This is the first Legend of Korra story I have written. I've had an itch to do a story for the fandom for quite some time now (since the show started, actually), but never really got around to it. As the description suggests, this is a Makorra fanfic taking place after the events of episode 9. I may be turning this into a collection of Makorra stories, but only time will tell. For now, enjoy!

It was a rather difficult few hours, to say the least.

The group had arrived on Air Temple Island shortly after finding Naga wandering the late night streets of Republic City with Korra on her back. The entire ride back, Mako hadn't left Korra's side. She was passed out beside him on Oogi's saddle; his arm supported her sleeping frame all the way. He didn't dare take his eyes off of her, for he wanted to watch over her during this time. He wanted to be there when she woke up; he wanted to be there if she thrashed around from a nightmare; he wanted to be there to protect her from any possible type of danger.

Bolin had observed the two with a sad look on his face. Yes, he was happy they had found Korra alive, but he hated seeing her in this condition. Korra, the strong, brave, amazing, powerful, beautiful avatar had been broken down to a vulnerable, beaten and battered seventeen year old girl. Nothing more, nothing less. He hated seeing Korra in such a condition as much as his brother did. Hell, he hated seeing his brother so upset over Korra. There was something troubling Bolin had noticed, however.

Asami.

He had taken a quick glance at those who occupied Oogi's saddle; Tenzin, who, of course, had taken the reins tied to Oogi's horns to navigate him back home; Lin Beifong, sitting behind the Airbender with a stern look on her face; Mako and Korra, the latter sleeping with her back propped up against the edge of the saddle, and partly against the side of Mako's body, and the former, his eyes glued to her as if she would vanish before his eyes if he dared look away, with his arm supporting her.

Then came Asami. She had been keeping her distance from the group as soon as she witnessed Mako rushing to Korra's aid and scooping her up into the safety that was his arms. She sat at the very back of the saddle, her hands resting in her lap, and her gaze focused on the city below them. Her expression was a bit difficult to read, Bolin would admit, but he at least knew what was on her mind. What was bugging her.

Despite Tenzin's words, Mako scooped Korra back into his arms once the group had landed on the island and nearly broke out into a run toward the girls' dormitories. Tenzin had opened his mouth to stop the young man, but was stopped himself when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Let him go. He'll make sure she is well taken care of." It was Lin's hand resting upon him. She looked off in the direction Mako had taken, observing the young man's face. Every few seconds, he would steal a glance at Korra and then revert his gaze back to the path before him. She watched as he struggled to open the door to the building with Korra still in his arms, yet he somehow managed it, and slipped inside. "I'll fill Pema in and have her call for some healers." Lin's hand left his shoulder as she began to walk towards the building she could only assume belonged to the Airbender and his family.

"You two," Tenzin set his eyes on the two teenagers standing off to the side. "Go keep an eye on Mako. I know he is concerned about Korra, but I don't want him getting in the way of the healers. Keep him busy the best you can."

"We're on it!" Bolin nodded. "Operation: Keep Mako Busy, is a go!" Bolin motioned Asami to follow with his hand as he made way for the girls' dormitories.

As soon as Mako had set Korra down on her bed, he had been ushered out of the room by the healers who had recently arrived. It was as if he had been frozen in time from the moment the group had discovered Korra. The only people seeming to exist were him and her, so being commanded out by others left him a bit bewildered until he remembered where he was and what was happening. Bolin had greeted his brother with Asami in tow, her gaze set sternly on Mako for a moment, and moving anywhere but him. Mako had soon found himself walking along the various paths on the island with his brother and girlfriend. Bolin had been chattering something to him, but he didn't hear a word his brother spoke. His mind was elsewhere; on the girl back in her room, surrounded by healers who no doubt had stripped her down in order to search for injuries covered by her clothing.

The various cuts and bruises that were visible flooded Mako's mind. He remembered wiping away some blood from the cut on her face, prompting him to look down at his hands. Sure enough, they were stained red with Korra's blood. He guessed he picked up the majority from carrying and wrapping her up in his arms.

"-I mean... Wait. Mako, are you even listening?"

The sound of his name pulled him back down to reality. His brother was looking back at him over his shoulder waiting for an answer. "Um, sorry... What were you saying, Bo?"

Bolin's brows rose and he let out a chuckle in attempt to help ease the tension and distance he felt from both his brother and Asami. "I was saying that it's lucky we found Korra when we did! I mean, who knows what would have happened if we didn't hear Naga's howl!"

Mako winced at the sound of Korra's name - the same thoughts he had been broken of just seconds ago flooding his mind once again. He did his best to ignore them, knowing she was in excellent hands under the healers. She was the avatar, after all. She would pull through this. She had to.

