A/N: So I got a little carried away and originally made this chapter 2700 words long so I decided to split it into two separate chapters. Sunday is really the only day that I have any free time and I spend it writing this. Well enjoy. I even took time to spellcheck it.
I opened my eyes and sighed. "Dammit I did it again didn't I?" I sat up and felt a familiar weight drop from my chest into my lap.
"Wow it's good to see you're awake. You've been asleep for a month." I looked over to Bolin and Hinako. The latter of which walked over and smiled. "Brother it's been too long since you opened your eyes I thought you would never wake up." He pulled back and he had tears in his eyed.
I was baffled and started stuttering nonsense. I turned as the door opened and Jinora walked in. "Jinora have I really been asleep for a month?" She looked shocked at my words. She then glared at Bolin and Hinako.
"You two actually tried to make him think he has been out of it for a month?" She palmed her forehead and looked back at me. "It's only been 2 hours Sai-Ryu." I sighed and jumped off the bed at Hinako.
"It was just a joke brother." He said as he evaded my grasp. I looked back to the bed as Shade meowed loudly and I walked over and picked her up.
"Sorry girl I didn't mean to throw you off when I jumped up." She meowed again and I smiled and placed her in my shirt. "Hey Hinako how's that guy who got hurt?"
Hinako ran to the door. "I don't know he has been in surgery since I brought him here. Let's go check." I followed him out running past Jinora and Rina who was just outside of the door. We ran until we were stopped by a nurse.
"The man I brought in how is he? Is he out of surgery yet? Can we go see him?" Hinako shot all his questions rapid fire.
To her credit the nurse didn't falter or hesitate at all. "He is fine and yes he's out and follow me." We walked with her down the hall into a room and looked at the man on the bed and a woman and child sitting next to him. He looked at us and clapped his hands together.
"There they are. The men who saved not only my life but that of the other people too." He tried to sit up but the woman put her hand on his chest and stopped him.
"I think what my husband id trying to say is thank you." She ran over and hugged us both. "The doctor said if he had gotten her just 5 minutes later he would have died for sure. You saved his life."
Hinako scratched his head. "No he saved his own life. I saw it, as soon as the ice came down he shifted his leg and the guys arm changed direction ever so slightly. I was so amazed I just had to make sure I got you to the hospital personally to ask you how you did that." Hinako walked over and sat down.
The man, his wife and the child put their heads down. He sighed heavily and spoke. "I am a blood bender. I have refused to use this despicable technique ever since I found out I could do it." I walked over.
"What's blood-bending as why is it so bad?" I was about to speak again until Lin walked into the room.
"Arrest that man, he is charged with using blood-bending a technique that has been banned for close to a century." Two officers walked in and were closing in on the bed when Hinako stepped in front of them.
"Outlawed or not he didn't use it until he absolutely had to even then it was so minor no one would have ever noticed. I barely saw it." He raised an arm at the officers.
"No matter how minimal or how much of a criminal he used it against he still used it. Viper said he went for the killing blow but his body moved on its own. He said it was like facing Tarrlok all over again. That's when I knew he was a blood bender." Lin stepped forward and I moved in front to block her.
"Lin the man used it as a beyond last resort and he didn't do it to hurt anyone even the man trying to kill him. He did it so he could maybe see his wife and child again." I glared at her with hard eyes.
"Lin if you arrest this man you will have made an enemy out of me." Hinako said as he stepped forward.
"Same with me Lin. Let him return to his life or fight us here and now." I made their metal uniforms shake and Hinako made the vases of flowers shake.
Lin looked from us to the man then back to us. "Very well but on one condition." I stopped and looked on. "When he heals he must check in with us once a week."
I scoffed. "No. When he heals he goes back to his life." I turned and looked at him and nodded.
Hinako stepped over to him. "I have one condition on his release. He must teach me blood-bending." He looked at Lin with the coldest glare I have ever seen and she stepped back.
"Sai-Ryu be reasonable we cannot have more blood benders running around." She looked afraid and I turned.
