A/N: Hello, lovelies! This is my first ever foray in the Avatar/Legend of Korra territory, so please be indulgent with me?

This particular chapter was inspired by two prompts I received on tumblr:
iwillbecomelaracroft: 'When Lin got injured by Su Yin, she went to see a healer: Katara, Tenzin's mother. First Encounter. Hurt/Comfort, Angst.'
fullofwhoa: 'How about Lin venting & in need of comfort from Tenzin after the whole Su-being-arrested-and-then-sent-away thing?'

Reviews are to me what Jasmine Tea is to Uncle Iroh.
Have a good read,
-Wil.

Disclaimer: As much as it saddens me, these characters aren't my property.


Back And Forth Like A Tidal Wave

Part I – Spring

'Mother, where are you? Father's been searching everywhere for you, and-'

'Over here, sweetie,' Katara's hushed voice sounded from the other side of the house. 'Tell your father I'm taking care of an old friend; I'll be right over.'

His mother's voice losing itself in the corridor, Tenzin trotted towards the guest bedroom, his brow furrowed. This room was usually unoccupied, and he didn't recall anything about guests staying over.

As he was about to push the door open, Katara's melodic voice was heard again. 'Sweet-pea, would you please wait in the living room for me? Our guest is in dire need of some rest and quietness. I'll be with you in a minute.'

'I will, mother,' Tenzin replied quietly, pivoting on his heels to leave. However, his growing curiosity for the mysterious person behind the wooden door got the best of him; with a light dash of air, he displaced the door from just an inch, and discreetly peeked inside.

Katara was bent over the large bed, which made it difficult for Tenzin to catch sight of the figure lying upon it. All he managed to see a glimpse of was a shiny black boot, similar to those from police squad uniforms.

As he tried to make out the stranger's face, hidden behind his mother's figure, he noticed a bluish halo along her arm, which he recognized instantly. Whoever the person on this bed happened to be, they were hurt, and his mother was in the midst of exercising her acclaimed talents at healing upon them.

Despite the lightness of his step, the wooden floor suddenly creaked under Tenzin, forcing him to brutally realise he was intruding on someone's privacy. As quietly as he could, he slid the door shut, before tiptoeing back to the living room. Sitting by the table with his usual ceremony, Tenzin looked down at his joined hands, pensive, until Bumi and Kya both came barging in, arm in arm, utterly lost in another fit of giggles.

'I asked her repeatedly, but she pointedly refused to tell me who'd injured her.

'She's her mother's daughter, Katara. You won't get through to her as easily as you usually do; she's a proud little woman as they come.'

'That she is,' Katara replied with a half-smile.

'Anyway, I had a message from Toph a short while ago; she's on her way. I don't think she'll be long now.'

'Good. It breaks my heart to leave this poor child all on her own. For all we know, she could be crying her heart out right now.'

Aang pressed an amused kiss to his wife's cheekbone, running a lazy hand through her deep brown locks.

'Sweetie, she's a Beifong. I don't think she could cry if she tried. You know, I even think Toph eventually ended up earthbending her own tearducts shut. '

Katara let out a brief giggle, relaxing in Aang's embrace, yet her eyes remained filled with worry. She turned to Tenzin.

'Sweetie, since you're done with desert, would you mind keeping Lin company for a while? That'd be very kind of you. She's in the guest bedroom at the end of the corridor'

Nodding, Tenzin rose to his feet, wondering why their guest's name sounded quite so familiar to him. The thought sent an unidentified shiver down his spine, which he couldn't explain until he heard Kya's mocking voice behind him.

'Are you sure it's wise to send Tenzin in, mother? Haven't you already done enough healing for tonight?'

'Kya, please, be quiet. Lin's been severely injured today- she's upset, and I'm sure some company would do her good. Besides,' she chastised, 'Bumi and yourself are far too boisterous to be of any help on that matter.'

Kya simply laughed, while Bumi, driven by his trademark enthusiasm, suggested to Aang that knitting Lin a cuddly sweater would probably do wonders to improve the overall situation.

Tenzin, as for him, had frozen halfway through the corridor, his mind suddenly putting the pieces together. Lin. Lin Beifong. His eyebrows knit together as he pressed worried fingers against his forehead. Of course her name sounded familiar, how could he ever have forgotten?

A couple years ago, back when he was still a toddler, Lin and her sister Su used to come around quite often, Chief Toph Beifong apparently being a close friend of his parents'. While Kya and Bumi had always seemed glad to associate with the Beifong siblings and their shenanigans, Tenzin had always maintained a respectful distance towards them.

