actually was concerned about my well-being.

I am about to reply but Mako's voice pops up from behind me, "Wait, what happened?"

"They didn't tell you?" I ask, facing him.

"No."

"Oh, about thirty minutes after you left, I went for a walk while Bolin continued to show Korra some tricks and I got cornered by some triads," I explain quietly, not particularly enjoying the recapping of the topic, even if I brought it up.

His face sparks a hint of worry. "Are you okay?" he questions.

"Yeah, perfectly okay. Thankfully Korra and Bolin got to me before anything too bad happened."

"Good," he says, smiling revealingly. "We don't need you or anyone else getting hurt by those god damn triads."

Suddenly, we're interrupted by a well-dressed, middle aged man bursting through the door, exclaiming, "There are my little, hardworking street urchins!" I share the same confused glance with Korra as he makes his way over to us and places a hand on Korra's shoulder. "It's an honor to finally meet you, Avatar."

"And you are...?" she draws out, eying him eerily.

"Butakaha," he answers, tipping his hat. "I run this whole pro-bending shebang."

She nods and when he glances at me and asks who I am I reply with, "You don't need to know that."

He looks a bit taken aback for a second before he brushes it off and starts fishing around in his leather jacket. He slaps a pile of yuans onto Mako's awaiting hand. "Here's your winnings from the last match." Mako looks very pleased until Butakaha starts taking back separate amounts of the money for different reasons until there is nothing left in his hand. Mako gives Bolin an irritated glare for the last reason - a personal loan on groceries.

"What? I'm a growing boy," he defends, rubbing his stomach.

"Oh, and one more small item of business, The Fire Ferrets need to empty up thirty thousand yuans for the championship pot," Butakaha states.

Bolin's jaw drops as he gasps out in disbelief, "Thirty thousand yuans?"

"Sorry, kids. You've got to the end of the week to come up with the doe or else you're out of the tournament." With no farewell, he stalks out of the gym. I frown sadly, sympathy growing for the two boys. They don't deserve this at all. They're amazing pro-benders and if they can't pay all of the money they shouldn't be denied a spot in the tournament that they defiantly earned.

Bolin and Mako look at Korra. "You wouldn't happen to have a secret Avatar bank account overflowing with gold, would you?" Bolin asks her, only half-kidding.

She shows them her empty pockets and says sorrily, "I've got nothing. I've never really needed money since I've always had people taking care of me." I purse my lips as she smiles ignorantly. That was defiantly the wrong thing to say, Korra... Very wrong.

"Then I wouldn't say you have nothing," Mako mutters bitterly, picking up the weight ball and setting it down with the others.

Korra's face flashes with realization before it falls guiltily. "Sorry," she begins to recover her mistake. "I-I didn't mean -"

"No, no, it's alright," Bolin cuts her off with assurance. "It's just... Ever since we lost our parents, we've been on our own." I feel like my heart literally break from the terribly depressing news he just admitted, along with his somber look. I resist the urge to rush up and throw my arms around him for comfort.

"I'm so sorry," Korra tells him. "I didn't know."

"So, anyway," Mako cuts in, walking back to our sides. "How are we gonna come up with the money?"

They all seemed stumped so I take this as a chance to speak up finally. "I, uh, have some," I say, dig in my pocket, and reach out my hand that now has twenty yuans folded in it. "I know it's not much, but it's all I have."

Bolin and Mako shake their heads almost instantly. "No, we're not taking your money," Mako says firmly. "You're not even a part of the team."

"Yeah, really. We can't do that," Bolin adds.

"Just call me The Fire Ferrets official manager," I joke, chuckling as I shove the money at Mako's chest. "But seriously, take it. I got it from my tiny saving bound I have since I thought carrying around some cash might come in handy encase I have another run in with triads. And, anyway, you guys need it more than I do."

Mako releases a defeated breath and smiles in gratitude. "Thank you, Satori. This means a lot," he says purely, snatching the money from my hand and stuffing it in his pocket.

