The first thing Mako felt when he stirred was a heavy weight on his entire body. It was even pinning down his tail. It took him a moment to realize he was in a bed buried under blankets. Slowly, he opened his eyes and a scowl immediately furrowed his brow. Staring him in the face, was Seiko.
"Morning sleepy head," the white-haired man said with a wide grin.
"Seiko…Why are you in bed with me?" Mako grumped.
"You fell into torpor so I was in here keeping you warm," Seiko said seductively. Then, he poked Mako's nose. "Boop."
"Out!"
Seiko hustled into the hallway, chased there by Mako who marched past the waterbender straight to the bathroom.
"I promise, I was only in the bed for a few minutes," Seiko shouted insistently. The bathroom door slamming was his only response from the irritated fetchling.
"Damn that Seiko…" Mako grumbled as he relieved himself. Although he was sure what Seiko said about being in the bed was true, that definitely wasn't the first thing he wanted to see after waking from torpor.
The trickle continued, unimpeded. How long was I out? The last thing he remembered was going to the nearby woods after Ryu—and Amaruq was there. His past had come back to bite him, or in this case, his granddaughter. His tail twitched his relief. At least the teens were okay. As much as he cringed that Seiko was in his bed, it was a sign that no one was seriously hurt. His brother-in-law could be mischievous, but he also knew when to be serious. If something had happened, it would have been immediately addressed.
After what seemed like an eternity, he headed for the door. On the way, his reflection in the mirror over the sink, caught his attention. What the…? He'd been in such a hurry, he hadn't paid any attention to what he was wearing; a set of salmon-colored silk pajamas that definitely were not his style. He let out a sigh. His brother-in-law probably had a good laugh dressing him in something so refined. At least the man hadn't left him naked.
He walked to the living area where Mari and Koji were relaxing on a sofa. The first one to greet him however, was Juji who scolded him with a loud hiss from his lamp perch.
He absently dismissed the bird's squabbling. "Nice to see you too, Juji."
"Papa!" Mari had her arms and tail around him a moment later. "You're awake."
"Yes, I'm awake," he said. "You're sounding better." The last he knew, she was still suffering from the same cold he had caught.
"Umm…Yeah…" Mari nervously pushed her hair behind her ear. "It's been about five days, Papa."
"Five?" he echoed. No wonder he had spent so long in the bathroom. He'd never been out that long. Torpor really was a pain. His eyes fell to Seiko who had fled to the kitchen and was preparing breakfast.
"Don't worry. I've been taking good care of the kids," Seiko answered his unasked question.
Mako continued to look around.
"Where's Ryu?"
"He's outside training," Seiko answered. "I'm sure he'll be along soon. He's held himself to a pretty strict routine since you've been out."
"He's trying to hide how worried he is," Mari added softly. "He's been in your room everyday, firebending to help keep your temperature up."
As if he'd heard them, Ryu suddenly came through the front door. He knocked the snow off his boots and tossed them aside before stepping into the living area.
"How are you doing, Kid?"
Ryu's face lit-up.
"Hey. You're awake!" Ryu rushed forward and was about to give him a hug when he remembered that wasn't how he showed affection. Instead, the teen stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest. It was almost a mirror reflection of when he did it.
"It's about time, Old Man," Ryu corrected. "Since Mari was sick and Koji was injured, Seiko had me doing everything around here," the teen indignantly scoffed.
"Injured?" Mako snapped his attention to Koji.
"Good morning, sir." Koji gave him a brief smile and wave. Mako hadn't noticed before, but the teen's right arm was in a sling. Koji winced as he stood and Mari was quickly at his side.
"Careful, Koji," she said as she helped him to his feet.
"I'm okay, Mari. Really," Koji insisted with a crooked smile as she fretted over him.
Mako wasn't sure, but it seemed like Mari and Koji's relationship had progressed in the five days he'd been asleep.
"There's a lot to catch you up on, Mako," Seiko interrupted. "And no better place than the kitchen table," he finished while he set plates.
Like always, Seiko went above and beyond for breakfast: fresh fruit, thick-sliced bacon, charred trout, and toast fried in egg batter, were all on the table. To top it off, there was milk, fresh-squeezed juice, and coffee. Seiko never drank the bitter stuff, but he made sure Mako got his daily fix.
Mako's stomach growled as he took his seat at the table. He was ravenous after being in torpor for so long.
Koji sat next to Mari, and Mako watched as she dished food for him. Ryu was also watching the couple although his expression was more dour as opposed to Mako's annoyed. Even though he had given the couple his blessing, it still bothered him seeing his granddaughter with a boyfriend. He did his best to suppress his equally annoyed tail.
"I made sure you have extra bonemeal in your milk too, Papa," Mari explained with a sweet smile. "You know you'll need it after being in torpor for so long."
Mako's annoyance instantly faded. He couldn't be mad at her for growing-up.
