So, um, hey. It's been *cough A YEAR cough* I hope people are still interested in this story, cause I still am. I have been planning this out, and I have all of my notes together, so there should be no more long periods between updates. I am very close to finishing this story, so if you want to finish the journey with me, I would love to have you!

Not much to say here. Picks up were Hunting and Family left of.

The United Forces military vehicles rolled into the small town. Bolin looked out the window, observing the townspeople as they watched the military barrel through their home like a grim parade.

The vehicles stopped. The soldiers jumped out and lined up, awaiting their orders.

"Citizens," their Capitan shouted towards the crowd of people lined up on either side of the street. "There is a wanted fugitive from Republic City hiding in the Fire Nation. The United Forces has been given strict orders to retrieve this man and hand him over to the proper authorities. His last known whereabouts has been narrowed down, and he is believed to be heading towards the Fire Nation Capitol. We, as well as the Royal Guard, are searching every town, city, and village between the Capitol and the Paifang Mountains. But we are spread thin."

The UF Capitan motioned towards his soldiers. They wandered amongst the crowd, handing out wanted posters to the townspeople.

"We ask that if you u have seen this man, or have any information, to please come forward." The Capitan stared down the crowd with hard eyes. "Please help us to keep our great Nation safe, and to bring this criminal to justice."

Murmurs rolled through the crowd. Nervous glances were shared amongst the people. As the soldiers continued to hand out posters, Bolin picked up the nervous energy. He elbowed Heng.

"Are you getting a weird vibe from this place?"

Heng nodded. "Oh yeah. These people definitely know something." He shot Bolin a wide grin. "We're getting close. I can feel it."

Myeong slipped from the crowd and rushed home, checking over her shoulder to make sure no one was following her. As soon as she entered the house, Myeong locked the front door and shut the blinds.

She found Mako kneeling in front of a box on the living room floor, a puzzled expression on his face.

"What are you still doing here?"

"I was just putting away the last of grandfather's things. What's going on?"

"You have to get out of here," Myeong hissed, peering through her blinds. "It's no longer safe for you here."

Mako rose to his feet and placed his hands on his aunt's tense shoulders in an effort to calm her.

"Myeong," Mako tried to catch her eyes. "Slow down. Tell me what's wrong."

The frazzled woman looked Mako in the eye. With shaking hands she pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to her nephew.

Mako slowly uncrumpled the paper and stared down at its contents. His frown deepened as he scanned the page. He cursed under his breath.

"Mako, what is this? What did you do?" Her nephew refused to look at her. "Why are they passing out wanted posters with your face on them? Why is there an army marching through the Fire Nation looking for you?"

Still no answer.

Myeong grabbed his arm, forcing Mako to finally meet her gaze.

"Mako please, tell me what is going on here. Maybe I can help."

"You can't help me," Mako knew his aunt meant well, but he couldn't bring her down with him. "I broke the law, I ran from my responsibilities, and now it's finally caught up with me."

Just then, shouts started coming in the street. The sound of heavy footsteps passed by the house. There came a loud banging noise from across the street. Mako carefully pulled back the blinds. A group of United Forces soldiers were marching up and down the streets. Some were putting WANTED posters up on every available surface while others were knocking on doors.

"They're searching for me," Mako turned to his aunt. "Someone must have told them I was here."

"Then we must hurry."

There was a loud banging noise coming from the front door.

"This is the United Forces. Please open the door."

Myeong grabbed Mako's arm and pulled him towards the back of the house. She opened a door Mako had never seen before, and pushed him into the tiny room on the other side.

"What are you doing?" Mako whispered.

"Protecting you," Myeong answered simply. "I don't know what is going on here Mako, but I do know that you are a good man." She stroked his cheek. As she turned to leave Mako grabbed her wrist.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."

More banging came from the door.

"Please open the door or we will break it down."

Myeong pushed her nephew further into the small space. "Please stay quiet. I will try to send them away." She closed the door and hurried to distract the soldiers waiting at the front of the house.

