Disclaimer: I do not now nor will I ever own The Legend of Korra... and that just ...*sobs into cat*

The prompt for this was "Reincarnation" and then I...

I'm really bad at... titles. *snort*

It all started with a broken alarm clock.

Mako had never been late for work in his life. He prided himself on being almost inhumanely punctual.

So, when he awoke that morning and noticed he was running more than an hour late, he panicked (to put it simply) and tried to stumble out of his bed as quickly as possible. In his haste, his foot got caught in his twisted covers and he tripped, slamming his head on his window sill with a dull thump.

Cursing, he scrambled upright, gently prodding at his forehead with his hand.

"That's going to bruise…" he muttered to himself as he made his way into his bathroom to get ready for work.

He managed to stumble through his morning routine without too many more mishaps. Grumbling to himself as he checked the clock again, he grabbed his briefcase and hurried out of his apartment before breaking into a sprint towards the bus stop.

The bus was usually fairly empty whenever he rode it to work at 6:30. At 8:00, though, it was absolutely packed. There was only one empty seat left— next to a bubbly-looking woman wearing a large pair of sunglasses. He sighed and plopped down next to her.

She turned to him and smiled so brightly, he couldn't help but awkwardly smile back. There was something not only contagious about her smile but also familiar. He furrowed his brow, trying to remember where he'd seen that smile before. She cleared her throat awkwardly before turning to look out the window, bobbing her head to whatever music she was listening to through her headphones. He flushed slightly, realizing he'd been staring at her.

He sighed and looked down at his watch as the bus peeled away from the curb. He glared down at the watch as if he were trying to will time to move slower.

"Late for something?"

The sound of her voice sent a shiver down his spine. He couldn't quite find it within himself to speak.

"Do I smell bad or something?" she asked, laughing quietly.

"… what?" he blurted out, turning to look at her.

"It speaks!" she shouted playfully, her lips turning up into a smirk. "Does it also have a name?"

She was confident and charismatic in a way that, for reasons he couldn't understand, was completely familiar. He couldn't quite shake the feeling that he'd met her before— that he knew her somehow.

She tipped down her sunglasses, peering up at his from over the top of them. He went rigid. Her eyes were as deep and blue as the ocean. They were simply striking against her dark, caramel-colored skin. As beautiful as they were, though, he couldn't fully appreciate them— mainly because could've sworn he'd seen these eyes before, and the fact that he couldn't place from where he'd seen them was frustrating. To say the least.

"Okay…" she muttered, "I guess I'll just call you 'City Boy' for now."

"I'll take that as a compliment, City Boy."

"You'll take what as a compliment?" he asked, rubbing his temples as his head started pounding once more.

"Uh… I didn't… say anything about compliments…" she said, frowning up at him. "Are you okay?"

"Sorry, I'm just…"

"… I'm just confused and—" Her lips were suddenly on his, effectively cutting off his sentence. After the initial shock, he couldn't help but give into his desires and return the kiss. Her touch was forbidden; her taste was divine. If she was the snake then he was Eve, and, despite the repercussions, he couldn't help but enjoy the apple.

"Why are you puckering your lips like that?" she asked, amusement coating her voice.

"I … what? Uh…"

He relaxed his lips, his cheeks burning up in embarrassment.

He was going insane. It was the only explanation.

"I'm sorry, Korra. I hit my head this morning and—"

"— How the hell do you know my name?" she asked, taking her headphones out of her ears.

"I … I don't know…" he said, furrowing his brow in confusion. He hadn't even realized he'd called her that.

He flushed, fidgeting with the handle of his briefcase as she stared at him, her lips pursed in thought.

"… why are you staring at me like that?" he finally asked after a few minutes.

"You just look… weird," she said, shrugging, "…like you're missing something."

"Missing something?" he asked, confused.

"Something red, I guess?"

Red. A red scarf. Red like blood. Their blood… seeping out of their bodies and coating everything around him…

He grabbed his head once again and groaned, trying to make sense of the images assaulting his brain.

"Didn't you say you hit your head?" she asked, her brow furrowed in worry. "Maybe you need medical attention…"

"I'm… I'm fine," he managed to croak out.

She frowned skeptically.

"Here, lemme take a look at it," she said, reaching up to push his hair out of the way.

As soon as her hand touched his skin, it was as if he'd been struck by lightning. Images flooded his brain— private moments and memories that were foreign and yet… felt as if they were his.

She stared up at him, her eyes widening in shock.

"Did you see…" she asked quietly, trailing off as if she were unsure of how to phrase her question. He nodded in response, knowing what she meant to ask.

Her fingers delicately brushed against his cheek as she bit her lip nervously.

"… This might sound weird, but… do you believe in reincarnation?" she asked quietly.

He opened his mouth to answer, but stopped when he realized his answer was no longer accurate.

"If you'd asked me yesterday," he said slowly, "I would've said no…"

"But… now?"

The bus came to halt in front of his stop. He reluctantly turned away from her, standing up with his briefcase in hand. He turned to look back at her, unsure of what to say.

"Hey, do you… uh… want to go get some coffee or tea or something?"

"I have to get to work…"

"Right…. sorry."

"It was nice meeting you, though, Korra…" he said sincerely.

"Yeah. It's been a real pleasure, Mako." she said, smiling widely.

He froze. He hadn't told her his name.

She hadn't told him her name.

She was familiar in ways he couldn't explain. She instilled feelings from within him that he'd never before felt. She turned his world upside down… and yet he wanted, more than anything, to get to know her better.

He decided right then and there that turning away from her and giving up this chance to be with her would be a mistake.

It had all started with a broken alarm clock.

He wasn't the sort of person who believed in these things; however, part of him wondered if fate had a hand in all of this…

If his alarm clock hadn't been broken, he wouldn't have slept in. If he hadn't slept in, he would've caught an earlier bus. If he'd caught and earlier bus, he might never have met Korra. He might've continued to go through his punctual, organized life alone.

He'd never missed a day of work before— he'd simply never before had a reason…

But, as he stared down at this beautiful woman, this oddly familiar stranger, he found a reason.

Tossing his briefcase on the ground at her feet, he sat back down beside to her.

"You know… I happen to know of an amazing café downtown…" he said as suavely as possible, earning yet another beautifully contagious smile from Korra.

"Hmmm… I hope you realize I can't just take your word for it," she said nudging his shoulder playfully with her own. "You're going to have to show me yourself, Cool Guy."

"I feel like I have to forewarn you, though— I may seem cool, but I'm actually an idiot."

"Well, I have a feeling both are true."

"Allow me to prove you wrong, Miss Korra."

"I look forward to it, City Boy."