"Thank you, Mari." Despite his appreciation, he wrinkled his nose at the concoction placed before him. Even after so many years, he still reviled the substance. It wouldn't hurt to enjoy some coffee first.
"So…Which one of you boys wants to tell me what part of 'discreet' you didn't understand?" he finally said over the rim of his mug. He wasn't exactly sure what had happened that day, but Ryu going into the Avatar state was anything but discreet.
The two teens exchanged a guilty glance before explaining what had happened.
There was some lecturing after hearing their tale. Especially since, had they just focused on what they were supposed to be doing, it wouldn't have escalated. Mako tried not to be too hard on them however. Between Ryu's tone, and Koji's injury, it sounded like the teens had learned a hard lesson from the incident. Several even.
"It's not unheard of for hunters to be around here," Seiko absently added once they were finished. "But there's little to catch besides antlered hares and the occasional grizzly lynx."
"Hah!" Ryu slammed his hands on the table startling everyone. "See? I told you they were real, Koji."
Koji rolled his eyes. "So, you were right. Whatever, man. At least I'm not the one that got caught in a trap," he said and casually stuffed a syrup soaked piece of toast in his mouth.
Ryu's triumph quickly soured. "Well, if you had just gotten me down, maybe you wouldn't have gotten shot!" he countered.
Mako shook his head. Maybe the teens hadn't learned anything after all. He slapped his tail against the floor to quell the argument. The two teens instantly stopped bickering and Ryu slumped in his chair.
"What I don't understand is why they shot you, Koji?" Mari asked as she entered the conversation. "You told them springing the trap was an accident, right?"
"I don't know." Koji rubbed his injured shoulder. "I think it had something to do with you though, sir. The old hunter recognized your name."
The three teens turned expectantly to Mako.
"Guess it's my turn to tell a story," he stated. He took a long drink from his mug. "A year or so after I was cursed, Shizu started dating a man named Amaruq."
Mari interrupted. "Nana was with someone before you, Papa?"
"For a short while," he replied. "Things were complicated back then." He took another sip half-expecting a smart-ass remark from Ryu. It never came.
"Anyway…"
Forty six years earlier:
Winter had settled over Republic City with a fresh coat of snow covering everything. Mako had his long coat wrapped tight to his scarf as he walked along the streets. Although this was his first winter since being cursed, it seemed like he was less tolerant of the cold. He shivered as a chill seeped under the scales of his exposed tail. He could have pulled it under his coat, but he would rather deal with the cold than have it get all cramped. Thinking about it now, he felt silly that he used to hide it that way.
He entered the precinct and walked straight to his office where Shizuku was already in her customary seat. A steaming mug of coffee was clutched in her hands with a second sitting on the desk for him. That would warm his scales. He removed his coat and took a seat on his stool to begin their typical morning routine of deciding what cases, if any, needed to be addressed.
"Do you w-want to go on a date?" Shizuku suddenly asked.
The unexpected question caused him to choke on his coffee.
On the far side of his desk, Shizuku had her knees squeezed to her chest. Her chair made a slight creaking noise as she nervously swiveled it, waiting for his answer.
Although he did have feelings for her, he'd buried them deep. In part because he was her superior and partner. He didn't think the Chief would approve of them dating. Mostly it was because he didn't think she wanted anything to do with him in a personal sense because he was half-spirit. This was the first time she had shown any interest in him outside of being friends and colleagues. It must not be what he thought.
"What did you have in mind?" he finally asked, knowing she had a tendency to fumble words.
"I m-met this guy, Amaruq. He recently moved into my apartment building. He's funny, and nice—We've met for coffee a couple times. I don't know. It's getting k-kind of serious. I-I haven't introduced him to my parents or anything yet but I thought—I wanted to introduce him to you. N-Nothing fancy or anything. That noodle place in the Little Water Tribe district? The one y-you said you and your brother like?" The words tumbled out of Shizuku's mouth, the floodgate wide open.
"Are you sure you want to introduce him to me?" he asked, cutting off the flow. "I don't want to scare off your new boyfriend." He deliberately flipped his tail into view, a reminder to her that most people were uncomfortable in his presence.
"That won't be a problem at all," Shizuku triumphantly replied as her feet returned to the floor. "I already t-told Amaruq that you're a fetchling. Well, the fetchling since there aren't any other cursed humans. That we know of anyway. But he wasn't worried at all. In fact, h-he's really excited to meet you!" she finished with a bright grin.
A red flag went up in his head. These days, if someone was excited to meet him, it was because of those nonsensical movers Varrick had made. There were plenty of diehard fans who wanted to meet the "real" Dragon-man of Republic City. He'd disappointed more than one person when he refused to sign autographs or feed that perception of him. It wasn't like his pro-bender days; he no longer relished the fame. Especially since it wasn't really him they were looking for. If they wanted autographs, they could find the actor that portrayed the Dragon-man instead of him.
