Chapter 19 Brothers Part 2

Ube stood across a person who he thought was gone from his life. Granted, it was amazing, but he could finally see a dear friend. Still standing in the alleyway. Shio smiled, seeing his best friend, it had been so long that he thought Ube had died.

Opal was standing there with a stumped face and seeing Ube and Shio's friendliness towards one another.

"Shio, I can't believe you're standing here you are alive, I haven't seen you in forever what happened?" Ube asked.

"I could ask the same thing. I just remembered that one day you were just gone I couldn't find you or your mother anywhere, how is she, still living in the metal shack?" Shio asked. Ube had a sad face and was a little surprised.

"You mean, you didn't hear what happened?" He asked.

"No, what… Ube, what happened?" Shio asked. Ube let out a tired sigh but still kept a smile on his face.

"Let's talk somewhere where you're not gonna be chased down by people," Ube said with a joke. Shio smiled and innocently shrugged his shoulders like he did nothing.

"You know me, old habits," Shio jokes. Opal glanced down at Shio's hand, seeing how it Slowly relaxed. When she saw a fist being bald in his hand, she felt a strange omen about Shio. However, quickly, she pushed those thoughts aside.

The three of them say in an abandoned warehouse, where Ube used to practice his alien forms. The smell was extremely unpleasant, but they still were able to sit through it. Opal did have to pinch her nose, but she stayed.

To Ube and Shio, their past experiences were able to make them sit through the stench, but that didn't mean they liked it. They sat on broken chairs while the hole in the ceiling acted as a nice skylight.

"So what happened to you?" Shio asked awkwardly. "You know how did she… pass?"

Ube took a calm breath, making sure his emotions were in check when he explained his story. No violent outbursts or wrathful tone of voice. Grandpa Kanto made sure that their month-long training also focused on controlling one's emotions. In the brief moments, he learned to meditate to try and control that inner fire. He was nowhere near close to mastering it, but he was more adept at controlling himself.

"She passed away because she got sick, the lower parts of the city were becoming dirty and unlivable."

Shio gripped his fist in anger and kicked a box across the room. "Damn it, if the city did its job, that wouldn't have happened. Rich sit up in their high towers, us poor folks have to fend for ourselves!"

Opal was a bit startled by the outburst, but Ube was completely unfazed, remembering this was the typical behavior Shio would show when receiving disappointing news.

"I'm sorry, Ube, I wish I could've been there to help you, I was doing other stuff at the time-"

"Hey, it's fine I didn't blame you in any way. We were all trying to survive on the streets. I'm just happy to know that you're standing right in front of me and still alive!" Ube said. Shio nodded respectfully. The pain that his brother went through made his heart suffer.

"So I'm guessing you've been on your own all this time, right?" Shio asked. Ube paused and scratched the back of his head. Opal could tell Ube was worried about his next choice of words.

"No, I haven't."

Shio raised an eyebrow at Ube. "What do you mean?"

"When she passed, a police officer showed up and helped me. Later on, she even adopted me. She is a very kind and great person. Also, you might have heard about her," Ube looked away nervously.

"Ube, what's up I can tell when you're acting strange," Shio pointed out. Ube was trying to force the words past his lips, but they couldn't come out. Ube remembered how, back then, some Republic City cops wouldn't be the best, and sometimes corrupt cops would decide to start trouble. It was bad back then, but after Lin became chief, the corruption was cleaned out.

"My mom is Lin Beifong, the police chief, she is a great person," Ube told the truth. Shio paused and didn't know what to say, but he scratched the back of his head and smiled.

"Man, here's me thinking cops only arrested and beat us down, it's great to hear that, so that makes you who?" Shio asked, looking at Opal.

"I'm Ubes legal cousin. Also, I am Beifong," Opal said with a hint of pride.

"Woah, you won the orphan lottery, didn't you little bro," Shio said with a smile. Ube shyly glanced away. "Yeah, I did, but what have you been up to?"

Shio rolled his shoulders and relaxed. Leaning back, in a cool manner. "Just trying to survive on the streets. Meanwhile, you were having your happily ever after, and things changed a lot. Besides, food and clothes don't come cheap."

"Is that why you stole from those guys doing charity?" Ube asked.

"Naw, come on, Ube, you had to notice something was off with those guys, call me crazy, but I think those guys are Equalits, right?"

"But they work for Sato industries, I mean, why would they even do that?" Opal asked.

