Thank you, everyone that reviewed- I have to say, I'm always glad to get feedback on how bad (or how good) my stories are.
A note- having now been able to research the events of 1.10 properly, it has become clear to me that Lin's bending was removed on Air Temple Island. To avoid confusion, I have decided that after her bending was removed, Lin was taken by ship to a prison on the outskirts of the city (hence "you rarely go to the outskirts.")
Thank you for putting up with my sometimes wrong information.
This is Chapter 2- we'll see how this one turns out.
Note- Again, I own nothing… Sigh…
Warmth pulsed far beneath her. Mother Earth, she called it, for the earth was like her mother. Solid and unmoving, steady and warm. It tickled her feet and made her feel safe in this strange new world where no one understood why she couldn't move the earth like her mother. It helped her understand people; it let her into that secret world, the place where her mother came home after a day spent metalbending, the weary hero, babbling about how warm the stone floor was in the winter and wasn't it great that the earth was never cold?
The earth helped her remember a man, a familiar stranger who whispered, "Remember, now- not until I say so."
The water was cold- and there was no warm earth below it, beckoning to Lin with open arms. No, the world was cold and dead to Lin.
But a figure, small and silent, clung to her. She was mute, and shivers refused to claim her. And a rocky alcove, a place where injured citizens could find shelter and supplies for their too-cold companions when the city was too far and too late- Lin headed there, determined that the Equalists would not claim another victory.
She hauled them onto the beach, collapsing as the pain in her chest flared. The pain fluttered, like a bird. Like the earth. Lin ignored that thought and stumbled upwards towards the cave, dragging Sen by the arm as she wobbled wearily behind her. Inside, the cold wasn't so bad, and Lin was able to forage through the boxes for firewood. She found some strikers- the new kind, not just a couple of stones. The metal was cold in her hand, and Lin imagined how it must feel if she was still whole.
A crash took Lin from those thoughts, and she quickly picked up the boxes that Sen had sent crashing down. Lin plopped her against a wall, and started a fire. "Stay." Her tone left no room for argument.
Pain made her angry- Lin used that anger to her advantage, finding and fixing a quick meal of half-warmed bread and jerky. Sen ate the bread, but refused the jerky, sliding it over to Lin with a distasteful grimace. Lin let her- she had food in her stomach, and she wouldn't die from no meat.
A little more rummaging and Lin found two blankets. Lin turned to look at Sen, her stomach falling. Both of us need blankets- each of us having one would only end with two cold, sleepless, useless people. But I can manage- I'll pay for it, but I should be able to sleep without one. And if Sen gets both, she'll sleep better- and if Sen's in good shape, she'll be able to keep up.
Lin approached Sen, going around behind her and laying the two blankets across her shoulders. Sen did nothing; she sat on the ground, unmoving, lost in her own world. A statue made of stone.
Lin tucked the blankets around her, making sure Sen gripped the ends firmly. Still, Sen sat, looking at the fire as if it held the answers to all of her questions.
Lin banked the fire, and decided it would be best to treat Sen as if she could understand. "Get some sleep, kid. We'll move out at dawn, and we don't have time for you to get sick." Sen didn't respond- but she did untangle a blanket and hold it out to Lin. "No-keep it." Sen shook the blanket like a fire-ferret would a rat. Lin shook her head- "Keep it." Sen frowned- Lin growled as a stubborn expression came to her face. "Keep it!"
Lin had to give her credit- she didn't flinch, only froze. Lin sighed, already regretting her outburst. "Keep it." She turned her back to the girl, positive that if she didn't look at her, she wouldn't keep up her objections.
She fell asleep quickly, and although she had trained herself to wake at the slightest movement, the journey had taken more out of her than she would have ever admitted. It was because of this that Lin never stirred at the pitter-patter of two small feet crossing a sandy cave floor to come near her. It was also because of this that Lin never noticed the weight of a sturdy, warm blanket coming to rest on top of her, and the sounds of the same two small feet retreating to the opposite side of the cave.
