It's been 10 years... 10 years of not knowing why...

A/N: This chapter is at the moment the only one that jumps perspectives. Future chapters will mostly be either Lin or Kya, maybe another mixed in here or there.

Thank you all for all the kudos and comments so far, I am so glad you are excited about this story too!

Originally I had that chapter slotted for this, but after posting the first chapter, I thought this one felt more right as the second chapter. Next one is going to be rough though, just a forewarning.

"Grief is like the ocean; it comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim." – Vicki Harrison

Spring 146 AG

Kya

Kya slung her bag over her shoulder as she disembarked from the boat she had just arrived on. She was returning home after her most recent trip for a two week visit with her family before she would be off on her next trip. She enjoyed travelling and visiting different regions and learning their unique ways of healing, both with bending and without. In fact, her next trip was bringing her to the capital of the Northern Water Tribe, where she would be a guest healer for the next year.

She took in a deep breath, taking in the smells that made up Republic City's dock. She headed over to the ferry that would take her to Air Temple Island. The sights and sounds of the City were soothing and it felt like home. She greeted the acolyte running the ship as she settled against the side of the boat, looking across the water to the Island.

She was both looking forward to and dreading this visit, much like she has everytime she has visited in the last 10 years. Ever since Lin was killed, their whole extended family felt the blow; anytime they got together, her absence was felt immensely. So despite her coming home, it never truly felt like home anymore without those unique jade eyes being there to greet her.

Kya happened to be visiting on the 10th anniversary of her death, and the whole family was descending on Air Temple Island for the next week or so. Bumi even had gotten leave from the United Forces to attend.

She was sure her father and mother would make a big deal about it, both being the most sentimental of the family. Uncle Sokka would get Aunt Toph drunk enough that she would actually get some sleep for once. Aunts Suki and Mai, and Uncle Zuko, would be trying to keep them from doing stupid shit. Tenzin would brood. Izumi would be busy making sure Iroh wouldn't be following Sokka and Toph in doing stupid shit, but Bumi would be encouraging it.

Then there was Suyin. The girl had taken her sister's death hard. She had straightened up her act from the beginnings of being a rebellious girl and tried to fill the shoes of her sister. Su became focused on her studies and decided at the age of 18 to live with her grandparents for the last couple years to learn from them. This had surprised everyone. Kya hadn't seen her since she left for Gaoling, but she hoped the break from Republic City had done her well.

When she made it up to the house after disembarking, she found Izumi already there watching Bumi and Iroh play some type of game with a ball, kicking it back and forth.

"Heya Princess. Long time no see."

Izumi turned around and smiled. "Kya!" They met halfway, throwing their arms around each other. "It is so good to see you!" Their hugs always lasted a little longer than they used to; everyone's hugs did nowadays.

Kya pulled back. "I can't believe how big Iroh has gotten!"

"He really is growing like a weed. He'll be thirteen in a few months, I'll be a mother of a teenager." Izumi replied with a small grimace.

"You are the one that decided to get married young." Kya teased.

"At least I'm not a hippie, floating from one woman to the next." Izumi said as she hip checked the younger brunette, causing Kya to chuckle.

"Aunt Kya!"

Kya turned in enough time to catch the running 12 year old. She hugged him, and ruffled his hair. "Look at you, hot stuff. You're getting so tall."

"I'm aiming to be taller than Uncle Bumi." Iroh said, his golden eyes twinkling.

Kya laughed. "Good luck with that kiddo. Tenzin may be a better bench mark. Bumi is a tree."

"Hey! At least I'm a good looking, strong tree!" Bumi called out, posing to show off his muscles, causing the three to laugh.

Bumi came forward and wrapped his arms around Kya, holding her in a tight hug; Kya hugged him back just as tight. "We'll catch up later." She whispered to him.

Kya soon bid the three goodbye, and headed into the house. She threw her bag inside the door and went to the kitchen where she found her mother and aunts Suki and Ty Lee.

"Kya! My sweet girl." She found herself in her mother's arms.

