Hello everyone. I'm just gonna throw this out there...I am a Makorra fan. I have been ever since I saw the previews for Book 1. I think part of it stems back to my favorite fire and water couple not getting together in The Last Airbender (I'm talking about Zutara obviously). Anyways, I actually thought the ending was really good. I am able to wrap my head around Korra and Asami and have no bad feelings.

That being said, I was left wondering about the happy ending Mako would eventually get...and this story kind of spiraled from that. Mako's happy ending will eventually come in the form of 'Rika' a firebender who was raised in the Northern Water Tribe, and who served in the military for 5 years before joining the police while Mako was playing bodyguard for Wu. She is 21.

Anyways, enough of my rambling...read on!

Souls on Fire

Mako subconsciously flexed his arm as he walked back into Republic City Police Department Headquarters. He was on administrative leave ever since the final battle with Kuvira, that was six months ago and his arm was finally healed enough to return to work. It still hurt like an angry spirit, but at least he could move it around. After Bolin had rescued him and he had gone to a healer, he learned that the nerves in his arm were completely fried. It took several physical therapy sessions to reconnect the nerves. They told him it would be like flipping on a switch…they clearly had never gone through the ordeal themselves.

Looking back on his situation, it was a miracle he didn't lose his arm…he didn't know how he would get over that hurdle if fate had took him in that direction.

After successfully defending Republic City, Mako was thrilled to learn that Prince Wu was abolishing the monarchy and installing a democratic system into the Earth Kingdom. While the young prince might not have been cut out to be a great leader…the kid had spirit. And Mako respected that.

Since Wu no longer needed an official bodyguard, Chief Beifong personally told Mako that he was able to return to work at HQ as soon as he was properly healed up.

Although Mako had grown fond of Wu as he would a little brother, Mako could not have been more thrilled at the prospect of returning to police work. No more dress codes; No stupid button up jackets with the matching pants, no grooming guidelines that required hair to be combed and kempt, back to what he was good at.

Mako immediately let his hair grow back out and pulled out his favorite grey jacket from the back of his closet. Pulling on his fingerless gloves, and stringing up his boots…he was ready to face the world.

oOoOo

"Welcome back, kid." Lin smiled and gripped Mako's good shoulder affectionately when he entered her office.

"It's good to be back, Chief." Mako nodded and took a seat as Lin motioned for him to do so.

"Seeing as your still on limited duty, I can't give you any assignments that are too strenuous." Lin said as she studied his file, when Mako groaned she shot him an annoyed look, "Healer's orders, Kid."

"The healer told me just last week that I was already back to 75% normality." Mako tried to explain.

"That's 25% less than where I want you to be kid," Lin didn't budge, "So for now…you're gonna be patrolling Central. Just keep your eyes on the streets…you see anything suspicious do not engage unless it is absolutely necessary, Got it?"

"Yes Ma'am." Mako sighed in defeat as he stood up from his chair and got ready to head for his motorcycle.

"Oh before you go, how's Korra doing?" Lin asked, "I haven't seen her in a couple of weeks."

"She's doing well, she and Asami actually just left for the Southern Water Tribe to visit Korra's parents."

Lin nodded, "I always had a good feeling about those two."

Mako bit his lip and nodded. While he was extremely grateful to have Korra back in his life…he couldn't help but be a little bitter at the fact that his two ex-girlfriends were happier with each other than with him.

After all each of them had a special place in his heart. Asami being his first girlfriend, and Korra being the first girl he truly loved. In the end it just came down to the fact that they had different life goals, and fate was leading them down separate paths.

But as long as they were happy, he was happy. He wanted nothing but the best for the both of them, and all he wanted was to be there for the two of them as a friend.

oOoOo

Mako sat on a bench, with his arms crossed and sulked. He had been out here for over two hours…and there had been absolutely NOTHING! Not a single pickpocket, not a verbal altercation, not even a single piece of litter had been thrown as far as he knew.