Lights danced before her eyes as the guards dragged Lin to Amon. She ignored them, instead concentrating on the ground. It was warm, even after they blocked her chi. She knew what would happen- and she knew there wasn't anything she could do to stop it. No one can stop him- I doubt even Aang would have been able to. They dropped her on the ground- she bowed her head, the better to concentrate on the fluttering pulses that rebelled against the chi-block; her bending was coming back- too bad it was too late. It's like Aang and his flying, Lin - he feels the air move; we feel the Earthbreathe. She looked up, though- she needed to see him- she needed to look the monster in the face. "Tell me where the Avatar is, and I let you keep your bending." The command came calmly, a rumbling wave beneath a crying sky. He knows how power works... Too bad he never figured out how to use it properly. Lin breathed- the words rolled off her tongue, heated barbs that seemed to have been waiting forever to come out. "I won't tell you anything, you monster." Amon looked at Lin- underneath his mask, Lin knew he showed no surprise. "Very well."
Amon walked to Lin- she stared at the rain falling in front of her, refusing to let him see any fear. Do I feel fear- or do I feel brave? Amon walked behind her- Lin closed her eyes and relaxed her face. "Remember, now- not until I say so."Somewhere in the back of her mind, a garden bloomed, full of flowers and rocks; somewhere, her feet were bare and she was small; somewhere, a familiar stranger tickled her and kept her safe.
Amon's hand came to her neck- Lin inhaled, bracing herself even as the mud and metal that surrounded her made her relax. Her mother's words came back to her. I love you, Lin- no matter what you do, no matter who you become.
This is where I meditated with Aang- this is where I tried to arrest Pema- this is where Tenzin and I kissed...
This is where I felt the earth's heart beat.
Her mind filled with light- it eclipsed her, a dark shadow, and made her head fill with pain. It surrounded her, overwhelmed her- it wrested her from the cradling earth, and flung her into the fiery oceans that filled the sky. A hand touched her forehead- the pressure was light, like the bird that had once perched on her finger.
The earth died- and Lin's eyes fell open, her arms batting at the hands that held her shoulder. She rolled, her hands falling to the ground even as her feet made her upright. Her brain scrambled- and her eyes caught up with the rest of her. "Sen- what are you doing?" Her voice sounded taut, even to Lin. She didn't care- I could have killed her! Sen looked at her, unabashed and unashamed. "I had a nightmare." Lin stared at her- her pulsed raced, and she heard the blood push through her veins. "You had a nightmare- so you decided to wake me up." It wasn't a question. Sen shook her head. "Whenever I had a nightmare, Mamma let me sleep with her." Lin stared at her. "Did you grandma let you do that, too?" Sen shook her head. "I never told her." Lin sighed. "What time is it?" With luck, it'll be dawn, and I'll have to get her moving... Please let luck be with me... "It's dark- the moon is in the middle of the sky."
Lin groaned- Sen took this as an okay, and curled up next to her. "Get back to bed!" Sen looked at Lin- she growled again, and settled next to her. "No moving, no talking, and no snoring." She nodded, her hair brushing Lin's shoulder, and curled up tighter. Another reason to not live with children- they make the strangest requests. Lin settled against the wall again, making sure to put distance between Sen and herself. No use letting her think she can cuddle with me.
The dream came slowly, more like a hazy childhood daydream than anything else. Birds called to each other among the green foliage; flowers crawled over the endless rocks to reach for the sunlight. Dirt covered the yard. A man came towards Lin- he picked her up, presenting her with three small rocks. She giggled, rolling the pebbles in her hands, enjoying the feel of the sharp edges. "Okay, now Lin- let's practice, so you can show Mamma how good you are." Obediently, she frowned; the pebbles rose, chasing each other with enthusiasm. The man smiled, smoothing Lin's hair. Lin smiled back at him- he smiled just like she did. Distantly, a stone gate scraped against the ground as it opened. The man started bouncing Lin, saying, "Lin, Mamma's home." Lin gasped, and the pebbles dropped into her hands. She started rolling them around again, feeling the curves brush her palm. Toph entered the yard- Lin grinned, reaching for her. The man touched Toph's arm, handing her Lin. Toph took her- she was careful, almost immediately balancing Lin on her hip. "Happy Birth-Day Lin." She handed Lin a metal bracelet- Lin took it, and gasped as it snaked its way to her wrist. They walked into the house- the man held the door open for Toph, who walked through it with no protests. Toph turned- "Can you-" The man held out his arms, already knowing what she would say. Toph grinned, and walked out of the kitchen. The man smiled at Lin. "Remember now- don't show Mamma until I say so. We want to surprise her on her Birth-Day." Lin laughed- he tickled her, one arm cradling her as the other attacked her belly. She shrieked, and the man chuckled.