"Mom, you realize I'm 30 right?" She asked, rolling her eyes, but hugged her mom a little tighter in return.

"You'll always be my little girl." Katara said, pulling back and cupping her daughter's face with both her hands. She had tears in her eyes as she took in her daughter.

Kya just smiled gently at her mother, understanding how hard this day was for the elder waterbender. Katara viewed Izumi, Lin, and Suyin as her daughters just as much as Kya, and Lin's death had hit Katara hard.

Katara stepped back as Suki and Ty Lee stepped forward, and she turned away to dab at her eyes while Kya hugged her aunts together.

"When are Aunt Toph and Suyin coming?"

"According to Sokka they should be arriving soon. We're just finishing up dinner, care to help?" Katara answered as she turned back around.

"Of course."

The four set to work putting together a feast for everyone. Many of the dishes were ones that had been Lin's favourites.

"Ah there are some of my favourite ladies." Came a voice from the doorway.

Kya turned around and saw her father. "Dad!"

Aang wrapped his arms around his daughter. One good thing that came from Lin's death was that for the last 10 years, Aang had been making up for lost time with his two eldest children. He would write them all the time, and arrange meet ups around the world and create memories that were just theirs. He was ashamed that it had taken the death of Lin for him to realize his error with his elder children.

"It is so good to see you, my love. How was your trip here?"

Toph

As they caught up in the kitchen, the next ferry was arriving, carrying the remaining Beifong's and Sokka. Lao had passed away over a year ago, but Poppy had been younger than him and was still spritely for her age. She had insisted on coming with Suyin to be there for her girls.

Toph had her jaw clenched, not wanting to be here. She just wanted to go home, and lay down on Lin's bed to try and get some semblance of sleep.

She felt a hand on her arm and raised her own to pat the younger hand gently. She was happy at least that her Suyin was home, even if only for a couple weeks.

"Mom, we're about to dock." Toph nodded and looped her arm with Suyin's. She heard Sokka behind her offering his arm to her own mother.

They all disembarked and made their way to the stairs. Toph just bent the earth below them up to bring them to the upper level so her elderly mother didn't have to walk up the hundreds of steps.

However after bending the earth back down, Toph stood for a moment blindly looking out over the sea below. She could feel everyone's heartbeats, every single one of her extended family's. She did this every time they got together, but she couldn't help but search for the one she knew would never appear again. She didn't notice a tear had fallen until a withered hand cupped her cheek, wiping it gently away.

"Why did it have to be her Ma? It should have been me." Toph's jaw clenched and flexed with emotion. "Every time we get together as a group I search for her heartbeat, and every time I don't find it, it's like being told she was dead all over again."

Poppy had no words that would comfort her daughter. She just pulled her into her arms, not caring if the silk got wrinkled or stained with tears. By the time Lin was born, Poppy had done a lot to repair her relationship with her daughter. She found herself changing from the proper lady and heiress she had been her whole life to become a woman more open with her affection for her daughter and granddaughters.

"She'd be 26…" Toph spoke, her voice breaking. "I can't help but think about what she'd be like now. She had always said she would join my metalbending police, even though I never wanted that life for her. Hell, I never wanted it for myself. But she was stubborn like me."

"That she was. I'm sure she would have risen through the ranks quickly. Maybe she would have taken over as Chief of Police from you. But no matter what she would have done, I know you would have been proud. As I am of you." Poppy placed a kiss on her shorter daughter's forehead. She pulled back a little and wiped Toph's cheeks again. "Shall we head inside?"

Toph nodded and allowed her mother to guide her inside even though she didn't need to. Toph knew they both needed the support of the other to go into that room.

Dinner was an odd mix of times of laughter, and periods of grief. But this was the new normal for any larger family get-together, especially when it was the anniversary dinner. Iroh loved hearing stories of his brave and stubborn Aunt Lin, and most of them were happy to tell many stories - he especially loved when Bumi, Sokka, or Kya told the stories as they were always the funniest and the three knew how to tell the best stories.