"More hands for preparations, lead with the carrot, not the stick," Ube said. He glanced at Opal with a sad face. "Sometimes the big gangs used to come to this part of town and hire guys for extra hands or a fall guy, they would get paid at the same time they could've ended up in jail."

"So I was hungry, and I decided I didn't wanna pay for lunch today. Those trucks have so much food in them. The thing I took was a measly amount."

This made Ube and Opal express worry this wasn't what they needed to hear. It wouldn't be any trouble if Ube would step in.

"Hopefully, the spirits are going to have a say in this," Opal said with a smirk. Shio crossed his arms and glanced curiously at Opal.

"I wouldn't get my hopes for them. Ever since the gangsters cleared out of the area, that's what caused the Equalists to come here, they think the spirits are on their side." This didn't sit well with Ube. He guessed that little meeting with Amon didn't mean no to that madman.

"Well, at least you're here, and if you're still hungry, we could head over to the happy Dragon. I work there now, so don't be afraid to come by!" Ube said with a big smile. Opal was able to catch a small glimpse of a frustrated frown on Shio, but it quickly turned into a fake happiness.

"Thanks for the offer, man, but I've got business to do. I work for a local construction, I scout out areas to help with building. I should get back to them with my report about this area," Shio said as he got up and headed for the door.

"Wait!" Ube called out. Shio turned around to see Ube running up to him.

"If you need any help, don't be afraid to come by, please, I want to catch up on everything," Ube said with a smile. Shio nodded and walked out of the door.

"See you later, little brother," Shio said as he walked out of the building. Ube watched as Shio walked away. He felt so happy seeing his brother again. It had been so long, and he thought he was dead, but it looked like things were finally turning around for him. Opal glanced at her cousin with a worried look. She couldn't put her finger on it, but Shio just felt off to her. Those eyes felt like the same as Kurivas.

Shio glanced behind him at the building that he just left. There was a long, momentary pause, looking at the building and back at his hand as sparks of energy flared off it.

He was happy to see his little brother had made a better life for himself, but that was just it. By himself, where was Ube all this time living the good life while he was stuck in the slums?

Where was Ube when all of us were suffering on the streets? Now adopted by the same people who oppressed us. That made this part of the city a living hell.

"Look at you, Little bro. Going so high in life, just don't forget to look down, or else that fall will kill you," Shio said. He walked with a lax pace and made his way to a pay phone. He spun the dial and waited patiently. Someone picked up on the other line.

"So, is it done?" Jin asked on the other end.

"I thought the boss would answer not the second-hand man?" Shio asked.

"Don't waste my time,"

"Yeah, consider it done. So does that mean I'm in your little gang?" He asked.

"Yeah, congratulations, you're officially in!" Jin said sarcastically over the phone. "But stay low for now; the fuss is hot right now, and you know full well the spirits are out,"

Shio smiled, thinking of the perfect person to help him lay low. "Don't worry, I got the perfect friend in mind."

In one of more fancier restaurants in Republic City.

A couple of hours passed, tonight was going to be something special. Ube was going to see Opal's mom and his Aunt-in-law. They would be heading to one of the more fancy restaurants. To Ube's dismay, he had to wear what he called a monkey suit.

"Man, do I have to wear this, it's uncomfortable, I also thought I wasn't gonna meet Aunt Suyin until next month," Ube said, pulling his collar. Opal smacked his hand away and glared at her cousin.

"You do, it's about making a good impression. My mom has been so excited to meet you."

Lin, who was standing behind her son, was wearing a police uniform.

"Relax, Ube, you could learn something from a woman's touch. Your Aunt Suyin really wanted to meet you so I couldn't just say no," Lin jokes.

"Whatever, I look good even without this monkey suit." flashing a confident grin and pointing both of his thumbs at himself proudly. Lin and Opal both glanced at each other, trying to hold in their laughs.

"Yep, everyone's a critic," Ube grumbles out. Lin let out a sigh and put a hand on her son's shoulder.

"Ube, I don't want you to hate her. My problem shouldn't be yours. That's a parent's duty. So, just try to look at her in a different light. You two might get along," Lin said.

"Alright, but do we have to go to one of these fancy restaurants? I can taste the sadness in the dishes," Ube pointed out. Opal smirked and poked at Ube's cheek.

"Hey, just because it isn't cooked or fried and some animal fat, or a deep-sea creature that belongs in a horror story, doesn't mean it's not good food," Opal said. Ube grumbled as he crossed his arm.