His second thought was less benign. Someone looking to start trouble. It wouldn't be his first time being targeted because he was a fetchling.
He glanced across his desk directly into Shizuku's wide, blue, puppy dog eyes. He couldn't say no to her.
"Alright. Let me know what time," he answered.
Shizuku nearly burst.
"Great! I'll let Amaruq know. H-He's going to be so excited!" she giggled. With that settled, the pair went about their normal work day.
Frost clung to Mako's breath as he walked along the snowy city streets. Most of the evening crowds separated around him, unwilling to be touched by the cursed human. A year ago he would have been offended, now he took it in-stride. He had long ago accepted the fact that there were always going to be people that viewed him adversely. Eventually, he made it to the restaurant. It really wasn't anything special. A hole in the wall more akin to a tavern than a proper eatery. He took a moment to brush the snow from his horns and hair before he stepped inside.
Not surprisingly, his entry sent the patrons into a fluster. Whispers about the cursed human quickly engulfed the small area. Let them gossip. He wasn't going to keep hiding.
"Detective! O-Over here!"
Discreet was not a word to describe Shizuku. The woman was waving at him from a table in a semi-secluded corner of the restaurant. A man, roughly their age, was seated next to her. Mako shifted direction and waded through the tables to join them.
Even though she was a Waterbender, Shizuku's attire looked more like it came from the Earth Kingdom. She was wearing a blouse adorned with yellow flowers over a dark green skirt. The outfit suited her. Her companion however, had his heritage on full display. He was dressed in a dark blue, long-sleeved shirt, over blue pants and fur-lined boots. There was a slim chance the man was from anywhere outside one of the Water Tribes.
"I-I'm so happy you came!" Shizuku beamed as he squeezed himself in-between the table and bench. "S-Sorry it's a booth, detective. I thought you'd like a quiet spot a-away from the crowd and this was all they had. Will your tail be okay?"
"I'll manage," he replied as he tried to find a comfortable position without pinching his tail or having it curled around his waist all night. Eventually, he settled on sitting at an angle with the base wedged in the corner by the wall. The rest he folded over his lap so no one would accidentally kick it under the table. "And we're off duty. You can call me Mako," he pointedly addressed his partner.
"Sorry. Can't do it!" Shizuku huffed, her arms stubbornly folded across her chest in mock indignation.
What had started as a fear of reprisal had turned into an insistent quirk. No matter what he tried, Shizuku refused to call him by his proper name.
"Guess having a tail can be difficult," Shizuku's date noted with a crooked smile.
A second red flag went up in Mako's head. It was rare anyone mentioned his extra parts so casually. Especially someone he'd just met.
"Sometimes," he cautiously replied. It was clear this man was important to Shizuku, so he was doing his best to keep his suspicions in-check.
Shizuku clapped her hands together. "Right. Introductions," she said. "Detective Mako—This is Amaruq. Amaruq—Detective Mako."
"It's a pleasure to finally get to meet the 'great Detective Mako,'" Amaruq began, his voice edging on baritone. "Shizuku has told me a lot about you. Do you prefer Detective? Or is it fetchling these days?"
These days? What did that mean? And nobody called him fetchling except spirits and the press. And it definitely wasn't meant as a compliment. His tail twitched on his lap. Maybe it was his cynical nature, but there was definitely something off about this man. Or maybe, just maybe, he really was jealous seeing someone else with Shizuku, but he wouldn't admit to that.
"Mako is fine," he replied, maintaining his composure.
"Amaruq m-moved into the apartment across from me. I-I happened to bump into him one day when I was c-carrying groceries back to my apartment," Shizuku explained.
He imagined "bumped" to be a full on car-wreck knowing Shizuku. As attentive as she was at a crime scene or interrogation, that didn't seem to extend outside of work. He decided it best to keep that thought to himself as well.
"Are you from one of the Water Tribes, Amaruq?" he asked, keeping the conversation polite.
"Born and raised in the Northern Tribe actually. I came to the city for a job," Amaruq answered. "I heard that Republic City has opportunities for anyone no matter what they are." The man looked squarely at him.
What started as a red flag, turned into a five-alarm siren. Every instinct was telling him that this Amaruq was a threat. It took every ounce of will-power for him not to reach over the table and start aggressively interrogating the man.
The server finally appeared and nervously stared at his horns while they jotted down their orders. He hadn't been in many restaurants since being cursed, but service was always slower since people were afraid to approach him. Once they had what they needed, the server quickly scurried off.
They politely chatted until the server returned with their meals, and saké for the couple. Mako was skipping the alcohol, sticking with water instead to keep his head clear around Amaruq. He wasn't about to put his guard down around the man. That, and being even a slightly inebriated half-spirit in public, was just asking for trouble.