Toph and Suyin mostly just listened to the others. Though Toph decided early on during dinner that she needed alcohol if she was going to survive the night.

After Iroh excused himself to go to bed, knowing that the adults wanted time to talk without him around, Suyin spoke up. They were all seated around the living room, drinking tea or alcoholic drinks.

"I'd like to see the photo please."

The room went quiet.

"No."

"Mom, I am not a child anymore. I need to see this. I need closure. Half the time I still think she is going to walk through the door bringing home the groceries." Suyin closed her eyes to try and calm herself, though her tears leaked through the closed lids. "Part of the reason I left for Gaoling was because I couldn't stand watching the front door anymore and being disappointed every time it opened that it wasn't her." She opened her eyes, setting her jaw in a similar gesture to how Toph had.

"I- I don't want you to see her like that. I want you to remember what she was like before." Toph said, surprisingly soft for how much alcohol she had consumed in the last couple hours.

Suyin reached over and grabbed her mother's hand in hers. "I appreciate that Mom, I really do, but this is something I need."

After a few moments of silence, where no one else in the room dared to speak, Toph dropped her shoulders in defeat. "Fine. Do what you want. I've never been able to stop you anyways."

Suyin

Suyin looked up at Aang who had a pained, but understanding look in his eyes. "Alright, come with me."

The two stood up and made their way to Aang's office. He went to a locked drawer in his desk. Upon unlocking it, he withdrew a file folder. Hesitatingly he handed it over to her.

The folder had a stamp across it showing it was a copy of all the evidence from Lin's case. The originals were all at the station downton.

Suyin swallowed and set her shoulders before opening the case file. The first few pictures were of the alleyway. But then she came across the one she had been needing to see, it was not coloured as those cameras were just making their appearance in the market now. There was Lin dressed in the clothes she had been wearing all those years ago when she had dropped her at her friends house. Her eyes looked glassy and were unfocused, staring off to the side. There were bruises forming on her face, as well as blood soaking the mattress under her from the gash in her head.

"Did you," she cleared her throat when her voice caught. "Did you ever find out why?"

Aang sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "The letter that was received a couple weeks later, which had that photo in it, stated that Toph and I had taken something from them, so they were taking something from us. Your mother and I both have many enemies, Suyin. However, we strongly feel this had to do something with Yakone."

Suyin frowned at hearing that name. "Wait, that's the bloodbender right?"

"Yes. It is more a gut feeling than proof, but it's all we have. He was never found, and still has many contacts in the City. But, I'm afraid we will never know for sure."

Suyin looked down at the photo of her sister again, caressing a finger across the face of her sister. She then put it back in the file and closed the folder. "Thank you Uncle Aang. As hard as that was to see, I needed to." She then dove into his arms as soon as he opened them to her, accepting his comfort.

Tenzin

Tenzin broke free from the house shortly after Suyin had left with his father. This day every year was hard on him. And as much as he enjoyed the stories that were shared, they made the whole in his chest ache.

Lin is- no had been his best friend. He was only 10 months older than her and they had done everything together outside of their bending training, but even then they had often sat in on each other's sessions.

He had been plagued with guilt the last 10 years that he had not been with her when she was attacked. He wished he had never gone with his father to the Fire Nation.

At one point he had dreamed about becoming more than friends with Lin, but they were still so young at the time, that Tenzin didn't know if it had just been a crush or if it could have been more.

Tenzin went and took Oogi out of his stall. "Sorry to wake you up, old friend. Are you up for a little flight?" Oogi licked his face, which Tenzin took as the okay. He attached the reins to Oogi's horns, and settled down without putting the saddle on the air bison, preferring to just sit against the soft fur. "Yip, yip."

Once up in the sky, Tenzin felt that he could breathe a little easier. The ache was still in his chest, but up here it dampened a little bit.

He looked up at the stars and wished for simpler times.

Sokka

"Come on Toph, let's get you to bed." Sokka said, slightly tipsy himself, but he had held back a bit, knowing Toph wouldn't.

