Episode 1 of my Book 5 is done. Might need to go back and add a bit more to that ending, namely because I want this to be a 12 to 14 episode book (just like the series). Not to mention, the series always felt rushed so why not make my episodes rushed, right?! Eh, we'll see. Anyway, this next chapter is all about Mako again. Story told from his PoV. Next episode will take place from Korra's PoV so expect that... eventually!

For nearly an hour, he sat there just watching the portal. At one point, he moved toward it as if he were going to run in there and tell Korra how he really felt. He should have. She might have taken him over her.

Yet, at the same time, Mako just didn't have the strength to do that. What if she rejected him? That pain would hurt more than just assuming he was too late. Besides, he had no interest in showing his face to Asami. It was bad enough to know he looked like this but to show it to the one who won Korra's heart? Ha! Like Asami deserved such a gift!

Rump stiff from sitting on the uneven earth, he finally shifted. Everything about moving was painful. His bones creaked and his muscles began to fall numb before a piercing tingling sensation overcame him. Before he could do anything, he was dropping back to the ground. Thankfully, Naga was still lingering and caught the man's fall.

"Thanks, girl," he said with a light smile.

Using her as a crutch, the two began their slow descent back into the town. Neither communicated verbally for their nonverbal cues were off the charts. Mako's slow, broken steps were mimicked by Naga's lack of tail wags and enthusiasm.

Now back in the city, the two crawled to Korra's place. "Well, this is where we part ways." Mako drew a hand across his slicked back raven hair. "I see why Korra keeps you close. You're a great shoulder to cry upon." His face was engulfed by her white fur. Trying to laugh, he gave her a squeeze and a nose rub before whirling around and staggering toward his place.

About two steps into his leave, a nose pressed against his back. Following that was a whimper that caused Mako to grimace. "Naga, I can't do this. Seeing you right now hurts. Yeah, it was nice to be with you when all this went down, but now I need to be alone."

Large coal eyes stayed trained on him as her massive paws kneaded the ground. Another whimper came from her.

"Naga, please. Please don't do this." Eyes averting, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Don't make this harder than it ha-"

Before he could utter another word, Naga forcefully (but gently) knocked the firebender on the ground. Forearms keeping the man immobile, she starved down at him and whimpered again.

"Stop it, Naga," Mako's voice started to get a moody pitch to it. "Korra made her choice, now you've got to deal with it - just like me." Again, he head rolled away. Granted, his moment was stifled by Naga. Still, he tried to make it look like he lost interest in the giant polar bear dog.

Coarse tongue lapping his jawbone, she whined again. The fur above her eyes seemed to sag and her muzzle drooped too. Everything about this creature was pleading for the man to stay.

Had he not already been down and out about Korra, he probably could have brushed this off. But he was already weak for his guard was down. Seeing Naga as she was left Mako feeling guilty. With a reluctant sigh, he turned toward the quivering muzzle and nuzzled her head with his now. "Fine, you win. You can stay with me until Korra gets back."

With the night nearly over, the two finally make it back to Mako's place just before the sun rises. Naga let's herself in (which was no easy feat for the door wasn't that large) while Mako immediately face-plants on the couch. Arms haphazardly draped around the smokey gray couch and legs dangling off the edge, he passes out within seconds. So what if his head was skewed at an awkward angle that would cause his neck to be sore? Who cares if he completely missed draping the blanket over himself; instead covering the large white creature with it instead?

Lip caught on the couch just right, he would soon find himself drooling in his exhausted state of slumber. Had he not set an alarm, he probably wouldn't have woken on time to prepare for work - whatever that may be!

As the alarm whaled again, he finally groaned before swatting it away. "Who needs to work," he said groggily to Naga. "Not like money's going to buy me happiness."

Eyes closing, he dozed back off to sleep.

Clinging to it for dear life, Naga finally let out a yelp before jerking her tail away from the man who dreamed that her tail was Korra. Now on the other side of the room, she barked to get his attention for she didn't dare venture closer to the grabby man.

