I don't own any of the characters or anything etc etc.
Prologue
Republic City Police Headquarters; Three days after Jinora's mastery ceremony:
The training room was always quiet as shift change came around. Mako preferred the quiet these days. He'd nearly lost her, but that didn't matter anymore. He didn't matter anymore. He hadn't been able to protect her, or Bolin, or any of them. Isn't that why he'd become a goddamn cop in the first place?
His anger manifested in a long spiral of flame that echoed from his fist. He'd been at it for hours, trying to develop new techniques, new forms that would make him stronger. Sure, he could bend Lightening, but most firebenders could nowadays. He needed an advantage. He needed one so he wasn't so useless anymore. A little voice in his head told him to find Tenzin, talk his problems out but it was crushed by the louder voice of his mind. Don't be so selfish, all of them have bigger wounds to deal with than you.
"Kid, why the hell are you still here two hours after shift?" The unmistakable gruffness that was Lin Beifong came right at him out of nowhere. His leg fumbling and his arc of flame fizzling out. He growled and turned his head, his anger firing towards her. "Training, what the hell does it matter to you?" He didn't have to time to with anything but a roll as the earth bender flung two training discs straight at him. "What the-" another two forced him to jump up and forwards, his legs splitting as he did a frontwards flip, two large arcs of fire slamming down around Lin.
Her reply was a cable spinning out and around his wrist, slamming him into the wall. He roared and threw a couple of more out of control and wild swings of fire left him pinned by one arm, covered in sweat and breathing heavily.
"Feeling better punk?" Lin released him, watching his form slump to his knees. She could see his age all very suddenly. 18, so young and in well over his head. She grabbed a water bottle from the training room stores and threw it to him, glad he at least bothered to catch it.
"I'm sorry Chief." He looked up, surprised at the softening of her features as she pulled a chair and sat in front of him. Propping her elbows on her knee's. She saw a lot of herself in Mako, and also saw him repeating a lot of the same mistakes.
"You're not the first rookie to blow up at me, but you are the first that I'll let get away with it. Considering." She didn't need to say what she was taking into consideration, they both knew it was too obvious. "Talk punk."
"It's- It's nothing Chief. I was just stressed, tough first week as a detective you know?" He shrugged as he spoke, but she drowned him in a Beifong glare, between that and the urge to let it out, he spoke again. "I miss her. I miss Korra. There's nothing I can to help her right now, because being around her makes my head swim. Bolin's a lava bender, and that's incredible. Asami can kick most any benders ass without trying and a 13 year old just became a master airbender. Meanwhile I'm unable to do anything other than nearly blow myself up using Lightning. My firebendings not even that good, I used to be able to help, contribute, but now I can't and its driving me up the wall." His voice had gotten loud and louder, and he couldn't help but wonder when he'd stood up and started waving his arms around like a lunatic. Lin's smirk only angered him more.
"First off kid, you're a damn probending champion, thereby, a fantastic Bender. You're also the youngest detective in my force, ever. You've still got a ways to go. As for the Korra thing, she's hurting right now. If you've got love to give her kid, go give it to her. She'll need it." She took a breath and sighed, rubbing her temple. Muttering under her breath. "Can't believe I'm going to say this." She looked back up at him. "Take some time off. I want you to spend as much time as nessecary with Korra, then you're going to the fire nation. You're going to find Lord Zuko, or his daughter and speak with them. You want to be stornger as a firebender? They're the people to talk too." She stood up, holding out her hand. "Your badge." He handed it over with ease. She opened to it and made a few gestures at the silver and gold emblem, watcing it morph. "This will get you pretty much anywhere. It's a special forces badge. Now go, and tell no one this old Lionwhale did this for you." She left the room muttering something about rookies and Mako looked down at the badge.
He'd had moments of clarity before, but this felt different. His fingers tightened around it and he grabbed his uniform jacket off the railing. He had a plan.