Here's Part 5 :D See? I told you guys you wouldn't have to wait too long for this one. And I'm so sorry I keep doing this to you but, there's going to be a Part 6, that will definitely be the last Part to this story. I just want to say thank you for sticking around for this story and for the feedback. More of it would always be nice :D But anyways, enjoy :)
The men enter the light that was being illuminated by Mako's flame. All of them were sporting the Triple Threat Triad symbol, which was the only similarity between them. One of the men was tall with a buzz cut and had a heavily built body. He looked to be someone who ate at Harook's way too often because his cheeks were so plump that his green eyes were hardly noticeable. While the one standing beside him was the opposite, so short and lean that he looked to be just skin and bones, making his black hair limp and his blue eyes seem dull. But the man in front of them was a balance of both, average looking with his amber eyes and brown hair. They all had a menacing look, grinning devilishly while staring down at Mako. "Well, well, well," The slinkiest of the three, the average looking man, says in an amused voice, "Look who we got here boys. Chief Mako, it's an honor to meet you."
Mako glares at the three gang members as he rises from the cold concrete of the alley. "Yeah, a real pleasure." Mako retorts. "What is it that you want exactly?"
"It's nothing really," the man says unphased by Mako's glare, as he steps forward towards Jia and Akari. Before he is able to get an inch closer, Mako steps in front of him. "They just owe me some money, that's all. Like I said, it's nothing."
He tries to step around Mako but Mako doesn't let him, putting a hand on the Triad's chest and lightly pushing him back. "That doesn't sound like nothing. I suggest you leave these two alone or else."
The man quirks an eyebrow, "Or else what? You'll run home to your wife and have her deal with us? Some Chief you are."
Mako laughs, knowing his statement wasn't true and that his attempt to make him falter was a failure on his part. "Or else you're going to have to deal with me, and something tells me that's one thing you don't want to happen."
The golden eyed man smirks. "You don't know who you're dealing with, so step aside and let me get my money that I've been waiting for. Everyone knows Fang is not someone to be messed with. It'll be a shame if someone else has to suffer the consequences because I don't have my money." He looks to Akari. "Her father clearly didn't understand that until it was too late."
Mako stiffens and glances over to Akari, who has a look of dismay upon her face with tears welling up in her eyes. This was another reason as to why the Triads had to be stopped, no one should cause a family this much pain and suffering.
Just as Mako was turning his attention back to Fang, he feels heat nearing his face. He knew that feeling and quickly moves himself to the right, avoiding Fang's fist covered with flames. Before Fang has time to react, Mako grabs his outstretched arm, and uses it to throw Fang into his posse; causing the three Triads to tumble down onto the ground.
Mako knew that he had to get out of the alley, to get the fight away from Akari and Jia and to actually have a chance of beating these guys. He jumps off the wall of the alley and uses it to get past the men who were in the process of getting back on their feet. Once they're back up, Mako runs down the alley and towards the exit. But once he's almost out, the earth bender blocks Mako's path. But it wasn't a problem for Mako; he merely climbs up over it with ease.
Mako was now out onto the sidewalk, and catching his breath. But before he could continue, the earth wall is down and he's now face to face with the Triad member's. He raises his fists and prepares himself for whatever they were about to do.
As suspected, the water bender and the heavy earth bender lunge themselves at Mako. He simply steps aside and trips the earth bender before he was able to do some damage. Hearing a loud thud, he knew it must have hurt. The water bender then tries to freeze water over Mako's feet but before he could, Mako uses the water bender to do a flip into the air, hitting the surprised gang member in the back with his fire bending. He ends up being thrown into a street lamp post.
Unexpectedly, Mako is hit by Fang's fire bending, causing him to be slammed against a brick wall and falling onto the cement, on his back. He wince's at the pain as he tries to get up. Once he's on his knees, Mako's heart drops. He realizes that he's trapped to the ground by the rock below him. He tries to wiggle his way out, hoping, but it's no use.
"I have to give you some credit, you did well for awhile. Nice try though." Fang laughs as they creep closer to him. "What do you think we should do with him, boys?"
The earth bender smirks as he replies, "We should take him over to the boss, I'm sure he would love to have a little chat with the guy responsible for locking up a bunch of our gang."
"Good idea, Lee." The water bender agrees.
Fang smiles darkly, "Lee and Daio take him to the truck."
When the two get close enough to Mako, he breathes fire at them to keep them away. There was no way he was going anywhere without a fight. He had Akari and Jia to help, his brother to be there for, his daughter to take care of and raise, and he had Korra, the love of his life, to love and to cherish; just like he said he would do for the rest of his life during their marriage ceremony. Mako wasn't going to give up, not by a long shot.
