Chapter Sixteen
Kya laid on the floor with a blanket as Lin laid on the couch. They decided to not move her again until tomorrow, as she was in a lot of pain. The others slept in the guest rooms. But both women were still awake. They had laid in silence until Lin spoke up.
"Kya…. I wanted to thank you." She took another breath. Talking was hard with broken ribs. "And I wanted… to say sorry."
Kya sat up and looked at Lin.
"I appreciate the thank you, but are you really sorry? Or are you saying sorry to get out of trouble? Because I am still mad at you." Kya said, keeping her voice low. She was beyond exhausted.
"I'm saying sorry…. Because…." *cough* "Because you were right…. about me being scared of what we're doing." Lin wheezed out before coughing again. Kya sat up more and placed her hand gently on Lin's chest to check her ribs.
"Easy there. And apology accepted for now. I do want to talk more about this, but not when you're about to get a collapsed lung." Kya murmured, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "I'm just grateful you're alive." She said, tearing up. "I thought you were dead when I found you in the courtyard." Her voice broke, and she began crying again. Kya buried her face in her arms as she leaned against the edge of the couch seat and sobbed. Lin slowly reached and stroked her hair.
"I'm still here, thanks to you." She said softly. "I love you."
Kya looked up when Lin said that, and she took a deep breath.
"Then don't leave me like that again. Because I love you too."
The next morning when Kya woke up, Lin was still asleep and she let her rest. She grabbed her bag and loaded it onto Oogi's saddle and grabbed Lin's bag, which she was disappointed to see had already been packed by Lin earlier and brought it to the master bedroom. They would talk about it later. Kya heard a knock at the door and she opened it, only to see a concerned-looking Rozou, the housekeeper.
"Master Kya! I came as soon as I heard from the maid. She said a dark spirit was roaming the grounds! I wanted to make sure you and Chief Beifong were alright."
"Thank you for checking in, I actually was about to tell you that we're leaving unexpectedly. We chased off the spirit, and we plan on taking care of it." Well, that was a slow response from the locals.
"Oh, well that is good news I suppose. Although I was hoping that your stay might be more relaxing. Oh! That reminds me, a messenger hawk came for Chief Beifong this morning from Republic City." Rozou handed her a stamped roll of paper. "Let me know if you need assistance with anything else." He bowed.
Kya bowed back. "I'll be sure to let you know, thank you Rozou."
The housekeeper left and Kya walked back inside to open the message. Mako, Tenzin, and Jinora were already in the kitchen eating breakfast as she walked in, breaking the seal and unfolding it.
Mako choked on his breakfast.
"That was meant to arrive a lot sooner." He said, looking embarrassed.
"Oh Mako, you've done your best. Besides, you've chased this thing off twice now?"
"Yeah, I guess so." He still looked disappointed. Kya threw away the message and drank some of the tea Jinora made for everyone.
"Thanks, sweetie. Your hair is starting to grow in again." Kya smiled, rubbing Jinora's head. The younger girl beamed.
Kya could hear Lin rustling in the living room, and she grabbed another cup of tea before walking to the next room.
"Hey, careful. Don't move too much." Kya warned, helping the metalbender sit up more. "I brought you some tea. I'm going to make some rice as well. You need to eat something." She said, stealing a kiss on Lin's forehead and placing the cup of tea in her hands. Lin nodded slowly and slowly drank her tea.
"Thank you."
"We'll be leaving after breakfast and after your healing session."
After breakfast, Mako carefully carried Lin into the master bedroom bathtub where Kya already filled it. He sat her down carefully in a chair before leaving to give them some privacy. Kya helped her get undressed and gently held her shoulders as she sank down into the tub slowly. Lin sighed as she laid in the warm water, and she could feel Kya's chi moving up and down her body. Kya worked on her for about half an hour, and Lin was already feeling a little better. Her ribs were still fractured, but they were better set and stopped shifting around with each breath. Many of her bruises were already gone.
After she got dressed in fresh clothes and made sure everything was packed, they both went down to the courtyard where they met the others. Tenzin walked over to Lin.
"I got this." He said softly, picking Lin up bridal style and jumping up onto Oogi, setting her down in the saddle. Kya climbed up and sat next to Lin as Tenzin moved to sit on the bison's head at the reigns. They were all ready to go.
"Oogi! Yip yip!"
A couple of hours later, they all sat on the bison, soft clouds floating past overhead as they flew over the clear waters of the Fire Nation archipelago. Lin was laying down next to Kya. Mako and Jinora were looking at maps of the islands when Tenzin spoke up at the head of the bison.
