Lin started pacing around the room. The very room she used when ever she visited Katara at South Pole. Wincing ever so slightly and gasping from time to time. She's been wearing the metal bending armour for almost four days now. All those bruises and gashes went unnoticed to everyone else thanks to the now useless armour of hers. There was no way she could get it off without her bending, at least not alone. The bruise that ran from her left shoulder to her elbow was becoming irritatingly painful. Lin knew it's about time she saw a healer. But the only two healers she knew were rather busy. One was trying to be healed and one was trying to heal. She didn't want to disturb Katara in her concentration. Lin knew Avatar is more important than any of them right now. The world needed her. But the sore pain was becoming hard to ignore. If only she could get the armour off, she'd have tended the bruises herself.
'If only that buff kid could metalbend' Lin thought, not really thinking about it, as her eyes darted through the window towards Bolin, who was snuggling with Naga outside.
"Bolin" Lin called and beckoned him to come over. Bolin peeped behind Naga and hesitantly looked at Lin. He's been always intimidated by her stern glare. But he slowly reached her window and gave her an innocent look.
"Look son," Lin started gruffly. "I need a favour. Can you?"
"What is it chief?" Bolin asked wonderingly. He was moved by the idea of esteemed chief BeiFong asking his help.
"It's my armour. It takes a metal bender to unlatch it. Since I can't now..." She broke off awkwardly.
Bolin felt his eyes soften with pity. "But Chief, I'm no metal bender." He said looking uncomfortable.
"I know you aren't." Lin snapped. "But I can teach you. You only have to follow my advice."
"But-" Bolin started but was cut off by Lin's uncharacteristic sigh. "I need to get this off Bolin" She said quietly.
"OK. Teach me." Bolin said lifting himself up and jumping to the room through the window, His hyper self returning to him.
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"CONCENTRATE!" Lin yelled at Bolin who crouched in fear. Bender or not, Lin Bei-Fong was the most intimidating person Bolin had ever met, may be except Amon.
"I'm trying" He whimpered crawling next to Lin once again. It's been almost an hour and Bolin still could not feel the tiny particles of earth trapped with in the metal armour. He felt the amour again as Lin shifted her arms uncomfortably to make room for Bolin to bend.
"Close you eyes" She ordered. "Think of nothing but earth." Lin's voice was calming and directive. It was making it easy for Bolin to concentrate. "Nothing but earth. The sturdy, steady earth." Lin kept whispering in a softer tone. "Can you feel it with in the metal?"
Bolin was finally getting something. He felt the tiniest vibration through the unfamiliar metal. His eyes shot open in surprise. "YES" He shouted with excitement. Lin's eyes gleamed for a second with the tiniest ray of hope.
"Very good! Now try to budge it slowly." She said in her directive tone. "You'll find the latches either side of the armour"
"Not a problem Chief!" Bolin shouted happily as he moved around Lin and sat behind her. Feeling the metal armour on her back he started trying out his new found skill with gusto.
"Be careful Bolin. The edges are rather sharp" Lin said nervously. "You might need to-" But she didn't get to finish her say. Bolin unlatched the armour and it flew off Lin. But in the hands of an almost layman to metal-bending, the armour was not removed smoothly. It knocked Bolin to the ground while Lin doubled with a yelp.
Bolin jumped up throwing the metal armour victoriously aside. "I did it! Aren't I great or what?" He punched the air dramatically. He was not happy with Lin's lack of praising. "Come on chief! Give me some credit." Bolin said looking down at her only to get his eyes widen in shock. Lin was laying on her side, gasping with pain. The white tank top she wore was slowly getting red. The armour had not left her without a gash. There was a deep cut on her right side.
"HELP" Bolin shouted his lungs out as he dropped down to his knees beside the fading LIN. "HELP ME!"
His pleading voice shook the entire house. Tenzin was the first to rush in to the room where Lin lay motionless and Bolin was desperately trying to stop the bleeding. Tenzin stopped dead in his tracks seeing Lin covered in blood. "What happened?" He asked scooting Lin in to his arms and glaring at Bolin. "Get my mother. Hurry!"
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Lin woke next morning to find Katara stroking her greying hair as if she'd become a little girl again. The last time she found herself in such a dotting position was when she'd had her scars on face. Toph had raged off to interrogate the gangsters that Lin had managed to imprison though she got wounded. Aang had to make sure that Toph didn't crush them to death.
Katara had healed her but was unable to leave her scar free. Lin had awoken to find Katara stroking her hair just like this as Toph sat holding Lin's hand.
"So? Another scar for me?" Lin asked startling Katara.
