It wasn't until several hours after Mako and Bolin had left with an unconcious Kao that she got a call from Tenzin. "Is she awake?" Lin demanded as soon as she picked up the phone.

"Yes," Tenzin replied, "Y–"

"I'm coming over immediately." Lin cut off whatever Tenzin was going to say and hung up, quickly going for the exit.

"You get word on how Kao's doing?" Lu asked her as she walked by.

"Yes, I'm going to question her now." Lin snapped, irritated that he had stopped her.

"Give her our regards, would ya, Chief?" Gang asked.

"Sure," Lin bit out before exiting the station.

X

"Everyone down in the corner!" Master Acchoda ordered the class. Master Adao quickly huddled the group of ten year olds as close together as possible.

"What's happening?" Azule squeaked in her ear, wrapping her arms around her tightly.

"I don't know," Kai whispered back just as scared.

"Are you two stupid?" Troy snapped at them irritated. "That gang that's been attacking the town for the last month and a half is attacking the school."

"Why would he do that?" Azule asked weakly.

"Because he doesn't know who's in here ready to fight him!" Dimitri brought up a few small rocks form the ground.

"Don't be an idiot Dimitri," Kai snapped at her friend. "Some of us aren't even ten. We can't take an entire gang of full grown benders. They could be masters of their element for all we know." Her voice took on a scared quiver to it. Dimitri huffed out a pout.

"It's alright everyone," Master Adao told them in her motherly voice, "Everything will be okay. The Island Guard is on their way."

"You foolish woman," a sinister voice filled the room. "Do you really think the Island Guard will be able to stop me?"

Kai shoved her way to the front, a choice she will forever regret, to see who was speaking.

He was a tall man, about 6' 5", with dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. A tattoo of a flame covered his right eye, the needed body part's iris, along with its counterpart, were a shocking ice blue with a thin circle of topaz at the edges and around the pupil. His eyes were wide with a crazed look, his long crooked nose's nostrils flared, and his lips, bright red with pealing chapped skin, curled outward in a crooked smirk.

"What are you doing here?" Master Acchoda demanded of the man.

"I'm here to take my revenge." The man sneered.

"You don't have to do this, Chang." Master Acchoda replied.

"Your quarrel isn't with these children, Min. Why would you hurt them like this?" Master Adao exclaimed in anguish, tears streaming down her face.

"Because, I know it will hurt those who ridiculed me more then it will hurt them." The man sneered out. He quickly pointed two fingers at Master Acchoda, and before anyone could do anything about it, a sharp bolt of lightning was sent straight to Master Acchoda's heart. When the powerful substance made contact with Master Acchoda's chest, he immediately dropped to the ground.

"NOOO!" Master Adao screamed in anguish. Kai let out a strangled sob. The man, Min Chang, then turned to Master Adao and stood, bringing his fist back and–

"AGH!" Kai woke with a wail. She tried to take a deep breath, but found it wasn't possible. I can't breathe! Why can't I breathe?!

"Kai!" A familiar voice exclaimed concerned. She looked over to the voice. Bolin. "What's wrong?" He asked. Kai kept trying to breathe.

"Tenzin!" another familiar voice exclaimed. Mako. Her brain reminded her.

"What is it?" The older man exclaimed worriedly.

"She woke up screaming and crying," Crying? Kai then sensed the wetness on the left side of her face that was only getting worse. "And she can't stop hyperventilating." Mako explained.

"Criminy," he whispered in worried shock.

"Can't you do some airbending trick to get her more air or something?" Bolin asked. Kai suddenly felt the crushing sensation in her hand, her eyes cast down to see Bolin holding onto it as if his life depended on it. Had she not been hyperventilating she would have blushed profusely.

"No, but maybe Korra can try to open up her lungs more." He muttered quickly gesturing the Avatar into the room. "I'm going to contact Lin." He then rushed out of the room to the phone.

"This might feel a little weird, Kai." Korra told her and then made the water flow around her chest until it covered her entire torso. The water began to glow and soon Kai had more air to breathe. She took a huge gulp and then collapsed on her bed exhausted, her eye throbbing from her nightmare.

Everyone in the room remained quiet for almost fifteen minutes. It wasn't awkward, but no one knew how to respond to what had just happened. At some point Bolin had noticed he was crushing her hand and quickly let go with a blush. Kai opened and closed her hand, and then wiggled her fingers.

Korra finally spoke, though, "What happened?"

"I- I- I really don't want to talk about it." She whimpered out, clutching at her fringe.

Mako opened his mouth to speak, but Kai stopped him by speaking again. "I- I- I'll discuss it with Chief Bei Fong, but only what's necessary." Mako's face fell into one to say 'you know that's not going to cut it.' "I'm not going to relive that twice in one day."

"You don't have to." The voice of Chief Bei Fong filled the room. Mako stood to recognize his commanding officer's presence in the doorway.

Bei Fong walked into the room, assessing Kai's damage. "Leave," She demanded of the three able bodied teenagers in the room.

"Yes ma'am," Bolin replied quickly before walking out of the room behind silent Korra and Mako. He looked back at Kai with a small reassuring smile, which she returned with her own pained one, and then he walked out of sight.

X

Lin studied the girl before her for a few moments. Her already pale skin was sallow, and her usually neat ponytail was half-way falling out, the girl's dark hair plaster to her face and neck with sweat. "You look–"

"Horrible," she croaked, "Yes, I know." Kai went to sit up, crossing her legs over the blanket in front of her. "I also know that my looks aren't what you came over to discuss."

Lin internally flinched at the girl's ability to switch into such a business like mode so quickly. In the back of her mind she started to wonder where she learned how to do that. "What's that insignia that was spray painted on the Sato estate?"

Kao looked down at her calloused hands, ringing her long, nimble fingers. She took a deep breath, "It represents a fire bender by the name of Min Chang and his followers."

"How do you–" Lin was cut off by Kao continuing to speak.

"The week before my tenth birthday he came to the bending school I had been attending at the time. He went tearing through the facility, burning anything and anybody in his path. And then he came into my classroom."

"He attacked your classroom?" Lin asked in angry astonishment.

"Yes," Kao replied softly. "He scarred everyone in the room, and killed both the earth bending and water bending teachers in front of us."

"Why would he–"

"Come to find out he went to school with my father and his friends/business partners. Apparently, they had done something to him to hold a terrible grudge." A single tear fell to Kao's hand.

"And you're sure it's this Min Chang's symbol?" Lin asked cautiously.

Kao looked up at Lin, tears running down the left side of her face, only the left side of her face, a sneer prominent on her lips, "That's not something you easily forget!" She snapped angrily, her voice thick from her tears.

"You watch your tone young lady." Lin snapped. Kao rubbed at her left eye, and sniffled angrily.

Lin studied the girl for a moment. The girl's dark hair that was normally pulled back in a ponytail with her fringe framing her face and then also falling over her right eye was down and fell to her mid back but still covered her right eye, the one eye that was visible though was a green that had a touch of blue in them making them a striking, bright turquoise color. She had a clear, cream colored complexion that Lin remembered gracing her mother's skin.

Lin felt a wave of sadness come over her, at the thought of her mother and the thoughts of what she gave up on Orta Island a long time ago. Lin took a silent breath and let it out sadly before she nodded, "Thank you for your help." Lin told her. Kao looked back down at her lap, rubbing viciously at her left eye. "You don't have to come to the station Monday morning if you don't want to."

"Just because my past is coming back to haunt me, doesn't mean I'm going to lock myself in my room from it like some baby." She grumbled out. Lin nodded curtly and then walked out.