"Once my brother finds something he wants he usually gets it and this will be no exception. I will personally ask Korra if she will over watch the training. Beyond that if I do not disagree with you but I see the benefits will far outweigh the consequences." I looked at the man and did a half smile. "As long as he agrees to it that is."
He sat in silence for a while and finally spoke. "On one condition. You have Avatar Korra remove my bending once I teach him." I nodded and shook his hand.
"By the way I'm Sai-Ryu and this is my brother Hinako." I turned and headed towards the door grabbing the police officers by the arms and leading them out.
"My name is Mahi." He shouted to me. I continued to lead Lin and the two officers out. Once we cleared the door I stepped side to side.
"Do you realize how hard it was for me to talk to you like that? I meant I have never gone against my elders but I had to stand up for him. It felt like you were bullies and I had to protect the weaker person. Promise me you won't make me angry at you again." I wrapped Lin up in a hug and set her down. I proceeded to walk away leaving a stunned Lin in my wake.
I walked down the hall and Shade climbed out of my shirt and up onto my shoulder. I scratched her chin and chuckled. "Enjoy that spot while you can because when you get bigger I'm not going to let you back up there." She meowed and dug her claws in.
I walked for a while and stopped. "I am so lost." I said aloud looking around.
"Where are you looking to go?" A heavily bandaged boy crutched over to me and stopped. I looked at him and felt like I had seen him before.
"Meeks? Was it? I'm Sai-Ryu I saw you earlier, I was with Asami and a couple others." I tried to get a good look at his face but he turned away.
"Are you going to say it was stupid of me, a non-bender, to try and fight them by myself like everyone else? I don't need your pity; I did it because if not for Asami and that restaurant I would still be out on the streets. I did it to try and protect the people who are dear to me." He sounded on the verge of tears.
"No I don't pity you but I do feel bad because it's because of me that you got hurt. Well not because of me but, what I'm trying to say is-" I struggled to find the right words. "I just uh, Varrick?" I tried to convey what I had in my head out to him.
He stared at me for a moment and nodded. "I should have guessed Varrick caused it. I never liked that guy." He started to lighten up.
"Is your name really Meeks or is that a nickname?" I sat on a bench and patted the seat next to me. He looked at me then sat.
"Both I guess. I was living on the streets ever since I can remember but I didn't know my name. I was a scrawny kid and never stood out. I was recruited into the equalists by Amon and he trained me to be a Chi-blocker. I had only been with them for a year but in that year I mastered all the techniques. I never had a name and Amon always called me young one. Honestly though I didn't really care about the war, I just wanted a warm place to sleep and hot food to eat." He laughed.
"So how did you get the name Meeks?" I was genuinely curious.
"Asami gave it to me. After the war ended I was back out on the streets stealing to survive, whether it good luck or bad one day I tried to rob her. She didn't think anything of a scrawny kid trying to steal from her but I used my training and managed to grab her purse. I was about to run away when she used one of her shock gloves on me." He looked at the ground. "When I woke up I was in a bed and she was sitting next to me. Long story short I told her all about me when she asked how a meek little kid like me became a chi-blocker."
"Oh that's why she named you Meeks." I sat back. "Thanks I don't know why but I really wanted to know."
"You said earlier that you were lost right? Well where were you trying to go?" He toyed with hi crutches.
"I was trying to get back to the room I was in but I don't know where it is. This is actually the first time I've been in this hospital or any hospital for that matter." I laughed and stood. "Could you point me to someone that might know what room I was in?"
He stood. "Better yet I'll show you." with that he crutched on ahead of me. I jogged and caught up with him and we walked in silence for a while when we came across a group of ladies crowded around a large desk.
"Excuse me do you happen to know what room my friend here was in. He walked out and got lost and he doesn't remember." He asked smiling at one of the ladies.
"Oh Meeks you shouldn't be walking around right now the doctor did tell you that if you needed to go somewhere to use a wheel chair. The pain killer she gave you probably wore off hours ago aren't you hurting?" She walked over and felt his forehead.
"I hate that thing it makes me feel helpless." He almost screamed at the woman.
"Meeks." We turned around to see Asami with her hands on her hips.
"Hey Asami." We both said cautiously. She walked over and raised her hand like she was going to hit him.