Dinner went by cordially with all of them exchanging casual conversation. Mako was surprised with how much Amaruq seemed to know about him. His exploits with Avatar Korra, Bolin being assistant to President Moon and, according to Shizuku, Amaruq had even seen him in the pro-bending arena. For someone born and raised in the Northern Water Tribe, the man knew a lot about a former street rat born in Republic City.
As the night progressed, he remained as neutral as possible. He didn't want to upset Shizuku. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to see Amaruq again after this.
"What? Was? That?"
A mug of coffee slammed onto the desk and the liquid inside shot upward splashing the hand that held the rim in a spidery death-grip. Mako slowly turned his face up to see Shizuku glaring down at him, her eyebrows knit together in an angry scowl. It was a little surprising because he didn't think her face could fold like that given her normally cheerful disposition.
"Uhhh…"
Before he could answer, she plopped in her chair and began to berate him.
"How c-could you treat Amaruq like that last night? You might-as-well have had a giant sign that said 'I don't want to be here!'"
"Shizuku I…" he tried to explain, but she shot-up from her chair, interrupting him.
"I'm still talking!" she snapped as tears formed in her eyes. "I like Amaruq, and last night was important to me. I wanted you to like him too. You're not just my boss, but my close friend. Or at least I thought you were. And last night, Amaruq may not have noticed but I saw it. You were analyzing him like one of our suspects. I thought you were going to grab him and interrogate him right there on the spot!"
He thought he'd hid his suspicions pretty well, but clearly not from her. She had read him like a book. Her powers of observation were downright scary. His tail curled behind him as he slowly stood.
"Look. I'm sorry I treated Amaruq like that but, all that information he had about me? Call it police intuition or whatever but there's something about him I don't trust. And as a fetchling I have to be caref—"
Shizuku threw her arms in the air. "Oh, 'I'm a fetchling and everyone's out to get me!'" she sarcastically huffed. "The reason Amaruq knew those things about you is because I told him. And, if you had been paying attention, he told me he saw you in the arena so he already knew you used to be a pro-bender. He was trying to make a good impression because he knew how important this was to me which is more than I can say for you. So you can take your intuition and-and shove it up your tail!"
She flung her hand upwards. Hot coffee shot up from Mako's mug and he winced when the dark liquid washed his cheeks. Shizuku slapped her hands over her agape mouth as horror instantly consumed her. Not only had she yelled at her commanding officer, she'd bent coffee at him. She quickly turned heel and slipped out of the office, her red face buried behind the collar of her uniform; the deepest hole unfit to hide her embarrassment.
Through her office door, Chief Beifong spotted Shizuku escaping to the lobby and went to Mako's office to investigate. Inside, he was wiping coffee off his desk with a paper towel.
"You need to stop bringing your girl problems to work," she dryly stated.
Mako just hung his head and groaned in response.
Grey clouds covered the sky bringing with them a gentle snow. It made running difficult since the thin layer hid icy patches. It forced Mako to walk most of the way to the red brick building that housed Shizuku's apartment. He pulled his goggles down around his neck and tapped the snow off his boots before entering.
Shizuku's apartment was on the second floor. He had gotten her address from the police directory which was absolutely against protocol. He could definitely get in trouble but, when he couldn't find her at the precinct, this was the only other place he could think to check.
"Shizuku, are you in there? Shizuku?" He knocked several times but there was no answer. Either she was ignoring him, or she wasn't home either.
"Detective Mako?"
He turned to see Amaruq standing in a doorway across the hall. Shizuku had said they shared a building.
"Oh, hey, umm…You haven't seen Shizuku have you?" he awkwardly asked, still uncomfortable around the man.
"Not since last night," Amaruq replied. "She was pretty upset after dinner. I thought it was a good idea to give her some space."
"Yeah, about that. Sorry, if I seemed…defensive. In my line of work I need to be careful," he said.
"I can understand that, though honestly it was Shizuku who thought you were being rude. I was having a good time," Amaruq shrugged.
There was an awkward silence.
"I should get going," he finally said. "I'll have to talk to Shizuku later."
"Why don't you come wait in my apartment?" Amaruq offered. "These doors are paper thin. We're sure to hear her when she gets back."
He hesitated. Something about the man still bothered him, but it was his distrust that had gotten him in trouble with Shizuku to begin with. Maybe he really was making a mountain out of a mouse-shrew hill. Against his better judgment, he entered the man's apartment. If Shizuku trusted Amaruq, he could at least try.
"How about some more coffee, Mako?" Seiko interrupted with a playful grin. "Then there's dishes to be cleared, and I do think it's time to tend to young Koji's arm again."
Even though Ryu had managed to close the wound, the injury wasn't completely healed. Koji still had pain when he tried to move his shoulder. It was also a good opportunity for Ryu to practice his waterbending healing.