"No problem! I also have a few yuans back at the temple you can have but I'll just have to go and -"

Bolin interrupts me by covering my mouth with one of his hands, a genuine grin plastered on his lips. "No, you can keep the rest, your twenty is plenty enough from you," he asserts and when I am about to protest - with his hand still placed on my mouth might I add - he, once again, interjects with, "I'm serious." I sigh and nod while he withdrawals his hand away.

"So, any other ideas?" Mako wonders.

"Oh, I got it!" The three of us glance at Bolin curiously to find him grabbing Pabu, his own precious, little fire ferret, and holding him up for us. "I've been training Pabu to do circus tricks. Now, people would pay good money to see that." My heart warms at his attempt of an idea, even though I know it wouldn't get them thirty thousand yuans any time soon.

"Come on, Bolin," Mako says, rolling his eyes. "We need serious ideas."

Bolin's carefree smile falls and he holds Pabu back to him, muttering, "I was serious."

"Don't worry about it. I'll think of something; like I always do," Mako tells him, walking toward the exit, but not before glancing over his shoulder at me. "Hey, Satori. Can I talk to you real fast?"

I raise my eyebrows in surprise and reply with, "Sure." I make my way over to where he's standing in the doorway. "Yeah, Mako?"

"I'm just wondering if you wanted to, um, hang out tomorrow?" he questions anxiously. "As, ya know, a thank you for the money." My eyes widen in astonishment and I am pretty sure my mouth went partially agape. Is Mako asking me out? On a date? No, surely he just means he wants to spend time with me just as friends, right? Mako wouldn't like me like that... Anyway, I don't even feel for him that way, unlike I do for this brother.

I smile, figuring it is just a friendly get-together. "Yeah, sure! I'd love to," I accept.

"Great!" He grins. "Meet me by the arena tomorrow around three?"

"Sounds good."

"See ya then."

"Yep. Bye, Mako!"

After sending me one last smirk, he is off. I turn around to see both Korra and Bolin seeming very aggravated. The corners of my mouth twitch downwards and jog back over to them. "Is everything okay, guys?"

"Fine," Bolin mumbles. "I'm gonna go, too. Later."

Disappointment fills me but I do my best to cover it up. "Oh, okay. Bye, Bolin," I farewell sweetly.

"Bye."

Right when he leaves, I let out a sorrowful sigh and face Korra. "I feel really bad for them, don't you? I wish they didn't have to owe so much," I say.

She just glares at me. "Well, you're obviously making Mako cheer up, now aren't you?" she sneers.

"E-excuse me?"

"You heard me, Satori."

"Yeah, I did... But, I don't understand," I admit, my face scrunched up in confusion at her harsh tone.

She throws her arms in the air frustratingly. "Oh, come on! You and Mako have totally been like... flirting! He even asked you out and you said yes, I heard it! How could you do that to me? When Hao confessed his feelings for me I immediately denied him because I knew that you were really into him. But, yet you go ahead and betray me? You're my best friend and my sister, I don't -"

I quite her furious rambling by copying Bolin's actions from earlier and clapping my hand over her mouth. She stares at me in shock as I state knowledgeably, "You like Mako."

"What?" she spits out, her voice muffled. She rips my hand off her face and turns her back to me stubbornly with crossed arms. "I do not."

I gasp in excitement. "Oh my god, you so do! Aw, this is so cute!"

"Stop changing the subject!" she shouts, whipping back around and jabbing her finger at my chest as I continue to beam smugly. "You still accepted the date with Mako and I am still angry with you."

Realization washes over me and I sigh, sending her a apologetic look. "Oh, Korra, you misunderstood. Mako and I are just hanging out as friends, I swear! I don't even like him like that and I highly doubt he likes me either."

"Really? You sure?" she asks.

"Yes, and you know I only have eyes for Bolin right now."

"Right..." She sighs heavily. "I'm sorry, Tor. I guess I overreacted."

"It's fine," I assure her, waving it off dismissively, before, once again, grinning like a mad man. "So, you and Mako, huh?"

She punches me in the arm roughly. "Shut up," she snaps, blushing.

I hiss and rub my now throbbing forearm, pouting. "You didn't need to hit me... "

"Yes I did."