"You are awake." Katara said in a tender voice. "And no. This time I managed just fine. Tenzin told me early enough"
"Tenzin? How did he know?" Lin asked trying to sit up. She winced as her injured arm betrayed her.
"Bolin's shout was enough to wake the entire South Pole." Tenzin said walking in to the room. He helped Lin to sit up and gave her a stern look. "Why didn't you ask for help any sooner? Your left arm and shoulder are badly bruised."
"I need to talk to him" Lin said not paying much attention to the monk and trying to get up. "Where's Bolin?"
"Lin, you need to rest!" Tenzin said grabbing her by right arm and looking Katara for help. "The talk can wait."
"He must be upset. I pushed him to metal-bend" Lin said shrugging off is arm and sitting up stubbornly. As the blankets fall off her, she shivered in cold. The loose white tunic she wore was pathetic considering the rough whether of South Pole. Katara shook her head as a small smile crept to her aged lips.
"Stubborn than Toph herself, aren't you?" She said wrapping Lin in a thick overcoat.
"Mother!" Tenzin said incredulously. "What in the spirits name are you doing? Lin here needs rest. She should not be walking"
Katara looked at Tenzin. "Then why don't you go and get Bolin so that Lin does not have to?"
"But-" Tenzin started.
"You and I both know that Lin will not hear a word of it" Katara said cutting him off. "So just get Bolin"
Tenzin sighed. "Fine. But don't you dare set one foot down Lin"
Lin frowned. "I'm not one of your children Tenzin." Lin said irately.
"Sometimes you are worse." Tenzin shot back.
Katara, who sensed one of the old arguments in air, got to her feet. "I'll just leave you two to your rant. If I run in to Bolin, I'll send him your way Lin."
"No, Aunt Katara, wait." Lin said as she shook off her anger with one irate look at Tenzin. "Help me up. I'm not staying here arguing with your sombre son about my sanity, which is absolutely none of his business"
This comment got Tenzin out of his calm and collected self. "No mom, leave us. I'd like to have a word with Lin. Alone."
Lin rolled her eyes. Nonetheless, Katara left the two with a heavy look. "Gah!" Lin said exasperatedly. She did put her feet down and tried to get off the bed by herself. But her wounded right side gave away and she bit her bottom lip hard and shut her eyes, inhaling sharply.
Tenzin glared at her. "You get yourself in to grave trouble to save my family, You sacrifice your bending to save my family, and you dare say your sanity is none of my business?"
"You need not to be so dramatic Tenzin." Lin said in a weaker voice as she tried to catch her breath. Tenzin's anger faded as he saw Lin taking in shallow breath and struggling to steady herself. He reached and helped her back to bed. His hand gently yet firmly grasped her good shoulder and she was forced back to lie on the bed like a helpless doll. Tenzin cut a bandage and silently wrapped her injured left arm around her shoulder. Lin stared blankly at the wooden ceiling as he worked. Tenzin tied the last knot on the bandage and took her right hand in his own. This made Lin to look right in to his steel gray eyes. "Thank you Lin!" Tenzin said as his features went soft and sombre. "I owe you my life."
Lin closed her eyes shut and let out a sigh. "Any time, Baldy!" She said in an undertone. Her eyes fluttered open as she felt a pair of lips place a gentle kiss on her pale forehead. "You've always been my hero. Now you are Meelo's too." Tenzin said peeping in to her emerald green eyes. First, Lin just stared back at him blankly. Then, as the moment became too heavy to bare and all too awkward for her liking, She had to lash out.
"Stop dotting on me. Now get out and send Bolin in. I need to talk to him." She said tugging her hand out of his grasp and giving him a small shove.
Tenzin's lips curved in to a smile. Lin would never change, nor will her loyalty and stubbornness. No matter how their relationship changes with time he could count on Lin to save the day. But he couldn't count on her to save herself. He recalled the fierce arguments they had just after Lin got healed of the gashes on her face and once after Katara had healed Lin's broken leg. "Why do you always have to be the hero?" He had asked hotly.
"Because it is always a pleasure" She had shot back. Only now he understood her answer fully. Lin would do anything, anything to protect what is important to her. Republic city, her mother, her friends... She couldn't care less about what'd happen to her in the process. What mattered to her the most is that her loved ones are safe.
It reminded him why he loved her and why they broke up. Strange enough, it was the same reason. Lin's selflessness! It made him fall in love with her and as he cowered away in the overwhelming feeling of loosing her due to her selflessness, he had broken up with her.
"I will" Tenzin said, standing up. He gave her hand one last friendly squeeze and walked out of the room. He stopped at the door and turned to speak to her again. "But keep in mind that your sanity s my business to the day I die, old friend!"