Mako pressed his ear against the door, trying to decipher what was happening on the other side of the house. He could barely make out what was happening.

"Ma'am, my name is General Dae, and this is Sargent Tu. May we enter?"

"Yes, please," Mako could hear the slight trace of nervousness in his aunts' voice, and he guessed that the soldiers could as well.

"I'm sure you have heard of the United Forces search for a wanted criminal by now, correct?" the first voice questioned. The floorboards creaked as someone, the second soldier Mako assumed, wandered further into the house.

"Yes, I have." Myeong answered. "And I have seen the posters as well. What might I ask has this poor man done to evoke the United Forces and Royal Guard?"

"You see," the first voice answered, "this man is being charged with treason back in his home nation. He has come to our country to evade the charges, but while here, he seems to have caused some trouble in the east. Do you remember that group of thugs who tried to overthrow the Fire Lord in the name of his estranged sister?"

"The Senshi? You mean that old-world gang of murders?" Myeong questioned, sounding more nervous. "I thought they died out decades ago."

"Well it seems as though they went underground for a time," the soldier mused. "There has been some sort of violent rise up beyond the mountains, and half of the military was sent over to try to contain the situation. We believe they are making their way towards the Capitol City."

"And you believe this wanted man has something to do with all of this?"

"That is correct, ma'am."

Mako braced himself against the door, desperate to hear the conversation over the echo of his pounding heart. Mako hoped that Myeong trusted him enough to keep his hiding place a secret, even after learning all about his misadventures in the Fire Nation.

There was a long pause.

"Well," Myeong finally broke the silence. "I am very sorry to hear all of this, but I'm sure that the United Forces has this all under control."

Footsteps continued down the hall as the second UF soldier inspected the house. Doors opened and closed. Heavy objects scraped the floor as they were pushed out of the way. Their investigation was too thorough for Mako's liking. He squeezed himself into the corner behind the door, listening carefully and planning his escape. Should he attack first? Or was it better to wait and be found out?

"Yes," the first soldier spoke up again. "We are taking this matter very seriously. We have followed our Intel to this location. We know that this fugitive has been seeking refuge in this town."

Mako gulped.

The footsteps drew closer.

"We know someone is hiding him."

The United Nations soldier stopped in front of the closet. Mako froze; readying himself for the fight he knew was coming.

"We know that you are hiding him."

"What –?"

"Please understand that we take the safety of our nation very seriously ma'am. We are placing you under arrest and bringing you to the Capitol for questioning."

The knob on the closet door turned, and the United Nations soldier threw it open.

Mako sprung from his hiding place, surprising the other man and kicking him squarely in the chest. The soldier flew back into the bookshelf, causing it to topple to the floor on top of him. Mako quickly rounded the corner to see the second stopped in the doorway, leading his aunt outside.

"Let her go," Mako shouted, his fists alight with angry flames.

The general reached for something in his pocket and brought it to his lips. A whistle. He blew the whistle twice, its shrill sound carrying out into the streets and alerting the other soldiers.

Mako shot a blast of fire at him, knocking the man back out of the house. He quickly went to his aunt, whom had fallen to the floor as a result of his attack.

"Myeong, are you alright?" Mako asked urgently.

Shouts came from the street and another whistle blew.

"I'm fine," she swatted him away. "You must run now."

"But-," Mako was torn between fleeing and staying to defend his aunt, the only living relative he had in the Fire Nation, the only connection left to his mother.

"Go," she pushed him towards the door. "GO!"

With one last look back, Mako charged through the threshold, fending off a group of United Nations soldiers with a wave of fire and making a break for it.

"Hayato," Myeong prayed, watching her nephew's retreating form. "Watch over that boy. Keep him safe and bring him home."

Bolin had pasted his fifteenth poster when he heard a whistle blow out. He turned to Heng, holding the stacks of wanted posters in his arm.