"You have a spoiled pallet, you know that?" Ube said as they began to walk up the fancy steps to the entrance.

"One of the perks of being rich," Opal said.

"And dweeb, don't forget dweeb," Ube said with a smirk.

"Ah! You have to do better than that doofus to get under my skin," Opal said.

"Just let us get to our table before we start a fight!" Lin said, glaring at both of them, they both quickly straightened out, not wanting to be chewed out by Lin.

While they walked to the higher floor, Ube smiled. "Hey, Mom, you wouldn't believe who I saw in the ghettos. I saw Shio!"

Lin paused and spun around with a surprised face. "What?"

"Yeah, can you believe it? I told you about him so many times I was able to find him today by chance, but I'm so happy to see him again. So maybe you could meet him." He said, walking right past Lin, who stood motionless. Opal glanced at her aunt, seeing her bewildered expression.

"Aunt Lin, are you okay?" She asked. Lin was brought back to reality quickly, looking at her niece and waving her off.

"I'm fine, just to make sure Ube doesn't get lost on the way there to the table," Lin said. Opal nodded and continued to escort her cousin. Lin took a deep breath and rested on a guard rail. She remembered the stories that Ube would tell of Shio. How they survived off the street, but what got her the most was the act of thievery. That's what worried her from those stories. Luckily, her child never turned out to be a delinquent, but the more she heard about Shio, the more worried she became. Eventually, one night, she decided to go look for the child and see where he was. However, she couldn't find a single trace or paper trail to the guy.

The only time she had ever heard that name again was from a report of a murder case. The victim's head was completely snatched in what could only be assumed was a sledgehammer. Not much was known, but one witness that she interviewed said a child by the name of Shio went into a dispute with another person that ended with the death of someone.

She couldn't say for sure, but Lin wanted to meet this Shio in person. Never did she wanna tell her assumptions to her son. After all the heartache he had gone through, and when raising him, she didn't need to add more drama to his life.

Ube opened the door to see the low-lit restaurant lighting, giving it a cool and exclusive look. At the same time, the music of the bands played in the back. The red paper walls from the Fire Nation matched the green jade floor clearly from the Earth Kingdom.

Walking around, Ube saw all the high-class folks eating their fill of exotic meals. Ube rolled his eyes, thinking this was overkill. Restaurants like these have their prices incredibly high and focus more on popularity than taste. To him, cooking wasn't just a fancy experience to pay for, but it was a right of life that should be enjoyed by all. Ube looked around, trying to find his aunt.

"Opal over here!" Suyin called out.

"Mom," Opal said, walking to the table she sat at. The two hugged, but Aunt Suyin could see Ube and smiled at the young man.

"Well, Let's get this over with." Ube slowly approached the table but could see that Suyin walked around to say hello personally.

"Oh, it's so nice to meet you. I'm your Aunt Suyin, but I'm sure your mother must have told you a lot," She said with a happy smile.

"Let's just yes but there were a lot of parts with swearing that I can't repeat," Ube said plainly. Suyin gave an awkward chuckle.

"We were never on the best of terms, but I'm so happy to meet you," Suyin said, opening her arms for a hug. Ube stood still but glanced over Suyin's shoulder, seeing Opal with a begging look. Giving the biggest puppy dog eyes he had ever seen. Ube sighed and gave in, hugging his Aunt. The two let go of each other and sat down at the table.

"I can't wait to get to you now, Opal said you work at a restaurant. So I thought it'd be nice to go with one of these big fancy ones," Suyin said. Ube glanced at the menu, reading everything on it and not liking a single thing. Either the dish was too preppy for him, or some of these ingredients were just bland. The worst was the portion size would be tiny.

"Yes, but unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of these places. I feel like I can hear the chef yelling from the kitchen, telling why his chicken goose sauté isn't the right color of orange," Ube said sarcastically. Suyin was a bit taken aback and felt a little sad about her choice. Ube noticed this and did feel a little guilty. "But the motivation behind this feels nice. Thank you for taking me here."

Suyin smiled and nodded. "Well, I always say get out of your comfort zone, but if it's too much we can leave,"

"No, please, I mean, I'm sure I could eat…" Ube glanced at the menu, reading off the first thing he saw. "Vulture wasp, liver. I'm not even sure you're supposed to eat that."