He tries fire bending from his hands to melt the rock holding him down, but it doesn't work, his fire wasn't hot enough to melt it. He takes in a deep breath and releases the fire built up in side of him to try to melt the rock again and to keep Lee and Daio away for as long as possible.
Fang isn't afraid of Mako's fire as he bends it away from himself and strikes Mako in the face, breaking the concentration of his bending. The next thing Mako knew, he was on his feet but they were shackled by earth, along with his wrists.
Just as Lee was about to throw Mako into the back of the truck, Mako feels the rock on his wrists and ankles crumple up and fall to the ground.
He was confused as to how and why he was being released from the shackles but Mako took it as an opportunity to finally fight back. Mako kicks into the air, fire blazing all around, making him untouchable. He does a few more kicks until he stops completely, smirking at himself when he sees the three men lying on the cement, unconscious. "You guys look burned-out. Maybe when you get to the police station, you can get a chance to cool down." He couldn't wait to tell Korra that one.
Luckily, Mako hears sirens of a nearby police car. 'Just in time,' Mako thinks to himself. He leans against the brick wall, and looks around at the damage. There were scorch marks all over the wall and sidewalk, and a little section of it was ruined by Lee. Other than that, it didn't look too serious.
At the corner of his eye, he sees Akari watching him from the corner of the alley. "Hey," Mako softly calls out to her. She looks like she wants to say something but doesn't at the sight of the men below Mako's feet. He takes notice, "Don't worry about them, they won't be able to hurt you."
His words seem to satisfy Akari, as she walks over to Mako cautiously. "How long were you standing there?" He asks.
"Umm, almost the whole time. I guess it's a thing too."
That confused Mako, "What do you mean?"
"I…uhhh, earth bent you out of the handcuffs." She tells Mako nervously
Wait, what? He didn't expect to hear that, he thought she was a non-bender. But it did make sense; it explained how he was able to escape them so easily. He kneels down to her level and smiles, "Thank you. I owe you… big time."
Smiling back, she says, "You don't need to."
Just then, the police cars come to a halt on the road beside them and the sirens die down. Mako recognizes the two officers exiting out, Officer Dewei and Saikhan. There were probably the oldest members of the police force, retiring in three or so more years, around when Mako would turn 29.
"Chief Mako, sir, I thought it was your day off today." Saikhan greets him before saluting.
"It was supposed to be but I had a change in plans." Mako replies as he steps aside to let Officer Dewei hand cuff the Triad members.
Saikhan nods, not knowing what else to say. "I see." He pauses, "We got reports that there was a fight occurring. What happened here exactly?"
"Well, these three are a part of the Triple Threat Triads and were threatening an innocent child and mother. Not to mention, assault and the attempt to kidnap me." Mako pulls up Fang roughly and drags him over to the police car. "I want them charged with whatever is possible. I'll be back tomorrow to fill out the paper work." He pushes Fang into the back of the vehicle a little more roughly than necessary and slams the metal door shut.
He nods in understanding. "Yes sir. Is there anything else you would like me to do?"
"Actually, I need you to take a woman named Jia to the hospital for me. She's very ill and I don't think she'll be able to hold out much longer." Mako turns and walks toward the alley way, with Akari beside him. "Saikhan, come with me. Officer Dewei, take those criminals to the prison."
They both nod and do as they're told. Dewei drives off with Fang, Lee, and Daio while Saikhan walks beside Mako down the alley, his fire lighting their way. As they continue down, the express on Saikhan's face shows that he is disgusted by the conditions of the small space. It was an understandable reaction.
But when they reach Jia, she was so still, pale, and her eyes were closed. Mako feared the worst, and rushes to action. He grabs a wooden plank and wraps a piece of cloth around it, and lights it on fire. "Hold this," he orders Saikhan. Once the torch is out of hand, he gently picks her up bridal style and leaves the alley as quickly as possible with Akari and Saikhan behind.
Mako had to get this woman to the hospital immediately, to a healer. He wouldn't let her die, not without trying. He was not going to tell Akari that she lost her mother, it wasn't going to happen. He was still hopeful.
Saikhan opens the door for Mako, and puts her down onto the leathery seat. He was being so cautious with his movements; he didn't want to damage her frail, tiny body. "You'll be fine," he murmurs to her, "I promise." He closes the door and speaks to Siakhan, who is now in the driver's seat, "Alright, we'll meet you at the hospital. Don't leave until I'm there."
With that being said, Siakhan turns on his sirens and speeds off down the street, on his way to the healer's hospital.
"Mr. Mako," Akari tugs on his shirt. "What's happening to my mommy?"
His express softens; Mako didn't know what to tell her. He wouldn't tell her the truth until they were at the hospital, until he knew for sure what was going on. "I wish I knew, but she'll be fine. I'm sure of it."
