[A/N] *crawls out from under rock* Hi, Kat here. *waves awkwardly like Zuko*
So, I know a lot of people were wondering if I was alive. And, uh, yeah, I guess I am.
So here's my one contribution to Linzin Week 2.0 on tumblr. Prompt 6, gladiator.
Lin Beifong was raised in the ring.
Other girls got hugs and kisses before they went off to school. Lin got scrapes and bruises, from her gruelling earthbending training. Toph was not soft, nor by any means a slacker, and she instilled this deeply into her daughter.
It is why Lin is still standing.
Katara gave Tenzin soft, mushy caresses and sweet, sweet words; she did not give him strength of his own.
So why is he still standing, too?
Their swords clash, feet dancing ever so precisely, neither giving the other the upper hand.
To Tenzin, this is a relationship.
To Lin, this is war.
They cannot keep fighting. Every day is a struggle, a struggle against each other, a struggle against the giant rift forming between them.
A struggle to close the gap.
A struggle to stay alive.
Then, one day, Tenzin makes a wrong move. His foot slips, and he grabs hold of her for strength. Pema. The other girl.
Lin is still fighting. Tenzin is on the ground, shielding himself from the terror that is Lin at her full strength.
And Lin drives her sword deep into his chest, spilling the essence of his love onto the dusty ground.
Why can she feel the blade twisting in her own heart?
Lin puts on her mask, and turns to face the crowd. She has cone out on top.
She is victorious.
And, yet, seeing Tenzin dragging himself out with the support of the other girl takes the victory from beneath her feet.
Yes, she has won the battle. But she has lost a piece of herself.