He was stuck here, in the high class section of town, watching the rich families walk their dogs and go to dinner at the fancy restaurants.

He sighed as he leaned back and stretched out his limbs. He flexed his arm which was beginning to get stiff, his shift ended in a couple hours and he could go to a pharmacy and pick up some painkillers.

Mako shifted his gaze to the ground and absentmindedly kicked a small pebble with his boot, watching it skid along the ground. He was going to die of boredom if nothing exciting happened.

As if the spirits heard his prayer an elderly voice called out, "Someone help me, somebody please help me!"

Mako rose from the bench so quickly that it shook. He sprinted to the location of the voice he heard and saw a 60 year old man on the side of the street. A small crowd was gathered around him, and Mako had to push a few people out of the way to get to him.

"I'm a police officer, what happened here?" Mako demanded as he kneeled down and helped prop the man up against a telephone pole.

The man was bleeding slightly from his head, so Mako took a cloth out from his pocket and applied pressure to the man's forehead as the elder explained what happened.

"Four of them came," He cried, "demanded that I pay them 5000 yuons as protection money. When I refused, they threw me to the ground and destroyed my cabbage stall!"

Mako looked over and saw that there was a pile of broken and splintered wood on the ground, green vegetables had rolled every which way. In the midst of the rubble were several ice shards that were now starting to melt.

'Red Monsoon Triad' Mako thought as he surveyed the damage. "Do you have any idea where they went sir?"

"Something about an old warehouse in the slums," he whimpered as he applied pressure to his head.

"Okay," Mako nodded as he headed for his motorcycle, "A healer will be on their way shortly…just hang tight."

"Red Monsoon Triad…got it!" Mako thought excitedly as he revved up his bike and began the trek to Slumtown, completely forgetting Lin's warning from earlier.

oOoOo

A matter of minutes later, Mako stood outside the abandoned factory and began scoping it out. He peered through a broken glass window and saw a group of Triad members all clad in blue…definitely the Red Monsoon Triad, the waterbending gang of Republic City.

He counted five Triad members, and without stopping to properly think out a plan of attack he found himself running into the building to take down these scumbags.

"Freeze!" Mako ordered as he tumbled into the warehouse and immediately took up an offense attack pose, ready to start throwing fire balls around if any of these thugs provoked him.

There were five of them, four men and one girl. There ages ranged from 40 to 20…no matter, he liked a good challenge. "RCPD…you are all under arrest."

The four men all turned to look at each other before they all burst out laughing, all holding their stomachs or keeling over. The girl on the other hand…she simply rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, as if she was annoyed or bothered.

"Kid, I don't know who you think you are…" The Leader drawled as he stepped forward, cracking his knuckles, "But you clearly just stepped into something a little too big for you. And you see, we all hate dirty, stinking, rotten, COPS!"

Mako braced for it, but he still was put on the defensive as the Red Monsoon leader began assaulting him with chunks of ice.

Mako jumped and flipped out of the way, summoning fire to dissolve the ice if they came to close to him. He was going to have to tire the triad leader out…but that was going to be a little difficult since the rest of his gang (minus the girl) started surrounding him on all four sides.

As they assaulted him with wave upon wave of water, Mako summoned a shield of fire to protect himself…but it wouldn't last long.

He was up a creek without a paddle and needed to think of a way out of this situation. Chief Beifong was right, he thought. He wasn't ready to be back on the streets yet, he should've just stayed in Central like he was told.

And because he was stubborn, and refused to back down he found himself at the mercy of four ruthless water benders who had a grudge against cops!

Before Mako could think of an escape plan he heard a loud thud, as if someone had fallen to the ground.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Marika?" Mako heard the leader demand as he refocused his attention away from Mako.

Mako took his shields down and noticed that the three lackeys were all incapacitated on the ground, and the only one left standing was the leader, who was facing the girl.

"Sorry Shang," She apologized as she spun through the air dodging the ice attacks with expertise.