Opal looked at the menu immediately, seeing one of her favorites. "Oh, Pho and vegetable wraps!"

"I know they are so good, I'm getting the elephant Koi steak, what about you, Ube found something yet?" Suyin said. Ube glanced at the menu, trying to find something, which was proving to be a bit challenging. The waiter came by and looked at all of them with a pen and notepad in hand.

"Hello, my name is Fōku I'll be taking your order today. What are we having?"

Suyin and Opal said what they wanted, but when it was Ube's turn, he glanced at the man. He let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'll take the tempura happy meal," Ube said. Opal let out a giggle, and Suyin was being polite and didn't say anything, even though from the corner of her lips, a humorous smile was trying to form.

"Sir, you know that is from the children's menu, don't you?"

"I know what I said, Please, that will be all for me," Ube said. Fōku nodded and headed for the kitchen doors to give the order. Ube glanced at Opal, who quickly straightened herself out and acted like nothing happened.

"You laugh now, but you almost fainted when you saw a deep-fried isopod covered in mango," Ube pointed out. Making Opal cringe at the thought.

"Please don't remind me every time I think about the happy dragon. It's just mountains of dishes that I have to do." The horrifying thoughts of the mess that she had to clean sometimes, the live octopus would jump out of its tank and try to latch onto her face. Those were not good times.

"I'm glad to see you two are getting along. Honestly, you two are way better than Lin and I when we were young, I mean mostly Lin she was always the buzz kill."

Ube let the comment slide and shrugged it off. Suyin couldn't see that the comment bothered Ube but Opal did.

"So Ube are you seeing anyone right now?" Suyin asked.

"No, I just try to focus on work and helping out around the house. mostly stayed in this city my whole life" The way Ube answered only made Suyin more curious.

"So you haven't ever left this city before, You don't have to live under the shadow of you, the police chief," Suyin said, which made Opal choke on her water.

Ube glanced at her with a suspicious look. "Yeah, what's that supposed to mean?"

Suyin let out a sigh and decided to get this off the table. "Look, Ube, I know you don't exactly like me. I don't blame you, all the stories you've heard about me were less than unsavory. I made some terrible mistakes in my life, and I didn't mean to hurt Lin back then, but-"

"But it happened, I'm more hurt that you still haven't apologized about it to my mom. How hard is it to say I'm sorry," Ube said, making Suyin pause.

"Ube, please," Opal begged. Suyin put a hand on Opal's hand to calm her down.

"It's alright, Opal, I'm fine," She said, then faced Ube. "Yes, I haven't apologized yet, but a long time ago, me and your grandmother talked about this whole situation and worked things out. We even tried to contact Lin, but she didn't show."

"So you gave up on one try?" Ube asked. Making Suyin pause at the answer. Ube spoke calmly and wanted to get his point across.

"Listen, I get it, being the daughter of Toph must have been strange, but look at you. You're the one who got to live a full life. I was informed about your little adventures by Opal and Grandpa Kanto about how you almost got arrested and saved out of jail at the last minute because you were above the system. You got to go on wonderful adventures and see the world you become the leader of the legendary metal tribe. You acted like you were the victim, but you're still winning at life. My mom still fought for laws that ended up betraying her, and somehow, she didn't end up like a cold lonely person like you make her out to be. Instead, she took someone off the streets and raised her as her own. Even then, it still wasn't a cakewalk for us, but I'm standing here today. My point is that you have everything, why is it so hard to say I'm sorry…" Ube paused and tried to bring down his temper. There were some parts of his speech that his tone would dare say became frustrated.

"I'm sorry for my rudeness, but I could never understand how you could do something like that to your family and just forget. If we forget our past, we're doomed to repeat the same mistakes. I'm sorry, I can't do this," Ube said, leaving Opal and Suyin speechless.

Opal wanted to say something, but Ube was already out the doors. Opal quickly ran towards him and wanted to make sure she was okay. At the same time, Suyin stayed in her seat with a stunned expression. The words said hit her and made her feel guilty. Taking a moment, she kept her hands over her face and let out a sigh. She took in the smooth music around her, noticing that the people were still eating. It amazes her that even though that child had fury like no other, he was able to be calm and reasonable.

"Let me guess, my son said his opinion," Lin said. Pulling Suyin out of her hands.

"You know, I thought he was gonna be more like you, but I was wrong. He's something entirely different," Suyin said. Lin had an amused smile and took a seat next to her.