Although Seiko wasn't wrong, it was all meant as a distraction. The mischievous man was deliberately sabotaging Mako's story.
"Uncle Seiko…"
"C'mon."
"The dishes aren't going anywhere."
All three teens griped in unison. Even Juji joined in the scolding with a loud gurgle. Seiko was suddenly forced to defend himself when he was pelted by grapes, scraps of fish, and other tidbits, mostly from Ryu.
"That's enough." Mako broke-up the playful discourse and the teens settled down.
"So, what happened next, Old Man?" Ryu asked.
Mako wished the teens paid this much attention to him when he wasn't sharing stories about his past. The boys anyway. Mari was always respectful.
He looked at the dregs in his mug. "Now that you mention it, I really could use some more coffee," he smiled, willing to play along with Seiko for a few more moments. He soon found himself on the receiving end of the teenagers' wrath.
"Alright, alright," he said as he swatted away scraps. "As long as Koji is okay."
"I'm good, sir. Honest," Koji replied.
Seiko did grant Mako's wish for more coffee however and brought the pot to the table while he continued. "So, there I was, sitting in the apartment of Shizu's boyfriend—"
"That had to be awkward," Koji interrupted. It was ironic coming from him since it was Ryu currently sitting in a similar situation.
"Awkward doesn't begin to describe it," Mako scoffed as he pensively rubbed the lip of his freshly filled mug with his thumbs. "He started bringing up…things…Things I would have preferred long forgotten. That was the point I realized why he'd come to Republic City. Amaruq was a hunter and I was his prey. Dating Shizu had all been a ploy to get to me."
"I bet you throttled him," Ryu said with a nasty grin.
"I definitely wanted to. I didn't get the chance though as I suddenly had a tranquilizer dart sticking out of my neck. He'd rigged his apartment with a trap," Mako explained.
Koji playfully elbowed Ryu. "Man, you really are like the Chief." He cowered when he received irritated glares from both Ryu and Mako. Ironically, the nearly identical expressions essentially proved his statement. A loud gulp came from him as he backpedaled. He wasn't worried about Ryu, but he was dating Mako's granddaughter. If he wanted to continue to do so, he had better stay in the elder fetchling's good graces. "O-Of course, you weren't out in some woods where one might expect traps…sir…" he nervously finished. Then, he shoved a syrup-soaked chunk of toast into his mouth to block any more stupidity from slipping out.
With that obnoxious interruption over, Mako continued.
"Yes. I foolishly stumbled into his trap," he stated, admitting his fault. "Had I listened to my instincts, I wouldn't have suffered through what happened next."
Mako groaned as the sedative wore off. He was getting real tired of people drugging him. He looked around and found himself in a small log cabin no larger than his apartment. A hacksaw and pliers were laying on a nearby workbench with a thick fur rug, adorned with Water Tribe crests, crumpled on the floor. That answered how he had been brought here. Chains rattled when he tried to move. He was folded over a wooden bench as if someone was preparing him to be beheaded. Steel chains were wrapped around him, and the bench, and held his hands to his back. He tried to move his tail next only to find something was holding that in place too, but he couldn't shift his head far enough to see. That's when he noticed something else was wrong. His head felt light, and not because of the tranquilizer either.
"There you are." Amaruq appeared in front of him with a disappointed expression on his face. "I thought you'd be more of a challenge."
Mako angrily struggled against his chains while the man continued.
"I was surprised how easy it was to lure you into my apartment. I thought for sure I'd have to convince Shizuku to bring you over. Then, seeing the stool, she'd offer it to you so you wouldn't pinch your poor tail." Amaruq mockingly frowned. "She really does fuss about you. If only she knew about the animal you really are," he said as he casually picked under his finger nails with a large hunting knife.
"You were using her!" Mako snapped. "You were using her to get to me!"
"Shizuku is cute and all, but what a chatterbox. She never shuts-up. And that stutter. How do you put up with it?" Amaruq grimaced, essentially confirming the statement.
The casual way Amaruq spoke so poorly of Shizuku made him even angrier.
"Your crown was hardly worth the trouble. At least my employer will pay good money for the rest of you."
"My crown?" Mako echoed.
Amaruq casually stepped aside revealing a metal tray. On it was a pair of silver branches. Now he knew why his head felt weird. They were his horns. The man had sawed off his horns.
A year ago he would have been grateful. Heck, he might have even asked Amaruq to finish the job by taking his tail too. But now, seeing them on the tray like discarded pig chicken bones, infuriated him. Something inside him snapped; an ember instantly turning into an inferno.
Ever since he'd been cursed, people treated him as less than human: a spirit, an animal, a dragon-man. Maybe it was time he started giving them a reason to. A cold scowl covered his face as heat began radiating from his body; firebending coming from his very core.
"Do you know how benders learned the elements?" The story Mako had heard so long ago sprang to his head.
