Chain Reaction

Hey guys, thanks so much for all the reviews. For a few days I was worried. We were stuck at nine for the longest time. I'm trying to keep the plot the same (I have the first chapter up and am glancing at it like every five seconds) so it might take me an extra day to do chapters because things are crazy here right now. Anyway: On with the story!

Wait! I forgot something! Cue disclaimer: Never owned, never will.

I stood there, in the middle of the dance floor for a moment, stunned at her words before a snarl behind me jarred me back to reality. Asami gripped my arm in a surprisingly powerful hold, her manicured nails digging into the silk. She smiled sweetly at her father, and he raised a hand before turning back to his drink and his dull conversation with other manufacturers.

Her green eyes flashed, alight with envy. "What do you think you're doing?" She hissed through her smiling pearly teeth.

I scowled, still partly shocked and mystified at the alluring woman's abrupt leaving and parting words. My eyes flashed to the edges of the room, and I saw a shadow dancing against the walls. A spark of blue came from the darkness, not doubt her icy gaze watching my own unwilling departure.

Asami dragged me further from the ball, into a deserted hallway, her heels clacking obnoxiously loud against the stone. She didn't pause to whirl around to face me, hair swinging into her face. She pushed it back irritably, and I took the moment to brace myself for her wrath.

She was very quiet, trembling with barely contained fury. "Mako, what were you doing with her?"

I decided to play dumb, putting a confused, innocent expression on my face. "Who?"

Her leash of control broke, and suddenly, she was screaming at me. "Don't lie to me! I saw how you danced with her! Who is she?" She demanded with a hard gleam in her eye. She was panting, her finger pointing in an accusing sort of way at my chest. I resisted the urge to take a step back, standing my ground.

"I don't know," I said simply, already craning my neck to look back to the party.

"What do you mean you don't know?" She shrieked, eyes narrowing into tiny slits. She stomped her foot, looking like a child throwing a tantrum.

"I mean," I said through gritted teeth, "That you interrupted before I had a chance to ask her."

She waved it off, stalking a few feet in front of me before turning sharply on one of her dainty heels. She pointed at me again, slowly walking towards me. I gulped, eyes widening in fear. "It doesn't matter who she is," she murmured, and I wasn't sure if she was even talking to me anymore. What matters is that she learns not to touch what's mine."

I glared, taking a step of my own towards her. "I'm not your property Asami. You don't own me."

She clenched her hands into tight fists at her sides, her eyes flashing in anger. She marched a few feet down the hall, stopping at the entrance that led back to the party. "You need to make decision: Her or me. Now." She turned her back towards me, smugness radiating off of her.

I had started walking in the opposite direction of her before she had even finished, towards one of the great archways leading out onto a terrace. Two clicks echoed down the hall to me, and I found myself turning at the sound of them.

Asami's eyes glowered hatefully under her askew raven locks, and she laughed cruelly. "You're too late. She'll be gone by now, and you'll come crawling back to me. You'll see," she said, straightening her posture and sticking her nose primly in the air. "You'll see." And with that, she disappeared around the corner and out of sight.

I waited a few moments before I was sure she was re-immersed into the crowd, my breath fogging in vapory wisps out in front of me. Asami's words haunted me: You're too late. She'll be gone by now.

I ran my fingers through my hair, straightening my expensive robes. They had been Fire Lord Zuko's when he was in power. He had visited Tenzin, and Korra had dragged me along to meet him. As soon as he heard about the ball he had sent them at once, already altered perfectly. He absolutely refused to take them back, not that it stopped me from trying though.

I made my way mechanically back to the party, my mind on the mysterious beauty. She was exquisite, there was no doubt about that, but there was something so very familiar about her. The way her eyes had flashed in fury, her muscular but pliant form as we danced…

I paid no heed to Mr. Sato calling me or Bolin's drunken laughter from the bar. I only had eyes for the woman leaning against a pillar near the entrance, tears frozen on her cheeks, desperately trying to calm herself. She glanced at the clock, and straightened her slightly rumpled attire.

I wrapped my hands securely around her waist as she went to take a step towards the door. My nose brushed along the length of her jaw, and I resisted the urge to bury my face in her tumbling waves. A scent tickled my nose, jasmine and the sea. It was intoxicating. "Going so soon?" She stiffened, and my brows furrowed in confusion.

I absently rubbed her back and tense shoulders; worried I had overstepped my boundaries. "My Lady," I said nervously, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she whispered brokenly, "And everything." She hunched over herself, as if she needed protection from me. I didn't respond, holding her close as she trembled. "Everyone expects so much of me because of my past, and when I finally seemed to find my place here in the city, you sent me tipping out of balance once again."

I turned her around gently, holding onto her arms firmly. I clenched my jaw, considering the words that wanted to tumble out of my mouth carefully. Even facing me, she turned her head away, curls obscuring my view of her defined cheekbones. "My Lady," I whispered finally, wishing to see her face. "I would never upset you on purpose. Tell me what I did so that I may right my wrong."

She laughed humorlessly, the bite of a sob catching in her throat. "You cannot. You have already chosen someone else. Our chance has passed. It is too late." Her words were chillingly like Asami's: You're too late. She'll be gone by now.

I clutched her soft hands in my own rough ones, pressing desperate kisses onto her icy skin. "No," I denied, "It is never too late. Please, my Lady I-"

She pulled herself away gently, the emotions on her face conflicting. "If you truly wish to help me," she breathed her voice unsteady. "You must promise me something."

"Anything," I agreed rashly, searching for the slimmest chance if only to be with her.

"Do not follow me. It will only cause me more pain." The darkness enveloped her in an inky embrace, shrouding her grief stricken frame from my desperately searching eyes. I put my head in my hands, turning and pounding my fists into the solid pillar behind me. After a moment's hesitation, I turned and ran after her, breath coming in short shallow gasps.

The winter air was bitterly cold, but I hardly noticed. I was too focused on the plume of spray that sliced cleanly through the waves, making its way to Aang's Memorial Island. I walked down the docks, looking for a suitable vessel for my own journey.

I breathed onto my hands as I settled into the small craft, protecting them the chill if only for a little while before starting the long voyage to the girl who had stolen my heart with one glance of her wide, innocent blue eyes. I had found her, but there was no way that I was letting her go.

Awwwwwe, now wasn't that cute? Mako's going to be Korra's knight in shining armor! Sorry it took so long to update guys, but things are crazy at school because we only have like two and half weeks left. Then it'll be summer and I can spend it writing Makorra fics all day long. Whoo- hoo! You guys know what to do: Reviews are loved, the people who write them even more so.

SNO.