"He has a really bad habit of wanting to help and stand up to others, just a great strength, sometimes it's weakness, but he always has a speech in the back of his mind. I think it comes from Kanto," Lin said. Suyin glanced at her sister with curiosity.

"So this Kanto guy, is he?"

"Yep."

Suyin was surprised the only time she ever heard a name like that was when she talked to Toph about hashing things over, which led to some interesting names that were dropped. Especially Kanto, Toph's first husband, Who was someone she described as having a very strong sense of justice.

"When did you find out?" Suyin asked.

"About two months ago," Lin said.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Suyin asked as a long, positive silence came between them.

"I think I'm gonna need a couple of drinks before I can say anything." A comment that Suyin agreed with.

"Here, let me order the bottle for you. Tonight is going to be a bit of a joy ride, Memory Lane," Suyin said.

"I hope you are doing okay, Ube; I might have to call Kanto and Tetrax. They would be having some words with you," Lin thought.

The streets were loud and booming with suburban sounds of car horns and people chatting away.

"I can't believe I just did that. Everyone was having a happy dinner, and I decided to just start the drama. What's wrong with me!" Ube said out loud. He walked down the streets with his head hung low.

Maybe he just needed some alone time. There wasn't much he could do. His stomach growled up a storm as he mentally facepalmed himself. Forgetting to eat was starting to be a bad habit of his.

"Hey, looks like I'm not the only hungry dog on the street tonight!"

Ube turned around, seeing Shio leaning on a lamp ahead.

"Shio! What's up?" He asked with joy. Shio smirked and shrugged his shoulders.

"Not much, just on my way to go pick up a quick bite, Are you doing alright there?" He asked. Ube dragged a hand over his face.

"Uh, it's just some family drama, stuff that shouldn't have been said," Ube said. Shio huffed and lightly punched his arm.

"That's what rich folks are, am I right? Trust me, you'll get over it. I bet they got plenty of money to spend on their emotional problems," Shio said. Ube huffed, knowing that wasn't the case at all.

"Come on, let's go for a night on the town. I'm sure the last thing you need is to be all sad over nothing," Shio said, putting an arm over Ube's shoulder. Looking at Shio, maybe he did need to let off a little steam.

"Alright, I'll take up on that offer," Ube said.

"Theirs the Ube I know. Come on, thier this joint we can hit up," Shio said, leading the way.

Opal was running down the street, trying to find Ube. It was hard to see from the cowards of people, but she was able to see Ube walking down the road with someone else. She gave chase, just wanting to talk to Ube.

"Okay, just have to get to him, a family doesn't leave each other behind,"

This was the west side of town full of drinking, partying, and plenty of gambling to make the nights go by as if nothing happened. Ube and Shio sat at an open noodle vendor spot.

The two chowed down on ramen and eggs, Ube finally feeling a sense of satisfaction from his meal tonight.

"Man, I haven't been to the west side of the city in a while. It feels like the old days when we used to steal food," Shio said nostalgically.

"Yeah, good times, I used to flash my puppy dog eyes, and you would come out of nowhere and swipe the goods," Ube said, then sadly looked down at his Ramen. "We did a lot of things to survive."

"Yep…. Ube, I have to tell you something. Well, in all honestly, I need to show you something a lotta things have changed throughout the years, and so am I, but you should know what I'm capable of now."

"Dude, what are you talking about you're starting to scare me," Ube joked, but Shio had a stern expression. The noodle shopkeeper put down a bill. Ube was about to pull out his wallet when Shio quickly pulled out a thick wad of cash, placing a couple of big bills on the table.

"Keep the change."

"Woah, when did you make so much money?" Ube asked.

"Let's just say my line work requires a very certain touch," Shio stood up. "Now come on, I gotta show you something."

Shio led the way as a toril stopped by getting on, and the two slowly moved away. Shio looked to the night sky and let out a sigh.

"Something you want to get off your chest?" Ube asked. Shio glanced at him with a sad smile.

"A lot of strange stuff has been happening here in Republic City, wouldn't you say? Dinosaurs, Metal Monster from the sky, and crime coming out of the woodwork. Not to mention the vigilant spirit, strange times."

"Yeah, honestly, it has gotten pretty scary, but I have a good sense that it going to be alright," Ube smiled. Shio quickly got off the trolley, waving for Ube to follow.