"Was that the signal?"

Heng immediately light up, tossing the posters and springing into action. "Yup! I knew this town was hiding something." He started running down the street. "Race ya there!" he called over his shoulder at Bolin.

"Heng, this isn't a race!" Bolin hollered back, sprinting to catch up with his friend.

Two more whistles pierced the air. Shouts from the other soldiers rang out as they all stopped what they were doing to apprehend the lose criminal.

"Does anybody know where this guy is going?" Bolin shouted at no one in particular.

There was a large blast as part of a building exploded. The force of the blast sent two UF officers sailing. Bolin and Heng, along with a few of the other new recruits stopped for a moment, taking in the spectacle.

"That way," someone shouted, pointing to the large plume of smoke rising from the ruined building. The group turned around and took off in the new direction.

The ground shook as a large boulder came crashing into another wall. The men ducked as chunks of rock came raining down on them.

"Incoming!" a wall of fire swept down the street towards the oncoming soldiers. The firebenders jumped in front of their fellow recruits and dispersed the flames, allowing them to continue.

When they reached the site of the explosion, they found a few of their commanding officers. Some of the recruits stayed behind to tend to the injured, while the remaining team was ordered to split up and keep pursuing the escaping bandit.

"This way," Heng waved to Bolin, already heading down another street. As the two continued to wind through the small town, they could feel the ground tremble with every earthbending attack and see the flames as fireballs soared over the roofs. A surge of lighting crackled and another building crumbled. The two earthbenders dove out of the way as large chunks of debris fell around them.

"I think he's heading that way!" Heng shouted, pointing towards the edge of the town.

"Lets try to cut him off!" Bolin signaled for Heng to circle back while he continued straight down another road.

As he ran, Bolin spotted a figure in the distance, retreating further and further towards the towns' limits.

"No you don't!" Bolin stomped his foot and lunged forward, causing the ground to crack all the way down the street. He pulled his arms back at his sides and raised them, palms held ridged and flat as he opened a crater just outside of the town. The wanted man kept running, undeterred by the sudden gap appearing in the ground.

Bolin slammed one hand on the ground, feeling the earth bubbling under him as he mustered his strength. Tapping into the core of his element, Bolin drew the heat of the earth to the surface, causing the rocks to melt as lava rose up. Using a technique he was learning from Korra, Bolin gracefully motioned his arms, sending the lava flowing like water through the channel he had created and into the crater. Then he pulled them back and up over his head, as if to raise a wave. Sure enough, a wall of lava rose up, blocking any way in or out of the town. Bolin slowly clenched his fists, pulling the heat from the molten rock and hardening the wall.

His amazing display of earthbending stunned the fugitive for a moment. Bolin continued to run towards him, watching the man falter as he rethought his escape. Acting fast, he turned and ran towards a cluster of buildings. Bolin altered his course and followed parallel, hoping to catch the man off guard at a halfway point.

Bolin ran into an alley behind some large buildings. A large wall closed the pathway off. The earthbender quickly searched the alley; he could have sworn that the bandit had run down this way.

A large crash, like a trashcan toppling over, sounded within one of the buildings, causing Bolin to jump suddenly. Keeping his back close to the wall, Bolin sunk into a low, defensive stance, listening and waiting to strike; an old trick learned from growing up within the Triads.

Another sound, someone kicking a bottle, caught Bolin's attention. He slunk up to the doors leading into the back of the building. They stood slightly ajar, swinging in the autumn wind. Bolin carefully stepped into the building. There were no lights or windows. The only light came from the still open door. Raising his hands up out in front of him, ready to strike in a moments notice, Bolin crept slowly through the building. There was a rustling sound behind him. Bolin turned, ready to attack.

The door slammed shut, swallowing Bolin in darkness. He rushed towards the door, but a streak of fire whizzed past him, stopping him in his tracks. The United Nations Soldier raised a large chunk of rock and hurled it back towards where he presumed the firebending came from. The rock landed with a dull thud some ways down, hitting nothing.