Mako just stood there dumbfounded, and glued on the spot as he watched the two duel. Her fighting style was similar to that of the fire nation. And as if on cue, she unleashed a turret of fire at Shang…which caught on his wool coat and began to burn.

Shang ran around trying to extinguish the flames, all the while screaming to Marika in disbelief, "You're a bloody firebender?"

Mako couldn't believe it himself. She was dressed in navy blue and white. The colors of the Water Tribes. She had the dark skin tone of the water benders, and the brown hair and blue eyes of the Water Tribe. She looked the part of a water bender…and yet here she was, bending fire like a pro.

They locked eyes for a moment as Shang continued to run around like an idiot before Mako grabbed his collar with his good hand, and ran him straight into a box of crates…effectively knocking him out.

Mako turned back to look at Marika…whose hands were smoking…she did not look happy.

"YOU IDIOT!" The girl seethed as she stared down Mako.

oOoOo

Both Mako and the undercover agent 'Marika' were sitting in Chief Beifong's office as the elder woman paced around behind her desk trying to figure out the best course of action for her two younger officers.

"Ten months of undercover work…wasted!" Marika sighed as she crossed her legs and hid her head behind her hand as she rubbed her brow.

Rika had changed back into her normal attire after returning to Headquarters. She had on a sleeveless black leather jacket with a maroon red tank top on underneath. Hanging down from her neck were a pair of dog tags from the United Nations Special Forces...the best of the best in the military.

"Oh stop acting like it's the end of the world Rika…" Lin ordered before sitting down at her desk finally, "I take full responsibility in this matter. Officer Mako hasn't been actively involved in police work for over three years, I should have notified him of the operation in the Slums before I sent him on patrol."

Mako sighed in relief as Lin let him off the hook.

"That being said however," Lin started again as she crossed her arms and looked at Mako, "I would like to know what you were doing in Slumtown…when you were assigned to the sector CLEAR ON THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN!"

Mako sunk in his chair, Chief Beifong could be very scary when she wanted to be. He cleared his throat before looking over at Rika accusingly, "I was in Central Station, I stayed there all throughout my shift until I got a call saying that a group of triad members were robbing a merchant stall…I got there too late, the merchant was slightly shaken but otherwise all right and he told me the direction they were headed. Which just so happened to be Slumtown!"

Rika snapped her head forward and crossed her arms as she sunk down in her chair, she was a girl who took work very seriously…every day she had to work under those scumbags made her cringe. She looked forward to the day she got to bring them all down, but now it looked like she wasn't even going to be the one to do that.

Lin rubbed her chin as she thought of a way to salvage the situation. "Rika, did any Triad members escape the warehouse?"

Rika shook her head, her brown bangs bouncing as she did so. "It was just Shang, Fido, Cato, and Fu. And they are all in custody."

"So your cover hasn't been blown as of yet?" Lin asked.

"Technically no," Rika shrugged as she sat up, "But there's no way I can go there without Shang. I was just an initiate…and the minute they find out one of their higher ups is in prison, they're going to know it was me."

Mako listened intently as Rika and Lin discussed the details of the operation. "Not necessarily, were not out of this yet…we just need a new strategy."

"I'm all ears Chief," Rika hopped on board, eager at the prospect of the mission being salvaged.

"Rika, I'd like to formally introduce you to your new partner." Chief Beifong spoke with confidence.

"New partner?" Rika asked with confusion, "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Mako will be joining you when you go back under next week," Lin smirked as she shifted in her seat and looked down at the case file in front of her, effectively blocking out the resounding 'NOOOOOOOOOOOOO' that came from both Rika and Mako as she broke the news to them.

oOoOo

Please, Please, Please let me know what you think! Reviews make my day just a little bit brighter. Right now I see this story having around 5 chapters, but if it becomes pretty popular I'll probably write a follow up story :)

Updates will also be weekly, because I am juggling about 5 fanfics right now (I am horrible at keeping up). I can't help it, if a muse comes to me and I have no choice but to write it down, revise it, and publish it.

Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed…hopefully I'll see some of you back here next week!

~B.