"No, Snoozles. I want to go home!"

"That isn't the best idea right now. Your room upstairs is ready for you, Sokka can take you up." Katara said.

Toph stood and slammed her hands down against the wooden table. "You know what Sugar Queen, I didn't want to be here in the first place. I only came because Sokka and Suyin were making me. Has no one ever considered that I just want to be left alone on this day? For the last 9 years I have had to come here and listen to everyone else's grief and happy stories on every anniversary. Does no one see I am dying inside? She was mine and I lost her. It's all my fault." She was just rambling now, not realizing she was crying.

Sokka pulled her into his arms. She struggled and hit his chest to get him to let go, but he just held her tighter. Toph then broke down into sobs. She had so rarely allowed her emotions to show through in such a way, that Sokka just held her closer. He ignored the damp spot growing on his chest, instead he placed a hand to her head as she clutched onto his shirt.

Katara came and embraced her friend from behind, and Zuko came to their sides, placing a warm hand on top of her head.

Aang and Suyin arrived back to the room shortly later, and upon seeing her mother crying, the young woman ran to her mother's other side. Katara and Sokka shifted slightly to bring the younger Beifong into the group hug. Aang came up behind her, completing the hug around the two Beifong women. Their hearts all broke at their crying, as Toph turned slightly to clutch at her daughter as tightly as she held onto Sokka.

When they finally pulled back, they realized everyone else had headed out of the room to give them privacy.

Sokka and Suyin led Toph upstairs to their usual guest room. Suyin left the two to head to her shared room with her grandmother.

Sokka helped Toph get ready for bed, before helping her under the covers. He himself got ready then and then slipped under the covers behind her, pulling her into his arms again. Toph quickly fell asleep, helped by the alcohol and her outburst of emotion. But Sokka laid wide awake.

Since Lin's death, he and Toph had rekindled their fling they once had after he and Suki had split up, but now they were fully committed to each other, not wanting to waste any further time apart by being stupid idiots. He held her tighter to him for a moment, breathing in her scent in hopes to quell his own emotions. It always pained him whenever Toph inevitably broke down, but he would always be here to hold her together, and be her constant.

A part of him still didn't want to believe any of this was real. How could his little Lin, who was so full of passion, so brave, and caring, just be extinguished like that? He eventually fell asleep to memories of Lin as a young girl, especially the few times where she accidentally referred to him as 'Dad'.

Zuko

Zuko sighed as he laid onto the bed in the guest bedroom they used on Air Temple Island. He felt the bed dip beside him, and then his wife's hands undoing the top knot in his hair. He closed his eyes, focusing on the feeling of her hands running through his hair.

Dinner had been especially bittersweet and painful this year. Zuko just felt so drained.

"Want to tell me what's on your mind?" Mai asked softly.

"I'm just so tired Mai. I think it's time to let Izumi take over as Fire Lord. I want to spend the rest of my life being with our family and with you. This family has gone through so much, I don't want to waste more time pleasing the Fire Nation bureaucrats, when we can take time to enjoy the small things with each other."

"You know I will support you in anything you do. I do think Izumi is ready. Iroh is old enough now and will be focused on his studies, so it is a good time if this is what you want to do."

"It will take a while to get everything in motion, but I imagine by this time next year, Izumi could be Fire Lord."

Mai gave him a small smile. "Just do me a favour and wait until our visit is over to break the news to her." Zuko nodded, grabbing one of her hands to place a kiss on her palm.

A/N: What do you think happened to Lin?

Like all authors, kudos and comments feed our souls and give us inspiration.

I always respond to everyone, so if you have questions, I am always happy to answer unless it gives big spoilers.

Ages (characters in this chapter)

Kya - 30

Izumi - 36

Iroh - 12 (almost 13)

Bumi - 33

Katara - 61

Suki - 63

Ty Lee - 60

Aang - 59 (159)

Toph - 59

Suyin - 20

Sokka - 63

Poppy - 82

Tenzin - 27

Zuko - 63

Mai - 62