"Anyway, you should definitely ask Mako out." We start to make our way out of the gym and toward the exit.

She sends me an incredulous side-glance. "Are you kidding? There is no way. He doesn't even like me as a friend, you can tell."

"You don't know that," I say. "He could just be hiding his feelings by being cruel toward you."

She presses her lips into a fine line, her expression scrunched up in troublesome. "Maybe, but I still don't think I am able to ask him out so easily, let alone tell him how I feel."

"Why not?"

"Are you able to tell Bolin how you feel?" she questions pointedly.

I bite my bottom lip. "Okay, fine. I see where you're coming from."

"Yeah." She shakes her head back and forth slowly, lets out a dry chuckle, before swinging her arm around my shoulders. "Who knew we'd both be stuck in the same situation about boys? And, with brothers, too?"

"Hey, at least we got each other."

"Yeah, otherwise I'm sure I'd go insane."

"Ditto."

We chuckle along with each other as we walk over to the ferries.

xxxxxx

"So, Mako," I begin to say, grabbing his arm so we both come to an abrupt stop. He looks down at me quizzically as I question, "Why'd you ask me to hang out, truthfully?"

The evening with Mako has been nice. I met up with him by the arena like he said and from there on we've pretty much just strolled around having random conversations and visiting different shops and eateries. We've messed around, teased each other till no end, and even got kicked out of a flower shop for purposely picking the plants to infuriate the manager. However, we've had serious conversations, too; like he explained the story of his parents death and that he wears his red scarf all the time because it's the only thing he has left of his father. I told him about my life back at the tribe and, one of the most personal things about me, Hao – I even blurted out the story about how I got taken by the man in this city when I was thirteen. Actually, I think the only thing I didn't tell him was my deep crush for his brother, but why would I even bring that up?

I've learned today that Mako is truly a great guy and although he can be a jerk, I respect him a lot. And, even if I've only known him for a week or so, I feel like we're gonna become really good friends.

"What?" he says, pursing his lips briefly. "I can't just wanna spend a day with a nice, pretty girl I have interest in getting to know?"

Now, if it were Bolin that said that, I would most likely be blushing right now. But, it's not – it's his brother. Was I mistaken about him just wanting to go out as friends? Could he really like me like that? Gosh, I really hope not. How unlucky having your crush's brother have a thing for you instead would be...

"Mako, you don't really like me like that, do you?" I ask hesitantly, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

"Like... What?"

I stare at him dryly. "You know like what."

He sighs, squeezing his eyes shut for a short second, before he takes my face in his hands and crashing his lips to mine. My eyes bulge out of my head in utter astonishment as my whole body freezes, including my mouth. I would have pulled away immediately but the shock coursing through my body is already too much for me to handle. After only a few moments of molding his lips onto mine, he departs away from me. I just gape at him as his face twists in contemplation, his eyebrows scrunching together as he gazes off in the distance.

Finally I am recovered enough to screech, "What the fuck?"

His eyes snap to me. "What?" he asks way too calmly.

"What? That's all you have to say, seriously? You just freaking kissed me!"

He chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry... I-I am just kinda experimenting, ya know?" he tells me, and something by the way he said that made me almost instantly assume one thing.

"Wait." I hold my hands up in front of me. "Are... Are you gay, Mako? Is that why you kissed me? To see if you like girls or not? Because, hey, I completely support it if you are gay, but it would have been nice of you to warn me."

His disgusted and incredulous expression makes me shut my mouth. "What? No! No, I am not even close to being gay! That is not what I meant by experimenting," he snaps, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh, okay," I chuckle out, fiddling with my fingers nervously. "Then... What did you mean by experimenting?"

"I... I just..." he stutters out before letting out a frustrated breath. "Alright... My whole life I've never found a girl that has, ya know, sparked something with me. Every kiss I have ever had has been incredibly dull, and so has the chemistry. So, lately, I have been experimenting with different girls, trying to find someone who I feel something with, but so far it hasn't worked out. I am starting to think I'll never find anyone special." He seems genuinely upset as he speaks, causing me to feel quite bad for him.

Who knew a guy like him would have issues finding a stable girlfriend.

