officerhotshot:

_{― … I can’t help you if it’s anything illegal; I swore an oath when getting my badge. But it sounds like this doesn’t have anything to do with the police forces, doesn’t it?”}

_{Mako finally layed his hand on Kai’s shoulder.}

_{― I got your back. Welcome home.”}

---

_{Mako was setting up the boat so they could get to Air Temple Island; if there was a place where Kai could stay and be surrounded by trustful people in secrecy and it wasn’t like Jinora or Korra could say no to him.}

_{― You’ll be safe on Air Temple Island. The Air Acolytes are trustworthy and if you let me talk to them, I’m sure it’ll be fine. Hope you don’t miss meat too much though.”}

_{The raven sat down next to the motor.}

_{― While we get there, why don’t you tell me from the beginning?”}

                                                                                         ^{❛ Think about it GENIUS. If it had anything to do with the police, do you really think I’d be talking to} YOU ^{of all people? ❜}

                                                                                           ^{The tone he took had that SARCASTIC ring to it; Even if there was no} ILL INTENT ^{behind it, such a character flaw could not be overlooked. The hand that laid itself against his shoulder was} ALMOST ^{enough to make Kai tense. It has been A LONG TIME since he’s allowed any sort of contact.}

                                                WELCOME HOME.
                                 SUCH A CRUEL THING TO SAY.

                                                                                      ^{Kai followed behind Mako no questions asked & helped prepare the boat in order to} SHIP OFF ^{to Air Temple Island. Has it really been THIS LONG since he had been gone? M E M O R I E S of his his grandfather voicing his} IGNORANT ^{opinion on such matters, even then, managed to} UNNERVE ^{the young bender. How his eyes looked at those beneath their status with such} DISDAIN; ^{he knew that look PERSONALLY.}

                                                                                    ^{On the opposing side of the boat, Kai listened to the} RUMBLING ^{of the motor as it functioned underneath the water. Eyes turned themselves up to look at Mako; HIS FRIEND.} A FILTHY LOW-LIFE ^{(such a title he once said about Mako only in his presence) who shared bread with him on the street when Kai managed to find himself out of that} PRISON ^{he called a home. He huffed out quietly. ❛ If I tell you, you} WON’T ^{believe me–but I’ll give it a shot anyway. Hold your LAUGHTER & OPINIONS until after I’m done. ❜}

                                                                             ^{& with that, Kai started the story from} THE VERY BEGINNING ^{for the entire boat ride.}

✠^[MAKO]✠:

_{He scoffed.}

_{― … and nice to know you still have such crazy grey hair, buddy.”}

_{He almost patted his shoulder, but abstained; Kai didn’t seem in a friendly mood somehow.}

_{― I’m sorry though, I’d like some answer; and I’m not interrogating as a cop; I’m asking as the kid who shared bread with you in the streets at night; where have you been? I’ve seen all of Republic City highs and lows and I never got sight of you.”}

_{Mako crossed his arms, frowning in some sort of worry.}

_{― Back when we were kids, Bolin was too young to understand your troubles, and I was too focussed on him to listen to you. But I grew up now, we both grew up.”}

_{Helping people without knowing their story yet? Korra probably rubbed off on him… for the best.}

                                                                                                 ^{Now was} NOT THE TIME ^{to remember the past ( NOT ALL OF THE PAST WAS BAD ). The longer he was on the street, the more likely someone was going to talk; the more likely they were going to catch wind of him being here & the more likely he’ll be} HUNTED.

                                                                                              ^{This was MAKO; This was his FRIEND ( HIS ONLY FRIEND ) & yet Kai treated him now as someone he had never seen before. No one in this city could be trusted. They knew of} HIM. ^{They knew the man that placed up a} BOUNTY ^{in order to return his grandson ( never specified if he needed him DEAD OR ALIVE ). Kai grew tired of looking over his shoulder. He was fighting too hard to survive; he grew so tired of trying to} SURVIVE.

                                                                                                     ^{❛ …..Its more complicated than you think. ❜}

                                                                                               ^{This was the same kid he used to} FIREBEND ^{with; they taught each other. Kai would find Mako & show him moves he learned in his own private practices. It was all three of them; It was ALWAYS the three of them.} TIME WAS RUNNING OUT.