"Trading children's stories?" Amaruq mused with a disappointed frown. "Yes. Even a non-bender like me has heard those tales. Earthbenders from the badgermoles, Waterbenders from the moon, Airbenders from…whatever," Amaruq dismissively replied as he tapped his knife on his shoulder. "What are you getting at?"
"You didn't finish," Mako stated. "You forgot the most important one. Firebenders learned from dragons." He inhaled, hot air filling his lungs near to bursting, then blew. Blue light reflected off Amaruq's face as a large fireball filled the small space. It hit him with the force of a chameleon rhino and sent him crashing through the wooden wall. The remaining flames climbed the walls like angry scarab snakes as they ignited the wooden structure.
The steel chains holding Mako melted to slag under the heat and the red-hot metal slipped from him, without leaving a single mark, as he stood.
Outside, Amaruq frantically patted out the flames that ate at his coat. Then he looked toward the inferno that was once his cabin. A dark silhouette emerged from the blaze, its eyes glowing in the pale moonlight—a monster. It stepped into the cold night air, the snow instantly melting beneath its boots as it marched towards him; a look of pure rage over its face.
"That's when you throttled him?" Ryu interrupted.
"That's when Shizu and Korra showed up. Had it not been for them, I would have burned Amaruq down right along with his cabin," Mako corrected, still ashamed after all these years.
"Mako!"
Korra pulled Naga to a stop outside the burning cabin with Shizuku holding tight to the saddle. The polar bear dog had followed Mako's scent to a woods outside the city. There, in the blue light of the blaze, they could see him clearly as he bared down on a man cowering in the snow. Two stumps protruded from his forehead like oversized scabs.
"His horns!" Shizuku gasped. "Amaruq t-took his horns. Detective!" She slid off Naga, intent on aiding her superior, but a firm hand from Korra stopped her.
"That's not Mako." Korra had seen the cold stare on his face once before. It was the same as when she had fought him while he was possessed by darkness. Except this time there was no dark energy around him. Just anger.
"Mako. Stop!" she hollered.
"Stay out of this, Korra," Mako stated and, using his tail, bent a wave of fire at them.
Shizuku flinched and pressed herself against Naga, away from the blue flame wall that suddenly surrounded them.
"Wha—I can't believe he threw fire at us!" Korra sputtered. She threw her arms forward to bend away the flames. Nothing happened. She tried again, but they didn't budge. The blue flames were beholden to their master…and it wasn't her.
Amaruq shuffled backwards in the snow away from the enraged half-spirit. He tried desperately to get to his feet only to find his legs had turned to jelly.
Mako squatted down and grabbed him by the collar.
"I'm going to give you a reminder about why people need to respect spirits," Mako growled. Heat radiated from his hand as he inched it to Amaruq's face.
"Detective! You have to stop!"
Mako's head snapped to Shizuku who was standing outside of his fire wall. The woman was panting and had charred marks all over her uniform. "You c-can't—You can't hurt him. I-It was my fault. I—You're a-a detective with the Republic City Police an-and head of the Bureau of Spirit Investigations," Shizuku huffed. "P-Please. I-I know th-this isn't what—isn't who y-you are."
Mako gave Shizuku a long, hard look before turning back to the terrified Amaruq. He lowered his heated hand and jerked Amaruq close enough to see his fangs.
"Don't ever let me catch you in Republic City again," he stated. The collar he had been holding turned to ash under his grasp allowing Amaruq to slip free. The man gave him one last panicked glance before finding his legs and running into the woods.
"Detective are y-you—?" Shizuku began, but was interrupted by Korra.
"What's going on with you, Mako?" she demanded, concern creeping into her voice. "You were going to deliberately burn that man. That's not like you."
"He took my horns, Korra!" Mako snapped, pointing to the stubs on his forehead. "He was going to get what he deserved!"
"Is that you talking, Mako? Or the spirit?" Korra scowled.
A wave of snow popped into the air as Mako's tail lashed the ground.
"I don't know! Am I talking to Korra or the Avatar?!" he countered.
The statement made her pause. Much like her and Raava, for him, there was no longer a distinction between human and spirit. She cautiously stepped aside as he stormed past her to the burning building.
She watched as he sliced his arms through the air and then outwards. Every flame on the building was instantly snuffed along with the fire wall. When it came to firebending, Mako was no slouch but that? It was a feat that Korra didn't think she could accomplish even in the Avatar state.
With the fire extinguished, Mako disappeared into what was left of the cabin. He re-emerged moments later with his severed horns clutched in his hands and an expression of anguish and pain. What had once been a source of embarrassment and disgust for him, were now the center of his pride. Korra walked over to comfort him. For her, Raava was a spirit of light and justice that allowed her to connect to the four elements. Whatever had just possessed him, was a creature of fire and vengeance. One that would destroy anything in its path. Thankfully, Shizuku had been there to snap him out of it.
