Thank you, so very, very much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter - especially those who have been leaving comments since the beginning. You all make me so incredibly happy.

Enjoy the next chapter!

Silence of the Sound

Chapter 5

A thin beam of sunlight was just starting to break through the crevice in the rock when Lin jerked awake several hours later.

Tenzin, who had barely been able to doze on and off near dawn, felt her struggle against him and he immediately dropped his arms so she could lurch forward. He opened his mouth to speak to her, to try to get some bearing on what was happening through the overwhelming elation at seeing her conscious, but before he could get the words from his mouth, she had stumbled to her feet to break open the front of the cave. Cold morning air rushed inside and bright sunlight momentarily blinded him as he rushed to follow her.

Lin fell back to her knees the moment she met the fresh space outside, not pausing to look around her before leaning forward to vomit. There was very little in her body to eject, and the retches quickly turned to dry heaves as her stomach and lungs competed against one another for normalcy.

Tenzin was at her side in an instant, his hand reaching out to stroke her back.

But, once again before he could check after her wellbeing, she pointed weakly behind her. "Knife," she muttered hoarsely, snapping her fingers at him to hurry, damn it.

The burning under her skin was churning, swirling as if wanting to pace restlessly, and somehow she understood in a way she hadn't the night before that release was exactly what it wanted. Perhaps their elemental bond had at least given them enough connection for her to understand that much. She curled her arms around her waist and leaned all the way down against her thighs, pained and shaking.

Tenzin returned a moment later with one of her metal gauntlets, where a blade was attached to the inside. Not giving him a chance to intervene, she pulled the blade out and quickly ran the sharp steel across the palm of her opposite hand to open a neat little slice through her skin.

"Lin!" Tenzin balked, snatching the knife and holding to it tightly on the chance she tried to use her bending to get it back. For all he knew, she could have been attempting to harm herself or some other nefarious deed under the influence of…of whatever was hurting her. "What is going on, Lin? Talk to me!"

Still, though, she did not respond. Instead, she held up her uninjured fingers and beckoned. Blood pooled in her upturned palm but then, when she pulled on the earth inside her again, something else came weeping from the wound. She turned her hand over, still pushing with her energy. Whatever this was, was unable to leave on its own despite how badly it wanted to.

Dark brown and oily, drops of it mixed with her blood and fell to the ground.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, lowering her hand slightly when the muscles in her arm started to tire. It felt ancient, this being, and glad to be gone of her as it quickly absorbed into the earth to leave blood behind. She felt it slipping through her body, tugging and pushing in invisible rivulets under her skin as it found the way to escape. Many minutes later, the substance stopped flowing until it was only her blood again. Only her blood inside her body, only her lungs and heart, her mind. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes.

When she continued to remain silent, Tenzin reached out and delicately took her injured hand to check the wound, putting her knife on the ground. The actual slice appeared clean enough. Lips pursed into an unhappy thin line, he ripped some fabric from the inner lining of his robes, where they hadn't been dirtied, and tied the scrap around her palm to stop the bleeding. A healer, when they finally got to one, would be able to mend the cut away without even a scar, but this would have to do in the meantime.

"Will you talk to me now?" he asked, unable to stop the irritation from coming through.

"Oh, sure, I almost died because of you dragging me out here – you go right ahead and get snappy with me," she barked hoarsely, her eyes flashing open to glare at him angrily. Frowning, she caught sight of the contents of her stomach still on the ground and made a rigid gesture to let the earth swallow it. A chill was just starting to creep across her skin now that it was hers again, and she shivered. "You fucking arrogant -"

Her words were cut off when Tenzin pulled her into a tight embrace, both of them still sitting on the cold forest floor right outside the cave. She went rigid for a brief moment at the sudden contact before relaxing against him, dropping her forehead down onto his shoulder. Her arms were limp at her sides and she left them there, letting him hold her without effort. His body was warm against hers, filling the empty spaces left behind.

"You're right, you're right. I'm sorry," he whispered, shifting enough to press his face against the side of her head. "I was just frightened. You know how irrational I can be when I'm afraid."

She merely grunted her response.

"I'm so relieved you're all right. Truly, I am." He felt the urge to kiss her hair, her cheeks, her neck, anywhere he could reach to prove just how true that was, but then he wondered if she had heard any of his confession hours earlier and decided doing so would be a very bad idea. She exhaled tiredly against him, the hot breath hitting his skin, and he realized she likely hadn't heard a single word. "How far are we from town?" he asked, gently changing the direction of conversation.

Without moving much, she shifted one hand to press flat against the earth. "Far."

"How are we going to get back? Walk?" The situation was becoming real again. Their ostrich horses were long gone by now – hopefully having made it back themselves – and the prospect of making that long journey on foot was daunting.