"Yeah... Real lucky..." was all Mako could manage to say. What else was there to say? All he knew was that he would rather be at Korra's bedside than walking the moonlit island.

"There you three are!" A younger voice rang out. Sure enough, it was Ikki rushing toward them. "Mommy wanted me to let you all know that she's made a late dinner for you." The energetic girl jumped up and down, clapping her hands together as she spoke.

Bolin grinned at the thought of food; his stomach had started growling once they finally found Korra alive, signaling he was relieved enough to eat. "I'm starving! Thanks, kid." Bolin patted Ikki's head to which she replied with a grin matching his own. Asami could only nod and smile in agreement.

Mako could honestly say he didn't care about food at the time being. How could anyone with an injured Korra being tended to by healers? "Is there any news on Korra, yet?" he asked.

Ikki's face dropped at the sudden question. "No. Daddy hasn't heard anything, yet, but Mommy says we all need to eat and rest while we wait."

"I'm not very hungry." Mako replied, shoving his blood stained hands in his pockets. "You guys can go on ahead without me. I want to head back to the dorms and wait. I want to be there when they allow Korra visitors."

"Oh, no you don't!" Bolin latched onto Mako's arm, yanking him forward. "I know you're worried about Korra - all of us are - but you need to remember that Korra is being taken care of. She'd want you to eat, especially since you haven't had a bite all day! You think she'd want you starving because you're worried about her?"

"No, but-"

"No buts!" Bolin yanked him forward some more until he was finally walking with the three back to the dining area in Tenzin's house. He shoved Mako down on a cushion at the table and took a seat himself. Asami followed.

Mako stared at the food before him. His stomach didn't even do much as growl at the sight of Pema's delicious cooking. It was safe to say he must have lost his appetite somewhere along the search for Korra.

Pema had arrived in the room with three bowls of rice and began setting them in front of the three teenagers. It was when she was setting Mako's rice bowl in front of him that she noticed his stained clothing. "Mako, sweetheart, your jacket is covered in blood. Let me wash it for you."

Mako looked up at Pema and then down at his jacket. Sure enough, there were various spots ranging in size in what could only be Korra's blood.

It made him sick just looking at it. Knowing she had bled this much.

He complied, however, standing up and removing his jacket, leaving him in his white undershirt. At the moment, he didn't care about proper table manners. He slung his scarf over his shoulders and met Pema halfway, handing over his soiled jacket.

"I'll have this to you once it's finished. In the mean time, please sit down and at least eat something." Pema smiled, taking the jacket from Mako. She examined the stains and nodded to herself. The blood hadn't set yet, so she would have no trouble getting them out. Hey eyes moved back on Mako, a sullen look on his face. "...We're all very worried for Korra, Mako, but you need to understand that the healers are taking the greatest of care with her. Sit down and eat. Tenzin will let all of you know when you can visit Korra, that is, if the kids don't beat him to it..." Her chuckle caused Mako to revert his gaze back towards her. With a nod in thanks, he walked back to the cushion beside his brother and sat down.

Grabbing the chopsticks, Mako poked around at the rice. His appetite didn't seem to be returning any time soon, but, with Bolin hounding him on how important it is that he eat something, he forced himself to take a few bites of the rice, as well as the various other foods Pema had set out for them. It was as Mako went to take another small bite of rice that Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo came into the room with Tenzin in tow. "No running! Ikki, Jinora, stop! Meelo, no Air Scooters in the house!"

Mako couldn't contain himself any longer. At the sight of the children and their father, he was certain they brought good news with them. "Korra! Is she alright? Is she awake?" He quickly rose to his feet and rushed over to Tenzin and the children.

Tenzin let out a sigh of relief and began speaking. "The healers have done the best job that they can. Korra's injuries have been healed to an extent to stop the bleeding, however the worst ones are covered in bandages, just as a precaution. She is still sleeping, but, you each may see her, if you wish."

"Daddy, no fair!" Ikki whined, tugging on Tenzin's robes. "They get to see Korra but we can't?"

"As I said, Ikki..." Tenzin let out one more sigh, this one more in annoyance. "Korra is still sleeping. You three can see her once she is awake. You're too rambunctious at the moment."

The three children continued their pestering, but Mako wasn't planning on staying to listen. He had already ditched his meal and set out for the girls' dormitories, completely ignoring Asami's concerned look and Bolin's "Hey, wait! I want to see her, too!". He honestly didn't care at the moment if the two were following him or not. He wanted to see Korra for himself and assess the work the healers had done. It had taken them this long to do something, so they had to have done an amazing job, right? Healers were experts at making things disappear. Could they have made her pain disappear in an instant? Is that how healing worked? Mako sure hoped that was the case.