"Do you think Aki can fix them?" she asked as she looked at the hurt expression on his face.
"I'll call her tomorrow and see," he answered and slid the horns into his coat pockets.
"Detective. I-I'm sorry. This was my fault. Y-You didn't trust Amaruq an-and I should have listened, and the coffee, and the y-yelling. I should have been more careful. I sh-shouldn't have—Your horns. I didn't think he would…" Tears formed in Shizuku's eyes as she tried to apologize. Her normal "wordbending" muddled by guilt.
"We can talk about it later," he said calmly.
"Sure…O-Okay," Shizuku replied as she wiped the tears from her face with the cuff of her sleeve.
Korra climbed onto Naga. "C'mon. I'll give you a ride back to the city," she offered. Mako accepted and joined her.
"Coming?" he asked as he looked down at his partner.
There was enough room in the saddle for one more and it was directly behind him. After what had just occurred, Shizuku didn't feel like she had the right to look at him let alone sit that close to him. She kicked at the snow under her boots.
"I-I can walk. It isn't that far. I'll get a cab once I get to the city and—"
"I'm not leaving my partner out here to freeze in the snow." Mako held out his hand to help her. Hesitantly, she accepted and allowed herself to be hoisted into the saddle. To make room, Mako wrapped his long tail under his coat. Even then, Shizuku shoved herself as far back in the saddle as she could and clutched the cantle so she wouldn't touch him. She simply felt too guilty for what had happened. With everyone firmly seated, Korra spurred Naga back towards the city.
"I still remember the terrified look on Amaruq's face as he ran off into the woods that night." It was nearly the same expression the old hunter had given him days earlier. A satisfied smile briefly came to Mako's face at the fact that the man was still terrified of him. "I never thought I would see him again until, well, five days ago when you boys found him in those woods. It wasn't my horns he was after though. He didn't even know I was here." He turned to his granddaughter. "He'd come all this way for yours, Mari."
Unsurprisingly, a gasp slipped from Mari's lips. Mako knew how proud she was of her horns. The thought of having them cut off, probably horrified her.
"How did you get them back?" she asked.
"Aki, with the help of Suyin Beifong's family, built some braces to hold them in place until they knit back together. I still have the nails imbedded in them." He pointed to the scars almost entirely obscured by layers of bone.
"So, they were the ones to follow us home that day." Seiko frowned and reached across the table to take Mari's hand into his. "I'm so sorry, Mari dear. You know I would never let anything happen to you."
Mari returned his apology with her usual, sweet smile.
"I know, Uncle Seiko. My hood slipping off was an accident. I should have stayed home since I was sick," she said.
Mako looked to the boys. "Fortunately, it seems your 'discretion' in the woods worked in our favor. Since I stopped Ryu from hurting Amaruq's granddaughter, he decided to leave us, and our horns, alone."
"See? And you were getting your tail in a twist because I went into the Avatar state," Ryu sassed. He sank back into his chair when Mako gave him a stern glare for the ill-timed remark.
"It isn't that you went into the Avatar state. It's that you went into the Avatar state when you were angry," Mako firmly corrected. "That's where, as the Avatar, you cannot cross that line."
Ryu sulked as he continued.
"I learned two things for certain that night. The first was, somewhere along the line, I no longer thought of myself as a normal human. I am half-spirit—a fetchling. Cutting off my horns or tail is the same as cutting off an arm or leg. As difficult as they can be at times, they're a part of who I am.
"The second was, because I am half-spirit, I have to keep my anger in-check. I could have easily cooked Amaruq that night…and I wasn't even turned dark." His tail absently flicked as he swallowed his shame. "It doesn't help that, because of how I look, one wrong move will have me thrown in a cell. People don't tolerate monsters, Kid."
Ryu stuffed his hands into his hoody pocket and slumped further in his chair.
"Whatever. I get it," the teen grumped. Tension filled the room as the other two teens waited to see if the discussion would escalate into an argument.
"So frosty," Seiko said with an exaggerated shiver. The tension immediately evaporated. "You needn't be so harsh on the boy, Mako. He's still young."
Mako got defensive. "I'm not being har—" He stopped mid-sentence and grabbed Seiko's hand when the Waterbender tried to shush him with a solitary finger. "Not this time…"
"Party-pooper…" Seiko frowned as he pulled his hand away. "Anyway. Since the happy family is back together, why don't you all go to the living room and relax while I clean-up. Then Ryu can show you some of his new tricks, Mako."
"Yeah. I can heal now," Ryu stated, excited to show-off his new abilities.
"Kind of. My arm still hurts," Koji joked as he rubbed his shoulder.
"I can make it hurt even more." Ryu remarked, and threatened to punch him.
"Be nice, Ryu." Mari intervened and wrapped herself around Koji's arm to separate the boys. They all happily chuckled as they went into the living room.