Lin extracted herself from his arms, pushing against his chest to stand and stretch. She glanced around, taking stock of where her armor and coat were when she didn't have a proper recollection of removing them. "I can bend us back on a slab of earth," she offered. But then she set him with a hard stare. "On the condition you massage my feet when we finally get back."

"Of course," he offered quickly, noticing then that her feet, still bare from their escape, were already cut and bruised. Somehow, though, her toes had avoided frostbite so far.

She pulled her armor back on piece by piece, settling her coat over her shoulders. Before pulling up a large enough wedge for them to climb onto, she paused to judge the distance again and grimaced. "Right then, add my legs, back, and shoulders to that list. This is going to be a long trip."

xXx

"Spirits, Tenzin, that hurts!" Lin snapped, her agitated voice muffled from where she was lying face-down on the hard mattress in their dimly lit room.

They returned to the town a little over an hour earlier, long enough for Eri – who had thankfully returned as well not long before their arrival – to fully heal the cut on her hand and for both of them to bathe the grime of the past two days from their bodies. Lin was not about to forget the promise he had made her earlier, however, and before he could get comfortable at the table, she spread out on the bed and demanded he start that massage. She would never admit it, but her body was aching after six hours straight bending them to safety. If only those ostrich horses, loyal enough to return to the farmer, had been that loyal to them.

Tenzin hadn't argued, and had easily taken a seat beside her on the bed to start on her tight shoulders. He remembered from past experience never to start with her feet, no matter how badly they seemed to need the most attention. He received a broken nose the one time he tried that.

"Of course it hurts, Lin," he murmured, "You're not relaxing and I just hit a rather large knot that's probably been there for years. Now truly, settle down and let me at least try to help."

"But it fucking hurts," she continued to complain through gritted teeth, turning her head to glare at him from the corner of her eye. "You used to be good at this!"

He ignored her frustration, understanding it was only stemming from her soreness. He rubbed his thumbs down her spine through her shirt, feeling again for the knot near her shoulder blade. He found it just as she sucked in a quick breath and pressed gently, reminding her again to relax. "I still am good," he said quietly. "But your body is responding as if it hasn't been touched like this in years. When was the last time you had a massage?"

She was hushed for a moment, letting out a long breath as she released the tension in her muscles where his fingers were. "Not sure. When was the last time you gave me one?"

"Surely it hasn't been that long?" He frowned at her even though she couldn't see him. She could still hear the expression in his voice though, and he followed with, "With the bending you do, keeping good care of your body is important."

Lin let out a snort against her pillow at his light reprimand. "As if I would trust anyone to mess with my muscles like this. I take care of myself just fine, thanks."

"I know you do," he whispered. It was true, of course it was.

The knot finally gave way and she sighed in relief as his fingers moved further down her back to stop at her waist, sliding to the left to press and knead with just enough pressure. It was difficult not to slip back into his memories of similar situations, so long ago, that always led to far different endings than this would. He remembered the feeling of her skin under his fingers instead of a shirt, or how he would lean close and follow his touches with his lips. He knew there was no way she wasn't recalling the same nights as she fell into silence.

"What about you?" she asked suddenly.

"'What about me', what?"

She peered over at him again before dropping her head back down with a soft grunt when he found another knot. "You're so uppity about me not having had a proper massage in over a decade, so when was the last time you had one?"

"Oh, well, my situation is completely different from yours, Lin. Airbending is not as strenuous as Earthbending or Metalbending, you know, and -"

"Hypocrite."

"What can I say," Tenzin gave in with a sigh. This was a tactic to avoid any and all discussion of what had happened the previous night, and they were both willing to let it be for the moment. "Pema certainly tries every so often, though her fingers aren't as strong as yours. I, however, have rarely had instances where my muscles got so tense from overuse I couldn't move without pain."

She didn't respond. But he carried on regardless, and, little by little, the tension in her body began to free itself. Her breathing evened out after a while once he moved down her legs, and he noticed by the time he reached her precious feet that she was sound asleep, head turned to the side to face the wall and arms splayed to either side.

Tenzin stood, fetching the blanket from where it had been pushed off to the side to drape over her. He'd turn her to her side in a few minutes – Lin hated sleeping on her stomach, she always woke with a sore neck when she did – though he'd let her rest there for now, even if he'd be on that awful cot again. He found he didn't mind much, if it meant she was safe to rest as long as she needed.

He had attempted asking her twice on their way back what, exactly, had happened. The first time she told him to leave her alone while she worked. The second time she was more honest with her answer, telling him she didn't want to talk about it yet. He accepted that without question. She was alive, despite his mistakes. That was the most important to him just then.

A sudden knock on the door startled him away from staring at her, and he took a moment to tuck the blanket over her a bit more securely before he padded across the room the answer it.