"Remember, now- not until I say so."
The familiar stranger smiled at her. "Remember, now- not until I say so."
Sunlight struck Lin's eyes and she awoke. Fragments of her dreams lingered in her mind- she had dreamed of the familiar stranger again.
Mamma, why don't I have a dad?
Toph sighed. "You do have a dad, Lin- he's-"
"So where is he?"
Toph stared at Lin- Lin stared back. She was three- everyone else had a dad. "He died, Lin, when you were only one."
She looked at the bracelet she had gotten on her first Birth-Day. "Did he give this to me?"
Toph shook her head. "No- but he gave you your first charm for it."
"When?"
Her mother sighed, looking out of the window. Lin knew she couldn't see the sunset- even so, she strained her legs, trying to figure out what she saw. "The day he died."
The words left Toph's mouth as a whisper. "Oh."
Lin tugged on her mother's arm. When she had her attention, she kissed her. "I miss him too."
Toph smiled, blinking at the water that filled her eyes.
Lin shook her head- it didn't matter. She considered waking Sen, then decided to get the food ready first. She won't be as obstinate on a full stomach- and she might be less rebellious with some more sleep.
A blanket fell from Lin's shoulders- she stared at it for a moment, then tossed it on Sen. It didn't matter- they needed to get moving.
After they were both awake and fed, Lin and Sen started moving. The United Forces would be in the harbor on the other side of the city. A lot of distance to cover, but still worth it. Maybe someone can take Sen once we get there- kids shouldn't be in a combat zone.
They traveled through the outskirts- they met no one. Heading around one corner, Lin ducked as a group of Equalists ran past, shouting about the Avatar. Probably better follow them. She grabbed Sen and ducked into a side-street, following them at a distance. They traveled fast- after a block, Lin picked Sen up and carried her piggy-back style. She ignored the stars that came from pain. Eventually, the Equalists stopped. They turned around to face Lin. "We know you're there- you might as well come out."
Lin shoved Sen against the wall. They advanced- amateurs, all of them. What they lack in experience, they make up for in numbers. They surrounded her, grasping their electrified gloves with startling efficiency. Maybe not so amateurish.
They ran- Lin dodged, knocking one out with a kick to the head while she dodged a shot of lightning. They backed up, learning from their fellow; she followed, forcing them to retreat. Kick, dodge, punch, kick- she landed them all, taking them out with only one or two half-weak moves. It wasn't enough- there were simply too many.
Lightning flashed- it struck the man attempting to fry Lin alive. Lin looked up, startled, as Asami ducked and sent out another bolt. Water flowed past her, and fire danced on the ground- Korra and Mako, respectively. Around her, rocks floated, whizzing past her face to smack the Equalist guards. Bolin smiled at her- "Thought you could use some help!"- and grunted as an Equalist landed a punch. On and on it went; slowly, the Equalist numbers were cut down. Eventually, it became 2:1. Korra yelled, whooping as she took down the two Equalists. Asami smirked, the shadows disappearing from her eyes. "Lin!"
She was cornered and tired; she could only dodge so many times before her body gave out. They put her back on the wall- How do I manage to get in this position every time? - and advanced. The others were too far away to help, and too busy to get there in time. Lin braced herself; she should be able to take out one of them before the other took her down.
"No!" Out of nowhere, a wind blew; Sen shouted, tossing her hands towards them as if she wanted to strangle them. A tornado formed, and Sen threw her arms towards the Equalists. The Equalists ran, calling for help. She gave them no mercy, turning the tornado so it sucked them up and threw them against the wall. Their companions advanced towards her, ignoring the others' attempts to stop them. Sen faced them, throwing her arms in front of her as a gust of wind blew them off their feet and onto the ground.