                                                                                            ^{❛ ….Get me out of here. Hide me; tell no one you saw me & I’ll tell you everything from the} BEGINNING. ^❜

officerhotshot:

_{The fight was broken and Mako didn’t have anything else to do, but seeing the other male dart away… did he really dream? He got some hazy memories about him, but the name definitely stuck the second he set his eyes on his particular features, especially the spiky hair and blue facepaint.}

_{The raven darted in the crowd, but seeing as Kai took a certain alley, Mako didn’t hesitate to take another one, a shortcut between two merchants stall and if he was right he was going to get…}

_{… just right in front of Kai.}

_{― Kai? Why did you run away like that? You could have told me what happened. I thought you were going to go back to your family and forget about causing trouble on the streets; how come I never heard of you before?”}

                                                                                                                              ^{He had to get away;} WOUNDS FROM THE PAST WERE MEANT TO HEAL. ^{Why tear off the scab & allow it to bleed all over again? He had bled} ENOUGH. ^{There was no going back to the life he knew; the life he} LOATHED.

                    (Never. I’m never going back there.)

                                                                                                                         ^{Feet knew the terrain better than he imagined. & yet, the look that took Mako’s face, that initial SHOCK caught Kai off his guard. An old friend acquaintance from a life he no longer lived. The Kai he knew was} DEAD; ^{the shell of a man he used to be was the body he chased. Bathed in} PHOENIX FIRE ^{he was not. This was not the} SAME KAI. ^{(Don’t you DARE lose your footing now!)}

                                                                                                                  ^{The bender had thought he lost the other;} RUNNING AWAY FROM THE PAST AGAIN. ^{But, fate proceeded to cackle at his disposition. FACE TO FACE they were. Rigid his posture became. An out; He needed an out. What sense was there to start a fight here? With the} POLICE? ^{No one could catch wind of him being here.} NO ONE. ^{He was} NOT ^{going back there. But allies were few & so long as his face was noticeable in this city, he was not safe. Think fast;} RIP OFF THE SCAB.

                                                                                                               ^{❛ ….Nice to know your} EYEBROWS ^{are still the same; ODD. ❜}

officerhotshot:

@blazingsourpuss

Disturbance. That’s what the call was. As a detective, only street cops would go, but since Mako was next to it, he just took it. Next thing he knew he was separating two people fighting in the center of a busy commercial street, where a crowd was forming.

― KNOCK IT OFF YOU TWO! Or I’m bringing you both to the station - you’re going to hurt somebody if you continue wrestling around and hurling objects at each others!”

But suddenly he blinked, noticing a familiar figure. Someone he grew up, but would definitely recognise.

― …. Kai?!”

                                                                                                          ^{So much for keeping a} LOW PROFILE. ^{This was} UNNECESSARY ^{but this guy just wouldn’t back off of him. His face was recognizable; he knew that & yet, the last thing Kai needed was his name being WHISPERED among the people here. THE RUNAWAY HEIR. He heard that term once during his travels, saw the posters of his face & the} REWARD ^{being placed for his return. There were some that speculated that Kai was kidnapped by some rogues who knew of the} PHOENIX ^{within the bender. Like he’d be stupid enough to get kidnapped. The stories he heard over the years, each one more} PATHETIC ^{than the last.}

                                                                                                          ^{& now, this is how his night was to end, with his drunkard who} CLAIMED ^{that he could tell Kai’s face anywhere; that he was going to take him in & roll in that prize money. The amount of} FEAR & RETALIATION ^{that swam through Kai got his blood boiling & made the} FIRE ^{in his eyes burn bright. Their fight had lead outside; a crowd of onlookers who tried to get a good look at the stranger. Was it him? Was it Voltaire’s grandson? They whispered. This is bad. He} HAD ^{to get out of here. But before he could make his} ESCAPE, ^{a voice caught him off guard. His head} TURNED ^{& eyes went wide. He knew that face. Now was not the time for pleasantries.}

                                                                                                    ^{❛ You got the} WRONG GUY. ^{❜ Came the snap as fingers pulled that} WHITE SCARF ^{over the lower half of his face. Kai turned &} BOLTED ^{through the crowd, turning a corner in order to keep up the chase. He couldn’t get caught. He couldn’t be seen.} HE COULDN’T GO BACK. ^{Kai would rather surrender his life before he ever stepped foot back there, not after what he heard that night.} NEVER AGAIN.