Bolin gulped. This guy, whomever he was, was quick and clever. Bolin knew he was going to be outmatched. So he decided to try to do what he did best; talk his way out of the situation.

"Hello mister Fire Nation Fugitive, Sir."

There was no response, not that Bolin was expecting one. He continued on.

"I'm sure you're aware of the situation here, you being on the run and being pursued by the United Forces, and the Royal Guard, and perhaps even the whole dang Fire Nation."

Silence.

"Well, it just so happens that I am one of the United Forces soldiers tasked with bringing you in. But I'll make you a deal. If you cooperate and willingly allow me to take you into custody, then nobody has to get hurt. Alright?"

"You're not very good at this," a voice chided behind him. Bolin stomped the ground, quickly raising an earth platform under the other man and throwing him across the dark room. He landed with a satisfying "oomph!".

"We'll see how good I am when I'm done kicking your butt!" Bolin smugly patted himself on the back.

"Argh!" the Fire Nation criminal shouted angrily sent a volley of fire blasts towards Bolin. The earthbender dodged the attacks hastily. With each blow, Bolin took advantage of the brief burst of light to scope out his surroundings. The space they were fighting in was a large, seemingly abandoned building. There were a few cement beams holding the entire structure up. There wasn't any other levels or higher ground to fight from. The entrance he had come through was a few yards back, but he couldn't get close enough.

A blast of fire whizzed past his head, and with it, a foot aimed at his shoulder. Bolin quickly dove out of the way, creating quicksand where his opponent was going to land. Sure enough, the firebender landed in Bolin's trap. Bolin shifted the earth underneath the firebender, pushing him further away. He made a dash for the exit.

A blast of fire hit him in the back, knocking him to the ground. Bolin turned around just in time to avoid receiving a blow to the face. He rolled to his feet, barely blocking the onslaught of attacks the firebender made. With each burst of fire, Bolin got a brief glimpse of his opponent's face. There was something familiar about him, something about how his eyebrows furrowed in concentration, the pattern of his attacks. Bolin got a nagging feeling again, but he pushed hit down, opting to put all of his concentration into not getting burned.

As the two men fought, Bolin made a conscious effort to keep trying to make it to the exit. Finally growing tired of the fight, Bolin raised a pillar of earth between him and the firebender. He gave a hard push, the pillar shooting forward and taking his opponent with it.

The firebender was tossed up against the wall. Now was his chance. Bolin thrust his fist out, blowing a segment of the wall out into the street and flooding the dark room with light. His opponent had his back to the street, his face still cast in shadows. Bolin raised his arms. The earth jutted up at and angular motion underneath the firebender, sending him tumbling out into the street. Bolin quickly jumped out after him.

The wanted fugitive started running down the alley.

"I'm not chasing you anymore!" Bolin whined, exasperated. He raised a wall of earth to block the exit, to tall and smooth to climb.

Seeing that he was trapped, the firebender turned to face Bolin, flaming daggers poised in his fists. Bolin raised a large boulder over his head. He was about to fling his weapon when he noticed something familiar about the man he was facing.

Too familiar.

No…

It couldn't be…

"Mako?"

"Bolin?"

Heng ran through the streets, searching frantically for Bolin. They had separated, trying to cut off the man they were chasing. Heng had circled the block twice, but the convict was nowhere to be found, and neither was Bolin.

More United Forces soldiers came careening around the corner.

"Where did he go?" they shouted.

"I don't know, but I lost Bolin too!"

"Split up! The lavabender raised a wall around the entire town. No one could have escaped."

The group broke up again, sending Heng back in the direction he had come through. From the corner of his eye, Heng saw a wall of earth raise up, blocking off a back alleyway. He changed directions and headed towards it, hoping to find Bolin. As the young earthbender approached the wall, he heard voices shouting from the other side. "Bolin!" he called out his friend's name. Once he reached the decoy wall, Heng sunk into an earthbending stance, prepared to bring the wall down and confront whomever was on the other side.