He almost expected to see Eri there, coming to check on them, but Rala was again standing in the threshold, a small grin on his face. Tenzin took a step closer when he saw who the visitor was, pulling the door with him as if hoping to block Lin from view. "Can I help you?" he asked brusquely.

Rala raised an eyebrow, glancing over Tenzin's shoulder to see Lin passed out inside, unresponsive to his presence. He brought his gaze back with a widening smile. "I wanted to be sure you were all right," he said. "You and your bodyguard there. Or is she something else? I'm really not very sure."

"We're fine," Tenzin said, stepping out into the hallway to close the door behind him. "We're investigating the deaths of your friends, just as you asked us to do. You know exactly why Lin is here."

Rala crossed his arms across his chest and took a step backward. "Everyone who knew you in your youth believes you made a mistake, that you and Lin were never meant for one another. Do you know that? So what happened? Was she too much for you?"

The questions hit Tenzin hard and he scowled, recalling the previous night in spite of himself. It was exactly what Rala wanted to see, and he narrowed his eyes as he continued along that path to find a wider crack.

"We – your childhood friends, you see – we never understood why she chose you. She was so powerful, even so young. But you…you were only special because you were an Airbender. Is that why Beifong was so fond of you? Is that why she left you?" He laughed when Tenzin's face turned red with anger. "You are far too easy, aren't you, Tenzin?"

He could see what Rala was doing, poking at his old misgivings just as a young bully would, and he took a breath to keep his hands still at his sides. "I think you should leave now," he said, keeping his voice from shaking with his fury. "We'll let you know what we have found before we leave tomorrow."

"You're leaving so soon?" he asked, a disappointed look coming over his face. It was difficult to tell whether it was feigned or genuine, though any act of missing his childhood companions was certainly not true. "I do hope I haven't upset you, my friend. I only wanted to express my concerns."

"You have no concerns," Tenzin pointed out, already reaching behind him for the doorknob. Bringing up aged hurts was exactly what he hadn't wanted to face, and it seemed so juvenile now.

"That is not right at all. I am greatly concerned for your wellbeing."

Rala reached out and grabbed Tenzin's hand, using the grasp to pull the door closed again. His strength was surprising, the childish mockery from before suddenly gone. The glint in his eyes was truly menacing now. "I know you went to Weyoun's home, and I know what you found there. It is a miracle your lady sleeping just inside survived when no one else did. How did she?" He stepped closer, until the two men were almost toe to toe. "I'd very much like to know. How did she survive the spirit binding with her soul?"

Tenzin jerked his hand away from his grip in alarm, opening the door and backing quickly inside without another word before locking it closed.

"Lin," he said immediately, crossing the room to shake her awake as his heart began to thud with panic, enough to send adrenaline out through his limbs. She groaned under his touch. "Lin, wake up. We need to leave. Now."

"Din' I jus' fall asleep?" she slurred, woken more by the apprehension in his voice than anything else as she forced her eyes open. She slowly raised her torso from the bed with her arms, trying to get a bearing on her surroundings. "What's going on?"

"Where's Rala?"

"What?" She gazed at him in utter bafflement as he rushed around the room gathering their things. Few as they were, some clothes had been scattered, and he shoved them unseeingly into his bag without caring who they belonged to. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, not sure what to do.

"Rala, where is he? Right now?" he asked again, tossing their two bags toward her.

She caught one but, being taken off guard, the other fell to the floor. She didn't question him again, instead pressing her hand to the earthen walls covered in flaking plaster. Her senses fanned out quickly, finding him nearby. "He's downstairs," she answered, looking up at him with confusion. "In the main room. What is going on, Tenzin?"

"We're going out the window, then. Come on."

He took her hand and hefted her to her feet, already shoving the table out of the way with a breeze of air. He pulled their bags along with the same and opened the window. Freezing air rushed inside.

"Tenzin, wait." Lin took a step back from him, and he realized in his haste he was about to shove her right outside without her armor. She took the few long strides close enough to bend it on and, as she did so, he grabbed her jacket and his heavy robe, as well as the blanket from the bed. The food would have to be left behind. "I take it you're not going to explain what we're doing?" she asked, coming to join him again.

"Soon," he said, tossing their bags, coats, and blanket outside. They landed two floors below on the snow-dusted ground with hardly a sound. "I'll go first so I can catch you, all right?"

She nearly refused, but she was too exhausted to attempted bending her own way down, especially since she was still half asleep. In a pinch, sure, but if he was offering she was going to take it. She watched as he leapt from the window, using a gentle cyclone of air to ease his descent. Without a word, he looked up at her as soon as he landed. Not missing a beat, she stepped outside. There was a brief instant of freefalling and then Tenzin's air caught her, bringing her safely – and silently – down.