He nearly tore down the doors to the building, ignoring the White Lotus Sentries' orders not to enter. Were they not aware he was Korra's friend? Were they not made aware that the healers gave Tenzin the go-ahead to allow her visitors? Whatever the case, Mako would agree with anyone that said These sentries suck. He made sure to enter her room without the urgency he showed when entering the building, not wanting to wake her from her sleep.

Before him, Korra was asleep in her bed; the covers pulled up to her waist. Her upper torso and shoulders were covered in one large wrapping of bandages. The cut on her face was also covered with a bandage, and Mako was sure she had more bandages across the rest of her body; ones he'd rather not think about. He didn't want to face how badly beaten Korra was. He looked to the side of the room, noticing a chair. He grabbed the back of it and set it down at Korra's bedside.

"Korra..." Mako whispered, relieved to finally be back at her side. He brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. "What did that bastard do to you?"

His head shot up at the loud thump that came from outside of the room. He eyed the door, glaring when Bolin came through. "If you don't keep it down, you're going to wake her up!" He hissed a whisper.

Bolin returned his brother's glare, though it softened when he finally got a good look at Korra. His heart sunk. "I thought you wanted to be here when she woke up? My noise would just speed up the process!" Bolin whispered, taking a seat on the chair across from the bed.

"Not under that condition. I want her to wake when she's well rested and ready. Not because my idiot of a brother decided it'd be best to make some noise to speed things up." Mako smirked when he caught glimpse of Bolin's goofy grin. "...Where's Asami?"

Bolin's grin faded. "She decided to stay back and clean up while Pema washed your jacket." He noticed when his brother's eyes hardened and went back to Korra. "She cares as much for Korra as we do, bro. I think she thought it was best for you to be alone."

"But I'm not alone." Mako pointed out.

"I know, I know. I'm here. Look, I'm gonna' go and help Tenzin with the kids while he discusses things with the sentries and the healers." Bolin stood from the chair, patted his brother's back, and headed for the door. "You let me know when she wakes up." And with that, he left, closing the door behind him.

Korra began to stir in her sleep, startling Mako. Was she having a nightmare? Did she have a fever? Whatever it was, he would help her somehow. His hand reached for her forehead and rested there for a moment. Okay. A small fever. Did the healers catch that? His hand moved from her forehead to her own hand that was hanging off the edge of the bed. He grasped it.

She grasped it back.

His worried look softened.

"Nng..." Korra groaned. She could barely even keep her eyes open, but she was determined not to lose consciousness again. She was becoming more and more aware of the breeze on her midriff and hoped that this meant she was finally waking up. Her eyes finally decided to open half way, but with heavy eyelids. It didn't matter. As long as she was awake.

"Korra!" Mako grinned at the groan she had let out. Yes, it was most likely in pain, but at least she was finally waking up. He didn't take his eyes off of her - not for the slightest second - and waited for her to realize where she was and who was with her.

"M-mako?" Her voice a barely audible whisper. Looking to her right, Korra could only see a fuzzy figure that began to take shape as her eyes focused. She was greeted by those amber eyes of his and a huge grin. The grin confused her. Mako wasn't the type to grin so easily. That was more Bolin's style. "What's with the goofy smile?" Her voice came out weak, but more audible than before.

Mako's grin faded into a soft smile. "You finally wake up and those are the first words you say?" He shook his head. "How are you feeling?"

Korra shifted slightly, attempting to prop herself up on her elbows. She winced and gave up. "Sore."

"I bet. You... took quite a beating."

Korra winced once more. Not from pain, but from the memories that came back to her of being bloodbent by Tarrlok; trying to escape the metal box he had her imprisoned in; falling down the snowy hill and hitting that tree that just had to be there. "Yeah..." She gripped the end of Mako's scarf with her free hand and he realized she was still half asleep. "Your scarf isn't in it's usual fashion... And you're missing your jacket."

Mako rose a brow. "Seriously, you need to worry about yourself and not my clothing."

Korra's eyes left his and stared down at her body. She scanned over the bandages covering the upper half of her torso, and faintly made out the bandages on her legs from the small opening in the sheets draped over her lower half. The room had gone silent. Not that she minded. Just knowing that Mako was with her was comforting enough to Korra. Absentmindedly, she played with the end of his scarf still in her hand, and allowed her mind to wander. She recalled being found by Naga after who knew how long of lying in the cold snow. With Korra on her back, Naga had navigated out of the area Tarrlok had held her captive, carefully analyzing the surrounding trees for any hidden Equalist Amon may have sent after Korra, and eventually arrived back on the empty streets of Republic City. Korra remembered hearing Naga howl up at the sky before coming to a stop. Before she knew it, Lin, Tenzin, Asami, and Bolin had surrounded her, each glad that she was safe. Her vision was still fuzzy during that time, so when she saw a figure coming towards her and pushing Lin out of his way, she was taken aback until she heard his voice. "Give her some space!" Mako had told them before grabbing the slumped over Korra from Naga's back and taking her into his arms. His eyes had been full of so much worry that it sent a pang of guilt surging through Korra, however, she had put on a smile. She really was glad he was there. She was glad all of them were there.