Ube was shrugging his shoulders. Following Shio behind. They walked to an old gate. Ube knew this place was closed for the moment, but this was where some of the carnival games for the fire festival would be held. They even had fancy mechanical ones.

They stood in front of a locked gate. Shio walked over gently, holding the golden lock that kept them out.

"Well, you wanted to show me a closed carnival?" Ube asked.

"No, dude, I was just trying to say there's a lot of freaky things in the city, but I'm one of them," Shio hand electrified with blue energy as a lock became completely undone. Ube gasped as his friend was secretly under pressure this entire time. It didn't make any sense whatsoever. They could've gotten out of so many troubling situations if that was the case.

"What did you just do?" Ube asked with amazement. Shio smiled, putting a hand on Ube's shoulder.

"There is my brother with a curious attitude, now come on, I can tell you, and we can have some fun, or are you still afraid of clowns?" Shio asked in a joking manner.

"Hey, I'm not afraid of clowns," Ube said, which made Shio raise an eyebrow. Ube awkwardly coughed in his hand. "Come on, let's just go."

"Whatever, scaredy-cat," Shio said, leading the way. However, unknown to them, they were being watched.

Opal poked her head out of a street corner, spying on the two. She was following her instincts at this moment, but she got a bad feeling from Shio. She just didn't wanna see her cousin be hurt.

The two walked by a turtle duck shooting game. The thing was clearly out of power. The only way you were gonna hang up was by hiring a personal firebender to do some electric bending in a generator all day.

"So, it's dead unless you're going to surprise me with your freaky blue electric hands?" Ube teasingly asked.

"Hey, spot on, little bro," Shio grabbed the plugs near the machine. His hand sparked, grabbing the cable. The game light turned on. Life was brought back to the machine. The cutout turtle duck popped up from the cardboard wave.

The small toy gun began to dispense the pellets. They loaded up and started the game. Shio grabbed the small toy launcher, firing at the target. Shio was getting many of them. In contrast, Ube was distracted by his thoughts.

"So, how long have you been able to do this?" Ube asked.

"After you disappeared, they sorted, just showed up. They come in handy for almost anything. You should see how easy my work is," Shio said, taking down another target.

"Where do you work?" He asked.

"I do a lot of demolishing," Shio said, reloading the shot. "But here's the thing: I've been trying out for a new crew. They pay well, but… The tasks are a bit demanding, and sometimes, they may not be a part of safety regulations. Anyway, I thought maybe you could have a good word with your new mom about it. You know, let her know there's nothing to worry about."

"Why not just go to the police station and ask, I'm sure they would be understanding," Ube said. Shio let out an awkward chuckle.

"Yeah, but they are not going to listen to me. Let's face it: I'm not exactly friendly with the police. Besides, I bet all those cops are bending a knee 'cause you're the son of the police chief."

"Naw, a lot of them are laughing at me, listen, I'm sure your business plan is gonna be alright. I mean, I'll try, but I can't make any promises. Maybe you could ask one of the spirits?" Ube offered while Shio rolled his eyes.

"Please, I'm not gonna get your hopes up, but seriously, I've seen those things up close in person. They are ugly not to mention bullheaded," Shio said. Ube glanced at him and mockingly repeated him in silence.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I turn into freakin 'aliens, not models!" Ube thoughts. Then an epiphany hit him. When did Shio see him? Because Une would have known if he was in the crowds or not. Maybe he wasn't paying attention.

"Besides asking for favors, I'm just glad my little Bro didn't turn out to be a snob like these upper-rich classmen. I've heard you've been setting up some handouts for the homeless. I'm glad you're still looking out for others. Never change Ube, never," Shio said. Ube smiled and shook his head.

"You know I won't," Ube said.

"There you are!" Opal shouted. Ube cringed hearing the voice and didn't want to turn around.

"Maybe if I just stand still, she goes away."

Opal ran over to him and cast a worried glance. "Hey, Doofus, I was worried about you. Are you okay? Why did you outburst there?"

"I'm sorry, Opal, I wasn't thinking. It's just…" Ube had a hard time saying what he wanted until Shio stepped in, putting an arm over Ube's shoulder.

"He's got a big heart, and his emotions get the better of him. I bet you already knew that, though, didn't you?" Shio said. Opal nodded and grabbed Ube's hand.

"Hey, I know, but I also know you're gonna probably apologize to her. When you come back." She had read him like a book over these past months. "I just want to know why you did it."