"Mako?"

"Bolin?"

Heng froze. Bolin knew the wanted criminal? He recognized that name. Bolin had mentioned it before.

The earthbending soldier stepped into the shadows, listening carefully to what was happening on the other side of the wall.

The reunited brothers stared at each other, dumbfounded. Neither knew what to say.

"What are you doing in the Fire Nation?" Bolin shrieked. "Have you been here this whole time? Do you realize how worried everyone is?"

"SHHH! Bolin, keep your voice down," Mako tried to quiet his brother.

"No, I will not be quiet! I deserve answers. It wasn't just Korra running around the Fire Nation hunting you down. I've been out here looking for you too!"

"It looks like you found me," Mako pointed to the wanted posters hanging everywhere.

"No, that's some other guy that the United Forces was tasked with finding."

Mako shot Bolin a look. "Really Bolin? It's me! I'm the one you have been searching for."

Bolin studied the posters for a moment, letting it all sink in. "Oh! OH! That means – " he looked at his brother. Mako nodded slowly, letting his younger brother work through it in his head. "Oh. Mako, what did you do?"

"I got into trouble Bo. A lot of trouble. I fell into a dangerous group of blue firebenders and kind of rekindled an old world war. And on top of that, President Raiko wants my head on a stick back in Republic City."

"Oh man. Sounds like you've got it bad big bro."

Mako rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it."

Shouts came from the other side of the wall. The brothers froze, waiting for the soldiers to pass by.

"They're looking for you," Bolin informed him. "We were sent to find you. The whole army is on your trail."

"I know," Mako gulped.

"So what are you going to do?"

Mako looked up at the hardened lava wall Bolin had created around the perimeter of the town. "Well, first you're going to give me a boost."

"Huh?" Bolin crinkled his bushy eyebrows, wondering if he had heard his brother correctly.

"Help me up," Mako repeated. "Come on Bolin, we can't hide back here forever. They'll find us soon."

"You want me to help you, a criminal wanted for trespassing and treason, escape capture?"

"Yes. Please Bolin."

"Do you have any idea what you are asking of me?" Bolin practically shrieked. "I can't just lift up this wall and say "here you go Mako. Run away. Hope to here from you soon!" Think about what this would do to my career. In case you forgot, I'm a soldier now. That's kind of a big deal!"

"I know Bolin, and I'm sorry."

There were more shouts coming from down the street. Whistles blew and someone called Bolin's name. Mako shrunk deeper into the shadows.

"Please Bo," he tried again.

"Mako, you know I would if I could but-" Bolin buried his face in his hands. "What would you do if you were in my position?"

"You already know what I would do. What I did do."

Bolin looked puzzlingly at his older brother.

"To Korra."

"Oh, right. How you basically threw her under the Sato bus to keep in good favor with President Raiko."

Mako winced at the bluntness of Bolin's words, but nodded. "Yeah, that. But you are a lot smarter than I was back then Bolin. I know you will do what you think is right in you heart, not just what will save your skin. And-" Mako sighed, placing his hand on his brother's shoulder. "I want you to know that I support your decision, either way."

The younger brother chewed his lip, looking back and forth between where his brother stood and where his fellow soldiers were starting to gather.

"I know it's unfair of to ask Bro. I know what kind of position this puts you in."

Bolin knew that years ago he would have done anything for his brother, including helping him break the law. It was strange to see the roles so reversed. Mako used to be the one who saw the world in black and white, while Bolin was a firm believer in the 'grey area'. Now here they were, Mako all but begging his little brother to turn the other way and Bolin wrestling with the moral dilemma of family over duty.

Bolin groaned and placed his hand on the brick wall behind them. The rock started to crumble away leaving an open space, just big enough for someone to squeeze through.

"Go."