If he was honest with himself, they had always scared him a little. Especially Lin.

However, on that fateful day when Tenzin had accidentally shoved Lin down from the rock she'd been climbing on, due to an ill-fated attempt at airbending, the girl had turned scarlet with anger and looked as if about to pounce on the young bender, all claws out.

Tenzin had remained utterly still, awaiting his imminent retribution, yet it had never come. Lin had just kept on glaring at him threateningly, unmoving. And, just as the young boy had thought himself safe, a boulder almost as large as his face had landed straight on his foot.

He had limped for an entire fortnight.

Apparently, it had been Lin's first successful earthbending attempt, which was probably why Toph had chosen to congratulate her as soon she'd heard the news. Tenzin, however, had remained utterly terrified of the raven-haired earthbender, and had made a point of carefully avoiding her since.

Both families had grown distant since that day, mainly due to jobs and children, so Tenzin had never quite had a chance to patch things up with Lin. Until now.

He swallowed with difficulty, fidgeting from one foot to the other, before remembering his mother's voice, urging him to go comfort the injured girl. After a deep breath, he gathered his wits and courage, entering the room with stride he hoped assured.

'Who's there?,' Lin growled from the bed without even opening her eyelids. Her tone was just as threatening as he remembered, so Tenzin stood still, hoping that maybe he'd be able to sneak out of the room without her noticing.

Lin sighed loudly.

'I know you're in there, I can hear you breathing,' she added in a weary tone, her arm flung over her eyes.

So, Lin had apparently also inherited her mother's impeccable skill at detection. How lovely.

'Um- hello,' Tenzin muttered uncertainly. 'Mother wanted me to check up on you. How are you feeling? Can I be of any help?'

At the sound of the airbender's voice, Lin sat up in the bed, narrowing her eyes at Tenzin, who took a step back despite himself.

'Your voice sounds familiar,' Lin said to herself, raising one eyebrow. Only then did the boy notice the massive bandage she had upon the right side of her jaw. 'Should I know you?'

Tenzin hesitated on whether or not to answer. However, he was cut short when Lin suddenly let out a sneer, a half-smile briefly stretching her lips, before wincing and rubbing her injured cheek gently.

'Right, now I remember. You're the airhead at whom I flung my first rock, aren't you? Tenzin, was it?'

'I- Well-' Tenzin gave up, sighing. 'Yes, that was me. You- you had a rather nice aim, back then.'

Lin remained silent for a couple seconds when Tenzin cursed himself for even thinking of engaging banter with her, before letting out a muffled giggle. The boy smiled back despite himself.

'I did, didn't I?' The earthbender unceremoniously dropped back against the pillows. 'I'm sorry about that day, by the way. I had a bit of a temper, back then.'

'Not a problem,' Tenzin replied quietly, letting out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding since he'd entered the room. 'So, um- what happened to you, exactly?'

'None of your business,' Lin replied abruptly, shifting away from Tenzin until her back was facing him. Second passed, both teenagers remaining utterly silent.

'I- I'm sorry. It was inconsiderate of me to a-'

'It's my sister,' Lin suddenly breathed out, cutting out Tenzin's apology.

'How do you mean?'

'She- she's always been- Oh, never mind.'

'No, please go ahead. Whatever happened, it can't be good for you to keep it in.'

As Tenzin came to sit by the side of Lin's bed, cross-legged, she sat back up, rubbing her eyes for a moment, before propping her chin against her knees.

'Why do you even care?' she asked quietly, staring at a distant spot on the wall facing her.

'I just do,' Tenzin answered, surprising himself at the unexpected truthfulness of his answer. 'So, what about your sister? Did you get these trying to protect her?' he took a wild guess, pointing at the bandage on her cheek.

Lin let out a sharp, cruel laugh.

'Now that would just be the dream, wouldn't it?'

'What do you-'

'She's the reason why I got these, alright,' Lin continued, sounding more and more irate after every word. 'But that's because she's the one who injured me.'

Tenzin's jaw dropped slightly agape, but before he could say anything, Lin was already going on.

'See, that- that little brat of a Su Yin thought it would be terribly amusing to join a gang, apparently. And not just any gang, mind you; the Terra triad, no less.'

Fuming, Lin suddenly sprang up from the bed and began pacing the room. Tenzin made a half-hearted attempt to grab her wrist, for he knew it was probably not best for the young woman to already be back on her feet. However, a single glare from the young woman was enough to convince him not to interfere.