"So, I'm guessing our kiss didn't do anything for ya, did it?"

He chuckles softly. "No, but it has nothing to do with you, I swear," he assures honestly, a bit panicky. "You're a great girl and I really do want us to still be friends if -"

"Hey," I interrupt him, an amused smile spreading across my lips. "Stop acting like you're breaking up with me. I'm not crazy about you that way either, so don't worry about if you're breaking my heart."

"You're not?"

"No... You're not that used to girls just wanting to be friends with you, are you?"

He smirks cockily. "Not really."

I roll my eyes and motion for him to continue walking with me. He obliges and after a couple seconds of silence, I glance at him and say, "You shouldn't try so hard to find the right girl. What my mom has always told me is that the best things always come to you when you're not expecting them - maybe you should listen to that."

He doesn't look at me at first, or respond, but when he does he's grinning. "Thanks, Satori. I don' t really have many friends, and I'm glad I finally have one I can trust."

"Back at ya, Mako," I reply, shining a smile, too.

As he nods, something comes to mind. Maybe speaking to him about my liking for Bolin wouldn't be such an awful idea after all as long as I can trust him to not say anything. I mean, who better to give me advise about my predicament with Bolin than his own brother? It can't hurt to tell him; if anything, it will help.

"Uh, Mako?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I tell you something? But, you have to promise not to say anything about it to Bolin."

He glimpses at me in confusion but still says, "Sure. What is it?"

"I... eh... kinda... maybe..."

"Just spit it out, Satori!"

"I like Bolin," I mumble quietly.

He stops dead in his tracks, causing me to follow his actions. "What?" he asks. "You like Bo?" With my eyes cast away from him so I avoid his gaze, I nod slowly. Surprisingly, he responds with, "I had a feeling."

My eyes meet his instantly after the words slip from his lips. "You did? Really?"

"Yeah, it's kinda obvious if you think about it."

I click my tongue on the roof of my mouth. "Great," I grumble sarcastically.

He rests a hand on my shoulder and smiles reassuringly. "It's alright. I'm sure Bolin hasn't noticed. He's always kinda oblivious about those sort of things."

"Yeah, but that's the thing," I tell him as we carry forward. "I want him to notice my liking to him, but yet at the same time I don't. I do encase he might feel the same way, but what if he doesn't? I hate to admit, but I am afraid of rejection, especially from him."

"Everyone is afraid of rejection at some point. But, from what I've come to know, is that it's better to inform people of your feelings than keep them bottled up and hope that the person will somehow figure them out," he advises. "But, I also think you might wanna get to know him a little better before you tell him so you don't scare him off." I nod along with his words, absorbing them while I listen carefully. They make sense and, like I expected, they helped me. He's right – gaining more of a friendship with Bolin first might definitely boost my chances of him gaining romantic feelings for me.

"Thanks, dude," I say, punching him gently in the arm which causes him to laugh. "Who knew I'd be depending on a teenage boy for relationship advise."

"Well, I have been called a ladies man times before," he jokes and I roll my eyes.

"What? Twice?"

"Don't make me hit you, too."

We laugh together until we fall into a comfortable silence as we near the arena. But, the light mood is dimmed when he asks seriously, "Is this a crush you have on Bolin or something more?"

I frown, rubbing the side of my arm subconsciously. "I'm starting to think it's growing into something more," I admit somberly. He claps a hand on my back as a friendly gesture of comfort and I half-smile up at him.

After we get to the entrance of the arena and bid our goodbyes, I turn to to leave. "Wait." I face him again, raising my eyebrows curiously. "It's pretty late... How about you come inside and see if Bolin will assist you home?" he suggests sneakily.

I chortle and say, "Thanks for the try, but I don't wanna inconvenience him – and, it's not even seven yet."

"You won't be. Bolin has probably been bored all day anyway so he'd love an excuse to get out for a little while," he tells me. "Anyway, it's not safe to be alone around here, remember? You learned that the hard way."

"Fine," I give in bitterly, still sick and tired of people having to protect me. "But only because I want to spend some time with him."