They quickly put on robe and coat, gathered the bags and the blanket, and then Tenzin took Lin's cold hand and led her down the darkest alleys they could find until they reached a spacious area to call for Oogi.

Once again, Lin let Tenzin lift her up. The fatigue was tugging at her in all directions, and she fell back against the saddle, taking a moment to catch her breath as Tenzin got Oogi into the air. She shivered through her coat, the biting cold blowing around her without remorse. Minutes ago she had been asleep in a warm bed and now she was out in the cold sky, fleeing from something unknown.

The feeling of the blanket being tucked around her was startling, and she opened her eyes to see Tenzin kneeling beside her.

"You were right," he said, scooting closer to huddle under the blanket, too. "Rala is somehow behind this. You were right all along, Lin."

Rather than tell him he should have listened to her from the beginning, she sat up enough to lean her shoulders against the low rail behind her and, grunting as if she was doing so grudgingly, opened her arms so he could rest against her chest the way he had so often before. "I'm assuming he said something to you, then."

"He did, yes." He pulled the blanket close around them both, hoping to keep them a least a bit warmer. He could feel her trembling from the cold and exhaustion through the hard metal on her body, and he was angry with himself for putting her in this situation at all. Fear for their safety added to the mix when one of her arms wrapped protectively around his back so her hand could rest on his side. He had brought them out here, he had put them in this mess. This was his fault.

"So where, exactly, are you taking us?" she asked, her soft voice searing through his thoughts like a knife. "We don't seem to be heading home."

There was no anger or accusation in her tone, just curiosity, and he let out a sigh. "Back to Weyoun."

"Back to…" she started, cutting off shortly and shifting so he had so move off of her again. He glanced up at her face, surprised to see unhidden discomfort. "Back to the place where that – that, whatever it was, jumped into my body and almost killed me? Why in the world do you want to go back there? Why didn't you at least tell me before deciding this?"

Tenzin sat up, the cold already biting at his shoulders where she had been keeping him warm seconds ago. "I think this man holds a key to something we're missing. Perhaps if we can get this information, we can figure everything out. We never got to speak with him before, and we should."

Lin's eyebrows knitted, her torn expression pained in the moonlight. She knew he was right, but that didn't mean she was thrilled about the possibility of meeting the being that had caused her so much agony again.

"It's a spirit."

"What?" She frowned at Tenzin's words, not quite understanding.

"The thing that bound itself to you that night," he explained with difficulty, dropping her gaze. "Rala mentioned that much."

"Oh." She didn't know what else to say, and so she leaned back down into the saddle to tug the blanket up again. Even that brief clarification did very little to allay her apprehension about returning. If anything, it made the situation even more confused.

Tenzin reached out to run his hand across her forehead and down her cheek, moving hair behind her ear. "I'll do everything I can to keep you safe this time."

"That's not exactly what I'm worried about," she muttered, turning her face away from his touch. It's you I'm worried about, is what she wanted to say, but she kept the words to herself. It was overwhelmingly clear to her that Tenzin was in more danger than she was, even if the details of why were still foggy. Rala was his enemy, not hers.

While she had been in that foggy haze, the spirit fighting inside her, she had dreamed. Though 'dream' was certainly a loose term for the visions flitting back and forth through her mind, she recalled intense emotions welling up inside her. It had been difficult to tell whether these belonged to her or to it – fear, deep sorrow, distress.

She had seen images of places untangle before her: The inside of Weyoun's home, a wide field in the Spirit World, a dark space that made her so very afraid, the cave where she and Tenzin were, splashes of greens and browns and pinks – all repeating over and over, until the being was able to make sense of things itself, that her body was not dying and it had to find a way out before one of them did perish. It could feel her connection to earth through everything, and at some point near the end it sent her the design, through images, of opening herself some way to allow it exit.

But through it all, she knew something was amiss. This spirit was never supposed to be here, stuck the way it felt regardless of the cage of her body. For it was stuck, and in some way Weyoun – and now Rala – was responsible. Either for better or worse, she wasn't sure. She also was not sure how Tenzin was being pulled in to fit, but somehow he was.

Tenzin…she also recalled his voice from that night, drifting in and out of her haze, giving her something to cling to when she began to lose herself. She never heard his words, impassioned as they were, but his voice was always there every time she reached for that tether.

"Sleep, Lin," he entreated, breaking her musings as he withdrew his hand and gave her his part of the blanket. "We probably have an hour or two before we get there. Besides, if we end up getting in some kind of scuff, I want to know you're in tip top shape to fight beside me," he added nonchalantly before she could retort. They both realized he was giving her an excuse, but she took it anyway.

The one thing on her mind as she dozed in the cold as they flew to their destination was, despite what happened to her, she would not let anything happen to her closest friend. She would need her strength for that fight, if one were coming at all.