'Doesn't she realise the shame she brings upon our entire family? On our mother's career, on mine? Now I know mother's never going to report her, because somehow Su always gets her way. She's family, so she thinks she's untouchable.'

Tenzin noticed tears of anger had started to form on the corner of Lin's eyes. They were wiped away with a careless sleeve soon enough, but the boy felt his chest constrict with empathy nonetheless. He wanted to reach out for her, but his feet seemed rooted to the floor.

'Well, she better not come near me anytime soon, or I'll show her just how very untouchable she is.'

Lin's voice cracked, ending on a sob she attempted to disguise as a simple hiccup, but Tenzin knew better.

'Lin, I- I'm really sorry. This sounds awful.'

'Well, guess what? It is. Now my own mother won't even look me in the eye, and I'm probably never going to see my sister again. Not to mention I got ridiculed in front of my entire team, and these,' she ripped the bandage off her cheek in a fit of anger, revealing two long, swollen scars, 'are here to make sure I never forget.'

Dropping against the side of the bed, Lin buried her face in the crook of her arms, her back shaken by tears she would hide at all costs. Driven by a gust of bravery, Tenzin reached a timid hand to the young girl's shoulder, squeezing gently.

'Now listen,' he said, 'I'm not saying I understand the intricate workings of your family, but I don't see why your mother would have any reason to be mad at you. She's probably just feeling a little overwhelmed by what happened.'

'I know that! And she has every right to be. One of her own daughters is a criminal in the making, and the other one's a fool, not to mention incapable of defending herself.'

Tenzin gave Lin's shoulder another, firmer squeeze.

'That's not true, Lin. The only reason you got injured is because you were upset at having to arrest your own sister. Are you even sure Su Yin did this to you on purpose,' he questioned timidly, pointing at her cheek.

'I- I'm not sure. She kept saying it was an accident…'

'See? Not to mention I recall clearly you having rather excellent earthbending skills. My foot remembers.'

Lin gave him a brief, strangled laugh through her tears, and Tenzin suddenly found himself fighting the urge to reach for her dark, tousled hair.

Suddenly, both teenagers noticed the increasing volume of chattering coming from the living room.

'That must be mother,' Lin said, straightening up before using her sleeve to wipe the remaining tears away. Readjusting her uniform, she turned towards Tenzin with a half-hearted smile.

'Thanks, airhead. I should have guessed those oversized ears of yours would make you a good listener.'

Tenzin blushed, suddenly overly aware of his every facial feature. He was about to respond when Lin suddenly stumbled forward, dropping a feather-like kiss against his bony cheekbone. Tenzin blinked, flabbergasted at the unexpected display of affection.

When he finally regained his composure, Lin was already halfway through the corridor. Tenzin caught up with her, grabbing her wrist just before she entered the living room.

'Lin,' he said, 'I've got something for you. Hold your hand out.'

The young woman eyed him suspiciously, but complied nonetheless. Her brow furrowed in confusion when the airbender dropped a striped pebble into her open palm.

'You're giving me… a pebble?' she asked incredulously.

'I got it when father and I visited Air Temple Island,' Tenzin explained. When Lin looked just as lost as she had been before, Tenzin continued, suddenly nervous. 'Next time Su does something crazy, just aim for the feet.'

Lin's green eyes widened even more if possible.

'You- You're actually encouraging me to attack my own sister? I thought you Air Nomads were against violence?'

'Oh, well, I-'

All of a sudden, Lin burst into laughter, punching Tenzin rather hard in the shoulder. 'Relax, airhead, I'm just teasing. I actually quite like the idea; thanks.'

Rubbing his tender arm, Tenzin watched Lin disappear behind her mother in the dark of the night. Behind him, his mother was talking to Aang, a mischievous smile upon her face.

'I can't believe Toph still calls you Twinkletoes, after all these years.'

'It's not like I'm encouraging her, Katara. You know Toph, she's unstoppable.'

Aang's eyes then came to rest upon his son's figure, and, noticing he was still holding his arm, he asked with a wide smile.

'Did Lin just punch you in the shoulder, by any chance?'

The young boy nodded, contemplating his feet.

'Then you must have done something right,' he added, before gently kissing the top of Katara's head.


A/N: So, that's it with Chapter 1, I really hope you enjoyed it! Chapter 2 should be published in roughly two days.
(To people whose prompts are still awaiting, they will be treated in the chapters to come.)

Thanks a lot for reading, you're all wonderful people.
-Wil