"We're here! The Bhanti Village!"
Lin woke up just before they landed, and Kya and Tenzin helped her down. A sage came out of one of the ancient structures.
"Master Tenzin!" He bowed. "Are you here with the Avatar?" Lin rolled her eyes in the background.
"No, I'm afraid I'm here on more serious and pressing matters. Where can I speak to the head sage?" He asked.
"I will lead you to her, the Shaman is this way." He guided them through the temple until they reached a large room with golden statues, all of them sitting in a lotus position in eternal meditation. A small elderly woman in red was lighting sticks of incense between her fingertips.
"I see that you've come here seeking protection." She said. "Something dark is hunting you."
Tenzin nodded.
"Yes, we have been unable to pacify a dangerous spirit, and the Avatar is currently still healing before she can continue her worldly duties. Will you help us?" He bowed. The Shaman nodded.
"I am honored to help the Avatar's friends when they are in a time in need."
"Thank you. The spirit hunting us has fused with a dangerous bloodbender and I'm afraid the spirit has amplified the host's abilities."
The Shaman stood silent in thought for a few minutes before speaking.
"If we pacify the spirit, the host likely will not survive. Humans aren't supposed to withstand that much energy in their bodies."
Tenzin nodded solemnly. "I understand."
"In the meantime, you can all rest in the sage's chambers. There should be a few extra rooms you can share. The sages and I must get the cleansing ritual prepared." They all bowed before leaving the room.
Lin, Kya, and Jinora shared a room while Tenzin and Mako shared the other. Jinora decided to go out into the bison meadow with Tenzin to see the herd that had been there since the end of the hundred-year war. Mako wandered the grounds, keeping guard. Lin and Kya were given some privacy as Lin had another healing session.
The metalbender sat in a small wooden tub as Kya swept her chi through the water and into her body. They stayed silent for a while before Lin spoke up.
"I'm ready to talk if you are." She said quietly.
"Alright." Kya stopped bending and sat down on a small stool next to the tub. She sighed softly. "I saw your bag was packed before you got hurt. Was it really that bad?" She asked, her face creased with worry. Lin looked surprised; she wasn't expecting that question.
"Kya, no. I enjoyed what we did. I wouldn't lie about that to you. You were right. I just… I am afraid of getting hurt again. I'm afraid of you getting hurt because of my job. I'm afraid of losing our friendship." Lin blurted out. "And I was being an ass about it."
Kya dipped her fingers in the bathwater, aimlessly swirling them around in the warm water.
"I don't think I told you the main reason I traveled for so long, there's a few other reasons but I don't talk about this one very often. When my wife died from illness, I was in a lot of pain. I shut myself off from everyone for months and Mom and Dad started to get worried. And I realized that she wouldn't want me to live like that forever so I decided to come back to the world and actually experience it like Mom and Dad did when they were kids. So, I met lots of new people, loved new people, and learned to let myself move on. Then Dad died so I had to take care of Mom for a long time, but it was the best decision I ever could have made for myself after my wife passed away." Kya reached into the tub further and held Lin's hand.
"I just wanted us to go have a good experience after having to deal with the Red Lotus. I know it was hard on you too. And I know you're lonely Lin. I'm sorry that we rarely spoke since we were a lot younger."
"I was being selfish. I thought I was being selfish by going on vacation and leaving work, but now I'm realizing it's the other way around. You all wanted me to go on this trip because you all knew I needed it. That coupled with my stress from work and feeling…. Things with you, I panicked. I'm so sorry." Lin looked down, feeling ashamed. "My job has been my entire life for the past thirty years, but it's not an excuse for the way I yelled at you. When you left when I was young, Su had left as well. Hell, my mother retired shortly after as well and I was the only Beifong left on the force from there on. I guess I still had a lot of resentment for you leaving for so many years because I felt like everyone was leaving. But everyone was doing what was best for them in the end, including you."
"I know Tenzin and your family have also broken your heart, and that has made it hard for you to be vulnerable. I also know how much your work matters to you. So, I appreciate that you're being open with me now about it." Kya squeezed Lin's hand. "I want you to tell me what you're feeling when things get tough because I can't read your mind Lin, and I'm afraid of getting hurt too. You're too good at walling up and bottling everything up."
Lin sighed.
"I'll try." She said, looking up at Kya and they made eye contact. "I'll try." She repeated, more softly. Kya leaned down and cupped Lin's face in her other hand, pulling her into a kiss.