Mako carried his dishes to the kitchen sink where Seiko was already scrubbing.
"You're doing a good job with them," Seiko said softly.
Mako glanced out into the living room at the three teenagers. "I'm just doing my best to make sure the kid doesn't get himself killed out there, that's all," he replied.
"Always with the modesty," Seiko remarked. "Why can't you just say thank you and be done with it."
Mako paused a moment. After everything that had happened with his biological son, it was nice to hear he was doing something right with his adopted family.
"Alright. Thank you, Seiko. It actually means a lot," he finally said. He instantly regretted it as Seiko suddenly wrapped his arms around him.
"I knew it! I knew deep down you loved me!" Seiko shouted loud enough to draw the teens' attention. "We're going to have such a wonderful relationship together!" Seiko then proceeded to rub his bearded cheek against Mako's face.
More chuckling came from the living room.
"Dammit, Seiko!" Mako yelled as he squirmed in his brother-in-law's grasp.
It was nearly six months of training later when Mako decided it was time to move on. Ryu wasn't a master Waterbender yet, but he was well on his way after Seiko's tutelage. Plus, if Mako had to deal with his brother-in-law much longer, Shizu might find herself short another sibling.
Mari said her goodbyes while he and the boys packed The Rampage.
"It was so nice seeing you again, Mari dear," Seiko said as the pair hugged. "Make sure you take care yourself and especially your Papa. I'm sure he'd be lost without you."
Mako rolled his eyes as he overheard the conversation.
"Okay, Uncle Seiko. I will," she smiled. "Thank you for everything."
Mako stepped up next. Thankfully, Seiko behaved himself and politely extended his hand.
"I can't thank you enough for all your help, Seiko," he said as they cordially shook hands. "And I know I'm going to regret saying this, I really owe you."
"Never, Mako. You know I'd do anything for you and little Zu," Seiko replied.
"You two done kissing over there?" Ryu chided as he slammed the rear door of the truck closed. Koji had to quickly stifle a chuckle at the jab while Mari shoved Ryu as a playful warning.
"Don't you start with that nonsense, Kid," Mako scolded him. "If you're all packed, get in the truck."
Ryu responded with a grin before climbing into his customary seat on the passenger side. Koji and Mari soon followed and climbed into the back while Mako took his seat behind the wheel.
"I'm serious when I say this—All of you are welcome here anytime, that includes you boys. And I want to be invited to the wedding you two," Seiko finished pointedly to Mari and Koji. Koji's face turned deep red as he abashedly sunk in his seat. Mako's face was also red, but it wasn't from embarrassment. Heat radiated from his body as he thought about his little fetchling getting married. He glared at Koji through the rearview. The teenager sank into his coat in a futile effort to disappear in its meager depths.
"Uncle Seiko!" Mari scolded.
The man walked over and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek through the open window.
"You know I love both of you. Be safe out there."
She sighed. Like her grandfather, she couldn't stay mad at him. "Of course we will. And we love you too."
They gave final waves and goodbyes as Mako pulled the truck onto the tundra.
"It's nice to be back on the road," Ryu said as he knit his fingers behind his head.
"On the rood," Juji echoed.
Mako had to agree. Although it was nice to be staying in a house, he actually missed roughing it.
"You know, sir. We umm…I don't know if…What Seiko said about marriage…" Koji stammered from the back seat.
"Don't worry about it Koji. Keep in mind that Seiko likes to throw curveballs. I know you're both too young to think about marriage," Mako stated firmly. It was a veiled threat which Mari caught. He nervously cleared his throat when he caught her annoyed scowl in the rearview. It reminded him of Shizu. He was saved from her wrath by Ryu.
"Speaking of marriage. We never did get to hear about your bachelor party, Old Man," he said.
"Really? I never finished that?" Mako replied. Although the initial interruption had been an accident, he and Seiko deliberately sabotaged the story every time it was brought up afterwards.
"Papa," Mari chastised him.
"Alright. I'll tell you what happened," he said. "Me, Bolin, Seiko, and Shizu's oldest brother Bihn, all went out for drinks. I got completely drunk at the first tavern and convinced myself that the only reason Shizu was marrying me, was because she felt sorry that I was cursed. I ran all the way across the city to her apartment to ask her for certain and then…"
He paused and a serious expression crossed his face.
"And then?" Ryu finally asked. All three teens waited on baited breath for the answer.
"And then I passed-out on Shizu's lap, and I don't remember the rest of that night," he finished with a nonchalant shrug.
All three teens went agape.
"That's it?" Ryu said.
"That's it."
In the back seat, Mari giggled. All the months of buildup for nothing.
"I don't believe it." Ryu threw his hands up in disgust. "You're just as bad as Seiko."
"Bad as Seko," Juji echoed.
Mako shrugged again. Maybe Seiko had rubbed off on him a little.