"Yeah, I'm a big doofus right now, aren't I?" Ube asked.

"The biggest," Opal commented. Ube stressfully stroked the back of his head.

"It's just the way she acts and after everything she did to my mom. It just drives me up the wall. I thought Grandma Toph was amazing, but how could she betray the law like that? And her family. My mom always does what is right and has to suffer the consequences. Suyin acts like nothing happened. On the streets, we never betrayed the family. That's something I believe in."

"Speaking some truth right there," Shio quipped. Making Opal glance at him. Shio took a step back raising his hand.

"Just speaking here, take it easy."

"Ube, you have to let go of past stuff that didn't even involve you in the first place. I can't say that you care, but if that gets in the way of making new connections, it's a problem," Opal pointed out. Ube was not feeling too good, agreed, and didn't want to say anything.

"My aunt wants to get to know you, so I have only one thing to ask. Just try and start anew. Smile to the present, wave goodbye to the past, and smile to the future." Opal said with a bright cheer. There was a long pause of silence in the air.

"I'm sorry for ruining your night, Opal." Glancing at the sky, Ube leaned on the game counter and crossed his arms. "So what now?"

"I think we should go home, I'm a bit tired," Opal yawned. Ube nodded and looked at Shio.

"I'll meet you at the Happy Dragon tomorrow, this early morning, what do you say?" Ube asked. Shio shrugged his shoulders.

"No problem, still have a bunch to catch up on, man," Shio and Ube shared a handshake. The deep king, where they grabbed each other's arms. However, a small green shock made Shio pull his hand back.

The feeling of energy jolted through his body. It felt incredible. He glanced at the watch on Ube's wrist. Something about it felt familiar, like he had seen that symbol before.

"You okay?" Ube asked.

"Yeah? Just a little shock, is all, I have to say that's a pretty cool watch. Where'd you get it?" Shio said. Opal could see the strange greeting in his eyes. The more she spent with Shio, even with these brief interactions, would always be a little off to her.

"This is just some fancy thing… I bought it at the fair," Ube quickly said. Shio nodded and winked at Opal.

"Catch you around too, little lady," Shio said as he walked off. Opal was a bit taken aback, not many people ever flirted with her.

"Is it me, or does he seem a little off?" Opal asked.

"I'm sure he's all good. He's been by himself for a while alone and probably had to do some hot jobs here and there. But he's still my brother. Nothing will ever change."

Opal turned around, seeing how the carnival game suddenly shut down. However, she did notice how it wasn't even plugged in. Then, looking back, Shio was leaving. She had witnessed the strange power that was displayed. She wanted to say it was a lightning-bending technique, but it had no form whatsoever.

"I hope you're right, Ube because I don't trust this guy at all," Opal thought.

Shio walked alone in the midnight street. He walked into the corner only to be greeted by Jin. He hadn't even known he was being followed.

Looking at the man, he put on a smirk. "I'm guessing you need me to work another job?"

"Yeah, tomorrow tonight we hit the city," Jin said, turning around and walking into the darkness. "I think I found the right target for your certain skills."

"What's the target?" He asked. Before vanishing in the darkness, Jin's face was the only thing visible.

"It's spirit season, so be very, very, very quiet," Jin said with a cherished grin.

The morning had arrived, cloudy days covered the sky, and one more day until the fire festival started on the beach side of Republic City. A small boat washed up on the shore. The white tarp on top blew in the wind, and soon, the cover was carried off, and on the old ship was a man.

With no face.

Notes: Hey, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I wanted to get something out. I do apologize for the lateness of this chapter. My work schedule threw me through a doozy so I'm just trying to recover. Anyway, this chapter didn't have that much fighting more so drama as we kind of focused a little bit more on Ube and his family life. It's hard for him to connect with rich people. His origins made him come from very humble beginnings.

I also wanted to show more of Shio and Ube's connection. Even haven't seen each other for years they're still close. Well until the next chapter. Also, Koh will be making his appearance pretty soon after Shio.

Now some really good questions are when am I going to be posting the next chapter of the story the answer might be a little longer than you think I have to work on some of my other fics. Like next week I'll be posting a new chapter of human touch. Then I'm going to have to work on Kengan Dreams and Slugterra's new beginning. So let's just say next month we might be seeing a new chapter.

anyway, I'm glad you guys are reading this story. I'm very happy for all the support it's been getting. So I say see you guys next time and I hope you guys have a safe and wonderful day.