"...I thought you were dead."

The comforting silence had been broken, and Korra felt Mako squeeze her hand ever so slightly. The pain in his voice was undeniable, to say the least. Had she really put him through that much emotional pain?

"I'm sorry I worried you." She looked back at his face and noticed he was looking down at her hand. It was a bit difficult to accurately read his expression, for her vision was still not back to its normal, but if his tone was anything to go by...

Mako's eyes flickered back up. Had she really just said that? "Why would you apologize? What happened wasn't your fault."

"If I had been stronger..."

"You and I both know you couldn't have countered Tarrlok's bloodbending. You may be the avatar, Korra, but you still have your weaknesses. You're only human." He managed a small smile. "You can't blame yourself for what happened. What matters is that you're safe, now."

The silence fell over them once more. This time, not as comforting as it had once been. Korra's hand left Mako's scarf and went to rest on her forehead. She supposed Mako was right. There wasn't much she could have done against Tarrlok without the knowledge on how to preform bloodbending. He had the upper hand the entire time, something he was most certainly aware of. She counted herself lucky, however, having escaped both Tarrlok and Amon, despite what it had cost her. She tried once more to prop herself up into a sitting position, and, this time, Mako helped her, placing his free hand on her back in assistance. The corners of her lips twitched in response to the pain she felt from just simply moving, but she hid it well with a weak smile. Mako's hand which still held onto hers lost its grip when he went to scratch an annoying itch on his upper back. That swift motion was all Korra needed to catch the red tinge on his palm. Her eyes went wide.

Mako took notice to Korra's sudden change in expression and furrowed his brows in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Your hands..." She whispered. "Is that... blood?"

Mako's eyes instantly shot down to his palms as he remembered the stains. His stomach knotted. "Yeah." His answer was simple, and he was sure the pain he was feeling was written all across his face. Korra knew the extent of her injuries. There was no way she couldn't. It was just... He didn't want to have her relive the memories. Telling her that the blood belonged to her, and there was more on his jacket would surely bring some painful memories back to her mind. He also didn't want to lie to her. What good would that do?

"My blood." Was all she said. Mako kept his head down, but looked at her through his eyelashes. He watched as Korra's formerly downcast eyes looked back at him, specifically his torso. He guessed she had finally figured out why he was missing his jacket. "That's why your jacket is gone. Pema is washing out the blood stains." He was surprised, to say the least, that Korra's words came as a statement, rather than a question. There wasn't really any point in hiding this from her. Yet, he still wanted to protect her, even if all he was protecting her from at this point was further mental harm. At this point, all Mako could do was nod in response.

"It wasn't a lot, but it was a fair amount. Tenzin said that the healers were able to stop the bleeding as much as they could, and that the bandages you have are just as a precaution, as well as to keep the wounds from getting infected. We don't need you getting worse off than you already are." He found himself moving the few stray strands of hair away from her face again as he spoke. "I should go get Tenzin. I'm sure he wants to speak with you, now that you're awake."

Korra grabbed Mako's wrist as he stood from his chair. "Wait," she began. "Stay. At least until I fall asleep, again. I don't think I have enough energy to hold a full conversation, yet."

Mako looked down at her. She was right; she looked to be on the verge of passing out again. He didn't blame her. After everything she had been through, she needed all of the rest she could get. "Of course." He complied and sat back down. The silence returned for what would most likely be the last time of the night. Korra and Mako's eyes remained on each other the entire time, and when her eyelids became to heavy to fight any longer, she whispered "Thanks, City Boy."

Mako allowed a small smile to graze his face. He was oh so relieved to be looking at a peacefully sleeping Korra, instead of the broken Korra they had found drifting in and out of consciousness. He allowed himself a moment to stay with her, just to make sure she didn't wake from a nightmare or from pain, before standing up from his chair. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Sleep well, Korra. I'll be back first thing in the morning."

He left the room after that, making sure to close the door as carefully and noiselessly as possible, and his mind began to wander. Was that innocent kiss on the forehead just a simple gesture from a friend, or had it been a gesture that meant more? He would figure that out later. Either way, he was now willing to accept how strong the feelings he harbored for Korra were.

That's it! I hope you all enjoyed. If you spot any mistakes that I missed during my proof reading, please do not hesitate to point them out. Like I said at the top, this may turn into a collection of Makorra shorts, but only time will tell. Please leave a review if you have the time!