Mako and Akari must have been waiting for hours in the lobby, at least that's what it felt like. There was no news on Jia's condition; all they could do was wait. Luckily for Mako, he had given her something that would preoccupy Akari and keep her mind off the situation. She held a yo-yo in her hands, throwing it down, only to pull it back up with the string wrapped around it. She was starting to get the hang of it and was now trying to do a few tricks.
Just then, the sound of a door creaking open breaks Mako's concentration on the yo-yo. When he sees it was Siakhan, he rushes over to him, "Any news?"
"She's doing fine at the moment, she's been sleeping for awhile. The nurse said she would come to get you when she wakes up."
Mako breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank you. Remind me that I owe you a favor for today."
Siakhan laughs, "No need, it's my job." He places his helmet back on his head, "Well, I should probably get back to the station." He stops just before exiting the door, "I forgot to congratulate you. So, congratulations." With that said, he salutes Mako and exits the hospital.
'Congratulations? For what?' Mako thinks to himself. Just as he was about to go after Siakhan to ask, he's stopped when a nurse calls out his name softly. "Chief Mako? Jia is awake; she wishes to speak to you."
Mako acknowledges her with a nod before walking over to Akari, smiling, "Do you want to go see your mom?"
Akari beams with excitement as she scoots off the chair that was a little too high for her. "Really?!" She asks enthusiastically. She must have been so relieved to know that her mom was okay now, that she didn't have to worry any longer.
"Yeah, come on." He holds out his hand for her to take as they're being lead down the hospital hallways by a nurse. The last time he was in this hospital was when Korra had given birth to Min that memory always made Mako smile, but, right now, he couldn't smile. There was still a chance that Jia could still have been ill and dying, he wouldn't know until he spoke with her.
The nurse stops suddenly in front of a wooden door, and ushers them inside the tiny room.
At the first sight of Jia, Akari runs over to her, exclaiming, "Mommy!" before jumping into Jia's already open arms. Mako smiled at the sight, relieved that Jia was feeling better. Both of them looked so happy that he felt like he was intruding in a personal moment. He walks over to the door quietly, but is stopped by the sound of Jia's soft voice. It didn't sound as raspy and harsh as it had before due to the fact that her coughing fits had stopped.
"Chief Mako," she calls out, her voice slightly pitched than before.
Mako turns his attention to Jia, who was now smiling warmly. "I'm sorry; I was going to step out to let you two have a moment together."
"Oh, it's fine."
It was silent in the room for moments until Mako asks, "So, how are you feeling now? How long until you're able to leave?"
"I'm feeling fine, thank you for asking." She sighs, "The nurse suggested staying here for a week or two, to give myself time to recover. But I don't see that happening, I have to leave today so Akari won't be alone." She clears her throat and asks kindly. "How much do I owe you, Chief Mako?"
Owe? "Owe me for what exactly?" Mako takes a few steps over to her bedside.
She gives out such a small laugh that Mako could barely hear it. "For the hospital expenses, I know that I don't have money right now but I would gladly pay you back when-" The sight of Mako's head shaking in disapproval makes her stop midsentence.
"Jia, you don't owe me anything. Call it a gift." That reminded Mako of something he had planned out while he was in the lobby. "I'd like to run something by you to see if you would be okay with it."
Jia raises an eyebrow ever so slightly. "What is it Chief Mako?"
He smiles. "First of all, you don't need to call me Chief Mako, just Mako would be fine." He pauses. "But, since it's suggested you should stay in the hospital for a couple weeks, I was thinking I could take Akari home with me. That way, you'll have your time to recover and won't have to worry about your daughter." Another pause. "Once you're fully recovered, I'll have an apartment ready for you two to live in. And there is a job opening at the police station as a receptionist, so if you want the job, it's yours Jia."
Mako waits for a response but there is none. He couldn't help but be confused at it; he thought she would have been thrilled. "If that's alright with you, of course." He adds.
"You would do that, for me?" Jia asks quietly, her expression unreadable.
"Of course."
In that moment, her eyes become glossy and tears well up in them. Mako didn't know what to say or do; he didn't mean to upset her. He was only trying to help to the best of his abilities.
The next thing Mako knew, he was being squeezed so tightly that he could feel his lungs being constricted. Jia was sobbing in his chest; he could feel the wetness of her tears seeping through his shirt. "Thank you so much." She says between sobs. "I don't deserve this. Not after what my husband did with the Triads."
Mako smirks and hugs her back gently. "That was your husband, not you. You deserve this, both you and Akari. Everything is going to be alright." He says comforting her, because he knew that she was scared. About the Triads, about their financial issue, and how to handle her daughter at the same time. But he knew they would be alright, and he would make sure of it. The only hard part now was convincing his wife that what he was doing was right. Knowing Korra, it wasn't going to be simple; nothing ever was with her.