He chuckles before opening the door for us and stepping in. I'm on his trail as he leads us down an unknown amount of halls and up a few staircases. Finally, we arrive at the attic and we're climbing up the stairs to it as he calls out Bolin's name. While he does so, I take the time to study their home.

It's not big, of course, but it isn't particularly small either. Tall windows cover all four walls, granting the most beautiful view of both Air Temple Island and the city. There appears to be only one large yet narrow room that holds a couch, some random boxes and weights scattered around, and a little mini, mediocre kitchen in a corner. But, when I notice two latter's heading upwards, I discover some flooring that juts out from the wall and has two beds placed on either side. Lastly, when you peek over to the left, you see a door the most likely leads to a tiny bathroom. I smile to myself when I realize the conditions they're living in isn't bad at all; this attic is actually quite homey.

"Bolin? You here, bro?" I'm shaken out of my trance when my ears pick up Mako still hollering out for Bolin. My gaze floats over to where he's perched on their couch, glancing around the room skeptically.

"He's not here?" I question.

"Guess not." I catch the worry starting to creep up in his voice.

I lick my lips, thinking for a few moments, before I perk up with an idea. "Maybe he went to see Korra on the island."

He ponders my suggestion before shrugging. "It's a possibility," he agrees, getting to his feet and heading toward the exit. "I might as well take you home then so I can look for him there."

"Alright."

We take a ferry to the island and thankfully we get there pretty fast. I instruct for him to follow me and Iead him up toward the training area where Korra would probably be. As we near our destination, I can make out Korra's, Ikki's and Jinora's forms rather easily. The little girls gazes fix over to us and they start giggling and saying inaudible things to Korra who has her back faced to us. I'm about able to make out what they're amused about, but right when we approach them, Korra uses her earth bending to force them away.

"Uh, hey, you two," Korra greets, her nervous grin obviously because of Mako's presence. "How was your guy's day?"

I'm about to respond but Mako's blunt question interrupts me, "You seen Bolin?"

"Nice to see you, too," she mumbles sarcastically before answering, "And no, I haven't seen him since practice. Why? You think something's wrong?"

"We don't know," I sigh out, concern of my own now shooting through me. "We got back to the arena and he wasn't there."

A troubled noise brews up from the back of Mako's throat as he squeezes his eyes shut stressfully. "Bolin has a knack for getting into stupid situations," he tells us, turning on heels to begin to leave. "See you guys later."

"Wait!" Korra calls, jogging to over to his side. "I could, uh, help you look for him?"

"Nah, I got it."

She quickly takes a hold of his elbow, pulling him to a halt as she remarks, "Hey, cool guy, let me help you." He purses his lips in uncertainty but nods, agreeing anyway. "We can take Naga."

"Who's Naga?" he asks.

"Besides Tori, my best friend - and a great tracker."

He just shrugs and right when they're about to head toward Naga's den, I skid in front of them. "I think you guys are forgetting something," I hint.

They both share genuinely confused looks before Korra questions, "What?"

"Me."

She shakes her head immediately. "I don't think that is such a good idea, Tor."

I clench my fists at my sides. "And why not?"

"Because it could get dangerous -"

"Oh no, do not give me that bullshit, Korra," I interject, surprising both of them with my word choice and harsh tone. "I am worried about Bolin, too, so I have just as much as a right to go as you do."

She stares at me with hesitance and I can tell she is about to argue back, but thankfully Mako comes to my rescue. "Come on, Korra. She'll be fine," Mako assures. "We'll be there encase she is danger anyway."

I shoot him a long, grateful look and my hopeful gaze focuses back on Korra when she finally gives in. "Alright, fine," she grumbles, draping her arms over her chest with a harsh scowl plastered on her face.

I beam joyfully and lope over to stand in between them. I lock arms with both of them as I sing out playfully, "Onward!" before starting forward. Korra chortles at my behavior while Mako just smirks and rolls his eyes, each reaction satisfying. Another pleasing detail I notice is how Mako's stare lingers shortly on Korra for longer than needed when she begins speaking - this, itself, fills me with smug happiness.

I think Mako's female searching may come to end quite soon.