The first yelp sent him sitting straight up. Nearly had a heart attack too! Eyes alert and wide, he scanned the room until a familiar bark brought his heightened senses back to their usual level. "Oh yeah, that really did happen."

Patting his thighs, he called Naga to him. "Sorry about that. I guess..." he stroked her head. "I guess I miss the warmth of another. Heh," his face flushed a rosy color, "the last time the three of us were together was back in the park when we were looking for Amon." Naga's tail immediately swung back and forth, which was quickly followed by a loud rapping nose from hitting all the objects in her wag-radius.

"You liked the day?" Nose crinkling, he laughed. "Yeah, I suppose you did. In fact," he cupped his chin with his hand, "I feel like you've always been there for Korra and I. That time when we were taking a ship to the Southern Tribe for the Glacier Spirits Festival." His grin widened before falling flat. "Er, well... not the best memory. She did get mad at me for not offering the right advice. But hey, we made up later." Licking his lips, he recalled the savory, sweet taste of cotton candy on his lips. "It was also the day I really felt inspired by her. Sure, I was inspired when we took down Amon but seeing her open a spirit portal. Now that was a sight to see - although I didn't really get to see it... Either way, it was that moment that defined who she was and who she was going to become. She was so focused on making things right. It just made me really want to purpose my police job more. I wanted to be like her and help people. And what better way to help someone that to be come a detective?"

Throughout his little trip down memory lane, Naga happily listened. From time to time, she would lick his hand or nuzzle his face. Honestly, the bond between man and dog was strong between them. Even though Naga belonged to Korra, the two had really come to trust one another. They could read the other's emotions and they always, always had Korra's best interest at heart.

Scooping Naga's face between his hands, Mako rubbed his nose against hers. "You know what?" Her tail began to wag. "I think I'm going to go back to being an officer. I'll work twice as hard! I really want to become something more. Korra might be the avatar, but that doesn't mean I can't score a sweet job. Heck, maybe I'll start my own police group." Kicking back against his plush couch, his devilish side-grin returned. "Yeah, yeah. I'll start my own elite police force. It'll be so elite that we'll become the spirits that guard the land when Korra is away." Really liking his eye, he beamed from ear to ear.

"AH!" Looking down at his hands, Mako scrunched his face up when he saw Naga chopping on his hand. "What was that for?" he said dumbfounded. Before he could utter another sentence, Naga was dragging him across the room to the mantle above the fireplace. She pawed at a photograph of he and Korra. With a whimper, her ears perked up before the tail wagging initiated in his face.

"Okay, okay. Yes, we can go check the portal. The girls should be back today." The last part was said with a gruff tone and an eye roll. Naga snorted at it, too. Clearly neither were a fan of this "Korra and Asami" thing.

There was no need to grab something to eat for the fridge was already vacant of any form of subsistence. Still, it had been over 24-hours since he last shower. Not wanting to look like a total mess (though it might convey to Korra that he's a wreck without her?), he quickly hopped in the shower. Lathering the soap in his hair, he didn't even bother to scrub his body down with soap; the shampoo would have to do. Out almost as fast as he was in, Mako moved into his room and quickly dressed. It was nothing out of the usual; his white, high-neck, slim-fitting shirt with the usual jacket and his normal dark jeans. He even went to his favorite pair of boots.

Once dressed, he flicked his hair forward. Might as well go back to the "cool dude" look. The slicked-back, professional look could be saved for formal days. Not days off!

As he rolled around the corner, Naga barked gleefully at his outfit. "Ha, yeah, I thought the same thing too. This is how she saw me for so many years. Maybe the hair and uniform made her forget why she fell in love with me." Another happy yelp followed. "It's a long shot, but worth it. Everything's worth it for her."

It was nice to be out of his slump. Even if she was with Asami, he could win her back. She loved him first. He knew so much about her and had really grown to love her. He just couldn't toss those feelings out a window, hard as he try!