No more Equalists came; Sen panted, kneeling on the ground. They ran towards her, confused but ecstatic at the strange turn of events. Lin reached her first. Sen looked up at Lin, her eyes big and imploring. "They were gonna hurt you- they were gonna hurt you like the masked man hurt Mamma and Pappa." Lin nodded, breathing heavily. "It's okay." Sen nodded, her face relaxing. The others came. "General Iroh said to lay low and not engage the enemy- he'd meet us here in about three hours." Korra looked around, seeing the bodies that littered the ground. "I don't think he'll mind, since no one's awake to go running." Not awake, or not alive. She kept the thought to herself.
Asami looked around, spotting an empty warehouse. "We can hide in there- no one's going to come this way for a while." They nodded, and headed for it, Lin grabbing Sen's hand to tow her along.
They entered the warehouse, settling in various positions. "So what was that?" Mako spoke, gesturing towards Sen. Lin sighed. "This is Sen- her grandmother and she were my cellmates. We escaped, and were heading towards the harbor when the Equalists started shouting about the Avatar." Lin grimaced. "Apparently, they wanted to draw us out."
Asami frowned. "So where's her Grandmother, if she was with you in jail?"
Lin swallowed, trying to come up with the right words to explain the situation. Sen beat her to it. "We're going to come back for her, once the city is safe."
They looked at Lin, everybody but Sen, clearly hoping she was lying. Lin said nothing, looking down as she remembered the old woman. "I won't survive the procedure- I'm too old."
Asami licked her lips. "Oh."
Bolin butted in, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. "So how did you do that- airbending thing?" He mimed Sen's tornado move. "Could you- could you always do that, or is it a one time thing or..."
Sen looked down, hiding her face as Mako repeated Bolin's question. "How did you do that? The only airbenders left are Tenzin and his family, and Korra."
Korra sighed. "I haven't airbended yet." She paused, then continued. "But how did you do that?"
"Sen?" She looked up at Lin. "Grandmother says not to talk to firebenders, 'cause they hate airbenders and want to hurt them."
"What- that's crazy! Why would your grandmother say that?"
Sen looked at Korra. "The Fire-Lord used a comet to kill all the airbenders. He killed the Avatar. That's why we had to stay away from the Air Temples- because they would have found us there, once they won the war."
"So-wait." Korra stood up and began to pace. "You're an airbender."
Sen nodded. "And your grandmother is an airbender."
"Yes- everyone who was born in my family is an airbender."
Korra turned around. "Where have ou been hiding?" Sen stuttered. "We-we left the Western Air Temple because pappa said the masked man was there, and he would hurt us."
They froze, seeing the events covered by the simplicity of the word. "What happened to them?"
It was Lin who asked this- Lin who turned to Sen with a look on her face that asked for nothing but the truth.
"Pappa and Mamma were walking, when they met a masked man. He asked if they were benders- they said yes. Pappa said that the man said that was good. He-pappa said he took out of knife and hurt them. Then he put his hand on mamma's forehead, only she was- pappa said she was already gone, so he put his hand on pappa's forehead and pappa said that he couldn't feel the air anymore, like he was suffocating. Grandma- I call her grandma, but she's really my great-grandma, 'cause I never knew my real grandma, she found them, and she brought pappa to the temple, only he- he said that we had to leave, and we sat with him and when the sun rose pappa-" She was crying, tears coming down her face. She took a gulp of air- Asami, who had put her hand on Sen's shoulder, squeezed it, giving her comfort. "Pappa died. Grandma said it was because airbenders are spiritual, and because we breathe the air, so we can't live without it."
Sen looked at Lin, moving her hand so it rested on Asami's. "The masked man is everywhere, and everyone says his name, 'cause Pappa said that the man's name was Amon, and that he was going to go to Republic City."
"We didn't know what Republic City was, only that we had to go there, so we could warn people."
Note: A little longer than the last one, but still (hopefully) decent. I do apologize for the wait, but quality does take time.