Mako wrinkled his brow, confusion and hope glinting in his eyes.

"Go," Bolin repeated, motioning towards the exit he had just created.

The firebender shuffled over, carefully twisting his body to fit through the tiny space. Before Mako could fully pass through, Bolin grabbed his arm.

"Just so you know, I'm only giving you a head start. I can't stop the army from coming after you. If they do catch you though, I won't be with them."

Mako pulled his little brother in for a hug. "Thanks Bo."

"Yeah yeah," Bolin shoved his brother out past the city's limits. "Just contact me when you can."

"I will." And with that, Mako dashed off.

Bolin closed the whole in the wall and snuck out of the alleyway, checking to see if anyone had seen him.

As he rounded the corner, a hand grabbed him and pulled him back.

"Heng!" Bolin nervously chattered. "Hey buddy. I didn't see you at the rendezvous point so I kept running, and wouldn't you believe – ".

"You can cut the act Bolin. I know your secret."

"I don't know what you mean."

"I heard everything," Heng nodded back towards the alley. "When you didn't meet me, I came looking for you. I saw that wall go up, so I figured you cornered the guy and needed backup. But I heard you shouting at each other." Heng crossed his arms. "The criminal we were sent to apprehend is your brother."

Bolin rushed to explain himself. "Look, Heng. You don't understand."

"I understand the law!" he shot back. "I understand that you helped him get away!"

"It's not like that – ".

"How long have you known?" Heng started to shout over Bolin's protests. "Are you in on this with him?"

"NO!" Bolin shoved his fellow United Forces soldier. "I didn't know Mako was on the run. Last I heard, he was somewhere in the Fire Nation."

Heng ripped a wanted poster off of a nearby wall, waving it in Bolin's face. "Did you even look at these things? We've been putting them everywhere for days. Did you not once stop and recognize this guy was your brother?"

Bolin swatted Hengs' hand away. "Forgive me for messing up. I've been distracted."

"I'll say," Heng huffed, tossing the paper away.

The two earthbenders stared each other down, neither one knowing where the others allegiance stood.

"Now what," Bolin finally broke the tension.

"You tell me," Heng spat.

"He's my brother," Bolin cried. "Was I supposed to just turn him in?"

"YES!" Heng shouted. "You are wearing a soldiers uniform and you swore to protect all of the nations. Your brother is in trouble here and back in the United Republic. It was your duty to bring him to justice."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. We're family. I'll protect him at any costs."

Heng was silent for a moment before he turned and dashed off. Bolin was stunned. He couldn't believe that months of friendship could be brushed aside that easily. He considered chasing after Heng, as but shouts and whistles filled the air, he knew that it was already too late.

….

Bolin waited by the train on the outskirts of town with the injured soldiers. A signal had gone off a short while ago; the United Forces had apprehended their target. Cheers rose from the small crowd gathered by the train while a group of soldiers escorted a man in handcuffs on board. Bolin looked away unable to watch his brother's capture.

Someone stepped into his line of vision. Bolin looked up and met stern green eyes. Heng didn't say anything as he passed his former friend and stepped onto the train. Bolin was the last on to board, finding a seat as far away from everyone as he could get.

It was going to be a long ride to the Capitol City.

Things are escalating quickly!

Hi y'all. I have been working really hard on this story. While it may seem like I abandoned it, Dragon has always been on my mind in some way or another. But like I mentioned earlier, I have organized my thoughts and I know where we are headed. Stick around, you might like it.

And while I have your attention. Some amazing reader asked me if I could create another Mako/Dragon story, this time with him actually turning into a dragon. That idea is actually really awesome, and I have started on that story as well. It's called Our Spirits Combined and the first chapter is up. I will try to work on that more once I have finished Dragon.

Reviews tell me that I still have an audience, which I hope I do. If you're a new or returning reader, let me know your thoughts. I respond! Don't forget to check out my other works as well.

See ya in the comments section.

Emmy