Scar Tissue ━━ Mako ²

𝟬𝟯. bulls on parade

     She didn't exactly befriend them instantly, but the boys had intrigued the young airbender. Up until that day, she began to cross paths with them every time on the streets. However, the older one, Mako was always running away from something whenever she bumped into him. Cloud would always unknowingly save him from getting caught by the cops or the people he stole food from although they always somehow ended up in a banter about it.

     At fifteen, Cloud decided to leave the city and live with her father in the United Forces. There she began her military life and ended up becoming the youngest captain in the fleet at only eighteen. She spent two more years serving, which wasn't long but she had done a lot of good things in her time. Then duties called her back home and she made a decision to leave everything behind like she did last time, and received an honorable discharge.

      Cloud didn't realize how much her leaving affected Mako and Bolin so much. Especially the former. For years and years, young Mako held a grudge toward her. He wasn't sure why, but maybe because she was the only thing constant in his life at that time and then she went and left with a simple goodbye. The girl was the only thing that made their lives normal despite the fact they were two homeless orphans who resorted to stealing and doing bad things to keep themselves alive.

     Mako wasn't sure why she stuck around, maybe that's why he tried so hard to push her away when they were younger. But the moment she left, he realized he couldn't have done it all without her. Now, he was just glad he didn't shrivel up again and lose Cloud for the second time. He wouldn't know what to do without her.

    After all of that trouble and after she finished her second smoothie, Cloud decided to come back to the Air Temple Island, bidding the prince and the firebender see-you-laters, wanting to see her cousins before they left for a mission. A mission to find the Avatar, their missing friend, Korra.

    Cloud arrived just right in time to see her cousins and their parents loading bags onto Pepper the sky bison. She drifted down from the open sky, hastily clipping her wingsuit shut as she gracefully landed just in front of the flying bison with a bright grin on her face.

     "Hey there, family," Cloud greeted.

     "Cloudy!" The three chorused as Ikki and Meelo tackled her into a hug while Jinora sent her a polite smile atop the bison, which she returned.

    "Cloudy, your day with the Prince and Mako had gone well, I hope?" Tenzin asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

    The girl shifted on her foot, avoiding her uncle's suspicious stare as a sheepish smile slowly appeared on her face. "Yeah, you can say that."

     Tenzin did not ask any further questions and only sighed under his breath, turning his attention back to his lovely children. A bunch of misfits, I'm telling you.

    "We're you able to get a read on Korra yet?" He asked his eldest daughter after she hugged him.

    "No, but once we're further out, I'll be able to hone in on her spiritual energy. We should be able to find her within a few days," Jinora answered.

     The airbender master nodded somberly and then looked at his other children, Ikki and Meelo, who already mounted Pepper. He sent a subtle pointed look at his son. "Good luck! And be careful! Remember, Jinora's in charge."

    "I answer to no man. Or girl, even if she does have tattoos," Meelo huffed, puffing his small chest ever so slightly as he craned his neck to the left.

    "Meelo..." Tenzin warned, but the child wasn't even the slightest bothered as he ignored his father, raising his chin up high.

    "Now let's move out, soldiers!"

    "Bye, Ikki! Bye, Jinora! Bye, Meelo!" Cloud yelled, waving her arms as Pepper took off with the children on her back.

    Meelo grabbed onto the seats, waving one short arm exaggeratedly. "Farewell, Captain!"

    Cloud watched as the sight of them faded into the distance, disappearing among the blue clouds, leaving her with a hopeful ache in her chest as she thought of her lost friend. I trust them. She clasped her hands together and briefly closed her eyes. She trusted her cousins that they would find Korra and bring her back safe and sound. Unless somehow trouble finds its way, which she knows would happen either way.

     Rock bottom was a place that she wasn't strange to. She couldn't remember when she hit the bottom. Maybe she was twelve? Or eighteen? All she knew was that she did, and she rose again from the bottom of the pit. Figuratively and literally. However, the feelings that went with it were never easy to forget. They were always there. Hiding, lingering, and waiting for a chance to resurface at either the most needed time or the most terrible time.

     I suppose that's something Cloud realized that Korra was feeling the same thing when her fight with Zaheer ended. While she might've stopped him from doing bad things, it came with a cost—the cost of almost losing herself, her sanity, and her power. The cost that scarred inside and haunted her in her sleep.

     Maybe it was Cloud's overly optimistic nature, something that Korra lacked. That she had the strength to pull herself up even by herself. Maybe she could've done something to help her, maybe she should've been there. Cloud wished she had never left her side. Maybe her friend wouldn't have to think about solving everything alone. Then again, Cloud realized why she thought she had to leave. To be alone. Maybe everything became too much for her.

     The fact is, Korra had every reason to be the bad guy after everything that happened to her and yet she chose to persevere. Except the process of avoiding becoming a bad guy in everybody's eyes, she ended up inflicting bad things on herself instead. 

     Every one of them had their own fatal flaw and demons that constantly pushed them to the edge. The only thing was, the things their enemies chose to do with it caused everybody around them to be in danger. There was no way Korra was going to be one of them.