Sucking in some air, he froze. Lips pursued, the air released. "Whelp, it's now or never. Let's g-"

Again, his hand was in her mouth. Before he could even howl in pain, Naga was barreling out of the house and down the alleyway. Naturally, the polar bear dog kicked Mako on her back so she could really crash down those familiar streets. With each passing leap, another image ran rampant in his mind. Each place was full of such sweet (and some bitter) memories of them. They served as inspiration and a reason to try harder. He would win her over. One date with Asami hardly meant they were official, right?

Coming into view of the portal, Naga slowed to a trot and eventually a brisk walk. Before long, the two were sitting before the glowing light of the portal. Having grabbed food on the ride in, Mako opened up the basket and started to dig into the pile of dog treats he got. "Pretty sure I can't just give you these," he cocked a brow at her, "so... sit?"

Already in the sitting position, Naga gave the raven a blank stare. "Uh, yeah. Right. Umm, shake?" Extending a hand, he severely underestimated the weight of Naga's huge paws. She was clearly bear up front for the weight was just enough to cause him to fall forward into her. "Does that warrant a treat?" he asked quizzically. This was really his first time working with a pet, of sorts. Sure, he had Pabu but that was more Bolin than him. He just... well, kinda watched? Mako self-justified his lack of interest in pets with the fact that he had a job. Unlike Bolin who just performed, Mako actually broke a sweat. He worked in a factory, on the force, and most recently as a security detail for Wu, all of which didn't give him enough time to babysit a creature - small or large.

Tilting her ears forward, Naga pawed at the ground before rolling over. "Yeah, roll over!" he exclaimed, catching her drift. "Good girl," he pat her once before placing the bone-shaped yellow object before her. Cautiously, Naga stole it from his hand and wolfed it down. Craving more, she barked before rolling back onto her hinds and running around like a love-struck puppy.

"Psh, this is easy," he thought aloud. "Play dead," he wagged a treat before her eyes. Obediently, she rolled over with her paws in the air. To add that dramatic flair, she even slipped her tongue out. "Oh no, she's dead," he pleaded before placing a bone on her jaw. "Too bad dead polar bar dogs can't eat." With a chuckle, he stepped back and watched as the massive creature lunged back to life. Treat flying into the air, she leapt at it and swallowed it whole. Eyes trained on him, she forearms pawed the ground as he tail wriggled happily behind her.

"That's right," he said while placing a hand on his hip, "you're a dog. Dogs like to play fetch." Frantically looking around for a ball, Mako's golden gaze fell upon a stick. "Close enough," he scoffed while bending over. "You want all these treats?" he opened his coat to expose a bag full of bones, "then you got to retrieve the stick."

Mako thought he was hot-stuff so when he went to throw it, he purposely hid it behind his back. Naga, unsuspecting, started bolting off in one direction in search of the object. Nose to the ground, she stiffed and sniffed until a laugh rang in her ears. Instantly, her lips pulled back and a growl rumbled from her throat.

"You should have seen your face," he was practically crying. "It was priceless. I wish Korra was here to see it."

It took her a few more seconds of death-glaring at the boy, but she eventually came to her senses and barked along with him. Tail wagging a million miles a second, she pranced around. Sooner or later, her would throw the stick and, this time, she wouldn't fall victim to his silly trick! She was a fast-learner and refused to let Mako get the slip again so when he tried it again, she simply charged forward and tackled him to the ground. Licking him ceaselessly, he eventually waved a white flag, or rather bag of treats, and tossed them into the air. As they sprawled out everywhere, he scattered off to hid from the kissing monster.

Laughter fill the air and long before they knew it, night was upon them.

"Maybe they got lost?" Mako shrugged. "Or maybe they bought all that gear for a two-day da... vacation." Gathering up his gear, he reluctantly walked Naga back to his place. "We'll try again tomorrow. She wouldn't abandon you. She'll be home soon, I just know it."