not usually one to enjoy writing AUs but i hope this was okay. i know i like it. Anyway, Read, review, and enjoy

Item: Boxing gloves

Pairing: Kyalin

Prompt by: matl3s

Storms had ravaged Republic City for the better part of two weeks and local boxer Lin Beifong wondered why she even bothered keeping the doors of her gym open. No one with enough sense would even bother to step foot outside their apartment, let alone to come to a boxing lesson.

Deeming that it was useless to stay any longer, she began making her way to the door to lock up, when I beautiful, chocolate skinned woman with blue eyes walked in. Lin looked the woman up and down. Enjoying the way the tight pants clung to muscular thighs, the way the woman's hoodie was open enough for her to see water travel down her neck, to hide beneath her sports bra. "You're just in time, I was about to close up. Are you here for the beginners lesson?"

"I was actually looking for someone to spar with."

"Right, well I'm Lin, and you are?"

"Kya. Where is everyone?"

Lin straddled a bench and began to wrap her fists. "Didn't you hear? Everyone in this town is afraid of water."

Kya let out a small chuckle and sat across from Lin. "Bunch of wusses. Rain is amazing and they need to get out and enjoy it. Are you afraid of the rain, Lin?"

"Only when driving." She stood up and put on her boxing gloves. "Shall we?"

Reaching into her bag, Kya pulled out a pair of gloves and slipped them on. "Let's."

Lin stepped in the ring and held the ropes to give her sparring partner easier access. "No hitting below the belt and go easy on the face."

Lin allowed Kya to start the match, but soon found the Punches too easy to dodge. The gloves hadn't so much as grazed her yet. "You sure you're not here for beginner's lessons?"

Taking offence at the taunt, everything Kya had learned in the past went out the window, as she began to throw desperate punches.

Having enough of the display, Lin grabbed Kya's left hand with her right as it came out for a jab, and pulled the woman's body into her own, she then grabbed Kya's right hand with her left, resulting in her sparring partner to be trapped. "You can't let taunts get to you." She felt the woman shudder when her hot breath made contact with her skin. "You're too slow. That isn't an insult, it's an observation. You need to predict where your opponent is about to move and strike before they even notice. Reset and try again."

The women continued their sparring match for another hour until they were panting and covered in sweat. "Good work. You managed to graze me a few times."

"Still not good enough."

Lin let out a sigh, as she laid down in the ring and patted the spot next to her. Kya took up the offer happily and passed her water bottle to her sparring partner. "So what are you doing here?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're clearly from the south or northern water tribes so I'm wondering why you are in my gym."

"Trying to improve. I was the best in the South Pole that I decided to come here and try my luck at the circuit. But I quickly discovered I was too slow. In the south, it's so cold you can barely move. We never relied on speed it was all about strength."

"What made you want to be a boxer?"

"I wanted to be a UFC fighter actually, like Toph Beifong. When I was little I would listen to her fights on the radio. The blind boxer, it was amazing. Then one day my mother bought a TV. I managed to get some tapes of Toph Beifong's fights. The way she was able to move and dodge punches like that, it was awe inspiring. I watched all the interviews they did with her and apparently she could hear when the fist breaks through the air, which would alert her to where the punch was coming from. Once she made contact, it was all over. She had them on the floor in seconds and tapping out. Then one day, she retires. I was so upset, but then another fighter took her place. Lin Beifong. This kid, barely seventeen comes into the cage wearing a blindfold and she moves just like her mother. Then four years later, she suddenly disappears. Which sucks because I really wanted to fight her. I think she got scared of the ring, probably was scared of not living up to her mother's expectation's."

"She was never scared of her mother. She got scared of the rain."

It took Kya a while to put it together but when she did, she quickly sat up and looked at the woman lying down incredulously. "You. You're Lin Beifong."

"Pleasure."

Questions began to flood the southerners mind. But one stood out like a sore thumb. "What are you doing running a boxing gym? You trained in ten years of judo."

Lin let out a sigh. "You know how I said, when you walked in, that I was afraid of driving in the rain? Well that's because I was in an accident ten years ago. According to my mother, I drove myself home after winning my latest match. It was one of the biggest storms Republic City had seen in twenty years. They say it was pitch black and I couldn't see the traffic lights. I entered an intersection and was hit by a truck. It caused me to get amnesia, resulting in me forgetting everything. Turns out it's a good thing too. Doctors said if I took any more hits I could sustain heavy brain trauma. My mum made sure I wouldn't step foot in a cage again, so I got my sister to teach me boxing for a few years until I nearly got as good as she is. We made sure there were no headshots. I regained memory of time spent with my family and growing up, but nothing about judo."

"Wow. I never saw anything in the news."

"My mum is very powerful. She kept it under wraps. You're actually the first person I've told."

"Why me?"

Lin shrugged. "Don't know. Could be because I felt like sharing, could be because I'm extremely attracted to you." She received a shocked look from the southerner, causing her to roll her eyes. "Don't give me that look. I know you're attracted to me too."

"Well yeah, but, uh, I nev-" She was silenced by soft lips covering hers in a slow sweat kiss.

"I live in the apartment upstairs and I'm in the mood for sharing more."

A stupid grin broke out across Kya's face at the meaning behind Lin's words. "Okay."