Hello and welcome to my third fanfiction! This chapter is more of a prologue so is short. The story picks up from the last chapter of The List, my previous story to this, but if you have not read it or An Involuntary Break you should be able to get the gist of the story, but you might want to read them first! Takes place after Season 9 so will contain spoilers.

His Eyes.

His eyes were brown. A deep, warm chocolate brown, the exact same shade as his mom's, Maya's. But the fierce amber specks which encircled his dark pupils were inherited from his dad, Ray, the mark having been passed down to Ray from his own dad, Kai's grandad. The mark which the inherited elemental powers left on the masters of fire. Always present, burning in the background at all times and swirling dangerously when the fire was stoked.

As they were right now.

With virtually no brown left in those irises, glowing as they flashed at his captor treacherously as he looked directly into her eyes, unblinking and unafraid.

"This is not you. I refuse to believe this is you, Skylor." Kai leant forward, straining against the vengestone chains cuffing him to the heavy factory machinery in the dark, abandoned warehouse in which she had somehow managed to get him.

"Oh Kai, Kai, Kai… You're going to do yourself a damage pulling yourself about like that."

It was true, his wrists were bleeding from where he had been thrashing against the cursed metal binding them as soon as he regained consciousness and found himself here. And he had lost the feelings in his legs a long while ago, which were also bound together and folded uncomfortably underneath him as he knelt on the cold, gritty concrete floor. The colour of his white kimono, the Wu Cru outfit Nya had wanted them all to wear... was definitely not white anymore.

Eurgh! The frustrated growl vibrated across him as he yanked against the chains once again, willing the fire raging inside him to release. But it was futile whilst in these cuffs… She crouched down in front of him, bringing herself to his level and looking him directly in the eye. He had to bite his lip as he saw those dark, glinting purple swirls in her eyes, overtaking the green which he knew should be there. The deep, beautiful green which he loved. And he had to look away, looking away from the malice he could see controlling her and hoping she could not see the pain now welling inside him.

"Oh, can't you look at me now?" Her tone was mocking, filled with contempt. "You couldn't take your eyes away not so long ago…"

He spun his head back to view her, his eyes blinking hard as he tried to push back the memories of his sister's wedding which already felt so long ago but was only… was it yesterday? The day before? He had lost all track of time since he had been dragged into the warehouse.

"Skylor. You are still in there. Fight this." Straining forward in his chains again, nose nearly touching hers as he urgently hissed the words out. She blinked, but the hard, cold purple stayed, unwaveringly. And her callous laughter nearly broke him as she stood up.

But he was not expecting the hard kick she aimed expertly at his ribs, causing him to buckle and gasp, spitting out blood when his body finally allowed breath back into his stinging lungs.

"Kai, Kai, Kai… Let's just see how long it takes for your beloved ninja family to come and find you, eh?" and she chuckled as she sauntered away.